Chapter 135

William Johnson had been sitting motionless by the floor-to-ceiling window of Jinzhou Bay Apartment No.1 for an entire day. The fading sunlight streamed through the glass, casting golden hues over him, yet it couldn't dispel the icy aura surrounding him.

His phone suddenly vibrated violently on the coffee table, its screen lighting up and dimming repeatedly—ten times in total.

Slowly, he reached out and picked it up. When he saw the ten transfers totaling five hundred thousand dollars, his pupils constricted sharply. His knuckles turned white from the force of his grip, veins bulging menacingly across the back of his hand.

Did she really think repaying this money would settle everything between them?

A cold smirk curled his lips as a storm raged in his eyes. Without hesitation, he dialed the CEO of Grasshopper Audiobook.

"Mr. Johnson? How may I—"

"Take down all works by Emily Smith and her co-anchor immediately." His voice was frigid, laced with venom. "Blacklist them across all platforms. Anyone who dares to work with them is challenging me."

Dead silence filled the other end of the line.

"But... Mr. Johnson, they're our top anchors—"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

"N-no! I’ll handle it right away!"

Three days later, Saturday afternoon.

Emily Smith returned from the hospital, ready to contact her new partner to prepare for recording a new book. But then, a message popped up:

"The website has terminated all collaborations with you."

She froze, her fingers trembling slightly.

"All your works have been removed," another message followed. "Who did you offend?"

Panicked, she logged into the website, only to find her profile completely wiped clean. She sent multiple messages to her editor, but there was no response.

By seven in the evening, she finally couldn’t hold back and texted Daniel Chen. The moment she hit send, her phone rang.

"Daniel..."

"Emily, are you okay?"

They spoke simultaneously, then fell into silence. Over the line, she could hear his heavy breathing.

"Let’s meet in person," he finally said.

Half an hour later, Emily arrived at the restaurant entrance, where Daniel had been waiting. He strode toward her, his gaze scanning her carefully.

"I’m sorry for dragging you into this again," she murmured.

Daniel shook his head and led her inside. After ordering, he looked straight into her eyes.

"Has William Johnson been giving you trouble?"

The question made everything click into place. She remembered William’s fury that night, the engagement banquet photos circulating everywhere.

"No," she forced a faint smile.

"Even now, you’re still defending him?" Daniel’s voice tightened. "He cut off your income—isn’t that trouble enough?"

Emily lowered her lashes, shadows falling across her face. "Daniel, I’m really sorry..."

Outside, the city lights flickered to life. The restaurant buzzed with chatter, but it all felt distant—irrelevant to them.