Chapter 376 - 383: Slip Away

Words : 1793 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

Chapter 376: Chapter 383: Slip AwayJames Brown’s seat was directly facing Emily Berns, and as long as she turned her head, she would definitely see him. In a moment of desperation, he hugged Alice Brown, using her to block his face. Emily Berns glanced in that direction and then turned away again, while Sandra was completely puzzled. She had just seen James Brown there, so how had he disappeared in no time? "Mr... Mr. Smith..." Alice Brown stuttered. James hurriedly said: "Don’t move." Alice froze, her face blushing so much it seemed it might drip blood. Jennifer Hog’s eyes widened as she watched James Brown and Alice Brown. Mr. Smith was really bold and overly eager, now holding Alice and even burying his face in her chest. He surely wasn’t thinking of putting on a live erotic show here? But then, James finally sensed the awkward atmosphere and realized his face was pressed against something soft. He quickly pushed Alice away, his face flushed red as he apologized: "Sorry, I lost control in my panic." However, there was no time left for explanations with Alice, because he had already seen Sandra and Emily Berns approaching together. He quickly ducked down, used the surrounding tables as cover to zip to the side, and then spotted a swimming pool not far away. There were only a few people swimming there, making it an excellent place to hide. Nathaniel Johnson had been very thoughtful, anticipating that guests might enjoy swimming, so there were plenty of swimsuits available. There was even staff on site to assist. With James’s pants not fit for public view, he changed into a pair of swimming trunks and jumped into the pool. He thought that Emily Berns would probably not come here to swim, and so he’d be safe. For Sandra, this was her first time interacting closely with Emily Berns. Naturally, she was indescribably thrilled. The girl was quite a conversationalist, chatting it up with Emily Berns. Emily Berns wasn’t very interested in attending the gathering in the first place, only here because she couldn’t refuse the invitation. Now chatting with Sandra, who seemed like a cute girl, she didn’t feel repulsed. "My boyfriend just said that he has a feud with you, which is just hilarious. With a personality like yours, Emily Berns, the whole world knows how gentle and lovely you are. How could you possibly have enemies?" Sandra mentioned the joke James Brown had made earlier to Emily Berns as part of their conversation. Emily Berns arched her brow. She had been off the public scene for more than two years and in those years, she indeed appeared to be a good person. She used to act very obediently in front of others, but those who really knew her understood she was a total devil. And in her life, she really did have one enemy. Over the past few years, she had wanted to find the scoundrel but failed to track him down. Today’s comment from Sandra suddenly made her think of that nemesis. "Where is he? Let me see what my enemy looks like," said Emily Berns casually with a smile. Sandra immediately pointed to where James Brown had been sitting, but Emily Berns only saw two women there, with no man in sight. "Huh, where did that guy run off to?" Sandra muttered, then smilingly said to Emily Berns, "He might have stepped away for a moment. He’ll be back shortly, and I’ll introduce you then." Emily Berns smiled lightly, "Alright." Sandra didn’t expect Emily Berns to agree so readily and became even more excited, saying, "Then I’ll go fetch him." "No need, I’ll come with you." Sandra was overjoyed and hastened to lead Emily Berns this way, but when they reached the spot, they only found Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog. "Mr. Lopez!" Alice and Jennifer both stood up quickly. They had not met Sandra before, so naturally assumed she was Gina Lopez. Sandra was not in the mood to impersonate her sister today and laughed, "I’m her twin sister. Oh, by the way, have you seen James Brown?" Since the two women knew her sister, there was a chance they knew James as well. Upon hearing the name James Brown, Emily Berns couldn’t help but feel disappointed; that nemesis of hers didn’t bear that name. James had just slipped away, and both Alice and Jennifer felt it was probably because of Emily Berns’s arrival. In the eyes of others, Emily might be out of reach, but in front of James, she clearly wasn’t on his level. Furthermore, seeing James’s obvious escape, not wanting Emily Berns to see him, both women conjured up a melodramatic plot: Emily Berns was the wife arranged by James’s family, which James disagreed with, hence why he ran away from home. It was natural for them not to let Emily Berns find James, let alone sell him out. Alice quickly smiled and said, "We didn’t see James Brown when we came here. Is he here too?" Sandra nodded, "Yes, that guy, really, I don’t know where he has run off to." Emily Berns knew that this James Brown wasn’t the foe she was looking for, and her interest waned at this point. She smiled and said, "Then let it be. I still have a few friends to catch up with, so I’ll go over there first." Emily Lopez felt somewhat disappointed, but considering Emily Berns’ status, having had a conversation and getting her