The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains

"Hey, so you're Ella. I gotta say, your paintings are amazing, and I didn't expect you to be this gorgeous in person. My teacher's a big fan too." Emily felt a weird sense of familiarity with Jeffrey's excitement. Noticing Emily's puzzled look, Jeffrey jumped in to explain, "My teacher is Mr. Jackson. He has some of your paintings."

Emily finally got why Jeffrey seemed familiar. It turned out that he was Nicholas's student.

"Hi, I'm Emily."

"Oh, your real name is just as poetic as your art. Miss Rodriguez and I have tried to meet you a few times, but we heard you were always busy. Didn't expect to see you today." Jeffrey was pretty good-looking and cheerful, and Emily didn't mind chatting with him a bit more.

"Yeah, I've been kinda swamped lately." In fact, she just wanted to avoid any drama before the press conference.

Emily and Abigail chatted with Jeffrey for a few more minutes until he got called away, but he made plans to meet up with Abigail next time.

Emily shot Abigail a teasing smile. "What? Do you like him?" She noticed Abigail sneaking glances at Jeffrey and blushing.

Abigail lightly punched Emily's shoulder, shyly saying, "What are you talking about? Let's go. The show's about to start." She quickly pulled Emily to find seats.

The first part was the press conference for Michael and Nicholas signing a cooperation agreement. Emily and Abigail found a low-key spot to sit.

They watched Michael, still looking dignified and elegant, walk onto the stage. After a bunch of business pleasantries with Nicholas, they finally signed, shook hands, hugged, and posed for photos under the media's flashlights.

Emily was super relieved the deal was signed first. If anything went wrong in the second half, the cooperation might've been off the table.

In the midst of the flashing lights, Michael's gaze zeroed in on Emily. Through the crowd, he saw the uniquely beautiful Emily resting her head on Abigail's shoulder. Maybe she was bored or maybe she was feeling off.

She looked so different today. From the moment he saw her in the afternoon, he wanted to say she was stunningly beautiful, the kind of beauty that takes his breath away.

She had a different kind of charm in that red spaghetti strap dress. Earlier, he had noticed all the men in the room had their eyes on her, and it made him a bit angry. Such a beautiful person should be kept at home for private appreciation, not displayed for everyone to see.

But then he realized she was actually feeling sick because she couldn't hold it in any longer and had to rush to the restroom in front of all the reporters, looking pale and embarrassed. As Michael's assistant, Andrew felt terrible.

Andrew put on a professional smile and dealt with the reporters, but inside he was almost crying, 'Mr. Smith, you didn't mention I'd have to speak for you.'

Meanwhile, Emily was in the restroom with Abigail, throwing up.

"Emily, you can't keep throwing up like this. This baby doesn't seem to care about you at all," Abigail said helplessly, patting Emily's back.

Emily, pale-faced, felt a bit better after throwing up. She took a sip of water and said, "Yeah, it keeps bothering me from time to time."

Abigail touched Emily's belly and said, "Baby, you're just like your dad, always restless. Wait till you come out, I'll spank your little butt for making your mom suffer."

Emily smiled, but her eyes were full of affection as she touched her belly. When Emily and Abigail came out of the restroom, they ran into Michael, who also seemed to have just come out of the restroom, looking like someone owed him money.

Seeing Emily, Michael's face darkened even more. "What's wrong with you? Can't you stop throwing up?" Michael said angrily and walked away without looking back.

Emily and Abigail exchanged confused glances. "Did you do something to upset him?" Abigail asked, puzzled.

Emily shook her head, equally baffled. "Forget about him." Abigail supported Emily as they walked back to the venue.

Michael felt completely drained after throwing up in the restroom. He hated this feeling and wondered when Emily's condition would improve and stop tormenting him. Michael stood on the balcony outside the venue, trying to clear his head. Soon, he saw Emily coming out. He wanted to talk to her, to tell her to rest at home if she wasn't feeling well instead of coming out and making herself suffer. Then Sophia called out to him from behind, "Michael, Mr. Jackson said he's waiting for you in the lounge." Michael frowned, looked at Emily again, but she had already walked away. He sighed, nodded, and went to find Nicholas with Sophia. Sophia glanced in the direction Michael had been originally heading, which was where Emily had just left. Sophia immediately stepped in front of him, even though Nicholas hadn't actually called for Michael. But she didn't care, as long as Michael didn't go to Emily, she didn't mind lying. Sophia made up an excuse and stuck to Michael's side, not leaving him for a moment.

Emily felt much better after throwing up. She had deliberately not eaten anything today, fearing the baby would make her uncomfortable, but it seemed not eating wasn't an option either.

"Emily, you look awful. Should we go to the hospital?" Abigail was a bit worried, noticing that Emily had kept losing weight instead of gaining it since she got pregnant. "No need. I've checked, it's all normal." Emily replied.

The two of them walked around and returned to the venue, which was being set up for the evening's jewelry exhibition.

"That Michael, you're his wife, right? Why is he always with Sophia? It's really annoying." Apparently, Abigail had also noticed Sophia sticking to Michael not far away.

Emily wanted to find a place without them, but Michael noticed her. Of course, Sophia was with him.

Michael said to Emily, "You should come with me to meet Mr. Jackson later."

Emily smiled. "Sure."

Sophia's face turned pale, her eyes flashing with resentment and unwillingness. In such a setting, the person by Michael's side should be her.

When Emily appeared in front of Nicholas with Michael, Nicholas was pleasantly surprised. "Do you two know each other?" Michael looked at Emily in confusion. 'When did she meet Nicholas?' He wondered. "We've met once. Hello, Mr. Jackson." Emily gracefully extended her hand to Nicholas.

Nicholas particularly liked Emily, especially after knowing she was Ella. He was even more delighted, not expecting to meet such a talented designer in Novaria.

"Hello, thank you for the painting you sent me last time. How should I thank you?" Nicholas asked.

Emily replied that there was no need and said it was a gift for signing the contract with the Smith Corporation. Although it wasn't very valuable, it was her heartfelt gesture.NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

"Oh, so you are Mr. Smith's wife? You two are a perfect match." Nicholas replied.

Hearing Nicholas's words, Michael dissolved into a smile.

Sophia, standing beside them, felt redundant and awkward. She immediately clung to Michael's arm. "Michael, the jewelry I designed will also be showcased tonight. Do you like it?"

Michael nodded, and Nicholas's eyes flashed with a hint of disgust. He looked at Emily again.

Nicholas said, "I also like the jewelry you designed. I hope we can collaborate again in the future."

Nicholas's words left both Michael and Sophia stunned, especially Sophia.

"Are you still designing jewelry? Have you forgotten about the plagiarism incident in college? How can you have the face to tell Mr. Jackson you design jewelry now?" Sophia, feeling a sense of unease, blurted out.