Chapter 36 I Can't Break My Promise

Emily tilted her head and looked at Joseph. "Joseph, do you treat your girlfriend like this?"

Joseph was taken aback for a moment and flicked Emily's forehead. "What are you thinking? Your sister-in-law prepared all these things. She said you'd be moved to tears."

Emily touched her forehead, feeling a bit embarrassed. "She is so good to me. You better not let her down."

Hearing Emily's teasing, Joseph's face showed a hint of awkwardness. He cleared his throat. "Let's go. It's getting late. If we leave now, we'll make it just in time."

Just as they were about to get in the car, someone grabbed Emily's wrist. Sensing the familiar cold aura behind her, Emily's face turned cold. She turned around and looked at James with displeasure. "Let go!"

James's eyes darted between her and Joseph, his gaze dark and brooding. She laughed so happily when talking to others, but when facing him, her smile vanished instantly. He wondered why she hated him so much.

"Really such a flirt? Found another one already? Two men weren't enough for you before?" James's deep voice sounded as he glanced disdainfully at the trunk. "Like it? Come back to me, and you'll have as much as you want."

Hearing this, Emily thought James was crazy. She glared at him, gritting her teeth. "James, if you're sick in the head, go to the hospital. I don't have any medicine here to cure you. Let go of me!"

James tightened his grip on Emily's wrist, causing her face to contort in pain. Noticing something was wrong, Joseph stepped forward to protect Emily. "Didn't you hear her? She told you to let go!"

He had heard from other family members that Emily had once married a jerk because of poor judgment. Now divorced, this jerk still lingered around her. He was told to drive the guy away if he ever saw him.

However, he didn't know that the jerk they were talking about was James from the Smith Group. But regardless of who it was, anyone who made Emily sad deserved to be punished.

James also noticed Emily's change in expression. He loosened his grip slightly but still held on.

"James, what do you mean by this?" Emily was genuinely confused by James now. When they were together, she was always the one accommodating and pleasing him.

She had lost her dignity countless times without receiving a shred of compassion from James. Now that they were divorced, he started to cling to her like a devoted lover, while she seemed like the one who had broken his heart.

"We're already divorced, no longer related. Isn't this what you always wanted?" Emily was very puzzled.

James pressed his lips together, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes. He also wanted to know what was wrong with him. Seeing Emily with another man made him feel incredibly uneasy, and he wanted to separate her from any other man.

He thought, 'Emily always said she liked me and that I was the only one for her in this lifetime. Is this how she keeps her promises?' He glared at Emily, trying to discern the truth in her words.

At first, he wanted a divorce, but gradually, he got used to Emily's presence. Without her, he felt uneasy. After Ava passed away, he noticed his unusual feelings and thought he was just used to her, so he moved out of the Smith Manor.

If it was just a habit, he could break it. But to James's surprise, half a year wasn't enough to break this habit. Instead, he missed Emily more and more during that time.

Just then, he got a message from Emily asking for a divorce. Furiously, he rushed home, only to find the divorce papers and no sign of Emily. Enraged, he called her. He thought she was just using the divorce to scare him back, but she signed her name without hesitation and said she wanted nothing.

Seeing the divorce papers, James nearly ground his teeth to dust, his anger almost consuming his sanity. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he would do something irreversible.

Thinking about it, James's eyes reddened. He trembled slightly as he held Emily's hand, his voice tinged with malice. "I promised Ava I would take care of you for life. I can't break that promise."

"Do you even believe that yourself, James?" Emily was increasingly unable to understand James.

He had gone to great lengths to distance himself from her, using various means to make things difficult for her. Divorce was what he had always wanted. Now that it was all achieved, he should be happy to marry Olivia, not entangled with her.

Olivia's belly was already quite big. If they delayed any longer, the baby would be born in a few months. Thinking about the Johnson Group, which had been targeting the Smith family recently, Emily wondered if he was unable to withstand the pressure and wanted to win her back to ease relations with the Johnson Group.

Seeing Emily in pain, Joseph felt equally distressed. He waved his hand, and soon, several bodyguards appeared, restraining James. Even so, James didn't let go of Emily's wrist.

Emily pried James's fingers off one by one. Seeing the glaring red mark on her wrist, she was angry. "Let's go."

As Emily was about to get in the car, James shouted, "Emily!"

Emily paused slightly, then got into the car. Joseph said coldly, "Keep him restrained. Don't let him follow and ruin the plan."

Hearing this, James's eyes widened. 'Plan? What plan?'

"Don't you dare touch her!" James roared. He struggled desperately to break free from the people restraining him, but he was outnumbered. Just as he broke free, he was grabbed again and forced to watch the car drive away.

Once the car was out of sight, the bodyguards released him. James's face was dark as he watched the car leave. He made a call, and soon, a car appeared in front of him. After getting in, he turned on his phone and instructed the driver to follow his directions.

When he met Emily earlier, he had placed a micro tracker on her. Now, he just needed to follow the navigation to catch up with her. But when he saw the tracker stop at a casino, his brows furrowed tightly and never relaxed.

At that moment, Nicholas was already at the casino. His eyes were fixed on the dealer's hand, trying to see what numbers were being rolled. His table was piled high with chips; he had won quite a bit. But he wasn't satisfied. He wanted more.

Joseph and Emily watched Nicholas's crazed behavior on the monitor and simultaneously smirked coldly. From a certain angle, the two of them looked quite similar.