《The Returning EX (Sophia and John)》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 It was Valentine¡¯s Day¡ªa day for love¡ªbut ironically, Sophia and John were about to get divorced. Couples crowded before the marriage registration counter, a stark contrast to the one for divorce. Sophia peered at the counter for a while and smiled bitterly. Well, at least we don¡¯t have to queue up. It¡¯s a good day to get divorced, in a way. John took a while to arrive, and Sophia saw him right when he entered. Sophia felt smug, for even though she wasn¡¯t the one who proposed the divorce, at least she didn¡¯t cling onto him. Instead, she was even happy to cooperate at this point. No matter how she looked at it, at least her dignity was still intact. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. John came over to her and frowned. ¡°How long have you been here?¡± ¡°Quite a while now. I didn¡¯t expect you to bete.¡± Sophia smiled. John grunted. ¡°An emergency meeting came up, so I got dyed.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, then. There¡¯s no line here.¡± Sophia nodded. They had signed the divorce agreement, and John was generous enough to provide her with enough alimony as well as some shares of thepany. He had also given her some of his properties too. Since they were childless, there were no arguments in this area, so the process went without a hitch. When their marriage certificate was taken away and reced by a divorce certificate, Sophia stared at it for a while and fell into a trance. This is it, huh? As fast as the day we were here for our marriage certificate. Marriage and divorces were easy, but love wasn¡¯t. Sophia knew John had never loved her, so when he proposed the divorce, it only took her a moment to agree. No point trying to grab onto someone who doesn¡¯t love you. She wasn¡¯t that type of woman. John stared at the divorce certificate for a long while, then he stood up and looked at her. ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime, so let¡¯s grab a bite.¡± Sophia paused and gave him a smile. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s have our breakup meal.¡± John peered at her before leaving, while Sophia heaved a sigh before following him out. They went to a five-star restaurant, and Sophia had to admit that this breakup meal wasvish. Sophia was unsettled about the divorce, but she didn¡¯t want to show it explicitly. There was, of course, another way to do that, so after taking the menu, she stared at the prices, then said, ¡°It¡¯s your treat, right?¡± His head lowered, John took out a box of cigarettes and pulled a cigarette out. ¡°I gave you a ton of cash, and you can¡¯t even treat me to one meal?¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t. I have no job, no skills, and no ie stream, so I have to save whenever I can.¡± John held his cigarette in his mouth. ¡°The dividend I pay you every month should be enough for your expenses.¡± ¡°Just tell me whether it¡¯s your treat.¡± Sophia looked up at him. ¡°It is.¡± He grinned. ¡°Mind if I do it?¡± He arched his eyebrow. He was referring to him smoking, and Sophia looked at his cigarette. He never smoked in front of me. Wow, does he change quickly, and it hadn¡¯t been two seconds since we got divorced. She retracted her gaze and looked at the menu. ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Then, Sophia turned to the waitress. ¡°Give me all of the most expensive stuff here.¡± The waiter was shocked. ¡°Are you sure? There¡¯s a lot of them.¡± John was lighting up his cigarette, and he didn¡¯t even nce at what Sophia ordered. ¡°Yes, so get going.¡± The waiter smiled awkwardly. ¡°Of course. Do please give us some time to prepare.¡± John smoked deep, then he puffed it out. He gazed at Sophia for a quiet while before asking, ¡°You haven¡¯t asked me why I wanted this divorce.¡± Chapter 2 Chapter 2 The question took her by surprise, but she smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to ask. You must have been dying to get this divorce, and I could feel it.¡± Sophia was already prepared for this ever since they were married. She knew their married days were numbered, but it came a bit quicker than she¡¯d imagined. It hadn¡¯t even been two months since Old Mr. Constance¡¯s passing, and John was already getting the divorce. John was surprised by her answer, but only for a moment, then he snorted. Theck of exnation made Sophia think she hit the bullseye. John puffed a few more times and put out the remainder of his cigarette in the ashtray. Instead of continuing the topic, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s your n now?¡± Sophia pondered. ¡°ns? Nothing for now. I just want to go around for some sightseeing.¡± She was worried about what would happen after the divorce, for everyone wouldugh at her, especially when the reason she was married to him in the first ce was rooted in superstition. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. She was married off to the Constance Family as a ward. Old Mr. Constance was declining, so he forced John to marry her in a desperate attempt to bring luck and overturn his condition. Sophia remembered that John was unwilling to do this, but because he was fettered by his morality and familial ties, it was impossible for him to reject this outright. John resigned to his position and married her reluctantly. A human ward was superstition, of course, and in the end, all it did was delight Old Mr. Constance, but it didn¡¯t help with his condition. He suffered a lot longer than he had to, and in the end, he passed anyway. It hadn¡¯t been a year since then, so Sophia could imagine the mockery she had to endure. Going into hiding is a good idea. She looked down at her ss of water. ¡°I¡¯lle back in a couple of months to pay my respects.¡± John thought about it. ¡°Call Zack if you need anything. He can help you.¡± Zack was John¡¯s assistant who had been working for John for a long time now. He was responsible for all of John¡¯s work-rted matters and the asional personal matter. Sophia didn¡¯t refuse his offer. ¡°Okay, then. I won¡¯t be holding back.¡± When the cuisines were served, Sophia dug in without a care. She didn¡¯t say anything, for she didn¡¯t know what to say. They didn¡¯t communicate much in their short-lived marriage, aside from the asional after-dark fun on the bed. Now that they were divorced, the gap between them became a chasm, and they had even fewer shared topics. John didn¡¯t seem to have much appetite, so he stopped after a few bites, but Sophia ignored him and kept on eating. The impulsive order earlier came to bite her in the back, for it was too much for her. Sophia couldn¡¯t take another bite after only having half of the food. She leaned back on the chair and rang for the waiter. When he came, she pointed at the food. ¡°Pack all of these for me.¡± All those who had their meals in this hotel were famous figures, so it was rare for someone to pack their food up. The waiter was surprised about this request, but John said, ¡°Pack it up.¡± ¡°Of course. Please give me a minute.¡± The waiter felt awkward. When the waiter went to take the packing box, John stared at Sophia, much to her difort. ¡°What? Did I embarrass you?¡± John snorted and didn¡¯t answer that. Instead, he asked, ¡°I never asked you this, but why did you marry me in the first ce?¡± Sophia blinked. ¡°Because you¡¯re rich.¡± Before he could say anything, she added, ¡°But then I thought there are a lot of people who are richer than you.¡± John arched an eyebrow. ¡°Is that why you agreed to the divorce so readily?¡± To that, Sophia only replied with a smile. The waiter then came back and packed up their food. After that, she took the boxes and left with John. John had to go somewhere else, so he hailed a ride for Sophia. After entering the taxi, through the car window, she asked, ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°What about me?¡± John frowned. ¡°Why did you marry me in the first ce?¡± she asked. He looked at her calmly. ¡°Because you¡¯re pretty.¡± However, before she couldugh, he added, ¡°But then I realized there are a lot of women prettier than you.¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3 John nced at her for a moment, then he left, leaving her alone with a frozen smile on her face. He¡¯s petty alright. Can¡¯t even take a little hit. Sophia went back to her ce that John gave her, which she had been staying for the past few days. The design was exquisite, but it wasn¡¯t lively. Aftering back, Sophia kept all the food in the fridge, then she went back to her room. As shey on her bed, Sophia took out the divorce certificate. When they went to take their wedding certificate, none of them smiled, and both had a long face. Today, she smiled brightly in her divorce papers¡¯ photo. However, unbeknownst to anyone, she was happy when they were married, and that was only rivaled by her reluctance to be divorced. She covered her face with the divorce papers and hid her tearful self away, as if that could cover her sadness up. Just like that, shey in her bed until the afternoon. She then texted Zack, asking him if he was busy, and then he called her. ¡°Did you two really get divorced?¡± he asked. Sophia looked at the crimson paper. ¡°Yeah, we did. It¡¯s still warm to the touch, the paper. Do you need a photo?¡± ¡°No need for that.¡± Zack sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you guys fight, so why did this happen?¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t propose this. You should ask your boss.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t that brave,¡± Zack quickly said. John had always been aloof, so even though Zack had worked for him for years, he was still scared of his boss. On the other hand, even though Sophia was his wife and on the same level as John, Zack could gossip with her and even tease her at times. Not only was Zack not afraid of her, but he would throw the asional witty remarks at her as well. Sophia sighed. ¡°I called you because I have something to say. John told me to call you whenever I needed help.¡± Zack was fine with this. ¡°Sure. Tell me if you need anything.¡± ¡°I want to go on a trip, so can you pick a spot for me? And book the flight tickets as well as the hotel as soon as possible. The duration? Yeah, I don¡¯t care about that. Right now, I have nothing but time and money. John gave me loads of money just so he can get divorced.¡± Zack paused before asking, ¡°Anywhere is fine?¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No. Make sure it¡¯s pretty and filled with hunks. You can¡¯t be thinking of throwing me into the wilds,¡± she grumbled. Zackughed. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll take a look and make the arrangements.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t in a good mood, so she hung up after finishing her business. After spacing out for a moment, she went outside. She would have eaten if she could, but lunch filled her up and then some. Ever the happy girl, Sophia stood in the living room, trying toe up with an idea of how people let loose after a divorce, but her mindstorm didn¡¯t give her anything. Sophia had no rtives or friends, so she had nobody to pour her heart out to. Left with no choice, she Googled it, and it showed her tons of answers. Sophia clicked into the first link and thought the advice of getting drunk sounded fine. At least it was better than going for one night stands. Even though the divorce saddened her, she wasn¡¯t going to fall this hard. Nobody¡¯s worth that. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 That night, Sophia did some charming makeup. During her days in the Constance Residence, a lot of people disliked her because she was a normie, and the reason for her marriage was ridiculous, so she led a careful life. Thanks to that, a smoky makeup now was enough to make her feel reborn. She chose a slightly sexy dress and looked at herself in the mirror, satisfied with her look. Then she hailed a ride and went to the biggest bar in town. The bar was huge, enough for it to be split into a few sections across the different levels. There was a dance floor in themon area, and it was filled with customers there. Sophia looked around and saw a business area in a corner, which dissuaded her from going. Everything there is about business. Boring with a capital B. Sophia went to an empty seat in themon area and sat down. When the waiter came to take her order, she called for two bottles of wine and a fruit tter. Then she leaned back on the sofa and sipped her wine while watching the other patrons dance. The light was ring, and it blurred her vision, but Sophia could see that they were happy. A momentter, she smiled. Sophia was richer than them, so of course she was happy. Then she called the waiter over to order a few snack tters. With the money John gave her and the dividends every month, she could live her life without working for a day. After she had a bottle of beer, someone came to hit on her. She was good-looking, and she was alone, so anyone woulde for her. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. The man sat before her. ¡°Alone?¡± Sophia squinted at him. The man was in a casual tee, and he looked decent. Sophia knew everyone who came here was in search of fun, and they were pretty much open to anything. Instead of answering, she toasted that man and downed her wine, then the man responded in kind. She smiled at him and put her ss down, then he refilled it quickly. At least that cheered her up a bit. She was confident in her looks, so if nobody came to hit on her after a whole night, it would impact her greatly. Even so, she fell into a trance, thinking about what John might be doing. They were finally divorced, so she thought he might find someone to celebrate. That idea worsened her mood, so she added more booze. At the same time, John was in a room in the business section of the bar. There was a meetup today, but it wasn¡¯t a formal one. It was an interested coborator whose overseas market was doing well. The Constance Family wanted to prate the overseas market, so if he could work with this guy, it would make that journey that bit easier. More importantly, the coborator invited John out himself, so he wouldn¡¯t refuse. The coborator was a middle-aged man who seemed to be a regr here, but after making a token conversation about the coboration, this man called a lot ofdies into the room. John disliked this borderline sexual activity, for he would always think about hypocrites who eschewed this openly but indulged in it secretly. Even so, he forced himself to have a few sses of wine. Mr. Wolfe grinned. ¡°You seem to be unustomed, Mr. Constance.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t reallye here a lot.¡± John smiled. Mr. Wolfe swirled his ss, hinting at something. ¡°Have some wine, and it might cure that.¡± John smiled and toasted Mr. Wolfe. This red wine was brought by him, and it tasted dry, but not inedible. John wondered what brand of wine this was, for it didn¡¯t taste too well. After drinking two sses, he leaned back on the sofa and nudged back, pushing thedy in his embrace away. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 John wasn¡¯t in the mood to do anything today, for he was haunted by a feeling of frustration ever since he had lunch with Sophia. When he was back in his office, he didn¡¯t read the documents he was supposed to either, and what his grandfather told him before his passing rang in his mind. He told John to take care of Sophia, to which John agreed, but in the end, they still got divorced. He heaved a sigh. This divorce was going to happen one way or another, so he didn¡¯t regret it. Ever since they were married, he was looking forward to this day, for it wasn¡¯t his idea to marry Sophia. He felt guilty though, toward histe grandfather. A few more sses of wer, John became more frustrated. He felt uneasy for some reason, and in his confusion, John thought about Sophia, but not about the divorce. Instead, he was taken back to many nights ago when Sophia was taking his pounding. He quickly shut his eyes and started sweating. I think I know what¡¯s wrong with me. Mr. Wolfe was in the mood now, so he caressed thedy¡¯s hand. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go somewhere else?¡± John slowly opened his eyes and smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± Even though he wasn¡¯t in his best condition, John had to beposed. Luckily, it was cooler outside, so it eased John up a bit. After exiting the room, he texted the driver, asking him toe over quickly. Mr. Wolfe was ahead of him, holding a woman in his arms. Buoyed by the atmosphere, he even hummed. They went past the dance floor after exiting the business section, and they were just in time for the climax of the night. The spectators were buzzing with excitement, for the dancers were starting to strip, much to Mr. Wolfe¡¯s interest. ¡°Well, they do know how to throw a party.¡± He smacked his lips. John looked at the dance floor, but then he looked further ahead and saw Sophia chatting with another man behind the dance floor. He had to squint to recognize her, for Sophia looked totally different with her getup today. He stared at her for a long while, but she didn¡¯t notice him. It had been a few sses of booze since then, so she was tipsy, but not drunk. Her unfocused eyes didn¡¯t escape the man before her, so he went to sit down beside her. ¡°Are you drunk?¡± ¡°No.¡± Sophia smiled. She could still remember the things she wanted to forget, so she wasn¡¯t drunk. The man put his hand on her leg. ¡°Why don¡¯t I bring you somewhere to sober up?¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. She looked down at his hand before staring up into his face, then she shook her head. ¡°No.¡± No matter how she looked at him, John was leagues ahead of this man. Thanks to him, she wondered if she could fall for any other man after their rtionship had ended. Oblivious to her thoughts, the man tried to hold her face. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll bring you somewhere fun.¡± However, before he could touch her face, someone grabbed his hand. I must be hearing things, Sophia thought. ¡°You never think before you leap, don¡¯t you?¡± John mocked. John? She slowly looked up, and even though her vision was blurred, she could still see his face clearly. John was still as aloof as ever, but now he was scoffing at her. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Everything after Sophia came out of the bar was a nk for her. It wasn¡¯t after she puked did things be clearer to her. She took the ss of water John gave her and gurgled before standing up, the fog in her mind cleared. ¡°God, that felt better.¡± John was leaning against his car as he lit his cigarette and unbuttoned his cor. ¡°Get in right now if you¡¯re feeling better. I¡¯m leaving,¡± he hissed. The night might be cool, and it might have eased his frustration, but it was still there. Sophia leaped up, shocked. ¡°John? Why are you here?¡± John puffed and frowned. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me, you would have been sleeping with a random guy.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia stood up and looked around, noticing that she was at her home¡¯s doorstep. She looked at John. ¡°So you went to the bar earlier? Were you the one who brought me back?¡± John said nothing. He wanted to ask his driver to send her home, but with how drunk she was, John¡¯s driver was worried something might spiral out of control, so John had to do this himself. Sophia was less than thrilled. So this guy went to celebrate after all. Her anger was fueled further by the alcohol she drank, so Sophia went ahead and leaned against him, smirking. ¡°So, were you trying to catch a fling too?¡± John noticed what she was trying to say, and he looked into her eyes. ¡°Too?¡± Sophia smiled, and she was all the sexier for her makeup. John had taken off his jacket, revealing the white shirt underneath. She never used to be this daring, but now Sophia was tugging at John¡¯s belt, her tone suggestive. ¡°You messed up my fling, so what now?¡± Then, she started pulling out his tucked- in shirt. He quickly held her hand and looked at her. Now the alcohol was working its magic, fueling his me of lust that had abated earlier. He took a deep breath and gazed at her. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing, Sophia?¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°Of course, I do. Why? Don¡¯t you?¡± After a while, John smiled. He tossed his unfinished cigarette away and cupped her chin. ¡°Were you going out with a fling in mind today?¡± As Sophia gazed at him, the feeling of dejection sprang up within her again. She loved this man for a long time now, but even though they were married, he still ran away from her in the end. She had nothing to lose now, so Sophia stood on tiptoe and pecked his lips. ¡°Yeah. Why else?¡± It was only a split secondter, and John held her in his arms. ¡°Great. You¡¯ll be getting what you came for.¡± Sophia gasped and held his neck, while he strode into the house. It was fingerprint-locked, but luckily Sophia didn¡¯t delete his identification data, so with one hand holding her, John unlocked the door and went inside. Everything after that was a blur for her, but when they were about to get down to things in the bedroom, she suddenly pinned him down. There was a burning question in her heart which she longed the answer for. ¡°Have you cheated on me when we were married, John?¡± ¡°No.¡± Hey on the bed, his gaze deep, his voice hoarse. Satisfied, she quickly went ahead with the main event, but she wasn¡¯t really great at this sort of thing, so she grunted, feeling defeated. She didn¡¯t know how she should continue with this, but luckily, John took the reins. We just got divorced today, and now we do this? Is this really a good idea? Not that we¡¯re stopping anyway though. Under the influence of alcohol, Sophia drifted to sleep, but John stayed awake. He looked up at the ceiling in the dark, his eyes sunken. A whileter, she turned around and moved around like she used to do. After finding where John was, she leaned closer to hug him before resuming her sleep. John didn¡¯t move, but he started to frown. A momentter, he pushed her away and went to take his phone to call Zack. After the call went through, he said, ¡°I want you to look into the deal with Focker. See if he spiked the wine he brought today.¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7 John was already gone when she woke up the next day. She scratched her head in perplexion, for her memory was fragmented, though she could still remember how she got it on with her ex-husbandst night. Wow, am I really this perverted? We just got divorced, and then we f*ck? I thought this only happens in novels! She then remembered Googling what a divorcee should do to relieve the pain, but while she scoffed at having a one night stand, she ended up doing it anyway. Sophia flung the nket open to look at her crotch. She could vaguely remember how hard John pounded herst night, and the sex felt fun because it was illegal. She dragged herself to take a bath, then when she was done, her phone rang. Sophia quickly went to take the call, and Zack told her he had booked her a ticket to Tri Asel. The location didn¡¯t matter to her. ¡°Sure. When¡¯s the flight scheduled?¡± Zack said, ¡°Tomorrow morning. Thought you said the sooner the better. How¡¯s this for size?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Sure. Best time slot for me. Send me the exact time, and I¡¯ll travel to the airport tomorrow.¡± Zack hung up without saying he would send her off, then he texted her the flight details. Sophia sat on the bed and read through the text while she dried her hair. After reading through it, she put her towel down and sighed. Sophia knew this would be a long trip for her, and when she came back, she would have probably gotten over John. After dressing up a bit, she went to have her meal and bought a bouquet of flowers before going to Old Mr. Constance¡¯s grave. It was¡­ grand, to say the least, for his family had spent a lot on it. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. She came up to the tombstone and put the flowers before it. ¡°Hey, Grandpa. Hope everything is well for you up there. There¡¯s something I need to tell you. John and I¡­ Well, we got divorced.¡± Then she added, ¡°I don¡¯t me him though. He couldn¡¯t fall for me no matter how hard he tried. I know it¡¯s torture living your life with someone you don¡¯t love, so this is for the best. He gave me a lot of money, enough to live a good life.¡± He looked fierce in the photo, but Old Mr. Constance was an approachable man, and he treated her the best in the whole family. She teared up, but Sophia didn¡¯t allow herself to cry. He can¡¯t rest in peace if he sees me crying. She then told him she would embark on a long trip, but she would eventuallye back, even if it took decades. Sophia even told him she would bring some souvenirs back for him. After talking for a bit, she left. There wasn¡¯t much to pack even if she wanted to. Sophia hadn¡¯t stayed here for too long, so there weren¡¯t many things here. Besides, taking too much baggage with her on a trip was less than ideal. In the end, she didn¡¯t even fill up a small luggage. Sophia sat on the bed, deliberating if she should call John. Eventually, she decided to call him. He should be resting at this hour. Quickly, the call went through. ¡°Yes, do you need anything?¡± He sounded formal. Sophia was about to talk aboutst night, but his formal tone killed her mood. After a few moments of pause, she said, ¡°Nothing. I just want to tell you I¡¯m leaving tomorrow, and I might be off for a long time, so this is goodbye.¡± ¡°I know,¡± John replied coolly. Sophia pouted, feeling insulted. She was about to retort when a woman said, ¡°John?¡± Shocked, she quickly hung up, but a momentter, she held her phone, looking defeated. It¡¯s just a woman, so why did I get so nervous? Why did I hang up? She thumped the bed. Chapter 8 ?Chapter 8 With her luggage in tow, Sophia went to the airport early next morning. Because the flight was too early, Sophia kept yawning from her insufficient sleep. Not long after arriving at the airport, the announcer started calling the passengers for her flight toe on board. Zack booked a business ss seat for her. Sophia went in first, so the passenger beside her hadn¡¯t arrived yet. After she put her luggage and sat down, Sophia yawned a few more times. More passengers came in after her, but not many. Hmm, not many passengers this time. She looked around her before lying down in afy position. Then she put on her eyeshade and slept. Because she didn¡¯t sleep muchst night, Sophia drifted to sleep after she closed her eyes. She didn¡¯t realize someone came to sit beside herter, nor did she care. It wasn¡¯t until a stewardess came did she wake up. Sophia was gently nudged, then the stewardess told her, ¡°Excuse me, miss. Do you need anything to drink?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia pulled her eyeshade up and squinted. ¡°C with ice, thank you.¡± After the stewardess poured her drink, the passenger beside her took it for her. She took it and had a sip before saying thank you, to which the passenger replied, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Wait, that voice¡­ It¡¯s familiar. Too familiar. Sophia paused for a moment, then, ever so slowly, she turned around to see who the passenger was. When she saw who it was, her expression froze. John stared at her for a few moments before looking back at Zack. Zack was covering his face, for he hadn''t been able to bring himself to look at John ever since thetter noticed Sophia was in the seat right beside him. Sophia also looked at Zack, and she arched her eyebrow. Zack turned his back on both of them and plugged his ears with his earphones, pretending not to know anything. "Zack booked this ticket for me." Sophia smacked her lips. "I didn''t know this would happen." Being the aloof man, John only grunted, stopping Sophia from asking a few questions she would like answered. It was impossible to sleep now, so she took out her tablet to binge some dramas. It wasn''t like her to binge-watch dramas, though she downloaded some shallow ones to kill time. Unfortunately, she couldn''t keep her eyes on her tablet, for she started looking at John a few momentster. John was approving some documents in hisptop. He was wearing a pair of anti-re sses, and Sophia had never seen this side to him. She nced at him out of the corner of her eye, and she had to say that John was handsome. Well, all of the Constance men were decent-looking, but John was the hottest of them all. That was why she fell for him at first sight, for she was a shallow woman. Sophia knew where she stood, so she would admit that aside from his looks, she didn''t like anything else about him, but that soon changed, though she didn''t know what the reason was even until now. Before they were divorced, Sophia would always grin whenever she saw or thought of him. I never felt that way about any other guy, though. Then she quickly retracted her gaze and scolded herself, You''re divorced, so stop thinking about this. No matter how great he is, if he doesn''t love you, then it''s worth zilch. Sophia put her tablet down and wore her eyeshade again. Even if she couldn''t sleep, she didn''t want to see him. Not long after she leaned back against the seat with her arms crossed, she felt John unbuckling himself and left. She pulled her eyeshade up to nce at him. Probably went to the restroom. Then, she leaned back again. He came back a short whileter, then he nudged her elbow, but she pretended not to notice it. However, when her elbow was nudged again, Sophia frowned. She took her eyeshade off, only to find a stranger before her, though he had a smart getup. He smiled at Sophia. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Anything?¡± replied Sophia. The man smiled sheepishly. ¡°Nothing. I was bored sitting back there, and I noticed you look bored too, so I came to chat.¡± Sophia frowned. I looked like I was sleeping, not bored. John had returned, but when he noticed someone was at his seat, he didn¡¯t make any move. He could see that the man was flirting with Sophia, but judging by the dumb, bbergasted look on her face, he knew she didn¡¯t notice his obvious flirting. And she said she was looking for a fling in the bar? Not with her stupid head she isn¡¯t. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 John just stood there and watched. It wasn¡¯t until the guy asked for her number did she realize what he was here for. This was awkward for her, for she didn¡¯t know how to refuse him politely. Sure, she did want a fling, but not this type, and certainly not in this situation. Zack had been trying to tell her something, and when she tried to reply, Sophia saw John standing just a few meters away from them. From the looks of it, he had been standing there for a while, so in other words, he had been watching. Even so, Sophia didn¡¯t notice any signs of jealousy from him. He doesn¡¯t care even when I¡¯m hit on? A momentter, she smiled back at that man and told him her number. She wasn¡¯t going to keep on using this number anyway, so telling him was fine. The man registered her number and gave her a call. ¡°This is my number. Call me Collum.¡± Sophia nodded, her smile never faltering. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± After getting her number, Collum didn¡¯t waste any more time. He talked a bit more with her before going back to his seat, which was just one row behind. John slowly came back, while Sophia scrolled through her phone, ignoring him. He didn¡¯t ask her what happened and went on reading his documents. Collum started texting Sophia after going back to his seat, telling her why he came on this trip and how long he would be staying in Tri Asel. He even told her where he would be going and the people he would be meeting. Sophia was uninterested in this, but she pretended to be patient. Then Collum asked her about her itinerary. Sophia gave it a thought and told him she was on a trip, though her itinerary was random. If she felt like it, she would stay in Tri Asel longer, but if not, she would leave immediately. Collum told her Tri Asel was a good ce for a trip in an attempt to persuade her to stay, but Sophia didn¡¯t reply. Collum texted her again to ask her about the hotel she was staying in. Sophia didn¡¯t pay attention to that, so she read through the message Zack texted her. The hotel she was booked for was at the seaside, so she could see the ocean once she opened the window. Not like she wanted to tell Collum about the hotel she was staying in though, so she told him her friend would be picking her up there. After that, she put her phone down and nced at John. John didn¡¯t show any reaction, obviously indifferent about what she was doing. Sophia felt defeated by that. Even when they were married, John didn¡¯t react when he knew someone was hitting on her, so it was normal that he wouldn¡¯t care now. Since he didn¡¯t love her, he wouldn¡¯t be affected, though this realization did unsettle Sophia. It wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t try for the past year, but John was a tough customer. There was no opening for her, or else she would have dragged on for a bit when he proposed the divorce. Sophia looked outside the window and heaved a sigh before closing her eyes again. They shared no conversation until the end of the flight. The passengers started disembarking, but Sophia remained in her seat. She wasn¡¯t in a rush, nor did she want to disembark when everyone was scrambling to. Then Collum came again. He was carrying hisptop bag and ignored the people around Sophia. ¡°I¡¯ll call you when I have time. If we¡¯re close by, I can treat you to a meal.¡± He was loud. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophia forced a smile. John smiled quietly and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he told Zack. Zack looked at Sophia in disappointment before taking their stuff and made way for John. Sophia was thest to leave, and after disembarking, she found out the hotel staff was already waiting for her. After getting into the car, she started getting a splitting headache, so she leaned back and closed her eyes. We can¡¯t even say goodbye ceremoniously, huh? Something just has to happen. We didn¡¯t start on the right foot, nor did the process go well. The trilogy¡¯s supposed to end well, but not in our case. She thought that despite all these tragedies, at least they had to part ways in a nicer form. She thought at least there would be no regrets when she remembered John, but s. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 It was an hour long ride, for the hotel was quite some distance away from the airport. Sophia squinted at the hotel¡¯s signboard before looking around. It is a good hotel. The beach was just a few steps away, and since it was early, it was full of people. Once she got out of the car, the bellboy held her luggage for her. Zack booked a suite for her, and it was facing the sea. She went inside to take a look before opening the window, letting the sea breeze caress her. The bed was right beside the window, so she sat on it and looked out at the sea. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia tried to empty her mind of everything, including how indifferent John was toward her. They weren¡¯t going to talk anymore, so thinking too much would just get in her way. Someone came knocking not long after, though she took her time to take it. The hotel manager was standing outside, and he invited Sophia to the bonfire banquet at the seaside tonight. ¡°Bonfire banquet?¡± She frowned. ¡°Yes.¡± The manager smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll hold one from time to time, and everyone¡¯s invited.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± Sophia nodded. The manager was holding a gift box. ¡°You¡¯re our VIP guest, so this is made especially for you. We took the time to make sure no two guests will have the same thing.¡± Sophia looked at the box and took it. The manager bowed at her politely, then he left. Sophia closed the door and opened the gift box, revealing a sexy floral beach dress that was lovingly paired with sandals. The dress felt nice to the touch, and it was perfect for the asion, since she came on this trip to have a change of environment. She took a deep breath and decided to take a look tonight. After taking a shower, she asked for room service. Sophia changed her clothes and scrolled through her phone to see if there were any news about her divorce. Thanks to thete Old Mr. Constance, her wedding was grand, and it was slightly newsworthy. Now that they were divorced, Sophia was worried she would beughed at, for it was a short-lived marriage. After a while, she still didn¡¯t notice any news about her and John, nor did anyone find out about her divorce. She heaved a sigh of relief, though Sophia thought this was logical. Having a divorce wasn¡¯t good news, sopared to her, John would like it less if this were to be found out. The Constance Family had businesses everywhere, and their clout was immense. If the news about his short marriage were to be leaked, it would be a PR crisis. That ideaforted her a bit, so when the waitstaff came for room service, she sat cross-legged on her bed and finished her food while enjoying the sea breeze. Her appetite was ruined on the ne because of how stern John was, so aside from that C, she had nothing else to eat. Honestly, she was getting hungry. She went to sleep after her meal, and perhaps it was too rxing that she only woke up at dusk because of the noise outside. Sophia went to look outside the window, then she noticed the dense crowd working their way toward the beach. Oh, looks like the banquet is starting now. This is a big hotel that has a lot of customers. I bet the banquet is a lot of fun. Sophia quickly went to wash herself up. I¡¯m here for fun. Anything not fun like John or the divorce can go to hell. She put on a cute makeup today, and coupling that up with her beach dress, she looked almost illegally cute. Sophia braided her hair and let them hang down her sides. Yeah, I look perfect. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Instead of going down right away, Sophia leaned against the window to watch for a bit. They would need a lot of preparation time for this banquet, making it pointless to go now. But first, Sophia took a few selfies and posted it on her Facebook. She smiled brightly for the photo, and her braids looked cuter than ever. Sophia was in her prime after all, so there was no need to turn on any filters, for she was naturally beautiful. She stared at her photo for a moment before turning it off. The photo was posted despite her knowing nobody would see it, for she didn¡¯t have a friend list anyway. All the people on her friend list were the Constances, though she wondered if they had unfriended her. She kept on watching until night had fully descended, and the noise had escted. Now, she stretched herself fully and went out at her own pace. The banquet had started when she arrived. There was even a stage the management set up for their customers. There were already people dancing on the stage, while everyone else cheered. Tables were set around the ce, decked out with snacks and wine. Sophia went around to see if there was a spot for her, but everywhere was full. She wasn¡¯t in a rush though, so Sophia sauntered. When the staff noticed her, he came up and said, ¡°Are you alone, miss? Here¡¯s a seat for you.¡± He pointed at a table. It was rare to see a table with only four people, and all of them were women. Sophia nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± She then went to take her seat. The women were probably in a clique, so they only nced at Sophia before resuming their conversation. Even so, Sophia remained unperturbed as she poured herself a ss of wine and leaned back to enjoy. However, a man came to hit on her not long after she sat down. ¡°Good evening. Do you mind me sitting here?¡± He was holding a ss of wine. Sophia looked around her. Because the other women were huddled together, there was space around her. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± She arched her eyebrow. He sat down beside her and looked at the stage before chatting with her. ¡°Are you here by yourself? I don¡¯t see you talking to anyone.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia grinned. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± The other women looked at her, then they looked away. Adam and Eve, not Zelda and Eve, they said. Women would hate gorgeous women for no reason at all. The man smiled. ¡°What a coincidence. I came here myself, too. Why not? I thought, then when I came here, boom, they have a bonfire banquet. Interesting.¡± Sophia only looked at the stage and said nothing. She was quite some distance away, so she couldn¡¯t see the dance they were performing. A moment later, the man leaned closer to her. ¡°Since you¡¯ll be staying here for a few days, and we¡¯re both by ourselves, why don¡¯t we go out tomorrow?¡± Sophia turned around and smiled at him. Her phone was on the table before her, and it vibrated a couple of times. It was a message from Zack, though he only sent a request for her to share her location. Sophia didn¡¯t know this existed, though she saw the yes or no button. She wanted to decline the request, but something struck her, so she epted it. A momentter, her location marker started blinking, much to her confusion, but then she kept her phone. Meanwhile, the man kept on talking, ¡°I checked all the guides about this ce, and there are a few interesting ces here that we can go¡ª¡± Sophia raised her ss. ¡°Let¡¯s drink.¡± The man paused for a moment before giving her a toast. When they had finished their wine, he refilled Sophia¡¯s ss for her. ¡°How old are you now? You look like a fresh graduate, so are you here for your graduation trip?¡± Sophia raised her eyebrow. ¡°Do I look like a student to you?¡± Her dimples showed up when she smiled, and it drew the man in as he stared at her for some time. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Sophia wasn¡¯t surprised that the man was stunned after she smiled. She knew she was pretty, and even John acknowledged it. The man noticed his rude behavior, so he smiled sheepishly. ¡°Won¡¯t your family get worried youe out alone?¡± ¡°My family, huh?¡± I don¡¯t have a family, so they won¡¯t worry. Her parents had fled when she was a child, leaving her to fend for herself all these years. They were dead to her, so the only ones she could call family were the Constances, but now that John had divorced her, she lost them, too. For a split second there, she fell into a trance. But it was in that split second that she heard a familiar voice. ¡°Hey, there are a few spots here. What do you think?¡± Sophia looked back and saw Zack, while John was behind them, though John had someone else by his side now. Sophia only took a nce at the woman beside him, then she looked away. The woman was wearing a revealing mini skirt, her fair, long legs visible, rocking a spaghetti strap tank top, and she had some great assets, but she wasn¡¯t as good-looking as Sophia. Zack didn¡¯t care how many people were here around the table, facing Sophia as he insisted, ¡°Hey,dy, I see you have a few spots here. We¡¯ll take it if you don¡¯t mind.¡± There were six of them here, so if Zack, John, and thedy with him were to sit here, there wouldn¡¯t be enough space. Sophia looked at Zack like he was an idiot. Doesn¡¯t he feel embarrassed? He¡¯s exaggerating things. The man beside Sophia noticed the impending crisis, so he waved Zack down. ¡°We¡¯re out of spots here, so you can¡¯t sit here. There are more seats there though.¡± Zack ignored him. ¡°Eh, we¡¯ll just bring two more chairs here. We want to sit here.¡± Then he looked back. ¡°Come here, boss. The view¡¯s nice here.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Yeah, right, Sophia thought. You can¡¯t even see the stage. There are pretty women up there performing, but you can¡¯t see them from here. As if the view¡¯s nice. Zack was a master liar, then he took two chairs to the table. John didn¡¯t refuse him, so he followed suit. Sophia looked at John and nodded politely. It was easier pretending to be strangers than friends. Coming along with them was the woman beside John. The four women who were here to begin with looked at each other, then they left huffing and puffing. Well, at least now we have space. Zack wanted to have John sit beside Sophia, but John was quicker. He sat down two chairs away from Sophia, leaving one space between them, which hispanion took. Sophia was still leaning back and watching the show. Zack sat across from Sophia and asked, ¡°Are you here by yourself,dy?¡± Before Sophia could answer, the man beside her interrupted, ¡°No, we¡¯re here together.¡± Oh, I think he mistakes Zack as another guy hitting on me. Sophia sipped from her ss, a smile dancing on her lips. Zack was surprised, then he nced at Sophia, then at John. John was looking at the stage, just like Sophia was, but Zack couldn¡¯t care about that now. He gave Sophia a look and asked, ¡°Is that so? You two look alike. Are you siblings?¡± Sophia almost chuckled, then the man beside her said, ¡°No. She¡¯s my girlfriend.¡± Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Now John looked back at Sophia. He was wearing an aloha shirt today. The cor was unbuttoned, revealing his corbone underneath. Instead of his neatlybed hair, he was sporting a casual hairstyle today. John was mostly the aloof type, but now he looked more approachable. Sophia noticed his look from the corner of her eye, but she kept on watching the show on the stage. John stared at her for a few moments, then he looked back at the stage. Hispanion looked at her too, but as a rival. Naturally. Women are always hostile to their own. However, she rxed after hearing the man calling Sophia his girlfriend. Zack was shocked to hear that, then he red at Sophia, though she ignored him. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. She didn¡¯t care what was going on on the stage, for her mood was ruined when John came here. After finishing her wine, she refilled it. The bottle was near her, and when she went to take it, John looked at the bottle, but he said nothing. After watching the show for a bit, John¡¯spanion huddled together with him and mumbled something. John leaned slightly toward hispanion, though his eyes didn¡¯t leave the stage. A whileter, the woman chuckled, while John smiled vaguely. Sophia tried to not look at them, but even so, their interaction annoyed her. It was easy pretending they didn¡¯t know each other, but she was still unsettled by this. She looked somewhere else in an attempt to distract herself. The sea unfurled itself before her, its waves crashing onto the ivory sands of the beach. She had never seen the sea in its true glory before, but thanks to her divorce, now she had the cash toe here. The beach was getting rowdier after the waiters started serving the grilled meat to everyone. Some guests¡¯ dancing soul was lit up, so they performed around the bonfire. The man beside Sophia leaned closer. ¡°Wanna grill some meat? Taking part yourself makes you feel aplished.¡± Sophia nced at him. ¡°I prefer to have it already cooked. I¡¯mzy, after all.¡± John suddenly chuckled. The waves should have covered it, and it wasn¡¯t too loud either, but Sophia heard it. It stung her, reminding her of what he used to say. Johnined about her skills in bed, saying she was toozy and passive about it. He only blurted that out whenever he was drunk, though. Sophia closed her eyes. It¡¯s pointless thinking about that. She stood up. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go and take a look?¡± The man smiled and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± He thought Zack had a thing for Sophia, so he wanted to leave this ce. When they came to the bonfire, the hotel staff quickly handed them some meat skewers, but Sophia didn¡¯t take them. ¡°I¡¯ll just watch.¡± The man took it though. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll grill it for you.¡± ¡°How should I call you?¡± Sophia looked back at him. The man smiled. ¡°Trevor Cohen. Just call me Trevor. I might have been a bit rude talking to that guy. I hope you didn¡¯t mind.¡± Sophia knew he was talking about him saying he was her boyfriend. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She shook her head, since nobody would believe it either. Zack kept staring at them. A few momentster, he approached John. ¡°Boss, the madam is¡ª¡± John nced at him, and he changed his tune. ¡°Sophia is such a slut!¡± Zack said angrily. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 At the same time, Sophia stood beside Trevor quietly. She looked into the bonfire, falling into a trance. John looked at where Zack was pointing, then Zack continued, ¡°But she is really pretty. I mean, the moment she went there, everyone else just looked subpar inparison.¡± John squinted. Everyone acknowledged her beauty, and when Old Mr. Constance forced him to marry Sophia, John¡¯s mother told him, ¡°At least she¡¯s pretty, so your kids won¡¯t look too bad.¡± That was the only good part his mother coulde up with. Now she was standing out among the crowd. With her floral dress and her pair of pigtails, she looked more like a youngdy than a divorced woman. Zack lowered his voice, saying, ¡°Boss, why didn¡¯t you fall for a prettydy like her?¡± Why couldn¡¯t I fall for her? John looked at Sophia and turned back. ¡°Because that¡¯s all she has going for her,¡± he said softly. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Zack was surprised, then he fidgeted. Sophia did only have her looks going for her. She didn¡¯te from a good family, nor did she graduate from any famed university. Before she was married to John, she didn¡¯t even have a job. Aside from her beauty, there was nothing else to her. Because of that, many from the Constance Family¡¯spany didn¡¯t believe she married him. There were countless women who adored John, and any one of them was better than Sophia. However, nobody expected someone like Sophia to marry John in the end. Zack looked down, out of anything to say. John¡¯spanion looked around and huddled around John. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a stroll around, Mr. Constance? It¡¯s boring sitting around here.¡± After pondering for a bit, John nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Thisdy was sent by his partneringpany, though John didn¡¯t want to know the deeper reason for this. This trip was all about business for him. Thedy was delighted John agreed to her request, so she straightened herself up and strolled along the seaside with John. Zack sat there for a moment, then he followed John. He knew this woman liked John. It was obvious from how she looked at John, but Zack disliked her. At least until now, he hadn¡¯t seen anyone more suited to be John¡¯s wife than Sophia was. As they strolled, John started talking about the coboration, much to the woman¡¯s amusement. ¡°Everyone says you¡¯re a workaholic, but I didn¡¯t believe them. I guess I have to change my mind now. You even work when you¡¯re rxing.¡± John chuckled. ¡°I would have been sleeping in the hotel if I wanted to rx. I came out here for work.¡± The woman paused, then she smiled again. She invited John out tonight, and John agreed to it readily. She thought John wanted to y, but all he wanted to talk about was work. However, that wasn¡¯t her goal today. Her goal was never the coboration with the Constance Family. They went to a quieter area, much to Zack¡¯s dismay. At the same time, he whipped out his phone to text Sophia, chastising her for letting this chance slip. ¡®How could you walk away with another guy when this is the perfect chance to go with the boss?¡¯ That was essentially what he said. After taking a nce at the message, Sophia deleted it. At the same time, Trevor handed her the grilled meat, and she thanked him politely. Trevor handed her a ss of juice. ¡°Do those guys from earlier know you?¡± ¡°Now where did that questione from?¡± Sophia was surprised. Trevor scratched his head sheepishly. ¡°I just think they were looking at you weirdly.¡± Sophia stared at her juice for a while and sighed. ¡°No. I don¡¯t know those people.¡± Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Sophia and Trevor stayed by the bonfire for a while more before going back to their table, but when they came back, everyone was gone. Not that she minded though, so she sat down. After downing a few sses of wine on an empty stomach and having a few kebabs, it was churning down there. She tried to push it down with some juice, but to little effect. Trevor was sweating from grilling the meat, but he kept smiling at Sophia. ¡°I checked tomorrow¡¯s weather forecast. They said it¡¯s not that hot, so let¡¯s go on a little trip. I¡¯ll n the itinerary. What do you say?¡± Sophia stared at the seat John was in earlier. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± She wasn¡¯t in the mood to think about the next day¡¯s event. There wasn¡¯t any show on the stage now, for everyone was dancing around the bonfire, though this was the merriest time of the night. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Trevor looked in the bonfire¡¯s direction. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go have some fun around the bonfire? They¡¯re all dancing there, and it seems fun.¡± Sophia looked at the dancers perfunctorily. ¡°I want to rest for a bit. I think I¡¯m down with something.¡± Yeah, I¡¯m feeling nauseous. That concerned Trevor. ¡°What happened? What¡¯s wrong?¡± The aroma of grilled meat wafted from afar, but it disgusted Sophia now despite how good it smelled. She looked at Trevor. ¡°My stomach¡¯s acting up, so can you go to the reception and get me some pills?¡± All the color she got from being heated up by the bonfire was reced by an ashen look. Trevor quickly stood up. ¡°Okay. Wait for me right here, and I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡± Sophia leaned back, but after Trevor had left, she slowly stood up and went to the quieter side of the beach. When she got far enough, the smell of grilled meat couldn¡¯t reach her anymore. There was a big reef on the beach, so she went up and sat down on a spot. The humid sea breeze caressed her, but it felt chilling to the touch. Sighing, Sophia hugged her legs and thought whether she should change her vacation spot. If she had to see John all the time, this vacation would be pointless, for it would be impossible to forget him if he kept showing up. She sat on the reef for a long time, with nothing but the crashing of waves as herpany. When her solepany left her, she climbed down from the reef and started going back to the hotel. She hadn¡¯t taken two steps when someone ran up to her from behind. ¡°So you¡¯re here, Sophia.¡± Sophia knew who he was from his voice, but she pretended not to hear him. Annoyed, Zack picked up the pace. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you didn¡¯t hear me. I know you did.¡± Sophia looked back at Zack, then she searched for John, but he wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Where¡¯s your boss?¡± She pulled a long face. ¡°Why isn¡¯t he with you?¡± Zack chuckled. ¡°Oh, your ex-husband? He went back before me. I was about to go with him too, but leaving you alone with another guy sounds dangerous, so I came here for you.¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°There are a lot of people here. I can¡¯t think of any safety hazards.¡± Zack walked to the hotel with Sophia. ¡°I mean, vacation¡¯s vacation, but stay away from those thugs. Look at that guy earlier. I just know he wants to sleep with you.¡± Sophia stopped in her tracks and looked at him. ¡°Your boss frolics around with women, so is he a thug too?¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Zack¡¯s expression froze, then he looked at Sophia, full of tease. ¡°Were you jealous?¡± Being the gossip guy, Zack quickly huddled closer to her. ¡°Tell me the truth. Do you still love my boss? If you do, I¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Sophia scoffed at him, her expression ridden with mockery. ¡°I have a whole ocean¡¯s worth of fish to choose from, so why do I have to keep watch over one in an aquarium?¡± Zack clicked his tongue. ¡°You just had to make that pun, don¡¯t you? If the boss heard it, he¡¯s going to feel sad.¡± ¡°How he feels is none of my business,¡± she replied indifferently. Eventually, they came back to the hotel. The staff was already moving the tables back after the party had ended, so both of them stopped to give way for them. Zack couldn¡¯t hold it in during the wait, so he said, ¡°Look out for the guy who was flirting with you today. He¡¯s overly passionate. I know he¡¯s up to something.¡± Sophia looked back at Zack. ¡°So how do you suppose someone¡¯s not up to something when they flirt?¡± Zack frowned, but Sophia cut him off before he could start, ¡°By being a hypocrite like your boss?¡± Thement took Zack by surprise. ¡°Why are you berating him again? Do you hate him?¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°Nope. Why should I?¡± I just feel unsettled when I think of him. I don¡¯t hate him, but something¡¯s just¡­ there. Zack sighed. ¡°I am being serious. You¡¯re a girl, so you have to look out for yourself. Predators are everywhere, and not all of them are wild beasts.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t predators if I give them consent. Everyone¡¯s just here for fun.¡± Sophia crossed her arms languidly, but Zack only blinked at her. Sophia droned on, ¡°We¡¯re all adults now, so be more open, hm? I¡¯m not a little girl anymore.¡± Zack only blinked, much to Sophia¡¯s curiosity. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Am I too dazzling for you?¡± Zack opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a familiar voice said, ¡°Zack, why didn¡¯t you take my call?¡± Sophia froze up for a moment before turning around, and John was just a few steps away from her. As usual, he looked aloof. She wondered if he¡¯d heard what she said, but she bravely looked back at Zack. ¡°Right. You have business to settle, so until next time.¡± Before Zack could say anything, Sophia went inside the hotel. When she went past John, she didn¡¯t even spare him a look. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. John was alone, hispanion nowhere to be seen. When they went past each other, he looked at Sophia. The hotel was well lit, so he could see how ashen she was. She had light makeup on, lending her a clean look. Coupling it with her messy hair¡ªthanks to the sea breeze¡ªshe looked fragile. John had never seen her looking this way. He never spent much time with her, and most of the time, she was quietly obedient to the point of inveigling him. He disliked that version of her, so John looked away and went to Zack. Sophia went back to her room, unsettled and nauseous. Her stomach never did cooperate with her since she was a child. In the end, it culminated into a chronic disease. Sophia went to the window and looked down. John and Zack were at the front gate, having a conversation. Suddenly, John looked back and saw her right in the eyes. Sophia was taken aback, but evading his gaze was toote now, so she returned the gaze. John stared at her seriously, which was a first. Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Sophia was woken up by the pain that night. Her stomach was burning, while she felt awfully nauseous. In a daze, she climbed out of her bed and stumbled toward the bathroom. She clutched her stomach all the way through and didn¡¯t turn on the lights. Sophia rummaged around by memory until she got to the basin, then she puked. Instinctively, she thought it was bile. The light switch was right beside her, so she turned it on, but what greeted her was a horror scene filled with blood. She closed her eyes. This wasn¡¯t the first time this happened, so she didn¡¯t panic. Sophia turned on the faucet to drain her blood out, then she gurgled. A momentter, she went back to her bed, still feeling dreary. She took her phone from beside the pillow and checked the time. One in the morning. Sophia inexplicably felt likeughing. If I die here right now, nobody will probably find out. All her fear, anger, and sadness welled up, but Sophia pushed through them. Shey down on the bed, nning to tough this out until morning, but ten minutester, the nausea attacked again. She quickly went to the bathroom, and after another round of puking, she thought this would kill her. Stumbling and wobbling, Sophia quickly went back to her bed, thinking she should call Zack, for only he could help her here. Her stomach was churning badly, and she broke out in cold sweat. With shivering hands, she opened her contacts and squinted at the names. After finding Zack¡¯s number, she called him. The phone started beeping, so she put it down and curled up with her hands on her stomach. It only took a few seconds for Zack to pick it up, but it felt like an eternity. ¡°Hello?¡± He sounded hoarse. Sophia took a deep breath. ¡°Zack, I¡¯m¡ª¡± Before she could speak, the wave of nausea washed over her again, but Sophia held it together. ¡°I¡¯m feeling ufortable, so can youe over for a bit?¡± She sounded feeble, for it took everything she had to hold herself together. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zack asked. Sophia started shivering from the pain, and she was drenched in cold sweat. ¡°Juste over.¡± She couldn¡¯t exin more to him, for the nausea was impossible to hold back now. She made a run for the bathroom and vomited blood everywhere. Sophia started seeing stars. Her stomach had always been in bad condition, and vomiting up blood happened a few times. The doctor had told her to take it slow, for her condition was hard to deal with, especially when it had been there for years. She was suddenly reminded of how much alcohol she consumed over the past two days. It wasn¡¯t much, though certainly a bit more than what she was used to. Damn. All I want is just an outlet to vent after my divorce, and my body can¡¯t even take it. Two times. It was two times, and this is the feedback it gives me. She held the basin, while ck spots started appearing. It was a short trip back to the bed, but she had no idea how she managed it. All she remembered was how loud Zack was shouting when she came back to the bed. ¡°Sophia! Can you hear me?!¡± Sophia wanted to say yes and tell him he was loud, but she had no strength for that. Zack booked this hotel for her, and he knew her room number, so there was nothing to worry about. She curled up and closed her eyes, then she sighed. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. John knew her room number too, for Zack the loose lips told him about it when he came back from the beach. Thus, John went to the reception without even bothering to change. Sophia sounded off in the end, then nobody replied when they called out to her. There was a receptionist working at this hour, so he quickly led John to Sophia¡¯s room with the card in hand. When they opened the door, John saw that the bathroom¡¯s light and the bedsidemp was on. She was curled up on her bed, her hair and face drenched with sweat. John quickly went up to her. ¡°Sophia? Sophia!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t react, and she was deathly pale. Chapter 18 Chapter 18 John didn¡¯t know Sophia had this condition. Even though they were married for a year, he didn¡¯t know much about her. John quickly picked her up while the staff called a car over to send Sophia to the hospital. She woke up for a bit when they were about to get to the car, but she puked all over John the moment she opened her mouth, and it was all blood. Shocked, John quickly wiped her mouth. ¡°Sophia! Wake up, Sophia! Can you hear me?!¡± Sophia squinted at him, feeling as if she was dreaming. ¡°John? Can¡¯t you stay out of my dream?¡± John frowned. ¡°What happened?¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°My stomach¡¯s acting up. It¡¯s been this way for a long time now.¡± She leaned closer to him. She was dreaming anyway, so she could do whatever she wanted. Then, she even hugged him. ¡°Why can¡¯t you be nicer to me in real life, John?¡± I wouldn¡¯t have given up so easily if you were that bit nicer. John froze up. The driver was trembling when he saw Sophia spewing blood everywhere, so he quickly drove them to the hospital. Exhausted, Sophia drifted to sleep in John¡¯s arms. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. She was sent to the emergency room and went under an endoscopy test. Her stomach was filled with nothing but blood, caused by internal bleeding at a few points. Sophia was still out after the checkup, so she was admitted to a ward. John¡¯s shirt was covered in Sophia¡¯s blood, so he called Zack, asking him to send his shirt here, much to Zack¡¯s confusion. ¡°Your shirt? You¡¯re with Sophia? It¡¯ste now though, so I don¡¯t think I can make it. It¡¯s the same thing if I do it tomorrow, no?¡± Zack took this the wrong way and thought John stayed over at Sophia¡¯s room. John lowered his voice, saying, ¡°I¡¯m in the hospital. Sophia¡¯s hospitalized.¡± Zack leaped up from his bed. ¡°Whoa, you guys took it so far?¡± He sounded incredulous. John closed his eyes, frustrated. ¡°Stop talking and take my clothes for me. I¡¯m in my pajamas now.¡± Mumbling murmurs of assent, Zack quickly stood up. ¡°Right away, boss. Right away.¡± He hung up and went inside the ward. Sophia was lying on the bed with an IV drip beside her. She was still unconscious, her face pale. This was a VIP ward, so they had everything here. John sat down on the sofa and stared at Sophia for a while before looking away. He scrolled through his phone for reports on the finance world, then John opened his Facebook. He didn¡¯t have many friends there, since he changed the settings. All the people on the list were his good friends and family¡ªwith Sophia on the list, too. He didn¡¯t know when she was added, but he knew he didn¡¯t do it. Sophia posted two photos. The lighting was good, and she looked adorably clean, just like a fresh graduate. John looked at it for a moment and unfriended Sophia. They were divorced now, so cutting ties was the most appropriate course of action. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Zack came quickly with John¡¯s apparel in hand. He went inside the ward, not knowing why Sophia was hospitalized, but he was shocked to see John drenched in blood. ¡°You really go far.¡± His eyes widened. John ignored him and took his clothes before going to the restroom to change. Zack then went to look at Sophia. She was asleep and stable, though she was still pale. After John came out from the restroom, he looked at Zack. ¡°You can take care of her. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Zack quickly stopped him. ¡°Hold up a sec. You¡¯re leaving just like that?¡± Out of habit, John frowned. ¡°What did you expect?¡± Zack looked back at Sophia. ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna wait until she wakes up? And chat?¡± Pivoting, John went outside. ¡°We have nothing to say.¡± But when he was at the doorstep, he stopped and looked back at Sophia. ¡°Our n still goes on. If you can¡¯t take care of her, get a caretaker to do it.¡± Before Zack could say anything, he closed the door and left. Sophia woke up in the afternoon, still groggy. She looked up at the ceiling for a long while. Zack was sitting on the sofa, now in his fifth match of the game. When Sophia woke up, he quickly went up to her. ¡°You¡¯re awake. Do you feel unwell?¡± Sophia concentrated on her stomach, but there was no pain anymore. ¡°No. Nothing at all.¡± She looked at Zack. ¡°Thanks for taking me here.¡± She remembered calling Zackst night. ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t do it. Your ex-husband, my boss, did.¡± Sophia paused. ¡°John?¡± ¡°Who else? I don¡¯t have two bosses.¡± Zack sat down beside her bed. ¡°What happened? The doctor said you got internal bleeding in your stomach, gastritis, and an ulcer. Didn¡¯t know theye in packages like a mobile n these days.¡± Sophia got out of the bed. ¡°My stomach hasn¡¯t been cooperating with me since I was a kid.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t remember the day she didn¡¯t have any gastric problems. Heading over to the washroom, she went to wash herself up, still feeling feeble. Zack stood at the washroom doorstep. ¡°The doctor said you¡¯ll have to stay here for a few days, but we might have to leave before you, since we can¡¯t stay here.¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°Yeah, sure. It¡¯s fine. I can handle myself well. If I can¡¯t, I can just get myself a nurse.¡± Zack was still worried about her. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to my boss and see if I can stay for a few more days.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Sophia replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see him anyway, so leave me alone.¡± Zack said nothing. Now that Sophia was awake, he went out to get some food for her. Sophia wasn¡¯t hungry though, for she couldn¡¯t feel a thing in her stomach. She went back to her bed and saw her phone beside it. Oh, he brought it here along with mest night, huh?Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia took her phone, nning to call him, but she thought he might be negotiating with his partnering company. Not wanting to disturb him, she chose to send a text. She tried to thank him on WhatsApp for sending her to the hospital, but the option to add a new contact popped up. In other words, he removed her contact. Sophia stared at the screen in surprise, and after a long while, she let out augh. This is what¡¯s good about John. He never procrastinates. If he doesn¡¯t like me, then that¡¯s it. No negotiations. Without hesitating for a bit, Sophia deleted his number. After putting her phone down, she looked outside the window and sighed. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Sophia thought John wouldn¡¯te anymore, but she thought wrong. He came that very afternoon, and he brought fruits with him too. When he arrived, Sophia was ying ckjack with Zack. John stopped at the doorstep. The door was ajar, and he could hear what they were talking about. From the sound of it, Sophia was fine now; she could evenugh. ¡°I don¡¯t need a caretaker. I¡¯ve been in the doctor¡¯s office because of this condition more times than I care to remember. It¡¯ll take me a couple of days, but I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Zack had a strip of paper on his face, and it dangled around when he talked. ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t take care of it. The doctor told me so. Can you take this seriously?¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°I¡¯m winning this.¡± Zack looked at his cards and tossed them away. ¡°Yeah, I give up.¡± He continued, ¡°Say, the boss doesn¡¯t know about this, does he? I don¡¯t think he knew about your condition untilst night.¡± Sophia tossed her cards onto the bed. ¡°Yep. He knows nothing about this at all.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been married to him for a year, and he knows nothing about this?¡± Zack mumbled. Sophia chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s normal. He doesn¡¯t know much about me anyway.¡± ¡°So how did you get through all those days anyway?¡± Zack looked at her. Sophia tidied all the cards. ¡°Maybe because I let everything slide.¡± She looked down. ¡°If I have to dwell on every little thing he did or didn¡¯t do, I¡¯d have a heart attack on top of my gastric problems, so yeah.¡± John stared at Sophia from outside. He had always seen this smile of hers before this; it looked fake, but also helpless. John went inside quietly, then when Zack looked back, he was shocked. He and Sophia were sitting on the bed together, but when he saw John, Zack quickly jumped down, looking awkward. ¡°Boss, you should have called before you came.¡± John put the fruits he brought on the sofa, not looking at Zack. ¡°If I did, you wouldn¡¯t have gossiped about me behind my back.¡± Zack looked at Sophia and smiled awkwardly, but Sophia didn¡¯t return it. After seeing John, she couldn¡¯t even smile, but John didn¡¯t mind. ¡°The partner has run into some problems. Maybe they¡¯re trying to change the terms, so we¡¯ll be staying here for a few days longer.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Zack arched his eyebrow. ¡°We¡¯re staying?¡± He looked at Sophia. Sophia didn¡¯t look at them, nor did she hear what John said. All she did was look outside the window. She was petite to begin with, and with her wearing the patient¡¯s clothes, she looked pitiful. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice.¡± He meant for Sophia to hear that. ¡°Mrs.¡­ I mean, Sophia has to stay here for a while, so we can take care of her.¡± Sophia looked back at Zack and chuckled, while Zack winked at her. ¡°Um, it¡¯s gettingte, so I¡¯ll be buying us some dinner. You guys carry on.¡± There were a few hours away from dinnertime, so Sophia knew Zack was trying to give them some space. John should know that too, but none of them talked. Zack took his phone and quickly left the room. After closing the door, he looked inside through the window. John was sitting on the sofa, while Sophia leaned back against the bed and covered herself. At this, Zack sighed. What are they doing? They don¡¯t have to be so awkward even if they¡¯re divorced. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 After Zack¡¯s departure, the room fell into silence for a while. Sophia didn¡¯t feel like talking, while John was a man of few words. She tried to read some entertainment news on her phone, but it was impossible. She felt skittish when John didn¡¯t appear, but when he did, for some reason, she got more nervous. This was a frustrating feeling, for it was just like when they were married. She would long for his return, but when he did, she pretended not to care. This is one annoying feeling. After turning things over in her mind, she put her phone down. ¡°Thank you for what you didst night,¡± she said. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I would have done it no matter who it was.¡± John nced at her. Sophia nodded. ¡°I still want to thank you. I¡ª¡± Before she could finish, his phone rang. John looked at it and stood up. ¡°Rest up. I¡¯ll need to take this.¡± Sophia grunted and looked outside, but after he left the room, she looked back. A momentter, she went to the room¡¯s doorstep. The door was ajar, and John was taking the call right outside. She couldn¡¯t hear who the caller was, but John¡¯s voice was audible. John said, ¡°Yeah. I need to stay here for a bit. Something came up.¡± The caller then said something, much to John¡¯s curiosity. ¡°Isabelle? I¡¯ll handle it once I return.¡± Sophia froze. She might not have seen who Isabelle was, but she¡¯d heard mention of her name frequently. All of the naysayers in the Constance household would mention this name every time they gossiped about Sophia. Sophia knew if she hadn¡¯t married John, he would have married Isabelle, for she was his fianc¨¦e. In other words, Sophia took John away from her. Old Mr. Constance insisted on this marriage, so John canceled his wedding with Isabelle and married her instead. Sophia lowered her gaze and, after some contemtion, went back to the bed. Ward was a superstition anyway, and she couldn¡¯t keep someone who married her against his own will. Now she lost him, and he started contacting Isabelle again. Funny, really. I¡¯m a clown in the grand scheme of things. It ended up being a long call, and when John came back in, she was already lying on the bed, her eyes closed, her breathing stable. John thought she was asleep, so he walked to the sofa quietly. Only, Sophia wasn¡¯t asleep actually, for she wasn¡¯t tired. She merely thought there was nothing to say between them anymore. If it was in the past, she would have been delighted at the chance to be in the same room as him. He was busy, and he didn¡¯t care about her, so he never spent time with her. Now that they were divorced, she had this chance to be alone with him, but s, everything changed. Sophia sighed silently, then she turned her back on John. Oblivious to what she was thinking, John scrolled through the itinerary on his phone. After skimming through it, he looked up at Sophia and frowned. John waited for a long time, but eventually Zack came back, and with dinner. He wasn¡¯t lying, but when he saw them being so distant, Zack¡¯s face fell. He put their food on the coffee table and pointed at Sophia, asking softly, ¡°When did she fall asleep?¡± John leaned back on the sofa, resting his eyes. ¡°Since you went out.¡± Hearing that, Zack looked back at Sophia with disappointment. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Initially, Sophia was only feigning sleep so she wouldn¡¯t have to face John alone, but then she drifted to sleep. When she woke up, the nurse was about to give her an injection. It was a hemostatic injection, and it contained anti-inmmatory medicine. Zack and John were still sitting on the sofa in the ward. After Zack was done reading the document, he handed it to John for approval. None of them looked at Sophia. Looking at the nurse, Sophia pursed her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t need the injection. This has been a problem for quite a while now, so I¡¯ll just take the meds.¡± The nurse didn¡¯t smile at her. ¡°Do you know how serious your condition is? It¡¯s precisely because you don¡¯t care that you¡¯re in this shape. You¡¯re still young, so take care of it, or it¡¯ll haunt you for life.¡± She took out the tourniquet. Sophia extended her hand reluctantly, and the nurse wrapped the tourniquet around her as she patted Sophia¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯re so young, so how did your problem get so serious?¡± Sophia looked away from the syringe, but she answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t pay attention to it, so this happened.¡± John was reading his document, but then he looked up at Sophia. She was obviously scared of getting injected, but still she toughed it out. John was curious, for Sophia changed after the divorce. She wasn¡¯t like this before, but what was she like, anyway? John had to think long and hard to remember. Marrying Sophia wasn¡¯t his own idea, so he didn¡¯t treat her well after the marriage. He knew he was busy, and he let himself go with the flow of work. Only by being busy could he avoid seeing her, but she didn¡¯t mind. When he told her he didn¡¯t have time for a honeymoon, she said she didn¡¯t mind. When he said he would be working overtime and note home for dinner, she said she didn¡¯t mind too. There was one time when he came homete, so he slept in the guest room. The next day, he told Sophia he didn¡¯t want to disturb her sleep, but she didn¡¯t get angry. In fact, she even told him to take care of himself. She never showed anything else but obedience before him. If he was honest about it, she was almost servile. Thus, he got used to her acting that way. John stared at her, then he snorted. The first time she showed some change was probably when he proposed the divorce. John thought she might cry or refuse to give an answer, or even reject it outright, but none of his predictions came true. All she did was freeze up for a moment to process her shock, and a moment it was. He could see it in her eyes, but aside from that, he didn¡¯t notice any sadness in her eyes. Then, she nodded in assent. John never expected that, then came the day, and she cooperated with him. As if she wanted to cut all ties with him, she started hooking up with other men after their divorce. John massaged his forehead while looking at her. Her eyes were closed, and after the injection was done, she slowly put her hand down, unmoving. John frowned curiously. Which side is the real her? After setting the IV drip up, the nurse reminded her about a few things before she left. Sophiay on the bed and looked up at the IV drip. She was still pale, but her expression was calm. John was still looking at her. ¡°What¡¯s your n after this?¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Sophia was surprised, then she looked at John. ¡°My n? Getting on with my vacation after this, of course.¡± She looked at Zack. ¡°I haven¡¯t asked you about my itinerary. Where am I going next?¡± Zack blinked at her and avoided meeting his gaze with John¡¯s, for Sophia¡¯s itinerary was almost the same as John¡¯s. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 John knew what the answer was once he noticed Zack looking away. He sneered, but he didn¡¯t expose Zack. A momentter, Sophia got her answer too, so she sighed quietly and looked away. Feeling awkward, Zack stood up and changed the topic. ¡°Um, I got our dinner, so have it while it¡¯s hot.¡± He ced the food on her table and opened the lids. It was nd, to say the least. There wasn¡¯t even any color in the food, just like Sophia¡¯s face. ¡°Hey, what is this? How am I supposed to eat this?¡± Sophia was irked. Zack red at her. ¡°Your stomach needs rest, so light food is all you can eat. Don¡¯tin and stuff it down. Once you get better, you can eat whatever you want.¡± Turning around, he then uncovered what he bought for himself and John. Sophia was vexed now, so sheined, ¡°What¡¯s this? What are you guys eating?¡± Zack looked at her innocently. ¡°Seafood and a lot of meat. Why?¡± Sophia glowered at him, but Zack ignored her and went on with setting up their dinner before inviting John. ¡°Dig in, boss. Our stomachs are healthy, so we can eat whatever we want.¡± With gritted teeth, Sophia red at Zack, while John ignored them. He tucked into his food before telling Zack, ¡°I¡¯ll be going for an appointment tomorrow night. You don¡¯t have toe with me, so stay here.¡± Sophia was surprised. ¡°I can be discharged tomorrow,¡± she said. John looked at her. ¡°You¡¯d better listen to the doctor¡¯s orders.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I did ask the doctor, and all I have to do is get some injection, then it¡¯ll heal up if I rest. I don¡¯t have to be hospitalized that long.¡± John frowned as per usual. ¡°Zack, verify that with the doctor tomorrow.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. He doesn¡¯t trust me? Sophia put on a long face. Zack was digging in happily. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll ask the doctor after this.¡± She looked at her porridge and veggies, then she looked at them having seafood and meat. Damn. What¡¯s the use of money if you can¡¯t have good food? Sophia didn¡¯t feel too happy, so she didn¡¯t eat much. After two bites, she put her spoon down and leaned back on the bed. It was a luxurious ward, but she didn¡¯t feel at home here. John left after finishing his dinner, saying he had business to settle. As for what it was, Sophia didn¡¯t want to know. After cleaning their stuff away, Zack asked Sophia, ¡°Did the doctor really say you can get discharged?¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°Yeah. I just need some injection, and the rest depends on me. I can just heal up at home. No hospitalization needed.¡± Zack nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s better anyway. No ce like home, am I right? At least you feel better at home.¡± After giving it some thought, Sophia turned to Zack. ¡°Who¡¯s your boss going on an appointment with tomorrow night?¡± Zack sat down on the sofa. ¡°Not sure, but it¡¯s probably with Infinity Group.¡± Then he quickly added, ¡°Remember the woman you saw back at the beach? She works with Infinity Group. She obviously likes the boss, so look out.¡± Sophia sneered. ¡°Why should I? Does this have anything to do with me?¡± However, she still gave it a thought. Zack didn¡¯t notice that, nor did he care, so he went back to his mobile game. Sophia took her phone, and a n started forming in her mind. When the nurse came to pull the syringe out, Zack asked if Sophia could be discharged the next day. The nurse answered while tidying up the apparatus, ¡°Yes. Another injection tomorrow, and you can be discharged, but¡­¡± She looked at Sophia. ¡°You need to take it slow and heal up. Your condition is severe, so if you don¡¯t keep an eye on it, it will get worse.¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°Yeah, I understand.¡± After the nurse was gone, Sophia arched her eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯ll be discharged tomorrow afternoon. You have nothing to do, right? Come pick me up, then.¡± Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Zack didn¡¯t even hesitate. ¡°Sure. I¡¯lle pick you up when you¡¯re done. Look at my boss. He won¡¯t leave you alone.¡± Sophia thought back about how John looked. He was still aloof and stern when he talked, but from what she heard, he wouldn¡¯t leave her alone. ¡°I don¡¯t need him.¡± She sneered. Zack nced at her and went back to his game, but hemented, ¡°Lying to yourself isn¡¯t good.¡± Sophia pursed her lips quietly, then she covered herself with the nket, her mind in a mess. She didn¡¯t know what she was focusing on, or to be exact, she had too many things to focus on. Every important detail shed through her mind, but she could remember nothing. A whileter, she turned and had her back facing Zack. ¡°Close the door when you leave,¡± she said. Zack couldn¡¯t stay here, for it wasn¡¯t appropriate for them to stay in a room alone. Now that Sophia could be discharged, she should be healing up and holding herself better now. Thus, Zack grunted and said nothing more. Sophia drifted to sleep after a short while, and Zack left a whileter. When midnight came, she woke up with a jolt. The room was empty, just like how she spent her nights before this. She was alone, waiting for someone who should return but didn¡¯t. She slowly sat up, and the bedsidemp was still lit. She looked at the time, and it was midnight, the time where everyone would get emotional, especially women. A momentter, she snapped the photo of her hand and posted it on her Facebook. The syringe wound was obvious in the photo that was coupled with a sentimental caption: The thing I used to fear most isn¡¯t that scary once I got over it. John wouldn¡¯t see this post, so she wasn¡¯t sure who it was for. Before he even unfriended her, John never did read her posts. After some serious contemtion, shey back down. She tossed and turned, but Sophia couldn¡¯t sleep. It wasn¡¯t until the doctor came to make his rounds in the morning to tell her she could be discharged did she freshened up a little. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Zack didn¡¯te in the morning, but he ordered breakfast for her. After her injections were done, without waiting for Zack, she packed her things up and sat on the bed. There weren¡¯t many things for her to pack anyway. Zack arrived at around one, looking flustered. When he saw that Sophia was done, he quickly took her stuff. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I have business to settle, but I figured I should pick you up first before going to work.¡± Sophia followed him out. ¡°What happened? You look like you¡¯re in a hurry.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Zack grunted. ¡°There¡¯s a conference at Infinity Group. Both the boss and I will be attending.¡± She furrowed her brows. ¡°I thought there¡¯s a banquet tonight. Is it consecutive?¡± He nodded. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re probably going there after the conference.¡± She gave it some thought. ¡°So you¡¯ll be going with him tonight.¡± He didn¡¯t even hesitate before answering, ¡°Yeah, of course I¡¯m going. You¡¯re fine now. During the banquet, there¡¯s bound to be some people the boss needs to attend to. If I¡¯m there, it will be easier on him.¡± Sophia nodded meaningfully. ¡°I see.¡± Then she smiled. ¡°This is perfect, then.¡± Zack didn¡¯t stop to think what she meant by that. All he did was grunt. Chapter 25 Chapter 25 After sending her back to the hotel, Zack went back to his work. Sophia took a bath and called for room service so she could have her favorite food. When she was done enjoying herself, she killed time by lying on the bed. John and Zack should be in the conference by now. Sophia looked outside the window and squinted, remembering the woman beside John that night. Even though they didn¡¯t say a word to each other, it was as if a big fight had broken out between them. Sophia could feel the woman¡¯s belligerence toward her, and she knew John could feel her enmity toward hispanion. Why else would he scoff at me and snort when nobody was looking? That memory vexed her. When dusk had arrived, Zack told her they were at the banquet. Sophia sat up and replied, ¡®Okay.¡¯ She felt smug, for having a spy there made it convenient for her. Then, she went to pick a dress and took her time doing her makeup. Doing makeup wasn¡¯t an easy thing, and Sophia dragged it out. Thanks to that, it took her one hour before she exited the hotel all dolled up as she slowly walked on her high heels. Zack had sent her the location, so Sophia hailed a ride there. The banquet was held in a luxurious restaurant, and every guest needed to show their invitation card before admittance was allowed. Sophia had nothing like that, but she wasn¡¯t in a hurry either, so she took a stroll outside and sat beside a flowerbed nearby. The flowers were blooming inside, so Sophia plucked one and put it above her ear. A momentter, she started smiling. After sitting there for a while, Zack messaged her, telling her to wait at the hotel¡¯s front door. She couldn¡¯t enter the banquet hall, but not the hotel, so she came to the front door a whileter. Zack was waiting for her, but from the looks of it, he drank a lot. ¡°Why did you drink so much?¡± She smiled. Zack couldn¡¯t smile back at her. ¡°I think we were set up.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± She arched her eyebrow. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Zack reeked of alcohol. ¡°I think they¡¯re here for your ex-husband. Come with me. I don¡¯t think I can do this myself.¡± Sophia was surprised. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zack took her into the hotel without any exnation. Since Sophia was all dolled up, and Zack obviously came from the banquet hall, the waiter didn¡¯t stop them. Instead of taking her to the lobby, he took her to a waiting room. Then, he told her to stay here while he went outside to settle something. Sophia wasn¡¯t going to agree to that. ¡°You expect me to wait? I¡¯m here to mess things up, so how should I do that if I wait?¡± Zack looked serious. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to exin, so just listen to me and stay here.¡± Then, he left the room. Sophia red at him, but she listened to his advice and stayed inside. The waiting room was decked out with a sofa and a table that had snacks on it. She went to the windowsill and looked outside, the traffic unfurling before her. A few momentster, someone opened the door. Instead of looking back to see who it was, she sighed. ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± she grumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait, you hear me? I want that woman to suffer! She must feel the pain! I mean, I¡¯m rich, so I can¡¯t just take that hit lying do¡ª¡± Before she could finish, someone leaned against her, and he reeked of alcohol. Sophia almost jumped, but before the scream could escape her mouth, she swallowed it back once the person talked. ¡°Is that you, Sophia?¡± John asked, and at the same time, he tried to undress her. Sophia¡¯s dress was easy to take off anyway. Sophia turned around to push him away. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, what¡¯s wrong with you? Stop¡ª¡± When she saw John though, she stopped, for he looked obviously off. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was drenched in sweat. He had no time to exin, so John held her shoulder and kissed her. Sophia was shocked, for John looked so simr to the night they were divorced, but she thought having sex here was a bit inappropriate. It wasn¡¯t that John cared though, for he tore her dress apart easily. Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Sophia almost screamed as she pushed him away and tried to cover herself up with what little fabric was left. ¡°What are you doing? There are people out there! Can¡¯t you hold it in?¡± John let her go and took a deep breath in an attempt to push his lust down. Meanwhile, Sophia took a few steps back, but she didn¡¯t look away from him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, John? You seem off.¡± John panted. ¡°Lock the door.¡± Sophia frowned, but before she could say anything, John came to pull the blinds down, much to her chagrin. ¡°Just go,¡± John told her. He raised his voice, looking flustered. Thinking about the situation, she recalled that John never talked that way to her, so Sophia went to lock the door, but she leaned against the door. ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± John closed his eyes, and his chest heaved. Snorting, Sophia said, ¡°Zack told me someone set you up. Why? Wh¡ª¡± Before she could finish, John suddenly went up to her. He pinned her against the door and kissed her again, this time stronger than earlier. Noticing that he felt hot to the touch, Sophia also realized that his hair was wet. His sweat slid down to his chin and fell to the ground. Sophia was shocked by the sudden kiss, and she wanted to push him away, but he knew she was going to do that, so he held her hand and pinned her down. Even though she was surprised that he would do that, Sophia wasn¡¯t afraid of this, since they were married for a year, so kissing was normal, but John certainly looked off. John started moving randomly. After kissing her for a bit, he bit her neck. A stab of pain shot up, and she gasped. Sophia tried to struggle free, but she couldn¡¯t. After she failed to push him away, Sophia gave up. She was here to mess things up in the first ce, and with him here, her n was considered a sess. So, she leaned back against the door and took a deep breath. ¡°Are you drugged, John?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. John paused for a moment, and he regained some sense. ¡°Yes.¡± He buried his head in her neck. Sophia snorted. ¡°It¡¯s that woman, isn¡¯t it? You don¡¯t like her?¡± John started kissing her neck. ¡°I can¡¯t get used to anyone aside from you.¡± Sophia blinked. ¡°I wonder if I should feel honored,¡± she said quietly. John held her shoulder, then he yanked her from the door and switched ces with her. A moment later, he pushed her to the sofa. Sophia stopped struggling, so after a moment of thought, she hugged his neck. ¡°Do you love me, John?¡± John heard that, and he understood her, for he paused for a moment, but then he continued stripping her off quietly. Being a germaphobe, John even took his suit off and put it under Sophia. When Sophiay down, she frowned in disdain for herself. John was just going with his instincts because of the drug, so it had nothing to do with how he felt about her. She should have pushed him away, for they were now unrted, so she wasn¡¯t obliged to do this for him. Even though that was what she thought, Sophia still held him tightly. He was who she loved, but her love was torturing her. Feeling disgusted by how hypocritical she was, she closed her eyes when he kissed her. Chapter 27 Chapter 27 The aphrodisiac was strong, and Sophia wondered what the perpetrator wanted from him when that person did this. Halfway through, she winced at him. ¡°That should be it, John. The aphrodisiac should be dying down now.¡± John regained some of hisposure, so he snorted. Sophia could hear his breathing, for he was right beside her. ¡°Don¡¯t you love this?¡± he said hoarsely. John wouldn¡¯t say that, usually, but the aphrodisiac worked too well. Sophia closed her eyes and let herself go. ¡°Oh, of course I love it. I want it that way.¡± John paused, and Sophia knew her luscious voice lit his mes. Well, he can¡¯t be angry, since he doesn¡¯t have the right to. Not when he forced himself on me. A momentter, Sophia heard someone twisting the doorknob. ¡°What are you doing locking the door, Sophia? Come out right now! I can¡¯t find Boss!¡± Sophia pursed her lips and patted John¡¯s shoulder, then he stopped, responding to the request. Sophia tried to catch her breath before replying, ¡°He¡¯s with me.¡± She tried to sound normal, but Zack kept quiet for a long while. Closing her eyes, Sophia thought whether she should exin. Then, Zack said, ¡°Oh, um, carry on, then.¡± He sounded awkward, and Sophia covered her face. John waited for a moment, then Zack left. Panting, Sophia asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel embarrassed, Mr. Constance?¡± John smiled and kissed her. ¡°No.¡± He¡¯s shameless! She didn¡¯t know what to say. It was merry outside, and since this room wasn¡¯t soundproof, she could hear the sounds of heels andughter from outside. ¡°Can you tone it down?¡± She thumped his shoulder. Instead of answering, he asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± He was trying to find somewhere to cool down alone, or until Zack found him, but aftering into this room, he saw her. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Why am I here? Sophia¡¯s mind was muddled with answers, so she paused for a moment. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I don¡¯t like her.¡± The woman beside John back then looked worse than her, and she must be poorer too. How dare she look down on me and scoff after that disdainful look of hers? Even though she knew that John would marry someone else sooner orter after the divorce, she hated it. She just hated that kind of woman standing beside him. Even if he wasn¡¯t hers, that woman shouldn¡¯t be his next partner. She came here on this day to trip them up, especially that woman. John grunted, and he didn¡¯t ask what she meant. As Sophia stared at the ceiling, she thought that she was being childish. She slowly closed her eyes, and another question popped up. ¡°John, were you drugged that night too?¡± John didn¡¯t hide it. ¡°Yes.¡± God f*cking d*mn it. Sophia wanted to curse. Why is it every time he has sex with me, he¡¯s drugged? Even though Sophia was f*cked now, she wasn¡¯t going to admit it. ¡°Thank me then. If not because of me, you would have been sleeping with a random woman,¡± she said after a cold snort. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 When John was done, it was still noisy outside. Sophia sat on the sofa with John¡¯s shirt underneath her. She couldn¡¯t wear her dress now, so she sat there, dangling her long and slender legs. ¡°Tell me how I¡¯m supposed to go out now.¡± ¡°Zack wille back with some clothes.¡± John smoked before the window, not looking back. Sophia nodded. ¡°At least I still have him.¡± She picked up her dress and looked at it closely. Yep. I can¡¯t wear this. She crumpled it up and tossed it into the trash can before going back to the sofa to scroll through her phone. The Collum guy back at the ne texted her, asking her what she was doing. Sophia noticed he had sent it a while ago, but she was probably f*cking with John, so she didn¡¯t hear the beep. So, she texted him back, saying she was bathing, so she didn¡¯t hear her phone. Not long after she texted him, Collum called her. She set her phone on vibration mode, but John heard it too. Even so, he kept smoking without missing a beat. He was naked from the waist up, and he was barefooted. After ncing at him, she turned back to her phone to take the call. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn,¡± Collum said. ¡°What is it?¡± Collum chuckled. ¡°I have time tomorrow, so where are you now? If you¡¯re still in Tri Asel, we can go out on a trip. I know a few good ces.¡± Sophia looked down at her feet with a smile. ¡°A trip, huh? I¡¯m not sure if I have time tomorrow, and I haven¡¯t settled on my itinerary for it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Collum wasn¡¯t disappointed. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll call you tomorrow then. See if you have time.¡± Sophia said okay happily, but after hanging up, she stopped smiling. She yed around with her phone, and the silent John finally said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go out with him? Aren¡¯t you here to wind down? You should go out and rx.¡± Sophia looked at her phone. ¡°I don¡¯t have to go out with him. I have another suitor, so I want to see if he¡¯ll ask me out tomorrow,¡± she said softly. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. John paused. ¡°Sure. Always keep your choices open.¡± He smiled. Sophia smiled back. ¡°Of course. We have topare when ites to this.¡± Looking back at John, she asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you think so, Mr. Constance?¡± John looked back at her. Her hair tumbled down to her chest, covering her nipples. While she was smiling, her breasts appeared fairer than usual, and because she just had sex, there was a luscious gleam in her eyes. Sophia was looking more alluring than she ever did. John paused for a moment and looked back outside the window. ¡°I don¡¯t have to keep my choices open.¡± He was arrogant, but he wasn¡¯t wrong. Since every woman would flock to him anyway, so he didn¡¯t need to keep his choices open. Sophia chuckled. ¡°Of course. I forgot that you don¡¯t need to keep your choices open. Just say the word, and they¡¯lle to you.¡± John smiled, then he put out his cigarette. There was nothing more to say after that, so Sophia texted Zack, asking him when he would send the clothes over. Zack didn¡¯t reply, so Sophia wondered if he had seen it. Then, Sophia looked at John. He was looking outside with his phone in one hand and the other in his pocket, standing perfectly upright. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Everyone said an aloof man was more attractive than a passionate one. Sophia didn¡¯t believe that, but when she saw John, she felt that they had a point. However, one of the reasons for that was that John was hot. One look from him would deter everyone from getting closer, but Sophia was drawn in. She closed her eyes, thinking she was a failure. Being with someone like him would get her nothing but despair. A momentter, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Boss?¡± Zack lowered his voice. John went to take it. Even though Sophia was naked, she still sat on the sofa, unafraid. John opened the door by a few millimeters and extended his hand to take the bag of clothes. ¡°Um, is Sophia walking normal?¡± Zack asked cheekily. John frowned, and Zack hurriedly closed the door. Even though he lowered his voice, Sophia heard what he said. She pursed her lips and blushed. Even though she could flirt and talk dirty with John, that was only him. If it was someone else, she would blush. Zack sent them two people¡¯s worth of clothes. Then, John came over and handed Sophia¡¯s clothes to her. ¡°Wear it.¡± She took itnguidly. John stood beside the table and put his bag on it before taking his clothes out. There was a pair of pants, a white shirt, and a pair of shoes inside. Then, Sophia looked at her clothes. She had a lot in her bag, so Sophia put it all out on the sofa. There were her underwear, a short- sleeved shirt, a pair of short pants, and a pair of white shoes. John wore his clothes as quickly as he took it off. As he buttoned his clothes, John looked at what Zack brought for Sophia. Honestly, Zack¡¯s aesthetics were¡­ ahead of his time, for he had chosen some sexy underwear for Sophia, which made John frown. Sophia picked it up and blushed. Why did he pick this for me? I mean, how could he buy this from the sales assistant with a straight face? She paused for a moment, but still, Sophia wore her clothes. It fitted her perfectly, aside from her shoes. They were a bit big, but it didn¡¯t hinder her. After she was done, Sophia stood up to walk around. ¡°Alright. We can go now.¡± John looked at her for a moment and nodded. It was still merry outside, so John went ahead of her and opened the door by a few centimeters. Zack was still outside, so when he saw the door being opened, he leaned closer to look at Sophia. ¡°We can go now.¡± Sophia felt unnerved, but she nodded in assent. Zack looked at John. ¡°We¡¯ll go through the side door. Mr. McCaw is looking for you.¡± John snorted. ¡°Bold of him to look for me.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Zack looked at Sophia and said, ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophia pretended she didn¡¯t hear that. With Zack here, she couldn¡¯t be too flirty. However, she would have teased John if they were alone. Zack brought them and left through the side gate, while a car waited for them outside. Zack went to the passenger seat, while John and Sophia sat in the backseat. Exhausted, Sophia leaned against the door, while John took out his phone to text someone. Zack looked at her through the rear-view mirror and gave her a thumbs up. After rolling her eyes, she looked outside. Everywhere felt sore for her, and she only wanted to sleep. Now that she knew he only f*cked her under substance influence, all her mood was killed. She thought he had fallen for her charm back then, but now she knew she was thinking too much. Chapter 30 Chapter 30 The car didn¡¯t stop at the hotel they were staying in. Instead, Sophia asked the driver to stop when they were a distance away from it, much to John and Zack¡¯s surprise. After the car had stopped, Sophia smiled at them before going out of the car. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now. You guys go ahead without me.¡± John looked back and said nothing. After Sophia had closed the door, he told the driver to start driving. Zack looked at John from the rear-view mirror to see that he was scrolling through his phone. Then, Zack looked at Sophia from the side mirror. She looked like a naivedy with her getup, and slowly, she faded from their sights. ¡°Is Sophia worried someone might bump into us and take it the wrong way if we go back together?¡± John said nothing, so Zack continued, ¡°I mean, she has a suitor staying in this hotel too, so it¡¯s not great if he sees us together. I can understand why.¡± John slowly looked up at him. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Zack chuckled. ¡°Just saying.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. John sneered at him, but he said nothing. On the other hand, Sophia slowly went toward the hotel, since it wasn¡¯t too far anyway. It was lively here; there were hawker shops and stalls set up everywhere. Sophia went around, but before she came to the hotel, she bumped into a familiar person. Seeing that Trevor was buying souvenirs of some sort from the local vendor, Sophia went up to him and patted his back. ¡°Hi.¡± Trevor was surprised, so he looked back and stared at Sophia for a few moments before recognizing Sophia. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. I didn¡¯t recognize you.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Are you buying something?¡± Trevor quickly paid for his stuff before facing her. ¡°When I came back to the beach with the gastric medicine that night, you were gone.¡± Sophia was still smiling. ¡°I was hospitalized. Internal bleeding, so I stayed there for a couple of days.¡± Trevor was shocked. ¡°That sounds serious.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°It¡¯s chronic. I just got discharged today.¡± It waste, so she looked in the hotel¡¯s direction. ¡°Do you have anything else to do? Why don¡¯t we go back together then?¡± Trevor quickly said, ¡°Oh, sure. Let¡¯s go.¡± With that, they sauntered back to the hotel. When they came to the front door, Sophia noticed the car stopping not far from the front door; it was the car with John in it. Sophia couldn¡¯t see who was in there, but she didn¡¯t care. Then, she asked where Trevor had gone over the couple of days, while he answered everything excitedly. When they came into the lobby happily, Zack and John were inside too. John was speaking on the phone beside the bonsai at the front door, while Zack stood not far away. Sophia saw both of them when she came in, but she pretended not to see them. Since Trevor was talking about some interesting things he saw, she chuckled. ¡°Really? That sounds interesting.¡± Trevor was smiling too. ¡°Are you free tomorrow? If you are, we can go out together. There¡¯s a ce here that has great scenery, so why don¡¯t we go there tomorrow?¡± Sophia pursed her lips. ¡°Oh, um¡­¡± She nced at John and Zack; thetter noticed her gaze, so he tugged at John¡¯s arm, signaling him to look her way. When she went past them, Sophia nodded. ¡°Sure. What time tomorrow?¡± Trevor was delighted that she agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s make it earlier. It¡¯ll be too hot if we gote. I¡¯ll give you a morning call at around five tomorrow. What do you say?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± After that, Sophia heard Zack say, ¡°Did you hear that? They¡¯re going out together, alone!¡± He didn¡¯t bother to lower his voice. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Sophia didn¡¯t look at John and Zack at all. Instead, she followed Trevor over to the elevator. He pressed the button for his floor first, and Sophia smiled a little before she pressed the button for two floors above his. As the lift went up, Trevor asked Sophia how long she was nning to stay here. Flustered, she thought for a moment before simply saying, ¡°I think I¡¯ll be leaving soon. My friend has asked me to go somewhere else.¡± He seemed a little regretful when he heard this. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s rather soon.¡± She nodded before saying, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We can keep in touch in the future.¡± The elevator came to a halt on Trevor¡¯s floor, and she waved goodbye to him as he stepped out of it. Once the elevator shut its doors, she pressed the button for one floor above. Leaning against the walls of the elevator, she let out a huge sigh. It was torturous having to put on a smile in front of strangers, especially when she felt like she couldn¡¯t smile at all. She headed to her room once the elevator doors opened. After throwing her phone on the bed, she rushed off to take a shower¡ªher entire body was sticky and sweaty, causing her great difort. As she showered, she nced downward to see two bruises at each side of her waist. John, that b*stard, really didn¡¯t hold back. Feeling exhausted, she simply took a quick shower before changing into her clothes and stepping out. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. She had had some fruits earlier, but their activities were too energy consuming and had drained her stomach empty. She therefore called for room service and ordered loads of good food. However, even after what felt like a really long time, the room service didn¡¯t arrive. As such, she rolled off the bed, got up, and went out of the room. The walkway was empty, and there were no signs of any waiters heading toward her room. She walked over to the elevator to check if her delivery was arriving. The elevator doors indeed opened once she went over, but the people that came out were not delivery workers. ¡°Why are you guys here?¡± she asked, stunned. John didn¡¯t respond to this; he simply threw her a nce before walking to his room. Zack, on the other hand, stopped by the entrance of the elevator and replied, ¡°We stay on this floor too.¡± Sophia smiled at this. That¡¯s right; Zack even booked connecting seats for John and I, so having rooms on the same floor is really not much of a surprise. She nodded. ¡°Alright,¡± she uttered before turning around to look at John¡¯s leaving figure. He was headed to his room, which was rtively far from hers¡ªthere were a number of rooms between them. Zack eyed her motionlessly. ¡°Do you have ns tomorrow? With that guy?¡± She nodded as she answered, ¡°Yeah. Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty daring for a youngdy. You¡¯re going out with him even though you¡¯ve just met him?¡± he eximed indignantly. This got Sophia tough. ¡°We¡¯ll always be two people who have ¡®just met¡¯ if I never go out with him.¡± He stared at her for a while then, evidently frustrated by her words. His voice was low and suppressed as he said, ¡°Tell me the truth. Have you really lost all interest in your ex-husband? Perhaps if you try a little harder¡ª¡± She simply chuckled a little before interrupting him and saying, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t overthink it.¡± She turned around toward her own room, the smile on her face wiped clean and reced by a cold gaze. Why do I have to be the one to try hard? Haven¡¯t I tried hard enough in the past? Why does it have to be me? Do I deserve to be bootlicking all the time? What a joke. She got back to her room and leaned against her door after closing it behind her. She felt a sense of frustration and difort in her chest, but her anger also reminded her of something important. It wasn¡¯t her safe period in her menstrual cycle, and John hadn¡¯t used any protection earlier during their activities. Sophia shut her eyes and cursed to herself. I can¡¯t believe I have to take pills that will harm my body. What did I do to deserve this? She continued thinking about this issue even as she was eating after the room service delivered her meal. She felt increasingly uneasy at the thought of it. She immediately gave Zack a call. He was quick to pick it up. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked to check, ¡°You¡¯re in your own room, right?¡± With a pause, he replied, ¡°Yeah. What is it?¡± She sighed before saying, ¡°Help me get some morning-after pills. I¡¯m not in my safe period.¡± Gradually, Zack turned his head toward the man beside him as he eximed softly and repeated, ¡°Morning-after pills, huh.¡± Unaware of anything that was going on on their end, she answered, ¡°Go on. An unintended pregnancy would be bad news.¡± Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Zack¡¯s gaze remained on the man beside him as he asked, ¡°Um, do you need it right now?¡± Sophiaughed at this. ¡°What¡¯s the use of it if you¡¯re going to give it to me after 72 hours?¡± He pursed his lips before he replied, ¡°Well, um¡­ okay.¡± His answer seemed to be a little forced. She ended the call right after this. Zack slowly put his phone down as he said, ¡°Boss, about the pills, I¡ª¡± ¡°Go on and buy it. We can discuss the rest once you¡¯re back.¡± John had his head buried in piles of documents as he sat on the couch by a side. He didn¡¯t sound too troubled by it. Zack was surprised to see this as he asked, ¡°Are you really going to let her take the pills, my kind boss?¡± John paused for a moment before he lifted his head up and answered, ¡°I have no other option this time.¡± The situation had gotten out of control, just like thest time. This time, he felt even a little more dazed and unconscious than thest. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if anything might go wrong as they didn¡¯t use any protection thest time either. With a long sigh, Zack agreed. ¡°Alright,¡± he said as he walked toward the door. But his footsteps then came to a halt as he asked again, with a soft and inquisitive tone, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you guys try to have kids in the past?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. John seemed a little stunned as he pressed his brows together. He had never thought about this question of having children with Sophia. It had never been a part of his n. After a few seconds, he ced his documents down and leaned against the couch as he said, ¡°Go get the pills.¡± With that response, Zack knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get any more answers. He didn¡¯t attempt again, and instead, left the ce immediately. Once he left, John stood up and walked over to the window. The night sea breeze was strong, and the air tasted a little salty. He took a cigarette out and ran it beneath his nose without lighting it up. Children, he thought. He never used any protection with Sophia in the past, but they never got pregnant either. She probably wanted children; I sometimes saw her secretly calcting the dates. She even set an rm in her phone to remind her when it was her ovtion period. He had always felt rather annoyed by her meticulous ways of calcting dates, so he often found excuses to spend more time at work or fall asleep in the study whenever this happened. Sophia never actually told him whether this bothered her. For the longest time, he felt like she was merely trying to get a child in order totch on to him. After all, she was miserably poor before she got married into the Constance Family¡ªshe probably wanted to seize this opportunity to get back up on her feet once again. Now, she no longer wanted this, probably because the benefits of their divorce was enough to satisfy her needs. That was why she no longer insisted on having a child. John crumpled the cigarette in his palm and threw it out the window. Zack dropped by and knocked on Sophia¡¯s front door before she finished her meal. She still had food in her mouth as she opened the door and said, ¡°You¡¯re pretty fast.¡± He stood at the entrance and looked into the room as he asked, ¡°You¡¯re eating?¡± After taking the pills from him, she turned and walked toward the dining table while replying, ¡°I hadn¡¯t eaten much, so I felt hungry.¡± She took the two pills out, each to be consumed at a separate time. She had never eaten these pills, so she paid a lot of attention as she read the manual. Zack hesitated for a moment before he followed her in and said, ¡°You don¡¯t actually need to eat this. If you really get pregnant, then perhaps¡­¡± She scoffed as she turned around and looked at him, ¡°Perhaps what? Perhaps I¡¯ll get to mess around with your boss for a while more? I think I¡¯ve had enough.¡± She dug a pill out and swallowed it without any water. ¡°We¡¯ve gotten a divorce; why is there a need for us to still get tangled up in each other¡¯s business? If I really couldn¡¯t bear to leave him, I wouldn¡¯t have signed the divorce papers so dly in the first ce.¡± The pill might have caused difort in her throat, so Sophia then hurriedly took her ss up to sip on her juice. Zack felt oddly uneasy as he watched her acting this way. With a soft sigh, he said, ¡°It might have been my fault this time. I shouldn¡¯t have made my own decisions in arranging for the two of you toe together.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal,¡± she spoke with augh. Perhaps John might have another woman under his nkets tonight if it weren¡¯t for the fact that I¡¯m here. With the current mental state that Sophia was in, she didn¡¯t wish for that to happen just yet. However, she then thought of something. ¡°If I do get pregnant, the Constance Family probably would want the baby, right?¡± Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Zack seemed a little stunned by Sophia¡¯s words. She then burst intoughter as she exined, ¡°I was just fooling around; you don¡¯t have to take me so seriously.¡± To change the topic, she gestured toward him. ¡°Come and eat with me. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. You¡¯ve had a lot to drink just now, and I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t gotten much to eat.¡± She ordered a little too much, and she definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to finish her food. ¡°Your stomach is weak, so you shouldn¡¯t eat so much of these spicy foods,¡± he remarked as he nced at the dishes on the table. He then looked at the time before he continued, ¡°I¡¯m not going to stay for food as I still have some documents to review. You know your ex-husband; he¡¯d murder me if I ever neglected my work.¡± Sophia only nodded. ¡°Alright; you should head back to work, then. We can have a meal when you have the time; we haven¡¯t eaten together in a while.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± he answered with a nod. She didn¡¯t see him out and instead sat down and continued to consume her meal slowly. Every now and then, she nced at the other pill ced on the table from the side of her eye. Although the pill definitely eased a lot of her troubles, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little uneasy since this was her first time taking it. Right then, her moving chopsticks came to a halt as she felt a sudden need to simplyugh at herself. I¡¯ve never gotten pregnant although I didn¡¯t use any contraceptives in the past. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll happen this time¡ªI¡¯m just being paranoid about it. She ced her chopsticks down once again as she felt her mood being impacted by all her thoughts. There was a minifridge in the room that had juice and other canned drinks. She went over and got herself a canned drink, which felt cold against her skin, before heading over to the window and looking out. She had actually lost her appetite to eat. Looking out, there were only a few people left at the beach; they looked like they were out for a walk. Sophia let out a slightugh after watching them for a while. I don¡¯t know why, but I feel like I¡¯ve been especially hypocritical ever since I came out here. Although there weren¡¯t many people who really acknowledged my existence in the Constance Family, at least I had people around me back then. Now, I just feel extremely lonely. She waited for a little longer before she got herself changed and left her room. There was a small bar downstairs that was only essible for guests. Sophia hadn¡¯t nned on entering, but it was the time of the night where the ce was buzzing with activity, and it caught her eye as she passed by. Without holding herself back, she headed over and found an empty spot before sitting down in a corner. The waiter hurried over to take her order. ¡°Do you have sky juice?¡± she asked with a smile. The waiter was a little surprised, but he simply nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, we do.¡± She couldn¡¯t drink alcohol, but she could still manage some snacks, so she got herself some crisps and fruits. With her legs crossed, she nced around the bar before her gazended on a singer who was performing on a little stage near her. The person caught her attention as he was strumming on a guitar while he sang. It was a song with a foreignnguage, and she didn¡¯t understand its words, but the gentle and soft melody captured her heart. Once her food and drinks arrived, she took a sip out of her ss of water. Right then, the singer¡¯s eyes scanned the crowd, and their gazes met. With her hand holding onto the ss of water, she lifted it in a small gesture toward the singer, to which the singer smiled in return. She then took a sip before leaning backward against her chair. Is this what it feels like being single? I can just flirt with anyone, anywhere; it feels pretty great. Most of the guests at the bar were couples, but there were a few who came alone. She was no longer bothered by it as she ate two pieces of fruit before flipping her phone out. She didn¡¯t have many friends, and she couldn¡¯t even find a person that she wanted to text. Finally, she decided to text Zack. ¡®Come over for a bit once you¡¯re done reviewing your documents.¡¯ She attached a video of the singer performing the foreign song after she sent the message over. Soon enough, Zack responded with a text. ¡®You¡¯re out again? That¡¯s quick.¡¯ She giggled. As she was in the mood to fool around, she replied, ¡®I¡¯m out to see if I can find myself a young man to spend the night with me.¡¯ Even she felt like she was a little too shameless after she sent the text. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Zack no longer responded to Sophia¡¯s text after that. Perhaps he¡¯s upied. She held onto her phone for a while longer before she eventually left it aside. She was well-aware that she was only acting this way because she was bored out of her mind. After getting a divorce, she hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to adapt to her new life, and she had to find some things to do for herself. But so what if I¡¯m able to find something to do? Even if I managed to turn the Earth upside down, it¡¯s still a fact that we¡¯re divorced. He¡¯s now a man that no longer belongs to me, a man who won¡¯t pay any more attention to me. With that thought, she then realized how pointless and boring it was to act the way she did. Sophia downed the rest of the water in her ss before standing up. The singer on the tiny stage had just finished his song and happened to be getting off the stage at the same time. As she headed to the exit, the singer followed along with a guitar in one hand. The two of them came face to face with one another. The singer shed a smile at Sophia. ¡°Hello.¡± She nodded and said, ¡°I loved your singing, although I couldn¡¯t understand the words.¡± The singer let out augh before he asked, ¡°Are you alone?¡± With a nod, she replied, ¡°Yeah. Do you want to go for a walk?¡± This must¡¯vee as a surprise to the singer as it was probably his first time meeting such a pretty yet forward woman. He beamed at her, his eyes forming a crescent shape as he replied, ¡°Sure.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. The two of them had only taken a few steps out of the bar when Zack appeared. He seemed to have ran toward the bar, as his footsteps seemed a little urgent. However, he came to a half when he saw an unknown man standing beside Sophia. She kept a neutral and calm expression on her face as she made the first move to greet Zack. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t coming.¡± ¡°I was afraid it¡¯d be dangerous for you to be alone,¡± he exined in a rather agitated tone. The singer didn¡¯t seem to find things awkward as he simply asked Sophia, ¡°Is he your friend?¡± She nodded toward him before she turned toward Zack and offered, ¡°Why don¡¯t we all go for a walk together?¡± Zack pursed his lips and thought for a while before he said, ¡°No, thanks. You guys go ahead.¡± He then sized up the singer in front of him. ¡°Do make sure to send my sister backter,¡± he spoke with a rather friendly tone. The singer responded in a warm and gentle voice, ¡°Okay.¡± Zack watched as the two of them left the hotel, and he even followed behind them for a while longer. Once he saw that they had headed toward the beach, he hurriedly turned around and went to John¡¯s room. John was surprised to see Zack when he opened the door, and he didn¡¯t seem to be inviting Zack in. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± They were done with their work earlier, and it waste; John was about to head to bed. Zack spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°Your ex-wife¡­ Your ex-wife is going on a date with another man. They¡¯ve headed to the beach; I saw it with my own eyes.¡± John nodded. ¡°And then?¡± This surprised Zack. ¡°And then? Aren¡¯t you going to go take a look?¡± John simply scoffed and shut the door without saying anything. With the door shut in his face, Zack called out and rapped the door a few times as he said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried at all? She¡¯s all alone; what if she gets bullied by him?¡± The man inside didn¡¯t seem to hear his words. Refusing to give up, Zack continued, ¡°Do you really not care? Won¡¯t you feel sad if she has someone else with her?¡± No sound came from inside the room. Zack opened his mouth, as if he was about to continue talking. He had a lot to say, but after contemting for a bit, he kept quiet. It¡¯s their rtionship after all; I might make things worse if I say or get involved too much in it. He therefore waited for a while longer before he said, ¡°That girl, Sophia, can be a little rash. I¡¯m just afraid that she might make a wrong move just for the sake of feeling less lonely after her divorce.¡± The man inside the room continued to remain silent. ¡°Alright; it¡¯ste. Rest well,¡± Zack said quietly. John stood right behind the door with his face devoid of any emotion. Once he was sure that Zack had left, he turned around and went into his bathroom. After stripping off his clothes, he stood under the shower and closed his eyes. He only opened them after a short period of silence, and he then turned around to turn off the tap. With a swift gesture, he pulled his towel over and dried the water on him before he headed out to change his clothes. He then got his phone and stepped out of the room. Everything took only about ten minutes. He walked out while making a call to Sophia. The phone rang for a long while, but no one answered his call. He rarely cursed, but he then muttered, ¡°F*ck.¡± Chapter 35 Chapter 35 John hastily headed out, with water still dripping from his wet hair. He might¡¯ve been too rushed when he was drying himself in the shower earlier, and he didn¡¯t even towel his hair dry. He wore a cold and stern expression on his face, showing how much of a bad mood he was in. It felt like he had only taken a few steps out from his room before he arrived at the elevator, but the elevator had already gone down when he got there. He annoyedly jabbed the button for the elevator before waiting with his brows furrowed. Once the elevator came, he went down and immediately left the hotel for the beach. There were still small groups of twos and threes hanging around at the beach when he arrived. The lighting at the area was dim, and some individuals who couldn¡¯t control themselves just hugged and kissed one another in public. John found himself focusing on these people, but he stared at a few couples only to find that they weren¡¯t Sophia. He ran his tongue across the back of his teeth. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. If I hadn¡¯t promised Old Mr. Constance that I would take good care of Sophia for the rest of her life, I wouldn¡¯t even havee out to the beach. With that thought, he continued to walk further down the beach. At the same time, both Sophia and the singer were indeed standing by the sea, feeling the breeze against their faces as they chit-chatted. She found out that the singer was a drifter that traveled all over the country. He said that he¡¯d stay once he found a good ce and leave whenever he got bored. With her arms wrapped around her shoulders, she asked, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you thought of settling down?¡± The singer smiled as he exined, ¡°Perhaps I haven¡¯t found the right person to make me want to settle down.¡± He then turned toward her. ¡°What about you? Was that really your brother?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, he¡¯s just a friend. He¡¯s here for work, but I¡¯m here for¡­¡± She paused and lowered her head with a light chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m here to heal myself, I guess. I got a divorce just recently.¡± She was simply too desperate to find herself a listener, someone who¡¯d let her talk. Her words clearly came as a shock to the singer. He looked at her for a little before he said, ¡°You look really young; I wouldn¡¯t have expected you to be married.¡± He paused. ¡°Why did you get a divorce? Did you guys have a fight? Or was it a matter of someone doing something morally incorrect?¡± She shook her head again. ¡°No; no one did anything wrong. It was simply because he didn¡¯t love me anymore. Why should I hold onto a man that doesn¡¯t love me, right?¡± She turned to the singer and smiled lightly. He was at a loss for words then. With his guitar still in his hand, he contemted for a moment before he offered, ¡°Why don¡¯t I sing you a song? I¡¯m bad atforting people.¡± Sophia thought of the slow, melodious song that she had heard at the bar earlier and how much she liked it. She therefore nodded and said, ¡°Sure.¡± The singer then sat himself down on a huge rock nearby, cleared his voice, and began to sing while he strummed on the guitar. Sophia stood beside him, her body facing toward the ocean and her hair ruffled by the sea breeze. The singer¡¯s voice was muffled by the sound of the wind, and she couldn¡¯t hear it too clearly, but she felt an oddly depressing sensation in her chest regardless. Up to this point in life, she had been through countless experiences¡ªmost of them bad ones¡ªbut she had never cried over them. She was never good at expressing her emotions through her tears, but right then, she didn¡¯t seem to have control over her feelings. With a smile still on her face, she rubbed her hands across her eyes as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with me; my eyes are a little ufortable.¡± The singer nced at her, his voice pausing for a moment before he continued. John arrived to see this scene happening. Sophia was standing by the ocean, with her face in her hands and her body hunched downward a little. She was already a skinny and small-framed girl to begin with, and she looked especially pitiful now that she was curled up like this. He didn¡¯t even pay any attention to the man beside her as he watched how Sophia¡¯s shoulders were trembling. She might be crying, but the sound of the ocean drowned her cries. John simply stood on the spot and watched her without heading over immediately. Once the singer finished the song, he thought for a while before he stood up and edged toward Sophia while reaching his arm out. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to dry your tears; why don¡¯t I let you use my sleeve?¡± It only took a short while for her to dry her tears before sheughed and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. The sea breeze dried most of it.¡± The singer watched her as he heaved a sigh. Then she tidied her hair up before she turned toward him and uttered, ¡°I feel a lot better now. Your song¡­¡± She froze right then, as she saw John standing a distance away from them. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Sophia nced toward John, who stood rooted onto his spot. She no longer continued with the rest of her sentence. After a while, she turned back to the singer. The singer hadn¡¯t noticed John¡¯s presence initially, and he shed a smile toward Sophia as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go; it¡¯s time to go back.¡± However, John walked toward them then and tugged onto Sophia¡¯s arm as he said, ¡°It¡¯ste. Go back with me.¡± She eximed in surprise when he held onto her, ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡± But John wasn¡¯t in the mood to exin himself, and he therefore held onto her wrist before tugging her toward the direction of the hotel. She protested and wailed as she turned around to look at the singer behind her. ¡°My friend¡¯s still here! My friend¡­¡± John¡¯s firm grip remained on her arm as he strode forward and pulled her along, as if he hadn¡¯t heard her words at all. The singer no longer followed them as he could tell that they knew each other. He simply waved toward Sophia when she turned around to nce at him. Withrge strides, John led Sophia all the way back to the hotel. He only let go of his grip once they were at the elevator; her wrist had a red mark around it by then. She held onto her wrist as she red at him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± John pushed the button for the elevator before he turned around to look at her. Her eyes were red, and her hair rather messy; her cheeks red and flushed as she panted, probably because it was tiring for her to keep up with his pace. This look¡­ her look¡­ He couldn¡¯t help but recall how Sophia looked when she was under him just a while ago. Noticing this, he quickly averted his gaze and stared instead at the button of the elevator. ¡°It¡¯s sote and you¡¯re still out with a stranger; aren¡¯t you afraid that it might be dangerous?¡± She rotated and massaged her wrist while she furrowed her brows and said, ¡°What? I¡¯d like to think that who I¡¯m with and where I¡¯m at is my own business.¡± He scoffed in response to this, ¡°Do you think I¡¯d care for you if it weren¡¯t for the fact that I had promised Grandpa to take good care of you?¡± With a mocking expression on her face, she said, ¡°Just forget it. You once promised me that we¡¯d never get a divorce, but look at us now.¡± As much as John hated to admit it, her words were indeed true, and he couldn¡¯t lose his temper for it. She nced at the screen in the elevator as she continued, ¡°You¡¯ve promised me countless things, but you can¡¯t even fulfil the first and most basic ones, let alone all the ones that followedter.¡± She paused for a while, but she couldn¡¯t stop herself from continuing. ¡°You can¡¯t control me for the rest of my life, John. You¡¯ll have other women in the future, and I¡¯ll have other men. We shouldn¡¯t continue with this muddled rtionship between us.¡± The elevator door opened, and she stepped in. Inparison to her rtively-bloodshot eyes, her expression was much colder. After some thought, John followed her into the elevator, and then Sophia pressed the button for their floor. As the elevator moved upward, she said, ¡°I¡¯m thankful for what you¡¯ve done, but there¡¯s no need to do the same thing in the future. From now on, whatever happens is my business; we no longer have a rtionship with one another ever since we signed the divorce papers.¡± He gradually frowned a little before rxing his facial muscles. He then nodded and uttered, ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t meddle with your business in the future.¡± She no longer responded to him after that. Once the elevator arrived, John stepped out first. She stood still for a moment before exiting the elevator and stood rooted to the spot as he walked straight to his own room. She felt an ache in her chest and only went back to her room after waiting for a while. It waste, and she felt a little under the weather after standing in the ocean breeze earlier, so she took another shower before she went to bed. Her phone was right beside her pillow, and she used it to send a message to Zack. It simply instructed him to cancel the following schedules that he had arranged as she didn¡¯t feel like seeing John for the uing days. She told him that she¡¯d arrange her own schedules in the future. Zack didn¡¯t reply to her message, perhaps because he hadn¡¯t seen it.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Sophia tossed and turned the entire night as she couldn¡¯t seem to sleep well. She was exhausted, but it felt like she only managed to fall asleep when it was nearly dawn. Once the skies turned bright, she woke up with her body feeling tired but her mind wide awake. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. She stood up and walked to the window, where she nced out to find the ce quiet and empty, with no signs of any workers. Everyone seemed to be especially active at night, so perhaps they were still in bed now. After looking out the window for a while, she went to wash up and pack her items. Her phone rang when she was almost done with packing. She knew who it was before she even looked at her phone, but she went over and checked it anyway. As expected, it was Trevor. She picked his call up. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, are you awake?¡± He sounded bubbly and upbeat, his voice coated with a hint of joy. ¡°I am,¡± she murmured. He then told her that he was already downstairs, to which she responded, ¡°Hold on; I¡¯ll be down in a minute.¡± She was already done with most of her packing, so she simply grabbed her bag and left the room. She caught sight of Zack right as she was about to head to the elevator. He looked well-groomed and was heading toward the elevator as well. However, Sophia wasn¡¯t sure if John was in the elevator himself; she didn¡¯t feel like seeing him right then. Her sleep had just been disturbed by thoughts of him¡ªboth before and after their marriage¡ªand she felt a little displeased whenever she thought of him now. The memories she recalled were all unpleasant ones, after all. She therefore slowed her footsteps down as she strolled bit by bit toward the elevator, hoping that she could just wait for the next one since she was in no hurry. Zack had already gone in, but he then stepped out of the elevator again as he grinned toward her and gestured for her toe over. ¡°Oh, hurry up ande over! Hurry; I¡¯ll wait for you!¡± She pulled a long face as she unwillingly walked over. To her surprise, John wasn¡¯t in the elevator. ¡°Why are you alone? Where¡¯s your boss?¡± she asked as she walked in. He raised a brow as he exined, ¡°Thanks to the trick that someone pulled yesterday, your ex- husband now has some of his own matters to settle and therefore gave me a day off. I have the whole day to myself today.¡± He then turned and looked toward Sophia as he asked, ¡°Where are you going all dressed up like this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m heading out for a date with someone,¡± she answered as she stared straight at the elevator buttons. He blinked a few times before he replied, ¡°Bring me along, then. I wanted to go out, but I was still looking for routes and couldn¡¯t decide where to go, so I think it¡¯d be better if I just followed you. With a cold scoff, she said, ¡°Go walk around yourself. I didn¡¯t offer to bring you along.¡± She walked out of the elevator once it arrived downstairs, and Zack tagged along behind her. Trevor was already waiting at the lobby when she walked over and asked, ¡°Are you all set? Are we leaving now?¡± Zack shamelessly followed behind her and said, ¡°I¡¯m done with my packing too. Let¡¯s go!¡± Trevor had met Zack before as he was the man who was trying to flirt around with Sophia at the beach previously. With his facial muscles tensed up, Trevor spoke, ¡°Y-You¡¯re¡­¡± Zack gave a casual and friendly response by saying, ¡°Oh, me? I just happened to be free today. Sophia and I had an agreement, so we¡¯re all going out to have fun together.¡± Sophia shot him an annoyed nce. Ignoring this, Zack grinned cheerily and patted on Trevor¡¯s shoulder as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll tell you more about myself on the way there.¡± Trevor looked at Sophia and saw that she didn¡¯t seem to be against it, so he had no choice but to agree with a frown on his face. Zack walked next to Sophia and whispered in her ear when Trevor wasn¡¯t paying attention to them, ¡°I have a feeling that your ex-husband has nned all of this out when he decided to give me a holiday today.¡± She remained silent. He then continued, ¡°Your ex-husband was probably trying to give me a chance to follow you around. Don¡¯t you see? That man actually still has feelings for you.¡± To this, she stared at him like he was a madman and scoffed, ¡°Are you still living in dreand?¡± He raised his brows as he said, ¡°Look, why don¡¯t you believe me? I told your ex-husband that I wanted to bring him along with you two yesterday night, but he told me he wasn¡¯t interested before he gave me a day off. He¡¯d definitely feel too ashamed to follow along, but I¡¯m not ashamed¡ªthat¡¯s why he sent me here as his spy. How could he think that I wouldn¡¯t be able to see through his sneaky little n?¡± Sophia simply rolled her eyes in disbelief. After some further contemtion, Zack said, ¡°You don¡¯t believe me, do you? Hold on; I¡¯ll give your ex- husband a call.¡± With that, he immediately pulled his phone out and made a call to John. John was already awake, and he was quick to pick the call up. ¡°What is it?¡± With a cheeky grin, Zack said, ¡°Boss, I¡¯m already with Sophia now. Don¡¯t worry; I have full control of all her schedules and everything else.¡± Chapter 38 Chapter 38 On the other end of the call, John paused a moment before he said that he got the message and ended the call. Zack stared at his phone for a while before he cocked an eyebrow at Sophia and said, ¡°Did you see that? It was his intention for me to follow you along after all.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t respond to him while she simply tried to keep up with Trevor¡¯s footsteps. Deep down, she felt like John was simply brushing Zack off with such a response. There was a rental car waiting for them outside that Trevor had booked earlier. Zack quickly headed for the backseat once he saw this, while Sophia went to the passenger¡¯s seat instead. Trevor silently walked toward the back seat, but it was clear that the two men sitting in the back weren¡¯t the slightest bit interested in one another as they didn¡¯t even exchange nces in the car. Sophia recalled how Trevor once called her his girlfriend. However, his words didn¡¯t seem to be too credible as he didn¡¯t act like he was her boyfriend at all. Despite this, he had had their journey all nned out, and the car headed straight for West Bay. Throughout the ride, Sophia didn¡¯t ask where they were going but simply nced out at the route they were taking. Although they were out early, there were already quite a number of people by the time they were near to the first destination. ¡°Where¡¯re we going first?¡± she asked as she stared out the window. Trevor quickly replied, ¡°The Edge of the World is a really famous tourist spot. I thought of bringing you here as you haven¡¯t visited this area before.¡± He automatically ignored Zack¡¯s presence as he spoke. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Zack pulled a long face before he brought his phone out and sent a message to John. John, on the other hand, had just gotten out of bed and was changing his clothes. His phone was left at the side of the bed before he picked it up to look at the text. ¡®That man brought your ex-wife to see the Edge of the World,¡¯ the text from Zack said. John immediately deleted it with an agitated expression on his face. He stepped out of the room and headed to the hotel¡¯s restaurant after he was done getting ready. Right as he stepped into the restaurant, his phone rang yet again. He nced at the caller before ignoring the call. I haven¡¯t even dealt with the issue that happenedst night during the feast; how dare this person shamelessly call me now? He ordered his meal and was halfway through his food when a woman appeared at the entrance of the restaurant. She was dressed for summer, wearing a long floral dress and a straw hat. He saw the woman the minute she entered the restaurant, but he didn¡¯t respond to her. The woman, on the other hand, caught sight of John soon enough as the restaurant was rather empty. She hesitated and paced around her own spot a little before she walked over with a perfect smile on her face. ¡°President Constance,¡± she called out as she got closer to him. He pretended not to hear her as he ate another spoonful of food. The woman licked her lips a little before she continued, ¡°I called you earlier, but you didn¡¯t pick your phone up, President Constance.¡± He stopped eating and cleaned his mouth with a napkin before he leaned back and stared at the woman without speaking. The girl no longer dared to just sit herself down on his table then. However, she continued to wear the smile on her face as she spoke, ¡°President Constance, I didn¡¯t get to speak much to you at the dinner last night before you disappeared. President McCaw was looking everywhere for you; we even got a little worried when you didn¡¯t pick up our calls.¡± John shed a cold smile and directly asked, ¡°What were you worried about? Were you afraid that I¡¯d committed some indecent acts after my body reacted to the drugs?¡± The woman¡¯s expression flickered, and her smile seemed to be rather artificial as she said, ¡°What do you mean by that, President Constance? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡± With his arms crossed in front of him, he replied, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well-aware of what I¡¯m saying. I¡¯ve never enjoyed going around in circles, and I think that we should stop wasting each other¡¯s time since President McCaw doesn¡¯t seem interested in working with me.¡± The woman was stunned to hear what he had said. She reached an arm out and nearly grabbed onto his arm before she stopped herself and returned to her initial stance. ¡°I think there might be some misunderstanding here, President Constance. President McCaw has clear intentions of working with you, and ourpany has made a lot of preparations for this partnership, really.¡± She was clearly flustered, and it didn¡¯t seem like she was faking it at all. He nced up at her curiously as he said, ¡°I took that ss of alcohol myself, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for you guys to have staged it so that I would coincidentally pick the spiked ss. How did President McCaw do this?¡± He wore an amused expression. ¡°I recall that you took a ss yourself, and you even drank it right then.¡± After a moment of hesitation, she nodded with an innocent look on her face as she said, ¡°There¡¯s definitely nothing wrong with our alcohol; that¡¯s why I don¡¯t understand what you mean, President Constance.¡± With a lightugh, John gradually stood up as he had lost his appetite to continue eating. ¡°Fine. Whatever you say.¡± He began to make a move. In a bout of panic, the woman grabbed onto his arm as she called, ¡°President Constance! President Constance!¡± Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Although there weren¡¯t many diners in the restaurant, it would be embarrassing to bicker in a public setting. John had lowered his eyes as his gaze shifted toward the woman¡¯s arm and furrowed his brows. His facial features always had a cold aura¡ªit probably had something to do with the usual deadpan expression he wore on a daily basis. His knitted brows did not mean that he was furious, but it merely made him look like he was about to snap at any minute. The woman pursed her lips, but did not loosen her grip. ¡°President Constance, shall we head outside to talk? President McCaw is sincere about this coboration and it¡¯ll be hard for me to face him if our discussions do not turn out well.¡± He scoffed and maintained his aloof expression. ¡°How you¡¯ll face him has nothing to do with me.¡± She was taken aback by his words and did not know how to respond. He gave his arm a jerk as he released it from the woman¡¯s grasp before leaving the restaurant and headed toward the elevator. There wasn¡¯t much that he needed to do and gave Zack an off day¡ªin other words, it was a way of giving himself a break as well. He had been busy for the past three months. Between Old Mr. Constance¡¯s passing and managing his funeral¡­ That, in itself, had been exhausting enough, but even after taking care of his funeral, he did not have enough time to rest and had to immediately return to work. His employees even had the opportunity to take a long break due to the weekends, but not him. Yet, his coboration with Infinity Group now seemed to be going down the drain. He didn¡¯t have any regrets, though; he was instead grateful to be able to take the chance to rest well. The woman chased after him out of the restaurant, but shecked the courage to follow him inside. She stopped outside the elevator, bearing a hurt expression¡ªone that begged for pity. The doors soon closed and John let out a long breath of anticipation. He had no idea what she thought¡ªthe way she dressed was strikingly simr to the outfit that Sophia had worn to the beach the other day. Like her, the woman¡¯s hair was also braided, which fellzily on her shoulder. Somehow, looking at her reminded him of Sophia, but it was undeniable that thetter was a lot more attractive than that woman. Sophia was attractive¡ªbut not in the traditional or stereotypical beauty standards. She was alluring yet elegant like a soft breeze. He had seen many women of different types before, but she was one of a kind. John quickly pushed his thoughts away, unsure of where it was headed. When the elevator doors reopened, he returned to his room. As soon as he stepped inside, his phone had received a notification¡ªit was a text message from Zack. It was a photo. The photo was not of Sophia alone. The man who chatted her up the other day had also been captured. She was looking at something in the far distance with her head tilted slightly upward while the man was looking fixedly at her from her side. His gaze was as soft and tender as a stream. John did not immediately delete the message like he always did, but took his time and studied it. The lighting was great and her fair skin shone like a reflective pearl in the photo. It seemed like they were at a tourist spot¡ªthere was a crowd in the background. It was after staring at it for a while that John deleted the message. He tossed his phone aside and pulled out a chair to take a seat by the window. The beach was rather empty. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. The sun shone brightly and it was a little jarring to the eye. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He hadn¡¯t nned to take a nap, but he eventually gave in with the gentle, warm sunlight as the backdrop and fell asleep. He slept lightly and had a dream. In a bustling background, he dreamed about his first meeting with Sophia. It had been less than a year from the moment they met until their marriage, so she hadn¡¯t looked much differentpared to when they had just known each other. She looked more or less the same as she did in the present moment. The only difference was the way she dressed¡ªit was a lot shabbier. Old Mr. Constance had someone bring her over back then as he was still hospitalized. Sophia was brought directly to the hospital to see him. Whenever one wasn¡¯t in deep sleep, their mind was often quite alert. John knew that he was in a dream; he knew that he would wake up even if he resisted a little, but he chose not to and stared intensely at the door in the hospital room. He was waiting for thedy to enter. In the haze of his consciousness, he was sure that he saw her, but the scenery around him suddenly changed. Now, Sophia was on top of him, interrogating him as if he had betrayed her¡ªshe was tenacious and adamant. While she heard his denial, she leaned in for a kiss. The dream unexpectedly felt a lot realer all of a sudden; he even had the odd feeling that his lips were being nibbled on without a warning. Chapter 40 Chapter 40 The dream suddenly stopped as it was about to end, and John awoke hastily. Sophia¡¯s face gradually faded into nothingness before his face. He exhaled and slowly sat up without knowing the reason why he had such a dream. It was not like they weren¡¯t on total abstinence; after all, they had already slept with each other twice for the past two days. Thus, he was really confused as to why he still had suggestive dreams like that. John rose to his full height to distract himself from the dream that he had. After a while, he picked up hisptop and moved to the couch in the living room. Just as he ced his phone down on the table, it rang. He briefly nced at it but did not answer the call. The ringing stopped for a few seconds, and then, a knock on the door ensued. Surprised, he walked over to the door. The visitor¡¯s figure could not be seen through the peephole, but to be fair, there was nothing to be afraid of in the broad daylight. So, he opened the door. Standing outside was the woman from earlier, but she had somehow already changed into another outfit; she now wore a bikini set that was perfect for lounging on the beach. The woman had great skin and an admirable figure. Her hair was let loose and fell behind her shoulders. She leaned against the door frame with her pose entuating her body curve. Looking at John, she asked, ¡°President Constance, let¡¯s discuss a little more, shall we?¡± She spoke slowly with a suggestive tone. John immediately understood her meaning. However, he only studied her from head to toe. In his mind, he tried to recall her name. He was always good at recognizing faces, but oddly, he could never remember that particr woman. Standing still, he asked, ¡°Did President McCaw tell you toe here in an attire like this?¡± The woman¡¯s posture slowly straightened with the corner of her lips slightly curved. ¡°No, President McCaw doesn¡¯t know anything about this.¡± Her eyes were yful. ¡°He also won¡¯t hear about this.¡± He scoffed. ¡°Does he know about the drugging, then?¡± The woman was startled; she hadn¡¯t expected him to question her about that once again. Her lips pursed as she visibly struggled to search for the words to answer him. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. We didn¡¯t spike it with drugs.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. John responded half-heartedly and closed the door without a look at her. He never liked people who endlessly pestered him as well as those who never owned up to their mistakes¡ªyet, the woman did both. Never one who fancied speaking much, he picked up his phone from the living room and quickly made a call to President McCaw. The coboration between theirpanies was actually a win-win situation for the both of them. Constance Company was naturally happy to participate, but even so, that didn¡¯t mean that John was willing to be used in such a way. President McCaw picked up the call in an instant while his voice carried a tint of delight. ¡°President Constance! I¡¯m finally hearing from you.¡± In fact, he had indeed called John a few times since the night before, but thetter hadn¡¯t answered the call¡ªnot even a single time. He had a bad temper; everyone in the industry knew that. So, he was straight to the point. ¡°Remove the woman at my door.¡± President McCaw initially didn¡¯t know what he meant. ¡°What?¡± Johnughed coldly. ¡°I think you¡¯ve miscalcted when you decided to pull something like this.¡± President McCaw was still confused. ¡°Huh?¡± John did not feel the need to exin and hung up. He was a man of few words and had always preferred to use as few words as possible. Normally, it would have been enough to express his dissatisfaction. Everything that subsequently ensued were understood and settled without any further exnation. He returned to the table and continued to peruse the documents on hisputer. It wasn¡¯t long before Zack called again. John did not answer the first time around and his phone immediately rang for the second time, making him a little frustrated; after all, he was being relentlessly bothered on his well-deserved break. Somewhat annoyed, he answered the call, ¡°Spill.¡± At the other end of the line, there was loud music ying in Zack¡¯s background, making it a little noisy. So, he hadn¡¯t realized that John was irritated and said that they were still at Edge of the World. Then, he mentioned that Sophia was exceptionally happy and took many photos by the two boulders beforementing that it was a pity that John couldn¡¯t join them. John¡¯s tone was hostile upon interrupting him. ¡°Did you call me just to tell me all these?¡± Zack paused, thereupon changing the topic in an instant. ¡°No, no. I called to inform you that Old Mrs. Constance had phoned, asking about our schedule. She wants to know when we¡¯re returning and seems¡­ to want Miss Bailey to pick you up.¡± John closed his eyes in response. ¡°Alright, I got it. If she calls you again, tell her that our schedule has changed and I didn¡¯t inform you about it. Just put all the me on me.¡± Chapter 41 Chapter 41 After John said his piece, he moved to end the call. As a result, Zack, who was on the other end of the phone, sighed quickly. Then, he stammered, ¡°Boss, are you really not going toe over? Um, Sophia and Trevor are getting on really well. I think they might be more than just friends¡ª¡± On the contrary, John hung up immediately. He didn¡¯t want to hear whatever it was that Zack was about to say. Then, he sat down and continued to look through the documents on hisputer. Unfortunately, he only managed to read no more than two sentences before he heard quarreling noises coming from outside the door. Roughly listening, it sounded like the voice of that female employee from the Infinity Group. After quarreling for a bit, he heard President McCaw¡¯s voice¡ªit sounded like he was berating the other party. Then, the female employee began to cry. John frowned slightly. He never liked it when a woman cried. In the first ce, he wasn¡¯t the type to treat a woman tenderly. So, even if he was faced with a woman¡¯s tears or heard a woman crying, he wasn¡¯t the type to give in or feelpassion for the woman. Instead, he simply found it irritating. Fortunately, Sophia isn¡¯t the type to cry. When he found himself thinking about Sophia, he quickly forced himself to stop. In the future, that woman won¡¯t have anything to do with me anymore. I cannot continue thinking about her. Meanwhile, the woman by the door suddenly rushed over and began knocking on his door for some reason, yelling for him toe out and talk. Perhaps it was due to how agitated she was, but President McCaw and the hotel¡¯s security guards did nothing to drag her away. Hence, she continued hammering her fists against his door. John closed his eyes¡ªthere was no way he could continue reading his documents. Thus, he got up and opened the door. The woman had cried so hard that her makeup was smeared and her face was a ghastly mess. When she saw John opening the door, she pouted. At the same time, her wailing grew louder. However, this time she didn¡¯t deny drugging him. Instead, she imed that she was in love with him and had fallen for him at first sight. On the other hand, President McCaw stood by the side with an awkward expression. From the way he was trying to pull the woman away, it was clear to see that he wasn¡¯t really trying to stop his employee. He probably had a hidden agenda behind allowing this farce to develop this far. As such, John wasn¡¯t moved by the situation before him. Waiting for the pause during which the woman wiped away her tears, he said, ¡°So, you drugged me.¡± The woman took a deep breath, hesitating for a few seconds before nodding. ¡°Yes. But, the drug isn¡¯t harmful. I drank it myself. If it were harmful, I wouldn¡¯t have drunk it.¡± He didn¡¯t know what was going on in this woman¡¯s head. Raising his brows, he asked, ¡°You do know that I¡¯m married, right?¡± The woman froze for a moment; she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly but nothing came out. Then, he looked at her in amusement. ¡°So, how could you have the nerve to do something like this?¡± Following that, the woman began to cry again. Holding her face in her hands, she kept repeating that she loved him and had loved him since a long time ago. Moreover, she also imed that she couldn¡¯t control herself. John had no interest in listening to her drivel. Lifting his gaze, he looked at President McCaw. ¡°The initial training given to the employees of the Infinity Group isn¡¯t sufficient. President McCaw, you should strengthen yourpany¡¯s code of conduct for employees upon your return.¡± After saying that, he moved to close the door behind him. However, that woman refused to give up. She stuck her hand through the wedge and grabbed the door, stopping it from closing. With red-rimmed eyes, she said, ¡°You drank that drugst night, didn¡¯t you?¡± He stared at the other party coldly, saying nothing. Then, the woman¡¯s tears flowed down freely. ¡°So, w- who did you sleep¡ª¡± President McCaw probably realized what she was about to say. Thus, he rushed to pull her away. ¡°Shut up! Look at what you¡¯ve done! This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. The cooperation between ourpanies has been affected by your actions! I¡¯m telling you: the losses incurred because of this isn¡¯t something you can bear!¡± On the other hand, John ignored what President McCaw said as he replied in a deadpan voice, ¡°Yesterday, I was with my wife.¡± The woman was taken aback and so was President McCaw. They were both aware that John was married. After all, his wedding had beenvish and extravagant¡ªwho wouldn¡¯t have known about it? However, they had not realized that John had brought his wife with him on his trip here. Chapter 42 Chapter 42 In front of President McCaw and that female employee, John took out his phone and called Zack. Zack answered the phone almost immediately. Without knowing anything yet, he answered joyfully, ¡°Boss, how can I help you?¡± John¡¯s voice was deep and low. ¡°When will you and Sophia being back?? For a moment, Zack said nothing. The way John addressed Sophia left him confused¡ªhe had never heard John address her in such an endearing way before. Still, he was considerably quick-witted. He paused for several seconds, then smacked his lips. ¡°Madam Sophia is still at the Edge of the World. She did not mention when she will be returning. What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen at the hotel?¡± John smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just asking. Go ahead and have fun.¡± After that, he hung up. The expressions on President McCaw and the female employee¡¯s faces were rather interesting. Then, he raised his brows at them. ¡°Well? Did you hear that?¡± He didn¡¯t want to continue talking, so he immediately shut the door in their faces. After that, his expression fell. That President McCaw¡­ He looked like he was waiting for some sort of drama to happen. He probably wanted to turn this incident into a weakness of mine and hold it over my head. Seeing as my divorce from Sophia has not been publicly announced yet, I remain a married man in the eyes of the public. Even if I were drugged, my reputation would be affected one way or another if it got out that I spent the night with a woman of unknown origins. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. For that reason, I¡¯m certain President McCaw allowed that female employee to raise a ruckus in front of my door to shine a light on this matter and bring my morality into question. Then, John breathed out a sigh of relief. I¡¯m so d Sophia came over that night. However, if this issue were to be resolved, another issue will arise. Therefore, news of my divorce from Sophia cannot be leaked out. No matter what our reasons may be, it cannot be announced to the public at this point. Frowning, he returned to the sofa and sat down. Just then, Zack called again. John nced at his phone and answered it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zack¡¯s voice sounded rather serious. ¡°Right; Madam Sophia and I are heading back now¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine to talk now,¡± John bluntly replied. Upon hearing that, Zack paused, then he let out a long sigh of relief. ¡°Boss, what was that just now? Did something happen?¡± John leaned back against the sofa. ¡°The incident where I was drugged was brought out into the open.¡± Although Zack might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, he caught on quickly during critical times. Thus, he spewed out a string of expletives without holding back before continuing, ¡°So, they wanted to use this incident to ckmail us?¡± John breathed out. ¡°It¡¯s fine now.¡± Still, Zack was angry. ¡°That was dangerous. If Sophia didn¡¯t go over that day, we might be in serious trouble by now.¡± No matter what it was, if John had slept with another woman and word had gotten out about it, the Constance Company would be affected by the ensuing bacsh. After all, most people did not care about the means or the cause, they only cared about the results. Since the Constance Company ran arge business, it naturally had manypetitors in the market. If a scandal urred, there was no knowing how many people would try to bring thepany down. It was a consequence that he didn¡¯t even dare to imagine. Meanwhile, John leaned against the sofa with his eyes closed. ¡°So, you don¡¯t need toe back yet. You can continue sightseeing; it¡¯s alright now.¡± Zack was no longer in the mood for fun. He said, ¡°Forget it; forget it. We¡¯re already on our way back anyway. We might as well head back. Sophia has an upset stomach, so she needs to take some stomach medicine when she gets back.¡± Then, John grunted in reply without saying more. ¡°Okay. If there¡¯s anything else, you can report it to me once you get back.¡± After hanging up the phone, he ced his phone aside. At that moment, his mind was a mess. Many incidents urred during this trip that seemed to be beyond his control. Hence, it left a bad taste in his mouth. John waited for a while, then remembered something. Thus, he hurriedly called up the Constance Residence, and Old Mrs. Constance answered the call. ¡°John, aren¡¯t you working?¡± Chapter 43 Chapter 43 After Old Mr. Constance passed away, Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s health rapidly declined. Therefore, she had been practicing vegetarianism, meditation, and Buddhism at the Constance Residence during this period. First, John asked after Old Mrs. Constance. Then, he went into the main topic. ¡°Grandma, I have something I would like to discuss with you.¡± Old Mrs. Constance replied, ¡°Go on. What is it that¡¯s making you so serious?¡± Thest time he had been so formal and serious, he had informed the family that he was going to divorce Sophia. Even now, she could clearly recall the determination in his expression and his gaze at the time. To be honest, she disapproved of John and Sophia¡¯s divorce. Just like how she had not approved of John¡¯s marriage to Sophia. In her opinion, marriage was not a game. Moreover, she did not believe in the concept of using an auspicious event to flush away the ¡®bad luck¡¯ of a critically-ill patient and curing them in the process. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. In the beginning, when Old Mr. Constance first brought up the idea of breaking off the marriage agreement with the Baileys and marrying Sophia instead, she had been the first to oppose the idea. However, Johnter gave in to his grandfather¡¯s wishes after much consideration. In the end, Old Mr. Constance passed away anyway. After that, John announced that he was going to divorce Sophia. As usual, she was the first to oppose it. As part of the older generation, her attitude toward marriage was much more sincere. She believed that one should harden their resolve to be partners for life after having decided on marriage in the first ce. Later, everybody in the Constance Family agreed to the divorce, except her. Coupled with John¡¯s determined attitude, she said nothing more. At the end of the day, it was her grandson¡¯s personal affairs. It wasn¡¯t good for her to interfere too much in them. John was silent on the phone for a moment before saying, ¡°I encountered some issues here, and my marriage with Sophia might affect the oue. So, I¡¯m hoping that the family will not spread the news of my divorce with Sophia.¡± Old Mrs. Constance was taken aback. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± Unfortunately, this matter wasn¡¯t something that could be exined in brief. Thus, John breathed out heavily. ¡°Once I return, I will exin it to you in full. Right now, can you help me suppress this information?¡± She understood what he meant by suppressing the news. On the second day after John¡¯s divorce, Mrs. Constance wanted to announce it to the world and immediately arrange for his marriage with the youngdy of the Bailey Family. Hence, if he wanted to suppress the information about his divorce with Sophia, the first person they had to deal with was Mrs. Constance. Old Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°I might not know what problems you ran into, but I will talk to your mother and make her see reason. Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Then, she added, ¡°To be honest, there is no need for you and Sophia to go this far.¡± He said nothing in reply. She had already said whatever she could say to persuade him. Thus, she left it at that after saying that one sentence. ¡°Alright; don¡¯t worry about the matters at home. I will help you settle them. Your mother might give little regard to the opinions of others, but she will still listen to what I have to say.¡± After that, he thanked her and ended the call. John sat in the study for a long time in a daze before Zack finally returned. However, Sophia did not come along. ording to Zack, she was feeling unwell. So, she returned to take some medicine. Zack was still extremely disgruntled. ¡°Isn¡¯t the Infinity Group acting far too shamelessly? I knew the incident this time around would be rted to President McCaw. No matter how little his employees cared for authority, they wouldn¡¯t go so far as to drug you.¡± During the party that night, he had the feeling that something was amiss. President McCaw had continuously clung to him and tried to get him drunk. In the end, he only managed to escape by excusing himself to the restroom. Sitting opposite John, Zack said, ¡°If their n the other day had seeded, I¡¯m certain the terms of our cooperation would be vastly different by now.¡± If John had slept with that female employee the other day, there was no saying whether they could get rid of her in the future. Furthermore, they would have been led by the nose throughout the entire process of the cooperation this time. John had not expected it either. The other party was such argepany; it was unbelievable that they would stoop to such underhanded methods at a time like time. Although he had experienced all sorts of dirty tricks while in the business, it was the first time the other party began ying dirty from the beginning and without any warning whatsoever. Therefore, he had been caught off guard. Chapter 44 Chapter 44 This time around, Sophia was truly feeling unwell¡ªher gastric problems were acting up again. She had not taken her medication before going out this morning, nor did she bring her medication with her. In the beginning, she thought that nothing would go wrong. As a result, her gastric problems began not long after they started sightseeing and her stomach began hurting very badly. At that moment, Zack mentioned that John ran into some issues. So, she decided to return with him after considering it briefly. To be honest, she wasn¡¯t having a lot of fun anyway. The Edge of the World was a ce where many couples went. Hence, only couples went there to take pictures. Looking at the two rocks the Edge of the World was famous for, she felt extremely ufortable. However, she could tell that Trevor was slightly displeased when she suggested they go back. Frankly speaking, his displeasure began when Zack decided to tag along with them. Still, she didn¡¯t give much thought to the feelings of a person she would not have much to do with in the future. After that, Sophia separated from Zack and Trevor and returned to her room to take her medicine. The doctor mentioned that she was suffering from a bacterial infection in her stomach. Therefore, she had to take antibiotics on top of the medicine for her gastric problems. The doctor had prescribed her a ton of medicine¡ªsome were to be eaten before meals while others were to be eaten after meals. Sophia endured the pain as sheid out all her medicine. Then, she took all the medicine that was to be taken before meals. It was arge handful of them, and it felt as if she would be full just from the water she needed to drink to swallow all of them. After taking her medication, shey down on the bed and curled into a ball. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. This morning, she had woken up too early. So, she began to drift off drowsily after lying there for a while. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a knock on the door. She didn¡¯t feel like moving. It didn¡¯t matter who it was knocking on her door¡ªshe had no intention of answering the door. Luckily, the knock on the door disappeared after a while. Thinking that it was room service, she didn¡¯t give it much thought and drowsily fell asleep. She didn¡¯t know how long she slept when she suddenly felt somebody approaching her. Her awareness was quite sharp. Thus, she immediately jerked awake and sat up without warning. Standing beside her bed were John and Zack as well as the hotel manager. When Zack saw Sophia sitting up in bed, he released a long sigh of relief. ¡°That scared me; I¡¯m so d you¡¯re fine.¡± Sophia squinted and looked at him. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m fine. I was just sleepy.¡± Then, he turned to look at John. ¡°See what I told you? I said she was fine, but you wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡± She turned to look at John too. ¡°Did you think I fainted again?¡± John didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he turned to the hotel manager and said, ¡°My apologies; it was my mistake.¡± At first, the hotel manager was terribly frightened. However, when he saw that Sophia was fine, he waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m d nothing happened.¡± After that, the hotel manager left. On the other hand, John and Zack stayed behind. Zack went to the living room outside to sit while John remained in the bedroom. As Sophia tidied her hair, she looked at John. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you need something from me?¡± John nodded. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Previously, she saw Zack on the phone with John. After the call, Zack¡¯s demeanor hadpletely changed. At the time, her stomach had been very ufortable. So, she didn¡¯t ask any questions. Now, she stared at John and said, ¡°What is it? Looking at your posture, you probably need my help, right?¡± John studied her briefly and grunted in reply. ¡°Yes, I do need your help.¡± So, she sat cross-legged on the bed. ¡°Speak. What do you need my help with?¡± For a moment, he couldn¡¯t speak. Not long ago, they agreed that they would no longer have anything to do with each other in the future. After all, they were divorced. In the future, they were bound to find a new partner. For that reason, they should not be clinging to each other. However, what he had to say was theplete opposite of what they previously agreed on. Thus, he found it hard to bring up. She stared at him for a while. When he kept quiet for a long while, she found it rather amusing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it difficult to talk about?¡± He pondered over it for a moment. ¡°Not really. The main issue is that the incident where I was drugged during the partyst night was brought to light.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°And?¡± John pursed his lips. ¡°I had no choice but to im that I was with you at the time and the person I slept with was you.¡± Chapter 45 Chapter 45 To be honest, this matter was not difficult toprehend. Although Sophia was not in the business, she had vast second-hand experience. When she was still part of the Constance Family, Mrs. Constance liked to tell stories rted to the business during dinner, detailing all sorts of underhanded methods and conspiracies. Hence, she heard a lot about these incidences and naturally understood what John was saying immediately. Thus, she lifted her brows at John. ¡°Are they trying to ckmail you withst night¡¯s incident? They don¡¯t know that we are divorced yet, so you want to im thatst night¡¯s incident was legal and moral?¡± John nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. They probably checked the surveince footage¡­¡± It was such arge dinner party, and John was considered to be one of the main characters. Seeing as he disappeared mid-way through the party, they would definitely check the surveince footage to check on his whereabouts. More importantly, they would naturally detect Sophia¡¯s presence from the surveince footage. Therefore, there were no loopholes in his alibi. Well, as long as nobody finds out that we are divorced. Sophia mulled over it. ¡°So what do you want?¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Zack came closer and stood by the door. He had been listening in on their conversation. When he heard her question, he answered, ¡°At the moment, your divorce cannot be made known to the public. At this critical juncture, it doesn¡¯t matter what the reason for your divorce was. It will be fuel for our enemies. So, you have to maintain the image of a young couple in love for the time being.¡± Besides, if news of them sleeping together despite being divorced were to spread, it wouldn¡¯t do them any good either. Then, she nced at John upon hearing those words. John paused for around two seconds before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s what I meant.¡± Without waiting for her to respond, he continued, ¡°Rest assured. Once the timing is more appropriate, I will find an opportunity to announce it to the public. You can decide the reason behind our divorce. Moreover, I will not treat you badly during the time you are cooperating with me. You can name your conditions.¡± When she heard that, the corners of her mouth curled. ¡°So, I have to stay with you throughout our cooperation?¡± On the other hand, he frowned out of habit. ¡°That¡¯s more or less the gist of it.¡± To be honest, he wasn¡¯t sure what he was supposed to do next. Besides, he had no idea what other tricks President McCaw would pull in the future. If President McCaw did nothing, then there was nothing he needed her to help with, much less require her to stay by his side. As long as nobody realized that the actual nature of their rtionship had changed, everything else was easy to deal with. After considering it, she chuckled and her eyes sparkled. ¡°Well, what benefits can you give me? Even if you say I can name my conditions, there must be a limit, right?¡± Without batting an eye, he replied, ¡°As long as it¡¯s not over the top, I¡¯ll ept them.¡± As long as it¡¯s not over the top? What do you mean by that? Still, she blew out her breath and shifted her gaze. ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Zack, who was leaning against the doorframe nearby, widened his eyes suddenly. ¡°Why do you still need to consider? What else do you need to consider¡ª¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll give you some time. Can you give me an answer by tomorrow morning?¡± John cut across Zack¡¯s words, staring directly at Sophia as he asked. There were times when Sophia liked his decisiveness. However, there were times when she really hated how decisive he was¡ªhe could calmly cut off one¡¯s retreat with nothing more than a simple sentence. Licking her lips, she replied. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give you an answer tomorrow morning.¡± John nodded. Then, he turned around and gestured for Zack to leave without saying more. Zack looked like he refused to ept things as they were. Thus, he said, ¡°Um¡­ Why don¡¯t you leave first? I want to have a chat with Sophia.¡± John frowned, and Zack immediately exined, ¡°She was having gastric problems, so I want to stay behind to check on her. I¡¯ll leave in a bit.¡± This time, John left without saying another word. After John left, Zack walked into the room quickly. ¡°That¡¯s not it, Madam Sophia. What do you need to consider? You¡­¡± Meeting Sophia¡¯s gaze, he considered it briefly, then changed the way he addressed her. ¡°Ex-Madam Sophia. It¡¯s Ex-Madam Sophia¡­¡± Walking over to her, he sat down by her bed. ¡°I¡¯m telling you; your ex-husband is quite a popr man. During our short excursion today, that woman came knocking on his door. Do you know? She practically threw herself onto his bed! You need to have a sense of crisis!¡± Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Sophia was taken aback. Then, she looked up at Zack. ¡°She came knocking on his door?¡± Zack nodded solemnly. ¡°Do you remember the time I answered the call from your ex-husband? At the time, that woman was standing outside his door and dressed very lightly. That clearly indicates that she was offering herself to him! However, your ex-husband was rather calm in that situation¡ªhe didn¡¯t lose his cool. Then, guess what happened¡­¡± He kept her in suspense, staring at her with a mysterious expression. After mulling over it briefly, she decided to give in and y along. ¡°What happened?¡± Widening his eyes, he answered, ¡°That woman confessed to your ex-husband! She imed that she had loved him for a long time. Still, your ex-husband wasn¡¯t moved at all. He told the other party that he was in a loving rtionship with his wife.¡± Naturally, that statement was something he made up. Then, he continued, ¡°When that woman heard that, she flew into a rage and imed that your ex- husband had been drugged. Moreover, she used him of having rtions with another woman. If this matter were to spread, your ex-husband¡¯s reputation would be ruined.¡± He continued spinning his nonsensical story with a serious expression. ¡°However, your ex-husband laughed in her face. He admitted to being drugged but imed that he had been with his wife. His wife! Would you believe that? That sounds so¡­¡± That sounds so¡­ what? She was tempted to ask. Still, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue when she saw the exaggerated expression on his face. He continued to stare at her as he said, ¡°Let me be honest with you¡­ Under the influence of those drugs, a man would lose his mind to lust. Under those circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t be picky. Any woman would do; it didn¡¯t matter who it was. However, take a look at your ex-husband! He withstood the entire ordeal by force of will alone! That¡¯s not easy to aplish!¡± She paused for a moment. Then, she got off the bed, walked over to the window, and looked at the weather outside. It was very sunny outside and the sun was blisteringly hot. However, she felt cold for some reason. Moreover, she had no idea where this chilling wind in her heart came from. I¡¯m certain most of what Zack said was exaggerated. Still, the part about that woman offering herself to John is probably true. After that, Sophia did not continue the conversation. A long while passed before she said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little hungry. I¡¯m going to get a bite downstairs.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Following her lead, Zack stood up and changed the topic. ¡°Is your stomach feeling unwell? Did you skip breakfast?¡± For her to change the topic, that probably meant that she had taken what he said to heart. It was enough as long as she listened and considered what he said seriously. To him, it was already half the battle won. In response, she closed her eyes. It was true that she had skipped breakfast because she didn¡¯t have an appetite. Thus, he hurriedly said, ¡°Let¡¯s quickly go and eat then. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Why are you going with me?¡± She was a little sick of him. On the other hand, he replied earnestly, ¡°If I don¡¯t go with you, who knows what kinds of food you¡¯d order? I¡¯m telling you; you have a weak stomach. So, you should be eating something lighter. You can¡¯t take things like these lightly!¡± She chuckled. After staring at him for a long while, she relented. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go.¡± Zack may be rather unreliable, but he does treat me very well. Following that, they walked out of her room. As they were heading to the elevator, Zack quickly ran over to John¡¯s room and swiftly knocked on the door. Without waiting for John to open his door, he yelled, ¡°Boss, Sophia and I are going downstairs for lunch! Why don¡¯t you join us? You haven¡¯t had lunch yet, right?¡± Sophia stood there; her expression sank as she red at Zack. I shouldn¡¯t have been so quick to feel touched. This person was only pretending to care about me. Truthfully, he just wants to bring John and me back together! Still, there was something she couldn¡¯t quite understand¡ªZack seemed to have some sort of obsession with the rtionship between John and her. John opened the door and looked at Zack. Then, he immediately nced at Sophia, who was about to walk into the elevator. To her surprise, he didn¡¯t reject the invitation. On the contrary, he, in an unprecedented urrence, agreed to join them. As the corridor was rtively empty, she heard his reply as clear as day. She froze in her tracks but did not turn around. However, she couldn¡¯t help recalling what Zack said just now. That woman came knocking on John¡¯s door. If John had agreed to it at the time, I wonder what situation we would be in right now. As that thought crossed her mind, her strides became longer. Offering herself to him? What a joke. Sophia waited by the elevator. Subsequently, John and Zack came over together. John was expressionless. As usual, he had strict control over his facial expressions. On the other hand, Zack was grinning widely. ¡°Since none of us have eaten yet, we might as well eat lunch together.¡± Everybody else ignored him. After smiling to himself for a while, he began to feel a little awkward too. So, the smile on his face gradually disappeared. The restaurant was on the first floor. When John and Sophia entered, there were quite a lot of people inside. However, they could still find seats. Zack nudged Sophia and pointed to a corner. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two go over and take a seat? I¡¯m going to check out the self-service buffet over there.¡± Without looking at one another, Sophia and John walked toward the spot Zack pointed at. The table was located in a rtively quiet corner. At first, Sophia and John sat opposite each other. Picking up the menu, he suddenly got up and sat by her side. She was shocked and turned her head to stare at him. However, John was expressionless as he lowered his head to read the menu. In a soft voice, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t move. Let¡¯s order.¡± The gears in Sophia¡¯s head turned. Then, she more or less understood what was going on. Chapter 47 Chapter 47 While Sophia was ordering, she lifted her head several times to ask John for his opinion. Thus, she naturally noticed the person sitting not too far away from them¡ªit was a man. Everybody else in their surroundings was eating normally, except for this man¡ªhe was surreptitiously watching the two of them. Still, she wasn¡¯t sure whether that man was in cahoots with the woman that was offering herself to John. After ordering what she wanted, she handed the menu to John. ¡°Do you have anything else you want to add to the order?¡± John grunted in reply. Then, she asked softly, ¡°That man at 10 o¡¯clock; is there a problem with him?¡± He continued to study the menu. ¡°When we came over and sat down, he snapped a photo of us with his phone.¡± I see; that means he¡¯s definitely a suspicious person. Thus, she murmured something in reply and didn¡¯t say anything more. Once they ced their orders, they called the waiter over to take the menu away. After that, Sophia and John were left alone. I wonder where Zack has gone off to; why isn¡¯t he back yet? Feeling a little awkward, Sophia tried to find something to talk about. ¡°If I help you, what am I supposed to do next?¡± What¡¯s next¡­ John mulled over it for a bit. I guess we¡¯ll need to stay in the same room. No matter how you put it, sleeping in two different rooms when I¡¯m with my wife just doesn¡¯t sound right. However, he did not mention that. ¡°I¡¯m not certain either. I¡¯ll need to see if the Infinity Group takes any other actions. If they don¡¯t, then I don¡¯t think you need to do anything else as long as news of our divorce doesn¡¯t spread.¡± Upon hearing that, she nodded in acknowledgment of his words. Then, silence fell over them again. To be honest, she wasn¡¯t sure why it was so awkward between them now. After all, things were never stiff between them in the past¡ªthey had gotten along normally. Even after our divorce, I managed to seduce him while I was drunk the other day. So, why are we so stiff with each other today? It¡¯s inexplicably ufortable. After disappearing off somewhere for a long while, Zack finally returned with two tes of fruits. However, the way he walked was strange¡ªhe was shuffling and stooping forward slightly. cing the tes of fruit down on the table, he leaned on the table, groaning, ¡°Oh, my stomach. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong, but it feels so painful. I¡¯m suspecting that there was something wrong with the water Trevor handed to me before.¡± Sophia frowned. ¡°I gave that water to Trevor. He only passed it over to you.¡± He looked surprised. ¡°Anyway, my stomach hurts like crazy.¡± John didn¡¯t look worried. Rather, his attitude was a little cold and distant. ¡°Are you saying you want to go back to the room?¡± In response, Zack hurriedly nodded. ¡°Yes. It hurts a lot and I need to go back to the room for a bit.¡± With that, Sophia understood what Zack was ying at. Leaning back against the chair, she said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop acting; you¡¯re terrible at it anyway.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Zack was still resting with his head on the table, Despite being seen through by Sophia, he wasn¡¯t embarrassed and continued with his pretense. ¡°I can¡¯t; I can¡¯t. I need to hurry back. You guys can eat without me.¡± After saying that, he got up. Holding his stomach, he slowly walked out of the restaurant while groaning. Sophia smiled a little coldly. Then, she turned her head and nced at John. ¡°Does he have some sort of misunderstanding about us? Why is he so persistent?¡± Naturally, John had sensed that. Even so, he got up and moved over to the seat opposite her without saying anything. Lifting her gaze to stare at him, she asked, ¡°The woman who drugged you; was it that youngdy we met by the beach the other day?¡± He was stunned. For her to bring up this topic was beyond his expectations. Thus, he fell silent for a while before saying, ¡°Yeah.¡± Upon hearing that, she smiled and muttered to herself, ¡°I guessed right.¡± I could tell that that woman had something for John. A woman¡¯s judgment about another woman is still the most urate after all. When he said nothing, she continued, ¡°That woman was rather attractive. To be honest, you could have¡­¡± The rest of her sentence trailed off. Instead, she wiggled her brows at him, indicating her meaning. A frown began to form between his brows as he stared at her in response. On the other hand, she smiled. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re single anyway. Even if you did something, it¡¯s normal.¡± John frowned so deeply that the creases between his brows were as deep as a canyon. ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything for her.¡± How can I touch a woman I feel nothing for? Just thinking about touching a woman I don¡¯t have feelings for makes me ufortable. The dimples at the corners of Sophia¡¯s mouth appeared almost immediately as she said with a wicked smile, ¡°Then, do you have a thing for me?¡± Chapter 48 Chapter 48 John was clearly taken aback. Staring at Sophia, he didn¡¯t reply immediately. On the other hand, Sophia chuckled and said in a low voice, ¡°You won¡¯t touch a woman you have no feelings for. Then, when you did it with me before¡­¡± Wiggling her brows, she smiled. He studied her for a bit, thenughed mockingly. Leaning back against his seat, he crossed his legs, ankle over knee. ¡°You¡¯re different.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Her tone was light. ¡°How am I different?¡± He ced one hand on his thigh; he was tapping his finger subconsciously. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten used to your body, so I don¡¯t find it disgusting.¡± In other words, he¡¯s saying it doesn¡¯t matter whether or not he feels anything for me. Thus, she chuckled audibly and leaned forward, cing one elbow against the table and propping her chin on it. Then, she said with a sly look in her eyes, ¡°Then, what are you going to do in the future? You can¡¯t just¡­ continue beingfortable with my body, can you?¡± Some words, when spoken, coupled with an ambiguous tone, really gave off the vibe of a pretentious flirt. Even she felt so. Still, it was a nice feeling to have. Right now, everything she said and did was something she would never have dared to do previously. There were many rules in the Constance Family, especially when it came to her¡ªthere were even more rules specifically for her. Back then, she lived on tiptoes every single day for fear of making a mistake and embarrassing them. Now, there was no need for fear anymore¡ªthere was nobody who could shackle her down anymore. The look in his eyes became colder. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. There will always be somebody else in the future.¡± She stared him in the eyes for a long while before nodding in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right; you¡¯ll always have somebody else.¡± Mulling over something, she added, ¡°That¡¯s good; that¡¯s good.¡± Just then, the waiter brought their food andid it out on the table, one by one. To be honest, Sophia wasn¡¯t hungry nor did she have much of an appetite. However, John had added a nutritious soup to their order just now, and he pushed the soup toward her. She lowered her gaze. ¡°Thanks.¡± In response, he made a nonmittal grunt. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Frankly speaking, his attitude toward her right now was way better than how he used to treat her when they were still married. Back then, hepletely neglected and ignored her. At least he was more courteous now. Looking at the man who was sneakily snapping pictures of them, she noticed that the person secretly put his phone down while he was eating. Moreover, the camera was pointing directly in their direction. Thus, she wasn¡¯t sure whether he was taking pictures, or if he was recording them. She pondered it briefly, then scooped up a spoonful of soup. After blowing on it, she fed it to him. Caught off guard, he froze for a moment and looked at her. Thus, she smiled at him, and her expression was rather mischievous. ¡°People are watching. Drink it.¡± They had never been this intimate before. Putting John aside, even Sophia felt that it was quite unnatural. After a moment, he lowered his head to look at the spoonful of soup. Then, he drank it. His actions gave her a small sense of aplishment. Lowering her head, she continued eating. However, she suddenly said, ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s been a long time since west sat down and had a meal together, not counting the day we divorced.¡± John said nothing. Before the divorce, he had been extremely busy. With the passing of his grandpa, he had been so overwhelmed that he had no time for her. Afterward, when matters involving his grandpa were resolved, he became busy with thepany affairs again. Therefore, he knew that it had been a long time since he sat down with her for a proper meal. By the time everything was resolved and he had enough time to sit down with her, it was to discuss their divorce. Still, Sophia seemed like she didn¡¯t mind the past anymore. ¡°When I was younger, I used to dream about the person I would spend the rest of my life with. At the time, I wanted to marry somebody who could always keep mepany and stay with me. In the end, I married you. But, you¡¯re not that kind of person¡­¡± Taking a sip of the soup, she continued, ¡°Afterward, you suggested divorce. Then, I thought¡­ I thought¡­¡± She seemed to be thinking about something. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After a moment, her tone became more cheerful as she said, ¡°I thought¡­ springtime is finallying for me! Atst, I can live my own life and do what I want to do! I thought to myself: how awesome is that?!¡± Then, she giggled to herself. Chapter 49 Chapter 49 John ced his chopsticks down and looked at Sophia. His expression remained the same, almost as if whatever she just said didn¡¯t affect him emotionally at all. After she finishedughing to herself, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you upset after hearing the truth?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± he answered, without batting an eye. ¡°I¡¯m quite pleased that you think that way. Otherwise, I¡¯d feel sorry for having done you a disservice.¡± The smile on her face gradually disappeared, and she nced about her surroundings as if she didn¡¯t know how to react to his words nor how to continue the conversation. Studying the food in front of her¡ªshe barely ate anything¡ªhe asked, ¡°You¡¯re done? Are you full?¡± In response, she ced her spoon down. ¡°Yeah.¡± Thus, he called for the check. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the man, who had secretly been taking pictures of them, had put his phone away. To be honest, I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s the point of taking these photos. In the first ce, drugging their opponents was a low blow. Seeing as we didn¡¯t fall for their dirty trick, shouldn¡¯t they keep to more honest means? Why do they have to go so far and bring it out to the open? Don¡¯t they have any integrity? After John paid the bill, Sophia stood up first. Then, she walked over to him and hugged his arm. Lowering his gaze, he looked down at the hand on his arm. Two secondster, he squeezed her hand, then he moved her arm away and entwined his fingers with hers. She nearly broke out intoughter. Sometimes, John can be pretty shrewd. Holding hands, they walked out of the restaurant. As they passed by the man who was secretly snapping photos of them, Sophia used her other hand and lightly hit John on his shoulder. Her voice was slightly pouty and she pretended to be angry. ¡°Why did you have to anger me on the ne? The next time you do that, I¡¯m going to go out and seduce a young, handsome guy.¡± John seemed to smile. Then, he said in a neutral voice, ¡°You can try if you dare.¡± The warning in his voice wasn¡¯t heavy; his tone leaned more toward pampering. After that, they left the restaurant smilingly. Even after leaving the restaurant, she didn¡¯t let go of his hand. Rather, she held on even tighter, leaning her entire body against his arm. They didn¡¯t talk, but the smile on her face grew wider¡ªshe wanted to irritate and provoke him. Since he wants my help, he better not expect me to be obedient. In the past, I might have been easy-going and docile, but now, I have the divorce papers in my hand. Therefore, I¡¯m not afraid of anything, nor do I care. When the two of them entered the elevator, John finally spoke up, ¡°Can you let go yet?¡± Sophia lifted her head and looked at him. ¡°Huh? Let go? Why? Aren¡¯t we still outside? As long as we¡¯re outside, we¡¯re a couple. And, isn¡¯t it normal for couples to do this?¡± He pursed his lips. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he said nothing in the end. Then, they got out of the elevator. Their rooms were located in different directions. Standing outside the elevator, she finally let go of him and turned to head toward her room without hesitation. She even waved her hand at him while her back was facing him. ¡°President Constance, I¡¯m going back. Call me if you need me.¡± That arrogant look of hers made everything just now look like nothing more than an act. John studied Sophia¡¯s back for a long while before turning and returning to his room. Hisputer was still sitting on the desk, containing various documents that he had yet to read. However, he wasn¡¯t in the mood to look through them. Afterward, he went into the bathroom and took a shower. Then, he stood by the window, looking outside. It was very hot outside. Therefore, it was very quiet¡ªthere was nobody at the beach during this time. Later, Zack knocked on the door and came inside, then he said shiftily, ¡°Boss, have you finished discussing it with Sophia?¡± John thought about it. Judging by Sophia¡¯s attitude, she probably agreed to do it. Thus, he nodded slowly. ¡°I guess so.¡± Upon hearing that, Zack let out a long sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s great then. I like Sophia. Whenever I think of a different woman standing beside you, I-I¡­¡± When he met John¡¯s gaze, he couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. On the other hand, John asked expressionlessly. ¡°Why do you like Sophia so much? Which part of her is so great?¡± Zack pursed his lips and stared at John. Judging from John¡¯s expression, it didn¡¯t look like he was mocking him. Therefore, it was probably just simple curiosity. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. So, Zack answered, ¡°Sophia is easy to approach and has a good personality. More importantly, she¡¯s pretty.¡± John snorted, then turned to look at his phone. ¡°How shallow.¡± Chapter 50 Chapter 50 When Zack heard John¡¯s evaluation of him, he hurriedly followed up, saying, ¡°How am I being shallow? Most girls are very likable as long as they have these characteristics! If you don¡¯t look for these characteristics in a girl, then what do you look for?¡± Then, he added, ¡°To be honest, Sophia is a pretty nice person. Don¡¯t you find her very approachable?¡± John took out his phone and looked up a number. Then, he sent out a message. At the same time, he answered Zack, ¡°I don¡¯t. Is she?¡± Zack mulled over it for a moment, then he sat down beside John. ¡°Look; when Sophia walks by, how many guys attempt to strike up a conversation with her or flirt with her? You can¡¯t even tell from that?¡± John¡¯s hand paused for a moment and he nodded. That could be regarded as acquiescence to what Zack said. Wherever Sophia went, she was constantly hit on by guys. From when she was on the ne till she got to the hotel¡ªeven the singer at that bar hit on her. How they could be so attracted to somebody they just met was something he could never understand. Zack observed John¡¯s attitude. Then, he immediately continued talking, striking the iron while it was still hot. ¡°Well, it just means that you are the only one that finds her unappealing despite having her to yourself. If a person like Sophia was out there, people would fight over themselves to get her.¡± John chuckled audibly. ¡°How much did she give you for you to praise her so highly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m being honest! Look; why won¡¯t you believe me?¡± Zack looked extremely serious. Then, John lifted his head and looked at Zack, smiling and shaking his head without saying a word. When Zack saw that John didn¡¯t want to continue the conversation anymore, he pursed his lips and found it difficult to continue the conversation too. After John sent out his message, he put his phone down. Right now, he couldn¡¯t even bear to look at those documents anymore. Even so, it seemed like he had nothing else to do. ncing about, he said, ¡°We won¡¯t be able to work with the Infinity Group anymore. Check the flight tickets; let¡¯s go back.¡± Zack paused, staring at John. ¡°Are we just going to let Infinity Group off the hook? They yed us! If it wasn¡¯t for Sophia, you¡¯d have lost your reputation!¡± Turning around to look at Zack, John¡¯s expression became stern. Zack probably touched on a topic he didn¡¯t want to talk about. Thus, Zack hurriedly drew back and exined himself in a small voice, ¡°I was just being truthful! That woman was so ugly too! How can you not care?!¡± John replied somewhat ambiguously, ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Upon hearing what John said, Zack more or less understood what was going on. After all, he had worked with John for so many years now. Whenever John spoke in that manner, it meant he had already made up his mind.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Thus, Zack breathed out in relief and smiled. ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± After saying that, he seemed to realize something and looked toward John again. ¡°Still, we¡¯re already here! Are we going to go back without even doing some sight-seeing?¡± When they went out on business trips previously, they would asionally take the opportunity to go sight-seeing for a day or two. Now that they had arrived at such a nice ce, it would be a pity if they didn¡¯t stay to y for a bit. John frowned and seemed to consider what Zack said. Following that, he replied, ¡°Why don¡¯t we stay on for another two days before heading back?¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± Zack seemed jubnt. Standing up, he said, ¡°So, why don¡¯t we start rxing today?¡± After that, he continued without waiting for a response from John, ¡°There¡¯s a swimming pool on the third floor. Do you want to go and check it out? Since it¡¯s inconvenient to go outside right now, this ce shouldn¡¯t be a bad choice either.¡± Initially, John had no intention of going out. However, he turned around and looked around his room¡ªit didn¡¯t seem like there was anything for him to do in the room either. Thus, he nodded after considering it briefly. ¡°Okay.¡± Everything that was prepared in the room wasplete. Moreover, the swimsuits were brand-new too. Afterward, Zack went back to his room to take his swimsuit and brought John¡¯s swimsuit along with him while he was at it. Then, they went to the swimming pool. As it was too hot outside, there were more people at the swimming pool than usual. After John and Zack got changed, they went inside. At a nce, there were a lot of people there. Although the swimming pool wasrge and split into several smaller swimming pools, most of the swimming pools were filled with people. John wasn¡¯t a fan of crowded areas; he preferred quiet ces. Upon entering the ce, he stood by the door, ncing at each swimming pool. He only managed to look at a few before Zack leaned over and whispered, ¡°Boss, is there a problem with my eyes?¡± John looked at him. Then, Zack pointed in a direction. ¡°Look; that person standing over there. Isn¡¯t that Sophia?¡± Chapter 51 Chapter 51 John looked in the direction Zack was pointing. Sure enough, there stood a woman amongst the crowd. She had her hair tied up in a bun and wore a slightly suggestive swimsuit. Moreover, several guys were crowding around her. Although she had her back to John, he immediately recognized her. That¡¯s Sophia alright. I¡¯ve shared the same bed with her for such a long time, it¡¯d be weird if I couldn¡¯t recognize her by her figure. Thus, John studied Sophia intently. Despite being surrounded by men, she was cheerfully chatting away with a ss of juice in her hands. It was clear to see that she was feeling at ease among those men. Then, he nearlyughed. What Sophia said to me at the restaurant¡­ She meant everything she said. Right now, springtime hase for her, and she¡¯s going to live life the way she wants to. After observing her for a while, he nodded. ¡°I thought she was resting in her room.¡± Zack grinned. ¡°That Sophia sure is restless! How is she always relying on her good looks to flirt around?¡± John wasn¡¯t sure whether those words were meant as a rebuke or a backhandedpliment for Sophia. Mulling over it, he decided to walk over to her. At present, we remain a married couple to the public. Therefore, we need to make sure it looks convincing. After all, someone secretly took photos of us back at the restaurant. What¡¯s to say we aren¡¯t being watched now? Meanwhile, Sophia wasughing heartily. These guys were rather humorous, smooth, and witty. At first, she had been extremely bored back in her room. Thus, she came out to look for some fun and excitement. Looks like it was the right choice. Taking a sip of her juice, she smiled innocently. ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ve never been there before. To be honest, it¡¯s my first time here.¡± One of the guys beside her immediately said, ¡°Of course. Ie here for vacation every year. That spot is a must-go! If you¡¯re curious, I could bring you there.¡± ¡°Curious about what? Hmm?¡± Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind them. Immediately after that, Sophia felt somebody hugging her waist from behind. She didn¡¯t even need to turn around to see who it was; she could tell just from his voice alone. On the other hand, the men crowding around her were taken aback; they were frowning as they studied John. Thus, Sophia looked back at John, seemingly a little surprised. ¡°Weren¡¯t you asleep? Why are you here too?¡± John smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you anywhere after I woke up, so I asked Zack. He told me you were here, so I came looking for you.¡± Making a soft sound of acknowledgment, she slung one hand around his arm. ¡°I was feeling a little bored, so I came out to get some fresh air.¡± Even a fool would be able to tell what sort of rtionship they had from their conversation as well as their actions. Thus, the guys surrounding her looked a little forlorn. Thinking that they had met a single, youngdy, they were attempting to hook up with her. Unfortunately, it seemed like she was taken. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. John let his gaze sweep across the guys surrounding Sophia, then he pulled her away in another direction with his arms still around her waist. ¡°The next time you want toe to a ce like this, bring me along.¡± Sophia chuckled. Lifting the ss of juice in her hands to his lips, she asked, ¡°Do you want a sip?¡± Then, he lowered his gaze and yed along, taking a sip. ¡°It¡¯s too sweet.¡± Subsequently, she took a sip. ¡°I think it tastes great.¡± Then, she hugged him, practically leaning her entire body against him. I have to admit; she switches into character rather quickly. There were some tables and chairs in a corner not too far off. Thus, he took her there and sat down. As not many people were around that area, his expression returned to its usual impassive face. Looking her up and down, he said, ¡°We will probably hang around here for another two days before heading back. Do you have anywhere you want to visit?¡± She was surprised. Initially, she thought he would tell her off or warn her to let him know the next time she wanted toe to a ce like this. After all, they were in a partnership. I guess I was worried for nothing. Perhaps he really doesn¡¯t care about what I want to do. Thus, Sophia smiled. ¡°Hmm¡­ what to do¡­¡± Reaching her hand across the table, she touched John¡¯s hand. The tone of her voice was both ambiguous and seductive as she said, ¡°I¡¯m actually really good at ying.¡± Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Frankly speaking, Sophia didn¡¯t know what was fun around here either. Moreover, she wasn¡¯t the adventurous nor yful type. The only reason she came on this trip was that she wanted a change of pace and an escape from her problems. s, things had gradually progressed to this point before she knew it. Propping her chin on her hand, she leaned forward. ¡°I don¡¯t know what fun ces there are around here either. Why don¡¯t I search online on where to go sight-seeingter?¡± She spoke carelessly and casually as if she wasn¡¯t aware of how inappropriate it was for her to be sitting in that position. The swimsuit she had on was the more revealing type. Coupled with the fact that she was leaning forward, her chest area was not quite concealed. John cleared his throat slightly and shifted his gaze away. Although they had performed all sorts of intimate acts together in the past, he still wasn¡¯t used to looking at her. After all, they had always done those acts in the dark. Therefore, he had never seen her figure in detail before. When she saw him averting his gaze, she felt likeughing. However, she didn¡¯t change her posture. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to swim?¡± There might be a lot of people here, but most were congregated around the shallow areas. So, the areas where the water was deeper were rtively quiet. He turned his head to look at the deeper area. Originally, he came here to swim a fewps to rx. However, after meeting Sophia here, he gave up on that idea. This woman makes me uneasy. I can¡¯t help but feel that if I don¡¯t watch over her, she will do something outrageous. To be honest, I¡¯m not afraid of what she might do. But, I¡¯m in a precarious situation right now. I don¡¯t want her to bring any trouble to me. Still¡­ the posture that she¡¯s in right now¡­ it¡¯s revealing her figure¡­ Suddenly, he stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going for a swim. Pay more attention to yourself.¡± He might not have said what she should pay attention to, but they both understood what he meant. Thus, she made a nonmittal sound. Then, she watched as he headed to the swimming pool. Afterward, she slowly straightened her posture and leaned back against the chair. The chair was hard and it was ufortable to sit on. John entered the pool and slowly started doingps around it. From where Sophia was sitting, she could see a shadow of him in the swimming pool. After a while, she withdrew her gaze. She didn¡¯t know how to swim. The only reason she came here was to relieve herself of boredom. Now that John was here, she inexplicably felt even more bored than before. It feels like no matter how hard I try to seduce someone like John, it just doesn¡¯t work. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Thus, she remained where she was and sighed. Just then, Zack came over. He had been watching Sophia and John from elsewhere. Sitting in the seat John had vacated, Zack frowned. ¡°What were you talking about? Why did he abandon you here after only saying a few words?¡± Sophia leaned against the chair and adjusted her swimsuit, trying her best to cover herself up. ¡°Nothing much. Since he was already here, he decided to go for a swim.¡± Zack tutted several times. ¡°Seriously, I can¡¯t believe that man¡­¡± Sheughed, recalling what happened just now. ¡°Your boss mentioned that we¡¯d be here for another two days. And, he asked me if there was anywhere I wanted to go. I¡¯ve never been here before. Do you know where to go sight-seeing here?¡± He studied her for a moment, then he smiled all of a sudden. ¡°I do. Didn¡¯t we already go somewhere before? Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t very fun. This time around, it¡¯ll be different! You can bring your ex- husband with you to the Edge of the World! That ce is only meaningful when a couple goes there.¡± She looked him in the eye and didn¡¯t say anything for the time being. Thus, he became excited. ¡°I¡¯ll help the two of you take some photos at the Edge of the World. I heard that if a couple takes photos together there, your rtionship willst for a long time.¡± Finally, she couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you. Why are you so persistent when ites to John and me? To me, it¡¯s almost like you¡¯re a pimp!¡± He looked hurt. ¡°How could you word it that way? I just hope that the two of you will end up together! Mainly, it¡¯s because I think you both suit each other. Another reason is that I get along with you!¡± Then, Sophia understood. ¡°If somebody else appears next to John, are you afraid you won¡¯t be able to get along with her?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to get along with her.¡± Zack scratched his head. ¡°I just feel like¡­ compared to somebody else, I¡¯d prefer it if you were the boss¡¯ wife. It¡¯s that simple. Besides, I do believe your ex-husband cares about you¡­¡± Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Upon hearing Zacks¡¯ words, Sophiaughed out loud. ¡°When ites to stuff like this, it¡¯s not something you can control, nor is it something that will go the way you want it to. Therefore, your efforts are all in vain. So, I suggest you stop it.¡± Zack smacked his lips. ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m annoying?¡± It¡¯s not annoying per se. Still, it¡¯s ufortable when there¡¯s always somebody trying to stick their nose into my business. Thus, she waved her hand. ¡°Nope. Let me tell you this; the more you try to push us together, the more likely your ns will backfire on you.¡± In the first ce, John doesn¡¯t like me. So, if Zack keeps trying to put in a good word for me, it might just end up working by way of reverse psychology, and John will hate me even more. Still, Zack didn¡¯t quite understand that logic. However, when he saw Sophia speaking so knowledgeably about it, he couldn¡¯t refute her words. On the other side, John had finished swimming severalps around the swimming pool. Just as he was about to climb out of the pool, a youngdy approached him. Moreover, the swimsuit she wore was even more revealing than the one Sophia had on. She walked over and sat by the edge of the pool, dipping her legs into the water and paddling her legs back and forth. Thus, the ripples and sshes caused by her kicks traveled over to John. Then, John looked at her expressionlessly. On the other hand, the youngdy smiled. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, ¡°Are you here alone?¡± The youngdy was dry, and her face was fully made up. A single nce was enough to tell that she wasn¡¯t here to swim. Hence, he said nothing. Instead, he put some strength into his arms and climbed out of the water. Seeing that, the youngdy followed after him. As he was shaking the water off him, the youngdy said in a soft and gentle voice, right next to him, ¡°Why have I never seen you around here before?¡± Although his actions continued, he turned his head to look at her. The youngdy had a slender jaw,rge eyes, and a nice figure. Moreover, she was rather petite¡ªshe looked like she was shorter than Sophia. All of a sudden, he asked expressionlessly, ¡°Do I look like I came alone?¡± The youngdy was taken aback; she didn¡¯t seem to understand what he meant. Then, he added, ¡°Did you not see the ring on my finger?¡± At that moment, the youngdy lowered her gaze and looked toward his hands. Sure enough, he was wearing a wedding ring on his finger, Thus, she blushed, opening and closing her mouth but no words came out. John sneered, then he turned around and headed toward Sophia. Despite being divorced, he had never taken off his wedding ring. It wasn¡¯t as if he deliberately left it on either. It was more like he had forgotten about it. Or, perhaps he was just used to it. Rather, it could also be that the thought of taking off his wedding ring before his divorce was announced to the public had never entered his mind. Naturally, Sophia saw the entire spectacle going on around John. Ever since the youngdy approached him and sat down by the edge of the pool, she began to take notice. She smiled and looked at him with a teasing expression. The drink John ordered previously had been served. When he walked over, Zack hurriedly gave up his seat. Thus, John sat down and downed the juice in one gulp. Chuckling, Sophia said, ¡°That youngdy¡¯s expression changed rather drastically.¡± John lifted his gaze and nced at Sophia without saying anything. On the other hand, Zack was ring at Sophia from the side, indicating to her that the subject was taboo. Still, Sophia wasn¡¯t the type to be obedient. The only reason she held back and endured everything during her time with the Constance Family was that she was afraid of causing trouble for John. However, she didn¡¯t care anymore. Thus, she continued, ¡°She was such a pretty youngdy too. Seriously; how could you be so cruel to her?¡± Zack hissed, ¡°What are you saying? Boss is a man of principles! He¡¯s not somebody that anybody can just approach without reason!¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. She frowned and made a nonmittal sound in response. Then, she smiled and shook her head. ¡°Forget it; pretend I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± To be honest, Sophia wanted to ask, Did he never allow other women to approach him while he was entertaining clients in the past? In the past, John constantly had to entertain many clients. When men get together to socialize, it was the norm to take part in some form of sexual entertainment. Besides, getting youngdies to apany them while they were drinking was no big deal anyway. I don¡¯t believe John rejected all those women flocking to his side. That is simply impossible. Still¡­ it would have been fine to ask if it were back then. But now¡­ I think I¡¯ve lost the right to ask. Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Originally, Sophia wanted toe to the swimming pool to rx. However, now that John hade over, there was no way for her to rx anymore. Whenever she was faced with him, she just couldn¡¯t rx no matter what she did. Moreover, no matter how natural she pretended to be, she was constantly tense around him. Thus, she leaned back against the chair, feeling disappointed. ¡°Are you guys going to continue ying? If not, I want to go back.¡± Zack nced over at John. Then, John said expressionlessly, ¡°Sure.¡± He didn¡¯t like being flirted with. Therefore, when that woman approached him just now, it ruined his moodpletely. So, the three of them left despite staying only for a short while. Afterward, Sophia changed her clothes and waited by the entrance of the swimming pool for a while before John and Zack came out. Zack eyed Sophia out of the corner of his eye, but his words were directed toward John. ¡°Boss, let¡¯s go out to y tomorrow. I¡¯ve already thought of a ce to visit.¡± John didn¡¯t care, nor did he ask about where they were going. ¡°Okay.¡± Zack looked rather pleased and wiggled his brows at Sophia. However, Sophia ignored him. After that, they got into the elevator and went down, then waited to get out. Just then, Zack realized something. ¡°That¡¯s right. Sophia, please gather up your stuffter and move into the boss¡¯ room. I¡¯ll cancel that room of yours.¡± Sophia frowned. However, he continued before she could say anything, ¡°There are no married couples that sleep in separate rooms. That¡¯s just treating other people like fools! The Infinity Group might just be digging up any loopholes we have on our side.¡± In order to stop Sophia and John from saying anything, he continued, ¡°Even if they saw the surveince footage and know that the two of you were together that night¡­ if the two of you continue quarreling at this point, the Infinity Group will have a chance to create a rumor about our boss and that female employee having an ambiguous rtionship. That person¡­ If she wanted to be shameless, they could do anything!¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t willing to listen to his bullsh*t. Thus, she waved her hand and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough; I¡¯ll move into his roomter. Stop talking; it¡¯s not like I understand what you¡¯re saying anyway.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Then, she headed toward her own room. John frowned. However, he said nothing in objection. Instead, he turned around and walked toward his room. Zack stood on the spot, pursing his lips as he nced about. Then, heughed soundlessly. When Sophia returned to the room, she sat by the bed and nked out. She didn¡¯t have many items¡ª she couldn¡¯t even fill her tiny luggage bag. Thus, she didn¡¯t even know how to pack up. Sitting around like this for a bit, Zack knocked on her door, iming that he wanted to help her move her items. Opening the door, she pointed toward the luggage by the door. ¡°It¡¯s just that one.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Zack smiled and dragged the luggage outside. John was sitting in his chair, staring at theputer. When Sophia entered the room, he didn¡¯t even turn to look at her. Sophia nced at him and went straight into the bedroom. This room was simr to her room¡ªit only had a bed. She stared at it for a long while before walking out again. ¡°Where am I going to sleep tonight?¡± John and Zack were taken aback at the same time. That was certainly a problem. Now, they weren¡¯t a married couple anymore. Despite whatever passionate affairs that urred between them before, when it came down to it, it wasn¡¯t proper for them to share a bed anymore. Zackughed awkwardly and was unable to answer her. John mulled over it, then replied, ¡°You¡¯ll take the bed; I¡¯ll sleep on the sofa.¡± Sophia seemed to be satisfied with his decision. Thus, she nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll have to trouble you then, President Constance.¡± After saying that, she turned, walked into the bedroom, and changed into her pajamas. Sitting cross- legged on the bed, she lowered her head to stare at the bedsheet. John had a mild case of mysophobia. Therefore, the bedsheet was definitely newly-bought by Zack. After all, John would never sleep on any bedsheets provided by the hotel. This man is full of ws. She sat around for a while, then shey down on the bed. For some reason, she felt ufortable even though she didn¡¯t know which part of her body felt ufortable. Even so, she couldn¡¯t tell exactly what was wrong¡ªit was just an inexplicable sense of unease. Moreover, she wanted to go out to see what John was doing. At the same time, she felt that she shouldn¡¯t. Thus, these two ideas fought for precedence in her head, leaving her feeling very conflicted. Sophia didn¡¯t dare to close her eyes. Whenever she closed her eyes, the passionate affair between her and John from the other day shed across her eyes. Chapter 56 Chapter 56 After Sophia left the room, she went to the bar. Not many people were at the bar at this time, and that singer wasn¡¯t there either. Smacking her lips, she couldn¡¯t help finding her actions meaningless. Therefore, she turned around and headed outside the hotel; she thought of taking a walk by the beach. The doors of the hotel were wide open and many people were standing there talking. At first, Sophia was about to go out. She took two steps before stopping and turning back to look. There was arge nt by the side of the hotel entrance and beside the nt stood a woman. That woman was wearing a short skirt, and her legs were very fair. She was also wearing a spaghetti- strap top, and her breasts were practically out on disy. That woman was on the phone and failed to notice Sophia. Then, Sophia smiled. Wondering for a moment, she decided to walk over. ¡°Hi.¡± The woman was surprised and nced up at Sophia. However, she couldn¡¯t recognize Sophia immediately. Frowning, she said, ¡°Who¡ª¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Before she continued her sentence, her expression changed. Sophia smiled. It looks like she recognizes me. The woman quickly told the other party on the other side of the phone, ¡°Something just came up; I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡± After that, she ended the call. Sophia put on a harmless expression. ¡°We¡¯ve met.¡± The woman made a sound of agreement. ¡°We¡¯ve met; on the beachst time.¡± Sophia raised her brows. ¡°Why are you here alone? John isn¡¯ting out, so you won¡¯t be able to meet him even if you waited here.¡± The woman stood motionless as she stared at Sophia. Perhaps she wasn¡¯t very good at pretending, and that was why the wariness on her face was clear as day. Or perhaps, she knew Sophia¡¯s identity. Thus, there were some things she truly did not know how to ce into words. When Sophia saw that the woman wasn¡¯t answering, sheughed out loud. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did President McCaw not allow you to leave until you met your target? That¡¯s so inhumane of him!¡± The woman¡¯s expression changed. ¡°W-What are you saying? I don¡¯t understand; I¡¯m just waiting here for a friend.¡± Sophia snorted and said in a light voice, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop pretending. I feel tired just by looking at you. I¡¯ve seen my fair share of women like you. Despite knowing that the other party is a married man, you still try to seduce him. There were many before you, and I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be even more after you. Let me put it this way; your looks are below average among these women. It¡¯s only to be expected that John wouldn¡¯t be attracted to you at all.¡± Then, the woman blushed furiously. People were standing nearby, and Sophia¡¯s volume wasn¡¯t suppressed. Therefore, everybody around them could hear what she said clearly. Sophia couldn¡¯t care less as she continued, ¡°Tell me; the twopanies had agreed to a cooperation. Wouldn¡¯t it have been great if everybody had ced their focus on their work? However, yourpany had to send an employee like you to offer up your nightly services. Just what is wrong with your boss? Well, your brain isn¡¯t working all that great either. How could you agree to offer up your body just because your boss asked you to?! Why don¡¯t you ask your parents about what you did? If your parents knew you tried to seduce a married man and was rejected during your attempt¡­ You would be such an embarrassment to them!¡± Sheughed, but her expression was furious. ¡°I must say, miss, you don¡¯t need to continue waiting here any longer. Even if you wait here, nothing wille to fruition. Last time, you practically stripped right in front of his door. Even so, he didn¡¯t even open the door for you. Well, let me warn you; you better go back and be an honest person. Don¡¯t keep thinking about taking these crooked measures¡ªit won¡¯tst for long. Oh, that¡¯s right¡­¡± She continued, ¡°Go back and tell this to your boss: stop wasting your time. The cooperation between the twopanies will not bepleted. John isn¡¯t as merciful or easy- going as you seem to think. Whenever I make him mad, I can¡¯t even get out of bed for three days. If it¡¯s you guys, he will be even more ruthless.¡± Chapter 57 Chapter 57 After saying that, Sophia giggled, feelingpletely unashamed. On the other hand, that woman was leftpletely speechless by her words. Then, Sophia gave the woman a once over¡ªthe same way that woman sized her up disgustedly when they were by the beach. She even made sure to click her tongue several times and curl her lips in a sneer before turning around to leave. When her back was facing that woman, she snickered lightly. The people surrounding them had heard what she said just now and were fervently discussing it among themselves as they enjoyed the show, and Sophia heard it all. I finally got my revenge. This feeling is truly the best! Humming to herself, she slowly headed toward the beach. She walked along the beach on her own for a while before finding a rock to sit on. Many people were on the beach, but they were all in pairs. Although she felt a little lonely, she was in high spirits, especially when she thought about that woman who became speechless after listening to her. Thus, she couldn¡¯t helpughing out loud at the memory. This way of living where I don¡¯t need to hold back against whoever upsets me is sofortable. Compared to the life I lived before this¡­ I can¡¯t even call that living. In the past, she was constantly picked on while living with the Constance Family. Anytime they felt displeased or upset over something, they would take it out on her. To be honest, most of what they berated her for wasn¡¯t even reasonable. However, they lorded over her due to their seniority over her, as well as the fact that she didn¡¯te from a good family, and tormented her with all their might. Recalling those memories, the expression on her face gradually worsened. To put it bluntly, it was that a*shole¡¯s fault. If only John had stood up for me, I wouldn¡¯t have had to suffer so pitifully. Thus, she cursed at him quietly under her breath. She sat there for a while longer, then she returned to the hotel and headed over to the bar. However, that singer was still nowhere to be found. After that, she drank a cup of water, nibbled on some fruits, and returned to the room after noticing that it was almost time for her to return. When Sophia walked into the room, she did not see John anywhere. Initially, she thought that he had gone out too. However, as soon as she walked into the bedroom, she was shocked. The room had an attached bathroom, and the bathroom was made of frosted ss. More importantly, somebody was clearly inside the bathroom. Besides, she could hear the sound of running watering from the shower. Thus, she pursed her lips and was about to leave the bedroom. Even so, she had only taken a step before she paused in her tracks. Swaggering over to the bed, she sat down, took out her phone, and began to y games on it. On the other hand, John had not heard any of the noisesing from outside. After finishing his shower, he walked out of the bathroom while drying his hair. However, he stopped dead in his tracks after taking no more than two steps out of the bathroom. Sophia was sitting cross-legged on the bed, happily ying games on her phone. Moreover, she wasn¡¯t wearing a bra¡ªall she had on was a spaghetti-strap nightgown. With her head slightly lowered, her chest area was almost entirely exposed. Two seconds passed before she seemed to notice his presence. Thus, she quickly adjusted her nightgown. Even so, the look in her eyes was calm as she gazed at him. ¡°Are you done? If you¡¯re done, please get out of here.¡± Reflexively, John lowered his head and looked down at himself. Fortunately, he had wrapped a towel around his waist, so he wasn¡¯t buck naked in front of her. Still, she turned away. With her back facing him, she said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going out? I¡¯m about to go to bed.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. She was clearly being defensive. He stared at her back, studying her. Then, he turned around and went back into the bathroom to retrieve the clothes he wore earlier. After that, he made a beeline toward the door. When he went out, he mmed the door behind him a little forcefully as if he was slightly upset over something. Sophia pressed her lips tightly together, grinning as she leisurely continued her game. After several seconds, she heard John¡¯s voice on the phone. From what she heard, it seemed like he was asking Zack to change their room to arger room. Thus, she nearly burst outughing. Even if it¡¯s arger room, it will still be a double room. And, most double rooms are meant for couples, which also means that theye with a single bathroom and restroom. If so, what¡¯s the point of changing rooms? John is being silly. She didn¡¯t know what Zack said on the other side of the phone, but John hung up suddenly. Then, she whistled happily. Today is turning out to be a perfect day. It was still lively outside. She continued ying two more rounds of her game, then listened to the sounds in the living room¡ªit was quiet. Thus, she closed the window andy down to sleep. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Staring at the dark ceiling above her, the corners of her lips slowly lifted. She didn¡¯t know why she was feeling happy, but she certainly felt over the moon. Then, Sophia felt about in the dark for her phone. Once she found it, she opened up her Facebook. She didn¡¯t have many friends, and there weren¡¯t many contacts on her Facebook either. After that, she posted a short sentence: ¡®The game is just beginning¡ªI can¡¯t wait.¡¯ Chapter 58 Chapter 58 The next day, Sophia was woken up by a knock on the door. It wasn¡¯ting from the door outside, but from the door to the bedroom. Thus, she drowsily opened her eyes. Before her mind cleared, she asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± Then, John replied rather speechlessly, ¡°Who else could it be?¡± She grunted in reply. ¡°What do you want?¡± In response, he said, ¡°Can youe out for a bit? I need to use the restroom.¡± However, she simply rolled over and hugged the nkets to her. ¡°Come in then.¡± After waiting by the door for a while, he finally pushed the door open and entered the bedroom. Neatly dressed in his pajamas, he stood by the door and studied her. Then, he said in a t voice, ¡°Please come out for a moment. I need to use the restroom. I¡¯ll be quick.¡± She replied without opening her eyes, ¡°As long as you¡¯re not using the bed, you can do as you please. I¡¯m going back to sleep.¡± Still, he didn¡¯t move and just stood there motionlessly. To be honest, she knew what he wanted, but she kept her eyes closed, and her heart leaped with joy. He waited and waited. In the end, he walked in. She thought he was going to rush directly into the restroom. On the contrary, he came over to the bed. First, he pulled the nkets and wrapped her up in them. Then, he picked her up. Shrieking in surprise, she opened her eyes to re at him. He carried her out of the bedroom in a few strides. Reaching the sofa, he unceremoniously dumped her on it. After that, he expressionlessly returned to the bedroom and locked the door behind him. Sophia struggled a little and sat up on the sofa. Her hair waspletely disheveled. As she stared at the bedroom door, she suddenly smiled. Looks like John desperately needs to use the toilet. She mulled over it for a bit, then hugged the nkets to her andy back down on the sofa. Closing her eyes, she continued sleeping. It took a long time before John came back out. He had taken the chance to wash up and brush his teeth while he was in the restroom. When he came out, he saw that Sophia had fallen asleep on the sofa. He pondered for a moment, then returned to the room. He saw her gastric medicine sitting on the bedside table¡ªit was a whole bagful of them. Moreover, it looked like it had barely been touched. Shifting his gaze away, he stood next to the window. The early morning breeze was very cool, and it blew away all the frustrations building up inside him. For some reason, a ball of impatience and restlessness had been stuck in his chest sincest night. After standing there for a while, a knock sounded from the outside. He didn¡¯t even need to ask to know who it was. Thus, John walked out, intending to open the door for Zack. However, when he reached the door, he turned back. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Sophia had always had a bad sleeping posture. Right now, she was hugging the nket to her, and her nightgown had slid up over her thighs. Therefore, he walked over, pulled the nket out of her grip, and covered her with it. After that, he checked her over and determined that it was appropriate before he opened the door for Zack. As soon as Zack came in, he anxiously said, ¡°Hurry up! I¡¯ve already rented a car. Today, we¡¯re going out sightseeing¡ª¡± When he saw Sophia, who was lying on the sofa, he paused abruptly, and his gaze wandered. John frowned. ¡°Wait a little longer.¡± Then, he went over and stood by the sofa and nudged at Sophia. ¡°Wake up.¡± Sophia was sleeping deeply. At his nudging, she groaned slightly and rolled over. He blocked her from rolling over. ¡°Do you want to go out sightseeing today?¡± After a few seconds, she squinted up at him. His face was impassive. ¡°Go inside, wash up, and get changed. Hurry up.¡± Sophia sat up, then noticed Zack standing there. Thus, she held the nkets up around her, trying to cover herself up as best as she could. Even so, it was obvious that she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. While walking toward the bedroom, she muttered, ¡°You carried me out here and had your way with me so early in the morning. So, why didn¡¯t you have the courtesy to carry me back inside after you finished?¡± On the other hand, Zack stood to the side, trembling and not daring to meet anybody in the eye. What were those dangerous-sounding words? Can I pretend I didn¡¯t hear anything? After that, she walked into the room. Taking her own sweet time, she went into the bathroom to freshen up and take a shower. By the time she came back out, she was awake. On the contrary, Zack nearly fell asleep waiting. John was staring at his phone. When he saw here out, he stood up and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to bring your medicine.¡± Sophia blinked. ¡°Oh. If you didn¡¯t remind me, I¡¯d have forgotten them.¡± Then, she turned back, went into the room, and took her gastric medicine with her. At the same time, Zack stood up and pressed his lips together. ¡°This woman¡­ How will she survive alone? It¡¯s so worrying.¡± John stared after Sophia¡¯s back and narrowed his eyes. Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Zack had rented a car. Bringing John and Sophia with him, he headed to the Edge of the World. It was a road Sophia was familiar with. Throughout the entire journey, neither she nor John said a word. She was simply not fully awake yet while he was innately a man of little words. Although Zack tried to mediate the tension between them, he found his efforts to be in vain. So, he gave up. As they had left the hotel rtivelyte, a lot of people were already at the scenic location by the time they arrived. Upon arriving, Zack went to buy their entry tickets. He was rather well-prepared, handing John and Sophia each a cap. It was getting hot as the sun slowly began to ze brightly above their heads. While Sophia and John stood where they were and waited for Zack, they remained quiet. Frankly speaking, most of the time they spent together in the past had been spent in silence too. Therefore, the silence didn¡¯t feel awkward. Most of the visitors visiting this tourist spot were couples. Hence, everybody seemed to be walking about with their arm around their partner, chatting andughing away. As Sophia watched the couples passing by, her expression unknowingly became envious. Perhaps, it was because the contrast between those couples and her situation was like night and day. On the other hand, John didn¡¯t seem to be the least bit affected. He was looking in Zack¡¯s direction with a somewhat impatient expression. She continued watching the couples around her as they either went to buy their entry tickets or enter the tourist spot. At the same time, she pressed her lips together. After a while, Zack returned with the tickets, and they entered the tourist area. However, they didn¡¯t head directly toward the two rocks the Edge of the World was famous for. Instead, they walked about inside and looked around the mall. Pointing at the Star of the Edge of the World located in the middle of the mall, Zack said, ¡°Oh, hey! why don¡¯t the two of you take a picture with that! It¡¯ll look so good!¡± However, John and Sophia simultaneously looked at him with an unhappy expression. He had already taken his camera out. Taking one look at their faces, he sadly put the camera away again. Sophia had been here previously. Therefore, she had already seen the sights. Moreover, Trevor had given her a great tour of the ce at the time. Back then, Trevor kept trying to take pictures with her, and Zack had helped her reject his advances. Sophia had no interest in taking pictures with a stranger; it made her feel rather strange. Still, being with John this time around didn¡¯t make her feel like taking pictures either. Mainly, it was because she could tell that John was unwilling to do so. After the three of them walked about inside for a while, John couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we were supposed to go to the Edge of the World? Let¡¯s hurry up and go then. Once noon rolls around, the sunlight will be too brutal. It will be unbearable.¡± Zack nced at Sophia and stammered slightly, ¡°Okay, sure. Why don¡¯t we head over there?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t care; she wasn¡¯t enthusiastic about the trip anyway. To be honest, she was a little astonished. In the past, she used to dream about going on a vacation with John and having fun together. Now, that dream was fulfilled. Unfortunately, she no longer felt any joy in it. Perhaps I¡¯ve been waiting for so long that I no longer have any expectations. Afterward, the three of them headed to the Edge of the World. There were other rocks located around the area too, and many people were taking photos with them. Thest time Sophia came, she had taken pictures there too, butpared to the mood she had then, her current mood was worse. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. John scowled as he stared at the two rocks. It was surrounded by a lot of people. Then, he stood with his arms crossed before his chest, refusing to go over. Thus, Zack waited for their turn. When he saw the people taking photos finishing up and walking away, he hurriedly pushed Sophia forward. ¡°Hurry, hurry! I¡¯ll take your picture for you.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t shy away. Instead, she walked over without hesitation. Zack held the camera up and made several poses before clicking his tongue, saying, ¡°It¡¯s too empty. The sides are too empty! Hey, boss! Will you stand over to this side? I¡¯ll take a look.¡± How could John not know what Zack was up to? Considering it briefly, he decided to go over to stand with Sophia on both sides of the rocks. Then, Zack brightened up happily and took several photos of them in that pose. After that, he said to both of them, ¡°Give me a smile! Why are you making such gloomy expressions?¡± Thus, Sophia gave a half-hearted smile. John wasn¡¯t the type to smile. So, he simply looked at Zack. ¡°Hurry up and get it on with. A lot of people are waiting.¡± Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Zack hurriedly took several more pictures of them. He knew that it was very rare for both John and Sophia to y along so amicably. Therefore, he nervously took several shots as quickly as he could. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. After that, the three of them moved over to the rocks by the side. They had already taken photos with the ¡®End of the Earth¡¯ and the ¡®Cape¡¯¡ªthe two famous rocks at the Edge of the World. Although there were other rtively famous scenic rocks nearby, Zack didn¡¯t dare to make any more requests. Zack knew John¡¯s temper all too well¡ªJohn was barely tolerating him. In fact, John had probably been holding in his temper ever since he came out on this trip and saw that he was seated next to Sophia on the ne. Therefore, Zack was terribly afraid of saying the wrong thing and provoking his boss¡¯ temper. After strolling on the beach for a while, Sophia mentioned that she was hungry. To be honest, she wasn¡¯t even sure whether she was actually hungry. Due to her gastric problems, she tended to get sudden hunger pangs. ording to the doctor, it was normal. Once she finished her medicine and cured her gastric problems, that feeling would go away on its own. Zack had brought along some snacks with him when they left in the morning. However, Sophia had barely eaten while they were in the car. So, it was natural that she was hungry now. Besides, John clearly didn¡¯t want to continue wasting time here. Thus, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go out to find somece to eat.¡± Zack grinned. ¡°We¡¯ve only been here for less than an hour. How can the two of you not consider how precious money is?¡± In response, Sophia sneered, ¡°I have a lot of money. Back then, your boss was very generous to me. So, this small amount of pocket change won¡¯t faze me.¡± On the other hand, John headed directly to the exit without saying anything. Then, Zack hissed, ¡°Fine; you guys are the bosses anyway. Whatever you say.¡± Therefore, the three of them went inside and came back out again, all within an hour. Outside the tourist area, many seafood restaurants were located nearby¡ªone could find seafood almost anywhere in this area. Sophia nced about her, then stopped at the entrance of a shop that looked more like a food stall. ¡°This ce has the most delicious scent.¡± The owner of the ce was pretty good at attracting customers. When he saw Sophiaing over, he quickly weed them. ¡°What a beautiful youngdy. Come,e;e inside and ce your orders.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Boss, you have such a silver tongue. Your business must be booming!¡± However, the owner replied seriously, ¡°The main reason is that you are gorgeous. That¡¯s why I praised you. If you weren¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it with a clean conscience. It¡¯s important for people like us, who do business, to act with a conscience. So, I praised you because you¡¯re worth praising.¡± The owner of this restaurant sure is eloquent. Thus, she nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll eat here just because of that attitude of yours.¡± After that, she went over to the seafood area and began picking out what she wanted. Some were made into sashimi, some were steamed, and some were grilled. Sophia ordered many items, acting like a nouveau riche. Zack went over to order too. However, he immediately returned to his seat after seeing how many things she ordered. John was sitting with his head lowered, staring at his phone. Just then, he received a message. Meanwhile, Zack leaned over. He didn¡¯t try to see the contents on John¡¯s phone. Instead, he whispered to John, ¡°I guess you did give her a lot of money back then.¡± That woman is practically ordering every single living thing at the seafood area of this restaurant. Then, John turned to look at Sophia. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with a woman treating herself to something nice.¡± Zack frowned. ¡°You¡¯re talking as if you¡­¡± Luckily, his brain caught up with his words quickly, and he hurriedly stopped himself from finishing his sentence. Instead, he turned to look at Sophia and changed the topic. ¡°Sophia, don¡¯t order too much! It¡¯ll be a waste if you can¡¯t finish everything!¡± However, Sophia ignored him. On the other hand, John continued studying the contents on his phone. At the same time, Zack secretly breathed out a sigh of relief. He nearly had a slip of the tongue just now¡ªwhat he was about to say was: ¡®you¡¯re talking as if you have a conscience.¡¯ After all, John was the one that suggested the divorce. Despite knowing that Sophia had no family of her own, he still did something like that to her. No matter how much money he gave her, it couldn¡¯t cover the fact that he had no conscience whatsoever. After Sophia added some raw oysters to her order, she finally returned to the table. John was sending out messages. Unexpectedly, he had a rare smile on this face. ncing at him, Sophia made a face. This man has never been so happy when he was with me. Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Zack was considerably quick to catch on. As soon as he saw the expression Sophia was making, he immediately understood what was going through her mind. Thus, he nced at John and said in a serious tone, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Boss? Is there something going on with work? We are on vacation, yet you¡¯re still working. You sure have it hard.¡± John turned his head to look at Zack. After that, he put away his phone. However, he didn¡¯t answer the question. Therefore, Sophia couldn¡¯t help feeling that the person who sent the message was a woman. Still, the fact that John was messaging somebody was a surprise to her. He generally advocated efficiency. So, he considered sending messages to be a time-consuming andborious method of communication. However, sheter realized that perhaps some people had different habits when facing different people. When faced with certain people, he might consider messaging to be a waste of time. On the other hand, he might not consider it to be a waste of time when dealing with other people. Leaning against her chair, she smiled to herself. As for Zack, he licked his back teeth and said nothing more. They waited for a long time for their food toe but none of them said a word. The current atmosphere was simr to when they were in the car. Drinking some water, John lifted his gaze to look at Sophia. Then, he seemed to recall something and said, ¡°Take your medicine.¡± Some of Sophia¡¯s medicine were to be taken before meals. Thus, she was momentarily taken aback before making a nonmittal sound in reply. She rarely remembered stuff like these. Slowly opening up her bag, she took out several types of medicine, then several pills of each type. Zack drew in a quick breath. ¡°You have to take these many just before meals?¡± She nodded. ¡°Yup, I¡¯ll be full by the time I¡¯m done with these.¡± However, John simply studied her medicine quietly. On the other hand, she swallowed her pills easily. She ced them all in her mouth and swallowed them in one go with some water. After finishing her medicine, she took a deep breath and nced over at the kitchen. Surprisingly, John spoke up right then. ¡°How long have you been having gastric problems?¡± Sophia was stunned and nced over at him. ¡°At least ten years now.¡± When she first suffered from gastric problems, she wasn¡¯t even an adult yet. The man nodded but didn¡¯t say anything else. After all, he knew all about Sophia¡¯s family background. When his grandpa first asked him to marry Sophia, his grandpa had made everything clear. To be honest, even if his grandpa had not said anything, the Constance Family would have investigated Sophia¡¯s entire background. Finally, the owner served up the sashimi. Then, Sophia swallowed her drool. Seeing this, John frowned. Still, he could tell that she was salivating over the food. Thus, he simply said, ¡°Don¡¯t eat too much.¡± Sophia swept her gaze over him and did not respond. However, Zack smiled and said, ¡°Boss is just worried about you. He¡¯s afraid¡­¡± When John calmly turned his gaze on Zack, thetter immediately fell silent, leaving his sentence trailing. Once they started eating, there was no need to bother about whether or not the atmosphere was awkward. Thus, Sophia focused on eating. On the contrary, Zack would asionally discuss some company affairs with John. He mainly asked about how the matter involving the Infinity Group would be handled. He had already bought their return tickets for the day after tomorrow. Hence, he couldn¡¯t just leave without knowing anything. No matter how he thought about it, he found it very hard to stomach the underhanded methods the Infinity Group had used this time around. However, John replied without looking at Zack, ¡°You¡¯ll know when the timees.¡± In terms of giving an answer, the words he uttered were no better than if he had remained silent. As such, Zack became slightly upset and used a little more force than necessary when wielding his chopsticks. Suddenly, Sophia remembered something. ¡°By the way, I saw the woman who drugged youst night. She came to meet you.¡± Upon hearing that, both John and Zack were taken aback. Thus, Zack turned to look at John. ¡°She came to visit you again?¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. John frowned in response. ¡°Nope.¡± Then, Sophia said, ¡°I chased her away. Since I happened to notice herst night, I gave her a piece of my mind. She was so badly chastised that her face was flushed and pale at the same time.¡± Taking the time to nce at John, she continued, ¡°It seems like she was sent over by President McCaw. I wonder what he meant by doing that.¡± Chapter 62 Chapter 62 When John heard what Sophia said, he smiled slightly. ¡°He¡¯s probably getting nervous.¡± Zack didn¡¯t know what was going on. ¡°That McCaw guy is getting nervous? Boss, what did you do? Why is he getting nervous?¡± However, he leisurely answered, ¡°I¡¯ve told you. You¡¯ll find out when the timees.¡± Thus, Zack secretly curled his lips derisively. On the other hand, Sophia did not say anything else. The dishes were served up quickly. It was clear to see that she had over-ordered. Moreover, the owner was afraid that they would cancel their orders, so he quickly served all the dishes they ordered. The three of them looked like they were eating with all their might. Even so, there were still a lot of leftovers in the end. Sophia hailed the owner, ¡°Here; please wrap these up.¡± The hotel had a refrigerator. Therefore, they could keep it in the fridge once they returned. Afterward, the owner came over to hand them their packed-up food with a smile. Moreover, he gave them a small discount while they were paying, iming that it was because Sophia was so good- looking. Sophia was happy too as she made some polite small talk with him. s, everything was settled. Wiping her mouth, she prepared to leave. However, John looked at her and said, ¡°Take your medicine.¡± She reflexively stopped and looked at him. On the other hand, he didn¡¯t look at her. He simply stood by the door and looked elsewhere. Then, sheughed softly and took out her medicine. The medicine she had to take after her meals were even more than those she had to take before her meals. Moreover, they were numerous and tiny. Just looking at it filled her mouth with a bitter aftertaste. Even so, she didn¡¯t hesitate to down them all in several gulps. Then, she packed up her items. ¡°Now, we can leave, right?¡± He didn¡¯t even bother to spare her a nce as he walked out. Later, they took a taxi back to the hotel. It was only noon when they returned. Sophia was covered in sweat and she couldn¡¯t stand the feeling. Thus, she hurried into the bathroom to take a shower. However, she heard the sound of the door opening while she was taking her shower. It must be John. Truthfully, nothing could be seen through the frosted ss. Still, she smiled wickedly. Sure enough, the sound of the door closing immediately followed the sound of it opening before. John had entered, then immediately went out again. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. After that, she leisurely took her time finishing her shower and went out with a towel wrapped around her. She didn¡¯t even bother to dry her hair. Instead, she stood by the window and looked outside. With the sea breeze blowing in through the window, it wouldn¡¯t take long for her hair to dry even without blow-drying it. She stood by the window. A whileter, the door opened again and John came in. He first nced toward the bathroom before ncing in another direction. Then, Sophia turned to look at John. ¡°You¡¯re here to use the bathroom again.¡± In return, John scowled. ¡°Can you dress more decently?¡± Sheughed. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®decently¡¯? Despite how I look, I¡¯m covering what needs to be covered up!¡± He had never been willing to argue with her. If he was reluctant before, he was even more so after their divorce. Thus, he said, ¡°I need to use the room. Please get out.¡± Chuckling, she turned around and walked out. Before she could take more than two steps, he said again, ¡°Dress appropriately.¡± Then, she became a little speechless. ¡°What now? Just use the room; why do you need to care about what I do?¡± Turning his head to look at her, he replied, ¡°Zack ising overter.¡± Hence, she became irritated. Even so, she went back and grabbed her clothes before turning to leave. As usual, John locked the door behind him, acting as if he was afraid she might peek on him. Sophia changed into her clothes in the living room. After mulling over it for a while, she opened the door and left the room. It was mid-afternoon, so there weren¡¯t many people roaming outside. She headed to the beach aimlessly; she simply wanted to take a stroll. After strolling about for a while, she unexpectedly saw somebody familiar. Thus, she hurriedly ran over. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re here!¡± It was the singer who was singing at the bar the other day. That singer was sitting on the reef, holding his guitar as he tested his vocals. When he saw Sophia, he smiled too. ¡°Why are you here at this hour? Isn¡¯t it too hot?¡± She went over and sat down beside him. ¡°Then, why are you here at this hour?¡± Laughing, he replied, ¡°I wanted to listen to the sea. I might get some inspiration from it.¡± She couldn¡¯t understand these artistic types. After all, she was amon person who only loved money. Besides, she only came out at a time like this so that she didn¡¯t need to spend more time with John. Hugging her legs, she said, ¡°Well then, go ahead and look for your inspiration. I¡¯ll just sit here without getting in your way.¡± Therefore, the singer smiled and continued strumming on his guitar. It was mid-afternoon. Despite the sea breeze, it was still rather hot to be sitting there. Soon, Sophia couldn¡¯t stand the heat anymore. It was making her light-headed. Therefore, she stood up. ¡°Mr. Artist, I think I need to go. If I sit here any longer, I¡¯m going to get a heatstroke.¡± Chapter 63 Chapter 63 The singer lifted his head and looked up at the sky. ¡°I¡¯m sorry; I forgot about the weather.¡± Putting his guitar away, he continued, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Why don¡¯t we return together? I¡¯ll treat you to a drink.¡± Sophia raised her brows at him. ¡°Sure.¡± Then, the two of them walked and chatted about some of the ces the singer had been to before. Sophia knew very little about the outside world. Therefore, she was extremely curious about that. While they were talking, they arrived at the entrance of the hotel¡¯s little bar. At this hour, the bar wasn¡¯t open yet. However, the singer was a familiar face there. Thus, he naturally had special privileges. Then, he brought her inside with him. The bartender was cleaning out his bartending equipment at the time. When he saw the singering inside with Sophia, his mind wandered into the gutter. Thus, he greeted the singer, ¡°Come on over! What do you want to drink? It¡¯s my treat.¡± Sophia had only seen bartending in TV dramas, so she was rather interested in it. Leaning across the bar, she smiled widely. ¡°Give me something you¡¯re good at; something with some difficulty.¡± The bartender smiled and began preparing a drink on the spot. When John came out of the room, he didn¡¯t see Sophia anywhere. Thus, he was slightly astonished. However, he also knew that with her current temperament, there was no way she would stay in the room obediently. Sometimes, he couldn¡¯t understand. Sophia has changed so much. Was that woman in the past a fake version of her? Or, is the current her the fake one? Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Picking up hisputer, he went into the room to look through his documents. However, he began feeling irritated not long after he started and was unable to continue reading them. Looking at the time, he realized that it had not even been 20 minutes. He suppressed his irritation then looked at the clock again. In the end, he couldn¡¯t stand staring at his documents anymore. So, he closed hisputer. Just then, a knock sounded from the outside¡ªit was Zack. He imed that the seafood they brought back was not suitable to be kept in the refrigerator. Things like seafood should be eaten fresh. If it were kept in the refrigerator for too long, it would give them food poisoning. John had not even thought about these things; he even needed Zack to notify him about it. Then, John lost it at that moment. ¡°If it¡¯s spoiled, throw it away! Is that so hard to decide?¡± Zack pressed his lips together. He could tell that John was in a terrible mood right now. So, his voice lowered, ¡°What I meant is¡­ we couldn¡¯t let loose outside. But, we¡¯re at the hotel now. Why don¡¯t we drink a little and finish off the food? Sophia ordered these. I don¡¯t know if throwing it away will upset her.¡± John red at Zack for a long while¡ªso much so that Zack thought John was about to say something harsh again. To his surprise, he nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± After saying that, John blew out his breath. They had stayed for an extra two days. However, he couldn¡¯t get his emotions under control. Thus, he couldn¡¯t help feeling that this trip had gone wrong since the beginning. Every part of the trip felt off to him¡ªit was a strange entrapping feeling that made him extremely ufortable. When Zack saw John loosening up slightly, he hurriedly said, ¡°There¡¯s a small bar at the hotel. Why don¡¯t we go and check it out?¡± At first, John was only going to ask room service to deliver alcohol to their room. However, he considered it briefly and nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll be good to have a change of pace.¡± Thus, they brought their phones with them and left the room. When they arrived at the entrance to the bar, John saw Sophia standing by the bar before he even entered the ce. Sophia wasughing away happily. Leaning against the bar, she was watching the bartender mixing some drinks with an expression of amazement. That¡¯s why they say people who have never seen much of the world were easy to deceive. All it takes is some bartender mixing drinks for her to reveal an expression like that. John crossed his arms and stared at Sophia¡¯s profile with some interest. On the other hand, Zack clicked his tongue several times before saying in a low voice, ¡°Look at that ex- wife of yours! She¡¯s so popr! Those two men are obviously trying to please her!¡± John didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he watched Sophia smile so widely that her eyes were no more than slits¡ª she looked very happy. Perhaps, the her in the past had been part of her. Simrly, the current her was also part of her. Both versions of her were the real her¡ªit was just that her identity had changed. A long while passed before he went inside. When the bartender saw peopleing in, he hurriedly spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, gentlemen. We¡¯re not open for business yet.¡± Sophia turned around to look too. When she saw that it was John and Zack, she was very surprised. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Zack pursed his lips and said nothing. Meanwhile, John walked straight up to the bar and said, ¡°You made her a drink. Why don¡¯t you prepare two for me?¡± There was indeed a cocktail sitting in front of Sophia¡ªit was pink and looked very feminine. Sophia took a sip. The taste was rather mild but it wasn¡¯t bad. Then, she turned to look at John. ¡°Are you drinking? You rarely drink during the day.¡± Following that, John turned and studied Sophia for a moment before saying in a neutral voice, ¡°In the past, I didn¡¯t know you were such a flirt either!¡± Chapter 64 Chapter 64 John¡¯s tone was neither light nor heavy. However, it gave Sophia a vague feeling that he wasn¡¯t happy. Thus, Sophia raised her brows and said nothing. Meanwhile, the bartender nced at the singer, then nced at John. He seemed rather confused. At first, he thought Sophia was the singer¡¯s girlfriend. But, looking at it now, it seemed like the woman also had a pretty close rtionship with the man beside her. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. The singer looked calm. ¡°Why don¡¯t you make them a drink? It¡¯s not like you have anything going on right now anyway.¡± The singer knew John. Thest time he met Sophia by the beach, John had dragged her away on the spot. Still, Sophia mentioned that she was divorced. So, the singer observed John with a smile. Seeing as the singer had already said that, the bartender naturally nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay.¡± Afterward, John ordered two drinks. The two names he mentioned were not something Sophia had ever heard of before. Ghost in the Graveyard? What¡¯s that? The bartender was rather professional. He prepared his ingredients and began mixing the drinks. Sophia was still leaning across the bar, watching as the bartender did various tricks while making the drinks. Then, Zack leaned over and whispered to her, ¡°I thought you were sleeping in the room. When did you come out?¡± She swept a nce at him. ¡°A long time ago.¡± After a few moments, Zack suddenly roared withughter and spoke in a louder voice, ¡°I say; you don¡¯t have to do this just because the two of you were in a fight, right? How can you visit a bar? Sophia, just you wait. You¡¯ll face the music from your husband when you get back.¡± Sophia said nothing; her actions and expression didn¡¯t change either. On the other hand, the bartender jumped in shock. First, he stared at Sophia. Then, he stared at the singer with a look of shock. What? She¡¯s married? The singer leaned against the bar and smilingly said, ¡°Stop staring. Hurry up and finish the drinks.¡± The bartender was still very confused. Even so, he swiftly finished preparing the two drinks and handed them over. John picked up his ss and took a small sip. Imitating him, Zack did the same. After that, Sophia looked at Zack. ¡°Well? How does it taste?¡± Zack was not experienced in these kinds of things. So, he could only nod when he met her curious gaze. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Sophiaughed and replied shamelessly, ¡°I can tell you don¡¯t know any more than I do about those drinks! You can¡¯t even evaluate it even if you wanted to!¡± After saying that, she chuckled to herself. On the other hand, John ignored them. After taking a sip, he found the taste to be eptable. Thus, he finished the drink in several gulps. ¡°It¡¯s professional.¡± That was his evaluation of the drink. Then, he took out his wallet, paid for the drinks, and said to Zack, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zack wasn¡¯t done with his drink. Upon hearing those words, he quickly downed it in one shot. Putting his ss down, he gave Sophia a warning look before quickly chasing after John. After John left, the singer asked, ¡°Your ex-husband?¡± In response, Sophia made a nonmittal sound. ¡°Because of some stuff, I¡¯m entangled in his affairs.¡± However, she immediately smiled again. ¡°Well, I benefit a lot from it. So, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Afterward, she slowly finished her cocktail. Reaching out, she patted the singer on the shoulder. ¡°Thanks! But, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not good with alcohol. I need to go back and sleep this off. Otherwise, I¡¯m going to embarrass myself.¡± The bartender had been a little mischievous just now and made the cocktail a little stronger than normal. He thought that she was the singer¡¯s new target, so he wanted to help create an opportunity. Getting off the chair, Sophia waved and walked out. When she neared the door, she could hear the bartender asking in disbelief, ¡°She¡¯s married? She sure doesn¡¯t look it!¡± Thus, sheughed soundlessly and walked over to the elevator. John and Zack had returned to the room much earlier. Then, Zack ordered several bottles of beer through room service. When Sophia opened the door and entered the room, she saw the two men sitting on the sofa. Room service had not arrived yet, but Zack had already brought over all the food they brought back just now. Sheughed. ¡°You didn¡¯t have enough just now?¡± John said nothing. So, Zack answered, ¡°You get hungry again soon after eating these. It¡¯s not very filling.¡± She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Then, she walked over and sat down beside John. ¡°Let¡¯s eat together. I want to eat too.¡± In response, John moved over to the side a little, acting as if he found her disgusting. Smiling, she thought little of his actions. Besides, she was used to being hated by the Constance Family¡ªit wasn¡¯t something new. Zack replied, ¡°We ordered some beer. It¡¯ll be delivered soon.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Sure! You guys sure know how to live!¡± Chapter 65 Chapter 65 After room service had delivered the beer, Zack opened the lid of the seafood meal and properly arranged it on the table. Then, Sophia edged in. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in.¡± Her proactiveness caught John¡¯s attention. At this point, she even brought a chair over and sat in it. First of all, she reached for a crab w. ¡°The crab ws from this restaurant are fat and juicy.¡± After finishing her sentence, she took a bite of it. John gave her another nce. For reasons unbeknownst to him, the sight of this reminded him of how Sophia used to eat at the Constance Residence. He recalled that at that time, Sophia would eat properly¡ªsmall bites and a soft voice. Her demeanor was trulydy-like. Zack could no longer take it. ¡°Could you please wash your hands first?¡± Sophia scowled at him. ¡°I¡¯m not eating the shells anyway, so why should I wash my hands? Look at my hands¡ªthey¡¯re only touching the shells.¡± As she exined, she showed Zack where her hands were touching, but her hands were so greasy that it made it hard for Zack to stare at them. At this point, John smiled. ¡°It would¡¯ve been great if you were also like this when you were at my ce.¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°If that was the case, I would¡¯ve been kicked out of the Constance Residence after just two days.¡± Mrs. Constance was a person who emphasized keeping the rules, and the thought of her face at this point annoyed Sophia. John grinned. ¡°Then things would¡¯ve been much simpler, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Who says that?¡± Sophia asked while nibbling. ¡°Look at how much I received after divorcing you. If I were to get kicked out by your mother, I wouldn¡¯t have received as much.¡± Her lips were full of grease. Zack passed a napkin to her. She took it and casually wiped her mouth with it. After taking out a portion of the crabs, Zack ced them in a box and gave it to John, who had just opened a bottle of beer and poured some into a ss. Sophia looked at another ss. ¡°Could you pour me some too?¡± Zack¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What about your stomach?¡± ¡°Forget that.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t usually enjoy eating this much. Can you please not ruin it?¡± Zack pulled a long face and reluctantly poured a ss for her. Since Sophia¡¯s hands were still greasy, she casually wiped them before grabbing the ss and giving John a toast. John¡¯s ss clinked with hers. ¡°If you were like this before¡­¡± He hesitated and did notplete the sentence. If Sophia were like this before, there was not a chance she would have been married to him as Mrs. Constance would be the first to object to it. Furthermore, based on Mrs. Constance¡¯s character, Sophia would definitely get into fights with her on a daily basis. John¡¯s mother paid the utmost attention to manners and upbringing. Though not knowing what point John was trying to make, Sophia could not be bothered to ask. This was a rare opportunity for the three of them to have such a pleasant time together. They held their sses in their hands and gave each other a toast. Sophia was never a good drinker, so after just a few sses of beer, she became tipsy. She waved her hand. ¡°I think I¡¯m done. I can¡¯t even see clearly now.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. She grabbed a napkin and wiped her hands before standing up. ¡°You guys go ahead. I need to lie down for a bit. Otherwise, I may not be able to walkter.¡± Leaning against the couch, John stared at Sophia, who was staggering along but still managed to make her way to the bedroom. She then jumped onto her bed and fell asleep with her bedroom door opened. Sleep was the next best thing to alcohol. She slowly passed out just after seconds of lying on her bed. Not long after, due to dehydration, she woke up but was toozy to get up. So, she decided to start humming in bed. A whileter, she could not take the thirst anymore and tried to slowly get out of bed. The house was quiet. All that she could hear was the sound of water. She peered around and saw a figure in the bathroom. She did not stand up until she stared at it for a good few seconds. Then, she shuffled her way toward it. At this moment, John was taking a shower. He felt that his body was burning because of the alcohol, so he decided to take a cold shower. Just as he was almost done, someone cracked open the bathroom door. Meanwhile, Sophia¡¯s hair was unkempt and her eyes were barely opened. However, her mouth was moving as she mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m so sticky. I need a shower.¡± She began taking her clothes off as she muttered. Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Abstention from alcohol being the first of the five precepts in Buddhism was not without basis; drinking could really get people into trouble. Actually, Sophia kind of knew what was happening She seemingly knew what she was doing, but she just could not take charge of her body. She swiftly took off all her clothes and moved to stand below the showerhead. The cold made her shiver. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, John? The water is freezing.¡± Her words were soft and gentle. After that, she turned around, walked a few steps, and hugged John as if she was trying to get some heat from his body. John gnashed his teeth. Even though he also had a good amount of alcohol in him, he did not get it as bad as her. At this point, perhaps because John¡¯s body was not as warm as she expected, she snorted, ¡°Why is your body so cold as well?¡± If it was not because Sophia¡¯s eyes were closed the whole time, John would have thought that she did all this on purpose. Right at this point, she was carelessly rubbing his chest. In the end, she could not find a spot that could warm her up. So, she wiggled her hips. ¡°Could you please make the water warmer?¡± John stood there for a while, staring at the bathroom door. Eventually, he got an idea. He slowly exhaled before cing his hands on Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sophia.¡± She did not respond. Using one hand, John lifted her chin. The water that was hitting her face irritated her. As such, she turned away. ¡°Stop bullying me.¡± Her voice sounded pitiful. John grunted. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m giving you a chance.¡± Holding her chin, he wondered how much beer he had earlier which made him feel hot. And now, not even cold water could cool him down. He tilted her head backward and kissed her. Startled for a moment, Sophia proceeded to put her hands around his neck. At this point, John still remembered to turn off the water. He then wrapped his arms around her and walked a few steps before grabbing the towel next to him. He then swaddled her in it. The two eventually made their way out of the bathroom and onto the bed while tangled up. There was a moment where John knew that he should not be doing this, and he could not help but mock himself. He knew for a fact that this might have happened the moment Zack invited Sophia over to his room; there was no way he could suppress his lust. While they were in bed, there was a moment where Sophia almost regained her consciousness. She opened her eyes and said, ¡°John.¡± John grunted and continued to finger her. At this moment, Sophia began to gasp while looking at the ceiling. She thenmented, ¡°I can¡¯t even get rid of you in my dreams.¡± It was obvious that she was not fully awake yet. Eventually, when Johnnded hisst kiss on her, he added, ¡°Have a good sleep.¡± To his surprise, Sophia gradually closed her eyes and fell asleep.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Thanks to the alcohol, John was feeling excited and aroused today¡ªit was a feeling he had never had before. Somewhere in the middle of their lovemaking, he recalled the scene when Sophiay with her face down in the bar. She was weak and fragile, looking like a little girl that had never seen the real world. He also recalled that moment when she sat cross-legged on the chair with her greasy hands while nibbling at a crab w, which contrasted herdylike manner when she was still at the Constance Residence. Furthermore, he recalled thest time he saw her, which was also what he hated to see the most. It made him think that she was merely putting up a show; it was tedious. At this point, he felt sorry for her; he was unsure if he was still under the influence of alcohol. The pitiful Sophia, who was all by herself in somebody else¡¯s family. At this juncture, John began to pound her even harder. Sophia looked like she was not feeling toofortable. She grabbed John by his back and moaned before saying, ¡°A*shole, I hate you.¡± Chapter 67 Chapter 67 John grunted, not knowing if he understood that. After a few more rounds of lovemaking, John finally decided to let her go as he waspletely wiped out. Then, hey next to Sophia and helped cover the both of them with a nket. The sun was still shining brightly outside. A hint of saltiness carried by the sea breeze drifted through the open windows. John recuperated after getting some rest before turning to Sophia. He realized that she had long fallen asleep, and sweat drops were seen on her blushed face. She looked pitiful. Frowning, he sank into his thoughts,y back down, and closed his eyes. Sophia on the other hand, after having so much alcohol and being tormented by John, slept through the day. Eventually, she was woken up by some noise outside. It sounded like John and someone else¡¯s voice, but she could not really tell. Then, she gradually sat up on the edge of the bed, and she was startled after looking at her body. What just happened? She was naked, and there were traces of kissing and biting on her. Blinking, she realized that even her hair was somewhat damp. After that, she wrapped herself up in the nket and got out of bed. The first thing she saw was that the bathroom door was open and her clothes were piled up on the bathroom floor. As she saw that, she started to have a recollection of everything that happened. She sneered as she stared at her clothes that were on the floor. This was beyond her imagination, and she brought it on herself. Was she being taken advantage of, or was she the one taking advantage of someone? She waited for a little while before hearing John¡¯s voice outside her room. ¡°Stop exining to me. I don¡¯t want to hear it anymore.¡± Sophia was stunned. She slowly bustled toward the door and opened it. There was a loud creak as she tried to open the door; it was as loud as it could be. She would feel really embarrassed if she got caught trying to peek through the door. Meanwhile, John was in his pajamas and stood in front of the main door. The door outside was open and two people were seen standing there. Based on the pictures Zack had shown her before, the two people looked like someone called President McCaw and his assistant. Slowly, she was able to peek through a gap. ¡°I heard something and that¡¯s why I came here to have a look.¡± The door was not opened too wide, but it was wide enough for everyone outside to see what Sophia looked like. She was wrapped up in a nket with her shoulder and neck showing; the hickey on her neck could clearly be seen. John frowned slightly as he saw Sophia. ¡°Close the door and get dressed.¡± Immediately, Sophia grunted and closed the door. She scratched her hair and quickly grabbed a shirt from the suitcase and put on a pair of hot pants. Then, she went into the bathroom and took her clothes out. The bathroom was still wet and John¡¯s clothes were still on the rack in the corner. She was utterly embarrassed as she did not know if John would think that she was trying to seduce him. Eventually, she closed the bathroom door and went to tidy up the bed. She reckoned that the bed sheet would definitely have to be changed and washed as it was drenched after the two made love while they were still dripping wet. Taking a deep breath, she directly pulled the bed sheet off the bed. After that, she went to brush her hair before leaving the room. At this point, the people outside had left, and John was seen standing next to the water dispenser drinking water. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Sophia whispered, ¡°I-I must¡¯ve had too much. You know how bad of a drinker I am. I-I have no idea how¡­¡± She hissed, not knowing how to continue. John turned around, looked at Sophia, and grunted. It did not seem like he was bothered by what happened earlier. But then again, he was not at a disadvantage. She did not know if she had taken advantage of him, but he had definitely taken advantage of her. The thought of this somewhat annoyed her. At this instant, Sophia decided to stop talking and turned around to go back to her room. She was not feeling too well, and she reckoned it must have been caused by the exhaustion. Right now, many parts of her body were aching. After going back to her room, she pulled out a chair and sat by the window. Even though she had one more day here to have fun, her mood had been totally ruined. As of now, she was not in the mood to do anything. Subsequently, Zack showed up a whileter to ask the two what they would like to eat for dinner. She looked at the clock and realized it was way toote to have dinner, but it was already prettyte in the day when they started drinking, so it was quite normal for them to have ate dinner. In the room, Sophia sat there silently, and outside the room, John was also silent. After not getting any response, Zack came into the room and he was startled by the sight of the bed sheet that was pulled off the bed and tossed aside. Sophia turned around and looked at him. ¡°Do you have any extra bedsheets? This one¡¯s dirty.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Zack did not give it any further consideration and just nodded. ¡°I do. I have one more with me. I¡¯ll bring it to you in a bit.¡± Then, he looked at Sophia. ¡°What would you like to have for dinner?¡± Sophia looked somewhat downcast. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Up to you guys. I have no preferences.¡± Her initial thought was to ask Zack to get her a morning-after pill but after giving it some thought, she decided not to do that as she reckoned it would be better for her to get them herself. Zack stared at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is your stomach feeling unwell after drinking?¡± ¡°No.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just a little tired.¡± Zack grinned. ¡°Why are you still tired after such a long nap?¡± After cracking the joke, he turned around and headed out to ask John what he would like to have. John was equally exhausted. He leaned on the couch and was on his phone. ¡°Let¡¯s call room service, shall we? I don¡¯t feel like moving much.¡± Seeing him, a somewhat evil thought crossed Zack¡¯s mind. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the two of you? Why are you both so tired? Are you guys hiding something?¡± John slowly looked up at Zack, not saying a word. Very quickly, Zack¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°I¡¯ll just ce the orders. Let¡¯s eat here then.¡± John did not respond to him. Then, Zack turned around, sat in the chair in the corner, made a phone call, and ced the orders. Meanwhile, after staying in the room for a little while more, Sophia stood up and walked out of the room. ¡°I¡¯m heading out real quick and will be back right away.¡± Her words caught Zack off guard. ¡°Where are you going? It¡¯s prettyte now. What do you want to do?¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°It¡¯s just a quick one. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back right away. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± As she finished, she opened the door and slowly walked out. There was actually a pharmacy located inside the hotel. As such, Sophia went there and got herself a morning-after pill. She heard that these pills were bad for her body. As she had already taken them once before, she was truly reluctant to take them again this time around. After all, she could not me John for what happened because she chose to consume alcohol and bring this whole thing on herself. With the pill in her hand, Sophia thought about it and moved to stand at the hotel entrance. Tonight was slightly chilly, and she leaned on a pir, feeling bored. She did not want to go back to the room as she did not know what to say when the three of them were there. She reckoned that the atmosphere would be strange. After standing there for a while, her phone rang. She was surprised to hear her phone ring as apart from the insurancepany or telemarketers, almost no one ever called her. Then, she took out her phone and was startled to find that there was a name showing. She contemted for a few seconds before answering it. Right away, the other side of the phone quickly sounded out, ¡°Sophia, are you with John right now?¡± The tone was not too friendly. Sophia kept quiet.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. If this phone call took ce back in the days, she would have addressed her as ¡®Mom¡¯ before answering her questions. But now, this woman was no longer her mother-inw. After not getting a response from her, Mrs. Constance got upset. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, Sophia. Let me ask you again: did you go and look for John?¡± Then, Sophia immediately hung up the phone. She was quiet because she was trying very hard to stop herself from saying something bad. However, hanging up on Mrs. Constance would probably agitate her too. Right now, Sophia felt slightly released. She put her phone back and walked back into the hotel. After she got out of the elevator and arrived at her room, she saw that John was on the phone the moment she opened the door. It was not hard to guess who he was speaking with. Then, John looked up, nced at Sophia, andmented, ¡°I already told you that it¡¯s not what you think it is. I¡¯ll exin it to you when I get back. Alright, I¡¯m busy here. We¡¯ll talk soon.¡± Then, John hung up the phone. Even though they both hung up on Mrs. Constance, Mrs. Constance would not be mad at John; she would just me Sophia for everything. Sophia ignored John and sneered before going straight into her room. Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Zack went to call Sophia when room service had delivered their meals. However, the morning-after pill made her feel unwell. It could have been a psychological thing, but she was feeling physically weak. As such, shey on her bed and weakly told him that she did not really want to eat. Zack then walked over and opened the door. He panicked when he saw her lying there. ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡± Sophia disagreed and said that she was merely feeling somewhat sleepy, which indeed she was as she was feeling quite exhausted. Zack contemted for a few seconds beforeing over to the side of the bed. ¡°You¡¯ll still have to eat something. You can¡¯t not eat anything.¡± She then closed her eyes, not saying a word. Feeling helpless, Zack was left with no options and said, ¡°Take a nap then. Let me knowter when you are hungry, and I¡¯ll order some food for you.¡± He then left and closed the door. Meanwhile, John was sitting in a chair and did not look at Zack when he came out. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t sheing out?¡± Zack grunted. ¡°She doesn¡¯t look too well, but she said that she was just feeling tired.¡± John grunted. ¡°Perhaps that might be it.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Without giving it any further thought, Zack then sat down and ate with John. After dinner, they still had not heard from nor seen Sophia. Feeling slightly uneasy, Zack looked toward her room and asked John, ¡°Should we go and check on her? I feel like something¡¯s not right with her.¡± John gave it some thought before getting up from his seat and walking toward her room. At this moment, Sophia was still lying in bed in the same posture; she was all curled up. John stood at the door and called out to her but did not get a response. As such, he walked in and stood next to the bed, and that was when he saw that Sophia¡¯s face was somewhat red. At this moment, her arms were around her shoulder. It was as if she was cold. John produced an agonized frown, crouched down, and ced his hand on her forehead. It was hot. Was it fever? This immediately reminded John of the cold shower that they both had. He was a man and had a lot of internal heat, so the cold shower probably did not affect him as much as it affected Sophia. In addition, Sophia was also tormented by him in bed after that. Feeling slightly annoyed, John bent over and carried her up in his arms. He left the room while calling after Zack; Zack was frightened when he saw Johne out of the room with Sophia in his arms. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is it her gastric problem again?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fever.¡± John continued, ¡°Find us a ride to the hospital.¡± Zack grunted and quickly ran outside. In actuality, Sophia did have some consciousness right now as she opened her eyes and looked at John for a few seconds before closing them again. When they were in the rental car, Sophia was in John¡¯s arms. Throughout the entire ride, Sophia was feeling drowsy. She felt that her head was hurting and her stomach was also feeling unwell. After they arrived at the hospital, John ran all the way to register for emergency treatment with Sophia still in his arms¡ªemergency treatment was the only option at night. Actually, it was only a fever, and she could very well just take some medication, but John did not feel good about it. In the meantime, the doctor at the hospital only gave her a prescription for an antipyretic. When John took her to get the injection, she was somewhat reluctant. She kept on groaning like a kitten, ¡°Can I just take medication? I don¡¯t want to get the injection.¡± John let out a sigh. It was a rare asion for him to negotiate with her. ¡°Your fever will subside quicker if you get an injection, and you¡¯ll also feel better. Medication is not quick enough.¡± Sophia pursed her lips and did not respond as she was feeling extremely unwell. She felt weak and her muscles ached. After getting the medication, Zack headed to the transfusion room where the doctor smoothly transferred the medication into the syringe. At this point, Sophia immediately closed her eyes even though this kind of injection would only take a few seconds. She clenched her teeth and her hands were quivering, but the nurse attending to her was experienced and the whole process did not cause her much pain. After the injection waspleted, John came over and carried her out from the room. John carried her through this entire process. A somewhat good-looking man carrying an equally good-looking woman¡ªit was quite a pleasant sight. There were a good number of people in the transfusion room and most of them were here because of seafood allergies. Each of them looked extremely frailpared to Sophia, even though she also looked sickly. For reasons unbeknownst to him, Zack somehow felt proud. Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Apart from the antipyretic, the doctor also gave her some medication. There was no need for hospitalization, so she could go home right away. As such, John took her back to the hotel while Zack brought over some fresh linens andid them on the bed before Johny her on the bed. Naturally, Sophia curled up again. After tucking her into bed, John stood next to her and watched her. There was a pill on top of the bedside table, and even though John did not recognize what it was, he recognized the medication box next to it. He then stared at that pill for a long time. In the meantime, Zack was boiling some water before bringing over the antipyretic. ¡°Let her have some of this and some good night¡¯s rest. She¡¯ll be fine tomorrow.¡± John grunted and took the medication and water from him. As the water was still slightly hot, he left it on the bedside table. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for it to cool off. Anyway, it¡¯s gettingte. You better get some rest. I¡¯ll take over from here.¡± Zack nodded and left the room. After that, John pulled out a chair and sat down next to Sophia. This was something he had never done before, so it felt oddly refreshing. At this juncture, his phone vibrated. He took it out and saw that it was a message from Mrs. Constance, even though it was reallyte now. It was a message on WhatsApp, and he found a picture after opening the message. Mrs. Constance rarely took pictures, probably because of her age, as she felt unnatural when posing for pictures. John took a look at the picture and saw two people in it¡ªMrs. Constance and Isabelle. It seemed like the two were still out and about at this hour, and it looked like they were having a meal. It was also a rare asion to see Mrs. Constance shing the peace sign. John reckoned that she must really like Isabelle. Then, he turned to Isabelle in the picture and thought to himself that because of the background of the Bailey Family, he had felt in the past that he and Isabelle would be a better match. Even though he did not know her well, he could tell that she was a cultured and well-educateddy. It would have been good to marry someone like this as she would be capable of taking care of everything in the house without involving him. However, Sophia came out of nowhereter on. At this point, John turned over and looked at Sophia, who was still all curled up and sleeping. He put on his thinking face and reached for the ss, realizing that it was now the right temperature. He then took the antipyretic and sat on the edge of the bed. ¡°Sophia, it¡¯s time to take some medication.¡± Seeing that she was unresponsive, he helped her to sit up. At this moment, Sophia was almost passing out and her nose was somewhat congested. The sight of this calmed him down. He thenmented gently, ¡°Take some medication before you get some more sleep.¡± Pursing her lips, Sophia took the medication despite how reluctant she felt. After that, shey down in bed again. John exhaled as he had never taken such good care of anyone in his life before. All of a sudden, he did not quite know what to do. After skipping dinner, her gastric problems were causing her pain again. Right now, her hands were around her stomach and she was tossing about in bed. Hearing the noise, John quickly came in and went up to her. ¡°Sophia, are you okay?¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes were still closed. ¡°Gastric pain.¡± This reminded John that Sophia had skipped dinner. As such, he quickly called room service but it was to no avail as nothing was avable at this hour. Slightly nervous, John went on to inquire if there was anything they could do. After giving it some thought, the hotel staff responded that they could make some porridge as the quickest and most convenient alternative, which might seem like a good option as Sophia would probably not be able to eat anything that had a stronger taste. They added that they would prepare it right away and asked John to give them some time. After that, as John went to boil some water, he smiled mockingly while standing next to the kettle. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. There was really a price to pay when asking for favors. If he did not need Sophia¡¯s help, there would be no need for him to be here serving her. On the flip side, he realized that if they were not with her at this point, no one would take care of her even if she was sick or injured. John then poured some water into a ss. When he brought it to her, her arms were still wrapped around her stomach and her forehead was covered in sweat. This was a rare side of Sophia for John¡ªshe was frail and helpless. Even after an intense love-making session, he had never seen her like this. Chapter 71 Chapter 71 After a while, room service had finally delivered a bowl of porridge, which John had specially instructed to be prepared as soft and smooth as possible. He first left it on the table for it to cool off before letting Sophia drink some warm water. Her being sick had made her rather weak and defenseless. At this point, she was even somewhat obedient. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. After taking some water, he asked her if her gastric pain had gotten any better. Sophia grunted slowly with her eyes closed. No one knew if that was a genuine answer or a casual remark. As John brought the bowl of porridge over, he helped Sophia up before feeding her while blowing on it. Sophia was indeed starving. No matter how sleepy she was, she still managed to swallow some of the porridge. After that, John got a napkin and gently helped her wipe her mouth. Sophia peered at him and smiled. ¡°I¡¯d never imagine there¡¯d be a day you¡¯d treat me this nicely.¡± All of a sudden, John stopped wiping her mouth. Then, Sophia slid back down the bed and covered herself up with the nket. She wriggled until she found the perfect position and fell asleep. Meanwhile, John continued to watch her from the side for a while before putting things away and leaving the room. Everything that had transpired had tired him out, but he was not sleepy enough to fall asleep as hey on the couch. He then put his hands under his head and stared at the ck ceiling, reckoning that he would not be able to visit any ce tomorrow. He was not even sure if Sophia would recover by then. However, he was not too bothered by that, as there were not too many ces that he wanted to visit. After all, this whole trip did not feel right to him, and it did not help that right now he had totally lost his mood to do anything. The man wandered in his thoughts for a good while before closing his eyes and forcing himself to fall asleep. Sophia had been stable throughout the night and was able to sleep the next morning. As for John, his biological clock would wake him up at the same time the next morning no matter howte he stayed up the night before. After getting up, he quickly went up to her only to find that she was still asleep¡ªand in the same position asst night. John felt somewhat distressed. Why is she still in the same position? Is she dead? He went up to her and ced his finger under her nose to see if she was still breathing. After confirming that she was still breathing, he chuckled to himself and proceeded to touch her forehead. He realized that her fever had gone away quite substantially, and it was no longer as bad as it was yesterday. At this point, he patted Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sophia, are you awake?¡± Finally, Sophia opened her eyes, looking drowsy; he then heard a rather hoarse voiceing from her. ¡°Huh?¡± All of a sudden, John felt himself getting an erection. He despised himself for having such a reaction at a time like this. It was ridiculous since he had never been too keen on being physically involved with any women. Now that he was like this, it seemed abnormal. He then took a deep breath and retreated from her bed. ¡°Let¡¯s get you moving since you¡¯re awake. Your fever is almost gone. We¡¯ll grab something to eat downstairs.¡± It took her a while to respond before she slowly got up and staggered her way to the bathroom. She was extremely slow when she was freshening herself up. Every single action of hers was slower than usual. Since John had not freshened up, he thought he should do that too. As such, he moved over and stood next to her as the mirror in front of the sink was huge enough for both of them to use. Now, John regretted not having done this before they got divorced, and now that they were doing it, it felt awkward for him. Meanwhile, Sophia did not seem to feel this way. Instead, she kept on staring at him in the mirror. She brushed her teeth really slowly and her eyes looked dull. Even after John was done, she was still taking her time to wash her face. John then left the bathroom and decided to take out all her antipyretics and gastric medicine. As there were a lot of different gastric medicines and John thought that she could not take these different kinds of medications at the same time, he decided to put the gastric medicine away before helping her make her bed. At this point, Sophia finally came out, looking clean and refreshed. John then stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go and find Zack. Then, we¡¯ll go and get some food.¡± Sophia kept quiet and walked behind him. For reasons unbeknownst to him, he was not used to her being so quiet. Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Zack came out after John rang the doorbell, and he looked like he had just gotten ready. Then, Zack looked at Sophia, who was standing behind John. ¡°Sophia Gwendolyn, are you feeling better?¡± Sophia grunted after staring at Zack for a good two seconds. She was indeed a lot slower than usual. Zack sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve suffered so much throughout this trip.¡± At this point, John recalled what he did to Sophia yesterday, and he felt that he was to be med for what happened to her. But in his defense, Sophia was under the influence of alcohol when she went into the bathroom and stood below the showerhead, so he should not be med for causing her to take the cold shower. He should only be med for what happened after that, and he reckoned that under those circumstances, the average person would not be able to prevent that from happening. After the three had entered the elevator, Sophia stood furthest away from the door and was silent the whole time. Her head was leaning on one side, and the marks on her neck were clearly visible. John saw them but dared not look at them again; he thought he might have lost control yesterday. Zack was not as attentive. He nced at Sophia then looked at John beforementing in a deep voice, ¡°Sophia, you look a little upset.¡± John nced at Sophia from the corner of his eyes. Perhaps she was not feeling upset. It was just that she was still feeling unwell. John jumped in, ¡°Perhaps she just needs food.¡± After the three had arrived at the restaurant, Sophia was still silent the entire time, even while they were ordering food. However, thest time when they were here, Sophia was really aggressive and greedy. In between cing the orders, Zack turned to Sophia. ¡°Sophia, what would you like?¡± Sophia blinked. ¡°Anything.¡± John subtly let out a frown when he saw that. Sophia¡¯s demeanor right now reminded him of what she was like before the divorce¡ªquiet, obedient, easy-going, and with no sense of existence. All of a sudden, a sense of annoyance welled up within John that came out of nowhere, and that confused and irritated him, but Zack was totally nonchnt. After ordering for John and Sophia, he passed the menu back to the server before turning to Sophia. ¡°We won¡¯t visit any ce today. We¡¯ll just get some rest before catching our early flight home tomorrow morning.¡± Sophia grunted and perhaps because she felt that her first reaction was somewhat perfunctory, she nodded. At the same time, John was trying to avoid looking at her as seeing her kept reminding him of what happened in the past. It was like something that he could not break through, and those memories were what he wanted to forget the most. While they were eating, Sophia was still not talking, and John was just being habitually quiet. They werepletely silent during the entire meal. Being in this situation, Zack sighed. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, now that you are sick, no one talks to me anymore.¡± John responded ndly, ¡°If you can transfer all the effort you put into chit-chatting to work, you wouldn¡¯t be in this position today.¡± Zack puckered up his lips. ¡°I do put in a lot of effort into work.¡± John did not respond to that. Finally, as they finished the meal, John took out the antipyretic for Sophia. ¡°Take some of these.¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Sophia was extremely obedient and received it from him. She swallowed it without drinking any water. Seeing this, Zack¡¯s eyes widened and John was stunned. Feeling helpless, John passed the ss of water next to his hand to her. ¡°You should take some water with it.¡± Sophia gulped the entire ss of water without even giving John a look. She was unusually obedient, and this worried Zack. ¡°Did the fever damage her brain? In the past, Sophia would definitely rebuke, but today she did not even have any response. As such, John sighed and suggested in a rather impatient tone, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± After the three got back to the room, Sophia proceeded to sit on the bed and look outside the window. Eventually, she was carried away. At this point, Zack came up to John. ¡°Did you tell her off yesterday? Look at how terrified she is of you.¡± John sneered and squinted at him. Finally, her medication worked and she began to feel drowsy. She then went to her bed,y down, and closed her eyes. Zack looked at her from behind. ¡°Was she also like this in the past?¡± However, she did not react this way when she was having gastric problems. Was it because of the fever yesterday? Did it damage her brain? John remained silent. Of course, he would not know what she was like in the past. During that one year when the two were married, she rarely fell ill. At least not that he knew of. Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Sophia slept through the day, and she only got up in the afternoon. When she walked out of her room, neither John nor Zack was around. She scratched her head and headed out, not knowing where she wanted to go. Ever sincest night, she had been feeling somewhat conflicted. For reasons unbeknownst to her, she had a dreamst night, and it was about things that happened a long time ago; things that she thought she had long forgotten. But they appeared to be so vivid in that dream: fights, curses, usations, me-passing. They were all horrible things. She could even feel somewhat suffocated as she thought about them now. So, she sat back on the couch in the hotel lobby and stared at the hotel entrance. It was as if there were many voices in her head, but she could not tell for sure what they were about. She felt that she had nowhere to go, and if it were not for John and Zack, she would not know what was next for her. The thought of this made her feel useless. After a short while, she heard Zack¡¯s somewhat anxious voice. ¡°Why did you leave the room? We thought that you were abducted when we didn¡¯t see you in the room after we got back.¡± Before she realized it, Zack had walked up to her and was standing opposite her. Sophia grinned. How old do you think I am? Am I that dumb to be abducted?¡± Zack liked this tone. He was all smiles and walked up to her, patting her on her shoulder. ¡°Now that¡¯s what I like to hear. Your demeanor this morning was making me feel extremely uneasy.¡± She shook him off and stood up. ¡°I wasn¡¯t fully awake that time.¡± Zack sized her up. ¡°You aren¡¯t fully recovered yet. You should be getting more rest now instead of wandering around.¡± She nodded as she walked toward the elevator. ¡°Yes, Mr. Busybody.¡± Meanwhile, John was still in the hotel room. It appeared that Zack was the only person that was worried about her. After Sophia went in, she went straight into her room before John followed suit after a couple of minutes. ¡°Zack and I have eaten. What would you like to eat? We can call room service.¡± Sophia grunted, and that was all. At this point, John reckoned that there was nothing else he could say to her, so he turned around and left. One was in the bedroom while the other was in the living room; nobody was talking. This was exactly how it was in the past when this was their default way of living. They always had nothing to say to each other. After that, John had never followed up with her even though she had not eaten anything. As she was sitting in a chair by the window, she heard John¡¯s phone ring, and quickly answered it; he sounded somewhat polite. ¡°Hello.¡± Based on his tone, Sophia could tell that he was not talking to anyone from the Constance Family or the Infinity Group. She turned to the clock, figuring that it would not be a business call at this hour. If it was a private call, she could not think of a person with whom John would be so polite. She leaned on the window, trying to eavesdrop on his conversation outside her room. At this point, John grunted and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow.¡± Not knowing how the other side responded, John then replied, ¡°Yes, with Sophia.¡± Sophia was startled. It must be someone she knew since that person knew her. Very quickly, she had a guess, and she then giggled. Being too smart was not always a good thing as it made one suffer. After that, the other side said something else and she heard Johnugh. ¡°Forget it. I was just a little busy that day.¡± Sophia exhaled and pursed her lips. This phone call did notst too long and he hung up after saying a few more sentences. After that, there was pin-drop silence in the living room again. Just like that, they two had no conversations even until it was dark outside. In the end, Zack came over. He suggested dining out and reminded them that they were flying out tomorrow to see if they needed any help with packing. Sophia did not have much with her, so it was easy to pack. Zack came over and looked at her belongings and nodded. ¡°Sophia, this is an easy task.¡± Then, he turned around and looked at her. ¡°I guess your fever ispletely gone. Are you still feeling unwell?¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Sophia shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯m feeling great.¡± Zack suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go and grab some food. We¡¯ll eat something nice today as we probably won¡¯t have time for meals after this because of our early flight out tomorrow morning.¡± Getting up, Sophia saw that John had already changed when she came out of her room. For some reason, the two of them were still not talking to each other, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward. When they arrived at the restaurant downstairs, another person appeared and sat down the moment the three of them were seated. It was President McCaw of the Infinity Group. He was by himself, and the moment he sat down, he immediately said to John, ¡°President Constance, I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± Chapter 74 Chapter 74 John did not look at President McCaw when he passed the menu to Sophia and asked in a gentle voice, ¡°Have a look at what you¡¯d like to eat.¡± Knowing that he was merely putting up a show, as this was the only time John would be so gentle to her, she grunted before taking the menu from him. Zack chose not to expose them but quietly sat there. Even though Sophia skipped lunch, she was still not feeling hungry, and none of the food on the menu seemed appetizing. She pointed at a picture on the menu and edged in on John. ¡°What about this one?¡± They were in close proximity, and John could smell her scent. Sophia seemingly had a fondness for anything rted to roses, so she owned many rose-scented things. John grunted. ¡°Let¡¯s order it then.¡± Sophia proceeded to order three dishes before passing the menu to Zack, who duly added one more dish to the menu. As for John, he did not order anything. Sitting next to them, President McCaw felt slightly awkward. He then added, ¡°President Constance, this time around I came to offer my sincere apologies to you. I had no idea about everything that happened before. Our staff, Elizabeth Cox, has never done anything like that before. It was truly beyond our imagination.¡± John did not respond when Sophia turned to President McCaw. This caused President McCaw to look at her rather embarrassingly. ¡°Mrs. Constance, I¡¯m truly sorry for causing trouble. It¡¯s the fault of our employee who decided to employ some inappropriate measures on her own. We¡¯ve already fired her. I promise you that there won¡¯t be anything of this sort in our future coboration.¡± Sophia stared at President McCaw, not saying a word, and this made him feel embarrassed. President McCaw licked his lips and added, ¡°Mrs. Constance, we didn¡¯t know that you wereing with President Constance that day. Otherwise, we would¡¯ve definitely invited you. T-This is truly a misunderstanding. Luckily there weren¡¯t any serious consequences. Sophia sneered rather ndly as opposed to expressing sarcasm. ¡°Then, what would you consider to be serious consequences?¡± President McCaw¡¯s face began to flush.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Sophia then leaned on John¡¯s arms. ¡°If I didn¡¯t show up that day, something might have happened. President McCaw, the reason that nothing serious happened was because of me, not you.¡± President McCaw quickly nodded. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. It¡¯s definitely our oversight. We thought that in order to express our sincere apology, we could take a step back in some of the details in rtion to our coboration¡ª¡± ¡°No. No,¡± Sophia interrupted him. ¡°What happened then can never be remedied by any contractual terms.¡± She gently lifted her head and turned to John, sounding slightly flirtatious. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to think about what might¡¯ve happened had I not decided to show up at the veryst minute that day. Would my marriage havee to an end then?¡± John looked Sophia in the eye, and the two were extremely close. John would be able to kiss her on her lips had he lowered his head. John paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Good that you showed up. It would be beyond me to think about what would¡¯ve happened had you not been around.¡± These words were not words of courtesy nor were they a show. John meant it when he said that. John was a germaphobe¡ªa serious one. Not only when it came to normal details in his daily living but also when it came to sexual affairs. Whoever could think about drugging him had to be someone dirty, and the thought of that made him nauseous. Meanwhile, Sophia pouted and almost kissed him on his chin. Her voice was rather flirtatious. ¡°Let me tell you; if you really did something behind my back, I wouldn¡¯t go easy on you.¡± Being in such proximity, her round eyes now looked rather watery. All of a sudden, John chuckled and kissed Sophia on the edge of her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That would never happen.¡± Since the two were only putting up a show in front of President McCaw, Sophia did not expect John to do this. She was stunned, but President McCaw was even more surprised than her. It was obvious that these words were spoken to him, so there was no way he could not be embarrassed by those words. In the meantime, Zack looked well-mannered as he sat there, pretending to not see or hear anything. He did not even say anything to ease up the tense atmosphere. President McCaw chuckled and loosened his necktie. ¡°Of course not. That would never happen.¡± Chapter 75 Chapter 75 President McCaw did not order any food, and John could not be bothered by that. After all the dishes were served, the three of them began to dig in. At this moment, President McCaw stood up rather awkwardly. ¡°President Constance, enjoy your meal. It¡¯s getting prettyte. Would it be alright if Ie to see you again tomorrow?¡± John finally responded, ¡°Sure.¡± President McCaw was slightly delighted. It was as if he had just got John¡¯s promise. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. He then nodded at Sophia and Zack before leaving. After he left, Sophia immediately straightened her body and distanced herself from John. Tsk-tsk. Zack disapproved. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this guy¡¯s reaction is going to be when he finds out that we¡¯re gone when hees again tomorrow.¡± John grinned silently. Now that President McCaw was gone, Sophia and John had stopped talking. Zack felt somewhat annoyed by that as he could not possibly initiate any conversations by himself. In the end, he just had to push himself to quickly finish his meal. Since it was still bright outside, after the meal, Zack thought about visiting a beach nearby since they were leaving tomorrow, but both Sophia and John gave no response to this idea. Zack then stared at the both of them. ¡°I take the silence as a yes from the both of you.¡± Later, Zack stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to pay. Why don¡¯t the both of you wait for me at the entrance?¡± Sophia stood up first and began walking toward the entrance of the restaurant. After a few seconds, John followed suit. Zack was taking longer than usual, and Sophia crossed her arms as she looked impatient. Then, she headed out of the hotel. Not saying anything, John followed her. It was rather chilly tonight, and Sophia continued walking toward the beach without bothering to look at John who was behind her. After paying for the meal, Zack saw the two from behind. He paused for a second and started walking toward the elevator, humming a tune while heading back to his room. When Sophia finally stopped walking after arriving at the beach, John went up to her and stood next to her, saying, ¡°After we get back,e and stay at the Constance Residence for a couple of days to ascertain what¡¯s going on out there. When it¡¯s safe to leave, you can go back to your own ce.¡± John¡¯s sole purpose was to prevent anything bad that might happen if President McCaw was going to make a big scene out of their decision to stop working with the Infinity Group. As such, he reckoned that he should still stay by her side. Sophia was somewhat understanding as she agreed. ¡°Got it.¡± John stared out into the dark sea surface. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll sleep in separate rooms when we get back.¡± This topic made things awkward between them as they had three sessions of lovemaking just within the past couple of days and each time was equally intense. The thought of this embarrassed them. Sophia had nothing to say in response as nothing felt right. With his hands in his pockets, John waited for a few more seconds before adding, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯d like to thank you for what you did this time.¡± As to what he thanked her for, John had no idea, and he couldn¡¯t care less. At this point, Sophia exhaled. ¡°John.¡± John grunted, waiting for her next sentence. Sophia giggled after a few seconds. ¡°Nothing. I was just feeling slightly emotional as I never thought we would end up where we are right now.¡± John snickered. ¡°Same here. I¡¯m equally surprised.¡± Both of them were pretty much thinking about the same thing: after they signed the divorce papers, none of them thought that they would ever have anything to do with each other again. However, they were now even more involved with each other than before the divorce. A few momentster, John turned around and looked Sophia in the eyes. ¡°After we get back, you can take your time to think about what you¡¯d like from me for helping me.¡± Sophia smiled and did not respond. In all honesty, when they divorced each other, John was really generous. As such, she no longer thought about what she wanted. When she first decided to help him out, it was mainly to save him from that predicament. She was too soft-hearted and did not want to see him stuck in difficult situations. Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Upon entering the hotel room, Sophia did not go straight into her room. Instead, she sat on the couch. ¡°You¡¯re going to use the bathroom, aren¡¯t you? You can go first.¡± John looked at her, remained silent, and went to grab his pajamas before entering the bathroom. The bathroom door was not closed all the way, so if one paid enough attention, one could hear the sound of running water. While she sat on the couch and was on her phone, some strange images appeared in her head. Those images were vague before this, but all of a sudden, they were now clear as crystal. One of them was the image of the naked John standing below the showerhead, and she recalled that he was frightened when he saw her undress upon entering the bathroom. D*mn it. She had way too much alcohol that day, so she should not be remembering all these details. Why did everythinge back to her now? Not only that, but she even recalled how John tormented her in bed. She put down her phone and sighed before putting her hands over her face. In the beginning, John was resistant to her, but she kept throwing herself at him. Perhaps the alcohol that she consumed had made her shameless, just like that one time before this where she became extremely bold and shameless after drinking. Sophia then put her arms around her knees and buried her face in them. She tried to think of some political theories to rece the censored images in her head. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Meanwhile, John was done with his shower and came out properly dressed. Hearing the sound of himing out of the bathroom, she quickly jumped down from the couch and went into the bathroom without looking at him. She then mmed the bathroom door and locked it. Even though the bathroom was still damp, it was still rather clean. She paused for a few moments before undressing and jumping into the shower. She thought about taking a cold shower, but for health reasons, she had to let go of that thought. Instead, she turned the water temperature slightly down and stood below the showerhead. The more she tried to forget those images, the more her brain would not cooperate. The moment the cold waternded on her body, she started to recall even more images, including the time she lost her virginity to him. To her, that was not a pleasant experience; apart from pain, she could not feel anything else, even though she remembered how excited John looked. Men¡¯s emotions and bodies were indeed separate. John never loved her and still did not, but he could still get so excited when making love to her. She clenched her teeth and decided to stop thinking about that as it would not serve any purpose. No matter how much that man liked her body, he would never like her, and all her efforts would be futile. As such, she quickly took her shower and came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. She was afraid that her mind would go crazy, so she quickly got changed andy in bed, hoping that she could fall asleep as quickly as possible. That method worked, and she had a good sleep apart from the fact that the remaining images from the tormenting lovemaking session appeared in her dreams. She was taken back to their wedding night, where shey in a huge red bed and felt somewhat nervous and lost. Those emotions were so real that she could even feel them while she was in her dreams. In the very beginning, John was opposed to the idea of making love to her, so the two continued to lie there until midnight when John decided to turn over. Perhaps no longer being able to hold in his urge, he started kissing her rather aggressively. She did not really know what to do and just passively epted it. Chapter 78 Chapter 78 After that, he became more gentle and bold. Still, it was just a dream, so the most exciting part would note that easily. Before it got to the juiciest part, she woke up. She blinked her eyes and it was chilly around her. It was pitch ck outside the window and around her; it took her a few seconds to realize that it was just a dream. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. She felt somewhat perplexed to have woken up at this point in her dream¡ªright before the most exciting part. Then, she angrily turned over and hugged her nket, falling back to sleep in rage. The dream never resumed, but it was fortunate that she still had a good sleep after all. The next morning, Sophia got up rather early, and it seemed like John was still sleeping. She quickly freshened up and packed her belongings before walking to the window and taking a picture of the beach. Then, she posted it on Facebook. Following that, she sat on her bed, waiting for John and Zack toe in. A whileter, John came knocking on her door. Sophia carried her suitcase with her and opened the door. Without even looking at John, she said, ¡°Come on in.¡± She then left the suitcase next to the door before leaning on the desk, waiting. After that, John was able to finish freshening up in just a couple of minutes. By the time Zack came over, both of them were ready to go. Then, Zack helped them with their suitcases as the three of them headed downstairs; the car bound for the airport was already waiting for them outside the hotel. When they were on their way to the airport, John¡¯s phone rang. Sitting next to him, Sophia could not help but notice the caller ID on his screen, and she quickly turned away and looked outside the window. When answering the phone call, John¡¯s words were brief. ¡°I¡¯m on my way to the airport and will be there soon. If there¡¯s anything, we can talk when I get back.¡± As she sat rather close to him, she could clearly hear Mrs. Constance¡¯s voice, which sounded rather jolly. ¡°Ah, of course. Belle¡¯sing over this afternoon. You guys should be home by then, so we can have lunch together.¡± John paused before grunting. There was no objection nor exnation. Meanwhile, Sophia let out a bleak smile as she watched the scene outside the window as the car moved forward. Having a meal together should be a good idea. Prior to this, she had seen Isabelle¡¯s pictures in magazines and the news. She was kind of a celebrity and would always attend all kinds of charity events, even though Sophia had never met her in person. She had always wondered what a person that Mrs. Constance was so pleased with would look like. After they arrived at the airport, they got their boarding passes and went through the security checkpoints. Their flight this morning did not seem to be packed as it did not take them long before they entered the boarding room. After just a short while, they began to board the airne, and of course, they were in business ss. Naturally, John and Sophia sat next to each other. After sitting and buckling her seat belt, Sophia turned around and looked outside the window. Meanwhile, John was still on his phone, seemingly sending out some text messages. At this moment, Zack showed up with some food and gave it to them. Not feeling too hungry, Sophiay it aside. Nevertheless, she and John had not spoken a word to each other, even though the atmosphere did not seem to be too awkward as this was always how the two had treated each other. Many a time, they had nothing to say to each other. Still feeling sleepy, Zack fell asleep right away in the corner. A few momentster, Sophia took out her phone and opened her Facebook, noticing that the singer had liked her Facebook post and left ament wishing her a safe journey. Sophia smiled and put her phone away, thinking that there was finally a person whom she could interact with on Facebook. After the airne took off, Sophia made sure that her phone was properly stowed before she went to sleep. In actuality, she could not fall asleep, but she did not know what to do if she stayed awake. She was in this drowsy state for a good while when she heard someonee and speak with John. It was a female voice that sounded rather flirtatious and bold, asking John for his number. John seemingly chuckled beforementing, ¡°This person next to me is my wife.¡± As he said that, Sophia could feel that he had seemingly reached for her and touched her hair, tucking the hair on her face away. Thatdy seemed to be embarrassed and quickly offered her apologies. Then, Sophia continued to pretend to be sleeping until it was quiet again. As he brought a book on business management with him, after a few seconds, she heard the sound of flipping pages. It was rather bizarre that John could focus on reading under such circumstances. Halfway through the flight, the flight attendant came with some food and beverages, but Sophia was still not as hungry. She drank some water while she was still in her drowsy state. At this point, John reminded her, ¡°You have to at least eat something before taking your gastric medicine.¡± Sophia felt slightly annoyed. ¡°My gastric problems are gone already. I don¡¯t feel anything anymore.¡± John frowned, looking serious. In the past, this was the look she feared the most because this meant that he was not happy, and she never wanted to make him mad. But right now, what did that have to do with her? Then, she gave him an indifferent look before cing her food on the tray in front of her and putting her eye mask back on as she got ready to sleep again. John continued to stare at her for a good while before looking away. He had somewhat lost control and minded her a tad too much. Chapter 79 Chapter 79 By the time Sophia woke up, the airne was already descending and about tond. She had almost slept through the flight, and it was not as bad as she thought. When the flight attendant reminded everyone to sit tight and buckle their seatbelts, Sophia stretched. ¡°I had such a good sleep.¡± John then put the book in his hands away without saying a word nor looking at her. Sitting next to them across the aisle, Zack was somewhat annoyed. He stretched his neck and looked at Sophia. ¡°Sophia, are youing back to the Constance Residence with uster?¡± Sophia peered at him through the corner of her eyes. ¡°You have to ask your boss. I don¡¯t know where I should go.¡± With the question being thrown at him, John grunted, and Zack took that as an answer. After the airne hadndedpletely, Zack walked in front of them as they walked out of the aircraft. When Zack went to wait for their suitcases, Sophia and John proceeded to walk out of the airport. She had a spection. s, she smiled when she saw the person running toward John and waving at him. She was right. It was Mrs. Constance at the entrance together with another woman, who looked somewhat different from the pictures in the magazine. Right now, she looked less stereotypical than in the magazines. Perhaps it was all the image editing and the make-up that made her look like that. As she stood next to Mrs. Constance, she looked rather average, which was nicer than in the magazines. Sophia thenughed silently. Fortunately, before she left the hotel this morning, she did put on some nice make-up. She reckoned she did not look too badpared to that woman. John looked rather surprised as she walked up to Mrs. Constance. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you didn¡¯t have toe get me?¡± He then turned to Isabelle as he finished the sentence. That look made Isabelle rather embarrassed. ¡°W-We happened to¡ª¡± ¡°I wanted toe here, and I asked Isabelle toe with me,¡± Mrs. Constance quickly added while grabbing Isabelle¡¯s hand. They looked like a mother and daughter pair. Meanwhile, Zack secretly rolled his eyes at them while John looked expressionless; he did not say anything too. Even though Mrs. Constance saw that Sophia was around, she had been ignoring her existence, and she was happy that Sophia did not choose to converse with her. Following that, John turned around and looked at Zack then at Sophia. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Sophia gently lifted her head, looking proud as she ignored Mrs. Constance and walked out with the others. Mrs. Constance came here with a private sedan. Apart from the driver, they could only fit at most four people in the car. But the back part of the car was not too spacious, so it was rather tight when there were three people in the back seat. Mrs. Constance opened the door of the passenger seat and asked John to get in the car. After that, she gave Isabelle a look for her to quickly get into the back seat. Sophia was not interested inpeting with them for a seat in the car, so she turned around and looked at Zack. ¡°You contacted thepany to have them send their car over, didn¡¯t you?¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Zack¡¯s volume went up slightly. ¡°I did. They¡¯ve actually just messaged me to say that they are already here. Let me find them.¡± Meanwhile, John stood there and also looked around. Mrs. Constance became rather nervous. ¡°John,e over and get in the car. Zack can get in the company car and go back to the office first. The meal¡¯s ready at home. We¡¯re just waiting for you.¡± Isabelle went up and opened the door to the back seat but did not get in; instead, she kept staring at John. When Zack found the car sent by thepany, he quickly waved at them. ¡°Over here!¡± The car then slowly pulled up, and it was an SUV, which looked more spacious. Sophia went up and Zack opened the back seat door for her. At the same time, John decided to walk toward the car sent by thepany and directed his words at Mrs. Constance. ¡°I¡¯ll take this car. It¡¯s more spacious.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t be bothered and just got in the car. She stretched her arms and legs, realizing that this car was indeed spacious andfortable. Then, John came in and sat down next to her. She gave him a quick nce. ¡°You can actually take the other car. I¡¯ll just have Zack send me back to my ce.¡± John leaned on the seat. One could tell that he was somewhat tired from the ne ride. Hearing what Sophia said, he responded with a whisper, ¡°Stop fooling around.¡± John sounded rather helpless and his voice also carried a tinge of coyness. Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Perhaps Sophia had heard it wrongly, but his words somewhat touched her. At this point, she quickly turned away and looked outside the window, pursing her lips and refusing to say a word. After putting Sophia and John¡¯s suitcases in the trunk, Zack got in the passenger seat while Mrs. Constance and Isabelle were still standing next to their sedan. Even though Isabelle looked fine, Mrs. Constance did not look too pleased. Leaning on the car window, Sophia saw the reluctant look on Mrs. Constance¡¯s face as she got in the car, and how hard she then mmed the car door. The sight of this made Sophiaugh. Their car took off first while Mrs. Constance¡¯s car followed. Throughout the car ride, no one was talking, and the car was heading toward the Constance Residence. It was a familiar route for Sophia.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Looking at the view outside the windows on both sides of the car, Sophia felt rather despondent. When she moved out of the Constance Residence, she thought that she would never return, but look at how quickly things changed. The car kept on going until they entered the front yard of the Constance Residence, which was situated halfway up a hill; the surrounding area was extremely quiet. As Old Mr. and Mrs. Constance both loved the countryside, there were many trees and nts around the Constance Residence. Behind the Constance Residence was a bamboo forest. It was very well managed and it made the environment feel quiet and peaceful. Sophia opened the door herself when Old Mrs. Constance was seen standing at the entrance of the main building and watching them while a maid stood next to her. Sophia saw Old Mrs. Constance the moment she turned around. During her time being married to John of just under a year, Old Mrs. Constance was impartial toward her. She never gave her any trouble but neither did she ever protect her. Hence, she felt the same toward Old Mrs. Constance. It was neither cold nor hot. After Zack helped move their suitcases from the car, with the help of the maid, Old Mrs. Constance slowly walked up to them. As all the members of the Constance Family were now at the office, this ce seemed to be unusually quiet. Old Mrs. Constance looked at Sophia and said rather calmly, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°Old Mrs. Constance, good to see you.¡± It did not take long for her to change the way she addressed her as she used to call her Grandma. Old Mrs. Constance sighed and turned to Zack. Since Zack was a frequent visitor, Old Mrs. Constance knew who he was. She thenmented, ¡°You just got off the ne, didn¡¯t you? Eat something before you go back.¡± Zack gave Sophia a look and exhaled. He then conveniently epted the invitation. Now, the car that Mrs. Constance was in slowly pulled up, and Mrs. Constance seemed rather nervous as she got out of the car right after it stopped. After that, she went to the back of the car and dragged Isabelle over when Isabelle had just stepped out of the car. Mrs. Constance then walked up to John. ¡°John,e in the house and eat something. We¡¯ll talk when we eat. You must be tired.¡± It was too obvious what Mrs. Constance was trying to do, and even Old Mrs. Constance could no longer take it. Old Mrs. Constance then sighed, looking slightly stern. ¡°Matilda.¡± Mrs. Constance paused and turned to Old Mrs. Constance. She then pursed her lips and moved aside. Old Mrs. Constance looked at Isabelle rather ndly before turning around. ¡°Let¡¯s go in. You all must be tired. We¡¯ll eat something before you all get some rest.¡± They all walked into the main building as Zack carried Sophia¡¯s suitcase and a maid came to help carry John¡¯s. The dining room in the main building was not too big given the number of people living at the Constance Residence. However, everyone did not usually eat together. All the dishes in the dining room had already been served on the table. Without even going in, one could tell how much food there was on the table just from a quick nce. After the maid and Zack ced the suitcases in the corner, they all went into the dining room together. The Constance Family was particr about eating, so they handed out a hot towel to everyone to wipe their hands. Meanwhile, Sophia found a seat and sat down right away,pletely ignoring everyone else around her. This seat was where she used to sit, which was right next to John. Mrs. Constance was stunned by that. She then frowned as she stared at Sophia. How could Sophia sit down and start wiping her hands before the older ones did? Old Mrs. Constance gave Sophia a look as well, but she did not get as annoyed as Mrs. Constance. Sitting in her seat, Sophia proceeded to wipe her hands. ¡°Are you guys sitting down? I¡¯m starving. I don¡¯t want to wait any longer.¡± She thought it would be ridiculous for her to entertain some meaningless rituals with a bunch of people who were no longer rted to her, especially after having not eaten anything since the morning while on the ne. Meanwhile, John also sat down and waved at everyone. ¡°Everyone, please take a seat. We haven¡¯t eaten anything since this morning. We¡¯re indeed hungry.¡± Old Mrs. Constance was helped by a maid as she slowly sat down before Mrs. Constance followed suit. Isabelle was seated opposite John, and they two could see each other as long as they lifted their heads ¡ªSophia and Mrs. Constance were in a simr position. Chapter 81 Chapter 81 It seemed that Mrs. Constance did not want to meet Sophia. Hence, she did not look directly at the latter. As if Mrs. Constance was afraid that people could not see her, she stood with her side slightly turned toward Isabelle. On the other hand, Sophia did not mind and thought that it would be even better if Mrs. Constance would turn her back toward her. It was best to keep herself out of Mrs. Constance¡¯s sight. After Mrs. Constance washed her hands, she took out the bowls and utensils. She first gave John a pair of chopsticks before giving another pair to Isabelle. She then asked about the results from John¡¯s outing; she was unaware of the problems that had urred between him and Infinity Group. John pursed his lips as if he was thinking about something and remained silent. It was Old Mrs. Constance who continued the conversation. ¡°Why are you asking him about work when he had just returned home?¡± Her words stunned Mrs. Constance and made her feel a little awkward. Meanwhile, Sophia kept her head low while she ate because she was starving. She wasn¡¯t feeling hungry as she was sleeping throughout the entire ne ride. Now that she was awake, her stomach felt a little ufortable. John had also eaten two mouthfuls before putting his chopsticks down all of a sudden. ¡°Have you not taken your gastric medicine yet?¡± Sophia raised her head with a blur expression. However, she kept eating and did not bother replying to him. John nced at Sophia twice, looking a little helpless. There was a grain of rice sticking on the corner of her lips, and her face was in a blur, making her look rather cute. In fact, the only person who had yet to eat was Sophia; throughout their entire journey here, John and Zack had already eaten on the ne. John then reached out to remove the grain of rice that was on Sophia¡¯s face before he stood up to walk away. Seeing this, Mrs. Constance called out to him and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± Isabelle, who sat by the side, nced at Sophia for a while; her face remained normal. John excused himself and walked toward the living room. All their luggages were still at the entrance. John then opened up Sophia¡¯s luggage and found all her gastric medicine in it. Following that, he carefully picked out the one that should be taken before meals before returning to the dining room. At that moment, the confused look on Sophia¡¯s face was gone. She was calm, but John swore that he caught a hint of satisfaction on her face. The man then passed the medicine to Sophia and instructed her, ¡°Take your medicine first.¡± She agreed, took the medicine over, put it in her mouth, and gulped it down with a mouthful of water. Old Mrs. Constance looked at Sophia. With a cold tone, she asked, ¡°What happened? Are you not feeling well?¡± Before Sophia could say anything, John opened his mouth to continue, ¡°Her gastric problems are back.¡± Old Mrs. Constance then locked her eyes on Sophia for a while, and her tone became slightly softer. ¡°Did you have gastric problems before?¡± Sophia answered, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been almost ten years.¡± In fact, she had been having lots of gastric problemstely. Old Mrs. Constance nced at Sophia again and added, ¡°But I haven¡¯t heard you mention it before.¡± Sophia then chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Her face was as calm as the sea. It seemed that she had not made a big deal out of this problem. Perhaps because the Constance Family was a rich and influential family. Hence, they were slightly contentious about this. Even when a family member has a slight headache, it would be a big problem for the whole family. On the other hand, ten years of gastric problems was never a problem for Sophia at all. However, this made Old Mrs. Constance feel a little ufortable. asionally, she would hear Old Mr. Constance bringing this matter up; he said that Sophia did not have a good life in the past. He even advised Old Mrs. Constance to treat Sophia better. However, Old Mr. Constance¡¯s body was not feeling well during that time, so she focused all her strength on taking care of him and did not care about Sophia at all. In the end, Old Mr. Constance passed away while John went through a divorce. From then on, Old Mrs. Constance seldom got in touch with Sophia. Mrs. Constance, however, seemed slightly indifferent. She looked at Sophia in disdain from the corner of her eyes and snorted heavily. It seemed that almost everyone could hear her from her seat, but no one spoke a word about it. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Sophia then nced at Mrs. Constance for a while and imitated her. Naturally, the sound she made was louder than Mrs. Constance¡¯s. Not only the people who sat around the dining table, but even the maids who were standing by the entrance could hear it clearly. Mrs. Constance was stunned and looked at Sophia in disbelief. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Sophia answered with an innocent-looking face, ¡°My stomach feels ufortable.¡± Just because her stomach was ufortable, would a snort make her stomach feel more comfortable? Zack almostughed out loud. What Sophia said sounded like the perfect excuse! Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Sophia would never treat Mrs. Constance as such before, so how was she able to tolerate such behavior from Sophia now? Mrs. Constance immediately mmed the chopsticks onto the table and asked, ¡°Sophia, what kind of manners is this?¡± John then lifted his head to look at Mrs. Constance and said, ¡°Mom, that¡¯s enough.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia swiftly imitated her and mmed the chopsticks on the table. She looked at Mrs. Constance with a mocking look on her face. ¡°I learned all these actions from you. If I¡¯m the one with problems with my manners, I think you should reflect on yourself first.¡± Mrs. Constance¡¯s face turned stiff. She had not expected Sophia to be so sharp-tongued. She opened her mouth. ¡°You¡ª¡± Sophia kept an expressionless face while she looked at Mrs. Constance¡ªshe looked as if she was eager to hear what woulde out of Mrs. Constance¡¯s mouth. Sophia¡¯s current behavior made Mrs. Constance even angrierpared to her careless behavior in the past. Old Mrs. Constance, who sat by her side, instantly frowned. However, she looked at Mrs. Constance first. ¡°Matilda, please just sit down. Have your meal and talk nicely. It¡¯s been so many years. Why are you still like this?¡± Having already said such words, Mrs. Constance was unable to back down with good grace. Mrs. Constance looked at Old Mrs. Constance and felt a little upset as she said, ¡°Mom, just look at her. She dared to talk to me that way.¡± With this, she nced at Sophia, but Old Mrs. Constance was still fixated on her. Then, Sophia seized the opportunity to roll her eyes at Mrs. Constance while no one was watching. Her behavior was arrogant and she acted in a disorderly manner without fear. Upon seeing this, Mrs. Constance gritted her teeth and pointed her finger at Sophia. ¡°Look at her. Just look at her.¡± Sophia immediately adjusted the expression on her face and continued acting innocent. She could not imagine what she had looked like in the old days. Compared to now, she could let her old self die off. Mrs. Constance was a pretentious person. How could she have been bullied so miserably by Mrs. Constance in the past? This made no sense at all. Old Mrs. Constance nced at Sophia. On the other hand, Sophia was able to remain calm; not even a hint of expression was shown on her face. Isabelle, who was sitting by the side, patted Mrs. Constance¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Mrs. Constance, please don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯m sure Miss Gwendolyn doesn¡¯t mean it. Perhaps it¡¯s the medicine she swallowed that is causing her a little difort. Please don¡¯t overthink it.¡± Mrs. Constance then looked at Isabelle. It took a long time for her to take a breather, then she said in a suppressed voice, ¡°You¡¯re such a kind child. You know how to find excuses for someone else.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia picked up her chopsticks and started eating by herself again as she was not full yet. John remained seated while his face had no expression at all. Old Mrs. Constance had also slowly adjusted her emotions. She then took the napkin from the side to wipe her mouth. ¡°It seems like I can¡¯t continue this meal anymore.¡± With this, she stood up. The servants that were standing by the door hurried over to her. With Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s back facing them, she added, ¡°All of you can continue your meal.¡± By the looks of it, she was angry. Mrs. Constance did not expect her to give such a reaction. ¡°Mom, why aren¡¯t you eating anymore? You¡¯ve only had a few bites.¡± She quickly stood up and walked toward Old Mrs. Constance. Meanwhile, Sophia lowered her head to eat and was not affected by this entire situation at all. Zack, who was by the side, secretly put down his chopsticks. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. If only he had known that it would turn out like this, Zack would not have stayed behind for a meal. It wasn¡¯t like this meal tasted particrly good. Isabelle felt slightly awkward since Mrs. Constance had chased after Old Mrs. Constance. This made Isabelle feel a little restless. After a while, John picked up his chopsticks and looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry that you have to witness this.¡± Isabelle then shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Perhaps Mrs. Constance is under the weather today.¡± John nodded and continued, ¡°Please continue your meal.¡± Isabelle then pursed her lips and did not leave. John turned to look at Zack and said, ¡°Eat up. We still have to return to thepany once we¡¯ve finished.¡± Zack swiftly lowered his head and ate as if nothing had happened. On the other hand, John did not have the appetite to eat anymore. He turned to look at Sophia. He noticed that she was not affected by the previous incident at all and was enjoying the food. John stared at Sophia for a while before forcing himself to continue eating. Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Naturally, Sophia did not act polite. In fact, she could not wait to see the reaction of Mrs. Constance after she started living in this bedroom Mrs. Constance had prepared for Isabelle. Sophia entered with her luggage and was very satisfied with it after looking around. The maid looked around and quickly left. John stood by the door and leaned on the door frame, crossing his arms while looking at Sophia. Sophia nced around. Seeing that John was in such a state, she chuckled. ¡°Why are you staring at me like this? Is it because I made your mom angry at the dinner table, so you¡¯re here to settle things with me?¡± She then sat and turned over on the bed before lowering her head to touch it. ¡°This bed is quite soft. It must be an expensive bed.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. With this, she lifted her head and looked at John. John was still staring at her but did not look angry. Instead, he had a curious face on him. All of a sudden, Sophia felt like pulling a prank on him, so she patted the surface of the bed beside her and said, ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll be veryfortable on this bed?¡± After Sophia finished her sentence, she tilted her head and smiled at John. Her face seemed as if she was seducing him. John¡¯s gaze also fell on Sophia¡¯s body as he looked at her from head to toe, and back, twice. Suddenly, he chuckled. ¡°If we have the time, we can definitely try it out.¡± Sophia was slightly taken aback. Did John learn how to flirt back? Not bad at all. Clearly, he has improved a lot. Sophia felt that she could not lose to him. Hence, she wanted to find a few more words to flirt back with John. However, before she could say anything, Sophia heard someone talking in the corridor. ¡°John, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll head off first.¡± It was Isabelle¡¯s voice. It seemed that she was standing quite close to the door. Sophia swiftly stood up and managed to reach the door in just a few steps. John was leaning on the door frame while Sophia leaned on the other side of the door frame and poked her head out of the room. Indeed, Isabelle did not stand too far and had a calm face on her. Then, Sophia said with a smile on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t go. You¡¯ve only been here for a while. Come over and have a chat with us.¡± Isabelle was not shocked to see Sophia. She even raised the corner of her lips and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I see that both of you are tired. Please rest well. If I¡¯m free next time, I¡¯lle over and find you.¡± Indeed, Isabelle was a youngdy from a respectable family. No matter the situation or the circumstances she was in, Isabelle would not panic and remained calm. Sophia admired her for that. She nodded her head and said, ¡°Have a safe journey home.¡± Isabelle also waved at her and turned to look at John before leaving. Sophia watched as Isabelle disappeared from the staircase on the second floor before lightly pping her own mouth. ¡°You¡¯re quite lucky in love affairs.¡± John diverted his gaze from the staircase and turned around to return to his room. Both their rooms were separated by a wall while the doors to both rooms were just beside each other. With just a turn from where he stood, John returned to his own room. Actually, it was not his own room as it was shared by both Sophia and him in the past. Sophia was still holding the door open while her head poked out. However, there was no longer a smile on her face. She no longer had the right to enter that room. After some thought, she reached out to close the door. Sophia then opened up the wardrobe. Indeed, Mrs. Constance had prepared a lot of clothes for Isabelle. There were a lot of pajamas in the wardrobe. Sophia used her finger to hook one of them out. To her surprise, the style of the pajamas was bold and risqu¨¦. It was no different than not wearing anything at all. Sophia looked at the other pajamas and noticed that most of them were of such style. If Isabelle was to stay in this house, Sophia wondered if she dared to wear these pajamas. Nheless, Sophia knew that she would feel a little shy to wear it herself. There was a fitting mirror installed in the wardrobe, so she took a good look at herself. Isabelle was taller than her by a little. Since Sophia was malnourished when she was young, her legs did not develop properly into a pair of long legs. However, Sophia still had a good body shape and her height was just right. The wardrobe was huge. Sophia hung a few of her clothes on the other side before entering the adjoining bathroom. The bathroom felt like it had just been renovated. There was also a jacuzzi in the bathroom. Looking at this, one could tell that Mrs. Constance was really thoughtful about the bathroomyout. However, she must not have expected Sophia to be the one staying in this room. Therefore, Sophia was waiting to see Mrs. Constance¡¯s horrid reaction. Chapter 85 Chapter 85 John tidied up his room a little and went out. Meanwhile, Zack was still waiting for him downstairs. After John was downstairs, the both of them immediately left for thepany. Sophia stood by the window of her room and looked downstairs. From this angle, it was simr to the location of John¡¯s room. She watched John and Zack walking toward the Constance Residence¡¯s car park. It felt like she was in one of the many days in the past where she would send her husband off. Actually, there was nothing good about sending off someone. John never knew how she stood by the window to see him off to work every single day in the past. It was funny how in the end, she was the one that felt moved. After waiting for the both of them to disappear, Sophia closed the curtains and returned to her bed. Although she had slept throughout the entire journey back here, she still felt extremely ufortable. Shey down and rolled around a few times in an effort to find afortable posture. However, there came a knocking sound at the door not long after she had found afortable position. At the same time, Mrs. Constance¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Come out, Sophia. This room is not for you. Come out!¡± Her voice sounded extremely angry. Sophia sneered andy down on her back. She stared at the ceiling and was in a good mood. Mrs. Constance knocked on the door a few more times. Seeing that the door was still closed, she turned to the servant beside her and asked, ¡°Where are the keys? Open this door for me.¡± The servant said in a lowered voice, ¡°Mrs. Constance, please don¡¯t make this a bigger deal than it is. Old Mrs. Constance was already upset just now.¡± Mrs. Constance paused and gnashed her teeth in anger. ¡°This is not a question of whether I¡¯m making a fuss out of this. Look at her; she already crossed the line when she bullied me. How could I just let her be?¡± She could not bear it any longer. What was Sophia¡¯s virtue in the past? She dares to challenge me now? She really does not know her own ce. Mrs. Constance then urged the servant. ¡°Hurry up and open the door.¡± After some thought, the servant opened the door with the keys in her hand. The bedroom was a little dark when she entered the room. On the other hand, Sophia wasying on the bed. When Mrs. Constance saw Sophia sprawled over the bed she had carefully prepared, she started fuming in anger. Everything in the room was carefully chosen and prepared by her for Isabelle. It was impossible for Mrs. Constance to not get angry since everything she had prepared was unexpectedly upied by Sophia. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. With huge steps, Mrs. Constance walked over to the side of the bed. ¡°Get up, Sophia. Do you think you have the right to enter this room? Get out now!¡± However, Sophia remained lying on the bed as she stared at the ceiling. With a faint voice, she said, ¡°I advise that you let me rest in silence for a while. Please don¡¯t force me to pull your son down together with me.¡± Sophia said this calmly and steadily, but her words seeded in stopping Mrs. Constance¡¯s actions. Mrs. Constance stared at Sophia with a sarcastic face. ¡°Sophia, have you forgotten who you are just because you¡¯ve been out in the world? Let me tell you; John took you in because he pitied you, so don¡¯t you take us for granted. Now, hurry up and get out of this room. This room is not fit for people like you.¡± Sophia felt slightly annoyed, so she slowly sat up and red at Mrs. Constance. Sophia used to look at her with a yielding expression. However, her expression now was nonchnt and carried a hint of sarcasm. She then smiled. ¡°Pitied me?¡± She slowly put her legs on the edge of the bed. Although the lighting in the house was not good, she could see the bottle of perfume on the dressing table. It must have been a newly-bought bottle. By the looks of it, it must be a premium brand. Sophia continued, ¡°Mrs. Constance, could you please ask about your son¡¯s situation before talking? Otherwise, I mightugh.¡± With this, she stood up and walked over to pull open the curtains. Looking outside the window, she continued, ¡°Let me tell you. If I wasn¡¯t on this business trip together with him, your son¡¯s reputation would have been ruined by now.¡± Mrs. Constance did not understand a lot of things in the business world. In her eyes, both her husband and John were good at everything and she did not believe Sophia¡¯s words at all. Meanwhile, Sophia opened the window. It was a little warm at this moment as a warm wind was blowing into the room. Mrs. Constance gagged. ¡°I thought you were thick-skinned and did not understand your own ce, so you were holding onto something that didn¡¯t belong to you. Now, it seems that I¡¯ve overestimated you. You¡¯ve got a mouth that¡¯s daring enough to say anything and thick skin that¡¯s worth nothing.¡± However, Sophia chuckled. ¡°With you as his mom, John is really lucky to not have died from being screwed over.¡± In reality, Mrs. Constance would always scold others whenever she opened her mouth. Other than Old Mrs. Constance, she would scold everyone and no one dared to talk to her rudely. But before Mrs. Constance could talk, Sophia continued talking. This time, her tone of voice was calm. ¡°I¡¯d advise you to stop provoking me. If I get upset and leak out the divorce between John and me, your beloved son¡¯s reputation would be destroyed.¡± Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Indeed, Mrs. Constance did not know what had happened during John¡¯s business trip. However, Old Mrs. Constance did tell her that the news of John¡¯s divorce must not be spread out. As for the reason, Old Mrs. Constance seemed to be unclear about it too, but her tone of voice sounded serious when she told Mrs. Constance about this. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Hence, Mrs. Constance felt that the consequences that came with this sentence would be devastating. She felt a slight chill in her heart as she saw how confident Sophia was in carrying out her well-thought n to ckmail her. Perhaps, this matter was really serious. Mrs. Constance was so used to bullying Sophia that her heart felt extremely ufortable after being oppressed by her. Mrs. Constance then squeezed Sophia¡¯s neck and warned, ¡°How dare you?¡± Sophia instantly sneered. In just a few steps, she reached the dressing table and picked up the newly bought bottle of perfume. Next, without a care, she threw it toward the wall by the side while saying, ¡°Try me.¡± The bottle of perfume flew past the side of Mrs. Constance¡¯s face and smashed on the wall behind her. As the force of the bottle smashing against the wall was strong, the perfume bottle broke into shards of ss, and the sound of it breaking was crisp and clear. At this moment, Mrs. Constance was shocked by Sophia¡¯s action. She swiftly shrank her neck and even felt the perfume sshing on her back. Since the perfume bottle was broken into pieces, the entire room smelled of flowers in an instant. The perfume had a jasmine scent. Mrs. Constance red at Sophia; she was unwilling to believe that Sophia had not only challenged her but even dared to fight with her. This was gettingpletely out of hand. Meanwhile, Sophia¡¯s face was icy-cold as she red at Mrs. Constance without fear and said, ¡°You better not provoke me. Even your son has to talk to me with a good attitude, so you better not act smart with me. If I get upset, I¡¯ll pull John down with me, so don¡¯t me me for not warning you first.¡± Mrs. Constance gritted her teeth; her eyes were about to pop out from all that staring. The servant quickly went over to support her. ¡°Mrs. Constance, if your voice gets any louder, Old Mrs. Constance will get angry again.¡± Mrs. Constance¡¯s chest was rising and falling. She had been married into the Constance Family for so long and had yet to be shamed like this. Even when she was being unreasonable at times, the entire Constance Family would still treat her with respect. However, a person without manners like Sophia had already managed to shame her a few times today. She really is¡­ Mrs. Constance was so angry she started clenching her fist. Sophia was not pretending; her face was more fierce than Mrs. Constance¡¯s. Mrs. Constance then took a few deep breaths before slowly turning around and saying to the servant, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I won¡¯t be calctive with uncultured people.¡± Suddenly, Sophia opened her mouth. ¡°That is your first strike.¡± Mrs. Constance was stunned and turned around to look at her. Sophia then raised the corner of her lips coldly. ¡°My patience has its limits. This is your first time provoking me, so you better remember it clearly. If the number of times you provoked me increases, I¡¯m unsure of what I¡¯ll do next.¡± This was clearly a threat. Mrs. Constance raised her hand to point at Sophia and said, ¡°You¡ª¡± It seemed that she wanted to say something unpleasant, but was immediately interrupted by Sophia. ¡°I should take out my phone to record the cultureddy of the Constance Family¡¯s words and actions for others to see. I¡¯ll let everybody know what John¡¯s mom usually looks like.¡± Mrs. Constance then quickly lowered her hand. The servant by her side could see clearly who had gained the upper hand and who was suffering losses. She tugged Mrs. Constance¡¯s clothes and said, ¡°It¡¯s enough Mrs. Constance. It¡¯s almost noon now and you usually rest during noon.¡± Mrs. Constance was so mad right now that she could not sleep. However, she still followed the servant¡¯s advice and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± When the two of them walked toward the door, Sophia instructed, ¡°Please shut the door.¡± Mrs.Constance did not move. Instead, it was the servant who helped to close the door. The entire bedroom was filled with the scent of the jasmine-scented perfume. Luckily, Sophia had opened the windows beforehand. She also remembered that Isabelle¡¯s body smelled of this perfume. Indeed, Mrs. Constance is such a suck-up. Meanwhile, Mrs. Constance stood by the door and gnashed her teeth in anger. Her entire face was contorted with rage. Her hands were trembling as she took out her phone to call John. Chapter 87 Chapter 87 After causing Mrs. Constance to leave with anger, Sophiay down on the bed again and felt extremely comfortable in her heart. Not to mention, the bed that she was lying on was soft andfortable too. Even though she was not sleepy, shey down on the bed since she had nothing else to do. Therefore, Sophia kept lying on the bed until the sky had almost turned dark before she got up again. She was too familiar with the Constance Residence. She then got out of bed and went out for a walk. Since the sun had set, she could enjoy the scenery in the garden. Sophia slowly walked over to a ce with a cane chair and a sunshade. She sat on the chair and rocked it. Who knew that rich people¡¯s lives could be sofortable. Later, Sophia took out her phone to surf the web and noticed that the news of John and her divorce had not been leaked out. Isabelle herself was calm too. She was able to stay away from the Constance Family¡¯s problems even when she knew about the inside stories of the family. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia tried putting herself in Isabelle¡¯s shoes and thought that if she was Isabelle, she might not be able to pull this off. She would have found someone to tell about John¡¯s divorce. After all, for the sake of love, women were capable of doing anything. She felt that as a woman herself, she would understand if Isabelle did this to them. However, Isabelle did not leak the news of their divorce. Indeed, she was strong and calm. Oftentimes, people like Isabelle who were quiet could also get what they wanted, and it would be the most terrifying thing to go against people like her. Fortunately, Sophia would not count Isabelle as her rival now since she did not have any rtions with John anymore. Sophia slowly hummed as she continued reading some gossip news. Meanwhile, just as John got home and got out of his car, he saw a person sitting in the gardens. Next to the car park was the garden. The Constance Residence had always been quiet, so Sophia¡¯s hums could be heard clearly. In fact, she had good vocals and was able to touch a person when one heard her sing mncholic songs. John then slowly walked over, trying his best not to make any sound. He stood at the side of the garden and watched Sophia. It was unsure what she was looking at on her phone, but Sophia chuckled twice and the dimples on her cheeks appeared. Sophia was wearing a pair of hot pants, and after she took off her shoes, she sat cross-legged on the cane chair, all the while humming and looking at her phone. John had never seen this casual andzy side of Sophia before. Sophia sat there looking at her phone for quite some time before looking up to the sky. She thought that it was about time that she entered the house. She ced both her feet down. Before she wore her shoes, Sophia noticed John. John had his hands in his pockets while he stood there watching her; she was unsure of how long he had been standing there. Sophia raised her eyebrows. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had the habit of peeping on others, President Constance.¡± John¡¯s voice sounded calm as he replied, ¡°How could you call this peeping? I¡¯m not hiding anywhere and have been standing here for a long time. You¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t notice me.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia bent down to wear her shoes. As the cor of her clothes was slightly loose, her cleavage was slightly revealed when she lowered her head. John slowly diverted his gaze and continued, ¡°Oh, right. I went to your house this afternoon to bring some of your clothes over.¡± Sophia stood up and tidied her clothes before grunting in reply. Those clothes were bought while she was staying at the Constance Residence. Although they were expensive, she did not like them. Soon after, John brought Sophia over to his car and took out a bag. Sophia did not intend on taking the bag over from him. It was John who carried the bag as they walked slowly toward the house. As they were walking, the sound of another car could be heard. It must have been people from the other rooms. Since they did not treat Sophia well in the past, she did not want to greet them either and pretended to not hear anything. John did not react too and just like Sophia, he pretended not to hear them. The both of them returned to the main building. Mrs. Constance was sitting in the main living room. It seemed that she was waiting for John to return home. Sophia almostughed out loud when she saw Mrs. Constance about toin to her son. Meanwhile, Mrs. Constance was stunned to see both of them walking in together before ring at Sophia. Sophia swayed her arms as she walked upstairs while instructing John, ¡°Please take the bag of clothes up for meter; thanks.¡± Her words were obviously an order. Even though she ended her sentence with a ¡®thanks¡¯, it still made Mrs. Constance¡¯s heart feel uneasy. She did not want to fight with Sophia in front of John. Hence, she turned to the servant beside her and said, ¡°Please help her carry the bag up.¡± The servant hurriedly took over the bag from John and carried it to Sophia¡¯s room. Sophia nced at the servant and thanked her. The servant softly replied, ¡°No problem.¡± Before she left, she turned around to look at Sophia again. Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Sophia had changed. The servant had actually heard Mrs. Constance say this in the afternoon. Now that she observed more carefully, Sophia really did change. Sophia¡¯s personality had be more independent, yet cold and distant. Previously, she was a warm person who would smile at anyone she met. Her attitude was also good toward the servants. However, when Sophia thanked her just now, her voice was neither soft nor heavy; it was emotionless. She was not the same as before. The servant exited the bedroom and closed the door before slowly descending the stairs. Naturally, Mrs. Constance who was downstairs wasining about Sophia. Sheined about how Sophia had retaliated at her words and how she was challenging her. Mrs. Constance evenined about how Sophia had almost hit her. At the beginning of herints, John did not give any reaction until he heard about thest part of herint. Upon hearing this, John frowned. ¡°Did she hit you?¡± Mrs. Constance looked slightly ufortable. ¡°No. She didn¡¯t hit me. No matter what, she wouldn¡¯t have the guts to hit me. She just threw the bottle of perfume I bought in front of me.¡± Upon saying this, Mrs. Constance was raging with anger. The bottle of perfume had flown past her face. Had it gone a little to the side, the bottle would have hit her face. John nodded his head. ¡°So, she just broke a bottle of perfume. If you liked that perfume, I can buy you another bottle.¡± Mrs. Constance snorted and was unhappy about it. ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s just a bottle of perfume? Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to convey here? You didn¡¯t even see her attitude at that time. John, why would you bring this kind of woman back? Since both of you were married in the past, I wouldn¡¯t say much about this, but now that you¡¯re divorced, why would our family need her now?¡± John thought about it for a while before replying, ¡°This matter is a littleplicated. Dad wille home in a while, then I¡¯ll exin it to both of you. However, Sophia needs to stay here, for now, so please don¡¯t bully her.¡± John looked at Mrs. Constance and said in a very serious tone. ¡°I¡¯m aware of all the things you¡¯ve done in the past. It¡¯s just that I did not wish to worry too much about it. I know that you¡¯ve treated her badly all along.¡± Mrs. Constance pursed her lips and felt ashamed. Then, she spoke hesitantly, ¡°Since when did I treat her badly?¡± She pulled a long face. ¡°I think I already treated her well enough to let her get married into our family from a family like hers. If it was another family, she might even be treated as a servant.¡± John did not like to reason with Mrs. Constance because most of the time, she would not understand his reasoning. John could only say, ¡°After she got married to me, we became one entity. What you think of her is actually a reflection of how you look at me.¡± ¡°How could you be the same as her?¡± Mrs. Constance¡¯s eyes were wide open. ¡°You¡¯re the heir to our Constance Family. In the future, the entire Constance Family belongs to you.¡± In reality, John disliked hearing these words the most. He just stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go up and change first. Once Dad returns home and everyone is here, I¡¯ll tell all of you the situation between Sophia and me.¡± Mrs. Constance knew that John disliked hearing about these household affairs, but she could not help it as she was annoyed by it for the entire afternoon. If she did not say it out, she was afraid she would be suffocated to death. Meanwhile, John immediately went upstairs. When he arrived at his bedroom door, he paused for a moment and listened carefully.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. However, he could not hear any movements in Sophia¡¯s room, so John entered his bedroom and changed into a casual outfit. When he exited his bedroom, John could not help but knock on Sophia¡¯s bedroom door. Next, he could hear the sound of footsteps walking over before the door was opened. All of a sudden, a strong jasmine scent burst out from her room. Sophia¡¯s face was emotionless as she asked, ¡°Has your mom finished herints?¡± This made John feel likeughing. ¡°How did you get into a fight with my mom in the afternoon?¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°She came here to find fault with me, so naturally, I couldn¡¯t bear with her actions anymore.¡± This time, John reallyughed out. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were good at tolerating others?¡± Upon saying this, Sophia became slightly angry. She looked at John with a long face. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t to save you from all the troubles of being the middle person between your mom and me, did you think I could¡¯ve endured for that long? Indeed, your family is wealthy, but do you think you can humiliate someone just because you¡¯re loaded? This is such a joke.¡± John raised his hand subconsciously. It seemed that he wanted to put his hand on top of Sophia¡¯s head. However, he paused mid-air. It seemed that he was shocked by his own actions. He froze slightly and immediately put his hand down. John then sighed. ¡°My mom can be a little bad-tempered at times, but I can¡¯t do anything about it since my dad has been tolerating her all this while. Please don¡¯t be so calctive with her next time, and try to avoid her as much as possible.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes upon hearing his words. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do that. Why do I need to hide from her? I was once grandpa¡¯s favorite too. If he was here, he would make sure that I was afraid of no one. All of you only dare to bully me because you saw that I lost my refuge.¡± Although Sophia said it calmly, John was unexpectedly shocked by her words and he stared seriously at her. Chapter 89 Chapter 89 John sighed after some time. ¡°Indeed, we¡¯ve wronged you.¡± He had never met Sophia¡¯s grandfather before, but he heard his grandfather mentioning him. The two old men had a life-long friendship. If it was not for this, he would not have forced John to marry Sophia. After some thought, John said, ¡°Alright. Dinner¡¯s ready. Remember to join us for dinnerter.¡± Sophia nodded her head and John turned to leave. She waited for a while before shutting the door. She was ying games on her phone before this, and her phone was thrown onto the bed after John came by. Even without thinking, Sophia was certain that she had lost her game. She walked over to pick up her phone and exited the game and then sat on the bed while looking out the window. It was really boring for her to stay at the Constance Residence. Everyone here disliked her, but truth be told, Sophia disliked every single person in this house too. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. It was a terrible thing for her since she could not get away from the people she disliked. Sophia ced her hands on her legs and rubbed them back and forth. Her mind had turned and spun several times. Why should she live such a miserable life when she was wealthy now? She needed to enjoy that money. Otherwise, it would be annoying to live the same life as before even when she had so much money. Sophia licked her lips and thought that it was a matter that needed some research if she wanted to enjoy her life. Unfortunately, she was at a loss in this area. Since Sophia had spent too much of her life living as a poor person, a sudden burst in wealth made her feel at loss. On the other hand, John was sitting in his study. Old Mrs. Constance, William, and Matilda were present too. John had roughly exined all the important things that happened during his business trip. William had a serious look on his face. He did not ask about Sophia¡¯s condition; instead, he only stared at John. ¡°How are you still being plotted against by someone that way?¡± John remained emotionless as he exined, ¡°I was careless. I did not expect them to do this.¡± As William had been involved in the business world for a long time, these matters were not too shocking to him. Old Mrs. Constance nodded beside him and asked, ¡°Is Infinity Group still in contact with you?¡± John confirmed and said, ¡°They did call me today, but I didn¡¯t pick up the phone.¡± The fact that they could make a move while working under the premise of good cooperation made it seem that they were capable of more dirty tricks in the future. They were unsure of what those people would do next. Old Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll let Sophia stay here for now. Indeed, your divorce cannot be leaked out at this moment since it¡¯s easy for others to write an article about it.¡± In fact, the Constance Family had made many enemies in the past years. Outsiders could not differentiate right from wrong and would generally react on hearsay. It would be troublesome for the family if the people cooperated to plot against them. Upon finishing her sentence, Old Mrs. Constance looked at Mrs. Constance, ¡°Matilda, please restrain yourself in the future. John and Sophia have nothing much to do with each other now, so please stop going about with your head high in the air.¡± Mrs. Constance pursed her lips and waited for quite some time before agreeing with her. Meanwhile, William looked at John. ¡°Your uncle¡¯s side does not know much about your divorce. I¡¯ll exin it to themter and say that you didn¡¯t divorce in the end. Perhaps they wouldn¡¯t talk much about this matter.¡± Old Mrs. Constance looked at Mrs. Constance again after hearing William¡¯s words. On the other hand, Mrs. Constance did not dare to look at her. Even before John and Sophia divorced each other, Mrs. Constance had already spread the word of their divorce throughout their home. She even brought Isabelle home to familiarize her with their household environment. Now that Sophia was brought back by John again, it would be a mystery as to what the people would think. William nced at Mrs. Constance and felt slightly annoyed. ¡°Matilda, stop getting involved in John¡¯s matters next time.¡± Mrs. Constance took a deep breath before answering, ¡°Alright. I understand.¡± Since they were almost done, Old Mrs. Constance stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Let¡¯s go downstairs and have our meal.¡± Mrs. Constance went over to support her and went down together with the others. After arriving downstairs, they noticed that Sophia had already started eating in the dining room. She did not wait for anyone and was excitedly having her meal alone. Mrs. Constance could not help but whisper to Old Mrs. Constance, ¡°Mom, look at her. She doesn¡¯t even have the appearance of a decent and respectable girl.¡± Old Mrs. Constance stared at Sophia. Since there was no one around her and she thought that the dishes were delicious, Sophia was having her meal happily. In fact, it was very appetizing to watch her eat. She then sighed and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go over and have our meal.¡± Meanwhile, John¡¯s face was as usual; he had no problems with this. He went over to sit by Sophia and nced at her. However, Sophia did not look at him. Instead, she said, ¡°I was hungry so I didn¡¯t wait for all of you.¡± John chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no need for so much courtesy.¡± Sophia almostughed at his words. Indeed, the Constance Family had the most empty forms of courtesy. The servant served John his bowl of rice. After having two bites of it, he turned to look at Sophia with a smile on his face. Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Mrs. Constance sat across from Sophia and would asionally look up at her. Naturally, her expression was no better than before. She particrly liked Isabelle ever since a long time ago. The marriage between John and Isabelle was facilitated by all sorts of lobbying. She was satisfied with Isabelle no matter how she looked at her. However, when all the good things had almost arrived, Sophia had unexpectedlye in between them. As a result, even before meeting Sophia in person, she was full of disgust and hatred toward Sophia. During that time, Old Mr. Constance could not hold on much longer and kept asking John and William to promise and agree to their marriage. Although Mrs. Constance was a little brainless and domineering, she had to be filial. In the end, she had no choice but to advise John and make him surrender. In the beginning, Mrs. Constance looked and scanned Sophia¡¯s entire person. Looking back and forth, she could only manage to find one strong point of hers¡ªSophia¡¯s looks were okay. Her looks were just okay, but it was useless as Mrs. Constance still disliked Sophia. This time, Sophia did not even look at her and continued filling up her stomach. She put down her chopsticks after she was full. She then took the napkin and wiped her mouth before saying, ¡°Please take your time. I¡¯ll head out first.¡± Old Mrs. Constance looked at Sophia but remained silent. In the past, early departure was not allowed in the Constance Family. It was disrespectful to the elders when the young put down their chopsticks and left the table even when the elders were still eating. Mrs. Constance hurriedly looked at Old Mrs. Constance, hoping that she would say a word or two to kill Sophia¡¯s spirit. However, Old Mrs. Constance only looked at Sophia before lowering her head to eat again. Meanwhile, Sophia swaggered her way out from the dining room and did not return to her room. Instead, she went out for a walk. Since she had just finished her meal, she needed to digest it. Sophia stood at the space in front of the main building for a while before walking toward the backyard. Almost everyone was having their meals at this time. Since there were many family members in the Constance Family, their rtions would naturally be a little moreplicated. However, everyone was a responsible person. If they could not get along with each other, they would not be in contact with each other. Sophia walked slowly toward the backyard. From there, she could enter into a bamboo forest at the back. It was almost a year since she got married into the Constance Family, but she had never been there before. Sophia went over to look for a while and noticed that the back door was locked. She turned to look at her surroundings and noticed that there was a shed by the side. It was not a big shed, but the door to it was opened. So, she entered the shed to look around and found adder. She did not mind using some effort to carry thedder out and cing it against the wall. Soon after, she climbed thedder. However, when she reached the top of the wall, she became speechless. This wall was a little too high and there was no way to jump down from there, which made Sophia a little scared. She felt a little discouraged. However, when she was still contemting on whether she should jump down or return, Sophia heard someone say, ¡°Hey, what are you doing up there?¡± Sophia was startled by the voice. When she turned around, she saw a person standing under the tree not far away. She was unsure how long he had been standing there as he was leaning against the tree trunk and crossing his arms. Sophia frowned. ¡°Can¡¯t you guess by looking at my posture?¡± After two seconds, the man raised his foot and walked over. Sophia knew this person. He was from the Second Constance Family and was the second young master of the Constance Family¡ªDn Constance. Dn stared at Sophia for a long time and asked, ¡°Do you want to go to the bamboo forest behind?¡± Sophia replied, ¡°Yes. Do you have any ideas? The door is locked.¡± Dn smiled and said, ¡°I do have ideas.¡± Therefore, Sophia did not hesitate any longer and descended from the wall. She patted her pants and said, ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s go.¡± Initially, Dn wanted to say that even if he could unlock the door, why would he want to take Sophia out into the bamboo forest. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Nheless, after looking at Sophia, he swallowed back his words and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Indeed, Dn had the keys to the back door. He went over and soon, managed to unlock the door. Sophia poked her head out to look at the surroundings and was shocked. ¡°So this is how it looks like in the back.¡± Dn went out immediately and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Didn¡¯t you want toe out and have a look?¡± Sophia was not afraid to be alone with another man even when it was almost nighttime. She followed him out in an instant. The sky was slightly dark, but the visibility was still fine. Inside the bamboo forest, there was a path that seemed to be paved with stones. And so, Sophia and Dn slowly walked toward the bamboo forest. All of a sudden, Dn turned to ask Sophia, ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you and my brother get a divorce?¡± Sophia chuckled and simply replied, ¡°We¡¯re not divorced. Your brother says that he¡¯s not divorcing me because he can¡¯t live without me.¡± Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Perhaps Sophia sounded like she was joking and this made Dnugh out loud. Sophia turned to look at Dn and asked, ¡°Did I sound fake?¡± Dn nodded and replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Sophia shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Then, I can¡¯t help it.¡± After both of them walked further into the bamboo forest, Sophia stood still. She continued, ¡°But your cousin and I have yet to divorce each other. Initially, we wanted to get a divorce. However, we found out that it wasn¡¯t easy to start and end a marriage. Hence, we decided to give each other another chance.¡± Sophia smiled and asked, ¡°Now that I¡¯ve put it this way, would you believe me?¡± Dn remained in his position and thought for a while. ¡°Since you¡¯ve put it this way, I think there¡¯s more credibility to it now.¡± Sophia then chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s the truth.¡± As the bamboo forest¡¯s terrain was a little higher, they could see the entire Constance Residence while standing in their current position. Sophia continued, ¡°Your family is really wealthy. The Constance Residence covers such arge area.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Dn agreed and added, ¡°All I can say is that we have a better life since we know how to reincarnate.¡± He was right and Sophia fell silent. The earth was filled with too many unfair things. One¡¯s life was already determined at the very beginning. Some people were born into rich families, like John and Dn. Even if they did not work hard, they were still able to get what others could not even if those people had worked hard for their entire lives. Other people, on the other hand, were born into broken families. For instance, Sophia herself. She had been suffering a lot since childhood. Now that she was all grown up, it seemed that all those sufferings did not bear any fruits and bring her any achievements. That was why the ¡®chicken soup for the soul¡¯ was a lie. Dn turned to look at Sophia. ¡°What I¡¯ve just said sounds realistic, right?¡± ¡°Yes, and a little cruel too.¡± Sophia sighed. From there, they could see the distribution of thends within the Constance Residence clearly. The main building covered thergest area. In fact, Sophia was still unsure of the reason these people would live in such arge house. What if somebody suddenly had diarrhea? If they did not manage to run to the bathroom in time, then¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be embarrassing? At the thought of this, Sophia¡¯s heart became slightly bnced again. By looking at this, the problems faced by the rich were unimaginable for normal people. Following that, the two of them stood there and did not speak any more until it had turnedpletely dark outside. Suddenly, Sophia waved her hands and said, ¡°Hurry up. We need to hurry back. The sky has turned dark now. If you kill me right now, no one would know about it, so I¡¯m quite scared. Let¡¯s hurry up and return home.¡± Dn turned to look at Sophia with a funny look on his face. Sophia then held out her phone and turned on the shlight. With the help of the light, they were able to walk out of the bamboo forest. Dn, who was following behind, asked, ¡°I remember clearly that you weren¡¯t like this before.¡± Sophia replied, ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you telling me that I¡¯ve be prettier?¡± With this, Dnughed and did not speak anymore. When the two of them reached the back door, Sophia instructed Dn, ¡°Please help me put thedder back over there. I¡¯ll be off first.¡± Dn remained silent, while Sophia had no intention of waiting for him to reply and immediately left. The man stood where he was and looked at Sophia¡¯s figure. The smile on his face also gradually faded away. Sophia had just reached the garden when she saw John walking over toward her. It seemed that he was looking for her as his face was not looking quite well. Sophia then greeted him and smiled. Staring at Sophia, he asked, ¡°Where have you been? It¡¯s alreadyte and you¡¯re still not in your bedroom yet.¡± She thought that his words were funny and asked, ¡°Why? How would I be lost when I¡¯m at the Constance Residence? Besides, what else could happen here?¡± John did not say a word; his face did not seem to have rxed a little. Sophia then puffed and did not continue the conversation with John anymore. Instead, she walked slowly toward the main building. Meanwhile, John followed behind her. There was no one in the living room now. It seemed that everyone had returned to their room to rest. With one of them in front while the other following behind, John and Sophia went upstairs. She walked toward the entrance of her bedroom first. Just as she pushed open her door, she thought for a while and paused. Sophia then turned to look at John. ¡°Did you go out to look for me just now?¡± John remained silent and walked toward his own bedroom. Sophia then asked in a treacherous tone of voice, ¡°Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want to try out this bed with me to see if it¡¯s comfortable?¡± John opened his bedroom door and paused for a while after hearing Sophia¡¯s words. Sophia then laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t do it even if you want to because I¡¯m not in the mood today.¡± With this, Sophia opened the door and entered her bedroom. Then, with a thud, she shut the bedroom door. Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Sophia leaned on the door with a sly smile on her face. She could imagine theplicated expression on John¡¯s face right now and it feltfortable. Today was afortable day for her. Sophia waited for a while before carrying over the bag of clothes that John had brought over today and poured out all its contents onto her bed. John had only picked out a few clothes for her, but there were no pajamas in the bag. Seriously, this man really acts like someone without brains. He had brought so many clothes over, yet he did not think of what she would wear to sleep at night. Hence, Sophia sat gloomily on her bed. However, after a while, she stood up with a grin on her face. She walked over to open the wardrobe door and looked at the pajamas inside. They were all new and prepared specially for Isabelle. Although she was not as tall as Isabelle, at least Sophia was able to fit into her pajamas sizes. Sophia immediately took a pair out and went into the bathroom. Shey in the jacuzzi and enjoyed it to the fullest. Mrs. Constance was so thoughtful in her nning that Sophia had to thank her properly tomorrow. Sophia had almost fallen asleep inside the jacuzzi before climbing out from it in a daze. After she had dried her body, Sophia put on the pajamas that were prepared for Isabelle and went to the fitting mirror to have a look. Oh my goodness. T-This¡­ How can the woman in this mirror be so beautiful? Sophia smiled to herself before returning to bed. As this sexy dress was prepared for Isabelle, Sophia could not wear it out. If this was specially prepared for her, she would have to show it to John no matter what. Sophia never knew that she had such a good figure. This exined why John was obsessed with her body. It¡¯s only natural. At the thought of this, Sophia smiled sheepishly before rolling over. She then shut her eyes, calmed herself down, and drifted off to sleep. That night, she had a good night¡¯s sleep. Thanks to this bed, Sophia woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. She then wore a short-sleeved t-shirt and paired it with a pair of hot pants. As her hot pants were short, it made her legs look fair and long. After washing her face, Sophia went out to stretch her arms and legs in the open space downstairs. From there, she was able to see the parking lot on the other side. It seemed that the Constance Family each had their own car since they were living in the middle of a hill. If they did not have their own car, it would be inconvenient for them to go out. Sophia stared at the car park for a while before lightly pping her mouth. She did not know how to drive a car, but it would be extremely inconvenient if she did not have her own car. After stretching and moving around for a while, Sophia saw Mrs. Constance descending the stairs. Usually, Mrs. Constance would get up around this time. In fact, the Constance Family¡¯s schedules were extremely disciplined and well nned out. The moment Mrs. Constance saw Sophia, she pulled a long face. Sophia became extremely happy when she saw Mrs. Constance pulling a long face. She turned around to enter the living room just when Mrs. Constance reached downstairs. Sophia pretended to stretch and said, ¡°Oh. I had a really good night¡¯s sleep yesterday.¡± Seeing how Mrs. Constance had ignored her, Sophia continued, ¡°That bed feels sofortable.¡± Her words made Mrs. Constance gnash her teeth. Mrs. Constance was never the type of person to tolerate someone else, and right now, Sophia was deliberately provoking her, so how could Mrs. Constance not hear the hidden meaning behind her words? However, she thought for a while and decided to remain quiet. Again, Sophia opened her mouth and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that the fragrance from the jasmine perfume was too heavy and it made me feel a little ufortable.¡± Mrs. Constance turned her head to look at Sophia and warned her, ¡°Sophia, I¡¯m warning you to restrain yourself.¡± Sophia thenughed out loud. ¡°Everything I said is the truth. Am I not thanking you in person? Look at how thoughtful you were in renovating the bedroom.¡± Since Mrs. Constance was no match against Sophia, she turned around and headed toward the kitchen. Sophia chuckled before she slowly went upstairs. Meanwhile, John was still in his bedroom. Sophia immediately knocked on his door. John only opened the door after a while and was seen buttoning his shirt as he opened the door. This image somehow reminded her of that day at President McCaw¡¯s banquet. John was also buttoning up his shirt slowly after he had performed those bestial acts. Sophia gave a gentle cough and said, ¡°I¡¯d like to learn how to drive a car. You must have some connections, so could you help find someone to teach me?¡± John frowned and asked, ¡°Why do you want to learn how to drive?¡± Sophia hissed for a moment and exined unwillingly, ¡°This ce is in the middle of a hill. If something were to happen to me, should I walk down by foot?¡± John then replied, ¡°There are cars in this house. You can ask the servants to fetch you down the hill.¡± Sophia¡¯s mouth twitched as she continued, ¡°Nevermind. Your mom must have secretly done something from behind the scenes to stop me from doing so. I don¡¯t want to use your family¡¯s car. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have any money right now. I¡¯ll learn how to drive on my own, and I¡¯ll buy my own car. I¡¯ll use my own things and depend on myself.¡± After she had finished her sentence, she felt that her tone was not firm enough, so Sophia repeated her words. ¡°I¡¯ll be using my own things. I¡¯ll depend on myself. Understand?¡± John could not help butugh upon hearing her words. ¡°Alright. Alright. I understand. I¡¯ll have Zack arrange these for you. I think he knows a driving instructor.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Sophia nodded her head. ¡°Thanks.¡± With this, she turned around and left. John stood at the doorway as he watched her descend the stairs valiantly. Chapter 93 Chapter 93 After having her breakfast, Sophia went out with John. She wanted to find Zack to have him arrange the driving lessons as soon as possible for her. Both of them saw the other members of the Constance Family walking over just as they were walking toward the car park. This was because almost everyone went to work at this time and it was indeed a spectacr sight to see them walking in a group. Meanwhile, Sophia saw Dn at a nce. He was following behind Master Owen obediently. Sophia did not greet him since there were so many people present. If she were to greet Dn, it would be a bad idea to ignore the others. Besides, she really wanted to ignore the others. With this, Sophia instantly opened the car door and sat at the passenger seat. Naturally, John would need to exchange a few words with the other family members. Sophia also lowered her head and pretended as if she did not see all these people. Since these people used to think lowly of her, they did not have the right to talk to her now. John only exchanged a few simple words and got in his car. He did not mind Sophia not greeting them. John¡¯s car was the first to leave the Constance Residence. On their way down the hill, Sophia leaned on the window of the car while looking out. The scenery along the way was beautiful. Sophia actually knew that many parts of the scenery along this road were built by the Constance Family. Since the family was rich and willing to do some good deeds, no one could stop them. Meanwhile, John took some time to look at Sophia. In fact, he was taking her to thepany out of his own selfishness as he was unsure if the Infinity Group would cause any trouble over there. Now that he was revealing Sophia¡¯s face, it would be easier for him to exin the rtionship between Sophia and himself in the future. However, Sophia was unaware of many things. After John had parked his car in front of theirpany, Sophia opened the door and got down by herself. She had never been to the Constance Company before her divorce. Now that she was divorced, she appeared as a pair with John at thepany, which seemed really funny. Soon after, John got down from his car. After thinking about it, he walked over to hold Sophia¡¯s hands while she knew exactly how to cooperate with him. Sophia walked into thepany¡¯s lobby with a smile on her face. It was right before their work time and the lobby was buzzing with people. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Zack was standing at the front desk, discussing something unknown with the young receptionist. Then, Sophia immediately rushed forward while calling out, ¡°Zack!¡± Zack was startled by her voice and turned around to have a look, even though he could not react in time. Sophia swiftly changed to holding John¡¯s arm while she leaned her entire body onto his. Then, she continued talking to Zack. ¡°Hey,e here. I have something to tell you.¡± Her voice was so loud that the people around them could hear her. This was the first time John had brought Sophia to thepany which caused quite a stir. Their previous extravagant wedding had already attracted the attention of many. However, Sophia kept a low-profile after their wedding. Hence, the outsiders did not know much about her. Even the employees of the Constance Company were unsure of what her usual life was like. Now that Sophia was standing inside thepany, all the passers-by around them stopped in their footsteps. Some peeped at them while some brazenly gathered around them. Zack hurriedly rushed toward Sophia and said in a loud voice, ¡°What brings you here, Madam Sophia?¡± Sophia chuckled and added, ¡°Your boss says that he¡¯s too busy, so he wants you to help me arrange some matters.¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s my responsibility to do so. Please tell me what is the matter.¡± Zack was good at cooperating with them too. Sophia then raised her head to look at John before loosening her arms around him. ¡°You can go off first. I¡¯ll discuss it with Zack.¡± John nodded and said, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s have lunch together in the afternoon.¡± Sophia nodded. Her smile looked a little shy and na?ve. Behind them, the uncles from the Constance Family hade over. Sophia did not look back and pretended to have no idea that they were there. However, they passed by her without greeting her too, which was for the best since they would not disgust each other with their presence. Dn had also passed by Sophia, but he turned around to look at her after taking a few steps. He did not have any expression on his face and just looked at her. On the other hand, Sophia did not look at him but at Zack. ¡°I want to learn how to drive. You know someone who is a driving instructor, right? Can you please rmend someone who can teach me properly?¡± Zack was somewhat startled by her request. ¡°Why would you suddenly want to learn how to drive?¡± Sophia blinked and lowered her voice. ¡°Perhaps I want to bepletely independent.¡± With this, she startedughing again. Just as Dn was about to turn his head around, he noticed Sophia smiling with her eyes. Her current look was almost simr to that day, which made him unconsciously pause to look at her again. Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Zack actually knew someone who was a driving instructor. Hence, he immediately nodded his head. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll help you contact him right now.¡± Sophia and Zack sat down at the main hall of the Constance Company. Zack then contacted the driving instructor he knew. After hanging up, Zack asked, ¡°How was your stay therest night?¡± Zack naturally knew about the family members disliking Sophia as he was responsible for managing many things regarding John and understood the ins and outs of the Constance Family. He lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Did they trouble you?¡± Suddenly, Sophia recalled the incident of Mrs. Constance almost stomping her foot out of anger and became very happy about it. She did not mind those incidents at all and replied, ¡°No one was able to trouble me. From the day I divorced John, I am the person who troubles others.¡± Zack looked at Sophia for a while and seemed to be relieved. He sighed. ¡°Since you¡¯re alone, you have to take good care of yourself. Even though those people don¡¯t care about you, you have to take care of yourself.¡± Sophia nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re right. I need to treat myself better.¡± Since John handed Sophia over to Zack, it was as if John was giving him a half-day off from work. Zack waited together with Sophia and not long after, they received a call from the driving instructor. He then brought Sophia over to the driving school. There were not many people at the driving school at this moment. The driving instructor was already waiting by the entrance. As soon as he noticed Zack and Sophia¡¯s arrival, he hurried over to wee them. These days, it was easy to get things done when you had the right connections. Sophia did almost nothing. She only signed a document and her registration waspleted while her tuition fees were paid by Zack. Initially, Sophia was unwilling to let him pay, saying that she had the money to pay. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. However, Zack red at her. ¡°I¡¯ll go back and im these fees from my boss. It¡¯s his money after all, so why aren¡¯t you using it? Don¡¯t worry. Just use his money.¡± Sophia was slightly annoyed as she said, ¡°But I really don¡¯t want to use his money.¡± Nheless, Zack remained persistent. ¡°I¡¯m a man. I came here with you, so how could I let a woman fork out her own money?¡± Sophia hissed for a moment. He had said this with such confidence as if he would not be iming the fees from John when they returned to thepany. There was still a lot of time after everything was settled at the driving school. She then thought for a while and suggested, ¡°I¡¯ll return to my house to have a look. You can return to thepany first; I¡¯lle back at noon.¡± Zack nodded. ¡°Alright. Since you¡¯re all alone, please be careful.¡± Soon after, Sophia took a cab to return to her own house. After using her fingerprint to unlock the door, she stood right in her living room. It was really empty as there was not much stuff in it. It was evident with just a nce that this ce was vacant. Sophia slowly climbed upstairs to her room and sat on her bed. John had left a seam at her wardrobe door after he came over to take some clothes for her. Then, she walked over to open her wardrobe. Her current wardrobe was filled with clothes she used to wear in the past. When she left the Constance Family, Mrs. Constance was very happy and proactively had the servants move all her items out. She did not even let go of a small hair-tie. By the looks of it, Mrs. Constance really wanted her to disappearpletely from the Constance Family. Sophia did not think much about it at that time. Now that she thought about it, Mrs. Constance must have been afraid of Isabelle finding her items which would make Isabelle ufortable. Isabelle was really lucky. She was able to reincarnate into a good family and be protected by her future mother-inw. Sure enough, it was better toe from a good family background. That way, people would naturally like you even in the absence of reason. Sophia flipped through her clothes and found that she had quite some clothes herself. However, most of them were not in a style that she liked. Mrs. Constance had said before that she should not be a disgrace to the Constance Family. From the moment she was married into their family, they had bought Sophia a lot of clothes whereby most of them were chosen by Mrs. Constance herself. Many clothes still had their tags attached to them. One reason was that she did not have the opportunity to wear it. Another was because she did not like the style of those clothes. Sophia took a look at each one of them and up till now, she still did not find one she liked. After thinking for a while, she took her phone and went downstairs as she finally knew where she could enjoy herself. Sophia called a cab to the shopping mall and proceeded to enter the women¡¯s clothing department store. It was nice to be rich as Sophia immediately entered the first shop and started her shopping spree. When she saw any clothes with the style, design, or color she liked, she bought them all. Sophia only stopped her shopping spree when she could no longer hold all her shopping bags. She then called Zack. Zack swiftly picked up her call. Sophia did not know where he was at, but Zack spoke loudly on the phone. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Madam Sophia? Is there something wrong?¡± He did not usually call her by that title when they were just conversing normally. Sophia smacked her lips and said, ¡°I¡¯m at Starlight Mall right now. Could youe over and fetch me? I¡¯ve bought too many items and can¡¯t carry them.¡± Zack¡¯s voice still sounded quite loud. ¡°Oh, right. I¡¯ll go over now. Please remain where you are and wait for me, Madam Sophia. I¡¯ll be right over.¡± Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Starlight Mall was not far away from the Constance Company. After Sophia hung up the call, she slowly walked out. Perhaps Zack¡¯s voice sounded slightly exaggerated because there were employees around him, or because there were other senior executives around him. Nevertheless, Zack really would not let go of any chance to act. Sophia did not wait long before Zack came over to fetch her. Seeing the bags of clothes beside Sophia, he froze slightly beforeughing. ¡°Now this is what a rich lady should look like.¡± Sophia sneered, ¡°Richdies have servants by their side to help them while I¡¯m a one-man band.¡± ¡°You still have me.¡± Zack helped carry her stuff as both of them walked toward the car. Sophia asked, ¡°Who was by your side when I called you just now?¡± Zack paused for a while. His tone of voice changed and he sounded slightly unhappy. ¡°It was Elder Mr. Bailey. He said that he just dropped by to greet President Constance.¡± Sophia was startled and turned to look at Zack. ¡°Even Elder Mr. Bailey came?¡± Surely, this was not a small battle. Zack ced everything Sophia had bought into the car and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t buy it at all when he came by so early and told us that he was just dropping by.¡± He proceeded to open the car door for Sophia while his voice had a hint of sarcasm in it. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that Isabelle said something to them when she went back home yesterday. Hence, Elder Mr. Bailey came by to understand the entire situation.¡± Sophia raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°Was he still there when you left?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Zack nodded his head. ¡°He¡¯s still discussing the current situation of thepany¡¯s operations.¡± He went around and got into the car. While buckling his seatbelt, Zack continued, ¡°However, our company has no business rtionship with the Baileys. It¡¯s funny how he said he came by to discuss thepany¡¯s current condition.¡± Sophia leaned back in her car seat and rolled her eyes. ¡°You can drive now.¡± Sophia was unsure of how much Isabelle knew about the matter between John and herself. However, based on how much Mrs. Constance liked her, she must have told Isabelle everything. Since she told Isabelle everything, she might have told her about the divorce between John and Sophia. It seems that I have to cause more trouble in the future for this Matilda, who can¡¯t do anything right. Sophia waited until the car had arrived at the Constance Company before she opened the door and got down by herself. Zack helped carry her stuff out of the car. Both of them entered the hall and went straight toward the elevator. The elevator they took was a special one that led straight to John¡¯s office. Meanwhile, Elder Mr. Bailey was still in John¡¯s office. Just as Sophia walked toward the entrance, she could already hear his voice. She was unable to recognize the Baileys. However, when she thought about it, even if she did not recognize them, there was still hatred between her and the Baileys. Initially, she was the one who came between them all of a sudden, destroying the marriage between the Constances and the Baileys. Sophia stood at the entrance and took a deep breath before pushing open the office door. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m back.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Sophia put on a smile as she entered the office¡ªas if she did not know that there was someone else present in the office. On the other hand, John was sitting on a sofa while Elder Mr. Bailey sat across from him. Seeing that Sophia had entered the office, John stood up and, with a smile on his face, said, ¡°You¡¯ve been gone for so long. You must be tired.¡± Sophia went over and threw herself into John¡¯s arms. She then said in a delicate voice, ¡°No. It¡¯s really hot outside. I¡¯m really¡­¡± She paused for a while before looking at Elder Mr. Bailey with a shocked face. She felt embarrassed and continued, ¡°I see you have a guest here.¡± John smiled and hugged her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Elder Mr. Bailey just came by to say hello.¡± The smile that was originally on Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s face hadpletely disappeared. His eyes were staring cautiously at Sophia. Naturally, she felt the fierce look in his eyes. However, she was not afraid at all. Instead, she looked directly at Elder Mr. Bailey in a respectful way. ¡°Oh. This must be Miss Bailey¡¯s grandpa. It must be fate. I just met Miss Bailey yesterday, and now I¡¯m meeting Elder Mr. Bailey himself. Tsk, tsk. Look at this; our family does have a lot of fate with the Baileys.¡± Sophia was implying something in her sentence. As long as one had a brain, they could hear the hidden meaning behind it. Then, Elder Mr. Bailey squinted his eyes and proceeded to stand up slowly. Although he was old, he took good care of his body and still had ck hair. He was slightly plump and had a strong aura surrounding him. He looked at John and said, ¡°It seems that there are still things going on at your side. We¡¯ll talk again another day when we have the time.¡± John nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright.¡± Without looking at Sophia, Elder Mr. Bailey turned around and walked out. ording to formality, John needed to send him off. However, Sophia immediately held him back and quickly instructed Zack, who was standing by the entrance. ¡°Zack, hurry up and send Elder Mr. Bailey off. We can¡¯t give him a cold-shoulder.¡± With this, Sophia ced her arms around John¡¯s neck and said, ¡°Honey, let me tell you; I found a lot of good stuff when I went shopping today. Since I was alone, I could not carry everything by myself. If only you were by my side¡­¡± John remained silent and waited for a while before pulling down her arms. ¡°Alright. He¡¯s gone.¡± Chapter 96 Chapter 96 All the smiles and coy expressions Sophia had on her face were taken back. She proceeded to stand up straight to look back at the door, then asked in a monotonous voice, ¡°What¡¯s Elder Mr. Bailey doing here? Did Isabelle go back and tell him something yesterday?¡± John turned to walk toward the back of his desk. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. He just said he was here to have a look and mentioned something about the business.¡± Although Elder Mr. Bailey was old, the entire ownership of Bailey Corporation was still held by him as he refused to surrender and let go of his power. Sophia walked over to sit on the sofa and stretched. ¡°You should thank me. How were my acting skills just now? Was it natural? Did it look sincere?¡± John was looking through a document. He only gave her a nce from the corner of his eyes but did not reply to her. On the other hand, Zack had returned from sending Elder Mr. Bailey off. He closed the door and spoke in a lowered voice. ¡°Elder Mr. Bailey didn¡¯t look quite happy when he left.¡± His expression looked sullen. Nheless, John did not care much about it. ¡°It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s already been unhappy since a long time ago.¡± Ever since the Constance Family broke off their marital engagement, the Baileys started having their own opinions. Sophia twitched her mouth as she leaned on the sofa without saying anything. Since it was not time to get off work yet, Sophia could only sit there and wait. Zack had returned to minding his own business while John was reading through his documents. Sophia was bored so she took out her phone. There was a message on her WhatsApp. It was sent by the singer, asking whether she had arrived safely at her destination. Sophia looked at the time and saw that it was sentst night, but she had yet to see it. She thought for a while before replying to the message. Then, she hummed and began watching all the gossip news. On the other hand, John did not only have an unhealthy obsession with cleanliness, but he had other pet peeves too. For instance, he did not like his surroundings to be noisy while he was working. After a while, he could no longer stand the noise anymore and raised his head to look at Sophia. ¡°Can you please be quiet?¡± She turned to look at John. She noticed that he was furrowing his eyebrows and looked quite upset. Initially, Sophia wanted to retaliate against him but dismissed the intention after the words arrived at the corner of her mouth. After all, this was not her territory and she should be obedient. She then nodded and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go out for a walk.¡± With this, John lowered his head and continued reading the documents. Sophia silently rolled her eyes and left John¡¯s office while swaying her arms. There was no one in the corridor as everyone was busy with their own work. Since Sophia had not been to thepany, she went around to have a look. At the corner of the path ahead, she saw Dn at a nce. He was with another employee, and by the looks of it, he seemed to be assigning some tasks to the employee. Sophia then smiled as she walked over without saying a word. With a turn of his head, Dn saw Sophia and was slightly startled. ¡°I thought you left in the morning.¡± Sophia replied, ¡°I just came here. I¡¯ll be having lunch with John at noon.¡± Dn thought for a while before instructing the employee about something and sending him off to work. Then, he walked toward his own office. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stay at John¡¯s office? Are you bored?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not bored.¡± Sophia echoed. ¡°People around him can¡¯t make any noise when he¡¯s working. I just couldn¡¯t stand it.¡± Dn entered his own office and proceeded to open his door wide. ¡°Do you want toe in and have a seat?¡± Sophia looked around and nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Dn¡¯s office was simr to John¡¯s office. Sophia entered and looked around before plopping herself onto the sofa. ¡°Aren¡¯t you annoyed that you have to sit in the office every day? I feel that it would be boring to see a pile of documents every day when I open my eyes.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Dn chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m fine with it since I¡¯ve gotten used to it.¡± Upon saying this, Dn brought up another issue. ¡°I saw Elder Mr. Bailey visiting just now. Did he come to visit my brother?¡± Matters like these, Sophia was unable to keep hidden. Instead, she simply admitted to it. ¡°That¡¯s right. He dide by just now. However, he did not say much. He just dropped by to have a look.¡± The corners of Dn¡¯s mouth were raised. ¡°I see.¡± His eyes looked over Sophia before he withdrew his gaze. ¡°I thought he was here because of Miss Bailey.¡± Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Sophia did not pretend that she did not understand Dn¡¯s words. She only smiled and said, ¡°As for Isabelle, John has already exined it clearly to me. Mrs. Constance likes Isabelle and he can¡¯t do anything about that. However, he does not have feelings for her. If he did, he would not have ended up with me.¡± Dn was unsure of whether he could trust Sophia¡¯s words and just nodded his head. The door to Dn¡¯s office remained open. asionally, passers-by would be able to look into his office. Actually, there was nothing much for Sophia and Dn to talk about. In fact, there was no history between them other than standing together in the bamboo forest for a while the previous day. However, Dn could be regarded as a person that was friendlier to her among the members of the Constance Family. Sophia basically had little to no friends, and there were only a handful of people she could actually talk to. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Hence, Sophia regarded him as a friend for the time being. Dn took out a document. After reading through it for not more than a few seconds, he could not help but ask again, ¡°About youing home yesterday, Mrs. Constance must¡¯ve felt¡­ happy right?¡± Sophia instantlyughed out loud. Dn¡¯s words were too tactful. She knew exactly what Dn had really wanted to ask. Sophia sat on the sofa while swinging her legs. ¡°She was very happy. At least that¡¯s what I thought. She even found all sorts of opportunities toe and talk to me yesterday.¡± Her words made Dnugh out loud. Although he did note into contact with Mrs. Constance often, he knew her temperament very well. Since everyone had been living in the same residence for so many years, it was impossible for them to not know about everyone else. However, Sophia¡¯s way with her words felt new to him. During the time that Sophia was married into the Constance family, she had to catch up with a lot of things. When Old Mr. Constance passed away, the Constance Family was the most united and they would often get together. Dn also met Sophia quite a lot of times. However, every time he met her, he would feel that she was a submissive person. Mrs. Constance disliked her and would often embarrass her in front of everyone and all Sophia would do was purse her lips and remain silent. The current Sophia seemed to be different from before. Dn thought for a while and noticed that he had never seen her smile before. Meanwhile, Sophia alsoughed happily. ¡°See; you don¡¯t even believe what I¡¯m telling you. How else would you want me to say it?¡± Dn smirked and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you. I do believe you.¡± As his words sounded too perfunctory, Sophia immediately snorted. Just at this very moment, someone passed by the door, and that person looked into Dn¡¯s office. As a result, the person saw Sophia inside and instantly stood still. With a slightly serious look on his face, the person strode in. ¡°Dn.¡± Dn froze and quickly raised his head to look at the person. ¡°Dad.¡± Master Owen then added, ¡°I have a file here. Come over and have a look at it. The numbers on it don¡¯t quite match.¡± Dn immediately stood up. ¡°Alright.¡± Sophia also stood up. Since Master Owen did not speak to her, naturally, Sophia did not want to open her mouth to talk too. As Dn was about to go out, Sophia clearly could not stay here anymore. Sophia exited Dn¡¯s office and waved at him without saying a single word. Dn smiled and the both of them parted ways. Sophia took a look at the time and noticed that it was nearing John¡¯s off-duty time, so she hurried back to John¡¯s office. Meanwhile, John was staring at theputer while wearing anti-radiation spectacles. His entire person seemed to have returned to the cold person he was during their marriage. Sophia watched from the door before entering his office. She did not speak and just sat on the sofa. Although John did not look at Sophia, he still asked, ¡°Where did you go to have a walk just now?¡± Sophia stretched before replying, ¡°I met Dn and sat in his office for a while.¡± John, who was typing on his keyboard, suddenly stopped. He turned to look at Sophia. ¡°Dn?¡± Sophia did not think much about it. ¡°Yes. I saw him in the corridor and followed him into his office to have a chat.¡± John stared at Sophia and asked again, ¡°Are you familiar with Dn?¡± Sophia then blinked and replied, ¡°No.¡± This was the truth. She had never spoken to Dn in the past before. ¡°If you¡¯re not familiar with him, why would you enter his office for a while?¡± John¡¯s voice sounded slightly cold. However, Sophia¡¯s expression remained normal as she said, ¡°Isn¡¯t he your brother? He¡¯s also part of the Constance Family, so what¡¯s wrong with sharing a conversation with him?¡± Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Can I believe her? John looked at Sophia with a troubled gaze while she remained unwavering and continued to stare straight at him. A momentter, he looked away and said, ¡°I hope you won¡¯t go to the Second Constance Family so often. Our family dynamic is a little bitplicated. Complicated or not, she did not care. She was not from the Constance family; what did their family affairs have to do with her? Thus, she remained quiet and waited until he got off work. When Zack did note over, John promptly left with Sophia. However, they ended up running into Dn again as they were walking toward the elevator. Since it was break time, it was only normal for people to gather at the elevator. Dn was alone. When Sophia saw him, she smiled and waved at him. He nced at John briefly before smiling back at her. The exclusive elevator was upstairs so the three of them went in together. John and Sophia stood inside while Dn stood near the doors. Remembering what John told her before, Sophia did not initiate a conversation with Dn. But Dn turned back to look at her. ¡°Where are you guys going for lunch?¡± She blinked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Looking up at John, she asked, ¡°Where are we going to eat?¡± John shot her a look but did not utter a single word. She did not know what that look meant. Why does it seem like he¡¯s not too happy? She pursed her lips and kept her eyes trained on him. When he kept ignoring her, she hooked her arm in his and started to whine, ¡°Why the long face? I¡¯m asking you a question. Where are we going to eat?¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Her own petnt voice also sounded forced to her. John raised his hand to pinch her face gently. ¡°You¡¯ll know when we get there.¡± His words clearly did not match the expression on his face. Even though his voice sounded warm, he still looked indifferent. Upon seeing that, she pulled her lips back and went to hug his waist instead, giggling as she leaned all her weight on him. She wanted to repulse him while there was someone else around. Dn was standing sideways. His line of vision fell directly on the elevator screen, but he was probably able to see them from the corner of his eye. John did not push her away but just looked down at her. She blinked back at him with a smug look on her face. After thinking for a moment, he put his arms around her and quickly bent down to ce a kiss at the corner of her lips. The mischievous look on her face froze in an instant then she slowly started to lose herposure. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but the elevator doors happened to open at the same time. Dn turned out and left immediately. John was still hugging her. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat.¡± He walked out of the elevator with his arm still around her, seemingly unbothered by the crowd that was usually present in the lobby of the first floor. Lowering his voice so that it was only audible to the both of them, he said, ¡°Stay away from Dn from now on.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°No reason,¡± he replied. The employees who noticed them looked rather astonished. John was usually someone with a cold personality, but there was a smile on his face as he talked to her. That was true love. Their grand wedding was not all just for show after all. There was some sincerity to it. Nheless, Sophia knew that he was putting up an act so the smile on his face looked ingenuine to her. Snuggling up to him, she asked, ¡°Are you scared that I¡¯ll cheat on you?¡± Sheughed, then went on, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Unless he has a higher status than you, I will never like him.¡± With pursed lips, John brought her out to the car. The moment they were inside, he proceeded to straighten out his clothes in a sulky manner. She was also fixing her hair. ¡°Don¡¯t say a word. I noticed something recently. You have quite a gift for acting.¡± Then, she broke into a fit ofughter. Chapter 99 Chapter 99 John did not pay any attention to her and just began to drive. They did not drive for very long before arriving at a western restaurant. In fact, Sophia was not too used to that cuisine as it could never fully satiated her. John, on the other hand, always opted for western food because he found it less troublesome. Once they sat down, she told him, ¡°I¡¯m going out by myself this afternoon. I¡¯lle back right before you get off work and we can return to Constance Residence together.¡± He looked up at her briefly. ¡°Okay.¡± That was the only exchange they had throughout the entire meal. John was a bit busy and had to answer a few calls in between. He was always strict when it came to work. She stared at him while he was on the phone. It seemed like he treated her the same way he treated the employee on the other end of the call. He did not repeat himself when something only had to be said once. Lowering her eyes, she thought, perhaps I¡¯m no different than his work to him. She was someone Old Mr. Constance threw at John. It felt like he had simply epted a bigger project to work on and was just doing his job. Yeah, that¡¯s exactly what it is. At the thought of that, she felt a little stifled. John was the first man in her life; the first man she had feelings for. She had even yearned to be with him for the rest of her life. After John answered a total of three calls, she was done with her meal. She put down her fork and knife and wiped her mouth. ¡°You can carry on eating. I¡¯m going to head out first. I¡¯ll be back in the afternoon.¡± A slight frown appeared on his forehead. He must have felt like she was being a bit disrespectful, but he did not think about how he had been on the phone the whole time,pletely disrespecting her. She stood up before he said anything. ¡°This is my treat,¡± she announced, then left the booth to go and pay at the counter. Once that was done, she exited the ce. She did not get a cab or had any ce in particr that she wanted to go to. Hence, she just chose a direction and walked down a path. The city was very unfamiliar to her for she had onlye here after marrying John. Before this, she was just a girl who lived in the countryside. Almost overnight, she jumped up thedder and ended up at the top where she had been for less than a year now. She let out a sigh and continued walking ahead. After walking for some time, she looked around and noticed a dessert shop on the side of the road. Thus, she went inside. The shopfront was not big and there was not a huge variety of desserts to choose from either. The girl working at the cashier also looked sluggish. The ce did not have many customers which made it seem very dull. Nheless, Sophia ordered two different dessert varieties and a milk tea. Once the cashier took her money, she went to the back to prepare Sophia¡¯s milk tea. Sophia took her things and went to sit on a chair by the window. From her point of view, she could see the buzzing crowd outside. The saying that all beings suffer probably came from these people who are working tirelessly to make ends meet. She suddenly thought of Elder Mr. Bailey. Those wealthy people are the ones who don¡¯t have to suffer. Their days are filled with poise and elegance. However, the way that old man looked at her today did not look good. It was a look of disdain. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Sophia was quite petty and she made a mental note of every small action. Even though she did not take it up against Mrs. Constance for the way she used to treat her, she still remembered everything. Perhaps she knew, subconsciously, that she and John would go their separate ways one day. So, she knew that one day, she would be able to get her payback. Despite not intentionally trying to remember those things, she still had a mental record of everything. The girl working at the shop brought out Sophia¡¯s milk tea for her along with some ice cream. Sophia was quite taken aback. The girl smiled and said, ¡°No one is going to buy it anyway. It¡¯s for you.¡± Sophia thanked her. She was not hungry since she had just finished eating. She only wanted to find a ce to sit after walking so much. Right away, she had a taste of the dessert, the ice cream, and the milk tea. It was not too bad. Even though she had not tried a lot of types of food before, she was still able to taste whether something was good or not. She lowered her head to look at the things on the table then looked up at the shop front. They probably don¡¯t make much judging by how empty this ce is. After thinking for a moment, she got up and went to the cashier. The girl was on her phone and was not expecting to see Sophia. ¡°Do you need to order anything else?¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°No, I just wanted to have a chat with you. Hey, the dessert here is pretty good, but why does it feel like there aren¡¯t a lot of customers?¡± The girl hesitated briefly then smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not just a feeling; there really aren¡¯t a lot of customers.¡± However, she did not see it as a big deal. ¡°Well, if it doesn¡¯t work out, I will stop by the end of this month.¡± Sophia blinked at her. ¡°Why? If you do this well, I¡¯m sure you can still make it work.¡± The girl shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. The investment is too big. I can¡¯t manage it.¡± She was already trying her best to juggle the cost of rent and raw ingredients for her desserts. It was impossible to do anything more. Sophia pursed her lips and remained silent in deep thought. Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Sophia did not finish everything, but she did exin that she was still full from the meal she had earlier. The girl did not mind. It looked like she had really given up on that shop. After Sophia tidied up, she exited the shop and stood outside to look at it for a bit. The entrance of that shop did look less attractivepared to its surroundings. It was long overdue for a renovation. But when she went in earlier and saw how carefree the shopkeeper was by herself, she suddenly started to envy her. The girl had a ce of her own to do what she loved. When there were no customers, she could enjoy time to herself and not get interrupted by someone else. Sophia also wanted a life like that. She stared at the shop a little longer then turned to leave and returned to her house. Her ce was big enough and was in a prime location. It was a lot morefortable to live there than at the Constance Residence. She went through all the rooms once. Perhaps she had been too ufortable at the Constance Residence that she suddenly liked the ce now. She figured she could redecorate it. After taking a look downstairs, she came to a decision and went to the department store nearby. Since she was rich now, she bought everything she wanted without a second thought. Moreover, the department store had almost everything she wanted. She spent the entire afternoon shopping and did not find it troublesome to have to go back and forth several times. More things were added into her living room¡ªa rocking chair and an additional nt rack. She even ced a huge yoga mat in the empty space of her living room. Even though she did not know when she would use it, she got it because she wanted to have it. The rest of the things were an assortment of small decorative items, like a vase for the coffee table and a wind chime to hang at the entrance. After decorating for a bit, though she was tired, the house started to have a different look to it. It was her home now. Furthermore, she bought some fresh vegetables which she put in the refrigerator. The kitchen had everything she needed. If she left the Constance Residence in the morning, she could come here, then only return at night. The thought of this was enough to put her at ease. Once everything was done, it was almost time. She took a cab and went to the Constance Company. Strutting into thepany, she went straight up to John¡¯s office, but he was not in there. It looks like he went for a meeting. Thus, she sat on the sofa and waited for him. Not long after, the door to his office opened. To her surprise, it was a woman who came in and not John. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. The woman paused the moment she came in. Sophia looked at her without saying a word. The woman quickly smiled. ¡°Mrs. Constance, I came to drop off a document for President Constance.¡± Sophia had a smirk on her face. ¡°Okay.¡± The woman put the document on his table and left immediately. The corners of Sophia¡¯s lips slowly curled up. She did not know the face of the woman, but her voice was very familiar. On the night she and John got a divorce, John stayed over at that woman¡¯s ce. When she called him the next day, a woman¡¯s voice came through the phone instead. It must be her. Sophia was still lying on the sofazily. The woman did not sound very serious on the phone at the time. The voice on the phone was quite mellow and dainty. Sophia also tried to paint a picture of the woman¡¯s face in her mind. Now that we¡¯ve met, she looks quite different from what I had imagined. It might be because she behaves differently around me compared to around him. The woman she met earlier seemed bright and capable, which did not go well with the sweet image she had of her. However, the voice she heard on the phone was definitely dainty and pure. Sophia remained seated until John came back from his meeting. He was not surprised to see her in his office. ¡°You¡¯re here early.¡± She did not respond. When he walked over to his table and saw the document, he frowned. ¡°Did Miss Allen stop by?¡± She turned to look at him. ¡°Ady? She left not too long ago.¡± He sat down and looked over the document then called for someone on the line. It was most likely Miss Allen. His voice was stern. ¡°Come in. There¡¯s a problem with some of the data here.¡± Soon, the woman from before came in once again. This time, she entered with a smile. ¡°President Constance.¡± Although it was not as gentle as the voice on the phone, her voice was still different from when she talked to Sophia just before. Sophia rolled her eyes at her discreetly. Chapter 101 Chapter 101 John pushed the document toward her. ¡°Look at what I highlighted and cross-check the data again. There¡¯s something wrong with it.¡± Stunned, Miss Allen went over to retrieve the document and looked over it carefully. In a soft voice, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve checked this before.¡± He scowled at her. ¡°Do the calctions again.¡± There was a hint of impatience in his voice which Sophia found funny. He used to be impatient with me too, but he was still able to restrain himself and talk to me kindly. It must not have been easy. Miss Allen was fidgety. After apologizing for her carelessness, she took the document and hurried out of his office. Sophia smacked her lips and slowly shook her head. ¡°Seeing you now, I suddenly have this feeling that you weren¡¯t really that bad to me after all.¡± He was taken aback. Putting down what was in his hand, he looked at her in a serious manner. ¡°Did I treat you that badly?¡± She grinned. ¡°My dear, didn¡¯t you know? Were you pleased with yourself thinking that you were good to me?¡± He did not think he treated her very well, but he did not think that he treated her that poorly either. Even though he did not like her, he had no intention of being hard on her. He gave her enough allowance every month, though she was never really a big spender; he never pried into her business and always gave her space; once in a while, he would even personally ask Mrs. Constance to stop bothering her. He felt like doing those things was good enough. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Sophia looked at him in a slightly defeated manner. Perhaps the physical differences between men and women also led to huge differences in their mentality. Women wanted men to care for every aspect of their lives. Whereas, men figured that doing one thing for them was more than enough. Lowering her gaze, she fell silent for a while. ¡°To be honest, I wasn¡¯t the least bit happy to live with your family.¡± She let out a smile unwittingly, clearly trying to ease the atmosphere. ¡°I don¡¯t know about other people, but being with you, John, makes me feel so exhausted. You don¡¯t feel like home to me. There¡¯s no warmth.¡± Thinking back on it, she spent all her days with him on edge and in fear. She was scared that he was not happy or satisfied to the point that she even felt guilty when Old Mr. Constance passed away. Why didn¡¯t Old Mr. Constance¡¯s illness get better even after they had the wedding? But things were better now as she finally reached the end of that path. When she received the divorce certificate, though she was a bit reluctant, she had to admit that it came as a breath of relief to her. They were finally divorced. A great weight had lifted off her shoulders. Moreover, Mrs. Constance did not look like she slept well these past two days from being so enraged by her. As such, Sophia was over the moon. Still, she could not figure out what went through her mind back then. How could she bring herself so far down for a man who did not love her? It did not make any sense. John was looking at Sophia; he was unsure of what to say. She had never said those things to him before, or she did but he just was not paying attention. After Sophia finished talking, she started tough and waved her hand. ¡°Why am I saying all this? I just gained a whole forest to myself and you¡¯re just one old tree. It¡¯s time to forget about everything that happened in the past.¡± John pursed his lips. ¡°Maybe. Maybe I really wasn¡¯t good enough. I just hope you¡¯ll find someone who can treat you better in the future.¡± ¡°Of course. If I ever look for someone, though, I¡¯ll be sure to avoid someone like you before anything else.¡± She had an expectant look on her face. ¡°I want to find someone who will devote himself to me and make me his top priority.¡± More importantly, she was wealthy and beautiful now, so that was not going to be a problem. Chapter 102 Chapter 102 John got off work at the usual time without staying back for overtime. He then took Sophia and left thepany right away. When they got in the car, she was buckling her seatbelt when she smiled and said, ¡°I remember you used to stay back after hours almost every day. Why don¡¯t you do that anymore?¡± He hesitated before speaking. ¡°I had to work on a big coboration project before, but it¡¯s over now.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She nodded. With pursed lips, he started the car and drove away. In fact, he did not always stay back after hours purely just for work. He also did it for selfish reasons. Perhaps he was actually reluctant to see her. Whilst in the car, Sophia took off her shoes and sat cross-legged in the seat while humming a song. He turned his gaze at her every now and then. She looked quite rxed. When she reached the climax of the song, she even swayed her body to the beat. He smirked then stepped on the elerator. There were not a lot of cars on the road up the mountain, so the car sped through and arrived at the Constance Residence shortly after. Sophia was clutching onto her seatbelt as she turned to look at him. Despite feeling afraid, she was still able to smile. ¡°What¡¯s up with you? I thought the car was about to fly. Are you that hungry? Were you in a rush toe home and eat?¡± He did not reply to her and was just waiting for the gates to open before driving into the courtyard. When the car came to a stop, she quickly opened the door and got out. She took a deep breath. ¡°If we had gotten into an ident midway, I don¡¯t even know if it would have been considered a workce injury.¡± He swung his head back at her. Giggling, she tapped her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m just rambling. We¡¯re all safe and sound. You will be with Isabelle, and I will be with my future sweetheart. We¡¯ll all live long lives.¡± He turned back around and headed toward the main building. She sneered behind his back then slowly followed after him. That came out of nowhere. What is he mad about? Old Mrs. Constance was sitting in the living room while Mrs. Constance kept herpany. The two were talking about something. Mrs. Constance looked cheerful. Old Mrs. Constance was not smiling but she did look quite rxed. Sophia was not too pleased to catch sight of that. She had seen too much of it in the past. The two of them were always amiable with each other as they talked, but they never failed to cast Sophia aside. Neither of them paid any attention to her, making her feel awkward by herself at the side. John went inside and greeted Old Mrs. Constance first, ¡°Hello, Grandma.¡± Then, he looked at Mrs. Constance. ¡°What were you two talking about, Mom? You looked so happy.¡± She nced at him. ¡°Nothing much. I saw a few girls when I went shopping today and sat down to have a chat with them.¡± While stretching her body, Sophia interrupted, ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs. You guys can continue talking.¡± She was wearing hot pants and had her hair in a ponytail. When she stretched, her top also lifted, exposing her ant waist that was slender and fair. Mrs. Constance pulled a face and waited for her to go upstairs. ¡°Look at what she¡¯s wearing. Did she go out with you today? She has to dress more appropriately when she¡¯s standing next to you. If she goes out dressed like that as the Young Mistress of the Constance Family, we will be mocked.¡± John smiled. ¡°I actually think it looks nice.¡± It looked casual andfortable. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Moreover, a lot of peoplemented on how young she looked when she showed up at thepany today. They even thought she looked like a real princess just from the way she dolled herself up. It was no wonder John liked her. The way Sophia dressed up today made her look quite young. He personally did not find it disgraceful. ¡°What do you know?¡± Mrs. Constance was not too happy. ¡°She is the Young Mistress of the Constance Family now. She has to be more aware of her status when she goes out and be more mindful of the way she dresses. Have you seen a young mistress dress like her before?¡± However, he did not usually pay attention to other people. He simply thought that Sophia looked fine the way she was now. She used to wear more exquisite clothes that made her look like a little Russian doll. Her clothes and makeup were exquisite, and even her expressions were managed properly. But it was ufortable to look at her. She was better off with the way she looked now. Old Mrs. Constance ced the cup of tea in her hand down. ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s fine as long as John thinks it¡¯s nice. Let¡¯s not care too much. It might be that we just don¡¯t understand young people.¡± Feeling surprised, Mrs. Constance turned to look at her. Old Mrs. Constance would never side with Sophia. She asked John once more, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s nice?¡± John had his eyes fixed on Sophia the whole time. ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s really nice.¡± Chapter 103 Chapter 103 After Sophia returned to her room, she changed her clothes and went to open the window. A whole day had passed but the jasmine scent still lingered inside the house. It was truly nauseating. Her room overlooked the parking lot on the other side. She stretched her neck out to look and saw several cars returning in session. One of the figures that got out of one of the cars looked like Dn. John¡¯s words popped in her mind just then. Stay away from Dn. She did not quite understand. Even though the Constance Family was big and they ran a big business, there was bound to be some dispute within the family. However, she had not heard of any family discord between the Main Constance Family and the Second Constance Family. When Old Mr. Constance passed away, the four brothers were quite united as they sat together to discuss the funeral arrangements. It did not seem like there was any conflict between them. Is it just between John and Dn then? She smacked her lips. It doesn¡¯t seem like it either. When I was married to John, he and Dn did not really interact with each other. Most importantly, that tattler Mrs. Constance has never said anything bad about Dn. If there was conflict between John and Dn, Mrs. Constance would never stay quiet about it. Sophia was unable to figure it out no matter how much she thought about it. Leaving it at that, she went to open the door to let the odor out of the house. Not long after, John came upstairs and walked past her door. She was still sprawled over by the window and looking outside. She had changed into a loose-fitting mini dress that fell right below her hips and exposed her fair legs. It was the dress that he brought back just the day before. At the time, it was hung up in her closet. Although he did not bring back a lot of clothes, he still hand-picked each one of them instead of just grabbing at random ones. She had a lot of clothes, but there were only a few that she usually wore. This dress was one that she had worn more often. He personally thought it was one of the better-looking ones out of all the home clothes she used to wear. She was very rxed; she was looking out the window while swaying her legs. For some reason, one nce at her legs made him feel dizzy. He quickly returned to his own room and changed out of his clothes. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. When he came out again, she was already on the bed. She was lying on it and drawing something on a piece of paper in front of her. Those legs of hers were still restless as they continued to kick in the air. This time, Sophia heard Johning out of his room. She snapped her head up at him and smiled. ¡°Hey, John. I want to ask you something. Come here.¡± She beckoned him. It seemed quite harmless. He hesitated briefly before going inside. She was still lying on the bed. Because her dress was a bit loose around the neckline, the view from the front made him even more ill at ease than that pair of restless legs. He guided his gaze to the piece of paper spread out on the bed. It was filled with scribbles that were practically indecipherable. She suddenly became inspired and sat upright. ¡°Hey, hey. You know I don¡¯t really have much to do right now. I¡¯m thinking of opening my own dessert shop. What do you think?¡± Pointing at the drawing on the paper, she continued, ¡°I¡¯m thinking of ayout and design for the shop that can attract more customers.¡± That on the paper is theyout and design of a shop? It was very abstract. He could not tell at all. Grabbing the piece of paper, he looked at her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to learn how to drive?¡± She nodded. ¡°I can do both. I¡¯m looking for something to do now. Otherwise, I just have all this money in my hands with nowhere to spend it.¡± He smiled and gave her a nod. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± That made her happy. ¡°Do you also think it¡¯s a good idea? Here; give me some advice.¡± She patted on the spot next to her for him to sit down. When it came to running a business, she still trusted him. She had to admit that she did not have much experience in life. The Constance Company was huge, so John had more of an eye for trends in the market. She trusted his judgments. He lowered his head to look at the drawings on the paper and proceeded to sit down beside her. ¡°You want to open a shop and make dessert. Let¡¯s leave this drawing as it is for now. Have you looked at a location and storefront?¡± Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Sophia inched closer to John and looked at him. ¡°I found it. I saw one today. The location is pretty good and¡­ Oh, I should just take you there on a day when you have time and you can take a look at it for me.¡± She tried to curry favor with him with her big round eyes. The way she was ttering him now and the way she used to was different. In the past, it did not seem like she had a bottom line. As long as he said it, she was willing to do anything. Right now, however, she clearly had a goal. She was only looking at him like that because she wanted to use him, but how she really felt about him was unclear. He stared at her for a while before agreeing to it. ¡°I¡¯ll find time to go have a look.¡± She grinned and patted his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re really something. Though we couldn¡¯t work out, at least we¡¯re still friends.¡± What is she saying? He smiled. Standing up, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I think they¡¯re about to serve the food downstairs.¡± She quickly got out of bed, then they went downstairs together. Mrs. Constance was surprised to see theming down together. Sophia suddenly remembered Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s visit to Constance Company today and the unkind look he gave her. Then, she thought of how Mrs. Constance and Isabelle were on good terms with each other. The more those thoughts gathered in her mind, the more dislike she felt for Mrs. Constance. Mrs. Constance shot her a dirty look so Sophia took the chance to re back at her. She did it so brazenly that daggers were almost flying out of her eyes. Meanwhile, Mrs. Constance gave her a warning gaze with her eyes. Sophia sneered andpletely disregarded her. She reached the bottom of the stairs and went straight to the dining room with John. With the help of the housekeeper, Old Mrs. Constance was standing in front of the main building and staring nkly into a space at the side. There was once a funeral shed there. Old Mr. Constance was ced there on hisst few days in this world. The housekeeper was also elderly. She had been by Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s side for many years. Seeing how deste Old Mrs. Constance was, she said, ¡°Go in and eat, Old Mrs. Constance. Don¡¯t think too much anymore.¡± ¡°He was actually feeling uneasy when he left.¡± The housekeeper knew what she was talking about. Old Mr. Constance did not worry about anyone except for Sophia. It seemed like he knew that John and Sophia only got married because he forced them to be together. Without him around, their rtionship would surely notst. John had to promise him that he would take good care of Sophia. In the end, though, he still felt uneasy as he passed. Old Mrs. Constance let out a sigh. ¡°John and Sophia¡­¡± She did not finish her sentence. The housekeeper consoled her in a small voice, ¡°They look like they¡¯re doing fine to me.¡± Leaning against the housekeeper, Old Mrs. Constance went back into the living room and headed toward the dining room. ¡°Really? Why do you think so?¡± Right after she said that, she spotted John and Sophia sitting in the dining room. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Because she was not at the table yet, they were not allowed to start eating yet. It was a rule John and Matilda created. But Sophia could not wait any longer and was ready to eat with the chopsticks in her hand. He pushed her chopsticks down to tell her to wait a bit longer. She was not happy about that. To defy him, she was going to reach for the food with her bare hands, since she was unable to use her chopsticks anymore. He grabbed onto her hands instead and secured it under the table. Based on their current interaction, they seemed to be getting along better than before. Back then, they had gotten married in front of everyone. Everyone knew how they interacted with each other. Compared to the courteous way they were around each other before, they looked a lot more natural now. Old Mrs. Constance slowly made her way over. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s eat.¡± Only then did John let go of Sophia¡¯s hand¡ªto which he received an eye roll in return. Without looking at anyone, she buried her face in her bowl and started to eat. Old Mrs. Constance looked at her and asked, ¡°Did you go to thepany today, Sophia?¡± She paused as she did not expect Old Mrs. Constance to talk to her. With a mouth full of rice, she said, ¡°Yeah, I went for a bit.¡± Mrs. Constance, on the other hand, was not pleased. ¡°Why did you bring her there?¡± she questioned John. But Sophia spoke out instead. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t to keep your son¡¯s reputation clean for the future.¡± After hearing that, Mrs. Constance almost choked on her own pent-up anger. Chapter 105 Chapter 105 John was not angered by Sophia¡¯s answer because she was right. He had brought her to thepany today with that purpose in mind. Mrs. Constance took two heavy breaths. This time, she did not scream like she used to but faced Old Mrs. Constance instead. ¡°Mom, look at the way she talks to her elders. Who would want a daughter-in- law like her?¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes shot up. ¡°Who said I was your daughter-inw? John and I divorced a long time ago. I¡¯m only keeping up with this act for John¡¯s sake. If you¡¯re not happy with it, I¡¯ll go out right now and tell the world that I¡¯m not in any way rted to your Young Master John. What will you do about that?¡± Mrs. Constance was rendered speechless. Old Mrs. Constance turned to look at Sophia and said in a calm voice, ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that so easily next time. It won¡¯t be great if someone overheard.¡± Sophia sulked and did not say anything else. Beside her, John quietly put some food in her bowl. ¡°Alright, eat up. It¡¯s been a busy day.¡± They did not have any peace even when they came home for a meal. Mrs. Constance mumbled to herself, ¡°It¡¯s not like I said anything.¡± Pursing her lips, Sophia kept her eyes on Mrs. Constance. ¡°Elder Mr. Bailey went to thepany today. I think he wanted to sound out me and John. I wonder if Miss Bailey said something to him. People are starting to get suspicious.¡± Mrs. Constance was shocked and so was Old Mrs. Constance. Old Mrs. Constance looked to John and asked, ¡°Old Mr. Bailey went over?¡± ¡°Yes. He said he happened to pass by so he came in to have a look.¡± Before this, Old Mr. Bailey never went to visit the Constance Company before. The two families did not have any ties in business so going to the Constance Company for no particr reason was hard toprehend. Old Mrs. Constance nced at Mrs. Constance. ¡°Matilda, I didn¡¯t get around to asking you this, but what did you and Isabelle talk aboutst time?¡± Mrs. Constance was hesitant. She told Isabelle so many thingsst time. Anything that she was allowed to talk about, she said it all. John sighed and also looked at her. ¡°Did you tell her that we got our divorce certificate?¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. She had a troubled look on her face. ¡°I think so.¡± Lowering her voice, she said, ¡°It was the day you guys went to get your divorce certificates. I told Belle you were both out to deal with divorce procedures.¡± John pondered for a moment then said, ¡°What else did you say? Tell me everything.¡± At this point, Mrs. Constance was too afraid to even look at Old Mrs. Constance. ¡°After that, you told me not to reveal the divorce, so I told Belle that there was a bit of an issue on your end. You went on a business trip and Sophia went to look for you; something along those lines.¡± Sophia smirked. That was definitely not all that she said. She probably told her that I threw my pride away and begged John to stay¡ªthat I was unwilling to let go. I¡¯m sure she rambled on for ages. After thinking for a bit, John said, ¡°If you get the chance to, tell her that we never got our divorce certificates. Sophia and I changed our minds at the Civil Affairs Bureau, and I brought her along with me on the business trip. I wanted to use the time that I was away to talk over things between us. You have to make it very clear to her that Sophia and I are not divorced, and that we want to give each other another chance.¡± Those words sounded very simr to what Sophia told Dn. That way, they could match their stories. Mrs. Constance did not dare to say anything else and immediately nodded her head. ¡°Okay. You don¡¯t have to worry about this. I¡¯ll tell Belle. She¡¯s very understanding and she won¡¯t go around telling people about it. Trust me.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes and carried on eating. After that, Mrs. Constance stopped being crafty and was more forthright. Sophia was the first one to finish her food again. She put down her chopsticks and right as she grabbed a piece of tissue to wipe her mouth, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°Stay here a bit longer. Talk to me.¡± Not only was Sophia surprised, but both John and Mrs. Constance were too. Old Mrs. Constance was someone who stuck to customs and never really spoke at the dining table. Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Sophia blinked at her. ¡°Old Mrs. Constance, what do you have to say?¡± She put some food in Sophia¡¯s bowl. ¡°Have you ever heard your grandfather bring up John¡¯s grandfather before? Do you know what kind of friendship they had?¡± Sophia paused and thought about it seriously. ¡°He did bring him up before, but he did not say much.¡± Old Mrs. Constance seemed quite interested. ¡°What did he say? Tell me.¡± Old Mrs. Constance and Old Mr. Constance loved each other very much. When he passed away, she was the most calm and reserved with her emotions. However, some things inevitably showed through one¡¯s face. Sophia felt like she was probably also the saddest and most heartbroken person. After thinking for a moment, she decided to tell her. Old Mr. Gwendolyn had, in fact, not told Sophia a lot. When he reunited with Old Mr. Constance, he, with only skin and bones left, was in a worse state than Old Mr. Constance. Old Mr. Gwendolyn had worked his whole life as a farmer, so his physique had long since deteriorated. Exerting a bit of strength, he managed to briefly tell her about the past. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. The two old men had once joined the army. At the time, Old Mr. Gwendolyn carried out several missions while he was in his troop. He said that in one of his missions, he rescued Old Mr. Constance. Though, he did not go into detail as to how he rescued him. After that, the two of them developed a closer bond. Old Mr. Constance had favorable family conditions back then while the Gwendolyn Family had absolutely nothing. When they were demobilized, the two got separated. Old Mr. Constance had left a means of contact for Old Mr. Gwendolyn so he could go to him if he ever needed help. But Old Mr. Gwendolyn wanted to keep his pride. He was aware of the difference between them, so he was determined to not look for him no matter how hard things got. Once they separated, Old Mr. Gwendolyn went back to the countryside to make a living. In the end, his health kept deteriorating so Sophia brought him to a hospital to get looked at. There, he met the simrly burdened Old Mr. Constance again. That was when the two reunited. Sophia was a bit saddened as she talked about it. ¡°My grandfather had to stay strong because he had to raise me on his own, but I let him down and he passed without feeling at ease.¡± Old Mr. Gwendolyn was strong and independent throughout his life. He relied on himself in everything. It was only at the end that he pleaded with one person¡ªOld Mr. Constance. He asked him to take good care of Sophia once he was gone. Because of that, Sophia was redirected halfway and brought to marry John. Old Mrs. Constance had stopped eating and her eyes were red now. Mrs. Constance quickly gave her a piece of tissue. s, she did not cry. Taking a few deep breaths, she said, ¡°John¡¯s grandfather also left without feeling at ease. In his final moments, he was even reluctant to close his eyes.¡± She was by his side at the time, trying to appease him with words so that he could pass on in peace. But he kept his eyes open and held on to hisst breath of air. Sophia felt tormented and unsettled. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. It was all for me.¡± Beside her, John¡¯s expression also became stern. At the time, Old Mr. Constance pulled on his hand and repeatedly exhorted that he had to take good care of Sophia. John made that promise to him, but he also thought that he could still treat her well after they got divorced. Treating someone well was not only reserved for while they were married. Thus, after their divorce, he generously gave her money and a house. Besides, he also gave her some of thepany¡¯s shares. He figured he had done more than enough. Old Mrs. Constance let out a sigh and changed the topic. ¡°You should get a thorough check-up for your gastric problems. If you don¡¯t take it seriously now while you¡¯re young, you will regret it when you¡¯re my age.¡± Her words caught Sophia off guard. Is she caring about me? Even though Sophia did not really like her, she still knew how to ept it when someone cared about her. Hence, she thanked her. Once Old Mrs. Constance was unable to eat anymore, she slowly got to her feet. The housekeeper quickly came and helped her up. After mentioning that she wanted to rest, she headed upstairs. Sophia was sitting where she was. After a while, she also stood up. ¡°You guys can keep¡ª¡± Before she finished her sentence, John stood up too. ¡°I¡¯m not eating anymore. Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Blinking at him, she had no intention of going out for a walk. She had walked a lot that day and wanted to return to her room to rest. But after looking at Mrs. Constance, who was sitting across from her, she immediately nodded her head. ¡°Sure! Taking a walk after a meal can help us digest some of this food. It¡¯s good for our bodies.¡± Mrs. Constance initially had a glum expression on her face but not anymore. She pulled a long face and was a bit unsatisfied. Nheless, her misery was Sophia¡¯s delight. John walked out of the dining room first with Sophia following behind him. The two of them made their way to the garden. His strides were rather big, making it hard for her to keep up. When she could not keep up any longer, she called out, ¡°Hey, did youe out for a walk or for race- walking.¡± He stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at her. ¡°Why are you so short? Does it make it more convenient to pick up money?¡± She was surprised. He was a man of few words and was not usually sarcastic. Even when he talked, it was about more serious topics. He never teased her so tantly before. Looking at him, she even jumped up a bit. ¡°Why are you so tall? Does it make it easier to build a shed?¡± John was indeed very tall. He looked neat and put together. In addition to his impressive looks, it was no wonder she fell for him. She was someone who had not seen much of the world yet, so it was only normal for her to be drawn to him when he was so handsome. He lowered his gaze at her. Her dress is already short, but she¡¯s still jumping. Is she trying to expose herself to the whole world? He raised his hands and pushed her shoulders down. ¡°Stand properly.¡± She looked up at him without knowing what was going on. When their eyes met, something did not feel quite right. Was it because they went overboard with some of the things they did after their divorce? It somehow felt rather awkward. She licked her lips and tried to find something to say. ¡°Uh, where do you want to go? I went to the bamboo forest in the backyard the other day. It was pretty nice.¡± He immediately knew what she was talking about. ¡°That night?¡± It was the night when she wandered out and only came back when it got dark. She nodded. ¡°Yeah. The Constance Residence looks huge when you see it from the bamboo forest at night.¡± However, another thing caught his attention. ¡°You were in the bamboo forest by yourself thatte at night? You really have no fear.¡± That bamboo forest was no longer within the Constance Residence¡¯s vicinity so anyone could go in there. It was located in a hilly area. Even so, she was not afraid of bumping into a bad person. She chuckled. ¡°I met Dn that day. We went in there together.¡± John paused for a moment before letting out a smile. ¡°It¡¯s Dn again.¡± As though he thought of something, he suddenly said with a bit of ridicule in his voice, ¡°If only I had known. What was he thinking at the time?¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± He turned and entered the garden. ¡°Nothing. I don¡¯t care what you do in the future, but for now, stay further away from Dn.¡± She scowled at him then followed him in. ¡°I know. Are you getting old? You¡¯re getting long-winded.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. John sat on the bench and looked at her. ¡°Am I old?¡± He was five years older than her. She took a seat on a rattan chair nearby. ¡°Why? Does that make you ufortable?¡± Chuckling, she went on, ¡°You¡¯re an old cow nibbling on young grass like me. What do you feel ufortable about?¡± Somehow that did not sound quite right either. Was she not over that previous incident yet? She suddenly thought of what happened in bedst time. At the time, he was quite aggressive with her. When she looked in the mirror during her shower, all the marks on her body made it seem like she was being abused. Meanwhile, John also felt like something was not quite right but he could not tell what it was exactly. In the end, they ran out of conversation again and just sat in silence. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Sophia rummaged through her brain to find a conversation topic that could lighten the atmosphere. Before she was able to do so, however, the sound of footsteps came from the side. She and John both turned their heads toward it. A few secondster, they saw the people who were approaching. It was Master Owen and Dn. The two were heading to the parking lot. Master Owen was on a call. It seemed like there was a problem with a project at work and he had to go over to deal with it. Whether it was a social event that William had or a problem at thepany, Master Owen handled them all. The Constance brothers were not on good terms with each other, but they were clear on their responsibilities. Neither of them saw John and Sophia. After Dn got in the driver¡¯s seat and Master Owen got in the passenger seat, the car drove off. She stared at the parking lot and clicked her tongue. ¡°Yourpany is so busy. How much do you make in a year?¡± He could not answer that as it was different every year. After mentioning that, she remembered her own business venture. ¡°Hey, how about I take you to that shop at noon tomorrow? The owner said she was going to stop business after this month. I¡¯m thinking of taking over.¡± It was already the middle of the month, so she had about two weeks left. He answered, ¡°I can go take a look tomorrow, but you shouldn¡¯t start a business so hastily. If you want to do it, you have to think through it first. Are you going to run it yourself? Do you know how?¡± Of course, she did not know how. She was going to have to hire someone. But she nned on asking thatdy for the store if she did not want it anymore. She thought that their desserts were still up to par. Thedy just did not have capital. Sophia could potentially make it work if she gave her a higher wage. On the other hand, John was not urgently thinking of those things. ¡°Let¡¯s talk after I take a look tomorrow.¡± The both of them continued to sit there for a while. Sophia rambled on about her ideas and some future ns. She was all over the ce; most of which she was saying to herself. It sounded like things someone would say after having too much to drink. Still, John paid attention to every single word. He had never paid that much attention to the things she said before. Only when the sky waspletely dark did they start heading back to the main building. Both Old Mrs. Constance and Mrs. Constance had returned to their rooms. Everyone at the Constance Residence strictly abided by their daily schedules. The only exceptions were the men who were working outside. Sophia and John walked back to their rooms and opened their doors simultaneously. She turned to look at him, but he went into his room without looking back at her. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Taking a deep breath, she also went into her own room. She put on the pajamas from the night before and was about to go wash up when she heard someone knock on her door. She paused, thinking that it was probably Mrs. Constance. In the whole Constance Residence, that woman was the only one who woulde looking for her at her door. She¡¯s probably here to vent the anger she was unable to at the dining table earlier. Sophia gritted her teeth and was not one bit scared. Standing in ce for a bit, more knocks followed. She puffed out her chest and raised her head high. After giving herself some attitude, she walked over boldly and opened the door at once. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± However, John was standing at the door with her phone in his hand. She was shocked. She never would have thought that it was John. He handed her the phone. ¡°When we came back earlier¡­¡± She suddenly remembered that she put her phone on a stone table at the side when they were in the garden. He had brought it along for her when they made their way back. She wanted to see what his intentions were so she let him carry it the whole way back. Slowly reaching for her phone, she said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. Ipletely forgot about this.¡± Meanwhile, he was too afraid to even look at her. Her pajamas. These pajamas¡­ How were they any different from not wearing anything? He took a deep breath and turned toward the corridor. ¡°I¡¯m going back now.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 109 Chapter 109 ¡°Mm,¡± she responded through pursed lips, then waited until he was back in his room before closing the door. She leaned against the door. Why is my face burning up? After taking a few deep breaths, she went into the bathroom. Once she was done with her shower, she had settled down quite a bit. Shey down in bed and tried not to let her mind wander. A man and a woman alone together, not to mention the fact that they used to have an intimate rtionship. There was bound to be a surge of emotions. John doesn¡¯t like it when I do those things. At the thought of that, her heart slowly calmed down. It was very effective. She flipped over and looked out the window. One good thing about living in the hills was that she did not have to worry about people peeping in even when she did not draw the curtains before going to sleep at night. From where she was, she could see the stars. She had only seen them previously when she lived in her small vige. After a while, sleep finally started to ovee her. She let out a sigh then slowly fell asleep. Meanwhile, John also went into the bathroom and took a cold shower to calm himself down. He knew for sure that he did not like Sophia, but he still felt something whenever he saw her. That was what he was fretting over. He was so familiar with her body that he could imagine what she looked like under that thin fabric. Laying back down in bed, he covered himself with the nket and did his best to calm down. He wondered if putting her in the room right next to his was a good idea. It somehow felt like it was just giving him more trouble. He tossed and turned in bed for a long time before finally falling asleep, but he was unable to sleep well that night. He dreamed of a lot of things and they all had to do with things they did in bed. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia looked distressed every time from being tormented by him. Whenever she did not speak up despite being in distress, it frustrated him and made him want to torment her even more. Those were the kind of dreams he had throughout the night. When he woke up in the morning, he felt like he had not slept a wink. He was exhausted. Getting up, he washed up and left his room. At the same time, Sophia also came out of her room. She was wearing a floral dress today¡ªone that she had worn in Tri Asel before. It did not look ssy but it was refreshing. She seemed to have forgotten about the awkward tension from the night before and smiled immediately when she saw him. ¡°Did you sneak outst night? Look at you. Your dark circles are so obvious.¡± He touched his eyes. ¡°Really?¡± She giggled. ¡°I lied.¡± Stepping ahead of him, she headed downstairs with him following from behind. Mrs. Constance did not go down for breakfast today. Sophia figured she probably did not want to see her. That worked out well because Sophia did not want to see that fox of a woman either. Old Mrs. Constance had eaten her breakfast. She usually woke up early and ate in her room before going out. Thus, Sophia and John were the only ones in the dining room now. Even though there were not a lot of people eating, there was a wide array of food on the table. John liked a Western-style breakfast, so they prepared bread, milk, and eggs for him. Sophia sat with one leg folded on the chair and reached for a t cake. She still preferred a Chinese- style breakfast. Grabbing some salted vegetables from the side, she wrapped them in the t cake and ate it with porridge. It did not taste too bad. John smirked when he nced at her then continued eating his food. She was thin, but she had a big appetite and ate quite a lot. After a t cake and a bowl of porridge, she went on to eat two eggs and several pieces of ham. She also ate some of the fruits in the fruit tter. Looking at her, he felt like his own appetite was getting better. Once they were done eating, she went to wash her hands, then followed him out to the parking lot while humming a song. As they got in the car, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to yourpany today. You can just drop me off anywhere in the city.¡± However, he just drove without saying anything. During the car ride, she kept talking about her dreams. She wanted to open a dessert shop where she could work when there were customers and just sit around when there were none. She wanted to wake up at her own time every morning and count her money until her wrists cramped up. John was skeptical. Has she not woken up yet? His car arrived at the city center. ¡°Do you want me to stop at the junction over there?¡± She nodded. ¡°Sure. That¡¯s fine.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Sophia did not have any ce in particr that she wanted to go to. She just wanted to look around for dessert shops in the area and try some of them out. On the street that she was on, though, there were not a lot of dessert shops. She walked for a while before seeing a milk tea shop that sold mostly drinks. There were only a few dessert options. She bought a ss of milk tea, drank a mouthful, and let the taste sink in her mouth. It was just average. She kept feeling like the shop she wanted to invest in from that day was a good idea. After staggering around for a while, she decided to go into a department store. There were several dessert shops inside the department store, but they all tasted average. Sitting down on a chair, she stretched for a bit and was feeling great. Then, she took a selfie on her phone and posted it on Facebook. After that, she went out, took a taxi, and went back to her ce. She had bought new bedsheets and threw out the ones that John left for her. This house was going to be hers. Except for several bigger pieces of furniture that she was keeping, she changed everything else to her liking. Shey down and rolled on her bed once she was done changing the sheets. This is sofortable. She idled around like that until noon, then she went downstairs to make some food. She bought a lot of things yesterday so she decided to cook something herself. Cooking was not difficult for her. She used to cook all the time when she lived with her grandfather. It was a lot more troublesome then than it was now. First, she cooked rice. Then, she stir-fried some saut¨¦ed broli with garlic, made some twice-cooked pork, and even made some soup. It was a lot of food for one person, but she did not mind. It felt like she was really living now. Again, she took a picture of the meal she prepared and posted it on Facebook. Not a minute after sitting down, her phone started to ring. It was Zack. Surprised, she quickly answered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zack clicked his tongue. ¡°Where are you? I see you even cooked.