CHAPTER 677: CHAPTER 715: EMILY BERNS’S SCHEMES

Emily Berns looked at John Brown, then at Gina Lopez, and smiled sweetly, saying, "It’s rare for you to consider Emily Jones like this. If I don’t act sensibly now, it would be unfair to our daughter."

Gina Lopez was surprised by Emily Berns’ good attitude, though unexpected, it was a good thing, and she quickly said, "Our daughter is the flesh that fell from your body, no one can take her away. You can come to see her anytime, and I, Gina Lopez, will have absolutely no complaints."

Emily Berns immediately laughed and said, "Then I must really thank you. I’ve already decided to settle down in YODC City later, so I can see our daughter more often."

Although Gina Lopez felt this was somewhat troubling, she still said, "That’s absolutely no problem. I’ve been in YODC City for a few years now. If you need any help, I’ll do my best."

"There’ll surely be many places I’ll inconvenience you in the future, hehe. I’ll just go and play with my daughter for a bit now. It’s been so long since I saw her, and I really miss her."

"Then you should go quickly."

Emily Berns went into the bedroom, casually closing the door behind her, leaving John Brown, Gina Lopez, and Emily Lopez in the living room.

Emily Lopez, who had stood aside, not speaking, curled her lips and said, "Conspiracy, big conspiracy."

Gina Lopez quickly gave Emily Lopez a look, saying, "It’s okay."

Emily Lopez sat beside John Brown, leaned forward, and whispered to Gina Lopez, "Sis, you can’t be too kind. That Emily Berns clearly has not given up her feelings for your brother-in-law. Unlike Emma and Charlotte, she has the intention to steal him away."

Emily Lopez was wearing casual home clothes with a somewhat low-cut neckline, which from the front didn’t reveal anything. But leaning forward to talk to Gina Lopez like this, from John Brown’s angle, everything was crystal clear through the neckline – those prominent breasts and the little grapes in front were all clearly visible.

Gina Lopez didn’t pay attention to such things; the three were used to it at home. Initially, she felt Emily Lopez dressed scantily and it was inappropriate for John Brown to see, but over time, she didn’t notice anything untoward between them. So she didn’t mind, besides, they were family, and couldn’t be overly cautious. Especially in summer, having everyone dressed completely covered would be unbearably hot.

As long as it wasn’t revealing too much, Gina Lopez didn’t pay it any mind. Though she’s an ace in business, she’s still somewhat weak in family relations and emotions. She didn’t realize that a sister-in-law presenting herself to a brother-in-law like that was a great temptation, likely irresistible for over ninety percent of men.

Gina Lopez seriously told Emily Lopez, "I know that too. But she is Emily Jones’s biological mother, no matter what I do, I can’t stop her from seeing her kid, right? That would just be unreasonable."

Emily Lopez stroked her chin, saying, "You’re indeed disadvantaged in this matter, and it is unreasonable to do so. However, if she’s always coming to see the child, taking the child out now and then, finding an excuse saying she wants their daughter to enjoy parent love, dragging your brother-in-law along, isn’t that an easy way for old flames to reignite?"

Gina Lopez looked at John Brown, who gave a bitter smile, saying, "She and I never had any old flame, how can there be a reigniting of old feelings?"

Emily Lopez gave John Brown a sidelong glance, saying, "You’ve had a child together and still claim there’s no old feelings. What indeed would be considered old feelings then?"

John Brown was left speechless by Emily Lopez’s words.

"So..." Emily Lopez leaned forward again, placing her hand on John Brown’s leg, whispering to Gina Lopez, "Sis, in the future, if Emily Berns comes to see the child, you must be at home. If they go out to play, you must also tag along."

Gina Lopez furrowed her brows, saying, "I don’t have that much time. I’ve already declined many social engagements lately. The factory will soon start production, and then our company will be extremely busy. Fear I’ll end up considering normal off-duty hours a luxury."

Emily Lopez furrowed her brows too, saying, "That’s true, it really is quite troublesome."

Gina Lopez glanced at Emily Lopez and suddenly her eyes lit up, saying, "Sandra, I don’t have time, but you do. You can substitute for me then."

"Me substituting for you?" Emily Lopez pointed at her nose and shook her head vigorously, saying, "How could that work? I have to go to work too. Besides, during my free time, I’d like to go out and have fun too."

