Chapter 394


    Dropping the pretense, Mark stood up and stared at Natasha with a fiery gaze in his eyes, a huge


    contrast to his old and haggard face. “I’m not meddling in the Mitchells’ affairs, but Cooper was my


    godson and my friendship with Woody hassted for almost a lifetime. That amulet is thest memento


    left behind by Cooper, so I’m begging you humbly today to let him keep it!”


    Stunned at his words, Natasha wasn’t expecting Mark, the old sly fox, to use this trick—taking one step


    back in order to take two steps forward.


    He even made the Mitchells seem like such unreasonable people who wouldn’t even let go of a dead


    man’s item! In spite of that, that amulet held the key to Cooper’s huge properties, so she couldn’t let it


    slip through her hands! Now that she knew where it was, it made everything easier.


    After coldly bidding her goodbye, Joel sent her out of the militarypound. Turning back, she stared at


    the solemn ce, a sneer shing across her face. Sophia, what belongs to my family can never be


    taken away so easily!


    After driving Natasha away, the atmosphere became harmonious in a split second. Holding Sophia’s


    hand, Woody praised her with a smile, “My son, everything you said earlier was right!”


    Returning his smile, Sophia wondered if she was pretending to be Cooper in front of Woody or wanted to


    question the Mitchells on behalf of Cooper. But it didn’t matter anymore now…


    Mark was sure that Woody would have to suffer for today after returning, but there was nothing much


    that he could do as he was an outsider. This was a matter which concerned their family internally, after


    all.


    But as Woody’s good friend, he had to do something about it so he said to him, “Old man, just live in this


    militarypound from now on. I’ll get you a permit and it will be easier for Cooper to visit you in the


    future. Staying at the beach by yourself is simply too far away!”


    Sophia thought that this was a feasible idea as well. Although there were people looking after him at the


    beach, it was hard to tell whether Alex’s men would make things difficult for him after returning. He still


    had arge amount of savings left behind by Cooper and the Mitchells had their eyes fixed on it.


    Thinking along the same lines, Sean persuaded Woody, “Old Master, just live in the militarypound


    from now on; Uncle Cooper can evene and visit you often after work.” The Imperial, where Sophia


    was living, was only a few stations away from here and she could easilye to visit Woody.


    That house by the beach was filled with memories of Cooper and even though Woody was a little


    reluctant to leave it behind, his ‘son’ had now returned alive and kicking, which was much better than


    those dead items. Thus, he agreed readily, “Alright then; I’ll live here.”


    When he was younger, Woody had made many contributions to Cethos and the country had


    remembered all his acts. Adding on to the fact that it was Old Master Fletcher who had made the


    request, it didn’t take long for Woody to move into the militarypound for his retirement.


    Besides having other elderlies here and being a convenient location for Sophia to drop by, there was


    also a military hospital around which made living here much better than at the beach for Woody.


    During this period, Sophia didn’t go anywhere else. Usually, she would be studying at home and going to


    thepany asionally. More often than not, she would be at the militarypound visiting Mark and


    Woody.


    Probably due to the return of his son, Woody’s condition stabilized a lot and he didn’t push people


    without reason anymore. Even hisplexion was much better and with a group of elderly as


    companions, he seemed more energetic.


    Every few days, Sophia would visit the Fletchers and Old Master Fletcher would treat her with as much


    enthusiasm as ever before. Guessing that he must know something, she silently epted his kindness.


    For more than a decade, Mark had sealed away his enthusiasm for Cooper after his death, which he now


    poured all over Sophia.


    On this day, Sophia paid another visit to Woody at thepound. Seeing how happy he was with the


    other elderlies made her equally delighted.


    Out of the blue, Mark came over and told her in a secretive manner that he had something to show her


    and so she followed him into the study.


    Mark didn’te from a schrly family and he was a soldier when he was young, so it did seem a little


    odd that he had such a huge study in his home. After instructing his security officers to bring out a chest,


    he sent everyone away, leaving only Sophia behind.


    Taking out a key, he opened the chest, in which there were many things in it. “Here, take a look at this.


    These are all left behind by your father,” he exined.


    Sophia was not surprised that he knew about her background and she stared at the things in the chest


    with joy and excitement. “Are all of these left behind by my father?”


    “Yes, your father used toe here often and left behind many things! Ever since he was gone, I’ve


    locked away all these stuff.”


    Every word Cooper had written when he was at the Fletchers’ was carefully stored and kept away by


    Mark, even if it was just a piece of waste paper used to practice calligraphy. The calligraphy pen and ink


    he had used, as well as some photographs, were also kept away carefully.


    After Cooper’s death, Mark was afraid that he would be sad, so he locked away all of Cooper’s things. In


    the box were a huge amount of Cooper’s photographs and there were so many that it was a significant


    stack.


    Taking out stacks of photographs, he said, “Cooper loved toe to my ce ever since he was young,


    and he loved to y with the kids in my family besides taking pictures. Every time he came over, I got


    someone to take pictures of him! Look at this.”


    Then, he showed Sophia the pictures one by one. Indeed, those were all pictures of Cooper from when


    he was a baby all the way till he became a man.


    “He would spend a week here every summer break. Woody was too strict with his upbringing and was


    always sending him for various sses without leaving him any time for fun. So whenever he came over,


    I would secretly give him a break!” Pointing at a picture cheerfully, “Look!


    This is the first time your father used a slingshot to hit a bird, which was something Woody would not


    allow him to do. He was so happy that day!”


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    In the picture, a small boy was holding a slingshot and was looking so overjoyed that his features were


    all crinkled up from his smile. Nevertheless, she could still tell that that boy was Cooper and his smile


    back then was so innocent and carefree.


    Picking out another photo, Mark said, “When he was seven and came over for a summer break, I sent


    him for a camping trip with my kids. This was his first time catching a fish in the river. Look how


    handsome he was with his smile!”


    Sophia took the picture from him in surprise and saw Cooper fishing in the river with his trousers rolled


    up, revealing his fair calves. His smile was as joyful as ever and even a little unrefined. As a schrly


    and rich family, the Mitchells had strict requirements for members of its family and they had to always


    carry themselves in a superior manner.


    The photos she saw of Cooper in Woody’s ce were all aristocratic looking, a contrast to the pictures


    here, where a different side of him was portrayed—his true side.


    Back then, Mark let Cooper join his children for fishing, bird-shooting and practice, and it seemed like he


    was happier than ever during this periodpared to any other. There were also photos of Cooper with


    the Fletchers kids—Joel, Michael and even Stanley and Caleb.