¡± She looked at the time; Zack was off work now. After eating a spoonful of rice, she said, ¡°I¡¯m at home; in my own house. Why? Are you stalking me?¡± Heughed. ¡°No, how could I dare to? I saw your post on Facebook. Your food looks good.¡± ¡°Hmph. I still won¡¯t give any to you.¡± Then, she hung up. He clutched on his phone and muttered, ¡°This woman sure is fickle.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. John was quietly waiting for the elevator toe up, then he stepped inside. Zack quickly followed him in. Since everyone else had left, it was only the two of them now. John had a nk expression on his face like he always did. But Zack was unable to hold back as he said, ¡°Sophia is eating by herself now. She knows how to cook. Since we¡¯re not too far from her ce, she could¡¯ve invited us over for a bit. This child; I will have to give her a good lesson when I see her one of these days.¡± A momentter, John looked at him. ¡°When did you two get so close?¡± Zack paused. We¡¯re close? They were not that close¡ªjust enough to be able to speak freely to each other instead of holding back too much. He frowned. ¡°When I met Sophia, she was a very free spirit so we got along well.¡± He met her at the Constance Residence. At the time, Sophia was a neat and upright young girl who was nagged on by Mrs. Constance to the point where she could not even lift her head anymore. He was not able to ignore her. When Mrs. Constance left, he went over tofort her. That was when she smiled. ¡°Everything she says sounds like farts to me.¡± Zack remembered those words clearly. Perhaps because of that, his friendship with Sophia became stable. But of course, Zack could not tell John all those things. Mrs. Constance was his mother. John sneered. ¡°You were able to befriend the old Sophia?¡± He sounded like he was sulking. Zack added, ¡°You were married to the old Sophia.¡± John froze. That¡¯s right. We were married once. We did everything as a married couple. The affectionate things they said to each other during thosete nights were all between them. In an instant, his eyes started to lose their focus. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 111 Chapter 111 John had lunch with Zack. While they were eating, they talked about work. Before they finished, a call from Sophia came. John remembered that Sophia wanted him to take a look at the store for her. He answered the call. On the other end, it was obvious that she had just finished eating and she even burped while talking. He gave her the address of his location so she could make her way over first and they could depart together once he was done eating. She thanked him excitedly then hung up. Meanwhile, Zack heard the way she was talking. ¡°The little noises she made were so pristine.¡± John put his phone down. ¡°You like that?¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Zack was shocked. ¡°Don¡¯t say that so carelessly, Boss.¡± John did not reply to him, and Zack quickly exined, ¡°I like amorous women. Sophia won¡¯t do; she¡¯s too small.¡± Is she? John recalled the way she looked in her provocative pajamasst night which showed off her curves. She¡¯s not small. Sophia was thin in appropriate ces and was voluptuous where she was supposed to be. It must be nice to touch¡ªdarn it. He was letting his mind go astray again. Hence, he quickly pulled his focus back. By the time they finished eating, Sophia¡¯s taxi had arrived. Zack liked herpany, so he also went along with them. When John arrived at the dessert shop under Sophia¡¯s guidance, it was still just as empty. Zack took one look at it and shook his head. ¡°The building is too unrefined. It doesn¡¯t grab the people¡¯s attention.¡± John looked at the front of the shop from inside the car. ¡°The location is not bad, but the exterior just won¡¯t do. The name of the shop isn¡¯t good either; it doesn¡¯t sound original.¡± The three of them got down and went to inspect the inside of the shop. Thedy at the cash register was still looking at her phone and came over when she heard a sound. She recognized Sophia right away. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. What would you like to have today?¡± Sophia ordered some desserts and a milk tea to go while John took a look around the shop. The ce was not huge, but there was definitely a problem with the interior. It could have been clean and simple, but the current interior looked cheap and worn out. When Sophia paid the bill, she tested the waters and asked thedy if she was really going to stop doing this business. Thedy was very adamant. ¡°I¡¯m not doing it anymore. Heck, I¡¯ll be satisfied if I don¡¯t suffer any losses.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Actually, I think opening a shop here won¡¯t be too bad.¡± She blinked at her. ¡°If I take over this shop, will you be willing to work with me?¡± Thedy was taken aback. Then, she smiled. ¡°I think you¡¯re a good person. Let me be honest with you. It¡¯s not worthwhile to open a dessert shop here. Look around. I¡¯m the only one of my kind here, but I still don¡¯t have a lot of customers. This ce really won¡¯t work. Don¡¯t waste your money.¡± Sophia smiled but did not say anything this time. Once John was done looking around, they headed outside together. When they got in the car, John said, ¡°If we renovate this ce, it should still be alright.¡± There was not another simr shop nearby so thepetition was not too high. Moreover, it was located in a busy district where there was a significant volume of people. When Sophia heard what he said, her mind felt at ease. ¡°I¡¯ll let you guys try these this afternoon. You just ate so you won¡¯t be able to taste anything.¡± John drove back to the Constance Company, whereupon Sophia followed them in. Because she had shown her face yesterday, the employees did not overreact as much as they did when they saw her yesterday. They made their way to John¡¯s office, and since it was not time to start work yet, John sat in his seat and rested. After taking a seat on the sofa, she started to ramble on about designs. She had not taken over the shop yet, but she was already thinking of what to do when she started the business. He stood at one side and watched her count on her fingers. She was sitting cross-legged on the sofa. Her dress was a bit longer and it covered her thighs. From the side, her face looked small and delicate. Did he like women like that? He certainly did not. Even though he did not like amorous women like Zack did, he still liked elegant women that everyone admired. He was not interested in a modest woman from a humble family. He gradually shut his eyes, but the chatter did not cease. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 112 Chapter 112 In the afternoon, Sophia prepared the desserts and milk tea she had bought for John and Zack. When she went to send some to Zack, she happened to see Dn. The two ran into each other. Dn wasing out of the elevator with other employees. He nodded at her when he saw her. On the other hand, she was a bit flustered because she had the milk tea and desserts in her hands. Because he had already seen it, it did not seem polite to not give him some as well. After she left Zack¡¯s ce, she went to the refrigerator in the tea room to grab another portion. Good thing she had bought more. Thus, she went to give some to Dn. He was inside his office verifying the data on a document. Sophia pushed open the door and smiled at him. ¡°I bought this earlier at noon. There were an extra two. You can have one.¡± She went over and ced it on his desk. He was surprised but he thanked her immediately. She waved her hand. ¡°No need. I¡¯m more worried that you won¡¯t like it. Have some. I won¡¯t bother you.¡± She was going to leave when Dn spoke, ¡°Did youe here behind John¡¯s back?¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Stunned, she turned back around to look at him and almost wanted tough. Still, she was not afraid of saying anything. ¡°John is probably getting anxious now; afraid that he might lose me. He¡¯s such a burdensome fellow. I have no idea what to do with him.¡± She burst intoughter then waved her hand as she walked out. Once she was outside, theughing stopped. She did not believe what she just said, but it would be nice if it were true. She was determined to pay back all the misery she suffered in the past and let him know what it was like to be unloved. When she made it back to John¡¯s office, he was in the middle of a call. ¡°I got it,¡± he said as he watched here in, then hung up the phone. She was also clueless about who he was on the phone with. He only had bits of the dessert and milk tea that were within arm¡¯s reach of him. It must not have suited his taste so he put them away. Looking at theputer screen, he said, ¡°There¡¯s a banquet in the afternoon tomorrow and you¡¯re coming with me.¡± She stared at him. When he did not get her response, he shifted his gaze from theputer onto her face. ¡°Do I have to go?¡± He blinked at her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, but it will be more effective if you do go.¡± She asked again, ¡°Who did you used to bring to these events?¡± He paused and a frown slowly appeared on his forehead. She smiled at that. ¡°Just curious. I¡¯m just curious. I don¡¯t mean anything else.¡± He thought, There weren¡¯t that many of these events, but I did attend a few. Though, I never brought her to any of them. Sometimes, I brought Zack; sometimes I went alone. Since he was already married to her, even if their rtionship was not good, he was not going to bring another woman to such a public event. ¡°I¡¯ve never brought another woman.¡± She nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± He took that as her answer then added, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to get a customized outfitter. You¡¯ve never been to these events before. This one is more formal.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Just don¡¯t think that I¡¯m an embarrassment to you when the timees.¡± She went to lounge on the sofa and stared off into space. There was a hint of ridicule on her face. Seeing her like that suddenly made him feel unsettled. He used to hear Mrs. Constance reproach Sophia all the time, saying that, if she were to go outside, she would be an embarrassment to herself with the way that she was. Sophia never talked back. She always kept her lips pursed and her head down. She looked helpless and sad. Listening to those words did not sit well with him either. Moreover, seeing Sophia¡¯s reaction to them made him more agitated. He hated how timid she looked. It frustrated him to see her like that. A whileter, she nced over at him. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. How do those taste? Do you think it¡¯s okay?¡± Because he did not really like eating desserts, his first impression was that it was too rich. However, those few tasted quite good, and one of them even had a strong coffee vor. It made him feel like eating a few more mouthfuls was still bearable. After thinking through it, he nodded. She broke out into a smile. ¡°If you think it¡¯s okay, then I think I can give it a shot. I trust your taste.¡± The twinkle in her eyes made him feel slightly faint. He did not stop himself from looking at her a bit longer. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 113 Chapter 113 John stopped talking again. Sophia knew that he did not like noise, so she just sat quietly at the side. She did not look at her phone either and just sat there aimlessly. He started to get busy and was all over the ce. One moment he had his subordinate organize all the documents again, and the next moment he was out giving orders. It was just like in the past where hepletely neglected her. Not long after she sat down on the sofa, she started to yawn. There was a lounge room inside of John¡®s office where he would asionally take naps at noon. But the lounge room was closed, so she had no idea what was behind that door. Initially, she wanted to lie on the sofa and sleep for a bit, but she felt like it might cross the line. She knew that her sleeping habits were not too ttering. While he was over there working tirelessly, it was not too appropriate for her to be sprawled out here asleep. Hence, she just fidgeted on the sofa for a while. In the end, she leaned against the corner of the sofa while hugging a nket and fell asleep. John was busy for a while before he was finally able to hand over his work. When he looked up, he saw her sleeping soundly. Her sleeping position looked rather aggrieved. She was curled up into a ball in the corner of the sofa. Already small and frail to start with, being curled up like that almost made her unnoticeable. He slowly stood up and went to stand by the sofa. Sophia did not notice anything and continued sleeping with her head tilted. A momentter, he let out a sigh and bent over to gently lift her up. Her eyes opened but she was still groggy. She hooked her arm over his neck and buried herself in his arms. He brought her to the lounge room where he ced her down on a bed. Turning over, she faced her back toward him and hugged the nket at the side. Her floral dress raised up slightly, but it did not reveal too much. He bent forward to help her straighten it back down. Just as he stood back upright, she started to talk. She was fumbling through her words. It was unclear whether she was awake or still drowsy. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. She said, ¡°John, why did I meet you?¡± Stunned, he stared at her back for a while. He did not know how he came to meet her either. If she had not shown up in his life, his life would have been so different now. I would have followed through with the engagement and married Isabelle. Although I was never close to her, I think she would make a good wife. Mom also likes her, so they would have gotten along very well. We would have had a smooth married life together. By now, we would probably have a child too. The course of my life would have been smooth-sailing. He felt conflicted after thinking about everything. Even when he thought about his situation today, he felt a faint sense of panic. Though, he could not pinpoint the cause of it. Feeling frustrated, he turned around and left the lounge room. He closed the door behind him then went back to his ce. There were a lot of things he had to do that afternoon, but for some reason, he could not look at them anymore. Leaning back against his chair, he seemed to have let go. After sitting there for a few minutes, his phone went off. It was a text message. Besides advertising messages and spam messages, very few people sent text messages these days. He was caught off guard when he took a look at it. It was from Isabelle. She just found out that Elder Mr. Bailey had gone to thepany yesterday and thought it was probably because of her. She sent her apologies and mentioned that there might have been a misunderstanding. Because she was really forthright, he did not sense any trouble. Therefore, he replied with, ¡®No worries.¡¯ No new messages came after that. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 114 Chapter 114 Sophia did not know how long she had been asleep, but she was in a bit of a daze when she woke up. Looking around, she had no idea what room she was in. She stayed in bed for a bit before getting down to go open the door. John was not in the office. It was all empty. She stretched then turned back to look at the lounge room. The rich never forget to enjoy themselves no matter what. Who knew it was possible to have a lounge room inside an office? She was the one who knew too little about the world. If I take over that dessert shop, I can probably do the same and have my own lounge room of some sort. She sat down on the sofa and looked at the time. She had not slept for that long. There was still a lot of time left before people got off work. She was bored out of her mind so she left his office. This time, she did not take a walk inside the Constance Company but took the elevator down and went outside. People wereing and going in the afternoon buzz. She stood at the entrance of the Constance Company for a while before walking down a street. The neighboring area was filled with office buildings wheremercialization was deeply ingrained. She had never been to a ce like that before so it was all very new to her. Not too far ahead, there was a chain store that did bridal dress photoshoots. The storefront was huge. As she was walking by, she spotted a wedding dress that was ced in the disy window. She stopped in her tracks. At the time, her wedding with John was very grand, but it also made her very flustered. Since she had never been to such arge-scale event, she was actually frightened. The Constance Family also had many rules. The housekeeper who Mrs. Constance sent spent almost the entire night telling her everything¡ªabout what she had to look out for, about the kind of people she would meet, as well as the kind of expressions she should have on her face. Back in her vige, she had seen the look on people¡¯s faces when they got married. They were allughing and happy. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. But being here, she was not able to smile at all. Closing in, she looked at the wedding dress in the disy window. Her wedding dress at the time was said to have been bought with arge sum of money from overseas then shipped to them by air. Because Mrs. Constance wanted to show off, she had introduced that wedding dress to Sophia. She talked about the number of diamonds on the dress and how they were all embroidered by hand. Sophia did not understand any of those things, but she simply felt more tired than usual while wearing it because it was so heavy. That wedding dress was still hung up in one of the rooms inside the main building at the Constance Residence now. What a waste. Even if John got married again, Isabelle would not want to use something that Sophia had used before. It was so expensive and it was just tossed aside. There were customers inside the bridal shop. She saw the worker walk past with a gift box in her hands. She stared at what was inside and felt slightly remorseful. She always thought that a good woman like her would only have to put on a wedding dress once. Especially when she was being tormented at the time of her wedding, she swore to herself that that would be her first andst marriage in this life. In the end, the p in the face only camete but it was not non-existent. It had not been a year yet. The universe was giving her another chance. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and continued walking ahead. She had walked pretty far when she discovered a bus stop and went to sit on the long bench there. There were not many people. Since it was working hours, not a lot of people were out idling around. However, Sophia sat there and did not think of going anywhere. People came and went. Cars stopped then left. She was just watching them aimlessly. As she was looking at the cars passing by in front of her, there was a brief moment where she felt quite lost. She did not know what her future held or how to walk down this path. Grabbing her phone, she thought, John should be back at the office by now. Did he notice that she was gone? There was no call or message. She sighed. I don¡¯t know what I was hoping for. Since no one minded, she kept sitting in the same spot. Sitting there was no different than sitting inside John¡¯s office. When the sky got dark, a call from him finally came. She was not unreasonable and answered it right away. His voice was neither rushed nor slow. ¡°Where did you go?¡± She reported her location to which he responded with, ¡°Why did you go so far?¡± She could not tell if he sounded impatient or perplexed. Pursing her lips, she hung up on him straight away. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 115 Chapter 115 When John started to drive to where Sophia was, someone tried to strike up a conversation with her. The guy looked like a university student; he was charming and easygoing. He said he had seen her sitting there for a long time and asked if she was in some kind of trouble. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she stood up. ¡°No, no. I¡¯m waiting for someone.¡± The guy scratched his hair. ¡°Which school are you from? We might be going the same way.¡± She was even more flustered now because she had never even been to university before. Waving her hand, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not a student.¡± The guy was stunned, then he smiled bashfully. ¡°You look really young.¡± She pursed her lips and was unsure of what to say. John was already on his way. When the distance closed, he saw Sophia and the guy. The guy¡¯s face was fairly red which showed that he was shy. John sneered. Guys like these were actually well-suited for Sophia. They looked better together. He slowly drove over. Initially, he wanted to wait for a bit, but, s, she got rid of the guy. When the guy was walking away, he seemed a bit reluctant as he looked back at her repeatedly. She let out a sigh then saw John¡¯s car when she turned back around. After concealing all the emotions on her face, she went to open the car door. John teased, ¡°You¡¯re still popr.¡± She shot him a sidelong nce. ¡°One man¡¯s trash is another man¡¯s treasure.¡± John started driving again in silence. Throughout the car ride, neither of them spoke to each other and he did not ask why she ran out on her own. She felt like perhaps he did not care. He never cared about her anyway. Just earlier, he had obviously arrived some time before and saw the guy approach her, but he did not feel anything about it. He just did not care. She had known all along, but she realized it was a bit hard to bear now. The car went around and left the city center for the outskirts. But it never actually got to the outskirts. At the border between the city center and the outskirts, John made a turn and drove the car into a small alley. There seemed to be a courtyard house at the end of that alley. The gate to the courtyard house was opened now. Before they even went in, she heard high-pitched singing that sounded like those from Peking operas, Kunqu operas, and the like. She was unable to tell what it was exactly as she had only seen them on television. It was a narrow passage to go into the courtyard, but the area inside was huge. He drove the car all the way into the courtyard house. When the car came to a stop, a person dressed in monk robes came out. He was wearing a ne made out ofrge beads around his neck and was smiling as he looked at John who had gotten out of the car. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Sophia followed him out. Because she did not know that person, she did not say anything to him. That person turned around and looked at her. ¡°This youngdy looks so young. You two have been married for almost a year now. She looks even younger than she did at the wedding.¡± John smiled. ¡°Her makeup was a bit heavy at the time so it made her seem that way.¡± After that person greeted her, they went inside. ¡°Come. It¡¯s all prepared.¡± She followed John in. The interior of the house had a quaint design. It was clearly the kind of life only a wealthy person could live. This is why being rich is good. You can live however you like and do whatever you want to do. There was another person inside the house. It was a man with a long braid. That man was very easygoing and waved at her when he saw her. ¡°Come here; do you have a dress style in mind?¡± She paused. She had a feeling that the person in the monk robes earlier was not a designer. Walking over to him, she showed him a photo on her phone. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I want in particr so I found a photo. Perhaps something like this.¡± The designer took a look at the photo then at her. ¡°It does go very well with your modest presence.¡± He added, ¡°Sure; we¡¯ll go for a style like this. Do you have any requests?¡± She did not know much about all that. ¡°I trust you. You can do what you think is best.¡± The designer smiled at that very moment. ¡°You¡¯re making me shy, Mrs. Constance.¡± However, he agreed to it afterward. ¡°Okay, then I will do as I see fit.¡± He looked at John. ¡°You haven¡¯t been here in so long. How was it? I heard you were away on a business trip. Did talks on the project go well?¡± Right after he mentioned the business trip, the look on John¡¯s face turned sour. At noon today, President McCaw from Infinity Group had the nerve to call him and tell him about how Elizabeth was threatening to kill herself. President McCaw even said that he wanted everyone to sit down and have a talk, and for John to bring Sophia along as well. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 116 Chapter 116 John felt likeughing. Even if Miss Cox wanted to kill herself, that wasn¡¯t his business. McCaw says she¡¯s making a ruckus so she can see me? Trash. John had investigated Infinity Group when he decided to work with them, so he had McCaw¡¯s details. He didn¡¯t find any problems with him back then, but now thepany and McCaw looked unreliable to him. McCaw isn¡¯t clear about the situation even now. He¡¯s even trying to ask for my help over this? Thus, John hung up right away. Sophia said nothing, for she wouldn¡¯t take part in the business world. The man in monk robes gave her some tea and snacks, and she thanked him before resuming her quiet demeanor. John couldn¡¯t say anything about his problems with Infinity Group, so he didn¡¯t give a clear answer, since a coboration is a big thing. The designer didn¡¯t say anything much, aside from something off topic. Sophia could see that John knew these people a long time ago. John was an aloof man, nor did he talk much, but he was friendlier toward these two. Sophia held her teacup and looked down quietly, looking like she was listening, but actually, she had fallen into a trance. John looked at Sophia after a while. Since she didn¡¯t make a sound, if nobody paid any attention to her, she would be invisible. Sighing silently, he asked the designer to measure Sophia¡¯s size. They would be leaving after that, for it was getting dark. The man in monk robes and the designer came to send them off, and Sophia smiled at them before going into the car. John drove her back, but they didn¡¯t talk at all. When they stopped at the residence¡¯s car park, she came out of the car. She didn¡¯t stop to wait for John before going toward the main house, but she stopped aftering to the clearance. She could see what was happening inside the living room from where she stood. Mrs. Constance was in there along with Old Mrs. Constance, while Isabelle was sitting beside the former; they seemed to be chatting happily. As such, Sophia sneered. What a happy family. When John caught up with her, he was surprised to see what was happening in the living room as well. Then, he held Sophia¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Time to act again, I guess. Sophia was frustrated, and she didn¡¯t want to cooperate, but then, she wanted to trip Isabelle up. Even though she struggled, she still went inside with John. When John came in, Mrs. Constance stood up. ¡°Speak of the devil. We were just saying you two are late today, but lo and behold. You¡¯re here.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Because Isabelle was here, Sophia called Old Mrs. Constance ¡®Grandma¡¯, then she looked at Mrs. Constance. A long whileter, she called her ¡®Mom¡¯, which disgusted both her and Mrs. Constance. She greeted back stiffly, then John took Sophia to sit with him. Sophia leaned against him heavily, while he looked at her and smiled. He pays attention to the details too, huh? Sophia was impressed. When Old Mrs. Constance asked where they went, John told her honestly. At the same time, he looked at his mother, and Mrs. Constance nodded imperceptibly. In other words, the deed was almost done. Looking at them holding hands, Isabelle smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m also invited to that banquet. We can meet again then.¡± Sophia looked surprised. ¡°Oh, what did I tell you? We really do bump into the Baileys a lot.¡± Isabelle froze, for she knew what Sophia was talking about, so she exined, ¡°I came here today to apologize. I only found out my grandpa went to yourpany yesterday. It¡¯s really embarrassing. He must have been trying to help me. You must have been troubled.¡± Mrs. Constance felt unsettled seeing Isabelle looking so humble, so she held her hand. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that. This is my fault. I was in too much of a rush.¡± Sophia looked at them coldly. They work well together. Don¡¯t they know they¡¯d make me awkward? I think they do though. Well, even a dumb woman like Mrs. Constance works wonders if she¡¯s supported by Isabelle. They look so close, so natural. Sophia clicked her tongue and killed the mood by saying, ¡°I¡¯m hungry. How long do we have to stay here?¡± John looked at her. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner then.¡± Since Isabelle was here, they had to invite her for dinner, so Mrs. Constance took her to the dining room and sat in the same ce asst time. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Sophia was starving, since she only had some tea to drink back there, and the snacks were left untouched. Now, she didn¡¯t care about Mrs. Constance or Isabelle, for what she wanted to do was fill herself up. John was serious about his acting, so he took some food for her and even whispered, ¡°Take it slow, or your stomach¡¯s going toin.¡± Old Mrs. Constance looked up. ¡°Sophia, I made an appointment for you. When John has his off day, ask him to take you to the doctor. You have to treat that condition as soon as possible.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Sophia looked at Old Mrs. Constance, thinking that the olddy only mentioned it in passing, so she was surprised Old Mrs. Constance acted so quickly. John chimed in, ¡°Got it.¡± Isabelle looked at Sophia and John, then she looked down. Seemingly thinking about something, Sophia slowed down for a bit. A momentter, she took a piece of pork belly and bit off the meat, leaving only the skin on. Then, she fed it to John. ¡°Aw, this is too oily for me. Here you go.¡± Mrs. Constance was stunned. ¡°Just throw it away if you don¡¯t like it. You chew a part of it off and give John the leftover? It¡¯s not right.¡± Sophia¡¯s chopsticks were still millimeters away from John. ¡°Why? It¡¯s not the first time he did this. We¡¯re a couple,¡± she replied honestly, though she felt delighted. Sophia¡¯s n was to disgust everyone here, including John. John looked at the skin, then he looked at Sophia. Even though she was looking at him innocently, behind that innocent gaze, she was gloating. John ate the skin, much to Sophia¡¯s satisfaction. Then, she wiped his mouth, though there was nothing on it. ¡°You¡¯re really warming up now, honey.¡± John calmly took a piece of meat and bit the fatty part away before handing the rest to her. ¡°Sure. Here, have some.¡± Sophia froze up and blinked, but she took it anyway, and both of them gulped it down without chewing. Now, they were tied. Mrs. Constance and Isabelle had different looks now though. On one hand, Mrs. Constance¡¯s expression was the gloomiest she had ever shown, nor did she have the mood to talk, so she kept on having her dinner. Meanwhile, Isabelle pursed her lips stiffly. She ate a bit more and looked up at John. Most of the time, John was expressionless, but Isabelle saw him smile. It was different from the smile she saw back in the living room; it was more natural and genuine. Isabelle took a deep breath and calmed herself down. The dinner didn¡¯t take long, for everyone stopped when Old Mrs. Constance stopped. Then, they went back to the sofa. It was dark outside now, so Isabelle said goodbye. Mrs. Constance quickly stood up. ¡°Send her home, John. It¡¯ste now.¡± Old Mrs. Constance looked at Mrs. Constance with disappointment, but thetter was oblivious to this. She only had her eyes on her son. Since his mother had said so, John could only say yes. Isabelle smiled at him, then they left. Sophia stood up and rubbed her belly. ¡°I had a bit too much to eat, so I¡¯ll be going up now.¡± Then, she went up, but she stopped after reaching the second floor. As she expected, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°You dumb woman.¡± Old Mrs. Constance was a soft- spoken, conservative person who led her life carefully, so she would normally never speak ill of anyone no matter how unhappy she was. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mom?¡± Mrs. Constance was surprised. Old Mrs. Constance sounded done. ¡°You¡¯re still helping Isabelle? Do you want John and Sophia¡¯s divorce to be made known sooner?¡± Mrs. Constance denied it quietly, then she continued, ¡°I just like Isabelle. She¡¯s so much better than Sophia. You saw it too at the table just now. That was disgusting.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Old Mrs. Constance replied. ¡°She didn¡¯t ask you to eat it. As long as they¡¯re happy, why should you care?¡± Satisfied with Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s retort, Sophia went to her room happily. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Sophia didn¡¯t want to think what John and Isabelle might be talking about on the way. She couldn¡¯t stop it, so she wouldn¡¯t bother herself with this. After ying a few matches of her game on the bed, John still wasn¡¯t back. Sophia didn¡¯t know where Isabelle lived, so maybe it was far away. Maybe that¡¯s why he got dyed. Or maybe the Baileys gave him a warm wee and invited him inside. After waiting for a bit, she came out of the bedroom. She went to the staircase to see if there was anyone there, but everyone left. Thus, Sophia slowly went down to a corner in the living room. She remembered there was an underground cer here, so Sophia looked around, but it didn¡¯t take her too long to find it. After she turned on the lights, she descended the stairs. It wasn¡¯t a big cer, but there were many bottles of wine inside, and they were categorized. There were red wines, white wines, champagne, and everything else. She didn¡¯t know much about wine, so Sophia took a random bottle of red wine. After the nap at John¡¯s office this afternoon, it would be hard to sleep at night. Having some wine would help with that, and it could rejuvenate her skin too, or at least, the rumors went that way. She took it out and went to take a ss as well as a bottle opener from the kitchen before going upstairs. After returning to her room, she sat on the bed and uncorked the red wine before pouring herself a ss. Sophia took a sip and frowned, for it didn¡¯t taste good. Even so, she drank two sses before going to look outside the window. The car park was quiet, so John must still be outside. It¡¯s good though. They¡¯re alone, so something might happen. Even she started imagining things between them. Sophia went to drink a bit more, but she couldn¡¯t take the taste. When she swished the bottle around, she saw that there was still half a bottle left. So, she went out again, for it was impossible to finish half a bottle just like that. I need to get some snacks. John came back the moment she came down. Since Sophia was a bit tipsy, she was wobbling when she went to the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge. There were a lot of things in there, but none could pair with wine. Then, she went through the cabs as well, but she still came up empty-handed. John came up to her slowly. ¡°What are you looking for¡±? She looked back and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± It was obvious she had been drinking. ¡°Why did you drink?¡± John frowned. Sophia stood on her tiptoe to see what was in thepartment up there. ¡°Oh, you have too much wine. I don¡¯t want them to expire, so I helped.¡± She talks nonsense even when she¡¯s drunk. In a way, he was impressed. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± He went up to her.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Sophia scratched her head, for she didn¡¯t know what she was looking for either. ¡°The wine¡¯s hard to finish, so I want to pair it up with something.¡± John went to look for some food in the fridge. They had ham and beef jerkys inside, so he took some out and held her arm. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. I took it for you.¡± Sophia¡¯s face was red, and she looked at what he was holding. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find them earlier. You guys even hide your food?¡± Sophia obviously drank too much, so John didn¡¯t want to argue with her. Instead, he dragged her back to the room. The moment he came in, John saw the bottle of red wine and the half-filled ss. He put the food down. ¡°Enjoy your supper. I¡¯ll be going to sleep.¡± She looked at him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you having some?¡± ¡°No.¡± He turned away and left. Sophia ignored him and set everything up, then she changed into her pajamas. Only by being comfortable could she drink happily, then she sang as she drank. Obviously, she was high. John went to take a shower and changed into his pajamas. Then, he thought of Sophia, and he was worried about her, so he went to listen through the door. There wasn¡¯t any loud sounding from inside, so he opened the door. Sophia was in her sexy pajamas and was standing beside the window, singing as she did so. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 119 Chapter 119 Sophia was slow in her reaction and only looked back after a few moments. When she saw John at the doorstep, she smiled and wobbled to him. ¡°Do you want to drink? Here, I saved some for you. I knew you woulde.¡± John looked around and saw the ss by the bed that was filled with wine, while the bottle was empty. It was rolling on the floor, while the snacks were only half eaten. The rest were sttered everywhere. Sophia went over and held the door. ¡°Come in if you want to have a drink.¡± She reeked of alcohol. John held the doorknob tighter. D*mn, this is taking my all to hold it down. She really does know how to flirt. Sophia chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy.¡± She then pulled him into the room by the cor, and she closed the door. Since Sophia was wobbling, she leaned against the door as she mentioned, ¡°That¡¯s thest ss. Miss it, and you won¡¯t have any more to drink.¡± John turned away. ¡°You¡¯re drunk.¡± Sophia admitted it, then she pounced on the bed and rolled around. ¡°It helps me sleep, see.¡± The pajamas were revealing in the first ce, and now she revealed all her skin. John took a deep breath and cleared the floor, then he picked up the wine bottle. When he was going to throw them away in the bathroom, Sophia said when he got to its doorstep, ¡°Oh, John¡­¡± For some reason, that summon lit his me. On many nights during their wedding, as they entangled themselves with each other, she would call out to him just like this. He wondered whether she was begging for mercy, or asking for more. A moment later, she snorted. She¡¯s going to sleep? John stood rooted to his spot, frowning as he looked down at the ss before finishing the wine. Then, he went toward Sophia. Sophia was still awake. It was hot, so she scratched her head and tore at her pajamas. When John came up to her, he gave her a nce and turned off the lights. The darkness made it easier for him to move. Sophia then felt someone taking her clothes off, then something heavy pinned her down. Even though she was groggy, she knew this was off limits, so Sophia sobered up and pushed him away. John said, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Sophia slowed down, and that seemed to encourage him. Then, John quickly kissed her, just like how he did countless times. In a daze, Sophia wondered if she should resist or go with the flow. She tried to dodge, but John raised his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Sophia stopped. ¡°John.¡± Her voice trembled. John took a deep breath and kissed her. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± The window was open, and the curtains weren¡¯t pulled down. The silver moonlight bathed over them, illuminating their every action. Sophia bit his shoulder, and he flinched, for she seemed to have bitten him a bit too heavily. Suddenly, Sophia felt herself crying. Her mind was clear now, and as John kissed her, he could taste her tears. He stopped everything. ¡°You don¡¯t want this?¡± John asked hoarsely. ¡°No.¡± She wiped her tears and hugged him. ¡°I just feel sorry for myself. Why can¡¯t you just fall for me?¡± Previous Chapter This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Next Chapter Chapter 120 Chapter 120 They spent the night going at it nonstop, causing them to wake upte the next day. Old Mrs. Constance and Mrs. Constance were downstairs, surprised when the servant said both of them hadn¡¯t come down yet. They could understand it if it was Sophia, but John had never slept in. Mrs. Constance was worried her son might be unwell, so she stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look upstairs.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Of course.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded. Mrs. Constance quickly went up, and both of their rooms¡¯ doors were closed. Firstly, she went to knock on John¡¯s room¡¯s door and lowered her voice as she called, ¡°Are you awake, John? Do you feel unwell anywhere?¡± However, nobody came to take the door, though Sophia¡¯s room¡¯s door was opened instead. John came out while buttoning his shirt. ¡°I slept in,¡± he said hoarsely. Mrs. Constance was petrified, but John ignored her and went to his room¡¯s bathroom. Mrs. Constance¡¯s jaw almost dropped to the floor as she looked at John, then at Sophia¡¯s room. Even though John had closed the door, Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t give up, so she opened it quietly and looked inside. Sophia was in bed, covered in a nket, obviously sleeping. They were alone in a roomst night? Something must have happened. Her expression changed, then she quickly went into John¡¯s room. ¡°W-Why were you in Sophia¡¯s roomst night?¡± John came out of the bathroom. ¡°I was drunk.¡± ¡°Drunk?¡± Mrs. Constance was shocked. John didn¡¯t care to exin as he looked at the time and saw that he waste for work. Taking out his phone, he called Zack to tell him about work before going to take his clothes from the cab. Mrs. Constance closed the door and hissed, ¡°Tell me the truth. D-Did you two, you know¡­¡± John knew what she was talking about, so he remained quiet, for there was no need to talk about this. Mrs. Constance gnashed her teeth. ¡°Y-You can¡¯t do that. You¡¯re divorced.¡± John remained quiet, then he looked at her after taking his clothes, meaning that it was time for him to change, so Mrs. Constance should look away. Mrs. Constance was trembling in anger. ¡°Did she seduce you? I told you she¡¯s an evil woman. I¡ª¡± ¡°I asked for it,¡± John replied. Mrs. Constance froze, then he continued, ¡°I had too much to drinkst night, so I went into the wrong room.¡± Mrs. Constance tried to say something else, but John interjected, ¡°I¡¯m changing now.¡± She panted and was about to leave, but John added, ¡°Don¡¯t interrogate her. She has nothing to do with this.¡± Mrs. Constance stood there for a moment before leaving. She stood before Sophia¡¯s room, overwhelmed by the impulse to rush inside and drag her out of the bed for a good scolding or a couple of ps. However, she wasn¡¯t stupid, so she knew making a ruckus would be bad for her. Furthermore, John was still here, so he wouldn¡¯t let her bully Sophia. Besides, Sophia was no longer the coward she used to be. Now, she might be fiercer than Mrs. Constance was. Even though he said he forced himself on her after getting drunk, nothing¡¯s for sure. That uneducated woman could have done anything. Mrs. Constance tried toe up with a lot of things, but in the end, she did nothing, merely waiting for John toe out. She quickly went up to ask, ¡°Tell me the truth, John. Do you love her?¡± John frowned at her, much to her annoyance. ¡°Did you fall for her?¡± Mrs. Constance clicked her tongue. ¡°A woman like her is unworthy of you. Even if you remarry, you can get someone better than her.¡± Then, she mentioned Isabelle. ¡°Did you chat with Isabellest night when you sent her back? She¡¯s so much better than Sophia in every way. That¡¯s our standard. John. You¡¯re the fam¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± John interjected. ¡°I didn¡¯t fall for her.¡± Sophia was leaning against the door and heard the whole conversation outside. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 121 Chapter 121 She leaned against the door and looked up. A momentter, everything went quiet outside as they went downstairs. They were so loud. Did they want me to hear that? She sniggered and went to the bathroom, but she noted that the marks on her body were worse this time as she filled the bathtub with hot water and went inside. Her whole body was sore, but she remembered she was in her safe period now, so she didn¡¯t have to take the pills. This is probably the only thing worth celebrating. She didn¡¯t sleep muchst night. He wasn¡¯t drunk; he was on drugs. John was relentless. At that thought, she soon fell asleep in the bathtub. It was noon when she woke up, and Sophia was starving. She got out of the bathtub and wiped herself off before changing and going down. There was only Mrs. Constance down there, who looked angry when she came down. Sophia ignored her and went to the dining room to have lunch. The food was cold, and her stomach disagreed with it. She wiped her mouth after finishing, then she hailed a ride. Sophia went to wait at the clearing, for the ride would take some time toe. As she waited, she stood there, unmoving as she fixed her eyes on the gates. Mrs. Constance stood at the living room¡¯s doorstep. ¡°You slut,¡± she said, her voice audible. Sophia said nothing the first time, for she thoughtst night¡¯s event was embarrassing for her too. Then, Mrs. Constance continued, ¡°You uneducated swine. I bet your parents taught you how to seduce rich men so they can get rich too.¡± That angered her, so she looked back at Mrs. Constance, who was scorning her. Sophia slowly raised her phone and called someone. A momentter, she said, ¡°Contact all the news outlets for me. I want to tell them about my rtionship with the Constance Family¡¯s young master. I bet they would just love this scoop.¡± Mrs. Constance¡¯s expression changed, and she trotted to Sophia to snatch her phone. ¡°Nonsense! Give your phone to me!¡± Sophia waited until she came closer, then she kicked Mrs. Constance away. ¡°Scram.¡± Mrs. Constance was plump and lived in grace all the time. If they were to fight, any normal person could beat her in an instant. Now, Sophia caught her by surprise, so Mrs. Constance took the kick squarely. She stumbled backward, but she failed to catch her bearings, then she fell heavily. One servant saw it, and she tried to help Mrs. Constance up. Sophia looked at the servant. ¡°Scram.¡± She didn¡¯t shout, but her look was scary, as if she wanted to devour everyone. The servant shivered, for she had never seen Sophia acting this way. Mrs. Constance stayed on the ground, feeling nervous. W-What does she want to tell the media? The servant still tried to help Mrs. Constance up, but Sophia went ahead and kicked her even harder. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Mrs. Constance blinked and tried to shout, but then she swallowed everything back. She might be really mad. She might even kill me! When Old Mrs. Constance heard themotion, she came down with the help of another servant. Mrs. Constance was still on the ground, while Sophia looked at her scornfully. Old Mrs. Constance was surprised. ¡°What happened?¡± Mrs. Constance bawled when she saw Old Mrs. Constance, who frowned and said, ¡°Get up now. Why are you on the ground?¡± The servant clutched her stomach and tried to help her up, but Sophia red at her. She raised her leg, and the servant stopped. Now, Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t care anymore, so she stood up on her own. Old Mrs. Constance frowned unhappily; she rarely got angry, for everyone would back down if she even showed a hint of anger. Nobody got on her nerves, but now she was looking at both of them darkly. Mrs. Constance was genuinely crying. Well, a part of it was fake, but not much. This was the first time in her life someone kicked her, and right in front of the servants too. How humiliating. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 122 Chapter 122 A momentter, Old Mrs. Constance turned around. ¡°Come inside and exin.¡± ¡°No,¡± Sophia said in refusal. Nobody could make her do anything now. ¡°The Constance Family is a noble one. Someone like me can¡¯t even hope to have any ties with you. I¡¯ll call the reporters and tell them what happened between John and me. That will be the end of it. You guys are powerful, so you can settle this. I won¡¯t trouble myself anymore.¡± She tried to leave. Old Mrs. Constance panicked too, so she turned around. ¡°Hold it right there,¡± she said sternly. Sophia stood with her back against the olddy quietly. Then, Old Mrs. Constance looked at her before turning to Mrs. Constance. Suddenly, Mrs. Constance stopped crying. If Sophia even dared to talk that way to Old Mrs. Constance, that meant she was taking this seriously. ¡°What happened?¡± Old Mrs. Constance asked Matilda. Matilda pursed her lips, unsure how to answer. She had told Old Mrs. Constance about Sophia and John having sexst night this morning. The olddy even called John to verify this, and John told her he forced himself onto Sophiast night, so it had nothing to do with her. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Old Mrs. Constance asked Matilda to keep a low profile about this, for it was normal for a couple to have sex, especially when they used to be married. She told Matilda to let them sort this out themselves, while they would not interfere. Matilda agreed to it, but now she was scared to confess that she provoked Sophia when the situation hade to this. Now, Sophia looked impatient, and when Old Mrs. Constance saw Matilda looking evasive, she knew her daughter-inw must have offended Sophia. ¡°Did you say something you shouldn¡¯t again?¡± She looked at her with disappointment. Mrs. Constance pursed her lips and looked everywhere else but at everyone. Closing her eyes, Old Mrs. Constance went up to Sophia. She had a long face, obviously angry as she went to hold her hand. ¡°Sophia.¡± Sophia tried to escape her grip, but to no avail, for Old Mrs. Constance was gripping her hand tightly. ¡°Matilda is always clumsy with words, so let it slide.¡± Sophia sneered. ¡°Well, I¡¯m impulsive too, so if I do anything reckless, let it slide.¡± She simply went along with Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s words. Old Mrs. Constance had nothing to retort. She had never seen Sophia bristling this much, so she sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside, Sophia.¡± Sophia pulled her hand back forcefully. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I will. I don¡¯t mind you and your family insulting me, but not my family. It¡¯s a sin I can¡¯t bear.¡± She then went to the front gate and kept her phone on the way. The number she dialed earlier was a random one. She didn¡¯t know anyone who could call the media, so that was just a ruse to scare Matilda. Old Mrs. Constance knew Sophia was livid now. They shouldn¡¯t stop her, or who knew what she would do. Thus, she took a deep breath and red at Mrs. Constance. Mrs. Constance retreated. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. It was just a nag,¡± she mumbled. Old Mrs. Constance glowered. ¡°You useless woman.¡± She went inside the living room, and Mrs. Constance followed. Sounding panicked, Matilda said, ¡°Mom, do you think she¡¯ll tell everyone about her divorce with John?¡± Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s face looked dark. ¡°You think that¡¯s the end of it? She knows he¡¯s drugged on his business trip. What if she works with Infinity Group out of hate for us and uses him of having sexual intercourse with the Infinity Group¡¯s employee? John would never recover from that.¡± Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t think about that, and she paled. ¡°What should we do now?¡± she mumbled. ¡°Call John right away.¡± Old Mrs. Constance sighed. Mrs. Constance quickly took her phone out and called John. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 123 Chapter 123 After a while of waiting, her ride came. Sophia went inside, and the driver smiled at her. ¡°You live in a big vi.¡± Sophia looked outside. ¡°Just drive.¡± It¡¯s big, but living in it isn¡¯t easy. Once the driver drove away, Old Mrs. Constance received news. She watched as Matilda made the call. John didn¡¯t know what happened, so he asked her calmly, thinking this was just another one of her little skirmishes. Worried John might scold her, Matilda stammered, much to Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s fury. She snatched the phone away and told her Matilda fought with Sophia. Since she couldn¡¯t provide the details over the phone, she told him Sophia had left. Old Mrs. Constance sounded worried. ¡°Before she left, Sophia said she wants to tell everyone you two are divorced, so she will have nothing to do with us anymore.¡± John massaged his forehead. ¡°I see.¡± Old Mrs. Constance wanted to say something else, but John hung up. Matilda was worried. ¡°What did John say? Did he say how he¡¯ll settle this?¡± Old Mrs. Constance red at her, but she didn¡¯t answer Matilda¡¯s question. ¡°This is all your fault.¡± Matilda shut up, for she had miscalcted this. She wanted to pretend she knew nothing, but the sight of Sophia angered her. I didn¡¯t say anything offensive. It was just some grumbling. Why did she react so much? Old Mrs. Constance thought about it and called her son. After telling him what happened, she reminded him to keep an eye on the media. ¡°If anything happens, push it down. You can¡¯t let the court of public opinion have a free season on us. It will be a disaster.¡± William didn¡¯t know what happened, and he was surprised to hear it. ¡°What happened? I thought we talked it through.¡± Old Mrs. Constance sneered. ¡°Ask your wife. She did it.¡± Matilda blushed, and she teared up, for she didn¡¯t expect this incident to escte so much. William sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll keep an eye out. We¡¯ll talkter.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . On the other hand, Sophia went back to her house and deleted John¡¯s fingerprint data from the ount. Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d remember to do this. She went to the bathroom in her bedroom after that. For some reason, she bathed once more, then after changing into new clothes, shey on the bed and covered herself with her nket. She felt uneasy. As for sadness, she did feel that as well, but not that much. Sophia heard the conversation earlier, though she already knew that John never did love her. Even though she heard it and it struck a nerve, it didn¡¯t really disturb her. Still, it did make her feel dejected. He took advantage of her and dumped her. Now, she knew all he wanted was her body. This was disappointing, honestly. As for the reason she made a ruckus, one was because of what Matilda said, the other was to make the whole Constance Family suffer. After ¡®getting along¡¯ with them over the past couple of days, the Constances should know she would say anything she wanted. Sophia wanted to make them nervous and on edge. Everyone looked down on me, so now I want them to fear me. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. I¡¯m going to wallop all of them one day. That idea lingered in her mind as she fell asleep. A long whileter, a phone call woke her up. She turned around and saw that it was from John. Douchebag. She let the phone ring on, not taking or cutting it off. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 124 Chapter 124 John was outside her house, but he couldn¡¯t get in now, for his data was deleted. He tried to call her, but she didn¡¯t take it. A momentter, he asked Zack to contact Sophia. Zack didn¡¯t know what happened between them, but he carried out his orders. A momentter, he told John that Sophia wasn¡¯t taking his calls too. However, he added, ¡°She posted a status, but it looks weird.¡± John had unfriended her, so he didn¡¯t know what she posted. Thus, Zack quickly sent him a snapshot showing hertest status uploaded by noon time. There were only a few words: go to hell. It was filled with hate, and obviously she wanted to drag everyone down. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. John didn¡¯t know how Sophia would handle this. If it was in the past, John would have thought she was just throwing a tantrum, but on this day, she kicked his mother and the servant. Obviously, she was rash and impulsive now. There was no point talking to her in this state, for who knew what she would do. His grandmother said Sophia might break her promise and smear the Constance Family. If that were to happen, it would be a PR crisis. John didn¡¯t believe that, for he knew Sophia would throw a tantrum, but not to this point. Now that he saw her status, he thought this wasn¡¯t beyond her. John put his phone away and rang the doorbell, but Sophia didn¡¯t take the door, so he stopped. With how angry she was, they couldn¡¯t hold a proper conversation if they met. He might even trigger her further, so John went back to his car, but instead of leaving, he lit a cigarette and waited there. Sophia stayed in her room for a while and only went down after the calls and doorbell ringing had stopped. When she went up, she saw the car outside the yard, and she sneered. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect this day toe for you, didn¡¯t you, John Constance?¡± She walked to her kitchen and made herself some lunch, for the food she had in the Constance household was terrible. It was cold, and it upset her stomach. Now, Sophia was humming and preparing all the ingredients. After he was done smoking, John spaced out for a while, then he saw someone moving in the living room. In other words, Sophia came down. He rolled his window down and stared at the living room. He couldn¡¯t see anything but her silhouette moving from time to time, so he took a deep breath and went down. He slowly went up to ring her doorbell. When Sophia had just finished cooking and setting up the table, the bell rang, but she ignored it. However, when he kept ringing after she started to eat, Sophia was surprised about his patience. A momentter, she went to open the door. ¡°Anything?¡± John looked at her, unsure what to feel, though he could still remember what happenedst night vividly. That time, she was gentle and cooperative, but now, she was fierce; that was unexpected. When John didn¡¯t speak, Sophia took a step back. ¡°Come in.¡± John was stunned to see the interior aftering in. This used to be his house, so he knew it better than anyone else, but now, everything changed. A lot of new things were avable, but a lot of the old stuff was gone. Aside from the big furniture, everything was different, including the pillow on the sofa; there was even a wind chime beside the door. Sophia turned around. ¡°Think about what you want to say. I¡¯ll resume my lunch. I hope you know what you should say after I¡¯m done.¡± She went to the dining room without looking at him. It was a sumptuous meal, a celebration for her good mood on this day. Humming along with the tune she was ying, she ate slowly. It was a slow life, one enviable by everyone. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 125 Chapter 125 John went to sit on the sofa and looked at the curio on the coffee table, then he looked at the rocking chair beside it, as well as the yoga mat, guessing she was remaking this part over the past two days. She doesn¡¯t want to live in the residence, I see. She hates everyone there. John knew that. Sophia took an hour to finish her lunch, then she went to sit across from him. ¡°Done thinking?¡± John nodded. ¡°I know my mother has been awful today.¡± Then, he changed his tune, ¡°I did that myself last night, because I was drunk. You have nothing to do with this. I told them that, but they took it the wrong way because they want to protect me.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not important to me. John, you know what?¡± She paused for a moment and frowned. ¡°I think we should start our new lives now that we¡¯re divorced. Living together and keeping things so ambiguous between us brings no good to us.¡± She heaved a long sigh. ¡°I can¡¯t me you solely for this. I bear a part of the responsibility too. I¡¯ve been blinded by my demons and let things spiral out of control. I think we still have time to turn back and exin this now.¡± John looked at her, thinking she was different from the other times, no longer the servile woman or the vengeful wench. Now, she was calm, rational, and distant. A whileter, he said, ¡°I know you¡¯re right, but you know my condition too. I have to think about a lot of things.¡± Sophia looked down, wanting to ask him why he didn¡¯t think for her then, but it would be self-humiliating to her anyway, so she swallowed it. John sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t tell everyone about this like how you requested, since I have to prepare for the possibility of a crisis. Can you understand me?¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t understand him, nor did she want to, but she said nothing. John paused for a moment. ¡°Why don¡¯t wee to apromise?¡± Sophia arched her eyebrow but said nothing as John looked into her eyes. ¡°I know you dislike living in the residence, so we can choose not to stay there. We can stay somewhere else, separated too. You can do what you want without meeting them, and I can guarantee they won¡¯t disturb you. What do you think?¡± A momentter, he added, ¡°Infinity Group and I are in a stalemate. Once I settle them, maybe I¡¯ll bring the exnation up earlier. As long as it isn¡¯t too bad, you can give them any excuse.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia closed her eyes, for she didn¡¯t know how she should refuse him when he was so sincere. Before she spoke, John looked at her. His gaze was too passionate, and she couldn¡¯t take it. Sophia thought he should know she loved him, so he took a step back because he knew what her weakness was. A momentter, she sighed. ¡°I can go with that, but on one more condition.¡± ¡°State it.¡± John nodded. ¡°I want your mother toe here and apologize to me,¡± Sophia said sternly. Before John could say anything else, she continued, ¡°She muste and apologize for what she said today. Do that, and I¡¯ll agree to your terms. If you don¡¯t, then all bets are off.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Nobody heard what Matilda told Sophia earlier, but Old Mrs. Constance asked her after that. Matilda might be a wed person, but at least she was honest. Even though she knew she made a mistake, Matilda repeated what she told Sophia in all detail. Old Mrs. Constance almost flung her tea set away in her fury. As she pointed at Matilda angrily, she was unable to say anything out of her anger. She grew up in a famous family, and she was a cultured person, so smears like these were sanctimonious to her, for no well-educated person would say that. She told John about this, and John thought this was too much too. John nodded. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll tell my mother about it. I regret what she said to you.¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll wait until your mother apologizes to me.¡± John looked at her and apologized in the end. Leaning back on the sofa, Sophia looked away from him, but then she teared up. ¡°John, I endured every suffering possible when I was married to you, but I said nothing about it.¡± John stiffened up, but he couldn¡¯t say anything. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. After he had left, she cleaned up the table and went to the kitchen. When the dishes were done, she sat cross-legged on the yoga mat and looked outside. The weather was nice, so she thought it would be a good day. Sophia won this little battle, but for some reason, she felt hollow. Back at the residence, after Old Mrs. Constance listened to John¡¯s exnation, she calmed down. Matilda¡¯s eyes were red, obviously from her crying earlier. Then, Old Mrs. Constance put her phone down and looked at Matilda, who seemed to be at her wits¡¯ end as she looked back at Old Mrs. Constance. Thetter heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Sophia agreed not to take this further.¡± Matilda was surprised, but she rxed too. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°But there is a condition,¡± Old Mrs. Constance added. Matilda froze. ¡°What is it? Does she want money? We can give it to her.¡± Old Mrs. Constance thought she was an idiot, so she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not about money. Sophia wants you to go to her home and apologize for what you said.¡± Matilda stiffenedpletely. ¡°She wants me to apologize to her at her ce?¡± ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t you think you should?¡± Old Mrs. Constance raised her voice. Shocked, Matilda quickly said, ¡°No, of course not. That¡¯s not what I mean. I should apologize to her, yes.¡± She did insult her out of anger back then, and she didn¡¯t think about it. However, she did feel humiliated by this request to apologize. Indeed, she used to look down on her and bullied her all she wanted, but now, Sophia wanted her to apologize, so Matilda felt humiliated. What was worst¡ªnone of her family mentioned her getting kicked by Sophia earlier! That Sophia sure didn¡¯t hold back; even until now, her belly throbbed. Matilda was plump and fair from her life in grace. When she went to the bathroom, she saw that her belly was red from the kick. Nobody talks about that! I insulted her, but she kicked me! I¡¯m her elder! Not asking her to apologize should make it up for what I said, but they ignored this! Matilda didn¡¯t dare mention this though, for she was almost a hated person in the household now, so comining would be a death sentence. Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t want to drag this out, so she said, ¡°Go to her home this afternoon, and remember to bring gifts. Make sure you apologize sincerely. This is rted to John¡¯s reputation, so remember to be genuine.¡± Matilda nodded profusely. ¡°I understand.¡± After that, she went back to her room and called her son to grumble, for she felt greatly aggrieved. John sounded resigned when he took the call. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mom?¡± Matilda sniffled. ¡°John, is it really all my fault? Sophia hit me!¡± It took John a while to answer, but when he did, he said, ¡°Mom, haven¡¯t you bullied Sophia long enough already?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Matilda was surprised, for she knew whose side John was on right there and then. Thus, she pursed her lips and thought there was no need to talk about what she wanted to. Sophia didn¡¯t care about what the Constances were doing, so she went to the dessert shop that afternoon and chatted with thedy. After a while, Sophia told her she wanted to buy the shop, but she wanted thedy to keep on working there too. Thedy noticed her fervor, so she agreed to it. She hadn¡¯t settled down on a job after closing the shop, and honestly, she liked it here, aside from the fact it didn¡¯t make any profit. So, she kindly reminded Sophia, ¡°But this ce doesn¡¯t turn a profit, you know.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll see. I can go for something else if there¡¯s no profit.¡± ¡°The contract will be up this month, so I¡¯ll ask thendlord to contact you.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Thank you then.¡± She then strolled around before going home. Her body still wasn¡¯t feeling fine, so she moved about in the living room. When she was about to rest, Matilda came. Sophia was standing before the staircase, and when she looked back, she saw Matildaing with her servant, bringing along many gifts. The servant was the one she kicked earlier. Oh, they came together, huh? Those poor, poordies. She looked at them while Matilda rang the doorbell. A momentter, she opened the door for them. Matilda stiffened up when she saw Sophia, but she still forced a smile. ¡°You¡¯re home, Sophia.¡± Sophia loved to argue, especially against her enemies. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. This is an AI controlled robot.¡± She sneered. Matilda looked awkward, so she quickly asked the servant to bring those gifts inside. Sophia didn¡¯t stop them, then when they were done, Matilda rubbed her hands. ¡°I know what I said was wrong, Sophia. Please let it slide this time. You know how I am. I¡¯m stupid and rash.¡± Sophia was surprised she would say that, and she wondered where Matilda learned it from. Since Matilda didn¡¯t even stutter, Sophia thought she must have practiced on the way here. Instead of saying anything, Sophia nced at her coldly. Matilda felt awkward, for Sophia didn¡¯t say anything even after that. This was different from what she had in mind, so she continued, ¡°John¡¯s grandmother and father scolded me after knowing what I did. They said I shouldn¡¯t have said that. I know what I said was wrong, so I¡¯m here to ask for your forgiveness. We used to be family. I know we aren¡¯t now, but just for old times¡¯ sake, can you let this slide? I know you¡¯re a good kid, so please forgive me this once, hmm?¡± Old times¡¯ sake? Sophia almostughed. Yeah right! We have nothing but bad blood! You abused me! Sophia remained silent. The servant was awkward too, and Matilda licked her lips, for she was out of things to say. Sophia waited for a moment more and snorted. ¡°Done?¡± Matilda was stumped. ¡°Um, yes.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Sophia nodded and opened the door. ¡°Then leave.¡± Matilda and her servant were stunned. I-Is she chasing us away? Rude! Matilda¡¯s face was red with anger, but she had to hold it down, for she was here to apologize, so she took a deep breath to calm her anger. ¡°You need to rest, yes? I¡¯ll be leaving now then. Thank you.¡± She then left quickly with her servant. Before they could go far, Sophia mmed the door heavily, shocking Matilda with the loud sound. Then, she went upstairs without a care in the world. Matilda stood before the door and panted, then she turned around stiffly and left the yard. Her car was right outside the door. ¡°Leaving so soon, Madam?¡± the driver asked, but Matilda didn¡¯t answer. She went into the backseat and looked outside as the driver drove away. A long whileter, she covered her face and bawled earnestly. She had never been humiliated this way. Even after an attempt to please Sophia, still she humiliated Matilda this way. Matilda felt insulted, and this was the first time she felt this way. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 128 Chapter 128 Sophia went back to her room, delighted. She took her phone out and scrolled through her Facebook wall. Zackmented, asking her what happened. Then, there was that singer who asked her to cheer up. She turned her phone off andy on the bed, unable to fall asleep. She didn¡¯t know what she should do, so she killed time by simply lying on the bed. John was busy in the afternoon. When the servant called him, he was notified of his mother¡¯s apology toward Sophia. He could hear the sounds of crying in the background, then when he listened closely, he knew who it was. If Matilda was crying now, it could only be because of the apology. John pretended not to hear it and hung up after saying he got it. His mother was spoiled by his father, and even Old Mrs. Constance took a step back at times. Thanks to that, she thought she was all powerful, but now Sophia proved otherwise. Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t like he could do anything about it though. She had to bear the consequences of doing or saying the wrong thing, so an apology wasn¡¯t too much. If Old Mr. Constance was still alive, an apology wouldn¡¯t cut it. He was an honest man who wouldn¡¯t talk bad about anyone behind their backs. If he knew what Matilda had said, he would have flown into a rage. After hanging up, he leaned back against his chair and massaged his forehead. He didn¡¯t sleep wellst night, so coupling that up with the business earlier, he felt drowsy. Zack came in with some documents which needed his approval, while some needed to be handed to William. After handing John the documents, he asked, ¡°What happened between you and Sophia? I called her, and still she didn¡¯t take it, nor did she reply to myments.¡± John didn¡¯t want to talk about this, so he put his documents down. ¡°Get on with your work.¡± Zack knew this was big with how he reacted, for this was the same deal as the time he got the divorce. Are they going their separate ways now? Zack didn¡¯t dare ask, so he left the office with the documents in hand. John couldn¡¯t focus on anything now, so he went to the bathroom. Dn was in there too, washing his hands, and John didn¡¯t greet him. Instead, he went to the basin beside Dn. His mind was muddled, so he came to wash his face. Dn looked down at his hands. ¡°So you two aren¡¯t divorced yet.¡± John paused for a moment, but he said nothing, nor did he look at Dn. Then, Dn smiled warmly. ¡°See. You should have thanked me.¡± He wiped his hands dry and left. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. John held himself against the basin and looked into the mirror. Thank you? What a joke. John didn¡¯t work much that day. When it was time to clock off work, he quickly went back home. No matter who greeted him, he didn¡¯t greet them back. He rushed all the way home to the old residence. Old Mrs. Constance was sitting at the doorstep, looking at where the casket used to be. ¡°Grandma.¡± John went over. She looked back at him and stood up. ¡°You¡¯re back. You must be tired.¡± There wasn¡¯t much he did, but he was definitely tired, so they went to sit on the sofa. Matilda was nowhere to be seen, so John asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mom?¡± Old Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°In her room. She¡¯s been crying the whole afternoon.¡± John felt mildly annoyed, then Old Mrs. Constance said softly, ¡°What is there to cry about? Does she feel insulted? Does she feel unfair? She said that to Sophia herself, so this is the consequence she must bear. She has no one to me.¡± Old Mrs. Constance might not talk about it, but she knew that Matilda insulted Sophia in far worse ways than what Sophia did. Back then, she called Sophia a poor wretch who depended on the Constance Family and John to climb up higher, essentially selling herself. Sophia didn¡¯t even cry back then, so Old Mrs. Constance thought Matilda was fake when she saw her daughter-inw crying this much over such a small matter. She had not one ounce of sympathy for her. Then, she looked at John. ¡°Your mother told me you spent the night at Sophia¡¯s ce.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 129 Chapter 129 ¡°This is all on me, not her.¡± John didn¡¯t hide it, so in a way, he admitted it. Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t dwell on this. ¡°You know what you did, so we¡¯ll stay out of this.¡± John leaned back on the sofa and sighed. He would have consoled his mother usually, but he wasn¡¯t in the mood now. ¡°I¡¯ll go to Sophia¡¯s ce tomorrow. Maybe I¡¯ll stay there after this. She dislikes it here, so we won¡¯t being back.¡± Old Mrs. Constance could understand that, for Matilda would just forget everything and repeat her mistakes after a while, so living under the same roof wasn¡¯t optimal for them. She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯s nearer to thepany, so it¡¯s convenient for you.¡± William came back a short whileter. He had an appointment on this day, but his wife kept calling him toin. So, he had no choice but to ask Owen to go in his stead, while he came back to check out the situation. Old Mrs. Constance was speechless, so she looked at her son. ¡°You spoiled her.¡± William smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look.¡± After William had gone upstairs, John said, ¡°My dad really loves my mom. Now that¡¯s really enviable.¡± William did spoil Matilda, and she became arrogant because of that. She might be old now, but Matilda was a bigger troublemaker. Everything she disliked in the house, she wouldin to William, but he never got angry at her and kept taking a step back. Maybe both of them got used to it after all these years. A momentter, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°They didn¡¯t love each other in the beginning as well.¡± John froze, for he never heard about his parents¡¯ story. Old Mrs. Constance feltpelled to talk about it. ¡°Your dad wasn¡¯t going to marry your mother in the first ce. Thedy he wanted to marry came from almost the same background as us. They were a good match, and after the meeting, your father felt great about her. However, a more powerful family had their eyes on her, so thedy chose them after thinking about it. It had been years since then. There was nothing like the engagement system we have today, so everyone skipped to marriage. If she didn¡¯t marry you, she could marry someone else she liked. Because of that, your father was depressed for a long time. Then, his old man asked someone to introduce Matilda to him. He didn¡¯t like her, or well, at least he thought she was iparable to the girl he liked. Matilda didn¡¯t like him either, but she thought they were a good match in terms of family background, so they could try it out. Then, they got married.¡± They did argue about life after marriage, but William was a nice guy to begin with, so he tolerated her. After a while, Old Mrs. Constance noticed their rtionship was getting better. After she was done with her story, she looked at John. ¡°When we wanted you to marry Sophia, I thought maybe you guys would fall in love like your parents did.¡± However, they got divorced not long after Old Mr. Constance¡¯s death. He really doesn¡¯t love her. John looked down quietly.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. After that, Old Mrs. Constancemented, ¡°Sophia doesn¡¯te from a good family, and she used to be weak too. That wasn¡¯t enough to hold up a family, but after your divorce, I think she has style.¡± Old Mrs. Constance thought she was like Matilda, a faker, but when she saw how Sophia red at the servant venomously earlier, she liked Sophia more. If she came from a better family and received better education, she would be perfect. John kept quiet all the while his grandmother talked, then he went upstairs. When he went past Sophia¡¯s room, he went inside. The bed was messy and filled with traces ofst night¡¯s event. The ss that he put on the windowsill was still there. John closed his eyes and went to his own room. After taking a shower, he went to Matilda¡¯s room. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 130 Chapter 130 Matilda was crying in her room, while William calmed her down patiently. She merely threw a tantrum in her bedroom the whole afternoon, and her tears only rolled when William appeared. Sighing, he patted her shoulder. ¡°Sophia¡¯s not a part of our family now, so you can¡¯t treat her like how you used to. Besides, John needs to work with her, so be nicer to her, will you?¡± Matilda sobbed. ¡°Yes, I did insult her, but she kicked me.¡± John went to knock on the door despite it being wide open, and when Matilda saw him, she cried louder. William looked at his son. ¡°What did she say?¡± John replied calmly, ¡°She said she won¡¯t pursue this matter anymore, but she won¡¯te back. I might leave too.¡± Now that this had happened, they couldn¡¯t stay in the same house anymore. Putting Sophia aside, Matilda would cause a ruckus by herself, judging from her personality. In the end, she would get the short end of the stick. Thus, William nodded. ¡°Sure. You¡¯re an adult now, so you can leave anytime you want.¡± Matilda pursed her lips and cried sadly. When William looked back at her, his tone softened down as he said, ¡°Let me take a look. Where did you get kicked? Are you hurt? Do you still feel unwell? Do I need to call the family physician over?¡± John looked at his father. His concern was genuine, even after all these years; he was always this patient with Matilda. Sometimes when Matilda told him about her shopping, he could even ask her what happened. So can two people who originally had no feelings for each other fall in love with time? John couldn¡¯t understand this. With John here, she couldn¡¯t take off her clothes, so she told William how she was humiliated and how she never felt so insulted. William caressed her hair. ¡°Alright. Once she¡¯s not useful to us, I¡¯ll teach her a lesson for you.¡± That was just lip service, but she was satisfied with it. ¡°That d*mned girl. I¡¯m going to get back at her. I want her to apologize to me and feel how I felt today.¡± John leaned against the doorframe. Once his mother had calmed down, he asked, ¡°She hit you today? Bold.¡± Matilda widened her eyes. ¡°Yeah, she kicked me and caught me off guard. Then, she kicked the servant even harder. She¡¯s like a demon.¡± John couldn¡¯t imagine how Sophia looked like as a demon. All he could think of was how servile or cheeky she was. Then, he nodded. ¡°Look after Mom, Dad. If the injury is severe, call the doctor. I¡¯ll go down now.¡± William nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy for the whole day now, so go have a meal.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. When John came down, Old Mrs. Constance was still sitting on the sofa. He went to take her to the dining room. It wasn¡¯t a big room, but with only the two of them, it looked lonely. Old Mrs. Constance looked at the spot beside her and sighed. ¡°Sophia is noisy and rowdy, but she knows how to lift someone¡¯s spirits.¡± John looked at her spot. Indeed, she was a rowdy person when it came to meals. Sophia couldn¡¯t stop fidgeting, making noise, and eating however she wanted. However, she did improve his appetite. ¡°Is that so?¡± John looked away. ¡°I think she¡¯s noisy.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Old Mrs. Constance had no appetite now, so she only ate a bit before stopping, but she waved John down. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. Have some more. You¡¯ve been working hard.¡± She slowly got up, and the servant took her outside. John slowly put his spoon down, for he couldn¡¯t eat anymore either. Leaning back in his seat, he took out his cigarettes. The moment he lit the lighter, his phone rang, so he took it after ncing at who was the caller. ¡°Hello, Miss Bailey.¡± Isabelle said gently, ¡°Am I disturbing you?¡± John lit his cigarette. ¡°No. Do you need anything?¡± She sighed. ¡°Your mother called me this afternoon. She said she¡¯s upset and told me about what happened. I¡¯m worried about her, but I don¡¯t want to agitate her. Are you home now? Is she feeling better?¡± He puffed and leaned back on the chair. ¡°She is.¡± He didn¡¯t need to guess what his mother told Isabelle. Probably everything and then something more. Isabelle didn¡¯t know what to say, so she kept quiet. A momentter, she said, ¡°Do talk to her. They still have to live together, so let¡¯s not be too tense about it.¡± John smiled. ¡°Got it.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Then, she lowered her voice and added, ¡°They¡¯re family, so there¡¯s no need to go this far.¡± John stayed quiet, so Isabelle asked, ¡°If it¡¯s fine, can I visit her tomorrow? She talked a lot today, so I think I should visit her.¡± ¡°Suit yourself.¡± John didn¡¯t care about this. ¡°I do have time.¡± She was okay with it. That was about it, so John hung up and finished smoking his cigarette before going outside. He could see the carpark here, so of course he saw a part of the garden as well. Dn was right there, presumably walking around after dinner. Looking at Dn, John then went in his direction. Dn stood there alone with his hands in his pockets, looking at the carpark, so he noticed Johning up to him. ¡°Done with your family issues?¡± He arched his eyebrow. In other words, he knew about what happened between Sophia and Matilda, so John went into the garden to talk with him. Dn stood in his spot. ¡°Sophia¡¯s different now.¡± John snorted. ¡°You seem to know what she used to be like.¡± Dn looked at him with amusement. ¡°Of course. Your mother loves to insult her in front of us, but Sophia never retorted even once. Everyone knows that, and even the servants used to think she¡¯s a coward.¡± John pursed his lips. Dn looked at the carpark. ¡°When I saw herst time, she seemed to have changed.¡± A moment of pauseter, he continued, ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing. She probably thought it through. If she doesn¡¯t change, living that kind of life would crush her no matter how mentally strong she is.¡± John started turning shadowy in the darkening skies, while Dn kept looking at the carpark. There were many cars in there, and almost everyone in the household had one car, even if they didn¡¯t know how to drive. People like that had drivers though, but not Sophia. He noticed she would hail a ride every time she wanted to go out. That wasn¡¯t befitting of a young madam. He took a deep breath and fished out his phone, sending a text to Sophia before he even realized what he was doing. Sophia was being a couch potato after she had her meal, but nothing good was on air. She felt scared living in such a big house alone, and when she looked at the second floor, panic seized her. When her phone vibrated because of John¡¯s message, she leaped up in shock. His text surprised her, but he only asked if she was asleep. What does he want? Thinking, she pursed her lips and texted, ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m asleep.¡¯ Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 132 Chapter 132 John stared at the message for a while, and he could imagine how smug she must look right now. Then, he went to sit on the chair in the garden. Sophia used to sit here before as she dangled her legs and looked like a free spirit back then. Standing at the garden¡¯s edge, Dn looked back at John. He snickered silently, then he left. John called Sophia. Sophia expected him to call, for the Constances had to make sure she was appeased with how the current condition was going; they needed her after all. She didn¡¯t pick it up the first time on purpose, but then he called the second time. Now, she slowly picked it up. ¡°Anything?¡± Sophia asked calmly. John was reminded of what Dn said, and he was unnerved. Even though he wasn¡¯t feeling sorry for Sophia, he remembered what she told him: she suffered every unfair treatment because of him. John felt guilty about that, for he promised his grandfather to take care of her, but he never did that. Sophia got impatient when he said nothing. ¡°Your mom came to apologize today. If you called me just because you¡¯re worried I might go back on my promise, then don¡¯t. I keep my promises.¡± ¡°No,¡± John said. ¡°Well, I just found out you suffered because of me, and it¡¯s my fault.¡± Sophia was surprised, then sheughed. ¡°Your apology¡­¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°It¡¯ste.¡± If he had said that when they were married, she would have held on. John kept quiet; he knew her life was a mess, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be this big of a mess. Since this was an oversight on his part, he had nothing to say for himself. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. When he fell quiet again, Sophia sighed. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± John held up for a moment more. ¡°I told them everything, so you don¡¯t have toe back¡­¡± Before he could finish, Sophia said, ¡°Come over tomorrow. I don¡¯t have your stuff here, so you¡¯ll have to prepare it yourself.¡± John didn¡¯t say what he wanted. Sophia stared at the TV. ¡°I hope you can settle matters as soon as possible at yourpany. We¡¯ll have our release then.¡± John still stayed quiet, so she sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s end this call if there¡¯s nothing else. I want to rest.¡± John said okay and hung up, while Sophia put her phone on the sofa. She wasn¡¯t sleepy to begin with, but even if she did, his call would wake her up immediately. Sighing as she looked at her house, she thought, Well, I¡¯ll have one more person here, so it¡¯ll be safer. And I can ask him to do anything. Nice. She told herself that tofort herself. Also,Matilda¡¯s going to be annoyed for a long time now. Awesome. The Constance Family had a rule that stated that everyone had to stay in the residence even if they had their own families. This was what Old Mr. Constance said. She was just married back then, but he was already bedridden. Worried she might be scoffed at, he called everyone to his bed to say that everyone had to live in the residence and help each other no matter what. Those people were greater actors than she was, so they agreed readily, but the moment nobody was looking, they changed their tune. Sophia was angered at the thought of that, so she broke the family rule. Now, she wasn¡¯t a part of them, but John was. Since John now had toe to live outside because of her, Sophia thought Matilda should know the consequences of angering her. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 133 Chapter 133 Shey in her bed that nightnguidly, tossing and turning. It might not be as good as the one Matilda prepared for Isabelle in the Constance Residence, but this was good too. She closed her eyes and thought about John¡¯s amodation. There were two guest rooms here, so she could let him stay in one of them. He can clean it up tomorrow himself. She didn¡¯t want to bother with his matters anymore. Then, she remembered how she kicked Matilda earlier. She felt groggy, but she also regretted not kicking her a few more times. That old bat would give me a wide berth from now on if I did that. The idea lingered in her mind until she drifted to sleep. She then had a dream where she could do anything she wanted. In her dream, Matilda was not her only victim, but Isabelle too. Isabelle became the servant in her dream. Awesome. I hate that woman. She sent Isabelle flying with a kick, and she cackled out loud, then she woke up from that dream of hers. Oh, why do I have to wake up now? That was the fun part. She wanted to see how messy Isabelle got, so she forced herself back to sleep, for it was still early. However, continuing her dream wasn¡¯t that easy. She wasn¡¯t bothered by dreams after that, and she slept well. When she woke up, it was already morning. The sun was shining warmly on her bed, then she slowly went to wash herself up. When she stood before the mirror, Sophia pulled her shirt up, revealing the traces John left on her. He did this to me when I was drunk. That shameless animal. After washing herself up, she came down in casual wear and made breakfast for herself. She had no job and nothing else to do, so the only thing here was to kill time at home. After tidying the ce, she lay on the yoga mat. Do I need something more in this home? She stared at the crystal chandelier for a while. Her mind was muddled. This whole house is mine. Unbelievable. I¡¯m rich now, I guess. Aside from money, she got nothing from the marriage, but in hindsight, money was fine for her. She couldn¡¯t get more than that anyway. So, Sophia sneered and told herself to rx as she waited for John to arrive. John came here during lunchtime. When he came out this morning, he only brought a simple luggage. Matilda looked at him, still hurt, so Old Mrs. Constance couldn¡¯t take it. ¡°Oh, for Pete¡¯s sake, stop crying, Matilda.¡± Matilda wiped her tears. ¡°John has never left us up until now.¡± Even John was speechless, let alone Old Mrs. Constance, so he left without saying anything. She turned to look at the French window while lying on the yoga mat to see John¡¯s car parked outside, while he came to the front door with his luggage in tow. Slowly, Sophia went to open the door for him. John put his luggage aside and looked at the lock. ¡°Enter my fingerprint.¡± Sophia entered it calmly and set it as one of the passes to enter. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. After she was done, he went upstairs while pulling his luggage with him. ¡°I¡¯m staying in the room beside the study.¡± Sophia looked at him quietly. For some reason, she thought she was facing the home¡¯s owner, and she had lost all power here the instant he appeared. The house is mine though, she thought. A moment later, John came down. He looked around at the living room. ¡°I ordered some delivery. Wanna eat together?¡± Sophia sneered. ¡°I can cook, so I don¡¯t need deliveries.¡± John chose to ignore that and sat on the sofa to wait for his delivery. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Sophia had breakfastte, so she wasn¡¯t at all hungry. She continued lying on the yoga mat and went into various meditation positions. Meanwhile, John sat on the sofa, and his cell phone rang in no time. He¡¯d initially thought that it was the delivery he ordered, but when he picked it up and nced at it, it turned out to be a call from Mrs. Constance. He stole a peek at Sophia, but she seemed to have dozed off. After pondering for a moment, he then answered the call. ¡°John, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re on your lunch break now, yes?¡± Mrs. Constance¡¯s voice was cid. John murmured his agreement. ¡°Why, has anything happened at home?¡± Mrs. Constance paused for a moment before saying, ¡°No, it¡¯s just that Belle is here to visit me.¡± John remembered that Isabelle had mentioned going over to visit Mrs. Constance on the phonest night, so he murmured an acknowledgement. Mrs. Constance then continued, ¡°If you¡¯re free this noon,e back and have lunch. I cooked quite a few dishes, and most of them are your favorites.¡± Without even looking at the time, John replied, ¡°Never mind, it¡¯s too troublesome.¡± Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°What¡¯s so troublesome? You can just go back to the officeter. No one will say anything.¡± Still, John declined. Before he could speak further, he then heard Isabelle¡¯s voice from the other end. She seemed to be helping Mrs. Constance, for she smilingly asked, ¡°Mrs. Constance, which te should I use for this dish?¡± Mrs. Constance rumbled a response to her before saying to John, ¡°Okay, fine. If you¡¯re noting back at noon,e back at night.¡± Sighing, John acquiesced. Then, he hung up the phone. Sophia remained in the same position, appearing as though she¡¯d truly dozed off. After waiting for a while longer, the delivery came. John went out and took the food in, his handsden with bags since he ordered a feast. He headed to the dining room. As soon as he walked past her, Sophia¡¯s eyes sprang open. Damn it, it smells too good! It¡¯s far more tempting than his voice when he was on the phone earlier. Nheless, she didn¡¯t move a muscle. After John had set everything out, he then stood by the entrance of the dining room and gazed at Sophia who was lying down a near distance away. ¡°If you¡¯re not asleep,e and eat with me.¡± His voice was very soft. Sophia turned it over in her mind. In the next instance, she sat up. ¡°You¡¯re so inconsiderate. You woke me up by speaking so loudly on the phone.¡± As she said that, she walked over to the dining room. He didn¡¯t just order two servings. This is even enough for three people, and he has evenid out the tableware. She then took a seat at the table. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have ordered so much. It¡¯ll be a waste if you can¡¯t finish it.¡± John took his seat across her. ¡°I counted you in.¡± Sophia pursed her lips and ceased making excuses. During the meal, neither of them talked. Since they were sitting across each other, John could see Sophia¡¯s dining mannerisms. She¡¯s truly unrestrained in her eating, but it does look ratherfortable. John still had to work in the afternoon, so he ate rtively quickly. Before Sophia had finished eating, he¡¯d already ced his cutlery down and took a tissue to wipe his hands. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go, so help yourself.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia waved a dismissive hand. ¡°Go, go. I¡¯ll clean up here.¡± Staring at her, John took her in for a few more seconds before he left. Now that Sophia was alone, she became even more uninhibited. She ate happily, enjoying the spread before her. After leaving Sophia¡¯s ce, John went straight to his office. However, before he¡¯d even stepped foot into the lobby, he caught sight of the person who was standing at the reception in the lobby upon his arrival¡ªPresident McCaw from Infinity Group. Ah, he has the temerity toe looking for me! Without faltering or ncing at the reception, he walked straight in and headed to the elevator. Meanwhile, President McCaw was still harassing the staff at the reception, insisting on meeting John despite repeated exnations from the receptionist that he couldn¡¯t go up to the offices since he hadn¡¯t made an appointment in addition to the fact that John wasn¡¯t in the office. Midway through his entreaties, he nced back, only to spot John. He swiftly rushed over to John. ¡°President Constance! President Constance, you¡¯re finally back. President Constance?¡± Without sparing him a single nce, John walked over to the elevator before pressing the button and entering the elevator. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 135 Chapter 135 John didn¡¯t even bother to put on a fa?ade, his face devoid of expression. Panic swamped President McCaw at his indifference. Extending a leg, he stuck it between the elevator doors. The elevator doors were gradually closing, but they then slowly opened upon sensing the obstruction. He looked at John with a smile on his face. ¡°President Constance, let¡¯s talk nicely, okay? I think there¡¯s a misunderstanding between us, so I came all the way here to exin the matter.¡± ¡°A misunderstanding?¡± John sneered, ¡°Didn¡¯t you contact the media for an exclusive expos¨¦?¡± President McCaw froze. Never would I have thought that John Constance could have found out about this so quickly. I¡¯ve just contacted the media yesterday and hadn¡¯t even said anything, merely the fact that I¡¯ve got an exclusive expos¨¦ about him. I was just thinking about using the media to stir up a scandal if I truly couldn¡¯t reach an agreement with him, but the news has actually gotten to him in the blink of an eye. But that makes sense. After all, the media will side with the more influential person. His expression turned embarrassed. ¡°President Constance, this matter can¡¯t be exined in just a sentence or two, so let¡¯s find a ce and talk at length. What do you think?¡± Mortification flooded him as everyoneing and going stared at them. ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± After saying that, John took two steps toward the elevator doors and butted his leg out with a light kick. Then, he closed the elevator doors again. As the elevator ascended, his expression was terrifyingly grim, his entire aura going frosty. Upon exiting the elevator, he went to his office. The first thing he did after sitting down was to summon Zack in via the inte. Zack eagerly jogged over. ¡°How was it? What happened? Did something happen when you went back to meet Sophia at noon¡­¡± Before he¡¯d finished speaking, he swallowed the rest of his words at the sight of John¡¯s forbidding expression. He then blinked. ¡°Er¡­ boss, what do you need me to do?¡± John crossed his hands and rested them on the desk. ¡°President McCaw is downstairs. It doesn¡¯t seem as though he¡¯ll be leaving immediately, so call the security and have him kicked out.¡± ¡°President McCaw from Infinity Group?¡± Zack¡¯s eyes bugged. ¡°He has the temerity toe here? Didn¡¯t he already contact the media?¡± John said nothing. Zack rubbed his hands. ¡°Sure, sure, I¡¯ll go and call the security at once to kick this person out. What a piece of trash!¡± He then pivoted and left. Only then did John lean back against his chair and heaved a sigh of relief. I¡¯ve never been a person who allows others to control me. In my entire life, yesterday was the only time I¡¯ve ever been ckmailed, and that person was Sophia Gwendolyn. Nheless, I can¡¯t do anything about that since I was at fault in the matter, nor can I me her. However, others certainly aren¡¯t allowed to do that. No one else can do so. Zack was efficient, and he came back in no time to say that everything had been settled. John was then busy throughout the entire afternoon. Midway, William came and asked whether he was nning on going back home at night, upon which John remembered Mrs. Constance¡¯s words during the phone call. ¡°I might need to make a trip back. It happens that I¡¯ve still got some things at home, so I¡¯ll take them when I leave.¡± William nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your mother. She¡¯s just throwing a tantrum and will be fine after a few days.¡± John looked up at him. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re really good to my mother.¡± William was startled for a moment before he smiled. He was usually a gentle person, so his smiles were also a fair urrence. At this moment, his expression was merely a tad more bashful. ¡°Your mother is a great person. She¡¯s just a little childish. Well, all humans have their shorings, so a couple should tolerate each other.¡± Lowering his gaze, John nodded and said nothing further. When William had left, he pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. Tolerate each other? This is actually rather difficult to do. If someone has no feelings for the other person, it¡¯ll only be forbearance instead of tolerance. My personality is different from his, so I can¡¯t do it. Actually, Sophia is quite good. Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, she¡¯s indeed pleasant. She doesn¡¯t have any major ws, and on second thought, she even has quite a number of merits. He spaced out as he recalled Sophia¡¯s various actions these days. Previous Chapter This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Next Chapter Chapter 136 Chapter 136 John got off work on time in the evening and drove straight back to Constance Residence. After parking his car, he slowly walked toward the main building, only to spot the figures in the open space in front of it before he¡¯d even reached. Surprisingly, Isabelle hadn¡¯t left yet. Mrs. Constance and Isabelle were sitting on the rattan chairs by the entrance with a small table that was brought over by a servant in front of them. There were scented tea and fruits on the table. Meanwhile, Mrs. Constanceughed as they talked about some unknown subject, her face glowing. She seemed an entirely different person from the one who was dashing off tears yesterday. John walked over. ¡°Mom.¡± Upon seeing him, Mrs. Constance instantly got to her feet. ¡°You¡¯re back, John! You¡¯re early today. I thought you¡¯d only be backter.¡± Beside her, Isabelle stood up as well. John then inclined his head at her in greeting, while she pressed her lips together and smiled sweetly. Mrs. Constance tugged at John¡¯s hand. ¡°Come,e, let¡¯s go into the house. You¡¯ve been ving away all day, so you must be tired. Dinner will be served very soon.¡± After ncing around, John concluded that Old Mrs. Constance wasn¡¯t in the living room. ¡°Where¡¯s Grandma?¡± ¡°Oh, your grandma? The Zimmerman Family is hosting a small gathering today, and they invited your grandma, so she¡¯s probablying home veryte.¡± The matriarch of the Zimmerman Family was a bestie of Old Mrs. Constance, so the elderlydies were very close, and they got together from time to time. John nodded. Mrs. Constance whirled around and beckoned to Isabelle, upon which she promptly hurried up to them. Mrs. Constance then beamed brightly. ¡°Belle has been keeping mepany the entire day. All of you are busy all day, so it¡¯s terribly boring for me to stay home alone every day. I really have no idea how to kill time if Belle doesn¡¯t call and visit asionally.¡± Turning around, John nced at Isabelle and thanked her. The corners of Isabelle¡¯s mouth lifted. ¡°Mrs. Constance and I get along well, so I visit her often.¡± After looking at her for a while, John then retracted his gaze. After a moment¡¯s contemtion, Mrs. Constance blurted, ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll have the servants serve the food now since it has been ready ages ago. It¡¯s Belle who cooked this meal tonight, so you must try it, John. Come,e!¡± She dragged him to the dining room. John was actually somewhat put off by her tant matchmaking, but on second thought, it was a good idea now. She has always treated Isabelle in such a manner, even before my divorce from Sophia. Thus, it won¡¯t arouse suspicion if this persists. Upon entering the dining room, he took his seat right away. Subsequently, Mrs. Constance pulled Isabelle over, and they both sat down across from him. The corners of Isabelle¡¯s mouth curved slightly, her expression gentle and tranquil. She had impable manners, so she was neither supercilious nor obsequious regardless of the circumstances. The servants then slowly served the dishes. ¡°Belle cooked this soup for over two hours to the point that the fish bones inside have all dissolved,¡± Mrs. Constance said, pointing at the contents of the pot. ¡°Meanwhile, this is her signature dish, so you must try thister. And this dish here is really troublesome. She had to soak the ingredients with water before washing them thoroughly. While it didn¡¯t take long to cook, the prepping was truly troublesome.¡± John stared at the dishes on the table, saying nary a word. Thus, Isabelle piped up, ¡°Let¡¯s eat. I¡¯ll scoop some rice for you.¡± Getting up, she picked up his bowl and scooped some rice for him. His brows furrowed slightly before easing. At this, Mrs. Constance who¡¯d been taking note of his expression finally breathed easier upon seeing that he wasn¡¯t particrly resistant. During dinner, no one spoke. The Bailey Family was very strict in forbidding conversation during a meal, and this was simr to the Constance Family. Hence, the atmosphere at the dinner table was very quiet, just like the countless times before, everyone focusing on eating without bothering each other. John hadn¡¯t much appetite, so he ced his cutlery down after forcing himself to finish the rice. ¡°Please excuse me. I¡¯m going upstairs to pack up the rest of my things before leaving.¡± Mrs. Constance looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re done eating so quickly? Belle spent a lot of time cooking these dishes, yet you just ate so little?¡± Isabelle hurriedly interjected, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Perhaps they¡¯re not to his liking. I still know plenty of other dishes, so I can cook them for you next time.¡± John merely nced at her before he pivoted and walked out of the dining room. Previous Chapter This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Next Chapter Chapter 137 Chapter 137 As soon as John returned to his room, he went to his closet and took out the documents in the drawer ¡ªa divorce agreement and a divorce certificate. He only remembered this matter today. Mom has always been an impulsive person, so it¡¯ll be troublesome if she fails to control herself and rummages these documents out to show Isabelle considering their close rtionship. After packing his things, he sat on the bed for a while before going to Sophia¡¯s previous room. The room was still a mess, making it obvious that no one hade in to clean. Mom probably made this room off-limits, so nobody dared to enter. Walking over, he straightened the bed sheet before tossing the wine bottles, wine sses, and even the unfinished food into the trash can. Many of Sophia¡¯s things were still here, so he packed them up as well. When he went downstairs again, Mrs. Constance and Isabelle had also finished eating. The two of them were sitting in the living room with the television switched on, their faces wreathed in smiles as they watched some program or other. asionally, Mrs. Constance pointed at the television and said something to Isabelle, upon which the latter nodded in agreement. They indeed get along very well. He stood on the stairs and observed them for a while before descending. Mrs. Constance was taken aback when she saw himing down with a suitcase. That suitcase is Sophia Gwendolyn¡¯s! Only when John had reached thending did he say, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving since Sophia is still waiting for me at home.¡± Mrs. Constance pursed her lips, all the exuberance gone from her face. ¡°Why don¡¯t you drive Belle home as well? It¡¯s veryte now.¡± Turning his head, John nced at Isabelle. ¡°Have the housekeeper arrange for someone to drive her back. I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± Isabelle hurriedly interjected, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll call the driver toe and drive me backter.¡± John didn¡¯t care one way or another, so he merely dipped his head at her in farewell before walking out while wheeling the suitcase. When he reached the parking lot, Young Master Owen¡¯s car happened to drive in, and the person driving was Dn. Just after John had ced the suitcase into the trunk, Dn swung open the car door and alighted. Meanwhile, Young Master William probably imbibed since he got out of the car very slowly, followed by Young Lady Jennifer. ¡°Uncle Owen, Aunt Jennifer,¡± John greeted. Young Lady Jennifer eximed, ¡°You¡¯re going out at this hour?¡± It was as though she didn¡¯t know that John and Sophia had moved out. Without hiding anything, John replied, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m recently living outside with Sophia, so I came back to retrieve some things.¡± Young Lady Jennifer murmured an acknowledgment and nodded. Dn, on theContent protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. other hand, nced at John but said nothing. After getting into the car, John started the car and drove away. From the rear-view mirror, he could see Young Master Owen and Young Lady Jennifer walking toward the house. Dn, however, remained rooted to the spot, staring at his car. His face devoid of expression, John floored the gas pedal and sped away. Meanwhile, Sophia was lying on the sofa, watching television. She wasn¡¯t bothered although John wasn¡¯t back. After all, it was no different from the past; he never came home on time, nor did he bother to call or text. In the beginning, she fretted over this, butter, her warm heart slowly cooled. Not only did she fail to warm him up, but her heart was even turned frozen by his iciness. This change in perspective was actually a good thing, for she hated obstinate people the most, those who knew full well that something would never yield results yet remained clinging tight and refusing to let go. Such people were just making life difficult for themselves, so there was no one else to me. She channel-surfed, but none caught her interest, and she wasn¡¯t hungry now since she¡¯d eaten too much during lunch. She then proceeded to shift around on the sofa. Finding it just too boring in the end, she went over to the yoga mat andy down in a meditative posture. Perhaps that was more comfortable, for she almost dozed off, only to startle awake when the lock clicked upon John¡¯s arrival home after he¡¯d unlocked the door with his fingerprint. Nevertheless, she remained lying there motionless. John walked in with her luggage. Then, he nced at Sophia who was lying a near distance away. She was lying there in her yoga clothes while soothing music yed in the living room. She had an hourss figure, and that was outlined all the more clearer in yoga clothes. John had thought that he knew her body like the back of his hand, but he¡¯d never seen her like this. Unbidden, his throat tightened. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 138 Chapter 138 Sophia, however, didn¡¯t notice the change in John. She continued minding her own business. Meanwhile, John suppressed the desire within him and pivoted, carrying Sophia¡¯s luggage upstairs. As he opened her room door, his eyes darted around the interior. He¡¯d stayed in this room twice, and while that didn¡¯t say much, he still remembered how the room used to be. Now, however, everything had changed. One could tell from a single nce that it was a young maiden¡¯s room since there was a gigantic stuffed toy on the bed, taking up half the space, and the bedsheets had been changed to pink ones. Even the floor mat by the bed was different. John stared for a long time before he ced the luggage in the room and left. When he returned downstairs, Sophia had already gotten up and was sitting cross-legged on the yoga mat with her cell phone in hand, looking at something or other. As he descended the stairs, he asked, ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t look at him, but while her eyes remained fixed on her cell phone, she answered, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± That means she hasn¡¯t eaten. When John had gotten downstairs, he went to the kitchen and took a quick look around. There¡¯s nothing much here. Then, he went over to the refrigerator and peered in. There¡¯s plenty of raw ingredients in there, but regretfully, I don¡¯t know how to cook a single thing.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . After scrolling her cell phone for a while, Sophia stood up. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± John murmured in affirmation and closed the refrigerator door. ¡°I went back to Constance Residence, so I ate there.¡± Nodding, Sophia then headed upstairs. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.¡± John frowned slightly but said nothing in the end. Upon entering her room, Sophia locked the door after a moment¡¯s contemtion. Then, she opened her suitcase and took out everything in there, only to see the divorce certificate and divorce agreement between her and John at the bottom. Surprisingly, he even brought these here. She stared at them for a moment before taking them out. He looks stern in the photo on the divorce certificate, which is very much like the photo on the marriage certificate, his expression indiscernible. After staring at it for some time, she guffawed before leaving the room with both the divorce certificate and divorce agreement. John was still downstairs, so Sophia went to his room and ced the documents on the bedside table. Returning to her room, she then took a shower. Subsequently, she applied a facial mask and yed some music on her cell phone while sitting before the window, gazing out. Such days of having no husband are truly a delight. I no longer need to worry whether he hurt his stomach imbibing while entertaining clients, nor do I need to bother about cooking supper when he comes homete, much less concern myself with thoughts of whether there aredies around when he¡¯s entertaining clients and lose sleep over the possibility of him losing control and straying. All this has nothing to do with me anymore! After a while, Sophia then went to bed. Perhaps she¡¯d truly gotten over it, for she didn¡¯t have any dreams that night, sleeping soundly through the night. The next day, she was awoken by hunger pangs. She hadn¡¯t eaten anythingst night, so she woke up starving early in the morning. Sitting on the bed, she sighed. Can¡¯t this stomach of mine wait for me to have my fill of sleep before making noise? She got out of bed and washed up for a bit before going downstairs. It seems that John isn¡¯t up yet. Sophia then got busy in the kitchen. She initially wanted to just cook some noodles for herself, but as she mulled it over while staring at the water in the pot, she made enough for two. There¡¯s no need to be so petty and appear so calctive. Isn¡¯t it good to be gracious? When she was done cooking, John came downstairs. He was used to having Western-style breakfasts, so he originally didn¡¯t n to eat at home. However, when he reached thending, Sophia spoke without even sparing him a nce, ¡°Get your bowl yourself.¡± Only then did he notice another bowl on the kitchen counter that had been prepared for him. After staring at it for a bit, he carried it to the dining room. Her cooking is rather good. Although it¡¯s only noodles, one can tell from the aroma itself that the taste must be great. There were egg and shredded meat as well as chives for garnishing. John then saw that Sophia had even cooked a side dish. Taking a seat across Sophia, he then tried a bite of noodles. It tastes just right. While it isn¡¯t gourmet, it tastes pretty good as I eat. The atmosphere, however, was a touch too silent. After pondering for a moment, John remarked, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you can cook.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°Did you think everyone was born with a silver spoon in their mouths? I know far more than you can ever imagine.¡± As John looked up at her, he recalled that Old Mr. Constance once said that Sophia had always been leading a hard life all her days when he was still alive. Poverty speeds up maturity, so she must have quite the skill set. Thus, he then asked, ¡°What else do you know?¡± Sophia stopped eating. She stared at him before snickering out of the blue. ¡°Needless to say, I know things Isabelle Bailey doesn¡¯t know, and they¡¯re naturally things that are better kept under wraps.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 139 Chapter 139 John froze, at a loss as to how Isabelle came into the conversation. His brows creased for a moment before easing. Meanwhile, Sophia nced at him with mirth etched on her face before she lowered her head and resumed eating. After breakfast, John went to work, while Sophia leaned back against the sofa and watched television. It was early in the morning, so there wasn¡¯t any interesting program. She held the remote in her hand, channel-surfing impatiently. When John had reached the door, he looked back over his shoulder at Sophia who was dressed casually, leaning back against the sofa with her legs crossed. She¡¯s trulyid-back. I won¡¯t even consider befriending such ady, let alone marrying her. He stared at her for a while before leaving and closing the door behind him. He then drove to the office. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Zack waiting right at the doors of the elevator, and he seemed to be waiting for him in particr. When Zack caught sight of him, he hurried over and eximed, ¡°Boss, there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡± John was a touch surprised since he¡¯d never seen Zack this anxious. He snorted. ¡°Did someone give you a hard time?¡± Zack shook his head. ¡°No, no, let¡¯s talk in your office.¡± He was fairly bursting at the seams, and as soon as they¡¯d entered John¡¯s office, he promptly closed the door. Then, he stared at John anxiously. ¡°The Bailey Family called early in the morning.¡± John¡¯s brows knitted together. ¡°The Bailey Family?¡± Zack nodded. ¡°Yes, the Bailey Family, Miss Isabelle Bailey¡¯s family, called Young Master William. It sounds as though they¡¯re interested in a coboration of sorts.¡± John was momentarily taken aback. ¡°Who called?¡± Letting out a sigh, Zack answered, ¡°From Young Master William¡¯s tone, it sounded as though it was Elder Mr. Bailey who called.¡± John said nothing, but his expression was rather solemn. Even when the Bailey and Constance Families were nning to be rted by marriage back then, the subject of coborating never came up. In fact, Mrs. Constance had once brought this up to William in private, saying that the twopanies should have business dealings together since they were nning to be rted by marriage. Back then, William replied that the Baileys never mentioned this. Thus, it seemed that Elder Mr. Bailey wasn¡¯t in a hurry to associate with the Constance Family in business. He was an extremely cautious person, so he might have worried that the inw rtionship could possibly impede the coboration. Now, however, they¡¯re suddenly bringing up the subject of coborating. Could it be that they¡¯re convinced that Sophia and I aren¡¯t divorced, thus gave up hope on my rtionship with Isabelle and nned to be regr business partners instead? After a while, John asked Zack, ¡°What did Young Master William say? Did he give an immediate reply?¡± Zack shook his head. ¡°No, but it seems that someone from the Bailey Family will beingter to take a look at the specific situation here.¡± John nodded. ¡°Alright, got it. You can go and get busy.¡± However, Zack was still a tad worried. ¡°If we coborate with the Bailey Family, will you then always be with Isabelle Bailey?¡± John was momentarily taken aback. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡± Concern was written all over Zack¡¯s face. ¡°My beloved boss, you must remember that this is regr coboration, so you can¡¯t allow yourself to be tempted.¡± John¡¯s expression turned frigid. ¡°Leave.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Zack hurriedly left, but he remained standing outside John¡¯s office door. Still a touch worried, he swiftly took out his cell phone and texted Sophia. Sophia hadn¡¯t been replying to him all this while, but he thought that she¡¯d at least fret after he¡¯d sent this message, but he was wrong. It was as though the message got lost in the vast ocean, for there was no response thereafter. He clutched at his hair before returning to his own office. Sure enough, Elder Mr. Bailey and Old Mr. Bailey visited the Constance Family¡¯spanyter in the morning. The twopanies were on a simr scale, but one dealt in construction materials while the other in furniture manufacturing. Even with a coboration, neither was helping or boosting the other since both were evenly matched. John wasn¡¯t part of the team who greeted the Bailey Family. There were still William and his other uncles in thepany, so he didn¡¯t need to do it. Restless, Zack went to John¡¯s office again. At this time, John was looking at the data on hisputer with his brows furrowed. The moment he saw Zack entering, he knew the reason for his visit. ¡°Stop letting your imagination run wild and concentrate on work.¡± Zack slowly walked over to John¡¯s office desk and lowered his voice. ¡°Boss, I just want to ask you a question. Can you please answer me patiently?¡± John looked up at him without saying a single word. Pursing his lips, Zack asked, ¡°Since you¡¯re single now, have you ever considered taking your rtionship with Miss Bailey further?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Upon hearing that question, John was noticeably startled. His brows creased deeply, and his expression turned severe. Surprisingly, Zack wasn¡¯t afraid this time. He remained staring at John. ¡°Boss, do you have feelings for Miss Bailey?¡± John¡¯s expression grew frosty. ¡°Leave.¡± When he noticed that Zack didn¡¯t move, he warned, ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡± Zack pursed his lips. He knew that he¡¯d somewhat pissed John off, but still, he muttered, ¡°It¡¯s a yes or no question. What¡¯s there to be chagrined about?¡± After saying this, he pivoted and left. When he¡¯d left and closed the door behind him, John shoved the mouse away irritably. Do I have feelings for Isabelle Bailey? I¡¯ve actually never considered this question. As for whether I¡¯ve ever considered taking my rtionship with her further¡­ I did. Since she got along well with Mom, I¡¯d indeed wondered whether I should just marry her. If I marry her, the house will be harmonious and peaceful in the future. Meanwhile, I can concentrate on my career outside. He leaned back against his chair. But¡­ But¡­ He smacked his lips. Now that he was contemting this problem, he was feeling inexplicably perturbed yet couldn¡¯t figure out the reason. He could even picture the look on Sophia¡¯s face if he truly got together with Isabelle. Disdain? Contempt? Or perhaps she¡¯d merely smile faintly, looking as though she¡¯d expected it to happen. He felt difited at such a thought, unsettled from head to toe and inside out. Meanwhile, Elder Mr. Bailey and Old Mr. Bailey stayed in the meeting room for about an hour before leaving. John wasn¡¯t quite interested in inquiring about the discussion since they couldn¡¯t have possibly just shot the breeze with such an imposing entourage. If it involved work, then William and the others could handle it. As John worked, it was then lunch break. After mulling it over, he went straight back to Sophia¡¯s ce. At this time, Sophia was bustling around the yard, getting her hands dirty. She bought two flower racks that now stood proudly in the yard and was now cing flower pots on them. She wore an apron and had her hair in a bun, looking very much like a botanist. Today, she bought a lot of things. For some inexplicable reason, she always felt distressed whenever she spent money in the past, but now, spending made her incredibly exuberant. She bought many nts whose names she didn¡¯t even know, having bought them as long as they appealed to her. The proprietor probably hadn¡¯t seen such a big spender like her in a long time, for he even gave her a few pots for free. Over the moon, she was particrly enthusiastic as she fluttered around the yard that she didn¡¯t even notice when John¡¯s car came to a stop in front of the gate. John observed her for a while from the gate before walking in. ¡°You bought a lot of stuff.¡± ncing over her shoulder, Sophia spotted him. She even shed him a smile, in high spirits. ¡°What do you think? Aren¡¯t they lovely?¡± John walked over and peered at the nts, some of which were rare breeds. Nodding, he noted, ¡°It isn¡¯t that easy to keep these nts alive.¡± Sophia was unfazed. ¡°If they wither, I¡¯ll just throw them away and buy new ones. Anyway, I¡¯ve got money now.¡± Stilling, John stared at her with intrigue. ¡°You weren¡¯t such a person in the past.¡± She¡¯d never been this casual in anything back then. In the past, while she was servile and obsequious to the point that she made others ill at ease, she¡¯d always been exceedingly serious in everything. I¡¯ve never seen her so perfunctory. Sophia merely snorted at that. After watering all the nts, she then asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten, have you?¡± John murmured in assent, upon which Sophia said, ¡°I¡¯ve already cooked, so go and take the dishes to the dining room.¡± She¡¯s definitely in a good mood, else she wouldn¡¯t be so amicable with me. Without a single protest, John went into the house. The dishes were indeed ready in the kitchen, so John went over and took them to the dining room. Sophia¡¯s cooking is indeed great, for I¡¯m salivating at just the smell of these dishes. When he¡¯d served all the dishes and prepared the tableware, Sophia was done in the yard as well. Her mood was truly good today, for she even hummed while walking into the dining room after taking off her apron and washing her hands. John was already seated, and he stared at Sophia intently. Her face is slightly flushed from the sun outside, and her hair is also a tad messy, but she seems to look even more alluring now. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 141 Chapter 141 While eating, John asked Sophia why she suddenly bought those nts. Seemingly a touch surprised that he¡¯d voluntarily talk at the dining table, she froze for a moment. After chortling for a while, she replied, ¡°It was just a sudden interest. Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m now single, so I hope to have a more fulfilling life.¡± John stared at her for some time before nodding. ¡°It¡¯s good that you have such optimistic thinking.¡± He¡¯d rest easier if she had a good life since that was tantamount to having fulfilled his promise to Old Mr. Constance. John usually didn¡¯t eat much for lunch, but for some reason, his appetite was just astounding today. He ate two bowls of rice and even drank a huge bowl of lotus root soup. Sophia, on the other hand, ate rtively less since she was no longer hungry after bustling around for such a long time. John didn¡¯t merely dust his hands off after eating. When they both had finished eating, he took the tableware into the kitchen and ced them into the dishwasher. Although the machine helped, it could still be grudgingly considered as him doing the work. There were a few pots of flowers in the living room, so Sophia arranged them neatly. Then, she stood in the center of the living room and looked around, seemingly very much satisfied with the current d¨¦cor. Likewise, John nced around as well. This ce is entirely different now. He inhaled deeply. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the office. If there¡¯s anything¡­¡± He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°¡­ give Zack a call.¡± Sophia murmured an acquiescence. ¡°Alright, got it.¡± In the afternoon, Sophia didn¡¯t remain idle but went over to that dessert shop, mainly to look at the layout of the shop and contemte how to renovate it in the future to make it look better. The proprietor was ady named Robin Jaeger, and she was ecstatic to see Sophia, telling her all about the shops nearby that were doing well as though she¡¯d found a way out. Sophia stayed in the dessert shop for the entire afternoon, only hailing a taxi home when she saw that it was ratherte. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . She¡¯d already signed up for the first course at the driving school. It was fortunate that she had an acquaintance there, for everything was done without her having to worry about anything. When she arrived home, she took a look at the contents of the first course, but after so many years since she¡¯d last studied, drowsiness gued her as she nced through the subject matter. Forcing herself to pay attention, she then did a rough read-through. When she next nced at the time, she went downstairs to cook. She liked Oriental food with rice and dishes, having never grown ustomed to eating steak, sd, and the like. Putting on an apron, she hummed and got busy in the kitchen. When John came back, Sophia was just about to te the dish. She stood in the kitchen with a te in her hand, scooping the food into the te little by little, her movements leisurely and unhurried. John stood at the entrance and stared. In the past, this was never the Sophia I saw every time I came home. Perhaps she was truly unhappy back then. While she¡¯d tried her best to conceal that fact, John could still read it from her expression. She used to look sullen every day, making me feel very much disturbed. He waited until she was done ting the dish before walking over. ¡°Go and wash your hands. I¡¯ll take the dishes out.¡± Sophia startled. ¡°When did youe back? Why didn¡¯t I hear anything?¡± ¡°I just came back,¡± John murmured. Staring at his back, Sophia blurted after a moment¡¯s deliberation, ¡°I heard that the Constance Family is going to coborate with Bailey Corporation?¡± I don¡¯t even need to guess to know that it was Zack who told her. John recalled the two questions Zack asked him today. With his back to Sophia, he sighed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the n.¡± Sophia arched an eyebrow. However, she didn¡¯t make any sarcastic remarks, merely sniggering softly. During dinner, John didn¡¯t speak again, much less Sophia. Sophia¡¯s cell phone that was beside her vibrated with a buzz, signaling a message, and she replied asionally with a faint smile ying on her lips. John looked up at her before ncing at her cell phone, only to vaguely glimpse a chat window without a clear view of the specific conversation. After taking another look, he then retracted his gaze. At this exact moment, his cell phone vibrated as well. Fishing it out, he saw that it was a message from Isabelle. Actually, he could guess what it was about without seeing the contents. Isabelle must be aware that Elder Mr. Bailey came over today. Sure enough, when he opened the message, Isabelle spoke of the two families¡¯ coboration. After taking a look, he then replied, ¡®I saw them today.¡¯ A reply from Isabelle came at once. ¡®I hope you won¡¯t feel awkward because of me.¡¯ Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 142 Chapter 142 John stared at Isabelle¡¯s message for a while before replying, ¡®Not at all.¡¯ Subsequently, there was nothing else from her end. Sophia knew that John¡¯s phone dinged and was well aware that he¡¯d received a message. In fact, she was almost certain who the sender was, but she didn¡¯t bother looking, not even ncing out the corner of her eye. She was chatting with the singer back then. The singer said that he¡¯d been going around to a few cities, but he didn¡¯t quite like them all, so he was at a loss as to where he should go next. Thus, Sophia naturally went along with the conversation and invited him to this city to have a look. There were several underground bars in the city center with lounge singers, so she felt that this was a viable option for him. The singer replied with a smiley and a voice message. Without even thinking about it, Sophia yed it, upon which the singer¡¯s voice drifted out, sounding very much alluring. He didn¡¯t say anything outrageous, merely saying that he¡¯d treat her to a meal if he decided toe. Beaming, Sophia replied, ¡®If youe, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal. Perhaps I¡¯ll even let you sample my cooking.¡¯ John stared intently at Sophia. She looks sincere. After a moment¡¯s contemtion, he retracted his gaze. Sophia didn¡¯t chat for long either, all noise subsiding after a short while. After John was done eating, he didn¡¯t leave immediately but sat there and waited for Sophia. When she ced her cutlery down slowly, he finally asked, ¡°Was it the singer we met in the hotel?¡± Sophia raised her eyes and looked at him. ¡°Yup.¡± John tried recalling the person¡¯s countenance. He¡¯s the gentle and elegant type, so he does look quite the pair with Sophia. He nodded. ¡°Is heing?¡± Sophia said yes, so after turning it over in his mind, he chuckled. ¡°Do you need me to make myself scarce?¡± Bewilderment swamped Sophia, but after mulling it over for a bit, she could somewhat guess John¡¯s meaning. He¡¯s trying to give me some space with that singer. She chortled as well. ¡°We¡¯ll see when he arrives. I¡¯ll tell you when I need you to do so.¡± The corners of John¡¯s mouth lifted. ¡°Okay.¡± After saying that, he stood up and cleared the table. After sharing two meals, they both seemed to have a clear division ofbor¡ªSophia cooked, while John did the dishes. Despite knowing that he was somewhat cheating, Sophia wasn¡¯t bothered since she was rather gracious in some things. Sophia went out to look at her flowers again and stood in the yard, noticing that John had driven his car in, parking right beside the nt rack. Pursing her lips, she thought for a moment. Then, she returned to the house and went upstairs to the study. I¡¯ve got to put my back into studying the questions in the first course. She¡¯d taken a look at the materials today, but it felt as though she was reading a mythical book, for she truly didn¡¯t quite understand anything. Sitting in the study, she started scratching her head after looking at two questions. These are so much more difficult to understand than the stuff I learned back in school! Meanwhile, John took two calls downstairs¡ªone from Zack who called to inquire about a work matter and the other from Mrs. Constance. Mrs. Constance¡¯s voice was slightly sullen, sounding very much anguished as she griped about how she wasn¡¯t used to not having him at home. John could only mollify her by saying that he only moved out, but she could still see him because he would go back when he had time. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have allowed you to marry Sophia Gwendolyn back then. She made a mess of our family. There wouldn¡¯t be so many problems if you¡¯d married Belle back then.¡± Pursing his lips, John stared at the nt rack in the yard. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Just get over it since there¡¯s no changing reality. I¡¯ll go back when I¡¯m free.¡± Still, Mrs. Constance was disgruntled. ¡°John, I¡¯m not an unreasonable person. It¡¯s not that I want to pick on your wife, nor do I want to be at odds with my daughter-inw like most families out there. But the truth is, Sophia Gwendolyn isn¡¯t worthy of you. If it were someone else who¡¯s well-matched, I definitely wouldn¡¯t be making such a fuss.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Mrs. Constance had uttered such remarks in the past, so John truly didn¡¯t want to listen anymore. He merely murmured an acknowledgment. ¡°It¡¯ste now, so you should sleep earlier. I¡¯ve got to go since I still have something to do.¡± Knowing that he was growing impatient, Mrs. Constance quickly went along with him. ¡°Sure, sure, I will. We¡¯ll talk next time since you¡¯re busy.¡± After hanging up the phone, John closed his eyes for a moment. There was a stringent feeling within him which he just couldn¡¯t brush off. On his way back to his room, he walked past the study. Sophia was still scratching her head inside, googling the questions that went over her head, but she just couldn¡¯t understand the exnation given by Google at times. The door to the study was opened, and she sat before theputer, groaning softly from time to time. John had instinctively walked over, but he retreated on second thought. Leaning against the door frame, he stared at Sophia who had changed into another set of clothes, sitting cross-legged on the chair as she stared at theputer screen with great resentment. Mrs. Constance¡¯s words on the phone earlier shed across John¡¯s mind, and his mind automatically supplied him with Isabelle¡¯s image. His gaze darkened. After a few seconds, he walked in. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Startled, Sophia¡¯s head snapped back before her expression fell. ¡°This stuff is exceedingly difficult to understand.¡± Going over, John saw that theputer screen was filled with a bunch of driving test questions. These questions weren¡¯t all that difficult, but perhaps Sophia had trouble understanding out of the blue since she¡¯d nevere across them. John pulled a chair over and sat down beside her. ¡°Which one don¡¯t you understand? I¡¯ll exin it to you.¡± Without an ounce of hesitation, Sophia pointed at a question on the screen at once. ¡°I don¡¯t understand this one.¡± John was patient and exined things to her one by one. His exnation is much simpler than Google¡¯s. Sophia nodded slowly. ¡°Don¡¯t go first. Wait a moment, for I¡¯m bound to have other questions.¡± John wasn¡¯t in a hurry to leave, so he sat there and exined as Sophia went. Sophia felt much more rxed now, and she learned much faster. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. While she was looking at theputer, John¡¯s gaze gently alighted on her corbone since her cor was rather loose, baring her corbone. There are still faint traces on it. He actually had quite a high alcohol tolerance, so the single ss of red wine that night truly couldn¡¯t have affected him in any way. However, he himself couldn¡¯t say for sure what possessed him that night, but he was just worked up and wanted to ravage her. The next day, when he was awakened by Mrs. Constance¡¯s knock on the door, he even nced at her when he got out of bed, noticing that her bare body was littered with ck and blue bruises as though she¡¯d been beaten up, looking rather pitiful indeed. For a brief moment, he was upset, knowing that he¡¯d been far too rough with her, but he also knew that it¡¯d still end simrly even if he was given the chance for a do-over. As he stared at the marks on her body now, he could still remember how frenzied he¡¯d been that night. He hurriedly averted his gaze, feeling inexplicably restless once more even as uneasiness flooded him. Sophia, however, wasn¡¯t at all aware of all this, her sole concern on the questions in the driving test. John was rather patient tonight, and he only stood up when Sophia yawned, making it clear that it was past her bedtime. ¡°Take it easy. There¡¯s no need to rush since all this isn¡¯t all that difficult to understand.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Thank you for tonight.¡± John didn¡¯t say anything. After stretching and yawning, Sophia left the study. John stood in the corridor and watched as she entered her room before going back to his own room. The room wasn¡¯t all that big, nor was there much in there, but he wasn¡¯t bothered about such things now. After washing up, he slipped into bed. Before he¡¯d even closed his eyes, a phone call came in from William. William rarely called him, perhaps because theirmunication didn¡¯t necessarily have to be vianguage since they were both men. Thus, he felt that William had to be calling regarding an important matter. Sure enough, when the call was connected, William said that the coboration with the Baileys was confirmed. In the future, the Constance Family would be supplying the Bailey Family with raw materials. The Bailey Family had a huge business, so this coboration was a good thing for the Constance Family. However, William didn¡¯t sound very much happy, so John merely murmured an acknowledgment to indicate that he¡¯d gotten the message. Sighing, William then reminded, ¡°You might being into contact with the Baileys often in the future in work matters, so watch yourself.¡± John understood his meaning. He chuckled. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± After hanging up with William, he then closed his eyes, only to have the marks on Sophia¡¯s corbone shing across his mind once more. Still, there was a tightness in his chest that just had him feeling incredibly restless. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 144 Chapter 144 The custom-made evening gown John ordered for Sophia was ready in a few days, so he took her back to the house with a courtyard in the alley for a fitting. The designer was waiting for them, and he smiled as soon as he caught sight of Sophia. ¡°I can already imagine how you¡¯ll look in the evening gown.¡± The evening gown was hung in a room inside, so the designer led Sophia in for a look. At first nce, Sophia was stunned. It was entirely different from the evening gown in the picture she showed the designer. This was far more resplendent with a champagne-colored train, a deep V-neck, and a bare back. Furthermore, the waist was cinched to unt the wearer¡¯s figure. She looked at it for a long time yet didn¡¯t make any move to try it on. This feels exactly the same as when I firstid eyes on my wedding gown back then. Mrs. Constance kept harping on how exorbitant the wedding dress was, making me feel unworthy of that luxurious dress, but from the look of things now, it¡¯s just a matter of money. I now have money, too. The designer shed her a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll step out for a moment, so you try it on.¡± Only when the room door clicked shut did Sophia take the gown down and slowly put it on. The measurements are just nice. There was a pair of champagne silver shoes beside the gown that was probably for her judging from the size. After putting them on, she then gazed at herself in the full-length mirror at the side. Sure enough, I look like an entirely different person. Meanwhile, John and the designer sat on the chairs outside. The designer was still a tad puzzled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you use to hide this wife of yours away? Why the stark difference now? You¡¯re no longer afraid of her being seen in public?¡± John chuckled. ¡°Nah, she was shy previously.¡± The designer turned it over in his mind, vaguely aware that Sophia¡¯s background wasn¡¯t all that good. Back when John married Sophia, the wedding was so grand that Sophia¡¯s background waster dug out and made public. While many people weren¡¯t optimistic about Sophia marrying above her station at that time, some imed that it was true love. John, however, had never said a single word about the real situation, so these friends of his could only hazard their guesses. Thus, Sophia might not have been shy previously, merely having not seen a lot of the world. After about a year now, she¡¯s finally ready, so it¡¯s time for her to show her face and meet the public. After a moment¡¯s contemtion, the designermented, ¡°From her looks alone, this beautiful wife of yours is presentable.¡± Remembering Sophia¡¯s countenance, John murmured his assent. ¡°Her looks are naturally fine.¡± He was actually surprised that such a stunning bloom coulde from backwater circumstances. After thinking for a while, the designer blurted, ¡°Education and knowledge can be slowly nurtured in the future. I think she¡¯s rather smart with a spark of intelligence in her eyes, so she isn¡¯t a bumbling fool. You can actually¡­¡± Before he¡¯d finished speaking, Sophia pushed open the door and stepped out. She seemed a touch embarrassed, clutching the gown on both sides even as her expression betrayed her difiture. The designer¡¯s words trailed off, and John¡¯s expression froze. Pursing her lips, Sophia looked at the two of them. ¡°Does it not suit me?¡± Her voice was a mere whisper. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Getting to his feet, the designerughed at once. ¡°I just knew that such a style suits you. Come,e, let your husband take a look.¡± He nced over his shoulder at John. ¡°You¡¯re lucky in having staked your bets on a true gem!¡± After John got up, he walked over to Sophia. Sophia was truly feeling embarrassed. This feels the same as when I spotted him while wearing my wedding dress back then. John stared at her gown intently before nodding. ¡°It¡¯s quite good.¡± His tone was nonchnt, but Sophia breathed easier. On second thought, this makes sense. He¡¯s been in the business world for so many years, so he must have seen all kinds of women. A woman like me doesn¡¯t even register with him. The designer then turned around and called the man in monk robes over, saying that he wanted to ask him the kind of hairdo and makeup that suited her. Sophia was taken aback. The man in monk robes is responsible for the hairdo and makeup? This is truly unexpected. The man in monk robes was in the backyard, but he came over upon hearing his name being called. There was a dressing table at the side, so he led Sophia there, his expression stern despite the monk robes he was wearing. He stared at her reflection in the mirror for half a day before nodding. ¡°I know what will suit you.¡± Contrary to his monk-like dressing, his skills were truly impressive. Sophia, however, could only sense the clinking of the prayer beads hanging before his chest as he moved about, numb to everything else. After an indeterminate time, the man in monk robes put down everything in his hands. ¡°I¡¯m done. Please stand so that we can all take a look.¡± He helped Sophia up, while John and the designer walked over. Without needing them to point it out, Sophia herself could sense that she seemed a different person now. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 145 Chapter 145 From the beginning to the end, John didn¡¯t show much astonishment or surprise at Sophia¡¯s appearance, so despite the two people praising her to the skies at the side, she merely felt that it was passable. I probably won¡¯t stand out at a party filled with stunning beauties. After scrutinizing herself from head to toe and finding no ws, Sophia then changed back into her clothes, leaving the makeup to be removed at hometer. I wonder how much this evening gown costs. Ah, no matter. It¡¯s not my money anyway. When she¡¯d packed the shoes as well, John took them over to the car. Meanwhile, Sophia got into the car after bidding the two people farewell. ¡°I¡¯m starving.¡± While putting on his seatbelt, John suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s dine out.¡± It¡¯s sote now. If we¡¯re to go home and cook now, it might be a while yet before we get to eat. Sophia was actually feelingzy, so she nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± The car drove toward the city center. At this time, the nightlife had just begun, so traffic was rather heavy, forcing John to drive rtively slower. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Leaning against the window, Sophia gazed out. ¡°I¡¯m not picky. Let¡¯s just eat whatever you want to eat.¡± He¡¯s a picky eater, after all. Upon hearing this, John sped up slightly and headed toward a restaurant right ahead. There were quite a number of cars in front of the restaurant now, but the valet at the entrance instantly jogged over as soon as he saw John since he was a regr patron here. John alighted with Sophia, upon which the valet smiled brightly. ¡°Mr. Constance, this must be Mrs. Constance. Good evening.¡± John handed him the car key. ¡°Good evening.¡± The valet then drove the car away, while John steered Sophia into the restaurant. He had his regr private room, so the server led the way along a long corridor that was lined with private rooms on both sides. They¡¯d only taken a few steps when the door of a private room at the side swung open. It was a server coming out with tea, leaving the door wide open. With a casual nce, Sophia spotted the people in the room, and naturally, the people inside likewise caught sight of her and John. Sophia smacked her lips. Damn it, it¡¯s just a small world. Isabelle was sitting in the room, and beside her was Elder Mr. Bailey. These were the two persons she¡¯d seen before, so the others in there today had to be of the Bailey Family as well. In the blink of an eye, John had also glimpsed the people in the room. He hesitated slightly, and Sophia could sense that he was reluctant to stop. The server then wanted to close the door behind him after exiting, but Isabelle blurted, ¡°Wait!¡± Nheless, one couldn¡¯t be certain whether she was directing this to the server or John outside. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. The server stopped short and opened the door. ¡°Yes? Is there anything else?¡± Isabelle got up and went over in a few steps. Meanwhile, John had already taken several strides forward while the server was about to close the door. Coming over, Isabelle stood by the door. ¡°Mr. Constance.¡± Standing beside John, Sophia surreptitiously reached out and took his arm. Halting, John turned and looked at Isabelle. ¡°Miss Bailey, what a coincidence!¡± Upon seeing this, the server retreated. There was, however, another server who¡¯d been leading John to his private room, and that person was standing beside Sophia. Sophia arched an eyebrow. ¡°Is anything the matter?¡± Isabelle was momentarily taken aback before she smiled. ¡°No, I just found it quite the coincidence.¡± Her face devoid of expression, Sophia turned and said to the server, ¡°Please lead the way.¡± Perhaps it was because she had on exquisite makeup today, for she felt incredibly confident now, unafraid of anyone. After Sophia and John entered their private room, John ordered. There were no changes to be discerned from his expression, and Sophia didn¡¯t mention Isabelle either. The server then left after they¡¯d ordered, and John fished out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket after a moment¡¯s deliberation. He took a cigarette and lit it before taking a puff. Pursing her lips, Sophia grumbled inwardly, Back when we¡¯d just gotten divorced, he still asked me whether I minded for courtesy¡¯s sake, but now, he doesn¡¯t even bother asking. This rat b*stard had truly changed a lot, huh? Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 146 Chapter 146 The speed of service here was very quick, for it felt as though only moments had passed before the server started serving the dishes. John ordered a lot of dishes, taking up half the table despite it being just the two of them. Sophia had long since waited with her cutlery ready, so she took the first bite. Then, she mumbled, ¡°Why did you order so much food? Are you in a bad mood?¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. John scoffed. ¡°I thought this is your preference.¡± Sophia was taken aback before she remembered that she ordered a feast the day she got divorced from him in a deliberate attempt to vent. Actually, she only wanted to upset him, but that was, in fact, the happiest day for a person who didn¡¯t love his spouse. Thus, nothing she did worked in ruining his mood. She said nothing, merely ate with her head lowered. Just after John had finished smoking his cigarette, the door of the private room was opened. However, it wasn¡¯t just Isabelle who came in, for she was apanied by another man. Raising her eyes, Sophia stole a nce. This man isn¡¯t Elder Mr. Bailey, so he must be Old Mr. Bailey. John stood up. ¡°Old Mr. Bailey.¡± Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s expression was rather dour, and he was wearing a long face. Truthfully speaking, Sophia could understand. After all, it was said that he blew his gasket when John went over personally to break off the engagement. The humiliation at having the engagement called off was one thing, but the other thing was probably the fact that the socialite, Young Lady Isabelle Bailey, actually lost to someone of her background. Thus, it was indeed degrading to Old Mr. Bailey. Sophia, however, didn¡¯t stand up. She merely continued eating while sitting down. I don¡¯t know these people, so why should I be so pretentious? Isabelle stood beside Old Mr. Bailey with a faint smile on her face. Sophia thought, She must have practiced smiling in front of a mirror to achieve such a perfect smile, neither overdone nor understated. Isabelle then said, ¡°I came over to greet you since I saw you. There¡¯ll be inevitable contact between us considering the coboration between our families, so I hope that you¡¯ll take it easy on me in the future, Mr. Constance.¡± Inevitable contact? Sophia scoffed. Is she purposely directing that to me? John merely smiled without responding. A few secondster, Old Mr. Bailey shifted his gaze to Sophia, disdain written all over his face. Hah, rich people are just pompous, feeling as though they¡¯re superior to others and acting as though they¡¯re not human just because they have a pretty penny. Sophia didn¡¯t even spare the two of them a single nce. There was a te of steamed crabs on the table, so she broke off a crab leg and ate with relish, the sounds so loud that they were difficult to ignore. John merely lowered his eyes and nced at her without saying anything. Old Mr. Bailey, however, frowned. At this time, Isabelle greeted, ¡°Hello, Miss Gwendolyn.¡± Languidly lifting her head, Sophia looked at Isabelle, chuckling mildly. ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Both Isabelle and Old Mr. Bailey startled, not at all understanding her meaning. Tossing the crab leg shell onto the table, Sophia took a tissue and wiped her hands. ¡°Please address me as Mrs. Constance.¡± After saying that, she tilted her head and gazed at John, her expression slightly sultry even as her voice softened. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, hubby?¡± This endearment of ¡®hubby¡¯ had goose bumps rising all over her body. John, on the other hand, had quite theposure and managed to keep his expression cid. He even seemed to have smirked slightly. ¡°Yup.¡± Sophia then cocked an eyebrow at Isabelle, her expression indiscernible as to whether it was provocative in nature. Isabelle¡¯s expression remained unchanged with a smile on her lips, whereas Old Mr. Bailey at the side pulled an even longer face. Pulling his gaze away from Sophia, Old Mr. Bailey looked at John once more. ¡°I¡¯m nning to have you in charge of the coboration between ourpanies, and I¡¯ve also mentioned this to your father, to which he agreed.¡± John murmured an acknowledgment. ¡°I¡¯ll just go along with whatever was decided.¡± Sophia inwardly rolled her eyes, derision etched on her face. The Baileys seem to becking in morals. No matter what the situation was in the past, John Constance is a married man in the eyes of the public now. However, not only are they not being circumspect, but they¡¯re evening on to him, from Elder Mr. Bailey to Isabelle Bailey. Basically, it¡¯s the entire family. Don¡¯t tell me that they aren¡¯t aware of the multitude of misunderstandings that might arise from this series of actions? Damn, and they even like to boast of being people of good breeding. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Old Mr. Bailey and Isabelle didn¡¯t stay for long since Sophia put on an exaggerated show of her meal being interrupted. Old Mr. Bailey merely discussed some details of the uing contract with John in brief before leaving. Anyway, Sophia didn¡¯t understand a single word of it. When they¡¯d left, Sophia then turned and looked at John. ¡°Miss Bailey must be the person in charge on the Baileys¡¯ side for this coboration between the twopanies, no?¡± Isabelle was working in Bailey Corporation, but Sophia had never bothered to find out her post. Isabelle Bailey will certainly grab hold of such a golden opportunity this time. Sitting down, John murmured an assent. ¡°Probably.¡± He wasn¡¯t quite certain, but judging from William¡¯s call earlier whereby he warned him to watch himself, he was likely to have rather frequent contact with Isabelle. Sophia snorted and took another crab leg. ¡°Ah, familiarity breeds fondness.¡± This remark was a taunt of sorts, but John merely sat down and stared at the room door for a while before he started eating. Meanwhile, Old Mr. Bailey and Isabelle went back to their room, the former¡¯s expression still grim. ncing at him, Elder Mr. Bailey asked, ¡°What happened? Why are you still so angry when you¡¯ve gone over for a visit?¡± Old Mr. Bailey pulled a face. ¡°I¡¯m now all the more furious after going over there.¡± Beside him, Isabelle aptly patted him on the back. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t get worked up.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey looked at Old Mr. Bailey in exasperation. ¡°You¡¯re still as hot-tempered as ever. Why can¡¯t you just get over it?¡± He peered at Isabelle out of the corner of his eye. ¡°Besides, Belle has already made it clear that John had no choice but to marry Sophia Gwendolyn back then. Why can¡¯t you let it go?¡± Isabelle nodded in agreement. Sighing, Old Mr. Bailey took Isabelle¡¯s hand and ced it on his own. ¡°He dashed Belle¡¯s hopes of a marriage.¡± The fact that Isabelle had feelings for John wasmon knowledge in the Bailey Family. Her joy was in as day back when the Bailey Family and Constance Family contracted a marriage between the two of them. Later, when John personally came to break off the engagement and subsequently married Sophia, she isted herself for a whole week and lost much weight; everyone in the Bailey Family knew this. Mrs. Bailey who was sitting at the side sighed as well. However, Isabelle had now gotten over it, and she evenughed. ¡°Ah, let¡¯s just eat. Don¡¯t think about the past anymore, for it¡¯s all water under the bridge.¡± While Old Mr. Bailey was irate, food was still a necessity. Thus, the Baileys then ate, their pace slow since there were many of them here, time ticking by as they talked and tarried. During the meal, someone blurted, ¡°How rude! John Constance knows full well that we¡¯re here, yet he doesn¡¯t even come and greet us.¡± At this, the atmosphere turned oppressive. Isabelle lowered her gaze and stared at her bowl. Actually, she¡¯d also thought that John woulde over since they¡¯d first expressed their sincerity by going over to his room. Besides, almost everyone here was his elder, so he shoulde over to greet them no matter what. Since he isn¡¯t here yet when there are only two people over there, and they should be finishing by now, that means he isn¡¯t nning toe over. She pursed her lips and said nothing. Elder Mr. Bailey was also a tad chagrined, and he ordered Old Mr. Bailey to open the room door. As this private room was near the entrance of the corridor, John would definitely walk past when he left since he was further in. Knowing the reason behind it, Old Mr. Bailey went over and opened the room door. In fact, they didn¡¯t even have to wait for long before John and Sophia¡¯s voices drifted over, seemingly having just concluded their meal as well. Giggling, Sophia said, ¡°It¡¯s no surprise that we can¡¯t finish the food since you ordered so much.¡± Previous Chapter Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Isabelle turned and stared in the direction of the door. The voices sounded very near, and Sophia¡¯s giggles were evenced with shyness. Everyone in the room could hear the sounds from the corridor outside, so almost everyone was looking at the door. When Sophia and John appeared at the room door, Sophia was holding onto John¡¯s arm, her entire person leaning against him as though she was boneless. John, on the other hand, was on the other side of the door, so his expression wasn¡¯t quite discernible. Tittering, Sophia continued, ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly finish everything. What a waste!¡± After John¡¯s figure had passed the door, henguidly countered, ¡°Weren¡¯t you fond of such wastage in the past?¡± His voice was actually very cid without any particr emotion, but it sounded somewhat indulgent. Pursing her lips, Isabelle heaved a long and silent sigh. Everything Mrs. Constance told me doesn¡¯t quite fit the situation now. Beside her, Old Mr. Bailey lost his temper and snorted before he sprang up and mmed the door closed. Isabelle retracted her gaze. After a few seconds, she then chuckled. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat. Don¡¯t let such trivial things ruin our mood.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey seemed to have something to say, but after ncing at her, he kept silent. A strange atmosphere lingered in the room. Sophia, on the other hand, was walking on air. Only after getting into the car did she instantly squash the smile on her face. She stretchedzily before eximing, ¡°Ah, how gratifying!¡± However, it wasn¡¯t certain whether she was referring to the fact that she¡¯d stretched her muscles or deliberately riled some people. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. John said nothing, starting the car and driving away. When they were halfway home, his cell phone rang. Sophia initially didn¡¯t bother, but she then glimpsed the caller ID as she watched him take his cell phone out. Thus, she tut-tutted at him. ¡°You¡¯re driving, so you shouldn¡¯t be taking phone calls. Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s dangerous? Here, give it to me. I¡¯ll answer it for you.¡± Without giving him a chance to react, she lunged at him and snatched his cell phone away. Then, she swiped to unlock the screen and answered the call right away, feigning ignorance as to the caller¡¯s identity. ¡°Hello?¡± There was a sudden silence on the other end, so she repeated the greeting before grousing, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Subsequently, she put on a convincing show of looking at the caller ID and eximing in surprise, ¡°It¡¯s a call from your mother! Hah, if I¡¯d known that it¡¯s her, I wouldn¡¯t have answered it.¡± These words were directed to John, but still, she ced the call on loudspeaker and handed it to him. John truly didn¡¯t want to take offense to such a petty trick, so he merely greeted his mother and asked what the matter was. On the other end, Mrs. Constance was hopping mad. The disdain in Sophia¡¯s voice was in as day, and she heard every single word crystal clear. However, knowing that Sophia was right beside John, she couldn¡¯t talk smack about her, so she merely asked John whether he¡¯d eaten and whether he¡¯d been busy recently, all superficial questions. After answering her briefly, John then hung up on the pretext of driving, aware that she was rather ill at ease on the other end. Meanwhile, Sophia was humming as she sat cross-legged on the seat, appearing incredibly content. Truthfully speaking, this look of hers was really irritating. Upon seeing that he¡¯d hung up the phone, she snorted. ¡°By the way, your mother is truly nice to you.¡± John nced at her from his peripheral vision, only to see that she was still wearing a joyous expression. He pursed his lips, recalling the fact that Old Mr. Constance once said that Sophia¡¯s parents abandoned her when she was young. If it weren¡¯t for those two people, she wouldn¡¯t have had to lead such a difficult life. Nheless, from her expression now, she doesn¡¯t seem to have much longing for familial affection. When they arrived home, Sophia swung open the car door and checked on the flowers she¡¯d nted before returning to her bedroom. They both parted ways in the corridor, yet neither said a word. Back in her room, Sophia looked at her cell phone, only to see that the singer was reallying. He said that his flight would be arriving tomorrow and asked her when she had time. Sophia was momentarily surprised before she swiftly replied to his text. At present, I have nothing but money and time. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 149 Chapter 149 The next day, Sophia woke up early in the morning. After freshening up, she even applied light makeup. There were some frozen dumplings in the freezer, so she cooked two servings. Just when she¡¯d finished cooking, John came down. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. However, he was talking on the phone as he descended the stairs, and it appeared as though something had happened to hispany since his expression was rather grave. Sophia merely took a single nce before she retracted her gaze, not at all worried about Constance Company. All those old and young members of the Constance Family are with thepany, so if they can¡¯t manage the situation, then they really ought to retire from office. Anyway, John is probably not having breakfast judging from his predicament now. Saying nothing, she took a bowl of dumplings into the dining room. John answered the call in the living room, but he merely ordered the person on the other end to handle the matter first while waiting for him to arrive. After hanging up the phone, he whirled around and cast his gaze at the dining room. ¡°I won¡¯t be having breakfast today. I¡¯ve got to leave now.¡± A few seconds later, Sophia murmured a mild acknowledgment. John, however, added, ¡°I probably won¡¯t being back for lunch either, but I¡¯lle and pick you up for the banquet tonight.¡± Sophia stilled, only now remembering that the banquet he mentioned back then was tonight. She then indicated her assent, and he subsequently left. After having breakfast alone, Sophia straightened up the house for a bit before leaving upon seeing that it was almost time. She headed to the airport since the singer had given her his flight information, and she¡¯d promised to pick him up. As she took the highway, the entire stretch of road was clear, so it was still early when she arrived at the airport. Thus, she went into the arrival hall. Just when she¡¯d gone in, her cell phone rang with a call from Zack. She hadn¡¯t been taking his calls recently, not quite in the mood to do so since she didn¡¯t know what to say. After all, the Constance Family was about the sum of theirmon topic, and she truly didn¡¯t feel like bringing up that mess. After a moment¡¯s contemtion, she declined the call. Usually, Zack understood her meaning when she did this and would stop calling, but it was different this time. In the wake of her rejecting the call, Zack instantly called again, taking her aback. Hey, is this fe trying to challenge me? She ignored it, and his call was automatically disconnected. Immediately after, the third phone call came. Staring at her cell phone, Sophia frowned. At this time, the singer¡¯s flight hadn¡¯t yet arrived, so she pursed her lips and mulled the matter over. Zack is a sensible person, and he should be at work now. Hence, she finally answered the call. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, where are you? Come to thepany, quick!¡± Zack eximed on the other end as soon as the call was connected, his voice sounding truly panicked. Sophia startled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you see what the Inte is all abuzz about? Why didn¡¯t you surf the Inte today when you love keeping up with gossip every day?¡± Zack lowered his voice, but still, the urgency remained. Sophia indeed hadn¡¯t seen anything of the sort. Hey, I¡¯m not all that fond of keeping up with gossip, okay? Pulling a face, she asked, ¡°What happened? Hurry up and spit it out. I¡¯ve still got something to do over here.¡± Zack took a deep breath. ¡°Infinity Group went to the media. Come over quickly, and we¡¯ll talk further.¡± Sophia scoffed, ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯ll take a look at the news first and call you backter.¡± Without waiting for him to respond, she hung up on him. Then, she went on the Inte and took a look at the news while leaning against a pir in the arrival hall. There was no need to even search, for news reports rted to John were explosive at the moment. Mainly, it was about his business trip to Tri Asel back then. From the angle of the expos¨¦, it didn¡¯t seem as though it was done by President McCaw of Infinity Group. Rather, it seemed to be Miss Cox¡¯s doing. On the whole, it was about how she was in charge of entertaining John, so the two of them were together for several days. John then gradually treated her as more than regr business partners, but she naturally kept her distance. However, she did admit that she had some fondness for him after several days of contact. Subsequently, the two of them got tipsy at a banquet, upon which they had rtions, something understandable yet uneptable. That was the gist of it. There were too many news and versions, but itrgely boiled down to this. Since the news reports didn¡¯t side with Miss Cox, it appeared very much credible. Thements below were a varied mix, so Sophia didn¡¯t even bother scrolling through them. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 150 Chapter 150 Sophia was surprised, for nothing happened between John and the woman that day. Furthermore, there were multiple CCTVs there since it was a banquet, so once someone checks the CCTV footage, everything wille to light. It¡¯s indeed pandemonium with the public opinion now with this expos¨¦, but the bacsh when she¡¯s proven a liarter will be exceedingly severe. Instead of calling Zack back, she called John outright. John promptly answered the call, sounding rather cid. ¡°Is the scandal on the Inte impacting you much?¡± Sophia asked. John even chuckled as he replied, ¡°Impact is inevitable since others have no idea what transpired.¡± Perhaps everyone is more willing to believe such a scandalous thing. Sophia¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°There¡¯s CCTV footage, no?¡± Heaving a sigh, John remarked, ¡°They¡¯ve probably destroyed the CCTV footage.¡± That President McCaw is no fool, so he won¡¯t possibly stand out and use me boldly otherwise. Sophia, however, found it rather hrious. ¡°All the CCTV footage is gone?¡± After all, while I¡¯ve been avoiding the crowd when I was there that day, I did make an appearance at various events, so the CCTVs must have captured me. ¡°Since they dared to have the media publish this, they must have made the necessary preparations. Thus, there¡¯ll likely be no clues from the CCTV footage,¡± John answered. Sophia pursed her lips. At this precise moment, the arrival of the singer¡¯s flight was announced, so she walked toward the gate. On the other end, John startled. ¡°You¡¯re at the airport?¡± Sophia hummed in assent. ¡°The singer has arrived, so I came to pick him up.¡± John was silent for a long while before he said, ¡°You go ahead, then. I can handle things here by myself.¡± After saying this, he hung up on her without giving her any time to respond. Sophia stared at her cell phone. Then, she truly pushed him to the back of her mind and stood there waiting for some time. Spotting the singer as soon as he came out, she jumped up and down as she waved at him. The singer was empty-handed, merely shouldering a guitar. When he reached her, Sophia looked him up and down with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any luggage?¡± The singer was startled for a moment before he exined, ¡°I have a friend here, and I¡¯ll be staying at his ce, so I don¡¯t need any luggage.¡± Sophia nodded slowly. ¡°People like you who have traveled the world must have friends everywhere. My bad.¡± The singer merely chuckled and left the arrival hall with her. As soon as they stepped out, however, a car drove toward them. Although Sophia didn¡¯t know much about cars, she knew that the car had to be quite costly just from the looks of it. Her eyes bugged in bewilderment when the car came to a stop beside them, and the driver then alighted. Without sparing her a single nce, the driver went to the singer. ¡°Young Master Ian, Old Mr. Morgan asked me toe and pick you up.¡± The singer¡¯s usually amicable face was now devoid of expression. Taken aback, Sophia smacked her lips and looked up at him, her tone questioning as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s happening here? Are you a prince who dressed as amoner to mingle among the people?¡± The singer said nothing, wearing a long face. Likewise, the driver hadn¡¯t much expression on his face either. ¡°Young Master Ian, please don¡¯t make things difficult for me. Old Mr. Morgan has said that he¡¯ll dismiss me if I fail to bring you home.¡± Sophia blinked, at a loss as to her next course of action. I seem to be superfluous, standing here in such a situation. Feeling a touch difited, she moved a step to the side. ¡°Er¡­ Why don¡¯t you just¡­¡± Before she¡¯d finished speaking, the singer took a step to the side as well and pulled her into his embrace. Stiffening, Sophia eximed in bafflement. With his arm around her, the singer walked toward the airport exit. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with him. Let¡¯s go.¡± However, before they¡¯d even taken two steps forward, the door of the car behind the private car swung open, and a woman who was past her prime stepped out of the car. She had on a pair of sunsses and dressed like a wealthy woman, standing by the car door. ¡°Ian,e home if you¡¯re done with your tantrum.¡± Jolting, the singer stopped short. Sophia darted her gaze between the woman and him before asking in a whisper, ¡°W-Who is this?¡± The singer didn¡¯t answer her, and the woman didn¡¯t say anything further, merely staring at the former. The singer pursed his lips, not making a move this time. Meanwhile, the woman¡¯s driver hurried over to take the guitar, but the singer swung a hand and stopped him from touching the guitar. Inhaling deeply, he then steered Sophia to the side of the car at the front. Does this mean that he wants us to get into the car? Sophia didn¡¯t hesitate much since there wasn¡¯t any chance of getting out of this judging from the situation. She automatically climbed into the car, followed by the singer who slipped in beside her. After the driver had gotten in and started the car, she turned to look at him. ¡°This stunt you pulled today has me feeling at a loss.¡± The singer turned and gazed at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 151 Chapter 151 An apology actually made no difference at this time, and Sophia didn¡¯t think the singer had anything to apologize for either. She nced out the window for a moment, the issue with John slipping her mind entirely. ¡°What¡¯s your name? I¡¯ve never asked you this,¡± she asked in a low voice. Looking at her, the singer chuckled. ¡°Ian Morgan.¡± ¡°Ian Morgan,¡± Sophia repeated. ¡°It sounds pretty nice.¡± At this, she lowered her voice again. ¡°Was the woman earlier your mother?¡± Ian¡¯s expression froze. ¡°No.¡± Sophia chortled. ¡°I thought so. While I didn¡¯t see her entire face, I think you two look different.¡± Having thought of something, Ian sneered, ¡°We¡¯re not at all alike.¡± As the car drove away from the airport, it headed straight toward the city center. Finally, it came to a stop outside a vi. The vi was massive, so it was apparent that someone who had the wherewithal to purchase such a huge vi here despite the exorbitant price ofnd had a powerful family background. Sophia alighted from the car with Ian. Behind them, that woman¡¯s car also came to a stop. Standing beside the car, Sophia lowered her head and nced at her cell phone. Zack is calling again. All of a sudden, she recalled the fact that John was still facing a problem. Nevertheless, I don¡¯t think he needs me to help him out with the problem. I¡¯m sure he can resolve such a fictitious matter. Putting down the phone, she twisted her head and stared at the woman who was approaching from behind. The woman put on airs and nced at her when she walked past. Although the woman was wearing sunsses, she could sense the disdain on her face when looking at her. All at once, indignation flooded Sophia, and she harrumphed loudly when the woman passed her by. Stilling, the woman¡¯s head snapped back at Sophia, but Sophia didn¡¯t even spare her a nce, keeping her gaze on Ian instead. ¡°Is this your house?¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Ian pursed his lips, seemingly deliberating for a moment before nodding. ¡°Yeah.¡± His hesitation had Sophia feeling a tad surprised. After shouldering the guitar, Ian circled the car and came to stand beside her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Sophia actually had no idea why she followed him here. She felt that she should take her leave and only get together with Ian when he was free, but Ian raised his hand and ced it on her shoulder, applying slight force as he repeated, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He then steered her toward the vi ahead. Meanwhile, the woman had already gone over and was standing by the gate. Someone was at the gate, and he hurriedly opened the gate upon seeing her. Ignoring Sophia and Ian, the woman entered ahead of them. With his arm around Sophia, Ian followed her into the yard. There was only a single building in the yard, but it was very grand. At this time, the door on the ground floor was opened, and right opposite was a sofa facing the door. A man getting on in years was currently sitting upright on the sofa with both hands propped on a cane, staring in the direction of Ian and Sophia. Leading Sophia into the house, Ian stopped a few steps by the door. Sophia merely stood still and said nothing, while Ian pursed his lips before greeting the man as ¡®Dad¡¯ after a long while. Taken aback, Sophia frowned slightly and turned her gaze on the man on the sofa. It¡¯s rather surprising that this man could have a son like Ian considering his age. The woman who¡¯d entered with them earlier walked over and sat down beside the man. ¡°Bryce, I brought him home.¡± The old man stared at Ian for a while before shifting his gaze to Sophia. When he suddenly spoke, his voice sounded pleasant at that moment. ¡°Mrs. Constance?¡± Sophia froze. Huh? He knows me? Ian¡¯s hand was still on her shoulder, so the old man smiled. ¡°Ian, when did the two of you get acquainted?¡± While expressionless, Ian still answered his query, saying, ¡°A long time ago, shortly after I left home.¡± Nodding, the old man chuckled. ¡°How impressive!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 152 Chapter 152 Sophia didn¡¯t quite understand the old man¡¯s remark. The old man then slowly got up from the sofa and headed toward her and Ian with his cane. He was stooped since he was in his twilight years, thus appearing an entire head shorter than Ian who was standing ramrod straight. Nheless, his aura more than made up for that fact. He stared at Ian for a long time before nodding. ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight.¡± All at once, Sophia turned and looked at Ian as well, finding this interaction between father and son rather strange. At this precise moment, the woman stood up and came over to help support the old man. ¡°You must have waited here all morning. Now that you¡¯ve seen him, you can rest easy. So, let¡¯s go upstairs and rest, okay?¡± The old man¡¯s gaze shifted to Sophia but he said nothing, merely nodding in utter satisfaction. Such an attitude had goosebumps rising all over Sophia¡¯s body. Then, he turned around. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m tired, so help me upstairs to rest.¡± The woman held the old man¡¯s arm, but the moment she pivoted, she threw Sophia an intense look. As Sophia had a bad impression of the woman, she outright rolled her eyes at her. Only when the two of them had left did Ian drop his arm from around her and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Take a seat. I¡¯ll just go and put my stuff away.¡± That was in reference to his guitar. Nodding, Sophia plopped down onto the sofa unceremoniously. Meanwhile, Ian strode up the stairs. However, he took a long time just to put his guitar away, and when he came down, he was with the woman. The two of them came down one after another, both their expressions forbidding. Ian got to thending first and walked over to Sophia, upon which she stood up. Then, he dered, ¡°Let¡¯s go and grab a bite.¡± Just as his words reached them, the woman behind him spoke, but this time, her voice was acrid and derisive. ¡°You¡¯ve juste home, yet you¡¯re going out to eat. If your father learns about it, he might think that I¡¯m mistreating you.¡± Stiffening, Ian retorted caustically, ¡°Does me having a meal here prove that you¡¯re not mistreating me?¡± The woman was stunned, and she stared at him in disbelief. Ian then snorted. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Taking Sophia by the arm, he walked out of the living room. The yard was very spacious, with a simple garage at the side that housed two cars, and Ian went into the garage right away. Heading toward one of the cars, Ian grabbed the car key and unlocked it. Sophia gave the car a once- over. This car doesn¡¯t seem cheap either. Looking back at her, Ian said, ¡°Get in.¡± Giggling, Sophia hurried over. ¡°You¡¯re loaded, huh? I couldn¡¯t even tell since you kept too low a profile previously.¡± Ian said nothing, merely starting the car and driving out. When they left the vi, they could still see that woman standing at the entrance to the living room, staring at them with her arms crossed, the expression on her face mildly resentful. When they were a distance away, Sophia asked, ¡°Who was that woman?¡± Her rtionship with that old man doesn¡¯t seem tonic, but Ian said she isn¡¯t his mother. Ian pursed his lips. As he stepped harder on the gas pedal, the car instantly picked up speed. After a while, he answered, ¡°My stepmother.¡± His stepmother? At this, understanding began to dawn upon Sophia. Smacking her lips, she nodded. ¡°It seems that your father is truly affluent.¡± At his age, the only reason he has such a young wife can be nothing other than his money. That woman is no fool. While the old man has decent looks, his age is in as day. If he doesn¡¯t have something enticing to offer, she couldn¡¯t possibly have just sacrificed her youth. While they were still driving, her cell phone rang again. It¡¯s still Zack! Aggravation swamped her. John isn¡¯t even worried, yet he¡¯s exhorting me time and again. This time, she answered the call. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, my boss is currently in trouble, yet you¡¯re not in the least concerned. Are you truly not worried? H-H-Have you forgotten your identity?¡± Zack¡¯s voice was filled with incredulity. Leaning back against the seat, Sophia guffawed. ¡°H-H-Have you forgotten my identity? Think carefully.¡± Zack paused and went silent at once. Since she¡¯d told Ian plenty before, Sophia wasn¡¯t at all afraid to speak in front of him. ¡°John and I got divorced a long time ago. Now that he¡¯s in trouble, I can only do my best to help him out, but worry? Do you think that¡¯s something I should be doing?¡± she said into the phone.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 153 Chapter 153 Since silence reigned on Zack¡¯s end, Sophia continued, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to worry so much on behalf of your boss. Constance Company is vast, so they must have experienced all sorts of things. You should trust that your boss can resolve such a trivial matter, so calm down, young man.¡± After a few seconds, Zack changed the subject. ¡°Where are you now? Are you still with that singer?¡± Sophia blurted an assent. ¡°Yup. We¡¯re going to grab a bite.¡± She turned and looked at Ian while saying into the phone, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wrap this up. You must be quite busy over there, so I¡¯ll talk to you next time.¡± After saying that, she hung up the phone. Turning his head, Ian nced at her. ¡°Your ex-husband?¡± ¡°My ex-husband¡¯s assistant. My ex-husband wouldn¡¯t call me because of such a matter.¡± Sophia chortled. John is actually a very prideful person, so he won¡¯t contact me over such an issue unless he needs me to make an appearance. Even so, he¡¯ll definitely sound as calm as ever, unlike Zack who moans and groans. Ian then drove her to a small restaurant. While it wasn¡¯t anything luxurious, Sophia liked it since it was such ces she often patronized in the past. They went in and sat in the lobby before the server came over with a menu.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Ian handed the menu to her, but she wasn¡¯t hungry since she¡¯d eaten quite a lot of dumplings in the morning. Besides, it wasn¡¯t even noon yet. So, she slid the menu back to him. ¡°You go ahead and order. I¡¯m actually not hungry as I had a heavy breakfast.¡± Ian didn¡¯t refuse. After all, he hadn¡¯t eaten anything in the morning, and he only took a few bites of the in-flight meal. While he was ordering, Sophia took a look at the news on the Inte again. Owing to the fact that her and John¡¯s wedding back then was grand, news reports were pouring in at an overwhelming rate. The scandal of John betraying his marriage vows before a year had even passed was definitely attention- grabbing news, and seemingly sensing this, the media pounced on it. However, she didn¡¯t find any press statements from the Constance Family even after searching for a while, not even a single one. Bafflement swept through her. What is the Constance Family doing? Don¡¯t tell me they aren¡¯t nning to address this matter? Aren¡¯t they aware that many false rumors have been taken as the truth after being circted around, especially when this is such a huge sh*tstorm? Well, they shouldn¡¯t be keeping mum. While Sophia was stumped, Zack was like a cat on hot bricks. However, it wasn¡¯t because of the news on the Inte. At present, Zack had paced back and forth countless times before the sofa in John¡¯s office. Then, he whirled around and stared at John. ¡°Boss, what do you think Miss Gwendolyn meant by that? Does she trust you that much?¡± John was looking at hisputer which was filled with gossip about him. Someone even dug out his wedding photos with Sophia, erging their pre-wedding photo and wedding photo during the reception. Sophia was smiling in the pre-wedding photo, the corners of her eyes crinkling. However, his expression was a touch cold. Thus, they didn¡¯t quite match. Simrly, she appeared happy in the wedding photo during the reception, while he wore a long face the entire time. He actually couldn¡¯t remember the situation back then anymore. In actual fact, he wasn¡¯t all that unhappy that day, merely busy, but perhaps he neglected to adjust his expression ordingly. Thinking about that, he sighed soundlessly. Zack continued, eximing, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn is truly not worried at all!¡± Upon hearing this, John retracted his gaze from theputer and snorted without responding. After all, he heard everything Sophia said on the phone earlier. It¡¯s not about trusting me at all. She just can¡¯t be bothered since it¡¯s of no concern to her. Dejected, Zack plopped onto the sofa and changed the subject. ¡°So, are we really not going to do anything and just allow the rumors out there to make their rounds?¡± He twisted around and looked at John. ¡°That will greatly impact both you and thepany.¡± John, however, was clearly unconcerned. ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. Infinity Group must be at the end of its rope to make such a move.¡± It¡¯s a fictitious story, so while it could be effective when used to ckmail me privately, it could never hold up to scrutiny when it bes known to the entire world since it¡¯s fake anyway. When it¡¯s proven fake in the end, the repercussions will definitely be severe for Infinity Group, so they¡¯re probably trying to take us with them considering their precarious situation these days. Upon hearing this, curiosity gripped Zack. ¡°Boss, tell me. How did you handle those people from Infinity Group when they set you up back then?¡± he asked in a sly voice. John raised his eyes and stared at him without saying a single word. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 154 Chapter 154 After eating, Sophia and Ian went for a drive until it was time for lunch break at noon. Sophia then asked Ian to drive her to the city center. When the car came to a stop, she unfastened her seat belt. ¡°Your house isn¡¯t far from here, so you should go home and rest. You must be tired now since you took an early morning flight. Let¡¯s go out again when you¡¯re free,¡± she suggested in an animated voice. Meanwhile, Ian had reverted to his usual calm expression. After staring at her for a while, he nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Swinging open the car door, Sophia alighted and waved at him through the window. Ian then drove away. Turning around, Sophia gazed at the office building a near distance away and sighed. That was Constance Company. She actually wanted to ask Ian to drop her off in front of Constance Company earlier, but the media surrounded the entrance. Thus, she couldn¡¯t do so. It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid of being photographed, but the thing was that Ian was there. If she were photographed sitting in another man¡¯s car with just the two of them, there would probably be another intriguing rumor on top of John¡¯s scandal. She then sauntered toward Constance Company leisurely. Just when she¡¯d gotten close, someone recognized her and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s Sophia Gwendolyn, the Young Mistress of the Constance Family!¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia stopped short and stared at the reporters who¡¯d appeared out of nowhere, running toward her in a mad dash. She quickly put a smile on her face and stood there waiting without hurrying away. There were too many people swarming Sophia, making her slightly unsteady on her feet. ¡°Hear, hear, calm down. Please take your time, and if there¡¯s anything you¡¯d like to ask, please do so one by one. Don¡¯t rush, okay? Safety is a priority,¡± she promptly eximed. Her calm and unruffled deportment had the paparazzi settling as well. After all, they were only frenzied because they were afraid that Sophia would run off. Since she was now looking all willing to ept their interviews, they were no longer frantic. Someone then thrust a microphone into her face. ¡°Mrs. Constance, is the expos¨¦ on the Inte true? Did Mr. Constance truly betray you?¡± The corners of Sophia¡¯s mouth lifted. ¡°It¡¯s true that he went on a business trip and had some wine during the party. However, only these two things are true.¡± The paparazzo then hurriedly asked, ¡°Mrs. Constance, do you know of the female employee with the surname Cox mentioned in the expos¨¦? We¡¯ve investigated her, and she¡¯s indeed an employee of Infinity Group. Besides, she was also in charge of entertaining Mr. Constance.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I know her, and we¡¯ve even eaten at the same table before.¡± Her answer stunned the paparazzo who¡¯d asked the question. ¡°You¡¯ve seen that employee before, Mrs. Constance? When was that?¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°I actually apanied my husband on his business trip, and we met Miss Cox the very night we arrived at Tri Asel. If you¡¯d all done your homework, you¡¯d known that the hotel had a bonfire party that night, and I even received aplimentary custom-made dress from the hotel just to attend the bonfire party.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. At this, the reporters looked at each other. They¡¯d been focusing on John and Infinity Group from the very beginning itself, so it¡¯d never crossed their minds that John actually brought Sophia along on his business trip. Blinking, a smile bloomed on Sophia¡¯s face. ¡°If you have the means, you can even check the flight records. I was on the same flight as my husband, and we had adjacent seats. Say, I was already there, so wouldn¡¯t I have attended Infinity Group¡¯s party?¡± After saying that, she chortled. ¡°What other questions do you have? Since you¡¯ve caught me, I¡¯ll just rify everything.¡± A reporter at the side persisted, asking, ¡°Are you now here for a public rtions stunt on behalf of your husband, Mrs. Constance? Why isn¡¯t Mr. Constance exining this himself?¡± Pursing her lips, Sophia feigned an expression of contemtion. ¡°Hmm, this is a good question. However, if your memory works, please think back to the past. When has my husband evere forward to exin things no matter what happened?¡± Indeed, John had almost never made an appearance before the media. Back then, when Old Mr. Constance passed away, there were conspiracy theorists who imed severe internal strife within Constance Company after Old Mr. Constance¡¯s departure and even dered that John was the biggest beneficiary in the event of his death, controlling half the Constance Family with William, and so on. At that time, he acted as though he heard none of these rumors and ignored everything. All these years, this had been his style¡ªnever exining himself or making an appearance. Sophia gazed at the reporters. ¡°Naturally, everything I said would be an excuse in your eyes, so just go and check whether my words are true. Next! Who¡¯s next? Is there any other question?¡± She was truly facing the media with aplomb, turning this into a fan meeting instead. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 155 Chapter 155 John, who was up in the building, actually knew about Sophia being surrounded by the media long ago. After all, it was such a hugemotion right at thepany¡¯s front doors. It would be absurd had he not noticed it. Zack was extremely worried, wanting to rush down to protect Sophia right away. However, John appeared unconcerned. ¡°You¡¯ll only add to the chaos if you go down. Sophia isn¡¯t the idiot you think she is. Since she darede here, she must be prepared.¡± He recalled how she¡¯d riled Mrs. Constance up that day to the point that she almost passed out from anger several times. Even Mom who¡¯s such an overbearing person lost at Sophia¡¯s hand. While the media is slick, they might not necessarily be her match either. After all, she¡¯s no longer the person she was in the past. John waited in his office for a long time, but Sophia never came. Instead, William came. ¡°Sophia is surrounded by the media downstairs. How are the two of you doing these days? Will she say anything inappropriate?¡± William anxiously asked as soon as he entered. John understood his meaning. It was only a few days earlier that Sophia had a row with Mrs. Constance, so it was very likely that she hadn¡¯t yet cooled off. If she were to go along with Infinity Group¡¯s usations at this critical juncture, it wouldn¡¯t look good for the Constance Family. Standing by the window, he gazed out, but he was too high up to see the situation below clearly. After a few seconds, he replied, ¡°She won¡¯t.¡± If William hadn¡¯t mentioned that, he wouldn¡¯t even have thought of it. However, he believed that Sophia wouldn¡¯t do that. There was no basis, but he just trusted her. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . On the other hand, Sophia wasn¡¯t at all bothered by the fact that no one from Constance Company came out to help her. She jabbered and talked about everything under the sun. The media had probably never seen someone as cooperative as her, so they softened toward her and didn¡¯t make things difficult for her. In the end, Sophia even sighed. ¡°You all must have waited here for a long time. You should just disperse since I¡¯ve already told you everything I know. Even if you continue waiting here, the people inside won¡¯t give you any answers. Thus, don¡¯t make life difficult for yourselves. Go find a ce to take a drink and rest for a while. I¡¯m sure it hasn¡¯t been easy for any of you.¡± Everyone chuckled. Indeed, it hasn¡¯t been easy. We¡¯ve been here for the entire afternoon, yet we didn¡¯t get anything. That was what most of them thought. Sophia waved a hand. ¡°The sun is right overhead now, so you shouldn¡¯t continue waiting here. If you truly need to show your bosses something,e back when it¡¯s cool in the afternoon. Go back, go back.¡± Since they¡¯d gotten answers from her for most of the questions they wanted to ask, they didn¡¯t persist but left one after another. Sophia stretched as she stood there. Then, she strutted into Constance Company. The security guard and receptionist were standing at the lobby entrance on the ground floor, and upon seeing her, they both greeted, ¡°Mrs. Constance, you¡¯re here.¡± Sophia murmured an acknowledgment. ¡°I¡¯m going up to look for John.¡± She was unruffled, seemingly not at all perturbed. These employees didn¡¯t know what transpired during John¡¯s business trip, so they did wonder about the truth to those rumors on the Inte. Now that they saw Sophia¡¯s indifferent attitude, all of them breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, they seem to be just baseless rumors. Sophia then took the elevator up. The moment she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Zack, who was so wracked with nerves that he stood guard at the elevator doors, and his eyes instantly bulged at the sight of her. ¡°What did you say to the media?¡± Snorting, Sophia walked toward John¡¯s office. ¡°I¡¯ve said everything I ought to say. You¡¯ll know when you see the news reports on the Inteter. Don¡¯t expect me to repeat it to you because I¡¯ll die of exhaustion if I do so.¡± William was still in John¡¯s office, and Sophia frowned slightly when she spotted him upon entering the room after pushing open the door. Hesitating, she didn¡¯t know how she should address him, for she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to address him as she did in the past now that they were not family. She pursed her lips for a long time before finally greeting, ¡°Mr. Constance.¡± Probably not ustomed to this address as well, William paused for a moment before asking, ¡°What did you say to the media?¡± When it was him now, Sophia couldn¡¯t be as perfunctory as she was with Zack. Thus, she simply answered, ¡°I just exined the events that transpired during John¡¯s business trip. I didn¡¯t say much.¡± William nodded, seemingly relieved. On the other hand, John sat at his desk and gazed at her cidly. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Sophia stared at John. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± John said nothing, but he subtly shed her a lukewarm smile, which had her baffled. At the side, William stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the two of you. I¡¯ve still got something to do, so please excuse me.¡± After he¡¯d left, John retracted his gaze and asked nonchntly, ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Sophia murmured an assent. ¡°Yup. Are you going on your lunch break now?¡± It¡¯s already past lunchtime now. At this time, Zack came over. ¡°I ordered delivery. Boss and I will be eating in the office since we¡¯ll inevitably bump into those paparazzi if we go out.¡± Sophia plopped onto the sofa. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Those reporters are actually very easy to dismiss. They just want to know the truth of the matter, so you just need to tell them the truth.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Guffawing, Zack looked at her. ¡°Young missy, you¡¯re rather na?ve.¡± Sophia arched an eyebrow but said nothing. At this time, John had taken his cell phone out, and it was vibrating. Sophia nced at him out of the corner of her eyes. It can only be a call from Constance Residence at such a time. Sure enough, John answered the call after a single nce and greeted the person as ¡®Mom¡¯. Sophia rolled her eyes wordlessly. Mrs. Constance had already called several times earlier, rendered restless at home by the news reports on the Inte that popped out one after another. However, John was rather patient, saying that it was fine and he could resolve it. Unaware that Sophia had already spoken to the media, Mrs. Constance hurriedly inquired about her stance. Her thinking was actually simr to William¡¯s, worried that Sophia harbored resentment against her and would grab this opportunity to talk smack with the media. John chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Sophia has spoken to the media and exined things to them, so the matter should be resolved in no time.¡± Mrs. Constance breathed a faint sigh of relief at this. At the side, Sophia scoffed internally, Hah, these people have finally realized my importance! Mrs. Constance probably wanted to say something else, but John then heard Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s voice. Sounding very calm, it was obvious that she was more imperturbable than Mrs. Constance. ¡°That¡¯s enough. If anything, don¡¯t invite Isabelle home so often.¡± There was a pause, and Mrs. Constance sounded a tad embarrassed as she countered, ¡°Mom, I just brought Belle home to visit.¡± Old Mrs. Constance snorted. ¡°Just you wait until the media starts reporting about Isabelle and John, then see whether Sophia will still side with our family.¡± This deration choked Mrs. Constance. At this, John nced at Sophia from his peripheral vision, only to see that she was leaning over Zack, looking at his cell phone and chatting with him about something or other. She was trulyid-back here, for she had now removed her shoes and was sitting cross-legged on the sofa. After looking her up and down, John retracted his gaze. Subsequently, he said into the phone, ¡°I¡¯m going to eat now, so let¡¯s wrap this up. You and Grandma don¡¯t have to worry. Everything is fine.¡± Mrs. Constance then hung up the phone after responding with an affirmation. Meanwhile, Sophia was checking out what Zack ordered, shamelessly eximing over everything she liked. Zack indulged her, saying, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll give you these two when they arriveter.¡± Only after saying that did he find it strange. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already eat with that singer friend of yours just now?¡± Speaking of this, Sophia remembered something, and she gazed at him seriously. ¡°You know what? That singer turned out to be the second-eldest young master of some rich family. Let me tell you, I was truly shocked today.¡± John was staring at them both. Perhaps she was getting worked up, Sophia then changed her sitting posture. ¡°I went to his house today, and his father even knew me,¡± she stated in an extremely solemn voice. Missing the point, Zack eximed, ¡°You¡¯ve even gone to his house and met his parents?¡± Taken aback by his question, Sophia retorted indignantly, ¡°You must have scored very low in reading comprehension back in school, huh?¡± After she¡¯d said this, she swiveled to face John. Panicked all of a sudden, John hurriedly retracted his gaze, feeling as though he¡¯d been caught red- handed for peeping. Difiture flooded him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 157 Chapter 157 Sophia, however, didn¡¯t notice John¡¯s subtle action, merely staring at him seriously. ¡°I find it truly strange that he knew me when I rarely go out.¡± Schooling his expression, John asked calmly, ¡°You went to his house?¡± Sophia nodded and even blurted out the location of Ian¡¯s house outright. ¡°It was a rather huge house. His family must be exceedingly affluent since it¡¯s right in the city center.¡± The moment John heard the location, he knew which family it was. Lowering his head, he put away the documents on his desk. ¡°It should be the Morgan Family, then.¡± Sophia blinked. ¡°Yes, yes, his first name is Morgan. You¡¯re acquainted with him?¡± John murmured an affirmation. ¡°I once saw the patriarch of the Morgan Family, Old Mr. Morgan, when I was entertaining clients. We¡¯re not acquaintances per se since there are no business dealings between us.¡± The Morgan Family is in investment, and they seem to be doing rather well, but¡­ He fixed his gaze on her. ¡°From a friend¡¯s perspective, I¡¯d advise you to keep your distance from this family.¡± The corners of Sophia¡¯s mouth turned down for a moment. ¡°Why?¡± John said nothing, so she grew chagrined and muttered, ¡°You asked me to keep my distance from Dn, and now Ian, but you won¡¯t even give me a reason. John Constance, what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Before John could respond, Zack piped up from the side, ¡°Can¡¯t you guess? Boss is jealous.¡± All at once, John¡¯s head snapped up and Sophia swiveled, both staring at him in unison. The smile on his face slowly faded, and his voice became a mere whisper. ¡°I was just joking. Why are you two looking at me like this? Can¡¯t I even joke?¡± After that, no one spoke. Picking up her cell phone, Sophia started reading the news reports on the Inte. I wonder when those reporters willpile my interview earlier into an article and publish it. I think I did a good job and have exined everything perfectly. Meanwhile, John was reclining in his chair. Shortly after, his cell phone vibrated again, and this time it was a message. Picking it up, he took a nce, only to see that the message was from Isabelle. She was also asking about the news reports on the Inte, inquiring whether it was impacting him much. Judging from the contents of this message, she believes that I didn¡¯t do anything. After contemting for a moment, he replied that everything was fine. Immediately after, the second message came in. This time, she said that she knew some people in the media who could help to publish some articles to proim his innocence. John stared at it for a long time before replying, saying that it wasn¡¯t necessary and adding a thank you at the end. He had some acquaintances in the media as well, but he dislikeding forward to rify things. Rather, he preferred to speak with evidence when the matter had brewed sufficiently. Again, another message came in from Isabelle who said that she didn¡¯t want to watch him being vilified. This time, John didn¡¯t reply anymore. Putting down his cell phone, he took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one without any regard for the others. Before Sophia could find the news report she wanted to see on the Inte, the food Zack ordered arrived. Even more excited than Zack, she jumped off the sofa and slipped her shoes back on, leaving her cell phone on the sofa. Zack had ordered quite a lot, and it was all at the reception desk. As it was now lunch break, the receptionist couldn¡¯t bring the food up since she was managing the front desk alone. Thus, Sophia went down with Zack to get the food. Just after they¡¯d gone out, Sophia¡¯s cell phone that was on the sofa rang. At first, John didn¡¯t pay it any mind, but when no one answered the first time, it then instantly started ringing again. Getting up slowly, he went over and picked it up. The caller ID on the screen shed with the name ¡®Ian Morgan¡¯. Since they¡¯d just spoken of the Morgan Family a moment ago, he more or less knew who it was. After pondering for a moment, he took the call. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. The person on the other end started, ¡°Sophia?¡± With a hand in his pocket, John cast his gaze over at the window. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Ian was startled. After a few seconds, he asked, ¡°John Constance?¡± John snorted. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m John Constance.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 158 Chapter 158 It didn¡¯t seem as though there was any awkwardness on Ian¡¯s part, for he outright asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Sophia?¡± Turning partly, John nced out the office, but he didn¡¯t see any sign of Sophia and Zack. Thus, he answered, ¡°She stepped out. Is anything the matter?¡± Is anything the matter? After thinking for a moment, Ian said, ¡°I¡¯ll call her backter, then.¡± After saying that, he hung up right away. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Holding Sophia¡¯s cell phone, John stared at it for a long while before snorting indifferently. He must be aware of my rtionship with Sophia, else he wouldn¡¯t have been soposed. Whoever ces a call only to be answered by the callee¡¯s husband will be slightly difited, but not him. Besides, he felt that Sophia must have told Ian that they were divorced judging from Ian¡¯s interaction with her. She really trusts him, huh? He then tossed the cell phone back onto the sofa without deleting the call history. He¡¯d just returned to his desk and taken his seat when Sophia and Zack came back. Zack ordered quite a lot of food, and the two of themid out the food on the coffee table across the sofa. As Sophia laid out the tableware, she urged John, ¡°Come and eat. Hmm, you didn¡¯t eat in the morning, so don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t eaten anything until now?¡± Stilling briefly, Zack stole a peek at her. Then, he eximed, ¡°He didn¡¯t eat breakfast? If so, he hasn¡¯t eaten anything until now. He¡¯s been busy ever since he came. Ah well, he isn¡¯t a robot, so his body won¡¯t be able to take it.¡± Startled, Sophia scoffed, ¡°So, he truly hasn¡¯t eaten, huh? Well, is there a need to be so anxious just because of a paltry matter?¡± Zack was stunned, having not expected such a reaction from her, for he¡¯d thought that she¡¯d be a touch concerned at least. After cautiously peeking at John, he breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that he wasn¡¯t affected in the least. John waited until they¡¯d set the table beforeing over, taking a seat beside Zack. After taking a bite, he said, ¡°A friend of yours called earlier. He rang twice, so I took the call for you.¡± Sophia murmured an acknowledgment. ¡°Who called?¡± John¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°The caller ID was Ian Morgan.¡± ¡°Oh, him.¡± Sophia beamed. ¡°I¡¯ll call him back after eating.¡± If it were a single youngdy wearing her exuberant expression, one would even think that the caller was a lover. As they began eating, no one said anything. Sophia wasn¡¯t all that hungry now since she¡¯d eaten a bit with Ian earlier, so she was mainly picking the things she liked and taking a few bites. Then, she put down her cutlery. ¡°You guys eat. I¡¯m going out to make a phone call.¡± When she¡¯d gone out, Zack groused in displeasure, ¡°What the hell? She has just known him for a few days, yet she¡¯s this ted by a mere phone call?¡± John chuckled. ¡°Perhaps they just get along well.¡± Zack curled his lips. ¡°The Morgan Family isn¡¯tparable to the Constance Family, so it¡¯s isn¡¯t worthwhile for Miss Gwendolyn to abandon you and find someone from the Morgan Family.¡± John threw Zack a look. ¡°There isn¡¯t such a concept in love. Compatibility is the key.¡± After he¡¯d said this, he paused for two seconds before adding, ¡°I¡¯m ipatible with Sophia.¡± Pursing his lips, Zack muttered after a long while, ¡°What constitutes beingpatible and vice versa?¡± Well¡­ John couldn¡¯t quite answer this. At the end of the day, I¡¯m just notpatible with Sophia in all aspects. She isn¡¯t the type of woman I want although I¡¯m not sure what that is. Raising his head, he gazed out a window on this side of the corridor and saw Sophia standing in the corridor, talking on the phone. She was rather happy, her face wreathed in a smile, and he stared at her for a long time. If I just have to name one aspect in which we¡¯repatible, then perhaps it¡¯s only physicalpatibility we share. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 159 Chapter 159 Meanwhile, Sophia unconsciously meandered while she talked on the phone. Ian saw the news reports on the Inte, thus he asked her whether she was affected, to which she said that it didn¡¯t really affect her much. Besides, even if she was dragged into this, she¡¯d certainly be pitied by the public and might even garner some fans. Ian was relieved upon seeing her optimistic attitude, but still, he asked, ¡°Why are you and your ex- husband keeping the divorce under wraps?¡± She has never exined this to me. Subsequently, the doors of the elevator on the other side opened. As soon as Dn stepped out, he spotted thedy who was in the corridor. Sophia was putting her cell phone away with a smile, the dimples on her cheeks ying peekaboo. In fact, she was leaning against the wall in the corridor, seemingly not at all affected by those rumors on the Inte. Just after Dn had taken a few steps toward her after exiting the elevator, Sophia turned around, a smile lingering on her face. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Dn nodded. ¡°Yup. Why are you standing here? Where¡¯s John?¡± Sophia jutted her chin at John¡¯s office. ¡°He¡¯s eating. I stepped out to take a call.¡± Standing still, Dn looked at her. ¡°I heard that you were surrounded by the media downstairs this morning. Are you okay?¡± Sophia was momentarily taken aback before sheughed uproariously. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m good. The media is actually quite nice. They didn¡¯t make things difficult for me.¡± Dn nodded. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± Then, he headed to his office. Sophia, however, remained standing in the corridor as she looked at her cell phone. There are now new reports about me on the Inte! These reporters are truly well-informed when writing gossip, and they¡¯ve actually found my flight information to Tri Asel in just a few hours. Indeed, she was on the same flight as John and even stayed in the same hotel. Moreover, a news article even mentioned her going out to buy contraceptives. T-T-This¡­ This is scary! Sophia frowned. They can even find out such a thing? After a brief read-through, she quickly strode toward John¡¯s office. John was still looking at theputer, while Zack had already left. Barging in, Sophia eximed, ¡°Hey, hey, have you seen the news? Everything I exined has now been published!¡± John¡¯s eyes were fixed on theputer, the screen filled with the news reports from the Inte. After scrutinizing everything and analyzing the media¡¯s perspective and opinion, he then smirked. The media is really good at digging that they managed to dig out the details of everything that happened in Tri Asel. How impressive! He¡¯d never liked how these people invaded someone else¡¯s privacy, but this time, he somewhat looked forward to watching the show. I wonder what other tricks Infinity Group has up its sleeves now that so much evidence is popping up. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Meanwhile, Sophia promptly rushed over upon seeing that he was ignoring her. Sprawling on his desk, she turned her head and looked at hisputer. ¡°Oh, you saw it!¡± As she was sprawled out, her cor drooped, revealing an enticing sight of creamy abundance. John averted his gaze and pinned his eyes on theputer. ¡°Yeah, I saw it.¡± Sophia grinned. ¡°Look how effective I am! I¡¯ve noticed that the tide has now turned.¡± This slight gesture of seeking credit made her appear a tad childish, so John threw her a look out of the corner of his eye. To ensure that he didn¡¯t look somece inappropriate, he promptly retracted his gaze after a brief nce. However, Sophia didn¡¯t notice anything amiss. She remained sprawled with her head turned to stare at theputer screen which so happened to show a picture of her smiling while surrounded by the media. Her dressing made her appear much younger, rendering her enchanting and alluring, while her smile was pleasant. Gratified at this picture of hers, she smacked her lips. ¡°Look, I¡¯m so photogenic! I can even be a celebrity!¡± Such a shameless remark had John feeling rather perturbed, and he got to his feet right away. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while. If you don¡¯t have anything to do, just wait here for me to get off work. Then, we¡¯ll go and get mmed up together.¡± Oh yes, there¡¯s a banquet tonight, and it just had to be now, coinciding with John¡¯s scandal. He¡¯ll definitely have the limelight on him during the banquet tonight. Sophia deliberated things for a moment. I indeed don¡¯t have anything to do this afternoon. Thus, she nodded. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll wait for you here, then.¡± John then left, while she stayed in his office. After waiting for a while, boredom set in, upon which she got up and went to his private room. The bedsheet has been changed. She snorted. That mysophobic, John Constance, must have changed it because he found it repulsive that I once slept here. Well, I just want to repulse him! Slipping off her shoes, she flopped onto the bed and even rolled around. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 160 Chapter 160 After rolling around for a while, drowsiness inundated Sophia since she got up early this morning. Hugging John¡¯s nket, she then closed her eyes and dozed off groggily. After some time, she roused groggily as well. She slowly sat up and perked up her ears, listening to the two people talking outside, a man and a woman, their voices distinct. Smirking, shenguidly got out of bed and padded to the small closet at the side barefooted. A few of John¡¯s shirts hung in the closet, all of the same type¡ªshirt, suit, and the like. She took a shirt out and promptly stripped before slipping on the shirt. There was a mirror in the closet, and she unbuttoned two buttons at the cor after looking at her reflection in the mirror. Hmm, this looks much more sultry. Ruffling her hair, she then walked over to the door. She pushed open the door gently and even symbolically rubbed her eyes while whining, ¡°John, I¡¯m thirsty. The food during lunch was just too salty. Do you have water here?¡± All the once, the voices outside ceased. Squinting, Sophia gazed at them and stared intently. John¡¯s expression was unruffled, but Isabelle, who was at the side, had several expressions shing across her face. Sounding slightly panicked, Sophia eximed, ¡°You have a guest?¡± John stared at her for a few heartbeats. ¡°Go and get changed.¡± Murmuring an acquiescence, Sophia retreated back into the bedroom. When she¡¯d closed the door, the panic on her face vanished in a puff of smoke. All smiles, she even hummed softly as she changed into her clothes. When she went out again, Isabelle¡¯s expression was much moreposed as she sat on the sofa with a ss of water before her. There was also a ss of water on John¡¯s desk, so Sophia went right over and picked it up, taking several gulps without even asking for permission. This is John¡¯s ss, so he¡¯ll probably toss it after I¡¯d used it. She smirked. No matter. I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m just vexed now, vexation swamping me whenever I see Isabelle Bailey. And when I¡¯m vexed, no one else is allowed to be happy! John was still sitting in his chair when Isabelle looked up at Sophia. ¡°I never thought that you¡¯d be here, Miss Gwendolyn.¡± Sophia smirked, putting on an exasperated expression. ¡°Ahem, wrong address there.¡± Startled, Isabelle then chuckled. ¡°Sorry, I forgot.¡± The smile on Sophia¡¯s face was as fake as a three-dor bill. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯ll get used to it in time.¡± Asking Isabelle Bailey to address me as Mrs. Constance is probably killing her. She then went over and sat down across from Isabelle. ¡°You came here for a work matter, Miss Bailey?¡± Isabelle murmured an assent. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here to discuss the details of the coboration. I¡¯ll be handling the coboration in future, so I came over to specifically study the contract with Mr. Constance.¡± Nodding slowly, Sophiamented, ¡°I truly envy capable people like you. You¡¯re responsible for so many things, and you even manage to do a good job. I can¡¯t do that.¡± Isabelle smiled. ¡°It isn¡¯t all that difficult.¡± Sophia heaved a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s rather difficult for me. I¡¯m the kind of person who naturally needs a man to support me, and fortunately, I really found a man who¡¯s willing to support me. Say, it¡¯s truly a rare find. Haha¡­¡± She giggled with a hand over her mouth and even cocked an eyebrow at John. Reclining in his chair, John looked at the two of them without much expression on his face. At this moment, Sophia was buoyed with gratification. Her remark wasden with meaning, and she believed that Isabelle could understand what she meant. But so what if she does? She can¡¯t refute it anyway but merely go along with me. This feels absurdly gratifying! If it were some other women around John, she could actually ept it, but not Isabelle, perchance because of Mrs. Constance. Every single humiliation she¡¯d ever suffered in Constance Residence involved Isabelle¡¯s name because every single time Mrs. Constance insulted her, it was always a comparison with Isabelle. Thus, she couldn¡¯t be med for finding Isabelle to be an eyesore. John can be with anyone, but not Isabelle Bailey! Picking up her ss, Isabelle took a sip of water, saying nary a word. However, she could still remain composed in such an awkward situation considering her good breeding, making Sophia appear overbearing in contrast. Nheless, Sophia wasn¡¯t bothered, her sole concern being her gratification. Previous Chapter Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 161 Chapter 161 Isabelle came prepared with some documents about the details of the coboration and promation of rights concerning the Baileys when it came to the contract. John came over and sat down beside Sophia, turning into his usual self while working. Taking up the documents, he read all the uses. Such a coboration was rather simple, and the Baileys didn¡¯t demand anything over the top, so he merely picked out a few uses and proposed his opinion. Sophia didn¡¯t understand a single word since she knew nothing about business. Even the business terms John and Isabelle used went over her head. Thus, she sat at the side with John¡¯s ss still in her hand. As she watched them getting engrossed in their discussion, she chuckled soundlessly. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Well, this is the difference. No wonder Mrs. Constance groused every day that I¡¯m not Isabelle¡¯s match and I¡¯m of no help to John. When we sit together and open our mouths, our true capabilities shine through. I¡¯m merely glib, while she¡¯s truly capable. This realization had her feeling chagrined. Taking a gulp of water, she then brought the ss to John¡¯s lips. ¡°Have some water.¡± John¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, and he turned to look at her. She doesn¡¯t look as though she¡¯s trying to stir up trouble. Her expression¡¯s cid. Perhaps it¡¯s just a subconscious action, nothing more. He pursed his lips. After a while, he ced his lips on the rim of the ss and took a small, token sip. Sophia pulled the ss back, suddenly finding it ridiculous. Who am I trying to upset here? Why does it feel as though I¡¯m the unhappiest person at the end of the day? She then ced the ss onto the table. Upon seeing that John and Isabelle were immersed in the discussion, she slowly got to her feet and went over to John¡¯s desk. After searching on hisputer, she found the news reports about John. There had been a countermeasure from Infinity Group in the way of a leaked video. It was a snippet of when John attended Infinity Group¡¯s bullsh*t party. There were quite a lot of people in the video, seemingly Infinity Group¡¯s higher management personnel or the like. Meanwhile, Zack stood beside John. So, they¡¯re implying that I actually didn¡¯t attend the party that night. Hmm¡­ The corners of her mouth lifted. This isn¡¯t a wise move. This snippet proves the existence of CCTV surveince that night, and Infinity Group will be on the losing end once the public calls for the entire footage of the event. She didn¡¯t bother to read thements underneath. They probably paid people off to write some favorablements, but it won¡¯t help to resolve the problem when the issue gains traction and bes a practical joke instead. Sophia then scanned through other news reports, but nothing captured her interest. As she did that, she kept an eye on the situation between John and Isabelle. The two of them seemed very much engrossed, John¡¯s expression solemn as he talked with Isabelle about the specifics of the contract and both parties¡¯ boundaries with a document in his hand. She stared in their direction for a long while. During a lull, however, Isabelle lifted her eyes and looked over. While her expression wasn¡¯t exactly goading, it did carry a hint of derision. She merely stared at Sophia for two seconds before retracting her gaze to look at John with a faint smile on her face. However, John didn¡¯t notice anything, his entire focus on the document before him. This time, Sophia didn¡¯t blow up. John is here, and there¡¯s no concrete evidence, so I¡¯ll be on the losing end if I fly into a rage as I did back at Constance Residence. Leaning back in the chair, she mulled it over for a while before taking out her cell phone and tapping the camera icon. She pretended to be looking at her cell phone, but she kept the camera on Isabelle. After some time, she snorted nonchntly. Isabelle looked over reflexively, and John naturally threw her a look as well, but perhaps he knew her well, so he retracted his gaze after a single nce. However, Isabelle remained staring at her. Shifting her cell phone, Sophia smirked and arched an eyebrow at Isabelle, her expression utterly provocative. Isabelle¡¯s face turned frosty, and the contempt in her expression deepened. Shedding all pretense, she stared at Sophia disdainfully and even sneered, the corners of her mouth curling as she shrugged slightly. When Sophia spoke in the next moment, her voice waspletely mismatched with the expression on her face, mirthful and friendly. ¡°You two are really serious while working, so I took a video.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 162 Chapter 162 Upon hearing Sophia¡¯s remark, Isabelle was stunned. At this, Sophia grinned and tapped the back of her cell phone case with a finger to remind Isabelle that she was filming her. Isabelle promptly retracted her gaze and dipped her head to stare at the document in her hand. Being of good breeding, she just felt that her tantly contemptuous expression earlier would ruin her image if someone else saw it. Snorting once more, Sophia ced her cell phone down. ¡°I¡¯ve got important business here, so stop messing around. If you¡¯re bored, you can go out and stroll around, perhaps chat with Zack or something,¡± John said, his voice mild. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Leaning back in the chair, Sophia stretched. Then, something urred to her, and she replied, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. I can¡¯t be of any help to you two here, so I¡¯ll just go out and have a look around.¡± She leisurely headed toward the door, murmuring as she walked, ¡°Earlier, I saw that Dn was back, and we chatted for a bit. He said he¡¯s free in the afternoon, so I¡¯ll just go over and visit with him.¡± John stilled, yet his gaze never left the document in his hand. With her back to them, Sophia smirked and left the office. Meanwhile, Dn was in his office. When Sophia went over, she quietly pushed open the door a crack and poked her head in without knocking. Dn heard the noise and looked over. Upon seeing him, Sophia grinned and asked softly, ¡°Are you busy?¡± Dn merely deliberated for a moment before saying, ¡°No.¡± Only then did Sophia enter his office, and Dn straightened the documents on his desk. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is John busy?¡± Sophia murmured an assent. With her hands behind her back, she leisurely sauntered around Dn¡¯s office before finally going over to the window and gazing out. ¡°Miss Bailey is here to discuss the coboration. It was boring to me, so I came out.¡± After saying that, she even chortled. ¡°I think your ce here is much better here. John¡¯s office is just too boring.¡± Dn cracked up. ¡°It¡¯s boring here, too. All offices are simr.¡± Sophia turned and looked at him. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m opening a dessert shop next month. Come and patronize my shop then. It¡¯ll be my treat.¡± Surprise flooded Dn. ¡°You¡¯re opening a shop?¡± Sophia nodded earnestly. ¡°I¡¯m bored. I have limited skills, so I can only open a small shop. There¡¯s nothing else I can do.¡± Dn stared at her intently. ¡°I thought you liked to stay home.¡± Jaw dropping, Sophia vehemently denied it, eximing, ¡°No, no! I really detest being so idle every day. Back when I lived with my grandpa, I was mmed every day.¡± Speaking of this, she continued talking about her life in the past. She didn¡¯t bother hiding anything, seemingly not at all embarrassed by her impoverished life back then. Her voice was normal, and she even doubled over when speaking of something hrious. Dn smiled as well. Everything she was saying was foreign to him. The Constance Family was very strict, and they had to learn many things from a young age. In addition to normal sses, there was even home tutoring, so their schedules were packed every day with no time for y. Walking over, Sophia sat down across from him, cing her arms on his desk before resting her chin on them. ¡°Actually, I still miss my life back then. While my days were rather difficult, I was happy every day,¡± shemented. Dn gazed at her. Her eyes are quite round, the ck of her pupils profound. When she speaks of something happy, the corners of her eyes curve up before the corners of her mouth follow suit, her face wreathed in a perpetual smile. He then tried recalling the past. While I hadn¡¯t seen her much for any length of time in the past, I remember that she always looked forlorn every time I saw her, giving off a depressed feeling. It difited me, but now, she¡¯s an entirely different person. Sophiaughed heartily. ¡°I¡¯m not fibbing. There are many small animals in the mountains where we lived. You can only see these animals at the zoo usually, but over there, it¡¯s amon sight.¡± Raising her head, she scratched her chin. ¡°Ah, I haven¡¯t seen them in a long time. I should really go back for a look when I¡¯m free.¡± Dn¡¯s gaze fell on Sophia¡¯s hand. Her hands aren¡¯t smooth and delicate but slightly rough. Despite their improved condition in the past year or so, it¡¯s still obvious that these hands are used to hard work. Now, they¡¯re bare, with nothing at all adorning them. His brows creased. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing your wedding ring?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 163 Chapter 163 Sophia was startled. Since she was enthusiastically talking about herself, Dn¡¯s interruption scattered her thoughts. A touch mystified at first, she asked, ¡°Huh?¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Dn gestured to her hand. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing your wedding ring?¡± Lowering her head, Sophia nced at her finger. In reality, she¡¯d taken off her wedding ring when she signed the divorce agreement. There was a faint circle mark on the base of her finger initially, but after all this time, even that mark was gone. She hesitated for a moment before shing him a helpless smile. ¡°That ring actually didn¡¯t really fit my finger, so it has always been ufortable to wear.¡± She looked up at him and pursed her lips briefly. ¡°It was Mrs. Constance who chose the ring back then. It¡¯s really not my size, but I was embarrassed to speak up in the past and just wore it reluctantly. However, nothing can change the fact that it doesn¡¯t fit, and I can¡¯t just make do, else I¡¯d only make life difficult for myself. Thus, I took it off.¡± One couldn¡¯t quite tell whether this exnation referred to the ring or Sophia herself. Nheless, she was telling the truth, for it was indeed Mrs. Constance who chose the ring. At that time, John imed that he was swamped with work, so he¡¯d never been involved in choosing the wedding gown or wedding ring. All at once, Sophia recalled their pre-wedding photo shoot. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he needed to put on a show for Old Mr. Constance, he initially wanted to have someone Photoshop the pre-wedding photos. He didn¡¯t even want a pre-wedding photo shoot. She didn¡¯t really consider this in the past, but recalling it now, she found it truly ridiculous. If possible, he probably wanted someone else to attend the wedding and get married on his behalf. How did I manage to live so pitifully in the past? At the side, Dn grunted in understanding before saying, ¡°But the situation now is somewhat different. If someone notices it, it¡¯ll easily be made into a big deal.¡± A moment of rity hit, finally reminding Sophia of this matter. Ah yes, that rat b*stard, John Constance, is currently in trouble, and I need to work with him in all things. Blinking, she mischievously dered, ¡°That¡¯s perfect! It¡¯s my chance now to have him buy me a new one someday, and this time, I want to choose the ring myself.¡± Dn merely chuckled withoutmenting. After only chatting zealously for a while, Sophia didn¡¯t keep him for long and left. Subsequently, Dn started getting busy with his work. Nevertheless, Sophia didn¡¯t feel self-conscious. She looked around the office alone before plopping down on the sofa in his office and started ying games on her cell phone. In the beginning, she sat decorously, but sheter couldn¡¯t quite stand it anymore. Slipping off her shoes, she sat cross-legged on the sofa in an extremely casual manner. The moment Dn lifted his head after ncing through a few documents and making annotations, he saw her smiling at her cell phone. The background sound was very soft, but it was still faintly audible. Massaging his temples, he put the documents away at the side. Then, he stared at her intently. Sophia became an entirely different person after returning from that business trip with John. He¡¯d even heard that she hit Mrs. Constance a few days ago. Everyone didn¡¯t believe it at first, but the servants imed to have seen Mrs. Constance dashing off tears andining to Old Mrs. Constance. Then, John and Sophia moved out, indirectly proving those rumors true. However, Mrs. Constance hadn¡¯t kicked up a fuss after Sophia hit her. This doesn¡¯t quite make sense. Dn subconsciously frowned since he knew full well the type of person his aunt was. She can¡¯t suffer even the slightest grievance. All these years, even William has always spoken to her kindly. Meanwhile, Sophia has always been the target of her harassment, so why didn¡¯t she kick up a huge fuss when Sophia suddenly hit her? Licking his posterior mrs, the look in his eyes as he gazed at Sophia became increasingly curious. Sophia, however, didn¡¯t know all this as she remained smiling at the screen of her cell phone. When John came over, this was the picture that greeted him¡ªSophia sitting cross-legged on the sofa as she usually did in his office, while Dn sat at his desk, staring at her intently. Everyone is busy, yet he isn¡¯t even going through his documents? Instead, he has his arms crossed with a hint of a smile ying on his lips! Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 164 Chapter 164 John went over and pushed open the door, standing right at the entrance. ¡°Sophia.¡± His voice was a tad loud. Startled, Sophia gave a cry and raised her head in surprise. ¡°Why are you here? Are you looking for Dn?¡± John swept his gaze over Dn, only to see him reclining in his chair while staring at him calmly, even appearing as though he was anticipating a good show. He lowered his voice and replied, ¡°No. I came here to look for you. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia hadn¡¯t yet finished her game, so she continued looking down at her cell phone. ¡°Miss Bailey has left?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± John answered. Then, he grew impatient and went over to her before tugging her up from the sofa by the wrist. Sophia protested vehemently, ¡°Wait! I haven¡¯t worn my shoes yet. My shoes! Hey, John Constance, you¡¯re such a¡­¡± Perhaps she¡¯d wanted to curse him out, but she hurriedly ceased talking when she realized that this wasn¡¯t the right ce to do so. She withdrew her hand forcefully. ¡°Let me wear my shoes. Why are you in such a hurry?¡± John¡¯s brows furrowed. I¡¯m not in a hurry. I just don¡¯t want other people from the Constance Family to come over and spot her here. While they appear all innocent and pure, they¡¯re actually very much cunning. Thus, I don¡¯t want them to see her and Dn interacting so closely. Standing stock-still, he waited for her to put on her shoes before dering, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Sophia followed him out of Dn¡¯s office, but she didn¡¯t forget to turn back and look at Dn when she reached the door. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. You muste when my new shop opens, okay? It¡¯ll be my treat.¡± The corners of Dn¡¯s mouth lifted. ¡°Sure.¡± With a cold expression on his face, John left Dn¡¯s office and waited for Sophia in the corridor. When Sophia came out, she cast several looks at him. Baffled, she asked in a lowered voice, ¡°What was that earlier? Did something happen again?¡± John said nothing, so she hazarded a blind guess. ¡°Are you distressed about the video that leaked onto the Inte? Ah, you don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯s just a video of a few seconds that can¡¯t prove anything. The Constance Family is rich, so just hire some people to demand the full video in thements, and I guarantee you that they¡¯ll definitely be at a loss instantly.¡± Still, John¡¯s expression didn¡¯t ease, remaining frigid as he kept mum. Sophia, however, didn¡¯t even bother to look at him. Smacking her lips, she changed the subject. ¡°But why did Miss Bailey leave so soon? That¡¯s not quite right. I thought you two would have talked until you get off work at least.¡± After she¡¯d said this, she chuckled. ¡°Nheless, the picture of you working together with Miss Bailey is truly¡­ truly¡­¡± She then tut-tutted without finishing her sentence. John¡¯s strides wererge, and he wholly ignored Sophia who was jabbering at the side. Only after he¡¯d entered his office did Sophia leisurely follow suit. As soon as she stepped into the room, she caught sight of his ss that was on the coffee table beside the sofa. It¡¯s still where I ced it earlier, but he probably won¡¯t touch it anymore. Thus, she went over to pick up the ss before walking straight to the trash can and tossing it in. Taken aback, John looked at her with a frown. Sophia chortled. ¡°I¡¯ve used it, and it doesn¡¯t seem appropriate for us to share. I¡¯ll buy you another one someday.¡± However, John¡¯s frown didn¡¯t ease, and he seemed rather displeased. Nheless, Sophia wasn¡¯t bothered about his mood although she used to be very much concerned about that in the past. Now, all she cared about was her happiness. She exited the game on her cell phone and simply threw the phone aside before addressing him again. ¡°There¡¯s still some time yet before you get off work. Why did you ask me toe back? Aren¡¯t I distracting you from your work here?¡± After a long while, John dered, ¡°Therefore, don¡¯t make any noise.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m very much alive, so can I possibly not make any noise?¡± John no longer responded to her. Sitting at his desk, he opened a document, but he just couldn¡¯t focus. Meanwhile, Sophia nced around before going over to the window. Shey on the windowsill and looked down at her finger. It¡¯s truly too in,cking an adornment of sorts. The diamond on the diamond ring back then was actually massive, thus inconvenient to wear, but I was stubborn then, thinking that the person would remain mine as long as I wore it. I was truly too na?ve and stupid. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 165 Chapter 165 Sophia then stayed in John¡¯s office for the rest of the day. This time, she was obedient to the letter and didn¡¯t make any noise at all. John, however, was difited. Several times, the urge to look up and ascertain whether she was still in the office gripped him since there wasn¡¯t a single sound from her. Sophia didn¡¯t budge from her spot by the window. At first, she stared at her finger, andter, she gazed out the window although there actually wasn¡¯t much to see since she was very high above the ground. John looked at her twice, but she remained silent and expressionless. This somewhat feels as though we¡¯ve gone back in time. In the past, her presence didn¡¯t quite register as well to the point that I couldn¡¯t even sense her when we were in the same room at times. Feeling a touch unsettled, he quickly took out the documents he discussed with Isabelle and scrutinized them one by one until it was time to get off work. He had to take Sophia to the banquet, so as soon as the clock struck, he left the office with her right away. Their eveningwear was in the car, so the two of them went to the designer¡¯s ce. Over there, everyone was already waiting for them. The man in monk robes was standing before the dressing table, waiting for Sophia. After she sat down, the clinking of prayer beads once again sounded in her ear. The makeup and hairdo probably came easier to him this time, for he was done in a far shorter time. After Sophia was done mming up, she changed into her clothes and shoes.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. When she came out, the designer from back then came over with a tray that held aplete set of essories¡ªa ne, ring, earrings, and bracelet¡ªthat were gleaming dazzlingly. Sophia was startled. ¡°What is this?¡± The designer smiled. ¡°John picked them especially for you. Try them on.¡± Oh, I almost forgot! A moment of rity hit Sophia. While there¡¯s a distinct theme for such an event, women who attend contend among themselves,paring the worth of their jewelry and evening gowns. My attendance there is a reflection of John¡¯s image, so he naturally can¡¯t skimp. Thus, she took them and put them on by herself. The designer nodded. ¡°They match this evening gown well.¡± Meanwhile, John also mmed up a bit. The process for men was much simpler than for women since it only involved hair styling and a change of clothes. At the end of the day, John was still who he was, looking all resplendent. He was on the phone when Sophia went over, but he then hung up upon seeing her. ¡°We should leave now. They¡¯ve already started.¡± It¡¯s actually notte, but they unexpectedly started so early. When John and Sophia left the ce, a driver was already waiting outside. Makes sense. After all, he would have to drink when making small talk at an event such as a banquet. John then steered Sophia into the backseat. Sophia rested on the car windowsill. ¡°I¡¯ve never attended a banquet. I wonder what it¡¯s like.¡± To this very day, the onlyrge-scale event she¡¯d ever attended was her own wedding. She was stupefied the entire time, at a loss as to how she should behave. Actually, she¡¯d merely felt that she wasn¡¯t worthy of John before the wedding and didn¡¯t consider anything else, but that wedding was like a magic mirror, finally waking her up to the gravity of familial background and status to a person, changing her horizons and adaptability ordingly. She¡¯d never seen much of the world, so she immediately appeared timid and inferior at such an event. John leaned back against the seat. ¡°Just behave as you normally do. There will be many people there, so no one will pay particr attention to you.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°That may be true in the past, but my dearest Mr. Constance, have you forgotten that you¡¯ve now embroiled in a scandal? Do you think those people won¡¯t pay attention to you and me?¡± John turned and looked at her. ¡°So, are you afraid?¡± Sophia blinked. ¡°No.¡± That was the truth. If it were back then, I¡¯d definitely be afraid, mainly out of fear that I¡¯d cause him trouble due to some blunder or other. Now, however, I¡¯m no longer afraid. Her mentality now was extremely matter-of-fact. My rtionship with him now is that of a partnership. Even if there¡¯s trouble, he asked for it. In a partnership, there must be risks. He can¡¯t possibly just enjoy the benefits without making any sacrifices. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 166 Chapter 166 The car slowly drove toward the hotel where the banquet was held. The hotel was rather huge, and there were now flower stands by the entrance. They¡¯d evenid out a red carpet, so with the exception of the media and spotlights, there wasn¡¯t much difference from celebrities walking the red carpet. When the car slowly came to a stop beside the red carpet, the driver came over to open the car door. Sophia went in with a hand on John¡¯s arm. Indeed, there were already many people inside who were now gathered in small groups, and their arrival caused quite a stir although Sophia wasn¡¯t certain whether it was because of John himself or the rumors revolving around him. Anyway, many heads turned and stared at them. Her expression was utterly calm, while the corners of her lips were curved. In fact, she was even more unruffled inwardly. Putting it bluntly, such an event is merely an asion for everyone to bring out their best outfits and contend with others. It¡¯s simple, so there¡¯s nothing to fear. Subsequently, someone came over with a femalepanion to greet John. Sophia merely put on a smile. I don¡¯t know anybody here, so I don¡¯t need to say anything but smile. John is a veteran in the business world, so he¡¯s more than capable of handling them. A server came over with a tray, from which John took a ss of red wine, while Sophia took a ss of champagne after a moment¡¯s contemtion. She¡¯d drunk almost a whole bottle of red wine back at the Constance Residence, but its taste was just meh. Hence, she wanted to try something else. Aware that she had a low alcohol tolerance, John whispered to her, ¡°Don¡¯t drink so much.¡± Then, he continued making small talk with the other person. Smiling, Sophia leaned close to him. ¡°I naturally know that. Did you think I¡¯m an idiot that I¡¯d again leave myself vulnerable to you?¡± When these words reached his ears, both their expressions froze for a brief moment, probably recalling the incident that night. Sophia pursed her lips, knowing that she¡¯d misspoken. It was a bit too crazy that night, so much so I¡¯m feeling inexplicably shy when recalling it now. After that, she kept silent, saying nothing unless she had no other choice. After making his rounds in the banquet hall, John finally led Sophia to the garden behind the hotel. The garden was incredibly vast and divided into several sections, with artificial rocks and cascades to boot. This hotel mainly catered to banquets, so the d¨¦cor was quitevish. At this time, Sophia¡¯s feet were hurting from the high heels, so she wanted to suggest taking a rest, but someone again approached with a ss of red wine. Forcing a smile, she continued performing her duties as apanion. I now know that it¡¯s actually not easy to entertain people. Why, my face is going stiff from this perpetual smiling! After John had made small talk for a while, the host made an appearance in the banquet hall, so he then took Sophia over. The host was a charitable organization that targeted educational institutions in remote mountainous areas. This time, they were urging the variouspanies to donate money and materials to the schools in remote mountainous areas. As Sophia stood with John within the crowd, she remarked in a whisper, ¡°They invited you here to eat and drink, then have you paid?¡± Murmuring his agreement, John also lowered his voice to a whisper. ¡°There is no shortage of such charity dinners every year.¡± Since Constance Company had a vast business, there might be negative press right away if they didn¡¯t attend despite having been invited. After all, it was very easy to get criticized and boycotted if one failed to do charity after making money. Thus, it was an obligation most times. Sophia tut-tutted. ¡°It¡¯s fine if the money is truly used for its intended purpose, but who knows whether certain people will pocket some during all the bureaucracy and red tape involved.¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely not all that transparent, but thepanies that donate merely do so for the sake of their reputations, so no one cares about the flow of funds after having given the money out,¡± John scoffed. Pursing her lips, Sophia listened as the host began to talk about the deplorable conditions of those children in the remote mountainous areas as they attended school. The images projected on the screen behind him were now those of the mountainous roads and hills the children had to traverse just to attend school. The ssrooms were extremely dpidated, the tablescking legs, and ckboards cracked; even the lectern was of dirt ground. At the sight of these pictures, even the most hard-hearted person would probably be moved for a moment. Sophia inhaled deeply, for she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to continue looking at the pictures as she recalled the vige in which she lived back then that was of a simr state. Averting her gaze, she only managed to catch sight of Isabelle who was standing a near distance away. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 167 Chapter 167 Isabelle came with Old Mr. Bailey, and the two of them were standing together as Isabelle stared solemnly at the pictures on the screen with a faintly anguished expression on her face. Even though Sophia had looked at her for a long time before retracting her gaze, John didn¡¯t see Isabelle, his attention focused on the host. The host droned on and on in exining the pictures before talking about the theme for the night¡ªa charity dinner of sorts to help the children in remote mountainous areas to leave the mountains and see the world outside. Sophia was rather moved, but she just worried to channel help through such charity organizations. The host¡¯s voice and expression are t as he talks about these pictures, not even a hint of emotional resonance to be found. So, how can he possibly put himself in these children¡¯s shoes and consider their needs? She exhaled heavily, a touch distressed. I wonder how much of the money donated will actually be used to help them. Thesepanies have made the middlemen who are taking advantage robust and prosperous instead. After the host had finished speaking, apuse and discussions reigned below the stage. Many people lamented that these children were pitiful, thus they deserved help, but no one knew whether they were truly speaking from the heart or merely putting on a show. At this time, Sophia shifted a fraction. Tilting his head, John looked at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well?¡± Sophia hissed. ¡°No, my shoes are just pinching the heel a bit.¡± John looked down at her feet, but he couldn¡¯t see her shoes since the evening gown was too long. Well, news shoes normally do pinch the heel. After pondering for a moment, John suggested, ¡°How about I take you to the second floor to sit for a while.¡± Sophia hurriedly nodded. ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Anyway, I really don¡¯t feel like being a spectator to this hypocritical scene anymore. John then took her arm, and they both went up to the second floor. At present, there was also quite a crowd on the second floor that was about the same size as the first floor. The only difference was the presence of plenty of small rooms furnished with a sofa and coffee table on the second floor, probably for the use of those who bumped into a prospective coboration partner during a banquet so that they could discuss the details right then and there. Leading Sophia to a room, John closed the door behind them. Sophia then plopped onto the sofa and slipped off her shoes. The pinching was indeed rather severe, for her heel was now abraded. Men might not understand this feeling, but shoes pinching the heel was truly an unpleasant feeling. While it wasn¡¯t fatal, the pain was fairly unbearable. John came over and took a look. ¡°Does this need to be bandaged?¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia chortled. ¡°Such a paltry wound doesn¡¯t require a bandage.¡± She stared at her foot for a long while before suggesting tentatively, ¡°Why don¡¯t you get me a Band-Aid?¡± Having never known that a Band-Aid could be used for this purpose, John was taken aback, but he then nodded. ¡°Okay. Wait for me here.¡± When he¡¯d left, Sophia slipped off her shoes and ced them aside. This evening gown was too form- fitting that she couldn¡¯t even cross her legs, so she merely sat on the sofa and swung her legs. After waiting for a long time, however, John still hadn¡¯t returned. Logically speaking, the hotel should have Band-Aids, so he wouldn¡¯t have to go out and buy one. She then waited for a while longer, unable to call him since her cell phone wasn¡¯t with her. Meanwhile, there were constant strains of conversations as people came and went outside, making her somewhat anxious. As she waited and waited, her patience slowly dissipated. In the end, she slipped on her shoes and went out in search of him. When she went downstairs from the second floor, she saw that the host had already finished speaking on the first floor, and everyone had dispersed. The situation now was just as it was earlier, everyone making small talk among themselves. She circled the lobby on the first floor in search of him, but to no avail. At her wits¡¯ end, she finally stopped a server and asked him whether he had a Band-Aid. The server promptly nodded and took one out of his pocket right away. ncing at it, Sophia asked, ¡°Do all of you carry this at all times?¡± The server smiled. ¡°Yes, we all have it at hand.¡± Sophia nodded. So, John probably isn¡¯t dyed because he can¡¯t find a Band-Aid. Holding the Band- Aid, she walked toward the backyard. She¡¯d just reached the edge of thewn when she spotted John. However, he wasn¡¯t alone; Isabelle was standing beside him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Sophia swept her gaze over the entire area around them, but she didn¡¯t see Old Mr. Bailey. So, the two of them have been chatting here alone? He¡¯s so engrossed in the conversation that he forgot about my existence, huh? Great, just great. Good job, John Constance. She stared at them for some time, noticing that they were chatting happily away. After all, Isabelle wore a perpetual smile that appeared lovely. Isabelle was wearing a bright red long dress now, the dress rendering her all the more alluring since she was naturally tall and slender. From the looks of her, probably no man will be able to refuse her. Sophia rolled her eyes. Then, she turned her gaze to John. He¡¯s smiling as well. He actually seldom smiled, and even if he did asionally, it was just a faint smile. Thus, it was tantly obvious that he was truly happy now. Snorting mildly, Sophia then turned around and left. There were a few small trees, slightly low yet lush, and there was even a bench under one of the trees. No one was around, so Sophia went over and sat down before slipping off her shoes. Nevertheless, she wasn¡¯t in a hurry to put on the Band-Air, merely sitting there barefooted. She sighed lightly. Since she hadn¡¯t eaten dinner and had just taken some snacks at the buffet area earlier, her stomach felt rather unsettled. Lifting her head, she gazed up at the sky. The sky in the city is always foggy as though nketed by a layer of some sort. She rested her arms on the back of the bench, resentment written all over her face while no one was here to see. She¡¯s just lucky enough to be born into a family with a good background. Even if she doesn¡¯t have that, we¡¯re actually no different. Isabelle Bailey, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve got a head or two extra, so why are you so conceited? As she thought about it, the chagrin within her grew, so she drew her leg back and kicked the grass at the side. There were no other people here, so Sophia had rare peace. The night breeze gently blew past, delighting her as she sat there. Putting aside all decorum, she leaned back against the bench, sprawled out as she listened to the noises that drifted over from somewhere. After sitting there for a good while, her mood slowly improved. She hummed for a while before lifting her head and gazing up at the sky. I¡¯m actually feeling drowsy in my contentment, perhaps because I didn¡¯t have a good nap this afternoon. She then giggled to herself. I wonder how the host will feel if he were to learn that someone hid away and dozed off during the banquet. After some time, she then heard Isabelle¡¯s voice, saying, ¡°That isn¡¯t likely. Could she have gone in search of food?¡± Her voice had always been gentle, and that also applied now. John¡¯s voice, on the other hand, was slightly panicked. ¡°I didn¡¯t see her over there.¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes that were closed slowly opened upon hearing them. Staring at the gray sky, she contemted the matter for a moment. John Constance, that rat b*stard, has finally remembered me, huh? She didn¡¯t move but maintained her posture, sprawled out as though half-dead. Meanwhile, John stood still and swept his gaze around the entire ce, but he didn¡¯t see Sophia. Worry swamped him. She¡¯s never been to such a ce, so who knows where she might have wandered off to? Unsettled, he headed to the artificial rocks again, but she wasn¡¯t there either. Isabelle followed him all around, yakking endlessly. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn isn¡¯t a child, so she can¡¯t possibly be lost. Don¡¯t panic. We¡¯ll look for her slowly.¡± From afar, Sophia spotted John and Isabelle. She smiled vindictively. He now knows how I felt earlier. Thrilled, the forlornness within her just now disappeared in a puff of smoke. After she¡¯d waited for quite some time, John¡¯s footsteps headed in her direction. She actually didn¡¯t hear his footsteps but mainly Isabelle who was jabbering incessantly at his side. Then, Isabelle¡¯s voice suddenly ceased, upon which the corners of her mouth lifted silently even as she heard John heaving a sigh of relief. John saw Sophia leaning back against the bench, her head lifted to the sky with her eyes closed, appearing as though she¡¯d fallen asleep. So, he slowly walked over to her. Isabelle, however, stopped a near distance away. When John reached the side of the bench, he murmured, ¡°Sophia.¡± Slowly opening her eyes, Sophia grinned. ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . John noticed that she was holding a Band-Aid in her hand, and he had one in his pocket as well. Opening his mouth, he tried to say something about it, but in the end, he merely said, ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you for ages.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Sophia didn¡¯t mention a single word about John having gone for such a long time, merely murmuring an acknowledgment before saying, ¡°I was bored, so I came out.¡± John took the Band-Aid from her hand and crouched. Her evening gown was very long and covered her feet, so he lifted the hem before taking one of her feet. Sophia then twitched slightly since it tickled a little, but John immediately ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t move. Just let me put this on.¡± Tilting her head, Sophia looked at Isabelle who stood a near distance away. However, Isabelle only had eyes for John. She seemed to be showing some emotion on her face, but her face was concealed in darkness since her back was to the streetlight nearby. The corners of Sophia¡¯s mouth lifted. With her gaze remaining fixed on Isabelle, she directed her words to John, saying, ¡°Keep your touch light. It hurts.¡± If it were during the usual times, he probably would have ignored her, but on this day, he actually murmured an acquiescence. It¡¯s telling that he¡¯s feeling a touch guilty. But honestly speaking, while I had no way to keep track of the time, it indeed felt that he only came looking for me after an interminable time, so he must have chatted very long with Isabelle. Therefore, he should be feeling guilty. John put the Aid-Band on her. Although only one of her heels was abraded and the other was fine, he still took out the Band-Aid in his pocket and put it on her other heel as well. Then, he carefully slipped her shoes back on her feet. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Sophia¡¯s eyes never left Isabelle, so she finally saw her expression clearly when Isabelle involuntarily took two steps toward her the moment John helped her with her shoes. The incredulity and disbelief in Isabelle¡¯s eyes had her feeling instantly gratified. Nice! I think the victory is again mine this round! After helping her put her shoes on, John straightened the hem of her gown. He stood up, then he said, ¡°Stand up and try walking for a bit to see whether it still hurts.¡± Lifting her hand, Sophia grabbed his arm and stood up before taking two steps. ¡°It¡¯s much better.¡± Then, she even smiled and thanked him. His expression was rather grim, but she was ted because she knew exactly what to do to make him feel wretched. He isn¡¯t an unconscionable person; he just doesn¡¯t love me. Now that he¡¯s obviously in the wrong, he¡¯ll feel all the more remorseful the more magnanimous I am. Sophia turned and looked at Isabelle. ¡°You¡¯re here as well, Miss Bailey?¡± Isabelle grunted in assent. ¡°I saw Mr. Constance just now, so I chatted with him for a while.¡± Eximing in understanding, Sophia replied rather slowly, ¡°I see.¡± John knew that she had gastric problems, and she hadn¡¯t had dinner, so he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to get some food. It¡¯ll be some time yet before the banquet ends, so you shouldn¡¯t be going hungry.¡± Sophia murmured an assent before ncing at Isabelle. Likewise, John looked at Isabelle as well. It was as though Isabelle only came to her senses then, momentarily taken aback before saying, ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m going to look for my father and see whether he¡¯s done talking business.¡± Nodding, John left with Sophia. After they¡¯d gone a distance away, Sophia turned around and looked at Isabelle, only to see her still standing there, staring in their direction. She just appears somewhat lonely standing there alone. Turning back around, the picture of herself sprawled on the bench earlier shed across her mind. Is John¡¯s suddenly amenability due to the fact that I, too, looked pitiful? John took her to the banquet hall, and the two of them had a look at the buffet area, but it was mostly fruits and dessert. She¡¯d actually tried some earlier and found the taste of the dessert herecking. While John was a tad exasperated when he failed to find anything filing after looking around, Sophia merely chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just have the server bring me a ss of warm water.¡± She has gastric problems, and it¡¯s a perennial issue at that. Besides, she hasn¡¯t eaten, yet she had some alcohol earlier because she was keeping mepany as I socialized. John sighed. ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯ll be back in no time.¡± Without asking any questions, Sophia docilely murmured an assent and stood waiting in front of the dessert table. John then left and disappeared behind a pir around the corner right ahead. At this, Sophia pivoted and went to a corner at the side, leaning against the wall. In John¡¯s absence, hardly anyone would notice her. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 170 Chapter 170 It had been a while since John left, during which Sophia wondered if he was ying the same trick on her again by hitting up a random woman. However, she felt relief upon seeing Isabelle a few minutes later, as she wouldn¡¯t care who John was with as long as he wasn¡¯t with Isabelle. Apparently, Isabelle already saw Sophia and wasing straight for her after noticing that John was no longer beside her. In the meantime, Sophia leaned against the wallzily with a half smirk on her face before opening up, ¡°Hello, we meet again.¡± With an upright posture, Isabelle stood while spouting words of usation, ¡°I never knew you have so many tricks up your sleeve, Miss Gwendolyn.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Sophia huffed augh despite the stern look Isabelle wore. The heels Sophia wore helped to cut down the height difference between her and Isabelle as she was slightly shorter. There was a twinkle in her eyes when she pressed on, ¡°He is my husband, so what if I yed some tricks on my man? You aren¡¯t even qualified to correct me.¡± Despite the fact that Sophia wasn¡¯t shrieking at the top of her lungs, neither was her voice soft. Isabelle frowned as she reminded, ¡°You should be more wary of your surroundings.¡± ¡°Are you seriously telling me that?¡± There was a look of exasperation on Sophia¡¯s face. ¡°Why don¡¯t you hold yourself ountable when you¡¯re the one pestering my husband?¡± One of the passersby who came to get some food by the buffet counter turned to look at them. It was well-known that the Constances and Baileys used to set up an engagement between John and Isabelle; even the engagement date had been well thought out. However, no one had expected that Sophia would manage to step in and snatch him away from under their nose despite the fact that the two families had set down on a wedding date. While it wasn¡¯t a widely known story, there were still a handful of people who knew about it. Isabelle frowned as she didn¡¯t know Sophia had such thick skin to be able to say anything as she pleased. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn,¡± she said by way of reminding thetter. ¡°It¡¯s Mrs. Constance for you.¡± Sophia¡¯s voice was much louder than Isabelle¡¯s. ¡°I had been reminding you multiple times that I am his wife, and as long as I remain as his wife, you¡¯d better keep your hands to yourself because you will always be next in line no matter how badly you want to be with him. I don¡¯t care about being shamed, nor would such a scandal affect me in any way. If you would like the media to report that you, a daughter of the prestigious Bailey Family, not only associated yourself with a married man but went so far as to court him, it wouldn¡¯t take much for me to contact the media for a press conference.¡± ¡°Sophia, you¡­¡± Words failed Isabelle, as she was no good at quarreling due to her education and upbringing, so she was never on equal grounds with Sophia to begin with. Even the unreasonable Mrs. Constance was no match against Sophia, say less of Isabelle. ¡°Look at yourself, Isabelle. Your confidence faltered as soon as I raised my voice, so you couldn¡¯t possibly fight against me.¡± A fleeting smirk formed on Sophia¡¯s face as she spoke before she turned to see John walking toward her, so she stood and walked over to him. However, she gave such a hard pat on Isabelle¡¯s shoulder when she walked past thetter that her body swayed. With a low voice, Sophia said, ¡°You¡¯d better not cross me, Isabelle. Whenever I am upset with your performance would be the end of your carefree days.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. A smile bloomed on her face as Sophia walked over to John in a hurry. ¡°What took you so long? I thought you went missing again.¡± ¡°I needed to give my orders regarding matters, but it¡¯s done now, so we can leave.¡± That was his reply. Sophia paused. ¡°What?¡± John thought for a bit. ¡°They¡¯re running out of food, so we¡¯ll go grab a meal somewhere else as we can¡¯t just have what we ate.¡± ¡°Can we do that?¡± Sophia was surprised to hear that as she assumed that they had to wait till the banquet was over. ¡°We can always leave without having to wait for the banquet to end since there¡¯s no point in staying.¡± There was a smile on John¡¯s face. Relief washed over Sophia as she disliked such asions where people wore metaphorical masks when they interacted. Not only she had to upkeep her image when she ate, but she couldn¡¯t cross her legs when wearing a gown as well. All in all, she disliked the rules that she was required to follow during such asions, so John led her away from the banquet. Isabelle stood behind them to watch as the both of them left. Sophia scuttled along as if having twisted her ankle, then held onto John¡¯s arm as sheughed, while John turned to look at her with a look of defeat. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 171 Chapter 171 John had the driver send them home and gave Zack a call on the way back to have him bring them some food. The gown in which Sophia was in would make it inconvenient for her to eat in a restaurant, so he figured it would be morefortable for her to go home. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. The fact that John and Sophia decided toe home so early came as a surprise to Zack, so he asked, ¡°Did the other guests bother you because of the scandals on the Inte?¡± John gave some thought to the situation before realizing that it didn¡¯t happen, as people would only talk behind their back instead of confronting him with their questions. Whomever invited to a charity dinner would most probably own a huge business, which meant that they would also be shrewd characters who knew to uphold a sense of propriety. The scandals were yet to be proven as true, so they wouldn¡¯t say anything that would make an enemy out of him. It was thus that John told Zack that nothing happened before telling thetter to bring them their dinner as soon as possible, as both him and Sophia had yet to have dinner, and it was already way past dinner time, to which Zack replied that he would see to the task immediately. After hanging up, John loosened his tie. asions like that annoyed him too, but he had to inevitably attend them from time to time. There was no congestion to the traffic as they went home, so they didn¡¯t spend much time on their journey home, and were soon back in their house. ¡°Nowherepares to home.¡± Sophia heaved a sigh of relief, then kicked off her shoes as soon as they stepped through the door. The essories she wore were deftly taken off while she walked toward the sofa, which wereter left on the coffee table. ¡°These would be worth quite a lot, so I¡¯ll return them to you.¡± John took off his jacket and changed his shoes. ¡°Consider them as gifts from me.¡± ¡°Nah, they¡®re shy but impractical at all, nor do I have any use of them. I would be painting a target on my back for robbers if I wear them on normal days, so they¡¯re useless to me no matter how much they are worth.¡± There was disdain in her tone of voice. What she said surprised John, as he didn¡¯t expect her to be so calcting. A smile bloomed on his face, which was rare in itself. ¡°You can always sell them, as they¡¯re worth quite a lot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, as I do not know how much they are worth. It¡¯ll only be a bother if I wound up being cheated, so you should keep them, or give them to Isabelle if she doesn¡¯t mind.¡± Sophia stretched herself. There was a pause in John¡¯s movements as silence befell. Meanwhile, Sophia went upstairs barefooted to get changed into the pajamas she dug out from her room, which she quickly settled into comfortably. She made her way downstairs after putting her hair up in a loose bun and removing her makeup, only to see Zack having arrived at their house, whereas the items he carried wereid out on the coffee table. The rich aroma of the food he brought could be smelled before she even reached the lower level, to which she asked while walking downstairs, ¡°Have you brought something I like?¡± ¡°Of course. I picked out the food that you would like, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Zack¡¯s reply came quickly, to which John turned to look at him in response while wearing a frown. However, Zack¡¯s attention wasn¡¯t on him as he was busy opening the packages to retrieve the food containers. ¡°You should eat up. Here, this is something that you would like, and it¡¯s still piping hot!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± In a few strides, Sophia giggled as she took the food from Zack. Meanwhile, John observed their interaction from aside, while he figured that they would¡¯ve only known each other after he met Sophia, which meant they would only have known each other for half a year at most. Judging from the fact that Zack knew what she liked, he seemed to have put in a lot of effort to understand her. The both of them took the food to the dining room, then Sophia giggled as they chatted away. John could hear Zack¡¯s words despite thetter having lowered his voice as he said, ¡°Great job! You sure are the one whom I worship!¡± Sophia gave Zack a pat on the shoulder before she mumbled something to him, prompting thetter to snicker. ¡°Really? I am curious about what happened!¡± It was by then that John approached them in silence while wearing a smile. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 172 Chapter 172 ¡°What are you talking about?¡± John found himself a spot by the table. ¡°We¡¯re talking about what happened at the banquet.¡± There was a pause in the conversation between Sophia and Zack before Sophia smiled. Her answer reminded John of when he left Sophia alone for a long while back then, which didn¡¯t sit well with him. When he saw her, her head was lifted while her back was leaned against the back of a chair under a tree. The fact that her eyes were closed made her seem like she was sleeping, but it looked pitiful no matter how he thought about it. A smile bloomed across her face when she saw him, while the resignation and relief in it happened to prick his heart. John gave a nomittal hum as he withdrew from his memories. ¡°What of it?¡± While Zack cast a nce at Sophia, thetter chattered away, ¡°What else could it be other than the promotional video for the schools in the mountains? While a lot of them imed to feel bad after watching it, we doubt any of it was heartfelt or was it a ruse.¡± ¡°While their feelings were sincere, it probablysted only for a second and would fade from memory as soon as the video ended,¡± John said while picking up his chopsticks. In the meantime, another question popped out of Sophia¡¯s mouth as she called for Zack to sit down with them while moving the food she liked before her. ¡°Where did you go just before we left the banquet? You spent a long time away.¡± ¡°There was an uing session for donations, which I will still have to put some money in despite having left, so I needed to tell the host the amount that I intend to donate.¡± His tone was nd, but it served to remind Sophia that the fact that he didn¡¯t donate anything despite having attended the event would reflect badly on him, especially when he left halfway through the event. ¡°Why does it feel like being robbed in an alleyway while having to put up with it happily?¡± Sophia heaved a long sigh. ¡°That¡¯s the gist of it.¡± A smile tugged at the corner of John¡¯s lips. While Zack wasn¡¯t hungry, he joined in out of habit and would pick on the dishes from time to time. In a low voice, Zack asked as he cast a nce at John, ¡°I bet the Baileys were there as well? They must¡¯ve received an invitation too since they own apany of considerable size.¡± It was Sophia who replied to Zack instead of John, ¡°Yeah, the Baileys were there too, with Miss Bailey and her father as the representative.¡± After puffing out a breath of air from his nose, Zack said half-jokingly, ¡°Miss Bailey sure has been showing herself frequently. Didn¡¯t she used to present herself as ady? So why would she switch to presenting herself as one who is independent?¡± ¡°Perhaps because she could, seeing that she has the money and the support of her family.¡± Sophia smacked her lips before speaking up in a self-deprecating manner, ¡°Look at me. I couldn¡¯t even be one even if I wanted to as I do not have the necessary skills.¡± Lifting a hand, Zack ced it on her shoulder. ¡°You will be just fine! Look at you! You are also on the path of bing a business woman if you open your shop! You might even say that you¡¯re far more sessful than Isabelle, as you relied on yourself while she relied on her family!¡± ¡°Are you saying that for real? Am I not relying on you and John?¡± A burst ofughter escaped Sophia. Zack was startled for a moment beforeughing out loud while trying to correct himself, ¡°You can ignore us and see us as the paveway that will lead you to your sess, but that¡¯s beside the point anyway.¡± There seemed to be a nice atmosphere between them as Sophia responded with augh, but John wasn¡¯t included. He wore an aloof expression as he didn¡¯t see why that would be funny. Their exchange wasn¡¯t only boring, but outright pointless. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. He wondered if they used to be that close to each other, as he never paid attention. Although the fact that Sophia and Zack¡¯s familiarity with each other was a surprise during their trip to Tri Asel, he didn¡¯t think much about it as he was still slightly averse toward Sophia back then. However, they seemed to have gotten even closer now throughout the period when he wasn¡¯t looking. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 173 Chapter 173 Zack bid them goodbye after eating as it was gettingte. While nobody sent him off, Sophia did tell him to take care on his way back when he stood, to which he replied with a hum before greeting John more formally. He then left them alone in the house. After taking a few more bites out of his meal, John put his chopsticks down as he observed Sophia. She was sitting crossed-legged on the chair with her sleeves rolled up while grabbing onto the seafood with her bare hands without even putting on a disposable glove, and her mouth was oily from all the food she ate. It was a sight which John could hardly bear to watch as he was a bit of a clean freak. Can¡¯t she be more graceful and clean when she eats? Meanwhile, Sophia was enjoying her food so much that she missed out on his expression, but she did formte a question as she ate. ¡°By the way, what were you talking about with Miss Bailey back then?¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. There was a pause in John¡¯s movements when he realized she was referring to when he left her alone. He then replied, ¡°We were talking about a possible coboration, and I told her about the details that I thought needed to be amended in the documents she handed me today.¡± There were no further reactions from Sophia as soon as she noticed that he wasn¡¯t about to mention what happened in the past. Meanwhile, John could no longer bear to watch her eat, thus stood to excuse himself. ¡°Carry on with your meal. I¡¯ll be upstairs.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± A nonchnt reply was given. After he stepped past a few flights of stairs, he looked back at the dining table when Sophia¡¯s phone rang to see her wiping her hands in a flurry of panic before picking up. The phone was left on the table and switched to loudspeaker as she ate on, in which a man¡¯s voice could be heard uttering her name. Augh escaped her as she said, ¡°Hey, why¡¯d you think of calling me?¡± After staring at her for a while on the spot, John walked upstairs with his hands in his pockets. Her laughter could be heard from the stairway on the second floor as she chatted away, ¡°Tomorrow? Sure, I¡¯ve got time. In fact, I have all the time in the world, so we can meet tomorrow.¡± He remained expressionless as he retired to his room and took out his pajamas. Despite his initial ns to shower, he stopped after giving it some thought and went on to light a cigarette by the window instead. However, he didn¡¯t actually have the desire to smoke, so he stood there until the cigarette burned out before snubbing it out on the window sill. Then, into the shower he went. He spent more time in the shower than usual, probably due to having drunk some alcohol and the saltier than usual dinner. He put on his pajamas after that, then decided to go downstairs to get himself a bottle of water to quench his thirst, only to find that Sophia was nowhere to be found. Upon arriving at the kitchen, he checked on the dining room to see it cleaned up, which was a relief to him. When going upstairs with a bottle of water in hand, he saw the essories on the coffee table. They were handpicked by him and were worth quite a lot, so he was expecting Sophia to take them after putting them on, judging from how miserly she was, but she wound up not taking any of them. Thus he retrieved them before heading upstairs to chuck the essories into the drawer of the nightstand in his room. In the meantime, something else could be seen in the drawer, which he realized to be his divorce certificate after pausing to check. Memories of the process itself were hazy at best perhaps due to his sullen mood. The only thing that stood out to him was that Sophia was smiling when they took the photo for the cert. It was one of sincerity that differed from the usual fake smiles that she stered onto her face, as there were curves at the corner of her eyes that used to be absent. He flipped the cert in his hands while sitting on his bed to check on it. Amidst his muddled thoughts was a heavy feeling weighed upon his heart, so much so that it was suffocating. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 174 Chapter 174 The next day, John was already off to work when Sophia woke up, as she woke upte. She scratched her head while sitting on the bed before washing up at a leisurely pace, but she was very aware that she had an appointment with Ian. Last night¡¯s meal was a whole feast, so she wasn¡¯t hungry yet. She put on some light makeup after washing up, then went to the mall to shop for some new clothes. The outfit she picked was a skirt and a pair of sandals decorated with diamond chips. Her hair was tucked into a bun, which finished up the refreshing look before she left. First of all, she went to check on the dessert shop, only to see that Robin had yet to open up for the day. It did seem like herzy *ss had no ns to work on the business. While lingering around the shop, Sophia noticed that there were quite a lot of office workers around the area during mornings, which meant that she would have sufficient customers if things worked out. She gave Ian a call when it was about time, which he picked up fairly quickly before asking where she was, then offered to fetch her. Upon telling him her location, Ian arrived swiftly in that very same car, which Sophia entered without hesitation. She noticed that Ian looked different upon entering the car, as he was in a suit, which was starkly different from his casual wear. The formal attire was very bing of his handsome features, which helped him to blend in among the society¡¯s elites. ¡°Does this mean you have found a job?¡± While buckling up, Sophia threw him a question with a cheerful disposition. ¡°I¡¯ll start working in my family¡¯spany starting tomorrow.¡± Ian¡¯s reply was short but serious. It was followed by a pause on Sophia¡¯s part as she recalled John telling her that the Morgan Family was one of prestige, and also one with an expansive business. She gave him a nod after giving it some thought. ¡°It¡¯s nice to work in a family business, as you can be less restrained while working in your own domain.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s an oversimplification of things.¡± A smile tugged at Ian¡¯s lips. ¡°Why would you say so?¡± Sophia sounded surprised. ¡°Let¡¯s go visit my family¡¯spany.¡± The smile on his lips never faded. He then drove her to his family¡¯s company. The car was parked outside as they weren¡¯t allowed to go in, while Sophia rested by the car window as she stared at the office building outside the car. ¡°Does the whole building belong to your family?¡± While resting on his seat, Ian hummed in assent as he observed the building. Meanwhile, Sophia chuckled before saying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look bad at all, as business seems to be booming.¡± The office building they owned was almost as huge as the one owned by the Constance Family, and both were located in the city center. However, Ian asked after a few seconds, ¡°What do you think the internal affairs would be like with such a bigpany?¡± A sudden recollection of Ian indicating that the woman they met yesterday was his stepmother hit Sophia when she turned to look at Ian, which would make things a little awkward. The presence of a stepmother would almost always guarantee an estrangement between the child and the father figure. ¡°Do you have siblings?¡± Sophia twirled her gaze as she threw him a curveball. Ian let slip a chuckle. ¡°Yes. I have an older brother, a younger brother, and a younger sister.¡± A mental image of Old Mr. Morgan popped into mind as she was amazed by his reproductive abilities, which prompted her to ask, ¡°Do they all work in thepany?¡± Ian gave her a nod. ¡°Yeah, all of them.¡± ¡°It must be aplicated situation.¡± Sophia smacked her lips, but she figured it wouldn¡¯t necessarily compare to the situation in the Constance Family. All four brothers and their families were all gathered under a singlepany, which would guarantee a lot of ensuing schemes. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s superplicated.¡± The gaze in Ian¡¯s eyes darkened, which made Sophia realize that the situation was far moreplicated than she¡¯d imagined. He switched the topic abruptly by that point. ¡°Have you read the online news article?¡± ¡°What news article? I haven¡¯t had time to read it.¡± Sophia was startled by his question. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 175 Chapter 175 ¡°The employee from Infinity Group agreed to an interview.¡± A smile tugged at the corner of Ian¡¯s lips as he spoke. Miss Cox who worked under Infinity Group contacted the mediast night, thus the media arranged for an interview with her early in the morning. It was said that a lot of journalists from within the city gathered over the night to attend the press conference. They sure worked their *ss off for news content. Sophia quickly fumbled for her phone, in which news about John could be found with ease on the tabloids. The interview with Miss Cox was on the top of the search list, with a photo of her included. She wasn¡¯t wearing any makeup, which showed just how haggard she was, but Sophia wondered if she was trying to earn the sympathy of the public. The interview was short, as Miss Cox was reportedly too ill to carry on with it halfway through it. Sophia checked on what Miss Cox revealed, which told of how she had had a good chat with John when she received him. Meanwhile, Miss Cox also confirmed that she hadn¡¯t seen Sophia, as John did not bring her along, which was the truth because Sophia did not join the reception. It was revealed in the interview that Miss Cox had always admired John, and she also put him on a pedestal due to his family business. The interview took a turn to touch on the incident that went a little out of hand during the banquet after everybody was a little drunk. Aside from that, she also announced that she wasn¡¯t trying to persecute John, as her ns were to apologize to Sophia through the media for hurting her, which stirred a deep sense of regret. In order to make up for it, she had already resigned from her position, as well as leaving the industry altogether. While she didn¡¯t expect forgiveness from Sophia, she extended a heartfelt apology to Sophia nheless. Upon reading through the article, Sophia¡¯s mouth hung agape as she realized how good Miss Cox was at putting up a facade. She was literally spouting nonsense in the face of the public, which made Sophia seem almost like an imbecile inparison. There were no responses whatsoever on John¡¯s part, or rather, he seemed totally unfazed by the whole incident. His inaction somehow helped to calm Sophia down as she realized she wouldn¡¯t in fact be affected by the ruckus, and she would be safe no matter what happened. ¡°It seems like there¡¯s still a long way to go before the incident would conclude itself.¡± Sophia heaved a sigh after putting her phone away. ¡°So did John¡­ You know¡­ That employee¡­¡± The question was to the point, as Ian wasn¡¯t privy to the keyponents of the incident. ¡°No, he didn¡¯t. I attended the banquet with him, during which he was by my side the whole time.¡± A smile bloomed on Sophia¡¯s face as she looked toward Ian. It would require a long exnation to rify everything, but Sophia wasn¡¯t about to reveal her own thoughts from back then, thus smacked her lips before concluding, ¡°Please don¡¯t go around announcing our divorce, as there were someplications between me and John that we have yet to settle.¡± There was a smile on Ian¡¯s face. ¡°Worry not, as I am great at keeping secrets.¡± Sophia giggled. ¡°Are you nning to show me around thepany today?¡± Ian heaved a long sigh. ¡°I need to settle my admission procedures, but I didn¡¯t want toe alone, so I called on you because I don¡¯t have friends.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem for me, soe on.¡± There was a sense of pride in Sophia¡¯s tone as she got out of the car. Ian followed suit to stand behind her while staring at her petite figure with a frown on his face. What transpired was unbeknownst to her, thus walked into the Morgan Group¡¯s office building alongside him. Nobody at the reception seemed to recognize Ian, but one of the receptionists did know Sophia, which happened to be a shock for the former when she saw Sophia, all the while addressing her, ¡°Mrs. Constance.¡± The title sent a shiver down Sophia¡¯s spine as she totally forgot that the media had just intercepted her last night at the entrance of the Constance Company¡¯s office building for a long interview. It ended up being a news article with a photo of hers to go with it, so she had in fact garnered a bit of fame, which was to John¡¯s credit. ¡°Erm, he¡­¡± While pointing at Ian, her mouth hung agape as she was suddenly at a loss for words. She wondered what the heck did Ian do to reach such a point that the employees in his own family¡¯s company would fail to recognize him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 176 Chapter 176 ¡°President Morgan requested for my presence, so you can give him a call to get a confirmation from him,¡± Ian exined upon approaching the reception. A call was swiftly made as soon as the president¡¯s title was mentioned, which didn¡¯tst for long before the receptionist hung up. While the receptionist didn¡¯t tell Ian to go upstairs, she told him to wait for a moment. The situation confused Sophia as she observed Ian from the sidelines while wondering if Ian never showed himself in thepany prior to that moment. She thus approached the receptionist to ask, ¡°How long have you been working here?¡± ¡°Almost five years.¡± There was panic in the receptionist¡¯s response when faced with Sophia. She nodded as she figured that Ian wasn¡¯t doing that great a job as the young master of his family, judging from the fact that the receptionist failed to recognize him despite having worked with thepany for five years. After the two of them waited for a while, a man who appeared to be many years Ian¡¯s senior exited the elevator. He gave a nomittal response upon seeing Ian, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± However, the man was startled by Sophia¡¯s presence, which led her to sigh inwardly as she struggled to get ustomed to her new found fame. Meanwhile, Ian turned to look at Sophia as he introduced, ¡°He is Sean Morgan, and he¡­ is my elder brother.¡± The final part of the sentence sounded rather forced, if nothing else. ¡°Hello.¡± Sophia nodded toward Sean. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Constance.¡± Sean was polite toward her. ¡°My name is Sophia, so you can call me just that. Addressing me as Mrs. Constance actually sounds a little awkward.¡± Sophia chuckled. Silence befell as Sean smiled at her out of courtesy before leading them to the elevator. Most of the companies had a simr structure to their offices, and the same could be said of the Morgan Group. They went through the administrative procedures to admit Ian into thepany at the HR department, and Sean told the staff to assign Ian the position of vice president, working alongside Mr. Zimmel, who would double as Ian¡¯s mentor. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Despite the staff¡¯s astonishment, he nodded in agreement, while Ian wore an imperceptible smirk on his face, which Sophia missed out on as she was busy examining her surroundings with her hands behind her. After filling in a form for appearance¡¯s sake, Ian was led to and instructed to wait in a nearby meeting room. The door to the tiny room was opened as soon as Ian and Sophia sat down, through which a man about Ian¡¯s age entered. There was a sense of impudence in how he addressed Ian uponying eyes on thetter. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Ian didn¡¯t even spare him a nce during the ensuing silence, which seemed to displease the man as he walked over to m a hand on the table top in front of Ian. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you!¡± The look of indifference retained as Ian rested his back against the chair, but Sophia was slightly unhappy about the situation. ¡°What are you doing? You gave me a fright.¡± ¡°You damn¡ª¡± The man turned toward Sophia rather impatiently, but managed to bite his tongue before he could finish his sentence as he stared at Sophia with much seriousness. ¡°Go on, what were you going to say?¡± The frown she wore was even more solemn than the one the man wore. ¡°Are you John Constance¡¯s wife?¡± The man frowned slowly. ¡°Do you know my husband?¡± A scoff escaped her throat. Such a reaction from her had the man¡¯s expression contorted even further as he turned to nce at Ian with a nod. ¡°I was wondering why the position you are offered was suddenly changed, and I see the reason now. I sure underestimated you, Ian, as I never expected you to have ties with the Constances. A fine job you¡¯ve done there.¡± ¡°Hey Ian, does your family¡¯spany hire just about anyone? Didn¡¯t you set the bar a little too low?¡± Sophia smirked while casting Ian a nce, which prompted the man to shoot her a re, but said nothing else. The door of the room was once again opened within that short span of time to reveal a woman by the entrance as she looked at the arrogant man. ¡°Simon, what are you doing here? Get your *ss out of that room to help with matters out here instead of speaking to some inconsequential brat.¡± Dazed, Simon looked over his shoulder at the woman by the entrance. ¡°Sally, Ian¡¯s here, and he¡¯s imed the title of vice president for himself!¡± ¡°Come here right this instance.¡± The woman didn¡¯t even spare Ian a nce. Upon shooting him one final re, Simon turned to leave them. After the door to the meeting room closed, Sophia turned to meet Ian¡¯s gaze. ¡°These two¡ªare they perhaps your¡­¡± He wore a smile as he said, ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re all from the Morgan Family.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . They were his siblings. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 177 Chapter 177 ¡°They seemed to be rather impudent.¡± A sigh escaped Sophia. She had a feeling that the Constances also disliked John, but they were smart enough to keep their thoughts to themselves instead of showing them. On the flip side, things seemed worse with the Morgans, as they wouldn¡¯t even pretend to get along with Ian. It was proof that they were less tolerant toward people, and it would affect their business in the long run. Meanwhile, silence befell as Ian wore a smile on his face. It wasn¡¯t long before the procedure was dealt with, which meant he would begin working by the next day. Ian stood as he nned to meet Mr. Zimmel, while Sophia was unsure if she should go with him, thus asked, ¡°Should I wait here?¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Ian gave her a nod. The staff from HR came in and handed her a ss of water after he left, while Sean followed behind the staff. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°President Morgan, he¡¯s out, if you¡¯re here for Ian.¡± It wasn¡¯t hard for Sophia to surmise his intentions as she held the ss between her palms. Sean cut to the chase and didn¡¯t seem to mindying his cards out. ¡°No, I¡¯m here for you.¡± It was by then that Sophia realized the benefits of being John¡¯s wife, as she was treated with courtesy even in enemy territory, while she wouldn¡¯t even be able to step through the doors of thepany on her own. ¡°How¡¯d youe to meet Ian, Mrs. Constance?¡± While seated across from Sophia, Sean asked his first question. ¡°What¡¯s your n, President Morgan? Are you trying to filter through thepany your brother keeps?¡± The ambiguous answer was due to Sophia¡¯s doubt in whether she should be honest. A smile bloomed on Sean¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s not the case, so please don¡¯t overthink this, Mrs. Constance. I am merely curious.¡± ¡°I would say we are fated to meet each other. John and I met Ian when we were on a business trip, and we kept in touch after that since we find each other to be pleasantpany.¡± As she set the cup down on the table, Sophia spoke with a smile on her face, ¡°John is a businessman, so his willingness to befriend Ian meant that he might¡¯ve seen something in him.¡± The reason she mentioned John was because she didn¡¯t want anybody to focus on her rtionship with Ian, but Sean was focused on something else as he nodded. ¡°Does Mr. Constance get along with Ian?¡± ¡°Yeah, as they share simr hobbies. As you might have known, my husband hasn¡¯t the best personality, so Ian is one of the rare people to be able to get along with him,¡± Sophia gave a curt reply. Silence befell as Sean averted his gaze, while Sophia did the same as she held her gaze. What she said was a lie, so she couldn¡¯t reveal too much information in order to avoid making mistakes that would jeopardize herself. Sean gave a curt response before ending the conversation altogether, but Sophia was unsure if he believed in her lie. Ian entered the room once again after Sean left a few minutester, to which Sophia stood to greet him, ¡°Can we leave now?¡± ¡°Sure, as I¡¯ve already exined everything to Mr. Zimmel. All I have to do is to arrive on time tomorrow,¡± Ian said with a nod. The two of them then walked over to the elevator. There were two types of elevators, one which was open for public use, while the other was exclusive to certain individuals. Sophia didn¡¯t hesitate to press the button for the exclusive one, while Ian wore a smile as they entered the elevator. By that point, she couldn¡¯t care less about it as she was close to figuring out Ian¡¯s intentions for asking to meet her when he calledst night. He was trying to take advantage of her identity by bringing her along to thepany. Judging from what Simon said, Ian¡¯s position was decided prior to that day, but her presence prompted Sean to make ast minute decision to change Ian¡¯s position. While Sophia being an individual wouldn¡¯t have been able to alter the situation, the fact that she was backed by John did. Her sharing an amicable rtionship with Ian would almost mean that thetter shared a simr bond with John. The decision to be more partial toward Ian on Sean¡¯s part was most likely due to certain underlying concerns he had. Upon figuring everything out, Sophia wasn¡¯t about to me Ian, as she knew he had it hard. He would never even consider such a method if he had other means to improve his circumstances. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 178 Chapter 178 Sophia and Ian boarded the car together, while she threw him a question just when he was starting the car engine. ¡°You and your brother don¡¯t share the same mother, do you?¡± Upon recollection, the rtionship between Sean and Ian didn¡¯t seem particrly amicable. Sean even tried to inquire about Ian¡¯s rtionship with John, which seemed to be out of caution rather than concern, nor did they give off a vibe that they shared the same mother. However, their age difference made it hard to believe that Sean was born from Ian¡¯s stepmother. Ian didn¡¯t try to hide it from her, and opened up to her while he drove, ¡°Sean was mothered by my father¡¯s first wife, while my stepmother gave birth to Simon and Sally.¡± The statement was followed by a self-deprecatingugh, while Sophia need not ask as he continued on, ¡°Whereas I bring shame to the family, for my mother isn¡¯t among the officially recognized wives of my father.¡± Such a revtion startled Sophia, which caused her to inhale sharply as she thought to herself, Did he mean he is an illegitimate child? The birth of an illegitimate child wasmonce among prestigious families, as it was far too easy for men¡ªespecially men of status¡ªto cheat on their wives. Even men of poor birth would think of having an affair, say less of rich men who would have women chasing after them. They had far more opportunities to have an affair even if they had no intention to, which made it highly probable for them to go for one. Back when Sophia married into the Constance Family, she assumed that men in a family like theirs would have a hard time maintaining their fidelity. However, William seemed to be an exception. While the other members of the Constance Family were no concern of hers, William set a good example, which made her gradually forget about the truth of the matter. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Her heart skipped a beat upon hearing what Ian told her, and she was suddenly being reminded of the risks of marrying rich. It was fortunate of her that John seemed to have inherited qualities of his father, so he hadn¡¯t stepped out of line by then. ¡°So your mother, she¡­ Now¡­¡± Sophia licked her lips nervously as she tried to ask with much uncertainty, but Ian seemed to have caught on. ¡°She married into another family, so she had since left the household.¡± Such was his reply. Sophia¡¯s mouth hung agape as she was at a loss for words. However, as if having no need for constion from a third party, Ian smiled before exining, ¡°I¡¯m already used to such things. I felt happy that she had found herself a new life, as she could never integrate into the Morgan Family, so it was unfair if she were to be held up like that. The fact that she could start anew meant that she had gotten over the hurdle, which is something that I am happy about.¡± Sophia gave him a pat on the shoulder while consoling him, ¡°You will also have a new life, so I wish you all the best.¡± A smile tugged at the corner of Sophia¡¯s lips when Ian turned to look at her. Her facial expression wasn¡¯t one of contempt nor pity, and she looked the same as back when they just got to know each other, which was a relief to him. He then switched the topic. ¡°Let¡¯s go grab a meal. What would you like to eat?¡± Upon figuring that she should be preparing for her driving test, Sophia decided that she didn¡¯t mind about the food since she wouldn¡¯t be leaving the house for some time. It was thus she said, ¡°Let¡¯s have some hot pot. It¡¯s got a merry atmosphere to it.¡± ¡°Sure, I happen to know of a restaurant that serves nice hot pot, but I am unsure if it¡¯s still up and running, so we¡¯ll have to check it out.¡± Ian wasn¡¯t picky about food. ¡°Alright.¡± Sophia let slip a chuckle as she took off her shoes to sit cross-legged, while Ian said nothing as he cast a nce at her with a smile on his face. The hot pot restaurant Ian mentioned was located beside a residential building, but there weren¡¯t a lot of customers during the day. They found a table beside the window upon entering it, and the waiter handed them the menu, from which Sophia brazenly ordered a ton of food before Ian added two more side dishes to settle their order. After the waiter left, Ian inquired, ¡°Isn¡¯t Mr. Constance going to deal with the online scandals? The Constances didn¡¯t respond to the situation at all.¡± Sophia wound up being the one having to exin things upon being surrounded by the media, which was why a lot of people assumed she was in charge of resolving the situation. Their approach made it seem as if the Constance Family dared not face Miss Cox head on. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 179 Chapter 179 Neither was Sophia certain of John¡¯s ns. She turned to look out of the window as she smacked her lips. ¡°John is the type of person who would choose to ignore certain things, which could be frustrating. I just don¡¯t understand him.¡± That was how the two of them differed from each other, as Sophia would most certainly charge head on to confront whoever that ndered her. She could hardly tolerate being defamed, so she would fight back tooth and nail till the perpetrator was condemned for eternity. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Mr. Constance might have his own concerns and ns. I was never involved in business dealings, so I don¡¯t know much about it,¡± Ian said after a moment¡¯s silence. ¡°You sing well, so I think it would be a pity if you gave up on that.¡± Upon ncing at Ian, Sophia changed the topic, only to garner a smile from him. The waiter served them their soup after some time before the other dishes arrived. It was then that Sophia took out her phone to take a photo of the food on the table before posting it on Facebook. Considering the fact that she didn¡¯t have friends, she wasn¡¯t sure why she did that. Perhaps it was out of a desire to put it up somewhere, but she dared not think of who could and would see her photo. They dug in after she was done posting, during which Sophia inquired about Ian¡¯s ns while working with his family, only to find out that he never had any, as he never wanted to work there but was forced to do so by his father, who was perhaps feeling guilty. Ian had been wandering for a few years when the rest of his siblings had found their ce in the company. A drifter he was, who never went home for two years. Old Mr. Morgan was bing more sentimental as his age caught up with him, which was why he wished for a familial reunion, but it was torturous for Ian. The meal went on for a while before Sophia began scrolling through Facebook. Sure enough, Zack¡¯s comment could be found underneath her photo, in which he jokingly chided Sophia for enjoying hot pot instead of resolving the scandal. A fleeting smile crossed her face before she set her phone aside. Ian sent her home after the meal, while Sophia reminded him to get a change of clothes as the both of them smelled like hot pot. It was after he waved at Sophia through a lowered window that he drove away in his car, then she turned to enter the house, only to see that the door was unlocked upon reaching the entrance. She blinked her eyes while trying her best to recall what happened when she left the house, which she recalled having locked the door. Standing by the french windows, she looked into the house, but there was no one in the living room, so she wondered if a thievery had happened in broad daylight. Sophia took a deep breath before entering the living room, which was the same as before, without any signs of having been searched through. There were sounds of people walking on the second stairway on the second floor when she scanned her surroundings carefully, and John was soon to be seen emerging beside the stairs while looking at her from higher ground. ¡°Why are you here? Shouldn¡¯t you be in the office during this time of day?¡± She stared at him wide eyed as his presence came as a shock to her. By that point, it was already afternoon and well past lunch time. Silence ensued as John walked down at a leisurely pace while holding his gaze, whereas Sophia quickly walked up to him after changing her shoes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did something happen in the company? Are you fired?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see me in a better light?¡± So was his response while looking at her. ¡°Why else would you be at home? For a second I thought there was a thievery going on!¡± A frown formed on Sophia¡¯s face as sheined. John drank the mineral water he retrieved from the fridge by the kitchen entrance while Sophia looked on from aside. His silent treatment displeased her, thus she pressed on, ¡°I¡¯m asking you, so tell me the reason!¡± It took him a few seconds before he gave a reply, ¡°I took leave as I am not feeling well.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 180 Chapter 180 ¡°Where does it hurt?¡± Sophia blinked as she stood on her toes to touch John¡¯s forehead. There was nothing abnormal about his temperature, but John took a step back to avoid her touch. He had a hard time pinpointing where in his body exactly felt ufortable, as his entire body just didn¡¯t feel right. Sophia realized upon him backing away that her gesture had crossed a line, so she giggled to relieve the awkward atmosphere while taking a few steps back. ¡°Have you gone to a doctor?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, as all I need is to get some rest.¡± Upon holding the bottle in hand, he walked toward the stairs. Sophia gave a hum in response without saying much else. However, John stopped in his tracks after taking a few steps on the stairs before lowering his gaze to look at Sophia. ¡°You seem to be on good terms with the second young master of the Morgan Family.¡± ¡°Yeah, that much is true.¡± There was a pause in Sophia¡¯s movements before she nodded with much seriousness, as she figured the fact that she went to hispany to support him meant that they were on good terms. Ever since she met him, she had regarded him as a friend, while their rtionship would definitely have improved after what happened back in his family¡¯spany, so she would say that they were on good terms. ¡°You only knew him for a brief time, so I don¡¯t think you know howplicated his family is,¡± John scoffed as he said. While maintaining a serious expression, Sophia nodded in response. ¡°I know about that, as Ian told me everything. He has a few half siblings, and he is an illegitimate child. I know everything.¡± A sigh escaped her lips after saying so. ¡°His situation isplicated indeed. I used to think your family isplicated enough, but it doesn¡¯tpare at all to the Morgans. Even though you have an extensive family, they could at least get along, while that¡¯s not the case at all for the Morgans¡­¡± ¡°I never expected him to tell you all this.¡± There was amusement in his gaze as he stared at Sophia in surprise. ¡°Huh?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t even register the ridicule in his tone. ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t keep things from each other.¡± He continued to walk upstairs as he spoke, ¡°Sophia, I realized by now that I underestimated you.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± A frown could be seen on her face, but John headed straight for his room instead of answering her question. Moreover, he locked the door behind him, which confused her, as Sophia wouldn¡¯t go check on him regardless if he locked it. Sophia watered the nts after spacing out for a moment, then retreated to her room. After taking a shower and drying her hair, shey in bed for a nap with a full stomach. Such was the luxurious life she only ever dreamed of. She dozed off after a while, whereas John got out of his room to go into the yard. There were flower pots that were arranged in two rows, in which nted all kinds of flowers. A frown formed on his face upon checking his surroundings, but he wasn¡¯t actually worried about the scandal despite it gaining momentum. What concerned him was the fact that he would be reminded of what happened after he was drugged whenever he came across those articles. He would then recall what happened between him and Sophia in the lounge, and the memory grew even more vivid the more he thought about it, which wasn¡¯t helping his anxiety at all. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Upon retrieving a cigarette from his case, he left it dangling between his lips without lighting it. He wasn¡¯t in fact addicted to cigarettes, nor did he like the smell of cigarettes, as it was more out of necessity that he smoked to blend in when he was socializing. In the courtyard he stood while gazing upon the entrance of the house, as the sight of when Ian sent Sophia home was all he could think of. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 181 Chapter 181 John recalled when he saw Ian¡¯s face through the lowered car window, and he had to admit that Ian was quite handsome, or at least he looked better than his younger half brother who was around his age, so it wouldn¡¯t surprise him if Sophia fell for him. However, it was almost a given that Sophia would suffer if she were to marry into the Morgan Family, as none of the Morgans would be easy to get along with. She might be able to live a more carefree life if she would let things slide like how she used to, but neither her nor the Morgans would be able to get some peace and quiet if she were to adopt her current feisty attitude. He maintained the same position for a few moments before throwing the cigarette away, then turned to enter the house. He couldn¡¯t help but try to listen in on what Sophia might be doing when he walked past her room while heading toward his. Silence hung in the air before he realized he¡¯d chosen a more soundproof material when renovating the house, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to hear anything even if Sophia did make some noise in her room. He thus waved his hand dismissively before returning to his room. The curtains were drawn as soon as he entered before hey down on bed. While he wasn¡¯t tired, he didn¡¯t know what to do, so he allowed himself to toss and turn on the bed. The phone he left beside him rang as he did with a call from Zack, which he picked up. The report Zack gave was about hispany having contacted the hotel in Tri Asel to ess the surveince records outside of John¡¯s room that the hotel possessed, as well as their check-in details, which would suffice in dealing with the scandal. Despite the good news, John didn¡¯t seem happy at all as he gave an almost insipid response. Zack went on to ask if he was still feeling unwell, to which he denied. However, he wasn¡¯t actually sure, as his heart space was filled with a well of turbulent and inexplicable emotions. Zack hummed in response before going on, ¡°The second young master dropped by just now as he wanted to hand you some documents, but left upon noticing you weren¡¯t in.¡± By that, he was referring to Dn. John knew Dn¡¯s visit wasn¡¯t anything particrly important, so he wasn¡¯t sure why Zack would make mention of it. Time passed as silence ensued, and theck of a favorable response from John prompted Zack to go on with much reluctance, ¡°Dn said something along the lines of not having seen Sophia around before he left your office. I don¡¯t really know what he meant.¡± ¡°Alright, I know what to do, so you can work on your other tasks.¡± John let slip a sneer as soon as he hung up, then flipped himself over to face the door while mumbling to himself, ¡°Sophia, I have most certainly underestimated you.¡± The fact that she was able to attract both Ian and Dn was proof that Sophia was a cut above the rest. Mrs. Constance only took into consideration her familial background when she determined that nobody would want to marry Sophia if Old Mr. Constance hadn¡¯t forced him to. However, Dn chose to go after her despite knowing her familial background, so John figured that one shouldn¡¯t be so arbitrary in their opinions. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. After lying down for some time, John was feeling a little drowsy, so he closed his eyes as he allowed himself to drift into sleep while figuring that the obnoxious thoughts that intruded his mind would fade away after he woke up. His slumbersted for quite some time, as he woke up to a darkened sky. Upon leaving the room and reaching the stairway, he lowered his gaze to see the lights in the kitchen switched on, and noises could be hearding from within it, which probably meant that Sophia was cooking. As soon as he got down the stairs, he walked over to the sofa, only to see Sophia frying some vegetables in the kitchen while wearing an apron, with her hair bunched up, like a proper chef. The doorbell rang when he was about to approach her, which startled him as he turned around to check the entrance. From the window beside him, he could see that someone was standing outside the door, who turned out to be his parents, thus quickly opened the door. William wore a look of indifference, while his wife was visibly unhappy. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 182 Chapter 182 ¡°Mom, Dad, what brings you?¡± Their visit was a surprise to John. ¡°Your dad told me you took a day off because you¡¯re feeling unwell, so I came to visit you as I worry about you.¡± Mrs. Constance looked at him. The doorbell also alerted Sophia of the arrival of guests, but she retreated into the kitchen as soon as she saw the couple. The house reminded Mrs. Constance of things that had gone awry, and a nce at Sophia¡¯s direction triggered feelings of difort. While standing by the door, Mrs. Constance was reminded of when Sophia humiliated her in front of the maids, which she held a grudge against. Mrs. Constance scanned her surroundings after sitting down on the sofa alongside William. The decor on the first floor was not to John¡¯s taste at all, so she asked him in a low voice, ¡°Is this the house you gave her after your divorce?¡± Upon seeing him give a nod, she harrumphed as she thought, Sophia¡¯s money situation sure took off after divorcing him! She made such a huge profit out of it! Even legal businesses wouldn¡¯t make so much profit! William looked at John as he spoke. ¡°Is the scandal the cause of your illness?¡± John wore a smile on his face. ¡°No, it will take much more than that to falter me.¡± William nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine, then. The incident shouldn¡¯t have happened in the first ce, and it will never brew into anything of consequence as long as you¡¯re innocent.¡± ¡°Yeah. Infinity Group should be actively trying to create more havoc, but they have only a few more days to do so.¡± Such was John¡¯s reply. William understood what John meant and said, ¡°I got news that an auditing team was established, so I believe we will soon get results.¡± There was a smile on John¡¯s face while he switched the topic. ¡°Does Grandma have anything to say upon being told that you¡¯reing over?¡± Upon hearing what her son said, Mrs. Constance¡¯s expression froze. She recalled Old Mrs. Constance having told her to not provoke Sophia in any way so as to not create more burdens for John when the scandal was still a hot issue. While Mrs. Constance agreed to it, she did it with much reluctance. Meanwhile, Sophia wasying the dishes she prepared out on the table without a care in the ongoing conversation between the Constances, nor did she want to entertain them. The only exception would be William, whom she had no beef with as he never tried to humiliate her, which would consequently paint her in a negative light if she were to sulk at him. It was thus Sophia decided to walk over to the dining room after some mental strife. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready, so you can eat now.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to specify who she was addressing. The manner in which Sophia carried herself came as a surprise to John, who recognized that she was doing it for his sake. He stood up before extending an invitation to his parents, ¡°I¡¯m guessing you haven¡¯t eaten, so why don¡¯t we dine together? Sophia cooks well.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Mrs. Constance sulked. While she had wanted to spout even more vile words, she changed her mindst minute due to Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s advice. William didn¡¯t wish for his wife to make a scene, thus gave her a tug while trying to persuade her, ¡±Come on, let¡¯s have some food. Do it for John if nothing else.¡± ¡°You can go on your own, as I am not hungry at all. My presence might just be a nuisance to everybody.¡± The sulk on Mrs. Constance¡¯s face remained. It was well-known among them that Mrs. Constance was ill-tempered and rash, so a meal with Sophia might very well trigger something, as Sophia was no longer the woman she used to be. She had be a cynic and rebel whom Mrs. Constance would never be able to tolerate, and William knew that as well. Thus, he cast John a nce as he said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. You should go eat if you have nothing else to do, while me and your mom will be taking our leave.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . As soon as William made his intentions clear, Sophia approached him without hesitation, all the while wearing a smile on her face. ¡°Mr. Constance, have some food before you leave since I already spent the time to prepare them. You don¡¯t need to be in such a hurry, seeing that night has fallen.¡± Her attitude came as a relief for William, but he waved his hand nheless. ¡°It¡¯s okay, as we do have matters to settle at home, so we will have to leave anyway. I¡¯m sure there will be plenty of chances in the future for a meal together.¡± A giggle could be heard as Sophia went full on into people-pleasing mode. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take that as a promise, and will make sure to prepare the food you like when you do visit.¡± As if making a promise, William hummed in response before leaving alongside his wife. The both of them left after he reminded John to take good care of his health. The smile on Sophia¡¯s face copsed as soon as they were out of sight as she left for the kitchen, while John turned to look at her, letting out a low chuckle before following suit. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 183 Chapter 183 Both Sophia and John ate in silence. After the meal, she went upstairs when John was cleaning up, only to return in a while in a fancy outfit and makeup. Her appearance came as a surprise to John, who was watching TV on the sofa. ¡°Are you going out?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be back after having some fun,¡± Sophia replied. A frown sprang onto his face uncontrobly. ¡°During such ate time?¡± ¡°This is when the fun happens!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t care about his opinion of her when she replied. Besides, that was the time when night life began. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Will you be with Ian?¡± It was an unnecessary question on his part. She answered yes, then smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to hear him sing, as he has a nice voice.¡± With a small handbag in hand, she turned around and left, her figure vanishing into the distance, while John had his eyes on her throughout the process. He flipped the TV channel upon averting his gaze to go through the various dramas that were being broadcasted at that time of night, but none of them caught his attention as he wasn¡¯t up to date with the plot. He settled on a program on technology, but the scientific jargon was even more boring. While he had his eyes on the TV, one would notice upon close inspection that his gaze was in fact stuck on one point, and he was actually distracted. On the other hand, Sophia arrived at an underground bar on a cab. It was a small bar with only one public area, but it was rather crowded. Sitting on a high stool on the small stage was Ian, whom Sophia could see as soon as she entered the bar. He had a guitar in hand as he sang softly to the mellow tune of the music. Soft music wouldn¡¯t normally fit into the atmosphere of a bar, as people who tried to seek out excitement would prefer rock music. However, Ian¡¯s soothing voice made him sound as if he was telling a story when he sang, so the customers were in fact enthralled by his performance. Sophia found herself an empty spot in the corner as the tables around Ian were fully seated. When she entered the bar, Ian smiled at her when he saw her. Ordering some juice would make her seem out of ce, so she asked for two bottles of beer after finding herself a seat. After a while, a few men tried to strike up a conversation with her, but she didn¡¯t want to entertain them at all, thus pointed toward the stage while telling them, ¡°He¡¯s my friend, so I¡¯m not alone.¡± The men retreated as soon as they realized Ian was her friend. The song ended after a while, after which Ian approached her as the audience apuded him. He seemed to have gotten used to the attention as he merely nodded at the crowd to show his appreciation. Sophia did the same upon him settling down beside her while saying, ¡°I think you have the talent to be a star! You sing well, and you look handsome, so you will definitely be famous with some marketing.¡± A smile formed on his face. ¡°Forget about it. I wouldn¡¯t be able to lead such a life even if what you said was right, for I¡¯m an illegitimate child.¡± He figured that he would receive a lot of negative criticism if that facet of his life was uncovered. ¡°It was never your fault, so people shouldn¡¯t be ming you.¡± Sophia heaved a sigh. ¡°It would be great if everybody thinks like you.¡± Ian stared at Sophia. The idea was dismissed with a wave of her hand. ¡°Forget about it. Let¡¯s not think too hard. Did you drive here? Can you drink?¡± Ian shook his head. ¡°I have to sing, so I¡¯d better not.¡± There was a te of fruit on the table which Sophia pushed toward him. ¡°Have some fruit then to moisten your throat.¡± It led Ian to observe her curiously before asking, ¡°I don¡¯t understand why John would divorce a woman like you.¡± The question startled her, but she quickly covered up her helplessness with augh. ¡°Perhaps everybody has their own perspective on things. All my merits would amount to nothing as long as he holds no love for me.¡± No matter the merits one held, it wouldn¡¯t matter in the eyes of someone who didn¡¯t love them. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 184 Chapter 184 Ian sang another love song after spending some time with Sophia. The volume of the music was so soft that he was almost singing a cappe. Silence befell the bar all of a sudden, and all of the noise had died down. The lights were dimmed while Ian was almost shining as he sat under the spotlight. Sophia rested her chin on her hands that were in turn rested on the table as she observed Ian intently. When he reached the middle of his song, he cast a nce at her, and the both of them exchanged a smile while holding their gazes. Sophia opened the beer after ordering some side dishes, which, in her opinion, would go well with the beer. While it was her intention to only drink a little, the beer was so weak that she felt nothing but bloated after a bottle of it, thus proceeded to open the second bottle. Some bold audience had the waiter buy some flowers to be given to Ian on stage, throughout which Sophia watched while smiling like a fool. Such a sight had to bemonce for Ian as he thanked that person after stopping the song. He then left the flower on the ground beside him before continuing with his song. However, Sophia¡¯s gaze was fixated on the bunch of flowers when she realized she never received a single bunch of it despite her age. Not only did she never receive flowers, but she also never got to pursue a romantic rtionship, thus never knew of the embarrassment while holding a boy¡¯s hand. Instead, she stepped into a marriage with John without even getting the chance to hold his hand. While she used to be shy around him in the beginning, her love was unknown to him, or rather, he knew of her love but never cared enough to recognize it. Despite the smile on her face, her heart was feeling numb, but she figured her situation was for the best now that she was divorced. Although her heart was cold, she had the opportunity then to find someone who would warm it up again, while John could have fun with Isabelle for all she cared. Even after the second bottle of beer, her mind was still very much intact. She had the waiter bring two more bottles, only to have him respond, ¡°Since you¡¯re here with a friend, two bottles might not be enough, so why don¡¯t I bring you a dozen more? You can ask for a refund for any unfinished beer.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . After checking the items she had on the table, Sophia nodded in agreement. ¡°Sure, why not.¡± She wasn¡¯t in dire need of money, so it didn¡¯t matter to her. The waiter left beforeing back deftly with a dozen bottles of beer, then opening two of them for her. There was a seductiveness in her gaze as she thanked the waiter, to which thetter responded with a professional smile as he replied, ¡°My pleasure.¡± Sophia filled her own ss while listening to the rest of Ian¡¯s song, but a woman approached him before he was able to leave the stage. It was apparent from her wobbly steps that she was drunk while she stood before Ian to tell him something. The smile on Ian¡¯s face never faltered throughout the process. On the other hand, Sophia nearly lost her cool as she sat crossed-legged on the chair while leaning against it. Upon closer observation, she figured that a lot of women would like Ian for his handsome features and nice voice. His identity wouldn¡¯t have mattered if it was true love, especially when it was never his fault to begin with. His father was the one who couldn¡¯t restrain himself. Upon the woman saying something, Sophia could see Ian giving her a smile before pointing at herself, which led the drunk woman to look toward her when he was talking. Sophia responded by putting up a tough front, while the drunk woman turned to leave with a sullen expression after looking at her. It was only then that Ian came over with his guitar in hand. ¡°What¡¯s up? Is she trying to flirt with you?¡± Sophia asked after he settled down, to which he gave a hum in response while cing his guitar on the chair beside him. Curiosity ate at Sophia as she asked, ¡°What did you tell her at the end? She seemed a little displeased.¡± Ian lifted his gaze to look at Sophia as he spoke, ¡°I told her my girlfriend is right over there.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 185 Chapter 185 Sophia had a heartyugh upon listening to what Ian said, all the while seeming unperturbed by it. She even said, ¡°No wonder she was looking at me in such an awkward manner. You shouldn¡¯t be using me as an excuse to turn people down, as you¡¯re only making more enemies for me!¡± A smile bloomed on his face as he argued, ¡°I have no other choice, as you¡¯re my only friend, so I couldn¡¯t possibly shift the me to anybody else.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. The chair that Ian sat on was moved away from the stage to make space for a rock singer, who brought the atmosphere to a high. While pouring some beer for him, Sophia asked, ¡°Can you drink now?¡± ¡°I drove here.¡± Such was his reply as he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll drink on my own, then.¡± Sophia clicked her tongue as she took the ss from him, then downed the contents in it before asking Ian if he would be living at the Morgan Residence from then on. ¡°The residence is huge, with a lot of spare rooms, so I don¡¯t really have a reason to not move back in.¡± He gave her a nod while recalling that Old Mr. Morgan had had the maids clean his room, which probably meant he would like Ian to stay with them. After mulling over the situation, Sophia said, ¡°To be frank, it might be good to live together with someone as they could be of help whenever you encountered some problems. The only catch would be your half siblings, who annoyed the hell out of me, especially the brother and sister duo who came inter today. Who do they think they are anyway?¡± Ianughed. ¡°They were spoiled growing up, which exins their vtile temper.¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± Sophia snorted before going on, ¡°They fear nothing as they know they would be backed, and they decided they would be capricious and arrogant due to the fact that they were cared for.¡± The same could be said of Mrs. Constance, who took advantage of William¡¯s tolerant nature. The alcohol was beginning to show its effects on her, which made her bber more than she normally would. She began talking about her life with the Constances, including being despised by the household members, which was an awful experience. She even guffawed. ¡°You know what? Even the maids think I¡¯m useless. They thought I didn¡¯t know that, but I heard and knew everything.¡± Ian pursed his lip while observing Sophia, while thetter would maintain a cheerful disposition as she spoke, ¡°I was at the bottom of the food chain, so everyone in the household could trample over me. Everyone could give me an attitude, especially John¡¯s mom. She would scold me anytime she wished to, no matter the asion, which was why she was dumbfounded when I kicked her that day.¡± Her story ended with a scoff from her. Recollections of that fateful day made her burst out inughter before she finally let out a sigh. ¡°You won¡¯t know how much satisfaction it brought me. I really wanted to give her another kick¡ªno, I should¡¯ve beaten the crap out of her. I don¡¯t care if she scolded me, but she was scolding my parents! She had no right to do so even though my parents are scums!¡± The rim of her eyes turned red as she repeated, ¡°Those two scums might be dawdling somewhere out there as we speak.¡± The smile of resignation on her face brought a frown to Ian¡¯s face. She took another swig and let out a hiss before continuing, ¡°I have now divorced John, so I will have you know that I will let loose from now on! I will not fear anyone anymore, and I¡¯ll scratch whoever that crosses me!¡± She made a scratching motion as she spoke, then chuckled absentmindedly. Ian smiled. ¡°I never knew you led such a harsh life in the Constance Family.¡± Sophia chuckled again. ¡°Nor did I know I would. I wouldn¡¯t have married John even if I liked him if I knew back then that he and his family would look down on me.¡± She was a human being in her own right, so she shouldn¡¯t have been trampled over by them. Her naivety led her to believe that John just didn¡¯t love her, and she could still work on building a rtionship with him as time passed, which was extremely conceited. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 186 Chapter 186 Eventually, Sophia realized she had had too much to drink, so she waved her hand to stop herself from drinking. ¡°Hold on, I think I had too much to drink.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Ian nodded, for it was never a good thing to have drunk too much while not at home. Sophia was struggling to get up on her feet. ¡°I have to go home now, as it¡¯s not safe for me to stay here after drinking so much.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Let me send you home.¡± Up he stood to help support Sophia while wearing a smile. Sophia lifted her gaze to look at Ian while she nodded. ¡°Alright, but you have to be quick, as it would be troublesome if I run into some bad guys.¡± She¡¯s quite careful despite her wobbly steps, Ian figured as he helped her out with his guitar in hand. Upon boarding his car, Sophia fell asleep while leaning against the back of her seat with her face flushed. Ian was a little baffled by how she trusted him with her secrets and having drunk so much in his presence. Never once did it cross her mind that he might be up to no good, or what she should do if he happened to have bad intentions. After starting the car engine, Ian drove to her house. They arrived at their destination in the dark of night, but John had yet to go to bed as he sat on the sofa while flipping through the channels. Upset as he was, John was constantly checking the time. As time passed, his patience wore thin. Finally, he heard the sounds of a car and saw a sh of light outside the house, which prompted him to shoot up from his seat. Ian¡¯s car was parked in front of the yard, whereas Sophia was sleeping so soundly that Ian failed to wake her even after repeatedly calling out to her. The situation left him without an option other than to carry her out of the car. It was his first time holding a woman, and her body felt as light as a feather to him. Ian lowered his gaze to look at Sophia as he figured that she would be in so much trouble if someone sneaky saw her while in such an unguarded state. As soon as Ian stepped into the yard with Sophia in his hand, John stepped out of the house while wearing a gloomy expression and said immediately, ¡°Let me hold her.¡± ¡°After we get inside.¡± Ian didn¡¯t let go as he bypassed John to enter the house. It was his first time in her house, and he had to admit that the decor exuded a sense of warmth. Meanwhile, John approached him to take over the task of carrying Sophia without as much a word, then said while walking upstairs, ¡°Please lock the doors for me when you leave, the front gates as well.¡± Before he left, Ian remained at his spot as he watched John¡¯s figure vanish into the corner with Sophia in his arms, whereas John would drop her onto the bed as soon as he entered her room. Amazingly, the drop didn¡¯t wake Sophia as her body bounced on the bed. Uttering some murmur, she then flipped herself over in her sleep while still reeking of alcohol. John wanted to leave, but stopped in his tracks after taking a few steps, as he was a clean freak who had a hard time bearing such a sight. After some inner strife, he turned around to prop her up on the bed while trying to wake her. ¡°Wake up. Take off your clothes.¡± It would take a miracle to wake her, as she continued to sleep soundly. He thus took a deep breath before removing her clothes by himself, then walked up to the cab to retrieve her pajamas, only to be confronted by the sight of her spreading out on the bed when he returned. Feelings of resignation stirred within him as he turned to fill up the bathtub with water. He stood by the tub to watch the water level rise while pondering on his reason for doing that. Logically, he knew he should¡¯ve left her for dead, but regardless of what he thought he ought to do, he filled up the tub before putting her into the tub just like that without even removing her underwear. After entering the water, Sophia finally came to her senses as she opened her eyes groggily. ¡°It¡¯s you¡­ Does this mean I¡¯m home?¡± At least she managed to recognize me, John thought in frustration before replying, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re home, and I will once again be at your service.¡± Sophia closed her eyes as she smiled absentmindedly. ¡°That would be great.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 187 Chapter 187 ¡°Sophia, just tell me the truth. Do you like Ian?¡± John let slip a sigh before mumbling, while Sophia seemed to be sound asleep as she didn¡¯t give him a reply, but neither was he intent on getting a reply as he rambled on, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you like him, but you should spend more time knowing his character before going out with him. How dare you get drunk while with him despite not having known him for long? Do you have sh*t for brains?¡± Meanwhile, Sophia slept with her head leaned to a side, with no signs indicating that she would wake up. It was thus John continued on, ¡°The Morgans are hard to deal with, so you and Ian won¡¯t be a compatible match. He has no power within his family because of his identity as an illegitimate son, so you have to know that your life would be even harsher than while you were with my family if you marry him. I made a promise with my grandfather to take care of you and that I will be nice to you, so I have to hand you over to someone dependable. You will also have to be more wary of your surroundings, so find someone who you could trust, do you understand me?¡± However, Sophia heard none of what he said, as she was in a deep, dreamless slumber. After washing her limbs, John tried to move her out of the tub, but his movements made her ufortable. Besides, her clothes were also glued to her body after being drenched by water, which she tried to pry off, only to have her bra strap fall off her shoulder as she moved her hands to her back. ¡°This feels so ufortable.¡± ¡°Just hold on and bear with it until I leave.¡± John held her hand down while exhaling, but Sophia wasn¡¯t about toply with what he said as she cast his hand away before removing her bra. The sight of it had John go retrieve a towel with gritted teeth, but she was even faster than him, as she had taken off her underwear. He gritted even harder on his teeth while wrapping her up in a towel before lifting her out of the tub. In the meantime, Sophia kept on mumbling about how ufortable she was, ¡°It¡¯s hot in here¡­ I feel nauseous and dizzy¡­¡± It¡¯s one thing after another with this woman. Upon carrying her to the bed, he tried to put on the pajamas he got for her, while Sophia seemed to have gotten slightly sober after creating such amotion. She shot up from bed while staring at John with an innocent look on her face, yet she didn¡¯t seem to register at all that something was off. On the other hand, John dared not even look her way, as the sight of her reminded him of their wedding night. She wore a simr expression during their first night together while looking just as ignorant. With his back facing her, John said, ¡°Here¡¯s your pajamas. I believe you can put them on yourself.¡± While she hummed a response before getting out of bed, instead of reaching for the pajamas, she reached out to John as she grumbled, ¡°John, I¡¯m cold.¡± Not a surprise when you¡¯re still dripping wet and had no clothes on, John figured while willing himself to not listen to her voice, as his mind kept on wandering to very inappropriate scenes. Sophia hugged him from behind after getting out of bed. ¡°John, I¡¯m scared.¡± His throat bobbed as he lifted his head. ¡°Lie down on your bed and go to sleep. You¡¯ll feel better when you wake up the next day.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t me me, as I also wish for Grandpa¡¯s recovery.¡± A muddled mind had jumbled up her sense of space and time as she spoke in a low voice, to which John responded with a frown in silence. She thus went on, ¡°I never told you about it, but I believed that our marriage could bring good luck to the family.¡± Upon noticing his silence, Sophia let go of him, going around to stand in front of him. ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± Sophia was standing there stark naked, and John was no dead man. He thus turned away from her as he said, ¡°You get some rest, while I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . While bypassing her in an attempt to reach for the door, Sophia rushed into his arms as she cried out, ¡°No, no, no! You¡¯re going to sleep in the study again! We¡¯re a married couple, yet you always sleep in the study!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 188 Chapter 188 It was apparent that Sophia was still under the influence of alcohol, as her sense of time was muddled, which made her think that they were still bound to each other in a marriage that ate away at their patience. Anxiety kicked in while she was still immersed in her own world, thus she looped her arms around his neck before kissing him. If there was ever a reason that rich individuals had a higher probability of cheating on their partners compared to those who were poor, whomever that decided to step in between the married couple would be to me. Besides, those who stepped in tended to have good looks, which made it hard for men to resist the temptation. Such was John¡¯s predicament. Logically, he knew he should push her away, as he should stop associating himself with her. The fact that they were still living under the same roof was already inappropriate in itself, while physical intimacy would only furtherplicate matters. However, thoughts were merely thoughts, as he had a hard time restraining himself, which led him to fall onto the bed with Sophia in his arms while she begged in a low voice, ¡°John, can you not dislike me?¡± Her words came as a shock to him while he was overwhelmed by ufortable feelings. ¡°I never did.¡± Which was the truth, as he merely thought that they were ipatible. In fact, they were only ever in sync when it came to sex and nothing else, for she was never his type from the very beginning.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Sophia seemed so happy about it, as if having gotten his promise, so she was being cooperative. That wasn¡¯t their first time having sex. John reached out to turn off the lights before opening up in the dark, ¡°Please don¡¯t me me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I never did me you.¡± Unwary of what he truly meant, she let slip a chuckle before kissing him again. The dark was where dark desires bred, in which mumbles and sounds of tangled limbs could be heard even from outside the room. It was the only way for John to let loose his desires of wanting her. Meanwhile, Sophia kept on telling him she liked him while in a muddled state of mind, which John didn¡¯t take seriously, as he figured she was but a drunken woman who couldn¡¯t tell where and when she was, so she could only ever spout nonsense. After a prolonged period of movement, they finally fell asleep, with Sophia holding onto his arm as she slept soundly. On the other hand, John woke up after a short nap before checking the time to realize that he needed to go to work. She had her arms around his waist, while her legs were tangled with his, and her face was snuggled against his chest as she slept soundly. It was thus he had to push her away slowly to get out of bed and reach for his clothes. After that, he returned to his room for a shower. They seemed to get more chances for physical contact after their divorce, which John was beginning to get used to, thus didn¡¯t have much thoughts about it. After tidying himself, he went downstairs and drove himself to thepany. While Sophia was still deep in slumber, she began dreaming after he left. The dream itself was chaotic, as it presented her with scenes of John pressing on top of her while doing all sorts of embarrassing things to her. He even went against his seemingly aloof nature to tell her some sweet nothings, which pleased her enough for her to smile in her dreams. Hunger awakened her when noon came, while her sleep-addled brain failed to recognize where she was when she woke to the chandelier in the room. She was lying in bed with the nket kicked aside, while a frown formed on her face when she slowly moved her hands across her body to realize that she was stark naked. This shouldn¡¯t be, as I have a habit of sleeping with my clothes on, Sophia figured as she scanned her surroundings while lying in bed before sitting up on it. She was in her room, that much she knew, but she couldn¡¯t recall how she got in there. Something felt off about her body when she lowered her gaze to check on herself, which caused her to hiss in disappointment as she wondered if something had happened while she was drunk. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 189 Chapter 189 I should quit drinking, as all it ever does is put me into apromising situation. That totally sucks. After spending some time just sitting on the bed, she got off it deftly to check on her body in a mirror in the bathroom, and much to her delight, she noticed there were less marks on her body this time. She then saw the cold water in the tub fromst night, so she drained it while wearing a frown before filling it up with water again. While the tub was filling up, she retrieved her phone from the nightstand to give John a call, which connected after a moment. His voice came through as being calm while he asked, ¡°Are you up?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one I had sex withst night, am I right?¡± She drew a deep breath before questioning him in a tone which he could hardly decipher, and he wondered if she was disappointed. ¡°Who else then?¡± His reply was brusque. ¡°Alright, got it.¡± The call was hung up after she nodded. She then went into the bathroom after mulling over the situation. As shey in the tub, she went on trying her hardest to recall what happenedst night, but her memory failed her, as she couldn¡¯t recall anything aside from a few details when she was having sex. A soft wail escaped her while she covered her face, as the fact that she had sex with John again weighed on her heavily. It didn¡¯t make sense as she wanted to wipe the te clean between them.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. After spending a long while soaking in the tub, she had a change of clothes before taking the soiled bed sheets off to be washed, all the while averting her gaze from the sheet. She cooked herself a meal after cleaning the bathtub. Then, there was a message in her phone from Ian which asked if she was up. While it came early in the morning, Sophia never replied to it. Although she wanted to ask him what happenedst night¡ªespecially how she got home¡ªthat led up to her having sex with John, it was an impossible task no matter how shameless she was. After boiling herself some noodles, she sat down for a meal while staring at her phone as she wondered from whom she should ask for answers regarding what happenedst night. The noodles were finished before she went back up to lie down on bed. She figured that John didn¡¯t get down too hard on her, as her body wasn¡¯t sore despite her fatigue. While staring at the lights on the ceiling due to her having a hard time falling asleep, Sophia decided she would quit drinking, which would hopefully help her to abstain from sex. In the meantime, John was sitting in his office with his phone on the table, all the while spacing out as he leaned back in his seat. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn¡¯t notice Zack¡¯s arrival with a stack of documents in hand. When he saw the state his boss was in, he was in turn surprised. ¡°Boss, we managed to suppress further online discussion regarding the matter, and the scandal concerning Infinity Group would soon break. You can consider the matter settled.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± John returned to his senses before looking at Zack. Thetter blinked in confusion, as he assumed John was pondering about the matter which he had just reported on, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. The documents were handed to John while Zack exined, ¡°These are drafts of the contract prepared by the Baileys which you should look over before the public rtions team releases the news regarding our coboration with the Baileys.¡± The Baileys owned a bigpany, so their coboration could very much help to redeem the Constance¡¯s image that was affected by the scandal. Upon taking the documents from Zack, John went through it roughly before replying, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll inform you after I¡¯ve confirmed that everything is fine.¡± ¡°Is something bothering you, Boss? Why do you look a little distracted?¡± Zack stared at John even after his report ended. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ Nothing happened at all¡­¡± There was a few moments¡¯ pause before John replied, to which Zack grunted in response as he nced at John. Then, he turned to leave. Meanwhile, John only managed to go through two pages of the document before he closed it back, as he had a hard time taking in what was written on it with his addled state of mind. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 190 Chapter 190 Sophia didn¡¯t leave the house for the day, spending the afternoon preparing for her driving test. There were a lot of questions that she had a hard time understanding, so she took to the Inte for help. An entire afternoon was spent in the study before she stood to stretch herself. In fact, she did a good job to upkeep her mentality, so she was now without the chagrin she used to feel. What happenedst night wasn¡¯t a big deal, as she merely slept with someone whom she had slept with for many times, but ultimately, the number of times she did it was inconsequential. When it was about time, she went downstairs to cook a meal. The door opened as soon as dinner was ready, while Sophia could see from the corner of her eyes that John was back. The time of day indicated that he must have returned from work, but it was in fact rare for him to be this punctual. He already saw Sophia in the kitchen as soon as he entered, but the sight of her didn¡¯t deter him. After taking his shoes off, he toured around the living room for a bit before arriving at the kitchen. He was wearing a calm expression, as well as maintaining his usual tone as he asked, ¡°Do you need help?¡± ¡°No, dinner will soon be ready.¡± She didn¡¯t even look his way while giving her response, but when he left to wash his hands, she gave a sigh. To pretend that nothing happened seemed to be the right way to go about things, and Sophia felt like they had found a middleground to deal with the incident. Neither of them spoke during dinner, which was how they treated each other on a daily basis, as they nevermunicated outside of important matters. The phone which John left on the table while dining lit up when he was almost finished with his meal. John cast a nce at it without actively reaching out to read what was on the screen, nor did he say a word, allowing the screen to dim out again gradually. It wasn¡¯t until he finished his meal leisurely did he take his phone. ¡°Leave the dishes after you¡¯re done. I¡¯lle get them in a bit.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. After that, John went into the yard with his phone in hand to make a call while Sophia watched the back of his figure in silence. He had one hand shoved in his pocket as he held an upright posture throughout the call. Aside from not loving me, John is the perfect man. Sophia sighed as she finished her food. Instead of waiting for John to clean up, as it was merely a process of putting the dishes away into the dishwasher, she simply did it herself. It wasn¡¯t something undoable anyway. After she cleaned up, she went into the living room to see John in the yard while still on the phone call. Although she used to eavesdrop on him, she lost interest in doing so, thus she left for upstairs upon ncing at him. Back in her room where her phoney, disying the reading materials pertaining to the driving test, she didn¡¯t intend on reading them as she spread out on her bed. There was a knock on the door after a while, which prompted her to sit up hastily. ¡°Come in.¡± Instead ofing in, John left a crack open while he stood there looking at Sophia. ¡°I¡¯ll be out, but I don¡¯t know when I will be back, so remember to lock the doors and windows.¡± Sophia cast him a nce. ¡°What for?¡± His choice of words were already a telltale sign of him not wanting to reveal anything else, so she nodded after a moment. ¡°Alright, I get it.¡± After he left, Sophia got out of the bed to stand by the window, a snort escaping her upon watching his car driving away from home. The question back then was entirely unnecessary, as she wasn¡¯t that interested in knowing what he was up to. She went back to bed only to find herself unable to focus on revising for her test, so she went downstairs to lock the doors and windows before taking a bath and going to bed. When he returned was unbeknownst to her, as all she did was take a peek out of the window when she jolted awake during midnight. The yard was empty, and his car was nowhere in sight, which meant he hadn¡¯t returned. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he still had the strength to have sex with another woman afterst night. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 191 Chapter 191 John¡¯s car was nowhere in sight when she woke up the next morning despite howte she woke up. It was thus she couldn¡¯t determine if John left aftering home, or if he spent his night elsewhere. She turned to leave her spot by the window with a scoff to enter the bathroom to wash up, then she left the house for breakfast as she didn¡¯t want to cook. In the restaurant, she took out her phone to check on the news, only to realize things had undergone a huge transformation after a mere day of her not checking up on it. There was a plot twist to the scandal of John¡¯s infidelity as hispany released footage retrieved from the hotel in Tri Asel. The footage revealed that Sophia had indeed been with John, and both of them shared a room. It was also revealed that Miss Cox came to knock on the door of their room while in sexy attire, but John didn¡¯t let her in. Judging from the avable material, they didn¡¯t seem to reach an agreement at all. A few security personnel arrived at the scene after a while to seemingly take Miss Cox away, so there were conjectures of John having filed aint to the hotel management, which prompted them to send the security personnel. All in all, there seemed to be a discrepancy between what Miss Cox said and what actually transpired. Well well, John had hispany handle everything while he kept his silence, which would guarantee his own peace of mind no matter how awry things might get. Sophia clicked her tongue upon deciphering his modus operandi. He sure is one hell of a businessman who knows how to strategize. Before leaving for the sweets shop, she made sure to put her phone away to finish her meal. Robin had finally opened shop, but she was cleaning up as there were no customers. A smile bloomed on Robin¡¯s face when she saw Sophia. ¡°You¡¯re finally here! I was about to contact you, as I got in touch with thendlordst night. He will drop by today as he has some time to spare, so you two can meet up to talk about the specifics regarding the rent.¡± There was a pause on Sophia¡¯s part before she asked, ¡°When will he arrive?¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Robin thought about it for a moment. ¡°He should be here this afternoon. I¡¯ll give you a call by then.¡± While she nodded, Sophia was in fact thinking about something else. It was her first time conducting business, so she didn¡¯t know anything about rent, nor was she certain of the terms she would have to set when meeting thendlord, so she had to ask for help from someone. Although her first candidate was John, she quickly dismissed the idea while deciding to ask Zack for help instead. Thus, that was what she did after spending some time in the shop to tell him of the situation at hand. ¡°Are you meeting thendlord today?¡± Zack let out a cry of surprise. ¡°Yeah!¡± The excitement in her tone seemed to have popped out from nowhere. ¡°But I don¡¯t know what should I do in regards to the terms, so pleasee help me out.¡± ¡°Of course I will!¡± Aughter escaped him as he said, ¡°Give me a call, and I¡¯ll be right there!¡± She was about to hang up after grunting in assent, but she was somehow prompted to ask, ¡°Does John not have to go socialize as ofte? He came home earlyst night.¡± There was a momentary pause before Zack replied, ¡°Yeah, he hasn¡¯t been doing much of those as of late due to the scandal with Infinity Group. He pushed all of those to other people, so he had been quite rxedtely to be able to get off work on time.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Alright, I understand.¡± She let out a chuckle, but she then clicked her tongue as soon as she hung up. So it seemed that John left the housest night due to personal matters, but she didn¡¯t know what it could be. He never allowed her a glimpse of his private life even when they were married, so she didn¡¯t know who he was friends with. The image of Isabelle came to her mind uncontrobly, but Sophia quickly dismissed it as she figured John could very well know other women. Look on the bright side, girl! What if he went to meet Miss Allen? See, isn¡¯t she much better than Isabelle? Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 192 Chapter 192 Sophia went on a trip in the mall out of boredom despite not having anything in mind that she wanted to buy, as she merely wanted to be in a crowd. There weren¡¯t a lot of people in the mall since it was office hours, which meant a lot of people were at work. She headed to a jewelry shop after some thought, as she figured she needed a ring around her finger. There were even lesser people in the shop when Sophia made her way into it. She told the attendant who came up to her with much enthusiasm in a blunt manner that she needed a ring, so the attendant motioned for her to follow her into the shop. ¡°Over here please, Madam.¡± They just arrived at the disy counter for rings when her phone rang with a call from Ian, which she picked up immediately. ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy? Why¡¯d you have time for me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost noon now, so I¡¯d like to know where you are, and if you would like to have lunch with me.¡± Ian was chuckling over the call. When Sophia checked the time, it was exactly like what he said, for it was indeed noon time, so she grunted in assent before telling him her location. ¡°I seem to be around where your office is, so do you want toe over here?¡± What she said was true, so Ian agreed to it while telling her to wait for him. She checked out the ring she had after hanging up, only to decide that she would prefer a in one rather than a mboyant one since she needed to do her own cooking and cleaning. After that, she tried out a few rings, but she still had a hard timeing to a final decision, as the more she looked, the more indecisive she was getting. It was fortunate for her that the shop attendant was extremely patient as she allowed her to try on almost every single ring in the shop. Ian arrived before she could decide on one. Upon pushing the door open, he scanned his surroundings to see Sophia at the innermost section of the shop, then he approached her while asking, ¡°Are you nning to buy some jewelry?¡± Sophia nodded after ncing at him. ¡°Yeah, as someone noted that I wasn¡¯t wearing a ring a few days ago, so I figured I needed one.¡± Being privy of her situation, Ian understood why she would need to do so. He nced at the counter while asking, ¡°Did you not see one that you like?¡± A sigh escaped her. ¡°There are a lot that I like, so I¡¯m getting indecisive.¡± ¡°How about we give this a try?¡± He wore a smile as he nced at the rings disyed in the counter before pointing at one of them. As if turned out, she had already tried that on, which sported a moderate design that was not too in nor mboyant, with a surface covered in tiny diamonds. She tried it on again before lifting her hand to check on it. ¡°It does look pretty, and the size is just right. What do you think?¡± She looked at Ian. ¡°It looks great.¡± Ian gave her a nod before fishing for his wallet to retrieve a card from within that he handed to the attendant. ¡°We¡¯ll have this one. This looks great at first nce.¡± ¡°Hold on, I can buy it myself!¡± The suddenness of his gesture shocked her as she quickly took out her own card from her wallet. Regardless of her request, Ian handed his card to the attendant before turning to meet Sophia¡¯s gaze. ¡°Nobody buys rings for themselves. Take this as a token of my appreciation for helping me out at my family¡¯spany. Thanks to you, nobody had the guts to talk behind my back during the past few days.¡± Something felt off nheless when Sophia observed the ring on her finger. ¡°We¡¯re friends, so it¡¯s normal that I helped you, but buying me a ring isn¡¯t.¡± Ian disregarded her concern while telling the attendant to pay using that card, and that Sophia would be wearing the ring right away. The attendant seemed to have misunderstood their rtionship as she took his card before she headed to the register. ¡°Ian, I don¡¯t think this is right. You can always buy me a meal if you would like to thank me,¡± Sophia said with pursed lips. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just take it as a thank you gift. It won¡¯t amount to anything if we don¡¯t feed it thoughts.¡± While Ian seemed rxed, he noticed the frown Sophia wore, thus he gave her a pat on the shoulder. ¡°I presented it as a gift to someone else as well, so it¡¯s not a problem. I think nothing of it, so it would be best if you would think the same.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. While lowering her gaze to observe the ring once again, she said hesitantly, ¡°Let me buy you a meal later if that¡¯s the case.¡± However, she knew a meal would neverpare to a diamond ring. What Ian did was unexpected, which made her wonder if people of the upper ss society never cared about things like that, or if a ring was just anothermonmodity to them. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 193 Chapter 193 They headed to a Thai restaurant which didn¡¯t have a lot of customers even during lunch time after paying for the ring. Ian seemed to be a regr, as he would exin the dishes that Sophia didn¡¯t know to her when they were ordering their meal. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. A smile bloomed on Sophia¡¯s face. ¡°You had always lived away from home, so do festive asions bring about unpleasant feelings?¡± There was a pause on Ian¡¯s part before he went on, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I used to live with my family, which wasn¡¯t the best of experiences, so I left. Although life after breaking away from them was a little lonely, I had a lot more freedompared to when I was with them.¡± Sophia seemed to think of something as she tilted her head while looking at Ian. ¡°Have you never thought of finding yourself a girlfriend throughout your life? Having someone by your side would make things easier.¡± Ian stared at her for a few seconds before averting his gaze. ¡°I gave up on the idea after giving it some thought.¡± Finding himself a girlfriend wasn¡¯t something he could do willy-nilly due to his own concerns. Two peopleing together meant the merging of both their futures, so he would one day have to tell his other half about his past, which was something that intimidated him. His identity wasn¡¯t only something that he was never able to escape; it was also the source of his misery while living with the Morgan Family. It was thus he decided that he need not drag someone else into the pithole he was in just because he was feeling lonely. However, he could tell none of those to Sophia. Upon observing him closely, Sophia chuckled. ¡°You are good-looking and have a nice voice, so a lot of girls must like you.¡± She wasparing him to John, who managed to attract a woman of Isabelle¡¯s calibre¡ªwho sought him out despite the fact that he was married¡ªby utilizing his looks alone, so she figured someone like Ian had to be able to attract even more women. Ian chuckled by way of a response. ¡°That¡¯s not how it works, as most women have a practical mindset.¡± He didn¡¯t have a ce to call his own, nor did he have a high-paying job. Both factors were of no help in terms of providing a sense of security, which was why not a lot of women liked him. Even if there were, those women tend to be younger and less experienced in terms of worldly matters, whom Ian wouldn¡¯t be interested in, as dating those women tend to make him feel as if he was ying with children. After the waiter served their meal, Sophia switched the topic while holding a spoon. She opted to talk about matters regarding his work, to which he told her he was still getting used to it, as he literally knew nothing about the job. Despite his title as the vice president, he was extremely humble, while Mr. Zimmel was pleasant enough to teach him about the smallest of things. ¡°Do the rest of the employees know of your background?¡± Sophia was blinking as she spoke. After mulling over the situation, Ian replied, ¡°They might not know much about it. I think they assume that Sean and I share the same mother.¡± Not a lot of people would imagine that Bryce managed to hook up with a third woman between his marriage with his two wives, who bore him another son. What he said lifted some of her worries. ¡°The presence of Sean might make your life easier. How is Sean¡¯s rtionship with Sally and Simon anyway? I bet they don¡¯t have the best rtionship.¡± Sophia was curious about the subject. Aughter escaped him as soon as he heard the question, as both Sally and Simon were afraid of Sean. Rumor had it that their mother, Leah Zimmerman, made use of unscrupulous means in her attempt to be Old Mr. Morgan¡¯s wife, which infuriated the old man, while Sean knew the details of it. That was the reason why Sally and Simon constantly felt ashamed while in the face of Sean, as if they were confronted about their wrongdoings. Besides, after a few days¡¯ observation, Ian gathered that even Leah wasn¡¯t able to assert herself over Sean, as Sean¡¯s status was almost on par with Bryce, or Old Mr. Morgan himself within the family. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 194 Chapter 194 Both of them shopped in the mall for a while after their meal before Ian left upon noticing that time was almost up. While he offered to send Sophia home, she shook her head as she turned him down. ¡°I have matters to settle, so I won¡¯t be going home for now.¡± He thus gave her a nod. ¡°Alright, be careful while you are alone outside.¡± A smile bloomed on her face. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± What could happen under broad daylight anyway? she thought. After Ian left, she followed suit to step out from the mall while raising her hand to the sun, which allowed the sun to shine on the ring on her finger. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was really okay to have someone else give this to her. WIth her understanding of societal norms, she always assumed that it was only appropriate to present someone else with a ring when they were a couple. However, she recalled that Mrs. Constance was the one who bought her that wedding ring, so it wasn¡¯t technically gifted by John, which was a little underwhelming. Sophia heaved a sigh while trying to not overthink things before hailing a cab to head to the dessert shop, in which Robin was making a call when she arrived. Upon noticing Sophia¡¯s presence, Robin pointed to the phone she held while mouthing at Sophia to indicate that the call was from thendlord, who said he would be arriving shortly. Sophia quickly backed out of the shop to give Zack a call, who as promised, told her he would go to her right away. Relief washed over her upon hearing his words. ¡°I feel more reassured by your presence.¡± Zack told her to remain calm, and that he would arrive shortly, so she could leave everything up to him. The call thus ended, while Sophia walked into the shop to sit down on a chair on the side. Robin wore a smile as she said, ¡°Thendlord told me he is on his way, and will arrive at any given moment. You should consider ways to haggle for a lower rent, as business isn¡¯t doing great, so it wouldn¡¯t be worth paying too much rent.¡± She even told Sophia her ideal price, and had her try to haggle for one that was lower than that, to which Sophia responded with a nod. ¡°Alright, I get what you mean.¡± Zack¡¯s car arrived before thendlord did, and Sophia walked over to the car before Zack even came out. However, it was revealed that Zack wasn¡¯t alone when John stepped out of the car, which came as a surprise to her. John¡¯s expression was as calm as ever when he approached Sophia upon seeing her. ¡°When will the landlord arrive?¡± Sounding surprised, Sophia replied, ¡°Why are you here? You can leave this up to Zack.¡± I¡¯m only trying to haggle for a lower rent, so I don¡¯t actually need someone of John¡¯s calibre. Meanwhile, John scanned the surroundings within the shop before saying, ¡°I figured I should lend a helping hand since it¡¯s your first time conducting business.¡± John, you¡¯re such a¡­ Sophia heaved a sigh as she felt a sense of warmth, but a certain difort squirmed within her. All these had her wondering what she should make of his kindness now that they were divorced, especially after they had sex again. Afterall, women were sentimental beings. It also made her wonder if the sex was so good that it rekindled his feelings toward her. Eventually she decided that line of thought was as absurd as things could get, as it wouldn¡¯t amount to anything. However, she wasn¡¯t able to fully dissuade herself, as her heart didn¡¯t have control over her mind. Zack arrived soon after with a more serious expression on his face, which was unlike his usual demeanor. ¡°Yourndlord might just cut your rent out of fear upon noticing our presence.¡± Sophia clicked her tongue at his words. ¡°Get your head out of the clouds.¡± After a few minutes, thendlord arrived in his car while parking it at where Zack¡¯s car was at the front of the shop. Then, he began observing the car upon getting out of his own car. While Sophia didn¡¯t know much about cars, she knew Zack¡¯s car was quite expensive. Her thought was further supported by the shock on thendlord¡¯s face as he turned to look at Sophia and the rest of her company. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 195 Chapter 195 By that point, Robin came out from behind the counter to greet thendlord, ¡°Mr. Reyes, she is Sophia, the one who is interested in renting the ce.¡± Thendlord turned to look at Sophia as he nodded. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Sophia responded with a smile. ¡°Likewise.¡± Meanwhile, John maintained an aloof expression as he turned to enter the shop as if he were at his own territory. ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡± Sophia knew nothing of renting a shop lot, so she left the negotiations up to John and Zack. The four of them sat by one of the tables, while Sophia was focused on reading the contract thendlord brought with him, which was for her perusalter on. After going through the entire contract, Sophia didn¡¯t seem to find anything she felt needed amendments. In the meantime, John waited until she finished reading the contract before saying, ¡°Let me go through that.¡± While she passed the contract to him, Johnid eyes on the ring on her finger, which he felt was a little too dazzling on her. He spent a few seconds staring at the ring before looking toward her, but she was so focused on the meeting that she didn¡¯t notice his expression. On the other hand, Zack requested for the basic info about the shop lot from thendlord, such as the usable areas within the shop, as well as permission regarding renovation. The professional manner in which Zack stated his questions seemed to have startled thendlord. Upon reading through the contract, John pointed out two of the points he found questionable. ¡°Your contract onlyid out the obligations of the tenant without mentioning their rights, so that is uneptable. Aside from that, shouldn¡¯t we pay our own utility bills? Why are you in charge of that, and why do you get to decide the rates?¡± Sophia let out a cry of surprise as she read through the contract again, during which she found out that it was indeed listed in the contract that she would have to pay the bills to thendlord alongside the rent. Moreover, she realized that the rates would go ording to the market rate of the shop¡¯s rental, and she had no idea of what it meant. She never realized any of those problems earlier. An awkward expression crept onto thendlord¡¯s face while he replied, ¡°I had always been doing it like this, as do the rest of thendowners on this street. You can ask around if you wish to.¡± A snigger escaped John. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, can you tell me what are your rates for water and electricity bills?¡± The smile on Mr. Reyes¡¯ face faltered a little as he said, ¡°On this street, electricity costs five for each unit, while each tonne of water would cost five. As soon as usage exceeds three tonnes, the rates will be raised to seven per tonne.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t see the point in working on this anymore.¡± John put down the contract before looking toward Sophia. ¡°I can help you find a shop lot at a better location, which would charge you ording to the rates stipted by the government.¡± With her mouth hung agape, Sophia was dumbfounded by how things turned out. John stood up as soon as he said, ¡°I know someone from around the area, so I know how the bills are charged.¡± He then turned to look at Robin, but thetter stared at him with a confused expression while standing behind the counter. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Was your contract the same as this?¡± John asked. Sounding surprised, she answered, ¡°I think so¡­¡± She took over her shop from someone else without giving much thought to it, and she even thought it convenient to pay the bills to thendlord alongside the rent. Upon observing her response, John let out a smirk. Meanwhile, Zack stood from his seat and called for Sophia toe along, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Why didn¡¯t you tell Boss that you wanted to rent a shop lot? He has a lot of property under his name, so could easily give you one of them.¡± Sophia shot up from her seat. ¡°I don¡¯t want his help! I want to do this on my own!¡± Thendlord followed suit as he called out to them, which caused Zack, John and Sophia to turn to meet him. While feeling a little awkward, he managed to put forth a negotiation by telling them, ¡°How long are you nning to rent the ce for? We cane to an agreement if you will be spending a long time here.¡± He was obviously trying to rationalize his actions. ¡°I used to have tenants who ran away after a short amount of time without paying for the utility bills, so I had to pay for them on my own. These terms serve to protect my interests, or else I would suffer huge losses if all of my tenants were to do that.¡± He sure asked for a heck of a lot of security by setting such high rates. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 196 Chapter 196 As soon as thendlord began makingpromises, Zack also softened his attitude. They were told that the duration of the rent would depend on the rates of the rent, as it wouldn¡¯t do to sign a few years¡¯ contract, only to have the rent go up during the consequent years. It would result in a predicament wherein the renter couldn¡¯t afford the rent, yet they weren¡¯t allowed to sublet it as well; nobody in their right mind would agree to that. Thendlord somehow took on a more easygoing attitude as he promised to not increase the rent as long as they agreed to settle into the ce long term, as well as check on the market rates if he had to increase the rent. John held his gaze on thendlord for a long while¡ªso long that the rest of them were beginning to feel awkward about it¡ªbefore sitting down once again. ¡°We can look into it if that¡¯s what you intend to propose.¡± Relief washed over Sophia upon hearing that, and she was feeling fortunate to have Zack and John¡¯s aid, or else she would¡¯ve been swindled by thendlord. As she cast a nce at John, she felt more reassured all of a sudden. Her presence wasn¡¯t required throughout the rest of the negotiation, as she had a hard time understanding anything at all despite having been sitting there since the beginning. She thus walkedThis text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. over to the counter, only to find Robin sulking behind it. There was a pout on her face as she said in a low voice, ¡°I must¡¯ve been swindled.¡± Sophia lowered her voice as well as she replied, ¡°I was nearly swindled too. I never knew there are so manyplications involved.¡± Robin cast a nce at John¡¯s direction before asking, ¡°How are you rted to that guy? He seems to have a dominating aura, and he is rather intimidating when I just saw him.¡± After a moment¡¯s silence during which Sophia looked at John, she said, ¡°He¡¯s a friend of mine who owns his ownpany.¡± Robin narrowed her eyes while taking a closer look at him. ¡°He seems familiar. I might¡¯ve seen him somewhere.¡± Sophia¡¯s heart sank as she figured Robin might be telling the truth, as John¡¯s photo was frequently showcased in financial news articles. The recent scandals would also serve to boost his fame, and whoever that read the tabloids would¡¯ve seen his photo. While Sophia was chatting with Robin, John and Zack were nailing down the details of the contract in her stead. They made quick work of it, while thendlord seemed pleased by the end of the negotiation as he was all smiles. As he had some other matters to tend to, thendlord drove away in his car after having chatted for a little longer with Zack and John. After he left, Sophia walked toward the entrance as she looked at Zack. ¡°Is everything settled?¡± Zack gave a grunt, all the while delighted in himself. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s done. Simply speaking, thendlord is an opportunistic person. Within the year, he already went through a few tenants who never managed to stay for long, so he was getting a little impatient.¡± A scoff escaped John before hemented, ¡°Yet he would still think of toying with the contract despite his desperation. I really don¡¯t understand him.¡± Sophia turned around to look around the shop. ¡°Is everything settled now?¡± ¡°Yeah, no worries. It¡¯s all settled.¡± Zack maintained a cheerful disposition while looking at Sophia. Meanwhile, John¡¯s gaze dropped tond on her finger, thinking that the ring was elegant and pretty. He then said, ¡°He will be drafting a new contract before meeting up again to sign it. We will be leaving since everything¡¯s settled for the time being.¡± Sophia quickly nodded as she replied, ¡°Alright, go work on your stuff. Go on!¡± The two men got into the car before Zack pulled away with a turn of the steering wheel. Sophia let out a huge sigh of relief as she stood by the entrance, as she thought her n was about to be thwarted at thest minute. If the negotiation had gone awry, she would be a little disappointed as she had been dreaming of owning her own shop for a long time. Fortunately, things were more or less settled now. After bidding goodbye with Robin, she left the shop with a light heart as she managed to reach a huge milestone. She had a change of clothes upon arriving at home before reading through more questions for the driver¡¯s theory test. She had been reading through the materials during the past few days, and came to realize that there were things which she could learn on her own by fumbling through it, as well as things she could do even without John. However, she did owe him one for helping out with the negotiation with Mr. Reyes. Although she would be proud if she could settle it on her own, he came anyway, so she would impose on him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 197 Chapter 197 Sophia took a nap during the afternoon before going on a grocery trip in a nearby mall when it was about time, for she was running out of food ingredients. As a token of her appreciation, she nned to cook him avish meal, so she didn¡¯t only buy poultry and fish, but other types of seafood too. She set down to work as soon as she arrived home without checking the time, while she worked on until the skies turned dark. After the soup was ready, she stretched out her limbs to relieve herself of the exhaustion from all thebor. Upon checking the time, she figured that John should be done with work by then, so she served everything on the table before sitting down to wait for him. She even rehearsed her thank you speech for when he got home. Sophia prided herself in being a fair person, so she would repay him after he helped her out despite having some unhappy memories with him. Half an hour was spent with her leaning against the back of her chair, but John was nowhere to be seen. If her memory served her well, she recalled Zack having told her that John had quite a lot of free time recently. She wondered if he was getting busy again since the scandal with Infinity Group was almost settled. After licking her lips, she spent more time waiting, but John didn¡¯t return home. Eventually, she lost all patience, thus she gave Zack a call, which he picked up almost instantaneously. Judging from the background noise, he was watching TV when she called. John would usually have Zacke along if he had matters to tend to, but it sounded like Zack was at home. The call came as a surprise to Zack. ¡°What¡¯s up, Sophia? Do you have more instructions for me?¡± There was a pause on Sophia¡¯s part before she asked, ¡°You sound like you have quite some time to spare tonight. Do you not need to work overtime?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Zack was taken aback, but he soon began chuckling. ¡°Thanks to Mr. Constance, I haven¡¯t needed to work overtime recently, so I can kick back and rx.¡± Sophia gave a grunt before replying, ¡°That sounds great.¡± Zack questioned immediately, ¡°What¡¯s up? Why did you call me anyway?¡± After denying his im, she said a little shyly, ¡°I called to thank you for helping me out today. I would¡¯ve been swindled by thendlord if I was on my own.¡± Zack heaved a sigh before telling her, ¡°Thendlord had swindled a lot of other people, and with how he charged for the bills, I bet he would¡¯ve earned quite a lot of money.¡± He pondered on the situation before continuing, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have decided to rent the shop lot if it wasn¡¯t for the location, as well as the fact that there were no other simr shops in the area, as thendlord¡¯s attitude was enough to dissuade us.¡± Sophia grunted in agreement, as thendlord was extremely cunning; even Robin was totally unmotivated to work that afternoon. Later, she even sent Sophia a text toin about the sadness that thoughts of it triggered.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Even so, she figured it was within reason that Robin would feel like that, as business wasn¡¯t good, yet thendlord would keep on swindling her hard-earned money like that. Robin¡¯s mood only seemed to improve after Sophia consoled her that the old contract would expire after that month, and she wouldn¡¯t mind giving Robin amission if they managed to earn more profit through their hard work. Meanwhile, Zack told her that he was looking for someone to draw a blueprint for the renovation, as well as having the contractor visit the shop in a few days, all so that they would be able to begin the renovation as soon as the contract was signed. His exnation startled her, but she quickly thanked him for his quick work, which was unexpected. A sigh escaped him as he continued, ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. Your ex-husband was the one who told me to handle the matters. He also offered toe along when he knew that I was going to help with the contract, so it really was nothing that I did.¡± Silence befell as Sophia pursed her lips, all the while wondering why hasn¡¯t John returned when he wasn¡¯t out socializing nor working overtime. He might as well have gone loitering somewhere. After a while, Sophia told Zack that she got his message, thus she would get an opportunity to thank him. They ended the call there as Zack had nothing else to say, after which she put her phone down to look at the food on the table. While she wanted to thank him, he seemed to never give her the chance to do so, especially during such critical times. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 198 Chapter 198 After eating some of the food she made, she chucked the rest into the fridge, then she settled down in the living room to watch TV. However, John didn¡¯te home, nor did he give her a call or text, which led her to figure that he didn¡¯t see that house as his home. She flipped through a few channels, but none of them were appealing enough, so she turned off the TV before making her way upstairs. Upon reaching the stairway of the second floor, she turned to look outside with a sliver of hope, only to see that it was dead quiet outside, without a single person on the road. After switching off the lights downstairs, she returned to her room for a quick wash up before locking the door and lying down on the bed. The curtains weren¡¯t drawn, so lights from outside the house that shone through the window illuminated the room. It wasn¡¯t until after spending some time staring at the ceiling that Sophia closed her eyes. Now that we¡¯re no longer legally bound to each other, I should give no f*cks as to where he went. He deserves his freedom to do whatever he wants. That reminds me¡­ I am also a free person to roam the world since I am now without that marriage certificate. How could I have forgotten about that? She came to a decision as she fixed her posture, then she coaxed herself to sleep, figuring that she would wake up the next day fully rested. However, she had a hard time falling asleep, and the more she tried, the more she found herself to be wide awake. Eventually, she wound up tossing and turning on the bed until the sounds of a car could be heard, as well as when lights shone through the window. She shot up from bed to look out of the window, only to see that John was back, while his car was driving through the entrance. Sophia shrunk away before quickly drawing the curtains, then she observed through a gap in between the curtains while hidden behind the fabric. While John parked his car within thepound of the house, he didn¡¯t get out of the car immediately. Instead, he sat motionlessly in the car for a long while. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was alone in the car, and the car engine was turned off, Sophia would have suspected that he was doing something immoral in the car with someone else. She waited patiently by the window until a whileter when her phone chimed with an iing message. Upon retrieving her phone, she discovered to her surprise that the message was from John, in which the b*stard had the audacity to ask her if she was asleep. Isn¡¯t the whole setup obvious enough? The lights are off, and my curtains are drawn, so doesn¡¯t it look like to you that I¡¯m sleeping? Thus, Sophia did not reply to his message; instead, she continued to observe him through the window. John got out of the car after a minute or so after sending his message, but he didn¡¯t enter before retrieving something from the passenger seat that was put in a bag. As soon as she saw him entering the living room, shey back down on bed with a harrumph. Meanwhile, John switched on the lights in the living room, then he put away the stuff he held at the dining room after scanning the living room. He spaced out while sitting on the chair by the dining table. In his phone was a message from Isabelle indicating that she had arrived at home, but he didn¡¯t reply to it. He stood to go get some water from the fridge, only to see a few dishes in it, ranging from seafood to poultry. It was unusual for Sophia to cook this much food even with the two of them, which meant¡­ John turned to chuck the item he bought into the fridge while figuring that Sophia must¡¯ve made those as she wanted to eat with him. A half smirk crossed his face before he drank from the bottle of water, then he shut the fridge with a loud thud. While passing by her room, he stopped while still holding onto the bottle. He heaved a sigh before lifting his hand in an attempt to knock on the door, but he stopped himself at thest moment. It didn¡¯t matter if she was sound asleep, as even if he managed to wake her up, he wouldn¡¯t know what to say to her. Previous Chapter This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 199 Chapter 199 Sophia was trying her best to listen in on what was going on outside of her room, but the house had great soundproof mechanics. It was thus she gave up on waiting, instead opting to flip over and shut her eyes. She quickly fell into a slumber thatsted till the next morning. Her first reaction upon waking up was to check the view outside the window. The car was still parked at the entrance, which meant John was still in the house. After washing up, she headed downstairs with ns of boiling herself some noodles, but she changed her mind as she didn¡¯t want to waste the food she cookedst night. She opened the fridge, only to be startled by the extra item she found in it. Upon taking it out, she figured it was a lunchbox in a stic bag, which she found out to be true after opening it. The content within was revealed to be pork leg soup as she took off the lid, which had a frown form on Sophia¡¯s face as she wondered if John brought it backst night. Is this for me? Ha, he seemed to have somehow be more considerate! What a surprise! she thought to herself. However, she put it back into the fridge, instead opting to heat up the dishes she made to eat them as breakfast in the dining room. John wasn¡¯t up until a whileter, and there was a momentary pause in his movements when he saw Sophia in the dining room, but he soon proceeded to approach her. ¡°You slept earlyst night.¡± Sophia wore a calm expression as she looked toward him. ¡°I only saw your message just now. I slept earlyst night, so I didn¡¯t see it till then. Was there something you needed?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± he said while sitting down, so Sophia didn¡¯t pry any further. She also prepared his portion for breakfast, but he didn¡¯t seem to have an appetite. Upon noticing that John was only sitting by the table, she asked directly, ¡°Don¡¯t you have work today?¡± He responded by shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s Saturday, so I don¡¯t have to work.¡± Sophia chuckled, but it was hard to tell if it was sincere. ¡°You used to work even during the weekends back then.¡± Her words startled John, which had him lifting his gaze to look at her. However, she didn¡¯t meet his gaze, so he wasn¡¯t able to determine her intentions in saying what she did. She ate quickly, and was in the process of cleaning up when John finally said, ¡°The ring looks nice on you.¡± There was a pause in her movements when she lowered her gaze to look at the ring, before letting out a grunt. ¡°Ian picked it out for me.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Did he?¡± There was a flicker of emotion in his eyes. Sophia grunted in the affirmative, as it was true that Ian had given her the ring despite her initial protest. He wore a smile before saying, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± She wasn¡¯t about to guess what he meant by that as she cleaned up before going upstairs. After putting on some makeup and getting a change of clothes, she descended the stairs slowly to see him watching TV on the sofa, seemingly without eating anything. He asked as soon as he saw her walking down the stairs, ¡°Are you going out with Ian?¡± Without realizing what her thoughts really were, Sophia grunted in the affirmative despite that fact that she was nning on walking around alone. John kept his silence, during which she left the house swiftly. She wondered where she should be going while waiting for a cab, and she had nobody to go to when she neededpany, as she was without friends or family. The realization was a huge blow to her ego. After getting on the cab, she told the driver to bring her to a mall she thought of randomly. It would be lively over there, so she decided to go there before dwelling on anything else. The roads were packed with cars and pedestrians as it was a weekend. Sophia leaned against the seat of the cab as she observed the people outside. They seemed to not possess the same level of wealth as she did, but all of them seemed to be leading a better life than her. She arrived at the mall after a short while as it wasn¡¯t far away from her home. There was a za in front of the mall, to which families brought their kids to y at. After paying the cab, she got out of the car to step onto the za. The hustle and bustle of the za made her feel empty inside. She walked over to sit down on the bench beside her. It was breezy, so the weather wasn¡¯t hot, which made it pleasant to sit there. She observed a child not far away from her while leaning against the bench. The child was rather young, so his steps were a little wobbly, but he was so eager to rush forward as he tried to run off into the distance. The child¡¯s mother kept him safe from behind, while the father watched over them from aside. The sight of such a happy family reminded Sophia that she used to want to bear John¡¯s child. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 200 Chapter 200 Sophia stared intently at the family of three, all the while being reminded of the fact that she used to want a life like the one they led. Unfortunately, nobody was there to fend for her in the past, nor did she have someone whom she wanted to fend for. The child chuckled, while the mother followed suit. Despite his stoic expression, the father¡¯s eyes were gleaming with joy. Sophia quickly averted her gaze, but as soon as she did, a man standing not too far away from her came into view. The scene reminded her of back when she wanted to scale the walls, only to see him watching her while standing under a tree. Dn approached her upon noticing that Sophia had seen him. ¡°Why are you here alone?¡± Sophia examined him before saying, ¡°I could ask the same of you.¡± Dn sat down beside her before saying, ¡°My dad¡¯s birthday ising soon, so I came to buy him a present.¡± His reply startled her, which made her stammer, ¡°Your dad¡ªHold on, you mean, Uncle Owen will be celebrating his birthday?¡± A chuckle escaped Dn. ¡°Yeah, did John not tell you? His birthday is one week away, so the household might be hosting a celebration.¡± Sophia pursed her lips before trying to find excuses to cover for herself. ¡°I was so focused on working toward opening my own shop, so I might¡¯ve missed out on it when he told me.¡± She recalled that Owen never celebrated his birthday throughout the time she spent living with the Constances, so she wasn¡¯t sure when his birthday was. Upon hearing what she said, Dn grunted in response. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve told you about it, you will have toe.¡± Sophia nodded as she replied, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll try to make time.¡± However, she wasn¡¯t sure if the Constances celebrated their elders¡¯ birthdays together with the entire household during a banquet, as they weren¡¯t on the best terms with each other, so if they happened to decide to not speak to each other during gatherings, things would turn out to be very awkward. Before embarking on his quest in the mall, Dn looked toward Sophia while asking, ¡°Can you provide some suggestions for me if you have time?¡± She was startled by his sudden request. What kind of suggestion does he want from me? Does it have to do with Uncle Owen¡¯s birthday present? She wanted to dismiss the idea, as she assumed that whatever a country girl like her picked out wouldn¡¯t suit Owen¡¯s taste anyway, but Dn seemed to think it was a great idea. Thus, he stood while saying, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s take a look inside since you¡¯re alone anyway.¡± Without giving her a chance to turn him down, Dn headed straight for the mall. Meanwhile, Sophia cried out in an attempt to stop him, but to no avail. A frown formed on Sophia¡¯s face as she mumbled, ¡°Where Ie from, we need only bring a few kilograms of pork to the birthday boy or girl¡¯s house, so who the heck knows what you would want?¡± However, she followed behind him despite herints. Picking out birthday presents was noughing matter, so the both of them entered the gift section as if they were ready for a tough battle. Not even Dn knew what to choose despite having made a round in the section, say less of Sophia. All of the gifts seemed pointless in her eyes, and buying them would be a waste of money. Dn looked toward her as he asked, ¡°Do you have any suggestions?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Sophia gave him a shrug before telling him the truth as she perceived, as she liked nothing in the gifts section. While casting a nce at Dn, she said, ¡°I suppose Uncle Owen isn¡¯t in need of anything, is he?¡± Dn pondered on her words, which he realized to hold some truth. A family like his wasn¡¯tcking anything in the material sense, as they would buy anything that they set their sights on. Sophia let out aughter seemingly out of the blue. ¡°You¡¯re slightly younger than John, so I think your parents would be delighted if you brought with you a girlfriend.¡± She went on tough at her own joke. Upon hearing what she said, Dn followed suit after ncing her way. ¡°I don¡¯t think I would be able to achieve that within such a short period of time.¡± His answer came as a surprise to her, so much so that she had to arch a brow. ¡°Why is that so? You have great assets, so you should be able to do so quick enough.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. In the ensuing silence, Sophia rambled on, ¡°However, a family like yours pride themselves in finding a matching partner, but it is difficult to find someone whom you deem to fit all the prerequisites.¡± She then turned to look at him. ¡°Did nobody ever introduce you to anyone?¡± After a moment¡¯s pause while staring at the faraway shelf, Dn replied, ¡°I guess there used to be one.¡± Sophia let out a chuckle. ¡°What does that even mean? You should be able to give a definite ¡®yes¡¯ or ¡®no¡¯, so why such an ambiguous answer?¡± After pondering about his answer, he replied, ¡°While someone tried to introduce a girl to me, my parents turned down the girl before I even got the chance to meet her, as she didn¡¯t meet the necessary requirements.¡± Sophia let out a snort. ¡°So that was what happened¡­ But why would someone introduce you to a girl who didn¡¯t meet the requirements? Doesn¡¯t your family emphasize those before anything else?¡± After scanning his surroundings in the mall, Dn¡¯s gazended on Sophia once again. ¡°I seemed to be a promise made by the previous generations. I didn¡¯t ask about the specifics, and all I know is that my parents turned the girl down.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 201 Chapter 201 Sophia pursed her lips before mocking him, ¡°That¡¯s such a shame! I mean, you never even got to meet that girl, but what if you happened to like her?¡± Her remarks brought a smile to Dn¡¯s face, which made him look like he was flirting. ¡°Yeah, what if I happened to like her?¡± The topic then ended on that note. The both of them failed to pick out a gift even after they went through the entire gift section. After giving the situation some thought, Dn suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go look around in the shops outside? They might have better merchandisepared to here.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Upon checking the time, Sophia noticed it was almost noon. She figured she could excuse herself by telling him she would be leaving for lunch at home, so she followed him into the two other shops outside of the mall. Birthday gifts were hard to pick out, and the level of difficulty seemed to multiply especially when it came to picking a birthday gift for a rich old man. After going through the two shops, Sophia smiled before asking, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give Uncle Owen a call to ask him what would he want?¡± Dn shook his head while checking out the shop next to him. ¡°We¡¯ll go look around some more. You don¡¯t know my father. He¡¯s the kind of person who would think you¡¯re being insincere and was doing a wishy-washy job if you ask him. In that case, it would be better if you¡¯d just randomly pick one for him.¡± In the ensuing silence, Sophia pursed her lips while following him into another shop. She checked out the cufflinks at the counter, which she never saw the point of it being made, but she knew it was something exuberant that rich people seemed to like. Upon checking them out, Sophia pointed toward a pair of the cufflinks while saying, ¡°Dn, what do you think about this one?¡± He came over to take a look at them before having the attendant take them out. It was a pair of silver cufflinks with an ornate design, which despite its antique look, seemed stylish at the same time. Dn took it in his hands. ¡°It does look nice when you take a closer look.¡± The attendant quickly exined with a smile, ¡°Your girlfriend has good tastes! This is the newest pair of cufflinks in our shop, which arrived just this morning. Our HQ only allows one pair of it to be disyed in each area, so it¡¯s not that easy to happen on it.¡± Sophia took a deep breath. ¡°You got it wrong, as we¡¯re¡ª¡± However, she quickly changed her mind, as there was no point in exining it. On the other hand, Dn seemed to not mind about what the attendant said while he examined the cufflinks. He then turned to look at Sophia. ¡°Do you think they look nice?¡± She gave him a nod. ¡°They¡¯re alright, or at least better than whatever we saw before this, as it¡¯s got some sort of practical use to it.¡± Dn nodded in response. ¡°We¡¯ll have these then.¡± The attendant deftly packed the cufflinks, while Dn paid for them. As soon as they left the shop, Sophia said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now, so I have to go. John is still at home and perhaps waiting for me to cook.¡± A smile tugged at the corner of Dn¡¯s lips. ¡°I wanted to buy you a meal to thank you for helping me choose these.¡± She dismissed his concern with a wave of her hands. ¡°There will be no need for that, as it¡¯s not a difficult task. Besides, I bet you would be busy, so I won¡¯t be taking more of your time.¡± In response, he gave her a nod. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll buy you a meal when I get the chance.¡± Sophia smiled as she agreed to it, then she boarded a cab by the road, only to have the driver stop the car after driving for a short while. The cab was parked at the earlier za before the mall, which she observed through the window. There were two women on the za who seemed to have just gotten out of a car, and intended to have a walk around there. After paying the driver, Sophia got out of the car as well to observe the two of them from some distance away. Neither women¡ªwho seemed to be a mother and her daughter¡ªsaw Sophia, as they smiled happily. There was once when Sophia met the Baileys when she was dining outside with John. She looked into the private room that the Baileys were in, but she could only catch a glimpse of Mrs. Bailey¡¯s face. After taking a good look at her while on the za, she couldn¡¯t help but figure that Mrs. Bailey sure was plump. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 202 Chapter 202 Mrs. Bailey and Isabelle made a round in the shops around the za, but aside from being able to see that Isabelle had two bags in her hand before the both of them entered the mall, Sophia wasn¡¯t sure what they bought. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Why would I even tail these two? Sophia realized what she did was totally pointless, but she never stopped herself from following them into the mall despite her thoughts. They went to the women¡¯s clothes department, and it didn¡¯t take long for them to end up buying a lot of stuff, while Sophia observed them from the empty space in front of the lifts. It was then that Isabelle came out from one of the shops to make a call on her phone. She was facing Sophia sideways, so Sophia could see that Isabelle was all smiles, while Mrs. Bailey watched from the side with a look of resignation and happiness. It was a curious sight to behold. The phone call didn¡¯tst long before Isabelle hung up, then she followed her mother into a nearby coffee shop. Because it was a weekend, the shop was quite crowded and people were constantly walking in and out of the shop. Upon entering the shop, the two women sat down in a corner, while Sophia followed suit and found herself a seat by them when they weren¡¯t paying attention. She was wearing a hat which she bought a little while ago, and had let her hair down, so she figured her cover wouldn¡¯t be blown that easily. After the waiter left with the two women¡¯s orders, Mrs. Bailey said, ¡°You take those two with you, while the driver and I will take the rest.¡± Isabelle agreed to it before saying, ¡°I might arrange for dinner with you tonight, so wait for my call.¡± A sigh escaped Mrs. Bailey before she chided softly, ¡°You¡¯re such a stubborn kid ever since you¡¯re young. I don¡¯t understand why you are doing this.¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because of love.¡± Isabelle¡¯s tone sounded lighthearted, while Mrs. Bailey smiled in resignation. Despite having ordered a cup of hot cocoa, Sophia wasn¡¯t actually inclined to drink it as she listened on. Mrs. Bailey made mention of Matilda, otherwise known as Mrs. Constance, before telling Isabelle of Matilda¡¯s personal preferences and personality. A smile tugged at the corner of Sophia¡¯s lips as she realized Mrs. Bailey was trying to pave the way for her daughter. Both of them seemed to be immoral beings. How dare they even talk about undermining John¡¯s marriage! They¡¯re utterly shameless! Do all rich people act like they do? It didn¡¯t take long for Sophia to feel tired of the conversation they had. On the other hand, Mrs. Bailey sure knew Matilda well, as she was able to list out even the most minute details while giving her daughter advice. With someone like Mrs. Bailey behind her, it wouldn¡¯t make sense if Isabelle wasn¡¯t able to im John as hers by the end of it. Sophia stood to pay for her bills, all the while figuring she must be nuts to have decided to tail the two women, as it was not only a waste of time, but it also showed her just how twisted their morals were. Upon hailing a cab, Sophia headed straight for home, only to see that the doors were opened, and that John¡¯s car was in the yard, which meant John spent his morning in the house. It was a surprising discovery, as John was never someone to linger around at home. He would normally have tons of things to do even during weekends, which was why Sophia didn¡¯t get to see him a lot. She looked at the car upon entering the yard, then she walked over to the flower stand to find that the flowers were watered and the soil was loosened. John was sitting on the sofa when she entered the living room. With aptop on his crossed legs, he was dressed in a dark blue casual outfit and a pair of sses that protected his eyes from radiation as he stared at the documents disyed on the screen intently. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 204 Chapter 204 Upon reading through the contract once again, Zack reassured Sophia that all was well, as everything that needed to be amended was amended. Thus, Sophia signed it without hesitation. Meanwhile, Robin sat behind the counter silently without even acknowledging Mr. Reyes. Thetter knew why she was behaving like that, as he swindled a lot of her money. There were two copies of the contract, which would belong to the respective parties after both of them signed and put down their thumbprint. Thendlord left after all was done, but Sophia wasn¡¯t able to leave due to the heavy downpour, thus she sat in the shop. She was feeling more relieved after the contract was signed, but Robin had a hard time staying still. After a while, she suggested to Sophia, ¡°Let¡¯s go have some fun after the rain stops. Seeing the landlord just kills my mood, so I don¡¯t feel like doing any shopkeeping today at all. I want to go on a stroll outside.¡± Sophia was sitting by the window while staring into the distance when she replied, ¡°Sure.¡± Her phone buzzed as soon as she said so, a calling in from Ian, which she picked up immediately. His voice sounded a littlenguid through the call as he asked, ¡°Where are you?¡± After a pause, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m outside.¡± A chuckle could be heard through the call. ¡°Alone?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Sophia turned to look at Robin. ¡°I¡¯m with a friend.¡± Ian heaved a sigh before asking, ¡°Would you like to meet up? I¡¯m with a friend as well, so we can get to know each other.¡± Did he just say he¡¯s with a friend? He used to tell me he had none! Such were her thoughts as she turned to look at Robin while asking for her opinion by mouthing at her. Thetter quickly got out from behind the counter as she nodded. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go.¡± After Sophia gave a reply in the affirmative, the two of them closed the shop before hailing a cab to go to the location designated by Ian without even waiting for the rain to stop. It was a clubhouse, which was practically empty during the day. Ian was waiting for them at the entrance when they arrived, then he greeted Robin politely before saying, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go inside.¡± It was Sophia¡¯s first time visiting a ce like that, so she questioned curiously while they walked, ¡°What brings you here?¡± Ian responded with a smile. ¡°A friend of mine owns this ce. It¡¯s been a while since Ist dropped by, so I decided to visit this ce today.¡± With an arched brow, Sophia asked, ¡°Who is this rich friend of yours?¡± Ian¡¯s response was one of resignation. ¡°He¡¯s the only friend I know.¡± Aside from a number of attendants walking around, there weren¡¯t a lot of guests in the clubhouse. Ian led them to the second floor, which consisted of a lounging area and an entertainment zone. They entered one of the rooms which was slightlyrger than the others, with a gaming machine located on one side of the room, while a table for ying poker was set on the other side. The table was upied by a few people, including a man in pajamas and slippers who was tidying up the scattered cards on the table. Ian greeted the man as soon as he entered. ¡°Logan, my friends are here.¡± Upon lifting his head, Logan Jefferson examined Sophia with a shrewd gaze as he waved his hand at them. ¡°I was in a predicament, but it seems your timely arrival has solved the problem for me! Come on, let¡¯s have a go!¡± Ian knew that Logan was addicted to gambling, especially with poker. With much resignation, he turned to look at Sophia and Robin. ¡°Do you two know how to y?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Sophia was a little hesitant. ¡°Not really. I have only ever watched people y.¡± Robin was very much the same as she mumbled, ¡°Me too. I only know a little.¡± However, Logan seemed to not be affected by their attitude as he motioned for them toe over. ¡°Come on over. It¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t know how to y the game. I can teach you!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 205 Chapter 205 After exchanging nces, Sophia and Robin walked over to the table. None of them showed a fear of losing money as they sat down in an upright posture. While Logan was sitting idly just a few moments ago, he was suddenly full of vitality as he pushed all the cards into the auto card dispenser. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll be distributing the poker chips. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not looking to win your money over. All I wanted is the fun of it. I¡¯ll even treat you to avish mealter on!¡± Sophia tried to suppress aughter as she figured that Logan should have been pitted against Mrs. Constance, as thetter was also addicted to the game. There were times when Mrs. Constance would gather her friends in the house to have a go at the game, but Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t like gambling, so she could only either y it once in a while, or find an excuse to leave the house so that she could meet up with her friends outside to y. In fact, Sophia would bet all her money that it would be a fun show to watch if Logan and Mrs. Constance ever got to y together in a game. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The four of them began the game after the chips were distributed. Sophia and Robin were total rookies who didn¡¯t know much about the game. Not only did they not realize when they won the game, they would even actively provide their opponents with a winning card. Meanwhile, Ian seemed to be able to hold himself in the game, which contributed to his multiple wins. Logan was the biggest winner of them all, but he had a hard time sitting still throughout the game, and would go through multiple postures in one round, looking like a fidgety monkey. As he was sitting across from Sophia and next to Robin, he conversed more with Robin. Despite casting a nce at Sophia, he was speaking to Robin. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel like a third wheel whenever you¡¯re with those two?¡± There was a pause in Sophia¡¯s motion while Ian lifted his head to look at Logan, but Logan didn¡¯t seem to care as he shifted his pose in his chair with a giggle. ¡°I have tomend his taste to have found himself such a beautiful girl.¡± Ian replied after a momentary pause, ¡°Quit spouting nonsense and focus on the game.¡± A snort escaped Logan as he assumed that Ian was feeling embarrassed, whereas Sophia furrowed her brows as she said, ¡°You should just tell my friend if you fancy her. That pick up line of yours was just vulgar.¡± Logan hissed in amusement. ¡°You sure don¡¯t like being taken advantage of, huh?¡± Hisment only garnered him a nomittal grunt from Sophia, which made him pay more attention to her, as it had been a while since hest saw such a hot-tempered girl. The game continued on until night fell. Both Robin and Sophia had not only lost all their chips, they even owed Logan quite an amount of those, which turned out to be a huge source of satisfaction for Logan. The four of them left for dinner after the game was over, but they didn¡¯t dine in the clubhouse. There was a restaurant just opposite the clubhouse, to which Logan pointed toward while standing in the hall of the clubhouse. ¡°I won a lot of money today, so I will be buying you all a meal!¡± Sophia and Robin couldn¡¯t help butugh at his antics, as they only ever used chips. No money was involved throughout the game, yet Logan was so ted nheless by his wins. A car wasn¡¯t needed, as they only had to cross the road to arrive at the restaurant. There was a row of parking lots in front of the restaurant. Upon nearing the rows of cars there, Sophia stopped in her tracks to check out the license te of one of the cars. While she knew next to nothing about automobiles, she knew for a fact that license te numbers were unique, and that a copy of it couldn¡¯t exist. Ian approached her while asking, ¡°Is there something wrong with the car?¡± ¡°Nope, the car¡¯s fine.¡± Sophia shook her head. It¡¯s the owner of the car that¡¯s the problem. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go eat!¡± Logan was crying out to them while standing at the entrance of the restaurant. He was still in his pajamas and slippers,pletely oblivious to the fact that his attire was inappropriate. Both Sophia and Ian walked over to him to follow him into the hall. Logan seemed to be a regr, as all of the waiters knew him. Upon setting sight on him, the waiters greeted him. ¡°Young Master Jefferson, please follow our lead.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 206 Chapter 206 There was a small private room specifically reserved for Logan to dine in. Following the lead of the waiter, Sophia examined the rooms one by one when she passed by them, but luck wasn¡¯t on her side, as she didn¡¯t encounter any instances during which a waiter would open the doors to any of the rooms. The doors to the rooms remained sealed even as they arrived at the room reserved for Logan, into which Sophia entered while pouting. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. When they were ordering their food, Logan was restless throughout the entire process. He held the menu in his hands while introducing each dish to Sophia and Robin with much attentiveness, which made for even better service than the waiters. Sophia was amused by his antics as she replied, ¡°You can order whatever you want. You will be paying for the meal anyway.¡± There was a pause as Logan nced at Sophia before wearing a smile on his face. ¡°You sure cut to the chase!¡± He then ordered a few dishes straight away without even looking at the menu, then he stood up while he said, ¡°I would prefer to pick out the seafood that we will be served.¡± The waiter quickly opened the door for him. ¡°This way, Young Master Jefferson.¡± It was after Logan had left the room in his pajamas that Sophia pursed her lips. ¡°Ian, your friend seems like a nice person.¡± Her remark was met by a smile on Ian¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s just how Logan is. He sure is nice.¡± It had been a while since Logan left, but he had yet to return, which was getting on Sophia¡¯s nerves. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did he run away? Did he just leave us here after ordering all those dishes?¡± While Sophia was joking, Ian went along with it, ¡°That might very well be the case.¡± Thus, she stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go get him.¡± Ian nodded. ¡°Go on.¡± Then, she was gone by the next instant. There was an area for which the customers could pick out the live seafood that they wished to be served. Sophia spotted Logan as soon as she arrived at the area, whom she approached while wearing a frown. ¡°Logan, it¡¯s been quite some time since you left, so are you nning to wait until they grow any bigger before you pick them out?¡± After she had said that, Sophia noticed that someone was standing in front of Logan, and that person was none other than John Constance. Despite the slight pause in her movements, she wasn¡¯t all that surprised by his presence, as she had already seen his car outside. Thus, she approached him openly while greeting him. ¡°Fancy seeing you here.¡± On the other hand, John was visibly surprised while he looked toward her with a frown. ¡°Why are you here? Do you and Logan know each other?¡± A cry of surprise could be heard from Logan. ¡°What? Do you know President Constance?¡± Sophia blinked as she questioned Logan, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask if you ever read the tabloids?¡± To that, Logan shook his head in response rather proudly. ¡°I would rather y a few more rounds of poker than read those if I have the time.¡± Sophia was suppressing aughter as she pressed on, ¡°Do you not know about John¡¯s wedding? It was such a grand event.¡± ¡°Yeah, I was one of the guests he invited,¡± said Logan. However, there were a lot of guests during the asion, so he drank even more alcohol than the newly wed couple did. In the end, he was so drunk that he had to be carried away. By the time he came to, he didn¡¯t seem to remember anything of the banquet. Sophia pursed her lips before asking, ¡°The wedding dress I wore was said to be sent to us by flight, while the diamonds and gemstones on it were embroidered onto the dress by hand. Did such an extravagant outfit not manage to catch your attention?¡± Upon reaching that point, Logan began taking a closer look at Sophia, which resulted in immense shock as he pointed his finger at her. ¡°Y-Y-You¡ª¡± Sophia moved his hand away while imitating him. ¡°I-I-I¡ªyeah, your guess is correct!¡± It was then that Logan cast a nce in the direction of the room that they were in. ¡°I assumed you are Ian¡¯s girlfriend! So are you telling me you aren¡¯t?¡± Sophia blinked before replying to him, ¡°Of course I¡¯m not.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 207 Chapter 207 The expression on John¡¯s face soured as he repeated his question while looking at Sophia, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Sophia arched her brow while returning the question, ¡°I could ask the same of you.¡± John pulled his lips into a thin line before saying, ¡°I¡¯m here for a business meeting.¡± A chuckle escaped her as she replied in a cid manner, ¡°It¡¯s rare to see someone at a business meeting during weekends.¡± Not only did you spend the whole day being idle, you didn¡¯t even bring Zack with you now that you¡¯re here. ¡°John?¡± The voice of a woman came through before John could speak. Sophia didn¡¯t even need to turn around to know who the voice belonged to, as it was unique to Isabelle. John looked toward her upon turning around, while thetter seemed to not have noticed Sophia as she rambled on, ¡°I came to check on you. What took you so long?¡± Meanwhile, Logan wore a frown as he observed Isabelle with a puzzled look on his face. ¡°Who would this be?¡± There was a pause on Isabelle¡¯s part, as if she had just noticed Sophia. ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you Miss Gwendolyn?¡± Well, well, have I not reminded you about my title? Such was her thought when she turned to look at Isabelle. ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you Miss Bailey? It seems like you have a bad memory, since you failed to remember my title even after multiple reminders. You should be careful if you can¡¯t remember such details, as it wouldn¡¯t do to make any major mistakes while on your job.¡± Isabelle kept her silence while retaining her smile, whereas Logan repeated himself, ¡°Who is she?¡± Then, Sophia exined, ¡°Ah, right. She is the daughter of the Bailey Family, who will soon be working with the Constances.¡± She then checked on the fish tank beside her before swiftly changing the topic. ¡°This one! Logan, let¡¯s have this, I like it!¡± ¡°Sure, as long as you like it!¡± Logan didn¡¯t even look at what she was pointing at. Right after that, Sophia checked on the huge crabs beside it, then she pointed at them despite not knowing their species. ¡°This one too.¡± ¡°Sure, one of these as well, please,¡± Logan told the waiter who was waiting beside him. Sophia seemed to be enjoying what she did as she went on, ¡°Ian likes this fish, so let¡¯s have one of these too.¡± Logan began sulking while he asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asking me what I want to have instead?¡± Upon turning to look at Logan, Sophia burst intoughter. ¡°You can have some leftovers since we ordered this much! It won¡¯t do if we are to waste food!¡± Logan was waving his hands around whileining, ¡°Sophia, you¡¯ve crossed a line! I will make a comint to Ian!¡± The fact that they were having so much fun roused feelings of envy within both John and Isabelle, who both wore a gloomy expression while they stood there. Isabelle knew Logan as an entric who was selective of thepany he kept. Judging from the manner in which they conversed, Sophia and Logan seemed to be close friends. Not only that Logan wasn¡¯t angry at all when Sophia barked orders at him, he was even actively going along with it happily. Isabelle sulked upon thinking about it. Meanwhile, Sophia ordered anything that she fancied, but Logan didn¡¯t seem to care about how much he would have to payter on. She pped her hands with much satisfaction after making all of her orders. ¡°Okay, that will be all!¡± Logan nodded in response before telling the waiter, ¡°That will be all. Please make these two into sashimi, and these should be steamed. As for the rest, make them into a seafood tter.¡± After that, he proceeded to usher Sophia away. ¡°Come on, they are still waiting in the room!¡± Sophia arched her brows at John before leaving joyfully with Logan, while Logan waved at John as he passed by him. ¡°You shoulde join uster when you have time! It¡¯s been a while since west met!¡± With a short grunt, John epted the invitation extended to him. After they left, Isabelle mumbled, all the while staring at Sophia¡¯s retreating figure, ¡°How did Miss Gwendolyn and Young Master Jefferson know each other? From what I gather, his clubhouse is¡­¡± Previous Chapter This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 208 Chapter 208 When she said this, she stopped all of a sudden. Her expression was a little restrained, as if she knew she had said something wrong. John was still looking at the direction where Sophia disappeared, and he took a breath. ¡°Come here and pick the one you want.¡± Isabelle muttered an okay and hurried over, looking really adorable and obedient. When Sophia left the hall, her face darkened. That douchebag. As expected, he couldn¡¯t wait to make a move. And he still said something about going back to the Constance Residence. Did he really think I¡¯m that clueless? Back in the private room, Ian and Robin were both looking at their mobile phones. They were probably not familiar with each other, so the atmosphere was a little awkward between them. When Ian saw the two of theming, he teased, ¡°What took so long? Did you guys go to the farming pond to catch the fish yourselves?¡± It was rare that Ian would joke around, so Loganughed and said, ¡°Hehehe, you guys want to guess who we just saw in the lobby?¡± After saying this, he looked at Sophia. ¡°No, I was really surprised. Sophia, so you are¡­ Uhm¡­¡± Sophia gave him a re. ¡°I¡¯m what?¡± Logan immediately changed what he was about to say when she red at him. ¡°So you are the Sophia Gwendolyn that John is head over heels with.¡± When Sofia heard him say this, her expression improved a bit. Logan then looked at Ian and answered his own question. ¡°We saw John Constance in the lobby just now. John Constance! My god, it turns out that Sophia is actually his wife!¡± Ian looked at Sophia, who remained silent while schooling her expression. After two seconds, Ian said, ¡°Oh, I thought you knew about it. I heard that the wedding at the time was very grand. Didn¡¯t you attend it?¡± At the time, he felt it was the same whether he attended the wedding or not. Logan usually liked to join in the fun, so before the banquet had started, he had drunk so much that he was already hammered. By the time the marrying couple had walked down the aisle, Logan was so drunk he couldn¡¯t differentiate between the groom and the bride. Not long after the food was served, he was already lying on the ground, dead drunk. Logan looked at Sophia with a look of admiration on his face. ¡°Wow, I have always admired the woman who cut in halfway. I didn¡¯t expect it was you.¡± Sophia smiled and sat next to Robin before changing the subject. ¡°We haven¡¯t ordered any drinks yet. What would you like to drink?¡± Robin had never been in this position before; she could distinctly feel that the people around her were all of significant status. After hesitating shortly, she answered, ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything.¡± Logan immediately rang a bell for the waiter and ordered some mangosteen juice. Then, he tutted and switched the topic back again. ¡°That woman just now was Isabelle Bailey? I vaguely remember her. Wasn¡¯t she the one who was going to marry John before?¡± Sophia sounded nonchnt as she replied, ¡°Yes, she was the one I snatched John from.¡± Logan sucked in a breath. ¡°I say, the conversation between the two of you just now sounded a bit off.¡± ¡°Off?¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just look at us. The conversations I have with you all are also weird.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not the same; not at all.¡± Logan waved his hand. ¡°Your attitude and expressions are different. I can still see that much.¡± Logan was not a good-tempered person. Even though he would usually act in a less serious manner, everyone knew that he was not someone to mess with. Logan could tell that Sophia was just being casual when she talked with them. If it weren¡¯t because of that, he would have given her a piece of his mind a long time ago. Pretending to sigh, Sophia said, ¡°Then tell me; did John and Isabelle hear anything out of it?¡± Logan let out augh. ¡°Those two are very shrewd. It¡¯s impossible that they couldn¡¯t pick up on it.¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Leaning back in her chair, Sophia replied, ¡°You¡¯re right, but see, if even Isabelle could tell and still be so calm, don¡¯t you think this kind of person is actually pretty impressive?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 209 Chapter 209 Logan snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I hate people who are scheming yet pretend to be innocent on the surface. When I see such a woman, I want to hurl¡­¡± Sophia burst intoughter; her impression of Logan had improved a lot. While waiting for the food to be served, Sophia asked Logan if he knew what was going on with the Baileys. She had nevere across them, so she didn¡¯t know much about them. It was only recently that she met Isabelle Bailey a few times. Logan didn¡¯t know their faces, but he knew their reputation very well, for he would y poker often, which was where he would often hear a lot of gossip. ¡°Elder Mr. Bailey is actually someone very impressive,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯s the head of the Baileys right now, and he¡¯s the one who calls all the shots. I heard that he holds John in high regards. He had once wanted to work together with the Constance Family, but¡­¡± Logan pursed his lips for a moment. ¡°This old man is very cautious. My guess is that he wanted to wait for John and Isabelle to get married, then talk about working together. If they didn¡¯t have this rtionship to protect them, the Baileys wouldn¡¯t trust the Constances.¡± They were all old foxes in the business world, so they would naturally be cautious. However, it was just that Elder Mr. Bailey didn¡¯t expect just when he was close to his goal, an unpredictable factor kicked in, changing the whole oue. No one had expected that a figure like Sophia would suddenly appear halfway. Sophia thought for a while. ¡°But I think Elder Mr. Bailey seems very interested in working with the Constances.¡± Logan nodded his head. ¡°He¡¯s indeed very interested. I heard that the old man went to the Constance Company some time ago.¡± That¡¯s unusual, Sophia thought. Elder Mr. Bailey was someone who wanted nothing more than for everyone to kneel to him when they saw him, so this would probably be the first time that he had taken the initiative to go to someone else¡¯spany on his own. Logan crossed his legs and shook the slipper on his foot. ¡°My guess is that it¡¯s either the Bailey Corporation is having problems, or the Baileys themselves are having an internal problem, and the old man must be looking for a reliable partner. Naturally, the Constances, who owe the Baileys, are the best choice.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. Sophia nodded, but she hadn¡¯t actually understood the twists and turns of the matter. Nevertheless, it was fine even if she didn¡¯t understand, for she only needed to butt heads with Isabelle if she saw her. As they talked, the waiter opened the door and came in. The first dishes served were sashimi and steamed seafood, as well as the fish ordered specially for Ian. They would have to wait a bit longer for the tter. However, because Sophia had ordered a lot, these dishes were enough for them to eat for a while. Logan stood up and pushed the fish to Ian. ¡°Come, this is what Sophia picked specially for you. Come on, eat up. We¡¯ll just look.¡± Sophia was smiling, but when the waiter left the door after serving the dishes, another person had appeared at the door. Since Logan¡¯s back was to the door, he didn¡¯t notice it as he continued to tease Ian. ¡°Sophia remembers what you like to eat. I¡¯m really jealous.¡± John stood at the door, simply staring into the private room and the obvious smiles on Sophia and Ian¡¯s face as they sat next to each other. Logan was still oblivious, and he continued to tease Ian while smiling. ¡°If Sophia wasn¡¯t already taken, I really would have thought the two of you were¡­ Erhem¡­¡± John¡¯s face was emotionless, and he didn¡¯t go inside. After a few seconds, there were footsteps behind him. Then, Isabelle¡¯s voice came with the footsteps. ¡°John, why aren¡¯t you going inside?¡± John didn¡¯t look back, but when Isabelle said this, she seeded in stopping Logan¡¯s actions in the private room. Looking back at the person at the door with an unabated smile on his face, he said, ¡°Oh, come in,e in. The food was only just served. Let¡¯s have some food together.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 210 Chapter 210 Isabelle was the first toe inside. ¡°Since we had met just now, I wanted toe over here to say hello.¡± Looking up and down at Isabelle appraisingly, Logan didn¡¯t show an obviously upset look, but he clearly didn¡¯t look weing as he chuckled and replied, ¡°Miss Bailey, why are you with John today? Were you two discussing business?¡± Isabelle remained unperturbed. ¡°Yes, there were some work matters we needed to talk about.¡± Nodding slowly, Logan said, ¡°No wonder you two got together.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia simply sat there without moving or talking. Ian stared at Isabelle for a while, then he smiled. ¡°Mr. Constance, I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here. Sophia is here as well. How about youe in? It would be weird if a married couple like yourselves are separated into two different rooms.¡± When he said this, Isabelle felt a little awkward at the side. She wasn¡¯t stupid, and she could see things clearly. Although the few people inside the room didn¡¯t say anything tantly, it was obvious that they didn¡¯t wee her. So, she simply stood at the side with her lips pursed, the gentle smile on her face still in ce. Sophia nced at Isabelle, who had a pseudo-smile on her face, an annoying expression that she was an expert in making. John came over and greeted Logan first. ¡°I saw Old Mr. Jefferson a few days ago and asked about you. He said that you have been at the clubhouse recently.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I was just hanging out over there,¡± Logan said. Isabelle gave an unnoticeable frown; she didn¡¯t know that Logan and John were so familiar with each other. Growing a little anxious, she wondered if John would take it to heart since she had said something she shouldn¡¯t have said earlier in the hall. John grunted. ¡°Old Mr. Jefferson also wanted me to talk to you if I met you. He wanted me to persuade you to go out for a walk around instead of staying at the clubhouse all the time.¡± nced at Sophia, Logan then suddenly smiled. ¡°Ah, I was just bored before. Now that I¡¯ve found something interesting, I am naturally willing toe out.¡± Sophia gave him a look of slight disgust. Looking at Ian, John then said, ¡°We¡¯ve met in Tri Asel, but I didn¡¯t know you were Ian Morgan. Please forgive my rudeness.¡± Ian stood up. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m abroad all year round. In fact, it¡¯s better for me that you didn¡¯t know who I am.¡± Nevertheless, Ian knew that John knew of his identity, so naturally, there was no need to hide it. John looked at Sophia atst. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you came out? I would have brought you here if I knew you wanted toe.¡± His tone eased a lot, and the gentleness in it was audible. Sophia knew that it was time to start acting again, so she stretched out her hand at John, and he came directly and took her hand. Looking up at him, she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to disturb your business. I knew that you had something to do, so it didn¡¯t feel right if I followed along.¡± Looking down at Sophia, John noted that she seemed to be different from her usual fierce self; she was putting on an act of being demure and well-behaved again right now. John raised his other hand and ced it on top of Sophia¡¯s head, gently rubbing it. ¡°You silly girl.¡± Sophia looked at Isabelle from the corner of her eyes, and Isabelle also just happened to look over. As their eyes met, Sophia raised her brow. Everytime she butted heads with Isabelle like this without anyone else noticing, Isabelle had always lost to her. Had it not been for Infinity Group that came up with such a y, John would not have needed her cooperation, so Sophia was actually a little grateful to President McCaw of thepany, as well as the oblivious Miss Cox; otherwise, she never would have gotten the opportunity topete with Isabelle. Thus, she felt pretty good with how things were right now. N?velDrama.Org owns this. However, John also had people he needed to socialize with at his side. There weren¡¯t just people from the Baileys in his private room, for William and Matilda were also there. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 211 Chapter 211 He couldn¡¯t stay here, so after John had greeted everyone here in the private room, he went over to his own private room with Isabelle. As Sophia stared at Isabelle¡¯s back when she left, she let out augh, which caused Isabelle to turn halfway and looked at Sophia when she had just reached the doorway. Sophia pointed her middle finger right at her, causing Isabelle to be taken aback, her expression turning ugly. Then, she turned around and left, looking quite angry. She probably never would have imagined that Sophia would be so tant by making such an unseemly gesture. Everyone in the room saw this action of Sophia¡¯s clearly. When Isabelle¡¯s figure waspletely out of their sight, Sophia burst intoughter. Logan alsoughed, and he wasughing even harder than Sophia. Ian, who was at the side, shook his head helplessly, while Robin seemed a little confused; she couldn¡¯t tell what was going on. After a fewughs, Logan gave Sophia a thumbs up. ¡°Sophia, I like your style. You are very much like me.¡± Sophia snorted at him, as if she was looking down on him. Ian said next to him, ¡°I have to admit; you two really are alike sometimes.¡± The Young Master of the Jeffersons was a deviant himself. Back then when Ian was wronged, Logan hade to his defense and butted heads with Sean Morgan and Leah Zimmerman. If it hadn¡¯t been for Old Mr. Jefferson giving him a look from the side, he probably would have gotten into a fight with Bryce Morgan as well. Although he wouldn¡¯t give anyone a middle finger like Sophia did, he also had quite the attitude. Sophia looked at Logan, then she poured some mangosteen juice into a cup before raising it, seeming like she was admitting to it herself. ¡°You have a good rtionship with Ian,¡± Sophia said. ¡°I will believe that you are different from those who pretend to be high and mighty. Come, let¡¯s be friends.¡± Logan was a little unhappy. ¡°Let¡¯s be friends? Aren¡¯t we already friends?¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°We weren¡¯t before, but after drinking this ss, we will be.¡± Hearing that, Logan hissed. ¡°You didn¡¯t think of me as a friend before, and I had ordered so much expensive seafood¡­¡± Ian and Robin bothughed beside them. Being unable to hold it in herself, Sophiaughed out loud as well, livening up the atmosphere once more as the few of them sat down and began stuffing themselves. Logan was obviously very happy on this day; he was like a monkey, squatting on his chair as he acted like a good host by passing food and filling up their sses with juice for them from time to time. Sophia looked at him. ¡°You can be a good host if you want, but can you sit down properly? I keep feeling like there¡¯s an animal squatting in front of me.¡± Logan¡¯s face instantly darkened. ¡°And I had just peeled a crab leg for you just now. Give it to me. Give it back to me.¡± Yelling and hurriedly stuffing everything into her mouth, Sophia then said with her mouth full, ¡°Do you want it? I can spit it out for you.¡± The room was filled withughter. As for John and Isabelle, when they returned to their private room they saw Mrs. Constance and Mrs. Bailey holding hands and acting close as if they were sisters who had been separated for many years. John nced at William and frowned subconsciously. Then, William gave a cough. Mrs. Constance was good at picking up signs, so she quickly caught on to the situation. After saying something else, she took her hand back and sat upright. John went over and sat next to William, his expression unfathomable. On the other side, Old Mr. Bailey looked at John, then at Isabelle. Heughed first before asking, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What did that kid from the Jeffersons say that made you upset?¡± Isabelle paused before looking up at Old Mr. Bailey, then she quickly said, ¡°Nothing. Logan and I are not very familiar with each other. I haven¡¯t said much when we went over. John was the one who chatted with him.¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 212 Chapter 212 They didn¡¯t say that Sophia was there as well. The reason John didn¡¯t tell them that was because he didn¡¯t want his mother to go looking for trouble. At the Constance Residence earlier, she had spent the whole afternoon making disparaging remarks about Sophia. She had been endless with her remarks, but actually, he didn¡¯t like to hear about them. Also, the reason Isabelle didn¡¯t tell them Sophia was here was because she was worried people would talk when they knew that the married couple were in separate rooms. If she let Sophiae over here, she would definitely lose her appetite. Old Mr. Bailey nodded his head. ¡°That Jefferson brat is indeed a bit unruly when he acts and speaks, but youngsters should be vigorous like this. You should be more energetic like him.¡± He was mainly saying this to Isabelle, so she looked at Old Mr. Bailey, knowing what he was trying to convey. While she was more on the tacit end of the personality spectrum, John¡¯s temper was easy to trigger, so when such two people got together, it was indeed difficult for them to cultivate feelings for each other. Sparks could only appear between two people withplementary personalities. Isabelle had actually thought about this problem before. When John hade to break off their engagement, although he had apologized, he acted unusually calm. She could tell he was unapologetic, and she could not see any conflicted feelings or reluctance from him. Thus, Isabelle thought that John probably didn¡¯t like her.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. She had thought that she had the charm, but she had lost to someone like Sophia, which was a fact that she simply couldn¡¯t ept. After encountering Sophia for a couple of times, she had secretly made comparisons between the both of them, and she thought that other than their personalities, she wasn¡¯t on the losing endpared to Sophia at all. Sophia¡¯s identity was nothing and her behaviors were often inappropriate, so other than her jovial and unabashed personality, there really wasn¡¯t anything else about her. Thus, Isabelle thought to herself that maybe men like women like Sophia. Williamughed, then he turned the topic toward the joint effort between the two families once again. Old Mr. Bailey naturally followed his words and continued the talk. The only thing left for the two families to work together was to get the contract signed, for the details and the like had all been negotiated. Sounding somewhat emotional, Old Mr. Bailey said that he actually wanted to cooperate with the Constance Family before, but some things came up halfway and caused it to be dyed. When those words were heard, everyone at the dinner table was taken aback; it was obvious what he was talking about. Mrs. Constance blinked and turned her head to look at John, but he was obviously distracted as well. Frowning slightly, he seemed to be rather irritable. Isabelle also gave John a look, and she could take a guess why he was like this. Meanwhile, William smiled. ¡°It¡¯s never toote for a good thing to happen. Although the time had been dyed, our families ended up cooperating in the end. In a sense, it is the same thing.¡± Old Mr. Bailey nced at Isabelle from the corner of his eyes and echoed William¡¯s words, ¡°Yes, indeed. It¡¯s never toote for a good thing to happen.¡± Isabelle frowned before drawing her gaze back from John¡¯s face. As she lowered her eyes to look at the teacup beside her, she felt a little powerless. The Baileys and the Constances didn¡¯t know that Sophia was here in the other private room, so they weren¡¯t affected at all as they chatted about, ate and drank for a long time. Seemingly getting more irritable by the minute, John finally stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll be going to the bathroom.¡± Without looking at anyone else, John got up and left. He did move toward the bathroom, but when he stood at the sink, he took out a cigarette case directly before lighting up a cigarette. Then, he heard a giggleing from inside the bathroom. Logan¡¯s voice was heard saying, ¡°It¡¯s a shame I got to know Sophia a bitter. I tell you, I really like that gal¡¯s personality. Do you know what I thought of before? If she was single, the two of you should get together, then she would be able to deal with those people in your family properly. A strong, independent woman like her would surely give them a headache.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 213 Chapter 213 After speaking, Logan came out with a push on the door. His head was turned back as he was speaking with the person behind him. So when he turned around and saw John, he yelped and said, ¡°John! You¡¯re here! You scared me.¡± He didn¡¯t show any embarrassment at all; it was as if he was not the one who had been talking about his wife behind his back just now. Ian was behind him. When he saw John, he didn¡¯t look surprised at all. Logan and Ian went over to wash their hands, then Logan asked John, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you get annoyed with those people at your end?¡± Before John could speak, he tutted and added, ¡°I don¡¯t like these business discussions either. Those people are so fake. How long have you been here? How about youe sit in our room? I can finally tell that Sophia is out to make me a pauper. She had ordered so much food, but there is no way that we can finish all of them.¡± However, after he said that, he seemed to suddenly remember the rtionship between John and Sophia, so heughed and told him, ¡°Come on. Since she is your wife, it is up to you to discipline her.¡± John stared at Logan for a long time, then he nodded his head. ¡°Very well.¡± Sophia and Robin were sitting in the private room chatting, mainly talking smack about theirndlord. When she thought of it now, Robin was still annoyed. Sophia was also cussing up a storm. If it weren¡¯t for someone keeping a lookout for her, she would have gotten in trouble. Just when the two were in the middle of voicing their righteous indignation, the door of their private room opened. Before they saw anyone entering, they had already heard Logan¡¯s voice. ¡°Sophia, your sweet honey bunny is here.¡± Sophia¡¯s face twitched. What was with that name? That¡¯s disgusting. John came inst. After taking a look at Sophia, he headed directly to her and sat down beside her. Feeling a little helpless, Sophia wondered if she was supposed to start acting again? I¡¯m going to have to start asking for payment at this rate. She looked at John and asked, ¡°Why are you here? Are the business talks over?¡± ¡°No.¡± John let out a sigh. ¡°I couldn¡¯t drink anymore, so I found an excuse toe out.¡± Logan smiled. ¡°This is how social gatherings are, which is why I don¡¯t like them.¡± Then, he nced at Sophia and directly ordered her, ¡°Come on. Get your hubby some food. Look at all this food you ordered on the table. I will not be happy if we can¡¯t finish them.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Look at how miserly you are. If there are any leftovers, we can just pack them up. You can bring them home for your supper.¡± Although she said this, Sophia still took her fork and passed some food for John. ¡°Since you have drank a lot of alcohol, you should now eat some food to make your stomach feel better.¡± John looked at the fork in Sophia¡¯s hand, feeling quite certain that this woman was doing this deliberately. There were sterilized and clean cutleries at the side, yet she used the fork that she had used before, all the while looking innocent. He had thought that this woman was an honest person before, which now made him wonder how did he end up being so blind to have missed what sort of a person that she really was? Sophia blinked, looking all innocent and harmless. ¡°Go on. Eat.¡± Logan didn¡¯t know about the drama going on between Sophia and John, so he piped in as well. ¡°That¡¯s right. Hurry up and eat. You need to look after your body. You had drunk so much alcohol, so you¡¯ll definitely feel unwell tonight.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. John slowly took the cutleries in Sophia¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sophiaughed. ¡°No need to thank me. We¡¯re a family. This is how things should be.¡± She knew John was a clean freak, so she was doing this to get to him, and as expected, John simply took two bites as a show before putting the food down. With Logan here, things wouldn¡¯t get quiet. He asked what was going on in John¡¯s private room. John simply leaned back in his chair. ¡°We talked about cooperating with each other, and discussed the mode of supply afterward.¡± Nodding, Logan asked, ¡°Who is here from the Baileys? That old guy?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 214 Chapter 214 John didn¡¯t know whether the old man Logan said was referring to Old Mr. Bailey or Elder Mr. Bailey, so he answered directly. ¡°Old Mr. Bailey is here, as well as Mrs. Bailey.¡± Sophia gave an audible snort when she remembered the pair of mother and daughter she had followed earlier. There was definitely a reason why Isabelle held those twisted values and standards, for Mrs. Bailey was not a moral person either. Logan looked at Sophia, then he continued, ¡°Isabelle is now working at her family¡¯spany, isn¡¯t that right? I remembered that before she never showed up at her family¡¯s social gatherings. Now that she has appeared, that should mean she¡¯s working in thepany, right?¡± John nodded. ¡°Yes. Isabelle is the liaison officer for both ourpanies.¡± Understanding the situation now, Logan tutted and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t Isabelle give off a high-ssdy vibe before? Why is she bothering to lower herself to our standards now? She can¡¯t hold her nose up anymore?¡± No one could answer this question. Ian, who has been silent all the time, asked, ¡°Does Old Mr. Bailey have any other children besides Isabelle?¡± ¡°He does,¡± Logan replied. ¡°But his son is currently only just starting high school. He¡¯s too young to support thepany.¡± Ian let out an ¡®oh¡¯; he seemed to have understood something, but he didn¡¯t say anything further. On the other hand, Sophia went over to the seafood tter and used her cutleries to put some in John¡¯s bowl. ¡°Eat up. Someone maye to get you in a while. You¡¯ll have to go back and drink some more then.¡± John looked down without touching his cutleries. ¡°I know how to deal with it.¡± Nevertheless, what Sophia said was indeed urate. After a while, a knock on the door of the private room could be heard, and Logan, thinking it was a waiter, told them toe in directly. When the door opened, Isabelle was the one standing there at the doorway. Her face was very calm, as if the unpleasantness she experienced earlier had never happened. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Logan frowned. This question, coupled with his tone, was obviously unfriendly. Isabelle looked at John. ¡°Everyone is all waiting for you over there. I had guessed you would be here. Let¡¯s go. Everyone is almost done eating over there. It should be over in a while.¡± Logan chuckled, and in a loud voice, muttered, ¡°Why is she acting like she¡¯s the wife?¡± Everyone in the room heard this. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Turning his head to look at Sophia, Ian said, ¡°Sophia, is there anywhere else you would like to go? We¡¯re almost done here as well, so we can leave right away.¡± ¡°Oh, so there¡¯s some entertainmentter? I thought we would all be heading home after we finished eating.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Logan drawled. ¡°We will go to my clubter. There are a lot of good things there, so let me take you all there for a look. Today, I, the great Logan, will show you hicks what you¡¯ve been missing out.¡± John, who was at the side, frowned as he stood up and pulled Sophia up. ¡°Come with us. Mom and Dad are over there. You should say hello.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Sophia eximed, for she was a bit surprised. In truth, she didn¡¯t really want to see those people from the Baileys. She felt that she would get frustrated with them, so she hesitated for a moment. But when she heard that both William and Mrs. Constance were there, she wanted to go and join in; she simply didn¡¯t want Mrs. Constance to have it easy, and the same went for Isabelle as well. Logan winked as he stared at Sophia for a while, then he waved his hand suddenly. ¡°Go on, go on. You should go. John¡¯s parents are all over there. Since you, their daughter-inw, have caught up to them, you should go and say hello. Go on.¡± John held Sophia¡¯s hand in his palm. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Over at the side, Isabelle¡¯s expression hadpletely changed. She was normally good at turning situations to her favor, but now her face had paled slightly. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 215 Chapter 215 It was fine if John and Sophia wanted to act all lovey-dovey with each other in front of her alone, but if they were to do it in front of her and her family¡­ Would John really be that heartless? Where would this put her? When she saw Isabelle like this, Sophia immediately grew happy. So, she followed Logan¡¯s lead and said, ¡°Alright. It¡¯s as Logan said. I should go and greet them.¡± She hooked John¡¯s arm and followed him to the outside. Meanwhile, Isabelle was still standing at the door, pursing her lips while looking at Sophia and John. The corners of Sophia¡¯s mouth were lifted, making her look like a cat who had caught a canary. She really was suitable to be a viin, for she really liked this feeling of making a weak b*tch like Sophia so angry that she would cry at any time. It really was a great feeling. John took Sophia to a private room that had its door ajar located not far away and pushed the door open directly. The atmosphere in the private room was actually pretty good. Mrs. Constance and Mrs. Bailey were smiling, looking like the best of friends, while William and the Old Mr. Bailey were clinking sses together and toasting one another, looking like best pals. John went in and called out a greeting to his parents, then he said that when he had gone out earlier, he had bumped into Sophia, so he brought her over to say hello to everyone. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Instantly, everyone inside the room fell silent. William, however, recovered pretty quickly as he swiftly stood up. ¡°Oh, Sophia. I had asked John if you were free today and wanted to invite you toe over with us. He said that you wanted to open up your store and would be a bit busy there. But look! You¡¯re here now! Talk about coincidence!¡¯ William¡¯s words were courteous enough for Sophia, so she was willing to open her mouth and call him ¡®Dad¡¯ sweetly. Then, she said, ¡°I have been a bit busytely. I went to the store to sign the contract today. When John returned to the Constance Residence at noon, he had asked me toe along, but I really couldn¡¯t get out of it.¡± When Sophia said this, she looked at the expressions of the people in the private room. Mrs. Constance was not a good actor, so her long face was pretty obvious; even Mrs. Bailey¡¯s expression was better concealed than hers. On the other hand, Old Mr. Bailey did not look at Sophia. He only looked at Isabelle who was at the doorway. Isabelle was standing behind Sophia and John, so Sophia couldn¡¯t see her expression, but she could guess that Isabelle¡¯s expression right now must be extremely sad. Oh dear, what should I do? I feel really happy right now though. I¡¯m literally on cloud nine! William seemed to have noticed that the atmosphere in the room was not very good, so he kept smiling, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. ¡°Come. You haven¡¯t eaten yet, have you? Sit down and eat with us. The Baileys will be working together with our family in the future. They are our partners, so they won¡¯t mind.¡± It didn¡¯t matter to Sophia if they minded it or not, but she herself felt bothered. Thus, she smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Dad. I still have friends outside. I just came over to say hello. They are still waiting for me over there.¡± Mrs. Constance finally spoke up now. ¡°You still have friends outside? Who?¡± Her tone of speech was somewhat odd. Since Sophia wasn¡¯t a person of great status, Mrs. Constance naturally thought that she wouldn¡¯t have any friends who were respectable. Mrs. Constance looked down on her, so she would also look down on her so-called friends. ¡°Would you like to call your friends over here and have everyone get to know each other?¡± she said after a snort. Of course, Sophia had heard the ridicule in Mrs. Constance¡¯s tone, so she looked at Mrs. Constance and told her, ¡°I think we should forget about this. I heard that his reputation is not very good, so it won¡¯t be good if hees over and upsets you all.¡± Isabelle hurriedly said, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn¡¯s friend should have other things to do, so¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to be worried about?¡± Mrs. Constance said directly. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any of Sophia¡¯s friends before. Since we¡¯re here, you should bring your friend over as well.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 216 Chapter 216 John stood at the side, remaining silent all the while, looking as if he had no intention of stopping Mrs. Constance at all. Knowing that John was giving herself a chance, she nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then fine. I¡¯ll give my friend a call.¡± The b*stard Logan had saved his phone number in my phone by himself just now, so this is the perfect time to use it now. Sophia gave him a call directly. Logan was pretty curious when he received her call. ¡°Yo, Sophia. Why are you giving me a call? We¡¯re only separated by a few steps. What¡¯s up? Do you miss me?¡± Although the phone was not on speaker, the inside of the room was quiet, and the sound from the phone was loud, so everyone at the table could hear what he said clearly. William frowned, thinking that what the other party had said was a bit out of bounds. This isn¡¯t something that ordinary friends would say. Meanwhile, Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t bother to hide the cold sneer on her face. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re in Room 606, which is really not far away. Come here for a while; everyone here wants to get to know you,¡± Sophia replied. ¡°Oh? Is that so? They want to get to know me? Okay, I¡¯ll go over immediately.¡± After he said that, there was static noise, followed by the sound of the private room door opening. Then, the voice on the phone and in the corridor ovepped somewhat. ¡°Sophia, I¡¯m here.¡± Sophia hung up the phone, turned around and opened the door. When she did that, she nced at Isabelle, her eyes twinkling and a smug smile on her lips. When Logan saw Sophia, he ran over happily. ¡°So these are your parents-inw, aren¡¯t they? Those are John¡¯s parents. I¡¯ve met them before.¡± With that, he directly opened the door of the room and came in. ¡°Hi! Hello, everyone!¡± He was acting very familiar with everyone. When he looked at William, he said, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s me. Sophia and I are good pals.¡± William was stunned, and Mrs. Constance, who was on the side, shot up as well. ¡°Logan? Why are you here?¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. William and Mrs. Constance knew very well what sort of person Logan was¡ªa total b*stard. Old Mr. Jefferson had sired four daughters, and Logan was his only son, so naturally, Logan was treated like a prince. As he grew up, Logan grew more and more deviant. He had now opened his own club, and rumor had it that there were all sorts of barely legal activities carried out in the club, so it had been reported several times to the police. If it weren¡¯t for the Jeffersons¡¯ wealth and backers being able to handle him, the family would sooner orter be ruined by him. Before this, William had prohibited John from frequentlying into contact with Logan, but even though Logan was not dependable, the Jeffersons were indeed good backers. The four Jefferson girls had all found good husbands. Although the heir of the Jefferson Family was unreliable, his four elder sisters managed thepany in an orderly manner. Therefore, despite the fact that many people looked down on Logan, they still did not dare to face him head-on, for he had a bad temper and was likely to do anything when pushed; he would even quarrel with his father face to face. He had a good background, so naturally, no one would dare to provoke him. Mrs. Constance looked at Logan. ¡°How did you and Sophia be friends? Did you two meet through John?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t speak; she simply put on a faint smile. Logan red at Mrs. Constance. ¡°Madam, what do you mean by that? John had nothing to do with Sophia and I meeting each other. I have a better rtionship with Sophia than I do with John. I mean, look at John¡­¡± Logan grew more excited as he spoke. ¡°He won¡¯t do anything fun with me. He¡¯s completely different from me, but Sophia on the other hand¡­¡± Then, he turned his head and looked at Sophia. ¡°Sophia¡¯s character is just like mine, and I like it!¡± Sophia clicked her tongue. ¡°Alright, enough already. Stop with the act. You know very well what your reputation is like.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Logan chuckled, not giving a fig where he was and who was around him, and opened his mouth. ¡°I just love how you look down on me.¡± The expressions of William and Mrs. Constance, as well as the Baileys, all collectively fell. John, on the other hand, looked like he wasn¡¯t bothered by it. He spoke up, ¡°Everyone has almost finished their meals, right? How about we call it a day?¡± They hadn¡¯t eaten their fill, but everyone had lost their appetite. The meal was over when Sophia and Logan came over and stirred things up. Mrs. Bailey stood up. ¡°Then let¡¯s end it here. Everyone has already eaten anyway.¡± Unfortunately, Logan didn¡¯t get the hint. ¡°Oh, so you all have finished eating here. In that case, John, Sophia, let¡¯s head over to my room and continue eating. Sophia, you really are a sinner. Not only did you kill my wallet, you also killed that table¡¯s worth of sea creatures. How will you make it up to them if you¡¯re unable to finish all the food?¡± Sophia gave him a re. ¡°Be quiet.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Logan eximed. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Old Mr. Bailey also stood up. He probably couldn¡¯t bear to continue listening to Logan. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s gettingte.¡± Old Mr. and Mrs. Bailey were the first to reach the door. They pulled Isabelle with them and, after some perfunctory farewells to William and Mrs. Constance, left straight away. When Isabelle was leaving, she stared at John¡¯s back a little unwillingly. John never looked back. He never looked at her. She gritted her teeth so hard they almost broke. This afternoon at the Constance Residence, the two of them had a very good chat and got along very well. But after tonight, she felt like they were back at the starting point. William stood there, and Mrs. Constance looked at Sophia. She really had underestimated her. How did she know someone like Logan Jefferson? Logan was like a bomb. He could hurt someone, but he could also protect them. Now looking at how well Logan and Sophia were getting along, it seemed that he was treating Sophia pretty well. So this woman has found another backer. Mrs. Constance clenched her teeth in frustration. This was basically a checkmate for Sophia. How did she manage to find a turn-around? John waited for the Baileys to leave, then he wrapped an arm around Sophia¡¯s shoulder before saying to his parents, ¡°Sophia and I will go to Logan¡¯s ce to sit for a while. Mom, Dad, you two head home first. Dad, you drank a bit too much alcohol today. You should go home and have an early rest.¡± Mrs. Constance¡¯s expression was still ugly. ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte. You two should go back soon as well.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± John said. William sighed and led Mrs. Constance away first. When the two of them were still in the corridor, Sophia vaguely heard William say, ¡°You just had to do it. You shouldn¡¯t have done that in this kind of situation.¡± Mrs. Constance mumbled something in reply, but Sophia couldn¡¯t hear her clearly. Logan stood at the door,pletely unaware, not knowing that the atmosphere had gone off because of his appearance. He looked as usual. ¡°Hey, all of them are gone. Come on, let¡¯s go to my private room.¡± ³ØÔ¨ºÍ¹Ë˼¶ÔÊÓһϣ¬Ò²¾Í¸ú×ÅÕÂÁúÑÓ¹ýÈ¥ÁË¡£ This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. John and Sophia looked at each other, then followed Logan over to his room. Ian and Robin were still looking at their phones. When they saw theming back, Ian stood up. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are we leaving?¡± he asked. ¡°No, no.¡± Logan waved his hand. ¡°The Constances and Baileys have left, so we came over to continue to eat.¡± Ian was surprised. ¡°They left so quickly?¡± Sophia sneered. ¡°Yes. When the young master of the Jeffersons makes a move, no meal will be left in peace.¡± John didn¡¯t actually want to eat anymore. Sophia and the rest were already full, so everyone sat down and just chatted with each other. Sophia didn¡¯t know the details of Logan, but she knew that he seemed to be quite rich. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 218 Chapter 218 As they sat there, Sophia took the opportunity to ask John, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop me just now? You knew that if Logan went over, the atmosphere over there would definitely be ruined.¡± John leaned back in his chair. ¡°If he didn¡¯t go over, the meal over there would probably go on for a while. I was a little tired.¡± Sophia frowned. ¡°But it seems unwise to end a social gathering in this way.¡± John curled his mouth into a smile. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Sophia nced at Logan from the corner of her eye. He was talking to Ian with his hands miming excitedly in the air about thetest news over at the clubhouse. Logan just couldn¡¯t sit properly on his chair; he was squatting on it like a monkey. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Sophia lowered her voice and asked, ¡°You and Logan are friends, but I get the feeling that your parents don¡¯t like him a lot.¡± John said, ¡°Yes. My parents like those who are more obedient.¡± Sophia nodded her head. ¡°That does seem to be the case. The Baileys don¡¯t seem to like him a lot as well.¡± John snorted. ¡°Yeah? I didn¡¯t pay much attention.¡± That was what he said, but no matter how he didn¡¯t pay attention, he could tell that the Baileys really didn¡¯t like Logan. But from his understanding, the Baileys and the Jeffersons had no dealings with each other, and they didn¡¯t have any conflict with Logan. Still, from their attitudes toward Logan, it wasn¡¯t like how they would act after hearing the rumors outside about him. John couldn¡¯t think of anything at the moment. At this moment, in a car at another location, Isabelle was sitting in the passenger seat with her head turned looking at the outside. Her parents sat at the back, quiet all this time. The car drove a long way and finally stopped at a traffic light. Mrs. Bailey then opened her mouth, ¡°How did that Sophia know someone from the Jeffersons? Just look at how that Logan fellow spoke to her, as well as his attitude. Didn¡¯t the rumors say that he was someone hard to get along with? Why is he so friendly with Sophia?¡± Old Mr. Bailey let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± After he said that, he looked at Isabelle. ¡°When you and John went over to his room, was Sophia in there as well?¡± Isabelle narrowed her eyes as she looked outside. ¡°Yes. Early on, when we went to pick the seafood, John and I saw them. Logan treats her really well.¡± Mrs. Bailey¡¯s face stretched into a frown. ¡°And John wasn¡¯t angry at all. Someone was making moves on his wife, and he looked as if he didn¡¯t notice it.¡± Isabelle snorted. ¡°With Logan¡¯s personality, no one would find it strange if he did anything out of the ordinary. John is probably used to his antics.¡± Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s face was a little solemn. ¡°If Sophia can get the Jeffersons to back her, Mrs. Constance¡¯s attitude toward her may change.¡± From the start, the reason why Mrs. Constance looked down at her was because shecked status. Now if she could make up for herck of identity, Mrs. Constance would definitely change her attitude. Isabelle, who was sitting in front, suddenly thought of this problem as well. Her face sank into a frown. That¡¯s right. The reason why Mrs. Constance is treating me well now is because I have good family conditions. If Sophia and my role were reversed, and I have Sophia¡¯s background, Mrs. Constance probably wouldn¡¯t even look at me. Isabelle slowly clenched her teeth, not willing to ept things as they were. But even with so many advantages on her side, she had still lost to Sophia. What did someone like Sophia have that made her special? What did she have that could make Logan act like an eager puppy around her? When she thought of how Logan Jefferson shielded Sophia in front of the Baileys, Isabelle felt like something had lodged itself inside her heart. There wasn¡¯t a single crack. Old Mr. Bailey also drank a lot just now. When he let out a breath, it reeked of alcohol. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 219 Chapter 219 Old Mr. Bailey said, ¡°There is no rush. Let¡¯s just continue to observe. The Jeffersons may let Logan to act as he pleases, but they should have their limits.¡± Mrs. Bailey agreed with what he said. Then, the car grew silent once more. As the car continued on to the Bailey Residence, Elder Mr. Bailey was still sitting in the living room. The television was switched on, but he didn¡¯t watch it. A servant made him a pot of tea, but he just picked it up and smelled it instead of drinking it. After he had aged, sleep became difficult for him. If he drank tea tonight, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep. Elder Mr. Bailey watched as Old Mr. Bailey and the rest came home. He put down his teacup. ¡°You all smell of alcohol. It looks like the meal was a sess.¡± When he said this, the three people entering the door were a little awkward. This meal was anticlimactic. The three of them originally thought with the start they had today, they would have a good harvest. But who would have expected Sophia to join in halfway, followed by Logan. These two really were troublesome. When Elder Mr. Bailey saw their expressions, he frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did it not go well?¡± Isabelle did not wish to talk about what happened tonight. Her heart retched when she thought about how Sophia gave her a middle finger. She was listless. ¡°I¡¯ll be going to rest now. Grandpa, you should rest early as well.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey waited until Isabelle had left, then looked at Old Mr. Bailey. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Old Mr. Bailey sighed. He sat down and briefly talked about Sophia and Logan. Elder Mr. Bailey frowned. ¡°That spoiled brat of the Jeffersons?¡± Old Mr. Bailey grunted an affirmative. ¡°That¡¯s him.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s expression grew solemn. He had met Logan Jefferson before, but it was a long time ago. At the time, Logan was still just a kid, but he already had a mean temper. That time, he was upset for some reason, and he pointed a finger at Old Mr. Jefferson, yelling at him. Old Mr. Jefferson was already old, yet he was smiling and kept apologizing to Logan. A child raised in a family like that would definitely turn out to be unsightly. But there were two sides to everything. Logan might act unsightly, but if they could get along well with him, there would be a lot of benefits. Jefferson Enterprise was also developing quite well in the hands of his four elder sisters. The scale of theirpany was not something the averagepany couldpare. Plus, the Jeffersons¡¯ sons-in- law also came from good families and had their ownpanies. The connections they had were sorge it was staggering. Elder Mr. Bailey thought about it, then said to Old Mr. Bailey, ¡°See if you can find an opportunity to meet with someone from the Jeffersons. They are all businessmen, so they should know how to choose.¡± Old Mr. Bailey nodded slowly. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Mrs. Bailey, who was beside them, felt a little ufortable with all this. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s not like Isabelle can¡¯t get married. John hasn¡¯t divorced yet. I don¡¯t feel it¡¯s worth it for Belle if we joined in like this. If Belle really wants to find someone to get married to, she should find someone more reliable than John.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Elder Mr. Bailey shot her a re. ¡°What do you know? Do you think it¡¯s the same now as usual? There¡¯s no time for her to go looking for another prospect. As for John, he¡¯ll get divorced sooner or later. There is nothing wrong with us making preparations beforehand. Matilda has told you, hasn¡¯t she? John and Sophia won¡¯t stay together for long. Rather than letting someone else snatch him up in the end, we should strike first.¡± Mrs. Bailey felt that what he said made sense. She frowned and thought about it for a while, then shut her mouth. Over at Sophia¡¯s side, after wrangling in the private room for a while, everyone had gone home. John had drunk alcohol, but he had asked a driver toe over. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 220 Chapter 220 The few of them said goodbye at the entrance of the restaurant. As he walked, Logan flipped the wide sleeves of his pajamas, swaggering across the road, and went to the clubhouse on the opposite side of the road. The club was packed with people at this time. There were many cars parked at the entrance, and the doorman at the club entrance kept bowing and greeting guests. When Logan went over, he patted the doorman¡¯s shoulder solemnly. When Sophia saw this, she asked, ¡°How did you get to know a friend like him?¡± She was speaking to John. John nced at her from the corner of his eyes. ¡°Then how did you know him?¡± ¡°Oh, it was through Ian. The two of them were friends. I just took advantage of Ian¡¯s being friends with him.¡± John turned around and got in the car. Sophia turned around and said goodbye to Ian, then called out to Robin, ¡°Come on, it¡¯ste at night. It won¡¯t be safe for a girl like you to go home by herself. We will send you back.¡± The two got into the car. Sophia lowered the window and waved to Ian, who was outside. Unwilling to witness the glee on her face, John quickly looked away. After the car had driven out, John said quietly, ¡°So you do know that it is not safe for a girl to go out alone.¡± He wasn¡¯t loud, but his words were filled with irony. Sophia frowned and hissed, wanting to vent her frustrations for Logan on John. But seeing that Robin was still in the car, after thinking about it, she endured it. The car drove to Robin¡¯s district first. When Robin got out of the car, she repeatedly said thank you to Sophia. Sophia waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. If we get a chance in the future, let¡¯s go out together again.¡± Robin was very happy today and repeatedly agreed. They waited for Robin to enter her district, then drove off. On the way home, Sophia and John remained quiet. When the car reached Sophia¡¯s house, she got out without dy, entering the house saying nary a word. After paying the driver, John had a cigarette outside before entering, only to see Sophia had already gone upstairs. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Standing by the window downstairs, he looked at the courtyard. His phone had been vibrating in his pocket all this while, ever since he got in the car. He didn¡¯t need to look to know who was calling. His mother had lost face today, so she was definitely calling him toin. But he had no intention of listening to herints. Still, she was his mother. If she weren¡¯t his mother, he wouldn¡¯t give her a fig. Everyday, she always had something toin about. However, his phone kept on vibrating. Without a choice, John took out his phone and answered it. Mrs. Constance asked immediately when he answered the phone, ¡°Is it convenient for you to speak right now?¡± This meant that she was going toin. John grunted an affirmative. ¡°Just say it.¡± Words burst from his mother¡¯s mouth like a broken dam. ¡°How did Sophia know Logan Jefferson? Were you the one who introduced them to each other? They seem to be really close with each other. With how protective Logan is of Sophia, do we need to worry about them? You know better than I what sort of person Logan is, John. He wouldn¡¯t treat someone so well without reason. Just think about it. Wasn¡¯t there a rumor about a girl getting a bit close to him and ended up in a bad situation? Just think about how people end up when he sinks his ws in them in his club. You need to be careful when Sophia meets up with him¡­¡± John put the phone down and vaguely heard her continuing to talk without end. William was not a man of many words. The same went for him. The both of them liked to be quiet, but looking at Mrs. Constance and Sophia, it was the total opposite; both of them were very noisy people. Mrs. Constance talked for a very long time. When she noticed that there wasn¡¯t any response from his side, she called out, ¡°Hello? John? Are you listening to me?¡± John picked up his phone again. ¡°I did not introduce them to each other. I only learned that they knew each other today. I am just as surprised as you are.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 221 Chapter 221 Mrs. Constance paused. With a suspicious voice, she asked, ¡°Sophia got to know him herself? With the identity she has?¡± John didn¡¯t really want to talk about this. He was feeling a bit irritable today, ever since this morning. When he talked with Isabelle about work in the afternoon, he had felt a little bit better. But when he met Sophia at night, this feeling came back again. It continued up until now. Mrs. Constance was a bit worried. ¡°John, your rtionship with Logan is decent at best. He changes with the flip of a coin. He is someone who would point and yell at his own father. There is nothing he can¡¯t do. I¡¯m worried that when he gets bewitched by Sophia, he would break off all ties with you, then¡­¡± Johnughed. ¡°Mom, you¡¯re overthinking things. Sophia isn¡¯t that sort of person. Even if she is, how will she bewitch him?¡± Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t want to admit this, but she still admitted grudgingly, ¡°She is beautiful.¡± Then, she continued, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that her looks were passable, I never would have agreed with the two of you getting married in the first ce, no matter what.¡± John sighed. ¡°There¡¯s no need to speak of this matter again. It¡¯s useless to talk about all this now.¡± Mrs. Constance also knew that. She smacked her lips helplessly. ¡°It is useless. John, we¡¯ve ruined you.¡± That was going a bit far. John actually didn¡¯t me anyone, for he had also agreed to the wedding back then. If he hadn¡¯t agreed, his family would¡¯ve tied him up and brought him over to the Civil Affairs Bureau to sign and collect the marriage certificate. So everything that happened till now had all gone as he had expected. He couldn¡¯t me anyone. He disagreed with his mother, then continued, ¡°Sophia and I are different from what you all think.¡± Talking about this, John felt exasperated. ¡°Also, Mom, you shouldn¡¯t have insisted on an asion like today.¡± He was talking about how his mother had insisted for Sophia to bring her friend over. Today, Mrs. Constance had wanted to embarrass Sophia, which was clear as day to John. