Chapter 120: The Fire Rages

Words : 1737 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: The Fire RagesGina Lopez’s gaze fixed on James Brown with a sharpness that still carried a hint of hesitation and worry. If James indeed tried to force himself on her, she knew she wasn’t his match. However, as a CEO, she had her own dignified presence, one not common among other women. Staring at James, she said, "I kindly let you sleep in the bed, and you scare me? If you dare to step out of line, I’ll tell Sunny Nguyen about this. I’d like to see how you’d handle it then." James Brown’s intent was merely to scare Gina Lopez a little. He chuckled, "Just joking, don’t be nervous. I’m earning my salary from you, after all; if I upset you, what if you decide to fire me afterward?" "You know what’s good for you. You go to sleep first; I still have some things to look at," Gina said as she lowered her head back to the computer. James climbed into bed and lay on one side, pulling the blanket over and draping just a corner over himself, lying sideways with his back to Gina. Sёarᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gina cast a sideways glance at James and felt quite satisfied with his behavior. She then turned her attention back to her computer. Recent events had truly been distressing for her. After working with Lucy Campbell, they had reached some agreement on cooperation. However, when the headquarters heard that the JYPP Region Company branch was planning to expand, they sent several people over to the company. Rumors were also circulating that an upper-level executive’s relative was coming to replace her and take over her job, reassigning her to another subsidiary. Although the news was not yet confirmed, the fact that it had reached her ears meant it couldn’t be ignored. She had worked hard to bring the branch to its current state, and now she was expected to hand over all her hard work, her achievements, to someone else—it was something she could not accept with a light heart. As an employee, Gina knew that no matter how well she did, she was ultimately just a worker for the boss. If the headquarters made such a decision, she had no power to argue or prevent it. If someone more capable was really sent from the top, that would be one thing, but what she heard was that Sunny Nguyen’s ex-husband was the one coming over. What capabilities could he have? It was all due to nepotism. If the branch fell into his hands, not to mention further development, it was doubtful it could last a few more years. For the first time, Gina considered job-hopping. Lucy Campbell had already extended an olive branch with better conditions, most importantly, offering her an unparalleled level of autonomy, something very few bosses would offer. Gina had always been reluctant to leave JYPP Region Company, but now... she truly hesitated. Compared to Lucy Campbell, the executives at the parent company seemed utterly incompetent; staying here likely meant no chance for further growth. However, Gina was still hesitant. There were more than fourteen employees in JYPP Region Company, all of whom had fought alongside her. While she could easily move on to bigger opportunities, what about them? Without her, their treatment might never be as good as it was now, which made her feel guilty. With a sigh, Gina massaged her forehead and set aside her laptop. This decision couldn’t be made in a rush; it was time to get some sleep. As she lay down, Gina was once again reminded of James’s presence, an unexpected man suddenly by her side, which made her feel uncomfortable and uneasy. Fortunately, James wasn’t snoring today, and she hoped she could still fall asleep. James had occupied only a third of the bed, leaving two-thirds for her. There was enough room in the middle for an adult to lie down, and the blanket was large enough to cover them both comfortably. Lying in bed, Gina found it difficult to fall asleep, not because of James, but due to a throbbing headache. Perhaps a result of overexertion and stress, she had developed this condition recently. That day, the pain seemed particularly severe. Tossing and turning, she eventually let out a pained moan. "What’s wrong?" James turned toward her and asked softly. "My head hurts," Gina replied weakly. "You’re not running a fever again, are you?" James sat up and reached out to touch Gina’s forehead. Gina didn’t pull away. Last time she had a fever, James had taken care of her the whole night without misbehaving. So she trusted him and said, "I think it’s just exhaustion from lately." James simply replied, "So it’s fatigue. Do you want me to give you a massage? I’m pretty good at it; it should help relieve a lot of the pain." "Then I’ll have to trouble you," said Gina quickly. James sat down next to Gina’s shoulder, his ten fingers precisely finding her pressure points and gently beginning to knead them. Gina occasionally visited beauty parlors, and such massages weren’t new to her. But those were always done by women. Now, having a man’s