Chapter 8 A Threat From Ster


    "I''m just following Mr. Victor''s orders," John said with a meaningful smile. "About the intentions behind


    his actions, I do not know of."


    …… In a cafe downtown...


    Sophia sipped on her coffee as she looked solemnly at Emily Yu.


    "Are you sure you want to go abroad?" Sophia asked indifferently, but there was a touch of sadness in


    her eyes.


    Emily You was her best friend from college. She was the only one Sophia could openly talk to, and it


    seemed as if she, too, was going to leave her life. Just recently, Emily Yu had decided to go study


    abroad.


    "Yup, that''s the n." Emily nodded. "My cousin is working in the YS Group. He has a job for me there


    but I don''t quite fit the requirements just yet, which is why I want to study abroad for a while."


    ''The YS Group again?!'' Every time Sophia heard this name, she felt her heart tightening in her chest.


    The coffee cup she was holding started to tremble in her hand.


    "Why? What''s wrong?" Emily Yu asked when she noticed that there was something wrong with Sophia.


    "It''s nothing," Sophia said with a forced smile. "Just go on right ahead. I''ll just wait for you toe


    back."


    "Is it because of Peter--"


    "No, it''s not. Don''t mention him anymore." Sophia already knew what Emily Yu was going to say. Right


    now, she didn''t want to hear his name anymore. What''s more, it really had nothing to do with Peter.


    Just at that moment, Sophia''s phone rang. Upon looking as the screen, she saw that it was Jenny who


    was calling.


    Rolling her eyes, Sophia muted the call and put her phone back in her bag. Just as soon as she did, it


    started ringing again. With a frown, she picked it up and muted it again, throwing it back into her bag.


    "Are you sure you''re not going to answer that?" Emily Yu asked, raising her eyebrows at Sophia.


    "Of course I''m sure." Taking a sip of coffee, Sophia tried to calm herself down.


    Jenny betrayed her and seduced her boyfriend. Sophia just refused to answer her phone call. Of


    course, Sophia knew that Jenny would get her into a lot of trouble once they got home.


    Soon after, Sophia and Emily Yu parted way. As expected, the moment Sophia got home, she was


    greeted by Jenny''s loud and obnoxious voice.


    ''Well, might as well get this over with, '' Sophia thought with a frown.


    "You have the nerve toe back here! I''ve been trying to contact you for countless times! Why didn''t


    you answer any of my calls! I asked you to wait for me. You weren''t there anymore when I got out!!"


    Jenny was at hysterics. The makeup she was wearing was now smudged and runny, and her hair was


    a tangled mess. Without her princess facade, she looked nothing more than a whiny and annoying girl!


    "I don''t think I ever promised that I would wait for you," Sophia said matter-of-factly as she shrugged


    her shoulders.


    Hearing this, Jenny''s mouth fell ck in shock and indignation. ''Tch! This bitch has no right to tell me


    what to do!'' Sophia sneered to herself.


    At that moment, Caspar walked in. Sophia braced herself to get scolded at, but to her surprise, he


    pushed Jenny aside. Walking up to her, Caspar looked at Sophia wide-eyed. "How do you know Victor?


    When Jenny went to the YS Group to see John, he told her that Victor wanted to see you."


    ''My god! This is the third time this day I''ve heard about that bastard''spany! When will he be out of


    my life!'' Sophia thought as she gritted her teeth.


    "I don''t know him, nor will I go to see him," Sophia decisive refused.


    "Huh..." Ster snorted. With a hand on her hip, she walked over beside Caspar and narrowed her


    eyes at Sophia. "Sophia, you are a part of this family, aren''t you? Your father has devoted his whole life


    to the JH Group. Can you really bear to see the JH Group fall into the hands of another and make your


    father sad? Do you know how much pressure your father has received from the YS Group? Pretty


    soon, there will be not enough time for help!"


    "Mom''s right. We''ve been a good family to you, haven''t we? Do you think you can live a happy life


    without us? We have thought highly of you. I don''t think we ever expected that you would turn out to be


    such a heartless and ungrateful person! It looks as if you''re so ready to roll into a poor and sad ce!"


    Jenny chimed in, as sharp-tongue as her mother.


    "You were all so optimistic about using my body to get Wade to help. Did you all really think that was in


    my best interest?! Don''t think for even a second that I give a damn about this ce! !" Sophia retorted


    back,ughing coldly at the three.


    If only Sophia wasn''t rted to Caspar, no matter how rich he might be, she would have left that ce


    long ago!


    "Sophia, you have it all wrong. Don''t you know how worried your father was when you didn''te back


    that day?" Ster said, acting all motherly all of a sudden.


    Seeing and hearing Ster like this made Sophia cringe in disgust.


    "Ster, take Jenny back to her room," said Caspar.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Without another word, Ster reluctantly took Jenny back to her bedroom. Just before leaving, Jenny


    cast a bitter sidelong nce at Sophia.


    With his hands in his pockets, Caspar walked over to the sofa. Looking up at Sophia, he patted the


    seat beside him. "Come here and tell me everything." It was rare for Caspar to be so kind to Sophia.


    After all, Caspar was her biological father. Sophia couldn''t be cold-blooded and ruthless. After


    hesitating for a while, she walked over and sat from across Caspar.