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. If he didn¡¯t know the friend Sophia had was Logan, he would have stepped up and put a stop to it. The reason he didn¡¯t stop everything from happening was because he wanted Logan toe over and show Sophia support. During the meal today, his mother was so happy that words slipped from her mouth. She said a few things,paring Isabelle and Sophia with one another. Although she wasn¡¯t obvious, she still let out snippets that proved she didn¡¯t think much of Sophia. John was a bit ufortable with that. It was one thing to say all this when it was just the two of them, but John felt it was unfair to Sophia for his mother to say such things in front of so many people. It was for the best that Logan hade over. At least the Baileys would know that Sophia wasn¡¯t someone that anyone could look down on. When Mrs. Constance heard John say this, she was put on the spot. She wanted to embarrass Sophia today, but she was the one who was embarrassed in the end. On the way home, William had already told her about how she couldn¡¯t look at the situation and didn¡¯t put matters ording to importance. William¡¯s tone was neither angry nor serious. He just pointed out facts and reasoned with her on the matter. But Mrs. Constance knew that her husband was unhappy, as he had never done this before. She sighed. ¡°I was indeed reckless about this matter today. Your father has already told me that putting Sophia on the spot out in public was not giving you face.¡± ¡°Yes. No matter what we think ourselves, in the eyes of the public, Sophia is my wife. She represents me.¡± After a few seconds, Mrs. Constance said timidly, ¡°John, you seem to be more protective of Sophia recently.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 222 Chapter 222 John was taken aback. ¡°Am I?¡± He didn¡¯t know if he was being protective of Sophia, but it seemed that he knew more about Sophia after the divorce. So, he didn¡¯t want anyone to talk bad about her. This feeling was very strange. He wanted to be the only one able to talk to and touch Sophia. No one else was allowed to. Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°Maybe I have said too much recently and made you feel ufortable. I will try not to talk about her in front of you from now on.¡± John frowned and said nothing. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. After telling him to rest early, Mrs. Constance hung up the phone. John slowly put his phone down, and then thought for a while. Have I been defending Sophia recently? He didn¡¯t actually feel like he did. It was just that sometimes what his mother said upset him, so he came to Sophia¡¯s defense and refuted a word or two. It couldn¡¯t be counted as him defending her. John stood there for a while, then turned around and slowly went upstairs. Meanwhile, Sophia didn¡¯t return to her room. She was in the study, looking at theputer. It seemed like she was looking at the driving test book. John walked to the door and nced inside. As she scratched her head, Sophia seemed like she didn¡¯t understand what she was reading. She actually gets along well with Logan. The way she speaks and deals with stuff now is somewhat illogical, yet Logan is even worse. But putting them side by side, they¡¯re like two peas in a pod. Thinking of that, John remembered what Logan said over at the washroom. If Sophia was to be married into the Morgan Family, they would all be turned into nice and obedient sheep by her. That was not an exaggeration. After all, Sophia could even deal with his mother. Although Mrs. Constance was sometimes unreasonable, she wasn¡¯t someone cunning. However, it might not be the same over at the Morgans. Leah Zimmerman had yed a big scheme in order to get into the Morgan Family long ago. If Sophia really married into their family, she wouldn¡¯t be able to win against them. At this, he closed his eyes and strode to his room. Why was he thinking about all this? Sophia was the same as him. They made their own choices, no matter what they did. John returned to his room andy down after washing up. Since he was a little dizzy, he fell asleep quickly after lying down. However, it might be because he was thinking about Sophia before going to bed, but he kept dreaming that night; his dream was all about Sophia. There were many different men standing beside Sophia, and he was screening them one by one. The person who flirted with her on the ne was there. No, this man looks frivolous. He will definitely be unfaithful in the future. The person who flirted with her in Tri Asel was also there. No, his looks can¡¯t match Sophia¡¯s. Ian was also there. John stared at Ian for a long time. With his background and his family, it¡¯s a big no. But Sophia really liked Ian in his dream, and he had even bought her a ring. When she wore the ring, she looked very happy. John hesitated. If Sophia really got together with Ian, it doesn¡¯t seem to be too bad. In the end, he hesitated repeatedly until he woke up in the morning. After opening his eyes, his mind was still in a mess. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t figure out where he was. It took him a long time to sit up. Letting out a long exhale, he wondered why he couldn¡¯t get out of such a dreamst night. When he was done washing himself up and went downstairs, Sophia had already prepared breakfast. She was sitting in the dining room, sending a WhatsApp voice message while eating. There was no need to ask, for John knew who Sophia was chatting with just by her tone. He slowly walked over and sat opposite Sophia. He spoke first, ¡°Logan?¡± Sophia replied, ¡°Yep, he texted me early in the morning. I wonder where his energyes from.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 223 Chapter 223 John smiled silently. ¡°That¡¯s just how Logan is.¡± With that said, Sophia¡¯s phone buzzed again. She directly yed the voice message. It was Logan¡¯s voice. ¡°Come over to my ce. It¡¯s finally a day off today. Ian will being over, too. Can that friend of yourse over as well? Let¡¯s y a few matches today.¡± Sophia replied in an unfriendly tone, ¡°You might as well get married with two sets of mahjong. How will someone like you continue your family¡¯s bloodline if you act like this?¡± Loganughed. ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. If I want to find a woman, they will all line up for me to pick.¡± Sophia spat in rebuff at him. John frowned while eating, not saying a word. It was an off day today, and he had originally nned on sleeping in. But because his biological clock was fixed, he couldn¡¯t fall asleep again after waking up. Logan persisted, saying, ¡°Ask your friend if she cane over today.¡± She definitely couldn¡¯t. Robin had her own store and was responsible for her own profits and losses. Without hesitating, Sophia said, ¡°She can¡¯t. She¡¯s busy.¡± Logan then whined, saying that he needed one more person, that he couldn¡¯t live anymore and would be depressed otherwise. John slowly raised his head. ¡°Tell him I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Taken aback, she looked at John. ¡°You are following me to Logan¡¯s clubhouse?¡± John hummed in assent. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been there. I might as well take the opportunity to go and have a look.¡± Sophia blinked a few times then sent a voice message over. In fact, Logan didn¡¯t mind who woulde over. He was happy as long as he had enough yers to y mahjong with. He immediately replied that he would be waiting for them over there. He would prepare delicious food and drink, waiting for their arrival. Sophia was a little exasperated. How could this man act like those middle-aged and elderly women who liked this sort of pastime? Not paying any more attention to Logan, Sophia asked John as she ate, ¡°Are you free today? You don¡¯t need to go over to the Baileys, thepany, or the Constance Residence?¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. John raised his eyebrows and looked at Sophia. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want me to go over to Logan¡¯s?¡± Sophia paused, feeling confused. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me whether you are going or not. I am just surprised that such a busy man like yourself has time today.¡± John thought for a while. He wasn¡¯t actually busy before; he just didn¡¯t like going home very much. A lot of his rest time was spent in thepany, as most of the time he was just pretending to be busy ¡ªhe just didn¡¯t want to see her. After the two finished their breakfast, Sophia went upstairs and changed her clothes. John was waiting downstairs for her. Before Sophia came down, his cell phone rang. John took it out, looked at the caller, then answered his phone. Over the phone was Mrs. Constance¡¯s voice again. She said that she had asked Isabelle to go shopping with her and have tea together. She wanted John to tag along. Without dawdling, John replied, ¡°I¡¯m busy. I have something to do today.¡± Mrs. Constance was a little surprised. ¡°It¡¯s Sunday. What are you busy with?¡± John didn¡¯t want to exin. ¡°I have some business.¡± Then, he continued, ¡°I haven¡¯t really divorced with Sophia yet, so can you stop pulling Isabelle toward me? It¡¯s not good for both me and Isabelle.¡± Mrs. Constance paused and stopped talking, for she knew that as well. Outsiders thought that John and Sophia were still married, but she knew privately that John and Sophia had divorced. There was nothing between them, so she couldn¡¯t help it. Isabelle was such a nice girl, and others knew that, too. If she was snatched away by someone else, she might really cry. John took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m not nning to find myself another wife so soon. You don¡¯t need to be so anxious. Just let me make my own decisions in the future, alright?¡± Mrs. Constance moved her lips. It took her a while before she said, ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 224 Chapter 224 Hearing footstepsing from the stairs, John said directly to the phone, ¡°I¡¯m busy here right now, so I¡¯ll be hanging up.¡± After speaking, he hung up the phone. Sophia wore shorts with suspenders and white sneakers, while her hair was tied up in a ponytail on this day, making her look charming and energetic. As John¡¯s gaze fell on Sophia, it took a while before he looked away. He only realized now after they had divorced that Sophia¡¯s appearance had changed too; she seemed to look a lot younger. He tried hard to remember how Sophia looked before, but he couldn¡¯t remember it clearly. Nevertheless, all he remembered was her dull personality, looking depressed everyday, which made her appear older than her current self. Sophia looked at John. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m all ready.¡± With a grunt, John turned around and left the house first. They locked the door and the two went into the car. As soon as Sophia got into the car, she took off her shoes and sat cross-legged on the chair. ncing at her, John wondered when she developed this habit of crossing her legs. In his memory, she didn¡¯t have this habit before. The car drove all the way to Logan¡¯s clubhouse. Since it was the middle of the day, the streets were quiet and there weren¡¯t many people around. Logan had changed his clothes. Even though he was still in pajamas, they were light gray in color. The clothes fitted loosely on his body. When he saw John¡¯s caring over as he stood by the entrance, he quickly ran out of the clubhouse. ¡°Finally, you guys are here. I have been thinking about you guys.¡± Sophia got out of the car and looked at him, a little disdainful. ¡°If you really are sincere in weing us, at least get dressed up.¡± Logan gave her a re. ¡°I changed my clothes specially to wee you guys. Won¡¯t this do?¡± Since he was still in pajamas, it wouldn¡¯t make a difference if he just changed into another set of pajamas. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Ian hadn¡¯t arrived yet, so the three of them went up to the second floor first. Naturally, they couldn¡¯t just start the game like Logan wanted as they were still missing one yer, so Logan took John and Sophia to the private room next door. That private room had arger space, and there was arge simtion racing game machine inside. For the sake of making it realistic, the race cars were made to the size of actual race cars, and the models were all made ording to existing race cars; only the track was being projected. Logan looked at John. ¡°Wanna give it a try?¡± John smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± Thus, Logan went over and switched on the machine. The sound of the machine switching on was so loud that it could probably be heard by the people in the shops across the street. Then, the projector screen came down. In front of the race car, a realistic looking track appeared. John straddled his long legs and got in the race car. To Sophia, these things were iprehensible to her. She couldn¡¯t even understand the driving test book, let alone this. So, she turned around, went to a chair at the side and sat down. As the game started, John sat in the race car and swung the steering wheel left and right to adjust the angle. Maybe men just like stuff like this, but I¡¯m getting sleepy just by looking at it, Sophia thought to herself. So, she took out her phone and sent a message to Ian. It took a long time for Ian to reply. When it came, he said that he suddenly had something to deal with and that he couldn¡¯t make it. Sophia gave a surprised ¡®eh¡¯ and stood up before shouting to Logan who was not far away, ¡°Ian said he has something to deal with, so he can¡¯te over.¡± Since Logan had been watching John as he drove the race car, he didn¡¯t take it seriously when he heard Sophia. ¡°Tell him that he has toe. I¡¯m waiting for him. I even got the poker set ready.¡± His eyes never left the virtual track John was driving in, looking excited for some reason. After thinking about it, Sophia called Ian. It took a long time for Ian to pick up as well, and his voice was lowered when he said, ¡°Sophia, I have something to deal with now, so I can¡¯t go over. You guys have fun over there. I¡¯ll bete¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, Sophia heard a smash over there. It sounded like something fell down and broke, then she heard a woman¡¯s yell. ¡°So we look like pushovers to you, is that right? So you think my children are not a part of your family? That they deserve to be bullied like this? You think a b*stard like yourself can move against the main family? Come on then! I¡¯m not dead yet¡­¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Ian paused for a while before hanging up the phone. After gripping the phone for a while, Sophia¡¯s expression was unhappy when she put it down. B*stard? Leah was probably talking about Ian. Being a smart person, she knew that she couldn¡¯t go to Ian¡¯s ce on her own, so she looked at Logan before calling him directly. ¡°Logan, do you want to show me how cool you are?¡± Logan was still staring at John over here as he yelled, ¡°Turn here. Be careful when you turn. Ah, ah, oh, you made it. Thest time I reached here, I had hit the wall directly¡­¡± Sophia frowned and shouted loudly, ¡°Logan!¡± Still not looking at Sophia, Logan answered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s the matter? Just tell me.¡± Sophia took a deep breath. ¡°Something happened to Ian. Now, I want to let you out and go help Ian. Are you ready?¡± Logan slowly turned his head and looked over to her. ¡°What happened to Ian?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t know what exactly was going on, for she had just heard Leah calling Ian a b*stard on the phone, so she knew something must have happened. Since there were swearing and the sounds of things being smashed, whatever was happening over there was probably serious. Sophia pursed her mouth. ¡°It seems like his stepmother was throwing things at him and cursing at him.¡± ¡°What?¡± Logan was immediately unhappy. ¡°That b*tch. It seems like she still didn¡¯t get it after I scolded her thest time.¡± He turned around and walked outside. ¡°You guys wait for me. I¡¯ll go change into my armor.¡± John stopped ying too. As he got out of the car, he looked at Sophia, but he didn¡¯t look anxious at all. He just sighed. ¡°You seem to really care about him.¡± ring at him, Sophia retorted, ¡°Of course I do. Don¡¯t you know who Ian is to me?¡± John nodded slowly. ¡°You¡¯re right. He even gave you a ring.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Speaking of the ring, Sophia paused and raised her hand to look at it. Then, she clicked her tongue and said, ¡°About this ring, I think¡­¡± John looked at her as if he wanted to hear what she had to say, but Sophia didn¡¯t even know what to say next. Should I tell him that Ian insisted on giving me this ring? Or should I say that I rejected his offer, but I relented in the end? But if I say something like this, won¡¯t that make me sound like a fake b*tch? This sounds like an excuse that those fake b*tches would often use though. Thus, she simply nodded. ¡°Yeah, he even gave me a ring.¡± John sized her up, then he turned around and headed outside. When Logan came out after having changed his clothes, he looked dignified,pletely different from his usual self. Sophia sighed. Sure enough, the clothes maketh the man. After taking off his pajamas, Logan finally looked like that son of a rich family that he actually was, but the big gold chain on his neck did seem to lower his ssiness. With a frosty expression on his face, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and have a look at what¡¯s happening at the Morgans.¡± Sophia really liked how it seemed like they were going to screw with the Morgans, so she got excited for some reason. ¡°Come on,e on. Hurry up, it may be over if we arete.¡± She didn¡¯t look like she was going over to help Ian at all. Rather, she seemed more like she was going over to be a spectator. Sophia walked two steps toward the stairs, then she looked back at John. ¡°Are youing?¡± Looking back at her with a sneer, John said, ¡°What do you think?¡± Sounds like a yes. Sophia was relieved, since there would be strength in numbers. Besides, she felt more secure with more people. ¡°Hurry up. We might miss everything if we arete,¡± she urged them. This attitude of Sophia made John feel puzzled. What did the old Sophia suffer that she turned into the way she is now? I really can¡¯t get it. Then, the three of them got into John¡¯s car. As John knew where Ian¡¯s house was, he drove them there directly. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 226 Chapter 226 The trip home didn¡¯t take a long time. When John¡¯s car stopped at the entrance of Ian¡¯s house, the sound of cursing could still be heard from the inside. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sophia cracked her knuckles and was ready to rush inside. However, John gave Sophia a look. ¡°You behave yourself. Let¡¯s go inside first and see what¡¯s going on.¡± He had just finished saying this when Logan rushed out, appearing to be even more anxious than Sophia. The front gates of the Morgan Residence were closed, so Logan went over to the gates and kicked them. Then, he started cursing, ¡°Sean, Simon and Sally Morgan, and¡­ what¡¯s her name again? Oh, yes, Leah Zimmerman. All of you,e out! What did you do to Ian? I¡¯ll have you know; if there¡¯s even a single hair out of ce on his head, all of you will answer to me!¡± Sophia put her hand on the doorknob and frowned abruptly. Thest time she followed Ian to the Morgan Company, Sean had Ian¡¯s position changed on the spot because of her. However, Logan should be the one whose words carried more weight, so why didn¡¯t Sean treat Ian better for Logan¡¯s sake? She couldn¡¯t understand this. After Logan yelled a few times, someone hade out from the house, who seemed like a servant. That person turned around and went back to the house upon the sight of Logan. Sophia and John also got out of the car and stood at the door. While Logan punched and kicked at the iron fence gates, yelling non-stop, Sophia stared in the direction of the living room. After a few minutes, Ian came out from inside. N?velDrama.Org owns this. He didn¡¯t look like there was anything wrong, judging from his expression as he came over to open the gates. ¡°Why did you alle to my ce?¡± Logan looked at Ian up and down. ¡°Are you okay? Have they beaten you? They¡¯re your family, so it would be difficult for you toy a hand on them. Leave it to me. I¡¯ll take care of them for you.¡± Ian sighed. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Nothing happened.¡± John, who was at the side, spoke up, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to invite us in?¡± Ian looked at John, then at Sophia, seemingly hesitant. However, Logan couldn¡¯t care less and he marched toward the door of the living room. Sophia wanted to follow as well, but she was pulled back by John. ¡°You stand at the back. Don¡¯t rush to the front.¡± Sophia made a confused grunt, for she didn¡¯t know what John meant. Looking at Ian, John asked, ¡°Did you and your family get into a fight just now?¡± Ian grimaced. ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything big. Just some small matter. Everything¡¯s fine now.¡± He had just finished speaking when the sound of something breaking came from inside the house; it sounded like ss breaking. Sophia paused, then she heard Logan¡¯s cursing. So, John and Ian hurried toward the house, while Sophia also followed in stride. There were many people in the living room; all of the Morgans were here. Old Mr. Morgan sat on the sofa, seeming very angry and was coughing non-stop. Meanwhile, Leah stood at the side. Under her feet were shards of ss that seemed to have belonged to a cup or a vase. Sophia stood at the doorway and looked around. The Morgan siblings all had dark expressions on their faces as they stood around, not saying anything or moving. Without understanding the ins and outs of the situation, Logan just stood where he was and yelled at them, saying that they were bullying Ian. Taking advantage of the chaos, Sophia moved closer next to Ian, causing John to look at her sideways. However, she didn¡¯t notice this as she stood beside Ian and lowered her voice to ask him, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did you get into conflict with these people earlier?¡± Ian gave a slight nod. ¡°Look at Simon.¡± Sophia quickly turned her head to look at Simon, who was standing there, his figure stiff and straight. One side of his face was a little red and it seemed a little swollen. Looking at him for a few seconds, Sophia then turned her head toward Ian. ¡°You hit him?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 227 Chapter 227 Ian gave an affirmative hum, while Sophia nodded. ¡°Great job!¡± Simon was showing off his own power and influence when they previously visited thepany, so she never liked him. Look at how Sean carries himself! That¡¯s the poise and grace of a true leader, and he has no need to be a show-off like Simon. Meanwhile, Sally had been looking on from behind Simon while Logan jumped around in front of Sophia. She inevitably saw Sophia while observing Logan, and the former was the sole reason that Ian managed to attain the position of vice president. Ian knows nothing about the job, so he shouldn¡¯t have been given the position! Besides, why would Sophia associate herself with someone like Ian? N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. The more Sally thought about it, the more ufortable she felt. The feeling of difort eventually grew into something which she could no longer put up with. ¡°This is our family business, so why would youe in support of this b*stard? Birds of a feather flock together, so you¡¯re all¡ª¡± Before she could finish her sentence, Logan turned to pick up a huge vase from the foyer, then threw it at Sally. ¡°I dare you to f*cking say that again!¡± The vase was so huge that it lost its uracy upon being thrown, which led to itnding on the ground before Sally and shattering to pieces. Sally stared at the shattered pieces of the vase, as she was seemingly stunned by Logan¡¯s outburst, while Leah cried out in shock as she hid behind her husband. Old Mr. Morgan pointed a finger at Logan in anger as he cried, ¡°How dare a brat like you act out of ce in my territory!¡± Logan shot him a re as he shot back, ¡°You know that¡¯s just who I am! I don¡¯t care if this is your ce, and I will tell you to not provoke me! I know of the sh*tty things you¡¯ve done, you old git, which I will announce to the world if you ever cross me again!¡± He then looked toward Leah before scolding, ¡°And you! I know of your past, you vile creature! How dare you call Ian a b*stard? Why don¡¯t you look at the scum you gave birth to?¡± Wow, he sure has some fight in him! Sophia was somewhat mesmerized by Logan while staring at his figure from behind, whereas John wore a frown as his gazended on Sean. They had met a couple of times during formal asions, thus had had a few interactions over some drinks. There was a grim look on Sean¡¯s face, but what happened didn¡¯t actually concern him. He was in fact troubled by the constant restlessness at home. Upon noticing John¡¯s gaze, he let out a sigh before apologizing, ¡°Mr. Constance, I¡¯m sorry that you have to witness this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only ever heard about rumors, but I finally was able to witness the real deal today.¡± John¡¯s voice sounded almost nonchnt, but Sean¡¯s countenance shifted ever so slightly. Meanwhile, Sally seemed to be triggered by the sight of the shattered vase, as she began wreaking havoc all of a sudden. After taking a few steps forward, she picked up thergest shard from the floor to throw it at Logan. ¡°What happened within our family is none of your business! Get the f*ck out of here!¡± It was apparent that Sally had a better aim than Logan, as the shard the size of half a vase flew straight toward Logan. While he managed to evade the shard due to his superb reflexes, the same couldn¡¯t be said of Sophia, who stood behind him. She was staring at John while eavesdropping on his conversation with Sean, as she knew John was a great business negotiator with an intimidating aura, so he could actually do better whenpared to Logan¡¯s shenanigans. It was thus she didn¡¯t see the shard flying toward her. Instead, she only noticed something was approaching her from the corner of her eye. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 228 Chapter 228 Although Sophia was slow to react, Ian had better reflexes, so he turned immediately to pull Sophia into an embrace with his back against the iing projectile. John was standing on her left but slightly further away, so he didn¡¯t manage to react in time. The shard crashed into Ian¡¯s back before smashing into smithereens on the ground, while Sophia felt a prickling pain on her calf, which might be due to a wound inflicted by the broken shards. Logan seemed to have forgotten about his anger as he stared at Ian and Sophia while the room fell into dead silence for a few seconds. It was John who first came to his senses. Stepping in, he pulled Ian away from Sophia to check on her while holding both her shoulders. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Sophia looked between John and Ian before pouting. ¡°My leg hurts, but I don¡¯t have the courage to look at it. Am I bleeding?¡± The suspender shorts she wore left her thighs and calves exposed. John squatted to see that her calf was indeed bleeding due to an injury caused by the shard. There were two or three wounds, which one of them seemed more severe due to the length of it. Sophia was afraid of pain, so she dared not watch whenever she received an injection, nor was she brave enough to look at her wounds. After a few second¡¯s pause, Logan rushed toward Sally, bellowing, ¡°You scum! How dare you assault her! I hope you have a death wish!¡± Logan never had a sound moralpass to begin with, as he would threaten to beat his father up whenever they quarreled, so he had no qualms about kicking Sally because he never liked her to begin with. Simon quickly pulled Sally aside, so he ended up on the receiving end of Logan¡¯s kick, which prompted Leah to pull Sally and Simon behind her while chiding Logan, ¡°What are you doing? You shouldn¡¯t be resorting to violence!¡± On the other hand, Sophia dared not lower her gaze while she froze on the spot. She then asked John with a trembling voice, ¡°John, is the wound big? Does it look scary? My leg hurts, and I can barely stand, so please hold me, quick.¡± While the wound wasn¡¯t huge, the blood that trickled down from her wound was a stark contrast to her wless skin, which made it seem all the more gory. There was a gloomy look on John¡¯s face as he carried Sophia in his arms. Sean and Old Mr. Morgan finally came to their senses, after which Sean quickly approached them. ¡°Are you alright? I¡¯ll go get the family doctor.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. With the help of his walking stick, Old Mr. Morgan propped himself up. ¡°Quick, go get the doctor!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± John turned them down harshly as he turned to look at Old Mr. Morgan, then at Sean, before finally staring daggers into Sally, Simon, and Leah. It was then that Sally realized what she¡¯d done, as she quickly hid behind her mother. Sophia seemed to be on the verge of tears as she shrunk into his arms with a pout. After a while, John said, ¡°I will remember what happened today, and I will have you pay for what you did when I have the time to.¡± He then carried Sophia away, while thetter was mumbling in his arms until they got into the car. Using some tissues, he wiped off the blood around her wounds to see that they were merely scrapes despite their length, which wouldn¡¯t be that big of a deal. However, Sophia dared not look at her wounds, keeping her head raised as she was afraid of gory stuff despite how foolhardy she could be. She thus asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Does it look scary? My legs feel numb.¡± John looked at her in resignation. ¡°I already told you to stand further away from conflict. You shouldn¡¯t have joined in on the fray.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 229 Chapter 229 Upon hearing what John said, Sophia shot him a re. ¡°I was standing behind Logan!¡± She then proceeded to mumble, ¡°That nitwit isn¡¯t even half as capable as Ian.¡± There was a pause in John¡¯s movements as soon as Ian was mentioned, which reminded him of when Ian held Sophia in his arms. There was a tear to the back of his shirt, but John wasn¡¯t sure if he was hurt. He has quite a good reflex, John thought, and the thought of it irked him. While the wound on Sophia¡¯s leg wasn¡¯t that serious, John still offered, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to the hospital to have it bandaged.¡± Sophia¡¯s mouth hung agape as soon as she heard they were going to the hospital. ¡°Is it that serious?¡± John buckled her up before driving off, figuring that Logan¡¯s presence would be enough to hold them off. Sophia was carried in his arms upon their arrival at the emergency department. The doctor on duty¡ªwho was an acquaintance of John¡¯s¡ªstood from his seat when John carried Sophia over to him. ¡°John?¡± Meanwhile, John was feeling more relieved upon seeing the doctor. ¡°Mr. Holt, this is Sophia, and her leg was injured, so I brought her over to have it treated.¡± With haste, the doctor examined Sophia¡¯s wound. From a doctor¡¯s perspective, any wound was a wound worth attention. While retrieving some antiseptic and gauze, the doctor had John carry her over to the bed. Sophia held onto John¡¯s arm as she said, ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡± She was no longer the foolhardy girl who feared nothing. After giving it some thought, John pulled her into an embrace while consoling her, ¡°It¡¯s alright. It won¡¯t hurt a lot.¡± The doctor chuckled upon seeing her reaction. ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal, as all you need is a dressing. You don¡¯t even need a vine for tetanus.¡± Nheless, Sophia dared not look as she buried her face in John¡¯s arms while the doctor cleaned and wrapped up her wound. ¡°I¡¯m done. You¡¯ll be alright in two days, but beware that the wound doesn¡¯te into contact with water.¡± Sophia was still holding onto John¡¯s waist when she looked up at him to speak in a pitiable tone, ¡°I don¡¯t have the strength to walk.¡± It was thus John carried her in his arms as he left after bidding the doctor goodbye. After pondering about it, Sophia tried to reach for her phone, only to be stopped by John, who wore a frown on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± She let out a cry of surprise. ¡°I want to give Ian a call to inquire about things on his side.¡± There was a sour look on John¡¯s face as he spoke, ¡°You seem to care about him a lot.¡± She wore a pout while asking, ¡°Why do you look so gloomy? Can¡¯t I ask him one question?¡± Her query was met with silence as John carried her into the car. As soon as they settled into it, Logan¡¯s call came through without having her to make a call. She quickly forgot about the wound on her leg as she picked up the call. From what Logan said, he already left the Morgans after giving them a harsh scolding, yet none of them dared retort him, perhaps due to the threat he issued beforehand, so all they could do was hope that Logan would leave them alone after he¡¯d had enough. Logan also inquired Sophia on her injury, to which she replied, ¡°It¡¯s already bandaged up. The doctor said it¡¯s not a big deal, so I will be going home for today. Sorry for not being able to y with you today.¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nor was Logan in the mood to gamble, so he hung up after telling her to take care, and he would contact her again when he had time. Sophia leaned back in her seat while crossing her legs slowly as John opened up, ¡°Buckle up. I¡¯ll begin the drive now.¡± She hummed in the affirmative while buckling up, after which the car drove away. They spent the journey in silence up until they arrived at home. John would then get out of the car to open the door for her. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 230 Chapter 230 Upon turning around, John saw Sophia sitting in the car with an aggrieved look on her face. He roughly understood what she meant. After letting out a breath of air, he decided to go back to her to carry her out of the car, into the house, and straight to bed. It was almost noon after all themotion, but even if they were both hungry, it was nigh impossible for her to cook with an injury. She thus took out her phone while offering, ¡°I¡¯ll order some takeaway. What would you like to eat?¡± While he was about to leave, he stopped in his tracks as soon as Sophia said so. He then sat down on her bed before taking her phone from her. The choice of food on the takeaway app was simr to each other, so he handed her phone back after browsing through a few of them. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone bring us some food, so you don¡¯t need to order these.¡± She gave him a nod in response. ¡°Okay.¡± Remaining seated at his spot, he settled his gaze on the door as if hesitating on something. Sophia thus started a conversation with him. ¡°I met Dn a while ago, and he told me Uncle Owen will soon be celebrating his birthday. Do I need to show up during the asion?¡± There was a moment¡¯s pause before John turned to look at her. ¡°How did he word it?¡± A look of surprise crossed her features. ¡°There¡¯s nothing special about the wording. All he did was told me that Uncle Owen¡¯s birthday ising soon, so they might be hosting a celebration in the house. He also had me help pick out a present for Uncle Owen.¡± John arched his brow. ¡°You did what?¡± The odd tone in his question irked Sophia despite herck of understanding as to what it meant. Thus, she replied in an unfriendly manner, ¡°Yeah. He told me that he wasn¡¯t sure what would be a fitting present, so he had me help out. What of it?¡± She put some emphasis on the final part of her line. John turned to look at her with an aloof expression. ¡°Can¡¯t I ask?¡± He then stood before continuing, ¡°Sophia, your rtionship with Ian has nothing to do with me, but you cannot choose Dn as your spouse. While you do have the right to choose who you want to spend time with after our divorce, it doesn¡¯t include members of the Constance Family. Do you understand?¡± While looking at John, she figured she¡¯d already read his mind. He means I¡¯m not allowed to associate myself with anyone from the Constance Family after our divorce, as it would bring shame upon his family. The fact that both brothers within their family fell for the same woman would make it into the books regarding the history of the upper ss society. Such thoughts led to her letting out a snort. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to remind me about that. I¡¯m not stupid.¡± She then leaned back on the bed. ¡°Besides, I no longer wish to associate myself with your lot.¡± John turned to stare at her for a while. ¡°I wish you will hold true to what you just said.¡± After having said so, he stepped out of the room, leaving Sophia behind as she rolled her eyes while sitting on the bed. It was odd of him to put emphasis on that, as she didn¡¯t do anything out of line with Dn. Picking out a present with him shouldn¡¯t amount to anything anyway. Sophia lowered her gaze to look at her leg. Perhaps due to the doctor¡¯s attentiveness in bandaging her up, she didn¡¯t feel much pain, aside from a soothing coolness when he was cleaning her wounds. Now that the wounds were covered, she felt much better upon knowing that she wouldn¡¯t be seeing them. She figured it was because the year she spent living with the Constances made her somewhat delicate, as she used to knock herself all over. After lying down slowly, she extended her legs, then she dozed off after some time in bed. Meanwhile, John went downstairs to give Zack a call, telling thetter to buy some nutritious food. It came as a surprise to Zack, thus he asked, ¡°Where are you? Are you not at home?¡± Previous Chapter This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 231 Chapter 231 ¡°I am,¡± John replied, which further confused Zack. He thus pressed on, ¡°Why would you order takeaway if you¡¯re at home? Didn¡¯t Sophia cook?¡± After taking a deep breath, John said, ¡°She was hurt, so she is resting in her room.¡± ¡°What?¡± The news came as a shock to Zack. ¡°Why is she hurt? Is it severe?¡± The manner in which John replied betrayed no emotion. ¡°She¡¯s alright, just that her leg was scraped by some ss, but she will recover soon.¡± Zack was feeling more relieved after listening to what John said. ¡°You wait there while I go get some food. I¡¯ll be there in a bit.¡± The call was hung up after John grunted in reply. He then settled on the sofa to stare at the TV screen without switching it on, spending his time in silence until Zack arrived. The portion which he carried with him was obviously too much for two people as he stepped through the door. ¡°Where¡¯s Sophia? Go get her for the meal!¡± After ncing at the food in Zack¡¯s hands, John went upstairs without a word. While Zack was busy setting up the table, John carried Sophia downstairs. She was not fully awake, as her eyes were shut while leaning against his shoulder with an indignant look on her face. The same Zack saw the wound on her leg as soon as he approached them, thus he cried out in surprise, ¡°What happened? How did you hurt your leg?¡± Her only response was a snort as John put her down on the chair, while Zack came up to her again. ¡°Tell me what happened. Who did this to you?¡± Sophia was rubbing her eyes when she exined, ¡°It could¡¯ve been worse. I thought I would be disfigured when the shard flew at me, but it was thanks to Ian that I got out of it almost unscathed.¡± ¡°What did Ian do?¡± Zack was startled by her answer. John sat down beside them before saying in a lukewarm manner, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been hurt if it wasn¡¯t for him.¡± There was a moment¡¯s pause while Sophia¡¯s mouth hung agape before she said, ¡°That might be true as well.¡± However, Zack¡¯s attention was on something else. ¡°Why did you meet up with him again? Aren¡¯t you two seeing each other a little too frequently?¡± Contrary to his usual taciturn nature, John let out a huff before adding, ¡°Look at her finger.¡± Zack looked toward Sophia¡¯s finger as he said to see the eye-catching ring she wore, but he wasn¡¯t sure what he meant. ¡°What¡¯s with her finger?¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. There was a look of satire on John¡¯s face. ¡°The ring is a gift from Ian.¡± ¡°What?¡± Zack nearly leapt out of his seat. ¡°Ian is the one who gave this to her, and not you?¡± He already saw the ring when he went to negotiate with Mr. Reyes the other day, but he assumed it was given by John. The truth turned out to be not as he expected, as it was a gift by someone else, which was intolerable. John let out a sneer as if having thought of something while leaning against the back of the chair. ¡°It¡¯s fine either way, as I wish to see you teach the Morgans a lesson.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia was sulking as she chided, ¡°Are we going to eat? You woke me up from my sleep for a meal, yet all you guys are doing now is to tattle about my private life.¡± Upon looking between Sophia and John, Zack determined that the mood wasn¡¯t right, so he quickly changed the topic. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat! I bought loads, and the soup is for you, Sophia! Drink it to help soothe your stomach.¡± While Zack handed her a bowl of soup, John picked up his cutleries before Zack followed suit. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 232 Chapter 232 Sophia wore a frown as she questioned, ¡°Why are you dining with us?¡± Zack was visibly confused by her question. ¡°Do you mean I should watch you eat after all the pain I went through to bring you food? Of course I¡¯m going to dine with you two!¡± Upon turning to meet Zack, John said, ¡°I noticed you seem to be less afraid of me.¡± Zack let out a giggle. ¡°I noticed that I always feel more bnced while in her presence. Boss, didn¡¯t you notice that your temper gets better whenever she¡¯s around?¡± He said that while ncing at Sophia. A frown formed on John¡¯s face as he stared at Zack for a while. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± With his bowl in hand, Zack began eating without a care in the world. ¡°It¡¯s true! I don¡¯t lie! Even your expressions look different when she¡¯s with you!¡± John let out a sneer while he retorted, ¡°You¡¯d better find time to go to an ophthalmologist.¡± While lowering his voice, Zack told Sophia, ¡°I nailed it. It¡¯s just that he never admits that I¡¯m right.¡± She could feel something was tugging at her heartstrings when she nced at John. Memories of his gentleness and patience toward her earlier this day made her heart flutter, which was probably because he rarely did so. Such a rare show of hispassion was enough to make her heart beat for him again. After letting out a sigh, Sophia dug into her meal. Neither her nor John were in a good mood, so none of them spoke when they ate. While Zack tried to strike up a conversation, the fact that nobody would respond to him was a little underwhelming. They keep on doing this¡­ It feels like the Cold War all again, and it¡¯s frustrating. They¡¯re both grown ups, so why are they acting so childishly? Zack thought to himself. They finished their meal in silence, after which Sophia had Zack help her up instead of letting John carry her. She sent him off as soon as they arrived at her room, but he turned to look at her while standing by the door, then he said in a lowered voice, ¡°Sophia, I can see that you love Boss.¡± Sophia froze on the spot as she wasn¡¯t sure what his intentions were. After some thought, Zack continued, ¡°Although you two are divorced, it doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯ve lost your chance. You still live within close proximity of him, so it¡¯s not impossible for your ex-husband to fall in love with you once again if you put in the effort.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Sophia stared at him as if she was staring at a lunatic. ¡°Are you drunk?¡± He clicked his tongue before chiding, ¡°Why must you be so stubborn? Must I say it so bluntly?¡± After checking that John was nowhere to be seen in the corridor, he went on, ¡°Isabelle obviously fancies your ex-husband, so are you going to let them get together?¡± With no intention of hiding her disgust toward Isabelle, Sophia shook her head. ¡°Absolutely not. Didn¡¯t you see how we fight?¡± Zack took over the conversation instantly. ¡°That¡¯s the whole point! You¡¯ll have to keep John by your side if you don¡¯t want him to get together with Isabelle! Simply watching out for her is not enough. I have to say, you still have a chance when John has yet to fall for Isabelle.¡± However, Sophia said nothing, which made Zack a little anxious. ¡°Oh, you little¡ªDon¡¯t you get me? Aren¡¯t you normally the shrewd one? So why is it that you can be so dumb?¡± She shot him a re, as she never liked being belittled, but Zack rambled on before she could even open up to retort him. ¡°The sole reason that they still aren¡¯t together is because John doesn¡¯t like Isabelle! All would be toote after he develops feelings for her, so all you have to do now is to prevent that from happening! So how should you do that? The easiest way would be to have him fall for someone else, such as you! Do you understand what I mean?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 233 Chapter 233 Sophia knew what she must do. Even if she kept attacking Isabelle, that wouldn¡¯t stop John from falling for her. So, not only must she keep the attack on Isabelle active, she had to make John fall for her simultaneously. However, that fact made her despair. ¡°Talk is easy. We got married for nearly a year, and he still didn¡¯t fall for me. What do you expect me to do now that we¡¯re divorced?¡± Zack red at her. ¡°So what? You¡¯re still living together, so you still have a chance. You¡¯re still married in the public eye, so there¡¯s more you can do. Be like water.¡± Sophia thought about it for a second and understood what she had to do, so she nodded. ¡°I know what you¡¯re getting at.¡± Zack was satisfied. ¡°Good, good. Take a rest then. Think of what you should do. I believe in you.¡± He then went out and closed the door. Sophia sat on the bed and looked at her feet. Since John and Isabelle had many chances to get along, it would be easy for them to fall in love. I have to sabotage it then. Sophia was seen as an evil woman anyway, so she would stop that b*tch, Isabelle, from getting what she wanted. Nevertheless, she wasn¡¯t sure if John would fall for her. She did try, but to little effect. It even made him hate her more. So, she scratched her head in confusion, for there were too many things going on at once. After Zack went down and cleaned up the dining room, he saw John smoking in the yard, so he approached him. ¡°I¡¯ve cleaned up, and Sophia¡¯s resting now, so I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. John looked at him. ¡°Investigate the Morgan Group for me. I want every detail.¡± ¡°The Morgan Group?¡± Zack was surprised. ¡°Ian¡¯s Morgan Group?¡± John nodded. ¡°I want the results in two days.¡± Zack thought about it. ¡°What¡¯s the key target here?¡± John puffed some smoke. ¡°Simon and Sally. They don¡¯t do things meticulously. I want to know what they did wrong, or if they had done any sabotage actions.¡± Leah didn¡¯t like Sean being the leader of the company, and she wanted her children to have some power in there. John guessed they might have done something, and he didn¡¯t care if Bryce ignored this, but he would make this scandal as big as possible. Everything couldeter. Zack immediately obliged when he heard that. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the results on Wednesday morning.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± John looked at the sky. Not long after Zack had left, Logan called John. They knew each other for a long time now, but they weren¡¯t on exactly great terms. The Constances disliked Logan, for he was too unpredictable, which was a taboo for business people. They could be friends, but he would hesitate to be good friends with him. Logan never did call him unless something happened, which made this phone call confusing to John. After staring at the phone for a while, he picked it up. ¡°Logan.¡± Logan asked, ¡°How¡¯s Sophia doing?¡± He sounded less arrogant now,pared to his previous attitude. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 234 Chapter 234 He must have been feeling guilty, since Sally was after him, so Sophia was dragged into this. After telling him that she was fine, John continued, ¡°What¡¯s up with the Morgans after that?¡± ¡°What else?¡± Logan was vexed at the mention of that. Because of his friendship with Ian, the other Morgans were his enemies. They fought a few times, but the Morgans kept finding trouble with Ian. Those guys never learned their lesson. Logan did ask his grandfather to go against the Morgans, but the old man simply red at him and scolded, ¡°Nonsense! Business is all about profit! You can¡¯t ruin someone¡¯spany because you don¡¯t like them! If you¡¯re so reckless, you¡¯ll be ruined before you can do anything to them.¡± Thanks to that, all Logan could do was yell at the Morgans. Johnughed when he heard Logan¡¯s story. ¡°I have an idea.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia couldn¡¯t sleep. She tossed and turned, and finally, she went down. However, she was surprised to see who was there. John was there, as usual, but Logan was sitting across from him, still dressed in that robe he wore to the Morgan Residence, and the gold chain around his neck still looked jarring as usual. ¡°Oh, what brought you here? Me? Did you bring any gifts for me?¡± Logan looked back at her and grinned. ¡°Gifts? We¡¯re good friends, so no need for gifts.¡± Sophia gave him a look. ¡°You don¡¯t bring gifts during your visits?¡± Logan guffawed. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m worried about you, so I don¡¯t have time for gifts. I¡¯ll bring double the gifts next time.¡± John crossed his legs and watched as they chatted so easily, then he gradually smiled. So Logan likes this type of woman. Many who tried to butter up to the Jeffersons did try their luck with Logan, but he was way too unpredictable. Even though the sycophants wanted to, they couldn¡¯t please him. Sophia skipped down and sat beside John. ¡°What were you two talking about?¡± Logan got serious. ¡°What else? The Morgan trash, of course. Man, are they annoying.¡± Sophia straightened up. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t manage to ask. What¡¯s up with the Morgans? Why do they want to gang up on Ian?¡± At the mention of Ian, John looked down at Sophia¡¯s finger. The ring wasn¡¯t too pretty, and the ring of small diamonds around it looked cheap. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Logan sighed. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because his position threatened the Morgan siblings, so they keep on finding trouble with him. Today¡¯s an off day, so everyone¡¯s at home. The siblings caught the chance, and they trash talked Ian¡¯s mom, which was why he punched Simon.¡± When he reached here, Logan sighed once again. ¡°Just one punch? He should have given them more. He isn¡¯t One Punch Man.¡± John looked outside and squinted. Sophia nodded. ¡°Simon¡¯s an arrogant piece of sh*t. When I went to the Morgan Group, he yelled at me. I couldn¡¯t fight him, or else I would have kicked his butt.¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes widened, and she puffed her cheeks. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 235 Chapter 235 Instead of looking fierce, she looked adorable. Logan stared at her and smacked his lips, then he changed the topic. ¡°I always thought being John¡¯s wife is the ultimate lottery for women, but the more I look at you, Sophia, the more I think John¡¯s the lucky one to have married you.¡± Sophia looked at John. Is he a good man? Yes. Even though he doesn¡¯t love me, he never flirts with someone else. But so what? He didn¡¯t make me feel happy. Sophia looked back at Logan and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re being objective.¡± John snorted silently. I¡¯m lucky? Yeah, right. Now that Sophia was here, they couldn¡¯t go into details about their earlier chat, so Logan talked about some other topic. He said Bryce was a f*ckboy who had many women out there when he was young. Ian¡¯s mother was one, and Leah was another. They were only two of many though. Most of the women only appeared once and never again. These two were remembered because one gave Bryce a son, while the other married into the family. Ian¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t cunning enough, so she was eliminated, while Leah was a schemer. In the end, she managed to trick Bryce into registering her name in the family book. Sophia pped her leg. ¡°What was up with that old git? He doesn¡¯t back Ian up? If it wasn¡¯t for him, Ian wouldn¡¯t have to live this harshly!¡± Logan clicked his tongue. ¡°That old git just tries to be a mediator now. He can¡¯t even stand on the right side today! I had to curse all of them to relieve my anger. Man, seeing them getting livid is fun.¡± Sophia nodded angrily. ¡°That old git hasn¡¯t met me! If he does, I¡¯ll teach him a proper lesson!¡± Then, still sounding indignant, she added, ¡°And also those b*stards of the Morgan household!¡± John looked back at her, who was sitting cross-legged, looking furious. Logan said, ¡°See! I told them that. Those trash haven¡¯t met you, or they¡¯d be walloped now.¡± John frowned at Logan. ¡°Confident, aren¡¯t you?¡± he asked calmly. For some reason, Sophia nodded. ¡°Of course I¡¯m confident in my skills.¡± Logan blindly followed her. ¡°You can try it out when the chancees, Sophia.¡± John¡¯s expression changed. When the chancees? The dumb Logan didn¡¯t notice something was wrong, then he changed the topic. ¡°I was going to y some poker with you guys, but eh, seems like I¡¯m not getting it.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t open a club then, mate. Just open a whole casino.¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Logan chuckled. ¡°I did think of that, but I don¡¯t want them troublemakers toe to my ce. Things would probably get difficult for me if I get dragged down by them.¡± Sophia got down from the sofa, then she went up to him and tugged at the golden chain on his neck. ¡°You¡¯re wearing this, so you don¡¯t look particrly tame either.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 236 Chapter 236 Logan quickly held his chain. ¡°What are you doing? This is a symbol of my status.¡± Sophiaughed and leaned against John as she jokingly asked, ¡°Was he wearing that chain when you met him the first time?¡± John looked at Sophia for a while before looking back. ¡°He was.¡± Sophia arched her eyebrow and joked, ¡°Did you be friends with him because of his chain?¡± Logan knew she was teasing his taste, so he pped her leg. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Sophia huddled closer to John, evading Logan. Then, John closed his eyes and carried her up to put her on hisp. Sophia was stunned, while Logan stood up and pointed at them. ¡°W-What are you two doing? Showing public affection? Stop it!¡± John hugged her calmly, his expression nd. ¡°We¡¯re married, so this is normal.¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Meanwhile, Sophia was stiff, for she didn¡¯t expect him to do this. However, she was delighted after snapping out of it, so she hugged his neck and looked back at Logan. ¡°That wasn¡¯t public affection. This is.¡± Then, she pecked John on his lips, making him freeze. She didn¡¯t expect him to hug her, nor did he expect her to kiss him. Once again, they were tied. However, Logan startedining, acting all hysterical as he jumped about like a frustrated monkey. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t do that! Everyone knows you two are loving, so you don¡¯t have to show it. Let go, now!¡± Sophia hugged John and huddled closer to him. ¡°No.¡± A momentter, John sighed quietly with her still in his arms. Why do I feel that no matter what I do, it¡¯s a bit off when she¡¯s involved? Logan went to the sofa and turned his back on them. Chuckling, Sophia looked up at John. As he looked down at her, something flew between them. Logan kept grumbling until the evening. When it was dinnertime, hey on the sofa, refusing to leave. ¡°I want to have your cooking, Sophia. You¡¯re obviously a good cook! I bet your cooking¡¯s delish! Can you give me the honor of tasting your food once? I have no other requests.¡± He had been saying that for a while now, much to her annoyance, so she quickly stopped him. ¡°Alright, stop it. I¡¯ll cook, but not for you. My husband and I need to eat, so you¡¯re just riding the train.¡± Logan leaped up happily. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just want to taste your cooking. What¡¯s on the menu? Should I call Ian as well? He¡¯s alone too, and with the Morgan household as it is, he might not even get to have dinner.¡± John stopped typing on hisptop, and he looked at the data for a bit before continuing. Sophia slowly went down from the sofa and dismissed what Logan said. ¡°Sure. You¡¯re here anyway, so Ianing over is fine. But let me remind you that we don¡¯t have any poker facilities here, so forget about ying a game.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 237 Chapter 237 Loganughed heartily. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t be ying today, since I¡¯m not in my best condition. When I get back to my top condition though, I¡¯ll y with you guys!¡± Sophia ignored him and went to the kitchen. They had a lot of ingredients in the fridge, and after taking a look, she had a little n. Logan was leaning back on the sofa with a smile when he nced at John. ¡°Nice taste. Sophia is much nicer than Isabelle.¡± John didn¡¯t look at him. ¡°How long have you known her?¡± ¡°Not long, actually.¡± Logan flipped around andy on the sofa instead, looking at Sophia, his tone soft. ¡°But I¡¯ve seen many people in the club, so I have an eye for people. Sophia¡¯s a gooddy, John. She¡¯s worth your time.¡± John sneered. There were many good women in this world, but he couldn¡¯t possibly treasure them all. Maybe Sophia was indeed a good woman like Logan said, but that had nothing to do with him. Logan couldn¡¯t sit still. John was reading his documents, so Logan went to the kitchen. He leaned against the doorframe, and as he texted Ian, he said, ¡°Do you have any friends or sisters, Sophia? Introduce one to me. I don¡¯t need much, just someone like you.¡± With her back facing him, Sophia snorted. ¡°Even if I do, which I don¡¯t, I won¡¯t send them to hell.¡± Logan gasped. ¡°I¡¯m not that bad, woman. Do you know how many women out there want to sleep with me? I can¡¯t even refuse them.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Really? If you aren¡¯t the Jeffersons¡¯ young master, would they still want to sleep with you?¡± That shut him uppletely. Logan was no idiot, so he knew what those women wanted from him. Logan knew how many people hated and scorned him as he adventured. He still went on with his business because of his grandfather. If he didn¡¯t have that, nobody would let him do whatever he wanted, nor would those women look at him. Thanks to that, he couldn¡¯t retort. Logan paused, then he started stomping his feet. ¡°John! Tell your wife off! Don¡¯t you have rules around here? Come here and teach her a lesson now!¡± Rooted onto his seat, John slowly smiled. ¡°Didn¡¯t someone just say she¡¯s nice?¡± Logan halted in motion, then he pranced around like a monkey. ¡°I don¡¯t care! I¡¯m hurt, soe here and teach her a lesson!¡± Then he clutched his chest. ¡°Oh no, my chest feels heavy! I-I can¡¯t breathe¡­¡± At this, John put hisptop down and went to the kitchen. Sophia was wearing an apron, and she ignored the monkey at the door. John went inside, looking at Sophia. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t hold back, so she pushed the vegetables in a bowl to him. ¡°Wash this for me.¡± John took it and went to the basin. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Logan stopped moving and looked at John. ¡°What are you here for, President Constance? Are you helping me or her?¡± John took another bowl of greens, his voice insipid. ¡°Come here and wash this.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Logan changed his tune quickly and agreed to it. Sophia smiled and looked back at John. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 238 Chapter 238 John looked at her, too. Their eyes met, then they fidgeted. Sophia retracted her gaze first, and with her back turned on him, she blinked. Why does he have to smile like that? How can a woman who hasn¡¯t seen much of the world like me possibly resist him? John kept on washing his vegetables, and a momentter, he smiled. Ian arrived a short whileter, and when he came in, he saw them working in the kitchen, a tad surprised. He didn¡¯t know what John was like at home, but when he saw Logan working with them, he had the shock of his life. Ian looked on for a while before going inside. ¡°Do you need my help?¡± Before Sophia could answer, Logan waved him down. ¡°No need for that. You sit down for a bit. We have more than enough hands here, so the meal will be ready soon.¡± Ian almostughed out loud. He thought Logan looked amusing this way. Today wasn¡¯t his day, for he had to get into the mess at the Morgan Residence, and then Sophia was hurt because of this. He spent his whole afternoon feeling awful, but the sight of them in the kitchen calmed him down. Thus, he decided to enter. Ian went up to Sophia and hunkered down to look at the bandage on her calf. ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Sophia looked down at him. ¡°Not anymore. I don¡¯t feel anything now. Maybe I was shocked back then, but I am fine, really.¡± John stopped washing the vegetables and looked at Ian. Stretching out a hand, Ian pressed down near her wound. ¡°Is it a big wound?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t think this looked weird, and she even let him look. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I didn¡¯t look, but the doctor said it¡¯s fine, so it¡¯s fine.¡± Ian nodded and stood up before patting her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have dragged you into this.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I should have really walloped them for you.¡± John¡¯s expression was gloomy. Logan, who was standing beside, grinned. ¡°When they cross me again, I¡¯ll call you and we can rip them apart, Sophia.¡± Logan didn¡¯t think Sophia and Ian¡¯s actions were inappropriate either, so John heaved a sigh and put the washed vegetables into a clean te. Maybe I¡¯m the only one who feels that way. After they were done washing the vegetables, they went outside, leaving only Sophia inside. Logan acted like this was his own house, and he asked Ian to have a seat. ¡°What would you like to drink?¡± he asked. ¡°I noticed some flower tea in the kitchen. Will you have that? I¡¯ll make a pot for us.¡± He didn¡¯t even care that Sophia was the house¡¯s owner. Ian took the offer. ¡°Sure.¡± Logan then went to the kitchen gleefully. John came over and sat across Ian. He nced at him. ¡°I heard you paid for Sophia¡¯s ring. How much was it? I¡¯ll transfer it to you.¡± Ian wasn¡¯t surprised John would say that, so he smiled. ¡°You misunderstand us, Mr. Constance.¡± He sounded ambiguous. ¡°I gifted the ring to her. Didn¡¯t she tell you why I did that?¡± John looked at him coldly. ¡°What are you trying to say, Mr. Morgan?¡± Ian looked at the kitchen. For some reason, Logan¡¯s interest was piqued, and he chirped around Sophia again. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 239 Chapter 239 Logan wouldn¡¯te back anytime soon, so Ian said, ¡°I know you two are divorced. She told me that. All you guys are doing now is just to stop the court of public opinion from burning up.¡± John¡¯s expression was stormy. ¡°She tells you everything, huh?¡± Ian smiled, his eyes filled with love for Sophia. ¡°Sophia has never looked down on me because of my identity. That point alone is enough to prove that she thinks very differently from you, Mr. Constance.¡± John knew what Ian was saying. If she told him everything, of course she told him about her humiliating days in the Constance household. The Constances scorned her because of her background, but Sophia didn¡¯t care about anyone else¡¯s background. That alone showed the disparity between her point of view inparison to John¡¯s. John pursed his lips and smiled after a few moments. ¡°You seem to be confident in yourself, Mr. Morgan. It¡¯s good, and I hope you can keep it up.¡± Standing up, he then went toward the kitchen. Logan had just finished brewing the tea and wasing back out with it. He thought John was here to help, so he called out to him, ¡°This one¡¯s yours. Sophia said you¡¯re a particr guy, so even your cup needs to be exclusive. Here¡¯s yours.¡± Instead of taking it, John went to Sophia. She was still cooking, handling herself well, but he went up and hugged her from behind. Logan was annoyed. ¡°Not f*cking again. Do you really want to keep this up forever? If you don¡¯t want us around, just tell us!¡± He went to the living room, vexed. Ian noticed what was going on, but he didn¡¯t show too much emotion. Sophia was shocked, so she red at John and hissed, ¡°What are you doing?¡± John stared at her quietly and frowned. Sophia struggled. ¡°Go out. I¡¯m cooking. The smell¡¯s going to stick on you.¡± John slowly caressed her face. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he said softly. Sophia didn¡¯t know why he was doing this, but she didn¡¯t want to make a fuss out of it. Ian knew what happened between them, but that monkey, Logan, didn¡¯t. She had to keep this act up, so Sophia gave John a look. ¡°Do you need to take it so far? It¡¯s just Logan, so stop it.¡± John cupped her chin. ¡°Turn the mes off.¡± Sophia had no idea what he was trying to do, but she turned it off anyway. The moment she did that, he suddenly swiveled her around. Before Sophia could realize what was happening, John kissed her. He wasn¡¯t too gentle, and the kiss was a bit strong. At the same time, he pinned her arms down, preventing her from resisting. Sophia glowered at him, and she made a muffled sound. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Logan yelped and covered his eyes with one hand, while the other covered Ian¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t look! That¡¯s 18SX! It¡¯ll teach us bad, bad things.¡± Ian dodged it and looked at the kitchen. They do look good together. However, he snorted. ¡°Getting angry, huh?¡± Logan didn¡¯t know Ian was referring to John, so he thought Ian was talking about him. With his back against the kitchen, he stomped his feet angrily. ¡°Yeah, I am! John¡¯s trying to stoke us with a show of public affection! Inappropriate!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 240 Chapter 240 Ian said nothing. He looked at them for a moment more and looked back at the yard. Unable to push John away, Sophia stomped on his foot, but John didn¡¯t mind. He bit her lip for onest time before letting her go. Sophia looked at the living room and lowered her voice. ¡°What are you doing? Are you mad? There are people here.¡± Lifting a hand, John brushed her lips gently. ¡°Maybe I am.¡± He had a mocking smile on his face, but it was for himself, not Sophia. Then hebed her hair. ¡°Remember to act it all out. Don¡¯t forget our deal.¡± Sophia pursed her lips. We¡¯re in the house. Do we have to act here? I thought the deal only applies to strangers, but now he¡¯s expanding it to anyone? What am I, chopped liver? John stayed in there for a while before going out, and the first thing he did was to look at Ian. Ian was sitting on the sofa, but he didn¡¯t look back. On the other hand, Logan pointed at John angrily. ¡°Just you wait! I¡¯ll get a woman, too! Anyone can kiss! If I really want it, a whole lot of women are just waiting for me!¡± John snorted, then he went to sit down. ¡°You finding a woman is none of my business.¡± Logan choked on his words. He¡¯s right. Even if I f*ck someone now, it¡¯s still not his business. John has a wife, so why did I say that to him? That realization hurt him, so he went to hold Ian¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯m hurt, Ian! I can feel it in my heart this time! It¡¯s going to take a long while to heal! What should I do?¡± A whileter, Ian looked at him. ¡°You want to get back at him? Go for someone he cares about,¡± he said calmly. Logan was surprised, then he looked up at Ian and clicked his tongue. ¡°He only cares about Sophia. I can¡¯t go for her. Nobody wants to be a side dude.¡± Ian was saying that to John, and John knew it. He gave him a fake smile and wiped his lips. It was an obvious provocation, but Ian only looked at him calmly, for he didn¡¯t care about this. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Meanwhile, Sophia hadpleted several dishes. After she was done cooking, she called Logan to help her serve the food. Loganined that Sophia was only enving him and not someone else, but he still worked quickly in setting the table up. John and Ian said nothing, then they went to wait in the dining room. After Logan was done setting up, he sat beside Ian. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her cooking to be this good. Look, they just smell so appetizing.¡± Sophia did know how to cook, and John acknowledged it. Even though it wasn¡¯t as expansive as the cooks in the Constance Residence could make, the taste was more than fine. Sophia took her apron off and washed her hands beforeing over. ¡°Alright, dig in. Have a taste of my cooking.¡± She looked at Ian. ¡°You¡¯ve never had my cooking before, so have a bit more today.¡± That isted greeting not only made John frown, but it also upset Logan, again. He looked at Sophia. ¡°Sophia, ask your heart and tell me, are you closer to Ian or me?¡± Sophia looked at him with surprise. ¡°What? That¡¯s obvious! Ian, of course. I thought I made it super obvious! You can¡¯tpete with him!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 241 Chapter 241 Really guys? How did you identally bring John in? Logan didn¡¯t pay attention to this, but Ian heard it. He took up his chopsticks and gave Sophia a pair. ¡°Let¡¯s eat. We¡¯ve been working for so long.¡± Logan originally wanted to blow up because of Sophia¡¯s words, but when he heard Ian¡¯s words, his face fell. ¡°I have also been working for a long time. Hurry and give me a pair of chopsticks, too.¡± Ian gave Logan a pair of chopsticks as well while he was at it. This way, Ian¡¯s gestures earlier wouldn¡¯t seem out of ce. When John was eating, he said nothing. Logan, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t remain idle. He talked about the Morgans again. Ian smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about them. It will affect our mood.¡± Logan turned his head and looked at Ian. ¡°Ian, work hard in yourpany. If possible, I will help you to take over thepany.¡± Ian snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t understand a thing about running apany. Thepany will soon copse if I¡¯m in charge.¡± Logan blinked, then looked at John suddenly. ¡°John knows how to run apany. You could get him to teach you.¡± John raised his eyes and looked at Ian, who also looked at him. The two looked calm on the surface, but there was in fact a lot of stuff going through their eyes. Ian paused for two seconds. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this next time. For now, I¡¯m studying with Mr. Zimmel. I can learn a lot from him.¡± Logan didn¡¯t think too much about it and just nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Next, Logan talked about his ownpany. When it came to doing business, he was even worse off than Ian. He only knew how to y mahjong and nothing else. He said that his third oldest sister called him a few days ago, saying that he shouldn¡¯t loiter around all day and that he should go to thepany to learn how to run it. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Logan was a little unhappy about that. He wanted nothing more than to meld with a mahjong table and y mahjong everyday. He didn¡¯t have time to learn other things. After he finished speaking, he looked at John. ¡°Actually, my guess is that you don¡¯t really want to work in thepany as well. You are definitely also envious of people like me, aren¡¯t you? What¡¯s so good about sitting in the office every day? The amount of time you spend facing your employees and your business partners is more than the time you spend with your wife. Perhaps one day, they might be so lonely that they end up making sparks with another man. Who knows?¡± He didn¡¯t even bother to filter his words. John didn¡¯t react at all, but Sophia couldn¡¯t help giving a faint smile. ¡°What you said seems to make sense.¡± ¡°Right? I¡¯m not just shooting off my mouth. I¡¯m well informed about gossip, and I see a lot of such things.¡± Sophia hummed nomittedly, for such cases were indeedmon. It was as Logan said. Some people spent more time seeing others than their wife every day. Rtionships required cultivation, and time was the key, so it was easy to develop feelings with someone else as time passed. Isabelle was clever as she used this point. Being the prized daughter of the Baileys born with a silver spoon, she still became a businesswoman. At this, one could see her determination on making John hers. Thinking of this, Sophia¡¯s mood plummeted again. Nearing the end of the meal, Logan was all talking all by himself. He was different from Zack, for Zack could realize when something went wrong with the atmosphere and would shut up ordingly. But Logan didn¡¯t stop talking, regardless of other people¡¯s behavior. This was fine too, lest the atmosphere at the dining table became awkward. They were all here to show support for Sophia, seeing that they had eaten everything she had made, including the soup. Sophia was very satisfied. She felt that enduring the aching wound on her leg as she cooked was worth it. After the meal, Sophia went to get some fruit. They all sat down and chatted while eating fruit. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 242 Chapter 242 But truth be told, the only ones who were having a conversation were Sophia and Logan. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Sophia was talking about how she was going to open her new store soon. Logan seemed keen hearing that and promised he would visit once the store was open. He would get all the desserts his club needed from Sophia¡¯s new store. Sophia had such a huge grin that her eyes were crescent slits. She raised her hands and put them around Logan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Logan.¡± John¡¯s brows furrowed, but when he realized this was Logan they were talking about, he didn¡¯t say anything. After both Logan and Sophia had a goodugh, they talked about some future ns for Sophia¡¯s new store. John took up hisptop on the side, and Ian just sat there listening to Sophia and Logan¡¯s conversation. Ian didn¡¯t interject but just listened. His gaze fell upon Sophia¡¯s finger. The ring seemed quite normal when it sat in the disy cab at the store. But now that it was on Sophia¡¯s fingers, it looked much better. Ian¡¯s expression grew gentle, and his gaze on Sophia continued for quite a while. Sophia and Logan were still very much absorbed in their conversation and did not realize this. But John had kept an eye on all three of them through the corner of his eye. He withdrew his gaze and said, ¡°Sophia, look at this drawing and tell me what you think. Would you like it if we used this as the interior design for the store?¡± Sophia stopped for a moment. When she heard they were designs for her store, she immediately hopped over to John. ¡°Let me see, let me see.¡± John was still holding theptop, but he shifted his body slightly. Sophia normally didn¡¯t have a lot of boundaries, so she just leaned onto John. When she did, he could smell the faint rose scent on her body. John¡¯s lips twitched when he saw the serious look on Sophia¡¯s face as she stared at theptop. On the laptop was the interioryout design drawings for Sophia¡¯s store. This was only the preliminary drawings, and there would be more three-dimensional drawings at ater stage. Sophia didn¡¯t understand a thing about interior design. After staring for some time, she just nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s quite good.¡± John slightly shifted his body again and got closer to Sophia. ¡°What about this? Do you think it¡¯s good?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Yes, I think it looks quite good. It¡¯s made full use of the space avable.¡± Logan, who was at the side, pulled a face. He inhaled and stood up. ¡°That¡¯s our cue to leave again. If you wanted us to leave, you could have just said so. You¡¯re already an adult, but you¡¯re still ying such games. Oh well.¡± He gestured toward Ian. ¡°Let¡¯s go. If they can¡¯t hold it in any longer, things will get steamy in here. I don¡¯t want to blind my eyes just yet.¡± Sophia raised her head and was slightly lost. ¡°Huh? What?¡± Ian also stood up. ¡°Fine, it¡¯s gettingte too. Let¡¯s go.¡± He left after saying that, but when he passed by Sophia, he yfully messed up her hair. This was a really intimate gesture. Sophia then finally caught on to what was going on and quickly stood up. ¡°You guys are leaving? Then let me show you out.¡± John didn¡¯t move. He just stayed where he was seated. After that, Sophia showed the other two out of the entrance. Logan looked into the house, and wore a slight pout. ¡°Sophia, your husband is always so attached to you. He makes it seem like you¡¯re the only woman in this world.¡± Sophia thought Logan was talking about what happened in the kitchen back then, thus unable to hold back her mortified expression, especially since Ian was still here, and he knew that both of them had already divorced. What was more, the both of them still hugged each other and shared a kiss in the kitchen that time. Thinking about it, it was a bit inexcusable. Sophia tucked her hair behind her ears, trying not to seem awkward. ¡°Just pretend he is back to his old ways again, and try not to bother about it. I don¡¯t know what got into him today too.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t know, but Ian did. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 243 Chapter 243 He walked over and stood by Sophia¡¯s side. Both of them were really close, talking about something else. ¡°If anything happens in the future, make sure you stay away. Seeing you get hurt today actually made me feel sad.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t really read between the lines, and just took it that Ian was feeling guilty. She nodded and said, ¡°I know, but actually, I was hiding at the back today.¡± When she said that, Logan, who was at the side, shrank his head. God knew that he really didn¡¯t know Sophia was right behind him back then. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have dodged so quickly. Ian just grunted and looked up at the sky. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re leaving now. You go in first. When you go to sleep, make sure to lock your door and windows.¡± ¡°I know, I know,¡± Sophia replied. Ian looked at the expression on Sophia¡¯s face and felt a pang of helplessness. She obviously didn¡¯t get what he was trying to say. After exchanging a few more goodnights and goodbyes, Logan took Ian with him and left. Sophia turned around and went into the living room. John was not downstairs anymore. And theptop was already switched off. It seems that he has gone upstairs. Sophia stood next to the sofa. She took a deep breath, then went over and turned on the television. She didn¡¯t actually want to watch the television, merely feeling the house was too quiet. After randomly going through the channels, John came down again. He didn¡¯t greet Sophia. Instead, he went to the wine cab next to the dining room and took out a bottle of red wine. The few bottles of red wine ced on the wine cab were just for show. Sophia knew about it. But she wasn¡¯t used to drinking red wine, so after giving John a look, she withdrew her gaze. John went into the kitchen and got two sses, then came over and poured Sophia a ss of wine. Sophia hurriedly waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m not drinking that. Red wine really isn¡¯t my taste.¡± John smiled and didn¡¯t care about that much. He still poured a ss for Sophia and put it at her side, then poured himself a ss. After that, he didn¡¯t go away, sittingfortably next to Sophia, so she nced at him. He was sitting up straight, his gaze fixed on the television, but she didn¡¯t pay attention to what was ying on the television. At his own pace, John slowly finished his ss of wine. Putting down his ss, he raised his hand and reached over to grab Sophia¡¯s hand. Startled, Sophia turned her head and looked at him. John just lowered his gaze. He pinched the ring on her finger, twisting it around. Sophia inexplicably remembered the things that happened in the kitchen before. She didn¡¯t know what was up with John today. Usually, he was a rtively introverted person. Thus, it waspletely against the grain for him to act like that when there were outsiders here today. As her cheeks grew a bit warm, Sophia gave a light cough. ¡°Umm, you only had a ss of wine. Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re already drunk?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t drink much.¡± John gave a brief smile. ¡°One ss is nothing to me.¡± She breathed deeply, but didn¡¯t say anything. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. He yed with her fingers for a while, then asked, ¡°Do you like Ian?¡± She frowned. ¡°Ian?¡± ¡°Forget it.¡± Then, he said, ¡°Just pretend that I didn¡¯t ask this question.¡± His hand moved slowly from her fingers to her wrist, then followed her arm and moved up to her shoulder. In the beginning, Sophia was bewildered, for she didn¡¯t know what John was doing. After all, both of them were clear-headed. Nothing was likely to happen. But slowly, Sophia felt that something wasn¡¯t right. Because John started to touch her face, and he was also leaning closer to her. It wasn¡¯t as if something like this had never happened before, but they usually happened just when they were about to do the horizontal tango. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 244 Chapter 244 Sophia yelped and leaned back, obviously avoiding John¡¯s touch. John stretched out his hand and held Sophia¡¯s chin so that she couldn¡¯t get away. Then, he pressed his body against her. Sophia let out a few cries, but she didn¡¯t know what she wanted to say. Without caring how Sophia would react, John kissed her and slowly pressed her onto the sofa. Sophia pushed against his shoulders, her mind nking for an instant. Both of them were sober. Even though John smelled of liquor, his gaze was steady. Seemingly a bit stubborn, he pressed against Sophia for a long time, kissing her, not at all nning to stop anytime soon. Sophia was a little dazed after a while, for she couldn¡¯t resist this man when he did stuff like this to her. John waited for Sophia¡¯s body to rx, then he got up from the sofa and picked her up. Sophia wrapped her arms around John¡¯s neck, her eyes teary. Her voice a little hoarse, she spoke, ¡°John, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± John walked toward the stairs and answered, ¡°What do you think? Am I not being obvious?¡± Sophia was taken aback for a moment. She stared at his side profile for a long time, thinking about what Zack had said. Isabelle was indeed in a favorable position, but the same went for her. Sophia pursed her lips. After a few seconds, she buried her face in John¡¯s neck. She was giving him a sign that she wouldn¡¯t refuse anymore. The corners of John¡¯s mouth slowly curled into a smile, and subsequently, he carried Sophia into her room. Afterying Sophia on the bed, John went over to the windows and drew the curtains. Meanwhile, Sophia rolled over, crawled to the bedside, and turned on the bedsidemp. N?velDrama.Org owns this. The light from the bedsidemp was dim, giving the room an ambiguous and warm atmosphere. Sophia stared at John. ¡°Who am I?¡± This question made Johnugh. Then, he slowly took off his clothes. All these movements were in a slow motion in Sophia¡¯s eyes. She stared at John¡¯s hands that were unbuttoning his shirt and heard him say, ¡°Sophia, have you gone silly?¡± Very good. As long as he knows who I am, then it¡¯s fine. Everything that happened next went somewhat out of control. There was really no way to control this sort of situation once the spark was lit. Sophia kept staring at John, her mind going back and forth between being in a mess and being clear- headed. In the middle, John pinched her calf, avoiding her wound, and he asked gently, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± Sophia felt like her heart was being pinched by someone, an ache in her heart instead. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore,¡± she replied. John smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Things got even rougher next. Sophia stared at the dangling chandelier on the ceiling. Her thoughts were finallypletely messed up. They made love through the night. The dangling chandelier in front of her eyes slowly stopped. She heard the sound of John getting out of bed, but she closed her eyes and fell asleep within a few seconds. However, she didn¡¯tpletely fall asleep. When John came over to carry her to the shower, she woke up again from her daze. With her eyes half opened, she looked at John and mumbled, ¡°John, do you like me a little bit now?¡± John didn¡¯t answer. His silence was actually an answer to her question. Sophia¡¯s mouth slowly curled into a smile, her voice barely audible. ¡°I see.¡± She seemed to be asleep now, for she didn¡¯t react at all. After John cleaned Sophia up, he dried her body and put her on the bed. Then, he went to clean himself up. While waiting for him to return to bed, Sophia had already fallen into a deep sleep. But John didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 245 Chapter 245 Walking over to the window, he lit a cigarette, then opened half of the window, looking at the night view outside. There was some feeling of satisfaction from getting payback, for the contents of his chats with Ian actually made him very ufortable. By venting all his feelings on Sophia, the stuffy sensation in his chest was finally gone. So what if they got divorced? So what if they had bought a ring? Tonight, when they were both clear- headed, he still had her underneath him. John smoked his cigarette quickly. Soon, only the cigarette butt was left. N?velDrama.Org owns this. He threw the cigarette butt out of the window, and then blew out the cigarette smoke. After closing the window, John returned to the bed. At this time, Sophia was already deeply asleep, her body curled into a small ball. John looked at her. After taking a shower just now, the gauze on Sophia¡¯s leg was taken off, and the wound was now exposed. The wound was actually not that big. He had been careful when washing her just now. The wound was fine after the shower, and seemed like it had healed. But John still went to grab the first aid kit. He was very patient as he helped her bandage her wound again before lying down. After that, he turned off the bedsidemp. The bed was huge, but the two of them slept on each side, separated. Sophia didn¡¯t wake up until noon the next day, and John was long gone by then. Dizzy still, she sat on the bed for a long time. Her memory slowly returned, and Sophia finally remembered what exciting things had happenedst night. She scratched her hair, not feeling any regrets. She was clear-headed when they did it, and so was John. Besides, John took the initiative yesterday. Sophia felt that if they were keeping score, she was the one who actually had the upper hand. Regarding what happened on the bedst night, she had already done it with John many times before anyway, so it wouldn¡¯t matter if they did it one more time. What she was wondering right now was what John¡¯s thoughts were right now. Could it be that a man¡¯s body and feelings could really be separatedpletely? If that was the case, then it would be really interesting. After a while, Sophia got up. She put on her pajamas and went to the bathroom to clean herself up. When she stood in front of the sink, she stopped moving. John, that son of a b*tch. He must¡¯ve done it on purpose. When Sophia looked at the marks on her neck and on her corbone in the mirror, that gentle feeling in her heart disappeared in an instant. All that was left was her gnashing her teeth. How dare he leave hickeys somewhere so obvious in the summer? Does this mean I have to wear high-cor shirts? It was terrible. After Sophia angrily brushed her teeth and washed her face, she returned to the room and gave John a call. John answered the call quite quickly. Before Sophia could speak, he said, ¡°Last night, you and I had sex. There is no need to ask about this.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°I was clear-headed yesterday. Wouldn¡¯t I know this? I just wanted to ask you, these hickeys on my neck, you did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± John murmured a perfunctory assent. ¡°How could I hold myself back in a situation like yesterday?¡± Sophia¡¯s face turned red immediately. Wh-What is this guy talking about? He wasn¡¯t like this before. Sophia hesitated for a long time, not knowing what to say in response to John¡¯s words. Fortunately, John didn¡¯t let the atmosphere die down, and he continued, ¡°You just got up?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Sophia responded. Then, she heard John speak again, ¡°You must be exhausted fromst night. You should quickly make something for yourself.¡± Sophia was taken aback. This sted son of a¡ª She almost swore out loud. Did he unlock a new skillst night? This time, Sophia didn¡¯t say a word and hung up the phone without hesitation. She stood still and took two deep breaths, then dropped her phone on the bed. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 246 Chapter 246 Why am I just feeling perturbed for no reason? Sophia clutched her hair. Actually, I am feeling famished. I was already a bit hungry after rolling in the hay with himst night, but my drowsiness was more prevalent then. After washing up for a bit, she then hurried downstairs and cooked some noodles. When she sat down to eat, she scrolled her cell phone, only to see a news report in the finance section about the official coboration between the Constance and Bailey Family. It was said that the twopanies signed the contract today, and Elder Mr. Bailey even brought Old Mr. Bailey as well as some higher management personnel to Constance Company to effectuate the signing of the contract. Few people read the finance section, so thements underneath were sparse. Surprisingly, however, a fewments were all about John and Isabelle. Thosements brought up the fact that John and Isabelle were engaged in the past, but Sophia inexplicably cut in midway. Sophia scanned thements to find that they were all basically saying that perhaps Isabelle and John were a better match since the two of them were equals in terms of status, education, and breeding, thus a match made in heaven. Also, they mentioned the possibility of a reconciliation between John and Isabelle since the Constance and Bailey Family chose to coborate despite the delicate rtionship between the two. Sophia looked at thements while slurping her noodles, snorting incessantly. Hah, I¡¯ll never believe that thesements have nothing to do with Isabelle Bailey! They can¡¯t possibly be organic without having been paid for considering their congruency and consistency. After reading all thements, she then closed the page. Fortunately, not many people read such news, so thesements can¡¯t gain traction. They¡¯ll just give Isabelle Bailey a moment¡¯s gratification. She then lingered in the living room for a while after finishing her noodles, but she just felt irritated although she herself wasn¡¯t quite certain whether she was irked with John or Isabelle. After turning it over in her mind, she went upstairs and changed. As the marks on her neck were truly too obvious, she put on a dress withce at the cor to somewhat conceal them a bit. When she¡¯d gotten ready, she hailed a taxi and went straight to Constance Company. It was almost lunchtime now. The receptionist recognized her, thus greeted her with a smile and allowed her to go up without stopping her. Hence, Sophia went up. After all, the news report she¡¯d read earlier had just been published a short while ago. Humming as she stepped out of the elevator, she headed toward John¡¯s office. At this time, John was in his office, wrapped up in work. Sophia pushed open the door and walked in. Still a tad difited, she gave a light cough. ¡°Are you busy?¡± John was momentarily startled. ¡°Why are you here?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°I went over to the dessert shop, so I dropped by to visit you,¡± Sophia replied, simply cooking up an excuse. John ced the document in his hand aside. ¡°I¡¯m a bit busy, so take a seat first.¡± As soon as his words fell, his office door swung open, admitting Elder Mr. Bailey, Old Mr. Bailey, and Isabelle, with William bringing up the rear. Probably having not expected Sophia to be here, Elder Mr. Bailey who took the lead was stunned. Old Mr. Bailey, Isabelle, and even William who followed after him all had simr expressions on their faces, one after another. Inwardly gleeful, Sophia raised her hand and greeted, ¡°Hello, it¡¯s great to see all of you.¡± I just knew that these people must be still here, and sure enough, I¡¯m right. Isabelle recovered quickly, her stunned statesting for a mere second before she smiled and looked at Sophia before shifting her gaze to John. ¡°The contract has been signed, and it¡¯s almost noon now, so we came over to ask you whether you¡¯d like to join us for lunch.¡± John stood up and nced at William. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 247 Chapter 247 William nodded. ¡°Yes, do join us for lunch. What a coincidence that you¡¯re here, Sophia! You should join us for lunch as well. You didn¡¯t manage to join us the other time, so this is just the perfect timing.¡± Beaming, Sophia didn¡¯t decline but agreed right away. ¡°Sure.¡± John walked over and stared at her. ¡°Let¡¯s all go together, then.¡± Isabelle¡¯s gaze swept over them, but her expression remained unchanged. After putting his work away, John then left with Sophia and the others. When they entered the elevator, John and Sophia stood far back. Meanwhile, William and Elder Mr. Bailey stood by the doors, making small talk and bringing up the coboration again. Sophia couldn¡¯t understand a single word, so she leaned close to John and asked in a murmur, ¡°When did you leave this morning? I was too tired that I didn¡¯t even notice you leave.¡± She was initially a tad shy aboutst night¡¯s incident since they were divorced, after all. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. While they did have intercourse a few times in the past, those were all inevitable due to some external factors. Last night, however, was the real deal because they were both sober and conscious. Thus, she was a touch embarrassed and didn¡¯t know how she should face him. But now that Isabelle was right beside them, she was no longer concerned about propriety. Her sole focus was on getting under Isabelle¡¯s skin. Although she¡¯d lowered her voice, Isabelle could naturally hear her when John could do so since she was standing on the other side of him. Slightly twisting his body sideways to face her, John caught sight of the marks on her neck the moment he looked down. Honestly speaking, he was indeed deliberate in leaving marks on herst night. As he stared at her neck, he instantly recalled all those things he did in bedst night. He was too soberst night, and the light was switched on, so he remembered every single detail. Pursing his lips, he lowered his voice to whisper, ¡°I even checked the wound on your calf this morning. Didn¡¯t you sense anything at all?¡± Sophia smiled infatuatedly. ¡°So, you rebandaged my wound this morning?¡± John hummed in assent. When the elevator doors opened with a ding, Isabelle walked out with the people in front, her back ramrod straight. Sophia stared at her back with a smirk, utter delight flooding her. When they left the building and got into the car, Sophia didn¡¯t bother asking where they were going, dropping the act since Isabelle wasn¡¯t in the same car as her and John. In fact, she wasn¡¯t at all hungry, for she¡¯d just eaten. She was merely going with them so that a certain person wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy this meal. It¡¯d be even better if Mrs. Constance were here as well this time. After having not seen her in a long time, I truly miss her for a bit. The car drove for a while and went to a Michelin-starred restaurant. Sophia only opened her eyes when the car came to a stop. When she gazed out the window, sheughed soundlessly. Today is the auspicious day when the two families signed the contract, so it¡¯s naturally crucial to be particr about appearances. Needless to say, the venue for lunch has to be a nice ce. It¡¯s just like the day John and I got divorced. It was a huge cause for celebration, so it was also necessary to be particr. Well, we had our parting meal here as well back then. Such fate is just incredible beyond words! John, however, didn¡¯t have much of a reaction. Alighting from the car, he then steered Sophia in right away, and a server led them to a private room. As soon as they went in, Sophia stretched, her attitude exceedingly casual. ¡°Ah, this restaurant¡¯s food is quite good. John, do you still remember that we came here back then?¡± John nonchntly nced at her, at a loss as to why she mentioned this. Sophia, however, just had to mention it out of fear that he¡¯d forgotten such a vital matter. Meanwhile, the Baileys all sat down one by one, their expressions solemn. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 248 Chapter 248 John took a seat beside William with Sophia next to him. As for Isabelle, she was seated beside Old Mr. Bailey and diagonally across from Sophia. The two girls could see each other when they lifted their heads. This seating arrangement was quite simr to the arrangement in the Constance Family¡¯s dining hall. When they started ordering food, William handed the girls the menu, iming that thedies should go first. Even so, Sophia didn¡¯t care about ordering earlier orter because she had just finished a meal before this and was not hungry at all. She flipped through the menu and picked nothing. John gave her a look and took the menu from her. He more or less knew about her situation, and he volunteered to choose. ¡°Let me do it. I know what you like.¡± Isabelle immediately shifted her gaze from the menu to John¡¯s face. Old Mr. Bailey then coughed beside Isabelle and asked, ¡°Belle, what would you like?¡± His question cleared up her distracted mind, and she hurriedly looked down at the menu. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll take a look. Hmm¡­ I like these few dishes.¡± ¡°Order anything you like. If there¡¯s more than one, just get them all.¡± His voice was almost a whisper, whereupon Isabelle looked at him and nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophia lifted a brow in amusement. The father and daughter were obviously talking in circles, thinking that she would not understand it. After the menu was passed around and everyone ordered their food, the waiter left the table with the orders. Meanwhile, Elder Mr. Bailey had been staring at Sophia for quite some time. She was well aware of his attention, for it was impossible not to notice the old man¡¯s eagle-sharp eyes unless one was blind. However, Sophia didn¡¯t entertain him and merely turned around to inform John about her store opening. Within these few days, she would be getting the design n. It was also close to the end of the month, which meant that the rental contract woulde into effect soon. Yesterday, Robin sent her a message, informing her that the desserts would be disposed of and that she could bring some workers in to take a look around. As for finding the right construction workers, Sophia had decided to enroll Zack for help because he seemed reliable. With Zack around, or more specifically, with John around, it was less likely for her to be scammed. After she chatted a little with John, Elder Mr. Bailey made a remark across the table, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re now living together with John instead of staying at the old residence.¡± Sophia paused as she stared at Elder Mr. Bailey. She then grunted and added, ¡°Yeah. The old residence is far from thepany, and John always has a lot of work events going on. I don¡¯t want to make him travel too much.¡± Sophia came prepared with the carefully-crafted excuse. The old man smiled at her. ¡°Is that so? But when I look at the other members of the Constance Family¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, Sophia instantly cut him off, ¡°What the other family members do is none of my business. I¡¯m doing this because I care about my husband. If others from the Constance Family are willing to wake up in the wee hours to travel to work, it¡¯s their freedom. But I don¡¯t want to see John tired from themute, and I prefer to settle down in the city area. That¡¯s my freedom too.¡± To be honest, Sophia¡¯s rebuttal was quite bold, but because she expressed it in a cordial tone and with a pleasant expression, aided by her pretty features and demure manners, the lengthy rebuttal did not come across as rude. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Elder Mr. Bailey was stunned and squinted his eyes. His gaze became even more unfriendly toward her. This was the first time someone had the guts to interrupt him. She was indeed a country bumpkin with a terrible upbringing! After defending herself, Sophia inched closer to John. ¡°Look, now John even has the extra time to rest and rx at home after work. How great is that?¡± She seemed to be ignoring everyone else¡¯s expression because she went on, ¡°This is why we shouldn¡¯t make our lives troublesome just to please others.¡± John cast a nce at Sophia and curled his lips. His smile appeared rather insincere. Despite that, Sophia did not take it to heart. She did not care what the others thought about her as long as she could make them feel as uneasy as possible. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 249 Chapter 249 John waited for a while before taking Sophia¡¯s hand, pinching the ring on her finger and moving it a little. The ring was an eyesore no matter how he looked at it. He carelessly grunted an agreement, and with that, he had finally taken Sophia¡¯s side. Upon hearing that, she shed a smile that was brighter than before. John scanned her face. He was very aware of all the emotions hidden behind her smiling expression. This youngdy had stopped putting up with everyone, not caring who she was talking to. Elder Mr. Bailey grabbed his teacup and took a sip in silence. William was good at reading the atmosphere, which was starting to get awkward. To smooth things out, he engaged Old Mr. Bailey in a discussion about the current market and economic trends. In recent times, more small enterprises had risen, which led to market saturation. It remained to be seen whether thesepanies would survive and oust each other. Old Mr. Bailey nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why ourpanies have to work together for a win- win situation.¡± William nodded at him. ¡°Yes. I hope that our cooperation goes smoothly.¡± Isabelle had been silent for the entire time with a teacup in her hands. Instead of staring at John and Sophia, she fixed her eyes on the teapot above the table. Sophia silently smirked. That is it! Isabelle has finally understood the situation. Isabelle should fall in line in situations where Sophia was present. When the waiter served the dishes, the men started to pour drinks for each other. Since Sophia was not hungry, John had only ordered a ss of fruit juice for her. She ate nothing, but she did not share her juice, downing the liquid all at once. After drinking the huge ss of fruit juice, her stomach started to react and rumble. She waited until nobody was paying attention to her and hurriedly slipped out. After taking a left turn, she found the washroom a few steps away. At that moment, the washroom was quite empty. After all, not many distinguished guests like them would visit the hotel at noon. After using the toilet, she came out to find Isabelle standing at the basin. Isabelle washed her hands and started to touch up her makeup. Sophia didn¡¯t bother to avoid her and strolled over to wash her hands. However, she did address Isabelle. ¡°Why? Finding it hard to fit into the conversation? You should have stayed a socialite instead of changing your field. It¡¯s not that easy to be a businesswoman.¡± Isabelle was powdering her face with her body leaning toward the mirror. When she heard the remark, she nced at Sophia¡¯s reflection in the mirror. Sophia had a smile on her face as she looked down to wash her hands at a snail pace. After some thinking, Isabelle sneered, ¡°Fitting in is not a problem. Sooner orter, it¡¯ll be mine anyway.¡± Wondering if Isabelle was referring to the Bailey Family business or John Constance, Sophia still nodded. ¡°Some words should not be said easily. You have a younger brother, don¡¯t you? What will be yours? In fact, you know very well that thepany will not be yours, not to mention John.¡± Now, Sophia was done washing her hands and briefly tidied her hair in front of the mirror. The movement of her hair had exposed something previously hidden on her neck. The sight made Isabelle freeze, so she turned around to look at Sophia. More precisely, she was staring at Sophia¡¯s neck. The hickeys on Sophia¡¯s neck were too obvious, but one could not tell where the mark had started from. It traveled all the way from her nape to the back of the ears. Knowing that Isabelle must have noticed the hickeys, Sophia lifted the cor of her shirt. Isabelle turned around slightly to look at thetter with a pout that expressed her frustration at the passionate imprints on her skin. Isabe remained frozen on the spot and looked on as Sophia¡¯s reflection moved away and out of the washroom. A long pauseter, she lost control of her emotions and threw the foundation case against the basin. On the other side, Sophia strolled back to their reserved dining room while humming a tune. Elder Mr. Bailey was the first to turn and look at her. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 250 Chapter 250 When Sophia returned, Old Mr. Bailey instantly checked behind her. Sophia knew who he was looking for and informed him, ¡°Miss Bailey is in the washroom. She said that she felt sick.¡± Old Mr. Bailey shot up. ¡°Sick?¡± Sophia borated without missing a beat, ¡°It¡¯s probably because the dining room was filled with smoke. I saw her breathing in and out in the washroom, looking a little pale.¡± Smoke? Indeed, someone was smoking in the dining room. It was not unusual for guests to smoke in a business meeting. If Isabelle could not even stand the smoke¡­ William frowned because he had been smoking. Of course, Old Mr. Bailey would not trust Sophia¡¯s words, but he believed that Isabelle had all the reason to feel sick. The sight of John and Sophia acting lovey-dovey was enough to upset her. He stood up andmented, ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll check on her.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey quickly nodded at his son. ¡°Go.¡± The moment old Mr. Bailey was gone, Sophia leaned into her seat with a huge smile. John did not bother to read and decipher the situation. He did not have breakfast, and on top of that, he was exhausted fromst night. At that moment, his only thought was to fill his stomach before anything else. Old Mr. Bailey came back after some time with his daughter trotting behind, and both looked normal. Isabelle entered the room and apologized to everyone, exining that she had suffered from indigestion after taking in some food, which was why she had to take a rest away from thepany. She urged everyone to continue their meals without worrying about her. Not only that, she specifically addressed William and highlighted that she was feeling fine. Even so, William knew that he could not smoke anymore. The thought of William giving smoking a second thought whenever Isabelle was with them tickled Sophia. She immediately felt that everything had fallen into ce. Due to the unexpected episode, lunch ended fairly soon after that. The group exited the hotel after lunch. John and Isabelle hopped into the same car, and William entered his own car. After thinking, John remarked, ¡°Thest time when we were dining out with the Baileys, we went back to the dining room of Logan Jefferson. Do you remember what you said to Ian Morgan back then?¡± Sophia furrowed her brows in confusion because she could notprehend the question that was being addressed to her. Anyway, John did not expect her to get it right away, and he ordered the driver to start the car. Halfway, Sophia finally understood the question. On that day, when they had returned to Logan¡¯s room, Ian expressed his astonishment at how fast the dinner had ended. She recalled her reply from that day. ¡°Yeah. When the Young Master Jefferson strikes, no dinner could end well.¡± It seemed that John was secretly implying that she had once again sessfully ruined another lunch with her sly maneuvers. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Gosh, what was he talking about? But it was indeed true. Sophia felt that John¡¯s description of her was urate, but she also took into consideration the status of her counterparts before acting. If the guests were not the Baileys or if Mrs. Constance was not around, she would have acted nice and agreeable. Unfortunately, she was forced to face the people she disliked over this lunch, which prompted her to put in her best effort in ruining the atmosphere. Sophia chuckled at the fact that John could read her. It wasn¡¯t surprising, given that he was a shrewd man. How would he overlook her distaste for Isabelle? Even with that knowledge, he did not distance himself from Isabelle. What a jerk! Since John had taken some alcohol over lunch, he did not go back to his office and had the driver send both of them home. He was extremely fatigued because he had not slept wellst night and lost too much stamina. The fatigue crept in since morning, and he was thankful to have a legitimate excuse to rest at home. When the car was parked at the entrance, John got out and went straight into the house. On the other hand, Sophia attended to her nts before casually walking upstairs. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 251 Chapter 251 The moment Sophia pushed the door open, she was taken aback by the sight of John lying on her bed in his pajamas. It appeared that he had fallen asleep. She stood at the door, gasping and wondering why he was in her bedroom. She shuffled over and asked, ¡°John, did you enter the wrong room?¡± His eyes remained closed as if he had not heard a thing. She shook his body, but he suddenly reached out and dragged her onto the bed by her arm. Eyes closed, he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Stop fooling around. I¡¯m tired.¡± Shey on top of him, and after some thinking, she moved to the side andy down beside him. The curtains were half-opened, and some light spilled into her bedroom. She took a good look at his face and agreed that he looked rather tired. She slowly crawled out of bed and tiptoed out of the room to head downstairs. Then, she stared out from the living room windows, confused by their current situation. What did John mean? Were both of them embarking on a cohabitation journey as lovers? She initially thought that he disliked her. Is he after my body? She drew a sharp breath and felt ufortable at the thought. Was it possible for this man to separate his feelings and his lust? N?velDrama.Org owns this. She spent some time watching tv downstairs but was bored out of her mind, so she took a cab to the dessert store, where she saw Robin cleaning the ce. Robin saw hering and quickly invited her to take a seat. The ce was almost cleaned, and it was empty. Robin told her that the ce never had many customers to begin with. With not many options avable on the menu, the store lost most of its customers in the past few days. Today, Robin had cleaned up with the n of closing doors early. The store had no business anyway, and there was no point wasting more time there. Sophia took a look around and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s take a rest for a few days. When everything¡¯s done on my side, we will get busy.¡± Robin packed the trash and took a seat, letting out a sigh. ¡°I always feel that I¡¯d be much more relieved after this store is closed. It¡¯s too tiring to start a business on my own. I¡¯m different from you. Look, you have the support of your husband. Even if you lose money, he could absorb the losses. The same cannot be said of me. Since I¡¯m doing this alone, I am very sensitive to profits and losses. That¡¯s why I feel tired from the stress every single day.¡± Sophia pursed her lips. It was true that she did not contribute much to running the store because she had a financial cushion and therefore was not too stressed. Robin leaned back into her seat andmented with envy, ¡°You¡¯re so lucky to have a husband who is good-looking and rich. He treats you quite well too. Gosh, you must have carried over your good karma from your past life.¡± Sophia smiled faintly. ¡°Probably.¡± Everyone who was in the dark of the situation between her and John felt envious of her. They thought that she must have led a happy and carefree life after marrying John. However, they did not understand that a marriage could not be sustained purely on wealth. Whenever she recalled her marriage with John, she would still feel depressed. Those days were bad compared to her recent life, where she could face him with more ease. Since she was free, she spent an entire afternoon in Robin¡¯s tiny store, and the two girls started doing research on desserts that they could serve down the road. Before this, the store was only run by Robin, and she was short-staffed. Therefore, she could only manage to serve simple desserts. With Sophia on board, the two of them could definitelye up with a lot of new varieties. Sophia was not particrly talented in any field, but she was quite experienced in culinary arts. In the past, she had spent years in the kitchen and was familiar with making noodles and other dishes. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 252 Chapter 252 The girls were carried away by their brainstorming and forgot about the time. When Sophia was finally back to reality, the sun had already set. She was surprised to find that their conversation hadsted the whole afternoon. She hurriedly bid farewell to Robin and took a cab back home. At home, John had been awake for a while. After waking up, he wandered around the house but could not find Sophia anywhere. That did not rm him at all. Instead, he went to his study and requested that Zack send him some work documents from the office for him to skim through at home. John was an extreme workaholic, so he only put down his work when Sophia was back. Walking to the study windows, he stared at Sophiaing out of the cab and running toward the garden. She did not appear to be acting dramatically about her leg injury anymore. He left the study and slowly went downstairs, bumping into Sophia, who was taking off her shoes at the foyer. When she saw him, she asked, ¡°Did you just wake up?¡± John chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m done reading a lot of work documents.¡± She nodded. ¡°You must be hungry. I¡¯ll make some food.¡± John walked over and stood at the kitchen door to stare at Sophia. In the past, she had cooked a few times. It was back when they were newlyweds that she volunteered to make dinner for him on his days off. However, she had to abandon her cooking halfway because Mrs. Constance appeared and reprimanded her, saying that there were helpers at home to cook dinner and that there was no need to lower oneself like a cheap nanny. At that time, he was standing at the top of the staircase, about toe down. Upon hearing his mom¡¯s words, he stopped dead, and without hesitation, he retreated upstairs again. He did not like his mom¡¯s mean personality, but he did not fancy Sophia as well. Therefore, he chose to ignore the incident. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Now, when he saw her busy in the kitchen, he did not think that she looked like a cheap nanny at all. It must be a regr thing for a couple under the same roof to prepare meals together. Sophia boiled some soup in a y pot, which would take some time to be ready. In the meantime, she cooked some rice and stir-fried some dishes. John was not too hungry anyway. After staring at her for a while, he took a seat on the couch. Sophia left her phone on the coffee table, which was locked with biometrics. He took her phone; he knew the passcode to her phone. However, he did not intentionally ask for it. Sophia was simply an impatient character and blurted it out to him. John had never been interested in knowing the contents of her phone. He had zero curiosity for her secrets. Therefore, he switched on the tv and settled on a technology-rted program. The phone was left on the coffee table, but it suddenly buzzed after some time. With the side of his eye, he managed to see that there was a WhatsApp message on her phone. Taking another furtive nce at the kitchen, he confirmed that Sophia had not noticed the message and was happily upied. So, he took her phone and immediately unlocked it, heading straight for her WhatsApp. She had indeed received a message asking her what she was up to. It took him some time to click open the message. Ian¡¯s Facebook profile was set to public, and his latest post was a photo of him with Sophia. The two seemed to have had hotpot together. John vaguely recalled that Zack had informed him about Sophia going out frequently with Ian. He continued scrolling down to some older posts, which were mostly posts from Ian¡¯s travels¡ªhe¡¯d take a photo as a memory wherever he visited. John concluded that Ian was a well-traveled man. Clicking out of Ian¡¯s feed, John went back to the message interface and saw another iing message from Ian. This time, the message was quite suggestive. ¡®I suddenly miss you.¡¯ John stared at the message for too long until the words stopped making any sense. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 253 Chapter 253 John understood Sophia full well. She wouldn¡¯t have made out with him if she had gotten together with Ian, which meant that there was nothing between them. At least she wasn¡¯t aware that Ian had a liking for her yet. John sneered and directly deleted Ian¡¯s message. Clenching her phone, he waited for a while. Seeing that Ian never replied to him again, he snorted and put down the phone. When Sophia was done preparing dinner, there was still no new message. John curled his lips and tried to imagine what Ian¡¯s reaction would be. Upon getting the table ready, Sophia called out to him, ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner.¡± John walked over slowly and took a seat. ¡°Where were you this afternoon?¡± Sophia was startled for a moment. ¡°I went to take a look at the shop. Robin said that we coulde up with a renovation n first. She directly closed the shop after she was done with it, so I went over to have a look.¡± John nodded. Oh, she wasn¡¯t with Ian. Why would he send her such a message suddenly? It¡¯s weird. Sophia got a bowl of soup for him. ¡°Have some soup. It¡¯s good for your stomach.¡± Mumbling, John cooperatively picked up a spoon and tasted the soup. ¡°It tastes good.¡± Sophia licked her lip and said, ¡°Err, are you going back to your room? You went to my room today. I was thinking that¡­ Well, our marriage¡­¡± ¡°We already slept togetherst night. It¡¯s normal.¡± John¡¯s words sessfully rendered her speechless. With a spoon in her hand, she wanted to ask why he would treat her in such a way when he didn¡¯t like her. If they went on like this, it was going to be embarrassing. Recalling what Zack told her before, she was still hopeful that John might fall in love with her eventually. Since she was so close to John now, she should be able to get together with him first before Isabelle managed to do that. Therefore, she never brought herself to ask that question eventually. At that moment, both of them fell into silence. After dinner, John habitually ced all the tableware into the dishwasher. Sophia picked up her phone and saw that there was no new message. Then, she went to the garden and watered the nts. When she returned, John had already gone upstairs. Instead of going up immediately, shey down on the yoga mat and went into a meditation pose. Unlike her initial expectations, her life had be a mess now. Seated inside the study, John continued poring over the documents. Right after he finished reading one document, his phone vibrated. Picking it up, he realized that it was Isabelle¡¯s message request on WhatsApp. Bothpanies had formed a partnership after the contract was signed, therefore it was expected that Isabelle would send him a message request. In that case, John directly epted it. Immediately after that, Isabelle sent him a cute emoji. John didn¡¯t want to reply to her initially because he didn¡¯t like tomunicate through messages. Not long after he put down the phone, he picked it up again. It would be impolite if he never responded to her message, so he decided to send her a message. Not knowing what to say, he merely texted, ¡®Hi.¡¯ Seeing that she never replied to his message, John put down the phone and continued reading his documents. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. As the door wasn¡¯t closed, he immediately heard Sophia¡¯s footsteps when she wasing upstairs. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 254 Chapter 254 Sophia directly walked into her room and closed the door. John could hear that she even locked the door. Staring at theputer screen for a while, he started giggling. Sophia did that intentionally. After she got changed and washed up, shey down on her bed to read some entertainment news and y a game on her phone. A whileter, she heard someone turning the doorknob. Gazing at the door, she knew that John was right outside the room. Realizing that the door couldn¡¯t be opened, he left the ce without saying a word. Sophia sighed, not certain whether she was disappointed or happy. Since no sound was heard again outside the room, shey down again and chided that man before she covered herself with a quilt and went to sleep. Meanwhile, John had returned to his own room. Since Sophia didn¡¯t let him into the room, he decided not to pester her. After he was done smoking a cigarette, he went into the bathroom to wash up. Coming out, he realized that there was a new message from Isabelle, which read, ¡®Good night.¡¯ John stared at the message for a while and decided to take a look at Isabelle¡¯s social media. She was an avid poster of her selfies and her life. Her recent photos were about her work at herpany and the lunches she had. Scrolling down, she was seen learning flower arrangement and baking. In John¡¯s knowledge, these were what debutantes would normally do, which were also the favorite activities of Mrs. Constance. Putting down the phone, he got into his bed. Unable to sleep, he stared at the ceiling and fell into his thoughts. He had met Isabelle only a few times and couldn¡¯t even remember when their first encounter was. After the two families agreed on a political marriage, he had met Isabelle twice, although it couldn¡¯t be considered dating. Both of the meetingssted for more than ten minutesbined. At that time, he was busy with work and overburdened with family matters. Moreover, his grandfather¡¯s health had deteriorated. Nevertheless, Isabelle left asting impression on him when he decided to call off the marriage. Although the Baileys were unhappy with his decision, they didn¡¯t give him a hard time because he was polite when bringing up this topic. After he left their house, Isabelle raced after him with teary eyes and asked whether he called off the marriage because he disliked her. Certainly, he didn¡¯t dislike her, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have agreed to the marriage. However, he couldn¡¯t expose his family¡¯s secrets, therefore he could only tell her that they were not meant for each other. Isabelle held his arm and asked why he wouldn¡¯t hold out a little longer. It was apparent that she already knew what the Constance Family was going through, the reason behind his decision, and the woman he was going to marry. Unable to answer her question, he could only wait for her family members toe out and bring her back. Closing his eyes, he didn¡¯t have a detailed n for his future because the future of his family members was already determined. He should marry a decorous woman just like Isabelle and live a simple life. Rolling over, he let out a breath. Who would have thought that he would eventually marry Sophia by chance? She was a totally different woman from what he had imagined his future wife would look like. Thinking of that, Dn sprang to his mind. That brat hade over to remind him that Uncle Owen¡¯s birthday was just around the corner and told him to bring Sophia with him. He wasn¡¯t certain why Dn would mention Sophia intentionally. Was Dn giving him a reminder or mocking him? The next morning, Sophia awakened earlier than usual. After making the bed, she went downstairs and started preparing breakfast. John came downter and even went to the kitchen to say hello to her. It seemed that he wasn¡¯t upset about being locked out of the roomst night. Previous Chapter N?velDrama.Org owns this. Next Chapter Chapter 255 Chapter 255 It meant that John didn¡¯t have to sleep beside Sophia, as he could sleep in any room. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. The thought upset Sophia, but she understood that it was normal because he didn¡¯t like her. When breakfast was ready, John walked over and said that Zack would bring an interior designer to the shop that afternoon to get the urate measurements. When the draft was ready, it wouldn¡¯t take long before the renovation began. Sophia nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± John raised his gaze and took a look at Sophia, wondering why she became polite suddenly. He thought that she was only good at making him angry. After that, they fell into silence. In fact, the situation they were in was simr to the time before they got divorced. It was just that Mrs. Constance wasn¡¯t present at the moment. Upon finishing breakfast, John wiped his mouth clean and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to work. Zack will contact you this afternoon.¡± Without looking at him, Sophia mumbled in agreement. After he left, Sophia put down the spoon because she didn¡¯t have the appetite to eat anything. Rising from the chair, she cleaned up the table and took a seat on the couch in the living room. Not in the mood to watch television, she just sat there and did nothing. Her mind was upied with thoughts, but somehow it was also empty. It seemed that there were many things she had to take care of, but on closer inspection, there wasn¡¯t really anything for her to do. This kind of weird feeling made her feel restless. After sitting on the couch for one hour, her phone started ringing. She took a look at the screen and picked it up helplessly. Before the person at the other end could speak, she directly said, ¡°I¡¯m busy and can¡¯t y chess with you today. Go to a square or a park where there are many old people who have nothing to do. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re willing to y chess with you.¡± Logan retorted, ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to y chess with me. There¡¯s something I have to tell you.¡± After that, he added, ¡°It¡¯s a serious matter.¡± Sophia was surprised that he had something serious to discuss with her. Looking like a yboy, it didn¡¯t seem like anything serious coulde out of his mouth. She snorted, ¡°Alright, what is the matter?¡± Acting mysterious, Logan said, ¡°I just received a call from my dad. Guess what he told me.¡± Sophia was upset because there was no way she could figure it out. ¡°If you don¡¯t spill it, I¡¯ll hang up the call now.¡± Logan was disappointed by her uncooperative attitude. ¡°It¡¯s not fun at all. Why couldn¡¯t you y along with me?¡± Sophia remained silent and waited for him to speak. Left with no choice, Logan exined, ¡°My dad said that the Baileys had contacted him and wanted to have dinner with him. Although I couldn¡¯t make out what they said, I was certain that they mentioned dinner.¡± ¡°Who? The Baileys? Are you talking about the family Isabellees from?¡± Sophia was genuinely surprised because this was indeed a serious matter. ¡°Yeah.¡± Logan said solemnly, ¡°No other Baileys would contact my dad. If they were not so powerful, they wouldn¡¯t be able to reach my dad because my four sisters would have blocked them out.¡± Sophia licked her lip. ¡°Why did the Baileys look for your dad? Did they want cooperation?¡± Right after the Baileys formed a partnership with the Constance Family, they immediately shifted their attention to the Jefferson Family. They are so efficient. Logan pursed his lips and exined, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I don¡¯t think this is a coincidence. Look, they never expressed any interest in cooperating with us before. Some time ago, after we met some people from the Bailey Family at a banquet, they immediately tried to contact my dad. What are they up to?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Not understanding Logan¡¯s family business at all, Sophia directly asked, ¡°What is the nature of your family business? How are you going to do business with the Baileys?¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. The Jeffersons were involved in multiple industries. Logan¡¯s four sisters and his brothers-inw helped manage the business empire. Not interested in running a business, Logan couldn¡¯t give a clear answer when he was asked about the nature of his family business. After giving it a thought, he replied, ¡°Well, we¡¯re involved in all kinds of businesses. There¡¯s always a way to cooperate when there¡¯s a will.¡± Sophia leaned against the couch. ¡°Then why did you call me?¡± Upon pondering over the matter, he answered, ¡°My dad wants me to attend the dinner. In fact, I don¡¯t really want to go. What¡¯s the point of going there? They won¡¯t y chess with me. It¡¯s so boring that we¡¯ll just have a meal and leave. However, my dad said that they¡¯ve talked about me, so he wants me to show up at the dinner to show some respect to them. Well, he has a point.¡± After that, he smiled and continued, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to go there alone¡­ There are surely no beautiful ladies at dinner. How will I have the appetite to eat anything?¡± At this point, Sophia already figured out what he was trying to say. ¡°Do you want me to go with you?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so clever. See, you know me so well. That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m trying to say.¡± Logan giggled and said, ¡°At least with you there, I can look at you and chat with you. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Sophia snorted, ¡°Who am I to attend the dinner? They will be baffled if they see me there because they want to have a meal with you, not me. Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m going to embarrass myself?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t embarrass yourself,¡± Logan replied in an upset tone. ¡°I¡¯m going there with you. If they don¡¯t wee you, I¡¯ll directly reprimand them. I¡¯m sure they know my temper well. Don¡¯t worry. With me around, they¡¯ll have to respect you.¡± Sophia replied hesitantly, ¡°The Baileys are treating you to a meal. It¡¯s not nice that I go with you.¡± She didn¡¯t want to attend the dinner because they were certainly going to talk about business, which she wasn¡¯t interested in. However, she was curious why the Baileys wanted cooperation with the Jeffersons. Logan persuaded, ¡°Pleasee with me. You¡¯ll be fine. If you don¡¯t want to go, I¡¯m not going as well. Really.¡± Sophia¡¯s gaze darted around as she gave it a thought and agreed, ¡°Alright, but I have to tell you that I¡¯m a hot-tempered person, so if anyone upsets me by then, I¡¯ll fight back directly. Don¡¯t me me if the atmosphere bes awkward.¡± Logan burst intoughter. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything. If anyone disrespects you, I¡¯ll scold the person directly.¡± Sophia was relieved upon hearing. ¡°Alright, tell me when the dinner is.¡± ¡°It should be tonight. My dad told me to go home in the evening. I¡¯ll have a look and tell someone to fetch you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophia agreed to his request. After the call ended, Sophia fiddled with the phone and sneered. She was going to the dinner because she wanted to meet Isabelle. Isn¡¯t she trying to be a businesswoman? I¡¯ll make sure to embarrass her by then. Sophia stayed at home for the entire morning. In the afternoon, Zack called and said that he was going to the shop with the interior designer. Robin had given Sophia a spare key because she trusted thetter. With the key in her purse, Sophia directly hailed a taxi and headed for the shop. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 257 Chapter 257 Robin wasn¡¯t at the shop because she had stopped selling anything and cleaned up the shop. Sophia opened the door to let Zack and the interior designer in. The designer was professional as he got the measurements, knocked on the walls, and checked on the electricity. Standing at the door, Sophia decided not to tag along as she knew nothing about it. Zack took a look at the shop and stood beside her. ¡°The renovation willmence soon. Do you want to supervise the progress on your own, or do you want me to help you with it?¡± Before Sophia could say anything, he continued, ¡°Since you know nothing about it, I¡¯ll do it on your behalf. I¡¯m sure you trust me.¡± Sophia replied with a smile, ¡°Of course I trust you. I¡¯ll let you decide on the design of the shop. If the business is booming in the future,e here, and I¡¯ll¡­¡± She paused for a while and said cheekily, ¡°I¡¯ll find you a girlfriend.¡± Zack immediately burst intoughter. ¡°That¡¯s so funny. Your own love life is a mess, so how are you going to get me a girlfriend?¡± Sophia was rendered speechless and glowered at him. Zackughed and continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll get together with your former husband in no time. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re capable enough to win his heart.¡± Sophia was curious why Zack had so much confidence in her when she wasn¡¯t confident of achieving this goal herself. Waving her hand, she said, ¡°Stop talking about him. Just mentioning his name makes me angry.¡± It seemed that John had no feelings for her and was just trying to make do with the marriage. The interior designer came over to ask a few questions, but Sophia didn¡¯t know the answers at all. Therefore, she directly gave him the phone number of the shop owner so that he could make a call. She really didn¡¯t care about the renovation at all. After the interior designer walked away to make a call, Sophia gave it a thought and told Zack about her conversation with Logan. Not knowing the rtionship between Logan and Sophia, Zack widened his eyes in disbelief upon hearing that. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re so close to Young Master Jefferson.¡± Sophia exined with a smile, ¡°Unlike the rumors about him, he¡¯s actually a nice guy.¡± Zack smiled as he shook his head. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s only good to you. The rumors about him are not unfounded.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t mind it one bit as she smirked and replied, ¡°That¡¯s good enough. I don¡¯t care about his rumors.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. As she only had a handful of friends, she was happy with having a friend like Logan. Just when Zack wanted to speak further, the phone in his pocket started ringing. Halting his words, he took out his phone to have a look and answered it. It was John who called him to ask about the renovation of the shop. Zack exined that the interior designer had said that the renovation couldmence ording to the draft. Although there were discrepancies in some measurements, the overall design wasn¡¯t affected. John was relieved upon hearing that and questioned whether Sophia was with him. Hearing John¡¯s voice over the phone, Sophia directly shouted, ¡°I¡¯m right here. What do you want to tell me?¡± Zack directly passed her the phone. Sophia mumbled and heard John saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to a business dinner tonight, so I¡¯lle home later than usual. Have dinner on your own and lock the doors.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sophia had wanted to tell him that she was going to attend a dinner as well, but she decided that she didn¡¯t need to inform him about it. Therefore, she just said, ¡°Alright, got it.¡± John hung up the call upon finishing his words. Sophia returned the phone to Zack and crossed her arms as she watched the interior designer at work. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 258 Chapter 258 Sophia lost interest soon because she didn¡¯t understand what the interior designer was doing. After waiting for a while, she said to Zack, ¡°I¡¯ll get the key replicated and give it to you so that you cane in directly next time.¡± Zackughed and mocked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just give me the shop?¡± Sophia shot him a stern look. ¡°Dream on.¡± With that, she waved her hand and left the shop. Not knowing where the keysmith was, she could only walk along the street and keep searching. Having been here before, she remembered that there was an alley where there were many stalls. Not in a rush, she looked around and suddenly bumped into a familiar person before she managed to find the keysmith. In fact, she wasn¡¯t so close to the person, who was the Second Lady of the Constance Family as well as Dn¡¯s mother. In the past, she had to call her Aunt Jennifer. However, Jennifer was obviously disdainful of Sophia. When they gathered at the Constance Residence in the past, she would always ignore Sophia as she wasn¡¯t even willing to look at her from the corner of her eye. Therefore, Sophia didn¡¯t want to say hello to her at that moment. She had already divorced John, thereby severing ties with Young Lady Jennifer. In that case, they were no different from strangers now. Pretending that she never saw her, she kept walking forward. A momentter, someone called out loudly to her from behind, ¡°Sophia! Sophia!¡± It was Dn¡¯s voice, which she was familiar with. At that instant, she couldn¡¯t pretend that she never heard him, therefore she could only halt her steps and turn around. At that moment, Dn was already standing beside Young Lady Jennifer, who was looking at her emotionlessly. For John¡¯s sake, Sophia drew a deep breath and walked over. Since she was now the Young Mistress of the Constance Family, she had to conform to the family rules. With several bags in her hands, it was apparent that Young Lady Jennifer was just done with shopping. Ignoring her, Sophia directly asked Dn, ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Dn exined, ¡°I just had lunch with my mom, and I¡¯m going back to thepany now. I didn¡¯t expect to bump into you here.¡± Sophiaughed hollowly. ¡°I see.¡± Dn continued, ¡°My dad¡¯s birthday is just around the corner. I¡¯ve informed John about it. Pleasee to my home earlier on that day.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Alright, we will.¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Young Lady Jennifer remained silent all the time. When their conversation ended, she tapped on Dn¡¯s arm and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Sophia recognized that it was Young Lady Jennifer¡¯s exclusive car that was parked on the roadside. Young Lady Jennifer directly walked over to the car. Before she got in, she shot an indifferent look at her son, who shed a smile and helped her close the door. After the car was out of sight, Sophia heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°You¡¯re going back to thepany, right?¡± Ignoring her question, Dn looked at her and asked, ¡°What are you doing here? You seemed to be looking for something.¡± Sophia mumbled, ¡°I want to get a key replicated, but I can¡¯t find the keysmith.¡± Dn paused for a while and replied, ¡°What a coincidence. I came across one on my way here after lunch. Why don¡¯t I lead the way?¡± Sophia was startled for a moment and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Dn led her to an alley where there were many stalls. The keysmith¡¯s stall was located at the end of the alley. Sophia immediately walked over and passed the key to the stall owner. Standing on the side, Dn inquired, ¡°You said you were opening a shop some time ago. Is the shop around here?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Yeah. Pleasee when the shop is officially open for business; I¡¯ll give you something for free.¡± Dn said with a smile, ¡°Alright, please remember to invite me.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 259 Chapter 259 Sophia didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind Dn¡¯s words, but she nodded seriously regardless. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll surely invite you.¡± After the replica of the key was made, Dn followed her back to the shop. Zack was standing at the entrance as he watched the interior designer making calctions. Sophia walked over and said, ¡°Zack, this is for you.¡± Zack turned around with a smile. ¡°Did you just make an entirely new key? Why did you take such a long time to¡ª¡± Before he finished his words, he shifted his attention from Sophia to Dn, who was not far behind. Zack pressed his lips together and called out, ¡°Manager Constance.¡± Smiling, Dn walked over and stood behind Sophia. ¡°I heard that Sophia is opening a shop, so I¡¯ve come here to have a look.¡± With that, he gazed at Sophia and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± ¡°Oh, please be careful on the road,¡± Sophia replied. Dn nodded and walked across the road. His car was parked just outside a hotel nearby. While Sophia was gazing at Dn¡¯s figure, Zack questioned, ¡°Why were you with him?¡± Sophia was surprised by his expression. ¡°We met by chance. I came across him when he was done with lunch, so I had a chat with him. Why? Is there any problem with it?¡± With a displeased expression, Zack warned, ¡°Stay away from him. He¡¯s not a good guy.¡± Sophia burst intoughter. ¡°Why did you and John say the same thing? I¡¯m not so close to Dn. Are you afraid that I¡¯ll take him to be my rebound guy? Worry not. I¡¯ve just escaped from the living hell called the Constance Family, so I¡¯m not going to walk back in.¡± Zack stared at her for a while and heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re a clear-headed person. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± With that, he kept the key and continued, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be done with it soon and go back to thepany. Are you going home oring with me?¡± Why would Sophia go to the Constance Company since John was going to a business dinner that night? She would be a fool if she kept himpany in the afternoon and went home on her own in the evening. Therefore, she waved her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll hail a taxi and go home. Please go back to thepany first.¡± How could Zack let her hail a taxi? Certainly, he would send her home. In fact, Sophia didn¡¯t want to go home because she had nothing else to do. She was both free and rich, but she couldn¡¯t find anything meaningful to do. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After Zack sent her home, she stayed in the bedroom and studied for the driving exam. When it was finally evening, she received a call from Logan. He said that the Baileys had called his father to say that they had booked a private room at Fantasy Restaurant to treat his father to a meal, which meant that Sophia had to go there herself. ¡°Ah, did you tell your dad that I¡¯m going?¡± she inquired. ¡°I told him that I¡¯ming with a friend. He¡¯s overjoyed.¡± For some reason, Logan was ted. Sophia wanted tough upon hearing that. Your dad is happy because your reputation is bad, and you finally have a friend. She nodded. ¡°Alright, tell your chauffeur toe to fetch me. I¡¯ll get ready.¡± Upon hanging up the call, she immediately went upstairs to put on some makeup and get changed. She had brought with her many clothes when leaving the Constance Residence, and they were perfect for such a dinner. Although she didn¡¯t like the clothes, they were all made by luxury brands, which should be to the liking of the Jeffersons and the Baileys. After picking out a dress that suited her taste, she put it on and waited outside the house. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 260 Chapter 260 Logan arrived shortly with the chauffeur. Just like Sophia, he had gotten changed. Sophia sized him up and remarked, ¡°It¡¯d be better if you could take off the golden chain on your neck.¡± Logan pped on the golden ne and giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand that this is a symbol of status?¡± Sophia walked over and adjusted his cors. ¡°Actually, you¡¯re quite handsome. If you dress up nicely, you¡¯ll look like a decent man from a rich family. Why do you always dress like a gangster?¡± Staring at her, Logan stopped giggling and pressed his lips together. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± After they got into the car, Sophia wanted to take off her shoes and cross her legs, but she was restrained by the dress she was wearing. Leaning against the seat, she asked, ¡°Do you know which members of the Bailey Family are going?¡± Logan mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether Elder Mr. Bailey ising, but I¡¯m certain that Old Mr. Bailey will be there.¡± Sophia nodded and fell into silence. A whileter, the car pulled up outside a luxurious-looking hotel in the city center. Squinting her eyes, Sophia gazed out the car window and pursed her lips. ¡°It must be expensive to have a meal here.¡± Unfazed, Logan pushed the door open and remarked, ¡°Not really. This isn¡¯t the most expensive hotel in the city.¡± Sophia pressed her lips together and got out of the car. When the doorman saw Logan, he immediately called out to his manager, who was in the main hall. A whileter, someone walked over and said, ¡°Young Master Jefferson, pleasee in. They¡¯re all waiting for you in the private room.¡± Logan mumbled and walked into the hotel. The main hall was golden and grand. Sophia followed Logan politely as they stepped into the elevator. Coming out, someone led them to the private room, whereupon Logan pushed the door open and swaggered in. The private room was spacious, and the interior design was ssy. Rather than a restaurant, it looked like a family dining hall, which gave off a warm feeling. There were not many people in the room. Sophia took a look and immediately found Old Mr. Bailey. Instead of Isabelle, it was Mrs. Bailey who was beside him. Logan walked over with augh. ¡°Oh well, all of you have arrived.¡± Turning around, he took a look at Sophia and held her arm. ¡°Pleasee in. Don¡¯t be shy. It¡¯s just a normal dinner.¡± Sophia had never seen Old Mr. Jefferson before, but she could recognize him immediately since there were not many people at the dinner. Unlike Logan, Old Mr. Jefferson looked like a mature and reliable man. There was a young and serious-looking woman, who was dressed in suits, beside him. The moment Sophia stepped into the room, the expressions of the Baileys changed. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Sophia almost burst intoughter, thinking that they must be cursing her secretly and wondering why they would always bump into her wherever they went. Logan held Sophia¡¯s arm and told her to take a seat beside that young woman. After that, he said, ¡°Sis, I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d be here. I thought that our eldest sis would apany Dad.¡± Third Young Lady Jefferson shot him a look from the corner of her eye. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that a person like you has a friend.¡± Then, she shifted her attention to Sophia and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Mrs. Constance? I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re a friend of my younger brother. Did he threaten you toe with him?¡± Sophia yed along and said, ¡°Yes, he appeared at my house in his car and pointed a pistol at me, demanding that I muste with him.¡± Third Young Lady Jefferson burst intoughter. ¡°You and my younger brother seem to be the same kind of people.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 261 Chapter 261 Sophia wasn¡¯t certain whether Third Young Lady Jefferson was praising her or mocking her. After that, Third Young Lady Jefferson continued, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Mr. Constance with you? Isn¡¯t he worried that you¡¯reing with my younger brother? You have to understand that he¡¯s a brat who does all sorts of bad things.¡± Gazing at her, Sophia started to like her. Although Third Young Lady Jefferson appeared to be indifferent, she was actually a humorous woman. Meanwhile, the expressions of the Baileys were dark. Old Mr. Bailey took a sip of the tea as his gaze turned gloomy. There was no partnership between the Baileys and the Jeffersons, and their interests were not intertwined. They hade here because they wanted to make a move first to prevent anything bad from happening. However, it seemed that it was a failed attempt. Gazing at Logan, Old Mr. Bailey wondered why a thug like him was so protective of Sophia, who didn¡¯t come from a prestigious family or graduate from a reputable university. It certainly made them very upset. Old Mr. Jefferson begot his son in his old age, therefore he always doted on him. Shifting his attention between Logan and Sophia, he felt happy. Logan only had a few friends and never brought them to such an asion before. Old Mr. Jefferson only knew two of his friends. Knowing his son full well, he was happy that someone was willing to befriend him. Gazing at Sophia, he asked, ¡°Are you the daughter-inw of the Constance Family?¡± He had not listened to any gossip for years after he retired and entrusted thepany to his children. Sophia replied with a smile, ¡°Yes, my husband is John Constance. He¡¯s working for the Constance Company.¡± ¡°I know John. He¡¯s a good man who is close to Logan.¡± Old Mr. Jefferson giggled. Logan chimed in, ¡°I had dinner at their house a few days ago. The dishes prepared by Sophia were delicious.¡± Third Young Lady Jeffersonmented coldly, ¡°That¡¯s quite an improvement. Finally, someone was willing to let you into their house.¡± Afraid of his older sister, Logan could only hiss at her without having the courage to refute her. Old Mr. Jefferson kept nodding. ¡°I like you very much, and you look perfect with John. Why don¡¯t you guyse to my house one day?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Sophia beamed. Staring at Sophia, Mrs. Bailey pressed her lips together and hated the fact that the youngdy had made a move before she did. Thanks to Logan, the Jeffersons were obviously fond of Sophia, which would give the Baileys a hard time in the future. After his conversation with Sophia ended, Old Mr. Jefferson quickly shifted his attention to the Baileys. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll introduce them to you. They are¡ª¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I know them. We met two days ago, right?¡± Logan grinned and continued, ¡°We got to know each other at a business dinner.¡± Old Mr. Jefferson didn¡¯t find Logan¡¯s attitude problematic as he was just a little surprised. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s wonderful that you already know each other.¡± Hearing that, Logan snorted lightly, which caused Old Mr. Bailey to scowl. He didn¡¯t like Logan and never got into contact with him before, let alone forming any grudges with him. However, Logan was obviously hostile toward the Baileys. Old Mr. Bailey shifted his attention to Sophia. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, did youe with Logan on your own? Why isn¡¯t John with you?¡± Sophia understood what he was trying to say. After all, she was a married woman, therefore it was inappropriate that she followed another man to dinner. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 262 Chapter 262 Sophia kept the smile on her face because she was an educateddy. ¡°Ah, my husband has a business dinner to attend today. In fact, I didn¡¯t want toe here because this is your private dinner, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for me to be here. However, Logan insisted that I should tag along, saying that it wasn¡¯t a formal dinner.¡± Third Young Lady Jefferson was startled by what Sophia said. She took a look at Logan, who was smiling at Sophia like a fool. Then, she shifted her attention to Sophia, who was confident and unflustered. In that instant, she heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that finally, someone was able to deal with her younger brother, who had been a headache for the family. Old Mr. Bailey smiled faintly and fell into silence. Third Young Lady Jefferson mumbled, ¡°Indeed, this isn¡¯t a formal dinner. It¡¯s wonderful that you¡¯ve joined this private dinner.¡± Her words had upset the Baileys because she didn¡¯t seem to have any regard for them. Sophia smiled and said thanks. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Since everyone was there, a waiter came in and put down the menus. Afraid that Sophia would be bored, Logan kept introducing the dishes to her. Sophia casually ordered two dishes and put down the menu. After that, Third Young Lady Jefferson gazed at Old Mr. Bailey and said, ¡°I heard that the Baileys have formed a business partnership with the Constances. Congrattions.¡± Old Mr. Baileyughed and exined, ¡°This partnership is a win-win situation. We¡¯re facing an economic downturn now, therefore we have to partner up with the equals to defend our market share.¡± There was obviously a hidden message in his words. Smiling, Third Young Lady Jefferson nodded and said yes. It wasn¡¯t certain whether she agreed with what Old Mr. Bailey had said. Not understanding any of these, Logan kept chatting with Sophia. With a lowered voice, he asked Sophia whether John really had to attend a business dinner. In fact, Sophia wasn¡¯t certain whether John was going to do something else, although he imed that he had to attend a business dinner. Logan took out his phone and hid it under the table. ¡°Why don¡¯t I send him a message and ask him about it?¡± Not minding it, Sophia shrugged. ¡°Whatever.¡± Giggling, Logan sent John a message with his phone under the table and said, ¡°What did you do today? I had wanted to look for you in the afternoon because I was bored.¡± Sophia ced her hand on the table to support her chin and tilted her body toward Logan. With a smiling gaze, she replied, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have time for you even if you came to look for me. I went to the shop this afternoon. The renovation willmence soon.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s quick.¡± Logan continued, ¡°Do you need my help? If you don¡¯t understand anything, just inform me, and I¡¯ll settle it for you.¡± Sophia burst intoughter upon hearing that. Unlike the rumors about him, Logan was actually a naive man. Then, she said gently, ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll look for John when there¡¯s a problem. You¡¯re my trump card, which should be reserved for the most critical moments.¡± Although she was apparently teasing him, Logan was genuinely happy. ¡°Alright, since you have said so, just call me if you want to do anything in the future. I promise that I¡¯ll support you with my money and power.¡± Sophia stared at him for a while and curled her lips. ¡°Sure, don¡¯t forget about your promise.¡± Logan suddenly changed the topic and said cheekily, ¡°Sophia, please be honest with me. Do you have any sisters that you can introduce to me?¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned dark immediately, and she said regrettably, ¡°I just thought that you had be decent. Look, you can¡¯t even keep the pretense on for one minute.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 263 Chapter 263 Logan chuckled nonstop. ¡°The point is that I¡¯m telling you the truth. I can¡¯t hide it.¡± Beside him, Old Mr. Jefferson looked away from Logan. This was the first time he saw his son behave obediently in front of someone else. Logan did not receive a reply text from John at all. John probably was at a social event and overlooked the text. Impatient, Logan sent another text to John, and this time, he reported his location and mentioned that Sophia was eating and drinking merrily with him, both of them getting high. When it came to bluffing, Logan was even more skillful than Sophia. After that, he stored his phone away and didn¡¯t show her the text. Sophia did not mind. After taking a few bites, she drank some fruit juice while listening to the business discussion between Old Mr. Bailey and the Third Young Lady Jefferson. The topic was not totally alien to Sophia, but she definitely could not fully grasp the technicality and the jargon. Anyway, she told herself not to appear clueless. It didn¡¯t matter if she was an outsider as long as she could appearposed and professional. She leaned into her chair with a calm expression and a faint smile on her face, looking humble but confident. To be honest, she was the only person without an elite background in the room. Everyone came from a wealthy and influential background except for her¡ªshe was the only country bumpkin among them. Old Mr. Bailey got carried away by the conversation and paid no attention to Sophia. Instead, it was Mrs. Bailey who had been fixated on her. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Mrs. Bailey observed that Sophia looked a little different todaypared to her attitude at their previous meetup. That day, Sophia was quite haughty with a calctive look in her eyes. But this time, she disyed a calm attitude with a transparent gaze. She smirked in private, finding it ridiculous that anyone would think of Sophia as an innocent and sweet girl. Sophia was more calctive than the average person. It seemed that they had underestimated her before. Sophia naturally noticed that Mrs. Bailey was judging her. However, she was confident in her good looks and was not afraid of being judged by anyone. She even stole a nce at Mrs. Bailey from the side of her eyes with a demure expression. Her actions frustrated Mrs. Bailey, who was experienced in socializing and was aware of Sophia¡¯s calctiveness. So, Mrs. Bailey pursed her lips and looked away with a light snort. Sophia shifted her gaze to Logan and whispered something that was only audible between them, ¡°This dinner is super boring. If I had known about it, I would not have attended.¡± Logan clicked his tongue and agreed. ¡°Right? That¡¯s why I said that I wouldn¡¯t want to be here if you weren¡¯t joining.¡± After some thinking, Sophia asked, ¡°But did the Baileys specifically invite you to dinner? Look, they have not paid any attention to you all this while.¡± Logan felt a little embarrassed and hurriedly exined, ¡°ording to my dad, the Baileys had invited our family to a meal. Dad insisted that I have to attend as well. I took that as a special invitation to me from the Baileys.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Sophia dragged out her expression of amusement. Logan quickly added, ¡°They did invite me. Surely they did.¡± Sophia smiled at him, and she finally figured out what the situation was in front of her. Next, Sophia remained seated in silence, only asionally chatting with Logan on insignificant matters. Her non-problematic behavior did not attract any dissatisfaction from the others. The dinner went on longer than expected, and Old Mr. Bailey was getting chatty. Surprisingly, the Third Young Lady Jefferson could still handle the conversation. They talked about an assortment of topics that were not only limited to business. During their conversation, Logan¡¯s phone rang on the table. His ringtone was quite quirky¡ªit was the opening theme of a news channel. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 264 Chapter 264 Everyone was taken aback when they heard Logan¡¯s ringtone. Third Young Lady Jefferson red at him, but Sophia was the first to scold him, ¡°You¡¯re giving me a heart attack! Change your ringtone right now! I thought there was an invisible tv somewhere in this room!¡± Logan burst intoughter and grabbed his phone. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll change it. I was surprised that you would be shocked at it. I¡¯ll change the ringter. For now, I need to take this call.¡± He looked at the screen and gasped, ¡°Look, it¡¯s a call from John.¡± Sophia paused, and the Baileys looked at her. Logan quickly turned on the speaker for the call. ¡°Hey, John, are you done with your event?¡± John replied, ¡°Yeah. Are you not done yet?¡± Loganughed loudly. ¡°Nah. We¡¯re still happily eating. So, you¡¯re free to go now? Do you want toe over for another round with us?¡± Sophia met Third Young Lady Jefferson¡¯s eyes, and they smiled at each other. They could hear some noise from the other side of the call that sounded like the driver asking John to get into the car. Then, everyone heard the sound of the car door closing, followed by John¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯ll go over to pick her up. It¡¯s gettingte.¡± Sophia lifted a brow and curled her lips after hearing that. Not feeling embarrassed at all, she responded via Logan¡¯s phone, ¡°Honey, I¡¯ll be waiting for you here.¡± Sophia did not feel embarrassed at all after her bold disy of affection. Logan drew a sharp breath and joked, ¡°Gosh, look at you two! Geez, please hang up and get a room already.¡± On the other side, John did not say anything else and ended the call. Logan clutched his phone and proceeded to change his ringtone obediently as per Sophia¡¯s order. Old Mr. Jefferson beamed beside them. ¡°John treats you really well. Before this, you have never shown up at events as a couple, and everyone was gossiping about your marriage. But from the looks of it, both of you are getting along really well in private.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re getting along quite well, and I think the rumors are ridiculous. Those people know nothing other than jumping on the bandwagon.¡± Third Young Lady Jefferson nodded. ¡°Some people behave like that, so we can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± Sophia appeared to be cheerful without casting a nce at the Baileys, but they must have known that she was referring to them. N?velDrama.Org owns this. It took some time for John to arrive, and he went straight for the room. The moment he showed up, Sophia could tell that he had too much to drink because his face was flushed and his gaze was nk. Since John was good at drinking, he would always look normal even when the others had had too much to drink, which was why she could tell that he had crossed his limits. She quickly stood up. ¡°Why did you drink so much today?¡± Despite his drunkenness, he was still very aware of his surroundings. He also had a good idea of his tolerance and had never overdrank when he was out. He smiled and waited for her toe to him. Then, he took her hand and clutched it. He greeted Old Mr. Jefferson before nodding at the Baileys. Third Young Lady Jefferson stood up to address him, ¡°John, it¡¯s been a while.¡± He agreed. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ve been quite busytely. I keep seeing you on the finance news.¡± She smiled at his praise. ¡°Well, all news is exaggerated. Honestly, I¡¯m not as good as they made me seem. If I were really that good, how could I fail at reigning in this troublemaker of our family?¡± The topic of conversation suddenly shifted to Logan, and he shed an innocent look at them. ¡°Huh? Why the mention of me? You should talk about those two¡ªJohn and Sophia.¡± In John¡¯s current state, he definitely needed to get home for a good rest. He replied with a chuckle before saying that he was here to bring Sophia home. Old Mr. Jefferson nodded at him. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re a very close couple. Have you not thought about having children? When ites to children, the earlier they arrive, the better. It doesn¡¯t matter how sessful your career is. You have to build a family.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 265 Chapter 265 At Old Mr. Jefferson¡¯s intrusive suggestion, the Baileys were stunned. Even Sophia and John were both surprised at his remark. The couple definitely was not considering having children. In the past, Sophia had dreamed of having children with John. Now, she only felt thankful that she did not bear his child. Otherwise, her life would have been turned upside-down. Sophia was the first to smile at Old Mr. Jefferson. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not in a hurry to have kids. It¡¯s only been a year since our marriage, and he¡¯s so busy. We don¡¯t have much time to enjoy our newlywed period, so I¡¯d prefer to stay this way for now and only consider having children in the future.¡± John was holding her hand, and he felt the ring on her finger. ying along, he added, ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re not considering kids for now. It¡¯s best to enjoy the newlywed life for now.¡± Old Mr. Jefferson nodded at them. ¡°That¡¯s true. With kids, you won¡¯t have much time between yourselves.¡± John and Sophia smiled politely at him and stopped replying. Soon, he left with her, and Logan left after them. The three of them bid their farewell to the people in the room. After two of them left, everyone knew that the dinner would have to wrap up soon. Feeling happy, Sophia allowed John to hold her hand until the entrance of the hotel. Tonight, Logan did not drink, and he strode behind them. ¡°Alright. You guys should head home. I will go back to my clubhouse as well.¡± Sophia had some reminders for Logan, but due to John¡¯s presence, she could not talk freely to Logan. However, John turned around and asked Logan without hesitation, ¡°Why are the Baileys meeting with the Jeffersons?¡± Logan clicked his tongue. ¡°I¡¯m confused too. Just now, at dinner, that old fellow from the Baileys discussed his business with my sister. Maybe he¡¯s thinking of doing business with my family.¡± Pursing his lips, John sank into deep thoughts but could not piece the puzzle. He could only say goodbye to Logan for now and led Sophia into the car. The dress Sophia wore made her feel as if she was tormented. When she sat on the back passenger seat, she lifted her dress up a little and crossed her legsfortably. John looked at her dress and took off his jacket to cover her legs, whereupon Sophia turned to look at him. Isn¡¯t John acting a bit odd today? Usually, John was very conservative and prude, but he had reached out for her hand in the room to disy his affection. He must have been so drunk. Indeed, John felt a little dizzy and was leaning on the seat with his eyes closed. When the driver stopped the car in front of their house, Sophia was the first to hop off. When she closed the car door on her side, John finally opened his eyes slowly. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. His eyes were bloodshot, but he was awake and energized. It seemed that he had not been asleep during the journey back home. Sophia ran upstairs and quickly changed her clothes. When she was washing her face in the bathroom, John came over for her. He stood at the door and leaned against the doorframe, talking to her at a higher volume. ¡°What should we buy for Uncle Owen¡¯s birthday gift?¡± He¡¯s at it again. She stopped and stared at her reflection in the mirror, rolling her eyes before she could stop herself. Last time, when she had apanied Dn to pick a birthday gift, her hair almost fell out from the huge fuss. Now, she had to go through the same cycle with John. God, she was adamantly against it. He sensed her silence and added, ¡°I can¡¯t think of a suitable gift. I thought that women might have more ideas, so I wanted you to help me think of something.¡± Sophia smacked her lips and absentmindedly suggested, ¡°Just get another pair of cufflinks. Uncle Owen changes them all the time. It would be nice for him to switch between the cufflinks you and Dn gave him.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 266 Chapter 266 John guffawed. ¡°When you went out with Dn, you must have carefully selected the cufflinks as his gift to Uncle Owen. Why do you look so dismissive when it¡¯s my turn?¡± ¡°How could youpare yourself to Dn?¡± she replied without thinking, and John immediately sank into silence. Sophia paused and debated if she needed to exin herself. She had meant to say that she was not close with Dn and had to entertain him out of courtesy. As for John, she had an intimate rtionship with him and therefore wasfortable enough to dismiss him. However, when she walked to the bathroom door and peeked toward the bedroom entrance, John had turned around and left. She was surprised that he left after hearing her remark. That jerk. She stood there for a while before entering the bathroom to wash her face quickly. Then, she went over to the window and looked out. From her position, she could see the window of the living room if she looked down. The living room was plunged into darkness, which meant that John was not there. He must be in his own room. She closed her windows, drew the curtains, andy on her bed. On the other side, John retreated to his room and entered his bathroom with his pajamas.N?velDrama.Org owns this. The bath attached to his room had no bathtub, therefore he had no choice but to take a quick shower. At first, he had taken a lot of alcohol that made him tipsy. However, after his shower, he washed away the smell of alcohol on him along with the sleepiness. With a pack of cigarettes in his hand, he went over to the room window. The pack was newly bought, and he had to pick at the opening with his nails to open it. His fingers kept slipping around. Darn it! Why can¡¯t I open this thing?! His face sullen, he abruptly stopped his action, and at the heat of the moment, he crushed the cigarette pack in his palm. His brows started to furrow, which betrayed his confusion, but more than that, his frustration. He flipped his hand and flung the cigarette pack onto the floor in a confusing fit of rage. Standing on the ground and taking a few deep breaths, he drew the curtain in a swift movement and turned around to get into his bed, his actions full of anger. Atst, he switched off the lights and shut his eyes tightly, forcing himself to clear his mind. Under the influence of alcohol, he slowly sank into sleep. In the stupor, he suddenly recalled what Zack, who visited in the afternoon, said. ording to Zack, Sophia was with Dn, and the two appeared quite close to each other, like they had a good rtionship. John could not ascertain if Zack had been exaggerating, but the information upset him. At first, Dn objected to this, but now he attempted to get closer and y a game with them. John did not know what the Second Constance Family was thinking. After some time, he drifted away into sleep. Thanks to the alcohol, he went into a dreamless sleep until the sun rose. His biological clock was very urate, and he woke up at the intended time. After getting ready, he was about to go downstairs but immediately heard some movements in the kitchen when he was at the top of the staircase. Sophia was humming a tune while making breakfast, appearing to be in a great mood. She had never felt as happy as she was right now. Back when she was with John at the old residence, she indeed went through a miserable time. Back then, Mrs. Constance loved to pick on her, but John never once intervened, which put Sophia in a tough spot. No wonder she remarked that he was different from Dn. After perching at the top of the stairs for a short while, he slowly descended. Sophia saw him from the kitchen and told him, ¡°Get to the dining hall. Breakfast will be ready soon.¡± John replied with silence, but he obediently went into the dining hall and took his seat. He took out his phone and checked his schedule for the day. His schedule was quite packed. Except for the lunch break, he did not have any space to rest. Soon, Sophia served him a Chinese breakfast, which was not to his preference because he thought it was too much work. But Sophia couldn¡¯t care less about his opinions and insisted on making what she liked. Since John was on the receiving end, he had no say in the food served. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 267 Chapter 267 When Sophia served him a bowl of rice porridge, he sighed at her. ¡°I¡¯ll still be busy today and likely going toe homete. You don¡¯t have to stay up for me.¡± She replied, ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± John had always been a busy man, a fact he did not have to specially remind her of. His busy schedule had nothing to do with her. In fact, she was not bored at all because Logan had texted her early in the morning, inviting her to visit him at the clubhouse. Sophia looked forward to the trip because she was now single and free. Therefore, she wanted to enjoy the food, the gambling, and the men¡­ No, just the food and the fun. The pair finished their breakfast in silence. John quickly gathered his stuff and prepared to leave. Before he left the house, he nced at her again. ¡°Just help me to pick out a gift for Uncle Owen¡¯s birthday. I¡¯ll tip you for the work.¡± Sophia was taken aback but soon smirked at him. ¡°Sure.¡± When he got a swift agreement from her end, he smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want cufflinks.¡± Since Sophia did not say anything about it, John left the house for work. She waited until he was far gone before softly spitting in the direction he went. She was in a foul mood because he had destroyed the atmosphere at breakfast. How did she even fall for a man like him? She wolfed down the remaining food and cleaned up the kitchen before changing and heading out to meet Logan. At the same time, Logan was sitting in the hall of the clubhouse, ying the game ¡®Fight the Landlord¡¯ with the waiters. Sitting cross-legged on the sofa in his pajamas, he didn¡¯t even have his shoes on. The waiters must have been frequently dragged into gaming with him because they were used to it. When Sophia arrived, Logan happened to be throwing a card out. ¡°I¡¯ve thrown my Queen. Only one card left! Any takers? If not, I¡¯ll leave the game.¡± Sophia stood there and stared at his side profile, thinking that gambling would be the end of Logan someday. The sprawling business empire built by Old Mr. Jefferson would not have survived without his four enterprising daughters. What was the point of trying for a son in the past? Just look at that failure. Sophia approached him. ¡°It¡¯s still in the morning, but all you have done is useless gaming. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re too decadent?¡± Logan turned around, and his eyes lit up when he saw Sophia. He did not care whether the other yers wanted to take his abandoned card as he gave up on his final card. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m out. Get your rewards at the front deskter. I¡¯ll consider this as your win!¡± The two waiters were overjoyed and thanked him. He waved at them. ¡°Get busy.¡± To be honest, there was no customer at all, and the waiters had nothing to work on. Logan jumped down from the sofa and stood barefooted on the floor. ¡°Come here. I have something good to show you. It arrivedst night.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. He dragged her by the arm toward the stairs. She followed him and told him, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m here because I have a favor to ask.¡± Logan did not mind it. ¡°Sure, just let me know. I can help you no matter what it is.¡± Sophia smiled at his sincerity and followed him up the stairs. ¡°Well, John¡¯s Uncle Owen is having his birthday soon, but John had no idea what to buy. He asked me to help, but I¡¯m clueless as well. I just wanted to ask you for some ideas.¡± Logan paused and turned around to stare at her. ¡°A birthday gift?¡¯ Sophia replied, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why it is a difficult task. I¡¯m not close to Uncle Owen, and I don¡¯t know his preferences.¡± Logan shed a smile. ¡°That¡¯s nothing to worry about. I happened to have a tea set here. It¡¯s a gift from someone. I¡¯ll let you take it as a birthday gift.¡± Sophiaughed dryly. ¡°Nah, it doesn¡¯t feel right to take your stuff.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 268 Chapter 268 Logan waved his hand generously. ¡°What¡¯s mine is yours as well. Why are you ufortable with it?¡± Sophia tried hard not tough. She thought that Logan¡¯s remark would have made Old Mr. Jefferson jump in anger. Clearly, the business empire he built was nothing in the eyes of his son. Logan brought her upstairs to a room and had a waiter bring the tea set over from the storage. He exined, ¡°I have lots of stuff lying around, and I don¡¯t really use them. Look, I have stored those items away in the storage. Even if you don¡¯t take the tea set, it¡¯s going to sit there and gather dust anyway.¡± After that, he added, ¡°About this tea set, I heard that those people specially bought it for me. But do you really think I need this tea set? They couldn¡¯t even suck up to me properly.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I guess it¡¯s better to send you two mahjong tables.¡± Logan guffawed. ¡°Yeah, that sounds right. You understand me the best.¡± Sophia agreed. ¡°Yeah. I think I know what to send you for your birthday.¡± Logan had not even wiped off his smile before his expression froze at her reply. Sophia could not help butugh out loud. After a while, the waiter entered their room with an unopened tea set, showing that Logan really could not be bothered with it. Sophia gave it some thought and decided to have the waiter open the new tea set for her. It was quite bulky, and she had no idea what eachponent was for. But upon looking at it up close, she thought that it looked quite lovely and the craftsmanship was exquisite. Nodding, she praised, ¡°This looks great.¡± Logan wanted to take care of everything, and he instructed the waiter, ¡°Get someone to wrap the tea set nicely. This will be a gift, and the tea set itself is expensive. I don¡¯t want to ruin its value with cheap packaging.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. The waiter hurriedly packed the tea set and moved it out. Sophia stretched on the sofa. ¡°You¡¯re still quite useful, aren¡¯t you? At first, I was worried about selecting a gift, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be settled this fast.¡± Logan giggled. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? There¡¯s nothing that I can¡¯t solve.¡± She turned around and looked at him. ¡°Say, what are you going to show me up here?¡± He was pulled back to the topic and responded, ¡°Oh, follow me. I¡¯ll bring you to take a look.¡± Then, Sophia followed him into another room with a bigger space and some unknown setup on the ceiling. He pointed at the device on the ceiling and told her, ¡°These were all installedst night under my orders. I¡¯ll turn it on for you.¡± He went to the side. There was a switch on the wall, and beside it, something simr to aputer panel was installed. He worked on the switch and panel a little, and the device on the ceiling immediately lit up. Then, he drew the curtains, and the room was immediately illuminated by soft light. Just like how 3D projection mapping worked, Sophia was surrounded by holograms that were human size. Logan grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll show you. Look here.¡± With that, he made some changes on the panel, and a hologram appeared beside Sophia. It was John¡¯s hologram at human size, but there were a lot of light spots on him, which rendered the character fake. She slowly reached up and touched the hologram, but of course, she could feel anything. Loganughed jovially. ¡°How is it? Looks good, right? I have contacted the technician who built this model, and I n to make my hologram.¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes were still on John¡¯s hologram. ¡°You made John¡¯s hologram before yours. So this is what they call true love.¡± Logan waved his hands to dismiss her im. ¡°What nonsense! I was concerned that the first attempt would look awful. That¡¯s why I used John¡¯s figure as an experiment. Now that it turned out great, I could finally make a hologram of myself.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 269 Chapter 269 Sophia mulled over it and sighed. ¡°Indeed, an average person like me can never understand the world of the rich.¡± The technology was high-end, but she could not see a practical use for it. No matter how real the hologram looked, it was still a projection at the end of the day. She turned around to look at John¡¯s hologram and tried her best to ignore the light spots on him to focus on his figure. The hologram had no expression, but it looked way better than John. She stared at it for a little longer before looking away and sighing inaudibly. Logan showed her more. The high-end device could build more than human holograms. He could even build holograms of any architecture in a city, including the vehicles and greenery. That would mean that he could entertain himself with the device by building a microcosm of a city at home. Even so, Sophia insisted that the device was useless. Why would it matter if you build a city or even a universe at home? That would not change your social status when you¡¯re back in the real world. No one would treat you like a king. However, Logan was immersed in excitement as if he had found a new toy that he enthusiastically introduced to Sophia. She leaned against the wall and stared at the device without interest. When Logan was finally done with his introduction, Sophia let out her breath. ¡°Let¡¯s move on. Your technology hurts my eyes.¡± Logan chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll work on it more. When you visit next time, I¡¯ll show you the empire that I have built for you.¡± Get lost. She rolled her eyes at him without any intention of entertaining him. The two went over to the room next door, which had a set of Monopoly on the table. When Logan stepped inside and saw the table, he was hooked and invited Sophia, ¡°We have two people here. Let¡¯s get another two to join us for a round of Monopoly.¡± She did not want to y at first, but the thought of taking an expensive tea set from him bugged her a lot. Therefore, she agreed to entertain him. Logan was overjoyed by Sophia¡¯s rare willingness to entertain him, and he dragged in two waiters who happened to pass by. The four of them filled up the number of yers needed. When they were ying Monopoly, Sophia took the opportunity to ask Logan about his sister. Third Young Lady Jefferson appeared to be a jolly and easygoing person, leaving a good impression on Sophia. The mention of Third Young Lady Jefferson made him cower. ¡°My sister¡­ She¡¯s not as calm and friendly as she presented herself yesterday. She is a character. Before this, my brother-inw had some social events and was acquainted with a woman. There was probably nothing between the two because my brother-inw must have feared my sister. Anyway, that woman kept texting him, and guess what¡­ Wow, I¡¯ve got a double! You will have to surrender to my luck!¡± Sophia urged him, ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± He continued, ¡°Then, the texts were found out by my sister. That woman had some social standing, but my sister went straight to herpany and made a fuss about the non-affair. That woman had no guts to retaliate or whatsoever.¡± He looked at Sophia. ¡°Since then, no woman dares to get close to my brother-inw. Poor dude¡ªhe will not have any steamy encounters in the future as he¡¯s under the tight control of my sister.¡± Sophia pursed her lips and had the urge to ask if his brother-inw truly loved Third Young Lady Jefferson. If so, he must not have batted an eye at the ruckus she made. If he did not love her, she could have released her anger by messing things up for that woman, but she would probably still feel empty and horrible inside. Sophia could not help but think of John and Isabelle. Whatever! No matter how hot-tempered Sophia was, she would never stir things up because of marital problems. Previous ChapterThis material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 270 Chapter 270 Sophia¡¯s restraint was not out of consideration for the other woman¡¯s dignity. Instead, she was worried that kicking up a fuss about her husband¡¯s affair would only embarrass herself more. After all, her social status was iparable to that of Third Young Lady Jefferson¡¯s. N?velDrama.Org owns this. If she had made a fuss, the public would only think that she was clinging tightly onto John for his wealth. There was no need for that humiliation. After two rounds of Monopoly, she received a call from Zack. He had brought the construction workers to the desserts store and told her that they would start working based on the design n. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you decide. I have trust in you.¡± Zackughed. ¡°If so, I will give this store a makeover based on the design I have in mind.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± she coolly replied. ¡°I have trust in your taste.¡± Zackughed again. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get busy now. I¡¯ll show you photos of our progresster at night.¡± After the call, she leaned against her chair. ¡°I¡¯m not ying anymore. I kept losing, and Ipletely lost interest in the game.¡± Logan thought that the call was from John. ¡°One call from your husband, and you lost interest in the game. Why don¡¯t you confess that you miss him and want to go home?¡± She snorted coldly and diverted the topic of conversation, ¡°Have you gotten in touch with Ian? I don¡¯t know what has happened to him over the past two days. After that fuss at the Morgans, his family is definitely going to give him a hard time.¡± Logan packed the Monopoly cards and handed them over to the two waiters. ¡°His life hasn¡¯t been rosy. If not, he would not have to leave home for a few years. Now that he¡¯s back and has agreed to join his familypany, he must havee fully-prepared for the drama.¡± After some thought, Sophia fished her phone out and texted Ian. As soon as she sent the message, Ian gave her a call and asked for her whereabouts. She gave Logan a look. ¡°I¡¯m at Logan¡¯s clubhouse.¡± Hearing her reply, Ian chuckled. ¡°I guessed so. Are you on the second floor? Which room?¡± Hearing that, Sophia immediately understood that he was nearby. She stood up and waited at the door of the room. ¡°Juste to the second floor. You¡¯ll see us immediately.¡± Not even a minute had passed before she saw himing up from the stairs. When he saw her, he stored away his phone and headed straight for her. ¡°I went to your house, but no one was at home. That¡¯s why I came here.¡± Sophia was taken aback by his relentless pursuit. ¡°Do you have something urgent?¡± Ian shook his head. ¡°Nope. I have some free time and wanted to invite you for lunch.¡± They entered the room, and Sophia had a wide smile on her face. ¡°You should have made a call or text me in advance. Then, you wouldn¡¯t have had to run around for nothing.¡± At the mention of texting, he stole a nce at her. ¡°Did you read my previous text?¡± She was confused by his sudden question. ¡°What text?¡± She even took out her phone to check. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± Ian took her phone and scrolled through her WhatsApp chats only to find that the text was deleted, which did note as a surprise. He smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing important. It¡¯s probably undelivered because of some connectivity issues.¡± Logan saw Ianing and was excited. It happened to be lunchtime, so he had someone prepare food for the three of them. They would be eating in this room. A dining cloth was hastily draped across the wide table, turning it into a temporary table for lunch. Sophia was still concerned and checked with Ian about the situation in thepany for the past two days, asking if he was being bullied or ostracized, after which he beamed at her. ¡°No. Last time, Logan had scolded those people in my family, therefore they are all quite fearful.¡± That was why Simon and Sally Morgan had been dodging him in thepany. Last time, Logan promised to make their lives a living hell. Simon and Sally were very aware of Logan¡¯s capability, and therefore they had been behaving well, waiting for the incident to fade from memory. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 271 Chapter 271 At the mention of that incident, Logan immediately fumed. ¡°That pair of siblings¡­ They¡¯d better not appear in front of me. I can¡¯t hit Sally because I should not beat up a woman no matter how wretched I am, but it¡¯s different for Simon. I would smash him until he¡¯s unrecognizable to his own dad.¡± Ian did not add to Logan¡¯s words, instead he focused only on Sophia. ¡°Has your leg injury healed?¡± She grunted and lifted her leg to take a good look. The injury was almost healed. Thankfully, the wound was long but shallow. Scabs formed across the wound, but one would not notice it without taking a careful look. However, Ian appeared to be worried, and he squatted beside her with a hand on her ankle to check her injury. Her soft and silkyplexion made his heart flutter. At lunch, Logan was excited, and the moment the dishes were served, he insisted that everyone took out their phones to take photos to post on Facebookter. He even remarked that they should coordinate and post the same photos. He must have been bored out of his mind. Normally, Ian would follow Logan¡¯s wish as long as the instruction was not too bizarre. As for Sophia, she was only entertaining Logan out of indebtedness from the birthday gift.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. They each took a photo of the lunch from different angles and wrote the same captions before posting the photos to their Facebook ounts. Logan seemed to be the happiest as he put down his phone. ¡°I¡¯m sharing my life with my good friends. It feels nice.¡± Sophia and Ian exchanged nces. Although Logan had always been the authority in the small territory carved out for him, his social life was barren. He had no friends, and they wondered how he had lived his life in the past. Ian smiled and whispered to Sophia, ¡°Let¡¯s y along. He¡¯s easy to entertain.¡± She lifted a brow in amusement. It was true that Logan was easily entertained, just that he was quite immature. Here, Sophia was having lunch with Ian and Logan. On the other side, John had ordered takeouts to be delivered to hispany. Zack was off to help Sophia renovate her store, and John had to eat lunch alone, which was why his lunchtime was wacky. Even William had finished his lunch. When he passed by John¡¯s office, he saw his son starting to eat lunch and went in before standing in front of the table. ¡°You must have been busy in the morning.¡± John grunted. ¡°There¡¯s lots of preparation to be done for the coboration.¡± William dragged a chair over and sat down. ¡°The Baileys appointed you to be in charge of the handover for our coboration. Sophia didn¡¯tment anything about it, did she?¡± John was startled and confused by his father¡¯s question. ¡°No. What else could she say about it?¡± William breathed hard and found it hard to exin. ¡°The incident still lingers between you and Isabelle. Your mom is biased toward her as well. When ourpanies coborate, you will be meeting more with Isabelle, so I¡¯m just worried that Sophia would give you a hard time because of this.¡± John smiled at him. ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen. Sophia is a sensible woman.¡± John thought that Sophia would not create a fuss, and she had a more carefree attitude toward their marriage, which was unexpected. The moment he brought up divorce, she immediately agreed to it. When he requested that she yed along as his wife for the moment, she would ask him for compensation. She was not as difficult as what the Constances made her out to be. William¡¯s mind was running. ¡°I heard that Infinity Group had been fined for tax evasion. Not only that, their untaxed wealth was a shocking amount, hence I think that the fines would badly affect their company and their reputation. After that, they may not recover from it. What do you n to do with Sophia?¡± John knew what his dad was referring to. Now that Infinity Group was no longer a threat to their company, he needed to start thinking about how best to reveal his divorce to the public. After all, it was impossible for him and Sophia to y a couple and fake it in public forever. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 272 Chapter 272 John had thought about the issue of divorce too, but he responded, ¡°It¡¯s not time yet. The Infinity Group incident is still recent. If we announce our divorce now, people will connect the two, so let¡¯s give it some time.¡± William opined, ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to announce it right now, but I am simply reminding you that you need to have a n. It might not matter to you because you¡¯re a man, but Sophia is a woman. Therefore, her youth is very precious. You shouldn¡¯t dy her time because she has her life to live. If your grandpa was still alive, he would have¡­¡± At that moment, William was ovee with emotions and stopped talking. Had John¡¯s grandfather been around, things would not have ended this way. John frowned a little because he had an aversion to this topic. ¡°Alright. I know what to do. Don¡¯t worry, for I¡¯ll be considerate toward Sophia. After all, I have promised Grandpa to protect her to the best of my ability.¡± William nodded slowly. ¡°It¡¯s good as long as you have a n.¡± He stood up and said, ¡°Enjoy your lunch. I¡¯m not going to bother you any longer.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. John grunted a reply and watched as William left his office. Letting out a sigh, he stared at the dishes on his table. It was true that Infinity Group had nothing left to stir up trouble. However, Miss Cox was still a little disgruntled about the situation. Two days ago, she went to the media and imed that she would be exposing something not known to the public before. In the end, she rambled throughout the interview and provided conflicting statements. After the news was out, all media outlets started to suspect the veracity of her previous statements. John continued to eat in silence. If this incident was truly done and dusted, it would be high time for him to consider how best to announce his divorce from Sophia. However, he also recalled his promise to Sophia that when the Infinity Group incident was settled, he would listen to her opinion on the divorce announcement. Therefore, he should head home and discuss this with her. The thought of having a discussion with Sophia made him feel uneasy, but he could not pinpoint the source of his difort. He took another few mouthfuls of food, and his phone buzzed on the table. Isabelle had sent him a text via WhatsApp with a form attached. It was a form for stock arrangement after they officially started the coboration. Two seconds after that, Isabelle followed up with a text. ¡®Have you eaten lunch?¡¯ He stared at the text for a while before replying, ¡®I¡¯m eating now.¡¯ She sent him a smiling emoji and said that she was eating lunch too. Since she was eating alone, she wanted it to be a simple meal and had ordered food delivery to herpany. This time, John did not reply to her. He merely took a look at the form before clicking out from WhatsApp. He continued to stare at the interface for a while. After some thought, he went to check his Facebook. He didn¡¯t really like to check it because he usually would not upload any life updates. He was not interested in what everyone else¡¯s day looked like. However, he probably was bored out of his mind because he was now scrolling through Facebook. John didn¡¯t have a lot of contacts on the site. The rtionships with most business partners were mostly handled by Zack. Therefore, his contact list was very limited. Scrolling down, he immediately saw Isabelle¡¯s post with a photo of her takeout for lunch. Like what she said, she was in her office and had ordered a delicious spread. Aside from the food photo, she uploaded another selfie in which she was holding a pair of disposable cutlery and smiling at the camera. John took a quick look before scrolling down. Soon, he saw Logan¡¯s post that was uploaded very recently. It was a post of his Chinese lunch, which was more sumptuouspared to Isabelle¡¯s. Logan did not show the faces of his lunch buddies, but he wrote that he was having lunch with two good friends in the caption. Two good friends¡­ Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 273 Chapter 273 John did not im to fully know Logan¡¯s social circle, but he had an idea how it looked like. Logan had managed to invite two of his good friends for lunch. Those two must have been special to him. John stared at the photo for some time before tapping into it and zooming in. There was obviously a person across from him, judging from the angle of the photo. The unknown person had her hand on the table edge with an eye-catching ring on her finger. John shed a cold smile and scrutinized the hand in that photo. It was not surprising indeed. There was no hint of the third lunch buddy in the photo, but John was confident about his identity. He closed the app and put his phone away to finish his lunch in silence. Zack returned to the office slightlyte after the lunch break and informed that he had handed the dessert store over to the construction workers. He had documents that needed to be signed by John. While walking over, he clicked his tongue and comined, ¡°Sophia had me running errands for her, but she went for a feast at noon. My chest, itAll content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. hurts.¡± John continued reading the documents with his head hanging low. ¡°How did you know that she had a feast?¡± Zack blinked. ¡°I saw her Facebook post.¡± Then, he took out his phone to show John her post. John took a nce at the photo that had the same caption as Logan¡¯s, but it was taken from a different angle. He curled his lips. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Zack stole a nce at John. ¡°No one is there to reign her in, so she¡¯s literally roaming freely around.¡± John signed the document. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad thing. Before this, she led a very restrictive life. I guess it¡¯s good that she is enjoying her freedom now.¡± Zack thought about it and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. A girl like Sophia won¡¯t be mistreated out there. After all, she¡¯s pretty.¡± John sank into silence while Zack grinned, knowing that he had said enough to trigger his boss. When John was done signing the documents, Zack gathered them up and said goodbye to John before leaving. John crossed his arms against the tabletop, and his gazended on the mug at the edge of the table. That mug was newly bought by Zack after the previous one was thrown out by Sophia. He stared at it for a long time before scrunching his forehead slowly. After that, he was busy for the entire afternoon, even leaving with William to run some errands, which was to check a few storage warehouses under their names. Next, he met up with a client. Amidst his busyness, time flew by very fast. It was not until the evening that he returned to the company with William. In the elevator, John¡¯s phone started buzzing, therefore he checked it and took the call after some hesitation. The caller was someone he had dispatched to investigate Simon and Sally. ording to the caller, he was done with the investigation and had organized the information, which he would send over to John. John replied, ¡°Okay. Any useful clues?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The caller affirmed, ¡°Those two are quite high-key, and it was not hard to get information on them. They have frequently been liaising with the senior executives from the Morgans¡¯ business without any attempt to hide it. It was easy for us to get the details.¡± John said, ¡°Okay. Text me the information. I¡¯ll reach out to you again if there¡¯s something.¡± The caller took note of it and ended the call. Right when John stored his phone away, William immediately inquired, ¡°Who called?¡± John put on a natural expression and reported, ¡°It was a call from my staff. I had them investigate something before, and now the results are out now.¡± Since he did not go into the details of the investigation, William did not bother to ask and merely grunted. The two men stepped out of the elevator to find that the employees were preparing to leave work. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 274 Chapter 274 Zack wanted to check on Sophia¡¯s dessert store renovation and bid goodbye to John before leaving. Back in the office, John organized the documents brought to him by Zack that needed to be signed. After this, he was required to meet up with another client before he could go home. To be honest, it was not John¡¯s responsibility to meet up with the said client because William had stated that the client should be under Dn¡¯s purview. It was John who had volunteered to help out. However, he was not sure why he wanted to take over more work. Just like before, he probably didn¡¯t want to be home early. He had arranged to meet the client in a tea room because the particr client was not fussy. After he packed his stuff, he called the client, who happened to be out. The client got the call and decided to meet up at a tea room nearby for convenience. John knew the area that the client was in, and he drove his car over. The tea room was empty, so the two did not go to the private room on the second floor. The establishment had exquisite interior decor that recreated the feel of the Victorian era. John and the client took their seats near the window. The sound of high-pitched parlor music could be heard from the speaker behind the bar. The cashier saw that there were not many customers around and started to hum along. The client was very courteous to John, saying that he had wanted to treat John to dinner and talk business but was unable to do so because he had other matters to attend to. The purpose of the meetup this time was primarily to discuss the arrangements for stock delivery. He was a long-time client and had been meeting with John a lot over the years. When he had any requests, he would bring them up directly to John without going in circles. Their business talksted only about half an hour. Before they could finish their pot of tea, they were done confirming the details of stock delivery. John really liked working with this client because they did not need to waste time and energy on unnecessary details. After wrapping up the discussion, the client had to leave, but John remained in the tea room. The streets were packed with traffic at the city¡¯s peak hour. He held a teacup in his hand while observing the bustling world out there. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. His eyes were randomly moving around the scene, but suddenly, his expression changed when he noticed something interesting. A car appeared in his vision. He was familiar with the model and the te number of the car. It rolled to a stop at a restaurant across the tea room. Squinting his eyes, he took a good look at the signage of the restaurant. It was not a high-end ce but just another affordable Family restaurant. Someone opened the car door on the side facing the tea room. Next, Ian walked down. The passenger seated beside him was Sophia. Logan got out from the front passenger seat with an obvious look of distaste at their choice of restaurant. He pointed at the signage andunched an inaudibleint at the other two. Sophia gestured at Ian to follow her in. None of them paid any attention to Logan and his tantrum, walking deep into the eatery. John took a sip of his tea and observed Logan stomping at the eatery entrance. However, thetter had no choice, so after punching at the air for a while, he sulkily entered the eatery to join his buddies. John could not view the interior of the eatery clearly from his position, but he could tell that the dinner atmosphere was going to be merry when the three gathered for a meal. He poured himself another cup of tea, which he downed in one sip. Taking out his phone, he stared at the screen for some time before making a call to Sophia. It took her some time to pick up, and he could tell that they were busy ordering. She didn¡¯t bother to cover up her whereabouts because he could hear Logan¡¯s frustrated voice in the background. John asked her, ¡°Where are you now?¡± Sophia answered, ¡°I¡¯m dining out. What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± John paused before saying, ¡°Nothing happened. I just wanted to know.¡± Sophiaughed and told him, ¡°I¡¯m ordering food now, and I¡¯m eating soon. If you don¡¯t have anything important to say, I will hang up now.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 275 Chapter 275 Indeed, John did not have anything important to discuss, nor could he think of any topic to bring up. Sophia hung up on him without hesitation. He let out a sigh, paid his bill, and left in his car. Sophia ended the call with a frown and started to order, after which Ian stole a nce at her phone with an amused look. Even though Logan had made a fuss about the eatery¡¯s environment, he was most enthusiastic when ordering his food. After they ced their orders and the waiter was gone, Logan finally paid attention to Sophia. ¡°Who called you just now? John?¡± Sophia replied, ¡°Yeah.¡± Logan guffawed. ¡°That man feels different nowadays. Why is he so clingy?¡± She looked at him and thought about it before replying, ¡°Maybe you¡¯d act the same when you¡¯re married in the future.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Logan red at her yfully. ¡°Even if I get married and have children, my woman will cling to me, not the other way round. It¡¯s impossible.¡± Sophia pouted at him. ¡°Be careful of what you say. Perhaps, you¡¯ll have to swallow your words down the road.¡± Logan still waved and dismissed her. ¡°Impossible. Really, it¡¯s impossible. With my status, only the women would stop for me. As for me, I¡¯m not the type to pamper my woman.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes, wondering why he had such confidence in himself. Beside her, Ian was cleaning the utensils with wet wipes andid them out nicely for her. Logan looked sullen. ¡°Ian must be the type who can¡¯t leave his wife alone. Look at him and his gentle actions!¡± Sophia turned to look at Ian and nodded in agreement. ¡°Ian is a good man. He will find an equally nice partner in the future.¡± Ian raised a brow quizzically at her. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Sophia said in all seriousness. ¡°Trust me, with that nice personality, you will be popr among girls. You¡¯ll meet a nice girl in the future.¡± He curled his lips. ¡°A nice girl? Hope that¡¯s true.¡± When they were waiting for food, they had a brief discussion on the Morgans¡¯ business. The Morgans were in the field of investment, a topic that Ian was not very familiar with. He had very little knowledge about things like risk evaluation. However, Logan didn¡¯t care about it. ¡°Just hire a professional to assess for you. I heard from my sister that some professionals deliver urate analysis. When the final proposal is out, the investment always provides a good return.¡± Ian sighed. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not very happy working for thepany.¡± Logan looked at Ian andforted him, ¡°You¡¯ll probably get used to it after some time.¡± Soon, Logan was suddenly reminded of something and hurriedly added, ¡°By the way, let me tell you. I got myself a 3D projection mapping device¡­¡± Sophia almost thought that Logan had wanted to introduce histest gadget, but the conversation took a sharp turn. ¡°The technician who set it up for me told me that he had seen your mom in another city days ago.¡± Sophia was taken aback. ¡°How did he know Ian¡¯s mom?¡± Logan opened his mouth but didn¡¯t know how to exin it. Ian lowered his gaze and exined with a smile, ¡°My mom used to be a star. She wasn¡¯t very popr, but her face might be memorable to some. Those who saw her might recall seeing her on-screen.¡± She gasped and lowered her voice, replying, ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. After a pause, Ian asked Logan, ¡°What else did that technician say about my mom?¡± Logan breathed deeply and replied, ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me anything special. He only said that he had seen your mom performing in a bar and that he had not seen her in public for a long time. He never thought that your mom would still be actively performing.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 276 Chapter 276 Ian didn¡¯t know the situation his mother was in as well. After giving it a thought, he replied, ¡°In fact, she still loves singing. She took part in a drama a while ago to get more funds to release her own songs.¡± However, not only did she fail in her singing and acting endeavors, but her life had also gone downhill after chancing upon Bryce Morgan. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Since she has aged now, she must be under a lot of pressure to perform. Not knowing the details of the story, Sophia remarked, ¡°I think she¡¯s a brave woman who ignores her haters and does whatever she likes. So what if she¡¯s old now? Everyone will grow old one day.¡± Logan agreed, ¡°That¡¯s true. I may not have her determination when I¡¯m at her age.¡± Sophia was amused. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate yourself. Your shamelessness is more powerful than anyone¡¯s bravery. With it, you can also do whatever you like.¡± The topic was supposedly serious, but after Sophia made a joke of it, the atmosphere changed instantly. Logan said through gritted teeth, ¡°You¡¯ve hurt my feelings. I¡¯m sad, and I can feel pain in my heart. Ian, I can¡¯t breathe! Please save me immediately!¡± With that, he slowlyy on the table in an exaggerated manner. Having been used to it, Ian shot him a look andmented, ¡°I think Sophia is right. She has a point.¡± In that instant, Sophia burst intoughter. Logan slowly straightened his body and rolled his eyes. ¡°Why are you so protective of Sophia? You¡¯ve never done the same for me. If it isn¡¯t for the fact that she¡¯s married, I¡¯d misunderstand that something is going on between you guys.¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Look how inexperienced you are in worldly affairs. Ian and I cherish each other, and our rtionship has transcended the love between a man and a woman. I don¡¯t me you for not understanding this.¡± Ian shifted his attention to Sophia and curled his lips slightly. It seemed that he had fallen into his own thoughts. They kept bickering with each other until the dishes were served. Right after Logan rose from the chair, Sophia and Ian immediately took out their phones to interrupt him. Ian said directly, ¡°We got it. You¡¯re happy because you¡¯re having dinner with us.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. Smiling, Logan stared at Ian and said, ¡°Ian, you have changed. You¡¯ve been influenced by Sophia in a bad way.¡± Ian giggled as well because he had not felt so happy for a long time. After they took a photo together, they posted it on social media and started having the meal. Although Logan didn¡¯t like the ce initially, once he started having the food, he couldn¡¯t put it down. Sophia didn¡¯t look at her phone during the meal. After they were done eating and paid the bill, they got out together. Then, she took a look at her phone and realized that John had sent her a message to ask her when she was going home. Huh? Does it matter when I¡¯m going home? Since when does it bother him? Keeping the phone, she decided to ignore him. Logan was happy with the food and still energetic. Not wanting to go back to the clubhouse, he suggested that they should go shopping. Not wanting to go home as well, Sophia nodded directly. ¡°Alright, I want to go shopping too.¡± Logan was joyful that she had agreed to his suggestion. ¡°Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s a ce I want you guys to see.¡± With that, he brought them to an underground street. At that time, all the shops on the underground street were closed. Nevertheless, there was an open space in front of the entrance where many buskers hade together with their own musical instruments and started giving performances. There should be such performances every day. At that moment, the buskers were surrounded by their fans. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 277 Chapter 277 Standing beside Sophia and Ian, Logan said solemnly, ¡°After what happened to the Morgan Family, Ian had gone missing, so I looked for him everywhere. Then, I heard that some musicians had formed a band and started performing here. I thought that Ian was one of them and came to search for him. To my disappointment, he was nowhere to be seen.¡± Sophia and Ian were startled. She shifted her attention to Logan and realized that thetter¡¯s expression was serious. The said band members were now performing a rock song, which made the atmosphere lively. Knowing the period of time Logan was talking about, Ian directly said, ¡°I had already left this ce at that time.¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Logan mumbled, ¡°I figured it outter.¡± Gazing at them, Sophia never asked what happened, for it must be a bad enough experience to force Ian out of this ce. She didn¡¯t have to give it a thought to know what would make Ian leave his family, considering the Morgan Family¡¯s situation at that time. Ian waited for the band members to finish the song and walked over. Standing from afar, Sophia couldn¡¯t make out what Ian was saying to the band members, who then nodded and passed him a guitar. Remaining on the spot, Ian started ying the guitar and singing a love song. Since he was handsome and his voice was wonderful, the crowd started moving closer to enjoy his performance. Sophia fished out her phone and took a few videos of his performance. After giving it a thought, she decided to post one of the videos to her social media. After that, Loganmented with a smile, ¡°Look at Ian. If he grew up in a normal family, he would have be a more outstanding man.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t respond to him because it was beyond her imagination. If she had grown up in a normal family as well, maybe she would have be a better woman. At the very least, she wouldn¡¯t be viewed unfavorably when she was with John. However, this was just a random thought after all. After Ian finished singing a song, many people cheered and wanted him to perform one more song. Sophia remarked after a sigh, ¡°Ian is handsome. It¡¯s a shame that he never became a celebrity. Look, the man shines brighter than a star just by standing there.¡± Shifting his attention to Sophia, Logan fell into his own thoughts with a frown and remained silent. At this moment, Ian decided that he wouldn¡¯t perform one more song and returned the guitar to the band members before going back to his friends. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Logan nodded. ¡°When I was bored at night in the past, I woulde here and watch their performance.¡± Sophia thought he was going to say something emotional, but to her surprise, he continued, ¡°However, I didn¡¯t feel bored anymore when I realized that these people were not as rich as I was. Counting money at home is a good pastime as well.¡± Sophia smiled silently as she shouldn¡¯t have any high hopes of Logan. That was typical of him to say such things. After they left the ce, they went to another street that was hustling and bustling at that time. The roadsides were upied with street vendors while the old and the young walked around the ce. Still energetic, Logan looked at them and said, ¡°Let¡¯s shop together. This ce is full of things that are affordable and useful. If you like anything, I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± Sophia agreed to his idea since she had never been to such a lively street market. Turning around, she looked at Ian and persuaded, ¡°Let¡¯s walk around. This ce seems fun.¡± Ian nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± As they walked toward the other end of the street, Logan found a stall that sold cheap drinks. He quickly bought three cups of drinks and passed them to Sophia and Ian. ¡°I saw kids drinking this just now. It should be tasty.¡± Sophia giggled and took it over. ¡°Logan, have you been to such a ce before?¡± Logan replied, ¡°Ah, I was alone in the past so I never visited this area. After all, friends are needed whening to such a ce.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 278 Chapter 278 Sophia felt sorry for Logan upon hearing that. For some reason, the unreliable Logan would always say something to make her determination waver. She took a sip of the sugary water but didn¡¯t like the taste. ¡°Just call me when you want toe to such a ce again. I will make time to apany you.¡± After hearing her offer, Logan directly came over and draped his arms around her shoulders. ¡°See, Sophia is my true friend. I knew our friendship is worth it.¡± Ian walked over and took down Logan¡¯s hands. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll apany you as well when I¡¯m free.¡± Logan giggled and said, ¡°Both of you are my true friends forever.¡± Sophia smiled without saying a word. After that, they continued walking and bought many things. As a generous man, Logan would immediately buy anything that Sophia had her eye on. Reaching the end of the street, Sophia became full as the men were holding bags that carried the things they had just bought. Certainly, they couldn¡¯t keep walking with so many bags in their hands. Therefore, Logan made a call to his chauffeur and told him toe over. While they were waiting for the chauffeur, Sophia directly crouched down on the roadside since she was exhausted. Imitating her, Logan crouched down as well. Seeing that, Ian smiled and said, ¡°It will be weird if I don¡¯t crouch down with you guys.¡± Logan thus directly pulled him down. ¡°Come on and crouch down. Don¡¯t be shy.¡± After Ian crouched down, Sophia found it amusing and quickly fished out her phone. ¡°Come on, we should take a photo. Both of you are rarely seen in such a position.¡± Therefore, they took a photo together while crouching down. Looking at the photo, Sophia was happy and wanted tough. From marrying to divorcing John, she had never felt so happy before. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. A few minutester, the chauffeur arrived. After they got into the car, Logan told the chauffeur to send him home first, followed by Ian andstly Sophia because there was a tea set in the trunk for her to bring home. After giving it a thought, Ian said, ¡°Send me homest so that I can help Sophia carry the stuff. The chauffeur alone can¡¯t carry so many things.¡± In a nonchnt manner, Logan replied, ¡°John should be at home. Just tell him to help.¡± Ian insisted, ¡°I¡¯ll help her. What if John is still at the business dinner? I can go home a littleter.¡± As such, Logan stopped insisting as the chauffeur sent him home and then headed for Sophia¡¯s home. Lowering her head, Sophia took out her phone and saw that there was no new message. Just like herself, John was a straightforward man. If he didn¡¯t get a reply, he would never keep asking. Sophia and Ian never talked on the road. After the car pulled up outside her house, they got out of the car together. Since the lights in the living room were turned off, Sophia supposed that John wasn¡¯t home. Raising her head, she saw that there was no light on the second floor as well. If he isn¡¯t home, why did he send me a message to ask when I would reach home? Just then, Ian and the chauffeur walked over and took out the tea set, so Sophia quickly opened the door for them. With a smile on his face, Ian said, ¡°Look, fortunately I came here with you, otherwise the chauffeur would have a hard time moving this thing.¡± Indeed, the tea set was too heavy for the chauffeur to carry alone. Sophia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re really considerate.¡± She was holding bags that were full of the things Logan bought for her when they were shopping. However, most of the things were not useful at all. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 279 Chapter 279 With too much money to spend, Logan would be upset if Sophia didn¡¯t let him buy those things for her. Never had she met such a person before. Ian heaved a sigh of relief as he and the chauffeur ced the tea set at one corner of the living room. Sophia forgot that she was wearing a hair band with rabbit ears on it. Logan had insisted on buying the hair band which looked good in his eyes. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Walking over, Ian fiddled with the rabbit ears and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll go home now, Miss Rabbit.¡± It was at that moment that Sophia suddenly remembered that she was wearing a hair band and burst intoughter. ¡°Alright, please be careful on the road.¡± After watching Ian get into the car and leave the ce, she turned around and walked into the house. However, she was stunned upon turning around as John was standing on the stairs without making any sound. When did hee downstairs? The lights on the second floor are off. Does it mean he came downstairs in the dark? What a crazy guy. Sophia thus asked with a frown, ¡°Why did you walk so quietly?¡± With a cold expression, John gazed at the tea set in the living room and questioned, ¡°What is that?¡± Sophia answered, ¡°Ah, this is the birthday present for your uncle. It¡¯s a tea set.¡± Before she could tell him that Logan bought it for her, John continued, ¡°Did you buy it with Ian?¡± Hearing that, Sophia frowned as John snorted, ¡°Well, you¡¯re always not alone, aren¡¯t you?¡± Instantly, Sophia¡¯s expression turned dark once he said those demeaning words. Staring at John, she questioned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Do you want a quarrel?¡± John sneered and went upstairs. ¡°Tell me how much it is. I will also transfer the delivery fee to you on top of the price.¡± Sophia pressed her lips together and glowered at his figure. However, John just directly went upstairs and returned to his room without even bothering to turn on the light. He also insisted on keeping his bedroom dark. As the curtains were not closed, he had seen everything when Sophia and Ian were walking into the house. Closing the door, he directly slumped into his bed. In fact, he was suffering from insomnia before Sophia¡¯s return, and he still couldn¡¯t sleep now. After cleaning up the first floor, Sophia went upstairs and returned to her own room. While getting changed, she made a call to Zack. He had helped her supervise the renovation at the shop for the entire day, but she had not asked him for the updates. Still awake, Zack quickly picked up the call. Sophia briefly asked about the renovation. ¡°Well, we have removed some of the things in the shop and got the materials ready. The renovation will officiallymence by tomorrow or two dayster,¡± Zack replied. Not worried about it at all, Sophia said, ¡°Thanks for helping me today.¡± Zack then replied with a smile, ¡°Please don¡¯t be so polite to me. I will be frightened. Are you alright? I can feel that you¡¯re troubled.¡± As Sophia put on the pajamas, she said, ¡°No, I¡¯m feeling great. I have juste home and feel exhausted.¡± Zack didn¡¯t ask what she did that day. Upon giving it a thought, he questioned, ¡°How are you getting along with your former husband?¡± Well, we¡¯re not getting along well. Pausing for a while, she answered, ¡°Well, there¡¯s no progress between us.¡± After a sigh, Zack exined, ¡°You¡¯ll be alright. We don¡¯t have any meetings with the Baileystely. Since the contracts are signed, we just have to supply the materials to them. All of these don¡¯t require the attention of your former husband, therefore he won¡¯t have the chance to meet Isabelle.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to worry about it for now. Upon entering the bathroom, she replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll hang up the call now. I¡¯m very exhausted and will sleep after washing up.¡± Zack mumbled and asked whether she was going to the shop the next afternoon. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 280 Chapter 280 Upon pondering for a while, Sophia replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to the shop tomorrow. I¡¯ll call Robin and tell her toe with me to see how the shop can be improved further since she has prior experience in doing this.¡± As Zack agreed, they ended the conversation. After washing up, Sophiay down on the bed. Having walked around for the entire day, she was so tired that her body couldn¡¯t take it anymore. It required energy to go shopping. Not long after she got into the bed, she slumbered off to the slumbend. However, she awakened in the middle of the night as she was thirsty. Perhaps the meal she had had earlier was too salty. After touching the bedside table for a while, she recalled that there was no water on it. It was a torment to get out of bed and go downstairs in the middle of the night. Squinting her eyes, she walked out of the room and saw that there was some light at the staircase. The lights in the living room had been turned on. She remembered that the lights downstairs were turned off when she went up the stairs. Unafraid, she walked over and leaned on the railing to take a look. John was seated on the couch. There were a bottle of wine and an empty ss on the table in front of the couch. Frankly speaking, Sophia didn¡¯t want to meet him face-to-face at that moment because she was still angry with what he had said to her that evening. Nevertheless, she was unbearably thirsty. Her rational mind told her that she would need to go downstairs. John noticed her right as she stepped on the stairs. Upon taking a look at her, he immediately retracted his gaze. Without looking at him, Sophia directly went to the kitchen and took a battle of mineral water before going upstairs again. Upon entering her room, she closed the door and leaned on it. At that moment, she was no longer sleepy. John is acting weirdly today. What is he trying to do by staying downstairs quietly? After drinking the water, she took a seat on the bed. Then, she picked up her phone and realized that it was already thetter half of the night. Did John wake up from a sleep? There¡¯s no holiday tomorrow. Why is he not asleep at midnight? Is he not going to work tomorrow? There was no way she could figure out the reason. Walking over, she opened a small gap at the door and peeked out. John hadn¡¯te upstairs yet. It took twenty minutes for her to hear some noise from downstairs. To be precise, the noise came from the garden, so she quickly walked up to the windows and gazed out at the garden. John had started the engine. Why is he going out at midnight? All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia couldn¡¯t help cursing him as he must be going to have a drink at this time. Worse, he might be apanied by some women. Just then, John¡¯s car directly moved out of the house and disappeared into the distance. Resentful, Sophia slumped into her bed and covered herself with the quilt so that she could fall asleep quickly. The problem couldn¡¯t be solved even if she never slept. However, even if she had fallen asleep, her worries continued to bug her in her dream. She dreamed of John and Isabelle. He had gone to look for her unashamedly as they had a romantic date under the moonlight. If she could control her dream, she would have pounced on them and beat them up. In the dream, John was very gentle to Isabelle¡ªa side he had never shown Sophia before. Nevertheless, Sophia wasn¡¯t upset at all as she had prepared herself psychologically to face this kind of situation. At that moment, she just wanted to give John a piece of her mind. After all, they still pretended to be married in public. While she was restrained, John was shamelessly dating another woman. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 281 Chapter 281 In that instant, Sophia just wanted to beat John up. The dream continued to bug her for the entire night. She awakened as the sun rose the next morning. Sitting up, her head was still buzzing. It was a shame that she couldn¡¯t curse John at all while in the dream. Now that she had awakened, she directly scolded, ¡°John, you¡¯re a b*stard!¡± Since John wasn¡¯t around, she could curse him to her heart¡¯s content. Getting out of the bed, Sophia walked toward the bathroom with a long face. Meanwhile, John had already arrived at hispany. At the break of dawn, thepany was still empty. After he had his fingerprint scanned and entered the main hall, he directly headed to his office through the elevator. It felt different to see thepany so empty in the morning. Taking a seat on his chair, John pinched his be. His head was muddled as he had consumed alcohol and didn¡¯t sleep wellst night. Fortunately, there was no important work that day ording to the schedule which he had looked through. After sitting for a while, he rose from the chair and went to the pantry with a cup. Since there were some sachets of coffee powder in the cab, he decided to make himself a cup of coffee, which he drank while standing by the window. Taking out his phone, he gave it a thought and entered Sophia¡¯s name on Facebook. Without trying to send her a friend request, he looked through her posts and saw that hertest photo was a selfie with Logan and Ian. They appeared to be happy. Wearing the rabbit-ear hair band, Sophia looked refreshing. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. In fact, she was very young, but she had to pretend to be mature within the Constance Residence. John sighed and recalled the moment Ian walked over and fiddled with the rabbit ears on Sophia¡¯s head. They smiled as though no one else was around. It was undeniable that the sight was pleasing to the eye. Anyone would have praised that the good-looking duo looked perfect together. After Sophia prepared breakfast and ate it, she started studying for the driving exam. A whileter, she called Robin and invited her to go to the shop with her. Since they would run the shop together in the future, she wanted Robin to voice out her demands to the renovation workers as well. Joyful, Robin giggled and said, ¡°Thanks for taking my feelings into consideration. You make it look like I¡¯m a co-owner.¡± Sophia replied with a smile, ¡°If the business is booming in the future, I¡¯ll give you more shares of the shop. You¡¯ll be a co-owner by then.¡± Upon hearing that, Robin immediately thanked her and said that she could be going right away as she was free. Having nothing to do, Sophia decided that she would leave the house immediately as well. After cleaning up, she hailed a taxi and headed for the shop. On her way there, she received a message from Zack. Instead of talking about the renovation, he asked how she tortured John the night before. He said that John was unenergetic and muddled-headed for the entire morning. There must be a hidden message in his words that he didn¡¯t want to say clearly. However, Sophia could figure out his romantic imagination between the lines, so she directly sent him a voice message. ¡®Hey man, your boss never came homest night. How did I know whether he had gone out to flirt with other women? I honestly don¡¯t know the answer to your question.¡¯ Zack was startled for a moment and replied with a voice message too, ¡®Wasn¡¯t your ex husband at home? Why didn¡¯t you give him a call? How could you let him go out and flirt with other women?¡¯ Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 282 Chapter 282 Sophia was startled by his questions. What the hell. He sounds like it is my fault that John went out to flirt with other women. He even wants me to make a call. That¡¯s funny. Who am I to question John? More importantly, they had a quarrelst night. If she really asked that question, she would be rendered speechless if he refuted her. As a clever woman, she wouldn¡¯t embarrass herself in such a way. Zack gave it a thought and came up with an excuse for John. ¡®Maybe he was invited to a business gathering suddenlyst night.¡¯ Sophia instantly burst intoughter. ¡®Do you even believe this excuse yourself?¡¯ Certainly, Zack would not believe this kind of illogical excuse, so he stopped replying to her. After the taxi pulled up outside the shop, Sophia saw that Robin and two renovation workers were already there. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. The shop had been briefly renovated in the past, hence everything had to be dismantled. Keeping her phone, Sophia got out of the taxi and walked over. Upon taking a look, she realized that the shop was quite spacious after the bar was gone. She turned to Robin and inquired, ¡°Do you have any demands? You can say it now.¡± The renovation was done by Robin in the past, and she knew how difficult it was. Since Sophia wanted her to voice out her demands, she immediately went to talk to the renovation worker. Apart from two sinks, she wanted a wall cab behind the bar that was made of ss. Upon taking a look, Sophia stepped out of the shop and saw the other worker removing the signboard. The worker even asked whether she hade up with a name for her shop. In fact, she already had a pretty mushy name, which was ¡®Never Forgetting¡¯. However, she was afraid that the worker wouldugh at her idea, so she quickly shook her head and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have an idea yet. There¡¯s no rush. I can think of a name after the renovation is done.¡± The worker thus said with augh, ¡°Come up with a few names in advance so that you won¡¯t be flustered when the shop is ready for business.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Alright, got it.¡± Some useless things like the bar and the cab were clustered at the entrance. Just then, someone came over and asked Sophia how much those things were. Clueless, Sophia gave it a thought and inquired how much the person was willing to pay. Those things were old and inexpensive. If no one wanted to buy them, they would be discarded since she didn¡¯t need them for her home. The person gestured a number with his hands. Without looking at it, Sophia directly agreed to the deal. The person was startled. ¡°Oh well, you¡¯re indeed a decisive businesswoman.¡± Smilingly, Sophia replied, ¡°We wille to a price simr to your offer eventually, so I don¡¯t want to waste time bargaining with you. Let¡¯s save some breath.¡± The personughed and pointed at the opposite shop. ¡°Miss, look, that is my shop. If you need anything in the future, you can look for me. Judging from your decisiveness in doing business, you must be a gooddy.¡± Sophia took a look and realized that the shop was in the floor tile business. Since the floor of her shop waspleted, she probably didn¡¯t need his help at all. Nevertheless, she still replied, ¡°Alright, I will remember your word. Don¡¯t forget your promise should I need your help in the future.¡± The person guffawed and took out some cash from his pocket before passing it to Sophia. Then, he told his workers to take these things back to his shop. Turning around, Sophia returned to her shop and passed the money to Robin. The bar belonged to her. Since it was now dismantled and sold, the money should go to her as well. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 283 Chapter 283 Robin was baffled for a moment before she took over the money and said with a smirk, ¡°Sophia, you¡¯re so generous.¡± Sophia shed a smile at her as this had nothing to do with generosity. Never had she taken advantage of anyone although she had been short of money in the past. Since the money belonged to Robin, it should of course go to her. It took quite some time for Zack to reach the shop and meet up with Sophia and Robin. Seeing that thedies were already in the shop, Zack said with a smile, ¡°Boss, what do you think? This space must berger than you have imagined.¡± Sophia mumbled, ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s more spacious than I thought.¡± Zack leaned against the door frame and gazed at the interior. ¡°I have examined the renovation n. A hundred percent of this space will be put to good use. I¡¯m sure when the renovation ispleted, the shop will look morefy than before.¡± Robin exined as he let out a sigh, ¡°I did the renovation myself previously to save some money. I must have been fooled.¡± To console Robin, Sophia patted her shoulder. If she didn¡¯t know John and Zack, she would have been fooled as well. It was already lunchtime and Zack hadn¡¯t eaten anything. Upon giving it a thought, Sophia suggested, ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime now, so let me treat you guys to a meal. There¡¯s a restaurant nearby.¡± Robin quickly waved her hands in embarrassment. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Since there¡¯s nothing to do anymore, I¡¯ll just go home. Please go ahead.¡± With a frown, Sophia replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to be overly polite with me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s really no need. I¡¯ll go home now. Please go ahead,¡± Robin said as she directly walked out of the shop. Therefore, Sophia stopped insisting and walked out as well after Robin was gone. ¡°Let¡¯s have a meal together. I¡¯m starving.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. While walking behind her, Zack asked, ¡°Tell me the truth. Did you have a quarrel with your ex husband? Otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have decided not to go home. He¡¯s not that kind of person.¡± In response, Sophia hissed at Zack, ¡°What do you mean by this? Why is it always my fault when anything happens? If John really went out to flirt with other women, are you going to me me for not charming enough?¡± It was at the moment that Zack realized that he had taken the wrong stance in this matter, which was a shock to him. Smiling, he walked over and draped his arms around her shoulders. ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t get angry with me. That¡¯s not what I mean. I¡¯m just surprised because my boss never did that before.¡± Sophia snorted and thought to herself that John was already a different man. Nobody was born a bad person; they slowly became one. After they stepped into the nearby restaurant, they ordered some food. While they were having a meal, Zack¡¯s phone kept ringing. Helpless, he exined, ¡°They¡¯re all work-rted calls. Do these people think I don¡¯t need a rest? They can¡¯t even stop bothering me during lunchtime.¡± Looking at his phone, he continued, ¡°Nevertheless, most of the things are not important at all.¡± Sophia remained silent as she waited for Zack to handle his matters. After putting down the phone, Zack said, ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯m already pretty lucky. Most people have to respect your ex husband. As his assistant, I¡¯m somewhat respected as well. Thanks to him, I¡¯m in a prettyfortable position.¡± Sophia replied with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s actually because of your hard work. Otherwise, judging from his temperament, he wouldn¡¯t have kept you by his side.¡± The words pleased him, so he quickly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not trying to blow my own trumpet. I have alwayspleted the tasks your ex husband gave to me perfectly, which is not the case for other assistants. Just look at Dn¡¯s assistant. Ask around and you¡¯ll find out that his assistant had embarrassed him countless times. The assistant is not fired thanks to Dn¡¯s good temper. If he were your ex husband¡¯s assistant, he would have been fired.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 284 Chapter 284 Sophia was startled at the mention of Dn. ¡°Hey, are John and Dn on good terms? Please tell me the truth. I won¡¯t tell anyone else. I promise that I¡¯ll keep it a secret after I step out of this restaurant.¡± Gazing at her, Zack questioned with a frown, ¡°Why did you ask about Dn suddenly? Are you curious about him?¡± Sophia burst intoughter. ¡°I wasn¡¯t curious about him at first, but you guys kept telling me to stay away from him. Moreover, you seemed to be hiding something when talking about him. That¡¯s what has my interest piqued.¡± Zack snorted, ¡°Stop being curious about him. He¡¯s notparable to your ex husband at all.¡± That remark amused Sophia. ¡°What does it have to do with John whether I¡¯m curious about Dn?¡± Zack kept his mouth shut for a while and continued, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you about Dn, but after listening to it from me, please don¡¯t go ask your ex husband. If he found out about it, he would definitely be displeased.¡± Sophia mumbled, ¡°Alright, got it.¡± Then, Zack started telling the story. As a big family, there was inevitably some internal strife within the Constance Family. No matter how these people schemed against each other, they wouldn¡¯t let it be known to the public. As the eldest son, William started working for thepany pretty early on. Because of that, his father had given him the most important work. Although the other three brothers never voiced out their discontent, they were unresigned about it. In that case, the three brothers decided to support each other in a subtle way and became closer to each other. For this reason, the sons of the three brothers slowly stayed away from John as well. As an indifferent man, John never tried to repair his rtionship with his cousins. Young Master Samuel, Young Master Edward and their children lived in foreign countries, which meant only John and Dn were left to run thepany. Zack thus believed that they werepeting with each other currently. Sophia nodded. ¡°I see.¡± So did John tell me to stay away from Dn because he doesn¡¯t like him? Does he think he¡¯s still a child by stopping the people around him from seeing the person he doesn¡¯t like? How childish! N?velDrama.Org content. After the lunch was over, Sophia ordered two more meals for the renovation workers. Looking at her, Zack remarked with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re a good woman.¡± It was a shame that John didn¡¯t know that he had lost a good wife. Sophia replied proudly, ¡°I¡¯ve always been a good woman.¡± Upon returning to the shop, Sophia got the meals ready for the renovation workers to enjoy. Zack examined the shop and pointed out that many areas had to be worked on carefully. If there was any problem, it would be difficult to make amendments in the future. The renovation worker looked at him and exined, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since we¡¯re friends, we won¡¯t scam you.¡± When lunchtime was over, Zack returned to thepany. Sophia stayed in the shop for a little longer. Since she knew nothing about renovation, she decided to hail a taxi and go home. On the other hand, John was taking a rest when Zack returned to thepany. Right after Zack stepped into the office, John opened his bloodshot eyes. Zack directly said, ¡°I took a look at Sophia¡¯s shop just now. There¡¯s no problem currently.¡± John mumbled, ¡°Just take care of it on my behalf. You don¡¯t have to update me on the progress.¡± Gazing at him, Zack persuaded, ¡°Take a nap if you¡¯re feeling unwell. You look tired.¡± A momentter, John reassured Zack that he was okay. Smacking his lips, Zack questioned, ¡°Didn¡¯t you sleep wellst night?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 285 Chapter 285 Shifting his attention to Zack, John exined, ¡°What did Sophia tell you?¡± Zack gasped and exined, ¡°No, she didn¡¯t tell me anything. I know nothing at all.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Since his words suggested the opposite, John snorted and fell into silence. Knowing that he failed in his attempt to sound John out, Zack also quickly fled the scene. John leaned against the chair and let out a breath. After a while, his phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Isabelle. It was a document from the Bailey Corporation that requested for the purchase of goods. John replied okay and thought to himself that she could have contacted Zack instead. Putting down his phone, he rose from the chair and went to the restroom to wash his face. Coming out, he saw Dn walking into the office. In that instant, he recalled that Young Master Owen¡¯s birthday was just around the corner, and the present Sophia brought home was bought by Ian. Pfft. After returning to his office, he took out his phone to send Sophia a message to ask her the price of the present she bought for Young Master Owen. His message was not immediately seen by Sophia who was watering nts. It was thirty minutester when she saw the message. Staring at it, she tried toe up with a price. Although the present was given by Logan, it was also still a present given to him by another person. Therefore, he was clueless about the price as well. Frowning upon the aloof attitude of John, Sophia hissed and decided toe up with an exorbitant price. So, she called Logan and asked him about the price as she wanted to pay for the tea set. Logan had never tried to get back the money of the presents he gave his friends. Sophia¡¯s question was akin to a p in his face. Displeased, he questioned, ¡°Sophia, are you trying to insult me?¡± Helpless, Sophia wondered why it was insulting by giving him the money. She hoped that someone would insult her in such a way. After she exined that it was not what she meant, Logan chided, ¡°It¡¯s my present to you, so stop mentioning money. Otherwise I¡¯ll be angry with you.¡± With that, his tone became different as he changed the topic and giggled. ¡°Well, pleasee to my ce one day. I¡¯ll tell the sculptor to make a sculpture of you. Then¡ª¡± Sophia directly hung up the call. Because she had no idea how much she should demand, she decided not to reply to John either. Moreover, she would feel bad about it if he really gave her the money. Since the present didn¡¯t belong to her, it was akin to reselling Logan¡¯s stuff if she asked for money, which was very inappropriate. Putting down the phone, she went to the study. It was the driving instructor who contacted her to ask when she would like to sit for the first exam. Sophia wanted to get it done quickly as she didn¡¯t want to procrastinate anymore. ording to the instructor, he would make the arrangement immediately and inform her when the date was set. Sophia wished that she could get her driving license quickly. Although she could hail a taxi easily, it didn¡¯t feel as good as driving her own car. Then, she started reading the driving textbook for the entire afternoon in the room. When the night fell, she felt dizzy and went downstairs to prepare dinner. Right after she got the rice cooker ready, John¡¯s car pulled up outside the house. Upon taking a look from afar, Sophia retracted her gaze. John was talking on his phone as he entered the house. Sophia didn¡¯t hear what he said initially, but when she tried to take something from the refrigerator which was located near the kitchen door, she heard him saying, ¡°If my mom looks for you again, you can ignore her if you¡¯re busy.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 286 Chapter 286 Sophia paused. The moment Mrs. Constance was mentioned, she could already guess who was on the other end of the call. The person calling said something that caused John to smile. ¡°Alright. Thank you for your hard work.¡± John walked over with the phone in his hand and sat on the couch. Then, he took the television¡¯s remote controller, which was next to him, and turned on the television. When Isabelle heard the sound of television advertisement, she paused what she was saying and asked, ¡°Are you home?¡± John answered, ¡°Yes, I just got home.¡± Isabelle grinned. ¡°That must be nice. I¡¯m still in the office. There are still many documents to check, so I have to work overtime so that I won¡¯t dy our progress.¡± John¡¯s trademark smile appeared on his face. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t work toote, it¡¯s quite productive to work overtime.¡± Isabelle agreed along with him. Then, it seemed like she took her time to stretch before she started talking again, ¡°By the way, there are some material requirements from ourtest supply. I¡¯ll discuss this with you when we meet and show you the sample.¡± John muttered, ¡°Sure.¡± Isabelle¡¯s voice had a hint of yfulness in it. ¡°I don¡¯t want to bother you during your work hours, though. What about this? Let¡¯s meet at the golf club in the suburbs this weekend. My father got me a membership so that I could have a bnced work life. However, truth be told, I don¡¯t know how to y golf, so I won¡¯t be able to go on my own.¡± John frowned and hesitated. However, Isabelle added, ¡°I¡¯ll bring the sample over and show it to you there.¡± John had no choice but to agree to meet her. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s meet there, then.¡± Isabelleughed. It seemed like she was happy. ¡°Alright. Give me a call when you¡¯re here.¡± After that, John hung up. At the same time, Sophia had already started cooking in the kitchen. John turned around to see something standing by the wall. It was a gift that Ian brought over yesterday. The gift was wrapped well, so he couldn¡¯t see what was inside it. To be honest, John didn¡¯t know what to do with such a huge gift. Normally, when people send gifts, they¡¯d pick something small and simple. Only someone like Sophia would get something so huge. It might even be a hassle to get it sent out later. John got up after a while and started heading toward the kitchen. The range hood was ring, so John increased his volume as he said, ¡°How much was it? You haven¡¯t replied to me yet.¡± Without bothering to look at John, Sophia answered, ¡°Just pay me whatever amount you¡¯d like. I did not spend my own money to get it after all.¡± John was taken aback at that as his voice turned cold. ¡°Fine. I know what to do.¡± Then, Sophia continued cooking while John turned around as he went out to the living room and stood there. Ian was really a considerate person. He¡¯d even volunteer to pay for everything for Sophia. It seemed like he really loved her. John stared at the gift for a while turning to get upstairs. When he reached the stairs, he raised his voice. ¡°I won¡¯t be eating dinner, so you don¡¯t have to call me for dinnerter!¡± Although Sophia did not stop cooking, her gaze slowly turned cold. John went back to the bedroom to take his cigarette box by the side of the bed before taking a cigarette out and lighting it. Then, he went to stand by the window and stared at the perg downstairs which was in the midst of smoke. The more John looked at it, the more pissed off he felt. He didn¡¯t know why he was angry. After finishing one cigarette, John still didn¡¯t feel better. However, he couldn¡¯t continue smoking any longer as he felt sick of it. After standing by the window for a little longer, John turned around and headed out around. Sophia already knew what was happening when she saw himing down while she was about to serve the dishes. However, John did not spare any nces at Sophia as he got into his car directly and drove out. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. All in one go. Sophia only smiled coldly before she took the dishes to the dining room. To be honest, John didn¡¯t have any ces that he wanted to go. After driving about a distance away, he pondered for a moment before heading toward the Constance Residence. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 287 Chapter 287 John was stuck in the traffic jam on the way to the Constance Residence, so he had just missed dinner by the time he reached. Although Mrs. Constance was surprised to see John, she was definitely delighted. She immediately greeted, ¡°Why did youe over at this time?¡± The corner of John¡¯s lifted. ¡°I just came to visit as I¡¯m passing by.¡± Mrs. Constance was taken aback at that as she went on with a worried tone, ¡°You¡¯re just like your father. The two of you won¡¯t bother about anything else when ites to work. Are you just done with yourpany work? I bet you haven¡¯t eaten your dinner. Let me go get you something.¡± John followed Mrs. Constance and stood by the kitchen entrance while she went inside. Mrs. Constance washed her hands before initiating a conversation, ¡°About Infinity Group, I¡¯ve already taken a look and there isn¡¯t any news on the Inte anymore.¡± John knew what she meant as he stared at her. Mumbling an answer, he added again, ¡°I¡¯ll find the right opportunity.¡± Mrs. Constance smiled. ¡°Yeah, you need a right chance, or else you won¡¯t be able to exin yourself if Sophia turns on you.¡± John frowned at that. ¡°Sophia isn¡¯t that kind of person.¡± Mrs. Constance knew that she shouldn¡¯t bad-mouth Sophia in front of John, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about her anymore. It¡¯ll just ruin the mood.¡± John crossed his arms. ¡°Mom, you can go on a vacation if you don¡¯t have anything to do. You can also join some workshops.¡± Mrs. Constance turned around. ¡°What? Are you implying that I have been prying too much?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± John exined. ¡°I just felt like you might be bored staying here, so going out to do something will make you feel better.¡± Mrs. Constance lowered her voice and replied when she heard him, ¡°I¡¯m not really interested in anything. Moreover, I¡¯m already old, so I don¡¯t want to make myself suffer. Also, it is hard for me to learn new things now. I¡¯d go meet up with my friends and gamble for a bit when I¡¯m free, but your grandma doesn¡¯t like me doing that.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. John¡¯s gaze darkened slightly as he thought about Logan. Although his friendship with Logan was quite close, they weren¡¯t as tight as Ian and him. With Logan here, Sophia and Ian¡¯s rtionship would only get better. John stood for a while before hearing something from the stairs. He immediately turned around. ¡°Grandma.¡± Old Mrs. Constance was surprised when she saw John. With a smile, she said, ¡°Why did youe over today? Where¡¯s Sophia?¡± John grinned. ¡°She¡¯s at home. I came right after my work, so I didn¡¯t bring her along.¡± Old Mrs. Constance walked over to sit on the couch. ¡°How could you do that? Bring her along next time. You shouldn¡¯t leave her alone at home.¡± Mrs. Constance couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes while she eavesdropped from the kitchen. John agreed. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll bring her along next time.¡± After Mrs. Constance prepared the food, she called him over to the dining room to eat. John noticed what was on the table after he went in. It was Western food. This had always been his favorite cuisine. After he sat down, Mrs. Constance and Old Mrs. Constance came over to sit with him. Old Mrs. Constance spoke up first, ¡°How¡¯s your work recently? I noticed that your father had been going on a lot of business trips. He¡¯s got much busier recently.¡± John nodded. ¡°We are expanding our business market, so we will be busier than before. My workload is still manageable, it will be much busier for Dad, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, and Fourth Uncle.¡± At the mention of that, Old Mrs. Constance suggested, ¡°You shoulde back earlier with Sophia for Uncle Owen¡¯s birthday. The house has been empty ever since your Grandpa passed away, so we should take this opportunity to liven up the house.¡± Mrs. Constance pondered for a moment before asking, ¡°It hasn¡¯t been a few months since Father passed away. Would it be okay for us to hold a party like this?¡± Upon hearing that, Old Mrs. Constance lowered her gaze to stare at the ring on her finger. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We are a family anyway, and it¡¯s not like we are inviting outsiders. After all, your father enjoyed parties before he passed away. It has been really quiettely, so he doesn¡¯t want toe back anymore. I haven¡¯t been seeing him in my dreamstely.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 288 Chapter 288 This topic was slightly sensitive, so John and Mrs. Constance kept their silence. Old Mrs. Constance and Old Mr. Constance had managed to stay together since they were young up until now. The rtionship that they had wasn¡¯t something that could be defined with a few words. Old Mrs. Constance had been calm ever since Old Mr. Constance¡¯s passing. Until now, she had never shown any ounce of sadness. However, it didn¡¯t mean that the feelings weren¡¯t there. They all fell in silence after that. John didn¡¯t feel like eating anymore after taking a few bites. Although the steak was done just right, he had already lost his appetite. There wasn¡¯t really any difference between eating this and eating some snacks, for it didn¡¯t feel like a proper meal anymore. When John ced his cutleries down, Mrs. Constance got confused. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like it?¡± John wiped his mouth with a napkin. ¡°No. I¡¯m just not that hungry as I ate a lot for lunch at the company.¡± Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t think too much about it and got the maid to clean up the table. The trio continued sitting at the dining room while Old Mrs. Constance inquired whether John got along well with Sophia. Right after she finished, Mrs. Constance lowered her voice and said, ¡°They¡¯re divorced anyway. Getting along for a show should be enough. They won¡¯t be together in the future after all, so it really doesn¡¯t matter whether they get along well.¡± Old Mrs. Constance gave Mrs. Constance a look, for she didn¡¯t quite agree with what had been said. ¡°Don¡¯t butt in too much in John¡¯s private matters. Also, I¡¯m warning you, you¡¯d better behave during Owen¡¯s birthday. I don¡¯t want you to bring outsiders over and make the situation awkward.¡± ¡°What do you mean outsiders? If I were to invite anyone, they would be close to us!¡± Mrs. Constance couldn¡¯t help but falter. As expected, a heads up from Old Mrs. Constance was required. Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s facial expression didn¡¯t look good. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether we¡¯re close. This is our family¡¯s matter, so I¡¯m warning you not to bring any outsiders over.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Mrs. Constance pursed her lips at that and stopped talking. Seeing their exchange, John couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed. This was just like back then. At that time, Sophia was still here, and Mrs. Constance would take every chance that she could get to lecture her. Fortunately, Sophia never talked back to her and would only purse her lips and keep quiet. Mrs. Constance alone was already enough to cause them annoyance. Look at how the tables had turned. Mrs. Constance now became the one who got lectured. John leaned back on his chair. ¡°Is Uncle Owen inviting anyone over?¡± ¡°No,¡± Old Mrs. Constance answered. ¡°I¡¯ve already talked to your Uncle Owen and he would like the family to just gather together. It doesn¡¯t matter if we don¡¯t celebrate his birthday as we mainly just want the family to be together. The atmosphere here has been dead ever since your Grandpa passed away, and everyone had been so careful around each other. We just hope that everyone will be happier after this get together.¡± John nodded. ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± Then, Old Mrs. Constance stared outside. ¡°It¡¯ste. Will Sophia be okay being alone at the house?¡± Mrs. Constance couldn¡¯t help but chime in at that, ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t she be okay being at home alone? It¡¯s not like she¡¯s still a kid. She¡¯s already an adult.¡± Old Mrs. Constance gave her a look, and Mrs. Constance immediately shut up. She didn¡¯t know why Old Mrs. Constance would always lecture her every time she mentioned Sophia. The old woman wasn¡¯t like this back then; she didn¡¯t like Sophiast time as well. John stood up at that. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be heading back now. I initially wanted to meet Dad so that we could talk about the weekly report, but it seems that it¡¯s impossible for me to do so now. It¡¯s okay. I can discuss it with him at thepany tomorrow.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving so soon? But you just got here! Why don¡¯t you stay a little long to talk to us?¡± Mrs. Constance was reluctant to see him leave. However, Old Mrs. Constance cut her off, ¡°Go home and rest well. It¡¯s not safe to drive home sote.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 289 Chapter 289 Pursing her lips, Mrs. Constance looked pitiful. John nodded before bidding Old Mrs. Constance and Mrs. Constance farewell. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading back now. Since Uncle Owen¡¯s birthday ising soon, I¡¯lle over with Sophia by then.¡± Smilingly, Old Mrs. Constance replied, ¡°Alright. Drive safe.¡± However, Mrs. Constance still felt reluctant so she sent John off to where he parked his car. After pondering for a moment, John turned to Mrs. Constance. ¡°I heard that Aunt Jennifer has already started selecting suitable girls for Dn.¡± Taken aback, Mrs. Constance nodded along. ¡°Yeah. I heard that you have got someone to run background checks on a few girls. Looks like she¡¯s serious about it.¡± However, Mrs. Constance was annoyed at this. ¡°Didn¡¯t she say that Dn didn¡¯t want a family so early and he wasn¡¯t rushing as he wanted to stabilize his work first? Why is she rushing now then? They can¡¯t even hide their intentions well.¡± There was no reply from John about it. ¡°Well, Dn is indeed at that age now. It¡¯s normal to start looking for apanion.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®normal¡¯? How is that normal? If it weren¡¯t for their family, why would you end up with Sophia? Your nned marriage with Isabelle waspletely destroyed because of this! I think that that family just doesn¡¯t want us to have good things so they did it on purpose back then!¡± Mrs. Constance got pissed off everytime she thought about it. Then, she muttered again, ¡°They all obviously knew that you had a marriage arrangement. If they had really thought of us as a family, they wouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± Something in John¡¯s expression changed before he exined a few secondster, ¡°I can understand why they did it in the first ce. Who doesn¡¯t think of themselves first before others? This is a matter of an eternity, so there isn¡¯t any reason for Dn to not be selfish after all.¡± After that, John reached out to pat Mrs. Constance¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Just move on. You should have understood these things by now. I really hope that Dn can get a prettypanion with a nice family.¡± Mrs. Constance snorted. ¡°Although you see him as your brother, he might not see you as the same.¡± The corner of John¡¯s lips lifted up. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. You should go back now. Talk less in front of Grandma next time.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Lowering her voice, Mrs. Constance said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with your grandmately. She¡¯s so protective of Sophia now, and she wasn¡¯t like this back then.¡± John sighed. ¡°She probably felt guilty. The person that Grandpa was most worried about before his passing was Sophia, and we had all promised to be nicer to her.¡± Upon hearing that, Mrs. Constance was rendered speechless. The light in the living room was already turned off when John got back home. In the car, he lowered his window and lit a cigarette. However, John did not smoke. Instead, he just held the cigarette between his fingers and propped his arm by the car window. The light in Sophia¡¯s room and the study room on the second floor were turned on. John sat in the car until the cigarette waspletely burnt before he got out. After he entered the house, he started heading upstairs slowly. The door to the study room was shut as John walked past it. He didn¡¯t know what Sophia was doing inside. Probably she was studying for her driver¡¯s license. Therefore, John headed directly into his room. However, instead of studying for her driver¡¯s license in the study room, she was reading up on baking tips. It would be useful when she opened her shopter as she barely had any knowledge about it. Noting down important tips using a pencil, she thought about calling Robin over when she was free to see if she could learn a thing or two from her. It was Sophia¡¯s first time being so engrossed in something that she didn¡¯t even notice that John had returned. When it was almost time to sleep, she stretched her tired neck and walked over to the window for some fresh air. Immediately, she spotted the car parked below. Sophia was stunned as she stared at the car in a daze. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 290 Chapter 290 She thought that the man would only return after fooling around again. Stretching her limbs, Sophia walked out from the study room. However, instead of returning to her room, she went downstairs to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. Young Master Owen¡¯s birthday wasing soon and the tea set was still ced in the living room. It would be a hassle to move all of them to the Constance Residenceter on. Sophia loitered downstairs for a moment before heading upstairs again. While she was walking in the corridor, she stared at John¡¯s room. However, the door was shut and she couldn¡¯t see anything. Sophia harrumphed before turning around and entered her room. For some reason beyond Sophia¡¯s understanding, the two of them had somewhat started a cold war. To be honest, John didn¡¯t really understand it as well. However, he just didn¡¯t feel good. He felt something was amiss no matter what he did. Young Master Owen¡¯s birthday fell on a weekend. John got up early on the day as he wanted to get back to the Constance Residence earlier. It was a surprise for him to see Sophia cooking when he came downstairs. Staring from the staircase, he started frowning. The irritation within him suddenly red up without any forewarning. The thought of him having to act as a loving couple with Sophia in front of everyone today made his head ache. John went down and sat next to the couch. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the Constance Residence earlier and eat there.¡± Turning around to give John a look, Sophia said, ¡°You should head there first. I¡¯ll only go during the afternoon.¡± Since the people there didn¡¯t really wee her, it would be boring if she had gone earlier to spend the rest of her day there. John stared at Sophia for a few seconds before he answered monotonously, ¡°Whatever.¡± Then, he turned around and left. Without being bothered by John¡¯s attitude, Sophia continued preparing her breakfast. After that, she hummed as she took her meal to the dining room and started eating. Sophia ced her phone on the table while she scrolled through the tabloid. There wasn¡¯t anything interesting. Then, she went to look at the finance segment. Yep. It was definitely more interesting here. Thetest news reported that after the coboration between the Bailey Family and the Constance Family, they tried to get into touch with the Third Young Lady Jefferson. It seemed that they wanted to work together with the Jefferson Family as well. How interesting. Sophia had previously mentioned that the Bailey Family wouldn¡¯t get into contact with the Jefferson Family for no reason. There must be a purpose behind their action. The Bailey Family was trying to set up an image for Isabelle. After Isabelle got into thepany, the Bailey Family had been doing their best to remove any obstacles on her way to sess. N?velDrama.Org content. Old Mr. Bailey must have wanted to pave the way for Isabelle. It must have been nice to have a nice father. Sophia pouted. While others had nice fathers, her father could hardly give her any help she needed. Reading through the article again, Sophia noticed that the article only stated the Bailey Family¡¯s interest to coborate without mentioning the Jefferson Family¡¯s reaction. To be honest, Sophia was just an onlooker in the coboration between the Bailey Family and the Jefferson Family. Since the two families were powerful, there was nothing that she could really do even if she wasn¡¯t happy with it. As she finished reading the article, she finished up her meal as well. She then cleaned up her tes and cutleries before heading upstairs to change and do her makeup. Since Aiden was on leave today, Sophia wanted to go to the shop at noon to look around and would probably overlook the shop¡¯s renovation. Although she trusted Aiden¡¯s ability, she still felt bad if she didn¡¯t show up. Right when Sophia settled everything and went downstairs, two people came over and knocked on the front door. Both of them mentioned that John had instructed them toe over to send Young Master Owen¡¯s gift over. Well, Sophia obviously couldn¡¯t move something so huge on her own anyway. Since this was a tea set, she instructed those two to be careful and try to avoid shing into anything. The moment they saw its packaging, they knew that this gift was expensive and delicate, so they were particrly careful when handling it. After Sophia waited for them to leave with the gift, she took a cab to the shop. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 291 Chapter 291 Aiden was indeed there. After everything in the shop had been removed yesterday, they were redecorating the walls today. A carpenter had been hired to do the woodworks. Sophia did not enter the shop which was dusty, so she stood by the door along with Aiden. In his casual clothing, Aiden looked much younger than usual. Inching closer, Sophia said, ¡°Since there¡¯s a professional here, I don¡¯t think you have to supervise them constantly.¡± Aiden chuckled at that. ¡°Your ex-husband instructed me to supervise the renovation here closely to avoid any problems. This is your first time doing your own business, so he hopes that it will go smooth for you.¡± Sophia was stunned before she snorted. ¡°Are you kidding me? I feel like you¡¯re lying to me.¡± Aiden red at her. ¡°Why won¡¯t you believe it? It doesn¡¯t benefit me in any way to lie to you, and your ex-husband won¡¯t raise my sry either. I¡¯m telling the truth. To be honest, he had been keeping an eye on this ever since you had wanted to start your business. He had gone through all of the floor ns and instructed those professionals himself.¡± Sophia¡¯s mind went nk for a moment before she hugged her shoulder. ¡°Yeah. I understand why he did it. John did promise Grandpa before he passed away to look after me.¡± After her life became smooth sailing, John could finally live his own life in peace. Without saying anything else, Aiden continued supervising the shop¡¯s renovation. Sophia stood there for a moment before her phone rang. However, she couldn¡¯t recognize the caller¡¯s number. Nheless, she still answered the call, ¡°Hello.¡± The person on the other end of the call spoke smoothly, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Sophia jumped. ¡°Dn?!¡± How did Dn get her number? That really was a surprise for her. Sophia could not regain her senses at that moment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you need anything?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Dn chuckled. ¡°I just wanted to ask why you¡¯re not at the Constance Residence yet. I saw that John is already here.¡± Instantly, Sophia cooked up an excuse, ¡°My shop is still being renovated. I suddenly have some new ideas, so I came over to discuss it with the renovators. I¡¯ll be heading there soon.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Dn muttered. Then, he continued, ¡°Be quick! We are all in the garden now. There aren¡¯t many people here, but we¡¯re all waiting for your arrival!¡± Sophia paused at that before she told him that she would be there soon. Right after she finished speaking, Sophia heard John¡¯s voice, which seemed to be reminding her, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. Drive safe.¡± However, his voice sounded soft as he probably stood further away. Sophia blinked before forcing a smile. ¡°Of course, Honey.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but feel helpless after hanging up. Initially, Sophia wanted to head over during the evening, but it seemed like that wasn¡¯t possible now. After bidding farewell to Aiden, Sophia immediately took a cab and headed over to the Constance Residence. The entrance of the house was wide open, and one could see everything in thewn with one look. All of the servants looked busy today as they walked around with tters. Sophia got out of the cab at the entrance before she entered and headed toward the garden. She stopped when she reached the parking area. Sophia could see the garden¡¯s view from here. There weren¡¯t many people there. Having waited for a moment, Sophia walked over the garden. When she got closer, she heard a voice. However, the voice didn¡¯t belong to John or Dn. Instead, it was Isabelle¡¯s voice. N?velDrama.Org content. Sophia almost frowned. It was Second Young Master Owen¡¯s birthday, so why was the Bailey Family here? Sophia walked over and smiled. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re all here already!¡± It was actually just three of them: John, Dn and Isabelle. When John, who was still sitting down, saw Sophia walking over, he immediately got up. Then, he replied, ¡°I have been waiting for you here.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 292 Chapter 292 A wooden table and four small rattan chairs were put in the open space of the garden. John and Dn sat facing each other. There was no conversation between John and Sophia. Ignoring him, Sophia went straight toward the empty chair and sat down. cing her phone on the table, she said, ¡°I was monitoring the renovation work at the shop just now. Sorry for beingte.¡± Dn smiled. ¡°You¡¯re quite busy today, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Nah, not really.¡± Sophiaughed. ¡°I usually don¡¯t do much.¡± As she had just finished speaking, her phone lit up. John nced at it through the corner of his eyes and saw a WhatsApp message popping up on it. Sophia noticed it too. It was a message from Logan. Today was a holiday for Ian, so Logan would definitely invite people over to his ce. He probably wanted Sophia to join a game of poker. After unlocking the phone, Sophia saw a short video sent by Logan. After ncing at Isabelle who was sitting opposite her, she clicked into the video. In the video, Logan and Ian were standing in front of the camera. Smilingly, Logan said, ¡°Sophia Gwendolyn,e on! The two of us are already here. We need you right now.¡± He continued to tease, ¡°Ian has been nagging about you for the whole day. Yet, you didn¡¯t sense a thing and still aren¡¯t here even though it¡¯s alreadyte.¡± Staring at Sophia¡¯s phone, Isabelle sensed the light smile on her face remained unchanged. After the rather noisy video ended, Sophia looked a little helpless as she sent a voice message to them, telling them that she had something else to do today and couldn¡¯t go over. Then, Isabelle piped up, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn and the Second Young Master Morgan have such a good rtionship.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia snorted and looked up at Isabelle. ¡°Did you cheat during your reading comprehension tests when you were in school? This message was sent by Logan, and he was also the one talking in the video. How is Ian even rted to this?¡± Instead of getting angry at her sneering remark, Isabelle simply replied, ¡°Yeah, I guess you have a good rtionship with Young Master Jefferson too.¡± Leaning back on her chair, Sophia turned to look at Dn. ¡°So, what are you doing recently, Uncle Dn? Have you been busy?¡± By tantly ignoring Isabelle, Sophia made it clear that she refused to give her an out. Isabelle fluffed her hair and looked elsewhere. Dn replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m not really busy. They are all over at the main building. It is a rare asion for everyone to get together here on a day off like this. They¡¯re all chatting over there.¡± Sophia replied, ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s a family gathering. I thought that we¡¯ve invited outsiders as well.¡± Isabelle¡¯s gaze shifted slightly. Naturally, she understood that Sophia was referring to her. Actually, she herself too felt rather ufortable being here. After all, everyone here was rted to the Constance Family. She alone was a bit different. It wasn¡¯t obvious whether Dn missed out on Sophia¡¯s hidden meaning or he was just ying along when he said seriously, ¡°Yeah, my mother said that we¡¯ll just be holding a family gathering today without inviting any outsiders.¡± As Sophia pursed her mouth, a hint of a smile showed through her eyes and at the corners of her mouth. She looked at Dn and felt that he was indeed smart.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Moreover, his acting skills were good and praiseworthy. Suddenly, her phone vibrated on the table again. This time, without waiting for Sophia¡¯s reaction, John sat up straight and picked up the phone. After typing the password, he clicked on the new message sent by Logan. This time, it was just a voice message. Logan said in a pitiful tone about how sad he was and that he had waited a long time for Ian and Sophia to be free, yet Sophia had ditched them. At that, John spoke into Sophia¡¯s phone directly, ¡°Logan, we¡¯re really busy today and I don¡¯t know when the event will end. But if it ends early, you cane out and have a drink with me.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 293 Chapter 293 John had automatically answered for Sophia. Thetter was stunned. Her only thought was that the lock screen password of her phone needed to be changed immediately. Ugh, it¡¯s my fault for being toozy and forgetting to change it. Isabelle and Dn were surprised. However, in contrast to Dn¡¯s rxed expression, Isabelle looked rather displeased. Perhaps others might not realise anything, but she was extremely perceptive and knew that John did this to proim to everyone that Sophia was his. Nevertheless, she was also aware that John and Sophia didn¡¯t get along well in private. After all, Mrs. Constance had told her everything. The two of them were getting a divorce. All that was left were their signatures on the dotted lines on the forms. Isabelle was a bit confused now. Mrs. Constance had said that John didn¡¯t like Sophia at all. The reason he didn¡¯t get a divorce before was that Sophia had pursued him all the way when he was on a business trip. As a soft-hearted man, John couldn¡¯t bear to hurt Sophia who had spent so much effort. Coupled with Old Mr. Constance¡¯s request before his death, John thus slightly changed his mind about the divorce. These were what Mrs. Constance told her, and the former had sounded so confident about it. It didn¡¯t sound made-up at all. But what did John¡¯s action imply? It appeared as if he did care about Sophia after all. After Logan received John¡¯s voice message, he immediately made a call. He yelled as usual, ¡°John, John! I forgot that you also have the day off today. Come over here, both of you! Four is the perfect number for me to pull out my new poker table!¡± Speechless, Sophia rolled her eyes in response. John was smiling as he replied, ¡°We have something to do at home today. If you have timeter, we can meet up then. If not, let¡¯s meet up tomorrow.¡± Tomorrow is fine too. Logan didn¡¯t mind it at all. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be all clean and waiting for you tomorrow then. You two muste!¡± John hummed in agreement. Then, he hung up after a few more words. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Right after that, the phone was shoved to Sophia. Naturally, Sophia couldn¡¯t question him right now why he used her phone. After all, they still needed to y along in front of Isabelle and Dn. Just then, Dn¡¯s gaze fell on Sophia¡¯s phone. His tone was still gentle as hemented, ¡°You and Young Master Jefferson do have a good rtionship.¡± Sophia picked up the device and put it in her bag. ¡°Ah, I got to know him through Ian. We share a few hobbies and interests, so we get along pretty well.¡± Dn nodded slowly. ¡°I see.¡± After that, he looked away. Mrs. Constance brought a maid over, who was holding a tray in her hands. When the former walked over and saw Sophia, her face instantly fell. On the contrary, Sophia smiled even brighter. Mrs. Constance paused for a while beforeing over. ¡°You guys have been chatting for quite a long time here.¡± Sophia noticed that there were only three sses of juice on the maid¡¯s tray. Without saying anything, she only looked at Mrs. Constance with a grin. Mrs. Constance rolled her eyes at Sophia and told the maid to put down the tray. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all thirsty by now. I¡¯ve brought over some freshly squeezed pomegranate juice from the kitchen. Come and have a drink.¡± Clearly, none of those three sses was for Sophia. Therefore, she didn¡¯t move and just leaned back in her chair casually. The maid also knew that there was no way to divide the three sses among four people, so she didn¡¯t dare to serve them directly. In the end, she simply put all three sses in the middle of the table. She still remembered thest time how the sulkySophia had kicked her hard. If she somehow offended Sophia again, that woman might do something bad to her. John first reached out and took a ss. He didn¡¯t drink it but merely lowered his head to take a sniff. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 294 Chapter 294 John handed the ss to Sophia. ¡°I have never liked this kind of drink.¡± Turning his head to the maid, he said, ¡°Just give me a ss of in waterter.¡± Raising her hand, Sophia pushed the ss away. ¡°I don¡¯t like this thing either. I¡¯ll have a ss of in water too, please.¡± The reactions made Dn chuckle. ¡°I guess I will drink in water too. Drinking this will just make my throat sticky.¡± Isabelle was a bit embarrassed by now. Sophia was amused. Mrs. Constance should be even more embarrassed than Isabelle. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Without expecting to see this happen, Mrs. Constance was stunned as she stood at the side. At first, she was very upset when she saw John pushing the juice to Sophia. But in the end, Sophia didn¡¯t take it at all, so it was Mrs. Constance who was embarrassed now. Just then, Isabelle raised her hand and took a ss over. ¡°If you guys don¡¯t want any, then I¡¯ll drink all of it. I¡¯m really thirsty. Give me all three sses.¡± Humming in agreement, Sophia looked at Isabelle and tried to suppress herughter. The maid thus hurriedly responded, ¡°Then I will get some water over.¡± After she left with the tray, Mrs. Constance was left standing there by herself. With his usual friendliness, Dn said, ¡°Aunt,e and sit down. Let¡¯s have a chat.¡± There were extra chairs next to them, so Mrs. Constance could just move one over. However, she declined his invitation and turned to face Isabelle. Her tone suddenly became kinder as she said, ¡°Belle, what kind of fruit do you want to eat? I will ask the maid to bring you some.¡± With a smile, Isabelle replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything. Thank you.¡± In response, Sophia slowly stood up and stretched her body. ¡°I think I¡¯d better go to the main building and greet the people there first. I¡¯ve been here for a while, but I haven¡¯t met Grandma.¡± After looking at her, John stood up as well. ¡°Let¡¯s go together. There are a lot of people over there.¡± Since the others were leaving, Dn quickly stood up too. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go over and take a look. I¡¯ve been sitting here for a while anyway.¡± Raising the corner of her mouth, Sophia nced at Isabelle, who soon put the ss of juice down before she finished drinking it. Since everyone was leaving, she couldn¡¯t sit here anymore. She had quite a passive personality after all. Sensing that Isabelle was ufortable, Mrs. Constance pulled thetter over and said, ¡°Belle, stay here and chat with me. I just made some good food. I¡¯ll have the maid bring some over for you.¡± Naturally, Isabelle agreed sweetly. Ignoring the two of them, Sophia directly walked to the main building. The main building was decorated in a very festive manner. There wererge potted nts at the entrance, and the interior was adorned with ornaments too. At this moment, Old Mrs. Constance was seen chatting with four men and three of their wives on the couch. There were tea and fruits on the coffee table next to the couch. Sophia walked forward and greeted Old Mrs. Constance with a smile. Then, she looked at Young Master Owen. ¡°Uncle Owen, it¡¯s good to see you.¡± Seeing that Sophia was being so polite, Old Mrs. Constance quickly beckoned to her, ¡°Come here! Come and sit down.¡± There was an empty seat next to Old Mrs. Constance, so Sophia went over to her. No one seemed to remember what unhappy things had happened thest time they were here. Sitting near Sophia, Young Lady Jennifer looked away after just a nce. Just then, John came over and said, ¡°Sophia went to the shop to overlook the renovation just now, so she came a bitte.¡± Upon hearing the exnation, Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not toote. We haven¡¯t started dinner yet, so it¡¯s fine.¡± William, who was sitting beside her, looked at Sophia. ¡°What did you give us? It¡¯s so big, and even John said he didn¡¯t know what it is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a tea set. Not sure if Uncle Owen likes it. When I saw it for the first time, I thought it looked good. But it¡¯s really too heavy and was ratherborious to move it over,¡± Sophia replied. Knowing that it was a tea set, Young Master Owen was startled for a moment. He liked to drink tea, so there were many tea sets on disy in his study room at home. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 295 Chapter 295 This gift from Sophia suited Young Master Owen¡¯s preferences very much. John nced at Sophia for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly. ¡°I really like tea sets and have been looking at them recently. I want to buy a new set for the office. There¡¯s a cracked corner on the previous set and I¡¯ve been meaning to rece it,¡± Young Master Owen said rather excitedly. Speaking of this, he couldn¡¯t help standing up. ¡°The gift is at my house. I¡¯ll go back and take a look right away.¡± Upon hearing that, Old Mrs. Constance also spoke up, ¡°Then I will go over and take a look too. When the thing was moved off the van, it looked quite big to me. I was curious about what it was then.¡± Although Sophia didn¡¯t know the material of the tea set, she could not deny that it was indeed heavy because, apart from the differentponents, there was also a wooden shockproof buffer box. Since Old Mrs. Constance was going, naturally, everyone would follow. The group of people enthusiastically filed out the main building. At the same time, in the garden, Mrs. Constance was sulkilyining about Sophia before Isabelle . ording to what she said, Sophia was the one who had made a fuss about living somewhere else with John. Of course, she couldn¡¯t say that she had been kicked by Sophia. Therefore, in her narration, there was a dispute between her and Sophia, whoter refused to live with her and forced John to move out. ¡°Didn¡¯t John help you?¡± Isabelle asked while blinking innocently. Unable to speak bad things about John behind his back, she exined, ¡°John did reprimand her, but even he could not do much when she¡¯s being her usual pig-headed self. Besides, the Infinity Group was facing some issues some time ago. Do you remember that? They couldn¡¯t go up against each other at that time, so John naturally let her do as she wished.¡± After hearing what she said, Isabelle nodded slowly. ¡°I see.¡± ring into the distance, Mrs. Constance said, ¡°Yeah, their rtionship isn¡¯t actually very good.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. In that instant, Isabelle gripped the ss of juice while narrowing her eyes. She suddenly remembered the traces on Sophia¡¯s neck. Wasn¡¯t their rtionship very good then? But she had to admit that the traces looked rather brutally inflicted. It was a stark contrast to the initial fiery passion between John and Sophia. Just as Mrs. Constance wanted to say something else, she saw a group of peopleing out from the Constance Residence and walking toward the back. Taken aback, Mrs. Constance quickly stood up. ¡°What are they doing? Where are they going?¡± Isabelle also stood up, staring nkly at Old Mrs. Constance of the Constance Family who was being carefully supported by Sophia not far away. With a kind visage, Old Mrs. Constance was chatting with Sophia as they walked away. They were followed by John, who asionally added a word or two. For Isabelle, this scene was like a stab to her heart. Those were all members of the Constance Family. She was able toe only because Mrs. Constance had invited her. By right, she shouldn¡¯t have attended the function. Not wanting to waste another second, Mrs. Constance said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look at what¡¯s going on. Is there something wrong?¡± She led Isabelle and quickly followed the group. It didn¡¯t take long to get to the house of the Second Constance Family. Young Master Owen went in first. There were many gift boxes in the living room, which were all given by his brothers and their children. Sophia¡¯s gift had really taken up massive space. It was such a big package that caught everyone¡¯s attention in the first instance. Dn went over and opened the package with Young Master Owen. It was immediately obvious that the packaging had been done carefully and properly. After unwrapping it, there was a buffer box nailed with wooden frames. The excess gaps were filled in and cushioned with foam boards to prevent the fragile items inside from moving about. As Young Master Owen slowly removed the foam boards and saw the actual gift, his eyes widened in disbelief. John¡¯s originally casual expression also tensed up immediately. Since he knew a thing or two about tea sets, he was sure that the price of this particr set was astronomical. Turning his head, he stared at Sophia coldly. Naturally, Sophia noticed his stare too. She nced at him but couldn¡¯t understand what he meant by that look. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 296 Chapter 296 Since Sophia didn¡¯t know anything about tea sets, she could only tell that this particr one looked quite delicate and exquisite. The tea setprises a teapot and a few teacups, the colorbination of which was in harmony. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Picking up therge teapot, Young Master Owen held it up to the light for a scrutiny. Just then, William went over andmented, ¡°This teapot looks like it has been around for some years.¡± In response, Young Master Owen nodded. ¡°The tea set is made up of antique fine bone china. There is a tea pot apanied by several tea cups. The whole set looks impressive!¡± John finally saw theplete set inside the box. Standing next to Sophia, John remained silent for a while before he slowly said, ¡°Ian is really generous.¡± When Sophia heard what he said, her smile disappeared. Frowning, she turned to look at John with an unpleasant expression. What does this have to do with Ian? Is this man crazy? However, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to rebuke him in front of so many people, so she pretended not to hear him. At the same time, Isabelle, who had also brought a gift, was standing at the door. For some reason, her gift had been ced on the sofa. Young Master Owen was still squatting on the ground and checking the tea set out. It was apparent that he loved it very much. The sight made Old Mrs. Constance smile helplessly at Sophia. ¡°Your Uncle Owen likes to drink tea and has many tea sets at home. You really understand him.¡± Sophiaughed along upon hearing that. Next time I see Logan, I must praise him more. He is really my lucky star. Just then, Mrs. Constance snorted behind the crowd. Old Mrs. Constance heard it, but she didn¡¯t say anything seeing as it was a happy asion today. After looking on for a while before, Dn walked up to Sophia. ¡°You must have spent a lot of time selecting this gift.¡± The words unintentionally made her embarrassed as this tea set was taken out of someone else¡¯s storage room. She didn¡¯t select it at all. However, given that so many people had approved of her choice, she had to take this truth to the grave. Chuckling, she said casually, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Young Master Owen could not wait to try this tea set out right away. After clearing the coffee table, he ced the tea set on it and brought some water over. Because his living room wasrge, everyone could sit downfortably. Old Mrs. Constance also went to sit on the sofa and let Sophia sit next to her. She kept holding Sophia¡¯s hand. Lowered her head and looked at Old Mrs. Constance, she understood what was going on. Isabelle was here today. No matter what the rtionship between John and Sophia was like, Old Mrs. Constance had to make clear to everyone about her status in the Constance Family on this asion. Her purpose was to make Sophia¡¯s status known to Isabelle and everyone in the Constance Family. For now, Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t care about what would happen between John and Isabelle in the future. What she wanted to do was to prevent the other members of the Constance Family from picking out any faults. Isabelle was still standing at the door. Watching Sophia sitting between Old Mrs. Constance and John, her expression was now calm. She had mentally prepared herself beforeing over today. Based on her understanding of Sophia¡¯s character, that woman was definitely able to embarrass her somehow. This current situation was actually the best scenario she could hope for. Invested in the tea set, Young Master Owen had his wife go bring the tea leaves over, while he started to methodically cleanse all the pieces of the tea set. He handled it so carefully as if he was bathing a baby. Observing Young Master Owen acting this way, Sophia suddenly thought of his past serious appearance. This is very different from his usual self, but I guess it¡¯s a nice change. After a brief consideration, Mrs. Constance pulled Isabelle into the room. Originally, Owen¡¯s brother, Young Master Samuel, was sitting on the other side of John. But when Mrs. Constance came over, he moved away automatically. Together with Isabelle, Mrs. Constance sat beside John. Isabelle leaned toward John with a look of curiosity. ¡°Uncle Owen seems to like tea sets very much. I didn¡¯t know that before.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 297 Chapter 297 Isabelle had actually been to the Constance Residence before. At that time, her marriage with John had just been decided, so naturally she had to visit his family. However, she had only visited a few times before John left her for Sophia. Turning his head to nce at Isabelle, John said indifferently, ¡°Yeah, he likes to study these things.¡± However, Sophia just swept a nce at them from the corner of her eye without saying a word. While pouring the tea, Young Master Owen shared his experience, ¡°I actually had a simr set before. It was also an antique teapot which I liked very much, but I identally broke it. I felt terrible for a long time. Later, I tried to find a recement set for a long time, but nothing could quite match up to it. But this set right here looks good to me.¡± Upon hearing his story, Sophia obediently answered, ¡°As long as you like it, Uncle Owen.¡± At the same time, Isabelle told John, ¡°I don¡¯t know what Uncle Owen likes, so I gave him a lighter as my gift. He smokes, right?¡± John nodded in agreement. ¡°He does. A lighter is a good gift too.¡± The affirmation made Isabelle retract her neck and smile shyly. ¡°I hope he likes it.¡± John then responded mildly, ¡°He¡¯ll like it.¡± The entire conversation was heard by Sophia clearly. It was apparent that Old Mrs. Constance heard it too. Squeezing Sophia¡¯s hand, she looked at her hand. Then, she smiled andmented, ¡°Did you change the ring?¡± Pinching the ring on Sophia¡¯s finger, she turned it twice and added, ¡°Well, I suppose the previous one does look a little too much. It must be very inconvenient to put it on daily. This new one looks simpler and more elegant.¡± Hearing this, John turned and swept a nce across the ring without a word. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Yeah,¡± Sophia replied and curled her lips. As for Young Master Owen, he had finished pouring the tea for everyone. It was fortunate that there were enough teacups in the set. Truthfully speaking, Sophia couldn¡¯t really taste the difference. She was not learned in such matters. Drinking tea, for her, was simply a practical attempt at quenching thirst. Consumed by happiness, Young Master Owen kept praising how delicious the tea tasted after just a couple of sips. Knowing what she had done, Sophia almostughed aloud after hearing his praises. After a while, a maid came over from the main building to announce that dinner was ready. Very quickly, the group of people went back to the main building. Just then, Mrs. Constance called out to John when everyone was preparing to leave. In response, John stood there and looked at Mrs. Constance. Naturally, Sophia pretended that she didn¡¯t hear nor see anything while supporting Old Mrs. Constance to walk toward the door. Standing beside John, Isabelle looked at Mrs. Constance as well. After a deliberate pause, Mrs. Constance began nagging at John on the spot. She was trying to put some distance between him and Sophia. With a displeased expression, Old Mrs. Constance looked back at Mrs. Constance. However, being a stubborn person, Mrs. Constance refused to look at her. Therefore, Sophia supported Old Mrs. Constance and said in a low voice, ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s go.¡± Out of a sense of helplessness, Old Mrs. Constance sighed. Where¡¯s your brain, Matilda? The older you are, the emptier your head is. Sophia and the others walked in front, while John, Isabelle and Mrs. Constance straggled behind. asionally, Isabelle let out a peal ofughter, and Mrs. Constance would also join in. Theirughter was undeniably contagious. Nevertheless, Sophia¡¯s expression remainedposed. If I take this to heart, I¡¯ll probably die of a heart attack. After the group of people flocked to the dining hall in the main building, they found that the dining table was not very big, although it was enough for everyone present. While Sophia and John sat in their own seats, Isabelle didn¡¯t feel quite right no matter where she sat. After some hesitation, she ended up sitting opposite Dn. Now they were all set for dinner. Today¡¯s feast was sumptuous with a variety of dishes, including red meat, seafood, game birds, and vegetables. Old Mrs. Constance then asked the maid standing aside to serve Sophia a bowl of pigeon soup. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 298 Chapter 298 Old Mrs. Constance said to Sophia in a kindly tone, ¡°I asked the kitchen to specially make this for you. It¡¯s good for women.¡± Pausing for a while with the spoon in her hand, she looked up at Old Mrs. Constance. The old woman was rather good at acting as she added, ¡°Drink it. I heard that many women drink this during their confinement.¡± Truly invested in her acting, she turned her head to look at John. ¡°You two should take good care of your body now for future¡¯s sake.¡± Speechless, John and Sophia looked at each other. John¡¯s expression only stiffened for a few seconds before it broke into a smile. ¡°Grandma, you¡¯re very thoughtful.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Staring at John, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°It¡¯s been almost a year since you two got married. There are some things that you two should start nning.¡± Everyone present understood what she was hinting at. Sophia¡¯s expression was a little stiff as she said, ¡°Grandma, about this matter¡­¡± ¡°Actually, Sophia and I have been discussing this matter recently,¡± John interrupted her. ¡°But this is really up to fate, and we can¡¯t force things to happen quickly. In our opinion, it would be great if we¡¯re sessful, but we¡¯re not in a hurry either if we¡¯re not.¡± Upon hearing that, Mrs. Constance stealthily signaled at John with her eyes. What nonsense is that? They¡¯re practically divorced. It would be total chaos if they have a child now! William looked a little surprised, but his thoughts were unlike Mrs. Constance¡¯s. Withdrawing his gaze, he lowered his head and continued to have his meal. After thinking for a while, he finally said, ¡°Personally, I really want to be a grandfather. I¡¯m sure I would be very happy with a little one by my side.¡± Sophia held her spoon, wondering what expression to put on her face. Should I smile, or should I act shy? Old Mrs. Constance looked at Sophia again. ¡°Drink it. It tastes good, and it¡¯s not greasy.¡± Smilingly, Sophia lowered her head and took two sips. The taste was quite good. Clearly, it was well- prepared. His mouth curved up uncontrobly, John turned his head and looked at Sophia for a moment. Although it was rather inappropriate timing, for some reason, he was imagining a tiny version of Sophia eating in the future. On the other hand, Isabelle remained silent as she continued eating with her head lowered. Mrs. Constance could not help but nce at her from time to time. She was truly pleased with Isabelle¡¯s temperament. Sigh, she¡¯s still soposed during such a situation. This is the perfect woman for John! Dn, who was sitting opposite Isabelle, looked up at her and chuckled. He waited for a while before asking, ¡°Miss Bailey, are you settling in well at thepany?¡± Taken aback, Isabelle could not give an immediate reply; she didn¡¯t expect that Dn would suddenly ask her a question. After a momentary hesitation, sheughed and replied, ¡°Yes. I did an internship at thepany before, so I already know how many things work. So, I¡¯m settling in pretty quickly.¡± Mrs. Constance quickly piped up, ¡°Yes, Belle is pretty smart. In the future, she will definitely be able to make a difference to thepany. I wonder who will be lucky enough to marry such a good girl. It¡¯s a pity that our family¡­¡± Old Mrs. Constance red at her coldly and interrupted, ¡°Don¡¯t talk with your mouth full.¡± Mrs. Constance stopped talking abruptly. Although Old Mrs. Constance had rebuked her quite a few times recently, she had always done so in private. Because there were currently so many people around the dining table, it was terribly humiliating to be chastised by Old Mrs. Constance in such a direct manner. In fact, William also felt that Mrs. Constance had gone overboard. This was no different from her forcing Sophia to bring Logan over the other day. Thus, he frowned and chided, ¡°Why do you worry about who Miss Bailey will marry in the future? You should just worry about yourself now.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 299 Chapter 299 Mrs. Constance¡¯s face flushed as her eyes widened to the size of golf balls. Since the other three families at the dining table were not so close to the Main Constance Family, no one helped put in a good word for Mrs. Constance despite witnessing her being reprimanded by Old Mrs. Constance and William. Everyone only nced at her every now and then, as though they were watching a good show. Therefore, Mrs. Constance could only purse her mouth as her chest was heaving aggressively. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t dare to act rashly on such an asion, so she could only swallow all her grievances. Isabelle also felt very awkward in the face of the other diners, although she was not as embarrassed as Mrs. Constance. The entire Constance Family knew that she was John¡¯s initial fianc¨¦e. They had even decided on the wedding date. Everything seemed to develop well until Sophia¡¯s sudden appearance. Everything that had initially belonged to her now belonged to someone else. Following Mrs. Constance, Old Mrs. Constance and William also criticized her, which probably snubbed out the possibility between Isabelle and John. Taking a deep breath, Isabelle looked down at the food on her te. She hadpletely lost her appetite. At the same time, Sophia looked up at Mrs. Constance with a subtle smile. How did this brainless woman marry into the Constance Family in the first ce? Is it possible that Ji Zhu liked bimbos when he was younger? Fully aware that Sophia was looking at her, Mrs. Constance lowered her head in humiliation. John whispered to Sophia, ¡°Hurry up and eat. You have bad digestion, so you need to drink more soup.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. In response, Sophia snorted, but yed along and replied, ¡°This soup is really delicious and nourishing. Why don¡¯t you take a sip too?¡± As she spoke, she picked up the bowl, took a spoonful of the soup and ced it near John¡¯s mouth. This was not her first time doing something cheesy like this, and John himself was already used to it. Lowering his head, he drank it directly from the spoon. He smacked his lips from time to time as he nodded and praised, ¡°Not bad.¡± On the other side of the table, Sophia forced a smile at him. Then, she rolled her eyes at him when no one was looking. John looked at her and smirked after a long while. Seeing that the meal was almost done by now, a maid pushed a cart over. On the cart sat a three-tiered cake. Sophia had always had a sweet tooth, so her eyes lit up at the sight of the cake. Since it was a birthday asion, it was necessary to keep to the tradition of making a birthday wish before cutting the cake. As the cake arrived, the maid was about to cut it into pieces. Sophia hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s your birthday, Uncle Owen. Make a wish now.¡± Young Master Owen hurriedly waved his hand. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need. I¡¯m already an old man now, so there¡¯s no need to make a wish. Just eat the cake.¡± Truthfully speaking, they were just going through the motions of a birthday celebration. None of them actually liked having cake that much. Just then, Sophia immediately stood up and said, ¡°No can do! You only celebrate your birthday once a year, so there is only one birthday wish a year. You must value it.¡± She went around the dining table and helped Young Master Owen up. ¡°Uncle Owen, think about your wish carefully. I will help you light the candles, and then you may make your birthday wish.¡± Young Master Owen stared at Sophia who was busy with the candles, his eyes filled with love. ¡°I¡¯ve never realized how adorable you are.¡± Hearing what he said, Sophiaughed. ¡°I¡¯ve always been adorable.¡± Old Mrs. Constanceughed too. ¡°Honestly, she pleases me more and more whenever I look at Sophia now.¡± While no one was paying attention, Mrs. Constance red at Sophia before she turned to look at Isabelle. Isabelle wasn¡¯t looking at anyone. All she did was frown at a dish on the dining table. After Sophia got the candles ready, she pulled Young Master Owen over and said, ¡°Okay, Uncle Owen, you may make your wish now.¡± Young Master Owen thus took a deep breath. ¡°Okay, then I will make a wish this year. I wish that Dn will find a girl he likes and have his own family soon.¡± After speaking, he blew the candles out. While pping hands with the others, Sophia also wished him a happy birthday. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 300 Chapter 300 But few people reallyughed at the dining table. After all, as everyone knew, Dn¡¯s marriage was another sticky matter in itself. Had it not been for Dn, John and Isabelle would have been together. When John, Sophia, Isabelle and Dn were all present at the dining table, this topic inevitably became quite awkward. However, Sophia didn¡¯t think much about it and just helped to take the candles off the cake. ¡°Uncle Owen, you may cut the cake now.¡± Young Master Owen didn¡¯t feel that he had said something wrong either. He simply cut the cake with a wide grin. However, Dn¡¯s smile had vanished a long time ago, and his eyes fell on Sophia. He was the one who rejected her, so she ended up marrying John. Lowering her head, Young Lady Jennifer sighed silently and patted Dn¡¯s hand under the table. As soon as Dn turned the other way, he saw John gazing at him in a serious manner. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Moving his lips slightly, John could not bear to utter the question in his heart. While observing him, Dn figured out the unspeakable question of his: Do you regret it? For some reason, there were times when even John himself didn¡¯t really know if he regretted it. The conflicted feelings prompted him to recall the past. At that time, Old Mr. Constance wanted Sophia to marry into the Constance Family by bing Dn¡¯s wife. After all, John had already been already engaged to Isabelle back then. Since Dn was still single, he naturally became the obvious choice. However, the n was not approved by Young Master Owen and Young Lady Jennifer for many reasons. The main reason was Sophia¡¯s humble family background. At that time, Dn hadn¡¯t met Sophia yet. He had only heard Old Mr. Constance talk about her and knew that she was an orphan from the rural countryside who grew up with her grandfather. Neither highly educated nor cultured, her behavior naturally could not match up to those socialites. Perhaps her only saving grace was her good looks. After all, Old Mr. Constance had emphasized to him over and over again that Sophia was a beautiful girl. Nevertheless, it was insufficient to just have good looks. Young Lady Jennifer even deliberately told him that after marrying such a girl, he might lose his footing in the Constance Family in the future. Because John was supported by the Bailey Family, it was not worthwhile for Dn to marry Sophia who had neither wealth nor fame. If Old Mr. Constance was in good health, he might favor Dn more out of guilt. Unfortunately, Old Mr. Constance was already bedridden, and the doctor had clearly stated that he was running out of time. Therefore, the Second Constance Family was even more reluctant to agree with the proposition for Dn to marry Sophia. As someone who had always listened to his parents, Dn went to look for Old Mr. Constance and said he refused to marry Sophia, which was a decision made after talking to his mother. Without any exnations, he only uttered five words, ¡°I refuse to marry Sophia.¡± Old Mr. Constance was probably disappointed at the time, but he didn¡¯t me Dn. With a smile on his face, he said he understood the situation. Later, nobody knew what happened to the Main Constance Family, but within two days, John broke off his engagement to Isabelle. A few days after that, the Constance Family began to prepare for John and Sophia¡¯s wedding. It was a very grand wedding. Many wealthy families, regardless of whether they had business dealings with Constance Group, were invited. It was at that magnificent wedding when Dn met Sophia for the first time. She was indeed a prettydy. But it was not enough to make him regret things. It was just a face, and it wasn¡¯t as if he had never seen pretty girls before. But now when John asked him if he regretted rejecting Sophia, he hesitated for a split second. Standing next to Young Master Owen, Sophia was grinning happily as she looked at the cake. It was a really pleasing sight to behold. After withdrawing his gaze, Dn stared at the dish in front of him as well. Young Master Owen cut the cake and ced a slice on a te, then handed it to Sophia. She then turned around and passed it to Old Mrs. Constance. ¡°Grandma, you should eat it first.¡± Pleased to see how caring she was, Old Mrs. Constance beamed and said, ¡°Sophia, you¡¯re such a good child.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 301 Chapter 301 Sophia¡¯s performance was impable today. The Third and Fourth Constance Families usually didn¡¯t interact much with the Main Constance Family, yet now they were now looking at Sophia with rare smiles. Upon receiving the second piece of cake, Sophia passed it to Isabelle. Her exnation was that Isabelle was a guest who should be served first. With an innocent smile on her face, Sophia put the te of cake in Isabelle¡¯s hands and added, ¡°If you are free,e here often to apany Mother. She likes you.¡± These words were equivalent to a p across Mrs. Constance¡¯s face, which sounded unpleasant to Isabelle at the same time. Looking at Sophia acting all innocent, John almost wanted to give her a standing ovation. Had he not known of her ster acting skills, he would have believed that Sophia had no idea of the rtionship between him and Isabelle. Although Isabelle looked a little pale, she still smiled and thanked Sophia. The remaining tes of cake were then passed out in order. The atmosphere in the dining hall was unusually joyous. At first, everyone just wanted to go through the motions of a birthday celebration, but now every single one of them was immersed in the joy of eating their cake. While enjoying her cake, Old Mrs. Constance casually mentioned thepany¡¯s affairs. Naturally, she also talked about the coboration with the Bailey Family. It was clear that Old Mrs. Constance considered the Bailey Family as a partner of thepany and refused to mention their past friendship. Aware of her intention, Isabelle didn¡¯t utter a word unless she was spoken to. It finally dawned on her that her presence here only brought shame upon herself. After chatting at the dining table for a while and waiting for everyone to finish eating, Old Mrs. Constance stood up and said, ¡°Carry on, everyone. I woke up a bit too early today, so I want to go upstairs and rest now. But please don¡¯t mind me and carry on.¡± After saying this, she nced at Sophia. ¡°Sophia dear, doe and lend me a hand.¡± ¡°Oh, sure!¡± Sophia¡¯s voice was crisp without any hesitation. She even turned her head and yfully said to John, ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs with Grandma. Don¡¯te up! We girls don¡¯t want you to overhear our conversation.¡± ¡°Do I still count as a girl?¡± Old Mrs. Constanceughed. Sophia then grinned happily while pleasing her, ¡°Yes, to me you are!¡± As someone good at using her honeyed words, nobody would be put off by what she said. After that, Sophia helped Old Mrs. Constance upstairs and entered thetter¡¯s room. Upon closing the door after her, Sophia looked at Old Mrs. Constance, the yful look on her face vanishing in an instant. ¡°Grandma, do you have something to say to me?¡± Old Mrs. Constance walked over to sit on the bed. Drawing a deep breath, she nodded. ¡°Thank you for what you did today.¡± There¡¯s nothing to thank me for. After all, I¡¯m paid for my performance with John. It¡¯s not like I did all that for nothing. Old Mrs. Constance looked at Sophia. ¡°You are a good girl. You were really wronged when you were living here before.¡± Putting on a smile, Sophia sat down in a chair by the bedside. ¡°It¡¯s alright. John gave me a lot of money for the divorce. I suppose it¡¯s worth all my sufferings in the past.¡± That miserable life onlysted less than a year. I guess it¡¯s worth it in exchange for living the rest of my life worry-free. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. After thinking for a moment, Old Mrs. Constance opened the drawer under the bedside table and took out a jewelry box from it. ¡°Here¡¯s a little something for you. You have married into our family for almost a year, yet I haven¡¯t given you any gifts. Consider this mypensation for you.¡± However, Sophia waved a hand without looking at what it was. ¡°No need. I don¡¯t want it. John has already given me a lot in the past. Although I¡¯m poor and my identity is iparable to yours, I¡¯m not that greedy. If you¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll talk nonsense and ruin John¡¯s reputation in the future, you can rest assured that I¡¯ll do what I promised him.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 302 Chapter 302 Old Mrs. Constanceughed. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to bribe you, Sophia. I just feel sorry for you. John¡¯s grandpa liked you very much, and I should have treated you better before, but I didn¡¯t. I am remorseful for my negligence. If I had stood up for you, maybe you wouldn¡¯t be bullied so badly by John¡¯s mother.¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with you. This is John¡¯s problem. I was bullied because of his inaction. If he could see things from my point of view, things wouldn¡¯t have ended like this,¡± Sophia replied with a smile. Old Mrs. Constance knew that Sophia was right. That John doesn¡¯t have a good temperament. In the future, he will suffer in rtionships. On the other hand, everyone was leaving the dining hall, while some continued chatting about company matters in the living room. John didn¡¯t want to talk about those matters. After all, he had been busy in thepany every day. Now that he finally had a holiday, he wanted to distance himself from his work. Walking out of the main building, he fished out a cigarette case from his pocket. Isabelle came over immediately and stood beside him. ¡°Don¡¯t smoke too much. It¡¯s bad for your health.¡± Turning his head to look at Isabelle, John took out a cigarette and lit it. ¡°I suppose you felt quite ufortable during dinner just now.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s impossible for me to deny it. I did feel a little awkward back there.¡± Isabelle pursed her lips and blinked while looking up at him. ¡°John, I¡¯ve been wondering whether I should ask you something.¡± John replied, ¡°Ask away.¡± Isabelle let out a sigh. ¡°When you went to my house to break off our engagement, did you feel a little bit¡­ Hmm, how should I put it? Did you feel¡­ reluctant about it?¡± There was no hint of sadness in her expression which looked natural andposed. After she finished speaking, sheughed. ¡°I¡¯m just curious. I don¡¯t mean anything else.¡± John seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. This had happened a year ago. If it weren¡¯t for Isabelle mentioning it, he could hardly remember the time when he went to the Bailey Family to break off the engagement. After a while, John answered, ¡°I want to be honest with you, and I won¡¯t lie to you, Isabelle. I really didn¡¯t want to break off our engagement at the time, but it was only because I thought that we¡¯re both from reputable families. If I did so, it would harm you and your family in many ways. Moreover, you¡¯re a girl, so your reputation would suffer greatly, and you might feel humiliated. These were what I thought back then.¡± Isabelle chuckled. ¡°Actually, what you thought was right. I did feel humiliated. It was just like falling in love and breaking up afterward. I felt like I was dumped, which was really embarrassing.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Her tone was so casual that as though she didn¡¯t care about it at all. The atmosphere thus somewhat softened in this way, ¡°So, I¡¯ve always felt sorry for you.¡± John smiled. In response, Isabelle sighed a little, but then changed the subject. ¡°I think you and Miss Gwendolyn have a good rtionship. Mrs. Constance told me before that your rtionship was tense and that you two were getting a divorce. I was worried about it for some time.¡± John raised his eyebrows. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to my mother¡¯s nonsense. She doesn¡¯t like Sophia, so she hopes for us to divorce every single day. But our rtionship is actually still fine.¡± Listening to his exnation, Isabelle forced a smile. ¡°Yeah, I think so too.¡± Then, John turned around and looked into the distance. Letting out a long sigh, he said, ¡°Sophia is just a paper tiger. She¡¯s actually quite adorable.¡± Isabelle pursed her lips and stopped talking. There was nothing she could talk about either. After a while, John heard Sophia¡¯s voiceing from the stairs. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 303 Chapter 303 Sophia hummed a song as she skipped down the stairs, holding something in her hands. Sitting on the sofa, Dn called out to her, ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± With a grin on her face, Sophia quickly walked toward him. ¡°Grandma gave me something good.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s the one giving it to you, it¡¯s definitely a good thing then. Your grandma keeps a lot of good things.¡± William looked at Sophia and smiled. As if she was offering a treasure, Sophia went over and opened the velvet box to show everyone the gift. Insidey a jade pendant. It was emerald green and had a perfect, crystal clear appearance. William was taken aback. Sophia actually didn¡¯t know much about these kinds of things, but she did know that jade was a precious gemstone. Since it was given by Old Mrs. Constance, it must be priceless. Mrs. Constance was not around. After being humiliated at the dining table just now, she had gone upstairs to rest. Smacking his lips, William was thinking about something. If my wife sees this, she¡¯ll probably be mad again. After staring at it for a while, William said, ¡°This jade pendant was a token of love given to your grandma when your grandpa was young.¡± Mrs. Constance had longed for it and wished to own it for the longest time. However, Old Mrs. Constance considered it one of her most treasured possessions and refused to give it away. William¡¯s words shocked Sophia. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner tes. This thing is so meaningful, yet Old Mrs. Constance was willing to give it to me. Isn¡¯t it a bit inappropriate? At first, she had been really happy, but after listening to what William said, she suddenly felt that she should not ept the pendant. Hearing themotion, John and Isabelle walked over together. This was John¡¯s first time seeing the pendant before, so he stared at it and said, ¡°Oh, so this is what Grandpa gave Grandma in the past.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that this is such a precious jade pendant.¡± Sophia nodded as she got a little embarrassed. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll return it to Grandma. I really thought it is just an ordinary piece of jade.¡± Just then, Young Master Owen spoke up, ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to return it. After all, it will be passed on to you in the future. Since she has given it to you now, you should just keep it. There is nothing wrong with keeping it.¡± Upon ncing at the jade, Sophia looked up at John again. John had also been staring at the pendant for several seconds before he said, ¡°Keep it. It will be yours in the future anyway. There is nothing wrong with getting it earlier.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia hummed and replied, ¡°T-Then I will keep it first.¡± I¡¯ll return it to John after I go back home. I can¡¯t keep this as a gift! After closing the box, Sophia carefully put it into her bag, while Isabelle was looking at her back with a stoic face. She had heard Mrs. Constance talk about that jade pendant before. Being a rather gossipy woman, Mrs. Constance had considered Isabelle as one of her own, so she was willing to tell her everything. ordingly, Old Mrs. Constance owned a jade pendant, which was given to her by Old Mr. Constance when they were young. Mrs. Constance really wanted to have it, so she kept hinting at it, but Old Mrs. Constance never gave it to her. The jade pendant, as she described, was emerald green and had an interesting pattern of a dragon spiraling around a pir. Isabelle remembered how she hadforted Mrs. Constance at the time by saying that Old Mrs. Constance probably wanted to keep such a precious thing with her forever. Maybe she would only pass it down to the next generation after she reached a hundred years old. Isabelle told Mrs. Constance not to worry as this pendant would be hers sooner orter. At that time, Mrs. Constance had even said with a smile that when she got it, she would pass it to Isabelle in the future when she herself grew old. Isabelle was quite happy at that time. However, beyond anyone¡¯s expectation, Old Mrs. Constance had casually given this pendant to Sophia. Even if it was to be passed down, it should have been given to Mrs. Constance first. As Sophia put the box away carefully, she let out a sigh of relief. Previous Chapter N?velDrama.Org content. Next Chapter Chapter 304 Chapter 304 Sophia had thought she got something great, but it turned out to be a bomb. Standing up from the sofa, Dn said. ¡°I know too little, so I won¡¯t talk further with all of you here. Please, carry on. We young ones shall go and chat for a while outside.¡± While walking around the couch, he looked at Sophia. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk?¡± Sophia hurriedly nodded and walked toward the door. When she passed by John, she raised her eyebrows at him. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk?¡± John hummed in agreement, then nced at Isabelle who smilingly agreed, ¡°Sure¡±. When the four of them came out of the main building, Dn breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°John is right. It¡¯s terrible to sit there and talk to them about thepany. It gave me a bad headache.¡± Sophiaughed. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re more capable than them. If I¡¯m the one talking to them, I will give them a headache instead.¡± John couldn¡¯t really understand this kind of self-deprecating joke, so he simply watched as Dn and Sophiaughed together. That ufortable feeling rose up in him again. As Isabelle walked over to John, she whispered to him, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn and Dn seem to get along pretty well.¡± John sneered and said indifferently, ¡°So what if they get along? He has missed the chance, and there¡¯s no turning back.¡± Dn was just two steps ahead of them. Hearing that, his body stiffened slightly. Without knowing that Dn had heard it, Sophia looked back at John with a frown and said in disgust, ¡°What are you talking about? Are you crazy again?¡± Despite being someone without a sense of humor, John went along with what Sophia said. ¡°Perhaps I was infected by you after drinking your soup with your spoon just now.¡± However, Sophia was never afraid of this kind of talk. In a very flippant manner, she replied, ¡°But you¡¯ve had plenty of my saliva, and you were fine before. Yet today you¡¯ve gone crazy!¡± Isabelle and Dn¡¯s expressions stiffened. This topic was a bit inappropriate after all. Nevertheless, John didn¡¯t feel that there was anything wrong with it at all. ¡°You¡¯re right. Maybe I had plenty of it usually, so I was fighting evil with evil every day.¡± Sophia snorted. She turned back and then walked off. Curving his mouth upward, John put his hands in his pockets and slowly followed behind. There was no reply from Dn this time. Isabelle too didn¡¯t speak anymore. It was clear that the sexual innuendos were meant for John and Sophia, but those two looked very calm as if they hadn¡¯t said anything. Instead, the other two felt a little bit embarrassed. The four went to the garden again. There were fruits and a tea kettle on the table where they were sitting just now. They were probably brought by the maid just now. Sophia hurried over and took a grape, which she stuffed into her mouth. John went to sit next to her. Frowning, he chided, ¡°You ate so much just now. How are you able to still eat more?¡± Just now, while everyone else had eaten only a piece of Young Master Owen¡¯s cake, Sophia alone ate three pieces. Old Mrs. Constance was so happy that she couldn¡¯t stop smiling. She had probably thought that Sophia was being very supportive. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia furrowed her brows, her tone a little unhappy as she refuted, ¡°Why are you mad just because I ate one grape?¡± John replied helplessly, ¡°You have bad digestion and should eat more meals in lesser quantities. I am just caring about you.¡± Sophia sneered and raised her voice, ¡°Are you really caring about me? You¡¯re just trying to scare me to death.¡± If her memory served her, the two of them were still in the middle of giving each other the silent treatment. So far, they hadn¡¯t agreed to reconcile with each other. Thus, his sudden concern for her was a bit inexplicable. Dn thought that they were flirting. He thus coughed andmented, ¡°You two didn¡¯t interact with each other like this before.¡± In fact, he distinctly remembered them being very polite to each other. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 305 Chapter 305 John was usually very cold toward others. His coldness was often in the form of impatience and disregard. But to Sophia, he was really polite. Although his attitude toward her was better, it was obvious that their rtionship was very distant and formal. It¡¯s definitely not as intimate as what I¡¯m witnessing now! Sophia turned to look at Dn, then nced at Isabelle from the corner of her eye. Finally, sheughed while moving her chair toward John so that she could sit right next to him. Then, she hugged John¡¯s arm. ¡°The two of us are just being affectionate to each other! We¡¯re even more different when interacting in private.¡± Yup, we don¡¯t even speak to each other in private. That¡¯s what I mean by ¡®different¡¯. As John turned his head and looked at Sophia, she leaned her head on his shoulder. From his current angle, he could see her eyshes. This woman actually has such long eyshes. The eyshes fluttered with Sophia¡¯s every blink, casting shadows on her eyelids. Every time he looked at her up close, he felt that he could discover something new about her. Just then, Isabelle took the tea kettle on the table and poured a cup of water, which she slowly took a sip. Looking at Dn, Sophia remembered what Young Master Owen had just wished for. She thus grinned and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to envy us. Uncle Owen has dedicated his birthday wish this year to you, so you will soon find a girl that you like.¡± John smiled as well. ¡°By the way, I heard that Aunt Jennifer is looking for some girls to set up some blind dates for you. I wonder who she has found.¡± All of a sudden, Sophia released John¡¯s arm and leaned forward on the table. ¡°Huh? Do you even need to go on blind dates? With such great qualifications, you don¡¯t need a blind date and can simply marry any girl you like.¡± The words made Dnugh. ¡°I¡¯m not that amazing. It¡¯s not as simple as you think. What if the girl doesn¡¯t like me?¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°How could she not like you? You have excellent qualifications. If she doesn¡¯t like you, then who will she like? Tsk, if I were that girl, and if you asked me out, boy would I agree!¡± Obviously, Sophia was joking, and sheughed at her own joke afterward. However, John who was next to her was startled. His face instantly fell. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Dn was also a little surprised. Seeing Sophiaugh, he too gave a wry smile. Doesn¡¯t she know that what she said gave me quite a rude awakening? Turning his head to look at Sophia, John waited for her to finishughing before he said seriously, ¡°You¡¯d better restrain yourself. I¡¯m still sitting here.¡± Sophia leaned over and hugged his arm again. ¡°Oh, lookie there, someone¡¯s jealous! You know I¡¯m just kidding.¡± Then, she raised her hand and pinched his face. However, she clearly took the opportunity to pull a trick on him, for the pinch was quite forceful. John didn¡¯t dodge either. He just looked at Sophia with a serious face. Initially, Sophia was still smiling, but after a while, her smile vanished. Why is this b*stard giving me such a look? I can¡¯t stand him looking at me like that! Pursing her mouth, Sophia moved her chair away and sat up properly. As John watched her every single movement, he almostughed out loud. She really is a paper tiger. For a long time, Isabelle had been paying attention to their interaction. She could feel the inexplicable romance between the two of them. Women were inherently sensitive after all, and so she could perceive many details that others might not be able to notice. Isabelle narrowed her eyes, lowered her head and continued to drink water. Sophia also stopped kicking up a fuss this time. While sitting there obediently, she held her cup and sipped the water in it. At that moment, Dn broke the silence after ncing at her. ¡°By the way, how is the renovation of your shop?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 306 Chapter 306 After a pause, Sophia looked up at Dn. ¡°The construction has officially started but I¡¯m not sure how long it will take for the renovations to bepleted. I bet it won¡¯t take long since the shop isn¡¯t huge.¡± Dn rested his hands on the table. ¡°What will you sell? Have you given it a thought?¡± The question sparked Sophia¡¯s enthusiasm and she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve done research on the inte and saw plenty of desserts. I think that it¡¯ll work once Robin and I test it out. Honestly, I can actually pick up the rest when I¡¯m in the kitchen.¡± Dn raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Really?¡± Sophia answered seriously, ¡°It¡¯s true! Oh right, you haven¡¯t tried my cooking. Actually, I think they¡¯re quite delicious, if I may say so myself. Just ask John if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± She then turned to look at John and ask, ¡°Am I right?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s delicious.¡± John nodded in agreement. He wasn¡¯t sure what secret ingredient Sophia added in the food but he could clearly taste that it was indeed amazing when he tried it earlier in the dining room. It wasn¡¯t because the others tasted bad but perhaps he was just used to that particr taste. Sophia loved to have guests over so she took the opportunity to invite Dn. ¡°If you¡¯re free, please come over to our house and try my cooking!¡± Staring at Sophia, Isabelle said straightforwardly, ¡°I¡¯m also very curious about your cooking skills, Miss Gwendolyn. If you don¡¯t mind, I coulde along with Dn?¡± Sophia was stunned. She looked at Isabelle, surprised that thetter would say that. She thought that Isabelle would hide from her but to her astonishment, she was keen on meeting her head on. Immediately, she smiled. ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t mind. You cane over whenever you¡¯re free.¡± Isabelle nodded in thanks. ¡°That¡¯s great. I was afraid that you¡¯ll be angry if I show up.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Sophia leaned back on the chair. ¡°You¡¯re the coborating partner of Constance Company, which is also John¡¯s coborating partner, so how will I be angry?¡± With that, she nced at John. ¡°What do you say?¡± John had plenty of knowledge in business but he wasn¡¯t as wise in rtionships. From their conversations, he actually sensed that Sophia and Isabelle werepeting but he couldn¡¯t understand it entirely so he could only make a guess. Sophia was never fond of Isabelle, most probably due to his mother. Yet, he wouldn¡¯t me Sophia for that because his mother always mentioned Isabelle and frequentlypared the both of them. Most people would be unhappy about that. As for Isabelle, when it came to Sophia¡­ Recalling what Isabelle said, he felt that perhaps she sensed the hostility from Sophia so she reacted the same way too as a form of self defence. After all, any normal person would fight back if they were targeted. Therefore, the root cause was actually his mother. After Sophia asked John the question, she stared at him with a smile. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t say anything else so he just briefly replied and agreed, ¡°Miss Bailey is indeed my coborating partner andN?velDrama.Org content. having a meal together is no big deal. However, I think that it would be better if we had it outside.¡± He wasn¡¯t really willing to invite Dn over to their house. There was no reason for it but he just didn¡¯t like it. Sophia replied, ¡°Right, it¡¯s about business anyway. It¡¯s better if we had a meal outside.¡± She then nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not being considerate.¡± With that, she turned to look at Dn. ¡°In that case, you should juste alone.¡± John choked on his words for a while. Sophia must be doing that on purpose, deliberately pretending not to understand his meaning. Meanwhile, Dnughed and agreed, ¡°Sure.¡± After exchanging a few more words, they started to get impatient. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 307 Chapter 307 Old Mrs. Constance was resting whereas Mrs. Constance had obviously wanted to be alone after her pride was hurt. Therefore, Isabelle stood up and excused herself. Since Isabelle wasn¡¯t here anymore, Sophia suddenly felt bored so she bid goodbye to them too. In fact, John didn¡¯t want to stay here any longer as well because there was nothing much to do besides having dinner. These people were not lively and rxed at all so the dinner would be extremely oppressing. Therefore, John didn¡¯t say anything and led Sophia to bid farewell with Old Mrs. Constance. Meanwhile, Isabelle went to say goodbye to Mrs. Constance. The woman was in her room, obviously having cried because her eyes were red. She was even choking with tears when she spoke. Isabelle was speechless when she saw Mrs. Constance¡¯s state. As the madam of a family, how could she not know what was appropriate or inappropriate to say during the meal? Even if she was embarrassed, she shouldn¡¯t have responded this way. How embarrassing it was to sob and wail. After inviting Isabelle into her room, Mrs. Constance asked angrily, ¡°Has Sophia left?¡± Although Isabelle looked down on Mrs. Constance, she remainedposed on the outside. ¡°She¡¯s leaving too and she¡¯s saying goodbye to grandma.¡± Mrs. Constance pouted her lips. ¡°What¡¯s the point of her acting kind in front of grandma?¡± Could that change the fact that she was divorced? Isabelle didn¡¯t want to say much and truly felt that it was a bad choice toe today. After that, she excused herself, saying there were matters to attend to at home. Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t ask her to stay either. ¡°Alright, you may go home. It¡¯s my fault for not nning it well.¡± Mrs. Constance indeed felt sorry for her. Not only did she embarrass herself, she also made Isabelle feel awkward. Despite her own thoughts, Isabelle had always put on a perfect mask. She even smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay; it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Mrs. Constance came over and held onto Isabelle¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re the only daughter-inw that I will acknowledge.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Isabelle only smiled. They then made their way downstairs, only to find that Sophia and John had left. A butler was standing at the side, informing them that he had arranged a car for Isabelle. Isabelle smiled and nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Leaving Constance Residence, she leaned against the seat and let out a long sigh. Knowing that the driver was focusing on the road and wouldn¡¯t pay attention to her, Isabelle finally let her mask drop to reveal her impatience. Her eyes were gloomy and her mood hadpletely changed from before. Sophia truly had her guard up against her and even left without saying anything. How childish of her. After all, the Bailey Family and the Constance Family had coborations in business so no one could stop her from being in contact with John. All at once, Isabelle¡¯s eyes became icy with contempt. Meanwhile, Sophia was bing sleepy while she leaned against the seat. Yawning, she closed her eyes. As they reached a traffic light, John slowly stopped the car and turned to look at Sophia. She was dozing off, her head tilting to the side and making her look vulnerable. He was lost in thought while looking at her. When the traffic light turned green and honks suddenly rang from the cars behind, only did hee back to his senses and continued to drive. The whole way back, Sophia didn¡¯t wake up. After stopping the car in the yard, John got down from the car. However, he didn¡¯t go into the house and just stood there smoking a cigarette. Meanwhile, Sophia jolted awake as she turned her head. She squinted and looked around, realizing that she was in John¡¯s car. She then got down and walked into the house while rubbing her eyes. As she passed John by, she didn¡¯t even spare him a nce. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 308 Chapter 308 After staring at Sophia for a while with a cigarette in his mouth, he smiled. Then, he threw away the cigarette and followed her into the house. Sophia went all the way up the stairs and into her room, proceeding to throw herself onto the bed and sleep. In the meantime, John went into the room as well and stood beside the bed while staring at her. It was noon now and the sun wasn¡¯t shining bright; soft rays of light shone gently into the room. John walked over and sat beside her. Raising his hand, he gently stroked her face. Her face was fair and soft, smooth to the touch. After stroking her for a while, he suddenly realized that his actions were inappropriate. He instantly stood up and left the room, seeming to have turned tail and fled from shock. After John closed the door from the outside only did Sophia open her eyes. She was actually awake when John came in. There was confusion in her eyes, for she couldn¡¯t figure out why he acted that way just now. Meanwhile, John had returned to his room and was sitting on the bed, staring at his own hands. He couldn¡¯t understand what had gotten into him either. After a while, he went to wash his face before lying back on the bed. Since he couldn¡¯t figure out what had happened, he gave up thinking about it and just closed his eyes. On the other hand, Sophia couldn¡¯t get back to sleep. Tossing and turning in bed, she felt anxious for no reason. She truly didn¡¯t like that kind of uneasiness. Her whole life, there had only been one thing that wasn¡¯t in her control, which was marrying John. Even in her wildest dreams, she had never imagined that she would marry him. Therefore, it didn¡¯te as a surprise to her when John suggested a divorce. But now, the feeling of something out of her control had returned. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. When it was about time, Sophia went out of the room. This time, she didn¡¯t go downstairs and went to John¡¯s room instead. After gently knocking on the door, John¡¯s voice came from inside. ¡°Come in.¡± Sophia opened the door but didn¡¯t go in. Instead, she stood by the door. John was sitting on the bed, looking at something on his phone. Sophia asked, ¡°May I ask you something?¡± John hummed while turning to look at her. ¡°What is it? Go on.¡± Sophia continued, ¡°Since the issue of Infinity Group is over, when should we announce our divorce to the public?¡± John stared at Sophia, surprised. The woman then pursed her lips. ¡°I think that we shouldn¡¯t drag this matter for too long since it isn¡¯t beneficial to both of us, especially you. Right now, Infinity Group¡¯s reputation is down the drain so there¡¯s no hope for them. Therefore, I think that this matter should¡­ Well, I think you know it too.¡± The gentleness on John¡¯s face instantly vanished and was reced with a sneer. ¡°Seems like you can¡¯t wait for that.¡± See, he¡¯s at it again! Lately, this b*stard had been speaking with heavy sarcasm. Besides, what did he mean by she couldn¡¯t wait for that? Weren¡¯t they supposed to settle that issue whenever at the soonest possible time? Why did she be the impatient one when she mentioned it? She hummed and continued, ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t wait for it anymore. I¡¯m still looking forward to finding my next love, so please don¡¯t waste my time.¡± ¡°Do you still need to look for one? Aren¡¯t Ian or Dn a ready option for you?¡± John asked her directly. Sophia gave him a half smile, thinking that this man had indeed gone crazy. What nonsense was he talking about? However, Sophia just nodded and said seriously, ¡°Yeap. However, I promised you that I won¡¯t make you feel embarrassed, so don¡¯t worry. Dn is not an option, though Ian is quite a good choice. We¡¯ve even bought our couple rings. After this, everything will go smoothly. Once you announce our divorce to the public, I¡¯ll announce that Ian and I got together. Isn¡¯t that a great idea? Since it will be back to back, people mighte to the conclusion that our divorce is due to me having an extramarital affair. Mr. Constance, no matter how you look at it, you¡¯ll be the one benefiting from it. Therefore, you should hurry and find a time to announce our divorce so I can discuss with Ian on the date of our official announcement. Right after you move out from here, I¡¯ll ask Ian to move in right away. After all, I can¡¯t withstand loneliness at all¡­¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 309 Chapter 309 The words gushed out from Sophia¡¯s mouth like a waterfall and the more she spoke the more fluent it became, causing John¡¯s face to sink with every word he heard. Just as Sophia finished her tirade, John immediately got down from the bed. Before she could figure out what was happening, he ran over and grabbed her chin. With a little force, he pushed her onto the wall out in the corridor. His face was terrifyingly serious and he almost squeezed words out from his clenched teeth. ¡°Sophia Gwendolyn, do you think that you can enrage me?¡± Sophia tried to free her chin from his tightly clenched fingers because it was rather difficult to talk when he was holding her so tightly. However, John was too strong and she couldn¡¯t move her chin at all. After struggling for a few moments, Sophia gave up. She then squeezed the words out, ¡°Why would I want to enrage you? What does it have to do with me if you¡¯re angry or not? I¡¯m just saying what I feel.¡± Grinding his teeth, John remained still for a long time. Sophia then sneered. ¡°Honestly John, Ian is leagues better than you.¡± After a while, John scoffed and nodded. ¡°Leagues better?¡± Staring at her, he continued, ¡°Even in bed?¡± She was stunned because she truly didn¡¯t expect that John would mention that. However, John continued, ¡°Tell me, who did it better? It was me, right? I remember that I always made you¡ª¡± Without thinking, Sophia pped his cheek. John was unprepared and his head snapped to the side from that p. He remained in that posture for a while, though he didn¡¯t loosen his grip on her chin at all. Sophia could only mumble, ¡°How shameless can you be?¡± Slowly, John turned back his head, expression grave. ¡°Shameless? You call that shameless? You must have not seen my real side then.¡± With that, he grabbed her shoulder and forcefully dragged her back into his room. He didn¡¯t even bother to pull the curtains. Pushing her onto the bed, heid himself directly on top of her. Sophia had obviously figured out what John was trying to do. However, she absolutely refused to submit to him. She struggled with all her might, kicking and iling, and scratched at him desperately. She couldn¡¯t stop cursing him to hell and back. ¡°John, you nasty b*stard. Are you short on women? Don¡¯t act like a stud. Get off of me! I¡¯m disgusted by you; you¡¯re extremely dirty! Find Isabelle instead. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s willing to. She¡¯s definitely willing to!¡± To her dismay, the longer Sophia spoke, the more force John used. Men and women naturally had different strength. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t make John budge a single inch. It was only then that Sophia started to be scared. This b*stard John. He¡¯s really a beast when he decides to lose control. Sophia¡¯s hands were held pinned above her head and her clothes were about toe off when she finally surrendered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, John. Please let me go. You can find any woman you like. Ie from a poor family; I don¡¯t have an impressive academic background nor a beautiful face. Please just let me go¡­¡± Catching her breath, she continued, ¡°I¡¯m as boring as a dead fish every time we have sex. Honestly, it¡¯s not even a great experience for you.¡± John paused for a while and finally stopped all his actions. Looking at Sophia, the craze in his eyes from before finally subsided gradually. He slowly ced his other hand on the corner of Sophia¡¯s eye. Although Sophia pretended to be calm, a drop of tear hung at the corner of her eye. Seeing this, John wiped that tear away with his finger. Surprised, he stared at that tear for a long time before asking softly, ¡°You¡¯re really don¡¯t want to?¡± Sophia took a deep breath, looking extremely aggrieved. She hummed then huped. ¡°No, John. I don¡¯t.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Chapter 310 Chapter 310 They remained in that position for a while before John slowly let go of Sophia. He then turned to sit at the side and bowed his head. ¡°Get out.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t even bother to wear her clothes. After getting up and grabbing her skirt from the side, she fled from the room, leaving John sitting on the bed. It was then he recalled the scene of their marriage. It was the conventional kind, where the chief witness recited the wedding vows and atst asked if Sophia was willing to make the pledge. In her clear mesmerizing voice, she said, ¡°I do.¡± However, the very same woman told him in tears just now, ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± She wasn¡¯t willing to and it was actually reasonable. After all, he wasn¡¯t kind to her and she saw him as inferior to Ian. Indeed, Ian had outshined him in every way. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. After sitting there for quite some time, a call came from Logan. Naturally, Logan had no idea what had happened so he asked John if he had settled his issues at home and if he would like to go out for a drink. Only then did John recall what he said to Logan. Logan even asked if Sophia was next to him because he couldn¡¯t get to her. John thought about it and replied, ¡°She¡¯s not feeling well so she won¡¯t be going out tonight. Let¡¯s go out and have a drink.¡± Slightly disappointed, Logan said, ¡°Since Ian and Sophia aren¡¯ting along, it¡¯s just both of us.¡± John closed his eyes. ¡°Right then.¡± Logan sighed. ¡°Alright; let¡¯s go. But is it okay to leave Sophia alone at home? ¡± Standing up, John replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯s asleep. It¡¯ll be fine as long as Ie home earlier.¡± With that, he got dressed and went out. Meanwhile, Sophia sat on the bed in her room and stared nkly at the wall. She was truly terrified by John just now. Although the man wasn¡¯t usually mild-tempered, neither would he lose control that way. Even now, her chin still hurt. Only when Sophia heard John¡¯s car driving off did she slowly bury her face into her palm. The moment John drove away, Sophia¡¯s phone rang. She looked at her phone and saw that it was Ian. He had sent a message. ¡®Sophia, I¡¯m at your door.¡¯ Staring at the message for quite some time, Sophia finally recalled something. Did these two bump into each other when John left? During her earlier quarrel with John, although she initially meant to urge him to announce their divorce, she more or less involved Ian in it toward the end. Perhaps that childish man would vent his anger on Ian when he ran into him because he wasn¡¯t able to get his hands on her. Immediately, she got down from the bed and dashed downstairs in her pajamas. Walking down the stairs, she was relieved when she saw that John¡¯s car was not in the yard. She thought that perhaps John had left and they didn¡¯t meet each other. However, when Sophia walked out of the yard and went to the door, she instantly spotted John¡¯s car parked over there. John didn¡¯t get down from the car, which meant that he was still inside. Meanwhile, Ian was standing right in front of the car. Sophia closed her eyes. Unfortunately, her worries came true. Ian turned and saw Sophia so he walked past the car, heading toward her. ¡°Why did youe out in your pajamas?¡± Sophia opened her mouth but it was a while before anything came out. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°It so happens that I was passing by so I dropped by to see if you¡¯re at home. Logan has been hounding you all day, yet you still didn¡¯t go over,¡± Ian replied. It was at that moment that John finally came out of the car. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 311 Chapter 311 Standing beside the car door, he turned to look at Sophia and Ian, the smile on his face dripping with sarcasm. For unknown reasons, Sophia suddenly felt guilty and uneasy. What she said to John just now was purely out of rage. It was all nonsense; nothing had happened between Ian and her. Afraid to look at John, Sophia could only look at Ian. ¡°I-I¡¯m not feeling very well and I¡¯m going to rest. If everything¡¯s alright, you should go back and rest too.¡± Meanwhile, John took out a cigarette and lit it. Leaning against the car, he bit the cigarette without puffing and set his eyes on Sophia. In the past, Sophia actually once said that she liked him. But that was when they were busy in bed at night, so he doubted that she was sincere. Now, he figured that perhaps it was just something she said out of pleasure and not from the bottom of her heart. Ian turned back and nced at John before raising his hand to Sophia¡¯s forehead. ¡°Why are you not feeling well all of a sudden?¡± Startled, Sophia retreated slightly and yed with her hair. ¡°I¡¯m just a little tired.¡± Ian then leaned nearer and stared at her chin. ¡°Did you hurt your chin?¡± Hearing this, her hand immediately went to her chin. John had grabbed it just now and it was still aching painfully. Sophia hurriedly replied, ¡°It was an ident. If there¡¯s nothing else, I should get back inside.¡± Ian clearly understood that Sophia was avoiding him. Therefore, he didn¡¯t push her either. ¡°Alright then. If you¡¯re not feeling well, you should rest early. Anyway, I just dropped by on my way home.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Alright. You should head home earlier and don¡¯t stay outte.¡± She then added, ¡°You should go first. I¡¯ll see you off.¡± In reality, she was afraid that if she left, John and Ian would get into a row. Fortunately, Ian obeyed her and turned to leave with a wave. As he passed John by, both of them didn¡¯t even bother to nce at each other, instead choosing to ignore the other¡¯s presence. It was only after Ian left did Sophia feel relieved. She didn¡¯t want to talk to John so she turned to go inside the house but unexpectedly, John said, ¡°You and Ian do seem like quite the match.¡± Sophia paused and slowly turned to look at him. He was still maintaining the same posture, looking at her with a faint smile. After a while, she lifted her lips. ¡°Indeed. I came from a poor background; so did Ian. Therefore, both of us are the perfect match. Is there anything else you¡¯d like to add on? Why don¡¯t you get it all out before you choke yourself?¡± The smile on John¡¯s face vanished because that wasn¡¯t what he actually meant. However, John remained silent. After waiting for a beat, Sophia turned and entered the house. Pursing his lips for some time, John suddenly threw his cigarette onto the floor. Out of spite, he turned and kicked on the car door. At the same time, Sophia went back to her room and felt extremely ufortable. She felt uneasy all over but couldn¡¯t pinpoint the exact ce it wasing from. Sophiay directly on the bed, her heart in her mouth. That b*stard John. How blind she was to fall for someone like him? He was even worse than Logan! Although Logan wasn¡¯t reliable, he was actually kind to her. On the contrary, John was just a b*stard. Sophia touched her chin, inwardly grumbling that he almost dislocated it. Actually, there was a moment when she thought that John was trying to kill her because he was truly terrifying earlier. Turning to her side, she closed her eyes. Meanwhile, after John got into the car, he headed directly toward the bar that Logan had chosen. He arrived, only to find that Logan was already there. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 312 Chapter 312 Logan was surrounded by a few women and judging from the way they dressed, they seemed like regrs in the bar. Logan looked delighted, happily joking and flirting with those women. On the contrary, John wasn¡¯t in a good mood and felt agitated just looking at the crowd. With a long face, he went over and got a ss of wine from the bartender. Then, he turned to look at Logan. ¡°Have you been waiting long?¡± Before Logan could answer, a woman beside him leaned over. She held a wine ss and said with a smile, ¡°Oh look, another handsome man came. A friend of Young Master Jefferson¡¯s, I presume.¡± John dodged to the side, not letting the woman make contact. Jokingly, Logan asked, ¡°You¡¯re finally here, John. What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look happy.¡± John let out a breath while looking at that woman. ¡°What perfume are you wearing?¡± He looked mad when he asked that question and those with any sense would definitely understand what he meant. Therefore, Loganughed and said to that woman, ¡°Mr. Constance is not just anybody. He only uses high-end products so he can¡¯t stand your cheap perfume.¡± Then, Logan waved at the women and said, ¡°All of you shall go. Honestly, my head¡¯s spinning from the stench.¡± The women exchanged an awkward look and turned to leave unhappily. Logan then took a sip of wine and asked, ¡°What¡¯s with the angry face? Who offended you?¡± John took a sip of wine too and answered in a dull voice, ¡°No one offended me.¡± He was just annoyed at himself. On the way here, he had actually calmed down. He hadn¡¯t figured out why he did that to Sophia just now and was weirded out by his actions. Logan, on the other hand, had no idea what had happened so he just made a wild guess. ¡°How is Sophia? Is she in a bad state?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine. Perhaps she¡¯s just a little worn out but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine after resting,¡± John replied casually. Logan then said, ¡°I see. I thought that you had a quarrel with Sophia judging from your expression.¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. John froze for a beat before turning to look at Logan. Is it that obvious? After that, Logan continued to joke, ¡°Sophia is a good girl. You should cherish her, John. I actually heard some rumors about both of you but seeing that you two get along quite well, I bet that those are just ungrounded rumors.¡± Logan then raised his hand and rested it on John¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll juste right out and say it: Sophia is truly an adorable girl, especially her personality. If you let her go, she¡¯ll be snatched in no time.¡± After staring at Logan for a while, John said, ¡°Ian and Sophia seem to get along very well. They always¡­¡± Hearing John mentioning Sophia and Ian, Logan cut him off withughter. ¡°I know right? I guess you could tell too, huh? Honestly, I feel that way as well, so I can¡¯t help feeling jealous because Sophia obviously treats Ian better than she does me.¡± John decided not to say anything. Meanwhile, Logan finished his wine and asked the bartender for a refill. After a burp, he turned to look at John. ¡°What did you and Sophia do today? I couldn¡¯t find the both of you anywhere, and Ian and I were left waiting at the clubhouse the whole day.¡± John looked down and didn¡¯t reply. After all, the matters that happened within the Constance Residence weren¡¯t worth rting and it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Thankfully, Logan didn¡¯t probe further. After a few seconds, he continued to say, ¡°You seem to be a bit off today.¡± This time, John replied, ¡°You think so too?¡± He was indeed feeling off and even he knew it himself. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 313 Chapter 313 After a while, John slowly said in a low voice, almost a whisper, ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m out of my mind.¡± The music beside them was too loud so Logan didn¡¯t hear him clearly. It was just the two of them, hence John and Logan didn¡¯t book a room because it would be too quiet. Therefore, they continued to sit there and chat. Logan was never one to let the atmosphere cool down so he brought up all kinds of topics. On the contrary, John wasn¡¯t the talkative type, so he would normally listen to Logan. Time passed as they chatted and drank, and it was Logan who ended up being the first to copse. He couldn¡¯t even speak clearly and he cked out in the midst of speaking. Right at that moment, John felt a hand touching his shoulder. He turned around to stare at the person before smiling. It was a beautiful woman; one who was even more appealing than Sophia. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Seeing his smile, that woman smiled as well. ¡°Hey handsome. How boring it is for two men to drink alone.¡± John straightened and replied to the beauty, ¡°Thankfully, you¡¯re here.¡± In the past, other than the asional remarks he made when in bed with Sophia, he had never said such frivolousments. John knew that he was indeed not in the right state of mind today. These unreasonable thoughts drove him crazy and out of control. The woman gave him a coquettish smile and leaned in. Closing his eyes, John felt thankful that she wasn¡¯t wearing any pungent perfume. Meanwhile, Logan was bent over the bar, mumbling. He couldn¡¯t stop bbering even when he was drunk. That woman¡¯s hand was still on John¡¯s shoulder, slowly caressing him. ¡°Your friend seems drunk.¡± John merely hummed in response. After pondering, that woman asked again, ¡°Do you have other friends to take him away or do you want to leave him here?¡± John raised his eyebrows, pretending that he didn¡¯t understand her. Then, the woman giggled while leaning her body toward John¡¯s arm. ¡°Shall we go somewhere else?¡±The woman¡¯s breath held a hint of alcohol and her charming eyes stared straight at John¡¯s lips. Her intentions were extremely obvious. After looking at her expressionlessly for a beat, John replied, ¡°Alright.¡± It was midnight when Sophia suddenly woke up from her sleep and turned to her other side. She initially wanted to go to the window and check to see if John¡¯s car was downstairs. However, she quickly suppressed that thought as soon as it popped up. So what if he was home or not? Anyway, she didn¡¯t want to see him now. Lying with her back facing the window, Sophia was wide awake. Since things had taken a turn for the worst between John and her, they had no choice but to announce it to the public. But what reason should theye up with? She definitely wouldn¡¯t want to say that she had an extramarital affair. She only suggested that to John out of anger. Anyway, she wouldn¡¯t ruin her own reputation. Even so, she couldn¡¯t say that John had an affair either because it wasn¡¯t the truth. But what reason should they give other than having an affair? Not long ago, she and John had just disyed how much they loved each other. If they turned around and said that they were simply notpatible, it would obviously sound far- fetched. Sophia¡¯s hair almost turned white from thinking but she still couldn¡¯te up with a great exnation. That night, she couldn¡¯t sleep at all. Although she skipped dinner and lost her appetite due to her bad mood, her stomach still couldn¡¯t take it. Therefore, Sophia got up and cleaned herself up before going downstairs. As expected, there was no sight of John¡¯s car in the yard, which meant that he had gone out to have fun for the whole night. Well, this might work. She hoped that he would be spotted when he booked a room with someone. In that case, they would have a reason for the divorce. Sophia then leisurely prepared breakfast. But even after breakfast, John still hadn¡¯te home. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 314 Chapter 314 As such, she cleaned up and went to the shop to monitor the progress. It so happened that Zack was there too. Unaware of what had happened, he was shocked when he saw Sophia. ¡°You didn¡¯t even bother to conceal the dark circles under your eyes?¡± Sophia took out the sunsses from her bag. ¡°How about this? Can you still see the dark circles?¡± Zackughed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What sneaky things did you dost night, causing yourself to be in such a mess?¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°Nothing. I just didn¡¯t sleep well.¡± She really didn¡¯t feel like exining the details. Fortunately, Zack didn¡¯t probe her further. The both of them stood at the door, listening to the noises from the work of the renovation workers. After a while, Sophia took her phone out and noticed she had received a message on WhatsApp. It was from Ian, asking if she was feeling better. Sophia quickly replied that she was fine. Ian then replied saying that he would be going to Logan¡¯s and he invited her along. Looking at the time, Sophia epted his invitation since there wasn¡¯t any serious problem in the renovations and the progress even seemed fast. Even if she stayed, there was nothing she could do to help out. After informing Zack, Sophia took a taxi to Logan¡¯s. However, Logan was still sleeping soundly in the clubhouse¡¯s room. The staff of the clubhouse recognized Sophia so once she arrived, the staff quickly informed Logan. Half asleep, Logan walked out from the room. This time, he didn¡¯t even wear his pajamas, walking out half naked, his hair messy. His eyes were half opened and he stared at Sophia for a long time before recognizing her. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, Sophia.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia was rather disgusted by how he looked. ¡°Logan, what did you dost night? Why do you look like you¡¯ve been tortured?¡± Logan clicked his tongue and said, ¡°You must be joking. I¡¯ll always be the one torturing the others.¡± Bare-footed, he went to sit on the sofa in the corridor,pletely unaware that he looked indecent now. He then leaned back. ¡°John is truly a b*stard. To be honest, I only realized it now.¡± Sophia was stunned, feeling confused as to why the topic had suddenly changed to John. Even so, she promptly agreed. ¡°He¡¯s indeed a b*stard.¡± Logan sighed. ¡°I was drunk yesterday and lost consciousness so he hailed a taxi and sent me back alone. He didn¡¯t even take care of me. What if something happened to me on the way back? How can he not worry about that?¡± However, Sophia¡¯s focus wasn¡¯t on that and she looked at Logan while asking, ¡°Did the both of you go out for a drink yesterday?¡± Logan replied, ¡°Yeah, we went to a bar. I can¡¯t drink as much as him so I copsed on the spot. Yet, he didn¡¯t even bother to send me home himself.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Do you remember what time you came home yesterday?¡± Obviously, Logan couldn¡¯t remember but the clubhouse wasn¡¯t closed at that time and he was supported into his house by the doorman. So, he beckoned the doorman over and asked him. Fortunately, the doorman clearly remembered the time. ¡°It was around 10 at night, definitely before 11.¡± Sophia smiled lightly, her eyes sparkling. It made her look even more lively than usual. However, the laugh that rang out was cold. That meant John and Logan went to have a drink at the barst night but Logan cked out early. However, John put Logan in the taxi alone to send him back while he went to have fun after that. Slowly, Sophia nodded, thinking that it wasn¡¯t bad news. In fact, she started to look forward to what the media would report. Could they really capture evidence that John had an affair? Meanwhile, Logan wasn¡¯t aware of her thoughts at all. After staring at Sophia for some time, he said, ¡°Since you¡¯re free today, I¡¯ll call Ian over while you call your man. Then, we can finally y a game of four.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 315 Chapter 315 Sophia then replied, ¡°Ian will be here soon.¡± That caused Logan to sit up instantly. ¡°Which means that John is the only one left. Quick, call him and ask him toe over now. My poker table can no longer wait.¡± He was obviously excited. While speaking, he suddenly stood up and headed into the room. ¡°I¡¯ll wash up and will be back soon.¡± Sophia quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m not joining. If you want to have a game, invite the yers yourself.¡± With a pause, Logan turned back to look at Sophia, ¡°Hey, you¡­¡± Despite that, Logan quickly went into the room, leaving the door open. Through the door, Sophia saw that Logan took his phone and dialed a number. After a while, the call was answered and it was followed by Logan¡¯s loud voice. ¡°John,e over to my house. It so happens that everyone is free and there¡¯s one more seat left today.¡± While saying, Logan looked at Sophia. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Sophia couldn¡¯t hear John¡¯s reply. At this time, Logan added quickly, ¡°Today¡¯s Sunday, right? You¡¯re not working either. Come on, it has been some time since west sat together and yed poker.¡± With that, he stopped in front of Sophia and turned on the loudspeaker, allowing her to hear John¡¯s reply. On the other end, John said, ¡°I¡¯m not free today so I can¡¯t make it.¡± As soon as he said that, Isabelle¡¯s voice came from the other side, ¡°John, try this. It¡¯s delicious.¡± Logan was stunned. Gaping, he turned to look at Sophia. Although Sophia was startled, her expression didn¡¯t change. Logan stammered, ¡°John, w-where are you now?¡± John gave a vague reply. ¡°I¡¯m outside.¡± That answer was equivalent to not answering at all. After pausing for a few seconds, he continued, ¡°I¡¯m attending to some matters here. Let¡¯s talkter.¡± With that, he hung up. Logan looked at Sophia, his mouth hanging open. ¡°What¡¯s going on with your man? Wasn¡¯t that Isabelle¡¯s voice just now?¡± Sophia nodded, looking innocent. ¡°I believe so.¡± Eyebrows furrowed, he asked. ¡°What¡¯s your man doing with Isabelle? Isn¡¯t today a rest day? They shouldn¡¯t be meeting each other.¡± Sophia even smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either so I can¡¯t answer even if you ask me.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Logan was surprised to hear that. Sophia couldn¡¯t exin to him in detail because things were tooplicated between John and her. At that moment, Ian arrived as well. He rushed up the stairs and the first thing he saw was a shirtless Logan and Sophia, who was sitting on the sofa. Knitting his eyebrows, Ian said, ¡°Logan, put on your shirt now.¡± For Logan, nothing was more important than poker. Therefore, when Ian came, the man immediately forgot what had happened earlier. Instantly, he smiled widely. ¡°Give me a moment; I¡¯ll go wash up first. We¡¯ll just call a waiter over to fill in the yers to make the game work.¡± With that, he quickly went into the room. Ian came over and sat opposite Sophia. After staring at her, he asked, ¡°You look pale. Are you alright?¡± Sophia replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Ian continued to stare at Sophia but didn¡¯t ask anything. It wasn¡¯t long before Logan changed into some comfort wear and walked out after washing himself up. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ve set up the poker cards.¡± Sophia stood up first and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Since she was giving her full coboration, Ian didn¡¯t say anything else. Logan then called a waiter over to fill in. Since he hadn¡¯t eaten, he instructed them to make some food as well. Meanwhile, Sophia sat beside the poker table while staring at Logan. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 316 Chapter 316 Sophia sincerely envied Logan¡¯s happy-go-lucky attitude. On the other side, John was at the golf course. He drank quite a lot yesterday so he wasn¡¯t feeling his usual self today. Isabelle noticed that too and she handed John a towel. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You didn¡¯t sleep wellst night?¡± John wiped his face and said, ¡°Not really.¡± He had checked the sample that Isabelle bought and knew that it wasn¡¯t difficult to supply the products from his side. Both of them sat on the chair. Looking at the widewn, Isabelleughed. ¡°This is my first time here. I didn¡¯t even know how to act. I¡¯m afraid that I will make a mistake and embarrass myself.¡± After a while, John raised his head and looked into the distance. ¡°Everyone starts from zero. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± No one was born with knowledge of everything. They only got the opportunity to learn because they had the conditions to do so. Suddenly, he knitted his eyebrows and thought of Sophia for no reason. She hadn¡¯t seen many things so she was always making mistakes and was frequently scolded by Mrs. Constance in the past. But to be honest, it wasn¡¯t her fault because she just didn¡¯t have the privilege. Old Mr. Constance once told him about the Gwendolyn Family. She and her grandfather must have been struggling to live so they shouldn¡¯t make excessive demands on her. However, he seemed to have only realized that now. After waiting for a while, Isabelle stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I want to try again.¡± John agreed and stood up as well. While both of them walked toward the venue, Isabelle suddenly turned back to look at John. ¡°Does Miss Gwendolyn know that you and I are here together?¡± After a pause, John replied bluntly, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Anyway, it¡¯s not necessary to inform her about this kind of business event.¡± At once, Isabelle¡¯s face froze. She then quickly turned back. A few secondster, sheughed lightly. In a low and gentle voice, she said, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± John let out a breath, suppressing his temper. Actually, he was about to explode in agitation. It was obvious to Isabelle too because from that moment, John didn¡¯t even score a goal. He was obviously not in the right state and asionally, his mind even wandered off. Looking at John, Isabelle wasn¡¯t quite happy either. She thought, Is John thinking about Sophia? Does he miss her so much after not being with her for just a morning? After a few swings, Isabelle decided to end this session. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte; let¡¯s end it here today. Shall we have a meal together?¡± As usual, John didn¡¯t reject. ¡°Sure.¡± After packing their things, the both of them walked out from the golf course. This ce was rather remote so there were not many restaurants around. Therefore, John drove his car and brought Isabelle to the city. Sitting in the passenger¡¯s seat, Isabelle adjusted her seat and smiled. ¡°Can I move my seat? The space is quite tight for me.¡± John didn¡¯t mind so he agreed. ¡°Sure.¡± He drove slowly toward the city. At this hour, there wasn¡¯t much traffic on the road. Therefore, John clearly saw the traffic light that was approaching. However, something must have gotten into him, causing him to step on the elerator instead of the brakes when he almost reached the junction. At once, the car shot forward. Beside him, Isabelle was startled and screamed. At the same time, she turned to the side and fell into John¡¯sp. Actually, even if they crashed into the car in front of them, the impact wouldn¡¯t be serious because they were already very near with that car. At most, it would just be a minor collision. John, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t in much of a shock because he already knew the oue when the car shot out. The car crashed with a ng and stopped after a few shakes, and he let out a deep breath. Previous Chapter All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 317 Chapter 317 In the morning when he went out, he had actually anticipated that he might get into an ident with the state he was in. As expected, it really happened. Pale in fright, Isabelle tightly clung onto John¡¯s arm whereas John leaned against his seat and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± After a while, Isabelle looked up and stared at John. Then, she asked, ¡°Are you okay? Are you hurt?¡± When John unbuckled his seatbelt, Isabelle let him go too. At that moment, the driver of the car in front had got out of the car. Therefore, John went over as well. Needless to say, he had to bear full responsibility for this ident. Initially, the driver looked angry but he saw that John¡¯s car cost far more than his, and all his curses stuck to his throat. It was only after a while that he said, ¡°It must cost a lot for the repairs.¡± John didn¡¯t mind about the cost. ¡°I¡¯ll call the insurancepany.¡± Fortunately, it was his off day so he had quite some time on his hands. idents that didn¡¯t involve any conflict in the responsibilities were extremely easy to settle. They didn¡¯t even need the traffic police toe over. At this moment, John called the insurancepany. However, the ident happened at a junction and traffic began to build up. After ending the call, John pondered for a second before walking to the car door. Then, he said to Isabelle, who was inside the car, ¡°I need to settle things here and it¡¯ll take a while. Why don¡¯t you make a move first?¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Isabelle had finally calmed down so she opened the door and got out of the car. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here too. Anyway, I¡¯m not in a rush. If I leave now, I¡¯ll feel bad.¡± Actually, she didn¡¯t need to feel bad because she had nothing to do with this ident. Despite thinking that, John didn¡¯t say it out loud. Instead, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. Then, he stood at the side while looking at the distorted front of his car, slowly puffing the cigarette. After that, he sent a message to Zack, asking him to drive over to give him a lift. It wasn¡¯t long before the insurancepany arrived. They took pictures of the ident for evidence and upon negotiation, the driver drove his car away to repair and evaluate the damages. In fact, John¡¯s car was still functionable but it didn¡¯t look like it was in a good condition. Therefore, he called a tow truck to tow his car to be repaired. Everything was settled rtively quickly and Zack and the tow truck arrived at almost the same time. Spotting John¡¯s car immediately, Zack was shocked and quickly ran toward John. ¡°What happened? How did you get into an ident?¡± John pinched his brows while saying, ¡°Just send us back first.¡± After that, he got into Zack¡¯s car. Isabelle followed him as well after a nod at Zack. Honestly, Zack was surprised to see Isabelle. ording to John¡¯s itinerary in his possession, John should have no ns for a business event today. Therefore, it was confusing that John and Isabelle were together. However, Zack couldn¡¯t ask that since Isabelle was here. On the way back, he first drove Isabelle home. Then, he sent John back. The house door was shut, meaning that Sophia wasn¡¯t home. John then went inside the house with Zack right behind him. He went straight to the fridge and took out a bottle of water, finishing it in a gulp. Meanwhile, Zack stood in the living room and asked, ¡°Why were you together with Isabelle? Do you have any business events today?¡± John ttened the emptied water bottle and threw it into the trash can. ¡°No.¡± Zack raised his eyebrows but John didn¡¯t say anything else and just turned to go upstairs. While walking up the stairs, John said, ¡°When you leave, please shut the door for me.¡± He obviously didn¡¯t want to talk about it. It was only after a while did Zack leave. Naturally, he thought that what had happened today was just a minor collision and didn¡¯t even cause any casualties. Therefore, it shouldn¡¯t lead to any serious consequences. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 318 Chapter 318 Unexpectedly, news about John¡¯s car ident was reported at noon. However, the focus of the news wasn¡¯t about John¡¯s car ident but the location of the car¡ªthe suburbs. Most importantly, the passenger wasn¡¯t John¡¯s wife, Sophia, but Miss Bailey, the one and only Isabelle Bailey, whom he broke the engagement with. The article was obviously redirecting the readers¡¯ focus because Isabelle had another identity, which was a coborating partner of Constance Company. However, the article didn¡¯t mention a word about that and just addressed Isabelle as John¡¯s ex-fianc¨¦e. No one noticed that someone took a photo of the ident. Through the windshield in front, Isabelle could be seen turning to the side and hugging John when the car collided. The article focused on Isabelle¡¯s action,pletely disregarding the cause of the ident. In short, the gist of the whole article was John, the man who was reported to have an affair previously, was flirting with his ex-fianc¨¦e again behind his wife¡¯s back. Perhaps the public was too boredtely since news of their ident made quite a ssh. It made an evenrger ssh than the previous news when John got drunk and slept with his coborating company¡¯s female subordinate. After all, it was his ex-fianc¨¦e that he had an affair with this time, which added spice to this scandal. Meanwhile, Sophia was still sitting at the poker table. Strangely, luck was on her side today, and she was on a winning streak. That lightened her mood. At this moment, however, Logan¡¯s expression changed when he answered a call. He even stopped ying after putting down his phone. Sophia clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s your turn.¡± Raising his hand, Logan signaled her to wait for a while. Then, he scrolled through something on his phone and his eyebrows to be knitted tightly. It was obvious that he saw something shocking. Ian was sitting next to Logan so he leaned toward him and nced at the phone. He was stunned as well. Sophia was a busybody and immediately stood up. ¡°What are you looking at? What¡¯s with your expressions? Let me have a look.¡± Logan looked up at Sophia. ¡°Sophia, you have to see this, but please remain calm. The media is full of b*stards who love to cook up stories. We have to be careful and distinguish the truth, alright?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Sophia snorted. ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand; what¡¯s going on? Let me look at it. I want to know what the media cooked up again.¡± She then snatched Logan¡¯s phone over. Right on the screen was news about John and the photos. The photo was the one where Isabelle was hugging John intimately without an inch between them. In the photo, Isabelle buried her face in John¡¯s arm so they couldn¡¯t see her expression. On the contrary, John lookedposed. From the title to the content andments, Sophia read all of it carefully, word by word. No wonder she was on a winning streak today. It turned out that another news was waiting for her. As the saying went, ¡®One might fail in love but he or she might gain luck at cards.¡¯ It was indeed true. In the article, John¡¯s assistant came to pick him up in the end. Sophia returned the phone to Logan and took hers out instead, giving a call to Zack. Obviously, Zack saw the news too because he answered her call almost instantly. Before Sophia asked anything, Zack told her that he was at thepany having a meeting now and was finding a solution to settle this issue. However, Sophia didn¡¯t call to ask about this so she asked Zack if he could talk now. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 319 Chapter 319 Zack immediately understood and told her to wait for a second. Then, Sophia heard the noises of a chair scraping and footsteps. Atst, the surroundings became extremely quiet. Zack finally said, ¡°You may speak now. No one is around.¡± Sophia then asked, ¡°Did you go to the scene of the ident today to pick John up?¡± On the other side, Zack pursed his lips because he had guessed what Sophia wanted to ask. Therefore, he answered bluntly, ¡°Yes, I went to fetch him. Isabelle was there too and they were indeed together. However, I can guarantee that nothing happened between them, Sophia. When they saw me, they looked calm so I believe that they didn¡¯t do anything untoward.¡± Actually, Sophia wasn¡¯t surprised that Isabelle and John were together. After all, she heard Isabelle¡¯s voice over the phone before that. However, she thought that John and Isabelle met at Constance Residence or somewhere in the city. She didn¡¯t expect them to go to the suburbs. What were they doing there? Now, she began to feel curious as to where they went. Could it be that they truly slept together? After all, it was somewhat fishy that John and Isabelle rushed from the suburbs to the city this afternoon, especially when John didn¡¯t return homest night. If that was the case, it would truly be a scandal. Besides, this incident happened when she was cooking up an exnation for the public for why she and John were divorcing. Now, she felt that reality had handed her an exnation on a silver tter. Zack wasn¡¯t sure of the ins and outs either so he didn¡¯t know why John and Isabelle went to the suburbs since it wasn¡¯t on John¡¯s itinerary. Right now, he was worried about how thepany would exin the situation between John and Isabelle to the public. Judging from the current situation, it seemed that the public wouldn¡¯t be convinced no matter what they said. Besides, they had obviously been trapped. It was impossible that the media coincidentally happened to follow them to the suburbs and managed to take a photo the moment their car collided. No matter how they thought about it, it was highly unlikely. Besides, there was currently arge troop of hiredmenters, controlling the direction of the discussion on the inte. Therefore, there must be something or someone behind this incident. That meant any simple exnation wouldn¡¯t work. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. After a while, Sophia smiled. ¡°Alright, I got it. I¡¯ll let you get back to your work.¡± As soon as she hung up the call, Logan propped his head beside her and asked, ¡°How is it? What did the assistant say? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything between John and Isabelle. After all, John obviously doesn¡¯t feel anything toward her.¡± Sophia stood up, knowing that the poker session hade to an end. However, she still extended her hand. ¡°Come on. You guys should pay up.¡± Logan then scoffed, ¡°Tsk, only you would think about money at a time like this.¡± Sophia red at him. ¡°Give me the money now. It¡¯s no use trying to persuade me otherwise.¡± She only collected money from Ian and Logan. As for the waiter, she didn¡¯t take money from him because he was just a fill-in. After pocketing the money, Sophia stood up. ¡°I have urgent family matters to attend to so I¡¯ll go home now. Let¡¯s have a game again when we¡¯re free.¡± She looked like she didn¡¯t mind about what the inte said at all so Logan was a little relieved. He felt that this incident was just some fun made by the media and it wouldn¡¯t cause any significant effect. Meanwhile, Sophia hailed a taxi and returned home but John wasn¡¯t home yet. Walking around the house, she felt that there were no changes in the living room and she couldn¡¯t decide if John had been back or not. She then went upstairs, returning to her room. After that, she took out her phone and without needing to search, John¡¯s news popped up. Among the local gossip, eight of the first ten articles were about John. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 320 Chapter 320 Recently, it seemed as though everyone¡¯s life was getting boring, which was why they would nitpick on everything that happened. It was the same for Sophia who had nothing on her hands, so she read through all the news including thements. The news reports were all along the same line, either saying that John cheated or he was just being dishonest. In thements section, some mentioned that John and Isabelle might truly be in love, while others said that John was just a dishonest person to begin with and maybe the rumors on Infinity Group before might also be true. In conclusion, thements toward John were not kind at all. After spending half the day looking through thements online, Sophia thought of refuting them anonymously but she had no idea what to say. So she dropped the idea, threw her phone to the side andy on her bed. Yesterday, she didn¡¯t sleep well and she was actually dozing off now. From the looks of it, it seemed that she hadpletely given up on her rtionship with John. She dozed off and slept until the early evening, when she was woken by hunger. Scrambling out of bed in a daze, she went downstairs into the kitchen and prepared something she thought to be the most convenient¡ªboiled dumplings. A second after she plopped the dumplings into boiling water, John returned home. Sophia looked outside and saw that he had changed his car again. What a rich man indeed, she thought to herself. But having said that, it seemed that she would have a new subject soon. When she received her driving license, she would also be a car owner. Seeing that he wasing in the direction of the living room after getting out of the car, she quickly averted her gaze and kept her attention on the dumplings in the pot. The moment John stepped in, he saw her and stared for a while, seeing that she seemed to be in a rather good mood and was even singing. He heard from Zack saying that she had called him to ask about the news on the Inte, so it really looked as though she wasn¡¯t affected by this incident at all. No matter who he was with or where he went, she didn¡¯t seem to mind. Sneering with that thought, he then went upstairs. After the dumplings were done, Sophia went to the dining room to eat and had barely finished half of it when she heard another car pulling up. Rushing out to see who it was, she saw that it was William and Mrs. Constance hade over this time, and they both didn¡¯t look very pleased. Sophia waited at the door and when William came in, she greeted him politely, ¡°Hello, Mr. Constance.¡± Nodding in acknowledgement, William had an uneasy look on his face, probably because he was ashamed of what had taken ce. Without greeting Mrs. Constance, Sophia turned around and went back into the dining room. Meanwhile, Mrs. Constance couldn¡¯t be bothered as well and she went straight upstairs with William. ¡°What brings the both of you here?¡± John asked as he stood at his bedroom door. It was Mrs. Constance who spoke first, ¡°Why do you think we¡¯re here? Now that things have gotten to this stage, of course we¡¯re here to discuss with you how you would like to resolve this matter.¡± Spinning around, John went into his bedroom and said, ¡°I told you I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you before that the issue with Infinity Group was no longer a problem and that you should just find a chance to announce it, but you didn¡¯t heed my words. Look what happened now,¡± Mrs. Constance chided as she followed him in and sat on the bed. William sounded solemn when he spoke, ¡°So how do you n to settle this now? I just came from the company and although your uncles didn¡¯t say much about it, I could tell that they aren¡¯t too happy about this since it affects thepany as well. Therefore, I hope that we can put this matter to rest as soon as possible.¡± Pursing her lips, Mrs. Constance watched as John kept mum for a long while. Her heart itched to say something. To her, this was a good opportunity to publicly announce that his marriage with Sophia had come to an end and also announce the matter with Isabelle at the same time. Previous Chapter Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 321 Chapter 321 We¡¯ll be able to hit two birds with one stone, she concluded silently. Spinning her head, she peered at the bedside table which had its lower drawer slightly open. With just a look, she could tell immediately what was inside. Opening the drawer slowly, she revealed the divorce certificate and agreement in it. Her eyes scanned over it and she knew what she should do next. A little irritated, John went over to the window and lit up a cigarette. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this matter, but the direction of the news online is unclear now, so I need to wait a little more.¡± Striding over to him, William said, ¡°I¡¯ve instructed people to find out if there¡¯s anyone behind this. If this was nned¡­¡± Watching the both of them closely, Mrs. Constance reached out and took the papers out of the drawer. In a swift move, she quickly stuffed them into her handbag and stood up. Pretending to look around, she then walked to the bathroom entrance. ¡°Oh, so this is the bathroom,¡± she said and went in. Both the men didn¡¯t think much of it. John offered William a cigarette as they both stood by the window and discussed this incident on the Inte. As the news hade out all of a sudden, it was hard to tell which media was the first to report it and that made the investigation a little tricky. While they were deep in discussion, Mrs. Constance came out and walked around the room before returning to the bed and slipping the papers back into the drawer. Then, she pushed the drawer closed and smirked, feeling relieved in her heart. It didn¡¯t matter to her what the men were discussing now, soN?velDrama.Org content. she went out to the top of the staircase on the second floor, where she could see Sophia watering the flowers in the yard. Sneering silently, she thought, Good for her, looking as though nothing happened. Well, since this incident is obviously unfavorable for John, of course she¡¯s happy about it. In the yard, Sophia stretched her arms and legs after watering the nts. As she stared at the car John drove back, she began toment on what a different life the rich were living. The ident was in the afternoon and the new car already arrived before evening. People really shouldn¡¯tpare themselves to others, shemented. Just then, she heard noises and saw that Mrs. Constance hade downstairs. Initially, she wanted to ignore her, but something suddenly popped into her mind. This house now belonged to Sophia. No matter if John would give it to her after the divorce, it was still hers for now. Unable to stand watching Mrs. Constance acting all arrogant on her turf, she turned around and went into the living room. Mrs. Constance had already settled onto the couch and turned on the TV with the remote control. The way she made herselffortable looked as though she had regarded herself as the mistress of the house. Upon seeing Sophia, Mrs. Constance spoke to her nonchntly, ¡°My son¡¯s house must befortable to live in, isn¡¯t it?¡± With a smirk, Sophia shot back, ¡°The couch in my house isfortable, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mrs. Constance paused, an unpleasant look on her face. Frowning, she scoffed, ¡°You should know how you got this house. If It wasn¡¯t for John¡¯s generosity, you would have nothing at all.¡± Striding over and taking a seat on the arm of the couch, Sophia countered, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me ying along, John¡¯s reputation would be down the drain.¡± When it came to a verbal fight, Mrs. Constance was no match for Sophia and she knew fairly well that she had suffered several times in Sophia¡¯s hands before this. Gritting her teeth, Mrs. Constance stood up andshed out, ¡°Sophia, don¡¯t be too smug. As this matter has cropped up, we¡¯ll announce publicly that you have nothing to do with our family anymore. From now on, you should stop using our family name to make yourself look good.¡± Laughing out, Sophia talked back to her, ¡°I¡¯d like to see just how you all will settle this matter, and you better note to me begging for help again.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 322 Chapter 322 ¡°Beg you? Dream on,¡± Mrs. Constance sneered as though she had heard a joke. Sophia smacked her lips and nodded. ¡°Alright, I would like to see what tricks you guys cane up with.¡± The sight of Sophia¡¯s smug face infuriated her so much that she found it unbearable to be in the same room as her. Turning around, she stomped upstairs and burst into John¡¯s room. ¡°Let¡¯s go home now. If John has anything else to say, he can tell us back there. I can¡¯t stand another minute of this ce,¡± she said to William with a disgusted look on her face. The men turned to look at her and could guess what happened after she went downstairs¡ªshe must have been snubbed by Sophia again. A little annoyed, William said directly to her without minding John at the scene, ¡°I can¡¯t help but ask, why do you keep finding trouble with Sophia? You know very well that you¡¯re no match for her, yet you still want to make your own life miserable.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? It¡¯s Sophia who is unpresentable but still wants to cling onto our family,¡± Mrs. Constance sulked. William frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense. Sophia never clinged onto our family. It was us who needed her help with the issue before.¡± Tired of this conversation, John said with exasperation, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Just go home now if you want to. It¡¯s getting dark soon and it won¡¯t be safe to travel, so it¡¯s fine if you return earlier.¡± Sighing helplessly, William said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go home.¡± By the time they went downstairs, Sophia had probably returned to her room as they didn¡¯t see her around. After sending them off, John went back into the house and stopped outside her room for a second when he passed by. He only paused to stare for a couple of seconds and then went back to his own bedroom. When William reached home with his wife, they were met with Old Mrs. Constance sitting downstairs with an unhappy look on her face. In fact, everyone knew the reason behind it as the matter had blown up and many people were now getting involved. John¡¯s news was already considered a blizzard in town. ¡°Mom, why are you sitting here?¡± William asked when he stepped in. She shot him a look and replied, ¡°The Baileys called earlier asking how we¡¯re nning to resolve this matter because they want to make a statement as well.¡± Being dragged into this incident, the comments on the Inte about Isabelle were not very kind, either. No matter if they were in love or not, everything had to be set aside in the face of marriage. Even if they were madly in love, they could only be together after the man had solved the problem in his marriage. By going on a date sneakily, it went to show that the woman did not particrly have good character regardless of who the man was. Thus, the Baileys were rather unhappy as they felt that Isabe¡¯s reputation was affected. Still, it remained a debatable topic on who was the one who got the other implicated. Old Mrs. Constance was waiting for William to discuss if they should have a unified saying with the Baileys to the public. Hearing that, an idea popped into Mrs. Constance¡¯s mind and she went upstairs after saying her greetings. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. While they ignored her, she fished out her cell phone out after locking the bedroom door. In her cell phone were pictures of the divorce certificate and important contents of the divorce agreement between John and Sophia. Feeling as though she was about to do something great, excitement bubbled up inside her as she went through the pictures. As she disliked Sophia, she had been sleepless for the past few nights, thinking of ways to persuade John to announce his divorce with Sophia to the public. Only when John had reinstated his single status could she match him with Isabelle. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 323 Chapter 323 Otherwise, Old Mrs. Constance would keep showing her displeasure and she had had enough of that for the past few days. Especially when she recalled how Sophia stole the limelight during Young Master Owen¡¯s birthday party, she was even more unhappy and wanted to kick her out of the Constances badly. After looking at the pictures for a long while, she then made a call to Isabelle. When Isabelle picked up the call, her nasal sound was thick. Surprised, Mrs. Constance asked, ¡°Belle, are you crying?¡± Sniffling, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mrs. Constance. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Mrs. Constance sighed, feeling sorry for her and consoled, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Belle. I have something to show you which will definitely make you happy. The issue this time is not a problem at all and will be settled very soon. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Isabelle asked in doubt. She chuckled and said, ¡°Hang on, I¡¯ll send it to you right now. I¡¯m sure this is what you would like to see.¡± Without hanging up the call, she sent her the pictures she just took. Isabelle probably had received the pictures as she was silent all of a sudden. Delightfully, Mrs. Constance started speaking again, ¡°Take a look, Belle. John and Sophia are actually already divorced and they even have the certificate. So it¡¯s normal even if there¡¯s anything between you and John.¡± Still, Isabelle didn¡¯t say anything, but Mrs. Constance knew that she must be stunned. After all, she was the one who had lied to her saying that John and Sophia were missing the finishing touch and still legally husband and wife. Now, she was telling her that they were actually divorced and it only made sense that Isabelle needed time to take this all in. With a sigh, she slowly exined to her the matter with Infinity Group and the reason why John didn¡¯t want to announce his divorce with Sophia. There were no emotional attachments involved, and they were merely afraid that his reputation would be ruined if that issue blew up. ¡°It¡¯s alright now since the matter with Infinity Group is already over. We can announce that they¡¯re divorced now and the both of you can get together. See, it¡¯s not such a big deal after all,¡± Mrs. Constance concluded optimistically. Isabelle hesitated for a long while before asking, ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Of course. This is the best for all of you,¡± she replied with augh. Although Isabelle didn¡¯t say anything, she knew that Mrs. Constance hadn¡¯t thought through the situation at all. The matter now wasn¡¯t something that could be resolved with just a divorce certificate and if it was exposed, the matter with Infinity Group would be easily brought up again. ¡°There are people on the Inte calling you the third party, aren¡¯t there? You should publish this and show them that you¡¯re not, and that you and John are in love,¡± Mrs. Constance continued. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. With pursed lips, Isabelle thought about it before saying, ¡°This should actually be announced by John. I can¡¯t act on my own because he wouldn¡¯t be pleased about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± Mrs. Constance replied without thinking. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that won¡¯t happen,¡± she assured, totally unaware of the situation. Isabelle only told her that she would think about it before hanging up the call. Isabelle then locked herself in her bedroom and sat on her bed, contemting while she stared at the pictures on her cell phone. The date the divorce certificate was issued could be clearly seen from the pictures. It was before the incident with Infinity Group and before John went on the business trip. She knew that it was definitely not a good time for John¡¯s divorce to be made known because the news that she might be secretly dating him had just been leaked. What would people think if he announced his divorce now? Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 324 Chapter 324 They would easily connect it to the matter with Infinity Group and nobody would believe anything Sophia had said on his behalf. They would only think that she merely said that to save John¡¯s ass. Moreover, right after the divorce, John was already getting involved with a female employee at a party. No matter what the truth was, the people would probably be inclined to believe the words of the female employee. She closed her eyes, feeling a little undecided, but the fact that John had been divorced for a long time now had truly shocked her. So who gave Sophia the guts to show off in front of me before this? she recalled, jumped out of bed and went downstairs to the living room where her family members were. Descending the staircase chuckling, she said, ¡°I have something to tell you and I would like to ask your thoughts about what I should do about it.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey, who was downstairs, was surprised at her words, but his tightly knitted brows began to rx. ¡ª In the meantime, Sophia wasying on her bed when Ian sent a text to her,forting and telling her not to be upset. Touching her own chest, she felt that she was now already numb from pain. Maybe her chest was filled with love in the past, but there was probably nothing left now. She rolled over and replied to his text. Right after she hit ¡®send¡¯, Logan called her. Furrowing her brows, she knew that Logan loved to poke his nose into people¡¯s business, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that he would be calling her now. She picked up his call and said, ¡°Are you calling to console me? There¡¯s no need for that because I¡¯m doing quite well.¡± ¡°No, Sophia. Listen to me, I have something to tell you,¡± he said in a serious tone which was unlike him. After hearing an acknowledgement from her, he continued, ¡°My sis has some connections with the media and I called her today after John¡¯s news was reported. I asked her to find out if any more news would be published by the media after this, and just now, she said that the media received new information. Do you want to take a look at it?¡± Although she was surprised, she still chuckled and agreed, ¡°Sure, what is it and what¡¯s up with you? Is this information so shocking that you have to use such a tone?¡± Sighing, he said, ¡°I¡¯m sending it to you now. You should take a look at it first.¡± A few seconds after he hung up, she received his texts which were all pictures. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Opening the pictures, she was surprised at first nce, but she grinned after taking a closer look. Then, she called him back and he picked it up without any dy. Apparently, he didn¡¯t believe the pictures to be real and even said, ¡°These aren¡¯t real, are they? How could you be divorced with John? Look at the date! It¡¯s obvious this happened a long while ago. I¡¯ve told my sis to withhold this information. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t let these fake news leak out to the public.¡± ¡°I would like to know where these pictures came from and who sent it to the media,¡± she said instead. She caught him by surprise with these questions because he had never thought about it. ¡°Hang on, I¡¯ll ask around because I didn¡¯t think of it.¡± After hanging up, she wriggled out of bed and went straight to John¡¯s room, but saw that he wasn¡¯t there after she pushed open his door. She then went downstairs and saw him in the yard. Standing at the entrance of the living room, she watched his back and thought about the divorce certificate in the pictures which belonged to him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 325 Chapter 325 The pictures must have been leaked out from him. You¡¯re a scumbag and a jerk, John, just as Logan said before, she cursed silently. Before this, you said that you would let mee up with a reason for the divorce when it¡¯s announced, and now you want to leak this out secretly at this critical moment and find a saying which suits your interest? That¡¯s so insidious. She never thought that he was such a person and she even trusted his character so much before this no matter what. Momentster, John turned around and saw her. ¡°Is anything the matter?¡± he asked, expressionless. ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°Come over here. I have something interesting to show you which I¡¯m sure will make youugh.¡± Even though he frowned, he still went over to her. Holding up her cell phone, Sophia passed it to him and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to exin to me why you didn¡¯t even inform me before you did this? Do you want me to find out that you¡¯ve stabbed me behind my back only after the news had spread all over town?¡± In the beginning, John didn¡¯t see clearly what it was after taking her cell phone over, but his face immediately changed after a couple of seconds. He stared at it until Logan called again. He had seen that the sender of the pictures was Logan, so he picked up the call straight away and even put it on loudspeaker mode. With a sneer, Sophia asked, ¡°What is it, Logan?¡± Logan babbled a little and it was obvious that he found it hard to tell her the news, so she repeated, ¡°Can you find out where these pictures came from?¡± Finally, he sighed and answered, ¡°Yeah, I found out that these pictures were sent to the media by the Constance Family.¡± Almost instantly, Sophia burst intoughter and said, ¡°So my guess was right.¡± As John frowned with a bitingly cold look on his face, she took the phone from him and thanked Logan, ¡°Thanks for this, Logan. I¡¯ll buy you a meal someday.¡± With that, she hung up. In huge strides, John went back to his bedroom upstairs and opened his drawer to find that the divorce certificate and agreement were still there. He took them out and looked through it, then something crossed his mind. Tightening his jaw in annoyance, he ced them down and immediately made a call to William at the Constance Residence. Still in his study, William wasn¡¯t surprised that John was calling because he thought he wanted to discuss the issue on the Inte with him. Thus, he sounded calm when he picked up the call. ¡°Have you thought about what to do? The public rtions department has sent us a few draft statements, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re that good after taking a look. Would you like to go through them?¡± ¡°No need for that,¡± John declined. ¡°But I would like to ask you for a favor, Dad. Ask Mom if she sent the media pictures of my divorce certificate and agreement which she took in secret. I don¡¯t want to be the one to ask her this because I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll blow my top, so please help me.¡± Stunned, William asked, ¡°What did you say? What did she take pictures of and even sent to the media?¡± Shutting his eyes, John repeated, ¡°Please ask her if she was the one who did it.¡± Springing up from his seat, William agreed, ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± After William hung up the call, John held his cell phone in his hand and contemted for a long while before going downstairs again. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Seated on the couch watching TV, John didn¡¯t know what programme Sophia was watching but bouts ofughter could be heard from it, and she was smiling along as well. Just one nce at her was enough to make him feel like all his energy had been sapped out of his body. It seemed like she wasn¡¯t the least bit bothered at all. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 326 Chapter 326 Standing at the top of the staircase, John thought for a while but decided to return to his room in the end while Sophia remained on the couch. However, the more sheughed, the harder it was to continue, and she finally stopped. What¡¯s so funny? It¡¯s not funny at all, she thought as she leaned into the couch and let out a sigh with a nk look on her face. If the news was released by someone from the Constance Residence, then I have an idea who it might be. From the way John reacted earlier, it seems as though he didn¡¯t know about this. It¡¯s as good as announcing it to the world if Mrs. Constance gets her hands on something like this. It looks like our divorce is destined to be announced publicly soon. That¡¯s nice. I¡¯ll finally live a peaceful life. Not knowing what the TV show was about, she watched it for a little longer with disinterest and finally turned it off when she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Just as she switched off the TV, John came rushing down the staircase, bolted out the door and drove off without even ncing at her once. Barely a few seconds passed and he was already out the door. Raising an eyebrow, she wondered out loud, ¡°Did he have an argument with his parents?¡± That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case because he appeared to be dashing off in a rush rather than in anger after an argument. She brooded over it for a long while on the same spot but couldn¡¯te to a conclusion. Atst, she decided to go upstairs and rest for the night. No matter what they chose to do about this matter, it wouldn¡¯t involve her since she was the most pitiable person in the whole incident. While Sophiay in bed, John was driving at a high speed after he received a call from the Constance Residence, saying that Mrs. Constance was making a scene at home and even threatening to take her own life. It was actually Old Mrs. Constance who had made the call, soundingpletely helpless. She was also hopping mad when she found out that Mrs. Constance had secretly taken pictures of John¡¯s divorce certificate. ording to her, when William questioned her about it, she didn¡¯t feel that she had done anything wrong and even told him frankly that she had sent the pictures to the media and the Baileys. Soon, the news would be reported and then Isabelle and John could be together. This moment was probably when William realized that Mrs. Constance was actually a huge blockhead who had no ability to think at all. Overwhelmed with anger, William lost control and pped her. Having been married for almost thirty years, William had never even spoken to her harshly before, let aloneying a finger on her. Coupled with the fact that Mrs. Constance had been spoiled for decades, it was only natural that she couldn¡¯t ept being pped and immediately made a huge scene. From upstairs all the way to downstairs, she kept saying that she wanted to end her life. Already fed up and frustrated with her recently, Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t really want to deal with her while William remained upstairs as he was still mad at her. All alone downstairs, Mrs. Constance stomped and jumped around in an attempt to make a scene and Old Mrs. Constance finally called John for help because she saw no end to her tantrum and found her to be a bother. Both she and William really wanted to wash their hands of her this time. After John learned of the situation, he felt helpless as well because he knew how unreasonable his mother could get. Before this, Mrs. Constance was afraid of Old Mr. Constance and even when she squabbled with William, she wouldn¡¯t dare to make a big deal out of it. After all, Old Mr. Constance was a retired soldier and carried a valorous air which naturally daunted her. But now that he was no longer around, nobody could control her and she didn¡¯t care to stop. Since it was night time, there weren¡¯t many cars on the road so he was able to reach Constance Residence quite quickly. Before he even went through the door, he could already hear Mrs. Constance¡¯s cries in the living room saying that what she had done was for the family¡¯s sake, but nobody understood her. Stepping in slowly, John then stood in the doorway indifferently. Previous ChapterN?velDrama.Org content. Next Chapter Chapter 327 Chapter 327 John looked apathetically at Mrs. Constance who was now seated on the couch while everything which had been on the coffee table moments ago was strewn all around the room. The servants didn¡¯t dare to tidy it up because she didn¡¯t allow them to. However, William was also a part of the reason this happened because he had been too tolerant all these years. He probably thought that Mrs. Constance was just throwing a small tantrum and wouldn¡¯t cause any huge trouble out of it, so it was alright to let her go about her unreasonable ways. Despite that, humans were smart creatures who knew how to test the limits of others. Since William kept giving in, Mrs. Constance took it for granted and thought that he would never me her no matter what she did. After wailing for a long time, Mrs. Constance turned and was surprised when she saw John. Pouting her lips, her eyes welled up with tears again as she cried, ¡°You¡¯re back, John.¡± Almost immediately, John could clearly see the palm print on her left cheek and his heart wrenched at the sight of it although he was mad at her. When she took the pictures secretly and sent it to the media, she never thought how much her actions would affect him. ¡°You¡¯re the one who took the pictures?¡± he asked, pacing toward her. Pursing her lips, she nodded and exined, ¡°I thought that if I helped you announce this publicly, then the photographs of you and Belle will be anything but scandalous, and there won¡¯t be any problems at all.¡± What a simpleton, John sighed and sat next to her on the couch. ¡°Tell me honestly, whom did you send the photographs to?¡± Mrs. Constance blinked a couple of times before saying, ¡°I sent it to Belle because she was also implicated in this issue, so I sent it to her to console her. I wanted to let her know that she was never the third party.¡± Hearing her exnation, John couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. Even now, she didn¡¯t see anything wrong with her actions and felt that there was no problem with it. John finally understood why nobody came downstairs tofort her even though she had been wailing and crying for such a long time¡ªthey were truly mad at her. Standing up, he dered, ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs to look for Dad.¡± Grabbing one of his wrists anxiously, she cried, ¡°John, are you mad at me as well? I only did this for your own good since you don¡¯t like Sophia and won¡¯t be together with her anyway. By announcing your divorce, I¡¯m helping you to break it offpletely with her. I did all this for your sake.¡± Lowering his gaze at her, he stared at her for a long while before saying, ¡°For my own good?¡± He let out a chuckle and continued, ¡°What if I really liked Sophia? Would you ept her for my sake?¡± Paralyzed by his words, it took her some time to recover and said, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. How could you possibly like that vige girl? She¡¯s not good enough for you! You should be with Belle¡ª¡± ¡°See?¡± he interjected. ¡°You said it was for my own good but you don¡¯t care about what I want. Did you choose Isabelle because you think I¡¯ll like her, or because she¡¯s your favorite?¡± Mrs. Constance¡¯s eyes widened and she was speechless. Casting her a look, John then turned around and went upstairs. William was still in the study while Old Mrs. Constance had already turned in. Heading straight to the study, John knocked a couple of times on the closed door, but there was no sound from the inside. So, he said, ¡°It¡¯s me, Dad.¡± It was only then did the door open, and William said with a tired look, ¡°You came.¡± It seemed like Mrs. Constance had driven him to the point of exhaustion. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. After John went in and closed the door, he began, ¡°I¡¯ve sent someone to contact the media, but I can¡¯t be sure that the Baileys who also know about this will keep it to themselves. After all, Isabelle¡¯s reputation is on the line.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 328 Chapter 328 William massaged his brows before taking a seat. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been thinking about that too but I really don¡¯t feel like talking to your muddle-headed mother.¡± John walked over and sat down in the chair opposite to him. ¡°What should we do next then?¡± William sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll give a call to the Baileys soon to see what they think about the matter.¡± That was the only thing they could do at the moment. On the other hand, Sophia went to bed early that night. Perhaps because she was psychologically strong enough, she actually managed to have a deep slumber all the way until the next morning. She woke up in a state of confusion because even she herself found it hard to believe that she had actually slept through the night. Indeed, she was getting increasingly resilient and tough. After washing up, she headed downstairs and found no sight of John¡¯s car in the courtyard. From the looks of it, it seemed like he had spent the entire night outside. She went on to reheat the dumplings, which was the leftover fromst night, and enjoyed it while scrolling news on her phone. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Seeing that the news about her divorce with John had yet to be exposed on the inte, she supposed Third Young Lady Jefferson had done something to stop it from leaking to the media. No matter what, Sophia thought she should express her gratitude to the Jeffersons for the huge favor they had done her. After finishing the dumplings, she gave Logan a call. Just seconds after she dialed his number, she saw John¡¯s car pulling up in the courtyard. While she was busy staring at his car, her call to Logan was put through. Smiling, she asked casually, ¡°Hey, Logan, are you up?¡± Logan was still snuggling in his bed but he chose to fib. ¡°I woke up way earlier than this; it¡¯s toote to still be in bed.¡± Sophia chuckled at his answer because she could sense that he was talking in the typical raspy voice one would have just seconds after one woke up. Noticing that John was getting out of his car, she decided to bring the call upstairs. While she was walking, she said to Logan, ¡°I want to thank you and your family for what happened yesterday. If it wasn¡¯t for you guys who managed to stop the media from spreading the rumor, I would have already been all over the tabloids.¡± Logan sighed at the mention of the fiasco. ¡°Sophia, to be honest, we may be able to stop it this time, but if the pictures reach too many mediapanies, we won¡¯t have the means to control it anymore because you can¡¯t stop them from poking their noses in eye-catching topics that can bring them views and clicks. So, I think you¡¯d better rify things by posting your marriage certificate with John on the inte because the longer you allow the rumor to spread, anything fake will slowly be deemed as the truth.¡± Sophia nearly burst outughing when she heard him. Her marriage certificate? The marriage certificate had long been confiscated and at the moment, a divorce certificate was the only thing she could manage to offer. Sophia stuttered to avoid answering him directly, ¡°Logan, I-I¡¯ll exin the details to you when I¡¯ve got the time. Right now, I¡¯m handling a mess of my own here and when I¡¯m done with it, I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± She nned to tell him about her divorce with John. Since Ian already knew about the divorce, she reckoned the public would soon be made aware of it too judging from how things were going. Hence, she saw no point in hiding her divorce from Logan. It was only after a short silence did Logan ept her arrangement. For a split second, Sophia had the feeling that Logan might have already guessed what she wanted to tell him. After ending the call with him, Sophia returned to her room. She wanted to take a shower because she was all sweaty after fixing up the meal in the kitchen. Just after she took out a set of fresh garments from her wardrobe which she was going to change in later, John pushed the door to her room open. Staring at Sophia, he spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± Carrying the clothes in her arms, Sophia first gazed at his face for some time before nodding at him. ¡°Fine then.¡± She left the clothes behind and walked out of the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs.¡± They took the stairs to the living room and sat down face-to-face on the sofa. Sophia initiated the conversation by asking, ¡°Did you guyse up with any brilliant idea after spending the entire night at Constance Residence discussing it?¡± Leaning against the sofa, John suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s remarry each other.¡± ¡°Say what?¡± Sophia was so shocked that she nearly jumped out of her seat. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 329 Chapter 329 John closed his eyes and queried, ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea?¡± ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t a good idea,¡± Sophia said candidly. ¡°Are you out of your mind? After spending such a huge effort to get rid of me, now you¡¯re talking about remarrying me? John, just be honest with me. Are you proposing this just because it pisses you off to see me getting so many things from you after the divorce?¡± Staring at her, John sighed after a lengthy silence, ¡°In fact, I understand that a remarriage might not be the best option. But still¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­¡± He didn¡¯t manage to finish his sentence even after much hesitation. For the time being, he didn¡¯t feel like announcing their divorce to the public because the timing just wasn¡¯t right. However, judging from how things had been goingtely, it seemed like there was nothing much they could do to stop the news about their divorce from reaching the public soon. With her lips pursed, Sophia asked after some time, ¡°What¡¯s the issue? Has the picture of our divorce certificate reached the Baileys already?¡± John looked stunned as he didn¡¯t think Sophia would know that. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Sophia chuckled because she didn¡¯t need to be a rocket scientist to rte the matter to the Baileys. ¡°You guys wouldn¡¯t be this panicked if only the mediapanies have gotten the pictures because you can settle the problem by offering them enough money. So, the only possible reason why you guys are this desperate is because the picture has reached a certain party whom you guys have no control over even with money,¡± Sophia borated in an airy tone. As far as she knew about Mrs. Constance¡¯s character, after snapping the photo of the divorce certificate, she would definitely send it to Isabelle to share the joy with her. John thought over what she said and questioned, ¡°Have you thought about what we should do next?¡± Sophia nodded at him. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve been thinking about it since yesterday.¡± In fact, Isabelle was thest person she wanted to be aware of her divorce with John, but there was nothing she could do now because she already knew. Although getting a remarriage could solve the problem, it was not an ideal option and Sophia didn¡¯t feel like resorting to it. John looked at her and asked, ¡°What do you think is the better way to deal with it?¡± Sophia stared at him with a collected expression. ¡°You may want to amend the date of the divorce certificate with photoshop before posting it on the inte.¡± As long as they amended the date to make the divorce seem like it was done recently, it would then have nothing to do with Infinity Group. This way, she would not have to rify the reason why she had still been appearing lovey-dovey with John in public and defending him. She believed the Baileys would not mind John amending the date of the divorce certificate too. John narrowed his eyes slightly without moving his gaze away from her. ¡°Do you know that I¡¯ll be deemed as taking Isabelle¡¯s side by doing this?¡± Of course Sophia was aware of that. Under normal circumstances, John may just directly deny having anything more than a friendship with Isabelle. Since the Baileys would not want Isabelle¡¯s reputation to be tarnished, they only needed to issue a joint deration together with the Constances to rify that Isabelle and John were merely having a business discussion when they were discovered to be spending time together. Then, Sophia just needed to quell the public opinion by telling everyone that she trusted John. That was how they would deal with the matter under normal circumstances. However, the current situation was more tricky because someone out there was spreading the rumor that John and Isabelle were more than just business partners. Therefore, the public might not buy the exnation they offered. Most importantly, Mrs. Constance had sent a photo of their divorce certificate to Isabelle. Sophia reckoned the reason why John proposed a remarriage right after he came back was because his negotiation with the Baileys did not turn out too well. If they were willing to cooperate with him, he wouldn¡¯t have to resort to this option. Sophia answered him with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine with it because I¡¯ve never been too bothered by things like this right from the beginning.¡± John let out a sigh and Sophia could tell he was in a great quandary. With a wide grin, she asked dauntlessly, ¡°In fact, I¡¯m more curious to know what you have discussed with the Baileys.¡± John sat cross-legged and tapped his fingers on his thigh while he responded, ¡°What concerns them the most is Isabelle¡¯s reputation, and Ipletely understand that.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 330 Chapter 330 Sophia nodded. ¡°I see. Now I¡¯ve got the rough idea of their stance.¡± The Baileys must have known that ying along with John¡¯s n might not be a very effective way to salvage Isabelle¡¯s reputation. In fact, the public didn¡¯t give a damn about the truth because they were more inclined to believe their own assumptions and they had a strong appetite for dramatic events. Sophia didn¡¯t feel like continuing their conversation because talking wasn¡¯t going to get the business done. She rose to her feet and dered, ¡°Actually, John, I¡¯ve been thinking of announcing our divorce to the public too. The decision hasn¡¯t got anything to do with other matters because I really don¡¯t think it¡¯s right for us to continue pretending that we¡¯re still married. The earlier we face the music, the earlier we might be able to settle the problem.¡± Sitting on the sofa, John didn¡¯t respond to her. Sophia stared at him for a while before heading upstairs. When she reached her room, she locked the door andy down on the bed where she ced her palm over her chest. She was actually d that she had be so tough because she didn¡¯t feel any pain inside her. John went out againter that night. She heard the sound of the car engine when his car was moving out of the courtyard but she decided to pay no regard to it. Instead, she got out of bed and went to the study. She had plenty to do because her exam was just around the corner. She remained in the study until midnight but John was still not home by then. She went on to check the time on her phone before giving a call to Logan. He was at home and Sophia could hear a woman¡¯s voice in the background when the call was put through. Sophia chuckled, ¡°Are you free to talk now?¡± Logan was always free when it came to Sophia. He first grunted in acknowledgement and said, ¡°I¡¯m free to talk.¡± Sophia first held her head up before she spoke, ¡°In fact, that picture you guys chanced upon was genuine because John and I already divorced each other a long time ago. Because of some issues, I had an agreement with him to keep it as a secret, but it somehow turned into this mess.¡± Logan wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that at all as he responded, ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve pretty much figured it out on my own.¡± Sophia chortled, ¡°I thought so too.¡± Logan went on to ask her, ¡°So, what¡¯s your next move?¡± For the time being, Sophia nned to just wait for John to discuss with his family how they should make the public announcement about their divorce. In fact, there was no such thing as an ideal solution to this matter. No matter how they went about it in the end, the public would still respond to the divorce simrly. After some contemtion, Sophia answered him, ¡°I suppose John and his family will know what to do. Anyway, I¡¯m not too worried because I¡¯m not going to be affected too severely by this matter.¡± John and Isabelle would bear the brunt of it. Regardless of how the matter would developter on, Sophia would still be deemed the victim in the story. That thought put a smile on her face because she thought she was lucky to have her image elevated for free this time. As Logan was busy, she ended the call with him without going into the details of the matter and then went to bed. John was not home for the entire night. When she woke up the next morning, news about her was all over the inte. She had deliberately switched off her phone the previous night so that she could sleep peacefully but as soon as she switched it on, it started vibrating non-stop as messages and missed calls started flooding her phone. Much frightened, she frowned at her constantly buzzing phone in her hand. In fact, those missed calls were mostly from her close friends. She was sure Logan didn¡¯t have anything better to do as he had actually given her around thirty missed calls. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but picture what he looked like when he was repeatedly calling her number. What a fool he was. When her phone finally stopped buzzing, she decided to check her messages first. Most of them came from Logan and the rest of them were sent by Ian. Their messages conveyed the same thing. As the news about John and her had gone viral on the inte, they wanted her to stay calm and to not be bothered by it because most people were on her side and she wouldn¡¯t get too badly affected by it. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 331 Chapter 331 Judging from the missed calls and messages, Sophia knew another round of rumors must have broken out on the inte again. After reading all her messages, she went on to browse the inte for the news articles, and she found herself stered everywhere. As per her expectation, the Constances had announced their divorce. The announcement came with the picture of the divorce certificate, the date on which was amended. Needless to say, it had caused a great stir among the public. The moment she noticed the staggering amount ofments below the post of the news article, she already lost interest in reading them because it might take her forever to finish all of them. However, she must say that the news article was written in quite a neutral and unbiased tone. In the article, it was pointed out that they had decided to separate from each other not because their rtionship had turned sour, but because they couldn¡¯t be on the same page regarding certain aspects in life. Thinking that they would be giving each other a hard time by staying married, they thought it would be better to let each other go while their rtionship was still friendly. In fact, many would find the exnation eptable considering that Sophia and John indeed came from totally different backgrounds. Hence, it went without saying that it would be difficult for them to live together harmoniously. For some reason, Sophia thought about the time John and her went out to have lunch. She had been very uptight throughout the meal at the restaurant right from the moment she walked in until she left. Before their food arrived, she dared not even pour herself a ss of water infused with lemon at the table because she was worried it was there for her to wash her hands. In fact, she had long forgotten what she had eaten then because she was too nervous to be able to fully enjoy the food, but she could still remember how apprehensive and uneasy she felt. John was veryposed during the meal because he was very used to having meals in those kinds of restaurants which Sophia found foreign. In fact, she had already realized then that there was a culture gap between them that was too huge for her to bridge. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. They were fated to be that way since they were born because they had been living in two different worlds before they married each other. She was always diffident when she was with John because she had not seen as much of life as he did. Although she had deliberately packed up the leftovers at the dinner where they decided to get a divorce just to piss John off, she would have still done the same thing any other time because she just couldn¡¯t stand to be so wasteful. That kind of mindset was so deeply ingrained in her that it could not be changed for the rest of her life. On the other hand, John¡¯s generous way in dealing with money and anything else which could be valued with money was something he was born with too. Feeling frustrated at that thought, Sophia decided to get out of bed and wash up. She thought it better to stay at home for the entire day to avoid being seen by people. After getting dressed, she headed downstairs to prepare breakfast for herself and it was only then did she notice John. She didn¡¯t know how long he had been sitting there. She stopped in her tracks at the staircase, thinking that he was supposed to be at the office because it was a Monday. On top of that, it was past the clock-in time for work now. Several secondster, John looked over at her with an impassive face. After gazing at each other for a while, Sophia was the one who broke the silence by asking him, ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I have to pack up my belongings,¡± he answered. It had nearly slipped her mind that it was inappropriate of them to continue staying with each other now that their divorce had been announced. Sophia nodded at him and said, ¡°Okay.¡± Then, she made her way to the kitchen and started taking her time to prepare breakfast. John only headed upstairs after sitting on the sofa for some time. It did not take him much time to pack up everything because he didn¡¯t own much to begin with. After carrying his suitcase down to the living room, he stood there and stared at Sophia in the kitchen. For some reason, Sophia felt slightly upset deep down inside. In fact, they could have made things a lot less awkward by bidding each other farewell in a jovial manner. However, as he was so somber, she couldn¡¯t help but be affected by him. She walked over to the entrance of the kitchen and asked him, ¡°Have you had breakfast yet?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 332 Chapter 332 John said he hadn¡¯t had his breakfast yet. Letting out a sigh, Sophia suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t grab a bite before you go? Food is almost ready anyway.¡± John put down the suitcase by the door and answered without hesitation, ¡°Okay.¡± While Sophia returned to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, he waited at the dining hall. Sophia was wondering why he was so wishy-washy when it came to moving out of the ce but so decisive when he decided to divorce her. When the food was ready, she brought it to the dining hall. Seeing that John was not in a great mood, she decided to stay quiet. She had prepared a simple breakfast consisting of sausages, eggs and two sides. When she was in the kitchen just now, she thought about how he only had bread and milk for breakfast, but she decided to prepare the simple spread anyway since there wasn¡¯t much work to it and, at the same time, she didn¡¯t want to pamper him. Which was why there was no bread and milk. If he didn¡¯t like it, he could leave it. To her surprise, he actually ate quite a lot from the food she prepared this time. She was unsure whether it was because he was just famished because he had skipped dinnerst night, or it was because she had be a better cook. After finishing the meal in silence, John went to the kitchen to do the dishes but was stopped by Sophia immediately. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that because I can handle itter. I shouldn¡¯t trouble you to do that for me.¡± That sentence immediately ced an enormous barrier between them. It was only after a lengthy silence did John voice his agreement. ¡°I should get going then,¡± he said after a while. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Sophia smiled at him and said, ¡°Please be careful on the road.¡± He picked up the suitcase he left by the door and walked out of the house. Then, he got into his car, started the engine and left. Standing at the kitchen entrance, Sophia watched him leave and heaved out a sigh of relief when he was finally gone. She first went to do the dishes before making a dash upstairs to check out his room. Indeed, he had sorted out his room properly and brought away all his belongings. Satisfied with the condition of the room, she left after closing the door and then walked back to her room to examine the news articles on the inte. Those articles itself were fine but not so for the comments. Even though the news about their divorce had be widespread, Isabelle was still the target of public censure. Many of them saw Isabelle as the woman who came between John and her. Staring at the degrading comments about Isabelle, she started to wonder who was the actual third party when it came to their rtionships with John. She didn¡¯t think Isabelle was the third party to their rtionship because it was her who had snatched John away from Isabelle back then. But at the same time, Sophia didn¡¯t see herself as the third party to Isabelle¡¯s rtionship with John either because she only married him as arranged by her parents. On top of that, what Isabelle had with John at that time was only an engagement of convenience. It was not like they were a couple who had dated each other for years. Sophia scratched her head in frustration because she was so confused by their rtionship which was a total mess. Fortunately, she was freed from all of this now. She got back to reading the articles and focused more attention on thements about her. As expected, basically everyone sympathized with her. After all, she seemed to be the victim jointly bullied by John and Isabe at the moment. After having her worry assuaged by thements, she gave Logan a call. She supposed he had probably been waiting for her call all these while because he picked up right away. There was a note of concern in his voice when he said, ¡°Sophia, are you feeling awful right now? Just let it all out if you are. I¡¯m here for you.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t see the reason why Logan was acting all melodramatic. Since he already knew about the fact that she had divorced John way earlier than this, why did he think she would feel awful? Thus, she asked him directly, ¡°Did you give those mediapanies instructions on how they should publish their articles?¡± Those articles were written in a neutral tone with a barely noticeable attempt to put in good words for John. Usually, when those mediapanies received news as juicy as this, they would exaggerate to instigate public anger. However, those articles circting now weren¡¯t written with that agenda. Logan snorted, ¡°In fact, it was my sister¡¯s idea. She was of the opinion that if the mediapanies were allowed to write freely about the matter, they would surely make it as dramatic as they could, and what they published would deviate substantially from the truth. Since she¡¯s quite influential in the media industry, she issued them a warning to make sure their articles stuck to the truth.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 333 Chapter 333 Sophia chuckled, ¡°Please thank your sister on my behalf.¡± Logan responded after several minutes, ¡°I think my sister likes you well.¡± Sophia raised her brows in response to hisment, thinking that Third Young Lady Jefferson must have never encountered someone like her before because everyone in her circle was probably a wealthy and elegant youngdy like Isabelle. Therefore, she found Sophia, who behaved in an udylike manner, very intriguing because she was different. Just as she was having the telephone conversation with Logan, she received a call from Ian. After some contemtion, she informed Logan, ¡°Ian¡¯s calling. Let¡¯s hear what he has to say.¡± Logan snickered, ¡°Fine then. Let¡¯s talk some other time.¡± In fact, the reason Ian called was also to make sure Sophia wouldn¡¯t be affected by thosements on the inte. Lying in bed, she reassured him, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m feeling quite okay because I think everyone sympathizes with me in this matter.¡± Agreeing with what she said, Ian asked, ¡°Where are you now? Are you at home? How about John?¡± Sophia rolled over to the other side before she replied, ¡°John has moved out together with his belongings. Yes, I¡¯m at home now and I think it¡¯s best for me to stay indoors for the next few days. Although I don¡¯t think I will be recognized by the public, I still think it¡¯s better for me to wait until things get quieter before I go out because after all, I was featured in the tabloids before.¡± After mulling over her opinion, Ian agreed, ¡°You¡¯re right. I think you should wait until things cool down a little bit before you go out or you might get into trouble if you are recognized in public.¡± Sophia then made some small talk with Ian before ending the call with him. Staring out the window, she was suddenly at a loss of what to do with her free time. As for John, he had gone back to Constance Residence with his suitcase. Mrs. Constance was sitting on the sofa in the living room; her eyes were swollen and her face looked nk. William had spent the previous night in the guest room and when he was on his way out to work this morning, he clearly saw Mrs. Constance in the living room, but he only cast her an indifferent nce without speaking to her. Mrs. Constance found it hard to ept his changed attitude because she was too used to being treated very endearingly by him before this. As for Old Mrs. Constance, she did not even bother to look at her. After having breakfast at the dining hall with a long face, she instructed the maid to send her meals to her room from now onward. Obviously, she made that arrangement to avoid meeting Mrs. Constance. No one in the family spoke to Mrs. Constance although she had been sitting on the sofa in the living room for the entire morning. Despite feeling extremely awful, she still couldn¡¯t figure out what she had done wrong. She had done everything for the family¡¯s sake and she wondered why she was suddenly condemned by the entire family. Having spotted John as soon as he stepped into the living room, she immediately rose to her feet and shed him a smile. ¡°John, it¡¯s great to see you moving back home. I¡¯m really d that you finally severed your ties with Sophia! You¡¯re free atst!¡± John stared at Mrs. Constance sternly and when she offered to help him with his suitcase, he dodged her hands to stop her from touching his stuff. Puzzled by his reaction, Mrs. Constance stared at him and quizzed, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ring at her, John challenged, ¡°Are you happy now? Are you finally satisfied?¡± Mrs. Constance couldn¡¯t understand what he was trying to imply. ¡°John, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. John sneered, ¡°What¡¯s your next move? Are you going to tell everyone on my behalf that I love Isabelle and I¡¯m marrying her soon?¡± Mrs. Constance frowned at him. ¡°What do you mean? Do you think I shouldn¡¯t mind your business?¡± John agreed, ¡°Yes. In fact, you should have stopped minding it long before this.¡± After taking a deep breath, Mrs. Constanceughed sarcastically. ¡°So, you¡¯re putting the me on me too, just like your Dad and Grandma. All of you think that I¡¯m the culprit who¡¯s caused this huge mess. I really shouldn¡¯t have bothered about your business and instead, I should have just let you mingle with people like Sophia who will¡ª¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 334 Chapter 334 ¡°What kind of person is she?¡± John cut her off. ¡°Tell me, what sort of person is Sophia?¡± Mrs. Constance gave him a flinty stare and countered, ¡°Do I still need to point that out for you? Just look at her family background and you will know what I mean. If your grandfather had not insisted on you marrying her back then, a girl like her is just fated to live a peasant life in a vige and work hard for the rest of her life.¡± Staring at her, John sniggered, ¡°Without the social status you are blessed with thanks to your parents, in which aspect do you think are you more talented than Sophia?¡± Mrs. Constance was left stumped by his question and she stared incredulously at him. In fact, John also realized he had spoken too harshly with Mrs. Constance. However, he just felt the need to vent out his frustration. John continued, ¡°You see yourself as outstanding and someone who¡¯s superior to everyone else just because you were born in a good family. Would you have everything you owned now if you weren¡¯t born with such a good family background?¡± Staring at John, Mrs. Constance could note up with an answer. Heaving out a heavy sigh, John pressed on, ¡°Try to reflect on your life so far. Other than marrying my Dad, have you done anythingmendable on your own? You should think about your own image in the perception of your rtives as well as the maids at home before you start judging other people.¡± With that, John lifted his suitcase and headed upstairs. He made his way to his room and stopped by the door of the room next to his. That room was used by Sophia before. During her brief stay, she had managed to have a great fall-out with Mrs. Constance. John pushed the door to the room open and peeked inside. The inside looked totally different from how it used to be because everything had been changed. The bed sheet, duvet, the fleece carpet on the floor as well as the dressing table were missing. He reckoned that it must have been Mrs. Constance¡¯s arrangement. After looking at the room, John felt even more frustrated. Then, he closed the door and returned to his room. After putting aside his suitcase, he sat down at the edge of the bed. He was in no mood to browse through the news on the inte because he was sure he was being criticized very badly by the public. William called a short whileter, informing him that a statement had just been issued by Constance Group to rify his rtionship with Isabelle. The statement made clear that John¡¯s rtionship with Isabelle was nothing more than pure working partners, and they were not involved romantically. As for the picture in which Isabelle and John were captured being intimate with each other, Isabelle was too frightened at the time the car ident happened and she only huddled toward John reflexively. In fact, many people found the statement unconvincing. They were adamant that John and Isabelle must be having some dubious rtionship with each other. Other than informing John about the statement, William also wanted him to give Sophia a call and ask her whether she was willing to offer some rification to the public. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Since she was one of the parties involved in this matter, her words would carry more weight if she was willing to clear things up. Holding his phone, John responded, ¡°I¡¯ll ask her thatter. Right now, I just want to get some rest because I¡¯m tired.¡± Knowing that John had not slept a winkst night, William sighed, ¡°Well, go ahead and get some sleep then. Don¡¯t take the scandal too seriously because I believe it will cool down sooner orter. Also, it will soon be forgotten by the public.¡± John did not answer him. Instead, he only switched off his phone before falling onto his bed. As he was having a slight headache at the moment, he didn¡¯t feel like thinking about anything. Meanwhile, Sophia had spring-cleaned her ce because she had nothing better to do. In fact, there was nothing much to be cleaned because she didn¡¯t usually upy other areas of the house as much. She only decided to do that out of boredom. After busying herself around the house for the entire afternoon, she finally stopped to take a break when it was just before dusk. She was d that the day was finally over. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 335 Chapter 335 She then went upstairs to tidy up her room. Just after she changed into a fresh set of clothes, she spotted Logan and Ian standing outside her house through the window. The two were carrying shopping bags which were filled to the brim. Sophia opened the window and stuck half of her body out to talk to them. ¡°Why are you guys here?¡± They were just about to head to the courtyard when they heard her and looked up. They saw half of her body outside one of the windows. Her hair was sent flying in all directions by the blowing wind and she looked like she was in a buoyant mood judging from the wide grin on her face. Ian let out a sigh of relief at the sight because she didn¡¯t seem to be affected in the least bit by the stir that was happening on the inte. Logan lifted one of the shopping bags and waved it at her. ¡°We¡¯re here to have dinner with you. We know how lonely you must feel to be alone at home so we decided to offer you some jollypany.¡± This time, Sophia did not find Logan a nuisance but instead, she made a dash downstairs to wee his arrival happily. Judging from the amount of food they had bought, it seemed like they were having a steamboat tonight. Being very familiar with the ce as he had visited her ce before, Logan carried the food straight to the kitchen. He took out the food packet by packet and ced them one by one on the kitchen counter. ¡°Look at the amount of food we got from the supermarket. We have to fix ourselves avish meal tonight!¡± Sophia headed over to the kitchen to help him wash up the pork ribs before using it to brew the soup base. Ian then walked over to give them a hand too. While cleaning the greens, Loganmented, ¡°In fact, I tried calling John in the afternoon but he didn¡¯t pick up. Guess he can barely cope with what¡¯s happening now. Have any of you read thements on the inte? It¡¯s so obvious that someone behind the scene is trying to throw mud at John because all thements were aimed at degrading him.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t check the news because she couldn¡¯t be bothered to after being busy all day cleaning her house. She responded, ¡°I think so. Someone has started doing that way before this.¡± Logan then went on to wash the greens at the basin before he continued, ¡°I¡¯ve asked my sister to keep a lookout but it won¡¯t be easy trying to find out the culprit. It isn¡¯t hard to control the media but you can¡¯t do the same thing when ites to theizens. Even though you¡¯re sure a post was written by a ghostwriter, there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡± Sophia appeared unperturbed. ¡°I suppose the Constances and the Baileys know exactly what they should do to deal with it because they aren¡¯t a bunch of pushovers. Logan, I feel bad for troubling your family. In fact, you guys can stop bothering about it if it¡¯s too much of a hassle.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel bad. Don¡¯t worry about it because it isn¡¯t a big deal,¡± Logan insisted with a grin. After some thinking, Ian asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t John tell you anything?¡± Confused by his question, Sophia stared at Ian and exined, ¡°There isn¡¯t anything he has to say to me because we have already divorced each other a long time ago. He is under no obligation to offer me any exnation. In fact, we had been thinking about how to announce our divorce to the public for some time previously, but it seems like God has decided for us.¡± Ian chuckled, ¡°You are very optimistic, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sophia knew nothing could be changed even if she faced the issue pessimistically. The three of them hustled around in the kitchen and the work was divided well among them. While Sophia was tasked with brewing the soup base, Logan and Ian were responsible for washing up the ingredients. John was greeted by the jovial sight when he visited the ce. The atmosphere was vibrant as the three of them had a st in the kitchen. They looked like a family when they were together. Standing by the gate, John hesitated to go in because he had a feeling that his presence would ruin the great ambience. It was only when Sophia walked out of the kitchen to clean up the dining table after some time did she notice him, who had been standing by the door for God knew how long. Astonished to see him there, Sophia asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Didn¡¯t he just move out earlier this morning? Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. It was only then did John step foot in the living room and replied without ncing at the other two in the kitchen, ¡°I¡¯m here to take something I left behind just now.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 336 Chapter 336 Sophia nodded at him. ¡°Go ahead then.¡± With that, she made her way to the dining hall. John happened to have made it back with the divorce certificate and divorce agreement in his hands by the time she walked out again. At the same time, Logan and Ian were serving food to the dining table. Logan greeted John as soon as he saw him, ¡°Come over here, John. You¡¯re here at the right time because we¡¯ve prepared a lot of food today for the steamboat.¡± Sophia cast Logan an inquisitive nce as she wondered what was in his mind. Didn¡¯t he know how things were currently between John and her? Why did he behave as though nothing had happened? John first looked at Ian before answering with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t stay because I still have something to attend to. Please enjoy yourselves.¡± Sophia, who could detect that he sounded a little upset when he said thest three words, cast him a nce but didn¡¯t make anyment. John then left the ce with the stuff and got into his car which was parked in front of the gate. Then, he drove for some distance away before pulling to a stop again. Inside the car, he lit up a cigarette as he observed Sophia¡¯s ce from the rearview mirror. It seemed like their divorce had really freed Sophia from misery because she looked so much happier than before. After he finished smoking the cigarette, he closed his eyes to clear his mind before driving away because there was nothing more to see. He headed straight back to Constance Residence having nowhere else to go. His father wasn¡¯t home yet and John reckoned he had gone out to attend some social gathering. Meanwhile, the people of the other three families were at home because their cars were in the garage. Dn was there as well, and he was leaning against his car while holding a cigarette butt. When John moved his car into the garage, Dn threw the cigarette butt away and looked at John with his arms crossed in front of his chest. When John got out of his car, he nced at Dn quizzically and asked, ¡°Do you have something to tell me?¡± Dn chuckled, ¡°I didn¡¯t before this but when I saw you, I suddenly thought of something.¡± Looking amiable, he remarked, ¡°I just found out that you and Sophia already divorced each other a long time ago.¡± John stared at him without answering. Dn continued, ¡°I noticed that the date of the divorce certificate was amended because I came across the original copy.¡± John frowned at him and questioned, ¡°Where did you see it?¡± Dn snickered, ¡°The Baileys visited us earlier today. Otherwise, where do you think I could have come across that?¡± ¡°What time were they here?¡± John asked with his lips pursed with annoyance. After some contemtion, Dn replied, ¡°They were here not too long ago but they only stayed for a short while. As your father wasn¡¯t at home just now and Grandma wasn¡¯t willing to leave her room, the Baileys only got to have a brief chat with your mother. I happened to bump into them when they were leaving.¡± John then turned around and made his way to the main building of the mansion. In the meantime, Dn stood at the same ce and watched him as he walked away. Mrs. Constance was nowhere in sight when John entered the house and the living room was empty. After some hesitation, he headed upstairs. Just when reached the second floor, the door of his mother¡¯s room was opened before she walked out of the room with a suitcase; it seemed like she was going back to her parents¡¯ house. John only gave her a nonchnt nce before heading to his own room because he was not in the mood to console anyone at the moment. He already had a lot on his te to begin with but now, he had to worry about his mother too. Mrs. Constance, who had also spotted John, was left dumbfounded with tears welling up in her eyes after John ignored her. But still, she would neverpromise by admitting her own mistake after years of being treated like a queen by the family. Therefore, she carried her suitcase downstairs and instructed the butler to arrange a driver for her to send her back home. Looking at her with some resignation, the butler said, ¡°Young Master William is at his busiest at the moment and Old Mrs. Constance has been in a foul mood. Mrs. Constance, why don¡¯t you stay?¡± The butler was trying to say that it was probably best if she didn¡¯t bring more trouble to the family at the moment. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Chapter 337 Chapter 337 In the end, Mrs. Constance refused to take the hint and insisted, ¡°Just get me a driver to give me a lift. Since I¡¯m now an eyesore to the whole family, I guess the rest of them just can¡¯t wait to see me leave. Apparently, the men of this family don¡¯t need a wife because work always matters the most to them. Stop trying to persuade me to stay because I have already made up my mind.¡± Staring at her for some time, the butler indeed stopped trying to talk her out of it and arranged a driver to give her a ride home instead. As soon as she departed, the butler called William right away to tell him about it. William, who was not in the mood to hear about her, just grunted in acknowledgement and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be backter since she¡¯s away.¡± The butler was left speechless right after he said that. After ending the call with the butler, William gave John a call to ask him whether his mother had really left. Lying on the bed, John switched on the hands-free mode and put his phone beside him as he answered, ¡°I think she¡¯s left. I heard that the Baileys visited us not too long and had a chat with Mom. Guess they were discussing strategies just now because right after the Baileys left, Mom started to pack up her belongings and departed.¡± William sneered, ¡°Seems like the Baileys have overestimated themselves. Perhaps, your Mom is to be med too because she¡¯s been very keen to get on good terms with them.¡± Thinking that Isabelle was her perfect daughter-inw, Mrs. Constance had tried very hard to bring about the marriage between John and her. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Therefore, that attitude of hers had very likely sent some misleading messages to the Baileys. William started sorting out his stuff at his office as he told his son, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ming back home now.¡± Amused by his father¡¯s attitude, John asked, ¡°Are you giving Mom a cold shoulder?¡± William sighed, ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m truly exhausted after putting up with her for so many years.¡± Stunned by what his father said, John didn¡¯t make ament. Meanwhile, the ambience at Sophia¡¯s ce was much more delightful than Constance Residence. Logan was great at spicing up the gathering because he was open to talk about literally anything. As Third Young Lady was an investor who had investments in the entertainment industry, he knew a great deal of gossip in showbiz from her. Logan picked some of the juiciest gossip and shared them with Sophia. However, she was never one who paid attention to the showbiz and hence could onlyugh along with him without actually knowing who he was alluding to. Then, each of them opened a bottle of beer bought by Logan. Things couldn¡¯t get any better when they got to enjoy the steamboat with beer. When they were relishing the food and the booze, Sophia took some photos of their gathering and shared them on Facebook. Loganmented with augh, ¡°Look at that. Sophia finally knows when she should post photos on social media without the need for me to urge her to do so!¡± Both Ian and Logan then quickly followed suit. Not too long after Sophia posted the photos, she received ament from Zack. He wrote: ¡®I¡¯m surprised you are still in the mood for steamboat.¡¯ Finding hisment funny, she replied to him directly: ¡®Why shouldn¡¯t I be?¡¯ Right after that, Zack sent her a voice message via WhatsApp which she wasn¡¯t hampered from clicking just because Logan and Ian were there. Zack¡¯s tone sounded like he was trying to avenge the unfair treatment John had been receiving when he told her John had been so busy trying to deal with his scandal on the inte that he barely had time for meals. Lastly, he shamed Sophia for having such a good time as if nothing had happened. Judging from his tone, he seemed to think that being all anguished was the only way she should be reacting. Sniggering at his voice message, she sent one back to him in which she said, ¡°Since I wasn¡¯t the culprit who stirred up this whole mess, why can¡¯t I enjoy my meals? Why should I bear the consequences while it was your boss who wasn¡¯t being careful enough when he went out with Isabelle? Also, it was his family who posted the divorce certificate on the inte. You shouldn¡¯t think that I¡¯m under any obligation to react in a certain way for his sake because we haven¡¯t been rted to each other since a long time ago.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 338 Chapter 338 As soon as she sent out the voice message, she received another message from Zack which was a photo of John. Stunned to see that, Sophia zoomed in on that photo and found that it was taken when he was drinking. Judging from their surroundings, they seemed to be having drinks at Constance Residence. It was obvious that this picture that showed John¡¯s side profile was taken without his knowledge. But still, she could still tell that he looked slightly weary and dispirited. Sophia wondered what Zack was trying to convey by sending her that photo, thinking that John was worn out because of his scandal on the inte, which had nothing to do with her. Was that dummy trying to say that John was feeling so down because of their divorce? Stop kidding me. He has never acted this way before after we got divorced. Plus, we got divorced a long time ago. Sophia didn¡¯t feel like carrying on the conversation with Zack because it was bringing her mood down. She left her phone on the sofa and walked out from the living room so that her peace would not be disrupted by Zack¡¯s messages. Then, she returned to the dining hall and continued the feast. Logan chuckled, ¡°Is John feeling upset? Sounds like you¡¯re to me for that.¡± Sophia snorted, ¡°Oh please, John and I divorced each other such a long time ago. Isn¡¯t Isabelle the one who instigated the whole matter right from the beginning? Don¡¯t pin everything on me because I¡¯m not going to take the me.¡± Logan paused to mull over what she said before agreeing with her, ¡°You¡¯re right. Everything only happened because of Isabelle and I guess she must be feeling ted right now for somehow causing your divorce with John to be exposed to the public. It¡¯s quite worthwhile for her to only suffer some humiliation from theizens in return.¡± Sophia stuffed a spoonful of food into her mouth before waving her hands dismissively. ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about this because it¡¯s giving me a headache. We should just focus on enjoying the food and booze.¡± Ian said, ¡°I suppose the scandal will die down after some time. Now that people are being provided with new gossip basically everyday, they will soon stop keeping tabs on this one.¡± Sophia nodded at him and concurred, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Logan went on to say something to liven up the ambience and offered a toast to the other two before he moved on to other topics. Logan told them that his sister had recently invested in a new singing talent show which she expected would be a hit in the future. While Sophia was giggling, she nced at Ian and suggested on the spur of the moment, ¡°You should get Ian to audition since he¡¯s such a good singer.¡± Logan, who had downed quite a lot of beer, responded excitedly, ¡°That¡¯s brilliant! Ian, you really should give it a try. I can ask my sister to pull some strings to make sure you go far in that show.¡± Ian chortled, ¡°I think I¡¯ll give it a pass because I can barely handle the work at mypany now.¡± Sophia thought it to be an excellent chance for Ian. ¡°In fact, you should really give it a shot. Since you don¡¯t really have much passion for your current job, you can just resign if you manage to make a name as a singer. No one made it a rule that you had to stick with the career your family arranged for you because you can always choose your own future.¡± Logan was soon carried away by the rush of adrenaline as he leapt to his feet and said decidedly, ¡°I¡¯ll ask my sister to register you for thepetition as soon as all the preliminaries of the show are fixed.¡± Ian puckered his lips in annoyance as he stared at Logan. ¡°You should sit back down and calm yourself down.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Sophia looked at Ian and opined, ¡°In fact, I think that¡¯s the best prospect for you. You don¡¯t have to be bothered by other stuff because you aren¡¯t rted to those things that happen in your family. If people start gossiping about your identity, your family members will be implicated too and they will be forced to offer a rification on your identity.¡± She supposed Bryce Morgan woulde up with some excuse to cover up Ian¡¯s identity as his illegitimate son. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 339 Chapter 339 Staring at Ian, Sophia encouraged, ¡°Don¡¯t worry because if anything happens, Logan wille to your rescue by hiring a bunch of ghostwriters to rify things for you on the inte through multiple fake ounts. In fact, there¡¯s nothing a good ghostwriter can¡¯t solve at this digital age.¡± Logan guffawed, ¡°She¡¯s damn right.¡± Sophia had a lot of fun during the dinner; her life wasn¡¯t affected too considerably by the viral news on the inte about her divorce with John. However, things were different for John. Zack was asked to meet him at Constance Residence and the two of them opened one whole bottle of wine each in the dining hall. In fact, Zack was not in the mood for drinking but he had no choice but to drink with John seeing how moody he looked, which was an expression Zack had never seen on him before. However, he had to stop after two sses of wine. Sitting at the dining table, he only slowly sipped the remaining wine in his wine ss as he observed John, who was downing the wine without uttering a word. Zack heaved out a sigh. Did John ask him to be there just to watch him drink? He nced down at his phone to check for Sophia¡¯s reply but he didn¡¯t get any. How heartless was that woman to be having such a great time enjoying a steamboat with friends at home? He wondered why she didn¡¯t feel bad at all for John because he thought that any normal person would under these circumstances. When the sky darkened outside, Old Mrs. Constance headed downstairs to the living room. The sight of a dejected John made the elderlydy sad too. Walking over to the dining hall with the help of a maid, she sat down at the head of the table and looked at him. ¡°John, you shouldn¡¯t be too worried about the stuff on the inte because it will soon be handled.¡± Because of the effect of the wine, John quickly got emotional as his eyes went red-rimmed. Old Mrs. Constancemented, ¡°We decided to keep the matter as a secret from the public back then because we were worried that things would get ugly. But now, things are still a mess despite our effort. We should have just announced your divorce to the public right after it took ce at that time.¡± In fact, they could have solved what happened at Infinity Group differently. The thing was, no one could foresee the future so none of them knew things would escte into something as huge as this. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. With that thought in mind, Old Mrs. Constance felt annoyed because it was all Matilda, that hopeless dumbass¡¯s fault. Many things wouldn¡¯t have happened if it wasn¡¯t for her. She knew that Mrs. Constance had gone back to her parents¡¯ house, which she thought was a good idea because she found the sight of Mrs. Constance irksome at the moment. Although Mrs. Constance was a middle-aged woman, she was still very naive and ignorant, and she still saw herself as a princess. Over the years, she offered no help to William¡¯s career at all and all she knew was to put on airs as his wife. Thinking that everyone was inferior to her, she didn¡¯t have a clue that there was actually nothing about her that was superior to others. John finished thest ss of wine and put the ss back on the table. Then, he leaned on the chair, looked at the ceiling and let out a breath that reeked of alcohol. Old Mrs. Constance sighed, ¡°John, do you miss Sophia?¡± John¡¯s eyes, which were opened at first, slowly closed after he heard his grandmother¡¯s question. ¡°Nope. How¡¯s that possible?¡± Old Mrs. Constance was unconvinced because she knew John was a tough guy and he had never appeared so deted before when he was facing an issue. It was only after a while did John ask her, ¡°Grandma, why did you give Sophia the jade from Grandpa?¡± Old Mrs. Constance was first taken aback by his question before she chuckled, ¡°I think your Grandpa would be more than willing to give it to her since he fancied her a lot back then. In fact, it¡¯s not too big a deal.¡± She exined it to him casually as though it was something insignificant. Slowly, John turned to face his grandmother and remarked, ¡°Grandma, it seems like you¡¯re starting to have a much more favorable opinion of Sophia.¡± Old Mrs. Constance replied with a smile, ¡°That girl had a hard time during the time she was staying here. You guys have no clue how badly your mother treated her back then because you weren¡¯t at home much.¡± John lost his interest as soon as his mother was mentioned. Zack too heaved out a sigh andmented, ¡°In fact, I think Sophia is a really nice girl but it was just too stressful for her to stay here.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 340 Chapter 340 Old Mrs. Constance agreed with Zack¡¯sment. ¡°Yes. Just look at how happy and lively she has be now.¡± Sophia was totally different from her old self now after experiencing a tremendous change. In fact, Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t really fancy girls like Isabelle who was obedient and reserved because she thought the mansion would be too quiet with her around. Now that she reflected on her whole life at her advanced age, she thought she had abided by the rules too rigidly. Therefore, she preferred to spend time with young people with a lively and vibrant personality now. After saying that, Old Mrs. Constanced shifted her gaze to John again and said, ¡°I think your rtionship with Sophia has improved a lot recently because the way you look at her has changed.¡± Dumbfounded by herment, John stared at the elderlydy and echoed, ¡°The way I look at her?¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded at him and chuckled, ¡°The way you look at her now is different from before. I can¡¯t really pinpoint the reason but I can notice that you¡¯ve been treating her much nicer lately.¡± John pondered over it but his effort was futile because he was of the opinion that he had always treated Sophia the same way. Zack thought about it too and he pointed out, ¡°Boss, you treated Sophia with much more patience during that business trip.¡± However, John justughed hisment off before slowly rising to his feet. ¡°Both of you are wrong because I know myself best. I¡¯m sure that nothing has changed, be it Sophia or me.¡± Then, he said to Zack, ¡°Since you drank, you may spend the night here or choose to have the driver send you back home. Just do anything that suits you because I¡¯m going upstairs to get some sleep now.¡± There was no doubt Zack would not choose to spend the night there because he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep well on a bed other than his own. Not too bothered by his choice, John then made his way upstairs. Standing at the top of the staircase, he looked in the direction of William¡¯s room. He was wondering if things had not been running too smoothly at thepany as William had headed straight to his room in silence right after he came back from the office. His gaze lingered on his room for a while before he turned around and walked to his room. Feeling sleepy after having the wine, he straightway threw himself onto the bed. Yet, his phone rang just shortly after hey down. Laboriously, he fished out his phone and checked the caller ID before picking up. ¡°Spill it.¡± Isabelle could tell from his voice that he had had some booze. It was only after a while did she speak, ¡°John.¡± There was no response from him. She began again, ¡°I just found out that your family actually had a talk with my family before this. Did the discussion end well?¡± Still, John was not answering her. Isabelle sighed, ¡°I had no idea things would turn out this way. I was really too frightened that day, so¡­¡± ¡°Do you have anything else to tell me?¡± John interrupted. Isabelle was left stumped at once. John added, ¡°I¡¯m hanging up if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± With that, he disconnected the call right away. Then, he shoved his phone away from him and straightaway dozed off. He slept soundly the entire night without being disrupted by dreams. Due to his biological clock, he automatically woke up at the usual time. Sitting on his bed, it took him a long while before the fact that he had moved out from Sophia¡¯s ce registered in his mind. He took his time to wash up before heading downstairs and found Old Mrs. Constance already there. ¡°Grandma, you¡¯re up so early.¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. The elderlydy turned round to look at John, who had returned to his usual energetic and high-spirited self. She responded, ¡°I woke up early this morning and decided not to snuggle in bed.¡± John looked around the living room and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Dad? Has he gone to work?¡± Old Mrs. Constance answered, ¡°Yes. He too woke up very early in the morning and left without having breakfast. I suppose there¡¯s a lot of work to be done at the office.¡± Without saying anything, John stood there for a little while before heading to the dining hall. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 341 Chapter 341 Although the mansion had only a few residents, the breakfast was still a sumptuous spread consisting of both the local and Western style delicacies. John sat down and took an empty te on which he ced some toasts, eggs and ham. After ncing at the te for several seconds, he put them back again when he saw that there were congee and buns on the other end of the table. Then, he poured himself a bowl of congee and took some buns to his seat where he slowly enjoyed the food. Old Mrs. Constance did not follow him to the dining hall because she had eaten. After devouring a bun, a bowl of congee and some mixed vegetables, he leaned on the chair and chilled out. It was his first time having such a satisfying meal as breakfast. Then, he headed out after a short rest. Old Mrs. Constance, who was still standing in the living room, smiled when she saw him leaving. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything will be alright,¡± she told him. John nodded at her because he wasn¡¯t actually worried about anything. He was just feeling upset deep down inside. Along his way to the garage, he bumped into his Uncle Owen and Dn, who were surprised to see him. His Uncle Owen had be very friendly with Sophia ever since she sent him a tea set as a gift. He let out a sigh andmented, ¡°It¡¯s a shame that Sophia and you ended up this way.¡± Instead of responding to him, John simply stared at Dn, who had on apletely different expressionpared to his father. He was smiling craftily. After Uncle Owen left in his car, Dn stood beside his own car and stared at John. ¡°The Baileys will be here today and I suppose Isabelle wille looking for you. Guess they want to have a discussion about how Isabelle and you are going to offer an exnation to the public.¡± John frowned in confusion as he didn¡¯t see the need for a discussion. They just had to exin things as it was, which was telling the public that they were only meeting each other for a business discussion. After John got into his car, Dn raised his voice to ask him, ¡°Have you exined anything to Sophia?¡± John looked dumbfounded because it was only then did he realize he had not told Sophia the reason why he had appeared with Isabelle at the ce. However, his eyes clouded over because it seemed like an exnation was redundant now. They were no longer husband and wife. When John drove his car away, Dn stood at the same spot and watched him leave before getting into his own car and departing. As for Sophia, she slept all the way to noon and when she woke up, she took a short time to get her bearings before quickly heading downstairs. It was Ian who had helped her to her roomst night because she was smashed. She could remember the entire process and how she had sat on the floor beside her bed chatting with him. However, she could not remember what they had talked about. When she reached downstairs, the ce was inplete silence because none of the two guys remained. She then headed to the dining hall and found it spick and span. Ian probably cleaned up, she thought. Not feeling hungry at all, she went to the courtyard after walking around the living room. As the weather was nice, she enjoyed the warm sunlight for a while before heading back to the living room. Just shortly after she switched on the television, her phone rang. The number shown on the screen was not saved in her contact list but she knew exactly who it belonged to. She decided not to pick up but as soon as the call was disconnected, the owner of that number called her again. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. She smirked and took her time to pick up this time. Once she did, Mrs. Constance¡¯s frustrated voice could be heard. ¡°Sophia, did you do it on purpose?¡± Sophia hung up on her without saying anything. Seriously, Mrs. Constance should think twice before messing with her. Immediately, the woman called for the third time. Sitting cross-legged, Sophia ignored the ringtone as she watched the show on the television with relish. She could picture how furious Mrs. Constance must be right now. After several attempts, Mrs. Constance seemed to have an idea of Sophia¡¯s intention and stopped trying. Sophia first nced at her phone before taking it and included Mrs. Constance¡¯s number in the list of blocked numbers. After all, she had only put up with Mrs. Constance¡¯s wilful behavior for John¡¯s sake. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 342 Chapter 342 She wants to lord over me now? In her dreams! After waiting for a while, Sophia cooked some noodles. She had quite a lot of ingredients, so she made some scallion oil noodles herself. Just when the noodles were done, a car came to a stop before her house. Nheless, she carried the noodles over to the sofa, nning to watch television while she ate. Surprisingly, the person who alighted from the car headed for her house. Sophia stared at the person for a moment before sitting down casually. Watching the television, she then enjoyed the noodles with great relish. The living room door was open, so Matilda saw Sophia as soon as she entered the courtyard. She¡¯s really free, dressed in casual clothes and watching television, evenughing from time to time! Gritting her teeth, she walked over right away. ¡°Sophia.¡± Sophia ignored her, acting as though she didn¡¯t hear her. Matilda went over to the sofa in a few strides. ¡°You¡¯re such an ill-mannered shrew! An elder called you, yet you didn¡¯t even respond.¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes remained fixed on the television. ¡°You¡¯re such an ill-mannered shrew! You¡¯re trespassing without the house owner¡¯s permission.¡± Taken aback, Matilda almost lost her temper right then and there. She was initially at her parents¡¯ house, waiting for William to give in and pick her up, but he didn¡¯te even after a whole night had passed. This morning, she phoned Constance Residence, only to hear that he¡¯d gone back to the bedroom to sleepst night itself. This had her hopping mad. From that action of his, it meant that he was rather jubnt that she left since he could finally return to the bedroom to sleep. Her wrath was so great that she didn¡¯t even eat breakfast. However, she also knew that she couldn¡¯t go back to Constance Residence now, nor could she call him to reason. He definitely wouldn¡¯t entertain her and would even feel that she was being unreasonable. she thought about it, she came to an unpleasant conclusion¡ªif he didn¡¯te and get her, she certainly couldn¡¯t go back on her own volition. Would this mean that he wouldn¡¯t want her anymore in the end? At the thought of this, Matilda became restless, and she hurriedly considered the current situation. She felt that the Constance Family had to be presently worried over the uproar on the Inte, so William might not continue to hold the things she¡¯d done over her head if this matter was resolved and his good mood restored. Then, she could go back when he came to get her. After all, no one would care overly much when the matter was resolved, and this storm would pass. But how could this matter be resolved? To her thinking, Sophia was an excellent resolution. The netizens are now sympathizing with Sophia, so everything will be fine if she steps forward and announces that the divorce was due to a breakdown in their rtionship or a difference in personalities. It¡¯ll definitely be effective if she were to speak on behalf of John. Only after soothing herself for half a day did Matilda finally manage to suppress her anger over Sophia¡¯s retort. ¡°The Inte is now all abuzz. Hurry up and issue a statement to help rify things between John and Belle so that this matter can be put to rest,¡± she ordered coldly. However, Sophia was still watching television, her gaze never once leaving the screen. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. At this, Matilda frowned. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Did you hear me?¡± Sophia slurped her noodles as though in reply to her question. Within seconds, Matilda¡¯s face flushed with rage. ¡°Look at you! You¡¯re such an embarrassment! If it weren¡¯t for your grandfather¡¯s friendship with my father-inw, no one would even marry you back in your vige!¡± Sophia chuckled. This time, she spoke, ¡°Yup. But what to do? I still slept with your son despite being such an embarrassment, and I¡¯ve even made him a divorcee now. What should we do about this?¡± The remark of her having slept with her son almost had Matilda blowing her top. This woman is just too shameless that she dares to say anything! Sophia, however, didn¡¯t find anything amiss at all, evenughing after saying that. ¡°I haven¡¯t got the time to yak with you, Sophia! Hurry up and issue a statement to rify the matter. Then, we¡¯ll have nothing to do with each other in the future,¡± Matilda hissed through gritted teeth. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 343 Chapter 343 Sophia took a bite of noodles. ¡°What is there to rify? You want me to say that I pretended to be still married to John for the sake of helping him out with the crisis over Infinity Group, but he was then caught red-handed with Isabelle, so we had to make our divorce public?¡± Matilda was rendered speechless. ¡°Sophia, are you feigning ignorance with me?¡± Finishing the noodles in a few bites, Sophia then stood up with the bowl in her hands and looked at her. ¡°Yup, I¡¯m feigning ignorance. However, it seems that you¡¯re truly ignorant. How are you so thick- skinned toe and seek me out? The previous time, you swore right here that you wouldn¡¯t implore me for help. Why, you¡¯re going back against your word so soon?¡± Sneering, she turned around and walked toward the kitchen. ¡°Also, you should act like it if you¡¯re here to beg me for help. What kind of attitude is this now? I¡¯m already showing great charity by not talking smack about John. I¡¯ve warned you not to provoke me. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to control my tongue.¡± Matilda closed her eyes for a moment, her fists cracking by her sides. All of a sudden, she recalled the scene back when she was forced toe and apologize to Sophia. This was the exact spot I stood in back then. My humiliation is just greater every single time! When Sophia came out after washing the bowl, she noticed that Matilda was still standing there. She didn¡¯t pay her any attention earlier, so she thought that she¡¯d left. Going over to the coffee table, she took a piece of tissue and wiped her hands. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m going upstairs to rest.¡± Matilda¡¯s face was devoid of emotion. She merely stared at her without saying a single word nor twitching a single muscle. Her brows creasing, Sophia looked at her for a while before she pivoted and headed for the staircase. However, just after she¡¯d turned around, Matilda suddenly rushed at her and grabbed her hair hard, yanking her backward. ¡°Why are you being cocky with me? Who do you think you are?¡± Sophia was startled. Her scalp hurting, she promptly arched her body backward. While she¡¯dzed around for almost a year after marrying into a wealthy family, she still used to be a farmer in the past. Thus, she was quite strong despite her petite and slim stature. Half bending, she spun around, putting herself face-to-face with Matilda. As her hair was being pulled, she could only keep her head lowered. Swinging a hand out to break Matilda¡¯s hold on her hair, Sophia pinched a nerve on her arm that would render the entire arm numb with her other hand. She pinched hard, upon which Matilda eximed in pain before her hold loosened. Straightening, Sophia smoothed her hair and chuckled. ¡°Looks like the incident back then failed to teach you a lesson after all.¡± After saying that, she walked toward Matilda. At this time, Matilda was cradling her numb arm, staring at her. Subsequently, she grabbed a decorative item from the table beside her and threw it at Sophia while snarling, ¡°You¡¯re trulycking in manners, you insolent brat!¡±Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Sophia easily dodged. Then, she stepped forward and swung her hand at Matilda without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re the uncouth one.¡± After the p, she added a kick. There was a hanging chair behind Matilda, so when she stumbled at the kick and hit the hanging chair, she tripped and fell to the ground. Her expression frosty, Sophia walked over. All at once, she was reminded of the scene back when she raised her hand against Matilda. I regretted not kicking her a few times back then, but look, my opportunity is now here! Propping herself up, Matilda stared at her. ¡°What? You still want to hit me? Let me tell you, I¡¯m going to lodge a police report and sue you when I leave. I¡¯ll have you return everything you took from John!¡± Sophia burst outughing. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll give you the opportunity. You¡¯re a coward if you don¡¯t lodge a police reportter!¡± After she¡¯d said that, she gave Matilda a kick right away, taking her by surprise since she¡¯d never thought that Sophia would dare kick her. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 344 Chapter 344 Screeching, Matilda scrambled backward. Without saying a single word, Sophia kicked her twice more. All at once, Matilda wailed. Never had she been treated such, so she wasn¡¯t just hurt physically, but she also bore the brunt emotionally. Gritting her teeth, she stretched out a hand to grab her cell phone that had fallen out during her fall. ¡°Just you wait! I¡¯m going to make a call right now. I¡¯m going to phone John and have him see your viciousness for himself!¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Sophia chortled. ¡°Make haste, then. If you¡¯re too slow, I might just beat you to deathter.¡± Trembling, Matilda phoned John. John was still in the office, so he was a touch surprised when he received her call. He initially thought that she was calling to grouse about William, but as soon as he answered the call, he heard her howling, ¡°John,e over quickly! I¡¯m about to be beaten to death by that little b*tch, Sophia!¡± John startled. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the house you gave Sophia. Come quickly! If you¡¯rete, you might not see me anymore!¡± Matilda bawled. John promptly sprang to his feet. ¡°Where¡¯s Sophia?¡± As soon as his words fell, he heard Sophia¡¯s caustic voice as she barked, ¡°Hurry up and get your son here! Let me tell you, the knives in my kitchen are very sharp, so killing someone takes just a blink of an eye.¡± At this, he no longer asked further because he more or less knew what had happened. Snagging his jacket, he strode out, only to bump into William when he exited the office. Upon seeing John in such a hurry, astonishment suffused William. ¡°Are you leaving?¡± The Baileys will being over in a while, so he definitely has to stay and discuss how we¡¯re going to exin the matter to the public. ¡°My mother went to look for Sophia, and they seem to have fought again,¡± John exined in mild exasperation. Momentarily taken aback, William¡¯s brows knitted together. Immediately after, he muttered, ¡°What a nutcase!¡± Knowing that he was referring to Matilda, John pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯m going over to have a look.¡± Turning around, William walked out with him. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± She¡¯s an unreasonable person, so John might not be able to handle her alone. John said nothing. The two of them went downstairs and got into John¡¯s car before speeding toward Sophia¡¯s house. They were dyed by two red lights on the way, so the battle had already ended when they arrived. John and William sprinted into the house as soon as they climbed out of the car. The living room door was open, so from afar, they immediately spotted Matilda sitting on the floor, her appearance disheveled. Meanwhile, Sophia was sitting on the sofa with the television turned on, watching television with her legs crossed. Matilda was quiet at first, but the moment she saw John and William in the house, she burst into tears at once. Struggling up from the floor with all her might, she griped in a hoarse voice, ¡°Why are you two sote? I was almost beaten to death by this little b*tch!¡± Slowly turning around, Sophia stared fixedly at her. While her expression wasn¡¯t exactly baleful, it wasn¡¯t all that better. Earlier, Matilda was so terrified by such a look from her that she shrunk back, but she now stuck her neck out and red at Sophia since she had backing. Well aware of his wife¡¯s temperament, William sighed and turned to look at Sophia. She appears to be in a sorry state as well. Someone has obviously pulled her hair since it¡¯s falling off strand by strand. ¡°What happened, Sophia?¡± he asked in a gentle voice. Sophia, however, didn¡¯t even spare him a nce. ¡°Ask her. Just ask her what happened.¡± Her voice was extremely frigid. Meanwhile, Matilda was still weeping and clutching at William¡¯s shirt, her expression giving him a severe headache. This is exactly how she looked the day she fought with me. John looked at Matilda. ¡°Mom, why did youe here?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 345 Chapter 345 Matilda¡¯s sobbing ceased, but after a moment¡¯s contemtion, she continued crying. Closing his eyes for a moment, William chided, ¡°Stop crying. What¡¯s the use of crying?¡± He emphasized every single word as he spoke. His voice was mild, but one could hear that he was a tad livid. Knowing that he was still peeved about the incident back then, Matilda blinked and slowly stopped weeping. Again, John asked, ¡°Why did youe here?¡± Sniffling, Matilda replied, ¡°I was just thinking that those rumors on the Inte are affecting you badly, so I came over to ask for her help in issuing a statement to rify things. Then, the matter will be resolved.¡± At this time, Sophia turned back without saying a single word. John nced at Matilda. Although Sophia isn¡¯t very reasonable, she¡¯s smart. She won¡¯t do anything irrational. Thus, he then asked, ¡°Who made the first move?¡± All at once, Matilda went silent. As such, the answer was clear as day. Shaking his arm, William shook off her hand from his shirt. ¡°Were you trying to add to the trouble we¡¯re in now? Well?¡± This question was uttered in a voice far louder than he¡¯d used earlier. At the side, Sophia sneered, ¡°You two had better think of a solution now. Matilda has already lodged a police report, so this matter will be even worse when the police arrive in a while. Perhaps this will also be fodder for the media.¡± Stunned, both William and John looked at Matilda. ¡°You lodged a police report?¡± Matilda¡¯s mouth parted a fraction as she stammered, ¡°Y-Yes.¡± Actually, regret assailed her when she was done lodging a police report. At that time, she was blinded by rage after Sophia had hit her, so she didn¡¯t stop to think. Only when she sat there and mulled it over after having made the police report did she realize that something was amiss. However, she truly didn¡¯t want to lose face before Sophia, so she couldn¡¯t just call back and cancel the police report. William clenched his jaw. ¡°You¡¯re truly brainless.¡± Sophia who was watching television snorted. Matilda is brainless precisely because she¡¯s been spoiled by her pampered life all these years. William is too nice to her, and her status as the most senior Mrs. Constance inhibited her sisters-inw from confronting her head-on. Meanwhile, Belinda, the matriarch of the Constance Family, has always been an easy-going person, thus closing a blind eye to things that aren¡¯t too serious. When no one reprimands her and she doesn¡¯t need to think for herself, her brain isn¡¯t much use to her. Naturally, she then doesn¡¯t use it anymore. Everyone shoulders some me in this. Who asked them to indulge her so much in the past? Now, they¡¯ve got to bear the consequences. Sighing, John nced at Sophia. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop her?¡± Amusement flooded Sophia. ¡°Could I have stopped your mother? Don¡¯t you know her temperament? If I¡¯d stopped her, she probably wouldn¡¯t have stopped at lodging a police report. Rather, she would¡¯ve even assembled the neighbors.¡± She¡¯s right. Clenching his hand into a fist, John hammered his forehead. Matilda was now a touch scared. Gazing at William, she asked in a whisper, ¡°Is this a serious matter, William?¡± William chuckled furiously. ¡°What do you think?¡± Upon hearing this, Matilda pursed her lips and said nothing. At this time, Sophia suggested, ¡°You all should leave quickly since there¡¯s bound to be a crowd when the police arriveter. Just leave now, and I¡¯ll tell them I have no idea what happened when theye in a while. If they call you, try your best to exin on the phone. If that doesn¡¯t work, ask them to visit Constance Residence. It¡¯ll be better than being found out here.¡± Jolting, William hurriedly seconded, ¡°You¡¯re right! We should leave quickly!¡± N?velDrama.Org content. When things hade to this, Matilda no longer cared that this was Sophia¡¯s idea. She instantly echoed, ¡°Yes, yes, we should leave now. When the police arrive and find no one here, this matter will be dropped.¡± John looked at Sophia. ¡°Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 346 Chapter 346 At this, Matilda was a tad displeased. I was the one being beaten unterally. I look even worse for wear than Sophia, yet John hasn¡¯t even asked after me ever since he came in until now. She looked at John. ¡°John, you two are divorced, so you should be more circumspect.¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. William frowned, very much disgruntled at her behavior now. ¡°Zip it. You¡¯ve created such a mess, yet you still have the temerity to chastise others here?¡± Matilda quickly pursed her lips, not daring to say a single word. Meanwhile, Sophia remained expressionless. Without replying to John¡¯s question, she merely said, ¡°Go. You¡¯ll run into the police if you tarry any longer.¡± Matilda hurriedly scurried out while pulling William along. ¡°Come,e, let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go quickly.¡± John, however, stood there for a few seconds as he stared at Sophia. Sophia sneered at his scrutiny. ¡°Why, are you irked because I hit your mother again? Even so, just stifle it!¡± Sighing, John went over and smoothed her hair for a bit. ¡°If my motheres again, lock the door and keep her out.¡± Her expression tense, Sophia took a step back, putting distance between them. John then slowly retracted his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be going back first.¡± ¡°Hurry up and leave,¡± Sophia huffed, seemingly in utter exasperation. Pivoting, John went out and joined William and Matilda who were already in the car. When he nced at Sophia back at the house through the rear-view mirror, he saw that she¡¯d already turned sideways and wasbing her hair with her fingers. At this time, Matilda tapped the back of his seat. ¡°Go, go! The police will be here soon.¡± Retracting his gaze, John then started the car. Just after he¡¯d started driving, a police car approached from the opposite side. The moment Matilda caught sight of the police, she shrunk into herself in terror and hid in the back seat. William twisted his head away, truly having no desire to gaze upon her. John merely drove off without even turning to take a look when he went past the police car. Through the rear-view mirror, he could see the police car slowlying to a stop before Sophia¡¯s house whereupon two police officers alighted and entered the courtyard. He let out a sigh of relief, yet his irritation grew. Matilda, on the other hand, patted her chest. ¡°Phew, we left just in time.¡± After driving for a while, John asked, ¡°Mom, where do you want me to drop you off?¡± This question rendered Matilda at a loss. Where to drop me off? She actually wanted to go back to Constance Residence, but she was the one who packed up and left back then. She was even a touch pompous when she left, so she truly couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to say that she wanted to go back in front of William and John. She peeked at William out of the corner of her eye, only to see that he hadn¡¯t reacted at all, acting as though he hadn¡¯t heard John¡¯s question. Judging from his expression, he doesn¡¯t want me to return to Constance Residence. Mild indignation inundated her. Never had he acted in such a manner throughout the years, but he¡¯s now treating me so shoddily because of an outsider! Throwing a tantrum, she dered, ¡°Drop me off at your maternal grandmother¡¯s house. I¡¯m not going back to Constance Residence!¡± John didn¡¯t try changing her mind, driving straight toward her parents¡¯ house instead. No one said anything throughout the rest of the drive. When the car came to a stop, Matilda dawdled, spending half a day just to open the car door. William naturally knew what she was trying to do, so he grew rather impatient. ¡°Make it fast. We still need to go back to the office where loads of work are still waiting for us.¡± Sulking, Matilda swung open the car door and climbed out. Without even bidding the two of them farewell, she stomped into the house. John then drove away with a sigh. When he and William returned to the office, the Baileys were already there. Isabelle was there as well, but one could see that she wasn¡¯t looking all that good despite her exquisite makeup. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 347 Chapter 347 Isabelle looked extremely weary and even a touch dispirited. The Baileys were waiting in the meeting room, so William and John hurried over. When Isabelle spotted John, she sprang to her feet at once. At the side, Old Mr. Bailey chided, ¡°Belle.¡± Seemingly snapping back to her senses, she slowly sat back down with mild embarrassment. The moment John came in, he immediately found a seat and sat down without even sparing her a single nce. On the other hand, the police questioned Sophia for a bit before the entire matter was dropped. It wasn¡¯t her who made the police report, so she merely said she wasn¡¯t quite sure what had happened, and the two police officers didn¡¯t ask further. When they¡¯d left, she sat on the sofa for a long time before she remembered something. I¡¯d better revoke John¡¯s ess to this ce. Putting aside what Matilda thinks, I myself don¡¯t want to have anything to do with the Constance Family anymore in the future. After cleaning the mess in the living room from the altercation earlier, she then went upstairs and sprawled on the bed. Rolling about, she then took out her cell phone and looked at the news reports on the Inte. Truthfully speaking, she did contemte speaking up on behalf of John. The sooner this matter blows over, the sooner my life can get back on track. If this matter hangs in the bnce, it¡¯ll affect me as well. But Matilda is truly impudent! How dare shee and order me around? Did she think the title of the most senior Mrs. Constance is a free pass that is effective everywhere? Pah! After this confrontation, I¡¯m more inclined to bad-mouth John on the Inte. Sophia inhaled deeply. However, it was quite a delight to hit her earlier. I¡¯ve finally vented all the resentment bottled within me! Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Picking at random, she nced through two news reports. The contents were mainly still the same, but this time, they brought up John and Isabelle¡¯s engagement in the past. She actually had no idea what exactly happened between the two of them back then. The only thing she knew was that the two families were initially nning to join in marriage, and it was her appearance that shattered the bnce. From the article, she read that it was actually Matilda who mediated the union between the Constance and Bailey Family. It was said that Matilda liked Isabelle very much after a single meeting, so she brought the matter up when she got home. At that time, it was about time for John to get married, and he was doing rather well in Constance Group, having some minor achievements career-wise. Thus, it¡¯d be perfect if he had a happy family then. The Constance Family considered the matter and felt that the Bailey Family was a good choice. The Bailey Family, on the other hand, naturally admired John, so they agreed when the Constance Family proposed the idea. This marriage contract was smooth sailing in the beginning. Besides, the article mentioned that John and Isabelle had also met up, upon which John was very much satisfied with her, but something happenedter, and he married someone else who was inferior to her in every aspect. When Sophia read the first half of the article, she didn¡¯t find any problem with it, but in the second half¡­ Inferior in every aspect? Pah! Sophia put down her cell phone. It truly isn¡¯t worth it to have made myself irate again from just reading a news report. Hugging her nket, she rolled around twice before closing her eyes. There¡¯s nothing else to be done besides sleep. Meanwhile, the employees at Constance Group were all confounded. After all, Sophia had visited in the past and appeared very loving with John, so it came as an utter surprise that they¡¯d then divorced in short order. Early this morning, that female employee known as Miss Cox jumped out again, iming that everything she said back then was true¡ªthe cracks in John and Sophia¡¯s rtionship stemmed from his affair with her. In the past, few people believed the woman¡¯s words, but now that John was in the limelight and someone was ying this up, this woman¡¯s im was taken as proof of his habitual cheating by many. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 348 Chapter 348 Although the employees dared not say anything openly, their furtive gossiping never ceased. Thus, when Isabelle came today, they looked at her askance. If they had to pick between Isabelle and Sophia, most of them would still side with Sophia. Firstly, Sophia appeared much more easy-going, always wearing a smile, whereas Isabelle preferred to put on airs, giving off a feeling of detachment. Secondly, Isabelle didn¡¯t have a leg to stand on in this entire farce. Many people felt that she was the third party, and naturally, the public abhorred homewreckers. After reading all the documents in his office, Dn stood up and went to the pantry. When he reached the pantry door, he stopped. There were people in the pantry¡ªthree female employees¡ªwho were gathered by the window, chatting while sipping tea. Although their voices were lowered, Dn could still hear them by the door. One of them remarked, ¡°I still think that Miss Gwendolyn is quite nice.¡± Another one nodded. ¡°Yup, I think so, too. Miss Gwendolyn is obviously a person who brings good luck to her husband. She¡¯s always smiling, so that invites fortune.¡± At this, the third person chuckled and looked at the second person. ¡°Miss Whitman, you are quite far- sighted. In my opinion, while Miss Gwendolyn looks petite and slim, she¡¯s exactly the type of woman with potential. She¡¯ll definitely give birth to a son in the future!¡± After saying this, the three of them burst outughing. When theughter had subsided, the third person sighed and continued, ¡°All in all, Miss Gwendolyn is indeed quite a nice person. Although I¡¯ve only seen her a handful of times, she looks much more pleasant than Miss Bailey.¡± With his cup in hand, Dn turned and went back to his office after a moment¡¯s contemtion. Sophia and John are divorced. Life is truly filled with surprises. After reclining against his chair for a while, he saw a group of people filing past his office door. Precisely speaking, they were John, William, and the Baileys. Isabelle was walking beside John, and she happened to have her head turned, speaking to John. Dn¡¯s room door was open, so John reflectively nced into his room when he walked past the door. Dn smiled and mouthed something to him. At first, John frowned, but he then understood Dn¡¯s remark, and his expression instantly darkened. Conversely, Dn chuckled as he gazed at him languidly. At the side, Isabelle looked at John who¡¯d stopped walking in slight astonishment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, John?¡± Retracting his gaze, John replied, ¡°Nothing.¡± The two of them then headed toward the elevator. When they reached the elevator, the employee elevator at the side happened to arrive, and a few employees walked out, one after another. Those employees greeted William and John in the beginning, but the moment they caught sight of Isabelle, some couldn¡¯t keep their disdain under wraps, mild contempt showing on their faces. Isabelle naturally saw this, but she could only pretend that she saw nothing. Thements on the Inte are much more severe than these people¡¯s gazes, yet I have no recourse but to endure it. John went with William in seeing the Baileys off. Before Isabelle got into the car, she nced at John, but John didn¡¯t look at her, his gaze pinned on the opposite street. Camera shes went off across the street. He¡¯d actually spotted the paparazzi lying in wait in the shop across the road as soon as he¡¯d stepped out of the lobby, but he didn¡¯t find it necessary to hide. I¡¯m not doing anything scandalous, so who cares if they snap photos? These people¡¯s curiosity is intense, so if they can¡¯t get anything from me and Isabelle, they¡¯ll probably go to Sophia. He didn¡¯t want these people to bother Sophia. She has never experienced such a thing, and she¡¯s hot-tempered, so she¡¯ll easily get irritated, leading to an altercation. Previous Chapter Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 349 Chapter 349 Sighing soundlessly, John retracted his gaze. Isabelle, on the other hand, pursed her lips, swallowing the words she initially wanted to say. When the Baileys¡¯ car had driven off, William and John headed back to the office. While walking, William said, ¡°See whether there¡¯s room for discussion with Sophia. It¡¯s originally nothing too difficult, but your mother went over and assaulted her, aggravating the entire matter.¡± I wonder whether Sophia will be averse to this mess after the episode earlier. If so, it won¡¯t be an easy task to ask for her help anymore. Only when the two of them had entered the elevator did John reply, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to herter. She¡¯s actually quite a reasonable person.¡± William murmured an acknowledgment. Subsequently, he ordered in mild exasperation, ¡°Don¡¯t entertain your mother for the time being. Her attitude truly needs to be tempered. We¡¯ve been too indulgent with her all these years that she hasn¡¯t grown at all, her brains regressing from day to day.¡± John merely stared at the electronic screen in the elevator, watching as the numbers went up. His brows slowly creased, yet he said nothing, seemingly agreeing with William. Meanwhile, Sophiay on the bed and slept before she was groggily awakened by Logan¡¯s phone call. She fumbled for her cell phone and nced at the caller ID. Only when she¡¯d ascertained that it was someone she knew did she answer the call. ¡°Logan.¡± ¡°Are you awake? Where are you? Why don¡¯t youe over to my ce?¡± Logan was probably bored. Sophia flipped over. ¡°Nope, I want to sleep at home.¡± At this, Logan smacked his lips. ¡°I just knew that you¡¯d say this. Don¡¯t sleep anymore. Here, I¡¯ll tell you something interesting.¡± Sophia blinked. ¡°Something interesting? What else could be more interesting than my issue now?¡± Eximing in protest, Logan countered, ¡°I¡¯m serious. I¡¯m not lying to you. Let me tell you, it has something to do with the Morgan siblings.¡± Stunned, Sophia slowly sat up. ¡°Simon and Sally Morgan?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Enthusiasm flooded Logan. ¡°Remember that you were once injured at Morgan Residence? Your man¡­¡± He abruptly stopped, knowing that he¡¯d misspoken. Chuckling dryly, he hurriedly changed his tune. ¡°I mean, your ex-husband, John. Perhaps he wanted to avenge you, so he had someone investigate Simon and Sally Morgan. These two rat b*stards want to secure Morgan Group, so they had under-the-table dealings with thepany¡¯s senior management, offering and epting bribes. Well, you know what I mean. Besides, they even made several personal investments outside in the company¡¯s name. The loss was borne by thepany, while the gain went into their pockets. Say, shouldn¡¯t such heinous creatures be persecuted?¡± After a moment¡¯s deliberation, Sophia asked, ¡°John had someone investigate this?¡± Logan sighed. ¡°Yes, it was John. I think he was angry that Sally Morgan injured you that day, so he wanted to avenge you. However, it¡¯s now inconvenient for him to act personally since he¡¯s gued with problems, so he handed the evidence to me. Actually, it makes no difference if I act. Since you¡¯re now scandal-ridden, it¡¯ll be bad to drag you into this matter, so I¡¯ll just teach these two reprobates a lesson on the pretext of helping Ian out.¡± Sophia mulled it over for a while. ¡°But how is it possible that the Morgans are unaware of Simon and Sally Morgan¡¯s illicit dealings? They should be aware, no?¡± Putting aside the issue of whether Bryce Morgan and Leah Zimmerman know about this, Sean Morgan couldn¡¯t possibly have missed it. Now that thepany is in his hands, it¡¯s impossible that he didn¡¯t notice them doing such a thing right under his nose. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Logan snorted. ¡°Sean Morgan is probably aware of it, but he doesn¡¯t want to expose it himself. He¡¯s actually very smart. While he dislikes Leah Zimmerman, he¡¯s avoiding having a head-on confrontation with those three people.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 350 Chapter 350 Logan actually wasn¡¯t at all bothered about this. ¡°Never mind, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just let Sean Morgan reap the reward this time. He wants someone to expose this, so I¡¯ll be the bad guy here. I¡¯m not afraid. I don¡¯t fear anyone.¡± Sophia chortled. ¡°Are you afraid of Lorraine, your third eldest sister?¡± Young Master Jefferson was still arrogant a second ago, but the moment he heard this question, he instantly went silent. He indeed feared no one, but Lorraine was the exception. He was still afraid of her. After all, his other sisters had been giving in to him ever since young, but Lorraine pulled no punches when she went against him. It¡¯s as though that woman is eager to kill me with a single misstep! Upon seeing that he¡¯d gone mum at her question, Sophia didn¡¯t pursue it further. Instead, she cut to the chase, asking, ¡°What¡¯s the situation over at the Morgan Family?¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Coughing softly, Logan then answered solemnly, ¡°I contacted Ian earlier, and he¡¯s now at the office. However, Simon, Sally, and Sean Morgan have been summoned home. It¡¯s probably Bryce Morgan who called them home, but this old geezer is the type to gloss things over, so he¡¯ll probably just give them a p on the wrist since there are no outsiders there.¡± ¡°Then, won¡¯t your efforts have been in vain?¡± Sophia questioned. ¡°Not exactly.¡± Logan then continued, ¡°I still have evidence of some other things done by those two rat b*stards which I haven¡¯t made known. After they¡¯ve muddled through this, I¡¯ll then expose the next one, and so on. I don¡¯t believe that old geezer won¡¯t get angry no matter how good his temper is when incident after incidentes to light.¡± At this, Sophiaughed. ¡°You¡¯re quite ckhearted, after all.¡± Just after she¡¯d said this, her cell phone buzzed with a notification. She brought it down and nced at it, only to see that there was a Facebook notification. She opened Facebook right away, only to guffaw in amusement. John actually sent me a friend request? Isn¡¯t this man contrary? It was him who unfriended me back then, yet he¡¯s now sending me a friend request. She pretended as though she didn¡¯t see it and exited the application. Then, she continued chatting with Logan about Morgan Family¡¯s scandal. However, just after she¡¯d said a few words, a phone call came in from John. Taken aback, she stared at her cell phone for half a day before telling Logan that she had to go since something cropped up. Loganmented for a long time, but she ignored him and hung up right away. After that, she answered John¡¯s call. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Her voice was no longer as impatient as before. John hummed in acquiescence. ¡°I sent you a friend request on Facebook, but you haven¡¯t epted it.¡± Upon hearing this, Sophia was tickled pink. ¡°Why should I ept it? What are you trying to do by unfriending me back then yet sending me a friend request now?¡± John heaved a sigh on the other end, seemingly exasperated. ¡°I failed to consider it properly back then. I thought we won¡¯t have anything to do with each other anymore, but¡ª¡± Murmuring an acknowledgment, Sophia then cut him off, asserting, ¡°We indeed won¡¯t have anything to do with each other anymore, so there¡¯s no need to be friends on Facebook again.¡± I¡¯ve finally realized that her tongue is truly sharp. Besides, she seems to know the exact attitude she should exhibit to inflict the greatest pain on the other person. It¡¯s truly vexing when she utters such a remark nonchntly. No wonder Mom goes ballistic with just a few words from her! John went silent, and Sophia said nothing either. He was quite patient in the past, but he¡¯d now grown impatient. At this moment, he became somewhat edgy and blurted, ¡°Sophia, we¡¯re not enemies.¡± He couldn¡¯t see her expression, so Sophia did her utmost best to make herself sound innocent. ¡°I don¡¯t regard you as an enemy.¡± At this, she chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m very grateful for everything you¡¯ve done for me, but John, we really shouldn¡¯t associate with each other anymore. I don¡¯t regard you as an enemy. I merely want to regard you as a stranger.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 351 Chapter 351 All at once, John was rendered speechless. This thought of Sophia¡¯s actually echoed his back then. However, a person¡¯s thoughts often changed although he himself didn¡¯t quite understand when the change in him transpired. Sophia didn¡¯t want to listen to his jabbering. After all, they both knew that some things were useless to speak of. Thus, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll be hanging up if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Without giving John any time to react, she outright hung up on him. cing her cell phone aside, she let out a sigh of relief. Wow! I feel much more rxed after saying that! After having napped for a while earlier, it was now dusk. She was hungry, but she truly didn¡¯t feel like moving. Hence, she snagged her cell phone. Instead of calling for takeaway, she called Logan back. Logan answered in no time. ¡°Sophia.¡± Sophia hummed in acknowledgment before dering, ¡°I¡¯m starving. Come over to my house with some food.¡± ¡°You¡¯re looking for me just because you want food? Don¡¯t you know how to call for delivery if you¡¯re hungry?¡± Logan groused. N?velDrama.Org content. Sophia instantly raised her voice. ¡°Can I call for delivery now? I¡¯m a famous figure now, so I¡¯ve got to reduce my public appearances, you know? Put a rush on it. Besides, you¡¯re it! You¡¯ll be my manager for the time being, so hurry up ande over.¡± Logan was extremely patient with her and answered her affably, ¡°I¡¯lle over now, so you can stop nagging me. You gave me a scare by raising your voice earlier.¡± After hanging up the phone, Sophiay on the bed. However, Logan wasn¡¯t all that quick ining. He only arrived after a long time, but he wasn¡¯t alone. He came with Ian, iming that Ian so happened to get off work and he passed by Morgan Group, so he brought Ian along. What a dumb excuse! Morgan Group isn¡¯t anywhere near the clubhouse or my house, so he has to detour for quite a bit if he wants to pass by Morgan Group. However, Sophia wasn¡¯t bothered about this, so she merely ced the food Logan bought onto the dining table. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat! I¡¯m about to starve to death!¡± Logan preferred eating in a group, so he bought quite a lot of food. He and Ian came over before he went to the kitchen to get some cutlery. Then, he asked Ian, ¡°Do you know how it¡¯s going with the matter back home?¡± At this, Sophia suddenly recalled what he told her about the Morgans earlier. Ah, I forgot all about this crucial matter when I¡¯m famished. Ian shook his head. ¡°Nope. I didn¡¯t ask either, but Sean came back to the office in the evening when it was almost time to get off work. Simon and Sally weren¡¯t with him, so I guess they¡¯ve been grounded.¡± ¡°If your old man kicks those two reprobates out of thepany because of this matter, I¡¯ll respect him for being a man!¡± Logan sneered. Ian shook his head again. ¡°That¡¯s not likely to happen.¡± With Leah Zimmerman there to beg for mercy on their behalf, this matter will probably end with just some chastisement. Logan, however, wasn¡¯t at all bothered. ¡°No matter. After this matter has blown over, there¡¯s still another issue, and so on. There must be something that will be too much for your old man, so there¡¯ll be a time when they won¡¯t get off.¡± Ian merely smiled withoutmenting. After a while, Sophia blurted, ¡°Do you guys think I should say something on the Inte to help John out in putting the public opinion to rest? After all, we¡¯re still friends despite the divorce.¡± This reasoning had Logan dumbfounded. Still, he answered, ¡°Well, it won¡¯t do any harm to help him out a bit since he actually didn¡¯t go beyond the bounds of propriety. It¡¯s just the media making up drivel.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 352 Chapter 352 Pursing her lips, Sophia pondered for a moment. ¡°What do you think I should say? The public opinion is going rather strongly, so I¡¯m afraid that they¡¯ll turn their sights on me when I speak up.¡± After some contemtion, Ian suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Lorraine? She probably knows what to say to make an airtight statement.¡± Upon hearing this, Logan instantly nodded. ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯ll give Lorraine a call and ask about it.¡± After saying that, he took out his cell phone and called Lorraine before cing it on the table on speakerphone. N?velDrama.Org content. Lorraine seemed to be rather swamped since they could hear someone else speaking in the background. Logan was extremely courteous while speaking to his sister, smiling as he asked, ¡°Are you free now, Lorraine? I¡¯ve got a question for you.¡± On the contrary, Lorraine was very impatient with him, snapping, ¡°Hold it until I¡¯m done with work.¡± After saying that, she hung up right away. A tad embarrassed, Logan chuckled dryly as he looked up at Ian and Sophia. ¡°Lorraine is busy. She¡¯s always busy, so it¡¯s already a miracle that she answered my call.¡± Sophia and Ian shared a look, then lowered their heads and ate. Subsequently, Logan put away his cell phone awkwardly. No one spoke during the rest of the meal. When they were done eating, Logan promptly cleared the table. Meanwhile, Sophia went over to the sofa and plopped down. Turning on the television, she then chortled. ¡°Let me tell you guys something. I came to blows with Matilda today.¡± Logan who was cing the tableware into the dishwasher in the kitchen rushed out upon hearing this. ¡°Who did youe to blows with? Did you win or lose? And Matilda? Who¡¯s Matilda?¡± Sophia turned and stared at him. ¡°John¡¯s mother.¡± It wasn¡¯t only Logan, but Ian was also stunned now. Both of them walked over to the sofa. ¡°Are you hurt, then?¡± Ian looked her up and down. Sophia waved a dismissive hand. ¡°I just lost a few strands of hair, but I¡¯m otherwise fine. Matilda, on the other hand, got a p and a few kicks from me.¡± ¡°You did quite a great job!¡± Logan eximed. He then came over and sat down on the sofa before starting mysteriously, ¡°I heard quite a few things about John¡¯s mother, and that woman is actually not one to be trifled with.¡± Sophia arched an eyebrow. ¡°What did you hear about his mother?¡± After deliberating for a moment, Logan replied, ¡°It¡¯s said that like John, his father was initially engaged to someone else, but the girl¡¯s familyter went back on their word, and the girl got together with someone else. Thus, his father had a blind date with his mother, and they got together.¡± He then smacked his lips. ¡°It seems that when John was in his teenage years, the woman with whom his father was initially engaged got divorced. I¡¯ve never asked about the specific reason, but that woman suddenly realized John¡¯s father¡¯s goodness after so many years and came back to look for him. She knew full well that he has a family, yet she still came on to him.¡± Ian came over as well and plopped down on the other side of Sophia. The gap between them was negligible, so much so that Sophia¡¯s nosy profile was reflected in Ian¡¯s eyes. Ian then subconsciously leaned close to Sophia, likewise appearing all intrigued. The two of them were very close; Sophia was turned sideways, her back to Ian, so it appeared as though she was nestled in his embrace from a certain angle. Sophia, however, didn¡¯t notice all that, her attention on Logan¡¯s words. Logan didn¡¯t pay any attention to Ian either, continuing surreptitiously, ¡°It isn¡¯t certain whether John¡¯s father didn¡¯t realize the woman¡¯s intentions or he still had feelings for her, but he went out with her a few times. Soon, John¡¯s mother found out about this and went to the woman¡¯s parents¡¯ house, cursing and smashing things.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 353 Chapter 353 When Logan had said that, he shook his head. ¡°Rumor has it that shey into them and gave them hell, cursing the woman¡¯s parents as well.¡± When the woman came back upon learning of the uproar at home, she happened to bump into Matilda who was still quite slender and agile at that time. Going up to her, Matilda then grabbed her hair and hit her violently. That woman probably knew that she was in the wrong, so she didn¡¯t fight back nor say a single word, merely taking the beating silently. Without waiting for William toe over, Matilda then left. She was elegant during both her entry and exit. Even when she was hitting the woman, she tried her best to maintain her image and didn¡¯t allow herself to be too disheveled. Judging from this matter, she¡¯s actually a woman who¡¯s quite swift and resolute. I don¡¯t know what was discussed between William and her when she went back, but William then cut off all ties with that woman. After thinking for a while, Sophia said, ¡°The woman deserved a beating, but she shouldn¡¯t have dragged her parents into it.¡± This is precisely her problem. She just has to involve the person¡¯s parents. This was also something for which she disdained her. Logan stared at her. ¡°Therefore, you¡¯re truly admirable to have beaten her up.¡± Sophia¡¯s brows creased slightly. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t care how she rides roughshod over others at Constance Residence. However, I can¡¯t tolerate it when shees to my territory and criticizes me, even going so far as to hit me. I¡¯m not a mellow person, nor was I born to be bullied by others.¡± Logan nodded in agreement with her remark. ¡°Exactly! I¡¯m of the same opinion. I¡¯m born to enjoy life. Otherwise, why would I make a trip into the world? To suffer and put up with mistreatment? No way!¡± Staring at him, Ian then turned to look at Sophia. This time, Sophia sensed him beside her and reflexively turned to nce at him. However, they were so close that they almost kissed, scaring her so much that she quickly leaned back. Ian straightened as well. ¡°Sorry, I was a bit too absorbed in Logan¡¯s story just now.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± At this time, John was standing in the courtyard, staring at the three people inside through the living room window. From this angle, Sophia seemed to be leaning against Ian, the two of them appearing very much intimate. I wonder if she turned and kissed him before they exchanged a smile earlier. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Frowning, he closed his eyes for a moment, having nary a clue as to why he stood here and watched for so long. There¡¯s nothing interesting to see here. Without going over, he spun on his heels and left, climbing back into his car and speeding off. I only drove here because I lost my mind. There¡¯s nothing interesting here, nothing at all. On his way back, a call came in from Old Mrs. Constance, asking him where he was and why he didn¡¯t come home after work. John knew that she was asking this question out of concern for him. After all, he didn¡¯t have to entertain clients much these days, and coupled with all his problems now, there weren¡¯t many ces he could go. Thus, he said that he¡¯d been wrapping up his work at the office and was now on his way home. At this, she murmured an acquiescence. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you to have dinner.¡± Johnter hung up and threw his cell phone to the side. Going straight back to Constance Residence, he then parked at the parking lot but didn¡¯t alight immediately. He sat there, reclining against his seat while spacing out for a bit. The Baileys issued a statement in the evening, but it was very simple, merely proiming that Isabelle didn¡¯t encroach on anyone¡¯s love life and thanking the public for their concern. In all honesty, this rification is no different from making no rification. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 354 Chapter 354 The Inte was now abuzz with various spections about the Bailey Family¡¯s statement that John was gripped by the urge to turn a blind eye to them. Today, even after the Baileys came and discussed for a long time, nothing was decided. It¡¯s as though they¡¯re dissatisfied no matter the course of action, feeling that everything is A-OK because of the date on my divorce certificate. Worse still, Isabelle cried in the meeting room, putting on an aggrieved expression! However, he suddenly found the sight of her weeping extremely irritating. It was as though I was seeing Mom bawl. While their methods of expression varied, it wasn¡¯t all that different. Both wield tears as a weapon when tears are something I detest greatly! Unbidden, he thought of Sophia. She never cried. Even when she was bullied so badly by Mom back then, she never once shed a single tear. He sat there for a good while until Old Mrs. Constance called again before he hurriedly climbed out of the car. Both Old Mrs. Constance and William were waiting in the dining room. Upon seeing John, the former shed him a smile. ¡°Go and wash your hands before eating.¡± John actually had no appetite, but he did as ordered. When he took his seat, Old Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°Your father has briefed me about the situation at thepany. In my opinion, if this matter truly can¡¯t be rified, just let it cool by keeping your distance from Isabelle. The public has eyes, so they¡¯ll see the truth.¡± Lifting his head, John nced at William. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t you think that the Baileys¡¯ attitude today and the statement they issued arepletely perfunctory?¡± During the negotiation with the Bailey Family earlier, he almost lost his temper and countered Old Mr. Bailey right then and there several times. He just couldn¡¯t shake off the nagging feeling that Old Mr. Bailey wanted to shift the focus to himself and Isabelle. Such sneaky subterfuge that inadvertently showed truly had his temper ring. William nodded. ¡°I naturally saw through them. In fact, I contemted whether to just go all out and announce everything today lest the Baileys put on a show, but John, I¡¯ve got to consider you.¡± ncing over at Old Mrs. Constance, he said tactfully, ¡°If you have too many issues, your position in the company will definitely be affected and turn shaky. You¡¯llter be targeted, you know? I¡¯m putting up with it now because I hope that you¡¯ll be able to gain a foothold in thepany after this matter blows over.¡± After a long while, Old Mrs. Constance heaved a sigh. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so diplomatic in mentioning this matter before me. I, too, hope that John will take the lead when your generation steps down, so our thoughts are no different. Dn is indeed quite capable, but he¡¯s too gentle and easily swayed. Nheless, he¡¯ll be a good choice to assist John in the future.¡± William looked at John. ¡°Naturally, I could see that you were extremely upset today, but we indeed can¡¯t go head-to-head with the Baileys now. The public opinion is currently unfavorable to us, so it won¡¯t look good for you if the Baileys were to follow suit.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. At this, Old Mrs. Constance was incensed again. ¡°That wife of yours is truly too much! I¡¯ve told you from the beginning itself not to indulge her too much, but you didn¡¯t listen. Look what huge trouble she¡¯d wrought now! William, you know what? This is all your doing. It¡¯s you who dragged John into this mess.¡± John leaned back against his chair. ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s eat. Mentioning all these things would only lead to a headache.¡± He picked up his knife and fork. There were steak and sd before him, a combination he often ate in the past. He usually ate little for dinner, so a steak and sd were sufficient. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 355 Chapter 355 However, as John held the fork and knife in hand, he didn¡¯t start eating even after a long time had passed. Old Mrs. Constance wasn¡¯t used to the food, so she had the kitchen prepare some porridge. Meanwhile, William had steak and sd as well since such food with a fixed quantity made for both a simple and nutritious meal. At times, their interests and preferences coincided since they were both people who disliked going to any trouble. After looking at the food for a long while, John put down his fork and knife. Beside him, Old Mrs. Constance was startled. Looking at him, she said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, John? Do you not have an appetite? Even if you¡¯ve got no appetite now, you¡¯ve still got to eat some.¡± John chuckled. ¡°No, I just want to go upstairs and take a shower. I¡¯m really rather tired today, so just have the kitchen cook some noodles for me and bring it upter.¡± Old Mrs. Constance scrutinized him for a long while before she finally nodded. ¡°Alright. Go on up. I¡¯ll have the kitchen prepare some noodles right away.¡± Getting to his feet, John inclined his head at William before turning and leaving the dining room. After he¡¯d left, Old Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°I¡¯m warning you to just ignore Matilda if she calls and asks you to pick her up. Don¡¯t bother with her. I¡¯m truly growing increasingly irate the more I turn this matter over in my mind.¡±Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. William nodded. ¡°Got it. Actually, I saw her today, and she didn¡¯t mentioning back.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen her?¡± Old Mrs. Constance shot him a re. ¡°You went over to the Flintstone Residence?¡± After hesitating for a while, William told her about Matilda having been beaten up by Sophia earlier. He didn¡¯t know how the entire event unfolded, so he merely described how pathetic Matilda looked when he saw her. All at once, Old Mrs. Constance cackled. ¡°She¡¯s been beaten again, huh? Serves her right! I wonder whether the lesson this time will stick.¡± Exasperation inundated William when he sensed that she was ted upon hearing this. ¡°Mom, can you notugh so loudly?¡± However, Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t hold back at all, snorting instead. ¡°I¡¯m getting up in years, so such is my temperament. To tell you the truth, if I were ten years younger, I¡¯d raise my hand against such a daughter-inw if you can¡¯t bring yourself to do so.¡± ¡°You and Dad were the ones who chose this wife for me back then,¡± William countered helplessly. For a moment, Old Mrs. Constance was at a loss for words. After a long while, shemented, ¡°The Matilda in the past wasn¡¯t such a shrew. While she was a bit wilful, she was educated and gracious. I have no idea why she¡¯s getting increasingly annoying as she ages.¡± William said nothing, and the two of them were silent for a while before they quickly ate their dinner. On the other hand, John didn¡¯t take a shower. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he took out both the divorce certificate and divorce agreement. Sophia¡¯s signature on the divorce agreement was very neat. Staring at it, he recalled her expression when she first saw the divorce agreement. She wasn¡¯t at all surprised. Rather, she even smiled and signed the agreement without reading it through. That was the first time I had a different impression of her. I thought she¡¯d at least be a tad reluctant or perhaps sad, but I was wrong. She even came on the dot the day we got divorced, wearing a faint smile throughout the entire process of procuring a divorce certificate. He¡¯d seen her divorce certificate, and her smile was slightly mischievous in the photo. I can¡¯t dwell on these things! He then hurriedly put both the divorce certificate and divorce agreement away. At this time, a servant knocked on the door, holding a bowl of noodles. John opened the door, upon which the servant carried the bowl in and ced it on the bedside table. Then, he stared intently at the bowl of noodles. It¡¯s truly no match for Sophia¡¯s cooking. The noodles she cooked for me included beef, egg, and vegetables, but there¡¯s only an egg in here. Picking up the fork, John took a few bites, but he then lost his appetite again. Thus, he gave up eating and took out his cell phone instead. Sophia didn¡¯t ept his friend request on Facebook, but he could still view her Facebook ount. After going to her ount, he then went through her posts. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 356 Chapter 356 Nice! She has just added a new post, and it was a few seconds ago at that. This time, it was a photo of her, Logan, and Ian. The three of them were ying Monopoly, and they were all holding a stack of cards each, grinning at the camera. Sophia was in the middle, while Logan and Ian nked her on each side. After staring at the three of them for a long while, John exited the application and strode to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Sophia giggled after she¡¯d posted the picture. ¡°Ah, life is truly great! Who doesn¡¯t envy such leisurely days?¡± With a stack of cards in his hands, Logan grinned. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve got quite the number of properties.¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. At the side, Ian chuckled, only to have Logan cutting him a re. ¡°Ian, I¡¯m warning you that I¡¯ll get angry if you continue helping her out. She¡¯s now in the lead, so you¡¯ve got to understand this¡ªboth you and I have got to turn the tables and take the lead, so you can¡¯t keep helping her.¡± Ian nodded solemnly. ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Intense fury swamped Logan. Got it, huh? He always says he got it, but he always helps Sophia! ¡°Ian, tell me frankly. Do you have feelings for Sophia? We¡¯ve been friends for so many years, yet you¡¯ve never been partial to me. Look at how good you are to her. I¡¯m about to get jealous!¡± he growled. Fanning the cards in her hand, Sophia didn¡¯t take his words seriously at all. ¡°Whoever is good to me has to have taken a fancy to me? What logic is this? I think you¡¯re rather good to me as well, so have you also fallen for me?¡± Logan promptly leaned back. ¡°Don¡¯t simply spout nonsense! Are you hoping to have a scandal with me? I didn¡¯t encroach on your rtionship with John, so don¡¯t make trouble for me. I don¡¯t want to be the second Isabelle.¡± At this, Sophia snorted. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with the game quickly. I¡¯ve got Leicester Square here. Do you want it? No? If so, move on.¡± ¡°Hah, you don¡¯t need to be so smug just because you¡¯ve got Leicester Square! Just you wait! I¡¯ve got King¡¯s Cross Station waiting for you here!¡± Logan eximed. Upon hearing this, Sophiamented for a long while. In the end, Ian failed to stifle hisughter and cracked up. Subsequently, Logan chuckled as well. ¡°What joy! I¡¯m always so happy when I¡¯m with the two of you!¡± ¡°Me, too. I haven¡¯t been in such high spirits for a while now,¡± Sophia murmured. When she said ¡®for a while¡¯, it¡¯d indeed been a very long time for her; several years, in fact. Beside her, Ian chimed in, ¡°Same here. I haven¡¯t been this happy in a long time.¡± The three of them looked at each other, all feeling a touch emotional. While it was understandable in Ian and Sophia¡¯s cases since they both had somewhat woeful backgrounds, Logan was purely hypocritical when he imed that he hadn¡¯t been this merry in a while. The three of them yed until a little over 9:00 at night before Logan and Ian headed home. Sophia saw them off at the door. ¡°I won¡¯t be going out in the next few days, soe over if you¡¯re free.¡± Having loads of time on his hands, Logan nodded as soon as he heard that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯lle over tomorrow.¡± When they¡¯d left, Sophia went back into the house and locked the door before checking the windows. I¡¯m living alone without a man here, so I¡¯ve got to be extremely cautious. She then went back to her room and took a shower. When she came out, she glimpsed a missed call on the screen of her cell phone. It¡¯s a recent call from John. Finding it amusing, she stared at her cell phone for a long time. I don¡¯t quite understand his thoughts now, but I think I can analyze them. If all these things hadn¡¯t happened, he would¡¯ve found the right time to announce our divorce to the public. Perhaps we would¡¯ve then parted without hard feelings. However, this series of events forced his hand. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 357 Chapter 357 A prideful man such as John will naturally find it chafing, so he¡¯s probably feeling resentful. Hence, he¡¯ll be a touch reluctant to let me go. For that reason, it¡¯s normal that he¡¯s pestering me now. Sophia then put down her cell phone and applied some skincare products. When she was just about to lay down to sleep, a phone call came in from John again. After a moment¡¯s contemtion, she answered the call. Before she could say anything, John blurted, ¡°Sorry, wrong number.¡± Such a dumb excuse and lousy acting skills had her almost bursting intoughter. Mild exasperation flooded her. ¡°Since it¡¯s a wrong number, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± On the other end, John hurriedly interjected, ¡°Wait a moment!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± John pursed his lips for a long while before asking, ¡°What were you doing just now?¡± All at once, Sophia was perplexed as to what he meant. ¡°I was taking a shower. Why?¡± Pausing for two seconds, John then answered, ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m hanging up, then.¡± Thereafter, he hung up on her. Holding the phone in her hand, Sophia blinked for a long time. What was the meaning of that? And what¡¯s happening here? What was that insensitive John smoking? After a few seconds, she then put down her cell phone, turned off the lights, andy down. However, she just couldn¡¯t sleep since she¡¯d slept too much during the day. As she turned and tossed, she grew all the more energetic instead. In the end, she gave up and fumbled for her phone. She went online to browse through gossip, only to see the statement issued by the Bailey Family. This statement feels as though they¡¯re avoiding the heart of the matter and dwelling on the trivial instead, having no substance to it. Next, she nced through thements below. Most condemned Isabelle, and while there were some controversialments iming that it was true love between Isabelle and John, those were severely attacked by others. Well, the Baileys aren¡¯t quite bright, are they? If they didn¡¯t want to say that Isabelle and John are friends, they could¡¯ve actually stayed silent. Now that they stepped forward and gave such a vague statement, it¡¯s easy to invite misunderstanding. Furthermore, there¡¯s nothing else from them save this sole statement, and they even announced that they won¡¯t exin this matter anymore. In reality, their exnation this time is pointless. Sophia then browsed for a while, but there was nothing new; they were all news reports that were going with the tide. Earlier, Lorraine sent Logan a message detailing what Sophia should say if she wanted to issue a statement. She didn¡¯t provide a temte, merely pointing out the aspects Sophia should emphasize if she wanted to help John out. After pondering for a while, Sophia startedposing her piece, mainly exining the issues between her and John. Referring to the statement issued by the Constance Family, she then improvised. She made no mention of Isabelle at all, merely speaking of the reasons her marriage with John copsed, among which she gave voice to the fact that they were of different worlds to begin with, so while she was very happy during their marriage in the past year, perhaps pain dominated. She couldn¡¯t integrate into the lives of the Constance Family, and she wanted greater freedom, so the divorce was a decision that was made after a lengthy discussion with John whereupon they both felt that it was best for each other. When she wrote this, she recalled the scene back when she signed the divorce agreement. Mild sorrow assailed her, but it was faint. After checking several times and ascertaining that there weren¡¯t any typos or awkwardness, she then issued the statement. This was her first time doing such a thing, and she felt a tad anxious after doing so. I wonder if anyone would notice it. She inhaled deeply. Sitting on the bed, she turned and gazed out the window, spacing out slightly. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Meanwhile, John was awakened in the morning by Zack¡¯s call. The first thing he did was to nce at the time, only to notice that it was still very early. Having only fallen asleep in the wee hoursst night, his mind was muddled right now, so he was rather disgruntled when he answered the call. ¡°What is it?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 358 Chapter 358 Zack quickly blurted, ¡°Go and surf the Inte for a bit. Sophia issued a statementst night.¡± At this, John chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she hauled me over the coals?¡± ¡°No, no, she¡¯d never do that.¡± Zack then rified, ¡°She exined things for you, but I¡¯m not sure how the public opinion will be today.¡± Sitting up, John leaned against the head of the bed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go and take a look for myself.¡± He hung up the phone and went online to look at gossip. He didn¡¯t even have to look for it, for it had already been bumped to the top. Sophia is kind-hearted, after all. As I said, she¡¯s just a paper tiger. She merely dresses herself up with a prickly exterior, but she¡¯s actually a very gentle person. He read the statement Sophia issued several times and concluded that her words weren¡¯t for the sole purpose of helping him out. I think it¡¯s actually her true feelings for the most part. She disclosed that she wasn¡¯t happy living at the Constance Residence because she couldn¡¯t integrate into the lives of the Constance Family. Besides, she divulged that she always felt somewhat unconfident when she went out with him since she¡¯d never seen much of the world, finding herself at a loss when they went to high-end ces. All these are probably things that she¡¯d been bottling within her, so she merely spoke from her heart.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Below this statement were loads ofments that expressed sympathy for Sophia. After all, she was a vige girl who had the good luck of marrying into a wealthy family, yet she then realized that it was a world she couldn¡¯t integrate into. Thus, she was always on her toes, living cautiously every second of every day. Her statement was very down-to-earth, and she didn¡¯t try to conceal her background either, frankly admitting to the shorings in her background, education, and experience. Such honesty garnered her a horde of random fans. After reading this statement, John knew that while the public opinion might not bepletely overturned, it was indeed of great help to him. Putting down his cell phone, he went to take a shower before going downstairs. William was already downstairs. While descending the stairs, John heard Old Mrs. Constance lamenting, ¡°Sophia is a kind-hearted child. Look how Matilda bullied her, yet she isn¡¯t holding a grudge. Your father once said that she¡¯s a nice person, and indeed, she¡¯s an admirable person.¡± Looks like they¡¯re aware that Sophia issued a statement. When John had gone downstairs, he greeted, ¡°Grandma.¡± Upon seeing that he was here, Old Mrs. Constance promptly stood up. ¡°John, you know about the statement, yes?¡± John nodded. ¡°Zack called earlier and informed me about it.¡± Old Mrs. Constance murmured an acknowledgment before saying, ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going over to Sophia¡¯s ce to visit her. No matter what, we need to thank her for doing this.¡± John didn¡¯t object. ¡°You¡¯re right. Regardless of how big a help it¡¯ll be to us, I¡¯m still grateful to her.¡± Chortling, Old Mrs. Constance took his hand and stroked it lightly. ¡°Well, well¡­¡± I just knew that he¡¯ll be on the losing end when ites to matters of the heart, and I seem to have been proven right now. Not quiteprehending her meaning, John merely smiled. ¡°Do you want me to go with you?¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll go by myself.¡± Old Mrs. Constance waved a dismissive hand. If he goes with me, I may not be able to speak freely with Sophia. At this, John nodded. ¡°Okay. Have the driver send you there.¡± Subsequently, William got to his feet as well. ¡°Let¡¯s go and have breakfast.¡± Meanwhile, when Sophia turned on her phone upon waking up in the morning, her cell phone was inundated with unread messages and missed calls. Hmm, this looks about the same as the previous time. Actually, she had a rough idea what they were about without even looking at those messages. Ignoring everything, she went to take a shower. When she came out, her cell phone had gone silent. ncing at the messages, she saw that they were from Ian, Logan, Robin, and Zack, in regards to the statement she issued. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 359 Chapter 359 Without replying to their messages, Sophia went downstairs with her cell phone in hand. After eating a simple breakfast, she theny down on the yoga mat and stared at the chandelier on the ceiling. Back when I was in the vige, I had endless tasks every day. At that time, I wondered how nice it¡¯d be if I could just lie down peacefully like this and do nothing one day. Now, this dream hase true, but I find that it¡¯s actually quite boring to just lie down leisurely. However, just a few seconds after she¡¯dy down, a car stopped in front of her house. She warily sat up at once, for she couldn¡¯t help thinking that Mrs. Constance was back after having lost to her the previous time. When she caught sight of the person who alighted from the car, her brows slowly creased. It¡¯s Old Mrs. Constance walking over with someone supporting her! After a moment¡¯s deliberation, she pivoted and sprinted upstairs. She moved quickly, so Old Mrs. Constance just happened to reach the door when she came down again. Thus, she went over to open the door. ¡°Madam.¡± Old Mrs. Constance chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve changed your address of me pretty quickly. You¡¯re no longer calling me Grandma, huh?¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Old Mrs. Constance was helped into the house by the servant. She hadn¡¯t been here, so she looked around as she stood in the living room. ¡°This wasn¡¯t done by John, was it? It doesn¡¯t look like it.¡± Sophia grunted in affirmation. ¡°He did all the permanent fixtures, but I found the ornamental fixtures not quite to my liking, so I changed them.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good that you changed them. It looks great now.¡± Sophia then ushered her to the sofa to have a seat. After thinking for a while, she said, ¡°I have no in water here, only soft drinks. Would you like to have any?¡± At this, Old Mrs. Constance chortled. ¡°Sure. I haven¡¯t drunk any in a long time. I remember that I was rather fond of drinking those colorful drinks back when I was young.¡± However, her family forbade her from drinking such drinks, so sheter gave them all up. Sophia hurriedly went over to the refrigerator and took two cans of soft drinks for her. Holding a can in her hand, Old Mrs. Constance scrutinized it. ¡°What vor is this? I haven¡¯t seen this in a long time, so I had no idea that the packaging has changed so much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s orange. There¡¯s a grape-vored one here. Which one would you like?¡± Sophia held out the can in her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll go for orange, then. I like oranges quite a bit.¡± ncing at Old Mrs. Constance, Sophia took out a box from the side and said gingerly, ¡°Grandma, this was from you back then. I¡¯ve mulled over it for a while and decided that I can¡¯t keep this. I was nning to return it to John, but I haven¡¯t found the right time to do so. Now that you¡¯re here, I think I should return this to you.¡± The item she was handing to Old Mrs. Constance was the jade pendant she gifted her back then. Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s gaze fell on the velvet box. After a long while, she asked, ¡°Have you misunderstood something? I¡¯m not here because of this.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Sophia replied. ¡°You¡¯re probably here to thank me for helping John out. Actually, it¡¯s not a big deal. When this matter blows over, I can then rx, so I¡¯m not really helping him. Rather, I¡¯m helping myself.¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Her frankness had relief suffusing Old Mrs. Constance. Taking her hand and cing it onto her own palm, she sighed softly. ¡°No matter what, the Constance Family owes you.¡± Sophia hastily chuckled. ¡°No, not at all. The Constance Family doesn¡¯t owe me anything. Conversely, you¡¯ve given me a lot.¡± At least, it was John who gave me this house I¡¯m living in. Without all this, I might be forced to return to my hometown, and I¡¯m not enthusiastic about going back to that ce where I¡¯ll have to rely on the weather to make a living. Since she¡¯d said as much, Old Mrs. Constance was at a loss for words. After musing for a while, she murmured, ¡°John is actually a very simple-minded person. All these years, he has been focusing on work wholeheartedly and neglected other things. Take Isabelle, for instance. Do you think he has feelings for Isabelle? I don¡¯t think so.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 360 Chapter 360 If a person has feelings for someone, he¡¯ll be sad when he loses her. However, when John was asked to call off his wedding with Isabelle, he wasn¡¯t at all heartbroken. Later, he even put in much effort in preparing for his wedding with Sophia. At that time, I was quite distressed on his behalf, feeling that he¡¯d sacrificed too much, but he wasn¡¯t at all bothered, merely saying that his grandfather¡¯s happiness took precedence. Old Mrs. Constance commented, ¡°When a person has feelings for someone, he¡¯ll feel aggrieved when he has to break up with her. However, John wasn¡¯t at all affected back then.¡± Sighing, she then continued, ¡°He isn¡¯t a person who ys his cards close to his vest, so if he truly has feelings for Isabelle, he would¡¯ve long since shown it and told us outright. But he didn¡¯t. He has never said anything, so it means that he doesn¡¯t like her.¡± As Sophia listened to her, a faint smile yed on her face. Actually, all this has nothing to do with me anymore. I no longer care whether he likes Isabelle. Back then, I had wanted to keep them apart out of resentment, but now, not only are the circumstances an issue, but my mentality itself has also changed entirely. After all, he¡¯ll belong to someone else sooner orter. The question of who that person is actually hasn¡¯t much to do with me. Hence, why should I waste my time and poke my nose into it? I¡¯d be better served spending that time on myself. Later, when Logan arrived at Sophia¡¯s house, he saw the car parked before her gate from afar. He initially thought that it was John, but he then saw that it was the matriarch of the Constance Family upon reaching the courtyard. He was acquainted with her, so he swaggered in. ¡°You¡¯re here, Old Mrs. Constance?¡± Startled, Old Mrs. Constance turned and stared at him for a long while before she finally gathered her wits about her. ¡°Why are you here, Logan?¡± Grinning, Logan walked over and sat down. ¡°I¡¯m friends with Sophia, and I came to visit her.¡± Only now did Old Mrs. Constance suddenly recall William saying that he bumped into Sophia with Logan when he ate out with the Baileys. At that time, she even told John to persuade Sophia to keep her distance from Logan. She detested his abhorrent character since his clubhouse was involved in all sorts of illicit activities. That ce had been raided several times, yet he never changed. Such a stubborn person would easily stray from the right path, so those who associated themselves with him would be easily led astray. She nced at him, her face neutral with a smile. ¡°You two are acquainted? Fate truly works in mysterious ways.¡± After seconding that, Logan asked, ¡°Is John doing okay? I noticed that the public opinion on the Inte had shifted slightly after Sophia issued her statement.¡± Old Mrs. Constance murmured in affirmation. ¡°He¡¯s okay. This matter will fade in time, so it¡¯ll be fine after letting things cool for a while.¡± At this, Logan nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Sophia had her eyes lowered, saying nary a word. Actually, she didn¡¯t know what to say. Logan was the kind of person who¡¯d keep the conversation going, so he spent a long time chatting with Old Mrs. Constance indiscriminately. In the end, it was Old Mrs. Constance who called a halt. She nced between Sophia and Logan before getting to her feet in the end. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two to your devices. Please excuse me.¡± She decided not to stay and put Sophia in a difficult position since it was apparent that she hadn¡¯t much to say to her considering her intense silence. All at once, Sophia sprang up with the velvet box in hand. ¡°Grandma, please take this back. It¡¯s truly a heavy burden for me to keep it.¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Old Mrs. Constance turned and nced at the box before finally taking it from her. ¡°Alright, then. I hope I¡¯ll have the opportunity to again give this to you in the future.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 361 Chapter 361 Sophia burst intoughter, yet she said nothing. There probably won¡¯t be such an opportunity anymore. Then, she went with Logan to see Old Mrs. Constance to the car, and the two of them stood at the gate as they watched the car drive away. In the blink of an eye, Logan¡¯s solemn expression earlier vanished, and he instantly asked cheekily, ¡°Why did shee over? Was it to thank you or to help John win you back?¡± Sophia red at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your brain? Just shut it.¡± The two of them walked toward the house, and Logan eximed at once, ¡°Oh yes, let me tell you something. Back when the scandal broke about John and Isabelle, I had someone tail Isabelle. Guess what I discovered?¡± How am I supposed to guess this? Ignoring him, Sophia went into the house right away. Following eagerly after her, Logan then answered his own question, blurting, ¡°Isabelle met up with someone. The person who did the tailing for me was brilliant, for he recorded the conversation between them. Do you want to listen to it?¡± Stunned, Sophia¡¯s head snapped back, and she stared at him. Meanwhile, over at Morgan Group, Ian¡¯s mind was sluggish after going through documents the entire morning. When it was almost time for the lunch break, Mr. Zimmel came over and said that he was entertaining a client this noon, asking him to tag along. He¡¯d be doing a lot of entertaining in the future, so he would have to adapt to it now. However, he¡¯d initially nned to go over to Sophia¡¯s ce at noon and look in on her, so he hesitated for a while. At this, Mr. Zimmel urged in a lowered voice, ¡°Just go and have a look. It¡¯ll benefit you in the future. Your position will only be secure if you can retain clients.¡± Thus, Ian nodded. ¡°Alright, then.¡± When lunch break came, he then went out with Mr. Zimmel. The two of them got into the car and drove right to the entrance of a restaurant. Ian truly loathed the task of entertaining clients, so he asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t such gatherings usually take ce at night? Why is this done at noon?¡± Chuckling, Mr. Zimmel replied, ¡°Mr. oy is leaving tonight, so this is the only avable time. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already notified thepany, so we don¡¯t need to go back to the office in the afternoon.¡± In reality, this wasn¡¯t Ian¡¯s concern. He merely didn¡¯t want to be here. Mr. Zimmel alighted from the car first, followed by Ian. The private room was already upied since almost everyone from the other party had arrived. An old-timer at entertaining, Mr. Zimmel greeted everyone the moment he entered the room,ughing and making small talk. Then, he introduced Ian as Vice President Morgan, saying that he¡¯d just joined thepany and was still familiarizing himself with the business, even deliberately emphasizing that he was Sean¡¯s brother. Upon hearing this, the crowd¡¯s gaze instantly changed, and they showed him great enthusiasm. Forcing a smile, Ian greeted everyone. When they sat down to talk business, Ian mostly remained silent. In fact, he didn¡¯t quite know what to say either, his mind having wandered off long ago. By a stroke of coincidence, John was also entertaining a client this noon. It was initially William who was supposed toe, but he heard that the other party was Focker when it was almost time for lunch break, so he immediately offered to take over. He once had contact with Focker, and that old man was no decent person, bringing with him a bottle of spiked wine and even persuading him to drink a ss. This was something he never forgot. John arrived at the restaurant first, with Focker only showing up after he¡¯d waited for almost half an hour. Grinning widely, Focker came over and grabbed his hand as soon he entered the room. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, President Constance!¡± John nodded. ¡°It¡¯s indeed been a long time.¡± They hadn¡¯t seen each other ever since their meeting at the bar back then. I¡¯ve been rather busy these days, so I haven¡¯t taken the time to give him a taste of his own medicine. N?velDrama.Org content. Oblivious to his thoughts, Focker¡¯s face was wreathed in a huge smile. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 362 Chapter 362 There wasn¡¯t anyone else here since Focker wasn¡¯t fond of having too many people. John didn¡¯t mind either as he summoned a server over and ordered a feast. In the rtively huge private room, he and Focker then proceeded to eat and drink. Neither mentioned the incident at the bar back then. Focker merely remembered that John left the bar with a woman that day, but he paid no attention to the woman¡¯s countenance since he was under the influence of drugs, his excitement palpable. Instead, he only had eyes for the woman in his arms. The two of them ordered a few bottles of wine and started drinking without inhibition. After guzzling down a few sses of wine, Focker¡¯s nasty habit reared its head. ¡°You can¡¯t be going back to the office after drinking now, huh? How about I bring you somewhere nice to have some funter?¡± John chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you somewhere to have funter. After all, it can¡¯t always be you making arrangements for entertainment.¡± Upon hearing this, Fockerughed heartily and pointed a finger at him. ¡°You¡¯re a smart one, President Constance. I love dealing with smart people.¡± John merely smiled without saying anything. If one drank a lot, he would definitely have to go for a bathroom break, so John then left the private room under the pretext of going to the washroom. As soon as he walked out, however, he gave Zack a call. When Zack received the call, he immediately said, ¡°Everything is ready.¡± Murmuring an acknowledgment, John promptly hung up. He then went to the washroom and lit a cigarette by the sink. Although he¡¯d been pushing drinks on Focker, he himself drank quite a bit as well, so his stomach was feeling a tad unsettled now. After finishing a cigarette, he then stubbed it out and threw the cigarette butt into the trash can. The moment he turned around, he caught sight of Ian who was walking in. Both of them were stunned for a moment. His face is slightly flushed, so he must have drunk quite a bit as well. Looking at him, John asked, ¡°You¡¯re here to entertain a client?¡± After murmuring an affirmation, Ian then went over to the sink and washed his hands. Now, John was no longer in a hurry to leave. ¡°How¡¯s it going with your family?¡± He heard that Simon and Sally had been summoned home by Bryce, but he didn¡¯t know how it ended. Ian knew that it was him who got the evidence for Simon and Sally¡¯s misdemeanors that was now in Logan¡¯s hands, so he still helped him indirectly even if he did that for Sophia¡¯s sake. Thus, his tone was amiable when he answered, ¡°They were dressed down and asked to return the money they pocketed both outside and within thepany. Then, the matter is considered closed.¡± John snickered. ¡°Sure enough. It¡¯s exactly per my guess.¡± Leaning against the sink, Ian hugged his shoulders. ¡°What about you? Sophia stepped forward and spoke up for you, so things should be much better for you, yes?¡± At the mention of Sophia, the atmosphere between them shifted subtly. John grunted in affirmation. ¡°Yeah, things are much better now.¡± Thereafter, both of them went silent, neither having any idea what to say. Out of the blue, John recalled the scene he witnessed in Sophia¡¯s courtyardst night. He just couldn¡¯t quite get over it, so after a brief contemtion, he began, ¡°You¡­¡± Staring at him, Ian cocked an eyebrow. John, however, trailed off, swallowing the rest of his words on second thought. At this, Ian smirked. ¡°I¡¯m going over to Sophia¡¯s ce after this. Is there anything you¡¯d like me to convey to her?¡± John snorted. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can just go over and look for her if I have something to tell her.¡± Ian nodded. ¡°True enough.¡± At longst, John spun on his heels and left. ¡°Please excuse me.¡± His expression was initially amicable, yet it¡¯d all but vanished when he¡¯d exited the washroom. He¡¯s still going over to Sophia¡¯s ce in the afternoon? Looks like their rtionship is really close. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. When he returned to the private room, Focker was on the phone with his wife. His tone was tender when he said that he was entertaining a client outside and might be a bitte in going home. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 363 Chapter 363 The person on the other end didn¡¯t suspect anything amiss. As John walked past Focker, he could vaguely hear the other person reminding him not to drink too much and to watch out for his health. Focker fervently concurred, yet when he raised his eyes to look at John, he had a smirk on his face. John snickered as well, sitting down while he waited for Focker to end his phone call. Mrs. Wolfe was quite a long-winded person, nagging for a long time before she hung up. After hanging up the phone, impatience instantly showed on Focker¡¯s face. ¡°Women are just garrulous!¡± John chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s nice that someone cares.¡± After saying this, he abruptly remembered that Sophia used to call him back when they just got married. It seemed that every time she called, he was drinking while entertaining. She was a tad cautious when she called, merely reminding him to drink less. At that time, they actually weren¡¯t all that close, so he felt rather perturbed at her word of caution, finding it difiting. Having no one to remind him now, however, an inexplicable feeling of envy flooded him. N?velDrama.Org content. Taking out his cell phone, he opened Facebook again and re-sent Sophia a friend request. He¡¯d never done such a thing before, nor did he understand what was wrong with himself now. Now, he just felt a tad restless and inexplicably agitated, having the urge to do something, yet not knowing what to do. Focker had long since finished eating, so John suggested that they adjourn to the next destination. There was a car waiting downstairs, and they got in together. When the car had started moving, he happened to spot Ian and his entourage leaving the restaurant through the rear-view mirror. This fe is going over to Sophia¡¯s ce when he¡¯s done here. Why on earth is he going there, reeking of alcohol and cigarette smoke? His expression went cial. The car drove along leisurely before finallying to a stop in front of a hotel. A touch puzzled, Focker turned to look at John. Chuckling, John said, ¡°I¡¯ve already booked a room, so you don¡¯t need to register with your name.¡± At this, Focker breathed a sigh of relief. The two of them went in right away and took the elevator up. When they stepped out of the elevator, Zack was already waiting, standing outside a room. Upon seeing John and Focker approaching, he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Mr. Wolfe.¡± Focker merely shed him a smile in return. Then, Zack quickly knocked on the door. Subsequently, the door was opened from the inside, revealing a beautiful girl standing there. All at once, Focker perked up. John then went into the room with him. There was another woman in the room, standing by the window. At the sight of him, she sashayed over and reached out to take his arm. ¡°Hey, why are you sote?¡± John smirked. ¡°I just finished lunch earlier, and there was a bit of traffic on the way, so this is considered fast.¡± The woman thumped him on the chest. ¡°You rogue! I¡¯ve been waiting for you anxiously.¡± At the side, Focker gazed at John with ascivious look on his face. After all, such a thing between men didn¡¯t require any exnation. The girl in his arms seemed much younger than John¡¯s, so he was very much satisfied. Caressing the girl¡¯s face, he asked, ¡°Are you of age?¡± At the side, John burst outughing. ¡°We don¡¯t do anything that vites thew, Mr. Wolfe.¡± Chuckling, Mr. Wolfe¡¯s eyes roamed the girl¡¯s body. ¡°My bad.¡± Meanwhile, Zack remained waiting at the door, leaning against the wall with a leg bent. After waiting for a while, John came out with his jacket off and two of his shirt buttons unfastened. Otherwise, he seemed fine. Zack stared at him for a moment before asking, ¡°Are you okay?¡± With a re from John, Zack instantly shut his trap. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 364 Chapter 364 As John walked away, he said, ¡°Wait for a while here. When theyeter, you can leave.¡± Zack instantly responded with an affirmation. Exiting the hotel, John got into the car. The driver then asked, ¡°Where are we going, Mr. Constance?¡± John mulled it over for a while, but he just didn¡¯t know where to go. It seems that there aren¡¯t many ces I can go either. After a brief hesitation, he slowly recited an address. Meanwhile, at Sophia¡¯s house, Logan kept hanging around, making her feel a tad irritated. She¡¯d asked him several times why he hadn¡¯t left, but Logan put on a guileless face. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t regard me as a friend anymore? Are you finding me a bother?¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Revolted by his pretentiousness, Sophia spun on her heels and went upstairs, no longer interested in looking at his face. Sprawled on the sofa downstairs alone, Logan watched television merrily, so much so that Sophia could hear hisughter from upstairs. This rat b*stard is truly unrestrained in his guffawing. Will my neighbors misunderstand when they see this maning to my house every day when I¡¯m an unmarried woman? After listening to his merry-making in the room for a while, she then walked over to the window. Gazing into the distance, her mind went to the recording Logan yed earlier. It turns out that some of those who are ying up the issue on the Inte is Isabelle¡¯s doing. This woman is truly not that bright. She shouldn¡¯t be having peoplementing that it¡¯s true love between her and John at this juncture. When this is too prevalent, it¡¯ll be even easier to establish her reputation as a homewrecker. Smirking, Sophia also thought, She would¡¯ve been better served to have peoplementing that there¡¯s nothing between them. After all, it¡¯s only when she whitewashes herself would her path be broader and breezier in the future. She really shouldn¡¯t be jumping into the muddy waters of being a homewrecker, for even if she manages to get out in the end, she¡¯ll never be pure once more. Still, I wonder whether John is aware of this. Sophia had the urge to tell John about this, but she was also a tad hesitant. So what if I tell him? To make him hate Isabelle? She ruminated for what felt like an eternity while standing there. Then, she caught sight of John¡¯s car, but the car didn¡¯t drive over to her house. Instead, it stopped a near distance away. Thereafter, no movement could be discerned. No one alighted from the car; the only thing was that the engine was turned off. She stared fixedly at the car for a long while. After a moment¡¯s deliberation, she then went downstairs. Logan was still sprawled on the sofa, a leg resting on the sofa¡¯s armrest. Now, he was still watching television,ughing uproariously. Wearing a long face, Sophia walked past him, only to have him promptly sit up. ¡°Hey, hey, where are you going? Are you going out? I¡¯ll go with you. Are you going to shop for groceries? I¡¯ll help to carry the groceries. If you go alone¡ª¡± ¡°Just zip it!¡± Sophia strode out of the living room without a backward nce, making a beeline for John¡¯s car. The driver knew her, so after a moment¡¯s contemtion, he opened the door and alighted from the car upon seeing her approach. Then, he even considerately wound down the window on John¡¯s side. Going over, Sophia had both hands stuck in her pockets as she stood outside the car door. She gazed at John, who was in the car, reclining against the seat with his eyes closed, his cheeks tinged with a slight flush. At a single nce, she could tell that he was drunk. Mild surprise swamped her. Firstly, John¡¯s alcohol tolerance has always been good, so I wonder how much he¡¯d imbibed that he ended up in such a drunken state. Secondly, why is he foxed at this time? Is it because he doesn¡¯t have much work, so he¡¯s taking the afternoon off? Logically speaking, people go out and drink at night. John seemed to be asleep since he¡¯d been motionless all along. After watching at the side for a while, the driver went over to Sophia. ¡°Mr. Constance entertained a client at noon. Then, he told me that he wanted toe here, but he also said not to go too near and just park a distance away,¡± he murmured in a whisper. Sophia chuckled. ¡°Mr. Constance has probably drunk too much, so the alcohol has muddled his mind. You should just drive home and have him sleep it off.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 365 Chapter 365 The driver was a touch reluctant. ¡°I don¡¯t dare go against Mr. Constance¡¯s orders.¡± John was usually taciturn and rather aloof in nature, so people around him generally had a healthy fear of him. He was the kind of person who rarely spoke unnecessarily, and his decisions were final without needing anyone to help him change his mind. After staring at John for a while, Sophia sighed. ¡°Never mind, then. You¡¯re not in my territory anyway, so just stay if you¡¯d like to.¡± After saying that, she then sashayed away. When she¡¯d left, John, who was in the car, slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were slightly red, but they still appeared lucid. Meanwhile, the driver then climbed back into the car after some time. However, he didn¡¯t nce over his shoulder at John, merely taking out his cell phone and surfing the Inte for gossip. At first, John stared at the back of the front seat. Then, he slowly turned his head and gazed in the direction of Sophia¡¯s house. The door to Sophia¡¯s house was opened, but he couldn¡¯t make out who was inside since it was quite a distance away. A car was parked in her courtyard, but the fence blocked its view, so he couldn¡¯t see it clearly either. It¡¯s probably Ian. At this, he heaved a sigh. Nheless, John didn¡¯t stay long. When Sophia went back to the window after going through her driving test questions, his car was already gone. He has probably left. After standing by the window for a long while, she took out her cell phone, only to see that John¡¯s friend request was still there. Actually, it¡¯s really pointless for him to do this. If he keeps pestering me, we¡¯ll only be going around in circles. In the end, she didn¡¯t ept it. As before, she exited the application and pretended as though she hadn¡¯t seen it. Meanwhile, Logan was having loads of fun alone downstairs. He¡¯d put on music loudly, singing and dancing by himself. Her patience quicklying to an end, Sophia went out of her room and stood on the second-floor landing. ¡°Can you please lower the volume? You¡¯re so d*mn noisy!¡± Still bopping downstairs, Logan looked up at her. ¡°Come down and dance with me!¡± Sophia merely stared at him without saying a single word. Grinning, Logan then added, ¡°Lorraine just phoned me earlier, asking me to go home for dinner. I told her that I¡¯m at your ce, and she invited you to my ce.¡± Stunned, Sophia¡¯s first reaction was to decline the invitation. However, when the words were just at the tip of her tongue, she suddenly felt that it seemed rather rude to refuse. Thus, she pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯m recently embroiled in a scandal, so I¡¯ll take a rain check. After all, I don¡¯t want to drag you all into this mess.¡± ¡°Am I the type of person who¡¯s afraid of a scandal? I¡¯ve got even more scandals than you. Besides, you¡¯ve got a positive image in this scandal. Look at mine. I¡¯m about to be the face of a crime crackdown!¡± Despite Logan¡¯s words, the pride on his face was evident. Sophia couldn¡¯t figure out why he was being so optimistic. Is the undisguised joy written all over his face real when he¡¯s bringing up such negative press? C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Logan lifted his eyes to look at her. ¡°Seriously, juste over to my house. I¡¯ll call Ian as well. The two of you are my only friends, so I want to bring you both home for a visit.¡± Surprisingly, his eyes seemed to be shining like stars. After staring at him for forever and a day, Sophia nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± I think I should go and thank Lorraine in person. Upon hearing her acquiescence, Logan¡¯s bopping abruptly stilled. Eagerly sprinting over to the sofa, he leaped over with a hand propped on the back of the sofa. Then, he snatched up his cell phone on it. ¡°I¡¯ll give Ian a call, and we¡¯ll set out for my house when he arrives. Well, honestly speaking, I¡¯ve never brought any friends home!¡± Sophiaughed silently at his antics. Why is this Young Master Jefferson acting so much like a young pupil? Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 366 Chapter 366 When Logan called up Ian, he was already on the way here. While dropping by at thepany just now, Ian had bumped into Sean, and both of them were chattering about for a moment. In a nutshell, Sean was exining to Ian the incident regarding Simon and Sally. Not long ago, both of them were caught red-handed for using thepany¡¯s name to invest in some otherpany. Furious, Bryce felt that both Simon and Sally were ying tricks. Hence, both had their authorities reduced. With that, Sean deliberately asked Ian to help him out by taking up some of the responsibilities. Obviously, Ian knew of Sean¡¯s underlying intention¡ªSean was attempting to redirect the fire toward him. Since Simon and Sally had been punished, their responsibilities had fallen into Sean¡¯s hands. Considering they would think of all ways to gain back their authority, Sean would surely be targeted. However, by distributing some of the tasks to Ian, Sally and Simon, who didn¡¯t like Ian from the start, would choose to target him instead of Sean. While they were focusing on targeting Ian, Sean, on the other hand, could focus on settling half of the responsibility given to him. By then, the die would¡¯ve been cast¡ªthe authority given to Ian would likely be returned to Sally and Simon, while Sean still got to hold his own share of authority. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Clearly, Sean was only taking advantage of him. However, Ian was not a fool to fall for such a trick. With a smile, Ian turned down the offer and said that he could barely cope with his current responsibility. True enough, Ian was overwhelmed with his current work and couldn¡¯t handle more. Hearing that, Sean didn¡¯t insist and told Ian to take things slowly. Leaning against the car, Ian picked up Logan¡¯s call and was told to drop by Jefferson Mansion. Hesitated, Ian was wondering whether it was appropriate. No doubt, he was close with Logan, but he had yet to step in Jefferson Mansion. He had also met the four Young Ladies of the Jefferson Family, but it was only a nodding acquaintance. Besides the fact that they weren¡¯t that close to begin with, Ian was uncertain whether they would look down on his identity. When Ian was still absorbed in his thought, Logan concluded, ¡°All right already! Since you¡¯re on the way, we might as well go to my ce together. That¡¯s settled! Sophia and I will be waiting for you at her ce.¡± Saying that, Logan hung up the phone. Punching on his forehead, Ian slowly put down his phone. Meanwhile, when Logan was entertaining himself downstairs, Sophia was upstairs having a quick wash and putting on light makeup. Just then, Sophia figured she couldn¡¯t visit empty-handed, but it was toote for them to buy something along the way. Walking down the stairs, Sophia gazed at Logan and said, ¡°I¡¯m telling you now. The gifts I¡¯m about to bring to your ce, those were given to me by Matilda. I don¡¯t have time to buy any gifts.¡± Surprised for a moment, Logan waved his hands and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to bring anything over. We¡¯re a family, so there¡¯s no need for such formalities.¡± Having said that, Sophia still went up to one of the rooms to pick up a couple of gifts. ¡°I don¡¯t need it anyway. You reckon these will be fine?¡± All these were indeed good stuff, but Logan¡¯s family probably didn¡¯tck any of it. Anyhow, Sophia thought she might as well still bring something over. ¡°I¡¯ll bring these, then.¡± While waiting for Ian to arrive, they ced the gifts into Logan¡¯s car. With Logan driving, they passed by Sophia¡¯s shop on the way. Casting a quick nce at the shop, the workers were still around, and Sophia noticed that the renovation was almost done from the outside, leaving only the interior parts to bepleted. Taking in a deep breath, Sophia felt inexplicably excited, as she was about to start her own business very soon. As soon as they arrived at Jefferson Mansion, Sophia was taken aback upon getting out of the car. How immeasurably rich was the Jeffersons? In the garden, there were artificial hills, fountains, and even a fish pond. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 367 Chapter 367 Admiring the countless fishes in the pond, Sophia couldn¡¯t tell what type of fish they were, but she thought they looked really pretty. As soon as they stepped into the mansion, servants hade out to greet and inform them that the four Young Mistresses had arrived. Feeling a little nervous, Sophia thought of the first time she had visited Constance Residence. Back then, she was just an amateur, and every step taken was uneasy for her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my family won¡¯t bite. They are nice people,¡± assured Logan as he nced at both Ian and Sophia. With that, Sophia recalled meeting Old Mr. Jefferson and the third Young Lady, Lorraine Jefferson. Both of them were really nice. Following Logan¡¯s lead, they stepped into therge living hall. Old Mr. Jefferson was sitting on the couch, whereas the four Young Ladies were sitting at the opposite. When they entered, the fourth Young Lady, Lysa Jefferson, was bad-mouthing Logan, saying that his clubhouse was reported to the police again. Hearing that, Logan reprimanded, ¡°What are you saying? My clubhouse wasn¡¯t reported. That person was just drunk and was talking nonsense. I¡¯m a decent businessman, so don¡¯t use me wrongly.¡± Darting a nce at Logan, Lorraine scoffed, ¡°Decent businessman?¡± Standing still, Sophia and Ian didn¡¯t move forward. Noticing the both of them at the door, Lorraine rose up from her seat. ¡°Ian, Sophia, c¡¯mon over and have a seat. We¡¯ve been expecting you.¡± To show hospitality, Lorraine held Sophia¡¯s hands and saw the ring on her finger. With a serene smile, she said, ¡°I see that you still have your ring on.¡± Startled, both Sophia and Ian gazed at Sophia¡¯s finger at the same time. Smiling, Sophia exined, ¡°This is not a wedding ring. It¡¯s just a ring I bought for myself.¡± With a smile on her face, Lorraine gently reminded, ¡°I see. If it really was the wedding ring, the media would probably make a big scene out of it.¡± Thinking it through, Sophia realized the underlying meaning in Lorraine¡¯s words. Lorraine was simply reminding her about the people who were unaware of the whole situation, and might mistake it as a wedding ring on her finger. Since they had divorced, people might assume that Sophia still harbored feelings for her previous marriage. Hence, the saying about parting ways in peace would unlikely make sense. ¡°My bad for not putting that into consideration,¡± admitted Sophia as she took off the ring and ced it into her pocket, smiling. Since it was still early, there were some fruits and snacks served on the table. They would probably proceed to have a meal after a short chat here. Out of courtesy, Lorraine led Sophia to take a seat on the couch. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Though Old Mr. Jefferson didn¡¯t do much, he was all smiles. Gazing at Sophia, the first Young Lady, Lt Jefferson, said, ¡°You must be Logan¡¯s friend? Considering you¡¯re a friend of his, you must be very tolerant.¡± Dumbstruck, Sophia and Ian didn¡¯t know how to react. Somehow, the Jefferson Family didn¡¯t seem very kind toward Logan. Initially, Logan was quite excited on the way here, but now he was seen pulling a long face. Redirecting the topic back to Sophia, Lorraine chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the news on the Inte. Don¡¯t stress yourself over it. Those are nothing muchpared to all the conflicts within the entertainment world. You stay strong and chin up, OK?¡± Nodding her head, Sophia did think she was mentally quite strong. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Seeing how good your appetite was, you did look like you weren¡¯t bothered. Anyhow, you¡¯re not the person they were criticizing anyway,¡± Logan chimed in. Darting a re at Logan, Lorraine said, ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt!¡± ring back at Lorraine, Logan didn¡¯t dare to say another word. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 368 Chapter 368 In a nutshell, Lt exined what was discussed over the Inte. She mentioned that it was wise of Sophia to have stepped up and exined on behalf of John. At the very least, things had turned for the better. ¡°Regarding this incident, it will be wise to settle as it is. You¡¯ve done your part by exining, so you don¡¯t need to be bothered by thements over the Inte. Besides, there might be a bacsh if you spoke too much.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Sophia nodded. Turning her gaze toward Ian, Lt said, ¡°I heard you¡¯ve started working at the Morgan Group. How¡¯s everything? Have you gotten used to it already?¡± ¡°To be honest, I haven¡¯t adapted to it yet. There¡¯s still so much stuff I do not know of,¡± Ian replied with a smile. Hearing that, Logan was all hyped up and moved closer toward Lorraine. ¡°Lorraine, didn¡¯t you mention investing in a talent show? Why not consider Ian? I think he¡¯ll be great.¡± With that, Sophia immediately turned to look at Lorraine. Surprised, Lorraine gazed at Ian. ¡°Do you wish to participate in the talent show? You¡¯re not nning to work?¡± Before Ian could reply, Logan had replied on his behalf, ¡°He¡¯s quitting for sure! If he can be an artist, who needs the Morgan Group? Besides, Sean is the head of thepany. Instead of working under Sean, Ian might as well find another path that suits him better.¡± Previously, Lorraine had heard Ian sing and thought he inherited his talents from his mother. His voice was unique, and he was really natural in expressing the song. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. If he would participate in the talent show, he would indeed perform really well. Upon thinking about it, Lorraine nodded her head in approval. ¡°If you participate in the talent show, I¡¯ll guarantee that you can be one of the top.¡± For such an investment, most of the top-notch entertainmentpanies would rmend their own candidates to participate in thepetition. Thus, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for Lorraine to put Ian forward. Then again, if there was a strongpetitor in the talent show, it would be difficult for them to ce Ian up to the top by force because it might stir up a negative effect. Hence, she dared not promise the moon. Seeing that Ian was hesitating, Sophia gave him a nudge on the leg. ¡°Give it a try! I¡¯m sure you can do it!¡± she encouraged. Without replying, Ian smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush because the program has yet to be confirmed. You still have a little more time to think about it. Once you have made up your mind, feel free to contact me,¡± suggested Lorraine, a smile on her face. Once again, before Ian could reply, Sophia acted like Logan and answered on his behalf, ¡°Great! We¡¯ll contact you once we havee to a decision.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to see the three of you getting along so well together,¡± beamed Lorraine. Really? Sophia thought they got along pretty well, too. During mealtime, there was a variety of food served on the table, and Sophia couldn¡¯t even name some of the dishes. Flustered, Sophia thought of the time when she had a meal with John. She was afraid that she would do anything wrong and humiliate herself. Taking the seat next to Sophia, Logan said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Make yourself at home and help yourself with anything.¡± ¡°How I wish I had a little sister instead of this sloppy little brother,¡± grumbled Lysa. Without being intimidated by Lysa, Logan started hisints about her. Lifting an eyebrow, Sophia gazed at the food on the table. Inparison with the Constances, both were considered rtively big families, but the atmosphere here with the Jeffersons seemed very different. Though none of the sisters¡¯ husbands were present today, somehow, Sophia could tell that even with them around, the mood around the house would still be way better than the Constance Family. In contrast, regardless of how many family members in the Constance Family, the atmosphere around the house was overall tense. The only pleasant time she could ever recall was during Mr. Owen¡¯s birthday, wherein everyone had stered a smile on their face only when she tried to liven up the atmosphere. Gazing at Old Mr. Jefferson and the four Young Ladies of the Jefferson Family, Sophia thought everyone here got along with each other really well. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 369 Chapter 369 Sophia couldn¡¯t help but wonder who would be so blessed to marry Logan. After dinner, everyone gathered to sit around the garden as there were rattan chairs by the fish pond. Supporting Old Mr. Jefferson, Logan slowly led him to take his seat, while the servants served tea. Although it was evening, the sky wasn¡¯t pitch ck yet, so it was an enjoyable moment to sit around admiring the artificial hills, fountains, as well as the fishes in the pond. In the past, Sophia thought that she had been living the life of Riley, but now, she realized she had yet to see the rest of the world. Now, everyone was just chewing the rag. Leaning against the chair, Lorraine said, ¡°Actually, before that incident happened, the Bailey Family had contacted me once.¡± Surprised, Logan was the first to react. ¡°What? Why did they call you?¡± Lorraine chuckled. ¡°What else? They called to seek an opportunity for a coboration. To be honest, I felt they weren¡¯t really sincere because ultimately, the core of our business is very different from the Baileys¡¯ business. If I¡¯m not wrong, they intend to contact Lydia through me.¡± The second Young Lady, Lydia Jefferson, was in charge of the overseas market sales. From the looks of it, the Bailey Family intended to expand their business overseas. With a snort, Logan grumbled, ¡°The Baileys have just started a business rtionship with the Constances, and now they are approaching our family? How daring of them.¡± Giggling softly, Lorraine continued, ¡°A few dayster, that incident over the Inte happened. Since then, the Baileys have not contacted me.¡± Gazing toward Sophia, she said, ¡°Then again, even without that scandal, I don¡¯t reckon our family will work with the Baileys.¡± At that, she let out a long sigh. ¡°In terms of business partners, I prefer to work with people that are kindred souls. As for the Baileys¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°No can do!¡± Out of curiosity, Sophia asked, ¡°Why not?¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Lorraine cast a nce at Sophia, saying, ¡°The Baileys are not honest folks. About the recent scandal, didn¡¯t you notice that the news was somewhat stirred intentionally?¡± Previously, Sophia had heard from Logan¡ªIsabelle had hired paid posters to bombard the Inte with messages. Hearing that, Sophia pursed her lips and didn¡¯t utter a word. With a grin, Lorraine said, ¡°After all, the Baileys and the Constances did agree on the arranged marriage, but it was eventually called off because of you. So, it is no surprise that they were unhappy about it.¡± One of the scariest things to have in life was probably an uncontented heart. If one didn¡¯t feel content, they could be so blinded to an extent that they might even get their hands on something which they didn¡¯t even like. What was the point of insisting if it only brought harm to oneself and affected people around? ¡°Which is why I said, the Baileys and I are not kindred spirits, so I prefer not to do business with them,¡± Lorraine concluded. Slowly nodding her head, Sophia said, ¡°I see now.¡± Meanwhile, Old Mr. Jefferson was chatting with Ian and mainly asking about the recent happenings in the Morgan Family. In a reserved manner, Ian briefly said that he was still quite new to thepany and there was still a lot to learn. As for within the Morgan Family, everything seemed harmonious. Taking a gander at Ian, Lorraine lowered her voice to speak with Sophia. ¡°If Ian wishes to seek another path in life, participating in the talent show will be a good option. After all, it gets more difficult to remain in the Morgan Group over the long run.¡± Gazing at Ian, Sophia agreed, ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not easy for him.¡± After a long chat with the Jeffersons, the sky had turned dark, so Sophia and Ian decided to make a move. Initially, Logan wanted to leave together, but he was grabbed by Lorraine by the cor. ¡°When was the last time you spent the night here? Don¡¯t just drop by and leave all the time. You should stay around to apany Dad more often.¡± Gnashing his teeth, Logan dared not say another word. With that, Lorraine asked the driver to send Ian and Sophia home. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 370 Chapter 370 Once they got in the car, Ian asked the driver to send Sophia home first as he was not in a rush. With no objections, Sophia began to talk about how adorable the Jeffersons were. As soon as the car arrived at Sophia¡¯s home, she got off, and Ian followed after. Surprised, Sophia asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± With a smile, Ian said, ¡°Nothing. You go on in. I¡¯ll stay until you get in.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°Why? You¡¯re afraid there¡¯ll be thieves in my house? That won¡¯t happen.¡± Saying this, she walked toward her house. As usual, the door was locked and could only be unlocked with fingerprints. Gazing back at Ian, she assured, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can go now.¡± After thinking about it, Ian turned and got into the car. N?velDrama.Org content. Closing the door behind her, Sophia slipped on the indoor slippers. However, before she reached the staircase, her phone rang. Getting out her phone from the bag, she smiled as she saw it was Ian who called. As she turned to look outside, she saw Ian was out of the car and running toward her house. Puzzled, she went to open the door and asked, ¡°What¡ª¡± Before she could finish her sentence, however, Ian put away his phone and signaled her to hush up, whispering, ¡°Wait for me in the car.¡± The driver had gotten out of the car as well. Frowning, Sophia was confused. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Pointing upstairs, Ian said, ¡°I saw someone.¡± Startled, Sophia asked, ¡°Someone? Where? In my house?¡± ¡°Yes, upstairs. You¡¯d better go outside and wait,¡± whispered Ian. Slightly trembling in fear, Sophia thought it was no joke to have someone waiting to seize you at home. Nodding her head, she went out of the living room while signaling the driver toe over and help Ian out. Who knew who that person was? And with Ian alone facing that person, she felt worried. Once the driver went into the house, Sophia didn¡¯t get into the car but scanned through the yard and grabbed a stick at the corner. Previously when she was cleaning the house, the mop was spoiled, left with the stick. Swaying the stick around, Sophia thought this would work as a good defense tool, so she went back into the house. When she saw that Ian and the driver were already slowly walking up the stairs, she let out a cough to hint Ian that she should go up first. Surely, that person knew she was back, and he would suspect if she didn¡¯t appear. Disregarding Ian, Sophia said, ¡°Oh god, I¡¯m so tired! Such a busy day.¡± With that, she walked up vigorously while holding the stick in her hands. With Ian following closely and quietly behind, Sophia walked toward her room, but she stopped abruptly at the door. Since she was living alone, before she left the house, she would often leave the room door and windows open to promote venttion. However, the door was now closed. Holding on tightly to the stick, Sophia went to open the door. Scanning through the room, she didn¡¯t notice anything different, and the room still looked organized and tidy. Stepping into her room, Sophia whined on purpose, ¡°Ah, another boring day with nothing much to do.¡± Saying that, she walked over to check out the bathroom, but there was no one inside. Surprised, Sophia wondered where else could the person hide. Turning around, she saw Ian standing beside the closet. Nodding her head, Sophia guessed that was the only ce left for the person to hide. Carrying the stick with her, she stood at the side and immediately opened the closet. This closet was rather huge and was filled with Sophia¡¯s clothes. Since she had decluttered some of her old clothes, the closet space was sufficient. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 371 Chapter 371 A man could still hide himself in the closet. The moment Sophia opened the door, a man pounced out. He probably knew that Sophia had noticed him. Thankfully, Sophia was not standing at the front, so the man didn¡¯t manage to pounce on her. Before he could react, Ian gave him a strong kick from behind. The man didn¡¯t expect someone else besides Sophia, so he was taken aback by that blow. ¡°Let me at him!¡± said Sophia as she aimed the stick right at him. After the previous warm-up practice with Matilda, Sophia felt that she had already gotten used to this. Standing beside, Ian didn¡¯t need to step in at all. While getting hit and stomped by Sophia, the man wanted to grab the stick from her, but Sophia didn¡¯t give him the chance, giving him one blow after another. Initially, Ian was quite worried, but seeing how it all turned out now, he began to rx. Gawking at the scene, the driver waspletely struck dumb while standing there. Later, the man was probably in so much pain, so he just hugged his head and covered his face down on the floor. Though the stick was not as thick, it could still hurt a lot. Not holding back, Sophia treated the man as Matilda. Honestly, she couldn¡¯t go all out in beating up Matilda, as she was advanced in age. Besides, Matilda had been pampered by her family all these years, so she might lose her life if Sophia went all out. Since Sophia didn¡¯t manage to vent all her anger during thest round, she didn¡¯t hesitate at all this time. After a good whack-up, she felt relieved. In the end, it was Ian who stopped her. ¡°Enough already. You¡¯ll kill the person if this goes on,¡± said Ian with a sullen expression. Tidying her messed-up hair, Sophia dered with both hands on her hips, ¡°I worked in the farm when I was young, so I¡¯m really strong. Back in my vige, if there was a thief, we would beat the hell out of him before anything else!¡± Seeing the man shrinking at the corner, Ian thought it was funny. Frankly speaking, Sophia was a rather skillful fighter. A couple of times, that man had attempted to evade the stick and make a run for it, but everytime, he was blocked by Sophia. With a snort, Sophia red at the man on the floor and growled, ¡°Back in those days, all the middle- aged women from my vige dared note up against me.¡± Since young, she had been living with her grandpa alone, so they were an easy target for bullies. Being kind-hearted by nature, her grandpa wouldn¡¯t mind, but Sophia couldn¡¯t bear seeing her family being bullied. Hence, she would often go up against them courageously. Taking in a few deep breaths, Sophia went forward and kicked the man on the floor. ¡°Spill! What¡¯re you doing at my house?¡± Gazing at the man lying on the floor, Ian figured this had to be the man¡¯s first attempt because he completely lost it when he was whacked just now. The man appeared rather scrawny and was probably in his 20s. ¡°I just wanted to steal something valuable. I saw that your house was empty, so I came in to steal something,¡± confessed the man while hugging himself at the corner. Before Sophia could reply, Ian spoke, saying, ¡°The house wasn¡¯t in a mess. Do you think we¡¯ll believe you when you say you are here to steal? I saw you hiding behind the curtains just now. And it wasn¡¯t until you spotted someoneing back did you make your move. If my guess is correct, you¡¯ve been waiting for quite a while,¡± said Ian frostily. Giving the man a strong kick on the thigh, Ian warned, ¡°You¡¯d better be honest! If you cooperate, we¡¯ll consider letting you go and not report you to the police. Since you¡¯re so young, it¡¯ll affect your future to have a criminal record under your name.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Chapter 372 Chapter 372 At first the man was covering his face, but upon hearing what Ian said, he gradually put down his hands. ¡°If I¡¯ll be honest, can you not report me to the police?¡± What a coward! How did he get in? Sophia simply couldn¡¯t understand it. Ian nodded. ¡°It depends on how honest you are.¡± After he sat up slowly on the floor, the man dared not stand up but remained seated in a crossed leg position. From his looks, he did look young. Trying to get on Ian¡¯s good side, the man said, ¡°I¡¯ll spill, so please don¡¯t turn me in. I didn¡¯t take anything, so you lose nothing. And look at me; I¡¯ve been beaten up so badly.¡± Hearing that, Sophia reached out for the stick and roared, ¡°Quit your nonsense! Spill now before I give you another good whack!¡± ¡°No no no! I¡¯ll speak! I¡¯ll speak now! Someone gave me money and ordered me toe here, but I wasn¡¯t asked to steal anything. The person said you live on your own and if I get a chance, I should beat you up and leave,¡± he spluttered. ¡°Beat me up?¡± Sophia was surprised. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Nodding his head, the man had an honest expression. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s all! Beat you up and send her a picture as proof. She will then send me the money, and it was not a small sum at all.¡± Chuckling, he continued, ¡°That was indeed arge sum of money, so I was tempted. If it were another person, they would be tempted to do so too.¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Drawing in a long breath, Sophia said, ¡°Dude, this must be your first time doing such a thing.¡± Dumbstruck for a moment, the man clicked his tongue. ¡°This is indeed my first,¡± the man admitted and his face reddened. Gazing at Sophia, Ian asked, ¡°Can you guess who would do this to you?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Sophia had a person in mind. ¡°John¡¯s mother. She¡¯s the only person who would do such a foolish thing.¡± Knowing Mrs. Constance, she probably didn¡¯t know who to approach to help her, and since these matters needed to be done secretly, she probably found some random someone to do the dirty job for her. However, the person she had found was rather simr to her¡ªa dimwit who couldn¡¯t get things done. Unaware of the conflict between Sophia and Mrs. Constance, Ian waspletely dumbfounded. ¡°Why will Mrs. Constance do this to you?¡± Sophia and John were officially divorced. Obviously, the scandal over the Inte had affected John¡¯s reputation, but all of it wasn¡¯t Sophia¡¯s fault. Furthermore, Mrs. Constance shouldn¡¯t have done such a terrible thing toward Sopia. With a smile, Sophia sat on her bed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a long story.¡± Frankly, Sophia didn¡¯t really want to talk about it, because Mrs. Constance was in fact being whacked by her, so it was kind of humiliating for John¡¯s mother. Besides, Sophia thought it didn¡¯t look good on herself too. Gazing at the man, Sophia asked, ¡°The person who hired you¡ªdo you remember what she looks like?¡± Nodding his head, he said, ¡°I remember! We met just this afternoon. How can I forget? ¡± ¡°Do you mind telling me your name?¡± asked Sophia as she continued to stare at him. Without hesitating, he blurted, ¡°You can call me Husky.¡± Oh, wow! That¡¯s a rather memorable name. After giving it some thought, she said, ¡°Husky, I have a favor to ask. If you can help me with it, I won¡¯t report to the police and you can leave.¡± Hearing that, Husky immediately agreed without a second thought. ¡°Alright. State your condition.¡± For some strange reasons, Sophia thought this person reminded her of Logan. Somehow, there were some simrities between the two. Then, Sophia turned to ask Ian, ¡°Can you help me find a picture of Mrs. Constance? I need him to verify something.¡± Fortunately, finding the picture would be easy peasy. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 373 Chapter 373 As it was such a grand event during John and Sophia¡¯s wedding, almost everyone from the Constance Family appeared over the news. Picking out his cell phone, Ian did a quick search on the Inte and managed to find Mrs. Constance¡¯s picture. Showing it to Husky, Ian asked, ¡°Is this the one who hired you?¡± After just one nce at the phone, Husky eximed, ¡°Yep! That¡¯s the one. From how she speaks, I find her in wicked. She ordered me to hit you real hard and make sure it¡¯s on the face.¡± Hearing that, Sophia had a smirk on her face. Back then, Sophia thought Mrs. Constance was really awful. Now, Sophia felt that Mrs. Constance was simply a blockhead, and she would forever stay as one, even when she got up in years. Nodding her head, Sophia said, ¡°That¡¯s settled. I¡¯ll call a person over and you can tell him everything you know. After that, you can leave.¡± With that, Sophia had called up John. Once the line got through, John almost picked up immediately. ¡°Sophia?¡± Clearly, he had never expected that Sophia would take the initiative to call him up. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. Are you busy now?¡± After saying that he wasn¡¯t busy, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Yes there is, and I need you toe over. Is it convenient for you to drop by now?¡± Hesitating for a moment, John asked, ¡°Is it important?¡± Was it really important? Well, instead of John, she could still call up Old Mrs. Constance to inform her about this. However, before she could answer, John replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle by.¡± Upon hearing his reply, Sophia didn¡¯t say a word and hung up the call. Casting a nce at the Jefferson Family¡¯s driver, Ian said, ¡°Since we don¡¯t know how long this will take, you can go now.¡± In a daze, the driver felt as though he was in a drama scene, and he was all so curious to know what would happen next. As much as he wished to find out what would happen next, he simply could not stay around since they had dismissed him. Nodding his head toward Ian and Sophia, the driver left. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. As soon as he left the house and got in the car, Logan called him. Before the driver could say his greetings, Logan¡¯s voice sounded from the phone. ¡°Have you or have you not sent Sophia home? What¡¯s taking so long?¡± ¡°Young Master Logan, there¡¯s a hup here at Miss Gwendolyn¡¯s ce. I¡¯d juste out,¡± reported the driver. Without asking anymore questions, Logan said, ¡°Really? In that case, I¡¯ll drop by then.¡± After he had hung up, the driver thought about it for a second, but he still eventually drove off. Not longter, both Logan and John arrived at Sophia¡¯s ce almost simultaneously. One after the other, they had parked their cars by the road. Gazing at Logan, John had his eyebrows knitted together. On the other hand, Logan appeared slightly nervous. ¡°Something happened here at Sophia¡¯s ce. You heard about it already?¡± ¡°Something happened you say?¡± asked John, sounding surprised. Staring at John, Logan shot back, ¡°Duh. Why are you here then?¡± Ignoring Logan, John turned around and dashed into the house. Scanning through the halls, John didn¡¯t see anyone, so in just a few steps, he immediately ran up the stairs. Noticing that the bedroom door was opened, he barged into the room. The moment he stepped in, he was startled. Sitting on the bed was Sophia, while Ian was sitting on the couch. Also, another stranger was sitting on the floor beside the bed. Seeing that Sophia was all rxed and sitting there, John, who was initially worried sick, felt his heart sink. ¡°Why did you call me over?¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡± In the next second, Logan came barging in. ¡°Sophia! My Sophia¡­¡± When the sight in the room entered his eyes, he was dumbstruck. ¡°Why are there so many people here?¡± Frowning, Sophia asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Taking a quick look at Sophia, Logan found that there was nothing wrong here at all. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 374 Chapter 374 Clicking his tongue, Logan huffed, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that something happened, so I came over.¡± No surprise here, I guess. It had to be the driver who told Logan, but there was probably some information missed while delivering the message. Anyhow, Logan isn¡¯t the crucial matter for now. Gesturing toward John¡¯s direction with her chin, Sophia said, ¡°Husky, go on! You can tell Young Master John about what you just said.¡± Lifting an eyebrow, Logan asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name again?¡± Darting a re at Logan, Sophia snapped, ¡°Sit down aside and zip it!¡± After ncing at Sophia, Husky obediently admitted his mistakes in front of John. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have allowed myself to be blinded by money. I should have listened to my conscience, and I shouldn¡¯t have taken extreme measures for money¡­¡± Feeling her anger spiking, Sophia intended to reach out for the stick again. ¡°Get to the point!¡± Shaking with fear, Husky stuttered, ¡°T-T-The p-point is I had b-been hired to w-whack Miss Gwendolyn. But I didn¡¯t seed and was hit instead.¡± Hearing that, Logan, who just took a seat beside Ian, immediately jumped to his feet. ¡°What did you n to do? Who did you n to whack?¡± Logan demanded, his expression even more furious than Sophia¡¯s. Shrinking back in fear, Husky said in a raspy voice, ¡°I regret it. I really regret doing it. I didn¡¯t seed anyway and got walloped myself. Look at me; here, here and here¡­¡± Lifting his shirt up, Husky showed Logan the masterpiece done by Sophia. Standing there, John had gotten a brief idea of what was going on. This man was obviously being instructed by someone else to do this. Considering the fact that Sophia had called him over, this could only mean that this incident had something to do with him. Who was the one rted to him and would do such a thing to Sophia? Needless to say, John knew the answer to that question. All of a sudden, his expression darkened. Taking out his cell phone, John selected a picture from his phone and showed it to Husky. ¡°Is this the one who hired you?¡± After taking a quick nce at the phone, Husky nodded. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s the one. She was really generous and paid me arge advance payment, which was why I had lost my mind. I swear! I¡¯ll change for the better and it won¡¯t happen again. I¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Sophia felt a flicker of irritation. ¡°You may leave. Off you go now!¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. With his eyes wide open, Logan roared, ¡°Leave? This is a serious matter! How can he just leave? We need to turn him in to the police. This offence is simply no different from house robbery. You¡¯re not going anywhere!¡± Gazing at Sophia, Husky¡¯s face nched, his lips twitching. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯ll let me go if I cooperate?¡± Frankly, Sophia thought that Husky didn¡¯t have a bad intention. Besides, she didn¡¯t think that she had lost out in anything, and she even got to practice herbat skills by beating him up. If they were to go to the police station together, it wouldn¡¯t look good on her too. Above all, if this matter was brought to the police and got out of hand, it would only lead to involving Mrs. Constance in this. Once Mrs. Constance was involved, the scandal between John and herself would only give rise to much discussion again. By then, it would be endless, so she would rather just let it be now. Waving her hands, Sophia urged, ¡°Just go! It¡¯s fine. I have the final say here.¡± As though he had received a special pardon, he dashed off as fast as lighting. Seeing that, Logan cursed under his breath, but dared not utter a word after casting a nce at Sophia. Getting down from the bed, she turned to John. ¡°Mr. Constance, you do understand why I¡¯ve called you over now?¡± With a darkened expression, John stared at Sophia for a while before asking, ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 375 Chapter 375 As Sophia had misunderstood John, she darted a re at him. ¡°Why? Do you mean to tell me that I shouldn¡¯t bring this up because I wasn¡¯t hurt?¡± Blinking his eyes, John eximed, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Seeing that, Ian rose up from his seat. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t me who found out about it, that person would have already seeded.¡± Agreeing to the statement, Sophia chimed in, ¡°Exactly! Ian noticed there was someone in my room and warned me about it. Otherwise, I would have been the one who got beaten up.¡± Pulling a long face, Sophiained, ¡°Your mother had caused me a lot of troubles. Admittedly, she lost out to me a couple of times, but I can assure you¡ªshe was the one who started it every single time. So what if she can¡¯t win against me? Does that mean she can backstab me?¡± Taking in a deep breath, John said, ¡°Let me handle this. I¡¯ll promise to give you an exnation on this and I won¡¯t brush it off.¡± Gazing at John, Sophia felt she didn¡¯t really need an exnation from him; all she wanted was to inform John of Mrs. Constance¡¯s doings. Up till now, Sophia couldn¡¯t understand why Mrs. Constance would do such a thing to her. She really didn¡¯t seem to have learned her lesson. Licking his lips, Logan walked over. ¡°John, was it really your mom who did it? Was it even necessary to go to that extreme? The scandal about you over the Inte has in fact got nothing to do with Sophia. She couldn¡¯t possibly push all the me on Sophia for those things those people had said!¡± Logan could only make wild guesses as he wasn¡¯t aware of the whole situation. Unwilling to exin further, Sophia turned to John and said, ¡°Considering the fact that your mother had the nerve to do it now, I have a bad feeling that she¡¯ll do it again. John, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be that lucky all the time, and I simply can¡¯t force myself to forgive her every time.¡± Letting out a heavy sigh, Sophia continued, ¡°This is the first time and it¡¯ll be thest. If this happens again, I don¡¯t care how theizens will react to it. Believe me; I¡¯ll do anything.¡± Raising his hand, John wanted to tidy up Sophia¡¯s hair, but he held back in the end. ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time. Believe me.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll believe you this time.¡± Sophia then smiled. After that, John didn¡¯t stay around but left immediately. As soon as he got out of Sophia¡¯s house, he called up William. Initially, William intended to continue working overtime in the office, but the moment he heard John¡¯s voice over the call, he knew that John wasn¡¯t in a good mood. Thus, he assumed that it was due to the scandal on the Inte, so he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Come home. We¡¯ll talk then,¡± said John directly. Before William could reply, John had hung up the phone. William knew his son well; if it wasn¡¯t something important, John wouldn¡¯t have acted that way. Without further ado, he had packed up his stuff and drove home. Once William reached home, he saw John sitting on the couch together with Old Mrs. Constance. The moment William stepped in, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen again?¡± Without looking at William, John said, ¡°Yeap. Something happened. It¡¯s not a major issue, but it can¡¯t be called a minor issue either.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Casting a nce at his mother, William saw that she was befuddled as well. As soon as John got home, he didn¡¯t utter a word and was just sitting there, remaining silent throughout the process even after she had tried to initiate conversation with him for three times. Frowning, the olddy asked, ¡°John, what¡¯s the matter? Say it out. Regardless of what the problem is, we¡¯ll think of something.¡± Leaning against the couch, John let out a deep sigh. ¡°It¡¯s about Mom.¡± ¡°Your mom?¡± the olddy asked in a direct manner. ¡°Then, I guess it must be something bad.¡± With a sneer, John said, ¡°Indeed, it really is something bad. Because of the previous incident, Mom must have felt humiliated by Sophia, so she holds a grudge against her. Today, she had hired someone to intrude Sophia¡¯s house when she wasn¡¯t at home. The person had gone in the house through the window, and was waiting in the house for the chance to beat Sophia up.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 376 Chapter 376 ¡°What?!¡± Old Mrs. Constance rose up from her seat, and she didn¡¯t look pleased at all. She knew it was something bad, but clearly, she didn¡¯t expect it to be this bad. ¡°Is she insane? Why would Matilda do something like that at this point in time?¡± Dumbstruck, William had a sullen expression as he gazed at John. ¡°Is Sophia alright?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± John shook his head. ¡°Fortunately, Ian was with her. He noticed that something was odd, and so that person didn¡¯t seed.¡± Clenching her teeth, the olddy said, ¡°Even though nothing bad happened, this is simply not a minor issue. What¡­ What if¡­¡± Holding his grandmother by the hand, Johnforted her by saying, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t you worry. I think Mom did it because she was beaten up by Sophiast time. She just wanted to vent her anger by getting someone to hit Sophia too. Mom didn¡¯t have other motives.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s still wrong!¡± the olddy snapped. In the next second, she lifted her head to look at William. ¡°This is all your fault! Look at your wife! If you don¡¯t do something, she¡¯s going to wreak havoc!¡± Doing a facepalm, Williamined, ¡°Do you think I want it to happen? I¡¯ll give her all the money she wants if she would just stop stirring up a sh*tstorm!¡± Shaking her head, the olddy said, ¡°You¡¯re just too nice to her. Lucky you, because she¡¯s still not as bright. If she brightens up one day, who knows what bigger problems will she cause!¡± Just like the incident this time, that dimwit, Mrs. Constance had found another blockhead to do the dirty deed for her. Next time, if she managed to find a smarter fe, Sophia wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. If Sophia ended up in trouble, the Constance Family would end up in trouble too. Obviously, both John and William had thought about it. While the three fell into silence, Old Mrs. Constances spoke up suddenly. ¡°I think there¡¯s nothing we can do with Matilda. If we confront her, she will just sulk andin as she usually does. Now, we need to take thest resort.¡± Looking at his mother, William could vaguely guess what she wanted to do. ¡°Mom, what do you n to do?¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Standing up slowly, the olddy sighed. ¡°William, since you can¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll decide for you. I¡¯ll drop by the Flintstone Residenceter. It won¡¯t be nice if you two show up, so don¡¯te with me. I¡¯ll settle this myself.¡± With that, she turned around. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me how I¡¯m going to settle this, because you can¡¯t solve this. Just take care of thepany and leave this to me.¡± Without asking further, William looked as if he understood what his mother meant. After going upstairs, the olddy had changed into formal clothes and even put her hair up nicely in a bun. The servants helped the olddy down the stairs, and they too, had changed. Jumping to his feet, William asked anxiously, ¡°Mom, can you please tell me your ns? I just don¡¯t feel at peace.¡± Casting a nce at him, Old Mrs. Constance announced, ¡°Stay here and wait. I¡¯ll tell you when I get back.¡± With that, she walked out together with the servants. Taking a quick nce at his father, Johnforted him by saying, ¡°Let¡¯s just wait. Grandma knows what she¡¯s doing.¡± When the olddy walked out, the driver had already been waiting. Once they got in the car, the servant had told the driver to go to Flintstone Residence. In fact, Old Mrs. Constance rarely visited the Flintstones; even Matilda rarely paid a visit to her own family. Simrly, the Flintstone Family rarely came by as well. Although both families were connected through marriage, their rtionship wasn¡¯t that pleasant. Overall, the Flintstone Family was a big family, and Matilda acted the same when she was with them. Hence, Old Mrs. Constance could tell that the Flintstones couldn¡¯t stand her too. Leaning against the seat, Old Mrs. Constance turned to look outside. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 377 Chapter 377 The traffic thinned out when night came, and they came back to Flintstone Residence not longter. After the servant rang the doorbell and talked to the guy inside, they opened the gates for the car. Matilda was in her room, frustrated. She tried to call the mercenary today, but nobody took the call. Did they do it? At least give me an update! She kept pacing back and forth until her servant came knocking. ¡°What is it?¡± she said impatiently. The servant said, ¡°Old Mrs. Constance is here. You might want to see her.¡± Matilda was stunned. ¡°She¡¯s here?¡± Isn¡¯t it supposed to be William? ¡°Is William here?¡± she asked. ¡°No. Only her and her servant,¡± the servant replied tly. Matilda felt annoyed. She left the Constance Residence because of the fight with William. Why¡¯s he asking his mom to pick me up? When she recalled the look of disdain Old Mrs. Constance gave her during the fight with William, she was vexed. Deciding to put on airs, she said, ¡°No. I won¡¯t go down unless William¡¯s apologizing.¡± The servant waited for a little while longer before going away, leaving Matilda alone and fuming. William had never done this to her. No matter what happened, he would always end up apologizing if she got angry, but now he pped her just for Sophia. The thought of that irked her. William wasn¡¯t the only one to p her that day; Sophia did too. Nobody had ever done that to her in her life, so she couldn¡¯t let it slide this easily, not unless William apologized and repented for his actions. Thus, Matilda stayed in her room, and a whileter, the servant came knocking again. ¡°The madam wants you downstairs, miss.¡± My mother wants me down there? All the more reason she didn¡¯t want to be there. Her mother kept chastising her during dinner earlier, saying she was a socially inept and ungratefuldy. ¡°At this rate, you¡¯re going to run yourself into a wall.¡± Matilda was frustrated to hear that. How could she say that when I¡¯m the one who¡¯s hurt? She wouldn¡¯t go down now, or else her mother would reprimand her in front of Old Mrs. Constance. I¡¯m not an idiot. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going down just for that. ¡°No! Just leave me alone!¡± she shouted. Hearing this, the servant left again. As shey on her bed, Matilda took her phone out, wanting to call William. No, If I do that, that means I¡¯m giving up. At the thought of that, she held her urge back and put her phone down. A whileter, someone banged on the door. This is someone else. Before she could say anything, her mother demanded, ¡°Get out right now!¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Matilda snorted silently. Oh, so she¡¯sing to me instead, huh? She ignored her mother, remaining on the bed, and after a few more bangs, everything went quiet. A few minutester, however, Matilda heard someone unlocking the door, then it was opened, and in came her mother, looking cold. Matilda sat up, her expression icy. ¡°Do you have to go this far?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 378 Chapter 378 Natasha looked disappointed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re my daughter. How did you manage to get divorced at this age? Do you have any idea how embarrassed I am?¡± Matilda was about to get into a big fight with her mother, but the sudden announcement took her by surprise. ¡°What are you talking about, Mom?¡± Natasha sneered. ¡°I said you¡¯re getting a divorce, so what are you going to do about it? Mrs. Constance herself came personally and said she wants you and William to finish the paperwork as soon as possible. They¡¯ll give you your share of the wealth, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Matilda forced a smile, refusing to believe it. ¡°Yeah, right, as if they¡¯d do that. Others aside, I know William won¡¯t.¡± Natasha looked at her in disbelief. ¡°His mother came here herself. That¡¯s saying something. Also, how can you be so sure William isn¡¯t tired of you? Matilda, I¡¯m your mom, and even I can¡¯t stand you. How do you expect William to put up with you?¡± Matilda didn¡¯t want to believe this, and she insisted, ¡°No. I know he isn¡¯t tired of me. He isn¡¯t!¡± Fetching her cell phone over, she quickly called William, but nobody picked it up after a long while, and her face fell.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. She made multiple calls, but nobody picked it up, so she put her phone down. Looking up at her mother, she turned a tad panicked. ¡°Mom, what did my mother-inw say?¡± Natasha stared at her for a while, then she sighed, her voice cold still. ¡°She said you and William aren¡¯t a good match. Plus, they don¡¯t think they have what it takes to please you, and the Constances have problems of their own, so they have no time to handle your matter. Mrs. Constance wants you to go through the divorce paperwork with William as soon as possible. They¡¯lle up with the agreement, and she promised you¡¯d get your dues.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not getting a divorce!¡± she eximed, her eyes wide. ¡°No, no, no!¡± Natasha didn¡¯t know what she should do with Matilda. ¡°I asked you toe down earlier so I could help you, but you didn¡¯t take the chance. Well, you¡¯re on your own now.¡± Because of her daughter¡¯s wilful actions, Matilda embarrassed her in front of Mrs. Constance. This fool! She¡¯s on her own now! Then Natasha left. Matilda was still sitting on the bed, stunned. She couldn¡¯t believe William would dump her, for she knew the kind of person he was. After all, they were married for years. Matilda could understand why her mother said William couldn¡¯t put up with her anymore. She was a drama queen sometimes, but they still got through it all these years. Why not now? A momentter, Matilda quickly changed her clothes and went downstairs, but the living room was deserted. She quickly went to the garage, calling William at the same time, but he never picked up no matter how many times she called. If it was in the past, William would only not take her calls when he was having an appointment or a meeting. Also, she didn¡¯t think William was in the dark about his mothering here to talk about the divorce. In other words, if he knew about this, then him not taking her calls meant¡­ Best not to think about it. Cutting off her line of thought, she quickly drove toward Constance Residence. This was no time to care about her pride. She drove at top speed and ran two red lights so she could arrive sooner. After she rang the doorbell, the butler came to take it. When he saw it was her, he let her in. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 379 Chapter 379 After she drove inside and came out of the car, she saw Jennifer lounging in the garden. ¡°Hello, Matilda,¡± she greeted neutrally upon seeing her. Matilda would have ignored her in the past, but today, she greeted back, ¡°Hi. Out here alone?¡± Jennifer was surprised, murmuring an acquiescence before saying, ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Matilda nodded and went to the main residence. There wasn¡¯t anyone in the living room save for the servant, who looked surprised to see her here. ¡°You¡¯re back, madam.¡± Before Matilda went upstairs, the servant said, ¡°Are you looking for your husband? He isn¡¯t home.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not?¡± She was taken aback. ¡°No, but the old madam is upstairs. She said you should go to her room if you need anything.¡± Matilda stood there for a minute, and she understood what was going on. William¡¯s mother knew she woulde back for William, so she told him to go out for a while. Thinking of this, she sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go to her, then.¡± She then went upstairs. Belinda was in the room, still in the same clothes she wore to Flintstone Residence. She was sitting on the sofa, a big photo album with many pictures in it in her hand. Barely anyone developed photos these days, so those photos were taken years ago. Belinda smiled as she flipped through them, her gaze warm, and the moment Matilda came in, she knew it was her. ¡°You¡¯re here. Take a seat.¡± She didn¡¯t even look up. Matilda was still fuming. She pulled a face and only went to sit after a few moments, but Belinda¡¯s attention was still on the photos. Flipping to one of them, she said, ¡°Look. This was taken during your wedding. It¡¯s almost thirty years since then.¡± The photo was sealed in the album, still in decent condition. Matilda looked at it, but she didn¡¯t remember taking this photo. Wow, I was young. I was really slim. She was smiling at the camera along with William, who looked dashing. Looking back at the photo, she felt puzzled, but she said nothing still. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Belinda touched the photo andmented, ¡°Time flies.¡± She chuckled. ¡°In just the blink of an eye, thirty years have passed. When I looked through these photos, I was taken back to the first time I saw you.¡± She looked at Matilda. ¡°You were reserved back then, and you didn¡¯t like William. I thought that was the end of it, but then you said you can work it out with him.¡± She looked at her gently. ¡°I really liked you back then. You obviously didn¡¯t like William, but you gave it a shot anyway, saying he was a nice guy. I know you were just trying to make things less awkward, so I thought you were a good girl.¡± Belinda had looked into Matilda back then. She was gorgeous and had a few suitors. Besides, some of the families in the city did consider her as a wife candidate for their sons. When she picked William to ¡®work it out,¡¯ Belinda thought she just didn¡¯t want him to feel awkward, so she felt some affection toward her. On the other hand, Matilda felt nervous seeing her talk. Eventually, Belinda closed the album and shifted the topic. ¡°I heard you hired someone to hurt Sophia.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 380 Chapter 380 Matilda was surprised that Belinda found out about it. ¡°H-How did you find out?¡± she stammered. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Belinda looked at her, not a hint of anger shown. ¡°Have you ever thought of the consequences?¡± she asked calmly. Matilda didn¡¯t know how to answer that since she truly never thought of the implications; she only wanted to vent that time. Belinda sighed. ¡°Just get a divorce. Whether you¡¯re a good match is not up to me to judge, but we can¡¯t pay for your shenanigans anymore, Matilda.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t,¡± Matilda said. ¡°I won¡¯t get a divorce, never!¡± Belinda knew Matilda would behave this way. Standing up, she went to put her album back before continuing warmly, ¡°You can do that, of course, but dragging this out won¡¯t be good for you.¡± After cing the album back to where it belonged, she turned around. ¡°Your mercenary has sold you out. If the news outlets know about this, you should know how disastrous it can be.¡± Putting on a smile, Belinda continued, ¡°You hired a man for this task? I think what you had in mind wasn¡¯t just a simple beat up.¡± At this, Matilda pursed her lips, not saying a word. If there was one good trait about her, it was her honesty. When she hired that young thug for this job, she did have some other torture ideas in mind. Even so, she wouldn¡¯t ask the guy to rape her. To be exact, she didn¡¯t want to think about that, nor did she dare to; all she asked was for him to beat her up and nothing else. Belinda looked at her. ¡°You know what Sophia is like. Even if nothing else happened, she¡¯s going to come after you just because of this. Both our families are going to get dragged down too.¡± Matilda took a deep breath. ¡°But it failed, right? If you guys know about this, then he must have failed.¡± Belinda couldn¡¯t help chuckling. ¡°That¡¯s not the point. I didn¡¯t tell your mother about this just now. If she were to find out about what you did, I think she¡¯d be livid. If I told her I want you and William to get divorced then, she might even take my side instead of yours.¡± Matilda was stupefied. Her mother wasn¡¯t the subject of her concern; her father was. Because of his deteriorating body, Alphonse was in a perpetually grumpy state, and he scolded her many times after she went back to his house. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, he¡¯d ask her to get divorced so William could get a better wife. Alphonse had always been a grumpy guy, but despite so, he had a sense of justice. If he found out what she did, he¡¯d kill her. Staring at her, Belinda continued, ¡°Seeing that you and William were once a loving couple, I¡¯ll at least leave an option open for you, for I don¡¯t want this to end messily. You don¡¯t want to get into an ugly fight too, right? After all, it won¡¯t bode well for you if you do.¡± Matilda still didn¡¯t want to give up. ¡°Does William know what you¡¯re doing? What about his opinion? Does he want to get a divorce, too? Just because of this?¡± Belinda thought about it before answering, ¡°You can take it that way if you want, Matilda. But honestly, this is just a trigger, ast straw of sorts. It¡¯s disappointment after disappointment with you, Matilda, and he can¡¯t take it anymore.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 381 Chapter 381 When she came back earlier, Belinda told William what she did. He most likely expected that, so he didn¡¯t object. Instead, he stayed quiet. Belinda noticed he looked sad, but she knew he must be tired of this marriage too. The problems weren¡¯t new, and he had endured it for a long while now. Matilda shut up. Looking at her, Belinda said, ¡°William¡¯s not here today. Go back to your room if you want to stay the night.¡± Matilda stood up a momentter, her expression still defiant. Belinda sighed. Even now, she still thinks she¡¯s right. When she went back to her bedroom, aside from the things she took with her, it still looked the same. She went to sit on the sofa, her mind buzzing. Belinda made it clear that William had decided to divorce her. At the thought of that, she covered her face in horror, unwilling to think about how her life would be like after the divorce. Her family wouldn¡¯t take her back. They were alreadyining when she only moved back for two days, but she couldn¡¯t live alone either, for she would bump into people she knew. It would be impossible for her to face them, and she¡¯d have to give them a wide berth, just like when she met Jessica earlier.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. She thumped the bed angrily, then her phone rang. Matilda thought it was from William, but no; her family was calling her, and she knew why. Matilda ended the call and tossed her phone aside. Except for William, she didn¡¯t want to take anyone¡¯s call. At the same time, John was also in his room. He heard his mother going into her room, but he didn¡¯t have time to care about her. He was holding his phone, hesitating whether he should call Sophia. What should I say to her though? What his mother did could potentially cause a disaster, but they were lucky it didn¡¯t, or else Sophia would be out for their blood. It would be bad if that happened, but for now, a peaceful solution was possible. John was flummoxed. Ever since Sophia married him, she never went against Matilda, so he wondered why his mother hated her so much. She just had to sabotage her, even when she had already gotten a divorce with him. I don¡¯t get it. In the end, he put his phone down without calling her. He thought he was not being himself now. Usually, he wouldn¡¯t be this hesitant, for he hade across more serious problems than this one, but never did he feel so frustrated. Taking a deep breath, he went to have a cold shower. After that, it cleared up his mind. Coming out of the bathroom, he wore his shirt while facing the mirror in the cab. With his thoughts clear, he chalked his feeling of frustration and unnerve to his sudden reversion to single life. Even if he hated the marriage with Sophia, he got used to that life after a year. Even though they had gone through the paperwork, their lives were still connected. It wasn¡¯t until now did they cut ties, then that feeling of frustration started welling up within him. I¡¯m probably just not used to this. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 382 Chapter 382 After he was done changing, John looked at his reflection for a while, then he nodded. He felt like he understood what was happening, and everything was clear now. A momentter, he went downstairs. John stood before the main residence, the night breeze caressing him. A whileter, he went to the backyard. He did this out of reflex, for Sophia once told him she went to the bamboo forest with Dn in the mountains behind the backyard. John knew that forest. He went there when he was a kid, though he thought there wasn¡¯t anything special about it. Now that he thought about it, it had been years since he went there. When he got to the backyard, he saw that the door was opened, much to his surprise. However, he didn¡¯t think much and went toward the forest. With his cell phone¡¯s shlight illuminating the path, he went inside. A short whileter, he noticed a bright light before him. When he got closer, he saw someone standing there. ¡°Dn?¡± John asked instinctively. He was right; it was Dn. Dn greeted him back and asked, ¡°What brings you here?¡± John went up to him, not answering his question. There wasn¡¯t anything here in the forest, not even a ce to sit. And as for Dn, he was standing in the clearing, looking at the Constance Residence. It was higher ground here, so it lent them a good vista, enough to see the whole residence. Lights were on, for night had descended. From the looks of it, the residence took up a big plot ofnd. At this, John went to stand beside Dn. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be here.¡± Dn gave it some thought before saying, ¡°Just taking a stroll after dinner.¡± John grunted. He turned his shlight off, putting his hands in his pockets. A whileter, he said, ¡°Remember the thing you asked me in my office? I actually read your lips.¡± Dn didn¡¯t feel awkward. ¡°Is that so? I was just curious.¡± John smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you meant by the question. Were you asking if I regretted getting a divorce or hiding it?¡± After a pause, he said, ¡°But no matter what the question was, my answer remains the same: I don¡¯t regret it. There¡¯s nothing to regret.¡± He wouldn¡¯t think too much about the things he did, for there was no point mulling over or regretting the things that had happened. Instead, he¡¯d be better off using that time to handle the situation at hand. A smile shed across Dn¡¯s lips, but the cloak of night concealed it from John. ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Dn remarked. John looked at the residence, then he reiterated, ¡°I don¡¯t regret it. I never regretted it.¡± He was probably saying that to Dn and himself. After that, silence descended,sting for nearly a minute. Shifting the topic, Dn then said, ¡°I heard you went to wee Mr. Wolfe this afternoon.¡± John grunted. ¡°I met him before, so we know each other. My dad had something to do, so I went there myself.¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Dn sighed. ¡°I heard that guy¡¯s a scoundrel. All the people who talked to him disliked the guy.¡± John scoffed dismissively. ¡°I don¡¯t talk to him much, so I can¡¯t attest to that. Since we only talked about business, quality and efficiency were all that mattered. Other than that, I don¡¯t really care.¡± Dn nodded. ¡°You have a point.¡± Then the conversation went dead. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 383 Chapter 383 A whileter, Dn looked at the time. ¡°It¡¯ste. I should be going back.¡± John grunted. ¡°You go ahead. I want to stay here for a bit.¡± Dn nodded at him before strolling back along the dirt path leading back. John saw him off as he walked into the night. When he was fully engulfed by the darkness, he looked back around the clearing. Sophia probably came here back then. He put his hands in his pockets, holding his phone for a while before calling Zack, and it was immediately picked up. Zack knew what he wanted to ask, thus responded quickly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boss. Focker hasn¡¯t been up to his antics. He won¡¯t be up to anything for a long time.¡± John grunted. ¡°What about Roselia?¡± ¡°Oh, her? She left after the deed was done. And she looked happy. Where did you find her, boss? She¡¯s a pro.¡± John only snorted, not answering his question. ¡°Keep an eye on Focker. If he doesn¡¯t rile anything up in the next couple of days, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem.¡± ¡°Alright, boss.¡± He was about to ask something else, but John hung up. A momentter, John took a deep breath and went back to the residence. The servants had already gone to sleep when he came back to the main building. Halfway through going upstairs, John came back down to take a bottle of red wine. He hadn¡¯t been able to sleep over the past couple of days, so he needed the help of alcohol. Aftering up to the second floor, he saw Matilda standing outside his room. She was in her pajamas, her head hanging low, looking dejected. ¡°Why are you here, Mom?¡± He went up to her. Matilda jumped to the side, shocked. ¡°Oh, you weren¡¯t in your room?¡± John opened the door and went inside. ¡°I went out just now. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Matilda came in, wanting to talk about what happened, but she couldn¡¯t get it out. John opened the wine bottle with a corkscrew and poured some into the ss on the bedside, then he looked back. ¡°Is it because of your divorce?¡± Matilda looked at him. ¡°So you knew. John, you can¡¯t just stand there and watch as I get divorced from your dad. I¡¯m your mother, so you have to help me to stop this.¡± John sighed. ¡°And how am I supposed to do that? You expect me to dissuade Grandma from doing this?¡± She quickly sat beside him. ¡°You have to stop this divorce. What if someone knows about this? A divorce is such a humiliating matter.¡± John smiled. ¡°But everyone knew about my divorce. And you know who spread it.¡± Matilda opened her mouth, but it took her a while before she said, ¡°That¡¯s not the same.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± John arched his eyebrow. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t texted the Baileys, we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation now. If you had just talked to us before you did anything, Grandma wouldn¡¯t have to do this. Mom, you only cared about yourself, never about the family.¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Hearing this, Matilda frowned. She wanted to retort, but nothing came out. John didn¡¯t want to dwell on this any longer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Dad won¡¯t date anyone else for at least a couple of years, so you still have a chance. If you can just mellow out a little, you can stille back. But if you don¡¯t, Dad will get a divorce no matter what. It¡¯s only a matter of time.¡± Matilda stood up, livid. ¡°Do you even care about me? You don¡¯t even want to help me! How can you just stand there and watch? I¡¯m your mother!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 384 Chapter 384 ¡°Let¡¯s not get worked up. I¡¯m tired, and I don¡¯t want to fight,¡± he said calmly. ¡°Mom, there¡¯s a price to pay for anything you do. Take what you did for example. Putting aside our family, do you think Sophia¡¯s going to let you off the hook after what you did? If you get involved, our family¡¯s going to get dragged into this, and by extension, thepany. Think about the domino effect that will happen, the PR disaster, and the things that you have to face.¡± Matilda¡¯s mouth formed aical O. That idea never crossed her mind, for she never thought anything two steps ahead; she never had, and she never would. John smiled. ¡°Grandma¡¯s angry because you sabotaged the whole family. We were close to being snapped into oblivion.¡± Matilda blinked, saying nothing. However, the look of realization on her face told John she knew what went wrong. John patted her shoulder. ¡°Mom, talk to Dad. This is between you two, so nobody can or should interfere.¡± That was a wake-up call for Matilda. Now that she thought about it, they had been interfering with John¡¯s marriage all this time. His grandfather insisted on him marrying Sophia, then he died. After that, she became a saboteur in John¡¯s rtionship with Sophia. Matilda was clear that the bad state of their rtionship wasrgely thanks to her. And now, her son was telling her nobody could interfere with her marriage. I¡¯m a joke. John looked at her for a while before saying, ¡°Dad¡¯s noting home tonight. He said you¡¯ll be in a bad mood, so he wants you to calm down. He¡¯ll see you tomorrow or the day after. Talk to him then.¡± Matilda was quiet. A whileter, she said almost inaudibly, ¡°Okay.¡± Then she left and closed the door. After that, John sat down and finished his wine in one gulp. On the other hand, Sophia went through her routine like nothing had happened today. She was even humming a song, then a momentter, her phone rang. It was from Logan, and she sat down before her dressing table. Doesn¡¯t he get tired, calling me every day? Does he think I¡¯m as dumb as he is? Is that why he keeps pestering me? She turned on the speakerphone. ¡°What do you want? It hasn¡¯t even been five seconds.¡± Delighted, Logan started bbering, ¡°Sophia, I ain¡¯t gonna let anyone rough you up and get away with it. I got the¡­ the¡­ What¡¯s his name again?¡± He went away, and Sophia heard him asking, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± In the next second, she heard a guttural scream, one directed at the phone. ¡°Sophia, it¡¯s me, Husky! Save me!¡± Sophia was stunned, asking immediately, ¡°Husky? You captured him?¡± Logan announced proudly, ¡°You¡¯re my friend. I¡¯m taking care of you, so nobody¡¯s going to get away with it after they roughed you up! I ain¡¯t letting them go even if you do!¡±Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Sophiaughed. ¡°You know, you should capture John¡¯s mom in that case. She¡¯s the mastermind.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 385 Chapter 385 Logan froze up. He was brash, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. If he did anything to Matilda, his dad would kill him. After he shut up, Sophia said, ¡°Let him go. I don¡¯t want any trouble.¡± Logan gasped. ¡°But I¡¯m doing this for you. Man, you¡¯re ungrateful. Everyone knows my temper. If anyone tries to hurt my friend, they can get out of the city.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t deny that, for him protecting Ian was evidence enough. He even went to Morgan Residence to help Ian. Chuckling, Sophia said, ¡°Logan, I would have walloped him back then if I wanted to. Are cards all you can think of? At least look before you leap.¡± Logan snorted. Before he could say anything, Husky bellowed, ¡°Please, Sophia! I¡¯m sorry! I won¡¯t do it again! Save me! I can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± Sophia frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you annoyed? Let him go. My eardrums are popping.¡± Logan clicked his tongue, obviously objecting to her decision. Even so, he said nothing and hung up. Sophia put her phone down and chuckled. Logan can be adorable sometimes. After Sophia washed her face again and was about to sleep, Ian texted her, telling her to lock the doors and windows. Subsequently, Sophia told him she had done that. She always locked them before she slept, only keeping them open during daytime for air cirction. It never crossed her mind that someone would break in though. She slept through the night soundly and forgot everything Matilda did to her the next day. Contrary to the Constances, she never nned on sabotaging them with this. ¡®Don¡¯t cross that bridge till youe to it¡¯ was her motto. Thinking too much about something that hadn¡¯t happened yet would bog her down. She woke up early the next morning and skimmed through her driving lesson text. Then she watered her flowers and went to take a look at her shop. The renovators worked fast, for everything was done when she arrived. It wasn¡¯t a big ce to begin with, so Sophia only needed to improve the airflow, and it would be ready for business. She couldn¡¯t wait. Logan came again in the afternoon, and Sophia saw him in her yard when she came back. He looked annoyed when she returned. ¡°What are you thinking? How can you leave your windows open? What if someone breaks in again?¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think Matilda¡¯s going to pull the same trick, so rx.¡± Logan almost yelled. ¡°What if a burr breaks in and steals your stuff? Haven¡¯t you learned your lesson?¡± Sophia went to open the door, then they went inside. On the way to the living room, she asked, ¡°Did you let Husky go?¡± ¡°As if.¡± He red at her. ¡°He¡¯s working in my club.¡± Sophia was surprised. ¡°What? You gave him a job?¡± Logan spat. ¡°Yeah right. He¡¯s working for free! It¡¯s his punishment, get it? He has to pay the price. If you let him off the hook this easily, he¡¯d be up to the same trick next time. You gotta drill it into his head.¡± Sophia chuckled, then she shifted the topic, asking, ¡°Did someone report your club?¡± She heard Lysa mentioning that on her visit to Jefferson Mansion. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 386 Chapter 386 Logan looked offended. ¡°That was just some nonsense a drunk guy made up. I¡¯m an honest businessman.¡± Sophia arched her eyebrow. ¡°How did you settle it? I heard you get police raids frequently.¡± Somehow, that irked him even more. ¡°Man, those police are idiots. They buy into every report they hear. I¡¯m aw-abiding citizen, but they keep doing this. For what? Nothing.¡± And that woman must have beef with me. She¡¯s in every surprise check. He could still remember that policewoman¡¯s disgusted face. She obviously has no boyfriend. Wait, she¡¯s a guy herself. Sophia sat down on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯ll be having my driving exam two dayster, so I¡¯ll be out for the whole morning.¡± ¡°Driving exam? I can go with you. I have nothing to do anyway. And you can¡¯t go alone, since you¡¯re a celebrity now. I can be your bodyguard.¡± He wiggled his eyebrows. Sophia stared at him for a while before asking curiously, ¡°Don¡¯t you have any other hobbies? I get the feeling you¡¯re pestering me.¡± Logan was taken aback, then he bellowed but said nothing¡ªnot that he could talk about this easily anyway since he knew that he was infamous himself. Nobody would be friends with him. Even though John was a good acquaintance who invited him to his wedding, he knew John wouldn¡¯t really be friends with him. Even if he did, his family wouldn¡¯t allow him to. Thus, technically speaking, he had zero friends. That was why Ian and Sophia were precious to him. He couldn¡¯t fool around with Ian since he had work, so only Sophia was left. Sophia stared at him for a while longer, then she gave up on him answering. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll be cooking now.¡± She stood up. This guy¡¯s here for a free meal. Why else? As she went to the kitchen, Logan followed behind. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to tell you.¡± Sophia wore an apron, and she gave one to Logan, for there were many aprons around. Taking the apron from her, he wore it and went to peel the garlic. ¡°I saw John¡¯s mom on the way here.¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Sophia grunted. ¡°And?¡± ¡°I saw her driving alone,¡± he continued. ¡°She stopped in front of a park and went inside.¡± That¡¯s saying nothing, though. Sophia didn¡¯t say anything. Logan continued, ¡°I took a closer look and saw her crying. She kept wiping her tears as she went.¡± Sophia looked back at him. ¡°Tears? Are you sure you weren¡¯t seeing things?¡± Why was she crying? Oh, because she failed to sabotage me after spending all that money? Oh, delightful. A momentter, Logan looked at her. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Maybe John went back and told his family about what happened, then they scolded her, so she cried.¡± Sophia shook her head and went on cleaning the vegetables. ¡°No, I know his mom better than you do. The Constances are usually soft-spoken, so persuasion is their forte, not reprimands. His mother isn¡¯t someone who¡¯d listen to reason, so she wouldn¡¯t care.¡± Logan was confused. ¡°But she looked really sad when I saw her today.¡± Matilda must have driven to the park all by herself and walked inside. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 387 Chapter 387 She stared down on the ground and kept wiping her tears away, a stark contrast from her usually haughty self. Sophia waved him down. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about her anymore. She makes me feel sick. We know she¡¯s going to get into trouble one day.¡± Logan was sttered by the drops of water from her hand. Seeing this, he took one step aside. ¡°Did you do that on purpose?¡± Sophia smiled, not answering his question. She took some tissue and wiped it all over his face. At the same time, Logan stared at her, and his smile faded. ¡°Have I ever mentioned you look like someone?¡± he asked calmly. ¡°No.¡± Sophia was surprised. ¡°Who do I look like?¡± Logan gazed into her eyes, the intensity almost terrifying. ¡°If you say I look like your first love, I¡¯ll stab you. I¡¯m getting really close to this knife here.¡± Logan shook his head. ¡°No, not my first love.¡± With his head lowered, he put the peeled garlic in a te and washed his hands. ¡°I have something for you to see here.¡± He wiped his hands on the apron and took his phone out of the pocket. Contrary to his dandy self, he didn¡¯t download many apps in his phone, and most of them came preinstalled. Navigating into his photo album, Logan clicked into a photo and pointed at the woman in the middle. ¡°See. You look just like her.¡± Sophia frowned at the photo he showed her¡ªit was a photo in a photo. There were a bunch of people in that photo. A couple sat in the center, and the woman was holding a baby while surrounded by four kids. A momentter, she looked up at Logan. ¡°Is this your family photo?¡± Logan nodded. ¡°I only have this one, though.¡± Sophia looked at the photo again. The woman Logan was pointing at was probably his mother. She never heard anyone talking about her. Even during her visit to his residence, she only saw his father. After looking at the photo, she said, ¡°Do we look alike? I don¡¯t think so.¡± Aside from their age, they shared no simr features. So why did he say so? However, Logan nodded in objection. ¡°No, I think you look just like her.¡± Sophia pursed her lips and nodded. ¡°Fine. Maybe we do look alike in some parts. I¡¯m probably too used to seeing myself, so I¡¯m not sure how everyone sees me.¡± After that, Logan put his phone away. ¡°From the moment I saw you, I thought you two looked alike.¡± Sophia smiled. She was about to ask how his mother was doing, but she stopped herself before that. I¡¯ve never seen her, so she¡¯s probably deceased. Best not talk about this. With Logan¡¯s help, the meal was done quickly. Right after Sophia had served the food, she saw a car stopping outside the yard, then out came William and Matilda. Sophia ced the food on the dining table before going to the door. She knew why they were here. Logan saw them too when he came out, then he went back into the dining room. They probably won¡¯t want me around in this case. Sophia was already in the living room when William and Matilda arrived at her doorstep. Then, she smiled at them. ¡°Come in,¡± Sophia told William. William sighed before entering, followed by Matilda, whose expression was inscrutable. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 388 Chapter 388 William looked at her quietly, not sitting down. ¡°Sophia, we only found out what happenedst night. It was alreadyte, so we didn¡¯t want to disturb you. We¡¯re here today to apologize. No matter what, it¡¯s our fault.¡± He then gave Matilda a look. She still looked inscrutable, but she said, ¡°Sorry for what happened yesterday. It was my fault.¡± Despite her words, she did not look apologetic at all, and Sophia gave her a look, sneering. William knew what she meant, so he red at Matilda. ¡°Apologize properly.¡± Matilda took a deep breath and continued softly, ¡°I was too rash yesterday, and I¡¯m aware that my actions have inconvenienced you. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She didn¡¯t look at Sophia, for even at this point, Matilda was still prideful and refused to bow down. Sophia clicked her tongue. ¡°It¡¯d look bad on me if I don¡¯t let it slide now, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± She shrugged, smiling. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to let it slide, so what should I do?¡± William quickly said, ¡°We¡¯re just here to apologize, and we don¡¯t expect you to forgive us. It is our fault, Sophia.¡± ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t say that,¡± Sophia said. ¡°I am not a saint, but I don¡¯t put the me where it doesn¡¯t belong. If you had known what would happen, I trust that you would have stopped it. But you didn¡¯t, so that means you didn¡¯t know either. I¡¯ll only need the mastermind to be held responsible.¡± Matilda looked up at Sophia, her expression frustrated. She came here reluctantly, and Sophia could see that too. Hearing this, William sighed. ¡°You¡¯re a good girl. It¡¯s a pity John isn¡¯t married to you.¡± Sophia agreed, adding on to his words, ¡°It¡¯s his loss.¡± Matilda frowned, but only for a moment. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia ignored her. ¡°Let¡¯s end this here. I know I shouldn¡¯t make this too big, so don¡¯t worry. If you¡¯ll just leave me alone, this¡¯ll probably be thest time I will talk to you and your family.¡± Subsequently, she took her apron off. ¡°Mr. Constance, I¡¯ll be more than happy to invite you for a meal if you¡¯re here alone, but if you¡¯re not, I¡¯ll have to ask you to leave.¡± She wasn¡¯t being too nice, mocking Matilda at every chance she could. At her words, William nodded. It was normal that she wouldn¡¯t be nice to them, so he left. Sophia saw them off, and as they went out, they started talking. From the looks of it, William seemed unhappy. Sophia sneered, then she went back to the dining room. Logan was still in there, so he heard everything they said. He was texting when Sophia came in, and he said, ¡°I got news. John¡¯s mom has been staying in her family¡¯s home all this while. Not sure if she¡¯ll go back to the Constance Residence or keep staying at her home.¡± Then he smiled. ¡°Say, do you think John knows about his mothering here today?¡± A momentter, Sophia took out her phone. ¡°He actually texted me just now.¡± John¡¯s message came right when his parents came over. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 389 Chapter 389 upied with his parents, she didn¡¯t read his message, but she could now. John didn¡¯t say anything much, just that he woulde overter to talk. Sophia wasn¡¯t sure what they could talk about, for everything that needed to be sorted out had been sorted out. Then, she deleted the text and looked at Logan. ¡°Finish your lunch and go back. I¡¯m taking a nap.¡± Logan took the utensils and dug in. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know.¡± He wasn¡¯t an idiot. He knew John must have said something in the text, and now Sophia wanted him to leave. He wasn¡¯t interested in what they were going to talk about, so he left after having his lunch. Before he did, Logan reminded Sophia to lock the doors and windows. She grunted impatiently at him, and only then did he leave. After his departure, Sophia texted Ian, asking him about Imelda, Logan¡¯s mother. Then she went to turn on the TV and became a couch potato, texting Ian while watching the show, her legs dangling in the air. Ian replied quickly. He didn¡¯t know much about the Jeffersons, but he told her that Imelda died in a car crash when Logan was still a baby, so technically, Logan had no recollection of his mother. Sophia stared at the message for a while before replying, ¡®Okay.¡¯ He says I look like his mother, but I don¡¯t think so. She put her phone down. Is that why he¡¯s so nice to me? Logan is always a happy-go- lucky guy, but even he lost someone before. She sighed. The front door was locked when John arrived. He tried to unlock it with his fingerprint, but nothing happened, of course. She forgets to do everything else, but not deleting my fingerprint data? When Sophia heard the sound, she went to take the door. ¡°What do you need to talk about?¡± John looked around for a moment. ¡°My parents came here, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°They did.¡± Sophia went back to the sofa. ¡°They say they¡¯re here to apologize, but your mom looked like she was going to kill me instead.¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. John couldn¡¯t defend his mother. Matilda was a stubborn mule who wouldn¡¯t admit she was wrong even if she did apologize, so despite William saying it was for an apology, he could imagine how she behaved during the process. A moment of silenceter, he went to sit before Sophia. ¡°I promised you could ask for anything if you helped me settle the Infinity Group. That promise is still valid, so name your request. I¡¯ll do it if it¡¯s within my ability.¡± Sophia looked at him quietly. So this is why he¡¯s here. John thought she didn¡¯t understand what he was saying, so he repeated, ¡°You can ask for anything you want. Money, assets, properties, you name it.¡± Sophia smiled and stared down at the sofa, caressing the pillow beside her reflexively. ¡°Nope. I was going to ask for money, but then I realized you gave me enough to live my life outfortably when we got divorced. If I asked for more, there¡¯s no way I would be able to spend all of it, and they¡¯d turn into stacks of useless paper, so I don¡¯t want money.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 390 Chapter 390 Slowly, she looked up at him. ¡°With that in mind, I came up with an idea. Why don¡¯t we cut all ties with each other from now on, John? I think it¡¯s great for both of us.¡± John paused, then he frowned at her. Sophia was smiling. ¡°I noticed we¡¯re still entangled after the divorce. Well, part of it is because of me. I was reluctant to let go, thinking if I worked hard enough, you might just¡­¡± She put an infinitesimally small distance between her thumb and index finger. ¡°¡­like me this much. But then I realized I don¡¯t need you to love me. Instead, I think I¡¯m better off without you.¡± John now had a dark look on his face. However, Sophia was beaming. ¡°Really, John. I think you might lead a better life without me, just like how I am doing now without you. You can marry someone like Isabelle, someone who can help you with your work and family. Then, you¡¯d be a great guy, husband, and father even. I¡¯ve been standing in your way all this while.¡± The more she spoke, the less he wanted to hear. ¡°How do you know what I need?¡± he asked. His words had Sophia pausing momentarily. ¡°Oh, right. I¡¯ve been talking nonsense again, haven¡¯t I? Who am I to tell you how to live your life? It¡¯s up to you, ha ha ha.¡± That was¡­ an awkwardugh.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. John closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°This might sound ridiculous, but I thought you used to like me, Sophia.¡± Sophia kept on with her awkwardughter. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. I never liked you. I don¡¯t like anyone now,¡± she replied, attempting to make herself believe in that. He stared at her for a while, then he resigned. ¡°I said you can ask for anything you want, but I don¡¯t think I can give you anything aside from money, so why don¡¯t I just give you that?¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You gave me more than enough, and your mother¡¯s already comining. If you give me more, we¡¯re going to get entangled deeper.¡± John snorted. ¡°Entangled deeper, huh?¡± he repeated what she said, then he stood up. ¡°Before I came, I thought I had a lot to talk about, but now that I thought about it, it¡¯s nothing important. I¡¯ll be leaving now, then, so have a good day.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Sure. Good day to you, too.¡± Hm, he¡¯s straightforward this time. It hasn¡¯t even been ten minutes. When John went to open the door, he paused for a moment, staring down at the fingerprint lock, then he left. Before he even exited the yard, Sophia closed the door. She leaned against the door, panting, wondering what the look he gave her a while ago meant. It looked like he had hatched a nefarious n and decided to go on with it. That jerk is cunning. Is he going to use his art of business on me? Sophia waited until John had left before she went to the window. She crossed her arms and looked outside, thinking that there was more to that visit than it seemed. That night, Sophia went to her shop. Since it¡¯s already dark, the paparazzis should have stopped their activities. The shop was closed, so Sophia opened the door and went inside. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 391 Chapter 391 All the renovations were done, save for some details. Sophia then went outside and looked at the sign above the shop. She had decided to call the shop ¡®No Response.¡¯ That sounds perfectly sad. Sophia chuckled. After walking around for a while, she went home and took a bath. When she came out, someonemented on her post on Facebook. Not long ago, she posted a picture of her shop, and Zack popped up to show support at the first chance, but this time, the comment had nothing to do with the post. ¡®I can¡¯t believe you did that,¡¯ hemented. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Sophia didn¡¯t understand what he meant. She took no part in the renovation, so thement wasn¡¯t rted to that, and she was sure of it. A momentter, she texted Zack to ask what he meant, and it took about one second for him to respond with a phone call. Sophia took it, though she was surprised. Shortly after, she could hear the smile in his voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you can do that, Sophia.¡± That sounded more like a praise than mockery, much to Sophia¡¯s surprise. ¡°Did I do anything?¡± Zack clicked his tongue. ¡°You don¡¯t know? Fine, I¡¯ll tell you, then, but keep it a secret. This is only for your ears.¡± ¡°Just spit it out. You know I can keep secrets.¡± Sophia was getting impatient. Zack cleared his throat, then said, ¡°I overheard President William¡¯s call today.¡± John¡¯s dad? What¡¯s this got to do with me? Sophia kept quiet and listened to Zack. ¡°I think he called his wife, telling her he can¡¯t take it anymore. He even said it¡¯s not only because of you.¡± Then he chuckled. ¡°That sounds like a divorce. The way I see it, he¡¯s saying you yed a part in this divorce. That¡¯s unbelievable. Not only did you manage to get a divorce with your ex-husband, but you broke his parents up.¡± Sophia sneered. ¡°Well, I have nothing to do with that. That¡¯s all her. She¡¯s too much of a drama queen, and only an unbelievably patient guy like John¡¯s dad can put up with her. If it were anyone else, they would have ditched her twenty years ago.¡± She then asked curiously, ¡°But why do they want to get divorced? I mean, yeah, it¡¯s all the rage now, but they¡¯re old.¡± ¡°Beats me. If the Constances are hit with another divorce scandal after yours, their reputation will hit rock bottom.¡± He clicked his tongue. ¡°They¡¯re probably going to stay apart for a while. Even if they¡¯re getting a divorce, it¡¯s going to take a while.¡± Sophia thought he had a point, and she sighed regrettably. ¡°Aw, I want to see her face once John¡¯s dad ditches her. It¡¯s going to be priceless.¡± That old hag has always looked down on me. I want to witness the moment she gets the taste of her own medicine. Since they were on this topic, Sophia asked about how work was going on his side. It was a casual question, but Zack misconstrued it, thinking she wanted to know about John. ¡°It¡¯s been a couple of days since we saw the Baileys here. Everyone¡¯s trying to avoid the court of public opinion. Of course, that includes Isabelle. All she can do is call, so rx. Not like calls can spark love.¡± Sophia smacked her forehead. ¡°Alright, stop. I don¡¯t want to hear anything about him.¡± Despite her protests, Zack continued, ¡°He¡¯s been going through the wringer these days.¡± Zack sighed. ¡°I have never seen him so frustrated and short-fused.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 392 Chapter 392 John didn¡¯t have a good temper, but he used to keep it in check. At most, he was just unfriendly, but now he would hurl things around. Whenever Zack went to John¡¯s office now, he would be greeted with documents sprawled on the ground, while John would be smoking beside the window, obviously frustrated. He was vastly different from how he was before. Sophia frowned. ¡°Why are you telling me that? I don¡¯t think I have anything to do with that.¡± Zack chuckled. ¡°If you say so. He did this to himself, really. You¡¯re doing good ignoring him.¡± Refusing to talk about this, Sophia shifted the topic, saying, ¡°I went to the shop, and the renovations are almost done.¡± Zack grunted. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯ll probably be done in two days. They¡¯ll brush up on the details, and you¡¯ll have to let the ce air out for a few days. They used recyble materials, but it¡¯s still harmful.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Understood. Tell me when the renovation is done, then I¡¯ll make the payment.¡± ¡°Your ex-husband has paid for it, so it¡¯s fine,¡± Zack quickly replied. Sophia clicked her tongue. Of all the things that could happen. Even so, she said, ¡°Just tell me the cost and I¡¯ll pay John back. I don¡¯t need him to do this, so just let me pay.¡± After a pause, Zack said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask him after everything¡¯s done. If you still want to pay him, that¡¯s your choice. Let¡¯s see what he says.¡± Sophia grunted, and after a while of small talk, she ended the call. Feeling bored, she went to read the news online. As expected, the news about the Constances had less coverage now that they chose to ignore it. Comments were stilling in, but at a smaller magnitude now. John and Isabelle were handling their ownpanies, so all the news outlets could capture was how they were working. With nothing to go on, the media could only conclude that they weren¡¯t affected by public opinion. Now everyone would think that the earlier reports were just spections. At this, Sophia smiled and put her phone down. It¡¯s going to blow over soon, and I can get on with my life. On the other hand, John went home after work, while William got back sooner than he did. When John looked around to see if his mother was here, Belinda said, ¡°Stop looking around. She didn¡¯te.¡± John looked at William, but before he could say anything, William said, ¡°Your mother¡¯s staying with her family. We¡¯ve decided to go through the paperwork next Monday, but we¡¯ll keep it a secret until the time is ripe.¡± John pursed his lips, not replying. William didn¡¯t look too happy, obviously upset that he had to get a divorce at this age. At the side, Belinda sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it,¡± she told William. ¡°If Matilda can change, you guys can get back together, but if she can¡¯t, then no harm in getting a divorce.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. John waited for a while before going to the dining room. He had noments about his parents¡¯ divorce. They were already adults, so he expected them to know what they were doing. Plus, they had more experience than he did, so there was no need for his opinion orment here. William followed John into the dining room a whileter, but he had no appetite. After looking at the food served on the table, he turned around and went out. ¡°I won¡¯t be eating today.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 393 Chapter 393 John was equally sick of the food, but instead of leaving, he said, ¡°Make something else next time. I¡¯m getting sick of this.¡± The servant quickly obliged. The olddy looked at the food, and when she saw all the beef in it, she smiled. It was a quiet meal, for she could see that John wasn¡¯t happy either. However, she broke the ice. ¡°Oh, someone told me it¡¯s going to be Kate¡¯s eightieth birthday in a few days. They¡¯re going to hold a big celebration. We¡¯ll be invited too. Do you want to go?¡± John never liked these events, so he frowned. ¡°Not really.¡± His grandmother said okay, then she continued, ¡°Logan might attend too. I heard his father is nning to introduce him to the guests there.¡± John looked at her, surprised, but Belinda stared down into her te. ¡°Logan and Sophia seem to get along well.¡± John tried to see what his grandmother was thinking, but since she wasn¡¯t looking back, he could get no answers. A whileter, he said, ¡°Mrs. ckwell is your friend, isn¡¯t she, Grandma?¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ¡°Yes, she is, but we don¡¯t keep in touch that much now. You know how old people get. We don¡¯t like moving around,¡± shemented. Kate was older than her, so she stayed at home most of the time because of her deteriorating health. ¡°Will you go, Grandma?¡± John asked. ¡°Of course I will.¡± She smiled. ¡°I was going to take you too, so I¡¯m asking about it now.¡± John kept eating his steak. ¡°I¡¯ll see how the day works out then.¡± That was an indirect agreement. Belinda smiled. ¡°Tell me after you¡¯re done.¡± Then, everything quieted down. John only had a few more bites before putting his knife and fork down. The olddy then followed suit. ¡°You can go upstairs if you¡¯re done. I¡¯ll be down here for a bit.¡± John grunted, then he nodded at her and left for his room. For some reason, he was exhausted despite not having done anything on this day. After staying in his room for a while, he went to William¡¯s room. William was scrolling through his phone on the bed, looking rxed, but he sat up once he saw John. ¡°Did something happen?¡± John shook his head before going to sit on the sofa. ¡°I want to talk about something.¡± John never talks with someone unless something has happened. William put his phone down. ¡°What is it? Do you have any questions?¡± John smiled. ¡°I guess so.¡± He organized his words before asking, ¡°Are you upset about the divorce?¡± William was shocked that he would ask this question, so he frowned for a moment before answering, ¡°I¡¯m not happy, but I¡¯m not upset either, honestly.¡± After all these years of suffocation under Matilda¡¯s reign, he felt like he had gotten freedom, as if a weight was finally lifted off his shoulders. John gave it a thought. ¡°You guys were married for almost thirty years, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± William sighed. ¡°We helped each other a lot over the years, so it¡¯s going to be hard leading separate lives. But you know what your mother is like. If we keep going on at this rate, we¡¯re bound to be at each other¡¯s throats eventually. It¡¯s better this way.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 394 Chapter 394 John could understand that, but he was here for something else. ¡°Grandma told me you guys weren¡¯t in love when you were married.¡± William smiled. ¡°She really tells you everything, huh?¡± Released from his burden, William told him openly, ¡°We spent the first five years arguing, but then we settled down. I think the love only started budding from that point.¡± ¡°Five years? That¡¯s a long time,¡± John mumbled. ¡°Yeah, it was,¡± he replied. ¡°We took a longer time than most couples. Some of them started falling in love right after the marriage, but we were different. Your mother has a big attitude. It was impossible to fall for her.¡± Then, he guffawed. The divorce didn¡¯t seem to affect him adversely. Instead, he looked happier than ever. That was when John slowly looked sterner, and he frowned. ¡°Why are you suddenly asking me this though?¡± William queried. John sighed. ¡°Nothing. I just feel puzzled.¡± William looked at his son. ¡°About what? Sophia, or Isabelle?¡± A serious expression crept up on John¡¯s face. ¡°Isabelle?¡± William crossed his hands on his legs. ¡°You went to the golf course with Isabelle that day.¡± To that, John grunted. ¡°Yes. I told you that I had to inspect a sample product for future supply purposes.¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. When he heard that, William shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re still inexperienced, so you don¡¯t know what happened.¡± It wasn¡¯t until William saw how the Baileys responded did he realize what happened. Slowly, he went to the window. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gone out with Isabelle alone. No matter what, you two meeting alone is bad, given the condition.¡± Then, William changed his tone. ¡°Forget it. Now that we¡¯re at this point, it¡¯s useless to talk about it. Just put it in the past.¡± That was John¡¯s n anyway; he wouldn¡¯t be paying attention to it now that it had happened. William looked at him. ¡°Just be more careful after this.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± John then stood up. After talking about the coboration with the Baileys for a while, John lost his patience and left William¡¯s room when he realized that they hadn¡¯t touched on anything important. Even after he came back to his bed, John was still frowning. A momentter, he clutched his chest, his heart pounding furiously. I seriously dislike this feeling. His parents only fell in love with each other after five years, but he got the divorce after one year. That meant that he had barely interacted with Sophia then, so he didn¡¯t feel like he could fall for her. After being in the business world for so long, John knew he was a paranoid guy. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to love someone, but how else could he exin the weird emotions he was feeling? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not used to being alone. He let out a sigh and took out his cigarettes, wanting to ease his frustration. As he lit his cigarette, he texted Zack, asking about the following itinerary even though he knew it by heart already. Zack was surprised, but he sent him the detailed schedule anyway. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 395 Chapter 395 There wasn¡¯t anything important happening, but after thinking through things for a while, he texted Logan. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. At the same time, he was ying poker in his clubhouse with three of the waiters. Logan wondered if they were letting him win on purpose or if they were truly stupid. Either way, winning too easily doused his motivation. He would always get whatever card he wanted, so the game was pointless. When Logan received the text, he waved the waiters away, much to their gratitude. They quickly left the room, rejoicing in this mercy. Then, Logan read the text and sent a voice message. ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m going with my old man. Are you going too?¡¯ Logan was an impatient man, and he called John after sending the message. This guy never texted me first. This is a surprise. It didn¡¯t take long for John to pick it up. Logan leaned back against the chair. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to ask me that. What? You want to be my partner for the banquet? Sorry, but we¡¯re both guys. It¡¯s going to disgust everyone, and I have a partner already, so you have to look for someone else.¡± John was still thinking about how he should ask who his partner was when Logan told him about it, so he took the chance. ¡°You have a partner? Who is it?¡± Logan snorted. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t get angry about this.¡± That was just saying his partner was Sophia. So, John sneered, ¡°Sophia, huh? Did she agree to it?¡± Logan chuckled. ¡°Of course she did. She helps me out every time. You guys can¡¯t imagine how close we are.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± John replied calmly. Oblivious to the annoyance brewing within John, Logan continued, ¡°We¡¯re close friends. Sophia¡¯s my cup of tea, and she sees me as a friend. Remember your uncle¡¯s birthday celebration? She gave my tea utensil to him. We¡¯re as tight as a family can be.¡± John froze. ¡°So the tea utensil was yours.¡± ¡°Obviously. You can only get good stuff like that from me.¡± Logan sounded proud. ¡°You saw it too, right? It¡¯s good stuff. She took it the moment I offered it. No hesitation at all. That¡¯s how close we are.¡± He doesn¡¯t feel awkward bragging about how friendly he is with my ex-wife. John chuckled silently. Even though Logan was closer to Sophia than he was with Ian, that also eliminated him aspetition. He was the type who would try to be friends with everyone he met, which ironically pushed everyone away from him. John didn¡¯t want to talk about this further, so he asked Logan when would he go to the banquet. After all, he heard the ckwells were going to hold an all-day event, and there would even be a prize- drawing session at night. Logan hadn¡¯t thought of that, but now that John was asking, he said, ¡°Probably earlier than expected. Being tardy would be rude.¡± He cares about manners? What a surprise. John grunted. ¡°I see. Okay. That¡¯s that, then.¡± Logan stopped him before he could hang up. ¡°Why¡¯d you text me? I thought you wanted to go with me.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 396 Chapter 396 John smiled. ¡°You thought wrong.¡± Then, he hung up. Logan kept calling out to him, but the call had ended, so he looked at his phone and said, ¡°You could have talked a bit more. We have time.¡± However, his request was met with silence. The next morning, John went to tell his grandmother that he could go to the banquet. ¡°Good.¡± Belinda nodded. ¡°We should be early on that day.¡± John nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± After a quiet breakfast, John went to work. On the way there, Isabelle called him, saying she had sent a resupply document to him. There was no need to call him over something so trivial, so he only gave a nomittal grunt. Isabelle didn¡¯t hang up immediately. ¡°Are you still on your way?¡± John grunted again, then Isabelle chuckled. ¡°Lucky. I am already here, and early too. I even worked overtimest night. To think I used to envy you white cors. This is hard work.¡± John disliked small talk, especially when they were people he wasn¡¯t close with. So, he didn¡¯t even bother to grunt this time. Isabelle didn¡¯t notice that at first, and she continued, ¡°When I had a migraine from overtimest night, I think I can understand how stressful your lives must be. Everyone thinks the typical white cor¡¯s life is easy. Work for a few hours and make a lot of money, but we pay the price too. That¡¯s why we reap the rewards.¡± John still remained silent, and now Isabelle knew something was off. ¡°Are you still listening, John?¡± she called out to him. Only then did John grunt once more. Now, Isabelle noticed his reluctance to speak, so she smiled. ¡°Are you driving? I¡¯ll hang up then. Drive safely.¡± John said okay, and Isabelle hung up. After that, he tossed his phone aside, his expression as calm as ever. On the other hand, Sophia went to observe the shop¡¯s renovation progress. The renovators told her it would be done on this day, so all she had to do was to let the ce be properly ventted, then she could open for business. They hadn¡¯t started on the sign yet, but it was an easy job, so Sophia then told them her shop¡¯s would-be name. The renovators were surprised. ¡°That does not sound like a good name.¡± ¡®No Response¡¯¡ªshe made it sound like nobody woulde to her shop. It was a dark name, but it was real, and she had to learn how to ept reality, no matter how ugly it was. After Sophia said it was fine, the renovators said they¡¯d do it. A momentter, she asked them about the fee. They were surprised to hear that. ¡°Mr. Constance has paid a lot in advance. We still have some left over, so we¡¯re paying him back.¡± John had paid them before they started work, telling them to ask for more if they needed it, and to pay him back if there was excess. Sophia nodded. ¡°I see. How much did he pay you guys? I should be the one to bear the cost, so give his money back to him.¡± The renovators didn¡¯t know what was between her and John, but they told her the price anyway, and Sophia transferred the money to them right away. ¡°Give John his money back and tell him I won¡¯t have him pay for what I should be doing.¡± The renovators said okay, and they didn¡¯t ask anything more. Sophia checked her shop for a moment and left, feeling that everything was well. Previous Chapter Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 397 Chapter 397 The renovators worked fast. After Sophia transferred the money to them, John called her a few hours later, asking what she meant by this. What? Isn¡¯t it obvious? Sophia yed dumb by asking back, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Why¡¯d the renovators give me back my money and say it¡¯s what you want?¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°Oh, that? Yeah, it is. I¡¯m supposed to pay for the renovations, not you. I don¡¯t want you to pay for it. Makes me feel insecure.¡± He sneered. ¡°Now you¡¯re feeling insecure?¡± Sophia said, ¡°Yeah, I let you pay for it because I didn¡¯t know better. Now that I do, I¡¯m going to put my foot down on this. Can¡¯t expect you to pay for everything.¡± John knew she wouldn¡¯t back off, so a few momentster, he said, ¡°Fine.¡± Then, he hung up. Sophia was surprised. What¡¯s that supposed to mean? A short whileter, John arrived at her house. For some reason, she quickly locked the door and leaned against it, feeling scared. John looked angry when he alighted his car, much to her confusion, but she thought she had to lock him out for her own safety. John tried to open the door, but to no avail. ¡°I know you¡¯re in there, Sophia. Open the door.¡± She would not do that, but she knew it was impossible to hide. ¡°Why did youe here?¡± she replied. ¡°I told you I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with you anymore. And I don¡¯t owe you any money now, so leave.¡± John sneered. ¡°Open the door. We need to talk.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to, for she recalled how John gripped her chin in a fit of angerst time. When she remembered how it took days for the feeling to go away, Sophia unconsciously rubbed her chin. She didn¡¯t want to feel that again. ¡°No. This is my home, and you¡¯re not wee here. Leave.¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ¡°How dare you,¡± John said coldly. Sophia didn¡¯t feel as scared now that John was locked outside, and the fact emboldened her. ¡°Just leave, or a new scandal might pop up if someone finds out you¡¯re here. We have enough problems as it is.¡± Then, she continued, ¡°I¡¯m sick of this. John, because of you, I can¡¯t even take a step out of my house. What more do you want from me?¡± When he heard that, he froze. He was going to open the door by force, but he stopped after that. Eventually, he left, and Sophia heard the revving of his car. Hence, she slowly nudged to the window so she could see what was going on outside. When she saw him going into his car and leaving, Sophia heaved a sigh of relief. Is he mad? After that, Sophia kept the door locked for the rest of the afternoon. She usually kept the windows open, but now she closed them all; not because she was worried about thieves, but because of John. She was worried he might choose toe in through the window if the front door was a no go. If Husky knew that, John, being smarter than he was, could do it too. However, her concern was unfounded. John didn¡¯te again that day, nor in the following days. Also, he sent no text nor made any calls. At the same time, the Constances had stopped harassing her, while the media had quieted down about this. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 398 Chapter 398 The peace was too unsettling, which felt inexplicably weird to Sophia. John was giving her the silent treatment again as usual, but this wasn¡¯t like any other time. This time, they were cutting all ties. Sophia thought this was fine, for they woulde to this sooner orter. Given their rtionship, it was best if they had no more contact. The sooner we cut ties, the better. True to his word, John didn¡¯te anymore, while Logan kept pestering Sophia these couple of days. He wanted her to go with him to a birthday banquet. Sophia¡¯s first reaction was of rejection. With how things stood now, she couldn¡¯t attend an event like that publicly. Any event Logan took part in would also invite other powerful people or public figures. She didn¡¯t know them, but they might know her. If she were to go with Logan and someone recognized her as John¡¯s ex-wife, it¡¯d be awkward for everyone. However, Logan didn¡¯t think that much. He told her he didn¡¯t like events like that either, but his dad insisted on taking him there for some experience. Refusing to be killed by boredom, he wanted to bring Sophia along; at least she could provide some fun. Sophia bought that excuse the first time, but now it annoyed her. ¡°Your dad¡¯s right.¡± She nodded. ¡°You should be going around more. Don¡¯t just y poker or chess all day. Go out. Have an adventure.¡± After his first attempt¡¯s failure, Logan started pleading. ¡°Aw, can¡¯t you juste with me? Lil¡¯ old me here¡¯s going to get bored alone.¡± Sophia could imagine how Logan looked right now, pouting as he pleaded with her to go with him, his gold chain dangling. Godd*mmit, that¡¯s disgusting. She was about to stop him, but then Logan started talking normal. That style of speaking disgusted him too. ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about, but just be you. You don¡¯t have to care what everyone thinks. I mean, everyone hates me, but that doesn¡¯t stop me from being happy. I can do whatever I want, and nobody can stop me. If they think I¡¯m annoying, they can piss off.¡± Sophia stopped herself from talking, waiting for Logan to continue. When he did, he said, ¡°That divorce was not your fault. You don¡¯t have to be scared of them. Just tell them to f*ck off if they don¡¯t like you. Those *ssholes are just jealous.¡± When she heard that, sheughed. Logan didn¡¯t mince his words, but Sophia thought he had a point. Logan decided that Sophia would go with him now that she wasn¡¯t refusing the invitation. ¡°So that settles it. I¡¯ll get you the dress. You don¡¯t have to do anything. Just go with me, and we¡¯ll crash the party.¡± Then, he hung up. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Sophia wasn¡¯t worried about attending events like this, for she went with John once. The only reason for her reluctance was her worry of being recognized, but there was nothing to be concerned about. Now that Sophia had thought it through, she stopped dwelling on this matter. After days of not contacting Ian, she wondered how he was faring in hispany. She had nothing to do after dinner, so Sophia called him, but to her surprise, Ian was on an appointment. Even though she had a wild imagination, Sophia couldn¡¯t imagine how Ian was like in this scenario. He had always been soft-spoken, which made it impossible for her to see him talking loudly. That was like imagining John as a gentle, warm man, and Logan as a mild-mannered guy. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 399 Chapter 399 Ian was speaking loudly to her, asking if she was asleep. He¡¯s drunk. So, Sophia grunted and said, ¡°Not yet, but I will soon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sleep just yet.¡± Ian stopped her. ¡°I¡¯ll go to your ce after I¡¯m done here. I want to talk.¡± ¡°We can talk here.¡± She arched her eyebrow. There¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t talk about on a call. Ian smiled. ¡°I want to do it face to face.¡± Sophia smiled too. ¡°Sure, but don¡¯t drink too much. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± That was more than enough said. She ended the call and went to wash herself up as well as tidying her ce up. About thirty minutester, Ian called her, saying he was done with his appointment and was on his way here. She grunted. ¡°Did you have a lot to drink?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m a bad drinker, but I know how to control myself. I never drink too much.¡± Ianughed. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Feeling reassured, Sophia said, ¡°I¡¯m waiting right here.¡± When they ended the call, Sophia turned on the TV in the living room. The door was left open so she could see Ianter. As it was alreadyte, Sophia had bathed and changed into her pajamas. She sat on the sofa holding her legs, leaving her hair to dry. Some distance away from the house, John saw this, which made him frown. His driver looked back. ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve been here for half an hour. Aren¡¯t you going over?¡± John didn¡¯t reply to his driver but merely kept on looking at Sophia. The car wasn¡¯t parked too far, so when Sophia came out to take a look around, he thought she would see him, but she didn¡¯t. Her bad eyesight obscured him from her. Since then, John had stayed in his car quietly. He came here two days ago as well and saw her watering her nts happily. She¡¯s been living happily without me. The divorce made her livelier. Another car stopped before Sophia¡¯s house a whileter, and the lights in the yard showed Ian in the car. John snorted. No wonder she keeps her door opened and stays awake. So she¡¯s waiting for him. Sophia saw Ian the moment he came in, and she stood up. ¡°I made some tea for you. Have some. It helps with the hangover.¡± What greeted Ian when he came in was a pot of tea on the coffee table. He sat down across from Sophia and stared down at the tea. ¡°You made this for me?¡± He smiled. Sophia nodded. ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t even touch it. Having tea thiste at night might keep me up, so I made this only for you.¡± Ian picked up the cup. The warmth was just right, and he downed half of the tea in one go. He actually didn¡¯t drink too much liquor, for he was a bad drinker. If he went all out, it¡¯d be disastrous. Then, he put his cup down. ¡°Today was not a good day, but your call made it better.¡± During the argument with his father earlier in the morning, Bryce, in his rage, said, ¡°You¡¯re just like your wench of a mother.¡± Offended, Ian snapped, ¡°Good. If I were anything like you, I¡¯d kill myself.¡± Thanks to that, his mood was in the gutters. Not even the appointment earlier managed to cheer him up. Mr. Zimmel had tried his best to hype the atmosphere up, but to no avail. Thus, he thought it would be a bad day, until Sophia called him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 400 Chapter 400 ¡°For some reason, I thought about the time you and I went to the Morgans¡¯pany when you called,¡± Ian said. Why did he think of that? Nothing big happened. As a reply, she smiled. ¡°And? Were you thinking of Simon and Sally?¡± ¡°No,¡± replied Ian. ¡°Only you.¡± He kept on staring at Sophia. Sophia was about to say nothing happened that day, but the serious look on Ian¡¯s face and the gentleness in his eyes made her bite her tongue. Oh no, that look in his eyes. I don¡¯t like it. She gasped. ¡°Why the serious look? It¡¯s making me nervous.¡± A few momentster, he smiled. ¡°I know you knew I was using you that day.¡± Sophia said nothing as she pursed her lips, her silent surprise an affirmative answer, so he sighed. ¡°I did think of using you that day, and you found out about it.¡± Nheless, since she didn¡¯t ask, he didn¡¯t say. A momentter, Sophia smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. That wasn¡¯t a big deal. I was happy I could help.¡± The look in his eyes became gentler, and he sat up slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen many people over the years, but you¡¯re the first who helped me without asking for anything in return.¡± Sophia was confused. What¡¯s he talking about? Something¡¯s off about him. Still, Ian didn¡¯t take his eyes off her. ¡°Sophia, I¡¯ve kept my feelings hidden all this time. But today, I want to tell you all about it. Sophia, I¡ª¡± ¡°What a surprise, Ian. You¡¯re here too?¡± someone quipped by the door. Sophia almost jumped up from shock, and she looked back. Standing at the doorstep was none other than John Constance with his hands in his pockets, who had showed up from nowhere. Sophia¡¯s mouth formed an O. This guy¡¯s gone for days now, so what¡¯s he doing showing up all of a sudden? Now that he was interrupted, Ian couldn¡¯t say what he wanted to, so he frowned at John. John came up to them slowly, smiling. ¡°I thought I¡¯d drop in and say hi since I was in the neighborhood.¡± Sophia frowned. So what? There¡¯s no need for a surprise visit. John sat beside Sophia and looked down at the coffee table, where a teapot and teacup sat. A moment later, he looked away and said, ¡°Just done with your appointment, Ian?¡± Ian grunted as a response. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m surprised to see you here too, John. You seem free.¡± To that, John chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t have much to do now. With all the time I have, of course I¡¯m taking a stroll.¡± Sophia turned around and whispered, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± From the corner of his eyes, John shot her a look. ¡°I told you I¡¯m in the neighborhood. It¡¯s a coincidence.¡± As if. I¡¯m not an idiot. This ce is like a mile away from the nearest road. There isn¡¯t a shortcut here anywhere. She pursed her lips and looked away. It had been a few days since hest came here, and Sophia thought he must have calmed down. At the same time, Ian finished the rest of the tea. He had a lot to say, but now he couldn¡¯t say a word. John then went to the kitchen to take a cup. When he came back, he poured himself a cup of tea and leaned back against the sofa while crossing his legs, making himself at home. Previous Chapter C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 401 Chapter 401 Annoyed by his behavior, Sophia ignored him. ¡°Where were we?¡± She turned to Ian. ¡°You said you want to tell me something. What is it?¡± Ian smiled. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll tell you when I have the chance.¡± John looked up at Ian, and he raised his cup. A faint smile appeared on his face, but Sophia was oblivious to it. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. The atmosphere quickly turned awkward, for Ian and John both said nothing, while Sophia didn¡¯t know what to say as well. Then, John looked at Sophia¡¯s phone that was on the table, and he picked it up. ¡°You¡¯ve been using this for a while now.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sophia protested. ¡°I remember buying this for you.¡± John held it tightly. Sophia was surprised he remembered that. Before she married John, she was using a no-name phone. Sheined about it beingggy, so John asked Zack to change it right away. Or maybe it was because he thought it dragged his ss down. Either way, Sophia red at him. ¡°So you¡¯re going to even take back the phone now?¡±Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. John smiled. Then, he tried to unlock her phone, but the password was incorrect. I knew it. She doesn¡¯t even defend against Husky, but her guard is all up against me. Thus, he tossed the phone back at Sophia. ¡°No. It¡¯s just something I remembered.¡± Sophia took her phone and put it away. ¡°I transferred some money to you,¡± John continued. ¡°I¡¯m a man of my word. Reneging on a promise is not my style.¡± Surprised, Sophia quickly went to check her ount and found that John had transferred some money to her this afternoon. He¡¯s generous. This is a lot of money. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± She looked at him, upset. John became serious all of a sudden. ¡°It¡¯s your reward. Did you forget what I said?¡± Sophia looked at her phone. Unwilling to dwell on this matter further, she nodded after a while. ¡°Fine. This is the end then. We owe nobody anything.¡± You can stoping over now. John gave her a cryptic smile, while Ian closed his eyes, looking resigned. Now, he had epted what had happened, so he stood up and announced, ¡°I should go back now. It¡¯ste.¡± Then, he looked at John. If it were the old John, he would have taken the cue from Ian and left as well, but now, for some unknown reason, he ignored it. ¡°Safe trip,¡± he told Ian. Sophia was annoyed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? It¡¯ste, so you¡¯re leaving too.¡± John stared down and sipped his tea. ¡°After I finish my tea.¡± Ian gave John a look before turning back to Sophia. ¡°Good night, Sophia.¡± He knew John wouldn¡¯t do anything to Sophia; not like she would let him do as he wanted anyway. Sophia sent Ian off at the yard, and before he left, Ian reminded her of the usual stuff. At the same time, John picked up Sophia¡¯s phone. It¡¯s unlocked. Good. Meanwhile, Sophia was still talking to Ian. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. Do you really don¡¯t want to say what¡¯s on your mind? Is it urgent? Do you need my help? Tell me if you need any help. It¡¯s fine.¡± Ian smiled. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 402 Chapter 402 Sophia nodded. ¡°Safe trip.¡± Then, she waited until Ian was gone from her sight before returning to her home, the smile having faded from her face. When she came back, John was nowhere to be found. Sophia grumbled, ¡°Why¡¯d that jerk have to run around.¡± She went inside and called him, but there was no response. Sophia looked up to see that the lights upstairs were turned on. Quickly, she went up and found John in her room, looking around beside her bed. She went inside, unhappy. ¡°Why did youe to my room?¡± John nced back at her but said nothing. He was here to see if there was anything else besides her stuff, but the room was still the same. Even though he knew she wouldn¡¯t date anyone else, with Ian being here, he had to check. If not, he¡¯d feel concerned. Then, he went toward Sophia. Sophia took two steps back and red at him. ¡°What do you want?¡± Centimeter by centimeter, John closed their distance and leaned toward her. All it would take was for him to take one more step, and he would have kissed her. Sophia inched backward. ¡°Why are you getting so close to me? This ce is big enough for the both of us.¡± ¡°Why are you blushing?¡± John smiled. ¡°Because I¡¯m angry. My face turns red every time I get angry.¡± Sophia gritted her teeth.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. John smirked. ¡°You let him in even at this hour? Aren¡¯t you bold?¡± ¡°I let you in too, didn¡¯t I?¡± She snorted. ¡°I¡¯m different from him.¡± He smiled. ¡°Of course,¡± she retorted. ¡°You¡¯re in the past, but he¡¯s not. He has a chance.¡± John was stumped, and his expression froze up. ¡°You really know how to talk back.¡± He nodded somewhat helplessly. The more I say, the more she snaps back. She won¡¯t back down, huh? Sophia looked at him coldly. ¡°Why? I can¡¯t talk back even when you¡¯re wrong? Where¡¯s my freedom?¡± John frowned at her, though he didn¡¯t get angry. Never would he expect Sophia to be this hard to argue with. After being in the business world for years, he had a way with words. Most people would shut up when they argued with him, no matter how good of a speaker they were. However, Sophia was an anomaly; for every word he spoke, she would counter with a hundred. John raised his hand, but before he could do anything else, Sophia covered her chin and neck before taking a step back, much to his surprise. Looking at him on full alert, Sophia demanded, ¡°What do you want to do?¡± A whileter, John sighed and put his hand down. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯ste. I¡¯m leaving.¡± When he was done, John went outside. Sophia followed him closely and quickly locked the front gate after he exited the yard, then she came back inside and locked the door. A frown appeared on her face as she fell into ponderance. Sophia was surprised about how John was behaving this day. Usually, he¡¯d be cranky and gloomy as well as frowning all the time. But he smiled today. If her memory served her right, he didn¡¯t have any alcohol. If that¡¯s the case, then he must be sick. She turned off the lights and went upstairs. When John came back to his car, the driver had already fallen asleep. Not bothering to wake his driver up, he went into the backseat and nced over Sophia¡¯s house. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 403 Chapter 403 The first floor¡¯s lights were out, but not on the second floor. A whileter, he saw Sophia pulling the blinds down. John sighed, then he lit a cigarette. He was in a good mood on this day, for he managed to stop Ian¡¯s confession in time. Even though he didn¡¯t know why he felt good about that, he did know Sophia didn¡¯t cross him even though she was rude. These couple of days had been frustrating for him, but he didn¡¯t know the reason. Everything vexed him, though that feeling was gone now. He then tossed his half-smoked cigarette away and took his phone out. There was a new friend request for him, and it was from Sophia. He praised himself for this smart move, then he changed his profile picture and name. Since Sophia was having her guard up against him, if she noticed him adding her back, she¡¯d block him again. But she isn¡¯t really smart though. Having her guard up is all she has. John then patted the driver on the back. The driver stirred and woke up. ¡°You¡¯re back, Sir.¡± John grunted. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± On the other hand, Sophia was looking at her bank bnce. She was in a dilemma now that John transferred more money to her. If his mother finds out, she¡¯s going to cause a ruckus again. D*mn that old hag. Sophia wanted to hit something at the thought of Matilda. Then, she logged in to her Facebook. Logan had sent her pictures of dresses and asked her to pick one. Man, his aesthetics is just¡­ Sophia thought the dresses looked tacky, so she told him she¡¯d personally take a look the next day. ¡®Will John attend the banquet too?¡¯ she then texted Logan. Logan called her back. ¡°I think so. This is for the best, I think. Once you guys meet up and talk a bit, those paparazzis will have a new scoop, then both you and his names will be cleared.¡± She snorted. ¡°How thoughtful of you.¡± Feeling bored, she then went through her friend list. There wasn¡¯t much to see though, since she could count her number of friends with two hands, but then she paused. When did this guy pop up? When did I add him? She had no recollection of that. So, she tried to look into his profile, but she didn¡¯t think she saw that profile picture before, nor was his name familiar. Her friend list had never shrunk, but she had indeed added some of the Constances before. Those guys haven¡¯t unfriended me? She frowned. Logan continued, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just face him as you would. I think this is your chance.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I think so too.¡± Sophia tried to scroll through his wall, but nothing came up. That night was spent chatting with Logan and checking this new guy, then she drifted to sleep halfway through. She woke up the next morning, dazed. After lying for a while more, she went to pull the curtains back. Nice weather today. She snapped a photo and posted it on her wall. It wasn¡¯t like Sophia to post on her wall, for she had no friends, but then she uploaded more frequently recently. She wanted John to see her posts, but he probably never scrolled through his feed. That guy downloads these apps for nothing. After tidying up, she went to see Logan. At the same time, Logan was still sleeping in his clubhouse. Previous Chapter This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 404 Chapter 404 Sophia felt vexed. Before she went to meet him, she asked the waiter to wake him up, for she didn¡¯t want to see him naked. After being woken up and told about her arrival, Logan looked confused, but he put it aside. He wore some shirt and came out, his feet bare, his hair unkempt. ¡°What brings you here, Sophia?¡± Sophia sat cross-legged on the sofa. ¡°The dresses. You sent the pictures to mest night, so I¡¯m here to pick one.¡± ¡°Oh, but the dresses are still in the shop. I got the pictures from the manager. Give me a minute. I¡¯ll take you there after I brush myself up.¡± Before Sophia could say anything, Logan went back up. It didn¡¯t take long for him toe back down in new clothes, though his gold chain remained around his neck. Sophia clicked her tongue. ¡°You never go out without that, huh?¡± Logan prized his gold chain. ¡°You won¡¯t understand. Let¡¯s go.¡± He brought Sophia to a haute couture boutique that was ssier than the one John brought her to, but it didn¡¯t have the same atmosphere. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. The manager knew Logan, so he quickly weed them when they arrived. Logan put on airs as he said, ¡°Take everything you showed mest night here.¡± The manager said yes and asked his staff to move all the dresses here. There were a lot to choose from, and all of them were showcased on mannequins. Before the staff managed to move all the mannequins, someone in the lobby said, ¡°Pleasee with me, Miss Bailey.¡± The Bailey name always caught Sophia¡¯s attention no matter where she was. She reflexively turned to look at the lobby, and in came two women led by the staff. This was the VIP room, which meant only special individuals coulde. And she¡¯s a Bailey. Yep, must be Isabelle. A few momentster, Isabelle and her mother came in with the staff. They were shocked to see Sophia and Logan, their expressions stiffening up. Sophia and Isabelle were involved in the earlier scandal, but their identities were different; Sophia was John¡¯s wife, while Isabelle was seen as a mistress. Thanks to the rumors that spread, Isabelle looked awkward whenever she met Sophia. On the other hand, Sophia gave Isabelle one calm nce and looked back. After everything was shown before her, she pointed at a ck dress. ¡°This one, please.¡± The manager looked surprised, and he looked at Isabelle. Before Isabelle could say anything, her mother said, ¡°Mr. Ronald, we came here first yesterday. I believe we told you this one¡¯s nice.¡± Sophia looked at Mrs. Bailey. ¡°Same here. And I said everything¡¯s nice.¡± She grinned at her. ¡°If we go by your logic, does that mean I¡¯ve reserved everything here?¡± Logan chimed in, ¡°Mr. Ronald, I believe I clearly said all of these are fine, right?¡± Indeed, Logan had said this the day before. Sophia hadn¡¯t decided on the dress, so he said all of them were fine, but they would only make the decision on this day. Joseph Ronald, the manager, looked troubled, but he nodded. ¡°Yes. You did say so, Mr. Jefferson.¡± Mrs. Bailey looked vexed. Sophia smiled at Isabelle. ¡°Oh, you like this too, Miss Bailey?¡± So we have the same tastes both in fashion and men. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 405 Chapter 405 Before Isabelle could say anything, Sophia said, ¡°If you want it, you can say it. I can give it to you if you want. It¡¯s just a dress. No big deal.¡± She then told Joseph, ¡°Mr. Ronald, give this to Miss Bailey.¡± The color drained from Isabelle¡¯s face. They might be talking about the dress, but she knew what Sophia was saying. Of course, Mrs. Bailey knew it too, so she frowned. ¡°What do you mean ¡®give it to her¡¯? It¡¯s not yours to begin with. Know your ce. Taking what¡¯s not yours never ends well. See? You¡¯re already divorced.¡± Sophia was going to let her temper re, but Logan was quicker, for he calmly went to the mannequin and tore the ck dress apart at the seams. Then, he arched his eyebrow. ¡°Yeah, it never ends well.¡± He arched his eyebrow. ¡°For example, I might just ruin it.¡± Joseph looked shocked, but he said nothing. Meanwhile, Logan chuckled. ¡°If we can¡¯t have this dress, then nobody can.¡± That made Sophia chuckle. No wonder they say he¡¯s a troublemaker. He was behaving like the day he rioted at the Morgan Residence. This is the real him. Mrs. Bailey pointed at him, her hand trembling with anger, but Logan merely sneered at her. ¡°Do you have anything else you like?¡± he asked Sophia.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. There was another red dress beside. She thought it looked decent, so Sophia pointed her chin at it. ¡°This one.¡± Then, she looked at Isabelle. ¡°Do you like this one as well? I can give it to you.¡± Isabelle said nothing. If Sophia was alone, she wouldn¡¯t have backed down, but Logan was here too. Everyone would avoid crossing him if they could, including her. She wasn¡¯t scared of him per se, but he could be annoying. Embarrassing herself because Logan wouldn¡¯t let her go was not on her agenda. Since Isabelle was not saying anything, Sophia told Joseph, ¡°Looks like Miss Bailey doesn¡¯t like this. Pack this up for me then.¡± Joseph quickly asked his staff to pack the dress, then Logan and Sophia went to pay for it. When the bill came, Sophia wanted to foot it herself, but that made Logan feel insulted. ¡°I¡¯ve never let any woman foot the bill. Not on my watch.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Treat me to a meal then.¡± Thanks to John, Sophia was a richdy now. That guy¡¯s really wealthy, Sophia thought. Before this, she thought her marriage with John was an unhappy one, but now she realized she got something huge out of it. If it was in the past, she couldn¡¯t have afforded this. Logan was still disgruntled, for he thought that Sophia only agreed to attend the banquet because of him. If he let her pay for her own dress, it¡¯d be an insult to his pride. Hence, he pushed her hand down, refusing to let her pay. ¡°No. You treat me to a meal, or you can cook something for me. We¡¯ll be even then. There¡¯spany here, so I can¡¯t back off on this no matter what.¡± He¡¯s referring to Isabelle and her mom, huh? At the same time, the Baileys came over, and Sophia kept her phone. Isabelle came to pay for the dress she picked, ignoring Sophia. Meanwhile, Logan had also paid for the ruined dress, then he went past the Baileys, sounding delighted, much to Mrs. Bailey¡¯s chagrin. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 406 Chapter 406 This was probably the first time someone disrespected her, or rather, what Logan did could be considered humiliation. She stared at them as they left, then when Logan was about to exit, he looked back at her and sneered. The mockery she felt made her face fall. Sophia went out first, and she called out to Logan. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Logan.¡± Their car was parked at the boutique¡¯s doorstep. It was almost peak hour now, so many users were parking dangerously. When they came to their car, they saw a traffic officer issuing a fine for one of the cars there. The owner quickly came to exin himself. He said he had to leave for an urgent matter, but there were no spaces, so he had to park this way. The officer refused to listen to his exnation, and he kept on with issuing the fine. When Logan saw that, he frowned at the officer and snorted before going into the car. Sophia was reminded of something else. ¡°Do you hate them? Because of the surprise checks they pull on your club?¡± Logan revved the car and drove away. ¡°No. Just one in particr. She can¡¯t even find anything, but still I get yelled at. That woman is just here for trouble. That gets on my nerves.¡± ¡°Someone actually yells at you?¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Even Mrs. Bailey keeps quiet in your presence. She¡¯s braver than Mrs. Bailey is?¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Logan was reminded of a particrly annoying face. If it weren¡¯t because she was a woman, he would have sabotaged her. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about her.¡± He looked disgusted. ¡°I don¡¯t want my mood ruined. Let¡¯s grab some grub.¡± They went to a restaurant, then Logan started bbering about a lot of things. One of it was the talent show his sister invested in. ¡°It¡¯s almost done. The mentors were decided, and all of them are giants in the industry. It¡¯s going to be a hit, I tell you.¡± ¡°What about Ian? Did he say anything?¡± Logan shook his head. ¡°Not yet. I talked to himst night, but there¡¯s no reply yet.¡± He¡¯s probably still hesitating. Sophia thought about the thing he was going to say before John¡¯s interruptionst night. Was it rted to this show? So why did he stutter? Sophia smiled. Was he feeling guilty because he was going to take part in this show right after I helped him get his position? Oh, he worries too much. I don¡¯t care about that. He should know about that. Besides, I¡¯ve always supported him doing what he wants. I thought it¡¯s obvious. ¡°Let me talk to him,¡± she said after a moment of thinking. It was still morning after they had their meal, so they went to Sophia¡¯s shop. Thanks to the renovation being mostly done, it was a different ce from before. The renovators said the sign would be done by afternoon. Even Logan thought it was a decent job. Wanting to share the results, Sophia called Robin and invited her over. Robin was getting bored being at home alone, so she quickly came after taking the call. When she came, Logan could imagine himself ying games with his friends, and he couldn¡¯t hold his itch back. While thedies were talking in the shop, he called Ian, but nobody picked it up the first time. Logan looked at the time. It¡¯s almost noon though. Then, he made another call, and it went through this time. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 407 Chapter 407 ¡°Hello, Logan,¡± Ian greeted him. ¡°Hey, are you at yourpany? Oh, guess what? I¡¯m with Sophia here at her shop, and¡ª¡± Ian interrupted before he could even finish his sentence. ¡°Give me a minute. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± ¡°Hey, Ian!¡± He wanted to ask him what was going on, but Ian had hung up, leaving him hanging and confused. Can hee out even when it¡¯s still working hours? It didn¡¯t take too long for Ian toe, and Logan went to meet him with a smiling face. ¡°Hey, Ian!¡± Then, he came to an abrupt stop, for Ian didn¡¯t look good. ¡°What¡¯s with the long face?¡± He stared at Ian. ¡°Who pissed you off?¡± Ian sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡± When they came in, thedies were talking about their business n. Sophia then grinned at Ian. ¡°This is my empire now. How do you like it? Not bad, eh?¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Ian nodded. ¡°It is.¡± Oblivious to Ian¡¯s mood, Sophia gushed, ¡°I think so too.¡± A whileter, Logan led Ian to the windowside and sat down. ¡°What happened?¡± Ian took his cigarette out, but he put it back, thinking this wasn¡¯t the asion. After letting out a sigh, he replied, ¡°I¡¯ve quitted thepany job.¡± ¡°You quit?¡± Logan was surprised, but delightfully so. ¡°Great! You can take part in Lorraine¡¯s show then!¡± Ian pursed his lips, his gazeplex. This was why he argued with Bryce. He wanted to do what he liked, but Bryce wanted him to stay at thepany. Jobs like idols or celebrities were scorned by him, for he thought these were lowly work. Initially, Ian was going to have a proper talk with him, but when Bryce insulted his mother, all bets were off. Since even his mother got dragged into this matter, they had numerous fights, and on this day, he quit his job at thepany. There was no point doing a job he didn¡¯t like. Logan was supportive of his action. ¡°Nice job! I¡¯ll get Lorraine to rig the show! Sorry, I mean, be your backer! No, that¡¯s wrong too! What¡¯s it called? Oh yeah, image! I¡¯ll get Lorraine to create a persona for you and shoot you to stardom. Let¡¯s see how that old git likes it!¡± Ian leaned back against the chair. ¡°I don¡¯t care about anything as long as I can leave the Morgans.¡± He thought he could take them, but apparently, he overestimated himself. Thedies came up to them when they were done talking. ¡°What are you two chatting about?¡± Logan grinned, but before he could say anything, Ian asked, ¡°When did John leavest night?¡± Sophia paused. ¡°Not long after you did.¡± She¡¯d get goosebumps whenever she thought of how John looked at her before he left. That made her wonder what he was thinking of when he gave her that kind of look. The look in his eyes was gentle, but also somewhat apologetic. She scratched her head. ¡°John felt offst night.¡± Logan was curious. ¡°Off?¡± Sophia looked hesitant, for she did think he was off, but it was impossible to put a finger on it. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 408 Chapter 408 Sophia spent a long time trying to recall the situation. ¡°H-He had a nice attitude.¡± There was a pause on Logan¡¯s part before he questioned, ¡°Is that all? He has always been nice to you, though.¡± Upon hearing what he said, Sophia looked toward him before thinking to herself, Yeah, John wasn¡¯t only being nice to me, but he outright doted on me. She let out a hiss before saying, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s too complicated to exin.¡± Ian cast a nce at Sophia. ¡°Since you¡¯re now divorced, you shouldn¡¯t spend as much time with him as you did, or else you¡¯re only going to stir up rumors if someone sees you together.¡± With a nod, Sophia agreed, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought.¡± She then got Robin a chair to sit on before asking, ¡°What were you talking about just now? Logan had an exaggerated look on his face.¡± The question sent Logan into a fit ofughter before he managed to reply, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, but Ian quit his job.¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes went wide while saying, ¡°Really? That¡¯s great! Did you finally decide to sign up for that talent show?¡± There was a pause on Ian¡¯s part before he nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like to give it a go.¡± After getting a confirmation from him, Sophia gave him a pat on the shoulder. ¡°You should go. When the timees, we will campaign for you. With your capabilities, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make it. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Robin opened up as well, saying, ¡°Worry not. You are a great singer, so you will seed no matter where you go.¡± Meanwhile, Logan turned to look at Robin, only to see the possibility of ying a round of games, so he suggested, ¡°Hey, now that we have enough people, let¡¯s go to my ce for some games.¡± Ian wasn¡¯t in a particrly good mood, so he agreed with a nod after ncing at Logan. ¡°Let¡¯s go unwind ourselves.¡± A change of mood was much needed for him. Seeing that she didn¡¯t have much else to do, Robin wanted to go have some fun with Sophia, so the four of them left for Logan¡¯s clubhouse. The clubhouse wasn¡¯t open for business during daytime, but there were rich kids who would opt to book a room for themselves to y in. Due to the fact that the clubhouse wasn¡¯t a business club but one for rxation, there were a lot of entertainment facilities, so there were guests who would visit during the day. Upon their arrival, the attendant told Logan that there was a group of people having fun in the backyard, who were led by the young master of the Poole Family, to which Logan waved a hand of dismissal. ¡°Oh, I know this guy. Pay them no heed, as we will be in the room upstairs, which won¡¯t affect them, so let them be.¡± There were a myriad of facilities in the backyard, including an opera theater, billiard tables, and bowling lanes. Despite never having visited there, Sophia wasn¡¯t at all curious about them. Being more of a They began ying in the room upstairs. As Robin was still no good at games, Sophia suggested that money shouldn¡¯t be involved in the game, so all they had to do was stick strips of paper on their faces as punishment. Logan didn¡¯t care much about the money, as all he wanted was to have someone y with him. The four of them began as soon as they agreed on the terms. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Time flew by when they were ying. Just when they were on a high and creating a ruckus, the door to the room was kicked open from outside, and someone cried out to them, ¡°Nobody moves!¡± The voice came a little too abruptly, which frightened Sophia. Logan didn¡¯t have much luck that day, so he was constantly losing, which resulted in him having strips of paper all over his face. While holding those paper out of his line of sight, he yapped at the intruders, ¡°Who f*cking let you in? Didn¡¯t you see that I¡¯m busy?¡± Meanwhile, Sophia yanked the strips of paper off her face before turning to observe the intruders, only to see a bunch of people in police uniforms, the object they held in their hands she only ever saw on TV. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 409 Chapter 409 Themotion startled Sophia, as she never knew the police would make such a huge fuss during crackdowns. A policeman led the way in, followed by a policewoman. Aside from traffic police, it was Sophia¡¯s first ever encounter with a policewoman. She handed her the strips of paper to the police while exining, ¡°There¡¯s no money involved in this, as all we did was stick paper to our faces.¡± The policeman stared at Logan in silence, but the policewoman headed straight for Logan, which sent Logan into a fit of rage as soon as he saw who wasing at him. In an instant, he shot up from his seat. ¡°F*ck! Why do you keeping at me?¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure what the policewoman did, but in a flurry of movement, Logannded face first on the table, while the policewoman had her elbow on his back. ¡°You¡¯d better keep your mouth shut.¡± Although it wasn¡¯t the most appropriate time for such thoughts, Sophia thought the policewoman seemed rather heroic in her actions. Meanwhile, Logan was still prattling on, ¡°Are you done? Why would youe here so often when there is nothing illegal going on? You lot are doing this for the show! You are not getting off the hook that easily if you didn¡¯t uncover anything this time around!¡± The policeman scanned the room beforeying his eyes on the game table that wasden with cards, but it was obvious that no money was involved. After that, he went to the window to check on the backyard, which gave Sophia a bad feeling. She cast a nce in Logan¡¯s direction, who was still yelling for the policewoman to release him, which she did after a few seconds. As soon as he was set free, Logan stood to tidy his clothes before showing off the golden chain around his neck, all the while crying out in exasperation, ¡°Come over here! Let me check on your identification number! I will make sure to remember you!¡± He pointed a finger in the policewoman¡¯s face, but he retracted his hand as soon as she raised her hand ever so slightly while retaining a stoic expression. However, Logan wasn¡¯t about to relent that easily, as he kept up with his rambling, saying, ¡°Tell me, just how many times have youe raiding my ce only to leave empty-handed? Do you understand how disruptive your raids are to my business? I will file aint against you!¡± After giving the situation some thought, Sophia sat down once again. Logan had been throwing a tantrum for a while before a few other police came to the door. ¡°Officer Rush, Officer Hunt, we found something in the backyard.¡± The report from the police silenced Logan instantly, while Sophia immediately felt her heart sink. She exchanged a nce with Ian to see that he had a simr look of worry in his eyes. Meanwhile, Logan froze on his spot as soon as the situation sunk in, while the first thing he did was to make a dash for the doorway. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. The police officer who stood by the doorway was startled by Logan¡¯s sudden movements, only to run after Logan after the policewoman ordered him to capture Logan. However, instead of running away, Logan made his way to the backyard. Looking at the policewoman, Sophia asked, ¡°Can we go check on him?¡± Seemingly having recognized Sophia after checking on her, the policewoman turned to leave in silence, which signified her consent, so Sophia followed the police to the backyard. They arrived at an empty plot ofnd that marked the beginning of the space in the backyard, while the facility was located after passing through the winding corridors that followed. There were a few people squatting on the plot ofnd with armed police watching over them, whereas a few police were still conducting a search elsewhere. When Sophia arrived, Logan was kicking at a man who was lying on the ground. ¡°Are you trying to frame me? Tell me, what have you got in your pockets?!¡± Meanwhile, the man was lying spread out on the ground with a bleeding nose, seemingly a result of Logan¡¯s kicks, but he was wearing a smile all the while. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 410 Chapter 410 It was a rather grueling sight to behold, especially for Sophia, who never witnessed such an urrence prior to that. She backed away while asking, ¡°D-Did he take drugs?¡± The policewoman walked up to Sophia, Ian, and Robin to check on them before instructing, ¡°You three will have to testify for the asion while we check on the surveince records. You can have someone bail you if you are proven innocent.¡± She then turned to instruct the police officer beside her, ¡°Make sure you make a detailed record of their session.¡± Upon her giving out her orders, the officer nodded while turning to look at Sophia and the others. ¡°Pleasee with me.¡± With her mouth agape, Sophia in fact had something else on her mind, which pertained to bailing. She wondered who she should call to bail her, as she knew nobody. Truth be told, it took a lot out of her just to call John. The police went through the surveince records, which showed as clear as day that the rowdy bunch led by Poole headed straight for the backyard as soon as they arrived, while Logan and the rest weren¡¯t there to witness anything, so Logan knew nothing of what happened. Neither did he go check on them when he arrived at the clubhouse, but instead, he led Sophia and the rest upstairs for some games. Therefore, they weren¡¯t involved in the incident. Despite having confirmed their innocence, the police requested that they had someone bail them. With a few presses from the policewoman, Sophia gave John a call with a morose expression, as she knew nobody else. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. John was in his office when he got her call, which came as a surprise, as Sophia was very much indignant toward himst night when he was at her house. Despite wondering why she would call him out of the blue, he picked up the phone. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± A sigh could be heard over the line. ¡°John, I¡¯m in trouble.¡± Her confession brought a frown to his face. Meanwhile, Logan was still in the backyard, but an officer already pulled him away from the guy on the ground, as Logan might very well kill the guy before he recovered from his hallucinations. In fact, Logan was exhausted, as all the beating took a toll on Logan¡¯s stamina. He was panting for breath, his throat sore from shouting. On the other hand, the group of people squatting near him dared not even move a finger. After ncing at the packets that the police confiscated during the search they conducted in the backyard, Logan averted his gaze. To be honest, he used to have those as well, but had stashed them to another location due to the frequent spot checks. But I didn¡¯t expect them to f*cking bring their drugs despite knowing that the police had their eyes on us! I doubt if someone who dislikes me is trying to give me a hard time, he thought to himself. The search was still going on, which uncovered packets of drugs in the area where the gang were having fun. Logan presumed that the police were using it as a reason to make a thorough search in his clubhouse to check if he had more drugs stashed away. However, he feared nothing despite the gloomy look he wore. Eventually, the search only uncovered what was previously found. Nothing else was said while the police made a list of the items they found. All contrabands would be confiscated, while the gang would be detained. Neither was Logan able to get out of it unscathed as he was ushered to the front of the clubhouse. In the meantime, John had arrived on the scene alongside Zack. He was signing on some documents on the side, whereas Zack would be vouching for Ian. Robin¡¯s family had also arrived. As soon as Logan walked past her, Sophia approached him to ask, ¡°Logan, what¡¯s going on?¡± He spat at the gang who was arrested. ¡°They are framing me, those b*stards.¡± Sophia was a bit worried about it. ¡°Will you be alright? Do you have to go with them?¡± John came to her after he was done signing the papers, thenid a hand on her shoulder while consoling her, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much, as Logan is already used to this.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 411 Chapter 411 While it was true that Logan was used to being arrested, he was unhappy about it. Despite having used to be a part of the problem whenever he was detained, he was implicated by others this time, which made him extremely unhappy. He looked at John before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡± Noment was made by John when Logan was ushered away, while all he did was bring Sophia and Ian to Sophia¡¯s house. With what happened, Logan¡¯s clubhouse would definitely be forced to close down. Meanwhile, Sophia was still in a daze when she sat in the car, all the while figuring that being by Logan¡¯s side sure opened her eyes up to the world. It was her first time ever witnessing such an incident. It wasn¡¯t until a whileter when he was driving that Zack asked Sophia, ¡°What happened just now? Was it some sort of scheme?¡± Neither was Sophia able to exin things. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Logan invited us to his clubhouse for some games, so we went. That group of people were already in the backyard when we arrived, but none of us went to check on them, so we didn¡¯t know anything about what happened.¡± John turned to look out of the window with a frown, but the tone in which he spoke sounded casual. ¡°It¡¯s alright, the Jeffersons will be there soon, so things will turn out to be fine. However, the guy who was carried away seemed to be a member of the Poole Family.¡± After some thought, Zack replied, ¡°I think so, but his face was smeared with blood while being carried away, so I couldn¡¯t get a good look at him.¡± There was a moment¡¯s pause before John went on to give his instructions, saying, ¡°Do a background check on him. We need to know which family he belongs to and who he has been mingling with.¡± Zack stared at John from the rearview mirror while asking, ¡°Boss, do you think someone is framing Logan?¡± John hesitated for a moment before stating his point, exining, ¡°There had been multiple spot checks on Logan¡¯s clubhouse, so it didn¡¯t make sense that the group of people would visit there if they were intending to do drugs.¡± Without a doubt, anywhere else would be a safer choice than Logan¡¯s clubhouse, which was something that Zack agreed to with a nod. ¡°Yeah, that is a curious case indeed.¡± While they conversed, the car pulled over at Sophia¡¯s house, after which they disembarked and went into her house. Sophia was thirsty after the whole ruckus, so she took it upon herself to boil some water to make some tea that she served to everyone. Meanwhile, Ian was sitting still in his spot when Sophia handed him his tea. ¡°Have something to drink.¡± Ian turned to look at her before smiling at her. ¡°Sure.¡± After that, he directed his question at John. ¡°Do you think either Simon or Sally might be behind this?¡± The conjecture startled John, bringing a frown to his face while staring at Ian. Ian spoke up once again after some thought, saying, ¡°When I was in my family¡¯s mansion, I heard Simon talking to Sally in a subdued voice. Although I couldn¡¯t pick up on their conversation, I did hear Logan¡¯s name being mentioned.¡± John had a grave look on his face while he concluded, ¡°Leave the investigation of the matter to me. However, I do believe that even without us stepping in, Logan wouldn¡¯t let them off the hook if that was really their doing.¡± From Logan¡¯s perspective, Simon and Sally had always been a nuisance even when they did nothing, say less of when they did find fault with him. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Meanwhile, Ian cast John a nce before saying, ¡°Thank you for helping me out just now.¡± He was simr to Sophia in the sense that he had nobody to turn to, as the Morgans were crossed off his list because he didn¡¯t want to involve them. It was Sophia who asked Zack toe vouch for Ian, so she did care for him. With a smile, John responded nonchntly, ¡°I did it for Sophia¡¯s sake.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have cared about Ian at all if Sophia hadn¡¯t spoken up for Ian, but on the flip side, nor could he have turned down such a minor request from her. Sophia cast a nce at John, then thanked him after a few seconds, to which John responded with a huff. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so courteous with me.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 412 Chapter 412 Sophia clicked her tongue while frowning, but quickly made sure to wipe it off her face. John sure is a shifty b*stard. He never would¡¯ve said so in the past, as he used to be so calcting. Having said so, John stared straight into Sophia¡¯s eyes, which made her get goosebumps. He looked conniving yet hesitant at the same time, but no matter the case, he surely wasn¡¯t up to anything good. He let out a silentugh before averting his gaze momentster. Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t even scheming on anything. Instead, he was doing it for fun. Logan¡¯s call came in after they spent some time in Sophia¡¯s house, during which he scolded that b*stard from the Poole Family for framing him. As soon as Sophia heard what Logan said, she asked, ¡°Are you set free?¡± ¡°Of course! Lorraine came to bail me.¡± He sounded rather indignant. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯lle look for you now.¡± With that, Sophia had hime to her ce before hanging up, while John was sitting crossed-legged when he spoke, ¡°Lorraine sure is getting more and more capable.¡± She needed more time back then to bail Logan out. A frown formed on Sophia¡¯s face when she said, ¡°You need to make a thorough investigation to check if Simon and Sally are behind this.¡± John gave her a hum. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will not let them off the hook since you are implicated by the incident.¡± With a pout on her face, Sophia observed John closely, but her mind was clouded in confusion. His words always seemed to be implying something, as if he had something else in mind while speaking. Ever sincest night, I had a feeling that what he said didn¡¯t sound straightforward at all. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. She could feel that something was off sincest night, but she assumed she was overthinking things. However, it was now apparent to her that she wasn¡¯t a part of the problem, as John¡¯s actions still seemed fishy. As John averted his gaze, the smile on his face grew ever brighter, whereas Ian seemed to retain a stoic expression, for he could detect John¡¯s intentions behind those words that were deliberately aimed at him. During the ensuing silence, Zack stood up to make a call in the yard. Although John was the one who requested for an investigation to beunched, he didn¡¯t need to do so personally, as all he needed was for Zack to arrange for someone to do the work. Zack didn¡¯t go back in after the call, and instead opted to stand in the yard until Logan drove himself to Sophia¡¯s house. Thetter was still cursing under his breath when he got out of the car, which seemed to indicate that he was still infuriated. While remaining seated, John turned to cast a nce at Logan before mumbling to himself, ¡°That gold chain on him¡­¡± Sophia smacked her lips in response. ¡°Yeah, I find it to be an eyesore, too.¡± Nothing else was said regarding the matter, as Logan had always had a peculiar taste that made him stand out in a crowd, so the choice in apparel was indeed in character. Seething while entering the living room, Logan downed a cup of tea which he grabbed from the table without even asking whose tea it was. Meanwhile, Sophia stood when she asked, ¡°How did it go? What did you tell the police? Did the group of people confess to what they did?¡± ¡°F*ck.¡± Such was Logan¡¯s sole response. He then put his hands on his waist before saying, ¡°Those who were still aware enough to speak denied having any knowledge of the drugs. All they told the police was that it was handed to them by that b*stard from the Poole Family, whereas that b*stard was still unconscious when I left. He might very well have had his head stuck in his own *ss.¡± John cast Logan a nce while asking, ¡°Did you offend anyely?¡± The question was met with a bitter smile from Logan. ¡°You sure pinned me in a hard spot with that question. I already lost count of how many people I offended.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 413 Chapter 413 John was annoyed by Logan¡¯s dismissive attitude. ¡°Just tell me who you have offended as ofte. You should at least know that.¡± There was an airy look on Logan¡¯s face before his eyes went wide. ¡°I think I have a list now that you asked. I just offended the two women from the Bailey Family.¡± John was caught off guard by what Logan said. ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°Who else is there?¡± Logan settled down on the sofa. ¡°It was Isabelle and her mother. I just offended them today, so the hatred must be fresh.¡± His words reminded Sophia of what happened, but she frowned in disapproval. ¡°That couldn¡¯t be it. No matter how unscrupulous they are, the Baileys couldn¡¯t possibly stoop so low.¡± Besides, the outbreak happened just that morning, so the incident at the clubhouse happened too soon for them to have nned it. The Baileys couldn¡¯t possibly arrange everything in such a short amount of time. However, Logan seemed convinced that it was their doing as soon as he began dwelling on the possibility. ¡°I bet those women did it. The fact that Ished out at those two jerks didn¡¯t sit well with them, so they tried to make my life difficult for me.¡± ¡°So there was conflict today between you and the Baileys.¡± John looked toward Logan while he spoke, which came out almost as a statement. ¡°There sure was!¡± There was acent look on Logan¡¯s face. ¡°You can ask Sophia. She was there when it happened.¡± Sophia gave a nod upon hearing what Logan said. ¡°There was indeed a conflict which arose because of me. I had my eyes on a gown that Isabelle wanted as well, so her mother mocked me, which in turn irked Logan so much that he tore the gown to shreds. Let¡¯s just say that the situation didn¡¯t end on a nice note.¡± The exnation given by Sophia cleared up the situation for John. Logan told him he would be bringing Sophia to the birthday party of Kate ckwell, who was the matriarch of the ckwell Family, so she would definitely need a gown. With a p on his thigh, Logan concluded, ¡°The Baileys are definitely plotting against me! Wait till I deal with those two b*tches!¡± Ian raised his hand while trying to calm Logan. ¡°Hold on, this is all in your head, so you should calm down and take things slowly.¡± However, Logan was still fuming, as never in his life was he mistreated like that. While it was true that he used to be arrested all the time, he had a part to y in those cases, so he knew those were well deserved, but being framed was another story altogether. Being framed by another human being dealt him a huge blow to his ego, and with how hot-headed he was, he couldn¡¯t possibly let it slide. Meanwhile, Sophia went over to pat his back, soothing his anger. ¡°Alright, you should slow down, as you can¡¯t do anything without proof regarding the matter. John promised to investigate this, so you should at least wait until he gets some results.¡± It was rare of her to treat Logan so nicely, which managed to cate Logan. After giving some thought to the situation, he said, ¡°You¡¯re both women, but if I look between you and that tomboy, I suppose she would never get a taste of men.¡± Sophia blinked in confusion as she wasn¡¯t quite sure who Logan was talking about, after which he exined, ¡°I mean L Hunt! I will make sure to kill that b*tch one day!¡± While observing from the sidelines, Ian opened up, saying, ¡°Do you mean Officer Hunt?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! That b*tch had her eye on me, so she¡¯s constantly finding fault with me!¡± Logan was absolutely furious. While he had always wanted to get rid of her, he never managed to find a way to do that. In fact, he had no way to go about it, as she was a police officer, so he was always the one being dealt with instead of the other way around. Officer L Hunt had an air of righteousness about her, which left a good impression on Sophia, so shemended, ¡°I think she seems nice, though. I feel safe when I¡¯m with her.¡± C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. As soon as she said so, Logan let out a hiss. ¡°A woman who makes people feel safe is a failure herself!¡± ¡°Alright, I get what you mean.¡± Sophia merely chuckled at hisment when she continued to cate him, all the while John stared at her hand. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 414 Chapter 414 Sophia had one hand on Logan¡¯s arm, while the other hand kept on sliding down his back in an effort to cate him. The distance between them was minimal, which, in John¡¯s opinion, was a sight for sore eyes. Thus, he adjusted his position on the sofa before asking, ¡°Logan, what did Lorraine say?¡± A shudder traveled down Logan¡¯s spine while he sat up in his seat as soon as his sister¡¯s name was mentioned, which put some distance between him and Sophia, as his reaction prompted Sophia to sit up as well. Logan wore a morose look on his face as he answered, ¡°Lorraine told me not to show myself in front of her, or else she won¡¯t guarantee that she won¡¯t beat the crap out of me.¡± There was a smile on John¡¯s face when he heard what Logan said, while Logan was still feeling disgruntled about his own dilemma. ¡°John, you have to help me out. Launch an investigation to find out the perpetrator, then tell me if the Baileys were involved. I¡¯ll make sure that the two b*tches suffer if they are behind this!¡± John was unfazed by Logan¡¯s request. ¡°Worry not, as Sophia was almost dragged into what happened today, so I will definitely look into this even without you asking.¡± Meanwhile, Logan seemed to have missed out on the addedyer of meaning in his words while nodding in agreement to what John said. ¡°I knew I could count on you! You¡¯re the one that makes me feel safe!¡± With a twirl of his gaze, John looked toward Sophia before he remarked, ¡°Is that so?¡± On the other hand, Sophia didn¡¯t even spare John a nce, ignoring his words. There must be some loose screws in him, as his attitude is getting a little scary. Not only is he unable to control what he says, but there¡¯s also a quirkiness in his gaze. Why would he look at me so gently? He knows how gullible I am, so he must be doing this on purpose to seduce me. He must be plotting something behind all this! she thought. After some more chatter, it was about time to end their gathering. After all, it would take some time before the investigation done by Zack would yield results. On the other hand, Ian requested to stay with Logan in his ce, as he didn¡¯t want to return to the Morgans. It happened that Logan needed a listening ear to vent his frustrations, so he was delighted by Ian¡¯s proposal while the two left shoulder- to-shoulder. John followed behind the two, but not before turning to tell Sophia to lock the doors and windows, at which Sophia responded while on full alert, ¡°I will make sure to do that.¡± Just when he was about to leave, Sophia said, ¡°John, I figured I should ask you after all.¡± There was an opening for her to do just that after Ian and Logan left. Without moving from where he stood, John said, ¡°Sure, ask away.¡± Probing for answers, Sophia asked tentatively, ¡°Have something gotten into you?¡± There was a pause in his movements as John didn¡¯t seem to quite get what she meant, so Sophia borated on it after smacking her lips, all the while furrowing her brows together. ¡°Your actions for the past few days seemed fishy. Why can¡¯t you behave like how you used to? Do you even listen to your own conversations? What are you even trying to imply? Do you get what I¡¯m trying to say?¡± In fact, Sophia was confused over the situation, too, which seemed to have muddled the way she was expressing herself. Despite understanding the gist of what Sophia was trying to say, John wore a frown while he asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± After some thought, Sophia waved a hand in dismissal. ¡°Ah, whatever. Just take it as jargon. Safe trips.¡± She was getting confused, too. After giving her a hum of assent, John turned to leave. Zack was already in the car when he entered, during which he smiled abruptly. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure of the reason, but he felt a weight lifted from his shoulder upon teasing Sophia, as it seemed to be a channel to vent his recent frustrations. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. John looked out of the car window when Zack drove off, all the while recalling what his father told him. There were couples who fell in love soon after their marriage, while others, such as him and Matilda, needed to spend more time getting ustomed to each other¡¯s presence before they could fall in love. However, there were also couples who wound up going their separate ways even after all the time they spent together. John figured that he and Sophia would belong to the third category. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 415 Chapter 415 After some time, John heaved a sigh, deciding not to dwell on his miserable love life anymore. No amount of overthinking would help the situation, as feelings of sadness and annoyance would persist regardless of the thinking he did. It was already afternoon, soon nearing evening, so Zack drove John back to thetter¡¯s house before leaving. Even from some distance away, John could see Belinda in the main building. She was so engrossed in the opera while sitting on the sofa that John opted to halt himself from entering. The house was noisy when Matilda used to live here, so Belinda would spend her time upstairs or in the courtyard. Now that Matilda was no longer living here, she seemed more rxed. Not only did Belinda seem more rxed, but John observed a simr change in William. While William used to go upstairs to his bedroom or study after his meals, he would now spend some time downstairs to watch TV or chat with Belinda. Despite how unfilial it would sound, John couldn¡¯t help but think his mother¡¯s absence brought his family more peace. With that in mind, John headed for the living room, during which Belinda observed with a smile while he did. ¡°You¡¯re early today,¡± she said as William had yet toe home. John hummed in the affirmative before replying, ¡°I had some stuff to do while away from thepany, so I came home instead of going back to thepany.¡± Belinda nodded at his reply. ¡°Let¡¯s talk for a bit.¡± As soon as he sat down, Belinda opened up, saying, ¡°John, I was thinking of inviting Sophia over to our house some time, as I feel like we have done her wrong. Since your mother is not here, will things get better if we invited Sophia over for a meal?¡± John nced at Belinda before responding with a smile. ¡°Forget it. Sophia won¡¯t ept the invitation.¡± In fact, neither was it the best of times to invite Sophia over despite Belinda being partial toward Sophia, which John could sense. The sole reason behind Belinda¡¯s invitation was to get herself an opportunity to interact with Sophia, but as he thought, it wasn¡¯t the best of times to do so. With a sigh, Belinda said, ¡°Oh well, it was all your mother¡¯s fault, or else you wouldn¡¯t have divorced her.¡± John pulled his lips into a thin line before saying, ¡°The divorce had nothing to do with my mom, but everything to do with me.¡± That, he considered as true, for he was the one who came up with the idea. Never did Matilda ever think of making him divorce Sophia, but a simple mention of it by him somehow got the cogs in her head turning, which in turn made her so intent on having Isabelle rece Sophia. Belinda let out a sigh while she regarded him. ¡°You will one day put yourself in an undesirable situation.¡± Herment made John chuckle. ¡°Nobody is capable of doing that, so don¡¯t you worry.¡± However, he wasn¡¯t actually privy to the true intent behind Belinda¡¯s remark, but neither was she about to exin herself, opting instead to inquire on thepany¡¯s situation, which seemed alright as the whole Constance Family was there to watch over it. After a while, Belinda dismissed John with a wave of her hand. ¡°You should get some rest. I will get you when it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± John gave her a hum before standing to leave for upstairs. Zack¡¯s call came in when he was ascending the stairs, which informed him of the rtively simple process of investigating Simon and Sally. Not much effort was needed in order to uncover who they had been seeing and dealing with as they didn¡¯t make much of an effort to cover their tracks. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. However, the results of the investigation showed that neither of the siblings had gotten in contact with the Pooles, which meant that what happened in Logan¡¯s clubhouse had nothing to do with them. With a frown, John asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡± Zack hummed in the affirmative. ¡°I already knew about it early on, but I had my men double check the info as I feared that I might¡¯ve gotten the wrong info. Tom Poole, the young master of the Poole Family, hadn¡¯t been traveling a lottely, with the only record of his outing being a casual stroll yesterday morning. The Morgan siblings were in thepany during that time, so I¡¯m certain that they didn¡¯t meet up.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 416 Chapter 416 The possibility of having someone pass a message for them didn¡¯t sound feasible, as while the siblings weren¡¯t much capable themselves, they looked down upon others, so they always opted to do things on their own instead of trusting someone else with their tasks. If they were trying to frame Logan, they would definitely meet with Tom Poole in person. With a hum, John hung up the call. He returned to his room while pondering what Logan told him about the conflict not only with the Morgans, but with Isabelle as well. However, John didn¡¯t believe that Isabelle would do anything out of line. While it wasn¡¯t out of trust in her character, he knew her as a smart person who knew the importance of avoiding suspicion. No matter how much she abhorred Logan, she wouldn¡¯t do that at this point in time. After casting his phone on the bed, John turned to leave for the shower. When he came back out, the phone was lit up, indicating that he had a new message. He checked on it to see a message from Isabelle asking if he would be present during Kate ckwell¡¯s birthday party, to which he gave a reply in the affirmative. Then his phone immediately rang with a call from Isabelle. Over the phone, she told him that she received an invitation, thus would like to know what time John would be leaving for the event and if he would want to attend it alongside her. A frown formed on John¡¯s face as he knew he should be avoiding Isabelle. He could still recall what William told him. However, his hesitance was obvious enough of a reply to Isabelle, to which she responded with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s alright if you have prior engagements, as I can always go with my father. The only downside to that would be I would have less to talk about with him than with someone around my age.¡± Upon witnessing his silence on the matter, Isabelle added on, ¡°We will go to the venue separately. If anything else arises during the asion, we can always meet up at the venue.¡± John gave her a nonchnt hum, through which Isabelle could detect he didn¡¯t possess a lot of zest in him. After some pleasantries, she was about to hang up, but John called out to her with something else in mind, saying, ¡°Miss Bailey.¡± There was a pause on her side before she responded, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± John cut to the chase. ¡°I heard you had an argument with Sophia and Logan today.¡± While his words startled her, she began mocking him, but didn¡¯t fail to portray herself as being grave about the matter. ¡°Are you trying to invoke justice upon me?¡± John scoffed before responding to her query, ¡°I do not perceive myself as being qualified to do so. All I want to know is if it happened.¡± ¡°Of course, it did,¡± Isabelle replied firmly. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t in the wrong.¡± Truth be told, John cared not who was in the wrong. tly, he said, ¡°Logan is rather childish, which I believe you already know. I will only advise you to avoid engaging yourself in a conflict with him, as he isn¡¯t above doing anything if you manage to get on his bad side.¡± Isabelle was displeased by what John said. ¡°I know that much, so I never engaged him in a conflict.¡± At this, John snickered. ¡°I forgot to tell you that Sophia is in fact an even less desirable opponent compared to Logan. You might be in more trouble if you ever cross her.¡± Before Isabelle could say anything else, John went on, adding, ¡°No matter what the current status of our rtionship is, I will never wish to see her being wronged or bullied, as I will be forced to choose a side in the ensuing conflict, so I¡¯m informing you of this beforehand. That way, our families can avoid some unnecessary conflicts, which could save both our faces.¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. No reply came from Isabelle after that, but John didn¡¯t care enough to wait for one, opting instead to hang up. The tion he felt upon doing so was both surprising and confusing. After a while, he then proceeded to check his Facebook. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 417 Chapter 417 Sophia posted a photo of herself with a facial mask on. It was a rather thin mask, so John could see her features through it. The photo showed John a side of Sophia that he never got to see, so he spent a long time just staring at it. She looked like a teenage girl who made a cheeky face while with a mask on. Such a gesture would make anybody¡¯s heart skip a beat, but it was more because they were being attracted by her liveliness than wanting a romance with her. A chuckle slipped out of John¡¯s lips after staring at it for a long while. That silly girl didn¡¯t know I added her as my friend again. She will definitely be put at a disadvantage if she continues to be so unalert. John went through her previous posts, which were all viewable to the public, so he went through her photos from when she was still living with the Constances. Although she seemed less happy, her posts seemed to retain a level of positivity. She took photos of the sky, the garden, as well as the sunrise, but there were no photos of herself, or anybody else, as a matter of fact. Nor did anybody from the Constance Family make an appearance in her collection of photos. There was a tinge of regret within John after he went through all of them. Perhaps it was because of the realization that he had about how hard Sophia had been trying to live, but the Constances were blind to it. He set his phone aside, theny down on bed before switching the lights off. He was busy during theing few days, so he didn¡¯t have time to meet up with Sophia. They didn¡¯t even send each other a text, as if they had cut contact with each other. All the calls John received were from an overly-eager Logan, who made multiple calls a day to inquire on the progress of the investigation. However, John didn¡¯tin about it, instead convinced Logan to wait with patience, as more time was needed to ensure a thorough investigation was conducted. In short, it wouldn¡¯t do if a mistake was made. Logan would throw a tantrum whenever mention of what happened in the clubhouse was made. Not only did he curse the Morgan siblings, but he cursed the Bailey mother-and-daughter duo, too. However, the one whom he hated with the most fervor was the young master of the Pooles. All John did was listen on, then asked if Logan had gotten in touch with Sophia when he was doneining. His query was always met with the affirmative, so John couldn¡¯t help but figure that Logan sure had a lot of free time on his hands to be able to contact both Sophia and him, making sure to bother every single one of his confidants with his troubles. Setting that mental note aside, John went on to ask Logan what Sophia was doing. Without concealing anything, he told John everything he knew, as honest as could be, which allowed John to get a grasp on Sophia¡¯s whereabouts. However, John was startled when Logan told him Sophia went for her driving test. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go with her?¡± Judging from Logan¡¯s character, he wouldn¡¯t miss out on a chance for something fun. ¡°I¡¯ll pass, since Ian is with her, and she didn¡¯t need another person tagging along,¡± exined Logan. At this time, John was holding his phone in one hand, his pen in the other, the pen about to be used to sign on some papers. He stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard what Logan told him. ¡°Ian is with her? Doesn¡¯t he have work?¡± Logan let out a cry before replying, ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you? Ian quit his job, so he has been with Sophia during the past few days.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. After shutting his eyes to calm himself, John signed on the papers in a hurry before closing the files and putting his pen down. He then stood from his seat while saying to Logan, ¡°Alright, I heard you.¡± Upon saying so, he cut the call before leaving his office with his jacket in hand. Zack was headed to his office when John was on his way to the elevators. There was a look of surprise on Zack¡¯s face when he saw John. ¡°Boss, where are you headed to?¡± The question stunned John to his spot as he tried to figure it out. Where am I going? I was nning on meeting Sophia, but what business do I have with her? Zack approached him with a stack of documents, all the while staring at John in confusion. ¡°Are you on outstation?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 418 Chapter 418 There was a frown on John¡¯s face when he responded, ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Meanwhile, Zack had in hand some documents that needed to be signed by John, then said, ¡°Yeah, from what I recall, you don¡¯t have ns to travel today.¡± John¡¯s gaze was on Zack before it traveled to the documents Zack held, but it didn¡¯t linger on any of those, eventually settling on a nearby window. It wasn¡¯t until then that John turned to return to his office. Upon settling into his seat, John took the documents handed to him by Zack, during which Zack said, ¡°By the way, Iunched an investigation on the Baileys, but to no avail. They seemed to have covered up their tracks, so I didn¡¯t get much out of it. I then went on to investigate the Morgans, as I thought they were more likely to be the suspect. Before I say anything, would you like to make a guess on what I found?¡± John lifted his head slowly to look at Zack. Despite theck of an expression, John had a stern air about him that intimidated Zack, so thetter opted to spill everything out. ¡°I found out that while Sally and Simon had nothing to do with the incident, the Morgans were still somehow involved in it. The suspect this time around was their mother, Leah Zimmerman. She went shopping that day and had met up with Tom, so this should exin everything.¡± Truth be told, John wasn¡¯t even listening to Zack¡¯s report, nor was the sour look on his face by any means Zack¡¯s fault. It was the mere result of John being sucked into his own thoughts. After hanging up Logan¡¯s call earlier, John left his office without thinking, as for a second, his rational mind was overpowered by his instincts. All he wanted was to go check on what Ian was doing while hanging around Sophia. The fact that Ian did that made him feel uneasy, but upon thinking about it, he figured he didn¡¯t have anything to worry about. He knew since long ago that Ian hung around Sophia because he liked her. Someone who liked Sophia couldn¡¯t possibly harm her, so he had nothing to worry about. John shut his eyes while crossing his arms on the table, only to hear Zack asking, ¡°Should I inform Logan about the results?¡± With an irritated look on his face, John waved Zack off, saying, ¡°Yeah, just tell him everything.¡± Truth be told, he didn¡¯t even know what Zack would tell him. Zack left the documents on the table before turning to leave, seemingly not in a hurry to get the documents back. While John retrieved the documents to look through them, he had a hard time absorbing any of the information, which led to him putting them down before hitting himself on the head. I must be crazy for thinking about those things. Meanwhile, Zack gave Logan a call to tell thetter of his discovery, which sent Logan into a fit of rage. ¡°So it was Bryce¡¯s wife! I always thought she was a shady character, so I was right all along! Just wait and watch while I turn her into minced meat!¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. If he were to be honest, Zack wasn¡¯t entirely sure why Logan was that angry. ¡°Although Leah was in cahoots with Tom, she didn¡¯t actually deal you any damage. You arergely unharmed, so I would say she wasted her efforts.¡± With a scoff, Logan said, ¡°I didn¡¯te out unscathed.¡± Back then, Tom and his gang were in the private room in the backyard, but two of the clubhouse¡¯s attendants were shut out from the room. Both of them used to y games with Logan, and both were quick-witted. Although none of them knew what Tom and his gang were doing, they had a rough idea that the gang had to be up to nothing good. It was then that the police came, who made a fuss out of things. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 419 Chapter 419 The two attendants cried out to Tom that the police had arrived, which stirred the pot, creating an opening for the attendants to enter the room. Upon realizing what the gang was up to, the attendants quickly retreated to another room, only to see Tom and his gang barging into every single room in the backyard. They left the drugs in conspicuous spots in the various rooms, but fortunately, both attendants made a swift countermove by searching the rooms that Tom and his gang entered to retrieve the drugs, then tucked them into a big tank behind the opera theater, which helped Logan to stay out of trouble. Otherwise, the police would¡¯ve found the drugs when they did their search, which would be used as proof against Logan. Due to their quick thinking, the two attendants who Logan used to y games with were given a hefty reward. Logan was happy to have such bright people as his mates. However, he told Zack none of those, brushing thetter¡¯s question off by saying that Leah tarnished his reputation even further, which he wouldn¡¯t tolerate. Regardless of what Logan thought, Zack reminded him, ¡°You¡¯d better ask Tom about who instructed him tomit such a felony, just to listen to what he says, if nothing else.¡± Logan gave a nomittal hum before replying, ¡°Alright, I get what you mean. I am grateful to you and John for your help. I know what I should do next.¡± In the meantime, Tom was still behind bars. He might even be forcefully sent for rehabilitation since he seemed to have been into drugs for a while. Upon mention of his name, Logan couldn¡¯t help but feel the urge to want to kill him. However, he could neither meet Tom, nor did he want to have anything to do with his own family since his family wouldn¡¯t have known anything anyway. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. As soon as Logan received information regarding the culprit, he sat broodingly in his clubhouse to come up with ways to deal with Leah. During the few days of the clubhouse being locked down, the police made a thorough search in it, but turned up nothing. After Lorraine worked through a few more matters with the authorities, Logan was able to reopen the clubhouse without a hitch. Most of the people involved seemed to think nothing of the incident as they had gotten used to it after a few simr encounters. The attendants even had no problem joking about it when they made mention of the incident. Meanwhile, Logan had been pondering about the situation, but before he coulde up with a way to move forward, Ian and Sophia came to visit him. Upon entering the clubhouse, Sophia saw Logan sitting crossed-legged on the sofa with a look that was both conniving and confused. She approached him while asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s with that expression of yours?¡± It wasn¡¯t until then that Logan noticed Sophia¡¯s presence. ¡°Are you finished with your tests?¡± Sophia sat down beside Logan, stretching her body. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all done.¡± With much eagerness, Logan asked, ¡°What are the results? Did you pass the test?¡± Meanwhile, Ian sat down beside them with a smile on his face. Sophia wore a forlorn expression as shemented, ¡°Did you hear what you just said? Why do I feel like you¡¯re teasing me?¡± Her words made Logan burst intoughter. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the best way to word my question. Of course you passed the test!¡± He then began sharing the newly acquired info with Sophia and Ian, reciting word by word what Zack told him. With a piercing gaze, Sophia said, ¡°I knew it was them!¡± There was also a stern look on Logan¡¯s face. ¡°I never realized how shady Bryce¡¯s mistress was. I sure did underestimate her! I used to think she was a useless shrew, but I was wrong about that.¡± He then turned to look at Ian. ¡°Being the vile woman she is, she must¡¯ve bullied you a lot back then. Ian, I will make sure to avenge you in some way!¡± Meanwhile, Ian leaned back on the sofa. ¡°Leah is in fact very good at adapting to situations. Throughout the years she spent with Bryce, she managed to remain undetected, so she managed to stay out of a lot of trouble.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 420 Chapter 420 Leah had no problem putting up a cheerful front despite having been humiliated not moments ago. There were a lot of things that she could easily brush off despite how grave it was to other people. For example, she had no problem tarnishing her own reputation by framing Bryce in order to marry into the Morgan Family, as she cared not about her reputation. As soon as Ian said so, Logan recalled what happened exactly back then. ¡°Yeah, I remember how ruthless Leah could be now that you mentioned it. She was the one who leaked obscene photos of her and Bryce to the press, as well as hiring paparazzi to close in on her and Bryce while they were being intimate. She never cared about her reputation, so there aren¡¯t a lot of things that could get to her.¡± After having said so, Logan began scratching his head before squatting down on the sofa with his hands on his knees. Meanwhile, Sophia tugged on him. ¡°You should sit properly instead of squatting on the sofa like a monkey.¡± Upon turning to look at Sophia, Logan said, ¡°Sophia, you¡¯re both conniving and have a lot of ideas, so why don¡¯t youe up with one?¡± Sophia shot him a re. ¡°Come again?¡± On the other hand, Ian came up with something else. ¡°What Leah cared the most was her status as Bryce¡¯s wife, as well as her two children.¡± Logan turned to look at Ian while thinking to himself, Leah has a firm hold on her status as the matriarch of the Morgans. In order to get rid of her, I will have to start by undermining Bryce¡¯s support for her by introducing him to a new love who can stand up against Leah. However, the only problem was that Logan couldn¡¯t bring himself to use another woman like that, seeing that Bryce was so old, so he scratched that idea, which left him only with Leah¡¯s children to work with. The second option wasn¡¯t that hard at all, considering the siblings were full of openings that he could make use of, so it was almost a no-brainer for Logan to deal with them. Logan gave his thigh a p while dering, ¡°Alright, I get it now. Since I do have an idea now, I will implement it right away.¡± Now that he had a lead to work on, Logan¡¯s mood improved significantly. There was a shift in the conversation when Logan turned to look at Sophia. ¡°I just gave your ex-husband a call, and he had been inquiring about you. To be frank, I would¡¯ve assumed you¡¯re all lovey-dovey if I hadn¡¯t known you¡¯re divorced.¡± What Logan said startled Sophia. ¡°What did he ask about? I don¡¯t see anything worthwhile in him doing so.¡± Logan sat crossed-legged while exining, ¡°Nothing too serious, as he only ever asked about inconsequential stuff. He wanted to know what you¡¯ve been eating and drinking, how your sleep quality is, as well as what you have been doing. I¡¯ll have you know that John doesn¡¯t normally behave like that.¡± I figured so, especially when Logan thought so, too. Sophia¡¯s eyes went wide while she nodded. ¡°That is odd indeed. I¡¯ve been wondering if he was displeased by the amount for the alimony which I requested when we divorced.¡± John had given her a huge amount of money when they divorced, as well as because of what happened before that. It was such an astronomical amount that Sophia had a hard time believing that he wouldn¡¯t feel aggrieved upon giving the money away just like that. Did he regret giving so much money to me that he¡¯s trying to find ways to get back at me now? However, Logan cried out in confusion, not quite getting what Sophia was thinking. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re on the right track? Money is of no importance to John.¡± On the other hand, Sophia was almost certain that she was correct in her assumption. Why would he venture into business if he thinks money is of no importance? What Logan said sounds imusible. Ian was observing Sophia from the side before he said, ¡°No matter the reason, John shouldn¡¯t be in frequent contact with Sophia. The situation has recently begun to subside, but there must be someone else waiting to stir things up again, so you¡¯d better be careful.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 421 Chapter 421 Ian¡¯sst line was directed toward Sophia, to which she nodded in response. ¡°Alright, I get what you mean. I will be more careful from now on.¡± Sophia agreed to what Ian told her. Having spent a day in Logan¡¯s clubhouse, it wasn¡¯t until after they had dinner that they left the ce. Before they left, Logan reminded Sophia, ¡°Remember to wake up earlier tomorrow, as we have a birthday party to attend.¡± Upon giving Logan a nod, Sophia said, ¡°Sure, I will.¡± Kate ckwell¡¯s birthday party was held the following day, which Sophia had been preparing for. She even booked an appointment with a makeup artist to make sure she would look her best during the asion, as she couldn¡¯t afford to make a single mistake during an asion in which prominent figures would be present. Sophia left the clubhouse on a cab despite Logan¡¯s offer to drive her home. Judging from his character, she knew Logan would spend an indefinite amount of time moping around when they arrived at her house, so she stopped him from doing so, as she was nning on retiring to bed as soon as she got home. It didn¡¯t seem to bother Logan, as he gave up on the idea upon witnessing Sophia¡¯s reluctance. Sophia was getting drowsy while on her way home. After paying the fare, she alighted from the cab and headed to her house. The lights in her house weren¡¯t lit when she entered after unlocking the door. Subsequently, nothing seemed out of ce when she switched on the lights. Dozily, she then made her way upstairs with a bottle of water, which she retrieved from the kitchen, in hand. Everything seemed fine when she arrived at the door to her room, only for her to cry out in shock as soon as she switched on the lights because there was someone standing by the window. However, the figure didn¡¯t shy away from her, instead opting to turn around to meet her while wearing a frown. ¡°I¡¯ve been standing here ever since you got back. Do you never check the window of your room?¡± Sophia took some time to even out her breathing before throwing the water bottle she had in hand in his direction. ¡°You scared the living daylights out of me! Can¡¯t you make any sort of sound just so you could warn me? I thought my heart was about to jump out of my chest!¡± The bottle she threw at John missed him while he observed Sophia with his back leaned against the window sill, all the while wearing a frown which irked her. Not only did he pop out of nowhere in her house, which scared her witless, but he even didn¡¯t seem to realize the wrong he did. This is some next level sh*t, thought Sophia while walking up to him, then threw a punch at him without hesitation, only to have her hand getting caught in John¡¯s before she couldnd it on him. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. He gave her a tug, which had her falling on him. However, she was so furious that she didn¡¯t realize how awkward of a position they were in. In her anger while having one hand held by him, she raised the other to punch him. After taking two punches, John lifted his head with a frown while Sophia chided, ¡°Do you want the money? Are you regretting giving it to me? Just tell me if you do! I don¡¯t mind giving it back to you!¡± Upon heaving a sigh, John held onto her other hand, prompting her to try to kick him in the groin due to how angry she was. While he was allowing her to vent her frustrations, that kick managed to rile him up. thus stood upright before using his own leg to press her leg down, then moved a few steps forward while having their limbs tangled. In the end, they fell onto the bed, with Sophia naturally underneath him. He pinned her hands above her head while lowering his gaze to look at her. ¡°You sure are a fierce one.¡± Upon spitting at him, Sophia responded in a disgruntled manner, ¡°Not as fierce as you, who scared me witless!¡± It wasn¡¯t until then she realized that they were in a ratherpromised position, for John was pressing his entire body against hers. A blush crept onto her face before she began prattling, ¡°Get the f*ck off me, you shameless b*stard! Why would you even visit my housete at night! I will call the police just so your name will make it to the headlines, so you¡¯d better let go of me!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 422 Chapter 422 Sophia was struggling whilst she went on with her ranting, but none of what she did got to him. All he did was lower his gaze to look at her with a stern expression, while Sophia was eventually tired out by her own futile struggles. Panting, she asked, ¡°John, are you crazy?¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. It wasn¡¯t after staring at her for some time that John said, ¡°I would say the same of you.¡± What he said startled her, but she soon beganshing out at him again. ¡°Not only did youe to my house just to scare me, you even mocked me! Are you crazy? How I have been doing has nothing to do with you! Get off me right now! You¡¯re suffocating me! You¡ª¡± Her words were cut short as John kissed her on the lips, which left her dumbfounded. After all the ruckus, she was already short of breath, which was only further intensified by the kiss that stunned her. However, John didn¡¯t linger for long as he propped himself up after a few seconds before saying, ¡°I sure don¡¯t see what¡¯s so good about you.¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes widened as soon as she heard what he said, before assaulting him once again with punches and kicks. ¡°You pervert! Get out of my house! F*cking get out, you rascal!¡± With that, John let go of her before flipping himself over to sit on the side of the bed while caressing his lips. Despite her exhaustion, Sophia shot up from where shey on bed after some rest, then pounced on John once again, during which she managed to tackle him as she caught him by surprise. After that, Sophia sat on him while choking him. ¡°F*ck you! I¡¯ll make sure you won¡¯t live to see another day! I¡¯ll f*cking kill you!¡± However, she didn¡¯t even pose a threat to him as there wasn¡¯t much force behind her choke, so John ignored her hands altogether, opting instead to hold onto her waist. He knew full well where her weak spot was, so with minor movements of his hands, he had Sophia falling over whileughing uncontrobly. Due to how ticklish she was, Sophia couldn¡¯t stand anybody touching her waist. She fell over to the side, then shrunk away from John before putting up a tough front once again. ¡°What are you doing in my house during this time of the day?¡± John stood up while tidying his clothes. ¡°I came to get some proof.¡± However, he didn¡¯t tell her what he was trying to prove, as all he did was tell her, ¡°You need to remember to lock your windows from inside, as anybody with some skills could enter your room if you don¡¯t.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia nced at the balcony while she said, ¡°This is the second floor.¡± John turned to observe her with a stern look on his face as usual, but his eyes began moving downward after a few seconds, until it finally reached her lips. The way he gazed upon her reminded Sophia of their recent kiss, which didn¡¯t exactly feel like a kiss, as it was different from the kisses they used to share. However, it only led to her putting on a wary frown on her face. ¡°Why are you still here? You should be leaving now.¡± John averted his gaze before heaving a sigh. ¡°Yeah, right away.¡± After having said so, he turned to leave without another word. Sophia quickly looked out of the window, only to see that his car wasn¡¯t parked near her house. So he hid it somewhere else, as he knew I would have my guard up if I saw his car when I got back. On his way out, John locked the doors and switched the lights off downstairs, whereas Sophia turned to sit down by the bed to even out her breathing due to how vexed she was feeling. In the end, John didn¡¯t tell her why he came in the first ce. He must be crazy, Sophia thought to herself. Her mood was trashed after his visit, so she cursed under her breath while taking a shower, then went straight to bed without even putting on a facial mask. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 423 Chapter 423 Sophia didn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep, as she had a dream that night of her and John having sex. While she knew she was dreaming, as well as it was because of that kiss from John, she was still frustrated, but she couldn¡¯t wake up from the dream. It wasn¡¯t until she received a phone call from the makeup artist in the morning that she was able to wake from it. Then, she cursed under her breath after she did. The makeup artist did Sophia¡¯s makeup ording to her gown before she began working on setting her hair. The end result gave Sophia an allure to her. With her red gown on, coupled by her makeup, Sophia had a feeling that she seemed different from her past self, as she looked sexy, which was a look that she liked. After the makeup artist left, Logan gave her a call to inform her that he was on his way, to which Sophia grunted in response. ¡°I¡¯m done with the preparations, so I¡¯m waiting for you.¡± Logan¡¯s driver drove him to Sophia¡¯s ce. When the car stopped before her house, she ran toward the car. Her appearance startled Logan, who began making exmations, to which she arched a brow at. ¡°I must look stunning.¡± With a nod in agreement, Loganplimented, ¡°You have always been a beauty, but you never left an impression on people. However, I have to admit that I have underestimated you. I wonder how could John possibly let you go.¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Upon having John¡¯s name being mentioned, Sophia shot Logan a re. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that jerk¡¯s name.¡± Logan blinked while asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did he do something to cross you?¡± His query was met with a huff from her before she got into the car without giving him a reply, but Logan didn¡¯t brood on the subject any longer either. He simply had the driver leave for the venue. The ckwell Family threw a grand party for Kate¡¯s birthday in their European-styled mansion in the suburbs. There were already a lot of cars parked outside the mansion when they arrived, and the mansion was crowded with guests, as could be seen through the entrance. The mansion was probably built for official purposes, as it only had banquet halls and reception halls rather than living quarters. With Logan in the lead, Sophia followed him to the reception hall, in which a buffet that resembled the one she attended with John was set up within its huge space. There were a lot of guests in the hall, who turned to check on them upon their entry, but soon resumed their respective tasks at hand. The manner in which they were received differed from back when Sophia was with John. While everybody tried to get John¡¯s attention as soon as he arrived, they were shunning Logan upon his arrival. However, Logan wasn¡¯t discouraged at all by their treatment of him. Instead, he simply led Sophia to the buffet for some dessert as he hadn¡¯t had dinner. Sophia blinked in confusion while she asked, ¡°Did your father not attend the party? Why isn¡¯t he with you?¡± After chucking a piece of dessert into his mouth, Logan replied, ¡°Probably because he thinks I¡¯m an embarrassment.¡± He said it with much poise, all the while betraying no negative emotions toward the supposed reason behind his father¡¯s behavior. Due to the fact that Sophia wasn¡¯t feeling hungry, she only drank some juice. Logan led her to the backyard after a quick meal, where a rock garden and a swing was installed. While looking at the scendscape, Logan offered to push Sophia on the swing. She checked on the swing before agreeing to his suggestion. Truth be told, she wasn¡¯t much interested in it as it was more to a child¡¯s liking, and she was already way past that age. The sole reason she went on it was because she wanted to give it a go as she had never gotten the chance to y on one when she was younger. Therefore, she sat down while holding the hem of her gown, whereas Logan pushed her from behind. ¡°I scanned the venue, but John is nowhere to be found. With how much of a rigid person he is, he should already have arrived.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 424 Chapter 424 Sophia let out a chuckle before remarking, ¡°I was searching for Isabelle a while ago. She¡¯s also a disciplined youngdy, but I can¡¯t seem to find her anywhere too, so perhaps¡­¡± Despite not finishing her sentence, her smile seemed to indicate that John and Isabelle might¡¯ve snuck away together. However, the mention of John reminded Sophia of what he did to herst night, as well as of her dream, which made her sulk. ¡°It¡¯s better if they¡¯re not around. I don¡¯t want to see them anyway.¡± Meanwhile, Logan was still mumbling to himself in a low voice about the Morgan siblings. Afterall, he was a petty person, so he wouldn¡¯t feel satisfied until he had gotten rid of them. Sophia merely grunted in agreement. After a while, he was still pushing on the swing from behind, but Logan had ceased his chatter altogether. ¡°Logan? Why are you so quiet?¡± asked Sophia. He merely grunted in response. ¡°I should stop talking about those two, as it only makes me feel worse.¡± There was some truth to his words, as he had better things to do than talk about the Morgan siblings. After heaving a sigh, Sophia said, ¡°To be honest, I would prefer to spend my birthdays alone with my closest friends and family rather than throwing a party. This is just too much of a bother.¡± Herment was met with a smile from Logan, who said nothing else after giving her a grunt. Meanwhile, Sophia leaned on one of the slings of the swing while observing the passersby in silence, as she wasn¡¯t in the mood to speak. Besides, it was no ce for a private conversation as waiters were constantly passing by. Guests were still piling in from the entrance, so the venue was getting livelier with the passage of time. While Sophia used to like such asions back when she still lived in her vige, she no longer liked them after marrying into the Constance Family, as such asions felt differentpared to those held back in her vige. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. The celebrations in her vige were a glorious asion indeed for the vigers, but the celebrations held by the rich seemed to be more about showing off their wealth and status. Sophia wanted to get off the swing after a while, but before she could, she heard Isabelle¡¯s voice when she approached Sophia from the reception hall with a smile. ¡°John, Miss Gwendolyn, here you are.¡± What Isabelle said startled Sophia, who only thought to turn around to check on who was behind her after a few seconds. Logan was nowhere to be found. Instead, he was being reced by John, who had one hand in his pocket while holding onto the sling with the other. The sight of him brought a frown to Sophia¡¯s face. ¡°John?¡± Isabelle had greeted them with a loud voice, which caused the people around them to turn to check on them. Meanwhile, Sophia got off the swing with her sights set on John. ¡°Where¡¯s Logan?¡± He was here just moments ago. Where¡¯d he gone? With a calm demeanor, John replied, ¡°He went to the washroom, so he asked for us to wait here.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t realize when Logan had left, as she didn¡¯t hear any sound or movements. In the meantime, John seemed to have noticed her confusion, as he said with a smile on his face, ¡°I told him to leave without disturbing you.¡± There was a sullen expression on Sophia¡¯s face while she nced at John¡¯s face, as she seemed to have recalled what happened the night before. Her expression reminded John of what transpired between them as well, to which he responded with a silentugh before tapping on his own lips when he walked up to Sophia. That shameless b*stard! Sophia was fuming at the fact that he even dared mention the incident, but she averted her gaze momentster. In the meantime, Isabelle walked up to her with a sincere smile on her face, as if having totally forgotten about her conflict with Sophia in the boutique, as well as her grim conversation with John over the phone. ¡°I saw you both as soon as I came out from the reception hall. This is such a coincidence.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 425 Chapter 425 Sophia let slip a chuckle before replying, ¡°Is that so? I was expecting to meet you during such an asion.¡± What Sophia said was rather confrontational, but Isabelle didn¡¯t seem to mind at all, as she retained her smile while saying, ¡°How long have you been here? I just arrived. There are so many guests, but I know none of them, so it¡¯s making me feel a little awkward.¡± While Isabelle spoke, Sophia was observing the white gown Isabelle wore. She seemed otherworldly in her gown, which was befitting of her temperament. Inparison, Sophia thought she seemed tacky, but that was a fact she didn¡¯t deny; she thought that she was destined for the life of amon folk who needed to work hard to earn her wages. John approached Sophia to stand by her side. ¡°We just arrived as well.¡± While John spoke, Logan walked up to them with a sullen look on his face upon noticing Isabelle¡¯s presence, as he disliked both Isabelle and her mother. Besides, he was never one to hide his emotions, so people could easily get to know who was on his cklist by observing his facial expressions. He stood beside Sophia as well, but his words were directed at Isabelle. ¡°Why are you here?¡± He sounded even more confrontational than Sophia, but Isabelle tried her best to respond in a casual manner. ¡°I came with my father.¡± After hearing what she told him, Logan examined her from head to toe before saying, ¡°This gown looks nice on you. It suits you. Why would you even think of taking some other person¡¯s gown? With some effort, you can always find one that fits you.¡± Although Logan supposedly didn¡¯t mean anything else, his words came out slightly twisted, which he didn¡¯t seem to notice himself, but both Sophia and Isabelle could detect the underlying implications in what he said. With a half smirk, Sophia suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s not stand here, as we¡¯re getting quite some attention. We should go to the reception hall instead.¡± She knew that Isabelle was trying to attract more attention by calling out to her loudly earlier, so she figured she shouldply with that by moving to an even more crowded location. The four of them garnered a lot of attention as soon as they entered the reception hall. Sophia was John¡¯s ex-wife, while Isabelle was supposedly his girlfriend, and the three were apanied by Logan, who was notorious for his bad temper. The fact that the four of them were together made for splendid gossip, which was why the crowd around them were huddled among themselves while ncing at Sophia. They all seemed to be expecting a good show. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Sophia wore a smile while wondering if they assumed Isabelle and her would fight in public. As they were both civilized individuals, they wouldn¡¯t do it in public even if they were to start a brawl. Truth be told, Sophia disliked the fact that Isabelle would put on a smile regardless of if she liked the individual she was facing. Compared to her, Sophia much preferred spending time with someone like Logan, whom she could easily read, as it was safer to associate herself with that kind of person. People like Isabelle were good at disguising themselves, so their shady actions might even go undetected. Even someone like Matilda was easier to deal withpared to Isabelle. Upon reaching that conclusion, Sophia could no longer hold back the question in her mind, so she turned to look at John. ¡°I have something that I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you.¡± Instead of giving her a reply on the spot, John gestured at the seats in the lounge area beside them, so Isabelle and Logan went over. After that, John looked at Sophia while asking, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What is it that you would like to know?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t follow Logan and Isabelle. Instead, she moved closer to John before asking, ¡°Are your parents¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t finish her sentence as she assumed he would know what she was trying to ask. However, all John did was stare at her in silence. Sophia didn¡¯t want anybody else overhearing their conversation, so she moved even closer to him before repeating her question. ¡°Are you parents really divorced?¡± A smile tugged at the corner of John¡¯s lips. Neither Logan nor Isabelle were close to them, so the fact that John and Sophia stood so close to each other garnered the attention of quite a number of people. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 426 Chapter 426 After waiting for a while, Sophia asked in a subdued voice with much reluctance, ¡°I know what¡¯s going on even if you didn¡¯t tell me anything. Do you think you could hide the truth from me?¡± John responded to her with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down over there.¡± Then, he made a gesture to loop his hand around her shoulder. Despite its innocuous nature, people could read into it from multiple perspectives because of John and Sophia¡¯s rtionship. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. There were a lot of journalists present during Kate¡¯s birthday party, as she used to be a famous actress when she was young, but she had quit acting after that to focus on her family. Therefore, she intended to revisit her younger years during her eightieth birthday, which was why a few media agencies were invited to the asion, who without a doubt had captured John and Sophia¡¯s interaction on camera. The both of them walked over before sitting down beside Logan and Isabelle on the sofa. There was space between Logan and Isabelle, so Sophia sat down beside Logan, while John sat between her and Isabelle. It was in fact Isabelle¡¯s intention to have the press witness the scene of the three of them sitting together. Her reputation was at risk after what happened, so she hired a group of ghostwriters to clear things up for her, but her n seemed to have backfired on her, as the negativements about her only grewpared to the ghostwriter¡¯sments. The only way to go about it was to make use of the news to clear her name. The sight of the three of them sitting together in harmony would definitely clear things up in Isabelle¡¯s favor. After scanning her surroundings, Sophia asked, ¡°What¡¯sing up next? Are we going to sit here till nightfall?¡± If that was the case, she would rather go home. It was John who answered her question while leaning closer toward Sophia. ¡°The banquet will be starting soon, followed by a lottery session. I heard that the prizes arevish.¡± Logan joined in on the conversation. ¡°Even if the prizes arevish, what the ckwells are doing is essentially handing out their money.¡± John didn¡¯t know what the prizes would be either. ¡°I heard nothing of it, as they hid it well. Not even my grandmother knew about it when I asked her.¡± Logan smacked his lips beforementing, ¡°The ckwells sure know how to have fun by keeping the presents a secret.¡± John merely smiled in silence upon listening to what Logan said. In the meantime, Isabelle sat on the other side of the sofa, seemingly being isted from the three of them while they spoke among themselves. However, she was good at suppressing herself, so her expression betrayed no emotions. On the other hand, Logan began telling them about the gossip he heard of. ording to rumors, Kate ckwell used to be hailed by many as a famous actress when she was young, but the members of the prestigious ckwell Family looked down on her due to her profession, so she quit being an actress. There were a lot of people who felt sorry that she had to quit, as they thought Kate would have attained a certain level of fame if she were to keep on working as an actress. Upon listening to the story, Sophia heaved a sigh. ¡°She must love her husband a lot.¡± Sophia figured it must have been hard on Kate to quit her job for the sake of her husband. However, John had a different opinion on the matter. ¡°That might not necessarily be the case. Her husband, Nathan ckwell, went on to marry a second wife who bore him a son.¡± Sophia was startled by what John told her, but she quickly recalled that it was customary among wealthy families to marry multiple women, which prompted her to backtrack on what she said. ¡°So it seems that wealthy men are all b*stards.¡± Both Logan and John let out a cry of protest, to which Sophia responded with a re before staring at Logan. ¡°You sure are one, seeing that Officer Hunt had carried out multiple police raids on your clubhouse.¡± She then turned to look at John, who was staring at her closely. That seemed to have affected her confidence, as her voice became softer. ¡°You are the same.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 427 Chapter 427 John let out an amusedugh as soon as he witnessed Sophia¡¯s expression. ¡°So what about me? Why don¡¯t you tell everybody what have I done?¡± Meanwhile, Sophia was sulking while she nced tentatively at Isabelle. She then said in a lowered volume, ¡°Why would you need me to tell you about it? All I will say is that you¡¯re up to no good.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. However, John didn¡¯t even bother to lower his volume when he replied, ¡°If you¡¯re talking about what happenedst night between us, I¡¯ll be honest and tell you that I lost control.¡± Sophia let out a hiss. You son of a b*tch, watch what you say! Y-Y-You¡¯re obviously trying to mislead people! On the other hand, Logan moved closer to them with a cheeky expression on his face. ¡°Did you two¡­ Aren¡¯t you divorced?¡± Turning to look at Logan, Sophia chided him, ¡°You should shut up.¡± John gave a grunt before telling Logan nonchntly, ¡°While we are divorced, it isn¡¯t that out of the ordinary for something to happen between a single man and a single woman. Besides, we know each other well.¡± He¡¯s being a f*cking shameless b*stard. Sophia was so furious that she almost wound upughing. ¡°You¡¯d better watch what you say! Even if you don¡¯t care about your reputation, I do care about mine!¡± Although Isabelle wasn¡¯t looking at them, she could hear everything they were saying, which made her heart strung up. What John said was obviously implying that he spent thest night together with Sophia. Isabelle¡¯s impression of John was that he was stern, and he never joked about anything, nor did he ever spout nonsense, so she assumed that he was telling the truth. Despite how her hand was clutching the hem of her gown, her expression betrayed nothing. John was smiling while facing Logan. ¡°I will refrain from saying anything, but you can let your imagination run wild.¡± What John said led Logan to cast a sneaky nce at both of them, whereas Sophia scoffed at John after staring at him for a while. ¡°Sure, since we¡¯re now on the subject, I would like to know why you went to my housest night?¡± Sophia¡¯s question stunned John, as he was in fact struggling to make a decision on whether he should go to her housest night. His brain was muddled by various thoughts throughout the past few days, but he eventually decided to go to Sophia¡¯s house. However, she wasn¡¯t in, while the doors and windows were locked, so John decided to scale the building to reach for the balcony, only to find that the door up there was unlocked, which he used to enter her room. When John was waiting for Sophia toe home, there were a few times he considered leaving before she arrived. However, he eventually waited until she arrived despite his inner strife. Sophia came home alone, but for a second when he was standing on the second floor, John was afraid that he might witness Sophia getting out of the car alongside Ian. The fact that she came alone left John feeling as if having his prayers answered. Meanwhile, Sophia gave him a shove after staring at him for a while. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, so answer me! What were you nning to do when you went to my housest night? You¡¯re acting weird.¡± Upon turning to face her, a smile tugged at the corner of John¡¯s lips. ¡°I was trying to figure out what makes you attractive.¡± With a pout, she said, ¡°Everything!¡± John wore a smile while he replied, ¡°Yeah, everything indeed.¡± After staring at him for some time, Sophia clicked her tongue before adjusting her posture. ¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡± Meanwhile, John turned to look at the people from the press, who were observing them from afar. He figured that they must¡¯ve gotten everything they needed since he had been ying along with the scenario. After some time, the ckwells arrived, with Kate ckwell being supported by one of them. She was old, and her clothes hung loosely on her shriveled frame. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 428 Chapter 428 However, Kate had a smile on her face, so she seemed quite spirited. Sophia examined Kate before moving closer to John. ¡°She seems to be of the same age as your grandmother.¡± By that point, John already stood up. ¡°She¡¯s older than my grandmother.¡± Kate showed up to thank her guests for attending the event, which she then followed up with more pleasantries. Also, she told them to go get the food that was served at the rear end of the venue. It was about time to let the banquet begin as a lot of the guests arrived early in the morning without having breakfast. Sophia, John and Logan walked up to the tables as soon as it began, while Old Mr. Jefferson and Old Mrs. Constance gathered around the same table, leaving the youngsters to their own separate tables. As Logan was the one who brought Sophia along, she followed him to the table while John tagged along. Upon witnessing that, Sophia turned to ask John, ¡°Why are you following me?¡± John responded with a frown on his face. ¡°I am not following you but Logan. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Upon hearing what John said, Logan cried out in surprise. ¡°John was thinking of teaming up with me earlier on, but he didn¡¯t get the chance to do so. Come on. Let¡¯s just sit together since we¡¯re all here now.¡± After telling her father about it, Isabelle joined them, which was something Sophia admired her for. If they switched positions, Sophia would never do as she did, as she would stay away from the person who hated her. Everybody was looking for a seat by that point, but none of them were in a hurry as there were plenty of seats. After everybody was seated, there were a few more empty seats across Sophia, which made her say after some thought, ¡°I should¡¯vee in my pajamas instead of a gown.¡± Logan agreed to her notion while loosening his tie. ¡°I feel ufortable in this suit.¡± The table wasn¡¯t huge, so it could only fit around five to six people, but none of the other guests were willing to sit down by their table as soon as they saw who upied it, so despite themotion, their table ended up being upied by them four. Logan was delighted with the space they had, so he immediately moved his chair while saying, ¡°Come on, instead of squeezing together, let¡¯s make more space since it¡¯s just the four of us.¡± Sophia gave John a shove before demanding, ¡°You, move there.¡± John responded by moving slightly away from her. His response annoyed Sophia, so she moved away on her own while wearing a smirk, which John couldn¡¯t help butugh at. Isabelle could only pretend to not have seen any of their interaction. After that, Logan handed Sophia a pair of chopsticks. ¡°Have you had breakfast? Come, have something to eat. I remember that you only drank some juice earlier.¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. A waiter passed by their table, so John called out to him, The waiter responded bying up to him quickly. ¡°I would like some warm milk,¡± said John. Then, as if suddenly remembering something else, he turned to Isabelle and asked, ¡°Would you like some as well? We¡¯ll order two of that if you would like some.¡± John didn¡¯t need to ask that question, but he deliberately did anyway. Getting what John was trying to imply, Isabelle simply smiled and replied, ¡°No, thank you. I already had breakfast.¡± With that, John turned to the waiter to ask for just one cup of warm milk, but Sophia smirked as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t you tell me it¡¯s for me. You know I hate milk.¡± However, John didn¡¯t even look her way. ¡°Did you forget you have a weak stomach? What were you even thinking when you skipped breakfast? My grandmother told me to bring you to a checkup when I have the time, as this is noughing matter. You¡¯ll get into trouble when you get older.¡± With a snort, Sophia asked, ¡°What does it have to do with you anyway?¡± ¡°How could it have nothing to do with me?¡± John shot back. Logan was having a fun time watching them bicker, but he was startled by what John said. ¡°Does it have anything to do with you?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 429 Chapter 429 John was unfazed by what Logan said. ¡°I promised my grandfather I will take care of Sophia when he passed away, so of course it has everything to do with me.¡± Not only did he see her as his responsibility, she was his responsibility for life. Meanwhile, Sophia was not impressed by his exnation. There we go again. It¡¯s a bore to hear him say that. Despite his grandfather¡¯s will to have us stay together, that prick divorced me as soon as his grandfather passed away. After mulling over the situation, Isabelle spoke up for the first time that night. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn will one day be married to someone else, so her husband will take care of her.¡± There was a pause on John¡¯s part while he pulled his lips into a thin line. In response, Sophia looked toward Isabelle while figuring to herself, She sure knows when to step in. For the first time in forever, Sophia agreed to what Isabelle said. ¡°Yeah. I will have my own life, John, so I don¡¯t really need you.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Sophia had refrained from saying anything worse considering how many guests were present for the asion, so she didn¡¯t want to hurt John¡¯s pride. Meanwhile, John gave a nomittal response with his eyes on Sophia, then he fell silent. After a while, the waiter brought them some warm milk, which John left in front of Sophia. Then, he instructed her before she could say anything else, ¡°Don¡¯t be a brat. Drink it all up.¡± He sounded as if trying to coax her, to which Sophia responded by simply staring at the milk in front of her. She didn¡¯t want to make the situation any worse, so after making sure that the temperature was right, she downed the milk in one go, which warmed her from the stomach up to her throat. As soon as she finished her milk, Kate announced that the feast was to begin, so the waiters started to serve the guests their dishes. Sophia was hit with a pang of hunger as soon as she took in the aroma of the dishes. Handing Sophia her chopsticks, John said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat. You should start from the hot dishes.¡± Logan was famished as he didn¡¯t have breakfast, so he wasn¡¯t about to wait any longer. On the other side, Isabelle ate her food in small bites and with much elegance. John must¡¯ve had breakfast, as he stopped after a few bites. All he did after that was lean back in his seat while watching Sophia eat. When she was still married to John, Sophia ate slowly and carefully, but now, she could no longer care to put up any pretense. Although shecked table manners back then, John could sense she was trying to annoy the Constances, for when she was eating at home or outside, like the banquet they were at now, she seemed to eat at a normal pace. The way she ate seemed natural, which he enjoyed watching. In fact, the two of them didn¡¯t have much of a chance to have a meal together, so having the chance to do so brought a smile to John¡¯s face. Meanwhile, Isabelle had been paying attention to John, so she noticed that his gaze was on Sophia all the time. Although Matilda told her that John hated Sophia, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Isabelle had aplicated look on her face as soon as she thought of Matilda. Despite being in frequent contact, Matilda seemed to have lost her zest. She used to try to invite Isabelle over to the mansion, which thetter used to turn down, but now, when Isabelle suggested to pay Matilda a visit, thetter would refuse her with various excuses instead. Isabelle was smart, so it was apparent to her that Matilda was acting out of character. After eating for some time, she looked at John. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve been telling your mother that I¡¯d like to pay her a visit as it has been a while since Ist saw her. Will she be home tomorrow? She asked me to visit her some time ago, but I was busy back then, so I figured I should visit her tomorrow now that I¡¯ve met you.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 430 Chapter 430 John observed Isabelle before replying, ¡°My mother went back to her mother¡¯s ce as there are things she needs to tend to, so my mother isn¡¯t currently staying at the Constance Residence.¡± What John said startled Isabelle, but she quickly responded with a light ¡®oh¡¯. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s what¡¯s going on¡­ She invited me to pay her a visit at your ce a few days ago, but she didn¡¯t seem keen about it anymore, so I assumed she was feeling unwell, which worried me.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes while she thought, So Matilda¡¯s at her mother¡¯s ce¡­ Judging from what she already knew of the situation, as well as her question toward John that went unanswered, the truth was evident to Sophia, which amused her. To her, the fact that Matilda finally received her karma was worth a celebration. There was a gloating look on Sophia¡¯s face when John looked her way, so he chided her softly, ¡°Why are youughing? Focus on eating your food.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy. Why can¡¯t I be happy about things?¡± Sophia lifted her chin in defiance. By lifting his hand, John wiped something away from the corner of Sophia¡¯s lips, which surprised her so much that she backed away in reflex. ¡°There¡¯s something at the corner of your lips, so why are you backing away?¡± John seemed unfazed by her reaction. After wiping her mouth, he took out his phone, as there seemed to be an iing message. However, Sophia wasn¡¯t nning on spending any more energy to y his games. Meanwhile, Logan asked from beside her, ¡°I wonder what Ian is doing in the clubhouse. Has he eaten though?¡± After some thought, Sophia suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t I ask him?¡± She then took out her phone, which John nced at from the corner of his eyes before resuming to look at the screen of his own phone that was disying a message from Zack about stuff from work. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. In the meantime, Sophia sent Ian a message, which he replied quickly using a voice message that Sophia yed out loud. He told her that he had his breakfast quitete in the morning, then he went to y games in Logan¡¯s room. He also told her he was feeling bored, so Sophia gave him a video call after some thought, which he picked up immediately with a smile. ¡°Are you eating?¡± Sophia gave him a nod. ¡°Yeah.¡± Then, she switched her camera view to show Logan¡¯s face, while the latter let out a chuckle. At that moment, John spoke up from the side. ¡°You should eat and talkter.¡± Although his voice wasn¡¯t loud, it was audible enough to make Ian¡¯s smile freeze on his face before asking, ¡°Is John with you?¡± To that, Sophia grunted. ¡°Yeah, he came to the banquet too.¡± Ian went on asking, ¡°Did you bring apanion with you, Mr. Constance?¡± The invitation stated that guests were allowed to bring along apanion to add to the fun, as there would be a prom session that would allow the couples to dance with each other. ¡°Nope.¡± John made a curt reply to Ian¡¯s question. Ian chuckled before saying, ¡°It¡¯s a shame. This would have been a great opportunity though.¡± However, all John did was smirk in silence. Ian proceeded to ask Sophia if anything interesting happened, but there were in fact none. It was so boring that Sophia wanted to go home. The call ended after some more chatter, during which the guests were almost finished with their meals. John was still texting Zack when Logan scanned his surroundings. ¡°Why are there so many guests but no table for games? Does the host expect us all to just chat? We need some other form of entertainment.¡± Sophia felt helpless when she heard Logan¡¯s words, while John let out a chuckle. ¡°Kate is the matriarch of the ckwell Family, and this is for her birthday celebration, so why would she set up a table for games?¡± Kate was a woman of style, so she would never allow such a thing to happen during her own birthday celebration. Otherwise, the news agencies wouldn¡¯t be focused on reporting about her birthday celebration. John suggested after some thought, ¡°There¡¯s a tea room in the backyard, so why don¡¯t we go have a seat over there?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 431 Chapter 431 Most of the tables still had food on them while the upants chattered away gleefully. Of the guests who attended, most of them had prominent statuses. They were people who liked to expand their social network. It was also easier to strike a business deal when both parties were drinking, so the guests were beginning to engage in conversations that were customary during such asions. Sophia disliked such asions, as she had a feeling that everybody had their own agenda no matter what they said or did, so she agreed to John¡¯s suggestion with a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s go, since I am full anyway.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. With that, John stood to help Sophia up from her seat as the gown she wore was a little too long for ease of movement. After she stood up, John held onto her hand. Sophia was so focused on not stepping on the hem of her gown that she didn¡¯t notice that it was John who helped her up, nor did she realize that John was holding her hand. It wasn¡¯t until she was a few steps away from the table that she realized that something was off. Thus, she quickly retracted her hand while her eyes widened, all the while wearing a frown on her face. Her expression was sullen as she nced at John, while her tone was one of seriousness when she issued a warning. ¡°You¡¯d better keep your hands to yourself, John. Don¡¯t you dare pull any tricks on me.¡± John¡¯s face betrayed no emotion when he said, ¡°I¡¯m not pulling any tricks. All I did was support you so that you won¡¯t identally fall over.¡± Meanwhile, Isabelle could see the look on his face from behind. Although his face betrayed no emotion, there was a cheerful glint in his eyes. However, Sophia wasn¡¯t as observant as Isabelle, so she merely shot John a re before leaving for their next destination. There was a ratherrge tea room in the yard, which was unupied. There was a waiter stationed there, who led them to their seats as soon as they walked up to him. Then, the waiter inquired about the tea that they would like. Sophia knew nothing about tea, but she said after some thought, ¡°I would like some rose tea.¡± ¡°Same as her,¡± said Logan. John made his own decision without even consulting Isabelle. ¡°We¡¯ll all have the same.¡± After taking their orders, the waiter left swiftly, while Sophia stretched herself out in her seat before telling Logan, ¡°I find the banquet extremely boring.¡± There was a smile on John¡¯s face when he took over the conversation. ¡°The reason that you¡¯re bored is because you don¡¯t have much to gain from it. However, a lot of the other guests perceive it as a rare opportunity that they would treasure.¡± John was referring to those who were drinking back there, as they could meet up with people whom they wouldn¡¯t normally meet if not for the asion, so the banquet was actually a tform for them to facilitate multiple business coborations. Upon listening to what he said, Sophia cast John a side nce before asking, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stay behind?¡± Isabelle nced at him too, as she thought it would be more beneficial for John if he stayed back. His company had a wide range of business dealings, so a wide connection would be beneficial to them. Not only was the banquet the best chance to expand hiswork, it was also the easiest way to do so. Meanwhile, John stared at Sophia before saying, ¡°Why should I stay there if you¡¯re here?¡± Sophia let out a snort, as if she was already used to his antics. She even clicked her tongue while thinking, He sure is a douche. He used to think that I was annoying when I used to cater to him, but now that I¡¯m gone, he has a hard time adjusting to his new life. On the other hand, Logan gave a more pronounced reaction. ¡°What do you mean by that? Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± All John did was stare at Sophia without even answering Logan¡¯s question, while Isabelle looked away, her lips pursed, as she wasn¡¯t sure how she should react. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 432 Chapter 432 In the past, no matter the asion, even at those events that were grander than Kate¡¯s birthday party, Isabelle was always the one in control of the mood and flow of conversation, so the conversations would revolve around her no matter the topic. However, Sophia¡¯s presence was always a deterrent to her. Whenever she was with Sophia, not only would Isabelle be pushed out of the spotlight, she would also never get the chance to be the initiator of conversation. Instead, she always wound up in a passive spot, as well as the one who was ignored whenever she was in Sophia¡¯s presence. All she could do was heave a quiet sigh. Meanwhile, Sophia nced at John casually before mocking him, ¡°You¡¯d better get yourself treated if you are mentally unstable. Make sure not to drag things on.¡± A smile bloomed on John¡¯s face as he realized how much fun he was having while teasing Sophia. Although the more spirited Sophia was, the crankier she would get, and he seemed to like that about her. The waiter brought them their tea a whileter, then they began chatting away. Even though there were four people sitting around the table, Isabelle remained silent throughout their conversation, as not only did she hate Sophia, Logan was also someone whom she disliked. Before the banquet, she thought she might get a chance to spend time alone with John, but she had a premonition that it would be impossible the moment she saw Sophia picking out a gown that day. Coupled with John¡¯s deration over the phone that he would look out for Sophia, Isabelle knew she already lost the battle. However, she decided to attend the banquet despite knowing that she might not get anything out of it, as not only did she feel wronged, she was also driven by the urge to get to the bottom of the sudden change in John¡¯s attitude toward his ex-wife. Isabelle had been paying attention to John¡¯s behavior when they were chatting. Whenever he spoke to Sophia, a smile would tug at the corner of his lips, which was something she never observed in him. The more he was amused by Sophia¡¯s presence, the more Isabelle felt annoyed and unhappy about it. Eventually, she stood when the three of them were sent into aughing fit. ¡°You guys carry on. I will go check on my father, as well as go greet Madam Kate.¡± What she said reminded John of what should be done, so he said, ¡°I will have to go there too.¡± Since Kate ckwell was the hostess, they should go greet her because they were the younger generation. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. It was then that John cast Logan a nce, only to have thetter wave his hand while turning down the suggestion. ¡°I will not be going. Presumably, no one would want to see me.¡± He always had a clear grasp of where he stood with others. Sophia tried to egg him on. ¡°You should go since you chose to attend the event. It¡¯s not nice to not greet the hostess. No matter Kate¡¯s opinion of you, people would have a harder time picking on you if you were being polite.¡± However, Logan couldn¡¯t be bothered by it. ¡°I suppose there will be a lot of people, so they don¡¯t need me there.¡± In the end, Sophia pushed on his arm while saying, ¡°Just go. It won¡¯t take long. John will be there too, so you have nothing to fear.¡± ¡°Who told you I am afraid of greeting the matriarch? I fear nothing!¡± Logan shot up from his seat while saying so. After ncing at Sophia, John told her, ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere. We will be back soon.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t even bother to reply, so John left with the other two after having said so. There was probably still a lot going on around the tables, as nobody came to the tea room. Sophia leaned back against her seat before stretching herself out and tidying her gown, then she looked out through the window. Although the banquet might be a rare asion that others might want to treasure, Sophia found no appeal in it, so she decided to never attend such an asion ever again. No matter what Logan said, she never wanted to suffer through such an asion ever again. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 433 Chapter 433 After sitting alone by the table for a while, rustling noises could be heard at the entrance of the tea room. Sophia thought that John and the rest were back, so she looked toward there, only to see a person peeking in through the entrance with a microphone in hand. He seemed to be trying to check on the upants in the room, and he ended up being startled by the sight of Sophia alone in therge tea room. After a pause, the man came in with two other men in tow. One of them had a video recorder in hand, while the other was the conductor. They were obviously journalists sent by the press. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. As she was alone in the tea room, they were definitely after her, so Sophia adjusted her posture. The man with a mic had a cheerful disposition about him while he approached her. ¡°Greetings, Miss Gwendolyn. This is such a coincidence.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± asked Sophia while checking him out. The man saw four cups on the table, so he asked, ¡°Are you waiting for your friends?¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°Yes. I am waiting for them.¡± The journalist seemed polite enough, as he didn¡¯t sit down right away. Instead, he bowed down while standing beside her with the mic close to her. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, I saw you were with Mr. John Constance and Miss Isabelle Bailey not so long ago. May I know¡­¡± Upon hearing his question, Sophia lifted her head to look his way. ¡°What would you like to know?¡± The journalist put on a smile before asking, ¡°Pardon me. As I saw you together with Mr. John Constance a while ago, so I¡¯d very much like to know if you two are¡­¡± Without needing him to finish his question, Sophia already knew what he was trying to ask, so she smiled and replied, ¡°We are friends. I came along with Mr. Logan Jefferson today, and it was out of coincidence that we met John. However, being divorced from each other doesn¡¯t mean we are on bad terms. We parted ways amicably, so we¡¯re still friends.¡± The journalist let out an ¡®ah¡¯ to show that he had understood before smiling at her. ¡°You sure are broad- minded, Miss Gwendolyn.¡± There seemed to be an addedyer of meaning in what he said, but Sophia brushed it off with a smile. ¡°Not really, as John didn¡¯t do anything that warrants an apology, so I have nothing to forgive. You might¡¯ve gotten the wrong idea about this.¡± Noises that indicated the return of John and the rest could be heard from the entrance as soon as she said so, but rather than looking their way, Sophia opted to sip on her cup of tea. John was beside her in a few strides, then he looked between her and the three men before throwing them a question, ¡°Why are you here?¡± None of them seemed to be perturbed by John¡¯s question, as the conductor smiled as soon as he saw John. ¡°Mr. Constance, please don¡¯t be angry. We are merely doing an interview with Miss Gwendolyn since she¡¯s here.¡± Isabelle stepped in at that moment to ask rather politely, ¡°What would you like to know?¡± She then turned to Sophia before any of the men could reply to her question. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, are you alright?¡± With a smile, Sophia replied, ¡°I¡¯m alright. They just arrived, so they didn¡¯t do anything to me. Yet.¡± Isabelle was better at handling these situations than John, which was evident when she sat down beside Sophia instead of confronting the journalists. She even held onto Sophia¡¯s arm intimately before looking toward the video recorder. ¡°I do not know what you wish to say, but your reporting is affecting our private lives. Miss Gwendolyn and I are not who you im us to be, as we are friends, while Mr. Constance and I are currently business partners, so I hope you will report nothing but the truth.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia was wearing a half smirk, whereas John heaved a sigh before ncing at Isabelle. He knew she was doing the right thing, as not only would it resolve the crisis, it would also clear up the rumors on the Inte. Thus, he chose to remain silent, but Logan seemed to disagree with what Isabelle said, as he knew for a fact that Sophia disliked Isabelle. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 434 Chapter 434 Logan knew Sophia must be annoyed by how Isabelle was holding onto her arm. Due to his straightforward nature, he went up to her in strides before helping Sophia up with a sullen expression. ¡°I¡¯m warning you to watch what you say, as Sophia is a dear friend of mine. Don¡¯t even think for a second that you can walk all over her. If you are going to report this, you¡¯d better think before you put it into words, or else my sister¡ª¡± Perhaps Logan was a little ashamed of bringing Lorraine¡¯s name up, so he cleared his throat before continuing, ¡°If I catch you spouting any nonsense, I will make sure that you will be met with consequences.¡± The three men stared at Logan in silence, as they knew how barbaric he could get once provoked. Also, he was one who wouldn¡¯t care about familial ties and responsibilities. In fact, they perceived Logan with slight disdain. Instead of acting the part of an heir to the Jeffersons who would be capable of shouldering the responsibilities of the family, Logan turned out to be notorious for his vile disposition. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Despite having stared at Logan for some time, they had nothing to ask of Logan, so they turned to John instead for their next interview. ¡°Mr. John Constance, ording to previous ounts, your divorce with Miss Gwendolyn was due to an interference from Miss Isabelle Bailey, but does the fact that you are still capable of maintaining a certain degree of civility while conversing with each other mean what happened back then was¡­¡± ¡°What happened back then?¡± John retorted immediately. ¡°You fabricated the news on your own. Nothing happened between us.¡± The journalist seemed unfazed by John¡¯s retort, as he merely let out a chuckle before proceeding with another question. ¡°Pardon me, but I would like to know if your divorce with Miss Gwendolyn had anything to do with a conflict between you two, or was it due to external circumstances?¡± He seemed intent on getting to the bottom of the situation, which exined his repetitive question. ¡°What happened between Sophia and I was my fault, as I was the one who neglected her.¡± With a tilt of his head, John brooded for a while before answering, ¡°I failed to maintain bnce between my work and home life.¡± What he said exined a lot of things. Meanwhile, Logan was getting impatient. ¡°Are you done with your questions? Aren¡¯t you bored by your repetitive news reports on such an inconsequential matter? Hear me out just this once. Instead of focusing on this, you should do something different to attract more attention. Isn¡¯t there a new talent show on TV? You should check it out, as I think it will soon gain a lot of traction. If you follow up on it, you should be able to uncover some new talents.¡± Sophia could hardly contain herughter. Contrary to popr opinion, Logan was quite smart, for he was able to change the topic so smoothly. In the meantime, John waved his hand at the waiter, who quickly caught on to what he meant as he came to usher the journalists to cover more on Kate¡¯s birthday party. After smiling at them, the journalists packed up to leave. After removing Logan¡¯s hand from her shoulder, Sophia turned to meet his gaze. ¡°You sure are a smooth talker! You should work as Ian¡¯s manager! Listen to yourself; that¡¯s so cool of you!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Logan was quite happy about it. ¡°How did I sound just now?¡± ¡°You were great indeed!¡± After praising Logan, Sophia turned to look at Isabelle who was still sitting beside her. That look forced Isabelle to move back to her original position, the smile earlier long gone from her face. After tidying her gown, Sophia sat back down, while Logan turned to look at Isabelle before saying in a rather odd fashion, ¡°You sure can put up a good act, Miss Bailey.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 435 Chapter 435 ¡°It¡¯s for the greater good,¡± said Isabelle, which had some truth to it. Logan sat down before turning to face John. ¡°Have a seat and some water. You performed well too.¡± Failing to stifle augh, Johnmented, ¡°You did well too, seeing that the journalists were so scared of you that they didn¡¯t dare to ask you a single question.¡± Upon hearing John¡¯sment, Logan leaned against his seat while crossing his legs. ¡°I hate people like them, as all they could do was pick at us. Their reports were what stirred the pot when there really wasn¡¯t much to see. They just want everyone to be miserable.¡± After brooding on it, Sophia asked, ¡°Are we going to wait here until the banquet is finished?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I saw the doors leading to the dance floor opened, and there were already some people there,¡± exined John. Dance floor? Sophia figured she should skip it altogether since she didn¡¯t know how to dance. Back then, Matilda had Sophia learn some dance moves with the reasoning that Sophia might need to know about it in case she needed to apany John on some asions. However, Matilda was also dissatisfied with Sophia¡¯s slow progress and inelegant posture, which only seemed to irk Matilda, so Sophia ceased the effort altogether. Upon recalling what happened in the past, Sophia wore a smile when she realized Matilda might have been simply trying to make things difficult for her by having her attend all sorts of sses, only to cancel themter on. Despite ack of interest on Sophia¡¯s part, Logan was, on the contrary, quite the eager learner. There was a dance floor in his clubhouse, where he would sometimes enjoy himself without a care in his skills; he simply danced as he pleased. When he heard what John said, his eyes widened. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I want to dance!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t believe in a word he said. Although Logan wasn¡¯t wearing his golden chain on this day, she could imagine the chain flinging around in the air while he danced. He was, afterall, a man of action, so he stood upon saying so while holding onto Sophia¡¯s hand. ¡°Come on. I will let you witness my skills as the dancing king!¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Sophia burst intoughter. ¡°Are you even serious?¡± John followed suit while saying, ¡°I am also curious if he lives up to his title.¡± After ncing between Sophia and Logan, Isabelle for once, decided to say something. ¡°I would like to see that for myself too.¡± Sophia was pressured into tagging along since even Isabelle decided to go, so she stood while announcing, ¡°You¡¯d better listen properly here. I can¡¯t dance, so I¡¯ll only go with you to watch.¡± There was a cheerful glint in Isabelle¡¯s eyes while she smiled. The doors to the hall were indeed opened, but there weren¡¯t a lot of people in it. Music was being yed on the floors, but everybody was watching from the sidelines rather than going forward to dance. There was a row of chairs by the dance floor, as well as a small table full of fruits and drinks. After listening to the music, Logan deemed it unfit for his uing performance, so he told Sophia and the rest, ¡°Wait here while I go change the music.¡± Sophia chuckled before mocking him, ¡°Don¡¯t you turn this ce into a clubhouse, or else Madam ckwell will being after you.¡± However, Logan had no qualms in doing so. ¡°Just wait here.¡± Then, he left in the opposite direction. Sophia was resigned to sitting down beside John and Isabelle on the row of chairs, with John in the middle, while Sophia and Isabelle sat on both sides of him. Seemingly having recalled something, Isabelle moved closer to whisper into John¡¯s ear. At the same time, he listened intently while leaning toward her. After ncing their way once, Sophia paid no more attention to them, as she was more curious about Logan¡¯s choice of music with how peculiar his taste was. The music on the dance floor changed after a while. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 436 Chapter 436 The moment Sophia heard that, she cracked up. This is exactly how Logan should be! In just a split second, the soft, soothing music turned into something upbeat and noisy. As everyone stared at each other in bewilderment, unsure of what was going on, Logan removed his jacket and tie. With the buttons on his shirt and sleeves undone, he dived onto the dance floor. The room suddenly turned dark as waiters went over to the windows by the dance floor and closed the curtains. Then, the lights came on, turning the ce into the sort of dance floor in a bar. Without a doubt, Logan didn¡¯t know anything about ballroom dancing; he only knew some club moves. While the onlookers were still confused, he was already dancing without any structure and just as he liked. Some of them who were drunk apuded him and some others¡ªprobably due to the influence of alcohol¡ªjoined him on the dance floor as well after taking off their jackets and ties. They had also undid the buttons on their shirts and sleeves. As long as someone made a headstart in this sort of thing, somebody else would follow suit. When there was a first, then the second and third woulde. After some moring, all the men in the room, except John, were already on the dance floor. In the beginning, everyone was so proper, but now, they were all over the ce, singing and dancing cheerfully. Logan was enjoying himself. Usually when he was in the clubhouse, he would drag the waiters to dance with him when he was in the mood, and they were willing to y along with him because they were used to his temper. After dancing for a while, he came over to Sophia, saying, ¡°Come, join us!¡± Startled, she turned him down, ¡°I can¡¯t dance like this!¡± Over the loud music, he shouted, ¡°That¡¯s okay. I can¡¯t either! Just dance however you like and go ording to your mood.¡± However, Sophia still shook her head as she felt it was too embarrassing. In the end, it was John who was next to them who reached out his arm and grabbed her wrist. Giving her a light squeeze, he then pulled her up from her seat. ¡°Let¡¯s go and join them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ying along as well?¡± she eximed, wide-eyed. Brushing off her question with a smile, he pulled her onto the dance floor, and she wriggled a little reluctantly without making too much of a scene. Still, she really didn¡¯t know how to dance in a club, so she muttered softly, ¡°John, I really can¡¯t do this. I¡¯ll just make an embarrassment out of myself.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t dance too,¡± he told her with a chuckle and led her to a corner without caring about how everyone else was dancing. ¡°Didn¡¯t you learn something before this? We¡¯ll dance to our own style.¡± Before she could react, he had already ced an arm around her waist and grabbed her hand, setting them into the opening posture for ballroom dancing. It didn¡¯t matter what genre the music was, for after exerting a little force in his hands as a start, his feet began to move in ordance to his own beat. Even though forced to dance along with him, Sophia didn¡¯t stop nagging. ¡°John, are you misunderstanding something because I have been too nice to you?¡± With a smile, he looked at her and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t misunderstand anything.¡± Taking a deep breath, she uttered, ¡°I hope you¡¯re clear about the fact that I don¡¯t love you.¡± John merely grunted in reply as Logan returned to the dance floor, bobbing and shaking his head. Since they were just dancing randomly and nobody cared much, the people who were in the mood also dragged their partners to the dance floor. As the number of people dancing piled up, their dance turned more weird and the music switched between all types of genres. Previous Chapter Next ChapterContent is property of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 437 Chapter 437 Sitting next to the dance floor, Isabelle refused to let her guard down even for a second, even though she couldn¡¯t see John and Sophia very well from the flickering lights which shone down on the dance floor. Now, she couldn¡¯t understand John and didn¡¯t know what he was trying to do anymore. Is he trying to create an image that he¡¯s an affectionate person? Still, he didn¡¯t need to do that because they had gone to great lengths to make the news of the divorce public. While the flickering lights were hurting her eyes, a woman on the dance floor who knew her came over and invited her to dance along. ¡°Miss Bailey,e and have some fun. Look how much everyone is enjoying themselves. It¡¯s boring to sit over there by yourself.¡± Usually, Isabelle wouldn¡¯t mingle with these people because she didn¡¯t like crowds, and such a scene always annoyed her. However, it was different on this day, so she smiled at the invite. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m tempted to join when I see you guys having so much fun,¡± she said. Lifting the hem of her dress, she went to the dance floor. Of course, the women couldn¡¯t be dancing like the men who were shaking their heads wildly, but everyone knew how to dance. Besides Sophia, probably everyone else on the dance floor wereBelonging to N?velDrama.Org. socialites from well-to-do families who had learned etiquettes and everything rted to socializing. Naturally, dancing was also a part of it. The moment she was on the dance floor, she slithered toward John and Sophia¡¯s direction. She saw that they seemed to be engrossed in their own world, undisturbed by others around them as they ballroom danced to their own rhythm, not even noticing that she was just standing right next to them. However, when the lights hit their way, she could see an impatient look on Sophia¡¯s face, while John was beaming the whole time, appearing genuinely happy. Fueled by the excitement in this corner, more and more people gathered and danced around them, killing Sophia¡¯s mood when the dancing crowd began to build up. However, John held her waist firmly and casually said in a normal tone, ¡°Is Ian going to participate in the talent show invested by Lorraine Jefferson?¡± Stunned, she looked at him and asked, ¡°How did you know?¡± This was easy to find out, and it was even said that the preliminary name list for the show had already been decided. ¡°It¡¯s best for Ian to choose this path, actually,¡± he said with augh. ¡°Since it was impossible for Sean to retreat from his post in the Morgan Family, Ian would never be able to make it there.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Why are you so concerned about him suddenly?¡± Flexing his hand on her back slightly, John pulled her deeper into his arms. ¡°It¡¯s not him I¡¯m concerned about. You are the one.¡± A snort escaped her mouth as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t need your concern. Really. Because that¡¯s just trouble for me.¡± What she just said was true, because every now and then, he would say something suggestive out of the blue, which she didn¡¯t know how to respond to. Thus, she added, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll shift the me on myself. Maybe I haven¡¯t been proper enough with you since the divorce, which led you to think that I might still have some interest in you. But I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Constance. I really don¡¯t, and I can¡¯t wait for us to stop contacting each other until the end of our lives. Then, we can both live in peace.¡± Without saying anything in reply, he merely stared at her. The whole while she was saying this, she kept her gaze on him steadily. Her eyes were clear with nothing to hide, and her tone was calm and neutral. This all went to show that she was honest and she truly meant it. That made him uneasy and he sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s drop that topic and enjoy yourself today. A lot of people from the media are watching us.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 438 Chapter 438 Sophia sneered, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll save you some dignity.¡± During the small break between the change of songs, she pushed him aside and said, ¡°I¡¯m not dancing anymore. My feet are blistering from the shoes and I¡¯m tired.¡± Recalling what happened thest time her feet blistered and the fact she needed to use band-aids on it, he released her and she immediately left the dance floor. The next song on the crowded dance floor was a soothing melody, probably intended for people to do regr ballroom dancing. The moment Logan heard the tune, he left as well. Some of the men who wereughing earlier danced with their partners, while some went to catch a break. John had just begun to move to the side when Isabelle came over and called him. ¡°John.¡± Standing still, he greeted her. ¡°Hi, Miss Bailey.¡± Tucking her hair behind her ear, she blushed and seemed a little shy. ¡°May I have a dance with you?¡± The couples around them had already started twirling around to the music as he looked at her. ¡°Sure,¡± he said, offering her his hand, which she took. Meanwhile, Sophia returned to her seat and had some juice. Now, with the distracting lights removed and the curtains drawn back, the room looked like how a formal dance party should be. Sophia instantly spotted John and Isabelle, who stood out like a thumb among the crowd. Smiling, she then finished her juice. Although tired, Logan appeared to be very pleased when he came over to her. ¡°Did I dance well?¡± ¡°How do you rate yourself?¡± She chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to brag, but no one else on the dance floor earlier had moves as smooth as mine,¡± he dered proudly. Despite the fact that she didn¡¯t understand what was to be proud of, she still nodded and praised, ¡°Yeah, yeah. You¡¯re the best.¡± After catching his breath, he peered over at the dance floor and sighed. ¡°Why is John hanging out with Isabelle again?¡± Sophia grinned. ¡°That¡¯s expected, isn¡¯t it? Who else would Isabelle hang out with if not John?¡± Prejudiced against Isabelle, Logan naturally felt that John should stay clear from her as well. ¡°Look, they¡¯re even hugging each other,¡± he pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s enough. We¡¯ll stop looking at them and take a walk around since you can¡¯t stand the sight,¡± she suggested, standing up. Indeed, he didn¡¯t want to stay and watch the both of them dancing affectionately as he found the sight an eyesore. Hence, he left the room with her and walked along the banquet hall toward the backyard without any specific spot to go. Just a few minutester, they saw a group of priests being led in. ¡°What are they up to?¡± Sophia wondered, feeling surprise. ¡°Huh? My old man mentioned that the ckwells invited a high priest to bless Madam Kate. That¡¯s probably their guy.¡± Sophia nodded in understanding, knowing that businessmen were usually superstitious. Back then when Old Mr. Constance was bedridden, the family also invited a priest into their home to bless him for several days. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. However, a fortune-teller had actually read his fortune and told Old Mrs. Constance that it was a bad omen. She had refused to believe it, thinking that they still had a chance. After all, they even held an auspicious event to ward off bad luck, so she believed that something should be working. Seeing that the group of people went toward a room in the backyard, Sophia knew that it must be Kate¡¯s bedroom, and she retracted her gaze after observing the ce for a little longer. Then, they walked toward the man-made hill in the backyard, where a small pavilion stood next to it. Maybe it was because most of the people were drawn to the excitement at the dance floor, there weren¡¯t many people outside now. Feeling a little tired, Sophia sprawled over the stone table in the pavilion after they had taken a seat, but Logan stopped her abruptly. ¡°Hey, this table is cold!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 439 Chapter 439 Heid out his jacket on the table and told her, ¡°There, much better.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really my attentive little angle,¡± she said as she looked at him. To that, he merely grunted softly. Chuckling, she requested, ¡°Show me the picture again.¡± Logan knew which picture she meant, so he took out his wallet to show her. They really don¡¯t look alike; nothing at all. Staring at the woman in the picture, she asked, ¡°How many people have you met in your life who looks like your mom?¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Before this, I thought that my eldest sister, Lte, looked like her, but not anymore now. Then, I felt that my second-eldest sister, Lydia, resembled her a little. However, when I looked closer, the resemnce was gone.¡± Looking at her, he said earnestly, ¡°Now, I think you look like her.¡± Inspecting the picture a little further, Sophia could see what he meant as she ran her fingers across the picture. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not too bad for you to have something to remember her by.¡± Which is much better than me, she thought. There were no pictures of those two *ssholes at all. ording to her grandfather, he had kept their pictures when they first took off. As the years passed and they didn¡¯t return, he took them for dead and burned all their pictures, saying that there was no point to keep anything belonging to the dead. While Sophia slumped over the table, both of them chatted for a while until people from the Constance Family passed by the pavilion, and she recognized two of them as the ones who helped Kate up the stage for her speech earlier. They were now leading some people carrying a huge wooden chest, which seemed very heavy, toward the banquet hall. She wondered what was in it. Standing up to get a better view, she pondered out loud, ¡°Are they using that for the lucky draw?¡± Since he was uninterested in such activities, Logan didn¡¯t even turn to look. When the people were gone, Sophia returned to her seat and straightened her clothes. ¡°Why are wealthy people always going the extra mile to make their own lives miserable?¡± Right after that, someone spoke next to her. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, what a surprise to see you here!¡± Sophia jumped in astonishment and turned to the source of the voice, but Logan snatched the words right out of her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re John¡¯s younger brother?¡± Yep, that¡¯s Dn. Standing on the step outside the pavilion, Dn beamed. He was there alone without a date. ¡°I thought I saw you earlier, but I was afraid that I had mistaken someone else. As it turned out, it¡¯s really you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re here as well,¡± Sophia eximed, getting up from her seat. In fact, it wasn¡¯t odd to find him here because the invitation was sent to the whole Constance Family; Owen had just as much right to attend as William. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you earlier when the meal was served,¡± she added, giving him a smile. Pacing over, Dn casually took the seat next to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to attend at first because I don¡¯t like crowded events, but I have toe in my father¡¯s ce because he¡¯s busy today.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Where were you earlier? I didn¡¯t see you the whole time. It would¡¯ve been nice to sit at the same table if I had seen you during mealtime.¡± ¡°I was sitting with a few friends earlier,¡± he exined with a smile. ¡°I saw that John is here too.¡± ¡°Yeah. We shared the same dining table.¡± Chuckling ambiguously, he said, ¡°But when I ran into him, he didn¡¯t mention a single word about you.¡± After giving it a thought, Sophia guessed, ¡°Probably he thinks that there¡¯s no need to mention me.¡± Next to them, Logan added, ¡°John¡¯s at the dance floor now. Aren¡¯t you going to join in the fun?¡± Dn shook his head and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll pass. It must be noisy there.¡± Immediately, Sophia nodded in agreement. ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s too noisy and there are too many people.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 440 Chapter 440 Furthermore, those people are always stealing nces at her. Just look if you want to; why the need to act so sneakily? Sophia sneered silently. Turning to Logan, Dn said, ¡°I met your dad earlier and he seems to be looking for you, but I don¡¯t know why.¡± Logan nodded in acknowledgement. Prior to this, his father made it clear that he would be introducing some important figures to him on this day, and he even reminded him to go over to his table to offer a toast during mealtime. However, Logan couldn¡¯t be bothered to go over. So, it was only expected that he would be looking for him now, either to introduce all kinds of people to him, or to give him a lecture. The former seems like a bigger possibility, he thought. ncing at Logan, Sophia suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you look for him to check it out? I hope it¡¯s not something important.¡± In such matters, even if it was unimportant to Logan, it was most probably imperative to his father. Thus, after contemtion, he stood up to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out to see if it¡¯s really anything important. Both of you stay here and don¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ming back soon.¡± After hearing Sophia¡¯s ¡®mm hmm¡¯ as a reply, he then left briskly. ¡°You came together with Logan?¡± Dn asked Sophia. Sophia nodded and then felt a little conflicted. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m regretting it now because it¡¯s really boring here.¡± Understanding what she meant, he uttered, ¡°I¡¯m regretting it as well. I wanted to leave earlier, but felt that it seemed a little impolite.¡± Widening her eyes, she gushed, ¡°So we¡¯re having the same thought!¡± Dn cracked up. ¡°I think we have simr opinions on some issues, Miss Gwendolyn.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so, too,¡± she said in agreement. ¡ª Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Isabelle started a conversation with John. ¡°I wonder if I said the right things in the media interview earlier.¡± John hesitated before assuring her, ¡°I think you did well. Your reaction was quick.¡± Giggling, she unconsciously inched closer to him, but it was a barely noticeable distance. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to handle the media actually, but at that time, I thought that some misunderstandings from before could be resolved if I just exined things a little.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± John mumbled and didn¡¯t say anything else. After a short pause, Isabelle tried again. ¡°Previously, I wanted to go to yourpany to discuss a detail in the new supply contract. In the end, I scrapped the idea because of the incident on the Inte. I was afraid that it might cause you trouble.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± he replied curtly and perfunctorily. Pursing her lips, Isabelle decided not to say anything anymore. When the song ended, John moved over to where the seats were and grabbed a juice, scanning around for Sophia and Logan. Sweeping his eyes over at the dance floor, he couldn¡¯t find them there as well. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Looks like they went outside. Catching up next to him, Isabelleplimented, ¡°Mrs. Constance told me that you dance well. Looks like she¡¯s right.¡± ¡°She told me about you as well. You dance very well too,¡± he said with a smile. Isabelle took a seat andmented, ¡°I learned it when I was young because my family forced me to. Not only that, I had to learn everything and I kinda hated it. Looking back now, it seems like I never stopped learning when I was younger.¡± This caught John by surprise. ¡°I thought you liked it.¡± On the surface, it seemed like she really enjoyed such a life, but she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t like it at all because it¡¯s too constraining.¡± Suddenly, she recalled that day when John went to her house to cancel the engagement and she chased after him to find out why. At that time, her family had stopped her and her mom even pped her out of anger, saying that she was humiliating her family with her actions. Having the engagement annulled was already an embarrassing thing, and yet, she added on to the embarrassment by acting so reluctant to let go. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 441 Chapter 441 However, she really wanted to find out the reason why he broke off the engagement. Was she not good enough for him? Why didn¡¯t he fancy her? Isabelle¡¯s eyes reddened a little at this point, but she still carried a smile. ¡°Honestly, I envy Miss Gwendolyn a lot sometimes because she¡¯s free to do whatever she wants without anyone controlling her. Plus, people are always helping her out. Look, Logan and Ian are so kind to her, and it made me so envious. Not even my family has been that kind to me.¡± Then, she chuckled in a self-deprecating manner. ¡°My family would only tell me what I¡¯m not allowed to do.¡± John thought for a while before saying, ¡°Sophia isn¡¯t enjoying as much freedom as you said. She¡¯s actually having a rather hard time.¡± Looking at her, he suddenly didn¡¯t know what would be appropriate to tell her now. For a split second, Isabelle¡¯s face froze. ¡°She seems to be doing rather fine to me now, with Logan always by her side to protect her. Knowing his personality, she must be someone extraordinary to him if he¡¯s that protective over her.¡± In fact, Isabelle was probably the same kind of person as him. She was also living in a simr environment. Did he get the hints I¡¯m dropping? Isabelle wondered. John, on the other hand, merely smiled without uttering a word. Drawing the conversation back to herself, she said, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m envious that she can be herself.¡± John chuckled softly. ¡°Sometimes when you can¡¯t escape, then you should try to adapt slowly. If it¡¯s possible, you can even learn to enjoy the situation.¡± With her lips pursed, she gazed at the dance floor, where a new song was being yed now. There were still a few couples dancing. Sighing, shemented, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m trying to enjoy it. There¡¯s nothing else I can do about it besides this.¡± I used to enjoy my family¡¯s arrangement, like our engagement, she thought bitterly. But it went up in mes in the end. Smiling after a short pause, John said, ¡°It¡¯s great if you¡¯ve thought it through. In life, you have to keep looking forward.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. We have to keep looking forward,¡± she said, nodding to show her agreement. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. A few minutes passed and another song, which Isabelle liked very much, began to y. She sprang up from her seat and asked, ¡°I kinda like this song. Would you mind doing another dance with me?¡± Unable to reject ady¡¯s request, John stood up and went to the dance floor holding her hand. ¡ª Outside at the pavilion, it started to be windy after a while, so Dn suggested to Sophia that they could go to the lounge on the second floor of the reception hall. After scanning around and still seeing no signs of Logan returning, she nodded to his idea. Logan¡¯s probably held back by his father, she guessed. The reception and banquet hall were close to each other, and one would definitely pass by the entrance of the banquet hall in order to get to the reception hall. Unintentionally, Sophia¡¯s eyes wandered toward the direction of the dance floor when she passed by, and she instantly spotted Isabelle and John there as there were less people now. While they danced with their bodies close to each other, they chatted inaudibly and seemed to be smiling. Sophia grinned as well before retracting her gaze and leaving with Dn. There were a few lounges on the second floor of the reception hall; some had a bed in it while others only had a couch. After they entered one room with a couch, the waiter brought them some fruits and juice. Taking a seat on the couch, Sophia leaned back and wondered out loud, ¡°Are people still eating at the dining area? Logan probably got held up giving a toast to everyone.¡± Dn nodded. ¡°Some people were still eating happily when I left.¡± Maybe a text had arrived, for he suddenly whisked out his cell phone to check it. Frowning, he didn¡¯t reply but merely kept it away. Grinning, Sophia said, ¡°Did something crop up at work? It¡¯s tiring for you people; you can¡¯t even catch a break when you¡¯re out.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 442 Chapter 442 The edges of Dn¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t catch a break at all.¡± Then, he added, ¡°It¡¯s really annoying that there are so many people from the media present today.¡± Surprised, Sophia had the idea that he wanted to mention something to her with thatst statement, so she pursed her lips. ¡°Yeah,¡± she mumbled, unsure of what else to say. Meanwhile, Logan didn¡¯t return and neither did he give her a call. So, she continued to stay in the lounge with Dn because the both of them preferred not to be involved with the excitement outside and they felt morefortable to be here. They were actually not especially close with each other, and it was only after her divorce with John that they chat more often. But Dn gave people a good vibe, and she didn¡¯t feel awkward being around him. Hence, they sat there until they heard noises from the banquet hall. After ncing at the time, he said, ¡°There¡¯s probably a program going on. Let¡¯s take a look.¡± Thinking that it was time for the lucky draw, Sophia stood up and followed him. ¡°Sure.¡± Everything at the dining area had ended and everyone was now at the banquet hall, which had a small stage and several priests were on it. Supported by another person, Kate ckwell walked onto the stage looking very energetic and cheerful. Also, arge wooden chest stood next to her. When Sophia went to the banquet hall, she immediately saw that Old Mrs. Constance, Belinda, was beaming next to Kate. They seemed really close as they held each other¡¯s hand. Standing at the back of the crowd, she turned to Dn and asked, ¡°Are Mrs. ckwell and Mrs. Constance good friends?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Dn nodded. ¡°It¡¯s said that they have been friends since young. Although they are a few years apart in age, it didn¡¯t bother their friendship at all.¡± Sophia smiled. Then, someone suddenly came over. ¡°Where were you before this?¡± John asked. Startled, she twisted her head to his direction, and the smile on her face disappeared the next second. Ignoring himpletely, she turned her attention back on the stage. On the stage, Kate stated that they had invited the priests as well as a renowned oracle over, and divination lots were in the chest. In just a couple of minutes, they would be carrying out the lucky draw, and the first prize winner could get a divination lot here, where the oracle would decipher the meaning behind it. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Even though Sophia didn¡¯t recognize the name of the oracle, she could guess that he seemed to be someone famous from the surprised gasps around her when Kate mentioned his name. The lucky draw itself wasn¡¯t soplicated as the invitation cards were numbered and anyone with the drawn number on their card would be the winner. Since Sophia had the invitation given to her by Logan, she flipped it to the back and saw that it was indeed numbered. Moving closer to Dn, she asked, ¡°May I see your number?¡± Dn took out his invitation and showed it to her while John gave them the stink eye next to Sophia. Isabelle hade over as well. ¡°John, let me see what¡¯s your number.¡± Without even giving a single nce to his invitation, he handed it to her. The ckwells already had the numbers written on small pieces of paper, and those papers were ced in a giant, transparent ball as lots. With Belinda holding her, Kate went to the ball and picked out three pieces from a small gap. On the other side of the stage, they had disyed the prizes; the third prize was a painting with calligraphy, while the second was a ss vase and the first prize was a set of jewelry. After taking a look at the prizes, Sophia could neither understand nor appreciate any of it. Even the jewelry, which was made of emerald and not diamonds, didn¡¯t look exactly pretty in her eyes. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 443 Chapter 443 The crowd cheered when the number for the third prize was announced, and someone quickly went on the stage to give a small speech of thanks. Then, the same thing happened with the second prize winner. Finally, it was time for the first prize. Fanning herself with the invitation, Sophia said, ¡°I¡¯ve never been lucky with lucky draws. I¡¯ll probably never be able to make a windfall in this life.¡± The only chance for me to make a windfall was traded with a year of marriage and humiliation. ¡°You can¡¯t force this type of thing to happen,¡± Dn said with augh. ¡°Let¡¯s just watch.¡± Taking a look at the lot she drew, Kate announced, ¡°Number twenty-five. The first prize winner of the day is number twenty-five!¡± Sophia¡¯s hand came to an abrupt stop mid-air, then she turned to Dn. ¡°Earlier, what did I tell you my number is?¡± Cracking up, he made fun of her, saying, ¡°See, you attract what you speak of. You¡¯re the winner, Sophia.¡± Up to this point in her life, Sophia had never won such a big prize, which was why she was dumbfounded. Staring at the prize on the stage, she thought, Even if I receive something like this, I can never wear it out on the streets. It¡¯s so ugly! Dn gave her a nudge and she hurriedly went to the stage. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± With the invitation in her hands, she went onstage and passed it to a person for verification. Seeing that the winner was Sophia brought a delighted look on Belinda¡¯s face, and she smiled as she took the youngerdy¡¯s hands. ¡°You¡¯re so lucky, Sophia.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised as well,¡± she replied with a smile. After that, the origin of the jewelry set was exined. Apparently, it was a priceless set of jewelry which belonged to a duchess from centuries ago, and had been in Kate¡¯s collection for years. Initially, she wanted to turn it into a heirloom, but in the end, she decided to use it as the grand prize on her birthday for good luck. With a smile stered on her face, Sophia repeated the same words as the previous two winners, but before she could leave the stage like them, she was being held back on the stage. ¡°Come here.¡± Led by Kate, they walked over to the big chest, which had the divination lots and a small hole big enough for a hand to slip through. Next to that, a few priests stood there, praying in low voices. Still holding her hand, Kate instructed carefully, ¡°Put your hand in but don¡¯t rummage around. Just grab one and that¡¯s it. Do you get it?¡± Looking at Kate from a close distance, Sophia could see the anticipation and hope in her old, opaque eyes. When she looked away, one of the priests announced, ¡°You may pick out a divination lot now, Miss.¡± All the divination lots were ced upright. Reaching her hand in, she picked out the first one she touched. A priest took it from her and passed it along to an assistant, who took a look at it and then asked, ¡±What would you like to ask for?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She thought silently, But I have nothing to ask for. However, at second thought, she might be drawing this lot on Kate¡¯s behalf, who was still holding her hand. Thus, she answered, ¡°I would like to ask for good health, or my family¡¯s prosperity.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. At that, Kate appeared reassured. Then, the assistant went toward the exit of the banquet hall. As the renowned oracle wasn¡¯t here and was most probably still in the backyard, the assistant kept the lot away carefully and left for the backyard briskly. In the room, there was now a crowd gathered around the second and third prize winners, admiring their prizes and discussing the history and value of their prizes, while some waited patiently to watch the results of her divination lot. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 444 Chapter 444 Sophia looked at the set of jewelry she just won, which included a ne, earrings, and a bracelet. Looks like it can only be a collection from the design and color. It¡¯s really horrible to wear jewelry with this shade of green. With her hand still holding Sophia¡¯s, Kate dragged her to have a conversation with Belinda, who praised Sophia for always being blessed. Sophia almostughed out loud at thatpliment. Am I blessed? Well, I¡¯ve never felt that way. ncing nonchntly toward John¡¯s direction, she saw that he was having a conversation with Isabelle, who appeared happy from the smile on her face, and even gestured with her hands during the conversation. On the other hand, John merely kept his lips pursed and nodded with a rather strict expression. Next to him, Dn stood and stared at her. When their eyes met, Sophia was first startled but then immediately shed him a smile. Even though it was just a polite smile, he seemed delighted and waved at her, which she acknowledged with a nod. From the corner of his eyes, John saw him waving and caught Sophia nodding at him from the stage. These two are even flirting openly now, he thought with a tightened jaw and frowned at the sight. When Sophia was turning away, she identally caught John¡¯s gaze for a split second, causing a change in her attitude at once, and she rolled her eyes at him boldly, even snorting coldly at him regardless if he could hear it or not. Soon, the assistant returned, and silence fell over the room. Below the stage, John kept his eyes fixed on Sophia, watching her excited face helplessly. This divination lot was actually drawn on behalf of the ckwells, or Kate wouldn¡¯t have used her beloved treasure as the grand prize. Previously, John had found out from Belinda that the ckwells ran into some issues in their business, and Kate was also feeling unwell. Hence, they probably wanted to ward off the bad luck with this divination lot. As businessmen were usually superstitious, it would be fine if the oracle hade back with good news. If it was otherwise, then the situation would turn awkward for Sophia. First, the assistant went straight to Kate and bowed to her, and she bowed back politely. Then, he took out the divination lot and spoke in a serious tone which wasn¡¯t too loud, but was clear for everyone to hear since the room was silent. ¡°The Heavens has spoken, and this is an auspicious divination,¡± he announced. Upon hearing that it was an auspicious lot, Kate beamed and even thanked the Heavens. ¡°The King chanced upon a deity, and gentleness will always win over brutality. Good fortune will befall those who are kind, and anyone who draws this lot would run into an oasis in times of draught,¡± the assistant continued. Sophia had no idea what the divination meant and blinked nkly at the spectators. From the corner of her eyes, she spotted John and Dn who looked pleased. So that means this divination lot is exceptionally lucky? Nobody knew if Kate really understood what the divination meant, but she kept thanking the Heavens while the assistant bowed at her and handed her the divination lot written by the oracle. Thereafter, he gathered the priests on the stage and left with the chest which was filled with divination lots. It was clear for everyone that Kate seemed overjoyed now, and she finally released Sophia¡¯s hand. After looking through the divination lot a few times, she showed it to Belinda. ¡°I told you Sophia is a blessed person,¡± Belinda said after reading the lot, then turned to look at Sophia. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Sophia chuckled dryly and asked, ¡°May I take a look at it?¡± And Kate hurriedly showed it to her. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 445 Chapter 445 Written on a piece of yellow paper, the divination lot was even handwritten with a calligraphy pen. Looks like the Oracle is an insightful person, Sophia concluded from the writing. When written on paper, the meaning behind the divination lot became clearer to her, and she nodded, thinking that it did seem like a really auspicious lot. Standing on her own now, Kate turned her attention to the spectators below the stage. ¡°There is entertainment in the backyard, and the gifts are ready as well. Go ahead and enjoy yourselves there, everyone,¡± she announced, sounding more energetic than earlier. The onlookers said their congrattions as though the divination lot was drawn for them, and Sophia turned to look at Belinda, who nodded at her delightfully. A few minutester, Logan returned to the hall when almost half the guest had already left. Swaying around as he walked, it was clear that he had too much to drink today. John hurriedly held him, worried that he might make a scene of himself. ¡°You drank too much. Take a rest in one of the lounges.¡± ¡°What about Sophia?¡± he slurred. Sighing, John assured, ¡°She¡¯s fine, so go and rest now.¡± Scanning around, Logan caught Sophia standing next to Kate, and he snorted in disapproval. ¡°Why did she go up on the stage?¡± As he knew that he was not in his best state, he didn¡¯t want to go to her. Thus, after weighing his options, he turned to Dn next to him and grinned sheepishly. ¡°Dn, I¡¯m handing over Sophia to you. Take care of her for me because I know that I had too much to drink and need to sober up a little somewhere. I¡¯ll be back after I¡¯ve sobered up.¡± John frowned. He¡¯s handing over Sophia to Dn? How could he do this with so much ease? Beside them, Isabelle said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Jefferson. Sophia will be fine.¡± Turning to look at her, Logan shot her a peeved re, disying his dislike for her publicly. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll take good care of Miss Gwendolyn,¡± Dn promised. Just like Logan, John pulled a long face and didn¡¯t try to hide his unhappiness anymore. After hailing for an attendant to help Logan to a lounge to sober up, Dn then went toward Sophia. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. As she responded to the people who came with congrattory messages, Kate appeared much more vibrant than earlier. Standing next to her, Sophia looked a little lost as Dn approached them and greeted Belinda, ¡°Grandma.¡± At the sight of him, Belinda eximed, ¡°Dn, I was looking for you earlier because I didn¡¯t see you around!¡± ¡°Huh? I was in the lounge at the reception hall with Sophia. It was too crowded here, and we didn¡¯t want to add on to the excitement.¡± This caught both Belinda and John, who was right behind Dn, by surprise. Turning to Sophia, she asked, ¡°Were you with Dn earlier?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s too noisy here, so we took a break in the lounge.¡± Chuckling softly, John spoke in a cold voice, ¡°So you went into hiding just when I was wondering where you had gone.¡± Sophia frowned, annoyed that he used her of hiding because she had no need to do that. Then, she snorted, ¡°Why were you looking for me? Aren¡¯t you enjoying yourself?¡± Isabelle came to join them at this point and greeted Kate and Belinda. Not knowing what they were talking about before this, she said in a gentle voice, ¡°Earlier on the dance floor, John was curious what would be the prize, and it¡¯s such an eye-opener now that we¡¯ve seen it. That¡¯s very generous of you, Mrs. ckwell.¡± ncing at Isabelle, Belinda didn¡¯t exactly dislike her, but felt that it was impossible for their families to have another engagement after everything that happened before. Moreover, since some unfavorable rumors had spread out between her and John, they had to refrain from each other no matter what. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 446 Chapter 446 That was why she wasn¡¯t pleased with the fact that they both seemed rather close now. From the look in Kate¡¯s eyes as she nced at the set of jewelry, it didn¡¯t seem like she was reluctant to give it away at all. ¡°What a waste that I¡¯ve kept this in my collection for decades. If I had taken it out earlier, maybe it could still be worn by some youngsters, which is much better than just keeping it at the back of my closet.¡± Sophia was unsure how she should react to that. Although the jewelry was priceless, it was not the best-looking essory, either. There was no way she would wear it out on the streets, for sure. Once again, Kate held her hand. ¡°A few days ago, the Oracle said that if the divination lot turned out to be auspicious today, then it means that I would have met my benefactor. Looks like you¡¯re my benefactor now, Miss Gwendolyn.¡± Shocked, she quickly refuted, ¡°No, no, no. I just picked it out randomly. It turned out to be auspicious because the ckwells are a blessed family. It¡¯s got nothing to do with me.¡± Her humble words were pleasing to the ears, and John eyed her suspiciously. Ever since the divorce, it seemed like she had smartened up and became more eloquent now. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Meanwhile, the more Kate looked at Sophia, the more she liked her. In contrast to that, Sophia was having goosebumps from her stare. At Kate¡¯s age, she never kept up with the gossip as she had already lost interest in it. Adding on to the fact that she had been unwell recently and thepany had run into some trouble, she was not in the mood to bother herself with outside issues at all. Hence, she had no idea what happened between Sophia and John. After staring at her for a while, she asked directly, ¡°Do you have a boyfriend, Miss Gwendolyn?¡± Stunned, Sophia didn¡¯t understand what Kate meant for a moment. How did the conversation jump to this topic so suddenly? Even Belinda found the situation to be a little awkward. Previously during Sophia and John¡¯s wedding, Kate had actually attended it. But now it seemed like she had forgotten Sophia¡¯s looks. For a person who didn¡¯t follow the news and gossip, it was only natural that she didn¡¯t know about Sophia¡¯s background. As Sophia opened her mouth, the corner of her eyes caught John staring at her, and she simply replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Surprised and disappointed, Kate asked, ¡°You do?¡± Next to them, John was surprised as well and seemed unhappy. Without second thoughts, he asked as well, ¡°You do? Who?¡± Chuckling, she answered, ¡°There¡¯s someone whom I fancy.¡± It hadn¡¯t been long since her divorce, so it was impossible for her to have a boyfriend now, or else she wouldn¡¯t be able to exin the timeline of events. However, when she saw John¡¯s jaw tightened, she felt a little delighted and continued, ¡°I like this guy who treats me pretty well, but I don¡¯t have the guts to tell him yet.¡± Kate¡¯s head bobbed slowly. ¡°Well, well, it¡¯s normal for a girl your age to have someone you like.¡± In a disappointed voice, she added, ¡°What a shame. I was still thinking if I would have the chance to be a family with such a nice girl.¡± Taken aback, Sophia waved her hand hastily. ¡°It¡¯s me who doesn¡¯t have this good fortune.¡± With a sigh, Kate said, ¡°That¡¯s okay. It¡¯s fine even if we can¡¯t be a family. Here, let¡¯s sit down and talk.¡± Since Kate wasn¡¯t young anymore, it was considered quite a feat for her to be standing so long. Belinda went to take her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s take a seat over there, Kate,¡± she said, meaning the row of couches not far away from them, and the bunch of them went over to the couches. In just a couple of steps, John was next to Sophia, and he whispered, ¡°Who¡¯s the guy you like?¡± Casting him a ridiculous look, she spat, ¡°It¡¯s not you anyway, so don¡¯t stick your nose into this.¡± Slipping past him, she went over to Dn and asked him, ¡°What do you think of the jewelry set? With those designs, I think only selected outfits and makeup could match with them, but I don¡¯t think I can bring out the effects. It will definitely look like fake jewelry if I wear it.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 447 Chapter 447 Amused, Dnughed out loudly. ¡°No, it won¡¯t. You have to be more confident than that.¡± Staring at them, the look in John¡¯s eyes turned stone cold. In the lounge, Logan was woken up halfway in his sleep. Cursing as he struggled to get up, he sounded extremely disgruntled when he answered the call. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you calling me when I¡¯m sleeping?¡± It was his subordinate who had called, saying that someone reported his clubhouse again, and the police were there now. Sitting crossed-leg with his eyes closed on the bed, he cursed, ¡°That damned b*tch Leah must be looking for trouble.¡± He opened his eyes and jumped off the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll be right over now.¡± Stepping out of the lounge in wobbly steps, his eyes were bloodshot when an attendant hurriedly came over to check on him, asking if he needed any assistance. After leaning against the wall for a long while, Logan finally recalled where he was at. ¡°Get me Sophia. I need to see her.¡± The attendant knew who Sophia was; just earlier, she had drawn an auspicious lot for Kate and instantly became well-known. Without further ado, he rushed to Kate, who was still holding Sophia¡¯s hand and showering her with praises. Embarrassed by the praises, Sophia felt as though she had run into a savior when the attendant came saying that Logan was looking for her. Immediately, she told Kate, ¡°My friend had too much to drink. I have to go and check on him now.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Kate nodded reluctantly. ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡± Standing up, John announced, ¡°I¡¯ming with you.¡± Before Sophia could turn him down, he already dragged her by the arm toward the exit. His movements were so quick that even Isabelle, who wanted to tag along, didn¡¯t have the chance to express her intentions. Isabelle¡¯s lips pressed into a tight line, and she sighed. Well, I did achieve something today. By acting a little pathetic today, John¡¯s attitude toward me seems to have improved. When they left the banquet hall, John finally released her. ¡°You¡¯re not done yet. Tell me, who¡¯s the guy you like?¡± Snorting, Sophia said, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°I just want to know out of curiosity,¡± he answered rather calmly. Sophia pursed her lips, thinking, So I¡¯m supposed to tell you anything you wish to know? Are you serious? When he didn¡¯t receive a reply after a while, he prompted with another question, ¡°Is it Dn?¡± Jerking her head to look at him suddenly, she eximed, ¡°Are you sick? Go to a doctor if you¡¯re sick instead of going around and making people ufortable.¡± John nodded knowingly. ¡°If it¡¯s not Dn, then it must be Ian?¡± It can¡¯t possibly be Logan. After a couple of steps, she replied, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s Ian. Who else but him?¡± Her answer stopped him in his tracks, but she ignored him and continued in the direction of the reception hall. John hesitated but decided to keep up with her. ¡°You like Ian? Are you saying that on purpose to piss me off?¡± he asked in a close whisper when the attendants passed by them. Giving him another look of disbelief, she uttered, ¡°Why would I do that? I think you overestimate yourself. You¡¯re not worth it at all, really.¡± The sarcastic look on her face when she said it made it look like she really didn¡¯t care about his feelings at all, and it did more than just a stab at his heart. He felt that he still had some unanswered questions, but he didn¡¯t know what to ask all of a sudden. Now, regardless of what he asked her, she would just give a merciless and unpleasant reply. On the other hand, Sophia couldn¡¯t care less about him as she walked into the reception hall briskly. At the foot of the staircase, she called out, ¡°Logan!¡± In the bathroom upstairs, Logan washed his face and rushed downstairs when he heard her call his name. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 448 Chapter 448 As Logan walked, he cursed along the way. ¡°That damned b*tch, I¡¯ll definitely kill herter. I¡¯m telling you, nobody is stopping me from killing that b*tch today.¡± Everything he said made no sense at all, and nobody understood what he was speaking about. However, judging from how furious he seemed, Sophia guessed that something must have cropped up. ¡°What happened? Who pissed you off?¡± she asked with a frown. Wiping away the water from his face, he exined, ¡°Someone reported my clubhouse again.¡± Something already happened a few days ago, and now this. If this went on, the clubhouse would be out of business soon. ¡°Do you want to leave now?¡± Sophia asked thoughtfully. ¡°Yeah, I need to go and check things out. That woman named Hunt is probably on her way now, and she wouldn¡¯t be pleased if I¡¯m not there. She mighte over here if I don¡¯t return now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving with you, then,¡± she decided, delighted that he would be leaving now. Since he was the one who brought her here, it was only normal that she would be leaving with him as well. After Logan murmured a reply, John butted in, saying, ¡°Stay here, and I¡¯ll send you hometer.¡± She turned to him in surprise. ¡°Why would I need you to send me home?¡± As he gaped at her looking at him with disgust, he had no words at all to say to that. How could this woman change so quickly? She wasn¡¯t like this before this! Sophia straightened Logan¡¯s clothes and asked, ¡°Do you want to say goodbye to your dad and the ckwells?¡± With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the idea. ¡°No need for that, so let¡¯s just go. I¡¯m kind of in a rush here.¡± Unbothered by his decision, she then followed him and left the reception hall without even saying goodbye to John, leaving him to stare at their backs with deeply knitted brows. She was still fine earlier during lunch. Why did she change her attitude so much after just a few hours? Sophia left in a car with Logan, and they went straight to his clubhouse. Sure enough, the clubhouse was raided again. The moment Logan stepped in, he started cussing, but not at thew enforcers. He was iming the whole time that he was conducting business properly, and was demanding to know who was the shameless person who reported him. Officer Hunt descended the staircase and stared at him nonchntly. ¡°Keep your voice down. Being loud doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re right.¡± ring at her from the corner of his eyes, Logan snorted. ¡°You¡¯re finding fault with me on purpose, aren¡¯t you? Just tell me directly if you have any opinions about me. If you¡¯re unhappy, then we can¡ª¡± Even before he could finish, Officer Hunt had turned around and went to another corner, ignoring him completely. The sight of Logan in this scene was rather amusing to Sophia as he looked just like a kid who could do nothing against his homeroom teacher. After raiding thoroughly, they couldn¡¯t find any prohibited items, and he boasted proudly, ¡°See, I told you I¡¯m an honest businessman, but you refused to believe me. There¡¯s nothing illegal here at all.¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Thew enforcers couldn¡¯t even be bothered to chit-chat excessively with him, and decided to dismiss the team after confirming that they found nothing. Disgruntled, Logan cried out, ¡°Are you guys leaving just like this? Don¡¯t you owe me an exnation?¡± Turning around to face him, Officer Hunt said, ¡°We¡¯ll follow-up and verify with the whistleblower. If we¡¯re sure that it¡¯s a prank, we¡¯ll punish the person who made the report blindly.¡± Logan gave her a long, hard stare before finally conceding. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be awaiting your results, then.¡± After the officers left, he kicked a chair next to him and cussed angrily at Leah, ¡°Is that mistress of Bryce having a rocky rtionship with Bryce? Damn her for picking on me. She¡¯s making herself known to me even before I took care of her. Fine, then! Just you wait and see! I¡¯ll be sure to take your life with one clean cut!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 449 Chapter 449 Looking at Logan, Sophia asked, ¡°Why are you so sure that it¡¯s Leah who reported you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s her if I said so. Even if it isn¡¯t her, this trouble belongs to her now,¡± he replied stubbornly. Just then, Ian arrived with a concerned look. ¡°What happened? I heard that the ce has been raided again.¡± Logan grunted in reply and sat down, sulking. It made Sophia a little ufortable to see Ian now because she had spouted some nonsense to John. As John seemed to be really oddtely, she was worried that he might confront Ian about it. Well, this is¡­ After pondering for a while, she decided to disregard Logan¡¯s problem for now. She made a hooking gesture with her finger at Ian, and he arched his brow. Then, she nodded, and he chuckled as he followed her out the door. Sophia actually wasn¡¯t sure how to start, and she stuttered for a long time before finally clutching her hair, saying, ¡°There¡¯s something I would like to inform you, and I feel apologetic toward you about it.¡± Grinning, Ian asked, ¡°What is it that got you so embarrassed?¡± With a sullen look, she said, ¡°Well, I got ahead of myself today with my words and identally involved you in it.¡± ¡°Oh, what happened next? What did you say?¡± With a dryugh, she tried to rify the situation awkwardly, ¡°It¡¯s like this, John said many ridiculous things today, and to stop him from going further, I told him that I like you just to get him off my back. I really just said it as a slip of the tongue, so I hope you won¡¯t mind. When the opportunityes, I¡¯ll be sure to make things clear to him and not cause you any trouble.¡± Ian appeared surprised, but he smirked. ¡°It¡¯s not such a big deal.¡± Taking in a deep breath, she exined, ¡°The point is, he¡¯s acting really oddtely, and I¡¯m worried that he¡¯ll pick on you.¡± Chuckling, he reached out and stroked her head gently. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know what to tell him if hees looking for me.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Seeing the expression on his face, Sophia thought that he really didn¡¯t seem to mind it at all, and she breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Suddenly, Logan shouted from indoors even before Ian could say anything else. ¡°Aren¡¯t the both of you going to console me a little? Someone picked on me again today, and I¡¯m feeling really sh*tty now.¡± Sophia and Ian responded in unison and went inside without noticing that the car parked across the street had rolled down the window, showing the passenger¡¯s face clearly. If Sophia had turned around and took one nce, she would have immediately noticed. However¡­ John rolled the window back up. She was only focused on smiling at Ian with that shy, gentle look. In an icy tone, he instructed, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± In the evening, Sophia received a call from the ckwells. In fact, it was Kate who had made the call personally, saying that she had forgotten to bring the set of jewelry with her when she left. Now that it was packed properly, Belinda had taken it with herself so that she could pass it to her. ¡°Oh, alright. I got it. Thank you,¡± she replied. Kate sounded especially friendly when she said, ¡°You¡¯re wee, but this is meant for you. I¡¯m just thinking that whenever you¡¯re free in the future, you cane over to my ce to visit, Miss Gwendolyn. I¡¯m usually home.¡± Unsure if Kate was just being polite or if she really meant it, Sophia went along and agreed, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be sure to visit you when I¡¯m free.¡± They didn¡¯t chat much more because it seemed like Kate had to attend to something, and they hung up. Laying on her bed, she thought of updating her social media story, but she didn¡¯t want to post a selfie picture. Thus, she posted the picture she took together with Ian in the afternoon at the clubhouse. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 450 Chapter 450 Initially, they wanted to take the picture together with Logan, but he was so busy trying toe up with a counterattack on Leah with his subordinates that he couldn¡¯t be bothered about her at all. She wasn¡¯t concerned about the story update too much because she thought that not many people would see it anyway. Even the people who would see it were her acquaintances. Rolling over after she made the post, she closed her eyes. It had been a tiring day for her, so she fell asleep within a minute. While she was asleep, John was up and fully awake. The minute Sophia had made a story update, he had seen it. The caption was fine, just mentioning that it was a tiring, happy, and slightly bummed out day for her today. But the picture she posted really made John feel more bummed out than ever. It was a picture with Ian without Logan. They were seated on a couch with their shoulders against each other as they stared at one another from the corner of their eyes. It didn¡¯t exactly look like a funny picture because the way they looked at each other carried some chemistry, and the picture looked so harmonized that it made him feel ufortable. He gritted his teeth for a long time, and all he could do in the end was to exit from the app. Sighing, he tossed his cell phone aside and hugged his nket as he pondered for a long while. Finally, he cursed, ¡°*sshole.¡± But he didn¡¯t know whom he meant it for. The next morning, it was the doorbell which woke Sophia up. Checking the time, she saw that it was actually very early. She paced over to the window and opened it. With the top-half of her body stretched out, she asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that so early in the morning?¡± Standing on her doorstep, John took two steps backward and lifted his head at her voice. ¡°I¡¯m here to send you something.¡± With her hair in aplete mess and a distorted look on her face, she further asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Putting up the item in his hand, John showed it to her. ¡°It¡¯s your prize from yesterday. I heard that it¡¯s very valuable.¡± She wasn¡¯t exactly sure how valuable it was, but it was truly ugly. Casting him a look, she told him, ¡°Leave it at the doorstep and I¡¯ll pick it upter.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how valuable this is at all, do you? You¡¯re not worried about leaving it here?¡± he questioned, staring up at her. Slumped over the windowsillzily, Sophia was still half-asleep when she said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to care about that.¡± However, John didn¡¯t seem to be in a rush and remained rooted on the spot as Sophia waited for a while. Knowing his temper, she knew he would never leave unless she let him in. Without washing up, she went downstairs in her pajamas, where John stood at her doorstep with the delicately-wrapped package in his hands. She opened the door and extended her hand. ¡°Give it to me,¡± she spat, without any intention of letting him in. Despite that, John took a step and forced himself in by squeezing through next to her. After he ced the package on the coffee table, he turned around to face her. Leaning against the door, Sophia said, ¡°You can leave now that the package is here.¡± ¡°Did you meet up with Ian yesterday after you left?¡± he asked calmly. Sophia frowned. ¡°What has this got to do with you? You should just mind your own business.¡± Staring at her, he answered, ¡°I¡¯m just concerned about you. Why the huge reaction?¡± Instead of giving him a reply, she snorted out loudly. His concern came way toote. At this time when she hadpletely given up on him, his concern for her seemed a little extra. He went ahead and took a seat on the couch by himself. ¡°Sophia, do you really like Ian? How long have you known him?¡± With narrowed eyes, she looked at him. ¡°John, I think you still don¡¯t know your ce yet. Bluntly said, my affairs have got nothing to do with you at all, so you should stop trying to find out what¡¯s going on with me. Honestly, if you continue like this, we may not even be able to get along peacefully in the future.¡± Previous Chapter Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 451 Chapter 451 Upon finishing her words, Sophia turned around and walked toward the stairs. ¡°Since you were so generous when we divorced, I thought we could be friends. However, if you go on like this, I don¡¯t think we can continue being friends after all.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. John remained silent while Sophia went upstairs. Reaching the second floor, she leaned against the wall. In fact, John was in a state simr to hers when they just divorced. He just didn¡¯t yet understand that it was over between them. Letting out a long sigh, she stared at her shoes for a while and took a peek downstairs. John was nowhere to be seen, and the door in the living room was closed. After giving it a thought, she turned around and returned to her room. Gazing out the window, she saw John in the garden. With one hand tucked in his pocket, John was holding a cigarette between the fingers of his other hand. When he was done smoking, he whirled around and took a look at Sophia¡¯s room. Seeing that, Sophia hurriedly took a few steps back. At that instant, she had no idea how to describe her feelings. Although she was a little happy when John was pestering her, she was still annoyed most of the time. If they went on like this, none of them could start a new page in their lives. After washing up in the bathroom, she decided to pay a visit to her shop. She had told Robin to go to the shop with her to see what else they needed to buy since they had to get the shop ready in two days. Upon getting changed, she went near the window and saw that John was gone. Heaving a sigh of relief, she went downstairs and left the house. The moment she stepped out of the house, Logan arrived in his car. Without getting out of the car, he beckoned to her. ¡°Come on. There¡¯s something interesting I need to show you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Sophia walked over and asked, ¡°What is it? I¡¯m busy.¡± Ignoring what she said, Logan clenched her wrist and pulled her into the car. ¡°Come with me. You won¡¯t be disappointed!¡± Without giving Sophia a chance to resist, he told the chauffeur to start the engine. Of course, the chauffeur had to execute Logan¡¯s order, so he stepped on the gas pedal and moved toward a certain direction. With a frown, Sophia questioned, ¡°Where are you bringing me? Tell me about it.¡± Sitting with his legs crossed, Logan replied, ¡°Do you remember that Bryce¡¯s mistress tried to frame me? Does she think I¡¯m a pushover? I have always disliked them. Now that they have offended me, I will certainly teach them a lesson.¡± Sophia was startled. ¡°Them?¡± Raising an eyebrow, Logan said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll fix the two scumbags as well.¡± Sophia gazed out of the window. ¡°Don¡¯t make a scene. You¡¯ve been targeted.¡± Knowing what she meant, Logan mumbled something and gave it a thought. Then, he changed the topic, saying, ¡°John called mest night and asked me what was going on between you and Ian.¡± The news stunned Sophia. What the heck? He¡¯s in a suspicious rtionship with Isabelle, so how can he try to stop me from getting into contact with another guy? How shameless! After a while, she questioned, ¡°What did he ask you?¡± Staring at her, Logan replied, ¡°He asked whether you were close to Ian; how often you guys contacted each other; how good you treated him and h-h-h. I wonder why his questions weren¡¯t directed at me. It¡¯s apparent that you are closer to me than you are to Ian.¡± Sophia retracted her gaze. ¡°That¡¯s right. Who knows what¡¯s wrong with him?¡± At this moment, the car pulled up at the entrance of a townhouse in the suburbs. Some arguments could be heard from the yard. Without getting out of the car, they lowered the window and watched what was going on in the yard since the doors were open. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 452 Chapter 452 At that moment, apart from Simon and Sally, there were also a few women in the yard. Apparently, these women were a group as they pointed fingers at Sally and said nasty things to her. Those insults were so offensive that bordered on sphemy. Other than chiding Simon and Sally, they also started cursing the other Morgan Family members. It seemed that they were in a brawl moments ago. Frowning, Sophia inquired, ¡°What happened?¡± With a smile, Logan replied, ¡°Last night, Sally went to have fun at a bar. Perhaps it was because she was intoxicated, and the atmosphere at the bar was fervid, that she came here with a man. This morning, they were caught in the act by the man¡¯s girlfriend.¡± Logan then tutted before adding, ¡°It must have been an intense argument. Look how disheveled they appear. It¡¯s a shame that you missed the brawl.¡± Scowling, Sophia asked, ¡°Did you do it? How did youe up with such a dirty trick?¡± Logan giggled and said, ¡°Well, she¡¯s not an upright woman in the first ce, so she could be tricked easily.¡± Then, he fished out his phone. ¡°I have some photos here.¡± Understanding what he meant, Sophia grinned. ¡°You¡¯re such a wicked man.¡± Without refuting her, Logan said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a petty and vengeful man. No one can ever offend me!¡± After arguing for a while, the people in the yard started scuffling again. As a man, although Simon could help his sister, he was powerless when confronted by such aggressive women. A whileter, his hair became messy, and his clothes were torn apart. At the same time, Sally became unkempt as well. Sophia wasn¡¯t interested in seeing that. ¡°They are just fighting pointlessly. It¡¯s boring.¡± Just then, another car approached them. Before the car came to a halt, some people opened the doors, got out of the car, and went straight into the yard. Initially, Sophia thought that they were the helpers of the man¡¯s girlfriend that Logan had mentioned who appeared. However, upon making out that it was Leah, she finally understood what was going on. With her interest piqued, Sophia said, ¡°Oh well, the mistress of the Morgan Family is here.¡± Seeing Leah, Logan was infuriated. ¡°What a b*tch. Just wait! I¡¯ll make life a living hell for your family!¡± Sophia stayed close to the window and gazed at the yard. As soon as those people entered the yard, they separated the two groups of people. Seeing her mother, Sally regained confidence and snarled at those women, saying that they should look for the man instead since she was a victim herself. Due to the fact that there were more people on Sally¡¯s side, these women decided to retreat, all the while chiding Sally as they left the ce. Sophia stared at Leah, who stood before Sally and suddenly pped her daughter. The p was so forceful that Sally staggered sideward. Following that, Leah said something, which caused Sally, who was covering her face, to be frightened. Sophia retracted her gaze. ¡°Alright, there¡¯s nothing interesting to see now.¡± Logan chuckled and told the chauffeur to start the engine. ¡°This is only the beginning. More fun awaits us.¡± Sophia remained silent as the car headed for her shop. When they arrived, Robin was already there jotting something down on her notebook. Seeing Sophia, she greeted her and showed her the to-buy-list. Sophia had already done some research before. Seeing the list, she mumbled, ¡°These are all necessary items.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. When Sophia was done reading the list, Robin asked, ¡°Were you guys alright that day?¡± Sophia was startled for a moment before she understood what Robin meant. shing a smile at her, she replied, ¡°We¡¯re good. With Young Master Logan here, we¡¯d surely be fine.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 453 Chapter 453 Robin kept jotting things down on her notebook. ¡°When your ex-husband came to look for you that day, I could see that he still cared about you.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Really?¡± Robin learned about John and Sophia from the news, so she didn¡¯t know the details. ¡°I think he appears to be an upstanding man. That was the feeling he gave off during our encounters. I think the rumor that he¡¯s with Young Lady Isabelle is false.¡± Robin¡¯s voice was calm, and she didn¡¯t sound like she was biased toward John. At that instant, Sophia recalled thatst night, she saw John and Isabelle dancing together. Although they were just performing a ball dance, the nature of their rtionship could be determined by how closely they stayed together. Since they cuddled with each other when dancing, it was apparent that they were more than just friends. After a while, Sophia smiled lightly. ¡°Whatever. I don¡¯t really care whether the rumor is true or not.¡± Humans would be more magnanimous as they age; Sophia believed that was the case for her. Some time ago, she just didn¡¯t want John and Isabelle to get together. She even had the idea that John could marry anyone except for Isabelle. Thinking back, her idea wasughable, as she realized that John could just marry anyone he liked, and she would have no right to say anything. Sophia and Robin stopped talking. When Robin was done with the to-buy-list, Sophia took it over and went to a nearby shopping mall to buy the items. The shop was located in a busy area with many shopping malls and supermarkets. When Sophia was gone, Robin stayed in the shop to do some cleaning. Since the mall was a short distance away, Sophia decided to walk. After crossing a road, she caught a glimpse of a familiar car. Upon a closer look, she realized that it was Matilda¡¯s car. Then, she looked around and remembered that this ce was near John¡¯spany. Is she here to have lunch with John? That¡¯s possible. Following that, she took a look at the nearby restaurants, but she didn¡¯t see them. Sophia figured that Matilda and William should be divorced. As a divorced woman herself, she really wanted to meet up with Matilda. Matilda always said that I don¡¯t deserve to marry John. Look, in the end, she also doesn¡¯t deserve William as she was kicked out of the family at such an old age. At that moment, Sophia decided not to go to the mall, and she ended up pacing around the ce. A whileter, she came across Matilda. To her surprise, instead of John, she was with William. Sophia batted her eyes. Seeing that Matilda and William wereing out from a restaurant, she hurriedly sneaked behind a car. At the restaurant entrance, after William said something to Matilda, she nodded and lowered her gaze. Upon finishing his words, William turned to leave, but Matilda immediately pulled his sleeve. Turning around, he took a look at her hand in a helpless manner and pulled away from her hand. Oh well. Sophia grinned. It seems that they¡¯re really divorced. That¡¯s great. After William got into his car, Matilda was still rooted to the spot. When the car was out of sight, Sophia got up and swaggered toward Matilda. ¡°Mrs. Constance, what a coincidence.¡± Seeing her, Matilda was startled for a moment before her expression darkened. Even when she was divorced, she still disdained Sophia. Sophia beamed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I saw Mr. Constance just now. Why did he leave so quickly? Did you two have an argument?¡± Matilda ignored her and turned to leave. Just then, Sophia giggled and said, ¡°Why did youe out driving the Constance Family¡¯s car when you¡¯re no longer part of the family? Have they given this car to you as part of the alimony?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 454 Chapter 454 Matilda stopped in her tracks as her eyes widened. Turning around, she snarled, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡± With a haughty expression, Sophia ignored what she said and continued with a sigh, ¡°You¡¯re like the pot calling the kettle ck. You said that I don¡¯t deserve John, but in the end, you¡¯re kicked out of the Constance Family at such an old age. How pitiful. I¡¯m young and childless, so I can still get another man. On the other hand, you are old and unattractive. I¡¯m afraid that you don¡¯t even have enough time to get a new man.¡± Matilda¡¯s expression turned dark. ¡°Stop acting weirdly and spouting nonsense. What you¡¯ve said isn¡¯t true.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Am I saying nonsense? Do you think you can still hide it?¡± Then, she walked toward Matilda¡¯s car and leaned on it. ¡°Well, did you learn from John and me by hiding the fact that you¡¯re divorced? Oh, you¡¯re the one who exposed the fact that John and I divorced, right? I don¡¯t like to owe anyone, but I also hate it when others owe me. I¡¯ll get even with you by exposing your secret as well.¡± Matilda¡¯s expression was thunderous. ¡°Sophia, how dare you!¡± ¡°Try me.¡± Sophia burst intoughter. ¡°Well, I totally have the courage to expose your secret.¡± Matilda pressed her lips together, not knowing what to say. In fact, Sophia was a reckless person, so she had no qualms dealing a blow to Matilda. All of a sudden, Sophia lost interest in bickering with Matilda because thetter appeared to be powerless. After giving it a thought, she said, ¡°Isabelle misses you dearly. She said that she¡¯d pay you a visit at the Constance Residence, so watch out.¡± Matilda was startled. ¡°Belle is looking for me?¡± ¡°Yes, she misses you very much.¡± Sophia moved away from the car and sneered, ¡°I wonder how she will react when she finds out that you and Master William are divorced. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Frowning, Matilda never responded to her. Shooting a look at her, Sophia snorted and turned to leave. After remaining on the spot for a while, Matilda got into her car. Without starting the engine, she took out her phone and dialed Isabelle¡¯s number. Isabelle was still at herpany when she received Matilda¡¯s call, which surprised her. Immediately connecting the call, she called out, ¡°Mrs. Constance.¡± Matilda smirked. ¡°Belle, are you busy?¡± Certainly, Isabelle wouldn¡¯t say that she was busy. Instead, she asked how Matilda was doing and said that she missed her. Matilda was relieved that Isabelle was still as gentle to her as before. With nothing to do at the moment, she asked, ¡°I¡¯m in the city center. Belle, do you want to meet up?¡± Without hesitation, Isabelle replied, ¡°Sure. Since it¡¯s lunch time now, I¡¯m going.¡± Matilda told her to meet up at a cafe near Bailey Corporation and said that she was going immediately. Upon hanging up the call, she heaved a sigh of relief. Since the divorce, the Flintstones had given her the cold shoulder, while William didn¡¯t seem to have the intention of making up with her. Worse, she was derided by Sophia just a moment ago. Now, Isabelle was the only one who was still as kind to her as before. A whileter, she stepped on the gas pedal and headed for Bailey Corporation. Isabelle was already in the cafe when Matilda arrived. Seeing Matilda, Isabelle beckoned to her. ¡°Mrs. Constance, I¡¯m here.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Matilda hurriedly walked over. ¡°Oh wow, I¡¯m not used to seeing you in a suit. You look like a sessful businesswoman.¡± Isabelle tucked her hair behind her ear and said, ¡°I just look like one, but there are many things that I don¡¯t understand. Most of the time, I¡¯ll ask for John¡¯s help.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 455 Chapter 455 Matilda nodded. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, just call John. It takes time to develop fondness for each other, hence you¡¯ll have to get in touch with him more often.¡± Isabelle pouted her lips and said, ¡°I had wanted to pay you a visit at the Constance Residence a few days ago. John seems to be busy recently and doesn¡¯t reply to my messages, so I want to go to his house.¡± Matilda pursed her lips. ¡°John is indeed busy recently, so don¡¯t me him for not giving you enough attention. He¡¯ll be free soon.¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°Right. How are you doing? John said that something happened to the Flintstones, so you have returned to your own family.¡± Matilda lowered her gaze and pressed her lips together. A whileter, she mumbled, ¡°Yes, something happened.¡± On the other side, Sophia was gleeful that the fact that Matilda and William were divorced was made certain. After buying all the necessary items from the mall, she returned to her shop and started getting the shop ready with Robin. Since it was her first time starting a business, she was nervous. When she wasn¡¯t around, Robin had already categorized the items needed for their shop. While looking at Robin¡¯s list, Sophia slowly put the items in ce. Just then, a car parked outside their shop. Sophia didn¡¯t take it seriously at first, but momentster, the car was still there. Frowning, Sophia put down the things in her hands and walked over. Since the car window was down, she immediately saw the person inside the car. shing a smile at him, she inquired, ¡°Why are you here?¡± At that moment, Zack was taking a video of the shop with his phone. Hearing that, he smirked. ¡°I¡¯m here to ask when your shop will open. By then, I¡¯ll send you a flower stand personally.¡± Sophia stood beside the car and replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t decided on the date yet as I¡¯m learning how to go about the business. I¡¯ll make a decision when I¡¯m ready.¡± Zack took a look at the shop name. ¡°Your shop name doesn¡¯t sound auspicious.¡± Sophia looked up at the board andughed. ¡°It sounds dispiriting, right? That¡¯s right. Life is not a bed of roses. It¡¯s the reality we¡¯re in.¡± Zack clenched his phone and fell into silence. He had just reported to John the recent developments of Sophia¡¯s shop. For some reason, John started caring about Sophia¡¯s matters recently. He wasn¡¯t like this before. After giving it a thought, Zack said, ¡°Oh right. I took many photos when we were on a business trip some time back, but I didn¡¯t have the time to manage them. Last night, I got them all sorted. I¡¯ll send them to youter.¡± Sophia was startled for a moment before she remembered what photos he was talking about. ¡°Ah, okay. I don¡¯t even remember it if you didn¡¯t mention it.¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Zack stared at her. ¡°You seem to have gotten rather carefree recently.¡± Sophia beamed. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯ve gotten over it.¡± She and John were not destined to be together, so she didn¡¯t want to get stuck in the sorrow anymore. Fortunately, she came to that realization in time and walked out of the misery. Zack sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on between you two, but it seems that he¡¯s the one who¡¯s in a dilemma now.¡± Sophia burst intoughter. ¡°He will get used to it eventually. He¡¯s used to being served, so after I stopped pestering him, he just couldn¡¯t ept the fact yet. He¡¯ll be alright in no time.¡± Upon some pondering, she added, ¡°Well, with Isabelle as my recement, he¡¯ll be happy again soon.¡± Zack shook his head slowly. ¡°You don¡¯t get it.¡± Despite what Zack said, he also couldn¡¯t understand John¡¯s actions. He had never seen such reactions from John before. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 456 Chapter 456 Zack had worked for John for years, but it was his first time seeing him so diposed. When John was forced to marry Sophia back then, even though he was upset and irritated, he wasn¡¯t as flustered as he was now. However, Zack couldn¡¯t exin clearly what was wrong with John in everything he did. John was just different from his past self. Sophia didn¡¯t want to know more about John, for the more she learned, the more upset she would be. Patting on the car, she said, ¡°Alright. I have to get into the shop. You should go back now. I¡¯ll inform you when I¡¯ve set a date for the shop opening.¡± Zack mumbled an acknowledgement and watched her enter the shop before stepping on the gas pedal. When he returned to thepany, John was in his office. Zack walked in and saw John signing his name on documents. After that, John gazed at Zack and said, ¡°I saw the video. The shop name doesn¡¯t sound good.¡± Zack replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think it sounds good either, but Sophia likes it.¡± ¡°She likes it?¡± John sneered. ¡°Well, she likes all sorts of weird things.¡± With that, he tossed his pen to the side, apparently displeased. Although Zack didn¡¯t dare utter a word, he thought that it was none of John¡¯s business. Since they were divorced, John no longer had the right to interfere in Sophia¡¯s business. For the entire afternoon, John was absent-minded when working. In the evening, William came to look for him and told him to attend a social gathering with him. John hadn¡¯t attended any social events for a long time, so he agreed to it upon hearing that, since he had nothing to do at home anyway. The ce of the gathering was decided by the other party. After work, John and William headed for the restaurant. They heard that a fresh batch of seafood was sent to the restaurant just hours ago. When they arrived, the people of the other party were already there. Also, the fish tanks that housed the marine animals were ced in the lobby. John took a look and retracted his gaze. All of a sudden, he fell into a daze as he recalled the moment when he enjoyed a meal with Sophia during a business trip some time ago. At the same time, the image of Logan and Sophia picking out seafood sprang to his mind as well. For the entire afternoon, Sophia¡¯s shop name kept bugging him. No Response. What a bad-sounding name. I suspect that this name is an innuendo about me! When John and William entered the private room, the people of the other party were already seated. No matter how unhappy John was, he had to force a smile at them. After greeting each other, they took their respective seats and started having their meal. John tried to focus and make himself appear to be happy. However, halfway through it, he became impatient. Clenching the cigarette case in his pocket, he said, ¡°Excuse me. I need to use the restroom.¡±Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. After walking out of the private room, instead of going to the restroom, he walked along the corridor and reached a smaller hall which functioned as a balcony. As the windows were open, the night breeze blew into the room. Upon fishing out the cigarette case, John took out a cigarette and searched for his lighter. With no one in the hall, he stood by the windows. Just when he wanted to light up the cigarette, he heard a voice from behind. ¡°John?¡± John was startled and forgot to light up the cigarette. Turning around, he saw Isabelle, who seemed to be intoxicated. With a flushed face, Isabelle shed a smile at him. ¡°It¡¯s really you.¡± Walking over, she continued, ¡°I thought I was mistaken.¡± With one hand pressed against the windowsill, she smacked her forehead with her other hand. ¡°I¡¯ve drunk some wine, so my vision is a little blurry now.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 457 Chapter 457 John was surprised. ¡°Are you here to attend a social gathering?¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve followed my dad to such gatherings a few times, but I¡¯m still not used to it. The room was filled with the smell of cigarettes. I seized the chance to sneak out when they were a little drunk. This kind of gathering is a torture.¡± John smiled and kept the lighter, deciding not to smoke. Gazing out the window, Isabelle continued, ¡°In fact, I¡¯m a light drinker. I didn¡¯t want toe, but my dad insisted that I should get used to such gatherings.¡± After saying that, she put on a smile. ¡°You know that my brother is still young, so as the elder sister, I have to pave the path for his future. As my dad¡¯s health has declined, I guess I¡¯m pretty useful at this point.¡± She guffawed upon finishing her words as though what she had said was just a joke. John understood the situation the Bailey Family was in. Isabelle¡¯s younger brother, Dexter Bailey, was still a student. Naturally, the other men from the other branches of the Bailey Family wanted to seize the chance and divide up thepany. Old Mr. Bailey was aged, therefore he had less energy to take care of thepany. Hence, he needed a helper at this point, and the only person he could trust was Isabelle. Despite that being the case, it was difficult for Isabelle to transition from a carefree debutante to a businesswoman. It¡¯s really tough for her. Gazing at her, John¡¯s expression changed. Sometimes, he thought there were many simrities between them. Isabelle let out a sigh and tapped on her chest. ¡°I feel unwell after drinking some wine. Do you think I¡¯m useless?¡± With his hands tucked in his pockets, John gazed out the window. ¡°You will get used to it. Sometimes, there are responsibilities we can¡¯t dodge.¡± Isabelle¡¯s lips quirked up. ¡°For example¡ª¡± She suddenly halted her words as she understood it wasn¡¯t a good topic to bring up, so she changed it a little. ¡°Take you as an example. I can see that you don¡¯t like to attend such social gatherings either, but you¡¯re trying to get used to it.¡± She wanted to talk about his marriage with Sophia. Turning to her, John put on a smile. A whileter, Isabelle had to return to the private room. Before she left, she said in a helpless manner, ¡°I hope the gathering will be over soon.¡± Seeing that John remained silent, Isabelle heaved a sigh and left. Momentster, John returned to his own private room. A social event like this wouldn¡¯t end without most of the people bing inebriated. John took a seat and fell into silence. A short whileter, when someone came to him with a ss of wine, he put on a smile and picked up his ss. ¡°Alright, Mr. oy. Let¡¯s drink.¡± Upon gulping down the wine, he directly refilled it and said to Mr. oy, ¡°Come on, I apologize for going out just now. Let¡¯s drink again.¡± Mr. oy was ttered since John showed so much respect to him. After a few rounds, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore and slumped into a chair, dozing off. John was a heavy drinker, so when he was done with Mr. oy, he still could go straight to another person. William was a little drunk, but he understood what John was trying to do. Therefore, he supported his forehead with his hand and fell into silence as he watched John drinking with his fellow businessmen. After getting a few more people drunk, the gathering was officially over. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Since John gulped down the wine too quickly, he was unable to take it as well. Taking a seat, he panted and pinched his be. The chauffeurs of the intoxicated businessmen came in and helped them out. Without the need for any support, John and William took a rest for a while and walked out of the private room as they reached for the elevator. Just then, the door of another room was opened as Old Mr. Bailey came out with Isabelle. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 458 Chapter 458 Both Old Mr. Bailey and Isabelle seemed to be intoxicated, but Isabelle could still walk on her own. Upon taking a look at them, John turned around and ignored them. Seeing John and William, Isabelle called out in a weak voice, ¡°John.¡± In that case, John couldn¡¯t pretend that he didn¡¯t see them. Walking over, he helped support Old Mr. Bailey and inquired, ¡°Why did he drink so much?¡± Since they were close friends, Isabelle directly passed her father to John. Panting, she replied, ¡°They are heavy drinkers, while I am a light drinker, so my dad drank on my behalf most of the time.¡± When the elevator door opened, they got in together. John remained silent because the Baileys made a fuss when he divorced some time back then. Therefore, he was disdainful of them. Moreover, he was feeling unwell after consuming lots of alcohol, so he didn¡¯t want to talk to them. Upon entering the elevator, Isabelle directly leaned against the wall and fell into silence, apparently feeling ufortable as well. Reaching the first floor, John helped Old Mr. Bailey get out of the elevator. William directly went into his car, while John helped Old Mr. Bailey get into his car. Immediately after that, Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s stomach started churning as he vomited everything out into the car. Isabelle was stunned for a moment and rushed over. ¡°Dad, are you alright?¡± Old Mr. Bailey became sober after vomiting, so he straightened his body and waved his hand, saying to John, ¡°Ignore me. Please go back first. I¡¯ll have to get my car washed.¡± John offered by saying, ¡°Why don¡¯t youe into my car? I¡¯ll send both of you home first. You can tell your chauffeur to get the car washed.¡± Old Mr. Bailey shook his head. ¡°I have to go there personally.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Gazing at John, Isabelle exined, ¡°This car was gifted to my dad by my mom, so he isn¡¯t willing to buy a new car after so many years. This car has to be serviced every now and then.¡± John had heard about it before. Although this car was outdated, Old Mr. Bailey would only use this car every time he went out. Hearing that, John nodded. ¡°I envy the love between Old Mr. Bailey and his wife.¡± Old Mr. Bailey put on a smile and said to Isabelle, ¡°Perhaps President Constance could send you home first. I¡¯m feeling much better now. After getting the car washed, I¡¯ll go home.¡± Since her father appeared to be alright, Isabelle shifted her attention to John, who had no choice but to say yes as he nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Since Old Mr. Bailey had his chauffeur with him, he should be safe. Moreover, John and William came to this ce in their own separate cars. Seeing that Isabelle was about to enter John¡¯s car, William, who was still there, said, ¡°Miss Bailey, why don¡¯t I send you home instead? John has consumed more alcohol than I have, so please let him go home first.¡± Isabelle was startled by his words as her expression was filled with embarrassment. ¡°I don¡¯t want to trouble you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all. It¡¯d be nice to have a drive at night.¡± Before Isabelle could reply, William said to John, ¡°Go back first since you have drunk a lot. Tell the cook to get you some hangover tonic before sleeping.¡± Pausing, John took a look at his father and suddenly understood something. With a nod, he replied, ¡°Alright.¡± Following that, he turned to Isabelle. ¡°Please go home in my dad¡¯s car. My body smells of alcohol now.¡± Of course, Isabelle couldn¡¯t shamelessly say otherwise, so she nodded and shed a smile at him. ¡°Alright, sorry for troubling both of you.¡± Turning around, she opened the car door and entered William¡¯s car. After getting into his car, John started the engine and left the ce while observing William¡¯s car through the rearview mirror. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 459 Chapter 459 When William spoke to John a moment ago, he seemed to be sending him a warning with his expression. John quickly realized that it was negligence on his own side. Until William¡¯s car was out of sight from the rearview mirror, John retracted his gaze. Inebriated, he leaned against the seat and closed his eyes, slowly dozing off. When he had reached Constance Residence, the chauffeur called out to John to awaken him. Getting out of the car, John leaned against the car for a while to sober up. Then, he slowly walked into the main building and told the cook to get him a hangover tonic. When the tonic was ready, William returned home. Although William had consumed lots of alcohol as well, he appeared to be more clear-headed than this son. Upon entering the house, he directly took a seat opposite John. Since his wife was asleep, William questioned in a lowered voice, ¡°Have you figured it out?¡± Resting on the couch, John was on the verge of falling asleep. When he heard that, he frowned. ¡°What?¡± Helplessly, William asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you understand that you were almost taken advantage of?¡± The question made John scowl. William smiled. ¡°Sober up and think about it. It seems that you¡¯re really intoxicated since you can¡¯t even see through it.¡± John slumped onto the couch. Maybe I really am drunk. His mood seemed to have yed a part as well. It wasn¡¯t his first time drinking so heavily, but he had never been so wasted before. After a while, he finished the hangover tonic and went upstairs. With his eyes half open, he fumbled along the corridor and reached his room. Following that, he turned the doorknob and walked in. For an instant, he felt that the room was a little different. Without turning on the light, he reached for his bed with the help of the moonlight. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Plunging into the bed, he kicked away his shoes, took out his phone from his pocket and tossed it aside. Then, he pulled the quilt closer and mumbled, ¡°Sophia, you¡¯re such a heartless woman.¡± Even in his dazed state, he stillined about Sophia. On the other side, Sophia was sorting the data on herputer in the study. Since her shop would be ready to open in a few days, she and Robin had been burning the midnight oil. More importantly, there were many things that she had to learn. When Sophia was done with it, she turned off theputer. Just then, her phone started ringing; it was a call from Ian. When the call was connected, Ian said in an excited voice, ¡°Sophia, do you want to have supper with me?¡± Sophia took a look at the time and realized that it waste. Still, she was surprised that Ian was looking for her at such an hour. ¡°You sound happy. What happened?¡± Ian gave an affirmative grunt and exined, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m really excited. I met up with Lorraine Jefferson and discussed the talent show with her. I want to see you now.¡± Then, Sophia asked where he was, and he said that he was on the way to her house. After giving it a thought, she inquired, ¡°Why don¡¯t you get takeaway for the supper and have it at my ce?¡± Since she was done washing up and getting changed, she didn¡¯t want to step out of the house anymore. Without hesitation, Ian agreed to it and hung up the call. A short whileter, Ian arrived at her home with barbecued food and bottles of beer. Sophia had been waiting for him at the entrance. Seeing him, she looked behind him and questioned, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Logan with you?¡± Ian answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t call him. If he came as well, we would have a restless night. It¡¯ll only be the two of us tonight.¡± After pondering on it for a while, Sophia found him sensible, so she nodded. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t call him.¡± Barbecued food matched perfectly with beer. Since Sophia had had her dinner, she wasn¡¯t hungry at all. However, the story of Ian¡¯s discussion with Lorraine on the talent show was so intriguing that she unknowingly drank more beer than she should. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 460 Chapter 460 Since Sophia was at her home, she wasn¡¯t worried at all. Although she kept saying that she had drunk too much, she never rejected it whenever Ian filled her ss with beer. As they chatted and drank beer, they soon became tipsy. Tottering out of the dining hall, Sophia held the handrail of the stairs firmly. ¡°Ian, just get yourself a room in the house. I can¡¯t drink anymore.¡± Wasted, Ian rested on the chair and gave an affirmative grunt before falling into silence. Upon returning to her own room, Sophia plunged into her bed and dozed off. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. The next morning, sunlight filtered through the window and cast its glow at the room. Feeling the warmth, Sophia slowly opened her eyes as a face fell into her gaze. Ian and Sophia were lying on the bed in identical positions with some distance between them. Fortunately, Ian had his clothes on. Sophia batted her eyes and suppressed her urge to scream. Sitting up straight, she lowered her head and was relieved that she was still d in her clothes as well. Apparently, nothing happened between themst night. However, Sophia was still a little upset and even felt ufortable. After staring at Ian for a while, she had the urge of waking him up and arguing with him. However, if he really awakened, she wouldn¡¯t even know what to say to him. Undecided, she eventually left the room and washed up in the guest room. Then, Sophia went to the room which John used to live in. Seeing that his belongings were still around, she collected them and hurled them into the trash can. Since he isn¡¯t around anymore, it¡¯s pointless to keep his things here. After dilly-dallying for a while, she got herself ready and returned to her room in a daze. Reaching the door, she was hesitating whether she should wake Ian up. If not, should she let him continue sleeping? But if she did wake him up, she wouldn¡¯t even know how to face him. Whatever she would do, it would be embarrassing for her. Since the door was open, she moved closer and took a look at the bed. To her surprise, Ian was nowhere to be seen. Startled, she batted her eyelids. Is he gone? It¡¯s strange. If he really left, he would have informed me about it. With doubt in her voice, she called out, ¡°Ian.¡± Ian¡¯s voice sounded from downstairs. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here.¡± After a moment¡¯s pause, Sophia turned around and reached for the stairs. Ian was indeed on the first floor, but he wasn¡¯t alone. Standing on the staircase, Sophia was startled to see the other person as her eyebrows knitted together. Meanwhile, John was ring at her with a grave expression. Without a doubt, he must have misunderstood something. If Sophia were in his shoes, she would have taken it the wrong way as well. Instead of exining herself, she questioned, ¡°What are you doing here so early in the morning?¡± John asked in a cial voice, ¡°Am I interrupting the two of you?¡± Ian burst intoughter and said to Sophia, ¡°Please get changed first. Aren¡¯t you going to the shop today? We¡¯ll have breakfast outside.¡± Pressing her lips together, Sophia remained on the spot. Just then, John said, ¡°Sophia, I have underestimated you. You¡¯re swift.¡± Despite his ambiguous words, Sophia understood what he meant immediately. A few days ago, she told John that she liked Ian but hadn¡¯t managed to confess to him. Now, they were seen living together. Wasn¡¯t that swift? For some reason, Sophia put on a helpless smile. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t you want to congratte me?¡± John stared fixedly at her without uttering a word. Sophia then added, ¡°Are you here to retrieve your belongings or send me anything? Whatever it is, get it all done in one ago and don¡¯t keeping back. Even if you don¡¯t find it troublesome, I find it bothersome.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 461 Chapter 461 As soon as Sophia finished her words, John suddenly charged toward the stairs. His action was so rapid that Ian didn¡¯t manage to react. It was already toote when Sophia came to her senses as John had reached her and clenched at her shoulders before pressing her against the wall. ¡°Sophia, do I look like a pushover?¡± Ian rushed over and questioned, ¡°John, what are you doing?¡± John¡¯s grip was so forceful that Sophia felt pain in her shoulders. At that instant, she recalled that she was once pushed against the wall so ruthlessly that her back was hurt. Coming back to the present, she immediately covered her neck. ¡°John, you¡¯re doing this again to me! It seems that I¡¯m the pushover here, not the other way round!¡± Ian came over and tried to pull him away. After giving it a thought, John suddenly released Sophia and whirled around with a punch that was directed at Ian. Unsuspecting, Ian didn¡¯t expect that John would do such a thing. After getting hit, he tottered sideward. John¡¯s action astounded Sophia, for Ian was going topete in a talent show. If his face was bruised, he might not be able to join the contest. Enraged, Sophia snarled, ¡°John, you¡¯re a b*stard!¡± After pushing John away, she rushed to Ian and examined his face. ¡°Ian, are you alright? Does it hurt?¡± John shot her a cold look. ¡°You seem to feel sorry for him.¡± Turning around, Sophia stared at him and growled, ¡°John, you¡¯re a jerk! Why the heck are you making a scene in my house? I told you to face the reality. We¡¯re divorced, so we have nothing to do with each other anymore! Please stop interfering in my life! Don¡¯t you understand that you¡¯re causing trouble to me? I don¡¯t want to see you again, so please don¡¯t keeping back to my house. To say that I don¡¯t like you is an understatement; I hate you!¡± John¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Sophia.¡± Unafraid, Sophia red back at him. ¡°John, what else can you do other thanying your hand on me?¡± Hearing that, John¡¯s furious face became stiff. A whileter, he snorted. ¡°Are you saying that I know nothing buty my hand on you?¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned cial. ¡°Leave now. I don¡¯t want to see you anymore.¡± John nodded slowly. ¡°Alright. Before I go, I want to ask you a question. Answer me honestly.¡± Then, he pointed at Ian. ¡°Did this man stay over in your housest night?¡± The question amused Sophia. ¡°Why are you asking this question when the proof is right before your eyes? Of course he slept over.¡± John pressed his lips together for a while and grinned, while his expression became increasingly ferocious. ¡°It¡¯s my fault then. Something must have gotten into me.¡± Ian straightened his body and wiped off the blood from the corner of his mouth. With that serious expression on his face, he looked different from his usually gentle self. Gazing at John, he said, ¡°Mr. Constance, you¡¯ve crossed the line. I hope you¡¯ll understand that you and Sophia are divorced, and she¡¯s gotten together with me now.¡± With that, he heaved a sigh and turned around. Running his fingers through Sophia¡¯s hair, he looked at her lovingly. ¡°You¡¯re safe now. Get changed. We¡¯ll have breakfast together.¡± Sophia stole a nce at John with a long face, feeling somewhat hesitant. Ian pushed her gently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine. Please go to your room and get changed. I need to talk to Mr. Constance.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t trust John, so she said to Ian, ¡°You¡¯re no match for him when ites to physical strength.¡± Previous Chapter Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 462 Chapter 462 John turned around. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯ty a hand on your loved one again.¡± Although John was reckless, he was a man of his word. Pressing her lips together, Sophia told Ian to be careful and went upstairs. Before entering the room, she took a peek and saw that John and Ian remained on the spot. Then, she locked the door and got changed quickly. After getting changed, she took a seat on the bed instead of going out. Why does John keep bothering me almost every day? It¡¯s annoying! With her mind in a mess, Sophia stooped and dug her fingers into her hair. Why did I drink so much that I didn¡¯t even know Ian got into my room? However, she didn¡¯t think Ian had any evil intention since nothing had happened between them. She figured that he was wasted and simply entered her room when he saw that the door was open. While she was deep in her thoughts, Ian knocked on the door. ¡°Sophia, let¡¯s go out for breakfast.¡± Heaving a sigh, Sophia walked over and opened the door. Only Ian was seen in the corridor, so Sophia took a peek at the stairs and asked, ¡°Has John left?¡± Ian replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Pursing her lips, Sophia wasn¡¯t sure whether she should be upset or relieved. Then, without applying make-up, she left the house with Ian. On the other end, John¡¯s car was parked near the house as he was staring at the entrance, so when Sophia and Ian came out, he immediately saw them. After Sophia said something, Ian leaned close to her and helped tidy her hair. They were just inches away from each other, and their interaction was intimate. Gritting his teeth, John grumbled, ¡°Sophia, I must have been crazy to let you humiliate me like this.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. When Sophia reached the shop, she was ready to get down to work with Robin. However, she couldn¡¯t focus at all, as John¡¯s cold expression kept bugging her in her mind. Although the corner of Ian¡¯s mouth had stopped bleeding, it became bruised. Sophia was apologetic because the talent show would begin soon, so it would be a hindrance to Ian¡¯s future if he couldn¡¯t join the contest due to his injury. Upon pondering on it for a moment, she decided to bring him to see a doctor. Coincidentally, they were assigned the doctor who treated Sophia¡¯s leg injury before. Seeing her, he called out, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn.¡± Sophia was shocked. ¡°You know me?¡± Dr. Holt was on good terms with William, so he nodded. ¡°I helped dress up your wound when you were injured previously.¡± Sophia gave a hesitant ¡®Oh¡¯ before replying, ¡°It¡¯s you. It¡¯s no wonder that I find you familiar.¡± Dr. Holt took a look at Ian. ¡°Is he your friend?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°He¡¯s gotten a bruise on his mouth. Do you have any effective cream to fade his bruise? He¡¯s going to an audition in a few days.¡± Dr. Holt smiled gently. ¡°Let me have a closer look. Did you get into a fight? Oh well, the other party was ruthless. The corner of your mouth is split.¡± Sophia pressed her lips together and fell into silence. Without delving deeper into the topic, Dr. Holt was getting the prescription ready on hisputer while saying, ¡°I heard that you attended the birthday party of Old Mrs. ckwell.¡± While Sophia was startled, he continued, ¡°You even got a good result from fortune-telling.¡± Have I be famous again? she thought. When the prescription was ready, Dr. Holt gazed at Sophia. ¡°I happened toe across John yesterday. He was proud when he talked about you.¡± At the mention of John, Sophia¡¯s mood turned bad. Not knowing what happened between them. Dr. Holt added, ¡°I don¡¯t remember John being so delighted when he mentioned anyone else.¡± Sophia frowned, for she didn¡¯t understand why the doctor was telling her this. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 463 Chapter 463 Doesn¡¯t he read the news at all? Why does he seem like he doesn¡¯t know the situation John and I are in? Upon finishing his words, Dr. Holt passed the medical card and prescription slip to Ian. ¡°Alright. Get the cream from the pharmacist and apply it every day. Also, don¡¯t eat anything spicy. Your bruise should fade in a few days.¡± Ian thanked Dr. Holt, who then turned to Sophia and shed a smile at her. ¡°You can leave with him now.¡± Sophia was already upset when Dr. Holt said those things to her, which made her feel even more distressed, even though she didn¡¯t understand why she was feeling this way. After leaving the hospital, they headed for Logan¡¯s ce. Seeing Ian in such a state, Logan misunderstood that it was the Morgans who hurt him. Therefore, he jumped to his feet and wanted to go to the Morgans¡¯ ce to get even with the Morgans. Seated on the couch, Sophia quickly stopped him, saying, ¡°It was John who hit him.¡± The news stunned Logan. ¡°Y-Y-You mean it was John who did it?¡± He then turned to Ian. ¡°Why did John punch you?¡± It was a difficult question to answer as both Sophia and Ian didn¡¯t want to talk about it. After remaining silent for a while, Ian asked Logan what happened to Simon and Sally. As a simple-minded man, Logan was sessfully distracted and he soon bragged about how he schemed against Sally. Then, he talked about how Leah gave her daughter a piece of her mind. Now, Sally was grounded at her house and wasn¡¯t allowed to go to thepany. Logan talked a lot, but Sophia and Ian weren¡¯t paying attention to him. Sophia took a look at Ian and asked in a lowered voice, ¡°Last night, why did you¡ª¡± She then halted her words with an embarrassed expression. Understanding what she meant, Ian blushed. ¡°I was wasted.¡± He was so happyst night that he had forgotten to control his intake of alcohol. However, he didn¡¯t get into Sophia¡¯s room intentionally. Last night, he had wanted to look for the guest room, but for some reason, he ended up in her room. When he woke up in the morning, he was bbergasted as well. Fortunately, other than his jacket, he still had his clothes on. Also, he was spared the embarrassing moment since Sophia wasn¡¯t beside him at that time. Sophia scratched her head and thought of John. Since he could enter the house directly, the door was supposedly not locked. Sophia was d that he didn¡¯t go upstairs and catch them in the bed. Otherwise, it would be utterly mortifying. Sophia sighed. ¡°Just forget about it and don¡¯t mention it again.¡± Ian pressed his lips together and stared at her for a moment before giving an affirmative grunt. After staying at Logan¡¯s ce for a while, Sophia said that she was feeling unwell and went home. It wasn¡¯t an excuse, as her stomach was really churning, and her head was dizzy due to the hangover. Moreover, she was distressed after what happened between John and her. Knowing nothing, Logan offered by asking, ¡°Why don¡¯t I send you home?¡± Sophia waved her hand. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll hail a taxi.¡± Rising from the couch, she left the ce without even bidding farewell to Ian. When she reached home, she stayed in the living room for a while and wailed suddenly. Why do I feel so upset? Since then, John never contacted Sophia nor came to her house. It seemed like they were in a cold war at the moment. Or perhaps, it couldn¡¯t be considered a cold war at all. After all, without the restraint of marriage, the cold war could simply be interpreted as a fall out between them. However, Sophia was thankful that she was able to have some quiet for a few days. Two dayster, when she was taking a ss at the driving school, she received a call from Old Mrs. Constance, who spoke in an oddly passionate tone and invited Sophia to her home to have a meal. Sophia was shocked by her hospitality. Why is she inviting me to have a meal at her home all of a sudden? Previous Chapter This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 464 Chapter 464 Upon hearing Sophia¡¯s rejection, Old Mrs. Constance sighed and exined, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s Old Mrs. ckwell who wants to invite you to a meal through me. After you got a good result from the fortune- telling for them, their business started picking up. Therefore, she wants to thank you personally.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me since I have taken such an expensive item from them. Moreover, I got the result out of luck, and it didn¡¯t cost me anything, so she doesn¡¯t have to thank me.¡± Old Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°Despite what you have said, she now regards you to be their benefactor. Since she¡¯s so hospitable, it¡¯s really inappropriate that you don¡¯te over.¡± Sophia covered her forehead and said, ¡°Madam, I really¡ª¡± Before she could finish her words, Old Mrs. Constance interrupted, ¡°Sophia, I miss you very much. Don¡¯t you want to pay me a visit?¡± Her words rendered Sophia speechless. To be honest, she didn¡¯t miss anyone from the Constance Family, including Old Mrs. Constance. Although Old Mrs. Constance was good to her currently, she wasn¡¯t like this in the past. Since Sophia didn¡¯t utter a word, Old Mrs. Constance directly made the decision for her. ¡°Alright. You¡¯ll come to my house tomorrow. I¡¯ll tell the cooks to get ready. When you arrive tomorrow, we¡¯ll have a proper chat.¡± Sophia gave it a thought. Since the next day would be a working day, John would supposedly be at the company. Hence, she probably wouldn¡¯te across him. After hesitating for a moment, she gave an affirmative grunt, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go to your house in the morning since it¡¯s not easy to hail a taxi in the evening these days.¡± It wasn¡¯t certain whether Old Mrs. Constance understood why Sophia decided to go over in the morning, but she immediately agreed to it. ¡°Alright. You cane over in the morning and have lunch with us. I¡¯ll tell the chauffeur to send you home in the afternoon.¡± Sophia replied, ¡°Okay.¡± When the conversation was over, she hung up the call. Leaning against the car, her expression was somewhat worried. The next day, Sophia dilly-dallied until she believed that John must have left the Constance Residence before she hailed a taxi. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. When she reached there, she was relieved that John really had left the residence. Old Mrs. Constance and Old Mrs. ckwell were seated in the yard in front of the main building as they were chatting and laughing. Sophia walked over with a chair. Seeing her, Old Mrs. ckwell rose from her chair slowly and called out, ¡°Sophia.¡± Sophia hastened her steps. ¡°Madam ckwell.¡± Old Mrs. ckwell shed a smile at her. ¡°You¡¯re finally here. I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± Sophia then turned to Old Mrs. Constance and greeted her. Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°Why are you calling me Madam now instead of Grandma?¡± Sophia forced a smile, not knowing what to say. Then, Old Mrs. Constance changed the topic, saying, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s get in. It¡¯s almost afternoon now. Look how scorching the sun is.¡± Sophia helped Old Mrs. ckwell get into the living room. Not knowing what happened between Sophia and John, Old Mrs. ckwell asked who Sophia was fond of. She would be d to help her check on the man. Sophia put on an embarrassed smile. ¡°H-He¡¯s busy.¡± Old Mrs. ckwell patted Sophia¡¯s hands. ¡°You have to be careful when looking for a suitable man. If you get married to the wrong man, you will regret it for the rest of your life.¡± Sophia traded nces with Old Mrs. Constance, whose expression was uneasy. I did marry the wrong man. If he were the right man, we wouldn¡¯t have divorced, Sophia thought. After chatting for a while, Old Mrs. ckwell asked Sophia about her family members. Upon a moment of hesitation, Sophia replied, ¡°I¡¯m the only one left in my family.¡± Old Mrs. ckwell was startled. ¡°Your parents¡ª¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 465 Chapter 465 Sophia nodded. ¡°They passed away in an ident.¡± Her answer elicited a stare from Old Mrs. Constance, for her husband told her before that Sophia¡¯s parents dumped her. However, she wasn¡¯t certain why Sophia¡¯s parents did such a thing. Sophia smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s good to be alone as I don¡¯t have to provide for my family. It¡¯s easier this way.¡± Feeling sorry for her, Old Mrs. ckwell tightened her grip on Sophia¡¯s hands. Since it was an unhappy topic, Old Mrs. Constance hurriedly talked about something else. As they chatted andughed, the atmosphere slowly became eased. When lunch was ready, Old Mrs. Constance, who was supported by a servant, said, ¡°Let¡¯s continue our chat over the meal.¡± Sophia helped Old Mrs. ckwell up. Before they could even take a step forward, John returned as he walked over and said, ¡°Grandma, I left a documentst night at¡ª¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Then, he froze on the spot when he saw Sophia, his expression turning from serious to cold. Sophia looked away. What the heck? Why do I always bump into him when I don¡¯t want to see him? John retracted his gaze as well. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a guest in our house.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Old Mrs. Constance exined, ¡°Madam ckwell is here to have lunch with Sophia.¡± John nodded. ¡°I left a document at homest night. Have you seen it?¡± To that, Old Mrs. Constance replied, ¡°Oh, I saw it and ced it in your study.¡± John grunted and went upstairs. A whileter, he came down with a document. Then, Old Mrs. Constance suggested, ¡°Lunch is ready. Why don¡¯t you have lunch with us?¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m busy today. Bye.¡± John also bid farewell to Old Mrs. ckwell before leaving. Apart from the first nce when he came across Sophia, he never looked at her again. Until John was out of sight, Sophia finally rxed and heaved a sigh of relief. Perhaps it¡¯s better this way, she thought. Old Mrs. Constance seemed to be disappointed as she told Sophia and Old Mrs. ckwell to enter the dining hall. Despite Sophia¡¯s best effort to avoid seeing John, she still came face to face with him. Fortunately, it was only a brief encounter, and they didn¡¯t even talk to each other. During the meal, Sophia¡¯s mood seemed to have been affected as her mind was wandering somewhere else when Old Mrs. ckwell asked her inquisitive questions. The meal was somewhat upsetting for Sophia. Although she had finished the food, she felt as though her stomach was still empty, and she didn¡¯t even remember what she had eaten. Since Old Mrs. ckwell hadn¡¯t recovered fully, she would be tired easily. Moreover, after having food, she started feeling sleepy. Seeing that, Old Mrs. Constance told a servant to help her go upstairs to take a rest. Rising from the chair as well, Sophia said, ¡°I have to go back to the shop.¡± Old Mrs. Constance took a look at her and sighed. ¡°Sophia, you¡¯ve be so distant to us now.¡± Her words amused Sophia, for she felt she had never been close to the Constances. After bidding farewell to her, Sophia reached for the car park, for Old Mrs. Constance had told a chauffeur to send her home. Not long after she got into the car and moved out of Constance Residence, she came across a car that was stopped in the middle of the road and blocked her way. When the chauffeur halted the car, Sophia rolled down the window and immediately recognized that it was John¡¯s car. With the car window down, John rested his elbow on the door with a cigarette between his fingers. Sitting there without looking at Sophia¡¯s car, he had simply parked his car in the middle of the road with no intention of going away. The chauffeur called out to John, who didn¡¯t reply to him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 466 Chapter 466 Sophia understood that John was intentionally blocking her way. Still, she thought that he would go away soon. After all, he had to go to work. Unexpectedly, after a while, John was on his next cigarette, but he still never gave Sophia¡¯s car a nce. Turning around, the chauffeur said, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, I think Young Master is waiting for you.¡± Of course, Sophia knew that as well. After giving it a thought, she opened the door and went over. Upon a closer look, she realized there were already many cigarette butts beside his car. Without smoking the cigarette, John simply let it burn on its own. Standing on the side, Sophia demanded, ¡°John, let me pass.¡± John slowly cocked his head. ¡°Why did youe to my house?¡± His words upset Sophia. If it weren¡¯t for Old Mrs. Constance, she wouldn¡¯t have been willing toe over. With a long face, she assured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s myst timeing here. I won¡¯te here again.¡± John snorted and moved his car to the side. Just when Sophia turned around and wanted to get into her car, John said, ¡°Come here.¡± Ignoring him, Sophia went over to her car and opened the door. Before she could even enter the car, John childishly drove the car back to the middle of the road. Great. Smiling, Sophia mmed the door and walked toward his car. ¡°Get into the passenger¡¯s seat,¡± John demanded. Sophia retracted her hand, which was already on the door handle of the back seat. Suppressing her fury, she opened the door and slumped into the passenger¡¯s seat. Finally pleased, John stepped on the gas pedal and turned the steering wheel. The car turned 180 degrees and sped off. Sophia kept her silence, but she wasn¡¯t afraid. When they reached the main road, John had no choice but to slow down the car. Stopping by the traffic light, he cocked his head and examined Sophia, whom he hadn¡¯t met for a few days. Sophia had gotten her hair dyed and permed, which made her look more charming and mature. This woman lives a fantastic life no matter what happens. John smiled. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re happy with Ian.¡± With an impassive expression, Sophia turned to him. ¡°That has nothing to do with you.¡± John¡¯s lips quirked up. ¡°I¡¯m just concerned about you. Since we were married previously, I can only be relieved when you¡¯re happy.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°Then rest assured. I have a wonderful life with Ian.¡± John¡¯s lips were pressed into a line. ¡°Right. I guess so.¡± When the traffic light turned green, Sophia said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Send me back quickly; we both can be relieved of each other then.¡± John stepped on the gas pedal and harped on the same topic, asking, ¡°Have you always been fond of Ian? I just didn¡¯t get it in the past.¡± Sophia leaned against the seat. ¡°Stop talking about me. Let¡¯s talk about you and Isabelle. You guys are getting along well, right? I¡¯ve seen your photos in the news.¡± Although John and Isabelle were seen together a few times, the journalists didn¡¯t im that they were a couple, as they only met up for work. Moreover, they had their assistants with them during the encounters. John raised an eyebrow. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d still read news about me. It seems that you still care about me.¡± Sophia looked fixedly at the road. ¡°I don¡¯t follow news about you. It¡¯s just hard not to see you in the news.¡± John sneered while Sophia fell into silence, as they couldn¡¯t have a chat peacefully at the moment. Even if John never spoke to her in such an odd way, she also couldn¡¯t control her urge to mock him obliquely. Hence, they remained silent until the car reached Sophia¡¯s home. After stopping the car, John never took a look at her as he clenched the steering wheel and stared into the distance. Previous Chapter Next Chapter This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 467 Chapter 467 Sophia opened the car door. After pondering on it for a moment, she said, ¡°Thanks.¡± Getting out of the car, she walked toward her house. John rolled down the window. ¡°Sophia.¡± Stopping in her tracks, Sophia turned around and gazed at him. ¡°Yes?¡± John slowly turned to her. ¡°I have been mulling over it for a few days, but I still can¡¯t see why you¡¯ve fallen in love with Ian.¡± His relentlessness about this topic made Sophia frown, so she stared at him without uttering a word. Appearing to be puzzled, John asked, ¡°What do you like about him? Is it his handsome face or his singing skill?¡± These qualities were supposedly not enough to make Sophia fall in love with Ian as John didn¡¯t think she was this kind of shallow woman. However, Sophia simply stood there and gazed at him, thinking that he just hadn¡¯t gotten over it. With a serious expression, Sophia exined, ¡°He might not be as good as some men out there, but he treats me much better than you did.¡± Then, she burst intoughter. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to talk about my miserable life at Constance Residence. I did try my best to win your heart. When the fact that we were divorced still wasn¡¯t known to the public, I was willing to ept you if you came back to me. However, you never got to understand my heart. I had only so much patience and love, so I couldn¡¯t keep waiting for you, as I¡¯d be exhausted as well. Ian is very good to me. Inparison to you, I¡¯ve finallye to the realization that I also deserve a man who treats me well.¡± Shrugging, she sighed. ¡°So let¡¯s end it here between us.¡± After staring at her for a while, John questioned, ¡°Was I really so bad to you in the past?