autograph had already made her very happy, and she said with a smile, "Thank you for spending so much time chatting with me." "It’s nothing really, goodbye." Emily Berns waved her hand and nodded to Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog, then turned and walked away. After looking around for a while and not finding James Brown, Emily Lopez was pulled away by her colleague Emily Smith and some others from her company to get autographs from celebrities, so she cheerily joined them, abandoning her search for James Brown. When Emily Lopez left, Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog headed over to the pool, changed into their swimsuits, and got into the water. James Brown swam over to them on his own and asked, "What did they say?" Alice Brown chuckled softly and said, "Emily Berns isn’t your fiancée, is she?" James Brown was stunned for a moment but then shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, we knew each other before, but I didn’t want to see her." Without hearing the reason from James Brown, both knew for certain there must be some past entanglement between James and Emily Berns. By helping James to cover up, it inevitably brought them closer together. Alice Brown said with a smile, "James, we did you a favor, you should thank us." "Haha... No problem, I’ll treat you guys to a meal later." Jennifer Hog immediately said with excitement, "I’ll remember that! If you don’t keep your word, I’ll come looking for you." James Brown chuckled and replied, "Of course, I will. Seems like my words often don’t hold weight with you." Upon hearing this, both Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog burst into giggles. Alice Brown, being the more attentive one, then mentioned, "By the way, Mr. Lopez’s sister mentioned your name just now. I was a bit worried, but it seemed like Emily Berns had no reaction after hearing your name." James Brown grinned cheekily and said, "She doesn’t know my name is James Brown; I gave her a false name." Searᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog exchanged a glance; Jennifer Hog laughed softly and said, "It looks like you must have bullied her, Mr. Smith. You really are bad, bullying someone and then giving them a fake name." Now James Brown’s face turned beet red, as Jennifer Hog had guessed correctly. He coughed and said, "Let’s not bring up the past. If you guys run into her in the future, please don’t mention me." Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog were somewhat astonished to have guessed right and quickly promised in an overlapping chatter. "Let’s swim for a bit then, the water temperature is nice and it’s crystal clear," suggested James Brown, wanting to change the subject and quickly swimming away. Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog immediately followed him, swimming excitedly alongside James Brown. For them, swimming with him was a thrilling experience, and like two mermaids, they flanked him on either side, occasionally brushing against his body. With swimsuits on, there was more skin showing, and every contact felt rather intimate. James Brown certainly took his fair share of advantages in the playful banter, but as such casual flirtations were common in the pool, he didn’t feel any guilt and took the liberties offered to him without any reservations. Meanwhile, the gathering began to disperse as people chose different activities to engage in—some went to play cards, some chatted in groups, and of course, some came over to swim as well. Soon, the swimming pool became increasingly crowded, including some celebrities among the newcomers. The teachers from art schools were particularly thrilled by this, as they got to see the sexy goddesses and pure beauties in swimsuits, which was quite a different flavor from how they normally appeared. Despite the growing crowd, James Brown didn’t think of leaving. The more people there were, the less likely he was to be discovered by Emily Berns. Moreover, as far as he knew, Emily Berns was not fond of swimming, making the pool the safest place for him. Today’s attendees were all stars, particularly the female celebrities with exceptionally good figures. Dressed in swimsuits, they drew much attention, which allowed James Brown a visual feast. Emily Lopez’s colleagues, upon seeing so many celebrities swimming with them, were indescribably thrilled and excited. Unfortunately, however, taking photographs by the pool was prohibited since this private gathering didn’t even allow journalists. They wanted to avoid any photos from the event being circulated publicly. Emily Lopez had also arrived at the pool by now, though she hadn’t yet changed into a swimsuit. She hadn’t realized there was another pool here and started looking for James Brown first, spotting him in the pool with two beauties, having the time of his life. This caused Emily to purse her lips, but she didn’t call out to James right away. Instead, she changed into her swimsuit and entered the water from the other side of the pool, then discreetly dove to the bottom and stealthily swam towards James. The sneaky brother-in-law, daring to sneak here for fun, she thought she might as well give the rascal a bit of a scare.

Chapter 376 - 383: Slip Away

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