When Contracts Turn to Forbidden Kisses Chapter 70

Robert

"Damn it!" I slammed my fist on the table, sending several papers flying. "Three more investors pulled out this morning. That's over seven million dollars gone in less than a week!"

Emily sat across from me, absorbed in her phone, thumbs dancing with irritating indifference. Her apathy made my blood boil. This was her fault too—her and that idiot Felix Black.

"Are you even listening to me?" I snapped.

Emily rolled her eyes, not bothering to look up from her phone. "Dad, please. Felix and I have nothing to do with your business problems."

"Really? The Black name used to mean something before your boyfriend disgraced it, and now he's dragging us down with him!"

Margaret entered silently, taking a seat beside Emily. She placed a comforting hand on my arm, but I shrugged it off. I didn't need comfort; I needed solutions.

Suddenly, Emily gasped, her face draining of color as she stared at her phone. "Oh my God," she whispered, immediately covering her mouth.

"What is it now?" I demanded.

"Nothing," she stammered, clutching her phone to her chest.

I wasn't in the mood for teenage drama. "Give me that." I reached across and snatched the phone from her hands, ignoring her protests.

What I saw made my stomach turn. There on the screen was Emily, in various stages of undress, the photos clearly meant for private viewing. The comment section was filled with crude remarks and shares, the count already in the thousands.

"What the hell is this?" I growled, throwing the phone at Margaret. "Look what your daughter's been up to! Taking indecent photos and getting them leaked all over social media!"

Margaret quickly scanned the screen, her face paling. "Emily, how could you be so careless?"

Emily burst into tears. "I didn't post those! Someone's definitely scheming behind the scenes!"

The room fell silent except for Emily's muffled sobs.

Margaret cleared her throat. "Robert, perhaps... perhaps Amelia could help us."

I stopped pacing. "Amelia? That ungrateful brat hasn't spoken to me properly in years."

"Yes, but she's married to Ethan Black now," Margaret said carefully. "He has influence. Maybe she could ask him to help with our... situation."

I sneered; she would never help me. But then I thought, Ethan is now a Wall Street titan, with influence even exceeding his grandfather George.

"Fine," I conceded. "I'll go see her."

---

The weather had turned ominous by the time we reached New York Central Hospital. Thunder rumbled in the distance as Emily and I hurried inside, the first drops of rain beginning to fall.

I marched straight to the obstetrics department, Emily trailing reluctantly behind me. Without bothering to check at the reception, I headed directly for the examination room where I knew Amelia would be seeing patients.

I pushed open the door without knocking, only to find Amelia examining a very pregnant woman. She looked up, her green eyes narrowing at the intrusion.

"This is a private examination," she said coldly. "Patients need to make appointments. Please wait outside."

I opened my mouth to argue, but something in her expression made me reconsider. I grabbed Emily's arm and pulled her back into the hallway, slamming the door behind us.

"We'll wait," I muttered, dropping into one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs lining the corridor.

Emily groaned. "She's doing this on purpose, Dad. She's going to make us wait all afternoon."

"Then we'll wait all afternoon," I replied through gritted teeth. "I didn't come all this way for nothing."

And wait we did. One hour turned into two, then three. Patients came and went. The sky outside grew darker, and rain now lashed against the windows.

Finally, I spotted a woman in scrubs emerging from Amelia's office—her colleague, I presumed.

I straightened up, smoothing my rumpled suit jacket. "Excuse me, miss," I called out, forcing a polite tone. "My daughter and I have been waiting to see Dr. Thompson all afternoon."

The woman, whose name tag read "Rebecca," looked surprised. "Oh, I didn't realize Dr. Thompson had family waiting."

"Could you please let her know we're here?" I asked, with what I hoped was a charming smile. "It's rather urgent."

Rebecca glanced at her watch. "I'll tell her you're waiting."

As she walked away, I saw Emily continue scrolling through her phone, showing no interest in our mission.

"You could at least pretend to care," I hissed at her. "This affects your future too."

Emily just shrugged, not bothering to look up.

---

Finally, Amelia's office door opened. "You can come in now," she called out, her voice professional and detached.

I nudged Emily, and we entered the small office. Amelia was sitting behind her desk, still in her white coat, her hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. She didn't stand to greet us.

"Make it quick," she said, glancing at her watch. "I have a meeting in twenty minutes."

"Listen," I started, "we're in serious trouble. Emily's photos have been leaked everywhere, it's a complete disaster. Additionally, Thompson Enterprises is facing... temporary difficulties."

"And this concerns me how?" Amelia asked, her voice flat.

"Well, we're family, aren't we? And now that you're married to Ethan Black, I thought perhaps you could speak to him. Ask him to put in a good word with some of his associates. Maybe even consider a small investment in Thompson Enterprises."

Amelia's expression didn't change. "I can't help you with that."

"Can't or won't?" I felt my temper rising.

"Both," she replied coolly. "Ethan and I are separated. I've already submitted divorce papers. So don't fantasize about using that connection anymore."

The words hit me like a physical blow. "What? You're divorcing Ethan? Are you insane?"

"I'm currently living separately from him," she continued calmly. "If you don't believe me, you can ask him yourself."

I felt the blood rushing to my face. "Have you lost your mind? Do you have any idea what you're throwing away? Every woman in New York would kill to be married to Ethan Black!"

Amelia shrugged, unmoved by my outburst. "Is there anything else?"

My mind raced. If Amelia and Ethan were divorcing, there was no chance he would help Thompson Enterprises. And with Emily's relationship with Felix also on the rocks, we had no leverage with the Black family at all.

"Fine," I snapped. "If you won't help that way, then transfer the company shares George gave you to me. And I need a loan—just a few million to tide us over."

Amelia actually laughed at this. "Not a chance. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare for my meeting."

Something inside me snapped. "You ungrateful daughter! After everything I've done for you—"

"What exactly have you done for me, Robert?" she interrupted, using my first name like a weapon. "Name one thing."

I sputtered, rage making it hard to form coherent thoughts. "I'm your father! I gave you life!"

Amelia stood up, her calm façade finally cracking. "Get out. Now."

I grabbed Emily's arm and stormed out, slamming the door behind me so hard that the nearby nurses' station fell silent, all eyes turning toward us.

---

"If I had known that little bitch was divorcing Black, I wouldn't have bothered coming here at all," I muttered as we walked through the parking garage.

To my surprise, Emily had a strange, hard-to-read smile.

"What are you so happy about?" I demanded. "Your sister just refused to help us, and your social media disaster is still trending."

Emily didn't respond, too engrossed in whatever message she was typing. I ripped the phone from her grasp.

"Hey!" she protested.

"Why are you so pleased about Amelia's divorce? How does that help us in any way?"

Emily reached for her phone, but I held it away. "It's not about us," she muttered. "It's just... for someone else, it's a good opportunity. She might be able to help us instead."

"Who? What are you talking about?"

A sly smile spread across Emily's face. "You'll see, Dad. Just trust me on this one."