Chapter 2
Emily quickly scolded the dog.
"Sparkle, stop barking! You're scaring James!"
Sparkle let out a plaintive whine.
'Hmph, I'm not scaring him, I'm warning him!
'Mommy's being bad, tricking a handsome man!'
I couldn't hold it in any longer. I burst out laughing.
Every eye in the private room immediately turned toward the screen where I had been hiding.
James' icy expression visibly softened the moment he saw me.
Relief flickered in his eyes as if he had just been rescued.
Emily's face, by contrast, looked far less composed.
"Who are you? What are you doing sneaking around back there?"
I walked calmly out from behind the screen and went straight to James' side.
Then I bent down and unclipped Sparkle's leash.
"Good job, little one."
The poodle seemed to understand my praise, wagging its tail excitedly and rubbing against my hand.
'Miss, you're so pretty! Take this man away now!'
I stood upright, holding the leash, and waved it in front of Emily, whose face had turned ashen.
"Ms. Chambers, allow me to introduce myself. I'm James' girlfriend, Claire."
I paused, glanced at her flat belly, and smiled even brighter.
"Mr. Carter, let's not be the world's biggest sucker today. This 'gift' she's offering is a bit too much to swallow."
Emily's face changed color so quickly it could have been a traffic light, shifting from white to red and then from red to green.
"What are you talking about?"
She suddenly stood up, pointing right at my nose.
"James and I are a family arrangement. Who do you think you are?"
Before I could answer, James stepped in and pulled me behind him.
His tall frame was like a wall, shielding me completely.
"Emily, watch your words," he said quietly, his voice carrying the unmistakable authority of a soldier.
"Claire is my fiancée. We are getting married next week."
Her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"Fiancée? James, you're deceiving me for this woman with no background? My father is your direct superior!"
She brought her father into it, pulling out her last card.
James let out a cold laugh.
"General Chambers' job is to command me to protect the country, not to tell me who to marry.
"And my fiancée's background is very clear."
He turned his gaze toward me, his eyes so tender it was as if they could make water drip.
"She is the one I have always chosen, the only person I want to marry in this life."
My heart skipped a beat.
This man could make hearts stop when he spoke like this.
Emily trembled with anger, pointing at me and then at James, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"You!"
I peeked out from behind James, smiling at her.
"Ms. Chambers, don't get too worked up. Be careful not to upset the baby."
That was the final blow.
Emily's face went completely pale.
Her pregnancy must have been a secret from her family, or Gideon would never have rushed her out for a matchmaking event, using James as a patsy.
"You're lying!
"I'm not pregnant!" She was still insisting stubbornly.
I reached down and patted Sparkle on the head.
'Mommy's lying! Yesterday, Jack even took her to the hospital for a checkup. The baby is perfectly healthy!'
My smile widened.
"Oh, really? Is that so?
"Why don't we go to the hospital right now and check for ourselves?
"Or we could call all seven of the guys in your contacts, oh, I mean friends, and ask them?"
Emily's pupils constricted sharply.
The look she gave me was pure terror, like she was staring at a ghost.
She couldn't understand how I could know the secrets she had buried so deeply.
She stumbled back, knocking over a chair behind her.
"Crazy! You're all crazy!"
She screamed, covered her face, and ran out.
Finally, the private room was quiet.
James took my hand and squeezed it gently.
"Did that feel good?"
I nodded, then shook my head.
"Not yet."
I handed him Sparkle's leash.
"This little dog did a heroic job. We need to take good care of her."
James looked down at the poodle at his feet, tail wagging furiously, and fell into thought.
"So everything you just said, it came from her?"
I winked at him.
"What else? Mr. Carter, you hit the jackpot. Your wife can actually understand animals."
He paused for a moment, then let out a low laugh.
The vibration from his chest went through our joined hands, straight into my heart.
"Yes, I did hit the jackpot."