¡± It couldn¡¯t be said that John was bad to her. At least, he was very generous when it came to money. However, humans were naturally greedy. When she was destitute, she thought that she would be content with having money, but when she had a man¡¯s financial support, she then craved love. Realizing that she couldn¡¯t win his heart, she eventually grew dejected, fearful, and lost. Smiling, she said, ¡°Not really. But perhaps, your bad outweighed your good. That¡¯s why I still wasn¡¯t happy.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Letting out a sigh, John wanted to ask more questions. However, when he looked at her, he suddenly couldn¡¯t utter a word. Forget it. Why am I getting trouble for myself? Thus, John mumbled and said, ¡°I hope that Ian will¡ª¡± I hope that Ian will treat you well. Those were the words he wanted to say, but they got stuck in his throat. Pressing his lips together, he rolled up the window, turned the steering wheel and stepped on the gas pedal. Rooted to the spot, Sophia watched his car leave. All of a sudden, her heart ached again as she pressed her hand against her chest. After entering her house, Sophiay on a yoga mat and went into a meditation pose. There were many things that she had to ponder on, but at that moment, her mind was upied with the image of John sitting in his car. Covering her face, she thought, It¡¯s said that love hurts. It seems that I¡¯m the victim. Meanwhile, the talent show that Lorraine had invested in was ready to roll. After getting into contact with the production team a few times, Ian got to learn what he had to do. Since he wasn¡¯t among the first batch of contestants, he had to wait for them to finish up before he would appear. Upon learning that, Logan brought Ian to look for Sophia to celebrate it, for Lorraine had assured Logan that as long as Ian could perform steadily, he was bound to be in the top three. The assurance made Logan feel delighted. Not wanting to celebrate it at home, he decided to bring them somewhere to have fun. Sophia, on the other hand, had been lethargic recently. For some reason, she couldn¡¯t focus on whatever she did. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 468 Chapter 468 Logan walked over and draped his arms around Sophia¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Why do you look so unenergetic? Cheer up. I¡¯ll bring you guys to somewhere fun.¡± The fun ce he talked about was a bar. Sophia took a look at Ian, who was beaming. Knowing that he was keen to have fun as well, she decided to go along with them. Nodding, she forced a smile and said, ¡°Okay.¡± In the evening, they went to a bar, which Sophia had been to as well. On the night of her divorce, she came to this bar to try to hook up with a man, but she came across John unexpectedly. They didn¡¯t stay in themon area. Although Logan wasn¡¯t a businessman, he had an exclusive business suite in the bar. When he had brought Ian and Sophia to the room, he then invited more people toe over on his phone. After pondering on it for a moment, Sophia decided to ask Robin to come over as well. When everyone arrived, and the food was ready, they began having fun. Initially, Sophia and Robin sat in one corner without joining them, but surprisingly, Logan was adept at warming up the atmosphere, which influenced Sophia. Hence, she pulled Robin over and started ying bar games with the others. The fun sessfully turned her bad mood into a good one. Since the alcohol content of the beer wasn¡¯t high, they drank a lot of it without restraint. Robin wasn¡¯t interested in drinking beer, so Sophia told Robin to take care of her if she was drunk, then she herself started drinking recklessly. Although the alcohol content in the beer was low, one could still be intoxicated from drinking too much of it. Eventually, Sophia slumped into the couch in a dazed state. Robin leaned close to her and asked, ¡°Sophia, are you alright?¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Sophia waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m just full.¡± Then, she pressed her hands on the couch handle and got up. ¡°I¡¯ll use the restroom.¡± In fact, there was a restroom in the private room, but there were too many people around currently. Separated by just a door, Sophia didn¡¯t feelfortable using the built-in restroom. Robin supported Sophia and wanted to go out with her, but thetter shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I can walk on my own.¡± Since Sophia indeed appeared to be alright, Robin didn¡¯t give it a second thought as she told Sophia to be careful and released her hand. Aftering out from the private room, Sophia headed for the restroom. She was alright initially, but upon walking out of the restroom, her mind suddenly became a mess. Leaning against the wall, she couldn¡¯t remember the location of Logan¡¯s private room no matter how hard she tried, since the business suites all looked the same. Moreover, she didn¡¯t bother to remember the room number. Thus, she took a deep breath and searched her body, but to her dismay, her phone wasn¡¯t with her. What the heck. How am I going back? When she closed her eyes for a while, she started bing sleepy. After murmuring for a moment, she heard someone calling out to her. ¡°Sophia?¡± With her eyes half open, she couldn¡¯t even make out who that person was, but she still said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± Standing on the side, Owen Constance frowned and went over to help her up. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Sophia replied. ¡°Why am I here? How did Ie here? Who knows?¡± Obviously, she was inebriated. Since his guests were waiting for him, Owen couldn¡¯t stay there for too long. After giving it a thought, he told a waiter to get Sophia to the side. Then, he fished out his phone and called John. At that instant, the only person he could think of was John. Meanwhile, John was still at thepany at this hour as his work had piled up recently due to hisck of focus. Since he didn¡¯t have anything to do at home, he decided to stay in thepany to finish up his work. Thus, when he received a call from Owen, he was surprised. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 469 Chapter 469 Normally, Owen wouldn¡¯t call John. The rtionship between the main family and the branch family became somewhat awkward when Old Mr. Constance told John to marry Sophia. Although their rtionship had improved a little after Owen¡¯s birthday party, it becameplicated again due to John¡¯s divorce. After staring at the screen for a moment, John picked up the call. ¡°Uncle Owen.¡± Owen grunted and asked, ¡°Where are you? Are you busy?¡± John replied that he was at thepany and he wasn¡¯t busy at the moment. Owen sighed and told John his location. Then, he said that he came across Sophia, who was drunk and alone. The news made John stand up straight in an instant. ¡°She is drunk and alone? Is there no one else around her?¡± With the phone in his hand, Owen looked around and didn¡¯t see her friend at all, so he answered, ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone else. She¡¯s on her own. My guests are waiting for me, so I can¡¯t take care of her. Are youing over?¡± Without hesitation, John agreed to it. ¡°Tell the waiter to get her into the lounge. I¡¯m going now.¡± Without even taking his jacket, John picked up the car key and stormed out of the room. Fortunately, there were only green lights all the way from thepany to the bar. When John arrived at the bar, a waiter was already waiting at the entrance. He said that Sophia was a little raucous, and he had been waiting for John. Since Sophia was wasted and making a fuss, the staff members didn¡¯t let her stay at the business suite area and brought her to the rest area for staff members at the back of the bar. When John went over, Sophia was pulling at the waiters and asking for more beer. Since she couldn¡¯t get what she wanted, she threw a tantrum and stomped her feet. The staff members didn¡¯t dare offend her, so they could only pacify her. Walking over, John pulled her closer to himself. ¡°Who have youe here with?¡± After staring at him for a while, Sophia questioned, ¡°Who are you?¡± Feeling helpless, John bent over and lifted her off the ground before leaving the lounge. With her feet off the ground, Sophia became quiet instantly. Draping her arms around John¡¯s neck, she reminded, ¡°Hold me tightly and don¡¯t make me fall.¡± After leaving the bar, John ced her into his car. Slumping into the seat, Sophia dozed off quickly. As he stood by the car, John pondered on it and mumbled, ¡°Did youe here with Logan?¡± Without Logan, she wouldn¡¯t havee to such a ce alone and drunk so much, except for the day of their divorce. Already asleep, Sophia naturally couldn¡¯t answer his question. Taking out his phone, he stared at the screen for a moment before shifting his attention back to Sophia. Then, he kept his phone and circled around the car. Upon entering the car, he started the engine and stepped on the gas pedal. Since Sophia¡¯s phone wasn¡¯t with her, no one could find her currently. Reaching her home, John carried her in his arms and reached for the door before opening it with her fingerprint. When he was walking on the stairs, Sophia suddenly started retching. Seeing that, John hastened his steps and brought her to the bathroom. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. The moment Sophia stepped on the ground, she directly vomited on John. As a clean freak, John immediately closed his eyes as the feeling was extremely ufortable to him. Tipping his head back, he took a deep breath and patted her back. After vomiting, Sophia still didn¡¯t feel any better. She then turned back around and threw up into the toilet bowl. With his eyes closed, John took off his shirt and hurled it into the trash can. Realizing that his pants were dirtied as well, he removed it hurriedly. When Sophia was done with it, she stood up slowly and scratched her head. John walked over and flushed the toilet before he turned around and stood below the shower head. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 470 Chapter 470 At that moment, John¡¯s body smelled of vomit. Initially, Sophia seemed to have forgotten about John¡¯s presence, so when she heard the sound of sshing water, she froze on the spot and turned around, taking in the naked John, who simply didn¡¯t look at her; he didn¡¯t even attempt to hide anything. After staring at him for a while, Sophia lowered her head and realized that her clothes were dirtied as well. She then took off her dress and threw it into the trash can after a moment of hesitation. Following that, she walked toward John. The sight was familiar to John. When they were in the hotel in Tri Asel previously, Sophia, who was drunk, also acted like this. John didn¡¯t really want to recall the incident, but the images of what happened kept springing back to his mind. The sex was exciting and exhausting, but generally, he had a good time. Facing away from Sophia, he tried to calm himself down. Standing below the shower head, Sophia took a proper wash of her body before she turned around and hugged John from behind, making him shudder and freeze on the spot. Without doing anything else, Sophia simply hugged him and pressed her head against his back. However, this move was already tititing enough for John as his mind went wild. In fact, he knew that he was being a little shameless. He could lie to himself that he didn¡¯t have other intentions for bringing Sophia out of the bar, but when he was showering in front of her, no one would believe that he didn¡¯t want to do anything to her even ifThis is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. he told someone else. After hugging him for a while, Sophia called out, ¡°John.¡± Startled for a moment, John replied, ¡°So you know who I am. I thought you didn¡¯t recognize me.¡± Without going along with his words, Sophia questioned, ¡°Why are you so annoying?¡± Her words rendered John speechless. Turning around, he clenched at her shoulders and asked, ¡°Am I really annoying?¡± With her eyes half open, Sophia gave an affirmative grunt. Her nasal voice somewhat aroused John. Unable to suppress his lust anymore, he asked, ¡°Do you love Ian or me?¡± Without saying a word, Sophia draped her arms around his waist. Apparently, she was sleepy and just wanted somewhere to rest her head. John lowered his head and kissed her forehead, but she didn¡¯t respond to him at all. Following that, he kissed her cheek and the corner of her mouth. Slowly, Sophia raised her head, which John took as an encouraging signal. Hurriedly turning off the tap, he bent over and lifted her off the ground. After cing her on the bed, John¡¯s phone, which he tossed aside moments ago, started ringing. It was a call from Logan. Knowing why Logan was calling him, John kissed Sophia as he picked up the phone. Then, he hung up the call and switched off the phone. Intoxicated, Logan only came to his senses a long while after the call ended. Darting his gaze between Ian, Robin and the waiter, he said, ¡°John hung up on me.¡± With a serious expression, the waiter assured, ¡°It¡¯s really Mr. Constance who brought her away. She was drunk and alone, so we couldn¡¯t take care of her.¡± Logan scratched his head. ¡°If it was really John who took her away, then she¡¯d be fine. They were married previously, so it should be alright.¡± Ian was tipsy as well, but when he learned that Sophia was missing, he sobered up instantly. After giving it a thought, he turned around and left the ce. Logan kept calling his name and said, ¡°She will be fine given their rtionship. Even if anything happens between them, it¡¯s what a man and a woman would normally do together.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 471 Chapter 471 Ian hailed a cab and gave the driver Sophia¡¯s home address. During the trip to her ce, his drunk mind becamepletely sober. The cab stopped at Sophia¡¯s ce. When he reached there, he saw that the lights on the second floor were turned off, but he could see John¡¯s car parked at her porch. He¡¯s indeed here! Ian rushed down from the cab. Although he felt less drunk now, he still failed to control himself and jumped across the fence into the garden, rushing up to bang on the front door. On the second floor, Sophia and John were deep in the moment. She even asked him in a daze, ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. John gave her a kiss and started moving on top of her more rigorously. ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡± After banging the door for some time, Ian finally took out his phone and made a call to John. That was when he found out that John¡¯s phone was turned off. Raging, Ian lost his self-control and smashed his phone on the floor. Taking two deep breaths to calm himself down, he noted that since John¡¯s car was still at Sophia¡¯s ce, it was probably an indicator that he was in the house. So, does that mean he¡¯s staying the night at her ce? Ian closed his eyes and broke intoughter out of extreme frustration. So, John is taking revenge on me for staying the night here before. That¡¯s why he decided to stay tonight. After the intimacy with John, Sophia fell into a deep sleep; she had been in a daze since the start. Normally, John would be tired out after any physical activity, but right now, his mind was crystal clear. He went over and rummaged through Sophia¡¯s closet. Great, my clothes from before are folded and stored by her. After some thinking, he carried her to the bathroom and ced her into the bathtub before returning to change the bedsheet. As a young master, John had never tried doing this before, so he was very clumsy when he changed the sheets. When everything was done, he went into the bathroom to bathe Sophia, wiping her body dry and carrying her back into the room, where he put her pajamas on for her. Finally, John took a bath towel and wrapped himself in it, strolling his way to his previous bedroom to search for something. In the closet of that roomy his clothes that he had intentionally left here from before. Then, he took out the clothes and put them on. With a trash bag full of stuff in his hand, he went downstairs. The moment the lights in the living room turned on, Ian immediately noticed the change. John went over to open the door for him. ¡°Mr. Morgan, what brings you here at this time in the night?¡± This was the first time Ian showed a merciless expression to anyone. ¡°John Constance, you¡¯re too shameless.¡± Then, he strode into the living room, looking like he was about to dash up to the second floor at any moment. Leaning against the doorway, John chuckled. ¡°Sophia has just fallen asleep. It was too tiring for her.¡± John¡¯sment made Ian freeze. Next, John crossed his arms and turned around to take a seat on the sofa, resting his legs on the coffee table. ¡°Is she this enthusiastic too when she¡¯s with you?¡± Ian straightened his back but remained silent. Then, John let out a deep breath. ¡°Just now, she was calling my name. Say, do you think she¡¯d call the wrong name when she¡¯s with you?¡± Ian¡¯s chest was heaving, looking obviously frustrated. A gleam shed across John¡¯s eyes as he added, ¡°Or maybe you haven¡¯t reached that stage with her yet?¡± Based on John¡¯s understanding of Sophia, he knew she was not a woman who would be that easy in the matters of sex. Even if she had indeed slept with Ian, John still found it hard to believe that the two would already sleep with each other in the course of a few days; it was impossible that their rtionship would develop that fast. Ian slowly backed down from the staircase and went over to join John, taking a seat across him. One could tell that Ian was trying his best to suppress his rage. Upon seeing that, John smiled cheerfully, for he seemed to have seen a reflection of his own frustrated self from that day in Ian now. Ian warned, ¡°Mr. Constance, please be clear that Sophia is now with me. Keep your distance from her in the future.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 472 Chapter 472 John raised a brow. ¡°She¡¯s with you? But I could clearly tell that her body is more receptive toward me.¡± Alright, that is very shameless of him. Ian stood up right away in a fit of anger. In response, John moved his legs off the coffee table and stood up after Ian. ¡°Ian Morgan, you¡¯ve been present everywhere, which is very irritating to me. Now, you should know how that feels, but still, this is just the beginning for you.¡± Next, he turned around and walked all the way out of the door with the trash bag in his hands. ¡°Sophia is mine. Remember that: she can only be mine.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. He then threw the trash outside. The bag was full of things he gathered when he briefly cleaned up Sophia¡¯s room, wiping off any trace of his existence. Sophia was a carefree person, so she probably would not even notice anything when she woke up the next day. After taking out the trash, he got into his car and drove away. Ian stood near the sofa for a while before taking a look at thending of the second floor. He was being careless this time. Who would have thought that John would grab the opportunity at this time? Anyway, he didn¡¯t stand there for long. At first, he wanted to go up and check on Sophia, but he was worried that he¡¯d witness an unsavory scene. After giving it some thought, he decided against that. Thus, he stood up and slowly walked out from the living room, switching off the lights and closing the door along the way. John¡¯s car was parked some distance down the road. The moment he saw Ian leaving, he felt relieved. As for Sophia, she had no idea of what had happened that night. The next morning, she woke up, checked herself and took a look around her room. Last night, she had a dream; she dreamed that John, that jerk, had done lots of disgusting things to her. That guy¡¯s stamina was still as good as before. Then, she left the bed and headed to the bathroom, where she stood in front of the mirror and stared at her reflection. Aside from some swelling on her lips, she did not notice anything peculiar on her. That animal, John, always loved to leave love marks on her body, but she did not see any on her this time. So, that must have been a dream. After washing up, she went out of the bathroom, but she still suffered from a slight headache. She also felt difort in her stomach. The feeling of nausea due to a hangover persisted. She quickly tidied up her room and went downstairs to prepare breakfast. When she got down, she saw her phone on the coffee table, which surprised her. Now, she had zero recollection of the second half of the previous night. However, she remembered that she had told Robin to take care of her, knowing that once she had decided to let herself go wild with drinking, she would definitely go over her limit. With the phone in her hand, she went to the kitchen where she cooked herself some noodles while texting Robin, thanking Robin for sending her back home. She even woke up in pajamas. If it wasn¡¯t her own doing, it must have been Robin who helped her change her clothes. Had it been Logan or Ian who sent her home, they would not have helped her to change into pajamas. But soon, Robin returned a call to her, asking her how she was feeling and telling her that she had gone missing for the second half of the night. She gasped after knowing that and asked, ¡°It wasn¡¯t you who sent me home?¡± Robin stammered hesitantly, ¡°T-That time, the waiter told us that J-John Constance had picked you up and left. Shortly after that, Ian left as well, probably in search of you. Young Master Logan told me that everything was fine and he had someone send me home. I have no idea about what happenedter.¡± Sophia hissed, thinking that the chain of events sounded different from her memory. Then, she hung up and called Ian, but his phone was unreachable. Not giving it much thought, she made a third call to Logan, who was still sleeping because he drank as much as she didst night. Sophia quickly checked with him aboutst night. With his eyes still closed, Logan answered, ¡°Yeah, it was John who sent you home. You walked into the wrong ce in the bar, so John was contacted to pick you up. If you have your phone with you now, it must have been delivered to your ce by Ianst night. It seemed that he was very worried about you, so he went over to check on you.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 473 Chapter 473 Sophia racked her brains, but she still could not understand what happenedst night, so she ended her call with the clueless Logan. Then, she had a simple breakfast and went out to water her flowers, which was when she instantly noticed the shattered phone in her garden. She went over and picked it up, only to recognize that it was Ian¡¯s phone; even the SIM card was still in there. It was no wonder he was unreachable. Things started piecing together in her mind. She clutched the shattered phone and thought about it for some time before making a call to John atst. Unexpectedly, her first call was not picked up. Huh, he¡¯s really something. Feeling persistent, she made another call to him, which was finally picked up. John intentionally lowered his volume as he said, ¡°I¡¯m busy right now. Talk to youter.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. She followed suit and lowered her volume as well. ¡°Did you send me homest night?¡± John went silent on the other side and she could vaguely hear someone else talking in the background. He must be in a meeting. Thus, she closed her eyes and said to him, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll talk to you when you¡¯re free.¡± Then, she hung up on him and wandered over to sit on the sofa, where she started spacing out. Since the SIM card was still in the phone, she felt that she should return it to Ian. Despite having waited for quite a while, Sophia did not receive any callback from John, so she gave it some thought and took a cab to Logan¡¯s ce. Right now, Ian was not staying with the Morgans. Sometimes, he would stay over at Logan¡¯s clubhouse. When she arrived, Logan was still in bed. A waiter went in to wake him up, after which he walked out barefooted in his pajamas. ¡°What is it? Why are you here so early in the morning?¡± She immediately asked him if he knew where Ian was. While she spoke, she took out the SIM card and told him that Ian had dropped it at her door. Logan was astonished. ¡°Ian dropped it at your door? Where¡¯s the phone?¡± She sighed at the thought of the poor phone. ¡°The phone is shattered.¡± Logan ruffled his hair, looking puzzled. ¡°Was Ian that drunkst night? I¡¯m unsure where he stayed the night though. Last night, I headed back here right after the night at the bar. How about this? I¡¯ll have someone go search for himter. He should be safe.¡± Sophia was not at all worried about Ian¡¯s safety, for he had been living elsewhere on his own for years without an issue. Now that he was back to his hometown, which should be his own territory, nothing much would happen to him. Based on Logan¡¯s expression, he must have had no idea aboutst night¡¯s events, so she decided to give up on asking him. Not wasting her time at the clubhouse, she left Ian¡¯s SIM card with Logan and headed to the store, where she saw Robin busy at work. She went up to Robin. ¡°What time did you all leavest night?¡± As Robin did not have much to drinkst night, her memory was sharp. ¡°Around ten? Then, we noticed that you went missing, so we went out to search for you. We didn¡¯t have much fun after that.¡± Sophia still could not recall what happened after she had gone to the washroom. Then, Robin added, ¡°The waiter told us that John brought you away. Ian instantly rushed out after hearing that. Man, he shocked me! If we didn¡¯t know, we would have thought that something bad had happened.¡± Sophia chuckled weakly. ¡°I guess he was scared that John would beat me up when I was unconscious.¡± After all, Ian was a witness to the fight that almost happened between John and her. She spent some time working with Robin. Soon, she received a call from John, informing her that he was at her ce now. She was taken aback by his sudden move. ¡°Why did you head over? Just call me back. What¡¯s the point of going to my ce?¡± Johnughed and ignored her questions. ¡°Where are you now? Juste home. I¡¯m in front of the gate.¡± Sophia checked the time and it happened to be lunch break. To be honest, she didn¡¯t feel like meeting with John because she thought that they had cleared things up at theirst meeting. On top of that, she had vivid memories of her sh with him, which would irk her for some time whenever she recalled that. However, John did send her homest night, which made her feel a little indebted. Thus, she gave it some consideration and agreed with him. Hanging up, she then notified Robin and went out to hail a cab home. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 474 Chapter 474 However, John was not waiting at the front gate as he had imed. When Sophia arrived at home, she found him seated in her living room, watching TV while waiting for her. Her eyes bulged in disbelief at the scene. ¡°How did you manage to get in?¡± He pointed up at the second floor. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before to shut the balcony doors. But look, you never listen.¡± At first, Sophia had decided to thank John when she met him. However, the idea went down the drain in the face of his trespassing. There was no point for her to thank him anymore. With a sour face, she sat across him. ¡°You were the one who sent me homest night? You didn¡¯t do anything to me, did you?¡± John chuckled. ¡°Why? Are you disappointed? If you have any wish, just let me know. I can cooperate and help you with it right now.¡± She frowned. ¡°Can you be any more shameless than that?¡± Next, she checked with him by asking, ¡°Did you see Ianst night?¡± John was taken aback. ¡°Ian? Why would you ask?¡± Sophia briefly entertained a fleeting thought in her mind before saying, ¡°Ian¡¯s phone was shattered and left in front of my front doorst night. Did you do that? You hit him?¡± Momentster, he denied it. ¡°Am I that type of man in your eyes?¡± Yeah, you are. Sophia recalled that John had punched Ian in the face before on the second floor and the bruises took a few days to heal. John huffed, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t hit him. Don¡¯t worry. I actually get along fine with him.¡± What nonsense! Sophia would never believe in that. Then, she stared at John with pursed lips and finally muttered, ¡°Your attitude is quite okay today. Weren¡¯t you quite audaciousst time?¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. He could not help but snap back with a hint of mockery. ¡°Was I as audacious as you?¡± Indeed, they almost got into an ugly and messy fight that day, but in the end, he was the one who surrendered. In the next few days, Sophia lived her life as usual; he was the only one who felt ufortable at the thought of their fight. Now, John had finally let go of it. A woman like Sophia could not be dealt with by using harsh methods; only the soft and roundabout approach would work on her. No matter how harsh he acted toward her, he could never win as she was much tougher than him. Her rebellious streak now was as strong as her obedient behavior from before, and he had to admit that he could not handle it. Anyway, the thought of Ian¡¯s facest night made him feel satisfied for having gotten his revenge. Then, he suggested, ¡°Sophia, can we get along peacefully and never fight again?¡± This was probably the first time in Young Master John¡¯s life that he lowered his dignity to persuade someone, but she merely bursted out inughter. ¡°I have never wanted to fight with you; I am toozy for that. It was you who crossed the line.¡± Not wanting to reason with her, John took the me and nodded. ¡°Sure, sure. It was my fault. My fault.¡± He had taken advantage of herst night anyway, so it was nothing to let her win a verbal fight. Feeling that she had run out of things she wanted to say to him, and she never had anything important to tell him in the first ce, she stood up and told him, ¡°Alright. I don¡¯t have anything else to say. You can leave now.¡± He broke into a smile. ¡°Cook some pasta for me, please? I haven¡¯t had lunch. Just think of it as repaying me for sending you homest night.¡± This dude! One would normally act shamelessly for only once and quit out of self-respect, but a person who would act shamelessly for more than once was destined to be a repeated offender. To Sophia, John was obviously heading down the path of a repeated offender. Staring straight at him for a while, she went into the kitchen to put together a dish for him. Pasta was easy to prepare. She even had the same thing for breakfast that morning and she had all the ingredients ready. Cheese, beef meatballs and greens were the standard, must-have ingredients in her pasta. She had some homemade sd in the fridge as well, which she took out and served in the dining hall. John walked over and nced at the spread that looked familiar. Across him, Sophia took her seat and texted Logan to check if he had found Ian. It didn¡¯t take long for Logan to reply. ording to him, Ian was now with Lorraine in a discussion about the talent show, probably going over some details. He also added that he had asked Ian about the phone, but Ian said he was unaware that the phone had slipped out, thinking that he had somehow misced it instead. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 475 Chapter 475 During lunch, John and Sophia ate in silence. He was a courteous guest who cleaned his te, even finishing the sauce. When he ced his fork down, he burped and said in satisfaction, ¡°I haven¡¯t had such a huge meal in a long time.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Why? Do the Constances starve you?¡± She stood up to clear the table, but he took the initiative to help before she could start. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± John took the tes and utensils, cing them into the dishwasher. Then, he turned around to take a look. Sophia had moved to the living room and taken a seat on the sofa with her legs crossed, still texting away on her phone. Actually, John could tell who she was texting. He leaned against the frame of the kitchen door and stated, ¡°The name of your store doesn¡¯t sound nice at all.¡± Sophia chuckled, but her gaze remained fixed on her phone. ¡°You don¡¯t like it? Live with it. I didn¡¯t open that store for you anyway.¡± John broke into a smile. This youngdy is getting meaner in conversations, but she seems to only do it to me. Oh well, I¡¯ll just think of it as her special treatment for me. Then, he checked the time and told her, ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Remember to shut the doors of your balcony.¡± Sophia merely gave a nomittal in response. Before leaving, he took a final look at her. Perhaps it could be fromst night¡¯s passion, but the sight of Sophia slumped on the sofa just like what she usually did was unexpectedly alluring to him. She didn¡¯t look like a young and naivedy, but more like a mature and sophisticated woman. John silently breathed out from his mouth as he felt waves of emotions in his chest. After getting into his car, he left Sophia¡¯s house. He took out his phone and saw a text from his mother. In the text, she mentioned that they had not had a meal together for some days, so she wanted to meet him for dinner. Indeed, he had not met her for a few days. After considering the invitation, he texted back to agree to the dinner and said that he¡¯d contact her at night. On the other side, Matilda read John¡¯s reply and smiled as she texted Isabelle. Isabelle was in her office and was resting for a while after lunch. After receiving Matilda¡¯s text, she smiled and replied with a smiling emoji and a ¡®thank you¡¯. Matilda immediately replied, ¡®We¡¯re a family. You don¡¯t have to thank me.¡¯ John was busy with work for the entire afternoon. After work at night, he immediately received a call from Matilda, telling him that she was waiting for him at an Italian restaurant. Not giving it much thought, John believed that Matilda had chosen the ce simply because she knew that he frequently had Italian food. After he was done organizing his stuff, he drove to the meeting ce. Right now, Matilda was mostly staying at the Flintstone Residence and never went out alone for fear that she¡¯d be spotted by someone. She would have trouble exining herself. Not long ago, Alphonse had to stay in bed for days after he was affected by the news of Matilda¡¯s divorce. The public knew that Alphonse Flintstone was a little ill, but they were in the dark about the cause. Thus, Matilda used the excuse to take care of her father and settled down at the Flintstone Residence. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. However, on the matter of William and Matilda¡¯s divorce, many of Matilda¡¯s behaviors were surprising. Firstly, she willingly signed the papers without bothering William. Next, even when it came to the distribution of assets, her decision shocked many. William was not a stingy man. In fact, he gave a lot of his assets to her in the process of their divorce, enough for her to live the rest of her life in luxury. In the end, she wanted nothing from him; she left the Constances, taking nothing away. At that time, even Old Mrs. Constance was taken aback. Based on her understanding of Matilda, the latter was not a woman who¡¯d behave this way. She had thought that Matilda would make ridiculous and greedy demands in the divorce. Nevertheless, John seemed to understand the reasoning behind Matilda¡¯s actions. As his father was a soft-hearted man, if Matilda left without taking anything from him, he would feel as if he owed her something. Once the guilt took ce, the rtionship between them would turn into aplicated one, for William would surely be unable to cut ties with her cleanly after the divorce. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 476 Chapter 476 That had to be the intended result of Matilda¡¯s decision, which prompted John to think of Sophia. When they went through the divorce, she epted everything he gave her without objection. She didn¡¯t read the papers before signing them without hesitation. Judging from her actions, she must have wanted nothing to do with him anymore; she had let go of the failed marriage. However, it was John who felt that he could not let go after the divorce. He drove to the Italian restaurant, parked his car and walked into the ce. Since Matilda had booked a room for them, he managed to find it based on the room number. The moment he pushed the door open, however, he was greeted by Isabelle instead of Matilda. Just like John, Isabelle showed an astonished expression. ¡°John?¡± He stood at the door. ¡°Are you alone?¡± Isabelle blinked innocently. ¡°Yeah. Mrs. Constance invited me to dinner and asked me to wait here.¡± She stared right at him. ¡°Did you arrive with her?¡± The table in front of Isabelle was now upied with drinks, a sign that she had been waiting for some time. John remained standing at the door, choosing not to enter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My mom must have confused the ns.¡± At that moment, a waiter entered with a tray of food. ¡°Sir, these are the dishes you ordered.¡± Left with no choice, John could only stand aside to let the waiter pass through. Isabelle looked even more puzzled. ¡°What is it? Did she ask you to attend because she couldn¡¯t make it?¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Ignoring her, he took out his phone and called his mother, but he then realized that her phone was turned off. He smirked and immediately knew what was going on. Isabelle stood up and muttered helplessly, ¡°What is it? What happened?¡± John sighed. ¡°Nothing serious. My mom messed up her ns. Anyway, I¡¯m buying this meal. You can enjoy the food. I¡¯ll leave now.¡± ¡°Hey, hey!¡± Isabelle called out to John, who was leaving. ¡°Is Mrs. Constance really noting?¡± John replied, ¡°Yeah. Something came up on her end, so she can¡¯t make it here.¡± Isabelle looked conflicted. ¡°Mrs. Constance booked the room and even ordered the food. When I first arrived, the waiter told me that they received orders for a lot of food. I c-can¡¯t finish that alone anyway. John, if you haven¡¯t had d-dinner, why not¡­¡± She stammered in difficulty, appearing to feel conflicted at her own suggestion. After taking a nce at her, John replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you can¡¯t finish everything. I don¡¯t like Italian food anyway.¡± Then, he nodded at her as a final greeting and turned around to leave. After a while, Isabelle slowly slumped into her seat with a defeated look. John left the restaurant and drove to the Constance Residence. Old Mrs. Constance was having her dinner and was surprised to see him home. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you would be having dinner somewhere else today?¡± He washed his hands and entered the dining hall. ¡°There were somest minute changes.¡± Recently, the kitchen of Constance Residence had been serving mainly local cuisine for dinner, which suited his palette. Old Mrs. Constance wanted to visit the monastery for prayers a few dayster and she asked him if he wanted to join. Immediately, he suggested, ¡°I won¡¯t go. Why don¡¯t you ask Sophia to go with you?¡± The olddy was stunned. Her expression changed and her tone sounded mocking as she said, ¡°Sophia? I guess that¡¯s impossible. Now that the two of you are not legally rted in any way, she will not entertain me. Last time, she visited for the sake of the ckwells, but you came home in the middle, which totally spoiled her mood.¡± The mention of that incident made John smile. He stared at his grandma. ¡°You were the one who purposely hid my documents, weren¡¯t you?¡± Old Mrs. Constance pouted. ¡°You¡¯re really slow when ites to rtionships. You¡¯re such a brilliant businessman, but why are you so clueless in romance?¡± John grunted to indicate his agreement with Old Mrs. Constance. ¡°I guess all my talents are used in my business.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 477 Chapter 477 Old Mrs. Constance told him, ¡°A few days ago, your Aunt Jennifer went for a tarot card reading for Dn for romance. The result wasn¡¯t good and she lost her appetite for two meals after she returned.¡± John knitted his brows. ¡°Card readings are not urate. You can¡¯t believe in that.¡± The olddy stared at him. ¡°To be honest, the reason I wanted you to go to the monastery with me is to get a card reading as well. I wanted to see how¡¯s the reading for your romance.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I definitely won¡¯t go.¡± John smiled. ¡°If I ended up like Dn, I might stop eating for two days when I get home.¡± Sheughed jovially. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s hard to tell that you care about these superstitions. I thought that you wouldn¡¯t care no matter how the reading turns out.¡± Well, it was true that John couldn¡¯t care less about the predictions from the card reading. However, any predictions of bad luck would more or less affect his mood. Old Mrs. Constance mulled over it and sighed. ¡°John, when will you finally understand your true feelings?¡± He froze in the middle of eating and fell silent at his grandmother¡¯s remark. After dinner, he went to the open space in front of the main building, where he lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth. Soon, his staff sent him a text, notifying him that Ian went to meet Sophia. He smirked and replied with an order to keep an eye on how long Ian spent at Sophia¡¯s ce. If Ian was still therete at night, he demanded to be notified. His staff got the order and went ahead. On the other side, Ian had been lingering in front of Sophia¡¯s door before entering her house. As Sophia was busy in the kitchen, she totally did not notice that someone had reached her ce. So, when Ian called her from the living room, she jumped, feeling startled. She came out of the kitchen to greet him and beamed. ¡°I heard that you were in a discussion about the talent show with Miss Lorraine today. How was it? Are the details finalized?¡± Judging by her demeanor, she must have been clueless about the incidentst night. Ian stored away hisplicated emotions and replied, ¡°Yep. They wanted to monitor the audience feedback for the first episode before they decide my order of appearance.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Miss Lorraine must have made a reasonable decision. Hope that you¡¯ll shoot to fame then.¡± Ian wanted to smile, but he could not force himself to. Instead, he stared right into Sophia¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve had a lot to drinkst night. Are you still feeling sick now?¡± The mention of her drinking reminded her of it. ¡°I drank too muchst night, so I can¡¯t remember anything that happenedter. Did you drop byst night to return my phone?¡± He answered, ¡°Yes. John was here when I dropped by.¡± She nodded. ¡°I heard that it was him who sent me home. Well, John at least still acts like a human with a conscience sometimes.¡± Ian recalled that when John came downstairsst night, he obviously just came out from shower. Why would John take a shower upstairs without any reason? Something must have happened between him and Sophia. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Pursing his lips in bitterness, Ian hesitated for some time before asking Sophia, ¡°Do you remember anything after you came home with John?¡± She went to the sofa and took a seat with her legs crossed. ¡°I really had too much to drinkst night and I lost consciousness the moment I left the room at the bar. I don¡¯t even know if I made a scene there. It is so frustrating!¡± Ian smiled bitterly. Looks like she doesn¡¯t even know that she had been taken advantage of by John. There was another matter Ian wanted to inform Sophia about during this visit. He told her that he¡¯d be in intensive training sessions soon. Lorraine got him a vocal coach and a fitness instructor to provide lessons in early preparation for the talent show. At the news, Sophia appeared to be more excited than him. ¡°Great! It¡¯s good to have early preparations. That will help you achieve a better standing at the talent show!¡± She didn¡¯t sound reluctant at all to see him start the training. It was funny because the first thing Ian thought about was her when he was informed of the intensive training period, which was the reason behind his long hesitation. In response, he chuckled softly. ¡°Yeah, you think so?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 478 Chapter 478 Sophia looked earnest when she replied. ¡°But if you have any issues at the show, you need to let us know. We¡¯ll work on getting you some votes out here.¡± Ian nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Before the visit, he had a lot to sort out with Sophia. For example, he wanted to understand more about the incidentst night with John and he wanted to discuss his uing intensive training. However, upon meeting Sophia and seeing that she was more excited than sad at the idea of him going away for the training, he suddenly lost the momentum to ask her anything. In the end, he had a brief chat with her and left. Sophia appeared tired as well, because after Ian left, she closed the door and stretched before going up to her room. The moment she switched off the lights in her room, John received an immediate update from his staff who was stalking her. Reading the text, he felt satisfied and put down his phone. He proceeded to wash up, but when he emerged again, he noticed a few missed calls on his phone, all from Matilda. Great, she finally came looking for me. He walked up and picked up the call. Before he could say a thing, Matilda hurriedly asked, ¡°John, you left tonight without eating dinner?¡± John almostughed in amusement. ¡°Why did you arrange for Isabelle to wait at the Italian ce?¡± Matilda clicked her tongue in disapproval. ¡°Son, why are you always so slow? For what other reason would I have arranged for Belle to be there? You¡¯re single now. What¡¯s wrong with getting to know Belle better?¡± John sneered. ¡°Are you still not giving up?¡± Annoyed by his attitude, Matilda retorted, ¡°Giving up for what? Look at you. Oh, I don¡¯t even know where to begin. You should have been with Belle from the start. Now is the right time given that you¡¯ve divorced Sophia, so why are you reluctant?¡± John snapped back at her, ¡°Dad is single too! Thatdy from before is single as well. Say, do you think they¡¯d be a good match if I do some matchmaking?¡± ¡°What?¡± Matilda immediately tensed up. ¡°Is she still after your dad?¡± John smiled. ¡°They should have been together since the beginning. Dad is divorced now and they¡¯re both single. They should try dating each other.¡± Matilda raised her voice. ¡°John Constance.¡± John was clearly mocking her by bringing up his dad and thedy, so she continued, ¡°Sophia is no match for Belle. Why are you being stubborn on this topic?¡± John couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her, so he merely stated, ¡°Thatdy has a better temper than you. She does better skincare and even has a decent background. If I were topare her to you, she¡¯d have a greater advantage and she won¡¯t be overshadowed by you. I believe that it¡¯s a wise decision for Dad to choose her.¡± At this point, Matilda was stumped. John smirked and said, ¡°Look; when you¡¯re in the same situation as Sophia, you will change your attitude. So, please don¡¯t im that you are acting in my best interest. You¡¯re the only one who would believe that rubbish from your mouth.¡± On the other end, Matilda was absolutely furious, but John didn¡¯t spare her at all. He informed her, ¡°I will be very busy in the uing weeks. You don¡¯t have to call me anymore. If you¡¯re bored, just meet up with your Belle.¡± Then, John hung up on her and flung his phone to a side with an obviously irritated look on his face. He had not expected that his mother would still be going on about him and Isabelle. Obviously, Matilda¡¯s horrible attitude ruined his marriage with Sophia, but she seemed to still be oblivious to the fact that she was the source of all problems. John sighed and wiped his wet hair before resting on the bed. When his hair was almost dry, he prepared to go to sleep, but he was then interrupted by the incessant text notification sounds from his phone. He reached out to check his phone and found Isabelle¡¯s text. Previous Chapter ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Next Chapter Chapter 479 Chapter 479 The gist of Isabelle¡¯s text was that she felt awkward and embarrassed by Matilda¡¯s n, which she was totally unaware of. So, she was apologizing to John for troubling him. She had bombarded him with a slew of texts, from which he could tell that she was feeling anxious. Even after staring at the texts for an extended time, he did not reply in the end. Instead, he turned off his phone and the bedsidemp. On the other side, Isabelle clutched her phone and waited for some time, but she did not receive any reply from John. This must have meant that he would not reply to her. She wondered if it was because he didn¡¯t read her texts at all, or if he had purposely ignored her after reading the texts. Feeling antsy, she held her phone and paced around her room a few times. Just now, Matilda called and said that she had reprimanded John for his attitude. Matilda exined that John left because he was worried of being seen dining with other women, which might cause some gossip. It was a usible exnation. Lately, John and Isabelle were captured on camera by nosy people a few times. Thankfully, they were captured when they were at work, so they had assistants around. When the photos spreaded online, the media reported that the two of them were business partners, so there wasn¡¯t any nasty gossip. With that, previous rumors about John and Isabelle were dispelled and spections on their rtionship were slowly clearing up. Right now, if someone were to discover any slightly suspicious ¡®private dates¡¯, it would negatively affect both John and Isabelle. Anyway, Isabelle couldn¡¯t keep a distance from John forever for fear of creating any scandal; she no longer had the patience to keep waiting. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. When she was in a few business talks with John before this, she noticed that John had taken out his phone and clicked into Facebook. She could clearly see Sophia¡¯s selfie on his screen. It was obvious that John still missed Sophia. Isabelle thought that if she remained passive, she might end up losing him like before. She could only tolerate losing him for once, for she had no desire, nor the mental fortitude, to go through the same ordeal twice. In the span of John and Sophia¡¯s one-year marriage, Isabelle¡¯s daily life was hellish. Now, she finally waited until the day of their divorce, an opportunity that she would not pass on anymore. After some rumination, she made a call to Matilda, and thetter instantly picked up. ¡°Belle!¡± Isabelle let out a sigh. ¡°Mrs. Constance, I have something to discuss with you.¡± Of course, Matilda agreed to it and was very receptive to Isabelle¡¯s ideas. Meanwhile, John was in the dark about the n between Matilda and Isabelle. The next morning at breakfast, he heard Old Mrs. Constance bringing up the topic of the monastery visit, to which he suggested once more, ¡°I¡¯m serious. You should try inviting Sophia to go with you. Let¡¯s see if she¡¯d say yes. Just try. What if she agrees to it?¡± The olddy chuckled. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ask her. Even if she says no, I will pester her until she agrees.¡± Upon hearing that, John smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything. I was just suggesting that you invite her.¡± After the two had breakfast together, John went to work and Old Mrs. Constance immediately made a call to Sophia. Sophia went to the store early in the morning and was busy with work. When she received the call, she felt a little reluctant to pick up. Whenever Old Mrs. Constance called her, Sophia would feel restless and anxious. After all, Old Mrs. Constance was John¡¯s grandmother. Sophia felt that if she got in touch with the olddy, she would end up meeting John sooner orter. Well, even if she didn¡¯t get in touch with Old Mrs. Constance, she would still run into John somehow, but the feeling was different. Sophia stared at the phone for a long time before picking up the call reluctantly. ¡°Madam.¡± Old Mrs. Constance sighed wistfully. ¡°I prefer to be called ¡®Grandma¡¯.¡± Sophia did not know what to reply to that. Sensing the silence, Old Mrs. Constance directly told her, ¡°I want to pray at the monastery. I really hope that you¡¯lle with me.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 480 Chapter 480 Sophia¡¯s initial reaction was to turn down the invitation. Shouldn¡¯t Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s own family members apany her on trips like the monastery visit? As an ex-granddaughter-inw, Sophia felt ufortable at the idea of going out with Old Mrs. Constance. Old Mrs. Constance sighed and exined that she saw Sophia receiving a very positive oue from a past card reading at the ckwell Residence, a proof that Sophia had better luck. Therefore, she wanted Sophia to tag along to share some of the luck. Sophia chuckled. ¡°What good luck? Look at me in the past. Did I look like a lucky woman?¡± Old Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°Well, your luck must have turned around. Your stars are aligned. Don¡¯t you know that the ckwells¡¯ stagnant business flourished after you received your reading? It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± Old Mrs. Constance was a professional in terms of bluffing. Scratching her head awkwardly, Sophia said, ¡°I think you should ask John to go to the monastery with you. He¡¯s a lucky man too.¡± Yeah, he¡¯s lucky in life, except when he was forced to marry me. Sophia secretly grumbled. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s was immediately filled with disappointment. ¡°Sophia, are you going to abandon all of us after your divorce with John?¡± Sophia clutched her phone but remained silent. It was true that she did not want any more interaction and trouble with the Constances after the divorce. Sure, she could remain friends with John, but they should not get too tangled up in their daily lives. She was fine with asional contact with John, but if she had to apany any member of the Constance Family on trips, it would onlyplicate matters. Then, Old Mrs. Constance pleaded, ¡°I have never begged you for anything before. Just do me a favor this time, will you? Please? Sophia?¡± Sophia let out a sigh and relented. In the face of Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s dogged insistence, she stood no chance of turning down the invitation. Defeated, she decided to stop the lengthy conversation and agreed to it. Next time, she could confidently say no to the olddy. Old Mrs. Constance was over the moon and said that she¡¯d send a driver to pick Sophia up the next day, to which Sophia curtly answered, ¡°Okay.¡± After the call, Sophia fell into a long silence before bursting intoughter, reminiscing about the old days when she didn¡¯t get along well with the Constances. Beside her, Robin chuckled. ¡°I overheard everything. That grandma from the Constance Family seems very nice to you.¡± Sophia shed her an ambiguous smile. ¡°Oh, really?¡± But in the past, Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t treat Sophia nicely. Her niceties came at the same time as John¡¯s patience for her appeared¡ªafter the divorce. No matter how she looked at it, everything was bted and unnecessary. Sophia continued to busy herself in the store until noon. Then, she left for a grocery store close to the desserts ce to shop for some groceries before heading home. It only took her a round of shopping at the meat and poultry section before she bumped into someone she knew. Matilda and Isabelle were pushing a shopping cart, walking and chatting like mother and daughter. Since Sophia didn¡¯t expect to run into the two here, she was rather taken aback. Matilda looked alright after her divorce from William, which was different from what Sophia had imagined. Initially, Sophia thought that Matilda would look disheveled or dispirited, but her ex-mother- inw appeared the same as before. Perhaps, the divorce was yet to be announced publicly, so Matilda thought that she still stood a chance. Sophia¡¯s eyes only stayed on them for seconds before she shifted her attention, picking her grocery items. On the other side, Matilda and Isabelle were still talking andughing. When Matilda turned around, she immediately spotted Sophia. At this time of the day, the grocery store was not as crowded. Sophia was eye-catching because she was dressed trendily and she had good looks, making her stand out from the rest of the shoppers. Matilda was stunned as she frowned. Noticing the pause in Matilda¡¯s actions, Isabelle asked, ¡°Mrs. Constance, what¡¯s the¡­¡± Mid-sentence, Isabelle noticed Sophia as well. Isabelle could normally hide her emotions very well, so the surprise on her face vanished within seconds. Still smiling, she pushed her cart and walked toward Sophia. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, you¡¯re here too!¡± Sophia slowly turned around and looked at the two of them. ¡°Oh, what a coincidence!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 481 Chapter 481 Matilda pursed her lips and stared at Sophia with a reluctant expression, but her tone was friendler compared to before. ¡°Why are you here?¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Sophia totally ignored Matilda, but thetter dared not provoke Sophia nowadays because Sophia held a weapon¡ªthe knowledge of her divorce. Then, Isabelle nced at Sophia before turning to look at Matilda, who was acting quite differently than before, to Isabelle¡¯s surprise. Ignoring the two, Sophia simply picked her groceries at the section and left with her cart. When Sophia vanished from Matilda¡¯s sight, Matilda spat, ¡°Who does she think she is? Just another cheap woman. She thinks too highly of herself.¡± Isabelle smiled gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s not get angry at people like her. It¡¯s not worth it.¡± Now, Matilda had the guts to talk bad about Sophia at her back. ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered to argue with people like her. Do you know that she¡¯s a crazy and uncouth woman who doesn¡¯t care about decency when she argues? Saying one more word in front of her only makes me feel that I¡¯m descending to her level.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± Isabelle smiled and went along with her. ¡°Now that John has divorced her, the Constance Family will have no connection whatsoever with her! Let¡¯s not get angry. We willpletely cut her off from our lives.¡± Matilda took Isabelle¡¯s hand. ¡°If not for John¡¯s grandpa¡¯s insistence back then, I would never have allowed a woman like her to marry into our family. For this, I feel very guilty toward you.¡± Isabelle pursed her lips into a forced smile. ¡°Oh well, thankfully it¡¯s all over now.¡± Matilda drew a long sigh. ¡°Yeah. In the future, you should get along well with John. We¡¯ll never bring this topic up anymore.¡± Isabelle sank into conflicted thoughts and she stole a look at the direction where Sophia had left. To her, the problem was the great difficulty to get closer to John, for he was not enthusiastic toward her and she felt difficult to make any other moves. With her hands full of groceries, Sophia got home and instantly received a call from Logan. He was chuckling over the phone, telling her that trouble ensued at the Morgans again. With his continuous interference and scheming, it was only normal for the Morgans to be putting out fires every day. Logan couldn¡¯t tell that Sophia was uninterested, so he rambled on. ¡°Simon went out to have funst night and went home a little drunk. On his way back, he asked the cab driver to stop for him to puke on the street, but he ended up getting robbed out there!¡± Simon was quite hot-tempered to start with. Coupled with the effect of alcohol, he was definitely unwilling to surrender, so he immediately got into a brawl with the two hooligans on the street. The cab driver was scared and didn¡¯t get out of the car to help. Therefore, Simon managed to get himself injured and hospitalized after going up alone against the two men. Sophia replied, ¡°Oh. Those two hooligans were hired by you, weren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Logan sounded proud of himself. ¡°Only I could teach that insolent brat a lesson.¡± True. Logan had a worse reputation than Simon; only a bad guy like him could deal with another equally horrid jerk. Logan, the troublemaker,ughed out loud. ¡°I went to the hospital to check on him in the morning. His arm and leg were fractured, and Leah Zimmerman was howling and sobbing at his bedside.¡± Sophia sighed at his immaturity. ¡°Be careful. They must have lodged a police report.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Logan didn¡¯t look like he cared. ¡°I paid enough to shut the two guys up.¡±Then, Logan mentioned something else. ¡°Oh, by the way, I ran into John¡¯s mom this morning at the hospital. I wanted to greet her at first, but when I thought of how she mistreated you, I straight up ignored her.¡± Actually, Matilda didn¡¯t like Logan as well, a fact that he was well aware of. Therefore, he didn¡¯t want to receive the cold shoulder from her. Finally showing some interest, Sophia raised a brow. ¡°Oh? Why did you run into her at the hospital of all ces?¡± Logan smacked his lips and replied, ¡°Not sure. I saw her meeting up with a doctor for updates, but I felt that she was acting very suspiciously. She had sunsses on and was tiptoeing around furtively as if she was scared of getting found out.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 482 Chapter 482 Sophia contemted and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything unusual from the Constance Familytely. So, could she be visiting someone from her maiden family in the hospital?¡± Hearing her statement, Logan quickly denied it. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why did she have to act like a thief who¡¯s afraid to get caught then? I doubt things were likely as you spected. Instead, her sneaky behavior looked like she was sniffing around about someone else, just like me.¡± Sophia was amused by Logan¡¯s humorous reply as she responded with an affirmative hum. ¡°Now that you put it that way, I think you could be right.¡± In fact, Sophia was never interested in Matilda, but since thetter had always treated her harshly throughout the year she stayed with the Constance Family, she found that experience to be more unforgettable than anything else in the past twenty years. Therefore, she didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with Matilda, but her curiosity subsequently got the better of her. Hence, she asked, ¡°Can you find out who Mrs. Constance visited in the hospital and who she was sniffing around about?¡± Loganughed in response. ¡°Look at yourself. You and I are not so different after all. Don¡¯t worry about it, for I¡¯ve already gotten my men to investigate the matter because I¡¯m as curious as you are.¡± Sophia replied, ¡°Alright, that should ease my mind. I guess I¡¯ll wait for your news then.¡± After that, Logan continued to go on and on about the Morgan Family and how he put Simon in the hospital, recounting his story again and again as he had just won a glorious war. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t rain on his parade but instead put her phone aside and went ahead to cook, only responding with an affirmative hum once in a while. Not long after that, it appeared that Logan had somehow run out of things to say, so he asked what Sophia was doing. In a sluggish manner, Sophia answered, ¡°I¡¯m cooking, and the tap water is running, so I can¡¯t really hear you.¡± Logan paused and said, ¡°Oh, cook more then. I¡¯ll be on my way to your ce. Bye!¡± Before Sophia could even respond, Logan hung up the call directly. After that, Sophia rolled her eyes and continued to cook, but before Logan arrived, John showed up. Upon catching a glimpse of a silhouette in the living room, she thought it was Logan and said, ¡°Just wait in the dining area. I¡¯ll be done soon.¡± John then walked closer and leaned on the door frame. ¡°Am I expected to be here?¡± His words freaked Sophia out, whereupon she turned around and stared at the man. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. The smile on John¡¯s face slowly faded away. ¡°Aren¡¯t you expecting me? Who else could there be if it¡¯s not me you¡¯re expecting?¡± Sophia was rendered speechless before she said, ¡°What brings you here? Speak if you have anything to say and get out of here when you¡¯re done.¡± John folded his arms, finding himself desensitized to the woman¡¯s mean remark because no one had ever treated him that way. Furthermore, while this was his first time warming up to Sophia, her nonchnt attitude caught him off guard, so he frankly stated his purpose. ¡°I came to visit, and that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°What¡¯s worth visiting here?¡± Sophia replied with a smile. John let out a sigh and echoed her words. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s worth visiting here?¡± I just can¡¯t help missing her when I don¡¯t see her, but now that I do, I don¡¯t seem to feel better either. Furthermore, the Sophia I know wouldn¡¯t show anyone else her cold gaze and annoying look. Why can¡¯t she be happy when she sees me, just like the way she used to? Soon, Sophia served the dishes in the dining area, while John stood aside and watched the woman. I don¡¯t know why, but this feels like the day we divorced. That day, John was sitting in his office for a really long time, even missing his appointment with Sophia at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Despite that, he continued to sit in his office while dwelling on the matter. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 483 Chapter 483 While the divorce was part of the n even before they got married, John didn¡¯t know why he couldn¡¯t bring himself to take that step in the matter. Soon, Logan arrived just as Sophia was done serving all the dishes. When he saw John, he paused and said, ¡°Look who we have here! It seems that I just got here in the nick of time. Come, let¡¯s eat!¡± Logan wasn¡¯t surprised to see an unexpected guess. Instead, he weed John as if it was his home. Seeing Logan, John heaved a sigh of relief and turned his attention to Sophia. ¡°So, Logan is the one you¡¯ve been waiting for, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Get a fork and knife for yourself,¡± Sophia demanded with a darkened face. Meanwhile, Logan seemed to respond more enthusiastically than Sophia did as he headed to the kitchen to grab the utensils for John. ¡°Come on, help yourself!¡± Witnessing Logan¡¯s reaction, Sophia was rendered speechless by it. It looks like Young Master Jefferson has no idea how to deal with people tactfully. Can¡¯t he sense something wrong when he sees my ex-husband hanging around with me? Come on, which part of that makes sense to him? Nheless, Logan proceeded to sit down and talk about the Morgan Family as he proceeded to tell his story. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to John that I was able to teach the sibling duo a lesson by showing that old man, Bryce, the evidence. Well, I bet you did that for Sophia, didn¡¯t you, John?¡± John shifted his gaze to Sophia, but thetter didn¡¯t look back, as she only ate her meal with a gloomy face. He then responded with an affirmative hum. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Loganughed out loud and said, ¡°I knew it! You didn¡¯t do anything no matter how arrogant those two idiots were, until you decided to strike them. I guess it must have really gotten on your nerves because Sophia was hurt.¡± However, John didn¡¯t say anything in response, while Logan went on and on with some inappropriate topics. ¡°How did both of you end up with a divorce? I don¡¯t understand, to be honest.¡± ¡°There is a lot you don¡¯t understand, but for now, just keep your mouth shut and eat!¡± Sophia shifted her gaze to Logan and shushed him. Logan was slightly taken aback, asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you in a bad mood? Because you wouldn¡¯t usually talk to me like that¡± ¡°Yup, I¡¯m in a bad mood,¡± Sophia replied. Hearing her reply, Logan curiously asked, ¡°Oh,e on! After all the exciting stories I¡¯ve been telling, how can you still be so moody?¡± ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m to me for that,¡± John exined. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. I¡¯m surprised he knows that. Sophia continued to put on a gloomy look throughout the meal without saying a single word. After that, the office hours in the Constance Group nearly came to an end, so John didn¡¯t stick around for too long, which he left shortly after a brief chat with Logan. Upon reaching hispany by car, he entered the lobby, only to be greeted by Isabelle. Seeing her, he knitted his brows and approached thedy. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Upon noticing John¡¯s return, Isabelle smiled and uttered, ¡°Nothing. I went upstairs, but you weren¡¯t around. So, I told your staff to let me know once you¡¯re back.¡± Soon, John caught a glimpse of two gift boxes on the table, responding with an affirmative hum while gazing at Isabelle. ¡°By the way, what brings you here today?¡± Isabelle answered with a calm expression, ¡°Nothing really important. I passed by yourpany when I was on my way to meet my client just now. Besides, I just gave Zack the delivery order.¡± In response, John replied tersely in agreement. After a short contemtion, Isabelle stated, ¡°Other than that, I have also stated the things that you need to take note of in the order because it may look a littleplicated this time. The amount of the required materials is more than usual, so please feel free to contact me if you have anything you don¡¯t understand.¡± As John nodded, Isabelle reacted with a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to make a move now. So, I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± In the meantime, John stood in ce as he watched Isabelle leave. Then, he turned his attention to the receptionist and asked, ¡°Are these gifts from Miss Bailey?¡± In the face of John¡¯s question, the two receptionists nervously replied, ¡°Yes, we tried to turn her down, but she insisted that we keep them, saying that they¡¯re all just some small gifts.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 484 Chapter 484 Fortunately, John wasn¡¯t going to me them. Instead, he nodded and said, ¡°Well, if you ever receive any gift that looks big and expensive again, don¡¯t turn them down. Just get Zack.¡± The two receptionists nervously responded with a nod. ¡°Yes, understood.¡± Then, John turned around and walked toward the elevator to return to his office upstairs, where he saw a stack of files on his desk. Upon taking a nce at them, he supposed they were from Isabelle. After that, he proceeded to skim through the papers for a bit before putting them aside, as he was getting a little sleepy due to his hefty lunch. Hmm. I rarely feel so sleepy at this time. Soon, John massaged his brow ridge and leaned on the chair for a few minutes when his office door was suddenly opened. The next moment, he was greeted by Dn, who came in with a document in his hand, which he needed John to sign on. As he took over the papers, he directly asked, ¡°Do you have any blind dates tonight?¡± Dn paused and said, ¡°Yup.¡± John responded with a smile while signing on the document¡¯sst page. ¡°I wish you the best of luck!¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Dn stared at his cousin and replied, ¡°Nah! It¡¯s just for show, man! I¡¯m never a believer in matchmaking.¡± Nevertheless, he soon smiled faintly and added, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll just wait and see how things y out. What¡¯s mine will be mine sooner orter.¡± In response, John only paused and looked at Dn. Later that night, John stayed back for overtime before he finally decided to leave work. When he stepped out of the elevator, he was greeted by Matilda, who was standing in the lobby. Nheless, the sight of his own mother didn¡¯t put a smile on his face when he recalled what she did earlier. Meanwhile, Matilda looked as if nothing had ever happened before and seized John¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you here the whole day. I thought you were only going to leave at midnight. How can you not be concerned about your health, my boy? You need to rest when it¡¯s time to rest. It¡¯s gettingte now, and you should¡¯ve probably called it a day sooner.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± John stared at Matilda and asked her. Matilda took her hands off John¡¯s arms and let out a sigh. ¡°When I passed by this ce, I figured I should drop by at that moment since it was about time for everyone to leave work, but as I approached the receptionists, I was told that you hadn¡¯t left. So, I decided to wait here, although I didn¡¯t expect it to take so long.¡± After that, she held John¡¯s arms again and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t had dinner! So, let¡¯s find something to eat together.¡± Tired from work, John was reluctant to tag along for dinner, but Matilda appeared to be rather insistent as she grasped his arm tightly. ¡°Your grandpa and grandma don¡¯t seem to be happy with metely. They wouldn¡¯t give me a break even when we sat down together for a meal, and I¡¯m really tired of their lecture. Thus, I don¡¯t feel like eating at home. I¡¯m miserable enough, so why can¡¯t they stop comining about me and start thinking from my point of view?¡± After listening to his mother¡¯s reply, John swallowed his words that were already forming at the tip of his tongue. Nheless, he knew Matilda¡¯s life would probably be tough in the days toe, but at the same time, he reckoned she brought it all upon herself. As they stepped out of the building, Matilda entered her son¡¯s car like she owned it and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I know a ce with some awesome food! It¡¯s usually not that crowded there, so we might be able to get a ce if we head there now.¡± Without saying a single word, John drove to the destination that Matilda described. When they arrived at the restaurant, John noticed that there weren¡¯t many cars parked around the restaurant, probably because of its remote location. It looks like they don¡¯t get a lot of customers here. Upon exiting his car, John set his eyes on the restaurant¡¯s que and asked, ¡°Is the food here good?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you find out for yourself?¡± Matildaughed it off and proceeded to enter the restaurant with John. Since the restaurant wasn¡¯t crowded, their arrival was quickly noticed as a waiter approached them and asked, ¡°Hello, how may I help you?¡± ¡°We have a reserved room,¡± Matilda said. The waiter blinked his eyes, instantly catching on to Matilda¡¯s words. ¡°I see. Pleasee with me.¡± After that, both of them entered a lounge that wasn¡¯t really big before they were given a menu each. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 485 Chapter 485 ¡°Hold on,¡± Matilda waved her hand and said. ¡°Is there someone else?¡± John frowned in confusion. Matilda smiled in response and answered, ¡°N-No, it¡¯s just that we should order some drinks first. I¡¯ve been super thirsty since I waited in the lobby back there. Then, she proceeded to act like she was going through the beverages on the menu, ordering a ss of fruit juice before she continued to skim through the menu. Not long after the waiter left, the door was opened again in less than a minute. Nevertheless, it was Isabelle who came in instead of the waiter. While opening the door, she appeared to still be talking. ¡°I was caught in the jam, Mrs. Constance. So, I¡­¡± Soon, she stopped mid-sentence as her expression became awkward. On the other hand, John¡¯s face darkened the moment he saw Isabelle, but Matilda didn¡¯t seem to notice his son¡¯s sulky look. She then stood up and said, ¡°Hey Belle, you¡¯re here. Come, please have a seat! We were waiting for you.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Isabelle slowly walked closer and sat before John while embarrassedly saying, ¡°So, John is here too, huh.¡± Matilda answered on her son¡¯s behalf, ¡°Yeah, I passed by hispany when I was on my way here, so we decided toe here together. Here is the menu, and let¡¯s ce our order.¡± Isabelle appeared a little cautious when she glimpsed at John, whereupon she took the menu that was handed to her. Meanwhile, the man was only seen with a sulky look on his face. So, this is where my mom wanted to take me. I knew something was wrong with her from the beginning. Afraid to ce her order, Isabelle only picked two dishes before passing the menu to John, but the man didn¡¯t respond until Matilda took it and began flipping through it. ¡°This fish looks pretty nice, John. Do you like it? What do you say we try this one?¡± Soon, John took a cigarette box out of his pocket and lit up a cigarette without even answering Matilda¡¯s question. While his reaction implied that he was unhappy, Matilda shifted her eyes to Isabelle, who carefully shook her head. Then, Matilda sighed and said, ¡°Alright, I think we should try this fish out, as well as some sds. This dessert looks good too, so maybe we should try this one out. Oh yeah, we must never miss their signature cuisine, and also, I¡¯ve heard about their delicious mushroom soup. So, we should get one of those too.¡± In the meantime, John only remained silent all this while until the waiter left, leaning on his chair as he flicked his cigarette into the ashtray. Not long after that, Isabelle pondered for a while and uttered, ¡°I thought it was just you and me, Mrs. Constance. I didn¡¯t think John would be there too, so that¡¯s why I got scared when I saw someone else in here.¡± Matilda said, ¡°Well, that was the initial n, but since I happened to pass by John¡¯s office, I realized he hadn¡¯t left work, so I figured we could perhaps grab dinner together. After all, the more the merrier, right?¡± Meanwhile, John only responded with a nonchnt smile, implicitly taunting Matilda. At the sight of her son¡¯s reaction, Matilda decided to keep quiet, knowing that she shouldn¡¯t push her headstrong son too far, or her n could backfire. However, she was still rather grateful that John didn¡¯t embarrass her by walking out on her despite his anger. I guess that still counts as a sess. The next few moments, none of them said a single word until the dishes were served. While there weren¡¯t many customers in the restaurant, the dishes were served pretty quickly. Upon waiting for all the dishes to arrive, Matilda courteously treated Isabelle by cing some dishes onto her te. ¡°Come, Belle. You should take more of this. This one is packed with nutrition!¡± Then, she picked up a fork and knife before passing them to John. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in.¡± After receiving the fork and knife, John nced through every dish on the table, which he found unappetizing. Therefore, heid down his fork and knife shortly after that and said, ¡°You guys can carry on. I¡¯m going to smoke outside.¡± He then took his cigarette box out, ready to stand up from his seat. Afraid that John would secretly ditch them, Matilda quickly ced her hand on his phone on the table. ¡°You can go ahead and smoke outside, but leave your phone here.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 486 Chapter 486 The next moment, John stared Matilda down, but his mother showed no sign of giving in, stubbornly cing her hand over his phone. A few secondster, John turned around and left the room before Matilda proceeded to close the door and sneer, ¡°Hmph! That brat still has much to learn if he really wants to mess with me.¡± Soon, Isabelle said in a hushed tone, ¡°Mrs. Constance, I doubt John is happy about this. Do you think we¡¯ve crossed the line somehow?¡± ¡°What¡¯re you talking about?¡± Matilda replied in confusion. ¡°Everything that I¡¯ve ever done has always been for his own good. It¡¯ll be fine, so don¡¯t take it to heart. We¡¯ll just enjoy our food here while waiting for him to return.¡± A few moments after John left, his phone that was left on the table began to vibrate, which turned out to be an iing call. Matilda directly declined the call, but John¡¯s phone rang again a few secondster. Therefore, she took a closer look, only to realize that the call was from Logan. Nothing can be important from Logan! Once again, she hung up the call, thinking how she never really approved of John¡¯s association with Logan in the first ce because she reckoned that Logan was a bad influence on her son. Meanwhile, Logan was staring at his phone unhappily. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with John? Why won¡¯t he pick up my call?¡± At the same time, Sophia was watching television when she noticed Logan¡¯s frustration. ¡°Why are you calling John? If you¡¯re bored, do something else that¡¯s worth your time, but let me make this clear to you! Don¡¯t you dare call John over, or I swear I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Logan then turned his attention to Sophia and replied, ¡°Come on! I just want to ask him something about the Morgan Family because I believe he must have discovered some useful information about Leah¡¯s dirty work. Now that I¡¯ve taken care of those two imbeciles, that b*tch is my next target!¡± Switching to a new channel, Sophia said, ¡°Do what you want and leave. I¡¯m getting sleepy, so I¡¯m going to bed soon.¡± Unwilling to give up, Logan decided to call again. This time, someone picked up the call, but the voice he heard was Matilda¡¯s instead of John¡¯s. ¡°Why do you keep calling, Logan?¡± After a brief pause, Logan asked, ¡°Where is John?¡± Before Matilda could say anything further, Isabelle¡¯s voice was heard on the other end, saying, ¡°Please try this, Mrs. Constance. This one tastes really good! This is for John. I think he is going to like it!¡± Logan was seen with his mouth agape before he hissed. ¡°Is Isabelle with you now?¡± As soon as Sophia heard that, she blinked and squinted without saying a single word. Logan¡¯s question apparently caught Matilda by surprise, so she only brushed him off with an affirmative hum. ¡°Is there something important that you¡¯re calling John for?¡± Well, there is indeed something important, but Mrs. Constance must never know about it. After a short hesitation, Logan answered, ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to call him for a little chat. Isn¡¯t he with you all?¡± In response, Matilda told him that John was away as he had gone to the washroom. After hearing that, Logan decided to give up pressing on. ¡°Alright, I guess I shall leave you guys to it. Perhaps I¡¯ll call John againter.¡± Upon hanging up the call, heid down his phone and sniggered, ¡°I can¡¯t believe John is now dining with Isabelle. How can he eat before ady like Isabelle? I guess I¡¯m really impressed by that.¡± Sophia replied with a smile, ¡°Miss Bailey is pretty and kind-hearted. So, don¡¯t get jealous of her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m jealous of her?¡± Logan approached Sophia and pointed at his own eyes. ¡°Listen. I¡¯m not trying to blow my own trumpet, but I can tell whether someone is fake. I may not be good at a lot of things, but judging characters is definitely not one of them. In fact, I even dare to say I¡¯m second to no one when it comes to that.¡± Looking askance at Logan, Sophiaughed and said, ¡°Alright! Alright! I get it! If there isn¡¯t anything else important, please leave now. I¡¯m going to hit the hay soon.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 487 Chapter 487 Although the night was still young, Logan pondered for a while and realized he had imposed on Sophia throughout the afternoon, so it was perhaps time for him to make a move. Therefore, he didn¡¯t stick around any longer as he directly said goodbye to Sophia. Meanwhile, Sophia was sitting on the couch while enjoying the television program, which was a music talent show. All talent shows are more or less the same! The first few stages are not worth watching at all until the final, when thepetition gets intense. Shortly after that, Sophia grew tired of the show and directly turned off the television. Then, she locked the door and the windows before she headed upstairs. Isabelle is quite a nicedy, actually. If John could marry her, their cooperation is going to be fortified as their forces grow even stronger. By then, I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be a lot they can aplish. Upon returning to her room, Sophia contemted for a short while before she decided to walk to the balcony door to make sure that it was locked. Not even a fly can slip into my room with all openings shut. Soon, she shifted her eyes outside the window as she thumped her chest. Oh gosh! Something is bothering me! In the meantime, John seemed as if he had disappeared ever since he went out to smoke, while Isabelle and Matilda had already finished their meals. Baffled, Matilda said, ¡°Wait for me here, Belle. I¡¯m going to head outside and have a look.¡± Isabelle nodded and sat in ce as Isabelle stepped out of the room and headed to the lobby, where there were only a few customers. After she failed to find John there, she exited the restaurant, only to find him sitting in the car. Angry with her son¡¯s attitude, Matilda immediately walked closer to the car and knocked on the window. She then noticed John had lowered his seat while seemingly taking a nap. Upon hearing the knock on the ss, John slowly turned his head around and looked at the window. With the window left ajar, Matilda could hear what the man said. ¡°Are you done eating? Come on, let¡¯s take you home.¡± Matilda questioned in a hushed tone, ¡°What¡¯re you doing, John?¡± ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± John smiled and echoed her words. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Frustrated with her son¡¯s reaction toward her question, Matildashed out, ¡°What have I done wrong? I just want you to be with Belle.¡± John wound down the car window and refuted his mother. ¡°You want me to be with her? Why don¡¯t you be with her instead? Why must you make the call for me?¡± Matilda pursed her lips, finding it hard to talk sense into John¡¯s head. John and Isabelle are meant to be together. They¡¯ll just be starting everything anew despite their divorce. What¡¯s wrong with him? John adjusted his seat and replied, ¡°If you keep doing this, I¡¯ll never dine with you ever again, and this will be ourst time eating together.¡± Soon, Matilda began to lose her patience. ¡°Are you out of your mind? So, you¡¯re going to abandon your mom for Sophia?¡± In fact, John had always been level-headed and indifferent in nature due to his family background. Because of that, he had adopted a nonchnt stance about family values. Not long after that, he stared at Matilda and replied, ¡°You¡¯re the one who abandons everyone you love for Isabelle! No wonder my dad abandoned you, and it looks like you still don¡¯t understand why.¡± ¡°John!¡± Matilda raised her voice because she would never allow anyone to say something like that to her. There is no way William will abandon me! After all, I¡¯m the apple of his eye as always. John demanded, ¡°Where is my phone? Give it back to me.¡± With the phone in her hand, Matilda lowered her head and returned it to him by throwing it into the car through the window. ¡°Take it back! You¡¯re just as stubborn as your dad is! Why can¡¯t you see the way I see this matter?¡± Nevertheless, John directly started the engine and wound up the window, seemingly with no intention to give Matilda a ride home. In a fit of rage, the woman kicked his car as the man just drove off without saying a single word. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 488 Chapter 488 Matilda stood in ce and gritted her teeth angrily. At the same time, Isabelle watched the entire interaction between the mother and son from the window upstairs. Although she might not be able to hear their conversation, she could tell that things didn¡¯t go well between both of them. Soon, she went back to her seat and sat in a sulk. Why is John so hard to tackle? Not long after that, Isabelle returned to her seat, and Matilda came back to the room. As Matilda showed up, she tried to force a smile and exined in John¡¯s defense, saying that he had left earlier because he was busy. On the other hand, Isabelle pretended as if she didn¡¯t know anything and replied, ¡°I see. Well, I think he must be really busy with his work, so it¡¯s okay.¡± In the meantime, Matilda wasn¡¯t in a hurry to leave either. Thus, she sat back in her seat and uttered, ¡°You need to have a rtionship no matter how busy you are. Too bad that kid, John, just never understands.¡± In an attempt tofort Isabelle, Matilda added, ¡°John is just a little indifferent. After all, he has never really had a lot of friends since he was little. Besides, he dedicates all his energy and time to work, as we all know, which is why he tends to be a little insensitive when ites to romantic rtionships. No human is perfect, so perhaps we should give him time to open up. Please just bear with him, my dear.¡± Isabelle responded with a smile as she was overwhelmed by fear deep down. I wouldn¡¯t mind waiting if John is going to open his heart up in the end, but as I keep waiting and tolerating him patiently, I¡¯m afraid that someone else could steal his heart away. While John had already footed the bill, Matilda and Isabelle directly left the restaurant and took a cab home separately. After waiting for Matilda to leave, Isabelle gged down a cab and hesitated for a short while before she named the address of Sophia¡¯s residence to the driver. Although she had never been there, she previously heard from Matilda that John gave Sophia an apartment unit to live in when they divorced. Sophia must be living sofortably right there since Matilda once mentioned that it was a strategic location. As the car slowly approached her destination, Isabelle told the driver to drop her off somewhere nearby, which she decided to walk there by herself. At this time, Sophia was already asleep with the lights out. Upon taking a look from afar, Isabelle proceeded to walk closer shortly before she abruptly stopped in her tracks and quickly hid behind a tree. It turned out that she saw a car parked outside Sophia¡¯s residence with its headlights off. Then, she noticed a man, who was leaning on the vehicle, staring at Sophia¡¯s unit on the second floor. At the sight of that, Isabelle was overwhelmed by a sting of pain and jealousy. Under the illuminating streetlight, she could tell who that person was by his figure even without looking at his face. She then continued to stand behind the tree while peeking at John, who was seen holding a cigarette without smoking it. After that, the man tossed it onto the ground and trod it before he reached out for his phone and appeared to be reading something in an absorbed manner. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Standing under the streetlight, John didn¡¯t show a lot of expression on his face while lowering his head, but Isabelle could tell that he was smiling faintly yet gently. After standing there for some time, he finally turned around and got into his car, whereas Isabelle hid behind the tree until John drove off and disappeared from sight. Soon, Isabelle took a deep breath and slowly emerged from behind the tree, approaching the spot that John parked his car. Then, she saw several cigarette butts on the floor before she unhappily trod on them while feeling a twinge of pain deep down as if someone was pinching her heart. Meanwhile, Sophia was in her sleep and had no idea what happened outside her residence. As soon as she woke up, she stretched herself and proceeded to go about her morning ablutions in a rxed manner. Then, she tidied up her clothes and did herundry, but she was soon caught in a trance when she turned on the washing machine. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 489 Chapter 489 Sophia found something inside the washing machine, which turned out to be the dress that she wore earlier wrapped in her bedsheet. Soon, her mind began to have shbacks of images that seemed blurry to her. In fact, she had been having vivid dreams so frequently that she somehow got them mixed up with reality. This looks like they¡¯ve been washed before. I just haven¡¯t dried them. Staring at the dress, she remembered wearing it that day when she hung out with Logan. Therefore, she put it back into the washing machine and washed it again before she proceeded to prepare her meal while recalling what had happened earlier. Gosh! Everything that happened that day seems like a mess in my mind right now. I guess I must have drunk a little too much than I could handle. However, Sophia failed to recall what happened even until she was done preparing her breakfast. Fearing that she¡¯d think of something erotic, she decided to give up recalling as she didn¡¯t want those dirty thoughts to pop up in her mind. That can only exist in my dream but never in reality. After taking her breakfast, she received a call from Ian, who mentioned the matter that she had been recalling. Besides, he told her that he had finished packing his stuff because he had to be away for his training, so he¡¯d like to say goodbye to her. I can hear Logan¡¯s voice. It sounds like Ian is now with him, and Logan is giving him a checklist of things that he should bring along. Upon hearing that, Sophia said, ¡°Are you going to leave right now? If you are, I¡¯ll head over right now.¡± Ian hesitated and said, ¡°I¡¯m now at Logan¡¯s ce.¡± In response, Sophia responded with an affirmative hum, immediately hanging up the call before she grabbed her belongings and set out. In fact, she didn¡¯t do that just to show Ian her support but also to give him her blessing. By the time she got there, Ian was already standing at the entrance with a car parked by the roadside, which suggested that his ride had arrived. While Ian already had his luggage ced in the car, Sophia quickly got out of the vehicle and scurried toward him. ¡°Ian.¡± When Ian saw Sophia approaching, he felt his pent-up irritation surging through him. Nevertheless, when he noticed thedy¡¯s nervous look, his annoyance dissipated. Well, let¡¯s not make my life miserable and unhappy. After all, I doubt Sophia knows what happened that day too. Soon, Ian showed a smile and greeted Sophia with open arms. Then, he said, ¡°Come, give me a hug! I don¡¯t know how long until the next time we meet.¡± Sophia said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll pray hard for you, and you¡¯ll seed!¡± Ian nodded and wrapped his arms around Sophia. ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re blessed with good luck, I should probably stick to you to get more of those positive auras.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Meanwhile, Logan patted Ian¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My sis is right there, and I believe she¡¯ll take care of things for you. So, just rx and get famous.¡± After brief contemtion, Ian let go of Sophia and stared at her, saying, ¡°If John everes and disturbs you, just tell him off with my name. I wouldn¡¯t mind that.¡± Sophia sniggered as she tried to pacify Ian. ¡°Alright, alright! I heard you loud and clear! He won¡¯t be able to take advantage of me.¡± Soon, the driver wound down the window and said, ¡°It¡¯s about time, Mr. Morgan.¡± Then, he gently rubbed Sophia¡¯s hair with his palm and waved at Logan before he entered the car and directly left. After that, Sophia sighed and said, ¡°I doubt we can be crazy as we used to be the next time Ianes back. By then, he is probably a famous public figure.¡± ¡°Nah!¡± Logan walked closer and rested his arm over Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It looks like it¡¯ll just be me and you from now on, Sophia.¡± Disgusted by his words, Sophia shook off his arm and replied, ¡°Knock that off! You make me sick, actually.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 490 Chapter 490 After putting Logan down with her insult, Sophia reached out for her phone and looked at it. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s about time for me to go. I still have to apany John¡¯s grandma to the monasteryter.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Logan disapproved of Sophia¡¯s action and said, ¡°Come on, are you serious about hanging out with his grandma? You guys are still acting like a married couple. What difference did your divorce make?¡± In fact, Logan wasn¡¯t alone because Sophia felt the same way. Something has been wrong with John for the past two days. Furthermore, it didn¡¯t seem right for him toe over to dine with me like the divorce was for nothing. No way! This is not who I am, and I must put a stop to this. I used to think there was still a chance for us to work things out, but now, I¡¯ve changed my mind. The next moment, Sophia pursed her lips and said, ¡°In that case, I guess I know what to do now.¡± Then, she gged down a cab and told the driver the address of her destination. Although she could have saved the trouble if she had taken the ride of Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s driver, she insisted on heading to the Constance Residence by herself. Upon arrival, Sophia didn¡¯t enter the residence but instead waited outside the entrance. It was only when Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s car came out that she entered it. As soon as they both saw each other, Old Mrs. Constance excitedly held her hands. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come inside? What were you waiting for?¡± Sophia looked down and smiled. ¡°Nothing.¡± Old Mrs. Constance sighed and said, ¡°I was initially nning to visit the monastery with John, but it looks like he¡¯s been busy with work recently.¡± Oh dear! I hope he doesn¡¯t tag along because I don¡¯t want to see him. Noticing Sophia¡¯s silence, Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t say a single word more. While the monastery was situated in the mountain, it was still visited by many of its pious devotees, even on working days. As the car pulled up in the car park at the foot of the mountain, they made their way up the hill. Fortunately, the path up the mountain was not that steep and that it wasn¡¯t so tiring for thedies to hike until they arrived at the monastery, where their arrival was received by a priest. As the priest recognized Old Mrs. Constance, he immediately led them to the backyard, giving Sophia an indication that the olddy must be a regr visitor of the ce. On the other hand, Sophia had never been to this monastery before. Listening to the choir, she miraculously felt relieved as it put her mind to ease. Soon, they were greeted by the High Priest who was waiting for them in the chamber. In that instant, Sophia felt as if she was a child who hadn¡¯t seen the outside world at all, following suit when Old Mrs. Constance crossed her arms in front of her chest to greet the High Priest upon seeing him. When the High Priest noticed Sophia, he smiled and said, ¡°I guess this must be the samedy who came here thest time. Am I right?¡± Old Mrs. Constance responded with an affirmative hum. The High Priest smiled and said, ¡°I can tell from your look that you¡¯re blessed with good fortune.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia wasn¡¯t sure whether the High Priest said that out of courtesy or because he had a keen foresight. Nheless, she only smiled in response while another priest gave them hassocks to kneel on. Then, Old Mrs. Constance stated her purpose to ask about her grandson¡¯s marriage, and when she said that, her eyes unknowingly shifted to Sophia. Meanwhile, Sophia had no idea what she could do except kneeling with Old Mrs. Constance in silence. Soon, the High Priest began to preach for a bit, which Sophia didn¡¯t bother to understand a single word of. After that, they stood up and headed to a chamber in the backyard. When they got there, a wooden box caught Sophia¡¯s eyes as it reminded her of another simr one that she saw at the ckwell Residence. Besides, the wooden box with tarot cards seemed to be surrounded by a few priests who were chanting. Then, the olddy turned around to Sophia and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t youe and pick one yourself?¡± Sophia chuckled and said, ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m good because I don¡¯t have anything to wish for anyway.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 491 Chapter 491 Old Mrs. Constance sighed as she closed her eyes to pick a tarot card. Soon, the High Priest held that card in his hand, turning around before he sat in a wooden chair. Meanwhile, Sophia shifted her eyes elsewhere, realizing the chamber¡¯s door to be made of bamboo with a vintage appearance. She then secretly walked out of the chamber and stood at the entrance while gazing at the quiet backyard with barely any visitors. Sophia continued to wait a little longer, but when she noticed nothing new in the chamber, she decided to head down the brick path until she reached a corner where she saw a main hall on the left. Then, she saw a few priests talking to a pious follower who appeared to react solemnly and courteously. Observing their interaction, Sophia stood in ce for a few seconds until the follower turned around. Nheless, she didn¡¯t move but instead stared at thetter, who turned out to be John. After that, the man slowly walked down the stairs at the main hall entrance toward Sophia. ¡°Is my grandma still in there?¡± Sophia responded with an affirmative hum and replied, ¡°She is in there, asking the High Priest about your marriage life in the future.¡± Judging from his casual appearance, I doubt he didn¡¯te here directly from his office. Not long after that, Sophia added, ¡°Old Mrs. Constance said you couldn¡¯te because you were busy, but it looks like you¡¯re not as busy as she said.¡± John smiled and said, ¡°I managed to find time ande here.¡± Considering the circumstance that she was in, she restrained herself from losing her temper even though she knew Old Mrs. Constance had an ulterior motive in taking her here. Soon, she heard the choir once more. Feeling calmer, she felt as if she could think and analyze more rationally. Upon scanning his surroundings, John said, ¡°I bet you haven¡¯t been here before. Perhaps I could show you around.¡± Sophia replied positively and walked beside John along the brick path as she suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to start a business soon, so I¡¯ll be busy. By then, I won¡¯t be able to be of help.¡± While Sophia wasn¡¯t sure whether John understood what she meant, the man only responded with an affirmative hum. Sophia said, ¡°I¡¯m actually pretty curious about what Old Mrs. Constance finds out from the High Priest.¡± John then turned his attention to Sophia. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t have anything you want to ask the High Priest?¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°Nah! I¡¯m good, and I¡¯m happy about my current life.¡± Upon a brief contemtion, she added, ¡°Furthermore, Ian is also doing pretty good right now, so I guess I¡¯m better off without marriage at the moment.¡± After hearing that, John squinted and responded with an affirmative hum. Sophia let out a sigh and said, ¡°I¡¯m content with my current life, and it¡¯s only now that I realize how miserable my life used to be.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. John stared at Sophia and said, ¡°I guess I must have let you down back then.¡± ¡°d you know that. Fortunately, I won¡¯t have to bear with that disappointment anymore,¡± Sophia answered with a sarcastic smile. Upon hearing that, John only pursed his lips in silence. As both of them made their way from the backyard to the main hall, Sophia refused to go there due to the crowd. Therefore, they only stood in the corridor while staring at the crowded main hall. Sophia then beat him to it and asked, ¡°Did you change my bedsheet that day when you took me home?¡± John blurted out, ¡°You threw up that day.¡± Well, I think he isn¡¯t lying because I really did puke that day. Soon, Sophia nodded in response. ¡°In that case, I didn¡¯t do anything inappropriate, did I?¡± How do you define ¡®inappropriate¡¯? John reckoned the matter that happened the other night was nothing out of the ordinary. After all, there was nothing strange that had happened between them, so he only responded with a brief reply. ¡°No.¡± John¡¯s reply eased Sophia¡¯s mind, finally putting an end to their conversation. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 492 Chapter 492 As both of them remained silent, Sophia got a call from Old Mrs. Constance, who said she was already done with consulting the High Priest. After telling her where she was, Sophia made her way back to meet up with John. As soon as she saw her own grandson, Old Mrs. Constance paused and smiled. ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t have time.¡± ¡°I managed to find some time here,¡± John responded with an affirmative hum. Old Mrs. Constance nodded, ready to make a move, since there was nothing else important to do at the monastery. Although she initially nned to eat a little something there, it appeared that she was no longer in the mood for that anymore, so the few of themter proceeded to leave the mountain. In fact, they didn¡¯t stay at the monastery for long until they left, which Sophia reckoned was because Old Mrs. Constance got an answer she didn¡¯t like to hear from the High Priest. If it weren¡¯t for that, Old Mrs. Constance wouldn¡¯t leave so soon. As soon as they entered the car, Sophia asked the olddy what she learned from the tarot card reading. Old Mrs. Constance evasively answered, ¡°Let¡¯s just say I believe that our fate is in our own hands.¡± Upon hearing that reply, Sophia understood what that meant. While John drove everyone toward the city, Old Mrs. Constance suggested that they should have lunch together, to which Sophia politely rejected. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t join you guys because I¡¯m needed at my shop. My business is about to start, and there is a lot I need to attend to.¡± Old Mrs. Constance knew that was just an excuse, but before she could say anything, John beat her to it and said, ¡°Alright then, go ahead and do what you should. We could always eat another time after you¡¯re done with your business.¡± The man¡¯s reply caught Old Mrs. Constance by surprise, as she didn¡¯t expect him to let Sophia leave like that. Soon, John stared at his grandma from the rear mirror, forcing her to keep quiet. Meanwhile, Sophia heaved a sigh of relief and responded with an affirmative hum, whereupon she got out of the car upon arrival. With her eyes set on the que, Old Mrs. Constance frowned and said, ¡°I don¡¯t like the name of her shop.¡± John leaned on his chair as he watched Sophia entering the shop. ¡°Well, it may not sound like a perfect name, but Sophia likes it, and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Old Mrs. Constance let out a sigh and said, ¡°She is still mad at you.¡± John smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I hope because it at least shows that she still cares.¡± After a short while, John drove off with the Old Mrs. Constance as she uttered, ¡°Your dad has been caught up in some business in the past two days, but I don¡¯t know what to say about both of you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my dad?¡± John sounded surprised. Surprised, Old Mrs. Constance asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Your dad has beening homete recently, and it¡¯s not because of work.¡± Then, she let out a sigh with a gloomy look on her face. From the way Grandma looks, this matter doesn¡¯t seem to bode well. Soon, she added, ¡°Keep this matter to yourself so that you won¡¯t feel upset when you hear this from someone elseter on.¡± ¡°So, this matter has something to do with my dad. Alright, I¡¯m all ears,¡± John said with a smile. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Old Mrs. Constance sighed and said, ¡°Something bad has happened to the woman who was going to marry your dad but went back on her wordter. She is now lying in the hospital, and your dad has been visiting her for the past two days. I heard there is no one else taking care of her, which is why he keeps going there. I didn¡¯t ask him why he is doing that because he is already an adult, so he should know what he is doing.¡± John paused, as he had never heard about this matter before. So, it¡¯s true that Dad has beening homete for something personal instead of work. After that, John gave an affirmative reply and added, ¡°Like you said, he is a grown man, and I trust he knows what he is doing.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 493 Chapter 493 With a smile, Old Mrs. Constance replied, ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t even want to care about your father¡¯s problem. I guess I must have worried too much.¡± John let out a sigh and said, ¡°I can¡¯t even figure out my own problem, let alone taking care of his.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Old Mrs. Constance leaned back on the seat and said, ¡°Your problem is a lot easier than your dad¡¯s to take care of.¡± John chuckled. ¡°Things with me are moreplicated than you think.¡± Sophia is more and more rational, and I doubt that¡¯s a good sign. After taking his grandma home, John got changed and took lunch at home before he headed to his office. Soon, he received a call from one of his men telling him that Third Young Lady Jefferson had picked up Ian, who had now begun his training. Upon hearing that, John sat back in his seat and smiled. ¡°Alright, understood.¡± John hung up the call andid down his phone with a smile on his face. Third Young Lady Jefferson is indeed a person who walks the talk. Despite my casual suggestion, she took care of it so soon. After that, John proceeded to bury himself in work throughout the entire afternoon until it was time to leave work. He only snapped out of his absorption in work when Zack dropped by to say hello. Then, he looked at the time on his monitor screen, massaging his brow ridge. ¡°You may leave first. I still have some unfinished business here, so I¡¯ll leave once I¡¯m done.¡± Hearing his superior¡¯s words, Zack nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t stay up toote. You need to cut yourself some ck.¡± After Zack left, John took a few more files and continued topare the figures on them with those on the screen. Not long after that, the office door was open, but John didn¡¯t look this time. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? If you have a document, just put it on the table.¡± Nevertheless, he soon heard a chuckle. John paused as he turned around before he knitted his brows. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Isabelle curled her lips upward and said with a deep voice, ¡°Something has been bothering me deep down, so I came here to talk. This is about us, and I¡¯d like to hear from you.¡± Although John understood what she wanted to hear, he knew what he did the night before was a little too mean to Isabelle. Therefore, he put his work aside and crossed his arms, cing his hands on his thighs. ¡°I wasn¡¯t being mean to you yesterday. I left earlier because I was busy.¡± Isabelle walked closer and sat opposite John. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Mrs. Constance would do that because I thought she had already gotten over with what happened thest time. So, I just want to say sorry for upsetting you.¡± ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t.¡± John smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal anyway.¡± Isabelle appeared rather guilty. ¡°I subsequently realized that it could jeopardize both ourpanies¡¯ reputations if anyone saw what happened yesterday, and I should have thought that through. If Mrs. Constance ever calls me for lunch or something next time, I¡¯ll be sure to contact you first.¡± John chuckled and replied, ¡°Never mind! It¡¯s not necessary.¡± I¡¯m not going to eat out with my mom anytime soon anyway. In the meantime, Isabelle was seen holding a shopping bag that looked simr to the one she left at the reception counter earlier. Then, she handed it over to John and said, ¡°This is a gift from our client. Actually, they gave us a dozen of these, so I figure I should give you one too.¡± John didn¡¯t bother asking anything but instead thanked her with a brief reply. After putting the gift on the table, Isabelle leaned on the chair and said, ¡°Mrs. Constance has always been kind to me, and we enjoy each other¡¯s presence. Therefore, I reckon she did that because she still can¡¯t get over our engagement earlier, so I¡¯ll perhaps find a suitable time to talk to her about that.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 494 Chapter 494 In a casual manner, John answered, ¡°Don¡¯t bother doing that because my mom never listens.¡± Seemingly understanding why he said so, Isabelle nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, Mrs. Constance can be a little stubborn at times. I have actually talked to her about that several times, but it looks like my words all fell on deaf ears.¡± Unwilling to continue the topic, John brought up his confusion about the delivery order that Isabelle gave him thest time. ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, I have a few things I¡¯d like to ask you about the delivery order.¡± Isabelle then leaned closer toward the desk in response. ¡°Show me.¡± As thedy leaned closer, John caught the scent of a jasmine aroma. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t like the smell, so he knitted his brows without revealing too much facial emotion. When Isabelle took a look at the delivery order, she chuckled and said, ¡°Oh, thebeled location here can be a bit of a pain in the neck. Let me show you the remark that I stated here.¡± She then reached for her phone and showed John a picture. Upon taking a quick look at it, John uttered, ¡°Just send me the picture, and I¡¯ll take a look myself.¡± Isabelle paused for a short while before she said, ¡°Oh yeah, howe I didn¡¯t think of that?¡± Calm and indifferent, John seemed as if he didn¡¯t notice anything unusual. Meanwhile, Isabelle quickly sent the delivery order with her own remarks written on it to John while feeling nervous at the same time. Nheless, she had anotherplete copy with more information on it, which she decided to keep to herself so that she could have more chances to talk with John. On the other hand, the copy that she had just sent John was a draft with messy notes andbels, which she doubted John could understand. Isabelle sighed and changed the subject. ¡°By the way, how is Old Mr. Flintstone doing? I heard from Mrs. Constance that he¡¯s been in a terrible shapetely, which is why she is busy looking after him.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. My grandpa is indeed in terrible shape, but it¡¯s all thanks to Mom! He¡¯d be just fine had she not pissed him off. I must say she never ceases to ¡®impress¡¯ me with her excuses. After brief contemtion, John replied, ¡°He is getting better recently, although he still needs to be looked after. My mom doesn¡¯t trust a maid to take care of Grandpa, which is why she is doing all the job by herself.¡± Isabelle then sighed. ¡°Well, we all get all sorts of illnesses anyway when we grow old, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big problem. My grandpa used to¡­¡± She stopped her speech mid-sentence and winked with a smile. John knew what she was going to say, recalling how he pissed Old Mr. Constance off when he insisted on canceling his engagement before thetter was sick for the next few days. At that time, John had also received the news, in which William asked whether he¡¯d like to pay them a visit, only to be stopped by Old Mrs. Constance, who thought her grandson¡¯s presence could ruin the matter given the circumstance. Meanwhile, Isabelle pursed her lips in response. ¡°I guess you¡¯re busy now, so I shall leave you to it. Goodbye!¡± However, her face still remained stiffened because excusing herself was her only way to get out of this awkward stalemate. John responded with an affirmative hum. ¡°Alright, see you. I trust you could find your way out of here yourself because I¡¯m still a little busy here.¡± When Isabelle heard that, she stood up. ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t worry about me. See you around then.¡± She smiled and turned around, leaving John¡¯s office. In the meantime, the man¡¯s smile slowly faded away and was reced with aplicated look. As Isabelle exited the office, she entered the elevator, instantly keeping herself together. Then, she sniggered, finding it ironic that she had be a hypocrite herself, whom she once hated the most. Upon stepping out of the Constance Group, she turned around and stared at the building while resentfully murmuring, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, John? Why is your heart with someone else?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 495 Chapter 495 Needless to say, John had no idea what was on Isabelle¡¯s mind as he continued to finish his work before he reached for his phone. Then, he began browsing through Sophia¡¯s friend list on his social media ount, seeing a selfie of her smiling face that was taken outside her shop in the illuminating twilight. Besides, he could clearly see the words written on the que hanging above the shop entrance. No response! She really knows how to grind my gears! Meanwhile, Sophia was a little curious that John hadn¡¯t contacted her in days ever since they came back from the monastery. It looks like this guy has be someone else after that day. Did he really understand what I said to him, or has he finally realized that it¡¯s better off for him to let go? Or maybe he is being mad and sulky with me. Soon, Sophia gave up trying to figure out what was wrong with John as she reckoned she should spend her time on her shop¡¯s opening ceremony instead. As for the day her opening ceremony would be on, Sophia didn¡¯t deliberately pick a day but instead decided to go about it since she was done with all the necessary preparation. The night before that, she posted an announcement on her social media feed about her shop¡¯s opening the next day. The following morning, the shop entrance was upied with so many flowers that barely any space was left. One of them was from Zack, who texted Sophia and emphasized that he did that out of his own goodwill, which had nothing to do with John. Sophia was amused, thinking that it didn¡¯t matter to her anyway. On the other hand, Logan decided to buy some fireworks since he knew Sophia had more than enough flowers. Thinking the fireworks would be overkill, she stared at Logan and asked, ¡°What¡¯re you going to do with the fireworks in broad daylight?¡± Logan widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°Oh,e on, what can I do? You¡¯re running your shop during the day. If your shop opened at night, I¡¯d light up the entire street with fireworks.¡± This guy really doesn¡¯t mind throwing his money away! As the fireworks blew up in the bright sky, Sophia could barely see anything except hearing the boom. Meanwhile, different desserts that Sophia and Robin made were served in the shop. While Logan sat by the window, Sophia took a bit of every dessert to let him taste. Then, Logan pinched her face andplimented her. ¡°No wonder I like you so much!¡± Sophia patted his hand. ¡°Knock that off!¡± Logan took a moment to ponder, letting out a sigh. ¡°Too bad Ian isn¡¯t here.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Ian¡¯s training was usually held in istion, which he barely even got to check his phone. Therefore, Sophia hardly stayed in touch with him, so she had no idea how well he had gotten used to his new life. Soon, a few other nearby merchants came over to show their support as Robin quickly attended to them. When Sophia saw that, she quickly helped her out after a brief chat with Logan. At the same time, Zack arrived, but Sophia didn¡¯t notice his presence. Nevertheless, he went ahead and sat down beside Logan, who shot a gaze at him and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t your bossing?¡± Zack smiled and reached for his phone. ¡°My boss is a little stuck up. He said some trivia like this one isn¡¯t worth his time to travel all the way here. Instead, he just told me to take a few photos and bring them back to him. I mean, how can an adult like him still behave like a child? Only God knows what he is up to.¡± Logan paused in silence upon hearing that, while Zack continued to murmur, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with both of them. They don¡¯t seem to be at each other¡¯s throattely.¡± Logan chuckled and replied, ¡°Let¡¯s not think about it then. It¡¯s obvious that both of them still have feelings toward each other, although I have no idea why they insisted on having a divorce. They must have gotten tired of a happy life, I guess.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 496 Chapter 496 Zack clicked his tongue as he grabbed the desserts that Logan hadn¡¯t tasted and began enjoying them. While many of the guests who came were customers, Sophia and Robin were kept busy until the afternoon. After Zack was gone, Sophia came closer to Logan and asked, ¡°Zack just came, didn¡¯t he? Why did he leave so soon?¡± Logan leaned back in his seat and squinted. ¡°Maybe he is busy at work.¡± Sophia sat opposite Logan and said with a smile, ¡°It feels good to run my own business.¡± Logan responded with a smile. ¡°The way I see it, you¡¯re pretty friendly and enthusiastic in treating your customers. Keep this up, and I believe your business will get better and better.¡± He then shifted his gaze outside the window and added, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve been here throughout the morning, so I figure I should go back home and take a nap. Moreover, I¡¯m so tired as I woke up early this morning to buy those fireworks.¡± Sophia smiled and replied, ¡°Okay! Go home and rest then. There is nothing else going on here anyway.¡± As Logan stepped out of Sophia¡¯s shop, a car parked by the opposite side of the road caught his eye, whereupon he sniggered and murmured, ¡°What did I say? Something is wrong with the two of them for sure.¡± It turned out that John was sitting in his car while staring at Sophia¡¯s shop, where she could be seen busy with her work through the French window. She looks just about the same as when she was busy in the kitchen back then. Soon, the man leaned back in his seat and produced a cigarette box, feeling calm on the inside. In the meantime, Sophia had been busy attending to her work until the afternoon when there were no customers. Then, she proceeded to make herself a cup of coffee and sat in the chair by the window. Drinking while appreciating the street view on the outside, she suddenly paused what she was doing and pondered for a moment. Then, she put her cup down on the table and went ahead to make another one, taking it with her as she stepped out of her shop. While John¡¯s car was still parked by the roadside, she approached the vehicle, only to find John seemingly asleep in there. A few secondster, after she knocked on the ss, John slowly wound down the car window. She then passed the coffee over to him. ¡°This is for you. Finish it, and you could head back to your company. If you want to rest, you might as well go home and take a nap.¡± John took the coffee without saying a single word, while Sophia turned around and returned to her shop. After that, she sat back in the seat with a rxed look on her face. A few minutester, John finally drove off, whereas Sophia happily took her gaze off the man¡¯s car. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. The first day of business was a hectic one as there were more customers than she expected. It was only until the evening that Sophia could finally take a break when there were no more customers. Soon, both owners happily stretched themselves after a long day, while Robin said, ¡°I used to run a shop back then, but the business was never as hectic as this one.¡± After a brief contemtion, Sophia gave a suggestion. ¡°Let¡¯s celebrate the good start of our business tonight. My treat!¡± Feeling an urge to actualize her thoughts, Sophia immediately took Robin back to her ce to get changed. Considering their simr builds, she reckoned Robin could just wear her clothes. After settling down, she gave Logan a call and told him about the celebration. While Logan agreed to show up without hesitation, Sophia thought she should get more people to join them since Ian was not around. Therefore, she gave Zack a call, thinking she should repay him for the flowers he bought to support her. The celebration wouldn¡¯t beplete without Zack. Nevertheless, Zack appeared a little hesitant the moment he answered Sophia¡¯s call, not because he didn¡¯t want to join them, but because he wasn¡¯t sure whether he should tell John to tag along. Upon hearing his concern, Sophia told him to forget about John and added, ¡°John is a busy man, so we might as well forget about him. Furthermore, he¡¯s likely going to ruin the fun if he is around.¡± Zack knew what she meant, so he didn¡¯t say a single word more. After confirming the time and their rendezvous, Sophia set off for the destination with Robin. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 497 Chapter 497 Their rendezvous turned out to be a karaoke that Logan picked as he said he was a VIP member there, where he could get some discounts. After gging down a cab, they hit the road and headed toward their destination. Soon, the driver asked, ¡°Did you rub anyone the wrong way recently,dies?¡± Sophia paused, confused by the driver¡¯s words. ¡°Um¡­ no? Who could we rub the wrong way?¡± Nevertheless, the driver only stared at bothdies from the rearview mirror without saying a single word. Not long after that, the car pulled up outside the karaoke, but when Sophia exited the cab, the driver reminded her about her safety. ¡°Be careful because it¡¯s gettingte now. The street is no ce fordies like you two in thete night, so try to stick with your friends.¡± While those words sounded like a friendly reminder to Sophia, she smiled and thanked the driver. As soon as they entered the karaoke, the driver drove off, clearly seeing the entrance from the rearview mirror. Then, he pulled over by the roadside and remained in the car. Meanwhile, Logan was already waiting inside by the time Sophia and Robin arrived. Soon, they were greeted by a table of food and boxes of beers ced by the door. Besides, Logan was seen with two of his men whom he brought along from his clubhouse, and Sophia had known them since thest time they yed poker together. Therefore, they hit it off pretty quickly, while Zack only arrived twenty minutester. Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t take him long to fit in as he was less reserved at that moment than his usual self.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Despite the exciting asion, Sophia wasn¡¯t blinded by it, learning from her previous experience in which Logan and the rest spent half a day looking for her after she got too drunk and wandered off. Therefore, she restrained herself from indulging in alcohol, this time with the incident deeply etched in her mind. No matter how many times Zack toasted her, she always waved her hand and turned him down. ¡°Nah! I¡¯m good. I¡¯m actually still having a hangover from a few days ago, so if I drink more than I can handle now, I might be gone forever.¡± Zack didn¡¯t know what happened previously, so he only smiled and said, ¡°Well, there are so many of us here, and you think we can¡¯t take care of you? Come on, you¡¯re worrying too much!¡± Soon, Robin saw what Zack did and leaned closer. ¡°Let me drink on Sophia¡¯s behalf. I¡¯d like to enjoy some beer tonight because I never really got to do this back then.¡± In fact, she wasn¡¯t exaggerating her story because she had always been rather disciplined, never allowing herself to attend any crazy party in the past. Apart from that, Robin was also guilty about what happened to Sophia, who got drunk and went missing thest time due to a promise she made to take care of her friend. Therefore, she decided to make it up to Sophia by drinking on her behalf. Logan then chimed in, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s fine by me since Robin insists, plus I¡¯ve never seen her drink before. You¡¯re quite the man, Zack! From what I remember, no one could make Robin drink thest time we had fun together.¡± After hearing what Logan said, Zack decided to cut Sophia some ck and toasted Robin instead. Halfway through their celebration, Sophia even headed outside to order some food from the manager in order to dampen the effects of the alcohol. At the same time, everyone was enjoying the food and drinks while having a great time in the room. A few momentster, Robin gazed at Sophia and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to use the washroom. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± She didn¡¯t drink a lot, and she looks fine, besides her rosy cheeks. ¡°Alright, you know where the washroom is, right?¡± Sophia nodded and asked. ¡°Yeah, I got this. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Robin nodded in response and exited the room after that, leaving Sophia behind, who was eating while listening to Logan sing, in the room. A few minutes went by as Sophia looked at the time when Robin still hadn¡¯t returned. The next moment, sheid down the things in her hands while wondering to herself. Don¡¯t tell me thisdy got drunk and wandered off like I did thest time. After a few more minutes, Sophia got too worried to keep waiting, after which she decided to stand up and search for a friend. It was then that she realized their room was slightly far away from the washroom, which was situated at the end of the corridor. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 498 Chapter 498 Sophia made her way to the washroom in a rxed manner, but when she called out to Robin at the basin top, her voice was met with silence. Therefore, she decided to enter further into the washroom, where she was greeted by a few cubicles. Then, she knocked on the door of every cubicle and asked whether Robin was in there, but to no avail. In that instant, Sophia was overwhelmed by a panicky feeling. When Robin left the room, she seemed to be properly walking, and her eyes looked fine. Thus, I reckon she must be sober. After that, Sophia exited the washroom and looked to her left and right to see whether she could spot anything unusual. This is an area where people frequently pass by, so nothing bad could possibly happen here, I guess. As soon as Sophia returned to the room, Zack leaned closer and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I scare your friend, Robin, so badly that she ran away?¡± Sophia frowned and said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t find her.¡± After that, she turned around and saw Robin¡¯s phone on the table, instantly recalling the same thing that happened when she herself went missing without her phone with her earlier. Then, she scratched her head and dragged Logan aside. ¡°Robin is missing. Can you help me find her?¡± ¡°Missing?¡± Logan paused. ¡°Howe? Did she learn that from you?¡± Sophia furrowed her brows and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but can you ask the manager and see if we could check the security footage or something? Look, she didn¡¯t even bring her phone with her, so there is no way we can reach her right now.¡± Logan didn¡¯t take her seriously, but he stood up and answered, ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll ask the manager right away. You¡¯re really a bad influence for Robin, Sophia. Do you know that?¡± Needless to say, Sophia was not in the mood for jokes as she only followed Logan out of the room to confront the manager. Upon hearing Logan¡¯s request, the manager politely agreed without much hesitation. Then, he took them both to the security room that was guarded by a few men. Soon, the manager approached one of the personnel and instructed him to specifically extract the security footage that showed Sophia¡¯s room entrance. Since they were able to provide urate details about the time, it didn¡¯t take long for them to find the part of the footage they were looking for. With her eyes glued to the screen, Sophia saw Robin exiting the room as thetter made her way to the washroom. While Robin was walking there, her normal walking posture obviously suggested that she was still sober at that time. A few minutester, Robin was seen exiting the washroom, but she didn¡¯te out by herself. Instead, she was dragged by someone in ck attire with a cap that covered the person¡¯s appearance in the footage. Sophia was taken aback by that shocking sight, while Logan was left with his eyes wide open. ¡°Who is that person? I¡¯m sure whoever did that isn¡¯t among us.¡± Obviously! The next moment, Sophia immediately told the staff member to rewind the footage, noticing the mysterious figure already waiting outside their room before Robin exited. This fe is apparently waiting outside our room to prey on us. Since Robin looked like she was in a mindless trance when she came out of the room, she might have been mistaken as one of the customers who had just merely gotten drunk. Therefore, the passers-by didn¡¯t take that seriously, thinking it was just anothermon sight. Besides, the footage also showed that the mysterious figure took Robin to the elevator before making for the exit. Then, the surveince camera at the karaoke entrance also managed to capture the moment when Robin was stuffed into the car moments before she was taken away. Upon seeing that, Sophia¡¯s heart sank. ¡°No! This matter has gone terribly wrong now! We need to call the cops right away! This is getting serious!¡± Meanwhile, Logan, who had drunk quite a bit, immediately sobered up. He then cursed as he finally realized that this matter was much more severe than thest time Sophia went missing. At the same time, the hotel manager, who knew that the issue had gotten out of hand, quickly reached for his phone and called the police. Previous Chapter Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 499 Chapter 499 Sophia watched the security footage again and deduced that Robin¡¯s abductor didn¡¯t work alone because the door was opened from the inside. Therefore, she believed this was nned from the very beginning. Soon, she recalled the question that the driver asked her earlier tonight. Did he already realize that we were being tailed at that time? At the thought of that, she patted her forehead in a panicky manner. In the meantime, Zack, who was waiting for their return, eventually lost his patience as he decided to call up. When he learned that Robin had been abducted, he was shocked. ¡°What?! Has Robin been kidnapped? Darn it! This is serious. Have you called the cops?¡± After receiving a confirmed answer, Zack remained silent for a while and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give my boss a call. He is a little bird, and he might be able to help find some useful clue.¡± At this moment, Sophia no longer cared about her unwillingness to associate with John, knowing that two brains were better than one after all. Soon, she said, ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± Without further ado, Zack rang John right away after hanging up the call with Sophia. Meanwhile, John was reading some documents in the Constance Residence when he received a phone call from Zack. He then said in an indifferent tone, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zack said with an anxious voice, ¡°Something big hase up! Sophia needs help!¡± Not long after that, the police arrived and started to ask for information about the case. As it all happened so quickly, Sophia had no idea how she could borate to the officers. Thus, she only just showed the cops the security footage, while Logan pointed at the person in ck and said, ¡°We don¡¯t know this fe, but he¡¯s been sneaking around outside our room, and I bet this is a nned abduction. Now that our friend has been kidnapped, we don¡¯t know how they are going to treat her.¡± The police then proceeded to go through their security footage, but before they could decide what their next move was, John showed up. In fact, he ran to the room, only to find Sophia gone before he made his way to the security room. While John was panting, Sophia looked at him in surprise and asked, ¡°What¡¯re you doing? And what¡¯s your hurry?¡± Actually, John hung up on Zack and rushed to this ce before thetter could finish what he was going to say. When he arrived, John ced his hand over Sophia¡¯s shoulder and sized her up. ¡°What happened? Are you in trouble?¡± Zack, who witnessed John¡¯s reaction, felt a little helpless as he said, ¡°Boss, you hung up on me before I could even finish exining everything. I said Sophia needs help, but it¡¯s for her friend, Robin. You¡¯re probably too tense, Boss.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Upon hearing Zack¡¯s words, John heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Man, I thought you were in some kind of deep trouble! I nearly had a heart attack for that.¡± Sophia then shook off John¡¯s hand from her shoulder and answered, ¡°Robin has been abducted. If you¡¯d like to help, use your connections to investigate the matter.¡± Meanwhile, John knew this was going to be a sticky situation when he noticed the police, but nheless, he gently said, ¡°Please just wait in the room. I¡¯ll take care of the matter right here. Everything is going to be fine, trust me.¡± Worried, Sophia chose to believe in John that everything would be fine. Then, Logan came over and wrapped his arm over Sophia¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head back to the room first. Leave the matter here to us.¡± Soon, John¡¯s eyes fell upon Logan¡¯s arm, but heter dispelled his doubt, aware of thetter¡¯s bluff character. At the same time, Sophia knew she couldn¡¯t be of much help anyway, so she pondered and said, ¡°Keep me posted on everything when you¡¯re done.¡± As the smarter of the two in dealing with the police, John knew what kind of information they were looking for. On the other hand, Logan couldn¡¯t help but feel rmed every time he saw the cops considering his historical rivalry with thew enforcers. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 500 Chapter 500 After Logan was told to wait with Sophia in the room, he silently walked away with her, seemingly reluctant to stay with those people any longer. Meanwhile, Logan¡¯s men were still in the room, but they were all no longer in the mood to continue having fun as they quietly waited for the rest to return. As soon as Sophia got back to the room, she sat on the couch with her head lowered, feeling a hunch that Robin¡¯s kidnap had something to do with her. Robin once told me that her social life is pretty simple because she only has a few friends. Furthermore, she didn¡¯t usually go out due to her strict upbringing. In fact, I was the one who invited her to hang out those nights. Sophia racked her brain to figure out how Robin had gotten into trouble with anyone she might have crossed, but to no avail. Nheless, she was sure that this was a coordinated abduction, which she was partly responsible for. The more she dwelled on that, the greater the pain that she felt deep down. At the same time, Logan made a few phone calls in the room to have his men investigate Robin¡¯s kidnap. I bet the vehicle¡¯s registration number that we saw in the security footage was a fake one. Why would they use a real one and risk blowing their cover whenmitting a crime like this? While Sophia was waiting in the room, Zack soon came over with John, whose expression appeared calm and collected. Then, John told her that he had dispatched his men to search for Robin¡¯s whereabouts just as the police were looking into the matter. Therefore, he believed it wouldn¡¯t take long before the result was announced. With everyone¡¯s mood ruined, Zack came over and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home. It¡¯s too noisy here, so we might as well wait for their news at home.¡± After grabbing everything they needed, everyone set off for Sophia¡¯s ce to gather there, thinking that they could keep herpany since she was all alone by herself. While Sophia sat on her couch at home and waited for the news, Logan headed to the kitchen and got her some warm water. Cupping the ss of water in her hands, Sophia said, ¡°The shirt Robin wore today is mine. We both have simr builds, so I reckoned she could juste here and wear one of my shirts.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Upon hearing that, John, Zack, and Logan turned around and stared at Sophia, but she didn¡¯t meet their gazes. Instead, her eyes fell upon the kettle on the table as she said, ¡°We took a cab to the karaoke just now, but on our way there, the driver asked whether there was anyone we might have crossed. I didn¡¯t take his words seriously at that time, so I said no. Later, when we arrived at our destination, the driver told us to watch out for our own safety.¡± Logan stared at Sophia and asked, ¡°Do you mean that this fe had been tailing youdies all along?¡± At that moment, John chipped in, ¡°Are you saying that this guy was after you but mistook Robin for you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯m overreacting, but as I put the pieces together, this seems to be the most logical possibility to me,¡± Sophia closed her eyes and said. Meanwhile, John only stared at Sophia while wondering, If whoever did this was really after Sophia, then it must be someone whom she previously rubbed the wrong way, but there are only a few people who don¡¯t really like her. Soon, John stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to make a phone call.¡± Then, he stepped out of the house and stood in the courtyard, giving Matilda a call. A few secondster, the call was quickly answered as Matilda happily said, ¡°Hey John, what¡¯s up?¡± John paused briefly and replied, ¡°I have some questions for you, and I hope you could be honest with me.¡± The man¡¯s stern voice took Matilda aback. After a few seconds of silence, she sounded more serious. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, John? You sound scary.¡± John then took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Did you send someone to mess with Sophia?¡± Confused, Matilda said, ¡°What¡¯re you talking about? Did you just say I sent someone to mess with Sophia? Did you hear this from her?¡± ¡°No!¡± John added, ¡°Something hase up with Sophia, and I just want to know whether you¡¯re behind this. Tell me the truth.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 501 Chapter 501 While Matilda only reacted with silence, John patiently waited for her to respond. Soon, she chuckled and said, ¡°John, is that woman really more important than your own mother? Am I seriously the first suspect thates to your mind? Are you going to assume that it¡¯s my fault every time anything happens to her?¡± Desperate to get to the point, John demanded an answer from his mother. ¡°Just tell me what I want to know. The police have interfered with the matter now, but there is still time for me to do something to keep you out of trouble if you are behind this. Otherwise, we¡¯ll just keep investigating the matter.¡± Matilda said in a serious manner, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it!¡± ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll not interfere,¡± John said before he directly hung up the call. Upon hearing Matilda¡¯s insistent denial, John started to believe in his mother¡¯s innocence as he was able to feel her rage over the phone. My mother wouldn¡¯t lie if she really did that to Sophia. Instead, she would admit it and justify her mistake at the same time. Soon, he put down his phone and wondered who else it could be besides Matilda. Sophia has a short fuse, but she doesn¡¯t have a lot of friends either, which makes it less likely for her to step on anyone¡¯s toes. With a pair of furrowed brows on his face, John realized that his rtionship issue was actually far more serious than he thought it was. That night, John and Logan decided to stay in Sophia¡¯s ce, whereas Zack had to leave because he still had work the next day. Since John was likely not able to show up for work on time, Zack was expected to fill in for him until he came. Therefore, he decided not to stick around for the night. At the same time, Sophia was up all night in her room while waiting for the news. The following morning, the police called John and informed him that Robin had been found in the middle of the night. After that, he quickly scuttled upstairs to tell Sophia about the news, whereupon she immediately sprang from her bed. ¡°Where is she now? I want to see her!¡± Without even getting changed, she hopped into John¡¯s car directly and set off for the police station. When Robin was found at midnight, she was seen to be extremely frightened but unhurt. After being rescued, she settled down in a lounge with a tired look on her face. As soon as Sophia went inside, she immediately broke into tears, hugging Robin while apologizing to her. Meanwhile, Robin, who had cried earlier, felt a lot better at the moment as sheforted Sophia and assured thetter that she was fine. In the meantime, John shot a gaze at Robin and turned around, leaving bothdies behind in the lounge. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Then, Sophia proceeded to ask Robin what had happened, but even Robin herself couldn¡¯t really give an urate ount of the incident. ording to her, her mouth was suddenly covered by someone when she went to the washroom the night before. After that, she lost her consciousness, unable to recall anything when she was taken by her abductors. When she opened her eyes, she found herself alone under a tree in a remote hilly region. Fortunately, her arms and legs weren¡¯t bound, so she fumbled her way down the mountain and took a while before she finally saw someone whoter helped call the police. Robin¡¯s statement didn¡¯t provide any useful clue as she couldn¡¯t even tell whether the person who covered her mouth was a man or a woman. Soon, she gazed at Sophia and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know who did that to me because I don¡¯t remember making any enemy.¡± In response, Sophia only rubbed her back gently, knowing that it was not the right moment to tell her friend what she knew yet. Since Robin was unharmed, Sophia reckoned that the abductors abandoned her in the middle of nowhere after they realized they got the wrong person. After John dealt with the necessary procedures, he was told that they could leave. At the same time, Sophia wanted to clear her confusion but decided to keep those questions to herself with Robin around. Therefore, she deemed that they should leave the police station for the time being since Robin hadn¡¯t been home throughout the night, as she had also received a number of missed calls from her family. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 502 Chapter 502 In the end, everyone gathered at Sophia¡¯s ce. While she was busy cooking, Robin was sitting in the living room and calling home at the same time, telling her parents that she bunked down at Sophia¡¯s ce. In fact, Robin had already informed her family the night before that she would being home late due to their celebration. Therefore, she told them that she was afraid that she¡¯d disturb them if she came home toote, so she decided to stay over at her friend¡¯s ce instead. When Sophia was done with cooking, everyone proceeded to enjoy their meal. Then, Logan called for his men to see Robin home. After that, Logan looked at John and asked him, ¡°Did you find out what happened?¡± John shook his head. ¡°Not a single thing.¡± Although the surveince camera managed to capture the suspects¡¯ car heading toward the urban area, they were eventually able to get away with it due to the blind spots in the traffic there. Therefore, the police couldn¡¯t track down the ces the suspects had been to. Instead, they only concentrated on the mountain where Robin was found even though they still failed to find any useful lead in the end. Nheless, the police promised to look into the matter, although they couldn¡¯t guarantee that the mystery could be solved. After all, the information they had was way too limited to proceed with the investigation any further, plus there was nothing serious that happened in the end. With their limited powers, the police would rather direct their focus on criminal cases that were more urgent and serious. Therefore, they could all empathize with thew enforcers, considering the number of cases they had to attend to throughout the city. Thus, it was no surprise that they would prioritize those serious cases over trivial incidents like this one. Unlike his usual bluff manner, he spoke up for the police. ¡°It¡¯s not easy for them either.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Sophia came closer while hugging her shoulders. ¡°They¡¯re all after me, aren¡¯t they?¡± John didn¡¯t dare to jump to conclusions, but from the looks of things at the moment, it appeared that the matter was as Sophia inferred that whoever did this was indeed after her. Sophia then sat on the couch and asked herself, ¡°Who did I cross?¡± John went ahead and said, ¡°I spoke to my momst night. She is innocent, and I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t lie because I know that¡¯s not who she is.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t think Matilda was behind the abduction either, knowing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to pull off something like this by herself. She is too dim-witted to do something like this. The most she¡¯d do is probably just hiring some two-bit thugs to rough me up. Anything more than that would prove too challenging for her. At the thought of that, Sophia nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s not her.¡± Logan then pondered and said, ¡°It must be Isabelle then. You both haven¡¯t exactly gotten along with each other well either, just like thest time when youdies argued over some nightdress.¡± Sophia knitted his brows and wondered. Really? Isabelle? But I have a feeling she is not behind all this because she is not dumb after all. She may have a crush on John and would rather do anything for him, but she doesn¡¯t always have to do it herself. Furthermore, it¡¯d draw a lot of attention to pull off a stunt this big unless it¡¯s perfectly nned and coordinated. Therefore, I think Isabelle is smart enough to keep herself out of trouble like this one. Sophia shook her head and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s her either.¡± ¡°Why not? My intuition tells me she is the one!¡± Logan blurted out, ¡°Isabelle is always up to something. Don¡¯t let her innocent look fool you! She is full of deceptions, and no one should ever hang around with her.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia shot a gaze at John and noticed his furrowed brows, realizing his calm expression despite Logan¡¯s provocative remark. After that, she took her gaze off the man, wondering why he didn¡¯t stand up for Isabelle even when Logan used her. Upon making his point, Logan shifted his gaze to John and asked, ¡°What do you think? Do you think Isabelle is behind all this? I think it¡¯s her.¡± John paused and said, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t conclude anything until I investigate the matter. After all, we need evidence to confirm our suspicion.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 503 Chapter 503 Logan didn¡¯t say a single word more, only pursing his lips. Meanwhile, John didn¡¯t stick around any longer before he decided to leave for his office due to work. When he left, Sophia said something without looking at him. ¡°Thanks for your helpst night.¡± John looked back at Sophia, knowing that she was saying that to him. In response, he responded with an affirmative hum. ¡°Just doing the least I could.¡± In that instant, both of them appeared rather polite to each other. Not long after John left, Logan, who was beat as well, decided to make a move too. At the same time, Sophia felt a headache as she proceeded to head upstairs for a rest, copsing into her bed for some shut-eye. In the meantime, John was exhausted as well, although he still had the energy to go about his work. I guess I will return to thepany. Zack was on the way to the office with some documents when he saw his superior returning. Therefore, he went up to him before asking, ¡°So, how¡¯s the situation?¡± John responded with an affirmative hum. ¡°We found her, and she is fine.¡± Zack heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good news. What about the abductors? Did the police manage to find out who did this?¡± John didn¡¯t say a single word as he returned to his own office. Confused with his action, Zack followed behind his boss into the room. John then sat down and exined his analysis to Zack, whereupon the latter frowned and asked, ¡°Isabelle? I don¡¯t think so. She just seems too timid for the job.¡± John responded with an affirmative hum and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think so either. It¡¯s just not necessary for her to do that.¡± Although she may not get along well with Sophia, I don¡¯t see why she¡¯d take it too far. Furthermore, Sophia and Isabelle haven¡¯t met each other up in a while, so it just doesn¡¯t add up to assume she is the culprit. A few momentster, Zack probingly asked, ¡°Do you need me to get someone to spy on Isabelle?¡± John nodded slowly and said, ¡°Go ahead. That should ease our mind.¡± Zack agreed and left while John remained seated, massaging his temples before he reached for his phone. Then, he saw a message from Isabelle telling him that she would be dining with Matildater that night. Nevertheless, John couldn¡¯t care less about that because Matilda wouldn¡¯t want to meet him up in person anyway. My mom would perhaps still want to dine with me if it weren¡¯t for that call. I guess I really did piss her off thest time we spoke over the phone. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter to me since I can now have a peace of mind. While he was clearing his thoughts in his office, William came over with some files in his hands. In fact, he wasn¡¯t nning oning in until he saw John inside when he passed by his office. Like his usual appearance, William asked, ¡°What happened? I heard from Zack that you had something to deal with in the morning. What was going on?¡± John contemted and replied, ¡°Sophia needed some helpst night, so I went over and lent a hand.¡± While John downyed the incident, William didn¡¯t take it seriously either. He then nodded and added, ¡°Sophia is all by herself without a family. Although the both of you are divorced, she is the one your grandpa was worried about the most before he died. So, I think we should help her out more often.¡± John gave a positive reply before he asked William another question, ¡°I heard from your grandma that you¡¯ve been making frequent trips to the hospital for a friend.¡± His reply put William in a trance as he stared at his son with an awkward look. William didn¡¯t deny but instead nodded. ¡°Yeah, I have a friend who¡¯s been admitted to the hospital. There is no one else to look after her, so I went there to help out.¡± ¡°Guess my mom isn¡¯t aware of it,¡± John smiled and said. Witnessing his son¡¯s smile, William embarrassedly said, ¡°I guess that doesn¡¯t matter now.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. John replied, ¡°I wish Mom understands that, but you need to stay hidden, or trouble is bound to follow.¡± William smiled and said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll do my best to keep a low profile. After all, I¡¯m clearly aware of the consequence that unconfirmed rumors can bring.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 504 Chapter 504 From the way William spoke, it didn¡¯t seem like he was hiding anything as he sounded frank and open. However, that was how William normally behaved, so John figured that William probably didn¡¯t cross the line. William wanted to leave after chatting for a while, but he pondered for a moment and stood still after turning around. ¡°I heard from your Uncle Owen that Dn¡¯s dates haven¡¯t been going well. Since you¡¯re around Dn¡¯s age, if you¡¯re free, try asking him if he has any specific requirements. He couldn¡¯t just continue on blind dates like this, and I think he should have a target.¡± John paused. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll talk to him about this when I have the chance.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Then, William left. Staring at William¡¯s silhouette, John thought to himself, William is a capable man with a good temper. How did he even end up with Matilda in the first ce? The thought of this made John grin. I shouldn¡¯t be thinking about this. William hadn¡¯t gone to thepany before noon, so he got really busy during the afternoon. Hence, Zack only came over after working hours. Noticing that all of the staff outside were almost gone, Zack shut the door. ¡°I got someone to investigate Isabelle, but we couldn¡¯t get anything at all. I¡¯m not saying that we can¡¯t find anything at all, but it¡¯s just that her recent activities have been straightforward, and none of them involved Sophia or any shady people.¡± John mumbled an answer at that. Still, there weren¡¯t any expressions on his face. Zack sat back in his seat before staring at John. ¡°Who else should we investigate? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone left anymore.¡± Hearing Zack¡¯s statement, John started pondering as well. ¡°I guess we can try investigating the Morgan Family as well, although I don¡¯t think that they would be possible.¡± However, besides the Morgan Family, he really didn¡¯t know who else could Sophia offend. Her social circle was too small. If the Morgan Family was removed from suspicion, there was no one else that John could investigate anymore. Agreeing to the suggestion, Zack nodded. ¡°The Morgan Family is the only one left.¡± Soon, he left while John remained in his seat. A whileter, he received a text message from Isabelle along with a picture of her and Matilda having dinner, although there wasn¡¯t any corrtion between the picture with her text at all. ¡®Mrs. Constance isining that you don¡¯t trust her. Are there any misunderstandings between you two?¡¯ John took a nce at her text before exiting his WhatsApp. He didn¡¯t want to answer Isabelle¡¯s question and didn¡¯t want to know what she was having with Matilda. Then, John took his phone and left the office to get his car, after which he headed to Sophia¡¯s ce. He parked his car a distance away from her house before walking over to her front door. The front door and the door leading to the living room were wide open while Sophia sat on the couch in her living room, watching TV. At the same time, she was chatting away with someone on the phone. John slowly walked closer and soon could earlier hear Sophia talking by the time he reached the front door. It was probably Robin on the other end of the call. Sophia¡¯s eyes were fixated on the TV while she spoke with a hint of a smile as she asked her friend if she was feeling better. Not knowing what Robin replied, John heard Sophia again. ¡°He¡¯s still under intensive training, so I couldn¡¯t get in contact with him. Moreover, I don¡¯t really want him to know about this because I¡¯m afraid he might get distracted.¡± Robin replied something again before Sophia started giggling. ¡°Yeah. Ian has always been nice to me.¡± John stopped dead in his tracks as he stood where he was and stared at Sophia. However, Sophia didn¡¯t notice him at all, as she was immersed in her phone call. It was obvious that Sophia held Ian in high regard, as she¡¯d mention Ian so frequently that it was hard to miss. John paused for a moment before he turned around and went out. Then, he stood on Sophia¡¯swn for a while as she continued speaking on the phone. There was probably a lot to talk about between the two girls. John sighed. I probably shouldn¡¯t wait any longer. Without meeting Sophia, he walked out of thewn and closed the gates with him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 505 Chapter 505 When John got back to his car, he took his cigarette pack out. He wasn¡¯t one with a smoking addiction, but he had been smoking more frequently during this period of time. At this rate, he was already developing an addiction to smoking. Still, John pondered for a moment and kept his lighter after taking it out. He merely ced a cigarette near his nose before smelling it. The lights in Sophia¡¯s living room are still on. A few secondster, John ced the cigarette down before starting his car and left. However, Sophia was oblivious to all of these. After she hung up on Robin, she got up to close the door. When Sophia noticed that the gate to herwn was already closed, she was surprised. She could recall that the gate was left open when she went to throw the rubbish just now. After staring at the gate for a while and ncing outside, Sophia didn¡¯t notice anything wrong, so she went back to her house and locked the door and the windows before going back to her room. The next few days were extremely productive for Sophia, as she was busy with her driving lesson and shop. Her shop¡¯s business was way better than back when Robin was working alone, and now they were getting more takeaway orders. Logan had been very supportive and would always order from her almost every night. Great business, smooth days as well as the fact that John hadn¡¯t beening over to bother her suddenly made Sophia feel hopeful about her future. Ian¡¯s talent show trailer had been sessful as well. The show made its release on the Inte, and Sophia had been sitting in front of herptop on that day itself. To be honest, Sophia knew that Ian wouldn¡¯t be making his appearance so early in the show, but she still watched it due to respect, just like how she respected Ian. Logan, who was watching the show at his clubhouse, also called Sophia as they started discussing the show. Right then, Sophia¡¯s phone vibrated. Someone was trying to call her through WhatsApp, and upon checking her phone, she realized that it was a WhatsApp call from Ian. Since Ian was calling her, she naturally hung up on Logan. Ian probably just got his phone back, so Sophia quickly epted the call and asked how he was doing recently. Without hesitation, Ian replied that he was fine while Sophia informed him that she was watching his show. At that, Ian sighed in a low, raspy voice. ¡°To be honest, I kind of regretted joining this show. I shouldn¡¯t havee.¡± Initially, Sophia thought that Ian was wrongfully treated at the show. However, Ian suddenlymented, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in such a long time after I left, and I really, really miss you.¡± Learning the reason the man regretted joining the show, Sophia was taken aback. She didn¡¯t know if it was because they talked on the phone, but Ian didn¡¯t sound like he meant it in a friendship kind of way. Still, if she were to say that he meant it in another way, that would likely be her overthinking. She just couldn¡¯t help but feel like someone like Ian deserved someone as smart as Isabelle. Ian¡¯s ideal girl was probably someone who was knowledgeable as well. Sophia paused before she startedughing. ¡°To be honest, we all really miss you as well! Logan had been nagging that we don¡¯t even have enough yers for a Monopoly match after you left.¡± However, Ian only chuckled at that and didn¡¯t say anything else. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Sophia didn¡¯t know why she suddenly felt awkward, so she immediately changed the topic and asked Ian about what he was doing and practicing there. Although Sophia didn¡¯t really know what Ian was talking about, he still patiently told her about his entire schedule for the day. After talking about nothing for a while, Ian told her that he had to go. His phone was going to get confiscated again. Knowing that she needed to hang up soon, she sighed. ¡°Alright. It¡¯ste anyway, and you should sleep early.¡± After hanging up, Sophia¡¯s grip on her phone tightened as she frowned and thought to herself, Why did it be so awkward between me and Ian now? Could it be due to us not contacting each other for a long time? Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 506 Chapter 506 Sophia decided not to overthink it as she couldn¡¯t figure anything out. She found out that many of the earlier contestants were not bad after watching the show for a while. ording to the voting system, many of the contestants who went for the hype of it were already eliminated. Those that were able to get into the show were all very talented. Sophia was slightly intrigued, as all of these contestants were great. I wonder if Ian could rise up above these people. It might be bad if he couldn¡¯t, as the Morgans will probably taunt him about it. The thought of that made Sophia start pondering about the Morgan family. Logan did tell me that Simon was admitted to the hospital after he got beaten up. Then¡­ Wait, then what about Matilda? What was Matilda trying to do when she was sneaking around the hospital like that Oh! Right. She probably wanted to see the woman that William wanted to marry back then. After that, Sophia¡¯s mind started wandering all over the ce. Suddenly, she thought of something evil and pursed her lips. I wonder what Matilda will do if William¡¯s rtionship with that woman gets rekindled? The idea of it made her feel curious. After pondering for a while, Sophia immediately went to wash up to prepare to sleep. She had been going to her shop on time every day, just like when she went to work, so she maintained a regr schedule. However, after lying down, Sophia recalled something. Taking her phone, she tapped into that unknown ount on her Facebook. This ount¡¯s feed had been emptied up until recently when it posted a new status. It was a picture of her shop¡¯s que. ¡®No Response¡¯. Then, that ount captioned it as: ¡®Terrible¡¯. Sophia was taken aback. Indeed, this should be someone from the Morgan Family. However, after thinking about the possibilities, she concluded that this ount was most likely Matilda¡¯s. Sophia didn¡¯t remember if she had added Matilda on Facebook, but she figured she did after thinking about it. Then, she quitted the app. Matilda is probably really bored to the point of stalking my life. Still, Sophia wasn¡¯t mad about it. Instead, she felt happy. She wasn¡¯t afraid of others watching her as the more they watched her, the more it motivated her to live well. Comparing her life to Matilda¡¯s, it seemed like she was having it way better than Matilda. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. This is enough. She was grateful for the life she led. The next day, Sophia went to her shop to start off a busy day. However, people from the ckwell family hade before any customers did. The matriarch of the ckwell family came over with a car and entered the shop with the help of a maid. Sophia was surprised when she saw her. Although the matriarch of the ckwell family was healthy, she¡¯d still need other¡¯s help and supervision, as she was already old after all. Sophia was really afraid that something bad might happen if the matriarch of the ckwell family didn¡¯t be careful. She immediately walked over. ¡°Madam ckwell, what brings you here?¡± The matriarch of the ckwell family looked happy when she saw Sophia, as she extended her hand over for Sophia to grab on. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s have a seat inside.¡± Kate released herself from her servant¡¯s hold before grabbing onto Sophia¡¯s arm. ¡°I came over because I overheard that you opened your own shop. How is it? Is your business alright?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. Sometimes it even gets so packed that I struggle to handle it.¡± The matriarch of the ckwell family scanned the surroundings of the shop. ¡°Looks like a nice ce.¡± However, the reason the matriarch of the ckwell family came today wasn¡¯t just to visit the shop. Instead, she wanted to invite Sophia over to her ce to have a meal. Sophia chuckled before looking like she was troubled. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time recently, so I¡¯m not sure if I can make it.¡± Still, the matriarch of the ckwell family had already predicted this reaction, so she refused to release Sophia from her grasp. ¡°I just want you toe over for a meal. I don¡¯t have any bad intentions. It¡¯s just that I heard that you¡¯re here alone and I really like you as a person. Why don¡¯t you juste over for me? Would that be alright?¡± Sophia felt helpless when she heard her. It seemed like Kate really knew what to say so that Sophia couldn¡¯t reject her. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 507 Chapter 507 Since Kate had already made her intentions clear, it would be impolite if Sophia rejected her. Not knowing what to say, Sophia pursed her lips. Right then, the servant next to her suggested, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, why don¡¯t you just go over? The ckwells are really excited to see you.¡± After considering for a moment, Kate suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just close your shop for a day? I¡¯ll cover your loss.¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not that.¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°Alright. Just inform me when you¡¯re nning to have a meal, and I¡¯ll arrange my schedule.¡± Kate finally smiled at that. Then, she left after getting what she wanted, as she didn¡¯t want to bother Sophia from her business anymore. However, when Kate was about to leave the shop, she turned around to face Sophia. ¡°You¡¯re a really good girl.¡± Any average human would die to get closer to the ckwells, but Sophia looked as if she just wanted to run away. This made Kate like her even more. After sending Kate off to her car, Sophia waved. ¡°Have a safe trip.¡± Right then, Kate rolled her window down and looked at Sophia. ¡°I¡¯ll send my driver over to fetch you, so you can just wait for us.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Sophia smiled and nodded before waving Kate goodbye. After the car drove away, Kate finally sat up straight. The servant, who was sitting next to her,mented, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn looks like a really nice girl.¡± Kate smiled at that. ¡°It¡¯s too bad that her family background isn¡¯t that good.¡± The servant chimed in with an agreement. After a while, Kate continued, ¡°But, we can still be close in other ways. After all, our family¡¯s business did get better after that tarot reading.¡± The ckwell Family had run into a rough bump a while back. As the matriarch of the ckwell Family got ill, their business was stagnant due to slow capital return, and some problems came up with their bank loan. In short, they were in a huge mess. However, things started to change for the better after the matriarch of the ckwell Family¡¯s birthday party. Kate had always been a superstitious person and would pray whenever she could, so now she started treating Sophia as her savior. The matriarch of the ckwell Family believed that it was Sophia¡¯s tarot reading that resurrected the ckwell Family. The servant naturally couldn¡¯t say anything against her, so she could only chime in agreement. Kate pondered for a moment. ¡°To be honest, I had the intention of setting Fabian up with Sophia, but I dropped that idea now that I think about it. The Third ckwell Family probably wouldn¡¯t want it anyway. My third daughter-inw probably wants a daughter-inw from a good background, as she didn¡¯t seem to like it when I tried to hint at her about it, so I don¡¯t want to be the bad person. Moreover, Sophia would disagree too. I mean, look at her. She looks like she wants to run every time she sees me.¡± By the time Sophia sent Kate off, the shop¡¯s morning preparation was almost done. Sophia looked like she was in a daze as she stood behind the counter. It had been days since Johnst showed up, and she would asionally think of him when she got home after a long day of work. John used to annoy her so much when he¡¯de over almost every day to look for her. Now that she hadn¡¯t seen him in days, she couldn¡¯t help but miss him again. I¡¯m such a hypocrite. After snapping out of her trance, customers started filling in. It was usually the office workers who came in the morning to take away some desserts and coffee as their breakfast. After Sophia handled a few customers, another customer came, and she asked while her head was still lowered, ¡°What can I get for you?¡± The person replied, ¡°I¡¯m going to order a lot more than usual today.¡± Dumbfounded, Sophia¡¯s head snapped up. The person that she was still thinking about suddenly showed up. John appeared in his working suit while he stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets. ¡°Pack a few more sets for me ording to your likings so that I can bring some back for my staff as well.¡± Robin grinned and walked over, as she hadn¡¯t seen John for a long time already. ¡°Follow me to see if there¡¯s anything to your liking so that I can pack them up for you, Mr. Constance.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 508 Chapter 508 John gave Sophia a few more nces before turning around and following Robin to the refrigeration cab. Sophia could vaguely hear John and Robin chatting about what desserts and drinks would suit each other as she stood behind the counter. From the side, Sophia noticed that John looked colder now. He looked different from how he was in the past. She felt like the way John looked now would probably scare people away, and girls wouldn¡¯t want to go after someone like this. Sophia didn¡¯t know if she was blinded in the past, but she just found people like John very attractive. I guess there was something really wrong with my taste. After Robin finished packing up the meals, John came over to pay. However, Sophia refused to ept his money. ¡°It¡¯s on the house. Since you¡¯ve helped me so much in the past, I won¡¯t be charging you for these.¡± John didn¡¯t hesitate as well. ¡°I¡¯ll be supporting your business more in the future, then.¡± Right after, he nodded at Sophia and left. Sophia stood behind the counter as she thought to herself, John seems really different from how he was before today. At one point back then, he was shameless and slow to understand, but he doesn¡¯t act like that anymore. It seems like he went back to how it was when he didn¡¯t love her. Sophia smiled a little at that. That¡¯s good. It¡¯s better like this anyway. There wouldn¡¯t be anything between them anymore. After John drove away, Robin walked over. ¡°Hey, did Mr. Constancee over for you?¡± Hearing the question, Sophia snorted. ¡°Why would hee over for me? I haven¡¯t been in contact with him for a long time already. He probably came over to buy some stuff because he was passing by.¡± Robin nodded before she pouted. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve never seen the two of you contacting each other, although I¡¯m with you every day.¡± Then, Robin looked outside while she leaned on the counter. ¡°But, are you willing to let go of him, though? Mr. Constance is a really nice person, and it would be a loss to let him go just like that.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not about being willing or not. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m more than often sad when I was with him, so how can we continue going on like that?¡± Robin grunted at that and didn¡¯t say anything anymore. They finally got to rest for a while after the rush hour in the morning was over. There wasn¡¯t much left at the shop anymore, so Robin busied herself to make more desserts while Sophia watched and learned from the side. Right then, Robin asked, ¡°Have you guys found that person that kidnapped me back then yet?¡± There weren¡¯t any updates from the police, and John didn¡¯t say anything when he came over just now, so there probably wasn¡¯t any update yet. Robin sighed. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t really care if we can¡¯t find that person since I wasn¡¯t injured anyways. It¡¯s just that I feel like I¡¯m left hanging, and I can¡¯t seem to let go of the breath that I¡¯ve been holding.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. As long as those people aren¡¯t captured, it¡¯s hard to feel at ease.¡± Robin hummed in agreement. ¡°But I feel like Mr. Constance would continue investigating this. Just now, I almost¡­¡± Robin lowered her tone before she turned around to Sophia. ¡°I almost wanted to ask him when he would be able to find the mastermind behind this. However, I thought about itter on and realized that he had no obligation to help us, so I didn¡¯t ask him in the end so that I don¡¯t sound so immature.¡± Sophia chuckled when she heard Robin. Yeah. John really didn¡¯t have any obligation to help her. After the morning rush hour, Sophia went for her driving lesson since there weren¡¯t many customers during the noon. When the driving lesson ended in the afternoon, she took a cab back to her shop but ended up stuck in a traffic jam and stopped in front of a mall. Pondering for a moment, Sophia decided to get out of the cab and head to the mall to get some stuff. The male and female apparel were located on the second and third floor of the mall respectively, so Sophia took the esctor up. Right after Sophia got off the esctor, she turned around and ran into Matilda. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Matilda just bought some stuff and was standing in front of a shop while being on the phone. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 509 Chapter 509 Matilda¡¯s voice was loud, and she looked upset. It was possibly due to Matilda¡¯s bad temper and her habit of frowning during the past few years that her facial expression looked terrifying. Although she¡¯s just speaking on the phone, she looks scary. Sophia stopped after thinking of that and started walking over. Matilda overlooked Sophia as she was shrieked into her phone with anger evident in her voice. ¡°He went there every day?!¡± The person on the other end of the call replied something and Matilda harrumphed. ¡°That sl*t! It seems like my warning back then wasn¡¯t threatening enough. How dare she stille over?!¡± Sophia could already figure out what was happening when she heard Matilda. Matilda was obviously pissed off that William had been taking care of that woman whom he almost married at the hospital. After a few more scoldings, Matilda hung up after saying, ¡°I¡¯ll destroy that b*tch this time!¡± Sophia paused before she ran to hide when she saw Matilda strutting over to the direction of the esctor. As Matilda was pissed off, she didn¡¯t notice the person next to her and went down from the esctor. Thus, Sophia followed right behind her. Seeing that Matilda went out to get a cab, Sophia followed along as well. Sophia could already guess that Matilda was heading to the hospital. Matilda wasn¡¯t one to beat around the bush, and from the conversation that Sophia overheard just now, Matilda probably wanted to go to the hospital to cause a scene. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia pondered for a moment before taking her phone out. She was in a predicament, for she wanted Matilda to go cause a scene since this wouldn¡¯t be beneficial toward Matilda if things went out of hand. However, she felt like she couldn¡¯t just let Matilda do that as John had helped her out after all. After thinking it through, Sophia decided to contact John. The call was connected in no time as John¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Sophia.¡± Sophia hummed in response. ¡°I just saw your mother just now, and she was heading toward the hospital in anger. I feel like something bad might happen.¡± John paused before he came back to his senses immediately. After telling Sophia that he understood, he hung up hurriedly. Sophia ced her phone down. It seemed like John wasing to the hospital. Sophia¡¯s cab tailed behind Matilda¡¯s to the hospital as thetter could be seen getting out of the car. She had a handbag with her as she walked toward the hospital in a rush. Sophia came out of the cab as she watched Matilda getting stopped by a person. It was the doctor that checked Ian¡¯s injuriesst time, Dr. Holt. Dr. Holt stood in Matilda¡¯s way and said something incoherent while thetter shrugged him off and pointed her finger at him. ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know why you guys are blocking my way! Why won¡¯t you guys let me have a look myself if you guys have nothing to hide? What did that sl*t give you for you to help her, huh? Or, could it be that you have something with her as well, so that¡¯s why you¡¯re helping her?¡± What Matilda said was so offensive that Dr. Holt¡¯s face immediately darkened. Even Sophia, who was tailing Matilda, felt like what she had said was really rude. She couldn¡¯t go up to stop Matilda as thetter¡¯s short temper fuse was already lit up, so she could only hide aside and hope that John could reach soon. Dr. Holt looked upset. ¡°Madam Flintstone, please think before you talk as you hold responsibilities for the words thate out from your mouth.¡± However, Matilda looked like she lost grasp of reality as she harrumphed. ¡°Who are you to tell me what to do? I wasn¡¯t even looking for you, so why did you appear in front of me? I¡¯m warning you not to stand in my way. I want to meet that sl*t right now and see what kind of tricks did she pull to attract the attention of a married man.¡± Dr. Holt stared at Matilda for a moment before he spoke in a normal tone. ¡°Married man? ording to what I know, William is single.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 510 Chapter 510 Matilda froze at where she stood as a ridiculous expression appeared on her face. ¡°He even told you guys about that?¡± Faced with her question, Dr. Holt refused to say anything. A few secondster, Matilda suddenly smiled. ¡°So that¡¯s why William chose to get a divorce during this period of time. The two of them had probably gotten in touch a while back and felt like I was getting in between them, didn¡¯t they? Is that why he wants to kick me away now? In their dreams! Just watch me destroy these shameless people!¡± Then, Matilda started making her way toward the hospital again. She hade here before and knew which ward that woman was staying at, so it wasn¡¯t hard for her to find that woman. However, Dr. Holt still stood in her way. ¡°Please calm down, Madam Flintstone. This is a hospital, and you¡¯ll be made to leave if you cause a scene.¡± Still, Matilda couldn¡¯t care less about getting thrown out because she looked like she was about to pounce in anger. ¡°Do it, then. Make me leave. Do you think that I¡¯m afraid of you? Let me tell you guys this; I am not afraid of anything. Do you think that I would still care so much when they¡¯ve already done something so shameless? Come on. At most, we could all stop acting and bring the issue out into the open so that others can judge for us.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t help but feel intrigued. Matilda is really not bad at this. Was it all an act when she made herself look so vulnerable in front of her? Dr. Holt closed his eyes after ncing at Matilda. There was no way to stop her at this point as there were more and more onlookers gathering here. If Matilda really caused a scene here, it would absolutely wreak havoc. Seeing that Dr. Holt stopped saying anything, Matilda harrumphed and pushed him away before she started heading to the warding area at the back of the hospital. After Matilda left, Dr. Holt immediately contacted John as well. However, John was still stuck in a traffic jam, and he felt increasingly anxious the longer time went by. He had been running into red lights at every junction on his way to the hospital. On the other hand, William had already returned to the Constance Residence. However, he didn¡¯t get John toe back as Matilda might start causing a ruckus when she saw John with her temperament. John was still stuck in a junction when he received a call from Dr. Holt before he epted the call. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. After hearing Dr. Holt¡¯s report about what happened, John sighed. ¡°Sorry for causing an inconvenience. What about this? You can just ignore her so that she couldn¡¯t ruin your reputation when she starts sprouting bullsh*ts. I¡¯m on my way now, and I¡¯ll settle everything else.¡± After that, John hung up when the traffic light turned green and mmed on the gas pedal. Sophia followed Matilda to the hospital wards and went upstairs as well, although she didn¡¯t dare to get too close to Matilda. Matilda had already caused a scene at the wards as many doctors and nurses started going over to her. This time, it was impossible for Sophia to try to get closer as the situation waspletely out of hand. Matilda¡¯s criticisms were exceptionally loud, and she used the woman of being a homewrecker. She imed that the woman was picky and dumped her husband when she was young, but she just couldn¡¯t stand seeing Matilda being happy, so she came to seduce William again so that he would divorce his wife. There were a few sobs while Matilda continued scolding and cursing, but Sophia couldn¡¯t tell if her cries were genuine or not, as the situation was too messy. Sophia was helpless as she stood in the corridor. William must have done something terrible in his past life to marry a woman like this in his current life. Although Matilda always told her that she doesn¡¯t deserve John, from Sophia¡¯s perspective, someone from a lesser background like hers was way better than someone as short-tempered and ill-mannered as Matilda. When John reached, the situation had escted and gonepletely out of hand. The doctors and nurses that came to help were all attacked by Matilda as she pushed all of the medical equipment and medicines to the ground. That woman had juste out of surgery and still couldn¡¯t get out of her bed. Therefore, when Matilda came over to cause a scene, her wound split again. The doctors and nurses in charge immediately went over to tend to the woman¡¯s injury. The securities came as well. However, Matilda started thrashing around and threw a tantrum on the ground, causing the security guards to be at a loss on what to do to her. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 511 Chapter 511 John walked over and squeezed past the crowd before he grabbed Matilda and asked coldly, ¡°Mom, what are you trying to do?¡± Matilda burst into tears the moment she turned around and saw John. ¡°John, it¡¯s your dad. Your dad cheated on me with this sl*t! It¡¯s good that you¡¯re here now. Look, this is the reason why your dad wants to divorce me. Look at this; this is the woman.¡± John looked upset as he grabbed Matilda and ignored what was happening in the ward. ¡°Let¡¯s just leave this ce and talk about it when we get back home.¡± However, Matilda shrugged him off. ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t have a home anymore. I¡¯ve already left the marriage without anything after how your dad treated me. How could I be so stupid to leave all my money with him so that he could spend it on that woman?¡± Then, Matilda raised her finger to point at the woman in the ward. ¡°Do you know that this homewrecker had already tried to seduce your dad once a few years back but disappeared for a while after I beat her up? She¡¯s back again now. I¡¯ve never met anyone so audacious. This is just too much.¡± Those patients and their families who were onlooking started whispering to each other. Although John couldn¡¯t hear what they were gossiping about, he knew that it probably wasn¡¯t anything good. Faced with thisplicated situation, John could only sigh. ¡°You can¡¯t solve anything by causing a scene here either way. Let¡¯s talk about this at home. Dad¡¯s at home, so you can talk to him about how you feel. The security guards are going to make you leave if you continue staying here, so there¡¯s really no point in causing a scene.¡± However, Matilda couldn¡¯t be bothered as she remained as stubborn as a mule. ¡°I want to make a scene! I want to let everyone know that your dad and this woman aren¡¯t good people! They¡¯re both terrible people. Terrible!¡± No one would stand a chance against Matilda¡¯s unreasonable ims. Then, the woman turned around and started bbering to those who were looking, ¡°Do you guys know that this woman inside and my husband were already a thing a long while ago? My husband even tricked me into getting a divorce and made me leave without anything. I didn¡¯t even ask him for anything, but he turned around and started being all lovey-dovey with this woman here. I mean, can you guys even trust men nowadays?¡± Sophia was impressed as she looked from afar. Gosh, I must say that Matilda is really good at this. If she continued causing a scene, the Constance Family was going to be viral again. Although William had the thought of reconciling with Matilda, it probably wouldn¡¯t happen after this. Matilda was apetent person, but she had never used her abilities in the right ce. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. However, John raised his voice after waiting by the side for a while. ¡°If you really want to cause a scene, then let¡¯s do it. Let¡¯s make it even more huge by calling Grandma and Grandpa over so that you can tell them what you went through, and they can do you justice. I¡¯ll also invite the media over to write your articles and release a media press for you. Are you satisfied with that?¡± Matilda, who was still crying on another person, stopped right then. Although she wasn¡¯t afraid of most of the things that John mentioned, she felt slightly afraid when he mentioned bringing the Flintstone Family over. Matilda¡¯s days in the Flintstone Family hadn¡¯t been great recently. It seemed like none of them could stand her, and they all felt like this divorce was her fault. The other day, even Old Mrs. Flintstone said that she¡¯d want William to get away from someone as gullible as her and remarry someone else to enjoy the life of a normal person. If they knew that she came here to cause a scene, the Flintstones might actually take this opportunity to allow William to follow his will. Crossing her arms, Sophia was leaning on the wall as she watched from afar. A whileter, she noticed that the crowd had started to disperse as John came out of the crowd while dragging onto Matilda¡¯s arm. Sophia immediately hurried to find a ce to hide. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 512 Chapter 512 John actually noticed Sophia, for he could recognize her sneaky looks in the crowd with just one nce. However, he didn¡¯t have the time to greet Sophia right now. Instead, he dragged Matilda out of the ward and left. Matilda had exposed John¡¯s identity when she was busy criticizing others just now, and some people started recording with their phones when they heard her. I don¡¯t know if this would go viral, but honestly, I really don¡¯t know what to say about this. After leaving the department, the two of them got into John¡¯s car. John¡¯s face was dark, while Matilda looked like she was in a daze. When John started driving, Matilda suddenly burst into tears again before they could reach the hospital¡¯s entrance. She continued scolding how all the efforts she had made were all wasted and that William should be sorry about it. Then, she went on about how she sacrificed so much for the family, but William ended up cheating on her and made her leave without anything. John had enough of listening to all of these, so he could only drive with a dark face while his mother continued crying andining. He drove all the way to the Constance Residence, and when they reached, the gates were already opened. William¡¯s car was already parked in the parking lot. John refused to look at Matilda after he stopped the car. ¡°Go on. Dad is waiting for you in the living room.¡± Matilda wiped her tears off and got out of the car in a huff before heading into the house. She looked like she was ready to start a fight with John. However, when Matilda entered the living room, she was stunned. Not only was William and Old Mrs. Constance in the living room, but even the two Flintstones were present as well. In fact, all of them were sitting on the couch with upset faces. Matilda¡¯s strong facade immediately disappeared when she saw those two from the Flintstones as she stood unmoving. ¡°Dad, Mom, why are you guys here?¡± Right then, Old Mrs. Flintstone took her phone and threw it at Matilda. ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done.¡± After the mess just now, the footage of Matilda causing a scene at the hospital had gone viral. William¡¯s face was dark when he stared at Matilda. It waspletely different from back then. In the past, William would be patient and try to console Matilda whenever she threw a tantrum. Although he would look impatient, he would never have reacted like how he did today. William looked like he waspletely done with her. John didn¡¯te out of the car as he raked the seat of the car down before lying down. He really didn¡¯t want to listen to those people arguing in the living room. Moreover, with Matilda¡¯s chaotic personality, they probably wouldn¡¯t reach an agreement anyway. Right then, John took his phone out and contacted Sophia. When the call was connected, John sighed. ¡°Thanks for today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to thank me since I didn¡¯t help out anyway.¡± Sophia¡¯s tone was clipped, and it sounded a bit like she was gloating at him. However, John didn¡¯t want to care about these anymore as he replied, ¡°At least you still informed me, so I still have to thank you for it.¡± ¹Ë˼Ҳû˵»°¡£ Even after he thanked her, she didn¡¯t say anything. Therefore, John was slightly agitated, but he didn¡¯t hang up on her. Instead, he asked Sophia about what she was doing. Sophia was already back at her shop, so she told him that she was resting since there weren¡¯t many customers at the shop right now. John pondered for a moment, after which he chuckled. ¡°Sophia, are you relieved that we got a divorce earlier?¡± Faced with John¡¯s question, Sophia actuallyughed louder than he did. ¡°Mr. Constance, have you mistaken something? You¡¯re the one who suggested our divorce.¡± However, John only replied a few secondster, ¡°Yeah. I was the one who suggested it, but I don¡¯t understand why I wanted to get a divorce in the first ce now.¡± Sophia thought about it for a moment before she answered thoughtfully, ¡°Maybe you¡¯re unhappy and disgusted by me the more you looked at me because I wasn¡¯t someone that you¡¯ve wanted in the first ce but was forced onto you.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 513 Chapter 513 Even after Sophia gave a long exnation, John merely replied, ¡°Maybe.¡± When he thought about it, he did harbor some sort of dislike toward Sophia in the past, and it developed the moment he met her. Back then, he didn¡¯t know anything about Sophia at all, but he had decided that he didn¡¯t like her. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. However, he indeed didn¡¯tpletely dislike her, as he would sometimes think of her as a nice but pitiful person that was forced to be with him when he looked at her. Maybe he felt sorry for her as well. Sophia knew why John contacted her. There should be a fight going on right now at the Constance Residence. John probably didn¡¯t want to get involved but felt ufortable about it, so he wanted someone to talk to. Sophia didn¡¯t want to retort him, so she gotfortable and started talking about everything and anything with him. A whileter, John asked her about Ian¡¯s situation. However, he knew clearer than anyone else about Ian¡¯s situation right now. Still, Sophia didn¡¯t know that, so she told John about how they spoke on the phone about two days ago. John replied with an ¡®oh¡¯ and trailed off at that. Indeed, Ian had too much free time with him, so he actually still had the time to make phone calls. ording to Sophia, she had been watching the music show every day now and was hoping that Ian could get a good result. John narrowed his eyes. If Ian really managed to debut, he would probably be very busy. When he got busy, he wouldn¡¯t have time to think about Sophia then. John chuckled soundlessly. It seems like I should help Ian out. However, while he was still talking to Sophia, he saw someoneing out of the main building. The Flintstone couple came out with Matilda while she cried. John immediately bid Sophia farewell before he hung up and got out of the car. The Flintstone couple¡¯s facial expression looked better when they saw John. ¡°Hey, John.¡± However, Matilda turned her head to a side as she didn¡¯t want to look at John. John nodded at the Flintstone couple. ¡°Grandpa, Grandma, why are you guys leaving so soon?¡± Old Mr. Flinstone sighed. ¡°We are leaving now. Your grandma was so pissed off when she saw the news, and I¡¯m afraid that she might get even more pissed off if we continued staying here.¡± John didn¡¯t see the news, so he was slightly shocked. ¡°The news had alreadye out?¡± Old Mrs. Flintstone sighed. ¡°News spread quickly nowadays. As soon as there are any slight movements, it will start spreading.¡± Matilda harrumphed at that. ¡°It could be that woman hiring people to make it viral so that she can use the opportunity to set us up.¡±.. Old Mrs. Flintstone was speechless as she turned to Matilda. ¡°Just stop talking for now. You don¡¯t even know what you did wrong even until now. You¡¯re helpless.¡± Matilda wiped her tears before getting into the car along with the Flintstone couple. John stood where he was before, watching the Flintstones driving away. When Matilda entered the car, she snorted. ¡°You guys also saw how William was like just now. He must have been cheating on me with that woman for a while now. I won¡¯t believe him even though he denies it.¡± Old Mrs. Flintstone turned around to look at Matilda. ¡°Even if he had cheated, what you did today was still wrong. You causing a scene would just make you guys drift away even more. Remember what I told youst time? William will surely feel bad that you got divorced without anything. There would be a chance for you guys to reconcile if you¡¯ve acted well but looked at you now. Look at what you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°What should I do, then?¡± Matilda shifted around her seat to face Old Mrs. Flintstone. ¡°I¡¯m really pissed off today. William must have divorced me because of that woman. Since they don¡¯t want me to be happy, I won¡¯t let them be happy as well. Now that I¡¯ve already ended up like this, I ain¡¯t afraid of anything anymore.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 514 Chapter 514 Although Old Mr. Flintstone was sitting in the front seat, he was very tempted to turn around and p Matilda. ¡°Why are you so impatient? Has your brain decayed after all these years? How could you not have any improvement? You immature little girl.¡± Matilda was still afraid of Old Mr. Flintstone, so she pursed her lips and lowered her voice. ¡°What was I supposed to do? I just feel like what I did waspletely normal.¡± Right after that, Matilda¡¯s phone started ringing, which surprised her. Taking her phone, Matilda saw that it was a call from Isabelle, so she stared at it for a while. She knew Isabelle called because the latter saw the news on the Inte, after which she couldn¡¯t help but sigh. After the first call went unanswered, Isabelle immediately followed up with a second call. Closing her eyes, Matilda informed her parents, ¡°Someone¡¯s calling me.¡± Then, she epted the call and greeted with a cheerful voice, ¡°Hello, Belle. Why did you suddenly call me? What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± When Isabelle heard that Matilda didn¡¯t sound different from how she was like previously, she was confused. Isabelle lowered her voice. ¡°Mrs. Constance, have you seen the news?¡± Matilda knew that she would surely contact her because of this, so she chuckled. ¡°I haven¡¯t. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Isabelle probably felt like it wasn¡¯t suitable to speak about this issue on the phone, so she suggested, ¡°Mrs. Constance, are you free now? Why don¡¯t we meet up? I have something to tell you.¡± Matilda thought about it before agreeing. She didn¡¯t want to return to the Flintstone Residence, and those people from the Flintstone Family were probably waiting for her to get back. Honestly, I really don¡¯t want to see any of those people right now. Matilda immediately agreed before instructing the driver, ¡°Please drop me off at the junction in front. I have to go settle something important.¡± Old Mrs. Flintstone leaned back on the seat. ¡°That was Isabelle, isn¡¯t it?¡± Matilda mumbled a response before lowering her head and kept her phone before she heard Old Mrs. Flintstone remarking, ¡°Don¡¯t get too close to her. It¡¯s not good to be close to her considering both of your statuses.¡± Matilda was taken aback as she looked up abruptly at Old Mrs. Flintstone, but thetter ignored her and looked outside of the window with a frowning expression. Now that her footage had gone viral, she didn¡¯t know what to do to lower the footage¡¯s engagement. The Constance Family wanted to announce that the two of them were already divorced. However, Old Mrs. Flintstone felt like once their divorce was publicized, there wouldn¡¯t be any chances for Matilda and William to get back together anymore. It was impossible for someone with Matilda¡¯s temper to find another person as patient as William. In this entire world, William was probably the only person who could tolerate so many of Matilda¡¯s bad habits. Looking away, Matilda argued, ¡°I really like Isabelle. At least, she¡¯s way better than Sophia. Isabelle is educated, unlike Sophia. Sophia is just a wild vige girl that doesn¡¯t deserve John.¡± Old Mr. Flintstone, who was sitting at the front, couldn¡¯t stand the way Matilda was speaking anymore. ¡°Why does John¡¯s liking need to be rted to you? Why are you worrying about others when you can¡¯t even understand what¡¯s wrong with your action today? You better save your energy for that.¡± Matilda immediately shut up at that. She never talked back to her father, for he was never a person who¡¯d spoil his kids. After the driver stopped at the junction in front, Matilda got out of the car. Before she left, Old Mrs. Flintstone didn¡¯t forget to remind her, ¡°Listen to me, stay away from Isabelle. You¡¯ve been spoiled by William and us for so many years now, so you never really know how to think things through. Think about it, alright? Gosh, talking to you makes me really tired.¡± Old Mrs. Flintstone looked away after that and instructed the driver, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Then, the driver drove away slowly. After standing by the side of the road for a long while, Matilda waved around to halt a cab. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 515 Chapter 515 Stay away from Isabelle? Are they telling me they want me to get closer to Sophia? Seriously? These people are all tricked by Sophia¡¯s appearance. Sophia was someone who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to trick her mother-inw, and Matilda would never ept Sophia because of this. When Matilda reached the cafe in a cab, Isabelle was already waiting there. She smiled when she entered the ce. ¡°I¡¯m slightlyte because I was stuck in a traffic jam just now.¡± However, Isabe¡¯s facial expression looked somber as she stood up immediately. ¡°Mrs. Constance, are you alright?¡± Matilda forced herself to be calm. ¡°I¡¯m fine. What could be wrong?¡± Then, Isabelle took her phone and unlocked it while the footage of Matilda causing a scene at the hospital popped up coincidentally. The situation looked out of hand as Matilda kept crying and sniffing in the footage, but they could already figure out what happened. Matilda watched the footage as she tried to remain asposed as she could. ¡°That¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s something huge, right?¡± Isabelle kept her phone at that before turning to Matilda. ¡°Mrs. Constance, did you get a divorce?¡± Let¡¯s talk about Matilda. Although she always gave Isabelle false information about John and Sophia, she didn¡¯t lie consciously. Matilda wasn¡¯t a good liar, and the wrong information that she had ryed was just her subjective judgments. Right now, Matilda didn¡¯t know how to cover her excuse up through observations.¡± So, she nodded after pursuing her lips for a moment. ¡°Yes, William and I are divorced.¡± After that, Matilda didn¡¯t forget to add on, ¡°Causing a scene at the hospital today was actually one of my ns. Since those people won¡¯t let me be happy, I won¡¯t let them be happy as well. Now that this issue is leaked, the Constance Family are probably in a mess as they try to make a new proposal to go against this yboy.¡± Then, she pushed her hair back. ¡°To be honest, there¡¯s nothing that I can do since we are already divorced. However, it¡¯s not like we can¡¯t survive without each other. After I¡¯ve lost William, aren¡¯t I still living just the same?¡± Isabelle stared at Matilda with a serious look on her face. So this was why Matilda would alwayse up with all sorts of excuses whenever she mentioned the idea of visiting her at the Constance Residence. After that, Matilda would resort to saying that she had been living at the Flintstones Residence. So she had probably gotten divorced back then, huh? Isabelle initially wanted to take advantage of Matilda to get on the Constance Family¡¯s good side and find a way to get close to John. However, now that Matilda was like this¡­ Matilda didn¡¯t even notice Isabelle¡¯s facial expression as she kept talking and daydreaming about how she would never consider it if William tried to contact her again. After leaving William, she also said that she wanted to find someone way better than William. From the sound of it, it seemed like Matilda was dissatisfied and was trying to console herself. Isabelle stopped talking as Matilda continued babbling as well. To be honest, Matilda held a grudge after going to the Constance Residence just now. William and Old Mrs. Constance sounded determined as they decided that they wanted to announce William and Matilda¡¯s divorce to the public. Matilda knew that her reputation would be gone entirely the moment this news was announced to the public. The Flintstone couple also wished to take things slow, but it seemed like the Constance Family had reached an agreement and had made a decision. Although Matilda was upset about it, she couldn¡¯t do anything. She could onlyin so that she would feel better about it. After going on for a while, Matilda finally realized that Isabe hadn¡¯t said anything at all. Staring at Isabelle, Matilda asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Isabelle?¡± However, Isabelle smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. After pondering for a moment, Matilda tried to assure her. ¡°Don¡¯t be worried, for I¡¯ll still be at your side regarding you and John. I¡¯ll still try to create more opportunities to help you to get closer to John since I¡¯ve always decided on you as my daughter-inw.¡± Still, Isabelle couldn¡¯t listen to all these any longer. Previous Chapter Next Chapter ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Chapter 516 Chapter 516 Matilda made countless simr promises to Isabelle, but there was no progress between Isabelle and John at all. Matilda kept saying that she¡¯d help Isabelle, but did she ever? Isabelle pinched her be in frustration. ¡°Mrs. Constance, is there no hope for you and Mr. Constance? Did you do it impulsively?¡± ¡°Impulsive? No, no. I have long noticed that something is not right with him. He started hooking up with that woman years ago. My guess is that their rtionship has persisted, so what do I need a man like him for?¡± Isabelle forced a smile. ¡°Ah, is it?¡± It happened that her phone buzzed, so she picked it up, but the conversation from the other side was inaudible to Matilda. Isabelle agreed to something a few times and ended the call, after which she looked at Matilda. ¡°Mrs. Constance, I have something going on in thepany. I¡¯m actually excusing myself specifically to meet with you, and I have to rush back now.¡± Failing to sense the change in Isabelle¡¯s attitude, Matilda replied, ¡°Sure, go ahead. Work is more important.¡± Isabelle clutched her bag and stood up without even looking at Matilda. ¡°Well, let¡¯s talk again when we¡¯re free then.¡± Matilda watched as Isabelle walked out of the cafe, got into a cab, and left. Then, the smile on her face promptly vanished. She slowly turned around and covered her face, for she had no courage to check out that video of her on the inte. In that video, she looked horrible and totally different from her elegant and poised manner from before. Matilda sat there sighing and wallowing in regrets for a while before leaving the cafe altogether. When she hailed a cab back to the Flintstone Residence, she specifically instructed the cab driver for a detour and passed by Sophia¡¯s storefront. Just now, when she was at the Constance Residence, Old Mrs. Constance mentioned Sophia¡¯s name and went on to use Matilda of picking on Sophia for a year, making her fall short of her role as a mother-inw. Frustrated, Matilda admitted that she did not fulfill her role as a mother-inw, but Sophia failed as a daughter-inw as well. Whose daughter-inw would physically fight her mother-inw? The cab reached Sophia¡¯s storefront, where Matilda asked for the cab to stop. Sophia was still greeting customers in the store. Matilda could see her smiling at customers through the French window. I wonder what the customer told her because she appears a little shy. Still, Matilda looked down on Sophia. Look at that unsophisticated smile! How could Sophia even be compared to Isabelle? Feeling angrier the more she watched, she dryly ordered the cab driver to continue the journey, ¡°We can leave now. Looking at that country bumpkin just makes me gag.¡± The cab driver promptly drove away without a word. In the store, Sophia had no clue that Matilda just dropped by. She waited for the customers to leave before hurriedly taking a seat and checking her phone. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Her current pastime was to watch the videos of Matilda online, which was an excellent way to de- stress. Losing the cool and the stature of Mrs. Constance, Matilda appeared no different from the loud women from the countryside. The inte has a long memory. If she was ever unhappy, she could search up this video to entertain herself. The female patient was, of course, included in the video as well. Shey on the bed in pain and was attended to by a nurse. Now that Sophia looked more closely at it, the woman appeared younger than Matilda, and due to her bare face, she looked less threatening than Matilda. Smacking her lips, Sophia thought that if William had any taste at all, he would never choose Matilda between the two women. She wondered how it was going on Matilda¡¯s side. Before this, she had wanted to reign in Matilda with her knowledge of the divorce, but Matilda leaked the news out herself. Hah! What a joke! Sophia reyed the video a few times before Robin came over to take a look. ¡°You¡¯ve been watching this for many times.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 517 Chapter 517 Pointing at the crazy Matilda in the video, Sophia advised her friend, ¡°Gosh, look at this. When you are looking into getting married in the future, you must steer clear of any mother-inw like her. No matter how much you love the man, you cannot marry him. Do you know how difficult she is? A naive rabbit like you would be hunted and chewed down to bones the first day of your marriage.¡± Robin stared at the video for a while and asked Sophia, ¡°When you first married John, didn¡¯t you learn about his family?¡± Sophia clicked her tongue and answered, ¡°No. I didn¡¯t know better back then.¡± Also, Old Mr. Constance treated her very nicely, and everyone dared not show their true faces in front of the patriarch, causing her to mistake the friendliness as eptance. At the start of the trouble, she was in a daze as well. When Old Mr. Constance was gone, and she was left alone, she desperately needed a family member on her side. She fell right into a huge family like the Constances, and she wanted to be part of them, but sheter realized that they didn¡¯t want her to be a part of the family. It was a misunderstanding that cost her precious time. Robin took a seat and rested her chin on her hands. ¡°Did John treat you well?¡± Did John treat me well? That was hard to say because there were instances when he treated her nicely and vice versa. After giving it some thought, she decided to go with an answer, saying, ¡°I guess¡­ he treated me pretty okay.¡± Robin broke into a smile. ¡°Look, even when his mother hated you, he still treated you nicely. He sounds like a decent man.¡± A decent man? What rubbish is that? If he had even cared for me, Matilda would not have stepped all over me. Some matters were hard to be exined, so Sophia merelyughed it off. ¡°Yeah, John is decent.¡± Robin pursed her lips and added, ¡°Actually, one¡¯s rtionship with their mother-inw is not tricky to solve.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Well, it depends on the person, I guess. Perhaps, it is not tough for you. I was a bit socially awkward, so it was difficult for me.¡± The conversation ended right there as Sophia and Robin went to work for a while before closing the store. Sophia let Robin leave before her. As for herself, she counted the cash at the register before locking the doors to leave. She didn¡¯t feel like going home, so she wandered around on the streets. After dinner and a long stroll, she finally took a cab home. When she reached her door, she was shocked to find that the lights on the second floor were switched on. She was taken aback and wondered if someone sneaked into her house again. Grabbing her ¡®weapon¡¯ fromst time in the garden, she unlocked her door and cautiously went up the stairs. The lights in the corridor were on, and her bedroom door was wide open as well. She inched closer and tightened her grip on her weapon. The moment she reached the door, she immediately saw a man in her bed. John was in her bed, and his shoes were on the floor. He took off his jacket, and even his tie was loosened. Seeing it was John, she carefully went up to him. ¡°John?¡± Reeked of alcohol, he was asleep with a flushed face. Realizing that the man was John, she put away the weapon in her hand and stood there while watching him. Did he get himself drunk because he¡¯s upset? She went over and pushed him. ¡°John, wake up. How did you get in?¡± I¡¯m a hundred percent sure that I locked all the doors on the balcony. John flipped around and mumbled in a low voice, ¡°Sophia, stop fooling around.¡± She scratched her head. ¡°Come on, tell me first. How did you get in?¡± His eyes closed in a stupor before he started responding to her, ¡°The lock on your door has my fingerprint record.¡± She was stunned because she clearly remembered deleting his fingerprint from the records. He chuckled gleefully, saying, ¡°Last time when I sent you home, I re-entered my fingerprint.¡± Gritting her teeth in anger, Sophia thought, What a jerk! He does not waste any opportunities, huh? She went over and pushed him again. ¡°Alright. Wake up now. Why did you drink too much ande to my ce?¡± Previous Chapter Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 518 Chapter 518 This time, John showed no response at all; he truly fell asleep. After struggling for a while, Sophia was tired as well, so she sat down on the bed. ¡°If you want to sleep, go to the guest room. Today is the final time I¡¯m allowing this. If you try to act dumb when you¡¯re drunk, I¡¯ll call Zack to pick you up.¡± John remained unresponsive. Sophia wanted to lift him, but she could not even move him an inch. After two tries, she gave up on moving him. She went into the bathroom and washed up before leaving her room for the guest room, where John had previously stayed in. The guest room was well-stocked, and the only thing she needed to adjust to was the unfamiliar bed. Shey down, switched off the lights, and drifted to sleep after cursing at John. In the middle of the night, she felt that something was off and lifted her nket, but it was pinned down. Hence, she struggled for a bit before removing the nket and switching on the lights. John, who had been sleeping soundly in her room, was now sleeping beside her with his leg on hers. In fact, he reached out and hugged her in his sleep. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. She was beyond furious and clenched her teeth as she yelled at him, ¡°John, are you deliberately doing this to me?¡± He was still in a daze, for he was not faking it at all because he really had too much to drink. Upon hearing her voice, he lifted his arm and pulled her into a hug. ¡°Go to sleep. I¡¯m tired.¡± She pushed him away. ¡°You animal! What the f*ck are you doing?¡± John grabbed the nket and went back to a night of deep sleep. As for Sophia, she jumped down from the bed and left the guest room. Walking back to her room, she locked her door as a precaution. With this, she believed that John would not harass her anymore. Indeed, the rest of the night passed without an incident, and Sophia had a good sleep until the sun was up. When she woke up, no one was asleep beside her, whereupon she washed up and left her room soon. In the corridor, she thought about it and went over to John¡¯s room, where he was still fast asleep in the bed. It appeared that he indeed had too much to drinkst night. She had wanted to wake him up to deliver a scolding, but upon seeing his condition, she gave up on that idea. What¡¯s the point of arguing with a drunkard? I guess I¡¯ll just add moreyers of security on my side. With that thought in her mind, she went downstairs to make breakfast. When she was done cooking, John happened to walk down the stairs. Since it was a Saturday, he didn¡¯t need to work. Yawning, he strolled downstairs and announced, ¡°Sophia, I¡¯m hungry.¡± She brought the breakfast from the kitchen to the dining hall while scolding him under her breath before saying, ¡°Come here and eat now. After breakfast, you need to leave immediately.¡± He wandered over, nted himself across her, and checked out the food on the table. Sophia clearly still cared about him because she made an extra portion for him. During breakfast, she dered, ¡°I¡¯ve deleted your fingerprints from my lock. Don¡¯te to my ce anymore.¡± Unaffected, he shamelessly agreed and exined, ¡°I had too much to drink yesterday, and I remember nothing at all.¡± She sneered. He doesn¡¯t remember a thing? Who¡¯d believe that? When they were done with breakfast, he went to take a seat on the sofa. Sophia happened to finish cleaning up in the kitchen and walked out to see him still around. ¡°You can leave now.¡± Since he didn¡¯t have to work today, he was very rxed. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for Zack to send some fresh clothes over.¡± He was hungover from yesterday¡¯s drinking, and on top of that, he didn¡¯t take off his clothes for the entire night. His shirt was now extremely wrinkled and embarrassing to look at. Sophia suppressed her irritation and told him, ¡°But I¡¯m going to work soon.¡± He continued acting shamelessly. ¡°Go ahead. What are you afraid of? Are you scared that I¡¯m going to steal?¡± She pursed her lips and gave it a thought before agreeing to the arrangement. ¡°Alright. You can wait here but don¡¯t pull any tricks. When Zack¡¯s here, you better leave right away.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 519 Chapter 519 John merely shed her a grin without a word, after which Sophia finally left home with lots of worries in her mind. However, she could not exactly pinpoint the reason behind her worries. It was impossible for John to steal from her ce. Even her house was a generous gift from him. How would he even eye anything in her ce? When she arrived at the store, Robin was already there. The hard worker, Robin, was done with all the cleaning and was sitting on a chair, watching something on her phone. Seeing Robin, Sophia went over and smiled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look concerned?¡± Robin breathed through her mouth andmented, ¡°Look, why is this incident getting out of hand?¡± Sophia inched closer and realized that Robin was talking about William and Matilda¡¯s divorce. The Constances had released a public statement admitting to the divorce and exined that it was a decision made on the grounds of ipatibility. As for the woman in the hospital, she was only a friend of William, and they never developed an inappropriate rtionship. The Constances did not borate more than that. Earlier, John¡¯s divorce had been a messy affair. This time, it was William¡¯s turn to get a divorce. There must be a lot of heated discussions online about the Constances¡¯ affairs. Not bothering to take a look, Sophia knew that the discussions were never anything positive anyway. Straightening her body, she went over to the bar counter to tidy things up. ¡°On this matter, it¡¯s a family issue at its core. But many out there love to take part in affairs that are none of their business. Marriages and divorces should not be an issue of interest to these outsiders.¡± Robin nodded in agreement. ¡°Theizens are really mean in thements. Even I feel bad when I read the discussion, so I wonder what the Constances would feel if they read these.¡± What would the Constances feel? Well, they would definitely feel ufortable. Sophia was reminded of the drunk John from yesterday. He probably drank himself to oblivion due to his parents¡¯ divorce. Normally, even at social events, he¡¯d drink within his limits. The store was busy as usual in the morning, and Sophia had no time to think about anything else. When they were closed for the lunch break, John stopped by with takeouts. When Sophia and Robin stopped working, he walked in and announced, ¡°It seems that I arrived at the right time. Let¡¯s have lunch!¡± Robin was happy to see him. ¡°Mr. Constance, you¡¯re sending us lunch!¡± Sophia stood at the bar counter. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Johnid out the food on the table and remarked, ¡°Did you notice that you¡¯ve been repeating the same sentence a lot to me recently?¡± Why are you here? What are you here for? It was always one of the two variations. Sophia was not in the mood to talk, so John looked at her and exined, ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten lunch as well, but I didn¡¯t want to go home. I wanted to get some lunch buddies.¡± Hearing his excuse, she smirked. ¡°Isn¡¯t Zack a human too?¡± Heughed at the mention of his assistance. ¡°Zack has a new targettely. He¡¯s busy going after that girl and has no time for me.¡± She was taken aback by the news, and her mind instantly clung to the new information, drifting away. I wonder what type of girl is Zack interested in? Slowly, she walked over to the table, and John handed her the cutlery. Robin was already seated and eating. She took a seat beside Robin, and thetter eximed, ¡°Yum, it¡¯s good. I¡¯m famished!¡± Sophia had nothing more to say. John was apparently in a low mood today as well, and he remained silent throughout lunch. Robin was clueless about everything, but she looked at John andmented, ¡°Mr. Constance, I just read the news online. It seems that the issue is getting blown out of hand.¡± He merely replied, ¡°Oh? Is it? I didn¡¯t read it.¡± Robin sighed. ¡°A divorce that¡¯s being scrutinized by the public must be super ufortable.¡± John shed a half-smile without much interest. After some consideration, Sophia finally asked him, ¡°Is everything fine on your mom¡¯s side?¡± John replied after a pause, ¡°No big deal. My maternal grandpa has her under his thumb, and nothing much would happen to her.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 520 Chapter 520 Had the Constances not called the Flintstones for help, John guessed that Matilda would be even more of a trouble. After taking in some mouthfuls of food, John ced his fork down and leaned into the chair to stare at Sophia and Robin, who were enjoying lunch. Noticing that he stopped eating, Robin looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re not eating?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t have the appetite.¡± The girls knew the reason behind hisck of appetite. When the inte exploded from the news, the netizens brought up John¡¯s divorce and went over it again. The Constances had a good reputation in the past, but as a result of William and John, their family name was tainted. Sophia got a little mad when she recalled Matilda¡¯s expression from the video yesterday. Indeed, a woman like her would cause a lot of damage if she were to throw a fit. Taking a few bites, she ced her fork down as well. ¡°Your grandmother must be super angry right now.¡± John chuckled at thement. Of course, she¡¯s indeed furious. Yesterday, when he entered the main building, he found her pounding on her chest, saying that she felt stuffy. Beside her sat William with a sullen expression. It was rare to see that expression on William. In the past, Matilda had created lots of trouble and threw many tantrums, to which William showed no response. He always preferred to muddle through the trouble, appeasing both the Constance Family and his wife. He had never clearly expressed his irritation at Matilda like how he did yesterday. A whileter, John stared at Robin. ¡°I¡¯ve sent someone to investigate your issue.¡± Robin hurriedly looked at him, after which he borated in a robotic tone, ¡°My men investigated within you and Sophia¡¯s social circles but found nothing suspicious. I talked to the police as well, and they suspected that they¡¯d got the wrong guy. However, I could not ascertain if the man specifically targeted one of you. It¡¯s possible that you were targeted because of someone you didn¡¯t even know. Do you remember who went to the washroom with you that night? Did someone wear a simr outfit as you?¡± Sophia was surprised at the conclusion. Didn¡¯t the man target her? A few days had passed since the incident, and Robin could not recall who she met at the washroom. That night, she had some drinks and was in an ted mood, so her brain was tripping. When she entered the washroom, she didn¡¯t even bother to register the women around her. I mean, I was entering the restroom, so what was there to look at? Therefore, Robin shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t remember anything.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Hearing the same reply, John sighed. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯ll take this slow. From what we observe now, both of you don¡¯t seem to have any security threats around you.¡± Robin pursed her lips andbed through her memories. ¡°I don¡¯t have any enemies; the same goes for Sophia. Perhaps, someone mistook me for another woman.¡± John didn¡¯t say anything after that, but he still looked tense. When Robin was done with lunch, he stretched and said, ¡°You guys should get back to work. I¡¯ll leave now.¡± He sounded very straightforward. Without looking at anyone, he stood up, brushed his shirt, and left. Sophia remained seated and watched as he left in a cab. A whileter, she let out a stuffy sigh. Indeed, themotion online about William¡¯s divorce dragged on for some time, and she stopped paying attention to it soon. When she checked thements, it wasn¡¯t even much of a deal. A few dayster, the ckwells called Sophia and informed her about the dinner taking ce on the next day and that they¡¯d pick her up. She agreed to it, and since the dinner was around evening, she decided to close the store earlier, which she brought up to Robin beforehand. Smiling, Robin asked, ¡°Are you going on a date? ¡°What date? It¡¯s just a dinner with ulterior motives.¡± Sophia was not interested at all. Robin sat across her and said, ¡°I thought you were meeting with Mr. Constance.¡± Faced with her business partner¡¯s question, Sophia grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not even friends with them. We won¡¯t meet up without a good reason.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 521 Chapter 521 For the next two days, John didn¡¯t show up at all. He was probably busy dealing with the sordid affairs rted to his family. At night, when Sophia closed the store and was about to part ways with Robin at the entrance, thetter turned around to look at her. After some consideration, she said, ¡°Sophia, when I came in for workst time, I saw Mr. Constance and another woman having breakfast together. I thought it over for a while and decided to tell you.¡± Astonished, Sophia turned to stare at Robin. A pauseter, she said, ¡°It¡¯s normal. John is popr amongdies. It¡¯s not abnormal to see him with a woman.¡± Robin observed her face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you sad? I thought you haven¡¯t let go of him.¡± Faced with Robin¡¯s words, Sophiaughed. ¡°I¡¯m not sad, for I¡¯ve started my new life. As for John, well, he is history.¡± Robin seemed relieved after getting the response. ¡°I was hesitating to tell you. Maybe I was overthinking.¡± After they parted ways, Sophia didn¡¯t hail a cab but walked down the path leading home. If John had breakfast with a woman, it must¡¯ve been Isabelle. There could be no one else. Well, that¡¯s good. It¡¯s really good. The next day, Sophia went to work, and she saw someone at the storefront as she approached the entrance. Feeling surprised, she slowly walked up, and her face fell when she registered the identity of the curious passerby. Matilda was staring at the sign of her store deep in thoughts. Sophia stood beside and remained silent, waiting for thedy to notice her. After observing the sign for some time, Matilda finally turned around and was instantly shocked by Sophia¡¯s presence, which prompted her to snap, ¡°Why are you standing there like a ghost? Are you trying to scare me to death?¡± Sophia rolled her eyes at Matilda and went up to open the doors. ¡°Why are you here? Are you getting breakfast?¡± Matilda followed her into the store and looked around. ¡°Business looks fine.¡± She stood there for a little while and saw a few customers trickling in. Without a word, Sophia moved into the bar counter, where Robin was already working. Thetter waspletely taken aback when she noticed Matilda. After all, Robin had rewatched the video online a few times and recognized Matilda¡¯s face. Without even looking at Robin, Matilda checked every single detail in the store and wandered over to the front of the counter. ¡°Did Johne heretely? Is he here often?¡± Sophia was knocked off her feet by the sudden question, whereupon she tidied the bar while replying with questions, ¡°Are you looking for him? Why don¡¯t you just call him? Why are you asking us here?¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Matilda then pursed her lips silently for some time. She did make calls to John, but he refused to pick them up. She made countless calls to him over the two days, but he remained unreachable. With just a nce at Matilda, Sophia immediately understood what was going on, and she shed a smile. ¡°John did not visit our store. I haven¡¯t seen him for days. If you really can¡¯t get hold of him, you could go to the Constance Residence or the Constance Group.¡± Matilda instantly looked away. She had visited both ces suggested by Sophia, but she had no guts to enter either one. At the Constance Residence, she was fearful of running into the members of the family. The wives of the second, third and fourth Constance Families had all been yelled at by her in the past. Now that she had fallen from grace, those women might look at her with judgmental eyes. The reason she didn¡¯t want to show up at the Constance Group was because of the viral video from before, which embarrassed even herself. Those employees must have watched the video too, so she had no guts to walk in and look for John. Therefore, she merely lingered at the entrances of the two locations. And she indeed ran into John. However, in each encounter, John was surrounded by people, and she could not make her way closer to him. Sophia was immersed in her work. ¡°If you want to wait for him over here, I guess you¡¯ll be disappointed. He won¡¯te in.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 522 Chapter 522 Frowning, Matilda thought it over and suggested, ¡°Call John and have hime over here. I need to talk to him.¡± Sophia burst out inughter. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who wants to meet him, so why should I call him?¡± Staring at Matilda incredulously, she emphasized, ¡°Why would youe here and ask me to help you on your matters? Have you forgotten that we have a lukewarm rtionship?¡± Matilda red at her. ¡°You¡­¡± But she could not finish the rest of the sentence. Sophia was right; their rtionship was lukewarm. She only found her way here out of desperation. Seeing that her ex-mother-inw couldn¡¯t reply, Sophiaughed at her. ¡°You can ask Isabelle for help. She can get in touch with John, right? Isn¡¯t it better to ask her for help?¡± Matilda¡¯s expression froze in embarrassment. The first person she thought of was definitely Isabelle, but in the few calls, thetter kept saying that she was busy. Matilda was unsure if Isabelle was really busy, but she knew for a fact that when she had called Isabelle in the past, the girl could always make time. After a pause, Matilda pursed her lips and uttered, ¡°Belle is busy.¡± Realizing that even Isabelle was avoiding her, Sophia snapped back, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m busy too. Can¡¯t you see how busy I am right now?¡± Matilda¡¯s face soured, and she looked displeased, which was of no concern to Sophia, who hummed and prepared everything for the day¡¯s business. It didn¡¯t take long for customers toe in. Matilda sank into a debate, but she didn¡¯t leave. Instead, she nted herself at a table near the window, determined to stay put. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia didn¡¯t bother to deal with her and only focused on running her business. Time flew by, and the crowds started to reduce. After some thinking, Sophia told Robin, ¡°Let¡¯s make a coffee for her. It looks quite odd for her to sit there with no food or drinks.¡± Robin nodded and prepared a cup of coffee that was served to Matilda. Matilda was surprised at the service and turned around to look at Sophia, who was not even paying attention in that direction. In the past, Sophia wanted to witness Matilda¡¯s fall from grace. That old and crusty woman is going to land herself into trouble sooner orter. However, when Matilda was struggling in life, Sophia didn¡¯t feel much about the change. She was not extremely happy about it because her life resumed like usual, unchanged in any way by Matilda¡¯s predicament. In fact, she was too busy every day to even care about Matilda¡¯s life. After sitting for a while, Matilda left without waiting for Sophia to finish work. Robin went up to clear the table and informed Sophia when she was back, ¡°She didn¡¯t touch the coffee. Not even one sip.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡®I guessed so.¡± Matilda was a very prideful woman and would not easily ept Sophia¡¯s show of kindness. That was good news because it meant that Matilda would not drop by anymore. When Matilda left Sophia¡¯s store, she ran out of ces to go. The Flintstones rented a ce for her and even though they worded it nicely, what they wanted was for her to live on her own without dragging her own family into the mud. These few days, she spent all her time awake on her own. As the controversy was building up over these few days, she had stayed in her house to avoid trouble. Actually, she called up a lot of people in her connections, but none picked up her call as if everyone abandoned her right away when she was at the center of the storm. She stood beside the street for a while and hailed a cab. In the cab, she shared the address of Bailey Corporation with the idea of taking a look over there. During her journey, she was thinking hard about her next steps. The Constances made it clear that after her divorce from William, she would have no business with him anymore. They also exined to her that William had no rtionship whatsoever with the woman in the hospital, an exnation which she did not believe, but her opinions were irrelevant anymore. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 523 Chapter 523 After stopping her car at the entrance of Bailey Corporation, Matilda walked into a restaurant across the street instead of entering thepany. Sitting by the window, she stared at the entrance of Bailey Corporation. Then, she called Isabelle, who connected the call quickly and inquired in a clear voice, ¡°Mrs. Constance, yes?¡± Matilda replied smilingly, ¡°Belle, are you free now? I want to meet up with you.¡± To which Isabelle said, ¡°Ah, now? I¡¯m a little busy currently. What¡¯s wrong? Is there anything urgent?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing important. I just want to talk to you.¡± Matilda said with a smile, ¡°We have not met each other for a few days, so I miss you very much.¡± Helpless, Isabelle sighed. ¡°Mrs. Constance, I¡¯ve been swamped recently. There¡¯s a problem with the supply side, so I have to work overtime every day. It¡¯s really taking a toll on me. Don¡¯t worry. When I be less busy, I¡¯ll look for you and have a chat with you.¡± Isabelle had always been careful with her words. Having nothing else to say, Matilda sighed and grunted. ¡°Alright, please continue with your work. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not facing any problem currently, so I guess we¡¯ll meet up when you¡¯re free.¡± After hanging up the call, she stayed there until the employees of Bailey Corporation got off work in the afternoon. To her disappointment, she didn¡¯t see Isabelle. Until all the employees were gone, Isabelle was still nowhere to be seen. Matilda heaved a sigh of relief. She must still be in thepany and working overtime. It seems that she¡¯s really busy recently. Meanwhile, Sophia closed the shop temporarily in the afternoon and took a rest with Robin. Just then, the door was opened. Robin hurriedly said, ¡°Sorry, we¡ª¡± Startled for a moment, she grinned. ¡°Mr. Constance, why are you here?¡± John shed a gentle smile at her. ¡°Even you¡¯re asking me this question now.¡± Seated by the window, Sophia never looked at him. Robin smirked before replying, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t mean any harm.¡± John directly took a seat across Sophia. ¡°I¡¯m here to have a taste of your food. Please give me a suggestion as I don¡¯t know what to eat in the afternoon.¡± Learning the reason he dropped by, Sophia slowly turned to him. ¡°Your mom came here this morning and told me to contact you. I believe she wants to meet you.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Upon being informed of the matter, John couldn¡¯t help but grunt. ¡°I knew she¡¯d look for you.¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not on good terms with your mom, so it was really weird that she came to look for me.¡± Without uttering a word, John smiled. Matilda would do whatever it took when she had no choice. She knew that if Sophia called John, he would certainlye over, so she came to look for Sophia. After making a cup of coffee for John, Robin also gave him a piece of cake. Coming from thepany, John didn¡¯t have any appetite, but he still politely ate the food. He then said, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re going to attend the dinner party at ckwell Residence.¡± Healing the man¡¯s question, Sophia replied, ¡°Madam ckwell came over to invite me personally, so I couldn¡¯t reject her.¡± Seemingly understanding, John nodded. ¡°As a big family, there¡¯s bound to be internal strife within the ckwell Family, so you have to be careful with your words and don¡¯t speak too much. If you don¡¯t know what to say, just sh a smile.¡± Sophia scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to teach me this. I understand it full well.¡± She had learned to read the expressions of others at Constance Residence previously. When John was done with his lunch, he returned to hispany. After John¡¯s car was out of sight, Robin asked, ¡°Did Mr. Constancee all the way here just to have a cup of coffee and a piece of cake?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 524 Chapter 524 ¡°Maybe he is out of his mind,¡± Sophia chuckled and said. When it came to the afternoon, Sophia permitted Robin to leave work earlier, cleaning her shop, whereupon she proceeded to close the door. Then, she went home to take a shower and get changed shortly before the ckwell Family¡¯s driver arrived. Upon getting into the car, she saw someone sitting inside who turned out to be a youngdy. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Sophia paused and nodded. ¡°Hi.¡± Thedy gazed at Sophia with a smile. ¡°Hi, my grandma sent me to pick you up. Let¡¯s go.¡± Sophia responded with an affirmative hum, feeling a little nervous upon hearing that. After she sat tight, the car began to hit the road. At the same time, thedy appeared to be rather talkative as she was able to lighten up the atmosphere with different topics, chatting with Sophia about her shop and even her marriage life. Grinning, thedy replied, ¡°Actually, we all know that you just had a divorce with John not long ago, except my grandma.¡± ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I was a little awkward when she asked me about that,¡± Sophia answered with a chuckle. Hearing her reply, thedy nodded. ¡°I understand how sensitive and upsetting this topic can be, so we didn¡¯t bring it up to my grandma.¡± In fact, the more important matter was that Old Mrs. ckwell didn¡¯t state her preference about who should take Sophia in, which was why none of them said a word about Sophia¡¯s divorce. After all, they were raised in a prestigious family, in which they were taught to be discreet with their words. While bothdies were happily chatting with each other, they soon arrived at the ckwell Residence. The ckwell Residence is a huge mansion situated in the middle of the city. They¡¯re rich indeed. Just look at the space of thispound! Gosh! I wonder how much they spent to buy a ce this big. As the car stopped in the courtyard, someone was seen waiting there. Sophia then stepped out of the vehicle to be greeted by Old Mrs. ckwell with someone helping her walk toward their guest. At the sight of that, she quickly approached the olddy, who soon seized her hand. ¡°Finally, you¡¯re here. I¡¯ve been waiting long enough for you. Come, let¡¯s get inside.¡± Sophia smiled awkwardly to everyone aside while following behind Old Mrs. ckwell. Then, they sat in the living room, whereupon the matriarch began introducing Sophia to the family. In fact, everyone else had seen Sophia on Old Mrs. ckwell¡¯s birthday, although none of them had really talked to her. Meanwhile, Sophia forced a smile on her face and greeted every family member even though she didn¡¯t like to be on asions like this. After the introduction, Old Mrs. ckwell sighed and said, ¡°This poor little kid is all by herself without a family.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia pursed her lips while the olddy seized her hand and ced it on her own palm. ¡°I like this girl a lot. After long deliberation, I¡¯ve decided to make her my granddaughter.¡± Then, she turned her attention to Sophia, who was in a trance, and asked, ¡°What do you think, my girl?¡± Sophia was taken aback by Old Mrs. ckwell¡¯s sudden announcement, staring at the olddy with her dted eyes. ¡°Madam ckwell, I-I¡­¡± At the same time, every other member of the ckwell Family appeared to be rather calm and unsurprised, which implied that they had already known about it ahead. Looking at Old Mrs. ckwell¡¯s smiling face, Sophia didn¡¯t know what to say in order to turn her down. Well, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m going to get roughed up for turning down Madam ckwell¡¯s ¡®kind¡¯ offer. ¡°Um, maybe¡­¡± Sophia hesitantly said, but Madam ckwell soon interrupted her words with a smile and said, ¡°Since you agree, I guess it¡¯s decided then. Meanwhile, the rest could decide which family she belongs to.¡± Upon hearing the olddy¡¯s words, the wife of the Main Constance Family said, ¡°We don¡¯t have a daughter, so she could be with us.¡± Soon, the wife of the Third Constance Family chimed in, ¡°We don¡¯t have a daughter either, so we could take her in.¡± What¡¯s the ckwell Family really up to? I¡¯m broke, and everything I own now is given by John when we divorced, which I don¡¯t think they¡¯re interested in, so why does everyone start to cozy up to me all of a sudden? Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 525 Chapter 525 Sophia immediately raised her hand. ¡°Anyway, I just want to say that besides not having a good family background, I also have many bad habits¡­¡± However, Kate¡¯s grasp on Sophia¡¯s hand tightened. ¡°Little girl, I¡¯m not trying to take advantage of you. I just like you for being yourself, so don¡¯t overthink about it.¡± How could Sophia not overthink it when Old Mrs. ckwell offered to y the role of her grandmother? Without discussing with Sophia, Kate instructed the Third ckwell Family, ¡°She¡¯ll be under the Third ckwell Family, then. Since Fabian is about Sophia¡¯s age, they¡¯ll probably have simr topics to talk about.¡± Henry ckwell of the Third ckwell Family immediately agreed while his wife chimed in as well, ¡°Gosh, I¡¯ve always wanted a daughter, but I could never get one. I didn¡¯t expect God to finally give us a daughter today!¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Is this even real? Did they just force a new set of parents upon me? A couple from a family with a good background suddenly became her godparents. The thought of that was just unrealistic. Third Mrs. ckwell looked young and friendly as she walked over to pat Sophia¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯ve probably suffered a lot in the past.¡± Sophia blinked and didn¡¯t know how to react. If she were to reject the ckwells, they would feel humiliated, and it would make her look ignorant. However, she didn¡¯t feelfortable being on their receiving end. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. How did they suddenly be a family? This wasn¡¯t in Sophia¡¯s n at all. Then, Kate gave the servant next to her a look, and the servant immediately went to retrieve a box. Taking the box over, Kate turned around slightly toward Sophia. ¡°Sophia, this is a gift that I¡¯ve prepared for you for our first meeting. We shall be a family in the future.¡± Confused, Sophia¡¯s arms iled around when she realized that Kate was giving her yet another gift. ¡°No, no, I can¡¯t ept that. The present that you¡¯ve given me previously was already precious enough and I really¡ª¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Kate held Sophia¡¯s hand. ¡°Why are you rejecting a gift from your grandma? We¡¯ll be a family from now on, so you don¡¯t have to be so polite and distant anymore.¡± When the servant helped Sophia open the box, she saw a purple bangle made of unknown material. However, Sophia knew that a gift from Kate meant that it was definitely not cheap. Then, Kate took the bangle and wore it on Sophia¡¯s wrist, after which thetter looked like she was in a predicament as she stared at the bangle on her wrist. It was really ironic how the Constances had done all that they could to kick her out, but the ckwells did all they could to get her in. Third Mrs. ckwell spoke up as well, ¡°Just keep it. It¡¯s your grandma¡¯s goodwill anyway. You don¡¯t have to be so distant with us since you¡¯re one of the ckwells now.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t know if she wanted tough or cry at that. However, the ckwells ignored her facial expression and dragged her to the dining room to have a meal. The ckwell Residence¡¯s dining room was huge. It was just like when they gathered to eat together at the Constance Residence. Actually, this was wayrger than the one at the Constance Residence. Sophia didn¡¯t recognize many of the people present, so she could only take her seat next to Kate. She was initially a little bit hungry, but she hadpletely lost her appetite now. Still, everyone from the ckwells was happy as they started asking Sophia about her past but unanimously avoided mentioning the Constance Family. Sophia knew that these people were all wise people as they all spoke cautiously. On the other hand, the man sat next to Sophia and would asionally snort when she was speaking. However, he didn¡¯t look at Sophia both the times she turned to look at him. Disdain was evident on his face as if he couldn¡¯t stand looking at her. Hence, Sophia looked away, for she didn¡¯t believe that the ckwells didn¡¯t hear him as his snorts weren¡¯t soft at all. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 526 Chapter 526 However, everyone acted as if nothing happened, so Sophia could only go along with them and acted as if she hadn¡¯t heard anything. Sophia felt conflicted during the entire meal. Although she felt ufortable, she couldn¡¯t voice it out. After the meal ended, Sophia apanied Kate upstairs to talk to her. This time, there was no one else other than Sophia and Kate as they went into Kate¡¯s bedroom. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. After Sophia entered the room, her phone rang, whereupon she sighed in relief before she quickly took her phone out and epted the call in front of Kate. Sophia didn¡¯t even bother to check the caller ID. When the call was connected, John¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Sophia?¡± Sophia was taken aback. ¡°John.¡± She purposely raised her volume, and Kate turned around to look at her. John asked, ¡°Are you done yet? I¡¯ve been waiting outside of your house for a long while already, but you¡¯re still not home yet.¡± Sophia acted as if she was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re outside of my house now?! Hang on, I¡¯ll get back right now.¡± Shocked, Kate stared at Sophia. ¡°Is that John?¡± After hearing Old Mrs. ckwell¡¯s question, Sophia nodded immediately. ¡°Yeah. It is. He¡¯s waiting outside of my house right now and probably wants to talk to me about something.¡± To Sophia¡¯s surprise, Kate reached out for her phone. ¡°Come on. Let me speak with him.¡± Sophia was dumbfounded, however, she still gave Kate her phone as thetter asked, ¡°John, why are you looking for Sophia?¡± Unable to hear what John replied, Sophia merely saw thedy before her eyesughing. ¡°You should come over. Come on, I haven¡¯t seen you for a few days now.¡± Sophia blinked as she pursed her lips and didn¡¯t say anything. A few secondster, Kate hummed in agreement before she gave Sophia her phone back. ¡°You can talk to John now. He¡¯s going toe over soon.¡± Sophia let out a quiet sigh before taking her phone back. ¡°John, are youing over?¡± Faced with his ex-wife¡¯s question, he chuckled before exining, ¡°I¡¯ll go over. I know that the situation is awkward for you right now, so I¡¯ll head there so that you can act more naturally.¡± Sophia initially wanted to take advantage of this phone call to leave this ce. John¡¯s tone was light. ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯ming over now.¡± Then, he hung up. Sophia had no choice but to ce her phone and smile at Kate. After that, Kate took a photo album and started introducing the ckwells to Sophia. I see, so the person who sat next to me just now was the Young Master of the Third ckwell Family, Fabian ckwell. Recalling the Young Master of the Third ckwell Family¡¯s reaction, he was probably dissatisfied that she was ced under the Third ckwell Family. To be honest, I¡¯m dissatisfied as well. How did I end up with a whole new family after finally managing to be alone? After browsing through the photo album with Kate for a while, John arrived. John was led upstairs by a servant, and from the looks of it, he had visited the ckwells a lot in the past. The servant smiled and informed them when they walked over, ¡°Old Mrs. ckwell, Young Master John is here.¡± Kate immediately eximed, ¡°Let him in immediately! I¡¯ve been waiting for a long time now!¡± John looked cheerful when he entered the room. ¡°Madam ckwell, I hope I¡¯m not bothering you.¡± Cheerfully, Kate nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for you. Come on, have a seat.¡± John walked over and sat next to Sophia. Then, Sophia turned toward him and lowered her voice. ¡°Why did you call me just now? Why did you go to my house?¡± John smirked at that as he whispered back, ¡°I didn¡¯t go to your house just now; it was a lie. I knew that you were in some sort of trouble, so I offered toe over to help you out.¡± Sophia was taken aback, for she didn¡¯t know what sort of trick John was trying to pull. Kate watched as John and Sophia spoke to each other. ¡°You youngsters really have so much more to talk about. I mean, Sophia barely spoke when she was with me but immediately started talking when you came.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 527 Chapter 527 Sophia chuckled, with an awkward expression on her face. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I just had something I wanted to ask him.¡± Keeping the photo album, Kate stared at John and Sophia. ¡°You two knew each other previously, am I right?¡± Sophia opened her mouth slightly but didn¡¯t know what to say. Instead, John, who was sitting next to her, replied, ¡°Yeah. We knew each other from way back. We are quite close to each other as well.¡± Sophia turned and gave John a look. Was thatst sentence really necessary? Hearing the young man¡¯s exnation, Kate nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. I figured that you two knew each other for a long time already since you guys looked reallyfortable with each other.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t say anything besides smiling awkwardly. Suddenly, Kate thought of something and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s too bad that John is married. If not, I would have set you two up. You two really look suitable for each other sitting here together.¡± Sophia was really awkward while John burst intoughter. ¡°Really? Is that what you think?¡± In a serious manner, Kate nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true. Since when have I ever lied to you? You guys really look suitable for each other.¡± In a raspy voice, John chuckled before he leaned closer to Sophia. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Sophia gave him a side look. ¡°Shut it.¡± However, John looked happy and had a slight smile on his face the entire day. Kate started telling them about the ckwells again, mainly wanting Sophia to know more about them. John still didn¡¯t know that Kate had Sophia be her granddaughter, so he only thought that she was introducing her family members to get on Sophia¡¯s good side. Hence, he helped Kate exin more about the family members and told Sophia some funny stories so she could remember them. To be honest, Sophia wasn¡¯t interested to know these people, and although they all looked excited to see her, who knew what they were thinking of her in the dark. Since Kate treated her like a savior, the Main and Third ckwell Family were probably fighting for her only to get on Kate¡¯s good side. Now that she was under the Third ckwell Family, not to mention that the Young Master of the Third ckwell Family didn¡¯t like her, the Main and Second ckwell Family would probably stop being nice to her anymore. The thought of that made her head hurt. Sophia could barely remember what Kate and John told her that day. Finally, John suggested when he realized that the sky had turned dark, ¡°It¡¯ste already. We don¡¯t want to get in the way of you resting, so I¡¯ll send Sophia back.¡± Kate initially wanted the Third ckwell Family to send Sophia home, but she decided against it after seeing Fabian¡¯s attitude during their meal just now. Since Sophia and John knew each other, it would be better if John sent her back. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Kate looked outside. ¡°Oh my, I didn¡¯t even notice that it¡¯s dark already. Time passes by real quick.¡± She sighed. ¡°Alright. John will send you back then. Pleasee over more often when you¡¯re free, Sophia.¡± Sophia immediately agreed. ¡°Alright, alright. Don¡¯t be worried. I¡¯ll be sure to visit you when I¡¯m free.¡± It was just that Sophia wasn¡¯t free since she needed to guard her shop and didn¡¯t have any extra time. None of the ckwells came out when John and Sophia left the ckwell Residence. Sophia sighed in relief, for it was better if she didn¡¯t run into them as she really didn¡¯t want to interact with these people. When they entered John¡¯s car, John saw the bangle on Sophia¡¯s wrist when he lowered his gaze, after which he grinned. ¡°It seems like the ckwells really prioritizes you. This bangle looks expensive.¡± Sophia immediately took the bangle off. ¡°I¡¯ve really regretteding over today. I shouldn¡¯t have come.¡± John raised his eyebrows as he started the car engine. ¡°Isn¡¯t it good, though? I noticed that Kate was being really nice to you just now.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 528 Chapter 528 Wasn¡¯t it nice? Yeah, I suppose she was good to me. Sophia really didn¡¯t know who else to talk to about this, so she started telling John about what happened at the ckwell Residence. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Learning that his ex-wife was now a part of the ckwell Family, John was dumbfounded. ¡°Seriously?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Why would I lie to you? I was really shocked as well. No one had informed me about it too. If I knew what they were doing today, I wouldn¡¯t have gone there.¡± It seemed like John suddenly recalled something as his gaze darkened. Sophia turned over to give John a disdainful look. ¡°Look at your facial expressions. What are you scheming again?¡± Faced with her question, John smirked. ¡°Scheming a n for you. I¡¯m trying to help you think of a better identity.¡± Sophia snorted, for she obviously didn¡¯t take John¡¯s words seriously. John drove and sent Sophia home. When Sophia got out of the car, John asked, ¡°Are you not going to invite me into your house? I¡¯m sure that I contributed a little by going over there today to help you ease the tension of your awkwardness.¡± Since Sophia didn¡¯t look like she had the intention to let him in, John had no choice but to raise the question. Sophia turned to John and pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°Alright. You have to leave after you finish drinking a cup of water though.¡± Sophia invited him in begrudgingly. Secretly, John couldn¡¯t help but chuckle before getting out of the car and following Sophia. It wasn¡¯t veryte yet, but Sophia felt like resting already. She was toozy to boil water, so she went to the fridge to get a bottle of mineral water before throwing it to John. John was sitting on the couch as he toyed with the mineral water bottle for a moment before cing it down. ¡°Try to stay away from the ckwells. Although Kate is nice, the ckwells are a huge family, and most of them have their own opinions. It was obvious that they might be against this as none of the ckwell brothers came to send us off.¡± Sophia went over to sit in front of John as she leaned back on the couch. ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to be involved with them as well. I¡¯m fine on my own, and I don¡¯t need any family right now.¡± I don¡¯t need these people, especially those who came in halfway. Most of these families had their own thoughts, and most of them only gather for specific reasons, or to be frank, for benefits. Sophia looked conflicted as she stared at the bangle. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to ept this, but I don¡¯t know how to return it.¡± ¡°Just keep it.¡± John exined, ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s hard to reject things like this. Kate is genuinely nice to you and wouldn¡¯t harm you. However, if you return it, you might actually offend her, so it¡¯s better if you keep it.¡± Sophia looked helpless as she held the bangle in her hands and observed it. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll keep it for now and see if I have any chances to return it to her in the future.¡± Then, John stared at Sophia. ¡°Back to the topic, though. Do you think we look suitable together?¡± Sophia paused at that before the serious look on her face immediately vanished. She gave John a disdainful look. ¡°If you¡¯re not drinking the water, you can leave now.¡± Then, Sophia stood up and headed upstairs without waiting to see John¡¯s reaction. John, who was still sitting on the couch, startedughing as he watched Sophia vanish by the staircase upstairs. However, John didn¡¯t leave immediately. Instead, he continued sitting there and looked like he was deep in thoughts as his smile vanished. Sophia really didn¡¯t bother about John anymore as she went to sleep right after washing up. She was really tired after a long day at her shop and was on her guard the entire time when she was at the ckwell Residence. After her nighttime routine, Sophiay in her bed and pondered for a moment before falling asleep. She had a good night¡¯s sleep that night, as she wasn¡¯t affected by any noises and slept right until the next day. When Sophia got up the following day, she stretched and walked over to the windowsill. Then, her facial expression changed into one of shock. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 529 Chapter 529 John¡¯s car was parked on Sophia¡¯swn. Did that guye here early in the morning? Sophia rushed downstairs but saw no signs of John. After standing in the living room for a while, Sophia turned around and ran upstairs. The door to the guest room that John stayed in previously was closed, but it wasn¡¯t locked from the inside, so Sophia managed to open it with one turn. John had already gotten up. He had worn his pants and was about to wear his shirt. Sophia was standing by the door entrance and staring at John while he was midway wearing his shirt and staring at her. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Sophia yelled in anger, ¡°John, you shameless little prick! How could you sleep over here yesterday night?!¡± Sophia then dashed inside and grabbed the pillow by the bedside before throwing it toward John. John startedughing after dodging her attack. ¡°It was already veryte yesterday, and I was tired, so it would be dangerous to drive back.¡± Sophia refused to believe his excuse and started bringing the pillow down on John. ¡°You shameless man! How could you stay over when we are not in a rtionship anymore? Don¡¯t you know that this might tarnish my image?¡± John initially kept dodging, but after realizing that Sophia wasn¡¯t stopping anytime soon, he reached out to snatch the pillow that she was holding before throwing it to a side. John grabbed Sophia by her wrist. ¡°It¡¯s not like we never stayed together in the past before. Why are you so dramatic?¡± ¡°How is that the same?¡± Sophia was so pissed off she stomped her feet. ¡°John, I really didn¡¯t expect you to be this shameless. You¡¯re a vile person!¡± However, John increased his force and pulled Sophia into his embrace. ¡°Am I really that shameless?¡± John asked as he grinned, causing Sophia¡¯s eyes to widen in anger. ¡°Of course you are! Do you really think that you¡­¡± Before she could finish, John suddenly grabbed her head and kissed her. His movement was slightly rough, leaving Sophia with no chance to defend herself. Sophia¡¯s eyes widened so much it looked like it was about to fall. Although she tried to push John away and step on his feet, he didn¡¯t budge at all. John locked Sophia in his embrace, and he took a few steps to the side of the bed. Then, he pushed her toward the bed before pinning her on it. John was still conscious enough to support himself with both his hands so that his body was lifted and his weight wouldn¡¯t crush Sophia. Pushing against his chest with both hands, she looked at him with alertness. ¡°What are you trying to do?! Get up!¡± The corner of John¡¯s lips lifted as he smirked seductively. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I¡¯m shameless? Let me show you what¡¯s the true definition of shameless, then.¡± Sophia supported herself and tried to get up. ¡°Move away.¡± However, John raised his hand and brought it down on Sophia¡¯s shoulder before pushing her back onto the bed. ¡°Sophia, I feel like it¡¯s inappropriate for me to stay over right now, so why don¡¯t we rationalize it?¡± Faced with the man¡¯s obscured reasoning, Sophia frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Smiling, he attempted to rationalize the situation by suggesting, ¡°Why don¡¯t we restore our marriage? Look at it this way, once we remarry¡­¡± ¡°Leave. John, you better leave now before I lose control of myself and beat you to death.¡± Sophia¡¯s facial expression became stern. However, John just stared at her before he started leaning toward her slowly. Both of their noses were pressed against each other as their breaths intertwined. Sophia could feel herself sweating bullets, yet she didn¡¯t dare to say anything as she was afraid that she might identally kiss John if she moved around too much. After staring at Sophia for a moment, John suddenly leaned in to give her a peck before he loosened his grip on her and stood up. Right then, Sophia was stunned before she came back to her senses and cursed, ¡°You a*shole.¡± However, her voice had already lost its edge from just now and sounded slightly awkward. It took a while before Sophia finally came back to her senses as she sat up and tidied her hair. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 530 Chapter 530 John nced at Sophia. Thinking of what he had proposed just now, he too suddenly felt that it wasn¡¯t a good idea. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. After all, he was the one who had brought up the divorce in the first ce. But now, he had proposed for a remarriage. No matter how he looked at it, it was as if he treated marriage as child¡¯s y. After a long while, John said, ¡°I was thoughtless.¡± Sophia took a deep breath. ¡°Get dressed and leave. I don¡¯t really want to see you right now.¡± John knew that Sophia was feeling ufortable, so he didn¡¯t try to exin anymore and simply put on his clothes before leaving. Sophia sat on the bed for a long time before mming a fist on the edge of the bed. This b*stard! He really dares to say just about anything, doesn¡¯t he? After John left, he drove directly to thepany and returned to the office. Sitting in the office, he was slightly dazed by the turn of events. It was not a deliberate act; he had brought up the idea of remarriage purely by ident. But now that he thought about it, it wasn¡¯t a bad idea at all if they remarried. In fact, he was filled with anticipation. John leaned back in his chair and stared off into space for a long time. But Sophia wouldn¡¯t easily agree to it, would she? After all, I¡¯ve really owed her a lot in the past. After a busy morning, John went out for dinner with Zack at noon after work. As they walked into the lobby, they saw Isabelle, who had probably waited for quite a while. Seeing Johning over, she got up from the sofa. Stunned, he walked toward her and asked, ¡°Anything important?¡± Hearing his question, Isabelle smiled. ¡°Nothing very important, but Mrs. Constance has been calling me rather often recently¡­¡± She didn¡¯t finish her sentence because she thought that John would get it right away. Indeed, John¡¯s face fell upon learning about what his mother was up to. ¡°You needn¡¯t bother about this matter. Next time my mother calls you, just ignore it.¡± Isabelle seemed anxious. ¡°But after all, Mrs. Constance has¡­¡± ¡°No ¡®buts.¡¯ We¡¯re adults now, so we need to be responsible for what we¡¯ve done.¡± With that, John looked at the time and added, ¡°Well, I¡¯m gonna go have lunch now.¡± Understanding the situation, Isabelle nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you around any longer then.¡± John and Isabelle walked out of Constance Group together. At the entrance, John and Zack got into a car, while Isabelle got into hers, and they went their separate ways. Matilda was actually waiting in the caf¨¦ opposite Constance Group. After the two cars had driven out of sight, she picked up the phone and called Isabelle. The younger woman connected the call. Her voice was no different from before as she asked, ¡°Mrs. Constance, is something the matter?¡± Matilda pretended that she didn¡¯t know anything and just smiled. ¡°Nothing. I just wanna ask what you¡¯ve been up to.¡± Trying to avoid the topic of meeting up, Isabelle replied, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m at thepany. I¡¯ve been swamped lately without any free time. I just thought that we should meet up and have lunch together when I have time. But I haven¡¯t found an opportunity yet.¡± Matilda pursed her mouth. ¡°I see.¡± Isabelleughed. ¡°Did you see those things on the Inte? I think the matter is dying down soon. Everything will be fine after a while.¡± It took a long time for Matilda to reply, ¡°Yeah, I suppose so.¡± After saying this, she thought for a while and continued, ¡°Have you been in contact with John recently? John is mad at me right now. He hasn¡¯t answered my phone nor visited me. I wonder if you can help me invite him out because I have something to say to him.¡± Isabelle gave a muffled ¡®Oh¡¯ before falling silent. Matilda added, ¡°You two will definitely be in contact during work, so you should see him around. Just tell him that you¡¯ve got something to talk to him about. Help me invite him out, okay?¡± Isabelle pursed her lips as she drove without answering right away. What she had in her mind was simple enough. Matilda and William had such a bad fallout that it seemed impossible for them to get back together now. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 531 Chapter 531 Rumors had it that there was someone whom William used to like at the hospital now, so it was even more impossible for Matilda and William to make up. Considering Matilda¡¯s weak character, even an average woman would do better than her. Now that there was someone else around her ex-husband, it was even more unlikely for her to be considered. Since Isabelle wanted to persuade the Constance Family to ept herself, she naturally did not wish to offend William. Just now, she had tested John, and the man pretty much repulsed the topic regarding his mother. It¡¯s evident that Matilda couldn¡¯t even hold on to her son¡¯s heart now. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t get too close to Matilda at this critical time since William and John would be annoyed by that. Matilda had finished talking and was waiting for Isabelle¡¯s answer. Isabelle sighed and said, ¡°Mrs. Constance, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t wish to help you. The truth is that I don¡¯t have many opportunities to meet up with John now. After we set him up twice previously, he¡¯s now rather disgusted and will certainly not agree if I invite him out. Sometimes when I call or text him, he wouldn¡¯t even respond. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m able to help you much.¡± Matilda went so quiet on the other side of the phone that one could hear a pin drop. Isabelle then pretended to be torn and suggested, ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll try to text and call John whenever I can, alright? If it works, great, but if it doesn¡¯t work, please don¡¯t me me.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Matilda asked after a pause, ¡°Don¡¯t you and John see each other much now?¡± Isabelle replied, ¡°Yeah, our rtionship has been a little tricky and controversial all along. Now that John is trying to avoid arousing suspicion, both of us have not seen each other for a long time.¡± At this, Matildaughed aloud, causing Isabelle to feel baffled. Afterughing, Matilda answered, ¡°Well, fine then. So be it. I will think of a solution myself.¡± Matilda then hung up at once, after which Isabelle threw the phone onto the passenger seat beside her. Her face was cold and expressionless. After Matilda hung up, she stood still and thought for a while before chuckling. Walking out of the caf¨¦ with her bag, she stared at the office building of the Constance Group for a long time. In the end, she reached out a hand and hailed a cab. Matilda had nowhere to go, so she asked the cabbie to drive around Wharf Avenue for a while before finally telling him to head to Sophia¡¯s shop. Sophia and Robin were very busy. Logan had ced a bulk order today, and the two were in the midst of preparing and packing the huge quantity of goods. Matilda entered the shop with a long face. When Sophia saw her, she stared at the older woman with surprise written all over her face before she questioned, ¡°Why are you here? Have youe to smash the shop?¡± Faced with such direct questions, Matilda snorted. ¡°Even if I smashed your lousy shop, I could afford to compensate.¡± Lowering her head, Sophia continued to be busy but said, ¡°If you really smash the shop, I must thank you. But I don¡¯t want yourpensation. Instead, I want you to go and squat inside the jail for a few days. Perhaps you¡¯ll be a better woman when youe out.¡± Matilda red at her. ¡°Sophia, you¡¯re really impudent now, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sophiaughed as she mocked, ¡°I was impudent in the past too. Don¡¯t you know that all too well?¡± Gritting her teeth, Matilda stood there for a long time, then turned to sit by the window. Sophia was a little astonished, for she thought that this woman would be infuriated and m the door as she left. To her surprise, Matilda didn¡¯t leave but sat down in the shop instead. Robin mused for a bit, then went over and asked Matilda if she needed anything. Although Matilda didn¡¯t need anything as she had eaten in the caf¨¦ just now, she knew that the bad- tempered Sophia would ridicule her if she sat there without ordering anything. So, she ordered something to eat and drink. However, Sophia was so busy that she had no time to bother about Matilda at all. She called Robin over to count the stock and then check the variousbinations possible. In her seat, Matilda turned her head and looked outside, feeling very ufortable in her heart. She didn¡¯t believe that Isabelle would brush her off like that. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 532 Chapter 532 In the past, Matilda had given Isabelle her all. She obviously knew that John would be upset with her if she tried to matchmake him and Isabelle, but she still did it anyway. But now, when something happened to her, Isabelle had refused to help at all. Matilda felt a little sad, but she was still making excuses for Isabelle in her heart. After all, John had always rejected Isabelle¡¯s advances, and Matilda knew this much. Hence, she could understand Isabelle not wanting to offend John by avoiding her. She had seen Isabelle go to the Constance Group just now and meet up with John, most likely to mention her matters. It was probably due to her failure to get a positive response from John that she had brushed me off on the phone like that. With Zack beside John, Isabelle might have found it hard to mention some things, so it¡¯s only natural if she didn¡¯t say much. Matilda thought up a lot of excuses to exin away Isabelle¡¯s actions. The more she thought about it, the better she felt in her heart. Sophia had been busy the entire time. There were some customers at noon, but Robin was in charge of running the shop. Sophia kept on packing up big boxes and carrying things around, looking really serious in her work. After a while, Matilda turned around and looked at Sophia, who was busy. She couldn¡¯t help but start sneering, ¡°It¡¯s clear that your life is filled with nothing but hard work.¡± Since she didn¡¯t lower her voice, Sophia naturally heard it. Sophia didn¡¯t look at Matilda and continued with her work, but she still opened her mouth to say, ¡°You¡¯re right, my life is filled with nothing but hard work. However, I earn my money with my own effort. I know someone who only knows how to rely on her parents when she was younger and her husband after marriage. Now that she¡¯s dumped by her husband, I wonder whom she will rely on next?¡± She turned her head and looked at Robin. ¡°Guess whom she will rely on next?¡± Robin knew that these words were meant for Matilda, so her expression turned a little embarrassing. When she didn¡¯t respond, Sophia continued saying to herself, ¡°I guess she¡¯ll just live on her own fat or just live off her parents when all else fails. After all, there aren¡¯t many men who are willing to support a spoilt and narcissistic old woman who stays at home doing nothing!¡± Matilda stood up quickly. ¡°Sophia!¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia still refused to look at her ex-mother-inw, after which she chuckled and said, ¡°If you¡¯re done eating, pay up and get lost now. Actually, I didn¡¯t even want to do your business. I just pitied you.¡± Matilda¡¯s eyes widened in anger. Rushing up toward Sophia, she snarled, ¡°Say that again! Who the hell are you pitying?¡± There was arge mirror near the entrance of the shop. Therefore, Sophia pointed at it and said, ¡°Take a look at yourself in the mirror. Look at your own long face, and you¡¯ll know who I¡¯m talking about.¡± Of course, Matilda wasn¡¯t that obedient to actually look at herself in the mirror. All she did was grit her teeth and re at Sophia hatefully. Regardless of whether they were arguing or fighting, she could never match up to Sophia. Knowing that, Matilda could only stand there and huff in annoyance. Sophia ced her things down gracefully before looking back at Matilda. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have any money to pay the bill? That¡¯s fine. I can treat you to this meal if you like.¡± Matilda was so enraged that she couldn¡¯t speak. She took out her purse, peeled a bill from it, and pped it onto the counter. ¡°Keep the change as your reward.¡± Sophia looked at Robin. ¡°Keep it. The rest will be your tips. After all, soon Madam Flintstone will no longer be able to afford to be so generous. So, keep it.¡± Sophia¡¯s behavior was really annoying to Matilda, who stood rooted to the spot for a long time before finally waving a hand and leaving. Looking at Matilda¡¯s incensed expression, Sophia felt amused. She doesn¡¯t even realize her current situation right now, yet she came to challenge me. If she has so much free time, she should think about what she can do to turn her shitty reputation around. Robin kept the money and then came to help Sophia tidy up. ¡°That Mrs. Constance looks a little scary.¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°What Mrs. Constance? It¡¯s Madam Flintstone now. She doesn¡¯t have anything to do with the Constance Family now.¡± Robin smiled and looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re so petty. It¡¯s just a form of address, so why do you care so much?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 533 Chapter 533 Having said this, Robin sighed. ¡°If she¡¯s so difficult to get along with, John must be very tired of interacting with her.¡± Sophia was taken aback as she turned to look at Robin. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Seeing Sophia staring at her, Robin quickly smiled and waved her hand, ¡°I was just bbering. I just thought about it and blurted something out.¡± Sophia thought for a while, but she quickly dismissed her thoughts as impossible and withdrew her gaze. ¡°Do you think John will be tired?¡± Robin lowered her head and continued to work. ¡°It was just a guess. I don¡¯t really know Mr. Constance and only met him a few times with you. But since Madam Flintstone is so difficult to get along with, I suppose she won¡¯t have a good temper at home anyway. So, I think he¡¯ll feel tired of having to face her at home.¡± Sophia smiled and said in a low voice, ¡°Is that so?¡± She didn¡¯t say much on the topic but simply took a minute¡¯s break before continuing with her busy work. In the afternoon, Logan came over. Logan hadn¡¯t been here for several days, so he was so excited that he jumped up and down. Already used to his antics, Sophia nced at him andmented, ¡°Have you found yourself a wife? Why are you so happy?¡± Logan snorted a little. ¡°Even if I¡¯ve found myself a wife, she¡¯s the one who should be happy, not me.¡± With that, he leaned over and told Sophia, ¡°I just met my sister Lorraine, and we talked about Ian¡¯s talent show. Lorraine said that they had made arrangements, and we¡¯ll be able to see him soon.¡± Sophia was taken aback. ¡°Really? Did Lorraine tell you whether there¡¯s any guarantee for Ian to advance in the show?¡± Hearing her friend¡¯s question, Logan replied, ¡°Well, there are some strongpetitors in this batch. But now that Ian has undergone training, his performance isn¡¯t half bad. I think he can be just as good as those people.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I hope he can perform well.¡± Smiling, Logan said, ¡°Lorraine said that Ian has been talking about you nonstop over there. When I heard that, I was a little unhappy! Why doesn¡¯t he talk more about me? After all, we¡¯ve known each other for longer.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t feel like listening to himining, so she quickly changed the subject. ¡°What¡¯s going on with the Morgan Family? Have you observed anything?¡± When Logan heard this, he became excited. ¡°Ah, the Morgan Family. I was just about to tell you about them. Simon Morgan has been discharged from the hospital, but he hasn¡¯t been to thepany. He is recuperating at home. Leah has been extremely distressed about his condition and wanted him to stay home and recuperate properly.¡± Naturally, Simon couldn¡¯t hold back from going out. Although he was no different from being hemiplegic now, he could still manage to have fun outside. A few days ago, he had gone out for a drink with his friends but was brought home on Sean¡¯s orders. Bryce was so annoyed that he hit Simon several times with his cane. But Simon didn¡¯t feel that he had made any serious mistakes. After all, he already had all his ster removed, and the doctor even said that everything would be fine as long as he recuperated well. Bryce was angry because the ident had happened when Simon was out for a drink. Now that the injury had yet to healpletely, he had gone out for a drink again without a thought. Since both their opinions shed, it was inevitable that a dispute would break out. Because Simon wasn¡¯t working at thepany now, Bryce spoke directly about how undisciplined Simon was and how he didn¡¯t reflect on his actions, so thepany wouldn¡¯t dare to use him either. Thus, Bryce made him stay at home indefinitely and hand thepany matters to someone else. This pretty much meant that he was firing Simon from thepany. Although there was room for reconsideration, it was almost impossible for someone like Simon to ever reflect and improve on himself. Naturally, Simon didn¡¯t want to be kicked out of thepany just like that, so he squabbled with Bryce and Leah, causing a huge pandemonium in the family. After recounting this story, Logan was exhrated and said that he would be joyful for every day that his subordinates report about how much conflict the Morgan Family was experiencing. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 534 Chapter 534 When Sophia heard all this from Logan, she alsoughed. If Ian could work hard to achieve great results, it went without saying that the entire Morgan Family would feel even more ufortable. Logan leaned against the counter. ¡°I contacted John a few days ago and talked about the Morgan Family. He provided me with a lot of information, and I feel that I can go up against them without much issue.¡± When John was mentioned, Sophia pursed her lips and didn¡¯t say anything. If John is a normal guy, I suppose it would be okay to contact each other once in a while. However, he¡¯s only normal at certain times. Sometimes, he behaves normally and doesn¡¯t drag things out. But other times, he behaves really weirdly. For example, Sophia didn¡¯t quite understand why he had to stay overnight at her own home. John didn¡¯t drink, and it was still quite early, so it was rather inappropriate for him to stay over. Logan didn¡¯t know what happened between John and Sophia, so he continued saying, ¡°To be honest, the Morgan Family back then could do some pretty nasty things, but John had never cared about them. After all, they don¡¯t have much to do with him. Like now, no matter how the Morgan Family falls, it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with him. But when he was making suggestions to my ns, it¡¯s obvious that he wants me to torture and destroy the Morgan Family as slowly and cruelly as I can. I think that he still holds a grudge about your injuryst time at the Morgan Residence.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Who knows? Perhaps he really has some personal grudges with the Morgan Family. In the business world,plicated interests are involved. Who knows if the Morgan Family has done something that may have indirectly hurt John¡¯s interests?¡± Logan thought for a bit before shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. If the Morgan Family truly did something that poses a threat to the Constance Group¡¯s interests, I¡¯m sure John will make a move himself in a very obvious way. You know what he¡¯s like. If he finds the right reason to openly act against someone, he wouldn¡¯t be willing to secretly stab them in the back like this. This much I know about him.¡± Sophia looked at Logan, who looked a little serious at the moment. It was rare for Young Master Logan to look so serious. He didn¡¯t look like he was gossiping, but he was actually analyzing the matter instead. Seeing how serious her friend looks, Sophia smiled. ¡°If I don¡¯t know you well, I would¡¯ve really suspected that you¡¯re finding excuses to put in a good word for John.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. ¡°Put in a good word for him? No, no, I¡¯m really not doing that. My rtionship with John is not as good as my rtionship with you.¡± Logan grinned. Nodding, Sophia said nothing. Logan turned around and sprawled over the counter casually. ¡°So, what I don¡¯t understand is why did the two of you get a divorce? Was it because you no longer liked John?¡± Seeing how John was behaving now, it was clear no matter how one looked at it that he hadn¡¯t let go of his feelings for Sophia. Both of them had allegedly said that they couldn¡¯t get along well. Due to too many disagreements with each other, they had intended to get an amicable divorce. Now that they were divorced, it seemed that things weren¡¯t that amicable either. At the very least, one party hadn¡¯t let go of his feelings yet. Sophia chuckled but did not exin, for she didn¡¯t wish to talk about the things that happened between her and John. After all, the story was long and ugly, and she might lose her patience before she was done telling it. Logan was lost in his thoughts for a moment before he said, ¡°Well, I suppose John isn¡¯t good with women. Men like him only rely on their good looks, and good looks only work for so long before women get tired of seeing the same face every day. To make a marriage work, one¡¯s character is very important. I guess John really doesn¡¯t have much good character in him.¡± Sophia looked at Logan with some disgust. How dare this single guy who doesn¡¯t even have a girlfriend stand here and analyze what it takes to have asting marriage with me? Logan hade to take away all the items he had ordered. Tonight, someone had booked the entire clubhouse and had ordered all these desserts. When Logan was about to leave, he looked at Sophia and said, ¡°Although John isn¡¯t romantic nor good with women, he is very reliable. If you¡¯re together with him, you should feel very secure.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 535 Chapter 535 Sophia pursed her lips. ¡°Are you sure?¡± I didn¡¯t feel secure in the slightest. John hadn¡¯t given me anything during the marriage thatsted less than one year. Robin waited for Logan to leave beforeing over. ¡°Sophia, why do I feel like you¡¯re repulsed whenever someone brings up Mr. Constance?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t turn her head but continued looking outside. ¡°Do you think John is good?¡± Taken aback, Robinughed sheepishly. ¡°I don¡¯t have much contact with him, so I can¡¯t say whether he is good or not. But I think that he should be a very reliable person.¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°That¡¯s because you aren¡¯t married to him, so you¡¯ve only seen his other side.¡± When you¡¯ve really married him and considered him your husband, you¡¯ll feel differently. The shop was less busy for the rest of the day. In the evening, when the shop closed, Sophia allowed Robin to leave first as she sat inside the shop. To her, there was no difference between being here and being home. Both ces belonged to her after all. Sophia sat by the window, and her mind somewhat empty as she looked off into the distance. She felt fulfilled after such a busy day, but she had only sat for a moment when someone came into the shop. Sophia opened her mouth, wanting to say that the shop was closed for the day, but when she saw the person who came in, she swallowed her words back. It was none other than Isabelle. Sophia felt that she wasn¡¯t here to have a bite. After all, the Bailey Corporation was quite far from here. Right now should be the time when employees get off work, so logically, Isabelle should still be at thepany. It was a little unreasonable for her to come all the way here just to eat something in Sophia¡¯s shop. Sophia simply sat there and didn¡¯t move. After entering, Isabelle stood at the door and first looked at theyout of the shop, and then turned her head to look at Sophia. Smiling, Isabelle asked, ¡°Are you closed?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Yeah, the sign has been put up.¡± Naturally, Isabelle saw the sign as well. Still, she smiled and came to sit down across from Sophia. ¡°I see that you¡¯re living quite the life.¡± Sophia leaned back in her chair, turned her head, and looked outside. ¡°My life has always been pretty good.¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°During your divorce, John gave you so much money. Naturally, you¡¯ll have a good life.¡± Chuckling, Sophia answered, ¡°Apart from during the divorce, John also gave me a lot of money even after the divorce.¡± Isabelle¡¯s lips quirked up as she always did andmented, ¡°I heard that John was the one who got people to renovate this shop.¡± Sophia tutted. ¡°Don¡¯t always say that you¡¯ve heard something. Just say that you found out about it. One should always be more honest.¡± Bursting intoughter, Isabelle said, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, you¡¯re always so straightforward. I can¡¯t even be a little more discreet.¡± Sophia shrugged. ¡°I do have this bad habit. Sorry, I can¡¯t fix it.¡± Sighing, Isabelle said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you the truth. I¡¯ve actually wanted toe over and have a look myself for a long time now, but I have been very busy recently. Now that I finally have time today, I wanted to see what Miss Gwendolyn can do. Looking at this ce, I think it¡¯s pretty good. In fact, it¡¯s better than I expected.¡± Sophia raised her eyebrows. ¡°Oh? Please borate on what you had expected.¡± Isabelle spoke without holding back, ¡°Well, Miss Gwendolyn, I heard that you didn¡¯t receive much education, so I thought that you wouldn¡¯t understand much about business. But when I think about it, I guess that one doesn¡¯t need much professional knowledge to open a shop and sell things. As long as you know how to serve people, you¡¯re good to go. So, it¡¯s normal that you¡¯re doing well here.¡± Laughing, Sophia slowly tapped on the table with a hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest with you. I¡¯m not very good at doing business, but my shop is doing very well. Do you know why? It¡¯s not because I have a high table turnover rate. It¡¯s because I have two major customers.¡± Previous Chapter Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 536 Chapter 536 Turning her head, Sophia looked outside and continued, ¡°Most of the desserts at Logan¡¯s clubhouse are supplied by me. He will only look elsewhere if I really can¡¯t prepare that many. Also, the afternoon tea that the Constance Group¡¯s employees enjoy are all sourced from my shop. In fact, if I simply supply these two ces without actually opening for business, this shop¡¯s profit is already quite substantial.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. The corner of Sophia¡¯s mouth curved up as a rxed expression crossed her face. ¡°I¡¯m opening the business to other customers simply because I¡¯m bored. Actually, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re that much different since we both rely on others for support. The only difference is that you live off your parents, while I rely on men and friends.¡± She deliberately made John¡¯s identity a little ambiguous, then she smiled at Isabelle after she finished speaking. The hidden meaning behind her words was palpable. Isabelle¡¯s expression changed a little before returning to normal again. Puckering her lips, she said, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, I¡¯ve experienced how slick you are with your words before.¡± On the surface, Sophia appeared ttered as her eyes moved to gaze outside again. ¡°Miss Bailey, your attitude surprises me too. I think that you and Madam Flintstone are often simr in many ways. You two should go and do a paternity test. Perhaps the Constance Family had gotten the wrong child in the past.¡± Isabelle didn¡¯t understand what Sophia meant. After Sophia finished speaking, she continued to exin, ¡°Time after time, I¡¯ve made mincemeat of you and Matilda, yet you two seem to have no memory of those times and still choose toe here and self-destruct.¡± Sophia shook her head and added, ¡°Both of you are really alike. Besides, Madam Flintstone really likes you, so you shouldn¡¯t exclude the possibility that you¡¯re both actually biologically rted.¡± In the past, if someone had said that Isabelle and Matilda were very simr to each other, Isabelle might not think too much about it, but things were different now. Matilda¡¯s matter was still a hot topic on the Inte, and her reputation was in tatters online. So, when Sophia said that they were very simr to each other, Isabelle felt that the other woman was being sarcastic and mocking her, making her expression darken at once. As Sophia stared out of the window, the smile at the corner of her mouth became more and more obvious. When John¡¯s car stopped outside of the shop, the first thing he noticed was Sophia smiling. He was a little surprised. After the divorce, she had never shown such a happy expression whenever she saw him again. He got down from the car and strode toward Sophia¡¯s shop. After taking a few steps, he finally saw the person sitting opposite Sophia. It was none other than Isabelle. Startled, John¡¯s expression changed imperceptibly. When Isabelle saw himing their way, a trace of panic shed across her face before she returned to her usualposure. John opened the door and entered. Looking at Isabelle, hemented, ¡°Why are you here, Miss Bailey?¡± Isabelle smiled. ¡°I was passing by, so I came to check it out.¡± John then turned to look at Sophia. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you leave after work? I went to your house and waited for a while at the door.¡± If John had said this before, Sophia would definitely question why he went to her house, but Sophia was delighted at having chanced upon such a perfect situation. So, her tone was amiable as she replied, ¡°I¡¯m just sitting here taking a break. Logan ordered a lot of things for his clubhouse event today, so I¡¯ve been so busy for the whole day and I¡¯m dog-tired.¡± After saying that, Sophia rotated her neck slightly. John went over and stood behind Sophia, then he gently massaged her shoulders. ¡°In the future, don¡¯t allow Logan to order so many things in one go. There¡¯s only Robin to help you out in the shop. You¡¯ll overwork yourself to death.¡± Then, he added with a little annoyance, ¡°That guy Logan should have taken your situation into ount as well.¡± Sophia simply smiled and didn¡¯t refute him. Meanwhile, Isabelle¡¯s expression did not change as she watched John and Sophia. With an unusually calm tone, shemented, ¡°Oh, you two. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would never have thought that both of you are divorced with each other.¡± Sophia stared at her. I¡¯ve really got to give it to her. No matter how furious she feels inside, she isn¡¯t showing any signs of it on her face at all. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 537 Chapter 537 If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold it in. John sighed. ¡°Yeah. I was initially thinking of remarrying her before people found out about it to prevent so many things from happening, but Miss Gwendolyn disagreed and insisted on kicking me away.¡± He said it jokingly, so Isabelle reallyughed and considered it a joke. Sophia thought that Isabelle herself was much funnier than this joke, so she onlyughed after Isabelle finishedughing. It was very sudden and the timing of theugh was weird. However, Isabelle only looked at Sophia and was not affected at all. Even now, she could still hold her ground as shemented, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn looks very pretty, so I¡¯m sure she is really likable.¡± Sophia raised her eyebrow. ¡°Naturally, I also think that I¡¯m quite likable.¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°I think Young Master Jefferson and Miss Gwendolyn have a pretty good rtionship. And there¡¯s Young Master Ian as well. These two aren¡¯t very easygoing with outsiders, yet they behave differently when they interact with Miss Gwendolyn.¡± John stared at Isabelle, then looked down at Sophia. Chuckling, Sophia replied, ¡°I suppose so. But after interacting with them for some time, it¡¯s clear that they have very good judgement of people and they are young men with good morals.¡± Since Isabelle has implied that I have a controversial rtionship with Logan, I can also mock her in turn. After all, Logan and Ian both didn¡¯t like Isabelle to the extent that they couldn¡¯t be bothered to be polite to her, which showed how bad Isabelle¡¯s character was. Curving her lips, Isabelle did not respond. This wasn¡¯t the first time Sophia had won in a war of words anyway. Thinking for a while, John massaged Sophia¡¯s shoulders and said, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go home now. There isn¡¯t anything to do here anyway.¡± Sophia agreed with John¡¯s words, so she said, ¡°All right, let¡¯s go home.¡± A trace of happiness shed past John¡¯s eyes. Since Sophia and John were going to leave, Isabelle naturally couldn¡¯t stay here. So, she also stood up and said goodbye to them. After she left, Sophia snorted, which John heard loud and clear. He turned his head to look at Sophia, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting into a grin. As the two returned home from the shop, John didn¡¯t ask Sophia what Isabelle had said to her just now. It was as if he had forgotten about that woman as he drove Sophia home. When they reached their destination, Sophia opened the door and got off, then said her goodbye. John stopped her. ¡°What do you mean by this? Aren¡¯t you gonna invite me in?¡± Turning around, Sophia faced him. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, so you should go home for dinner. I won¡¯t ask you to stay.¡± John opened the door and got out of the car. ¡°You weren¡¯t like this back in the shop just now.¡± Just now? That was a show I put on for Isabelle. Now that she¡¯s not there, who am I putting on an act for? Ignoring Sophia¡¯s reaction, John walked past her and into the house. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve eaten the food you cook.¡± This meant that he wanted to have dinner here before leaving. Sophia stood there for a long time with her lips pursed, then she turned and entered the living room. Familiar with the ce, John sat down on the sofa and switched on the TV, while Sophia put on her apron and went into the kitchen to cook. Although John stared at the TV, he wasn¡¯t actually watching the movie on it. His attention was mostly fixated on the kitchen, where the sounds of vegetables being chopped and the water running rang and reverberated in his ears. After a while, John couldn¡¯t help but get up and walk toward the kitchen. Sophia¡¯s hair was tied up into a bun. Also, she wore a pastel-colored apron and her head was lowered as she prepared the ingredients very seriously. Upon seeing her like this, John¡¯s heart constricted for a moment before he entered and wrapped his arms around her. ¡°I think the two of us are great together like this. Won¡¯t you consider getting back? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. together with me again?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 538 Chapter 538 The movements of Sophia¡¯s hands paused at John¡¯s words. After staring at the ingredients on the cutting board for a long while, she finally said, ¡°Let go of me.¡± However, John was a little bolder on this day and refused to let go. ¡°Sophia, I find that I¡¯m really not used to you not being with me.¡± Sophia pressed her lips together. ¡°You¡¯re just unustomed to not having someone around to serve you. If you really want someone to apany you, I think Isabelle is a good choice. You may try to date her. Perhaps you¡¯ll find that she suits you better than I do.¡± John let out a dullugh before asking, ¡°Really?¡± Sophia twisted her body, flinging John ¡®s hand around her waist away. ¡°Of course. If you don¡¯t believe it, you can try it and see.¡± John stood beside Sophia, watching her cut the vegetables. ¡°I guess your proposal is worth considering.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t speak any more and started busying in the kitchen. Then, John left and went out to sit on the sofa. Facing the kitchen, his mouth twitched slightly. Isabelle? I guess I can consider her. Soon, Sophia was done with cooking. She had made the meal into a very formal three-course dinner, making John smack his lips at the dinner table. ¡°It looks great. Better than what the chef makes back at the Constance Residence.¡± Sophia served him the food and said, ¡°Just leave after dinner.¡± John didn¡¯t mind Sophia¡¯s attitude toward him and leaned back in his chair casually. None of them spoke throughout the dinner. When Sophia finished her food, John was still eating. She leaned back in her chair and looked at him. It was quite normal for such a good-looking man to attract a lot of women. Thus, it was understandable for Isabelle to be interested in him. However, Sophia felt that the other woman was a little obsessive with John. It wasn¡¯t as if there were no other fishes in the sea. Why is she still so interested in this man who had been married and divorced? Sophia was a little confused by that. Actually, she had wanted to ask Isabelle back in the shop whether she really loved John, or if she was obsessed about him simply because she couldn¡¯t win him over. But then, Isabelle was also a stubborn one who would probably say some nonsense like ¡®true love conquers all¡¯. Sophia sometimes felt disdainful of Isabelle¡¯s loftiness that she carried with her all the time. We¡¯re all mortals, so no one is better than another. No matter how amazing one was, one would still need to eat, drink and defecate every day, and when one died, only a handful of ashes would be left. John had finished his dinner. Taking a paper towel to wipe his mouth, he nodded and said, ¡°I still prefer the food you make.¡± Sophia crossed her arms. ¡°Even if you prefer it, I can¡¯t make it for you all the time. I¡¯m just in a good mood today. If you¡¯ve finished, leave now. I need my rest.¡± Johnughed. ¡°You weren¡¯t like this to me in the past.¡± That made Sophia chuckle. ¡°Well, you weren¡¯t like this to me back then either.¡± Staring at Sophia, John looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn¡¯t say it. Instead, he stood up and announced, ¡°Okay, since I¡¯ve finished eating, I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t believe him, so she personally escorted him to the door, then watched him go out and get into the car. As John opened the car door, he looked back at Sophia. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely consider your suggestion.¡± Before Sophia could react, John got into the car and closed the door. Watching the car leave, Sophia stood still in confusion. What suggestion? She turned around and entered the house. Closing the door and windows, she then returned to her room. It was only when she was brushing her teeth did she suddenly realize what John meant. Earlier, she had suggested to him that he could try to get together with Isabelle. This jerk! When he said he would consider my suggestion, did he mean this? Previous ChapterContent bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 539 Chapter 539 Sophia looked into the mirror and sneered. Sure, go ahead and try. Do you think I care? In the next few days, John really didn¡¯t show up, while Sophia¡¯s shop was still very busy. The matriarch of the ckwell Family, Kate ckwell, came several times. At first, sheined that Sophia hadn¡¯t visited her, but when she saw that Sophia was really busy, she stopped badgering her. Kate said that Fabian ckwell¡¯s family kept talking about her. Instead of asking Sophia to call them her parents, she just told her, ¡°Your godfather and godmother think about you all the time. Even Fabian brought you up twice, saying that his sister never goes back after thest time you had a meal together.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Sophia didn¡¯t know if what Kate said was true, so she could only smile. ¡°You¡¯ve seen how busy I am yourself. There¡¯s no way I can leave the shop considering how busy it is.¡± Thus, Kate could only nod. ¡°Yes, I can see how busy you are now that I¡¯m here to visit you.¡± Then, she slowly let out a sigh and continued her topic. ¡°Fabian also mentioned that your rtionship with John is very different, and that you two have a special connection. Girl, why haven¡¯t I heard you mention this before?¡± Sophia was taken aback for a moment, wondering if Fabian ckwell was trying to give the old woman a hint about something. Hence, she hesitated and replied, ¡°Well, my rtionship with John isn¡¯t that special. I didn¡¯t feel the need to tell you.¡± Sitting in her chair, Kate looked outside the window. ¡°John, well, I watched him grow up too. But my health hasn¡¯t been well for the past two years, so I¡¯ve not really kept in contact with the Constance Family. John is a good kid though, despite his rather aloof temperament. He is truly a good man.¡± Sophia had noment about that, so she could only nod her head. ¡°Yes, I guess he¡¯s a very good man.¡± Robin nced at Kate and nodded as well. ¡°Mr. Constance looked like a nice guy. He came here a few times before and was very polite.¡± Kate agreed. ¡°That boy has always been really obedient since he was a kid. He followed the path his familyid out for him without any protest, so it is in his nature to be reserved. Oh, by the way, John is married. Haven¡¯t you seen his wife before?¡± At that, the old woman added, ¡°During that banquet, John didn¡¯t bring his wife along. I really wished to see the eldest Young Mistress of the Constance Family.¡± Sophia looked away; she wasn¡¯t sure how to react to that. After all, John had no wife now. He only had an ex-wife, who was standing in front of the old woman right now. Robin too felt a little embarrassed. Turning her head to nce at Sophia, she felt likeughing. However, Kate did not notice their expressions and continued saying, ¡°John should be a really good man. Don¡¯t be tricked by his aloofness; I¡¯m sure he¡¯s someone who really pampers his wife.¡± Sophia almost burst outughing. This olddy really doesn¡¯t hear anything through the grapevine; she only relies on her own subjective judgment in everything. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m the most qualified person to judge whether John is a good husband or not. That jerk was really inhuman back then! The old woman sat there for a while before leaving. She was no longer sprightly, so it was easy for her to feel tired after spending too much time outdoors. Besides, the ckwell Family would worry about her if she was out too long. After the matriarch of the ckwell Family left, Robin was a little emotional as she said, ¡°This grandmother of yours looks like a nice woman. She is pretty good to you.¡± Sophia thought about the Constance Family and how Old Mr. Constance treated her so well that she made a mistake in her judgment and thought that everyone in the family would ept her. But now, look at what happened to me after his passing. The ckwell Family was simr to the Constance Family; the only one who was truly willing to ept her was probably the matriarch of the ckwell Family. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 540 Chapter 540 As for the others, who knew what thoughts they had? Sophia wasn¡¯t stupid; she wouldn¡¯t easily believe those who didn¡¯t show their true feelings this time. After standing there for a while, she then returned to the counter. Now that there were no customers, Robin felt a little bored, so she said, ¡°Mr. Constance hasn¡¯t visited for several days.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Why? Do you miss him?¡± Taken aback, Robin stared at her. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! Why would I miss him? I¡¯m just stating an observation. You¡¯d better not think otherwise.¡± Sophia grinned and replied, ¡°I¡¯m just joking. Why are you so serious?¡± Robin flipped her hair without a word. Speaking of the devil, John drove to the shop in the evening. He didn¡¯t get out of the car but simply tooted the horn twice. Recognizing that it was John¡¯s car at a nce, Robin hurried out. ¡°Mr. Constance, what¡¯s the matter?¡± John lowered the car window and nced into the shop. ¡°Is Sophia inside?¡± Robin was startled for a moment. Then, she looked back before saying, ¡°Are you here to see Sophia?¡± ¡°No.¡± John smiled. Sophia was still standing at the counter. Although she didn¡¯t stare at John, she couldn¡¯t help but notice him from the corner of her eyes. After talking with John for a while, Robin turned around and came back in. She then said to Sophia, ¡°Mr. Constance wants to take away a piece of cake. He said that he¡¯s going to meet a client and he¡¯ll eat it on the way there.¡± Sophia frowned. ¡°What important client is that for him to be in such a hurry without even having time for a meal?¡± Robin shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I felt that Mr. Constance was a little excited when he mentioned the client, so I suppose it should be some bigshot.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t speak further, so Robin helped to pack the cake up and take it out to John, who didn¡¯t even greet Sophia and drove off just like that. Standing at the counter, Sophia didn¡¯t know what she was thinking about. All she knew was that she suddenly felt a little down in the dumps and that everything was meaningless. Even when evening came around and the shop closed for the day, Sophia still felt irritable for no reason in particr. Robin had left first, leaving Sophia to calcte the day¡¯s turnover. After dragging it out for a while, she didn¡¯t hail a cab but chose to slowly walk back home. On the way back, her phone rang. She took it out to have a look and saw that it was from John. However, it had only rang for a few seconds before the other party hung up. It was as if he had identally called her. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. So, Sophia decided to just ignore it. When she got home, it was already dark and she was not in the mood to cook, so she simply ate some leftover pasta from the fridge. Then, she sat on the sofa to watch TV, but it wasn¡¯t long before her mind wandered, and her heart felt like there was a thorn in it. After a while, the phone lying on the coffee table rang again. It was from John once more, but this time, he didn¡¯t hang up immediately. Sophia took the phone over and nced at it, then picked up the call. Her tone was a little cold without her realizing it as she asked, ¡°What do you want?¡± Amidst a noisy background, John¡¯s words were slurred when he spoke. ¡°Sophia,e here.¡± Sophia was taken aback. ¡°Did you drink?¡± John repeated, ¡°Come here.¡± Sophia thought for a while before asking, ¡°Is Zack with you?¡± Silence fell. After some time, John finally answered, ¡°No.¡± Sophia remembered that John had said he was going to meet a client just before evening. Considering the circumstances now, he had probably drunk too much while socializing with the client. However, why did John go over to such a social event by himself? Just as Sophia was trying to decide how to reply to John, the man continued saying, ¡°I¡¯ve tried out what you suggested, but I don¡¯t think it works.¡± After a moment of confusion, Sophia reacted a little faster this time and asked, ¡°What I suggested? Do you mean the matter about Isabelle?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 541 Chapter 541 John mumbled vaguely, ¡°She¡¯s not as good as you.¡± Sophia thought for a while and seemed to understand what was going on. ¡°Are you with Isabelle now?¡± After a long pause, John¡¯s voice slowly came over. ¡°She went to the restroom.¡± Sophia suddenly stood up from the sofa. ¡°Where are you?¡± It was a long time before John gave her an address. From the address, Sophia guessed that it was a small shop. She stood where she was, one hand on her hips, hesitating whether she should or shouldn¡¯t go. It felt a bit inappropriate for her to go since she was no longer his wife, but if she didn¡¯t, and considering John¡¯s drunken state right now, it would be easy for him to make a mistake with Isabelle since thetter had been obsessed about him all this while. So, Sophia said into the phone, ¡°Stay there and don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll be right there. Remember, do not leave that ce.¡± After speaking, Sophia hung up, changed her shoes and went out. Forget it, I¡¯m not gonna worry so much about things. John is now drunk, so I¡¯ll get him away from that ce first. No matter what, if he really wishes to choose Isabelle, he has to be in a sober state to do that. Sophia got in a cab and went directly to the address given by John. It was a small tavern located deep inside an alley. Sophia entered the ce and immediately saw Isabelle and John. He did indeed look drunk as he leaned back in his chair. At the same time, Isabelle had gone over to him and appeared to be helping him up. Sophia simply stood there without moving as she watched them. As if he was asleep, John had his eyes closed. Failing to move him, Isabelle gave up after a few unsessful attempts. She stood beside John and looked down at him. It was this man who had tortured her so much that she couldn¡¯t eat or sleep. It was him who had made her feel restless and flustered time after time. Isabelle whispered, ¡°John, wake up.¡± However, there was no reaction from the man at all. She pursed her lips and then raised a hand to touch his face. Sophia chuckled before walking up to them. ¡°Miss Bailey, what are you doing?¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. As if struck by lightning, Isabelle retracted her hand back at once, but when she saw that it was Sophia, she immediately put on a righteous expression. Sophia nced at John, but the man didn¡¯t react at all. How much has this jerk drunk? Shouldn¡¯t you be vignt when youe out to drink with a member of the opposite sex? Isabelle looked at Sophia. ¡°Why are you here, Miss Gwendolyn?¡± Sophia and John had already divorced, so Isabelle had no need to feel guilty upon seeing the woman before her. Then, Sophia came over, squeezed Isabelle aside, and pushed John with her hands. ¡°Wake up! You called me and told me toe over, yet you¡¯re passed out in a drunken stupor.¡± After shaking John several times, the man slowly came to his senses. He squinted at Sophia, and then smiled. ¡°You came.¡± Impatience was written all over Sophia¡¯s face as she said, ¡°Do you want to go home? If yes,e with me. If not, I¡¯m going to leave first.¡± John hurriedly pulled at Sophia¡¯s hand. ¡°Of course I do. Since you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll go back with you for sure.¡± After saying that, he staggered to his feet, holding onto the table for support. Only then did he notice Isabelle. ¡°Miss Bailey, you¡¯re still around? I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Isabelle stood still without any expression on her face. Meanwhile, Sophia had no choice but to hold out her arm and support John. Without sparing another nce at Isabelle, she took John away. The two of them got into the car and went back to Sophia¡¯s house. Sophia had actually called Zack on the way there and asked him toe over to get John. However, Zack told her that he was out on a date and it wouldn¡¯t be convenient for him to go. Thus, he asked her to look after John, and if it wasn¡¯t possible for her to do so, then she should call the Constance Residence and have someone go over to get him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 542 Chapter 542 After Sophia thought about it, she decided to just let John stay over. Along the way, John seemed to be asleep, but when the cab stopped outside Sophia¡¯s house, he suddenly woke up, opened the door and got off quickly. After Sophia paid the fare and got off, John was already standing at the door. She stared at the man in a somewhat helpless manner. In her life, she was most helpless against drunkards because she knew that she herself behaved terribly when she was drunk, so she had no right to be repulsed by others¡¯ drunken behaviors. After she went over to open the door, John went in at once. He did not stay downstairs but walked up the stairs by himself without a word. Sophia almostughed out loud. Does John think that this is his home? After that, she called out to him twice, but he didn¡¯t respond to her as if he hadn¡¯t heard her at all. In just a moment, he disappeared at the top of the stairs on the second floor. Sighing, Sophia went to the kitchen. Since John would definitely have a hangover the next day, she had to prepare some chicken soup in advance as a hangover cure. Thus, she busied herself in the kitchen downstairs for a while. When she went upstairs, she found that John was already asleep in her bedroom. This guy is acting the same as thest time. He didn¡¯t take off his clothes and justy on the bed like that. Sophia put the chicken soup aside and went up to turn John over. ¡°John, wake up. Drink the chicken soup before going to sleep, otherwise you¡¯ll have a headache tomorrow.¡± John slowly turned around andy t on the bed. Squinting up at her, he called, ¡°Sophia.¡± Sophia turned around to get the bowl of chicken soup. However, John pulled her hand with a sudden force without any warning, causing her to fall directly on his body. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Sophia was so shocked that she hurriedly pushed against John¡¯s chest. ¡°John, are you crazy?¡± John¡¯s eyes were a little red as he looked at Sophia without saying a word. His expression looked a little passionate. Seeing that, Sophia took a deep breath and said, ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll get you the chicken soup.¡± She struggled to stand up and brought the chicken soup over. By then, John had already sat up. He was very obliging as he drank all the chicken soup without needing Sophia to coax him at all. When he finished, Sophia took the bowl and turned to leave with it. However, John grabbed Sophia¡¯s hand, stared at her, and called out again, ¡°Sophia.¡± Sophia nodded at him. ¡°You had dinner with Isabelle today, right? Are you happy?¡± John let out a muffledugh. Then, he suddenly flipped over and pinned Sophia on the bed. Grabbing the bowl tightly in her hand, Sophia eximed, ¡°What are you doing? Get away! The bowl is going to fall!¡± John took the bowl over from her hand and threw it to the floor. As the floor was carpeted, the bowl didn¡¯t shatter but only nged dully as it hit the floor. Sophia red at him angrily. Although John still smelled like alcohol, he looked sober enough. John¡¯s mouth twitched as he asked, ¡°Sophia, are you jealous?¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°Are you really this narcissistic? Why should I be jealous? Are you crazy, or am I?¡± Her words were venomous, but John had expected her to say such things, so he blocked her mouth directly with his lips and prevented her from speaking at all. Sophia¡¯s eyes bulged. Again! He¡¯s doing this again! She pushed John hard, but this time, he was different from before and acted rather unrestrainedly. Hence, Sophia couldn¡¯t protect herself with just her hands. As their limbs tangled with each other, the two of them rolled onto the floor. The situation was more than a little chaotic. Sophia¡¯s brain couldn¡¯t process what was happening, so she looked up at the ceiling and said hoarsely, ¡°You smell of alcohol all over.¡± Hearing this, Johnughed aloud and without any dy, he carried her in his arms and strode into the bathroom. In her daze, some scenes shed through Sophia¡¯s mind without any warning. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 543 Chapter 543 The scenes weren¡¯t from that time back in Tri Asel; they were from the previous time they were here. In a trance-like state, she asked John, ¡°The previous time we were here¡­¡± John quickly blocked her mouth again. The previous time was a bit too wanton and he couldn¡¯t have her remember it. After all, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold her down if she blew up in a rage. However, Sophia was mindful of her situation. She was a single woman anyway, so this kind of situation was understandable. They were simply fulfilling each other¡¯s physical needs. It was just that if Isabelle knew that John was staying over at Sophia¡¯s ce and was doing all these things with her, the former would probably be hopping mad. Sophia admitted that she was a narrow- minded and selfish woman. Just the thought of Isabelle touching John¡¯s face made her upset. John was a little surprised that Sophia would be so cooperative with the way things were going. Ever since the divorce, this woman had always been hesitant. Sophia put her arms around John¡¯s neck and said, ¡°Are you happy about the dinner today?¡± Lowering his head, John kissed her. ¡°Looks like you really are jealous.¡± Sophia chuckled without any emotion. ¡°I¡¯m jealous? Dream on.¡± John didn¡¯t want to pester her too much on this issue. The night was too short, so it was better to focus on more meaningful things. Then, Sophia reached out and turned the lights off. The moonlight streaming in from the window was bright enough for John and Sophia to see each other clearly. Sophiamented, ¡°You drank so much today. Did you n to have sex with Isabelle after taking courage from the alcohol?¡± John replied, ¡°I obviously nned to be with you right from the beginning.¡± ¡°Are you ying me for a fool?¡± John leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, ¡°Look at us; we¡¯re a match made in heaven. Are you sure you won¡¯t reconsider my proposal?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t answer, so John added, ¡°Let¡¯s remarry, okay?¡± Still, Sophia chose to ignore him. Remarry? What is he even thinking? N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. In the end, she didn¡¯t even remember when she fell asleep. Her fatigue caused her to sleep until noon the next day. When she woke up, John was no longer in bed. She looked at the time and was shocked. Sitting up quickly, she fumbled for her phone and called Robin. Since the shop was always busy, Robin must have beenpletely rattled by the amount of work she had to handle alone. It took Robin a long time to answer the call. ¡°Sophia.¡± She sounded a little glum. Sophia felt a little embarrassed as she apologized. ¡°Sorry, I overslept today. You must be frazzled having to do everything by yourself in the shop this morning.¡± ¡°No,¡± Robin replied. ¡°John called me in the morning and said that you¡¯re too tired and won¡¯t being today. He got Zack toe over to help, so I¡¯m doing okay.¡± Sophia was taken aback. ¡°John called you?¡± It took a long time for Robin to say yes. Sophia gritted her teeth in annoyance, but she still maintained herposure and asked Robin, ¡°What nonsense did John say to you?¡± Robin was at a loss for words. Earlier in the morning, John had called her using Sophia¡¯s phone. He said that Sophia was exhausted and might not go to the shop on this day, so he would arrange for someone to go over and help out at the shop. Then, he had added that it was all his fault for tormenting Sophiast night and forgetting that she had work the next day. In fact, there was no real need for him to tell Robin that. When thetter heard it, she had turned crimson red from utter awkwardness. But of course, Robin could not tell Sophia any of this. She simplyughed and said, ¡°He didn¡¯t say much. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Sophia ruffled her hair, then lifted the duvet and looked at her own body. I knew it. This jerk likes to bite! Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 544 Chapter 544 There were so many marks on Sophia¡¯s body. She closed her eyes and said, ¡°Okay, I see. Continue with your work. I¡¯ll see if I can go over this afternoon.¡± Robin then hung up the phone. Sophia held some clothes close to herself to cover her body before going to the bathroom and taking a good look in the mirror. Sure enough, her neck and corbone were full of love bites. John is like a dog that likes to chew on things! Sophia stood in front of the mirror for a long time. After counting the dates, she felt that she should be safe since her menstrual cycles had always been quite regr. She didn¡¯t wish to take any contraceptives or morning-after pills because she felt that they would do damage to her body, so she decided that it was a safe period and stopped thinking about it. After soaking in the bathtub for a while, Sophia dressed herself to go out. When she came downstairs, she found John in the living room. Startled, she thought for a bit and only realized that it was a Saturday. Ever since she opened her own business, she no longer knew the days of the week. John stood at the entrance of the living room, making a call. From his expression, it looked like it was about somepany matters. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Sophia slowly walked down the stairs. To be honest, she didn¡¯t know how to face John. Previously, she had always been reserved and distant around the man, but she had been quite enthusiasticst night. This made her a little bit embarrassed. Hearing the noise, John turned around and saw Sophia. Smiling, he said, ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Sophia tried her best to make herself appear normal. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m awake. Have you eaten yet?¡± John shook his head. ¡°I was waiting for you to get up. Let¡¯s go out to eat.¡± Since she was still feeling rather lethargic, she too didn¡¯t feel like cooking. Her body still felt a little weak, so she nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m ready. Let¡¯s go!¡± The two of them did not go too far since John did not drive his car over. So, they walked to the restaurant near Sophia¡¯s house. Sophiazily stretched her body as she walked. As if dissatisfied with her slow speed, John reached out to drag her along. Sophia reluctantly quickened her pace to match his. Meanwhile, sitting inside another car, Isabelle stared at the scene going on outside. She had been here sincest night and was outside Sophia¡¯s house. So, she knew that John never left for the entire night. Early this morning, she came back again and just saw them after waiting for a long time. John stayed overst night. It was evident what had happened between these two peoplest night. Sophia was also wearing thece dress from before. Isabelle closed her eyes and leaned against the back of the chair. Actually, she had guessed that this would happen, but for some reason, she had to personallye and take a look. In the end, she was simply setting herself up for disappointment. Unfortunately, Sophia had no idea that Isabelle was here, or she would have put on a good show. She and John soon arrived at the restaurant. There, he ordered the food, while she ordered the drinks. I¡¯m really hungry and thirsty now! she thought. John stared at Sophia and noticed the marks on her neck. It was a deliberate act when he tormented her like thatst night. With a yawn, Sophia said, ¡°After the meal, I¡¯ll go to the shop. You should leave too.¡± John smiled. ¡°Are you sure you can go to the shop looking like this?¡± Stunned, Sophia realized that John was staring at her neck, so she hurriedly clutched at it. ¡°You¡¯re the one who did this. How dare you bring it up?¡± With a gentle expression, John replied, ¡°So, I suggest that you go home and rest for a while. I¡¯ll go and check out the shop. Zack¡¯s there, so you have nothing to worry about.¡± Sophia said coldly, ¡°This kind act of yours is proof of your guilty conscience.¡± Laughing, John answered cheerfully, ¡°Yeah, I feel guilty. I was too rough with youst night, so it¡¯s all my fault.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 545 Chapter 545 Sophia didn¡¯t want to listen to what happenedst night, so she quickly stopped him. ¡°What happened isn¡¯t reflective of my true feelings. The atmosphere was pretty good at that time, so I just went along with it. There¡¯s no further meaning to it. After eating, you should just go do what you have to do. Don¡¯t you have somepany matters to handle? Go ahead and deal with it. I don¡¯t need you to take care of my shop.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. It was clear that Sophia was subtly rejecting him again. John wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he decided not to. Considering how Sophia had finally relentedst night, he couldn¡¯t be too pushy about things either. Thus, he nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± After the meal, they left the restaurant together. Sophia strolled back home first, while John did not follow her but attempted to hail a cab by the roadside. Seeing this, Isabelle drove past him at once. She parked the car next to John and lowered the window. ¡°John, what a coincidence.¡± John was stunned to see her, but he just nodded. ¡°Yeah, fancy meeting you here.¡± Isabelle pretended to know nothing. ¡°What¡¯s up? Are you hailing a cab? I can give you a ride.¡± However, John didn¡¯t get into the car right away. Instead, he merely looked at her. ¡°Are you going to meet a client?¡± ¡°No.¡± Isabelleughed and exined, ¡°My brother has a ss, so I sent him there.¡± John nodded. Looking around him, he realized that there weren¡¯t many cabs on the road at this hour. So, he got into the backseat of the car. ¡°I¡¯ll sit at the back. It wouldn¡¯t be good if we¡¯re photographed sitting together in front.¡± Isabelle looked like she had only just thought of this andmented, ¡°You¡¯re the thoughtful one.¡± Then, she started driving away. As the car traveled along the road, she asked, ¡°Are you going to the company or the Constance Residence?¡± John turned around and looked out the window. ¡°Go to Sophia¡¯s shop. She¡¯s not going over today, so I¡¯ll check out the situation and maybe help out.¡± Isabelle pursed her lips when she heard this. After a brief pause, she said, ¡°Oh. Is Miss Gwendolyn not feeling well? Why is she not going to her shop?¡± Hearing her words, John struggled toe up with a proper reply. He didn¡¯t want to go into much detail with Isabelle, since what happenedst night was a private matter between him and Sophia. Isabelle wasn¡¯t close enough for him to sneakily divulge his intimate affairs either. As Isabelle¡¯s status and identity were rather controversial, plus she was also his coborative partner at work, John naturally had to be a bit more serious toward her. So, he replied, ¡°No, she¡¯s just a little tired today and has decided not to go to work. Therefore, I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡± Pressing her lips into a thin line, Isabelle did not answer. She stopped the car at a traffic light, then said after a brief thought, ¡°I think you and Miss Gwendolyn are getting along well. Mrs. Constance told me that the rtionship between the two of you isn¡¯t this good. It seems that she has misunderstood things.¡± When Matilda was brought up, John frowned. ¡°My mom misunderstands a lot of things. You don¡¯t need to bother about what she says.¡± His words were a veiled reference to the previous incident in the hospital when Matilda had kicked up a huge fuss. Since John had stopped talking about Sophia, Isabelle stopped asking as well. She drove to Sophia¡¯s shop, and John got off when they arrived. Isabelle too got off and followed after him. Only Robin and Zack were in the shop. Zack was only responsible for receiving payments, while Robin served the customers and packed up their orders. John went in and remarked, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re quite used to this job.¡± He was speaking to Zack. Surprised, Zack lifted his head and looked over, and then gave a helpless smile. ¡°I¡¯ve trained the entire morning. At first, I was really thrown off bnce by the amount of work needed to be done.¡± Robin nced at Isabelle standing behind John andmented in a somewhat surprised tone, ¡°This must be Miss Bailey.¡± Isabelle came over and stood beside John. ¡°Yeah, I was just passing by and decided to take a look in here.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 546 Chapter 546 Zack was also a bit surprised to see Isabelle. ¡°Miss Bailey, did youe over with Mr. Constance?¡± Without waiting for Isabelle to speak, John spoke up first. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get a cab and ran into Miss Bailey by coincidence. So, she gave me a ride.¡± Zack nodded. Suddenly, he remembered that Sophia had called him the previous night, saying that John drank too much, so she asked him to go and take the drunkard away, but he was really tied up with something, which was why he didn¡¯t go over. Seeing that John didn¡¯t have a car with him, Zack thought that he had probably stayed overnight at Sophia¡¯s house. Thus, he nced at John a little slyly. Furrowing his brows, thetter gave Zack a warning re before walking over to the counter. Sophia had arranged everything there in an orderly manner, which looked very pleasing to the eye. Robin looked up at him and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t Sophiae here together with you? Didn¡¯t she get enough rest?¡± John nodded. ¡°She should probably be here a littleter in the day. It¡¯s okay. Let Zack help out here today. If you have anything you need help with, just order him around as you wish.¡± Zack bared his teeth. ¡°What an evil capitalist!¡± Isabelle stood there for a while, feeling somewhat awkward because nobody seemed to care about her presence at all. So, when everyone fell silent for a moment, she took the chance to say, ¡°Guys, I have something to do, so I¡¯ll take my leave first. Please carry on.¡± Turning to her, John just said, ¡°Okay.¡± He escorted her to the door and thanked her. Then, Isabelle turned back to stare at John without a word for quite some time. John didn¡¯t ask why either and simply returned her gaze calmly. In the end, Isabelleughed out loud. ¡°I just realized that you¡¯re not the same as what the rumors say.¡± John raised a brow. ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about what people think of you?¡± John smiled and replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m not curious. No matter what they think of me, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s definitely not the real me. So, I¡¯m not very interested.¡± Isabelle was startled, but she then remarked with some emotion, ¡°You¡¯re quite the optimist.¡± John didn¡¯t respond, so Isabelle waved her hand and said, ¡°Go back inside. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± She got into the car and drove off without another nce at him, but she kept the man in the rearview mirror in her sight the whole time. How could John, a man who saw through everything so well, get stuck when it came to Sophia? Logically speaking, those who were optimistic would forge ahead instead of turning back and getting hung up on a past lover. However, whenever he mentioned Sophia, his eyes were full of gentleness. Even if others couldn¡¯t tell, Isabelle had noticed it clearly. When she reached home, everyone was present there. Her grandfather was sitting on the sofa drinking tea, while his father was sitting next to him and talking about thepany matters. Isabelle went over and sat on one corner of the sofa. Her grandfather looked at her andmented, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look happy.¡± Isabelle sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not happy. My heart is feeling terrible.¡± There was nothing that could make her heart feel terrible except for that little issue. Her grandfather put the teacup down and looked at Isabelle. ¡°What¡¯s going on with John? But there¡¯s nothing serious happening recently, is there?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Meanwhile, her father spoke up as well. ¡°You came back sotest night, yet you went out so early this morning. What happened?¡± Isabelle leaned back against the sofa. ¡°Nothing happened. It¡¯s just that John and Sophia have a very good rtionship, so I¡¯m feeling ufortable.¡± When Sophia was mentioned, her father¡¯s expression changed. ¡°It¡¯s not worth it for you to be upset about that kind of woman.¡± Isabelle answered with some anxiety, ¡°John spent the night at her house yesterday. While I don¡¯t want to be upset, my heart feels very ufortable when I think about it.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 547 Chapter 547 Her father let out a sigh. ¡°Belle, about John and you¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, her grandfather coughed dryly beside him, causing the man to stop talking all of a sudden. Then, the elder man said, ¡°As long as John and Sophia don¡¯t remarry each other, you still have a shot. You mustn¡¯t mess things up yourself.¡± He thought for a moment before adding, ¡°But you¡¯ve got to be clear whether you really love John or not. Does your love for him not waver even when you know that he is still emotionally tangled up with his ex-wife?¡± Isabelle pursed her lips together and only nodded after a long pause. ¡°I really love John.¡± She had loved John even before they were arranged to be married to each other. From his marriage to Sophia until his divorce, Isabelle felt that her love hadn¡¯t diminished even a little bit. When her grandfather heard that, he nodded. ¡°Things should be fine as long as you understand yourself well. Since you¡¯re clear about what you want, you shouldn¡¯t be flustered just because of some unimportant things.¡± Her father sighed silently next to him but did not say a word. While Isabelle was upset over here, Sophia was actually feeling a bit unsettled over there as well. She had been carelessst night. After what happened, John seemed to have misunderstood her intentions. Earlier, Robin had just called to tell her that John had gone to the shop and started to help out over there. Now that John was behaving this way, Sophia felt that some things were bing more and more unclear. She had just acted a little impulsivest night and given in to her physical needs as a single woman, nothing more. But how could she exin this to John and make him understand? Sophia felt a little unsure about how to broach this topic with him. After hesitating for a long time, she still dressed up and went to the shop to check things out. There were no bulk orders for this day, so the shop was not very busy. In fact, there was no need for John to help out at all. Sophia took a cab to the shop. When she arrived, there were very few guests. John, Zack and Robin were all there and wereughing about something that was said. Then, Sophia pushed open the door and walked in. ¡°You guys look happy.¡± Seeing that she had arrived, John remarked, ¡°I¡¯m here, so you can rest at home.¡± Sophia replied coldly, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because you¡¯re here that I worry. What if you empty my shop and move everything away?¡± John leaned back in his chair. ¡°You don¡¯t even need this shop. Why are you so worried about it?¡± Sophia gave him a sweeping nce from the corner of her eye. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t need it, it¡¯s still mine. I¡¯ve got to monitor it to prevent outsiders from taking it away from me.¡± Outsiders? John thought. When Sophia and the others were about to close up the shop for the day, Matilda arrived. She was just passing by, but then she noticed John sitting inside, so she hurriedly entered the shop, calling out to him, ¡°John!¡± Everyone was startled for a moment. When Sophia saw who it was, sheughed. Matilda is out of ideas and is really desperate now, isn¡¯t she? When John saw his mother, he was a little surprised, but his expression remained calm as he greeted, ¡°Mom.¡± For some reason, Matilda felt a little ufortable. ¡°I called you so many times, but you didn¡¯t answer any of my calls.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. John didn¡¯t beat around the bush but said directly, ¡°I didn¡¯t feel like picking up.¡± Hearing this, Matilda felt rather embarrassed; even Sophia, Robin and Zack too looked awkward on her behalf. Sophia licked her lips and said, ¡°Um, I¡¯m gonna go out for some fresh air. Do you guys wannae along?¡± Knowing what Sophia meant, Zack and Robin quickly agreed and followed her out of the shop. Then, the three of them walked a little further and stood on the side of the road. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 548 Chapter 548 Zack smacked his lips. ¡°Poor Madam Flintstone.¡± Sophia sneered, ¡°She deserves it. The next time you have this kind of thought, you should browse the Inte to see how aggressive Madam Flintstone was when she was kicking up a fuss at the hospital before. She didn¡¯t look pitiful at all then.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Zackughed and said, ¡°Now that she has ended up like this, do you feel especially relieved? Like you¡¯ve gotten your revenge?¡± Sophia gave it a careful thought. ¡°At first, I did. But when she came over here and ordered me to help her contact John for a meetup, I thought that I¡¯ve really dwelled too much on her. Why should I bother about someone like that? Isn¡¯t it better to live my life well?¡± Zack stared at Sophia and remarked, ¡°You seem to get wiser by the day.¡± Robin nced into the shop next to her. ¡°I think Madam Flintstone¡¯s pretty polite toward others, but she doesn¡¯t like Sophia and is very malicious toward her.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°I mean, I was the one who ruined her son anyway.¡± All threeughed at that. Inside the shop, Matilda was sitting across John. ¡°John, do you also me me for kicking up a fuss at the hospital?¡± Looking at Matilda being so despondent, John felt his heart soften. He answered, ¡°No, I don¡¯t me you. No matter what you do, it¡¯s your own business. To put it bluntly, you need to be responsible for your own affairs. I can¡¯t interfere with anything.¡± Matilda lowered her gaze. ¡°This just means that you do me me.¡± Then, she changed the topic and said, ¡°But I won¡¯t believe that your dad doesn¡¯t have anything to do with that woman at all. I¡¯ll never believe it! They have been entangled with each other for so many years and have always been in contact. It¡¯s natural for me to lose control back then. You know me. I¡¯ve always had a hot temper.¡± Matilda spoke so much, yet John just grunted mildly in response. It was clear that he really didn¡¯t want to talk to Matilda about this matter since he couldn¡¯t make her understand anything. Throughout all these years, no matter what happened, Matilda had never reflected on her own actions and alwaysid the me on others instead. Matilda sighed. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect your dad and I to be together for so long anyway. I guess he¡¯ll get together with that woman in theing days.¡± John¡¯s voice was very light as he said, ¡°At the moment, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll do that. But if you continue to make a fuss, I believe they¡¯ll probably get together soon.¡± Matilda was stunned. She realized that by saying this, John was putting some responsibility on her as well, so she couldn¡¯t help but rebuke, ¡°They must have something going on between them since a long time ago. Otherwise, no matter how much fuss I kick up, it wouldn¡¯t be possible for them to get together.¡± John gave her a slight smile. ¡°Okay. If you want to think so, then so be it. After all, it¡¯s pointless for you to think about it either way.¡± Matilda immediately shut up at that. It was hard for her to meet up with John, so she didn¡¯t want to argue with him and cause a scene. Falling silent, she pressed her lips together hard, which did make her look a little pitiful. John turned his gaze away from her and looked out the window at Sophia, who was standing on the side of the road nearby. Sophia and Zack were chatting away. Suddenly, Sophiaughed a little exaggeratedly and even raised her hand to hit Zack lightly. At this moment, John saw someoneing out of the opposite shop which sold floorboards. It was a young man and he was walking toward Sophia. Because of Sophia¡¯s pleasant personality and good looks, she had a good reputation around here. On the day her shop opened for business, she gave free desserts away to the shops around her as a token of goodwill, so the neighboring shops were also happy to do business with her. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 549 Chapter 549 John wrinkled his brows as he watched the man walk to Sophia and said something to her. When she heard his words, Sophia looked obviously startled. The man even ruffled his own hair and was looking a little bit embarrassed. rm bells suddenly rang in John¡¯s head. He stood up and said to Matilda, ¡°Wait here for me.¡± With that, he left the shop and headed toward Sophia, who didn¡¯t even notice him as her attention was on the man in front of her. In fact, it wasn¡¯t urate to describe the guy as a ¡®man¡¯. He was more like a ¡®boy¡¯. ording to what she knew, this boy had just graduated from university. Since she was already married before, such a fresh graduate was really just a boy to her. He couldn¡¯t be considered a man. When John came up, Zack was talking to the boy. ¡°You two have such a big age gap. I don¡¯t think she is suitable for you, so there¡¯s no point in asking for her number.¡± The boy¡¯s face flushed red as he said, ¡°I¡¯m just asking. I-I have no other intentions.¡± Sophia pursed her mouth. Seeing how nervous the boy looked, he must have mustered up all his courage beforeing over. Therefore, she hesitated for a moment, while Zack went on to ask, ¡°So why are you asking for her number?¡± His tone was teasing as he smiled, making the boy¡¯s face turning even redder. John went over and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the number. Note it down.¡± Dazed, the boy stared at John and then hurriedly fished out his own phone. John then rattled off a string of numbers. Both Zack and Sophia were taken aback by what he had done. Sophia sighed silently in her heart. This jerk gave his own number! How cruel is he? The boy didn¡¯t know that, so he quickly noted down the phone number and even repeated it once. ¡°Is that correct?¡± John replied, ¡°Yes.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Excited, the boy thanked John and Sophia profusely, and then turned to go back into his shop. Sophia turned her head to look at John. ¡°What a dishonorable guy you are.¡± John stuffed his hands into his pockets as he stood by the road. ¡°So, what do you think I should do then? Should I really give him your number?¡± Sophia scoffed, not wanting to talk about this topic anymore. ¡°Have you finished talking with your mother?¡± But Matilda is still inside the shop. John sighed a little. ¡°No. Actually, we have nothing to talk about.¡± Sophia thought about it and said, ¡°If you have anything to say, then tell her everything clearly in one go. Otherwise, I think she wille here to look for you next time. I don¡¯t care about what¡¯s going on between you two, but hering here will really affect me.¡± John didn¡¯t speak but returned to the shop after a while. Then, Sophia watched him sit down and say a few words to Matilda, who nodded. Matilda treats John really well. No, wait, I can¡¯t say that. Matilda has a good attitude toward everyone, except me. How sad it sounds when I put it this way. After standing outside for a while, Sophia saw that they weren¡¯t finished yet, so she said to Zack and Robin, ¡°Come, let¡¯s go back. They¡¯re so slow. How much do they have to say to each other? It¡¯s been so long, yet they haven¡¯t wrapped things up.¡± When Sophia returned to the shop, Matilda understood her intentions at once. Thus, she stood up and told John, ¡°Right, John. I¡¯ll leave first. If I have time, I¡¯ll call you. You must pick up.¡± John stood up with a nod. ¡°Okay.¡± Then, he sent Matilda out of the shop. When thetter was leaving, she nced at Sophia with a slightly displeased expression. Sophia almost spat in response. This old woman really deserves a good beating. How dare she be so rude on my territory? Is she out of her mind? John came back after a while, but he only returned to get his jacket. After saying that he had something to do so he would have to leave first, he then left and brought Zack with him. The shop became quiet once again. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 550 Chapter 550 Sophia sat in her chair andmented, ¡°I wish these people wouldn¡¯te here anymore. They¡¯re so noisy.¡± Robin was in a daze, so she didn¡¯t hear Sophia¡¯s words at all. Turning her head, Sophia looked at Robin and called out, ¡°What are you thinking about? Why do you look so strange?¡± Robin came back to her senses all at once. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m not thinking about anything.¡± As Sophia felt a little sore all over, she decided to close the shop a little earlier. Seeing that there were no customers, she allowed Robin to go home first. On the way back in a cab, Logan called her to inform that Ian was included in the talent show that would be broadcasted on this day. Ian was done recording and the show would airter in the day. Sophia immediately became excited. ¡°Really? Ian would be included in the show today?¡± Logan said that he had specifically asked Lorraine about it, so this information was definitely reliable. Since Sophia had been following up with the talent show for the past few days, she was aware of how many talented singers there were in the show. She was not a professional in singing, so she couldn¡¯t really analyze much, but she had a feeling that Ian¡¯s opponents were very strong. Initially, she was anxious for him, but now that Ian was about to confront these people head-on, her heart felt somewhat relieved. It was finally time to witness Ian¡¯s true strength! Sophia returned home, checked the time, and decided to go and prepare dinner first. After she finished her meal, it was almost time for the show to start. She rushed up to herputer and waited. Ian was ted to appear during the second half of the show. Before him, there were three contestants who weren¡¯t very good. Sophia wondered if Lorraine had deliberately arranged for them to appear first. Thus, against such poor contestants, Ian would appear to be much more talented. When Sophia heard Ian sing, she could finally release the ropes that had been constricting her heart. Ian was still the same. He sat on a highchair and held a guitar close to him as he sang his heart out in a voice that was clear and gentle. The results were as expected. All the talent show judges pped hard for him and invited him to join their respective teams for the rest of the show. Ian took the microphone over and thanked them. After that, he chose one of the judges as his mentor and joined that judge¡¯s team. The host standing to the side asked him the reason for his choice. To that, Ian smiled and replied, ¡°My girlfriend really likes this mentor.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Sophia was stunned as she stared at the screen. All of a sudden, she remembered that when she heard about the mentor lineup, she did mention that she liked one of them. To be honest, she didn¡¯t really know much about singing. All she knew was that the mentor had sung two songs that she enjoyed. The mentor then smiled and said, ¡°I would be interested to meet your girlfriend, Ian.¡± Ian grinned and shook hands with his mentor, saying that he would introduce the two of them when he had the opportunity to do so. Sitting in front of theputer, Sophia felt that Ian was talking about her. She licked her lips, not knowing what to make of it. What¡¯s going on? Her mind was confused and messed up. John was also watching the talent show at home. When Ian came out to sing, he had smiled slightly and felt that his recent intensive training seemed to be pretty effective. Only Ian out of all those contestants was worth any salt. Ian had sung a love song with a melodic voice as if he was telling a sweet love story; even John thought that he performed quite well. However, what happened next shocked him and his face fell instantly. John didn¡¯t even know that Sophia liked that mentor, so he seriously suspected that Ian was just making things up. After Ian and the mentor smiled at each other, the camera switched to the next contestant. Annoyed, John immediately turned off theputer. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 551 Chapter 551 What the heck! I shouldn¡¯t have watched it and made myself upset! After resting on the chair for a while, John fished out his phone and called Sophia. He did not need to ask her to know that she must have seen what Ian had said on the show. It took Sophia some time to connect the call, and she spoke in her usual impatient tone. After John asked what she was doing, she didn¡¯t reply to him directly but instead questioned, ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡± After giving it a thought, John said, ¡°Ian has joined the contest.¡± Sophia grinned. ¡°I know. I just watched the show.¡± As expected, she knew about it. After waiting for a bit, John went on, ¡°So, the girlfriend he¡¯s talking about is you?¡± Although this wasn¡¯t an interrogation, John didn¡¯t sound polite. Before she could reply, he continued, ¡°Ian doesn¡¯t know what happenedst night, right?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. John didn¡¯t mean to mock when he asked that question; he simply wanted to mention the incidentst night. However, the question sounded rude, no matter in what tone it was asked. After a pause, Sophia replied, ¡°Of course I¡¯m the girlfriend he¡¯s talking about. Could you be his girlfriend instead? Also, what happenedst night isn¡¯t something I need to hide from Ian. If he minds it, I¡¯ll tell him about it.¡± John closed his eyes, for he could feel that their conversation was turning sour, but this wasn¡¯t what he intended when he called. Seeing as he wasn¡¯t speaking, Sophia went on, ¡°If you¡¯ve called to ask me about it, we can end the call now. I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± John said. After thinking for a bit, he asked, ¡°What do you make of the incidentst night?¡± Sophia was startled for a moment before replying nonchntly, ¡°Last night? We did it many times before, but you never seemed to mind it. Why do you care so much about that one timest night?¡± She then burst intoughter, as though what happenedst night wasn¡¯t even worth mentioning. ¡°You had funst night, didn¡¯t you? We¡¯re both adults, and we did it on our own free will. Why are you taking it so seriously?¡± John fell silent. After waiting for a while, Sophia hung up the call. Then, her expression turned into a furious one. What the heck! How could he call to question me? Who does he think he is? Because of the call, her already lousy mood turned worse. While she was washing up, she still cursed the man who just called her. When she slumped into her bed and was ready to turn off themp, her phone started ringing. She took a deep breath and picked up the call. ¡°Why are you calling me at this hour? I need my beauty sleep!¡± Logan was surprised by her irritated tone. ¡°Why do you sound so grumpy? It¡¯s not veryte.¡± Knowing what he wanted to ask her, Sophia said, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep. Bye.¡± She proceeded to hang up the call. Sure enough, Logan wanted to ask me what Ian meant when he said those things on the show, but I¡¯m not in the mood to give an exnation. She covered herself with a quilt and thought, How could Ian have the guts to talk about it on a show that would be broadcast to arge audience? This kind of joke should only be told among friends! She tossed and turned until she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and got out of the bed. Upon picking up her phone, she texted Ian. ¡®Text me back when you¡¯re free.¡¯ Normally at this hour, Ian would still be training for the show, so Sophia didn¡¯t expect him to see the message immediately. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 552 Chapter 552 To Sophia¡¯s surprise, Ian called her not long after the message was sent, so she hurriedly picked it up. With a smile, Ian called out, ¡°Sophia.¡± After a pause, Sophia replied, ¡°I thought you were taking a rest.¡± ¡°Not yet. I was just talking to Lorraine about the next round of the show.¡± The conversation should have gone really well, as Ian¡¯s voice sounded delightful, which disrupted Sophia¡¯s readiness to ask her question. Now, she didn¡¯t think she could ask him about it in a serious manner. After a grunt, she said, ¡°I watched the show. Your performance was excellent.¡± Having watched the television show as well, Ian replied, ¡°I performed normally. But honestly, I was terrified that I would be out of tune.¡± Sophia licked her lips. ¡°But on the show, you¡­¡± Knowing what she wanted to say, Ian giggled and said, ¡°You want to ask about what I said on the show, right?¡± Sophia gave a guttural grunt. Ian let out a sigh. ¡°During the training, the program director told us that each contestant would find a partner and sing together. To make it interesting for the audience, we were asked to be really close to the partner to spice up the show. When Lorraine told me about it, I didn¡¯t like the idea. So, I decided to tell the audience that I have a girlfriend so that I won¡¯t be bogged down by gossip in the future. I hope that my singing skills will speak for myself.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t really understand all this, but she knew that it was the norm these days to create some gossip for the contestants. Slightly relieved, she mumbled, ¡°I see.¡± Ian chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± Upon pondering on it for a moment, Sophia concluded that she was just an ordinary citizen, so it shouldn¡¯t affect her much. She then changed the topic by asking about what was ahead of him. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. After giving it a thought, Ian replied, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll stay here for the training for the time being. When it¡¯s my turn to perform, I¡¯ll go over. It goes on like this until the winner is announced.¡± That is going to take a long time. Without anything else to say, Sophia told him that he had her support. Ian mumbled, ¡°I miss you. I really hope that this show will end soon so that I can meet you.¡± Since Ian had other matters to attend to, he told Sophia to take care and hung up the call. After the conversation, Sophia¡¯s mind was set at ease. Putting down the phone, she covered herself with the quilt, let out a sigh, and closed her eyes. For the following days, Sophia and John fell into a cold war and never contacted each other. Sophia didn¡¯t know what situation John was in, but she had been swamped every day, so it was a blessing for her that he never came to bother her. With her life full of challenges and meaning, she stopped caring whether John was angry with her. Come to think of it, it has nothing to do with me whether he¡¯s angry or not. A few dayster, even Robin could sense that something was off, so she asked Sophia, ¡°Mr. Constance hasn¡¯te here for a few days. Did you fall out with him or something?¡± Sophia giggled. ¡°No? It¡¯s normal that he doesn¡¯te here again. Since we¡¯re divorced, he shouldn¡¯t come here in the first ce.¡± Upon staring at Sophia for a while, Robin pursed her lips and gulped down her question. Meanwhile, John had been hard-pressed for the past few days. Other than work, he was also investigating Robin¡¯s kidnap case. Although there was no indication that the target of the kidnap was Sophia, something was amiss that Robin was taken away and then abandoned. He had a feeling that the criminals were going after Sophia. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 553 Chapter 553 Therefore, John couldn¡¯t pretend that nothing had happened. He had to keep on investigating the case, even though there hadn¡¯t been much progress so far. Even if it was a difficult case without much clue, he had to get to the mastermind. A few days ago, the car that the criminals used to kidnap Robin was found in the wilderness. Although the car had been badly damaged, it was the same vehicle they saw on the security footage. Following this clue, John found out about the car owner¡¯s information and the shadow bank to which the vehicle was put up as coteral. The shadow bank appeared to be the base for a group of loan sharks. John didn¡¯t pay much attention to it in the past, as the shadow lender didn¡¯t make a big fuss before. Since the kidnap had something to do with the shadow bank, John told Zack to investigate it. Certainly, the internal rtions within a shadow bank wereplicated, but it wasn¡¯t difficult to find out some information, since the employees were not really loyal. Two dayster, Zack came to John¡¯s office and told him that the problem was thornier than expected. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. The shadow bank appeared to be a small enterprise that lent out money. Since the interest rate wasn¡¯t exorbitant and they never tried to retrieve the money by force, they were not targeted by the authority. It seemed that they were just an illegal business trying to make some money. However, upon closer inspection, the truth was astounding. The shadow bank had its own unique management system. The closer it got to the core members, the stricter the rules became. Thus, it wasn¡¯t easy to get some useful information from them. Perplexed, Zack reported, ¡°I¡¯vepared other shadow lenders within the city. It seems that this particr shadow bank is different. I have a feeling that there¡¯s an expert behind this institute.¡± After giving it a thought, John said, ¡°Keep on investigating it. This only proves that the truth is more complicated than we thought.¡± A momentter, he went on, ¡°Find out whether the shadow bank has other business activities apart from lending money. Take it slow. If they really have other businesses, we can start from there.¡± Zack then proceeded to start his investigation. Seated on his chair for a while longer, John rose and left the room with a cup in his hand. He then bumped into Dn and his assistant in the corridor. It seemed that Dn¡¯s assistant had done something wrong, as his expression was dejected. Dn kept patting his shoulders to console him. As usual, Dn was magnanimous toward his subordinates, as though he never had a bad temper. In fact, John didn¡¯t like the way his brother treated his subordinates, as this made it hard for the leader to manage his employees. Without saying hi, he went straight to the pantry. After making himself a cup of coffee, he stood by the window and gazed out. A whileter, Dn came to the pantry with a cup in his hand. While he was filling his cup with water, he said, ¡°I heard that your mother went to the hospital.¡± Without turning around, John grunted. ¡°She did.¡± Matilda indeed went to the hospital two days ago, but she was there to apologize instead of making a scene. The Flintstones had persuaded her to do so, as the problem had to be brought to an end sooner rather thanter. Troubled by the problem for the past few days, Matilda gave in to the pressure and went to the hospital. Whether she was willing to do so or not, she had paid enough respect to the person she had to apologize to. When the cup was filled, Dn let out a sigh. ¡°Your mother is a proud woman, so I think she has to be very aggrieved now.¡± John took a sip of the coffee and found it too hot. He then changed the topic by asking, ¡°What about you? I heard that your recent blind dates didn¡¯t go well.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 554 Chapter 554 Dn grunted. ¡°Certainly, the blind dates didn¡¯t go well because I¡¯m not really looking for a girlfriend.¡± Upon finishing his words, he turned to John with a faint smile. After a pause, he added, ¡°We have to be absolutely clear about the kind of women we love, otherwise we¡¯ll be prone to making mistakes. Since I was certain that I didn¡¯t like those women, I made it clear to them.¡± Clenching the cup in his hand, John turned to him. ¡°I¡¯m d you understand yourself so well when it comes to your preference for women.¡± Dn giggled. ¡°Yes, I learned it the hard way after losing someone important.¡± John¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. Since he wasn¡¯t in frequent contact with Dn, he didn¡¯t realize that the latter loved to speak in such an oblique manner. It then dawned on John that since his divorce, Dn¡¯s words would always contain hidden meaning whenever they had a chat. Putting on a smile, John replied, ¡°That might be a blessing in disguise. You should make it clear to your mother as well, otherwise she¡¯ll force you to fall in love with one of those women.¡± After staring at John for a while, Dn nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I should share my thoughts with my mom.¡± John fell silent, and Dn left the pantry after swigging his water. Watching Dn leave through the window, John¡¯s eyes slowly turned somber. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. After John got off work and left thepany, he decided to drive his car to Sophia¡¯s shop since he wasn¡¯t in a rush. When passing by the shop, he slowed down the car, rolled down the window, and peered into her shop. At this moment, Sophia was seated by the window with a man, who asked for her phone number before. John hissed. Why is that brat here again?! Meanwhile, Sophia was smiling at the man in a gentle manner. Also, why is that woman smirking at him?! After passing by the shop for a while, John pulled up the car on the roadside. Seated in the vehicle, he observed her shop from the rearview mirror. The man didn¡¯t seem to have the intention ofing out. Fishing out his cigarette, John lit it up, ced it between his lips, and waited patiently just like this. Before Sophia left the shop, John¡¯s phone started ringing. He took it out and was surprised that William was calling him, for he came across his father when leaving thepany, but thetter didn¡¯t seem to have something important to tell him. Upon picking up the call, John called out, ¡°Dad.¡± With a lowered voice, William said, ¡°Your mom called me just now. She wants the three of us to have a meal together.¡± John was startled. ¡°How did you reply to her?¡± ¡°What else could I say? Since this isn¡¯t an outrageous request, I said yes.¡± William¡¯s voice sounded helpless. Since this really was an eptable request, John stared at the rearview mirror and said, ¡°Okay, where are you now? I¡¯ll go to you.¡± William told him the address and hung up the call. With his gaze fixed on the rearview mirror, John kept his phone, but the man remained inside the shop. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Robin was there as well, he would have stormed into the shop to find out what Sophia and the man were up to. After waiting for a bit, he decided to leave, since there wasn¡¯t much time left. William and Matilda were already at the restaurant when John arrived. Upon stepping into the private room, he saw his father and mother sitting on either side of the table without uttering a word, which was an awkward situation. With her gaze lowered, Matilda seemed to be a quieter woman now, even though it was hard to tell what was on her mind. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 555 Chapter 555 John walked over and asked, ¡°Have you ordered anything?¡± Seeing him, Matilda hurriedly replied, ¡°We have only ordered a few dishes. If there¡¯s anything you like, we can order more.¡± John waved his hand. ¡°That¡¯s alright. We can order moreter if it¡¯s really not enough.¡± He then took a seat beside William and turned to Matilda. ¡°How are you doing recently? I heard that you went to the hospital.¡± With an embarrassed expression, Matilda replied, ¡°Yes. I had to apologize, since it was my own fault.¡± Upon finishing her words, she took a look at William, who appeared serious but didn¡¯t seem to have anything to say. John said to his father, ¡°You must be exhausted, since it¡¯s been a long day.¡± William pinched his be. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a little tired.¡± John was just trying to ease up the atmosphere. Since his parents were seated on either side of the table without talking to each other, the awkwardness in the air was so thick that it could be cut through with a knife. It was indeed a sorrowful fact that a lovey-dovey couple had turned into familiar strangers.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. On the other side, after Sophia saw the shy man off, she closed the shop. Standing in the doorway, Robin said with a smile, ¡°You are really attractive to young men.¡± Sophia hissed. ¡°Stop saying that. I felt like I wasmitting a crime when he said he loved me.¡± Robin guffawed. ¡°I think he¡¯s alright. He¡¯s handsome, and hees from a middle-ss family.¡± Giggling, Sophia uttered, ¡°If I¡¯m looking for a new boyfriend, I expect that man to be more powerful than John.¡± Her words startled Robin. ¡°Why? Comparison isn¡¯t necessary when ites to love.¡± Sophia carried her backpack. ¡°You¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯tpare a potential boyfriend to John, but I¡¯m a vain woman, so I must find a more powerful man.¡± After that, she waved her hand at Robin. ¡°Bye. Be careful on the road.¡± Standing outside the entrance, Robin watched her get into a taxi and leave. Pursing her lips, she turned to take a look at the shop signboard and let out a sigh. When Sophia reached her home, she saw Logan sitting in her yard. He must have been there for some time. He seems bored from the way he¡¯s sitting. Walking over, Sophia asked, ¡°Why have youe to my house without calling me first?¡± Logan locked his eyes with her. ¡°When have you and Ian gotten together? Weren¡¯t you with John?¡± The question gave Sophia a headache. ¡°Let¡¯s get in before we talk.¡± Sophia opened the door. Logan rose slowly and followed her into the house as he mumbled, ¡°Didn¡¯t you and John still have feelings for each other? Why did Ian say you¡¯re his girlfriend? Have you guys gotten together behind my back?¡± Sophia took out a bottle of water from the fridge and passed it to him. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. Ian and I are not together. He just needs me to be his girlfriend in name to fend off unnecessary trouble.¡± Logan didn¡¯t seem to trust her. ¡°I had been thinking about it for a long timest night. Sophia, there must be something going on between you and Ian.¡± What could be going on between Ian and me? Sophia was rendered speechless. She then took a seat beside him and said, ¡°My rtionship with Ian isn¡¯t asplicated as you think. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re still friends. This fact won¡¯t change.¡± However, Logan was still displeased. ¡°I feel that there are many things you guys are up to behind my back. You have your own secrets that are kept from me, and I really don¡¯t like this.¡± Logan looked like a kid whose toy had been taken away, or a young girl whose bestie found a new friend. He looks so upset. Sophia burst intoughter. ¡°You look so adorable like this, unlike the Young Master Jefferson in the past.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 556 Chapter 556 Logan snorted. ¡°I even called John before and asked about it. John seemed very angry when he talked about this matter.¡± Sophia remembered John¡¯s antagonistic tone during that phone conversation that had made her ufortable. Caught in the thought, she didn¡¯t respond to Logan, who continued to say, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened between the two of you, so I asked John about it. I thought the two of you had gotten back together after the divorce, but he blew up at me when I asked.¡± Sophia waved a hand. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about John anymore. No matter how his life has be, it has nothing to do with me. Have you eaten dinner yet? If you haven¡¯t, stay for dinner here.¡± Logan had a one-track mind, so when Sophia changed the topic, he too forgot about John. Then, he leaned against the sofa and replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten yet, but I¡¯m craving for fish. Do you have any fish here?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I have some croaker fish. I¡¯ll make you dinner then.¡± With how considerate Sophia was being, the unhappiness in Logan¡¯s heart dissipated. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sophia enter the kitchen and put on her apron. Logan had a rather childish attitude when it came to these things. Earlier, he had felt upset when he thought of Ian and Sophia secretly getting together, but now, seeing that Sophia was no different fromAll content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. before, he felt much better. After waiting for a while, he got up and went into the kitchen. Sophia allowed him to help out, and the two chatted about Ian. Logan said that he had called Ian and asked about what Ian meant when the latter said those words on the stage, but Ian hadn¡¯t exined much and merely said that he had gotten together with Sophia. Sophia smiled. ¡°Ian is deliberately teasing you. Rest assured, if we get together, I¡¯ll certainly tell you in advance. Why would I hide it from you?¡± Logan turned his head and looked at Sophia. ¡°Sophia, since you¡¯ve already said so, I won¡¯t stop you if you two really get together.¡± Sophia burst outughing. ¡°As if you can stop us!¡± As the two of them prepared the meal, they talked andughed with each other. Then, they went to the dining room to dig into their dinner. Logan¡¯s phone was ced on the table. Halfway through the meal, the phone vibrated twice. Logan took a look before smacking his mouth. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s John.¡± John had sent a message to ask Logan where he was and if he wanted to go out for a drink together. After staring at the message for a while, Logan turned the phone around and showed it to Sophia. ¡°Look, John is asking me to go out for a drink. He must be feeling upset.¡± Sophia only gave the phone a quick nce. ¡°Will you go over after dinner?¡± Logan checked the time and replied, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go over after dinner. Let me ask him if he¡¯s being jealous of you and Ian.¡± Then, he burst into mercilessughter. ¡°I really think it¡¯s possible. To be honest, John is a really strange guy. If he can¡¯t let go of you, why did he divorce you? I still don¡¯t understand that.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re wrong about him not being able to let go of me. He just has a big ego and doesn¡¯t want to lose to Ian.¡± Taken aback for a moment, Logan frowned and thought about it. Well, that makes sense too. If it were me, I would be upset too if my ex-wife got together with another man so soon after our divorce. In fact, if it were me, I would totally mess up their rtionship first regardless of whether anyone likes it or not. Logan nodded. ¡°Yeah, I suppose that makes sense.¡± Thus, he sent a message to John asking the address of the bar, and John gave him the address after a while. Logan read out the address to Sophia, then hemented, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a pretty lively ce.¡± Sophia knew the bar in question. It was quite a big one and there were all kinds of people who frequented it. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 557 Chapter 557 There had to be an ulterior motive as to why John would choose that particr bar. Sophia snorted coldly. ¡°Just be careful. As for him, whatever happens to him is his own business.¡± Loganpletely bypassed Sophia¡¯s disdain for John, hearing only the concern Sophia had for himself. Thus, he answered happily, ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll take care of myself and not do anything improper. Don¡¯t worry.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. After finishing dinner, it was almost time for Logan to meet up with John. Therefore, he left Sophia and drove directly to the bar. Sophia washed the dishes, then watched TV for a while before going upstairs to take a shower. Nowadays, her life was simple but fulfilling, which was something she had always wanted before. After taking a good long bath in the bathtub, Sophia came out to see her phone vibrating continuously from an iing call. ncing at it, she realized it was from John. I suppose there¡¯s nothing important for him to tell me at this hour. I¡¯m not gonna pick up. While she was taking her bath, John had given her a dozen calls, but he still hadn¡¯t given up and was still energetically calling her again after the line automatically disconnected. Sophia muted her phone and threw it aside. Now that she thought about that other time when John and Isabelle were together, John had drunk too much and called herself too. He must¡¯ve put on an act then. Most probably, he deliberately led me over there so that he could stay the night here. He said that he was targeting me all along. Perhaps he was being honest, and everything had gone ording to his n. This man was a scheming fox, so she didn¡¯t really believe that he could really lower his guard and get drunk around Isabelle. After Sophia was done tidying up, she went to her bed andy down. She left her phone on the bedside cab before quickly falling asleep, not caring whether John was still calling her. Her sleep was great these days. After a busy day, she could fall asleep easily at night when her head hit the pillow. On the other side, inside the bar, Logan¡¯s mind was no longer clear. He leaned against the sofa, all the while staring at John, whose figure was multiplying by the minute, and murmured, ¡°I think it¡¯s a good thing if Sophia and Ian get together. Considering Ian¡¯s temperament, he won¡¯t be bullied anymore with Sophia by his side. Those people from the Morgan Family won¡¯t dare to bully Ian in the future. That¡¯s not bad.¡± His speech was rather slurred right now, but John still heard each word clearly. Thetter¡¯s face was reddish, but his eyes were still clear. He took the phone and called Sophia over and over again, but the woman didn¡¯t answer any of his calls. John¡¯s gaze shifted from the phone to Logan, who was sitting on the opposite side. ¡°Are they a good fit for each other? I don¡¯t think so,¡± he sneered. Logan tutted a little. ¡°You¡¯re just not observant. It¡¯s true that they¡¯re a good match for each other. They look good andplement each other¡¯s character. Besides, they know each other very well. They¡¯re a perfect match.¡± John¡¯s face sank as he withdrew his gaze, not intending to entertain Logan anymore. At this point, Logan was already very dizzy. He raised his hand and gestured at the man opposite him. ¡°John, tell me, why did you get divorced in the first ce? I don¡¯t understand it. Sophia is such a good girl, yet you didn¡¯t cherish her at all.¡± Why did I get divorced in the first ce? John had wondered about this too. However, when he recalled his less-than-two-years-long marriage, he felt that under such circumstances, divorce was inevitable. After all, Sophia did not give him a good impression in that marriage. Although he knew that it was all because of the Constance Family that she had be so dutiful and restrained, he really didn¡¯t like her like that. All his interest and feelings for Sophia had only manifested after the divorce, when he was finally exposed to her real character and temperament. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 558 Chapter 558 So, if he had the chance to do it all over again, they would still get divorced. It was only after the divorce that Sophia had changed and that he had slowly opened up as well, but John had no way of telling anybody about all these feelings. After a long while, he finally told Logan, ¡°I suppose I wanted to get to know her all over again.¡± Logan didn¡¯t really hear what he said because he was quite drunk by now. Originally, he had meant to come over and make John drunk so that he could get the man to reveal his innermost thoughts, but who knew that John was so good at drinking? John watched Logan copse on the sofa with an indifferent expression. Then, he closed his eyes and continued to call Sophia. Sophia didn¡¯t block his number, so all his calls connected, but no one answered. After some time, John finally realized what was going on. Sighing, he gave up atst and put the phone back in his pocket. That girl Sophia is really cruel. When Sophia woke up in the morning, she went to carry out her morning routine before taking a look at her phone. Holy crap! The dozens of missed calls are all from John. Staring coldly at the phone, Sophia deleted the entire call log. This man is not right in the head, she thought. She went downstairs and decided that she was toozy to prepare breakfast, so she went to a caf¨¦ outside instead. As she ate, she took out the phone to have a look. Oh hey, local gossip! There really is some gossip. The title of the gossip news had John¡¯s name in it. Thus, Sophia quickly clicked into it to check it out. There was a photo of John at the bar. He was sitting on the lounge sofa with a woman hanging on his arm and leaning on his shoulder. In the photo, John had his head turned toward the woman, appearing to be talking to her. The overall picture didn¡¯t seem romantic, but nobody would believe it if he said that there was nothing going on between them. Sophia stared at the photo for a moment before reading the content of the news. This time, the news was not exaggerated but was simply a frank report that someone saw John flirting with a beautiful woman in the bar and looking like he was having a good time. The news also reported that John and the woman left together in the middle of the night. What happenedter was left untold and remained open to interpretation by the public. It was an easy guess as to what could happen between a man and a woman in the middle of the night. After reading the news, Sophia kept her phone and continued eating her meal slowly. Then, she took a cab to the shop. Robin was already there, looking unhappy, so Sophia went in and swept her a nce. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who offended you so early in the morning?¡± Robin pursed her mouth. ¡°Well, I just met someone talking trash. It made me so annoyed.¡± She rarely acted like this, so Sophiaughed and said, ¡°Why do you care about what people say? Just let them talk. All we need to do is to live our lives well.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Robin sighed. ¡°But it¡¯s really annoying.¡± When she heard that, Sophia was a little confused. ¡°What did they say about you that made you so angry?¡± Robin paused at this. Her eyes darted around furtively before she said, ¡°It¡¯s not about me. They were talking about my family, so it was really upsetting.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t notice Robin¡¯s expression at all as she nodded and replied, ¡°Well, I suppose this kind of talk is unavoidable. Just get over it.¡± Busy work then filled both of their time for the entire day. When most of the customers had left and they could finally rx, Sophia went to stand by the door and stretched her arms and legs. At this moment, a car drove over slowly, stopping right next to her. Sophia was raising her arms and bending her waist at that moment. When she saw the car, she stopped and turned to look. The person did note down from the car but simply rolled down the window nearest to Sophia. Bending forward slightly to look, Sophia realized it was Fabian ckwell. She almost couldn¡¯t recognize him. After all, there were so many people that day at the ckwell Residence. For a brief moment, she could not recall who he was at all. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 559 Chapter 559 Fabian smiled at her, but it was a very superficial smile. ¡°Grandma told me toe and visit you. I¡¯ve done as told.¡± Sophia looked at him indifferently and said, ¡°You don¡¯t really have toe over. Just simply tell her that you¡¯ve visited me next time. If Old Mrs. ckwell asks me, I¡¯ll cover for you.¡± Fabian was a little surprised as he looked at Sophia andmented, ¡°That address sounds pretty good. I like it better.¡± He was talking about how Sophia addressed the matriarch of the ckwell Family; she had addressed her as ¡®Old Mrs. ckwell¡¯ instead of brazenly calling her ¡®Grandma¡¯. Sophia had nothing to say to Fabian, so she replied, ¡°Now that you¡¯ve seen me, you can go.¡± This time, Fabian gave her a genuine smile and said, ¡°Sophia Gwendolyn, right? Okay, I¡¯ll remember you.¡± Sophia stood up straight and continued her own stretching exercise without speaking to him any further. Raising the window, Fabian waited for a short while before driving away. Sophia waited for his car to disappear out of sight before sighing. Why did I provoke the ckwell Family? If I had known this would happen, I wouldn¡¯t have followed Logan that day. Logan is to me for all this! When Sophia entered the shop after a while, Robin was sitting in a chair and looking at her phone with an angry expression on her face. Taken aback, Sophia asked, ¡°What are you doing? Why are you looking like that?¡± Robin hurriedly kept away her phone. ¡°I saw some news and almost choked with anger.¡± There was not much in the news these days. Besides, all the media did was follow trending topics instead of reporting important affairs. Most of the headlines nowadays were about celebrity drama and gossip. Boring, Sophia thought. Sophia made two cups of hot cocoa, then sat across from Robin. ¡°Don¡¯t look at that kind of news. It¡¯s so boring.¡± Robin took over a cup of cocoa, sipped on it and said, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s boring. It¡¯s just a load of nonsense.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t ask what Robin had been reading. The two of them just sat and looked outside the window. Over at John¡¯s side, he had naturally seen the news too, but there was no reaction from him. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Matilda also called and asked him if the news was true. John grunted. ¡°The photo is so clear. Obviously, it¡¯s the truth.¡± Matilda snorted in disapproval and said, ¡°If you want to have fun, you shouldn¡¯t go to that kind of ce. Do you even know who frequents that ce? Besides, how could you get yourself photographed by the media? You¡¯re not being careful enough.¡± John didn¡¯t want to talk about this. ¡°It¡¯s fine. There isn¡¯t much chaos on the Inte anyway, so there¡¯s no need to bother about it.¡± Now that he wasn¡¯t in a rtionship, even if there was some pandemonium over the photo, it wouldn¡¯t really affect his life. Most people would think that it was just a photo of a man and a woman and there was no big deal about it. Matilda knew that John wouldn¡¯t like to hear anything more about it from her, so she just gave up after thinking about it. For the rest of the day, John busied himself at thepany. It was only when he got off work at night did he have time to check his phone. He first checked Sophia¡¯s social media ount, but she hadn¡¯t posted anything. She¡¯s probably been very busy recently, so she hasn¡¯t posted for many days. John sighed, not knowing what he himself was expecting. Everyone in thepany had left at this time. John slowly packed his briefcase and went downstairs. As he got into the car, he pulled off his tie and threw it on the seat next to him. He suddenly felt an inexplicable irritation. After sitting in the car for a while, he started the car and headed toward Sophia¡¯s shop. From the opened door, John could clearly see Logan inside the shop,ughing and joking with Sophia. Sophia is really not affected at all, he thought. Then, he stepped on the elerator and the car sped away. Logan was in Sophia¡¯s shop talking about what was going on at the clubhouse, including the fact that those from the Morgan Family were extremely infuriated when they saw Ian¡¯s contest video. Moreover, he also said that he had seen Sally on the previous day at the bar. Sally had told her friends how Ian had brought shame to their family. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 560 Chapter 560 Logan had wanted to go up and tell the woman that it was a bigger shame for the family to have people like her and Simon around, but John stopped him with reason and said that it was useless to preach to such an individual. No matter if it was Simon, Sally or Leah, they had to be taught a proper lesson before it could be seared in their memories. When Logan heard John say this, he knew that John was already forming an idea. Upon hearing this, Robin interjected, ¡°Since you went to the bar with Mr. Constance yesterday, why didn¡¯t the gossip news talk about you?¡± Logan was not inside the photo either. It was just a photo of John and the woman. Stunned by the question, Logan tutted and replied, ¡°The media wanted attention, so of course they took the photo as if there was something going on between them. I was really there at that time, but I was already quite drunk, and I fell asleep across from John.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°So, you have no idea what John and that woman did.¡± Logan scratched his head. ¡°Uh, I really don¡¯t know what happenedter. When I went there, John was the only one sitting there. I have no idea when that woman came over.¡± Looking at Sophia, he really didn¡¯t know how to exin the matter to her. ¡°But I don¡¯t think John is that kind of guy. Considering his status, how could he like that kind of woman?¡± Sophiaughed. What kind of status does John have? As long as he¡¯s a mortal, he¡¯ll have emotions, and he¡¯llmit sins. Robin thought for a while before asking, ¡°Then, how did you leave the barter? Did Mr. Constance really leave with the woman?¡± Logan tugged at his hair. ¡°Later? I think I was carried back home. I drank too much, so I really don¡¯t remember.¡± Sophia raised a hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t say anything anymore. It¡¯s better that you don¡¯t try to exin it. The more you exin, the worse you¡¯re making John out to be.¡± Even if John is already as bad as a man could be. Logan pursed his mouth and stopped talking because he really couldn¡¯t say much. When he went over, John was indeed alone, but Logan then became drunk very quickly, and he was indeed unsure what happened afterward. He couldn¡¯t make up a story if he wasn¡¯t sure about things. Sophia leaned back in her chair. Actually, she felt a little prick in her heart. She wasn¡¯t upset, but she was certainly ufortable. Logan looked at Sophia, and then at Robin. Realizing that this topic wasn¡¯t a good one, he quickly changed it and talked about the Morgan Group instead. It seemed that Simon didn¡¯t go to thepany much anymore. Half of the workload was given to Sean, and half to Sally. The rights that Simon had given to Sally might be given back to him when he returned to thepany in the future. However, the same could not be said for the rights that were given to Sean. After all, Sean had his group of confidants within thepany. He had immediately let go of his rights and held Simon¡¯s tightly instead. It appeared that he wouldn¡¯t be returning them to Simon any time soon in the future. Although both Simon and Sally couldn¡¯t see through Sean, Leah was clear about his intentions. Thus, she had kept pestering Bryce about it. As for Sally, she was better at things than Simon, but not by much. When Simon¡¯s work was handed over to her, she still met with some trouble and made frequent mistakes in her work, but even so, Sally didn¡¯t be firm with herself. Instead, she still went out often to eat, drink and be merry. Justst night, she had gone out with a man again. Early this morning, Leah had brought people to catch them in the act at the hotel they were staying in. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Sophiaughed. ¡°Sally really is something. The first time, she was caught by the man¡¯s girlfriend, and the second time by her own mother. I think she needs to find a cave for her future ndestine meetings.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 561 Chapter 561 Upon mentioning the Morgan Family, Logan wasparatively more psyched than the rest. ¡°Well, Simon is basically the parasite of the family, whereas Sally is the daughter. Anyway, Bryce never looked kindly upon both of them in the first ce, and now, they¡¯ve probably made matters worse for themselves. Leah must be stressed out because of them.¡± Not forgetting, Leah had schemed against Logan previously. As of now, Logan felt he had finally gotten back at her. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Leaning against the chair, Sophia stretched. ¡°If Ian manages to achieve some results, I bet the Morgan Family will be chaotic.¡± Rubbing his hands together, Logan assured, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry! Your boyfriend won¡¯t lose out. He¡¯ll definitely make it with flying colors.¡± Dumbfounded, Robin gasped. ¡°Boyfriend?¡± Completely ignoring Sophia¡¯s signaling, Logan spilled, ¡°Sophia and Ian have been together ever since. They¡¯ve just been keeping a low profile.¡± With her eyebrows knitted together, Robin nced at Sophia. ¡°You? And Ian? When did this happen? Howe I wasn¡¯t aware? I thought the both of you were just friends.¡± Clearly, she was very surprised. Initially, Sophia intended to exin that they were only friends, but after thinking about it, she dropped the idea. Since Ian had said it that way, it wouldn¡¯t be nice to pull the rug out from under his feet, so Sophia just smiled. Shocked beyond words, Robin pped a hand over her own mouth. ¡°No wonder you showed no interest in Mr. Constance. It¡¯s because you¡¯re in love with someone else.¡± Frowning slightly, Sophia didn¡¯t reply. After dawdling about, Logan left, while Sophia and Robin were packing up before leaving. Since both of them were not heading toward the same direction, Sophia had offered Robin to take the taxi first. However, Robin shook her head and declined, ¡°You go ahead first! I need to run an errand before getting home.¡± Without giving much thought, Sophia called for a taxi and left. Standing there, Robin gazed at Sophia¡¯s cab until it was no longer in sight. As Robin turned around, she was startled to see John, who stood not far away from her. Instead of looking toward her, John had his eyes on the shop board that was hung on the wall. From the looks on his face, Robin reckoned he wasn¡¯t in such a bad mood. With that, she walked toward him and greeted, ¡°Mr. Constance.¡± Looking away from the board, John gazed at Robin. ¡°You¡¯ve clocked out?¡± Nodding her head, Robin reported, ¡°Sophia just left.¡± Obviously, John knew. In fact, he walked over the moment he saw her left. Tugging on her shirt, Robin didn¡¯t know what else to say. ¡°Mr. Jefferson was here a while ago, and we were chitter-chattering, so it took some time.¡± Giving a simple acknowledgement, John didn¡¯t say anything more. With her lips pursed, Robin said, ¡°Mr. Jefferson had mentioned you, too. The media nowadays are downright terrible. They¡¯ll make up any stories in order to seek the readers¡¯ attention.¡± Smiling, John didn¡¯t bother to exin. Taking a quick nce at John, Robin went on, ¡°Mr. Jefferson said those news were fake. Back then, he was sitting right beside you, but the media deliberately made up stories.¡± ¡°Was Sophia bothered by the news?¡± John asked. Startling, Robin hesitated for a moment before she stuttered, ¡°S-Sophia? Well¡­ Sophia and Mr. Morgan¡­ Of course, she cared about you. She hoped that you won¡¯t be misunderstood and hoped that everything is well with you in terms of your job and life overall.¡± ¡°Sophia and Ian?¡± Obviously, John was quick to get the point. Blinking her eyes, Robin spilled, ¡°Sophia and Mr. Morgan is now an item. I just found out today. I think you¡¯ve heard of it already?¡± With a sneer on his face, John acknowledged, ¡°Yep, I knew about it.¡± Letting out a sigh of relief, Robin said, ¡°Thank heavens! I thought I slipped my tongue. Good thing you¡¯ve known about it already, but I must say, Sophia and Ian looked good together. They¡¯ve shared a close rtionship all this while, so I thought they were only closely acquainted with one another, but I didn¡¯t expect them to be an official item.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 562 Chapter 562 Chuckling, Robin asked, ¡°Did I say too much?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± assured John. Putting on a smile, Robin asked again, ¡°What brings you here?¡± ncing at the time, John said, ¡° Nothing. You¡¯d better get home now. I won¡¯t hold you up.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± replied Robin with a smile. Waving goodbye at John, Robin headed toward the opposite direction. With a hardened expression, John stood before Sophia¡¯s shop. I should¡¯ve known. Sophia, this woman has got the better of me. Humming a little tune, Robin walked off and managed to hail for a taxi. Before she went in the taxi, she turned around to take a gander at the shop. Holding a cigarette in his mouth, John was still standing there and was seen lighting up the cigarette. With the corner of her mouth curved up, Robin got into the taxi. Lighting up the cigarette, John took a puff. With that, he took out his phone, and instead of calling up someone, John snapped a picture of the shop¡¯s board. Obviously, he couldn¡¯t help but get ticked off whenever he saw the board. After staring at the photo for a while, John took another puff and walked toward his car. Not knowing what had happened, Sophia got home and went on with the mundane household chores, like preparing meals, as well as cleaning up the house. Since she had been living on her own, the cleanliness of the house could be easily maintained. When it was near sundown, Sophia headed upstairs to her room. As soon as she got into her room, she went straight to close the windows. While she was about to pull the curtains, she stopped abruptly. Looking out of her window, there was a car parked right below the streetlight, so she could clearly see who was in the car. Staring at the car below, Sophia smirked and pulled the curtains. Damn! Humans are suchplicated beings! In the past, he had been ignoring me most of the time, and even gave me the cold shoulders. Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? Lying on her bed, Sophia surfed the gossip news over the inte. Fortunately, gossip was something the entertainment world nevercked. Once she had read through the news, she figured it was about time, so she ced her phone down. Upon thinking about it, she walked toward the window and slowly peeped through the curtains. Surprisingly, John¡¯s car was still parked in the same ce, and the car¡¯s engine was turned off. As it was really dark inside, she couldn¡¯t tell whether John was in the car. Pursing her lips, she rolled her eyes and headed to the wardrobe to get herself a set of clean clothes before entering the bathroom. Perhaps triggered by her own selfish motive, she took her own sweet time in the bathroom. Filling up the bathtub with water, Sophia soaked herself into the tub, and even took a really short nap. As soon as she was out, she blow-dried her hair and changed into a set of clean clothing. Walking toward the window, she saw John¡¯s car still stationed at the same spot. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Clicking her tongue, Sophia deduced if he was already asleep in the car, since there was no sign of any movement. Letting the curtains down, she went back to her bed. Honestly, she did have the urge to go out and check on him, but after thinking it through, she dropped the idea. What is there to check on anyway? John is a vignt man. What can happen to him? Considering he had parked his car at such an obvious spot, he probably wanted her to notice him here. Letting out a sigh, Sophia sneered and turned off the lights. Who cares how long he wishes to stay there? It¡¯s none of my business! Seeing the lights off in Sophia¡¯s room, John had a grin on his face while sitting in his car. This woman is so heartless. Clearly, she saw me here, but she didn¡¯t even bother to ask. Reclining the seat, John leaned against the seat to rest himself. By now, the car was filled with cigarette smoke, so he wound down the car window and stared at the car roof, trying to rx himself. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 563 Chapter 563 After Sophia had tossed and turned for a short while, she could finally fall asleep. This time, she didn¡¯t have a good sleep, as she had dreamed about the past. Back then, her grandpa went to the hospital for a checkup, and coincidentally, he was reunited with Old Mr. Constance. With that, Old Mr. Constance had invited them over to the Constance Residence. Although Sophia knew the Constance Family was really wealthy, she was still startled when she stepped into the residence. Even the clothes which the maids were wearing seemed to be a notch better than hers. That day was the first time she had met John in person. However, he was only back to retrieve a document and quickly went off, without even noticing her. In a rather reserved manner, Sophia sat on the couch in the living room, and was nervous to the extent that she didn¡¯t even know where to ce her hands. When John walked in, he knew there were guests, so he politely nodded his head to her and her grandpa before heading straight upstairs. In less than a minute, he came down and left again. That was the first time she met someone who was that good looking, and she even felt her heart fluttered. In her dreams, Sophia felt unsettled because she didn¡¯t want to reminisce about the past, so she intended to wake up from her dream, but failed to do so. As her dream continued to change, she saw Old Mr. Constance. Actually, Sophia had almost forgotten how Old Mr. Constance looked like in reality. All she could recall was that he became scrawny down to the bone, looking kind of scary. However, in her dreams, everything was quite clear. Lying on the bed, Old Mr. Constance reached out his hands toward her. With that, Sophia saw herself walking toward him, holding his hands in hers. Though it was difficult for him to speak, he still delivered every word slowly but clearly¡ªasking whether Sophia would be willing to marry John. With her eyes shut, Sophia could hear her own reply. ¡°I do. I¡¯m willing.¡± All because of this reply, she had walked through the darkest valley for a year, and couldn¡¯t get herself out of the pit. Once the dream had led to the funeral of Old Mr. Constance, Sophia managed to wake up in a cold sweat. Even so, Sophia could still hear Matilda swearing at her. Everyone knew that she was married into the family in hopes that an auspicious asion would somehow bring in new blessings to the family, and so Old Mr. Constance would get better from his illness. Unfortunately, there was no miracle. Without bringing in any luck or blessing to the family, they said she had taken advantage of the Constance Family. Sitting on her bed, Sophia was still panting as she reached out to touch her forehead, which was filled with cold sweats. With the curtains drawn, the sunlight couldn¡¯t enter the room. ncing at the time, it wasn¡¯t early anymore, so she walked toward the curtains and looked down at the same spot wherein John had parked his car yesterday. Not surprised, the car was no longer there, but still and all, Sophia stared at the same spot for a short while. Feeling a little restless, Sophia figured it was because she didn¡¯t have a good sleep yesterday. Turning around to check on the calendar, it wasn¡¯t any special day, but she had a sudden thought to pay respect to Old Mr. Constance. Yesterday¡¯s dream was surreal, and she could still picture Old Mr. Constance lying on the bed while holding her hands. Hence, Sophia sent a text message to Robin, informing her that she had some matters to settle before heading to the shop today. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Being the usual understanding person, Robin immediately replied to her message, asking her to take her time in running her own errands, as she could manage the shop on her own. After preparing a simple breakfast, Sophia ate up and went out. Before heading to the cemetery, she dropped by somewhere to buy a bouquet of fresh flowers. Carrying the bouquet with her, Sophia walked toward the grave, but from afar, she noticed a person standing there. As she walked closer, there was indeed a person in ck standing there, unmoving. cing the bouquet before the grave, Sophia said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± Casting a nce at Sophia, Matilda scoffed, ¡°Well, I, too, didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± Both of them didn¡¯t wish to squabble about before Old Mr. Constance¡¯s grave, so they showed some restraints. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 564 Chapter 564 Gazing at the picture on the grave, Sophia said, ¡°I had a dreamst night. Grandpa was in my dream, and so were you.¡± With a sneer, Matilda jeered, ¡°I guess it was a bad dream after all.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°I dreamed of you scolding me, ming me for not being able to bring any blessings into the family. Not only did John have to be involved in this, but Grandpa didn¡¯t even get better.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. These words were the exact phrases which Matilda had repeatedly used against Sophia. Thinking about it, Matilda asked, ¡°Does John know you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ncing at the mountains at afar, Sophia reckoned it was a scenic view here, and it somehow calmed one¡¯s soul. Pressing her lips together, Matilda hesitated to speak her mind. But in the end, she blurted, ¡°Before Old Mr. Constance left, he held my hand, asking me to be nice to you and to take good care of you.¡± Clearly, Matilda had failed to do as she was told. In fact, she had agreed to be nice, but she was often absent-minded, so she had forgotten all about it the next day. A momentter, Matilda turned around and casted a nce at Sophia. ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t like you at all. To be exact, I hate you. If it wasn¡¯t for you, John and Belle are probably married by now.¡± Nodding her head, Sophia agreed, ¡°Yep. If it wasn¡¯t for me, John¡¯s life would probably be perfect.¡± At that, she turned to face Matilda. ¡°However, I¡¯m curious. Do you really think John likes Isabelle?¡± Hearing that, Matilda was dumbstruck and snapped as if by conditioned reflex, ¡°Of course he likes her! What¡¯s not to like about her?¡± Putting on a smile, Sophia said, ¡°Really? I¡¯m confused, then. You see, since John and I are now divorced, nothing is holding him back. If he really liked Isabelle, why didn¡¯t they just get together officially? Why is he putting Isabelle in such an awkward position?¡± Pursing her lips, Matilda stared at Sophia. Without getting a reply, Sophia went on, ¡°You¡¯ve read the news, right? Instead of approaching Isabelle, John had hooked up with some random woman in the bar. Is that how he shows his affection toward Isabelle?¡± Clicking her tongue, Sophia ridiculed, ¡°If that¡¯s love, it¡¯s just heartbreaking.¡± Hearing that, Matilda¡¯s face fell. She did read about that news, and she even called up John immediately to seek confirmation when she did. Surprisingly, John didn¡¯t try to hide it at all. He admitted that the news was true and the person in the picture was him. Undoubtedly, he had brought a woman out of the bar. Upon hearing his confession then, Matilda got hopping mad, but after considering John¡¯s recent attitude toward her, she didn¡¯t dare toin. As John said, they were grownups, thus capable of bearing their own responsibilities without having anyone to interfere. In particr when Matilda had messed up her own matters herself. Seeing Matilda¡¯s sullen face, Sophia found it hrious and sighed. ¡°Oh well, why did I bother to yak so much? I wasn¡¯t here to talk to you anyway.¡± Actually, there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with what Sophia said, but saying that in a ce like this sounded wrong. Hence, Matilda was so pissed when she heard that. Darting a death re at Sophia, Matilda seethed. ¡°Of course you weren¡¯t here to see me! I¡¯m more than fine. I can live up to 100 years old.¡± Unable to hold in herughter any longer, Sophia bursted outughing. Knowing that she failed to keep her cool, Sophia went to stroke Matilda¡¯s back. ¡°You¡¯re right! My bad. You¡¯ll definitely live to a ripe old age.¡± After giving a few rubs on Matilda¡¯s back, both of them felt rather awkward, so Sophia stopped abruptly and stood aside. Letting out a few coughs, Matilda said, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, I¡¯d better get going. I¡¯ve chatted with Old Mr. Constance for quite a while already.¡± Without getting a reply from Sophia, Matilda tucked her hair back and turned around to leave. Giggling under her breath, Sophia wondered who Matilda took after in the Flintstone Family. Kneeling down before Old Mr. Constance¡¯s grave, Sophia cleaned up the dried leaves and weeds around it. With a sigh, she confessed, ¡°Grandpa, did you see that? John¡¯s mom and I have always been like this. Honestly, I feel relieved to have gotten a divorce with John. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be a constant turmoil within the family.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 565 Chapter 565 Pressing her lips together, Sophia thought aloud, ¡°I¡¯m doing fine now, and life has been fulfilling for me. In fact, I¡¯m really grateful toward John. If it weren¡¯t because of his generosity, with my capabilities, academic qualification, or even myworks, I wouldn¡¯t have aplished what I¡¯ve today. Everything I have today, I owe it all to John, so I won¡¯t me him for what he had done in the past.¡± Though she was smiling, her eyes began to turn red. Taking in a deep breath, she said, ¡°Old Mr. Constance, you and my grandpa often catch up with one another, right? If you see him, please tell him that I miss him very much and I¡¯m doing well, so he doesn¡¯t need to worry. As for the two who don¡¯t have a conscience, well¡­ I still have no news about them. Then again, it¡¯s for the better because I don¡¯t really want to see them, and I don¡¯t need them anyway.¡± With that, Sophia continued to ramble about the incident that took ce in the ckwell Family. Beaming, she went on and chatted, ¡°Ever since my divorce with John, I feel like I¡¯ve be quite popr among my friends because a couple of them actually approached me. To be honest, I¡¯m not really used to the attention, and I¡¯d rather live my life without disturbance.¡± Without anyone listening, Sophia continued to yack her head off, pouring out her heart toward the pile of bones that were buried under the grave. Not knowing how long time had passed, Sophia bid Old Mr. Constance farewell. After arranging Matilda¡¯s and her flowers nicely on the grave, she left. Walking down the hill, Sophia headed toward the taxi that was waiting downhill. Leaning against the passenger seat, she turned around to gaze at the cemetery. All humans strive throughout life, but ultimately, end up in a small spot such as this. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Sophia requested. As soon as the taxi had arrived at the shop, Sophia saw Robin boxing up some pastries for a customer. Noticing the bright smile on her face, Sophia asked, ¡°Are you in love? You¡¯re smiling like a Cheshire cat.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Chuckling, Robin chirped, ¡°Nonsense! I¡¯m just in a really good mood today.¡± Nodding her head, Sophia stood aside. Once the customer had left, Robin cleaned up the bar counter and gazed at Sophia. ¡°Where did you go this morning? And with that outfit.¡± ¡°Well, I went to pay an elder my respect. I¡¯ll go home and get changedter.¡± Leaning over the bar counter, Robin was examining Sophia carefully. Surprised, Sophia asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Grinning, Robin was bubbling with enthusiasm. ¡°Me? In love? Geez! I think you¡¯re the woman in love. Let me have a good look at you woman.¡± Waving her hands, Sophia snapped, ¡°Cut the crap.¡± ¡°Are you shy?¡± Robin hissed as she prepared a cup of tea for Sophia. Feeling thirsty, Sophia grabbed the cup and sat on one of the chairs. ¡°Was it busy today?¡± ¡°So-so, but Mr. Constance came by this morning,¡± Robin replied. Startled for a moment, Sophia asked, ¡°What brought him here?¡± Heaving a sigh, Robin exined, ¡°He came over to buy breakfast, but he didn¡¯t stay for long, and left after takeout.¡± Nodding her head, Sophia didn¡¯t question further. Casting a few nces at Sophia, Robin tried to probe further. ¡°So, since when did you and Ian end up together?¡± Gazing at Robin, Sophia was tongue-tied and didn¡¯t know how to address the question. Indeed, Robin was a close acquaintance, and it wasn¡¯t really necessary to hide from her. However, considering Ian had revealed it through the program, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for her to pull the rug from under his feet. Staring at Sophia, Robin was acting as if she was determined to get to the bottom of this. ¡°Well¡­ Ian and I¡­ It¡¯s not like what you¡¯re thinking,¡± stuttered Sophia as she gave an ambiguous reply. Giggling, Robin teased, ¡°Previously, you mentioned that you¡¯ll find a man who¡¯s way better than John, and I thought you were only joking. So, it was a cover-up after all! You were taken already. Seriously, I still can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve kept it from me.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 566 Chapter 566 Sophia could only chuckle as she really had no idea what to say. Leaning against the chair, Robin heaved a heavy sigh. ¡°So, you really have no feelings for John?¡± With her brows knitted together, Sophia hesitated for a moment. Do I love John? Well, this is a serious question. Fromst night¡¯s dream until her earlier visit to Old Mr. Constance¡¯s grave, Sophia had pondered on this question. Then again, she dared not dig deeper into the matter. Perhaps she was in denial, or maybe she was just not prepared to face it. After all, he was her first man and the first person who made her heart flutter. Frankly, it would be impossible to remove this man entirely from her heart. In this period of time, she had attempted to do so, and it seemed to have worked. On the other hand, in regards to whether she still loved him or not, if she really had to answer that question¡ªit would be a yes. Somehow, a part of her still had feelings for him. Seeing that Sophia wasn¡¯t answering, Robin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Allow me to remind you that you have a new boyfriend now, so don¡¯t tell me you still have lingering feelings for John.¡± Gazing up toward Robin, Sophia grumbled, ¡°Why are you so curious?¡± Taken aback for a moment, Robin smiled awkwardly. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just a curious cat. Rumors about the both of you have spread all over the Inte, and it was difficult to tell the truth from the fake rumors. Besides, you refuse to share it with me. But still, I¡¯m dying to know the truth.¡± ¡°All I can say is¡ªignore the gossip over the Inte. Most of them are just groundless rumors,¡± said Sophia with a pout. Nodding, Robin didn¡¯t question further. Upon finishing her tea, Sophia got up and prepared to leave, as she nned to get changed at home. Following Sophia to the door, Robin said, ¡°Seriously, seeing the ups and downs in your love life makes me want to be in a rtionship so badly.¡± Dumbstruck, Sophia turned to look at Robin. ¡°Don¡¯t be influenced by others. If you wish to be in a rtionship, it has to be because you have met someone you¡¯re in love with. Don¡¯t jump into a rtionship just because you desire to be in a rtionship. Otherwise, you¡¯ll regret it and be left feeling more alone.¡± Laughing heartily, Robinmented, ¡°What you¡¯re saying now sounds kind of philosophical.¡± Chortling, Sophia said, ¡°I was only saying. In fact, I haven¡¯t fully grasped the thing about love, but one thing I¡¯m sure of is that the reason for you to start a rtionship has to be because the special person that made your heart flutter appeared, not because of any other reason.¡± After thinking about it, she added, ¡°Then again, what kind of person are you interested in?¡± Hearing that, Robin¡¯s eyes darted around. Licking her dry lips, she confessed, ¡°For me, I like someone who¡¯s strong and capable of standing up to protect me during troubled times; someone who¡¯s able to fulfill my small requests in life.¡± Nodding her head, Sophia thought those were understandable requests. Basically, when it came to love, most girls required security. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find someone suitable. If the man gives you his heart, I believe he¡¯ll be willing to fulfill your requests,¡± Sophia said to reassure her. Giggling, Robin chirped, ¡°I just hope he appears real soon!¡± Chuckling along, Sophia hailed for the taxi that was about to pass by. Before getting into the taxi, Sophia turned toward Robin and advised, ¡°Remember to order lunch for yourself. Forget about diet; you¡¯re not even plump to begin with.¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± Robin nodded. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. With that, Sophia got into the car. As soon as the car took off, Sophia turned around to gaze at Robin. She had a gut feeling that Robin must be in love recently. These days, Robin started taking care of her own image. She was not considered plump at all, but she insisted on going on a diet. Besides that, there was an obvious change in her style of dressing. A few days ago, Robin had even dyed her hair and got herself a new hairdo. Initially, Sophia didn¡¯t notice it, but based on their earlier conversation, her intuition was telling her that Robin was indeed in love with someone. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 567 Chapter 567 Thinking about it, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but grin, as it was a good thing to be in love. Falling in love is a good thing, though I wonder what kind of person Robin is attracted to. By the time Sophia reached home, it was already noon, so she got changed and prepared a meal for herself. Just then, her phone rang when she was about to serve her meal onto the dining table. ncing at her phone, the number was a local but unknown number. After thinking about it, Sophia picked up the call. It was rather noisy on the other side of the call. ¡°Sophia?¡± ¡°Um¡­ Who¡¯s there?¡± Chuckling, the person answered, ¡°It¡¯s me¡ªyour brother.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Startled, Sophia jeered, ¡°What do you mean ¡®my brother¡¯? I say, are you drunk?¡± There seemed to be several people there, as there was a roar ofughter, followed by the person exining, ¡°Indeed, we¡¯re a little tipsy. Can youe over? I can¡¯t go home now. Hurry up a bit.¡± Suspecting that it was only a prank from a drunkard, Sophia hung up. Not longter, her phone rang again. Feeling her anger spiking, Sophia picked up once more and scolded, ¡°If you have a problem, you should call the cops! Stop calling me! Otherwise, I¡¯ll call the cops on you.¡± With a titter, the person said, ¡°Sophia, I¡¯m Fabian.¡± Dumbfounded for a moment, Sophia asked, ¡°Who? Fabian ckwell? How did you get my number?¡± Leaning against the car with its engine smoking, Fabian urged, ¡°Can youe over for a bit? Something happened here.¡± Once he hung up the phone, he sent his location to Sophia. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the screen. On Sophia¡¯s end, she hesitated as she held her phone, but after a long while, she still went to clean up and went out. ording to the address that was sent by Fabian, that ce was situated on the National Highway. Fabian was involved in a car ident, and the bumper of his car was badly damaged. When Sophia got there, Fabian was seen sitting by the road side, and he looked as if he was taking a nap. Some traffic police were there taking pictures and performing their duties. Meanwhile, the person whose car was hit looked kind of frustrated. Also, beside the traffic police stood a man who appeared rather anxious. Dashing toward Fabian, Sophia asked, ¡°What were you thinking? Driving under the influence of alcohol? Are you out of your mind?¡± Opening his eyes slowly, Fabian said groggily, ¡°I wasn¡¯t driving.¡± Seeing that, the traffic police walked over and inquired about Sophia¡¯s identity. Chuckling, Fabian replied, ¡°This is my sister. If there¡¯s anything important, you can speak to her. And about that¡­¡± Pointing toward the man who looked anxious, Fabian continued, ¡°That man there, he can leave now. It¡¯s fine. I can handle thepensation here.¡± Hearing that, the man rushed over to thank Fabian. Waving his hands, Fabian advised, ¡°Be careful when you drive next time.¡± After bowing toward Fabian, the man left. Not knowing what had happened, Sophia asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that person?¡± Knowing that Fabian was under the influence of alcohol, the traffic police was kind enough to exin the whole incident in his stead. The man who just left was a temporary driver whom Fabian had just hired to drive him home, as he was under the influence of alcohol. However, the driver made a quick turn and bumped into another car by ident. ncing at Fabian, Sophia heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll bear the responsibility and admit our mistakes.¡± Nheless, they still had to drop by the police station to sign some papers, but with Fabian in this state, he couldn¡¯t possibly make his way there. On the other hand, Sophia needed to take care of Fabian, so she couldn¡¯t go too. Agreeing with the traffic police¡¯s arrangement, Sophia would send Fabian home, whereas the car would be towed away by a tow truck. Drawing himself closer toward Sophia, Fabian said, ¡°Please keep this from my family.¡± Considering the fact that he was still conscious enough to ask Sophia to keep this from his family, she guessed he wasn¡¯t that drunk after all. Having no other way, Sophia brought Fabian to her own home. From the looks of it, Fabian seemed quite sober, but as soon as they reached Sophia¡¯s house, Fabian saw the couch and fell asleep on it in no time. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 568 Chapter 568 Feeling resigned, Sophia was wondering how to settle this. Honestly, she didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with the ckwells, but somehow, things just happened, and it seemed impossible to draw the line. With that, Sophia called up Robin to inform her that she has some matters to settle, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to head to the shopter this afternoon. Surprisingly, Robin was in a good mood. ¡°Oh sure! No worries. I can handle it. There usually aren¡¯t many people in the afternoon anyway.¡± Once Sophia had hung up the call, she took a seat at the swing chair. Seeing that Fabian was sound asleep, Sophia wondered why he had drank so much even though it was still daytime. Around noon, Sophia went upstairs to take a short nap. Lying on the bed, she habitually picked up her phone to scroll through her social media. Halfway through her browsing, she realized that that particr person on Facebook had posted a new update¡ªit was a picture of her shop¡¯s board. Hissing, Sophia couldn¡¯t help butmented on the photo below, asking who the person was. Her first guess was Matilda, but after thinking it through, she didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person who would do such a thing. Besides, Matilda often looked at her with disdain, so it wasn¡¯t like her to post a picture of her shop. Seeing that there was still no reply under herment, Sophia proceeded to send a Facebook message directly to the person, asking the same question. With the phone in her hands, Sophia waited for some time, but there was still no reply. Maybe the person hasn¡¯t seen it yet and will probably reply to my messageter? cing her phone down, Sophia turned around and fell asleep a whileter, as she was feeling kind of tired. Meanwhile, John did see Sophia¡¯s personal message. She just still wasn¡¯t aware that the person was actually him all along. Holding tightly onto his phone, John was staring at Sophia¡¯s message, but he didn¡¯t intend to reply. Considering their current situation, if Sophia knew that the person was him, she would definitely block him. For now, that woman certainly showed him no mercy. Letting out a heavy sigh, John got up and went into his personal lounge. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. For these few days, he hadn¡¯t been sleeping well, as he was always dreaming throughout the night. Seeing him being this exhausted, Old Mrs. Constance thought he was stressed out because of work, so she had advised him to rest well. John felt amused, because he too was hoping that all of this exhaustion was due to work. That way, at least he wouldn¡¯t feel this agitated. While he was fast asleep in his personal lounge, William came knocking on the door, which woke him up. The moment William saw John stepping out of the lounge, he passed the file in his hands to thetter. ¡°This is the coborative project we¡¯re working on, so have a look at it. If possible, I hope you and I can go on this business trip together.¡± Surprised, John asked, ¡°Together?¡± It was rather unusual for them to go on business trips together, because usually, either one of them would be sufficient to get the job done. Nodding, William confirmed his statement. ¡°Yeap, together. We have quite a rough weektely, so let¡¯s just ease up a little by going on this trip.¡± Taking the file from William, John sat down at his office desk. As he browsed through the file, he asked, ¡°Have you been to the hospitaltely?¡± After thinking about it, William replied, ¡°Not these two days. Ynda is about to recover and will be discharged soon, so I didn¡¯t have to visit.¡± Nodding, John asked, ¡°What¡¯s her n after she is discharged from the hospital? Since it was a car ident, it will take quite a while to recuperate.¡± ¡°Indeed. She¡¯ll be renting a house and hiring a housekeeper to help out.¡± William nodded as he spoke. After reading through the documents briefly, John closed the file. ¡°Very well. The sooner she recovers the better. Mom won¡¯t be too worried by then.¡± As soon as John mentioned Matilda, William understood the underlying meaning¡ªJohn was sending him a warning. About him and Ynda, John had never given his direct opinion, but from the looks of it, he was clearly against it. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 569 Chapter 569 With an affirmative grunt, William assured, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I know what I should do.¡± After sitting around for a little while longer, William had left to get busy. John read through the documents once more. This time, he reckoned that the client wasn¡¯t that great, so it really wasn¡¯t necessary for them to go on this business trip together. Then again, after thinking it through, John didn¡¯t oppose the idea of hitting the road, because it was true that both William and him had quite a rough week. Too much overwhelming matters! While he was busy with his own work, his office door was opened again by someone. Lifting his head to take a quick nce, John said, ¡°Is there¡­¡± When he saw who it was, he swallowed his words and rose from his seat. ¡°Aunt Jennifer, what brings you here?¡± Gazing at John, Lady Jennifer grinned. ¡°I just happened to pass by your building, so I thought of coming up here to see Dn. Unfortunately, he isn¡¯t around, so I came here.¡± Walking out from behind his office desk, John had led Lady Jennifer to take a seat at the couch. ¡°Aunt Jennifer, please take a seat.¡± From the looks of it, John could tell that his Aunt Jennifer wasn¡¯t here by coincidence, and there was something she intended to discuss. Once they were seated, Lady Jennifer heaved a heavy sigh. ¡°Actually, I was just around the corner to meet a friend. She has a daughter whose age is about the same as Dn. I¡¯ve met her daughter before, and I like her very much, so I was thinking of introducing her to Dn. My friend had dly agreed to the suggestion, so I¡¯m here to ask for Dn¡¯s opinion, but he isn¡¯t around. I tried calling him, but he didn¡¯t pick up. Seriously, this boy of mine has no thoughts of settling down at all. It really gets on my nerves!¡± Putting on a smile, Johnforted her by saying, ¡°Dn is a grown-up now, and he knows very well what he¡¯s doing. I reckon it¡¯s better not to rush things.¡± With a worried expression on her face, Lady Jenniferined, ¡°I understand, and I did promise him that I won¡¯t interfere in his personal matters, but see what that¡¯s gotten him into? Since we¡¯re not rushing him, he is taking his own sweet time. This is how I came to realize that if we leave it as it is, he¡¯ll never settle down for good.¡± Chuckling, John said, ¡°That might not necessarily be the case. When the right persones, he will settle down.¡± After pressing her lips together for a few seconds, Lady Jennifer blurted abruptly, ¡°Previously, Dn mentioned that he had a chat with you about this. He said both of you share simr opinions, but he didn¡¯t mention the details. I¡¯m just curious, and I wish to know what Dn is thinking. When ites to dealing with this boy, I¡¯m at my wits¡¯ end! If I asked him, he would say it¡¯s his own personal matter, and he knows what he¡¯s doing. Then again, simply acknowledging the matter isn¡¯t enough; he needs to execute his ns.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Nodding, John replied, ¡°I did discuss this with Dn, but he didn¡¯t share much . From what he said, I think he didn¡¯t really like the idea of getting a girlfriend through blind dates. The reason being that when ites to blind dates, it gets rather superficial. He would much prefer to find a woman who he really likes.¡± Frustrated, Lady Jeniffer said, ¡°A woman who he really likes? Indeed, it¡¯s important, but in reality, it¡¯s not feasible at all, because we still have to put other matters into consideration. The women I¡¯ve selected are all pretty, and all of them are brought up from well-known families. Won¡¯t that suffice? What does he mean by looking for a woman he really likes anyway?¡± Uh¡­ That¡¯s rather difficult to put into words, John thought. Before he could answer, Lady Jennifer gazed at him and continued, ¡°How have you beentely? I¡¯ve read the news over the Inte; it was totally absurd. I guess it must have affected you somehow. Knowing you¡¯re single now, the paparazzi certainly won¡¯t let it rest. Anyway, I¡¯ll just be honest with you since we¡¯re family. Though you¡¯re divorced, you really should give yourself a second chance, and you should weigh your options more carefully next time. When ites to finding a lifetime partner, I strongly believe that affections can be cultivated. This is why I think that it¡¯s not necessary to ce too much emphasis on conditions before marriage. In any case, feelings can be cultivated after marriage.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 570 Chapter 570 John chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry, so there¡¯s no rush for me.¡± Lady Jennifer nodded. ¡°If you¡¯re interested in finding a life partner, I can help you out, too. I¡¯m just afraid that your mother won¡¯t fancy my choice and mistake me as being a busybody.¡± At this, John guffawed. ¡°My mother has a sharp tongue and isn¡¯t quite good at expressing herself. Please don¡¯t take offense to her rash words in the past.¡± Lady Jennifer then answered that she held no grudge since they were a family, but John could tell that she was truly upset. After chatting with her for a while, Dn came back from meeting a client. When he saw that Lady Jennifer was there upon his return, mild surprise showed on his face. He greeted his mother before ncing at John. Thus, John exined, ¡°Aunt Jennifer has been here for some time now. She came specifically to see you.¡± Upon hearing this, Dn realized the purpose of her visit. She merely mentioned it in passingst night, yet she really moves fast. She¡¯s here in less than a day¡¯s time! Exasperation inundated him. ¡°Don¡¯t go to so much trouble, Mom. I know what to do about my own affairs. There¡¯s already someone whom I like.¡± Taken aback, Lady Jennifer stared at him. Beside her, John pinned his gaze on Dn as well. ¡°There¡¯s someone whom you like? Who is it? Is it one of those girls whom I introduced to you in the past?¡± Lady Jennifer promptly questioned. Dn shook his head. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not anyone whom you introduced to me. However, you are acquainted with her.¡± John¡¯s heart jolted when he heard this remark, and his expression inadvertently darkened. Dn, on the other hand, seemed to have noticed nothing, grinning still. His eyes fixed on Lady Jennifer, he added, ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯m keeping her identity secret for now. I¡¯ll tell you who it is when I think the time is right.¡± Lady Jennifer¡¯s brows creased deeply. ¡°Just who is it that you can¡¯t tell me now? Are you so mysterious because her background is substandard?¡± Walking over, Dn wrapped an arm around her shoulder. ¡°Stop asking, for I¡¯m not going to say a single word now. Come,e, let¡¯s go and talk in my office so that we don¡¯t distract John from his work.¡± John went over and walked Lady Jennifer to the door. Then, he turned his gaze on Dn. ¡°Introduce the girl you like to me when you¡¯re free. I¡¯ll help to appraise her.¡± Dn chortled, looking not the slightest bit guilty. ¡°Sure.¡± John watched as the two of them entered Dn¡¯s office before he closed the door and returned to his desk. He was initially feeling unsettled, but it was now worse, for he wasn¡¯t in the mood to work at all. Taking a cigarette, he lit it and stuck it at the corner of his mouth. Then, he leaned back against his chair. As the cigarette smoke swirled around him, his mind wandered, bringing up tons of memories from the past¡ªhis thoughts back when he agreed to marry Sophia andter, when he was determined to have a divorce. What was Sophia thinking when she signed the divorce agreement? I don¡¯t believe she hadn¡¯t noticed my obvious attentiveness toward her thereafter. What, then, was she thinking at that time? These questions churned in his mind, yet no answer came to him. A momentter, Zack came in with a report for him. However, he was momentarily stunned when he entered and glimpsed the expression on John¡¯s face. He walked over to him. ¡°Boss, is something ying havoc on your mind?¡± Taking the cigarette out of his mouth, John stubbed it out. ¡°No.¡± At this, Zack burst outughing. ¡°Look at your expression. You have a long face.¡± Handing the report to John, he asked, ¡°Does it have to do with Sophia? Actually, I¡¯ve watched the talent show Second Young Master Morgan joined. That was akin to a public confession of love. Truthfully speaking, a girl will definitely be moved since it¡¯s quite romantic.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. John¡¯s expression was originally a tad apathetic, but after hearing this promation, he instantly turned forbidding. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 571 Chapter 571 John¡¯s expression became severe. ¡°Shift your focus on work instead of browsing gossip. You wouldn¡¯t be making so many mistakes if you¡¯d just be a bit more serious.¡± All at once, Zack realized that he¡¯d misspoken, thus pursed his lips and said nothing. Opening the file, John scanned through the report. Then, he mmed it close and threw it aside with a plop. ¡°Alright, leave this here first. It¡¯s nothing urgent, so I¡¯ll take a look at it when I¡¯m free.¡± Zack was tickled pink. He¡¯s wholly different now, looking so unsettled. In fact, I know why without him having to point it out. Thus, he didn¡¯t immediately leave. ¡°Actually, Boss, I don¡¯t think you need to be so conflicted. You just need to figure out some things and put them into action. Well, your anxiousness every day hasn¡¯t done you any good, has it?¡± John frowned, impatience etched on his face as he stared at Zack. However, before he could say anything, Zack blurted, ¡°You must figure out whether you still have feelings for Sophia and wish to be with her. If the answer is no, then your anxiousness is just a result of resentment since you find it incredulous that some other men are pursuing her after she¡¯d left you. That¡¯s about it. In that case, you¡¯ll be fine when enough time has gone by.¡± John closed his mouth, all the words he¡¯d wanted to say to refute Zack earlier vanishing into thin air. Zack, on the other hand, continued, ¡°However, if you think you have feelings for her and wish to be with her, then it¡¯s even easier. Pursue her if you do like her, and put in more effort if you want to be with her. I don¡¯t believe that your marriage for almost a year will lose to Second Young Master Morgan¡¯s appearance for a mere handful of months. In my opinion, your chances of winning are considerable.¡± John stared at him for a long while before harrumphing. ¡°You talk as though you¡¯re an expert, yet you¡¯re also a dummy in love.¡± At this, Zack tsked. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me. I¡¯ve been going on dates recently, so I¡¯ve gained an understanding of the female mind. Frankly speaking, Boss, regardless of a girl¡¯s personality, all females like aggressive men. Opportunity onlyes when one is aggressive.¡± After saying this, he arched an eyebrow at John. ¡°Do you understand me?¡± John froze for a few seconds before he immediately put on an impatient expression again. ¡°Alright, alright, that¡¯s enough nonsense. You¡¯re dismissed. It¡¯ll be best if you focus more on work.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Knowing that he¡¯d actually taken his words to heart, Zack nodded. ¡°Okay, then. You think on it. I¡¯m going back to work.¡± When he¡¯d left, John slowly fell into a trance. Females like aggressive men, huh? But haven¡¯t I been aggressive? I¡¯ve been very aggressive. I¡¯ve never been this forward with a woman, stilling on to her despite having been contradicted to my face time and again. Sometimes, I even find myself despicable. However, he also knew that the rtionship between the two of them would likely be severed if he wasn¡¯t aggressive considering Sophia¡¯s temperament. Now that the situation is at an impasse, I¡¯m just not sure what I should do to break the deadlock. Meanwhile, Sophia hurried downstairs for a look after a moment¡¯s contemtion when she awakened. Fabian was still on the sofa, sprawled out on his back. Heaving a sigh, Sophia then boiled water to cook chicken soup. He¡¯ll probably be up soon. Just when she was done, Fabian woke up groggily. A tad dazed, he sat up and looked around before fixing his gaze on Sophia. ¡°You got me here?¡± Sophia took a bowl of chicken soup over to him. ¡°Have you forgotten about your call to me?¡± Fabian indeed remembered nothing of the sort, his mind a chaotic mess right now. Taking the chicken soup from her, he tested the temperature before finishing it at one go. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 572 Chapter 572 Sophia stood at the side. ¡°Why did you imbibe during the day?¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Fabian snorted. ¡°What do you know?¡± Not in the mood to argue with him, Sophia relented. ¡°Whatever. Just leave since you¡¯re awake. I¡¯ve got things to do, too.¡± Fabian shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind. ¡°I owe you one for this incident today.¡± Getting to his feet, he fished out his cell phone and nced at the time. Subsequently, he sighed, his expression inexplicably tinged with a hint of bitterness though his thoughts remained indiscernible. When he¡¯d left, Sophia straightened up the living room for a bit before going to her shop. There weren¡¯t any customers at this time, so Robin was cleaning the ce. She was in high spirits, humming while she worked, looking extremely cheery. Sophia stood at the door when she arrived, yet Robin didn¡¯t notice her at all, absently mopping the floor while asionally singing before bursting into giggles when something urred to her. At this, Sophia timely asked, ¡°What¡¯s the joyous asion that you¡¯re giggling aloud?¡± Her sudden voice startled Robin, and she hastily patted herself on the chest. ¡°When did you reach? I didn¡¯t hear you.¡± Walking over, Sophia went behind the counter. ¡°Well, you were deep in thought, so much so that you blocked out everything. I¡¯m truly curious. I¡¯ve been standing there for a long while, but you didn¡¯t notice me at all.¡± After she¡¯d said this, she asked again, ¡°What were you thinking just now that you were giggling so sweetly?¡± Robin raked a hand through her hair. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just feeling rather rxed since there aren¡¯t any customers now, so I can take things easy.¡± Turning, Sophia looked at her, upon which she hurriedly lowered her head and continued mopping the floor. Sophia narrowed her eyes, her intuition screaming that Robin was lying to her. Since it was ratherte when she arrived at the shop, it was almost time to get off work just after she¡¯d busied herself in the shop for a while. Thus, she had Robin leaving first, while she herself stayed for some time. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯ve done today, yet the day is over in a fleeting moment. Flipping the closed sign, she sat by the window and gazed out. The shop in the flooring business right across was still open, and while sitting there, she then glimpsed the boy showing a customer their products in the shop. For some inexplicable reason, a hint of envy welled within her. The owner of the shop was an amicable man, his son guileless and his wife virtuous; their family of three lived harmoniously. Sitting cross-legged on the chair, Sophia let out a sigh. How I wish to have such a family as well! s, I¡¯ve never had one. My birth family was bad, and I¡¯d hoped to have a good family after marriage, but I was disdained all the more. My life is truly a disaster. She sat there in contemtion, only making her way home when the sky had grown dark. The house was dark, but the moment Sophia opened the door and stepped foot into the living room, she jumped in fright. The lights in the living room weren¡¯t switched on, but it wasn¡¯t pitch-ck, so she could clearly see someone sitting on the sofa. The light switch was by the door, so she instantly mmed her hand on the switch. Then, she stared at the person who was sitting on the sofa with a hand raised to shield his eyes from the sudden light. All at once, she went ballistic and roared in a near shout, ¡°John Constance, are you f*cking insane? Why were you sitting in my house in the dark? How did you get in? I¡¯m warning you, I¡¯ll lodge a police report if you persist in doing this. Do you know that you¡¯re trespassing?¡± After a while, John lowered his hand. ¡°Why are you yelling so loudly? I didn¡¯t do anything to you.¡± Upon hearing this, Sophia saw red. Her eyes darted around, but she failed to find any weapon. Having no other choice, she stomped over and grabbed his shoulder, pushing him away. ¡°Get out of my house! Get out! Don¡¯t stay in my house. I don¡¯t want to see you!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 573 Chapter 573 Surprisingly, John didn¡¯t struggle but stood up with the momentum of Sophia¡¯s push. However, he then raised his hand and grabbed her wrist. His tone seemingly teasing, he asked, ¡°Who do you want to see if not me? Ian? Or Dn?¡± Sophia was taken aback. ¡°John Constance, go and check yourself into the psychiatric hospital if you¡¯ve gone insane! Why did youe here?¡± Chuckling, John lifted a hand and grasped her chin. Sophia, however, twisted her head and shook off his hand right away. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Sophia Gwendolyn, that no other man is allowed. Behave yourself. I¡¯ll be gone on a business trip for the next few days, but I¡¯ve already arranged for someone to tail you. If you dare betray me in any way, I¡¯ll kill you when I return,¡± John threatened. Sophia shot daggers at him. ¡°You should hurry home and take your medicine. You¡¯re severely ill, so it might be incurable if you tarry.¡± John yanked her into his embrace. ¡°Sophia Gwendolyn, you tormenting little temptress, let me tell you that I¡¯m perfectly serious. If you dare get together with another man, I¡¯ll really kill you.¡± He¡¯d mulled this over for a long time today, ruminating on Dn¡¯s remarks earlier. She¡¯s temperamental, so all the aggressiveness in the world won¡¯t work if I don¡¯t get ruthless with her. ¡°Scram!¡± Putting all her might into it, Sophia shoved him out. John chortled. ¡°Remember what I said, Sophia.¡± After saying that, he straightened his clothes and brushed past her. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. He truly left just like that. Standing there, Sophia gritted her teeth in fury. After a while, she swiftly locked the door and windows. I just can¡¯t figure out how he got in this time. She even went over and checked the door lock, but John¡¯s fingerprint wasn¡¯t in the system. She clenched her jaw, having no target to vent her anger. Meanwhile, John only reached his car after walking for a while upon leaving. He was now shrewd enough to park a distance away so that Sophia wouldn¡¯t notice his presence. After getting into the car, he looked over at her house, his lips curving into a smile. He honked twice although he didn¡¯t know whether she¡¯d hear it. Then, he turned the steering wheel and drove away. While driving, a call came from Matilda who said that she was outside and wanted to see him. Thinking that he was going on a business trip with William soon, he went over after asking her for the location. Instead of waiting in the shop, she stood by the roadside. At the sight of John, she opened the car door and slipped in. John nced at her. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Yeah. I just met up with Belle just now.¡± Matilda pulled the seatbelt over and fastened it. Upon hearing Isabelle¡¯s name, John instantly went mum. At this, Matilda sighed. ¡°Your scandal is an awful mess now, but I can tell that Belle is saddened as well.¡± When Isabelle met her earlier, she mentioned the rumors on the Inte and even cried. They hadn¡¯t seen each other for a while now, so Matilda was actually in a good mood when they met this time, but at the mention of the scandal, her mood took a nosedive. Since John wasn¡¯t saying anything, Matilda continued, ¡°Belle is a nice girl. She even wondered whether you¡¯ll be affected by the news. She¡¯s quite worried about you.¡± John grunted. ¡°I¡¯m not affected at all. It¡¯s the truth, after all.¡± In Matilda¡¯s eyes, John was writing himself off, so she heaved a sigh. ¡°Say, why must you live so abysmally?¡± I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a piece of cake for him to find a decent girl considering his achievements now. John didn¡¯t respond, merely driving straight to her ce. The two of them exchanged a few words throughout the entire drive, every other word out of Matilda¡¯s mouth revolving around Isabelle. In the beginning, John said nothing, butter, he seemed to have lost his patience and demanded, ¡°Was it Isabelle who asked you to say all this?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 574 Chapter 574 Matilda froze for a moment, but she then hurriedly denied it. ¡°No, no, Belle would never do that. I just want you to know that she¡¯s very much concerned about you.¡± At this, John barked out a tepidugh. ¡°Have you ever asked Isabelle how she feels about me before ying matchmaker? Perhaps you read her wrongly.¡± Taken aback, Matilda didn¡¯t quite know what to say. Isabelle had indeed implored her not to disclose the fact that she had feelings for John, and she understood that if it came to his knowledge that Isabelle had feelings for him, he might assume that she instigated her considering all this matchmaking she was doing. After pondering for a while, she replied, ¡°While Belle hasn¡¯t said anything to that effect, I think she has feelings for you judging from her concern toward you.¡± Seemingly having thought of something, she added, ¡°Belle was ecstatic back when the two of you got engaged, so it¡¯s proof that she likes you and is willing to marry you. Even after you married Sophia, she didn¡¯t get together with anyone else. Thus, I think she¡¯s probably waiting for you. John, some opportunities may onlye once, so you must seize it. If you miss it, you might never have the opportunity again in the future.¡± John said nothing. Truly, some opportunities may onlye once. If I miss it, I¡¯ll never have the opportunity again. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so anxious now, so much so that I don¡¯t know what to do. It¡¯s really disheartening to be confronted by a predicament in which I¡¯m stuck, neither advancement nor retreat possible. He drove her home, but before Matilda had gotten out of the car, her cell phone rang. Picking it up, she nced at it, whereupon a smile bloomed on her face and she said to John, ¡°Look how considerate Belle is. She¡¯s calling now, probably asking whether I¡¯ve arrived home.¡± John leaned over and opened the car door on her side right away. ¡°Talk to her after you¡¯ve alighted from the car.¡± Startled, Matilda eximed in surprise, but John had grown impatient. ¡°Hurry up. It¡¯ste, and I haven¡¯t had dinner.¡± He nudged her slightly, so Matilda climbed out of the car. Still a touch dazed, she turned and looked at him. ¡°Hey, wait a minute! I¡¯ll talk to Belle for a while, then you can also¡ª¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. John pulled the car door closed, aware of the trick up her sleeve. He had nothing to say to Isabelle, so he wasn¡¯t about to tarry, driving away without a moment¡¯s hesitation. From the rear-view mirror, he could see her answering the call even as she waved a fist in his direction. Letting out a sigh of relief, his expression gradually rxed. When he returned to Constance Residence, Old Mrs. Constance was seated on the sofa with Lady Jennifer who¡¯de over, and the two of them were talking. Mild surprise suffused John at the sight of Lady Jennifer, but still, he greeted her politely. shing him a smile, Lady Jennifer remarked, ¡°You¡¯re only back at this hour?¡± John murmured an acquiescence. ¡°I went to see my mother, so I¡¯m a bitte today.¡± The moment Old Mrs. Constance heard that he¡¯d gone to see his mother, she sighed. ¡°How¡¯s she doing?¡± John deliberated for a moment before answering, ¡°I think she¡¯s doing rather well. I noticed that she looked quite good.¡± Other than appearing a smidge despondent at the mention of Isabelle, she looked fine otherwise. It seems that she has started epting her current life. He hadn¡¯t had dinner, so he subsequently turned and ordered the kitchen staff to cook him a bowl of noodles. The kitchen staff then promptly began preparing his meal. Meanwhile, he then walked over to the sofa before sitting down to chat with Old Mrs. Constance and Lady Jennifer. Old Mrs. Constance asked him whether he was going on the business trip since William had already packed,menting that she¡¯d never once seen him this enthusiastic to the point of anticipation to go on a business trip in the past. John and Lady Jenniferughed at this, but only John knew that it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration at all. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 575 Chapter 575 Dad is indeed anticipating going on the business trip this time, for he can¡¯t wait to escape this ce. As far as John knew, Matilda seemed to be calling and texting William frequently these days, bugging him with invitations to have a meal together and requests to meet up. And Mom isn¡¯t the kind of person who beats around the bush, so she¡¯s very straightforward, dering that she wants to make up with him. I¡¯m not all that certain what Dad thinks of it all, but he definitely has no ns to start over with Mom right now. However, he can never be assertive and resolute with her, so he can¡¯t bring himself to refuse her, yet he¡¯s reluctant to agree. Hence, he can¡¯t wait to leave this ce so that he can take a breather. The corners of his mouth curving upward, he noted, ¡°Dad probably thinks that the coborative partner this time is promising, so he wants to go over and assess the situation.¡± On second thought, I¡¯m quite impressed with Mom. Zack said that one must be aggressive, and she¡¯s putting this term into practice extremely well. After a while, Lady Jennifer changed the subject and shifted the focus back on Dn once again. She said that she¡¯d pondered it for a long time, yet she just couldn¡¯t figure out who Dn meant when he said he had someone whom he liked. After all, his social circle was limited, and he was very much like John, having no pastime save going to the office. Thus, she truly had no inkling of anydy he¡¯d ever associated with and developed feelings for at that. Old Mrs. Constance was likewise at a loss, so she asked her whether he often mentioned any one of thedies she introduced to him recently, thinking that it might be one of thosedies. However, Lady Jennifer shook her head. ¡°No. He seems very averse toward thedies I introduced to him, asserting that he has no interest in her every time hees back from a blind date. Furthermore, if he truly likes one of them, there¡¯s no reason for him to keep it a secret. But for this girl he ims to like now, he¡¯s keeping it under wraps, allowing no one to know her identity. I think her background must be substandard, so he¡¯s afraid that we¡¯ll oppose.¡± After mulling it over for a while, Old Mrs. Constance felt that it made sense, and she sighed. ¡°Actually, the younger generation should be allowed to live their own lives. We shouldn¡¯t interfere too much lest they me us at the end of the day.¡± At this, Lady Jennifer cast John a nce, assuming that she was alluding to John¡¯s predicament. John¡¯s marriage to Sophia was the result of familial interference, and now, it had ended in divorce. While he hasn¡¯t openly med anyone, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s feeling slightly resentful at least. Hence, she nodded symbolically. ¡°You¡¯re right, Mom.¡± John, on the other hand, didn¡¯t associate it to his circumstances. Instead, Sophia came to mind. She¡¯s obviously livid when I was at her house earlier. I wonder whether she took my words to heart. He initially thought of many strategies, even ones gentler than the one he used today. Before she came home, I even contemted how I was going to persuade her into having a peaceful discussion with me, but when I saw her hopping mad, every thought I had scattered. As soon as I opened my mouth, those warnings and threats just rushed out. He inwardly smacked his lips, wondering whether his strategy this time would work. Lady Jennifer was still very much curious about the girl Dn referred to. Since Old Mrs. Constance couldn¡¯t figure out anything as well, she turned to John. ¡°John, as you spend more time with Dn since you even see him in the office, have you ever heard him inadvertently mentioning any woman whom you think he possibly likes?¡± John froze. Dn and I actually don¡¯t spend that much time together. Despite us both being in the office, our interactions were all rted to work. Besides work, when ites to everyday life¡­ Previous Chapter Next Chapter Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 576 Chapter 576 John inwardly hissed. Dn had indeed mentioned a girl to me, but the person we both talked about was Sophia. He seems very much interested in annoying me with his vague shows of curiosity or concern about her before me every single time. If he were to consider Dn¡¯s attitude objectively without adding his subjective thoughts on the topic, Sophia indeed fit the description of being the girl Dn mentioned he liked. However, he subjectively rejected this idea, so he shook his head right away. ¡°No, he never said anything or mentioned anyone to me. Dn is taciturn in nature, so he won¡¯t tell us such a thing.¡± Lady Jennifer nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. He¡¯s rather reserved, so he¡¯ll never tell us such a thing of his volition without us asking him about it.¡± The kitchen staff was done cooking the noodles, so John had it brought upstairs. Subsequently, he went upstairs as well. When he returned to his room, he changed, while the servant ced the bowl of noodles on the bedside table. Thereafter, he walked over and took a gander. There¡¯s no improvement at all. Judging from the looks of it, it¡¯s no match for Sophia¡¯s cooking. He then sat down and took out his cell phone. Sophia had again sent him a message on Facebook, asking him who exactly he was. He stared at his cell phone, but still, he didn¡¯t reply since he had nothing to say. Meanwhile, Sophia snagged her cell phone after washing up. Upon seeing that her message had gone unreplied for a long time, she took a very direct route and gave the other person a voice call. John, who was still eating noodles, startled at the iing voice call. He fixed his eyes on the cell phone intently before cracking up a few secondster. I naturally can¡¯t take this call. Unbidden, his mind wandered. If Sophia finds out that it¡¯s me, her wrath will definitely be even greater than when she saw me in her house today. That girl¡¯s temper is getting increasingly worse. Or more urately speaking, she¡¯s nice to everyone else, but she¡¯s progressively short-tempered with me alone. Sophia called him twice, but when she realized that he had no intentions of taking the call, she finally gave up. After a while, John tried browsing Sophia¡¯s posts again. Hah, how predictable! She has unfriended me. All at once, he burst outughing. This girl is truly decisive and resolute in such matters. How heartbreaking! If only she retains an iota of her lukewarm disposition of the past, I wouldn¡¯t be caught in such a dilemma. He heaved a sigh. Even after Sophia had unfriended the person on Facebook, her mood didn¡¯t improve much. A fire zed within her, making her restless like a cat on hot bricks. What did that b*stard, John Constance, meant bying over and threatening me, then leaving? What has it got to do with him if I get together with some other man? His remarks today were truly ridiculous. I was blinded by rage then, for I really ought to have questioned his right to say all those things to me! At the thought of this, stark regret inundated her as she felt that she¡¯d failed to demonstrate her debate skills. I actually have tons of rebuttals that would¡¯ve rendered him speechless! Shey on the bed with her cell phone in hand, casually browsing through the news on the Inte. There¡¯s nothing interesting. It¡¯s all gossip. How boring! Just when she was about to put her cell phone down, she caught sight of a rather intriguing piece of gossip¡ªone rted to the woman whom John left the bar with. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. The woman¡¯s information was dug up, and all her previous photos were also unearthed. The news report even included her casual photos in which she was dressed stylishly although most of them were captured in nightclubs. John wasn¡¯t mentioned anywhere in there, but thements below were all associated with him. Many presumed that he had a preference for such women, for the average man couldn¡¯t withstand the temptation of a woman who looked so alluring and enticing. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 577 Chapter 577 Sophia nodded. This woman is indeed alluring with her ample bosom and firm butt,plemented by her exquisite makeup. At a single nce, one can be certain that all men will love her. I don¡¯t believe John remained unmoved when confronted with such a woman! She looked through the news before recalling the fact that John sneaked into her house today, iming that he¡¯d be away on a business trip and warning her to behave. Putting aside everything else, am I not on my best behavior? I merely go to the shop and back home every day. There¡¯s no one else with a better track record than I do! As she contemted it, she grew increasingly vexed and peeved, intense fury choking her. All at once, she sat up and gave John a call after a moment¡¯s deliberation. John, however, was taking a shower, so he didn¡¯t hear his phone ringing. When the call went unanswered, Sophia cursed at her cell phone for a while before she put it down and went to bed. She¡¯d always felt that she had a calm temperament, but she couldn¡¯t quite restrain herself when it came to John. Closing her eyes, she heaved a sigh. Meanwhile, when John came out after his shower, he naturally noticed Sophia¡¯s missed call. In fact, he had an idea why she called. That girl was hopping mad at me earlier. She probably feels chagrined for having lost face, so she wants to reim her pride. He guffawed, finding it rather intriguing. She¡¯s been growing increasingly interesting after the divorce. He then stared at his cell phone for some time before putting it down. He was going on a business trip with William tomorrow, so he took out a suitcase and simply packed two sets of clothing. He never brought a lot every time he went on a business trip, and it was usually Zack who helped him pack. This time, however, Zack wasn¡¯t tagging along, so he had no choice but to pack by himself. While he was packing his luggage, he recalled Sophia having followed him to Tri Asel back then. She didn¡¯t bring much either, saying that she was merely treating it as a vacation. As far as I know, she¡¯s never been away from home alone. All her life, the farthest she has gone was from the little mountain vige in her hometown to my life. She isn¡¯t one who loves seeking excitement, so she must have mustered tremendous courage to leave with all her belongings back then. At this, a wave of distress swept over him. I was so determined to have a divorce that I forgot to consider the aftermath of it to her. I generously gave her money back then, thinking that it¡¯ll compensate for everything, but now, it seems that I¡¯ve given it too little thought. After he was done packing, he went back to his bed andy down, feeling a tad unsettled. John left with William the next day, and Sophia instantly received news of it since Zack posted it on Facebook, saying that his boss had gone away to toil. He made a whole issue of how difficult a task it was and insinuated that he was truly reluctant to part with his boss which Sophia scanned through. He didn¡¯t lie at least. He has indeed gone on a business trip. She then put her cell phone down, but she couldn¡¯t help recalling John¡¯s remarks yesterday, growing aggrieved once again. ¡­ When Robin was done cleaning the shop, she leaned against the counter, looking at ease. She turned her gaze on Sophia. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been in contact with Second Young Master Morgan recently?¡± Sophia, on the other hand, had her head lowered as she tidied the ce. ¡°Nope.¡± At this, Robin sighed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel agonizing when two people who are dating only see each other once in a blue moon?¡± Sophia¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°My rtionship with Ian isn¡¯t as presumed.¡± Robin, however, hooted inughter. ¡°No? Love remains the same at its core despite all apparent changes.¡± She then turned to face Sophia. ¡°Is it sweet to be in love? When you think of that person, you feel happy and blissful.¡± Cupping her face with both hands, she added, ¡°And when you don¡¯t see him, you just feel restless.¡± Previous Chapter Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 578 Chapter 578 Sophia giggled. ¡°You¡¯ll know when you¡¯re in love.¡± Robin stared at her for a while before she suddenly changed the subject. ¡°Sophia, will you be upset if Mr. Constance dates someone else one day?¡± While startled, Sophia truthfully replied, ¡°Probably.¡± Robin, however, was stunned. ¡°Why? You¡¯re dating someone else, so why isn¡¯t he allowed to have feelings for another woman?¡± The corners of Sophia¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to exin.¡± Even if he¡¯ll never belong to me in the end, I¡¯ll still feel a tad difited to know that he has feelings for some other woman. Perhaps it¡¯s hypocritical of me, but regardless of whether I¡¯ll still have feelings for him in the future, I once loved him, so it¡¯s inevitable. Robin pursed her lips. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll no longer feel that way when you¡¯ve remarried.¡± Sophia contemted it for a moment before answering, ¡°Perhaps.¡± If I¡¯ve truly let go of him, I probably won¡¯t be bothered about whether he has anyone else anymore. The thing was, she wasn¡¯t all that certain either. At this, Robin nodded but said nothing further. After bustling around for a while, Sophia¡¯s cell phone rang. Her cell phone was on the counter, so Robin was the first person who rushed over for a peek. Thereafter, her expression froze slightly. Sophia, on the other hand, was washing some cups at the side. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who is it?¡± Robin tittered. ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Constance.¡± Taken aback, Sophia walked over and picked up her cell phone while casting it a nce. It¡¯s indeed John. After a moment¡¯s contemtion, she answered the call. ¡°Why are you calling?¡± John grunted. ¡°I just realized that you called mest night. I was otherwise upied at that time, so I didn¡¯t hear my phone ringing. Thus, I¡¯m calling to ask why you called.¡± I calledst night, yet he only realized that he has a missed call now? I don¡¯t believe it! Sophia sneered, ¡°Are you kidding me, John Constance? Did you think that everyone else except you is a moron?¡± John dissolved intoughter as though the cold war and dispute between the two of them had never happened. ¡°I only hope that you¡¯re a moron. How I wish you¡¯re not so shrewd! It tires me out since I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯d find me out when I want to trick you.¡± Sophia gave a bark ofughter. ¡°So, why exactly did you call? I¡¯m busy over here, so I¡¯m hanging up if you¡¯ve got nothing to say.¡± John had probably arrived at the hotel, for he seemed to be stretching. ¡°I¡¯m away on a business trip, so I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯d forget me in a few days without me there by your side.¡± Licking her back mrs, Sophia snarled, ¡°John Constance, I don¡¯t remember you ever acting in such a manner in the past. Are you this shameless before others as well?¡± John chortled, not the slightest bit bothered that she was chastising him. ¡°Nope. I only act in such a manner before you.¡± He¡¯s getting increasingly impudent now! Sophia¡¯s rage was so great that she snickered. ¡°John Constance, you b*stard! Whose feathers are you trying to ruffle by being all lovey-dovey now? Do you have a loose screw? Have you forgotten how you treated me in the past?¡± On the other end, John abruptly went silent. When the past came up, he was on the losing end since he indeed treated her badly back then. No matter when they revisited this issue, he had no way of refuting it. Sophia¡¯s voice was exceedingly wintry as she demanded, ¡°Don¡¯t call me if there¡¯s nothing urgent in the future. I don¡¯t quite feel like listening to your voice.¡± When she¡¯d said that, she hung up right away. After doing so, she stood there with her lips pursed and her expression somber. Standing beside her, Robin stared at her for a long while before asking, ¡°Sophia, why did John call? Is he pestering you?¡± Sophia said nothing, looking rather disgruntled. Actually, other than sneaking into her housest night, John hadn¡¯t done anything that had her particrly enraged for now. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 579 Chapter 579 However, John¡¯s attitude of ignoring everything that had happened in the past had Sophia feeling very much chagrined. He¡¯s merely feigning ignorance and evading the past, thinking that everything would then pass. In his dreams! After standing there for some time, she raked a hand through her hair, unable to make sense of the emotions currently coursing through her. Pivoting, she left the counter and strode to the door in a fit of pique. Robin stared at her with pursed lips, her cheery mood from earlier having vanished into thin air. A while later, she went over with a cup of coffee. ¡°Sophia, what¡¯s going on between you and John? Haven¡¯t you two broken up?¡± she asked cautiously. Likewise, Sophia felt that her rtionship with John had been severed, and it was a clean break at that considering the several rows they had recently. But he doesn¡¯t seem to think so. That fe changes every so often, even faster than a woman¡¯s mood swings. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Upon seeing that she didn¡¯t answer, Robin leaned closer and queried, ¡°What did it mean that he phoned you? Does he still have feelings for you?¡± This question was all the more challenging for Sophia. Does he still have feelings for me? Perhaps he¡¯s the only one who knows the answer to this. While I don¡¯t dare say for sure whether he has feelings for me, I think indignation is probably one of the reasons for his endless pestering. ¡°John seems to be very good to you. In the eyes of outsiders, it appears as though he¡¯s still harboring feelings for you, but he spent the night with another woman. If he still loves you, how could he get together with another woman, even if it¡¯s just a hookup?¡± Robin remarked hesitatingly. That¡¯s right. He even spent the night with another woman. Although the news report back then didn¡¯t confirm it, anyone with brains can surmise what transpired between him and the woman that day in the end. After some time, Sophia replied, ¡°Exactly.¡± Robin licked her lips, her expression a touch conflicted. ¡°So, why exactly did he call you? Is he angling for reconciliation with you?¡± At this, Sophia sneered, ¡°God knows why he called me. I can¡¯t figure out this person either.¡± If his goal is reconciliation, he knows the kind of person I am. At the very least, he must be chaste. Who is he trying to fool by acting as though he wishes to reconcile with me while hooking up with some other woman out there? Irritation gripped her. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s not talk about this person anymore. My temper spikes at the mention of him!¡± Robin initially wanted toment further, but she swallowed her words at Sophia¡¯s remark. There weren¡¯t any customers right now, so they both stood by the door. Shortly after, just when they turned around to head back into the shop, a car slowly cruised over. Before it¡¯d even drawn close, the car window was wound down, revealing Fabian who was sitting in the car. ¡°Wait a moment, Sophia!¡± he called out to Sophia. Startled, Sophia stood frozen to the spot and stared at him. His car was so badly dented back then that it was almost fit for a junkyard, but it isn¡¯t a problem for wealthy people at all. He has now changed to an even shier car. Meanwhile, Robin wasn¡¯t acquainted with Fabian, so she merely stood at the side and looked on. Fabian chuckled. ¡°Are you not busy? I noticed that you¡¯ve been standing there for a long time.¡± Murmuring an agreement, Sophia answered, ¡°I¡¯m not particrly busy. Why, is there something you need that you came over?¡± Fabian was rather amicable to her this time, perhaps in consideration of her help the previous time. He then alighted from the car. ¡°Nope. I was nearby, so I dropped by for a visit.¡± As he said this, he carried a box of fruits out from the passenger seat. ¡°This has just been air-freighted over, so I brought it over for you guys.¡± Sophia blinked, at a loss as to what he meant by that. However, Fabian walked into the shop with the box, so she followed suit after exchanging a nce with Robin. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 580 Chapter 580 Fabian ced the box on the table. ¡°Grandma has been speaking of you recently, so go and visit her when you¡¯re free.¡± Upon hearing this, Sophiaughed. ¡°Did you perchance misunderstand me because I helped you the other day?¡± Fabian looked at her. ¡°Did you perchance misunderstand me because of my remark earlier?¡± He plopped down onto the chair. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything. It¡¯s just that you¡¯ve helped me the other day, so I¡¯ll look like an ungrateful wretch if I were to treat you with contempt.¡± Walking over, Sophia sat down across from him. ¡°I actually helped you because there was no other choice at that time. The issue would¡¯ve persisted if I hadn¡¯t stepped forward in that situation when you were as drunk as a skunk. I didn¡¯t mean anything else. I¡¯m not really interested in associating with the ckwell Family, so I¡¯m rather conflicted by your visit. I don¡¯t quite know how to face you, so why don¡¯t you just forget about everything that had happened? We¡¯ll just act as though nothing happened. How about that?¡± At this, Fabian chuckled. ¡°Why are you so cautious in everything, Sophia?¡± He leaned back against the chair. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in associating with you either since it¡¯s really rather awkward to have a family member out of the blue. That aside, I still have to thank you when you¡¯ve helped me out.¡± After saying that, he sighed. ¡°Also, I have a question for you. I didn¡¯t ramble when I fell asleep at your house that day, did I?¡± Sophia pursed her lips. ¡°What¡¯s considered rambling? Calling out a girl¡¯s name perhaps?¡± All at once, Fabian froze, his expression changing slightly. ¡°What did you hear?¡± Sophia felt that she¡¯d hit the nail on the head. Sure enough, a woman is the reason he drank like a fish that day. From ancient times, even heroes have a weakness for the charms of a beautiful woman. I¡¯m actually a touch curious as to the beauty who managed to lock him down. She chortled. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything. You were inebriated, and it sounded vaguely like a woman¡¯s name, but you weren¡¯t enunciating all that well, nor did I pay much attention to it.¡± Fabian stared at her for a long time before he finally retracted his gaze. He didn¡¯t pursue that line of question, probably afraid that he¡¯d give away even more if he were to speak further. Robin, on the other hand, went to the counter and made coffee for them both. Taking it from her without an ounce of hesitation, Fabian took a sip of coffee. ¡°I heard that John is away on a business trip.¡± At this, Sophia frowned, not at allprehending why he suddenly mentioned John. Fabian lifted his eyes to Sophia. ¡°Actually, I witnessed the entire incident of John leaving with the woman.¡± Sophia was stunned, and the same went for Robin who was at the side. ¡°So, John truly took a woman home and spent the night with her?¡± Robin blurted. Turning, Fabian cast a nce at her. However, he didn¡¯t find anything amiss, merely assuming that she was Sophia¡¯s friend, thus asking on her behalf. Grunting in agreement, he nodded. ¡°John indeed left with the woman, and the two of them seemed very familiar with each other in the bar back then. It didn¡¯t seem as though they were meeting for the first time.¡± This came as a surprise to Sophia, for she¡¯d seen the woman¡¯s picture. From her dressing and all, she seems to be a person who frequents nightclubs often, so John couldn¡¯t quite possibly have known her. However, it¡¯s always difficult to say when ites to something like this. Meanwhile, disappointment shrouded Robin. Gazing at Fabian, she questioned, ¡°In other words, John may very likely have been carrying on with that woman long ago, yes?¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Nevertheless, Fabian didn¡¯t dare run his mouth when the media itself didn¡¯t confirm it as fact, merely reporting that they both left together. Thus, he only chuckled since he wasn¡¯t in a position to draw his own conclusion. This chuckle, however, was tantamount to an answer. Robin heaved a sigh. ¡°Never had I expected John to be such a person.¡± Beside her, Sophia snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t assume that everyone is good. He might have another side to him out of your line of sight.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 581 Chapter 581 After a moment¡¯s contemtion, Fabian added, ¡°Actually, John wasn¡¯t such a person in the past. He had always been chaste. I once met him while entertaining a client, and while all the other big shots were captivated at the sight of women, he was the only one who had disdain in his eyes when he gazed at the bevy of youngdies around him.¡± Hence, he couldn¡¯t quite figure out why John had suddenly morphed into such a debauched person now. I personally find it rather odd, but I can¡¯t say it aloud. If I voice it out, it¡¯ll seem as though I¡¯m whitewashing him. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Quickly finishing the cup of coffee, he then got to his feet. ¡°I still have something to do, so I won¡¯t intrude any longer. Sophia, doe to ckwell Residence for a visit when you¡¯re free.¡± Sophia murmured an acquiescence that sounded very much perfunctory. ¡°Okay, will do.¡± She then walked him to his car. When he¡¯d left, she turned around and went back into the shop. Robin was standing at the counter, looking somewhat despondent. Sophia, however, didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°Come,e, let¡¯s have some fruits. Let¡¯s see what he brought us.¡± Robin was noticeably down in the dumps, so she went over and opened the box. It was actually a gift box of sorts with an assortment of fruits, all looking plump and juicy. Many of them were foreign to her, so she didn¡¯t know what they were. Ah, everything is exotic when I¡¯ve never seen much of the world! Taking a few fruits, she washed them before shifting her gaze to Robin. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you feeling downcast?¡± Forcing a smile, Robin countered, ¡°I¡¯m not feeling downcast. I¡¯m merely a tad shocked at Mr. ckwell¡¯s words.¡± Sophia startled. ¡°Shocked? Oh, you mean what he said regarding John?¡± At this, Robin lowered her eyes. ¡°It just came as a surprise to me. I can¡¯t quite exin it, but well, I didn¡¯t expect it. That¡¯s the sum of it.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°Perhaps you haven¡¯t experienced much of the world yet, but such a thing is actually quitemon. There are often two sides to people. The John you normally see is bright and dazzling, but it doesn¡¯t mean that he has no ws.¡± Robin merely nodded withoutmenting further. It wasn¡¯t particrly busy today, so when Sophia noticed that Robin was truly out of sorts, she asked her to get off work first although it wasn¡¯t yet time. There probably won¡¯t be many customerster, so I can manage by myself for a while. Robin didn¡¯t decline either, iming that her nose felt stuffy since she might have caught a cold when she napped at the table this afternoon. Upon hearing this, Sophia patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Go home. Drink some ginger tea at home. Don¡¯t wait until it¡¯s a full-blown cold before you¡¯re forced to take medicine. You¡¯ll feel even worse then.¡± Robin only packed and left after staring at her for a long while. Subsequently, Sophia sat by the window while leaning back against the chair, appearing a tad dejected. As she gazed out the window, her mind went nk. After some time, she caught sight of an old acquaintance¡ªMadam Matilda. However, she wasn¡¯t alone. Rather, she was apanied by her favorite person. Isabelle wore a long dress, looking very muchdylike. They do seem like mother and daughter when standing side by side. They must have gone shopping, and by n or coincidence, they¡¯re passing by my shop. From the look of things, it¡¯s Isabelle who wants to patronize my shop. After all, Matilda appeared a touch hesitant as she looked up at the signage, but Isabelle had already pushed open the door and walked in. Nheless, Sophia remained leaning against the chair without budging an inch. ¡°Are you here for a chat or tea?¡± Isabelle looked at the menu on the wall. ¡°I¡¯ll order a drink. I¡¯m tired after walking such a distance.¡± Movingnguidly, Sophiazily got up and went to the counter. ¡°What drink would you like?¡± Isabelle ordered two cups of coffee. After some deliberation, she then ordered two pieces of pastries as well for dine in. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 582 Chapter 582 Sophia grunted in acknowledgment. ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ll bring them overter.¡± When Matilda came in, she nced at Sophia, but her expression was much more mellow this time, no longer looking as though Sophia owed her money. Meanwhile, Sophia¡¯s movements were slow and measured, not the slightest bit frantic. After Matilda and Isabelle had taken their seats, Isabelle¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°Have you ever been here, Mrs. Constance? I think Ms. Gwendolyn¡¯s shop is quite nice with a pleasant d¨¦cor.¡± Matilda murmured in affirmation. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been here a few times.¡± I told her this a long time ago. Nodding, Isabelle pretended as though she¡¯d just known about it. ¡°Then, is there anything you like in particr? I¡¯d appreciate a rmendation.¡± Matilda couldn¡¯t quite figure out what Isabelle was trying to do. ¡°Everything here is nice.¡± At this, Isabelle giggled but said nothing further. When Sophia was done preparing the order, she carried everything over to their table before returning to the counter once more. Then, she took out her cell phone and started watching the short videos in her rmendation list. These short videos are actually quite interesting, each creative in its way. She initially had no interest in such a thing, but as she watched one after the other, she grew pretty enthusiastic, so much so that she didn¡¯t hear whatever Isabelle said to her. Pursing her lips, Isabelle looked on as she kept her focus on her cell phone while blocking out the world. Although she was well aware that it was deliberate on Sophia¡¯s part, she didn¡¯t grow incensed. Instead, she turned to Matilda. ¡°Mrs. Constance, did John tell you when he¡¯sing back from his business trip this time?¡± For some reason, Matilda felt ill at ease as she sat there. Nheless, she replied, ¡°No. There isn¡¯t a specific time frame for the business trip this time. He said he¡¯ll see how it goester.¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°I actually phoned himst night, but I didn¡¯t ask him about his business trip. I just asked about the news on the Inte.¡± Upon hearing this, Matilda was stunned. ¡°Really?¡± Isabelle stirred her coffee with a spoon, but she didn¡¯t drink any. ¡°He assured me that it¡¯s merely a gimmick by the media, and it¡¯s all drivel.¡± Matilda didn¡¯t respond, so she chortled and continued, ¡°He also said he doesn¡¯t care about all that. As long as he has done nothing wrong, he¡¯s not afraid of all the gossip.