Chapter 1197


    Everyone in the crowd fell silent as they shifted their focus onto Sophia after Sandra finally finished


    rambling. Although Sophia’s old scars and wounds had just been dug out, she didn’t feel any sadness or


    anger in her. She simplymented the fact that she used to have such a tough and bitter life, having


    been criticized so badly in the past. After Sandra finished speaking, Sophia gently lifted her microphone


    up and nced at the crowd before her. “Well? Does it sound like I had a really tough and hard life as a


    child?” she asked in a light-hearted tone.


    The crowd fell silent. The story of her being molested was a huge issue in the past, but the Harperster


    admitted that the story of her getting an abortion in high school was a rumor they had created. They


    compensated her for it, but still, there was no denying that the girl who stood in front of the crowd right


    then had gone through a lot of struggles. Sophia nced at the silent crowd before she continued her


    speech slowly. “The Mitchell Family gave me all of this…” Her voice was filled with grief and a hint of


    distaste. “That’s right. My mother was a waitress. She was born into a poor family and didn’t have any


    academic qualifications.


    She was a nobody inparison to my father, but the love they had for each other was abstract and


    inexplicable; she was the one that my father chose to fall for in the end. Although they got together at a


    young age, their love had always burned with passion. My father has loved my mother for his entire life,


    and it hasn’t changed in the past 30 years. He’s still deeply in love with her now! For the sake of my


    mother, my father has chosen to remain a widower throughout all these years.


    How many of you here can do that?” Sophia sighed gently before she said, “Because of the differences


    in their status, the Mitchell Family was against my father and mother’s rtionship. Some of you here


    might have witnessed this with your own eyes. I’m not here to me anyone for anything, but I would


    just like to ask for those witnesses to step forward. I’d like you guys to tell the rest of the family what the


    Mitchells did to my parents in the past!”


    The crowd fell silent. Some of the people seemed at an utter loss; some began to turn left and right to


    whisper to others, while some lowered their heads in shame. The Mitchell Family agreed to keep the


    past events a secret, but those who had witnessed it would certainly know of it. Sophia knew that there


    were a few of them in the crowd who had even experienced it first-handedly. Meanwhile, Alex and his


    men were confused. They didn’t know anything that happened in the past; if they did, they would’ve


    used these stories to drag Cooper down.


    “Don’t change the topic, Sophia!” Sandra reminded her. However, Sophia simply turned back to the


    crowd, her voice now chilly as she spoke. “Would you like me to say it myself, or would someone like to


    step forward and do it instead? My father clearly remembers everything you guys did to him in the past—


    he recalls each and every one of your faces and names. Just because he refuses to take revenge


    doesn’t mean that he’s forgotten about it! Well? You guys had the guts to do it in the past, but no guts to


    step forward and admit your faults now?”


    Sophia’s powerful voice sent the question out to all of the Mitchells in the crowd, and it rang loud even in


    the ancestors’ graves. Everyone looked left and right, hoping for someone to step forward and exin


    what the Mitchells did to Cooper. After a while of silence, a frail, trembling hand went up as an elderly


    man spoke from within the crowd. “Let me talk about it…” The crowd stepped aside to reveal an old man


    who was supported by both his cane and his grandchildren. He slowly walked toward Sophia.


    “Andrew!” Someone recognized the old man. He was one of the elders of the Mitchell Family, and he was


    probably more than a hundred years old then; naturally, it was shocking to see him present. Andrew


    lowered his face guiltily as he took the microphone over and nced at the crowd. Several other


    members of the Mitchell Family were even watching this livestream from other countries. With that, he


    began to talk about the forbidden past of the Mitchell Family that had been concealed for 30 years.


    “In the past… Cooper fell in love with a waitress. We advised them to break up, but he refused to listen to


    us. The council of elders took a vote and decided that we had to get rid of the woman in order to make


    him give up on his dreams of being with her.” The old man was honest and open about the past. After all,


    the woman survived and returned, so they’d only be fooling themselves if they continued to hide this


    secret. “Therefore… we burned Cooper’s lover into ashes right in front of his eyes,” he uttered.


