Chapter 4 Calculated Harm Beneath the Cameras

Grace's face tightened with discomfort. "Emily... I..."

"Don't have that kind of money? Then why are you even talking?" Emily packed her things, ready to carry them downstairs.

"Emily, don't act like this. You're going to hurt everyone's feelings." Grace stepped forward to block her. "It's just money. There's no need to blow up the whole relationship. Just apologize and the family won't abandon you."

"Exactly," David chimed in. "You stay home and take care of Grace like a good girl, and we won't treat you badly."

Emily gave a cold laugh.

She knew perfectly well that if she stayed, all that awaited her was Grace pushing her around even more.

Grace reached out and grabbed the other side of the suitcase, her tone soft. "Emily, you can't sell these things."

"Those are gifts we gave you. You have no right to sell them off," David cut in firmly.

Evelyn's chest heaved with anger as she snapped, "You're completely hopeless. How did the Johnson family raise someone so ungrateful?"

"Emily, apologize to Mom right now." Grace's words sounded like a plea, but her hand suddenly yanked hard on the suitcase.

Her movement was subtle. No one noticed the dirty trick.

The sudden force threw Emily completely off balance. With the staircase right behind her, she tumbled backward, rolling down several steps. Pain shot through her entire body.

Emily curled up on the floor, breaking into a cold sweat from the pain. She couldn't summon any strength.

A flash of satisfaction crossed Grace's eyes before she instantly switched to a panicked, wounded expression. Her eyes reddened immediately. "It wasn't me. It really wasn't. Emily, even if you hate me, don't gamble with your own body like this."

Emily's face was deathly pale. She was in too much pain to speak a single word.

"Is this really necessary?" David sneered. "Stop faking. You're not Grace — you've got a strong constitution. It's just a fall. Could you be any more dramatic?"

Evelyn finally realized something was wrong. She rushed down in a panic, not daring to touch Emily carelessly. "Emily? Are you okay?"

"It hurts..." Emily forced the words out with difficulty.

A nearby servant couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up. "Falling down stairs that high — at minimum it's a fracture, worst case it could be fatal. We should take Ms. Johnson to the hospital. She looks like she's in real pain. Doesn't seem like an act."

"Is it really that serious?" David muttered under his breath, clearly skeptical.

Andrew worried the servants might spread word that the Johnson family mistreated their own daughter and damage their reputation. He immediately glared at David. "Get her to the hospital. Now."

David looked completely unwilling. "Why do I have to go?"

"Because I said so." Evelyn was genuinely panicking now and urged him sternly.

In the end, Mark stepped forward with a dark expression, roughly hauling Emily to the car. He didn't care whether his handling might cause secondary injuries. He just drove straight to the hospital.

The test results came back: Emily had a confirmed fracture.

She'd recovered a bit of strength, though her face remained pale. Her tone was icy. "I'm calling the police."

"What are you calling the police for?" Mark immediately tried to stop her.

"Grace deliberately pushed me down the stairs. That's assault with intent to harm." Emily reached for her phone to dial.

Mark snatched the phone away. "What are you carrying on about? Grace didn't do it on purpose. It's just a fracture — you'll heal in a while. It's not that big a deal."

Just then, David and Samuel arrived at the hospital room with Grace, catching the tail end of the conversation.

David exploded on the spot. "You've got some nerve calling the police. Grace was trying to help you — she didn't want you selling off everyone's gifts and completely cutting ties with the family."

"Emily, I'm so sorry." Grace's eyes reddened, her face full of grievance. "I really didn't use force. I was just trying to reason with you. I didn't want you fighting with the family like this."

Samuel stood with his hands behind his back, lecturing. "Emily, haven't you caused enough trouble? All the family asked was for you to swallow your pride and take care of Grace properly. Because you don't want that responsibility, you hurt yourself to frame Grace and turned the whole house upside down."

Emily felt nothing but speechless exhaustion.

What a bunch of unreasonable lunatics.

"Stop crying. Shut up." Emily snapped coldly, holding her hand out to Mark. "Give me my phone back. Whether she pushed me or not, the hallway security camera caught everything crystal clear."

The villa's hallways were covered in high-definition cameras. There was nowhere to hide.

Mark's expression changed instantly. He immediately tried to message the butler to delete the footage.

Emily saw right through him and laughed coldly. "Don't bother. The home system syncs to multiple devices — you can't delete everything. I've got backups on my phone too."

Only then did Grace completely panic. She'd forgotten all about the cameras.

"It's just a family matter. There's no need to involve the police," Samuel rushed to smooth things over.

"Yeah, enough already. You poisoned Grace back then and we didn't press charges. Now you're pushing your luck?" David scoffed. "We'll let this go, okay?"

Emily was almost laughing at the absurdity. This was beyond ridiculous.

Just then, a figure walked into the hospital room, easily taking the phone from Mark's hand and returning it to Emily. "Ms. Johnson, your phone."

The newcomer was Joseph.

Emily froze for a moment, then quickly thanked him. "Thank you."

"Would you like me to file a police report for you?" Joseph's tone was calm.

"Yes, please. I appreciate it." Emily immediately agreed.

David snapped back to attention and lunged forward to grab the phone.

Joseph sidestepped easily, dialing emergency services on the spot. He stated the situation calmly: "There's been an assault with intent to harm. The victim has a confirmed fracture and suspected concussion, currently under hospital observation. Please send officers to handle the situation."

"Concussion?" Grace froze instantly.

She hadn't even pushed hard just now. Emily didn't look dizzy at all — where was this concussion coming from?

Samuel clenched his fists and stepped forward angrily. "Joseph. This is the Johnson family's private business. It's none of your concern."

Joseph dodged his movement again, adding flatly, "Also, I suspect the Johnson family has been engaging in long-term abuse of a family member. I recommend police conduct a thorough investigation."

He handed the phone back to Emily steadily.

Emily took the phone and quietly gave him a thumbs up.

David completely lost it, pointing at Joseph and shouting, "Are you insane? What assault? What abuse? That's complete nonsense."

"Withdraw the complaint now." Mark stared at Emily with a dark expression. "Emily, if you don't withdraw it..."

"Or what?" Emily cut him off directly, her tone laced with mockery. "You'll disown me? Beat me up again? I'm so scared."

Mark went rigid with rage. "How did the Johnson family produce such an ungrateful thing like you?"

Emily's expression went completely cold.

Not a single person in the Johnson family was reasonable.

Grace panicked completely, clutching Samuel's arm tight, her voice trembling. "Samuel, what do we do?"

"Don't worry, it's fine," Samuel tried to soothe her in a low voice.

Soon, several police officers walked into the hospital room. "Which one of you is Grace Johnson? We received a report. We need you to come with us for questioning."