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Taking a sip of coffee, Matilda grunted in acknowledgment. I really can¡¯t tell whether she¡¯s telling the truth or otherwise. I just feel as though it¡¯s not quite right. After all, I¡¯ve also phoned John some time ago, and he boldly admitted it. Could it be that she¡¯s intentionally saying this because of Sophia¡¯s presence? But what¡¯s the use of doing so? Sophia won¡¯t give a whit even if she says all this. Rather, it makes her appear petty. For the first time, she felt that Isabelle wasn¡¯t asid-back as Sophia in matters of the heart. She then stole a peek at Sophia out of the corner of her eye, only to see that she had her attention focused on her cell phone, obviously paying no attention to the two of them. Letting out a sigh, she suggested, ¡°Belle, I know of a newly-opened restaurant whose food is delicious. Let¡¯s not eat pastries anymore. It¡¯s going to be dinnertime soon, so how about going for dinner?¡± Isabelle scrutinized her. She seems rather different from her usual self today. When she sees Sophia in the past, she always flies into a rage at once, but now, she hasn¡¯t uttered a single remark to make things difficult for her. Besides, I even vaguely sense that she appears to be steering me away from creating a conflict with Sophia here. ¡°Are you hungry, Mrs. Constance?¡± she queried. Matilda mumbled vaguely in affirmation. ¡°I nned to take you out for a meal in the first ce. This isn¡¯t all that nutritious, so there¡¯s no benefit in consuming it. Come, I¡¯ll treat you to a sumptuous spread.¡± Pursing her lips, Isabelle only agreed after a few seconds had passed. Actually, she hadn¡¯t taken a single bite of anything sold in Sophia¡¯s shop from beginning to end. She then went over to pay, but Sophia merely pointed at the QR code payment at the side without even lifting her head to look at her. ¡°Over there.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 583 Chapter 583 Isabelle went over and scanned the QR code to make payment. Then, she looked at Sophia again. Matilda, on the other hand, had already walked over to the door. It was only when she called out to her did Isabelle reluctantly leave. At the door, Matilda walked further away upon seeing that Isabelle was making her way over. When Isabelle had caught up to her, she asked in slight puzzlement, ¡°What was your intention ining here? To say all those things to make Sophia miserable?¡± In reality, Isabelle herself didn¡¯t quite understand what she was trying to do. While she indeed wanted to make Sophia miserable, she wasn¡¯t certain how she wanted to aplish that. That was why she used the news on the Inte back then as a starting point. Because of the news, she¡¯d previously experienced great agony, feeling as though someone had stabbed her in the heart. Convinced that Sophia had certainly been tormented by it to the point of losing sleep, she brought it up before her. However, when she did so, she herself was assailed by a wave of distress, so she bluffed and imed that John had exined things to her. Staring at her, Matilda shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s no use showing off with words, Belle. Even if you¡¯d said that you were the person John left the bar with, there wouldn¡¯t have been any reaction on Sophia¡¯s part. She has always been calm and unruffled. This time, you really lost to her.¡± Isabelle pursed her lips, likewise finding herself inexplicably on the losing end in this battle today. Moving over to her, Matilda patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Never mind, don¡¯t think about it now. Let¡¯s go for dinner first.¡± Isabelle said nothing further and left with her. Meanwhile, Sophia stood at the counter. She ced her cell phone down, her face a mask of wintry coldness. Young Lady Isabelle Bailey seems unable to read the situation now. Hah, I wonder what she intended bying in and showing off. She went over and put away everything on their table. Then, she flipped the closed sign over. After that, all that was left was to clean up the ce. She took out the mop, but just when she was about to start mopping, her cell phone rang. She sauntered over and picked it up for a quick nce. It¡¯s an unknown number, and from another city to boot. It¡¯s generally a scammer or telemarketer. She¡¯d answered several such calls in the past, so she declined the call and went back to mopping the floor. When she was done with the cleaning, a call came in again from the same number. Frowning, she nced at it. This time, she picked up the call. ¡°Hello.¡± At first, no sound came from the other end of the phone. Sophia then repeated the greeting, upon which the other person stammered, ¡°Is this Sophia Gwendolyn?¡± It was a woman¡¯s voice, the voice tinged with uncertainty and wariness. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Sophia didn¡¯t answer right away. Instead, she countered, ¡°Who are you?¡± After a few seconds, the person on the other end suddenly started sobbing, her voice soft and timid. ¡°It¡¯s me, Soph.¡± Sophia¡¯s brows knitted together. I don¡¯t recognize this person¡¯s voice, and no one calls me Soph. She pursed her lips, growing a smidge impatient as her conviction grew that it was a scammer. ¡°Who are you? Stop crying and answer me first.¡± Sniffling sounded from the other end. ¡°I¡¯m your mother, Soph.¡± Sophia froze, very much taken aback. ¡°Who are you again? Repeat that, please.¡± Her tone was neither anxious nor exuberant. Instead, it was filled with contempt. Immediately after, she growled, ¡°I¡¯d advise you to think carefully before you answer me. Are scammers not doing their homework before scamming people nowadays? There¡¯s an obvious problem with your information. Let me tell you, my mother is dead. She¡¯s been dead for many years now. You want to scam me? Dream on!¡± After saying that, she hung up right away. However, she was shaking all over, shivering uncontrobly. Whirling around, she poured herself a ss of water and guzzled it down in a single go. My mother? What nonsense! That woman has probably reincarnated into a young and beautifuldy now. She inhaled deeply, repeating the motion a few times. Then, she promptly packed and locked up before hailing a taxi home. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 584 Chapter 584 On her way home, another call came in from that number. This time, Sophia didn¡¯t answer, declining the call right away. The moment she arrived home, she threw her cell phone aside as soon as she stepped foot in the house. Then, she went to the bathroom and washed her face. When she came out after having done so, she stood in the living room with her arms akimbo. Well, well, I¡¯m no longer hungry now. Instead, both my heart and stomach feel leaden. After a while, her cell phone rang again. Closing her eyes, she ignored it and let it go to voicemail. This time, however, the caller was particrly persistent, calling again when the call went unanswered. As Sophia listened to the incessant ringing of her cell phone, random thoughts crept into her mind, making her exceedingly irritable. When it rang for the third time, she strode over in a few strides and picked up the call once more. ¡°How did you get my phone number?¡± she demanded before the person on the other end could say anything. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. There was a brief silence before the woman replied, ¡°I went back to the vige. An elder in the vige gave it to me.¡± Sophiaughed soundlessly. Oh yes, I left my phone number with a neighbor back when Grandpa passed away and said to contact me anytime if something happens. She then asked, ¡°Why did you return when you¡¯ve left for so many years? Are you in the vige now?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± The woman sounded pitiful as she answered, ¡°I¡¯m now elsewhere. I heard about you, so I went back for a look.¡± Sophia licked her posterior mr. ¡°What did you hear about me? Well?¡± A brief silence ensued before a voice drifted over from the other end. ¡°I heard that you got married. I¡¯m ted, yet I¡¯m also sad that I wasn¡¯t by your side. I¡¯m really sorry for not having attended your wedding.¡± At this, Sophia burst outughing. ¡°So? Why are you calling now? My wedding was a year ago. There¡¯s nothing you can do even if you contact me now.¡± The woman seemed to be at a loss for words at this remark, so after catching her breath, Sophia commented, ¡°You must be living the high life now. The two of you must be rather well off out there all these years.¡± ¡°No, no,¡± the woman instantly refuted. ¡°I haven¡¯t been living at all. Soph, there isn¡¯t a day that passes by without me missing you all these years. I actually wanted to go back, but I was embarrassed to do so. Besides¡­¡± There was a slight hesitation on the other end before she continued, ¡°Your father and I are divorced. If I returned, I wouldn¡¯t have had any identity to speak of, so I dragged my feet all these years.¡± Sophia frowned. ¡°The two of you are divorced?¡± All at once, she gave a bark ofughter. ¡°When did you get divorced? Have you remarried, then?¡± There was no forting reply. Hmm, it means that she has truly remarried, then. Thus, she nodded. ¡°You have another child?¡± Again, she was only greeted by silence. Finally, she murmured in assent. ¡°That¡¯s good. Spend the rest of your life with your husband well. Don¡¯t abandon your child again, for that¡¯s your responsibility. Stop trying to foist your child onto someone else. Irresponsible parents go to hell, you know?¡± Sobs came from the other end. Since there was no image whatsoever but merely a voice, it felt as though the person was rather grief-stricken. However, Sophia wasn¡¯t at all moved. She merely said, ¡°Alright, now that you know that I¡¯m doing well and vice versa, it¡¯s enough. There really isn¡¯t a need for us to keep in contact anymore.¡± After having said that, she added, ¡°Actually, you shouldn¡¯t even have contacted me.¡± The sobs from the other end of the phone made her feel as though she was the viin here, so after a moment¡¯s contemtion, she concluded, ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± An exmation drifted over the line, but before the woman could say anything, Sophia had already hung up. Clutching her cell phone, she pursed her lips, her emotions all over the ce. Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t grief she felt. Rather, her life seemed to be growing increasingly chaotic, bing a tangled mess with no way out. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 585 Chapter 585 Disheartened, Sophia didn¡¯t cook. She made some instant noodles and simply ate a bite before retiring upstairs. When the sky had grownpletely dark outside, she received a call from Logan who said that he was on her doorstep. He imed that he was here to visit her, but he was surprised that she¡¯d gone to bed so early upon seeing that the lights were turned off downstairs. Thus, she listlessly went downstairs and opened the door for him before parking her butt on the sofa. Logan brought a lot of food, so it seemed that he hadn¡¯t had dinner. He didn¡¯t trouble Sophia but went to the kitchen himself and ted everything before carrying them to the dining room. Grinning, he called out, ¡°Come,e. I even bought beer, so let¡¯s have a feast today!¡± The entire house was filled with the aroma of grilled skewers. While Sophia hadn¡¯t any appetite, her stomach rumbled at the fragrant smell. Hence, she stood up and went to the dining room, only to see that Logan had even prepared the cutlery and opened the bottles of beer. She plopped down onto a chair. ¡°What happened? Why the sudden interest ining over for drinks at my ce today?¡± Logan sighed. ¡°I was just thinking that we haven¡¯t officially eaten together ever since Ian went for the competition. I miss the days when the three of us feasted together, so I came over.¡± Upon hearing this, Sophia chortled. ¡°You¡¯re right. I miss those days, too.¡± There wasn¡¯t any turmoil back then, so I was in high spirits every day despite living rather aimlessly. Now, I seem to have found my goal in life, but turmoil after turmoil assail me. Logan then poured her some beer. ¡°I hope Ian performs well, and we can then have a gathering when he returns.¡± Sophia, however, sighed. If Ian truly makes his debut, there probably won¡¯t be many chances for us to gather together in the future. We¡¯ll all have our respective lives, and life is difficult, so there won¡¯t be so much time for us to fritter away. Without saying anything superfluous, she raised her ss to Logan before emptying it. Logan didn¡¯t realize that she was in a bad mood, assuming that they were both as easy-going as before. As they ate and drank, they both imbibed a little too much. Leaning back against her chair, Sophia lifted her head and stared at the ceiling. In a low voice, she began, ¡°I was alone when my grandfather fell ill, and I knew nothing at all. At that time, I hated them to the bone. Why didn¡¯t those two unconscionable wretches return? How could they be so heartless to leave for so many years?¡± Logan was drunk, so he paid her no mind. However, Sophia wasn¡¯t hoping for someone to lend her an ear, so she continued, ¡°Later, my grandfather passed away, but there were many rules in my hometown. One of them was to have the firstborn son break a pot for the funeral ceremony. I volunteered to do it, but the elders forbade me from doing so. They insisted on having the son doing it, else to just do away with the tradition. However, it then meant that my grandfather¡¯s reincarnation wasn¡¯t certain.¡± At this, she felt her tears trickling down the corners of her eyes. ¡°I then said that his son had died, and it¡¯d been years ago. I imed to be his only living rtive, the only one whom he had left.¡± Dashing at her tears, she asserted, ¡°Say, aren¡¯t they dead when they didn¡¯t return for so many years?¡± In fact, she almost asked earlier whether her heartless father had also remarried and had another child, living the high life as well. Did they never consider how the elderly man and child they left behind were going to survive? After a while, Sophia wiped her face and straightened in her chair. At this time, Logan was no longer in the dining room. He¡¯d gone to the living room and dozed off on the yoga mat. Casting him a nce as she stood at the entrance to the dining room, she then got a nket and draped it over him. Subsequently, she whirled around and went into the dining room to clear the table. The alcohol had initially kicked in, but it¡¯s all gone after all the rambling I did. Sighing, she returned to her room after putting everything away. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 586 Chapter 586 Thereafter, Sophia received a message from her irresponsible mother. It was a picture of a young girl who looked to be 12 or 13 years old. Actually, there wasn¡¯t much of a resemnce to her, but her intuition told her that this was probably the child that woman had after remarrying. She looks quite presentable, neat and tidy. After a single nce, she deleted the message. Why did she send this to me? I¡¯m not at all interested in their lives. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. She then took a shower and sprawled out on the bed. I¡¯ve been contemting changing phone numbers back when John and I got divorced, but I then returned with him from Tri Asel, so I didn¡¯t get to do so. Now, I truly need to consider whether to bite the bullet. Many inane thoughts crowded into her mind, but she finally drifted off groggily. The next day, Sophia was awakened by the ringing of her cell phone. With her eyes shut, she fumbled for her cell phone and answered the call. It was Robin on the other end, and she shrieked loudly, ¡°You two are just too romantic, Sophia!¡± Squinting, Sophia grunted. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Robin startled. ¡°Are you still in bed? Why, did you spend the night talking with Ian on the phone?¡± Nheless, Sophia couldn¡¯t make head or tail of her remark. Propping herself up, she felt a mild pounding in her head. Robin then continued, ¡°Ian is truly handsome, so he must give you quite the sense of security, huh?¡± Sophia¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Ian? What¡¯s with him?¡± Again, Robin was stunned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you watch him in thepetitionst night?¡± Oh yes, Ian¡¯spetition wasst night! It hadpletely slipped Sophia¡¯s mind due to the trifles beleaguering her. She heaved a sigh. This hangover feeling truly doesn¡¯t feel so great. Getting out of bed, she headed to the bathroom. At the same time, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s with Ian?¡± Robin giggled. ¡°You should go and take a look. I¡¯ve never had such a thought before, but now, I find that loyal men are really handsome.¡± Hissing in pain, Sophia just couldn¡¯t wrap her mind around Robin¡¯s remarks. Thus, she hung up and took a shower. When she came out after she was done washing up, she did a search on her cell phone, only to see that Ian¡¯s performancest night was of a song heposed by himself. It was his usual style in which he yed the guitar as he sang, slow and lyrical. However, the title of the song was rather intriguing¡ªFated Response. Before he sang it, he even exined that he was inspired by his girlfriend¡¯s name. He said that his girlfriend¡¯s name symbolized love and devotion, so he titled the song thus to encapste his hopes for their future. Sophia pursed her lips. I wonder if he¡¯s trying to establish a public persona. Nheless, his apparent show of affection had him soaring in poprity. After all, loyal men are very much attractive. He received the highest number of votes from the live audiencest night, so this is probably a gimmick, Sophia thought. Everything involves gimmicks nowadays, but in reality, it¡¯s all fake, and everything is a huge lie. Without even bothering to listen to his singing, she locked her cell phone. Well, as I¡¯ve said, my life is getting increasingly chaotic now, and I¡¯ve been proven right. She then went downstairs, but Logan was still sleeping after imbibing far too muchst night. Her head pounding badly, Sophia wasn¡¯t in the mood to cook, so she merely boiled some water. My stomach is feeling queasy, and I¡¯m slightly nauseous. Ah, a hangover can only make someone forget his or her troubles temporarily, but when the buzz is gone, reality remains! Whatever maye will stille without a doubt, and everything may even come at the same time. Meanwhile, John and William returned to the hotel together. Before entering his room, William turned and looked at John. ¡°Have you called home?¡± Taken aback, John stilled while opening his room door. ¡°No.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 587 Chapter 587 Something seemed to have urred to William, for he then said, ¡°You¡¯ve got to call home. For some things, it may be a mere difference of holding out just that tiniest bit before you score the goal. If you retreat, it¡¯ll then be to no avail, but if you persist, you might just seed.¡± John gaped at him in mild surprise. He initially thought that William was referring to Constance Residence, but from his words now, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Lowering the key card, he turned and walked over to William. ¡°I¡¯d like to visit with you for a while.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. shing him a smile, William opened the door. The two of them reserved adjacent rooms, so theyout was almost the same; the door opened to a row of simrly designed sofas in the living room. Striding over, John plopped onto the sofa and blurted, ¡°I thought you don¡¯t like Sophia?¡± William, on the other hand, slipped off his jacket. ¡°I didn¡¯t quite like her in the past since she always seemed nervous and timid. But on your uncle¡¯s birthday back then, I found her rather pleasant. She might have been bullied too much by your mother those days, but after the divorce, she didn¡¯t have any more qualms, so she let her true self out.¡± Walking over, he sat down beside John. ¡°Frankly speaking, I might like Sophia more than Isabelle. It¡¯s not that Isabelle is inferior, but perhaps she¡¯s too good that I just feel that something iscking.¡± Heaving a sigh, he continued, ¡°Furthermore, there are too many people in the Bailey Family, and their rtionships are just too messy. Take the issue of your divorceing to light, for instance. The Baileys took advantage of that to make various demands. I actually disdain such people. Undeniably, one might have to resort to trickery in the business world, but when ites to someone¡¯s personal life, it¡¯s deplorable to do such a thing.¡± John nodded slowly. ¡°You¡¯re right, but I initially thought that, like Mom, you disdained Sophia¡¯s background.¡± ¡°Hmm, her background, huh?¡± William pondered for a moment. ¡°Actually, I mulled over this issue at length back when I divorced your mother. Well, how much is a lot of money? Our family isn¡¯t hurting for money. What is our aim when we seek a girl from a decent family background? Her money?¡± He then continued poignantly, ¡°Marriage is for life. There actually isn¡¯t much need to ce constraints on the other person¡¯s background and all if one is already sessful. When external factors don¡¯t pose much of a threat to our lives, I think feelings are then the only consideration.¡± John stared at him. He has actually changed a lot. In the past, he never would¡¯ve said all that to me. He has probably gained some new insights after breaking free from the chains of marriage. He nodded sedately. ¡°I think Grandma has epted Sophia as well.¡± William hooted withughter. ¡°Your grandmother likes her quite a bit now. She said that none of us has the kind of liveliness she possesses.¡± At this time, something came to mind, so John remarked, ¡°I noticed that Aunt Jennifer is frantic in introducing prospective girlfriends to Dn. She¡¯s never been in such a hurry before. What¡¯s going on?¡± William wasn¡¯t quite certain either, but he answered, ¡°It seems that it was your uncle who brought it up and asked your aunt to settle it as soon as possible. I didn¡¯t ask why specifically, but Dn is not getting any younger, so it¡¯s indeed time to consider marriage.¡± After giving it some thought, he then added, ¡°If you hadn¡¯t gotten divorced and had continued your life as usual, you¡¯d probably have a child now. Thus, can your uncle not be in a hurry?¡± John pursed his lips. After a long while, he echoed, ¡°You¡¯re right. If I¡¯d continued my life as usual, I¡¯d be a father now.¡± The two of them then talked about the business trip for a bit. John was a tad anxious to return, upon which William guffawed. ¡°My n was to take you away for a breather, but it now seems as though I¡¯d miscalcted. From your look of things now, you don¡¯t appear at all keen to leave.¡± John merely chuckled without saying anything. Then, he returned to his own room. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 588 Chapter 588 John hadn¡¯t much to do, so he took a shower before lying down on the bed. Then, he took out his cell phone. Recalling that it was the first round of the knockoutpetition for Ian, he went online and did a search right away. Oh, how cunning of him! This Ian Morgan is quite crafty in creating opportunities for himself. He confessed his love some time ago, and now, he has started with public disys of affection! Fated Response? What f*cking title is that for a song? I think it¡¯s most fitting for him to use the name of Sophia¡¯s shop now! He was initially a tad anxious to return, but after seeing Ian¡¯spetition, he became downright restless. After all, he understood Sophia¡¯s temperament. She bumbles around at times, so his ploy this time is just the perfect strike to her defenses. He isn¡¯t confessing his love and disying his affections privately, but tantly before the entire country. Considering her kind-hearted disposition, she probably can¡¯t bring herself to do anything other than lending him a hand. How could I allow that to happen? He promptly went online and looked for flight tickets. Phew, there¡¯s another flight tonight! Scrambling out of bed, he packed his luggage before going over to William¡¯s room. William was taking a nap, but John pounded on his door several times. Frowning, he demanded, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± With his suitcase in hand, John dered, ¡°I¡¯ve booked a flight ticket, and I¡¯ll be leaving immediately. Something came up with Sophia.¡± Leaning against the door frame, William doubled over withughter. ¡°See, I just knew that you won¡¯t be able to sit still after I¡¯d said all those things to you.¡± He then nodded. ¡°Sure, you can go back. There¡¯s nothing important here, so I can manage alone.¡± John smiled and waved at him before leaving, wheeling his suitcase along. Meanwhile, Sophia stayed in her shop and worked untilte at night. Robin had already left, so she calcted the profit she¡¯d made since starting the business until now by herself. It¡¯s double my expectation! Actually, she knew that most of it was from the support of friends, Logan and John especially. Putting the calctor aside, she let out a sigh. I always say that I want to be independent, but in the end, I¡¯m still relying on the people around me. She then dawdled for a while before packing up to leave. This time, she didn¡¯t hail a taxi but slowly made her way home on foot alone while shouldering a backpack. She¡¯d already cklisted that woman¡¯s phone number, but still, she felt a touch difited. It was as though she had a thorn in the side which she tried to avoid as much as possible. However, this wasn¡¯t a sign that she was on the mend, nor did it signify a full recovery. Rather, she was just lying to herself that the wound didn¡¯t exist by neither looking at it nor touching it. It was veryte when she arrived home, so she merely cooked some dumplings. Feeling down in the dumps, she wasn¡¯t even in the mood to watch television, so she went for a shower straight away before getting into bed. Nevertheless, her sleep was fitful, her dreams bizarre with a messy phantasmagoria. As a wave of exhaustion swept across her, Sophia¡¯s mind felt fuzzy. Turning over, she then slowly opened her eyes. The curtains weren¡¯t drawn, so the room was rtively bright from the glow of the moonlight outside the window. Thus, she could clearly see that someone was standing beside the bed. It was such a terrifying urrence that she even forgot to scream, rendered motionless as though she¡¯d been frozen in time. Knowing that she was awake, John sighed. ¡°You just won¡¯t listen though I advised you to lock the sliding door to the balcony.¡± Sophia slowly sat up, so John came over and sat down on the edge of the bed. ¡°What happened? I noticed that your sleep seemed rather fitful.¡± Sophia stared at him intently. All of a sudden, she sprang up and lunged at him. ¡°Were you trying to scare me to death, John Constance? Let me tell you, I detest people like you! Didn¡¯t you know that you might have triggered a heart attack?¡± Pinning him onto the bed, she straddled him and started swinging her arms, raining blows upon him. Previous Chapter Next ChapterExclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Chapter 589 Chapter 589 In reality, Sophia couldn¡¯t possibly restrain John with her feeble strength, but John knew that he¡¯d indeed gone a tad overboard, having scared the bejesus out of her this time. Thus, he allowed her free rein though he did raise his arms and shield his head. Even while she was livid, Sophia didn¡¯t truly intend to beat him up. She merely punched his arm incessantly whilembasting him. I almost fainted when I caught sight of someone beside my bed in the middle of the night! Hitting someone required energy, and swinging one¡¯s arms was extremely tiring, so she was drained in no time. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Chuckling, John raised his hands and grasped her shoulders before moving her off him by exerting slight force. Nheless, Sophia continued berating him while sitting on her heels on the bed, saying, ¡°I was too soft-hearted in the past. I really should have lodged a police report against you! John Constance, judging from your conduct now, you really need to spend a few days in jail before you learn your lesson!¡± As she said this, she looked around in search of her cell phone. However, John moved swifter than she did, reaching out and grabbing her wrist in one fell swoop. ¡°You can lodge a police reportter if you wish to do so, but I have a question for you now. I naturally have some misgivings since I took a flight back all this way. Come on, answer me first.¡± Sophia tried pulling her hand back, but when several attempts failed, she simply gave up. She fixed her eyes on him. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m very much interested to know what it is that drove you to do such an unconscionable thing, so spit it out. I¡¯m listening.¡± Leaning close to her, John¡¯s expression turned serious in the blink of an eye. ¡°Have you really gotten together with Ian Morgan?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Hadn¡¯t I told you that I¡¯m dating Ian?¡± Sophia sneered. At this, John drew closer and lowered his voice. ¡°Sophia Gwendolyn, be honest with me. Don¡¯t spout off just to piss me off. Are you truly dating Ian Morgan for real?¡± His voice grew increasingly deep and soft as he spoke. Due to the illumination of the bright moonlight and the negligible distance between them, Sophia could see his expression clearly. He was exceedingly solemn though one could also say that his gaze was tinged with a hint of affection. For that reason, Sophia suddenly couldn¡¯t bring herself to casually admit something that had never happened despite having done so a moment ago. Pursing her lips, she stared at him. In her daze, she even seemed to sense the travel-weary vibes radiating off him. Lifting a hand, John rested it on her head and stroked her gently. ¡°You¡¯re not, are you?¡± ¡°What has it got to do with you?¡± Sophia countered in a huff. John chortled. ¡°Of course, it has got something to do with me. As I¡¯ve said, I¡¯ll definitely kill you if you dare get together with someone else. You can only be mine, be it in the past, present, or future.¡± ¡°Bullsh*t!¡± Sophia just couldn¡¯t hold herself back. After cursing him out, she added, ¡°You seem to have forgotten that we¡¯re divorced. And I don¡¯t quite understand you, Mr. Constance. Are you angling for reconciliation with me now? I remember that you used to turn your nose up at me in the past.¡± John¡¯s expression stiffened slightly, and he then sighed. ¡°I was blind in the past. Don¡¯t take offense at me, please?¡± I wonder if he¡¯s making himself sound humble on purpose. Feeling a tad difited, Sophia inched back before changing the subject. ¡°This is thest chance I¡¯m giving you, so hurry up and leave. I¡¯ll no longer show you any mercy if you were to do this again in the future.¡± John wasn¡¯t at all intimidated since she was, in fact, a paper tiger. While she seems vicious on the surface, she¡¯s actually very soft-hearted. Thus, Ian Morgan probably did all those things on stage to coerce her into epting him because he knows about her weakness! Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 590 Chapter 590 He knows that Sophia won¡¯t humiliate him. On second thought, this Ian Morgan is actually very cunning despite appearing in and unpretentious. The corners of John¡¯s mouth quirked into a smirk. ¡°You know what? I came here as soon as I returned without even going back home, and my luggage is still in the courtyard. Besides, there¡¯s no taxi at this hour. Don¡¯t tell me you want me to walk home while dragging my luggage behind me¡­¡± He gave me a pile of drivel, yet it¡¯s all so that I¡¯ll allow him to stay overnight! Hopping mad, Sophia stared at him for a long while before getting out of bed. Opening her room door, she pointed at the corridor. ¡°Go out. Out!¡± This means I can be anywhere as long as it¡¯s not her room! John beamed, his smile tinged with a gleam of craftiness. Getting to his feet, he straightened his clothes. ¡°I¡¯ve got to retrieve my luggage first since it so happens that I¡¯ve got a change of clothes in there.¡± Her temper getting the best of her, Sophia lifted her leg and swung it at John when he exited her room. However, John was rather nimble on his feet, so he dodged it with a simple sidestep. Chuckling, he remarked, ¡°The damsel and the viin¡­¡± In the next moment, Sophia mmed the door shut. Leaning back against the door, the vicious expression on her face rxed. She then gave a slight sigh of relief before fisting her hand and hitting her chest. I don¡¯t quite know what I¡¯m feeling at the moment, but it seems that I¡¯m actually not all that enraged. After a while, she went over to the window and gazed out into the courtyard. The lights were turned on in the living room downstairs, and John was standing in the courtyard. His luggage was indeed in the courtyard, right there beside him. At this time, he lifted his head and looked at her window as though he was certain that she¡¯d definitely be there. Sophia was taken aback, but she didn¡¯t dodge, merely meeting his gaze with a cold expression on her face. John, however, shed her a smile and even waved at her. Then, he went into the living room with his luggage in hand. Thereafter, Sophia whirled around and went back to bed, but she didn¡¯ty down. Instead, she sat on the bed, hugging her knees. What does John mean by doing this? Is he angling for reconciliation? Could this man have forgotten what he¡¯d done in the past? How could he shamelesslye over now and im that I¡¯m his? Pshaw! As she chewed over it, she grew all the more irritated, and she plopped back in a huff. She didn¡¯t sleep well the entire night, feeling ill at ease with the sudden presence of another person, perchance because no men had stayed overnight at her house in a long time. She repeatedly jolted awake, perking up her ears to catch any sounding from outside her room. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Thus, she woke up early the next morning and went downstairs after hurrying through her ablutions. John was already up, and for the first time in forever, he was in the kitchen, probably preparing breakfast. Languidly walking over, Sophia stood by the kitchen entrance and scrutinized him. John was making dumplings, a fairly easy fare to prepare. Turning his head to look at her, he shed her a smile. ¡°Go and wait in the dining room. It¡¯ll be done in a jiffy.¡± Sophia stared at the pot for some time. ¡°Are you sure you can manage?¡± At her query, John pointed at his cell phone beside the stove. ¡°I looked it up just now, so it should be fine.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia pivoted and went to the dining room. In no time, John was done cooking the dumplings which he then carried out and served. Subsequently, Sophia started, ¡°John, I think there is a communication issue between us when ites to some things. You don¡¯t seem to understand my meaning.¡± John hurriedly insisted, ¡°I do, I do. You don¡¯t need to say anything. I know everything you want to say, so hurry up and eat. You still have to go to the shop after this.¡± It was clear as day that he didn¡¯t wish to listen to whatever she wanted to say. Hence, Sophia pursed her lips and looked at him for a long while before nodding. ¡°Alright, then. It¡¯s good that you understand.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 591 Chapter 591 Lowering her head, Sophia ate a few dumplings before she put her cutlery down. Startled, John asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are they still raw?¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°No. I just don¡¯t have much of an appetite.¡± The dumplings seem to be of shiitake mushroom filling. The taste of shiitake mushroom is rather heavy, so it¡¯s turning my stomach. At this, John spun around and went into the kitchen. Shortly after, he brought her a ss of milk. ¡°How about some milk, then?¡± Hmm, I wonder when he became so proficient at caring for someone else. After breakfast, he offered to apany her to the shop. However, Sophia was very much averse to the idea. It¡¯s my shop, and it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know where it is, so why do I need him to apany me? She then urged him to go home with his luggage instead of hanging around her house, but he hemmed and hawed, stalling by insisting, ¡°I¡¯ll just apany you to your shop first. I¡¯m in no hurry.¡± She was no match for him when it came to ying pull-and-tug, nor was she in the mood to argue with him. This man will definitely resort to trickery when he can¡¯t win with logic. Instead of having someone drive over, John hailed a taxi with Sophia and apanied her to her shop. Robin was already there, and she even had a smile on her face before she caught sight of him. ¡°Good morning.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Morning.¡± Her downcast mood surprised Robin who then asked, ¡°Why are you¡­¡± However, she trailed off before she¡¯d finished speaking. Entering behind Sophia, John nced at Robin. ¡°Morning.¡± Robin pursed her lips, only responding after a long time had passed. ¡°Morning. You¡¯re back.¡± John merely murmured an affirmation without expounding further. Sophia didn¡¯t sleep wellst night, so she was suffering from a terrible headache at the moment. Upon seeing that Robin had already done the cleaning, she thanked her before plopping down onto a chair. John then went over and sat down in front of her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well?¡± Raising her head to look at him, Sophia reflexively started growing impatient. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left? What are you doing here?¡± John leaned back against the chair. ¡°I¡¯m just taking a brief respite. I¡¯ll leave soon. What¡¯s the hurry?¡± Fed up with his roguish behavior, Sophia ignored him and massaged her temples. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Meanwhile, Robin wiped down the counter. ¡°I thought you¡¯d only being back a few dayster.¡± John chuckled. ¡°My business trip actually hasn¡¯t ended, but something urgent came up, so I returned earlier.¡± Robin brought him a cup of coffee. ¡°Then, why did youe with Sophia? Did you bump into each other on the way here?¡± John shifted his gaze to Sophia, looking as though he was stifling hisughter. Sophia, on the other hand, lifted her gaze to his and rolled her eyes without saying a single word. Taking in both their expressions, a vague sense of unease rose within Robin. John took a sip of coffee before replying, ¡°No, I came backst night, but I couldn¡¯t get a taxi home, so I went over to Sophia¡¯s ce.¡± Robin knew that Constance Residence was located halfway up the mountain, so she still helped to exin things despite her astonishment at his answer, echoing, ¡°That makes sense. It must have been late when your flight arrived. Taxis won¡¯t be willing to go too far in the middle of the night.¡± John vaguely grunted in reply. After drinking half the cup of coffee, he stood up. ¡°You guys get busy, then. I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± It¡¯s going to be busy for them soon considering the time now. Robin saw him to the door. She initially wanted to say something, but she then dismissed the idea upon seeing that he hadn¡¯t even noticed that she¡¯d followed him out. John then hailed a taxi and left, but she stood by the door and stared for a long while before turning around and returning to the shop. At this time, Sophia had already gone to the counter and started prepping. After a moment¡¯s contemtion, Robin went over to her. ¡°John spent the night at your house yesterday?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 592 Chapter 592 Pursing her lips, Sophia murmured in assent. After a long time had passed, Robin thenmented, ¡°Ian will surely feel aggrieved when he learns about it.¡± Sophia was startled, at a loss as to what this matter had to do with Ian. After saying that, Robin then smacked her lips. ¡°Anyhow, it¡¯ll be scandalous if the two of you still live together when you¡¯re divorced.¡± Sophia heaved a sigh. ¡°How I wish John shares the same sentiments as you do!¡± He isn¡¯t bothered whether it¡¯ll be scandalous. A headache assailed her when she recalled his unabashed behaviorst night. Meanwhile, John went back to Sophia¡¯s house in the taxi. He¡¯d long since taken his luggage upstairs, and he wasn¡¯t nning to carry it back down either. He merely came back to straighten up the kitchen. While Sophia had deleted his fingerprint for the door lock to her ce, he still remembered the password. Thus, the lock couldn¡¯t possibly keep him out. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. After he was done cleaning up, he then left and hailed a taxi back to Constance Residence. Old Mrs. Constance knew that he was back ages ago, so she cackled as soon as he stepped foot into the house. ¡°You finally found your way home, huh?¡± Walking over, John parked his butt on the sofa and stretched. ¡°I arrived tootest night, so I didn¡¯t come home immediately.¡± Old Mrs. Constance was listening to music, appearing very muchid-back, but she had a retort ready. ¡°Enough of your excuses. Did you think I¡¯m oblivious to your thoughts?¡± At this, Johnughed and went over to wrap an arm around her shoulder. ¡°You know me best, Grandma.¡± Casting him a nce out of the corner of her eye, Old Mrs. Constance thenmented, ¡°Nheless, I¡¯ve got to remind you to take things easy. Sophia is no longer as easy-going as before, so be mindful of her temper. Else, it won¡¯t end well for you.¡± John nodded. ¡°Got it. I¡¯m now testing the boundaries bit by bit so that I¡¯ll know how far I can go.¡± Sophia had changed tremendously, so he couldn¡¯t quite figure her out. Besides, that woman always has a mercurial temper toward me. In many a thing, she might not have much of a reaction when it involves someone else, but when I¡¯m the person in question, she goes ballistic! This is truly worrying. Old Mrs. Constance then asked whether he had eaten, to which he murmured an affirmation and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve eaten. I only came back to see you, so I¡¯ll be going to the office in a bit.¡± After giving her assent, Old Mrs. Constance then said, ¡°Oh yes, do talk to Dn if you see him at the office. Your aunt was insistent on arranging a blind date for himst night, but he refused to go. The two of them then exchanged words. Your aunt came over early in the morning and told me that she¡¯s a touch worried, so just try talking to him. It¡¯s for his own good, so he shouldn¡¯t let ite between them.¡± John froze for a moment before agreeing to do so. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll talk to him if I see him.¡± He didn¡¯t tarry long at Constance Residence. After retrieving his car, he drove to the office. s, he was then stuck in a traffic jam. Traffic came to a head long before he¡¯d reached the traffic light. He couldn¡¯t see what had happened ahead, but many people alighted from their cars and walked to the front for a look beforeing back while cursing aloud. It was impossible to turn the car around and take another route at this stretch of road since there was nowhere to execute a U-turn in front. Hence, everyone had no choice but to remain in this standstill traffic. After mulling it over, John alighted from the car andnguidly made his way to where a crowd was gathered ahead. The ident didn¡¯t ur at the intersection, for the two cars collided well before the junction. Judging from the condition of the cars, it wasn¡¯t an ident but a battle of wills with both cars deliberately mming into each other. At present, both car owners had alighted from their respective cars and were tearing into the other. Walking over for a look, John cracked up. Sally Morgan! Hmm, this is a nice turn of events. It¡¯ll take the edge off my anxiety. He didn¡¯t recognize the person who was squabbling with Sally, but the person seemed even fiercer than her, outright calling her a sl*t. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 593 Chapter 593 Standing at the side, John looked on with his arms crossed. Meanwhile, Sally then stopped cursing, probably exhausted from all the shouting she¡¯d done. However, the moment she shifted her gaze, she caught sight of John. Immense displeasure suffused her at his tant enjoyment of the show. In a bad mood to begin with, her temper instantly spiked upon spotting an acquaintance. She stared in his direction, but she didn¡¯t dare rush at him, merely snapping at the people near him, ¡°What are you all looking at? What¡¯s so interesting here?¡± Chastising voices rang out around her, condemning the two of them for inconveniencing others because of their row. However, Sally wasn¡¯t the slightest bit bothered. Whirling around, she took a baseball bat out of the trunk of her car and made a beeline for the woman who was bickering with her though her gaze remained fixed on John. The woman wasn¡¯t afraid, sticking out her neck by standing there without budging an inch. ¡°Why, do you want to kill me? Let me remind you that there are a lot of witnesses here!¡± Sally cast John a nce before she brought the baseball bat down on the woman¡¯s head. At the same time, she snarled, ¡°You just had to stick your nose into my affairs, huh? That¡¯ll teach you!¡± These words were probably meant for John. She has probably found some evidence pointing to me and Logan secretly investigating her, or more urately speaking, the Morgan Family. However, John didn¡¯t give a whit about that. When everyone around them shrieked the moment Sally struck the woman down with the baseball bat, he even smirked. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Standing there, Sally¡¯s emotions went haywire at the sight of his smirking countenance. She¡¯d been sh*t out of luck recently, everything going to hell in a handbasket¡ªher work, life, and just about everything else. This had never happened to her before, so she knew that someone had to be sabotaging her. She did have some brains at times, so she hastily sought out Leah and had her investigate the matter to ascertain whether someone was setting her up behind her back. Sally hadn¡¯t much knowledge of such things, but Leah was another story. As soon as she heard about it, a light bulb went off in her head, and she promptly contacted someone to investigate everything that had happened on her side. In reality, they didn¡¯t really unearth much, merely the fact that Logan yed a minor part in everything that had happened with the Morgan Family, but John¡¯s involvement seemed to have ceased midway. Sally understood why Logan would be involved since Leah set him up back then. He was a person who¡¯d never allow himself to be at a disadvantage, so it was understandable that he wanted revenge. John, however, was an enigma to her. She couldn¡¯t figure out why he butted into the matter since his rtionship with Ian was strained, so it didn¡¯t make sense for him to sabotage them for Ian¡¯s sake. Leah then enlightened her that he probably did so because of Sophia, but that made even less sense. They were divorced, so why would he do that? Flinging the baseball bat onto the ground, Sally pursed her lips, looking exceedingly defiant. ¡°You want to sabotage me? I¡¯ll tell you what, dream on! I definitely have a way to make you pay a hundred or even a thousand times over!¡± Hugging his arms, John appeared wholly unruffled, very much at odds with others who were in a flurry of panic around him. Sally had never known reality for all its cruelty since she was used to having her own way, so she didn¡¯t seem to realize that she¡¯d done something to rile the public up. Someone had already called the police and reported a traffic ident here, but now, it was no longer a mere traffic ident. The traffic police happened to arrive at this time, but they were stunned at the sight of the situation here. Onlookers had long since taken out their cell phones to film Sally¡¯s misdemeanor, but she wasn¡¯t at all intimidated, holding her head high instead. I like people like her who remain ignorant in the face of imminent disaster! Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 594 Chapter 594 How nice! It¡¯s only when one is ignorant can one be fearless. John was already gratified at the turn of events so far. Hence, he spun on his heels and headed back to his car. Meanwhile, shouts continued ringing out, the situation extremely chaotic. With so many witnesses, Sally Morgan is truly in hot water this time! After slipping back into his car, he reclined in his seat and gazed at the cars before him. Shortly after that, the cars ahead of him started moving slowly, so he followed suit. When he drove past the spot where the ident transpired, he could see that the injured party had already been carried to the roadside to await the arrival of the ambnce, while Sally had also been restrained. When the traffic police arrived, there were only two of them, and one of them had to direct the traffic. The remaining officer couldn¡¯t subdue Sally at all since she made a scene and kept everyone away from her. It was so bad that some people just couldn¡¯t sit on their hands. Parking their cars by the road, they went over and twisted her arm while pinning her down against the divider at the side. No matter how aggressive she was, she was still a woman at the end of the day, so she couldn¡¯t break free when restrained. Hence, she resorted to cussing them out. Upon seeing that she was acting out, the person who was pinning her down gave her no quarter by holding her head down with his other hand and contorting her entire body into a pretzel. At this, she finally zipped her mouth. Chuckling, John wound up his car window and drove off to the office. It was busy at the office, and Zack wasn¡¯t yet aware that John had already returned. John spotted Zack heading to his office with a document in hand when he stepped out of the elevator, so he called out to him at once, startling him. ¡°You¡¯re back? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d only be back in a few days?¡± Nodding, John went into his office, followed by Zack. ¡°What happened? Did it go badly? And you came back alone?¡± John grunted in affirmation. ¡°I came back alone. Anyway, it went well, and it wasn¡¯t a difficult coboration in the first ce.¡± There were some documents that had been processed on his desk, pending his approval. Striding over, he briefly flipped through them before shifting his gaze to Zack. ¡°How was the past few days? Was it hectic?¡± Zack shook his head. ¡°Nope, it was rather idle. I noticed that the other managers didn¡¯t really go out to entertain clients either.¡± John nodded. ¡°Alright, then. I brought some documents back, so have a look at these first. I¡¯ve done a screening of the basic data for the coboration this time. Just look them over and integrate everything.¡± Taking the documents from him, Zack then studied him, his expression slightly different now. Lowering his voice, he asked, ¡°You came back early by yourself?¡± When John said nothing, he could somehow guess his thoughts. ¡°Was it because of Sophia?¡± This time, John didn¡¯t pull a long face. He merely stared at Zack nonchntly, so Zack continued, ¡°Actually, I went over to Sophia¡¯s shop for a look while you were gone on your business trip during the past few days. There¡¯s nothing unusual. She¡¯s really on her best behavior these days.¡± A few secondster, John answered, ¡°I know.¡± Zack pondered for a moment before sighing. ¡°Sophia is actually quite an insecuredy. I think she sometimes acts differently than how she truly feels. Well, women always love saying the opposite of what they mean. Therefore, you shouldn¡¯t take it to heart even if she treats you contemptuously.¡± The corners of John¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°You speak as though you¡¯re an expert.¡± At this, chagrin flooded Zack. ¡°I¡¯m really an expert. I¡¯ve spent an inordinate amount of time with women recently, so I¡¯ve figured them out. Everything I said is true. You¡¯ve got to believe me.¡± John waved a dismissive hand. ¡°Alright, go and get busy. I know what to do about my own affairs. Look how anxious you are.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 595 Chapter 595 Raking a hand through his hair, Zack chortled. ¡°I¡¯m really anxious when I see the two of you at such an impasse.¡± Then, he left the room with the documents. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. John chuckled lightly. Who isn¡¯t anxious? I myself am anxious, but some things can¡¯t be resolved in haste. I¡¯ve done a few foolish things in the past, which is why I end up boxing myself into a passive state of affairs now. Sighing, he then lowered his head and started perusing the documents. Meanwhile, Sophia plopped onto the chair for a rest after having bustled around. She was feeling crummy, but she couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint what exactly was ailing her. My head seems to be spinning, but it then feels as though it¡¯s gastric reflux, and at the same time, it also feels like a stomachache. Anyway, it feelsplicated. Robin was sitting beside her, but her exuberance earlier had all but vanished. Instead, she appeared a tad distracted. After a while, Sophia turned and looked at her. ¡°If it¡¯s too busy in the afternoon, you can just close up. I¡¯m going home first. I don¡¯t feel quite good.¡± Robin was startled, making it ringly obvious that she¡¯d zoned out just now. Staring at Sophia, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Thumping her chest, Sophia answered, ¡°I can¡¯t quite exin it, but I just feel worn out. I probably didn¡¯t get enough rest yesterday, so I¡¯ll just go home and catch some Zs.¡± Her remark of not getting enough rest had Robin¡¯s imagination running wild. John stayed overnight at Sophia¡¯s cest night, and she didn¡¯t get enough rest¡­ Robin pursed her lips. ¡°Did you and John¡ª¡± Truly bone-tired, Sophia didn¡¯t catch what she said. Getting to her feet, she waved at Robin. ¡°I¡¯m going home first. Just close up if you can¡¯t handle things. It¡¯s fine.¡± Thus, Robin couldn¡¯t do anything else but nod. Sophia then left and hailed a taxi, but her head felt heavy throughout the ride. Even when she arrived home, she had no idea how she made it into the house. Anyhow, the moment she caught sight of the sofa, she staggered over andy down. Then, she slumbered until someone tried waking her. While she was feeling woozy, she felt someone helping her up before touching her forehead. Disgruntled, she reached out and pped the hand away. ¡°Go away.¡± After a moment¡¯s contemtion, John scooped Sophia up and went upstairs with her in his arms in a few strides. Her temperature feels normal to me. He then ced her on the bed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well?¡± However, she merely turned over without responding at all. Subsequently, he sat down beside her. It truly seems as though something¡¯s wrong with her. She didn¡¯t even notice it when I entered the house, nor did she respond even after I¡¯d called her name several times. After sitting for a while, he nced at the time and went downstairs again. Meanwhile, Sophia had a truly good sleep. When she next woke up, it was already afternoon. My mind feels much clearer now. She got up and stretched before going downstairs, only to be greeted by the sight of John standing downstairs with another man. Shocked, she demanded, ¡°Why are you here again, John?¡± John merely turned and nced at her. Then, he said to the person in front of him, ¡°Thank you.¡± The person then waved at him and left with a box in his hand. At longst, John pivoted and hurried over to her. Staring at her, he suggested, ¡°Go back up. I¡¯ve boiled some soup, so I¡¯ll bring you a bowlter.¡± At this, Sophia frowned. ¡°What are you doing? And who was that man earlier?¡± John looked at her thoughtfully. ¡°That was a doctor friend of mine. I asked him toe and check you over. You must have been deeply asleep just now since you didn¡¯t sense anything at all.¡± Sophia had indeed slept like a log earlier, for she had absolutely no idea that someone entered her house. Climbing a few steps further, John wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her back to her room. ¡°You were nearatose in your sleep just now, so I asked someone toe and check you over. Fortunately, nothing¡¯s wrong with you.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 596 Chapter 596 Sophia¡¯s temperature was normal, and her blood pressure was fine, so the doctor said that she might have been too exhausted recently. Then, John remembered that he came over in the middle of the previous night and gave her a fright. She probably didn¡¯t sleep well for the rest of the night, so this is all my fault. Sophia was indeed feeling tired, so when she got back to her room, she climbed back into bed after a moment¡¯s deliberation. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like eating now. You may leave. I¡¯ll just rest for a while before going down and cooking myself something when I¡¯m hungry.¡± How could I possibly leave when she¡¯s in such a condition? Walking over, he sat down on the edge of the bed. ¡°Go ahead and sleep. I¡¯ll keep watch here.¡± Upon hearing this, Sophia scoffed. What¡¯s there to keep watch of? At present, no one else would enter this house besides him! However, she wasn¡¯t in the mood to bicker with him, so she turned over and dozed off groggily. After contemting it for some time, Johny down beside her. Sophia wasn¡¯t the only one who hadn¡¯t gotten much restst night, for he himself didn¡¯t sleep well. Since he harbored secrets, his sleep was naturally fitful. A few heartbeatster, he slowly hugged her from the back and drifted off as well. As the atmosphere was too peaceful and the air too tranquil, the two of them slumbered until dusk fell. John was the first to rouse when the sky outside was already slightly dark. ncing at the time, he then hurried downstairs. The soup had long gone cold, so he reheated it. Just when he¡¯d turned off the stove, the cell phone in his pocket rang. Fishing it out, he checked the caller ID before answering the call. ¡°What do you have to report?¡± It was a woman¡¯s voice on the other end, sounding very much coquettish. ¡°Are you busy, Mr. Constance?¡± John said nothing, so she continued, ¡°There¡¯s nary a problem. Several days have passed, but I haven¡¯t noticed anything amiss.¡± John gave it some thought before replying, ¡°Just wait. Since they¡¯re so imperturbable, we must be patient as well.¡± At this, a sigh came from the other end of the phone. ¡°It¡¯s just a bit of a torture since I loathe waiting.¡± Taking a bowl, John scooped some soup which he made by following the instructions on the Inte step by step. He then tried some himself. It¡¯s not exactly gourmet, but it doesn¡¯t taste awful either. I suppose it¡¯s good for my first attempt. I just hope it passes muster with Sophia. The woman probably heard the clinking sounds from John¡¯s end, for she then giggled. ¡°You¡¯re in the kitchen, Mr. Constance?¡± When John remained mum, she sighed. ¡°I wonder who the lucky woman is.¡± At this point, John became a tad impatient. ¡°I¡¯m hanging up if there¡¯s nothing from you. I¡¯m busy over here.¡± Sensing his irritation, the woman on the other end hurriedly tittered. ¡°Alright, alright, got it. I¡¯ll go and toil for you right away.¡± John hung up without a word. Then, he carried the bowl of soup upstairs. This time, Sophia had truly gotten her fill of sleep, for her mind was much clearer than before when she sat up. Stretching, she remarked, ¡°I might have been too fatiguedtely, which is why I¡¯m suffering from sleep deprivation, leading to my body protesting by shutting down.¡± John ced the soup on the bedside table. Wetting a towel, he then wiped Sophia¡¯s face and hands, treating her like a princess. Sophia didn¡¯t refuse either, merely staring at him as he served her presently. ¡°Who taught you this?¡± John chuckled. ¡°How is it? Are you satisfied?¡± Looking at him thoughtfully, Sophia answered, ¡°Not bad. If you apply for a job with such skills, you might even earn some tips.¡± When John was done, he spun around and went to the bathroom to hang up the towel. ¡°Apply for a job? I¡¯m only this tender with you. If it were someone else, I wouldn¡¯t even bother.¡± Sophia said nothing further. After all, she was currently famished since she¡¯d only eaten a few dumplings earlier. Having eaten nothing till dusk, she was feeling really weak. John quickly brought the soup to her. ¡°Don¡¯t tire yourself out. Look what a scare you gave me today.¡± Previous ChapterN?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Next Chapter Chapter 597 Chapter 597 When John came in that time, he was greeted by the sight of Sophia dead to the world on the sofa, appearing as though something tragic had happened to her. Later on, she didn¡¯t respond no matter how he tried rousing her, so he almost carried her out to the car before heading to the hospital. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Sophia didn¡¯t say anything. Since she was starving, she didn¡¯t disdain the soup he made and slowly drank it. As she was all sweaty when she¡¯d finished the soup, she then ordered him, ¡°Go out. I want to take a shower.¡± This time, John didn¡¯t argue with her, merely taking the bowl from her before leaving. Locking the door behind him, Sophia then promptly took a shower. Ah, I¡¯ve finally washed the weariness off me! After she came out, she changed and stood by the window. While toweling her hair, she gazed at John who was in the courtyard, watering the nts with a serious expression on his face. This is a picture that would¡¯ve never manifested in the past. In his life back then, it seemed that work was the only thing that existed for him. I actually did a lot of things to win his favor, but he either didn¡¯t care or didn¡¯t notice it. He mostly preferred to turn a blind eye to the mundane things of everyday life. Thus, she was truly astounded to see him presently watering the nts seriously and even cooking. It seems that he has finally gotten a taste of the masses at this time. She then opened the window. Propping herself by the windowsill, she gazed out. Meanwhile, John spotted her as soon as he looked up after watering the nts. Sophia wasn¡¯t looking at him but gazing out at the horizon in the distance, her hair that was still damp falling casually around her. She looks quite beautiful at this moment. His head remained lifted as he stared at her intently, a smile ying on his lips. After a while, Sophia flipped her hair before spinning around and disappearing from view. All at once, John¡¯s control snapped, and he burst outughing. She must have sensed my gaze and grown embarrassed. Besides impatience, she has finally exhibited some other emotion toward me. Whirling around, he then went back into the living room. Subsequently, he looked up as he stood at the landing. ¡°Sophia, what should we eat for dinner? I¡¯m not good at cooking yet, so would you like to have takeaway?¡± Sophia only came down after some time, her movements unhurried. ¡°I¡¯m fine now, so you may leave. I¡¯ll settle dinner by myself.¡± In the past, John would¡¯ve surely teased her by saying that she was dumping him after having used him, but now, he seemed to have found an even more effective method. He outright dered, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I took care of you here for the entire afternoon and even made you soup, yet this is how you treat me? I¡¯m staying.¡± After saying that, he went to the refrigerator and rummaged around. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat takeaway, we can cook something. I think I can try my hand.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Straightening, John looked on as she came over and took out some vegetables from the refrigerator. In the next moment, he hastily snatched them from her. ¡°I¡¯ll do the washing. You just need to cookter.¡± Sophia stared at him, but she didn¡¯t rebuff him in the end. He has indeed taken care of me today, so I¡¯ll just consider this as¡­ as¡­ Never mind, it¡¯s no use overthinking it! John then washed the vegetables, while Sophia cooked rice, both working well together. While they were still bustling about, Logan drove over. Before he¡¯d even stepped foot into the house, he¡¯d started yelling, ¡°Are you not feeling well, Sophia? I went to your shop, and Robin said you went home since you were feeling out of sorts. What¡¯s wrong?¡± His voice was so thunderous that even someone on the second floor would have heard him loud and clear. Ignoring him, Sophia continued cooking. When Logan came in, he heard movement in the kitchen, so he rushed over in the blink of an eye. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 598 Chapter 598 Stunned, Logan gaped at John. ¡°John? Why are you here?¡± John was cleaning up at the sink, so he didn¡¯t look at him. ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here? You came over, after all.¡± Logan tutted. ¡°I came over because Sophia is my friend. You¡¯re her ex-husband, so why are you so diligent ining over?¡± After a moment¡¯s contemtion, John changed the subject. ¡°I saw Sally Morgan today. Her car collided with another car, and she bashed the other driver in a fit of fury. From the look of things, the other person¡¯s injuries are rather severe.¡± His eyes bulging, Logan¡¯s thoughts made aplete U-turn. ¡°Seriously? I¡¯ve got to investigate this, then! If it¡¯s true, I¡¯m the best at manipting public opinion. I¡¯ll have her ruined this time!¡± John chortled. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Subsequently, Logan went over and peered at the pot. ¡°Did you cook extra? I haven¡¯t had dinner.¡± At this, Sophiaughed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you have dinner beforeing over?¡± Logan harrumphed. ¡°I wasing over to your ce, and it so happened to be dinnertime, so I definitely had toe on an empty stomach.¡± Sophia then handed a dish to Logan. ¡°Take this to the dining room.¡± She¡¯d cooked extra on this day, nning to have some leftovers for the next day, but it now seemed that it wasn¡¯t going to happen. When everything was done, the three of them went to the dining room. Logan wanted to know more about Sally¡¯s situation, so he kept pestering John about it. Johnnguidly rted everything he saw in brief, but Logan wasn¡¯t at all satisfied. Mulling it over, he then hastily made a phone call and asked someone to investigate this matter. After he¡¯d done so, he rubbed his hands and dered that he once again had a goal in life. Chuckling in exasperation, Sophia looked at him. ¡°If you¡¯ve got so much energy, Logan, you can actually think about solving your own problems. It¡¯s a waste to always spend your time on someone else, so do consider your own issues.¡± Logan was startled. ¡°My own issues? I don¡¯t need to consider anything since I¡¯m doing pretty well.¡± However, Sophia pursed her lips. ¡°Were you hurt in the past? By a girl perhaps?¡± Logan nodded before shaking his head in the next instance. ¡°I was hurt in the past, but it¡¯s not what you think. I¡¯ve got no interest in women after seeing those four women in my family. Really, I think it doesn¡¯t matter even if I were to spend the rest of my life alone.¡± Upon hearing this, John guffawed. ¡°Does your old man not nag you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Then, Logan expounded inly, ¡°He said I¡¯ll only ruin a gooddy, so he told me to behave myself and to spend my life alone.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t helpughing at this. ¡°Your old man is rather shrewd.¡± When they¡¯d finished eating after endless chatter, Logan and John parked their butts onto the sofa. While watching television, they discussed manipting the incident over at the Morgan Family. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Meanwhile, Sophia went back to her room. She first changed into her pajamas, but for some reason, she was again assaulted by a wave of nausea. I indeed ate while talking earlier, so I gorged myself considering I haven¡¯t eaten much earlier during the day. However, I¡¯m not stuffed to the point of retching. This is a bit too much. Inhaling deeply, she then went over to the window and opened it. A cool breeze hit her, alleviating her nausea. However, it was only a momentary respite, for she again felt nauseated after a while. Inwardly sucking in a breath, she then went to the bathroom and rinsed her mouth before propping her hands against the sink, waiting. A momentter, nausea rose again. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 599 Chapter 599 Sophia took a deep breath, but still, she couldn¡¯t help throwing up. She then promptly rinsed her mouth before turning on the faucet and washing her face. I¡¯ve got gastric problems, and it¡¯s a chronic illness at that, so this is probably my gastric problems rearing its head again. Sure enough, I¡¯ve got to take good care of myself. I¡¯ve just cked off a bit, and my body is already staging a protest, kicking up such a fuss! After a while, she went downstairs. John and Logan were still there. During a lull in the conversation, John nced at her, only to be taken aback. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look exceedingly pale.¡± Sophia went to the kitchen to boil some water. ¡°Gastric problems.¡± John had once witnessed her long-standing gastric problems when she even vomited blood at Tri Asel back then. His brows creased. ¡°Do you have any medicine here?¡± Actually, there wasn¡¯t any medicine here, but Sophia didn¡¯t want to take any, so she replied, ¡°Yes. I just took some medicine, but it doesn¡¯t seem to have gone down properly. It¡¯s stuck in my throat, making me feel rather difited, so I¡¯ll just drink some water to wash it down.¡± There were no ws in her words, so John didn¡¯t think too much of it. After boiling some water, Sophia drank some in the kitchen, upon which her stomach felt somewhat better. Then, she went back upstairs. She initially nned to lie on the bed and scroll through her cell phone for a while, but once she climbed into bed, a rush of drowsiness immediately swept over her. Losing her temper, she swore before putting down her cell phone. Ignoring Logan and John, she got up and locked the door before hitting the sack. She had no idea when the people downstairs left, for she slept right through the night. When she woke up the next day, the sun was already shining brightly outside. As she sat up, her mind still felt fuzzy, but she then got out of bed to wash up after darting her gaze around. However, the moment the toothpaste went into her mouth, the same wave of nausea rose within her. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. She sucked in a breath, finding it a tad strange. I¡¯ve been having gastric problems for years on end, but it has never felt like this. Gazing at herself in the mirror, nausea abruptly assailed her, but it was flitting, for it was then gone in the next instance. She hurriedly washed up. When she came out, she took out her cell phone and did a search. However, her symptoms were too broad, so a myriad of answers popped out after her search. She stared at the topmost result, her gaze intensely serious. She then gave Robin a call and said that she wouldn¡¯t be going over to the shop that morning since she had something to do. Used to such behavior from her, Robin instantly murmured an acknowledgment. Sophia dawdled for a long while before changing. Then, she headed to the hospital. When she did the registration, she kept wavering, uncertain whether she should have her stomach or some other part checked. Although it was more likely that she was having gastric problems, she felt that some things couldn¡¯t be ignored. Thus, she went to the gynecology department after turning the matter over in her mind. It was slightlyte in the day when she arrived, so many people were waiting for their turns. She was somewhere at the end of the queue with a dozen people before her. Finding a seat, she then sat down, her mind nk. Actually, there were plenty of things she couldn¡¯t really figure out, so she just couldn¡¯t fathom how such a possibility existed. She waited for a long time before her name was finally called. When Sophia went in, she was greeted by a young female doctor who was wearing a mask, her expression a tad rigid. The doctor inquired about her ailment, to which Sophia licked her lips before answering, ¡°I often feel sleepy and nauseous.¡± Studying her, the doctor could already guess what she wanted to ascertain. After all, she came to the gynecology department and described the typical symptoms, so there wasn¡¯t any other possibility. Hence, the doctor typed out her rmendation on herputer right away. ¡°Go and have a blood test. You¡¯ll know for sure whether you¡¯re pregnant when the results are out.¡± Initially, Sophia had wanted to ask whether it was a misinterpretation on her part and whether it could have been caused by her gastric problems since she¡¯d been suffering from the ailment for more than a decade. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 600 Chapter 600 Since the doctor had already handed her a slip, Sophia swallowed her superfluous question. With the slip in hand, she went to the blood test room. It was almost noon, so only a few people were left, and she had her blood taken right away. Looking at the receipt, she then saw that the results would be out in the afternoon itself. She wasn¡¯t quite certain how she left the hospital, and at such a time, she wasn¡¯t in the mood to go to the shop either. As she walked, she stopped intermittently before finally calling it a day at a bus stop. Plopping down onto the bench there, she stared ahead at the carsing and going. It¡¯ll be too much if I¡¯m truly pregnant. It was a safe period for me back then, and even if I¡¯m pregnant, it won¡¯t be apparent so quickly, no? From what I see on the television, the symptoms will only appear a little after a month. She pulled at her hair. It¡¯s probably my overactive imagination. I never took any steps to prevent pregnancy before the divorce, yet I never got pregnant. At one point, I even suspected whether I was barren. Thus, how could I possibly be when it was my safe period then? This is just maddening! Sophia sat there until noon when a call came in from John. Through the line, he said he was at her shop before bombarding her with questions¡ªwhy she didn¡¯t go to the shop; where she was; whether she was still having gastric problems. At his barrage of questions, she didn¡¯t quite know which to answer. Sighing, she then massaged her temples. ¡°I¡¯m outside, but there¡¯s no taxi now.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. At this, John promptly asked, ¡°Where are you? I¡¯lle and drive you.¡± Sophia then told him her location, upon which he asked her to wait for a while before hanging up the phone. Putting her cell phone away, Sophia then stroked her stomach, her head feeling heavy. Meanwhile, over at the shop, John bid Robin farewell and made to leave after ending his call with Sophia. Robin hurried over to him. ¡°Are you going to look for Sophia?¡± John grunted in affirmation. ¡°She¡¯s outside, so I¡¯m going to drive her.¡± Upon hearing this, Robin pursed her lips. ¡°Sophia has a boyfriend now, so won¡¯t it be inappropriate if you were to drive her?¡± John was startled. ¡°Are you referring to Ian Morgan?¡± Robin quickly nodded. ¡°Ian has even made a public disy of affection toward Sophia during his show. Thus, Sophia will be caught in a difficult position if you do this, and it¡¯ll also affect her rtionship with Ian.¡± ¡°Ian Morgan?¡± John snorted. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who believes his delusions.¡± All at once, bewilderment swamped Robin. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Without further exnation, John strode to his car and drove away. Robin was left standing at the door, staring in the direction where he¡¯d gone until he disappeared from sight. Her expression was slightly dejected, her exuberance when he came over earlier all but gone at this moment. John, on the other hand, paid no heed to Robin¡¯s words, driving straight to the location Sophia gave him. When he arrived, he saw Sophia sitting on the bench at the bus stop, looking very much drowsy since she had her head tilted, still as a statue herself. Stopping the car, he then walked over to her. Sophia didn¡¯t notice his presence at all, so he went over and stood before her. Still, her head remained lowered, her hair falling to the front. Gazing at her for a while, his heart softened. Her petite and lean stature really tugs at my heartstrings. ¡°Sophia,¡± he called out. Sophia slowly raised her head. ¡°You¡¯re here, John?¡± She seemed really sleepy, and she even lifted a hand to p herself on the forehead. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Sighing in exasperation, John reached out and helped her to her feet, supporting her all the way to the car. Even after they¡¯d gotten into the car, he was still worried. ¡°Are you not feeling well? How about I drive you to the hospital for a checkup?¡± Sophia reclined against her seat. ¡°I¡¯ve been to the hospital. The doctor said that my blood pressure and blood sugar levels are too low, but I¡¯m fine otherwise.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 601 Chapter 601 That excuse just came rushing out when Sophia opened her mouth, but John was reassured after mulling it over. He then drove Sophia back to her house. However, shortly after, she dozed off while reclining against her seat. She seems exceedingly tired, and her entire person appears to be sapped of energy. Slowly bringing the car to a stop, he then alighted from the car and circled to Sophia¡¯s side before carrying her out. I wonder if I¡¯m reading too much into things, but she seems to have lost a lot of weight. She¡¯s so light that I wonder if she¡¯s been eating properly. Entering the house, he headed upstairs and ced her on the bed. All at once, she flipped over and conked out while hugging the covers. Standing beside the bed, John chuckled for some inexplicable reason before an image shed across his mind out of the blue. If we have a worrisome daughter like her in the future, and the two of them lie together like this, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have any more regrets in life. However, this picture was so perfect that he scarcely dared to imagine it. ncing at the time, he then gave Zack a call and asked him to bring the documents over. With Sophia in such a condition, I truly can¡¯t bring myself to leave. On the other end, Zack snickered. ¡°You¡¯re at Sophia¡¯s ce? Gosh, you¡¯ve finally seen the light, Boss!¡± ¡°Cut the crap! Hurry up and bring the documents over.¡± Mild impatience gripped John. Zack was not quite afraid of him now, feeling that while he was indeed outstanding in his work, he appeared to be an utter dunce in life, especially in matters of the heart. After all, once a person¡¯s ws were exposed, his authority would be inexplicably weakened. When he¡¯d hung up the phone, John went downstairs. He sat on the sofa and logged in to his email with his cell phone and perused a few documents. Thereafter, something seemed to have urred to him, for his expression turned solemn. Meanwhile, Zack was rather prompt in arriving with several documents in hand. Since the door was opened, he came right in. In the next moment, John lifted his gaze and looked at him. ¡°Check in with Roselia and look into the progress of things recently.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Zack froze for a moment before he nodded. Initially, he appeared a touch flippant, but now, he became entirely serious. ¡°I had someone asking around about the shadow bank, and it¡¯s said that they keep a very low profile. When they lend someone money, they never lend a huge amount. It seems that there¡¯s a limit. Regardless of the borrower¡¯s financial standing, he or she can¡¯t take out a loan for more than the limit. I think it¡¯s really something else considering the magnitude of its operation.¡± Pursing his lips, John nodded. ¡°Put in more effort henceforth in investigating this matter.¡± When Sophia woke up, it was already afternoon. Shezed in bed for a while, recalling how she came home. After staring at the ceiling for some time, she then heard a voice drifting over from the courtyard. The window was open, so sounds from the courtyard could be heard loud and clear. She recognized John¡¯s voice at once, but she didn¡¯t go over for a look, merely lying there and listening. He must be conversing with someone from the office since it¡¯s all about work. She didn¡¯t quite understand, nor was she particrly interested in doing so. Inhaling deeply a few times, she then snagged her cell phone and went to the hospital¡¯s official webpage to check the results of the blood test. However, the results weren¡¯t out since it wasn¡¯t time yet. She sighed, uncertain about what she hoped the results would be. As she waited while gripping her phone in her palm, it suddenly rang. Squinting, Sophia nced at it. It¡¯s an unknown number, but it¡¯s the same area code as that woman¡¯s number. As expected, she probably realized that she has been cklisted, so she¡¯s now calling with a different number. She sneered and threw her phone aside. Getting up, she then went to the bathroom to wash her face before going downstairs. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 602 Chapter 602 At this time, John had also ended his phone call and returned to the living room, looking at some documents. When he spotted Sophiaing down the stairs, he hurried over to her. ¡°Are you feeling unwell anywhere?¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± In fact, she hadn¡¯t been feeling particrly unwell in the first ce. She¡¯d merely been drowsy, so much so that she could barely keep her eyes open. Giving her a thoughtful look, John raised a hand and touched her forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything serious either.¡± Then, he went over to the coffee table and took a liquid tonic. ¡°I just had someone bring this over since you¡¯recking energy and iron. While you won¡¯t feel any immediate effect, it¡¯s good for the body.¡± Sophia nced at the bottle in his hand. Pursing her lips, she asserted, ¡°You don¡¯t need to take care of me.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. At this, John chuckled. He was now not the slightest bit bothered by her tant remarks in attempting to draw a clear demarcation between the two of them. ¡°Who else would I care for if not you? I promised Grandpa, after all,¡± he dered brazenly. Sophia closed her eyes for a moment. Here hees again! When he has no argument left, he always uses Old Mr. Constance as an excuse. This man is truly shameless! Upon seeing that she wasn¡¯t declining, John opened the liquid tonic for her. After looking at it for some time, Sophia took it from him. She was indeed a tad weak recently, and she was well aware of it. Despite looking active and lively, she actually had a suboptimal health status. After she¡¯d consumed the liquid tonic, John instantly asked, ¡°Are you hungry? I ordered some soup for you. It¡¯s now in the pot. I¡¯ve been keeping it warm so that you can drink it when you wake up. Shall I go and get you some?¡± Sophia stared at him, looking exceedingly serious. No matter how aloof this man is, there are still times when he¡¯s tender. It all depends on whether he wants to do so, but never had I imagined that the John Constance of the past would one day have such a side to him. Letting out a sigh, she then acquiesced. Evidently overjoyed at her eptance, John hastened to the kitchen. As Sophia continued eyeballing him, she vaguely felt as though she was looking at her past self. Once, I was also this servile in our marriage, even more so than he is at present. So, when exactly did this change ur? Then, she went to the dining room. John brought the soup out, and it was at the perfect temperature. She wasn¡¯t all that hungry initially, but when no rush of nausea assailed her at the smell, she didn¡¯t mind drinking it. Sitting down in front of her, John then inquired whether it was too hot or too salty before moving on to asking whether it was to her liking, and so on and so forth. At first, Sophia didn¡¯t respond, but sheter grew a touch irritated. ¡°If you¡¯re so free, go and peruse your documents. Don¡¯t just sit here and spoil my view.¡± John immediately nodded and stood up. ¡°Just call me if you need anything.¡± After saying that, he then went out. Holding the bowl, Sophia snorted. I should really have Matilda¡­ Ah, no¡­ I should really have Isabelle watch how he keeps catering to me. I wonder how she¡¯ll feel if she sees this side of him. Would she be humiliated since she went over to my shop and showed off a few days ago? When she¡¯d finished the soup, she went back to her room. Now that she was feeling much better, she wanted to continue sleeping. Bustling around her, John settled her on the bed before he went downstairs again. After lying down for a while with her eyes closed, Sophia took her cell phone out once more. She went to the hospital¡¯s official webpage. Logging in, she saw that her results were out. She couldn¡¯t understand the report, but there were reference values at the end of it. While she couldn¡¯t make head nor tail of it either, the almighty Google could help to analyze it. Keying in her results, she hit the search button, upon which the answer popped out. Unlike the myriad of answers this morning, the result was unified this time. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 603 Chapter 603 Sophia then checked the subsequent results. s, they all pointed to the same possibility. She felt her mind splintering, but it was only momentary, for it then reverted to normal. In reality, she¡¯d already guessed the verdict while waiting for the results. Putting down her cell phone, she ced both hands on her stomach. A jumble ofplex emotions roiled within her. Am I happy? Sad? Conflicted? Regretful? Probably all of the above. She closed her eyes as they burned slightly. Why do I have to fall pregnant at this time? Why now? Flipping over, she then curled into herself and slowly fell asleep. Meanwhile, Robin had been preupied the entire afternoon. When it was almost dusk, Logan came over to the shop, seemingly dropping by on his way elsewhere. However, when he didn¡¯t see Sophia uponing in, his brows creased slightly. ¡°What happened? Did Sophia take the day off?¡± Her voice sullen, Robin replied, ¡°She didn¡¯te over the entire day. It seems that she isn¡¯t feeling well.¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t feeling well?¡± At this, Logan became a tad anxious. ¡°I¡¯ll go and visit her, then!¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Robin, who was cleaning the ce, abruptly stilled. ¡°You¡¯re going over to Sophia¡¯s ce? May I tag along? I want to go and visit her, too.¡± Not thinking much of it, Logan nodded right away. ¡°Sure. Just close up after straightening everything, and we¡¯ll go together.¡± It so happened that there weren¡¯t any customers then, so Robin left with him after simply cleaning up. Climbing into his car, the two of them went straight to Sophia¡¯s house. John, on the other hand, had been at Sophia¡¯s ce the whole time. When he was done looking through the documents, he then phoned Zack and asked him toe and get them. Just when Zack had exited Sophia¡¯s house, he spotted Logan¡¯s car heading here, so he waited and stood at the door. Parking the car by the door, Logan then alighted with Robin. Zack chortled at the sight. ¡°Hey, you two are here as well?¡± Logan grunted, looking rather frantic. ¡°I heard that Sophia isn¡¯t feeling well, so I came over to visit her.¡± As he said this, he brushed past Zack and strode toward the house. Robin, however, halted. Her gaze was fixed on the living room, but her words were directed to Zack. ¡°John is here, yes?¡± Zack grunted in assent. ¡°He¡¯s been here the entire day with me bringing him the documents. Look, haven¡¯t I been relegated to an errand boy now?¡± As he spoke, he flicked the documents in his hand. Upon hearing this, Robin sucked in a breath. ¡°John is really nice to Sophia.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a given.¡± Ignorant of her feelings toward John, Zack was very blunt as he proimed, ¡°Sophia is the apple of his eyes. He regards her as a priceless treasure, so he¡¯s naturally nice to her.¡± Robin¡¯s brows knitted together. ¡°But aren¡¯t they divorced?¡± Zack tutted. ¡°So what if they¡¯re divorced? Isn¡¯t there something known as remarriage in this world? When feelings have clicked into ce, they can just remarry.¡± After he¡¯d said this, he dipped his head and nced at the time. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll talk another time since I¡¯ve got to go back to the office. Go on in. Sophia seems to be sleeping, but she should be waking up soon.¡± He then inclined his head to her and left. Standing by the door, Robin stared at the living room, vaguely making out Logan and John¡¯s silhouettes. Inhaling deeply, she then took a step forward and made her way into the house. John had changed; he was now wearing a different set of clothes than the one he wore to the shop, and this was obviously casual wear. When he saw hering in, he shed her a smile. ¡°You¡¯re here? Sophia should be waking up soon, so just wait for a while.¡± Robin nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± She then walked over to the sofa and sat down at a corner decorously. Looking at the staircase, Logan asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Sophia? What¡¯s ailing her?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 604 Chapter 604 John sighed. ¡°Perhaps she¡¯s been too stressed, so she¡¯s overly tired these days. As she¡¯s thin in the first ce, her body can¡¯t take it in the long run even though there¡¯s no major problem with her health.¡± Logan gave him a thoughtful look. ¡°She¡¯s indeed very thin, so she really needs some nourishment.¡± After saying that, he added, ¡°You¡¯ve been here the whole time?¡± Nodding, John leaned back against the sofa. ¡°I was worried about her.¡± Logan was slightly relieved to hear that he¡¯d stayed, but recalling Ian, he then felt that it seemed rather inappropriate. Thus, he stared at John for a long while before asking hesitantly, ¡°Isn¡¯t your life affected when you take care of Sophia so much?¡± John guffawed at the subtlety of the question. ¡°How would it be affected? I¡¯m single, and so is she. The only thing that might happen is rumors floating around. What else could there be?¡± Without waiting for him to respond, he instantly added, ¡°Besides, we were once husband and wife, so we have a strong emotional foundation. Even if something does happen, it¡¯s only natural.¡± Standing at thending on the second floor, Sophia was gripped by the urge to rebuff him upon hearing his shameless remark. A strong emotional foundation? How brazen of him to say that! Has he forgotten how he treated me in the past? Robin was the first to notice her, so she sprang to her feet. ¡°Sophia.¡± This time, Sophia had gotten her fill of sleep. She then descended the stairs. ¡°You¡¯re all here?¡± Robin pursed her lips. ¡°How are you feeling? Are you not feeling well?¡± After a moment¡¯s contemtion, Sophia answered, ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡± Logan walked over and touched her forehead. ¡°You must voice it out immediately if you¡¯re not feeling well. You can¡¯t dawdle when ites to your health.¡± Murmuring her assent, Sophia nced at John out of the corner of her eye, recalling the medical report she saw earlier. All at once, she was at a loss for words. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. John looked around at everyone. ¡°How about you all stay for dinner? It¡¯ll be a lively affair.¡± Naturally ecstatic, Logan promptly agreed, ¡°Sure! I love lively affairs! I¡¯ll go for groceries. Shall we have steamboat tonight? What do you all think?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± At the mention of ¡®steamboat¡¯, it was as though she could already smell its fragrant aroma, and she started salivating. Subsequently, Robin concurred as well. However, there weren¡¯t many groceries left at home, so Sophia suggested, ¡°I¡¯ll go and buy some groceries from the supermarket. You guys wait at home.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± John instantly blurted. Thus, Robin parroted, ¡°I¡¯ll go as well.¡± Logan definitely couldn¡¯t stand waiting here alone, so he dered, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go as well. Since you¡¯re all going, I certainly can¡¯t stay here alone.¡± Therefore, it was decided that the four of them would all be going. After Sophia had changed her shoes, they then set out. The supermarket was only a stone¡¯s throw away, so they went on foot. John walked beside Sophia. ¡°Are you cold?¡± Sophia gaped at him as though he had lost his mind. Who would be cold on such a warm day? Ignoring her reaction, he moved closer and grasped her hand. ¡°Let me see. Hey, why is your hand so cold? Here, I¡¯ll warm it for you.¡± Sophia arched an eyebrow. ¡°Can you please have some self-respect?¡± At this, John outrightughed. ¡°What self-respect? I¡¯ve long since abandoned all self-respect before you.¡± Since his answer was starkly unabashed, Sophia had no words to refute him. As Robin took in their interaction at the side, her gaze grew increasingly dim. Logan, on the other hand, tutted. ¡°What are you two doing? Let go, let go. We both have eyes on you here.¡± John didn¡¯t care a whit whether someone else was watching. Instead, he tightened his hold on Sophia¡¯s hand. ¡°Her hand is too cold, so I¡¯m warming it up. What¡¯s there to see? What¡¯s so interesting?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 605 Chapter 605 Sophia tugged her hand back, but it wouldn¡¯t even budge. Exasperation flooded her. ¡°John Constance, when are you going to stop putting on a show? Let go of my hand!¡± John turned his gaze on her. Surprisingly, he released his grip on her obediently. ¡°Look, even you have misunderstood me!¡± Sophia simply ignored him. They then arrived at the supermarket. As Sophia pushed a shopping cart, John again stuck to her side. ¡°What do you want to eat? Go on and buy more.¡± Sophia said nothing, merely putting items that caught her interest into the cart. Robin was also pushing a shopping cart. Following behind Sophia, she looked on as John ced himself at Sophia¡¯s beck and call, shamelessly clinging to her. In a soft and muted voice, she said to Logan, ¡°They¡¯re divorced, yet they still act like a couple. Isn¡¯t this rather bizarre?¡± His eyes fixed on the shelves on both sides, Logan hummed thoughtfully and echoed, ¡°It¡¯s bizarre. It¡¯s definitely unorthodox, but even a fool could tell that John still has feelings for Sophia.¡± Taken aback, Robin¡¯s head snapped to the side, and she stared at him. ¡°Really? But if he has feelings for her, why did they divorce in the first ce? Since they¡¯re already divorced, it must have been because they no longer have feelings for each other, no?¡± Logan wasn¡¯t quite sure about this either. After darting his gaze around, he then looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about this. But why are you so curious about them? Just let them be. Matters of the heart are mostplicated.¡± Robin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s mostplicated.¡± They didn¡¯t spend too long buying groceries since they snagged everything that caught their fancy. When they checked out, it was John who paid, and he even said that it was his treat with Sophia. At this, Logan hissed, ¡°Why must you always put yourself together with Sophia? I¡¯ll get the wrong idea if you do so, John. Are you trying topete with my buddy?¡± His ¡®buddy¡¯ naturally referred to Ian. Beside him, Robin swiftly pinned her gaze on John. Ian has confessed his love and made a public disy of affection on the show, after all! Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Sneering, John roared withughter. ¡°You mean Ian? I¡¯mpeting with him?¡± He shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ve got it wrong. Ian never stood a chance.¡± Since Logan was close with Ian, he was instantly disgruntled upon hearing that and turned his eyes to Sophia. ¡°You tell me! In your opinion, who¡¯s better? John or Ian? I want to hear from you now.¡± Sophia looked at the two of them insipidly. ¡°They¡¯re both out of the running, so neither of them stand a chance. Is that clear enough for you?¡± A second before Logan spoke, Robin interjected, ¡°Aren¡¯t you dating Young Master Ian? Why are you now saying that he doesn¡¯t stand a chance?¡± Sophia shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s all a misunderstanding. I¡¯ll just leave it at that. Actually, I¡¯m not in a rtionship with either of them. Alright, let¡¯s go back and have dinner. We¡¯ll save the talk forter.¡± John backed her up. Not at all bothered about her exnation earlier, he reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. ¡°Yes, yes. Save the talk forter.¡± When Sophia¡¯s brows furrowed, he slowly retracted his arm. ¡°So, this is how things are, huh?¡± Staring at Sophia, Robin mumbled to herself in a voice so soft that even she herself couldn¡¯t quite catch it. It was Sophia who prepared the soup base for the steamboat. She¡¯d always been skilled at cooking, so as the fragrant aroma drifted into the air, all of them salivated. Meanwhile, Robin sat on the sofa and watched the three of them in the kitchen. She couldn¡¯t even go in to help, for the two men didn¡¯t need her at all. A sense of uneasiness enveloped her, her heart feeling exceedingly heavy. After some time, she left the living room and went to the courtyard. When Sophia was done with the soup base, she then said to the two men, ¡°You can bring it to the dining room after washing the vegetables and putting them in.¡± After she¡¯d said that, she left the kitchen and went to the courtyard as well. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 606 Chapter 606 Sophia walked over to Robin. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you worn out because you had to handle everything alone at the shop today? If so, take the day off tomorrow and rest.¡± Robin shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± After saying that, she let out a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re done cooking? I wanted to go in and help you, but there was no room for me.¡± At this, Sophia cracked up. ¡°Those two fes aren¡¯t so diligent usually, so just let them handle it when they¡¯re willing to do so.¡± ncing at the kitchen over her shoulder, Robin then noted, ¡°I noticed that John is really nice to you.¡± Sophia¡¯s hand instinctively flew to her stomach. ¡°Really? He was different in the past.¡± Robin chuckled. ¡°Is he also nice to your friends?¡± This was a question Sophia had never considered since she had few friends in the first ce. I¡¯ve never noticed him giving special treatment to those associated with me for my sake. Still, after ruminating about it, she answered, ¡°Probably. Anyway, he¡¯s quite nice to everyone.¡± Robin smiled. ¡°I see.¡± At this time, Logan hollered that the food was ready. Having bustled around for so long, Sophia had long since been feeling ravenous, so she tugged at Robin. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll talk while we eat.¡± There was still some left of the beer Logan brought the previous time he came, so he took them out. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s utter bliss to have steamboat and beer together! Come,e! Everyone should drink some since we¡¯re all in high spirits today, and it¡¯s rare that we¡¯re all gathered together!¡± He then handed Sophia a bottle of beer. Casting a look at it, Sophia shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t feel so well, so I¡¯ll pass.¡± Lifting a hand, John snatched the beer away. ¡°I second that. Don¡¯t put yourself through the wringer when you¡¯re feeling better now.¡± After mulling it over, Logan nodded. ¡°True enough. You shouldn¡¯t drink any, Sophia.¡± As he said that, he took another bottle and gazed at Robin. ¡°Are you drinking?¡± Stretching out a hand, Robin snagged it from him. ¡°Of course. After all, it¡¯s rare that we¡¯re all here today, and the atmosphere is so vibrant.¡± Without thinking too much about it, Sophia leaned toward her. ¡°Pace yourself. Don¡¯t drink too much, else you¡¯ll be suffering tomorrow.¡± Robin pursed her lips. ¡°Alright, got it.¡± With Logan there, the atmosphere would never grow cold. In the next instance, he brought up Sally¡¯s incident. The person Sally assaulted with a baseball bat back then was her ex-boyfriend¡¯s current girlfriend. Bumping into each other, the two of them started a battle of wills before mming into each other. This actually wasn¡¯t a huge deal, but when Sally grabbed a weapon and bashed her, it then escted to intentional assault. Sally was rather simple-minded, but Leahter offeredpensation in hopes of settling the matter out of court with the injured girl. Though she was quite generous, the girl refused. To begin with, she had a grudge against Sally, and she wasn¡¯t strapped for cash, so she wanted Sally to have a criminal record to alleviate the resentment within her. Leah sought the girl out several times while she was recuperating in the hospital, but the girl didn¡¯t want to see her. The final time Leah went, she outright lodged a police report. Therefore, from the look of things now, this matter would definitely be brought to court. Logan was ecstatic at the turn of events. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to know the final verdict! Sally Morgan has always had her nose stuck in the air, so it¡¯ll be good if she spends a few months in prison!¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Sophia didn¡¯t hear a single word, eating happily by herself. Since her appetite had been badtely, she hadn¡¯t been eating much, so now that she had her favorite food before her, she was gorging herself without any restraint. Beside her, John took food for her, yet he also replied to Logan, saying, ¡°If Sally maniptes things under the table, she can still mitigate her culpability.¡± Logan considered it for a moment. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll manipte things under the table as well. Anyone can do that.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 607 Chapter 607 John thenughed. Subsequently, he looked at Sophia. ¡°Slow down. There¡¯s still plenty left. Don¡¯t you find it hot?¡± After saying that, he poured some juice for her. ¡°Have some juice. Why are you eating so quickly?¡± Taking it from him, Sophia guzzled it down in one go, cracking John up. ¡°You seem vastly different now.¡± Without even lifting her head, Sophia shot back, ¡°You¡¯re also different now.¡± Putting down his cutlery, John took a piece of tissue and wiped the corner of Sophia¡¯s mouth. ¡°Do you like me better back then or now?¡± This is obviously a trap! I¡¯m not that easily duped. Sophia snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t like you no matter what.¡± Guffawing, John lifted a hand and stroked her head. ¡°Why must you be so quick to react?¡± Robin sucked in a breath, her appetite all but gone. So, she put down her cutlery and took a sip of juice. Surprise inundated Sophia. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating? You¡¯ve only eaten a few bites. Are you still on a diet?¡± The corners of Robin¡¯s mouth quirked up. ¡°Nope. There¡¯s no point going on a diet. I think my figure now is good enough.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia seconded. Then, she lowered her head and continued eating. Logan began yakking about the situation with the Morgan Family again, very much enthusiastic in tripping them up. Nheless, Sophia didn¡¯t pay him any mind, merely wrapping up her meal before taking a piece of tissue and wiping her mouth. ¡°You guys continue. I¡¯m done eating.¡± After she¡¯d said that, she stood up and toddled out of the dining room. She stood at the living room entrance for a while. Inhaling deeply several times, she then hurried upstairs. When she¡¯d gone into her room, she rushed to the bathroom and barfed right away. Thereafter, she hastily rinsed her mouth and washed her face before going downstairs again. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Having left the dining room, Robin stared at Sophia who was on the staircase. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look rather pale.¡± Sophia hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°I just ate too much, so I¡¯m feeling stuffed now.¡± She then went to the courtyard with Robin. There were rattan chairs there, so they both sat down. Then, Robin looked at Sophia. ¡°It feels as though you¡¯re nning to reconcile with John now.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°Why would you say so?¡± Robin pondered for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s just the look in your eyes when you gaze at him. It feels like you¡¯re not all that averse to him. And the interaction between you two feels as though you¡¯re on the verge of reconciliation.¡± After saying that, she thenmented, ¡°Thus, I just can¡¯t figure out why the two of you got divorced. Do you not like him?¡± A hint of chagrin swamped Sophia. John¡¯s full-fledged acting now makes everyone assume that the reason for our divorce lies with me, but all these people have no idea how despicable he was in the past. Back then, he asked me for a divorce before Old Mr. Constance had even been dead for 100 days. He never once considered me or put himself in my shoes! She pursed her lips. ¡°That¡¯s not it. The reason we divorced was actually simple yetplex. I don¡¯t quite know how to exin it either.¡± Simply put, they divorced because John didn¡¯t love her. Going further inplexity, it¡¯d then involve the friendship between Old Mr. Constance and her grandfather. Irritation assailed her at the thought of digging up all those messy matters again. Never mind, just forget about it! It¡¯s all in the past, so there¡¯s no need to keep bringing it up! Thus, she waved a dismissive hand. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. It just infuriates me.¡± Looking at Robin, Sophia then remarked, ¡°You ate very little just now. Why is that so? Did you not have any appetite?¡± Her expression was stained with concern, so Robin smiled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really hungry, so I didn¡¯t eat much. Perhaps my stomach has shrunk since I¡¯ve been eating less due to my diet recently.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 608 Chapter 608 Sophia nodded. Then, she heaved a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t go on a diet. You¡¯re perfectly fine, so why would you do so? Perhaps the person you meet in the future likes you just as you are right now.¡± Robin said nothing. As the two men in the dining room ate, they lost all sense of time. In the end, Robin gave up waiting and took her leave from Sophia, saying that she would like to go home first. Thus, Sophia saw her to the entrance of themunity and watched as she got into a taxi and left. Standing at the gate, she looked around before pivoting and going back in. On the street a near distance away was a parked car. Someone was sitting inside with a camera in hand, snapping away in Sophia¡¯s direction. Only when she¡¯d disappeared from sight did the person put the camera down and wound up the car window. Subsequently, he checked the photos taken. Seemingly very much satisfied, he then put everything away and started the car before driving off. Having absolutely no idea about that, Sophianguidly went back into the house. John and Logan were still drinking as the two of them started discussing the Bailey Family. As Logan disliked Isabelle, he spoke ill of her every so often, criticizing her incessantly. Leaning against the entrance to the dining room, Sophia listened for a while before she found it futile. Actually, each person has his or her own opinion as to whether Isabelle is a nice person. Forcing one¡¯s view onto another person will only backfire. She then turned around and went upstairs. My mind is only feeling much clearer now. For the entire day today, I¡¯d been feeling really drowsy. She then did a search online, only to find out that it was an early pregnancy symptom. She touched her stomach, not quite certain how she felt about this little one in her belly. This child came at an untimely time, but she wasn¡¯t all that averse to it. Anyhow, abortion had never crossed her mind. While she wasn¡¯t a kind person, she just couldn¡¯t bring herself to do so. To her, it was extremely cruel if she were to forcibly strip away the life within her. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. She then drank the blood nourishing liquid tonic John bought before climbing into bed and lying down. At this time, her cell phone on the bedside table rang again. She could guess who it was since no one else would be calling at this hour. Lifting a hand, she groped for the phone. Subsequently, she cast a nce at it and answered the call. ¡°Well, what is it?¡± The woman¡¯s voice was tinged with a hint of ingratiation, and she didn¡¯t speak of anything serious, merely asking Sophia whether she¡¯d had dinner. Sophia said nothing, keeping mum. The woman then gave a light cough, perchance finding things too awkward. Then, she said, ¡°The picture I sent you the other day was of your sister. Your sister¡ª¡± ¡°I have no sister,¡± Sophia asserted. All at once, the other end went silent. ¡°My parents are both deceased. Since young, I only had a grandfather, and he passed away a little over a year ago. I¡¯m now all alone without any rtives, not even one.¡± Her voice was very cid yet not exactly indifferent, merely the kind of attitude one would employ with a stranger. A sigh came from the other end, and the woman¡¯s voice started cracking. ¡°I knew it! I knew that you¡¯d resent us. But Soph, we had our own difficulties. Back then, your father wanted to start a business, but as you know, that poverty-stricken ce was no ce for a business. Later on, we owed people too much money, and they came to demand repayment every single day. Our life was dismal, so your father and I had no choice but to leave and make a living elsewhere. We wanted to make some money and return for a good life.¡± Sophia dissolved intoughter. ¡°Well, the two of you have left for more than 20 years, no? Where¡¯s the money? Were you two dazzled after going out there and seeing the myriad temptations of the world? You then felt that it¡¯s better out there, and there¡¯s nothing to miss at the small mountain vige back home. Am I right?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 609 Chapter 609 ¡°No! That¡¯s not it, Soph!¡± The woman¡¯s voice sounded a tad panicked. ¡°What is it, then?¡± Sophia¡¯s voice noticeably increased in volume. The calmness earlier had all but vanished, to be reced with a trace of fury. ¡°For 20 years, there was no news from the two of you. You didn¡¯t evene back when my grandfather passed away, yet you dare tell me that you two have your own difficulties? How could you be so shameless?¡± The woman had noeback in the face of her condemnation. Sitting up, Sophia demanded, ¡°Tell me, have you two paid off your debts after making money during all those years you¡¯ve been away?¡± At this, the woman hemmed and hawed. ¡°Listen to me, Soph. Things aren¡¯t as simple as you make them out to be. Back when your father and I first came out, life was truly arduous. We couldn¡¯t do anything since we weren¡¯t educated.¡± Snorting, Sophia¡¯s voice turned caustic. ¡°You two abandoned an elderly man and a child to live a good life yourselves, yet you make it sound as though we¡¯ve got to understand you two. Do you have no shame?¡± Finally, she dered, ¡°The two of you truly sicken me. I¡¯d rather you¡¯d died out there when you first left the vige. I would¡¯ve preferred that since it¡¯d then have severed all my thoughts about you two.¡± The woman could be heard bursting into tears. Sophia actually detested tears, so she never cried easily. What¡¯s the use of crying? Nothing in this world can be resolved by tears! If one would spend the effort to cry, it¡¯d be better to think about a solution to the predicament at hand! In the end, Sophia gritted her teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t call me again. I have no other feelings toward you¡­ No, I mean you two¡­ Nothing at all, save abhorrence.¡± After saying that, she hung up right away. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she inhaled deeply, yet a massive cloud of irritation remained hanging over her. Never have I experienced such enmity. I just hate everything! After a while, John and Logan finished eating. When Logan repeated the same conversation several times, John realized that he was truly drunk. Thus, he went over and took out Logan¡¯s cell phone. Flipping through his contacts, he then made a call and asked the other person toe and drive Logan back home. His eyes ssy, Logan leaned back against his chair. ¡°Yes, yes. Have someonee and drive me. I might not be able to make it back on foot since the distance is too great.¡± He was slurring as he spoke. Returning the cell phone to him, John pivoted and went to the living room. He had quite a high alcohol tolerance, so he was still somewhat sober now. After looking around, he noted that Sophia wasn¡¯t in the living room, so he then went upstairs after a moment¡¯s contemtion. Sophia¡¯s bedroom door was open. Walking over, John stood at the door. At a single nce, he spotted her standing by the window with her back ramrod straight. Smiling, he slowly made his way to her and hugged her from behind. Sophia was startled, yet she didn¡¯t struggle, so John rested his chin on her head as though encouraged. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Sophia said nothing. Thus, John gave a gruff bark ofughter. ¡°Just now, Logan said we should invite Ian over for a meal together and speak our minds so that everyone will be put at ease.¡± At this, exasperation stained his voice. ¡°He must be intoxicated. If Ianes over, we¡¯ll probably all be ill at ease.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia closed her eyes for a moment, not in the mood to hear all this. ¡°John,¡± she interjected. John murmured an acknowledgment. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I might be going away, so I¡¯ll likely close the shop for some time,¡± Sophia said. Stiffening, John tightened his arms around her. ¡°Going away? Alone?¡± Sophia grunted in affirmation. ¡°Something came up, so I¡¯m leaving for a while.¡± John¡¯s brows creased. ¡°What came up? I¡¯ll help you with it. You don¡¯t need to handle it yourself.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 610 Chapter 610 Turning around, John stood beside Sophia. ¡°It¡¯s unsafe for a girl to be out there alone.¡± Pursing her lips, Sophia pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°I have my own considerations, John. I need to go and handle some things.¡± John gazed at her with solemnity etched on his face, his expression inexplicably conveying disappointment and abandonment. Thus, Sophia then exined, ¡°I want to go back and visit my grandfather¡¯s grave. The anniversary of his death has passed, yet I haven¡¯t gone back to visit his grave. I¡¯m the only person he has left, so I must make a trip back there.¡± At this, John breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Pursing her lips, Sophia seemingly tittered. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be fine going back alone. We might need to put on a show for those who are alive, but I think you don¡¯t need to do so for someone who¡¯s deceased. There¡¯s no such need.¡± John frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not offering so that I¡¯ll look good.¡± Sophia hastily nodded. ¡°I know, I know. You don¡¯t need to say anything else, for I know what you meant. However, I want to go back alone. You¡¯ve never been to our little vige, so if you go, all the vigers woulde over to take a gander at you. It¡¯ll be difficult for me to introduce you, so will you please save me the trouble, John? I don¡¯t want to kick up a fuss.¡± This is much better than her attitude before this. As it was rare for her to talk to him so nicely with room for discussion, John couldn¡¯t really insist on having his way. Sophia looked at him. ¡°I¡¯m just informing you about this. I actually don¡¯t have to say anything to you, but I¡¯m hoping that you won¡¯t mind taking care of the nts here while I¡¯m away. Since I spent an exorbitant amount on them, I¡¯ll be distressed if they wither.¡± After she¡¯d said this, she chuckled. ¡°In fact, I can just have Zacke over. But then, I thought that you¡¯ll be the one toe over in the end even if I speak to Zack, so I decided to speak to you instead.¡± She¡¯s being very much amicable toward me now, but it feels as though she¡¯s simply too calm. John sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t mind you making the trip, but I¡¯m truly worried if you go alone. How about I have someone apany you? Do you still have a ce to stay in your hometown? You¡¯ll need to clean up the ce when you go back, no? You¡¯ll have some help if someone goes with you.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The vige isn¡¯t big, so everyone knows each other. I can just stay the night at someone else¡¯s house. People are quite friendly in small mountain viges, so they won¡¯t mind doing me this insignificant favor.¡± John knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to sway her. Judging from the resolve on her face, she must have made up her mind. Hence, he could only nod. ¡°Alright, then. However, I might phone you every day, so you must answer my call. Okay?¡± He made a request of his own since they were somewhat negotiating. Sophia murmured an assent. ¡°Okay.¡± Just when they¡¯d finished talking, Logan staggered out of the living room while howling and wailing indistinctly. John¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I¡¯ll go downstairs and take a look. He had one too many drinks, so he¡¯s probably on a drunken rampage.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t respond. Meanwhile, John quickly went downstairs, only to discover that Logan wasn¡¯t on a drunken rampage. Instead, he¡¯d merely grown impatient and went to the entrance of the courtyard to await his ride. At the end of his wits, John grabbed a chair over and sat him down to wait. Then, he kept himpany at the side. Logan¡¯s speech was already all garbled, yet he could still run his mouth with John, jabbering away. He vowed that he¡¯d definitely help Ian take the reins in the Morgan Family one day before having the two rat b*stards, Sally and Simon, kneel before him in repentance. Then, he even spoke of Leah, saying that the old woman was vicious, so she would certainly be kicked away by Bryce in the future. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 611 Chapter 611 Logan then continued saying that even though Bryce was advanced in age, so he was unable to find another chick after kicking Leah away, that woman couldn¡¯t be allowed to stay in the Morgan Family. He said a lot, but John paid him no mind, merely standing silently at the side. On the other hand, Sophia stood by the window upstairs, gazing down at the two men below. She again touched her stomach. I really don¡¯t know what to do next. Meanwhile, an attendant from Logan¡¯s clubhouse then drove over. Surprisingly, Logan could still recognize the car, so the moment he caught sight of it, he promptly threw himself at it. Terror-stricken, the attendant quickly mmed the brakes. Sprawled on the hood, Logan cackled. ¡°You¡¯re finally here! I missed you so much!¡± Seemingly at the end of his patience, John strode over and yanked him up by the cor as he threw the attendant a look. The attendant hurriedly alighted from the car and opened the car door, upon which John threw Logan in. His head spinning, Logan slumped onto the seat and grunted a few times before wriggling around in search of afortable position. Subsequently, he conked out. John waved a dismissive hand, and the attendant then drove away. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Thereafter, he went back to the dining room and cleaned up briefly. When he went upstairs again, the door to Sophia¡¯s room was already locked from the inside. He raised his hand to knock, but on second thought, he dismissed the idea. Letting out a sigh at the door, he then called out, ¡°Rest well. I¡¯ll be leaving first. I¡¯ve checked the doors and windows for you.¡± There was no response from Sophia inside. After waiting for a while, John whirled around and went downstairs. He then drove back to Constance Residence. The upants there had long since gone to bed, so he returned to his own room. However, he just couldn¡¯t sleep as hey on the bed while irritation swamped him. After tossing and turning for some time, he sat up and remained silent in the darkness for a few heartbeats. All of a sudden, he got out of bed and left the room. He went to the adjacent room that had been vacant all this time. Although no one was staying in the room, it was still dusted and the windows opened daily for venttion. He didn¡¯t turn on the lights there since the moonlight outside illuminated the room. Slipping into the bed, hey down. He actually wanted to seek out Sophia¡¯s smell, but it¡¯d long since dissipated since she¡¯d only stayed here for a handful of days. However, it was still a small constion; when hey there, he could still quiet his mind. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply before he slowly drifted off to sleep. The next day, he went to the office first before driving over to Sophia¡¯s shop during lunch break. Robin was the only one there, and she seemed a tad awkward upon seeing him, greeting him falteringly. Then, John peered inside. ¡°Did Sophia note over today?¡± Robin grunted in affirmation. ¡°She said she¡¯ll be away for a few days. She actually told me to close up the shop and gave me paid time off, but I came over and opened the shop up since I figured I can manage.¡± John mulled it over for a while before saying, ¡°How about I get someone here to help you out? It¡¯ll be tiring for you to handle everything alone.¡± Staring at him, Robin then chuckled after a long while. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can handle things alone. If I truly can¡¯t manage, I¡¯ll just close the shop. It¡¯s fine.¡± John didn¡¯t insist further. Without further ado, he drove over to Sophia¡¯s house. Meanwhile, Robin stood at the door and looked on as he drove away. Then, something seemed to have urred to her, and she gave a bark of derisiveughter under her breath. He offered to have someonee over and help me out. In the past, I would¡¯ve definitely been deeply moved, but now¡­ Touching her chest, she sighed before pivoting and returning to the shop. When John arrived at Sophia¡¯s house, he then cottoned on to the fact she was an efficient contender. She has left ages ago, as evidenced by the locked doors and windows, the spotless house, as well as all the everyday utensils that had been put away! Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 612 Chapter 612 From the looks of things, it¡¯s as though she¡¯s nning to be away for a long time. After searching the entire house, John then came back out. Taking out his cell phone, he gave Sophia a call. Turning time back a few hours ago, when Sophia was done packing up early in the morning, she first went to the hospital. When she was there, she essed her blood test report and showed it to the doctor. Her expression rigid, the doctor scanned through the report before saying, ¡°You¡¯re pregnant. However, it¡¯s still early. Are you nning to keep it?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± The doctor looked up and studied her for a moment. ¡°You came alone?¡± Sophia grunted in affirmation. ¡°My family is busy, so I came alone.¡± While she was wearing a mask, she wasn¡¯t feeling all that well, so she appeared rather pitiful. Thus, the doctor¡¯s voice became gentle. ¡°If you¡¯re nning to keep the child, you must keep up with the nutrition requirements in the early stages. You¡¯re too thin. The child absorbs nutrients from the mother in theter stages, so there¡¯ll be an adverse effect if you¡¯recking certain nutrients.¡± Sophia murmured in acknowledgment, ¡°Okay. I got it.¡± The doctor then inquired about the date of herst menstruation and gave her an estimated due date. Then, she told her toe for a B-scan at ater date. She also gave her a lengthy reminder before saying poignantly that these words should have been meant for her husband. Putting on a cheerful front, Sophia chortled. Finally, she thanked the doctor and left the hospital. Sure enough, I¡¯m pregnant. But how could this be? When did it happen? I really have no recollection at all. From the hospital, Sophia took a taxi to the train station. She¡¯d already booked a ticket to her hometown, but there was no direct train there, so she needed to change trains. Nheless, she didn¡¯t mind since she could just rest on the way there. While she was waiting in the lounge, her cell phone rang. It¡¯s that woman again! She stared at her cell phone for a long time. I just knew that she wouldn¡¯t have taken my words back then seriously! A few secondster, she answered the call. The woman on the other end sounded jubnt as she eximed, ¡°Soph!¡± Sophia said nothing, so the woman continued, ¡°I miss you. Can we have a video call? I want to show you your sister as well. You¡¯ll definitely like her.¡± ncing at the touristsing and going around her, Sophia lowered her voice as she replied, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to see you both.¡± The moment this remark reached the woman, silence abruptly reigned on the other end. Sophia then demanded that she stop calling and hung up. Pursing her lips, she leaned back against the chair, her expression vacant. Having bought a soft sleeper ticket, Sophia climbed into bed when she got on the train after checking in. She didn¡¯t have any luggage with her since it was too long a journey, nor did her current condition allow it. There weren¡¯t many people in the soft sleeperpartment, so it was fairly quiet. She groggily drifted off, only to be roused by a phone call from John. She dopily took the call. ¡°John.¡± John sighed. ¡°You left too early. Why didn¡¯t you call me over to drive you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Sophia blurted. ¡°I don¡¯t like having someone ferry me around. I can manage by myself.¡± John then asked whether she was taking a flight, upon which sheughed weakly. ¡°No, I¡¯m taking the train. It¡¯s very safe.¡± He immediately requested her train information before asking whether she packed any food and clothes with her in a concerned voice. Sophia reclined against the headboard, feeling herself gradually falling into a trance. The previous time, I took a train here alone with my luggage in tow to seek shelter with the Constance Family. My state of mind back then was rather simr to my current predicament, feeling utterly lost. But I¡¯d never experienced the disenchantment of married life at that time, so I was still very much fanciful. And back then, I was looking forward to meeting him. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. John continued bbering on the other end. Only when the conductor came to check her ticket did Sophia hang up the call. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 613 Chapter 613 If only John had been this nice to me from the very beginning itself! When the conductor had left, Sophia closed the door to herpartment. Lying back down, she drifted off to sleep again. After about two days on the train, she then changed trains before taking an express bus. At longst, the bus lurched to a stop at the intersection in front of the vige. It was a dirt road that stretched for a long distance, so much so that one couldn¡¯t see the vige at the end of the road from here. It was afternoon, and Sophia slowly made her way toward the vige with a bag on her shoulders. At this time, it was rtively quiet in the vige. The houses in the vige were all brick houses, though some retained the thatched houses of the previous generation albeit no longer upying them. Instead, they were using them for storage. The vige was small, so the moment she stepped foot in there, the people in her path swung their gazes at her. Sophia shed them a smile. ¡°Mr. Yanez, you seem hale and hearty!¡± The old man from the Yanez Family stared at her for a while before rity hit him. ¡°Sophia? Why are you back? What¡¯s wrong? Did your husband¡¯s family mistreat you?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia shook her head. ¡°No. I came back to visit my grandfather¡¯s grave since I couldn¡¯t make it on the anniversary of his death.¡± Beside him, a middle-aged woman looked at her and asked, ¡°Then, why are you back alone? Is your husband noting? He didn¡¯t evene here for a visit when you two got married, and now, he¡¯s not evening to visit your grandfather¡¯s grave?¡± Sophia licked her lips. ¡°He¡¯s swamped with work at the office, so he can¡¯t spare the time.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a matter of distance. You married too far, so it¡¯s difficult for you to even make it back once a year.¡± The middle-aged woman sighed. Sophia merely smiled in response. After greeting them, she then headed to her house. Her family¡¯s house was still standing thanks to the vigers helping to repair it ages ago, but after so many years, it looked somewhat dpidated. Standing in the courtyard, she stared at the traces of mold on the wooden windowttice for a long time. Out of the blue, tears streamed down her face. As the house had been vacant for too long, she was greeted by the sight of dust everywhere when she went in. There were two rooms in the house, both with wooden beds. She¡¯d packed up all the bedding when she left, so the wooden boards were now exposed, appearing a touch deste. She stood in the kitchen right off the entrance, tears pouring down her face uncontrobly. In the end, I¡¯m the only one left here in this house I¡¯ve lived in for almost 20 years. Hearing movement, her next-door neighbor, an elderlydy, came over. At the sight of Sophia, utter surprise suffused her. ¡°You¡¯re back, Sophia? Well, what a coincidence! Tell you what, your mother came back some time ago and inquired about you.¡± Sophia hurriedly dashed her tears away. ¡°I know, Mrs. Hensley. She called me.¡± Mrs. Karina Hensley heaved a sigh. ¡°How despicable! She never once came back for so many years, only doing so when you¡¯re married and your grandfather has passed away. I¡¯m not trying to sow dissension, but what¡¯s the use of her returning at this time?¡± Nodding, Sophia echoed her sentiments. Upon seeing that she was alone, pity flooded Mrs. Hensley, and she helped to clean the house. In a delicate condition, Sophia didn¡¯t dare carry heavy things, so it all fell to Mrs. Hensley. Before they were done, a call came in from John, asking Sophia whether she¡¯d arrived. Sophia murmured in affirmation, ¡°I¡¯ve arrived. We¡¯re cleaning the ce now.¡± Mrs. Hensley was initially busy with her chore, but she came over upon hearing Sophia on the phone. ¡°A call from your husband?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to exin too much, so she faltered before answering, ¡°Yeah.¡± At this, Mrs. Hensley raised her voice and said, ¡°Hello there. Why didn¡¯t youe with Sophia? You didn¡¯te here for a visit back when the two of you got married to get acquainted with her rtives, and now, you¡¯re also not here to visit her grandfather¡¯s grave for the anniversary of his death. This is rather unreasonable. Work is work, but still, some things are essential.¡± All at once, mortification swamped Sophia, and she chuckled. ¡°It was me who asked him not toe out of consideration for him.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 614 Chapter 614 On the other end, John heard every single word. He then sighed. ¡°Where will you be staying at night? And what will you be eating?¡± Sophia thought for a moment. ¡°The store here has everything. We¡¯re almost done cleaning the house, so there¡¯s no problem on my side. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± John was silent for a long while before he grunted in assent. ¡°Alright, then. I got it. Call me if you need anything.¡± Only when he¡¯d hung up did Sophia breathe a sigh of relief. After bustling around for half the day, the sky outside had gone dark. Very much hospitable, Mrs. Hensley offered to have dinner at her ce. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe over to my ce for dinner? You¡¯ve got nothing here in your house.¡± Sophia turned it over in her mind. I¡¯m rather tired, so I don¡¯t feel like cooking for myself. ¡°Sure. Sorry for the inconvenience.¡± Mrs. Hensleyughed. ¡°Why did you be so courteous in your speech after leaving for a year, girl?¡± After having dinner next door, Sophia then returned to the house. Flipping on the lights, she sat down on the bed she¡¯d previously slept in. The wattage of the lights was rtively low, so the house appeared very dim. Although my life has improved a lot now that I¡¯vee this far in life, every time I reminisce about everything in the past, I just find myself regretting many things. As she looked around the empty house, tears once again streamed down her face. Back when Grandpa passed away, the elders said that everything that once belonged to him had to be burned so that he could use it in the afterlife. We hadn¡¯t had much in the first ce, so when everything was burned, the house truly turned empty. Getting to her feet, she went over and opened the door. Then, she gazed out. As it waste, every house had its door closed since rural families would go to bed early considering theck of entertainment at night. At present, the only sounds outside were the asional dog barking and whooshing wind from some unidentified ce. She stood there for a long time. Pulling her clothes tighter around her, she then turned and went back into the house, turning off the lights before going to bed. Her sleep was fitful and gued by dreams, perhaps because she was in an unfamiliar ce. The dreams were so vivid that she couldn¡¯t quite discern between fantasy and reality. At one time, she dreamt of her grandfather before it switched to John¡¯s grandfather, then her wedding with John, followed by them getting their divorce certificate. Finally, she dreamt of a child standing in front of her, asking her why she was crying in a childish voice. She had no idea whether she was crying, only aware that her heart twisted in agony upon hearing the child¡¯s voice. The child¡¯s face was blurry, but he or she was probably very good-looking. When Sophia awakened groggily, she nced out, noticing that the sky had just begun to lighten. However, since rural families went to bed early, they also got out of bed early. At this time, other people¡¯s chimneys were already smoking. Having nothing at home, she could only straighten up the ce briefly before going to the store in the vige to buy some things. The store owner was up in years and woke up early in the morning to feed his chickens and ducks. Shock assailed him at the sight of Sophia. ¡°You¡¯re Sophia, no? When did youe back?¡± Sophia greeted him with a smile. Then, she replied, ¡°I came back yesterday afternoon, so I¡¯ve been cleaning the house.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The owner knew that she was all alone during her return this time, so he sighed. ¡°You came back to visit your grandfather¡¯s grave, yes? Ah, how pitiful!¡± However, no one knew who he meant to pity. Sophia bought some food as well as some flowers. Before she left, she heard the owner muttering, ¡°Why didn¡¯t your husband tag along? Does he look down on this small ce?¡± Pursing her lips, she pretended as though she hadn¡¯t heard him. Just when she¡¯d arrived home with her purchases, her cell phone rang. ncing at it, she saw that it was Robin, so she promptly answered the call. On the other end, Robin¡¯s voice was threaded with a hint of worry. ¡°Have you arrived in your hometown, Sophia?¡± Sophia murmured an assent. ¡°I arrived yesterday and had a good night¡¯s rest. I¡¯ll be going to my grandfather¡¯s grave today.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 615 Chapter 615 Robin sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve spent so many days just to make the journey, so you must be feeling bone- weary.¡± Actually, it doesn¡¯t really matter whether I¡¯m weary. Sophia then inquired about the shop, upon which Robin chortled. ¡°With me here, you can rest assured. I¡¯m an expert now, so I can manage everything myself. Just stay there however long you want. You don¡¯t need to worry about things over here.¡± Sophia licked her lips. ¡°Thank you.¡± Robinughed. ¡°Why are you thanking me? I¡¯m happy to be working with you in the shop. I don¡¯t have many skills to boast of, so I certainly won¡¯t be able to find a decent job out there. Plus, I love doing this, so I¡¯m very happy here.¡± As Sophia sighed, she then heard Robin continuing, ¡°By the way, my family arranged a blind date for me. I¡¯ll be going on the date today, so I¡¯ll secretly snap a photo and send it to you. Help me to evaluate him as well, okay?¡± Surprise inundated Sophia. ¡°A blind date? Is that necessary? You¡¯re still young.¡± To that, Robin eximed, ¡°Of course. Why is it not necessary? I can only rely on my family to find me someone now since I definitely can¡¯t find someone on my own.¡± However, Sophia recalled her bouts of distractedness and inexplicable giggling before this. She clearly has feelings for someone, so why is she going on a blind date in the blink of an eye? After a long pause, she replied, ¡°If you go on a blind date, the emotional foundation might not be very strong in the beginning. It can only be nurtured slowly, so you must brace yourself for this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done so,¡± Robin answered right away. ¡°I really hope to have someone by my side now, so it doesn¡¯t really matter who the person is. Perhaps it¡¯s as you said back then, and I¡¯m feeling lonely. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a shallow person, so if the person is nice to me, I¡¯ll likely develop feelings for him.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t say for sure that blind dates were bound to end in failure, so she nodded. ¡°Then, set a standard for yourself. Don¡¯t ept just anybody.¡± After murmuring her assent, Robin informed her about the business recently. Later on, the time came for her to set out for the shop, so she hung up the phone. Sophia then cooked some noodles. When she was done eating, she cleaned the courtyard before leaving with the things she¡¯d prepared. As the vige was surrounded by plenty of mountains, people who passed away were usually buried in the mountains. It was a rather long journey. Midway up the mountain, nausea besieged her. Crouching by the roadside, she dry heaved, retching until her head was spinning and her vision was blurry. It was probably then that grief struck, and she covered her face, wiping her tears. After resting for a while, she then resumed her trek toward the mountains. Since her speed was sedate, the trek took quite a long time. It was seemingly noon before she started climbing the mountain. Subsequently, her cell phone rang, so she took cover under a tree. Panting, she answered the call, upon which John¡¯s voice drifted out. ¡°Are you awake?¡± Sophia grunted in affirmation. ¡°I woke up ages ago. I¡¯ve even eaten.¡± John murmured an acknowledgment. It was slightly noisy on his end with quite a din in the background, but Sophia wasn¡¯t at all bothered. Lifting her head, she nced up the mountain. ¡°We¡¯ll talk another time. I¡¯m in the middle of something over here.¡± John grunted in assent. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go as well.¡± Taken aback, Sophia couldn¡¯t understand his meaning. However, he then promptly reminded her to take care of herself and so on before hanging up. Slowly putting her cell phone away, she then continued making her way up the mountain. Old Mr. Gwendolyn¡¯s grave was very simple. Unlike the ones in the big cities, the tomb here was only a small dirt patch without any tombstone. A wooden nk with the deceased¡¯s name was skewered on top of the small dirt patch with no mention of the date of birth and the like. Sophia still remembered her grandfather¡¯s grave, so she went in search of it. However, the small dirt patch was all but indiscernible, having been leveled by the rain. Fortunately, there was still a simple grave marker. Previous Chapter N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Next Chapter Chapter 616 Chapter 616 As soon as Sophia saw the small dirt patch, tears poured down her face, her heart clenching. Slowly walking over, she put down the things in her hands. ¡°I¡¯m here to visit you, Grandpa.¡± Her control snapping, she sobbed aloud. ¡°I¡¯m divorced, but John gave me a lot of things aspensation. I now have plenty of money, so life is great.¡± Her voice broke as she added, ¡°I¡¯m even¡­ pregnant.¡± The wind was quite strong on the mountains, rustling the tree leaves around her. Thereafter, she could no longer utter a single word, merely kneeling before the grave, weeping. After crying for an indeterminate time, she then wiped her tears away. ¡°If only you were alive, you could see my child. After all, you love children.¡± Taking the flower she bought, she ced it in front of the grave marker. ¡°My mother came back some time ago and asked for my phone number. She imed to miss me, but I don¡¯t miss them. I don¡¯t need them. Since you¡¯re gone, I don¡¯t need anyone else. I can live alone.¡± Then, she promised, ¡°In the future, I¡¯ll live here with my child and keep youpany. I won¡¯t be going anywhere else.¡± It was afternoon when Sophia arrived back home. Many vigers knew that she was back, so they all came to visit her. As her eyes were red and swollen from all the crying she did, they knew what had happened the moment they glimpsed her countenance. Mrs. Hensley came over. ¡°I¡¯ve cooked some delicious food at my house, Sophia. Why don¡¯t youe over and eat?¡± A tad exhausted, Sophia replied, ¡°I¡¯d like to rest for a while, Mrs. Hensley. I¡¯m a bit tired after such a lengthy round trip.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Mrs. Hensley hurriedly nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, of course. I forgot all about that! Go and rest first. I¡¯ll bring the food over.¡± There were other people in the courtyard. Sophia knew nothing back when her grandfather passed away, so it was these people who helped to settle his funeral. They also knew that she was now all alone, so these fellow vigers wanted toe over and look in on her. Sophia took some chairs out for everyone before she sat down in the courtyard. An elderly man then started speaking of Sophia¡¯s mother¡¯s return some time ago, reckoning that she wanted to acknowledge Sophia as her daughter. Mrs. Hensley happened to be bringing the food over at this time, and she interjected, ¡°Acknowledge Sophia? In her dreams! What has she been doing all those years? Now that she has fallen on hard times, shees back after learning that her daughter has married a wealthy man!¡± Sighing, the elderly man continued saying to Sophia, ¡°From your mother¡¯s dressing when she came back that time, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s all that well-off. Thus, she probably hasn¡¯t had a good life all these years. As outsiders, we can¡¯t meddle in that, so this is just for your knowledge. Sophia, you have no other rtives, and we all watched you grow up, so just tell us if there¡¯s anything you find difficult to express. We¡¯ll act in your stead so that you don¡¯t have to be caught in a difficult position.¡± Tears trickled down Sophia¡¯s face again, but she tried her utmost best to keep her control intact. ¡°I won¡¯t acknowledge her.¡± Everyone understood why she made such a decision. Subsequently, the person beside her sighed as well. ¡°It¡¯s understandable that you don¡¯t want to acknowledge her. When your grandfather passed away, those two unconscionable wretches didn¡¯t evene back for his funeral. You then married into a decent family, but well, is there really no one in your husband¡¯s family who coulde back with you this time? They must be unbothered since you don¡¯t have anyone left on your side of the family.¡± The elderly man hastily shot him a re. ¡°Zip it, Buddy!¡± Sophia pursed her lips, for she knew that it was an affront to tradition in other people¡¯s eyes when she came back alone to visit her grandfather¡¯s grave. No one from the Constance Family has ever been here. Back when Grandpa passed away, they actually nned to have someonee to help me with his funeral, but Old Mr. Constance was also critically ill at that time and had been resuscitated time and again in the hospital, so they didn¡¯t have any energy left to care about my affairs here. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 617 Chapter 617 After ncing at Sophia, the old man said, ¡°Sophia, you don¡¯t seem to be doing that well.¡± Sophia lifted her head while telling him, ¡°Nah, I¡¯m doing just fine. I set up a shop over there, which is making me quite a lot of money, so I¡¯m good.¡± Meanwhile, Mrs. Hensley was serving them their meal. She knew that no matter how Sophia was doing, thetter wouldn¡¯t tell them much about it, so she said, ¡°Alright, everyone. Sophia must be tired, so we should let her rest. We cane over after she has rested, since she will be here and won¡¯t be leaving any time soon.¡± As soon as the others heard Mrs. Hensley, the rest of the upants stood while telling Sophia to take care. They were all kind people who hailed from the same vige as her. After sending them off, Sophia returned to her room. In the house, there was a simple and worn frame which held a photograph that was taken from many years ago. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Sophia could be seen leaning against her grandfather¡¯s legs in the photo. She was probably twelve or thirteen, while her grandfather¡¯s hair was still mostly ck. Smiling, he was looking toward the camera. Sophia caressed her belly while staring at the photo for a long time before murmuring, ¡°Look, this is the guy who protected me for more than twenty years, so you have to remember him.¡± After having something to eat, Sophiay down. Due to how tired she was after all the hiking she did, she fell asleep as soon as shey down, after which she slept through the rest of the day. It was night when she was roused by a phone call. Without even checking the caller ID, she picked up upon reaching for the phone. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± John¡¯s voice could be heard over the line. ¡°Sophia.¡± After Sophia grunted in response, John fell silent without saying anything else. She asked in a semi- conscious state, ¡°Is there something you need?¡± It wasn¡¯t until a whileter that John told her he didn¡¯t. Wherever he was, it sounded like a quiet ce as there wasn¡¯t a lot of noise. Sophia didn¡¯t give much thought about it while she added, ¡°I was sleeping, so I will be hanging up if there¡¯s nothing to be said.¡± Agreeing with her, John hung up, after which Sophia put down her phone. She spent some more time in bed before getting up. There wasn¡¯t a lot to be done though, so she began spacing out after doing some house cleaning. Life in the vige was starkly different from life in the city, as there was nothing she wanted that she could get her hands on, but it provided her with an odd sense of security. She went into the yard to sit on a chair, then she lifted her head to admire the night sky. While she was in the vige, Robin would be looking after the shop, so she wasn¡¯t worried about it. Now that she had a baby within her, she no longer wanted to return to the city. If the Constances knew she was pregnant, they would definitely take the baby from her, but she wasn¡¯t sure if they would ept her into the family. With no ns to get back together with John, she didn¡¯t want to risk being separated from her child, so she decided to live in the vige with her child. However, she did expect someplications halfway through her pregnancy, as John was hard to fool if he got serious. Besides, the vigers might notice something if she settled down in the vige. Sophia sat in the yard until everybody went to bed, only then did she turn to enter the house. That night, she managed to get some good sleep, which was probably due to the exhaustion after a day¡¯s work. By daybreak, there was amotion just outside her house. Mrs. Hensley came to knock on her door while calling in a loud voice, ¡°Sophia,e out. Quickly!¡± In her groggy state, Sophia opened the door without even opening her eyes while standing at the door. ¡°Mrs. Hensley, why the panic?¡± Mrs. Hensley stared at Sophia with a peculiarly joyful expression on her face. ¡°Sophia, you have a guest.¡± Startled, Sophia wasn¡¯t sure what she meant by saying that she had a guest, since she was the only person in the house. Noticing that Sophia was still half-asleep, Mrs. Hensley tugged her hand to lead her outside. ¡°You should go check if he¡¯s your man! Do you see him? He came looking for you in a car!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 618 Chapter 618 Sophia was still in a daze, nor did she understand what was going on while being dragged by Mrs. Hensley to the entrance of the vige. There was already a crowd gathered over there, but Mrs. Hensley managed to have them make way with a bellow. ¡°Excuse us! Sophia is here!¡± Parked behind the parting crowd was a car, beside which stood a man who seemed worn from travel. Frozen to the spot, Sophia stared at John before asking, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. John seemed tired when he replied, ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, so I came.¡± Her mind nk, Sophia stared at John for a long while before questioning, ¡°How did you even get here?¡± John heaved a sigh upon hearing her question. ¡°Won¡¯t you let me go get some rest before this? I¡¯ve been driving for a long time, so I¡¯m exhausted.¡± One of the vigers approached them. ¡°Sophia, so is he your man?¡± However, all Sophia did was gaze at John in silence, as if she didn¡¯t even hear the question. Meanwhile, John was all smiles when he told them, ¡°Hello, I wanted toe with her, but I got held back by some matters in mypany. She was so impatient though, so she came back alone, which left me with no choice but to track her down like this, and it was tiring.¡± The vigers knew nothing of their feud, so they ushered him in. ¡°That¡¯s true, the long drive must have been exhausting. Come on, you should go get some rest inside.¡± After John got into his car, Mrs. Hensley gave Sophia a shove, so she got in as well. It wasn¡¯t until then that she snapped back to her senses. She pointed the way to her house stiffly while John drove. The two of them sat in John¡¯s car for some time, seemingly not in a hurry to get off. Then, John heaved a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I never came to visit.¡± Still in a daze, Sophia replied quietly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize.¡± Upon stepping out of the car, John noticed just how run down the mostly empty yard was. However, he was rather unfazed when he stepped through it, only to find that the house was even emptier, and was without a decent piece of furniture. After looking around in the house, John saw the photo in her grandfather¡¯s room. Standing by the door, Sophia asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± John didn¡¯t give her an immediate reply. Instead, he mumbled while checking out the photo, ¡°So this is what you look like when you were a kid.¡± As could be seen in the photo, Sophia was wearing a slightly tattered dress while her hair wasbed into two braids. It was apparent from her outfit that she was from a poor family, but her smile was innocent. Holding onto Sophia with a kind and loving look while seated, her grandfather was still young when the photo was taken. Truth be told, John could no longer recall what her grandfather looked like, as he had only met the latter a few times. During theter days, he only ever saw her grandfather in a sickly state, so he was rendered a mere shell of his former self. Sophia was leaning against the door frame with her brain in a muddled state, as she never expected him to find her here. After staring at the photo for a while, John smiled. ¡°Since Grandpa¡¯s grave is just over there, I will go visit him when I have the time.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Sophia replied. ¡°You don¡¯t have to since we aren¡¯t family anyway.¡± John examined Sophia only to notice that she seemed less lively after a few days of not seeing her. Moreover, she seemed sluggish and somewhat depressed. Walking up to her, John touched her face. ¡°You must¡¯ve had it hard when you came over here.¡± Sophia dodged him without a word, whereas John scanned his surroundings. ¡°Have you eaten? I learned to cook a few dishes during the past few days, so you can have a taste.¡± Seeing that Sophia remained silent, John went to the kitchen on his own. Before she could react, the vigers arrived at Sophia¡¯s house. The vige hadn¡¯t had a visitor in a long while, so John¡¯s presence piqued the vigers¡¯ curiosity. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 619 Chapter 619 From what they gathered, John was wealthy. Knowing that the vigers came to meet him, John quickly greeted them. He was used to dealing with all kinds of people while doing business, so he had no problem at all dealing with a bunch of simple vige folk. Meanwhile, Sophia was looking out from the window while remaining in the house, whereas John showed the elders into the house. He answered all of their questions with much decorum, which showed how polite and cultured he was. Turning around, Sophia sat on her bed. It seems that a change of ns is due. Now that John is here, I can¡¯t stay here forever. On the other hand, John was still speaking to the vigers when an old man came in to hold Sophia¡¯s hand. While thanking her, he also praised John for his kindness. Sophia could only respond with an awkward expression and a dry chuckle, as she had no idea what was going on. All she could see was the other vigers in the yard were also shaking hands with John while praising him. The elderly man led Sophia out of the house while advising her to maintain a harmonious rtionship with John, and that they shouldn¡¯t hold grudges against each other. With a frown on her face, Sophia looked toward John, who in turn looped an arm around her shoulder with a smile once he approached her. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right! Don¡¯t worry. She is the boss within the household.¡± It wasn¡¯t until some timeter that the vigers left. As soon as they did leave, Sophia asked quietly, ¡°What did you tell them to warrant all the praises that they were showering on you?¡± With a smile on his face, John turned to enter the house. ¡°It was nothing¡­ All I did was promise to donate some money so that they could pave the roads in the vige.¡± What he told her startled her. The roads in the vige were indeed in poor condition, as all the mountain viges had muddy roads which were hard to walk on. Due to its small size, there were no schools within the vige, so the children had to leave the vige on foot to go to school. While it was alright when the weather was nice, it was a bother during rainy days. Upon recalling that, Sophia told John, ¡°You sure are being nice.¡± John smiled while saying, ¡°When I was on my way here, the roads were so bumpy that I could puke any moment.¡± Upon checking out the kitchen, he told her, ¡°Since we don¡¯t have much of anything, we can only boil some noodles.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t have much of an appetite to begin with, and John¡¯s presence only served to muddle her thoughts and feelings. As he never used a traditional cooktop before, John had a hard time figuring it out, so Sophia had no choice but to help him start a fire. Although a little clumsy, John still managed to boil them some noodles. After that, he went to the yard to open the boot of his car to reveal the stash of items he had in it. He retrieved a bag of items while mumbling to himself, ¡°I rented the car toe here. After observing the area, I figured it is a little underdeveloped, so I bought some stuff from a mall just in case. With how things are, I think they might come in handy.¡± The items he bought consisted of processed food such as canned food and sausages, which made for a decent meal. He ced the bag by the cooktop before rummaging through it. ¡°Look how smart I am! I bought these for us too!¡± He was holding a few packets of pickled vegetables in his hand. ¡°These go great with noodles.¡± Despite her silence, Sophia admitted that she was feeling much more secure now that John was with her. Meanwhile, John poured the noodles into a bowl to be served to Sophia, then heid out the packets of pickled vegetables. ¡°Why don¡¯t you see what you like better?¡± ncing at the pickled vegetables, Sophia chose to open a packet of pickled cucumbers, as she always liked them. However, as soon as she sniffed on it, she couldn¡¯t help but cast it aside before running out of the house. She rushed into a corner before retching over there, and her action frightened John. He quickly came to pat on her back to help soothe her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did it smell bad because it has expired?¡± All Sophia could manage was wave her hand, as she could hardly speak with her stomach churning ufortably. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Chapter 620 Chapter 620 However, John didn¡¯t think much of her reaction while he said, ¡°Your stomach must be acting up because you have been overexerting yourself. I¡¯ll go buy you some medicer on. You¡¯ll feel better after taking them.¡± Waving him down, Sophia told him, ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I¡¯m not going to take them.¡± With a sigh, John tried to persuade her otherwise. ¡°That nausea will persist if you don¡¯t take the medicine. You have been suffering from it for years, and you know how excruciating it can be, so you should take the meds.¡± Without a word, Sophia rinsed her mouth with some water in the kitchen before telling John, ¡°You should eat up while I take a short rest.¡± Her nausea faded as soon as it came, so she was feeling better after a few moments, after which she returned to the house. There was no dining room in her house, except for a table in the kitchen. She walked up to the table while instructing, ¡°I can¡¯t stand the smell of pickled cucumbers, so take them away.¡± With a grunt of assent, John left the pickled cucumbers on the shelf by the door. Sophia felt better after taking a deep breath, so she went over to the table to start eating her bowl of noodles. After they were both done eating, John washed the dishes before leaving the house once again, as he wasn¡¯t ustomed to doing nothing.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. He probably went out to meet the other vigers, Sophia thought. The meal left Sophia feeling drowsy, so she took a nap in her room since she could leave everything to John now that he was here with her. In the meantime, John was strolling in the vige while examining it. He realized it was an underdeveloped area with not even a hundred families, and all the houses looked the same. Now that everybody had had their meal, there were some who came out to chat with each other in front of their houses. Sure enough, their topics revolved around John and Sophia. Due to the fact that they hailed from a poor vige, when they noticed that John was dressed nicely and drove a car, they surmised that John was in fact a wealthy man. He even promised to donate some money so that the vigers could pave their roads. Therefore, the vigers began eximing, ¡°Sophia is in luck to have found herself such a rich husband despite hailing from a vige in the mountains. It must be because of her grandfather¡¯s blessings!¡± When John passed them by, they quickly greeted him before asking if he had had his meal. With a smile on his face, John approached them. ¡°I already had my meal, sir. By the way, I¡¯d like to pay my respects to Sophia¡¯s grandfather. Do you know where he is buried? I don¡¯t want to wake Sophia up as she is asleep.¡± The vigers looked at him while replying, ¡°You sure are a nice youngd.¡± Almost all of the vigers knew where Sophia¡¯s grandfather was buried, as she was at a loss as to what to do when he passed away. Hence, it was up to them to help her with the proceedings of the funeral; even the grave was dug by the men in the vige. Therefore, one of the old men told John, ¡°I know where it is, but you¡¯ll have to prepare some offerings if you want to pay your respects. It¡¯s impolite to go empty-handed. In the meantime, I will find someone to show you the way, as well as keep youpany.¡± Upon hearing what the old man said, John thanked him while retrieving a packet of cigarettes to be handed out to everyone. Never had they everid eyes on such quality cigarettes, so they examined it curiously. The guide that the old man found for John was none other than Buddy, who had an attitude about him while in Sophia¡¯s house. However, despite his brash demeanor, he was a kind-hearted man. When Sophia¡¯s grandfather passed away, he provided much needed help, going as far as to help dig the grave. Buddy took John to where thetter could buy some flowers before both of them went uphill. As they were both young, they managed to travel a lot faster. While on their way, John asked about Sophia¡¯s life while living with her grandfather in the vige. Buddy heaved a sigh before replying, ¡°Sophia led such a harsh life. When she was young, both her parents ran away, which left her alone in her grandfather¡¯s care. As she came from a poor family, she was forced to help out with chores ever since a young age, so she learned early on how to handle all of them. During the harvest seasons, she also had to help with harvesting. It was a pity that she had to go through all that during such a young age.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 621 Chapter 621 With his heart throbbing, John felt uneasy about it. Eventually, Buddy told him, ¡°It was fortunate that she married you. You¡¯re a good man, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll treat her nicely. That kid finally came into some good luck.¡± However, his words only left John pouting while averting his gaze. It wasn¡¯t until then that he recalled how poorly he treated Sophia back then by not only ignoring all of her efforts, but also allowing Matilda to mistreat her. On the other hand, Sophia was disoriented when she woke up from her nap, as she had no idea what time it was. She went to the yard, only to see Mrs. Hensley¡¯s grandson ying there. The five-year-old child was covered in mud, but he seemed to be having fun. After some thought, she went to pick out some snacks from the bag that John carried into the kitchen before handing them to the kid. As soon as the kid saw the snacks she held, his eyes lit up. While observing the young child, Sophia seemed to be gazing at something else. Caressing her belly, the feeling of joy that she tried so hard to suppress seemed to pop up again. Now that she had a child of her own, it didn¡¯t matter anymore whether she would have a partner in life, as she had a family now. She was no longer alone, and she would also have someone to love wholeheartedly, just like her grandfather. After observing the child for a while, she left the yard. The vige didn¡¯t undergo a lot of change during the past few years. She strolled at a leisurely pace on the road while appreciating the run-down houses around her. However, she was feeling much happierpared to when she was observing the exquisite architecture of the Constance Residence. Some timeter, she saw John, who was on his way back with Buddy after they had paid their respects. Naturally, John saw her as well. In a few strides, he went up to her to hold her hand. ¡°Why are you here? How was your nap?¡± Upon observing their interaction, Buddy wore a smile. ¡°Sophia, your husband went to pay his respects to your grandfather. He sure is a nice guy.¡± Taken aback, Sophia nced at John before stopping herself just in time from thanking him. After Buddy left for home, John kept on walking while holding onto Sophia¡¯s hand. They were walking along a mud road that seemed pretty fine during normal days, but would probably be quite a difficult path to walk during rainy days. The vigers would have a hard time even venturing out, as the road would be all muddy. Lowering his head while looking at the road, John said, ¡°There are a lot of young men in your vige, so they can think about switching jobs if farming doesn¡¯t yield much.¡± Sophia heaved a sigh before saying, ¡°What else can they do? This ce is underdeveloped, so business won¡¯t thrive without customers. Someone wille to buy the crops as long as we farm, and even if we can¡¯t sell them, we are at least guaranteed food on our table.¡± While it was true that the vige was popted by young men, the vige itself was located at such a remote ce, so it wasn¡¯t easy for them to leave the ce to even do manual work elsewhere. Most of the people who remained in the vige were nning on settling down without going too far away from home. Meanwhile, John was recalling the scenery he saw while on his way to the vige. He acknowledged that it was indeed located in a remote area, and its immediate surroundings were also more or less in the same condition, so there weren¡¯t a lot of jobs avable. After pondering about the situation, John said, ¡°Thepany is nning to build a warehouse, and we will need a few workers and a manager over there. We don¡¯t need someone highly educated, so you can ask if any of the vigers would like toe with me. We should try as much as possible to bring them out of here. With everybody¡¯sbined efforts, we might eventually be able to improve the living conditions here.¡± After a moment¡¯s pause, Sophia turned to look at John. She nearly agreed to his ns, but not before she thought of something else. If she agreed with him, it would mean that she owed him one. Although he would never use it as leverage against her, Sophia would still feel unhappy about it. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Chapter 622 Chapter 622 Besides, if she agreed with John¡¯s ns to take the vigers with them, she would have a hard time parting ways with John. Since the vigers assumed that they were married as they knew nothing of their long-standing feud, Sophia understood herself well enough to know that she might continue to associate herself with John to some extent in order to cover up the lie. ncing at Sophia, John said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it some thought? My opinion is that the young men wouldn¡¯t be making anything of themselves if they were to spend their whole lives in the vige, so they should venture out.¡± It wasn¡¯t until a whileter that Sophia gave her reply. ¡°Let me think about this. But I have to say, they might not want to leave. Maybe they like the lifestyle here.¡± John didn¡¯t press on. ¡°Think about it. If you think my suggestion sounds good, you should ask them.¡± Letting out a grunt, Sophia said nothing else. Both of them walked on hand-in-hand, each in their own minds, but it was still a sight to behold for the vigers. Coming out to put some trash away, a viger made fun of Sophia as soon as he saw her. ¡°Sophia, when are you nning on having a child? You two seem to get along well, so it¡¯s about time you get one.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how to answer that, so John replied tteringly, ¡°We are getting to it. We might have one after today.¡± The man eximed, ¡°Yeah, I suppose it¡¯s time. You should give birth to a few more children when you¡¯re still young so that you can raise them together. Isn¡¯t that nice?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Upon hearing what he said, Sophia¡¯s smile froze on her face. She already felt like a goner despite being still in the beginning stages of her pregnancy, so she couldn¡¯t imagine going through the process a couple more times. When they arrived at home, John had Sophia get some rest while he started cooking. Standing by the door of her room, Sophia observed him as he worked clumsily. It would be a lie to say that she wasn¡¯t touched at all. In fact, she was shocked that he came all the way to find her. She knew full well how remote her vige was, so it must have taken a lot for John to find her on his own. The sun was setting when the families began cooking, and Sophia left the house after looking around her. All of the houses had their own vegetable garden that they cultivated on their own. She asked around for some veggies, and she was given loads of them to be brought home, as the veggies weren¡¯t worth much in a vige such as theirs, so nobody would be stingy with their veggies. Upon arriving home with the veggies, John took them from her before washing them by the well in the yard. At first nce, he sure seemed like he knew what he was doing. Later on, Sophia left for the store to buy some rice that was being sold in small amounts. She then had John step aside before she began cooking, which she made quick work of while suppressing the nausea triggered by the smoke. Coming from behind, John hugged her while saying, ¡°I missed you a lot during your absence.¡± Her movements came to a halt. While she didn¡¯t struggle to break free from his hold, she questioned, ¡°Do you miss me because you can¡¯t get me to return to you now, John?¡± Startled, John clicked his tongue in dismay, but he soothed himself before replying in a gentle tone, ¡°Must you interpret my care toward you as something despicable, a means to an end? Can¡¯t I be nice to you simply because I want to, or simply because I love you and I miss you?¡± Lowering her gaze, Sophia questioned, ¡°Why do you love me now? Throughout our one-year marriage, you only ever showed me disdain, so why would you say that love me now that we¡¯re divorced?¡± To be honest, John had no answer to that. In fact, he didn¡¯t think that anybody would have an answer when it came to romance. Silently, he held onto her stubbornly. After mulling over the situation, Sophia told him, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time for our meal, so let¡¯s tidy up the table.¡± Meanwhile, John still had a lot of items in the trunk of his car, so he went to fish out some milk and canned fruits. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 623 Chapter 623 Sophia opened up a carton of milk as she knew she needed to make sure that she took in enough nutrients for the sake of the child in her belly. While John and her were eating, she saw a few kids sneaking into the yard as they cautiously nced into the house. Upon opening the door, she asked them, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, kids?¡± These kids that were all dressed in simple linen clothing seemed to be around eight years old. As soon as they saw Sophiaing out from the house, they smiled sheepishly. In fact, Sophia had a hunch as to what they were up to, as she used to be the same. Therefore, she led them into her house to hand them some snacks. Upon receiving the snacks, the children left without further ado. Sophia sat down on a chair before exining, ¡°Since a lot of our families were poor, we didn¡¯t get to have much tasty food. Whenever someone within the vige got something tasty, we would gather in the yard of that family¡¯s house. Even if we don¡¯t get to taste the food, we wanted to at least catch a glimpse of the food, as watching them eat was satisfying enough.¡± John never experienced life like that, so he had no idea why the kids would want to watch people eat. After brooding on the subject for a while, Sophia let out a chuckle. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about these, since you won¡¯t understand anyway. Rich people like you will never understand how we survived in this harsh world.¡± With a nod, John replied, ¡°Indeed, I don¡¯t understand your life, but that is also precisely why I would like to know more about it. I would like to try my best to understand you by learning how you managed to get by the days before I came into your life.¡± A smile bloomed on Sophia¡¯s face, but it was one of resignation. ¡°John, you sure have changed.¡± ¡°True,¡± John quickly replied. ¡°I have changed, but you have been perceiving me as having ulterior motives when I don¡¯t.¡± Caressing her belly, Sophia said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go have our meal.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. After dinner, Sophia tidied her grandfather¡¯s bed. She was nning on sleeping in it that night, while John would sleep in her room, as she figured he might not want to sleep on the bed of a dead person. However, John stopped her halfway through the process. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I¡¯ll sleep in his room.¡± He even added, ¡°Since he is your grandfather, he is also mine, so I am not afraid of him.¡± Upon hearing him say so, Sophia relented without a word. Communication ceased as the doors to both rooms were soon closed behind them. After tossing and turning around for some time, Sophia fell asleep, but John had a hard time doing the same as he found the bed a little too hard to befortable. There was also a moldy stench to it. After some time, he got out of bed before making his way to Sophia¡¯s room in the dark. She was curled up in a ball toward the edge of the bed, seemingly sound asleep. John watched her sleeping figure by the door. With her petite frame, Sophia seemed tiny as she curled herself up in bed. The longer he observed her, the warmer his heart felt. He had been wondering how she was nning to continue living in this house if he didn¡¯te along. The fact that the house had close to nothing worried him. After spending some more time staring at her, John returned to his room. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she was sleeping in a single bed, he would have brazenly snuck into her bed. Meanwhile, Sophia had no idea that John paid her a visit during thete hours as she slept through the night. When she woke up, he was long gone, with his nkets neatly folded. Sophia¡¯s phone rang after she washed up, which she picked up. Robin had sent her a photo that she would like Sophia to take a look at. Chuckling, Sophia asked, ¡°How do you feel about this?¡± On the other end, Robin¡¯s smile dimmed a little, but her tone was as cheerful as ever. ¡°I¡¯ll go for it, since looks are all that¡¯s important in the beginning stages. I know next to nothing about him, so I¡¯ll approach him as long as he has good looks.¡± Sophia grunted before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll check him out in a bit, but you shouldn¡¯t rely too heavily on my judgement. I don¡¯t exactly read people that well.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 624 Chapter 624 Robin chuckled before changing the topic. ¡°How are you doing over there? Since you have to do everything on your own, does living alone tire you out?¡± After some hesitation, Sophia told Robin that John hade after her. There was a long pause on Robin¡¯s end. It wasn¡¯t until Sophia called out to her that she snapped back to reality. However, her cheerful tone sounded forced when she replied, ¡°Really? John is such a reliable man to havee after you despite the distance. Seeing how nicely he has been treating you, you shouldn¡¯t miss out on a great man like him.¡± While knowing that John was being real nice to her, Sophia figured that she shouldn¡¯t forget whatever that came before just because of a change in his attitude. Truth be told, she wasn¡¯t an open-minded person. She was, in fact, extremely petty, as she would still get riled up whenever she recalled how John treated her back then. Licking her lips, Sophia replied, ¡°We¡¯ll see. I don¡¯t feel like focusing on that right now.¡± After a few seconds, Robin told her, ¡°Sophia, I will marry him in a heartbeat if I were you. It¡¯s a one-in- a-thousandth chance that you¡¯re able to find a rich and handsome man who loves you dearly! If you think carefully, John has great assets even whenpared to loads of other people, so don¡¯t get too stubborn.¡± Upon hearing what Robin said, Sophia let out a chuckle. ¡°Alright, I get what you mean. I will think about it.¡± After hanging up the call, Sophia went on to check her messages. Robin had sent her a photo which seemed to be taken without the man noticing her. The man in the photo was checking his phone with his head hung low. From what Sophia could see, he seemed like a young man who seemed to be pretty good-looking. However, he looked quite in, and his good looks didn¡¯t stand out in any particr way. While Sophia was staring at the photo intently, John returned, but she didn¡¯t see him at all, as she was so focused on looking at the photo. She was contemting on how to respond to Robin, as an exaggeratedpliment would sound pretentious, while ack ofpliment would be a little too harsh. Without warning, John approached her to take a peek at the photo when she was still hesitating on how to respond to Robin. He wore a frown while asking, ¡°Who is this guy?¡± Sophia was frightened by his unannounced presence. ¡°Since when did youe in? Why did I not hear a sound?¡± Snorting, John replied, ¡°You were so engrossed in it that you didn¡¯t notice I had been standing beside you for some time. What¡¯s so attractive about this guy that warrants your undivided attention on him?¡± Sophia tucked her phone away while saying, ¡°He¡¯s nobody important. You wouldn¡¯t know him even if I told you.¡± While staring at Sophia, John said, ¡°I will know him if you would just introduce him to me.¡± However, Sophia ignored him. Instead, she went to wash some veggies in preparation for some cooking, only to have John walk up to her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to cook. An elderly man dropped by just now to invite us for a meal in his house.¡± Sophia was visibly startled. ¡°Which elderly man?¡± John didn¡¯t know who the man actually was as well, so after some thought, he said, ¡°You¡¯ll know who he is when hees.¡± Therefore, Sophia turned to go to the yard. Soon enough, somebody came over after a while to invite John and her over for a meal. In fact, the meal wasn¡¯t on the old man alone, but the whole vige chipped in to prepare them a meal as a token of appreciation for John¡¯s promise to help them pave their roads. The roads had been a physical hindrance to the vige¡¯s development for generations. If they were paved, not only would the kids be able to go to school without a problem, but it would also make it more convenient for the adults who wanted to leave the vige to sell their stuff. In fact, the only meal that the vigers could afford to serve was some dishes with chicken and stir-fried pork, which was iparable to thevish meals that John was used to having. However, John didn¡¯t look down on them. Instead, he smiled as soon as he saw the meal they served. ¡°Did you raise the chicken and grow the veggies yourselves? It¡¯s great that they¡¯re 100 percent natural and pollution-free.¡± Previous Chapter Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 625 Chapter 625 Alongside the head of the vige and his secretary, a few other families came for the meal as well. Although they got themselves some alcohol. John turned down their offer to drink, as he might need to be drivingter, which managed to stop the vigers from persuading him to drink. Meanwhile, Sophia was shown to her seat, but her stomach was churning as soon as she smelled the aroma of the chicken dish. Considering the asion, she decided she should push her queasiness down even though all she wanted to do was throw up. As soon as everybody had arrived, the feast began. The vigers were in a jolly mood while they chatted, telling John that they had been wanting to pave the roads, but with how poor and how few people they had, they never managed to gather up enough funds to do that. Going with the flow of the conversation, John suggested that the younger men in the vige should head out in search of other jobs, as farming wouldn¡¯t sustain them. Upon hearing what he said, the people of the older generation heaved a sigh. ¡°We wanted to do things that way too, but there aren¡¯t a lot of jobs for us around here. If the young¡¯uns move too far away, there won¡¯t be anybody left to tend to thends since the only ones left will be the children and old folks like us. It would be a waste of time if we ended up not having any crops to sustain ourselves, nor were the young¡¯uns earning enough while working away from the vige.¡± What the old man said reminded Sophia of those times when she used to help her grandfather farm theirnd, which was tough work, to say the least. After giving it some thought, she said, ¡°Actually, there is something that I¡¯ve been hesitating to tell you. If you¡¯d like to do so, John and I can bring a few people with us when we leave. I know a manager who needs some people to work on some manual labor in a smallpany. Other than their sry, food and amodation will also be provided to the workers. If anybody is interested toe with us, they can bring their family along.¡± John turned to look at Sophia with a smile. ¡°Yeah, so you can think about it. Anybody who would like to leave cane with us.¡± When they heard what Sophia and John said, the vigers were keen to go. Not only would they be provided with food and amodation, they could also bring their family along. Those without an elderly person in the family could just leave the vige right away. Sophia heaved a sigh while recalling those times when the vigers helped her out when her grandfather passed away, so she considered the gesture as repayment to their kindness. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. The meal proceeded in an increasingly jolly atmosphere, but before they finished their meal, someone came running in from outside. ¡°Sophia, you have to hurry! You have a guest at home!¡± Another guest? Sophia thought with a frown. It was Buddy who reported the news, but he had a glum look on his face. ¡°You should go check it out. It¡¯s your father who came.¡± Startled, Sophia didn¡¯t grasp the full extent of the situation at first. Despite being tipsy from their drink, the vigers around the table shot up from their seats as soon as they heard that her sorry excuse of a father came back. They reacted even more violently than she did while flocking to her house. Meanwhile, there was already a crowd gathered in front of Sophia¡¯s house. As it wasn¡¯t harvest season yet, the vigers weren¡¯t as busy. Sophia and John arrived a littleter, only to see a man standing in the yard after squeezing past the crowd. With his hands behind him, the man was staring at the house. Although Mrs. Hensley had been cursing at him for a while, it didn¡¯t incite any form of reaction from him, as if he had heard nothing. Walking up to the man, Sophia asked, ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± The man turned around to look at her, but Sophia no longer remembered what her parents looked like, as their presence had long since faded from her memories. Therefore, she didn¡¯t recognize the man before her at all, so she repeated herself, ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± After examining her for some time, the man finally said, ¡°Sophia, it¡¯s me, your father.¡± Mrs. Hensley spat, ¡°You shameless b*stard! You never contacted your daughter throughout the years, so why are you back now? Where were you when she needed you most?¡± Ignoring everybody else, the man walked up to Sophia, but John stepped in between them before the man could reach her. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer.¡± The man stared at John for a while before saying, ¡°You must be my son-inw. Oh, look at you! We never got to meet each other despite the fact that you¡¯ve gotten married such a long time ago. I am Sophia¡¯s father, and I came to pay her a visit now that I know she got married.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 626 Chapter 626 Sophia snorted while thinking to herself, You came to me only after I was married, so I know what is going through your mind. After that, she replied, ¡°Now that you¡¯ve met me in person, you can leave now.¡± As if unaware of the disdain and impatience within Sophia¡¯s tone, Sophia¡¯s father refused to give in. ¡°Sophia, I miss you dearly after not seeing you for such a long time.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. With a chuckle, Sophia shot back, ¡°Did you contact that woman? She told me almost the same thing as what you are saying. Did you have a discussion with her prior to meeting me?¡± There was a pause in her father¡¯s movement before he went on, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Meanwhile, Sophia wore a smug look on her face. ¡°You must already be remarried. Do you already have other children? Judging from how you look, you seem to be doing alright.¡± Her pointed remarks left him feeling humiliated. On the other hand, the tipsy vigers began yelling at him. ¡°Walter, you are such a prick! Both you and your wife abandoned your father and Sophia! You didn¡¯t evene home when your father passed away, so why are you here now?¡± With a pout, Walter said in grief, ¡°I had my own problems, or else I wouldn¡¯t have left them. I didn¡¯t want to drag them down with my own problems.¡± However, Sophia took a jab at him loudly. ¡°Then why is it that you would marry and even have kids with someone else? Aren¡¯t you afraid of dragging your other family down?¡± Walter looked at Sophia while trying to exin himself. ¡°Sophia, I know you me me for what I did, and I deserve it. I owed you and your grandfather a lot. However, I am still your father. The fact that we are connected by blood persists no matter what happened between us.¡± Smirking, Sophia continued, ¡°We needed someone to perform the rites for the funeral when my grandfather passed away. Since you were nowhere to be found, I was the one who did it. You can ask the other vigers. They will tell you under what circumstances that I, the granddaughter of the deceased, can take the ce of the eldest son to perform the rite.¡± Walter knew the rules. If the eldest son was dead, the second-eldest son would take over the role. If the deceased had no sons, the daughters would perform the rituals. Only if all the children of the deceased have passed away that the grandchildren would take on the role. Raising her voice so that all of the others could hear her, Sophia announced, ¡°When my grandfather passed away, I was the one who performed the ritual, which means that ever since you abandoned me and Grandpa, you¡¯re dead. Therefore, I no longer have a father.¡± Walter took a step forward toward Sophia. ¡°Sophia, I know you¡¯re only saying that because of anger¡ª¡± However, John blocked his advance before thetter could reach Sophia. ¡°Stay away from my wife.¡± Although seemingly a little displeased by John¡¯s actions, Walter smiled after staring at him for a while. ¡°My dearest son-inw, there is a slight misunderstanding between Sophia and I, so allow us to talk things through in the house. We are family after all, so let¡¯s not be strangers.¡± Before they could proceed any further, one of the older vigers spoke up. ¡°Where are you thinking of going to when you don¡¯t even have the right to enter the house? We were the ones who helped refurbish the house when one of its walls copsed during a storm that year. Both Sophia and your father nearly died in there, but where the f*ck were you? Even if youe back now, you have now right to set foot in the house.¡± Although Walter dared not raise his voice at John, the fact that everybody else was scolding him left him feeling exasperated. Thus, he snapped, ¡°This is my house, and this is my family, so why are you even sticking your noses into our business? What right do you have to interfere with my family¡¯s matters?¡± As soon as he said so, a lot of the people began yelling at him. ¡°We helped refurbish this house, so why don¡¯t we have a right to voice our opinions? We built the house for your father and Sophia, but not for a twat like you!¡± Walter wasn¡¯t sure who to refute due to the sheer amount of people pointing fingers at him. Meanwhile, Sophia didn¡¯t want to see him at all, so she said, ¡°Since you¡¯re here to meet me, you can leave now that you¡¯ve seen me. Thanks to my fellow vigers, I am doing fine.¡± However, Walter had a grim look on his face, as of course, he wasn¡¯t there to merely check up on Sophia after having traveled such a long distance to where she was. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 627 Chapter 627 After staring at Sophia for a while, Walter¡¯s eyes reddened. ¡°Sophia, are you not willing to forgive me?¡± With a nod, Sophia replied, ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t forgive you.¡± Her curt reply left Walter speechless. No longer intent on wasting her breath, Sophia dismissed him with a wave of her hand. ¡°You should leave now. I don¡¯t want to see you.¡± After that, she brushed past him to enter the house. Walter let out a cry while intending to follow her, only to be blocked by John. ¡°Please leave. You¡¯re not wee here.¡± With a frown on his face, Walter stared at John, but he couldn¡¯t muster up the courage to say anything. However, he did shout at Sophia from outside the house, ¡°Sophia, I missed you dearly throughout the years, so please don¡¯t be angry at me! I was forced to leave due to my circumstances!¡± The vigers merely spat at him while chiding him. ¡°He¡¯s such a heartless b*stard for pulling that sh*t on her. If it wasn¡¯t for him running away with his wife, his father wouldn¡¯t have died that early on. It¡¯s a pity that the old man never got to enjoy his life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so true. Throughout the years, seeing him go through all of the hardships alone was heartbreaking. The sight of the old man and his granddaughter living in a house that had a leaking roof was just¡­ I should stop here. It¡¯s making me ufortable.¡± While the vigers were all reprimanding Walter, he waited for a while with a pout on his face before turning to leave the yard behind him. John thanked the vigers on Sophia¡¯s behalf before following her into the house. Sitting on her bed, Sophia didn¡¯t seem all that happy, but neither did she look sad. He walked up to stand before her. ¡°It¡¯s alright now. He has left.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. A cold smirk crossed her face while she questioned, ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m willing to bet that he will be back.¡± John said nothing, as he thought so too. Taking a deep breath, Sophia told him, ¡°My mom contacted me recently as well, and what she said was almost identical to what that man told me, so my guess is that they had nned for this.¡± The fact that a divorced couple managed toe to an agreement meant that they had amon goal. It wasn¡¯t unlike that time when John and her agreed on what to tell the public. Meanwhile, the only reason that Walter and his wife needed to do so must be because of Sophia. However, they would have never needed to jump through hoops if all they wanted was simply to reconcile with her, so Sophia said with certainty, ¡°They must be after the money.¡± Although she wasn¡¯t certain how aware they were of her circumstances, they probably knew who John was. Sophia wasn¡¯t certain if they knew of John and her divorce. Regardless of Sophia¡¯s marital status, they could still take advantage of Sophia, as the fact that she married rich meant that she must have received a fair amount of alimony during her divorce. John could imagine such a scenario with ease, so he heaved a sigh before saying, ¡°You shoulde home with me. I will have someone handle this as soon as we return.¡± The situation was giving Sophia a headache, as she was nning on staying in the vige for some more time. Now that the man hade after her, it meant that she would soon have a lot to deal with. In the meantime, John was staring at Sophia. ¡°I can¡¯t stay here for too long, but I will be worried if I leave you alone here. Even if I send someone to look after you, I still worry that they might not be doing a good job. Besides, in the asion that your father ever returns¡ª¡± ¡°He is not my father,¡± Sophia shot back rather pointedly. ¡°Alright, allow me to rephrase that. If Mr. Gwendolyn everes back, and if he starts a fight with you, he might very well get aggressive. Judging from his reaction earlier, I don¡¯t think he is a very sensible man.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 628 Chapter 628 Sophia didn¡¯t know Walter well, as she had no memory of him at all. However, the fact that he kept on quibbling despite being reprimanded by the crowd was indication that he might be a somewhat shady character. Besides, Sophia noticed that a savage look shed across Walter¡¯s face when he was riled up after being reprimanded. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was at a disadvantage, he might very well have assaulted her on the spot. Heaving a sigh, Sophia figured that after spending all those years apart from one another, they never had much of a rtionship to begin with. If things went awry between them, Walter might very well assault her, which was a cause for hesitation on Sophia¡¯s part. Meanwhile, John crouched down before her slowly. ¡°Considering the circumstances, I will be worried if I leave you here alone. Sophia, pleasee with me. Besides, we will also be able to find jobs for the vigers when we get back. Whoever that wishes toe with us cane. I will take care of everything when we get there, so you have nothing to worry about.¡± Staring at him, Sophia pouted. He reached out to hold her hand. ¡°Judging from what I saw earlier, I suppose the future will beden with trouble, so you shouldn¡¯t stay here. The vigers won¡¯t be able to defend you all the time. Mr. Gwendolyn was obviously nning to do this for the long term, which will leave you in a vulnerable position.¡± Sophia recognized what John told her to be true. No matter what he did, he was still legally her father, so the vigers wouldn¡¯t be able to do much to help if he were to bring it to court. Moreover, she was pregnant, so she couldn¡¯t possibly butt heads with him. Thus, it only took her a moment beforeing to a decision. ¡°Alright, we will go back.¡± Relief washed over John when he got her reply, because when he came after her, he wasn¡¯t sure if he could persuade her to return with him. If she were to insist on staying, he could only leave the vige alone. He couldn¡¯t possibly extend his stay indefinitely, as his work in thepany was piling up while he kept herpany. The fact that Walter came after her was in fact an encouraging factor for her to leave. After that, John had Sophia get some rest before leaving the house. Shey down without question as she wasn¡¯t intending on asking about his ns. Aside from that, her stomach was making her feel somewhat ufortable, so she tried to soothe herself by taking a few deep breaths. She also realized she was being inconsiderate to the child she was carrying by travelling such a long distance in order to return to her vige. nor did she know when he came back. When she woke up, John was already cleaning up the house. As they might not return for a long time, he packed everything that they didn¡¯t need, which made the house seem more organized. Sophia stood by the door while watching him pack. ¡°Is everything settled?¡± Turning around to look at her, he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s done. I¡¯ve already settled everything regarding the road paving, as well as finding out the people who would want to leave with us. Buddy is one of them, so he will help get the other people. After I get the full name list, I will have Zack book their tickets.¡± Since they were arge group of people with a lot of luggage in tow, they would be travelling by train. Meanwhile, Sophia heaved a sigh of relief, as it would be better for her to take a train since she was pregnant. John worked efficiently, and with everything soon settled, they began discussing the exact date when everybody would leave. There would be around eight peopleing with them, which shook up the vige. A lot of people starteding to Sophia¡¯s house to inquire on the job scope. Not only were the men doing so, but even the women were considering leaving the vige to make themselves a living, as staying in such a remote vige would amount to nothing. However, Sophia couldn¡¯t possibly bring everybody with her; she was but an ordinary human being. Previous Chapter Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 629 Chapter 629 All Sophia could do was console the vigers. A few woulde with them for this time, and if things went well, they would contact the rest of them to slowly help them venture out into the open world. The vige head thanked Sophia while he dropped by. He also told Sophia about the fact that the vigers were all thankful toward John for helping to pave the roads, as well as finding the younger generation a job. It was all thanks to Sophia that the lives of these people were about to change for the better. However, Sophia felt guilty, as she did nothing to help, so she didn¡¯t think she deserved their gratitude. In the meantime, Walter caught wind of their impending departure due to themotion it raised, so he came to Sophia¡¯s house once again. He was wearing the same shirt, and though he tried his best to keep up appearances, it didn¡¯t take a lot for the others to deduce that he wasn¡¯t in fact as well off as he presented himself to be. When he arrived at the house, the vigers were still in there. Chuckling, he walked up to them. ¡°Oh, so everyone¡¯s here. This looks fun.¡± Although the yard was full of boisterous chatter just moments ago, the vigers stopped talking as soon as they saw him. As if not noticing the abrupt shift in their countenance, Walter alone was chuckling. ¡°I heard that Sophia will be leaving the ce soon. It has only been a few days, so why the hurry? You don¡¯t get toe home everyday, so why not spend some more time here?¡± However, his question was ignored by everyone. All Sophia did was stare at him with a nk expression while standing in the yard. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. On the other hand, John didn¡¯t notice what was going on in the yard as he was nning the route they would take with a few other men in the house. He told them that someone would meet them when they arrived at their destination. Observing the vigers from where he stood, Walter chuckled before approaching Sophia. ¡°I was nning on paying my respects at your grandfather¡¯s grave yesterday, but I couldn¡¯t find it. Sophia, why don¡¯t you bring me there? I miss him, and after all those years, I figured he would miss me too.¡± The manner in which he spoke sounded almost frivolous, which expressed neither guilt nor regret. With a stern look on her face, Sophia said, ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to pay your respects, as Grandpa wouldn¡¯t want to see you. Whatever items that you and your wife left behind, he had burned them all to ashes. He told me that you¡¯ve both died, which I will take as the truth, so our ties are severed.¡± Clicking his tongue, Walter chided, ¡°You brat. Why are you being so unfilial toward me? I understand that you hate me, but that¡¯s between us. I am your grandfather¡¯s son, so he will be angry if you stop us from seeing each other. He must be waiting to see me, Sophia, so stop being so stubborn! This isn¡¯t the time to throw a tantrum.¡± Sophia was watching him closely. Although she had no recollection of him whatsoever, she used to imagine what her parents¡¯ character might be. She had assumed that adults should be more or less the same when they reached a certain age, despite the way people would have different dispositions. Considering their age, she figured they should be steadfast people with a sense of decorum; even if life was harsh on them, they would at least be honorable people. However, uponing into contact with Walter, she was disillusioned with the idea, as Walter was the exact opposite of what she envisioned an adult should look like. Judging from his flippant attitude, it sure seemed that Waltercked a sense of dignity. After pursing her lips, Sophia used in a stern voice, ¡°Why would you only realize now that he had been waiting for you? Where were you throughout the years?¡± Walter heaved a sigh before replying, ¡°Sophia, things aren¡¯t as simple as they seem. We never wanted to leave, but we owed people some money. I was having it hard, but not only did your grandfather refuse to help us out, but he med us for dragging everybody in the family down with us. With that in mind, don¡¯t you think he was the one who forced your mother and I to leave?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 630 Chapter 630 Sophia was so angry that she couldn¡¯t help butugh. How should my grandfather help them when he himself is dirt poor? How dare this son of a b*tchin about it now? Lifting her hand, she pointed outside the yard. ¡°Get the f*ck out of here.¡± That was one of the worst things she had ever said to someone else. Even back when she fought with Matilda, she never said something as vicious, but Walter had crossed a line. She had to admit that the man who gave birth to her but never put in any effort in raising her was pure scum. There was a moment¡¯s pause before his countenance shifted drastically. Even though he had been acting the part of a gentleman, he finally lost it after Sophia cursed at him in the face of the other vigers. Despite always being a shameless b*stard, the fact that he was being treated with such contempt by his own daughter triggered his fragile ego. With a grim look on his face, he raised his voice all of a sudden. ¡°Watch your mouth, you b*tch!¡± Standing at the side, the other vigers had been irked by his words, but they didn¡¯t interfere due to Sophia¡¯s presence. Now that Walter started hurling insults at her, they flocked over to her as they could no longer sit by idly. ¡°Why are you shouting? How dare you even do that! If she is telling you to get the f*ck out of here, you do as she says!¡± a man said. Spitting at Walter, the viger went on, ¡°You¡¯re such a prick!¡± ¡°Yeah, I wonder why did you have the audacity to evene here! If I were you, instead of living on like this, I would rather drown myself in my own piss!¡± ¡°Walter, you should leave for good. You¡¯ve outstayed your wee,¡± an old man saidnguidly while wearing a look of resignation. ¡°You had left for such a long time, so you shouldn¡¯t havee back at all.¡± In the meantime, themotion finally got John¡¯s attention. He looked out from the window while in the house before he came rushing toward Sophia. Despite her petite figure, Sophia had amandeering air about her when she stood upright. With a stern and aloof expression, she told Walter, ¡°Walter Gwendolyn, I hereby dere that I will never acknowledge you nor your ex-wife as my parents. I don¡¯t care what your ns are, but you will never get anything from me.¡± Begrudgingly, Walter pointed a finger at Sophia. ¡°I should¡¯ve strangled you to death when you were born, you b*tch! You will receive your retribution for doing this to us!¡± John took a step forward before grabbing hold of Walter¡¯s finger that was pointing at Sophia. Without using much force, he managed to break the finger. It made a faint but crisp sound, which was followed by Walter¡¯s wails of pain. ¡°Argh! Murder! This is murder! Somebody help me!¡± Despite the crowd gathered around him, none stepped in to help. Instead, they simply stood aside to watch aloofly. John wore a morose look on his face while saying, ¡°I chose not to go after you as you are Sophia¡¯s biological father, but it doesn¡¯t mean you can do as you please. Be warned; you should stay away from Sophia. If you evere close to her, you might end up losing the rest of your fingers.¡± Grasping onto his broken finger, Walter hissed in pain while ring at John, but he dared not insult the latter despite his anger. He already caught wind of the fact that John would be funding the paving of the roads, and he knew for certain that an astronomical amount of money would be required to pave such a long road. Other than that, he also did a background check on John, only to find that he hailed from an exceptionally prestigious family. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. With how rich he was, John could absolutely get away with anything, so Walter dared not butt heads with him directly. Thus, he turned to leave after ring at the people around him. In the end, the commotion wound up ruining the jolly atmosphere. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 631 Chapter 631 John told the vigers to go back and get some rest, as well as instructing those who would leave with him to settle things with their family during the next few days. After the crowd dispersed, Sophia finally rxed her shoulders. Upon heaving a sigh, she noticed that her stomach was a little upset. She quickly surmised that her tantrum must¡¯ve affected her child, which prompted her to sit down hastily to get some rest. Meanwhile, John went over to hold her in his arms before consoling her in a soothing voice. ¡°I am here, so you have nothing to worry about. Nothing will go wrong.¡± Instead of pushing him away, Sophia squeezed his shirt in her palms while gritting her teeth. ¡°Why is he like that?¡± She didn¡¯t understand why someone as lowly as Walter was her father. Furthermore, she was extremely disappointed in him. Her grandfather used to serve in the military, which shaped him into a fair and just man. Even during the harsh times, never once did his morals sway. Also, she nevermitted any outrageous crimes in the course of her life, so she should count as a good citizen. However, both instances only served to further confuse her as to why her grandfather and her would have someone like Walter as a son and a father respectively. In the meantime, John wasn¡¯t quite sure how to console her, so he could only keep herpany while holding her in his arms. After a while, he carried her into the house. Lying in bed, Sophia curled herself up into a ball, seemingly in low spirits. John waited until she dozed off before leaving for the yard, where he brooded for a while, then left the house altogether. There were only dozens of households within the vige, and with how small it was, one could see from one end of the vige to the other end. Seeing that he broke Walter¡¯s finger, he guessed that thetter should either be seeking a doctor outside the vige, or have someone check on it within the vige. He wasn¡¯t sure if there was a clinic in the vige, so he headed toward the entrance to check on the road that would lead outside the vige. Seeing that Walter was nowhere to be seen on the straight road, he checked on the other roads one by one before finally finding Walter outside a house at the south side of the vige. As if having predicted Walter¡¯s course of action, the vigers who were outside Sophia¡¯s house were now gathered there, so the site was now buzzing with activity. Jeering, the crowd told Oscar to not treat Walter¡¯s wounds as thetter brought it upon himself, and that he should have all of his fingers broken. Meanwhile, Walter seemed to have sprang back to life as he shot insults back at the vigers. Despite being alone, he was so ferocious that he could easily hold himself against a bunch of people in a verbal fight. All the while, old Oscar was plopped on the stool under the window while smoking on his tobo in silence. Walter seemed to be exhausted aftershing out non-stop, so he turned to look at Oscar. ¡°Mr. Wilde, please check on my finger! It¡¯s already numb, so do you think I should bandage it up with some herbs?¡± Seemingly unaware of Walter¡¯s predicament, Oscar puffed on his tobo before saying, ¡°Ten years ago, we had a poor harvest because of bad weather. Our vige didn¡¯t have a lot of crops that we could sell, as we only had enough to sustain ourselves. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. However, your father wanted to send little Sophia to school, so he had to go foraging in the mountains to find things that he could sell. Even the storm didn¡¯t deter him, but he fell off a slippery slope and broke his leg. It was way worse than the injury on your finger.¡± Still puffing on his tobo, Oscar continued, ¡°I told him that he needed to go to the hospital, as my herbal medicine wouldn¡¯t be of help. If he wasn¡¯t careful about it, he might end up bing disabled. However, your father didn¡¯t want to pay for the medical bills, so I wound up having to treat him for a month using herbs. Although he healed, he was left with a limp ever since then.¡± A few of the vigers were so riled up upon hearing about it, so they were starting tosh out at Walter again, while thetter clutched onto his hand in silence. Lifting his head to nce at Walter, Oscar made his decision. ¡°Your wound is nothingpared to his, so don¡¯t evene to me for treatment. Walter, I am not trying to be cruel, but if I treated you, I wouldn¡¯t be able to face your father when I see him in the afterlife. Don¡¯t expect me to waste my precious herbs on you, you piece of trash.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 632 Chapter 632 Standing by the door, John took a deep breath before turning to leave. On the other hand, Walter didn¡¯t linger any longer at Oscar¡¯s house, as he had to treat his hand before it was toote. Upon realizing that none of the vigers were going to help him, he quickly left the vige to head to a nearby clinic. However, he saw someone standing under a tree as soon as he exited the vige. After staring at John for a while, Walter walked up to him. ¡°Why are you here, John?¡± Upon being acknowledged, John straightened his posture while examining Walter from head to toe. After that, he said, ¡°Your son is studying in middle school, am I correct?¡± Eyes wide, John¡¯s statement caught Walter off guard. With a snicker, John continued, ¡°Despite having left the vige for almost twenty years, you never got too far away from here. Because both you and your ex-wife were uncultured, you didn¡¯t get anywhere even after spending a year outside, so you had toe back. However, you simply didn¡¯t return to your old home, right?¡± Seeing that Walter pouted without retorting, John went on to say, ¡°Two yearster, you filed for a divorce, and from what I gather, it was because you had an affair with another woman.¡± Upon noticing the sullen expression on Walter¡¯s face, John smiled. ¡°Should I go on? Walter Gwendolyn, I know all about you, including your home address, details about your wife, as well as where your precious son is studying.¡± Walter stared at John in shock. ¡°H-How¡¯d you know about these?¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. A smile tugged on John¡¯s lips. ¡°I will get to know whatever I want to know. I even gathered info on your creditors, as well as where they live, so I can contact them anytime I want to. Walter Gwendolyn, after spending almost twenty years hiding from them, what do you think they will do if they catch wind of the fact that you had always been in the area, hiding in in sight?¡± Walter¡¯s face nched. ¡°You can¡¯t do that to me! I am your father-inw, and Sophia¡¯s father!¡± Clicking his tongue, John despised the manner in which Walter behaved. ¡°If you weren¡¯t her father, you wouldn¡¯t have gotten away with only a broken finger.¡± Turning his back to Walter, John added, ¡°I will give you one chance. If you promise to never disturb Sophia ever again, I will turn a blind eye to what you did. However, if you decide to show yourself once more, I will make sure that everybody knows of your past deeds, so you won¡¯t be able to settle down no matter where you go.¡± Walter stared at John¡¯s back for a long time before taking a deep breath. Even if Walter said nothing, John knew what he would do. Therefore, he turned to walk back into the vige. ¡°Remember, you should never show your face in front of Sophia ever again. You¡¯d better stay away from her from now on.¡± Standing at the entrance of the vige, Walter spat before cursing under his breath as soon as John¡¯s figure vanished from his sight. He assumed that Sophia¡¯s marriage with a rich guy could help elevate his status, but he never knew that her husband was petty enough to ckmail him. After some time, he retrieved his phone to make a call. It connected almost instantly, but the voice over the line sounded rather impatient. ¡°Why are you calling?¡± Walter was also feeling impatient. ¡°I would never call you without reason. Listen up; I have my hands tied regarding matters with Sophia, so I will be dropping out. The rest is up to you, and you can do as you wish. By the way, I will never contact you ever again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re dropping out? What¡¯s wrong? Was Sophia holding a grudge against you?¡± Unbeknownst to his ex-wife, it was much more serious than that, so Walter replied, ¡°Stop asking! I only made the call to report back to you. That will be all, and I will no longer have a hand in this.¡± With that, Walter hung up before leaving the vige while cursing under his breath. In the meantime, Matilda bumped into Zack when she got to the Constance Group¡¯s office building, whom she quickly called out to. ¡°Zack, hold on!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 633 Chapter 633 Zack was on his way to get the car, but he stopped as soon as he heard someone calling out to him. Startled by Matilda¡¯s presence, he said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. What¡¯s the matter? Are you in need of something?¡± With a smile on her face, Matilda asked, ¡°Is John not in thepany? He didn¡¯t pick up my calls during these past two days, nor did I see him after waiting here for such a long time.¡± Zack let out a grunt before replying, ¡°My boss had left for a few days, so he hasn¡¯t been in the company. I think he has a weak signal over where he was, which was why he didn¡¯t pick up your calls.¡± With a frown, Matilda asked, ¡°He went out? Is he on outstation? Where did he go? Why would he go somewhere with a weak signal?¡± Knowing that Matilda disliked Sophia, Zack wasn¡¯t sure if he should be telling the truth. He wondered if she would be angry if he told Matilda that John went to find Sophia. After some hesitation, Zack told her, ¡°I don¡¯t really know where my boss went, as he is on a private errand and not a business trip. Since it¡¯s not a business trip, he didn¡¯t tell me about it, nor did I ask.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Shocked, Matilda stared at Zack. ¡°A private errand? What kind of private errand?¡± Zack let out a dry chuckle before replying, ¡°That I don¡¯t know.¡± With a nod, Matilda said, ¡°Alright, you can leave now. I will try to give him another call.¡± After nodding to bid her goodbye, Zack left. However, instead of calling John, she hailed a cab to go to Sophia¡¯s shop after giving the situation some thought. Robin was the only one in there, so Matilda entered the shop upon seeing that there weren¡¯t a lot of customers. Out of reflex, Robin weed her, but she was soon startled to see that the person who walked in was none other than Matilda. ¡°Madam, I didn¡¯t realize it¡¯s you.¡± Scanning her surroundings, Matilda asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Sophia? Why is she not here?¡± After some thought, Robin replied, ¡°She has something else to do recently, so she won¡¯t be here for a few days.¡± Matilda looked at Robin from the corner of her eyes; it was an unconscious act of disdain. ¡°Did she tell you what she¡¯s up to, or why she needed a few days off?¡± Thinking back on the situation, Robin told her, ¡°No, she told me nothing, but it has been a few days since shest dropped by. She is my boss after all, so I can¡¯t just ask her anything even if she goes missing for a few days.¡± It wasn¡¯t until a whileter that Matilda asked, ¡°Did you call her? Did you ask where she went?¡± Robin shook her head before saying, ¡°Nope. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s my ce to ask since I am her employee.¡± Matilda seemed a little displeased by the fact that she wasted her time to uncover nothing. After some thought, she turned to leave the shop. Robin, on the other hand, gave Sophia a text. She then put her phone down while heaving a sigh. As soon as Matilda left the shop, she received a call from Isabelle, who asked in a sweet voice, ¡°Mrs. Constance, do you have some time to spare?¡± Matilda replied in the affirmative, so Isabelle told Matilda she would like to buy her a meal since it had been some time since theyst saw each other. Grasping her phone, Matilda agreed to her proposition. They agreed on a meeting ce, then Matilda hailed a cab after covering some distance on foot. Isabelle was already checking on the menu in a private room when she arrived. With a chuckle, Isabelle asked, ¡°Mrs. Constance, what would you like to eat?¡± However, Matilda dismissed her question with a wave of her hand. ¡°Anything¡¯s fine. You can order anything you like.¡± Thus, Isabelle continued to check the menu without giving it much thought. Meanwhile, Matilda spent some time staring at Isabelle before averting her gaze, whereas thetter passed the menu to the waiter after ordering a few dishes. It wasn¡¯t until the waiter left that Matilda heaved a loud sigh, which seemed to startle Isabelle. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mrs. Constance? You seem troubled.¡± Matilda agreed to her statement before saying, ¡°I was trying to contact John, but yet again, he hasn¡¯t been picking up.¡± Startled, Isabelle asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did you two quarrel?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 634 Chapter 634 Upon heaving a sigh, Matilda exined, ¡°Why else would we quarrel other than because of Sophia? I comined about Sophia since I don¡¯t like her, which made John unhappy, so he began ignoring me. Before I realized it, it had been a few days since west spoke.¡± Pursing her lips, Isabelle was at a loss as to what to say, while Matilda clicked her tongue. ¡°Sophia must¡¯ve cast some sort of spell on him to mesmerize John so much so that he would abandon me.¡± Still, Isabelle didn¡¯t reply to that, so Matilda waved her hand while concluding, ¡°Fine, it¡¯s getting on my nerves, so I won¡¯t talk about that anymore. I bet that cheeky brat cklisted me since he didn¡¯t pick up my calls at all. He sure is being smug.¡± Isabelle chuckled amicably before saying, ¡°I¡¯m sure the situation will improve after a few days.¡± With a nod, Matilda replied, ¡°I sure hope so.¡± Isabelle hadn¡¯t been keeping in touch with John during the past few days, as she was busy with work in herpany. However, the other reason she did so was because her father told her to cut some ck, as she shouldn¡¯t be the one taking the initiative everytime. Be it in work or life, she would be putting herself in a disadvantage if she was always the one who took the initiative. Isabelle found the advice relevant after some thought, so she decided to wean herself off him for a few days. Since she hadn¡¯t been contacting John during the past few days, she didn¡¯t know what he had been doing. She thought that she might be able to get some intel from Matilda, which was why she called the latter out, but it sure seemed like it was a waste of time. After that, Matilda ceased talking about John, so the topic of conversation revolved around her own life as of recently. However, Isabelle wasn¡¯t that much interested in that, so she merely went along with everything Matilda said without much zest. Matilda sipped on her juice, all the while checking Isabelle out with a smile on her face. It was Matilda who paid for the bills after their meal, but Isabelle quickly said, ¡°Mrs. Constance, I said I will be paying for this.¡± Smiling, Matilda replied, ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just a meal, so don¡¯t sweat it.¡± They still had some time to spare after their meal, and as per their custom, Matilda would drag Isabelle on a shopping spree. However, Isabelle wasn¡¯t in the mood to do so, so she was trying toe up with an appropriate reason to turn Matilda down, only to have thetter speak up before she could. ¡°I will be leaving first since I am a little tired. Now that my age is catching up to me, my body needs more rest, so I won¡¯t go shopping today.¡± Relief washed over Isabelle while she replied, ¡°Alright, Mrs. Constance. It¡¯s gettingte, and some rest will be good for you, so let¡¯s meet up again some other time.¡± Matilda nodded before hailing herself a cab. Without even looking at Isabelle, she gave the driver her address as soon as she got into one, and the driver drove off swiftly. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. However, Isabelle didn¡¯t seem to care, while the smile on her face faded after the cab disappeared from sight. He cklisted his own mother because she spoke ill of Sophia? John sure was mesmerized by Sophia. But to be frank, Matilda is also such a fool for never learning to speak less candidly. Despite her age, she was still cklisted by her own son. I wonder if she feels ashamed at all, Isabelle wondered. Meanwhile, Matilda averted her gaze after Isabelle¡¯s figure disappeared from the rearview mirror. Holding onto her bag, she began spacing out in the cab, which was on its way to the Flintstone Residence. Upon getting out of the car, she entered the mansion without pause. Natasha was watching TV in the living room, and she was taken aback by Matilda¡¯s arrival. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You don¡¯t look all that good.¡± Walking up to her, Matilda plopped herself onto the sofa. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little down, so I decided to drop by.¡± Natasha chuckled before asking, ¡°Did you fight with William again?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Matilda said. ¡°It¡¯s just that after thinking about it, I think I am never good at reading people.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 635 Chapter 635 Matilda seemed a little conflicted. ¡°At least that¡¯s how I¡¯ve been feeling recently, so I¡¯m not totally sure myself.¡± Arching her brow, Natashamented, ¡°It¡¯s not everyday that you would self-reflect. You¡¯re finally improving.¡± On the other end, after Zack booked the tickets, John was almost done with packing. He still had a lot of food in the trunk of his car, which, much to the kids¡¯ delight, Sophia gave to Mrs. Hensley. Although Mrs. Hensley would like Sophia to stay for a little longer, she knew Sophia¡¯s departure was for the best, or else Walter would keep on pestering her. Standing outside with their luggage, the vigers who would be leaving with John had finished packing as well. John couldn¡¯t possibly fit everyone and everything into the car, so the vigers left on a tractor, while John and Sophia returned the rented car. After meeting up with the vigers, they hailed a few cabs to bring everyone to the train station. The sight of a bunch of people tagging along was enough to give Sophia a headache, but John seemed to have done a good job at managing everything, as their journey went smoothly. They had to make a transfer halfway through their journey, but it wasn¡¯t as tiring as they had arranged for a reasonable schedule. When they got off at their final destination, Zack was already waiting at the train station. The vigers were a little overwhelmed upon their arrival at a brand new location. After hailing a few cabs, Zack brought the people to the warehouse. Due to how huge it was, they needed a lot of workers in the warehouse, so the vigers were quickly assigned to their positions upon arrival. As Sophia only ever told them that she was acquainted with one of the managers, the vigers didn¡¯t think much of it, seemingly satisfied as long as they had a job. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. The only thing Sophia was worried of was that they might be dissatisfied with the job they were offered once they knew thepany belonged to the Constances, and would ask for an easier job that paid better. After all, human greed and desires were insatiable. After the vigers left, Zack drove both John and Sophia to her house. Throughout the journey, Sophia had been feeling groggy and nauseous. However, she tried her best to push down the queasiness and cover up for herself, which took a toll on her. Now that she was in a car, she could no longer hold back the nausea, so she said, ¡°Zack, can you drive slower? I feel like vomiting, so please open the windows. I think I might have motion sickness.¡± None of the men thought much of it. While Zack slowed down and opened the car windows, John patted her on the back to help soothe her until Zack managed to stop the car a momentter. As soon as he did so, Sophia got off the car before retching by the road, but nothing came out. John got off the car as well to hand her a bottle of water that she used to rinse her mouth. ¡°Since when did you have motion sickness? I recall that it never happened to you.¡± After taking a deep breath, she replied, ¡°I suppose I¡¯m just exhausted. My head hurts, and my stomach is churning. It must be due to motion sickness.¡± With a nod, John said, ¡°Go get some rest. Although you had been lying down throughout our journey, it seemed that it still took a toll on you.¡± Standing up, Sophia caressed her belly before entering the house, while Zack helped carry her luggage. Without even checking on the two men, she entered her bedroom, her head still hurting from the bumpy train ride. After lying down on the bed for some time, she gave Robin a text, as thetter had informed her that Matilda dropped by to inquire about her. Sophia thought it was funny that Matilda would spend so much time chasing after her arse both before and after her divorce with John. By being overly focused on someone whom she didn¡¯t like, Matilda was basically setting herself up for an unpleasant experience. After sending the text, Sophia took a nap. When she woke up again, she could hear someone chatting downstairs. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 636 Chapter 636 Getting out of bed, Sophia nced down from the stairwell on the second floor, only to see that there were quite a few people downstairs. Aside from John and Zack, both Logan and Fabian were present. She wasn¡¯t sure what they were conversing about, but Logan seemed to be confused by it. ¡°You¡¯re making it soplicated that I could hardly understand! I only need you to tell me what to do! My head is hurting from all the analysis you did!¡± It had been a while since shest saw Logan, so she missed him quite dearly. With a smile on her face, she called out to him, ¡°Logan!¡± Lifting his head, Logan cried out in joy as soon as he saw her, and he was soon hopping up the stairs. ¡°Sophia, I miss you a lot!¡± Upon seeing that Logan was giving her a hug, the expression on John¡¯s face soured. Zack approached him to tease him quietly, ¡°Look at them; he¡¯s hugging her like it¡¯s no big deal! Young Master Jefferson sure knows how to take advantage of a situation.¡± ncing at Zack with contempt, John chided, ¡°Stop being a busybody. Do you understand what I was talking about?¡± Zack nodded instantly. ¡°Yeah, of course I understand.¡± Meanwhile, Fabian spoke up at the appropriate moment. ¡°But are you sure that there are a lot of herbs in the mountains?¡± Recalling the situation, John replied, ¡°I did check out the area, and there were some in the nearby mountains. However, I do need someone to do a more detailed assessment. If things are to proceed as expected, those are all resources that we can make use of.¡± Fabian gave a grunt in response before replying, ¡°If that is true, I agree with your n.¡± After some thought, John added, ¡°Alright, so those will be our ns for now. We will talk about it again when the assessment is done.¡± On the other hand, Sophia came downstairs with a cheerful look alongside Logan. ¡°It¡¯s not everyday that I see all of you here.¡± Fabian told her, ¡°I did drop by a few times before today, but you were never in. It wasn¡¯t until I contacted Zack that I knew you will be home today. You didn¡¯t even leave me a message when you left, so it¡¯s all your fault that I had to leave empty-handed multiple times!¡± In the meantime, Sophia walked over to them before sitting down on one end of the sofa. ¡°I was in a hurry, so I didn¡¯t manage to inform anyone.¡± Upon checking her out, Fabian said, ¡°You don¡¯t seem all that good. My grandmother had been comining that you have been shunning us since you never came to visit us.¡± Sophia was a little uneasy at the mention of Kate ckwell, as she was being overly nice to Sophia, which seemed odd to thetter. She doubted that a mere tarot card could predict that she was a lucky star to the ckwells. If the cards somehow foretold that she was their nemesis instead, Kate would probably have to find all sorts of ways to get rid of her to put her own mind at peace. Fabian smiled while looking at Sophia. ¡°My grandmother can be quite stubborn. Some time ago, the ckwells were stuck in a bad situation, and her health was also declining. It made her sink into depression, which was why she opted to get herself a reading in the first ce. The fortune teller foretold a fated meeting with an important person that would help solve the ckwell Family¡¯s troubles.¡± Truth be told, Fabian assumed that the fortune teller said so merely to soothe his grandmother¡¯s nerves, and it was a pure coincidence that Sophia managed to set herself apart during his grandmother¡¯s birthday banquet. After that, the ckwells managed to free themselves from the predicament as well in a simr period of time, which was why his grandmother was utterly convinced that the fortune teller told the truth. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. From Kate¡¯s point of view, Sophia was the ckwell Family¡¯s lucky star, so they had to treat her with respect. However, Sophia could only sigh in resignation upon recalling the full story. ¡°I suppose something like that is nothing but a pure coincidence.¡± Letting out a sigh, Fabian told her, ¡°To her, everything happens for a reason, and there¡¯s no such thing as a coincidence.¡± Sophia smacked her lips before telling him, ¡°The thing is that I¡¯m just a little afraid since she was being so enthusiastic and overly kind toward me.¡± Uponying eyes on Sophia, John was reminded of Walter. He couldn¡¯t help but worry that Walter might spring into action as soon as he caught wind of news that Sophia had established connections with a family as prestigious as the ckwells. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 637 Chapter 637 John couldn¡¯t help but wonder how scum like Walter managed to give birth to someone like Sophia. Upon averting his gaze, John¡¯s thoughts began to wander. After spending some time lounging about in Sophia¡¯s house, the few of them were ready to leave. By then, John told Sophia to get a fresh change of clothes as he wanted to take her out to a meal. Sophia nodded in agreement as she was hungry. Both the journey and the food she ate on the train left her feeling sick. Leaving to change her clothes, Sophia went upstairs, while John followed suit after waiting where he stood for a few moments. Meanwhile, Fabian snorted while remaining in the living room. ¡°Just look at him. I¡¯ve never seen such an expression on his face before this. Even though Sophia won¡¯t be going anywhere, he just seemed so anxious.¡± Heaving a sigh, Zack said, ¡°I just don¡¯t understand why he was so intent on divorcing her back then, but I suppose he is now reaping what he sowed. I wonder how he feels about it.¡± Truth be told, none of them knew why John divorced Sophia in the first ce. They always kept their married life private, so nobody expected the sudden divorce. Meanwhile, John entered the room just when Sophia was putting on her shirt, but he only managed to catch a glimpse of her waist before it was covered by her clothes again. Sophia quickly tidied her clothes, but she did so in silence as there were people downstairs. Visibly upset, she chided, ¡°John, don¡¯t you ever knock before you enter someone else¡¯s room? I don¡¯t like what you¡¯re doing.¡± Letting out a grunt, John went along with it. ¡°I know I made a mistake, so I will make sure to not repeat it.¡± Sophiabed her hair while asking, ¡°Why are you here anyway? I¡¯m only changing my clothes, so it won¡¯t take long.¡± John replied, ¡°You left your phone with me when you were sleeping, and I got a call from someone who ims to be your mother.¡± There was a pause in her movements before she demanded with a sullen look on her face, ¡°Don¡¯t you ever pick up calls on my phone again.¡± John heaved a sigh before saying, ¡°Sophia, I can help you out if you have any problems. You don¡¯t have to draw a line between us.¡± However, Sophia wasn¡¯t in the mood for such a conversation. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go downstairs. I¡¯m famished.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. After saying so, she brushed past him to leave the room before heading downstairs, while John followed behind her. He assumed that things between them would take a turn for the better after his trip to her vige, but now, it seemed that they were back to square one. There was still a long distance between Sophia and himself. While walking ahead of him, Sophia pursed her lips, but a faint smile soon took its ce. The few of them went out for a meal, during which Logan and Fabian took up the seats beside Sophia. Logan wasn¡¯t the best when it came to reading other people¡¯s moods, so he didn¡¯t notice that John was in fact sulking. On Sophia¡¯s other side, though Fabian did notice that, he didn¡¯t really care, so he was still acting friendly toward Sophia. Meanwhile, Sophia didn¡¯t even spare John a nce as she was truly famished. All she did was stare at the waiter while waiting for their meal to be served. As they had quite a lot of people, they ordered a lot of dishes. Sophia gulped as soon as they were served. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can hold myself back any longer. I¡¯ll start first!¡± Fabian wore a smile while he said, ¡°Go on. You don¡¯t have to be so courteous since we all know each other.¡± Smiling, Sophia dug in, but her smile froze after taking a few bites. While she wished she could suppress the bile that was traveling up into her mouth, it came too suddenly for her to be able to do so. Thus, she hastily put her chopsticks down, but she didn¡¯t have enough time to get to the toilet, so she could only rush toward the entrance before she started retching by the roadside. Same as before, nothing came out, but she retched so hard that her limbs were feeling weak. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 638 Chapter 638 John came out from the restaurant to crouch beside her before starting to pat her on the back in an attempt to soothe her. ¡°Is your stomach acting up again? Is it because of the food you ate while on the train?¡± While on their journey back home, Sophia didn¡¯t eat a lot, so John figured there might be some problems with her stomach. After taking a few deep breaths, Sophia told him, ¡°It might be a rpse of gastritis as I hadn¡¯t been eating on time.¡± Heaving a sigh, John helped her up. ¡°You should drink some hot water to help warm your stomach. After the meal, you will have to take some medicine.¡± Meanwhile, Fabian was leaning back in his chair while turning to observe Sophia. There was a smirk on his face, and there was a shrewd look in his eyes. Zack smacked his lips beforementing, ¡°This recent trip was such a hassle! Back when we were in the car, Sophia was also retching as she was suffering from motion sickness.¡± Logan gave some thought to the situation beforementing, ¡°I couldn¡¯t exactly remember what the trip was about, but I remember going on a trip by train when I was a kid. It swayed so much that I nearly puked. I never suffered from motion sickness, but that journey on the train was exceptionally ufortable.¡± These few men were somewhatcking in experience of such matters, so they assumed that Sophia was indeed suffering from motion sickness. Meanwhile, Fabian wore a smile while saying, ¡°You guys¡­ Ah well, let¡¯s just eat.¡± He had something to say, but he decided against speaking up as he deemed the timing somewhat inappropriate. Upon Sophia¡¯s return, John had the waiter serve her some warm water, which seemed to have a soothing effect after she drank it. ncing at her, Fabian said, ¡°Pick out and eat whatever your stomach can take. I understand that this can be frustrating.¡± Sophia looked him in the eye, but all he did was smile despite the knowing look in his eyes, which prompted her to avert her gaze without replying to him. She managed to ingest some food, as she couldn¡¯t possibly go without eating at all, but she still felt nauseous upon consuming the food. After a while, Fabian asked for some fruits to be served, which he pushed toward Sophia. ¡°Here you go. Eating some fruits might help you regain your appetite.¡± John nced at Fabian in suspicion, but he chose to say nothing, whereas Sophia thanked thetter before nibbling on the fruits. After their meal, Sophia was nning to go check out her shop, whereas the rest of them also had things that they needed to do. Fabian looked at Sophia before telling her, ¡°Since I will be passing by your shop, please let me send you there.¡± Upon hearing what Fabian said, John¡¯s brows were creased together. Sophia agreed to it after staring at Fabian for a few moments. When John was inhaling deeply to calm himself, Zack snuck up to him. ¡°Mr. ckwell did say he only regarded Sophia as a younger sister, so don¡¯t get all jealous over nothing.¡± With a re from John, Zack shut up, while Sophia got onto Fabian¡¯s car after bidding them goodbye. As soon as the engine was started, Fabian asked, ¡°How long has it been?¡± Sophia yelped in surprise before turning to look at him. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Heaving a sigh, Fabian rephrased his question. ¡°I mean your baby. How long has it been since you¡¯re pregnant?¡± Sophia wore a serious expression, but she didn¡¯t deny his im. ¡°How did you know?¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. There was aplicated look on Fabian¡¯s face. ¡°A friend of mine had simr symptoms during the initial months of her pregnancy, so I knew you¡¯re pregnant as soon as I saw how you behaved.¡± Sophia leaned back in her seat before answering, ¡°Just over a month.¡± ¡°Is it John¡¯s?¡± Fabian asked. There was a look of resignation on her face while she answered, ¡°I never had sex with anyone else but him.¡± However, the conception itself was peculiar to say the least, as she always made sure either to take contraceptive pills, or they would have sex on her safe day. After a while, Fabian stated, ¡°From how it seems, I¡¯m guessing you aren¡¯t nning to tell John about the pregnancy.¡± Sure enough, that was her n, as her rtionship with John was rather delicate. Seeing that he had feelings for her, John would definitely want to remarry her if he knew she was pregnant with his child. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 639 Chapter 639 However, Sophia had had enough of the Constances. Although Belinda was nice to her, memories of the awful year she spent in the Constance Residence was unbearable. It was the major reason that she didn¡¯t want to remarry John, as she didn¡¯t want to go through that kind of life ever again. Besides, neither did she want the presence of a child to be a dictating factor to their marriage. Staring at Fabian, she asked, ¡°Now that you know the truth, will you be tipping John off?¡± With a smile, Fabian told her, ¡°I don¡¯t think I should be meddling in you and John¡¯s business, so you should make your own choices. I won¡¯t be tattling to anybody.¡± Sophia was feeling reassured by his promise. However, he added, ¡°Pregnancy will be happening across a long time, so you won¡¯t be able to keep this a secret when your belly gets bigger and bigger in theter stages.¡± Sophia had a simr concern, which was why she returned to her vige to pay her respects to herte grandfather in the first ce, as she figured she could use it as an opportunity to settle down there. However, not only did John find her, but Walter went after her as well, which meant that the vige was no longer a safe haven for her. Upon noticing Sophia¡¯s silence, Fabian chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s just go with the flow. Who knows; you might change your mind in a few days and end up sharing your good news with John, so let¡¯s leave it as it is for now.¡± With her lips pulled into a thin line, Sophia said nothing. When they reached Sophia¡¯s shop, Fabian parked the car in front of the door. As soon as she got out of the car, she could see Robin and one more person in the shop. After bidding Fabian goodbye, she entered the shop. Robin stood behind the counter, whereas a man was standing in front of it. Uponying eyes on him, Sophia recognized him as the man in the photo that Robin showed her. It seemed that they kept in touch after their blind date, which meant that both of them agreed to give the rtionship a go. When she saw Sophiaing into the shop, Robin was startled, but she quickly greeted her with a smile. ¡°Sophia, I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re back!¡± Sophia chuckled before replying, ¡°I came back today, so I decided toe visit.¡± Feigning ignorance, Sophia went on to ask, ¡°I suppose he is your friend?¡± To that question, Robin said, ¡°Oh, yeah, he is my friend. He decided to have a look since he was passing by.¡± Sophia nodded to the man as a greeting. However, he seemed a bit shy, as he excused himself soon after. It wasn¡¯t until the man was far away from them that Sophia turned her attention to Robin. ¡°So does this mean you¡¯ve decided to start a rtionship with him?¡± Robin nodded after giving it some thought. ¡°Yeah, I n on dating him, since he seems like a nice guy. Although he isn¡¯t the most handsome man on earth, neither am I much better than him, so I figured I shouldn¡¯t be overly demanding. Therefore, I decided to check on ourpatibility by dating him first.¡± Letting out a grunt, Sophia leaned against the counter while observing Robin. ¡°To be honest, I used to assume that you have someone you like, so I never expected you to go on a blind date.¡± Upon hearing what Sophia said, Robin¡¯s expression grew a little awkward. While she did have someone she liked, her love was unrequited. Not only did she get the wrong idea about the man, but she nearly became a third-wheel in a rtionship. Those recollections left Robin feeling slightly dejected while she exined, ¡°I used to think so as well, but upon more self-reflection, I suppose what I fell for were his assets instead of his person. He was handsome, but aside from that, I didn¡¯t know much about him, which showed how shallow my feelings were.¡± Lowering her gaze, Robin continued, ¡°Besides, he didn¡¯t like me, so my love for him only left me feeling hurt. If I can¡¯t be happy while in love, I don¡¯t think I should be carrying on with the rtionship.¡± Sophia cast her a nce before heaving a sigh. ¡°So you were hurt in the past.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 640 Chapter 640 Shaking her head, Robin said, ¡°He didn¡¯t hurt me! In fact, nobody did! Even if I was hurt, it was because I forced myself into a corner by overthinking.¡± Robin was smiling after having said that. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s switch the topic. What do you think about the man just now?¡± Sophia only saw the man for such a short time, so she couldn¡¯t possibly know anything about him. Therefore, she could only nod while replying to Robin, ¡°He seems fine at first nce, but your impression of him might change after you spend more time with him.¡± Heaving a sigh, Robin said, ¡°We¡¯ll start slow, then. I really wish that I can have someone by my side, so I sure envy you.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia was left feeling a little defeated while leaning over on the countertop. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever feel envious of me, as I have enough on my te as it is, and it¡¯s giving me a headache.¡± Upon saying that, Sophia recalled something else. ¡°You sent me a messagest time telling me that John¡¯s mom came looking for me. Do you know what she is up to?¡± Shaking her head, Robin replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know, as she didn¡¯t explicitly state her purpose. However, she was wearing a morose expression when she came, which seemed to me a little frightening. She asked where you went, but I told her I don¡¯t know.¡± Robin¡¯s reply left Sophia feeling confused as to what Matilda was trying to do. She couldn¡¯t possibly miss being scolded by me after not having seen me for a few days, could she? That afternoon, Sophia stayed in the shop. As she didn¡¯t have much to eat during lunch, she had some snacks during the afternoon. When there were no customers, Robin would sit down on a chair with her face cupped in her hands while recounting the man¡¯s habits. Judging from what she said, the man had been dropping by whenever he could to spend time with Robin. Sophia listened on with a smile while observing Robin fawn over the man like a schoolgirl in love. Although she insisted she was seeing him out of fear of loneliness, the inconceble smile on her face said otherwise. After all, it was easy for a woman like her to step into a rtionship. As long as someone was willing to treat her nicely as well as make her happy, she would easily fall for him head-over-heels. In fact, Sophia was a little envious of Robin. She wondered if things would be different if John and her had spent time knowing each other before their marriage. Sophia stayed until evening, while Matilda dropped by before it was time to get off work. As soon as she saw Sophia from the window, Matilda seemed to realize something. Seeing that both John and Sophia returned on the same day, she figured that both of them must¡¯ve left for somewhere together. Meanwhile, Sophia arched a brow uponying eyes on Matilda. It wasn¡¯t long before Matilda entered the shop to sit down before Sophia. ¡°You left for somewhere with John, didn¡¯t you?¡± Sophia took a sip out of her milk. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°No?¡± Matilda didn¡¯t seem to believe her. ¡°Both of you left and returned at the same time, so how could that not be the case?¡± With slight dismay, Sophia replied, ¡°We didn¡¯t leave together, as John was the one who came after me. I left first, while he came after meter on. I can do nothing about what he makes of his own life, so don¡¯t you dare use me of seducing him.¡± After staring at Sophia for some time, Matilda questioned, ¡°Why are you not serving me any drinks even though I have been sitting here for a while? Is this how you treat your customers?¡± What she said startled both Sophia and Robin. They wore a simr look of confusion as neither knew what Matilda was up to. Meanwhile, thetter was waiting stubbornly with her arms crossed. With a nce, Sophia signaled for Robin to make Matilda a cup of coffee. It wasn¡¯t until then that Matilda asked, ¡°Where have you been?¡± After mulling over her situation, Sophia told her the truth. ¡°I went back to my hometown to pay my grandfather my respects.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 641 Chapter 641 There was a moment¡¯s pause before Matilda went on, ¡°Hasn¡¯t that time of the year already passed?¡± Sophia furrowed her brows together. ¡°Yeah, it has passed.¡± In the meantime, Matilda seemed to have calmed down a little. ¡°The Constances had wanted to send someone over when your grandfather passed away. However, we were caught off guard by a lot of other things, as not only did your grandfather pass away, but John¡¯s grandfather was also hospitalized. During that period, his grandfather had been spending time in and out of the emergency department as his health was declining.¡± Sophia cast her a nce before saying, ¡°I know, so I don¡¯t me anybody.¡± Exhaling, Matilda told her, ¡°In fact, John wanted to go to your vige back then.¡± Instead of looking at Sophia, Matilda turned to look out into the streets. Never once did she converse with Sophia so calmly. ¡°He was nning on paying you a visit when his grandfather got better, but it kept dragging on without stabilizing. Due to the amount of time it would cost to go to your ce, John might miss out on seeing his grandfather in case his grandfather didn¡¯t make it, so we ended up putting the n aside.¡± They ended up putting it off until now after that initial dy. Sophia kept her silence, nor did she know what to say. Meanwhile, Matilda exhaled before turning to look at Sophia. ¡°I recall that you no longer have any rtives over there.¡± There was a moment¡¯s pause before she said, ¡°No, they¡¯re all dead.¡± With a nod, Matilda said nothing, whereas Robin stared at both of them in shock. During her past visits, although Matilda never initiated physical conflict, she was always arrogant and spoke in an usatory tone. Never once did they engage each other in peaceful conversation. After a few moments, Sophia looked toward Matilda. ¡°Did youe to me because you need something?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Matilda had a stern look on her face. ¡°I merely want to know where you¡¯ve been.¡± Chuckling, Sophia leaned against her chair. ¡°What are you going to do with the information? Will you tell Isabelle?¡± She smacked her lips. ¡°However, even if you do tell her, it would do nothing but upset her.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Matilda¡¯s expression soured, but it wasn¡¯t because of what Sophia told her. Instead, she was starting to feel a little disappointed in Isabelle. When theyst met, Matilda probed Isabelle by revealing that her rtionship with John was being strained. Ever since then, Isabelle seemed to have retreated into her work, as she was always busy whenever Matilda called, so much so that she didn¡¯t seem to have time to pick up her calls. After that, Matilda scouted out the situation at Isabelle¡¯spany, only to see that she was working the regr hours despite constantly lying to Matilda that she had to work overtime. Although Matilda was somewhat of an idiot, it didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t eventuallye to understandplicated subjects. Natasha had been dissecting things with her during the past few days, all the while chiding that Matilda had been so utterly blind by doting on Isabelle. Although Isabelle indeed had decent assets to her, she was not as kind as she presented herself to be. Meanwhile, Matilda felt defeated. Although she didn¡¯t perceive Isabelle as a malicious character, she only came to realize that Isabelle wasn¡¯t beingpletely upfront with her, and seemed to have ulterior motives. Such a realization didn¡¯t feel good at all. Upon noticing the unnatural shift in Matilda¡¯s expression as soon as Isabelle was mentioned, Sophia let out augh. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why don¡¯t you look happy when I mentioned your sweet little girl?¡± Of course, Matilda would never tell Sophia about what happened between Isabelle and her, so she let out a harrumph. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Sophia pouted in response, as she could feel that Matilda was somewhat differentpared to the instances before that. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 642 Chapter 642 Matilda finished her cup of coffee before standing up. ¡°Alright, your presence sours my mood, so I will be taking my leave.¡± Taking her bag with her, she cast a final nce at Sophia before turning to leave. After Matilda was out of sight, Robin came over to Sophia. ¡°Something about her felt off! Just look at that drastic change in attitude! Sophia, don¡¯t you feel that she has changed?¡± Sophia hummed in the affirmative before smiling. ¡°I bet you saw her expression when I mentioned Isabelle.¡± Nodding her head, Robin replied, ¡°You bet I did. However, I don¡¯t get why she woulde here.¡± The Matilda whom Robin knew would be hurling insults at Sophia upon knowing that John went after her to her hometown, but that didn¡¯t happen. Sophia smiled before saying, ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s not dwell on this. She doesn¡¯t deserve our attention anyway.¡± Sophia spent the rest of the evening in her shop before hailing a cab home, only to find that there was someone else in the property. It turned out that John was studying a cookbook in the kitchen intently. Sophia was taken aback by the sight. If it were her from before, she would¡¯ve made a fuss out of the situation by reprimanding John for entering her house without her permission. However, not only was she not in the mood to do so now, but shecked the energy to do so altogether, which made her feel that her temper had seemed to have mellowed out. Therefore, she went to stand beside the kitchen entrance. ¡°What are you trying to make?¡± Upon turning to see that Sophia was back, John smiled. ¡°First, I will make some soup, but can you take a look at this? Do I need to fry the fish? I don¡¯t quite get what¡¯s written on here.¡± The sight of him in an apron was strange, to say the least. Sophia checked out the cookbook and the ingredients he had before answering, ¡°Nah, you can work on it right away.¡± John thought about it for a moment before telling her, ¡°Okay, you can go back out now. Leave this to me!¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t about to fight him over that, as she could hardly stand the greasy smell in the kitchen. Sitting down on the sofa, she switched on the TV, eventually settling on watching a cartoon after flipping through the channels. Since she didn¡¯t have a particr preference for TV shows, she decided she should let the child she carried watch some cartoons. Meanwhile, sounds of cooking could be hearding from the kitchen, and the aroma soon filled up the house. Sophia turned to check on John, but quickly averted her gaze, as the sudden warmth in her heart caught her off guard. Time passed, but before John was done cooking, her phone rang with a call from Ian, which she quickly picked up. It had been a while since theyst contacted each other. Ian sounded a little anxious when the call connected. ¡°Sophia, where are you now? Are you at home?¡± Humming in the affirmative, Sophia asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. There was a moment¡¯s pause before Ian said, ¡°Is John in your house?¡± Humming once more, Sophia replied, ¡°Yeah.¡± The ensuing silence left Sophia feeling a little uneasy, but she wasn¡¯t quite sure why, as it was the first time ever she experienced such an awkward atmosphere between Ian and her. She figured she should talk about something, so she asked, ¡°How is thepetition going? I had been busy, so I didn¡¯t get to watch youpete. How are you doing over there?¡± However, Ian didn¡¯t seem to want to talk about thepetition, as he said, ¡°Logan told me you were in your hometown during the past few days with John in tow.¡± Sophia figured it wasn¡¯t something that she needed to hide, so she admitted it. ¡°Yeah, I went back to my hometown with John.¡± Taking a deep breath, Ian asked, ¡°Are you and John back together?¡± Sophia exhaled before answering feebly, ¡°No, we¡¯re not together yet.¡± It wasn¡¯t until some momentster that Ian asked, ¡°Are you nning on getting back together with him?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 643 Chapter 643 Sophia was still a little unsure about what decision to make, as it would be a lie to say that she was unaffected by John¡¯s unwavering support of her as of recent. With a heart as soft as hers, she was touched upon witnessing the great lengths that John was willing to go to in order to win her back. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. However, to start over with him remained a challenge to her. Public opinion aside, she couldn¡¯t find it in herself to start over a new chapter with John without first addressing what happened before. After dwelling on it repeatedly, she gave a vague reply, ¡°I don¡¯t know, as I haven¡¯t made up my mind.¡± ¡°Sophia.¡± Ian spoke. ¡°Can you¡­ Can you withhold your decision and wait for me?¡± Startled, Sophia frowned without intending to upon hearing what he said. He went on, ¡°Wait till the competition ends. I have something that I need to talk over with you when I get back, please.¡± After a few moments, Sophia chuckled as she tried to put on a casual front. ¡°What is it that you¡¯d like to tell me? You can always tell me over the phone.¡± Ian heaved a sigh before questioning, ¡°Sophia, do you really not know what I¡¯m trying to say, or are you just running away?¡± As soon as he said so, John called out to her from the kitchen as he couldn¡¯t seem to find the seasoning for cooking. John spoke loudly, so Ian must¡¯ve heard him, whereas Sophia took it as an opening to end their call. ¡°Alright, I have other things to do, so I¡¯ll be hanging up. You should train hard and try your best to get a nice rank.¡± After having said so, Sophia responded to John¡¯s call from the kitchen before hanging up. However, he seemed to already find the seasoning he needed when she got to the kitchen. Without even looking at her, he asked while busying himself with cooking, ¡°Who was on the line? Was it Ian?¡± Sophia was surprised that he knew as much. Leaning against the doorframe, she asked, ¡°You called out to me not because you couldn¡¯t find the seasonings, but you did it to distract me on purpose, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cheerfully, John replied, ¡°Of course, not! It¡¯s true that I couldn¡¯t find the seasonings before you came over.¡± Scanning the countertop, Sophia could see that all of the seasonings were ced on there, so he couldn¡¯t possibly have missed it. However, she didn¡¯t have the energy bicker, opting instead to head to the dining room after staring at him for a while. On the other hand, John served the dishes after he was done cooking, only toe to a halt as soon as he reached the kitchen entrance. With a nd tone, John asked while looking outside, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Sophia quickly left the dining room upon hearing him, only to see a woman standing by the entrance to the living room uneasily. With a cheery disposition, she asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you at my shop just this evening? Why are you here now?¡± Meanwhile, Matilda tried her best to school her expression while replying, ¡°I came to look for my son. I wouldn¡¯t even be here if not for him.¡± A smile tugged at the corner of Sophia¡¯s mouth before she turned to look at John. After asking if Matilda had had dinner, John brought the dishes he cooked into the dining room. Setting foot into the house, Matilda said, ¡°I haven¡¯t had dinner, so I was thinking of dining with you outside.¡± Seeing John in an apron seemed to incite feelings of distress within her. ¡°Why did you choose to cook on your own? You shouldn¡¯t be subjecting yourself to this.¡± However, Sophia paid her remarks no heed. After John handed her a bowl of rice, she dug in and focused her attention on eating. John also handed Matilda her bowl of rice. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, let us eat together. I made all of the dishes today, so why don¡¯t you have a taste?¡± Although with a little dismay, Matilda epted the offer while ncing at Sophia from the corner of her eye. Seemingly trying to excuse her presence, she said, ¡°I will taste them since John made it. He is my son, so I¡¯m not actually imposing myself on anyone.¡± Sophia nearly burst outughing, but managed to suppress it into a dainty smile. ¡°Just take your seat. You don¡¯t have to exin yourself.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 644 Chapter 644 Matilda sat down across from Sophia. On the other hand, John sat beside Sophia while putting food into her bowl. ¡°You should eat up since you haven¡¯t been eating a lot.¡± Although John wasn¡¯t a superb cook, the dishes he made were alright, so it was still an eptable meal if one wasn¡¯t a picky eater. Observing John and Sophia after taking a bite out of her meal, Matilda suddenly felt like being sent back in time. The atmosphere around them was simr to when the Constances used to have a meal together. After giving it some thought, she told John, ¡°I heard that Ynda was discharged.¡± Ynda was the woman who took care of William. John hummed in response. ¡°But due to her multiple injuries, she will have to take some time off to recuperate even after that.¡± With her lips pulled into a thin line, Matilda said, ¡°Since your father is such a yes man, I bet he would go take care of her.¡± John was smiling when he replied, ¡°I am unsure as to how things went, but Ynda had a maid by her side, so my father didn¡¯t really need to do anything.¡± During the rest of the mealtime, Matilda couldn¡¯t help but sulk. After they were finished, John went to do the dishes, while Sophia left for the sofa. Matilda didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to leave, as she looked toward Sophia after hanging around and scanning the living room. ¡°Are you having a good time in the house that my son bought you?¡± Despite her pointed question, Sophia wasn¡¯t in the mood to bicker, so she gave Matilda a hum. ¡°Yeah, I am.¡± Matilda snorted before saying, ¡°Everybody was assuming that John was in the wrong, but if you look closer, your divorce seemed to be beneficial to you. You got an astronomical sum out of it that normal people couldn¡¯t possibly earn.¡± Sophia gave another hum before asking, ¡°So why weren¡¯t you willing to divorce William? From what I gathered, he was willing to pay you an alimony, so it was also beneficial to you.¡± It was a mere statement of the truth, so she said so in a calm manner as she wasn¡¯t trying toe off as mocking. Nheless, Matilda choked on her own words while staring at Sophia wide-eyed. ¡°You¡ª¡± However, she calmed herself down after thinking about it. ¡°You know nothing. I am not the same as you.¡± Sophia gave her a nod. ¡°True, you¡¯re older than me, so men don¡¯t look your way anymore.¡± Taking a deep breath, Matilda shut up when she realized she could never gain the upper hand against Sophia. Meanwhile, Sophia was still watching cartoons, as her interest was piqued after watching it for some time. Matilda sat down beside her after going around in the house for a bit. Watching the cartoon as well, she grumbled, ¡°Why would anybody watch such a retarded program?¡± Despite herint, she was nheless watching it. It wasn¡¯t until a whileter that Sophia asked, ¡°Say, how are things going with John¡¯s father? Did you keep in touch?¡± Sophia was merely asking out of curiosity. Staring at the TV, Matilda replied, ¡°Nope, we didn¡¯t meetup, nor did we call each other.¡± Sophia snorted before making fun of Matilda, remarking, ¡°You¡¯re still trying to sit on your high horse even when it hase to this.¡± Hissing, Matilda was obviously affronted by Sophia¡¯s remark, but she said nothing to retaliate. Sophia heaved a sigh before telling her, ¡°You should follow your son¡¯s example.¡± Her movements hitched, Matilda turned to look at the kitchen to see John cleaning up the cooktop, and he was surprisingly adept at it. He never used to do that while at home. After observing him for a while, she caught on to what Sophia meant. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. However, she knew she couldn¡¯t possibly behave like how John did, as she had always been the domineering one in the rtionship. Even when she tried to meet up with William to express her intention to remarry him, she was still the one in control of the situation. Sophia didn¡¯t care what Matilda thought, as she already did her part by offering thetter some advice, so she wouldn¡¯t say anything more. Meanwhile, when John was finished with cleaning up, he served them some fruits. Matilda felt sorry for him, as he never needed to do those back when living with the Constance household. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 645 Chapter 645 Matilda quickly urged John to get some rest, but he said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Since I always used to sit in the office, this is some much needed exercise, so I think it¡¯s fine.¡± Letting out a cry, Matilda tried to persuade him, ¡°You should put yourself to better use by flipping through and signing documents instead of working manualbor.¡± Her response caused Sophia to nce at Matilda from the corner of her eye with a smirk. Although Matilda didn¡¯t like Sophia, she stayed the course of the night before leaving with John. Sophia saw them off by the door. Despite their history, Sophia wasn¡¯t going to fuss over it as Matilda was behaving much betterpared to before, so she wished Matilda a safe trip home. With a sophisticated look on her face, Matilda was still trying to act tough. ¡°Just go back in. This house belongs to my son, so I don¡¯t need you to send me off.¡± Sophia obeyed her by turning to leave for the house, while Matilda got in the car and watched her close the door behind her before questioning pointedly, ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why do you even like someone like her? Just look at how impartial she was to her elders. She didn¡¯t even smile at me!¡± John smiled in resignation before asking, ¡°Why would she when you used to brawl with each other?¡± Snorting, Matilda averted her gaze. ¡°I just can¡¯t bring myself to like her.¡± John hummed in response. ¡°Neither can she.¡± By the next day, Sophia went to the hospital as it was time for a B-scan. She made an appointmentst night on the hospital¡¯s website before going there early the next morning. Although she didn¡¯t spend much time waiting, it was still somewhat tormenting. She was panicking a little, and for a fraction of a second, she considered giving John a call to get him toe. However, she was sensible enough to push the idea down. As soon as Sophiay down on the bed, the doctor did a quick checkup by asking her a few questions. After that, he applied some ultrasonic count gel before cing the transducer on her belly. The gel was cool to the touch, which made Sophia shudder. On the other hand, the doctor was serious about his task, so the checkup was efficient. Without saying much else, the doctor told her to wait for her results outside. Sophia left the room at a leisurely pace before retrieving her report from the machine. The report merely stated that an embryo sac was found in her uterus, but Sophia was staring intently at those few words. Although she didn¡¯t understand what the graphs were indicating, she knew it showed the image of her child. Tears welled up in her eyes after she stared at it for a while, as she realized she now had a child and a family, so she was no longer alone. Upon leaving the hospital, Sophia waited for a cab by the road, but before she saw one, another car pulled over. When the car window was lowered, it was none other than Isabelle sitting in the car. Sophia¡¯s presence seemed to catch her off guard. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, why are you here? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Sophia observed her for a while before replying, ¡°I¡¯m here for a checkup.¡± With a nod, Isabelle offered, ¡°Where are you headed to? I can drive you there.¡± ¡°Nah, I can take a cab.¡± Due to their strained rtionship, Sophia didn¡¯t want to owe her any favors. Other than letting out a hum, Isabelle didn¡¯t say much else. ¡°Alright, I will be leaving, then.¡± In silence, Sophia watched her car drive off before hailing a cab with a stiff expression. Meanwhile, Isabelle drove back to the hospital after traveling some distance. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. In the cab, Sophia sat back to take a nap after telling the driver her shop¡¯s address, so she didn¡¯t see Isabelle going into the hospital. When she arrived at her shop, there were quite a lot of customers. To her surprise, not only was Logan present, but he was also helping out. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 646 Chapter 646 Sophia walked up to Logan with a smile. ¡°With you here, I suppose it makes us a high-end shop.¡± Chuckling, Logan didn¡¯t stop working. ¡°Why are you sote? I¡¯ve been waiting for your arrival.¡± Sophia stood beside him while saying, ¡°I amte because I woke upte and spent some timezing around.¡± Logan regarded her in silence while she made herself a hamburger and some hot chocte. After she had both, she sat down by the window. After Logan was finished with his task, he came over to her. ¡°I asked Lorraine about Ian, and she told me that he wouldn¡¯t have a problem making his debut, while his ranking indicates that he would probably make it to the top three.¡± What Logan told her reminded Sophia of the fact that Ian called herst night, so she asked, ¡°Did you tell him about what happened between John and me?¡± Logan didn¡¯t think it would be such a big deal. ¡°Yeah, I did when we were chatting. What¡¯s the matter? Should I not have told him?¡± Pursing her lips, Sophia replied, ¡°That¡¯s not it. There¡¯s nothing between John and me, so telling Ian about it made it sound like the opposite.¡± Upon hearing what she said, Logan smacked his lips. ¡°John can be quite stone-hearted, but the fact that he went after you all the way to your hometown showed that he is a worthy man. When you got back, he had been suggesting ways to help out the vigers back there. He wanted to do that as he was grateful that the vigers had been taking care as well as protecting you all this time. Sophia, although I prefer that you pick Ian, I have to acknowledge that John really had gone the distance by helping you like that.¡± Logan exhaled before going on, ¡°I think you should be able to live a good life with either Ian or John, so you can choose to marry either of them.¡± What the hell is he talking about? Sophia was opposed to the idea. I can¡¯t just pick one as if I am shopping for goods! Besides, Logan sure holds me in an overly high regard. Who am I to choose either of them anyway? Sophia had been chatting with Logan for some time before someone else came in, whom she recognized to be the man Robin was dating. The young man brought a lot of fruits while walking into the shop cheerfully. Seeing him, Robin seemed a little shy while asking, ¡°Oh, why are you here?¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. The young man scratched his head before answering, ¡°I was passing by, so I figured I could drop by to check on you.¡± Since he liked Robin, I suppose he would drop by no matter how far he needed to travel, Sophia mused. Meanwhile, Logan was startled by the young man¡¯s presence. ¡°Robin, is he your boyfriend?¡± A blush crept on Robin¡¯s face while she stuttered, all the while wondering if she should admit it. The young man was also blushing profusely when he greeted everyone, ¡°Hello.¡± Sophia returned the greeting before looking at Robin. ¡°Since we haven¡¯t got much to do, we can close the shop earlier so you can go have fun.¡± Slightly embarrassed, Robin said, ¡°I-It¡¯s alright, seeing that we¡¯re not going anywhere.¡± On the other hand, Logan was far more direct in his approach. ¡°We can watch over the shop while you go on a date. This young man isn¡¯t here to help keep watch anyway, so you should just leave.¡± While Robin¡¯s face was beet red, the young man seemed to fare better. ncing at Robin, he suggested, ¡°We should be leaving, then. I bought tickets to a movie, so I¡¯d like to have a meal with you before we go to the movies.¡± Watching their interactions, Sophia was suddenly envious of them. Isn¡¯t this nice? I could feel that love is in the air¡­ In the end, Robin left with the young man shyly, while Sophia drank coffee in the shop with Logan as thetter updated her on what happened when she wasn¡¯t around. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 647 Chapter 647 Logan¡¯s attention was totally fixed on the Morgans. ording to his ounts, Sally was still being detained, which meant she might very well be left with a criminal record. The injured girl was already discharged, but she refused to reconcile with Sally as she wasn¡¯t about to let Sally off the hook. Logan thought the girl did a brilliant job, and that Sally finally found herself an even match. However, Sophia was no longer interested in other people¡¯s affairs, as all she could think of was what to do with the baby she carried. To tell, or not to tell, that is the question, and a freaking hard one at that. Besides, where should I go if I were to hide the fact that I¡¯m pregnant from him? They stayed there until evening, with Logan nning to send Sophia home, only to see John driving toward them when they were closing the shop. ncing at Sophia, Logan asked, ¡°Has he been the one driving you home these days?¡± Without giving him a reply, Sophia watched John get out of the car. He came over to stand beside her before greeting Logan, ¡°You sure have a lot of time to spare today.¡± Logan let out a hum. ¡°I always have much time to spare. Are you going to her house? Are you nning to have dinner over there?¡± Seeing that John didn¡¯t refute him, Logan nodded. ¡°I haven¡¯t yet decided on where to have dinner, so why don¡¯t we dine together? That sounds like a great idea.¡± On the other hand, Sophia wasn¡¯t sure what was so great about it. Before they could leave though, another car pulled over, while someone called out to John after stepping out of the car, who revealed herself to be none other than Matilda. Arching her brow, Sophia figured that Matilda had been trying to make her presence known to her. While John greeted Matilda, thetter cast a nce at Sophia before asking, ¡°Are you all heading to her ce?¡± Logan took the liberty to answer that question. ¡°Yeah, would you like toe have dinner with us, Ms. Matilda? The more the merrier.¡± Judging from Matilda¡¯s personality, Sophia assumed that she would turn down his offer, but to her surprise, she nodded without hesitation. ¡°Sure, since I haven¡¯t had dinner anyway.¡± Squinting her eyes, Sophia watched Matilda closely, confused by thetter¡¯s reactions. Matilda used to hate everything rted to Sophia, so it didn¡¯t make sense that she would actively approach Sophia. However, Logan didn¡¯t seem to notice the oddity as he went ahead to usher everybody into the car. Upon casting Sophia a nce, Matilda said, ¡°I¡¯ll hitch a ride in Logan¡¯s car.¡± Does that mean she doesn¡¯t want to be in the same car as me? That¡¯s just brilliant! Sophia thought before hopping into John¡¯s car. The two cars left the site after they were ready. Throughout their journey, both Sophia and John remained silent, while Sophia seemed a little sickly and tired. John turned to check on her a couple of times, but she continued to lean against the window while looking out of it, her face devoid of expression. There were some ingredients in stock in the fridge, so they went straight back home. With both Logan and John present, Sophia figured she wouldn¡¯t even need to lift a finger to cook, so she went upstairs to get a change of clothes before sitting down on her bed. After pondering on her circumstances for some time, she retrieved the report and stared at the image produced by the B-scan. In the meantime, Matilda was feeling sorry for John, all the while assuming that Sophia was being a little too demanding toward John. Look at her, leaving all the work to the two men while she went straight up to get rested. Matilda wasn¡¯t too happy about it, so she went upstairs after giving the situation some thought. The door to Sophia¡¯s room was open, so Matilda entered right away, but Sophia wasn¡¯t in the room. It wasn¡¯t until then Matilda noticed that the door to the bathroom was closed, while sounds could be hearding from within. She tried to call out to Sophia, but nothing came of it. Upon noticing the items spread out on her bed, Matilda went over to check on it. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. As soon as she stepped out from the bathroom, Sophia saw Matilda standing in her room. There was a moment¡¯s pause before panic kicked in when she saw what Matilda was holding. In a few strides, she rushed over to snatch the report from Matilda while snapping, ¡°Why did you barge into my room?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 648 Chapter 648 Visibly angered, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but raise her voice. On the other hand, Matilda was staring at her without even registering her attitude. Hesitantly, she stated, ¡°You¡¯re pregnant.¡± Seeing that Sophia remained silent, Matilda went on, ¡°And I suppose John is the father?¡± Sophia denied rather directly, ¡°No, he¡¯s not.¡± Taking a deep breath, Matilda pointed out, ¡°You don¡¯t really associate yourself with other men except for John.¡± As if Ian and Logan are women, Sophia grumbled internally. After some thought, Matilda asked, ¡°Does John not know about this?¡± Meanwhile, Sophia folded the report so that she could tuck it into her pocket. ¡°As I said, he¡¯s not the father, so this has nothing to do with him.¡± However, it only further convinced Matilda that the child belonged to John, as she knew Sophia wasn¡¯t a yer. Although she didn¡¯t like Sophia, she figured she shouldn¡¯t be framing Sophia regardless of their rtionship. With a frown, Matilda ignored what Sophia told her, all the while following her own line of thought. ¡°Your belly will swell, so you won¡¯t be able to hide the truth.¡± Sophia took a few deep breaths before sitting down on her bed. Confused, Matilda asked, ¡°Why won¡¯t you tell him about your pregnancy? If things go well, you might be able to remarry him.¡± However, Sophia only sneered at her. ¡°Your son isn¡¯t as special as you perceive him to be. Despite being pregnant, I have no intention to use it as an excuse to remarry him.¡± Lifting her head, she stared at Matilda. ¡°Perhaps you don¡¯t know, but your son is the one who is begging to remarry me, so I am the one being forced.¡± Matilda locked eyes with Sophia. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to remarry him?¡± Given that even someone as prestigious as Isabelle was aiming for John, Matilda didn¡¯t quite believe in what Sophia told her. Due to the fact that Sophia was of even lower status than Isabelle, Matilda didn¡¯t believe that Sophia wouldn¡¯t want to marry John. With a smile on her face, Sophia shot back, ¡°With you as his mother, I would of course exclude him from my list.¡± Matilda hissed before saying, ¡°You mean¡ª¡± However, she bit her own tongue uponying eyes on Sophia¡¯s belly. Meanwhile, Sophia lowered her gaze to look at her own feet. ¡°The child is mine, and mine alone. It has nothing to do with anybody else.¡± It wasn¡¯t until a whileter that Matilda found her voice again. ¡°If I told John about this¡­¡± Sophia lifted her head abruptly to shoot Matilda a pointed look, which managed to silence thetter. After a moment¡¯s pause, Matilda raised her chin to say defiantly, ¡°In your dreams! I¡¯ll never tell him about the baby! I hope you¡¯ll never be able to get together with him anyway!¡± Having said that, Matilda licked her lips. ¡°However, I trust you will not go for an abortion, am I right?¡± Without giving a direct answer, Sophia asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Knowing that Sophia must¡¯ve misconstrued what she said, Matilda supplied, ¡°I don¡¯t n on doing anything. It¡¯s just a question.¡± Sophia snapped back in an icy tone, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, as I will never use the child as leverage against the Constances. It¡¯s as I told you, the child is mine, and mine alone. It has nothing to do with anybody else.¡± For a long while, Matilda stared at Sophia in silence. On the other hand, John and Logan were cooking downstairs. With Logan rambling about what happened to the Morgans, John took a peek at the living room, only to see that neither Sophia nor Matilda were there. Startled, he washed his hands before exiting the kitchen in search of them, but neither of them were in the yard, so he went upstairs in a hurry. As soon as he got onto the second floor, Matilda was already on her way out from Sophia¡¯s room with a sullen look on her face, to whom he asked, ¡°What have you been talking about?¡± ncing at John, Matilda replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With Sophia¡¯s temperament, I am always the one being bullied.¡± With that, she brushed past John to go down the stairs, leaving the premises without staying for dinner. Previous Chapter Next ChapterAll content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 649 Chapter 649 Upon entering Sophia¡¯s room, John saw her lying on the bed with her back to the door. He hurried to her while asking, ¡°Was my mother being difficult?¡± Sophia was feeling a little groggy. ¡°No, she wasn¡¯t.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. However, John didn¡¯t believe in a word she said, as from prior experience, it was impossible to put the two together without inciting some sort of conflict. Besides, Matilda seemed a little upset when she left the room. John circled around the bed to observe Sophia from the other side. ¡°My mother speaks more harshly than necessary, so please don¡¯t take it personally. If she said anything that offended you, please allow me to apologize on her behalf.¡± Sophia cast John a nce before closing her eyes. ¡°As I said, your mother didn¡¯t do anything to offend me.¡± Propping a knee on the bed, John leaned in to caress her forehead. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You seem a little dispirited these days. Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Why don¡¯t we go to the hospital for a checkup?¡± Sophia flipped herself over to look at the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that our journey on the train left me exhausted, so I will need a few days to recuperate.¡± After giving the situation some thought, John held her hand before calling out to her, ¡°Sophia Gwendolyn.¡± Due to how formal he sounded, she couldn¡¯t help but turn around to look at him. Meanwhile, he massaged her fingers one by one carefully. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what I should do to improve the situation?¡± Sophia frowned as she didn¡¯t catch what he meant. With a sigh, he borated, ¡°I have no idea what I should do to secure more of your time and attention.¡± He spoke with such grief that Sophia startled. Pursing his lips, a smile shed across his face before he continued, ¡°I am running out of ideas, as I feel like nothing I do would please you. Sophia, why don¡¯t you give me a few hints as to what would make you happy?¡± You always are, no matter if it is before or after our divorce. The problem lies mostly with me.¡± John heaved a sigh before pressing on. ¡°The way you said it sounds like you¡¯re trying to dismiss me.¡± Sophia smiled in defeat as she wasn¡¯t exactly lying. By that point, she realized that John wasn¡¯t wholly responsible for how things turned out between them, as she also had her own demons. Both parties were responsible in a failing rtionship, so one shouldn¡¯t be pinning all of the responsibility on the other. Thus, she said, ¡°Give me some time, as I am currently overwhelmed by my circumstances. I am facing a lot of blockages in life, so please don¡¯t push too hard.¡± Upon hearing what she told him, John regained some confidence, as it was way better than being outright rejected. Humming, he gave her a nod before promising, ¡°Alright, I will push you no more. Get some rest while I finish cooking, and I¡¯lle get youter.¡± Sophia shut her eyes, seemingly intent on getting some sleep. After tucking her in, he left the room, only to see Logan sitting in the living room. As soon as Logan saw John, he asked thetter in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Ms. Matilda seemed to have left in dismay. Did they get into another fight?¡± John recalled what he saw before replying, ¡°I don¡¯t think so, as Sophia seemed alright.¡± With her short temper, she wouldn¡¯t possibly be that quiet if they quarreled, as she would most likely be cussing out loud. However, she seemed rather calm when John saw her. Logan hesitated for a moment due to confusion, but returned to the kitchen with John anyway. When dinner was ready, Sophia was already sound asleep. Upon checking on her, John didn¡¯t want to rouse her, so he finished his meal with Logan. Putting some food aside for her, John figured they could decide on what to do with it once Sophia was up. By that point, instead of a rowdy meal, Logan and John were the only ones left dining by the table, which seemed to have killed the mood. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 650 Chapter 650 Heaving a sigh, Logan thought of something. ¡°How¡¯s the investigation on Robin¡¯s abduction going?¡± Lifting his head, John stared at Logan for a while as if having recalled something. Logan wasn¡¯t sure why John was doing that, so he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± John ran his tongue over his mrs beforeughing. ¡°I have something that I would like to talk to you about, as you might be able to help.¡± Arching his brow, Logan said, ¡°Why are you acting all mysterious? If you have anything to say, just spit it out.¡± After some time, Sophia woke up in the middle of the night. The house was lit when she woke up, with John sitting on bed while scrolling through his phone. Upon realizing that she was awake, John quickly inquired, ¡°Are you hungry? The food is still warm, so should I bring them up?¡± Sophia sat up slowly before replying, ¡°Okay.¡± After John left downstairs, Sophia washed her face. Standing in front of the basin, she stared at her own reflection in the mirror, only to discover how haggard and dispirited she looked, so much so that she could hardly face herself. Knowing that things couldn¡¯t go on like that, Sophia took a deep breath to lift her spirits. There was still a long way to go until the end of her pregnancy, so a shift in attitude was due, as she couldn¡¯t possibly remain in such a state throughout her pregnancy. Sophia changed into her pajamas and tied up her hair before John returned, so she looked slightly more refreshed. Stepping out of the room, she said as soon as she saw the food on the tray that John held, ¡°Let¡¯s eat downstairs. I¡¯ve been lying in bed for too long, so I wanna move around for a little.¡± There was a pause before John responded with a nod. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go to the dining room.¡± Sophia sat down by the dining table, while John sat across from her, inquiring on her health as she was in such a bad state during the past few days. Heaving a sigh, Sophia said, ¡°I was exhausted during the past two days, so I should be fine by tomorrow after a goodnight¡¯s sleep.¡± John also updated her on how the vigers that came along with them were doing. They were assigned to their respective dormitories and positions, while someone would be in charge of guiding them through the work process. The vigers proved themselves to be honest people who learned fast and worked hard. Later, John added, ¡°I¡¯ve already told them to spend some time getting used to life in the city. And I told them if all is well and they are concerned about their family, we would be d to receive their family if they are toe.¡± Judging from how things had been going on during the beginning stages, the vigers didn¡¯t seem to have ns to do so, mainly because their kids needed to attend school. If they were to move all of a sudden, it would be hard to enroll them into schools in the city. However, they managed to earn more moneypared to when they were farming back home. Even if it meant that there would be less people to help out during harvest seasons, hiring someone would be a cost-effective solution. Manualbor wasn¡¯t worth a lot back in the vige, and since they were earning enough to cover for the workers¡¯ sries, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Upon hearing that, Sophia nodded. ¡°It¡¯s great that they¡¯re adjusting to life in the city, as I was worried that they might feel discontent about our arrangements.¡± John smiled as he replied, ¡°I dropped by to check on them some time ago. They are all honest and hardworking folks, so there is nothing to worry about.¡± After a while, Sophia nced at John before expressing her gratitude. ¡°Thank you.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. John stared back at her with such a gentle gaze that it was almost overwhelming. ¡°I did it for you, as I appreciate that they had been helping both you and your grandfather out.¡± Pulling her lips into a thin line, there were things Sophia wanted to say, but she eventually decided to bite her own tongue. John did the dishes after the meal, but he didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to leave. Directing her attention to him, Sophia requested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep mepany while I go on a stroll? I am feeling sore all over my body, so I wanna take a walk to disperse it.¡± It wasn¡¯t every day that Sophia would make such a request, so John quickly brought her outdoors after retrieving some necessities. They didn¡¯t go too far away from the house, opting instead to stroll in the neighborhood. There were quite a few people hanging around although it was nighttime, while John and Sophia walked along the road without a destination in mind. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 651 Chapter 651 After some thought, John asked Sophia about the supposed argument between Matilda and her before dinner. Sophia averted her gaze ever so slightly, as there was no argument but a discussion about what to do with the child she carried. She told Matilda that the child would be a Gwendolyn as she didn¡¯t want to associate herself with the Constances. Matilda was unhappy about it, as she seemed to think it was unfair to John. However, Sophia didn¡¯t think it was unfair, as she wouldn¡¯t be remarrying John anyway, and would raise the child alone, so the child would of course be a Gwendolyn. What was she even thinking about? Sophia heaved a sigh beforeing up with a lie. ¡°It was no big deal. She was feeling sorry that you had to cook for me despite not being someone used to doing so.¡± Bursting intoughter, John didn¡¯t seem to doubt what Sophia told him. ¡°It¡¯s true that I never cook, so of course she wasn¡¯t used to seeing me do that. However, I do hope that you could empathize with her a little, as it was normal that she felt sorry for me, so please don¡¯t take what she said too personally.¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Letting out a hum, Sophia said, ¡°I know that, which is why I didn¡¯t retaliate.¡± Halfway through their stroll, a man in ck sports attire came jogging toward them from the front with earphones tucked into his ears as he hummed along to the music. Neither Sophia nor John seemed to care about him until he started picking up speed while running toward Sophia. Initially, it didn¡¯t bother Sophia, as despite listening to music, the man could see just fine. She figured he would dodge to the side upon nearing her, as there was a lot of space on the broad pavement. However, he didn¡¯t even dodge to the side, and instead came running in her direction. When Sophia noticed something was wrong, it was toote for her to even sidestep him. It was apparent that the man was aiming at her while intending to run into her. With his speed, Sophia dared not imagine what would happen if he knocked her down. A chill traveled down her spine as she covered her belly with one hand, whereas the man came rushing at her even faster upon nearing her. Meanwhile, John reacted much quicker. Seeing that he couldn¡¯t make it in time to block the man, he let go of Sophia before moving away. It exposed her to the man entirely, which left her mind nk while her heart sank. She figured she would most probably suffer a miscarriage if the man bumped into her, since she was only a month into her pregnancy. However, just before the impact, John lifted his leg to give the man a kick from the side, which seemed to catch the man off guard, as he ended up being toppled by John¡¯s kick. Seemingly having put in much force behind the kick, John staggered backward due to inertia. Meanwhile, the kick managed to do a number on the man, as he didn¡¯t get up until muchter. Swiftly, John went over and looped his arms around Sophia, whose face was drained of color. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked. Sophia still had a hand over her belly when she replied, ¡°I think I¡¯m fine.¡± His gaze traveling downward, John frowned upon noticing Sophia¡¯s reaction. Although an idea shed across his mind, it vanished before he could make sense of it. Later on, John checked on the man with a sullen expression on his face. With how hard he kicked, John¡¯s legs were numb, whereas the man ended up grunting in pain on the ground, seemingly hurt, while his earphones had dropped onto the ground. John picked up his earphones before tucking it into his own ears, only to find there was no music ying at all. Startled, he turned to approach the man, then fished out thetter¡¯s phone, only to find that he wasn¡¯t ying music on his phone. In fact, its data storage was empty. Wearing a sneer, John checked on the phone¡¯s contact list after staring at it for a few seconds. The latest call was made a few minutes ago, and judging from the length of the call, he seemed to have hung up not moments ago. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 652 Chapter 652 Sulking, John stood to step on the man¡¯s ribs. ¡°Who sent you here?¡± Standing beside him, Sophia turned to look at John in shock. ¡°Did somebody send him?¡± As if not hearing John¡¯s question, the man was still huffing in pain while lying on the ground, clutching onto his elbow with a tortured look on his face. John¡¯s kick came in unanticipated, so the man must¡¯ve tried to brace the impact out of reflex by using his elbow. When his elbow hit the ground, it produced a tiny, crisp noise, which was followed by excruciating pain. However, it was none of John¡¯s concern as he continued to apply pressure onto the man¡¯s ribs. ¡°Who¡¯s behind you?¡± A crowd was starting to gather around them, with the people whispering among themselves in confusion. John ran his tongue over his teeth while he sniggered. ¡°I have other ways to extract information from you, so your silence isn¡¯t going to help.¡± Holding onto the man¡¯s phone, John made a call from his own phone. The crowd dispersed upon seeing that the incident was nothing out of the ordinary, as they assumed John was calling either the police or an ambnce. On the other hand, the man¡¯s elbow was hurting so much that he couldn¡¯t even retaliate. Meanwhile, Sophia stood aside while leaning against amp post, her heart racing. Even though she was panicking, her mind was still clear. If she wasn¡¯t pregnant, the fall would only serve to topple and bruise her, so it didn¡¯t make sense that someone would hire the man to hurt her, which meant that the mastermind had something else in mind while doing that. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. A miscarriage might be what the mastermind was aiming for since she was pregnant, which meant someone probably knew she was pregnant but didn¡¯t wish for the child to be born. The first person that came to mind was Matilda, as she knew Sophia was pregnant, and seemingly had a motive to want to harm her. However, upon recalling her reaction earlier, Sophia didn¡¯t think Matilda would wish her harm, as Matilda wished for the child to be born. What upset her was that the child would be a Gwendolyn, as she seemed to want a grandchild for the Constances. Before she left, Matilda even muttered to herself about bing a grandmother. From what she could see, Sophia didn¡¯t think Matilda would actually hire someone to hurt her. However, neither did she have another suspect in mind. She didn¡¯t even tell Robin about her pregnancy, whereas Fabian, who knew about it, would never wish her harm. The situation left her mind addled, as she didn¡¯t know anybody else who might be a suspect, nor did she ever offend any strangers. ncing at the man on the ground who seemed to be in much pain, Sophia surmised that they wouldn¡¯t be getting any answers soon. Taking a deep breath, she realized her stomach wasn¡¯t feeling good after all the tension. It didn¡¯t take long for a car to pull over, from which sprung out a few men. She assumed back then that John gave Zack a call, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case, as she knew none of the men. As soon as the men arrived on the scene, John retracted his leg before waving dismissively. ¡°Take him away.¡± Without even putting up a fight, the man was carried away into the car. Meanwhile, John held Sophia in his arms. ¡°You must be frightened.¡± Sophia clutched onto the hem of his shirt while humming in response. ¡°I want to go home.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 653 Chapter 653 John gave her a nod before saying, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go home.¡± Since they weren¡¯t far away from home, they turned back. Back in her room, Sophia sat down in bed, feelings of drowsiness having dissipated. In the meantime, John had been talking over the phone nonstop, seemingly handling matters pertaining to the man involved in the recent incident. Sophia scratched her head while making a review on everything she knew. Fabian and Matilda were the only ones who knew of her pregnancy, but both were crossed out from the list of suspects. On the other hand, those who didn¡¯t know of her pregnancy but had a motive to harm her were Isabelle and Walter. While she wasn¡¯t sure if Walter had tailed her to the city, he didn¡¯t seem like someone who would hire a man to hurt her. He was obviously in a tight spot himself, so he would never do so if he wanted her to be his cashcow, which left Isabelle as the only suspect. However, Isabelle shouldn¡¯t have known of her pregnancy. Besides, Sophia didn¡¯t think she would stoop so low. No matter how she looked at the situation, nobody seemed like a suspect, which frustrated her. Might it be an ident after all? she mused. However, it didn¡¯t feel like one, as the man was staring straight at her when they were about to collide, as if making sure that he wouldn¡¯t miss her. It was obviously a staged incident. After making onest call in the hallway, John sat down on her bed upon entering her room. ¡°My mother will be here shortly.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Startled, Sophia asked, ¡°Why is sheing here?¡± John heaved a sigh before exining, ¡°She called me just now, so I told her what happened. As soon as she heard about it, she grew anxious and decided toe take a look.¡± Pursing her lips, Sophia only managed a hum despite having mulled over the situation, as she didn¡¯t know what else to say. Meanwhile, John caressed her hair. ¡°I had my men bring the man with them. We might get a few leads after some interrogation.¡± Sophia cast a nce his way before asking, ¡°So is someone really trying to hurt me?¡± That was what John failed to grasp, so he answered in hesitation, ¡°But I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s the point in doing this at all, since it wouldn¡¯t have much of an impact on anyone.¡± Sophia¡¯s gaze flickered for a second before she echoed feebly, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Soon enough, sounds of footstepsing from the stairs indicated Matilda¡¯s arrival. Relief washed over Matilda upon seeing that Sophia was sitting on her bed unaffected. She didn¡¯t even spare John a nce when she walked up to them. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere? You must be shocked. Would you like some hot chocte to help relieve your distress?¡± Frowning, John was surprised by Matilda¡¯s behavior. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Matilda never liked Sophia to begin with, but she seemed earnest in her concern over Sophia, which puzzled John. Startled, Matilda let out a cry upon realizing she wasn¡¯t acting in character, so she tried to cover it up with a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was merely worried about you after knowing something like that urred. How are you feeling, John?¡± John shook his head after staring at her for some time. ¡°I¡¯m fine, since I was never the target to begin with.¡± Turning to Sophia, Matilda realized that she had been looking her way, which left her slightly flustered. She never used to feel concerned over Sophia, and would mostly speak to her in a jarring manner, so the sudden change in attitude on her part seemed unnatural. Exhaling, Matilda changed the topic. ¡°What kind of person would run around so carelessly at night anyway.¡± Sophia had her eyes fixed on Matilda for a while before querying, ¡°Why are you here at this hour?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 654 Chapter 654 Matilda shot Sophia a re. ¡°I am worried about my son! No thanks to you, but what if he got injured?¡± Although she seemed as malignant as ever, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but huff augh. She¡¯s always like this. Tough on the outside, but feeble on the inside. Meanwhile, John got another call, so he left the room. Pondering on the situation, Matilda closed the door before approaching Sophia. ¡°Are you really alright? Do you need to do a checkup? You don¡¯t seem alright to me.¡± Sophia knew going to the hospital was out of the question. Otherwise, John would know she was pregnant, so she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m feeling better now.¡± Heaving a sigh, Matilda went on, ¡°You should stay at home at night. There are all kinds of people out there, and even if none were there to get you, you might still get hurt if someone carelessly bumped into you.¡± Without realizing it, Matilda was nagging at Sophia again. Sophia was looking closely at her, not exactly used to how thetter was behaving. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, so you should get some rest. Everything is settled on my end, so I would like to sleep now.¡± Matilda caught herself nagging before standing up. ¡°Okay, you should go to bed. I will be checking up with John.¡± Slightly abashed, she turned to leave, whereas Sophiay down after switching off the lights. However, the puzzling situation was disturbing, so she had a hard time falling asleep. When Matilda got out of the room, John was leaning against the wall while talking on his phone, a grim look on his face. After spending some time waiting beside him, John finally got off the phone. It wasn¡¯t until then that Matilda said, ¡°She¡¯s asleep now, so let¡¯s talk downstairs.¡± With a nod, John followed her downstairs. As soon as they settled down, Matilda questioned with a frown, ¡°Are you sure that man did it on purpose? Might it be an ident, or perhaps he wasn¡¯t paying attention to his surroundings?¡± Shaking his head, John answered, ¡°Although I know nothing of their purpose, the man must be a hired thug. Just take a look at his phone.¡± John handed the phone to Matilda, and disyed on the screen was a message that was sent after the incident. It consisted of a curt message that wrote: ¡®Is it done?¡¯ It was as out of the blue as it was fishy, being sent using the number that made thest call on the call log. John already had someone investigate the owner of the number. Matilda spent some time staring at the message before putting on a morose expression. ¡°This sure seems to indicate that someone is behind this.¡± Taking the phone from her, John toyed with it while muttering, ¡°However, it¡¯s odd that the culprit would commit such a felony, as there is no point whatsoever in doing so.¡± After a moment¡¯s pause, a sophisticated look crossed Matilda¡¯s face. While it might be pointless to do so in the past, the situation was different now that Sophia was pregnant. The realization left Matilda feeling even worse, as nobody should¡¯ve known about Sophia¡¯s pregnancy since she had been keeping it a secret. To go as far as assaulting Sophia, Matilda wondered if the culprit had a grudge against Sophia. She told John after mulling over the situation, ¡°Keep your guard up while you¡¯re here. I will be leaving now that it¡¯s gettingte.¡± John didn¡¯t think much about it and nodded. ¡°Be careful on your way home.¡± With a hum, Matilda turned to leave. Upon stepping out of the premises, she whipped out her phone while walking on to give Isabelle a call. It took some time for thetter to pick up, and her voice sounded tired. ¡°Hello, Ms. Matilda.¡± Matilda hummed in response before asking, ¡°Are you busy?¡± Humming in the affirmative, Isabelle exined, ¡°I¡¯m working overtime as the workload is heavy. Do you need something?¡± Matildaughed before replying to her, ¡°Not really. Just figured I should check on you since it has been a while since west met.¡± With a sigh, Isabelle grumbled, ¡°Oh, I have been working too much as ofte. Work keeps piling up, so I¡¯m still in the office, and it¡¯s killing me.¡± Previous Chapter Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 655 Chapter 655 Matilda hummed while listening to Isabelle¡¯sints. ¡°Take it slow. You¡¯ll do fine after you get used to the workload.¡± Smiling, Isabelle agreed, ¡°Yeah, so I¡¯d like toe up with a standard procedure as soon as possible, which could hopefully help ease things.¡± After a while, Matilda said, ¡°Well, I suppose you should work on that. Since I don¡¯t really have anything of importance, I¡¯ll end the call here.¡± Upon getting Isabelle¡¯s consent, she hung up. Matilda was frowning as she did because Isabelle didn¡¯t sound much different from her usual self, so the incident might have nothing to do with her after all. She then turned around to hail a cab by the road. Her feelings toward Isabelle wereplicated, to say the least. Although she didn¡¯t hate Isabelle, she was extremely disappointed in thetter for using her despite how she treated Isabelle as her own daughter. I shouldn¡¯t have done all those things for her. What a waste of effort. On the other hand, she still harbored a dislike toward Sophia, but it didn¡¯t mean she hated the child she carried, as the child was John¡¯s child and her grandchild. The fact that she would soon be a grandmother came as quite a shock, which made her feel older all of a sudden. Heaving a sigh, she left on the cab. In the meantime, Sophia managed to fall asleep after spending hours tossing and turning in bed. However, neither were her dreams a peaceful escape, as she dreamed of her being chased by someone while holding her child in her hands. All she could think of was to run as fast as her legs could carry her so that she could leave the ce, but the formless being behind her remained in hot pursuit. Sophia was drenched in her own sweat due to anxiety and fear. The dream went on until she woke up theing morning. Upon opening her eyes, she could feel the sticky sensation on her skin. Aside from that, she was tired out, as if having physically ranps during her sleep despite it being a dream. She propped herself up to look out of the window. The weather was pleasant enough with loads of sunshine, which seemed to help dissipate the depressing feelings left by the dream. Getting out of bed, she took a deep breath to pump herself up. At this time, John was cooking in the kitchen. As if having unlocked a talent within him, he could already present her with a lot of the moremon dishes. Walking up to him, Sophia greeted him a good morning. In fact, John hardly slept a winkst night, but he seemed alright. ¡°Breakfast is almost ready. I¡¯ll drive you to your shop once we¡¯re done eating.¡± He checked the time then. ¡°I will be paying that man a visit later on. After an entire night¡¯s interrogation, I suppose he should already have confessed.¡± Upon hearing what John said, Sophia nodded. ¡°Remember to update me on the oue.¡± Cheerfully, John hummed in agreement. ¡°Worry not. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re the first to know.¡± Soon, John was done cooking, and upon having finished their meal, John sent Sophia to her shop before driving away. Sophia seemed to be in better spiritspared to the past few days. Noticing that John drove Sophia to work, Robin smacked her lips in mock envy. ¡°He sure is nice to you.¡± Sophia went over and lent her a hand with the task she was on. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is your boyfriend not treating you well?¡± Averting her gaze, Robin mumbled, ¡°I suppose he isn¡¯t half bad.¡± There was a pause before she repeated herself, ¡°In fact, he¡¯s great, so I should be satisfied.¡± Sophia didn¡¯tment on it as she busied herself with work. Meanwhile, John made his way to a warehouse owned by hispany that was located in the suburbs. The warehouse was empty as thepany found no use of it, having fallen into disrepair. It was located on a huge plot of emptynd, and because it was vacant, only a single person was stationed to watch over the ce, who was transferred to another warehousest night. Previous Chapter Next Chapter All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 656 Chapter 656 As soon as he arrived at the entrance, the person on the lookout stopped him, but stepped out of the way upon realizing it was John. He parked his car in the yard, where a few of his underlings approached him. Humming, John asked, ¡°Did he confess?¡± One of the men gave him a nod. ¡°He did, but what he told us wasn¡¯t of importance.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Regardless, John headed into the warehouse. Although huge, the warehouse was left unused for a long time, so it was filled with dust and a moldy smell. There was a piece of board on the ground in the warehouse, on whichy a man. His jacket was removed, which revealed both the T-shirt he wore underneath as well as his tattooed arms. At this time, his left elbow was bandaged up. When John approached the man, he squinted at John, as he was never asleep to begin with. Resigned to epting his circumstances, he kept a straight face upon seeing John, but hisplexion was pale when he spoke. ¡°I already told you everything I know without concealing anything.¡± John crouched down to stare at him with a mocking grin. ¡°Weren¡¯t you quite persistent in the beginning?¡± Because of how close they were, John could take in all of the minute changes in the man¡¯s expression, so John could determine that he wasn¡¯t lying. The man pleaded with him. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the scheme, but I figured I should at least put on some resistance since I am part of a gang, and I do have a reputation to uphold. Besides, I never expected you to be able to do me any harm. I¡¯m telling you the truth; I don¡¯t know much, and now that I¡¯ve told you everything I know, please release me. I think the injury on my arm is quite serious, so I have to go to a hospital.¡± As part of a gang, the man had been reprimanded for picking fights, as well as having been detained. Without solid contribution to the society, he was but a parasitic being at the bottom level. Scoffing, John questioned pointedly, ¡°Why should I release you? If it wasn¡¯t for me, you would¡¯ve created a major ruckus, so don¡¯t expect me to release you without first providing us with something more useful.¡± Having said that, John pressed his hand on the man¡¯s injured arm, which elicited from the latter an anguished groan. Judging from his expression, he wasn¡¯t faking it. In a casual tone, John began interrogating him once again. ¡°I need to know why you were told to topple Sophia. What exactly is the desired oue?¡± Although panting in pain, the man seemed determined to not confess. John stood up after some time, and with his hands in his pockets, he nced down at the man lying on the board. ¡°Well, I suppose you should enjoy life out here for a few more days.¡± With that, he turned to leave the warehouse. The two men guarding the entrance approached him as soon as he came out. ¡°Sir, what should we do about him?¡± John ordered calmly, ¡°Keep him locked up in there.¡± Other than that, he also inquired about the injury on the man¡¯s elbow. The answer he got was that after a simple medical examination, it was deduced that the man might¡¯ve landed on his elbow, which left him with a fractured bone and some minor bruises. Although they administered some first-aid on itst night, they checked on the injury again in the morning, only to see that his arm was swollen, so he might need to receive treatment in the hospital. However, John wasn¡¯t in a hurry to do that. ¡°It¡¯s okay. He¡¯ll beg us when he can no longer bear the pain.¡± With that, he left the scene while fishing for his cigarette case. In fact, the man did reveal some informationst night. He was hired to topple Sophia, while the severity of the resulting injury didn¡¯t matter as long as she fell down. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 657 Chapter 657 The person who hired the thug promised him a handsome reward. He was also paid the full deposit, and if he seeded, there would be more money toe. Upon recalling what the man revealed, John¡¯s expression became much more morose. He had a feeling that the man wasn¡¯t telling the truth, or at least not the full extent of it. The thug was no fool, so he would definitely note that the amount he was paid didn¡¯t make sense considering how easy the job was. Therefore, John believed that the thug must¡¯ve asked about his employer¡¯s intentions. After finishing a cigarette, John returned to hispany. Meanwhile, Matilda dropped by at Sophia¡¯s shop when Sophia was taking a break after working through rush hour. She didn¡¯te empty handed, as she brought with her a thermal container. Wearing a disgruntled look, Matilda looked at Sophia. ¡°Here you go. The servants made them, and I was passing by, so I brought you some of what they made.¡± As she spoke, Matilda left the container on the table, which Robin unlidded out of curiosity. It released the rich aroma of the soup inside the container, which indicated the lengthy process it took to make the soup. Sophia knew the aroma would trigger another bout of sickness, so she stepped away as soon as Robin opened the container. However, Matilda exined, ¡°I already made sure to remove the oily bits, so you should be able to enjoy the soup, as it won¡¯t feel greasy.¡± Robin nced between Matilda and Sophia in surprise, while Sophia was also caught off guard by Matilda¡¯s act of kindness, but she knew the reason behind her actions. Pursing her lips, Sophia seemed a little guarded, but Matilda was also feeling a little uneasy. ¡°I wille get the container from youter, so take your time to enjoy the soup. I will be taking my leave, as I have other things to do.¡± Without sparing Sophia a nce, Matilda turned to leave. It wasn¡¯t until then that Sophia sniffed at it, taking in the aroma of the soup. To be fair, it smelled alright¡ªat least she wasn¡¯t feeling queasy. Staring at the soup, Sophia figured she should give it a try since she didn¡¯t eat a lot for breakfast. Robin poured some for Sophia, and the soup was proved to be fine upon Sophia tasting it. She turned to look at Robin before telling her, ¡°You should pour some for yourself too, as there are quite a lot.¡± However, Robin shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s still early, and I had a heavy breakfast, so I don¡¯t feel like drinking it.¡± After that, she whispered into Sophia¡¯s ear, ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t you think Matilda has been acting a little weirdtely? She never was like that.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Sure enough, Matilda would never bring her soup. However, Sophia knew the change of attitude wasn¡¯t because of anything Sophia did but because of the child she carried. After a moment¡¯s pause, Robin went on, ¡°If she is being nice to you, does it mean that she epted you? If that¡¯s the case, I think you might have a chance with John.¡± Chuckling, Sophia knew within her that Matilda¡¯s attitude was never the deciding factor in her rtionship with John. She disliked Matilda, but nor would she give up on anything that belonged to her even if she liked Matilda. Her rtionship with John concerned nobody else but themselves. Upon noticing that Sophia didn¡¯t respond to her, Robin continued, ¡°From what I gather, your rtionship with John seemed to have improved ever since you got back. Compared to how you would sulk back then when his name was mentioned, you¡¯re less closed off now.¡± Sophia wore a stiff smile as she replied, ¡°It¡¯s just that, I realized he coulde in handy sometimes.¡± Robin seemed to have thought of something while observing Sophia. ¡°I think it¡¯s because he gave you a sense of security, as he can help you out with a lot of tasks. He should be able to aplish most of your requests.¡± Lifting her head to look at Robin, Sophia muttered, ¡°A sense of security¡­¡± Back when they were married, John never provided her with a sense of security. He never treated her nicely, so she couldn¡¯t possibly obtain it from him by any measure. Especially when his grandfather passed away, through day and night, she used to fear he might divorce her at any minute. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 658 Chapter 658 Since when did I start feeling safe around John? She thought about it long and hard before reaching the conclusion that it might¡¯ve happened when John went after her all the way to her vige. Back then, she was all alone, feeling unwell both physically and emotionally when he popped up. Standing by the car, he looked all haggard from all the traveling he had done to reach there, telling her that he went after her as he was concerned for her. Sophia had to admit that she was touched by his actions. He had to cover all that distance without someone to guide him, which probably gave him a hard time. There had always been a special ce for him in her heart, so she couldn¡¯t possibly be unaffected by what he did. Robin leaned into her chair while joking, ¡°I like men like John. He is capable and extremely handsome. I wouldn¡¯t need to worry about anything when I¡¯m with him, as he could handle it all on his own.¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Smiling, Sophia begged to differ. ¡°You must be overestimating him. He couldn¡¯t deal with his own mother at all.¡± Admittedly, even William had a hard time dealing with her, say less of John. At the mention of Matilda, Sophia was suddenly feeling a little awkward. She could see Matilda was trying to be nice to her, but she had a hard time adjusting to the sudden change in Matilda¡¯s attitude as they had always been on bad terms. Sophia drank the soup while chatting with Robin, and she ended up finishing it all. Leaning into her chair with a bloated stomach, shemented, ¡°I¡¯m definitely gonna gain weight after drinking all of this.¡± It elicited augh from Robin. ¡°It seems that what your ex-mother-inw made is to your taste.¡± After that, she went to wash the container before watching Sophia from beside the bar counter. ¡°Lincoln would like me to meet his parents, but I¡¯m a little hesitant. Isn¡¯t this going a little too fast?¡± Lincoln was the young man whom Robin had been dating. Staring at Robin, Sophia queried, ¡°Do you like him?¡± Robin blinked in puzzlement. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure about it. I suppose I do like certain aspects of him. He is nice to me, and time spent with him is always joyful andfortable.¡± However, she wasn¡¯t certain if her feelings would warrant her marrying the guy. If she went with the flow and agreed to the marriage, she wondered if she woulde to regret her decision. In short, Robin had her doubts. She knew she was trying to soothe the wounds she received from her previous rtionship, so her initial n was to give it a go and take it slow with Lincoln. However, it turned out that Lincoln was super serious about their rtionship, which was starting to give her some pressure. Sophia wasn¡¯t in a position to offer any advice, as her own love life was a mess. Upon recalling her conversation with Ian over the phone, she realized that despite her avoidant attitude, she already had all the answers to Ian¡¯s questions. She was only ever sensitive toward her rtionship with John while missing out on clues regarding other peoples¡¯ feelings since she never considered them as romantic prospects. Therefore, she reacted too slow and toote toward Ian¡¯s advances. If she knew early on that Ian had feelings for her, she would¡¯ve put some distance between them, or at least try to clear things up between them earlier. Robin was feeling a little depressed, nor was Sophia in a good mood upon thinking about Ian. Because there weren¡¯t a lot of customers, the two of them were stuck doing nothing in the shop. By noon, Sophia decided to take a nap on the table as she was feeling a little drowsy. However, Robin gave her a pat on the shoulder. ¡°You should get some rest at home. I should be able to handle everything since there aren¡¯t a lot of customers. I can see that you¡¯re still recovering from your previous trip, so you should go home. Just leave everything to me!¡± Truth be told, Sophia was feeling a little shameful to have left almost all of the work to Robin while she was constantly away. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 659 Chapter 659 Apparently, Robin didn¡¯t seem to mind it. ¡°Lincoln will soon be here, so he will be able to lend a hand.¡± Smiling, Sophia told her, ¡°You should open up and talk things over with Lincoln. Since you¡¯re his girlfriend, you should share your feelings with him. He¡¯ll never know about them if you don¡¯t tell him.¡± With a nod, Robin answered, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll discuss it with him when hees here.¡± Sophia stood up from her seat before stretching herself out cautiously. After putting in a few reminders, she left the shop under Robin¡¯s care. Upon stepping out of the shop, she hailed a cab, only to notice that there was another car parked across the street when she looked out of the window after she hopped into the cab. The window of that car was lowered, while someone from within the car was pointing a camera in her direction. The sighting caught Sophia off guard, but she quickly stopped the driver from driving away. Retrieving her phone, she took a photo of the car furtively before telling the driver to leave. While on her way home, Sophia sent the photo to John. Due to the incident fromst night, she didn¡¯t believe for a second that the presence of the cameraman was a coincidence. Someone must¡¯ve dispatched him to take photos of her. John called her immediately to inquire about the situation. However, Sophia wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, so she could only tell him someone was taking photos of her outside of her shop. No matter who the photographer was targeting, Sophia figured she should have someone investigate the matter, as she was feeling unsafe. John thought so as well. He also pointed out that the photo captured the license te of the car clearly, so it should be helpful when they investigated the car owner. However, with how brazen the photographer was, Sophia figured the te number might be fabricated. In the meantime, John was a little worried about Sophia considering she was alone in a cab, so he instructed that she kept the phone call going until she arrived at home. Sophiaplied with his request upon ncing at the driver from the back seat that she was on. However, she had a hunch that things would be fine as the culprit couldn¡¯t possibly do anything to her in broad daylight. Her safe arrival at home seemingly proved the driver¡¯s innocence. Seeing that he left after Sophia had paid for her ride, both John and her heaved a sigh of relief. John suggested he would arrange for a bodyguard to watch over her as he was worried about her, but Sophia was resistant to the idea, as she wouldn¡¯t be able to go for checkups in the hospital. In turn, she told him she wouldn¡¯t be leaving the house during the following days. She would leave the shop under Robin¡¯s care, or she could close it if the arrangement didn¡¯t work out. John agreed to her suggestion because he figured that the enemy would be able to infiltrate them regardless as long as they were in public spaces, so staying in the house would be the best option. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Upon entering the house, Sophia locked all the doors and windows, whereas John was busy with work, so he hung up after cautioning her against reckless moves. Sophiay down on bed after washing up. Drinking all the soup Matilda brought her left her feeling bloated and drowsy, so she dozed off after flipping herself over, muttering John¡¯s name. It was almost evening when she woke up. She propped herself up while taking in the view outside. Upon retrieving her phone, she found that she had a few missed calls from John, Logan, and Matilda respectively. She checked on all of them before giving Logan a call, who picked up almost immediately. Before Sophia even said anything, Logan started yelling over the phone, ¡°Sophia, what happened yesterday? Did something happen to you? Who is it that wanted to hurt you? What kind of brute would do this to someone who is under my protection?¡± Sophia heaved a sigh before saying, ¡°I¡¯m alright, as nothing outrageous happened, so don¡¯t you worry.¡± Logan was absolutely pissed. ¡°You¡¯re at home, right? I¡¯ll leave for your house now, and we¡¯ll talk about this face-to-face.¡± He hung up as soon as he finished his sentence. ncing at her phone, Sophia had no intention to call either John or Matilda, as she didn¡¯t feel like opening up to either of them. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 660 Chapter 660 After cleaning up her room, Sophia left for the kitchen to check on the ingredients in the fridge so that she could n out what to make for dinner. There were still some veggies, a fish, as well as some ingredients for a sd, which should be more than enough. While she was busying herself with meal prep, Logan arrived in a flurry of anger. With how he looked, people might assume he was there to pick a fight with her instead of being her support. From within the kitchen, she instructed, ¡°You¡¯re just in time to help with washing the veggies.¡± Logan obeyed without hesitation, fastening the apron around him. ¡°What happenedst night? John told me you were being targeted.¡± Chuckling, Sophiamented, ¡°He sure does tell you everything.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Logan seemed to assume it was natural that John trusted him. ¡°It¡¯s because John and I have amon goal in mind. Come, tell me what happenedst night. Who has the guts to cross you?¡± Sophia hummed in response before taking over the conversation. ¡°How should I know what¡¯s going on? I am still feeling confused about the incident.¡± Although they were the only upants of the house, Logan whispered upon moving closer to Sophia, ¡°Could Isabelle possibly be behind this? That woman is a scoundrel, so could she be plotting against you in secret?¡± However, she wasn¡¯t about to jump to conclusions as she had no proof. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t think Isabelle will be willing to dirty her hands.¡± Logan licked his lips. ¡°Could it be the Morgans? It¡¯s possible that they¡¯re behind this.¡± Sophia was amused by his guesses. Since Logan had such a bad impression of the Morgans, he would immediately suspect them whenever something shady happened. While they were chatting, they had a guest. At first, Sophia assumed it was John, but their guest turned out to be Matilda. Matilda¡¯s presence made Sophia feel uneasy. Upon scanning her surroundings, Matilda asked, ¡°Is John not back yet? I thought you would all be here.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia went to the fridge as she knew the dishes they made wouldn¡¯t be enough for dinner now that they had more people, so she wanted to make a few more. With a frown, Matilda checked on Sophia. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be cooking! Come on out! John will handle the rest when he gets home.¡± She sure is mutable, Sophia thought. Despite her iming to feel sorry for John not so long ago while whining about him not being suited for cooking, it turned out that she had no qualms about bossing him around. Standing by the sink, Sophia said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can handle minor tasks like cooking.¡± Logan nced between Matilda and Sophia, obviously noting that something was off between them. As soon as Matilda sat down on the sofa, he snuck up to Sophia before probing, ¡°What¡¯s going on between you two? You seem to be behaving differently around each other.¡± A smile tugged at Sophia¡¯s lips as she joked, ¡°Perhaps she finally realized how nice of a person I am.¡± Even Logan understood it as a joke as he continued to grumble, ¡°Matilda is actually a very stubborn woman who is hard to get along with. I never liked her to begin with, and I know that the feelings are mutual.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia gave a hum before taking a jab at him. ¡°Not many people like you anyway. Do you not notice the faces of those privileged people whenever they see you? Only people like me appreciate your company.¡± Bursting intoughter, Logan looped an arm around Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We are birds of a feather indeed! I knew it as soon as I saw you! I knew back when we first met and yed games together that you¡¯re someone who I could hang out with!¡± With a smile, Sophia continued washing the veggies, whereas Matilda¡¯s expression soured upon seeing that Logan had an arm around Sophia¡¯s shoulder. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 661 Chapter 661 Seeing that they were being intimate, Matilda wondered if Sophia and Logan were that familiar with each other. John wasn¡¯t back until a whileter, and was surprised by Matilda¡¯s presence in the house. ¡°Mom, why are you here?¡± In response, Matilda stood from where she sat. ¡°I came to get an update regarding the incident. Did the culprit confess?¡± John nodded while informing her, ¡°He did reveal some information, but just a fraction, so he is being detained by my men so they can keep up with the interrogation. I have a feeling that he knows more than what he chose to let on.¡± Upon letting out a sigh, Matilda opened up. ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night because of what happened. With where things are, it¡¯s not safe to leave Sophia alone, so I think she should close the shop for some time, as safety shoulde before money.¡± John examined Matilda before smiling. ¡°Mom, your attitude sure did a one-eighty.¡± There was a moment¡¯s pause while Matilda rolled her eyes at John. ¡°Why do you sound unhappy that I am changing?¡± ¡°Oh, I am absolutely overjoyed.¡± John walked away from the living room, only to see Sophia and Logan in the kitchen. He never had concerns about Logan snatching Sophia away from him, so he wasn¡¯t affected when he saw them together. After giving the situation some thought, Matilda suggested, ¡°You should take Sophia¡¯s ce. Since you and Logan can easily deal with the cooking, Sophia doesn¡¯t need to be in there. The floor in the kitchen is wet, so what if she slipped and fell?¡± Arching his brow, John looked back at Matilda. ¡°You haven¡¯t been visiting Isabelle these days, have you?¡± Pursing her lips, Matilda chided, ¡°Instead of babbling nonsense, why won¡¯t you go make dinner?¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. John smacked his lips before heading into the kitchen, only to find that the veggies were already washed, whereas Sophia took off her apron to hand it to John. As she wanted to avoid inhaling the greasy smellter on when they were cooking, she was d that John was back. Upon leaving the kitchen, she saw Matilda watching TV while sitting on the sofa. Incidentally, she was watching a cartoon. Seeing this, Sophia sat down beside Matilda after letting out a chuckle. With her eyes still glued to the TV, Matilda directed a question at Sophia. ¡°How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m feeling fine,¡± Sophia replied. After that, Matilda repeated what she told John, ¡°With your current circumstances, you should let go of unnecessary pursuits. Close your shop for the time being, as safetyes first, while you can always earn more money when you make aeback after things are settled. Besides, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about business as John can help you out on that.¡± Sophia turned to look at Matilda before saying in a low voice, ¡°As I told you, I will leave here when the timees. I will never let John know about the child, so anything pertaining to the child doesn¡¯t concern you.¡± Staring at the TV, Matilda was at a loss of words. With that, Sophia stood from her seat. ¡°I will be heading upstairs.¡± It wasn¡¯t until Sophia¡¯s figure disappeared into the corner on the stairs that Matilda let out a sigh. Sophia was actually feeling a little irritable because in spite of her resolve to leave, she didn¡¯t actually have a ce to settle down at, nor did she know where she should go. Although the idea of giving birth to the baby without the Constances¡¯ assistance sounded easy, she knew there would definitely be a long journey ahead. Sophia stood by the window while drowning in her sorrows. The door to her room was open, so the noises from downstairs were audible even in her room. Although the men weren¡¯t making a ruckus, they definitely weren¡¯t quiet. Logan was yelling at John for missing a step in his cooking, which was followed by Matilda telling them to quiet down, as Sophia was resting. Sophia didn¡¯t catch Logan¡¯s full sentence, but she could hear everything that Matilda said. As ofte, Matilda had been treating her very nicely, so much so that Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how she should reciprocate. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 662 Chapter 662 If things went on in that direction, Matilda might very well blurt out the fact that Sophia was pregnant. Scratching her head, Sophia tried to imagine how John would react once he knew she was pregnant, but to no avail. Despite the fear of knowing how he would react, she couldn¡¯t help but be curious about it. The two choices were pulling her in two directions, putting her in a tight spot. Subsequently, Sophia took out the report from the checkup and stared at it. Soon, themotion downstairs indicated that dinner was ready, so she quickly tucked the report away. Without needing John toe get her, she went downstairs after tidying her clothes. In the meantime, the others had already set up the table, while John had gotten to the staircase, apparently intending to go get her. Upon noticing that Sophia came down on her own, John smiled. ¡°Come, let¡¯s eat.¡± Laying eyes on John, Sophia realized he was still wearing the apron, which presented him as a family man. Sophia pursed her lips, only to let out a giggle after a few seconds. ¡°You look nice in that.¡± John smiled as soon as he heard her remark. ¡°Is that so? If that¡¯s the case, I suppose I will cook for you whenever I have time.¡± Without a word, Sophia entered the dining room alongside John. Meanwhile, Matilda was already sitting by the table. Staring at the dishesid out on it, she clicked her tongue. ¡°My son sure has changed after marrying his wife. He can cook almost anything.¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Both Sophia and John were startled by Matilda¡¯s words, as she didn¡¯t depict them as being independent from each other. However, Logan began eating as he didn¡¯t notice what Matilda said. On the other hand, Sophia took a deep breath while her stomach began churning. Due to the variety of dishes, she was being presented with a myriad of smells that seemed to upset her stomach. Sophia tried to hold herself back while grasping onto her fork, but failed miserably when she had to leave the dining room in a hurry. There was a pause in John¡¯s movements before he stood up, but Matilda was even faster than him. Meanwhile, Sophia was leaning against the basin when she puked, which literally emptied her stomach of what little content it had. Matilda helped soothe her by patting on her back, all the while heaving a sigh. ¡°Bear with it. That¡¯s just how things are in the beginning stages.¡± In the meantime, John held a menacing gaze while looking in the direction of the washroom from the entrance of the dining room. All strength had left Sophia when the bout of sickness was over, so Matilda had to help her to the sofa. ncing at John, Matilda heaved a sigh. ¡°I suppose it was because of her gastritis. You should leave this to me.¡± John stared at Sophia¡¯s pale face. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a case of gastritis?¡± With a hum and a nod, Matilda shut him down. ¡°Yeah, of course it is. What else could it be?¡± What she said managed to silence him. A whileter, Sophia stood from the sofa while waving her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be resting upstairs. Since I no longer have an appetite now, I¡¯ll eatter when I¡¯m hungry.¡± Matilda wouldn¡¯t let her go up on her own, whereas John stood watching after taking a few steps from the table. Upon helping Sophia lie down on bed, Matilda was beginning to feel sorry for her, as she knew how hard it was from personal experience. She had it better, as William was always beside her, so she was always venting out her frustrations on him by bossing him around, which somehow made her feel better. However, it was different with Sophia, as thetter had to conceal everything, so she could only rely on herself, which was a sad sight to behold. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 663 Chapter 663 Sitting next to the bed, Matilda gave it a thought before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why are you still so stubborn despite the fact that you already have his child? Wouldn¡¯t it be great if you tell John about this, and the both of you could raise this child properly after you remarry each other?¡± Sophiay on her side in a fetal position and closed her eyes. ¡°Would you do that if you¡¯re in my shoes?¡± Dumbfounded, Matilda knew that she wouldn¡¯t do that, and she might be even more stubborn than Sophia. Taking the situation with William now for example, she desperately wanted to reconcile with him, but she was too proud to do so. Still, she kept hoping that he woulde running to coax her like he always did before, and rify his rtionship with Ynda. Both William and Ynda were the thorns pricking at her heart this whole time. But it seems that Sophia and John¡¯s situation is more terrible than mine. Although she wasn¡¯tpletely sure, she knew that John didn¡¯t like Sophia before. From the way he behaved, it all showed that he never took her to heart. Moreover, shortly after the passing of Old Mr. Constance when Sophia lost her only backup in the family, John had immediately brought up the divorce, proving that he didn¡¯t care about her feelings at all. Hence, it was understandable that Sophia was now upset and couldn¡¯t decide what to do with John. If this happened to her in her younger years when she was still proud and stubborn, she would have packed her bags and left. With money in her hand, she could easily raise a child by herself. Feeling a little tired, Sophia said, ¡°Go and have your meal downstairs. I¡¯m resting for a while.¡± After a short pause, Matilda finally said, ¡°Okay, just let us know when you¡¯re hungry.¡± Seeing that Sophia didn¡¯t reply, she then got up and left the room. Meanwhile, John was waiting by the staircase the whole time. The moment he saw hering downstairs, he asked anxiously, ¡°She¡¯s still feeling unwell?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh yeah, she¡¯s still unwell.¡± John nodded. ¡°I remember we have some antacid at home. I¡¯ll bring some to her now, and maybe she¡¯ll feel better after taking it.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Matilda paused before answering hurriedly, ¡°No, no, no. No need for the antacid. She doesn¡¯t need to take it.¡± Standing on the same spot without moving an inch, John stared at her and thought that she seemed a little more worked up than needed. Blinking a couple of times, Matilda regained herposure and exined, ¡°She¡¯s already asleep, so she can¡¯t take the medication now. It takes time to treat gastric problems. Taking medications only relieves the symptoms but doesn¡¯t cure it from the root cause. Plus, there are always some side effects from medications. Let¡¯s try to treat it from the root cause the best we can.¡± Licking his lips, John said instead, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a look at her.¡± Matilda hesitated before moving away from his path. ¡°Don¡¯t wake her up. She just fell asleep.¡± As he slipped past her, he pointed out, ¡°You¡¯re nicer to her now.¡± Out of reflex, she twisted her head at him, but he went upstairs slowly without looking at her. It was true that Sophia, who was in bed, had fallen asleep. Earlier, she had exhausted herself from throwing up, and pregnant women tended to be sleepy easily. Thus, she really fell asleep in a daze afterying down for a while. However, she couldn¡¯t stay asleep for long before she woke up again. When she opened her eyes, she saw John standing by the window with his head lowered as he stared at something on his cell phone, holding a cigarette between his fingers with his other hand. Sitting up, she called out to him, ¡°John.¡± Startled, John immediately put out the cigarette in his hand without even turning to look at her and kept away his cell phone. After taking a few deep breaths, he finally turned to her. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± Sophia asked, staring at him. His eyes were a little reddened, and she could feel something off about him. Coughing lightly, he exined, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I took thest drag too strong and choked myself.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t think much about it and slowly got out of bed, but her mind was still in a blur, and she swayed when her feet touched the ground. In contrast, John moved at lightning speed and dashed over in a blink of an eye to catch her. ¡°Be careful.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 664 Chapter 664 His movements were so swift that it even shocked her, and she giggled. ¡°Your reaction is lightning quick!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± John murmured and cast her a concerned look. ¡°Are you going to the bathroom?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I would like to wash my face.¡± In the end, he helped her all the way to the bathroom and left the bathroom door open so he could watch over her. After washing her face, Sophia was startled when she turned and saw him staring fixedly at her, unblinking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Pursing his lips, it took him a while before he answered, ¡°Nothing.¡± Then, he helped her out of the bathroom all the way until she returned to the bed and asked, ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll get you something to eat.¡± Sophia nodded and thanked him, but he went downstairs straightaway without another word. As she stared at him leaving, she frowned. There¡¯s something off about him. In the past, if she had thanked him, he would have replied, telling her no thanks. However, it was as though he hadn¡¯t heard anything earlier. Logan and the rest had already left a long time ago, and John prepared some food for her downstairs. When he went upstairs again, he ced the food on the bedside table and took a seat at the side silently. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. With her head lowered, Sophia took a couple of bites from the food as she looked at him from the corner of her eye, unable to fathom what was going on. While she was eating, he watched her intently with a solemn look on his face and appeared incredibly weird. Did Matilda tell him something? she pondered suddenly. Despite that, as soon as the thought popped up in her mind, she shot it down quickly. Matilda probably didn¡¯t say anything. If he really knew that I¡¯m pregnant, he wouldn¡¯t be in such a state. After she finished her meal under an oppressive atmosphere, he came over and took the dishes downstairs. ¡°Would you like to go out for a walk? Let¡¯s take a walk around the area,¡± he suggested afterward. ¡°You¡¯ve slept for a long time, so it¡¯s about time to get up and flex your body a little.¡± Sophia gazed outside and saw that the sky was already dark, but after some contemtion, her body did feel sore afterying down for a long time. Hence, she nodded, thinking that it wouldn¡¯t be an issue if it was just around the area. John then went over to help her downstairs, and they took a walk back and forth on thene next to the house. The air around them was incredibly odd as John was quiet the whole while. Finally, Sophia couldn¡¯t take it anymore and broke the silence first. ¡°John, I can stay by myself at night, actually. I¡¯ll just keep the doors and windows properly locked, so you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± In other words, she was now chasing him away. John nced at her before saying, ¡°Sophia, are you hiding something from me?¡± Jumping in surprise at his question, Sophia¡¯s heart raced as she spun to look at him, speaking incoherently out of panic, ¡°Hiding something from you? What can I possibly be hiding from you? No, there¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m not hiding anything from you.¡± John reached out and grabbed her hand. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s great if you¡¯re not hiding anything. That will be the best.¡± With her heart pounding against her chest, she licked her lips nervously. Seeing how he was acting, she was starting to doubt if he really hadn¡¯t discovered anything yet. No matter how she looked at it, his words seemed to be hinting at her. They walked around a couple of times, but didn¡¯t have any more conversation after that, and John helped her home when he saw that it was gettingte. While Sophia washed up and theny in bed, he kept a watch over her by the door and only left after she was under the nket and closed her eyes. When the room turned dark, Sophia opened her eyes again. Something is off about him. He¡¯s acting really weird. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 665 Chapter 665 It was so obvious to her that he was acting weird that she couldn¡¯t look past it. Meanwhile, John didn¡¯t return to his room but went downstairs again and stood in front of the ss windows in the living room. Actually, he had no idea what was going through his mind, yet his heart was in a whirl, carrying a small glimmer of hope. At the same time, he was afraid that he was overthinking. Without a doubt, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fall asleep now, so he went to grab a beer which Logan had brought over in the evening, thinking that they could hangout for a bit, but that didn¡¯t happen. Taking a seat on the couch, John opened the beer and started drinking by himself in silence. In the middle of the night, Sophia woke up to use the bathroom, but no matter how she tried afterward, she couldn¡¯t go back to sleep. Hence, she walked out of her room and, in the hallway, saw that there was light at the top of the staircase. Fearlessly, she slowly went over and looked downward. She saw John sitting on the couch and a few empty beer bottles on the coffee table. Taken aback, she decided to join him downstairs. Pacing next to him, it was clear that he had a drink too much, and he only realized her presence when she gave him a nudge. With reddened eyes, he gazed at her for a couple of seconds before reaching out and grabbing her toward himself. ¡°Sophia.¡± She murmured in assent. ¡°What¡¯s up with you? Did you drink too much?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I didn¡¯t drink too much. This is nothing. I can drink very well.¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°Why are you drinking? You can¡¯t sleep?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t sleep indeed. Tell me honestly, Sophia, are you hiding something from me?¡± Pursing her lips, she said, ¡°What can I be hiding from you? You¡¯re always by my side and know everything that¡¯s happening with me.¡± He didn¡¯t speak anymore at her reply but held her hand. Lowering his head, he ced the back of her hand to his forehead. ¡°Let¡¯s make a trip to the hospital tomorrow, Sophia.¡± Shocked, she asked, ¡°Why?¡± In a low voice, he replied, ¡°I¡¯m worried. Recently, your gastric is urring too frequently, and your condition for the past few days isn¡¯t the best, either. Let¡¯s go for a checkup in the hospital, shall we?¡± Keeping her lips in a thin line, a few seconds passed before Sophia finally said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ve been living with this gastric problem for a long time, and I know what to do. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± However, John let out a long sigh and spoke in a slow but determined voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Flustered, Sophia wasn¡¯t sure if he was probing her or really just worried about her health. Realizing that she didn¡¯t say a thing, he lifted his gaze at her. ¡°Before this, Grandma told me to bring you for a proper checkup. Gastric won¡¯t cause much problem when you¡¯re young, but as you get older, it will be a problem for you.¡± He gave her hand a tug, and she plopped herself next to him. When he spun toward her, she could tell that he did have a lot to drink as he reeked of alcohol. Extending his arms, he held her into his embrace. ¡°I¡¯m afraid, Sophia.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t know what he was afraid of, but right now, she was the one struck by fear. With his eyes shut closed, John muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t hide anything from me if there¡¯s something going on. Please don¡¯t ever hide anything from me, okay?¡± Biting her lip, Sophia agreed softly after a long pause, ¡°Yeah.¡± John patted her back gently and said no more after that. As he had too much to drink, it was fine when he was seated. However, the moment he stood up, he started to sway, and Sophia had no other option but to help him upstairs. In the end, he refused to return to his own room and insisted on sleeping in her room. Hence, she watched helplessly as he stumbled into her room and threw himself onto her bed. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked with a frown. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 666 Chapter 666 After tossing around in her bed a couple of times, John fell asleep, and it seemed to her that he hadn¡¯t heard a single word she said earlier. Forget it, maybe he really drank too much, Sophia thought and went into the bathroom for a towel. She wiped his face and hands before proceeding to take off his jacket. Although he was drunk, he was rather cooperative and removed his clothes as she wanted. Finally, she ced the nkets over him and then went to his room. Even though she wasn¡¯t used to his bed, she was tired and fell asleep soon after shey down. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. When it was almost daybreak, she was awakened by the sound of the door. Opening her eyes, she saw Johning into the room. Without the need to ask, she already knew what he was up to, and she turned her back toward him. ¡°You¡¯re annoying.¡± John grinned and hugged her from behind. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep when you¡¯re not next to me.¡± Couldn¡¯t be bothered with him, she closed her eyes and continued to sleep untilte morning without even knowing when he had left the room. So she returned to her room and washed up beforeing out again. That was when she heard Matilda¡¯s voice from downstairs, saying, ¡°That¡¯s right,y it out here where it¡¯s slippery. That side as well, and also over there, that left side¡­¡± Rushing to the top of the staircase, she nced down and saw Matilda with a group of people who were cing carpets in the living room. Even the kitchen seemed to be covered in non-slip mats. Watching from the top at Matilda, who had her hands on her hips, she did look like she had the stance as the mistress of the Constance Family from before. As she leaned against the handrail and observed, she had no intention of joining themotion at all. The workers carried huge pieces of carpets into the house and ced them carefully on the floor. The yoga mats which were there before had all been removed, and the hanging chair in the living room was moved aside, revealing a wide, open space. Sophia knew that Matilda was worried she might trip if there were too many things in the way. That¡¯s really thoughtful of her. While it seemed that Matilda didn¡¯t feel awkward about meddling so much into her own affairs, she was the one feeling rather uneasy about it. When Matilda was done giving out the instructions, she lifted her head and saw her. Waving a hand at her, she called out, ¡°Come here and don¡¯t lean over there. You look scary like that. Come down and take a seat here.¡± And so, Sophia went downstairs and was surprised to see that there was also a servant besides the workers cing the carpets. ¡°Over here, Ms. Cannon,¡± she heard Matilda saying. ¡°This is Sophia.¡± In her fifties, Ms. Cannon looked like an honest and dependable worker, and she hurried over to greet Sophia, ¡°Hello, Ms. Gwendolyn.¡± Sophia merely blinked and didn¡¯t say a thing, but Matilda continued, ¡°I transferred Ms. Cannon from the Flintstones, and she¡¯s a really great cook. Let me tell you, when I was pregnant with John, I wouldn¡¯t eat anyone else¡¯s cooking but hers, and I¡¯m sending her here to take care of you now. You¡¯re picky about food during this period, so you should pay more attention to it.¡± ncing at her, Sophia pointed out, ¡°The way you are now is as good as telling John the truth.¡± Thinking over with pursed lips, Matilda finally said, ¡°Sophia, I don¡¯t think you can hide your pregnancy, really. It¡¯s not about me telling John about it, but rather about your reaction now. Even before your belly bes big, it won¡¯t take him more than a couple of days to be suspicious. How much longer do you think you can fool him with gastric as an excuse?¡± Deep inside, Sophia knew that John was already growing suspicious. Holding her hand, Matilda led her to the couch and sat down while Ms. Cannon went ahead with her chores. In an incredibly rare asion, Matilda didn¡¯t seem awkward at all as she took her hand and spoke earnestly, ¡°In your current state, you said you want to leave alone and have the child somewhere, but listen to me. You haven¡¯t left yet, and you¡¯re speaking about it so lightly when your body is having such a huge reaction. If you really leave by yourself and have no one to speak to when you¡¯re upset, you¡¯ll definitely regret it.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 667 Chapter 667 Sighing, she went on, ¡°Furthermore, someone is obviously doing nasty things in the dark and wants to harm you. Do you have any idea what would happen if that person catches up with you if you leave this ce? Just the thought of it is terrifying.¡± Tightening her lips into a thin line, Sophia did think about this point as well yesterday. The main issue was, she didn¡¯t know who was after her, and she couldn¡¯t be sure if she wouldn¡¯t be followed once she left here. She didn¡¯t dare to risk it, and neither could she bear the consequences of this risk. Speechless, she lowered her gaze, and Matilda knew that her words had reached her. Hence, Matilda softened her tone, saying, ¡°Sophia, I think John has the right to know about your pregnancy. It¡¯s not fair that you¡¯re keeping this from him.¡± Without waiting for a reply, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s true that John didn¡¯t care about you in the past, and we all know that this made your heart ufortable and flustered. You can get back at him in other ways for it, but you really shouldn¡¯t do that with this issue. Think about it by cing yourself into his perspective, how would you feel if you¡¯re John and only found out about thister?¡± ¡°Give me some time to think about it,¡± Sophia answered hurriedly. Smiling, Matilda agreed, ¡°Alright, think about it carefully. By the way, you don¡¯t have to make a trip to the shop because I made a stop there on my way here and already told Robin that you¡¯ll be resting at home today.¡± As her heart was in confusion, she didn¡¯t have any thoughts of going to her shop at all, so she nodded. ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Unsatisfied with the cement of the furniture in the ce, Matilda instructed the workers to change theyout bit by bit while Sophia went to take a seat in the garden and couldn¡¯t be bothered with what was going on. Matilda had a point; John did hurt her in some aspects, but he treated her rather well in some other ways, too. She couldn¡¯t just deny his contributions because of the pain he inflicted upon her and keep him in the dark about such a serious matter. Wiping her face, Sophia struggled within herself on how she should open up this topic to John. As for Matilda, after straining herself for half the day, the floors on both levels were covered in non-slip carpets. Just like that, without even the need for Sophia to say anything, John would have figured out by himself what was going on. This was simply too obvious to ignore. Tonight, he came home a littleter and only returned when the food was ready in the kitchen and would be served soon. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Ms. Cannon was a splendid cook indeed. Using the same ingredients, she was able to cook up dishes that made Sophia drool from just the aroma. Meanwhile, John was stunned the moment he came home. The ce had gone through tremendous changes; all corners of the house were covered in carpets, and the living room was now much more spacious with the removal of many items. Standing at the entrance of the kitchen and watching Ms. Cannon ting the meals, Sophia¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she saw that he had returned. Spinning around and pacing toward him, she greeted, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± John nodded and was about to step through the door when she grabbed him by his arm and said, ¡°I have something to tell you. Let¡¯s talk in the garden.¡± Peering at her, he asked, ¡°What is it that has to be said in the garden and not in the house?¡± She licked her lips and exined, ¡°Well, you might lose your temper after I tell you. Since the car is just right here, it¡¯s more convenient for you if you want to drive off when you¡¯re mad. It¡¯s a hassle if you are already in the house and need toe out again.¡± From the way she put it, John felt that it seemed inexcusable for him if he didn¡¯t drive offter. As they both stood in the garden, Sophia turned back and peered into the house. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 668 Chapter 668 Standing at the kitchen doorway, Matilda nced at her, gave her a thumbs-up, and disappeared into the dining room with the dinner. Sophia blinked and turned back to John, who was gazing at her intently. Suddenly, her heart began to pound violently, and she took a deep breath. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to tell you, but I don¡¯t know where to begin.¡± John nodded. ¡°Just tell me. There¡¯s nothing which can¡¯t be said between us.¡± Despite that, she blinked nkly at him, unsure of how to bring up the topic as he stared at her, feeling as though he knew what wasing up next. Seeing that she was quiet, he suggested, ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll ask the questions, and you¡¯ll just answer yes or no.¡± Immediately, she bobbed her head in agreement. ¡°Okay, you can ask me.¡± Lowering his eyes to her belly, he asked, ¡°Previously when you were feeling unwell, it wasn¡¯t because of gastric, was it?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she answered with a guilty conscience. ¡°It wasn¡¯t because of gastric.¡± As he stared at her, she lost the guts to look at him, and he breathed deeply. ¡°Did your menstrual stop for a long time?¡± Actually, he wasn¡¯t sure about her monthly cycle because they hadn¡¯t lived together for a while. Still, he felt that the sanitary napkins in her closet had remained untouched for some time now. Sophia¡¯s heart shuddered at his words. This man¡­ he already knows? Slowly, she let out a sigh and nodded after a long pause. ¡°For more than a month now.¡± This time, John didn¡¯t ask anything anymore and merely stared at her with an expression so solemn that it made her feel like a horrible person for hiding the truth from him before this. Guilt-ridden, Sophia left her mouth hanging for a long time, not knowing what else she could say as it seemed like nothing could clear the situation regardless of what she said now. From the beginning, she hadn¡¯t intended to tell him this and even nned to leave with the child. As John maintained his silence, she felt at a loss and wasn¡¯t sure of what she should do, just like a primary school kid who was punished. On the other side, Matilda slowly made her way over and stood in the living room, eyeing the both of them cautiously. From the corner of her eye, Sophia saw her and cast her a pleading look, as though she had seen her savior. However, Matilda simply hesitated before turning around, leaving her in bewilderment. Indeed, I can¡¯t depend on anyone at all. After considering it, she took a step closer to John. As her mind was really empty, she blurted, ¡°Are you so mad that you want to leave now? Look, your car is just right there.¡± John shut his eyes, and she saw him gritting his teeth a few times before storming off. However, he went into the house instead of getting into the car. He didn¡¯t go into the dining room either, but straight upstairs. From downstairs, Sophia could hear the loud bang of a door closing from upstairs. Shrinking her neck, she knew that he was really, really mad this time. Since he had never been this angry at her ever before, she didn¡¯t know what she should do next. At this point, Matilda came out of the dining room and stood at the living room doorway. ¡°He went upstairs in anger? Aren¡¯t you going to coax him?¡± Rolling her eyes at her, Sophia said, ¡°You have the cheeks to show up now when I was so terrified earlier. What are you doing here now?¡± Matilda hissed, ¡°Can¡¯t you tell that I was giving you guys some privacy earlier so that you can talk it out properly?¡± Ignoring her, Sophia merely licked her lips and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat now. I¡¯m hungry.¡± Matilda¡¯s face twitched. ¡°You still have the appetite for food? You¡¯re amazing.¡± Of course, I do, she thought silently. Earlier, she had taken in the smell of the food and had been longing for it for quite some time, so she was definitely in the mood to eat now. Previous Chapter Next ChapterAll content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 669 Chapter 669 Paying no heed to Matilda, Sophia went straight into the dining room, where Ms. Cannon had already prepared dinner, and she sat right down. ¡°It smells wonderful.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t n to take a look upstairs?¡± Matilda asked, joining her in the dining room. Without lifting her head, Sophia began to dig in and answered, ¡°No, I¡¯ll take a look after dinner.¡± In the meantime, John stormed into the master bedroom, but he wasn¡¯t exactly angry. Earlier in his office, he spent a long time thinking about it and had mentally prepared himself for what Sophia said. Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t find an exnation as to why someone would spend a huge amount of money just to hire a person to knock her down. It didn¡¯t make any sense. Despite that, he was uneasy because he didn¡¯t know when Sophia found out about her pregnancy and why she kept it from him before this. She didn¡¯t know how to exin the matter to me? Or was it that she didn¡¯t n to do it at all? If it was thetter, what did she n to do with the child? After staying in the room for a long while, yet Sophia still didn¡¯te after him, he was left hanging with his temper ring as he stood there, until he decided to rummage through the drawers in the closet. There, he found her checkup report and adrenaline pumped through his veins after a quick nce at it. Even though he couldn¡¯t understand the report, he could roughly understand the results of the checkup from the textual exnation. When he was done with the report, he finally let out a deep, long sigh. Carefully, he kept the report away. Although he couldn¡¯t fully understand it, he knew that it held the first photograph of his child. Even after he sat on the bed for a long time, nobody came upstairs, so he decided to leave the room impatiently. When he went downstairs, however, the atmosphere was jovial. Matilda had instructed Ms. Cannon to prepare some fruits and was telling Sophia which kind of fruits would produce lovable children withrge eyes and fair skin, while Sophia listened intently as she had no knowledge about such issues. While skinning the grapes for her, Matilda borated, ¡°If you take more of this, your child will have eyes as big as grapes. Look at John¡¯s eyes; it was all due to the grapes I¡¯ve eaten. When I was pregnant, I would eat grapes whenever possible. Of course, I would also take apples and milk. Listen to me and you won¡¯t go wrong. When your child is born, your baby boy will be handsome, and pretty if it¡¯s a baby girl.¡± With a fork in her hand, Sophia was rather obedient and popped the grapes into her mouth one after another. ¡°It¡¯s sweet.¡± ¡°For sure it is because I spent so much time picking it out. I almost tasted them one by one just to be sure!¡± Matilda said andughed heartily. Giggling, Sophia said, ¡°You¡¯ve bought so much. I don¡¯t think I can finish it all.¡± ¡°Not a problem,¡± she answered casually. ¡°Give the leftovers to John. Just give it to him if you¡¯ve had enough.¡± From the top of the staircase, John peered at the women downstairs who were speaking to each other as if they had forgotten the past discord between them and were getting along extraordinarily peacefully now. Almost instantly, the anger in him evaporated at this sight. It seemed like Matilda already knew about this from the beginning and Sophia wasn¡¯t nning on keeping this from him completely. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. As it had been a while since the checkup and Sophia didn¡¯t take any other actions, it appeared that she had intentions of keeping the child. Slowly, he went downstairs and Sophia lifted her eyes at him. ¡°Would you like to have dinner? The food is still warm. You should really try Ms. Cannon¡¯s cooking. It¡¯s really delicious.¡± Pacing next to her, he said, ¡°Sophia, don¡¯t you think that you owe me an exnation? Do you think that this matter is over just like this?¡± Sophia shot Matilda a look from the corner of her eyes and thetter blinked a couple of times before bringing out her previous attitude toward Sophia. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 670 Chapter 670 Matilda stiffened herself while she looked at John. ¡°What¡¯s there to exin? Just go and have your dinner now. What exnation are you expecting? You should be grateful that she already told you about it. Don¡¯t ask for too much, young man.¡± With knitted brows, John stared at her. Since when did Mom be this way? ring at him, Matilda continued, ¡°Hurry up and have your dinner. After that, bring Sophia out for a walk. She can¡¯t be sitting too much now that she¡¯s pregnant. Exercising appropriately is fine.¡± Then, she waved a hand at him as though to dismiss him. John nearly broke intoughter from his incredulity. Since when did these two women be allies? Before this, both of them would slip into an argument every time they met. The whole time, Sophia kept her head lowered and ate her fruits. He hesitated for a second and decided to head into the dining room. After he sat down, he heard Matilda¡¯s voice from the living room, saying, ¡°Are there any free rooms here? It¡¯s not easy to get a cab at thiste hour. I¡¯ll stay the night here.¡± John¡¯s hand, which was holding a fork, paused mid-air. Then, Sophia could be heard saying, ¡°Yeah, there are many rooms on the second floor. Take a look at them afterward and pick whichever you like. Ms. Cannon will help to clean it up for you.¡± A few seconds passed, and the edges of his lips twitched upward into a smile. When he was finished with dinner, he went next to the couch and saw that Sophia was watching TV with Matilda after she had finished her fruits. ¡°Let¡¯s go out for a walk,¡± he said in a solemn tone. Sophia grunted and got up slowly as she cast him a cautious look. Even Matilda lifted her gaze at him when he lowered his eyes, momentarily meeting each other¡¯s eyes for a split second before they both looked away at the same time. They went into the garden. After a while, John paused, staring fixedly at Sophia. Then, as though he had no other choice, he grabbed her hand in his and said, ¡°Watch your steps.¡± Next to him, Sophia pursed her lips and was quiet. Both of them went out for a walk, and that was literally the only thing they did as they didn¡¯t exchange a single word. Now, she was fully aware that he was still pissed at her for hiding her pregnancy from him. Even so, she knew that it was only natural that he was upset about it. If she had been in his ce, she would have made a huge fuss about it. Thus, she kept her mouth shut because she was aware that she was in the wrong in this matter. After going one round, John brought her back into the house and they realized that Matilda had already gone upstairs to rest for the day. They gave each other a look and then trod upstairs as well. Barely a few seconds had passed since Sophia entered her room when John came in as well. ¡°My mom took over my room,¡± he said helplessly. Dumbfounded, she gazed at him silently as he scanned the room quickly and saw that his pajamas were ced on her bed. ¡°They even brought my pajamas here,¡± he said with a straight face. However, Sophia still kept staring at him while hemented, ¡°The other rooms were not prepared and it¡¯s already sote now.¡± Frowning, she finally spoke. ¡°So?¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Keeping his face straight, John grabbed his pajamas and headed for the bathroom. ¡°So what? It¡¯s already sote, so of course we¡¯re washing up and then going to bed.¡± With that, he disappeared into the bathroom while Sophia sat on the bed. Forget it, let him have his way today, she told herself in her mind with her eyes closed as it wasn¡¯t the best to challenge him, given the situation earlier. In the bathroom, John took his time, and by the time he was done, Sophia had already fallen asleep. Staring at her from the bathroom door, he saw that she was still holding her cell phone in her hand even though she had dozed off. Sighing, he ced her down in a morefortable position so she could sleep properly. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 671 Chapter 671 Sophia groaned softly and turned over, continuing to sleep. After a few seconds, John ced his palm on her belly and stroked it gently. Actually, he couldn¡¯t feel anything on her t stomach now. In addition to that, because of her odd sleeping position earlier, her belly was even a little concave. Despite that, it didn¡¯t diminish his curiosity and he kept his hand on her belly, taking in the sensation little by little. He really couldn¡¯t feel anything, but he could still sense the small life growing underneath his palm bit by bit. Meanwhile, Sophia was in such a deep slumber that she didn¡¯t even notice when he changed her into her pajamas. When he was done, she merely turned the other way and resumed sleeping. Finally, after a long time, he smiled andy down, holding her in his arms. Regardless of whether she could hear it or not, he whispered, ¡°Thank you, Sophia.¡± Even though it was Sophia who had said that to him many times before, he was the one who should have said it to her. In the middle of the night, John¡¯s cell phone suddenly rang, and after making sure that Sophia wasn¡¯t awakened by it, he turned over and grabbed his cell phone. When he saw that it was his subordinate calling, he went to the hallway to pick up the call. ¡°Sir, this man says that he wants to see you and has something to tell you. No matter how we questioned him, he refused to say anything,¡± his subordinate reported. John nced at his watch, which was showing that it had just turned midnight, and then at Sophia in the bedroom. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going over right now,¡± he said. ¡°I would like to know what he has to tell me.¡± Sneaking silently back into the bedroom, he changed and left with his keys. As there weren¡¯t many cars on the roads at this time, it didn¡¯t take him long to reach the warehouse, where someone was already waiting for his arrival and soon led him to meet the man. That man was now seated cross-legged on the floor, and he didn¡¯t look good with his battered arm still in bandages. It seemed like he wouldn¡¯t be able to move his arm at all. Upon seeing John approaching, he smirked. ¡°Tell all of them to leave. I¡¯m only telling it to you.¡± Unafraid, John sent all his subordinates out. ¡°Talk.¡± Sighing, the man began, ¡°I¡¯m not hiding that much from you, actually. Thedy whom I wanted to knock down that day is pregnant, and someone paid me to knock her down so she would lose her child. If it wasn¡¯t for this reason, he wouldn¡¯t have offered me so much money.¡± Chuckling by himself, he went on, ¡°Well, all I can say is that we all have our professional ethics, and I wasn¡¯t allowed to reveal anything. But my arm¡­¡± He trailed off and his eyes wandered to his arm. ¡°My arm is f*cking painful and I can¡¯t take it anymore,¡± he said. ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have said a word.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. That person told him this at that time because he trusted him, thinking that he would just do as told if he paid him. As for other matters, he wouldn¡¯t tell him at all, for the more people who knew about a thing like this, the more trouble it would create. John pondered over his testimonial before remarking, ¡°So the person who paid you isn¡¯t the real mastermind either.¡± ¡°No.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°The mastermind must be hiding far away while the small fries were sent out to do the actual dirty work.¡± Pointing at himself, he said, ¡°Take me as an example. Even though I am a small fry, we still have our rules and now I¡¯ve broken them.¡± Snorting out loud, John continued to ask, ¡°Let me ask you this. Is this the person you¡¯re contacting?¡± He took out that man¡¯s cell phone and showed him his call records. The man nodded. ¡°That¡¯s him, but that¡¯s the only number I have. I don¡¯t know anything else. If you want to ask me his name and address, I really have no idea and I¡¯mpletely honest with you. In my current state, I wouldn¡¯t be hiding anything from you.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 672 Chapter 672 John merely nodded silently. On his part, he had already run a search on this number, but there was something obviously amiss with the name registered on this number. The ount information of the number was registered to an old man full of white hair living in a vige. He wasn¡¯t educated and couldn¡¯t even read. There was no way he would believe that a person like this was involved in Sophia¡¯s ident. Hence, there was only one possibility¡ªthe ID used to register this number belonged to another person, or that this number was bought from a different person. Well, of course, no one would use their real identity to do something so despicable. John gave the man a hard stare for a long time. Probably due to hisck of rest, the man seemed a little pale and tired. Under such circumstances, it was highly unlikely that he would lie about anything. Standing up, John paced outside and his subordinates looked at him expectantly. To that, John merely waved his hand, gesturing for them to release the man. The man walked out of the warehouse by himself without the help of anyone. When he brushed past John, he stopped in his tracks and uttered, ¡°It seems like that person has a nickname, Old Leopard. I¡¯m not too sure, but you can check up on it.¡± Later, when John returned to Sophia, she was still asleep and appeared unaware of his short disappearance. Feeling a little chilly, he sat on the bed. After a while, he couldn¡¯t hold it anymore and rubbed his hands together before slowly reaching it out to stroke her belly. It¡¯s so weird that there¡¯s actually a baby in there who will look like me and Sophia. It will gradually grow and arrive into this world to call me daddy when the kid reaches maturity, he thought in awe. Human reproduction is such an amazing and beautiful process! He waited before changing into his pajamas again and slipped back into bed. However, he was a little restless. Even though he already sent his men to investigate this person called ¡®Old Leopard¡¯, he wasn¡¯t sure how many people out there would share the same nickname. As hey in bed, many things flickered through his mind; he thought about his past with Sophia and also about the future. He didn¡¯t know when he fell asleep, but he suddenly woke up with a start. Still in bed, Sophia was now in his arms, clinging onto him like an octopus. Trying his best to avoid her belly, he moved carefully as she had her legs and arms on him. After finding herself afortable position, she continued her slumber. Chuckling softly, he straightened her posture and inched in closer to her before falling asleep again. The next day, Ms. Cannon was the first to wake up and started breakfast preparation. Next, it was Matilda who woke up. As he didn¡¯t rest well the night before, he didn¡¯t get out of bed even though he heard the noises. Furthermore, it was a Saturday, a day where he could get proper rest. Holding Sophia, he returned to dreand. All the while, Matilda left them alone, so he slept untilte in the morning, when he really couldn¡¯t stay in bed any longer. Cautiously, he peeled Sophia away from himself and got out of bed. While she was still fast asleep, he stopped and stared at her from the bathroom door. Indeed, pregnant women act like pigs¡ªthey eat and sleep very well. But that¡¯s not bad, he thought. Sophia was skinny and weak to begin with, so it¡¯s a good opportunity for her to nourish her body now. After washing up, he went downstairs and found Matilda in the garden staring around happily with a cup of tea in her hands. Coming up next to her, he said, ¡°Thanks forst night.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Matilda grinned. ¡°That¡¯s all I can help you with and you¡¯ll have to do your best after this. From the looks of it, I don¡¯t think Sophia will remarry you yet, so you still have a long way to go from here.¡± ¡°We even have a child now,¡± he said with a frown. ¡°And she¡¯s still reluctant to remarry me?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 673 Chapter 673 Matilda snorted out loudly and looked at him as though he was an idiot. ¡°If she really wants to remarry you because of the baby, she wouldn¡¯t have waited until yesterday to break the news to you. Listen here, my silly boy. She was nning to hide this from you in the beginning. Don¡¯t think too highly of yourself because she isn¡¯t even interested in you.¡± Casting her an unhappy look, he blurted, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t speak so badly of me in the past.¡± That was when she shut her trap. There were many things in the past which shouldn¡¯t be brought up, and whenever she recalled the things she had done before, she would unwittingly cringe and feel uneasy. In the past, she had been too unreasonable, but still, not everything was her fault. Pursing her lips, she finished her tea before saying in a soft voice, ¡°During this period when I¡¯m living by myself, I can¡¯t fall asleep at night and that got me thinking, what had I done before that resulted in this turn in my life now? I had such a good life before this, so I couldn¡¯t get it at all.¡± Previously, when she was in the Constance Family, putting aside the amount of envy from other people that status brought her, people had to show her respect; even Old Mrs. Constance would usually tolerate her. Despite that, when it came to the end, Old Mrs. Constance was the most determined one to abandon her. Even though William seemed to be hesitating, she could tell that his patience for her had worn out. Exactly when did these people change their attitudes toward her? She thought about this over and over in her head, and felt that it was around the time when Sophia returned to live in the old residence again. During that period, Sophia had zero regards for her and their conflicts turned even more severe. Thereafter, Old Mrs. Constance kept reprimanding her. At the thought of this, she would be reminded of that kick Sophia gave her, and it was humiliating that she was kicked by a youngster. Nevertheless, looking at it objectively now, Matilda thought that Sophia was also partly responsible for it even though she couldn¡¯t ce all the me on her. Hmm, I should really find time to speak about our past feud with Sophia. Turning to look at her, John broke into a smile after a while. ¡°Dad should be seeing the way you are now. You¡¯re a changed person.¡± Annoyance shed across her face at the mention of William. ¡°Don¡¯t bring up your father. I saw him yesterday when I was out.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Surprised, John asked, ¡°And?¡± Sighing, she said, ¡°He didn¡¯t see me. He was shopping in the mall, probably getting something for Ynda, and I left after taking a look at him.¡± After some contemtion, John decided against saying anything as he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what was going on between William and Ynda. Personality-wise, Ynda was indeed better than Matilda, and men tend to lean toward gentle and thoughtful women. Even if William was interested in Ynda, John could actually understand the reason behind it. Since rtionships were a problem each person had to sort out by themselves, John didn¡¯t want to be involved in their matters. In the midst of their chitchat, John heard the sound of the window opening from upstairs, so he hurriedly turned to look upward. Sure enough, it was Sophia who had woken up. Pulling back the curtains, she opened the windows and leaned out while scratching her head. John grinned. ¡°Wash up now, and then we can eat.¡± Sophia appeared groggy with half-closed eyes as she stared at the both of them downstairs for a few seconds before grunting and disappearing from the window. cing a hand on John¡¯s shoulder, Matilda said, ¡°You¡¯re going to be a father soon. I don¡¯t know whether I should be happy or not about it. In a blink of an eye, so many years have passed, but it feels just like yesterday when I recall how you were next to me when you were just a boy.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 674 Chapter 674 Straightening her hair, Matilda said, ¡°I have to admit that I¡¯m getting old now. I really am, and I¡¯m about to be a grandma soon.¡± Then, she turned into the living room. After a moment of thought, John trod after her. John had nothing nned for the day. When thedies had eaten, they stood in the garden and Matilda came up with the idea to go shopping. She really wanted to visit the maternity store to stock up on some baby items. ¡°Isn¡¯t it still early?¡± John eximed in surprise as he nced at Sophia¡¯s belly, which was still so t that he couldn¡¯t tell she was carrying a baby at all. Matilda cast an annoyed look at him. ¡°It¡¯s not early at all. When the first trimester has passed, her belly will grow very quickly and she won¡¯t fit into her current clothes anymore. It will be handy to buy some maternity clothing now.¡± Turning to Sophia, she asked, ¡°What do you think?¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes were fixed on Matilda. Their rtionship for the past few days had turned for the better. As a simple-minded woman, Matilda was merely spoiled by William before this. Now, she was a little more sensible and clearly much nicer toward her. On Sophia¡¯s side, she was not a calctive person and it seemed like there wasn¡¯t such a huge ridge standing in between them that they couldn¡¯t ovee. Hence, she set aside their past conflicts and nodded after just one nce at her. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Smiling, Matilda spun her head to face John. ¡°Get ready and let¡¯s go now.¡± He stole a nce at Sophia and replied helplessly, ¡°Okay.¡± Subsequently, he drove them to a mall in the heart of the city. Since there were many people on a Saturday, John guarded Sophia into the mall on one side while Matilda was on her other side, asking her if she saw any clothes she fancied that she could still wear for some time while her belly was still t. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. At home, Sophia actually had quite a lot of clothes, and she didn¡¯t go out that often now, so there was no need to get any more new clothes. However, she was thinking about Robin, who was managing the shop by herself now, and she wanted to drop by the shopter. Well, I¡¯ll buy her some clothes now and bring them straight to her at the shop, she thought. All three of them were on thedies clothing level and had juste out of a store when they ran into old acquaintances. The moment the three of them exited the shop and turned the corner, they saw Isabelleing out from another shop. Shopping as well, Isabelle had just bought some clothes and was chatting happily with her mother. The sight of Isabelle didn¡¯t have any effect on Sophia, but she stole a look at Matilda out of reflex, unsure if she would be awkward at this meeting. Previously, she was always the one next to Isabelle on such asions. Seeing Isabelle, Matilda didn¡¯t appear awkward; she simply paused for a second before smiling. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Isabelle? What a coincidence!¡± Shocked that Sophia was right next to Matilda, Isabelle froze on the spot and stared unblinkingly at them for a long while before greeting her. On the other hand, John was staring at Isabelle as well, mainly because he couldn¡¯t help but link the things which happened to Sophia before this to Isabelle. Looking at her now, his gaze unwittingly carried a hint of scrutiny as he scanned her. Mrs. Bailey was also shocked beyond words seeing Matilda together with Sophia; especially when she had heard from Isabelle that John had aplete fallout with his mother because of Sophia. She even heard that he had cklisted Matilda. Initially, she silentlymented on what a failure as a mother Matilda must have been for her son to turn his back on her. However, from the looks of it now, there didn¡¯t seem to be any problem between them. Not only that, even her rtionship with Sophia seemed to have improved tremendously. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 675 Chapter 675 Sophia retracted her gaze from Isabelle after taking a look at her and said to Matilda, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I would like to drop by the shop after shopping. I¡¯m a little worried about leaving Robin alone.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Matilda replied and gestured toward Isabelle with a look before leaving with Sophia and John. When she passed by them, shemented, ¡°Miss Jaeger seems to be an honest person and it¡¯s hard on her for helping you out like this. Why don¡¯t you give her an increment?¡± With a hint of a smile in her tone, Sophia uttered, ¡°I¡¯ve already decided to give her amission, which is higher than an increment.¡± Matilda grunted and said something else which was inaudible to Isabelle because of the growing distance between them. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Frowning, Mrs. Bailey asked in astonishment, ¡°Since when did the rtionship between the three of them improve so much?¡± Shaking her head slowly, Isabelle answered, ¡°Beats me.¡± Staring at Matilda and Sophia¡¯s back with an icy look on her face, she muttered, ¡°How did the two of them be so close now?¡± But just a split secondter, she snorted. ¡°Well, seeing how hopeless Matilda is, she¡¯ll be useless to Sophia as well. She¡¯s probably just an extra person to say sweet things next to her.¡± With that, she grabbed her mother¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Forget about them.¡± Still, Mrs. Bailey was worried. ¡°Looks like Matilda has epted her now, and it will be a piece of cake if Sophia wants to return to the Constance Family.¡± Pausing in her tracks, Isabelle said, ¡°Even if Matilda doesn¡¯t ept her, it¡¯s not a difficult thing for Sophia to return to the Constance Family. Matilda is no help in this matter at all.¡± Mrs. Bailey thought through her daughter¡¯s words and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, and it seems like John doesn¡¯t really heed Matilda¡¯s advice either,¡± she said as they walked away. Meanwhile, the three of them browsed through a couple more stores before going to Sophia¡¯s shop in John¡¯s car. On the way there, John asked, ¡°So you¡¯re not contacting Isabelle recently? Earlier when you bumped into each other, the atmosphere seemed a little odd between the two of you.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Matilda replied. ¡°There¡¯s nothing odd, but it¡¯s true that we¡¯re not contacting each other so often recently. She said she¡¯s busy, so I didn¡¯t disturb her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s busy?¡± John repeated. He sounded thoughtful as he went on, ¡°The business dealings between our family and theirs has nothing much to do with her. If I don¡¯t get in touch with her, she usually won¡¯t be in contact with us either. So, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything keeping her busy.¡± Truth be told, he had also checked up on Isabelle for the past couple of days. Besides going to the office, she would stay at home and not go anywhere else. She didn¡¯t seem to be busy, for she stayed home most of the time. Matilda giggled at his words and said in a casual tone, ¡°Since she said she¡¯s busy, so be it. There¡¯s nothing especially important when we meet up anyway.¡± Every time when they met up, they were always discussing how Isabelle could get closer to John with her help, and it seemed like there was nothing else they spoke about besides this. Back then, she really liked Isabelle a lot, and she longed for her to be married into her family so that the youngerdy would be her daughter-inw. But now that she had more time on her hands, she could think about more issues, and she couldn¡¯t help but wonder what she used to like so much about Isabelle in the past. In fact, she had seen a lot of ladies from simr backgrounds as Isabelle¡¯s family, and she wasn¡¯t the exceptionally unique one. Matilda couldn¡¯t understand the reason behind her logic either, so in the end, she could only attribute it to her previous lifestyle, when she was in a rut. That probably resulted in her monoscopic point of view and she immediately grew an interest in an obedient girl like Isabelle who lived by the book. When they arrived at the shop, Robin¡¯s boyfriend, Lincoln, happened to be there as well, and he seemed a little uneasy at the sight of them. Even Robin was acting flustered seeing that John had turned up, and she didn¡¯t even know where she should ce her hands. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 676 Chapter 676 John didn¡¯t care about it. Thus, he said hi to Lincoln and Robin before going to sit beside the window. Sophia showed the clothes she bought for Robin, much to her surprise. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re the one who has been handling the whole shop since it started.¡± She smiled. ¡°So here¡¯s a gift to make up for my absence.¡± Robin smiled back. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I used to run a business on my own, but it went bust. It was regrettable. Yeah, it¡¯s busy here, but business is fine, so I¡¯m happy about that.¡± Sophia looked at Lincoln. ¡°You have an off day today? Well, we can end the operations early and you guys can go on your date. Leave the shop aside for the time being.¡± Robin blushed as she straightened her hair out and nced at John from the corner of her eyes. That was when she saw that he was talking with Matilda, and his attention was not on them. Then, she licked her lips and said, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll go around with this guy here.¡± Sophia nodded before telling Robin about hermission raise, for Robin had put a lot of work in the business. Being the generous woman Sophia was, this meant Robin might be making more money than her every month throughmission. ¡°That¡¯s a lot!¡± Robin gasped. Sophia didn¡¯t mind. ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard. Fair is fair.¡± Delighted, Robin smiled at Lincoln. Since there weren¡¯t many customers at the moment, the group sat around a table. Being the only other guy here, John made small talk with Lincoln, asking him about his job and how life was for him; just typical interaction. Robin pursed her lips, disappointed that Lincoln looked so nervous before John, but she knew that even if John were her boyfriend, she couldn¡¯t have kept him for long. If even Isabelle couldn¡¯t win him over, there was no hope for Robin. Halfway through talking with Sophia, Matilda brought Isabelle up. With a nonchnt expression on her face, she said, ¡°Isabelle¡¯s a good girl. The guy that marries her must be very lucky.¡± Then, she looked at Sophia as she continued, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re a good girl too, of course. I admit that.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°I know that.¡± John stopped talking to Lincoln and turned to smile at Sophia. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you¡¯re this confident about yourself.¡± Sophia had never talked this way to Matilda before the divorce, but she changed since then. Sophia stared at Matilda. ¡°Oh, I just didn¡¯t want to fight. Some people can be really vengeful, you know. I¡¯m a generousdy, so I simply let thements slide.¡± Matilda hissed. ¡°Hey, is that meant for me?¡± She red at Sophia. Sophia arched her eyebrows proudly, and her silence was the answer. When Matilda saw her response, she red at Sophia, but in the end, she said nothing as she merely pursed her lips tightly. This is for the sake of the baby. Calm down, Matilda. You don¡¯t have to fight with a girl. Since they went with Robin and Lincoln for lunch, the shop was closed for the time being. At the same time, the young man running the floor tile business across the street came out. Noticing the shop¡¯s closing for the day and Sophia in the group, the young man went up to Sophia. ¡°Are you closing for the day, Sophia? It¡¯s been a while since I saw you.¡± John remembered this guy, for he even came to ask for Sophia¡¯s numberst time. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 677 Chapter 677 That time, John told the young man his own number, unbeknownst to the young man, and then he kept receiving good morning and good night messages. Even when Sophia went back to her home, this young man kept sending messages to her. John was surprised about the young man¡¯s iron will. Even though he never replied to the young man¡¯s messages, he never stopped texting. John came up and wrapped his arm around Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re going for lunch. Anything?¡± The young man froze up and stared at them for a while. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Sophia knew what John was trying to do. If it were any other time, she would have pped his hand away, but not this time. She didn¡¯t want the young man to be kept in ignorance, so it¡¯d be better for him to know about this sooner. Sophia leaned closer against John and repeated, ¡°Do you need anything?¡± The young man¡¯s expression turned gloomy. ¡°Y-You guys¡­¡± Matilda was frustrated. What is wrong with these men? Even until then, she didn¡¯t know what was so attractive about Sophia, so her son¡¯s obsession went over her head. I don¡¯t think John likes her for her looks. He isn¡¯t that shallow. When she noticed that someone else had a crush on Sophia as well, Matilda thought, Fine, John¡¯s blind, but everyone else is too?N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Robin chuckled silently and approached Matilda. ¡°This guy kepting over every day during Sophia¡¯s absence,¡± she whispered. ¡°He really likes her.¡± Matilda looked at the boy again. This boy looks like he just graduated high school. He¡¯s just a kid! Does he even know what love and responsibility is? Does he even know how to care for a woman? Matilda snorted. ¡°So what? There¡¯s no point coveting something that isn¡¯t his,¡± she whispered back. Robin froze. Even though she knew Matilda wasn¡¯t talking about her, she still looked at John, who still had his hand around Sophia¡¯s shoulder. A while ago, she too coveted someone who couldn¡¯t belong to her, and she even thought there was a chance. Once upon a time, she even wanted to confess to that man, just like how this young man was doing, but luckily, she stopped in time, or else she¡¯d be in the same situation as the young man was. The young man looked at Sophia, the light in his eyes dim. ¡°I see. I¡¯m just here to say hi.¡± Then, he went back to his shop. When he was finally out of sight, Sophia turned to John. ¡°Take your hand off me.¡± John arched his eyebrow and removed his hand, for he knew he shouldn¡¯t push his luck. Then, they went into John¡¯s car, and he drove them to a restaurant in the city center. There weren¡¯t many customers given the time they came. John was still delighted over hearing the news. Even though Sophia had known about it for a while, John only knew about it a day ago. Thus, he wanted to share this warm and fuzzy feeling he felt with everyone. After going into their room, he called Logan. ¡°Are you in the middle of something now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in a game session with the guys in my club. No money involved.¡± When John heard that reply, he invited Logan over for lunch and said they were a group. Being a party lover, Logan dismissed the game session right away. ¡°Be right there!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 678 Chapter 678 John hung up, and Sophia¡¯s phone rang. At the same time, Matilda was sitting beside her, and she stared down to look at the phone on the table to see who the caller was. ¡°Fabian?¡± She was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re still keeping in touch with him?¡± Then, she smacked herself on the head. ¡°Oh yeah! The ckwells¡¯ matriarch likes you, doesn¡¯t she?¡± Matilda frowned at Sophia. ¡°If memory serves me right, the Third ckwell Family has adopted you, so Fabian¡¯s your brother, isn¡¯t he?¡± Sophia sipped some water and picked her phone up. ¡°You can say that.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Matilda clicked her tongue and looked at Sophia judgmentally. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you lucky? The ckwells have no taste, I see.¡± Sophia sneered. ¡°Well, I think their taste is exquisite. Why don¡¯t you learn from them? It might help you, you know.¡± She smacked her lips. ¡°Everyone except you likes me. I think that says more about you than them.¡± After saying that, she turned to Robin. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Robin pretended not to hear them. Matilda pouted. ¡°I bet you¡¯re gloating because that young man likes you.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Yeah. I have a lot of suitors, and you know it. Your son is only one of them, and I can totally date someone else.¡± John, who was at the side, paused. ¡°Don¡¯t drag me into your fight.¡± Matilda rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You should have won her over a long time ago, brat. I wouldn¡¯t have to bicker with her if you managed it.¡± John gave Lincoln a look. ¡°See how scary women can be?¡± Lincoln smiled. ¡°I think they share a good rtionship. At least your life won¡¯t be boring.¡± Really? John looked back at them. Well, at least it¡¯s better than what they used to be. Sophia read Fabian¡¯s text. ¡®What¡¯s up? How¡¯s it looking?¡¯ Sophia then told him that John knew about her pregnancy now, and she sent him her location, asking if he¡¯d like to have lunch together. ¡®Sure,¡¯ he replied instantly. ¡®I¡¯m just around the corner, so I¡¯ll be right there.¡¯ Well, this is going to be merry. If Ian coulde along as well, then everyone close to her would be here. The thought of Ian upset Sophia a little though. It¡¯s a shame. Fabian and Logan came at the same time, and they bumped into one another in the lobby, so they came into the room at the same time. They were going to greet Sophia, but the sight of Matilda stunned them. They never met Matilda in the flesh, but her infamy preceded her. She wasn¡¯t bad per se, but everyone who talked to her knew she had an¡­ interesting personality. Kate and Belinda would often talk about Matilda whenever they chatted, so Fabian had more or less heard of Matilda¡¯s stories from Kate. Never once did they expect to see Matilda chatting so happily with Sophia, so they looked at each other. Are we dreaming? Lunch was already underway, but they didn¡¯t order much so that Fabian and Logan could order what they wanted to eat as well. Sophia rang for the waitstaff, and Fabian picked up the menu. ¡°What¡¯s up with John? He looks happy,¡± Logan asked. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 679 Chapter 679 He stared at John. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you so happy. What¡¯s the asion?¡± John nced at Sophia, who was holding her ss quietly, pretending not to hear Logan¡¯s question. After Fabian was done with his order, he handed Logan the menu. ¡°Make your order. You can talk about thister.¡± Logan grunted and was distracted by the menu. When the waiter came to take the menus back after their orders were done, Logan had already forgotten about what he wanted to ask. He took a sip from his ss and turned to Lincoln, who was seated beside Robin. ¡°You¡¯re here too? Look at you two. What a lovely couple.¡± Already used to talking with these bigshots, Lincoln smiled. ¡°Well, I have nothing to do, so I came to see her.¡± Robin pursed her lips and smiled sheepishly. ¡°He came to help because I was busy.¡± Logan clicked his tongue. ¡°This is what ady in love should look like. I¡¯ve never seen her blush for anyone.¡± Then, he looked at Sophia. ¡°She never did, did she?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Yeah. She never did, no matter who the suitor was.¡± Robin scratched her head and chuckled, looking at John from the corner of her eyes. In response, John merely smiled without knowing anything. Robin sighed quietly. It¡¯s fine this way. I suppose I¡¯m fine with it as well. Logan startedining after he was done teasing Robin, and of course, it was about the Morgans. ¡°Sally¡¯s case is settled. She¡¯s sued for intentional assault. The victim¡¯s discharged, but from the results of her checkup, Sally¡¯s going to be behind bars for months.¡± John smiled. ¡°Her anger got the better of her because she saw me.¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Logan gave him a thumbs up, then he talked about Ian. Lately, Sophia didn¡¯t watch thepetition Ian took part in. She wasn¡¯t in her best condition these days, and because she didn¡¯t know what to feel about Ian, Sophia stopped watching the show. ¡°The elimination round is starting next week,¡± Logan said. ¡°The management¡¯s decided who¡¯s going to be kicked. Well, that¡¯s the case for talent shows like this.¡± The management would decide the ones to be kicked in the early stage, leaving only a few popr ones in the endgame. The decision would be reached based on the audience¡¯s reaction. Logan was a simple man. He didn¡¯t know about theplex rtionship between John, Sophia and Ian, but even if he did, he didn¡¯t think too much about it. Then, Logan told them about his phone call with Ian. From what he heard, Ian seemed to be upset, presumably because of the stress from the competition. Sophia said nothing, while John pursed his lips. Failing to read the room, Logan continued, ¡°Ian¡¯s usually the calm guy here, so I wonder what happened to him. He sounded upset when we talked. He even told me he wants to end thispetition as soon as possible.¡± Lincoln was also watching the show Ian was in, and he chimed in, ¡°I think it¡¯s going to end soon anyway. The production team paced it nicely. It¡¯s fast-paced, and they don¡¯t drag it on.¡± Logan was delighted about Lincoln¡¯s praise. ¡°Quality over quantity, I always say. This is how you catch the audience¡¯s attention.¡± ¡°Yeah. And I saw Ian too,¡± Lincoln continued. ¡°He¡¯s a natural, and most of the audience loves him.¡± Overjoyed that someone was praising Ian, Logan made small talk with Ian. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 680 Chapter 680 Sophia smiled all the while. Even after what had happened, she wanted Ian to live a happy life. Meanwhile, John looked at her but said nothing when she showed no change in emotion. There was scarcely any reason obsessing over that matter at this point. He didn¡¯t think Sophia would go away now that she was pregnant. Everyone stopped talking and dug in when lunch was served, and John¡¯s mood became better at the thought of the baby. He even ordered some wine, much to the worry of some people there. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to drive me back if I get too drunk,¡± he said. Sophia frowned. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call Zack over?¡± To that, John smiled. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have time for us now that he¡¯s dating. And I don¡¯t think we should disturb him.¡± Sophia knew Zack had someone he liked, but she never did ask him about the progress. Zack¡¯s a reliable guy. He¡¯s a prankster sometimes, but reliable nheless. Being the party animal, Logan would drink whenever and wherever he liked, so he poured himself a ss the moment he took the wine. When he was about to give Sophia some, Matilda stopped him. ¡°She can¡¯t have that for now. Her condition forbids it.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Logan froze. When he heard that, he looked at Sophia for a moment, confused, then he realized what Matilda meant. ¡°True, true. Your belly¡¯s acting up, so stay away from alcohol.¡± Robin didn¡¯t know Sophia was pregnant, so she huddled closer. ¡°Are you still unwell?¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°A bit, but it¡¯s fine.¡± Robin gave her a worried look. ¡°You have to take care of yourself. Gastric problems aren¡¯t to be joked around. You don¡¯t want it to worsen.¡± Sophia merely responded with a nod as she smiled. Fabian sipped from his ss of wine and gave Sophia a faint smile. When Sophia looked back, she raised her ss and gesticted at him, then she finished her drink. After that, Fabian turned to John. ¡°You¡¯ve been taking care of Sophia well. Are you nning on courting her again?¡± John said honestly, ¡°I am working on it, but she¡¯s not making it easy.¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°Go on then. Tell them how hard you¡¯re having it.¡± John looked at her and went back to drinking. Matilda clicked her tongue. ¡°What a coward.¡± Logan¡¯s eyes widened in shock at Matilda¡¯s response. She¡¯s getting less haughty now, huh? This is really unexpected. Matilda ignored Logan¡¯s reaction and only looked at John. Even though he was her son, she was disgusted at how he was acting. However, she was reminded of William. He¡¯s just like his father. William acted the same way back then. Since Sophia had ate breakfast, she only had a few bites before putting her knife and fork down. Matilda was concerned. ¡°Are these not to your liking? I¡¯ll get some other dish for you.¡± Sophia wiped her lips. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not too hungry, so this is enough. Can¡¯t have too much.¡± Matilda paused. ¡°Alright then. Tell Ms. Cannon to make some soup for you when you get home. She¡¯s a master in soup brewing. Remember the one I gave youst time? She made that one.¡± Sophia remembered it, and it was indeed delicious, so she nodded. ¡°Sure. I love the soup she makes.¡± Matilda and Robin stopped eating after a short while, leaving only the men digging in. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 681 Chapter 681 A short whileter, Sophia was ovee by nausea. Her stomach was churning, presumably because of the food, and she had an urge to belch. She stood up a momentter. ¡°You guys carry on. I¡¯ll be getting some fresh air outside.¡± Instantly, Matilda knew what was going on, so she stood up. ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡± Robin got up after a moment as well. ¡°Count me in. The guys can have their own fun while we have our girl talk.¡± When they exited the room, Sophia trotted to the front door. She took a few deep breaths, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t hold it in and dry retched. Matilda patted her back and whispered, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine in a couple of months. The second trimester will be better. You can go around and do your own stuff.¡± Robin was about to help Sophia too, but she froze after hearing what Matilda had said. ¡°Y-You¡¯re pregnant, Sophia?¡± Matilda answered for Sophia, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s the first month, so she¡¯s going through a lot.¡± Robin stopped walking toward her, and she smiled a momentter. ¡°Congrattions! I was wondering why Mr. Constance was looking so happy, so this is why.¡± Matilda kept patting Sophia¡¯s back. ¡°Yeah. He finally has a chance now.¡± Tears were already streaming down Sophia¡¯s face as she continued to retch. Then, she stood up and breathed in. ¡°So this is how it feels. I don¡¯t like it.¡± Matilda tutted. ¡°You must have had it hard when you went back to your home alone.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia forced a smile. ¡°I was fine. These symptoms weren¡¯t as serious back then.¡± Robin stared at the pale Sophia for a while and smiled. ¡°Having a baby must be nice.¡± Meanwhile, the men were having a long lunch, and Sophia was getting sleepy halfway through. Matilda felt concerned for her, so she told John before taking Sophia home. Since they were leaving, Robin wasn¡¯t going to stay either. She looked at Lincoln, who was happily chatting with the men. As he was already getting to know everyone, Robin said she was going back to the store. ¡°You carry on here.¡± She didn¡¯t want to be a party pooper. Backed by liquid courage, Lincoln held Robin boldly in front of everyone for the first time. ¡°Have a safe trip. I¡¯lle over in a minute.¡± He was smiling as he talked. Robin looked back at him and took a furtive nce at John, but John didn¡¯t look at her; he was chatting with Fabian. Even though he had some wine, John still looked as sober as ever. A momentter, Robin turned back to Lincoln. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting then.¡± Sophia and Matilda were waiting for her at the front door. When she saw them, she smiled at them and held Sophia¡¯s other arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go. And be careful, you.¡± They sent Robin back to the store before going home. Before Robin got out of the car, she looked back at Sophia. ¡°Rest up, Sophia,¡± she said softly. ¡°Leave everything here to me. I¡¯ll handle everything; I promise.¡± Sophia replied softly, ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve always trusted you. We¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we?¡± Robin froze for a second before she nodded. ¡°Yes, we are.¡± After she was gone, Sophia leaned back on her seat and closed her eyes. She was about to fall asleep when Matilda chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re dealing with,¡± she said mysteriously. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 682 Chapter 682 Bogged down by her sleepiness, she could only hear Matilda vaguely. ¡°Hmm?¡± she asked nasally. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Matilda looked outside. ¡°Nothing. You take a rest now. I¡¯ll wake you up when we get home.¡± She looked at the rear-view mirror, staring at the store that was slowly bing a dot in the distance. At least Robin knows what she should and shouldn¡¯t do. The moment they got home, Sophia went to her room groggily. She couldn¡¯t remember how she got into her bed, but she slept eventually. Equally exhausted, Matilda told Ms. Cannon what they would like for dinner before retiring to her room. Matilda¡¯s phone rang after she got into her room, much to her surprise. Since she seldom received calls, her phone was like a useless piece of essory. She took her pajamas and looked at who the caller was, and she smiled. Isabelle, huh? She called Isabelle a lot a while ago, and every time she took it, Isabelle would decline further discussion, saying that she was busy every time. So she isn¡¯t busy now, huh? Well, I suppose she¡¯s indeed pretty free when she has the time to go shopping with her mother. Matilda didn¡¯t take her call the first time, and after she changed into her pajamas, Isabelle called for the second time. It was then she slowly took the call. ¡°Oh, Isabelle. What do you need?¡± she asked, her tone as usual. ¡°Hi, Mrs. Constance. I was wondering if you cane for dinner with us tonight,¡± she chirped. Compared to how she kept declining Matildabefore this, Isabelle sounded so much more rxed in this call. Matilda smiled. ¡°I see you¡¯re done with your busy schedule.¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°Not yet, but I took a day off because I¡¯ve overworked myself.¡± Matilda grunted and said nothing more. After a moment, Isabelle asked, ¡°I was surprised to see you guys together when I went to shop for some clothes with my mom. John and Sophia seem to be getting along really well now.¡± Matilda grunted again. ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t stop them now. They¡¯re inseparable.¡± Then, she sighed. ¡°I really wanted you to be John¡¯s wife. Sophia¡¯s background is just rotten. They¡¯re not on the same level. But since they¡¯re getting along really well now, I won¡¯t break them up anymore. Don¡¯t want to get into a fight with John, you see.¡± Isabelle couldn¡¯t fan the mes anymore, not after what Matilda told her. From what she said, Matilda was essentially giving the green light for that rtionship. A whileter, Isabelle chuckled. ¡°I see.¡± Her tone didn¡¯t betray any emotional changes. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think I can go for dinner tonight. Sophia wants me over at her ce, and I promised her I would go. John¡¯s there too, and you know my rtionship with him is tense. This is a good chance to relieve it. Why don¡¯t we meet up some other time, hmm?¡± Matilda said. She was giving Isabelle a taste of her own medicine, and it felt oddly great. After all, Matilda wasn¡¯t known for her kindness or forgivingness. Even though she told herself not to mind Isabelle¡¯s continued rejections, she¡¯d be lying if she said she didn¡¯t care. She did mind it; a lot. Isabelle nodded, still sounding happy. ¡°Oh, okay. Sure, I can do that.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 683 Chapter 683 She even added, ¡°I¡¯ll finish my work as soon as possible, then I¡¯ll have some free time. Tell me when you want to meet, Mrs. Constance. We didn¡¯t even get to talk today, and honestly, it has been bugging me.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Matilda replied ¡®happily¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we met up. We have to catch up sometime over a meal.¡± Then, she nodded. ¡°Yeap, we really should.¡± Isabelle didn¡¯t say much after Matilda¡¯s rejection. Before hanging up, she made some small talk, and Matilda put her phone down slowly. Then, she smiled. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. She only had a guess before this that Isabelle was using her, much to her disappointment. After taking her call, Matilda was beyond disappointed; she was furious. If Isabelle hadn¡¯t seen her together with John and Sophia, she wouldn¡¯t have made the call. She only called me because I am useful to her again. What a scheming girl. Matilda put her phone on the table andy on her bed, staring at the ceiling for a while before finally going to sleep. John only came back after a long while. At that time, Sophia was snugly asleep when she felt someone hugging her, then the stench of alcohol assaulted her. Displeased, she pushed him away. John called her name in a drunken stupor. ¡°I¡¯m really, really happy.¡± Sophia squinted at John, who was flushed. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± John closed his eyes. ¡°Mmh¡­ About what?¡± She hissed, ¡°How did I get pregnant anyway?¡± This was the question she had been asking herself over thest couple of days whenever she had free time. Her periods were usually on schedule, so she only had raw sex on her safe days. Even though it wasn¡¯t the safest, she thought luck would be on her side; not this time though. She was a stubborn woman, but no matter what she did, she couldn¡¯t figure out how this happened. A short whileter, John said, ¡°How else? I pumped hard, so you got knocked up.¡± She turned around and pushed his hand away. ¡°I mean, I take the pill, and even when I don¡¯t, it¡¯s still on my safe day, so how¡­¡± Every time she thought about this matter, Sophia would think about the times they had sex, and her memory would get jumbled up. For some reason, she thought something else happened that night, but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on it. John chuckled andy on his back with his eyes closed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to think about that. The kid¡¯s mine anyway.¡± She stirred, still unwilling to let go of the issue. With her back facing John, she said, ¡°But I don¡¯t understand. When did I do it with you?¡± The alcohol was already working its magic, and John was about to fall asleep, so he let slip what he had been hiding. ¡°I think it¡¯s that time when you¡¯re drunk. I went to pick you up, and we did it a few times that night. Must be because of that.¡± Sophia froze and quickly turned back to him. ¡°What? But that day was¡­¡± She was getting slower these days, so it took her a while to realize what he was talking about. No wonder Ian got so odd after that. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 684 Chapter 684 That day, she saw Ian¡¯s busted phone in the yard. After Sophia gave it some thought, everything finally made sense. That day, she also found the sheet in the washing machine, cleaned but not dried. When Sophia called John to ask about this, he only said it was because she puked all over it, so Sophia didn¡¯t think much about it. How could he?! I trusted him! This b*stard! Her face fell, and she sat up slowly. A storm was raging within her, but she yed it calm. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, the room should have been messed up, but it wasn¡¯t, and you never told me about this.¡± Since he was asleep, Sophia shoved him. ¡°Why did you pretend nothing happened after that? Tell me.¡± She tried her best to sound calm. John grabbed her hand by reflex. ¡°Calm down, Sophia,¡± he told her. Calm down?! I-I¡­ She jumped out of bed and red at him. Calm down? I feel like killing you right now! If he had told her what he did that night, she would have taken a morning after pill instead of letting it slide. She never wanted his baby. Even though it was regrettable they didn¡¯t have one when they were married, the baby still shouldn¡¯t exist now that they were divorced. Sophia took a deep breath and looked around for something, then she picked up a pillow and tried to suffocate John with it. However, John reacted quickly. Noticing theck of air, he quickly pulled the pillow off his face and threw it away. Sophia, being the weaker one, couldn¡¯t do anything about it. He sat up, frowning, then he realized Sophia was the one suffocating him. ¡°Sophia? What are you doing?¡± He was confused. Sophia gritted her teeth, and a whileter, she spat, ¡°You b*stard.¡± John didn¡¯t remember what he said earlier. He was too overjoyed, so he had a lot to drink. All he could remember was falling asleep, and nothing of the conversation with Sophia registered in his mind. Sophia was looking gloomy. After she glowered for a while, she stormed out of the room, leaving John bbergasted. A short whileter, he went to look outside the window, and he saw Sophia in the yard, her arms crossed, and she looked angry. Then, he went down. The alcohol was disorienting him, and he was wobbling, but he was worried about Sophia. Sophia could hear himing up to her when he came to the living room, so she turned to him. ¡°Don¡¯t come here, you b*stard. How dare you?¡± John closed his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? We can talk it out.¡± Talk it out? Talk what out? You tricked me, you b*stard! N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Ms. Cannon came up to them when she heard themotion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, John? You¡¯re arguing with Sophia? You should take a step back, you know. She¡¯s pregnant.¡± John nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll take a step back.¡± After saying that, he turned back to Sophia. ¡°What happened? I won¡¯t know what I did wrong if you won¡¯t tell. Come here and talk, okay?¡± ¡°Scram!¡± she barked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you, so go back upstairs and don¡¯t get in my sight!¡± With that, she turned back and ignored him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 685 Chapter 685 John and Ms. Cannon looked at each other. Then, Ms. Cannon gave him a look that said, ¡®Go upstairs.¡¯ She also mouthed, ¡®I¡¯ll deal with her.¡¯ Bogged down by alcohol, John went back up to take a rest. Ms. Cannon came up to Sophia. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sophia? Fighting with John again? Did he upset you? Tell me what he did. I¡¯ll teach him a lesson for you.¡± There was no way Sophia would tell her that. She couldn¡¯t tell anyone about an issue this intimate, so she shook her head after thinking about it. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Ms. Cannon held her hand. ¡°You¡¯re pregnant now, so you shouldn¡¯t hold everything in. Your baby will know what you¡¯re feeling. It¡¯ll be upset if you are, and that won¡¯t be good for its growth.¡± Sophia caressed her belly and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down, but to no avail. All she wanted to do was kill John. Before this, she thought he was simply brazen, but after what he told her in his stupor, Sophia thought he was disgustingly shameless. After John went upstairs, he went to the windowsill and looked outside. Ms. Cannon was talking to her, but Sophia said nothing. John licked his lips. Did I say anything I shouldn¡¯t? I don¡¯t think so¡­ John couldn¡¯t imagine anything would make Sophia this livid. A short whileter, Ms. Cannon took Sophia in, and John heaved a sigh of relief. Thus, he went back to the bed and went to sleep, feeling groggy. At the same time, Matilda got up and stretched her arms before going down. Then, she saw Sophia on the sofa, sulking, looking like she wanted to pick a bone with her. She arched her eyebrow and went up to her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you trying to pick a bone with me?¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°What a son you have.¡± Matilda gasped. Oh, so it¡¯s about John? She went up to Sophia. ¡°What happened? Did John upset you?¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophia looked up at her and snorted once more. John only woke up when night had fallen, and the first thing he did was to take a bath. When he came down, thedies were nowhere to be found. He searched the first floor and the yard, but they were nowhere to be seen. ¡°Sophia? Mom? Ms. Cannon?¡± he called out to them in the living room, but the answer he got was an echo. He tried to call Sophia, but she didn¡¯t pick it up. Then, he tried to call his mother, but to no avail as well. After his failed attempts, John went to the kitchen and noticed everything was cold. Obviously, nobody made any dinner, and he smiled. Based on how Sophia was treating me, I think they must be trying to teach me a lesson now. Thus, he went back to the living room and turned on the TV before sitting on the sofa. Thedies came backte that night. John noticed they were smiling, and they were holding bags and bags of items. When they came in, Matilda looked at John. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake. You looked like you were sound asleep, so we didn¡¯t wake you up. We already had dinner, so you¡¯ll have to settle it yourself.¡± Matilda was wearing a polka dot dress, and it made her look younger. Instead of tying her hair up in a bun, she had it in a ponytail. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 686 Chapter 686 She looked like apletely different person, like she was a healthier and younger version of herself. Ignoring John¡¯s reaction, she went to put her shopping bags on the coffee table. Obviously, they went to the mall and got a lot of snacks. Matilda picked a couple and handed it to Sophia and Ms. Cannon. ¡°Here. I think these are fine.¡± John smiled. ¡°I tried to call youdies.¡± Matilda grunted. ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t hear it.¡± John didn¡¯t mind her remark. ¡°So youdies had dinner? What did you have?¡± Ms. Cannon answered, ¡°Barbecue. It was delicious.¡± John nodded at them. ¡°I¡¯ll get delivery then.¡± Then, he took his phone out and told Matilda, ¡°You look great today. A lot better than how you used to be.¡± Matilda was caught by surprise, and she was going to smile, but she stopped herself in time. ¡°I¡¯ve always looked good,¡± she huffed. John looked at Matilda and Sophia before turning to Ms. Cannon. However, Ms. Cannon went to the kitchen and loaded the fridge with the things they bought, and she didn¡¯t look at him. Thus, John looked away and called for his delivery before looking at Sophia. She didn¡¯t even look at him aftering back, and her expression was gloomy all the while. Since he was sitting on the sofa, she went to the hanging chair with her pack of snacks in hand. A short whileter, John asked, ¡°Where did youdies go? The mall?¡± Nobody answered, but John expected this, so he didn¡¯t feel awkward. All he did was smile and keep silent after that. Sophia had some snacks before going upstairs, and after she was gone, John hurriedly asked Matilda. ¡°What happened? What did you guys talk about?¡± Matilda pursed her lips, but she gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Good job, son. Yeah, what you did was scummy, but I have to say you did well.¡± Matilda¡¯s answer only confused him more, but she didn¡¯t exin. After tidying up her items, she went upstairs too. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. John breathed deeply and went to the kitchen. At that moment, Ms. Cannon was putting the frozen food in the freezer and cleaning the kitchen up. ¡°Did you guys talk about something behind my back?¡± John stared at Ms. Cannon. Ms. Cannon didn¡¯t look at him. ¡°What? No. I don¡¯t know anything at all.¡± John smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know what¡¯s going on.¡± On the other hand, Matilda went to Sophia¡¯s bedroom instead of her own. Sophia was sitting on her bed, still fuming. Even though they had chatted all the way, it still failed to calm her down. Matilda let out a sigh and sat beside her. ¡°Calm down. You can¡¯t change the past, and you aren¡¯t going to abort the baby because of this either, are you? If you can¡¯t change it, why don¡¯t you ept it?¡± Sophia pouted. ¡°He¡¯s your son. Of course you¡¯re helping him.¡± Matilda¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Didn¡¯t I defend you when we had dinner earlier? Did you forget about it?¡± Sophia looked at her through the corner of her eyes. ¡°Look at what your son did. If it weren¡¯t for this, he might already be dating Isabelle right now.¡± Matilda gasped. ¡°Why are you mentioning her? Let¡¯s not bring an outsider into this. I admit I was bad at recognizing people for who they are, and I wanted John to date her because shees from a good family, so she can help his career, but now I know she¡¯s just a scheming wench. I¡¯m already helping you, aren¡¯t I? If you¡¯re going to dwell on the past, then I¡¯ll have to do the same.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 687 Chapter 687 Matilda sat before her. ¡°You kicked me in my belly and pped me. How about that?¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Sophia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You asked for it! You want to hold me responsible for that? Fine. Then let¡¯s talk about how you bullied me for almost a year.¡± Matilda looked at her for a long while and stood up. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m the adult here, so I¡¯m not gonna argue with you. I¡¯ll forgive you for the sake of my grandchild.¡± Then she went out. Sophia gritted her teeth, then sheughed. Matilda can be really adorable sometimes. If she had always been this way, John and I wouldn¡¯t havee to this. Sophia sighed. John had his supper and a smoke before going up. Sophia was taking a bath, so he went to look at the ultrasonography report. Nice. When she came out and saw him looking at her report, her anger red, and she sneered. John looked up at her. ¡°When¡¯s your next checkup? I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Sophia scoffed. ¡°Why? It has nothing to do with you.¡± John put the report down. I need to get this message across now. He looked at her seriously. ¡°I know I¡¯ve done you wrong in the past, Sophia, but I swear I¡¯ll treat you better. Since we have a baby now, why don¡¯t we get married?¡± Sophia looked like John had cracked the world¡¯s funniest joke. ¡°Marry you? But why? I can raise the baby on my own.¡± John frowned. ¡°You want the baby to grow up without its father?¡± Sophia paused. ¡°You¡¯re not dead, so why won¡¯t it have a father? Are you saying you¡¯re not its dad because we aren¡¯t married?¡± For a moment, John was at a loss for words. He stood up and looked down at her. ¡°You don¡¯t want to marry me?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Yeah. Didn¡¯t I make it obvious?¡± John licked his lips. ¡°You don¡¯t want to remarry me even when you have a baby? I can understand that if it¡¯s before this, and I can even ept it, but now? What are you thinking, Sophia?¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°No, what are you thinking? Just because I don¡¯t want to remarry you doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m out of my mind.¡± Pivoting, she went to the windowsill. ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh. You aren¡¯t the only man in the world, and I won¡¯t marry a b*stard like you. If I do, you¡¯d probably try to take me for a ride. That¡¯s not what I want.¡± John turned back to her. ¡°What? Why would you say that? Haven¡¯t I been sincere enough?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to talk about that. On the way back, Matilda told her exining this would be pointless, for it wouldn¡¯t calm her down. If she had that kind of time, Matilda told her she should be Matilda could be annoying at times, but she had a point. She couldn¡¯t change the reality of her pregnancy no matter what, so exnations were useless. She looked back at John. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about that, and I want to sleep now. No, I¡¯m not going to sleep in the same room as you, so get out.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 688 Chapter 688 John was surprised she¡¯d change her attitude so quickly. Sophia was still calm during lunch, but she changed after he came back, and she even tried to suffocate him. He went up to her. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked softly. ¡°Did I upset you? Tell me.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Think long and hard about it. Think about everything you did to me.¡± Then she remembered a piece of news she saw where John took ady along with him to spend the night. Damn it. I shouldn¡¯t think about this. The more I think about it, the worse this guy bes. Yeah, he has to exin this, too. Frustrated, Sophia shoved his arm away and chased him out of her room, then she locked the door. She stood behind it angrily for a while before going back to bed. Even though she was furious, it didn¡¯t take long for her to fall asleep, but she woke up in the dead of the night, because someone was beside her. She didn¡¯t even need to open her eyes to know who it was. Nobody could be more brazen than John. After they had lunch the next day, Matilda took Sophia out for a stroll, though they only walked on the pavement slowly. Matilda asked her how the conversation went, and Sophia answered weakly, ¡°Your son¡¯s a jerk.¡± Matilda nodded. ¡°I hope your son won¡¯t turn out like his father.¡±Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Hearing this, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. She was about to tease Matilda, but before she could say anything, a car stopped beside them. Someone rolled down the window, then Isabelle greeted, ¡°Hello, Ms. Flintstone, Ms. Gwendolyn. What are the odds?¡± Sophia almost couldn¡¯t recognize her because of the sunsses she was wearing. Matilda was standing nearer to the road, and she smiled at Isabelle. ¡°Oh, Isabelle. Fancy seeing you here. Out to meet your client?¡± ¡°No.¡± She smiled. ¡°I was sending my brother to his tuition ss, so I¡¯m going back now.¡± Matilda nodded but said nothing, then Isabelle looked at Sophia. ¡°I first saw Ms. Gwendolyn, but I didn¡¯t expect Ms. Flintstone to be here as well. And I thought I had the wrong person.¡± Matilda smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying here for a while. Come over when you have time.¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°Can do. You guys are taking a stroll, aren¡¯t you? Then I¡¯ll be going now. I still have some business to settle.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Matilda replied, then Isabelle rolled her car window up before driving away. Since nobody could see her now, Isabelle¡¯s expression turned gloomy. She had seen them a while ago and started tailing them, so she saw them chatting happily. They got this close without me knowing? She¡¯d be lying if she said this didn¡¯t sting. Even though she thought lowly of Matilda and only saw her as a stupid troublemaker, she was still John¡¯s mother. Now that she was taking Sophia¡¯s side, Isabelle felt frustrated. Thus, she drove back in anger. When she got home, Isabelle went upstairs without greeting anyone. Elder Mr. Bailey looked at her and chuckled. ¡°Seems like she¡¯s riled up again.¡± Old Mr. Bailey nodded. ¡°She¡¯s not contacting Johntely because she wants to see how he reacts, but John didn¡¯t call back either, not even when work is involved. His assistant¡¯s handling it for him. Thanks to that, she hasn¡¯t been in a good mood, and I guess something must have happened earlier. She¡¯s throwing a tantrum just likest time.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 689 Chapter 689 Elder Mr. Bailey sighed. ¡°She is a girl after all, so she¡¯d be swayed by her emotions.¡± He continued, ¡°Looks like we can¡¯t count on her to help Dexter.¡± Old Mr. Bailey didn¡¯t say anything, and his father squinted at him. ¡°We should do this ourselves.¡± A long whileter, Old Mr. Bailey nodded. On the other hand, Sophia and Matilda strolled for a while longer before going back. ¡°Did you see? Isabelle looked like she was smiling, but she was upset,¡± Sophia said. Matilda giggled. ¡°Is that so? I didn¡¯t know.¡± Sophia looked at her. ¡°Odd. What¡¯s going on between you two? Are you guys fighting?¡± ¡°No.¡± Matilda looked at her through the corner of her eye. ¡°And you make us sound like kids. I just think that maybe Isabelle isn¡¯t what I think she is. How should I put this? I think she¡¯s more¡­plicated than I give her credit for. But I¡¯m not saying this is wrong. Nobody¡¯s really naive, you know, but she disappointed me.¡± Sophia nodded. Wait, we¡¯re straying from the topic. ¡°Well, you¡¯re naive. You don¡¯t even know where you went wrong.¡± Matilda red at her. ¡°Hey. Do you want my help in teaching John a lesson or not?¡±Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Sophia grinned and went up to hold her arm. ¡°Okay, okay, sorry. You¡¯re the most scheming of all. Happy?¡± That wasn¡¯t exactly apliment, so Matilda gave it a long thought, but she eventually nodded. ¡°Fine. Apology epted.¡± When they got home, John was talking to Zack on the phone. From the way he was talking, the matter they were talking about seemed serious. Since she wasn¡¯t going to talk to him, Sophia went upstairs. When he saw her, John told Zack they¡¯d talk about this when they met, then they made an appointment to meet up at thepany. When he hung up, Matilda asked, ¡°Going out, are you?¡± John nodded. ¡°Yeah. I have to handle some business.¡± Matilda grunted. ¡°Will you being back for lunch? We won¡¯t be waiting if you aren¡¯t.¡± John stared at her. Not only was Matilda getting close to Sophia, but she was treating him differently. Even though she was annoying, she loved John. No matter where or when, she was nice to him, but now she sounded like she didn¡¯t want him anywhere in the house. John took a deep breath and approached her. ¡°What happened to Sophia? Tell me.¡± Matilda snorted and rolled her eyes. ¡°You should know what you did. Why ask me? I promised Sophia I won¡¯t tell, so think about it on your own. Ask her if you can¡¯t figure it out. Don¡¯t ask me.¡± As soon as she finished, Matilda was about to go upstairs, but John held her arm. ¡°Why did you be so close to Sophia, Mom? I thought you hated her. Is it because of her baby?¡± Matilda pulled her hand back. ¡°What? Are you worried I might bully her again after she gives birth? She¡¯s so much more important than I am, isn¡¯t she?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 690 Chapter 690 When John was about to exin, Matilda said, ¡°Yes, I used to dislike her. Her family can¡¯t help you in your career, and Isabelle looks so smart, and her family¡¯s great. If she marries you, your life would be easier, or so I thought. I admit I changed in the first ce because of her pregnancy, but the more I talk to her, the more I think she¡¯s a nicedy. I thought she was clinging onto you because of money, but now I know you¡¯re clinging onto her. Yes, her temper¡¯s a problem, but she¡¯s not evil, nor does she scheme or trick anyone. Aside from her background, there¡¯s nothing wrong with her. And well, the rest is history.¡± Relieved, John nodded. ¡°It¡¯s great that you two can get along. Makes my life easier.¡± Matilda snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down. I won¡¯t be too sure if your life will be easier.¡± Then she waved him down. ¡°You do your stuff. I¡¯ll be going up now.¡± Before Matilda went up, John asked, ¡°I¡¯ll be going to the residence tonight, so I might be seeing Dad. Do you have anything you want me to tell him?¡± Matilda paused, then she looked back. ¡°Nope. Nothing at all.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it, and really, I shouldn¡¯t be forcing this rtionship. I should be living my life first.¡± It was hard, but eventually Matilda got over it. She used to be someone who¡¯d obsess over every little thing, and after her divorce with William, she had been living her life numbly. However, after getting along with Sophia and observing how boldly she led her life, her eyes were open to new vistas previously vague to her. She should have understood it given her age, but still she remained childish until she got along with Sophia. When she thought about what she was like before, Matilda would get embarrassed. I wonder how they saw me then. Looking at Matilda, John nodded. ¡°Sure. I understand.¡± Matilda then went upstairs. ¡°If you see him, don¡¯t mention me at all if possible.¡± William probably has nothing but bad memories of me. John drove to thepany, and Zack was already waiting in his office. When he saw John, Zack handed him a document. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± John took it. ¡°A name list? How did you get it?¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Zack nodded. ¡°Husky did it. You know, the guy you introduced. He¡¯s working as a debt collector in the shadow bank. This is the list of debt collectors and errand workers of the bank. He needs to have some clearance before getting the list of the management.¡± John read through the list, but he recognized none of the names, so he put the document down. ¡°Alright. Any other development?¡± Zack nodded. ¡°Roselia brought news. She said she hooked up with a guy whose brother is working in the shadow bank. Then the guy said the shadow bank is just a pretext. They have another business in the shadows, pun not intended, and it¡¯s running well. But even the mention of the shadow bank struck fear into the guy¡¯s heart. He told Roselia to not ask anything rting to it, and that she should steer clear of his brother if she ever saw him. ¡®Don¡¯t mention anything about the shadow bank,¡¯ he said.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 691 Chapter 691 Zack sighed. ¡°Roselia said she¡¯d try to hook up with his brother, and then there¡¯s this.¡± He handed John a photo. ¡°Roselia gave me this, but she didn¡¯t say much. Probably wants us to look into this guy.¡± John took a look at the photo and noticed a serious-looking guy in it. ¡°Got it.¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to look into this.¡± Zack gave John a look. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s safe for her to hook up with someone from the shadow bank. It might be dangerous.¡± John snorted. ¡°She¡¯s smart, so don¡¯t worry about her. If anything crops up, she¡¯s going to be the first to leave.¡± Zack stared at him. We¡¯re digressing. ¡°Roselia sounds different whenever she talks about you. You sure you didn¡¯t do anything with her?¡± John gave him a look. ¡°Focus on your work, not gossip.¡± Unwilling to give up, Zack grinned. ¡°Last question. This has been bugging me for a long time now, and I really want to know the answer.¡± John looked at him impatiently. ¡°Why do you have so many questions?¡± Zack chuckled, and without caring if John would answer, he asked, ¡°Did nothing happen that day? I don¡¯t buy it. We¡¯re both guys, so tell me the truth, boss. I won¡¯t tell anyone, I promise.¡± John¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°You like Roselia?¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. The question caught him by surprise. ¡°No. I don¡¯t like women like her.¡± John nodded. ¡°If you don¡¯t like her, what makes you think I will?¡± Zack pondered on the answer for a moment and clicked his tongue. ¡°You don¡¯t have to drag me down.¡± On the other hand, Sophia was scrolling through her phone, then she felt like watching the show Ian was in. She missed a few episodes, but Sophia thought he¡¯d be fine, for Ian had always been the calm guy. Sophia searched for clips that only had Ian in them, and she was surprised about his performance. Something¡¯s off. He looks¡­ depressed, and unhappy. Ian used to perform warm and fuzzy love songs, which was closer to his personality, but now he was performing sad love songs, as if he was dumped by someone. However, the change in style suited the audience¡¯s tastes, and his reviews had gotten higher. He had a gentle look, and coupled with his depressed feeling, he was giving off the vibes of a loving but abandoned man. Everyone said they loved the depressed, forlorn Ianpared to his happy self, but not Sophia. She liked Ian more when he smiled. She couldn¡¯t watch it anymore after two videos, so Sophia turned her phone off andy on her bed, sighing. Even if she wasn¡¯t pregnant, Sophia knew she wouldn¡¯t choose Ian as her partner, for she never did feel any romantic love for him. Yes, she liked him, but that was it. Frustrated, Sophia put everything aside and went to sleep. It was a great time for a nap, so she quickly drifted to sleep. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 692 Chapter 692 Sophia slept until dusk, and she was woken up by someone. When she got up groggily, she saw John beside the bed. Held down by her fuzzy mind, she didn¡¯t manage to show her anger yet. ¡°What?¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. John was smiling. ¡°Grandma¡¯s here, and she¡¯s downstairs. Do you want to see her?¡± Sophia grunted, and she slowly sat up while rubbing her face. ¡°Why did shee at this hour?¡± John patted her head. ¡°She said she wants to see you.¡± Sophia paused, then she realized what was happening. ¡°You told her?¡± She frowned at him. Pursing his lips, he said, ¡°No. I told my dad, but he won¡¯t hide something like this from her.¡± Sophia felt like yelling¡ªin fact, she didn¡¯t want too many people knowing about her pregnancy. On the other hand, John looked happy. ¡°Grandma even said she¡¯ll ask a fortune teller in the temple to predict a lucky day for us.¡± Sophia looked up at him, and he answered, ¡°We¡¯ll be registering our marriage then. We didn¡¯t choose well the first time.¡± Sophia almostughed at how ridiculous it was. ¡°My, my, aren¡¯t we confident? You really think I¡¯ll marry you, you shameless b*stard?¡± She shoved him away afterward and went to wash her face, then she tied her hair and went downstairs, not looking at John. Sure enough, Belinda was waiting downstairs with William by her side. Matilda was there, too, but she was sitting a few spaces away from Belinda. Ms. Cannon served some fruits and tea, and Matilda was sipping from her cup. They looked like they were meeting for the first time. Sophia went down slowly. ¡°Hello, Old Mrs. Constance.¡± Belinda quickly looked back at Sophia, then she stared at her belly and beamed. ¡°Take it slow, Sophia. Hold the handrail.¡± Matilda put her cup down. ¡°You guys carry on. I¡¯ll be going out now.¡± She stood up and straightened herself out before exiting the living room. William stood up after Matilda had left. Belinda looked at him and said, ¡°Go.¡± Then William slowly went away. Sophia sat before Belinda. ¡°It¡¯s quitete now. You didn¡¯t have toe.¡± Belinda was beaming so lovingly. ¡°I¡¯m here to see you. William just told me you¡¯re pregnant. So, how do you feel? It must be exhausting for now.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Belinda was liking Sophia more and more. ¡°How long have you been pregnant? A month or so? It¡¯s the hardest part, but once you get past three months, you¡¯ll be back to your normal life. It¡¯ll be better then.¡± Not knowing what to say, Sophia nodded, and Belinda heaved a long sigh. ¡°I thought I¡¯d pass without seeing my great-grandchild, but then I got my wish fulfilled.¡± The mention of this made Sophia think about what John did. That b*stard just does whatever he wants. If it weren¡¯t for him hiding what he did, Sophia wouldn¡¯t even be pregnant. Then John came down and sat beside Sophia. Sophia couldn¡¯t re her temper at John right in front of Belinda, so she held her anger and sat beside him. Belinda looked at John and told Sophia softly, ¡°I¡¯m going to pray in the temple tomorrow and ask the fortune teller to predict a lucky day for you two. Since you have John¡¯s baby, I think you two should remarry. The baby can¡¯t grow up without its father. Do you want another wedding? Or something else? You can decide.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 693 Chapter 693 Sophia pursed her lips. So he went home to ask for his grandmother¡¯s help, huh? He thinks this will make me give in? Not a chance. A short moment of silenceter, Sophia said, ¡°I won¡¯t remarry. That might happen, but at least it won¡¯t be now. Of course, I¡¯ll give birth to the child, and you cane for visits when you want, but I won¡¯t marry him for the time being.¡± Belinda was taken aback by her answer. ¡°So you won¡¯t marry even at this point? But this child will be born in an iplete family. It¡¯ll stunt his growth. Tell us what you dislike, Sophia. John will change for you.¡± Sophia felt likeughing. Never did she expect the Constances to negotiate with her, not even in her wildest dreams. Subsequently, she took a deep breath. ¡°Nothing, really. But I¡¯d be happy if he can leave me alone.¡± Belinda gave John a disappointed look. ¡°What are you doing? Why is Sophia so angry at you? She doesn¡¯t want to marry you even after she¡¯s pregnant with your baby. You¡¯d better reflect on yourself.¡± John yed along. ¡°Yes, yes, of course. I know I¡¯m in the wrong, and I¡¯ll change. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± Even though they were trying to calm her down, Sophia still looked gloomy. Left with no choice, Belinda changed the subject. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see Matilda here. Are you two getting along?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°She¡¯s here to take care of me, and she¡¯s been nice. We¡¯ve talked about the past, and it¡¯s water under the bridge now.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Belinda murmured. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see her here. Frankly, it gave me quite a shock.¡± At this, John smiled. ¡°Mom changed a lot. She¡¯s getting along with Sophia better now, but stricter on me.¡± Belinda nodded and looked outside. She could see Matilda had changed and was looking younger. When Matilda greeted her earlier, at a nce, she knew she was different from before. Compared to the old her, Matilda looked dignified, or to be exact, distant. For some reason, Belinda thought Matilda was trying to avoid meeting William. She thought Matilda would try to approach him, for all she wanted was to remarry William before this. At the same time, Matilda and William took a stroll on the sidewalk near Sophia¡¯s house. William told Matilda he saw her in the mall a few days ago, and she smiled. ¡°Yeah, I saw you, too.¡± William nodded. ¡°I was there to buy some stuff.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Matilda said. Then silence descended. William was finding it hard to adapt to this silence. Matilda seemed to have grown out of her shell, and she was a totally different person from the one who kept calling him back then. A whileter, William said, ¡°So you¡¯re living with Sophia? I was surprised to see you here.¡± Matilda nodded. So John didn¡¯t tell them about me. ¡°Yeah. At least we have each other here,¡± she said calmly. William chuckled. ¡°So you two have been getting along well, I see.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Matilda turned to face him. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about me. What about you? How¡¯s work?¡± William nodded. ¡°The usual. Nothing different from what I¡¯ve been doing. It¡¯s work, work, work all day, every day.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 694 Chapter 694 Matilda had one question she wanted to ask. ¡°How¡¯s Ynda doing? Better?¡± William froze, then Matilda smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. I¡¯m just asking.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. A whileter, he answered, ¡°She¡¯s healing up now, though she¡¯ll be needing a clutch. She can handle daily tasks though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Matilda answered, then they said nothing more. William looked back at her a few times before exining, ¡°Ynda¡¯s been living alone, so it¡¯s hard for her, and she didn¡¯t even tell her family about this, so I wanted to help her.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Matilda looked at him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me about it. You must have your own reasons. I would have minded in the past, but not now. We aren¡¯t a couple, so this isn¡¯t what I should care about. You don¡¯t have to tell me either.¡± She looked ahead. ¡°To be honest, if you were to ask me whether I regret my actions, I¡¯d say no, I don¡¯t. William, in the past, you were nice to me, and I know I¡¯ve been unreasonable, but my reaction toward Ynda was normal. You guys were the ones who didn¡¯t care about how I felt.¡± Then she shook her head. ¡°Forget it. Why did I even say that? It¡¯s all in the past now.¡± William put his hands in his pockets, and he was at a loss for words. There was no need for any exnation now that they were at this point. It¡¯d be useless, so they walked around for a while more before going back to Sophia¡¯s home. Ms. Cannon had prepared dinner, and she was ushering everyone into the dining room. John helped Belinda up, but she waved him away and beckoned at Sophia. ¡°I only want Sophia to help me. She¡¯s just so lovable.¡± John smiled. So everyone hates me now, huh? Nobody said a word during dinner. Back in the Constance Residence, everyone only focused on eating as well. Old habits die hard indeed. Usually, Sophia and Matilda would be chatting over dinner, but since Belinda and William were here, they felt obligated to keep quiet. Matilda kept reminding Sophia what she should eat throughout dinner to make sure she was getting enough nutrients. Belinda looked up at her, but Matilda only cared about herself and Sophia. The dinner didn¡¯t take long, and everyone put their forks down after a while. Belinda looked at Ms. Cannon. ¡°Nice cooking. With you here, Sophia¡¯s in good hands.¡± Ms. Cannon smiled. ¡°The madam asked me here to take care of the young madam.¡± Sophia and Matilda felt ufortable being addressed that way. Madam? Young madam? We¡¯re divorced women for god¡¯s sake. Belinda nodded before looking at Matilda. ¡°It has been a while, Matilda. How is life treating you?¡± she asked formally. Matilda nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s nothing to do here, so I kill time all day.¡± Belinda replied, ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± She didn¡¯t know what else to say. Then they went to the living room. John sat beside Sophia and was peeling the grapes for her. Sophia didn¡¯t feel like eating, for her belly was full after dinner. Unfortunately, John was persistent, and since Belinda was here, she couldn¡¯t refuse him outright, so she had a grape or two to keep things amicable. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 695 Chapter 695 Belinda told her what she should be looking out for in her first trimester and what she shouldn¡¯t do. Sophia nodded but said nothing, while John made a note of everything. He even asked Belinda about ways to reduce the effects of morning sickness. ¡°Sophia¡¯s suffering from it.¡± Belinda told him a few fruits that could lessen the symptom, but it was impossible to remove it. ¡°Every pregnant woman has to go through this. It¡¯s their trial.¡± John made a clear note of everything, and Sophia looked at him. If it weren¡¯t for what he did, John would have been a good husband and father. But he¡¯s just a shameless man now. And how dare he trick me. The thought of that angered her. Belinda stayed untilte at night before leaving. Matilda had retired for the night, so she didn¡¯t send her off. Sophia and John stood outside the door and saw Belinda off. After she got into the car, Belinda rolled the window down and sighed. ¡°Is your mother ming us for what happened?¡± John was surprised she¡¯d ask that, but then he smiled. ¡°No. She doesn¡¯t obsess over every little thing now, so she isn¡¯t ming anyone for what happened. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s different, so you¡¯ll have to get used to it.¡± Belinda looked up at the second floor. ¡°It¡¯s great your mother has changed. She¡¯s a lot more mature than she was.¡± John nodded. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s getting along well with Sophia. I guess she has really changed.¡± William went into the driver¡¯s seat and said nothing. John only gave him a nce before looking away. Belinda nodded. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s gettingte now, and you two should be getting some sleep. Run along now. We¡¯ll be leaving.¡± William then drove away, and Belinda leaned against the seat. ¡°Matilda¡¯s changed a lot. What did you two talk about earlier?¡± William pursed his lips. ¡°Nothing much, just some small talk.¡± Now that he thought about it, they didn¡¯t say anything more than the mundanity of life, though he could see that Matilda had changed drastically. Before this, she kept calling him to ask him out for dinner, but every time she did, she made it sound like amand, so he refused. However, she stopped calling himtely, and it was as if she vanished. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. He even told Ynda about this a few days ago, to which she smiled and replied, ¡°Give it time. Maybe she¡¯ll get back to her old tricks.¡± He believed that was the case, too, but even after a few days of waiting, she didn¡¯t call him. William felt relieved in the beginning, but after seeing Matilda, he didn¡¯t know what he should feel. Belinda looked outside into the night. ¡°Matilda¡¯s getting along well with Sophia. I won¡¯t have to worry about her now.¡± Then she let out a sigh. ¡°Even though Sophia¡¯s adamant on not remarrying now, I think John will change her mind eventually.¡± Following that, she looked at William from the corner of her eye. ¡°So now all I have to worry about is you. How is it going between you and that Ynda girl?¡± Hearing that, William smiled. ¡°You think too much, Mom. Ynda and I are just friends. I don¡¯t mind it if everyone else thinks we¡¯re a couple, but not if it¡¯s you.¡± Belinda grunted. ¡°I don¡¯t think you two are a couple. I¡¯m saying that if you think Ynda¡¯s nice, then go for it. I won¡¯t stop you. You¡¯re an adult now, so you can think for yourself.¡± William sighed. ¡°Between Ynda and me, there¡¯s nothing¡ª¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 696 Chapter 696 ¡°Nothing?¡± questioned Belinda, with a smirk on her face. ¡°When Ynda was in the hospital, you¡¯ve been visiting the hospital so often. William, as if I¡¯ll believe it when you tell me that there¡¯s nothing going on.¡± Frustrated, William didn¡¯t know what to say, so he kept quiet throughout the journey when he sent Belinda home. Bursting with happiness, Belinda didn¡¯t go for a rest, but instead, she was discussing with the servants to work out a to-buy-list for Sophia. Seeing that, William couldn¡¯t help but smile, and after excusing himself, he went upstairs. As soon as he had reached his room, his phone rang¡ªit was John. Picking up the call, William asked, ¡°John? Is there anything?¡± Letting out a sigh, John said, ¡°Nothing in particr. I couldn¡¯t quite sleep, so I thought of dropping you a call.¡± In his throaty voice, he continued, ¡°Dad, do you intend to reconcile with Mom?¡± Dumbstruck for a moment, William asked, ¡°Why do you ask all of a sudden?¡± Chuckling, John spilled, ¡°Well, when we had dinner today, I saw you stealing quick nces at Mom a few times, so I thought you were thinking of¡­ you know.¡± Feeling awkward, William reckoned he wasn¡¯t exactly stealing nces at Matilda. Frankly, he just felt that Matilda had changed so much, so he couldn¡¯t help but cast a few more nces at her. Was that considered as stealing nces? With an awkward cough, William exined, ¡°I wasn¡¯t stealing nces at your mom, and I have no other intentions. Don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± ¡°I see. By the way, how are things with you and Ynda?¡± Frowning, William clearly didn¡¯t expect John would ask too. With a stern voice, William protested firmly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing going on between Ynda and me, so there¡¯s nothing much to talk about. I hope all of you will take my word for it.¡± Guffawing, John said, ¡°Actually, if there¡¯s really something going on between you two, no one will be against it. About you and Mom, I guess both of you are not meant to be?¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Upon thinking of Matilda¡¯s frosty manner toward him today, William thought perhaps John was right about them¡ªthey weren¡¯t meant to be. Unwilling to continue with this topic, William asked about Sophia. In a casual manner, John said everything was going well between him and Sophia. Of course, he would deliberately leave out the part about him being driven out of the room by Sophia. That time, when a random thought struck her, she said the sight of him pissed her off, which led to him being chased out of the room. Confused, John felt he was at his wit¡¯s end when it came to understanding Sophia. In the past, he found it difficult to keep her under control. With her being pregnant now, she became the bossdy of the household. Pondering for a second, William asked, ¡°You decided to be with her because of the child?¡± Hearing that, Johnughed aloud. ¡°Dad, it has nothing to do with the child. I want to be with her because I like her. I know my heart¡¯s desires.¡± As expected, Sophia was woken up during the middle of the night. Pressing her lips together, she grumbled sleepily, ¡°B*stard! You did it on purpose. You just have to disturb my sleep all the time.¡± Leaning forward, John nted a kiss on her lips. ¡°Sorry, you get on with your sleep.¡± Not knowing how to deal with the shameless side of him, Sophia turned her back against him and continued with her sleep. Drawing himself nearer toward her, John held her closely within his arms. Back then, he could still hit the booze and do whatever he wanted with her, but now, he had to get a hold of himself and behave. Gently caressing her belly, John shut his eyes. While he was fast asleep, his phone that was left at the bedside table vibrated. At first, he nned to ignore it, butter, his phone vibrated again. Thinking about it, he turned around to reach out for his phone. Initially, he figured it was his subordinates that sent him a WhatsApp message, but much to his surprise, it was Isabelle. The first message was removed, but the second message was her apologizing for sending the wrong message. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 697 Chapter 697 Not knowing what she had sent, John decided to ignore it and ced his phone back on top of the bedside table. At that, John wondered why did she even bother to send a message thiste? Hugging Sophia in his arms, he fell asleep again. Meanwhile, Isabelle held onto her phone tightly, but still, she had yet to receive a reply from John. Gazing at the time, Isabelle figured it wasn¡¯t thatte. Besides, judging from John¡¯s current position, he got caught up with work so often, he rarely got the chance to go to bed early. Looking down at her phone, Isabelle was contemting whether to resend another message, just in case. She hadn¡¯t been in contact with John for the longest time ever. Initially, she thought of giving him the brushoff for a short period of time because she was too clingy toward him. However, after giving the cold treatment, it indirectly gave John and Sophia a chance to be close with one another. As of now, even Matilda and Sophia got along really well together to an extent, Isabelle felt she had missed out so much. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Thus, she felt really worried these few days and intended to do something, but didn¡¯t know where to start. After waiting for a little while longer, Isabelle put down her phone and turned to walk out of her room. Once she got downstairs, she took out a bottle of red wine, opened it, and went upstairs with it. Taking the stairs up to the first floor, Elder Mr. Bailey coincidentally walked out of his room. Surprised to see her, he asked, ¡°Belle, aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± With that, Elder Mr. Bailey saw the bottle of red wine she carried with her. With a heavy sigh, he immediately got the picture. ¡°My child, you¡­¡± Hesitated, he didn¡¯t know what else to say tofort her. ¡°Goodnight, Grandpa, and sleep well,¡± greeted Isabelle as she bowed her head and walked toward her room. Without bringing a ss with her, Isabelle took a few mouthfuls directly from the bottle. Undoubtedly, she was confident that she had the chance, but how did it slip away in a blink of an eye? She shouldn¡¯t have listened to what others had to say, shouldn¡¯t be this passive, and should have seized every opportunity to meet up with John. Indeed, she was aware that there was no rtionship basis between them, so she really had to seek the chance to meet with him often to cultivate their rtionship. Otherwise, how would his feelings for her grow? The more she thought about it, the more bitter she felt. Picking up her phone, the screen showed the WhatsApp conversation with John. Under the influence of alcohol, Isabelle recorded a voice message and said, ¡°John, can¡¯t you tell how I felt?¡± Upon sending the voice message, she threw her phone aside without anticipating a reply from John. Meanwhile, John heard his phone vibrate, but he could care less because Sophia had turned around and snuggled up to him like an octopus. Trying to avoid putting pressure onto her belly, John waited patiently for her to find afortable spot. Holding her back into his arms, they enjoyed a goodnight sleep throughout the night. The next morning, John had to wake up and get ready for work. Gently moving Sophia aside, he got up and had a quick wash up. The moment he got out of the bathroom, Sophia was still asleep, and wasn¡¯t disturbed at all. Standing beside the bed, John gazed at her while putting on his clothes. Seeing her sound asleep like this, John got all warm-and-fuzzies because she wasn¡¯t ring at him and wouldn¡¯t roll her eyes at him; she looked somewhat vulnerable, and it melted his heart. Unable to get a hold on himself, John leaned forward to kiss her. Pushing his face away from hers, Sophia reacted a little slower than usual. ¡°You¡¯re so annoying!¡± she grumbled sleepily. Beaming with delight, John caressed her face and turned to leave the room. Walking down the stairs, when John took out his phone to read some news, he noticed Isabelle¡¯s message. Tapping on the voice message, he could hear Isabelle¡¯s slurred speech. Obviously, Isabelle was a little tipsy, so she was mumbling, but he could easily tell that she was being upset. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 698 Chapter 698 His brows knitting together, John momentarily stilled while standing on the step. Then, he exited WhatsApp and ced his cell phone back into his pocket. Having done that, he nonchntly went downstairs. Matilda was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast with Ms. Cannon. Walking over, John peered in from the entrance before saying, ¡°I phoned Dadst night and asked him about his rtionship with Ynda.¡± Surprised, Matilda nced over her shoulder at him. ¡°Okay. Well?¡± At this, John chuckled. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re rather interested in knowing about Dad¡¯s affairs.¡± Lowering her head, Matilda continued with her current chore. ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I were to say that I¡¯m not interested. I¡¯d still be somewhat curious. Well, get on with it. What did your father say?¡± John leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed. ¡°Dad said that he has never had a romantic rtionship with her and they¡¯re just friends.¡± Upon hearing this, Matilda snickered. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re just friends. They must be bosom friends for him to be so concerned about her.¡± John arched an eyebrow. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask him about the rest, nor did he offer any information. I just thought it¡¯ll be prudent for me to tell you this. You can then form your own judgment, and of course, the decision lies in your hands.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Matilda nodded. ¡°Alright, got it. Go and wait in the dining room. Breakfast will be ready soon.¡± John then stared at her profile for a while before he whirled around and went to the dining room. If this had happened in the past, she would¡¯ve definitely imed that she wasn¡¯t interested in knowing and feigned insouciance considering her temperament. Then, she¡¯d make discreet inquiries. Truthfully speaking, her candid attitude now is much more likable. ting the sd, Matilda straightened before heaving a sigh. Beside her, Ms. Cannon cast her a nce. ¡°If you¡¯re free today, you can ask Mr. Constance out for a meal. I noticed that you two got along quite well yesterday.¡± ¡°No way,¡± Matilda shot back at once. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have a meal with him. That¡¯s aimless.¡± After saying that, she pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll just leave things as they are. Things are vague between him and Ynda, so I don¡¯t want to insert myself into the equation. A love triangle will just end up in utter chaos. Plus, I feel a headacheing on at the mere thought of it.¡± When she reached the door with the te in hand, she suddenly added to no apparent person, ¡°Things are good now, so I¡¯ll just leave it at that.¡± Then, she went to the dining room. John was still looking at his cell phone since Zack had sent him a message. While Zack appeared s¨¦ on the surface, he was actually quite efficient. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to work with John for so many years. He¡¯d sent over a picture of the person in the photo Roselia previously provided. He¡¯d already investigated the person and ascertained his identity. All in all, it was a detailed investigation with all his activities throughout the years listed there inly. John scrutinized the investigative report for a long time. This person has done quite a lot of things. He¡¯s done some small business, but it didn¡¯t yield much profit and fell through in the end. ording to the report, he¡¯s been working at the shadow bank for two years. At this time, he recalled the name list given by Husky. I merely scanned it roughly back then, so I can¡¯t remember whether this person¡¯s name was on it. But since it¡¯s been two years, he¡¯s probably not a low-level errand boy but has some authority at least. After studying the information for a while, he then typed out a message to Zack. Before he¡¯d finished doing so, Matilda came over and sat down across from him. Raising his eyes to her, Johnughed. ¡°What is it? Judging from your demeanor, you seem to have something to say to me?¡± Matilda let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much actually. I just want to ask how much you know about what¡¯s happening between your father and Ynda.¡± After a moment¡¯s contemtion, John ced his cell phone down and took a sip of soy milk. ¡°Not much. I only know that Dad went to take care of Ynda back when she was hospitalized. When he came back, he always told us what he did in the hospital. Putting aside his character and speaking just from his upfront manner, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything scandalous going on between them.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 699 Chapter 699 Matilda took a steamed bun, but she didn¡¯t bite into it. Instead, she merely lowered her head and said, ¡°Perhaps the two of you don¡¯t sense anything, but I¡¯m a woman, so I understand women all too well. Maybe your father truly doesn¡¯t have any other intentions, but Ynda has feelings for him.¡± At this, she chortled. ¡°You were still young back then, but when I first went and had it out with her, I went crazy and kicked up a huge ruckus at Bloom Residence. At that time, Ynda didn¡¯t even say a single word, allowing me to p her without defending herself. I could tell that she was feeling guilty, and that was why I couldn¡¯t keep my temper in check. It¡¯s because she truly has feelings for your father.¡± John leaned back against his chair. ¡°Actually, I think this is normal. Your main concern should be Dad¡¯s headspace since someone else coveting your spouse isn¡¯t something you can avoid or control.¡± Matilda looked at John. ¡°You understand quite a bit.¡± At this, John sighed. ¡°I initially didn¡¯t understand either. I just figured it out slowly in the past few days.¡± For instance, when he saw Isabelle¡¯s message earlier and listened to her voice message, he instantly had a moment of rity about the things he hadn¡¯t understood in the past. When the divorce was still fresh, Sophia always mentioned Isabelle out of the blue, obviously hinting at something, something he once felt was an overthinking on her part.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. It was no different from William now. Likewise, he felt that Matilda was being petty and fretting for no reason. He felt that there was nothing between him and Ynda, which was exactly the same way John thought about himself and Isabelle. In this matter, they both felt that it was the other making something out of nothing, but they¡¯d never considered why Matilda and Sophia had a sense of crisis. John couldn¡¯t deny that he¡¯d once found Isabelle to be the ideal spouse, but he was merely taken by her image. In reality, he¡¯d never felt anything for her. Only after he¡¯d heard her words did he realize that it wasn¡¯t Sophia who¡¯d overthought it but he himself had underthought it. Women were inherently sensitive, especially when it came to those of the same Hence, Matilda and Sophia might have long since sensed it, but as men whocked emotional consciousness, they were blind to it, thus making them feel insecure. He had no choice but to admit that it was his negligence; it was his failure to take a clear stance that had Sophia clinging to the issue of Isabelle. The problemy on him. Pursing her lips, Matilda sighed. ¡°Alright, I got it. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. It just feels as though you¡¯re going to lecture me.¡± John cracked up. The two of them then had breakfastnguidly before he went to the office. Just after he¡¯d turned on hisputer upon arriving at the office, his cell phone buzzed again. Snagging it over for a look, he saw that Isabelle had again sent him a message. Naturally, it was an apology in which she imed to have been tipsyst night, thus it was the alcohol talking and asked him not to take it to heart. After a single nce, he then deleted the message. There¡¯s no need to reply. I¡¯ll just pretend that I didn¡¯t listen to it. Putting his cell phone aside, he then started perusing his documents. A whileter, Zack came in with documents for him and even spoke briefly of the shadow bank, but it was just a lead he was investigating, so John merely gave him half an ear. The moment Zack left, Isabelle again sought him out. This time, it was no longer a message but an outright phone call. Without any awkwardness on his part, John answered the call right away. Rather, Isabelle was the one stammering as she asked him what he was doing and whether he was busy. Grunting, John said, ¡°Just cut to the chase, Miss Bailey. Is there something I¡¯ve got to take note of regarding the project?¡± ¡°No,¡± Isabelle hastily blurted. Then, she lowered her voice. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not calling about work. I¡¯m calling about a personal matter.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 700 Chapter 700 Upon hearing that, John chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have any personal matters to speak of, Miss Bailey.¡± His remark was courteous, his tone pleasant, but the content was actually very callous. On the other end, Isabelle was suddenly at a loss for words. Putting down the document in his hand, John reclined against his chair. In a cid voice, he remarked, ¡°I don¡¯t think there are any personal entanglements between us save work, Miss Bailey.¡± Isabelle slowly exhaled. ¡°Have you listened to the voice message I sent yesterday, John?¡± After a few seconds, John admitted it. ¡°Yeah, I listened to it.¡± He has listened to it, yet he said such a thing. Thus, Isabelle understood his stance on the matter. She then gave a bark ofughter. ¡°You must think meical, no, John?¡± John denied it, saying, ¡°Not at all.¡± Her voice tinged with a hint of exasperation, Isabellemented, ¡°Sorry about that. It wasn¡¯t deliberate on my part. I imbibed yesterday, so I kind of lost control of myself. If possible, I truly wish that you¡¯d never find out about it.¡± Her voice lowered to a whisper, she implored, ¡°Just pretend that you know nothing about it. I hope it won¡¯t affect the coboration between us.¡± After saying that it wouldn¡¯t, John went silent. It seemed that he truly didn¡¯t have anything to say to her. In the end, Isabelleughed. ¡°Alright, then. I won¡¯t keep you from your work any longer. I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± After saying that, she hung up the phone. John slowly ced his cell phone on the table. Then, he truly resumed perusing documents as before, not affected in the slightest bit. Meanwhile, Isabelle¡¯s expression was stained with a trace of self-deprecation as she put her cell phone down. She¡¯d actually expected such a result. After all, John was very close with Sophia now, so there wouldn¡¯t be much of a reaction even if he knew that she had feelings for him. However, resentment zed within her, and she just couldn¡¯t help herself. She massaged her temples, her head feeling heavy from her excessive drinkingst night. But that was secondary, for her heart hurt even more, a dull pain assailing her. After some time, she then stood up and walked out with her mug in hand. The moment she exited her office, she spotted her grandfather stepping out of the elevator. Her father greeted him at the elevator doors, his voice threaded with a smile. ¡°Why are you here, Dad?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I came to see Belle, so just go back to your work. You don¡¯t need to entertain me.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s voice was deep and resounding. Just after he¡¯d said that, he caught sight of Isabelle. Thus, Isabelle naturally couldn¡¯t go to the pantry anymore. She hurried over to him. ¡°You¡¯re here, Grandpa?¡± Pinning his gaze on her, her grandfather scrutinized her for a long while before nodding. ¡°I came to visit you.¡± Isabelle pursed her lips. Knowing that he cared a lot about her love life, she murmured, ¡°I talked to John.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey merely nodded without asking her what they talked about. ¡°Let¡¯s talk in your office.¡± Isabelle then followed him back to her office. Walking over, he sat on a chair and looked at her. ¡°Child, it¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re feeling devastated again.¡± Isabelle might have denied it for the sake of her preserving dignity in front of others, but when it came to her grandfather, all her pretense copsed. All at once, tears streamed down her face, and she ducked her head. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever liked someone this much. Why is it so difficult?¡± Elder Mr. Bailey sighed. ¡°Difficult? No, not at all. I think there¡¯s still hope for you.¡± At this, Isabelle shook her head lightly. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Grandpa, you might not know this, but Sophia and John are now very close. I saw them shopping together with John¡¯s mother even. The three of them were chatting andughing together. Plus, Sophia is pregnant. Truly, I don¡¯t think I can insert myself into their rtionship anymore.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 701 Chapter 701 Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s expression remained unchanged. ¡°You never used to give up so easily in the past. Child, let me ask you this¡ªback then, you said you like John, so it didn¡¯t matter even if he was married. Does that still apply now?¡± Isabelle raised her head and looked at him, her tears falling uncontrobly. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she murmured, ¡°Yes. I still love him.¡± Although John and Sophia already had a child, her feelings for him hadn¡¯t diminished an iota. She¡¯d been harboring feelings for this man for too long a time that her love for him was now in her bones. Her grandfather nodded. ¡°That¡¯s enough, then. You¡¯re not the kind of person who admits defeat easily, so just go for it if you love him. We all support you. They¡¯re not nning to remarry now, so the only connection between them is the unborn child. There¡¯s nothing else, so you definitely stand a chance. Do you understand my meaning?¡± Taken aback, Isabelle gaped at him, but his expression was exceedingly calm. It was as though those despicable remarks earlier had nothing to do with him. Isabelle, however, was very much shocked that he¡¯d openly encouraged her, his own granddaughter, to break up someone else¡¯s marriage, and he¡¯d spoken without anypunction at that. She pursed her lips. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m actually a tad afraid.¡± On the contrary, the old man wasn¡¯t the least bit afraid. In fact, it didn¡¯t even register as an issue with him. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Isabelle. You have nothing to worry about,¡± he dered earnestly. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Sophia Gwendolyn back then, you and John would¡¯ve been together long ago. Thus, it was underhanded of her in the first ce.¡± All at once, Isabelle was reminded of Johning over to Bailey Residence to call off their marriage. At that time, we¡¯d even had the wedding date picked out, so there was just one more step left. We were a heartbeat away from getting married, but Sophia Gwendolyn popped out! Then, she slowly nodded. ¡°Indeed. If it weren¡¯t for Sophia Gwendolyn, John and I would probably be living happily now.¡± It¡¯s been a year, so if I¡¯d ended up with John, we might even have a child by now. She heaved a sigh, her expression slightly dazed. ¡°Let me think about it, Grandpa.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey knew that he couldn¡¯t push her too much on this, so he grunted in assent. ¡°It¡¯s your happiness, so do think about it carefully.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia was happily ignorant, only rousing at noon. When she woke up, her mind felt rather fuzzy as she stared at the door. I think I need to change the door lock. John Constance is bing increasingly reprehensible, sneaking in in the middle of the night every so often! After she¡¯d sat there for some time, Matilda came knocking on the door, chiding her for sleeping too much and asking if she wanted toe down for lunch. Grunting an acknowledgment, Sophia called out, ¡°Come on in. The door isn¡¯t locked.¡± Swinging open the door, Matilda walked in with a tray filled with dishes in her hand. She then sighed. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been feeling drowsytely, but no matter what, you¡¯ve still got to get up and eat when it¡¯s time. After eating, you can then sleep again to your heart¡¯s content.¡± Sophia tapped her forehead. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel hungry, so I kept sleeping.¡± Getting out of bed, she went to the bathroom to wash up. While washing her face, she asked Matilda, ¡°How did you feel when you saw William yesterday?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Putting down the tray, Matilda sat on the edge of the bed. ¡°Nothing. What feelings could there be when it¡¯s been so many years? Shyness? Anger? I felt nary a thing.¡± Sophia chortled. ¡°I noticed that he kept stealing nces at you while we were eating yesterday. I wonder what that meant.¡± Matilda was startled. In the next instance, sheughed. ¡°He was probably surprised since it was the first time I was so easy-going.¡± After saying that, she stretched backward. ¡°It¡¯s not just you all, for I actually feel that I¡¯ve changed a lot, too.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 702 Chapter 702 Matilda tittered. ¡°My temperament was different back then. I was verypetitive, so I had to be the victor in everything.¡± But on second thought, it was quite tiring back then. Despite everyone tolerating me and bowing to me, I actually wasn¡¯t happy. Sophia came out when she was done washing up and sat down at the side. Then, she started eating. The thing with her appetite was that it came and went at random times; she initially thought that she wouldn¡¯t be able to stomach much, but she was then inhaling the food before she¡¯d realized it. Upon seeing her stuffing her face, Matilda chortled. ¡°The little fellow in your stomach will definitely be round and chubby in the future.¡± After saying that, she kept an eye on Sophia¡¯s expression as she asked, ¡°Are you really not nning to remarry John?¡± ¡°No. No way,¡± Sophia dered resolutely. ¡°That¡¯s not in my ns.¡± When she¡¯d said that, she turned her gaze on Matilda. ¡°Hey, what would you do if John¡¯s father asks you for a remarriage?¡± Matilda burst intoughter. ¡°Stop messing with me. His father will never do that. He has finally escaped my clutches, so how could he possibly turn around and jump back into hell?¡± Failing to keep the lid on her amusement, Sophia dissolved into giggles. ¡°You¡¯re quite clear of where you stand.