Chapter 24 - 24 24 The Gathering

Words : 1773 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

24: Chapter 24: The Gathering 24: Chapter 24: The Gathering “Knock, knock!” Along with the knocking, Emily Lopez called out from outside the door, “Sis, James, time to get up!” Gina Lopez replied with a quick response, then whispered to James Brown, “Let’s just forget about it; don’t feel burdened. You’re my boyfriend now.” James quickly nodded and then took a deep breath. He smiled at Gina and said, “No problem now.” Gina nodded, got up to open the bedroom door, and Emily immediately squeezed in. She glanced at the blanket on the bed, then at their clothes, and chuckled, “You two sure got dressed quickly, huh?” James cleared his throat with a cough, clearly a bit embarrassed. Gina glared at her and said, “What, you mean we should’ve stayed undressed for you to see?” Emily laughed and said, “If you’re not dressed, there’s nothing to see, but James… heh heh, I wouldn’t dare look.” James gave an awkward laugh, quickly made the bed, and then finished putting on his outer clothes. By this time, Gina had also gotten fully dressed. “What are you doing here so early in the morning?” Gina asked. seaʀᴄh thё ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Emily giggled, “Nothing much, Mom woke up early and ended up waking me too, so I came to bother you guys.” “Humph, you’re really bored,” Gina commented as she tidied her hair. The large wavy curls were quite convenient to manage. “So, what should we do? Since we’re up early with nothing to do, how about we go out and have some fun?” “What’s there to do? Isn’t it nice to chat with Grandpa?” “You come back only once a year. I visit every month. Grandpa doesn’t miss me. James, will you go have fun with me?” Gina immediately rejected the idea, “No way, James has to keep Grandpa company too.” “Boring,” Emily huffed. “Later, I’ll go find someone else to play with.” She made a face at Gina and ran out. Gina shook her head, feeling entirely helpless about her sister. She turned to James, who had a smile on his face, and asked, “What are you laughing about?” James said, “Isn’t it strange how you two are twins, yet your personalities are so different?” “Humph, she’s just a kid who will never grow up. I have no idea when she’ll give us a break,” Gina replied helplessly. “Not really, I think Emily’s way of being carefree and happy is good, too. For a girl, as long as she’s happy, why should she have to be ambitious and goal-driven like you?” Gina said, displeased, “You’re not to say those things to Emily. Otherwise, she’ll get even more cocky. I’m not expecting her to be like me, but she can’t just run off to play all the time, hanging out with those shady characters and talking about practicing art. I think they’re just a bunch of no-goods using art as an excuse.” James, unfamiliar with the situation, said, “I’m not sure about that. If Emily is really mixing with shady people, then we really should do something about it.” Gina looked at James, then suddenly asked, “Are you good at fighting?” “I guess so. Why, you want me to get into a fight?” “No, not to fight, but to find a chance to teach those guys a lesson, to keep them away from Emily.” “Really? If we interfere with Emily’s friends like that, she might get angry.” “So what if she gets angry? I’m her elder sister. I’m not afraid of her,” Gina scoffed. “Well… I think it’s best to be careful. If you trust me, I’ll find an opportunity to meet Emily’s friends and see what sort of people they are. If they’re really bad news, I’ll take care of them. If not, then I’ll just let her be.” Gina replied, her eyes filled with doubt, “You…” James shrugged and said, “If you don’t trust me, then there’s nothing I can do.” At that, Gina nodded, “Alright then, go and check it out. In the next couple of days, they’re definitely going to have some kind of gathering. Just tag along when the time comes.” James grinned, “No problem, I’ll do it for free this time, consider it a bonus.” Gina rolled her eyes at James, “I’ve already given you plenty, and besides, when we get back, I’ll arrange a job for you. Doing a bit more is only right.” It was rare to hear Gina speak in such a tone, and James chuckled before heading out to the living room with her. Grandpa, Jonathan Lopez, and his wife were there, while Emily had vanished who knows where. After breakfast, another round of New Year’s greetings took place, with even the more distant relatives coming over, making it all quite lively. Then, in the afternoon, Gina Lopez and her family of five returned to their home in the city. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the countryside, this home seemed relatively quiet. As soon as Emily Lopez got home, she received several phone calls from friends talking about getting together. Once Emily had finished her calls, Gina said, “Emily, there’s nothing for James to do at home, why don’t you take him out for a bit?” Emily was immediately surprised and looked at Gina, “You trust me to take James out? Aren’t you afraid I’ll lead him astray?” Gina huffed, “It’s for him to keep an eye on you.” Emily chuckled and said, “No problem.” Then she winked at James Brown. She had always been skeptical about James being her sister’s boyfriend, but since he lived in the same room as Gina, she had no choice but to believe that James really was her sister’s boyfriend. She actually thought this James was quite nice and wasn’t afraid of James at all. In fact, she got along very well with him and was quite happy to go out with him. Around five o’clock, James and Emily left the house together. Emily didn’t drive because they would be drinking tonight. They took a taxi directly to a place called The Art Bar. The decor was quite distinctive, but upon entering, it was somewhat dark. After winding through a circular corridor, they arrived at a small hall. Around the perimeter of the hall were tables and chairs, with six or seven people seated at two tables drinking. In the center was a small stage, where a young man with long hair was strumming a guitar, singing a song James had never heard before. “Emily’s here!” someone called out, and the others greeted her warmly. Emily was on friendly terms with everyone there. “Emily, who’s this?” A woman with long hair, wearing a loose blouse and floral pants, sashaying up with her hips swinging, came over and pointed at James with a rather seductive gesture. “Let me introduce you all, this is James Brown,” Emily said, pulling James to her side, smiling as she introduced him to everyone without disclosing that he was her brother-in-law. “James Brown, huh? I’m William Clarke.” The flirtatious woman reached out to James with her red-nailed hand. James shook her hand and said hello, then suddenly noticed something. This person had an Adam’s apple. Taking a closer look, despite the heavy makeup that made the person look like a woman, there was still stubble visible above the chin. This made James break out in a cold sweat. He had seen many transvestites in T Country, but had never actually encountered a drag queen before. Today truly opened his eyes to such people. “Emily, what’s his relationship to you?” William asked Emily at that moment. Emily playfully winked at James, then said, “I’ve brought him here, what do you guys think his relationship to me is?” “Wow!” William suddenly exclaimed, taking a closer look at James, making him feel uncomfortable. Even confronted with a formidable opponent, James had never felt as uneasy as he did now. “Emily, what kind of taste is this? How did you end up with a boyfriend like this?” The comment from William made James quite unhappy. However, to his surprise, these people were mistaking him for Emily’s boyfriend, and Emily seemed to be intentionally letting others think that. But James didn’t object, because Emily had indeed given him a meaningful look earlier. Clearly, that was her intention. This girl hadn’t said anything on the way, but had sprung this on him only upon their arrival. Immediately, Emily hooked her arm through James’s and said, “William, what vision do you have? Let me tell you, my boyfriend is awesome.” “Awesome? What can he do? Does he understand music? Does he know how to dance? Oil painting? Art?” William asked in a high-pitched voice, unsatisfied. James shook his head and said, “I don’t understand any of those things.” The guy singing on stage also jumped down and approached Emily with a hostile look, “Emily, what’s this? Why did you bring someone who doesn’t understand anything?” Emily pouted and said, “You just don’t have the vision. The awesomeness of James is not something you can recognize. If you keep saying that, I might just leave.” The long-haired guy opened his mouth to say something, then extended his hand to James, “Steven Robinson.” James shook the long-haired guy’s hand, smiling and about to let go when the guy suddenly gripped James’s hand tightly. The others looked on excitedly, obviously aware that Steven was secretly testing James’s strength. James couldn’t help but smile and gripped Steven’s hand back, curious to see what this guy could do. “Uh-oh, Emily, be careful your boyfriend doesn’t get his hand crushed.” “Yeah, you know how strong Steven’s grip is, he’s practiced martial arts.” “To be Emily’s boyfriend, one has to show some real skills, right?” Emily looked at James nervously. Of course, she knew Steven had a strong grip, but she was not sure about James. At that moment, she was genuinely concerned James might be at a disadvantage. She was about to warn him, but it was too late. She thought about telling Steven to let go of James, but seeing James’s relaxed expression, she swallowed her words and her eyes shone with the same excitement as everyone else’s.

Chapter 24 - 24 24 The Gathering

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