James Brown didn't use any real force; in theory, he shouldn't have been able to push Emily Lopez over.
But he was only paying attention to what Gina Lopez and the others were saying, so he wasn't aware of what his hands were doing at all. In fact, his hands were quite naughty at that time, rubbing and squeezing Emily Lopez's foot.
And James Brown, being an old hand in flirting, was quite skilled with his moves. Normally bold, Emily Lopez was actually inexperienced in matters of love, and she had a secret crush on James Brown, her brother-in-law. With James tickling her foot like that, she was sent into a flutter, feeling an indescribable pleasure throughout her body, slumping in her chair as if boneless.
All of a sudden, with a push from James, she lost her balance and toppled backward.