    "I don''t care if you know Victor or not. He knows you. I''m still holding onto the hope that we can get him


    to help the JH Group. You don''t want to ruin Jian family''s business, do you? You and your sister haven''t


    gotten married yet. I''m nning to give you a grand wedding and that can''t be done if our legacy gets


    run to the ground."


    The sudden "warm father" approach made Sophia a little shocked. Although Sophia knew in her heart


    that Caspar was saying this for the JH Group''s sake, she had to admit that he was pulling at all the


    right strings at that moment, and made her a bit empathetic towards him.


    "I know what you are thinking. But really, I don''t care about all the wealth. Besides, I don''t know Victor


    and I don''t want to have anything to do with him."


    "Are you still mad at me for pping you? I admit that I was impulsive at that time, and I cannot tell you


    how much I regretted doing that. How about this? If you are willing to just go see Victor, our beloved


    company just might have a shot at getting through this hurdle. When that happens, I can assure that


    you will have a high position at the JH Group. Earlier, your sister went over to the YS Group for the


    sake of the JH Group. Why can''t you do the same?"


    Sophia smiled helplessly, an indescribable bitterness in her heart.


    ''Heh... If it weren''t for what Victor had said, I highly doubt that my father would ever talk to me this


    nicely. How ironic.''


    "I''m afraid there''s nothing I can do about this. You''d bettere up with other solutions to save your


    precious littlepany."


    Then Sophia got up and went upstairs.


    After Sophia freshened up, she went straight to bed. But she couldn''t sleep, and tossed around her


    bed. It was because she couldn''t get her thoughts off of Victor. Sophia couldn''t understand why a man


    as powerful as Victor had anything to do with her and asked her to meet him.


    ''I won''t go... I won''t, '' Sophia reassured to herself over and over. Everything was so mixed up in her


    mind that Sophia didn''t fall asleep until the early morning.


    The next morning, Sophia was awakened by a quick knock on the door.


    Sophia wanted to get back to sleep, but the knock started to get louder and longer as the seconds


    passed. The noise was driving her crazy!


    Sophia dawdled for a while before she reluctantly dragged herself to open the door.


    Ster was standing outside the room with a big smile on her face! Having been used to Ster''s mean


    attitude to her, Sophia got nervous. The sleepiness she felt had suddenly been reced with alertness.


    "What is it?" Sophia asked cautiously.


    "Go and see Victor." The simple and imperative tone of Ster made Sophia frown.


    "I said I wouldn''t go."


    It seemed that Ster had expected this to happen. She leisurely took out a photo from her pocket and


    handed it to Sophia. With her brows furrowed, Sophia looked at the photo. Her heart nearly stopped in


    her chest!


    It was... A photograph of her mother! How could Ster have a picture of her mother when she was


    younger? Not even Sophia had one.


    Sophia was about to get the picture, but Ster quickly drew her hand back, putting the photo out of


    reach.


    "Give me that! Why do you have a photo of my mother? !" Sophia boomed, her trembling voice full of


    anxiety.


    "If you really want to know why, go and find Victor. Make sure you keep the JH up and running."


    …… Sophia stood outside the YS Group''s towering building, its logo big and bold. Sophia could feel


    her hand sweating as she tightly held onto the Victor''s business card.


    Taking a deep breath in, she walked towards the front entrance.


    As soon as Sophia stepped into the building, she could obviously feel that there were dozens of


    strange nces at her, which made her feel extremely ufortable.


    With timid steps, she went over to the receptionist''s desk. "Uh... Hello, my name is Sophia. I''m here to


    see--"


    "Oh, it''s you, Miss Sophia!" Before Sophia finished her words, the woman at the front desk interrupted


    Sophia, as if she had been expecting her arrival. "The CEO is waiting for you in his office. I''ll take you


    to him now."


    Sophia felt confused. How did she know that she was here for Victor? ''Maybe... Dose everyone here


    know that I am going to see Victor?''


    "This way, please." When Sophia was still wondering, the girl at the front desk politely gestured for


    Sophia to follow her.


    With a small and embarrassed smile, Sophia quickly followed the receptionist, keeping her head low as


    others continued to gawk at her.


    The moment she stepped into this building, she felt extremely ufortable. Every now and then, she


    would remember some snippets of the shameful thing that had happened to her in the hotel that fateful


    night.


    ''Damn it!


    It was Victor who took advantage of me. Why should I be the one to feel this way!'' When Sophia was


    cursing herself, the receptionist suddenly stopped in front a wooden double door. "The CEO is inside.


    Please, enter."


    Then the receptionist left.


    Raising her head, Sophia saw a sign on the door. ''Victor Yang, CEO''s Office'' it read.


    The mixed feelings made Sophia''s heart skip a beat. For several times, she reached out for the door,


    but kept hesitating. Finally, she bit the bullet and knocked on the door.


    The hollow knocking sounded crisply in the air.


    "Come in," a deep, male voice said from inside.


    Biting her lips, Sophia instantly recognized that it was Victor''s voice.


    Sophia swallowed hard, her heart racing.


    With a determined nod, Sophia opened the door. What she saw at the other side of the door shocked


    her...