Chapter 242


    Silence returned to the car once again. However, Quincy would lift her head from time to time to nce


    at the rearview mirror.


    Sophia smiled faintly and turned her head sideways to gaze out the car window. She''s so adorable.


    An hourter, the car came to a halt at the bottom of a hill at Jadeborough. There were plenty of hikers


    visiting the spot during the weekends. If Sophia and the others hade a littleter, there might not


    be any parking spots left.


    Right after Sophia got out of the car, she received Katherine''s reply: So, Soph, are you really not


    considering falling in love with another person?


    Although Katherine''s opinion of Alexander had improved a little, she still could not ept him


    completely.


    Zayne was introduced to Sophia by Lukas, so Katherine reckoned that he must be an outstanding man.


    She had seen his pictures and thought he could even debut in the entertainment industry with his facial


    features. Moreover, Sophia even told her that Zayne looked better in person. That was why she felt that


    Sophie should consider falling for him.


    Grinning, Sophia typed: He''s interested in someone else.


    After she sent the message, Quincy walked over and asked, “Ms. Yarrow, do you want to drink some


    water?”


    The adorable woman handed Sophie a bottle of water in anticipation.


    Sophia received it and nced at Zayne. “Thank you.”


    Since she was there to help him pursue Quincy that day, she deliberately fell behind throughout the


    hike so that Zayne could walk together with thetter.


    It was obvious that Quincy hardly exercised because she panted heavily when they were merely


    halfway up the hill.


    Sophia did not sweat much and caught up with them with ease. Giving Zayne a look of amusement,


    she remarked, “There''s a snack shop ahead. I''ll go and buy some snacks while you two take a break


    here.”


    With that, she moved ahead inrge strides, bounding up the steps two at a time.


    Quincy, who had just managed to breathe normally again, stared at Sophia''s figure from behind. “Mr.


    Quantrill, is Ms. Yarrow really trying to win your affection?”


    She was baffled because Sophie and Zayne had barely spoken to one another in thest two hours.


    Just as he was about to respond, his phone vibrated. He looked down at his phone screen and saw a


    text from Sophia: If Quincy questions if I''m genuinely pursuing you, you can tell her that I''m probably


    angry.


    Zayne kept his phone away and took Sophia''s advice. “She''s probably angry. I think she may believe


    I''m interested in someone else.” ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    “But Ms. Yarrow is so beautiful, and you two look like a match made in heaven. Why don''t you like her,


    Mr. Quantrill?” Quincy asked again.


    For a moment there, Zayne was stumped for words. “I-I''m in love with another girl.”


    “In that case, why didn''t you ask out the girl you like today? Wouldn''t that be a better arrangement?”


    She suddenly felt that her presence there was a little inappropriate. “What if the girl you like sees us


    together and misunderstands our rtionship?”


    At that thought, she hurriedly stepped backward to widen the gap between them. “Mr. Quantrill, I think


    it''s best to maintain a safe distance between us.”


    I don''t want to be referred to by others as a b*tch.


    Zayne was speechless, sensing how things were progressing unfavorably.


    Sophia was not lying to Quincy and Zayne, as there was indeed a snack stall ahead.


    Despite the shades created by the lush trees and the cool weather on the hill, she still perspired


    considerably heavily from the hike.


    When she finally reached the rest stop, she bought some snacks to eat while waiting for Quincy and


    Zayne.


    Soon, the duo arrived at the rest stop. By then, Sophia had only consumed half of her food. Sensing


    their arrival, she lifted her head and beamed at them. “Do you want some snacks?”


    “Sure. I''ll go and buy some. Do you want anything, Mr. Quantrill?” Quincy responded.


    Zayne nodded before taking the seat across from Sophia.


    She arched her brow. “Why didn''t you volunteer to purchase the snacks?”


    “I need to talk to you.”


    “I''m all ears,” Sophia replied smilingly.


    Seizing the period in which Quincy went to buy the snacks, Zayne briefly recounted everything that had


    happened to Sophia.


    Sophia could not help butugh after listening to him. “Y-You''re unbelievable, Mr. Quantrill.”


    “You can make fun of me, but I hope you''ll help me think of a solution at the same time. What should I


    do to prevent Quincy from rejecting my approach?”


    From the moment he told Quincy he was in love with someone, she had kept a half-meter distance


    between them as they hiked up the hill.


    Zayne felt immensely frustrated throughout the short journey to the rest stop.


