A minute ago, Judith was shouting that anyone who chose Darnell as a boyfriend must be blind, and a minute later, she was the one who was blind.
At this moment, Judith would rather be blind than be scolded harshly by Emily.
Over the years, her father had been carefree and acting like a child, and her mother was always scatterbrained. The fact that she had managed to live well and become an excellent police officer was largely thanks to Emily.
She didn’t want Emily to be angry or upset, so she ignored her earlier words and pulled Darnell in as a makeshift boyfriend.
“Is he your boyfriend?” Emily’s beautiful yet sharp eyes scrutinized the delicate-looking Darnell. Although he was quite handsome, he appeared more like a frail scholar.
Knowing Judith well, Emily thought she preferred tall and strong men. Why would she choose a pretty boy?
“Of course, he’s my boyfriend,” Judith said quickly, fearing Darnell might blow their cover. She grabbed his arm and smiled, “He’s the manager of the sales department at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, with an annual salary of millions. It was Areli who introduced us. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Areli if she’s our matchmaker and if Darnell is really the manager.”
“I moved out from home to make it easier to date him. We even tried living together today.”
Judith feigned regret. “But just as he was finishing his shower, Areli brought in some late-night snacks, and then you showed up, Emily.”
Areli glared at her friend, feeling unfairly implicated as if she had interrupted their intimate moment.
Judith gave Areli an awkward smile before pulling Darnell closer. “Darnell, this is Aunt Emily. Say hello to her.”
Darnell greeted politely, “Hello, Emily.”
“At least he’s polite.” Emily nodded slightly in approval but kept her gaze on Darnell. He was wrapped in a bedsheet with nothing underneath and wet hair.
It seemed he really had been taking a shower here. Emily knew her niece wouldn’t share a bathroom with someone unless they were close.
Judith also mentioned Darnell’s job, which could be verified at any time. She believed Judith wouldn’t dare lie about it.
If this young man really was the sales manager at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, he was indeed promising for his age to manage a department.
Emily turned her attention to Areli with a warmer smile. “Areli, did you really introduce Darnell to Judith?”
Areli glanced at Judith and saw the plea in her eyes. She smiled helplessly, “Yes, they did meet because of me, but you’ll have to ask them about the details.”
Hearing this from Areli softened Emily’s expression further. She looked back at Darnell and asked, “Young man, you’re not pretending, are you?”
“What?” Darnell snapped out of his daze when Judith pinched him. He quickly composed himself and forced a smile despite wanting to reject the boyfriend role.
“Pretending? Emily, you must be joking. How could we pretend to be a couple?”
He pulled Judith closer and kissed her forehead. “Is this pretending? Can this be faked?”
He even smacked Judith’s butt. “Can this be faked?”
Feeling wronged by being put on the spot, Darnell decided to take some advantage.
He considered groping Judith’s chest but thought better of it, worrying about her retaliation later.
Judith’s eyes were sharp, but she maintained a sweet smile while thinking about breaking one of Darnell’s hands once Emily left.
Areli’s eyes dimmed briefly with a bitter smile but soon returned to normal. “Emily, seeing how close they are should convince you they aren’t lying.”
She added wistfully, “Judith isn’t someone who takes things lightly.”
Seeing their intimacy and getting Areli’s confirmation convinced Emily of their relationship. However, she still scolded Judith,
“Judith, you’re in the wrong here. Having a boyfriend isn’t something shameful. The Meech family isn’t strict about status.”
“We don’t care about social standing or look down on people.”
“Darnell might seem weak, but he’s handsome enough.”
Emily tapped Judith’s forehead affectionately. “So there’s no need to hide it.”
“If you had told your mom or me earlier that you had a boyfriend, I wouldn’t have arranged so many blind dates for you.”
Judith felt her scalp tingle. “Emily, I’m sorry. I was being thoughtless. I won’t do it again.”
Emily clearly doted on Judith and stopped scolding her after she apologized. She patted Judith’s head.
“Next time, don’t avoid things passively. It only backfires. Now that you have a boyfriend, I’ll cancel your upcoming blind dates and explain it to Cole for you.”
“You don’t need to call him or worry about those things anymore. Just focus on your relationship with Darnell and settle down soon.”
“Your mom wants grandchildren. Once you have a child, your parents won’t have to worry about you so much anymore.”
She then turned to Darnell. “Darnell, take good care of Judith. She works too much. Remind her to rest properly.”
Darnell responded promptly, “Don’t worry, Emily. I’ll love Judith well and work hard so she can live in a big house and drive a nice car soon.”
“We’ll try to have several kids so we can all enjoy life together.”
While Areli and Judith were speechless, Emily laughed heartily.
“You’ve got quite the sweet tongue. No wonder you’re the manager of the sales department.”
“What’s important is that you love Judith well.”
“May you both live happily ever after. That’s what matters most.”
She gave Areli a check with a bright smile. “Areli, this is a token from the Meech family. Don’t refuse it since you’re their matchmaker.”
Areli hesitated before accepting it. “Thank you, Emily. I didn’t do much.”
“You brought them together. That’s enough.”
Emily generously dismissed it before giving another check to Darnell, saying, “This is our first meeting gift from me.”
Judith quickly waved her hands. “Emily, no need…”
“Emily, you’re too kind. How can I accept this?”
However, Darnell already grabbed Emily’s hand and took the check. “We’re family now. No need to be so polite.”
“You don’t really have to, but this time, I’ll accept your kindness.”
Just as Judith was about to take aim at Darnell with the gun, Emily smiled gently, “After all, it’s our first meeting. As an elder, I should give a gift to a junior.”
Darnell scratched his head, “Then as a junior, I should show some appreciation as well.”
His eyes lit up, and he dashed off to Judith’s bedroom. He returned with Judith’s wallet, pulled out three thousand dollars, and ran back to hand it to Emily.
“Emily, this is just a small gesture from me. I wish you good health.”
He even pulled Judith into the conversation, saying, “Judith, you should convince Emily to accept it.”
Judith was furious, nearly kicking him. This jerk accepted a check from Emily while used her money to do him a favor. It was utterly despicable.
But with Emily present, she didn’t dare act out. Instead, she forced a smile and added, “Yes, Emily, you should take it. This is just a small token from Darnell.”
Areli started to feel sympathy for her friend.
“Since you both insist, I’ll accept it then.”
Emily let out a melodious laugh and patted Darnell on the shoulder. “What a good kid! I’m starting to like you more and more.”
Judith felt tears welling up. The misunderstanding was only getting deeper.
As Emily cheerfully opened her bag, a small object accidentally fell out, landing on the floor with a thud.
Darnell quickly bent down to pick it up. “Emily, you dropped something. Let me help you…”
As he held up the object to hand it to Emily, his expression suddenly changed, filled with surprise as he stared at the small item in his hand.
“A Mangerian amulet?”