¡± Matildaughed as well, but she then changed the subject. ¡°How about going shopping after you¡¯re done eating and washing up? A lot of malls are having sales recently, so things seem to be quite a steal. I¡¯m thinking of going on a shopping spree.¡± Humming thoughtfully, Sophia turned and gazed out the window. ¡°It should be fine since it¡¯s broad daylight now. Let¡¯s go in a while, then.¡± At her prompt agreement, Matilda hurried back to her room and changed. Sophia got ready as well before leaving the house with her. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. The nearby shopping mall was having a promotiontely, so they went there to shop and ended up buying quite a lot of things. Sophia couldn¡¯t carry heavy stuff, so Matilda carried the bags. Not daring to take the esctor, they headed straight for the elevator. The elevator was enclosed with transparent ss, so one could look out while standing inside. As Sophia stood in the elevator, the elevator doors closed. However, before it started its descent, she caught sight of a man standing outside. The man was wearing a baseball cap with a cell phone in his hand, snapping away at her. While he tried his best to be surreptitious as he did so, she still saw his action clearly. When he was done taking her photos, he dipped his head. He¡¯s probably checking them before sending them to someone, she thought. The elevator then slowly made its descent, but she kept her eyes on the man until he disappeared from sight. Then, she let out a breath, her heart having once again leaped to her throat. Matilda, on the other hand, didn¡¯t notice anything amiss. After stepping out of the elevator, she still darted her gaze around, checking whether there was anything else to buy. Looking at her, Sophia lowered her voice as she said, ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce and have a seat first. I feel as though something¡¯s off.¡± Taken aback, Matilda gaped at her. ¡°Something¡¯s off?¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t quite certain, but still, she nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t tell for sure yet. Let¡¯s find a ce and settle down first. I¡¯ll make a call.¡± Considering her delicate situation now and the fact that she¡¯d been targeted once, Matilda didn¡¯t dare take any risks, so she hurriedly acquiesced. The two of them then entered a dessert shop in the mall, and Matilda nced out over her shoulder. ¡°Do we have a tail?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t answer her. Instead, she took out her cell phone. She didn¡¯t call John since he was at work, and she couldn¡¯t say for certain that her suspicion was urate since she was the one who clocked it. If he were to learn about it, he¡¯d probably be worried and panicked, so she called Logan. Logan picked up in no time, sounding cheerful. ¡°Are you missing me, Sophia?¡± Sophia murmured an assent before saying, ¡°Yup. Would you like toe over? Madam Flintstone and I are outside. Why don¡¯t you join us?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 703 Chapter 703 Startled, Logan asked, ¡°Where exactly are you?¡± Sophia told him the name of the mall. However, Logan was slightly averse to the idea. ¡°I don¡¯t see why I should go shopping with you. Besides, I would feel like a pervert if I were to go browsing women¡¯s clothing with you people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Sophia interjected. ¡°We¡¯re done shopping, so why don¡¯t youe have a chat with us? We will go home after that, or even have dinner at my ce. As you say, the more the merrier.¡± Logan liked meeting up with friends, so he agreed to Sophia¡¯s arrangement after giving it some thought. Then, he told Sophia to wait for him while he was on his way. After hanging up, Sophia looked around with worry, which prompted Matilda to do the same anxiously. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you call Logan so that he can offer us some protection?¡± Sophia ordered some coffee and hot chocte before exining, ¡°I am not sure if that¡¯s the case, but I had a feeling that a man was taking photos of me outside the lift.¡± Taken aback by what Sophia told her, Matilda observed Sophia from up close. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not because you look beautiful?¡± Sophia¡¯s expression soured immediately. ¡°I¡¯m being serious.¡± Nodding, Matilda hastily agreed with her. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take it more seriously. We should stay put as we don¡¯t know who¡¯s waiting outside. We can¡¯t afford to have anything happen to you at this point.¡± Sophia licked her lips. ¡°This feels awful.¡± Indeed, it was awful, as they had to worry about their own safety even on a shopping trip, which was almost unbearable. Heaving a sigh, Matilda suggested, ¡°We should tell John about it so that he can catch the culprit. We might even be able to uncover the mastermind by following this lead.¡± Sophia smacked her lips before replying, ¡°The thing is, I¡¯m not sure if I am overthinking this.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but feel like she might be suffering from a paranoia due to what happened prior to that. Nodding, Matilda echoed, ¡°I suppose your concern is valid.¡± Soon, Logan arrived at the mall with his dazzling gold chain hanging around his neck. Due to how peculiar and eye-catching his outfit was, Sophia wanted to act as if she didn¡¯t know the guy at all. On the other hand, Logan sat down beside her with a cheerful disposition upon finding out where she was. Looking at Matilda, he said casually, ¡°Madam, you sure bought a lot of stuff.¡± Matilda was surrounded by bags that she ced on the floor and on the chair beside her. Heaving a sigh, she said nonchntly, ¡°Well, I am a woman after all, so this is what happens when I go shopping.¡± In the meantime, Sophia finished her hot chocte before ncing out from where she sat, only to once again spot the man whom she saw outside the lift. However, judging from how he was scanning his surroundings, it seemed that he had yet to notice Sophia. Sophia hastily ducked a little before instructing Logan, ¡°Take a look at that person over there. Is he up to something? I have a feeling he has been tailing me.¡± Logan¡¯s eyes went wide with anger while he questioned, ¡°Where is he? Show me! Which dumb*ss guy would follow you around?¡± As soon as Sophia pointed out who the guy was, Logan checked on him before hissing. ¡°He seems to be looking for someone.¡± Sophia grunted in response. ¡°I think he might be after me.¡± Upon ncing at the man, Matilda recalled what she saw, and she narrowed eyes. ¡°I think he has been tailing us ever since the beginning, as I¡¯ve been catching glimpses of him, but I didn¡¯t think much of it.¡± Logan wore a stern look on his face while casting a nce at Matilda. However, he wasn¡¯t nning on doing anything on his own, as he did bring his driver along. Due to his temperament, he was used to dealing with things rather violently, so he made a call to have his driver capture the man who tailed Sophia. Previous Chapter All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 704 Chapter 704 Although Sophia didn¡¯t know much about Logan¡¯s driver, she figured she could trust him since Logan did. However, she had other concerns. ¡°Isn¡¯t it bad if we raise a ruckus in public? Why don¡¯t we lure him to the parking lot where there are less people? Logan, instead ofing over to us, tell your driver to wait at the parking lot.¡± Matilda couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°How should we lure him? Are you nning to act as bait? You¡¯d better not do that, as I won¡¯t know what to tell John if anything happens to you.¡± Chuckling, Sophia said defiantly, ¡°If it everes to that, all you have to do is act out like how your previous self did.¡± With that, Sophia stood from her seat. ¡°Logan, stay put and observe the situation from here.¡± Upon saying so, Sophia reached for Matilda¡¯s arm, so thetter had no choice but to go along with her ns. They left the dessert shop together. As soon as they did so, the man who was searching for something stopped in his movements out of surprise, which made it apparent that he was indeed looking for them. Without sparing him a nce, both Matilda and Sophia headed for the lifts with their bags in hand, whereas the man followed behind them after lowering his cap. Meanwhile, Logan wore a cold expression while standing up to follow the man, who was so focused on Sophia and Matilda that he didn¡¯t notice he was being tailed as well. While Sophia and Matilda took the lifts, the man opted to go down the stairs, whereas Logan went downstairs on another lift. They soon arrived at the parking lot in the basement, after which Sophia and Matilda continued to walk at a leisurely pace, while the man caught up to them from behind. Initially, he kept his distance, but upon noticing that there weren¡¯t a lot of people around, the man hastened to get to Sophia. Meanwhile, both Sophia and Matilda were paying close attention to what was going on behind them. Matilda was so nervous that her palms were all sweaty, while her heart raced. She was also holding so hard onto Sophia¡¯s arm that thetter nearly cried out in pain. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Scanning her surroundings, Sophia saw Logan¡¯s driver after walking for some time. She had an impression of him as she used to see him during her multiple visits to Logan¡¯s clubhouse. Upon noticing Sophia, the driver also saw the man who was tailing her, so he began to walk over to them. Perhaps it was because of the noise of his movements, the man saw Logan¡¯s driver as soon as he started walking, which prompted the man to stop in his tracks. With someone else around, the man realized it wouldn¡¯t be the best time to make a move. Gritting his teeth, he stared at Sophia¡¯s figure begrudgingly as he was so close to seeding in his scheme. Focused on the sight before him, the man didn¡¯t notice Loganing at him from behind. Although he was usually more of ackadaisical character, Logan was dependable when the situation called for it. Upon noticing a pause in the man¡¯s movements, Logan caught up to the man in strides and gave him a kick behind his knees before the man could react. Due to him having his guard down, the man kneeled onto the ground from the force of the impact, while Logan gave him another kick on the shoulder to send him lying t on the ground. Meanwhile, Logan¡¯s driver stepped in to pin the man down by twisting his arm behind him, whereas Logan stepped on his back. ¡°You b*stard, why are you sneaking around?¡± The man groaned while turning his head. ¡°I did nothing! Who are you? And what are you doing?¡± Sophia and Matilda were watching from beside, while Matilda could feel her heart pounding like crazy. ¡°Could it be that we made a mistake?¡± However, Sophia cried out to Logan, ¡°Check his phone!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 705 Chapter 705 Crouching down, Logan tried to go through the man¡¯s pockets. The man seemed frightened as he kept on squirming, but he couldn¡¯t break free from thebined weight of Logan and his driver. Upon noticing the man being uncooperative, Logan whacked him on the back of his head before warning him, ¡°I will twist your arm off if you won¡¯t settle down.¡± As soon as Logan said so, the driver twisted the man¡¯s arm even harder, which made him cry out in pain before he ceased struggling altogether. Meanwhile, Logan got his phone and unlocked it by pressing the man¡¯s finger on the device. Standing up, he went through the phone¡¯s contents, only to find that except for the photo albums, it was mostly empty. The newest batch of photos showed Sophia hanging out with Matilda, taken when they were buying things, taking the lift, and even when they were walking around while chatting. Logan sniggered when he saw the photos. ¡°Come on. Why don¡¯t you tell me what these are?¡± He crouched down to show the photos to the man, which caused thetter to fall into silence. Chuckling, Logan mocked, ¡°Okay, I suppose I¡¯ll have to teach you a lesson before you will open up. Mark, take him with us.¡± Mark seemed to be a well-trained fighter, as he was able to pick the man up without breaking a sweat. In the meantime, relief washed over Sophia. She spoke after Mark chucked the man into Logan¡¯s car. ¡°He must have a lot of information, so you¡¯ll have to interrogate him thoroughly.¡± Grunting, Logan led them back into the mall. He then made a call to have another driver wait on them at the za in front of the mall, as he didn¡¯t feel safe sending Sophia back on a cab. When they were waiting for the driver, Logan gave John a call to fill him in on what happened. Taken aback by what he heard, John quickly asked where Sophia was. Logan turned to nce at Sophia before handing his phone over to her. ¡°Here you go. John would like to speak to you.¡± It wasn¡¯t until a whileter that Sophia took the phone from him. Even then, she had a pointed attitude when she spoke to John. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± However, John blurted out a string of words while ignoring her attitude altogether. ¡°Are you hurt? Do you feel pain in any part of your body? Did the man get near you? Stay close to Logan, and never leave the house alone ever again! Since it¡¯s unsafe outside, I will have someone watch over you around the clock. If you need to leave the house, make sure you have someone else other than my mother, as you will have a hard time handling things on your own if anything goes wrong.¡± Sophia¡¯s patience was wearing thin. ¡°Alright, you can nag me all you want when I get back. I will be hanging up if you have nothing important to say.¡± Heaving a sigh, John slowed down before continuing, ¡°Sophia, please be more understanding. Don¡¯t you know how much of a fright the incident gave me? My heart almost leaped out of my throat.¡± Pulling her lips into a thin line, Sophia replied after a long pause, ¡°I get what you mean, but telling me all of this over the phone doesn¡¯t help. I am already exhausted as things stand, so wait until I get home before you talk to me about anything.¡± After that, she handed the phone back to Logan, who was trying to stifle augh as he realized that Sophia was now the one in charge. Judging from how she spoke to John, she sure seemed to have power over him. Taking his phone from her, Logan listened on while John gave him some instructions as Sophia wouldn¡¯t listen to him. Logan grunted in the affirmative before telling John, ¡°Don¡¯t fret. I will be escorting them back to the house right away. Nothing will go wrong.¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Upon hearing John express his gratitude, Logan smiled in silence. After he hung up, Sophia muttered under her breath, ¡°He¡¯s so long-winded.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 706 Chapter 706 By that point, Matilda was a lot calmer, even managing tough upon giving the situation some thought. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can overpower John. He was never like that with anyone.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t as caring toward me back then. I was also used to being ignored by him,¡± Sophia muttered. There was a moment¡¯s pause when Matilda turned to look at Sophia. After that, she reached out to hold Sophia¡¯s hand. ¡°I am partially responsible for how he treated you back then, as I used to badmouth you in front of him, so I might¡¯ve influenced his decision. However, despite how he treated you in the past, you can¡¯t deny that you¡¯re now his only love.¡± Sophia fell silent upon hearing Matilda¡¯s confession. It wasn¡¯t until a whileter that the driver Logan called for arrived, who drove them home as soon as they hopped in. Halfway through their journey, Logan got a call from Mark. Other than informing him that the man they caught was locked in the clubhouse¡¯s basement, Mark was also inquiring on what to do next. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Despite being a hooligan, Logan didn¡¯t actually know a lot about interrogation. Much as he was a b*stard, he was a magnanimous b*stard who preferred to settle disputes in a direct manner. If it was up to him, he would first break the man¡¯s arm, but he knew his savage behavior wouldn¡¯t help in finding out more about the mastermind, which was why he hesitated. ¡°Well¡­ Hold on¡­ Keep him in there while I ask around.¡± Hanging up, Logan gave John a text. In the meantime, Sophia was leaning against the window while pondering on her circumstances. The person behind this incident should be the same as the one from before, as she didn¡¯t think she had so many enemies who would want to seek revenge against her. She didn¡¯t have that level of notoriety. In fact, she only had one person in mind upon going through her list of candidates. Upon their arrival at Sophia¡¯s house, Matilda was the first to get out of the car, with Sophia following behind her, and Logan was thest. He stretched out while mumbling, ¡°Ian should be wrapping things up on his end, so he should be back at any moment.¡± Sophia froze in ce before ncing at Logan. Without another word, he entered the house at a leisurely pace. Judging from the online broadcast, Sophia figured that there should be more toe before the program that Ian was in reached its end, but the shooting should be almost finished. If the competition was over, Ian¡¯s return should be anticipated, but Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how she should receive him. Meanwhile, Matilda supported Sophia while they entered the living room. Sitting on the sofa, Logan was checking his phone. ¡°You know, I was texting John just now¡ª¡± Before he finished his sentence, John¡¯s car was already parked in the yard. Upon getting out of his car, he came over to them in strides. ¡°Are you guys all right?¡± Although he directed his question to all of them, he only had eyes for Sophia, but she averted her gaze after sparing him a nce. Meanwhile, Matilda let out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m fine, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me, since I was never the target to begin with.¡± She was apparently making fun of John. However, he seemed to be unfazed as he maintained his gaze on Sophia while inquiring in a gentle tone, ¡°Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?¡± Without looking his way, Sophia answered, ¡°I¡¯m alright. That man didn¡¯t even get remotely close to me as Logan was there.¡± John sat down beside her before reaching for her hand. While caressing it in between his palms, he asked Logan, ¡°Did you lock the man up at your ce?¡± Humming, Logan stole a nce at their intertwined fingers before replying, ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t really know how to interrogate him, so you¡¯ll have to take over matters from here. You know me; if it were up to me, that man would end up either wounded or dead.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 707 Chapter 707 John hummed in the affirmative. ¡°We¡¯ll go meet him in personter.¡± Upon noticing that everybody had arrived, Ms. Cannon began cooking, while Sophia¡¯s stomach began churning as soon as she took in the greasy smell from the kitchen. Therefore, she stood to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll be getting some rest upstairs. Enjoy yourselves.¡± Matilda knew Sophia might be feeling unwell, so she chimed in, ¡°Yeah, you probably should after shopping for such a long time.¡± Without checking on anybody else, Sophia walked upstairsnguidly. She then got herself a change of clothes before lying down on bed. Despite initial ns to dissect the matter in order to predict Isabelle¡¯s next move, she was feeling drowsy soon enough. Her mind was muddled up when she was halfway through recalling her long-standing feud with Isabelle, and she dozed off after that. Thus, she had no idea what the people downstairs were talking about. All she knew was someone embraced her from behind when she was still sleeping. ¡°You have such a short temper,¡± a voice chided. She wasn¡¯t fully awake, so she shied away from whoever that was behind her, which made the person smile, but neither did she fully register it as she flipped herself over to continue sleeping. Johny beside her with a smile and began patting her shoulder after she was once again sound asleep. Some timeter, Matilda came to fetch them both, but she merely reprimanded John without stepping into the room. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to fetch her for dinner? What are you even doing?¡± With a smile, John said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring her downstairs in a bit. She¡¯s sound asleep now.¡± Matilda was somewhat displeased by his response. ¡°Oh, be quick. She can go right back to sleep after dinner. The dishes will taste cold and nd if she waits too long.¡± Chuckling amicably, John resigned himself to obeying his mother. ¡°Alright, I get it.¡± Matilda left after a while, after which John caressed Sophia¡¯s face while trying to wake her. ¡°Sophia, it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± Seeing that she wasn¡¯t reacting, John dipped down for a kiss after spending some time staring at her. It was far more effectivepared to his previous attempt, as Sophia woke up a few secondster to start punching him. Letting go of her, John smiled. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have dinner.¡± With a frown on her face, Sophia grumbled, ¡°John Constance, don¡¯t you have any decorum?¡± John paid her no heed while helping her up from bed. He then got her a towel from the bathroom to wipe her face. With the lights off and without moving from her spot, Sophia stared at him in the dark as the skies darkened. John¡¯s gentleness was far more alluringpared to the harsh facade he used to put up. The contrast only served as a reminder that he never loved her in the past. With a sophisticated nce, she kept her silence. When John returned the towel to the bathroom, Sophia got out of bed. When he came back out to lead her downstairs while holding her hand, she did not struggle. Both incidents brought a smile to John¡¯s face. The rest of them were waiting for them downstairs, with Matilda asking Logan about the Jeffersons. However, he didn¡¯t seem to know much about them, be it matters regarding thepany or the situation back in their household. Logan wasn¡¯t living with them, so he had nothing to tell Matilda. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Still on the stairs with Sophia, John said, ¡°Lorraine¡¯s TV program seemed to be a sess, so the Jeffersons might have some moneying their way.¡± He was referring to the talent show that Ian participated in. Logan let out a cry of surprise. ¡°Yeah, Lorraine has been in a good mood as ofte, so my brother-in- law has been having it easy.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia directed her attention toward the dishes on the table as she wasn¡¯t interested in gossip. The fact that all of the dishes looked tasty proved that Ms. Cannon was a good cook. Taking the bowl she was offered, Sophia sat down by the table eagerly. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 708 Chapter 708 Continuing the conversation, John said, ¡°After this show, Lorraine should probably be able tounch a group of idol stars.¡± Naturally, Logan linked the topic to Ian. ¡°Yeah, I mentioned the same to her thest time we spoke. She told me that an agency already approached Ian, but she doesn¡¯t want to sign up any artist for herself. Otherwise, she would have kept this group of people in her hands.¡± Chuckling, he continued, ¡°I even specifically told her to keep a look out for a reliable agency for Ian.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s such a shame that Lorraine didn¡¯t sign up any artist for herself,¡± John agreed. He nodded. ¡°If Ian is in my sister¡¯s hands, he¡¯ll actually have better developments, but she thinks it¡¯s too much of a hassle. Even though investments in artists have high returns, there are too many troublesome details to take care of in between which she doesn¡¯t want to deal with.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± After speaking, he nced at Sophia and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she seemed to have missed their conversation and was eating happily. As she didn¡¯t speak a word while eating, she finished earlier than anyone else. After cing down her cutlery, she announced, ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± And she went out of the dining room. Looking at Sophia, Matilda spoke in a relieved tone. ¡°Sophia is eating well. That will help the baby to develop healthily.¡± Stunned, Logan stared at her and repeated, ¡°Baby?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t he know?¡± she asked John, confused. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. John grinned. ¡°I told him the other day, but he probably didn¡¯t hear it clearly because he was drunk.¡± At first, Logan blinked nkly, then his brows knitted. The other day when they were having dinner, John did mention that he was happy because Sophia was pregnant and he would be a father soon. However, he said that at the end of the gathering when everyone was already tipsy from the alcohol, and Logan didn¡¯t hear anything he said. After some time, he asked, ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Sophia is pregnant?¡± Pursing her lips, Matilda nodded. ¡°Yeah, Sophia is going to be a mother, and John a father soon.¡± There was no smile on his face, and he merely blinked in a look of disbelief. ¡°Really? So she¡¯s actually pregnant now.¡± Utterly shocked, he never imagined that a person such as Sophia would be a mother. Can she do it? Does she even know how to be a mom? he thought in bewilderment. She¡¯s like a child herself, and she¡¯s actually giving birth to a baby? His expression fell when Ian crossed his mind, and he wondered how he would react to this news. You¡¯ve been gone for too long, Ian. By the time you return, the world is already in chaos. Plopping herself onto the couch after leaving the dining room, Sophia turned on the TV but couldn¡¯t really focus on the show. She was a little tired and wanted to take a nap, feeling ratherzy, in general. After sitting for a while, shey down and stared at the TV. Barely a minute had passed when she closed her eyes again. By the time John and Logan came out of the dining room, she had already drifted off, and John went next to the couch, watching her. Matilda came over as well, exasperated as shemented, ¡°Why did this child fall asleep here? She should have gone to her bedroom and slept properly if she¡¯s tired.¡± Bending down, John carefully picked her up, and she extended her arms to ce it around his neck, murmuring softly under her breath, ¡°You¡¯re annoying.¡± Tickled, John then peered over at Logan. ¡°I¡¯m bringing her upstairs. Give me a moment.¡± On his way upstairs, he couldn¡¯t resist and nted a kiss on Sophia. Although in a daze, she was still a little conscious, and she muttered, ¡°Jerk.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he agreed. ¡°I was really a jerk before this.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 709 Chapter 709 John came downstairs and turned to Matilda. ¡°I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll be back tonight, so lock the windows and doors carefully.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she assured, and he left with Logan. Both of them arrived at Logan¡¯s clubhouse, which was a huge ce with a basement in the backyard. It was in the corner, and a flower stand was ced next to it. A few flower pots stood around it, hiding the entrance to the basement located under the tree. ¡­ As it was already nighttime and this area was not open to guests, it was a little dark in the yard. Logan hadn¡¯t instructed anyone to install any lighting here for the sole reason that the basement was meant for sneaky businesses. The entrance to the basement was covered with a wood nk, and a huge flower pot stood on top of it, but it was moved aside now. When the nk was removed, the entrance, which looked like a well with a ropedder on the side, was revealed. It was pitch ck inside, but John took a step down without hesitation with Logan following behind. About seven feet deep into the ground, theynded, and John whisked out his cell phone for light. The ce was quite spacious, and after scanning around with light, he found the person he was looking for ¡ªa man thrown to the floor with his hands tied to his back. Logan turned on the only light source in the basement, which was a low wattage light that emitted a dim lighting, casting an eerie atmosphere to the ce. Looking around, John saw that there was nothing in this basement, so he hoisted the man up and propped him against the wall in a sitting position. They didn¡¯t know if that man had fallen asleep or passed out earlier, but he slowly opened his eyes after being shaken. With his eyes half-opened, he tried to adjust to the light in the room. A little frustrated at the sight of the man, Logan stepped up and gave him a kick. ¡°Open your eyes! Are you still thinking about sleeping at this time?¡± Then, he gave the man another kick on his chest, and that man grunted softly. John raised his hand and patted his shoulder. ¡°Be gentle. If you keep this up, you might send him on his way soon.¡± Logan went over his words and backed down, knowing that he was a person who didn¡¯t know his own strength. Subsequently, John lowered himself to stare at the man and saw that he was pale and rather weak. ¡°Why are you following Sophia?¡± he asked. Chuckling lightly, the man answered, ¡°Because she¡¯s pretty, and I like pretty girls.¡± The moment his reply reached Logan¡¯s ears, he came up and gave him another kick again, but it landed on his face, and John didn¡¯t say a thing this time. Almost instantly, blood trickled down his nostril, and he tilted his head, but as his hands were bound, he couldn¡¯t wipe it away. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. With an icy look on his face, John said, ¡°If you tell the truth, you won¡¯t have to suffer that much. If you don¡¯t, you might not walk out of here.¡± It seemed like the man still had some integrity as he didn¡¯t utter a word, and John smirked. ¡°I¡¯ve seen more than enough of people like you who think that you can pull through if you just bear with it. That¡¯s amusing.¡± Standing up, he went on, ¡°I have countless ways to torment you to spill the beans, but I would still like to give you a chance in the beginning. If you speak up first, then we can all save the trouble.¡± Hesitating, the man then turned to him. ¡°I like pretty girls, and I think she¡¯s kind of cute. I merely secretly took a few pictures of her, and I¡¯ll just delete them if it really bothers you.¡± John sighed. ¡°Forget it. Looks like you really don¡¯t n to say anything.¡± Spinning around to face Logan, who looked like he was not done manhandling the guy, he grinned. ¡°Prepare some things for me and try to gather them. You don¡¯t have to do this yourself. I won¡¯t let this guy have it easy.¡± Gritting his teeth, Logan pointed a finger at that man and hissed. ¡°Just you wait.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 710 Chapter 710 The list of things John wanted Logan to prepare was rather long, and he couldn¡¯t figure out how John wanted to use them in such a short period of time. Nevertheless, he still sent his men to prepare them, and they came out of the basement for a cigarette break while they were at it. While they were shrouded in cigarette smoke, his men prepared the items requested by John one by one, but it wasn¡¯tplete as it was alreadyte, and they couldn¡¯t find everything on the list. cing everything into a box, they then showed it to him. After a quick nce, John nodded. ¡°Yeah, this will do.¡± The sky waspletely dark now, and both of them saw the man trying to free himself from the ropes binding him when they returned to the basement. ¡°You better behave yourself!¡± Logan yelled and delivered him one more kick. Helplessly, John hadn¡¯t noticed that Logan was so fond of hustling before this. In contrast to that, he was moreposed than him. ¡°Even if you can loosen the ropes, there¡¯s no way for you to escape,¡± he pointed out. Unable to contain his anger, the man red and spat. This made Logan, who always had a foul temper, exim in surprise, and he kicked him over. With one foot on the man¡¯s back, he sneered, ¡°Damn it, you still have the nerves to challenge me at this time. You must be asking for it.¡± On the other side, John didn¡¯t intervene but opened up the box and picked out two items from it¡ªa pack of slender, long nails and a bottle of transparent, unknown fluid. Uncapping the bottle and pouring out the nails from the pack, he nced at Logan and said calmly, ¡°Keep him still.¡± Logan looked at him and smirked. ¡°Alright, just do your best. I assure you that he won¡¯t even have the chance to struggle.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia slept until midnight and woke up to use the bathroom. In staggering steps, she went into the bathroom and stared at the empty bed when she returned, realizing that John was not in bed. Scratching her head, she peered outside the window and saw that his car was not in the yard, either. He probably went out, she reckoned. Crawling back to bed, she recalled what happened during the day and figured that he must have left with Logan to interrogate that man. Seeing that it was already way past midnight and judging from that man¡¯s cowardly appearance, she thought that he didn¡¯t seem so capable and couldn¡¯t figure out why it would take them such a long time to deal with him. As she had slept too much during the day, she was now wide awake and sat upright with her back leaning on the headboard. Since John didn¡¯t send her a text nor give her a call, it seemed like he was assured of her situation here. Hence, she sat there for a long while, and just as she wanted to lie down again because she couldn¡¯t wait any longer, her cell phone rang. It wasn¡¯t a call, but a text message. The vibration of her cell phone made her jump in surprise. It was already way past midnight, and the sudden vibration of the cell phone was very startling indeed. Grabbing her cell phone, she nced at it and saw that an unknown number had sent a zoomed-in picture of herself. She could tell that it was a picture taken secretly of her at the mall today. With furrowed brows, she wondered what was the meaning behind the picture. Was it a warning saying that all her movements were being watched by this other person? After thinking about it, she replied with nothing but a question mark. Soon, she received another picture from the same number. It was still a picture of her, but it wasn¡¯t one from the mall. This time, it was a picture of her at the entrance to her housing area. Before she could scrutinize the picture, she received another one, which was taken when she was at home, and it showed her watching TV in her own living room. Previous Chapter Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Next Chapter Chapter 711 Chapter 711 Stunned, it suddenly struck Sophia that something was amiss. The picture where she was watching TV didn¡¯t look like it was taken from outside the house. Judging from the angle of the picture, it was taken from the entrance to the living room. However, there was no way she wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if she was on the couch and someone was taking a picture of her from the living room entrance. The more she stared at the picture, the more terrified it made her feel. After staring at it for a long while to no avail, she just couldn¡¯t figure out exactly when the picture was taken. Clutching her cell phone, she sent another text asking for the identity of the sender. This time, the sender stopped replying, and Sophia didn¡¯t ask again, either. She was usually calm, and all the more she had to remain calm now that the other person wanted to cause her panic. Lying in bed again with her cell phone in hand, she couldn¡¯t go back to sleep no matter how she tried. Her mind was clear and confused at the same time. There were many things she had to figure out and everything seemed clear, but she just couldn¡¯t understand it. Closing her eyes, she sighed. Forget it, I¡¯ll just stop thinking about it if I can¡¯t figure it out. She was never a person who made things difficult for herself, and thus, she continued to stay in bed in a half-asleep state. When dawn came, she heard the sound of John¡¯s car returning, and she instantly awakened. Rushing to the window, she saw his car graduallying to a stop in the yard, and he entered the living room in quick steps after hopping out of it. Sophia waited a few moments and heard the sound of the bedroom door opening. Twirling around slowly, she remarked, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Taken aback and still carrying the chilly morning air with him, John stopped in his tracks at the door. ¡°Why are you up so early?¡± ¡°Yeah, I slept too much yesterday and couldn¡¯t sleep at night.¡± With her eyes fixed on him, she asked, ¡°Did you manage to find out anything from the man yesterday?¡± Stepping into the bathroom, he answered, ¡°A little.¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes shed as she caught sight of a deep red spot on his clothing, which was probably a bloodstain, and went over to the bathroom door. John, who wanted to take off his clothes, paused mid-air and turned toward her. ¡°I¡¯m taking a shower.¡± Leaning against the doorframe with arms folded across her chest, she said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already seen every part of you. Why are you embarrassed now?¡± The shameless way she was acting now resembled how John had been recently. With pursed lips, he stared fixedly at herposed face, and finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Stay in bed a little longer. You have to rest more so that the baby will develop healthily.¡± Shifting her gaze downward, it fell on the hem of his clothing. Although she had never really done anything evil before, she wasn¡¯t so timid that she couldn¡¯t even bear the sight of bloodstains. After a quick nce, she then turned and went back to bed. After closing the door, John took off his jacket and revealed his white shirt underneath, which was covered in tiny blood stters. Logan was a really reckless person. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t the one dealing with the man from the beginning, or else they would¡¯ve ended up with a dead bodyst night. John took off his clothes and chucked them into the bin before jumping into the shower for a thorough wash. In fact, he was exhausted and hadn¡¯t slept muchst night. While he was in the shower, Sophia sat on the bed and stared out the window with her cell phone in her hands. Even when she heard the sound of Johning out of the bathroom, she didn¡¯t look at him nor moved an inch. With a towel draped around himself, he went through the closet and changed into his clothes as though no one was watching. ¡°I have something to show you,¡± Sophia dered after a long while. ¡°Huh?¡± John paced over and asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Passing over her cell phone, she said, ¡°Pictures of me. Look, how do you like them?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 712 Chapter 712 At first, John was a little nonchnt, but his face turned solemn as he looked through the pictures, especially when he came to thest one. Pausing, he told her to wait for a moment and left the room. Knowing exactly what he was going to do, Sophia waited until he was gone before going into the bathroom and saw that he had thrown all the clothes he was wearing earlier into the bin, including his jacket and shirt. After she had seen that, she twirled around and went out. Standing at the top of the staircase, she watched silently as Johnpared the angle of thest picture, trying to find out where it was taken. In the end, he stopped at the side of the door panel and scrutinized the panel carefully. In just a few seconds, he picked something out from between the pattern gaps of the panel. Sophia had already guessed it as well, actually. She didn¡¯t think that she would have missed it if someone stood that close to her and even took a picture of herself. So, that would only mean that she was being monitored. Despite that, she wasn¡¯t afraid and thought that the other party was rather capable. Clenching the device in his hand, the look on John¡¯s face turned grim. Even though Husky managed to sneak into the housest time, he was obviously not a proficient person in his job. On the other hand, this person proved to be a bigger threat than him although he or she had only reached their doors. After staring at the panel for a while, he was now fully awake and saw Sophia when he turned around and lifted his head. As she stood by the handrail with a calm expression, the look on her face made him feel as though his heart was being crushed. It felt a little bitter and uneasy at the same time. Ascending the staircase slowly, he paced over to her side and stroked her face. ¡°Are you afraid?¡± Sophia grinned. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. The edges of his lips curled up into a smirk, and he sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the room.¡± When they returned to the bedroom, Sophia naturally crawled back into bed while John sat leaning on the headboard as he texted. Even though the buzzing sound of his phone vibrating wasn¡¯t noisy, it was considered loudpared to the silence she experiencedst night. But it was exactly in this environment that she inexplicably fell asleep again peacefully. After he was done sending his texts, John lowered his gaze and saw her curled up and sleeping soundly beside him. As he stroked her hair like she was a kitten, she must have been sleeping comfortably and wriggled closer to him. Putting away his cell phone, hey down as well and pulled her into his embrace. He closed his eyes and felt her belly. There was nothing, really, but he had an ineffable feeling that her belly had gotten bigger. A relieved sigh escaped his lips, and his heart suddenly felt at ease. And so, the both of them fell asleep until Matilda came knocking on their door. It was John who woke up first, and he realized that it was time to start the day when he saw the time. Opening the door, he looked at Matilda and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer. It seems like she didn¡¯t sleep wellst night.¡± Matilda nced into the room and nodded. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll prepare breakfast and bring it upstairs. Tell her to wash up so she can continue sleeping after eating.¡± He nodded after a moment of hesitation. ¡°Okay.¡± After Matilda went downstairs, he prepared a damp towel to clean Sophia¡¯s face, and she woke up with half-opened eyes. ¡°Is it time to wake up?¡± ¡°Yeah, wake up and brush your teeth. Breakfast will be sent upstairs in a while, and you can go back to bed after eating. But don¡¯t sleep too much in the day, or you won¡¯t be able to sleep again at night.¡± Sophia shot him a look and murmured, ¡°You¡¯re such a nag.¡± Chuckling, he said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a nag, but only to you.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 713 Chapter 713 Scoffing, Sophia hoisted herself up before John helped her into the bathroom. As he watched her brush her teeth from the bathroom door with a gentle smile on his face the whole time, she peered at him from the mirror and snorted. The way he looked at it, she didn¡¯t seem angry at all. Instead, she was just ying hard to get. Despite the fact that she had been rejecting him, her attitude toward him had obviously changed. Recalling their past, John hugged her from the back and whispered into her ears, ¡°Are you really not considering marrying me again? I¡¯ll hold an even grander wedding for you.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. However, Sophia didn¡¯t want to hear this and spat, ¡°Buzz off.¡± Nibbling at her ear, he said, ¡°There are, in fact, many girls who like me. Don¡¯t you feel threatened at all?¡± Sophia dodged him and snorted. ¡°Many girls? Yeah, right, like Isabelle.¡± Almost instantly, John froze and the look on his face shifted. Isabelle was a topic that shouldn¡¯t be mentioned. Sighing in frustration, he said, ¡°There¡¯s really nothing between me and Isabelle. I wasn¡¯t considerate enough in the past and couldn¡¯t give you a sense of security.¡± Spinning her around, he met her eyes with an earnest look. ¡°But it won¡¯t happen again in the future, really.¡± Right now, Sophia didn¡¯t believe in these so-called promises as they were utterly meaningless. Shoving him aside, she snapped, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Actions speak louder than words.¡± Just when she came out of the bathroom, Matilda happened toe into the room with breakfast. Originally, Sophia wasn¡¯t hungry, but the smell of food made her decide otherwise. Casting a look at John, Matilda said, ¡°You¡¯ll be having your breakfast downstairs. I¡¯m not serving you.¡± Silently, John watched Sophia dig in for a while before going downstairs with Matilda following behind. Tilting his head to look at her, he told her, ¡°Be careful here at home. I discovered a camera on the door panel. Looks like someone has been here.¡± ¡°Somebody was here?¡± Matilda gasped in shock. ¡°That person made it into the house?¡± He was unsure about that. ¡°That person probably made it to the living room. I¡¯ll get someone to install cameras at home, and you should keep a lookout on the people who areing over because I¡¯m afraid someone will sneak in. We really have to be more cautious about everything now.¡± Nodding, Matilda replied hurriedly, ¡°Okay, I got it. These people are really capable, and they even have the nerve toe into the house!¡± After that, John spoke no more. When Sophia had finished eating and came downstairs with the dishes, John had already left the house and Matilda was standing at the door, staring intently at the door panel. The door panel was decorated with a retro carving and the color was a little darker. Hence, most people wouldn¡¯t have realized that a tiny camera was installed in between the gaps. Seeing Sophia¡¯s appearance, she beckoned for her toe over. ¡°Take a look here. They could even ce a camera in a ce like this. It really makes me wonder what these people are thinking about. Are they monitoring our lives?¡± Even Sophia didn¡¯t know what the other party¡¯s motives were as she stood there and checked the door panel. ¡°Even you guys have to watch out from now. I think these people are quite daring and we can¡¯t tell what they¡¯ll do next.¡± ¡°Yeah, but don¡¯t worry. With all of us around, we¡¯ll ensure your safety.¡± Sophia grinned. Actually, she was not worried about her own safety at all. Perhaps this was because the ignorant were fearless. In addition, she had never encountered such a situation before, which made her even less afraid. After staying in her room for a while, she then went to the garden to move her body a little with some light stretching without making any big movements. While she was doing her simple exercises, she looked around and remembered that one of the pictures she received on the previous day was taken when she was in the yard. That angle¡­ Slowly, she began to search around. As that picture wasn¡¯t taken from a particrly close distance, she gave a once-over at the opposite houses and could almost determine the approximate direction after that. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 714 Chapter 714 Soon after, a car stopped outside the house and someone got off. From the house, Matilda came out and stared at them. One of them who was older told her that they were sent by John to install the cameras. Acknowledging them, Matilda hurriedly invited them inside. Since the whole house would be installed with the monitoring devices, it was considered as a rather major project and many workers would be needed for it. Sophia watched as these people went into the house carrying their tools. Then, she asked the older man, ¡°Are all these people the employees of your company?¡± Taken aback, that man hurriedly nodded. ¡°Yes, yes. They¡¯re all my employees.¡± He even added that he knew John personally and hispany was also responsible for the surveince system in his company. ¡°After-sales services are also guaranteed, so don¡¯t worry.¡± However, that was the least of Sophia¡¯s concern, and as she watched the workers, she asked in a different manner, ¡°What I¡¯m asking is, have all those workers been in yourpany for years?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± he blurted in confusion. Then, he racked his mind and shook his head. ¡°One of them hasn¡¯t. Initially, another employee was supposed toe. In the end, he had an emergency and found someone else to take over the job. That person is new here.¡± Stunned, she pressed on by asking, ¡°Who¡¯s the one recing the missing employee?¡± That man stared at the workers who had already begun with the preparation work inside and pointed at one of them. ¡°That guy; he¡¯s the one. As Mr. Constance wants us to finish the job as soon as possible, and we don¡¯t want to waste too much of your time, we brought more people over, and that¡¯s the guy who came as a temporary recement.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Fixing her eyes on that guy who was opening his toolbox, she thought that there was nothing dodgy about him as he was wearing the samepany uniform and hat as the others. A few secondster, she nodded. ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Seeing that Sophia didn¡¯t have any further questions, the older man went into the house to start directing the job, leaving Sophia to stare at the temporary recement with a concerned look on her face. Matilda came out of the house after monitoring the workers and stood next to her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look too good.¡± Pointing at that guy, she told her, ¡°Maybe I¡¯m overthinking, but that guy is a temporary recement they found today and I keep having the feeling that there might be a problem with him. I¡¯ve been keeping a watch on him and he seems really sneaky. He¡¯s looking around stealthily, and something is off about him.¡± Immediately, Matilda remembered John¡¯s advice to keep a lookout on the surveince workers as there might be someone sneaking in with them. Thus, she whisked out her cell phone and called John instantly. Sophia stood at the side and watched the workers in the house, fully alert on the situation. When the call got through, Matilda hurried to the entrance of the yard and exined briefly the situation at home. On the other end of the call, John was solemn. ¡°Keep a lookout on your side. I¡¯m going back now.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Matilda answered. ¡°There are many people here, so it¡¯s unlikely that anything will happen. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Without saying anything, John hung up and she took a deep breath before returning to Sophia¡¯s side. As there were so many people in the house, someone could easily be up to some sneaky business in the midst of the job. A little whileter, Sophia chuckled and murmured, ¡°That guy realized that I¡¯ve been watching him.¡± ¡°Huh? He even noticed you?¡± Matilda eximed. Exactly. With so much preparation work to do, this guy actually noticed that I¡¯ve been watching him. Crossing her arms across her chest, Sophia said, ¡°There¡¯s definitely something wrong with this guy.¡± Matilda was a little impressed with her. ¡°You actually considered so much, and I didn¡¯t even think to ask any more questions.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 715 Chapter 715 A smirk spread across Sophia¡¯s face. Maybe it was because of the environment she grew up in, for she would unwittingly consider more things in any situation. Soon, John returned with Zack, and they both got out of the car quickly when it came to a stop at the front of the house. ¡°Are you alright?¡± John asked, standing next to her. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she replied and pointed to the guy with her chin. ¡°There, that¡¯s the guy. He was working rather slowly in the beginning, but when he noticed that I was watching him, he began to work seriously.¡± Following the direction she was gesturing at, John nced at the guy, but he couldn¡¯t tell anything amiss with him. Since he had requested that there should be no blind spots in both levels of the house, it had turned out to be quite a big job, so many people were needed for it. With that many people around, the ce turned out a little chaotic, and very little could be observed even if one tried very hard. Zack took a look and went into the house, where the designer was also there and was checking out the best way to install the surveince cameras in the most efficient manner. Actually, they had been given the blueprint of the house and the initial design had already been prepared, but he still had to make adjustments based on the actual situation. At first, Zack circled around the ce, then he scanned the guy before slowly making his way next to him. Every move he made seemed proper, as if he was really inspecting if there were any problems with the tools which he had justid out nicely. With a smile, Zack struck up a conversation with him. ¡°Hey man, how long do you think the job today will take? Do you guys have an estimation of the time needed?¡± The guy jumped at the sound of Zack¡¯s voice and he lifted his head to look at him. Chuckling awkwardly, he answered, ¡°That depends on the designer, and if there will be any change to the initial design. Under normal circumstances, it can bepleted by noon.¡± Nodding, Zack lowered himself and looked at his tools. ¡°There are so many tools here. I don¡¯t even know any of it or what it is called.¡± Chuckling dryly, he replied, ¡°You guys are working in the office, which is apletely different territory from where we work.¡± Raising his eyes at him, Zack asked, ¡°How many years have you been in this industry?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Startled, the guy peered at him and answered hesitantly, ¡°Almost five years. I used to have a business of my own, but it went out. So, I¡¯m working for biggerpanies now.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Zack muttered. Then, he watched him inspect the cameras with a straight face. John was watching everything from the yard before telling Sophia and Matilda after a while, ¡°You can catch a break upstairs. Leave this ce to me and Zack.¡± Thinking that the guy couldn¡¯t be up to any tricks in this tight situation, Sophia became bored and nodded as she grabbed Matilda¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Matilda muttered and followed her into the living room. Her head was already spinning from the people getting busy in the house. When Sophia was leaving, she passed by that guy and spun her head in his direction. He happened to lift his head as well and their eyes met for a split second. In contrast to the nk look he had on his face, she was carrying an inexplicable smirk on hers. Her smirk made him pause in his tracks and stare at her. Calmly, she looked away and went upstairs with Matilda. When they were in her bedroom, Matilda waited until the door was shut before asking, ¡°Why did you smile at that guy? What¡¯s wrong? Did you sense something fishy?¡± Sitting by the headboard of her bed, she replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just curious about his looks, so I took another nce at him.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Matilda was speechless. Pacing over to the window, she sighed. ¡°How did our lives turn out like this? I thought that everything will be fine while we wait for you to give birth to your baby, but look at all these endless troubles that keep cropping up one after another.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 716 Chapter 716 After giving it a thought, Sophia said, ¡°Maybe someone doesn¡¯t want me to give birth to this baby.¡± Twisting her head and peering at her over her shoulders, Matilda could guess who she meant. If there was really someone who didn¡¯t want her to have the baby, there was only one person who came to her mind. A few minutester, Sophia¡¯s phone rang while she was sitting there on her bed. She nced at the caller and frowned. Then, she rejected the call without hesitation. Taken aback, Matilda asked, ¡°Who¡¯s calling? Why aren¡¯t you answering the call?¡± Letting out a sigh, she answered, ¡°That¡¯s a spam call, and it has called me many times before, so I don¡¯t feel like picking it up.¡± Matilda merely acknowledged with an ¡®I see¡¯, and she didn¡¯t think anything else of it. Out of boredom, Sophia browsed the Inte on her cell phone andy down on the bed again. Thankfully, she was always feeling sleepy from her pregnancy, so she could catch some sleep whenever she had nothing else to do. After she had Matilda help her to close the curtain halfway and block out the light on her side, she drifted off to sleep. While Sophia was sleepingfortably, her cell phone rang again. As she was still half-asleep, she picked up the call without even checking the caller when she fumbled for her cell phone. The voice on the other end sounded cheery. ¡°What are you doing, Soph?¡± Because she didn¡¯t hear anything clearly, she didn¡¯t say anything in reply. However, her silence didn¡¯t dampen the spirits of the caller at all as she continued, ¡°I¡¯m just done cleaning up the house. Your sister is a really naughty child and always messes up the ce, which reminds me of how you were when you were young. You were so obedient, aplete opposite of her.¡± Opening her eyes slowly, Sophia stared at her phone and hung up. What¡¯s in the mind of these people? They even have the cheek to put up a show of fake family affection. After she switched off her phone, she rolled over and continued sleeping. Meanwhile, John went into the living room and chatted casually with the supervisor. However, while he was speaking, he would peer over at that guy from time to time, and that made it seem like they were having a discussion about him. It was clear as day to him that that guy was feeling unsettled. Even though it wasn¡¯t apparent that he was avoiding his gaze, the guy didn¡¯t have the nerve to meet his gaze directly either. John wasn¡¯t such a perfect judge of character, but he was sure that there was something suspicious about that guy, and he felt relieved that Sophia was sharp enough. Or else, this guy would have gotten away with some shady business on this day. Following that, it probably hit that guy that something was wrong. Hence, he went to the supervisor and told him that he was feeling unwell, requesting to take the day off. It was obvious from the supervisor¡¯s face that he was unhappy about it as he said in an angry, hushed voice, ¡°You¡¯re here to stand in for another person. Who is going to take your ce if you¡¯re gone as well?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Embarrassed, the guy said in insistence, ¡°But I¡¯m really feeling unwell and a little dizzy.¡± Waving him off, the supervisor sighed. ¡°Okay, okay, say no more. Go back now since you won¡¯t be of any help even if you stay here.¡± The guy nodded and apologized humbly. ¡°Thank you so much. I¡¯m really sorry to have caused you trouble.¡± Zack, who was in the yard, watched as that guy came out of the house and ced the tools back into the car before walking toward the exit of the residential area. Grinning, he waited a few more seconds and trailed after him. In the living room, John slowly spun around and instructed the workers to keep their noises down before heading upstairs. Sophia was sound asleep, and she felt a kiss on her cheek before hearing John whispering to her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I ced you in a plight.¡± Initially, Sophia wanted to throw some sarcastic remarks at him. Nevertheless, all those mean words were gone when she heard his apology. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he leaned down and hugged her, but she didn¡¯t avoid his touch. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 717 Chapter 717 Instead, Sophia merely rolled over and found anotherfortable position. Frankly, she was already awakened by John, and she was now only resting with her eyes closed. Slouching over her, John muttered something so softly, as though he was speaking to himself but also telling it to her at the same time. ¡°Grandma had the dates checked and found a good day to have a marriage registration. She said that marriages on that day will besting. Even though I¡¯m not a superstitious person, I would like to register our marriage on that day to have an auspicious start.¡± He sighed. ¡°I know that you¡¯re unwilling and you can¡¯t forgive me in such a short span of time. And I also know that I hadn¡¯t treated you well before, but I¡¯ve never, ever cheated on you. From the beginning until the end, between Isabelle and I, there was only the arranged engagement and nothing else.¡± His voice was gentle and soft as he continued, ¡°Even after the divorce, I wasn¡¯t thinking of getting together with her. At that time, I was confused and merely wanted to live the best of my life. I didn¡¯t consider having a fresh start with anyone. You have to believe me that I¡¯ve never lied to you.¡± Pursing her lips, Sophia listened to every word he said. John stroked her belly and murmured, ¡°Can you please give me a chance to make up for my mistakes?¡± Releasing a heavy breath, she finally spoke, but she wasn¡¯tmenting on anything he had said. ¡°I can¡¯t even nap in peace. You¡¯re getting more and more annoying, John.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Her words took him by surprise and he broke into a light chuckle. Sliding himself next to her, he appeared happy as he said, ¡°You¡¯ve been awake this whole while and heard everything I said, haven¡¯t you? I¡¯m telling you that everything I said is true. I¡¯ve never, ever cheated on you.¡± Then, he snuggled closer to her and gave her a kiss. ¡°You weren¡¯t this heartless back then, Sophia. Look how upset I¡¯ve be.¡± Opening her eyes, Sophia stared at him and said, ¡°I see nothing, except for how you¡¯re bing more shameless than before.¡± Staring into her eyes, he told her, ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wanting to tell you. Those people who came from your hometown are doing very well now. They even called back home to ask if they could recruit more people, and they are all very grateful to you.¡± Sophia shut her eyes again. ¡°They should be thankful to you, not me. This has nothing to do with me, actually.¡± With a hand over her belly, he whispered, ¡°I did it for you; everything I do is for you.¡± John could now sweet-talk her every time he opened his mouth. In the beginning, it made her feel uneasy, but she was getting numbed from it now. asionally, she would try to change her mood and imagine how she would react if she had heard these sweet nothings before the divorce. In the end, she was a little delighted to hear the words she had always wanted to hear but never did. Despite the fact that the timing waspletely off, the feeling of happiness remained unchanged. A long while after she closed her eyes, she uttered, ¡°Thank you.¡± Sighing, John said, ¡°You¡¯re always avoiding me like this.¡± After that, she didn¡¯t say anything else anymore. ¡­ The instation of the surveince cameras downstairs continued until noon, and Zack called to report that he had caught the guy who got away. As it turned out, he was just another small fry paid to mess with the cameras, but his cover was blown even before he could achieve anything. ¡°Okay,¡± John replied, soundingposed. ¡°I got it. Try to investigate him. See if you can find out who is paying him for the job.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 718 Chapter 718 Zack said okay and hung up, then John went downstairs to tweak the surveince cameras. Meanwhile, Sophia opened her eyes. D*mn. Being so vulnerable makes me sick. She went for her phone and took a look at the date. The next checkup is around the corner. I bet they¡¯ll make their move then. She sat up and tried toe up with something, and out popped a n. The tweak didn¡¯t take long, and the technicians left after that. Ms. Cannon went to tidy up, and John was in the yard, making a call, then he came up. When he came in, Sophia was still lying on her bed. She was getting less inclined to move around now. John caressed her face. ¡°I¡¯ll be going to thepany now, but someone will be standing guard. It¡¯s fine, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°Yeah.¡± John stared at her for a while before leaving the room. Instead of going to thepany, he went to the mall and made a beeline for the jewelry store. The shopkeeper was already waiting for him. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± He was then led to the VIP room in the store. After staying in the shop for about twenty minutes, John finally came out with his purchased item, and then someone called out to him. He looked back to see who it was, and in came Isabelle. She was in her officedy attire and presumably just finished meeting her client. She was moving stiffly after seeing John. ¡°I saw you a while back and I wondered if I should say hi. And as you can see, I did.¡± She flicked her hair back. ¡°I hope I haven¡¯t caused you any trouble. It¡¯d be a problem if we can¡¯t work together because of this.¡± John smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t mind it, so rx.¡± ¡°Is Miss Flintstone doing fine?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I saw her, so I was wondering about getting together with her.¡± John grunted. ¡°She¡¯s doing fine. Are you here to meet a client?¡± Isabelle nodded and looked down at the item John bought. ¡°I see you¡¯re here for jewelry.¡± She smiled. ¡°Yes.¡± John then looked at the time. ¡°Talk to youter. I have something to do.¡± ¡°Okay. Bye,¡± Isabelle said. John went to his car and drove away. With a smile on her face, Isabelle saw him off, but when his car went out of sight, her smile was wiped away. She looked at the door of the mall coldly. From N?velDrama.Org. After some time, John came back to thepany and ordered some delivery for lunch. Zack came back when he was having his meal. When he saw John, he told him, ¡°He doesn¡¯t know much. Only thing he knows is that his employer only came to him this morning. They covered themselves up tightly, so he couldn¡¯t see their face.¡± Zack sighed. ¡°But he said his employer made the deal in the store across from theirpany. I¡¯ve sent someone to retrieve a copy of the store¡¯s security footage. Maybe we can get some clues then.¡± ¡°I see.¡± John leaned back on his chair. ¡°Keep an eye on the shadow bank. I think they¡¯re up to something.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Zack replied. ¡°Someone¡¯s already on it.¡± He knew what John was thinking about. ¡°By the way, Roselia said she hooked up with someone working in the shadow bank, but all she can do is wait. The guy¡¯s really alert, so she can¡¯t do much for now.¡± John smiled. ¡°It¡¯s already good enough that she managed to hook up with him.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 719 Chapter 719 Zack sat down on a chair. ¡°Sophia¡¯s smarter than I think. I couldn¡¯t have found out about this guy if it were up to me.¡± To that, John smiled. ¡°She¡¯s always been smart. I used to think she wasn¡¯t, but now I know I was wrong.¡± She used to appear naive and dumb, but that was only because she loved him too much. That inevitably made her lose all personality, but after the divorce, her true character resurfaced. ¡°You look happy every time you talk about her,¡± Zackmented. John chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll know why when you fall in love.¡± ¡°I wonder how frustrated Isabelle would be if she sees you talking about someone else so happily.¡± Zack sighed. Then, he continued to say, ¡°I looked into her again in case I missed something, but still I couldn¡¯t find any clue that points to her as the culprit. Unbelievable.¡± John squinted. ¡°Maybe she is innocent.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Zack replied. ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s because of my prejudice. I just don¡¯t think she¡¯spletely innocent.¡± John smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. It¡¯ll affect your judgment.¡± When he heard that, Zack gave him a look. ¡°Did you never suspect her?¡± John paused and stared at Zack. ¡°Of course I did. She¡¯s at the top of the list.¡± On the other hand, Sophia and Matilda were taking a stroll that afternoon. Even though they were in their neighborhood, there were still bodyguards following them, much to Sophia¡¯s chagrin. ¡°Don¡¯t mind them,¡± Matilda cooed. ¡°Safety first, you know.¡± Then, her phone rang, and Matilda froze. She knew who the caller was without even looking, and she took a deep breath. ¡°That must be Isabelle.¡± She looked at Sophia. ¡°I haven¡¯t been calling hertely, so she¡¯s starting to call me back.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Take the call. I want to know what she has to say.¡± Not much could be said on the phone. After Isabelle knew that Matilda was getting along with Sophia, she couldn¡¯t denigrate her right in front of Matilda like they used to. Matilda turned on her speakerphone. ¡°Hello, Isabelle.¡± She didn¡¯t change how she addressed Isabelle, much to Sophia¡¯s surprise. Back then, Matilda used to wear her heart on her sleeve and would show her contempt for those she disliked tantly. So she¡¯s learned. From N?velDrama.Org. Isabelle sounded delighted, and she asked if Matilda had time. When Sophia heard that, she patted Matilda and nodded at her. ¡°I do. What is it?¡± Matilda answered. Isabelle asked her out on a shopping session. ¡°The mall¡¯s holding some great events.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Matilda replied. ¡°I thought you¡¯re busy at work. Done with your business already?¡± Isabelle sighed. ¡°No, but then my work is endless, so I thought I should back off for a bit. I have my own life, and it¡¯s important that I rx sometimes.¡± She giggled. ¡°I just met a client, so I want to take a detour and avoid going back in the afternoon.¡± Matilda chuckled. ¡°I see.¡± Then, Isabelle asked if she could go with her right away, and Matilda looked at Sophia before saying, ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t have much to do for now.¡± Delighted, Isabelle said she¡¯d meet up with Matilda at the entrance of a mall. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 720 Chapter 720 ¡°See youter.¡± Then, Matilda hung up and sighed. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard Isabelle sounding so happy to see me. Say, I was dumb, wasn¡¯t I? Everyone thinks they can y me like a fool.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Yeah, you were dumb.¡± Matilda¡¯s face fell. ¡°Hey, you should be consoling me, not rubbing salt on my injury.¡± She snorted. In response, Sophia giggled. A momentter, Matilda looked at the time. ¡°I have to go back and change. Let¡¯s see what she wants to pull this time.¡± When they came back into the house, Sophia went to her room, while Matilda went to change and dressed up a bit. ¡°I¡¯m going now,¡± she told Sophia and went for her appointment. Matilda still looked as elegant as she used to, and when she arrived at the mall, Isabelle was already waiting on the long bench at the za before the mall, looking pretty leisurely. Matilda went up to her. ¡°Have you been waiting for a long time, Isabelle?¡± Isabelle quickly stood up. ¡°Not really, Miss Flintstone. I went around for a bit.¡± Then, she held Matilda¡¯s arm politely. ¡°Let¡¯s go in and have a walk around.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sure.¡± Matilda didn¡¯t show her disgust. The mall¡¯s stores were stocking up on the new season¡¯s fashion items, and with it came various events. Matilda and Isabelle went shopping the whole afternoon, and Isabelle was generous enough that day, for she even bought two shirts for Matilda. Even though Matilda kept saying she¡¯d pay for her own stuff because Isabelle¡¯s generosity came off wrong, Isabelle dismissed it. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Miss Flintstone. You used to give me a lot of gifts, so consider this repayment.¡± Isabelle¡¯s overly warm wee was making Matilda fidget, for she never saw Isabelle acting this way. Halfway through their shopping session, Matilda looked at the time and called Ms. Cannon. She wanted to know how Sophia was doing at home. ¡°Make some snacks for her. She didn¡¯t eat much during lunch, and I don¡¯t want her to go hungry,¡± she said. On the other end, Ms. Cannon said she had thought about it, so she made some cake for Sophia, of which thetter had a few before going up to rest. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Matilda replied. Isabelle didn¡¯t look too good after hearing Matilda¡¯s call. She really cares about Sophia. There¡¯s no need to talk about something that trivial, but she did it anyway. Guess they¡¯re getting along well. Matilda hung up a short whileter. Isabelle smiled. ¡°Is Miss Gwendolyn down with something? You look worried.¡± ¡°Oh, not at all. Her appetite¡¯s not working up, so I had to remind the housekeeper about it.¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°I see.¡± Then, Matilda continued to say, ¡°I was going to call you in a couple of days and catch up over coffee. Sophia couldn¡¯t eat much these days, so I¡¯m worried about her. I was going to take her to the hospital for a checkup and catch up with you after that, but since you called me, here I am.¡± Isabelle perked up her ears at the mention of the hospital. ¡°She¡¯s going to be hospitalized? That¡¯s serious.¡± Matilda looked around for a ce to rest. ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s just going to be a checkup. No hospitalization.¡± Then, she saw a milk tea shop, so Matilda changed the topic. ¡°We¡¯ve been shopping for a while now. You must be thirsty, so why don¡¯t we grab something to drink?¡± Isabelle looked away. ¡°Sure.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 721 Chapter 721 They went into the shop and ordered something to drink. Isabelle looked outside and made a seemingly offhand statement. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn seems to be walking oddly thest time I saw her.¡± Matilda chuckled. ¡°Is that so?¡± she answered with a question. Isabelle looked at her from the corner of her eye and smiled faintly. They went to have lunch after having their boba tea, and Isabelle treated her all the way. Matilda let her do what she wanted. When it was almost time, she made some small talk with Isabelle and hailed a ride home. John was already there and had lunch when she came home, while Sophia was on a recliner in the yard, looking rxed. John was looking in a certain direction in the yard, and when Matilda got out of the car, she heard him say, ¡°You think it¡¯s here too?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t look where John was looking. ¡°Yeah, I think so. You might want to check if any unit was rented out and who the tenant is.¡± John nodded. ¡°Yeah. I think that¡¯s about the angle, but I didn¡¯t manage to look into it closely.¡± Matilda went up to them. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Sophia quickly sat up when she saw Matilda was back. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± She gave Matilda a look that said ¡®I need to talk to you alone¡¯. Matilda knew what she was trying to say. ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m beat. I¡¯ll be in my room to change.¡± Thus, she went up first, then Sophia came after her. She stood at Matilda¡¯s room¡¯s doorstep and looked at Matilda as she changed clothes. ¡°Did you tell her?¡± Matilda looked up at her. ¡°Yes. The moment I said I¡¯m taking you to the hospital in a few days, she kept asking me about that. I wonder what she¡¯s thinking.¡± Then, she gave Sophia a look. ¡°And I wonder what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Sophia leaned against the doorframenguidly. ¡°You¡¯ll know when it happens.¡± Matilda straightened herself up and tied her hair in a bun. ¡°You and your little schemes. Be careful, will you? You need to remember that things are different now. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re pregnant, so don¡¯t do anything rash.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know.¡± Sophia looked at the shopping bags on the bed and went to pick them up. ¡°You really love shopping. I seem to remember you buying a lot when you shopped with us.¡± Matilda nced at the bag Sophia was holding. ¡°Isabelle paid for it, so technically, she¡¯s the one who was shopping. That girl was really eager today. Probably the most eager I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it? You were nice to her, so she¡¯s nice to you now.¡± Matilda clicked her tongue. ¡°That¡¯s because she wanted something from me. That¡¯s nothing to be happy about.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t make anyments. A whileter, John came up and noticed thedies chatting in the room. He went up to them. ¡°What are you two talking about? Seems like a secret.¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Matilda replied. ¡°Just talking about Sophia¡¯s checkup.¡± The mention of the checkup piqued John¡¯s interest. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± He looked at Sophia. ¡°What kind of checkup will it be?¡± Sophia stared at him for a while before answering, ¡°Sure. Can¡¯t keep you out of the loop. This time it¡¯ll be a blood test and ultrasonography.¡± John grinned and came up to caress Sophia¡¯s face. ¡°When will you be going?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 722 Chapter 722 Sophia thought about it. ¡°In a few days. I¡¯ll tell you by then.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± John replied, and that was the end of the topic. Then, he talked about the surveince camera technician and his employer. There was footage of the employer, but they covered themselves up tightly so nobody could recognize them. Not that it mattered though, for John went to check the surveince footage of the road and knew where the perpetrator was staying. Zack was already trying to pinpoint the exact location. Sophia listened to it for a while and stretched her arms, looking like she didn¡¯t care about this. ¡°You guys carry on. I¡¯ll get some sleep. I¡¯m beat.¡± Well, not really. I¡¯m justzy. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Matilda nodded. ¡°Sure. You need a lot of rest anyway.¡± John stared at Sophia, and once she got out of the room, he followed her back into her room. When Sophia was going to lie on her bed, John came in and grabbed her hand. ¡°Wait up.¡± Sophia looked back at him, surprised. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, John went to lock the door beforeing back to her, his lips pursed, and he was fidgeting. Sophia looked at him, bbergasted. Then, John took a couple of deep breaths and kneeled on one foot, then he took a box out of his pocket. By reflex, Sophia took a step back, shocked by what John was doing. He looked up at her and opened the box. Without even looking, Sophia knew what was in the box, or at the very least, she had a good guess. John said softly, ¡°I owe you this, so I¡¯m paying you back, though you might not care about it anymore.¡± The diamond ring in the box was gleaming more brilliantly than her original ring, which was already expensive enough. However, John didn¡¯t propose to her back then. He didn¡¯t want to marry her, so nobody cared about the proposal. Sophia stared down at the ring John was holding, and she frowned. ¡°Did you buy a new one?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s custom made, and I just got it today.¡± Sophia stared at the ring for a while. Even though she didn¡¯t know much about jewelry aesthetics, she thought it must have cost a ton since the diamond was obscenely huge. Then, she snorted. ¡°You didn¡¯t really have to buy this. It¡¯s a waste of money.¡± John didn¡¯t care about that. Now, he was still kneeling on one knee, and he proposed to her. ¡°Give me another chance, Sophia. Please. Pretty please.¡± He was humbling himself, begging for her forgiveness. Sophia¡¯s expression finally changed, and she moved her sight from the ring to John. ¡°What on earth are you thinking, John? I¡¯m still the old me. Bad family background, barely educated, and I¡¯m inelegant. Didn¡¯t you hate that part of me? Why the change? Did an alien take over your body?¡± John tugged at her hand. ¡°I never really cared about that. I was just¡­¡± He didn¡¯t know how he should word his feelings for her back then. The only thing he disliked was her subservient attitude, not her family, education, or upbringing. Never once did he care about those. A long silenceter, he said, ¡°I just didn¡¯t like you being so weak. You used to see me as your whole world, so¡­¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 723 Chapter 723 That wasn¡¯t too good of an exnation either. Sophia frowned. ¡°So you don¡¯t like me because I was nice to you, but now that I don¡¯t care about you, you think I¡¯m nice?¡± That was confusing for her. ¡°Are you a masochist, John?¡± John clicked his tongue. ¡°Not exactly right.¡± Still, he didn¡¯t know how to capture that feeling best. Since he couldn¡¯t word it well, John stopped thinking about it. ¡°I used to be harsh to you, I know.¡± He looked at Sophia. ¡°But I¡¯ll make it up to you. Give me a chance, Sophia.¡± Then, he took the ring out of the box, and Sophia pulled her hand back quickly. John froze, and he pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to agree right away. I just need you to give me a chance. You can make your decision when you¡¯re ready, but at least give me a chance.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. He held her hand again. This time, Sophia clenched her fist, but she didn¡¯t try to break free, which made John smile. He opened her fist and put the ring on her finger. Sophia didn¡¯t look too happy about this. Of course, she wanted to say yes after John humbled himself in this proposal, but she felt that something was missing. Yes, something¡¯s still missing. Every time she remembered the harsh treatment John gave her, a feeling of anger would rise up within her. She wanted payback for that. On the other hand, John stood up slowly, delighted. He looked at her hand, and he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s the right size. d I got it right.¡± Sophia looked at the ring, and she said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯m not agreeing to your proposal. Not everything can be smoothed over with an apology. I¡¯m just giving you a chance.¡± John hugged her. ¡°That¡¯s enough for me. I¡¯m happy that you would give me a chance.¡± A whileter, she closed her eyes and sighed. She was having a hard time processing her emotions, then John left after a short while. He had something to do. She sat on the bed and took off the ring, then Sophia looked at it closely. There was something engraved on the inner side of the ring. She squinted at it and snorted. Childish. Her and John¡¯s initials were engraved on it. This is something inexperienced guys will do. Didn¡¯t expect John to be as childish as they are. It would be hard to go around with a ring with such a big diamond, so she went to put it back into the box before going back to the bed. Thanks to John, she didn¡¯t even feel like sleeping now. She was fully awake, so she stared at the ceiling, remembering all the things John did for hertely. John was meticulous when it came to her, and he gave her all the care in the world. Everyone could see that. Even Sophia was wondering what he was thinking. John¡¯s change in attitude came off as bizarre for her. Before this, he never was nice to her, but after she was pregnant, he started caring for her. Sophia took a deep breath. This is just confusing. Sophia turned around to stare at the window and thought about the checkup to calm down. On the other hand, not long after John went downstairs, Zack came to meet him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 724 Chapter 724 He was here to talk about where the employer was staying. ¡°I¡¯ve sent someone to check the houses in the neighborhood. They¡¯ll find the ce they used to monitor you guys.¡± John sat on the sofa. ¡°Take a seat. You can take it slow, Zack. It¡¯s fine.¡± Zack sat down and took out a name list from his pocket. ¡°This is from Husky. Take a look. ording to him, this is the only info he can get now.¡± John skimmed through the list and smiled. Zack smiled too. ¡°Someone familiar is on the list.¡± It was the same name Roselia told them. She said this person had been working in the shadow bank for a long while now. John stared at the name for a while. ¡°See if you can get anything from this one.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Zack then talked about thepany¡¯s affairs. Nothing much happened there, for John had made his stance clear that he was only working with the Baileys, and they were talking about theirpanies¡¯ future. A short whileter, Zack¡¯s phone rang. His subordinate asked him to go over, for they had found something out. ¡°Alright.¡± He hung up and looked at John. ¡°They found something.¡± John looked up at him. ¡°That¡¯s fast.¡± Then, he went to tell Ms. Cannon that he was going out before leaving with Zack. They went to another housing area in the neighborhood, which wasn¡¯t too far away. The people who were waiting for them quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s here. We went around to ask, and they said someone rented a house with an exorbitant price, but nobody ever stayed there. Only a few people were here to move in something in the beginning, then nobody showed up ever again. The neighbors are concerned about their safety, and they told us the movers looked suspicious. They¡¯re worried some crime syndicate might take root here, so when we came to ask, they quickly pointed us in this direction.¡± The subordinate led Zack and John to the unit. ¡°We called the property manager and said someone¡¯s peeping on us and took photos without permission. He called thendlord, but thendlord said the tenant¡¯s unreachable. Worried something might happen, the property manager opened the door for us, and there¡¯s a lot of things inside.¡± They came to the house after the subordinate was done exining. The door was open, and the property manager was inside. It was an empty house, devoid of any furniture. Zack and John were led to a room, and in there, they saw a tripod propped up against the window. There was a camcorder on it and a camera beside it. Of course, there was also a small table with aptop on it. John smiled. ¡°So the camera installed on my door must have sent the footage to thisptop.¡± Zack went up to tinker with theptop and found out the footage; Sophia, John, and even Matilda were in it. There was a lot of footage, but all of them were just about their daily lives. ¡°I¡¯ve called the police,¡± the property manager said. ¡°They¡¯lle in a while.¡± John didn¡¯t care. ¡°Sure. If the cops are involved, they¡¯dy low for a while.¡± There wasn¡¯t anyone here for them to capture, and there was no point in taking the things here back with him. Thus, John thought it was best to leave it to the police. They were decent, so they could find out things that he couldn¡¯t. From N?velDrama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 725 Chapter 725 Since he was in a lot of the footage, John stayed back and waited for the police in case they needed his testimony. Zack wanted to stay as well, but since it was gettingte, John asked him to go back. ¡°You do your stuff.¡± John patted his back. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of work to do. I can handle this on my own.¡± Zack thought about it, then he left with his subordinate. On the other hand, John went around the house to have a look. He thought it must have been uninhabited, judging by its stark interiors. The property manager knew who John was, and he followed him on his tour. ¡°The owner isn¡¯t a local, so he never stayed in this house. ording to him, he wasn¡¯t going to rent it out in case it was damaged, but the tenant said this house was only used as a warehouse. Since the tenant promised to keep the ce intact and paid a high sum of rent, the owner agreed to rent it out. Understandably, he¡¯s distraught about this case happening here.¡± John smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s probably just a peeping tom, so don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± The property manager sighed. He was also upset about this happening in this area, for getting the police involved was embarrassing for him. Theirpany collected a ridiculous amount of maintenance fee here, but they failed to keep this ce safe. All the homeowners kept lodging comints after finding out about the case. They were all wealthy people, so the property manager didn¡¯t want to cross them. John went around and noticed some cigarette butts on a room¡¯s windowsill. They must have been there for a while, for they were dried up. John smiled. ¡°Now this is unexpected. Maybe they can help us.¡± At the same time, Matilda woke Sophia up and told her about John¡¯s findings. ¡°It¡¯s deserted though. Only some equipment is found.¡± That was good enough for Sophia. She went out to the yard with Matilda, and Matilda pointed in a direction. ¡°There. The camera in that room was facing us.¡± Sophia pursed her lips. That ce was exactly the one she told John, and she heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°At least they found it.¡± However, Matilda was dissatisfied with the results. ¡°They¡¯re lucky they got away.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t be this lucky next time,¡± Sophia replied slowly. Over the next few days, John was overwhelmed with work, and Sophia knew why. His work was intense to begin with, and now he had to look into her case. Of course he¡¯d be busy, so she only told him about her checkup the night before. John paused. ¡°It¡¯s tomorrow, huh? Sure. I¡¯ll call Zack and ask him to handle thepany for a bit.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to go, really. I can do it myself.¡± ¡°No can do.¡± Johny down and caressed Sophia¡¯s belly. ¡°I have to see what our baby looks like.¡± Sophia said nothing. If John had really epted her offer, she¡¯d be at a loss. The next morning, John woke up first, and he told Zack to handle thepany for a day beforeing back to pick out Sophia¡¯s getup for easy checkup. He even matched her shoes for her. Still sleepy, Sophia turned around and went back to sleep. John went to soak a towel and came back to wipe her clean. When she finally woke up, they went to wash up. Previous Chapter Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Next Chapter Chapter 726 Chapter 726 Because of thepulsory blood test, Sophia couldn¡¯t have breakfast, and John followed suit. Matilda didn¡¯t care much about that, so she gulped down her portion, then they went to the hospital together. Matilda posted a status on her social media on the way, but the caption was something stupid like ¡®good morning¡¯; the kind one would see on many ¡®influencers¡¯¡¯ posts. That reminded Sophia of something. ¡°Did you add me on Facebook?¡± she asked Matilda. Matilda looked surprised. ¡°No. I hated you, remember? There¡¯s no way I¡¯d do that.¡± Sophia looked confused. ¡°Well, someone added me, and he never DMed me. Then, I saw him posting a photo of my store on his wall. I asked who he was, but I never got an answer. Seriously, who is he?¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t figure it out, but Matilda did. Then, she looked at John, and she chuckled. When Sophia heard that, she looked at her, then she nced at John, and she saw him smirking. Sophia took a while to process the information before she red at him. ¡°You again? How did you add me back? I thought you blocked me?¡± Of course, John wouldn¡¯t exin everything in detail, so he only grinned. D*mn it. The door couldn¡¯t stop him, and now he got into my friend list? Angered, Sophia didn¡¯t talk to him anymore along the way. When John parked the car in a parking lot, Sophia and Matilda came out first. Sophia looked at John. ¡°Wait right here. I don¡¯t want to see you for the moment. I¡¯ll call you before the ultrasound happens.¡± Matildaughed and patted his shoulder. ¡°Wait right here. Don¡¯t push your luck, son. We¡¯ll call you later.¡± She guffawed and took Sophia away. Initially, Sophia wanted to smile, but she resisted it. They had an appointment, so they sat down and waited for their turn. Halfway through, Sophia went around and noticed a lot of pregnant women waiting in the hallway. Matilda then started talking to a pregnant woman in her third trimester. Child talk could go on forever, so once they started talking, they didn¡¯t stop. Sophia then went away, and then she saw someone she wanted to see¡ªIsabelle, who wasing toward her as she held a bag and was looking casual. She was on the phone, and there was a frown on her face, but she didn¡¯t look angry. A short whileter, she hung up. This is the ob-gyn department. I wonder what she¡¯s here for. Sophia didn¡¯t move from her spot, and Isabelle noticed her a short whileter, much to her surprise. Is it genuine though? Not that I care anyway, Sophia thought. Then, Isabelle went up to Sophia. ¡°What are the odds, Miss Gwendolyn?¡± Sophia looked back at her. ¡°Are you here to see the obstetrician, Miss Bailey?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Isabelle chuckled. ¡°You jest, Miss Gwendolyn.¡± After that short chuckle, the smile on her face vanished. They were standing in the corner, out of the attention range of the bustling throng. Then, Isabelle approached her and whispered, ¡°I could ask the same thing, Miss Gwendolyn.¡± Sophia flicked her hair, obviously showing off her diamond ring. ¡°Take a guess.¡± Catching sight of the ring, Isabelle stared at it for a while, and Sophia smiled. ¡°Oh, this is from John.¡± She showed her ring. ¡°How is it?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 727 Chapter 727 Isabelle nodded. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nice.¡± Then, she thought about thest time she met John and the bag of jewelry he was holding. So that was when he got the ring, huh? Sophia looked at her ring. ¡°I think so too. John¡¯s really nice, isn¡¯t he?¡± She sighed. ¡°You know how it is between me and John, Miss Bailey. Honestly, him giving me a ring out of nowhere shocked me. I thought he¡¯d be dating someone else after the divorce. Lots of women want him, don¡¯t they? But he didn¡¯t.¡± She chuckled. ¡°He told me he isn¡¯t interested in anyone but me. And he especially hates those who try to cling onto him. So unromantic.¡± After she said that, sheughed. Even though she and Isabelle used to fight, Sophia stopped doing it after the divorce¡¯s exposure. Since then, she would stay polite every time they met. Even though she still disliked Isabelle, Sophia would never spite her this way. Thus, now that she was acting like this, it was a bit odd. Isabelle only looked at her quietly. Meanwhile, Sophia was still smiling. ¡°You¡¯re here to see the doctor, aren¡¯t you? I shouldn¡¯t be getting in your way then, Miss Bailey.¡± She moved away, but Isabelle was still staring at her, unmoving. ¡°Do you have anything to say?¡± Sophia arched her eyebrow mockingly, daring Isabelle to counter. Of course, her attitude was rubbing Isabelle the wrong way. Isabelle could swallow her rude remarks before the divorce became public knowledge, for she was still John¡¯s wife. However, she wouldn¡¯t take it lying down now that they were both single. ¡°You think you¡¯re so great because you¡¯re pregnant?¡± Isabelle looked at her. I knew it! Isabelle knows about my pregnancy! Sophia had been thinking about every possible suspect who would hurt her, and Isabelle remained the prime one. Sophia barely had any friends or enemies, and among her enemies, only a select few would try to make her suffer a miscarriage. Among those, only one had the resources to hire a mercenary and rent a house at that price. Hearing that, Sophia raised her chin. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m great. I am great. Not everyone can be pregnant with John Constance¡¯s baby even if they want to.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°You should know that the best.¡± Isabelle still remained calm. ¡°You never know who will have thestugh, Miss Gwendolyn.¡± Sophia chuckled. Annoying someone was her forte. She knew what she should say and do to annoy someone, and so, Isabelle got seriously frustrated after hearing her chuckle. ¡°Well, I know I¡¯m having thestugh. I mean, I managed to easily get something someone coveted for so long. Also, I heard that a certain someone has schemed for a long time to get that certain thing. Why shouldn¡¯t I have the lastugh?¡± She¡¯s talking about John, isn¡¯t she? We were engaged, but then he married¡­ her. Isabelle took a deep breath and got even closer to Sophia. ¡°You¡¯d better watch out, Miss Gwendolyn. You never know if you¡¯ll suffer a miscarriage.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Sophia looked at her innocently. ¡°What are you talking about, Miss Bailey? Are you saying some sort of sick, twisted, and demented animal is out for my blood?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 728 Chapter 728 Sophia emphasized on the adjectives, and she stared straight at Isabelle. ¡°But I¡¯d advise that animal to be on the lookout. If it doesn¡¯t, it might just find itself cooped up in jail for its failed schemes. Poor, poor animal.¡± Isabelle frowned, agitated by Sophia¡¯s remark. Then, she put her hand on Sophia¡¯s shoulder and shoved her. ¡°I¡¯m going to do it anyway. What can you do?¡± she hissed. Sophia took a few steps back when someone caught her in time. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Matilda and John eximed at the same time. Immediately, Sophia looked back and saw Matilda holding her. She was looking at Sophia nervously. ¡°Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?¡± It wasn¡¯t a hard shove, so Sophia was fine, then she looked in another direction and saw Johning in. Isabelle saw him too, and she was shocked, her face paling by the second. Of course, she knew that John cared about Sophia more than himself at the moment, and he had the scare of his life after Isabelle pushed her. Then, he went up to them and held Isabelle¡¯s wrist before shoving her away. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Miss Bailey?¡± Isabelle staggered back a few steps before stopping. Still, she looked at John defiantly, albeit being a bit pale. ¡°You¡¯ve ndered me, Miss Gwendolyn. I don¡¯t think what I did was wrong.¡± Matilda frowned at Isabelle. ¡°Do you have any idea what you just did, Isabelle?¡± ¡°Of course she does. She knows I¡¯m pregnant, so she shoved me,¡± Sophia answered softly, and she dusted off the spot Isabelle shoved. Isabelle covered her mouth, pretending to be shocked. ¡°You¡¯re pregnant? I didn¡¯t know that.¡± Wow, she is a good faker. Sophia felt likeughing. Meanwhile, Isabelle kept on with her innocent act. ¡°How do you expect me to know about your pregnancy? You can¡¯t me me for that. Yes, I did push you, but I never knew you¡¯re pregnant. I didn¡¯t know, and that¡¯s the end of it.¡± Sophia pouted and made an impression of her. ¡°I didn¡¯t know, and that¡¯s the end of it. Good show, Miss Bailey, but you forgot about one thing. You see, I¡¯m an evil queen to you, so of course I have a backup n.¡± Then, Sophia whipped her phone out. ¡°Sorry, but I recorded what you said. Everything is right here.¡± When Isabelle saw that, she froze, and Sophiaughed. ¡°Never lie, Miss Bailey. You never know when it will bite you in the behind.¡± Then, Sophia turned to Matilda. ¡°Is it my turn already?¡± Matilda looked at Isabelle, upset, and she whispered, ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. You¡¯ll be up soon.¡± Sophia waved her phone at Isabelle and told John, ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you. It¡¯s my turn now.¡± After that, she went to the consultation room with Matilda, humming along the way. From N?velDrama.Org. Matilda¡¯s face fell. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you staying back to see what she has to say?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Sophia went to sit on a chair outside the consultation room. She would be up next. ¡°I had the high ground, and I¡¯m not the kind of person who¡¯d ask for sympathy. You want me to back Isabelle into a corner because John¡¯s there to back me up? I¡¯m not the kind of person who¡¯d do that. Isabelle¡¯s already fallen into my trap, and after what I did, John wouldn¡¯t believe her no matter what she says.¡± She giggled. ¡°So all I have to do is wait. I don¡¯t have to do this myself.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 729 Chapter 729 The maximum effect wouldn¡¯t happen if she stayed back. However, Matilda was still upset about Isabelle¡¯s behavior, but Sophia had already forgotten about that. When the doctor called her name, she quickly went into the room. Since she was in the first trimester, no heartbeat could be heard yet. She could only undergo the blood test and ultrasound. The prescription came quickly, then Sophia and Matilda went to the blood test room for Sophia¡¯s blood test. When they went past the corner where Isabelle argued with Sophia, she and John were nowhere to be found. ¡°Where did they go?¡± Matilda asked. Sophia smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Not like they¡¯re going to f*ck, so rx.¡± Matilda looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re really straightforward, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sophiaughed. ¡°We¡¯re all adults here, so no need to hold back.¡± They went to the blood sampling room, and after Sophia was done, they went to wait at the ultrasound room. That was when Matilda called John, and he told her he would being soon, then he hung up. ¡°I wonder what they¡¯re talking about.¡± Matilda looked curious. ¡°Do they have to go outside? Is it something scandalous?¡± Nevertheless, Sophia didn¡¯t mind at all. She leaned back on her chair and stared at the number on the ultrasound room¡¯s screen. A long line was what she hated the most during a checkup. A short while Sophia looked at him. ¡°Isabelle came with a group of people, didn¡¯t she?¡± John frowned. ¡°Is that so? I didn¡¯t notice.¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°Look into it. I don¡¯t think she came here alone.¡± John stared at her. ¡°Okay,¡± he said. Then, the doctor came out to call Sophia, and John wanted to follow. ¡°No family members allowed,¡± the doctor quickly said. John frowned. ¡°Why?¡± The doctor thought John was familiar, and his intern quickly said, ¡°I think it¡¯s Dr. Holt¡¯s rtive.¡± Hearing that, the doctor quickly said, ¡°Well,e in then. Miss Gwendolyn, lie down here and pull your shirt up. John stood beside the ultrasound machine, but he knew nothing about it. After the doctor had applied some count gel on Sophia¡¯s belly, he started exining everything in detail for John, like where the baby was, and when they would be hearing heartbeats. As John stared at the ck dot on the screen, his gaze turned gentle. So that¡¯s my child. It¡¯s so¡­ small. It doesn¡¯t even have a shape yet. Then, he smiled. Sophia turned to look at him after a while. She had never seen him so gentle before. Maybe this is his paternal instinct. A few momentster, she smiled too. Because of John¡¯s rtionship with Dr. Holt, this doctor did a meticulous checkup and exined all about the growth of the fetus. Since Sophia couldn¡¯t see the screen, she could only listen to him. When John came to hold her hand, he saw the diamond ring once he stared down. It wasn¡¯t a great match for her shirt, but John was happy anyway. When the doctor was done with the checkup, John came out with Sophia. It would take a while before the results could be printed, so they sat down and waited. Matilda asked about the results, though there was nothing to talk about. It was too early in the pregnancy, so there weren¡¯t many details yet. All they could see was the fetus¡¯ growth. Previous Chapter Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Next Chapter Chapter 730 Chapter 730 Matilda sighed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even this nervous when I was pregnant with John.¡± Sophia held her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine.¡± Until now, Matilda could still feel chills running down her spine when she thought of what she saw earlier. ¡°How can I not? I was worried sick. It¡¯d be bad if you fell down.¡± Now, John was also reminded of what Isabelle said earlier. She said she was innocent and knew nothing, and she only shoved Sophia because of what she said. However, John didn¡¯t care what Sophia said, even though he knew she had a sharp tongue. All he cared about was whether Isabelle knew she was pregnant. Isabelle stubbornly denied it at first, but when he pressed on, she kept quiet. And her silence was the answer for John. In the end, he told her to stay away from Sophia, then Isabelle cried. What a pain. He hated it when she cried. It was annoying. Sophia took her phone out and yed the recording while they waited for the report. Nothing much could be captured, for the hospital was rowdy. And since her phone was in her pocket, she didn¡¯t manage to catch anything. Isabelle lowered her voice when she shoved her, so nothing was recorded. Sophia knew that would happen, so she was only scaring Isabelle earlier. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. John said, ¡°Don¡¯t butt heads with her next time you guys meet. I don¡¯t want her to hurt you.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯m not an idiot, so I¡¯ll back off once things start going awry.¡± Matilda sighed. ¡°Why did she turn out like this? I thought she was just stubborn, but now she¡¯s downright obsessed.¡± Sophia didn¡¯tment much. All along, she knew Isabelle was an obsessed woman, though that was every woman¡¯s trait. Most women were nostalgic, and once they fell in love, it would be hard for them to love someone new with all their heart. Besides, now that Sophia was divorced, Isabelle thought she had a chance, so she naturally wouldn¡¯t let go. After a short while of waiting, John went to take the report, and they went back home. On their way back, John called his men and told them to see if Isabelle had brought or sent anyone to the hospital. He knew Sophia was right; Isabelle couldn¡¯t havee alone. Earlier, once he was done talking to her, Isabelle drove away. He wasn¡¯t sure if she left because she wasn¡¯t here to have a checkup in the first ce, or that she was angered because of their argument. No matter what, he thought Isabelle should be investigated. Sophia heard his phone call, and she smiled, for John finally took in her advice. At least that was much better than how he used to be. He sent Sophia back home before going to hispany. Before he left, he looked at the report and folded it carefully before keeping it. Ms. Cannon had prepared lunch and was waiting for them at home. Since Sophia didn¡¯t have breakfast, she went to feast on her lunch in the dining room. John didn¡¯t have anything for breakfast either, but he had no time, so delivery it was. When he was on the way to hispany, Isabelle texted him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 731 Chapter 731 The text was a waste of his time, for what Isabelle sent him was to ask him if he thought of her as an evil witch, which to John, was the same as asking if he breathed that day. He nced at it and tossed his phone aside. What did she expect me to say? That she¡¯s an angel? She¡¯s evil the moment she pushed Sophia. When he came out of the elevator, Zack was already waiting for him. ¡°The Baileys made some huge orders. Here¡¯s the details.¡± There was a huge stack of it. Zack used to be the one handling these, but since the amount was different now, the Baileys wanted John to deal with it himself. It didn¡¯t have to be John. Indeed, he used to talk to Isabelle about the deal details, but after what happened between them, Isabelle asked her assistant to handle it most of the time, and her assistant would usually contact John¡¯s assistant, so the deals were handled by them. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Now, when Isabelle was switched back in and made some big orders, it was only natural for John to handle this himself. However, after what happened in the hospital, John thought it¡¯d be hard to deal with the Baileys. John grunted. ¡°I see. Give me their purchase orders and see if it tallies with the stock in the warehouse. And make sure the numbers are correct.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Then, Zack gave John the purchase forms from the Baileys before leaving. When he was looking through the forms, Isabelle called him, and he took it without hesitating. Before she could say anything, John said, ¡°I¡¯m looking through your order forms. I¡¯ll call you if I run into any problem.¡± John was trying to say that this call was strictly professional, so Isabelle couldn¡¯t talk about their personal affairs. A short whileter, she replied, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I was going to say. The details can be overwhelming, so call me if you need anything, Mr. Constance. I¡¯m handling the purchase now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Then, silence fell between them. Isabelle didn¡¯t hang up at once. After pondering about it for a while, she said, ¡°John, are we really¡ª¡± John hung up before she could even finish, much to her surprise. ¡°Hello? Hello!¡± No response came, then she sighed. I never knew he could be so cruel. When John was about to get off work, he saw Isabelle, but she wasn¡¯t here for him. Instead, she was here with her father. John was surprised to see her when he came out of his office, but she only nced at him without saying anything, so he didn¡¯t say hi. Seeing her so frequently was getting on John¡¯s nerves. Because of what happened that morning, the sight of her almost disgusted him. He went to Zack¡¯s office with some documents in hand, then when he came out a few minutester, Mr. Bailey had gone into William¡¯s room with Isabelle. After John was done, he went back to his office and looked at the time. The day¡¯s almost finished. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 732 Chapter 732 Since his work was almost done, John tidied up and left once the clock hit five. At the same time, the Baileys came out of William¡¯s office, but John went to the exclusive elevator, ignoring them. He then went down without waiting for anyone. William pretended not to see him and sent the Baileys to the elevator¡¯s doorstep, then they waited. Upon ncing at the number on the elevator¡¯s screen, Isabelle retracted her gaze. When they went down and left thepany, John was already nowhere to be seen. Old Mr. Bailey made some small talk with William before leaving with Isabelle in his car, then he sighed after they closed the door. ¡°John is still as distant as ever.¡± Isabelle said nothing. A momentter, Old Mr. Bailey looked at her. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why do you even like him?¡± Isabelle looked at thepany¡¯s gates, and she said defiantly, ¡°I don¡¯t care. I love him. If it weren¡¯t because of his grandfather, he wouldn¡¯t have married Sophia. We would have gotten married instead, and he wouldn¡¯t have treated me so indifferently.¡± Old Mr. Bailey stared at her, and he changed the topic. ¡°Your brother¡¯s parent-teacher meeting is just around the corner. You should attend it. His teacher called to say that he¡¯s been performing well, and he¡¯s really studious. I¡¯m d he is.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Isabelle sighed. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll attend it.¡± Then nobody said a word until they came across a red light. Suddenly, Old Mr. Bailey said, ¡°Your brother is much, much younger than you are. You should help him when he starts working in the company. You¡¯re his sister, so do your part.¡± Isabelle grunted in assent. ¡°I understand.¡± At this, Old Mr. Bailey said nothing more, and the car drove off steadily until they got home. Upon reaching, Old Mr. Bailey was going to get out of the car, but Isabelle wasn¡¯t. ¡°You guys go ahead. I¡¯ll be staying here for a bit,¡± she said weakly. Old Mr. Bailey froze up, and he looked at Isabelle with a frown, but he left with the driver without saying a word. Once Isabelle was left alone, she started frowning. Isabelle knew going with her father to Constance Group was a rash move, and that she should calm down for the time being. However, John was cold toward her in the hospital, and that made her afraid. She was worried John might think of her as a viin if she didn¡¯t pop up enough. Moreover, calling him didn¡¯t work, so that made her nervous. Frustrated, she thumped the passenger seat. On the other hand, John hade home, and Sophia was chilling downstairs after waking up from her nap. John washed his hands before petting her head. ¡°Still feeling sleepy?¡± Sophia looked up at him, but she said nothing. When Matilda saw them from the kitchen, she smiled. ¡°The young ones are getting along well,¡± Ms. Cannon remarked. Matilda looked away. ¡°They could have been in the first ce, but I messed it up.¡± Ms. Cannon looked at her. ¡°You aren¡¯t to be med.¡± Matilda smiled, but she didn¡¯tment. While she was making dinner with Ms. Cannon, a guest arrived. She saw a car stopping outside the yard, but she thought it was Logan or Zack, so Matilda didn¡¯t think much of it. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 733 Chapter 733 When she looked up again, she saw William in the living room. Matilda frowned by reflex, and she muttered, ¡°Why is he here?¡± Ms. Cannon went to see who it was, and she smiled. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want to see him?¡± Matilda sighed. ¡°Not exactly. I¡¯m just surprised.¡± She then went back to the preparations, but Matilda would keep stealing nces at William. He was sitting on the sofa, chatting with the kids, looking happy. Matilda fell into a daze. When they were in the Constance Residence, everyone would be chatting happily as long as she wasn¡¯t around; she was a party pooper. Once preparations were done, Matilda went out. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready, so take your talk to the table.¡± William was here for dinner anyway, so they went to the dining room together, but Matilda went to the yard instead. Sophia came out a momentter and stood beside her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you evading him?¡± Matilda smiled. ¡°I am not. I¡¯m just here for some fresh air.¡± Sophia smirked quietly. A whileter, another car came in, and it stopped beside William¡¯s, much to the ladies¡¯ surprise. As they watched the car door open, a woman came out of the car, and she waved at the people in it before it drove away. Matilda smiled mockingly. Sophia didn¡¯t know who that woman was, so she was surprised to see her coming up to her. When the woman came to them, she smiled at Matilda. ¡°Hi, Matilda.¡± Matilda let out a long sigh. ¡°You¡¯re here. Come in.¡± Sophia blinked at her quietly as she walked toward the living room. As the woman walked, she said, ¡°I was nning on going to the Flintstone Residence, but then I heard you weren¡¯t staying there.¡± Sophia nced at Matilda. ¡°Who is she?¡± she mouthed. Matilda looked at her from the corner of her eye and kept quiet for a moment. ¡°Ynda,¡± she mouthed back. Sophia¡¯s eyes widened. Ynda? Why is she here? Then she smacked her lips. Ms. Bloom looks really elegant. She¡¯s calm and charming. Not even the current Matilda could match her in terms of vibe, let alone the old her. When thedies came back into the living room, Ms. Cannon seemed surprised that they were receiving another guest. ¡°And you are?¡± Her gasp attracted the men¡¯s attention, and when they came out, William seemed surprised to see Ynda there. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Ynda looked surprised too. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, too? I¡¯m here to see Matilda.¡± John greeted her and asked, ¡°Have you had dinner, Ms. Bloom? We¡¯re just digging in, so join us.¡± Ynda waved him down. ¡°You guys carry on. It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Mom,¡± John said. ¡°Ms. Bloom is here to see you, so go talk to her.¡± Matilda went up to her. ¡°Have a seat. Honestly, I¡¯m surprised you¡¯de here.¡± Turning around, John grabbed his father¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s carry on with dinner. I need to talk to you about thepany.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. William stopped for a moment before going back to the dining room with John. Sophia smiled with pursed lips. These guys really know how to read the room. She didn¡¯t think she was needed in the chat between the olderdies, so Sophia went into the dining room too. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 734 Chapter 734 John and Sophia looked at each other before going in. William thought something was wrong, so he wanted to call Matilda and Ynda back, but John stopped him. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Sophia smiled. John was just inviting Ynda out of courtesy. He wasn¡¯t nning on her actually having dinner with them. It¡¯d be awkward if Ynda and Matilda were around the same table, so they ditched the n. Quickly finishing her dinner, Sophia went upstairs, but a whileter, she called from the staircase, ¡°Mom, did you see my id shirt? You kept it for me, didn¡¯t you?¡± Matilda looked up in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s in your cab!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see it,¡± Sophia mumbled. ¡°Never mind. I¡¯ll look around.¡± After a while, she came out again. ¡°Mom, do you know where the ultrasound report is? It¡¯s missing!¡± John came out of the dining room. ¡°It¡¯s in the cab. Try looking there.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Before she could turn around, William hade out of the dining room after finishing his dinner. Thus, she asked, ¡°Done so soon, Dad?¡± William paused for a moment before he answered, ¡°Yes.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°Go over and sit with Mom, then. Have a little chat with Ms. Bloom.¡± She then went to her room, not before she remarked as she walked, however, ¡°I¡¯m really getting forgetful these days. I keep forgetting where everything is. It¡¯s so frustrating.¡± John looked up at the second floor and smiled. She can act well. William and Matilda were fidgeting, especially Matilda. The way Sophia addressed her and William was embarrassing her. William then sat before both of them, and he looked at Ynda. ¡°How¡¯s your leg looking? Can you move around?¡± Ynda smiled beautifully. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just threw away my clutch, see. I can walk normally, but not for too long. And I can¡¯t stand for a long time either.¡± William nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Subsequently, he looked at Matilda, inexplicably sheepish. ¡°You haven¡¯t had dinner yet, have you? Why don¡¯t you have something to eat first?¡± Matilda stood up. ¡°Sure. You guys carry on.¡± Afterward, John came over and sat beside William. ¡°A few days ago, my dad told me he¡¯s worried about you. He wants to see you, but work got in his way.¡± Work got in his way, but he can make time to have dinner here? That surprised Ynda a little, but she nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The servants are taking good care of me.¡± Then she continued, ¡°I was thinking I should talk with Matilda, but my wound got in the way, so I had to dy it until today, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be here.¡± She was looking at William when she spoke, and he nodded calmly. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just here for a meal.¡± A short while after Matilda started having her dinner, her phone vibrated¡ªSophia texted her. ¡®How does it feel?¡¯ Sophia asked. Feel what? There¡¯s nothing but awkwardness. Maybe she was reading too much into it, but she thought Ynda was looking at her weirdly, as if Matilda was her old, unreasonable self. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 735 Chapter 735 A short whileter, Sophia texted, ¡®I think Ms. Bloom likes your ex.¡¯ Matilda froze up. If even Sophia could see it, that meant she wasn¡¯t imagining things. ¡®I see,¡¯ she replied, then Sophia stopped texting her. When Matilda was done with dinner, Ynda was still there. After thinking it over, she said, ¡°You guys carry on. I¡¯ll see what Sophia is doing. Maybe she needs help finding her stuff.¡± At this, William only looked at her, saying nothing. After that, Matilda slowly went upstairs, and her expression became gloomier with each step. When she came to Sophia¡¯s room, Sophia was lying on the bed, scrolling through her phone. At the sight of Matilda, she rolled and sat up. ¡°What brings you here? Aren¡¯t you going to chat with them?¡± Matilda hummed a cid response. ¡°Hey, be careful. You¡¯re pregnant, you know, so go slow.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Then shey back down. ¡°But if you¡¯re not there, Ms. Bloom will be chatting happily with your ex.¡± Matilda walked over and sat on the bed. ¡°Whatever. I don¡¯t care even if they want to sleep in the same bed. It has nothing to do with me anyway.¡± Sophia clicked her tongue. ¡°And you say I¡¯m forward. You¡¯re the same, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°If they do sleep together, you¡¯d probably die of heartbreak.¡± Matilda snorted. ¡°As if.¡± Yeah, right, Sophia thought, but she didn¡¯t want to argue on this matter. ¡°Why is Ms. Bloom here anyway? She says she¡¯s here to see you, but why?¡± Matilda looked up and answered slowly, ¡°She says there¡¯s a misunderstanding between us, so she wants to clear it up. I might be wrong, but I just feel like she¡¯s here because she knows William¡¯s here, not because she wants to clear it up with me. That¡¯s just a pretext. I¡¯ve said everything when I went to apologize to her, so she doesn¡¯t really have toe here.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Yeah. I could see she¡¯s not paying attention to you.¡± Then she put her phone down. ¡°But I wonder if your ex knows that.¡± Matilda chuckled. ¡°John¡¯s an idiot in rtionships for a reason. His father¡¯s the same kind of guy, so he gets it from him. There¡¯s no way William can sense anything.¡± Men and women functioned differently. Men could be meticulous, but they didn¡¯t share the same eye for details as women. What women could see might be missed on men, so William failing to see through Ynda was understandable. Sophia looked back at her. ¡°Tell me the truth. Do you want to remarry your ex?¡± From N?velDrama.Org. Matilda looked back at her and echoed, ¡°What about you? Do you want to remarry your ex?¡± Sophia blinked. ¡°No. I won¡¯t ever lie about this. At least I don¡¯t want to remarry him for now.¡± A few momentster, Matilda answered, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the truth, then. I want to start over with him, but I think it¡¯s hard, so I¡¯m giving up.¡± Sophia was surprised. ¡°Why? You¡¯ve changed for the better, so just put in some work, and you¡¯ll be dating him in no time.¡± Matilda shook her head. ¡°If it¡¯s the old me, maybe, but not now. I can¡¯t cling onto him like some sloth now.¡± Sophia frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not the only way to flirt. Maybe all you have to do is give him hints, and he¡¯d be wanting you back.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 736 Chapter 736 Matilda smiled. ¡°Look at John. He clings onto you like a sloth on superglue, but still you aren¡¯t agreeing to his proposal. I¡¯m scared. What if I have to go through that before he agrees to date me again?¡± Ynda left with William in the end, just as Sophia predicted. Matilda and John sent them off, while Sophia looked out from the window. Looking at Matilda, she presented herself well, smiling andposed. Sitting on the passenger seat, Ynda rolled down the window and waved at Matilda. If they didn¡¯t know better, they¡¯d think she and William were a couple. As William drove away, Sophia shouted, ¡°Hey, what are you guys doing? You can¡¯t let them leave together. Why didn¡¯t you hail a ride for Ms. Bloom?¡± Johnughed. ¡°You¡¯d do that, I¡¯m sure.¡± Sophia snorted and went back to her room, while John and Matilda went into the living room. ¡°Cheer up.¡± He patted Matilda¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Dad and Ms. Bloom are just friends. Don¡¯t you see that he looks calm?¡± William did look calm, and he didn¡¯t show any signs of dating Ynda, but Matilda still felt uneasy about it. Ynda did like William, and she was a great woman, so Matilda thought that was it for her. ¡°Yeah,¡± she answered weakly. ¡°I¡¯ll be going to my room now. It¡¯s been a long day.¡± John went upstairs with her. ¡°What did Sophia say to you when you guys were upstairs?¡± ¡°Oh, I asked if she wants to get married to you again, and she said no. That¡¯s it.¡± John closed his eyes. ¡°Forget I ever asked that.¡± They went to their own rooms after going to the second floor. At this time, Sophia was going through her skincare routine in the bathroom, and she was humming a tune. Going over, John opened the door and leaned against the doorframe. ¡°Someone looks happy.¡± Sophia looked at him through the mirror. ¡°Ms. Bloom¡¯s really elegant, isn¡¯t she?¡± John nodded. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s soft spoken, too, so I think it¡¯s understandable if my dad likes her.¡± When she was done with her mask, Sophia looked back at him. ¡°So would you want your mom to marry him again, or would you want your dad to marry someone else?¡± John snorted. ¡°Is that a trick question?¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. He then thought about it seriously. If it was in the past where his mother was still an unreasonable, clingy, mercurial woman, he would want his father to marry Ynda. William¡¯s mild-mannered personality was ipatible with the old Matilda, and it would only make her more unreasonable; he needed a gentler woman. Coming out of the bathroom, Sophia went to sit on the bed and looked at her phone. ¡°How¡¯s your investigation going? The Isabelle one.¡± John was pumped up at the mention of that. ¡°How did you know she brought someone with her? She could havee alone.¡± He looked at Sophia. Sophia nced at him through the corner of her eye, failing to stifle herughter as she giggled. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things you don¡¯t know.¡± She deliberately told Matilda to tell Isabelle about her trip to the hospital, and she had a feeling Isabelle would follow her. About her pregnancy, Sophia had a hunch that Isabelle had known about it for a while now. Considering Isabelle¡¯s love for John, Sophia¡¯s baby was a big threat for hereback. As she thought of this, she wasn¡¯t sure whether Isabelle would hurt her baby out of jealousy, for she knew Isabelle as a smartdy who understood a lot of things many people failed to, thinking Isabelle would be more sophisticated. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 737 Chapter 737 However, after the argument in the hospital, she thought Isabelle¡¯s love had dragged her down to the pit of obsession. Even so, she was still a dangerously smart individual. If she wanted to make a move on her, she wouldn¡¯t do it herself, so Sophia thought she must have had her men working with her, each ying their own part. Then she looked at John. ¡°So you found out about herckey?¡± ¡°Yes. She brought a guy. He didn¡¯t go for a checkup, and she didn¡¯t either. The guy left the hospital after she did.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°That proves my theory. Isabelle must have wanted that guy to hurt me.¡± But¡­ She clicked her tongue. ¡°How dare they do this in broad daylight?¡± John frowned. ¡°You might be reading too much into this. I don¡¯t think they¡¯d do this.¡± Even though he didn¡¯t know Isabelle that well, he thought she wouldn¡¯t do that, for Isabelle was a mild-tempered woman, at least to him. Sophia looked at him. ¡°You don¡¯t know a lot of things, but you don¡¯t have to know about this. It¡¯s better this way.¡± Once her mask was done, she went to wash her face and went through her routine¡¯s next section. John stood on the veranda and called Zack to keep an eye on the guy Isabelle brought to the hospital with her. Sophia sighed. All these annoying things keeping. Shey down on her bed after her routine, and John went out for a smoke. Sophia left a night light on in the room for him, and John leaned against the yard¡¯s stone table as he looked up gently at the room upstairs. In a ce hidden from his sight, someone was looking at John, the person¡¯s gazeplex. Isabelle wondered why she came. She knew John was already living together with Sophia, but still she wanted to see it. Even so, she didn¡¯t know what she wanted to see. She could see John from the back. His arms were crossed, and he was looking at the second floor¡¯s room. Even though she couldn¡¯t see his face, Isabelle could imagine his expression; he had always been gentle toward Sophia. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Some timeter, she took her phone out and called him, then she saw him looking at his phone for a moment and putting it on the table, obviously refusing to pick it up. Isabelle gritted her teeth, and she knew she had crossed him today. She knew John didn¡¯t believe a word of her exnation. At this point, all he cared about was Sophia, and all he listened to was her. If Sophia said she was evil, no amount of exnation would change his view of her. Thus, she turned her phone off and waited for a while before leaving for her car that was stopped a distance away. When she got into her car, instead of leaving immediately, she just sat there and stared outside. Murphy¡¯s Law, huh? She used to be terrified that the chance to date John, which she had worked hard for, would be for nothing, and her fear hade true. It was the worst development that could happen. A whileter, she pped her face and took a deep breath. I still have a chance as long as they aren¡¯t married. Calm down. There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. When someone approached her in her sleep, Sophia¡¯s first reflex was to hug the person, but when she woke up a little, she turned around and faced John with her back. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 738 Chapter 738 John hugged her from behind. ¡°I¡¯ve been holding it in, Sophia.¡± Confused, Sophia kept quiet, then he said rather depressingly, ¡°All I can do is hug you. Any man would find it hard to hold it in.¡± Sophia finally knew what he was talking about. She muttered clearly, ¡°Well, you can sleep outside, then.¡± John quickly went into silent mode, and hey down on the bed quietly, but Sophia couldn¡¯t sleep. She kept thinking of how he had taken care of her and how he didn¡¯t go out there to flirt. He must be holding it in hard. Then she remembered the news about John leaving the bar with a woman, and she let out a sigh. It still didn¡¯t sit well with her. Sophia didn¡¯t think much of it when the news first came out, but now it rubbed her the wrong way, so she pried his hand that was on her waist away. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± John, still ignorant about this, was surprised. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophia put some distance between them. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. Leave me alone.¡± John misunderstood her. He thought she was doing this so he could hold his urge in better, so he smiled andy on his back. ¡°I can hold it just fine. It¡¯s been a long time now, so what¡¯s a month or two?¡± Sophia ignored him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to sleep. Once John thought she had fallen asleep, he went over to hug her gently. Sophia wasn¡¯t asleep yet, but instead of breaking free, she frowned and held it in. They were woken up the next morning by Sophia¡¯s phone. When she grabbed it and checked who the caller was, she almost smashed her phone. Why are they calling at this ungodly hour? She hung up and put her phone under the pillow, but the caller, refusing to give up, called again. John looked at her. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Nobody.¡± John could hear the anger in her voice. Then he pulled her phone out of the pillow and saw that it was an unidentified caller. Seeing this, Sophia frowned, but she didn¡¯t stop him. A short momentter, John took the call. Before he could say anything, the caller said, ¡°Sophia, your sister has been dying to talk to you, and I couldn¡¯t stop her. I know it¡¯s rude to call this early, but your sister kept saying she wants to call you. I hope you¡¯re awake.¡± Without needing to ask, John knew who it was now. He switched hands and kept listening. Even though nobody replied, the caller didn¡¯t give up. ¡°Your sister wants to sing a song. She said she¡¯d sing you a song when she sees you.¡± Then the woman told another girl, ¡°Come on, Sophia¡¯s right here. Sing her a song.¡± Then everything went silent. It was obvious the girl was reluctant. Then the woman mumbled something to the girl, but it was vague. And a girl called out to Sophia. Sophia heard it all, actually, but she kept her back facing John, and she covered herself in the nket. John looked at her and sighed, then the girl on the phone started singing. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 739 Chapter 739 Even though he couldn¡¯t see her, John could sense that the girl wasn¡¯t too happy doing this, for her singing left a lot to be desired. Fortunately, she stopped after a short while. ¡°Are you listening, Sophia?¡± Of course, she got no reply, then the girl told the woman, ¡°Nobody¡¯s saying anything. I bet they aren¡¯t listening. I¡¯m not doing this anymore!¡± John could hear the dissatisfaction in her voice, then he heard the caller hissing, ¡°That¡¯s your sister! I know she¡¯s listening! She¡¯ll talk once you¡¯re done singing!¡± Obviously, the girl wouldn¡¯tply, so she refused to sing. John could hear the sounds of argument, then he hung up and went to hug Sophia. This call reminded him of Walter. He knew Walter must have talked it through with his ex. Once he failed to get Sophia back on his side, his ex-wife would try the emotional appeal. John sighed, and he recalled the state of Sophia¡¯s hometown. He couldn¡¯t fathom why Walter and his ex-wife would abandon a young Sophia and her grandfather in the slums. ¡°The chief called me yesterday. He said the road¡¯s starting to get paved.¡± John smiled. ¡°Since they want to cut costs, all the vigers would pitch in once they have time, including the children and the elderly. Some worked on the instation, and some sent food to them to save time. Your neighbors are all good people, Sophia.¡± After a while, Sophia pulled the nket away and took a deep breath. ¡°Yeah, and my grandfather¡¯s really kind. I don¡¯t understand why his son and daughter-inw turned out to be evil. It¡¯s not fair.¡± John patted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s not think about that. Fortunately, the evil couple has nothing to do with us now, so we just need to take care of ourselves.¡± This time, Sophia said nothing, merely pursing her lips. Since he had to go to work, John got up a short whileter. Then, he patted Sophia¡¯s head. ¡°You go back to sleep, Sophia. Remember to take your breakfast when you wake up.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to move, so she turned around and closed her eyes. When John was done bathing, he came to kiss her forehead before leaving. Breakfast was already prepared when he came to the dining room. Spearing a piece of pancake, John thought of something before he fished for his phone and called his subordinate. ¡°Here¡¯s a phone number. I want you to find out where the caller is, and I want their every detail.¡± Then, he sent a number to his subordinate before finishing his breakfast. After some time, Sophia heard John¡¯s car revving up, then he left. She sighed, feeling frustrated. Her phone beeped after a while, and she read through the message, though she deleted it shortly after. Once Walter stopped appearing, his ex-wife came to harass Sophia. They shouldn¡¯t have gotten the divorce. If there¡¯s an Olympic event for tag-team shamelessness, they¡¯d go beyond gold. Sophia turned her phone off andy on the bed, but she couldn¡¯t sleep after the call. Thus, she went downstairs after straightening herself out a little. Matilda was having breakfast when she came down, so she invited Sophia to the table. ¡°Come here. I was going to take it upstairs, but now that you¡¯re here, have it while it¡¯s still hot.¡± Pacing over, Sophia looked at the food. ¡°I want to go to the shopter. Wannae with me?¡± It had been a while since she went to the shop, and she was feeling guilty about Robin handling everything. Previous Chapter From N?velDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 740 Chapter 740 Matilda nodded. ¡°Sure. I can do that.¡± Looking at the choices avable, Sophia went for the soup. There wasn¡¯t much in there, so she wouldn¡¯t retch. Breakfast didn¡¯t take long, then Matilda and her straightened themselves out before going to the shop. Aside from Robin, Lincoln was also helping out in the shop. They were serving the customers, looking happily in love. Matilda and Sophia stood outside for a moment before going in, and Robin greeted them, thinking they were customers. Seeing this, Sophia smiled. ¡°Business seems well, littledy.¡± Robin paused and looked up. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, Sophia.¡± Lincoln was packing the desserts, and he nodded at Sophia. Sophia nced at him before whispering to Robin, ¡°Is he going to work with you now?¡± Robin replied sheepishly, ¡°He quit his job a while ago. His family wants him to run his own business, so he¡¯s helping me when he has time.¡± Sophia nodded and went to have a seat with Matilda. Robin asked Lincoln to handle the customers for a while, then she came to Sophia. ¡°How are you feeling recently? Better?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine on my side.¡± She looked at Lincoln again and noticed he was doing all the work adeptly. Robin looked at him too, then she whispered, ¡°I¡¯ve met his parents, and he met mine. We¡¯re talking about our wedding date now. If nothing happens, we¡¯ll be getting married soon.¡± Sophia looked surprised. ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s fast.¡± Robin scratched her head sheepishly. ¡°I think we get along well, and everything else is alright, so here we are. It¡¯s fine, I guess.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°It is. Wow, so you¡¯re getting married, huh? I¡¯ll make sure to give you a nice present during your wedding.¡± Hearing this, Robin smiled. Matilda looked around. ¡°How¡¯s business looking?¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Robin quickly replied, ¡°It¡¯s great. Logan ordered a huge amount of desserts, and it exhausted us. Good thing Lincoln can help, and he learns fast, so he can make some desserts himself.¡± Matilda nodded. ¡°If it¡¯s possible, why don¡¯t you two run this shop?¡± She looked at Sophia. ¡°Sophia¡¯s belly¡¯s getting bigger, and she¡¯ll have to take care of her kid after it¡¯s born, so I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll have time to run the shop. If I may suggest something, why don¡¯t you guys run the store? It¡¯ll be for the best.¡± Sophia thought it was a good idea, so she nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. You guys are running the shop, so you¡¯ll be taking most of the profit, then.¡± Robin thought this wasn¡¯t fair for Sophia. The shop was dying when she handled it, but it managed to make a turnaround thanks to Sophia. Logan and John made their orders here thanks to her, or else the sales would slump. Robin didn¡¯t think she should take the lion¡¯s share of the profit. Sophia smiled. ¡°Look, I should be the one who apologizes. I¡¯m not even putting in work, but still I get the profit. Don¡¯t think too much about it. If you think it¡¯s a good deal, then let¡¯s shake hands on it.¡± Robin looked at Lincoln. ¡°Let me talk to him and see if he wants to.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Sure. Your marriagees first. Once you guys be a family, it¡¯s going to be much easier to make a decision.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 741 Chapter 741 Robin agreed, then she asked about Sophia¡¯s life. Aside from fine, Sophia didn¡¯t say much. After all, there was no need to talk about Isabelle¡¯s case to everyone. Sitting beside them, Matilda only chimed in a couple of times, and she would look at Robin asionally before averting her gaze slowly. After a while, Matilda told Sophia that they should be leaving, or they¡¯d be getting in the way of Robin¡¯s work. Quickly, Sophia nodded. ¡°Right, we should be leaving. Work hard, you guys.¡± Indeed, the store was getting crowded, and Lincoln couldn¡¯t handle it alone. Standing at the shop entrance, Sophia waved at Lincoln before leaving with Matilda. Instead of hailing a ride, they walked along the sidewalk. Subsequently, Matildamented, ¡°Robin¡¯s a good girl. She knows where she goes wrong and manages to rectify them in time. You can keep being friends with her.¡± Sophia was surprised. ¡°Huh, what are you talking about?¡± Matilda smiled. ¡°You¡¯re smart and naive at the same time. Forget it. It¡¯s fine if you didn¡¯t understand what I was saying. Just know that Robin¡¯s a friend.¡± Sophia was still confused. ¡°Um, yeah, I know that.¡± Instead of going home, thedies walked around and had lunch. Sophia had her guard up all the time, and she kept seeing if someone was following her. It was daytime, though, and nobody would hurt her at this hour, so they had a safe trip. In the end, Matilda took her to a healthy food restaurant so Sophia could get all the necessary nutrients. When they were about to go in, Sophia stared at the seafood restaurant across the street. Matilda didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, but she went to hold Sophia anyway. ¡°Seafood can wait until after yourbor. For now, you should stay away from anything cold. Come on, let¡¯s have lunch here.¡± Sophia nodded and went into the restaurant with Matilda, but after a few steps, she looked back again. Those two¡­ They look familiar, but I might be seeing things. Thedies went to a room on the second floor, and it was a window seat. The moment she went in, Sophia looked down and saw the pedestrians moving around. She pursed her lips and looked at the seafood restaurant, but the people she saw earlier were gone, and they wouldn¡¯t being out so soon. On the other hand, Matilda made her order and looked at Sophia. ¡°What are you doing there? See if you like anything on the menu.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophia replied, but she stopped for a moment beforeing back. After taking the menu, she said, ¡°I think I saw Mrs. Bailey.¡± Matilda stopped and stared at her. ¡°It¡¯s normal. She¡¯s probably meeting up with her friends.¡± Sophia frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They¡¯re in casual wear, and they didn¡¯t look formal.¡± That surprised Matilda. She hade into contact with Mrs. Bailey many times, so Matilda knew she was just like the old her¡ªarrogant, loved to put on airs, and had to doll themselves up before going out. Matilda had never seen Mrs. Bailey in casual wear. ¡°Is she alone?¡± Matilda asked. ¡°No.¡± Sophia quickly ordered a few cuisines and handed the menu back to the waiter. ¡°This will be it for now. And give us some water, please.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 742 Chapter 742 After the waiter had left, Sophia said, ¡°I saw a guy with her. They met up at the front door for a moment before going in.¡± ¡°A guy?¡± Matilda frowned. ¡°You must be seeing things.¡± It was impossible for Mrs. Bailey to go out with a man. She was an arrogant woman who cared about her pedigree, so she would never go out with another man without her husband beside her. Sophia wasn¡¯t sure either, for she only had a glimpse. It could be possible she got the wrong person. Taken aback, Matilda got to her feet and went to look outside the window, but there was nothing to be seen for the moment. ¡°You must have gotten the wrong person,¡± she mumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯d do that.¡± Sophia leaned back against the chair and yed along. ¡°I guess. I only had a glimpse, so I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m getting stupider these days, and my eyes are ying tricks on me.¡± Even so, Matilda looked on for a while beforeing back to her spot. The waiter then came with their water, and Sophia poured a ss for her and Matilda. ¡°You must have gotten along with Mrs. Bailey well.¡± Matilda picked her ss up. ¡°Yes. I used to adore Isabelle, so I got along with the Baileys. That¡¯s why Mrs. Bailey has been polite to me.¡± Not now she isn¡¯t though. Since their meeting in the shopping mall back then, she knew Mrs. Bailey disliked her, for she had gotten along with Sophia and ditched Isabelle. Sophia looked outside, and a n hatched in her mind. ¡°Do you know Mrs. Bailey¡¯s car, then?¡± ¡°Well, of course I do.¡± Sophia chuckled, and Matilda knew what she was thinking about, so she rolled her eyes. ¡°You cheeky girl. But why do you care so much about her? Is it important?¡± Sophia started putting on her puppy-eye look. ¡°Aw, just take a look for me. I¡¯ll tell you once youe back.¡± Matilda shot her a sidelong nce, looking disgusted, but she stood up anyway. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll go take a look. John¡¯s going to get mad at me if I don¡¯t follow your orders.¡± Why did you have to drag him into this? Matilda went out, and Sophia went to the windowsill. A short whileter, she saw Matilda exiting the restaurant and pacing around on their side of the street before going across it. After that, she did the same on the other side before she stopped to look around for a bit more. In the end, she looked up at Sophia and shrugged. Sophia knew she didn¡¯t find anything, so she waved at Matilda, asking her toe back. Right when she came back into the lobby, Sophia saw someoneing out of the seafood restaurant. After a pause, she quickly snapped a photo with her phone. It was Mrs. Bailey herself. She didn¡¯t wear any mask, though she was in casual wear. She came out alone and looked around her before going away. Instead of paying attention to Mrs. Bailey, Sophia kept looking at the restaurant¡¯s door. Eventually, a man came out after Mrs. Bailey drove away. Sophia couldn¡¯t remember the face of the man she saw earlier, but she remembered his clothes, and it was the same as what this man was wearing. Instead of taking his photo, Sophia recorded his every move. Just like Mrs. Bailey, after leaving the restaurant, he stood at the entrance and looked around for a while before straightening his clothes and leaving. Previous Chapter Next Chapter From N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 743 Chapter 743 Matilda took a long time toe back up, and she looked dark. Sophia smiled. ¡°You saw it?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s her, but it¡¯s not the car she¡¯s usually in.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Did you see the maning out after her, then?¡± Matilda sighed. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s the only one who followed her out.¡± A smirk tugged at the corner of Sophia¡¯s lips. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s dig in.¡± Their lunch was here, but they didn¡¯t talk much this time. Matilda looked down, and Sophia was thinking about something. Yeah, I didn¡¯t just cross Isabelle. I crossed the whole Bailey Family. Her whole family hates me. Isabelle¡¯s not the only one who¡¯d hurt me. Instantly, Sophia felt more at ease after finding out the potential list of people who¡¯d harm her. They went straight back home after their lunch, and Matilda went upstairs, obviously upset. Sophia lounged on the sofa, feeling calm. She watched some variety shows and had a glimpse of some no-name TV dramas before going upstairs to take a nap. Although Matilda went upstairs, she wasn¡¯t sleeping and was merely sitting on her bed, feeling frustrated. Even though she used to be hot-headed and had a bad personality, she thought she wasn¡¯t evil. She liked Isabelle and her family, so she put a lot of love in making a connection with them. Now, when she found out about the truth of their family, she felt hurt. From N?velDrama.Org. Earlier, Matilda was right at the lobby when Mrs. Bailey and the man came out, so she saw them clearly. The man looked like he was in his twenties or thirties. Matilda knew the kind of person Mrs. Bailey was. She wasn¡¯t there to see a man because of any sexual problems, but for a deal. And coupling that up with all the disasters that befell Sophia recently, she had a good guess of the kind of deal it was. Before this, she was disappointed by Isabelle, but now she felt the same way toward the Baileys. Why did I like these snakes anyway? I was blind. After a while of sulking, she fished out her cell phone and couldn¡¯t help texting John. There wasn¡¯t much to say except for what she saw today. John didn¡¯t reply immediately, so she guessed he was busy. Around ten minutester, he called her. ¡°You saw Mrs. Baileying out with a young man?¡± He sounded surprised. Matilda sighed. ¡°Yeah. They looked suspicious. I can¡¯t be sure about their deal, but keep an eye out. Mrs. Bailey¡¯s vindictive, and she¡­ Well¡­¡± Matilda stopped, not knowing what to say. ¡°In any case, she just dislikes Sophia, so be careful.¡± ¡°I see. No wonder¡­¡± Matilda wondered why John was saying that, but the more she thought about what she saw, the more worried she was. When Sophia was still married to John, Mrs. Bailey would fly into a rage whenever Sophia was mentioned. She despised Sophia more than the old Matilda did, so Matilda was worried something might happen. Since John had a lot of work, he didn¡¯t say much. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± Then, he hung up. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 744 Chapter 744 Matilda spent a while calming down before she walked out of her room. When she reached downstairs, Ms. Cannon told her Sophia had gone upstairs joyfully to sleep. Matilda had to say that Sophia was superhumanly calm. She didn¡¯t seem to have a care about anything in the world, but that was why Matilda could rx. After that, she asked Ms. Cannon what she¡¯d be making for dinner before going to the yard, and she remained there until John was back. John drove into the yard and came out smiling. ¡°Why the long face? If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say you¡¯re fighting with Sophia again.¡± Hearing this, Matilda let out augh. ¡°She¡¯s pregnant. Even if I want to, it¡¯ll be after she goes intobor.¡± John came and wrapped his arm around his mother¡¯s shoulder, then they went inside. ¡°Dad asked why I was in a hurry when I clocked out, so I told him you¡¯re feeling unwell. I think he¡¯lle overter.¡± Matilda looked at him, surprised. From N?velDrama.Org. John smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. Sometimes it¡¯s okay to make a white lie.¡± There was no need to bepletely honest, or something precious might slip away. Sometimes, being cunning was required to grasp the precious things in life. Matilda sighed. ¡°I can never win, can I?¡± Walking over, they sat on the sofa, and John asked about the matter with Mrs. Bailey. Matilda didn¡¯t know much aside from what she saw. There wasn¡¯t any real evidence of them making a deal, but Mrs. Bailey in casual wear and meeting someone was already weird enough. That clue was enough for John to construct many possibilities, so he smiled. ¡°Got it, and youdies stay out of this. Distract Sophia when she asks about this. I don¡¯t want her to worry.¡± Matilda nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± With that said, Ms. Cannon had already prepared and served dinner, so John went upstairs to wake Sophia up, while Matilda helped set the table up. Later, she saw someone driving into the yard. Matilda looked at the car and quickly looked away. Admittedly, she was happy. Subsequently, William came in and said, ¡°Is it dinner time? I¡¯m right on time, then.¡± It wasn¡¯t after a while that Matilda came out and smiled at him. ¡°Wash your hands, please. Dinner will be ready in a minute.¡± John came down with Sophia, who was rubbing her eyes, and the sight of William surprised her. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, Dad.¡± William was surprised too, then a few momentster, he smiled. ¡°Just passing through.¡± John smiled. He knew Sophia was getting used to calling William ¡®Dad.¡¯ They went to the dining room, and since everyone was here, it was a merry dinner. John and William talked about thepany, then they moved the topic to the baby. William said he would go through the family tree to decide the baby¡¯s name. Sophia didn¡¯t want to say anything, so she kept quiet. Upon noticing her silence, Matilda interjected, ¡°They aren¡¯t married yet, so Sophia¡¯s going to decide what the child¡¯s name is. There¡¯s no need for you two to get so worked up about it.¡± William was surprised to hear that. ¡°You¡¯re still not going to marry John even when you¡¯re pregnant, Sophia?¡± He nced at John. ¡°Just look at him. He¡¯s already giving it his all.¡± John agreed, ¡°Won¡¯t you give me a chance? I have been giving it my all.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You didn¡¯t give me a chance when I gave it my all.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 745 Chapter 745 John shut up, and William looked at Matilda, then he realized he had no grounds to talk about this, for he also had the same rtionship problem. Halfway through dinner, William¡¯s phone rang, and he seemed to be surprised about the caller, then he nced at Matilda. Sophia noticed his change of expression, and she grinned. ¡°Why are your employees calling you after work? So inconsiderate.¡± Williamughed nervously. ¡°You guys carry on. I¡¯ll take this call.¡± He then went to the yard with his phone in hand. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Sophia smiled and went on with her dinner. ¡°Ms. Bloom knows about Mr. Constance¡¯s every move, doesn¡¯t she?¡± she said. Matilda looked at Sophia, surprised, and John shared the same sentiment. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Ms. Bloom¡¯s the caller?¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t entirely sure, for she didn¡¯t see the name. ¡°Most probably,¡± she concluded. John looked at Matilda. ¡°Maybe something came up. I think Dad¡¯s just helping her. You guys know he¡¯s a kind guy who¡¯d help anyone. It¡¯s going to be the same even if it¡¯s not Ms. Bloom, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Sophia took a few pieces of meat. ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin, you know.¡± She didn¡¯t look at John. ¡°Nobody¡¯s saying anything, so you¡¯re just making things worse.¡± John sighed. ¡°Fine then.¡± Matilda kept eating and said nothing. Even though he was in the yard, William lowered his voice. ¡°What is it?¡± Ynda smiled. ¡°Nothing. You¡¯re done with work for the day, aren¡¯t you? I made dinner today, soe on over. I made your favorite.¡± William didn¡¯t want to hide anything, thus said honestly, ¡°I¡¯m at John¡¯s ce, so I¡¯ll be having dinner here.¡± And then a dead silence fell between them. When he sent her homest night, Ynda told him a lot of things before she went home. After so many years, Ynda found out that William was her perfect partner, so she told him she wanted to date, no confessions or anything like that. Middle-aged people rarely did that. That time, Ynda felt shy, and she had a sheepish smile on her face all the time, but on the other hand, William felt awkward. In fact, he told herst night that he only saw her as a friend. He did like her in the beginning, but he had let it go when they didn¡¯t date. Even after their reunion, he only helped her because of pity, nothing else. He thought Ynda wouldn¡¯t call him after what he saidst night, or at the very least, not in the nearest period, but he thought wrong. He sighed. ¡°You go ahead without me.¡± After a simple grunt, Ynda hung up. As for William, he stood in the same spot for a while. Sophia ate quickly, and she felt full after a while, then she leaned back against the chair. ¡°Yummy in my tummy. Feels nice.¡± John poured a ss of water for her. ¡°Don¡¯t go upstairs just yet. Let¡¯s take a stroll.¡± ¡°Sure. And what¡¯s taking Dad so long? Do they really have a lot to talk about?¡± Not knowing what to say, John shut up. William only came back a whileter, and John was reminded of something. ¡°Oh right. Ian¡¯s shoot is almost done, so he¡¯sing back soon. He¡¯s probably going to be the champion or runner up.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 746 Chapter 746 Sophia looked up at him. ¡°How do you know about that?¡± John froze. ¡°Um, I asked Lorraine.¡± Sophia nced at him from the corner of her eye, meaningfully. ¡°Is that so?¡± John nodded earnestly. ¡°Yeah. How else should I know about it?¡± William looked at him. ¡°Ourpany just¡ª¡± ¡°Dig in, Dad. You don¡¯t want to have the food cold,¡± John quickly said. William then realized what John was getting at, so he said nothing else and dug in. Matilda put her knife and fork down. ¡°You guys carry on. I¡¯m done.¡± Then she left the dining room. William looked up at Matilda. ¡°Your mom is still unwell?¡± he asked John. However, Sophia answered, ¡°Yeah. She said she has difficulty breathing, and her chest feels stuffy. I wonder why.¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. John looked at her, his eyes smiling. He never knew Sophia was this smart. When they were done with dinner, he held her hand and went out for a walk, leaving Matilda and William in the house. Before they left, she looked back and thought, Hey, this is my house. Why do I get the feeling someone else is going to stay in it? John held her finger. ¡°Where¡¯s your ring?¡± Sophia frowned. ¡°Are you mad? Why would I wear that kind of ring in the house? It¡¯s ridiculous.¡± John didn¡¯t share her sentiment. ¡°Is it? I think it¡¯s fine. I actually wanted it bigger, but the designer said it¡¯d look weird.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. John then talked about Ian. ¡°You¡¯re going to see Ian when hees back, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sophia calmed down and sighed. ¡°Yeah. I have to.¡± They had to, for they used to be great friends. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you when the timees. Under the current circumstances, I can¡¯t let you go alone.¡± Sophia nodded. Indeed, it was dangerous for her to go out alone with the current state of things. Halfway through their stroll, John¡¯s phone rang. His subordinate told him that they found some leads about Old Leopard. From what they found, he used to be a swindler and a convict, but then he ditched that business and chose to be a middleman in case he got caught. If someone wanted some beaters or killers, he¡¯d hook the clients up with the service providers and earn themission from it. Old Leopard knew where to hide, and he stayed in a secluded temple on some mountains. After hearing the report, John smiled. ¡°Isn¡¯t he the smart one? Do whatever you can and try to capture him.¡± The subordinate obliged, and John hung up. Then, he held Sophia¡¯s hand tighter. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the park.¡± Sophia pursed her lips. She wanted to ask if there was any progress, but then she thought it¡¯d be useless, for the details she found out would be of no help anyway, so she dumped the idea. Since they had gone out for a walk, only Matilda and William were left in the house. William asked if she was feeling better, and it took her a few moments to reply that she was fine. Matilda was a bad liar, and even the smallest lie would sell her out. Even so, she tried to stay calm so she wouldn¡¯t be exposed. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 747 Chapter 747 ncing at the time, Matilda wanted to tell him to go back, for drivingte at night was dangerous, but in the end, she swallowed her words. Deep down, she wanted to get along with William. Before this, all she did wasin when they had any alone time. She¡¯d either grumble about Sophia, the servants, the other Constance branch families, or William. Everything she could think of could be used as aining tool. Sometimes William would console her, but sometimes he¡¯d say nothing, for he was exhausted. Now that she thought about it, aside from her incessantining, she couldn¡¯t remember what they did during their alone time. So now she asked about his work and whether he had any troublesome business to settle. Matilda never cared about his work, but since she asked, William told her about it. He had a lot of problems rted to work, but William chose the simplest ones. Matilda listened to him closely. ¡°I never knew you had to face so many troubles.¡± William chortled. ¡°I got used to it.¡± Matilda looked at him quietly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I did. I know I¡¯ve caused you a lot of trouble.¡± William looked back at her. Matilda¡¯s getup was different now; she used to adore the richdy getup. It was elegant, but William thought it was too forced. She looked so much younger after giving that look up. Her casual wear and ponytail looked so much fresher to William. Then he said, ¡°I¡¯m partly at fault, too. It¡¯s not just you.¡± A marriage¡¯s end wasn¡¯t the fault of a single person, and Matilda knew that, but she didn¡¯t know how to continue the conversation now. If William was to be med, then his only fault was being overly nice to Matilda, and it made her think life was supposed to be nice to her. Since Ms. Cannon had gone out, only they were left in the house. A whileter, Matilda blurted, ¡°Ynda came yesterday because of you, wasn¡¯t she? Everyone could see that.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. A look of awkwardness crept onto his face. ¡°She might¡¯ve had something to tell you, I think. She¡¯s just a friend. There¡¯s nothing between us.¡± Matilda caressed her leg reflexively. ¡°It¡¯s normal even if you guys are dating.¡± William paused, then he grunted. He didn¡¯t know whether he still loved Matilda. After all these years, his love had been torn to pieces. Every time he thought of his marriage with Matilda, he¡¯d be overwhelmed by a sense of exhaustion. The first feeling he felt after the divorce was freedom. He could finally break free of that suffocating life, but he had a price to pay. After the initial high, William started feeling weird. Something felt missing from his life the moment he realized he¡¯d never hear anyone nagging him anymore, and William wondered why he felt that way. Then an awkward silence fell between them, and William was the first to give in. He stood up. ¡°It¡¯ste, so I¡¯ll be going back now. Since you¡¯re not feeling too well, you should rest early.¡± Matilda said okay and went to send him off. At this time, John and Sophia were walking nearby, and Sophia clicked her tongue after seeing William leave. ¡°I have no idea what your dad is thinking. I think he still loves your mom, but then he didn¡¯t even seize this chance to confess. I might be wrong about your dad¡¯s love.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 748 Chapter 748 Agreeing to her statement, John said, ¡°Strange, for you to actually doubt your own judgement. I thought that would never happen to you because you hold such strong faith in your own opinions.¡± Nodding her head, Sophia said, ¡°Well, it really depends. When ites to rejecting the idea of getting married to you again, I¡¯m quite determined with my decision. Other than that, it¡¯s all negotiable.¡± In the next second, John was speechless. The moment William left, both of them casually walked back to the house. Standing at the yard, Matilda saw John and Sophia walking back. ¡°If he¡¯s not leaving, the both of you n to spend the night elsewhere?¡± Matilda grinned. Giggling, Sophia teased, ¡°If that happens, I certainly don¡¯t mind spending the night elsewhere.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± said Matilda yfully while darting a re at Sophia. Chuckling, Sophia let go of John and reached out for Matilda¡¯s arm. ¡°Take a good look at yourself. If you didn¡¯t want him to leave, you should have asked him to stay. Did you say something which is contrary to your heart¡¯s desire?¡± Gazing at their backs from behind, John smiled broadly. Though he knew he wasn¡¯t supposed to think that way, he still couldn¡¯t help but imagine¡ªif only Sophia and Matilda¡¯s rtionship was as harmonious as it was now, his life would be more than perfect. The next day, John went to meet William in his office, as William often arrived much earlier than him. Once they were both in the room, John gazed at William. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You didn¡¯t have a good rest yesterday?¡± ¡°Yep, I didn¡¯t get a good sleepst night, but it¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll take a quick nap when I¡¯m freeter. So what brings you here?¡± Nodding his head, John said, ¡°I was wondering if we can assign someone else to rece me as the person in charge to deal with the Baileys. Considering my current status, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for me to approach them too much.¡± After thinking about it, William agreed, ¡°To be honest with you, I actually thought of asking you to step down from it, but I was afraid that you¡¯ll misunderstand me for not trusting you. Anyway, since you have proposed it yourself, let¡¯s proceed to assign someone else, then.¡± Looking up at John, William asked, ¡°Who do you think will be suitable for this post?¡± Upon contemting for a moment, John suggested, ¡°Dn?¡± ¡°That will work. Dn doesn¡¯t have much on his te now, so he¡¯ll be great for this post.¡± When a sudden thought crossed his mind, William asked, ¡°Lately, Dn had been on several blind dates, but none of them were sessful, and Owen was driven up to the wall.¡± Surprised, John wasn¡¯t aware of what had been going on with Dn. Ever since Sophia got pregnant with his child, Dn was officially ticked off from his list of rivals in love. Regardless of the feelings Dn had for Sophia, both of them were not meant to be, so John was no longer bothered about it. Hearing that, John grinned. ¡°Is Uncle Owen a little too anxious? When ites to this matter, I don¡¯t reckon we can rush things. I say, it¡¯s rathermon to have unsessful blind dates.¡± With a sigh, William said, ¡°Who knows? Both Owen and Jennifer seem very anxious about this matter. It seems as though they¡¯re hoping that Dn will settle down immediately. If you ask me, I think they have gotten overboard with this, which is why Dn isn¡¯t too pleased and is acting out of rebellion.¡± Since it was still early, John pulled a chair over and took a seat. ¡°What happened to all the men in our family? It seems like things are never going our way.¡± Speaking of the devil, William suddenly thought of Ynda. Unsure what had gotten with Yndast night, she hailed a taxi to the Constance Residence and waited for him to return at the entrance. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Frankly, this was the first time William had encountered such a thing, thus didn¡¯t have any clue on how to deal with it. Wasn¡¯t that a little too bold for a woman to do such a thing? Previously, when he and Matilda got together, he was always the one who took the lead. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 749 Chapter 749 Like any other normal couple, William would pamper Matilda, and she would just enjoy being doted on. Frankly, William wasn¡¯t used to meeting a woman who was this bold. Standing at the entrance of the Constance Residence, they shared a brief conversation together. In a straightforward manner, Ynda confessed that she liked him, and in fact, had liked him ever since. However, she didn¡¯t dare to approach him because he was married. Since he had officially divorced now, Ynda felt that she could be open in confessing her love for him and no longer needed to hide. From what he remembered, Ynda was still the same as before¡ªstraightforward and direct with her speech and actions. Many years ago, both of them had met on a blind date. At the end of their meeting, Ynda said she would need some time to think it through. Not longter, William realized that she had married another person instead. When he questioned Ynda¡¯s decision, she didn¡¯t hesitate to point out the fact that the person had better conditions than him. Not surprised, she had always been the down-to-earth person he knew. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Rubbing on his temples, William agreed, ¡°Indeed, what¡¯s our problem anyway?¡± Without saying muchter, John proceeded to his room as there was still work to be done after all. The moment John took his seat, Zack walked into his room. From the willy look on his face, John reckoned Zack probably had some new updates. With his brows snapped together, John gazed at Zack. As soon as the office door behind him was closed, Zack moved closer toward John and reported, ¡°Boss, about Roselia, something happened yesterday.¡± ¡°What was it?¡± asked John. Taking out his phone, Zack showed John a video which was approximately a minute more. In the video, there were several people, which included men and women. At first, they were sitting in pairs and acted all lovey-dovey, kissing as well as fondling one another. A whileter, they were probably getting a little high, so one of them took out something. Initially, John didn¡¯t know what it was, as it looked like little bottles. Disying all of the bottles on the coffee table, everyone started to gather around. Someone had their backs facing the camera, so it wasn¡¯t able to capture the full picture. Besides the motion images, even their conversation was recorded, as one of them could be heard saying the purity of the product was much higher this time, which would give a nice, mellow high. Hearing that, John understood what it was right away. Casting a nce at Zack, John asked, ¡°Are they the people from the shadow bank?¡± Without hesitation, Zack nodded. ¡°Yes. Rosalie tagged along with one of them and went to the ce where they often gathered. Rosalie is indeed impressive. In such a short period of time, she managed to make it into that ce.¡± Thinking about it, John asked, ¡°All of them who were there, did they touch that stuff?¡± Shaking his head, Zack replied, ¡°Rosalie didn¡¯t. They are nning to make money out of it, so they won¡¯t just let anyone have a go with it.¡± Upon hearing that, John felt relief. ¡°How¡¯s Husky doing?¡± ¡°About Husky the henchman, he¡¯s good at bootlicking, quick-witted, and quite versatile, so he¡¯s doing well overall. Recently, I¡¯ve heard that he no longer needs to go around collecting debts anymore. All he needs to do is look through the list of debtors and arrange for people to collect debts. Other than that, there¡¯s nothing much he needs to do. I say, he¡¯s basically living a leisure life,¡± reported Zack. John hummed an acknowledgment. ¡°I¡¯m not too worried about Husky. I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be anything too serious. Then again, do warn him not to touch those things.¡± With that, Zack took in John¡¯s every instruction. After they had finished discussing their next move, Zack left the room. At the same time, Dn walked in. It had been a while since John had seen Dn, as he had been busy in the office. Besides, they rarely bumped into each other, and the only time they ever saw one another was down the corridor at a distance. After work, John would immediately go off to meet Sophia, so there was no chance of running into Dn. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 750 Chapter 750 The moment Dn walked in, he sat down on the chair across from John. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about the Baileys. Why do you not want to deal with them yourself?¡± Reaching out for the file on the table, John said, ¡°Not exactly. I¡¯ve been too upiedtely and can¡¯t oversee everything.¡± With a smirk, Dn asked, ¡°What happened? Did you have an argument with Miss Bailey or something?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± denied John without sparing Dn a nce. ¡°Why would I argue with her? We¡¯re business partners, after all. A cordial rtionship is crucial for more wealth toe.¡± Pressing his lips together, Dn said, ¡°I certainly don¡¯t mind epting this job. As for the Baileys, I¡¯m afraid they may not be pleased. I¡¯m sure someone will contact you once I¡¯ve informed them about this arrangement.¡± Chuckling, John said, ¡°Mind you, I¡¯m not sold to their family. It¡¯s just a simple reshuffling within our company, so we don¡¯t really need to care about what they have to say.¡± Saying that, John cast a quick nce at Dn. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that your blind dates didn¡¯t go too well.¡± Leaning against the chair, Dn stared at John. ¡°Not everyone of us is as lucky as you are.¡± Confused, John asked, ¡°Me? Lucky?¡± Dn nodded. ¡°At least from what I see, you¡¯re one lucky fe.¡± Pursing his lips, John didn¡¯t delve into the meaning of that sentence. ¡°Come to think of it, I do have the devil¡¯s luck.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Smiling, John advised, ¡°Anyway, you really shouldn¡¯t be that picky. Who knows, sometimes, marrying someone you¡¯re not familiar with might end up being the best decision you¡¯ve ever made.¡± With the corner of his mouth curved up, Dn gazed at John. ¡°Marrying someone unknown? The reason you¡¯re saying this is because you¡¯ve met the right person. Put yourself in my shoes¡ªwithout knowing what the future holds, I bet you¡¯ll make the same decision as I do.¡± Pressing his lips into a thin line, John blurted, ¡°Probably.¡± Who knew? Perhaps he would turn them down directly. At the beginning, when Matilda was arranging his marriage with Isabelle, he had tried to know more about Isabelle from indirect sources and even inquired about the Bailey Family. In the end, he had agreed to the arranged marriage because he felt that her conditions seemed eptable. Not long after, when Old Mr. Constance chucked Sophia at his face, he was totally against it. In regards to rtionships, it was always easier to give advice than to take it. When it happened to oneself, it would most likely tell a different story. Rising from his seat, Dn looked as if he was about to turn and leave, but hesitated. ¡°About you and Sophia, how are things now? You haven¡¯t been back in the Constance Residence for a while, and I¡¯ve heard that¡­¡± Pausing for a moment, Dn continued, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve got back together again?¡± Hearing that, John¡¯s eyebrow twitched. Got back together again? he thought. Probably not. Sophia is only giving me a second chance to make up for my mistakes, and it also depends on my performance. Sadly, she never agreed to marry me again. No ns for remarriage means she doesn¡¯t belong to me, which also means that we aren¡¯t officially back together again. Staring at Dn¡¯s back, John thought about it and replied, ¡°Yes, we¡¯re back together again.¡± Nodding his head, Dn walked toward the door and chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯s a good thing for people in love to be able to get back together again.¡± With that, he left the room and closed the door behind him. Not knowing whether it was because of Dn¡¯s strength or it was because of the wind, but the door was shut with a louder thud than usual. Looking heavenward, John couldn¡¯t help but sneer. Once Dn returned to his room, he had probably contacted the Baileys tomunicate on the reshuffling arrangements, and although it wasn¡¯t clear what they had discussed, John received a call from Isabelle a short whileter. Looking at the phone screen, John frowned. Back then, he always thought Isabelle was someone with etiquette and had a sense of propriety. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 751 Chapter 751 As of now, John started to notice the annoying side of her. Clearly, he had been quite frank with her, but she chose to be ignorant of the situation. Annoyed by her continuous pestering, John was beginning to feel a flicker of irritation. Feeling reluctant to answer the call, John waited for a little while longer. Once the line was connected, Isabelle¡¯s voice sounded from the phone. ¡°John, I¡¯ve heard of the changes within the Constance Group. Is it true that Young Master Dn will handle our orders from now on?¡± ¡°I guess Dn has contacted yourpany about it. I have a lot on my tetely, so from today onward, he will be handling all matters with yourpany. Considering yourpany usually ces bulk orders, it¡¯ll be better for both sides if there is a person in charge to oversee everything.¡± Lowering her voice, Isabelle muttered, ¡°John, is it because of me?¡± With his brows knitted together, John chided, ¡°What about you? We¡¯re business partners. I¡¯m not someone who will allow anyone to affect my work.¡± Obviously, there was a sudden change in his tone, and John sounded cross. Hearing that, Isabelle didn¡¯t utter a word. Unwilling to go on with this matter, John concluded, ¡°That¡¯s all I can say. Miss Bailey, I need to get busy now, so if you have any work-rted matters, feel free to approach Zack. He¡¯ll be helping out with all the handovers, so don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t affect your order delivery at all.¡± Without waiting for a reply from Isabelle, John hung up the phone. Putting his phone aside, John had a frosty look on his face, and he couldn¡¯t help but grumble, ¡°How annoying.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. After the call in the morning, John had been busy with work. When it was around noon, he grabbed his coat and took the elevator downstairs. On his way driving toward Sophia¡¯s ce, the traffic was a little heavy. When he stopped at the traffic light, his fingers were lightly tapping on the steering wheel without following a specific rhythm. Following his usual habits, John gazed at the rear-view mirror and noticed something odd¡ªin thene next to his, there was a car situated about two cars behind him. Strangely, the window of the passenger seat was wound down, and a person stuck his head out, as though he was trying to catch a glimpse of something. John couldn¡¯t exactly tell whether that person was really looking toward his direction, but his behavior did seem kind of suspicious. In any case, regardless of whatever he was looking at, that certainly was a rather strange behavior. After giving some thoughts, John stuck his head out of the window and looked toward that person¡¯s direction. Almost instantly, the person got back into the car and wound up the car window. With a smirk on his face, John reckoned the person had failed to remain calm. In fact, John had checked on the rear-view mirror every so often¡ªif there was a car tailing after him right from the start, he would have noticed. However, these people were probably experts, so there might be more than one car who took turns to follow after him. Once the traffic light turned green, John took off. Without trying to get rid of the car behind him, John drove at his usual speed, all the way to Sophia¡¯s ce. At the same time, the car had followed after him and only drove off when it reached the entrance of the housing estate. As soon as John got out of the car, he called up his men. Upon reporting the car te number, Johnmanded a thorough investigation on who was behind it. With that, he went into the house. While Sophia and Matilda were having lunch, both were surprised to see John back this early. Taking his own set of cutlery, John eximed, ¡°I just know that I can make it on time for lunch.¡± Gazing at him, Sophia asked, ¡°Why are you back at this hour?¡± Darting a nce from Sophia to her belly, John blurted, ¡°I¡¯m back to see my son.¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± Sophia pulled a long face. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 752 Chapter 752 Laughing out loud, Matilda teased, ¡°What a lousy excuse! You can just tell Sophia that you missed her. Why are you being this shy?¡± Chuckling, John said, ¡°Actually, I thought she knew.¡± Without uttering a word, Sophia continued with her meal. In the midst of lunch, John received a call. Previously, he had sent his subordinates a phone number, asking them to do a thorough background check on the person. As of now, they finally had some new findings. Upon thinking about it, John walked out of the dining room. Surprised, Matilda grumbled, ¡°Is it even necessary to go out and answer the call? This fe, is he hiding something?¡± With a snort, Sophia sneered, ¡°He¡¯s probably chatting with somedy and is afraid that we will overhear it.¡± ncing at Sophia, Matilda was speechless, but yed along by nodding her head. ¡°You¡¯re probably right! Thatdy might be pregnant with his son, too. I¡¯ll drill himter! That scumbag, don¡¯t even think of giving him a second chance!¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. After a while, Sophia smiled. Meanwhile, John was listening to his subordinates¡¯ report. That phone number belonged to a housewife, and due to the fact that she wasn¡¯t from this city, it took a while for them to track her down. For the purpose of gathering more information, they deliberately paid a visit to the ce she stayed to understand the person better. They even sent a picture of the woman to John. Beside that, they mentioned that the woman lived together with her husband and daughter. Living at the borders between the city and countryside, their family conditions weren¡¯t too well off. ording to one of their neighbors, their family wasn¡¯t that harmonious, as they could often hear them quarreling every other day. Then again, their neighbor was surprised to find out that these days, the whole family had turned all happy and harmonious, as if something good had happened. Without knowing her actual identity, his subordinates were only doing what they could to investigate her current situation, but her background was still unknown. After all, they were only given a short period of time. Apparently, this marriage was her second marriage. Without any friends and rtives, she came to live in this ce all by herself. Hence, his subordinates had yet to investigate her background and where she was originally from. If John was not in a hurry, they would continue to do a thorough background check on her. Frankly, John wasn¡¯t too curious about what had happened to the woman in the past, so he rejected the offer and said, ¡°This information is sufficient.¡± After giving orders to his subordinates to return and pull out from the investigation, John hung up the phone. Taking a good look at the photo which was captured furtively, John noticed that the woman was doing grocery shopping. From the photo, she looked ordinary and overall carefree. Perhaps he was warped by his selfish motives, but John erged the photo and felt that the woman didn¡¯t quite look like Sophia. Putting them together, it would be absurd to believe that they were blood-rted. After thinking it through, John deleted the picture and just stood there, holding his phone in his hands. Once Sophia was done gobbling up her meal, she walked out of the dining room. Standing in the living room, she gazed at John. The man was no longer talking on the phone but was seen standing there, contemting something unbeknownst to her. Walking toward him, Sophia stood right next to John. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you going to finish up your meal?¡± Turning around to nce at Sophia, John opened his arms to embrace her. ¡°You¡¯re done already? That¡¯s quick.¡± Trying to release herself, Sophia nodded. ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just that you took longer than usual to finish your call.¡± Pausing for a moment, she continued, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who¡¯s that on the phone? You don¡¯t look good.¡± Smiling, John joked, ¡°Really? I thought I looked good. Anyway, it was nothing.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 753 Chapter 753 With her brows knitted together, Sophia gave John a meaningful nce. ¡°You looked kind of upset.¡± Pinching her face, John grinned. ¡°Nonsense. I look happy whenever I see you.¡± Just then, something crossed his mind. ¡°Don¡¯t wander off on your own for these few days. If you need anything, I¡¯ll send someone over to get it for you. I was followed when I was on the way back just now. They didn¡¯t do anything, so I¡¯m not sure what they were up to.¡± Shocked, Sophia asked, ¡°You were followed during broad daylight? What were they nning to do?¡± Letting out a sigh, John said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether they were after me or you. Just in case, you¡¯d better not wander off on your own and stay at home. Let me know if you need anything. I¡¯ll send someone over.¡± cing her hands on her belly, Sophia nodded obediently. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. At times, she might be stubborn, but this time, she had to listen to him. She was no longer on her own, as she had to bear a mother¡¯s responsibility. Holding Sophia in his arms, John said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I need to finish my meal.¡± As soon as they reached the dining hall, Matilda had just finished her dinner, but she looked kind of enervated. When she saw both of theming over, she excused herself, and went upstairs to rest for a bit. Once Matilda had gone upstairs, Sophia remarked, ¡°Since this morning, Madam Flintstone seemed rather lifeless. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into her.¡± Darting a nce at the staircase, John said, ¡°I guess I¡¯d better send my Dad a text about it. Honestly, I don¡¯t know whether they intend to start all over again or start going their separate ways.¡± With a sigh, Sophiamented, ¡°I don¡¯t know about your dad, but for Madam Flintstone, I have a feeling that she¡¯s not over it yet. As their son, you really ought to do something about it.¡± Gazing downward from Sophia¡¯s face to her belly, John felt that to a certain degree, his child and him shared the same fate. Once Matilda got upstairs, shey on bed, not feeling too well. Confused, she didn¡¯t understand why she was feeling nauseous and even had the urge to puke. With her eyes shut, Matilda felt a sense of emptiness within her. In a daze, she fell asleep and didn¡¯t even notice when John had left. By the time Matilda woke up, it was already evening. After getting up, she had a quick wash. Taking her phone, she saw a message from William. In it, he mentioned he had heard from John that she wasn¡¯t feeling well, and was asking whether she had gotten better. Feeling reluctant to reply, Matilda pretended she didn¡¯t see it. When she got downstairs, she saw Sophia sitting on the couch, and there were some snacks on the coffee table. Holding a box of popcorn, Sophia was happily watching television with her phone ced at the side. Walking toward her, Matilda told her, ¡°Can you snack healthily? Eat more fruits.¡± Passing the box popcorn to Matilda, Sophia teased, ¡°You¡¯ve slept like a log! Are you pregnant too?¡± Hearing that, Matilda gave a friendly p on Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What nonsense! I can see that you¡¯re getting toofortable with me now, huh? You¡¯re no longer holding back.¡± ¡°Mmh. It¡¯s going to be dinner soon. Considering that you¡¯ve slept through the entire afternoon, you¡¯re going to get indigestion. Do you think you can still eatter?¡± Sophia said, her eyes set on the television. Leaning against the sofa, Matilda sighed and didn¡¯t reply. A whileter, John came back from work. Stretching her neck to get a quick glimpse at the door, Sophia noticed that William didn¡¯te over with John. Feeling disappointed, Sophia ignored John and walked toward the dining hall with her lips pursed. On the other hand, Matilda had lost her appetite, so she decided to skip her meal. Gazing at John, she said, ¡°You go ahead and have dinner. I¡¯ve taken a long nap, so I figure I should go out for a walk.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 754 Chapter 754 After staring at Matilda for a moment, John nodded. ¡°Sure. I can tell that you¡¯re not in good shape. Go out for a walk then.¡± In her casual clothes, Matilda gave her hair a quick fix and headed out. Heading to the dining hall, John took the seat opposite of Sophia. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you feeling blue?¡± ¡°Indeed. I just don¡¯t get what your dad is thinking. He came over two days ago, and it seemed like his attitude was genuine, but today, he is nowhere to be seen. Did you see the look on your mom¡¯s face just now? She hasn¡¯t been herself these two days, and he is to be med,¡± Sophiained. Picking up the utensils, John said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s really up to them, and I don¡¯t think we should intervene. Besides, they are grownups. They know very well how to handle this on their own, so don¡¯t let it get you down.¡± Remaining silent, Sophia was still not pleased. ¡°Do you keep in contact with Dn?¡± asked John abruptly. Surprised, Sophia asked, ¡°Dn? Isn¡¯t he your brother? Why will I contact him?¡± Lowering his gaze, John said, ¡°I see.¡± ¡°What do you suspect this time?¡± Sophia questioned as she rolled her eyes at him. To that, John said, ¡°Nothing much. I met him today. He seems to have quite a high opinion of you.¡± With a smirk, Sophia sneered. ¡°Well, he¡¯s not blind. Anyone with brains will think highly of me.¡± Letting out a heavy sigh, John knew she was firing at him. With that, both of them didn¡¯t continue with the topic. After eating too many snacks, Sophia didn¡¯t have a good appetite, so she just took a few mouthfuls. Even so, she still sat around and apanied him till he finished his meal. Without saying much, they cleaned up the dishes together and went out for a stroll. As usual, John would hold Sophia¡¯s hand. Suddenly, he said, ¡°Do you know? Initially, Grandpa didn¡¯t n for us to get married.¡± Hearing that, Sophia wasn¡¯t surprised at all and just had a smile on her face. Dumbfounded, John stared at Sophia. ¡°You knew about it?¡± Taking in a deep breath, Sophia gazed at the road before her. ¡°I knew after we divorced.¡± In fact, no one told her about it. There was once when she sat in the garden, and she overheard the conversation between Dn and his mother. Both of them were too engaged in their conversation, so they didn¡¯t notice her at all. As a result, they shared many things without restraint. At first, she was quite shocked to know that the initial n was for her to marry Dn. However, because Dn wasn¡¯t interested, she was asked to marry John instead. At that moment, Sophia came to realize the reason why John resented her so much. At the same time, she began to understand him a little bit more. Pressing his lips together, John noticed the nk expression on Sophia¡¯s face, so he opened up to her. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°At the beginning, Grandpa wanted you to marry Dn, because already I had an engagement. Since Uncle Samuel and Uncle Edward were overseas, Dn was the only one who was a suitable match.¡± ¡°But Dn is not willing,¡± Sophia interjected. After giving it some thought, John exined, ¡°Not entirely. It¡¯s mostly because Uncle Owen and Aunt Jennifer were against it.¡± Nodding her head, Sophia muttered, ¡°From what I see, there¡¯s not much difference.¡± Heaving a sigh, John went on, ¡°Dn is very obedient. Knowing that both Uncle Owen and Aunt Jennifer were against it, he had rejected the marriage right away. Grandpa had no other way, so he chose me.¡± Chuckling, Sophia didn¡¯t know what she was supposed to feel, but she said, ¡°What a pity! Your perfect engagement got ruined.¡± Clenching her hand tightly, John confessed, ¡°To be honest with you, I was upset in the beginning, but that was because of Dn. It had nothing to do with letting go of my engagement with Isabelle. Enough said! Sophia, don¡¯t you know how I feel about you?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 755 Chapter 755 Putting on a half-smile, Sophia didn¡¯t answer his question directly but said, ¡°Back then, if you¡¯d really got together with Isabelle, you¡¯d probably live a happy life. Isabelle seems like an understanding woman and would be very submissive toward you. Your feelings for her would surely grow.¡± Standing still, John turned to face Sophia and stopped her from walking further. Noticing the indifferent expression on her face, John told her in a serious manner, ¡°In this world, there¡¯s no such thing as if. I¡¯ve married you and fallen in love with you. This is reality now. There¡¯s no point thinking about what could have happened. Sophia, are you bothered by the past? How can you possibly be sure that Isabelle and I will end up happy? Back then, you were really submissive to me too, but I still didn¡¯t feelfortable with you. Would it be any different if it was Isabelle? You¡¯re being really unfair to me.¡± Seeing that Sophia didn¡¯t say anything, John sighed. ¡°Sophia, you need to know this¡ªI only have you in my heart. Seriously, I don¡¯t feel secure at all knowing that you¡¯re thinking of those unnecessary things.¡± Feeling amused, Sophia almost couldn¡¯t hold in herughter. It was surprising to know that John would actually feel insecure as well. In regards to rtionships, she thought only women needed a sense of security. A few secondster, Sophia impatiently acknowledged what he said. ¡°Fine. Got it.¡± Slowly pulling her into a hug, John confessed, ¡°Sometimes, I really don¡¯t know what to do with you.¡± What to do with me? Spoil me rotten then. What else? Sophia thought. After taking a stroll around their area, both of them went home, but Matilda was still not back yet. ncing at the time, Sophia said, ¡°It¡¯s not exactly early anymore, but Madam Flintstone is still not back yet. Where could she have gone?¡± Darting a side nce at the clock, John suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a little while longer. She¡¯s probably in a really bad mood.¡± As soon as Ms. Cannon was done cleaning up, Sophia and John waited for Matilda while watching television. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Meanwhile, Matilda apparently didn¡¯t wander off too far. Coincidentally, she bumped into someone, and they sat down in a cafe for a little chat. In fact, Matilda wasn¡¯t too surprised when Ynda woulde over to see her again. Matilda was well aware that Ynda was really fond of William. However, for these past few days, William had been spending a tad bit more time than usual with Matilda instead. Clearly, Ynda didn¡¯t feel secure about it, so it was understandable that she woulde all the way here just to understand the situation better. Then again, the situation now had be rather amusing. Matilda thought back to that time when she was still Mrs. Constance, she would often confront Ynda boldly. Now, the tables were turned. What an irony indeed. Sitting down at one of the tables, both of them actually had their meals already, but they still proceeded to order some snacks. As always, Ynda was being straightforward. She said, ¡°I know it¡¯s rather sudden for you to meet me abruptly, but after contemting things again and again, I decided to do so. I apologize if this makes you ufortable.¡± Noticing Ynda¡¯s sense of propriety, Matilda couldn¡¯t help but feel a flush creeping up her face. Her attitude and behavior in the past was just in terrible inparison with Ynda¡¯s manners. Immediately, Matilda replied, ¡°Not at all. Please don¡¯t think that way, because I don¡¯t feel any difort. Actually, I sort of expected you¡¯lle one day.¡± With a smile on her face, Ynda said, ¡°Actually, I think I didn¡¯t do a good job in hiding my feelings. I think anyone can easily tell. It just so happens that William didn¡¯t seem to get the hint.¡± Passing Matilda a cup of tea, Ynda went on to say, ¡°Back then, there wasn¡¯t anything between William and I. He took care of me, all because I was injured and alone, so he took pity on me. Other than that, there was nothing else. He is a magnanimous gentleman.¡± Lowering her voice, Ynda then confessed, ¡°But I started to have feelings for him. This is true and I don¡¯t wish to hide it from you.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 756 Chapter 756 With an expression that showed her clear conscience, Ynda gazed at Matilda. ¡°That time, both of you weren¡¯t divorced. I hid my feelings to myself and I swear I had never pestered him or done anything that crossed the line, prior to your divorce.¡± Judging from her expression, Matilda truly believed in every word she said. Then again, it also made her feel worse about her past self for being so mean toward Ynda. Thus, Matilda could only mumble her acknowledgement and remained silent. Letting out a sigh, Ynda exined, ¡°Now that you¡¯re divorced, I think I have the right to stand up and confess my love for him. I can even boldly do something for him. Sophia, I wish to make this clear¡ªI¡¯m not the one who ruined your marriage.¡± Taking in a deep breath, Matilda agreed with her. ¡°You¡¯re not. I know that.¡± Indeed, Matilda knew very well that the end of their marriage had nothing to do with Ynda¡ªit was all because of herself. Then, Matilda lifted her head to gaze at Ynda. ¡°Anyway, the fact that you¡¯re here today means that there must be something else you wish to tell me, right?¡± After a moment of hesitation, Ynda¡¯s expression changed. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Meanwhile, Matilda took a sip of her tea, but upon remembering that it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to drink tea at night, she ced the cup back onto the table. Lowering her gaze, Ynda opened up to her. ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s something else I wish to tell you.¡± Drawing in a long breath, Ynda lifted her chin to gaze at Matilda. ¡°I love William, and I wish to be together with him. Matilda, there was a problem in your previous marriage, which is why it has resulted in this state. If you n to get together with him again, the problem will still exist. So, can you please keep him at arm¡¯s length?¡± Knowing the fact she was in no position to say that, Ynda found it exceptionally difficult to spill the beans. With a calm expression, Matilda stared at Ynda. If it was her in the past, Matilda thought she would probably flip the table over by now. ¡°Actually, you should say this to William, because I had never taken the initiative to meet with him. If you¡¯re saying that we¡¯re being too close to one another, I think I still have freedom to do so. After all, both of you aren¡¯t officially together yet. Besides, you need to understand that William is the one who¡¯s taking the lead, not me.¡± Feeling defeated, Ynda gazed at Matilda. ¡°I know that. But if you don¡¯t have any feelings for William, I was hoping you will avoid or push him aside when he goes near you. After all¡­¡± ¡°I did,¡± Matilda interjected. Looking at Ynda¡¯s dumbfounded expression, Matilda took in a deep breath and confessed, ¡°I do have feelings for William, and probably deeper than before. Admittedly, I¡¯m the one who caused the divorce, but it was never my intention. If it¡¯s possible, I still wish to get back together with him again.¡± At this point, Ynda seemed to have run out of words. Sitting up straight, Matilda dered, ¡°I understand why you¡¯re here today. Then again, I wonder how I should put this¡ªlet¡¯s just say it¡¯s a fairpetition between you and me now. Previously, I may have had an advantage, but now that it¡¯s gone, I¡¯ll just try my best. Don¡¯t worry. In the end, if he chose to be together with you, I¡¯ll still give my blessings.¡± Hearing that, Ynda didn¡¯t know what to say. ncing at the time, Matilda said, ¡°It¡¯ste. I¡¯d better get going. Otherwise, John and Sophia will be worried.¡± Taking her phone, Matilda stood up and bobbed her head toward Ynda. After paying the bill, she walked out of the cafe with her chin lifted up high. Fortunately, this cafe wasn¡¯t too far off from where they lived, so she could walk slowly. On the way back, Matilda felt her heart sink gradually. Though she had put on a poker face, she was in fact feeling overwhelmed inside. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 757 Chapter 757 Considering that Ynda had made up her mind and made it all the way here, Matilda wasn¡¯t confident in herself at all now that she had to go against the other woman. Standing at the yard outside, Matilda gazed into the house, wherein John and Sophia were watching television in the living room. Sophia was seen roaring withughter, and she sounded even louder than the television, while John gazed gently at Sophia with a warm smile on his face. At that sight, Matilda stopped abruptly and took in this scene. If she had treated Sophia better, Sophia and John would probably still end up like this. Also, William and herself might not have ended up divorced, and obviously, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone else who wouldpete against her for William. A whileter, Matilda entered the house and looked at the both of them. ¡°It¡¯ste. Aren¡¯t you both going upstairs to rest?¡± The moment Sophia saw that Matilda was back, she immediately turned toward her. ¡°Where were you? We thought of going out to look for you.¡± Shrugging, Matilda said, ¡°Nowhere. I was just walking about. The streets get quite busy during the night. ¡± Hearing that, Sophia looked out the window, but obviously, she didn¡¯t see anything special. With a grunt, Sophia stood up. ¡°Anyway, those don¡¯t interest me. Besides, I¡¯m not a fan of crowded ces, so I¡¯m better off staying at home.¡± ¡°Once this is settled, you can go out as you please,¡± John said as he rose up from his seat too. As a matter of fact, Sophia really meant it when she said she wasn¡¯t particrly interested in anything. Based on her current mood, she would ratherze the day away. Tapping lightly on her shoulders, John told her, ¡°It¡¯ste. Let¡¯s go upstairs.¡± Turning toward Matilda, Sophia said, ¡°You¡¯d better rest early too, and take care of yourself. Don¡¯t think of anything unnecessary.¡± Hearing that, Matilda smiled. ¡°Alright. Hurry up and get some sleep.¡± Humming a little tune, Sophia went upstairs. Sitting down at the couch, Matilda couldn¡¯t help but think of the way Sophia nagged her just now, which made her look very much like a real mother. Frankly, thisdy was a good person overall. In fact, Sophia was way better than she thought¡ª outspoken, kind-hearted, and even had a sense of propriety. Leaning against the chair, Matilda took in a deep breath. The next morning, when Sophia woke up, John was no longer at home. Feeling a littlezy, she didn¡¯t want to move out of the bed and nned to idle away by lying on the bed. Not longter, Sophia heard voicesing from the yard, and it seemed like a big crowd. Rolling out of bed, Sophia walked toward the window and saw a few cars parked at the front of their house. There were also a few people standing in the yard. At the sight, she hissed before immediately going for a quick wash up. Fabian, that rascal! Did he actually inform Old Mrs. ckwell about it? Still, Sophia didn¡¯t think that would be the case since Fabian didn¡¯t seem like the type who would talk unnecessarily. The moment Sophia was done washing up, Matilda walked in. In a lowered voice, Matilda told her, ¡°Sophia, you¡¯d better go down now. The ckwells are here.¡± Putting on her clothes, Sophia asked, ¡°Why are they here? They know I¡¯m pregnant?¡± Matilda nodded. ¡°Of course. They¡¯ve brought so many things, and they said it was all for you and the baby.¡± With a grin, Sophia whined, ¡°Oh God, it¡¯s so intimidating, I simply can¡¯t handle this.¡± Leaning against the door, Matilda teased her by saying, ¡°I guess nothing can be done now. They are all here because of you, so you¡¯d better brace yourself.¡± Darting a side nce at Matilda, Sophia questioned, ¡°Why do I have a feeling that you¡¯re taking pleasure in my misery?¡± Matilda admitted it. ¡°I hate to tell you this, but you¡¯re right. I¡¯m actually bubbling inside. You¡¯ve always been carefree, which is why I really can¡¯t wait to see the look on your faceter.¡± Gritting her teeth, Sophia glowered at her. ¡°Just you wait and see!¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Once Sophia was done dressing up, she immediately went downstairs. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 758 Chapter 758 Not only the matriarch of the ckwell Family came, but also the Mistress of the Third ckwell Family and several otherdies of the same family. Moreover, Old Mrs. Constance was also here. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. The living room was full ofmotion. Standing at the top of the stairs on the second floor, Sophia¡¯s mind buzzed when she looked at the goings-on below. Matilda, who was beside her, patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Warrior,e. To the battlefield you go!¡± Sophia went slowly down the stairs. ¡°Old Mrs. ckwell, you¡¯re here.¡± Old Mrs. ckwell looked at Sophia, then she hurriedly said, ¡°Doe down slowly. Take your time and don¡¯t rush.¡± Sophia¡¯s belly was still t and wasn¡¯t showing anything. Thus, her movements were not affected at all. Seeing Old Mrs. ckwell acting like this, Sophia felt a little helpless. Then, she went over and greeted the Mistress of the Third ckwell Family politely. Not bothering to be subtle, thatdy nced at Sophia¡¯s belly and chided, ¡°Look at you. Why didn¡¯t you tell us about such joyful news?¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°It¡¯s still quite early, so I didn¡¯t say anything. I wanted to tell everyone when everything¡¯s more certain.¡± Old Mrs. ckwell reached out a hand to Sophia, who quickly went over to her. The old woman said earnestly, ¡°I¡¯ve actually gone to a fortune-teller before and he told me that you¡¯re a luck-bringer. This child will be a lucky one as well; I¡¯m sure of it.¡± Sophia chuckled, not knowing what to reply. This kind of ¡®fortune¡¯ might have been said to appease the old woman, and Sophia felt that most people would not believe it. Old Mrs. Constance chimed in, ¡°Yes, the Great Master¡¯s prophecies will never be wrong.¡± Sophia continued to chuckle at that. After that, her phone was ced on the coffee table beside her as she was forced to sit here and chat with these unfamiliar people. Only after a while did Sophia¡¯s phone vibrate loudly on the coffee table. Sophia picked up the phone and her expression changed after just a nce at the caller ID, and she hung up at once. Next to her, the two old women were still discussing pregnancy matters. When they saw what Sophia did, they were taken aback. Old Mrs. Constance asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Sophia, why didn¡¯t you answer the call?¡± Sophia smiled as she put the phone in her pocket. ¡°It was just a harassing call. That¡¯s all.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded without thinking much about it, but after a while, the phone vibrated again. Sophia pursed her lips, looking a little upset. Then, she stood up and said, ¡°Please carry on. I¡¯ll go out for a bit to answer it.¡± Holding the phone, Sophia went to the courtyard and answered the call. A woman¡¯sugh came from the other side of the call at once. ¡°Soph, are you very busy? Why didn¡¯t you answer the phone?¡± Sophia suppressed her volume, but her tone was exasperated when she replied, ¡°Since you know that I¡¯m busy and I can¡¯t answer the phone, why did you call me over and over again?¡± The woman paused as if she was feeling awkward, but it was only a few seconds before sheughed again. ¡°You didn¡¯t speak thest time I called you. Your sister didn¡¯t hear your voice then, so she missed you. We¡¯re hoping to talk to you now.¡± Sophia immediately told her, ¡°I don¡¯t have a sister. Besides, I¡¯ve told you this many times before. We have nothing to do with each other, so don¡¯t bother me again.¡± The woman¡¯s voice became quiet. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t say this. My heart aches at that.¡± Who cares if your heart aches? Sophia¡¯s voice was frosty. ¡°Let me tell you that I know what you¡¯re thinking about. Don¡¯t think for a moment that nobody knows what you and Walter are nning. Dream on! I¡¯ll never recognize you as my family.¡± The voice on the other side sounded heavier. ¡°Soph, I¡¯m your mother. How could you talk to me like that?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 759 Chapter 759 Sophia sneered. ¡°I don¡¯t have a mother. My mother died a long time ago. In this world, I don¡¯t have any rtives. Not even one. They¡¯re all dead.¡± The woman on the other side seemed to be affected by the word ¡®dead¡¯. In a cold voice, she replied, ¡°Great, just great. Since you¡¯re acting this way, then don¡¯t me us for what¡¯s toe.¡± Look, doesn¡¯t this sound much better than before? Why are you putting on an act anyway? Isn¡¯t it good to be true to yourself? Sophia hung up the phone. Then, she simply stood there trying to recollect her emotions. Otherwise, the others would know that something was wrong with her as soon as she entered the house. Thus, Sophia stood there for a long while. Before she could recover her witspletely, someone ced a hand on her shoulder. Matilda was standing behind her. Her voice was low and gentle as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Who called you? Is it someone you don¡¯t like?¡± Sophia looked back at Matilda, pursing her lips. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s someone I don¡¯t like.¡± Matilda nced at Sophia. ¡°If there¡¯s any trouble, just tell us. We¡¯re here for you.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. Shaking her head, Sophia then said, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Matilda sighed. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve always had a mind of your own. You should know how to handle it best, so I won¡¯t press you anymore.¡± The two stood there for a while before returning to the living room. Indeed, the two old women were highly observant. Although Sophia tried to hide her emotions as best as she could, they still noticed something was up. Old Mrs. Constance smiled at her. ¡°Sophia,e over and tell me what¡¯s the matter. Why are you so unhappy?¡± Sophia tried her best to make herself look normal. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m just a little tired. There¡¯s nothing else.¡± Matilda suddenly remembered that Sophia hadn¡¯t had a meal yet, so she quickly asked Ms. Cannon to get thetter something to eat. On the other hand, Old Mrs. Constance stared at Sophia for a long time, but she didn¡¯t press her further. At noon, John returned home. The group of people hadn¡¯t left yet because Matilda told them to stay for lunch. As soon as John came in, he looked around and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Sophia?¡± Matilda snorted. ¡°Oh wow, you¡¯re looking for your wife first the moment youe in. There are so many people here, yet none are as important as your wife.¡± Smiling, John continued, ¡°Is she upstairs? Has she gone to bed?¡± Old Mrs. Constance replied, ¡°Come, sit here and talk with us for a while. She looked a little tired, so let her go and have a rest first. We¡¯ll call her when lunch¡¯s ready.¡± John thought about it for a moment, then he said, ¡°I¡¯ll go up and take a look.¡± Old Mrs. ckwellughed. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen John acting like this. I suppose that even heroes fall for beautiful women.¡± John didn¡¯t bother to argue with her, for he simply smiled and went straight upstairs. Sophia was lying on the bed, looking like she was asleep. Striding over, John tried to keep his movements as soundless as possible. He sat down beside Sophia and touched her hair, which made her immediately open her eyes. John leaned over and asked, ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t move. Instead, she justy there, blinking up at him. ¡°No.¡± Instinctively, John had a feeling that Sophia was upset about something. He thought for a minute before asking, ¡°Are you not sleeping well? It must be the noise downstairs.¡± Sophia simply repeated, ¡°No.¡± John was now certain that Sophia was indeed in a bad mood. Thus, he asked softly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Sophia closed her eyes and stopped talking this time. When he saw that, John gently left a kiss on her face before saying, ¡°You should sleep for a while. I¡¯ll wake you when lunch is ready.¡± Covering Sophia with a quilt, he then went out of the room. After shutting the door softly, he did not go downstairs but took his phone out and made a call. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 760 Chapter 760 The other person picked up quickly, and John told him, ¡°Help me check the call log of a number.¡± He reported Sophia¡¯s number to the other party, who immediately agreed to the job. Hanging up the phone, John stood there for a while before going downstairs. He was better at putting on an act than Sophia. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, a smile was already on his face. The atmosphere downstairs was already pretty lively. When John came down, it became even better. After all, he had a good sense of humor and was great at livening up the ce too. Old Mrs. ckwell sighed. ¡°Look at John. His people skills have improved by leaps and bounds.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°Yeah. As you can see, he¡¯s now able to sit down and talk with us. In the past, he would never do this.¡± Johnughed. ¡°Really? But I don¡¯t think I¡¯m any different from before. I¡¯m just the same.¡± Then, he put an arm around Matilda. ¡°If we¡¯re talking about big changes, we should be talking about my mother. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed how much she has changed.¡± The two old women turned to gaze at Matilda. How could they not have noticed Matilda¡¯s change? When Old Mrs. Constance came to visit thest time, she had immediately noticed it. On this day, Old Mrs. ckwell was also very surprised by this. After all, she knew the Matilda from before when she visited the Constance Residence, and the younger woman was clearly not like how she was now. Old Mrs. Constance stared at Matilda for a long while before nodding. ¡°Yes, Matilda has really changed.¡± For some reason, Matilda felt a little bit embarrassed, so she only smiled and did not speak. John continued to say, ¡°Two days ago, my father came over for lunch after work. He also told me that he thought my mother has changed a lot and ispletely different from her past self.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Matilda looked at John, unsure whether John made it up or if William really said that. Taken aback, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°Oh, so your father came here the other day when he returned homete. When I asked him, he said that he had eaten lunch. I had wondered where he had his lunch since he wasn¡¯t with a client.¡± John replied, ¡°My mother felt a little unwell for the past two days, so my dad came to have a look because he was worried.¡± When he said this, everyone started imagining what it could possibly mean. Matilda pursed her mouth, looking rather ufortable. However, John waspletely expressionless as he spoke in a righteous and confident manner. Old Mrs. Constance looked at Matilda. ¡°I see.¡± Johnughed. ¡°I think that before there¡¯s any news from Sophia and I, my parents will get back together first. In fact, that would be perfect. When the baby is born, we will be a truly happy family.¡± Old Mrs. Constance smiled. ¡°You¡¯re right. This will triple the joy that is toe!¡± From her attitude, nobody really knew whether she truly supported Matilda and William getting back together or not. Still, Matilda felt a little relieved at that. On the other end, Sophia was still lying on the bed, but actually, she hadn¡¯t fallen asleep at all. Feeling a little irritable, she was upset that she couldn¡¯t fall asleep, yet she didn¡¯t feel like being awake. As shey in bed, her phone beeped on the bedside cab. With her eyes closed, Sophia fumbled for her phone and then looked at the notification on it. The message was sent by the woman from before. It was some sort of threat, telling Sophia to not regret her actions and saying that she could destroy everything that Sophia had right now. Sophia almostughed out loud. What do I have now? Money? How is she gonna take my money though? It¡¯s all under my name, so how is she gonna make my money disappear? Sophia deleted the message and then blocked the number. Then, shey back down and put her hands on her belly. As she hadn¡¯t yet given birth to the child, she didn¡¯t feel much affection for the unborn child yet. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 761 Chapter 761 However, Sophia could not possibly imagine leaving the child to someone else for two decades without ever asking about how the child was doing. She herself couldn¡¯t do it; she couldn¡¯t bear it. So, it was nothing but a load of codswallop when the woman said that she had feelings for her. How could she not care about me for so many years if she really has feelings? No matter how many issues she had, they¡¯re all excuses. Sophia closed her eyes; her head hurt. After waiting for a while, John came up again. This time, he told her to go downstairs for lunch. He came over to help Sophia sit up, and then hugged her from behind. ¡°No matter what happens, I¡¯ll be here for you. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± She didn¡¯t struggle but simply leaned into her arms. Her voice was faint as she said, ¡°I used to be afraid that my grandpa would leave me when he got old, and he really left. Then, I was afraid of divorcing you, and we really got a divorce. John, from then on, I have nothing to be afraid of anymore. I¡¯m not afraid of anything.¡± John felt a little heartbroken at her words. Thus, he hugged her tightly, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I will always be there for you in the future.¡± These words sounded veryforting to the ears, but Sophia didn¡¯t really believe it. Sometimes, when one held too much hope in one¡¯s heart, one risked losing it all. Sophia went to the bathroom to wash her face before following John downstairs. It was very lively in the dining room. The two old women acted as if it was their home as they called out to the others toe and have lunch. Ms. Cannon¡¯s cooking was very good, so everyone was satisfied with what wasid before them on the table. When Sophia and John came to the dining room, the two old women waved and asked Sophia to sit down. Old Mrs. ckwell lovingly looked into Sophia¡¯s eyes and asked what she would like so that she could have everything moved nearer to her. Sophiaughed aloud at this. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everything¡¯s fine by me. John is here. If I want anything, he can help me get it.¡± The olddy thought for a while before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s true. If you¡¯re with a man, you shouldn¡¯t spoil him. You must give him orders as needed.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. John grinned. ¡°Grandma, if you talk like that, people will think you have a grudge against me.¡± ¡°I do have a grudge with you. You used to treat our Sophia badly, and I know all about it.¡± Old Mrs. ckwell stared at him seriously. John took Sophia¡¯s hand in his. Holding it with both his hands, he said very solemnly, ¡°I was too dumb before to understand what I did was wrong, and I did her dirty, but I¡¯ll never do that again. With so many people present, you can all be my witnesses as I say this today.¡± Matilda teased him, ¡°Actions speak louder than words, so we¡¯d rather see you actually treating her well. Come, let¡¯s eat first. The more you talk, the more it affects our appetite.¡± The people around the lunch table burst intoughter. Indeed, the atmosphere was really good. Old Mrs. Constance shot a few nces at Matilda. Thetter did not talk much but kept her head lowered to eat most of the time. However, she did look after Sophia tenderly throughout the meal and appeared much more levelheaded and sensible than before. Then, Old Mrs. Constance nced at Sophia again. Thedy didn¡¯t talk much either. She would asionally look up at Matilda and smile at her. It was obvious that the rtionship between the two of them had really taken a turn for the better. Everyone ate happily and chatted enthusiastically, so the meal went on for quite some time. During lunch, Old Mrs. ckwell had also mentioned Fabian. She said that Fabian had been rather dispiritedtely and appeared particrly depressed. Sophia¡¯s godmother, who was sitting next to her, let out a sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s not bring this up. It pisses me off whenever I think of this. Fabian is really thoughtless at times. It¡¯s just a woman. Yet he looks like there¡¯s no longer any meaning to his life and won¡¯t even listen to anyone. His father and I are honestly at our wits¡¯ end. We¡¯ve said everything that we can think of, but it has no effect on him at all.¡± Old Mrs. ckwell sighed as well. ¡°From the start, you shouldn¡¯t have stopped him. Now things have be even worse.¡± To that, Sophia¡¯s godmother pursed her lips and answered, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think so much then. But everything¡¯s toote now, so it¡¯s no use talking about that.¡± As soon as this topic was brought up, the atmosphere at the lunch table changed slightly. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 762 Chapter 762 Sophia remembered how Fabian looked. He did appear as if he had gotten hurt in a rtionship. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter whether one is a man or a woman. A rtionship is like a hurdle; not anyone can get over it easily. John spoke up next to her. ¡°What¡¯s Fabian doing now? I haven¡¯t seen him for a long time.¡± Sophia¡¯s godmother looked at John. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him recently either. That boyes and goes without leaving so much as a message. He doesn¡¯t even bother to sit down and listen to us talk. I really don¡¯t know what to do.¡± Sophia blinked. ¡°He did actually send me messages these two days.¡± However, she couldn¡¯t make head nor tail of Fabian¡¯s seemingly random messages. Once, he suddenly asked her if she had eaten lunch yet. After Sophia replied to his message, all she got was silence. Sometimes, she would even get a message from him along the lines of ¡®take care of yourself¡¯ in the middle of the night. When Sophia called him, the line would connect, but the background was rtively noisy. He said he was drinking outside. So, she thought that he had sent her the message in a drunken state. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Sophia¡¯s godmother was a little excited when she heard that Fabian had texted Sophia. ¡°Did he really text you? This boy! I thought he had run away from home and no longer wished to contact us.¡± Sophia thought for a while before replying, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Sometimes, I could hear that there were many people with him. He¡¯s probably having fun with them and he should be living well.¡± When her godmother heard this, she pursed her lips. ¡°He is taking it out on us. Looks like he¡¯s still ming us for everything that happened.¡± Thus, Sophia decided not to ask any further. After all, this was their own private matter. When everyone had slowly finished lunch, they went to the sofa to sit and drink tea. The youngdies who came were very shy. After chatting with Sophia for a while, they stopped talking. Sophia didn¡¯t have a very outgoing personality, so she didn¡¯t have much to say either. Upon seeing this, Old Mrs. ckwell decided to bid them goodbye. Sophia stood up and went to support her, saying, ¡°If you have time,e over and apany me. I¡¯ve been rtivelyzy recently and I don¡¯t go out very often. Sometimes, I thought of going to see you, but when I think of having to ride in a car for such a long time, I just don¡¯t feel like moving anymore.¡± Old Mrs. ckwell was surprised at her words. Then, she patted Sophia¡¯s hand and said, ¡°You¡¯re in the early stages of pregnancy. There will definitely be a lot of difort. Just focus on taking care of yourself. If I have time, I wille over and see you. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m quite old now and it¡¯s not so convenient for me to leave the house.¡± After speaking, Old Mrs. ckwellughed at herself. The car was parked at the door, and the people got into it one after another. Rolling down the window, Old Mrs. ckwell looked at Sophia and said, ¡°Go back in. Have a good rest.¡± Sophia stared at Old Mrs. ckwell. ¡°Okay, have a safe trip home.¡± As Old Mrs. ckwell¡¯s car sped off into the distance, Sophia stared at the direction for a while before suddenly saying, ¡°I feel as if I¡¯ve seen my grandpa again.¡± Later in the afternoon, Sophia called Fabian. She didn¡¯t say much except that he shoulde and visit her whenever he had time. In the call, Fabian¡¯s voice wasnguid as he told Sophia how rare it was that she would think of him and that he was very pleased about it. Then, he said that he had time on this day, so he woulde over to have dinner. Sophia chuckled. ¡°Okay. What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll get it ready tonight.¡± Fabian tooughed in response. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m not very picky.¡± Sophia could vaguely sense that he was in a bad mood. Since she couldn¡¯t talk too much on the phone, all she could say was that she would wait for him at home. Then, she hung up the phone. Nowadays, Sophia couldn¡¯t go anywhere, so she paced up and down the stairs. Finally, she stood in the courtyard stroking her belly. Every morning when she woke up, she would think about how to spend the day. Every time she touched her belly, she would think about when she could finally get through it all. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 763 Chapter 763 Sophia remembered how Fabian looked. He did appear as if he had gotten hurt in a rtionship. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter whether one is a man or a woman. A rtionship is like a hurdle; not anyone can get over it easily. John spoke up next to her. ¡°What¡¯s Fabian doing now? I haven¡¯t seen him for a long time.¡± Sophia¡¯s godmother looked at John. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him recently either. That boyes and goes without leaving so much as a message. He doesn¡¯t even bother to sit down and listen to us talk. I really don¡¯t know what to do.¡± Sophia blinked. ¡°He did actually send me messages these two days.¡± However, she couldn¡¯t make head nor tail of Fabian¡¯s seemingly random messages. Once, he suddenly asked her if she had eaten lunch yet. After Sophia replied to his message, all she got was silence. Sometimes, she would even get a message from him along the lines of ¡®take care of yourself¡¯ in the middle of the night. When Sophia called him, the line would connect, but the background was rtively noisy. He said he was drinking outside. So, she thought that he had sent her the message in a drunken state. Sophia¡¯s godmother was a little excited when she heard that Fabian had texted Sophia. ¡°Did he really text you? This boy! I thought he had run away from home and no longer wished to contact us.¡± Sophia thought for a while before replying, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Sometimes, I could hear that there were many people with him. He¡¯s probably having fun with them and he should be living well.¡± When her godmother heard this, she pursed her lips. ¡°He is taking it out on us. Looks like he¡¯s still ming us for everything that happened.¡± Thus, Sophia decided not to ask any further. After all, this was their own private matter. When everyone had slowly finished lunch, they went to the sofa to sit and drink tea. The youngdies who came were very shy. After chatting with Sophia for a while, they stopped talking. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Sophia didn¡¯t have a very outgoing personality, so she didn¡¯t have much to say either. Upon seeing this, Old Mrs. ckwell decided to bid them goodbye. Sophia stood up and went to support her, saying, ¡°If you have time,e over and apany me. I¡¯ve been rtivelyzy recently and I don¡¯t go out very often. Sometimes, I thought of going to see you, but when I think of having to ride in a car for such a long time, I just don¡¯t feel like moving anymore.¡± Old Mrs. ckwell was surprised at her words. Then, she patted Sophia¡¯s hand and said, ¡°You¡¯re in the early stages of pregnancy. There will definitely be a lot of difort. Just focus on taking care of yourself. If I have time, I wille over and see you. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m quite old now and it¡¯s not so convenient for me to leave the house.¡± After speaking, Old Mrs. ckwellughed at herself. The car was parked at the door, and the people got into it one after another. Rolling down the window, Old Mrs. ckwell looked at Sophia and said, ¡°Go back in. Have a good rest.¡± Sophia stared at Old Mrs. ckwell. ¡°Okay, have a safe trip home.¡± As Old Mrs. ckwell¡¯s car sped off into the distance, Sophia stared at the direction for a while before suddenly saying, ¡°I feel as if I¡¯ve seen my grandpa again.¡± Later in the afternoon, Sophia called Fabian. She didn¡¯t say much except that he shoulde and visit her whenever he had time. In the call, Fabian¡¯s voice wasnguid as he told Sophia how rare it was that she would think of him and that he was very pleased about it. Then, he said that he had time on this day, so he woulde over to have dinner. Sophia chuckled. ¡°Okay. What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll get it ready tonight.¡± Fabian tooughed in response. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m not very picky.¡± Sophia could vaguely sense that he was in a bad mood. Since she couldn¡¯t talk too much on the phone, all she could say was that she would wait for him at home. Then, she hung up the phone. Nowadays, Sophia couldn¡¯t go anywhere, so she paced up and down the stairs. Finally, she stood in the courtyard stroking her belly. Every morning when she woke up, she would think about how to spend the day. Every time she touched her belly, she would think about when she could finally get through it all. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 764 Chapter 764 Sophia nodded. ¡°Madam Flintstone is upstairs. He hit her at the small of her back.¡± Then, she pointed at the item lying on the coffee table. ¡°This was the weapon.¡± John went over, picked up the brick and took a close look at it, noting how well-prepared it was. Sneering, he then patted Sophia¡¯s head before turning around and going upstairs. Sophia followed him into Matilda¡¯s room. The door was not closed, and Matilda was lying on the bed. Her clothes were lifted up, exposing her back with a small bruise on it which was bleeding slightly. John stared at the injured area for a moment before saying, ¡°My men are chasing the guy, so rest assured that he will not escape.¡± Matilda replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as Sophia isn¡¯t hurt. That guy is too audacious to have done that.¡± John went over to sit on the side of the bed. Watching Ms. Cannon cing an ice pack on Matilda¡¯s wound, he said, ¡°It was my mistake. I should have expected it, but I didn¡¯t.¡± No one could have expected this to happen, so the truth was that John could not be med at all. Matilda smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re considered very lucky that nothing terrible has happened.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. John nodded without a word. Then, Sophia looked at John sitting next to her. He had probably never encountered such a situation before, so he didn¡¯t know how tofort Matilda. Except for being shameless in front of me, he¡¯s still the same as before. Sophia told Matilda to get some rest, then she asked John, ¡°Does your father know that you came back here?¡± Looking up at Sophia, John answered, ¡°I saw him near the elevator, so I told him briefly about it. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯lle overter though.¡± Matilda said forlornly, ¡°You two don¡¯t need to help me so much. I know how to handle my own problems.¡± Sophia stood by the bed. ¡°We¡¯re not trying to assist you in anything. It¡¯s just that you got hurt, so it¡¯s only right that hees and visits you.¡± After staying here for a while, John¡¯s phone rang. ncing at it briefly, he went out to answer the call. Sophia thought that it was probably his subordinate who had called. So, she sat down where John had been sitting and checked Matilda¡¯s injury. It wasn¡¯t too severe; Sophia had suffered quite a few of such injuries when she was younger. After all, she had lived with a rural family whose life was rougher. It was natural to get into minor idents and suffer small injuries like this one. However, since Matilda and the others were from the upper echelons, they rarely got injured, so just about any injury was upsetting enough to them. Lying on her stomach, Matilda said quietly, ¡°You need to be careful. These people are really sick in the head. We really should teach every one of them a hard lesson.¡± William came by after work. He reached the house about the same time as Fabian. Looking a little anxious, he strode into the living room. John was on the phone in the living room. Seeing his father here, he hung up the phone. On the other hand, Fabian had a rather leisurely attitude as he jokinglymented, ¡°Where¡¯s Sophia? I¡¯m already here, so why didn¡¯t shee to greet me at the door?¡± He still had no idea about what happened earlier, so there was a silly smile on his face. John stood up and faced the two of them. ¡°Sophia and my mother are both upstairs.¡± Hearing this, William hurriedly rushed upstairs. Surprised, Fabian looked at John. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Mr. Constance is looking rather anxious.¡± John sighed and briefly told him about what had happened in the afternoon. The smile on Fabian¡¯s face faded. Frowning, he said, ¡°Are you serious? Did you manage to catch the guy?¡± John nodded. ¡°Yes. I have him locked up right now. I¡¯ll go take a look after dinnerter.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 765 Chapter 765 Fabian agreed. ¡°Take me with you. I wanna go and see who¡¯s so bold to mess with you.¡± William, who had rushed upstairs, barged into Matilda¡¯s room. When Sophia and Ms. Cannon saw this, they packed up and left the room tactfully. Matilda originally wanted to get up, but she realized that it wasn¡¯t her injury that hurt; it was her entire back. She grunted with pain andy back down again. Chuckling bitterly to herself, she said to William, ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not gonna be courteous and get up. I¡¯ll just lie here like this.¡± William went over, checked her injury and asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Matilda shrugged. ¡°How can it not hurt? But it¡¯s tolerable.¡± William sat down next to her. ¡°You used to be so delicate, but now you don¡¯t care so much anymore.¡± In the past, if Matilda bumped into something ever so slightly, she wouldin about it for a long time. Matildaughed at his words, her body shaking with the force of herughter. ¡°Indeed, I used to be really delicate.¡± When had she changed? Matilda herself too wondered about it before. Her change seemed toe at that very moment when she found out that Sophia was pregnant. Long ago, she used to be a little princess. After marriage, she had turned into an old princess, and she hadn¡¯t found the right ce for herself. When she knew that Sophia was pregnant, she had a sudden sh of realization. She was going to be a grandmother soon, yet she still acted so senselessly. Perhaps she had started to change then. Even though human growth was a slow process, she felt that she had literally grown up mentally at that split second. Letting out a breath, William looked at the back of Matilda¡¯s head and said, ¡°It would¡¯ve been great if you were like this in the past.¡± Matilda paused; she didn¡¯t quite know what to say. A brief silence enveloped the room as awkwardness descended upon them. Then, William said, ¡°Do you need to go to the hospital? Are you certain it¡¯s just a superficial wound?¡± Matilda thought for a moment before saying, ¡°I think so. It was just a brief impact, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be a big deal.¡± William sighed. ¡°You really got me worrying.¡± I suppose I¡¯ve always made him worry over me. When Matilda thought about it, she felt ashamed. Ms. Cannon had made dinner, and she then came over to tell the two of them toe down to eat. Matilda could still get up, so she got down the bed with William¡¯s support. In the dining hall, John and Fabian were discussing what to do next in order to catch the mastermind behind all this. With Fabian there, many problems could be solved a little easier. Sophia didn¡¯t have much appetite, so she only ate a little before going out. When he saw that, John knew that she was feeling ufortable inside. Considering the fact that someone was out to hurt her, it would be strange if she didn¡¯t feel ufortable about it. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Thus, John did not eat much either. He came out to see Sophia standing silently in the courtyard. She really isn¡¯t afraid of anything. John went over and stood beside her. ¡°Don¡¯t feel upset about it. There won¡¯t be a next time.¡± Turning her head, Sophia looked at him and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve caught that guy, right?¡± John replied, ¡°Yeah, I have him locked up now.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go over thereter as well. I want to see who it is.¡± John paused, his brows creasing together. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should go. It won¡¯t be a pretty sight, and I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll be upset afterward.¡± ¡°Why would I be?¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m much stronger than you think.¡± After finishing dinner, Fabian came out as well and stretched. ¡°Ugh, I had wanted toe and rx. Who would know I¡¯d encounter such a thing instead?¡± William and Matilda finished eating together, then William helped Matilda go upstairs. Meanwhile, John went over to William to tell him that he was going to bring Sophia out for a walk and told him to take care of the house for a while. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 766 Chapter 766 William naturally agreed, and John felt relieved. He drove with Sophia sitting next to him, while Fabian drove his own car. Both cars sped toward the warehouse. The man had been locked up the whole day and looked rather miserable now. When John and the others arrived, the man was so beaten up that his face was disfigured, swollen and bloodied. However, there were no major injuries; all of it was just superficial wounds. Sophia followed John into the warehouse and saw the man sitting in the corner, still in his motorcycle suit. Waving his hand, John had his subordinates go over to pick up the man and ce him on a nearby chair. The man hung his head without speaking or looking at them. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Sophia didn¡¯t dare to approach him like this. So, she said to the subordinates standing at the side, ¡°Tie him up. How can I go forward if he isn¡¯t tied up?¡± The subordinates nced at her before hurriedly tying the man to the chair. It was then that Sophia finally dared to approach him. She grabbed the man¡¯s hair and lifted his head so that he looked up. However, the face was so distorted that she might as well not look at it. She really couldn¡¯t recognize him as his features were all bruised and swollen. It was obvious that he was well and truly beaten up. Sophia tutted. ¡°I had wanted toe over and p you, but now it seems that it¡¯s no longer necessary.¡± As she stared at the man, she went on, ¡°So, tell me. Who instructed you to hit me with that brick?¡± The man looked at her and snorted in a disdainful manner. Sophiamented, ¡°This guy is quite tough, huh?¡± With that, she turned to look at John. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you have any instruments of torture or something like that? Don¡¯t tell me you only interrogate people by punching them.¡± John sighed, then he had his subordinates push a big cart over. It was filled with triangr forks, daggers, needles, hammers and the like. Sophia couldn¡¯t name most of them, but after she took a look, she found a dagger that was easy to handle. Pulling it out, she stared at the knife edge and thought it was pretty sharp. Nodding in satisfaction, Sophia took a look at the man, then she pulled at his clothes and cut his sleeves open. This man appeared quite skillful with his muscr arms. He looks quite strong indeed. Sophia smiled at him. ¡°Handsome, won¡¯t you consider telling me? Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for what¡¯s about to happen.¡± The man snorted again and didn¡¯t take her seriously. Hence, Sophia did not hesitate either and plunge the dagger down into his arm with a single stroke. Grunting in pain, the man looked a little surprised at Sophia after being stabbed; even John and Fabian were stunned by her action. No one would have thought that with a swift strike, she could make such a deep cut on the man¡¯s shoulder that blood spurted out at once. Sophia didn¡¯t blink but merely backed away, mainly because she was afraid that the blood would get on her clothes. The man who was still acting tough just now let out a few muffled grunts of pain, his expression turning for the worse. Sophia looked down at the blood on the dagger and rubbed it directly on the man¡¯s clothes. Her tone was still the same as before when she asked, ¡°Will you tell me now?¡± Fabianughed beside her. ¡°I did not expect that, Sophia. Apparently, you can be pretty tough during such critical times.¡± Staring at Sophia, John suddenly smiled. When they came over, he had been worried that it would be too gruesome for her and he was nning on letting her stay outside the warehouse. After all, she was a pregnant woman, so she probably had less courage to face such a horrific scene. However, the results were really surprising. The man lowered his head. It was clear that he was struggling to contain the agony he felt. Sophia¡¯s strike was so forceful that the muscles on that arm were split open. Blood coursed down the arm without any sign of stopping, and in just a moment, the man¡¯s entire arm was stained red. Sophia put the knife against the man¡¯s other arm and said, ¡°You should have good skills, right? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve done some really unspeakable things in the past. So, tell me. Would you like me to cripple both your arms? Let¡¯s see how you canmit more atrocities without them in the future.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 767 Chapter 767 The man grunted. He said nothing but turned his head to look at Sophia. His eyes were bloodshot as cold sweat trickled down his forehead, but his expression still showed his stubbornness. Sophia chuckled. Her voice was crisp as she said, ¡°The way you behave makes me itch to hurt you.¡± With that, she plunged the dagger downward and made another clean cut into his other arm. This time, the man didn¡¯t manage to hold back a howl. Fabian pped hard for Sophia, saying, ¡°Amazing. I¡¯ve really underestimated you. I think you can match up to me in this area.¡± He thought he himself was quite capable of torturing others, but now that he was looking at Sophia, he felt that they were well-matched. This time, Sophia did not wipe the blood off the dagger. Instead, she lowered her head to look at the man¡¯s legs. Then, she aimed the tip of the dagger at the man¡¯s thigh. ¡°The next one will be at this spot, okay?¡± The man yelled, but before he could say anything, Sophia struck a third time. The man¡¯s anguished scream was simr to a pig being butchered. John stood up to take the dagger from Sophia. ¡°Check and see if the blood has stained your clothes.¡± Retreating back a step, Sophia immediately replied, ¡°I¡¯ve checked already. I¡¯m fine.¡± The man tied to the chair started whining incessantly. Staring at him, John then said, ¡°This should be enough. He¡¯ll probably spit it outter.¡± Fabian burst outughing. ¡°This guy suffered all those beatings for nothing. Everything would¡¯ve been fine if he had talked earlier.¡± Sophia looked around, then she found a chair slightly further away and sat down. Then, she blinked in a bid to look innocent despite her earlier actions. John called his subordinates over to help the man stop the bleeding first. Those three wounds were deep, so if blood kept flowing like this, the man would soon be unconscious from the blood loss, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything out of him. John¡¯s subordinates were a bunch of rough-edged brutes, so their movements were pretty aggressive while dressing the man¡¯s wounds, prompting even louder screams from him. Sophia tutted. ¡°How noisy.¡± Then, she stood up and continued, ¡°When he¡¯s quiet, tell me. I¡¯m gonna go and check out what kind of ce this is.¡± She didn¡¯t wait for the others¡¯ reactions but simply wandered around the ce. It was just a warehouse and there was nothing else. Sophia walked around the ce and thought that it looked quite dpidated. It was probably abandoned for a long time. After that, she walked to the entrance of the warehouse and looked outside; there were no vehicles passing by. This kind of ce was really suitable formitting crimes. She smiled slightly. After those three strikes, more than half of the displeasure in her heart had dissipated. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. The injury on Matilda¡¯s body had really made her feel hot under the cor. After all, Matilda had led a sheltered and pampered life. Now that she had suffered because of Sophia, thetter felt remorseful about it. As she stood at the door for a while, someone suddenly ran up and called out to her. The subordinate said, ¡°Mr. Constance told me to stay with you. He said that you shouldn¡¯t walk around alone as he¡¯s worried that something bad would happen to you.¡± Sophia smiled and asked what was going on inside. ¡°Did that guy start talking?¡± The subordinate nodded. ¡°He did say something, but he isn¡¯t very conscious due to being severely injured.¡± Sophia knew that she had acted too violently just now. The rage in her heart had prevented her from showing any mercy. Well, I don¡¯t need to be merciful when dealing with that kind of person. After thinking for a moment, Sophia turned around and walked toward the warehouse. Before reaching the door, she could already hear the wailinging out from inside. She tutted again. If he wants to act tough, he should maintain his act to the bitter end. Otherwise, he should have just given up earlier. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 768 Chapter 768 Having undergone all that suffering, he still needs to tell us everything. That¡¯s just sad. Sophia stood at the entrance of the warehouse and looked inside. The man had been pushed off his chair and was now lying huddled on the ground, his body covered in blood. A cigarette dangled from the side of John¡¯s mouth as he stepped down hard on the man¡¯s thigh wound. ¡°And then?¡± Seeing that the man refused to speak further, John applied more strength to his foot. The man screamed and then groaned. ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll tell you!¡± Sophia stood at the door listening to him. The man said hesitantly that the person who instructed him to do this job would often ask him to do this kind of thing, but the previous jobs he had done were more complicated than this one. This job was much simpler; all he had to do was to hit a woman in the belly with a hard object. He originally thought that it was so simple that there was no need for him to spend much effort on it, but he didn¡¯t expect things to end up this way. When John asked who hired him, the man yelled, ¡°Old Leopard! It¡¯s Old Leopard. All I know is this nickname. His real name is no longer in use. Everybody now calls him that.¡± Johnughed. ¡°It¡¯s him again? I¡¯ve already had him tailed, yet he is still able to act up. It seems that I need to discard some of my subordinates too.¡± Sophia felt bored. Now, she no longer needed to do anything, so there was no room for her to perform any further. Thus, she found a ce to sit down by the door and took out her phone to call Matilda. She mainly wanted to ask thetter if she felt any difort, and to tell her to go to the hospital quickly if something felt wrong. After all, Matilda was no spring chicken anymore, so there might be some bad effects. From the other end of the phone, Matilda said that she was fine, and she didn¡¯t need to go to the hospital. Sophia could vaguely hear William¡¯s voice asking Matilda if the water was too hot and if she wanted to drink it now. Laughing, Sophia thought to herself that sometimes, things might look bad on the surface, but it would turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Some of the best surprises were hidden within the worst situations. Sophia waited at the door for a while. Shortly after, John and Fabian came out, saying that they had asked everything that they needed to ask. Sophia nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go then. Why don¡¯t we go and eat something first? I was upset just now and didn¡¯t eat much. Now I¡¯m hungry.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Fabianughed out loud. ¡°You still have an appetite after all that? Wow, I really admire you.¡± Most women would be nauseous after witnessing the gory scene just now, but Sophia seemed to have a better appetite after watching it. Not taking him seriously, Sophia just said, ¡°That¡¯s not my blood anyway, so who cares? Come, let¡¯s go and grab a bite.¡± Hence, John and Fabian brought her to a restaurant to have some food. The two men hadn¡¯t eaten much earlier as well, so now, they apanied Sophia to eat. Halfway through the meal, John made a call and asked a doctor to go over to tend to the man¡¯s wounds. Sophia had struck so violently that John found that the wounds were too serious for simple dressing to work. He was certain that they had to be stitched up by a doctor. Meanwhile, Sophia didn¡¯t care about what John was saying on the phone. She simply ate her fill without saying a word. Then, she took the time to ask Fabian how he was doing. Fabian replied thoughtfully, ¡°Well, I¡¯m fine. Not much has happened. I just spend my days rxing and time passes quickly.¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°This morning, Old Mrs. ckwell and your mother came for lunch.¡± Realization dawned on Fabian upon hearing her words. ¡°They must have said something, or else you won¡¯t be looking at me like this.¡± Sophia did not beat around the bush either. ¡°They did, but they were pretty vague about it, so I don¡¯t know much. But after listening to them talk, I think that they were sorry and regretted their actions. They just don¡¯t know how to reconcile with you.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 769 Chapter 769 Fabian chuckled quietly; his expression was slightly ironic. ¡°What¡¯s the use of regretting their actions now that things have reached this point?¡± Sophia pursed her lips, and she couldn¡¯tment without knowing the whole picture. After a while, Fabian exhaled. ¡°Let¡¯s just go with the flow. I¡¯m not hoping for much now.¡± Lowering her head, Sophia squeezed the ss. ¡°How¡¯s that girl now?¡± Fabian froze, then he looked at her. ¡°She¡¯s okay. After leaving me, she¡¯s naturally having a good life.¡± The resentment in his tone was so palpable that Sophia had nothing to say. I¡¯ve no idea what happened, so how am I supposed tofort him? As they ate, darkness gradually fell outside. Upon answering a call, Fabian seemed a little flustered and hurried away. Sophia and John slowly returned to the car, but Sophia didn¡¯t want to go home. It was mainly because William was at home now, and she wanted to give him and Matilda more alone time. Thus, after some thought, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s just drive around for a while.¡± There was nowhere to go anyway, but John agreed, so he started the car and drove out. After driving around the city twice, Matilda called. Squeezing the phone, Sophia stared at it for a long time, and finally chose not to pick it up. I¡¯ll just pretend I never saw that call. John nced at her, then he chuckled without saying a word.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. When Matilda saw that nobody answered her call, she realized what was going on and sighed silently. These two have really made things a little awkward by doing that! I¡¯m already at this age now, yet I¡¯m stuck in a game that only teenage lovers will y. Ugh, how embarrassing! William was also on the phone in the corridor at this time. At first, it was Old Mrs. Constance who had called and asked him why he was not home yet. He was afraid that Matilda would feel embarrassed, so he went to the corridor to answer the call. However, the door wasn¡¯t closed fully, so Matilda could still hear what he said. Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t press William about where he was staying the night. Instead, she only told him to drive carefully should he wish to go hometer. Then, William hung up the call before immediately answering another call. Matilda knew about this too. During the second call, he suppressed his volume, but Matilda could still hear what he said. It was probably Ynda on the phone. She was just making a random phone call to ask William what he was doing. Matilda didn¡¯t really want to eavesdrop on them, mainly because she was afraid that she herself would feel distressed if she heard what they were chatting about, but as the voices drifted over, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from listening. Fortunately, William was quite frank and told Ynda honestly about where he was. He also exined that Matilda had sustained an injury and he was here to take care of her. Pursing her lips, Matilday sideways on the bed facing the window. Her injury no longer hurt; it was in fact only a minor issue. Matilda was thinking about how to talk to William and have him go home. Back then, she used to be pretentious, but she was now different. After waiting for a while, William hung up the phone and came in. He sat down by the bed without a word. Matilda thought for a moment, then she turned over to sit up. ¡°I¡¯m actually alright now.¡± William replied, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the kids toe back. I¡¯ll worry if you¡¯re here alone.¡± Matilda smiled at him. ¡°Ms. Cannon is here with me, so I¡¯m not alone.¡± William¡¯s brows creased slightly. Usually, he didn¡¯t frown much, so the expression was quite obvious. He looked at Matilda and asked, ¡°Are you driving me away?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 770 Chapter 770 Stunned, Matilda quickly exined, ¡°No, of course not. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s dangerous to drive at night, so if you go home now, you¡¯ll reach there earlier.¡± William withdrew his gaze and looked down at his phone. ¡°It¡¯ste now anyway, so it doesn¡¯t matter whether I go back sooner orter.¡± Matilda stared at William, feeling inexplicable oddness in her heart. William used to be different. In the past, no matter what she said, he seemed to be toozy to argue with her. He simply agreed and carried out her bidding at once. So it was umon for him to act like this. Matilda didn¡¯t know what to say, so she leaned against the headrest and waited for time to pass. On the other hand, William checked his inbox and read his mail. After a while, he felt ufortable sitting like that, so he turned and leaned against the headrest just like Matilda. The two of them each upied half of the bed and sat there quietly. In fact, it was not dissimr to the past. As a middle-aged couple, there wasn¡¯t much to say. In the past, they were like this at night too. Matilda was usually the one whoined and nagged, and after she finished, silence would descend upon the room. The two of them sat on the bed checking their phones respectively without a word. However, Matilda felt extremely ufortable now. Now that I think of it, I really don¡¯t know what we were doing in the past. There were so many opportunities to be alone together, yet we only looked at our phones instead of each other. Matilda thought for a bit and then said, ¡°I really don¡¯t feel good for Sophia to stay here. She gets into trouble even just by standing in the courtyard. I don¡¯t think she should stay here for a long time. How about you discuss with your family for her to go back to the Constance Residence? The courtyard there isrger, and it¡¯s fine for her to move around however much she wants. There are also many more people there, so it will be more convenient to take care of her and safer too. Of course, this is just my own opinion. I¡¯m just making a suggestion; it¡¯s still up to you and Sophia to decide.¡± William turned around and looked at Matilda. From N?velDrama.Org. Matilda felt slightly awkward under his gaze and hurriedly added, ¡°This is just my opinion, and I¡¯m just casually bringing it up. It¡¯s your matter after all, so I can¡¯t call the shots. If you¡¯re not willing, then just forget it.¡± William gazed at Matilda for a few seconds before suddenly asking, ¡°Will youe over too?¡± Taken aback, Matilda stared at him for a long while beforeing to her senses and realizing what he meant. Her lips parted slightly; her face felt ufortably hot. William¡¯s gaze was very focused on her; it was something she hadn¡¯t seen before. Matilda never knew that her heart could beat so fast. Her mind was instantly muddled by those five words. In fact, her mind kept ying over and over again those words ¡®Will youe over too?¡¯. Even though William didn¡¯t exin what he meant by asking that, considering his expression, Matilda felt that she could urately guess what he meant. After a while, she withdrew her gaze. Combing her hair with her fingers, she tried hard to look as calm as possible. ¡°Me? Um, I¡¯m not sure yet. If Sophia goes over there, I¡¯ll feel reassured knowing that you guys will take care of her. As for me, I-I¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t really able to finish her sentence. Actually, she didn¡¯t want to resolutely say no, but she was afraid of embarrassing herself. Grunting, William got up from the bed and walked toward the corridor. For a moment, Matilda didn¡¯t understand what William meant by that. He seemed to be calling John, asking thetter when he would be back. Then he said that he would wait for them downstairs before hanging up the phone. William didn¡¯t return to the room but stayed downstairs. Matilda drew in a few deep breaths. Did I say something wrong just now? I didn¡¯t say anything terrible, right? Covering her face, Matilda felt a little confused in her heart. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 771 Chapter 771 On the other side, John hung up the phone, looking a bit annoyed. He muttered to himself, ¡°Why did he call at such a critical moment? Ugh, now everything¡¯s messed up.¡± Sophia sat in the passenger seat next to him, which was slightly lowered. Her face was a little red. Before the phone rang, John had already pressed himself on Sophia¡¯s upper body and longingly left a trail of kisses on her. Although he knew that he couldn¡¯t go overboard, he was still annoyed that such a passionate session was interrupted by a call. Sophia rxed for a while before she was able to calm down. She closed her eyes, a little annoyed at herself. Why was I so submissive? Why didn¡¯t I put up a struggle? Now it appears as if I¡¯ve epted him. John put down his phone and said with some frustration, ¡°Well, let¡¯s go back now. My father should be going home soon.¡± Sophia adjusted her seat back to the normal position without a word. John drove rather fast all the way back, and when they got home, they happened to see William smoking at the door of the living room. Sophia lifted her head to see Matilda¡¯s room was still illuminated with lights. Matilda hasn¡¯t slept yet, so what is William doing out here? Sophia was a little dissatisfied with him. This man really doesn¡¯t understand romance at all. She briefly greeted him and went upstairs to Matilda¡¯s room. Matilda was still sitting on the bed in a trance. Seeing her, Sophia went slowly over to the bed. ¡°What¡¯s going on between the two of you? I thought we¡¯d created an opportunity for you today so that your rtionship can improve by a single leap. Yet, one of you is upstairs while the other is downstairs. You really disappoint me for not making the most of this opportunity.¡± Matilda did not look at Sophia. Instead, she just sat there staring at her own knees without saying anything. Sophia thought for a while before moving over to her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What did he say that made you unhappy?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Matilda murmured. Impatience rose in Sophia¡¯s heart as she said, ¡°Then what the hell is going on? Why aren¡¯t you speaking?¡± From N?velDrama.Org. It was a long while before Matilda lifted her head and looked at Sophia. ¡°I told him that I wish to let you go back to Constance Residence during your pregnancy because I feel that it¡¯s unsafe here. T-Then¡­¡± She pursed her mouth, looking a little embarrassed. Sophia raised her eyebrows. ¡°Then?¡± Matilda yed with her hair in an effort to mask her mortification. ¡°Then he asked me if I¡¯ll go over too.¡± Sophia thought about it and then grinned. ¡°What do you mean? Does he want you to go over or not?¡± Licking her lips, Matilda answered, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s just wishful thinking, but I think he does want me to go over.¡± At this, Sophia pped her on the back. ¡°That¡¯s awesome then! If you go with me, I¡¯ll go. Honestly, I really don¡¯t feel like going there, as I don¡¯t like the people there very much. But if you go, I¡¯ll consider going too.¡± She paused for a few seconds before grinning again. ¡°I¡¯m sure you want to go though. Look at your face! I can tell in an instant.¡± Matilda tutted, then tried to make herself look more sensible. ¡°Balderdash! I haven¡¯t even thought about it yet.¡± Seeing Matilda¡¯s reaction, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°Carry on your act then.¡± She was a little excited. Standing up, she did some light exercise andmented, ¡°Very good, it seems that the opportunity we created tonight is rewarding.¡± Matilda thought for a while and then said to her, ¡°Just now, Ynda gave him a call, but it wasn¡¯t anything that mattered. I think Ynda is very gutsy. She knows how to fight for what she wants.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Yeah. Although I¡¯ve only met her once, I think that she¡¯s a decisive andpetent woman. She¡¯ll get what she aims for without caring about what other people think.¡± Matilda nodded as well. Ynda is really such a woman. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 772 Chapter 772 Matilda didn¡¯t think that before, but when William picked up the call just now, she suddenly marveled at Ynda¡¯s drive and purposefulness. Such a woman could probably get whatever she wants, right? It¡¯s just that she wants William now¡­ Sophia turned around and looked at Matilda. ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re all here for you, and we¡¯ll be able to take her down.¡± Matilda was amused by her words. ¡°You¡¯re talking like it¡¯s a war and not a matter of the heart.¡± Finding it funny, Sophia chuckled. ¡°Well, even matters of the heart require proper strategies and ns to seed. You¡¯re in an excellent position right now, so there¡¯s nothing for you to be afraid of. She¡¯s the one who should be afraid. If you be nervous now, you¡¯ll be giving her a chance to attack.¡± Matilda thought for a while, then vaguely nodded. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± John and William chatted for a short while downstairs before thetter left. He did not bid goodbye to Matilda but simply drove off instead. Standing at the window, Sophia almost cursed him out loud. This wooden-headed guy really doesn¡¯t understand anything about rtionships, does he? He¡¯s at such an old age now, yet he¡¯s still so obtuse. Just thinking of the two of them makes me worried sick. After a while, John came up and asked Matilda if she felt difort anywhere. Since Matilda¡¯s back was already applied with medication, she didn¡¯t feel any pain now. So, she said she was okay and then asked him what he and William were talking about downstairs. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Smiling, John looked up at Sophia, who was standing by the window, and said, ¡°Nothing much. Dad wants me to bring Sophia back to Constance Residence. He said that it¡¯s safer there.¡± Matilda nodded. ¡°That is true.¡± John then added, ¡°Then, he also spoke about your situation here.¡± Matilda paused for a while. Before she could speak, Sophia spoke first, ¡°What did he say? Quick, tell us.¡± Sophia looked like if she was dissatisfied with what William said, she would go and settle scores with him. John nced at Sophia and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. Come and sit down.¡± Therefore, Sophia slowly wandered over and sat down by Matilda¡¯s bed. John went on to say, ¡°Dad said that you have a good rtionship with Sophia now, but she isn¡¯t on good terms with the others back at the Constance Residence, so she may not be able to adapt to life there if she goes back alone all of a sudden. He hopes that you¡¯ll follow her there. Besides, he said that he¡¯d announce to everyone that he¡¯s the one who wants you back so that you¡¯ll not suffer any humiliation. But I suppose he¡¯s too embarrassed to tell you all this, so he let me pass the message on. What do you think?¡± An ¡®oh¡¯ left Sophia¡¯s lips as she quickly replied for Matilda, ¡°Okay, sure. It¡¯s settled then. Madam Flintstone will go back. She will. Don¡¯t worry.¡± She then looked at Matilda. ¡°Right? We¡¯ll go back together, right?¡± Matilda pursed her lips, trying her utmost to contain the expression on her face before nodding. ¡°Alright.¡± Actually, everyone could see that she still had feelings for William. Her going back this time was the greatest opportunity for them to get back together. Having said that, John and Sophia went back to their room. As soon as they entered the room, John hugged Sophia and whispered, ¡°I feel ufortable.¡± Sophia naturally knew what John was talking about. She patted John¡¯s hands that were holding her. ¡°Go away.¡± As her voice was weak, it did not deter John at all. He didn¡¯t let go but continued to embrace her. ¡°Sophia, you like me too, right?¡± Sophia exhaled. ¡°Liking someone isn¡¯t the be-all and end-all, John. You¡¯re a grown man now, so don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t understand this. I¡¯m already way past my teenage years, so all my choices are no longer based on pure infatuation. I¡¯ll pick the most suitable one.¡± With those words, John was again disheartened. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 773 Chapter 773 Sophia broke away from John¡¯s embrace and changed the subject. ¡°When does your dad intend for us to go back there? I don¡¯t actually want to go to the Constance Residence, but I suppose I can put up with it for a while if it means I can y cupid for him and Madam Flintstone.¡± John thought for a while. ¡°The sooner, the better. I¡¯ll start getting busy soon, so I¡¯m worried if you¡¯re both here. If you go over to the Constance Residence, there will be many people taking care of you there. That way, I¡¯ll feel more reassured.¡± Sophia had no opinion on where exactly she should spend her days. ¡°I¡¯ll just follow whatever you guys n.¡± John felt assured after hearing her words. That night, they did not talk much. John went off to work the next morning. Just as Sophia finished her breakfast, someone came by and said that he was there to bring Sophia and Matilda to the Constance Residence. That¡¯s incredibly quick! The Constance Residence had everything that they would need, so they didn¡¯t need to bring anything. The three of them got into a car and left at once. William had probably told Old Mrs. Constance about their arrival in advance because she was already waiting at the door. Seeing Sophiaing over, a broad smile bloomed on her face. Matilda was the first to get out of the car. She then helped Sophia get down as well. Old Mrs. Constance looked at Matilda. ¡°I heard you got hurt.¡± Smiling, Matilda stated, ¡°It¡¯s not a serious issue. I¡¯m okay.¡± Hearing that, Old Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll get the family doctor toe and have a lookter. No matter if it¡¯s serious or not, it¡¯s better to have it checked.¡± Matilda simply nodded. As Old Mrs. Constance looked at Sophia, her smile widened again. ¡°Come, come. Let¡¯s talk more inside. I¡¯ve waited for you for quite a while.¡± Old Mrs. Constance took Sophia and Matilda to the main building, saying that Sophia would be staying in John¡¯s room. As for Matilda, Old Mrs. Constance thought for a while and decided that she should remain in the room that she and William once shared. However, Matilda frowned after learning about the arrangement. ¡°May I have a different room? It¡¯s not appropriate for me to stay there now.¡± Old Mrs. Constance was obviously surprised by Matilda¡¯s unexpected reaction. But she simply nodded and replied, ¡°Of course. How about that room right next to John¡¯s? You decorated that room, so I think you¡¯ll like it.¡± As long as it isn¡¯t William¡¯s room, I¡¯m fine with any other room. Matilda nodded and agreed with the arrangement. Shortly after, John¡¯s call came in. Sophia took a look at her phone and picked up the call. Without John asking, she said first, ¡°I¡¯m already at the Constance Residence, so don¡¯t worry.¡± John said he woulde back at noon, but Sophia didn¡¯t understand why he wanted to return. Regardless, she still agreed and replied, ¡°Okay, then so be it.¡± Hanging up the phone, Old Mrs. Constance asked the two younger women what they¡¯d like for lunch. Sophia looked at Ms. Cannon. ¡°I like everything that Ms. Cannon makes. I¡¯m not picky about food.¡± Ms. Cannonughed next to her. ¡°Miss Sophia is really cooperative. She eats everything without me having to worry about her, so I¡¯m sure this child will grow up well in the future.¡± Upon hearing that the child would grow up well, Old Mrs. Constance was delighted andughed happily. After chatting for a while, Sophia felt sleepy. Matilda was also a little tired, so both of them went upstairs to rest. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Matilda went into the room next to John¡¯s, thinking to herself that she had once prepared this room for Isabelle. After Sophia moved into it, she was so angry that she couldn¡¯t sleep for several nights. It was thus unexpected that she herself moved into this room now. Sophia leaned against the door frame. ¡°Not bad, I guess. This favorite room of yours is now your bedroom.¡± Matilda chuckled. ¡°How ironic, right?¡± After speaking, she took out her phone, looked at it, and then sneered, ¡°Look, this is even more ironic.¡± Isabelle had sent her a message and asked if she was angry because of the previous incident. Matilda pursed her lips and asked Sophia, ¡°How should I answer her?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 774 Chapter 774 Sophia directly took over the phone and said, ¡°Give it to me. I¡¯ll reply to her for you.¡± Isabelle wasn¡¯t stupid. If Matilda said she wasn¡¯t angry at all, Isabelle definitely wouldn¡¯t believe it. Therefore, Sophia replied that ¡®Matilda¡¯ was a little disappointed in her. Isabelle didn¡¯t call but simply continued texting, saying that what she did wasn¡¯t intentional, but she later realized that her behavior was indeed inappropriate. So, she wanted to ask Matilda, Sophia, and John out for a meal in order to personally exin the matter to them. Sophia looked at Matilda, grinning. ¡°She¡¯s inviting us three for a meal. Why do I have a feeling that she¡¯s trying to take us all down in one clean sweep?¡± Although it was very untimely, Matilda still smiled. ¡°Then, do you think we should agree to it?¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Sophia thought for a while before replying to Isabelle that they were quite busy now and suggested they n for another time. Therefore, Isabelle didn¡¯t continue to pester either. She only said that she would invite them again in a couple of days. It was obvious that she was unwilling to give up. Since Isabelle acted like that, Sophia felt that she had some ulterior motive. Isabelle is such a supercilious woman. How can I believe that she simply wants to apologize? Sophia handed the phone back to Matilda. ¡°She¡¯ll look for you again in a couple of days. By that time, you should agree to the meal. I¡¯d like to see what tricks that b*tch has up her sleeve this time.¡± After being informed, Matilda tutted. ¡°In the future, you should watch yournguage when you speak in front of the child. Don¡¯t be so vulgar, as the child will imitate you. Understand?¡± Grinning, Sophia answered, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± John came back with William at noon. When they entered the door without seeing Sophia and Matilda around, they asked at the same time, ¡°Where is she?¡± Old Mrs. Constance was sitting on the sofa, after which she looked up when she heard their question. ¡°Who are you asking about? Sophia or Matilda?¡± John and William looked at each other. Johnughed, while William looked a little awkward. John spoke first. ¡°I was asking about Sophia. As for my dad, maybe not.¡± William lightly coughed twice. ¡°I guess I was asking about the two of them collectively.¡± Old Mrs. Constance withdrew her gaze and replied, ¡°They¡¯re upstairs. They said they were a little sleepy, so I let the two of them rest.¡± Learning about where they were, John nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go up and take a look.¡± Old Mrs. Constance did not speak. After standing there for a moment, William hesitated a little before going upstairs as well. Sophia and Matilda were indeed in their respective rooms. John saw Sophia as soon as he pushed the door. She was hugging the quilt and was sound asleep, looking the same as before. Softening his movements, John went to stand beside the bed. Sophia was lying on her side. Despite her belly not looking obvious, John still felt that it was looking a lot bigger. Sitting down slowly, he reached out and touched it, which woke Sophia up. Seeing him, she immediately frowned. ¡°Why are you so annoying? Must you wake me up the moment youe back?¡± Laughing, John said, ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime soon. Get up and wash your face. We¡¯ll go downstairs when you¡¯re ready.¡± Having been disturbed by him, Sophia couldn¡¯t sleep anymore. She continued lying on the bed as she stared at the window. ¡°Isabelle said that she would like to invite us to have a meal and apologize for what happened before.¡± Hearing Isabelle¡¯s name, John was immediately irritated. ¡°What does she want to apologize for? The best thing she can do now is not to appear before any of us.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m quite interested in what she has to say.¡± Sophia smiled. John turned and leaned against the headboard. He stroked Sophia¡¯s hair, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that useless stuff. Let me ask you this, now that you¡¯ve moved in here, do you want to reconsider our remarriage?¡± Sophia burst outughing. ¡°If that is so, then I¡¯ll move outter. After all, I haven¡¯t brought anything with me, so it¡¯s easy for me to go back.¡± John hurriedly added, ¡°It was just a casual question. Why are you so serious about it?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 775 Chapter 775 Looking at him so cowardly, Sophia didn¡¯t care to speak anymore. Both of them went out after staying in the room for a short while. Sophia went to the room next door to get Matilda, who wasn¡¯t actually asleep. Now that she was back here, she couldn¡¯t really get used to it, so she kept standing at the window looking out. She had seen William and Johning back together. At first, she had wanted to go and greet them, but she felt that it would be a bit too abrupt to do so, hence, she had suppressed it. Sophia did not knock on the door but opened it directly. ¡°Come and have lunch.¡± Turning around, Matilda looked at Sophia and said, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll wash my face first and go down in a minute.¡± Sophia pulled John¡¯s arm. ¡°Then we¡¯ll go ahead first.¡± After speaking, she withdrew from the room, closed the door, and then asked John, ¡°Is your dad back yet?¡± John didn¡¯t know what she was going to do, so he merely nodded. Sophia patted John on the shoulder. ¡°Come,e. Let¡¯s go downstairs quickly.¡± As they went down, they saw William sitting next to Old Mrs. Constance and saying something to her. Sophia went down and greeted, ¡°Hello, Mr. Constance.¡± Old Mrs. Constanceughed. ¡°He came back with John and went upstairs but came down again without doing anything.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. Hearing her words, William was mortified, so he immediately chided, ¡°Mom, why are you¡­¡± Sophia didn¡¯t care about his embarrassment but merely grinned and said, ¡°Madam Flintstone will be here in a while. Don¡¯t be nervous.¡± William had always been a levelheaded andposed man, but his face was currently flushed red at Sophia¡¯s words, especially as nobody stood out to help him. Standing up, Old Mrs. Constance invited Sophia to the dining hall. Sophia nodded, a trace of amusement evident in her eyes. ¡°Okay.¡± They were about to move to the dining hall when Matilda came downstairs. Actually, she was also feeling rather awkward. She was trying very hard to keep aposed look on her face. William turned his head to look at Matilda, then asked after a long pause, ¡°Have you gotten used to the ce?¡± Sophia was a little appalled at his question, but Matilda nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Old Mrs. Constance waved for them to go over. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have lunch.¡± All of them went to the dining hall and sat down. Matilda still sat in her former seat. William came over and sat next to her side. For a moment, Matilda felt rather ufortable, but after thinking about it, she felt that she was simply pretentious. This is what I want, so why do I have to feel uneasy? During the meal, Old Mrs. Constance reminded Sophia about some matters that she had to pay attention to during her pregnancy. In fact, she had reminded her about the same things many times in the past. But Sophia knew that Old Mrs. Constance was simply worried about her, so she listened patiently and nodded asionally. After talking to Sophia, Old Mrs. Constance turned her head and looked at Matilda. ¡°The doctor will come over and check your injury soon. Although the injury isn¡¯t too serious, I¡¯ll feel better after he tends to it.¡± Matilda nodded. Then, she heard the man seated next to her ask, ¡°Was the perpetrator caught?¡± At the mention of this, John remembered Sophia¡¯s brutal methods. She was quick and ruthless in her strikes without so much as blinking once. This side of Sophia surprised him a lot. I guess a girl from a rural vige has more nerve than other girls. Sophia replied, ¡°I¡¯ve sorted him out. We can¡¯t let that kind of person go easily.¡± Old Mrs. Constance giggled. ¡°Sophia, I¡¯m relieved at how bold you¡¯ve be now. You won¡¯t suffer being with John anymore in the future.¡± Nodding, John imed, ¡°She is the ¡®Mountain King¡¯ in our family now. I¡¯m the one being bullied.¡± Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t care about him. ¡°You deserve to be bullied. We won¡¯t feel bad for you even if you tell us about it.¡± Matilda simply lowered her head and ate with a smile. Turning his head, William nced at her several times, but she didn¡¯t look at him either. He didn¡¯t really know what it was that he wanted to say, so in the end, he withdrew his gaze. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 776 Chapter 776 Old Mrs. Constance noticed William¡¯s expression clearly and sighed. After lunch, it was time for William and John to return to thepany. Sophia and Matilda sat on the sofa and didn¡¯t send them off. In fact, they didn¡¯t even look at them at all. Sighing, John said to his father, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. Our statuses are about the same.¡± After the two of them left, the family doctor came over to check on Matilda¡¯s injury. Indeed, it wasn¡¯t a severe injury. However, the force from the brick had caused Matilda to be afflicted with a lumbar sprain. The doctor said that using warmpresses on her lower back before going to bed at night would help. Other than that, she was fine. Matilda nodded and thanked the doctor. As the doctor knew Matilda from before, he was really taken aback to see her being so polite. In the past, not only had Matilda never thanked him, but she had also ordered him around bossily. In any case, the doctor courteously responded to her and then left with the medicine kit. Old Mrs. Constance said she wanted to go for a walk, and Sophia didn¡¯t want to go back to her room to lie down, so they pulled Matilda along to the back garden. It was quieter at the back of the residence. Perhaps the other mistresses of the Constance Family had gone out. Old Mrs. Constance thought for a while and then stretched out her hand to Matilda. ¡°This residence has always been crowded, but for some reason, it¡¯s never lively. After you two moved out, this ce felt even more deserted.¡± Her words were usatory in nature. ¡°Look at how lifeless this ce is! Yet, John doesn¡¯te back all the time, and William keeps working overtime at thepany all the time. I¡¯m really at my wits¡¯ end. I¡¯m an old woman now. Don¡¯t they care about me anymore?¡± Sophia wanted tough a little. The matriarch of the Constance Family had also changed a little; she would never say such a thing before. Matilda kept quiet and didn¡¯t say a word. Afterining a little about the loneliness, Old Mrs. Constance then turned around to nce at her. ¡°Two days ago, when I went to the monastery, I happened to see your mother.¡± Matilda was stunned, for she did not expect that Old Mrs. Constance would talk to her. After giving it a thought, she said, ¡°Really? My mother did tell me a few days ago that she intended to go to the monastery. I had wanted to go along, but I couldn¡¯t find the time.¡± It was mainly because she was worried about Sophia. Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°Your mother has been worried about you. Even though she didn¡¯t say anything, I could tell that she is very concerned about you.¡± Matilda just grunted in response.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Old Mrs. Constance then found a ce to sit down in the garden. Sophia didn¡¯t sit down with her but walked around nearby. Old Mrs. Constance said to Matilda, ¡°Do you have any future ns?¡± It was such a broad question that Matilda didn¡¯t know how to answer. I have no idea if this old woman is trying to stop me from getting back with William. Hmm¡­ perhaps it was merely a question out of mere curiosity. Matilda pursed her lips and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have any special ns right now. I¡¯m going to take a step at a time and see how it goes. At my age, I should take things slowly and do whatever I want.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°Yes, you should do whatever you want.¡± The old woman didn¡¯t say anything more, so Matilda really couldn¡¯t figure out what she meant. Sophia wandered around for a bit beforeing back to Old Mrs. Constance and sat next to her. ¡°Is Mr. Constance spending a lot of time with Madam Bloom recently? In fact, Madam Bloom hade over to my ce the other day.¡± Old Mrs. Constance was startled. ¡°Ynda went to your ce?¡± At the mention of Ynda, Matilda narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Sophia muttered to herself, ¡°She said that she came to talk to Madam Flintstone, but I don¡¯t know what she wanted to talk about. Anyway, she waited for Mr. Constance to leave before she left with him.¡± Old Mrs. Constance smiled slightly. ¡°Is that so?¡± Matilda was not in the best position to express her opinion, so she didn¡¯t say a word about this. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 777 Chapter 777 Sophia leaned back in the chair. ¡°When I met Madam Bloom for the first time, I thought she was quite sophisticated.¡± Nodding in agreement, Old Mrs. Constance uttered, ¡°When she was younger, she was a gorgeous woman. Coupled with her good nature, she naturally had a lot of admirers.¡± Sophia was a little curious. ¡°Then why is she divorced? Her ex-husband should be in love with her, right? How could he bear to get a divorce?¡± Old Mrs. Constance thought for a while. ¡°I heard that her ex-husband cheated on her, and she caught him in the act. She¡¯s a decisive woman, and despite the man begging her to stay, she walked away and never looked back. She was determined to go through with the divorce. They had a child, but the child was old enough, and the divorce didn¡¯t bring much negative impact either. After that, she lived alone.¡± After a long pause, Sophia nodded. ¡°She hasn¡¯t had an easy life either.¡± Old Mrs. Constance agreed. Sophia looked at Matilda and thought that she might not be happy with this topic, so she swallowed back the words she was about to say. After sitting for a while in the garden, they saw Lady Jennifer driving back home. She seemed to know that Sophia and Matilda would be here today as she wasn¡¯t surprised at the sight of them. Walking over to them with a smile, she greeted, ¡°Hello, my dear sister-inw.¡± This form of address made Matilda feel a little better. After all, Lady Jennifer¡¯s greeting gave her an identity within the family. She nodded and asked in response, ¡°Did you go out?¡± From N?velDrama.Org. Lady Jennifer came over and found a ce to sit down. ¡°Yes, I went out and bought something.¡± Old Mrs. Constance looked at Lady Jennifer before asking, ¡°How¡¯s Dn doing recently?¡± When Dn was brought up, Lady Jennifer sighed deeply. Her gaze shifted to Sophia as she said, ¡°Honestly speaking, I¡¯ve gotten over it. Whatever. Since this is not what he wants, then there¡¯s nothing I can do. It¡¯s not worth it if the matter causes havoc within the family every day.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°Dn is all grown up now, so you really don¡¯t need to worry about him. He should know what to do.¡± Hearing that, Lady Jennifer couldn¡¯t help ncing at Sophia again. Noticing that, Sophia frowned slightly. She had a feeling that Lady Jennifer looked rather guarded against her. Lady Jennifer replied, ¡°Well, Dn is quite a sensible one. I think I might have nagged a little too much, and he¡¯s bothered by it. If I stop nagging, perhaps he would go and find a girl by himself. So, I guess I shouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± Agreeing, Matilda tried to console her, ¡°They¡¯re all grown up now and have their own opinions, so they¡¯re less willing to be controlled by us. Most of the time, we should let them make their own decisions, especially when ites to rtionships.¡± Lady Jennifer nodded. After staying in the garden for quite some time, Old Mrs. Constance became a little tired. Sophia and Matilda bade goodbye to Lady Jennifer and helped Old Mrs. Constance to return to the main building. Old Mrs. Constance initially wanted to go upstairs to rest, but the butler came over and said that a visitor had arrived. All three women in the room were taken aback by the sudden news. The butler continued to say, ¡°The woman said she¡¯s Madam Bloom and that you should know her, Old Mrs. Constance.¡± Sophia was startled, after which she frowned and looked at Matilda. Ynda hase straight here. This woman is really bold indeed. Surprised, Old Mrs. Constance murmured, ¡°What is she doing here?¡± Despite saying this, she had the butler invite Ynda in. When the butler ushered Ynda into the room, thetter was stupefied at seeing Sophia and Matilda standing there. Sophia immediately realized that Ynda had simply wanted to visit Old Mrs. Constance and get on her good side and wasn¡¯t here to sabotage the rtionship between Matilda and the Constance Family. Ynda looked slightly awkward as she said, ¡°Oh, you guys are here too.¡± Nodding, Sophia exined, ¡°Yes, we¡¯re here to stay.¡± Ynda passed the gift she was carrying to the servant stiffly and then smiled. ¡°I see. William hadn¡¯t told me about it.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 778 Chapter 778 After hearing Ynda¡¯s statement, Sophia replied, ¡°Perhaps Dad felt that it wasn¡¯t a big deal.¡± She could really change her form of address at any moment. Old Mrs. Constance raised her eyes and looked at Sophia, her lips curling up slightly. Thinking for a while, Matilda said to Ynda, ¡°Have a seat. Don¡¯t just stand there.¡± Ynda smiled half-heartedly but still sat down. She looked at Old Mrs. Constance and said, ¡°I had wanted toe and visit you, but I was unwell, so I had to dy my visit.¡± Old Mrs. Constance noticed that Ynda was indeed not looking too good and could tell that she was exhausted. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I heard that you met with a car ident. Fortunately, nothing serious happened.¡± Nodding, Ynda exined, ¡°That reflexive sidestep of mine saved my life.¡± Old Mrs. Constance continued to ask, ¡°What did the driver say? They have to be careful in the future over this kind of thing.¡± Ynda¡¯s expression was slightly awkward. ¡°Yes. Their recklessness may bring about terrible consequences to others.¡± Sophia was an expert at observing others¡¯ micro-expressions. Ynda is probably keeping something from us about the incident. Old Mrs. Constance then asked about Ynda¡¯s parents. Ynda said that they had only kept contact through the phone. Her parents didn¡¯t agree with her divorce, so they had some ill feelings for each other. She didn¡¯t even tell her family about getting injured in the ident. With this exnation, she sessfully rified that there was indeed no one to take care of her, so it was normal for William to go over to her. After pondering, Old Mrs. Constance stated, ¡°I¡¯m sure that they love you regardless. The generation gap may cause differing opinions. You may not wish to listen to them, but you should try to understand where they areing from.¡± Ynda said she understood. Then, she smiled and said, ¡°But I think it¡¯s good for us to keep a distance from each other. They won¡¯t worry about me so much, and I won¡¯t feel so irritated by them.¡± Seemingly agreeing to her statement, Old Mrs. Constance said pointedly, ¡°I suppose it¡¯s essential to keep a distance sometimes. Since we should keep a distance from our parents, we should do the same with other people too, right?¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. As soon as Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s words left her lips, all the people present were stunned. Ynda¡¯s face turned pale in an instant. At her age, she would have to be really dull-witted if she couldn¡¯t even tell the underlying meaning of those words. To Matilda¡¯s surprise, Old Mrs. Constance actually advised Ynda to stay away. She had always thought that Old Mrs. Constance preferred a woman like Ynda. Although she was divorced, William was no longer young, so it would be ridiculous if he were to find a young woman as his wife. Besides, it wasn¡¯t in his character to be with a girl who was young enough to be his own daughter. Sophia was startled as well but then quickly recovered herself andughed. ¡°Yes, Grandma is right. No matter who we are with, we must know our ce.¡± Old Mrs. Constance smiled at that simply because Sophia had called her ¡®Grandma¡¯. It was a long time before Ynda pursed her mouth and agreed with them. Sophia could see through her difiture. In fact, she actually sympathized with her a little. Is it so wrong of her to fall in love with a man that we have to humiliate her like this? But the problem was that Ynda was really too brazen. If they didn¡¯t try to dissuade her, she might actually try to do something. Considering how William was like, it wasn¡¯tpletely out of the question for him to be interested in such a self-assured woman. Old Mrs. Constance had probably also thought of this. She had been feeling lethargic for quite some time, so after chatting with Ynda for a while, she became even more sluggish and could no longer continue talking. As such, Sophia got up and said to her, ¡°Grandma, let me help you go upstairs and rest.¡± Hearing that, Old Mrs. Constance nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯m up in my years now, so naturally, I¡¯m not as energetic as you young people.¡± As Sophia helped Old Mrs. Constance upstairs, she took a look at Matilda. Coincidentally, Matilda also happened to look up. Their eyes met for a brief moment before both of them looked away quickly. Sophia knew that at that moment, Matilda had understood what she wanted to convey. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 779 Chapter 779 Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s movements were slow, so Sophia had to match her pace. The two of them went toward Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s room, after which Sophia suddenly said, ¡°That Madam Bloom appears to really like Mr. Constance.¡± ¡°Even you can tell.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded. Laughing, she exined, ¡°It¡¯s really too obvious.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded again and said earnestly, ¡°To be honest, there isn¡¯t any fault that I can find in her. However, the matter between her and William has always been a thorn in my heart. That year, she was the one who abandoned William, so I feel ufortable every time I think about it.¡± Unsure of the incidents in the past, she merely gave a nomittal grunt. When they went into the room, she did not leave at once. Sophia helped Old Mrs. Constance get into bed, then she said, ¡°But considering how we treated her today, won¡¯t Mr. Constance be upset if he finds out? Will he think that we¡¯re meddling in his private matter? Besides¡­¡± Sophia hesitated before continuing, ¡°Besides, what if he likes Madam Bloom?¡± Laughing, Old Mrs. Constance nced at Sophia. ¡°Little brat, what do you want to find out from me? Just say it to my face.¡± Sophia grinned and replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I¡¯m just a little curious about Mr. Constance¡¯s stance on this. He¡¯s too cid, so I don¡¯t really understand him.¡± Old Mrs. Constance thought about it. ¡°Well, he is quite cid, I suppose. However, I¡¯ve always thought that he¡¯s an open book.¡± For example, when William returned with John, John had gone upstairs first while he followed after a brief hesitation. It was obvious that he had gone and looked for Matilda, but he did not find her, yet he was too embarrassed to ask anybody. Old Mrs. Constance saw it all clearly. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. After he came down, he was embarrassed to speak so forthrightly, so he startedining about Matilda, saying that she was such a picky woman that she probably couldn¡¯t adapt well now that she had suddenly moved in here. He kept saying how she might not be able to sleep well and how it was challenging to change her habits when she had be ustomed to them. But all of it simply meant that Matilda would be unustomed to being arranged to sleep in a random room. Old Mrs. Constance ignored him, but she naturally knew what he was trying to say. After all, they were divorced, so he and Matilda certainly could not sleep in the same room. Their rtionship was rather different from John and Sophia¡¯s. Sophia thought for a while before saying, ¡°I thought it was obvious too, but as soon as Madam Bloom came, I¡¯m not so sure anymore.¡± Perhaps Ynda was so proactive because she had privately interacted with William. By then, Old Mrs. Constance was really drowsy, so she closed her eyes and said softly, ¡°William¡­ I didn¡¯t expect him to go down the same path as John.¡± Sophia stared at Old Mrs. Constance for a while before getting up and slowly retreating from the room. She didn¡¯t go downstairs right away either. Downstairs is currently Matilda¡¯s battlefield. I bet she doesn¡¯t want anyone to disturb her now. Hence, Sophia turned and went back to her room. She had nothing to do, so she justy on the bed and checked her phone. Just now, she hadn¡¯t paid any attention to it, and now she realized there was an unread message from Ian. He didn¡¯t say anything outrageous, only that things were about toe to an end over there, and he wanted to see her when he came back. Meeting each other was such a trivial matter that it didn¡¯t need to be said at all. Considering their deep friendship, she certainly should celebrate with him after his return. Sophia stared at the phone for a while but chose not to reply. She put it down and leaned against the headboard in a daze. Ian is a good man. Actually, she knew that if she got together with him, her life would be pretty good. After all, Ian was kinder than John, so life with him should be stress-free. It was just that feelings were something that couldn¡¯t be controlled. No matter how good Ian was, she wasn¡¯t able to harbor any romantic feelings for him. After Sophiay down for a while, she became rather drowsy. Just before she fell asleep, there was a knock on the door, followed by Matilda entering. Sophia squinted at her. ¡°Has Madam Bloom left?¡± Nodding, Matilda came and sat by Sophia¡¯s bed. ¡°We didn¡¯t talk much. She said she really didn¡¯t know that we¡¯de back here. I find this situation rather odd, so tell me, why did shee here today?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 780 Chapter 780 ¡°Why else?¡± Sophia turned to face Matilda. ¡°She¡¯s interested in your ex-husband, so naturally, she wants to assimte into the family slowly. The first step would be to form good rtionships with those in the Constance Family.¡± Learning about what Ynda might be nning, Matilda frowned. ¡°She really is bold enough to do that. If it were me, I can¡¯t do it. It feels so embarrassing.¡± Recalling what happened, Sophiaughed. ¡°Old Mrs. Constance was defending you just now.¡± Matilda nodded. After some thought, she alsoy down. ¡°I was truly surprised. I thought that she doesn¡¯t like me.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. Faced with her statement, Sophia replied, ¡°You were really unlikable. But now you¡¯re alright. What were you thinking of all these years?¡± Matilda didn¡¯t know what she herself was thinking about, for she seemed to be rather muddled before. Sophia was feeling sluggish, so she fell asleep after some murmuring. Lying there, Matilda was lost in thought for a while before her eyes closed as well. The two of them slept well into the evening. Old Mrs. Constance had awoken quite some time ago and was listening to music while drinking tea downstairs. Finally, she could not resist asking someone to go and call the two women toe down and have a chat with her. The servant came down after a while and reported, ¡°They¡¯re both asleep. I haven¡¯t awakened them yet.¡± The olddyughed. ¡°Okay, then let them sleep. Back then, when they were both at home, it had never been as peaceful as now.¡± Back then, Matilda was always looking for a chance to make things difficult for Sophia. Chaos had descended upon the family time after time, so byparison, although it was much quieter now, it was also much more peaceful than before. After waiting for a while, John and William returned. Old Mrs. Constance thought to herself that now John came home after work and William didn¡¯t work overtime anymore. She couldn¡¯t helpughing when she saw them entering the house. As soon as John and William entered, they nced into the living room. Old Mrs. Constance spoke, ¡°You don¡¯t have to search around. They¡¯re both sleeping upstairs.¡± John turned to go upstairs. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± William looked as if he wanted to follow John, but Old Mrs. Constance stopped him and said, ¡°You come here. We need to have a talk.¡± Stopping in his tracks, William thought for a while before turning around. He came to sit opposite his mother. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Old Mrs. Constance took a sip of the tea and then said, ¡°Ynda was here today. Did you know about this?¡± William was obviously startled at the news, for his brows creased as he answered, ¡°She came here? I didn¡¯t know that. What was she doing here?¡± Old Mrs. Constance pointed in a direction with her chin. ¡°She sent that over and said she came to see me.¡± Smiling, she continued, ¡°Why did shee to see me though? I¡¯m just an old sack of bones.¡± William turned to look where she was pointing and saw the gift basket of health products. His brows were still furrowed together. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that she woulde over. T-They¡ª¡± Without allowing him to finish his sentence, Old Mrs. Constance interrupted, ¡°Later, I went upstairs to nap, so I have no idea what both of them talked about downstairs. If you want to know, you can ask Matilda or Ynda.¡± William exhaled sharply before muttering, ¡°What did shee here for?¡± Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s voice was soft as she asked, ¡°Ask yourself this, did you give her any hope?¡± Hope? I hadn¡¯t given Ynda any hope. All this while, I have been quite clear about things. Old Mrs. Constance paused for a moment, then asked, ¡°You¡¯re already at such an age, so I¡¯m not going to nag you about this. However, when ites to rtionships, you shouldn¡¯t drag it out like this. You need to be aware of who you like and who you want to be with. What are you so hesitant for anyway?¡± William lowered his gaze. ¡°About this matter, I don¡¯t know what to do right now.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 781 Chapter 781 William was a very sentimental person. If it weren¡¯t for his feelings for Matilda over so many years, he wouldn¡¯t have endured her attitude in the past. Later, his feelings for her were almost worn out, so he thought that it would be for the best if they got divorced. However, she had changed almost overnight. When he saw her, his heart had pounded hard and fast for some inexplicable reason. He was no spring chicken anymore, so it would be embarrassing for him to tell anyone about it. Anyway, it was an extraordinary feeling. But if someone told him to reconcile with Matilda immediately, he wouldn¡¯t dare to do so either. The trauma of the past was still there. Even if she had changed, he didn¡¯t believe that she could change completely. As he chatted with Old Mrs. Constance, Sophia and Matilda both came down the stairs, followed by John, who was looking quite amused. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Matilda mumbled as she came down the stairs, ¡°I did actually wake up once but watching her sleep so well, I felt drowsy again and fell back asleep. I never sleep so much, alright? It has never been possible.¡± Sophia was a bit unhappy at that, so she swiveled around to look at Matilda. ¡°How could you me me for this kind of thing? You never fail to impress me.¡± She was a little angry and added, ¡°So what if we slept all afternoon? It¡¯s such a normal thing to do. Why do you have to make it sound like it¡¯s something extremely shameful?¡± Matilda nced at Sophia. ¡°It¡¯s normal for you to sleep all day, but it¡¯s not for me.¡± The two of them didn¡¯t look like people from two different generations; they appeared more like sisters instead. When Matilda came down and saw William, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and greeted, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Seeing her, William smiled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You should rest when you¡¯re tired. No one will mind.¡± Matilda pursed her lips and didn¡¯t say a word. The Constance Family used to have many rules, but most of the rules were set by herself. Sophia was even scolded by her before for sleeping too much in the afternoon. Now she herself was sleeping in the afternoon too. Even though no one said anything to her, and even Sophia didn¡¯t mind about it, she still felt rather mortified in her heart. It was like the pot calling the kettle ck. Since dinner wasn¡¯t ready yet, all of them went to sit on the sofa. Sophia leaned back on the sofazily, squinting as she listened to John talking about thepany. She was a little absent-minded. After being lost in thought for a while, she pricked up her ears and heard John saying that he had finally caught the instigator behind Matilda¡¯s injury. However, the man was probably not the ultimate mastermind but just another pawn. However, now that they had caught him, it would be easier to trace him to the mastermind. Sophia sat up. ¡°Is it Old Leopard?¡± John nodded. ¡°It¡¯s him. He is as slick as a man can be. The one that my subordinates had caught before was a fake. This guy knows that he¡¯s doing shady business and was worried that we would be looking for him, so he deliberately arranged for a stand-in to divert attention away from himself.¡± Laughing, he continued, ¡°He¡¯s quite savvy. After being caught by my subordinates, he still pretended not to be the actual man himself. His acting skills are really something.¡± Intrigued by the man, Sophia immediately asked, ¡°Did you lock him up? I want to meet him.¡± John paused briefly. He immediately remembered Sophia¡¯stest masterpiece and said rather helplessly, ¡°This man doesn¡¯t have a great physique. If you go, I think he¡¯ll literally die in your hands. Hence, I think it¡¯s best you skip this.¡± Hearing that, Sophia instantly became displeased. ¡°Are you even listening to yourself? What are you even saying? He got someone to harm me and even hurt Madam Flintstone. I have to go and see for myself who it is, right? My request ispletely reasonable, understand?¡± John was well aware of how silver-tongued Sophia was. He raised his hand and patted the top of Sophia¡¯s head. ¡°Will you please let me deal with this matter by myself? Otherwise, I¡¯ll feel useless to have to depend on you for everything.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 782 Chapter 782 Sophia stared at John for a while and then said, ¡°You are pretty good at acting now, aren¡¯t you?¡± Seeing them bicker, Old Mrs. Constanceughed next to them. ¡°Alright, alright. You two should deal with such matters behind closed doors. Come,e. Let¡¯s go and eat.¡± William went to help Old Mrs. Constance up, then all of them went to the dining hall. It was uneventful during mealtime, but just when they were done eating, those from the Second Constance Family came in. In fact, Master Owen, Lady Jennifer, and Dn had all arrived. Sophia hadn¡¯t seen Dn for a long time. Therefore, she smiled at him and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, but you haven¡¯t changed the slightest.¡± Staring at her belly, hemented, ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot though.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. Sophia took advantage of his words to stroke her belly and then smiled again at him. Lady Jennifer took a look at Sophia, feeling much more reassured now. After all, now that she was pregnant with John¡¯s child, it was impossible for her to get together with Dn anymore. Previously, she had been paranoid about many possibilities, fearing that Sophia would get together with Dn after separating from John. This caused her to argue with Dn all day long, but now, she felt as if a burden had been lifted off her chest. Sophia had initially wanted to go upstairs to rest, but now that the Second Constance Family was here, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to leave since most of them were here to see her. So, she graciously went over to sit on the sofa. John came over and sat next to her, while Dn sat down opposite them. Thetter looked at Sophia and said, ¡°Have you been feeling ufortabletely? I heard that it¡¯d be a bit more unpleasant in the beginning.¡± Before Sophia could speak, John spoke first, ¡°She¡¯s fine. I¡¯m taking care of her, so she hasn¡¯t suffered too much.¡± Sophia turned to look at John. Does this have anything to do with him? This jerk is really shameless. Dn smiled. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good then.¡± Deliberately, John asked, ¡°How are your blind dates going? Haven¡¯t you found anyone suitable yet?¡± Dn didn¡¯t feel awkward at all but simply nodded. ¡°You all know that I¡¯m not a fan of blind dates. Since I¡¯m repulsed by even the idea of it, naturally, I haven¡¯t found anyone suitable.¡± Exhaling sharply, Lady Jennifer said, ¡°Fine, fine. We all know that, and we won¡¯t force you anymore. You can get married whenever you feel like getting married. We won¡¯t even ask about your girlfriend, okay?¡± Dn smiled faintly. ¡°It should have been so a long time ago.¡± Master Owen nced at Dn and then looked at Sophia. ¡°Sophia, you¡¯re now pregnant, so you should be remarrying John soon. Both of you really have gone through a lot.¡± John slowly nodded. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll remarry soon.¡± To be honest, John was uncertain about it. He used to be a very confident person. He was still confident now, but only in his work. When it came to his rtionship, his self-confidence was suppressed by Sophia. He waspletely insecure, especially when it was about the remarriage. It wasn¡¯t appropriate for Sophia to reject this idea in front of the Second Constance Family, so she smiled and said they weren¡¯t in a hurry. Lady Jennifer hurriedly said, ¡°What do you mean by that? You¡¯re now pregnant. Although it appears to be a very slow process, in fact, time passes in the blink of an eye. How can you wait until the child is born before nning your remarriage? You should take advantage of the time you have now and n ahead.¡± Without saying a word, Sophia smiled. Lady Jennifer seemed to be unable to realize that Sophia was unwilling to continue with this topic. ¡°The child must be born into a healthy andplete family. This is conducive to the growth of the child. Since everything has turned out this way, you two should remarry as soon as possible.¡± Sophia did not speak, and the expression on her face remained the same, but there was no longer any trace of joy in her eyes. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 783 Chapter 783 Sophia was a little puzzled about what their definition of a healthy andplete family was. Will the family be healthy andplete just because we have that piece of paper? It¡¯s as if without the remarriage, the child has to lose either the father or the mother. But both of us are alive and well, right? We¡¯re also looking forward to the child¡¯s arrival. Why are we not a healthy andplete family? Sitting to the side, Dn was aware of what was going on, so he quickly said, ¡°This is Sophia and John¡¯s private matter, so we can¡¯t n for them. They will think it through and decide for themselves. I¡¯m sure no matter what their decision is, it will definitely be justified.¡± Lady Jennifer nced at Dn from the corner of her eyes and seemed a little unhappy. Old Mrs. Constance said next to her, ¡°Yes, they have to think and decide for themselves. We shouldn¡¯t meddle in their business. Any decision they make will be for the best.¡± Since Old Mrs. Constance said so, Lady Jennifer had nothing more to say. After a few seconds, Master Owen changed the topic and talked about thepany¡¯s affairs. Lady Jennifer looked at Matilda. ¡°My dear sister-inw, you¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± Matilda yed with her hair. ¡°Really? I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really a big change.¡± Lady Jennifer nodded. ¡°I feel that you¡¯ve be much younger all of a sudden. Besides, I somehow think that you¡¯re no longer your past self.¡± Back then, when Matilda sat there, she had to put on airs and act like an aristocratic woman in her every move. But now, she was reclining on the sofa without caring for her image at all. Laughing, Matilda replied, ¡°I suppose so.¡± When there was a lull in the conversation, William looked over at Lady Jennifer and Matilda. These two people are actually chatting. I¡¯ve never seen this happen before. Matilda wasn¡¯t on good terms with anyone in the family back then. She was so full of herself that she thought she was superior to others and was always nting her eyes at them. Lady Jennifer was particrly at odds with her. So, it was a rare and surprising sight indeed for them to be chatting. After talking for a while, John¡¯s phone rang, so he took it out and nced at it before getting up. ¡°Excuse me, I need to answer the phone.¡± Sophia raised her brows and slowly followed John. He went outside while Sophia stood in the doorway. She couldn¡¯t hear clearly, but she had a feeling that it was his subordinate who had called. John didn¡¯t talk for long, and he hung up after less than a minute. Turning his head, he saw Sophia standing in the doorway staring at him and asked helplessly, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Faced with his question, Sophia blinked innocently. ¡°Are you going out to see Old Leopard?¡± John went over to touch Sophia¡¯s face. He spoke in a subdued tone, trying not to let those in the room hear him. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to take a look.¡± Enthusiastically, Sophia said, ¡°Take me along, take me along.¡± Seeing how excited she was, John smiled. ¡°It¡¯s toote in the day now, so you¡¯d better wait at home. I¡¯ll inform you about the situation there as soon as possible, alright? My subordinate said that the guy has already admitted to everything. He¡¯s the kind of crafty fox who won¡¯t suffer even a little. Just by verbally threatening him, he¡¯ll spill the beans. There¡¯s no point for you to go there.¡± Sophia was a little unhappy. ¡°I just want to go over and take a look.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. John touched her belly. ¡°That kind of ce isn¡¯t an appropriate one for a child. Even if the baby can only hear the sounds, it¡¯s better not to let the baby hear them.¡± Looking down at her own belly, she recalled that Matilda had recently been nagging her a lot, saying that the child could sense what was going on outside and that the child could hear everything as well. Although she thought it was nonsensical before, upon careful consideration¡­ She hummed slightly; her expression was still rather upset. ¡°All right, then I won¡¯t go.¡± John gently pinched her face. ¡°If there are any problems, I¡¯ll tell you when Ie back. I promise not to hide anything from you and tell you everything.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 784 Chapter 784 Sophia only agreed after a long pause. John knew that she really wanted to join in the fun, but she really shouldn¡¯t go. Putting his arms around Sophia¡¯s shoulders, he took her into the living room and told the others that he had something to do, so he would be leaving first. William, Matilda, and Old Mrs. Constance all knew what he was going to do, so they didn¡¯t probe any further and only told him toe back as soon as possible. John patted Sophia¡¯s head before turning around and leaving. Sophia pouted, still looking unhappy. Seeing her unsatisfied look, Matilda beckoned to her. ¡°Come and sit down.¡± Going over and sitting next to Matilda, Sophia grumbled to her in a low voice along the lines of John refusing to bring her out with him. Matilda stroked her back. ¡°If you go over, he¡¯ll have to look after you. You¡¯re now pregnant, so it¡¯s only right that you go out less.¡± Sophia pulled a long face and stopped talking. Lady Jennifer looked at them both beforeughing. ¡°Matilda, your rtionship with Sophia has improved by a lot. I¡¯m really envious. It would be great if I can have such a good rtionship with Dn¡¯s wife in the future too.¡± Chuckling, Dn said nothing. Following that, Matilda looked at Lady Jennifer. ¡°Sure, I believe you will. You¡¯re good-natured, so it will be easy for you to get along with the younger generation.¡± With eyes filled with some kind of emotion, Lady Jennifer looked at Sophia. Sophia was feeling grumpy, so she only nced at Lady Jennifer for a brief second before withdrawing her gaze. She didn¡¯t care to wonder about what the other woman was thinking. As she was in a bad mood, she went upstairs shortly after. But she couldn¡¯t sleep, so she went to brush her teeth and then sat on the bed, checking her phone. It had been a long time since she watched Ian¡¯s talent show. Therefore, she decided to click into it, but after some thought, she closed the application. Those who had watched the showmented about how depressed Ian had be. They were all wondering if his rtionship was going downhill. After all, he had markedly mentioned his girlfriend a few times before, butter, he stopped bringing her up and became dejected. Thus, everyone inevitably guessed that there was really a problem with his rtionship. But despite Ian¡¯s misery, the number of his fans continued to rise. Some of the fans liked this side of Ian. His persona of a mncholic and lonesome upper-ss man caused many of his fans¡¯ imaginations to run wild. After reading thesements, Sophia didn¡¯t feel like watching the show anymore. From N?velDrama.Org. Ugh¡­ I don¡¯t care whether others like this side of Ian. I definitely don¡¯t like him like this, period! To her, Ian should be a warm and cheerful guy. Putting the phone down, shey on the bed and put her hands on her belly. Her mind was rather nk as she stared at the ceiling. After a while, a knocking sounded on the door. It was none other than Matilda. Matilda came over and sat on the side of Sophia¡¯s bed, saying that she couldn¡¯t sleep. It wasn¡¯t early, yet it wasn¡¯tte either. Sophia turned her head to look at her. ¡°What can we do about it? I¡¯m also bored.¡± Sighing, Matilda suggested, ¡°There are too few of us here. Otherwise, we can y poker.¡± At the mention of poker, Sophia remembered Logan. She and Logan hadn¡¯t gotten in touch for a long time. The guy used to like to y poker with her. But recently, he had disappeared off the face of the earth for some reason. Sophia slowly sat up. ¡°If you like ying poker so much, you should be able to get along with Logan. When we have time, we should go to his clubhouse and y together.¡± Despite all of Matilda¡¯s changes, her love for poker hadn¡¯t changed at all. She nodded. ¡°Does Logan like ying poker too? Why didn¡¯t you say so before? We might¡¯ve be friends long ago.¡± Sophiaughed. ¡°I¡¯ll call him now. If we have time tomorrow, let¡¯s go over and take a look.¡± It would be terribly boring for the two of them to stay in the house every day. Matilda felt awful at the end of the day. Thus, Sophia picked up her phone and gave Logan a call. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 785 Chapter 785 It took quite a while for Logan to pick up. The background over there sounded a little noisy, but it didn¡¯t sound like people were ying poker. Sophia asked Logan where he was, to which he hummed and only said he was out without going much into detail. Sophia frowned. ¡°It¡¯s sote now. Are you out alone?¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Only after brief contemtion did Logan reply, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alone.¡± If he had answered immediately, Sophia would have believed it. But he undoubtedly gave it a thought first, so she felt that he wasn¡¯t telling the truth. She asked, ¡°Do you have time tomorrow? I want to go to your clubhouse to y some poker.¡± Logan hesitated before saying, ¡°Yes. If you¡¯reing, I¡¯ll make time.¡± His reply caused Sophia to narrow her eyes. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll talk more tomorrow then.¡± After hanging up the phone, she tapped it on her palm. Her intuition told her that something was going on over at Logan¡¯s side, and it seemed that he didn¡¯t want to talk to her about it. Young Master Logan is obviously hiding something from me. As curiosity rose in her, she itched to know what had happened. Matilda was still in Sophia¡¯s room, so she continued talking with her. It wasn¡¯t until her son came back that she left for her own room. She opened the door and went in without looking properly at the inside of the room. Closing the door after her, she went to the closet and took a set of pajamas out, then walked toward the bathroom. Suddenly, there came a voice from the window. ¡°Did you really not see me, or are you just pretending?¡± Matilda almost jumped in shock as she whirled around to stare at the source of the sound. William was standing at the window with an unlit cigarette in his hand. The fright still lingered in Matilda¡¯s heart as she stared at William. ¡°When did you enter? Why didn¡¯t you move when I came in? You really scared me to death.¡± Her reply made William frown. ¡°So, you genuinely didn¡¯t see me?¡± Matilda put down her pajamas. ¡°Why are you here? Is something the matter?¡± William opened the window, then lit his cigarette. ¡°Nothing. I just want toe over and ask if you¡¯re getting used to the ce.¡± Going over to stand beside him, Matilda uttered, ¡°Not too bad. After all, I¡¯ve lived here for nearly three decades. Even if I haven¡¯t stayed here for some time, I¡¯m no stranger to this house.¡± Satisfied with the answer, William nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± After some thought, he added, ¡°I heard that Ynda came here this afternoon.¡± Matilda said, ¡°Yes, she was here. She said that she was visiting.¡± Learning that Ynda visited, William awkwardly asked, ¡°Both of you¡­ What did you talk about?¡± Matildaughed. ¡°Not much. The others had gone up to rest, so just the two of us were sitting downstairs. She didn¡¯t know that I¡¯d moved in here and was quite surprised, so I briefly exined the situation to her.¡± William exhaled sharply. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to exin anything to her.¡± Startled, Matilda looked at the scenery outside the window, blinking a little. She didn¡¯t know why, but she felt a little thrilled in her heart. After that, both of them didn¡¯t know what else to say and simply stood together at the window. It was quitete now. William finished his cigarette, then turned to look at Matilda. ¡°You should rest now. I¡¯m going back to my room.¡± Matilda nodded. ¡°Right.¡± William then turned around and left the room. When the door closed, Matilda let out a long breath. What did William mean just now? Pursing her lips, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. As for William, he went to take a shower after entering his own room. When he came out, he noticed a missed call on the phone. It was from none other than Ynda. William nced at it, then threw the phone on the bed without any intention of calling back. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 786 Chapter 786 William went to put on his pajamas. Just as he fastened thest button, the phone rang again. It was Ynda again. This time, William picked up the phone. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Ynda wasughing from the very beginning. ¡°Nothing, I just felt a little bored and wanted to chat with you.¡± William gave a nomittal grunt, after which Ynda pondered for a while before saying, ¡°I actually went to the Constance Residence today.¡± Sitting on his bed, he replied, ¡°I heard.¡± Ynda gave a rational reason. She said, ¡°You took care of me for a long time when I was injured, so I thought that I should visit and show my appreciation.¡± After brief contemtion, William replied, ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to be so polite.¡± Ynda¡¯s tone was still cheerful. ¡°I saw Matilda and Sophia over there. That surprised me.¡± The truth was that she was trying to sound him out. William naturally understood her underlying intention, but he was a cid man and wasn¡¯t concerned about it. Hence, he simply went along with it and answered, ¡°Yeah, the two of them will be staying here in the future.¡± Upon hearing his reply, she uttered, ¡°I suppose that¡¯s for the best. Sophia is pregnant, so she¡¯ll get better care there.¡± She chuckled and continued, ¡°It¡¯s normal. Definitely normal.¡± Her selfforting tone sounded somewhat reluctant. With his brows pulled together, he sighed and said, ¡°Ynda, we haven¡¯t kept in contact for so many years. But we know each other quite well, and I¡¯ve always seen you as a good friend of mine. So, I sincerely wish for you to live a good life, and I wouldn¡¯t like to drag you along.¡± Suddenly, Ynda fell silent on the other end of the phone. William went on to say, ¡°I don¡¯t have any special feelings for you. It¡¯s okay for us to be friends. But I think I¡¯m not able to go further than that.¡± After some thought, he added, ¡°Sorry.¡± It took a long time for Ynda to speak. ¡°So, you choose Matilda.¡± William replied with a sigh, ¡°It has nothing to do with her. I just don¡¯t have any romantic interest in you. She didn¡¯t influence me.¡± Chuckling in self-mockery, Ynda pressed on, ¡°Really?¡± William had no idea what she meant by that, but she immediately continued, ¡°So, do you like Matilda?¡± William fell silent at once. Do I like her? I suppose so, right? No matter how bad Matilda was, I couldn¡¯t deny that we have feelings for each other after nearly three decades of married life. As William didn¡¯t speak, Ynda understood what his silence meant. From N?velDrama.Org. There was some regret in her voice as she said, ¡°Can you and her go back to the way you used to be? If you¡¯re suitable for each other, you wouldn¡¯t have gotten divorced. No matter how much one changes, one¡¯s core character cannot be changed.¡± William didn¡¯t feel like talking about this. With regard to his rtionship issues, although he acted indifferent and unruffled about them, he was actually very concerned in his heart. He said, ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you about my feelings for Matilda. I do like her, and as for divorce, it¡¯s not all her fault. I was also responsible. As for how we¡¯ll progress in the future, I¡¯m not sure about it yet. I guess time will tell.¡± Ynda wanted to say something more, but William interrupted her, ¡°Right, it¡¯s gettingte now. You should rest early.¡± This meant that he wished for the topic to end here. Ynda paused and only said, ¡°Okay.¡± William then hung up the phone. He put it aside as a dazed expression slowly crept across his face. On the other side, John was exining what had happened throughout the time he had been outside. Sophia listened carefully, but she couldn¡¯t quite understand how everything was rted. John didn¡¯t want to let her know so much about the matter. After all, she was pregnant, so it was more important for her to take care of herself, for he could handle the mess single-handedly. Therefore, when he finished speaking, he leaned toward Sophia and asked, ¡°Sophia Gwendolyn, do you like me?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 787 Chapter 787 Sophia was taken aback for a moment. She couldn¡¯t understand why he suddenly asked such a question when they had been talking about something else. Frowning, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Determined to get an answer, John said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to remarry me? I really don¡¯t understand it.¡± Sophia pursed her lips and looked at John with a serious expression. After mulling over it for a few seconds, she replied, ¡°I do like you. Although you made me feel sad and disappointed many times, I can¡¯t lie and say I don¡¯t have feelings for you. As for not wanting to remarry you, that¡¯s also a fact.¡± After that, she withdrew her gaze. ¡°I need a fallback n. I think us staying this way is good for both of us. In the future, if you¡¯re bored with me, you can still turn around and leave easily. As for me, I don¡¯t have to suffer too much either. It will be a big blow to me if I get divorced again after remarrying you.¡± She could endure it once, but she didn¡¯t want to endure it a second time. John looked at Sophia with aplicated expression. ¡°You just don¡¯t have confidence in me.¡± Sophia smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not that. The truth is that I don¡¯t have confidence in myself. John, I don¡¯t believe I can keep you by my side forever.¡± Although she said this indifferently, there were still some regrets and grievances in her voice. John suddenly thought that he might have oversimplified things in his mind. The emotional damage he had caused Sophia throughout the past three hundred days could not be undone simply by multiple promises from him, or a few days of him being nice to her. Sighing, John went over to hold Sophia in his arms. ¡°Actually, what you don¡¯t know is that I¡¯m insecure when ites to you. I¡¯m also afraid that I cannot make you stay with me.¡± Sophia pursed her mouth and said nothing. Rtionship matters were alwaysplex. John did not possess a transparent character, and neither did Sophia. Both of them simply groped their way forward, so it was inevitable for them to stumble along the way. Sophia knew that she was being quite pretentious for not agreeing to the remarriage, considering that John was already behaving this way and that she was already pregnant. However, she just wished to be reckless for once. In the past, she had been way too amodating time after time, so this time, she wanted to put on an attitude. The two of them didn¡¯t say much after that. Sophia had wanted to sleep just now, but she was disturbed by Matilda. Now that she was bing drowsy again, she really couldn¡¯t hold up any longer. John had Sophia lie down first while he went to take a shower. After John entered the bathroom, his phone rang on the bedside table. The sound of the water was too loud for John to hear the ringing. Although Sophia was in a deep sleep, the buzzing of the phone caused the bedside table to vibrate as well, so she heard it loud and clear. Squinting, she took the phone over and connected the call without looking at who it was. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± There was no sound from the other end of the call. Sophia waited for a moment before urging, ¡°Speak up.¡± After two seconds, Isabelle¡¯s voice drifted over. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Sophia¡¯s mind was a little confused. ¡°Who are you?¡± She didn¡¯t mean it; she really didn¡¯t recognize her. Isabelle took a deep breath and repeated, ¡°It¡¯s me. Isabelle Bailey.¡± Sophia frowned. It took a lot of effort for her to wake up from her sluggishness. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Isabelle replied, ¡°Where¡¯s John? I¡¯m looking for him.¡± Turning her head, Sophia looked in the direction of the bathroom. ¡°He¡¯s taking a shower.¡± Hearing that, Isabelle immediately said, ¡°Forget it then. I¡¯ll call him tomorrow.¡± Sophia said nothing and hung up the phone at once. Ugh, why did she call in the middle of the night and disturb my sleep? Sophia put the phone on John¡¯s side of the bed. Turning over, she closed her eyes and fell asleep. When John came out quietly, he went to bed after changing into his pajamas. At a nce, he noticed that his phone had changed from its initial position. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 788 Chapter 788 After brief contemtion, John took his phone over and looked at it. It was apparent in the call log that Isabelle had just called, and the callsted less than a minute. Sophia had probably picked it up. Setting the phone to silent mode and putting it back on the bedside table, Johny down and hugged Sophia from behind. Sophia was clearly jolted awake from her sleep, hence, she huffed drowsily and reproached, ¡°So annoying.¡± John went along with what she said. ¡°It¡¯s so annoying that she called in the middle of the night without any discretion.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t help chuckling. ¡°You¡¯re more annoying for flirting around.¡± Kissing the back of her head, he whispered, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t flirt around. I just want to flirt with you. I don¡¯t have the energy to bother about others.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t be bothered to debate with him. Shifting slightly, she found afortable position and fell asleep. She slept so soundly that she didn¡¯t even know when John left in the morning. When Sophia woke up, she felt very lethargic. She tossed and turned in bed but didn¡¯t feel like getting up. Afterzing around for a while, the door opened, and Matilda sneaked in. She was still in her pajamas. When Sophia nced at her ex-mother-inw, she was somewhat surprised. ¡°Didn¡¯t you sleep well? Your dark circles are so bad.¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Matilda pursed her lips. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t sleep well. There¡¯s something that I would like you to help me analyze. I couldn¡¯t understand it after pondering about it for the entire night.¡± Before she could tell Sophia what it was, thetterughed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What did your ex-husband do to make you so anxious?¡± John had a meeting in the morning. Upon walking out of the conference room, he saw Dn¡¯s office door open when he was heading toward his own office. But it wasn¡¯t Dn who came out; instead, it was Isabelle. As expected, Isabelle was now handing over all coboration matters to Dn, so it was normal for her toe out of his office. Upon noticing John, Isabelle seemed stunned. She then spoke first, ¡°Hey, John.¡± John nodded, then looked at Dn, who hade out as well. ¡°I have a document to give you. Uncle Owen wanted to give it to you, but you weren¡¯t here, so he left it with me.¡± Dn agreed, then looked at Isabelle. ¡°Miss Bailey, this way, please.¡± He was facing the direction of the elevator, which naturally meant he was sending Isabelle off. Hesitating, Isabelle then turned to face Dn. ¡°Young Master Dn, you don¡¯t have to send me off. I¡¯ll go and say hello to Mr. Constance first.¡± John had turned to push open the door of his office. He should have heard Isabelle¡¯s words, but he didn¡¯t react at all. On the other hand, Dn smiled. ¡°All right. As you wish, Miss Bailey.¡± Isabelle nodded and walked toward John¡¯s office. John was already sitting behind his desk. He nced at Isabelle and asked, ¡°Is something the matter, Miss Bailey?¡± Pretending to be calm, Isabelle came over to pull out the chair and sat down. ¡°I called Madam Flintstone before. There must be a misunderstanding about the previous incident at the hospital. I was thinking that maybe we could have a meal togetherter. No matter how our opinions differ, consider it as an apology from me. I was indeed too impulsive back then.¡± John slowly raised his head to look at Isabelle evenly without giving away what he thought. Then he said, ¡°No need.¡± Taking a deep breath, Isabelle said, ¡°John, are you never going to forgive me? Yes, I did push Sophia a little at the time, and I was wrong for doing that. So, I apologize for that. But if you¡¯re saying that I deliberately tried to harm her, I¡¯m not going to admit to that because I really didn¡¯t have such intentions.¡± John didn¡¯t want to talk about this matter. In any case, her exnation didn¡¯t amount to much. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this some other time. I¡¯m a little busy right now.¡± These words were obviously meant to drive her away. Isabelle naturally understood what he meant. She stared at him, and although her expression was still composed, frustration violently coursed through her veins. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 789 Chapter 789 Isabelle felt that she hadn¡¯t done anything heinous to warrant such an attitude from John. Besides, their rtionship had been fine all along. Even though it wasn¡¯t especially great, he had always been gracious to her. How could their rtionship suddenly take a nosedive just after the incident at the hospital? He didn¡¯t even care to find out the truth and simply distanced himself from her just like that. Isabelle pursed her mouth and took a few deep breaths before she stood up. ¡°Okay, then please carry on with your work. I still have something to do, so I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± John didn¡¯t say anything and only looked down at his file. Feeling a little embarrassed, Isabelle got up and gave him ast nce before leaving. Upon leaving the Constance Group, Isabelle felt irritated and uneasy in her heart. She didn¡¯t drive away at once but took out her phone and dialed a number. On the other side, Matilda was rather surprised at the iing call. Squeezing her phone, she looked at the number for a long time. At this hour, Isabelle should be at work, so where did she find the time to call me? In the past, she was so busy she didn¡¯t even have time after getting off work. Yet now she¡¯s not busy anymore. Matilda ruminated about the past before answering the phone. Isabelle¡¯s cheery voice drifted over as she asked what Matilda was doing. Matilda turned around to nce at Sophia, who was lyingnguidly beside her and nibbling on snacks. Then, she told Isabelle that she didn¡¯t have anything going on and was watching some boring TV show. Sophia turned to look at Matilda and gave her a thumbs up. Isabelle replied that she still wanted to invite Sophia and Matilda out to a meal and asked if they had time. Matilda turned to look at Sophia, who nodded. So, Matilda agreed. ¡°I think we¡¯re quite free today. But, Belle, aren¡¯t you busy over there? Don¡¯t you have a lot of work?¡± She remembered how Isabelle had kept turning a blind eye to her matters with the excuse of being busy with her work. Isabelle said that it was fine. Then, she added, ¡°I had too much on my te previously, so I¡¯ve handed some work over to others. It¡¯s too much for me to handle everything alone.¡± Matilda sounded quite happy for her as she said, ¡°That¡¯s great. You shouldn¡¯t disregard your work.¡± Isabelle quickly set a time and ce for the appointment and asked Matilda¡¯s opinion about it. Clearly, she had nned it a long time ago. Matilda answered, ¡°Sure.¡± Isabelle finallyughed. ¡°Madam Flintstone, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to inform Miss Gwendolyn and John about this. I¡¯ll wait for you at the restaurant tonight.¡± Matilda agreed and hung up the phone. As she put the phone down, Sophia took a bite out of her snack and said, ¡°Look, I told you that she¡¯d definitely call you, didn¡¯t I? Isabelle is the kind of person who has a strong ambition to seed.¡± It might also have something to do with the family environment. She came from a strong background, so she naturally felt that she should seed in everything. If she were a little behind, she would feel discontented. Therefore, when Sophia intercepted John¡¯s interest back then, she must have been very unhappy about it. Matilda leaned back in her chair. Both of them were sitting in the open space in front of the main building while eating snacks and basking in the sun. They couldn¡¯t be more rxed right now. Matilda said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think she was like this before. I even thought that she coveted nothing and was very pleasing to the eye. Now that I think about it, it seems that I was really wrong.¡± Sophia asked about the time and ce of the appointment, then nodded. ¡°Go and tell John about it. I want to see what tricks Isabelle can pull with the three of us there.¡± Matilda nodded without speaking. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Old Mrs. Constance came out of the house and stood at the door looking at the two people sitting outside. The two women didn¡¯t notice her. They were huddling close together and giggling about something they had said. Old Mrs. Constanceughed too. If there was a little kid around, then life would be enjoyable. Once again, John and William returned from work at noon, and neither of them felt bothered by it. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 790 Chapter 790 Sophia and Matilda were strolling about in the garden. William and John saw them at once when they got out of the car, after which they stopped in their tracks. William stood next to the car and looked in Matilda¡¯s direction. ¡°When your matter is handed over to Dn, the Bailey Family¡¯s matters are also handed over to him. Although Isabelle is still the main person responsible for them, most of the work has been handed over to the business manager.¡± John made a nomittal grunt. ¡°Really? I haven¡¯t noticed. At work, I¡¯m not really interested in their family¡¯s matters.¡± William paused for a moment before asking, ¡°Did that guy you capture say anything?¡± Turning his head, John looked at William. ¡°He did reveal some of it, and I¡¯m investigating now. I have a feeling that it has something to do with the Bailey Family. But it¡¯s just a feeling.¡± William froze. Then, he frowned and asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. After all, the Bailey Family was involved in business. Although they had many tactics and schemes, they probably wouldn¡¯t do such a thing. Even if they really had a dispute with the Constance Family, they would justy some obstacles for thetter in the business circle instead of getting someone to do something so unscrupulous like this. It was simply not something people in business did. John considered for a minute. ¡°It¡¯s only a guess. After all, I don¡¯t have any hard evidence right now that proves that it¡¯s the Bailey Family who is behind it. I¡¯ll continue investigating the matter.¡± William and John hadn¡¯t moved and remained standing by the car. Sophia and Matilda remembered that lunch was ready by now, so they came back from the garden, only to run into the men. Seeing them, Matilda couldn¡¯t help smiling at once. William stared at her, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrobly too. But Sophia wasn¡¯t smiling. Instead, she slowly walked over to John¡¯s side and said, ¡°Isabelle invited us to have dinner with her this evening.¡± John nodded as Matilda had called to tell him about this before. Stretching out his hand, he took Sophia¡¯s hand and held it in his palm. ¡°She came to thepany today and asked me as well, but I refused her. I didn¡¯t expect you two to agree.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°I see Isabelle has learned how to tackle both sides.¡± Walking up to William, Matilda asked, ¡°Why did youe back at noon? It¡¯s too troublesome toe and go like this.¡± William didn¡¯t mind at all. ¡°It¡¯s okay. The lunch break is quite long, so I have the time for this.¡± Matilda nodded in response. The four of them then walked toward the main building. Old Mrs. Constance was standing at the door of the main building. She had wanted to go over to call Sophia and Matilda for lunch, but when she saw theming over, she just stood there and watched. The scene that unfolded before her had never existed before. Not only did John and Sophia have a bad rtionship with each other, but Matilda and William had also never walked side by side so peacefully before. It wasn¡¯t that the two of them had never had a walk like this in the past thirty years of their married life. The point was that they had never been so agreeable with each other before. Back then, when they walked together, Matilda talked most of the time while William kept quiet. But now, the two of them were talking andughing together as they came over. Old Mrs. Constance had never seen such a sight in her life. Sophia walked a little faster than the others. When she saw Old Mrs. Constance standing there, she knew that lunch was ready. Hence, she quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m starving. Quick, let¡¯s go and eat.¡± She was much more energetic than before. Upon seeing her like that, Old Mrs. Constance became more satisfied with her. Sheughed and told Sophia, ¡°Hurry up then. The food is ready.¡± Then she looked at John and William. ¡°I knew that you two would be back at noon, so I had the kitchen prepare your lunch too.¡± William was a little embarrassed as he smiled through pursed lips, while John did not have much reaction at all. After all, he had gotten used to being thick-skinned. During lunch, Sophia told everyone that she was going over to Logan¡¯s clubhouse with Matildater. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 791 Chapter 791 After a brief pause, John said, ¡°Sure. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s really mind-numbing to stay at home like this every day. Logan¡¯s clubhouse has many interesting things to see, so it would be good for you two to go and take a look.¡± Hearing his reply, Sophia nodded. ¡°When you guys get off workter, juste over and pick us up there.¡± John agreed. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. This was, after all, one of the Constance Family¡¯s house rules. Halfway through the meal, Sophia looked up at Matilda. Matilda also happened to be looking at her, so they could see the frustration in each other¡¯s eyes. They used to think that this was normal, but now they couldn¡¯t help but want to talk. After eating for a while, William turned around and looked at Matilda. ¡°Is your injury better yet?¡± Startled, Matilda nodded before replying, ¡°It¡¯s just a small wound after all. It got better after only a day.¡± William withdrew his gaze andmented, ¡°You used to be so anxious about even a tiny bump.¡± Matilda couldn¡¯t hold back herughter. ¡°I used to be really pretentious. I felt that the world was against me if I even so much as bumped into something. So, I wanted to tell you and hoped that you would feel sorry for me.¡± Later, when she thought about it, she realized that it was pointless to tell him. The redness and swelling were gone in a few minutes. After worrying and busying over his work for the entire day, William had to come back home to sort out her trivial matters. He should be very annoyed by me back then. William lowered his head and continued eating. Matilda didn¡¯t notice it, but his expression was rather brooding. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. After the meal, the father-son duo was about to leave for work when John looked at Sophia. ¡°Let me send you guys there.¡± This was a good idea, so Sophia and Matilda hurriedly changed their clothes, sat in John¡¯s car, and went to Logan¡¯s clubhouse. On the way, Sophia called Logan to tell him they were going over, but to her surprise, Logan wasn¡¯t at the clubhouse. There was even some whining going on over at Logan¡¯s side. Sophia frowned at this. ¡°Logan, are you for real? I¡¯ve told you that we¡¯re going over today. If you¡¯re not here, who are we supposed to y with?¡± On the other side, Logan immediately said in a cheerful tone, ¡°If you guys are there, I¡¯ll go back immediately. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be there in a jiffy.¡± After saying that, he seemed to say to someone else, ¡°I¡¯ve something to do today. I¡¯ll talk about it another day. Let me tell you that I¡¯ll definitelye for you another day. You can¡¯t hide from me.¡± Sophia heard all of this clearly, and she was a little astonished. Logan¡¯s tone was malicious, so the other person should be someone he didn¡¯t like. Sophia smacked her lips, thinking that it might be someone from the Morgan Family. However, on second thought, it didn¡¯t sound like it. If Logan met someone from the Morgan Family, considering his temper, he would probably roll up his sleeves and pick a fight right there and then. How could he just make do with threats? Logan had already hung up the call, so Sophia had no choice but to put away her phone. Frowning, she looked at John and asked, ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on with Logan? I feel like he is hiding something from me.¡± Seeing how curious she was, John merely smiled. ¡°You can just ask himter. He really regards you as his own family. If you ask him, he will tell you.¡± Sophia exhaled. ¡°I have a feeling that he¡¯s too embarrassed to tell me about it.¡± In the past, Logan woulde to tell Sophia about his matters even if she didn¡¯t ask him. Since he hadn¡¯t said anything now, she believed that he probably wasn¡¯t sure how to tell her. John turned around and looked at Sophia, then said, ¡°I heard that Ian would have some time off for rxation in the next few days. He¡¯ll probably look for you.¡± Sophia blinked. As the change of topic was a bit sudden, she didn¡¯t react at once. ¡°Ian?¡± After a brief pause, ¡°Oh, right, Ian. Will he get some time off? He¡¯ll definitelye back, right? After all, he doesn¡¯t have many friends, so he won¡¯t be going somewhere else. Besides, there are people here waiting for him to return.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 792 Chapter 792 Upon hearing Sophia¡¯s reply, John nodded. ¡°When the timees, we¡¯ll go and pick him up. Also, I think we should tell him about us.¡± Matilda snorted to the side. Recently, she and Sophia had been singing the same tune. Before Sophia could ask, she spoke first. ¡°About you two? What about it?¡± John blinked before replying evenly, ¡°About us living together, and about Sophia¡¯s pregnancy. Mom, what¡¯s wrong with you? People would think you¡¯re my stepmother for not knowing what¡¯s up with us.¡± He nced at Matilda through the rearview mirror and added, ¡°Have you never thought of me as your biological son?¡± Finding his reply funny, Matilda didn¡¯t hold back augh. ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who has never thought of me as your biological mother. I think that you¡¯re nicer to even Ynda than me.¡± Stunned, John didn¡¯t expect Matilda to think that, and in his defense, he said, ¡°How is that possible? Why do you think so though? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that nice to Ynda.¡± Matilda leaned back in her seat. ¡°Think back to how you¡¯ve treated me in the past. In any case, I feel that you have a better attitude when speaking to Ynda.¡± Johnughed aloud. ¡°Perhaps I spoke too harshly due to our differing opinions in the past, and perhaps that¡¯s why you think that I¡¯m nicer to Ynda. Actually, that¡¯s not the case, for I was just honest about things. Although she had her selfish intentions, the situation between you and my dad wasn¡¯t great at that time either. My dad was truly exhausted by everything that was going on, so I was criticizing the way you handled the situation, not you.¡± Listening to his exnation, Matilda sighed. ¡°I know that I was rather dreadful before and that your dad was pretty miserable back then.¡± After speaking, she smiled a little awkwardly. ¡°Your dad was too good- natured. I thought that it would be fine no matter how much fuss I kicked up. That was why I became worse.¡± Sophia sighed next to her. ¡°John, how nice it would be if you had learned a thing or two from Mr. Constance. Then you wouldn¡¯t be begging to remarry me now.¡± Hearing this, Johnughed all of a sudden. ¡°I¡¯m to me. This is my fault.¡± In the past, William had been too kind to Matilda, while he himself hadn¡¯t cared about Sophia. As a result, both father and son were faced with disastrous rtionships. Faced with the situation, Matilda cracked up. ¡°Sophia has a better character than me. Even if you¡¯re exactly like your dad, the two of you will only enjoy a better life, not worse.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. Sophia grunted approvingly. ¡°You¡¯re right about my character being better than yours.¡± Matilda couldn¡¯t hold back a snort. Chatting happily, they arrived at Logan¡¯s clubhouse. The people guarding the clubhouse¡¯s entrance knew Sophia and John, so the usher hurriedly greeted them. ¡°Young Master Jefferson said that he¡¯d be here soon, so please wait for a moment.¡± Sophia nodded, then leaned forward slyly. ¡°Has there been anything abnormal about Logan recently?¡± John took a look around and spoke to Matilda before leaving. Not bothering about Sophia, Matilda walked into the hall by herself and sat on the sofa. Sophia was still huddled close with the usher with a look of surprise on her face. ¡°He hasn¡¯t been ying poker recently? Are you sure?¡± The usher nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Yes, he hasn¡¯t yed pokertely. He goes out every day and even starts paying attention to how he looks. I think Young Master Logan seems to be in love.¡± Are you kidding me? How could Logan Jefferson, of all people, be in love? Satisfied with the answer, Sophia grinned. ¡°I think you must be blind. Your Young Master Logan wears gold chains whenever he goes out. Rest assured, no girl in her right mind would be interested in him.¡± The usher pondered over it seriously. ¡°Then I¡¯m probably mistaken. He does wear the gold chains out all the time.¡± Logan¡¯s sense of what¡¯s aesthetic is really incurable. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 793 Chapter 793 Sophia raised her hand and patted the usher on the shoulder. ¡°It must be hard for all of you to follow such a leader.¡± The usher grinned. He was on familiar terms with Sophia, so he wasn¡¯t too reserved in his speech. ¡°We¡¯re not sure what¡¯s wrong with Young Master Jefferson in this area. We couldn¡¯t get him to stop no matter what we did. Other than that, he¡¯s a good boss.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. The people in this clubhouse had worked for Logan for quite many years. Logan usually had a happy- go-lucky attitude, and he was really decent to his subordinates. No matter what problem any of them met with, Logan would be the first to help. His temperament was obnoxious, but he was also really honorable and devoted. If he considered someone as one of his own, he would treat that person very well indeed. As they were chatting, Logan came back. He stopped the car at the entrance, then got out and ran into the hall. He hadn¡¯t seen Sophia for a long time, so he really missed her. Rushing over to her, he was about to give Sophia a bear hug when Matilda hurriedly stopped him. Logan¡¯s movements halted in the air. His arms were still wide open as he turned to look at Matilda. ¡°You¡¯re here too?¡± Matilda didn¡¯t answer his question but instead said, ¡°Put your arms down. My Sophia is carrying a baby in her belly, so don¡¯t simply touch her.¡± Logan blinked, only to remember that Sophia was no longer who she used to be. Contemting for a while, he then put his arms down. Smiling, Sophia leaned over and hugged Logan gently. ¡°Logan, why haven¡¯t you visited me these days? I¡¯m so bored every day.¡± Hearing that she missed him, he chuckled before exining, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got a little something going on recently, so I¡¯m a little busy. Moreover, I heard that you moved into Constance Residence. I don¡¯t like that ce; it makes me feel ufortable. So, I didn¡¯t feel like going over.¡± Sophia knew that the Constance Residence was a little more conservative and uptight with all its house rules. Logan was far more casual at home and enjoyed lounging about, which was a big no-no over at the Constance Residence. Not only would Old Mrs. Constance be ufortable, Logan himself would not be at ease either. Sophia mused about it before nodding. ¡°I¡¯lle to you when I have time then, and we can hang out together.¡± She turned her head to nce at Matilda. ¡°I¡¯ve brought Madam Flintstone today to y poker together with you.¡± Logan and Matilda weren¡¯t familiar with each other, so Logan just nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophia turned around and walked toward the stairs, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s y a round. It¡¯s been a long time since I yed poker, and I¡¯m raring to go.¡± It was rare for Sophia to take the initiative to y poker with Logan, so thetter quickly arranged for his subordinates to get the table ready. Sitting down, Sophia shuffled the cards and then asked, ¡°What were you up to just now? Was there something wrong?¡± At the mention of this, Logan paused in his movements. He looked at Sophia and finally replied, ¡°I had wanted to talk to you before about it, but I¡¯m not sure how to tell you.¡± Sophia was really taken aback by that. He actually has something that he isn¡¯t sure how to tell me? That¡¯s a first. She smiled. ¡°How can there be something you aren¡¯t sure how to tell me? I¡¯m all ears.¡± Logan cleared his throat. ¡°Okay, so listen, I found something to do again. I¡¯m really thankful to God for never letting me down. I thought I would never be able to recover in this life again, but guess what? Ha, that b*tch is finally in my hands.¡± Sophia mulled over it for a while. Which woman has Logan used ¡®b*tch¡¯ to describe before? She attempted to guess. ¡°Is it Leah? Or Sally?¡± But Sally was still in prison, so it couldn¡¯t be her. Is it Leah? Previously, Logan had said that he wanted to mess up Leah and Bryce, so did he really pull it off? Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 794 Chapter 794 Startled, Logan waved a hand. ¡°No. I don¡¯t have time to bother about that b*tch right now, but after I¡¯m done here, just watch how I¡¯m gonna deal with her.¡± Sophia said with a smile, ¡°Do you have a new target? I can¡¯t think of anyone else if it isn¡¯t Leah.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Logan leaned toward Sophia. ¡°It¡¯s that cop. Don¡¯t you remember that cop who was here? She even pressed me down on the table right here. She has always been against me.¡± Blinking, Sophia asked, ¡°How did she fall into your hands? What happened?¡± Logan didn¡¯t know the details, but he knew that the cop seemed to be no longer a cop, although he wasn¡¯t very sure about what happened. The woman now opened a gym and looked like she was going to run a proper business. After she switched careers, Logan was no longer afraid of her. A few days ago, that woman was still there. But she was no longer there both yesterday and today. Logan thought that she might have be frightened because he waited for a long time but didn¡¯t see her. Sophia frowned. ¡°Why are you making life difficult for her though? Just because she used toe here frequently to shut down your clubhouse?¡± Logan stared at Sophia. ¡°I knew that you would react like this.¡± As they spoke, they started to y poker. Picking up a card, he said, ¡°I¡¯m Logan Jefferson. Everyone has to show me some respect. But that b*tch! She f*cking pressed me down on the table and the ground. Of course, I¡¯m upset.¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°She was just carrying out her official duties. I¡¯m certain that she did that because you were being uncooperative. If you were obliging, she wouldn¡¯t have bothered to do that to you.¡± ncing at Sophia, Logan pressed his lips into a thin line. ¡°I knew you would have this attitude, so I didn¡¯t know how to tell you before.¡± Sophiaughed. ¡°I¡¯m just saying it like it is. I really think that she did nothing wrong.¡± Those who were enforcing thew were generally involved in serious matters, so naturally, they had to be sterner when carrying out duties. Logan¡¯s egotistical attitude would definitely not sit well with the cops. Dissatisfied, he snorted. ¡°But I¡¯m displeased about it. I¡¯ve never been treated like that before, and I think that b*tch really has something against me. I used to be powerless against her, but now everything¡¯s how I want it to be. I just want to make her life difficult now.¡± Sophia was a little helpless at his stubbornness. ¡°Well, you be careful and just vent a little bit then. Don¡¯t cause anything huge.¡± Logan pursed his lips. In his life, no problem could be considered huge. Anything that could be settled wasn¡¯t an issue at all. He nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not afraid of anything, and there is nothing I can¡¯t solve.¡± Turning her head, Sophia nced at Logan. Knowing that it was useless to persuade him any further, she didn¡¯t say anything at all. Even if Officer Hunt was no longer a cop, she was probably not so easily bullied. Logan might not be able to take advantage of her. Everything was ready for the game, so the four of them began ying poker. The usher often joined in their games, so he was very familiar with Sophia and Logan. He was asking why Sophia hadn¡¯te for some time. Sophia didn¡¯t want everyone to be aware of her pregnancy, so sheughed and repliednguidly, ¡°Lately, I¡¯ve really been too busy. I¡¯m needed everywhere, and my schedule is full every day.¡± Faced with her exnation, Logan snorted. ¡°Yeah, now that you have gotten yourself a man, you¡¯ve forgotten all about your friends. Hey, speaking of men, do you know that Ian ising back?¡± Sophia pursed her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t. Has he contacted you? When will hee back?¡± Logan replied, ¡°He should be back in a few days. It¡¯s mainly because Ian¡¯s mental condition is getting worse. My sister said that perhaps the pressure is too great on him, so she gave him two days off to rx. Hopefully, after resting, he will perform better during the finals.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 795 Chapter 795 Sophia grunted and fell silent. Initially, Logan was ufortable being with Matilda, for he wasn¡¯t close to her. Moreover, there was a generational gap between them. However, poker was a good game to bring people together. After ying the game and chatting with each other for a while, the atmosphere slowly became warm. Gazing at his cards, Logan said, ¡°Madam Flintstone, watch out. I¡¯m about to win the game.¡± Unperturbed, Matilda replied teasingly, ¡°You should be the one watching out instead. I¡¯ve won many rounds thanks to your contributions.¡± Logan guffawed. ¡°You¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯re so skillful at ying poker. Pleasee here often when you¡¯re free because apetitive rival like you is hard toe by.¡± Unable to take it anymore, Sophia refuted, ¡°Stop ttering yourself since you¡¯re lousy at this game. Normally, your friends would let you win because if you lose, you¡¯ll pester them incessantly to keep ying. They have no choice but to lose intentionally. Trust me, it has nothing to do with your poker skills. I¡¯m speaking the truth.¡± The servant, who was asked to y with them, giggled. ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, you shouldn¡¯t be so straightforward.¡± Logan froze as his eyes widened. ¡°Alright, you have sessfully ignited my fighting spirit! No one shall leave this ce before you can beat me to this game!¡± Sophia and Matilda traded nces, obviously disdainful of his poker skills. The truth was, Logan was really lousy at the game. After he said those bold words, he kept losing the game until he was left red-faced. Seeing how embarrassed he was, Sophia chuckled. ¡°Logan, will you be traumatized after this? Do you want us to let you win?¡± With a long face, Logan replied, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Show me what you¡¯ve got. I¡¯m going to win the game with my own skills.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, his phone started ringing. Feeling impatient, he muttered and fished out his phone before answering it. When he heard what the person said over the phone, he froze for a moment and asked with a frown, ¡°Really? No way. Did you get it wrong?¡± After the other person replied to him, Logan pursed his lips, his expression serious. Eventually, he said, ¡°Alright, I got it. Send me the address. I¡¯ll go take a look when I¡¯m free.¡± He then hung up the call. Looking at him, Sophia asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did anything happen?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Logan replied with a smile as he waved his hand. ¡°Nothing is more important than this poker game we¡¯re ying.¡± Despite what he had said, he obviously became absent-minded as he kept losing and forgetting to make a move. Sometimes when it was his turn, he was seen in a dazed state. Staring at him, Sophia said, ¡°Logan, go ahead if the matter is urgent. Judging from your current state, I don¡¯t believe that it¡¯s really nothing.¡± Logan grunted. ¡°It¡¯s really no big deal. It¡¯s just that someone got into an ident and was sent to the hospital. I¡¯m just wondering why such a thing happened.¡± Sophia was startled. ¡°Someone is hospitalized? It¡¯s a serious matter. If you¡¯re worried about the person, just go over there. You don¡¯t have to stay here for us. Since we¡¯re close friends, I won¡¯t mind it. We can keep on ying on our own.¡± Logan smacked his lips and grinned. ¡°Why should I be worried? The person isn¡¯t a friend of mine. I¡¯m just surprised that this happened to the person.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. After giving it a thought, Sophia put down her cards. ¡°I think you should go. We don¡¯t feel triumphant at all since you keep losing. Just go and pay the person a visit.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 796 Chapter 796 Matilda agreed with Sophia. ¡°Yes, you should go. You can only be relieved when you take a look for yourself.¡± Logan guffawed. ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m not worried at all.¡± Sophia leaned her back against the chair. ¡°Then we¡¯re not ying anymore. Your poker skills haven¡¯t improved one bit since west met.¡± Logan gazed at her from the corner of his eye and fell silent. Since the game was over, the servant resumed his duties. After they chatted for a while, Logan¡¯s phone started ringing again. He picked it up, tutted, and answered the call. ¡°What¡¯s wrong again?¡± Upon hearing what the person said over the phone, he scowled. ¡°Really?¡± He then stood straight up and said, ¡°Alright, where are you? I¡¯m going now. I have to see for myself those people who have the guts to make a scene there.¡± After the other person replied to him, Logan hung up the call and turned to Sophia. ¡°Sophia, feel free to continue the game. I have to go now. This matter requires my immediate attention.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Alright, go ahead. We¡¯refortable on our own here. Take your time to settle the problem.¡± Logan grunted and turned to leave, the golden chain on his neck swaying as he walked. After he stepped out of the room, Sophia rose and walked toward the window, where she could peer downstairs. When Logan reached downstairs, he made a call. Upon listening to what the person said over the phone, he seemed irritated and paced around. A whileter, he got into a car and drove off without a chauffeur. Sophia turned around and locked eyes with Matilda. ¡°Something serious must have happened. Logan is acting weird.¡± Matilda chuckled and stretched her back. ¡°It¡¯s normal that he has his own secrets that are kept from you.¡± She then rose unsteadily and said, ¡°This ce looks amazing. I have to take a look at the backyard.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Since Sophia wasn¡¯t interested in a backyard tour, she remained seated and waited for Logan¡¯s return. As soon as Matilda left the room, her phone buzzed. Isabelle had sent her a message to tell her the number of the private room and the time for the meal. In fact, they had discussed itst night, so it wasn¡¯t necessary for Isabelle to remind her one more time. With her eyes fixed on the message, Matilda smiled and deleted it. Isabelle has lost her confidence. She¡¯s slowly losing the qualities I like about her. Without replying to her, Matilda kept her phone and took a stroll around the backyard. Meanwhile, Sophia was scrolling through her social media, still seated on the chair. A momentter, Isabelle sent her a text to tell her the time and location of the meal. Thest sentence of the message read, ¡®You have toe.¡¯ Sophia snorted and imagined Isabelle¡¯s expression when thetter sent this message. What the heck is on her mind? She and John will never get together, but she¡¯s acting like John is going to ept her soon. In fact, she can¡¯t even be considered a homewrecker because John doesn¡¯t love her at all. Just like Matilda, Sophia ignored the message and refocused on her social media. On the other side, Isabelle clenched her phone as she was embarrassed that both Matilda and Sophia ignored her. Gritting her teeth, she mmed her phone on the table. After waiting for a bit, she went to the pantry with a cup in her hand. She was well aware that she hadn¡¯t been performing well at work recently. Her father had chided her about being not determined enough. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 797 Chapter 797 Isabelle had to admit it herself. Because of John, she was depressed in the past, and her work had been affected now. In fact, she wished she could be a more resolute person, but it wasn¡¯t really up to her that she fell head over heels for John. After chugging a cup of water in the pantry, she rested a bit and turned to leave, whereupon she came across Old Mr. Bailey, who was passing by the room as he was speaking on the phone. Forcing a smile, she was ready to go out and say hello, but after only taking a step forward, she heard her father saying, ¡°Yes, they¡¯re going to have dinner together. The location is decided by Belle.¡± Isabelle froze and never called out to her father. Frowning, she gave it a thought and inched toward the door. With no one else in the corridor, Isabelle could still hear his voice faintly, even though he was speaking in a lowered voice. He said that Sophia and Matilda were going as well. Naturally, Isabelle couldn¡¯t hear what the other person said on the phone. Following that, Old Mr. Bailey giggled and said, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to what they can do.¡± After waiting for a while by the door, she heard that her father pushed open the door and entered his office. When it was all silent in the corridor, she slowly emerged from the door. Her family members were aware that she was going to have a meal with Matilda and Sophia. Judging from what her father had said, he was going to do something behind her back. Pursing her lips, Isabelle waited for a bit and returned to her office. Putting down the cup, she pressed her palms against the table. Upon pondering on it for a while, she decided to step out of the room and head for her father¡¯s office. At that moment, Old Mr. Bailey was going through a document, so he was surprised that his daughter came to look for him. ¡°Belle, what¡¯s wrong?¡± With an impassive expression, Isabelle walked over and took a seat. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯vee to tell you that I¡¯m going off work early this afternoon to buy a gift for John. Since I¡¯m going to apologize, I have to appear to be more sincere.¡± Old Mr. Bailey was startled for a moment before he nodded. ¡°Alright, you can leave early.¡± After slight contemtion, Isabelle said, ¡°I feel that the restaurant I¡¯ve chosen isn¡¯t fancy enough. Should I book another restaurant? We still have some time.¡± Gazing at her, Old Mr. Bailey replied, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You don¡¯t have to take the dinner so seriously. Just be yourself.¡± Isabelle smirked. ¡°Sophia isn¡¯t on good terms with me, so I don¡¯t want to give her the chance to find fault with me.¡± She then added, ¡°As you know, she¡¯s resentful of me. I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯ll me me for choosing a restaurant that¡¯s not good enough, and John might be affected by her.¡± With a frown, Old Mr. Bailey pondered on it for a moment and nodded. ¡°Although I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary, you can book another restaurant if you want to.¡± Staring at his daughter, he questioned, ¡°Where¡¯s the new restaurant?¡± Isabelle pursed her lips and replied, ¡°I think the Japanese restaurant we usually go to is high-end enough. Why don¡¯t I book a table there?¡± Old Mr. Bailey grunted. ¡°Alright, as you wish.¡± Isabelle shed a smile at him. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s decided then.¡± After chatting with her father for a while longer, she bid him farewell and left the office. Without closing the door firmly, she stepped sideward and waited. As expected, her father made a call and told the other person the address of the Japanese restaurant. He also reminded the person to be more careful. Isabelle tipped her head back and exhaled slowly. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Chapter 798 Chapter 798 When Old Mr. Bailey hung up the call, Isabelle turned around and returned to her office. With her thoughts all jumbled up, she plunged into her seat and scowled. Dad didn¡¯t speak much over the phone just now, so I can¡¯t really pinpoint what their secret n is. But from how they kept the n from me, I swear they¡¯re up to no good. After sitting for a while, she rose from the chair, picked up her bag, and left thepany. She headed straight to Constance Company instead of buying a gift or sending messages to tell everyone that she had booked another restaurant. Without going in, she parked her car across the road and gazed at thepany¡¯s entrance. Since it was working time, only a few people passed through the door. A long timeter, the person she wanted to meet never appeared. After giving it a thought, she fished out her phone and called John, but he never answered it no matter how long the ringtone sounded. She wasn¡¯t sure whether he was busy or he just didn¡¯t want to pick up her call. Even she was aware that she had been overly pestering him recently. He must be sick of me by now. In the evening, Logan returned to the clubhouse as he went upstairs while cursing. Earlier, Sophia and Matilda had invited two more servants over to continue ying poker. Although no money was involved, the four of them were deep in the moment. When Logan stepped into the room with a long face and saw the four joyful poker yers, his fury suddenly subsided. Catching a glimpse of him, Sophia inquired, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why the long face? It¡¯s hard to believe that someone could make you so angry.¡± Logan hummed and took a seat beside her. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. I just came across some annoying people.¡± Without probing further, Sophia refocused on the game. After sitting for a while, Logan appeared to be in an uneasy state as he repeatedly crossed his legs, and he obviously never paid attention to the game. In the middle of the game, Sophia asked him if she should make a certain move. After being asked, he came to his senses, but he didn¡¯t even know what her question was. His expression amused Sophia. ¡°What happened to you? You¡¯re so unlike your usual self.¡± Embarrassed, Logan smirked and assured her that everything was alright before rising from the chair. ¡°It¡¯s a little sulky in here. I¡¯ll go out for a walk.¡± Sophia looked around the room. The windows were open, no one was smoking, and the air felt pleasant, so there was no need for him to go out to breathe some fresh air. However, she still said with a smile, ¡°Alright, go ahead and have some alone time to ponder on the issue.¡± Letting out a sigh, Logan stepped out of the room. With her head lowered, Matilda remarked, ¡°Something is wrong.¡± Sophia was caught off guard. ¡°You mean my move?¡± ¡°No. I mean something is wrong with the man who just went out.¡± Matildaughed. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Sophia grunted. ¡°There¡¯s indeed something going on with him, but don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll tell us about it later.¡± When Logan was done smoking, the poker game in the room was over. Two servants came out of the room and greeted Logan. Normally, he would make a grunt in response, but he just ignored them now. Walking over, Sophia leaned against the door frame and stared at him. ¡°Come in. I¡¯m sure you have something to tell us.¡± Logan snorted. ¡°No, I believe there¡¯s nothing I need to tell you.¡± Despite what he had said, he shuffled into the room. Facing away from Logan, Matilda stood by the window. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 799 Chapter 799 Despite having said that he had nothing to tell them, Logan still mumbled, ¡°Those scoundrels. One day I¡¯ll teach them a harsh lesson.¡± Hearing his words, Sophia chuckled. ¡°I bet they¡¯re waiting.¡± She then took a seat and said, ¡°You went out for a long time. What happened?¡± Logan took a seat as well and ced his arms on the table. ¡°I was arguing with them, but nothing much happened.¡± After fixing those two annoying people, he was still grumpy. Sophia fell silent and waited for him to speak. As expected, he went on, ¡°Well, some people were making a scene at one of my ces, so I went over to teach them a lesson.¡± With her eyebrows raised, Sophia said, ¡°I¡¯m surprised that there are scoundrels bold enough to offend your people.¡± Feeling uneasy, Logan took a look at her and smacked his lips. A momentter, he continued, ¡°In fact, they didn¡¯t dare offend my people. It¡¯s just that something happened, so my people went to question them about it. Those scoundrels were arrogant, therefore I couldn¡¯t stand it.¡± Getting to the crux of the matter, Sophia asked with a smile, ¡°What happened that you had to go over personally?¡± In an instant, Logan was tongue-tied, while Sophia was staring at him with a faint smile. A whileter, he replied, ¡°Well, I just couldn¡¯t take it and went over to settle the problem myself.¡± He was beating around the bush while scratching his head. His embarrassed look amused Sophia. ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t understand what you mean, and I¡¯ll stop asking. Tell me about it when you¡¯re ready.¡± After a pause, she said, ¡°We¡¯re going to have a meal with Isabelle later. John wille over to pick us up.¡± Her words surprised Logan. ¡°Why has she invited you to a meal?¡± Oh yes, Logan isn¡¯t aware of the grudges between Isabelle and me. However, Sophia didn¡¯t want to tell him about it, for it was she who provoked Isabelle first at the hospital. Also, it was pointless to tell him about the argument between two women. She then replied, ¡°Maybe she¡¯s just trying to be an eyesore to us. It¡¯s no big deal. Just a meal.¡± Logan pressed his lips together. ¡°You have to be careful of that woman. Maybe she¡¯ll drop some poison in the food.¡± Sophia giggled and teased, ¡°Perhaps I should bring with me some sort of poison detector.¡± ring at her, Logan said, ¡°I¡¯m being serious. Be more vignt, okay?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Alright. I got it.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Just then, John called her to say that he had arrived, so she and Matilda rose and went downstairs. Having be friends with Matilda, Logan stood in the doorway and said, ¡°Madam Flintstone, please come here more often so that I can practice ying poker.¡± Matilda grunted and got into the car. Rolling down the window, she replied, ¡°If Ie here more often, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll lose this clubhouse to me eventually.¡± Seated in the car, John grinned. ¡°It seems that you had fun here.¡± Sophia waved her hand at Logan and then pped John¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± When the car started moving, she replied, ¡°We had fun indeed, but Logan was acting strangely today. If he never wore the gold chain on his neck, I would have suspected that he went to look for a woman.¡± Well, I guess no woman will understand his taste in fashion. Her words amused John. After Matilda told him the address of the restaurant Isabelle had booked, John grunted. ¡°She had informed me about it through a message as well.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 800 Chapter 800 Did Isabelle have to text the three of us to say the same thing? I don¡¯t even know whether I should describe her action as unnecessary or considerate, Sophia thought. Since it was time for office workers to get off work, the traffic was heavy, which caused them to bete. When they arrived, Isabelle was already inside the private room. After Matilda pushed open the door, Isabelle immediately rose from the chair. ¡°Madam Flintstone.¡± Matilda grunted before saying, ¡°We¡¯re sorry for beingte.¡± Acting all considerate, Isabelle replied, ¡°The traffic must be heavy at this hour. It¡¯s understandable that you¡¯rete.¡± Following that, John and Sophia stepped into the room without greeting Isabelle, as they were discussing Logan¡¯s mysterious matter. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. John chuckled and said in a lowered voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Logan will tell you about it in two days. If you knew nothing at all, he probably wouldn¡¯t spill it. Since you were there and got to know a little of his problem, he will look for you when he needs someone to talk about his issue.¡± With an eyebrow raised, Sophia remarked, ¡°You know him so well.¡± As they giggled and spoke in a low voice, Isabelle was jealous. After shooting them a look, she said, ¡°Please be seated. I¡¯ve ordered some dishes. You can order more if you need to.¡± With that, she pushed the menu toward Sophia, who curled up her lips and said thanks. When Sophia picked up the menu, John leaned in to her. Sophia gave him a look and went to Matilda with the menu. ¡°Madam Flintstone, let¡¯s take a look together.¡± John was startled for a moment and chuckled, his gaze brimming with helplessness and love. Isabelle stared at him and thought, Why does he always smile so tenderly at Sophia? With a straight face, no one could tell that she was burning with jealousy. While Sophia was going through the menu, Isabelle said, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, we had some misunderstanding at the hospital some time ago. I couldn¡¯t control myself andid a hand on you. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re pregnant. Fortunately, nothing serious happened, otherwise I would never forgive myself.¡± Sophia shifted her attention from the menu to her face. With a smile, she replied, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. If you never insisted on treating us to a meal, I would have forgotten about it.¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°I know you¡¯re magnanimous, but I feel really sorry, so I want to apologize to you personally.¡± Although Sophia was smirking at Isabelle, her smile was hollow. In fact, she admired Isabelle for her readiness to give and take, for she could never be like her. If she were in her ce, she probably wouldn¡¯t contact the other party again. By severing ties with the people she didn¡¯t like, she wouldn¡¯t upset herself. Honestly, Isabelle¡¯s action is making life hard for both herself and me. After Matilda and Sophia ordered two dishes respectively, they passed the menu to John. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s your turn.¡± With a smile, John replied, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Sophia¡¯s favorite food is my favorite food as well.¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°You¡¯re such a charmer, huh?¡± John chuckled. ¡°Are you trying to remind me I never said enough sweet words to you in the past?¡± Pouting her lips, Sophia fell silent. Having witnessed their interaction, Isabelle managed to keep the smile on her face. While they were waiting for the dishes to be served, Isabelle picked up a ss of water and turned to Sophia. ¡°I know you can¡¯t drink alcohol, and John has to drive, so I never ordered any wine. With this ss of water, I apologize to you.¡± With a mild expression, Sophia took a look at the ss of water and lifted it in response, but she never seemed to have the intention of drinking it. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 801 Chapter 801 With the ss of water in her hands, Sophia said, ¡°I have a smaller appetite now. If I drink any water now, I won¡¯t be able to eat anythingter. So, I¡¯d better not drink it now. Anyway, I ept your apology, therefore you don¡¯t have to mention it again in the future.¡± Isabelle shot a look at her ss of water and replied, ¡°If you say so.¡± Matilda gazed at the ss and thought, The ss of water was already there when we arrived, thus it must be Isabelle who had prepared it. So, Sophia¡¯s concern wasn¡¯t unfounded. She then raised her gaze to examine Isabelle, who didn¡¯t appear to be flustered or guilty. Isabelle stared back at her with confidence. A momentter, she turned to John and talked about their recent business cooperation. Most of the time, John listened to her without uttering a word, while making asional grunts. It was apparent to the others that John wasn¡¯t interested in discussing work on this asion. As though she wasn¡¯t aware of it, Isabelle went on to talk about the stocks she would be buying from Constance Company and even went over the details. Bored by the conversation, Sophia rested her arms on the table and turned to Matilda. ¡°On our way here, I saw you staring at a new message without replying to the person. What¡¯s wrong? Was it Master William?¡± Freezing on the spot, Matilda turned to her and said in a lowered voice, ¡°Can we talk about it when no other people are around?¡± Batting her eyes, Sophia chuckled. ¡°Who are you wary of here?¡± Although she was speaking in a suppressed voice, there were the four of them who were seated around a small table. Unless Matilda and Sophia were whispering in each other¡¯s ears, the others would hear them. Indeed, after Isabelle finished talking, she heard what Sophia said. Upon picking up a ss of water and taking a sip, Matilda continued, ¡°I¡¯m not wary of anyone, but this matter should only be discussed in private.¡± Although there was nothing wrong with what Matilda had said, Isabelle still felt irked. Lifting her ss to shield her face from the others, a sense of resentment shed across her expression. When the dishes were served, they had to stop talking. While Sophia remained silent, Matilda reminded her to take in a bnced diet. In a motherly manner, she talked about what food Sophia should eat more and what food thetter should refrain from having. In fact, Matilda treated Isabelle in the same way before. Although Matilda could be annoying at times, she was really good to Isabelle. Gazing at them, Isabelle smiled bitterly, for what was supposed to be hers had now gone to Sophia. I believe Sophia is born to be my archnemesis. Isabelle drew a deep breath and put down her ss. From the corner of her eye, she could see John and Sophia smirking at each other. With a content expression, Matilda looked smilingly at them. They look just like a family. I seem to be the extra one here, Isabelle thought. She had wanted to save them from her father¡¯s plot, but now she decided she wouldn¡¯t do it. At this moment, her concern seemedughable. After she fell silent, the other three people seemed to be more rxed. The generational gap between Matilda and Sophia seemed to have vanished, as they interacted like close friends. Being protective of Sophia, Matilda would sometimes diss her son. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. All of a sudden, Sophia reflexively grabbed the ss of water and picked it up. Seeing that, Isabelle said, ¡°This ss of water has probably turned lukewarm. Let¡¯s get another ss of water.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 802 Chapter 802 Sophia was startled. Although she wasn¡¯t thirsty, she was still surprised that Isabelle stopped her. Upon finishing her words impassively, Isabelle lowered her head and continued eating her food. John shot Isabelle a look as his gaze turned from cold to indifferent. When the meal was over, certainly John wouldn¡¯t let Isabelle pay the bill. After making an excuse that he needed to use the toilet, he left the room and headed to the cashier counter. Just when he was paying the bill, Isabelle appeared from behind as she called out to him and said, ¡°I knew you were coming here to pay the bill.¡± John grunted and fell silent. In fact, Isabelle wasn¡¯t here to snatch the bill from him, as the meal wasn¡¯t expensive. When the bill was paid, Isabelle stared at him and said, ¡°Can we have a talk? I promise this is thest time I¡¯d bother you.¡± With a frown, John agreed to it. He really hoped it was thest time, for he didn¡¯t want Isabelle to keep pestering him. As a resolute man, he had made his stance clear, and he hoped Isabelle would forget him and move on as well. It¡¯s really pointless if this goes on forever. Standing in the doorway, Isabelle shed a smile at him. ¡°You seem to love Sophia very much.¡± John let out a mirthlessugh. ¡°I don¡¯t just seem to love her.¡± I love her with all my heart. With a helpless expression, Isabelle continued, ¡°John, I love you, and I know you¡¯re well aware of it. I also know that you don¡¯t love me back.¡± Suddenly, sheughed in self-mockery. ¡°You have never loved me before, right?¡± With a dispassionate expression, John turned to look at her. Isabelle smiled. ¡°Oh God, this question sounds like an insult to myself.¡± Tipping her head back, she exhaled slowly. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t be resigned if I never asked this question. I just thought that maybe you¡¯d loved me a little¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± John answered in a firm manner; his expression remained the same. Startled, Isabelle locked her eyes with him. John went on, ¡°I have never loved you before. Even if Sophia never came into my life, I wouldn¡¯t have any feelings for you. At that time, I agreed to the engagement because I just thought that we¡¯d be a good match since our families were equally wealthy, but I wasn¡¯t into you one bit.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. With her lips parted for a while, Isabelle grunted. Gazing at the heavy traffic, John continued, ¡°I was really sorry that I had to cancel our engagement, but other than that, I didn¡¯t feel regretful or sorrowful.¡± Isabelle pressed her lips together for a moment and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t love Sophia initially, right? But after you were married, you slowly fell in love with her. If she never existed, we¡¯d have gone down the same path.¡± John snorted, even though he didn¡¯t mean to be derisive. Thinking of something, he said, ¡°If I had fallen in love with her after we got married, we wouldn¡¯t have divorced.¡± When they were still married, Sophia was the perfect wife as she took good care of him. But at that time, he was disdainful of her. It was until he lost her that he realized that he had fallen in love with her. That realization dawned on him toote that he had to work extra hard to win back her heart. With her gaze lowered, Isabelle appeared upset. ¡°I¡¯m just not resigned. I¡¯d always thought that without Sophia, perhaps we¡¯d have turned out differently.¡± John frowned. Maybe things would really have turned out differently, but nobody can be sure. Then, John turned to her. ¡°Even if we got together in the past, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to give you the life you desired. I don¡¯t love you. Do you get it?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 803 Chapter 803 Isabelle understood the hidden meaning behind John¡¯s words. Since she wasn¡¯t the love of his life, he would never be passionate toward her. Even if they got married, their lives would be as tasteless as water. Even so, she would want to try if she could make him fall head over heels for her. After a pause, she nodded slowly. ¡°Alright. I understand what you mean, and I know what to do.¡± They decided to stay at the cashier counter. A momentter, Sophia and Matilda came out of the room, chatting and smiling at each other as if they didn¡¯t mind what John and Isabelle were talking about. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Turning to John, Sophia asked, ¡°Are you done talking? Can we go now?¡± Isabelle faced away from Sophia and wiped her tears with her hand. With a milder expression, John pulled Sophia toward him. ¡°Yes, we can go now.¡± Without giving Isabelle a nce, Sophia and John walked down the stairs and reached for their car. Walking up to Isabelle, Matilda gave it a thought and pped her shoulder before leaving the ce. Upon wiping off the tears from the corners of her eyes, Isabelle gazed at John¡¯s car. As the car started moving, through the window, she could see Sophia saying something to John. While John¡¯s expression remained calm, Sophia guffawed. Why does he love this kind of woman? I don¡¯t get it. Up until now, Isabelle still didn¡¯t think she was inferior to Sophia. Although she could understand John¡¯s choice, she remained unresigned. After waiting for a bit, her phone started ringing. Her father called her to ask where she was. Without telling him her location, she replied that the dinner was over, and she was ready to go home now. Without getting the answer he wanted, he questioned again, ¡°I¡¯m asking where you are. Didn¡¯t you say you are going to have Japanese cuisine?¡± Isabelle inquired, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing as her father remained silent, she pursued, ¡°Are you at the Japanese restaurant? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in thepany? Are you having dinner over there?¡± Old Mr. Bailey heaved a sigh. ¡°No, I was just asking.¡± Isabelle¡¯s gaze turned dim, but her voice remained calm as she questioned, ¡°Oh, why are you curious about where I am?¡± As though her father was lost for words, he fell silent while Isabelle waited patiently. A whileter, he let out a sigh. ¡°Forget it. Come home now.¡± With a sweet voice, Isabelle replied, ¡°Okay.¡± When the call ended, her expression turned dark. Meanwhile, seated in the car, Matilda scowled. Until she couldn¡¯t take it anymore, she asked, ¡°Do you think Isabelle really dropped something into the ss of water?¡± Hearing that, Sophia grinned. ¡°I believe so, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything lethal. Perhaps it¡¯s just some laxative. She wouldn¡¯t have been stupid enough to try to kill me at that point.¡± If anything really happened to me, she would have been the prime suspect, Sophia thought. John grunted. ¡°Yes, maybe she was just trying to pull a prank.¡± Isabelle seems to have gotten over our rtionship, so I don¡¯t think she would try to kill Sophia. Matilda said, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± When they reached Constance Residence and stopped the car, they saw William speaking on the phone in the garden. Sophia gently pushed Matilda and said, ¡°Go talk to him. Maybe he¡¯s waiting for you.¡± Upon finishing her words, she spread her arms and stretched her back. ¡°I feel so sleepy after having dinner.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 804 Chapter 804 Walking over, John took Sophia¡¯s hands and pulled her toward him. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to our room and sleep.¡± After pondering on it, Matilda decided to stay on the spot. A momentter, William turned around and saw Matilda, who appeared to be forcing a smile in embarrassment. Seeing that, he quickly said something and hung up the call. Going over, he said, ¡°I thought it would take you a long time to finish dinner.¡± Matilda replied, ¡°It only took us a short time to finish dinner. Moreover, Sophia felt sleepy, so we hurried home.¡± Without going back to the main building, William invited her to have a stroll with him. In fact, they had lived in this mansion for thirty years, so they were familiar with all the ces, but they rarely took a walk around here in the past. Even though they were divorced, the atmosphere was pleasant and Matilda didn¡¯t want to return to her room so quickly, hence she nodded. ¡°Sure. It¡¯s good to have a walk after dinner.¡± Following that, they walked toward the backyard and passed by the house of the Second Constance Family. At that moment, Dn happened to be standing outside the entrance. Seeing William and Matilda, Dn was surprised and called out to them just like before. While William¡¯s expression remained indifferent, Matilda was feeling uneasy, for she was no longer a part of the family. Old Mr. Bailey was at home when Isabelle returned. Seated on the couch, he stared at his daughter and inquired, ¡°Didn¡¯t you have dinner with them?¡± ¡°Yeah, I had dinner with them.¡± Upon putting down her bag, Isabelle took a seat on the couch and stretched her back. ¡°I came home after dinner.¡± With his eyes fixed on her, Old Mr. Bailey questioned, ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to the Japanese restaurant as you had said?¡± Isabelle replied, ¡°No. I told John I wanted to go to another restaurant, but he didn¡¯t like that ce, so we met up at the original restaurant.¡± Pretending to be clueless, she asked, ¡°Dad, why are you harping on this issue?¡± Old Mr. Bailey said it was nothing and fell silent. Leaning against the couch, Isabelle seemed to be exhausted. Taking a look at her, Old Mr. Bailey said, ¡°Rest if you¡¯re tired. You¡¯ve been busy today.¡± Isabelle grunted and rose from the couch. Before she reached the staircase, Dexter came home and tossed his bag on the couch, apparently displeased. Halting her steps, Isabelle asked, ¡°Dexter, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Dexter replied that he was in a bad mood and slumped into the couch. Old Mr. Bailey seemed to know what was going on with Dexter, so he turned to him and persuaded, ¡°Are you tired? Just go to your room and take a rest.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Since Dexter had turned seventeen, he started bing rebellious. He said, ¡°If I take a rest now, I won¡¯t be able to finish my work, and you¡¯ll start nagging me.¡± Old Mr. Bailey frowned. ¡°I nag you because you¡¯re not working hard enough. Do you understand that your sister and I are having difficulty managing thepany? We¡¯ll have to rely on you in the future.¡± Displeased with what he had heard, Dexter snorted. ¡°Why must you rely on me? If I¡¯m not going to take over thepany, will it be closed down?¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about?¡± Old Mr. Bailey stood straight up. Dexter rose as well and yelled, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Isabelle would marry a capable man, and they¡¯d help me manage thepany? Since the man is so resourceful, you can just pass thepany to my sister and him. I don¡¯t want thepany anyway. I can¡¯t even finish my homework now, but I still have to listen to yourints aboutpany issues. While other kids can go on vacation during holidays, I have to go to summer school!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 805 Chapter 805 Upon finishing his words, Dexter panted for a bit and continued, ¡°I don¡¯t feel happy at all, so please keep thepany to yourself! I¡¯m not going to take over it!¡± With her lips pressed together, Isabelle had wanted to console him. Upon hearing what he said, she stopped her pace. Dexter is exhausted. I know he¡¯s more burned out than I am. While the adults had their own personal time, Dexter¡¯s timetable was filled with activities against his will. Old Mr. Bailey stared at him. Although he was a hot-tempered man, he had neverid his hand on his children. Perhaps he was too incensed at the moment that he raised his hand and pped his son. ¡°I dare you to say that again!¡± Dexter¡¯s face was jerked to the side from the force. Shocked, Isabelle scurried over. ¡°Dad, what are you doing?¡± With his eyes fixed on Dexter, Old Mr. Bailey snarled, ¡°Go back to your room now! If you dare say you¡¯re not going to take over thepany again, I¡¯ll fix you!¡± Isabelle took her brother¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to your room, Dexter. Aren¡¯t you tired? You should take a rest.¡± Dexter slowly raised his head and red at his father for a moment before going upstairs with Isabelle. Reaching the room, Isabelle told him to rx. In fact, she wasn¡¯t sure how to console him. Having gone through the same path before, she didn¡¯t have an easy life as well when she was younger, as she had to learn many different skills every day. Born into a rich family, apart from enjoying the material wealth, they also had to take up their responsibilities. Since Dexter was destined to take over thepany, he had to learn many business skills. Gazing at him, Isabelle said, ¡°Dexter, I know you¡¯re finding it difficult now, but there¡¯s no way around it. When you grow up, everything will be fine.¡± Seated on the bed, Dexter remained silent. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. After thinking for a bit, Isabelle turned to leave, but before she could step out of the room, Dexter called out, ¡°Isabelle.¡± Turning around, Isabelle asked, ¡°Yes?¡± Dexter raised his head and looked at her. ¡°Are you happy?¡± The question rendered her speechless. Am I happy? I suppose I¡¯m not happy. On her way home after dinner, she thought about what she was left with currently, and the answer was she had nothing. John said that even if they got together, their lives would be as nd as water. She thought that if she could be as lively and carefree as Sophia, would John fall in love with her? Perhaps she was too obedient, and her characteristics didn¡¯t stand out that John wasn¡¯t attracted to her. Momentster, Isabelle gazed at Dexter and said, ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not happy at all. But Dexter, I have no choice.¡± Seeing as he fell silent, Isabelle left the room. Standing in the doorway, she gave it a thought and walked toward the staircase. Still infuriated, Old Mr. Bailey took a seat on the couch and calmed himself down. Then, he fished out his phone and made a call. When the call was connected, he demanded, ¡°Tell your men toe back. They didn¡¯t go to that ce, so you don¡¯t have to wait anymore.¡± After finishing his words, he hung up the call. With an impassive expression, Isabelle leaned against the wall and eavesdropped on her father. Meanwhile, John and Sophiay down on the bed after washing up. Since Sophia was taxed out, she immediately closed her eyes. Just then, John¡¯s phone started ringing. Upon taking it over, he sat up on the bed and connected the call. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± With a lowered voice, Zack said, ¡°Husky told me that he saw the shadow bank¡¯s boss yesterday. Husky is in charge of the ounts now, but the boss would show up once in a while to check the books.¡± John grunted. ¡°Does he remember what the boss looks like?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 806 Chapter 806 Zack said, ¡°He does. He¡¯ll meet us and draw the boss¡¯s face for us.¡± John replied, ¡°Alright, just make the arrangement on my behalf. Call me if anything happens.¡± After the call ended, John put down the phone and scowled. They had found the boss thought to be in charge of the shadow bank before this, but the person was apparently just a puppet. The bank has to be controlled by other people behind the scenes. It¡¯s good enough that we¡¯ve ascertained one of them now. Facing away from him, Sophia seemed to be asleep. John extended his hand and stroked her head. When all the problems are settled, I believe she¡¯ll agree to marry me again. Slowly lying down, he couldn¡¯t have a shut-eye. Right then, he thought of the person Isabelle brought with her to the hospital. The person has to be Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s subordinate. His conversation with Isabelle a while ago reminded him of that person. Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s subordinate¡­ I have an idea now¡­ The next morning, Sophia was still asleep. Leaning against the bedhead, John remained by her side while texting a message. Turning over, Sophia opened her eyes and asked, ¡°What time is it? Why are you still here?¡± Lowering his head, John replied, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake. It¡¯s still early. I can go to workter.¡± Sophia stared at his phone. ¡°Who are you texting a message to? You look serious.¡± Gazing at his phone, John said, ¡°My employee has sent me a message to talk about work matters.¡± It was apparent to Sophia that he didn¡¯t want her to know, so she stopped asking. Turning over, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her social media. Even if Sophia was awake, John got out of the bed carefully and went to the bathroom to wash up. After he came out, he got changed while saying, ¡°The doctor wille overter and give you a check- up.¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°Okay.¡± She then went on, ¡°How are our fellow vigers doing?¡± John nodded. ¡°They¡¯re doing okay. Two more people came over two days ago. I¡¯ve given them jobs.¡± Fortunately, he was running a big enterprise, and there were many vacancies at the warehouse, so he managed to offer the vigers enough jobs. Thinking of that, he smirked. ¡°Those people have said they wanna meet you to say thanks personally.¡± After slight consideration, Sophia said, ¡°That will do. I wanna meet them too. They¡¯vee to the city for a long time, but I haven¡¯t managed to meet them.¡± John stopped buttoning up his shirt and replied, ¡°Alright. Holidays are just around the corner. By then, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Sophia replied, ¡°Okay.¡± When John had dressed up, he kissed her and said, ¡°Take care of yourself.¡± Upon finishing his words, he turned to leave. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Sitting up slowly, Sophia gazed at the door and beamed. John is so tender to me, to the point that I don¡¯t even know how I should respond to him. Upon getting out of the bed, she washed up andy down again on the bed. When she stroked her belly, she couldn¡¯t feel any bulge, but she thought that her belly was different from the past. Having a kid inside my stomach is such a miraculous experience. Bored but not hungry, she picked up her phone and continued scrolling through her social media. Momentster, she decided to call Logan to tell him that she nned to throw a wee back party for Ian, now that the talent show was over. It took Logan a long time to pick up the call, and when the call connected, she could still hear him cursing someone else. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 807 Chapter 807 Sophia chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who has offended you?¡± Logan grunted and replied over the phone, ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m good.¡± Putting aside Ian¡¯s wee back party for the moment, Sophia said with a smile, ¡°What happened? You don¡¯t sound okay.¡± Logan replied, ¡°I¡­ Err¡­¡± Suddenly thinking of something, he decided not to tell her about it. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m fine.¡± Feeling helpless, Sophia said, ¡°Logan, you¡¯ve been acting strangely recently. In the past, you were a straightforward man. Nowadays, you always beat around the bush and can¡¯t even speak properly.¡± Logan was startled. ¡°Really? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve changed.¡± Sophia clicked her tongue. ¡°You were not like this in the past. You were a decisive man.¡± Logan fell silent for a moment before saying, ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve been indecisive recently. I wasn¡¯t like this in the past. No! I have to get back to my past self, the ever confident Young Master Jefferson!¡± Before Sophia could speak, he continued, ¡°I know what to do now. Sophia, I have something else to do now. I¡¯ll get back to youter.¡± Sophia called out to him, as she hadn¡¯t talked about her n for Ian¡¯s wee back party yet. However, Logan ignored her and hung up the call. Clenching her phone, Sophia was still baffled as to what had happened. What has gotten into him? Why has he been acting weirdtely? After giving it a thought, she decided to call Robin. Since it wasn¡¯t busy at the shop, Robin picked up the call and said in a rxed tone, ¡°Sophia, yes?¡± Sophia asked, ¡°Are you with Lincoln?¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Robin giggled. ¡°Yes. Business has been good for the past few days, so we¡¯ve been quite busy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± After a short moment of contemtion, Sophia asked her if Logan had paid a visit to the shop recently. Thinking of something, Robin replied, ¡°When I brought my mom to the hospital for a check-up some time ago, I came across Logan.¡± Sophia was surprised. ¡°You saw Logan at the hospital?¡± Robin grunted. ¡°Yes. However, I don¡¯t think he was there to see a doctor. Furthermore, as a rich man, he must have direct ess to the doctor, so he doesn¡¯t have to line up like the rest of us do.¡± After thinking for a bit, Sophia nodded. ¡°I wonder if Logan has been struck with some kind of embarrassing illness, so he went to see a doctor alone. Perhaps that¡¯s why he¡¯s too shy to tell me about it.¡± Well, it¡¯s really awkward to ask him about it. After a pause, Robin told Sophia that her wedding date with Lincoln had been decided, and they would soon book a venue and get some wedding photos taken. When the invitation cards were ready, she would send them to John and her personally. Hearing that, Sophia quickly congratted her. Since Lincoln wasn¡¯t around, Robin heaved a sigh. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m being pushed forward now. I don¡¯t even know what I want anymore. Anyway, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡± Her words sounded helpless. After some deliberation, Sophia replied, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re just feeling lost before the marriage. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get over it after the wedding. Since this is going to be a big change in your life, it¡¯s normal that you¡¯re unsure what to do.¡± Robin smiled. ¡°Maybe.¡± Since customers started streaming in, Robin had to serve them. Normally, there would be many customers in the morning. Not wanting to bother her any further, Sophia said goodbye and hung up the call. Getting out of the bed, she got changed and went downstairs. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 808 Chapter 808 After having breakfast, John went to work, while Old Mrs. Constance and Matilda stayed downstairs. When Sophia came downstairs, Matilda walked over and said, ¡°I had wanted to wake you up, but John said that you had awakened, and you¡¯de downstairs when you¡¯re hungry.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I wasn¡¯t hungry, so I didn¡¯t want to move.¡± Gazing at Sophia¡¯s belly, Matilda said, ¡°You have to exercise moderately. When I¡ª¡± She caught herself, for she didn¡¯t think she should say this here. Previously, Old Mrs. Constance had insisted that Matilda and William should be separated, even though she also helped fend off Ynda. However, Matilda wasn¡¯t sure what was on her former mother-inw¡¯s mind, so she decided against saying what she had wanted to say to spare them the embarrassment. Standing in the doorway, Old Mrs. Constance had heard what Matilda said, but she just took a look at her without responding. Since Sophia had gone to the dining hall to have her breakfast, Matilda decided to follow her. In fact, she had to return to Flintstone Residenceter. Since the Flintstones had found out that she had stayed over in Constance Residence, her mother called to ask her what happened.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Well, it¡¯s hard to exin this matter over the phone, so I¡¯d better go back and tell them. Maybe my mom doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for me toe here, since William and I are divorced. I could sense that she didn¡¯t approve of my action, Matilda thought. Previously, she didn¡¯t read too much into it, but after the phone call, she had to agree with her mother. Since she and William were in aplicated rtionship currently, they might invite some gossip from outsiders if they kept in touch too frequently. Looking at Matilda, Sophia said, ¡°Have your family members called to ask why you¡¯re staying here? Maybe they¡¯re upset or something.¡± She had just recalled what happened with the Flinstones previously. With a smile, Matilda told her honestly, ¡°I think so. My mom didn¡¯t sound too happy over the phone, so I¡¯m going home to talk to herter.¡± After taking a look at Old Mrs. Constance, Sophia shifted her attention back to Matilda and said in a lowered voice, ¡°Well, you can take this opportunity to go back and find out what your former husband thinks of it.¡± Startled, Matilda batted her eyes, as she never thought about it before. Sophia grinned. ¡°Based on my observation, he still has feelings for you. But you¡¯ve been progressing too slowly now, and it¡¯s not helping to get you remarried with him. So, I think you can give it a try.¡± Since it wasn¡¯t the time to get embarrassed, Matilda pouted her lips and asked, ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll work?¡± With a serious expression, Sophia replied, ¡°Yes, you have to trust me. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll help you observe your ex husband¡¯s reaction over here.¡± After some consideration, Matilda found her suggestion feasible, so she nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go home and find out what my family members think of it. Then, I¡¯ll call you to discuss what to do next.¡± Sophia nodded, and their agreement had been reached. After breakfast, Matilda packed up some stuff and went home. Standing in the garden in front of the main building, Old Mrs. Constance heaved a sigh. ¡°Actually, Matilda has be a really nice person.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°Well, you reminded me of her past self. She was really unbearable.¡± Old Mrs. Constance guffawed. ¡°I could never have imagined that both of you would get so close to each other one day.¡± Tilting her head, Sophia smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that either. In the past, I really hated her, but at the same time, I knew that she just didn¡¯t like the fact that I had married John. I could tell that she wasn¡¯t a bad person by observing her interaction with Isabelle.¡± Compared to the Bailey Family, the Constance Family was richer and more powerful. So, Matilda treated Isabelle well because she really liked her, rather than because she wanted to butter her up. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 809 Chapter 809 Since Matilda was willing to treat Isabelle well without any ulterior motive, it proved that she wasn¡¯t a bad person in nature. Sophia let out a sigh. ¡°She had lived avish life all this while, so she¡¯d be too willful. After what had happened, she had reflected upon it.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°Yes, William overly doted on her in the past.¡± At the mention of William, Sophia went on, ¡°I wonder if Madam Bloom had told Master William about her visit some time ago. I could tell that she was really embarrassed that day.¡± Turning to Sophia, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°Stop beating around the bush. What do you really want to say?¡± Sophia guffawed. ¡°I¡¯ll be direct with you since you¡¯ve said so. This is just a question I want to ask for myself. Since I couldn¡¯t get the answer from Matilda, it¡¯s getting unbearable for me.¡± Old Mrs. Constance smirked. ¡°Just ask away.¡± Gazing at her, Sophia questioned, ¡°Between Ynda and Matilda, who do you prefer?¡± After giving it a thought, Old Mrs. Constance frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have a bias toward any of them. I love the fact that Ynda is a straightforward woman, but I can¡¯t really forget what happened in the past. On the other hand, Matilda was a hot-tempered woman previously, but she really loved William. There are both good and bad sides to them. Now, I don¡¯t want to interfere in their lives. William will make his own decision.¡± Upon finding out her stance, Sophia said, ¡°You¡¯re right. They have their own lives to live after all.¡± After they chatted for a bit, Matilda called Sophia to tell her that the Flintstones didn¡¯t want her to stay in Constance Residence. After the divorce, she had nothing to do with William anymore, so if they still lived together, they were bound to invite gossip. Moreover, the Flintstones were worried that if William brought home a woman he loved one day, Matilda would be put in an embarrassing situation. Also, Sophia would receive good care at Constance Residence, so Matilda really shouldn¡¯t go back again. This was the best arrangement for both the Flintstones and the Constances. After some consideration, Matilda had to agree with her family members. If she stayed in Constance Residence, and William really brought home a woman one day, she would be humiliated. Also, if William told her that he had found a woman he loved, and demanded that she should move out, her reputation would be ruined. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Sophia grunted. ¡°Alright. Maybe you should stay in your own home. Don¡¯t worry. I will stay here to observe William and give you updates frequently.¡± Matilda smiled. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m not going over today, since I don¡¯t have much stuff there.¡± After they chatted a while longer, they ended the call. Honestly, life here is boring without Matilda, Sophia thought. She then decided to leave the main building to take a stroll around the backyard. Right then, she saw a caring over from afar. After pulling over, Dn got out of the vehicle quickly, while Sophia kept walking toward him. Seeing her, Dn halted his steps to wait for her to reach him. Then, he inquired, ¡°Why are you taking a walk alone?¡± Sophia shed a smile at him. ¡°I¡¯m bored, so I¡¯ve decided to take a stroll alone. Although I¡¯m pregnant, I don¡¯t really need an escort, do I?¡± As they walked toward the backyard, Sophia asked why he had returned at this hour. Dn sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been a little muddle-headed recently. I brought home a documentst night, but I forgot to take it with me this morning when I went to work, so I had toe home again.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 810 Chapter 810 Sophia chuckled. ¡°I feel you. I have a shorter attention span nowadays.¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Dn lowered his gaze to look at her belly. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re pregnant. Do you feel tired all the time?¡± After saying she was alright, Sophia gave it a thought and went on, ¡°Do you still go on blind dates?¡± Dn said no and then pondered on it for a moment before asking, ¡°When are you going to remarry John? Will you hold a wedding party?¡± Sophia giggled. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t thought about it. I don¡¯t even know when that will happen. We¡¯ll see.¡± Her words startled Dn. ¡°You haven¡¯t thought about it? When your belly bes bulging, it¡¯ll be inconvenient for you to hold a wedding.¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°I¡¯m fine with the situation we¡¯re in now. To me, a wedding isn¡¯t necessary.¡± When they reached the house of the Second Constance Family, Lady Jennifer was ready to go out. Seeing Sophia and Dn together, her expression changed. Staring at her son, she questioned, ¡°Why have youe back at this hour?¡± Dn replied, ¡°Oh, I forgot to bring a document with me, so I came back to get it.¡± Lady Jennifer nodded and turned to Sophia with a hollow smile. ¡°Sophia, are you taking a walk?¡± Ignoring her supercilious smile, Sophia grunted. Turning to Sophia, Dn said, ¡°Be careful. I¡¯m going in now.¡± Sophia waved her hand at him and continued walking toward the backyard. Remaining on the spot, Lady Jennifer red at Sophia¡¯s figure for a while before turning around to follow Dn into the house. Upon stepping into the living room, she questioned, ¡°Why were you together with her? Where did you meet up?¡± Surprised, Dn turned around to face his mother. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going out? Why did youe back in?¡± Ignoring his questions, Lady Jennifer went on, ¡°What did the two of you say on the way here? Come on. Tell me what you talk about whenever you meet up with her.¡± Dnughed in disbelief. ¡°Why are you still wary of her? Don¡¯t you find it ridiculous?¡± Upon finishing his words, he went upstairs. Relentless, Lady Jennifer followed him and said, ¡°I¡¯m not wary of her. I¡¯m just asking what the two of you normally talk about. In the past, you rarely talked to her, but now it seems that you¡¯ve gotten closer to her.¡± Heaving a sigh, Dn halted his steps and whirled around. ¡°She¡¯s pregnant. What are you still afraid of?¡± With an uneasy expression, Lady Jennifer replied, ¡°Who told you I¡¯m afraid of her? I¡¯m not afraid of anyone.¡± After staring at his mother for a while, Dn turned to enter his study. Rooted to the spot for a moment, Lady Jennifer tagged along and changed her tactic by talking about Sophia. ¡°Although Sophia and John haven¡¯t remarried, they seem to be on better terms than in the past. So, it doesn¡¯t affect them much even if they¡¯re not remarried yet.¡± Upon finding the document, Dn whirled around and saw his mother, who was leaning against the door frame while she went on to say, ¡°She¡¯s still dependent on John. If it weren¡¯t for John¡¯s generosity, she would still have been the bumpkin girl. So, she hasn¡¯t changed fundamentally.¡± Looking at his mother, Dn questioned, ¡°If I gave in to Grandpa and married Sophia instead of listening to your advice at that time, what kind of life do you think Sophia and I would be living now?¡± bbergasted by what she heard, Lady Jennifer growled, ¡°Why are you even asking this question? There¡¯s no way that you and her will get together!¡± Dn let out a sigh. ¡°Why can John be together with her but not me?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 811 Chapter 811 Dnughed in a hollow manner and said, ¡°You always say that Sophia is of no help to me. Look at John. He¡¯s never gotten anything from her, but he¡¯s obviously living a happy life. Now look at what kind of miserable life I¡¯m leading.¡± Startled, Lady Jennifer told her son in puzzlement, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with your life. You¡¯re single, so you can pursue any woman freely. Your life is as great as John¡¯s. I¡¯d even say that you¡¯re living a greater life than him.¡± Feeling helpless, Dn shook his head. ¡°How did youe to the conclusion that I¡¯m living a better life than him? I don¡¯t feel happy. In fact, I¡¯m jealous of him.¡± Lady Jennifer consoled him by saying, ¡°Dn, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯lle across a better woman¡­¡± Not wanting to listen to any of that anymore, Dn decided to leave. After moving past his mother, he halted his steps and said, ¡°As a matter of fact, Sophia has never been into me. It¡¯s her who isn¡¯t interested in getting together with me, not the other way round. You have to understand that.¡± With that, he stepped out of the room. Rendered speechless, Lady Jennifer stood in the doorway of the study and gazed at her son¡¯s figure from behind. Meanwhile, Sophia was reaching for the bamboo forest. She was surprised that the ce had been cleaned up, so the hill trail now looked pretty clean. In a slow manner, she walked up the hill. In fact, she didn¡¯t have a particr destination in mind. She simply decided to take a stroll because she was bored. As a pregnant woman, she shouldn¡¯t strain herself, so she had to move slowly. Normally, it would take her only ten minutes to reach the top of the hill, but on this day, it took her thirty minutes to reach the clearing on the crest. To her surprise, there was a wooden bench over there. She chuckled and wondered who was so considerate to install such a thing here, for it wasn¡¯t there thest time she came. Walking over, she took a seat on the bench for a rest. A momentter, her phone in the pocket started ringing. When she fished out her phone and checked the screen, her mood turned bad in an instant. What a relentless and shameless person. She directly declined the call. It wasn¡¯t the same number the person used to call her previously, but she figured that it was the same person based on the location of the caller. A whileter, the person sent her a message to tell her to stop hiding and pick up the call. The person even said that she couldn¡¯t solve the problem by going into hiding. Sophia almostughed in exasperation. There¡¯s nothing to settle between that woman and me. Upon blocking the number, she remained on the seat to enjoy the breeze on the hill. After her call was rejected, the woman was now standing in front of Sophia¡¯s own house with her luggage on her left and a young girl on her right. The young girl didn¡¯t seem willing toe here, so she kept some distance from the woman and faced away from her. Ignoring the young girl, the woman kept shouting into the house until the neighbors came out to reprimand her in displeasure. With a smile, the woman said, ¡°I¡¯m the mother of the house owner. I¡¯m looking for her, but she isn¡¯t willing to meet me. She just wants to live a good life on her own and doesn¡¯t want to provide for me.¡± Not believing her words, one of the neighbors told her, ¡°Stop shouting because no one is going toe out. She has moved out of here for quite some time.¡± The woman was stunned. ¡°She¡¯s moved out? Do you know where she is now?¡± Naturally, the neighbors had no idea where Sophia was, so they all said they didn¡¯t know and returned to their own homes. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 812 Chapter 812 Unwilling to give up, with her arms akimbo, the woman remained on the spot and muttered, ¡°I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s moved out. What a heartless b*tch.¡± The young girl turned to her. ¡°Can we go now? This is very embarrassing.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to feel embarrassed about. When I get enough money from your sister, you¡¯ll enjoy a great life and understand I¡¯m doing this for your own good.¡± Since Sophia did not live here anymore, it was pointless for the woman to keep waiting. Therefore, she grabbed her luggage and left. All the while, the young girl kept a distance from her, apparently unwilling to be seen close to her. As the woman was walking, she mumbled, ¡°I must have been blind to have fallen in love with your useless dad. He just wants me to do all the work. If he had tagged along, we wouldn¡¯t have to be so taxed out. What a b*stard! When I have enough money, I¡¯ll dump him immediately!¡± Ignoring her mother, the young girl slowly walked out of the residential area. However, they had nowhere to go. Standing on the main road where the traffic was heavy, they seemed to be mismatched with the city. A momentter, the young girl walked up to her mother and said, ¡°Mom, since we can¡¯t find her, we should just go home. We don¡¯t even have a ce to stay here.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. The woman put down her luggage and said through gritted teeth, ¡°I¡¯m not going home. Go back on your own if you want to. I will never leave this ce before getting money from your sister!¡± When John came home from work but didn¡¯t see Matilda, he was startled. William hadn¡¯te home because he had attended a social gathering. Meanwhile, Sophia was lying on the bed and looking at her phone in the bedroom. John pushed open the door and took off his jacket. ¡°Where¡¯s my mom?¡± Without turning to him, Sophia replied, ¡°Her family members don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for her to stay here, so they¡¯ve asked her to go home.¡± John froze, as he never thought about it before. After thinking for a bit, he found that his mother¡¯s family members had a point. Nodding, he said, ¡°I wonder how my dad will react when hees home and finds out about it.¡± Sophia pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to his reaction as well.¡± After John got changed into casual clothes, his phone on the bed started ringing. Since he was already seated on the bed, he picked up the phone and answered the call. As the person on the phone was speaking in a low voice, Sophia couldn¡¯t hear what the person was saying. A short momentter, John rose and demanded, ¡°Wait a minute. Will you speak slower?¡± As he was speaking, he left the room. Sophia was surprised and turned to look at him. Who is on the phone? Why did he have to go out? After staring at the doorway for a moment, Sophia retracted her gaze, for she was no longer curious about John¡¯s secretive behavior. Standing in the corridor, John scowled as he listened to what his subordinate said and replied, ¡°Alright. Just settle this matter directly. You know what to do, right?¡± Surprised, the subordinate paused for a moment and inquired, ¡°Aren¡¯t you and your wife going to face her?¡± John snorted. ¡°There¡¯s no need for us to meet her because she has nothing to do with us.¡± After a short period of deliberation, the subordinate said, ¡°Got it.¡± John reminded him. ¡°Don¡¯t be too harsh on her. Just try to chase her away.¡± The subordinate grunted in agreement and hung up the call. With a darkened expression, John turned to look at the door of the bedroom for a moment before going downstairs. He thought that after he taught Walter a lesson, thetter would go back to discipline his former wife. To his surprise, however, Sophia¡¯s mother valued money more than her own life. When he was done with smoking a cigarette, Old Mrs. Constance told him that dinner was ready. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 813 Chapter 813 Before John had to go upstairs to call Sophia, she hade downstairs. Since William was still at the social gathering, and Matilda had returned home, the atmosphere during dinner was somewhat quiet. Looking at the seats William and Matilda usually sat on, Old Mrs. Constancemented, ¡°I miss the time when all of us could sit together and have a meal. Without them, it just feels iplete.¡± Sophia shed a gentle smile at her. ¡°You can tell Master William to bring Madam Flintstone back. By then, we¡¯ll be able to have dinner together again.¡± Nibbling at his food, John went along by saying, ¡°When dades hometer, I¡¯ll ask him what he ns to do.¡± Darting her gaze between Sophia and John, Old Mrs. Constance put on a smile without uttering a word. As soon as John finished eating, his phone on the table started ringing. Upon taking a look, he picked it up and left the dining hall. Sophia happened to catch a glimpse of the screen, and she knew that the person was John¡¯s subordinate. Pouting, she watched John disappear from the living room. Then, she tutted and said, ¡°He¡¯s been busy for the entire day.¡± Picking up a piece of tissue, Old Mrs. Constance wiped the grease off her mouth and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s really busy with work and not hiding anything from you.¡± A momentter, she added, ¡°Given his temperament, I don¡¯t think any other woman will fall in love with him.¡± Sophia arched her brow, thinking that Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t really understand her grandson. Although John was hot-tempered, he was rich and handsome. These two qualities could eclipse the ws in his temperament and make any woman fall for him. After stepping out of the living room, John picked up the call. With a lowered voice, the subordinate reported, ¡°Sir, something happened.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. John grunted, not feeling surprised. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The subordinate sighed. ¡°I guess the woman had figured that we would handle the problem like this, so after we captured her, she started throwing a tantrum. Just now, when we were not paying attention, she crashed her head into the wall. Her head is now drenched in blood, but she wouldn¡¯t let us help treat her. The young daughter she has brought with her is now bawling. We don¡¯t even know how to handle this situation.¡± Since these two people are rted to Sophia, we aren¡¯t sure how hard we can go on them, the subordinate thought. Johnughed. ¡°Well well, she¡¯s quite a daredevil. Is her injury serious?¡± The subordinate replied, ¡°It isn¡¯t serious, but she¡¯s making a fuss and demanding to meet Miss Gwendolyn. Since she¡¯s Miss Gwendolyn¡¯s mother, we¡¯re afraid that if we treat her too harshly, Miss Gwendolyn will me uster.¡± After a moment of consideration, John asked, ¡°Where are you now? I¡¯m going over.¡± I didn¡¯t expect that the woman would threaten to kill herself. It seems that she¡¯s determined to get some money out of us, John thought. After the subordinate told him the address, John grunted and hung up the call. When he was reaching for the car park, he suddenly thought of something and stopped in his tracks. After hesitating for a bit, he turned around and returned to the living room. At that moment, Sophia and Old Mrs. Constance wereing out of the dining hall since they were done with dinner. Seeing him, Sophia said, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re done with the phone call.¡± John inquired, ¡°Do you want to follow me to a ce?¡± Startled, Sophia asked, ¡°Where are you bringing me to? You look serious.¡± With a slight frown, John replied, ¡°We¡¯re going to meet a person. I think you should show up.¡± After staring at him for a while, she seemed to have figured who they were going to meet, so she nodded and said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± When Sophia went upstairs to get changed, Old Mrs. Constance gazed at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is that some serious matter?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t so serious,¡± John answered. ¡°It¡¯s just that one of Sophia¡¯s rtives wants to get some benefits from us. Since Sophia isn¡¯t willing to give in, the person is throwing a tantrum.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 814 Chapter 814 Old Mrs. Constance was stunned upon hearing that. ¡°I can¡¯t believe such an evil soul exists in this world. Why don¡¯t you just give that person some money? I¡¯m afraid this problem will escte if it drags on.¡± John heaved a sigh. ¡°It isn¡¯t so easy. The person is greedy.¡± Indeed, he had thought about giving the woman some money to brush her off. After all, she was Sophia¡¯s mother. However, he knew that if Sophia found out about it in the future, she would me him. She was the woman he loved the most, so he didn¡¯t have the courage to take the risk. After Sophia got changed, she came downstairs. Appearing to be clean cut, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Her outfit amused John, for she looked like a fierce woman who was going to get even with someone. In a lowered voice, Old Mrs. Constance told John, ¡°You have to keep watch on her. Sophia may put her guard down when dealing with a rtive. If something goes wrong, that person may harm Sophia. You have to protect her.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. John nodded. ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Without waiting for John, Sophia reached for the car park. In reality, she wasn¡¯t keen on meeting that woman. She just wanted to settle the problem as quickly as possible. If this matter drags on, it¡¯ll remain a thorn in my heart, Sophia thought while waiting for John by the car. Coming over, John stroked her face and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be agitated when you meet herter. Whatever happens, I¡¯ll settle it for you.¡± Sophia grunted gently. In fact, she didn¡¯t need his help as she could settle this on her own. I¡¯m not afraid of anyone. While they were on the way to their destination, Sophia kept trying to recall her mother¡¯s name. They hadn¡¯t met for years, and she didn¡¯t have any fondness for her mother at all, so when she tried to think of her name, she realized that she had forgotten it. Just then, the sky started turning dark. A whileter, rain began pouring down rather than starting with a drizzle first. As she observed the movements of the wipers, her mother¡¯s name suddenly came to her mind. Kay Smith. Oh yes, the woman¡¯s name is Kay Smith. It¡¯s such an easy name to remember, but it¡¯s taken me a long time to recall it, Sophia thought. They were heading for a farmhouse instead of the warehouse in the suburbs. The house looked small and shabby. When John pulled over, the subordinate, who had been waiting in the yard with an umbre, came over. After John got out of the car, the subordinate said, ¡°She¡¯s inside. She¡¯s exhausted, but she still won¡¯t shut up.¡± The subordinate then passed an umbre to Sophia, who took it over, drew a deep breath and reached for the house. Standing just outside the yard, she could already hear a woman bawling and cursing in a hoarse voice inside the house. After pausing for a moment, she pushed open the gates and walked forward. The farmhouse should have been built a long time ago, as the building was in disrepair, and there weren¡¯t even any lights on. Upon calming herself down, Sophia stepped into the house and immediately saw a kitchen. Obviously, no one had used the kitchen for a long time. Although the kitchenware was nicely arranged, the whole ce just looked like a mess. She then turned into a corridor that was lined with two rooms. The woman¡¯s voice came from one of the rooms. With a heavy heart, she neared the room, which didn¡¯t even have a door. Inside the small room, a woman was seen tied to a wooden chair. The woman was wriggling her body. Although her voice had turned hoarse from all that yelling, she still wouldn¡¯t stop cursing. Standing in the doorway, Sophia stared at her. The wound on the woman¡¯s head remained untreated. Her head was drenched in so much blood that her features couldn¡¯t be seen clearly anymore, which was quite a frightening sight to behold. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 815 Chapter 815 Meanwhile, someone was crying in another room, which had a door. At that instant, Sophia knew who was inside. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. After cussing for a while, Kay noticed the person outside the room. Not recognizing Sophia, she started scolding her. Sophiaughed. Look. She is my mother, but she doesn¡¯t even recognize me when we¡¯re face-to-face. Then, the woman told Sophia, ¡°I¡¯m not going to get my wound treated. I want everyone to see how Sophia treats her own mother. She¡¯s told her people to beat me up. I¡¯m sure that monster will go to hell when she dies!¡± Staring at her mother, Sophia waited for her to stop cursing before saying, ¡°Who says I¡¯m going to treat your wound? Dream on. I¡¯m just here to see what you have up your sleeves. That¡¯s why I even bothereding all the way here.¡± As soon as Sophia spoke, Kay knew who she was. Stunned, she gazed at her daughter. When Walter and her ran away from home, Sophia was still a young kid who had just started learning to walk. At that time, their family was poor, so Sophia was thin and dirty, looking like a typical country bumpkin. Back to the present, the woman before her eyes was beautiful and curvy. Although Sophia was dressed in simple clothes, it was apparent that she was a rich woman now. Licking her lips, Kay said, ¡°Soph, you¡¯re finally here. I miss you so much.¡± Just like an excellent actress, tears started streaming down her face after she finished speaking. However, Sophia wasn¡¯t affected one bit. Knowing that her mother wasn¡¯t sincere, she just red at her. After wailing for a while, Kay writhed and demanded, ¡°Soph, release me immediately. Let me take a good look at you.¡± Sophia never moved a muscle. Just then, John came over and stood beside her. cing his palms on her shoulders, he persuaded her to leave it to him. ¡°You¡¯ve seen her now. Why don¡¯t you wait outside? I¡¯ll handle this.¡± When Kay saw John, she immediately realized his identity, so she kept calling him ¡®son-inw¡¯ in a dearer manner than when she was calling Sophia. She kept squirming in an attempt to drag the chair toward John. Unfortunately, not only did the chair not move one bit, but she had also lost her bnce and fallen sideway. Sophia just looked at her coldly without trying to help. Seeing as they never made a move, another subordinate in the house wasn¡¯t even sure if he should help her up. Rather than leaving, Sophia stepped into the room and walked up to the woman. Lowering her head to look at her, she said, ¡°Kay, you must have been suffering for years.¡± Kay¡¯s arm hit the ground just now, so she was groaning in pain currently. Hearing what Sophia said, she paused for a moment and replied, ¡°I¡¯m doing okay. Your sister is in another room. Why don¡¯t you go meet her? She¡¯s always wanted to see you.¡± Sophia put on a cial smile. ¡°I don¡¯t have a sister. Since the death of my grandpa, there were no more rtives of mine left in this world. I bet you don¡¯t know how much I hate you and Walter. Even in my dreams, I thought about how I could kill the two of you. I thought that I would never have the chance to do so, but I didn¡¯t expect that you would bring your daughter with you to look for me. What do you think I will do to her?¡± Kay was stunned for a moment as her lips twitched. Looking at Sophia in disbelief, she warned, ¡°Soph, she¡¯s your sister, so you must not harm her!¡± Sophia snorted and turned around to enter the other room, which wasn¡¯t locked. Upon opening the door, she saw a young girl inside. The young girl wasn¡¯t tied up, but she was afraid to get out. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 816 Chapter 816 With her eyes filled with tears, the young girl curled up in one corner of the room. Seeing Sophia, she trembled in fright. The young girl, who was only ten years old, hadn¡¯t experienced this kind of ordeal before, so she was frightened. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Walking up to her, Sophia crouched down. With a fearful expression, the young girl stared at Sophia as her tears streamed down her face. She doesn¡¯t look like me at all. No one could have guessed that we were born from the same mother, Sophia thought. Knowing Sophia¡¯s identity, the young girl stammered, ¡°I-I didn¡¯t want toe. S-She forced me to come with her. I was at school when she requested a leave for me.¡± As she was speaking, she avoided meeting Sophia¡¯s eyes. However, Sophia didn¡¯t like the way the young girl shifted all the me to her mother. If she really didn¡¯t want toe, Kay would never have been able to threaten her into doing so. With an impassive face, Sophia extended her hand and clenched the young girl¡¯s chin to make thetter meet her eyes. Horrified, the young girl shrieked hysterically. Hearing that, Kay became flustered in an instant. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t hurt your sister!¡± With a hoarse voice, she yelled in a way that was almost unintelligible. Ignoring her, Sophia exerted more force on her hand, which caused the young girl to scream louder. Kay kept yelling until she couldn¡¯t help but start bawling. In a weakened voice, she pleaded, ¡°me it all on me if you hate me. Don¡¯t hurt a young and innocent girl¡­¡± A young and innocent girl? I don¡¯t think so, Sophia thought cold-bloodedly. She remembered that when Kay gave her a phone call and made the young girl call her ¡®sister¡¯, the young girl did as she was told. When Kay asked the young girl to sing for Sophia, she obeyed the order as well. If she really didn¡¯t want to be dragged into this, she shouldn¡¯t have yed along with Kay in the first ce. Now that they¡¯re not able to extort money from me, she¡¯s iming this young girl is innocent? That¡¯s ridiculous, Sophia thought. As Sophia clenched the young girl¡¯s chin even harder, thetter¡¯s face was now practically covered in tears. Standing in the doorway, John kept watch on Sophia, for he was afraid that the young girl might harm her. Well, it seems that it¡¯s the other way round now. Gazing at Sophia, John felt sorry for her. Whatever problems she had to face, she would always tackle them bravely. Even if she had to deal with these nasty people, she wouldn¡¯t seek anyone¡¯s help. Perhaps it was because she was used to relying on herself. Without any support in the past, she had learned to solve all the problems on her own. It was a good quality that she possessed, but it made John feel sympathetic for her. Afraid that Sophia might kill her, the young girl shouted, ¡°Mom,e here now! She wanna kill me! She wanna kill me!¡± As her chin was gripped, she couldn¡¯t speak clearly. Terrified, Kay bellowed, ¡°Sophia! Don¡¯t hurt your own sister!¡± With a cold expression, Sophia extended even more force on her hand, which caused the young girl to wail in pain. Hearing her daughter¡¯s plight, Kay was flustered and kept begging Sophia to stop. A whileter, when she still heard her daughter screaming, she couldn¡¯t help but start scolding Sophia. However, her usations against Sophia sounded rather unfounded, as they had never lived together before. All she could say was that Sophia was a monster who was cold-blooded enough to harm her own sister. When she was done with reprimanding Sophia, she gave it a thought and started ming the Gwendolyn Family instead. Initially, she was scolding Walter Gwendolyn. Then, she slowly shifted her me to Sophia¡¯s grandfather. ¡°He¡¯s such a useless old fart who didn¡¯t have enough wealth for his own son. Otherwise, Walter and I wouldn¡¯t have to run away from home!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 817 Chapter 817 When Kay was cursing Walter, Sophia didn¡¯t find any problem with it. She even thought that Kay was right, as Walter really was an incapable and irresponsible man. However, when Kay started cursing her grandfather, Sophia could no longer tolerate it. Standing up straight, she turned around and went back into Kay¡¯s room. Ignoring the fact that Kay was her mother, she directlynded a kick on her. ¡°Watch what you say! You have no right to scold my grandpa. If you dare say that again, I¡¯ll kill your daughter.¡± Sophia expended all her force when she kicked Kay¡¯s thigh, which caused thetter to gasp in pain. Keeping her mouth shut now, Kay red at Sophia, who gritted her teeth in a fury. Licking her lips, Kay understood that she had said the wrong thing, so she kept calling her ¡®Soph¡¯ and then said, ¡°She¡¯s your sister.¡± With her tears flowing down her face, Kay wailed, ¡°I have to admit that your dad and I have done the wrong thing, but your sister is innocent, so please don¡¯t harm her.¡± Looking down at her, Sophia said, ¡°Then she has herself to me for being your daughter.¡± With teary eyes, Kay simply looked at Sophia; perhaps it was because she had shouted for a long time that she couldn¡¯t utter a word now. After staring at Kay for a while, Sophia found the blood stain on her face unbearable to look at. She hesitated for a moment before returning to the young girl, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up. Terrified, the young girl cried again. Feeling impatient, Sophia demanded, ¡°Shut up and follow me.¡± When they reached the other room, she hurled the young girl to Kay¡¯s side. Seeing that her mother was lying on the ground, the young girl cried harder. Sophia threatened, ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you go to hell together? This is a suitable location for burying two corpses.¡± Not understanding that Sophia didn¡¯t really mean what she said, Kay kept yelling no and said, ¡°T-This is illegal. You can¡¯t do that to us.¡± Sophia grinned. ¡°Now that I¡¯m pregnant, I fear nothing. I¡¯m telling you, even if I get imprisoned, I have my own ways to get out.¡± Gripped by fear, Kay stared at Sophia. The young girl didn¡¯t really understand their conversation, but she knew that they were in a perilous situation. Unfortunately, she could do nothing but sob. Sophia eyed them coldly. No matter how sorrowful these people on the ground appeared to be, she remained unfeeling. Just then, John came over and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Alright. Let me handle this for you. Don¡¯t be too angry with these people. It¡¯s not worth it.¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes were fixed on the mother and daughter who were hugging each other on the ground. In a cial voice, she threatened, ¡°If the two of you wish to stay alive, get the hell out of this city by tomorrow. Otherwise, I will go hard on you.¡± Upon finishing her words, she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She was too agitated that her stomach felt unwell. Stroking her belly, she tried to stabilize her emotions before turning back to John. ¡°Please handle them for me. Leave no mercy for these people. Just throw them out of here.¡± After saying okay, John left the room with her and helped her get into the car. Then, he returned to the room. Inside the car, Sophia leaned against the seat as her expression turned impassive. Since her stomach still felt ufortable, she drew a deep breath and brushed her face with her hand. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 818 Chapter 818 Sophia wasn¡¯t crying. Rather than feeling sad, she was just a little tired. Just when she thought she could live a happy life with John, her biological mother came to trouble her. Before long, John came back into the car and stroked her face. Without Sophia having to ask, he said, ¡°They¡¯re leaving tomorrow, and they¡¯ve promised to never harass you again. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Sophia grunted in response. Knowing that it was useless for him to say anything at this point, as no one could console her except for herself, John simply heaved a sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± When the car started moving, Sophia exhaled slowly and said, ¡°From now on, I have no more rtives. Perhaps I should celebrate.¡± John turned to her, who was gazing out the window with an indifferent expression, as though she wasn¡¯t the one who said that just a moment ago. Then, he pulled her hand toward him and gripped it firmly. ¡°You still have me.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t give him any response. When they reached home, the sky had turned dark. After the car was parked in the garage, John helped Sophia get out of the car as they held hands and headed for the main building.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. At that moment, William was smoking in the yard just outside the main building. Clueless about why they had gone out, he greeted them when he saw them. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± John grunted and kept walking toward the living room with Sophia. Just then, William said, ¡°Your mom returned to her own home.¡± Stopping in his tracks, John turned to look at his father, whose expression was uneasy. William said after a cough, ¡°Well, your grandma told me that your mom had left.¡± In disbelief, Sophia gazed at William, who was seen with a bashful expression at such a mature age. Before John could speak, Sophia said, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s gone back to her own home because her family members don¡¯t want her to stay here. Given her identity, it¡¯s inappropriate for her to live here, and they¡¯re worried that your life will be affected, so they¡¯ve asked her to go home.¡± Surprised for a moment, William then nodded. ¡°I see. That¡¯s why she left.¡± Exhausted, Sophia turned to John. ¡°Will you stay here to chat with Master William? I¡¯m going to take a rest now.¡± Worried about her, John insisted on sending her to her room beforeing back down. When Sophia stepped into the house, she turned to look at William, who appeared to be anxious. Although she was in a bad mood, she was still amused by the look on William¡¯s face. After John brought Sophia to the bedroom and made her sit down, he returned to his father. Upon giving it a thought, Sophia fished out her phone and sent Matilda a message. It took Matilda a long time to reply to her. When her message came, she said that she was in a difficult situation. Sophia didn¡¯t quite understand the message. As a straightforward woman herself, she decided to give Matilda a call. When the call was connected, Matilda inquired in a lowered voice, ¡°Sophia, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you calling me at this hour?¡± Sensing that Matilda was apanied by someone, Sophia asked, ¡°Where are you? And what are you doing? I¡¯m bored, so I wanna chat with you.¡± Matilda replied, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m outside with a friend.¡± Why didn¡¯t I know that she has other friends? After some deliberation, Sophia questioned, ¡°Why are you still outside at night? It¡¯s dangerous.¡± Matilda answered, ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m going home soon.¡± Since she was a little busy, she told Sophia that she would call her backter. Sophia grunted and said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for your call.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 819 Chapter 819 After Matilda hung up the call, Sophia leaned against the bedhead and thought that something must have happened to her. Putting down the phone, she started spacing out. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Her stomach felt much better now. It seems that I was really too agitated just now. Anyway, the problem between Kay and I have been settled. From now on, I have nothing to do with her anymore. Hopefully, I won¡¯t see her again for the rest of my life. A whileter, Matilda gave Sophia a call. When the call was connected, she let out a sigh and lamented, ¡°It¡¯s killing me. Fortunately, you made the effort to call me just now, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have an excuse to leave.¡± Sophiaughed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened to you?¡± Smacking her lips, Matilda replied, ¡°After I returned home, my mom said it was embarrassing for me to keep pestering William, as the Constances would look down on me. So, she¡¯d arranged a date for me.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sophia asked in shock. ¡°You mean your mom made you go on a date? Well, she¡¯s really eager to marry you off again.¡± In fact, Matilda¡¯s mother didn¡¯t say it was a date. She just thought that Matilda had too few friends, so she decided to introduce a suitable man to her daughter. Since she didn¡¯t make it clear that it was a date, it was hard for Matilda to reject her. Earlier, the man called Matilda to ask her out. She didn¡¯t want to go, but the man¡¯s attitude was rather sincere. He just said that he felt bored after having dinner, so he decided to ask her out for a walk. Thinking to make it clear to the man that she wasn¡¯t looking for a new boyfriend, she agreed to it. Feeling curious, Sophia asked, ¡°What does the man look like? Inparison to Master William, who is more handsome?¡± Matilda burst intoughter. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to make aparison between them.¡± The man is gentle and he speaks in a slow manner. It seems that he¡¯s a mild-tempered man, Matilda thought. After thinking for a bit, Sophia smirked. ¡°Well, I think I will try to expose it to Master William that you went on a date, and I¡¯ll observe his reaction. When he found out that you had returned home, I could see that he was flustered. I¡¯m not telling this to console you. It was how he really reacted.¡± Matildaughed. ¡°Really? I¡¯m surprised.¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°Alright. You¡¯ll stay in your home for the time being, and I¡¯ll continue observing Master William. Since John could make the effort to make up with me, I believe that Master William can do the same. Just wait for him to go pick you up.¡± Meanwhile, John and William were having a chat in the yard in front of the main building. John had decided to tell his father why he and Sophia had gone out. William nodded. ¡°It¡¯s hard for us to console her since this is her own familial matter. If she thinks this is the best way to settle the problem, then let her be. I truly feel sorry for her. She had been living with her grandpa, so she didn¡¯t have any fondness for her parents. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be so steel- hearted.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± John said. He had visited Sophia¡¯s hometown before, so he knew that her living conditions were poor. In the small vige, most young men and women had left. With only old people and young kids around, life in the vige must have been hard. One of the vigers told John that Sophia had learned to wash clothes and cook food since young. During harvest season, she would help her grandfather out in the farnd. The harsh life she had to live eroded her yearning for her parents. Now that she had decided to make such a decision, no one had the right to say she was wrong. When their discussion about Sophia was over, William finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and asked what happened with Matilda. John replied, ¡°Oh, her mom thinks that it¡¯s inappropriate for her to stay here. Moreover, she¡¯s afraid that if you bring home someone you love one day, it¡¯ll be embarrassing for Mom. So, rather than waiting to fall into such an awkward situation, her mom told her to go home to spare the two of you the trouble.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 820 Chapter 820 William chuckled. ¡°Her mom has a lot to worry about, doesn¡¯t she?¡± John looked at his father. ¡°Of course she¡¯s worried, since this is a legitimate concern. When that really happens one day, it¡¯ll be humiliating for Mom. I think her mom has a point.¡± Falling silent, William tucked his hands into his pockets and looked into the distance. After a pause, John asked, ¡°Did Aunt Ynda contact you recently?¡± Startled for a moment, William grunted. ¡°She did call me, but it was nothing important. We simply had a chat. She said that she was bored being alone.¡± Initially, William didn¡¯t pick up her call, as he found it awkward. Since Ynda still had feelings for him, he decided that he should reject her in a steadfast manner. If he kept giving her hope, it would do no good for the both of them. Later, however, Ynda sent him a message to say that she didn¡¯t have any friends at her ce to have a chat. So, she just wanted to talk to him, and it was not because she still had feelings for him. She said that she didn¡¯t like to pester. Since William had made himself clear, she knew what she should do. Also, William knew that Ynda was a straightforward woman. Since she had said so, he decided to talk to her so that he wouldn¡¯t be seen as a petty person. John nodded. ¡°I see.¡± He didn¡¯t give ament, nor was he in any ce to give ament. William felt awkward at the mention of Ynda, so he added, ¡°There¡¯s really nothing between Ynda and me. Since she¡¯s said she¡¯s gotten over me, I believe she means it.¡± John grunted. ¡°I think so.¡± What was done couldn¡¯t be undone, so it was pointless for him to harp on this issue. After staying in the yard for a while longer, they returned to their own rooms. When John opened the door, he saw Sophia curled up on the bed, apparently asleep. Standing beside the bed, he lowered his head to observe her. With her body curled up, Sophia looked somewhat pitiful. Then, John entered the bathroom to wash up. When he came out and saw her still in the same position, he heaved a sigh before getting into the bed carefully, and pulled her into his embrace. Sophia didn¡¯t seem to be having a good dream. With her brows furrowed, she appeared to be sorrowful. Touching her be, John tried tofort her. ¡°Rx. You¡¯re in a safe ce.¡± Sophia called out ¡®Grandpa¡¯ in her dream. Feeling sorry for her, John hugged her tighter and let out a sigh. He was worried that he could never heal the trauma she had suffered from in her younger days. Sophia didn¡¯t sleep well for the entire night. At the break of dawn, she opened her eyes and saw John beside her. Getting out of the bed carefully, she put on a shirt and left the room. She decided to take a stroll in the backyard. At this hour, all the other people were still asleep, so the atmosphere in the mansion was rather quiet. After stepping out of the house through the backdoor, she headed for the bamboo forest. In the morning, the bamboo leaves were covered with dew. Sophia slowly walked up the hill, but before she could reach the top, she was already panting heavily, so she decided to halt her steps. Seeing a rock nearby, she took a seat on it for a rest. A whileter, she heard footsteps from further up the trail. Unafraid, she kept staring at the road. When she saw the personing over, she smiled. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve woken up pretty early.¡± Seeing her, Dn was surprised. ¡°Why are you alone?¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia replied, ¡°Oh, I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I decided to have a walk.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 821 Chapter 821 Walking up to Sophia, Dn replied, ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep as well. It felt really boring to be on the bed, so I decided toe take a walk.¡± There was some morning dew on his hair. Since the rock wasrge enough to amodate two people, Sophia asked, ¡°Do you want to take a rest?¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Dn gave it a look and took a seat beside her. Gazing at the view beyond the bamboo forest, Sophiamented, ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing this view in the morning. It feels good.¡± Dn shed a smile at her. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the view countless times, so I¡¯m rather used to it now.¡± After a pause, Sophia said, ¡°John told me that you¡¯re responsible for dealing with the Baileys now. Has it been troublesome for you?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Dn smacked his lips. ¡°After I took over the responsibility, the Baileys assigned someone else to deal with me. I wonder why.¡± Knowing the reason behind that, Sophia pressed her lips together without uttering a word. Dn continued, ¡°Isabelle came to ourpany some time ago. After a chat, I found her to be a pushover. She didn¡¯t seem to have her own opinions.¡± His remark surprised Sophia, for she had always believed that Isabelle was an opinionated person. Then, Dn went on to say, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s got something to do with the environment she has grown up in. After all, she¡¯s a woman, and she has a brother, so she¡¯s destined to not take over thepany. She¡¯s just managing thepany for the time being.¡± Although Sophia didn¡¯t understand Isabelle¡¯s family matters, she knew that thetter had a brother. After giving it a thought, she asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it wonderful to have a daughter and a son?¡± Dn nodded. ¡°It¡¯s indeed great to have a daughter and a son at the same time, but to the Baileys, maybe a daughter isn¡¯t so important.¡± Sophia fell silent, for she thought that men were only valued more than women in the vige, as men were needed to work on the farnds. Since men were strong, they were naturally in a more preferable position. Sophia knew that was the norm in the vige, but she didn¡¯t understand why the same thing happened in the city. Dn chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s just how I feel. Maybe that¡¯s not really the case.¡± After sitting for a while longer, Dn had to go back. Not wanting to return yet, Sophia insisted upon staying here. Nodding, Dn told her to be careful and turned to leave. Momentster, Sophia¡¯s phone started ringing in her pocket. She thought it was John, but after checking the screen, she was surprised to learn that it was Logan instead. It was really unusual for him to call her at this hour, so she immediately epted the call. However, the caller was one of Logan¡¯s subordinates instead of himself. The subordinate was speaking in a lowered voice. Apparently, he decided to call Sophia without Logan¡¯s knowledge. Frowning, Sophia asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, can youe over to the clubhouse? Our boss is throwing a tantrum, but no one is able to calm him down,¡± the subordinate said. Feeling surprised, Sophia questioned, ¡°Why is he mad? What happened?¡± Having no clue himself, the subordinate replied in a hushed tone, ¡°I think he was beaten up. I can see there¡¯s a bruise on his face, but I dared not ask him about it.¡± Sophia stood up straight. ¡°He¡¯s beaten up?¡± She could never believe that Logan was harmed. Given his temper, even if someone had the guts to attack him, he would surely retaliate immediately. The employees at the clubhouse were stunned that Logan came to the ce in the morning and started breaking everything for no reason while cursing in an iprehensible manner. Since he was rarely so incensed, the employees didn¡¯t dare approach him nor ask him what happened. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 822 Chapter 822 After Logan hurled away his phone, one of the employees caught it and went away to call Sophia in secret, trying to seek for her help. As Sophia was walking down the hill, she said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going over. Is he still making a fuss?¡± The employee replied, ¡°Yes. It¡¯ssted for a long time. I thought he would take a rest when he was exhausted, but he just wouldn¡¯t stop.¡± Sophia was amused. It¡¯s really tough for the employees of the clubhouse. I can¡¯t believe that Logan was harmed though. Well, this is some exciting news. When Sophia returned to the mansion, John happened to be looking for her. He knew that she would go to the bamboo forest. After Sophia told him what happened to Logan, she said she had to get changed and go to the clubhouse. Upon learning that Logan was beaten up, John was surprised. ¡°There¡¯s no way he¡¯s attacked. Given his temper, he would have taken revenge on the spot.¡± Excited, Sophia said, ¡°That¡¯s why I have to go over to find out more.¡± Then, she stepped into the living room and went upstairs.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Standing on the spot, John gazed at her figure from behind. It seems that she¡¯s forgotten what happened yesterday. That¡¯s good. Without having breakfast, John and Sophia got changed and headed for the clubhouse. As expected, Logan was still making a scene. Two servants were guarding the entrance to block out other outsiders. Seeing Sophia and John, the servants rushed over and weed them in as though they were their saviors. Walking in, Sophia could already hear Logan¡¯s grumpy voice. Oh wow, he¡¯s been making a fuss for a long time, but his voice is still loud and clear. Afraid that Sophia might be harmed identally, John led the way while she followed behind him. When they entered the hall, they could see all the mess on the floor. It seemed that Logan was truly infuriated, for he had broken up valuable items like crystal sses, porcin vases, and some jade ornaments that were originally disyed in the cupboards; even the animal-shaped ornament on the counter was hurled to the ground. The broken ornament was neither made of jade nor ss, so it was apparent to Sophia that Logan was truly incensed. Inside the room, Logan was cursing things like ¡®a**hole¡¯, ¡®brainless¡¯, ¡®trash¡¯, and so on. It was hard to comprehend what he was trying to say. While he was cursing, he was still breaking things up. Sophia tutted. ¡°I didn¡¯t know he has so much stamina.¡± cing his palms on her shoulders, John said, ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll check on him.¡± When the door was opened, Logan was seen with reddened eyes, his expression ferocious. Basically all the items in the room had been destroyed. Near the entrance, some servants were keeping watch on him, but no one dared to approach him. Standing in the doorway, John called out to Logan, who was kicking a couch repeatedly. The table had been turned over, and the room looked like a tornado had swept across it. Hearing John¡¯s voice, Logan slowly came to his senses and turned to him. Since he was still infuriated, he didn¡¯t sound very friendly. ¡°Why are you here?¡± John stepped into the room and took a look. ¡°Why are you so mad? Are you trying to demolish this ce?¡± After looking around, Logan suddenly raised his leg andnded a kick on a table. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 823 Chapter 823 The table was already broken. After the kick, it became disassembledpletely. Incensed, Logan snarled, ¡°D*mn it! I¡¯ve never been treated like this before!¡± When the sound of things being broken stopped, Sophia walked in and said with a smile, ¡°Logan, you have a pretty loud voice. I could hear you cursing from outside the room.¡± Seeing her, Logan was startled for a moment and turned back around reflexively. Despite his swift movement, Sophia could catch a glimpse of the bruise on his cheek. It seems that he was really beaten up. The sight amused Sophia. After that, she took a look at the mess and shook her head. ¡°Even if you break all the things here, it doesn¡¯t solve any problem. Logan, it¡¯s really not worth it that you¡¯re so enraged.¡± With his arms akimbo, Logan blurted, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she¡­ she¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. With a raised brow, Sophia said, ¡°Come on. We¡¯ll go out and have a talk. Tell some people to clean up this ce. If you don¡¯t stop now, your business will have to close down.¡± Logan never moved a muscle. Walking over, John took his arm. As though he had found an excuse, Logan followed him out of the room. Sophia gesticted at the servants, who got her hint and went over to clean up the ce. The three of them then went upstairs to a room. After opening the window, Logan ced his palms on his hips and took a deep breath. It was apparent to the other two that Logan hadn¡¯t fully vented out his anger after breaking those things up. After closing the door, Sophia walked up to him and stared at him in a serious manner. Knowing that she was trying to examine his bruise, Logan looked away in uneasiness and snorted. Unable to hold it back anymore, Sophia burst outughing. ¡°Logan, there¡¯s some ¡®dirt¡¯ on your face. Let me help you wipe it off.¡± Logan dodged her. ¡°Stop mocking me. You know what that is on my face.¡± Sophia guffawed. ¡°Please tell me who was brave enough to do what we¡¯ve always wanted to do but never have the courage to act on.¡± Logan drew a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that she¡¯s injured, I would have landed a kick on her and sent her to hell.¡± After a pause, he continued, ¡°Just ask around and you¡¯ll know that no one has the guts to treat me like this. Even Bryce Morgan did not dare to touch me when I was making a scene at his home. No one has everid a hand on me before! It¡¯s really the f*cking first time! What the heck?!¡± Despite his incoherentnguage, Sophia finally understood what he was trying to say. Keeping the smile on her face, she asked, ¡°How did you get hurt? Didn¡¯t you dodge the attack?¡± Infuriated, Logan replied, ¡°You have no idea what was going on. I didn¡¯t expect that when we were having an argument, she would suddenly attack me. I was caught off guard.¡± Unable to hold it back as well, John burst intoughter. Smiling in a helpless manner, Sophia thought, Sometimes, Logan is really adorable. Then, she took Logan¡¯s arm to make him face her in an attempt to examine the bruise on his face. In fact, it wasn¡¯t serious, but it had be conspicuous after some time. Raising her hand, Sophia helped massage his bruise. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Without flinching or anything, Logan replied, ¡°Not really.¡± So, he isn¡¯t badly hurt. He was throwing a tantrum simply because he was humiliated, Sophia thought. She closed her lips tightly so that she wouldn¡¯t burst outughing. After calming herself down, she asked, ¡°The person who hit you¡­ Was it Officer¡­¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 824 Chapter 824 Sophia had wanted to ask if it was Officer Hunt who hurt Logan, but she suddenly recalled that the latter was no longer a policewoman. Understanding her doubt, Logan replied, ¡°L Hunt.¡± Sophia asked, ¡°Oh, was it her who hurt you?¡± Gritting his teeth, Logan growled, ¡°Who would have the guts to do this other than that b*tch?¡± Recalling that Robin told her before that Logan was at the hospital some time ago, Sophia questioned, ¡°Was she injured? Did you pay her a visit at the hospital some time ago?¡± Logan seemed startled that she knew this, for he looked embarrassed for a second. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there to visit her. I just wanted to find out whether she was dead. I heard that she almost lost her life during a mission. After that, her family members didn¡¯t want her to continue working as a policewoman, so they made a fuss at the police station every day to get her to quit.¡± Pursing his lips, he continued, ¡°Two days ago, she was injured again. I was thinking that since she was hurt again after such a short period of time, I had to find out if she could survive. I wasn¡¯t paying her a visit. You have to understand that there¡¯s a fundamental difference between these two scenarios.¡± Standing on the side, John questioned, ¡°Why are you exining so much? The more you exin, the more it seems that you¡¯re hiding something.¡± Rendered speechless, Logan decided not to utter a word again. Sophia found it novel, for she had never seen Logan in such a state before. Staring at him, she said, ¡°But you¡¯ve really gone overboard today. If you¡¯re not happy, you can tell us about it. It¡¯s much better than, say, going mad and breaking things up. Now you have to repurchase all the things you¡¯ve destroyed. What¡¯s the point of it?¡± However, she could understand why Logan reacted in such a way, for he had never experienced this kind of humiliation before. Gazing at his bruise, she concluded that it didn¡¯t really need any treatment. On the other hand, she was curious about what happened between L and him. Leaning on the window sill, she looked at Logan and asked, ¡°What did you tell L when you went to the hospital some time ago?¡± After shooting her a look, Logan replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything to her. I was just there to ascertain whether she was dead or not. What do you think I¡¯d tell her? Would I give her a constion or something?¡± His haughty expression was rather annoying. Sophia felt that L must have been resentful of him for a long time, so thetter snapped and attacked him at that moment. After taking a look at his wristwatch, John said, ¡°You haven¡¯t had your breakfast, right? Let¡¯s go find a ce to eat. I have to go to workter.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Hearing that, Sophia nodded. ¡°Right. In order to look for you, we didn¡¯t have our breakfast. Let¡¯s go now. It¡¯s time you¡¯ve calmed down.¡± With a long face, Logan followed them out of the clubhouse as they looked for a restaurant. After finding an eatery that was bustling with diners, they took a seat outside. In a bad mood, Logan didn¡¯t have any appetite to eat. Ignoring him, Sophia ordered three breakfast sets and gulped down a ss of milk. After holding it in for a long time, Logan began rambling again. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, no man will ever fall in love with that tomboy. I think she¡¯ll live the rest of her life alone.¡± At that instant, Sophia and John traded nces and smiled at each other. In fact, Logan didn¡¯t need anyone to reply to him, as he just wanted to keep babbling on his own. After a snort, he continued, ¡°You have no idea how arrogant that injured woman was at the hospital. Who does she think she is? I just didn¡¯t want to bring myself down to her level. Otherwise¡­¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 825 Chapter 825 Raising his hand, Logan rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. ¡°I could kill her any time, you know?¡± Not responding to him, Sophia and John just let him keep rattling on. After the restaurant owner served the food, Sophia stopped listening to Logan and started enjoying her food. Upon rambling for a while longer, Logan lowered his head and looked at the food on the table. Having made a fuss for a long time, he had expended most of his energy. Smelling the aroma of the food now, he realized that he was hungry. Pressing his lips together, he gazed at the other two and saw that they were not willing to respond to him. After giving it a thought, he decided to keep his mouth shut and started nibbling at the food. Finding it amusing, Sophia smiled. When they were done with having breakfast, John had to go to work. Since Sophia had nothing else to do, she decided to follow Logan back to his clubhouse. Then, she called Matilda to invite her toe over. Though surprised at first, Matilda then agreed to it. Seated in the private room of the clubhouse, Sophia gazed at the still grumpy Logan and asked, ¡°How did you and L fall into an argument? What made her decide to punch you?¡± Agitated at the mention of the fact that he was punched, Logan said, ¡°I didn¡¯t put my guard up since she is a woman. Otherwise, she could never have harmed me.¡± Hearing that, Sophia nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m asking what the argument was about that she had toy a hand on you.¡± At that instant, Logan couldn¡¯t recall what the argument was about. He just said many nasty things to her. L has always been resentful of me. I have a feeling that she had wanted to hit me for a long time. That b*tch is seriously a daredevil. Logan replied, ¡°I can¡¯t remember. Maybe I said something like she deserved to be injured. I said many things, so I couldn¡¯t remember clearly. With one arm broken, that woman jumped up and hit me. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she¡¯s wounded, I would havended a kick on her, which would have prolonged her stay in the hospital.¡± Sophia nodded and praised him instead. ¡°Fortunately, you didn¡¯t really harm her. A real man doesn¡¯ty his hand on a woman.¡± Logan¡¯s face twitched. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m saying you¡¯re a gentleman.¡± After making Logan sit down, she continued, ¡°Rx. Why are you being so uptight? Since the matter is over, you should stop thinking about it.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The matter is over, but I¡¯m not done with her. Other than my four sisters, I had never been punched by another woman before. What the heck! I was stupefied when that happened. That was totally out of my expectation. After she hit me, she even called me a piece of trash. I can still remember vividly her tone and her contemptuous gaze at that moment. Given the short distance between us, if I really kicked her, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge it. After giving it a thought, I decided against doing it. Some time ago, she was trying to catch a thief and eventually managed to bring him back to the police station. However, she was wounded during the process. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she was injured, I would have taken revenge on the spot, Logan thought to himself. A whileter, Matilda arrived at the clubhouse. With her hair tied in a ponytail, she was d in casual clothes, looking lively. Walking up to Sophia, she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to meet that manter.¡± Understanding what she meant, Sophia asked, ¡°You mean the man your mother has introduced to you?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 826 Chapter 826 Matilda nodded. ¡°Yes. He said that he had identally split the curtain in his home yesterday, so he wanted me to choose a new one with him. Initially, I didn¡¯t want to go, but my mom agreed to his request for me, so I¡¯m left with no choice now.¡± After that, she gave Logan a nce. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him? He seems displeased.¡± At that instant, she noticed the bruise on his face, so she frowned. ¡°Did he identally bump into any object or something?¡± Sure enough, no one would have imagined that Logan was attacked. Even his father doesn¡¯t dare to lay a hand on him, for Logan will certainly retaliate. Why would anyone have the courage to punch him in the face? Sophia thought. Logan turned to look at Sophia, who replied, ¡°Oh, after we had breakfast, he crashed into the ss door because he wasn¡¯t paying attention. You can see how hard he hurt himself.¡± Having no idea of what had happened earlier, Matilda trusted her words. After examining the bruise, shemented, ¡°Poor thing. The bruise looks serious.¡± Feeling uneasy, Logan touched his face and looked away. Since he was in a bad mood, he didn¡¯t suggest ying poker even when they were around. Sitting beside him, Matilda said, ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you didn¡¯t invite us to y poker today.¡± After letting out a sigh, Logan replied, ¡°No. Considering the state I¡¯m in, I¡¯ll be destroyed by the rest of you in the game.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Matildaughed. ¡°Even if you¡¯re energetic, you will still be destroyed by the rest of us.¡± When she didn¡¯t get a response from him, Matilda was surprised. Logan wasn¡¯t a man who would ept criticisms. Normally, when he was criticized, he would rebuke that person immediately. It was rare for him to simply fall silent after being mocked. Staring at him, Matilda decided against voicing her doubt, even though she was curious. Knowing that Logan wasn¡¯t in the mood, Sophia started asking Matilda about the man thetter was going to date. Looking embarrassed, Matilda replied, ¡°It isn¡¯t a date. We¡¯re just going to meet up and have a chat. Seriously, this is not a date.¡± Amused by the look on her face, Sophia said, ¡°Since the both of you are adults, it doesn¡¯t have to be said out clearly. Even if you don¡¯t think it¡¯s a date, the man may think otherwise. What if he thinks that you¡¯ve agreed to go out with him because you¡¯re somewhat fond of him? What will you do?¡± Upon heaving a sigh, Matilda said, ¡°Yesterday, I made it clear to him that it was my mom who had arranged the date, and I wasn¡¯t looking for a boyfriend. However, he said that he could understand the situation I was in and insisted that we could start getting in touch as friends first.¡± With her lips curled up, Sophia shook her head. ¡°This man is smart. I have a feeling that if you keep in touch with him, you will be put at a disadvantage.¡± Matilda was a rather simple-minded woman, while the man was obviously a sophisticated and experienced man, so she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to gain an upper hand in their contact with each other. Not minding it one bit, Matilda replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t intend to get in touch with him frequently anyway. I just want my mom to stop nagging me now.¡± Then, she went on to talk about the man¡¯s background. The man was divorced. After his former wife fell in love with a foreigner, she brought their kid with her to settle in another country. He had remained single for many years now. Although he ran a sessful business, his achievement wasn¡¯tparable to William¡¯s. While William inherited thepany from his father, the man started from scratch. Hence, the man could be considered to be more sessfulpared to other entrepreneurs. Upon learning his background, Sophia grunted. ¡°It seems that he¡¯s a nice guy.¡± Matildaughed. ¡°Whether he¡¯s nice or not, I won¡¯t get together with him.¡± Although the man is polite and gentle, he justcks a certain quality that I like. Anyway, he¡¯s not my cup of tea, Matilda thought. A whileter, her phone started ringing. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 827 Chapter 827 The man called to ask where Matilda was, and that he was going over to fetch her. After pping Matilda¡¯s shoulder, Sophia pointed at herself. Looking surprised for a moment, Matilda then nodded and told the man that she was going with a friend. Listening to their conversation, Sophia could tell that the man was taken aback. Quicklyposing himself, he agreed to it and said he would arrive shortly. After the call ended, Sophia turned to Logan. ¡°Logan, you should get some sleep. It¡¯s obvious that you never had a shut-eyest night. Matilda and I are leaving soon.¡± Since Logan was indeed exhausted, he nodded. He didn¡¯t have a proper sleepst night, and in the morning, he was punched in the face by L. Up until this point, he still couldn¡¯t believe what had happened as his mind was buzzing. After examining Logan¡¯s expression for a while, Matilda finally realized that something was amiss. Usually, he isn¡¯t like this. Just then, the man arrived at the clubhouse. Before leaving with Matilda, Sophia turned to Logan. ¡°Stop thinking about it and take a good rest, alright?¡± Logan nodded. ¡°Got it. Go ahead. I need some alone time.¡± When Sophia and Matilda stood by the car, the window was rolled down. At that instant, Sophia could see the man in the car. He looks alright. I guess he¡¯s younger than William by a few years. As a sessful middle-aged man, he¡¯s rather charming. When the man saw Sophia, he was stunned. Since Matilda said she wasing with a friend, he thought that the person was of a simr age as Matilda. However, he didn¡¯t expect that her friend was a youngdy. Upon getting into the car, Sophia said hi to the man, who smiled in response. ¡°Hi. I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re Matilda¡¯s friend.