Chapter 6 Always Been Here
1035 Words
Everyone turned toward the booming voice, and what first caught their attention was a huge belly.
A man in a black suit, heavyset and huffing for breath, strode toward them.
"I'd like to see anyone try to lay a finger on my daughter!" he bellowed, breathing heavily and shouting as he approached.
He stomped directly over to Henry, his eyes blazing as he glared down at him. "Are you the one trying to throw my daughter out? You think a mere manager like you has the right to do that?"
Henry felt a headache coming on.
'Why do things always get so complicated? This was supposed to be a simple affair, just a hotel scene of catching someone in the act, and now, people keep showing up one after another.'
Henry was hesitant as he faced Alexander. This old man was notorious for being unreasonable.
'Now that he was involved, who knew what chaos might unfold?'
Henry shot a quick glance at Emma, who stood there with her arms crossed, observing the scene. Recalling her earlier words, he braced himself and replied, "Mr. Anderson, I only asked Miss Anderson to leave because, well, she..."
"Nonsense!" Alexander interrupted him before he could finish. "My daughter is the most precious treasure in the world, the loveliest girl there is. How could she possibly cause trouble?"
He looked around, and his gaze landed on Emma, standing quietly in the corner.
He froze for a brief moment, then seemed to realize something and yelled, "You! Get over here!"
Turning to Emma, he demanded, "The troublemaker Ms. Anderson he mentioned, is that you?!"
Emma didn't move, so Alexander shouted again, "Emma Anderson! Get over here now!"
Everyone looked at Emma with astonishment.
'This is Emma Anderson? The real heiress of the Anderson family?'
Emma had rarely appeared at public events. At every gathering, Alexander only brought Sybil, introducing her as his daughter while hardly ever mentioning Emma.
Even Henry was taken aback.
'So, the woman who was speaking to me earlier is Alexander's other daughter? Her figure does resemble Alexander's, but her face looks nothing like him. Sybil, on the other hand, looks almost identical to him.'
Henry felt a pang of regret. 'I'd never heard of Mr. Howard knowing her. So how did she know what Mr. Howard once told me?'
Meanwhile, Alexander was still loudly berating Emma, "If it weren't for your sister pleading with me, I wouldn't have let you attend this event. And here you are, instead of being grateful, causing trouble? What exactly did you do to get yourself thrown out?"
Emma raised an eyebrow, casting a bemused glance at Alexander.
"What a shame!" Alexander yelled as he wobbled over, raising his hand high. "Apologize to the manager right now and go straight home. And don't even think about stepping out again!"
He brought his hand down, ready to slap her.
Emma caught a glimpse of Sybil standing behind him, a smug and triumphant smile on her face.
But the smile quickly froze.
In a swift movement, Emma gripped Alexander's wrist tightly. With an icy glare, she pushed his arm aside. "And you think you're fit to call yourself a father?"
"What did you just say?" Alexander was momentarily stunned.
'Ever since Emma was ten, she hadn't dared to stand up to me like this. I don't know what's gotten into her today, especially in front of all these people, putting me on the spot.'
Desperate to save face, he raised his hand again, ready to strike Emma once more.
Just then, a low, authoritative voice broke through the tension. "Sir, you barged in here without even asking what happened, and pinning all the blame on this lady. Isn't that a bit unfair?"
The real Emma—the one who had been in the room from the beginning, me—slipped into the bathroom during the commotion and quickly got dressed.
Just as I was about to leave, I heard my father's voice approaching, and a cold chill ran down my spine. As expected, my father didn't even pause to understand the situation before shifting all the blame onto me. Only this time, someone else in my body took the brunt of his wrath.
'Is the soul taking my body Mr. X?' Whoever it was, they didn't abandon me. Instead, they had come back with the evidence to defend my innocence and to confront my father. That meant they were willing to stand with me. 'I have to help them... and myself.'
Alexander turned, glaring at me with irritation. "Who the hell are you? This is family business! Who are you to interfere?"
Henry's eyes widened as he looked at me. 'It's Mr. Howard!'
He frowned, confused. 'There are so many people around. I didn't even notice Mr. Howard was here. How long has he been here? Or was he here all along?'
Henry quickly replayed everything he'd said and done in his mind, relieved that he'd followed Emma's advice earlier.
'I wonder if Mr. Howard was satisfied with how I handled things just now.' He glanced toward me, trying to gauge my reaction, hoping to know what I wanted him to do next.
But Henry didn't know that it was my soul in this man's body, and I had no idea who he was.
This misunderstanding gave Henry a mistaken impression that William wanted to humiliate Alexander and Sybil. Convinced now that everything Sybil had said was nonsense, he was certain she was lying.
'She even said she was soon to be Mrs. Howard, yet she hasn't even met Mr. Howard?'
Oblivious, Alexander continued to mock me. Finally, Henry couldn't stand it and interjected, "Your family matters are none of our concern, but please take them outside the hotel."
Alexander reacted as if Henry had stepped on his toes. He practically glared at him, scolding Henry, "Do you know what you're saying? Good Lord, how did Howard Group employ someone as rude as you? Do you have any idea who you're talking to? I am William's future father-in-law! I could have you fired this instant!"
At that, Henry nearly burst out laughing.
"Then tell me," he replied. "How could anyone not recognize his son-in-law?"
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