strong fingers on her head felt strange. Yet, the intense headache soon overwhelmed any odd sensations. James massaged with great care, gradually increasing the pressure, which slowly eased Gina’s headache. In less than ten minutes, she drifted off to sleep. James didn’t stop; having started, he intended to help her fully relax as a gesture of seeing things through. About ten minutes later, as James contemplated stopping, Gina turned over to face him, her arm accidentally landing across his body. Most fatefully, Gina’s slender hand ended up precisely on the most inappropriate place between James’s legs. James, already riled up from earlier encounters with the beautiful hosts Alice Brown and Jennifer Ho, was wearing only thin pajamas. Gina’s touch ignited a fire within him. Driven by male instinct, he promptly became erect, even causing Gina’s hand to be pushed upward. Gina Lopez’s hand slid down, but halfway through, her fingers suddenly curled and she grasped James Brown’s ’thing’ unexpectedly. This caught James completely off guard, and he couldn’t help but let out a low hiss. "Gina, don’t tell me you did that on purpose?" By now, James’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Although he couldn’t see everything in the room clearly, being so close to Gina allowed him to make out the expression on her face. At that moment, Gina’s expression was calm, her breathing steady. Her previously furrowed brow had completely relaxed, which clearly indicated she was sound asleep. This made James even more frustrated. If Gina had done it on purpose, then he could have unrestrainedly ’devoured’ her. But it was all an accident, which meant he couldn’t do anything to Gina. Fortunately, Gina’s hand had grasped James in that place for less than twenty seconds before she let go and her hand fell onto James’s thigh. This gave James a secret sigh of relief. If it had continued for a bit longer, he feared he wouldn’t have been able to control himself, and he might have gone directly for Gina. Shaking his head, James gently moved Gina’s hand away, but his heart was full of frustration. Since when had he allowed himself to be put in such a position by a woman, and yet endured it? Lying in bed, James didn’t know what to do next. He simply got out of bed, prepared to go out and drink some water to cool his heated mind. Just as he opened the door, the door opposite also opened. Emily Lopez came out, her eyes bleary. She yawned and said, "Brother-in-law, haven’t you gone to sleep yet?" "Oh, not yet," James hastily turned to the side. He had quite a noticeable tent in his pajamas, and it would be too embarrassing if Emily saw it. Unexpectedly, Emily’s eyes suddenly opened wide. She glanced over James’s body and then came closer with a sneaky smile, "Brother-in-law, I really pity you." James forced a smile, "Pity me for what?" "Hehe...do I even need to say? You have a beautiful woman lying in bed and you can’t ’eat’ her, how painful that must be," she said, pointing to James’s waist before running off into the bathroom with a mischievous laugh. James’s face couldn’t help but redden; he knew Emily had seen the embarrassing bulge in his pants. Now, he feared that Emily would tease him even more. However, this might be for the best as it confirmed his relationship with Gina; Emily couldn’t be doubtful anymore. James went into the living room, poured himself a glass of water, and downed it. He sat on the couch to calm his reaction. Once again, the bathroom door opened, and Emily also stepped into the living room, casually switching on the light. The light wasn’t too bright; it was the softest kind, casting a hazy glow over the living room. Walking straight over to James, Emily sat down beside him, her gaze sweeping over his body before she chuckled. James, knowing exactly what Emily was looking at, said in a mix of annoyance and amusement, "What’s so funny?" Emily laughed again, "Brother-in-law, you really have a lot of patience." James said with irritation, "That topic doesn’t seem quite appropriate for conversation between a sister-in-law and her brother-in-law, does it?" Emily pursed her lips, "What’s the problem? I’m not a kid. Besides, what era is it now? What’s wrong with a little chat between sister-in-law and brother-in-law?" "Let’s talk about something else," James didn’t want to linger on this topic. Emily giggled, "Sure, what shall we talk about then?" "Whatever you want to talk about." Emily tilted her head, thinking, and then said, "Then, brother-in-law, could you tell me a story?" James’s eyes widened in surprise, "Tell a story?" With a mischievous smile, Emily said, "Yeah, tell a story. I used to love it when my dad told me stories when I was little, but he only had a few that he would repeat over and over, and I got tired of them. Brother-in-law, can you tell me about your past? I really want to hear about it." James hesitated for a moment, "Alright, I’ll tell you a story."

Chapter 120: The Fire Rages

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