Spice Of Love (Phoneix 2)

Chapter 23

Emily didn't want to be here. Even though it was her brother's home and it was only a small get-to-together, she would have preferred to be anywhere but here. She just wanted to leave this place.

God knows how Henry invited himself to this party, ruining the purpose of the small gathering. Even though James was beside her, which made this event a lot more tolerable, yet she couldn't help but feel something was going to go wrong.

Real wrong.

Fortunately, Bob, Fiona, and Justin were also present, along with a few of Kate and Jake's friends. Henry came here for something, and when he saw that there was a gathering, he just invited himself in. He walked right in as if he owned the god-damn place. Even after being such a lousy father, Jake couldn't ask him to leave. Their mom and dad had raised them well and treated people better than they deserved.

But unfortunately, Henry didn't know the line. He couldn't stand his ex-family being happy. And hell broke loose when he crossed the boundary.

Emily had no interest in even looking at Henry; hence she walked past him. But her dearest biological father had to make a scene.

"You are more like me than you realize, Emily." He said as he was trying to get his daughter's attention.

"Excuse me?" With a scowl on her face, she glared at him. "I am nothing like you."

"Really? For all the years, you hated me for marrying a woman who was also my boss. You had accused me of being a gold digger. But have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror? You and James. Isn't he your boss?" Henry smirked.

He knew his daughter well and was very well aware of her sensitive points.

Emily's eyes were welling up with tears. Even though she hated her father, his words cut through her heart as sharp as a knife. On the other hand, James was enraged.

Fortunately, he was standing beside Emily, chatting with one of Jake's friends Anthony, when he overheard Henry's venomous words.

"You are crossing your line, Mr. Davies. Don't you dare try to point fingers at Emily." He warned her biological father.

"So should I point fingers at you for trapping your juniors for your own personal needs? I have always been surprised at how the hell you two managed to pull off your relationship for this long. But then, she gets her perks, and you get your own." Henry said. He was enjoying riling James up. He is going to expose the flaw in his daughter and James' relationship.

"We don't need to explain our relationship to anyone here. People who need to know are very much aware of our true feelings for each other." James said. He won't allow this man break him or Emily.

Before Henry could respond, Emily asked him the question that had been haunting her all her life. "Why are you doing this, Henry? What the hell did we ever do to you? What is your problem with us?"

He had always jabbed her, but involving James was not fair. It was the tipping point for her. She will not allow anyone, let alone Henry, to target James, who has always been a loyal friend to her.

"Your duplicity and your hypocrisy are my problems, Emily. You have been accusing and insulting me for years for marrying another woman, but you, on the other hand, are no less than me. Trapping a man superior to you? James is a well-established, financially secure person. He is a perfect pawn, isn't he? So why not seduce him? The perfect way to climb the ladder. Wrap him around your fingers and fulfil all your desires. You know, you are nothing more than a gold digger...." But he was cut short by Bob's fist.

"You bloody son of bit..." Before Bob could finish his sentence, Jake yanked him away from his useless father.

"He is a waste of time, dad," Jake said, trying to calm his father, where he himself was seething with hatred for Henry.

"Henry, get out of here," Jake said, trying not to lose his cool.

"You are asking me to leave?" Henry was angry.

"Yes. I am asking you to leave our lives for good. This is something I should have done a long time ago. But I didn't. Even after being a terrible person, you were still our father. So, I tried to respect you, but this was the last straw. You don't deserve a single ounce of respect from any of us. I won't let you break my family apart once again. So fucking leave from her and never try to contact us ever again, or else I will have to get a restraining order against you." Jake told him sternly.

Kate stood right beside him, firmly holding her husband's arm and rubbing his shoulder. He was well aware that she was trying to keep him together so that he wouldn't punch his father and lower himself in his own eyes. His wife has always been his biggest supporter and saviour. He was glad that she had always been with him, through thick and thin.

"Don't be stupid, Jake. You are my son..." Henry tried to bring Jake to his side.

"You ain't my father, and I ain't your fucking son. We do share DNA, but that's about it. My dad is standing here right beside me, and he has always been present in my life since the day he introduced himself. You, on the other hand, have only been a donor. So now I ask you to leave and never try to contact us ever again. We are done with you." Jake clenched his jaw.

Just when Henry was about to open the door, James stopped him.

"You know, Mr. Davies? You are an ass—a real piece of shit. To tell you the truth, I don't owe any explanation to you or the people here, but since you have made it your personal mission to destroy the life of your children, I am going to clarify a few things. Not because you deserve to know this, but the people here in front of whom you tried to defame the love of my life, I will. They should know the truth so that none of them ever question Emily's character or her integrity."

This made everyone look at him. Bob, Jake, Kate, Fiona, and Justin. They had all suspected James was in love with Emily, but hearing the words spoken proved it. They very well knew that those words were not for show. He meant what he said.

However, Emily was astonished. James had always stood up for her; even now, he was willing to put everything on the line just for her. And Love? Does he really or is it just to make a point?

James, on the other hand, was steaming from rage. He wanted to forget all the ethics and punch the guy in the face, and luckily, Bob did that for him. He won't let Henry question Emily's character, nor will he allow anybody else to do so.

"You know, there is no comparison between you and Emily, or even Jake, for that matter. Even though she has your blood, that's all there is to it. You guys just share your DNA. That's about it. Whereas Emily and I are concerned, Our relationship is pure, with no hidden agenda. You compared your relationship with your late wife to ours. You are forgetting the key factor, Mr. Davies. You were a married man when you committed the crime of adultery. You had two small kids, whom you conveniently abandoned the first chance you got. That is the crime of trust and abandonment. What Emily and I have is something you will never understand. You don't have that ability. Neither one of us is committed to anyone else but each other. The first time we kissed, there wasn't even a potential other person in the picture with whom we had a remote interest. Emily, your daughter, made sure of that." James said, looking at her, who was standing beside him with a smile, reminiscing about that day.

When he saw tears flowing from her eyes, he took a step towards her and wiped them away with both his hands while continuing to speak to that man.

"Since the day we were together, not once has she demanded anything from me in terms of everything. Our professional life has been just like before, with the same status and designation. And whenever she progresses, it will be because of her own hard work and not because she is in relationship with me. What you did was wrong and has shaped her into what she is today. I hate to say this, but your unforgivable attitude has made her the strongest person I know, the person whom I can entrust with my life."

He wanted to say that he loved her, but he couldn't do it in front of him. This confession is supposed to be theirs, which he would tell her with time. However, he forgot that in the heat of the moment, he had already declared his feeling for her to the entire room.

"She is, albeit, crazy and unlike any other woman I have encountered, but I am crazier to have found someone as wonderful as her. Everyone of us here is proud to have her in our lives and cares about her. So, you can go live in hell but never point fingers at Emily because then you will have to deal with me. Now you can take your leave and, as Jake mentioned, never look back again." James said with a glare, and Henry stormed out of the flat.