    Sophia finally understood the saying about God giving and taking away qualities of a person in


    exchange when creating each individual. Lukas mentioned to her that Zayne was an incredible genius


    with a high IQ, equipped with great prowess in the field of information technology. Unfortunately,


    prodigies like him usually had amon shoring, which was theck of EQ.


    Zayne''s interpersonal skills were actually not bad, but modern-day rtionships between men and


    women had be more demanding to a person''s emotional intelligence than before. Sophia,


    propping her chin in her palm and tapping her cheek with her fingers, nced at Quincy, who was


    buying some snacks nearby, and said, “Mr. Quantrill, you don''t mind confessing your feelings, right?”


    Her initial strategy was to let Zayne take things slow so that Quincy would not be startled and scared


    off by his aggressiveness. However, judging by the circumstances, her n seemed to be backfiring on


    her. She did not want to spend so much time apanying him to win a girl''s heart.


    Since things had progressed to that stage, Sophie thought it would be better for Zayne to directly


    profess his love to Quincy instead of covering the current lie with more falsehoods.


    He knitted his brows and asked sincerely for her guidance, “How should I do that?”


    Seeing Quincy advancing in their direction, Sophia hastily said, “I''ll text youter.”


    He can''t confess now because that would make Quincy feel extremely awkward. The best opportunity


    will be for him to do it in person when he sends her home after this hiking session. Once he confesses,


    I no longer need to bother myself with their rtionship.


    Due to his EQ level, Sophia suggested Zaynee clean to Quincy straightforwardly about his


    intention of asking her out that day since he did not suit making romantic gestures anyway.


    The trio had a vegetarian meal at the top of the hill. At three o''clock in the afternoon, they returned to


    the foothill. Just then, Sophia''s phone rang.


    She looked at the caller ID and realized it was a call from Alexander. “Sophia, it''s me. I''m at the bottom


    of the hill,” he said.


    “Huh?”


    Sophia raised her brows in confusion. Upon sensing someone gazing at her from not far away, she


    turned in that direction and saw Alexander. The man was dressed in a suit, holding his phone while


    staring at her.


    Her heart skipped a beat. “Wait a minute.”


    With that, she hung up the call and turned around to look at Zayne and Quincy. “Someone''s here to


    pick me up, so I''ll take my leave now. I had a great time today. Thank you.”


    She then shed Zayne a half-smile before walking toward Alexander.


    Quincy was taken aback when she saw Sophia striding toward a man. “Mr. Quantrill, didn''t you say that


    Ms. Yarrow is pursuing you?”


    Who is that man holding her hand, then?


    “I lied to you, Quincy,” Zayne admitted.


    “What?”


    Befuddled, she bore her eyes into the magnificent man in front of her. “W-Why did you lie to me?”


    “Sophia is not interested in me. I wanted to ask you out, so I deceived you by saying she''s trying to


    woo me.”


    Quincy was caught in perplexity. “You could''ve been straight with me if you wished to invite me toe


    hiking with you. Why did you feel the need to delude me?”


    “That''s because I like you.”


    It''s because I fancy you, so I don''t know how to ask you out.


    Instantaneously, his ears turned red.


    Quincy blinked at him. “B-But didn''t you mention you''re in love with somebody?”


    “I''m in love with you.”


    Sophie told him to bepletely honest with Quincy, so he did. At that moment, as Zayne stared at the


    crimson-faced girl before him, the words came naturally to him. “Can you be my girlfriend, Quincy? I


    can let you draw me every day, and in every way you like.”


    Quincy''s mind buzzed. In fact, she harbored feelings for him too, which was why she was crestfallen


    when he told her he was in love with another girl. Still, she forced herself to put on a nonchnt


    pretense. Nevertheless, she had indeed been feeling dejected the entire afternoon.


    Yet, all of a sudden, he unexpectedly informed her that she was the girl he liked.


    “I''ll take your silence as a yes, then.”


    Zayne reached out to hold her hand right after saying that sentence.


    When Sophia turned around and witnessed that scene, she could not help but chuckle. “That happened


    faster than I''d anticipated.”


    She was under the assumption that Zayne would only confess around nighttime.


    Alexander opened the car door and piped up, “That''s right. He''s another girl''s boyfriend now.”


    At that, Sophia snorted withughter. “Alexander, what''s the matter with you? Why do you get jealous


    so easily?”