The Supreme Soldier in the City-Chapter 193: Subtle Touch

"Thump, thump, thump!" A sudden pounding on the door startled both James Brown and Emma Campbell, who were lost in an intimate moment.

They exchanged glances and then heard the urgent knocking again. James frowned; such an interruption was certainly mood-killing, but the person outside seemed determined. If he didn’t open the door, it seemed as though they wouldn’t give up. Embracing Emma briefly, James said, "I’ll go check."

Emma replied shyly, "Please hurry, it might be Sister Sarah."

James also thought it must be Emily Jenkins. Maybe the flight attendant neighbor had lost her keys again and had come to ask for his. Jumping out of bed, James went to open the door, expecting to see Emily but finding the young girl Sarah Grandy instead.

"Uncle!" Her eyes were red, and she was dragging a small suitcase. As soon as she saw James and began to speak, tears were already flowing.

James’s original feelings for the troublesome Sarah Grandy weren’t particularly warm, but seeing her look so aggrieved, he couldn’t bring himself to reprimand her and instead asked, "What happened to you?"

"I have nowhere to go." As soon as she finished speaking, she burst into tears and stretched out her arms, already hugging James’s waist.

James was somewhat exasperated. The girl was homeless and turned to him for help; what was this all about? Still, he patted her shoulder and said, "Come in, and tell me what happened."

Sarah immediately responded delightedly, "Uncle, are you really going to take me in?"

Seeing the tearstains on her face mixed with extreme joy, James couldn’t get angry with her. He laughed and said, "I don’t really want to take you in, but considering you’re just a child and could easily get into trouble out there, it looks like I have to. However, you need to explain exactly what happened."

"Mhm!" Sarah nodded vigorously and followed James into the living room, where she sat politely on the sofa, displaying an uncharacteristically subdued demeanor.

James poured Sarah a glass of water and sat across from her, while Emma also emerged, still in her nightgown.

"Hello, Charlotte," Emma greeted politely.

Sarah puckered her lips upon seeing Emma but still said, "Hello, Big Sister Lily."

Emma came and sat next to James, who had now accepted her as part of his life, so she no longer needed to keep her distance from him in front of Sarah.

Ignoring Sarah’s displeased look, James lit a cigarette and asked, "So, what’s the story?"

Pouting, Sarah said, "My dad and mom fought again, and they’re even talking about getting a divorce. They’re both pressuring me to choose sides. I just can’t handle it anymore, so I had to run away from home."

James had never asked about Sarah’s family situation and was somewhat surprised as he asked, "Why do your parents want a divorce?"

Sarah immediately replied resentfully, "Hmph, my dad has kept a mistress."

James and Emma exchanged a glance. Such situations were all too common nowadays: after achieving success, men would often spurn their faithful wives and keep mistresses. It wasn’t something they could intervene in, but the children were the ones who suffered the most in such scenarios. In Sarah’s case, at least both parents wanted to keep her, unlike some unfortunate situations where neither parent wanted the child during a divorce.

Sarah began to sob again, her voice choked, "If my dad wants to keep his woman, let him. It’s not the end of the world, but my mom won’t let it go and is fighting back tooth and nail. She’s even threatening to take a pretty boy lover. It’s just nonstop arguing every day; I can’t take it anymore. I don’t ever want to go back there. Uncle, please take me in, or I’ll really be homeless."

James sighed, feeling genuinely sorry for Sarah. Emma looked on with sympathy; she had lost her mother at an early age, and her father was a gambler, so she grew up without much familial love and found Sarah’s situation unbearable. She urged James, saying, "Big Brother Brown, please take Charlotte in."

After a moment’s thought, James said, "Alright then, you can stay here for a few days. But you have to call your parents first to let them know where you are, otherwise they’ll worry."

"Hmph, let them worry. It’s their fault they’re getting a divorce," Sarah retorted petulantly.

James firmly objected, "That’s not acceptable. If they file a police report, and you’re here with me, I won’t be able to explain myself, and I wouldn’t dare take you in."

Pouting, Sarah relucted but, seeing that James was resolute, she finally took out her phone and called a number, saying, "I’m staying at a classmate’s house for the next few days, don’t bother looking for me."

Once she finished, she turned off the phone decisively and said to James, "I’ve made the call. Is that satisfactory?"

James snatched Sarah’s phone and handed it to Emma, instructing, "Call the number she just dialed. If it’s Sarah’s parents on the line, tell them that Sarah will be staying with you for a few days."

Sarah pouted again, but she thought if Emma made the call, her parents were likely not to object. If James had to confirm with them, they would surely decline. His approach... did it perhaps hold a different meaning? Why else would he not want her parents to know she had run to his place?