Gina Lopez widened her eyes, saying, "Are you still my sister? This matter, you have to help, whether you want to or not. It’s settled then. I’ll tell you, if you don’t help, I won’t give you any pocket money in the future. You can go rent a place outside and live on your own."

"Sis! You... isn’t this too harsh?" Emily Lopez gritted her teeth, displaying anger and grievance.

Gina Lopez smiled apologetically, saying, "Good sister, let’s say your big sister is asking for your help, okay?"

"You... actually ask of me like this? This is indeed the Sun rising from the west, it’s truly rare. Alright, alright, I’ll make a sacrifice. For you and your brother-in-law, I’ll pretend to be you then."

Gina Lopez finally laughed happily, saying, "I knew Sandra is the best. Later, if you want anything, just tell your brother-in-law and let him buy it for you."

Grace Lopez’s eyes lit up, "Really?"

Gina quickly said, "It can’t exceed twenty thousand."

"Hehe, twenty thousand is quite a lot." Grace had a look of smug satisfaction, as if her clever plan had succeeded.

Gina didn’t mind, thinking Grace was just up to her usual tricks of getting benefits, just as she had since childhood.

But John Brown was perfectly clear that Grace wasn’t after those minor benefits, but rather wanted a legitimate excuse to impersonate Gina and mingle with him, her brother-in-law. In the future, even if they were caught in compromising situations, Grace would have a reason to explain.

John couldn’t help but admire Grace’s crafty ideas. Even someone as savvy as Gina was at her mercy. If Grace used this cunning for evil, she’d be a formidable foe. Fortunately, she’s just playful and infatuated with her brother-in-law, not plotting anything more devious.

At that moment, Emily Jones’s giggles could be heard from inside the room, and she soon burst out, proudly showing off the new Barbie doll Emily Berns bought her.

Emily Berns had been there all day, playing games and chatting with her daughter. Gina didn’t interfere with them until after dinner.

"I want to sleep with my daughter tonight, is that okay?" Emily Berns asked Gina and John for their opinion.

Gina immediately said, "Of course, that’s no problem."

Emily Jones excitedly shouted, "Yay, I can sleep with my godmother tonight!"

Gina was a bit envious at heart. After all, the bond between a biological mother and daughter runs deep. Even though Emily Jones didn’t know Emily Berns was her birth mother, they were connected by blood, a natural bond.

Emily Berns hesitated and said, "But...there are only two rooms here. If I stay, where will you sleep?"

Grace immediately said, "I’ll sleep next door."

Emily Berns asked puzzled, "Next door is also your home?"

Gina replied, "No, next door is Lucy Campbell and Emily’s home. They’re not here these days, and we have the keys, so we can stay at their place."

When Emily Berns got out of the elevator, she noticed the three-apartment-per-floor layout and thought of buying one of the units. That way, she could be closer to John and her daughter. However, both nearby houses belonged to people she knew, making it difficult to acquire them.

"Huh, why is Lucy also living here?" Emily Berns found the situation strange.

Gina explained, "Lucy dislikes being followed by bodyguards, and since John used to protect her, living next to us gives her a sense of freedom, so she moved in with us."

Emily Berns glanced at Gina, "You really have a good heart, but be careful. Having too good a heart can make you vulnerable."

"How so?" Gina frowned slightly.

Emily Berns looked at John and said, "Don’t you find Lucy’s behavior a bit odd?"

"What’s odd about it?" Gina felt a pang of doubt; she wasn’t naive and occasionally sensed something amiss but chose not to dwell on it deeply.

Emily Berns glanced at John again, noticing his calm demeanor, thinking she might be overthinking it. But recalling the time she saw John and Lucy passionately kissing, she couldn’t believe John had no relationship with Lucy. She shook her head, "Though I think it’s unlikely, I’ll tell you what I saw. I once witnessed Lucy and John kissing fervently. When I told you back then, you probably didn’t believe me, but it was undeniably true."

Gina nodded, acknowledging that she was aware.

"Haha... forget it, I won’t say anymore. Perhaps I’m being paranoid. Someone like Lucy, if she really wanted to steal your husband, she would have done it already." Emily Berns chuckled and suddenly stopped talking, now wise enough to leave things half-said, letting Gina ponder the rest. That would make Gina think even more deeply.

The real purpose behind her words was simple: she felt at a disadvantage in competition with Gina and found it hard to win over John. However, Lucy was much stronger. By stirring trouble between Lucy and John, she hoped to create a rift between John and Gina, giving her a chance to win John’s heart.