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    The crowd eximed in shock. I can’t believe something like that happened in the past! How torturous it


    must’ve been for Cooper to witness the death of his own lover; how hateful he must have felt after not


    being able to see her dead body! The Mitchells are too much!


    Even Alex and his men were shocked to hear this. “Hey, that’s great! Cooper, the son of a family head,


    was fooling around with a cheap and lowly woman. What an embarrassment to the family! It’s


    embarrassing to call him a member of the Mitchell Family!” Alex was furious that they had concealed this


    story for so long! Sophia only managed to grow up peacefully because of how well they hid this story.


    Andrew lowered his head to Sophia guiltily. “It’s true that the Mitchells owe an apology to Cooper after


    what happened in the past. Here, I sincerely apologize to Cooper on behalf of the Mitchells… The


    Mitchells need him, and I hope he doesn’t leave after he returns.”


    “Don’t worry, Andrew. Dad won’t leave this time,” Sophia answered the old man politely. Thisforted


    Andrew a little, and he hobbled away with his cane. The crowd began to chatter and discuss what they


    just heard.


    Sophia continued to speak then. “That waitress was my mother, but she didn’t die that year. Instead, Old


    Master Mitchell had switched someone to take my mother’s spot in the fire. He let my mother go, and


    that is the only reason why my brother and I exist today. During that time, my mother was already


    pregnant with Linus and me; she went through a lot just to give birth to us, but my brother was carried


    away during birth, and my mother passed away after giving birth to us. My father, Cooper, didn’t even


    know about our existence. Our family had been separated for more than 20 years before we finally


    reunited. It wasn’t an easy journey,” she said with a sigh. “The Mitchell Family owes my father too much!


    The Mitchells owe my brother and I an apology, but they should feel especially apologetic toward my


    father and mother! Yet, my father has repeatedly extended his grace to the Mitchells!”


    The crowd went quiet once again as they all stared at Sophia. She was supposed to be the most


    precious princess of the Mitchell Family, but she ended up suffering on the streets all because of the


    Mitchell Family’s immoral scheme. Ultimately, she was Cooper’s daughter; she still shined as bright as a


    pearl even though ayer of dirt had masked her spark for a while. Her hard work paid off eventually, and


    she gained the opportunity to impact the world with her overflowing charms—just like what she was


    doing right now! Who could’ve imagined that the Mitchell Family was the one who tore Cooper’s family


    apart and caused so much suffering to his wife and children? Yet, he had always been thoughtful and


    caring toward the Mitchells. He came back to them even after leaving for 20 years.


    “20 years ago, my father staged a car ident as an excuse to leave the Mitchell Family after he had


    everything all nned out for the family. He chose to abandon his identity as Cooper, but he eventually


    returned 20 yearster. He wanted to bring Linus and I back to meet our ancestors, for he was still proud


    to be a child of the Mitchell Family. My brother and I are proud that we share that same blood as Cooper.


    Our whole family has a clear conscience!” As Sophia dered, the audience broke into apuse.


    Of course she was Cooper’s child! They were all d to recognize Sophia as the Young Lady of the


    Mitchell Family only because of the amazing woman she was! No one ever brought up the story of


    Cooper leaving home for the past 20 years, but they hadn’t expected to hear such a heart-wrenching


    story behind his departure. It turned out that the powerful, godlike man had once struggled with a great


    deal of despair and pain. The audience’s ps drowned out all of Sandra’s curses.


    Sandra was dumbstruck right then; she couldn’t believe what she saw. Why are all of them treating


    Sophia like a precious treasure? What gives her the right to be the Young Lady of the Mitchell


    Family?!


    At that moment, Sophia pivoted the direction of her speech as she gave Alex a cold re. “Well, Alex.


    Let’s talk about how you staged that car ident for my father now…”