As soon as she thought of this, Sarah Grandy glanced at James Brown with a hint of excitement in her gaze, along with the pride of having gotten away with a misdeed.

By this time, Emma Campbell had already turned on her mobile phone and dialed the number again. It rang only once before it was answered.

"Hello, this is Emma Campbell, Sarah Grandy’s friend... Oh, Uncle Johnson, it’s like this, Charlotte mentioned wanting to stay at my place for a couple of days, and I was wondering what you think about that... I’m a student at YODC City University... Yes, I’ve rented a place off-campus, I live alone, alright then, if Uncle has any concerns he can call me, my number is..."

After saying a few more words, Emma Campbell hung up the phone, and Sarah Grandy immediately said excitedly to Emma, "Big Sister Lily, you’re really awesome."

Emma Campbell blushed slightly and said, "I lied to your dad, not telling him that you were staying at Big Brother Brown’s."

Sarah Grandy jumped over to Emma Campbell’s side, hugged her shoulders, and said in a pleasing manner, "Big Sister Lily, you’ve helped me, and I, Sarah Grandy, will definitely remember it in my heart. I’ll repay you one day."

Emma Campbell chided her, "I don’t want your repayment. I’m just afraid you’ll act impulsively and end up doing something regrettable. Just wait a couple of days and then go home, okay?"

Sarah Grandy nodded repeatedly and said, "Alright, alright, I’ll go home in a few days, but I’m going to stay here for these next few days." With that, she winked at James Brown, a playful expression on her face.

James Brown shook his head; when this little girl had arrived, she had been crying and appearing so wronged. But in just a short while, she was now laughing and jumping around, her mood changing so quickly.

"Uncle, where am I going to sleep tonight?" Sarah Grandy looked around and expectantly at James Brown.

"Our home is only so big, with just one bedroom. If you want to stay here, then you’ll have to sleep on the sofa."

"What? You’re making me sleep on the sofa?" Sarah Grandy’s eyes widened, then she scanned James and Emma back and forth, pouted, and asked, "Are you two living together?"

Emma Campbell’s face turned beet red instantly. Alone with James, she would willingly do anything, but with Sarah Grandy around, she would be embarrassed to stay with James. Yet, she didn’t want to upset him by not staying together, leaving her feeling quite troubled.

Seeing Emma Campbell’s difficulty, James stood up, glared at Sarah Grandy, and said, "You and Lemon sleep in the bedroom; I’ll take the sofa. Is that alright now?"

Sarah Grandy stuck out her tongue and said, "How could I have the nerve to accept that?"

"Do you even know shame?" James Brown retorted with evident annoyance.

Sarah Grandy winked at James Brown and said with a giggle, "Hehe, Uncle, why don’t... the three of us squeeze in together and just sleep on the bed?"

James Brown reached out, grabbed Sarah Grandy’s arm, and lifted her as he said sternly, "Go to sleep quickly and don’t take up my space. If you make me unhappy, I’ll kick you out."

Sarah Grandy pouted and replied obediently, "Okay, okay, I’ll go sleep, isn’t that enough?" She wiggled her little bottom and dragged her suitcase into the bedroom.

Emma Campbell gave James a sheepish, apologetic smile and whispered, "Big Brother Brown, I’m really sorry."

James Brown hugged Emma and said with a smile, "Silly girl, we’ve got plenty of time ahead."

Emma’s face immediately broke into a smile, and with some shyness, she nodded repeatedly and said, "Mmm, Big Brother Brown, Lemon will always be yours."

James Brown lowered his head and gave Emma a kiss, saying with a smile, "I know, and in this lifetime, you won’t escape my ’F Mountain.’ Go on, get some rest; I’m off to sleep too."

Emma looked up and kissed James as well, her lips pressing directly against his, then with a flushed face, she ran back into the bedroom.

James Brown shook his head gently, turned off the living room light, and lay down on the sofa. Fortunately, the sofa was rather comfortable, soft, and large enough for one person, so sleeping on it wasn’t much of a hardship.

However, just as things had been heating up between him and Emma, they were abruptly interrupted. Now with nowhere to vent his desires, James was feeling somewhat frustrated. If he went to Sunny Nguyen now, he’d certainly be able to release his pent-up feelings with ease.

Thinking of Sunny, James felt a sudden wave of guilt towards Emma. After becoming involved with Emma, he had intended not to consort with other women. Yet he hadn’t controlled himself and spent a whole night with Sunny. It seemed that remaining faithful to Emma was going to be difficult.

And indeed, if he were to be intimate with another woman after becoming involved with Emma, that would definitely be doing her wrong. Since he hadn’t yet been intimate with Emma, that was probably a good thing now. In fact, he should probably be thankful to Sarah Grandy because if not for her, he would surely have been intimate with Emma tonight.