¡± Leaning close to Matilda, Sophia draped her arms around thetter¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Madam Flintstone is young at heart, so we became good friends quickly.¡± With a smile, the man stepped on the gas pedal. Momentster, Sophia fished out her phone and sent John a message to tell him what was going on. Surprised, John questioned, ¡®Are you serious?¡¯ ¡®Why would I be lying? I¡¯m in that man¡¯s car right now,¡¯ Sophia texted. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After a while, John replied, ¡®Got it.¡¯ Amused, Sophia believed that John understood what she was trying to say. After putting down the phone, she turned to look at Matilda, who appeared to be uneasy. It was apparent to her that Matilda still couldn¡¯t be herself in the man¡¯s presence. When they reached a street lined with shops on both sides, the man pulled over in front of a shop that sold only curtains. After getting out of the car, he said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with curtains, so I hope the two of you will help me choose a nice color.¡± Knowing that the man had an ulterior motive, Sophia nodded. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get in. What does the interior of your house look like? I have to look for a matching curtain.¡± Upon fishing out his phone, the man showed them the photos of his house¡¯s interior. Judging from the photos, he lived in a nice house with exquisite decorations. Sure enough. Otherwise, Matilda¡¯s mother wouldn¡¯t have her eye on this man, Sophia thought. After stepping into the shop, Sophia and Matilda started looking around, while the man followed them. In fact, he was a really nice guy. When Sophia and Matilda were having a discussion, he would give his view. It seems that he does have a high standard of living, Sophia thought. Time went by quickly as they looked around. After taking a look at her wristwatch, Sophia went somewhere else to give John a call. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 828 Chapter 828 Sophia asked John if he wanted to have lunch with her. Knowing what she was trying to do, John smiled and asked for her location. After Sophia told him her location, John said, ¡°I¡¯m going with my dad.¡± Amused, Sophia replied, ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± After the call ended, she turned to look at Matilda and the man, who were still trying to choose a suitable curtain. They look like a couple trying to choose a piece of furniture for their home. I¡¯m curious to know how William will react when he sees this. It¡¯s so exciting! Sophia thought. Meanwhile, Matilda and the man still couldn¡¯t decide which one to buy. As a woman, she would naturally want topare prices between a few shops before she could make a decision. Walking over, Sophia said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the afternoon now. Why don¡¯t we have lunch first? We cane backter.¡± The man took a look at the time. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s lunch time now.¡± Turning to Matilda, he asked, ¡°Shall we have lunch now?¡± Matilda grunted. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± Mainly, she was worried about Sophia. Since Sophia was pregnant now, she would get hungry easily. After leaving the shop, they walked along the road for some time until they found a proper restaurant. Since no one was paying attention to her, Sophia took a photo of the restaurant and sent it to John. Then, she kept her phone and followed them into the ce. Since it was lunch time, the restaurant was packed with people. The waiter told them that there was no more private room left. That¡¯s great! We don¡¯t want any private room. Sophia nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll take a table in the hall.¡± Seeing as there was an empty table by the window, they walked over and took a seat. Upon gazing out the window, Sophia found the location strategic, as she could look at the moving crowd outside the restaurant. After the waiter put down the menus, Sophia said with a smile, ¡°Please order your favorite food. I¡¯m fine with anything.¡± While the other two were going through the menu, Sophia sent another message to John, who replied promptly, ¡®We¡¯ll arrive shortly.¡¯ Smirking, Sophia felt that she had put in effort to try to mend the rtionship between William and Matilda. After they ordered some dishes, the waiter left. Looking at the man, Sophia asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Coming to his senses, the man replied, ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯ve forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Richard Drake.¡± Upon learning his name, Sophia nodded. ¡°Hi, Mr. Drake.¡± Gazing at them, Richard inquired, ¡°How did the two of you be friends? I¡¯m really surprised.¡± Batting her eyes, Sophia replied, ¡°Oh, actually, she¡¯s my mom.¡± Hearing that, Richard was astounded. He knew that Matilda was divorced, and she had a son, but he wasn¡¯t aware that she had a daughter as well. Sophia guffawed. ¡°Well, she¡¯s my mother-inw, so she¡¯s practically my mom as well.¡± Richard said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no wonder that I find you familiar. I¡¯ve read about your news before.¡± Sophiaughed in a mirthless manner. ¡°I¡¯m sure you had read bad news about me.¡± ¡°No no no, it¡¯s just a piece of unbiasedmentary,¡± Richard hurriedly exined. ¡°Anyway, you look more beautiful in real life than the photo in the news.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. With a smile, Sophia thanked him. When the waiter was serving foodter, Sophia finally saw John¡¯s car. John pulled over in front of the restaurant and got out of the vehicle, followed by William, who apparently had no clue why his son brought him here. When William turned to look into the restaurant, Sophia immediately shifted her attention to the waiter, who was putting down the dishes on their table. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 829 Chapter 829 Failing to notice Sophia and Matilda, William followed John into the restaurant. In a puzzled manner, he asked, ¡°Why do we have toe all the way here to have lunch?¡± Without responding to his father, John looked around. In fact, it wasn¡¯t hard to locate Sophia. Seeing her, John grinned and turned to his father. ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t we¡ª¡± Oh excellent, he¡¯s seen Mom, John thought. With a serious expression, William was staring in the direction of Matilda, frowning all the while. After giving it a thought, John took his father¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a seat first?¡± Although William was displeased, he let his son pull him toward an empty table. After ncing at John from the corner of her eyes for a while, Sophia pulled Matilda¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Hey, I see someone familiar.¡± Matilda replied, ¡°Oh, who is it? Do you wanna say hi to the person?¡± Sophia smacked her lips. ¡°I think I¡¯d better not.¡± With that, she pointed in the direction of William secretly. When Matilda turned around and saw William, she immediately turned her head back. Lowering her head, she said in a lowered voice, ¡°Sophia, you framed me!¡± Laughing, Sophia pped Matilda¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not framing you. Look, this is the perfect opportunity to test William¡¯s love for you.¡± Seeing the secretive behavior of the other two, Richard smiled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What is it that I¡¯m not allowed to hear?¡± Gazing at him, Sophia replied, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯s just that I saw my dad.¡± Staring at her, Richard was taken aback, as he hadn¡¯t managed to understand what she meant. Sophia didn¡¯t give an exnation. Since the main yers were all around, her job was done, so she lowered her head and continued nibbling on her food. On the other hand, Matilda did not dare to look at William. Although she had done nothing wrong, she felt somewhat guilty being with another man. When John was seated, he started ordering food. Without looking at Matilda, William questioned, ¡°You know your mom is here?¡± With his brow raised, John didn¡¯t shift his attention from the menu. ¡°Sophia did tell me they are here, but I didn¡¯t know they are apanied by a man.¡± After the waiter left, William looked in the direction of Matilda in a stealthy manner. Knowing that William was in the same ce, Matilda appeared to be uneasy. Then, William shifted his attention to the man opposite of her. Well, he looks ordinary. Are they dating or what? Her preference for men is questionable. At least she should look for a more handsome man. This man here is so average. A momentter, William retracted his gaze and crossed his legs. ¡°Now I know why your mom went home.¡± Leaning against the chair, John replied, ¡°Maybe her father is eager to marry her off. After all, Mom isn¡¯t young anymore, so she can¡¯t waste any time.¡± Pressing his lips together, William felt silent. Meanwhile, Matilda was so flustered that she didn¡¯t respond to Richard when she was asked a question. The look on Matilda¡¯s face made Sophiaugh. It seems that I don¡¯t have to do anything now. Upon finishing her food, Sophia rose from her chair. ¡°I¡¯m done. The two of you, please continue chatting. This is my first time here, so I wanna look around.¡± Without reading too much into it, Richard nodded. ¡°Alright. Be careful.¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Chuckling, Sophia turned to leave. When she passed by John, she pped his shoulder, which made him giggle. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 830 Chapter 830 On the other hand, William sported a somber expression. Upon taking a nce at William, Sophia left the restaurant. After waiting for a bit, John rose from the chair as well and stepped out of this ce. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Outside the entrance, when Sophia saw John, she quickly asked, ¡°What was your dad¡¯s reaction when he saw Matilda? Was he angry? Or was he jealous?¡± Smirking, John raised his hand and stroked her head. ¡°We¡¯ll see. I¡¯m not sure what he makes of it.¡± Pouting, Sophiained, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I have to worry about their love life.¡± Upon looking around, John said, ¡°I don¡¯t think we can have our lunch here anymore. Let¡¯s look for a new restaurant.¡± After Sophia and John left, William remained seated as he waited for his food to be served. John knew that he wouldn¡¯t stay here for long, so he only ordered a few dishes. Looking at the food on the table, William had lost his appetite. Picking up a fork, he jabbed it into the food, but he then put it down again. Leaning against the chair, his expression was impassive. Meanwhile, Matilda also wasn¡¯t in the mood to enjoy her food as she was gripped by uneasiness. Noticing her unusual behavior, Richard asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Letting out a sigh, Matilda replied, ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± After a moment of contemtion, she gazed at him and said, ¡°I saw my ex-husband.¡± Startled, Richard questioned, ¡°He¡¯s here?¡± Matilda nodded. ¡°He¡¯s not far from us.¡± Grinning, Richard said, ¡°It¡¯s no wonder that Miss Gwendolyn left in a hurry.¡± At that instant, Matilda didn¡¯t know what to say. In fact, this wasn¡¯t really an embarrassing situation. All she had to do was go over and say hi, and the matter would be over. However, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it. After looking around, Richard noticed William as well, even though he didn¡¯t know him. Since William was a man who liked to keep a low profile, he would normally shun interviews, and there were not many news articles about him, so Richard simply found him familiar. He noticed that William never touched his food, and he seemed to be displeased about something. After staring at William for a while, Richardughed and said to Matilda, ¡°I think your ex-husband saw us as well.¡± Of course he saw us, because Sophia had asked John to bring his father here. Certainly, they would make sure that William would notice me the moment they came into this restaurant, Matilda thought. Licking her lips, she hesitated for a bit and said, ¡°Can you wait for me here? I¡¯ll go over and say hi.¡± Gazing at her, Richard said, ¡°Do you want me to go with you?¡± Matilda shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I can do this on my own.¡± If hees with me, the situation will be awkward, seeing as we¡¯re not in any rtionship. If I bring him to see William, it will make him misunderstand things. Without insisting, Richard grunted. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡± Upon rising from the chair, Matilda walked toward William, who was seen with an indifferent expression. Standing by his side, Matilda summoned her courage and said, ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Without turning to her, William remained in the same position. Still, Matilda decided to take a seat and continued, ¡°I saw John just now. Why did the two of youe all the way here?¡± Locking his eyes with her, Williamposed himself and replied, ¡°John insisted on bringing me here. I guess he did it intentionally.¡± With an embarrassed expression, Matilda licked her lips. ¡°The man is just a friend who needs my help.¡± At this point, William understood that Matilda wasn¡¯t dating the man, since Sophia had tagged along. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 831 Chapter 831 William nodded. ¡°I see.¡± Matilda went on to say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I left your home the other day without informing you. My family wanted me to go home immediately.¡± Forcing a smile, she said, ¡°Nevertheless, I don¡¯t think you care about this.¡± Without continuing this topic, William raised his chin to point in the direction of Richard. ¡°Are you dating him?¡± ¡°No no no,¡± Matilda exined hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯m not dating him. He¡¯s just a friend.¡± William turned to nce at Richard again, who happened to look in his direction as well. As a confident man, Richard shed a smile at William, whose expression remained cial. After a pause, William said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know you have this friend?¡± Behaving like a cheating student who was caught red-handed by the teacher, Matilda answered in an honest manner, ¡°We got to know each other two days ago. My mom said he¡¯s a nice guy¡ª¡± Noticing that she had said it in an inappropriate way, Matilda caught herself and rephrased her words. ¡°Well, since I don¡¯t have many friends, my mom told me to try to make new friends and¡­ that¡¯s what happened.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Why do I feel that the more I exin, the more it sounds suspicious? Eventually, Matilda decided to keep her mouth shut so that the misunderstanding wouldn¡¯t worsen. William gave her a dispassionate smile. Lowering her head, Matilda noticed that he had never touched his food. At that instant, she wasn¡¯t sure what he made of the situation now. Is he angry with me? But he doesn¡¯t look like it, even though he seems different from his usual self. Matilda was perplexed. Honestly, since they were divorced, William didn¡¯t have a reason to be mad. At any rate, Matilda wouldn¡¯t dare to think that he was jealous. Seeing as Matilda never returned, Richard finished his food and walked over. Feeling more confident than William, Richard said, ¡°Hi, Mr. William. I¡¯ve always wanted to meet you.¡± Not knowing who Richard was, William gazed at him and asked, ¡°You are?¡± He sounded rather impolite, as he didn¡¯t even greet Richard. Not feeling embarrassed at all, Richard grinned and introduced himself. Upon hearing his introduction, William nodded in a perfunctory manner. ¡°Hi.¡± Feeling uneasy, Matilda turned to Richard and questioned in a lowered voice, ¡°Why did youe over?¡± Speaking in his normal volume, Richard replied, ¡°Since you were noting back, I decided toe over instead.¡± The smiling tone in his words sounded like it was a banter between a couple. After staring at Richard for a while, William slowly rxed his furrowed eyebrows. Upon finishing his words, Richard asked Matilda, ¡°Are you done with lunch? Do you want more?¡± Matilda shook her head and said she didn¡¯t need more. Standing up, Richard continued, ¡°I¡¯m done with lunch as well. Let¡¯s go.¡± Before Matilda could speak, he looked at William and added, ¡°Mr. William, please enjoy your food. We¡¯ll take our leave now.¡± Then, he took Matilda¡¯s arm, and she rose as well. After picking up Matilda¡¯s bag, Richard said, ¡°I think the color of thest curtain we saw was pretty nice. Don¡¯t you like that as well? Or do you like the light blue one?¡± With her arm grabbed by Richard, Matilda turned to look at William without responding to him. Just like how he had been seated since the beginning, William ignored them and remained silent. Meanwhile, John and Sophia were having their lunch in an adjacent restaurant. Before they could finish their food, Sophia received a message from Matilda. ¡®We¡¯re done with lunch. When are youing back?¡¯ Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 832 Chapter 832 William nodded. ¡°I see.¡± Matilda went on to say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I left your home the other day without informing you. My family wanted me to go home immediately.¡± Forcing a smile, she said, ¡°Nevertheless, I don¡¯t think you care about this.¡± Without continuing this topic, William raised his chin to point in the direction of Richard. ¡°Are you dating him?¡± ¡°No no no,¡± Matilda exined hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯m not dating him. He¡¯s just a friend.¡± William turned to nce at Richard again, who happened to look in his direction as well. As a confident man, Richard shed a smile at William, whose expression remained cial. After a pause, William said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know you have this friend?¡± Behaving like a cheating student who was caught red-handed by the teacher, Matilda answered in an honest manner, ¡°We got to know each other two days ago. My mom said he¡¯s a nice guy¡ª¡± Noticing that she had said it in an inappropriate way, Matilda caught herself and rephrased her words. ¡°Well, since I don¡¯t have many friends, my mom told me to try to make new friends and¡­ that¡¯s what happened.¡± Why do I feel that the more I exin, the more it sounds suspicious? Eventually, Matilda decided to keep her mouth shut so that the misunderstanding wouldn¡¯t worsen. William gave her a dispassionate smile. Lowering her head, Matilda noticed that he had never touched his food. At that instant, she wasn¡¯t sure what he made of the situation now. Is he angry with me? But he doesn¡¯t look like it, even though he seems different from his usual self. Matilda was perplexed. Honestly, since they were divorced, William didn¡¯t have a reason to be mad. At any rate, Matilda wouldn¡¯t dare to think that he was jealous. Seeing as Matilda never returned, Richard finished his food and walked over. Feeling more confident than William, Richard said, ¡°Hi, Mr. William. I¡¯ve always wanted to meet you.¡± Not knowing who Richard was, William gazed at him and asked, ¡°You are?¡± He sounded rather impolite, as he didn¡¯t even greet Richard. Not feeling embarrassed at all, Richard grinned and introduced himself. Upon hearing his introduction, William nodded in a perfunctory manner. ¡°Hi.¡± Feeling uneasy, Matilda turned to Richard and questioned in a lowered voice, ¡°Why did youe over?¡± Speaking in his normal volume, Richard replied, ¡°Since you were noting back, I decided toe over instead.¡± The smiling tone in his words sounded like it was a banter between a couple. After staring at Richard for a while, William slowly rxed his furrowed eyebrows. Upon finishing his words, Richard asked Matilda, ¡°Are you done with lunch? Do you want more?¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Matilda shook her head and said she didn¡¯t need more. Standing up, Richard continued, ¡°I¡¯m done with lunch as well. Let¡¯s go.¡± Before Matilda could speak, he looked at William and added, ¡°Mr. William, please enjoy your food. We¡¯ll take our leave now.¡± Then, he took Matilda¡¯s arm, and she rose as well. After picking up Matilda¡¯s bag, Richard said, ¡°I think the color of thest curtain we saw was pretty nice. Don¡¯t you like that as well? Or do you like the light blue one?¡± With her arm grabbed by Richard, Matilda turned to look at William without responding to him. Just like how he had been seated since the beginning, William ignored them and remained silent. Meanwhile, John and Sophia were having their lunch in an adjacent restaurant. Before they could finish their food, Sophia received a message from Matilda. ¡®We¡¯re done with lunch. When are youing back?¡¯ Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 833 Chapter 833 Meanwhile, Logan was awake. He was standing by the window in his room as he was trying hard to live down the humiliation of being roughed up by a woman. Because of that, he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes shut and sleep. Instead, he smoked one cigarette after another until he started to feel a little dizzy. Then, he opened up the window while standing there, wanting to think out loud. However, nothing came out of his mouth because his mind was nk. Soon, a waiter approached Logan to inform him about the arrival of Matilda and Sophia. In response, Logan replied, ¡°I see. Just tell them that I¡¯m asleep. Sophia knows her way around here.¡± Feeling moody, Logan was hoping that someone could lend him a pair of ears to confide in, but he subsequently had a change of heart as he only wished to keep to himself. After the waiter headed outside to receive Sophia and Matilda, Logan went to his bed andy in it. At this moment, he received a message on his phone, which he chose to ignore when it rang once earlier. Now that he was lying in his bed, he finally decided to reach for his phone to check out his message. It turned out that it was a message from one of Logan¡¯s subordinates when he couldn¡¯t be reached via calls. Upon skimming through the message, Logan angrily swore to himself. ¡°Darn it, b*tches! Who the hell gives two hoots about her?!¡± Then, he tossed his phone aside and turned around in bed, wrapping himself in his nket as he closed his eyes. There is nothing sleeping can¡¯t solve. After all, that¡¯s the only moment that I can be free from all this disturbance. In the meantime, Sophia and Matilda came to a private lounge, where they were served with fruits and tea before the waiter excused himself. After that, Sophia held Matilda¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Alright, so what happened back there?¡± However, Matilda scratched her head in confusion and replied, ¡°I¡¯m probably as baffled as you are right now. In fact, I don¡¯t even know where to start either.¡± Sophia said with a smile, ¡°Come on! You¡¯re the one who went through that. How can you not know anything?¡± Indeed, Matilda had no idea where to begin as everything seemed normal when she ran into William back at the restaurant. Nheless, she couldn¡¯t help but have a hunch that their coincidental encounter was a key to something important, even though she didn¡¯t know what that might be. Noticing Matilda¡¯s expression, Sophia decided not to press on further with her questions as she could tell that the former was still in shock from what had just happened. The next moment, however, Sophia crossed her legs while sitting in the chair. ¡°Actually, the way I see it, it wasn¡¯t much of a big deal. You only just bumped into your ex-husband while dining with a friend. What¡¯s wrong with that? Furthermore, what exactly could your ex-husband do anyway? It¡¯s not like you both are nning to rekindle old mes, so he really doesn¡¯t have a reason to be mad at you.¡± After hearing Sophia¡¯s point, Matilda agreed with her and responded with an affirmative grunt. ¡°You¡¯re right. What could William do even if Richard and I were more than just friends? Who is he to be angry about that?¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly.¡± Sophia gazed at Matilda and added, ¡°Show him your backbone. You¡¯re to me for how things ended up for you and your ex-husband, but you¡¯re a woman after all, so that makes it okay for you to be reserved.¡± As she said that, her words reminded her of herself and John. She suddenly found herself simr to whom she advised Matilda to be. Meanwhile, William and John were on their way back to theirpany. While his father didn¡¯t say a single word, John was suddenly amused by a thought that shed across his mind. He then said, ¡°It seems that someone isn¡¯t happy to see Mom dining with another man.¡± After a brief contemtion, William directly admitted it. ¡°Well, that definitely didn¡¯t sit well with me.¡± John smiled and said, ¡°Well, what was there that you could have done? After all, both of you are divorced, and it¡¯s her freedom to be anyone. You can¡¯t do anything.¡± William looked askance at John. ¡°And you sound like someone watching and gloating from the sideline.¡± In response, John only pursed his lips. ¡°Actually, I used to think that Mom was likely going to end up spending her days in solitude for the rest of her life if she ended up getting divorced with you, judging from her age and previous personality, but it looks like I was wrong. I didn¡¯t expect getting into a second rtionship was so easy for her.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 834 Chapter 834 William only responded with silence until the car pulled up outside thepany. When he opened the car door and stepped out of the vehicle, he finally said something. As he stood next to the car, he answered, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty easy for her.¡± At first, John didn¡¯t catch on to what William meant, until a few momentster when he realized his father was answering his earlier question. Nevertheless, he only smiled and entered theirpany with William. In the afternoon, John was swamped with work, so he couldn¡¯t find time to check on William. Still, he knew thetter would probably be moody considering the incident that happened earlier in the day. It was only until the evening that John was finally able to settle all his work. Then, he stretched himself and gave Sophia a call to ask where she was, to which he was told that Sophia and Matilda were still at Logan¡¯s club, where they were nning to have their dinner. Upon hearing that, John quickly replied, ¡°Count me in. I¡¯m joining youdies!¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Sophia chuckled and replied, ¡°But if youe here, there will be no one else at home to keep Old Mrs. Constance and Mr. Williampany. For that, I doubt you¡¯ll be spared from their naggings.¡± Unconcerned, John answered, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like my presence is going to make the house a lot more crowded. So, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± After a brief contemtion, Sophia agreed to that, thinking that she was in no position to turn him away since they were on Logan¡¯s turf. Upon hanging up the call, John tidied up his desk and waited until it was time to leave work. As he made his way to the corridor, he ran into William, who happened to be stepping out of the pantry with a ss in his hand. When William saw his son hurriedly leaving, he asked, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the rush? Is it time to go home already?¡± ¡°Sophia and Mom are eating out, and I¡¯ll be joining them,¡± John said. William pursed his lips and nodded a few secondster. ¡°Well, that means your grandma is going to be alone at home.¡± John raised his eyebrow and asked William a question instead of responding to thetter¡¯s statement. ¡°Are you going to stick around for overtime work?¡± William responded with an affirmative grunt. ¡°I don¡¯t seem to have a choice either. There is just too much on my te.¡± The man¡¯s voice was filled with helplessness and dismay, but John didn¡¯t seem to express his concern about that. Instead, he only told William that he would be setting off soon before heading toward the elevator. As William stood behind and watched his son leave, he couldn¡¯t help but feel overwhelmed by mixed feelings. It looks like we¡¯re going back to the old days where there was just me and the olddy at home. Meanwhile, John proceeded to make his way to Logan¡¯s club, which was crowded with people. At the same time, Sophia and the others were about to enjoy a mouth-watering buffet as the chefs were busy preparing various types of dishes. When John entered the lounge, he happened to see Sophia messing around with Logan as she tried to take pictures of herself with the man, who looked miserable. Nevertheless, Logan covered his face to show his resistance, even though the bruise on his cheekbone wasn¡¯t that obvious and could be taken care of by a beauty filter app. Still, he was reluctant to give in, covering his face while dodging the camera, but because Sophia was pregnant, he tried to avoid struggling too violently by only covering his face. In the meantime, Sophia only gloated and gleefully laughed, showing no signs of hiding her ¡®evil¡¯ intention. At the same time, Matilda was busy serving the dishes on the table without even bothering to look at them. She only reminded Sophia, ¡°Watch out, Sophia! You¡¯re pregnant after all. And you, Logan. Can¡¯t you just give in to her and let her snap some pictures? Look at her! She is getting carried away because of you!¡± Mom just seems like a biased parent. At the sight of their interaction, John was amused. While Logan was shouting in resistance to avoid Sophia¡¯s camera, thedy still insisted on aiming her phone at him to snap some pictures. As soon as John entered the lounge, he approached Matilda. ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡± Upon looking up at her son, Matilda responded with a smile and replied, ¡°Oh, here you are. Well, everything is fine, so just sit down. We can eat anytime soon.¡± Then, she turned her attention to Sophia in a helpless manner. ¡°Quit messing around, both of you. Get over here now.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 835 Chapter 835 Sophia looked down at her phone to browse through the pictures she had just taken before she decided to knock it off when she was satisfied with the results. Then, everyone else sat around the table just as their delightful conversations started to lighten up the atmosphere. Meanwhile, Sophia ordered two bottles of fruit juice since she should keep off alcohol. After that, she told John to take a few pictures and post them onto his social media. Knowing what Sophia meant by that, he obediently went ahead and did as he was told. During dinner, Sophia didn¡¯t say anything much, but Logan was beginning to get carried away as he began to run his mouth off after getting a little tipsy in spite of his initial quietness. After all, he couldn¡¯t forget about the humiliation he suffered from being beaten by a woman, so he went on and on about that non-stop. Nevertheless, John appeared more interested this time, asking Logan how L ended up being hospitalized. In response, Logan squinted and pondered on it. ¡°I heard she ran into an illegal racer who had just snatched someone¡¯s bag away. She interfered and retrieved the bag, but the thief came back to retaliate with more men. In the end, she found those people out of her league and ended up suffering a fractured arm.¡± Then, he added, ¡°Even so, she managed to take the thief to the police station anyway.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia shot a gaze at Logan, wondering why he¡¯d speak for her. Why did this guy stand up for her if he doesn¡¯t like L so much? What about the previous insults that he made toward her? In the meantime, Matilda responded with an affirmative grunt and said, ¡°How honorable she is! I like her!¡± Logan pouted and said, ¡°So what? She¡¯s a barbarian who is impossible to be reasoned with. Furthermore, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not going to like her hideous and menacing look. If you see her in person, you¡¯ll know what I¡¯m saying.¡± Matilda then gazed at Logan. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you feel safe to have someone like her by your side? The society needs more of those like her with an unshakable moralpass deep inside her.¡± Logan snorted. ¡°Hmph! I beg to differ! She is nothing but a feisty woman! Otherwise, I would have just killed her.¡± Says the man who got punched in the face anyway! How ¡®threatening¡¯ he is! Sophia thought to herself. Then, John continued to ask, ¡°What went wrong between you and her? She put up with you previously when things turned ugly for you both, so what made this time an exception? Was it because you said something that pissed her off?¡± Logan red at John and answered, ¡°When does she ever like anything thates out of my mouth? But I don¡¯t know what exactly went wrong and pissed her off, to be honest.¡± This guy is really talking way too much. Sophia then chimed in with a question, even though she was engrossed in enjoying the delicious food. ¡°I bet you must have said something that offended her. What did you tell her before she gave you a punch in the face?¡± Upon hearing Sophia, Logan started to recall what happened in a serious manner. Before she hit me, we mentioned something about my club. Then, L told me to watch out, saying that she was aware of the illegal activities going on right here before she warned me to stay away from drugs. Well, she surely looks like the kind who likes to preach to me because she wouldn¡¯t stop lecturing me about how those things could ruin thousands of lives. Besides the drug addicts, many police officers sacrifice their lives for the sake of curbing drug trafficking, and all this could have been avoided if it weren¡¯t for shameless people like me. Then, Logan tried to recall what happened next. What did I say after that? Oh yeah! I told her that we didn¡¯t force them to go down this path. That¡¯s right! Those few words were what pissed her off so much that she punched me in the face, even though her other arm was in a cast. Jeez! I must say that her fist really did pack a punch! On the other hand, William was still in the office when Old Mrs. Constance called him to ask why he still hadn¡¯te home. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Chapter 836 Chapter 836 William answered with a gruff voice, ¡°I¡¯m staying back for overtime work. Just a little busy recently.¡± Old Mrs. Constance responded by letting out a sigh. ¡°What¡¯s going on now? Why am I now back to being alone at home again? With John, Sophia and you away, I don¡¯t even have anyone I can talk to during dinner.¡± William forced a smile and replied, ¡°Well, we never talked during our meals anyway.¡± ¡°Do you seriously think that way? Times are different now than before,¡± Old Mrs. Constance retorted. William opened his mouth, ready to speak his mind, but he soon decided to swallow his words. What do you mean different? How different has it be? Meanwhile, Old Mrs. Constance onlyined in a helpless manner and proceeded to remind her son to take his meals regrly amidst his busy schedule. In response, William responded with an affirmative grunt before shifting his eyes to the food that had gone cold on the desk. At the sight of that, his gaze instantly darkened. Upon hanging up the call, he leaned back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. Well, I¡¯ve already got myself dinner, but I¡¯m just not in the mood to eat right now. Then, he reached for his phone and browsed through his social media news feed, only to see John¡¯s post. Since his son rarely posted anything on his social media, William decided to take a closer look at the picture, in which John and his friends were seen enjoying a buffet. As William noticed the smiling faces of Sophia and Matilda, he was soon reminded of the man he saw earlier that afternoon. What¡¯s his name again? Uh¡­ Oh, yeah. Richard. What amon name! I guess that¡¯s why I can¡¯t remember it. After looking at the picture for a while longer, William¡¯s mood was entirely ruined as he could no longer concentrate on skimming through his documents. In fact, he had been thinking about giving John a call and pretending to ask what he was doing. However, his rational mind stopped him from doing that since he knew he had to stay behind and finish going through the papers. As he kept dwelling on the matter, the man couldn¡¯t help but feel more frustrated and helpless. Soon, heid his phone down and closed the file on his desk. Fine! Fine! I guess I¡¯m done with reading all these papers. How can I, with my current mood? A few momentster, the phone on his desk buzzed and he quickly grabbed it, only to be disappointed when he looked at the screen. It turned out that it was a call from Ynda, which he was unwilling to answer at first, but since he didn¡¯t have anything else better to do at that moment, he hesitantly picked up the call. Judging from the noises in the background, William could tell that she was probably watching television at home as he could hear someone talking in the background. When the call connected, she asked what William was doing, to which he answered, ¡°I¡¯m doing overtime work now.¡± Ynda paused and asked, ¡°Are you still in the office now? Have you had your dinner?¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. William then shifted his eyes to the untouched food on his desk, but he went on and answered with a ¡®yes¡¯. Ynda replied, ¡°I see. Maybe you should save your work for tomorrow if it¡¯s not too urgent. After all, you don¡¯t want to stress yourself out.¡± Of course, it¡¯s not urgent, but I can¡¯t think of anything else better to do when I get back to my empty home, and that¡¯ll only annoy me even more. That is why I¡¯m here, trying to distract myself while wisely making use of my time. Despite his thoughts, William only gave a brief reply to signify his acknowledgement. Then, he asked Ynda whether there was anything she needed. While Ynda initially had something she wanted to talk to William about, she answered no after a brief contemtion and brushed it off. Instead, she merely told him she was bored. Shortly after that, she hung up the call because she didn¡¯t want to bother William any longer since he was still at work. At the same time, William put down his phone and spun his chair around while sitting in it, crossing his fingers on his knees as he gazed outside the window. The city is so lively and busy at night, but I don¡¯t seem to feel any of it at all. After quite a long time, he finally took a look at the time and decided that he should go home. I guess I¡¯m going out like a light right after a shower when I get back. Upon packing his stuff, he proceeded to leave his office, only to be stunned by something before his eyes just as he stepped out of the elevator. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 837 Chapter 837 Ynda was seen entering the lobby with a thermal sk in her hand. The moment she saw William, she heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Phew! I was afraid that you would be gone before I got here. My effort would have gone to waste in that case.¡± She then raised her thermal sk and said, ¡°I made you some soup.¡± Knitting his brows, William stared at Ynda. ¡°What brings you here at this hour?¡± Ynda replied with a smile, ¡°Well, since you are doing overtime, I bet ordering a food delivery was probably how you settled your dinner, but how can thatpare to some homemade cooking? That¡¯s why I made you this.¡± There was a couch and a table in the lobby, so Ynda looked at it and said, ¡°If you¡¯re not in a rush, why don¡¯t you sit down and enjoy the soup? I spent quite some time making this, and I¡¯d hate to see it go down the drain.¡± Hmm. What kind of gentleman would I be if I insisted on turning her down? At the thought of that, William went to the couch with Ynda and sat down, whereupon thedy opened the sk and revealed the mouth-watering chicken soup within it. Then, she poured some of the soup into the cap and gave it to the man. ¡°Come on. You need to try my cooking. Chicken soup is my forte after all.¡± William looked down at the soup and took a sip. While he had initially lost his mood to eat, the soup seemed to whet his appetite after he took a few sips of it. Then, he nodded andplimented her cooking. ¡°Not bad! Not bad! The taste is simply awesome!¡± Ynda was amused as she replied, ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. At least all my hard work is worth it.¡± As both of them sat there and talked aboutpany matters, William eventually finished the soup before he closed the thermal sk. ¡°Thank you so much foring over.¡± Ynda then put away her thermal sk. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I¡¯m free anyway, so it¡¯s not really troublesome to me.¡± Both of them continued to sit down and chat for a while before they finally decided to leave. While William drove Ynda home, thedy told the man that she would like to learn how to bake. Therefore, she asked William whether there was any pastry he preferred in particr so that she could make and deliver some to him next time. Upon hearing her words, William was caught in a trance as he was reminded of Matilda. Matilda was used to afortable life. Although her cooking wasn¡¯t terrible, she wasn¡¯t good at it either. Back then, she wanted to make me some pastries. Instead, she just ended up making a mess in the kitchen. In the end, she failed to make something presentable, and she even got so angry at herself. At the thought of Matilda¡¯s frustrated look back then, William chuckled. Stunned by William¡¯s response, Ynda gazed at William and asked, ¡°What is it? What¡¯s so funny about the thing that I just said?¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Soon, William snapped out of his trance and replied, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I was just reminded of something funny in the past.¡± Ynda paused, staring at William as she asked, ¡°Really? Did it have anything to do with baking?¡± William responded with a nomittal grunt, while Ynda¡¯s expression darkened upon seeing that. He must have been thinking about Matilda. For the rest of the ride, neither of them said anything until they arrived at Ynda¡¯s house. As soon as the car pulled over, she got off the car and hesitantly looked back at William. ¡°There is a movie that¡¯s showing recently. I¡¯d really love to watch it, but there is no fun in watching it alone. So, when are you free, William? Perhaps we can watch it together.¡± William let out a sigh. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a little busy with work recently, and I doubt I can find time for that. So, just count me out for this one. Maybe you can watch it with your friends or someone else. I figure I will be considerably upied these days.¡± Ynda pursed her lips and replied after a pause, ¡°Okay then, I guess I¡¯m not going either. I don¡¯t have a lot of friends anyway, and I really don¡¯t feel like watching it alone.¡± William only looked at her with a smile. After that, he didn¡¯t continue the topic. Instead, he simply told her, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Rest well.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 838 Chapter 838 Ynda pursed her lips and responded with an affirmative grunt while waving at William. As the man drove away, she only stood in ce with her eyes glued to his car. Meanwhile, William was looking at Ynda from the rear mirror just as the reflection of her figure slowly diminished and disappeared out of sight. A few momentster, he revealed an indifferent expression on his face. Well, I¡¯m not going to fall for Ynda¡¯sst few words. It might have seemed like she was backing down, but I know that she was trying to pressure me. This is why women like her are never my cup of tea. She is making it seem like I¡¯m the reason she can¡¯t go for a movie. Does she really think I¡¯m too dumb to read between the lines after all my years of experiences in themercial world? She is going to have to try harder to make me fall for that. Soon, William arrived home, only to find that John and Sophia were still not back, while Old Mrs. Constance had already hit the hay upstairs. He threw his necktie aside and sank back in the couch. After a brief contemtion, he finally gave in to his curiosity and called his son up. At that moment, John happened to be having a great time while ying poker with the others. When John answered the call, William was able to hear Matilda rejoicing in her victory before Logan grumbled, ¡°Come on! Why is it me again? Where is my ckjack?¡± Matildaughed and said, ¡°You still have a lot to learn, kid.¡± John smiled, waiting until Matilda had finished her words before he asked William a question. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Upon overhearing the conversations in the background, William made a guess. ¡°Are you guys ying a card game right now?¡± John replied, ¡°Yeah. Since everyone is here, we¡¯ll just y for a while.¡± Matilda¡¯sughing voice was apanied by the sound of the cards being pped onto the table. ¡°Money, money,e to Mommy!¡± Sophia patted John and told him, ¡°Pay for me.¡± John nodded and said, ¡°Alright. It¡¯s on me.¡± Logan then snorted unhappily. ¡°This isn¡¯t fair. The three of you are family, and you guys ganged up on me!¡± Meanwhile, William was tongue-tied upon overhearing Logan¡¯s words in the background, forgetting what he initially wanted to say. At that time, John asked, ¡°Are you still in your office?¡± ¡°Nah. I¡¯m already home,¡± William replied quietly. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. ¡°I see. Then, you should probably get some rest by now. We won¡¯t be back that soon for tonight,¡± John answered. To that, William reluctantly responded with an affirmative grunt. After John hung up the call, Sophia smiled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It looks like someone is getting desperate.¡± John shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he sounded moody.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia asked John how William looked when he left earlier this afternoon, to which John took a while to recall and replied, ¡°He looked normal at that time. There is a lot you have yet to learn about my dad. He is a man of pride who¡¯ll never show his feelings. Therefore, he always looks calm on the outside.¡± Sophia chuckled and casually gave her opinion. ¡°And I suppose you got that from him, didn¡¯t you?¡± John was slightly taken aback as he gazed at Sophia and said, ¡°I¡¯m calm? Come on! You¡¯re slowly killing me!¡± At the sight of the couple¡¯s interaction, Logan began toin. ¡°Alright! Alright! Enough of that lovey- dovey speech, you two! I¡¯m still right here.¡± John raised his eyebrow and gently pinched Sophia¡¯s cheek. ¡°Okay, okay. I suppose we forgot about this poor single guy here who just got beaten up by a woman. Let¡¯s be more considerate to him.¡± As soon as he heard that, Logan felt a stab of pain deep down inside before he started grumbling once more, ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to stoop to her level. If I hadn¡¯t held back, I would have taught her a lesson the hard way.¡± In response, Sophia brushed him off and replied, ¡°Yeah, yeah. We heard you loud and clear. Now, let¡¯s get back to the card game.¡± Time flew as everyone was absorbed in ying cards. Soon, John¡¯s smoking addiction began to kick in, so he stood up and said, ¡°Give me a moment. I¡¯m going outside to smoke for a bit.¡± While Sophia actually didn¡¯t mind that, John didn¡¯t want to smoke beside her either. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 839 Chapter 839 After all, Sophia was pregnant, and John had to be mindful for the sake of her and the child. With the cigarette box in his hand, he stepped out of the lounge and headed downstairs after a brief contemtion. Lighting up a cigarette, he headed outside the building. By the time he started smoking, he found himself right at the exit, gazing at his car that was parked in an empty space beside the club. As John nced across the space, he paused in surprise, for he had seen someone sneaking behind his car. There is no other car in this ce, and neither is my ride parked in front of a shop or something. That guy definitely seems suspicious, sneaking behind my car. With the cigarette in his mouth, John walked toward his car trunk and lowered his gaze, only to find nothing unusual. Soon, he crouched to feel the chassis of his car, which he soon felt something attached to it. After multiple attempts to remove it, he was finally able to detach the item from the chassis. Then, John returned to the lobby, hoping that he could have a better look at what he had just found with the lighting, only to find that it was a covert listening device. I can tell from its tiny size and exquisite look that this is not something that we get to see every day. Upon briefly studying the device, he proceeded to head upstairs. Then, he ced it far away from him before making a call since he wasn¡¯t sure whether that device was activated. After the call, John returned to the lounge and saw the three of them eating fruits whileining about their frustrating losses in the card game. As soon as John came back, Sophia sat up straight and said, ¡°Alright, I think that¡¯s enough for me. I¡¯m getting a little tired, and my poor back is aching now.¡± John replied, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s take a break for a short while. After that, we¡¯ll be heading home right away.¡± As an observant person, Sophia immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is something bothering you? Or was there something that you saw when you went outside just now?¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± John smiled and added, ¡°It¡¯s just work. I¡¯ve already told Zack toe here anyway so that we can talk about it.¡± After hearing that, Sophia didn¡¯t say anything more. Not long after that, Zack arrived, but John didn¡¯t invite him to the lounge. Instead, he went outside to meet him, which caused Sophia to frown in confusion while staring at the door after the man left. ¡°He is acting suspicious. Is it just me or is there something wrong?¡± Matilda smiled and said, ¡°Come on! What is there to worry about two grown men?¡± Yeah, yeah. That¡¯s very ¡®reassuring¡¯. After that, the few of them continued to sit there and talk about L until John returned and told everyone that it was time to go home. Then, Matilda helped Sophia up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take a cab home myself, so both of you can go home straight since I know it¡¯s further for you guys to travel. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Alright then. Stay safe. Send me a text when you get home.¡± John gave in this time. Matilda left soon, while John and Sophia casually headed downstairs. At this time, Zack had already left, whereas John appeared to be waiting for someone else toe and pick them up. Noticing John¡¯s behavior, Sophia asked in bewilderment, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why can¡¯t you drive your own car?¡± John answered, ¡°Oh, something is wrong with the car, and it won¡¯t start. I just tried it. So, I guess we¡¯ll just have to leave it here for the night. Then, I¡¯ll get someone toe and have a look at it tomorrow.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t read too much into it as she nodded. ¡°I see. Alright then.¡± After getting into the car with John, Sophia looked at his car in the rear mirror while wondering what had happened to it. The car seems fine. He drove it here and left it there for only a few hours. So, what could have possibly gone wrong with it? This is confusing. When John and Sophia got home, William was still awake. He was seen sitting on the couch with the television on, but he was apparently not paying any attention to it. John was surprised to see his father when he stepped into the living room. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re still up, Dad.¡± John turned around in a distracted manner and answered, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not really tired yet right now.¡± Soon, Sophia came in, and she nearly burst intoughter when she took a look at the time. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 840 Chapter 840 Dad may be a good actor, but his frustration and loneliness are still all written on his face. Despite that thought, John only replied, ¡°Okay. It¡¯s gettingte. You should get some rest now.¡± After that, he proceeded to take Sophia upstairs, while thedy looked back down at William. At that moment, William was seen crossing his legs with an irritated look on his face. Nheless, she only smiled and headed to the bedroom with John. After closing the door, Sophiaughed out loud and said, ¡°Did you see your dad¡¯s face? I told you. It must be something to do with what happened earlier this afternoon.¡± Soon, John took off his jacket, replying with a grunt in a distracted manner. Meanwhile, Sophia went to grab her pajamas before heading toward the bathroom. ¡°By the way, what went wrong with the car?¡± Upon hearing that, John paused and answered, ¡°Oh, nothing much. It¡¯s just that the gear knob seems to be jammed.¡± He brushed Sophia off with an excuse to dispel her doubts, knowing that it wouldn¡¯t help even if she knew about it. Furthermore, he was also certain that Sophia would retaliate in a fit of rage considering her fiery temperament. He wouldn¡¯t want her to be involved in this even during normal times, not to mention the fact that she was pregnant at the moment. Fortunately, Sophia responded unsuspectingly with a nomittal grunt as she went on to take a shower. In the meantime, John pondered on it for a while before he stepped out of his room and stood in the corridor to make a phone call. Humming, Sophia came out of the bathroom when she was done, only to be surprised that John was nowhere to be found. Then, she opened the door slightly and peeked outside before she finally saw John talking on the phone at the end of the corridor. At that moment, she only pursed her lips and closed the door after a moment of contemtion. After applying some skin products on her face, shey in bed shortly before John came back in. She only closed her eyes, listening to John¡¯s movements as he went to take a shower. Soon, hey beside her, whereupon she turned around and had her back facing him as she told him, ¡°Please stay safe.¡± As John had just settled himself on the bed, he was stunned by Sophia¡¯s words for a while before he finally caught on to what she meant. Then, he hugged her from behind and told her, ¡°I will. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Meanwhile, Sophia only responded with silence, since she knew that John was capable of protecting himself. After all, he is a veteran who has umted years of experience in themercial world, so he should have built his own clout. Therefore, I should put my faith in him and believe that nothing can hurt him. In the meantime, William sat in the living room downstairs for a little while more before he switched off the television. Then, he went on to find himself a bottle of red wine and drank some of it. He didn¡¯t finish it all but instead only drank two sses of it. After that, he left the bottle of red wine and the ss on the table in the living room and went upstairs. While the red wine wasn¡¯t that strong, William was beginning to feel a little tipsy after drinking two sses of it in quick session. When he got back to his room, he got changed and instantly copsed onto his bed without even taking a shower. Before he dozed off, he took a glimpse at his phone and saw nothing but a message from Ynda wishing him good night. At the sight of that, he clicked his tongue and tossed his phone aside before he shut his eyes and slept. The next day, Sophia woke upte, only to find that John had gone for work. After that, she headed downstairs in a rxed manner, only to see Old Mrs. Constance sitting in the living room. The olddy, who saw Sophiaing down, beckoned to her. ¡°Come here. I have something I want to ask you.¡± Sophia quickly approached the olddy. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± With a confused look on her face, Old Mrs. Constance sat in front of Sophia and asked, ¡°Did you guys see John¡¯s father when you both came backst night?¡± Sophia nodded and answered, ¡°Yeah, he was watching TV downstairs.¡± When she heard that, Old Mrs. Constance hissed, ¡°The maid told me that there was a bottle of red wine left open. There was still half of it inside, but neither of us here drank it. So, I wondered if it was him who drank the wine when he came backst night. Anyway, I don¡¯t understand why he¡¯d drink half a bottle of red wine in the middle of the night. Was he in a bad mood?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 841 Chapter 841 In response, Sophia blinked a few times before she sniggered. However, Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t share her amusement. ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about him. After all, I¡¯ve never seen him like that. Was it because of some setback at work? He did overtime workst night, but when he got back, I was already in bed. Then, he was gone early this morning even before having breakfast. I guess I don¡¯t really know my son sometimes.¡± Sophia nodded slowly. ¡°Well, I saw him yesterday; once in the day and the other time when we came back at night.¡± In fact, Sophia didn¡¯t think it was necessary to hide the matter about Matilda from Old Mrs. Constance. Well, Old Mrs. Constance is a receptive and open person, so maybe she can even be of help. At the thought of that, she went on to tell the olddy the details about what had happened in the afternoon on the day before, including Richard¡¯s interior decoration style. Surprised, Old Mrs. Constance asked, ¡°What? Matilda went for a blind date?¡± Sophia pursed her lips. ¡°Well, I doubt that was a blind date. Anyway, while it seems to me that Madam Flintstone isn¡¯t interested in him, the Flintstone Family appears to be a little desperate, for they wanted her to try and work things out with this decent man.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°I guess I understand why they feel that way since Matilda is no spring chicken anymore. I guess Natasha will never rest assured watching her daughter spending the rest of her life alone.¡± Sophia agreed and said, ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why the Flintstone Family has been actively finding a Mr. Right for Madam Flintstone. Furthermore, Madam Flintstone is such a likeabledy now, isn¡¯t she? From the looks of things yesterday, Richard really treated her like a queen, which was a sign that he is into her.¡± While Old Mrs. Constance responded with an affirmative grunt, Sophia pretended to look worried and added, ¡°Nevertheless, I can tell that Master William is still in love with Madam Flintstone. Therefore, what he has to do now is to seize the opportunity and win Madam Flintstone over before it¡¯s toote. Otherwise, he is going to live the rest of his life in regret.¡± Old Mrs. Constance shot a gaze at Sophia. ¡°You¡¯re really full of ¡®pearls of wisdom¡¯, aren¡¯t you?¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia chuckled in response and replied, ¡°Honestly, even I¡¯m anxious for the two of them. In fact, we can all tell that both of them are still in love with each other, but unfortunately, they don¡¯t see eye to eye with each other, and we¡¯re all frustrated about that.¡± Old Mrs. Constance smiled and said, ¡°I guess their fates lie in both of their own hands. I doubt there is anything we can do to change their minds.¡± Well, Old Mrs. Constance has a point, but both of them are way too indecisive and hesitant. If we don¡¯t do anything to help from the sidelines, we¡¯ll probably never get to see them back together until we grow old. After a brief contemtion, Sophia said, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to John about this and get him to check on Master Williamter.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea. It¡¯ll at least put our mind to ease,¡± Old Mrs. Constance replied in agreement. Later, Sophia proceeded to take her breakfast, while Old Mrs. Constance had her maid apany her on a walk. After her breakfast, Sophia gave Matilda a call. She could deduce from thetter¡¯s hushed voice that she was at the Flintstone Residence at the moment. Soon, Sophia was told that Old Mrs. Flintstone had invited Richard over for a meal. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. As soon as she learned that, Sophia helplessly said, ¡°Oh,e on! Why is your mother so desperate? It¡¯s only been a few days, and she is already inviting him to your home.¡± Well, if that¡¯s the case, they¡¯re probably going to get married in another two more days, which doesn¡¯t seem like a good thing. Although Sophia was initially nning to invite Matilda to the Constance Residence to have some fun, she was forced to give up on that idea after learning what she had been told. Since Richard is visiting, I bet Matilda is not going anywhere today. Without saying anything much, Sophia hung up the phone and gave John a call. A few momentster, John finally answered the call. Sophia could discern that he seemed to be at a rather empty ce, for the voices of the people speaking in the background seemed to be echoing. After a pause, she asked, ¡°Are you not in the office now?¡± John hesitated for a second and said, ¡°Nope.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia let out a sigh, knowing that he must be in the middle of some important business. Nah, I doubt he is out there ying around, so maybe I should leave him alone for now. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 842 Chapter 842 Thus, Sophia said, ¡°I just called Madam Flintstone and was told that Richard will be paying her a visit later in the afternoon.¡± Her reply apparently surprised John as he asked, ¡°Oh, really? He is going to the Flintstone Residence?¡± Sophia replied, ¡°That¡¯s right, and it doesn¡¯t bode well to you either, does it? Anyway, I¡¯ve been thinking of a way to do something about it, but since I can¡¯t be involved directly, is there anything you can do to ruin the n?¡± John paused for a while and answered, ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, so don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine. As long as Mom doesn¡¯t give in, Richard doesn¡¯t stand a chance at all.¡± Although John¡¯s words made sense to Sophia, she still had a bad feeling about how things would y out. Richard is just way too friendly and amiable. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s only a matter of time that Madam Flintstone falls for him if they keep hanging around with each other. While Sophia was known to act on her emotions rather than rationality, she still hoped that William could rekindle the old mes with Matilda, despite his unpleasant attitude at times. After all, she would love to see a happy ending, in which the divorced couple could be back together. Meanwhile, John appeared to be busy with work, so he didn¡¯t say much until he hung up the call. He then put away his phone and turned around, gazing at the warehouse, where the captives were kept. It seems that we¡¯ve made some positive progress in the past two days. Let¡¯s take a look at who we have here. Nevertheless, John patiently stood outside the warehouse until someone came closer and patted his shoulder. ¡°Long time no see, Mr. Constance. Don¡¯t you have anything you want to say to me?¡± Upon hearing that voice, John looked back, only to find Roselia behind him. She was dressed in a sexy outfit, and she smiled at John in a seductive manner. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. However, the man only responded by knitting his brows. ¡°You ought to be careful about the bank. Now that those few people have gone missing, suspicions are bound to be aroused, so please keep a low profile.¡± Roseliaughed it off as she slipped her hand off John¡¯s shoulder to his arm. ¡°Aw, are you showing your care for me? Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be extra careful.¡± Feeling a certain dislike toward Roselia¡¯s flirtatious attitude, John furrowed his brows even more. At the same time, Roselia waited for the man to respond, shooting a gaze at him before she finally took her hands off him. Then, she hugged herself and stood beside John as she began to speak in a different tone. ¡°Look, my life would have been poorer if we didn¡¯t meet each other, but at least I wouldn¡¯t have to live in danger and fear. It really makes me wonder what I¡¯ve done to deserve that from you, John.¡± After a short hesitation, John said, ¡°How much do you want this time? I¡¯ll get Zack to take care of it in a jiffy.¡± Roselia shifted her gaze to John, slowly revealing a smile. ¡°Why is it that money is the only thing we ever talk about every time? Tsk! Tsk!¡± Nheless, she soon changed her tune and said, ¡°Anyway, perhaps there really is no one else who knows me better than you do.¡± After that, thedy turned around and revealed her curvaceous behind, walking away while waving at the man. ¡°I¡¯m leaving first. After all, I¡¯m in a high ce now, and I can¡¯t risk blowing my cover being away for too long.¡± Meanwhile, John didn¡¯t say anything as he watched Roselia¡¯s figure moving further away before he entered the warehouse. The surveince camera that was dismantled yesterday turns out to be an imported product, built to be waterproof and shockproof. Whoever managed to get his hands on something so advanced like this one was definitely no ordinary person. Then, John was instantly amused when the next thought crossed his mind. Although this piece of tech might have a long list of impressive features, its specificity is probably going to be its dead giveaway. At least, we can begin with where it was acquired. Later that morning, Zack sent a message that detailed his investigation on the device¡¯s origin. Hmm. It looks like the GPS system in this thing was specially ordered from overseas. I guess everything will come to light with a little investigation. Soon, John entered the warehouse and saw several captives there. While some of them were awake, the rest were either asleep or unconscious. Besides, there was also a person tied to a chair who seemed to have just taken a terrible beating. Standing at his spot by the entrance, John instructed one of his men and said, ¡°Bring this person to me. I¡¯d like to have a word with him in private.¡± As soon as the person was taken out of the warehouse, John was instantly reminded of the time that Sophia came here. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 843 Chapter 843 Sophia really went further than I expectedst time, and I was wrong to think that ady couldn¡¯t do something like that. Chuckling to himself, John proceeded to head toward the empty space in the courtyard. As far as I can remember, Sophia said I should have no problem getting the answers I want with the right interrogation method. So, I guess how fun this game can be depends on how extreme my measures can get. Knowing that he was in a race against time, John quickly acted by bleeding his victim first as he deemed this would be more effective than to ask him questions before the torture. Screaming and moaning in agony, the man immediately gave in before John could say anything. ¡°I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk!¡± After hearing that, John put away his knife while ignoring the man¡¯s bleeding palm. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m all ears. Let¡¯s see whether your answers can make me happy.¡± At that open-ended demand, the man instantly froze, for he didn¡¯t know what to say, until John drew his knife once more and put the cold de to the earlier wound. ¡°Talk!¡± The man then gibbered incoherently in response. ¡°O-Okay! Okay! I¡¯ll t-talk now! I¡¯ll t-tell you everything I know.¡± The man began by revealing his position as a manager in the shadow bank. Then, he mentioned that he had no part in Robin¡¯s previous abduction, though he was aware of the incident since he was the one who handled the transportation for the kidnap, as well as the mortgage in acquiring it. He went on to tell more about the vehicle, which was given by someone to clear his debt. Even though the ownership hadn¡¯t been transferred, the van was already considered as an asset that belonged to the shadow bank. Therefore, despite the proper procedure to transfer the ownership should have been done first, no one seemed to be bothered by it as they went on and used the vehicle. When they returned with the vehicle, it was still in a good condition, but it was soon taken away and disposed of a dayter. Since the asset no longer existed, the ownership transfer didn¡¯t matter anymore. The manager quickly rified that he had actually brought this to the attention of the top management, only to be ignored. He was then left hanging as he was too timid to ask further for a response. In fact, he had always been aware of the other businesses that the shadow bank was involved in, but because of his limited power, there was no way he could learn more about them in detail. For the sake of his lucrative pay and bonus, he had decided to turn a blind eye to the shady activities hispany had been involved in more often than not. After telling everything he knew, including his superior¡¯s affair, the manager finally ran out of things to tell as he didn¡¯t know what else John wanted to know. Soon, he broke down in tears and begged, ¡°Please! This is all I know! I swear I just told you everything!¡± John nodded and passed the knife to one of the men beside him. ¡°Alright, I heard you.¡± Then, he took a look at the time while walking toward the exit. ¡°Tend to his wound and interrogate the rest to see what you can find out when they wake up.¡± Upon hearing John¡¯s instruction, his men assured him that they would take care of the job and keep him posted on something useful. Before John left the ce, he looked back at his men and added, ¡°AsN?velDrama.Org owns all content. for the bug, I want to know everything about the buyer.¡± It was only after that did he finally hit the road and head back to his office. Meanwhile, William was having a meeting when John swung by his office. Upon arrival, he saw no one there; there was only a pile of documents on his father¡¯s desk. Staring at them, he couldn¡¯t help but furrow his eyebrows. That¡¯s quite a huge pile of papers. Is he trying to tire himself to death? In the end, he decided to sit down and wait for William¡¯s return. Some timeter, William finally got back to his office after a long meeting. As he opened the door, he was stunned to see John inside. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here. I heard you went out.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 844 Chapter 844 ¡°Oh.¡± John didn¡¯t want William to know about those matters. So, he quickly changed the subject and said, ¡°Sophia just called up earlier. She told me that Grandma has just invited Richard to go over for a meal. This doesn¡¯t sound like good news to me.¡± William paused, then he turned around to get behind his desk. ¡°Why is it so? It¡¯s an opportunity for both of them to bond, so how is that bad news?¡± John then came closer and stood before the desk. ¡°Is that really what you think? Well, I¡¯ll level with you since you put it that way. I think you¡¯re right. Grandma seems to like Richard a lot. Besides, Mom has also be much more easy-going than before, and she seems younger. Also, Sophia told me that Richard is into Mom, so it¡¯s only a matter of time that they be an item after hanging around with each other a few more times.¡± With a calm look on his face, William only responded with a nomittal grunt. Meanwhile, John only stared at his father, chuckling a few secondster as he nodded. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯m not going to say anything more since everything is fine by you. Anyway, I shall leave you to your work, and I¡¯ll attend to mine. Things are piling up recently.¡± Then, John left with a smiling face, while William buried himself in work and began reading the documents. It was only after the door was closed that he slowly looked up. Soon, he closed the file on his desk and thought to himself, So, my son really thinks I¡¯m alright when I say I¡¯m alright? Unbeknownst to William himself, however, Matilda was not the only one who had changed. On the other end, John thought to himself, What¡¯s wrong with Dad? He always used to side with Mom, but he isn¡¯t doing what he should be doing at this critical moment. John then returned to his office and proceeded to go through all his documents. Halfway through his work, he caught sight of William passing through the corridor since his door was left ajar. William was empty-handed, and he appeared to be going elsewhere in a hurry. At the sight of that, John chuckled in amusement, for he knew that his father could never stand by and pretend as if nothing ever happened. After William left his office, he drove to the Flintstone Residence. As soon as he pulled over somewhere opposite the residence, he saw Richard¡¯s car slowly approaching. Wait a minute. I recognize this car. Well, it¡¯s definitely not some luxurious car. At the thought of that, William shook his head, but he didn¡¯t know why he wasn¡¯t happy with Richard. When Richard¡¯s car got closer to the entrance, the front gate was opened, so he drove inside. After that, William took a cigarette out and lit it while staring at the building. Deep down, he knew the lunch wouldn¡¯t end so soon with Richard¡¯s visit. Therefore, he waited until he reckoned it was about time they should be done before he gave Matilda a call. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. It took Matilda a while to pick up the call, which William deemed she must have left the others to find a corner of the house where she could answer the call since he didn¡¯t hear anything but silence in the background. ¡°Hey, are you busy at the moment?¡± William asked. ¡°N-Nope. Not at all,¡± Matilda stammered. William sighed and asked, ¡°Are you going to have your lunch soon?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m about to have it soon. It¡¯s about time for your lunch break, isn¡¯t it?¡± Matilda nervously asked as she didn¡¯t know what else she could say. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m away from the office to deal with some business, but it¡¯s taken care of,¡± William replied, to which Matilda only responded with an ¡®oh¡¯. Then, William gave his suggestion. ¡°Well, we should catch up during a meal or something. We didn¡¯t talk about that when we bumped into each other at the restaurant yesterday.¡± Matilda paused, leaving William hanging. As he didn¡¯t receive a response from the woman, William chuckled and drew his own conclusion. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you¡¯re not free.¡± While William said that in a tone that sounded indifferent on the surface, Matilda could sense his disappointment. Thus, she bit her lips and asked, ¡°Where are you now? It¡¯ll likely take me a while to get there.¡± Upon hearing that, William was taken aback, but he quickly snapped out of his momentary surprise and answered, ¡°No worries. Just take your time to get ready, and I¡¯ll head over to pick you up.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 845 Chapter 845 Matilda agreed and added, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a call soon.¡± After that, she hung up the call, while William put away his phone, staring at the residence¡¯s front gate with a smile. In the meantime, Matilda took longer than usual to dress herself up. In the end, she picked a long dress with a in color and tied up her hair, looking especially elegant. Once she was done, she immediately gave William a call and told him her location. William said, ¡°Alright. I just happen to be somece nearby. I¡¯ll head there right now.¡± After driving around the area for a bit, he pulled up outside the Flintstone Residence for Matilda to get into his car. As soon as he started the engine, Matilda asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡± In fact, William had already figured out where they should go while waiting for Matilda. ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get there.¡± To that, Matilda responded with silence while typing a reply to Sophia¡¯s message. Being a busybody, Sophia was curious to know whether William had made his move, so she texted Matilda to find out about it. In fact, the message had been received back when Matilda was still at home, but she couldn¡¯t find an opportunity to reply. Besides, Old Mrs. Flintstone was unhappy when Matilda told her that she needed to go out, instantly showing her daughter a long face. In the end, Richard defused the situation, saying that he didn¡¯t mind that. After all, he understood Matilda¡¯s situation to settle an urgent matter, so he patiently put an end to the conflict. While she wasn¡¯t sure whether Richard sensed anything wrong, she was certain that Old Mrs. Flintstone had smelled a rat. Mom may be old, but she is shrewd. I bet she probably knows something fishy is going on when she saw me excusing myself to answer the call. At the thought of that, Matilda couldn¡¯t help but feel intimidated by her mother¡¯s imminent wrath. As a matter of fact, her mother was fed up with her, especially the time when she stayed in the Constance Residence. Besides, she also used Matilda of being too impulsive as thetter only had herself to me for the dilemma shended herself in. At the thought of that, Matilda suddenly understood why Old Mrs. Flintstone was so angry with her as she was able to recognize her recklessness atst. Nheless, Matilda couldn¡¯t bring herself to turn down William, just like how the man was unable to turn his back on her back then, despite her unreasonable demands. Still, she could finally heave a sigh of relief after getting away from Richard. When she thought of the situation earlier, she was reminded of the intense awkwardness she felt when Richard was around. When John was ready to leave for lunch break, he swung by William¡¯s office to check on him, only to realize that he wasn¡¯t back. Besides that, he noticed the documents on his desk, and one of them was left open. Upon noticing that, he reckoned his father must have left when he was going through the papers halfway. After staring at that document for a moment, he left his office and hit the road, making his way back to the Constance Residence. As soon as he got out of his car, John headed to the car park, where he saw no signs of William¡¯s car. It looks like he is still out there. I guess it¡¯s not hard to figure out what is keeping him upied for so long. Knowing where William had gone, John walked away and headed to the house when he ran into his Aunt Jennifer, who happened to being out of the garden. Noticing her elegant outfit, John deduced that she was going somewhere. When she caught sight of John, she was surprised too, but soon, she chuckled and said, ¡°Oh, John. It looks like you¡¯re getting closer and closer with Sophia. Look at you,ing all the way back here just to check on Sophia during lunch break.¡± After greeting her, John didn¡¯t say anything much, to which the woman responded with a grunt. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to nag, John, but you and Sophia need to get remarried. Without marriage to bind you both, anything could happen.¡± John pouted and said, ¡°Well, the way I see it, marriage is not as important as having a child. That piece of certificate won¡¯t make a difference if the worst case scenario happens, but things will be different if we have a child.¡± Lady Jennifer stared at John and chuckled. ¡°Haha. How open-minded you are!¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 846 Chapter 846 John only nodded in front of Lady Jennifer in silence and headed straight to the main building. While Old Mrs. Constance and Sophia were nowhere to be seen downstairs, the maids were busy cooking in the kitchen. After scanning his surroundings, he proceeded to head upstairs to the bedroom. As soon as he opened the door, he realized that Sophia was sound asleep in the bed, so he quickly tiptoed into the room so as to not to wake her up. Then, John slowly walked closer to Sophia and sat beside her while caressing her hair. Ian¡¯s vacation has been confirmed. Although it¡¯s not a long one, the break should be enough for him to get all the rest he wants. When hees back, it¡¯ll be time for us all to talk about the matter. Meanwhile, Sophia was sleeping so soundly that John¡¯s presence didn¡¯t even wake her. At the same time, John was leaning against the nightstand when he received a text message from one of his men about the answers they had gotten from the interrogation. ¡®Those people are not a part of the top management, so there is nothing much useful they can provide.¡¯ Despite the limited information, John still had what was needed to move on to his next target. After sending a reply to show his acknowledgement, he put down his phone. Then, John noticed Sophia¡¯s phone on the nightstand and he reached for it, noticing a missed call from Logan. That call onlysted only a few seconds. Although he initially wondered whether the call was mistakenly made, he quickly dismissed the thought and put it behind him. After that, he continued to keep Sophiapany until the maid came up and informed him that lunch was ready. It was at that time that the knock on the door woke Sophia up. When she opened her eyes, she caught sight of John beside her, which scared her quite a bit. John then got off the bed. ¡°It looks like you were really tired. You slept like a log.¡± When John helped Sophia up, she said, ¡°Well, it was a great nap. I¡¯m feeling so much more refreshed right now.¡± Then, John helped Sophia fix her hair while replying, ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, girl. You shouldn¡¯t be sleeping too much.¡± Sophia answered, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get downstairs. I¡¯m starving after a nap.¡± John was amused by thedy¡¯s response as he found her lovely and adorable. As both of them walked down the corridor, they ran into Old Mrs. Constance who happened to step out of her room. When the olddy saw her grandson, she didn¡¯t seem surprised and merely asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t your dade back with you?¡± In response, John chuckled and hesitated for a while before he said, ¡°Dad? He is probably with Mom right now.¡± Old Mrs. Constance and Sophia were taken aback, and thetter beat the former to it as she asked, ¡°Really? So, that means Master William has made his move?¡± Although John was unsure about Sophia¡¯s question, he believed William was very likely to be with Matilda at that moment. ¡°I think so.¡± That triggered Sophia¡¯s gossipy nature at once. Hastily, she reached for her phone. ¡°I have a phone call to make, so I¡¯ll join you guyster.¡± Her sneaky behavior amused Old Mrs. Constance, who jokingly said, ¡°You¡¯re acting as if both of them are having an affair.¡± Sophia burst intoughter as well after hearing Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s words. ¡°Well, I¡¯m too curious to find out how things are going on over there.¡± After that, John helped Old Mrs. Constance walk downstairs, whereas Sophia stood in the corridor and called Matilda. It took a while for Matilda to answer the call, and when the call connected, Sophia had a weird feeling, but she seemed to have detected a certain awkwardness in Matilda¡¯s voice. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Sophia?¡± ¡°Hey, who are you with right now?¡± Sophia asked in a hushed tone. To that, Matilda responded with silence, which Sophia quickly understood what that meant. Then, Sophiaughed it off and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I thought Richard was going over to dine with you? Did you stand him up?¡± On the other hand, Matilda was scratching her head, wondering how she should exin this to Sophia. Oh gosh! How am I supposed to put this? Sophia waited for a while but heard no further response from Matilda. Soon, she figured thetter was perhaps in a difficult situation to answer a call. Therefore, she merely gave an affirmative grunt and added, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave you to it first. We¡¯ll talk again soon.¡± Before she hung up the call, Sophia cheered Matilda up by saying, ¡°You can do it! I have faith in you!¡± Previous Chapter Next ChapterT¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 847 Chapter 847 Seemingly awkward, Matilda faked a cough and brushed Sophia off with a nonchnt grunt. It was only then that the call finally ended. Upon hanging up the call, Sophia happily chuckled while making her way downstairs. At the same time, John and Old Mrs. Constance were seen sitting at the dining table, apparently waiting for Sophia¡¯s arrival. However, John could guess what had likely happened when he noticed Sophia¡¯s smile. As thedy sat down beside him, he caressed her hair with his palm. ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± Sophia replied, ¡°Yeah, but I still think Master William could be a little more aggressive. Anyway, things seem to be going well for them both right now, and if everything goes as nned, we¡¯ll eventually see the happy ending we want. After all, they¡¯re mutually in love with each other, so I really don¡¯t understand why they¡¯re acting like they don¡¯t care for each other.¡± Old Mrs. Constance agreed with Sophia as she turned her attention to John. ¡°Exactly. If your dad can be like you, he¡¯ll probably have already remarried Matilda.¡± After hearing his grandmother, John shifted his gaze to Sophia and said, ¡°If you can be as easy-going as my mother is, we¡¯ll probably have remarried.¡± In response, Sophia stuck out her tongue at him with a smile. Because of Matilda¡¯s matter, the three of them had a rather enjoyable lunch. After lunch, John decided to spend their leisure time by taking Sophia for a walk around the Constance Residence. Since he didn¡¯t have any topic to talk about in particr, John mentioned Lady Jennifer to Sophia since he had run into her just now. In that instant, Sophia was reminded of Lady Jennifer¡¯s sour look when she saw her with Dn previously. Although Sophia knew Lady Jennifer was concerned that Dn couldn¡¯t find a girlfriend because of her, she wished for her to know that she would never be with Dn even if she wasn¡¯t pregnant. After all, she still had a sense of shame, regardless of how others viewed her. People say we be wiser as we age, but it looks like that is not the case with Lady Jennifer. I can¡¯t believe she still dwells on that matter. John let out a sigh, wondering when Dn would ever find a girlfriend. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Sophia pondered for a while and answered, ¡°He¡¯ll find the right person when the timees. What¡¯s the point of those around him getting so anxious for him?¡± John then turned around and gazed at Sophia with a smile without saying anything much. As the couple continued to walk further, Sophia finally revealed her opinion. ¡°You guys read too much into it. Look, I¡¯m not dumb, and I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± After taking a stroll around the residence, both of them eventually settled down on a bench in the backyard. With his hand ced on Sophia¡¯s tummy, he said, ¡°It¡¯s about time for your check-up soon. Let me know ahead so that I can take you to the hospital.¡± Sophia leaned back on the bench and replied, ¡°No need for that. If you¡¯re busy, you should attend to work first. Madam Flintstone and I can handle it.¡± Then, John held Sophia¡¯s hands and rubbed her palms. ¡°Nothing is more important than taking you for a check-up. I want to be there with you and watch our child grow up.¡± Then, he turned around and gazed at thedy. ¡°I¡¯m serious and determined this time, and I want you to know that. I mean it even when I said those words to you earlier on.¡± Oh jeez! His clich¨¦ confession is giving me goosebumps. Despite that thought, Sophia answered, ¡°Alright, I heard you loud and clear. You¡¯ve been a good boytely, anyway.¡± Time passed by quickly, and John realized it was about time for him to leave. Therefore, he walked Sophia back to the main building and drove back to his office. Much to his surprise, he still hadn¡¯t seen William back, making him wonder how much longer his father¡¯s lunch was going to take. After that, John sat in his chair and reached for his phone, only to see a few messages from his men about the interrogation. Upon skimming through each of them, he deleted all the messages and put his phone down. A few momentster, Zack came over and told him, ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve done a check-up on your car, and it¡¯s perfectly fine. It appears that the culprit didn¡¯t do anything else to your car besides attaching the bug to it.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 848 Chapter 848 John responded with a nod and answered, ¡°Noted, but please do something about the rest of the parts, even though they¡¯re fine.¡± Upon hearing that, Zack knew what John meant by that. ¡°Alright, I know what to do.¡± After that, Zack turned around and headed toward the exit. The moment he opened the door, John saw Dn walking past in a hurried manner with some documents in his hands. He then took a look at the time and realized it was still their lunch break. Therefore, he decided to step out of his office and follow Dn to his room just as thetter was opening the door. As soon as Dn unlocked his room door, John asked, ¡°You look busy. Have you taken your lunch?¡± Stunned, Dn looked back and gazed at John with a smile. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not always this busy, except today, so I merely cut my lunch break short.¡± The next moment, John entered Dn¡¯s office as if he was going into his own and sat down. ¡°Your health shoulde first. After all, work will never getpletely done, so take a break when you have to.¡± Dn curled his lips upward and went along with John¡¯s words. ¡°Yeah, work just keepsing.¡± Soon, John changed the subject and said, ¡°Actually, there is something that I¡¯ve been rather curious about. You told Aunt Jennifer that you have a crush on someone, whom she happens to know as well. Do you mind telling me who she is?¡± Dn chuckled and said, ¡°Come on! Don¡¯t tell me that matter has been bothering you ever since the day I brought it up?¡± John crossed his fingers on hisp. ¡°Well, it doese across my thoughts once in a while.¡± Dn stared at John and asked, ¡°No offense, John, but are you scared of something?¡± John didn¡¯t deny Dn¡¯s suspicion right away but gave him an exnation instead. ¡°I¡¯m not actually scared but just curious and worried at the same time.¡± Then, he added, ¡°Well, I believe you should know what I mean by that. I¡¯m not worried about anything that could go wrong between you and the person I¡¯m thinking of. Instead, I¡¯m just a little concerned that you might have unknowingly put this person in a tight spot.¡± John let out a sigh and went on to say, ¡°After all, you probably know what kind of a person Aunt Jennifer is better than any of us. Therefore, I¡¯m saying I just want to stay out of unnecessary trouble.¡± Dn paused in that instant, knowing he would have never realized his mistake if John hadn¡¯t reminded him to be subtle. It seems that I have really neglected the possibility that my ambiguous exnation could put Sophia in trouble. No wonder Mom didn¡¯t seem happy when she saw me and Sophia togetherst time. He then sat down and sighed. ¡°I see where you¡¯reing from. This is my bad. I should have been more considerate.¡± Upon hearing Dn¡¯s reply, John seized the opportunity to make his point known as he gazed around the office. ¡°Look, we¡¯re all still young, and we can never get away with our work, which means we¡¯re probably going to spend the rest of our life here in the office. So, you should probably go see the outside world more often and get to know more people along the way while you¡¯re still young and passionate.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Dn closed the file in his hands and said, ¡°I see. Alright, you¡¯ve made your point, and I know what to do now, so say no more.¡± John nodded with a smile. ¡°Perfect! Well, it looks like you¡¯re going to bury yourself in work for a while from now on, so perhaps I should leave you to it.¡± After that, John stood up and slowly walked out of Dn¡¯s office. I guess that should do. After all, we¡¯re all adults, and I trust he is mature enough to read between the lines for that. When John returned to his office, he left the door open and waited for William¡¯s return until lunch break was almost over. It was only then that he finally saw William passing by his office in a calm and collected manner. As William walked past his son¡¯s office, he turned around to meet John¡¯s gaze and gave his son a smile. Noticing his father¡¯s delightful look, John began to act like the nosy Sophia and stood up once again to make his way to William¡¯s office. Then, he closed the door and stared at William for a while. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 849 Chapter 849 Shooting his son a gaze, William didn¡¯t react impatiently like he usually would. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?¡± John then stood before William¡¯s desk and continued staring at him. ¡°So, I assume you had lunch with my mom just now. That means you met her, right?¡± In the face of a question like this, William would usually avoid answering it due to embarrassment. This time, however, he seemed to be acting naturally as he directly responded with an affirmative grunt. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Taken aback, John confusedly asked, ¡°You went to the Flintstone Residence, didn¡¯t you?¡± William looked up and met John¡¯s gaze. ¡°Nope.¡± John was instantly baffled. ¡°If you didn¡¯t go to the Flintstone Residence, how did you meet up with Mom?¡± After saying that, he took a brief moment to ponder on the situation. Then, he red at his father. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me Mom stood Richard up just to go meet you?¡± William didn¡¯t respond, but even so, John could guess what the answer would likely be. After a few moments of silence, John clicked his tongue and said, ¡°You both are really¡­¡± He intentionally left his sentence hanging. In the meantime, William took a look at the time and said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to get back to work. So, you might want to go back to your office now. I¡¯ll be busy in the afternoon.¡± Oh yeah, that¡¯s for sure. You have a whole stack of papers waiting for you to go through. Maybe you shouldn¡¯t have gone for such a long lunch break. John nodded and said, ¡°I suppose you intend to remarry Mom, right? Actually, I believe things will work out better for you if you¡¯d directly express your thoughts instead of sounding out Mom¡¯s thoughts. After all, Mom is quite a straightforward person herself, so there is really no need for you both to beat around the bush.¡± Nevertheless, John¡¯s opinion was met with silence as William only quietly looked down at his papers. It looks like my advice goes in one ear and out the other, so maybe I should save my breath. After that, he walked out of his father¡¯s office, suddenly chuckling when something crossed his mind as he stood at the doorway. Meanwhile, Sophia returned to her room andy in her bed, scrolling through her phone to kill boredom. Soon, she found Logan¡¯s missed call and was reminded of his recent bad mood due to the humiliation he suffered from L. Therefore, she immediately gave Logan a call, and her friend took a while before picking it up. Then, she heard the man¡¯s deep voice. ¡°Hey, Sophia.¡± Sophia responded with a grunt and caringly asked, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I missed your call earlier because I was asleep. How are you feeling now? Still upset?¡± In fact, Logan wasn¡¯t upset but was rather bothered by the matter. He then told Sophia that he had gone to the hospital earlier that day to confront L for what she had done to him, only to find that she had been discharged. Because of that, he didn¡¯t feel happy about it. Then, he decided to try his luck and headed over to L¡¯s gym in the hope that he could bump into her by chance, only to be disappointed once more even though he had already anticipated the chance of failure. However, as he was leaving the gym, he saw a few men armed with sticks arriving at the ce. Logan was no stranger to trouble, so he could immediately tell that these people were here to cause trouble. Standing at the exit, he was hesitant to interfere, but he soon gave up the idea when he recalled L¡¯s menacing look. After that, Logan hit the road, and as he drove from the gym back to his club, he kept convincing himself that L must have made herself some enemies. Thus, he now thought that it was considered normal for someone to go looking for her. Putting aside the sensitive nature of her profession, she was bound to make some enemies due to her personality. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 850 Chapter 850 That must be the reason why someone wants to mess with her. She probably deserves that for being an idiot! Preupied with those thoughts, Logan had returned to his lounge at his club with an overwhelmingly heavy heart, but even he couldn¡¯t exin why. Logan then paused for a short while and asked, ¡°Are you free today? I¡¯m a little bored here, so do you want toe over?¡± Sophia knew Logan wanted someone to lend him a pair of ears, so she epted his invitation without much hesitation. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be on my way now. Just give me a moment.¡± Soon, she proceeded to get changed and set out, but this time, she didn¡¯t ask Matilda toe along since she figured Logan wanted to have some privacy when confiding. It would be better if she went alone. Therefore, John sent some bodyguards to tag along with Sophia as they escorted her to Logan¡¯s club. At that moment, Logan was eating in his lounge with a table full of beer bottles but only a few side dishes. Upon entering, Sophia happened to see Logan pouring himself a ss of beer with a resentful look on his face. She then took a quick nce across the table and asked, ¡°Is this your lunch?¡± When Logan saw thedy, he pointed at the empty seat beside him. ¡°Come. Join me.¡± Although Sophia had already taken her lunch, she decided to go along with Logan since he was in a bad mood. After that, she sat down beside him and helplessly glimpsed at the beer bottle. ¡°You should keep off alcohol, especially when you¡¯re feeling down. There is no telling what you might do if you get carried away.¡± Sophia grabbed the beer bottle and put it elsewhere. The next moment, Logan stared at his beer for a few seconds, but he eventually took in Sophia¡¯s advice. After taking a bite of the side dish, he put down his knife and fork. ¡°The world would be a better ce if every woman could be like you, Sophia.¡± Amused by her friend¡¯s response, Sophia burst intoughter. ¡°You¡¯d be bored to death in a world full of women who were cloned like me.¡± Soon, she grabbed a fork and took some of the dish for herself. ¡°The diversity of characters is exactly what makes the world a beautiful ce.¡± Logan smacked his lips while eating. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why a nasty woman like her ever exists.¡± Sophia looked down at her dish, eating while answering Logan. ¡°To be honest, L is not a bad person. You only hate her because you both got off the wrong foot.¡± Then, she chuckled quietly and proceeded to mention Matilda. ¡°Look at me and Madam Flintstone. We both used to be at each other¡¯s throats, but look at us now; we¡¯re just like besties! Do you really think Madam Flintstone is a bad person from the beginning? I don¡¯t think so though. Despite our differences, the moment I saw how she treated Isabelle with kindness and gentleness was the moment I started to believe that she is someone with a pure heart. It¡¯s just that the way we view things was different.¡± When she talked to Logan, her voice was exceedingly gentle. She knew what Logan was getting worked up for, and it was simply because of those petty grudges that had been building up in him since back then. Now, he was merely thinking of ways to vent his frustrations caused by the humiliation he suffered some time ago. Although the only time that Sophia and L met didn¡¯t exactly end well in the past, she knew L did the right thing since thetter was only following the correctw enforcement procedures. While an outsider would likelypliment L for doing a great job, Sophia knew Logan¡¯s pride was preventing him from getting over his humiliation. Upon hearing Sophia, Logan looked up at her in a doubtful manner. ¡°Why do I have a feeling you¡¯re siding with that b*tch?¡± Sophia nodded and replied, ¡°I think so too. I guess I must say that I¡¯m perhaps a little biased toward L, but you need to understand something, Logan. Our life would be so much different if it weren¡¯t for them.¡± After that, she added calmly, ¡°Our society only prospers in harmony because of them. Think about the money your club is making every day. If thew enforcers like L hadn¡¯t done their job, would you have gotten this far?¡± Previous Chapter Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 851 Chapter 851 Logan sniggered and answered, ¡°Wow! ¡®Wise words¡¯! ¡®Wise words¡¯! What else can I say? I feel as if I¡¯m back to those old days in school, where I¡¯m sitting right beside the teacher¡¯s favorite student who makes me look even more like a jerk.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia only ced her hand on Logan¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°You¡¯re not a jerk. You¡¯re just spoiled.¡± Logan responded with silence as he guzzled the beer in his ss. At the same time, Sophia knew she mustn¡¯t take it too far, fearing that her kind words of advice would frustrate her friend and backfire instead. Therefore, she decided to stop talking and continued to sit beside Logan in silence after taking some more of the food. She wasn¡¯t hungry after all, so she stopped after merely a couple of bites. Logan contemted things briefly before he reached for the beer bottle again. Nheless, Sophia didn¡¯t stop him this time, knowing that her words had just gone in one ear and out the other. For that, she didn¡¯t want to upset him anymore by saying something he didn¡¯t like to hear. On the other hand, Logan quickly fell into a drunken stupor as he went on to drown his sorrows. However, Sophia didn¡¯t send for the waiter. Instead, she merely sat beside him and scrolled through her phone. Soon, Logan copsed on the table with his eyes shut. In his drunkenness, he swung his arm and knocked over a ss onto the floor, shattering it. The loud crash woke him up. He then opened his eyes and looked around him, whereupon he smiled at Sophia. ¡°You must be thinking I¡¯m a piece of trash, Sophia.¡± Sophia paused and quickly answered, ¡°Of course not.¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Logan sniggered and said, ¡°I¡¯m not a shameless man, and I know I¡¯d be a nobody if it weren¡¯t for my old man and my four capable sisters, along with their husbands.¡± He then leaned back on his chair with his eyes closed as he looked like he was falling asleep again. Even so, he wouldn¡¯t stopining. ¡°She was right. My mouth is as big as my ego, yet I¡¯m the one everyone despises. Thus, I¡¯m only a king in my own world, and that¡¯s nothing to boast about.¡± Upon hearing Logan¡¯s words, Sophia blinked, seemingly able to guess who said those words. As Logan¡¯s voice drifted into silence, Sophia knew he must have dozed off. This time, she didn¡¯t wait. Instead, she quickly called for the help of the waiters. When the waiters came in, they felt helpless to see Logan in a drunken stupor. Then, they told Sophia about Logan¡¯s usual behavior. ¡°Young Master Jefferson¡¯s temper has been rather unpredictabletely. He is usually seen quiet in one moment, but he would then begin to mutter things to himself in another.¡± Sophia leaned against the door and replied, ¡°Something has been bothering him recently, and he just doesn¡¯t know how to take the load off his chest.¡± Soon, the two waiters came over and carried Logan out of the lounge. ¡°He¡¯s never been like this before. Honestly, we¡¯re all worried about him.¡± Sophia sighed and said, ¡°He¡¯ll be fine after some time.¡± Everyone hits rock bottom at a point in life. Logan¡¯s ego has grown too big, and I¡¯m actually d that someone knocked him down to size. At the thought of that, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but feel grateful to L for what she had done. After all, she couldn¡¯t believe that thisdy managed to humble someone as uncontroble as Logan and teach him a lesson on behalf of this stubborn brat¡¯s father. While Logan was taken to his room, Sophia went downstairs and sat in the lobby. There were barely any customers at the club in the day, so the waiters didn¡¯t have a lot of work to attend to. Feeling bored, Sophia beckoned to two waiters and said, ¡°Well, since we¡¯re all free, let¡¯s y a card game to kill time.¡± Since they knew Sophia, they didn¡¯t mind going along with her and proceeded to y the game. As soon as they got their hands on the deck of cards, they heard the club¡¯s door being opened, followed by the sound of someone dragging his luggage. Nheless, Sophia couldn¡¯t care less about that as her eyes were glued to the cards in her hands. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 852 Chapter 852 After distributing the cards, Sophia said, ¡°Alright, here we go. Let the game begin.¡± As soon as she finished her words, she felt someone walking up toward her. Then, she heard a chuckle. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re really free.¡± Upon hearing that voice, she paused, falling into a trance as she kept staring at her cards while blinking. Why does this voice sound so familiar? A few seconds later, she slowly turned around and sized the person up from toe to head. ¡°The look on your face is scaring me,¡± Ian said with a smile. Then, Sophia put down her cards and stood up. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us ahead that you¡¯d being back?¡± Ian passed his luggage to the waiters and told them to put it aside first, then he sat down beside Sophia and picked up the cards. At the same time, he answered, ¡°I just want to give you guys a surprise.¡± This is surprising indeed. If only I had seen thising, Sophia thought. Then, Ian gazed at the two waiters and said, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s continue.¡± As both of them also knew Ian, they looked back at him and focused on the cards in their hands. Soon, it was Ian¡¯s turn to show his hand. As he made his move, he asked Sophia about Logan. ¡°Where is Logan? I haven¡¯t seen him here. Why are you here alone?¡± ¡°Oh, he is taking a nap upstairs,¡± Sophia answered. Surprised, Ian asked, ¡°But you¡¯re here. So, why is he still sleeping upstairs rather thaning down?¡± Um. This is a long story, and it¡¯s going to take me a while to exin everything to him. Sophia didn¡¯t know where to start regarding Logan¡¯s bitter history with L, so she only gave a brief reply. ¡°Well, that guy drank a little more than he could handle when we were eating just now, so he ended up getting knocked out.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Ian nodded in response, putting an end to the topic. Upon finishing the game, the two waiters, who were able to cleverly read the situation, put away the cards and left. Meanwhile, Ian turned around and gazed at Sophia with a confused look as his eyes slowly moved from her face to her stomach. Noticing that, Sophia asked, ¡°Oh, can you tell? It has only just started not long ago, so it¡¯s still not that obvious, is it?¡± In fact, Ian had already learned about Sophia¡¯s pregnancy from Logan. With no idea where things stood between the two of them, the unsuspecting Logan happily exined the entire situation to Ian. While Sophia¡¯s pregnancy should be a good news that was worth celebrating, Ian didn¡¯t seem to share the joy with everyone else. After thinking hard for a while, Ian finally figured something to say. ¡°I bet being pregnant isn¡¯t easy.¡± Sophia ced her palm on her stomach. ¡°Everything feels fine now. At least I can still move freely at the moment, but I guess the same cannot be said a few monthster.¡± Ian pursed his lips and moved his gaze toward the table. In that instant, he seemed as if he was trying hard to think of what he could talk about with Sophia, and thedy was starting to feel a little awkward due to his reaction. Therefore, she quickly changed the subject and asked, ¡°Have you eaten? Perhaps I could get you a little something.¡± Indeed, Ian hadn¡¯t eaten anything as he had been on the road after packing his stuff since early this morning. It wasn¡¯t until he arrived at Logan¡¯s club that he could finally slow down and rx. Upon hearing Sophia¡¯s kind offer, he nodded and said, ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t taken my lunch yet because I was nning to have it with you guys, but it seems like I got here a little toote.¡± Then, Sophia stood up to call the waiter so that he could get something for Ian, but after doing that, she turned around to look at Ian again and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just have something light for lunch first and save it for dinner? We can all gather and have a proper meal then. What do you think?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 853 Chapter 853 Although Ian was hungry at that moment, he was not in the mood to eat as he was bothered by the fact that Sophia was pregnant. At the thought of that, Ian lost his appetite, so he only responded with an indifferent grunt after hearing Sophia¡¯s question. ¡°That¡¯s fine by me.¡± After instructing the waiter to prepare the food, Sophia continued to stand in ce, wondering how she should face Ian. We both used to be close to each other, so why do we feel awkward now that we meet again? What has really gone wrong? Meanwhile, Ian could tell that Sophia was feeling a little awkward, so he wasn¡¯tfortable with that as well. I only just left for a short period of time, but I can¡¯t believe so much has changed while I was gone. If I had known this is how the matter would end up, I wouldn¡¯t have left Sophia to join thepetition. Nheless, there is no turning back now. Sophia stood in ce for a few moments. Then, she came closer to the couch and sat down but kept her distance from Ian. After clearing her throat, she asked, ¡°How was yourpetition? Has yourtest ranking been announced?¡± Since Ian was a candidate highly rmended by Lorraine, it shouldn¡¯t be hard for him to secure a good ce in the rankings. Ian clicked his tongue and replied, ¡°They only told me to take a break for two days since they need to assess the forumments and vote counts before making any further announcement about the ranking.¡± Despite her confusion, Sophia had a rough picture of what Ian was trying to tell her in her mind. ¡°I wish you the best of luck in yourpetition! May you secure a job in an establishedpany and prove your worth to the Morgan Family.¡± ¡°My family actually contacted me when I was in thepetition,¡± Ian said with a smile. In fact, Bryce was the one who had contacted Ian back then because he wasn¡¯t happy to see his son on TV. He viewed Ian as a disgrace like his mother. Initially, he called Ian to make him give up on the competition, but when his persuasion failed to sway his son, he began to lose his temper. Seeing that reaction of his, Ian was afraid that the old man woulde over in a fit of rage to cause a scene. Later, his phone had been kept away from him, and as time went by, he no longer bothered to return Bryce¡¯s missed calls or respond to his messages. This time when Ian came back, he didn¡¯t inform any of the Morgan Family members because he wouldn¡¯t like to see them. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. At the mention of his family, Sophia instantly knew what she could talk about. In order to get herself out of the awkward situation, Sophia decisively brought up the matter about Sally. Ever since Sally was detained, Leah had been trying to pull every string she could to get her off the hook. Nevertheless, the incident somehow took a turn for the worse as the victim refused to let things slide. Therefore, Sally was still in custody, even though Leah had spent a fortune on getting her daughter out. When Leah subsequently realized there was nothing else she could do, Sally was forced to plead guilty. As for Simon, he hadn¡¯t returned to his office yet. Due to his rebellious nature, he had beenid off by Bryce and grounded at home. Irritated by that, the man swore to oppose his father by indulging in a life of nightly debauchery. ording to what Logan had learned, Sophia knew that the Morgan Family had been in constant disharmony. Therefore, Bryce, whose health was originally in poor condition, had been regrly asking his doctor for check-ups and consultation due to the stress that had been caused by the disturbances. When Logan told that to Sophia, he gloated gleefully and rejoiced in the Morgan Family¡¯s misery, thinking that they deserved what wasing to them. After all, Bryce had made countless mistakes that he shouldn¡¯t have made in his youth. Thus, Logan reckoned that karma had caught up with that old man. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 854 Chapter 854 Despite learning about the Morgan Family¡¯s disharmony, Ian appeared to look unbothered. He would have felt ted as well if he had heard about these things when he was younger, but now, all these just sounded like nothing more than gossip to him. Therefore, he¡¯d rather spend his time on something else rather than those people that he didn¡¯t like. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. As Ian was beginning to let go of that matter, he had made up his mind to cut ties with the Morgan Family, wanting nothing to do with them ever again. He then leaned back on the couch and sighed. ¡°The Morgan Family will have to count on Sean from now on.¡± No one else but Sean can help the Morgan Family get back to its feet. Initially, Dad kept on nagging Sally and Simon to study hard for the sake of thepany. What a pipe dream! Meanwhile, Sophia had hardly heard of anything about Sean, merely knowing him as a man who kept a low profile as she never saw a picture of him even on the news. Then, she was reminded of an interview that she had seen somewhere, which was rted to Sean. True to his character, that man only answered nothing more than what he was asked. A man like him always seems to have a hidden agenda, but I guess the Morgan Family would prosper under his leadership if he were to step up. Soon, she curiously asked, ¡°When your brother leads the Morgan Family, I wonder if it¡¯ll be a bad thing for the three of them.¡± Upon hearing Sophia¡¯s words, Ian thought about it in a serious manner before revealing a smile. ¡°I doubt things are going to end up too terribly for them, even though their life won¡¯t exactly be a good one from that point on.¡± As soon as Ian finished his sentence, Sophia¡¯s phone rang and interrupted their conversation. She answered the call, which turned out to be from Matilda to ask her where she was. Upon taking a glimpse at Ian, she told Matilda that she was at Logan¡¯s club. Deep down, she was hoping that Matilda coulde here and get her out of this awkward situation. If only Matilda was here to get me off the hook. At that moment, a waiter came over and served the noodles for Ian. Matilda seemed to have heard his voice, for she then chuckled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡± Once Sophia hung up the call, she put down her phone and exined to Ian. ¡°It was John¡¯s mom. She has been treating me welltely, and we¡¯ve both buried the hatchet.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± A preupied look appeared on Ian¡¯s face. ¡°It seems that a lot of things happened when I was away.¡± After hearing his words, Sophia hated to guess what Ian was implying, so she only responded with a nod. For the next few moments, silence ensued as Sophia leaned back on the couch and shifted her gaze elsewhere. Meanwhile, Ian began to enjoy his noodles while looking at his phone, seemingly checking out a text message that was just received. Witnessing his frown, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but wonder if something serious happened. Perhaps it¡¯s some update about hispetition. I suppose Ian has been having a hard time fighting all alone for the sake of his future. In the meantime, Matilda arrived at the lounge not long after their call, but when she saw the man beside Sophia, she quickly came closer to have a look, only to realize that it was Ian. Surprised, Matilda asked, ¡°You¡¯re back, Ian?¡± Ian put down his phone and looked up at Matilda. ¡°Today is a holiday for me, Mrs. Constance.¡± Matilda nodded and replied, ¡°Oh, I see. I bet you could use a break too.¡± Then, she looked around her and asked in confusion, ¡°Where is Logan? Why don¡¯t I see him?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 855 Chapter 855 Sophia proceeded to tell Matilda the same reason she told Ian¡ªthat Logan was drunk and asleep. In response, Matilda replied, ¡°Oh, I see. But why would he drink in the day? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± After hearing Matilda¡¯s question, Sophia only smiled in silence as she didn¡¯t know how to put it to her. Soon, Matilda sat next to her and asked, ¡°So, what¡¯re we going to do now? Just sit here all day?¡± Sophia looked up at the ceiling and sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I have no idea what we could do to kill time.¡± Not long after that, Matilda seemingly figured out a way to kill time, so she beckoned to one of the staff and said, ¡°Let¡¯s y poker. Come and join us.¡± Sophia helplessly stared at Matilda. ¡°You¡¯re quite the gambler, aren¡¯t you?¡± Matilda shot a gaze at Ian and asked, ¡°Care to join us?¡± At the same time, Ian was just done with his meal. ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Meanwhile, Sophia was beginning to think that ying poker was, in fact, not a bad idea, or they would be bored to tears while waiting for Logan to wake up. Before heading over to the game room, Sophia told another staff to check on Logan. That dude has been out like a dead man since the moment he was carried to his room. I doubt he is going to wake up anytime soon. As the four of them began to y their game, the atmosphere was instantly lightened up. Shortly after the first round started, Sophia received a call from John, which she didn¡¯t bother looking at before answering it because she was too engrossed in the poker game. Nheless, John didn¡¯t say a single word after the call connected until Sophia called out to him. ¡°Are you there, John?¡± At that moment, Ian was stunned as he paused and gazed at her with a cial look on his face. It turned out that John had been away from his office for some official business and was nning to go straight home after that. Thus, he was calling Sophia to ask her whether she had any cravings so that he could buy them on the way. Sophia responded with an affirmative hum. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m now at Logan¡¯s club. Ian is back, and we¡¯re nning to eat out tonight. So, why don¡¯t you join us?¡± John was alert when he heard Ian¡¯s name, whereupon he replied with an indifferent grunt. ¡°I see. That¡¯s soon.¡± A few secondster, he added, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll be on my way to meet you guys.¡± Sophia then put her phone down and ced one of her cards in the center just as Ian suddenly chuckled in a nonchnt manner. In the meantime, Matilda shifted her gaze to Ian and said, ¡°John¡¯s dad and I think you should be the one to decide on the child¡¯s name. We all agree that you should make the call. In fact, it seems to us that John is getting really desperate, but I told him to calm down so that he doesn¡¯t ruin everything.¡± On the other hand, Sophia only kept her eyes on her cards without looking at Matilda, knowing what Matilda was trying to imply. While those words were meant for Ian to hear, Sophia decided it would be best for her to y dumb since she didn¡¯t want to put her foot in her mouth. As soon as Matilda had her turn, she suddenly paused when she heard footsteps walking up the stairs, yet she wasn¡¯t alone because Ian could clearly hear that too. The next moment, Ian had his eyes glued to the door that was left open until John showed up as both men quickly locked eyes with each other. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Soon, the two of them didn¡¯t seem happy, although John appeared to have the upper hand in the mental game by acting magnanimously. He then turned his attention to Sophia and stood beside her, cing his hand on the back of thedy¡¯s chair. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± At that time, the worker, who was ying together, volunteered to give up his ce, allowing John to participate in the game. In response, John smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be d to take over.¡± Upon witnessing John¡¯s reaction, aplicated look appeared on Sophia¡¯s face as she couldn¡¯t help but look at Matilda, who seemingly pursed her lips at her to indicate the same feeling that she shared with her. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 856 Chapter 856 Thedies were tired of the card game but were forced to y along after hearing John¡¯s response. While his turn happened toe before Sophia, John intentionally went easy on the rest as if he wanted to just show his hand all at once. At times, he even asked Sophia which card she was looking for as he was willing to give up what he had, even though it mighte in handy. Although Sophia humored him at first, she was soon rendered speechless when she realized John was serious. Meanwhile, Ian was only seen with a cial look on his face ever since John sat down. Seemingly noticing that, Sophia found her awkward situation bing even worse than a few moments back when she was alone with Ian. After the first round, Sophia was slowly finding herself at the end of her rope. This is not a game but his one-man show! At the thought of that, she dropped her cards on the table and said, ¡°I think I need to stop. I can¡¯t take it anymore; I¡¯m too tired to continue.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. At the same time, Matilda could also no longer stand John¡¯s cocky attitude as she said, ¡°That¡¯s enough for me too. This is getting boring.¡± In the meantime, Ian stood up and walked toward the window, opening it before taking a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Upon seeing that, John immediately seized Sophia¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get some air outside.¡± Sophia instantly caught on to John¡¯s intention, knowing that he wasn¡¯t trying to embarrass Ian but instead wanted her to stay away from the smoke. While Sophia had never really felt disgusted with the unpleasant smell, she decided to go along with John for the sake of her unborn child. ¡°Alright.¡± Soon, Matilda followed the two of them and left, leaving Ian alone in the room. Nevertheless, thetter didn¡¯t bother to turn around, only standing by the window as if nothing ever happened. As John and Sophia made their way to the exit downstairs, they passed by the crowded main hall, where Matilda stayed behind and texted someone. On the other hand, John held Sophia¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Since when is Ian back?¡± Slightly frightened by the question, Sophia answered, ¡°O-Oh, it was this afternoon.¡± It was only then that John¡¯s mind was put to ease as he now knew that Ian had just been back not long ago. At the same time, Matilda was texting Richard when thetter was asking her out for a dinner date. Before Matilda could respond further, Richard told him that he would like to have herpany as he was a little bored. His answer seemed to hit Matilda in her soft spot, instantly rendering her tongue-tied just before she was going to turn him down. Soon, the man directly gave her a call, asking what she was doing and whether she was busy. Since it was about time for dinner, Matilda stammered, ¡°U-Um. I- I¡¯m actually with some friends now.¡± Richard paused briefly before he candidly asked, ¡°Oh, is William there too?¡± Since she just stood Richard up for William, she was nervous to hear the man¡¯s question. Therefore, she anxiously exined, ¡°N-No! No! He is not. I¡¯m now with my son and my daughter-inw, along with some of our friends.¡± Seemingly contemting, Richard inquired, ¡°I see. Where are you guys now? Am I wee to join?¡± Richard¡¯s question put Matilda in a difficult position, where she didn¡¯t know how to turn him down. While she paused for a few moments in silence, Richard stubbornly waited until she responded. In the end, Matilda reluctantly gave in and told him the address of her current location. Upon hanging up the call, Matilda quickly made her way to the exit and waved at John and Sophia, who were taking a walk not far away. When both of them got closer, she said without waiting for them to ask, ¡°It¡¯s Richard. He ising.¡± Sophia paused, feeling surprised to hear Matilda¡¯s words. ¡°What¡¯s he going to doing here? Didn¡¯t you tell him that you¡¯re with us? Didn¡¯t you let him know that we¡¯re busy?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 857 Chapter 857 Desperately, Matilda replied, ¡°Yeah, I did, but he told me he was bored and would like to have some company. So, I didn¡¯t know how I could turn him down.¡± Indeed, this is a tricky situation. Sophia nodded and sniggered. ¡°Richard is probably crazy over you, or he wouldn¡¯t insist oning at the expense of his pride.¡± Matilda pursed her lips while recalling the conversation she had with Richard earlier. I believe I¡¯ve made myself clear enough, whereas Richard gave me his word that he¡¯ll respect my will and treat me as a friend. Since Richard had already made his point, Matilda had no idea how else she could rify her stance because that would only make her look petty and mawkish. When Sophia and John exchanged gazes, the man said, ¡°Well¡ªthe more, the merrier, since we¡¯re all celebrating Ian¡¯s return, I suppose it¡¯s not a bad thing that he ising either.¡± Meanwhile, Ian was seening downstairs together with Logan, who was wearing his pajamas with a drowsy look that was apanied by his unkempt hair. Although Logan was still feeling a little tipsy, he instantly sobered up at the sight of his friends in his club. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the restaurant right opposite and enjoy a nice meal, everyone.¡± Soon, he added, ¡°Now that Ian is back, we¡¯re going to have some fun.¡± Despite those exciting words, the man didn¡¯t seem to be exhrated at all. As soon as he finished his words, Matilda¡¯s phone rang. While everyone else thought it was a call from Richard, Matilda appeared awkward upon taking a look at her phone. A few secondster, Sophia beatN?velDrama.Org owns all content. everyone to it and responded with a chuckle. ¡°Let me guess. Your ex-husband is calling, right?¡± Matilda didn¡¯t answer Sophia¡¯s question but instead went to a corner and picked up the call. Indeed, the caller was none other than William, who was asking her out for dinner. In that instant, Matilda found herself in a dilemma because she didn¡¯t want Richard and William to meet each other, but at the same time, she was afraid that her former spouse wouldn¡¯t be happy if he learned that Richard had dinner with themter on. Confused and disturbed, she chose to give William the address of Logan¡¯s club and told the man that they were going to celebrate Ian¡¯s return before she went on to invite him along. On the other hand, William happily epted Matilda¡¯s invitation without thinking too much. After a few moments of hesitation, Matilda unwillingly made up her mind and told William that Richard would also be there, as she wouldn¡¯t want Richard¡¯s sudden appearance to surprise William and give rise to any unnecessary conflict. Upon hearing that, William paused and replied with an affirmative hum. ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s fine by me.¡± Even so, Matilda pursed her lips, feeling insecure to think what would happen when the two men met each other. After that, she had a shback about her lunch with William the day before, during which both of them didn¡¯t manage to sort out their rtionship issues face to face. In fact, she had been looking for an opportunity to talk about their rtionship problems throughout their lunch. Besides, she also wanted to ask William his opinion about getting back together, but unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say those words out that were forming at the tip of her tongue. Deep down, she knew that she would have brought up her wonder if this had happened when she was younger. Unlike her younger, blunt self, Matilda had be more wary and bashful in expressing her feelings. With her eyes on Matilda, who was on the phone, Sophia nudged John with her elbow and mischievously said, ¡°Look at your mom! She looks just like a shy little girl, doesn¡¯t she?¡± John then wrapped his arm around Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Since when have you be such a busybody?¡± Sophiaughed in amusement while Ian¡¯s gaze fell upon John¡¯s arm before he headed outside. Logan scratched his head and said, ¡°Give me a moment. I need to get myself refreshed right now. It still feels like the whole world around me is spinning.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 858 Chapter 858 Shortly after Logan was gone to get himself refreshed, Richard arrived. Meanwhile, Sophia shifted her gaze across everyone else and reached for her phone. ¡°I¡¯m going to give Robin a call and invite them both toe over. Since we¡¯re all friends here, there is no reason to leave the two of them out.¡± John smiled in agreement but was aware of how things could go wrong with so many people present at the same time. While the restaurant was just opposite Logan¡¯s clubhouse, they all left their rides right where they were parked and crossed the road straightaway. In the meantime, Matilda decided to stay behind and directly said she wished to wait for William. Upon hearing William¡¯s name, Richard couldn¡¯t help but feel a little shocked, even though he subtly tried to hide his feelings. After a brief pause, he smiled at Matilda and volunteered to wait with her. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll stay behind with you then. You¡¯re probably going to be bored waiting here alone.¡± Sophia shot a gaze at Richard, finding him quite a chivalrous gentleman. As the rest of them made their way to the seafood restaurant, John sat beside Sophia and ordered some snacks before wiping her fingers with some wet wipes. ¡°God knows how dirty your hands were after touching those cards.¡± Sophiaughed it off and replied, ¡°Oh, I almost forgot about that.¡± Helpless, John opined with a smile, ¡°Well, I hope our son doesn¡¯t pick up all your bad habits.¡± Sophia was instantly rendered speechless by John¡¯s reply. I thought he was going to have a word with Ian and resolve their differences like two mature men, but it seems that I was wrong to think that way. He just won¡¯t stop putting down Ian in an implicit manner. For that, I must say that it¡¯s a bad call to invite John along. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Soon, Sophia took her hands off John and stood up. ¡°I think I¡¯ll get outside and wash them.¡± Before she made for the door, she looked back and added, ¡°You don¡¯t have toe along. I can handle this.¡± As soon as she finished her sentence, she stepped out of the dining room and headed to the restaurant¡¯s exit, instead of the restroom. Not long after that, she saw William showing up from a distance, recognizing his car that was parked near the entrance of Logan¡¯s club. Then, Matilda and Richard quickly came out of the club and approached William, who was standing beside his car. From where Sophia was standing, she was unable to see William¡¯s expression, but nheless, she convinced herself to rest assured since they were all mature adults. Therefore, Sophia only hugged herself and stood in ce, observing the three of them greeting each other at the entrance of Logan¡¯s club. asionally, the three of them tended to turn around during their conversation, giving Sophia a chance to nce at their expressions. Are they really good actors, or are they really getting along with each other well? A few momentster, Robin and Lincoln showed up as Sophia quickly waved at the couple and beckoned to them. At the same time, Matilda happened to see Sophia at the restaurant¡¯s entrance, whereupon she patted William¡¯s shoulder. Meanwhile, William seemed to be able to catch on to what Matilda meant, nodding before both of them headed toward the restaurant. On the other hand, Richard was left behind them just as Sophia noticed his perplexed expression and quickly shot a gaze at William. Oh jeez! It appears that things are likely going to turn ugly during dinner later. With all theseplicated rtionships, lighting up the atmosphere is going to be super tricky. While Sophia was contemting deep down, Robin and Lincoln walked closer to her with their hands holding each other. It was then that Sophia¡¯s eyes fell upon the ring on Robin¡¯s finger. At the sight of that, Sophia smiled and asked, ¡°Have you taken care of all the invitation cards?¡± Robin responded with a chuckle and took a stack of invitation cards out of her handbag. ¡°I¡¯m going to give them out to everyer.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 859 Chapter 859 Sophia took one of the invitation cards and flipped it open before a wedding picture of Robin and Lincoln came into view. Although the picture looked like it had been edited before, their smiles seemed rather sincere and genuine. Then, Sophia kept the card and said, ¡°Congrattions!¡± Upon hearing that, Robin smiled in embarrassment just as Lincoln thanked Sophia, whereupon they made their way to the dining room. Meanwhile, the room was filled with a strange atmosphere, while John and Ian had zero interaction with each other, holding a ss of water in their hands. At the same time, Logan began to start whining andining again, but this time, it wasn¡¯t about L. Instead, he was criticizing and berating the Morgan Family. Nheless, he seemed less cranky and angrier, unlike the time he was cursing L previously. Even so, Logan was seen swearing and condemning the Morgan Family with all kinds of strongnguage. However, Ian behaved as if he didn¡¯t hear anything at all, with his eyes staring at the air nkly. Later, Sophia noticed John curling his lips upward to reveal a cunning smile. What¡¯s this guy really up to? On the other hand, Logan could barely contain his excitement when he saw so many faces. In that instant, he immediately put all his frustration behind him and started greeting the others with a smiling face. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since thest time I had a party so crowded. We¡¯re going to have so much fun tonight!¡± As soon as he finished his words, Logan pressed the bell to send for a waiter and start ordering. Then, he behaved even more enthusiastically than the waiter as he exined every single dish on the menu in detail. Although Logan¡¯s humorous behavior managed to amuse Sophia, she knew the reason behind her friend¡¯s excitement. Logan has always enjoyed being around people. Despite his recent despondency, it looks like this crowded asion is doing well in lifting his mood. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Meanwhile, the waiter only waited in silence until Logan was done introducing and ordering the dishes. Then, he looked at Logan with a smile and said, ¡°You look especially delighted today, Young Master Jefferson.¡± Logan then waved at the waiter and instructed, ¡°Yes, indeed. Please prepare the dishes at once.¡± Watching that, Sophia grabbed the ss on the table and took a sip of water. He is happy indeed, but I bet someone else isn¡¯t. Shortly after that, Robin stood up and announced her wedding day to everyone, which was just around the corner. Then, she proceeded to distribute her invitation cards to each and everyone present, while they congratted her and Lincoln. With the invitation card in his hand, Logan stared at it for a long while and sighed in a helpless manner. Soon, he shifted his gaze to Ian. ¡°s! I don¡¯t know when it¡¯s our turn to give out our wedding invitation cards.¡± Nheless, Ian only shot a gaze at him without saying a single word. Noticing the man¡¯s cial look, Sophia knew her friend wasn¡¯t happy about it. At this time, Matilda chimed in and said, ¡°Ian shouldn¡¯t have any trouble looking for a girlfriend. He is one of the most popr candidates in the music contest, so you can imagine how many girls are crazy about him.¡± Logan grunted in a nonchnt manner as he tried to y dumb before Matilda. ¡°How dare you compare me to Ian?! Are you doubting me?¡± Seriously, Matilda nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying.¡± As Logan seemed to lighten up, he shifted his attention to Sophia. ¡°Look at thisdy, Sophia. She is bullying me again!¡± Amused by Logan¡¯s response, Sophia burst intoughter along with Matilda, who gazed at William. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 860 Chapter 860 William was surprised to notice Matilda¡¯s change as well. She used to be a stuck-updy who didn¡¯t have much to talk about, even with someone her age, but now, she is making jokes with Logan. It feels like she has be a different person. Meanwhile, Richard didn¡¯t chime in since he wasn¡¯t close with them, but even so, he tried to fit in andughed with everyone when they joked. As soon as the wine was served, Logan happily filled in the ss of every gentleman present. I know they¡¯re all driving hometer, but how can they not drink on this special asion? After that, William took off his vest and said in a rxed tone, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to take care of my car. Man! If this is not the best asion to get drunk, then when should it be?¡± Logan replied, ¡°Of course! Come, help yourself! If you¡¯re too drunk to move, you could always bunk down in my room.¡± That¡¯s thoughtful of him! Matilda turned around and gazed at Richard. ¡°This is a wonderful asion, so you should drink some as well. When we¡¯re done, just get someone to pick you up.¡± Richard responded with an affirmative hum. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about me. I could take a cab back anyway, plus my home isn¡¯t too far away either.¡± Now that I¡¯ve taken care of these two old men, the rest shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem. Soon, Logan ordered some fruit juice for thedies in the room. Before the dishes were served, he raised his ss up high and began an artistic speech. As he sincerely started his opening, he first talked about the negative doubts that had always revolved around him. Then, he told everyone about his simple yet unhealthy social life, which was full of fair-weathered friends, until he met some true friends when his life took a turn for the better. After that, he went on to talk about Ian, Sophia, John, and Robin, but before he mentioned Matilda, he gazed at her and embarrassedly chuckled. ¡°I need to be honest with you, Madam Flintstone. I never really liked you because the hatred was mutual, and I could see that.¡± A few secondster, he added, ¡°Tell us, prettydy. Did you ever tell John to stay away from me back then?¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Matilda covered her face and giggled with a soft voice. ¡°Tell me about it! Guess what? I don¡¯t even like who I used to be either.¡± As for Logan¡¯s question, Matilda directly admitted it and said, ¡°I was afraid you¡¯d be a bad influence for John.¡± Logan snorted in response, behaving like a child as he answered, ¡°Do you really believe your son was a good boy all along? Come on! You should have probably spent more time with him.¡± Soon, he shifted his gaze to William and realized they didn¡¯t know each other well since they had only met a few times. Even though he didn¡¯t like Matilda back then, Logan harbored no grudge toward William, thanks to thetter¡¯s easy-going nature. Therefore, he didn¡¯t mention how close he was to William, only stating his mature behavior. Nheless, he was hoping that he could be more light- minded like Matilda. On the other hand, William responded with a nod. ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s time for me to change too.¡± After that, Logan mentioned Lincoln and Richard, whom he barely knew anything about since they had only met once at his own club¡¯s entrance. However, he courteously weed Richard to swing by anytime for fun. Meanwhile, Lincoln had been considered by Logan as one of his own close friends since he was marrying Robin. After mentioning everyone, he finally sat down and sighed. ¡°By the way, Ian should be in the limelight today. I¡¯m sorry that I stole it, Bro.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 861 Chapter 861 Upon hearing Logan¡¯s words, everyone was amused, bursting intoughter. While Logan was a regr customer as well as a VIP member of the restaurant, they were prioritized and quickly served the moment the dishes were done. In the meantime, Sophia was drooling when she caught the scent of the delicious food, feeling as if she could swallow a horse. John then ced some shrimps into Sophia¡¯s bowl after peeling off the shell. At the same time, Ian was sitting opposite Sophia, taking a quick glimpse at the couple before he took his eyes off them and never looked back again. He seemed to be rather busy, for his phone had been vibrating non-stop. Nevertheless, he only checked it out once in a while, which Sophia reckoned had something to do with hispetition. Meanwhile, Logan never mentioned anything about the Morgan Family or L again throughout dinner, probably knowing that it would rain on everyone¡¯s parade to talk about the matter. In order to lighten up the atmosphere, Logan tried to get Lincoln and Robin to talk about something funny that had happened amidst their wedding preparation. In response, Robin proceeded to reveal that preparing for a wedding wasn¡¯t as easy as it seemed because it was exhausting and time- consuming. In fact, the preparation had given her a headache until now, as she had only just realized there were so many things to consider. She then went on to describe how tired she was when she and Lincoln shot their wedding photos the other day. After that, she asked Sophia how long their photoshoot took back then. Sophia smiled and told her friend that she couldn¡¯t really remember butter added that their photoshoot didn¡¯t take long because John wanted to save the trouble and ended up going for the most basic package. While wedding photoshoots were usually taken outdoors, this wasn¡¯t the case for the package they chose. For that, Sophia med John for taking their wedding lightly. At that moment, John felt a twinge of pain upon hearing thedy¡¯s bitterint. He then held Sophia¡¯s hand and promised her a maternity photoshoot when her tummy grew bigger. As he said that, he appeared to be sincere and genuine. Robin nodded and said, ¡°Both of them are so sweet and lovely. I guess the photoshoot doesn¡¯t matter much, anyway.¡± Soon, she smiled and added in a helpless manner, ¡°I¡¯m so envious of them.¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Matilda asked, ¡°What¡¯re you talking about? You¡¯ve found your soulmate, haven¡¯t you?¡± Robin turned around and looked at Lincoln before changing her tune. ¡°Yes, I have.¡± Shortly after that, the few men began to have a toast while chatting with each other. Nheless, Sophia found it weird to see William and Richard getting along well with everyone else except each other. Besides that, the same thing was going on between John and Ian, as both men didn¡¯t seem to have any interaction at all, although they appeared to hit it off with the rest. At the sight of that, Sophia only chuckled in response, knowing that she could have prevented this from happening. I guess inviting John here is a mistake. Soon, Robin came closer and asked Sophia about her pregnancy. While Robin asked a lot of questions in detail, Sophia deduced that her friend was nning to have kids after marrying. At that time, Lincoln leaned closer as well, hoping to learn more about pregnancy. Since Sophia and Lincoln had barely known each other, she believed that Robin¡¯s fianc¨¦ was a good man, judging from the past few times they met. Halfway through the meal, Logan started a new topic about thepetition that Ian was in. As he hadn¡¯t watched the show before, he curiously asked Ian how it was like to be a part of thepetition. Then, Ian briefly introduced the program but was soon seemingly distracted by something that crossed his mind. Gazing at Sophia, he said, ¡°Well, I actually regret taking part in thispetition, but it¡¯s too late to turn back now.¡± However, John acted as if he didn¡¯t hear anything, only focusing on cing food on Sophia¡¯s te. With a pair of smiling eyes on his face, he gently said to Sophia, ¡°Here you go. Take some vegetables, and stop drinking fruit juice, or you¡¯re going to get hungry again soon.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 862 Chapter 862 Logan was baffled by what Ian meant, so he asked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you not perform well? That shouldn¡¯t be the case because I heard from my sister that she¡¯d make sure you secure a good ranking.¡± Nheless, Ian only responded with a nonchnt chuckle as he guzzled down the ss of wine. The moment he raised his ss, his eyes seemed as if they were filled with destion and helplessness, but when he put it down, the look on his face went back to an indifferent expression. Meanwhile, Sophia pretended as if she didn¡¯t understand what was going on, only looking down at the dish while eating it. Deep down, she thought this dinner would be a torment to someone else but soon realized that she could no longer stand the drama. While the men idled around in their casual chat, Sophia headed to the couch and sat there with Robin and Matilda. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. At the same time, Richard cast his eyes on Matilda and took them off shortly after that, only to be noticed by William, who happened to be staring at him. Refusing to give up in the mental game, he met William¡¯s gaze with a cial re. While William¡¯s gaze seemed rather apathetic, he appeared as if he was demonstrating his authority to Richard. Unhappy, Richard started to make his move by raising his ss before William. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Constance. Let¡¯s have a toast!¡± Meanwhile, William didn¡¯t flinch but instead raised his ss as well and toasted Richard. Then, both men guzzled down their wine and showed each other their empty sses. As the men continued to dilly-dally, Sophia eventually ran out of patience and returned to Logan¡¯s clubhouse with Robin and Matilda. Feeling slightly worried, Matilda went to William before leaving the room. After she seemingly whispered in William¡¯s ear, he looked up at her with a smile and told her not to worry. A few momentster, she approached Richard and courteously told him to enjoy himself because she didn¡¯t want him to feel left out. It was only then that she finally walked out of the room with Sophia. As soon as the door was closed, Sophia heaved a sigh of relief with augh. ¡°Oh gosh! You have no idea how terribly I was suffering back there. Look at what they¡¯ve done to a dinner that was supposed to be rxing and enjoyable! I felt so awkward at a few points back there when those few gentlemen kept interrupting each other. Ugh! Why can¡¯t they stop fighting each other?! Maybe I really shouldn¡¯t have invited John along!¡± Matilda soon echoed Sophia¡¯s words and said, ¡°Well, I shouldn¡¯t have invited Richard toe along either. If I had known we¡¯d end up in this awkward situation, I would have just turned him down from the beginning.¡± Upon hearing Matilda¡¯s reply, Sophia didn¡¯t botherparing the two scenarios, even though she reckoned the atmosphere was more awkward with William and Richard. They are two fully grown middle-aged men, so how could they still behave so childishly?! That really blows my mind away! As soon as thedies made it to the room at Logan¡¯s clubhouse, Sophia tiredly copsed onto the couch, whereas Matilda was absorbed in Robin¡¯s invitation card. With her eyes finally glued to the wedding photo of Robin and Lincoln, she said, ¡°You both genuinely make a perfect match! Look at how sweet you are!¡± Robin smiled and said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what many people say.¡± Matilda then stared at Robin for a while andplimented her. ¡°Actually, I know you¡¯re a good person.¡± In that instant, Robin was overwhelmed by a strong surge of mixed feelings, which she couldn¡¯t even exin herself. In the meantime, Sophia was lying on the couch, talking about Robin¡¯s wedding until she unknowingly dozed off. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 863 Chapter 863 When Sophia came around, she was instantly disgusted by someone reeking of alcohol. She then instinctively pushed that person away and told him off, only to hear John¡¯sughter. ¡°Haha. It looks like someone is still wandering in her dreand. How could you not recognize me?¡± Soon, Sophia opened her eyes widely, finding herself alone in the room with John. Since when did everyone leave? How did I not realize that? After that, she slowly sat up straight and spoke in her defense. ¡°You¡¯re reeking of alcohol, so how was I supposed to know that it was you?!¡± John sat beside her and let out a long sigh. ¡°s! That dinner back there was an unpleasant one.¡± Sophia chuckled in contempt and replied, ¡°You are responsible for ruining it too, so stopining!¡± After that, she proceeded to ask, ¡°By the way, who did Madam Flintstone leave with just now? Master William or Richard?¡± Nevertheless, John told her that he couldn¡¯t remember, as he didn¡¯t bother paying attention to that since they were leaving just when he arrived. However, he believed Matilda left with William judging from his father¡¯s gleeful attitude and Richard¡¯s moody appearance. Besides, Matilda¡¯s obvious behavior also suggested that way, in John¡¯s opinion. ¡°Well, everyone was already getting a little tipsy toward the end, but maybe Dad and Richard took it a little too far when a simple toast became a battle of egos. Dad was the first guy Mom noticed out of the two staggering drunk men. Soon, it became even more obvious when she got closer to help him walk, nagging him for drinking more than he could handle. After all, I bet Mom still cares for Dad deep down.¡± John didn¡¯t understand any of this previously until he witnessed Matilda¡¯s caring behavior. Nheless, he reckoned he wasn¡¯t alone, as Richard should also understand what that meant. After a while, Sophia followed John out of the room, finally deciding to ask John upon hesitating for a long while, ¡°Where is Ian? Is he drunk?¡± John responded with a sarcastic grunt and asked, ¡°Look at me. Do you think there is any chance that he is in a better state than I am?¡± How cocky he is! As for Logan, Sophia didn¡¯t bother asking about him, probably thinking that he was back to being drunk again. When they got outside of the clubhouse, they saw Zack, who had been waiting beside his car. As soon as he saw Sophia, he politely greeted her. ¡°Long time no see, Sophia.¡± Oh, how long was that ago when west met? Witnessing Zack¡¯s new hairstyle and outfit, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but ask herself how much he had changed. I wonder what else is new about Zack? His girlfriend, perhaps? Soon, Zack opened the car door for Sophia and John to get into the car and proceeded to start the engine. ¡°Your car has been sent for repair, boss. It looks like it¡¯ll take a few days.¡± However, his words were met with silence as he quickly noticed John leaning back on his seat with his eyes closed. A few momentster, Sophia asked Zack how his job had been. Feeling more rxed when talking with Sophia, Zack responded with augh and shared his happy work life with her, including the pay raise that John had given him earlier. In that instant, Sophia peeked at John and realized that he was seemingly asleep, so she asked Zack in a hushed tone, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with John¡¯s car?¡± Sophia¡¯s question caught Zack off guard while thetter stammered in a panic. Not long after that, Sophia smiled and asked, ¡°Come on! What¡¯s so secretive about it?¡± Upon taking a turn at the junction, Zack answered, ¡°Um. Well, it¡¯s just a simple scratch, so I was told to send it for repair.¡± Hmm. That sounds fishy! Apparently, both of them didn¡¯t discuss a cover story, which is why they¡¯re giving two different versions of answers. Nevertheless, Sophia only replied with a prolonged and affirmative hum. ¡°Oh¡ªI see!¡± Even so, she didn¡¯t expose Zack but instead kept quiet. In the meantime, Zack was relieved to see Sophia backing down, fearing that she would press ahead with her questions. Therefore, he decided to keep quiet and say nothing more. Previous Chapter Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 864 Chapter 864 Soon, they arrived back at the Constance Residence as Sophia directly woke John up. ¡°Wake up. We¡¯re home.¡± Having fallen asleep, John slowly opened his eyes when Sophia nudged him. Then, he revealed his red eyes, trying to make sense of everything going on the moment he woke up. After that, Sophia proceeded to get out of the car and headed toward the house, leaving John behind in an unconcerned manner. When she passed by the car park, she peeked in that direction and realized that William¡¯s car was nowhere to be seen. With a mischievous smirk, she thought, It looks like someone is having a second round tonight. Meanwhile, Zack directly drove off since John could walk by himself. Then, Sophia and John quietly tiptoed and made their way to their bedroom upstairs because they didn¡¯t want to wake Old Mrs. Constance. While Sophia grabbed her pajamas and was about to brush her teeth, John¡¯s phone rang. However, he was too drunk to pick it up as he was lying in bed at the moment. After a brief hesitation, Sophia turned around and reached for John¡¯s cell phone in his pocket. She then sniggered and answered the call, only to hear Isabelle¡¯s voice. ¡°John, I have something I¡¯d like to tell you.¡± Sophia asked straightaway, ¡°Yeah, fire away.¡± Isabelle was stunned to hear an unfamiliar voice before Sophiaughed it off and said, ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s not surprising for you to find me by his side at this hour, is it?¡± What¡¯s so important for Isabelle to call me at this ungodly hour? After a brief moment of silence, Isabelle apologized and hung up the call, leaving Sophia baffled. In the end, she decided not to wake John up for that, although she couldn¡¯t stop wondering whether Isabelle really had something important to talk to him about. Isabelle then went on to brush her teeth as well as wiping John¡¯s face and hands before she hit the hay too. Since John was an early riser, he habitually woke up on time as he usually would. At the same time, he unknowingly awoke Sophia, but thedy only squinted and said, ¡°Isabelle gave you a callst night.¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. John paused for a while and mumbled, ¡°Urgh, not again. What does this annoying woman want from me?¡± Even though her eyes were shut, Sophia curled her lips and smiled gleefully, amused by John¡¯s response. That¡¯s what makes me love this man so much! John rubbed her head with his palm. ¡°Close your eyes and sleep, baby. I need to go to work now.¡± Sophia responded with an affirmative hum and asked in a nosy manner, ¡°Hey, take a look and see whether your dad is back, would you?¡± Indeed, it didn¡¯t ur to John that he should check on his father. As he walked into the bathroom, he said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good sign if you don¡¯t see him around? Furthermore, I bet he probably spent the night at Mom¡¯s ce, from the looks of thingsst night.¡± Soon, Sophia fell asleep and realized it was almost afternoon the next time she woke up. At that moment, she felt hungry and weak, so she quickly went about her morning ablutions and made her way downstairs. At this time, Old Mrs. Constance was sitting in front of the TV while sipping some tea. As soon as she saw Sophiaing down, she looked up at the former and berated her. ¡°You people are getting out of control. Earlier on, I still had William to keep mepany, but now, everyone just leaves me alone at home.¡± Sophiaughed in amusement as she went on to joke with Old Mrs. Constance. ¡°Maybe you should tag along with us next time.¡± Old Mrs. Constance rolled her eyes at Sophia and said, ¡°No thanks, you can count me out. I doubt I can keep up with young people like you guys.¡± As Sophia entered the dining area, Old Mrs. Constance followed right behind her and confusedly asked, ¡°William didn¡¯te back homest night, did he?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 865 Chapter 865 Sophia responded with an affirmative hum and said, ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s not a bad thing either.¡± Old Mrs. Constance frowned. ¡°That brat must have bunked down somewhere else.¡± Despite the olddy¡¯s harsh words, Sophia knew what Old Mrs. Constance meant by that. In fact, John and his father had one thing inmon, which was that they were both nostalgic and faithful men. Besides spending the night at Matilda¡¯s ce, it wasn¡¯t likely that he was ying around with other women some ce else. I guess Old Mrs. Constance understands that anyway. In the meantime, John arrived at his office and attended a meeting after taking care of his work. Before the meeting began, Dn, who was one of the attendees, was approached by John with a question. ¡°Have you been in touch with the Bailey Familytely?¡± Dn was caught by surprise upon hearing John¡¯s question. ¡°Y-Yeah, of course. Their orders just keep coming.¡± John rephrased his question. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Let me put it this way, perhaps. Have you been in touch with Isabelletely?¡± Hearing his question, Dn replied, ¡°Um. Nope. I only kept in touch with her at first due to business, but not anymore after that.¡± John responded with a nod to signify his acknowledgment. While he didn¡¯t exin the purpose behind asking that question, Dn didn¡¯t seem interested to know either. As soon as the brief meeting was over, John ran into the Bailey Family¡¯s employees but saw no signs of Isabelle. Upon taking a glimpse at those people, he turned around and went back to his office. After the meeting, John was starting to get busy as he had quite a number of things waiting for him to take care of. When it was almost noon, he received a call from one of his men who told him that they had managed to track down the buyer of the bug they had discovered earlier. Then, he was told that the buyer was someone ordinary with barely any property in possession. This person lived in a normal- looking household situated somewhere between the city and the suburb. As all the information hinted, there was no convincing reason for this buyer to acquire such an advanced covert listening device. Besides, John¡¯s man also told him another strange discovery that this mysterious person had neither a business nor a job, which meant that he had no source of ie at all. Nevertheless, the bnce in his savings ount had never been reduced by a single penny, which indicated the possibility that this person¡¯s life had been assured. Thus, he didn¡¯t have to use his own money. Now, this is getting interesting! Johnughed at the thought of that, knowing that whoever was helping out this buyer had a hidden agenda. For that, he ventured a wild guess that the culprit had disguised as a civilian whenmitting crimes. Soon, John said, ¡°This is getting interesting.¡± After that, John instructed his man to investigate the culprit¡¯s recent whereabouts and anyone else he had ever met. Besides, he also told them to focus on the ces that he had been to before. Justice always prevails. Let¡¯s see how long he can keep his tracks covered because I swear I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this matter. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Upon hanging up the call, John stepped out of his office and headed to William¡¯s office. Man! I¡¯ve been dying to hear some stories from Dad throughout the morning. Thanks to my busy schedule, here is finally my chance! Meanwhile, William was passionately engrossed in his work, even though he appeared to be busy. When John opened the door and walked in, William looked up and shot a gaze at him. Upon witnessing his father¡¯s reaction, John couldn¡¯t help but think there was something fishy that William was hiding from him. After all, William didn¡¯t always behave like that, so John approached closer and stood before him. Without saying anything, he merely justughed and stared at William, making thetter feel ufortably awkward. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 866 Chapter 866 After a short while, John asked, ¡°Were you with Momst night?¡± William avoided John¡¯s question, only giving his son a dossier and said, ¡°Go back and read through this file.¡± Unable to contain his curiosity, Johnughed it off and urged for an answer. ¡°Just answer my question. Yes or no? Hiding it from me is only going to make you look even more suspicious.¡± In the face of such a direct reply, William seemingly knew that there was no way he could dodge John¡¯s question anymore. He then faked a cough and ambiguously told John that he was a little too drunk the night before. John nodded and got to his main point. ¡°When do you n to remarry Mom?¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. William didn¡¯t avoid his question this time and was seen pondering in a stern manner. ¡°I think that depends on your mom.¡± Oh, I see. Judging from William¡¯s answer, John reckoned his father had a n deep down, so he decided not to bother him with any more questions and left with the document. In that instant, he suddenly felt envious of William because he knew Matilda would agree to remarry if he directly proposed to her. Too bad Sophia isn¡¯t like my mother. I have no idea why she keeps turning me down for that. At the thought of Sophia¡¯s stubborn rejection, John couldn¡¯t help but feel dismayed. Can¡¯t she observe me after we get remarried? I still don¡¯t feel confident, even though I had the upper hand in the mental game against Ianst night. When it was time to leave work at noon, John took William¡¯s ride and returned home together. As they were halfway home, William¡¯s phone, which was ced in the center console between the driver¡¯s and the passenger¡¯s seat, started ringing. Then, John quickly picked it up and saw an iing call from Old Mr. Bailey. Nheless, John wasn¡¯t surprised about that, thinking it was normal considering the connections between the two families. Therefore, he directly answered the call and turned on the loudspeaker. Upon taking a glimpse at the screen, William said, ¡°Hello.¡± Old Mr. Bailey said, ¡°President William, are you free to talk?¡± With a smile, William answered, ¡°Sure, I¡¯m done with work anyway.¡± Old Mr. Bailey replied with an affirmative hum. Instead of talking about work as expected, he asked, ¡°Are you free to have dinner together at night, President William?¡± William was surprised by the strange invitation. He chuckled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there anything wrong with our work?¡± Faced with the sudden question about work, Old Mr. Bailey quickly rified his intention. ¡°Ah, no! No! Nothing to do with work. It¡¯s just that we haven¡¯t met in a while, so I thought that we should perhaps catch up.¡± After hearing Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s insistent invitation, William couldn¡¯t seem to find a way to turn him down, so he epted it in the end. ¡°Sure, let me know where and when.¡± On the other hand, Old Mr. Bailey didn¡¯t decide right away but instead promised that he¡¯d keep William posted on thatter on. As soon as the call disconnected, John turned his attention to William and asked, ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re the only one he has invited. Could he have something he wants to talk to you in private about?¡± Nevertheless, William himself was also confused about Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s intention. He contemted briefly and answered, ¡°It beats me, so I¡¯ll find out what he wants to tell me by then.¡± Apparently, theplicated rtionship revolving around Sophia, Isabelle, and John had taken a toll on the affiliation between William and Old Mr. Bailey, for both men hadn¡¯t contacted each other for a while. Even when it came to official business, they¡¯d have their assistants take care of it more often than not. Soon, they arrived at the Constance Residence, only to find that Sophia was away. At the same time, Old Mrs. Constance was listening to some music in the living room, only glimpsing at the two men from the corner of her eyes when they returned. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 867 Chapter 867 Thinking that Sophia was upstairs, John immediately went ahead to check on her. Nheless, he heard Old Mrs. Constance casually saying, ¡°Save your energy. Sophia went out.¡± John paused in a trance. ¡°What? She¡¯s out? For what? Did she go out alone?¡± Old Mrs. Constance wasn¡¯t exactly sure what was going on, so she only said, ¡°Sophia seemed to be leaving in a hurry, but she told me she got a call from Logan asking for help.¡± She then leaned on the couch and added, ¡°Anyway, Sophia told me that she¡¯d be fine. So, just rx.¡± In that instant, John knitted his eyebrows. Logan seems to be surrounded by all kinds of trouble most of the time. How can he drag Sophia into his mess now, considering her current state?! The next moment, he turned around and scuttled out of the living room, standing outside the main building while giving Sophia a call. The first call he made was unanswered, which unnerved him even more, urging him to make a second call. A few momentster, Sophia finally answered her phone as her voice was apanied by the noise in the background. Soon, John asked her where she was, to which Sophia sighed and replied, ¡°I¡¯m now at the police station. Logan is in some kind of trouble, so I came to bail him out.¡± Stunned, John asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± While it wasn¡¯t the right moment to talk about this, Sophia said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you moreter on. We¡¯re a little busy with some procedures at the moment.¡± John pondered for a while and uttered, ¡°Wait for me there. I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Before Sophia could respond further, John hung up the call and headed straight to the car park without telling Old Mrs. Constance and William. Although the police station was rather far away from the Constance Residence, John arrived at his destination smoothly without a hitch, thanks to the green lights along the way. Then, he pulled up outside the police station, only to see Sophia and Logan waiting at the entrance. While it seemed like both of them were already done with the procedure, John quickly got out of the car and approached the two of them. At that moment, Logan was seen with a long face so resentful that no one had ever seen before. John stood in front of Sophia and asked her, ¡°What happened? How did you guys end up here?¡± Sophia peeked at Logan with a sigh. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll talk about this when we get back.¡± In fact, she was doing that to protect Logan¡¯s pride because she didn¡¯t want him to feel embarrassed in front of John. After all, the matter that had happened was something he wasn¡¯t really proud of. John nodded and said, ¡°Alright, get in then.¡± Soon, they hit the road and headed back to Logan¡¯s clubhouse, saying nothing all the way as the atmosphere was filled with an oppressive silence. When they arrived, Logan instantly stepped out of the car and got into his club. Meanwhile, both John and Sophia continued to sit in the car as John asked the same question again, ¡°What happened just now?¡± Sophia immediately burst intoughter. ¡°Haha! This is really embarrassing for Logan!¡± In fact, Sophia had been trying her best to keep a straight face back at the police station due to the solemn asion, despite the hrious matter. She then added, ¡°Do you remember the gym that L runs? Logan previously went there to mess around, but L didn¡¯t bother to entertain him. Therefore, everything was peaceful until Logan went there again earlier today. This time, L flipped out and berated Logan in the most humiliating way you can imagine, but our little friend¡¯s pride would never allow him to swallow it. So, Logan retaliated. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. But don¡¯t get me wrong because he didn¡¯t hit anyone. Instead, he wrecked some gym equipment before L called the cops to arrest him. Considering Logan¡¯s bad history, thew enforcers never really like him. Thus, there was no way he could get away with it for vandalizing someone else¡¯s property.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 868 Chapter 868 Unlike histest arrest, Logan had always turned to Lorraine for help every time there was a spot check at his clubhouse that put him in trouble. Nevertheless, Sophia deemed he brought this upon himself since he was the one who went looking for trouble. While he was too ashamed to reach out to his sister for help, he called Ian a few times, but to no avail, which he reckoned thetter must be having a hangover. Therefore, he had no choice but to ask Sophia to help him out. Needless to say, Sophia knew Logan was probably ashamed of himself, noticing his silence when she paid his bail. Meanwhile, John sniggered with his eyes falling upon the club. ¡°Is he wrecking stuff again in there?¡± Sophia leaned back on his chair and said, ¡°That¡¯s none of my business. He can do whatever he wants to his own property, so I¡¯m going to just take a rest for now.¡± Nheless, Logan didn¡¯t vent his anger out by wrecking stuff but instead locked himself inside his own room. While the waiter, who put an ear to the door, heard nothing but silence, Sophia and John showed up outside his room a few momentster. Then, the waiter pointed at the room door and helplessly shrugged his shoulders. Upon witnessing his reaction, Sophia smiled and knocked on the door. ¡°It¡¯s almost noon, Logan. Do you want to join us for lunch? Come on, let¡¯s have lunch together.¡± Nheless, her words were met with silence. Soon, John came closer and asked, ¡°Perhaps you could take your time to calm down while we get the dishes ready. By then, you cane out and join us. What do you say?¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Leaning against the door, Sophia tried tofort her friend. ¡°Come on! This is actually not much of a big deal. You¡¯ve always gone in and out of the police station anyway. The only difference is that I¡¯m the one who bailed you out this time instead of your sister.¡± She paused and asked, ¡°Or is it because you¡¯re worried that you¡¯d look bad in front of me? Does pride really still matter considering how close we are?¡± Sophia asked that question with a chuckle in a rxing manner. After a short while, Logan¡¯s voice was heard from inside the room. ¡°Why would I be worried about that? I already look bad enough in front of you.¡± Sophia raised her eyebrows upon hearing that. ¡°Come on! How could you say that to yourself? This is just a little setback.¡± Then, she added with a gentle voice, ¡°Okay, why don¡¯t you tell us your frustration during the meal? Share your problem with us.¡± Logan responded with a nomittal grunt. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not hungry.¡± John ced his hand on Sophia¡¯s shoulder and nudged her before both of them exchanged gazes. Soon, Sophia said, ¡°Alright, stay inside since you¡¯re not hungry. John and I will make a move once we¡¯re done eating here.¡± After saying that, she purposely emphasized the next sentence. ¡°We¡¯re now heading to the game room.¡± Soon, Sophia shifted her eyes to the waiter and raised her voice to make sure Logan could hear what she was saying. ¡°Please prepare us a few dishes. Just make the meal simple because we¡¯ll be leaving as soon as we¡¯re done.¡± While the waiter cooperated by responding in agreement before leaving, Sophia was grateful that everyone was smart enough to read her implicit message. In fact, the game room was the usual ce where Logan had his meal. It was a spacious room with a table for card games, as well as a dining table in the corner. Therefore, Sophia and John decided to head over there and wait, but before the dishes were served, Logan showed up. With a gloomy expression on his face, Logan entered the game room and walked toward the table before he sat down alone. Upon witnessing that, Sophia and John looked at each other with a chuckle, whereupon John approached Logan and sat beside him. Staring at Logan, John smiled and said, ¡°Come on! I¡¯m sure you came across something else far more serious than this one, yet you¡¯ve never looked so dejected.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 869 Chapter 869 A few secondster, Logan responded with an angry voice. ¡°You know what? That b*tch really just likes to make me look like a clown! I swear I¡¯m going to wreck her gym one day! That b*tch had better watch out for the rest of her life.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia couldn¡¯t control herself and burst intoughter. ¡°You¡¯re taking it a little too far, Logan. Why must you pick on L out of all the officers who have given you a hard time?¡± Logan opened his eyes wide and said, ¡°What do you mean I¡¯m taking it too far? Yeah, you¡¯re right. There have been a number of officers who havee and given me a hard time, but she is the most stuck-up cop among them all. Every time L showed up, she had to pin me on the table. Darn it! No woman has ever treated me like that!¡± In fact, when L first pinned him on the table, Logan had secretly sworn to himself that he would make thisdy pay for her arrogance one day. Nevertheless, this day never came, yet Logan was humiliated by L again and again. At the thought of that, he could barely keep his anger contained. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. As Sophia tried hard to keep a straight face, she propped her chin on the table and stared at Logan¡¯s frustrated look. ¡°Logan, could L actually be a curse that¡¯s stuck with you for the rest of your life?¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullsh*t!¡± Logan continued to say, ¡°I tell you what. I¡¯ll be sure to teach her a lesson sooner or later. Just wait and see!¡± Sophia raised her eyebrows in disbelief. Oh gosh! This brainless brat has no idea about the odds that are stacked against him at all. Soon, the waiter started to serve various types of dishes, even though it was agreed that they would have a simple meal. Nevertheless, the waiter didn¡¯t seem to be surprised either, when he noticed Logan¡¯s presence. In fact, Logan had been known for being childish since he grew up in a family of ladies who spoiled him until the salt wouldn¡¯t save him. Meanwhile, John called back home and realized that Old Mrs. Constance and William had taken lunch. As William was the one who answered the call, he responded with a nonchnt grunt. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯te back and join us.¡± John pulled William¡¯s leg and made a joke. ¡°Are you saying that you regret that? Because if you had known I wasn¡¯ting back, you would have gone for lunch with Mom.¡± William responded with an apathetic grunt and hung up the call. After that, he stood at the door, hesitating for a while before he gave Matilda a call. In the meantime, Matilda had a word with her mother at the Flintstone Residence about her rtionship with William. At that moment, Matilda didn¡¯t seemfortable, realizing that she was to me for her divorce from William. Now that she had learned from her mistakes and was reconciled with William, everything seemed to be just on track to her. Nevertheless, Old Mrs. Flintstone didn¡¯t see eye to eye with her on that because she wasn¡¯t happy with the Constance Family¡¯s adamant attitude about the divorce. Although Matilda might be at fault, the Constance Family had treated her a little too harshly. Therefore, she didn¡¯t think they deserved to be the ones to decide whether William and Matilda should remarry. However, this didn¡¯t change her impression of William. Instead, she was just afraid that the Constance Family would take advantage of Matilda¡¯s easy-going nature by making the ultimate call about remarrying. For that, she feared that this wouldn¡¯t be beneficial to Matilda¡¯s future. Matilda¡¯s mother tried to advise her by saying, ¡°I think you could really try to work things out with Richard. Although he may not be as well off as William, it seems to me that he is quite a reliable man. In fact, he is also a thoughtful man, just like William.¡± Upon hearing that, Matilda felt helpless as she had been exining to Old Mrs. Flintstone again and again that things wouldn¡¯t work out for her and Richard. Nheless, the olddy refused to give in and insisted that her daughter wouldn¡¯t know without trying. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 870 Chapter 870 Both mother and daughter went on and on with the discussion withouting to any conclusion. As the two of them found themselves in a stalemate, William¡¯s call came in and interrupted the argument. Upon reaching for her phone, Matilda stared at the screen, hesitant to answer it in front of Old Mrs. Flintstone, not because she didn¡¯t want her mother to know that she had been keeping in touch with William, but because she was afraid that she would find out that William had spent the night before with her. Squeezing her grip around the phone, Matilda decided to decline the call and pursed her lips. ¡°Mom, I want to be in control of my own rtionship. Look, I¡¯m not some young teenage girl anymore, so just let me decide my own fate for once.¡± Old Mrs. Flintstone helplessly sighed and justified her action by exining, ¡°I know I¡¯m crossing the line, but that¡¯s all because I don¡¯t want you to go down the wrong path.¡± Upon hearing her mother, Matilda felt disheartened as she said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯d still want to try even if it could be a wrong path to take. Otherwise, I think I¡¯m going to regret not taking it.¡± Staring at Matilda, Old Mrs. Flintstone criticized her daughter¡¯s headstrong nature. ¡°Everyone is talking about how much you¡¯ve changed, but it seems to me you¡¯re still the same old you. You¡¯re stubborn as always.¡± Matilda awkwardly smiled, standing up while holding her phone tightly. ¡°Yeah, I get it, Mom. I¡¯m a middle-aged woman, and it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that. I¡¯ve been stubborn my whole life, so it¡¯s kind of a part of who I am right now.¡± Soon, she added, ¡°Mom, I have a call that I need to answer right now, but you¡¯re probably not going to like it. So, maybe I should excuse myself.¡± After listening to her daughter¡¯s words, Old Mrs. Flintstone immediately knew who was calling. She then reacted impatiently with a long face. ¡°Okay! Okay! I get it. Go ahead then!¡± Despite her mother¡¯s frustration, Matilda was still thoughtful enough not to upset her mother by answering William¡¯s call in front of her. Therefore, she stepped outside her house and returned William¡¯s call. In a matter of seconds, William answered the call and asked, ¡°Were you in the middle of something when I called just now?¡± Matilda sighed and answered, ¡°I was having a word with my mom, so it wasn¡¯t really convenient for me to pick up the call.¡± William nodded and asked, ¡°I see. Have you eaten by the way?¡± ¡°Of course, I have. Lunchtime is almost over,¡± Matilda replied. After that, William couldn¡¯t think of anything else to talk about as he only just wanted to hear Matilda¡¯s voice, even though he didn¡¯t have a topic in mind. Meanwhile, Matilda didn¡¯t know what she could say, so she brought up what they had gone through the night before. ¡°You were drunkst night. I was about to g down a cab and take you back to the Constance Residence, but you grabbed my hand and told me you didn¡¯t want to go back home.¡± This man has never been this stubborn ever before. At the same time, Matilda decided to make it clear to Richard since he was watching from the side. Therefore, she decisively took William home with her. Although William had always known where Matilda lived, he had never once visited her ce of residence. Despite being drunk, he browsed around the house and pulled Matilda¡¯s leg. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve been managing well ever since we separated.¡± Later that night, William slept in the guest room while Matilda stayed up until the next morning. At that moment, she was overwhelmed byplicated mixed feelings, as she didn¡¯t know how to exin them. After a few moments of silence, the atmosphere slowly became a little awkward until William started talking again. ¡°I guess I was really a little too drunk. I can¡¯t remember a thing about the part where I went to your ce.¡± Matilda exined, ¡°You were indeed drunk, yet you were reluctant to go back to the Constance Residence. I didn¡¯t know where else I could take you, so I brought you back to my ce.¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. While William had no other intention, he quickly responded after hearing Matilda¡¯s exnation. ¡°I see. I must have given you a lot of troublest night.¡± ¡°No, not really,¡± Matilda answered. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 871 Chapter 871 William wrapped his fingers around his phone tightly and probingly asked, ¡°So, are you and Richard really¡­?¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Even without William saying thest few words, Matilda knew what he was trying to ask. So, she let out a sigh and said, ¡°There is nothingplicated between me and Richard. We¡¯re just friends at the moment.¡± As her answer turned out to be the same as his hunch had been telling him, he replied, ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± Despite his brief reply, those few words meant a lot to Matilda. Hearing no response from thedy, William added, ¡°I think you and I have both changed a lottely.¡± William¡¯s words filled Matilda¡¯s mind with a billion question marks. What¡¯s he trying to say? Soon, William continued to say, ¡°I didn¡¯t handle it well in sustaining a healthy marriage life, so I guess I was also responsible for our separation back then.¡± Matilda only responded with an affirmative hum, not knowing what else to reply to William¡¯s words. Since when has this guy learned how to sweet-talk his way out? The man¡¯s sincere confession made Matilda¡¯s face blush in bashfulness. Shortly after that, William took a deep breath and suggested a n, ¡°Maybe I should pay a visit to the Flintstone Residence someday.¡± While Matilda was caught in a trance upon hearing that, William asked, ¡°What about tomorrow? Would it be okay for me to visit in the evening?¡± Matilda was tongue-tied as her mind frantically searched for the right answer to reply. Gosh! I didn¡¯t expect him to tell me that he¡¯ll being. What am I supposed to say? What¡¯s the meaning of this? Before Matilda could respond, William said, ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes. See you tomorrow evening.¡± After finishing his sentence, he took a look at the time and concluded their conversation, ¡°It¡¯s about time now. I need to get going for work. Bye!¡± Meanwhile, Matilda only responded with an ¡®oh¡¯, despite a long contemtion. After William hung up the call, she stood in ce and raised her eyebrows in confusion. What¡¯s William up to? He said he is coming to the Flintstone Residence, but why? In the meantime, William arrived at his office and saw John talking on the phone near the safe exit. Surprised, he approached his son just as thetter sensed his presence. Then, John turned around and revealed a cial look when he noticed it was William. In that instant, he said to the phone, ¡°Alright, I get it. Bye.¡± After putting his phone away, he gazed at William and asked, ¡°Did you just arrive?¡± William¡¯s gaze then fell upon his phone for a while as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you have to talk over the phone in the corner so surreptitiously?¡± Johnughed it off and replied, ¡°Oh,e on! You¡¯re just overreacting. It was just Logan. Hended in some trouble and was detained at the police station, but he doesn¡¯t wish anyone else to know too much about it.¡± William nodded in agreement since it seemed to him that Logan was a regr visitor who went in and out of the police station. Therefore, he didn¡¯t find anything surprising about that, but still, he asked, ¡°Was it because of his hangover fromst night that he ended up creating a mess?¡± John smiled and said, ¡°Oh, of course not. He was all sober this morning. It¡¯s just that he identally caused some damage to someone else¡¯s property and failed to reach a consensus with the owner on thepensation, which was where the police were involved.¡± While John¡¯s exnation sounded logical, it didn¡¯t arouse William¡¯s suspicion. Meanwhile, William didn¡¯t read too much into it, so he only nodded. ¡°I see. Alright. I¡¯ll get to work first.¡± John didn¡¯t say a word in response. It was only after William left that he revealed a cial look on his face. When it came to the afternoon, John drove away from his office to meet a partner for a discussion regarding some procurement details. Although the rendezvous wasn¡¯t too far away from the Constance Group, John was caught in the middle of a heavy jam somewhere near the junction with a traffic light due to a terrible car ident. As a result, the traffic was paralyzed, and all the cars were stuck on the road. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 872 Chapter 872 John soon wound down the window and stuck his head out to investigate his surroundings. At the same time, several frustrated drivers directly got out of their cars and stepped forward to find out more about the crash. When they passed by John¡¯s car, he could notice the helpless look on their faces and their irritated sighs. John was not a busybody himself, but it seemed that Sophia had rubbed off on him; after all, this time they often hung around each other. Therefore, he opened the car door and stepped out of his car. After locating the crash, what came into John¡¯s sight was a victim in a school uniform lying down in a pool of blood. While the traffic was heavily congested, the ambnce needed some time before arriving. Meanwhile, John remained still, noticing a car right beside the victim as a man, who seemed to be the driver, was standing next to the vehicle in bafflement. He was seen instinctively exining to the bystanders that he was driving normally when the boy suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. Then, he pointed at the surveince camera and vouched for his innocence. ¡°You could take a look at the surveince footage, and you¡¯ll know that I didn¡¯t cause this.¡± Nevertheless, no one seemed to be interested in hearing his defense as they were all desperate for the victim to be taken to the hospital. At that moment, John stared at the boy lying motionlessly on the ground, so he wasn¡¯t able to see how injured the victim was. A few momentster, the traffic began to clear shortly before the ambnce arrived on the scene. Then, the paramedic team quickly approached the victim to examine his injury. As the victim was ced on the stretcher and carried away, John managed to catch a glimpse of the boy¡¯s face. Although there were initially bloodstains on it, they were all wiped off by the paramedic team members. In that instant, John frowned, finding that face familiar as if he had seen that boy somewhere else. As soon as they entered the ambnce, the paramedic team quickly set off for the hospital, escorted by the traffic police ahead of them. Like many other bystanders, John headed back to his car and drove off. The moment he opened the car door and got in, the face that he had just seen earlier rang a bell. Wait a minute! That boy is Isabelle¡¯s brother, Dexter! I first saw him back when Isabelle and I were getting engaged. At that time, he looked very much younger. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. At that moment, John paused for a short while before he closed the car door, driving off as soon as the traffic ahead cleared. When he drove past the crash scene, John took a quick glimpse at the traffic police officers taking a statement from the driver before he moved on. Soon, John arrived at the rendezvous and began the discussion with his client. However, it didn¡¯t take long for both parties toe to an agreement, thanks to the client¡¯s easy-going attitude. Then, John gave an excuse that he had to leave for something urgent and moved along. Upon hesitating briefly outside the caf¨¦, he decided to call Isabelle and told her what he saw. Meanwhile, Isabelle, who had no idea what she was going to hear next, felt surprised to receive John¡¯s call. ¡°John, what¡¯s up? Is there anything you want to tell me?¡± John clicked his tongue and answered her question, ¡°I saw a car crash at the junction just now, so you might want to give Dexter a call and see where he is now.¡± As soon as John said that, Isabelle quickly caught on to what he was trying to say, so she instinctively argued back in denial. ¡°Nah, that¡¯s definitely not Dexter. He is in school right now.¡± At the same time, John wasn¡¯t quite sure about what he saw since he hadn¡¯t seen Dexter in a while. Well, I only just caught a glimpse of the boy¡¯s face. Maybe that wasn¡¯t Dexter but his doppelganger. Then, he responded with an affirmative hum and said, ¡°Okay, good then.¡± Without anything much to say, John proceeded to hang up the call. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 873 Chapter 873 On the other hand, Isabelle was beginning to feel worried deep down as she recalled that John had seen and known Dexter. He must have seen someone who looks exactly like Dexter, or he wouldn¡¯t have called. At the thought of that, Isabelle quickly called Dexter¡¯s school to confirm her suspicion. Nevertheless, her brother¡¯s teacher appeared to be unaware of the matter. ¡°Dexter said he wasn¡¯t feeling well, so he was permitted to leave the ss and rest in the infirmary, but we don¡¯t know where he really went after that.¡± The teacher¡¯s reply unnerved Isabelle even more, so she quickly asked the schoolteacher to help find Dexter. After that, she made another call to Dexter, but to no avail, as no one picked up the phone. Soon, she anxiously stood up and left her office in a hurry, running into Old Mr. Bailey in the corridor. At that time, Old Mr. Bailey happened to be discussing some important matter with his assistant in a solemn manner. When he saw Isabelle in a panic, he knitted his brows and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so panicky?¡± Isabelle had no idea why her fingers wouldn¡¯t stop shivering. She then gazed at Old Mr. Bailey and told him her concern. ¡°I can¡¯t reach Dexter. I¡¯m worried about him.¡± Nheless, Old Mr. Bailey appeared unconcerned about that as he waved his hand. ¡°That little brat is probably hiding somewhere because he is upset or something. He¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡± After that, he summoned his assistant to his office and walked away, but not before telling Isabelle something. ¡°That spoiled kid needs to learn how to appreciate his good life and stop creating trouble!¡± While Old Mr. Bailey dismissed Isabelle¡¯s suspicion, she still couldn¡¯t put her mind to ease. After brief contemtion, she decided to leave the office and make her way to Dexter¡¯s school. On her way there, she received a call from the teacher, who told her that Dexter had just gone missing and that the school had dispatched the other teachers to search for him. Overwhelmed by her panic, Isabelle picked up her pace and arrived at the school gate to see Dexter¡¯s teacher waiting for her. Then, she was told that the security footage showed Dexter leaving school by himself. Although there were blind spots around the school that the surveince cameras failed to capture, Dexter¡¯s silhouette could still be seen in the footage. Thus, it was confirmed that the boy left the school by climbing over the wall. Soon, Isabelle was reminded of what John told her over the phone. So, she quickly left the school and drove to the hospital. While the hospital was crowded with people, she left her car in front of the entrance and rushed to the emergency department. At the same time, the emergency room was in chaos as every medical staff member was busy with their job. Then, Isabelle quickly seized the hand of one of the nurses and asked whether there was a boy who had been admitted to the hospital due to a car ident. The nurse looked at Isabelle and calmly replied, ¡°You must be his family member. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Great, we¡¯ve been trying to contact his next of kin, but to no avail. Here, this way.¡± The nurse stuck out her finger and pointed somewhere, whereupon Isabelle immediately ran in that direction. While there were many doctors and patients in the emergency department, Isabelle went straight to the corner with the most medical personnel. After that, she could vaguely hear from one of the doctors that the patient needed some epinephrine along with some other medical terms she couldn¡¯t understand. Thus, she only shoved them aside and set her eyes on the patient in the bed shortly before she froze in shock. Oh my gosh! It¡¯s Dexter! In that instant, Isabelle was shaking from head to toe as she couldn¡¯t even properly speak. ¡°W-What¡¯s going on? S-Shouldn¡¯t he be in school?¡± Then, she snapped out of her trance and seized the doctor¡¯s hand. ¡°Please save him, doctor! Please! We can pay you no matter how much you need. Please just save him!¡± Nevertheless, the doctors only took her aside and continued to rescue the dying victim. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 874 Chapter 874 Isabelle staggered backward as she held onto the cart next to her. Then, she reached for her phone with her shaking hands and gave Old Mr. Bailey a call, which the man took a while to pick up. Upon answering the phone, the first thing that Old Mr. Bailey asked was where she was. ¡°Where the heck are you now? I¡¯ve been looking for you. There is a document we need to talk about.¡± Before Isabelle could respond, her tears started rolling down her cheeks, but Old Mr. Bailey kept urging her to return. A few momentster, Isabelle faked a cough and said, ¡°Dad, I found Dexter.¡± Old Mr. Bailey paused for a long while and responded in a deep voice, sounding very unhappy. ¡°And? What¡¯s wrong with him this time?¡± Isabelle fought back her tears. ¡°Dexter was caught in a traffic ident. Please get here as soon as possible.¡± After a moment of silence, Old Mr. Bailey directly hung up the call. Meanwhile, Isabelle was seen wiping her tears, not knowing when they rolled down from her eyes. Soon, one of the doctors suddenly said, ¡°Oh gosh! This is not good!¡± Startled by those words, Isabelle immediately got closer and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?! What¡¯s going on?!¡± Nevertheless, the doctors were too busy to answer her as the nurses took Isabelle further away to keep her from interfering with the doctors. Feeling her limbs going weak, Isabelle staggered backward and leaned against the wall. Soon, the emergency department was filled with noise, with more patients arriving. In that instant, Isabelle felt dizzy, recalling bits and pieces of memory about Dexter. Dexter was the closest person to me and the only person who treated me with sincere kindness in the family. At the same time, Isabelle was also aware of what her grandfather and father were up to, disappointed about the fact that the two elderly valued their own interests more than the family. Grandpa and Dad have always hoped for me to find someone reliable to help Dexter in the future, but they¡¯re only doing it for the sake of the family¡¯s reputation. But Dexter was a young little boy with a pure heart, and I could feel that he genuinely wanted what was best for me. In fact, Isabelle had secretly heard Dexter arguing with Old Mr. Bailey as he wanted their father to stop taking advantage of his sister. Then, the boy went on to tell the man that he wanted to be in control of his own life and that he didn¡¯t need someone else to help him pave the way. The reason he said that was because he wanted Isabelle to live a happy life since he knew his sister wasn¡¯t happy at all. As her mind was filled with all those memories, she covered her face and broke down in tears. Soon, Old Mr. Bailey arrived and nervously made his way to the emergency department. While the rescue was still ongoing, Isabelle overheard the doctors discussing some kind of drug that they believed Dexter had drunk before the ident. Meanwhile, Old Mr. Bailey lost control of his temper and made a fuss there and then, demanding the doctors to save his son in a menacing way. Isabelle seized Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Dad, let¡¯s get out of here and stay out of the doctors¡¯ way.¡± Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s eyes turned red as he suddenly gave a p to Isabelle¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Is this really what you want for your little brother?¡± Meanwhile, Isabelle was confused with Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s reaction, covering her face with her palm while gazing at the man. With a menacing look on his face, Old Mr. Bailey said, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but let me be honest with you. You¡¯re not getting a single penny of my fortune even if anything happens to your brother. I¡¯d rather give it all to the Second Bailey Family instead of an animal like you. Your brother is dying, so how dare you gloat over his misery?!¡± Isabelle frowned and said, ¡°No. Since when did I ever gloat?¡± Nevertheless, Old Mr. Bailey was too stubborn to bother about her reasoning. Then, he turned his attention to the doctors and threatened them in a loud voice, ¡°You guys had better do everything you can to save my son! Otherwise, I¡¯m going to make sure each of you here regrets it for the rest of your life!¡± Previous Chapter N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Next Chapter Chapter 875 Chapter 875 At the sight of Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s threat, one of the nurses called for security, while Isabelle wiped her tears and stepped outside. Then, she was greeted by rows of seats that were full of people sitting on them. At the same time, she also noticed their worried faces, even though they tried hard to cling to their rational mind and waited for the doctor. It was only Old Mr. Bailey who kept making a scene and got in the way of the doctors. Nheless, Isabelle couldn¡¯t care less about that. She walked to a corner and hugged herself while leaning against the wall. At that moment, she could hear buzzing in her head, feeling her temple twitching wildly. Not long after that, the security guards arrived and subdued Old Mr. Bailey, manhandling him as they passed by Isabelle, but she didn¡¯t even bother to look at her father. At the same time, there were rescued patients who were escorted out of the emergency department. Some of them were transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, while the others were taken to the general ward. All of them made it. At the sight of that, Isabelle pursed her lips and clung to a glimmer of hope deep down. After a while, the doctors came out, and one of them, who was involved in rescuing Dexter, turned out to be someone Isabelle knew. Therefore, she quickly approached the doctor, who stared at her and apologized with a faint voice. Upon hearing that, Isabelle blinked in response. ¡°Oh, is he going to the ICU? No worries, I¡¯ll make the payment right away.¡± The doctor let out a sigh and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We couldn¡¯t save him. Nheless, he didn¡¯t die from the injury he sustained from the traffic ident. Instead, it was something he consumed earlier that killed him¡ªwe believe it was pesticide. Anyway, we¡¯ll need to wait for the test result for further confirmation about that.¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Isabelle was taken aback by the doctor¡¯s answer. ¡°Pesticide?!¡± The doctor then asked her a question, ¡°Did the victim suffer from any kind of mental illness, such as depression?¡± Upon pausing for a moment, the doctor added, ¡°He came around halfway through our rescue and told us that he didn¡¯t want to live anymore.¡± Isabelle paused in a trance. ¡°D-Depression¡­?¡± She shook her head in denial. ¡°N-No. This can¡¯t be. He was healthy. Why would he not want to live? Why would he want to die?¡± As soon as she finished her words, she broke down in tears. It was at that moment that Isabelle began to recall the signs, which might have indicated that Dexter was calling for help. Unfortunately, no one knew he was broken on the inside. No wonder Dexter was alwaysining about how tired and unhappy he was because no one really cared about him. His life was all about cram school because of the expectation he needed to live up to in order to stand out. He said he wanted to rest, but everyone dismissed that as aint and paid no attention to it. Overwhelmed by her guilt, Isabelle burst into tears. Meanwhile, the doctor told Isabelle that Dexter¡¯s body would be taken to the morgue and promised to keep her posted on the autopsy result as soon as the testing was done. After that, the doctor excused himself as he still had a lot of work to attend to. Upon hearing the doctor¡¯s words, Isabelle leaned against the wall and slowly crouched on the floor. In the meantime, Old Mr. Bailey, who was forced out of the hospital, stood outside in the chilly breeze as he came to his senses a bit. He then shoved off the guards and said, ¡°Take your hands off me! I¡¯ll just wait here.¡± While the ce was crowded with people, the security guards gave in and let go of the man in order to avoid further conflict. However, they continued to stand there and watched Old Mr. Bailey because they were afraid that the man would lose his temper and make a scene again. Shortly after that, Isabelle came out with a gloomy look on her face. In that instant, Old Mr. Bailey quickly walked up to her and asked, ¡°How is your brother?¡± With half her face swollen, Isabelle could feel slight numbness in her gum. She then stared at Old Mr. Bailey and proceeded to tell him the bad news. ¡°The doctor said Dexter might havemitted suicide by drinking pesticide before the ident.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Old Mr. Bailey snarled in rage, ¡°Why would hemit suicide? He is going to own the wholepany sooner orter. So, why would he ever want to die?¡± After saying that, his eyes that were staring at Isabelle changed. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 876 Chapter 876 Isabelle knew what her dad was implying. Two days ago, they got into an argument because of Dexter. It was not a grave problem; she merely thought that the Bailey Family had been putting too much pressure on her brother. During the exchange, she only advised Old Mr. Bailey to give Dexter some freedom. Old Mr. Bailey probably took it the wrong way, thinking that she didn¡¯t want to see Dexter seed and was unwilling to hand over thepany leadership. Nobody wanted the incident to happen. Am I at fault now? She stared at him incredulously. ¡°Am I such a vile person in your eyes?¡± His eyes were red, and one could tell that he would copse at any moment. When Isabelle closed her eyes, she felt the world spinning around her as well. When John reached home that evening, he told Sophia about Dexter¡¯s car ident. She was shocked by the sudden news. Even though she did not know Dexter personally, she heard of the guy a few times from her conversation with Isabelle. In the past, when Isabelle walked past the entrance of Sophia¡¯s ce, she always told Sophia that she was sending Dexter to cram school, which proved that they had a good rtionship. Sophia quickly asked, ¡°How¡¯s he doing? Is he safe?¡± John personally felt that Dexter would be alright. Even though Dexter¡¯s injuries appeared serious and he lost a lot of blood, his car was likely moving at a slow speed at the intersection. Therefore, JohnN?velDrama.Org owns all content. replied with his assumption, ¡°He should be fine.¡± At dinner, William returned to the Constance Residence. John recalled that Old Mr. Bailey had a dinner appointment with William tonight. However, now that Dexter was involved in an ident, it made sense that the dinner had to be canceled. William heard about Dexter¡¯s situation as well. He said that he wanted to wait until Dexter was discharged, and he would arrange for Dn to make a visit with some gifts. Even though the two families did not have an amicable rtionship in private, the Constances had to fake the appearance due to their business rtionship. After everything had been arranged, John woke up the next morning only to be hit by unexpected news. He received a call, informing him that the hospital had failed to resuscitate Dexter, leaving him frozen in disbelief for some time before mumbling into his phone, ¡°Alright. I got it.¡± When he hung up, he was still paralyzed and fazed. He¡¯s gone. A young man¡¯s life is lost, just like that. Feeling awful, John recalled his impression of Dexter. In his memory, Dexter was always cheerful; he was young and had his entire life ahead of him. Since Sophia was still asleep, John did not wake her up. He tiptoed to wash up and pack in silence before going down the stairs, where he met William, who had been informed of the turn of events. Looking glum, he took a look at John. ¡°I¡¯ve had my breakfast, and I¡¯ll head to the Bailey Residence. As I will bete to the office, I want you to host the morning meeting on my behalf.¡± John agreed to it. ¡°Alright. Will do.¡± William sighed. ¡°He was a great kid. Who would have thought that¡­¡± Indeed, no one saw the tragedying. That morning, Old Mrs. Constance did note down for breakfast. ording to her, she didn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s restst night, and she would only have breakfastter. William and John gathered their stuff and parted ways. The former went to offer his condolences at the Bailey Residence, and thetter went to work. The morning meeting dragged on a little. When John was done with it, he noticed two missed calls from William. He hurried back into his office and called William, who was still at the Bailey Residence. He lowered his voice and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m just done with the meeting.¡± William sighed. ¡°If you are free, you should pay a visit. Isabelle is crushed, and she said she wanted to meet you.¡± John agreed to it, as he believed that at times like this, he had to overlook Isabelle¡¯s past actions. Not only that, he was the person who notified her of Dexter¡¯s ident yesterday. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 877 Chapter 877 He assumed that Isabelle wanted to get more details about the ident from him. Therefore, he checked the time and replied that he¡¯d head over at noon. Then, he inquired with William about the situation at the Bailey Residence and was greeted with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s chaotic here. Now, the elderly in the family are breaking down from the news. It¡¯s a huge blow to them, so of course they couldn¡¯t handle it.¡± Mrs. Bailey had fainted a couple of times from crying, and Old Mr. Bailey slumped down defeatedly. Even though he refused to meet most people, he was open to meeting with William. From the morning, he pulled William to the side and started rambling about some recent happenings in Dexter¡¯s life. He was probably baffled by the tragedy, and he more or less med Isabelle for the young man¡¯s death. Although John was unfamiliar with the dynamics of the Bailey Family, he thought of Dexter¡¯s death as an ident, which was unfair to be pinned on Isabelle. William did not borate more on the phone and told his son that more would be discussed when they met up at noon. At first, William had a bad impression of the Baileys. However, Dexter¡¯s death was very upsetting, and he promptly put aside all his grudges from before. After John was done with his work, he made a call to Sophia. At that time, she was up, had breakfast, and was taking a stroll in the garden. He reminded her to be careful on her walk because she was always rash, leaving him worried. She agreed and sounded like she stretched her limbs. Next, she briefly asked about his work and wondered why he¡¯d think of calling her in the middle of the day. He sighed and could not bring himself to tell her that he wasmenting over Dexter¡¯s passing, which evoked a yearning for the sound of her voice. Instead, he told her that he had been busy in the morning, and when he finally had some free time, boredom crept in, and he thought of calling her. She nodded at the response. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m doing fine over here. You should get busy.¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After hanging up, she took a seat at the bench in the garden, scrolling her phone mindlessly and checking some local news. She had not been checking the news for some time. Even as she dived back into it, it did not elicit any excitement for her anymore. Within a few scrolls, she paused and frowned as she stared at one of the articles. Since the article mentioned the Baileys in its title, she became extra interested in it. She tapped on the article and read it carefully, almost scrutinizing every word in it. After reading, she ced her phone beside her on the bench as she fell into a daze. Last night, John said that Dexter would be fine. In just a day¡¯s time, Dexter sumbed to his injuries. The report made her feel awful, and she disliked negative news, especially at this moment in time. He was so young and had a bright future with limitless possibilities ahead of him! On the other side, Old Mrs. Constance waited for a while but did not see Sophiaing in. Hence, she asked a servant to help her to the garden, where she could see Sophia from far. Sophia sat on the bench with her head lifted toward the sky. For some reason, she looked mncholic. Seeing that, Old Mrs. Constance hurried over. ¡°Sophia turns out that you¡¯re sitting out here!¡± Sophia straightened her back and looked at the olddy. ¡°Oh, why are you out here?¡± Old Mrs. Constance took a seat beside her. ¡°What happened? I sense that you¡¯re unhappy.¡± Sophiaughed gently and exined, ¡°I¡¯m not unhappy. I saw a news article about the Baileys just now, and it made me a little sentimental.¡± Old Mrs. Constance was still in the dark about Dexter¡¯s death and simply assumed that Isabelle had caused some trouble again. She patted Sophia¡¯s hand andforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t upset yourself because of Isabelle. You¡¯re fine with John, and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Sophia stared at Old Mrs. Constance. Soon, she hugged the olddy¡¯s arm and leaned against her. ¡°Grandma, you have to stay safe and healthy.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 878 Chapter 878 Sophia was reminded of her grandpa, who hadin sick in the bed in his final moments, leaving the world in agony and worry. When he drew hisst breath, he was still mumbling her name. It was a painful memory that she tried not to recall. At noon, John made another call to her after he took a break from work. Thinking that she still didn¡¯t know about Dexter¡¯s death, he excused himself from lunch at home due to some ¡®work matters¡¯. Sophia said, ¡°Alright. Have you heard about the incident that befell the Baileys?¡± From her question, it was obvious that she knew about Dexter¡¯s tragedy. John became quiet, which Sophia took as a silent agreement. She let out a low sigh. ¡°How did they lose him? Didn¡¯t you say that the injuries weren¡¯t serious?¡± John didn¡¯t know how it happened as well. He told her the truth¡ªthat he would leave the office soon to visit the Baileys. William had been there for the entire morning and didn¡¯t return, so he wanted to check out the situation. Sophia nodded on her end. ¡°Sure, go ahead. Since you are business partners, it¡¯s only appropriate that you visit them.¡± They kept the conversation brief. After the call, John skipped lunch and drove straight to the Bailey Residence. The entire family was in disarray and was surrounded by an awkward air, full of crying and wailing. All the rtives of the Baileys congregated in the living room, where they made amotion. It was hard to tell if they were truly grieving. At the time, William was in Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s room upstairs. John made a call to his dad in the living room, and William asked him to go up. Now, everyone from the First Bailey Family fell ill from the shock. Therefore, the Second Bailey Family sent some representatives to help manage the rtives who flocked over upon hearing the news. Since the servants in the residence recognized John, they did not block him from heading upstairs. The door to Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s room was open, and John headed straight into it. He saw the old gentleman seated on the bed and appeared aged. His hair seemed to have greyed over the night. William was standing near the door, and when he saw John, he gestured for him to meet Isabelle. John stared at Old Mr. Bailey for a while but did not know how tofort him. In the end, he turned and headed to Isabelle¡¯s room. Knowing which room was hers, he went up and knocked. Isabelle was alone in the room but did not respond to the knocking. John could only call out to her, ¡°Isabelle, it¡¯s me.¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. When she heard his voice, she quickly shuffled over to open the door for him. She was in a terrible condition, her eyes swollen and her hair unkempt, totally different from her usual image. She turned her body sideways, making way for him to enter the room, before closing and locking the door. He turned around to face her and sighed. ¡°My condolences.¡± She went to sit on her bed and asked, ¡°How was Dexter doing when youst saw him yesterday? Did you witness the entire ident?¡± John told her no and suggested that she check the traffic camera with the traffic police. She shook her head. ¡°Our family went over to check the footage. The police said that it was Dexter who ran the red light and crashed into the other car.¡± At this moment, Isabelle sobbed a little as she recalled the doctor¡¯s diagnosis. ording to their doctor, Dexter was suffering from psychological issues. The root of this unfortunate ident was the Baileys¡¯ dismissal of Dexter¡¯s change. She pressed on, ¡°I just wanted to know how he was acting at that moment. Was he very determined to face death?¡± The thought of that made her cover her face, and tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. It¡¯s my fault for not noticing the changes in him.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 879 Chapter 879 John had no idea about Dexter¡¯s personal struggles and was at a loss for words tofort Isabelle. She sobbed quietly for a while before wiping her tears away in a hurry. She asked him in a whisper, ¡°Are you here alone?¡± Not knowing what she meant by this, he exined, ¡°My dad is in your dad¡¯s room.¡± She nodded and lowered her voice further. ¡°John, you need to be careful. Be careful, got it?¡± He still didn¡¯t get what she meant by that, so he stared at her intently without a word. However, she didn¡¯t want to borate and merely added, ¡°Tell Sophia to look out too.¡± Then, the two sat there in silence before someone came knocking at the door, informing them that Mrs. Bailey wanted to jump out of the window to take her life. The servants could not seem to stop her. She must have been triggered to an extreme, which caused her to act out violently; she had knocked down a few servants who were there to help. Isabelle was calm upon hearing that. She tidied her shirt and opened the door without a word to walk to a room on the other side of the corridor. John stepped out after her and immediately heard some crying mixed in with themotion on the other side, which reminded him of the scene at Old Mr. Constance¡¯s passing. The memories that flooded his mind also included a sudden recollection of Sophia¡¯s family issues. Farewells in life and death are definitely an inevitable challenge for every mortal. Consumed by the agony of losing her child, Mrs. Bailey screamed at the top of her lungs about wanting to meet Dexter. At that moment, her thoughts were nothing but muddled. But sadly, Old Mr. Bailey had no time to care for her; he didn¡¯t even bother to walk out of his room to check on her. John briefly went over to check on the situation before heading to Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s room. William was still there tofort Old Mr. Bailey, who was silent but appeared to be an empty husk even if he did not break down like his wife. Looking at the mess, John felt that he had nothing to contribute anymore. Since he had not had lunch, he excused himself to get some food and return to thepany. William understood that things were crazy and noisy at the Bailey Residence, an environment that John disliked the most. He nodded at his son. ¡°Sure, you can leave now. I probably will leave a littlete.¡± John headed downstairs to leave, but he stopped at the entrance to take ast look. On the second floor, Mrs. Bailey was standing beside a window and crying her heart out. Sighing, he felt that despite his dislike of the Baileys, he could only feel pity for them. He drove back to thepany, and right when he stepped out of the elevator, he immediately received a call from his subordinate. ording to the report, there were some changes at the shadow bank today. Something must have happened because the members were meeting up at the shadow bank. Husky was good at catching the right timing. When the others were busy greeting each other at the shadow bank, he took the opportunity to record a video with his phone from upstairs. The video was transferred to one of John¡¯s subordinates, who enhanced the quality of the video to disy the clear features of the attendees. John never thought that Husky was dumb. The guy simply was not utilized fully. Look, Husky has now proven his smarts! Feeling satisfied, Johnmented that themotion at the shadow bank was the perfect opportunity to catch the masterminds. After the call, he returned to his office. Due to a reduced appetite, he didn¡¯t order lunch and simply sat there. Soon, Zack opened the door to John¡¯s office and was shocked to find his boss chilling in the chair. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You look tired. I have a document pending review here, but it¡¯s not super urgent.¡± John grunted and asked, ¡°Have you had lunch?¡± Of course, Zack had his lunch. He stared at John in surprise. ¡°Wait, you haven¡¯t eaten lunch?¡± Previous Chapter N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Next Chapter Chapter 880 Chapter 880 Despite having no appetite, John knew that he would go hungryter in the afternoon without lunch. Even so, he was not in the mood to eat alone. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Zackughed and suggested, ¡°I¡¯ll order takeout, and we¡¯ll eat together.¡± John didn¡¯t reply as Zack walked toward the door. He opened it, but upon giving it some thought, he paused and turned around to add, ¡°It¡¯s true, boss, that ever since you got back with Sophia, you¡¯ve be warmer. I like you more than before.¡± John snickered to mock Zack¡¯s observation. With the exception of Sophia, he did not care about anyone taking a liking to him. When Zack was gone, John leaned into his chair and picked up the document for a quick look. However, his mind was only full of Isabelle¡¯s words from before. At that time, her expression was sorrowful but solemn. It was likely not a coincidence that she warned him about his safety. He thought of it as a concerned warning. Isabelle must have known something but was not in the position to speak out. Therefore, she could only send me a reminder. A piece of information that she knows but is reluctant to reveal must be rted to the Baileys. He fished out a cigarette pack from his pocket, from which he took a cigarette and ced it between his lips. He did not light the cigarette and left it hanging there. Lately, too many events happened at the same time, affecting his focus on work even though he was physically present at his office. He gave up and began to sort through the thoughts in his mind, one after another. At home, Sophia took a short nap in her room and was woken up by a call from Logan. He sounded unhappy and asked for her whereabouts, to which she almostughed out loud. ¡°Aside from home, where do you think I could go?¡± He grunted and asked if she wanted to go out. Before she could reply, he grumbled, ¡°Ian said that his break is almost over, and he¡¯ll head back to training tomorrow. Look, he doesn¡¯t even have many days off, and we couldn¡¯t even meet up.¡± Learning about the news, she was shocked. ¡°What happened? Why does he have to head back so soon?¡± He snorted. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s too soon, isn¡¯t it? Give it a count¡ªit¡¯s only been a few days! I even rang up my sister about this, but she told me to quit asking questions. What do you think that means? Can¡¯t I even ask? What¡¯s wrong with asking?¡± Not knowing how to respond, Sophia sighed. ¡°There are probably some issues on the other side. After all, thepetition has reached the final round. Maybe they just wanted Ian to return earlier for more training.¡± Although thepetition ranking was predetermined, thepetitors had to put on a reasonably good performance to convince the audience. To that, Logan merely snorted in dissatisfaction. Next, he asked if Sophia had the time to meet up because he wanted to host a dinner for Ian. From the beginning, the three of them got along well. During their previous meal together, there were too many guests present, and the three of them did not have much chance to chat. This time, Logan specifically arranged for the three of them to catch up over dinner. After some hesitation, Sophia epted the invitation. During theirst gathering, the atmosphere turned awkward due to John¡¯s actions. It made Sophia feel bad and especially sorry toward Ian, for it was obvious that he lost his appetite after seeing John¡¯s behavior. The dinner, which was intended to wee Ian¡¯s return, had lost its original purpose. Frankly, Sophia had thought of making it up to Ian by choosing a time to treat him to a meal. However, she had not anticipated Ian¡¯s swift return to his training. Therefore, she instantly told Logan that she had time to meet. Logan soon picked his clubhouse as the venue for the gathering. Before this, the trio used to hang out at the clubhouse most of the time. Perhaps, they all felt the mostfortable over there. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 881 Chapter 881 After a quick chat, Logan hung up, and Sophia went to change into another outfit before heading downstairs. Old Mrs. Constance was nowhere to be seen on the first floor, so Sophia assumed that she was resting in her room. Before she departed, she reminded the servants to inform Old Mrs. Constance about it when they saw her in the house. Whenever Sophia wanted to leave the house, there would be someone to chauffeur her around¡ªJohn made all the thoughtful arrangements for her. She rode a car to Logan¡¯s clubhouse and found out that Ian was not there yet. Logan sat in the main hall of the clubhouse, and the gold chain on his neck had been taken off. Holding it in his hand, like chanting a Rosary prayer, he fumbled with the beads on the gold chain. Sophia burst intoughter at theical sight and walked up to him. ¡°Why, why have you finally decided to take off that heavy gold chain of yours!¡± He looked at her and pped the gold chain onto the sofa beside him, using in an angry tone, ¡°None of you understand this! This gold chain is a status symbol. You peasants!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t know that a gaudy and ugly gold chain could be seen as a status symbol. She took a seat and picked up the gold chain to scrutinize it, which was when she got taken aback by the weight of the item. It appeared expensive and valuable. Anyway, the gold chain appeared cheap due to its sheer volume. When one put the chain on, it looked like a fake. She touched the beads on the chain and admired the excellent craftsmanship. Due to frequent wear by Logan, the surface of the beads was quite worn out. She asked him curiously, ¡°Why did you take it off? I used to tell you to take it off, but you never wanted to.¡± Hearing that, he looked a little ufortable. Why did he take it off? It was all because L taunted the chain itself. Last time, she pointed a finger and reprimanded him with all sorts of harsh words. Finally, when she ran out of words to insult him, she turned her attention to the huge gold chain on his neck. She continued to offend him by saying that he was a tasteless nouveau riche, parading around with a dog cor on his neck. The dog cor insult triggered him to almost lose control of himself and retaliate. To be honest, L¡¯s opinion had been jokingly mentioned by Sophia and Ian before, but Logan didn¡¯t take it too seriously when he wasughed at by his friends. However, when L was the one to insult him, he boiled with rage and refused to tolerate it. Every single word out of that stupid b*tch¡¯s mouth makes me jump in anger! The mere thought of L¡¯s face made him feel like rushing up and punching her. Still simmering in resentment, Logan ignored Sophia¡¯s question and sat there with a long face. She stared at him for a while andughed out loud because she could almost guess the reason behind his puzzling anger. It took some time for Ian to arrive at the clubhouse. He entered the ce while making a call on the phone, looking busy indeed. When he saw Sophia waiting, he stopped and briefly wrapped up his conversation. She tried her best to rx her expression as she waved at him. ¡°Hello!¡± He shed a smile at her and took a seat beside them. ¡°What¡¯s up, Logan? You look upset.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Sophia answered on behalf of Logan, ¡°Yeah, he has been acting this way for two days. Someone just met his match.¡± Without interference from other guests, the three of them finally could enjoy a hangout in afortable atmosphere. Ian chuckled as he stated, ¡°Is it even possible for Logan to meet his match? That¡¯s surprising. During my absence, I have no idea how many things happened out here.¡± Logan pursed his lips and was reluctant to bring up L, so he changed the topic. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s head to the private room. I¡¯ll have my staff prepare some food and drinks.¡± No one was really hungry at the time of the meeting. In fact, it was more like a gathering around the dining table for the sake of chatting. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 882 Chapter 882 Logan was indeed a master at creating the perfect atmosphere¡ªhe ordered the staff to set up a grill. Even if one was not hungry, he or she could take a few bites along with the others, and barbeque always went well with alcohol. The three of them went up and sat down around the table. Ian poured some juice for Sophia and said, ¡°When I first left for the training, everything was still fine. After my return, I found out that you¡¯re going to be a mother. I¡¯m not even sure if I should be happy for you or feel sad for myself.¡± His words made her feel ufortable and awkward. Therefore, she lifted her ss of juice, looking straight at him. ¡°I have always considered you as a good friend. You always show up when I¡¯m at my lowest point, and you lend an ear to the hidden feelings that I have never shared with anyone else. From that moment onward, Ian, you have be a special existence in my life. But¡­¡± She looked down at the ss in her hand and gulped the juice in one go. Since she was prohibited from consuming alcohol, she substituted it with juice. ¡°But my heart belongs to someone else.¡± Yes, it was true that her heart belonged to someone else. Although the man was a horrible jerk, she could not forget him. The first awakening of love took time to die down, and one¡¯s first love was hard to forget. Sitting beside them, Logan stared intently at the two for a long time in silence. After a pause, Sophia added, ¡°Ian, you¡¯re a great man. You¡¯re awesome. It¡¯s me who is out of your league. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll meet a more suitabledy.¡± Ian smiled bitterly in a self-mocking fashion. ¡°No matter how great I am, you still won¡¯t fall for me.¡± She was rendered speechless by his remark. At that moment, Logan let out a sigh. ¡°When did this thing start between the two of you? Why did I have no idea about it?¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Of course, a dimwit like you, who only knows how to indulge in life, will never develop a keen observation of anything. Logan¡¯s interference cut short the topic of conversation. Ian looked at his friend andughed. ¡°At first, I thought you¡¯d fall for Sophia.¡± Stunned by the remark, Logan hurriedly waved to dismiss the possibility. ¡°Nah, don¡¯t ever say that. I don¡¯t like women at all¡ªthey are too troublesome. Whenever I see those biological beings called ¡®women¡¯, I¡¯d feel sick inside.¡± Sophia did not miss the opportunity to make fun of Logan. ¡°Ian, look out for Logan!¡± Logan immediately red at her and announced, ¡°I don¡¯t like men either! Sophia Gwendolyn, don¡¯t make that joke! I¡¯m a straight male.¡± The expression on his face becameplicated as he added, ¡°But, it¡¯s true that the women around me are all abnormal. I¡¯m too traumatized from dealing with them. I¡¯d rather spend my life alone and bathe in endless wealth. Isn¡¯t that better?¡± Sophia could not stand Logan¡¯s funnyments anymore and burst outughing. I wonder what L did to Logan to traumatize him! Their dinner kicked off perfectly, and everyone was enjoying the lovely atmosphere. While chatting and eating, Sophia suddenly recalled the tragedy of the Baileys and briefly updated the other two. Nowadays, Logan was in no mood to keep up with the news. When Sophia told him about Dexter¡¯s death, he waspletely baffled. ¡°Dead? He¡¯s dead?¡± Logan obviously had not snapped out of it yet. He met Dexter a few times¡ªit was almost impossible not to know about the Young Master of the Bailey Family. In those rare meetings, he remembered Dexter as an outgoing and cheerful guy, with eyes that curved into a crescent shape when he smiled. Since Logan had a bad impression of Isabelle, inparison, Dexter seemed more agreeable in his eyes. Never had he thought that a young man would pass away all of a sudden. Feeling wistful, he sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a pity. I think that he¡¯s way better than his sister. I heard that Old Mr. Bailey ced all his hopes on Dexter. Although he¡¯s young, he¡¯s learning a lot of things.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 883 Chapter 883 At an early age, Dexter was introduced to the real business world by his father, who clearly wanted him to inherit thepany. Now that Dexter was gone, everyone wondered if Old Mr. Bailey could survive the blow. At the mention of Old Mr. Bailey, Logan was reminded of Elder Mr. Bailey and grimaced. ¡°That old man is quite ancient. After sending away his grandson, I¡¯m afraid that he might not be able to stand the blow and pass on as well.¡± In Sophia¡¯s memory, Elder Mr. Bailey was not a mentally weak person. Even though he was at a ripe old age, he still looked tough and hardy. In his younger days, he must have been a decisive and determined person. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. In his solemn eyes, one could detect a hint of unrelenting look, from which one could imagine that the family death was only a setback and not a fatal blow to him. On the other hand, Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s situation was concerning. The topic of Dexter¡¯s passing was too heavy and dampened the mood, so they promptly dropped it at this point. After downing two sses of wine, Ian turned to look at Sophia. ¡°Are you really not nning to remarry John?¡± Having faced the same question multiple times, she felt helpless. Every time she told them that she had no such ns yet, they would be confused by the answer. To be honest, she believed that it was fine not to remarry. Marriage was nothing but a piece of legally binding paper. Even with that paper, her previous marriage with John didn¡¯t work out. That was the reason she gave up hope on the ceremonial aspects of marriage. After thinking for a while, she exined, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what will happen in the future. But for now, I do not have any ns for remarriage. I¡¯d rather stay this way for the time being because I¡¯m quite comfortable with our current way of interaction. If we get along well, we¡¯ll remain together; if not, we will part ways. That¡¯s simpler, right?¡± It¡¯s enough to navigate the siege of marriage once in life. I genuinely have no interest in getting myself back into it, only to escape againter. That¡¯d be too tiring. To that, Ian smiled and replied, ¡°Your decision is, technically, not very surprising. It reflects your personality.¡± Sophia moved the conversation along and asked Ian why he was heading back sooner than expected. After all, he had first told them that he wanted to take a few days¡¯ breaks to have a mental reset. He leaned back into the chair and stared at the winess in front of him as he let out a long sigh. ¡°It¡¯s even harder for me to get out of my rut over here.¡± Frankly, he needed to figure things out on his own, and no one else could help him with that. When he took a break from training, he found out that the environment out here was very distracting to him, contrary to his expectation. Filling his ss with liquor, he guzzled everything without hesitation. ¡°It¡¯s best for me to leave.¡± He added, ¡°Before I came back for the break, I was scheming and plotting. I would be lying to say that I¡¯ve never had a dark side. Everything on earth is nothing more than plotting to get what you want. So, I thought that as long as I could be merciless, I¡¯d get everything I wanted.¡± At their previous dinner meetup, he noticed that John was really good to Sophia. In response, she nced at him asionally with an annoyed but affectionate look. Upon seeing that, Ian slowly let go of his dark thoughts. No matter how he schemed and plotted to break them up, he could still predict the final oue. With Sophia¡¯s personality, she might have ended our friendship if I continued. I suppose I¡¯ve always been a rational man who knows how to analyze the situation. It was true that he felt unfair and dissatisfied. However, if he allowed for those negative feelings to reign and mess things up to the point of no return, it would not be worth it. Therefore, he seriously thought over his situationst night. After much deliberation, he made the decision to leave. At least, back at the training and thepetition, the stress and pressure would shut out the noises in his head. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 884 Chapter 884 When Ian was back to training, he felt more rxed. As for William, he returned to the office in the afternoon but arrived ratherte. Instead of heading straight to his office, he went to John¡¯s. John happened to finish reviewing and signing a document, after which he leaned into his chair and pinched between his brows in fatigue. William walked up and sighed before dragging a chair and sinking into it across John. Seeing his father, John immediately asked, ¡°Is everything settled at the Baileys?¡± Faced with John¡¯s sudden question, William pursed his lips. ¡°There¡¯s no way to settle things. It¡¯s so messy over there.¡± Among the members of the First Bailey Family, everyone was in shambles except for Isabelle. The Second Bailey Family had been long oppressed by the First Bailey Family, which ced them in an unfavorable position. When the tragedy happened, they could not help to run the family as rtives from close and far all flocked to the Bailey Residence to join in the chaos. Thus, things began spiraling downward at the Baileys. ording to William, the hospital would release Dexter¡¯s post-mortem report with the toxin analysis by tomorrow. At that time, they would know the exact cause of death. When the paperwork was settled at the hospital, it would be in time for Dexter¡¯s burial. Since Dexter was too young, the family could not arrange a grand funeral for him. The most they could do was to invite rtives over for a simple ceremony. Then, they¡¯d pick a grave plot to bury him. Earlier today, Old Mr. Bailey rambled to William about various bizarre topics, further proving that he was grieving over his son¡¯s death. In the midst of the ramblings, he even mentioned John. In his perfect n, he envisioned John and Isabelle married, which would help the Bailey Family greatly. When the Baileys¡¯ business was in Dexter¡¯s hands, it would grow and expand¡ªDexter would end up more sessful than his father. Knowing that Old Mr. Bailey was under distress, William didn¡¯t take his words seriously or retort. There was no chance for John and Isabelle to date at all because Sophia was pregnant. Judging by John¡¯s attitude, he was determined to stay with Sophia. Despite that, Old Mr. Bailey seemed to have momentarily forgotten about the reality as he immersed in his fantasy, babbling about his perfect n. Finally, it was Isabelle¡¯s entrance that stopped his fantasy. Whenever William mentioned the Baileys, he would sigh in pity. ¡°Who would have seen thising?¡± The death of a young kid would be a devastating blow to any family. John nodded in agreement. After some thinking, he inquired, ¡°How about Elder Mr. Bailey? How is he holding up?¡± William frowned and fell into deep thoughts before replying, ¡°Elder Mr. Bailey has not shown up once. ording to Isabelle, he seems to be resting in bed due to grief.¡± Learning about the old man¡¯s condition, John grunted and turned the direction of the conservation. ¡°I heard that when Elder Mr. Bailey was younger, he was a very tough guy whomanded fear in the business world.¡± William gave a slight nod to acknowledge that and borated, ¡°Elder Mr. Bailey was more persistent than your grandpa in his younger days. He was a merciless man indeed.¡± There was a reason that their rtives showed up to witness the tragedy without any hint of sorrow. In the past, Elder Mr. Bailey acted coldly and mercilessly, leaving no room for empathy and negotiation, which gradually sowed the seeds of resentment among his rtives. At the mention of Elder Mr. Bailey, William suddenly recalled something and added, ¡°I remember that a long time ago, based on your grandpa¡¯s ount, his nephew fell very ill and urgently needed a huge sum of money for treatment. That family was at the end of their wits and came to Elder Mr. Bailey for help.¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. The cost of treatment was astronomical to an average family. But to the Baileys, that amount was a drop in the ocean. Out of desperation, the family offered Elder Mr. Bailey their house. They even went as far as to promise him freebor in hispany to repay his kindness if their child received the treatment and survived. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 885 Chapter 885 William sighed and continued, ¡°From what your grandpa told me, that family kneeled down in front of the Bailey Residence but failed to gain the sympathy of Elder Mr. Bailey. He even ordered his butler to chase them out.¡± There were more anecdotes than this incident. After Elder Mr. Bailey became sessful, his ego grew as well, and he was irritated by all his rtives. He was mean in his speech and picked on their sore spots. It was Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s right not to lend any money to his rtives. However, as a rtive, even if he was unwilling to lend the total amount, it would not have hurt him to lend a small sum to reduce the family¡¯s burden. After the lending incident, Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s reputation among his rtives immediately tanked. Even so, he did not care about others¡¯ opinions of him. After all, he was revered whenever he went, and he had privileged ess to everything he did. Reputation was worth nothing to him, and so he couldn¡¯t care less about it. Hearing that, John chuckled disapprovingly. ¡°Wow, he must have been mentally tough.¡± An average man could never be as merciless as Elder Mr. Bailey. Feeling a little worn out from a whole day of chaos at the Bailey Residence, William felt as if his head was going to explode at any moment. After a short chat with John, he said that he needed to leaveExclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. work early today and have a good rest at home. John smiled. ¡°What¡¯s up with the Baileys? Why did they keep leaning on you when things went south?¡± William smacked his lips in response. Old Mr. Bailey is not a well-connected man; his current connections were mostly thanks to Elder Mr. Bailey. On top of that, he¡¯s not adept at socializing. After a tragic incident like this, he needs someone to talk to, but he could not find anyone around him to rely on. His entire day of rambling only proved that he doesn¡¯t have any close friends to confide in. Seeing that his father did not reply, John urged him, ¡°Alright, get home early to rest. You don¡¯t look too good either.¡± William grunted but paused when he was about to leave. Turning around to look at his son, he appeared to be puzzled. ¡°By the way, when I was leaving the Bailey Residence, Isabelle came out to send me and told me something odd.¡± After learning about what happened, John was stunned. ¡°What did she tell you?¡± William thought about it and confessed, ¡°She wanted me to tell you to bring Sophia on a honeymoon and leave the city for an extended time.¡± Nodding slowly, John continued to stare at William. ¡°I know what she meant.¡± However, William did not bother to ask John about the details. At that moment, he did not want to think anymore. Nodding at John, he turned around and left. The moment the door was shut close, John crossed his arms and ced them on the desk, his gaze darkened at the thought of the dangers lurking around. On the other hand, Wiliam did not immediately leave for home. He made a call to Matilda, asking where she was. She replied that she was at her own ce, and he promptly left for it. Before this, he had once stayed the night at her ce. Therefore, he found his way over easily and knocked on her door. His presence was a surprise to Matilda, but she still made way for him to enter her ce. When he walked in, he re-examined each corner of her ce. She was staying at a small apartment, and the entire ce was not very spacious. However, she had everything she needed there, and the ce appeared very homely. He took a seat on her sofa and stared into her eyes. As a result, she perched at the door and wondered why she felt ufortable in her own ce. At the Bailey Residence, themotion finally died down in the evening. Isabelle had a raging headache and had no choice but to order the family doctor to send some aspirin to her. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 886 Chapter 886 The family doctor remained at the residence to monitor everyone¡¯s condition. Elder Mr. Bailey was in a bad state, but Old Mr. Bailey was doing even worse. The doctor handed the aspirin to Isabelle and reminded her, ¡°If you¡¯re not in extreme pain, you should stay away from it. Pills are not good for your liver and kidneys.¡± She shed a wry smile at him. ¡°I have no choice now. There are too many matters waiting for me to deal with.¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Next, she took the aspirin, but before the effect kicked in, Mrs. Bailey found her way over, crying and iming that she heard Dexter. She even invited Isabelle to go with her and look for Dexter. It had been a full day of wailing and hallucinating for Mrs. Bailey. To be honest, Isabelle was quite surprised at her mom¡¯s great stamina, which was a rare sight. She reached out to hug Mrs. Bailey andforted her in a low voice, ¡°Mom, please stop acting this way. If Dexter sees you like this, he won¡¯t leave in peace.¡± Mrs. Bailey covered her face, her voice hoarse from the crying. ¡°If he¡¯s worried about us, why did he choose to leave in the first ce?¡± Isabelle did not know how to answer her mom. At this point, any word from her would only evoke more sadness. Mrs. Bailey slumped onto the floor. ¡°Everything in this house belongs to him. We¡¯ve prepared everything for him. How could he leave us without warning?¡± Standing in front of Mrs. Bailey, Isabelle lowered her head and stared on as tears rolled down her cheeks. Now, both her head and her eyes were in pain. She reached out to lift her mom up, but upon consideration, she retracted her arms. ¡°Go ahead and let it all out. If crying makes you feel better, you should release all your emotions.¡± Dexter had no channel to release his frustration, which led him to take his own life. Tired offorting her family, Isabelle stopped doing so and went over to the window. The rtives who came visiting today had gradually left the grounds. Compared to the others, Isabelle¡¯s mind was very clear; she could tell that none of her rtives was sad at all. Not only that, some of them probably felt gleeful about the unfortunate situation. Earlier, when Isabelle went downstairs, she overheard the conversations among her rtives. Some snorted and said that there was no point in umting wealth when the family lost their heir. If the family did not have inheritors and offsprings, wealth would essentially be useless papers and meaningless numbers. They¡¯re not wrong. What¡¯s the point of earning money? If only they had not pressured Dexter, if only someone told him to live his life as he wished, he would have still been safe and sound. The Baileys had umted enough wealth in Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s time; there was no need for Dexter to further expand the family business. Even if Dexter had no skills to offer, their family had enough money to guarantee him a life of luxuries. Isabelle reminded herself to stop thinking about the what-ifs, for the more she ruminated, the more devastated she felt. A whileter, she heard some noise from the corridor. Elder Mr. Bailey came out of his room with the help of a servant. Upon thinking, she decided to head over and check on him. Although he was not in good shape, he was at least faring better than her dad. He could still walk around, but his son was lying in bed. Elder Mr. Bailey walked down the corridor slowly. He looked like he had just cried, and the wrinkles on his weathered face deepened. Isabelle walked toward him in silence. He nced at her and waved a little, seemingly at a loss for words. Whenever Isabelle saw him, she would feel someplicated emotions in her. However, no matter how hard she tried, she could not identify the source of her feelings. With the servant¡¯s help, he went downstairs and headed into the backyard. She remained standing in the corridor of the second floor with a nk expression. Soon, she spun around and ran into her grandpa¡¯s room at full speed. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 887 Chapter 887 The door to Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s room was closed. Isabelle turned the handle a few times and found that it was unlocked. She pushed the door open and entered the room with the door wide open behind her. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Firstly, she went over to search the storage under the headboard, but her efforts yielded nothing. His room was slightlyrger than others, so she quickly scanned around and went through the items in his wardrobe. His wardrobe was huge but did not hold a lot of clothes. There was a safe attached within the wardrobe on the left. She stared at it intensely, but without the password, she dared not attempt to break into the safe recklessly. After staring at it for some time, she had no choice but to close the wardrobe doors and leave the room. At the same time, Elder Mr. Bailey took a seat at a bench in the backyard. At his old age, he could not withstand such a huge blow. However, he was much more rational than his son. He understood that even if he gave up his life, he would not change the reality of Dexter¡¯s death. The only thing he could do was to adapt to it. Nheless, the process was a difficult one. He ordered the servant to leave him alone for him to enjoy some solitude. The servant did not stay too far away from him and chose a spot under a tree to wait. Soon, he took out his phone and made a call, which was picked up in no time. In a lowered voice, he questioned, ¡°Have you found the person?¡± The other party sounded apologetic. ¡°Not yet. But our men are still out there searching. Once we find our target, we¡¯ll inform you right away.¡± He grunted as the sadness disappeared from his eyes in a flicker. ¡°Those men might not be sessful in their search. You¡¯d better make some early arrangements to move the inventory. I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen.¡± There was a pause from the other side. ¡°Is that so? We¡¯ve been doing this for a long time, but nothing has ever happened.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey let out a sigh. ¡°Move the inventory. Better to be safe than sorry.¡± The other party agreed and promised that the process would be error-free. The promise was unnecessary because they gained Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s trust for not exposing anything over these years. The call was very brief, and only important points were brought up. Finally, the other party expressed their concern for Elder Mr. Bailey. He sighed and told them that he could survive this ordeal and that they shouldn¡¯t be worried. Atst, he promised to bring Old Mr. Bailey over to familiarize with the operations when both of them were free. After the call, he stared at the sky and felt frustrated. Aside from Bailey Corporation, he was running other businesses concurrently. In his original n, those businesses were to be handed to Dexter after he turned eighteen. That n was down the drain now, for he could only wait until Dexter¡¯s funeral was done before he could bring this up with Old Mr. Bailey. Sitting there, he felt a mix of upset and resentment. After a while, Isabelle came out to the backyard, her eyes red from crying. She sat beside him to offer words offort, telling him not to be sad. ¡°There¡¯s no point crying over spilled milk. What we need to do now is to take care of our health.¡± He turned to look at her with a bit of helplessness. If only Isabelle had sessfully won over John, everything would have been different. As if she didn¡¯t understand the look in Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s eyes, she sighed as tears welled up in her eyes once more. She told him, ¡°The hospital¡¯s report will be out tomorrow. I¡¯ll head over to collect it, but I¡¯m so scared to know the actual cause of death. I think Dad and Mom can¡¯t handle it; they¡¯re already at their limits now.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 888 Chapter 888 Elder Mr. Bailey stared at the room in front of him and sighed. ¡°Yes. After the huge shock, I think they need time to get over the grief. After all, at their age, the greatest fear is to see young ones die before them.¡± Isabelle nodded and lifted her hand to wipe away her tears that were about to roll down. ¡°Nobody saw it coming, and we never thought that Dexter would do that. Honestly, I can¡¯t imagine how much pain he was in. If only we noticed the signs earlier.¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Elder Mr. Bailey fell into silence for a while beforementing, ¡°That kid was not resilient enough. A family like ours has our fair share of riches and luxury, and because of that, we will also be ced under more stress than the others! None of us have it easy. In fact, when your dad was younger, he grew up under tons of pressure. I could even say that your dad led a more tiring life than Dexter. But look, he bit the bullet and sailed through the storms. Now, he has built a good life, and ourpany is well-managed under his leadership.¡± Hearing her grandfather¡¯s remark, Isabelle immediately slipped into silence. Elder Mr. Bailey stared at the main building with a hint of wistfulness. ¡°If only Dexter had your personality. I know that you had it rough over these years. But you survived it, didn¡¯t you?¡± She turned around and shot him a nce. ¡°But I¡­¡± However, she did not finish her sentence. But I am tired too. I feel suffocated every single day. Anyway, she understood that Old Mr. Bailey did not ce all his expectations on her. Therefore, when the time was ripe, she would have the chance to taste freedom. It was hope that allowed her to endure everything. As for Dexter, he had probably been thinking of his bleak future and decided that life was hopeless. That was probably the reason he downed that bottle of pesticide before the car crash. Last night, she dispatched someone to run a search by the roadside. Indeed, they found a bottle of pesticide that looked new and was probably discarded not long ago. Not wanting to continue the topic of conversation, Isabelle turned around and supported her grandfather. ¡°Grandpa, let¡¯s go back. If I leave you all alone here, I will be worried.¡± Giving no reply, he merely stood up and followed her back to the main building. She assisted him to enter his bedroom, where he sat down on his bed with a gloomy face. Then, she scanned the room and asked, ¡°Grandpa, do you have your medicine with you? It¡¯s best if you keep some medicine close to you. I¡¯m really worried about you.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey waved his hand dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m all good. Don¡¯t worry about me. Instead, visit your dad and check on his situation. Life has to go on; nothing goodes from grief.¡± She nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll head over now. If anything happens, just call us over.¡± Since Elder Mr. Bailey didn¡¯t reply, she stood up and left his room. When she closed the door behind her, she leaned against the door frame, her sorrowful expression all gone. She did not head over to Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s room but instead retreated to her own. After work, John called Sophia and learned that she was not at home; she was at Logan¡¯s clubhouse. He instantly checked who was with her, thinking that Matilda was there, but his guess was wrong. Staying on the call, he proceeded to ask her what she was up to at the clubhouse. With no intention to hide, Sophia informed him about Ian¡¯s trainingter. She and Logan wanted to catch up with Ian before he returned for training. John mumbled, ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys just meet up recently?¡± Sophia¡¯s tone immediately turned icy. ¡°How dare you bring that up? Our meetupst time was full of your drama.¡± John inhaled through his mouth. ¡°How could you put the me on me? My dad and that fe named Richard both created trouble. Why do you only pin it on me?¡± Ah well, this man doesn¡¯t even spare his dad when he¡¯s in a crucial situation. Sophia felt a mix of admiration and disdain toward him. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 889 Chapter 889 Sophia smirked before mocking, ¡°You¡¯re really something.¡± Anyway, John reminded her to stay put, informing her that he would pick her up at the clubhouse soon and send her home. She turned around to look at Logan and Ian, who had both cked out from drinking. Thinking that there was no point staying here, she agreed to John¡¯s idea. While waiting for John, she called the clubhouse waiter over to take Ian and Logan back to the room. Next, she smoothed her shirt and went downstairs. Crossing her arms and leaning against the entrance of the clubhouse, she stared nkly at the stream of cars out there. Soon, John arrived before he got out of his car. When he noticed that she was standing at the entrance, he jogged over and immediately asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Ian?¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Annoyed, she stole a nce at him. ¡°Why? Do you miss him?¡± John snorted in a childish fashion. ¡°I was just asking. I wanted to see if that man is still clingy to you all the time.¡± Not bothered to entertain him, she chided him, ¡°Get lost! Do you think Ian is at your level?¡± Since the other two men were unconscious from drinking, there was no need for Sophia to bid goodbye, so she followed John to his car. The moment they were seated, John muttered, ¡°Wait.¡± She froze in the middle of fastening her seatbelt and turned to stare at him. He was focused on the rearview mirror, squinting his eyes and losing his rxed expression from before. She was confused by the change in him, hence, she inched closer to him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± He merely replied that it was nothing, but his eyes remained focused on something in the rearview mirror. A whileter, he took out his phone and made a call. From his conversation, she learned that he noticed some abnormality in a car behind him. Because of this he requested for his bodyguards to intercept the vehicle in the middle of his trip back home. In fact, it was confirmed that John had arranged for some bodyguards to follow Sophia around, and the men should be nearby. The other party seemed to have taken his order in the call because he ended the call and started the car. Sophia stared at the rearview mirror, curious to know which car was trailing behind them. However, she could not tell at all. Perhaps the stalker is too skillful. Sophia initially thought that she was sharp and could notice any fishiness. Even after scanning the few cars behind them carefully, she still could not identify the problematic stalker. In the end, she gave up and leaned into her seat, staring at the flow of traffic in front of her. John drove steadily without getting affected by the stalking car behind. Sophia didn¡¯t even know if his bodyguards managed to intercept the car that was following them. Throughout their entire journey home, there was nomotion at all. After the car was parked at the underground garage, she emerged from the car and turned to look at John, who was leaving at the same time. ¡°Did they manage to stop the car?¡± He walked up and put an arm around her shoulder. ¡°Probably. Let¡¯s forget about that for now and have dinner. When I¡¯m free after dinner, I¡¯ll check the situation with them.¡± She noticed that John was reluctant to discuss the topic and therefore stopped pressing on. She could not get to the bottom of everything anyway, and it didn¡¯t matter if she was in the dark on this matter. On the other side, Isabelle received from the hospital a post-mortem report with the analysis of the toxins in Dexter¡¯s stomach, after which she sat in her car for a long time. Although she had foreseen this oue, the moment she faced the reality presented by the report, her heart still wrenched and ached. She could not possibly drive in her bad condition, therefore she ended up hailing a cab back home. The Bailey Residence was totally different from yesterday; the family was chaoticst night but eerily quiet today. At home, Isabelle slowly walked up the stairs and looked around when she reached the top of the stairs. Everyone else was in their respective rooms. They were cooped up, and their meals were brought up by the servants. After some thinking, she finally headed to Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s room. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 890 Chapter 890 Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s room door was locked from the inside. Isabelle knocked a few times before she heard his low voice from within. ¡°Who is it?¡± Sighing, she announced, ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s me.¡± It only took a while for him to unlock the door. He appeared to be in a better condition thanst night and was probably the first member of the Bailey Family to ept the harsh reality. Isabelle walked in and took out the post-mortem report, which she handed to him. He was initially confused as he received the report, but he soon understood what it was and let out a sigh. ¡°That kid¡­ Why did he take things too hard?¡± Feeling regretful, Isabelle replied, ¡°About Dexter¡­ I think that we should probably hide this incident from the public.¡± At the moment of speaking, Dexter¡¯s cause of death was announced to the public as the fatal car crash. If they revealed that Dexter died of suicide, Isabelle feared that it would make the Bailey Family look bad. Elder Mr. Bailey agreed with her suggestion and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s not tell anyone then. The truth will only be shared among our family members. You¡¯ve settled all the paperwork at the hospital, haven¡¯t you?¡± Faced with his question, she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve settled that. Dexter is now ced at the morgue; the hospital asked if we want a cremation there or do we prefer to bring his body back ourselves?¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Elder Mr. Bailey gave it some consideration and concluded, ¡°Just get a cremation out there. Don¡¯t bring his body back. As a farewell, we¡¯ll visit him for the onest time on the day of cremation. If we set up his coffin at home for the funeral, I¡¯m afraid that your parents wouldn¡¯t take it too well.¡± His exnation was quite reasonable, therefore she agreed to it. ¡°Alright then, I will take care of this.¡± Just as she was about to turn and leave, a thought popped up, and she looked at Elder Mr. Bailey. ¡°Grandpa, if you have the time, do take a walk outside. Don¡¯t lock yourself up in the room. When I look at you now, I feel quite worried.¡± He forced an unconvincing smile at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve lived a long life, and I¡¯ve seen a lot. I can handle this.¡± Isabelle sighed and turned to leave for real. Around noon, Elder Mr. Bailey was helped by the servant to go on a stroll. Isabelle waited until he was gone before she came out of her room. Next, she hurried into his room, where she opened his wardrobe and stared at the security safe. Earlier, she had spread a substance on the keys of the safe. With a small torchlight, she carefully pointed the source of light on the keyboard pad. Finally, she could make out a few keys, but she just needed to figure out the rightbination. She tiptoed over to the window to take a look at the garden behind the residence. She saw Elder Mr. Bailey walking around the garden with the assistance of the servant. Feeling assured, she went back and started attempting to unlock the safe. Her first two attempts were incorrect, which heightened her nervousness. She carefully entered a combination for the third time but still got it wrong. At that moment, the safe suddenly sounded a loud and jarring rm. Isabelle quickly took a shirt from the side and draped it over the safe before shutting the wardrobe door. The rm sounded weaker after doing that, but it was still audible. Feeling afraid and shocked, she ran over to the window and stared out. Oh, thank God Grandpa is quite some distance away. He probably did not hear a thing. The rm went off for about a minute before ceasing. Then, Isabelle went back to take off the shirt from the safe and tidied up the stuff in the wardrobe. Then, she closed the wardrobe doors and slid out of his room. However, at the door, she saw a servant standing and staring back at her. ¡°Miss, what happened?¡± She casually tidied her hair and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. It was just something in Grandpa¡¯s room. I don¡¯t know why it suddenly made a noise, but I¡¯ve turned it off now.¡± The servant didn¡¯t think much of it and turned to leave. Isabelle could finally heave a sigh of relief. It was clear that the safe could not be opened anytime soon. However, she felt that Grandpa probably would not even think of the safe for the time being. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 891 Chapter 891 Isabelle tidied her hair and slowly headed downstairs. Instead of walking out to meet Elder Mr. Bailey, she decided to take a seat on the living room sofa. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Leaning onto the sofa, she looked a little dazed. Since when did she first notice something wrong with Elder Mr. Bailey? Technically, she had first noticed the signs from Old Mr. Bailey. After that, through her observation and eavesdropping, she realized that her dad was only acting on the orders of her grandfather. Distressed, she covered her face but could not think of anything else. Sometimeter, Elder Mr. Bailey returned from his walk. One could tell that after some walking, his spirits were lifted even though he was worn out by it. Seeing that, she quickly invited him to take a seat for a chat. The main reason she did so was out of fear that he would go upstairs and identally find out about the security safe incident. Without much thought, Elder Mr. Bailey took a seat following her suggestion. She took the chance to ask him about how to deal with Dexter¡¯s funeral proceedings. Although he passed away young, they still needed to observe some long-held customs for his passing. The old man turned his head and stared out for a long time before saying, ¡°Just ce his urn at the funeral home. He¡¯s too young, so it¡¯s not the time to bury him yet.¡± Based on traditional customs, since Elder Mr. Bailey and Old Mr. Bailey were both alive, Dexter should not be buried before the elders. Isabelle had no clue about these customs, nor did she care. They didn¡¯t treat Dexter well when he was still alive. What¡¯s the point of obsessing over the details after he¡¯s dead? She simply grunted an agreement and suggested that her grandpa advise her dad whenever possible. ording to her, her dad would not listen to anythinging from her. But he had always respected Elder Mr. Bailey, so he would likely ept any advice from him. Elder Mr. Bailey took a nce at her and appeared both relieved and satisfied. ¡°You¡¯re the most filial, and I¡¯ve not misjudged your character. You¡¯re such a good kid.¡± She stared at him momentarily and slowly looked down. ¡°It¡¯s my duty.¡± After they stayed in the living room for a while, a servant came down from the second floor to report that Mrs. Bailey was going through another meltdown. Powerless, Isabelle stood up and followed the servant up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, she stood still and slightly turned around to take a peek at Elder Mr. Bailey. He ced both of his hands on his walking stick and was deep in thought. A whileter, he took out his phone from the pocket. However, he didn¡¯t send any text or make any calls. It seemed that he was only checking something. Secondster, Isabelle turned around and proceeded to her mom¡¯s room. Mrs. Bailey was indeed traumatized so much that she started babbling nonsense, iming that she could see Dexter searching for her and crying. Right now, Mrs. Bailey was sleeping separately from her husband. Both were in bad condition and could not be ced in the same room out of fear of trouble. Isabelle went up to give her mom a hug. In a low voice, sheforted her mom, ¡°Think of Dad. If you keep acting like this, how is he supposed to live the rest of his life?¡± Upon hearing that, Mrs. Bailey promptly burst into tears. ¡°Why would I care about that? He forced my son to take his own life!¡± She continued crying hysterically. ¡°If he had not pressured Dexter, would Dexter be forced tomit suicide? My son would have still been alive. It¡¯s all his fault! It¡¯s their fault!¡± Isabelle helped tob her mom¡¯s hair. ¡°There¡¯s no point crying about that now. From now on, you need to take good care of yourself. We can¡¯t have another family member harmed. Do you know that I¡¯m at the brink of breaking down?¡± Mrs. Bailey looked up at Isabelle, tears strewn across her face. Finally, she reached out to hug Isabelle and started sobbing. Soon, Elder Mr. Bailey came up from the living room, passed by Mrs. Bailey¡¯s room, and peeked in. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 892 Chapter 892 Isabelle patted her mother carefully as if she was consoling a child while thetter looked like she was in a daze as her sobs slowly died down. However, Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s facial expression remained indifferent as he turned around and left after giving them a few nces. After Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s figure disappeared from the doorway, Sophia slowly turned around before sneaking a nce. She helped her mother to her bed and tucked her in before coaxing her gently so that she could rest well. Then, Sophia left her mother¡¯s room before she tiptoed toward her father¡¯s room. Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s room had always been left wide open as they were afraid that he might be too harsh on himself and do something stupid. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only This time, however, Sophia noticed that the door to Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s room was closed slightly as Elder Mr. Bailey and Old Mr. Bailey sat inside. It seemed like her grandfather had been trying to lecture her father for a while now as he continued giving advice, but her father refused to say anything. Finally, Elder Mr. Bailey sighed andmented, ¡°If Sophia is still together with John, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way.¡± At that, Old Mr. Bailey looked like he finally came back to his senses. Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s voice sounded cold as he continued saying, ¡°If John had married Belle, this obviously wouldn¡¯t have happened to our family.¡± Old Mr. Bailey probably never expected Elder Mr. Bailey to mention this as he pondered for a moment before agreeing. However, Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s voice was hoarse and sounded as if he was really stricken. Elder Mr. Bailey added on again, ¡°Back when Belle was engaged with John, I could already see that you stopped being so strict toward Dexter. However, you have put a lot of pressure on Dexter after that because John married another woman. At that time, you couldn¡¯t tell if Belle¡¯s future husband would help Dexter or not, so I believe that was why you became strict on him.¡± Isabelle, who was standing by the door, frowned. The way Elder Mr. Bailey worded himself made it sound like everything that happened was John¡¯s fault. Or, one could say that it was John¡¯s fault for not marrying her. It¡¯s easy for a person¡¯s mind to start getting confused after a shock, so Isabelle felt like her grandfather¡¯s thought was starting to get extreme. Still, Old Mr. Bailey didn¡¯t say anything. Elder Mr. Bailey said again, ¡°Dexter shouldn¡¯t have gone down like this. Now that our family lost another inheritor, it would surely affect thepany.¡± Old Mr. Bailey sighed with a hint of a sob. Then, Elder Mr. Bailey mumbled to himself, ¡°If only John had stood firm in his stance. Then, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten seduced by another woman and would have been a part of our family.¡± It seemed like Old Mr. Bailey was starting to conform to Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s thoughts, taking his father¡¯s stance. To be honest, Elder Mr. Bailey had been thinking about the ns for the future that he had plotted together with Old Mr. Bailey yesterday. The n was that after John married Isabelle, he would help Dexter out so that Dexter¡¯s career perspective would get better, and through that, the Bailey Family¡¯spany would be able to progress further. This was something that they had decided on earlier, and it was plotted when Isabelle got engaged to John. However, who would have expected Sophia to show up in the middle of all this? Isabelle couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Those two in the room were obviously confused after getting stricken, as nothing that they were talking about made sense. Without wanting to listen further, Isabelle turned around and returned to her room. On the other hand, Sophia and Logan were sending Ian off to his car. Although the reason why he was leaving this time was simr to why he left back then, it felt different this time. After staring at Sophia for a while, Ian suddenly smiled. ¡°I wonder if you would have already be a mother the next time we see each other again.¡± Right then, Sophia frowned slightly. However, she broke into a grin after that. ¡°Nah. It shouldn¡¯t take so long.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 893 Chapter 893 Still, nothing was for sure. It could be possible that they wouldn¡¯t have any chance to meet each other again, as Ian¡¯s schedule would be packed if he got signed by an agency after a sessful debut. Logan, who was standing next to them, patted Ian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Work harder ande back as a champion to show those losers in your family what you¡¯re capable of achieving.¡± Ian smirked at that. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Finally, when he was about to enter the car, Logan asked, ¡°Did your mother try to contact you? I mean, you¡¯re quite famous now, so she probably saw yourpetition.¡± Ian paused before turning around to Logan and nodded. ¡°Yeah. She did contact me, but she didn¡¯t say much. She just told me to do well and don¡¯t be too harsh on myself so that I¡¯ll feel better no matter what result I might end up with.¡± Logan startedmenting, ¡°To be honest, she still cares about you.¡± Ian hummed in agreement. ¡°I¡¯m nning to visit her after mypetition.¡± By then, it was almost time for Ian to leave. After taking ast nce at Sophia, he lowered his gaze to her stomach and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now. Remember to take care of your body.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t know why, but she suddenly felt reluctant. She¡¯d gone to send Ian off for hispetition thest time as well. However, she was filled with hope at that time. Sophia and Logan stood in silence as they watched Ian¡¯s car drive away. Then, Logan tutted. ¡°To be honest, it would be nice if you end up together with Ian.¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Sophia gave Logan a side-eye. ¡°Shut up.¡± What did he take me for? She can make her own choice, alright? The two of them headed back to Logan¡¯s clubhouse. However, Logan received a phone call before they could even sit down. Sophia couldn¡¯t clearly hear what the person on the other end of the call was talking about, but she knew that something bad had happened from Logan¡¯s facial expression. Immediately, Logan stood up and started cursing before he told them to wait and that he would go over to kill those fools himself. Seeing that he was leaving, Sophia gave him a look. ¡°You should go do your things now. I¡¯ll be fine here.¡± Then, Logan nodded and rushed out without even having the chance to say anything. Sophia was left alone at Logan¡¯s clubhouse. She¡¯d initially thought that Logan would return soon, but he didn¡¯t. So, she ended up contacting Matilda, asking her toe over to Logan¡¯s clubhouse to y poker together and got two other people to join them. Matilda was quick to agree, saying that she would be there as soon as possible. Suddenly, Sophia gasped. ¡°What happened to you? Why do you suddenly sound like a teenage girl in love?¡± Matilda snapped, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly! Don¡¯t you know how old I am?¡± Instead of answering, Sophia started giggling. ¡°You¡¯re a middle-aged woman in love, then.¡± During the afternoon, John contacted his underling and told him that the car that was tailing him yesterday was found, but they had no choice but to allow the car owner to leave as he didn¡¯t have any concrete evidence. Since John¡¯s underling had been working with him for a while now, he obviously knew what to do next. That night, they followed the lead and continued investigating the car¡¯s driver and found something. The driver had a criminal record where he was jailed for a period of time for engaging in fisticuffs a few years back. There was also something suspicious about this case. ording to some, it was a fisticuff; however, others imed that an illegal transaction happened and got raided, so these people said that it was a fisticuff so that things wouldn¡¯t get out of hand. Rumors wouldn¡¯t just spread without any reason, and John was willing to believe that these rumors indicated that something wasn¡¯t right, so he got his underling to continue investigating what happened back then. Right after he hung up, Dn entered the ce. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 894 Chapter 894 Dn told John that the Baileys were nning to cremate Dexter at the hospital and asked if they wanted to send two people as representatives. Recalling what Isabelle told him previously, John nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go with my father.¡± John¡¯s answer was what Dn had in mind as well. Yesterday, William had been over at the Baileys for an entire day, so it was apparent that they were on good terms. Since this was about the Baileys, it was better if William showed up instead. After that, Dn changed the topic and started talking about the changes in positions in Bailey Corporation. It seemed like Isabelle had officially left Bailey Corporation. From what the assistant that Dn always did his transaction with told him today, someone else would be handling the coboration between the Constance Family and the Baileys. Learning about the arrangements, John was surprised. ¡°Since when did you find out about this?¡± Dn replied, ¡°I received the news today, so the changes will probably happen between these two days. We had gotten in contact with the Baileys two days ago to discuss the stock inputs, but they didn¡¯t tell us at that time that they¡¯re changing the person in charge until today.¡± John nodded slowly. ¡°Alright. I understand now.¡± The Baileys had been having serious family disputes since yesterday. By right, they wouldn¡¯t have had the mood to make these changes. Then, John waited until Dn left before he got up, went to the windowsill, and took a pack of cigarettes out from his pocket. He had already gotten most of the things that he wanted to know after brutally beating up that person locked in the garage during these two days. However, most of their information was in pieces and didn¡¯t connect with each other. Still, John was sure that shadow bank was rted to the Baileys, and it was probably their side hustle. It was just that he couldn¡¯t understand why the Baileys would operate a shadow bank in the dark for no reason when theirpany was already so sessful. Isn¡¯t it a good thing to operate a legitimate business? R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Although John could slightly understand why they would make their moves on Sophia, he couldn¡¯t understand this no matter how hard he tried to think about it. The Baileys were probably displeased that he humiliated them for Sophia, so he indirectly caused the Baileys to direct their anger at Sophia. Then, John continued pondering before he summoned Zack over and asked him to investigate the Baileys since it was easier to do so now that they were in a mess. Therefore, Zack immediately agreed. He couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed with the Baileys, possibly because of the dispute between John, Isabelle, and Sophia, so he had been feeling like investigating whether anything was going on with the Baileys. Zack got worked up all of a sudden and left after agreeing to John¡¯s request, leaving thetter confused as to why his assistant was so worked up. After a while, he gave Sophia a call. However, she was busy ying poker with the others. This woman is really getting more and morefortable with her life now. John couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous of her. Sophia didn¡¯t have much time to talk nonsense with John, so she told him that she was doing well and asked him not to miss her too much. Then, John asked, ¡°Have Ian left?¡± Sophia muttered, ¡°Yeah, he left.¡± Suddenly, John grinned. ¡°I initially thought that you¡¯d be really sad about it, but it seems like I thought too much about it.¡± Hearing his statement, Sophia snorted. ¡°Why should I be sad about it? He¡¯s going to snatch the champion for thepetition, and we should be happy for him.¡± Then, John nodded and changed the topic by asking her who she was ying poker with. Obviously, John was trying to find a topic to talk to her, so she only paid lip service. However, John was surprised. The fact that Logan wasn¡¯t there to y poker was shocking. Sophia paused at the mention of Logan. ¡°Logan probably had something to do as he rushed out after receiving a call.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 895 Chapter 895 Hearing Sophia¡¯s reply, John chuckled. ¡°What could he be in a hurry for? He never really cared about others all this while, though.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t know much about this, but she vaguely felt like it was probably rted to L, as she was the only person who could get on his nerves. Logan had finally met his nemesis. To be honest, Sophia really wanted to meet L, as she was probably not an ordinary person to be able to force Logan to this extent. Although L wasn¡¯t a police officer anymore, she was probably still a headstrong woman. As Sophia was in an intense game of poker, she couldn¡¯t keep up talking to John, so she hung up after brushing him off. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Matilda grinned when she saw Sophia cing her phone down. ¡°You¡¯ve really shown me a new side of my son. Honestly, he never acted like this in the past.¡± Sophia replied, ¡°Master William looked like a quiet person in the past, so what happened that day during the meal really opened my eyes.¡± After that, the two of them gave each other a look and startedughing. What happened during the meal that day was so creepy that it made them ufortable thinking about it. After they started ying for a while, Logan came back buzzing with excitement. When he saw them ying poker, he came over and immediately said, ¡°Count me in as well! Come on!¡± From his tone of voice, Sophia could figure out that Logan probably gained a little something during this time. Just now, he¡¯d left in a hurry. Now that he was back, although he didn¡¯t intentionally try to express anything, she could faintly sense his happiness. Sophia gave him a look from the corner of his eyes before teasing, ¡°What happened? Was Miss Hunt really nice to you?¡± Logan harrumphed at that. ¡°Her being nice doesn¡¯t really differ from how she usually acts.¡± Then, his facial expression became awkward when he realized what he had just said and started trying to cover up for himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t look for her! Why would I do that? I won¡¯t waste my time on a woman like her.¡± Sophia and Matilda shook their heads at the same time and burst into fits of giggles. Then, Sophia snickered. ¡°I wonder what happened to Miss Hunt that actually made our Young Master Logan run out in such a hurry without even wearing his gold chains.¡± Logan¡¯s face actually started turning red. After stuttering for a while, he wasn¡¯t able to say anything that made sense, so he warned Sophia, ¡°Sophia, you better not tease me like this. Shouldn¡¯t you be on my side since I¡¯m so nice to you?¡± Faced with his argument, Sophia blinked before replying, ¡°I won¡¯t tease you anymore. Come on, Logan. Tell us what you managed to get from Miss Hunt.¡± Logan¡¯s expression immediately turned upset. ¡°Sophia Gwendolyn, I can¡¯t believe I used to treat you so well!¡± Sophia startedughing. ¡°You should share if something good happened so that we can all be happy. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen you in a good mood anyway.¡± ring at Sophia, he uttered, ¡°What are you even talking about? I¡¯ve always been in a good mood.¡± Immediately, Sophia retorted, ¡°I really should have taken a picture of your face previously so that you can see how depressed you look.¡± Matilda spoke up as well. ¡°Indeed, you looked like you weren¡¯t in good condition previously. It was as if there¡¯s a person that owes you a few million and refuses to pay you back.¡± This time, Logan looked surprised. ¡°Really? Did I look like that? But, I never felt like that, though.¡± Then, he started chuckling. The attendant that was next to Logan had already stood up to give him his seat. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 896 Chapter 896 Logan started shuffling the cards after sitting down. After a round of poker, Sophia asked Logan again, ¡°Why did you leave just now? Be honest with me. Did something happen to Miss Hunt?¡± Logan¡¯s facial expression started looking awkward as he could never lie to Sophia. A whileter, he finally answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t really go out because of her. It¡¯s mainly because my men got into a fight with someone else, so I wanted to help them out, but it coincidentally happened in her gym. I mean, does it even count as doing it for her? I don¡¯t think it does. What do you think?¡± However, Sophia didn¡¯t know what to say, so she chuckled indifferently. ¡°Whatever you say.¡± It seemed like Logan felt like what he said wasn¡¯t convincing enough, so he tried to back himself up. ¡°You guys should know that I dislike that b*tch and would be over the moon if anything happens to her. Unless I¡¯m insane, there¡¯s no way that I¡¯ll help her sort things out.¡± Sophia and Matilda didn¡¯t say anything and continued ying in silence. In contrast, Logan continued comining while he yed, ¡°No man would probably fall in love with a woman that tries to act like a man by acting strong. I mean, it¡¯s not like she can handle it when something like this happens. Haha! Once you start being nice toward people like her, she¡¯ll start climbing all over you. If someone less of a gentleman met her, she would have been done for.¡± Sophia had always known that Logan was childish, but what happened today was really an eye-opener. After Logan finished nagging, Matilda remarked a whileter, ¡°Since you hate Miss Hunt that much, just ignore her, then. Doesn¡¯t it solve everything if you just avoid her? Why would you want to stick around with people you don¡¯t like?¡± Immediately, Logan didn¡¯t know how to answer her. Sophia gave the speechless Logan a look before she put a stop to their quarrel. ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s just focus on the game and stop discussing about her.¡± The conversation finally ended there. Maybe because Logan was in a good mood, he didn¡¯tin much even when he lost and paid up straightforwardly during their next matches. A few roundster, Sophia finally got tired of the game and stopped. Logan, who used toin that he still hadn¡¯t yed enough, didn¡¯t say anything as well. Suddenly, he thought of something and started smiling. Seeing that he started smiling out of nowhere, Sophia looked speechless. ¡°Come on, Logan. Just spit it out if you really want to say it. We won¡¯t tease you anymore, so stop holding it back.¡± Logan hesitated, for he really wanted to spill it out. Then, he exhaled. ¡°So, because that b*tch makes me feel unpleasant, I got my men to watch over her ce and inform me once she shows up so that I could go pick on her. However, right when she appeared today, someone else had already shown up to find some trouble with her.¡± Since Logan¡¯s men didn¡¯t know what to do in that situation, they gave Logan a call, and he dashed out without any second thought. When he got there, another group of men were in the gym and were threatening L to wreck the entire ce. These people were simr to Logan. They also held grudges against her because they were captured by her previously and wanted to get their revenge now that she wasn¡¯t an officer anymore. Obviously, Logan was pissed off when he saw what happened. Although he agreed with what they said, how dare these people try to beat him to it? Immediately, he forgot the grudges between him and L and pounced on the thugs. Initially, L was nning to do what she did to Logan on these gangsters. However, she was taken aback the moment Logan pounced forward. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 897 Chapter 897 Logan didn¡¯t bother to acknowledge L. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Since he was notorious for his status as Young Master Logan, all of the thugs knew who he was and were shocked when they saw him before they started demanding what he was trying to do. What am I trying to do? Logan didn¡¯t know as well, for he just ran out without even thinking about anything. However, since he had already arrived, he obviously couldn¡¯t retreat now. Hence, he strutted around and got his men to throw those troublemakers out of the gym while L stared in shock at the side. Still, she was once a police officer and was a reasonable person, so she thanked him after those gangsters left. There wasn¡¯t any hint of unwillingness, and she actually looked genuine. Right then, Logan didn¡¯t know why, but he felt his heart skipping a beat. Before L thanked him, she had never been nice to him even once. Now that she looked and sounded way gentler, Logan couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward as he initially came to insult L. He wanted to reprimand her by telling her that she deserved all these men causing her trouble and that it was time for her to introspect her attitude; however, everything he wanted to say was stuck the moment she thanked him. So, Logan only went out to help L scare away those troublemakers and didn¡¯t attempt anything else. He couldn¡¯t even understand his actions when he was on his way back. However, he felt a tiny bit of happiness. The thought of himself helping that woman when she was in trouble made him feel proud. Logan felt like he had finally reformed as he was constantly beaten up by L in the past. At that moment, a prideful feeling bloomed across his heart. Logan¡¯s lips couldn¡¯t help but turn up at the thought of this while Sophia nced at him from the corner of her eyes. Oh gosh! I¡¯m tempted to take a mirror and show Logan his own facial expression right now. How is his facial expression any different from the facial expression of a teenage girl in love? At the thought of him possibly falling for the ex-officer, she sighed mentally. She figured that Logan had gotten himself wrapped around the finger of a woman way more powerful than his four sisters. Logan looked hyped up after he told them what happened, as he started pacing around. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get everyone to gather over for a nice dinner?¡± Then, he proceeded toin that their previous meal together was so tasteless that he felt terrible. Sophia thought about how Logan did look like he wasn¡¯t in good condition during thest meal. Moreover, Logan indeed didn¡¯t manage to be on his game due to those four men trying to fight each other indirectly. Logan was a person who would consistently execute his ns, so he immediately got Sophia to contact John and got him toe over tonight. It seemed like he had forgotten how awkward it was during theirst meal, as he even asked Matilda to contact William and Richard, iming that it would be merrier. However, Matilda immediately said, ¡°Mr. Drake is probably busy, so I¡¯ll just ask William toe over.¡± It was obvious whose side Matilda was on. Since Logan wasn¡¯t close to Richard anyway, he nodded. ¡°Sure, anything works.¡± With that, he ran out of the private room and instructed the staff to start preparing dinner. It felt like the old Logan was back again. Sophia was leaning on the table as she couldn¡¯t help but feel like smiling. It seems like Logan¡¯s mood ispletely dictated by L recently. A whileter, Sophia contacted John and told him toe over for dinner. However, he hesitated and exined that he might be busy tonight. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 898 Chapter 898 Sophia wasn¡¯t really adamant about it, so she said it was fine if he was busy and couldn¡¯te, since it was just a gathering for dinner; it wasn¡¯t really important anyway. John grunted in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can finish up earlier so that I can head over right after that.¡± Although Sophia didn¡¯t ask him what he was going to do, she still reminded him to be careful. John grinned at that. ¡°Don¡¯t be worried. No one would dare to touch me.¡± Since he was confident about it, Sophia felt way more relieved. After she hung up, she nced over at Matilda. It seemed like Matilda hadn¡¯t contacted William yet. In fact, she looked rather conflicted. Sophia questioned with a hint of augh, ¡°Why hadn¡¯t you called him yet? Are you shy?¡± Matilda pushed her hair back. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what to say to him.¡± If John coulde, Matilda wouldn¡¯t have to call William as he might be able to bring William along with him. Sophia startedughing. ¡°Why don¡¯t you know what to say? Aren¡¯t you two quite close now? Just tell him toe over for dinner. I don¡¯t really see anything wrong with that.¡± To be honest, Matilda felt like she was overthinking about it as well. She wasn¡¯t like this in the past and she wouldn¡¯t have felt awkward to ask William toe over for dinner. After taking a deep breath, Matilda took her phone and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go out to make the call.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t say anything but merely sighed after Matilda left the private room. Previously, she did tell Matilda to put on a bit of a show, but Matilda¡¯s acting was obviously a bit too much now. She still needed to take the initiative sometimes. After Matilda left the private room, she stood next to the window sill in the hallway. To be honest, she didn¡¯t know why she felt bashful. Thest time William went to her ce, he had asked her something ambiguous. He asked Matilda whether the Constance Residence or her own ce was nicer. Matilda didn¡¯t know how to answer him back then, so she said that it was fine either way. To that, William smiled and told her that her ce looked homely, and it made him feel likeing over to stay as well. Matilda could feel her heart thumping away the moment she heard him. She was afraid that she might be overthinking it, but she felt that she wasn¡¯t overthinking at the same time. The conflicted feeling made her feel anxious at the thought of calling William. This was something that she had never felt before even when she was young. Back then, Matilda wasn¡¯t really satisfied at the fact that she had to be engaged with William. However, it wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t like his looks or that she wasn¡¯t satisfied with his family background. Instead, it was because Matilda knew that William was in love with Ynda. She didn¡¯t want to be another person¡¯s recement, so she had never nned to ept the proposal in the first ce. Nevertheless, everyone in the Flintstone Family kept telling her that William was a great person, so she could only ept his proposal since she didn¡¯t have any back up n as well. Hence, Matilda and William embarked on their marriage life without any foundation in dating, and they only started getting to know each other after their marriage. Even till the very end, Matilda couldn¡¯t figure out whether she really loved William, or that she just treated him like her own family. After hesitating for a while, Matilda finally decided to call William. The call was quickly connected and William¡¯s calm but gentle voice rang out. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Matilda tried to make herself sound as natural as she could. ¡°Do you want toe over for dinner tonight?¡± William grinned at that. ¡°Of course.¡± Matilda continued, ¡°I¡¯m at Logan¡¯s clubhouse. Sophia is here as well.¡± However, William paused before his tone changed slightly. ¡°I thought that it¡¯s just us two.¡± Immediately, Matilda felt her cheeks heating up. Previous Chapter Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Next Chapter Chapter 899 Chapter 899 She coughed. ¡°We figured that it would be merrier if everyone were to eat dinner together.¡± William replied, ¡°Oh, sure. I¡¯ll head over after work.¡± Matilda immediately hung up after that. Then, she started regretting what she did. What an embarrassment. Why did I blush? Why was I being so awkward and shy when I¡¯m already at this age? William chuckled lightly after he hung up. Even across the phone call, he could still sense Matilda¡¯s awkwardness. In fact, he could even imagine her facial expression right then. That thought amused him greatly. After cing his phone down, he continued reviewing his documents before getting his assistant to come over and instructed them on things to do so that he could leave. By the time he finished arranging everything, it was already almost time for him to clock out. After packing up his stuff, William went to John¡¯s office and wanted to ask him if he wanted to leave together. However, John had already left. William didn¡¯t think much about it as he figured that John was probably heading toward Logan¡¯s ce already, so he took the elevator and went downstairs. After getting out of the elevator to the hall, William halted when he saw Ynda sitting on the couch in the hall. It was obvious that she was waiting for him. However, Ynda didn¡¯t notice William as she was busy looking at her phone, so William walked over to her. ¡°Why did youe over?¡± Ynda¡¯s head snapped up immediately before she smiled. ¡°I was just passing by yourpany and I came over to wait for you since I figured that it was almost time for you to clock out. Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡± Without hesitation, William rejected her. ¡°I can¡¯t today since I¡¯ve already promised Matilda to have dinner together.¡± Ynda paused. Although she tried her best to suppress it, her facial expression still changed as she nodded. ¡°So, you¡¯re meeting her?¡± William grunted. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I won¡¯t be able to have dinner with you today.¡± Then, Ynda stood up. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m alright with it anyway. You guys have fun, then. I¡¯ll head home now.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. After that, William walked out of the hall together with Ynda. He did not offer to send Ynda home but simply drove away and left, while Ynda stood by the side of the road and watched as William¡¯s car vanished into the distance. William would never reject her so firmly in the past. He was always that good man that would do his best to help others out. It was normal for him to reject dinner with her like this time, but driving away without giving her any second nces while she was still standing by the side of the road was something that would have never happened in the past. It seemed like William was really adamant on cutting ties with Ynda this time. The dishes were already served when William reached Logan¡¯s clubhouse and Matilda was the person he saw the moment he entered the private room. Matilda was calling someone while she stood next to the window sill in the room. Everyone else was quiet. As Matilda was facing the window, she didn¡¯t know that William had reached. When William stopped at the entrance of the doorway, he overheard Matilda speaking. ¡°I¡¯m slightly busy right now so I might not be free tonight.¡± There was a pause as the person on the other end of the call was probably speaking before Matilda replied, ¡°I¡¯m not really sure about that as well. Let¡¯s discuss thister on.¡± From the way that Matilda spoke, it seemed like she was holding back by being polite. In fact, she sounded hesitant. Suddenly, William thought of Richard, so he headed over toward Matilda and spoke up without lowering his voice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who are you talking to? Let¡¯s go eat dinner now.¡± Immediately, Matilda froze and turned toward William while the man grinned with an innocent expression on his face. However, Matilda wasn¡¯t angry. She was simply taken aback. After ncing at William, she said into her phone, ¡°I¡¯m going for dinner now. We will discuss thister.¡± Then, the call ended. Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 900 Chapter 900 William didn¡¯t ask Matilda for the name of the person in the call. Instead, he simply ced his arm gently around her shoulders and followed her to the dining table. Sophia stared at them and curled her lips into a smile. This was her first time seeing the public disy of affection between a middle-aged couple, and it was surprisingly sweet! Feeling embarrassed, Matilda sat down and took a sip of water. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Logan was especially enthusiastic on this day as he greeted William. Also, he inquired about William¡¯s preferred dishes and told him to order anything from the menu by himself. William did not have any particr dish he wanted in mind. However, he specifically reminded everyone, ¡°I thought that today¡¯s dinner was only between me and her, and I happened to think of a good restaurant which serves tasty dishes. I wanted to bring her for a taste, but she ended up telling me that it is a dinner gathering.¡± It was a loaded remark, and Sophia could not help but burst out giggling at him. ¡°Master William, do you mean to say that you¡¯re feeling quite disappointed? You must be dying to spend some quality time alone with Madam Flintstone.¡± in a great mood tonight, let¡¯s have some fun together. Both of you have a lot of time to spend together in the future. There¡¯s no rush!¡± Her words made Matilda feel embarrassed. On the other hand, William only chuckled and agreed. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Matilda silently let out a sigh. At that moment, she could not identify the mix of emotions in her; it was a somewhat sweet feeling, mixed with some joy and a tinge of excitement. While having dinner, William asked for the reason behind John¡¯s absence, to which Sophia replied that John seemed to be busy dealing with some matters. Her answer stunned him because he could not recall delegating much work to John. Logically, there was no reason for John to work overtime, but he remained quiet on this. The cheeky Sophia only took a few mouthfuls of food before bringing up a random topic. She told everyone that she had had a meal with one of Matilda¡¯s friends¡ªRichard Drake, but she didn¡¯t have any chance to dine with any of William¡¯s friends yet. Of course, she was secretly referring to Ynda Bloom. Matilda looked up and stared at Sophia, for she had instantly understood what she meant. Meanwhile, Sophia chuckled and acted naturally as she sighed and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t Madam Bloom contact youtely? If she did, why don¡¯t you bring her over to have lunch or dinner? I haven¡¯t had a meal with her before, but I heard that she¡¯s nice.¡± Sensing the hidden meaning behind Sophia¡¯s words, William ced his fork down and replied after some serious thinking, ¡°I don¡¯t meet with Ynda a lot as well. If you want to acquaint yourselves with her, I can help connect you.¡± Sophia hurriedly waved her hands. ¡°Gosh, if you don¡¯t meet with her often, there is no need for us to befriend her. We thought she¡¯s your friend, and that¡¯s why we wanted to get to know her.¡± That made William smile. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not super close. It¡¯s just that she was met with some trouble before and I lent her a helping hand. Other than that, we don¡¯t interact much with each other.¡± He seemed to have exined a lot in a few sentences. Beside them, Matilda lowered her eyes and quietly ate the food. No one could tell if she registered what William had just said. During the dinner, Logan started a long gossiping session. This time, his scope of gossip went beyond the Morgans; he even brought up the name of L Hunt. Before this, whenever he mentioned L, he would jump around and call her names. This time, he didn¡¯t get agitated, and Sophia even noticed a hint of cockiness from him. He looks like he has seeded in carrying out some fishy business! Logan exined, ¡°No matter how strong a woman is, in the face of power, she is still weak. Sometimes, the disy of her strength is to mask her fragile inner selves. At the end of the day, she wanted protection. She yearned for the arrival of a hero who could provide her with a sense of security.¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 901 Chapter 901 After Logan¡¯s dramatic speech, Sophia felt goosebumps all over her, then she mocked him in a whisper, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why the sudden speech? Are you triggered by something?¡± He tousled his hair and replied, ¡°Nah, I was simply expressing my real thoughts in front of you all. Look at that expression! You make me feel embarrassed of myself!¡± Does he even know what it is to be embarrassed? She was taken aback when he shed hisckadaisical behavior from before. Now, he started to look like a real man. Sophia then said, ¡°Go on. I feel that you have a lot to tell us.¡± Logan started chuckling. ¡°I felt that I had a lot to tell you before this, but your interruption made me lose my train of thoughts. I¡¯ve forgotten what I wanted to say now.¡± Thus, Sophia lifted her ss and said apologetically, ¡°Alright, alright. It¡¯s all my fault, but your sudden dramatic speech really shocked me.¡± Loganughed jovially at her reply. On this day, he seemed to be in a great mood because the smile had never left his lips, as if he had never been down in the dumps days ago. Without Richard¡¯s presence and the secretpetition between John and Ian, the dinner went on smoothly. Due to the age gap between William and the other two youngsters, he did not talk to them much. Most of the time, he turned to chat with Matilda. To be honest, Sophia had some understanding about William¡¯s background. After all, she spent a year under the same roof with him. Before this, William was reticent. When he was with Matilda, she talked more than he did all the time. But now, sitting beside Matilda, he clearly had more to talk aboutpared to her; he was even telling her about somepany matters. Sophia had the feeling that she and Matilda were the same¡ªthey were clueless when their partners talked business. However, William didn¡¯t seem to care much about that. Every married couple must have their own way ofmunication. Sophia thought that William and Matilda appeared to have figured it out. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. At the end of the dinner, John finally showed up. The guests were full and chatting with each other in the private dining room. Most of the time, William was talking to Matilda and Sophia with Logan. Even though the two pairs didn¡¯t exchange conversations with each other, the atmosphere wasfortable. The moment John pushed the door open, he noticed the people in the room, which surprised him. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re here too?¡± Sophia shot a nce at him. ¡°What are you implying? Of course Master William will be here.¡± On the other hand, Matilda had lost her awkwardness from before and asked John what he had been up to, and why didn¡¯t he head over with Sophia. John grunted and took a seat beside Sophia. ¡°There were some issues at the factory warehouse, so I went there to inspect. Didn¡¯t we just transfer a number of employees to that warehouse recently? I had not visited for a long time, so I made a special trip there today.¡± William knew about the transfer, and the fact that those employees were from Sophia¡¯s hometown. Thus, he nodded. ¡°Are they adjusting well?¡± John leaned back and replied, ¡°Yeah, it seems so.¡± Sophia, however, knew that John was lying; he was probably off to deal with a different issue. Since he was lying, there must be a compelling reason for him to do so. After he took a seat and chatted with the rest for a while, he looked at Logan. ¡°What¡¯s up with you today? You look pumped.¡± Logan was a little surprised by John¡¯s observation and stared back. ¡°Do you all think that I¡¯m extraordinarily happy today? But I am feeling normal just like any other day.¡± ¡°No, no, you¡¯re different.¡± John went straight to the point. ¡°Compared to your mood a few days ago, there is a huge change in your condition today!¡± Chapter 902 Chapter 902 Sophia chuckled and stared at Logan. ¡°See? I¡¯m right.¡± Then, Logan puckered his lips and gave up. ¡°Alright. Maybe it¡¯s true that I¡¯m happierpared to a few days ago. You guys must be right.¡± After that, he gave it some thought and realized that he seemed to be feeling much more rxed and calmpared to a few days ago. John spun around and fired another question. ¡°Is it because Miss Hunt has been nice to you?¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia immediately exploded inughter and looked at John. ¡°Why did you suddenly pop such an important question out of nowhere?¡± John nodded with a smile. ¡°By the look of it, my guess is correct.¡± Beside them, Logan looked a bit flustered and didn¡¯t answer John. Sophia curled her lips into a smile and changed the topic of conversation, asking John if he had dinner and if he wanted to order some food here. John didn¡¯t have much of an appetite, and considering that everyone else was done with dinner, he replied, ¡°That¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll see how it goes after we get home. I don¡¯t really have an appetite now.¡± Not long ago, he visited the warehouse and carried out some gruesome acts that led to his loss of appetite at the sight of food. Sophia didn¡¯t press on, and the group chatted for a while until it was time to part ways. However, Logan was still in high spirits and even called for a round of poker. Sophia noticed that John looked tired, so she turned Logan down, promising him that she¡¯d return when she was free. To that, Logan nodded understandingly, but he still didn¡¯t give up. ¡°Okay then. I will find someone else to y with me.¡± He was obviously still riding the high. The words from L Hunt¡¯s mouth are surprisingly influential. With that, Sophia left with John, while William drove Matilda back. When they were saying goodbyes at the entrance, Sophia hinted at Matilda with a look in her eyes. She was sure that Matilda would get it. Matilda stared back at Sophia and beamed; of course she knew. Then, the two women waited until William and John had wrapped up their short conversation, after which Sophia followed John into his car and cautiously stretched. It was still early, but she was extremely sleepy. On their way home, she drifted into sleep in the passenger seat. In the middle of their journey, John turned around and looked at her with resignation on his face as his eyes darkened. When they arrived, Sophia was brought up to the room in John¡¯s arms. The moment she was put into bed, she rolled around and almost fell asleep again. However, her mind was still on another issue. Thus, she checked with John by asking, ¡°Has Master William arrived?¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. John smiled at her. ¡°We¡¯ve just arrived home ourselves. How is it possible for him to arrive at the same time if he is sending Matilda home? Stop thinking and go to sleep.¡± Sophia then mumbled something unintelligible and fell asleep. She had a good night¡¯s sleep and woke up early the next morning, mainly because John was up early too. It was the day of Dexter¡¯s cremation. John and William would have to be present as the representatives from the Constance Family. Even so, Sophia was still fixated on the lingering question and wanted John to check if William was home for the night. Feeling resigned, John caressed her hair. ¡°Okay, okay. Don¡¯t be anxious about it. I¡¯ll go take a look now.¡± Sophia¡¯s guess was proven right¡ªWilliam did note homest night. Therefore, John made a call and informed his dad that Dexter¡¯s cremation was in the morning, which meant that they had to leave early for the event. William replied that he had packed everything and was ready to go. The two then agreed to meet at the hospital. Sophia clearly overheard William¡¯s response through the phone and wanted so badly to ask if Matilda had woken up as well. However, her eagerness was stalled by the realization of the inappropriateness to joke around William, who was older than her. She could joke with Matilda without any worries, but she could not do the same with William. Chapter 903 Chapter 903 When John hung up, Sophia quickly shuffled over to ask him, ¡°Does this mean your dad and your mom are back together?¡± John gave it some serious consideration and looked at her. ¡°I feel like Dad keeps going down the road I once walked.¡± She did not immediately understand his meaning and stared at him nkly, to which he added, ¡°I feel that Dad is going to move over to Mom¡¯s ce in a few days¡¯ time.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophia chuckled joyfully. If that really happened, William would indeed be following John¡¯s footsteps. Anyway, that would also prove that the old man was truly in love. John didn¡¯t have the time to have breakfast because Dexter¡¯s cremation was set at an early time. After packing his stuff, he was ready to leave in his car. Old Mrs. Constance happened to be awake too and she walked out from her room just as he was about to leave the house, and the two ran into each other in the corridor. She felt very upset and sorrowful about Dexter¡¯s passing. ¡°Drive slowly and be careful. Nothing matters more than your own safety now,¡± she advised. He nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know.¡± Old Mrs. Constance also noticed that he was alone, so she looked confused. ¡°Where¡¯s your dad? Isn¡¯t he going with you?¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. John smiled and said, ¡°Dad must have spent the night at Mom¡¯s ce. We¡¯ll meet at the hospital.¡± She was taken aback for a second, obviously not prepared for that, but she soon nodded. ¡°I see. Alright. Drive slowly and stay safe.¡± After leaving the Constance Residence, John headed straight to the hospital, where William was waiting at the entrance. They met up and walked over to the crematorium at the back of the hospital. Members of the Bailey Family trickled in as well. The rtives who were present earlier during Dexter¡¯s crash to gossip were all absent on this day. Those who showed up were from the main family and the branch family, so it was not a huge crowd. Mrs. Bailey was sobbing and gasping with Isabelle at her side to support her. Among Old Mr. Bailey¡¯s business partners, only the Constances were present. One could only wonder if the others were specifically told not to attend. Dexter¡¯s body was wheeled over from the morgue for a final farewell with his family. Mrs. Bailey didn¡¯t manage to go over and take a look before she copsed onto the floor. Seeing that, Old Mr. Bailey simply waved and gestured at Isabelle to bring her mom to a side. Next, he went over alone to take a final look at Dexter. William and John stood at a side and felt heartbroken to witness the scene. Standing beside the gurney, Old Mr. Bailey flipped open the white cloth draped over Dexter¡¯s body and stared at his son¡¯s lifeless face for a long time. Finally, he sighed and weaklymented, ¡°My child, why were you so foolish?¡± The family was not given ample time for the farewell before the hospital authority was told to wheel the body to the crematorium. Two staff members came over and they wheeled the gurney to the destination, but not before informing the family that Dexter¡¯s ashes would be ready to be brought home in half an hour¡¯s time. Despite everything that the mortals strived for in their lives, everyone would eventually end up as nothing but ashes in a tiny box. Old Mr. Bailey stared in the direction of the crematorium for a long time and suddenly started crying while covering his face with his hands. At the moment, he seemed to have reached a realization as he muttered, ¡°Dexter, I¡¯m sorry.¡± However, the apology arrived toote. After the gurney was wheeled away, Mrs. Bailey fainted from her crying and those of the branch family helped to move her onto a chair. Isabelle walked over slowly to the guys and stood beside John. ¡°Thanks foring.¡± Not knowing what to say, he could only offer his condolences, which she epted with a nod. Then, she asked him in a low voice, ¡°Did anything happen to you and Sophiately?¡± . Chapter 904 Chapter 904 He looked at her from the corner of his eyes and lowered his voice as he said, ¡°Nothing at the moment. Did you find out about something?¡± Isabelle could note up with a reply because it was not true that she had found any clues. Previously, she had only overheard some conversation between her grandpa and her dad, and she did not hold any substantive evidence aside from that. So, she only shook her head at John¡¯s question. He gave it some thought before asking, ¡°Does your family have a side business?¡± She blinked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± What she said was true. However, in her vague recollection of the conversation between her grandpa and her dad, they seemed to be talking about another business other than their currentpany. That day, Elder Mr. Bailey did not make things very clear and Isabelle could only retrieve fragments of things from the conversation, which was unhelpful to piece the puzzle. Therefore, she was put on the spot when John asked her about it. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. He looked around them and lowered his voice further. ¡°Since you gave me a reminder, I will return your favor by being upfront with you. Your family seems to be running a shadow bank that dishes out microloans. It feels suspicious.¡± She immediately furrowed her brows. ¡°Suspicious?¡± John could not tell her more than that. Due to his status as a business partner, he could only release limited information to alert Isabelle. On the other side, Old Mr. Bailey was still crying uncontrobly with his face covered. Isabelle had no choice but to hurry over andfort him. There were a lot of deceased who underwent cremation at the same time. When the Baileys stood there and witnessed the other families crying their hearts out, they finally had a taste of the mundaneness of death. Every day, there were many people who crossed the bridge to the afterlife, and with that, their families suffered with grief. Half an hourter, Dexter¡¯s ashes were sent out from the crematorium. What was left of him was nothing more than bone fragments. The Baileys had purchased an urn, which they ced his ashes in and wrapped it up nicely. As Dexter¡¯s parents were heartbroken, they were in no condition to proceed to the funeral home. Therefore, the task of sending Dexter¡¯s ashes to the funeral home fell onto Isabelle¡¯s shoulders. John volunteered to drive her there. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you there. You don¡¯t look like you can drive.¡± She nodded gratefully at his offer. ¡°Thank you.¡± The group left the hospital and Isabelle went into John¡¯s car. They soon drove out of the area. During the trip, Isabelle continued asking John about the topic. ¡°You mentioned that our family has been running a shadow bank. Where is it located?¡± Instead of answering her, he asked another question. ¡°Do you really not know about what your dad or your grandpa did in secret?¡± She gave it some careful consideration and answered, ¡°I have a gut feeling, but I have no way to prove my guess.¡± It was surprising enough that Isabelle willingly shared her inner thoughts with John, so he said, ¡°Okay. I trust that you really don¡¯t have an idea.¡± She hugged Dexter¡¯s urn and gently said, ¡°Ever since Dexter left us, I have been carefully examining our family. I feel that our way of life, or perhaps the dynamics of ourmunication, is extremely toxic.¡± Then, she sighed and lowered her voice. ¡°Sometimes, I really feel that it¡¯s not easy for me to survive until today. Perhaps I should feel thankful that I was born a girl. If I were a boy, I probably would have ended up with a fate like Dexter¡¯s.¡± It was true that Old Mr. Bailey had been putting restrictions on Dexter and forcing things on him. Since young, Dexter did not have much personal time for himself. His hobbies and everything he did in his life wereid out based on his dad¡¯s n. In the past, Elder Mr. Bailey also actively participated in interfering with Dexter¡¯s life. Step by step, the two men of the Bailey Family tried to mould Dexter based on their preferences. The thought made Isabelle tear up once more. ¡°My poor Dexter. If only I had noticed the signs earlier, he would not have ended up dead.¡± . Chapter 905 Chapter 905 John turned around and took a look at Isabelle. ¡°You cannot be med for this. No one saw the tragedying. Plus, I believe that you have your own struggles too.¡± The mention of her struggles made her choke up, and the grievances that had been hidden within her emerged. A long pauseter, she let out a sigh and fell into silence. John drove them to the funeral home, but he did not follow Isabelle in. Instead, he waited for her in the car, watching as she dragged herself into the funeral home with Dexter¡¯s urn. He leaned back into his seat and took out his pack of cigarettes to light one for himself. There were lots of people stepping in and out of the funeral home. They performed rites, cried and even hired pastors to bless the dead through borate services. John retracted his gaze, feeling a little ufortable because the scene reminded him of Old Mr. Constance¡¯s funeral. At the time of his grandpa¡¯s passing, the Constances also invited a pastor to perform the services at home and made a huge deal out of it. To him, the need to obsess over funeral details was questionable. The funeral rites were said to be for the deceased, but it was nothing more than a show for the living. He didn¡¯t wait too long before Isabelle emerged after she had settled the paperwork. Obviously, she had cried during the process and was in a low mood. Thus, he handed her a napkin and she thanked him for it. The reason he asked her was to probe for more information. Indeed, she told him the truth. ¡°I¡¯m no longer working at Bailey Corporation. I have resigned from all my duties.¡± If she could be honest with him regarding her status in thepany, her answers from before must be true as well. Then, he feigned a puzzled look. ¡°Why did you quit your job? Are you thinking of taking a break at home?¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. To that, she shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t resign on my own will. It was the result of a discussion between Dad and Grandpa. They told me not to show up at thepany for the time being, but I am unsure of the exact reason behind it.¡± John sent her all the way to the Bailey Residence. Her parents were already home and a servant was perched at the entrance, whom he assumed to be waiting for Isabelle. She got out of the car and thanked him. To that, he nodded and urged her, ¡°Go in and get some rest. You must be exhausted.¡± The conversation between them ended. After she went into the house, he started his car and drove away to thepany. At the Constance Group, John heard that William was in and he immediately headed over to William¡¯s office. Instead of bringing up the Baileys, he asked if William had spent the night at Matilda¡¯s ce, to which William shed a smile. ¡°Why are you getting as inquisitive as Sophia?¡± John nodded. ¡°Perhaps when two people are together for some time, they would be more and more alike. Don¡¯t change the topic though. Were you with Momst night?¡± William nodded back. ¡°Yeah. It was toote and I didn¡¯t bother toe home.¡± What ame excuse. It wasn¡¯t thatte when we finished dinner. However, John merely suggested, ¡°To be honest, you can consider moving in with Mom. I think it will be more convenient for you and it will solidify your stance. Mom will probably feel more secure, and Grandma will be more forgiving when she sees you moving in with her daughter.¡± William frowned and gave it some serious consideration. ¡°Your suggestion sounds reasonable.¡± John almost burst outughing, for he felt that he had given William a way out. If William had to bring up the idea of moving in with Matilda himself, he likely would be hesitant to do so due to the embarrassment. Lifting a brow, John felt amused. ¡°Give it some consideration. I¡¯ll go get busy now.¡± After that, he left William¡¯s office and returned to his own, but there was nothing much for him to work on. Tasks were delegated and it was not a busy season. Thus, he sat and waited in the office for a while before Zack entered with a file in his hands. Chapter 906 Chapter 906 At first, John thought that the file was work-rted, but when he flipped it open, he realized that it was a report of the investigation they ran on the Baileys. It was tooplicated, so John only skimmed through it before saying, ¡°Just leave it here. I¡¯ll slowly go through it. It¡¯s so thick!¡± Zack clicked his tongue at thement. ¡°Yeah, the Baileys have too many issues. I sent someone to investigate and opened a can of worms. How annoying! They even reported some insignificant details to me.¡± John grunted. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve put in a lot of hard work.¡± Zack was obviously tired as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to deal with this. I¡¯m heading back now¡ªthere are piles of work waiting for me.¡± John sat in his chair for a while and made a call to Sophia. It took her some time to pick up the call, and she inquired if he was done with the Baileys. Frankly speaking, John didn¡¯t need to do anything for the Baileys except for showing up. Thus, he replied, ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s nothing to deal with anymore. I just wanted to know what you¡¯re doing.¡± She told him that she wanted to meet with Matilda, for she couldn¡¯t hold back her need to gossip and wanted to check with Matilda about the events fromst night. To that, John reminded her to be careful on the road. He agreed that she should meet up with Matilda, or else she¡¯d be bored to death at home. Now, Sophia found goodpany in Matilda and they could chat with each other to relieve their boredom. The two didn¡¯t chat further and hung up. She immediately understood his meaning and turned around to stare at the cars behind them. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong, am I right?¡± The driver reported, ¡°Two cars are targeting us, one from each side. Hold tight.¡± In the next second, the driver floored the elerator and the car flew along the highway. The momentum threw Sophia back against the seat. She clutched tightly onto her seatbelt with one hand and ced the other on her belly. After some time, she finally noticed the two cars trailing behind them and hurriedly made a call to John. With her speaker on, she exined their situation to him. The driver chimed in and reported that he could not get rid of them. Based on his tone, he sounded unconfident. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. John immediately turned solemn and ordered the driver to head into downtown. Also, he assured them that he would send someone to help out right away and reminded the driver to keep him updated of his location. At the back, Sophia felt a little afraid; she was mostly worried that something might happen to the baby she was carrying. Even though she had not reached thetest stage of pregnancy, she had suffered a lot during this journey. Please don¡¯t let anything happen to the baby. Following John¡¯s orders, the driver headed downtown and even actively searched around for intersections with traffic lights in order to get rid of the two cars behind them. However, the two cars were acting crazy and didn¡¯t even stop after they identally scraped against other cars in the chase. The driver mumbled, ¡°They probably want to ram into us.¡± Sophia grunted helplessly. If the two cars rammed into them with enough force, she might actually lose the baby from the injuries. John seemed to have overheard the driver¡¯s worriedment and kept asking for their location. The driver was apparently an experienced bodyguard because he slid around the traffic like an eel. Downtown, there were more traffic lights. Then, Sophia saw there was a green light that was turning red soon, so she quickly screamed, ¡°Look over there!¡± The driver understood her meaning and elerated. It went without saying that it was dangerous to drive at that speed in downtown area. Chapter 907 Chapter 907 Sophia shut her eyes in panic as she sat in the elerating car. Finally, when the yellow light was about to turn red, their car dashed past the intersection. Right when the car crossed the line, the lights at the intersection turned red. The two cars chasing after them appeared tempted to run the red light. Thankfully, the traffic in the other direction at the intersection started to move at their green light and blocked off the road, forcing the two cars to stop in front of the red light. Sophia sensed that the driver let out a sigh of relief after the ordeal, his cold sweat visible on his sideburns, which clearly showed the level of danger they had faced just now. Sophia turned around and stared at the back, confirming that the two cars were not following them anymore. After that, she informed John that they were safe for the time being. However, he was still worried, so he ordered the driver to pull over so that they could get out of the car and hide somewhere else. The driver scanned the surroundings and chose to pull over in front of a small grocery store on the street. Then, he asked Sophia to head out and wait at the entrance of the store. She heeded his advice and thought to herself, No matter how psychopathic those stalkers are, they likely won¡¯t have the guts to publicly harm me at the grocery store¡¯s entrance that¡¯s full of people. Thus, she hurried over and hid herself well in a corner. Soon, John arrived there, running as he called her name. Hearing that, she shuffled out from her hiding spot. He looked like he was in great shock. After all, he had been on the phone throughout the situation just now, so he knew about their brush with danger. After checking her from head to toe, he even caressed her belly. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I consider myself lucky that I¡¯m safe.¡± Then, she took out her phone to show him photos she took of the two cars during the car chase. He took a quick look and noticed that the car tes were clearly legible, but they were probably fake. Anyway, he transferred the photos from her phone to his and gave her another hug. ¡°You must have been scared. I¡¯m sorry for arrivingte. It¡¯s all my fault.¡± Indeed, Sophia was scared out of her mind; even her body was still shaking uncontrobly. Just now, in the car, she had prepared herself for the worst¡ªthat she¡¯d die with the baby in her In the midst of the danger, she wondered how John would handle that tragic oue. A tragedy like that would likely crush his world. Putting that thought aside, she took a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯m not scared about anything else. I only worry about the baby.¡± John pursed his lips, cupped her face in his palms and gave her a light peck at the corner of her lips. His voice was soft, tinged with a hint of self-me. ¡°I¡¯ll send you home now. Let¡¯s not leave the house for the time being. I¡¯ll find the mastermind behind this. Trust me.¡± Of course she trusted him, so she nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Then, John brought some men with him. They stayed in their cars that were parked in front of the small grocery store. After that, he ordered the rest of the men to follow the previous driver in search of the two cars just now. As for him, he¡¯d drive Sophia back home. During the trip, they sat beside each other, silent. When they arrived at the Constance Residence, Old Mrs. Constance was sunbathing at the entrance. When she saw them home, she was surprised. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just leave home? Why are you back so soon? And John, you¡¯re back as well. Is there anything?¡± John chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I left a file at home so I have to pick it up. Mom is not at home, so she wanted Sophia to head home first. She¡¯ll drop byter.¡± He purposely kept the incident just now from Old Mrs. Constance for fear of agitating her. The olddy didn¡¯t think much about it and nodded. ¡°Alright. What a surprise! I thought something had happened.¡± Sophia shed a smile at her. ¡°We¡¯re good! What could happen to us? Everything¡¯s fine.¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Then, John helped Sophia back to their room. The moment they stepped into the room, they immediately received a call from Matilda, who asked about Sophia¡¯s dyed arrival. She had been waiting for Sophia but no one showed up. Chapter 908 Chapter 908 Sophia clutched the phone tightly and regted her breathing as she replied in a weary voice, ¡°Do you want to head over here instead? I¡¯m back at the Constance Residence. Just now, on my way to your ce, I almost got into an ident.¡± Matilda was shocked and hurriedly checked with her what had happened. ¡°You almost got into an ident? What ident? How are you now?¡± At the same time, John still had to leave in a hurry to investigate the incident. Thus, Sophia merely waved at him and shifted her focus back to Matilda. ¡°Just now, someone chased after my car. Those people could be after me, but thankfully we got rid of them at the end.¡± Despite Sophia¡¯s breezy exnation, Matilda started to feel a chill down her spine and she quickly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s John? Does he know about this?¡± Sophia replied, ¡°Yes, he knows about it. He drove me home just now, and he was so scared.¡± Feeling extremely worried, Matilda said, ¡°Wait for me at home. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± With that, she hung up on Sophia. Then, Sophia let out a long sigh and ced her hands on her belly; the aftershock still lingered around her. Those people are really psychopathic! How could they bring themselves to do that? After panicking for a while, she suddenly felt rage building in her. Those animals probably knew about her pregnancy. Even so, her pregnancy did not stop them from harming her. What a bunch of barbarians. She was not in the mood to entertain his shenanigans, so she cut to the chase. ¡°Logan, I have something to talk to you about.¡± When he heard her, he paused for a bit and his tone changed. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You sound serious. Did anything happen?¡± She briefly updated him about the car chase just now, to which he was shocked and hurriedly asked, ¡°Are you okay now? Did you get injured?¡± Sophia replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine now because we managed to free ourselves from the chase. John is now investigating the information behind the two cars. Logan, I have a personal favor to ask from you¡ªI want to know if this incident is rted to the Baileys.¡± Even though she was being vague, Logan could tell what she was after. She probably wanted to ask him if this incident was rted to Isabelle Bailey. Thus, he immediately replied, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll send someone to look into it. Let¡¯s see if it¡¯s done under the orders of that b*tch.¡± Feelingplicated, Sophia somehow felt that this incident was not something that Isabelle was capable of doing. Even so, there was a slight possibility that she had provoked Isabelle to a breaking point, and coupled with Dexter¡¯s death, Isabelle lost control of herself and acted on the grudges between her and Sophia. Logan inquired, ¡°Did you share your suspicion with John?¡± She answered, ¡°No. Logan, I¡¯ll be honest with you. I keep feeling that my suspicion is wrong, but if I don¡¯t test it out, I would feel dissatisfied. That¡¯s why I want your help to look into it. As for John, I don¡¯t want to mislead him with my unverified suspicion.¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Logan grunted in agreement. ¡°Alright, got it. Don¡¯t sweat about it. I¡¯ll definitely look into this matter. Whoever dares to harm you is stepping over me as well. She¡¯d better be prepared to be torn into pieces!¡± Feeling touched, Sophia cheered up and she expressed her gratitude. ¡°Logan, thank you.¡± He clicked his tongue and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for ¡®thank yous¡¯ between us!¡± The call didn¡¯t go on for very long. After that, Sophia heard the sound of Matilda¡¯s footsteps from the stairs. Chapter 909 Chapter 909 Matilda called out to Sophia when she was walking on the staircase. ¡°Sophia, are you in your room?¡± Sophia answered as the door to her room was opened. ¡°I am! Right here!¡± Matilda made her way over and saw Sophia the moment she entered her room. Sophia looked like she was in good spirits, though her face was pale, so Matilda asked, ¡°Are you not feeling well?¡± Sophia shook her head and forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Nothing bad happened, fortunately.¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Matilda walked into Sophia¡¯s room and sat on her bed before grabbing Sophia¡¯s hand and cing it in her own. Then, she patted her hand. ¡°I was terrified! Who would dare to be so inhumane to do something like this?!¡± Then, Sophia took her phone out and showed Matilda the picture that she had taken earlier. ¡°I snapped a picture of those two cars, but I suspect that the car tes are fake,¡± Sophia said. Matilda inched closer to look at the picture clearly. ¡°This is a clear shot, but most of the people that do these kinds of things would usually use fake car tes.¡± Pursing her lips, she then turned toward Sophia. ¡°Do you think that Isabelle did this?¡± The one person that crossed Matilda¡¯s mind was Isabelle as Sophia¡¯s social circle was small and there weren¡¯t really many people that she could offend. Moreover, the only reason why she crossed the Baileys was because of John. Sophia frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think Isabelle would do something like this, but I can¡¯tpletely rule her out at the same time.¡± Then, she continued, ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten Logan to investigate it for me, so let¡¯s see what he¡¯ll get. Although I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s possible, it¡¯s better if we still do a thorough investigation.¡± Matilda nodded before lowering her voice and said, ¡°If Old Mrs. Constance still doesn¡¯t know about this, let¡¯s not tell her.¡± On the other hand, John was driving. However, instead of returning to thepany, he headed toward the warehouse where those men that he captured were locked up there. John sent the image that Sophia had taken to his underlings and asked them to interrogate those men if they recognized these two cars. Those men had been locked in the warehouse for a few days without any food or drinks, so even if they were initially stubborn, they had started to lose their cool after not getting enough supplies. John didn¡¯t want to see those people, so he chose to wait outside. After he finished a cigarette, one of his men came out and whispered something into John¡¯s ear. However, John¡¯s facial expression remained unchanged. He even let out a faint chuckle before he replied, ¡°Got it.¡± Then, he walked toward the side of the road from the warehouse and took his phone out. Isabelle was in her room when she received the phone call. Although Dexter was already buried, the atmosphere in the house was still depressing as her mother¡¯s cries echoed through the house every night, while her father was depressed and refused to eat, even though he didn¡¯t cry. Isabelle felt like if things were to continue like this, she might be sending her parents off next. However, even she herself wasn¡¯t in a good condition as she sat on her bed and stared into nothing, so she was taken aback when John contacted her. After epting the phone call, John spoke up before Isabelle could say anything. ¡°Isabelle, something bad almost happened to Sophia as she was chased by two cars when she went out today.¡± Isabelle was stunned. ¡°What are you trying to say? Why are you suddenly telling me this? Are you suspecting that I¡¯m the one behind it?¡± John wasn¡¯t suspecting Isabelle. ¡°I just want to ask you whether your family had a butler that suddenly resigned without any reasons?¡± Isabelle frowned as she couldn¡¯t remember much about it. ¡°I think so.¡± John chuckled. ¡°He was driving one of the cars that wanted to ram into Sophia today.¡± Moreover, that butler appeared at the shadow bank. Chapter 910 Chapter 910 Isabelle paused; something wasn¡¯t feeling right. Her parents¡¯ breakfast was sent into their room this morning by the housekeeper and Isabelle saw Elder Mr. Bailey heading into her father¡¯s room after she finished her breakfast and was heading upstairs. She had been sensitive toward Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s actionstely, so she slowly inched closer. Initially, Elder Mr. Bailey tried to get his son to snap out of it as Bailey Corporation¡¯s operation couldn¡¯t go on without him. However, Old Mr. Bailey simply sighed. It was understandable for him to be unable to recover from something like this for a period of time after all. A whileter, Elder Mr. Bailey stopped and suddenly added, ¡°Just watch. Ourpany will progress even further.¡± Still, Old Mr. Bailey drowned in his sadness as he mumbled softly, ¡°It won¡¯t. My hope is gone along with Dexter.¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only After a pause, Elder Mr. Bailey continued, ¡°Belle is still here. We can still ce our hopes on her.¡± Isabelle stood by the door and heard that clearly. A few secondster, Elder Mr. Bailey went on to say, ¡°It¡¯s not like we reached a dead end on John¡¯s side as well. Just do as you see fit.¡± Isabelle didn¡¯t understand what Elder Mr. Bailey meant back then, but now that John told her about what happened to Sophia earlier, she suddenly came to a realization. Isabelle opened her mouth, but she didn¡¯t know what to say. Before she could utter a word, John asked again, ¡°Do you know where that butler went after he resigned?¡± Isabelle pursed her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± However, Isabelle suddenly recalled her father trying to probe where she was going to go when she asked John and Sophia out for a meal and arranged for people to stand on guard in front of the restaurant. Why would he do something like this? He must have been against someone there, and now, Isabelle could easily figure out who they were against back then. Since both her father and grandfather prioritized John a lot, they naturally wouldn¡¯t do anything to him, so the only person left was Sophia. Isabelle admitted honestly that she disliked Sophia; she really disliked Sophia to the point that she even hated her. However, she wouldn¡¯t try to kill Sophia as she still had her humanity within her, and it was impossible for her to do something like that. Even back then when she pushed Sophia in the hospital, it was only because she was really triggered by what Sophia said. John¡¯s cold voice rang out again. ¡°That butler appeared at the shadow bank.¡± Isabelle took a deep breath before replying, ¡°I really don¡¯t know about this.¡± However, she could already connect all of the scattered information. Isabelle could feel her mind buzzing and she didn¡¯t even remember how she ended the call in the end. A whileter, she got up and went outside. Elder Mr. Bailey was standing downstairs with his walking stick without any servant with him when Isabelle walked over to him. ¡°Grandpa, why are you standing here all alone?¡± Elder Mr. Bailey snapped back to reality. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just came out to have a breather as I felt too cooped up in the house. I wonder how thepany¡¯s operating now.¡± After pondering for a moment, Isabelle answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know if Uncle will be able to manage the company¡¯s operation, but now that we are not going over to thepany, they¡¯re probably struggling.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Your uncle had always relied on others since your father had always been taking care of him. If there wasn¡¯t anyone around to help him, he might have already risen up to take over our family business earlier, so this is a good chance for him to start honing his skills.¡± However, Isabelle changed the topic after thinking for a while. ¡°I rejected my mother when she told me that she wanted to set me up for a blind date previously because I still had feelings toward John, but when I think about this now, it¡¯s impossible for me to wedge in between John and Sophia anymore. Moreover, now that our family has ended up like this, I believe that going on that date will be helpful for our family. Why don¡¯t you guys arrange it over the next few days?¡± Chapter 911 Chapter 911 Elder Mr. Bailey was stunned as he turned around to face Isabelle. ¡°You don¡¯t like John anymore? But I thought you¡¯ve always liked him?¡± Isabelle sighed. ¡°I was in denial back then, but I finally understand now. It¡¯s useless when my love toward him is just one-sided. Since he doesn¡¯t like me, there¡¯s no use liking him anyway. Moreover, I¡¯m already tired. I just want to find someone who loves me back.¡± Then, Elder Mr. Bailey raised his hand and patted Isabelle¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t rush it. Some things wille even though it might take a little longer.¡± Isabelle nced at Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s face before she continued, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to wait any longer. I¡¯ve been waiting for so long and I don¡¯t know how much longer I should wait at this point. I¡¯m exhausted. If my date goes well, an addition in the family can also lighten up the mood in the family and my parents might be able to walk out from what happened to Dexter. It might actually be good for the family.¡± The old man sighed. ¡°Belle, a blind date is really not as easy as what you think. I¡¯ve asked around my family friends, but none of their children stand out, so even if you were to be matchmade with them, you might not find the person that you¡¯re looking for.¡± Isabelle smiled at that. ¡°I don¡¯t ask for much. It¡¯s fine as long as they¡¯re nice to me and keep me close at heart. I don¡¯t really care about anything else as we all shouldn¡¯t be too ungrateful. It¡¯s alright if they don¡¯t stand out.¡± However, Elder Mr. Bailey shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t get it, Belle. Your father and I are already old and we need someone to take over the family. Now that Dexter is gone, we can only rely on you now. Feelings can¡¯t bring you to ces, but your strengths can, so there¡¯s no way that you can settle with someone ordinary.¡± Isabelle chuckled awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m just a woman, so what can I even do? I already feel guilty even when I hear you talking about it.¡± Still, Elder Mr. Bailey went on saying, ¡°Why do you even feel guilty about it? So what if you¡¯re a woman? Women can take over their family¡¯s business as well. Look at the four Young Ladies of the Jefferson Family; aren¡¯t they handling the family¡¯s business well? On the contrary, Logan Jefferson is literally an embarrassment of their family.¡± Isabelle didn¡¯t say anything about Logan. Although she used to look down on Logan and felt that the Jeffersons really failed to raise their son well, she now felt like she had no right to judge other people¡¯s family. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. The Baileys had always thought that they had been providing a good upbringing to their children, but they ended up forcing Dexter to his demise. Then, Elder Mr. Bailey tried to console Isabelle by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much and rest well. I¡¯ll tell you what to do next. Rest assured, Belle. What you want will surely be yours.¡± Although Isabelle didn¡¯t say anything further, she felt like Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s condition was worse than her father¡¯s condition; her father was sick physically, but Elder Mr. Bailey was sick mentally. After Elder Mr. Bailey stood there for a while, a few servants came over and Isabelle immediately called out for the servants. ¡°You guys should take Grandpa for a walk since today¡¯s weather is great. He should take a walk to strengthen his body anyway.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey agreed after thinking about it, so the servants supported him as they walked toward the garden in the backyard. After they left, Isabelle immediately turned around and headed to the second floor as she attempted to unlock Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s wardrobe again. Thest three attempts back then had failed, so she wanted to try two more times. After scanning through all of the possiblebinations she could think of in her mind, she tried the first combination. However, the firstbination was still wrong. Isabelle was frustrated. She didn¡¯t dare to try to unlock the wardrobe three times on this day as the security rm was too loud. After pondering for a while, Isabelle tried the secondbination. This time, however, after she entered the secondbination¡¯s number, she pressed on the unlock button and the door to the safe sprang open. Chapter 912 Chapter 912 Isabelle was shocked and she couldn¡¯t snap out of her daze for a moment. A whileter, she opened the safe. There were many document files in the safety lock, so much so that she was taken aback. Taking her phone out, Isabelle took a few document files out and started snapping pictures of it. She didn¡¯t have the time to figure out what these document files were about as she tried her best to snap as many pictures as she could before cing the document files that she took out back ording to their original sequence. Although Elder Mr. Bailey was old, he was still a detailed person, so he could easily notice when the cements of the document files weren¡¯t the same as before. After tidying up the wardrobe, Isabelle closed the door to the wardrobe and took a deep breath before leaving Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s room and rushed back into her own room. Then, she started examining the pictures that she took after locking the door to her room. Isabelle noticed that some of these documents were financial receipts. Instead of professional documentations, these looked more like internal documentations. Moreover, the amount for these financial ounts was toorge. It was obviously abnormal. Although the purchase details were stated on the documents, Isabelle couldn¡¯t understand what was being purchased as everything was reced with codes. The more she looked through these documents, the more she realized that something wasn¡¯t right, so she sent John a message to meet upter that night after thinking about it. Isabelle wanted to discuss what she found with John, and she couldn¡¯t find anyone else to talk about these matters to right now. However, it seemed like John hadn¡¯t noticed her message as he hadn¡¯t replied to her yet. Then, Isabelle hesitated for a moment before she headed to her father¡¯s room. Old Mr. Bailey was standing by the window sill and looking outside. Although he still looked depressed, his condition was slightly better than a while ago. Isabelle went in and walked over to her father¡¯s side. ¡°Dad, have you eaten yet? Let me get you something to eat.¡± However, Old Mr. Bailey shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t have any appetite.¡± Isabelle pursed her lips before saying, ¡°You are our family¡¯s pir, so you have to stay strong.¡± Then, Old Mr. Bailey turned toward Isabelle. ¡°Belle, I can¡¯t hold on anymore. I¡¯m already old and the family will be relying on you in the future, so you mustn¡¯t let us down.¡± What he said immediately made Isabelle recall the past. That was what her father used to tell Dexter. Although Dexter never said anything, he appeared to be happy every time he heard his father say that. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Isabelle could feel Old Mr. Bailey cing all of his expectations that he used to have for Dexter onto her. Although he was still saddened about what happened to Dexter, he couldn¡¯t help but shift the same expectations onto Isabelle. However, Isabelle didn¡¯t reply to him as she didn¡¯t know what to say. Even though she could understand her father¡¯s thoughts, she couldn¡¯t agree with his methods. After apanying her father for a while, Isabelle heard her mother¡¯s wailing, so she immediately ran toward her room while Old Mr. Bailey stood unmoving next to the window sill. He looked as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything at all. Her mother was sitting on her bed and wailing loudly while her servant stood next to her, at a loss of what to do, so Isabelle told the servant that she could handle it and asked them to leave. Then, Isabelle walked over to her mother¡¯s bed after the servant left. She felt her heart aching when she saw her mother¡¯s condition. Mrs. Bailey used to be a high spirited person that would narrow her eyes with disdain every time she saw anyone, but now, she had be a timid person that wouldn¡¯t look at others in their eyes. Isabelle sighed as she sat at the side of Mrs. Bailey¡¯s bed before saying, ¡°Mom, I understand that you¡¯re sad, but you need to stay strong. If something really happens to you, our family will really break down.¡± Chapter 913 Chapter 913 Mrs. Bailey was covering her face as her voice turned hoarse from crying as that was all she had been doing recently. Her world shattered, after all. However, Isabelle grabbed Mrs. Bailey and held it tightly. ¡°Mom, Grandpa and Dad said that they¡¯ll need me to support the family from now on, but how can I hold on if anything happens to you as well?¡± Immediately, Mrs. Bailey stopped crying before she stared at Isabelle and turned around abruptly. Although Mrs. Bailey¡¯s face was teary, her facial expression hadpletely changed as her eyes widened. ¡°What are they trying to do with you now? Haven¡¯t they learned their lesson? Look at what they¡¯ve done to my Dexter?! How dare they put their expectations on you now that Dexter is gone?! Do they still want to ruin more lives?!¡± Isabelle¡¯s expression was one of helplessness. ¡°I did tell Grandpa that I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to manage it as I¡¯m already under a lot of pressure, and I don¡¯t want to do it, but maybe Grandpa and Dad have no other choice anymore.¡± Mrs. Bailey gritted her teeth. ¡°All these people talk about is family and profit. Is the money that they¡¯ve earned all these years not enough for them to spend?¡± Then, her mother tidied her hair and wiped off her tears before looking at Isabelle. ¡°Belle, you can¡¯t end up like your little brother, okay? You¡¯re the only one that I have left now. Don¡¯t listen to them, and don¡¯t live for them. Instead, live for yourself.¡± It seemed like Mrs. Bailey had thought things through a lot after what happened. After that, she spoke to Isabelle in a serious manner. ¡°If you really love John, just fight for it without caring about anything else. Life is too short for you to worry about others, so just try hard to fight for what you want and what you like.¡± Isabelle immediately cut her off. ¡°No, no, no. I don¡¯t like John anymore. He¡¯s about to have a kid after all. If I continue going after him, I might need to suffer other people¡¯s criticism in the future. Moreover, with my qualifications, I am able to get someone who loves me.¡± Although Mrs. Bailey was taken aback by what Isabelle said, she still felt relieved as shemented, ¡°It¡¯s good that you stopped being so stubborn. To be honest, I don¡¯t think John deserves you.¡± Isabelle grinned at that. ¡°Yeah. He doesn¡¯t deserve me.¡± During the evening, John received the news from his underlings that they managed to find out the cars that were tailing Sophia, and as expected, they were using fake car tes. Right now, both of those cars were abandoned at a rubbish disposal centre in the suburbs. This was simr to Robin¡¯s previous kidnap; the cars that were involved were also abandoned. However, instead of going over himself to check the cars, John only instructed his men to check if there were any valuable leads from the car, even though the chances of that happening was slim. After all, since they had been identified, they would surely get rid of anything that could be used as evidence against them. John was still in his office when he looked at the time and noticed that it was about time for him to clock off. He had replied to Isabelle¡¯s text earlier and agreed on a ce to meet up. It seemed like Isabelle had something that she wanted to tell him, so John contacted Sophia and vaguely told her that he was meeting Isabelle to discuss something.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Still, Sophia sounded as if she didn¡¯t care as she grunted and replied, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯m fine on my own anyway.¡± John didn¡¯t know why, but he felt slightly irked. Why isn¡¯t Sophia jealous at all when I told her that I am going to meet Isabelle? Is she really not worried? John didn¡¯t feel good, but this feeling was finally suppressed when he saw Isabelle. Chapter 914 Chapter 914 Isabelle was dressed modestly this time; aplete change from her previous shy outfits. The two of them chose to meet up at a cafe and ordered nothing else but coffee. This meant that none of them were nning to stay for a long time. John took the initiative to speak up first. ¡°What happened? What do you want to tell me?¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Isabelle pushed her phone forward. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what these are, so can you investigate them for me? It¡¯s hard for me to do it alone.¡± However, John stared at Isabelle instead of her phone. ¡°Are you sure that you trust me?¡± Isabelle nodded, and she sounded genuine when she said, ¡°Look at me. I have no one else around me and you¡¯re the only one that I trust at this point.¡± Isabelle looked lonely as she leaned back onto the chair and continued to say, ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t have a lot of friends. I never had any free time since I was young to begin with, so I never had the chance to actually befriend anyone.¡± Isabelle was raised as a debutante and her movements were restricted, so she wasn¡¯t allowed to express herself nor mingle with other people. Although Isabelle joined many dinner parties with Mrs. Bailey, they all had their own objectives. One could say that debutantes that often joined dinner parties had their own agendas, and none of them really treated each other as true friends. Hence, Isabelle had been seriously reviewing herself for these past two days, and she realized that she wasn¡¯t as good as Sophia in some aspects. Sophia had Ian, as well as Logan, who would do anything for her. Last night, she suddenly recalled Logan tearing the gown that she wanted to get that one time because of Sophia. Although she was really pissed back then, she couldn¡¯t help but feel envious of Sophia when she thought about it now. Logan was notorious for his short temper that not even his father could control, but he had always treated Sophia nicely and protected her well. There were many things that made Isabelle realize that her life was way worse than how she imagined it to be now that she thought about it. Finally, John took Isabelle¡¯s phone and started looking through it. He was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information from the pictures. The amount in the purchase ounts were obviously abnormal and the purchase details were encoded so that they couldn¡¯t tell what was being purchased. This meant that they wanted to keep the details of whatever they purchased hidden. John immediately looked up at Isabelle. ¡°Where did you get these from?¡± However, Isabelle stared at John for a while before answering, ¡°I got it from my Grandpa.¡± John frowned before he reminded Isabelle, ¡°Do you know that the things that I will find out might implicate your entire family?¡± Still, Isabelle chuckled. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t, it will still happen soon in the future.¡± They wouldn¡¯t be able to escape unscathed after doing something on arge scale like this; they would surely be exposed sooner orter. Instead of getting caught off guard and exposed by others, it was better if she got someone that she trusted to investigate it. That way, she would at least be still in control. After John took Isabelle¡¯s phone and transferred all of the pictures into his own phone, he told her, ¡°I¡¯ll inform you first hand if I found anything and I¡¯ll give you some time to sort it out.¡± Isabelle nodded at that. ¡°Alright. I understand.¡± Since the both of them had already finished what they wanted to talk about, they both left the cafe and went their respective ways. When John got back to the Constance Residence, Sophia had already finished dinner and was sitting in the garden. Hence, John left the house to look for her. From afar, he could spot Sophia stretching her armszily. Chapter 915 Chapter 915 This woman really doesn¡¯t care about me meeting Isabelle today. Sophia really looked like a pregnant woman with her small baby bump as John walked over after staring at her for a moment. ¡°You didn¡¯t wait for me to eat dinner together.¡± However, Sophia gave him a look. ¡°How old are you? Do you still need me to wait for you? Are you saying that you won¡¯t eat if I don¡¯t wait for you?¡± John smacked his lips. ¡°I met Isabelle just now and we talked a lot.¡± Still, Sophia only replied by grunting. Not getting the reaction he wanted, John added, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Isabelle to actually trust me that much.¡± Sophia chuckled at that. ¡°She doesn¡¯t only trust you, but she loves you as well.¡± This made John feel better as Sophia sounded slightly jealous. So, he reached out to pinch Sophia¡¯s cheek. ¡°Are you upset about it?¡± Sophia chuckled again. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. I¡¯m just teasing you.¡± Then, she pushed John¡¯s hand away and started walking toward the house as she asked, ¡°What did you guys talk about? Since you want to tell me about it so badly, I¡¯ll do you a favor and ask you about it.¡± Immediately, John pouted as he felt that displeasure again. This woman just wouldn¡¯t react in the ways that I expected her to. All she did was to reply to me with those perfunctory words. Still, John briefly exined about the document files that Isabelle showed him. Although Sophia didn¡¯t really understand, she was still surprised. ¡°Is there anything wrong with the documents?¡± John grunted. ¡°I suspect that it might be rted to the shadow bank.¡± He still remembered investigating the driver that tailed him and finding out that he was locked up due to a fight. However, there were also ims that they were in the middle of an illegal transaction. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only If that transaction was real, it would be kept under wraps as well and it would surely be rted to those ounts they saw earlier. Hence, it was possible that the Baileys were the one who established the shadow bank in the dark. Or rather, they were just using the shadow bank as a cover to do illegal transactions behind it. Sophia looked bored. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that Isabelle isn¡¯t involved with those from the Baileys that wanted to harm me, right?¡± John nodded. ¡°It should be.¡± Sophia sighed. ¡°This is all your fault.¡± When he heard that, John felt wronged. How would he know that nodding and agreeing to an engagement in the past would cause him so much trouble now? It seemed like everything was settled after he married Sophia for a year andpletely cut off all connections with the Baileys. After he got divorced, he never did anything to cross the line with Isabelle, so he couldn¡¯t understand why the Baileys would stir things up because of him again. Sophia blinked as she pondered on the matter for a moment before she got bored. The thought of what happened between Isabelle and her made her head hurt, so she waved him off. ¡°Stop it. I¡¯m done with it already. I¡¯m fine as long as you can manage to handle everything.¡± Then, Sophia caressed her baby bump. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to think about anything other than this kid in my tummy right now.¡± John nodded and reached out to caress Sophia¡¯s tummy as well. ¡°You just have to take care of yourself and the baby. Just leave the rest to me.¡± Their conversation ended right there and John went to eat while Sophia apanied him as she was bored. However, John went out halfway to give his underling a call and instructed them to investigate if there were any illegal businesses at the shadow bank. Sophia had her phone in her hand and she twirled it around until John finished making his call before saying, ¡°I can¡¯t believe that Isabelle actually asked for your help for something like this.¡± Chapter 916 Chapter 916 Isabelle really ced a lot of trust on John. He is practically going against the Baileys after they tried to harm me, but Isabelle actually went and gave John information about her family¡¯s illegal activities and let him investigate it. Although she wasn¡¯t doing anything wrong, Sophia couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Isabelle was even thinking about. John felt likeughing when he looked at Sophia. Why would she suddenly say that? John couldn¡¯t figure out if she was jealous or not. However, after thinking about it, John exined, ¡°She could only ask for my help as she couldn¡¯t investigate it herself, and she didn¡¯t have any friends. Moreover, I think she has other ns, and she thinks that doing this might be doing me a favor.¡± After all, John had already known about the shadow bank and was already investigating it, so it was only a matter of sooner orter before he would find out about what the Baileys were doing. If Isabelle took the initiative to provide John the information that she had, she would be doing him a favor and he might actually let them off the hook since he wasn¡¯t a ruthless person. Sophia nodded in agreement. ¡°I used to think that Isabelle was an airhead, but I guess she¡¯s pretty smart after all.¡± John didn¡¯tment at that and simply smiled. After he finished his dinner, the two of them went back upstairs. Right then, he received a phone call from his underlings. Since John was already in his pajamas, he decided to just answer the call in the room. Sophia wasn¡¯t interested in listening to what John was talking about on the phone, so she took her pajamas and went into the bathroom. However, John was still on the call after she was done. It seemed like the issue at hand was serious as they had been talking for a while now. Sophia had no choice but to listen as well when shey on the bed. On the other hand, John was standing by the window as he held his phone with one hand while he ced his other hand on the window sill, tapping away. From what he was saying, it seemed like they were tailing one of the drivers and managed to find their hiding ce. Then, Sophia seemed to have caught Husky¡¯s name being mentioned before she slowly sat back up. The amount of information from John was huge, and Sophia couldn¡¯t piece everything together as she didn¡¯t know much, so she waited patiently. After John hung up, Sophia spoke up. ¡°Where did you take Husky? Isn¡¯t he with Logan?¡± John contemted for a moment before he answered, ¡°A lot happened in between, so let me tell you all about it after everything ends.¡± Indeed, it was hard to exin when there were too many twists and turns in the story. Sophia immediately waved her hands after she heard him. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t exin it to me. I don¡¯t want to know if it¡¯s tooplicated.¡± Sophia had no patience forplicated matters now as she just wanted to ck off and enjoy a simple life. John smiled at that before he ruffled her hair and went into the bathroom. After he had taken his quick bath, he went on the bed and hugged Sophia. That feeling of difort returned again. However, this time, he felt physically difited. It was impossible for any man to stand not being able to do anything when he had such a beautiful woman in his arms every night. John spoke up weakly. ¡°Sophia, I don¡¯t feel good.¡± His voice sounded gruff, tinted with a hint of yfulness. Sophia immediately caught on to what he was implying as she pped his hand that was caressing her body. ¡°You better keep yourself in check. Your son is watching you.¡± Immediately, John pouted and started acting pitiful. ¡°But I¡¯ll have to wait for so long.¡± However, Sophia closed her eyes. ¡°If you really want to do it, you can try doing it with other people.¡± John red at her. ¡°What are you even talking about?!¡± Great. What she said had instantly killed the mood. Although it was still early, Sophia felt drowsy already, so she fell asleep not long after.R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Chapter 917 Chapter 917 John waited for a moment before he got out of bed. After checking his phone, he changed into a new outfit before heading out of the room. Sophia didn¡¯t even know when John had left as she only realized that there wasn¡¯t anyone sleeping next to her when she turned around. However, Sophia¡¯s mind was still drowsy, so she went back to sleep thinking that he got up to go to the toilet. When Sophia woke up again, it was already the next day. She opened her eyes drowsily to see John lying next to her sleeping soundly. Sighing, she wasn¡¯t able to figure out whether what happenedst night was a dream or not. She couldn¡¯t sleep anymore, so she got up quietly and made her side of the bed before going downstairs to walk around. The air in the morning was fresh. As Sophia stretched her arms, she made her way toward the backyard. On the other side, Dn was walking out slowly and looked like he was about to head out. Sophia was surprised. It was too early, and most people would still be asleep at this time. Then, she waved and greeted Dn. ¡°You¡¯re leaving really early.¡± Dn was surprised when he noticed Sophia, but he still smiled and nodded. ¡°I need to settle something, so I have to head out earlier.¡± Sophia smiled as she walked toward Dn before she said, ¡°It¡¯s too early! I bet you¡¯re going on a date.¡± Dn paused at that before he turned around to stare at Sophia, who had already walked past him. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Pursing his lips, he initially wanted to say something, but he chose not to when he realized that Sophia was already a distance away from him. There were some things that didn¡¯t really make a difference even if he didn¡¯t say it, so he might as well just not say anything. Sophia only walked about in the backyard and ran into Lady Jennifering out when she walked past the house of the Second Constance Family while returning to the main building. The two of them weren¡¯t really near each other, so they gave each other a look when they walked past each other. However, Lady Jennifer immediately turned around and acted as if she didn¡¯t see Sophia. Hence, Sophia dropped the idea to greet her. John was heading downstairs when Sophia returned to the main building. He looked refreshed and didn¡¯t look like he went out in the middle of the night. Sophia raised her hand and waved toward John before purposefully asking, ¡°Did you sleep wellst night?¡± John smiled. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I was sufferingst night, but you couldn¡¯t help me.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t continue the conversation any longer due to what he said, so she snorted. ¡°Shameless.¡± Old Mrs. Constance was already in the dining room, and she called out to them when she heard those two. ¡°Come eat your breakfast! Sophia, I didn¡¯t expect you to get up so early today.¡± Sophia went over and sat down on a chair before she replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t even get up that early. I saw Dn heading out already when I was going downstairs. It seems like he got up really early.¡± However, Old Mrs. Constance wasn¡¯t surprised that Dn left so early as she exined, ¡°Oh! I heard that Dn met a girl that he liked recently, and they have been hanging out during these two days, so he probably went to meet her for breakfast.¡± Both Sophia and John were surprised. Sophia then immediately asked, ¡°Did he meet her through a blind date?¡± Old Mrs. Constance frowned and thought of a moment before she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Dn was against blind dating, so it was unlikely for them to meet under that circumstance. Since they didn¡¯t meet through a blind date, Sophia contemted for a moment before saying, ¡°He probably met her on his own. I guess he¡¯s serious this time.¡± John, who was sitting in front of Sophia, gave her a look. ¡°Hopefully he¡¯ll be able to get the girl this time so that we don¡¯t have to worry about him so much.¡± Sophia started chuckling at that. ¡°You¡¯re worried? It seems to me that you¡¯re just watching the show from the sidelines.¡± Chapter 918 Chapter 918 After John stared at Sophia for a moment, he decided against saying those things in his mind. He then went to work after he finished his meal. However, he suddenly took a detour and headed toward the shadow bank instead of hispany. The shadow bank was located in a sketchy area that was in the middle of an old residential area. It wasn¡¯t a big ce and could be easily overlooked. The shadow bank was located in one of the factories here and there was probably no one working right now at this point of time, since they would only start their operation during the afternoon, ording to what Husky told him. John stopped his car by a side and stared in the shadow bank¡¯s direction before he noticed that the door was locked and no one was entering or leaving that ce. He had managed to capture a few men that were working here previously and some of them revealed many of the illegal operations going on in the shadow bank after they failed to withstand his interrogation. Most of the operations were about how topound more interest so that the loanee wouldn¡¯t be able to clear their debts and had to give up their coterals. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. To be honest, this shadow bank¡¯s loan amount wasn¡¯t huge and couldn¡¯t bepared to other loan sharks. However, due to the strict management of the shadow bank, all of these people were terrified after they revealed it¡¯s inner operations. John did release a few men after managing to force information out of them, but all of them had run away as they were afraid of being pursued by those of the shadow bank. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that things were funny as he wondered who was behind the shadow bank that would terrify these men to this extent. After observing for a long time and noticing that there weren¡¯t any movements, John went back to the company. Back at the office, he took out all his documents on the Baileys. There were too many documents of all sizes as they did the investigations in detail. John went through everything and crossed out the irrelevant points while he listed the rest separately. Doing this alone took him the entire morning. In the end, he got dizzy staring at all these documents. Zack thought about John as he passed by his office when he wanted to go out for lunch during lunch break. Noticing that John was frowning while reading a document, he inched closer. However, he smacked his lips when he noticed that it was about the Baileys. ¡°The Baileys are really problematic. I mean, look at this, and this! They were even exposed for evading taxes back then. Although they imed that they had paid everything, do you really think that they would have paid if they weren¡¯t exposed? Also, look at this, they gotined by theizens for selling defective products. The Baileys really aren¡¯t as nice as we thought.¡± Then, Zack stared at those little notes. ¡°However, what happened to the Baileys¡¯ son was too bad. He was a smart and nice student in the eyes of the lecturers and students in his school. No one would have expected him to end up like this. From that, we can tell that a certain family had been involved in too many wicked things.¡± John stared at the notes before he pointed at one of them. ¡°Look at this. It¡¯s about the change of Bailey Corporation¡¯s insiders that you found. It¡¯s abnormal that many of the high ranking elders had resigned from the internal levels of thepany without any reason during these past few years. Moreover, the Baileys have many projects in different ces, but ording to theirpany¡¯s profitability, they weren¡¯t supposed to be able to get so much funds.¡± Even John himself didn¡¯t know that the Baileys were involved in so many fields and made so many investments in secret. Moreover, they wouldn¡¯t be able to support their spendings just by solely relying on Bailey Corporation¡¯s ie. Zack had never noticed this in the past, but he started looking at it in detail after John pointed it out. He nodded, looking astonished. ¡°You¡¯re right. I thought that the information that the man gathered wasn¡¯t useful, but I now realize that something is fishy.¡± Chapter 919 Chapter 919 John stared at the content of the documents before taking his phone out andparing it to the pictures that Isabelle took. Then, he narrowed his eyes and grinned. ¡°I think I just matched something.¡± Zack took John¡¯s phone over to take a look, but he couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°What is this? A-Are these encoded? It looks like purchase details, but it doesn¡¯t look like it at the same time. Why are they not even named properly?¡± John took his phone back right then before keeping it. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t you want to go eat lunch? Let¡¯s go together, then.¡± However, Zack was taken back. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back to the Constance Residence? I thought that you usually go back to have lunch with Sophia. John sighed at that. ¡°I¡¯m probably not going back today as I still have things that I want to settle.¡± On the other hand, Old Mrs. Constance was somewhat surprised when John didn¡¯t return home for lunch. In fact, even Sophia didn¡¯t expect it. However, she could still understand it as John was probably busy. Earlier, the family doctor hade over and done a checkup for Sophia. He told her that everything was alright. Although her stomach wasn¡¯t getting bigger yet, the baby¡¯s heartbeat could still be heard if one listened attentively. It was Sophia¡¯s first time listening to a baby¡¯s heartbeat, so she got excited and started recording it with her phone. However, she felt sorry for John as well. It would have been great if he was here, for he had been thinking about this child all along, but he still ended up missing the chance to listen to his heartbeat for the first time. After the checkup, Sophiay on her bed to rest, but her phone suddenly rang a whileter. It was a call from Logan. There was a hint of a smile in Sophia¡¯s voice when she epted Logan¡¯s call. ¡°Hey, Logan.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. However, Logan didn¡¯tugh and he seemed like he wasn¡¯t in a good mood. Before he spoke, he tutted. ¡°Sophia, I need to tell you something. Remember when you asked me to investigate Isabelle? Well, I did ask my men to investigate it thoroughly, but it seems like¡ª¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t Isabelle, right?¡± Sophia interjected. Logan eximed, ¡°Yeah. The results of the investigation showed that Isabelle really wasn¡¯t involved.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°I just knew about this as well. The cars that tailed me weren¡¯t rted to Isabelle.¡± Logan gave another ¡®oh¡¯, and he sounded surprised. ording to his understanding, this had to be Isabelle¡¯s doing. Sophia didn¡¯t know this, but he was so pissed off when he found out that Isabelle wasn¡¯t involved. He even kept asking his men if they had gotten it wrong, while his men could onlyugh wryly. However, it was the truth, and the results would be the same no matter how many times they were to try to investigate it. Then, Sophia continued to say, ¡°Although Isabelle isn¡¯t involved, there¡¯s still something fishy about the Baileys. John is looking into it too.¡± Logan seemed to be relieved at that. ¡°You¡¯re right. Since Isabelle isn¡¯t involved, the others must be. None of the Baileys are good people.¡± Sophia felt likeughing, for Logan was way too prejudiced. Still, even though he might be biased sometimes, these people could be really good friends. Sophia thanked Logan for his help before she asked, ¡°How have you been these two days?¡± To be honest, Logan¡¯s days had been just like usual. Not having anything worthy to mention, he muttered, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just like usual.¡± After Sophia pondered on it for a moment, she asked again, ¡°Have you been seeing Miss Hunt recently?¡± This time, Logan froze and wentpletely quiet. Chapter 920 Chapter 920 With his reaction like this, Sophia could guess the answer. She sighed silently, and then said, ¡°Actually, I think Miss Hunt is pretty good. Don¡¯t always give her trouble. There is nothing wrong with her maintaining social order in the past.¡± Logan felt a little ufortable at her words. After a while, he said, ¡°Got it.¡± He obviously didn¡¯t want to talk about L, so he changed the topic and asked about John¡¯s investigations on the Bailey Family. Of course, Logan knew that John was investigating the Bailey Family¡¯s affairs. After all, John was the one who had taken Husky away from Logan¡¯s clubhouse. However, Sophia didn¡¯t know much about John¡¯s investigations, since he hadn¡¯t told her anything at all. After thinking about it, she said, ¡°I think he should have gotten a lot of information. If you want to know, you can ask him. There¡¯s also something else I want to ask you, Logan. Why was Husky dispatched to John?¡± Logan grunted before saying, ¡°John asked for him. Although Husky usually appears frivolous, he is actually quite bright.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t know whether Husky was bright or not. All she remembered was thest time when Husky was lying in ambush at her home andter got beaten up by herself.In any case, he must have been stupid at that time. However, judging from John¡¯s previous conversation with her, Husky probably provided him with a lot of information. So maybe whether he was stupid or not depended on what situation he was in. After a brief contemtion, Sophia said, ¡°John found a lot of information this time, and it seems that Isabelle has also Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Since Logan was done reminding Sophia, he didn¡¯t say much else. He still had something to do, so after mumbling some more about how rotten Isabelle was, he hung up. Logan had a really bad impression of Isabelle, so he spat when he heard this and said, ¡°That entire family is rotten. It¡¯s impossible for Isabelle to be the only good one out of the bunch. You should ask John to be careful. She might be putting on an act.¡± When Sophia heard that, sheughed, but she also knew that Logan had their best interests at heart, so she nodded. ¡°Okay, got it. When Johnes back, I¡¯ll tell him.¡± Leaning against the bed, Sophia smiled to herself.When Logan hates someone, his hatred runs really deep. I wonder if there will be any change of heart when ites to L. On the other hand, after John ate with Zack, he told thetter to return to thepany alone. Then, John drove to the shadow bank by himself. Now that the gates of the shadow bank were opened, he could see people going in and out of it. They were all burly men. These people looked like the kind who would go around collecting debts. From their figures and appearances, all of them looked vicious and savage. John parked the car aside and looked over there. At first, there were only a few people going in and out, and it seemed that there was nothing particrly out of the ordinary. But after a while, a car drove directly into the shadow bank. Then, someone came out from it, stood at the door and looked around warily. Thinking that no one was paying attention, he hurriedly closed the main gate. Their actions were so obvious that it was easy to see that there was something fishy about them. John took out his phone and sent a message to his subordinates. Then, he waited for a while. Although the car did note back out, it was already time for work, so he drove away. After he returned to thepany, he read all the documents in his hands, and then held a meeting. When the meeting was done, there were a few unread messages on his phone. The overall message was that his subordinates were already tailing the people whom John had noticed at the shadow bank. Chapter 921 Chapter 921 The rest of his subordinates also sent messages saying that they found more information regarding the middle-aged man who had no ie but was living well in the previous investigation. What they found out was that he had contacted the housekeeper who had followed Sophia by car. The information was fragmented and all over the ce, but it could be pieced together over time. John acknowledged the messages and said that he would make arrangements here to make those subordinates obey his orders. He was a little busy all afternoon and didn¡¯t care much about the shadow bank. When he got off work in the evening, he took out his phone and sent a message to Husky. Husky quickly replied, saying that they were all ready to move. Then, John asked if he and Roselia had met. Husky reassured him and replied that he did meet up with Roselia that afternoon. John felt relieved at that. After all, Roselia was very smart, so John felt at ease when it came to her. Aftermunicating to Husky about everything, John drove home. The car drove into the Constance Residence, but before it was parked in the parking lot, John noticed Sophia and Dn. The two of them were talking while standing in the yard. Judging from Sophia¡¯s expression, they seemed to be chatting happily. Dn had his hands in his pockets and his body was straight. In this way, he appeared to match Sophia perfectly. At once, John felt ufortable in his heart. Stopping the car, he pushed the door open and hurried over. He was still some distance away from them, but he immediately called out, ¡°Dn, you came back quite early.¡± Taken aback, Sophia turned her head to look at John, then she said with a little disgust, ¡°Obviously, you¡¯re the one who is backte. Tell us the truth; did you go out to have fun?¡± John came over to hug Sophia¡¯s shoulders and replied with a smile, ¡°Where would I go to have fun when you are at home? I really wish I don¡¯t have to go to work and just apany you here every day.¡± Sophia raised her eyebrows as she looked at John. For some reason, she had a feeling that he was talking to Dn. This man is really something. After getting upset over Ian, now he¡¯s beginning to get upset over Dn. Doesn¡¯t he feel tired at all? Dn¡¯s expression did not change the slightest. Instead, he just stared at John, saying, ¡°When I left the company, I saw you sitting in the car making a call. I thought you would be back soon, but I didn¡¯t expect your phone call to be such a long one.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Just great. Dn has learned to pick a fight now too. John looked at him with a slight smirk, then he answered, ¡°Yeah, I made a call and talked to the people at the warehouse. There were quite a number of details to hash out with them, and so the call was rather long.¡± John¡¯s exnation was so serious that it somehow made them feel that something was wrong. However, Dn didn¡¯t care about it so much, so he simply nodded. ¡°Okay. Then I will go home first. You guys should also go back for dinner.¡± Sophia nodded at him. After Dn had left, Sophia looked at John. ¡°Who did you call for so long? Were you discussing things with Isabelle again?¡± Initially, John wanted to exin, but his gaze fell on Sophia¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t know why, but his exnation remained stuck in his throat all of a sudden, and his answer came out ambiguous. ¡°It¡¯s all business talk.¡± In this way, he seemed to be indirectly admitting to what Sophia said. Sophia snorted. ¡°Yeah. I sure believe that you guys have business to discuss.¡± After saying this, she changed the subject. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go now. Dinner¡¯s about ready.¡± John felt a little uneasy in his heart. Initially, he had thought that if he gave such an answer, Sophia would grab himself and ask what he had chatted with Isabelle about. In fact, he thought she would force him to get right down to the details. But in the end, Sophia didn¡¯t do anything of that sort. She was really nonchnt about it, so much so that he felt extremely troubled and ufortable. Pursing his lips, John went back to the main building with Sophia. It was already time for dinner, and Old Mrs. Constance had even nned to get a servant to go call Sophia over. Chapter 922 Chapter 922 Smiling, Sophia greeted Old Mrs. Constance before entering the dining hall. John looked at Sophia¡¯s smile, feeling terribly perturbed. Why is she not jealous? It had never been this difficult for him to make someone jealous before. Even after racking his brains, it seemed that he couldn¡¯t even get Sophia to be a tiny bit jealous. It was an awful feeling. No matter how difficult the things he faced in the business world were, he had never been so incapable of getting what he wanted. William didn¡¯te back on time this night, so Sophia brought this up during dinner. At the side, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°Maybe he went to Matilda¡¯s ce.¡± Taken aback, the corners of Sophia¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Mr. Constance is quite fast at this.¡± Old Mrs. Constance looked a little helpless. ¡°These two have to experience a divorce before learning the truth about marriages.¡± John nced at Sophia for a moment. After all, Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s words were appropriate for their situation too. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. However, Sophia didn¡¯t think about herself. She simply nodded and replied, ¡°But I think this is good too. In the future, the two of them will be more aware of what they should do to get along better in their marriage ¡± Old Mrs. Constance grunted with approval. ¡°Considering their progress, I believe they should be remarrying soon.¡± Her gaze shifted back and forth between Sophia and John. ¡°Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m nagging, but now that both of them are going to remarry soon, when are you two going to consider this as well?¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°Well, let¡¯s put this aside for now. I¡¯m not in a hurry anyway.¡± For some strange reason, John spoke up as well from the side. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not in a hurry too.¡± Startled, Sophia turned to look at John. After a few seconds, she smiled and nodded. ¡°I see.¡± John¡¯s heart constricted all of a sudden. Then, Sophia added, ¡°That¡¯s great. The two of us have finally reached a consensus.¡± Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t know exactly what was going on between the two, so she simply sighed. I can¡¯t talk to them about remarriage. After bringing it up, these two look as calm as toads in the sun, and I¡¯m the one who bes exasperated instead. The atmosphere turned rather awkward, and no one said a thing. When dinner was over, Old Mrs. Constance asked someone to support her and go take a walk outside. Sophia carefully stretched her body. ¡°I¡¯ve taken a walk just now, so I want to go up and lie down now. I feel so tired.¡± John immediately told her, ¡°I¡¯ll go up with you.¡± Sophia turned to nce at him. ¡°Okay, sure.¡± Looking cool as a cucumber, she didn¡¯t appear angry, nor did she ignore John either. However, it was precisely because of her calmness that John felt really uneasy. When the two returned to the room, Sophia changed her clothes, theny on the bed and took out her phone to flip through the news casually. Hesitating for a moment, John went to sit on the side of the bed. ¡°How did you feel at home today? Is the baby well-behaved? Did it make trouble for you?¡± It was clear that he was shooting in the dark for something to talk about. Sophia moved her gaze from the phone to John¡¯s face. Her expression remained the same as usual as she replied, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. The baby is behaving very well. At least I don¡¯t feel any difort for now. The family doctor has said that my belly will slowly get bigger, and that I may be more tired soon.¡± It appeared as if she really was not angry over John¡¯s improper words at the dinner table just now, but for some reason, John hoped that she was unhappy. After all, if she was unhappy, it would show that she cared and that she was jealous. But this woman had no reaction at all. What exactly is going on? John waited for a while, but he was at a loss for what kind of topic to talk to Sophia about. Chapter 923 Chapter 923 At this moment, John¡¯s phone vibrated twice, so he took it out and looked at it before getting up. He said to Sophia, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the study room. You should sleep early. I need to take care of something.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t look at him either as she grunted. ¡°Carry on with your work.¡± Then, John left the room. After a few seconds, Sophia put down the phone and pulled a long face. This jerk is giving me an attitude today! I suppose it has really been a long time since I¡¯ve dealt with him. Now, he¡¯s forgotten where he stands! Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. She got up to wash, then came back to the bed and turned off the lights. There was nothing particrly interesting on the phone, so she might as well sleep. Meanwhile, John didn¡¯t stay in the study for too long. He only made two phone calls, read two messages, and then checked a few documents sent by his subordinates. When he came back from the study, he froze as soon as he opened the bedroom door. Sophia had turned off the lights and gone to bed. Moving toward the bed without turning on the lights, John whispered to Sophia, but there was no response from her. She really didn¡¯t feel difort in her heart since she could fall asleep so early. Sighing helplessly, John softened his footsteps as he went to the bathroom to shower, then came back andy on the bed. Sophia was lying with her back to him. As John continued to think about the past, he pulled her into his arms. The woman turned over out of habit and leaned into his arms. She then seemed half-awake as she raised her head and muttered, ¡°You¡¯re quite cold.¡± After saying that, she rubbed up against him before getting into afortable position and falling asleep again. Raising his hand, John touched her head and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re a really difficult woman. Why is it so hard to make you jealous?¡± He didn¡¯t know if Sophia heard it, but there was no response. Although Sophia slept well on this night, John felt quite distressed; unnecessarily distressed. The next day, John woke up first, but Sophia was still sleeping He kept his movements quiet throughout the time he was in the room. After a quick morning routine, he went downstairs. Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯te down on time on this day. He heard from the servant that she didn¡¯t have a good restst night, so she woulde downte for breakfast. So, John was the only one at the dinner table. William didn¡¯te backst night at all. It seemed that he had listened to John¡¯s suggestion and really nned to live with Matilda from now on. The phone rang while John was eating. It was none other than Isabelle. She said that she had found some documents stored by her grandfather and wanted to send them to John when she had the time. Now that she was no longer working in thepany, she had all the time in the world. She asked John when he would be free so that they could set a time for her to hand over the documents. Since John had several meetings on this day, he wasn¡¯t sure if he would be free at noon. So, he thought for a while and said that he could meet up with her after work. Isabelle didn¡¯t sound very panicky about it either and agreed to it. After breakfast, John left for work. He was really busy with work all day. Since he had been tooid back some time ago, he had a lot of backlog to finish at this time. For the whole day, he didn¡¯t think about anything else and didn¡¯t call Sophia either. It wasn¡¯t until the evening that he stopped his work and took a deep breath. Checking his phone, he realized that Sophia didn¡¯t call him either. Does she truly think that I would be fine, or does she not care about me at all? Actually, John had wanted to make Sophia sit down for a talk and ask her aboutst night, but without that marriage certificate, he kept feeling that he wasn¡¯t in the position to ask too much out of her. Who says that the marriage certificate is useless? Look at how useful it would be right now. Chapter 924 Chapter 924 After John was done with his work, he got into his car and left thepany. He had already started the car and drove for a while before he remembered what Isabelle said to him in the morning. Taking out his phone, he called Isabelle. Isabelle answered immediately and said with augh that she had been waiting for his call. Driving toward the Constance Residence, John told her that he would go home for dinner first, thene out againter to meet with her and then check out the documents that were with her. Isabelle agreed and told him that there was no hurry. So, John did not hurry either and drove home. Sophia and Old Mrs. Constance were sitting on the sofa watching TV. It was a variety show they were watching. John didn¡¯t know what was so funny about it, but the two of them were rocking back and forth,ughing their heads off. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only When John came in, Sophia turned her head and nced at him before standing up. ¡°You¡¯re back. We can start dinner then. We were just waiting for you.¡± John was a little tired, so he didn¡¯t really have much thought about other things. After he went to wash his hands, everyone sat down to eat. Before dinner was over, the butler came and announced that Isabelle had arrived. Startled, John turned to look at the butler and asked, ¡°Is she here? Where is she?¡± The butler said she was right at the door. Old Mrs. Constance nced at John, and then said to the butler, ¡°Since she is here, we need to let her in. Please invite her in.¡± The butler went off to do as told right away. Sophia lowered her head and continued to eat the food in her bowl While she didn¡¯t say a word, her expression had turned somewhat frosty. Isabelle came in with the butler. Upon seeing that they were still eating, she said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I thought you¡¯d finished dinner. It seems that I came too early.¡± Old Mrs. Constance said that it was okay. Then, she said, ¡°Please wait a moment then. You¡¯re here for John, right? Is there something you need from him?¡± Isabelle replied, ¡°I need to talk to him about something.¡± John turned his head and asked Isabelle to go outside and wait for a while, saying that he would be done with dinner soon. As Isabelle went out to sit on the sofa in the living room, John nced at Sophia. She had finished the bowl of food in a few bites and was wiping her mouth expressionlessly. Old Mrs. Constance lowered her voice next to John. ¡°What¡¯s there for you two to talk about that you even invited her to the house?¡± John blinked. ¡°We indeed have some things to discuss, but it¡¯s all aboutpany matters. Don¡¯t think too much; it¡¯s nothing.¡± Sophia put down her napkin and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m done here. Please carry on. I¡¯m going out for a walk.¡± After that, she wandered out of the dining hall and even greeted Isabelle when she passed by the living room. Isabelle stared at Sophia and nodded in greeting. Upon leaving the main building, Sophia noticed that it was a little dark outside. Thus, she decided to walk toward the back part of the residence. Dn had packed up and was justing out. It seemed that he was leaving again. Upon watching Sophiae this way, he stopped. As she came up to him, he told her, ¡°It¡¯s dark out here. Try not to wander outside for too long.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Are you going out? It¡¯s sote now though. Are you going to go on a date?¡± Dn frowned slightly. ¡°It¡¯s not a date. I¡¯m just going out to meet a friend.¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°If it¡¯s a friend of the opposite sex, you should take the chance to interact well with her. After all, you rarely go out to specifically meet someone.¡± Dn stared at Sophia. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to understand me so well.¡± Passing by him on her way to the back part of the residence, Sophia added, ¡°I don¡¯t actually understand you very well. It¡¯s just that you usually don¡¯t seem to make many friends. I¡¯m just guessing.¡± Dn turned halfway and looked at Sophia¡¯s pregnant figure stepping away from him, then he smiled to himself after a long while. Chapter 925 Chapter 925 After John finished dinner, he came out and called Isabelle upstairs, and the two of them went to the study. Isabelle had followed what she did before and taken more photos of the documents in her grandfather¡¯s safe. In addition to the financial receipts and sales details, there were some other things like mortgage contracts which she didn¡¯t really understand. Looking at the contents of the mortgage contracts, they all seemed to involverge assets such as real estate, vehicles and the like. Also, there were some reselling contracts. In short, all of this was quiteplicated, and Isabelle could make no head nor tail of anything. John transferred all these photos to his phone before he transferred them to theputer to zoom in more closely. There really was a lot ofplicated information. Moreover, there seemed to be some current ounts and overseas transactions. In short, the scope involved was quite broad. John frowned. ¡°Your grandpa¡¯s arm is rather long, isn¡¯t it?¡± Isabelle didn¡¯t know much about these things. So, she pulled out a chair and sat next to John, merely staring at the photos. ¡°You know, when I see all of this, I¡¯m really scared. I¡¯m especially scared that one day all of this will be revealed, and the Bailey Family will be done for.¡± The moreplicated her grandfather¡¯s issues were, the more worried Isabelle became. Besides, the old man had gone secretly to her father¡¯s room these past couple of days, and the two of them had been discussing something in private. Elder Mr. Bailey was getting up in his years. If there was really some mysterious business in his hands, since Dexter was no more, he would either transfer it to Old Mr. Bailey or Isabelle herself. Since Elder Mr. Bailey didn¡¯t talk to her but went to see his son frequently, Isabelle felt that Old Mr. Bailey should be his target. Old Mr Bailey had always been close to his family, and he was also easily persuaded. Thus, it was understandable that Elder Mr. Bailey chose him. Sophia strolled around for a long time outside. She waited until it was all dark before returning to the main building slowly. Old Mrs. Constance was sitting in the living room downstairs. The TV was on, but Old Mrs. Constance was clearly not watching it. Her expression was a bit serious, and Sophia didn¡¯t know what she had in mind. When she saw that, she went over and greeted Old Mrs. Constance first. ¡°Grandma, why haven¡¯t you gone to bed yet?¡± Startled, Old Mrs. Constance turned her head to look at Sophia. Her expression became a little complicated as she said, ¡°Come. Sit with me and watch TV for a bit.¡± Sophia paused briefly before going over to her. Usually, Old Mrs. Constance kept a very regr routine. At this point in time, she should be resting upstairs. Sophia sat down with a smile. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Isabelle hasn¡¯t left yet, has she?¡± Old Mrs. Constance sighed, but she still found an excuse for John. ¡°They should be talking about really important things.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t counter Old Mrs. Constance but simply went with her words.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°I guess so. I think John would not have the courage to bring Isabelle home to do other kinds of things.¡± As soon as Old Mrs. Constance heard Sophia say something like this, she knew thetter minded Isabelle¡¯s presence. She sighed. ¡°This boy is too wayward. You just wait. I¡¯ll help you deal with him.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t say anything else. Keeping silent, she just sat next to Old Mrs. Constance, and both of them stared at the TV, but it was clear that neither of them was actually watching. After sitting for what seemed to be a long time, John and Isabelle hadn¡¯te down yet. Sophia couldn¡¯t help but stand up and tidy her clothes. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m a little tired. I¡¯ll go up and rest first.¡± Sighing, Old Mrs. Constance wanted to say something, but Sophia had already gone upstairs. When she came to the corridor, she nced toward the study door that was tightly shut. The sight of it made her face darken. Without a word, she then turned back to her room. Usually, Sophia would fall asleep when her head touched the pillow. Now, however, after showering and changing her clothes, she tossed and turned in bed for a long time, but the usual drowsiness was missing. Chapter 926 Chapter 926 Sophia finally sat up and stared at the door. That jerk John still isn¡¯t back yet. How much does he have to say to Isabelle? By now, she actually had an urge to go over and take a look, but her stubbornness caused her to suppress this impulse. Maybe the jerk is waiting for me to go over to the study room. I¡¯m not gonna fall into his trap! So, she took out her phone and scrolled through it for a while, but there was nothing noteworthy or interesting on it. Finally, she put the phone down, turned off the lights, and went to sleep with her head covered. John had indeed been discussing matters with Isabelle. Both of them looked through the documents that Isabelle had photographed. The business in the hands of Elder Mr. Bailey seemed to be a huge businesswork. Upon looking at these things, Isabelle became more and more frightened. She covered her face and said, ¡°Considering how big this business of Grandpa¡¯s is, it would be really easy to get into trouble. By then, the Bailey Family will be done for.¡± Judging from the current ounts, her grandfather¡¯s ie was so huge it was quite terrifying. Such a big matter would certainly be leaked out one day. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. There was no such thing as a wall that was imprable. If the business were to grow, the structure of the personnel inside had to berger also. When the number of people involved increased, the probability of the whole thing being leaked would increase as well. Isabelle was not a bold and daring person. When she thought about this, her limbs started to tremble. John saved everything on hisputer, then he turned to look at her ¡°You have to be calm now and not let the cat out of the bag. If you panic now, it will be difficult to carry out the subsequent tasks.¡± Holding her hands together, Isabelle calmed herself down and nodded. ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t drag you down.¡± The two chatted in the study for a long time. It wasn¡¯t until John took a look at the clock that he realized it was alreadyte. ¡°Oh, it¡¯ste now.¡± Isabelle looked down at her watch as well. ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t even notice the time.¡± She stood up and continued, ¡°Well, you should rest. I¡¯ll leave now. Sorry for bothering you for so long.¡± Then, Isabelle and John came out of the study together. John thought for a while before asking, ¡°Did you drive here by yourself?¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± John smiled. ¡°Okay. Drive safely.¡± After that, he followed Isabelle downstairs, but when he came to the stairs, he stopped in his tracks when he saw that Sophia was not downstairs. He told Isabelle to be careful on her way back home, then he turned and went back upstairs to his bedroom. Pushing the door open, John sighed when he saw that the room was dark. Although it was indeed veryte, he and Isabelle had been in the study all this time. How could Sophia fall asleep knowing that? John couldn¡¯t understand her at all. After standing there thinking for a while, he finally turned around and left the room. At this moment, Old Mrs. Constance was walking up the stairs. When she saw Johning out of the room, she frowned. John walked toward her, but before he could speak, he heard Old Mrs. Constance ask, ¡°How much did you have to discuss with Isabelle? Did you really have to talk until sote?¡± John said, ¡°I didn¡¯t pay much attention to the time, but there was indeed a lot of stuff. We were analyzing while discussing at the same time, so things dragged on for quite a long time. I know it¡¯s indeed ratherte.¡± After saying that, John hurriedly asked Old Mrs. Constance, ¡°Did Sophia say anything to you?¡± Old Mrs. Constance rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Think for yourself. Of course, she said that she understood why you had to do this. What else could she even say?¡± She turned and walked toward her room as she spoke to John at the same time. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot yourself in the foot. Sophia hasn¡¯t remarried you yet, so you¡¯d better behave.¡± Chapter 927 Chapter 927 John stood there, sighing deeply. Of course, he understood everything perfectly well. It was just that he still held a grudge. Last time, when Ian came back, he was so angry he couldn¡¯t sleep well at night. Naturally, he wanted to make Sophia jealous this time. However, Sophia didn¡¯t react at all despite him feeling that he had used all the tricks up his sleeve. The more Sophia acted like this, the more displeasure he felt in his heart. He couldn¡¯t control himself wanting to prove that he still had a ce in Sophia¡¯s heart. Just like that, John stood there for a while before finally turning back to the room. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only He didn¡¯t keep his movements quiet this time. In fact, he deliberately made loud noises when he went to the bathroom to shower. The truth was that Sophia wasn¡¯t sound asleep and was only half-unconscious. Thus, his noises woke her right up. She slowly sat up and shouted at the bathroom, ¡°Are you crazy? Why are you making such loud noises?¡± Pushing open the bathroom door, John leaned out of the bathroom. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m taking a shower. Did I wake you?¡± Sophia red at him wordlessly andy down again. Now, John was already done with his shower, so he quickly turned off the bathroom lights, came out, andy on the bed. ¡°Isabelle brought a lot of documents over to show me today. I didn¡¯t pay attention to the time and worked until thiste.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to talk to him at all, so she closed her eyes without saying a word After John finished speaking, he waited a long time for Sophia¡¯s reply that never came. So, he put his arm around her, which she quickly shook away. ¡°Go to sleep. Why are you talking so much?¡± Knowing that Sophia was not sleepy yet, John continued, ¡°Actually, I think Isabelle is also quite pitiful. You have no idea how chaotic the Bailey Family is now. Her brother¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, Sophia turned her back to him. ¡°What a load of nonsense.¡± John paused; the remaining words were stuck in his throat. He wasn¡¯t angry though. Since Sophia was giving him a bad attitude, he felt that it was possible that she was jealous. So, a little bit of joy rose in his heart. John sometimes felt that he was rather strange in the head. Why do I like Sophia being upset at me? After waiting for a moment, Johny downpletely. He mumbled to himself, ¡°Actually, I used to think that Isabelle was quite pretentious, but now, I think she has her own difficulties that made her like that.¡± In short, she was an unfortunate soul as well. Sophia rolled her eyes, knowing that John could not see her. Is this jerk actually complimenting Isabelle in front of me? Is he brainless or what? Seeing that Sophia still ignored him, John really couldn¡¯t continue with the topic anymore, so he simply added, ¡°Well, it¡¯ste now. Good night.¡± On the other side of the bed, Sophia stared into the darkness for a long time. In the end, her mind became a little confused, so she simply chose to close her eyes and stop thinking. When morning came, Sophia woke up earlier than John. She sat up in a daze. After a while, she got up to carry out her morning routine. When she came out of the bathroom, she did not wake John, but went downstairs by herself. The air was very fresh this early in the morning, so Sophia went to stand in the open space in front of the main building. After a moment, Old Mrs. Constance came down as well. She walked slowly to Sophia, and then asked, ¡°Did you not sleep well?¡± Sophia turned her head to nce at Old Mrs. Constance. ¡°How could I not sleep well? My sleep was great.¡± She was clearly bad at acting, for Old Mrs. Constance smiled helplessly. ¡°If you mind it very much, just tell John about it. If you don¡¯t tell him, he will never understand. Men and us women think differently.¡± Sophia stared into the distance before she replied, ¡°No matter how different we are, he should know in his heart what should and shouldn¡¯t be done. The more he acts like this, the more thankful I am that I haven¡¯t remarried him yet.¡± Chapter 928 Chapter 928 Old Mrs. Constance was taken aback by Sophia¡¯s words, and she stared at the younger woman wordlessly. John came down after a while. Since it was still a little early, breakfast wasn¡¯t ready yet, so he came over and stood beside Sophia. Stretching his arms, he looked for something to talk about. ¡°Why did you get up so early today? You usually sleep a lot nowadays.¡± Sophia answered, ¡°I went to bed a bit early yesterday.¡± John nodded. After a while, he continued, ¡°Your pregnancy checkup is just round the corner, right? I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t protest about this matter either, so she agreed with him. Meanwhile, Old Mrs. Constance went back to sit in the living room. She found a magazine and started to read it. After standing beside Sophia for a while, John felt like he had reached an impasse with her. Thus, he then turned around and went to the living room. Old Mrs. Constance raised her eyes at him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You hit a wall?¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. John pursed his lips. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be happy or upset now.¡± Sophia¡¯s attitude had really affected his mood. It wasn¡¯t about her being happy or not. He just didn¡¯t know whether he should be happy about it. Old Mrs. Constance beckoned toward John and had him sit down Then, she lowered her voice and said to him, ¡°What was yesterday about? Why did you ask Isabelle toe over?¡± John pursed his mouth and spoke after a few seconds of silence. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask her toe over. I originally wanted to meet her outside. Perhaps she was too anxious about things, so she showed up here herself.¡± Old Mrs. Constance frowned. ¡°You and Sophia haven¡¯t remarried yet. If you do this now, does that mean you are not nning to keep this wife and child anymore?¡± ¡°Why would I think that?¡± John¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Did Sophia say something to you?¡± Old Mrs. Constance shook her head. ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything, but women understand each other even without saying anything. You really shouldn¡¯t do such things. Right now, you can¡¯t outdo her at all. So what are you getting at by doing such a thing?¡± John felt distress coursing through his veins, which made him very ufortable, and that made him sigh. ¡°I just wanted to prove something.¡± Old Mrs. Constance snorted. ¡°You¡¯re a smart man, yet how could you make such a stupid move at this time? Even if you want to prove something, you can¡¯t use this approach. It will only make Sophia stray away from you. It appears that you still don¡¯t know enough about women.¡± John¡¯s expression was a little aggrieved. Then, he turned his head and nced at Sophia, who was still standing in front of the main building. Indeed, he could not outdo her. This woman has be more and more heartless. She wasn¡¯t like this before. When it was time for breakfast, John diligently served Sophia. He put the vegetables into Sophia¡¯s bowl, passed the milk to her and even cut the ham for her. Sophia was a little disgusted by his behavior, so she turned to look at John and said, ¡°If you have something to say, just say it to my face. You don¡¯t need to act all chivalrous here.¡± Taken aback for a moment, John quickly exined, ¡°I have nothing to say. Why is this considered chivalrous? I¡¯m just trying to be nice to you.¡± Old Mrs. Constance almost wanted to cover her face in mortification. This stupid boy! She had always felt that John was rather thoughtless when it came to rtionships, and she knew that one day he would suffer. Now that he had really suffered, she thought that he would slowly learn something from it. But why does it seem that he¡¯s just bing more and more stupid instead? After breakfast, John went to work again. Sophia wanted to go out for a walk, so the two of them walked to the parking lot together, then Sophia turned to walk to the back garden by herself. However, John was a step faster. He stepped up and embraced Sophia in his arms. Sophia¡¯s belly was slightly bulging now, so John held her loosely. He bowed his head and kissed her on the forehead before taking the initiative to admit his mistake. ¡°I was wrong about what happened yesterday. I forgot to consider your feelings. Please don¡¯t take it to heart. I promise I won¡¯t do it again.¡± Chapter 929 Chapter 929 Sophia blinked. ¡°What happened yesterday?¡± It was a straight stab to the chest. Sighing, John looked at Sophia. ¡°I feel really sad when you pretend not to care.¡± He ced his forehead against Sophia¡¯s forehead. ¡°I just wanted you to be jealous, but why is it so hard? You have no idea how sad I was yesterday.¡± Sophia gave him a push. ¡°Hurry up and go to work. Why are you being so dramatic?¡± With that, she walked toward the back garden by herself. After a few steps, she couldn¡¯t help but lift the corners of her mouth. Not only did this man lose his IQ, he even became more and more childlike. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Sophia really couldn¡¯t believe that the honorable young master of the Constance Family would also y such tricks. People wouldugh if they knew. Still, she didn¡¯t exactly feel pleased the previous day either. She was so upset that her chest still hurt. When John arrived at thepany, Zack came in as soon as he entered the office. Thetter looked a little excited as he lowered his voice and said to John, ¡°There is going to be a deal over there today.¡± John replied, ¡°You should know what to do.¡± Zack rubbed his palms together gleefully. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just wait for my good news.¡± Then, he turned around and went out. John squinted, his expression cold Sitting down behind the desk, he took out a document. Just after reading two pages of it, the phone rang loudly. It was Husky who called, saying that he had obtained some documents and would send them to him at the soonest possible. After that, John asked him about Roselia. Husky paused before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know. She provided me with an address yesterday. I went there to steal something, and a security guard came over halfway. Miss Stone went to divert him away. I didn¡¯t see her again after that.¡± John replied, ¡°How could you attract security when stealing something?¡± Husky felt a little wronged, so he shook his head quickly as he spoke. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t attract security. Yesterday, Miss Stone stole the key and gave it to me, so I went there to steal something. They have strict patrols over there and they do it every day. It couldn¡¯t be avoided at all. So, Miss Stone came over and diverted the security away.¡± After a short moment, John said, ¡°Fine. You can contact Roseliater. See if you can find her, but don¡¯t create any more trouble.¡± Hanging up the phone, he continued to organize thepany¡¯s matters and was busy with work until noon. The front desk receptionist then came over and gave him a package, telling him that someone had handed it to her and said it was for John. John quickly opened the package and took a look. It was a name list with phone numbers. This is probably what Husky found on the previous day. Then, John carefully went through the list before calling Zack over through the internal line. He gave the document to Zack and told him, ¡°Investigate all these people in detail.¡± Zack was stunned when he saw the list. ¡°Did Roselia and Husky find this?¡± John nodded. ¡°Roselia is much more capable than we thought. Partnered with Husky, these two are really something.¡± Zack took the document over and said, ¡°I¡¯ve checked the location and time of the deal today, and I¡¯ve reported it. If the deal goes on as intended, they should be caught red-handed.¡± When John heard that, he smiled. ¡°Did you tell them to prevent the other party from turning it into a brawl again? This time, we must check whether there really are any goods involved.¡± Zack nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve told them about it. Don¡¯t worry. If we really catch them, they will definitely not be able to escape.¡± At this moment, John looked at the time. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s time to get off work. Let¡¯s have lunch together.¡± Zack raised his eyebrows. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back to have lunch with Sophia? You haven¡¯t been back for two days straight. Won¡¯t she be angry?¡± Chapter 930 Chapter 930 John leaned on the back of the chair and let out a long sigh. ¡°On the contrary, I really wish for her to be angry, but that woman is so open- minded now. Even though I stayed in the study with Isabelle tillte into the night yesterday, she wasn¡¯t even mad about it. In fact, I was the one who became mad about it.¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Shocked, Zack stared at John. ¡°What did you and Isabelle do in the study sote at night?¡± John took a document from the table and threw it at Zack. ¡°What could we do? What else could I do with her? Obviously, we were discussing business matters.¡± Zack hurriedly avoided the attack and then waved his hand. ¡°Okay, okay. I get it. I get that you were discussing business matters. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t have time during the day, so you had to discuss at night right in front of Sophia. The two of you closed the door, right? There were only two of you, right? It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m certain that both of you were innocent and did not harbor any indecent thoughts. You guys didn¡¯t do anything wrong. You don¡¯t need to exin. No exnation needed. I totally understand.¡± Zack clearly understood nothing, for every word he said was like a knife that stabbed at John¡¯s heart, making him stand up angrily. Seeing that, Zack hurried to the door ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I swear we¡¯re of one mind. We still have to deal with those people in the Bailey Family, so we can¡¯t have infighting.¡± John stared at him. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t want an increment, eh?¡± Back at the Constance Residence, Sophia was sitting in the garden, a little confused. Actually, there was nothing going on between John and Isabelle; she knew that. She could also somewhat understand why John did what he did. Thus, Sophia reflected on herself and wondered if she had acted too apathetically recently. Is that why John was acting so childishly? But shouldn¡¯t two people who have been together for a long time behave this way to each other? Did he really need to use Isabelle to upset me? He clearly knows that I¡¯m not on good terms with Isabelle. Sophia sat there for a while until her phone rang. It was Matilda who had called. Sophiaughed immediately upon receiving Matilda¡¯s call. Before Matilda could speak, she asked, ¡°How was it? Have you been having a good life recently? Has Mr. Constance moved to your ce for good?¡± Matilda was at a loss for words. After hesitating for a long time, she said, ¡°Why do you ask so much?¡± Sophiaughed again. ¡°I wanted to ask you a long time ago, but I haven¡¯t had the time to. You¡¯re totally asking for it by calling me yourself.¡± Then, she continued asking, ¡°Did the rtionship between you two improve? Have you thought about when you will remarry?¡± Matilda went along with Sophia¡¯s words by saying, ¡°The two of us haven¡¯t talked about remarriage yet. William came to my house yesterday. I don¡¯t know what he talked about with my mother, but perhaps the matter of remarriage has to be dyed for a while more. ¡± Matilda sighed and continued, ¡°After all, our divorce wasn¡¯t that long ago. If we remarry so soon, it may not look appropriate on the outside.¡± Sophia sighed as well. ¡°You two are really something to divorce and then remarry so quickly. It¡¯s like you think this is all a joke.¡± Matilda was a little displeased. ¡°How are you in a position to criticize me? Look at you and John. After your divorce, you still live together. You even have a child with him now, but you still refuse to remarry. You guys treat this like a joke more than us.¡± Sophia put her hands on her belly. ¡°Yeah, maybe we won¡¯t remarry even after the birth of our child. I¡¯m thinking about how to answer the question our child would ask in the future about why we¡¯re not husband and wife.¡± When she heard that, Matilda¡¯s eyes widened at the other end of the phone. ¡°Are you honestly not gonna remarry him even after the child is all grown up? Let me tell you this; you really can¡¯t be so headstrong. If you really wear out John¡¯s patience one day, you¡¯ll definitely regret it.¡± Chapter 931 Chapter 931 Sophia chuckled to herself, but she also knew that Matilda was right. Of course, she couldn¡¯t assume that John would love her forever, so she shouldn¡¯t continue to be willful like this. After all, she had to give the man the respect he was due. Then, Sophia looked up at the sky. ¡°Let me think about it, but John hasn¡¯t performed very well recently. Let me observe him some more.¡± Matilda then asked Sophia if she was bored at home. She said she wanted toe over to see her. For sure, Sophia was more than happy to entertain her, so she immediately said, ¡°Come over. I¡¯ve been sitting in the garden alone in a daze for quite some time now. Come and lend me an ear so that I can vent to you about John. Otherwise, I really don¡¯t have a shoulder to cry on.¡± Matildaughed exasperatedly at what Sophia said. Then, she sighed and grumbled, ¡°It¡¯s good that I understand you. If I don¡¯t, I would really be pissed off by you.¡± After she hung up, Sophia continued sitting in the garden. A momentter, Lady Jennifer had packed up and was walking out of her own yard toward the parking lot. When passing by the garden, she obviously noticed Sophia, but she didn¡¯t look at her and just passed by with her eyes staring straight ahead. Leaning on the chair, Sophia naturally saw Lady Jennifer as well, but Sophia¡¯s temperament was such that she wouldn¡¯t be polite to anyone who wasn¡¯t friendly toward her. The two of them were aware of each other¡¯s presence, but neither of them spoke. Then, Lady Jennifer walked to the parking lot and opened the car door. She couldn¡¯t help herself but nce back at Sophia. Thetter was leaning on the chair with her head slightly raised. She was clearly basking in the sun and looked veryfortable. Lady Jennifer¡¯s expression was a littleplicated as she stared at Sophia for a long time before getting into the car and driving away. If Dn married Sophia back then, the house might already be full of kids running around, she thought. But then, one couldn¡¯t think too much into this kind of thing; it would only make him or herself feel distraught. Lady Jennifer sighed after a long while. After some time, Sophia got up slowly. She walked toward the main building and came to an area not far from the main gate when Matilda¡¯s car drove over. Sophia immediately reced the frosty expression on her face with a grin as she walked over. As the main gate opened, Matilda drove in and parked her car in the parking lot. Then, she got out of the car and looked at Sophia. She snorted a bit before her gazended on thetter¡¯s belly. ¡°You look bigger than before.¡± Sophia touched her belly with both hands. ¡°I too feel like I¡¯m much bigger than before.¡± Thinking about it, she realized that she had been carrying the baby for more than three months by now. Time really flies. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. In just a few months, I will be able to meet the child in my belly. Matilda came over and touched Sophia¡¯s belly. ¡°So, you have to think thoroughly about when you will remarry John. There will be problems if you don¡¯t remarry him before the child¡¯s registration.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I know. Let me observe John¡¯s performance some more.¡± John hadn¡¯t performed wellst night, but he had spoken so sadly this morning at the parking lot that his words had made her go all soft inside. After that, Matilda followed Sophia to the main building. Sophia brought William up and asked Matilda if he had promised her anything when he moved in with her. Matilda frowned. She said that she still didn¡¯t quite understand how things had developed up to this point. In fact, William had suddenly called her a few days ago, saying that he had drunk too much while socializing outside, so he had asked her to pick him up. This kind of thing had happened before, so Matilda didn¡¯t think too much into it and simply drove over to pick William up. In the end, William refused to go back to the Constance Residence. He hummed and hawed, begged and pleaded before ending up at her house. Chapter 932 Chapter 932 Then, William stayed in Matilda¡¯s guest room that night. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Although Matilda didn¡¯t think it was appropriate, she didn¡¯t consider it a big deal either. However, who would have thought that William would go directly to her ce after getting off work the next day? He even brought his clothes over, obviously intending to stay there for longer. Matilda couldn¡¯t deny that she felt rather ecstatic at the thought. By doing so, William had actually made some things clear. To Matilda, she secretly felt that she had won the fight against Ynda again. Then, William went to the Flintstone Residence again and talked to Old Mrs. Flintstone. Matilda didn¡¯t know the content of the conversation because she was not there, and her mother did not tell her about it either. But judging from the older woman¡¯s attitude toward William afterward, the two of them seemed to have had a good conversation. Matilda looked a little embarrassed after talking about this. Meanwhile, Sophiaughed next to her. ¡°Great, your rtionship is developing very fast. You two are progressing even faster than me and John.¡± Matilda sighed. ¡°You¡¯re so pretentious, and John is so stupid. It goes without saying that you two would be slow.¡± Her words were clearly an admonishment to both of them. Sophia grinned. ¡°It¡¯s mainly your son who is stupid.¡± Matilda followed Sophia into the main building. When she saw Old Mrs. Constance, awkwardness crept across her face. but Old Mrs. Constance simply smiled upon seeing her. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that William was with you for the past two days ¡± Matilda tucked her stray strands of hair behind her ear. ¡°Yes, he was with me.¡± When she heard that, Old Mrs. Constanceughed. ¡°It seems that I have to find time to go and visit your family. It¡¯s been a long time since I saw your mother. I really have to talk to her about some things.¡± Matilda¡¯s face wentpletely crimson. At her age, she still needed her elders to fret over her marriage. How embarrassing! The three of them sat down in the living room. Old Mrs. Constance took the opportunity to ask whether William was busy with thepany recently and whether he had gone home on time. Matilda nodded. ¡°He hasn¡¯t socialized much recently, and hees back every day after work.¡± At that, Old Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°He never came home on time when he was living here with me. He said he was busy every day. Sure enough, those were all excuses. It was indeed based on his willingness toe home.¡± The corners of Sophia¡¯s mouth curved upward before she realized it. Old Mrs. Constance had also changed a lot. It was not only Matilda who liked to act all prim and proper in the past, but Old Mrs. Constance as well. Now, she actually knew how to make fun of others. Old Mrs. Constance chatted for a while before checking the time. ¡°It seems that John will note back at noon today.¡± After saying that, she nced at Sophia. ¡°What did you two talk about outside this morning? Did you break his heart again?¡± Sophia hurried to rify herself. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything! He was just being dramatic by himself.¡± Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s gazended on Sophia¡¯s belly. ¡°Sophia, I know my own grandson very well. If he doesn¡¯t like you very much, he wouldn¡¯t do what he¡¯s doing now. John has been headstrong since he was a child. So, it really isn¡¯t easy for him to do all this. It¡¯s not possible for you to expect him to be particrly empathetic and emotionally aware overnight.¡± After pausing for a while, the olddy added, ¡°Also, you have to give him some kind of response. If you let him run around like a headless chicken trying to please you without getting any reaction from you, he will definitely be tired.¡± Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s speech was rather amusing, which earnedughter from both Sophia and Matilda. Thus, Sophia nodded. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ve also reflected on myself today. Indeed, I might have overdone it.¡± She just wanted to vent all the grievances she had suffered in the past. But now that she thought about it, it was actually pointless to do so. The more she vented, the more pretentious she would appear to be. Chapter 933 Chapter 933 It was totally unnecessary. Old Mrs. Constance knew that Sophia had a clear head, and she was quick to pick up hints. So, Old Mrs. Constance said nothing more. Also, Matilda stayed for lunch. While eating, Sophia mentioned that she met Lady Jennifer, but neither of them said hello to each other. Old Mrs. Constance shook her head helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m sure things will improve once Dn finds a girlfriend and settles down. To be honest, there¡¯s no need to be so hung up on these things. They¡¯re too narrow-minded, to say the least.¡± Sophia took a shrimp and peeled it. ¡°I¡¯m not hung up on it. Anyway, I¡¯ve never had a good rtionship with them, so I think it doesn¡¯t matter how I behave toward them.¡± Old Mrs. Constance thought about it andmented, ¡°Actually, I used to think that you and Dn are a very good match.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Matilda quickly said, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t say that. If John hears this, he will be angry.¡± Her address of Old Mrs. Constance as ¡®Mom¡¯ was so natural that both Sophia and Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. Old Mrs. Constance smiled to herself ¡°I¡¯m only saying this in John¡¯s absence. I definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to say this if he¡¯s here.¡± Then, Old Mrs. Constance continued, ¡°You should be aware that at that time, John¡¯s grandfather was seriously ill, and he was worried about Sophia. At first, he actually wanted to entrust Sophia to Dn¡¯s family. At that time, Dn didn¡¯t seem to be against the idea, but he went back and discussed it with his parents, who were unwilling to ept her. Dn had always listened to his parents, so he came over to reject the suggestion. But when he rejected it, I could see that he was a bit hesitant.¡± At this, Old Mrs. Constance smiled again. ¡°To be honest, considering Dn¡¯s attitude back then, if John¡¯s grandfather had insisted on him marrying Sophia, Dn would probably agree to it. The boy is kind andpassionate.¡± Old Mrs. Constance then nced at Sophia before adding, ¡°Butter, John¡¯s grandfather discussed with him, and he agreed first, so we thought that since he had agreed, then we should not press the issue with Dn.¡± Sophia pursed her mouth and did not speak. Meanwhile, Matilda said, ¡°Yes, yes. At that time, John was the one who suggested breaking off the engagement with Isabelle. I didn¡¯t agree to it back then, but John straight up went to the Bailey Residence and broke it off. I was so angry that I argued with him over this matter. He told me then that he had no feelings for Isabelle, and he didn¡¯t feel sad to lose her.¡± Matildaughed at herself and continued, ¡°I was quite dumb back then. At that time, John had told me very clearly that he didn¡¯t like Isabelle, but I was the one who insisted on matching them together. Then, I kept talking about how great they were together in front of you, as well as how John had always said he felt reluctant to break up with Isabelle. But the truth was that John never said that. ¡± Blinking, Sophia thought about it. Matilda had indeed said many times before that John was reluctant to break things off with Isabelle and he regretted his decision. However, she had never taken it seriously and assumed that Matilda was just saying nonsense. After they chatted for a while, Sophia¡¯s phone rang. She fumbled for it and took a look, then shed the screen at the two older women. ¡°It¡¯s from John.¡± Old Mrs. Constance and Matilda both smiled. ¡°Sure enough.¡± Squeezing the phone, Sophia thought for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll go out and pick it up. We¡¯re gonna talk for a bit.¡± Old Mrs. Constance waved her hand. ¡°Go, go. We don¡¯t really want to hear what you two have to say. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing more than sweet nothings that young people say to each other.¡± Actually, Sophia didn¡¯t want to say those sweet nothings to John. She just wanted to talk to him about the things that had been brewing in her heart over the past two days. John had looked so pitiful in the parking lot this morning. Thinking about it now, she still felt a little bit uneasy and regretful of her attitude toward him. Chapter 934 Chapter 934 Sophia treated everyone around her very well, except for John, whom she was pretty harsh toward. While sitting in the garden earlier, she had been reflecting on this. People were often like this; they often treated those whom they cared about or those who cared about themselves harshly. On the other hand, they were more tolerant toward other people around them. This was not a good thing. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Sophia took the phone and walked outside the main building. By then, the call had stopped. So, she called John back. John immediately picked it up over there. With a smile, he asked her what she was doing. Sophia¡¯s voice sounded very gentle as she told him that she was having lunch with Old Mrs. Constance and Matilda. John was smart enough to tell from Sophia¡¯s voice that she was showing him some leniency. So, he quickly exined why he didn¡¯t go home at noon on this day. He said he was eating out with Zack. Sophia chuckled. ¡°I know. I understand that you¡¯re busy over there. It doesn¡¯t matter. In fact, you don¡¯t have toe back at noon all the time. Your break isn¡¯t that long; don¡¯t waste it travelling back and forth ¡± John lowered his voice. ¡°But I want to see you.¡± His flirtatious words came anytime and anywhere, and Sophia was already used to it. So, she simply said, ¡°We can do video calls instead.¡± She sensed that John was standing up and leaving his initial position. Then, there was some sort of echo over there before John began to speak again. ¡°I may have to be in frequent contact with Isabelle soon. She has investigated some matters about her grandfather, and the two of us have to share the information. I¡¯m telling you this in advance because I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be upset about it.¡± Hmph. Will he stopmunicating with the person if I¡¯m unhappy about it? Still, Sophia didn¡¯t voice out what she thought. Instead, she took a deep breath and said, ¡°I hope you two will talk in front of me in the future. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m worried about what you¡¯ll do. I just felt really ufortable and I couldn¡¯t sleep wellst night.¡± Johnughed as soon as she said this. Finally, he felt that a burden had been lifted from his heart. As he agreed, he tentatively said, ¡°Then I will meet her in the Constance Residence right in front of you, okay?¡± Sophia laughed. ¡°Of course, if Isabelle is willing.¡± But she had a feeling that Isabelle would not be willing to do so. The phone conversation went well. Although they didn¡¯t talk much, the atmosphere was good. John and Sophia hadn¡¯t finished their meals respectively, so they hung up after a few more words. Squeezing the phone, Sophia felt a little better in her heart. Hence, she turned around and went back into the house. On the other side, John held his phone and stood in front of the restaurant for a while. Shortly after, he saw someone wandering toward his car. The man walked to the car, stopped, and looked around. As a result, he saw John standing in front of the restaurant. Taken aback, the man hurriedly pretended to straighten his clothes before turning around and leaving. John almostughed out loud. Where do these peoplee from? All of them are so rubbish at what they do. They have given the game away even before doing anything. Then, he took out his cigarette case, removed a cigarette and held it between his teeth, but he did not light it. On the contrary, he simply stood here and continued to stare after the man, who walked for a while before literally running away. John waited for a moment and saw that there was nobody following up on the incident. So, he turned around and entered the restaurant. Waiting inside, Zack was already feeling a little bored. When he saw Johning in, he was just about to speak when John said, ¡°After lunch, get someone to obtain the footage from the surveince camera on my car and investigate the guy who went near it.¡± Zack reacted quickly. ¡°Are there still people who dare to tail us? I¡¯m sure they don¡¯t know what¡¯s in store for them, or they wouldn¡¯t have dared.¡± Chapter 935 Chapter 935 John didn¡¯t say anything else, nor did he worry about anyone sabotaging his car. Since his car was equipped with a 360-degree surveince system, he would check it every time before getting into the car. Still, he frowned andmented, ¡°Elder Mr. Bailey seems to have found out something.¡± After all, a bunch of people in the shadow bank had suddenly all disappeared. Elder Mr. Bailey was not yet senile. All he had to do was to think about the people he had been targeting recently and failed in doing so, then he would have his answer to his question of who was going up against him. When John returned to thepany after lunch, he noticed Isabelle waiting in thepany lobby. Startled, he looked at Isabelle and asked, ¡°Why are you here? Is something wrong?¡± Isabelle smiled. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong, but my heart is not at ease. So, I came over to chat with you. Maybe I¡¯ll feel better then.¡± John frowned. ¡°You¡¯ll give the game away like this.¡± When she heard his reminder, Isabelle was startled, and she immediately exined, ¡°I was at home. Fortunately, they haven¡¯t doubted me so far.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. John didn¡¯t speak any more and walked directly to the elevator. After thinking about it for a moment, Isabelle followed him. She was really not feeling well inside Earlier, her grandfather went to talk to her father again. This time, they had closed the door and discussed something with each other inside for a long time. Isabelle tried to eavesdrop outside, but there was not a sounding from inside. The two of them were behaving so guardedly that she felt they must be talking about something terrifying. At that thought, Isabelle shuddered in her heart. Later, her father left straightaway. Isabelle had wanted to follow him, but she was really afraid of being discovered. So, after sitting around at home for more than an hour, she finally came to visit John. Isabelle felt that her grandfather probably knew that she was visiting John, because when she left, he had let out a somewhat relieved smile. Now, Isabelle was following John to his office. Zack nced at her several times with a displeased expression. No matter how Isabelle behaved now, Zack still didn¡¯t like her. His dislike of her was deeply ingrained, and ever since the divorce between Sophia and John, nothing had changed his perception of her. Isabelle didn¡¯t look at Zack at all. Instead, she sat on the sofa in John¡¯s office modestly, trying to make herself practically invisible. Zack followed them into John¡¯s office, took a chair and sat across from John¡¯s desk. In fact, there was nothing particrly important for him to be there. He just took a random document and discussed it with John. The truth was that he just didn¡¯t want John and Isabelle to be alone in the office together. He couldn¡¯t bear to watch such a scenario happen before him even more than Sophia. It wasn¡¯t clear whether Isabelle knew of Zack¡¯s intentions. In any case, she just sat there motionlessly without a word. John knew what Zack was doing. So, he nced at thetter intermittently with an amused look. Zack mouthed at John, I¡¯m helping you. To that, thetter merely nodded and said nothing. Zack was indeed helping him. If Sophia knew about this, she might not quarrel with him, but she would definitely ignore him again. His situation with her now was really rather precarious. As Zack couldn¡¯t possibly discuss the documents all afternoon with John, he was finally left with nothing to say. Hence, he stood up and straightened his clothes, then said to John, ¡°Mr. Constance, I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± John grunted in response. After that, Zack turned around and walked out, but he stopped in his tracks when he came to the sofa. Looking at Isabelle, he suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you follow me to the meeting room, Miss Bailey? I¡¯ll have someone serve you some fruits and pour you a cup of tea.¡± Since Zack had said so, no matter how bold Isabelle was, she couldn¡¯t possibly disagree. So, she quickly stood up and thanked Zack Chapter 936 Chapter 936 Zack smiled innocently. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re partners after all.¡± As he led Isabelle out, Johnughed out loud. Although Zack was sometimes a little obtuse, he was quite quick-witted most of the time. John had no idea how long Isabelle stayed in the Constance Group since he had been busy with his work until it was time to clock out. As he left the office, Zack came out of his office as well, and the two of them met in the corridor. John asked him, ¡°Where¡¯s Isabelle? Is she still here?¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Zack frowned. ¡°Wait a minute. I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± After all, it was impossible for him to pay strict attention to Isabelle¡¯s movements all afternoon. Then, Zack went to the meeting room and nced in before shaking his head toward John from a distance away. His gesture meant that Isabelle had already left. Thus, John just nodded and went on to clock out. When he drove home, Matilda had already left the Constance Residence, while Sophia and Old Mrs. Constance were strolling outside. The two of them wereughing about something they had said. Standing next to the car door, John looked at the two of them over there, and his heart suddenly softened at the sight. Actually, this was not the first time he had seen this scene before, but in the past, he had resisted Sophia from the bottom of his heart So, whenever he saw her, he felt very irritable, which was why it was unlikely for him to remember anything that was good. Sophia hadn¡¯t noticed John, so in the end, he walked over to them. At this moment, Dn¡¯s car drove in. He got out of the car and came toward the garden as well. When John walked to Sophia¡¯s side, he turned his head and saw Dning over. Laughing, he put his arm around Sophia and touched her belly with his other hand somewhat unconsciously. Then, he said to Dn, ¡°I didn¡¯t even see you behind me. Did you change your route when you came back today?¡± Dn replied, ¡°I had something to do today, so I drove here using another route.¡± Nodding, John turned around and said to Sophia, ¡°Did the baby behave today?¡± In response, Sophiaughed. ¡°Now, the baby is definitely very well-behaved, but the doctor said that it will start to be naughty when it is a little older.¡± John¡¯s expression was gentle as he replied, ¡°When that time comes, I¡¯ll tell him to stop bullying you.¡± Sophia felt that what he said was a bit nonsensical, so she couldn¡¯t be bothered to give him a response. Sitting beside them, Old Mrs. Constance couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She smacked her lips andmented, ¡°John, you used to be a cold and unfeeling boy. I really can¡¯t get used to you being like this now.¡± After saying this, she turned and nced at Dn. ¡°Dn, are you used to seeing John like this?¡± Smiling, Dn said nothing. After that, Old Mrs. Constance looked at everyone. ¡°Right, we should all go back for dinner. You¡¯re all dismissed.¡± Although she said this, Dn was the only one who was heading another way. The other three people were going back to the main building together. Thus, the four of them separated into two groups which moved in two different directions. Dn took a few steps before ncing back at the others. Now, he could see that John was putting his arms around Sophia¡¯s shoulders and saying something to her. Sophia was obviously repulsed by what he was doing and tried pushing him away, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Old Mrs. Constance wasughing next to her. The three of them looked really harmonious together like that. A whileter, Lady Jennifer hade out of the living room and saw Dn standing here. Walking over slowly, she stared at Sophia¡¯s direction, and then said, ¡°Come in and eat. What¡¯s so good about this view anyway? You¡¯ll enjoy this in the future too.¡± Still in a daze, Dn opened his mouth to say, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t rejected her outright back then, maybe all this would have been mine.¡± Stunned, Lady Jennifer¡¯s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open Chapter 937 Chapter 937 Lady Jennifer looked like she wanted to say something, but after a pause, she swallowed those words and just sighed. ¡°Right, let¡¯s go in now. Didn¡¯t you say that there¡¯s a girl you¡¯re interested in? Why don¡¯t you bring her home and show her to me one day?¡± Soon, it was time for Sophia¡¯s pregnancy checkup, and John took a day off work to apany her. This time, Matilda didn¡¯te along, and it was John who apanied Sophia. John took a back route this time and found a doctor he personally knew. So, they didn¡¯t have to line up like the others. When the two arrived at the hospital, they were straight away arranged to go in for an examination and a blood test. The examination was done very speedily, and they ended the checkup by seeing the doctor once more. As Sophia had no major problems with her pregnancy, the doctor just told her to go back and take good care of her health. After Sophia came out of the doctor¡¯s office, she thought for a bit and said to John, ¡°Wait for me here. I¡¯m going to the restroom.¡± John didn¡¯t think too much into it and simply agreed. Then, he followed Sophia toward the direction of the restroom and stopped outside. The restrooms in the hospital were rtivelyrge, especially the ones near the gynecologist department. The female restroom area was very spacious. When Sophia entered, there were a number of people inside. Most of them were pregnant with big bellies. Compared to these people, her belly was still considered quite small. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Sophia was walking toward the toilet when someone came toward her. The woman was wearing a hat and a face mask. When she came over, she raised her eyes and nced at Sophia before quickly withdrawing her gaze. It was this sudden nce that made Sophia feel that something was not right. She hade to the hospital several times for pregnancy checkups now, and so she had encountered many strangers. Whenever someone subconsciously nced at a stranger, there would not be any emotion in their eyes. However, when the woman looked at her, it looked as if she was confirming something Her eyes had paused upon Sophia for a while. Sophia¡¯s life hadn¡¯t been peaceful recently, so she was rather wary about her environment. Therefore, she subconsciously got a little further away from this woman. Then, she walked a few steps toward the people on the other side. Putting up her guard, she paid that woman a little more attention. As the woman came nearer to Sophia, the former¡¯s footsteps slowed down for some reason. Sophia lowered her eyes to nce at the woman¡¯s hand, which was digging around in the pocket of her clothes. Sophia¡¯s reflex reacted faster than herprehension. Before she realized what was going on, she had already dodged aside as that woman suddenly drew something out from her pocket and stabbed it toward her. This woman¡¯s movements were fast, but Sophia dodged even faster. So, the item in that woman¡¯s hand ended up stabbing the girl next to Sophia, who screamed in shock and pain. Outside, John had heard the scream. Without any time to think about it, he rushed in. Sophia reacted quickly as well. When she saw John, she immediately pointed at the culprit who was about to escape and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s her! Grab her quickly and don¡¯t let her run away!¡± John was at the door of the restroom, so that woman must pass by him if she wanted to escape. Hastily, John nced at her before reaching out a hand to grab her. The woman reflexively ducked to avoid him. However, after she did so, she could no longer keep her figure, and the pillow underneath her clothes at her abdominal region flew out at once. It turned out that this was not a pregnant woman at all. Nobody knew how long she had been in the restroom pretending to be a pregnant woman. Even at the sight of that, John didn¡¯t stop but immediately raised a leg and aimed a kick at the woman, who ducked again and just narrowly avoided his kick. However, the kicknded on her hat, which flew away together with the wig. Not only was this person not a pregnant woman, but he was not a woman at all! Chapter 938 Chapter 938 Sophia was taking care of the girl who had been stabbed. The girl sat on the ground, sobbing her heart out. The pain was not particrly bad, but it was inevitable that she would be in shock. Sophia looked at the syringe on the ground, unsure what was in it. A lot of people were watching at the entrance of the restroom. After all, two men fighting at the door of the women¡¯s restroom was a shocking sight to everyone. The women in the restroom pointed at the man wearing a skirt and screamed, ¡°Hurry up and catch him! This man is a pervert!¡± The man knew he couldn¡¯t escape, but he selfishly wanted to drag others down with him. Thus, he took a switchde out of his pocket and snapped the de open. ncing at Sophia from the corner of his eyes, John saw that she was not injured, so he heaved a sigh of relief. Seeing several burly family members approaching the door, the man made a sudden decision andunched himself at John, his switchde aimed at thetter¡¯s chest. John had learned closebat before, so this little trick wasn¡¯t enough to take him down. Twisting his waist a little, he sidestepped the attack and then kicked at the man¡¯s lower body. The kick was swift and powerful. The man had originally leaped over with his arm outstretched, so his body was still in mid-lunge due to inertia. Therefore, John¡¯s kicknded exactly where he wanted it to. Sophia closed her eyes. The sight of where the kicknded made her feel goosebumps all over. As expected, the man screamed in agony, and with his scream came the ttering of the switchdending on the floor, which was completely drowned out by his scream. The men at the door rushed over and pressed him to the floor at once. John hurried to Sophia¡¯s side and looked her up and down ¡°Are you okay?¡± Pointing at the crying girl who was still holding Sophia¡¯s arm, she said, ¡°Hurry and take her to the doctor. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in the syringe.¡± But it probably isn¡¯t anything good. When the people outside heard this, a few men hurried over and carried the girl out. On the other hand, John held Sophia in his arms. In fact, he was still rather scared. Who would have thought that there would be an ambush here of all ces? Danger was really everywhere. Sophia touched her belly and let out a long sigh. ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯m alright. I was frightened to death.¡± Due to her being harmed by others a few times before, she had be paranoid about the intentions of those around her. Thanks to that, she managed to escape this catastrophe unharmed. The hospital was in an uproar over here, and the police had already been informed. John didn¡¯t want Sophia to stay around, so he hurriedly took her away. The two drove all the way home. When they arrived, John helped Sophia into the living room of the main building. Sophia was still a little fearful as she sat down on the sofa, but she was in a much better condition than thest time when someone drove and chased after her, trying to crash into her car. Old Mrs. Constance saw Sophia¡¯s troubled look and hurried over. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened during the examination at the hospital? You don¡¯t look too good. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡± Of course, John couldn¡¯t tell Old Mrs. Constance what happened at the hospital, mainly because he was afraid that she would overthink and be worried. Thus, he simply said, ¡°Sophia is a little carsick.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°Pregnancyes with a myriad of side effects. Drink some water, then quickly lie down and rest. You¡¯ll be fine in a bit.¡± Sophia nodded and went along with what John had said. ¡°Yeah, I feel a little nauseous. Maybe I ate too much in the morning.¡± The olddyughed. ¡°It¡¯s good to eat more. The baby will be better developed then. What did the doctor say?¡± Naturally, the examination results were all good. The doctor said that the development of the fetus was normal, so they had nothing to worry about and only needed to continue to nurture it till its birth Chapter 939 Chapter 939 John¡¯s expression remained dark. After Sophia went upstairs, he told his grandmother that he had to go to work. However, after driving his car out of the residence, he did not head for thepany. In fact, on his way to his destination, he gave Isabelle a call. Isabelle was surprised that John was calling her. At that moment, she was seated on the couch in the living room, and her grandfather was just some distance away. Hearing the phone call, Elder Mr. Bailey turned to Isabelle, who then showed the screen to him and said, ¡°It¡¯s John.¡± Upon learning that it was John¡¯s phone call, he nodded in delight and said, ¡°Go on. Talk to him.¡± With an embarrassed expression, Isabelle rose from the couch and pointed outside. Thinking that she was shy to be talking to John over the phone in front of him, her grandfather nodded. After stepping out of the house, Isabelle picked up the call. ¡°Yes?¡± John then told her what Sophia had encountered previously and asked her if anything was amiss with her family members. Startled for a moment, Isabelle gave it a thought and said, ¡°Something does feel off for the past two days. My grandpa and my dad would always have discussions behind closed doors. I tried to eavesdrop on their conversations, but I couldn¡¯t hear anything.¡± Hesitated for a while, she then continued, ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to look for a chance to talk to my dad. I hope to persuade him to give up those family businesses and turn over a new leaf. John, please understand what I¡¯ve been going through. By then, I hope you¡¯ll forget your grudges with my family members.¡± In reality, John wasn¡¯t set on destroying the Baileys. Upon pondering on it for a while, he said, ¡°You can have a talk with them first. It¡¯s best that they could let go of those businesses. But Isabelle, there¡¯s something I need to warn you first. If I find out that your family members were the culprits who harmed Sophia, I hope you¡¯ll understand me no matter what I will do in retaliation. ¡± After falling silent for a short period of time, Isabelle hung up the call. Clenching her phone, she turned around to return to the house, but to her surprise, her grandfather was watching her from behind the French windows. When she returned to the living room, her grandfather did not seem to be as benevolent as before. Staring at her, he said, ¡°You finished talking pretty quickly.¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°He called to ask me something. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± After a moment of silence, her grandfather said, ¡°Belle, please don¡¯t disappoint me because we can only rely on you now. However, you should know that you can¡¯t make our family thrive on your own. Do you understand what I mean?¡± Isabelle had wanted to say she didn¡¯t understand him, but meeting with his eyes, she did not dare to speak her mind. Eventually, she nodded slightly. Satisfied with her response, her grandfather grunted and went on to say, ¡°There¡¯s a new movie that¡¯s showing now, so you can try to ask John out to watch it. I heard that Sophia had been confined at her home waiting for childbirth, hence she won¡¯t be able to tag along. ¡± Isabelle had wanted to refute that if Sophia weren¡¯t going, John would refuse to go as well, but after some consideration, she nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Elder Mr. Bailey continued, ¡°Your dad has gone to work. I can see that he¡¯s exhausted having to face those problems at thepany, but he has to endure the hardship. Belle, please help alleviate your father¡¯s burden by finding a capable man so that our family will thrive again.¡± Turning around, he went upstairs as he said, ¡°I¡¯ve spent all my life building up thepany, so it cannot be destroyed while I¡¯m still alive. After I pass away, it will be up to you. I won¡¯t be able to worry about it by then.¡± .copy right hot novel pub. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 940 Chapter 940 With a helpless expression, Isabelle stared at her grandfather¡¯s figure until he disappeared from the stairs. After the phone call ended, John called his subordinate to instruct him to investigate the incident at the hospital. He also asked him what happened after the transaction. The subordinate replied that when the transaction took ce, the people working for the shadow bank were caught red-handed. However, those people were sly as they didn¡¯t bring the goods with them. As for how the goods would be traded, the subordinate hadn¡¯t found any lead yet. John¡¯s interest was piqued when he heard this. Now I¡¯m curious how they¡¯re going to make the transaction happen. Upon hanging up the call, he drove to the warehouse, which used to be deste in the past. Now, the ce was crammed with people. The number of people confined in this ce was enough to upy a few tables to y poker. If Logan and Matilda found out about it, they would be ted, John thought. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only When Sophia awakened from her sleep, she no longer felt fearful. Touching her shoulder, she recalled how the woman was jabbed in the same ce. How did they evene up with this kind of ruthless move? They¡¯re really relentless. Sitting on the bed, she waited for a bit and went downstairs. Matilda had arrived with a basket of fruits, which were said to be beneficial for a pregnantdy, but she hadn¡¯t had any idea what happened to Sophia. Seeing her, she immediately went to the kitchen to wash the fruits for her. In a dazed state, Sophia took a seat and picked up an apple, but after taking two bites, she put it back down. Matilda hadn¡¯t noticed Sophia¡¯s unusual behavior and mentioned that she came across Jennifer on her way here. Unlike her attitude in the past, Jennifer was treating Matilda in a more hospitable manner now. She even asked her when John and Sophia would remarry At the mention of this, Matilda guffawed and said, ¡°I guess Jennifer is concerned about you.¡± Leaning against the couch, Sophia grunted. ¡°Sometimes I feel that Lady Jennifer is more concerned about me than she cares about her son.¡± Heaving a sigh, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°After John and you remarry, Jennifer will stop worrying about it.¡± No matter how I try to change the topic, it will always be about John and my rtionship, Sophia thought. Recalling how swiftly John managed to protect her from the person who was trying to harm her, Sophia felt that he did provide a sense of safety for her. If she missed John again, she didn¡¯t think she would ever encounter a man aspatible. After letting out a breath, she replied, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Matilda pursed her lips and asked, ¡°How are you even hesitating if John is the person you¡¯re remarrying? Don¡¯t you know there are many women out there eager to marry him?¡± Hearing this, Sophia burst outughing and questioned, ¡°Don¡¯t you know there are many handsome men out there eager to pursue me?¡± Unable to hold it in anymore, Old Mrs. Constance chuckled. ¡°Despite the age gap, the two of you are funny together. If Sophia were ten years older, she could well be your little sister.¡± Giggling, Matilda said, ¡°In the past, I really found her irritating, but now I¡¯m very fond of her. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s wrong with me.¡± After the banter with Matilda, Sophia felt more energized. Then, Old Mrs. Constance told Matilda to stay there to have dinner together and teased, ¡°Tell William toe home tonight. I haven¡¯t seen him for such a long time that I don¡¯t even remember what he looks like now.¡± Since William moved into Matilda¡¯s house, he hadn¡¯t returned to his own home for a long time, as though he had no intention ofing back. Chapter 941 Chapter 941 With a bashful expression, Matilda replied to Old Mrs. Constance, ¡°I told him toe back sometimes, but he said it was inconvenient to come back and forth.¡± It¡¯s just an excuse, Sophia thought. Tutting, she said, ¡°You don¡¯t have toe up with an excuse for him. We know that he¡¯s reluctant to leave you.¡± Rising from the couch, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°I gave your mother a call just now. She said that she would be free tomorrow, so I¡¯m going to visit her and have a talk with her.¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. After a moment of hesitation, she continued, ¡°Matilda, I don¡¯t regret forcing you to divorce William. Perhaps it was because of the divorce that you had some free time to ponder on how to get along with him. After this incident, I¡¯m sure the two of you have learned what it takes to maintain a happy marriage.¡± Nodding, Matilda replied in a serious manner, ¡°After the divorce, I was really resentful and didn¡¯t know what to do with my life. Later on, I realized that I¡¯d learned a lot during the process. Perhaps this was what I had to go through before I learned how to appreciate the one I loved.¡± Her experience was simr to that of Sophia¡¯s because she also believed that her divorce from John was a blessing in disguise. After they were separated, they realized that they were mostpatible with each other and that they still loved each other. If they were to spend the rest of their lives together, they had to learn how to get along so that their love wouldst longer. Since Sophia still appeared to be unhappy, Matilda suggested that they should have a walk around the ce. After taking a stroll for a while, they came across Virginia from the Third Constance Family. Sophia rarely had the chance to talk to Virginia because thetter always kept a low profile in the mansion. Virginia was a soft-spoken woman. Even during family gatherings, she would rarely say anything. Meanwhile, her husband, Samuel, had a disposition that was simr to hers; they both looked kind-hearted. Seeing Matilda and Sophia, Virginia shed a smile at them and said, ¡°Matilda, you¡¯re back ¡± Matilda nodded. ¡°Are you going out?¡± After heaving a sigh, Virginia replied, ¡°It¡¯s really boring to stay at home all the time. Since the weather is nice today, I¡¯m going to meet up with some friends and shop around.¡± Sophia said, ¡°I¡¯m envious of you because I¡¯m not even allowed to step out of this ce.¡± Staring at Sophia¡¯s belly, Virginia replied, ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be envious of you, not the other way round. There will be a new membering to our family soon. I¡¯m sure the atmosphere around the house will be lively by then.¡± At the mention of this, she continued, ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering when John and you will remarry. I missed the days when we were able to spend time together as a family. This ce is huge, with only a few people living here. Sometimes, it can feel deste.¡± Matilda had to agree with her. In the past, after the men had gone out to work in the morning, only some women were left in the house. At that time, she was a pretty haughty person, so she would rather stay in the main building with Old Mrs. Constance than interacting with other people. Her life back then was simple, but it was also boring. Since Virginia wasn¡¯t in a rush, she stayed there to have a chat with them. Gazing at Sophia¡¯s bulging belly, she said, ¡°After John and you divorced, I could see that he was really anxious. There were times when I caught him spacing out in the garden. He didn¡¯t look pitiful, but he was definitely lonely. At that time, I knew that he regretted divorcing you.¡± Not knowing any of those, Sophia asked with a smile, ¡°When did that happen?¡± After giving it a thought, Virginia replied, ¡°It was during the period of time after the news of your divorce was exposed, and you moved out of the house.¡± Chapter 942 Chapter 942 Virginia said, ¡°John is a man of few words, so he¡¯d rather keep his problems to himself. But Sophia, I can see that he really cares about you. It¡¯s hard for a woman to find a man she loves. Will you give him a chance?¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Sophia wasn¡¯t sure if Virginia was persuading her because thetter had learned that she had no intention of remarrying John. However, after hearing what Virginia said, she seemed to recall a vague memory and was moved by it. After Virginia left, they kept walking around the ce as Sophia said, ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime now. I¡¯ll ask whether John ising home to have lunch.¡± Covering her mouth, Matilda chuckled. ¡°Alright. You¡¯ll call him, and I¡¯ll keep walking.¡± Upon finishing her words, she turned to leave. After Sophia made the call, John hurriedly picked it up because he was surprised that she was calling him. Hesitating, Sophia grunted. ¡°Do you think the Civil Affairs Bureau will be open tomorrow?¡± It¡¯s Saturday tomorrow, so the Civil Affairs Bureau will be closed. Startled for a moment, John then replied, ¡°The bureau¡¯s employees don¡¯t work on the weekends, so the ce will not be open tomorrow.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Alright. Forget it.¡± Coming to his senses, John quickly stopped her from hanging up the call. ¡°Why are you asking about the Civil Affairs Bureau? Are you going there tomorrow? The employees there are not going to work tomorrow. If you¡¯re free, we can go now.¡± Without uttering a word, Sophia listened to him. Seeing as she never replied to him, he rose from his chair and said, ¡°I¡¯m going home now. Get ready and wait for me.¡± Hearing this, Sophia burst intoughter. ¡°What¡¯s with the fuss? It¡¯s lunchtime now, so they¡¯re surely taking a break ¡± After taking a look at his wristwatch, John replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go home now and have lunch first. When the break is over, we¡¯ll go to the bureau. It won¡¯t take too long.¡± Without replying to him, Sophia hung up the call. Still holding the phone, John was stupefied for a while and then burst outughing. Oh God, are we going to register for marriage? I still can¡¯t believe that she¡¯s changed her mind! Rooted to the spot, John didn¡¯t even know what to do next. He only regained his senses when Zack came in with a document. Circling around the table, he pped Zack¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you now.¡± Before Zack reacted to the situation, John had left the office. Stepping on the gas pedal, he rushed back to his house at full speed. A short whileter, he returned to the mansion and parked his car in the garage. After getting out of the car, John strode toward the main building. When he reached the garden in front of the main building, he could see that Sophia and Matilda were watching the television with their legs crossed on the couch. Sophia was enjoying the te of fruits that was ced on herp. It seems that she hasn¡¯t been traumatized by what happened at the hospital in the morning. After staring at her for a while, John started chuckling. Before he entered the living room, Sophia shot him an impassive look and quickly shifted her attention back to the television. Absorbed in the drama, Matilda giggled and pped Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that guy is foolish?¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°Indeed. He was okay initially. How did he be so foolish?¡± Stopping in his tracks, John wasn¡¯t certain whether Sophia was talking about the guy in the drama or himself. After waiting for a bit, he said, ¡°It looks like an interesting drama.¡± Chapter 943 Chapter 943 Stunned to hear her son¡¯s voice, Matilda turned to John and asked, ¡°How did you reach home so quickly? Did you cross any red lights?¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Not interested in discussing how he got home in a short period of time, John ced his hands on the back of the couch and said, ¡°If I knew you¡¯re here, I would have asked Dad toe home as well.¡± With her eyes still fixed on the screen, Sophia said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Your mom called Master William just now. He said that he¡¯s noting back in the afternoon because he¡¯s busy, but he¡¯ll return home in the evening.¡± Smiling faintly, Matilda never uttered a word. Standing behind the couch, John ran his fingers through Sophia¡¯s hair. Seeing as she never responded to him, he stretched out his hand to pinch her face. Suppressing her urge tough, Sophia remained silent. Unable to take it anymore, John leaned close to her and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs to get changed now. Are youing with me?¡± Trying to make herself sound calm, Sophia replied, ¡°No. Why should I go with you?¡± After a pause, John went on to say, ¡°Aren¡¯t we going outter? Of course we¡¯ll have to get changed.¡± Bursting intoughter, Sophia turned around to eye him. ¡°We¡¯re going to have lunch soon. After that, we¡¯ll go.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t try to change the topic, implying that John didn¡¯t misunderstand their conversation over the phone. Smiling, he circled around the couch and took a seat beside her. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll go after lunch.¡± Not understanding what they were talking about, Matilda turned to them. ¡°Why are you going outter? As a pregnantdy, Sophia should stay at home.¡± Before Sophia could speak, John hurriedly said, ¡°We¡¯re going to the Civil Affairs Bureauter.¡± Astounded, Matilda gazed at Sophia with widened eyes. ¡°Are you going to register for marriage?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t give her a definitive answer. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re going there to have a look ¡± What is there to look around the Civil Affairs Bureau? Looking at her son from the corner of her eye, Matilda said, ¡°Congrattions, my son. Your wish hase true.¡± With a bashful face, John thanked his mother. When Old Mrs. Constance came downstairster, she was surprised to see John at this hour because it wasn¡¯t time for him to get off work yet. Moreover, she was puzzled to see the excitement on his face. As she was going down the stairs, she asked, ¡°Has anything good happened at work that you¡¯ve rushed home to tell us about?¡± Shaking his head, John smirked. He hadn¡¯t been so happy for quite some time now. Seeing as John never replied to her, Old Mrs. Constance turned to Sophia, who seemed to be absorbed in the drama and oblivious to the others. A momentter, Matilda said, ¡°John and Sophia are going to remarryter.¡± With her eyes widened, Old Mrs. Constance asked in disbelief, ¡°Really?¡± Not believing what she had heard, she walked up to Sophia and asked, ¡°Sophia, have you really made up your mind? Have you decided to remarry John because of our persuasion?¡± Shifting her attention to the olddy, Sophia said in an impassive manner, ¡°I¡¯m just going to the bureau to have a look. At this moment, I¡¯m not sure what my next move will be.¡± Despite what she had said, Old Mrs. Constance understood that she simply didn¡¯t want to say it out in a clear manner, but she was a kind woman with a soft heart. Grinning from ear to ear, Old Mrs. Constance pped her hands and said, ¡°Alright. After you leave, I¡¯ll tell the housekeeper to buy more ingredients from the supermarket. Since this is a happy day, tell my other sons and their family members toe here as well. We¡¯ll celebrate it together. Oh, my goodness, I¡¯m so happy! We haven¡¯t had such a joyful time for a long time.¡± Chapter 944 Chapter 944 Upon finishing her words, Old Mrs. Constance paused for a moment and smacked her lips. ¡°In fact, I had wanted to look for an auspicious day for you to register for marriage.¡± John hurriedly interrupted her. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that! Today will do. This is an auspicious day.¡± Obviously, John was afraid that Sophia would regret her decision if this dragged on. Seeing this, Matilda and Old Mrs. Constance giggled. Sophia¡¯s lips curved into a smile while she gazed at John. When lunch was ready, they took a seat around the table in the dining hall. In an excited tone, John asked Sophia whether she wanted another wedding ceremony. After all, their divorce was made known to everyone, so he wanted a grand wedding to inform the public that they were going to remarry. However, Sophia wasn¡¯t interested in a grand wedding or whatsoever, therefore she said, ¡°With a baby in my womb now, I feel exhausted all the time, so I don¡¯t want to spend time worrying about a wedding. We have to live our own lives, and we don¡¯t have to disy our affection to the public.¡± In the past, she would want to show off her love with John to Isabelle, but after all that had happened, she didn¡¯t find it necessary anymore. With a baby in her stomach, she didn¡¯t have to show anyone that she was loved. Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°I¡¯m d that Sophia has be more mature now ¡± When a person bes mature, their life will be stable as well. I¡¯m sure John and Sophia will be able to spend the rest of their lives peacefully. Nevertheless, John felt that without a wedding, it was unfair to Sophia. After staring at her for a while, he said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll respect your decision. After the child is born, we¡¯ll go on a honeymoon.¡± They didn¡¯t have a honeymoon when they got married for the first time. At that time, the idea of a honeymoon never even urred to him. He thought that he was already kind enough to hold a wedding for her. Thinking back, he was regretful that he maltreated her. After giving him a grunt, Sophia said, ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± It was apparent to everyone else that Sophia didn¡¯t care what came after their remarriage, so they changed the topic and started talking about John¡¯s work. Old Mrs. Constance told John to delegate more work to his employees. As Sophia¡¯s belly was growing bigger, she needed him to spend more time with her. In the past, work was John¡¯s top priority, and he rarely cared about Sophia. This time, Old Mrs. Constance hoped that he had learned his lesson. Understanding what his grandmother was trying to say, John nodded. ¡°When I¡¯m done with the work at hand, I¡¯ll delegate more work to my employees. Nothing is more important than Sophia now.¡± Without responding to him, Sophia kept nibbling at her food. Inparison to how excited the others were, she seemed to be impassive. After lunch, John went upstairs to get changed, while Sophia stayed in the living room to watch television. When John was done getting changed, he paced around Sophia, but he didn¡¯t dare to urge her to hurry up. Seeing as Sophia never responded to him, he then talked to his mother and kept mentioning the time. Sophia and the otherdies never saw John like this before. It seemed that he was really anxious. When Sophia was done watching thest episode, she rose from the couch and stretched her shoulders. Without uttering a word, she walked up the stairs. Seeing this, John followed her closely. After getting into the room, Sophia walked up to the wardrobe, whereupon John leaned close to her and said, ¡°I¡¯ve picked out a dress for you. Look at this. Do you like it?¡± There was a dress on the bed which was chosen by John when he was getting changed. Sophia turned to take a look at the dress. I see¡­ He picked one of my favorite dresses. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 945 Chapter 945 Sophia then looked away. ¡°Thanks.¡± Thinking that she liked the dress he had picked out for her, John smirked. ¡°Do you like the dress I¡¯ve chosen?¡± Sophia grunted and closed the wardrobe, whereupon she directly got changed into the dress in front of him. With her clothes on, her bulge wasn¡¯t conspicuous, but after she took off her clothes, it was obvious that her belly had grownrger. Grinning, John stretched out his hand to stroke her belly. ¡°Your belly has grown bigger. It feels like only a short period of time has passed.¡± Gazing at her own belly, Sophia said, ¡°John, not long after we were divorced, you told me you wanted to remarry me. What were you thinking?¡± John was startled as he never expected that Sophia would mention this. At that time, Matilda took a sneak shot of their divorce certificate and sent it to the Baileys. There were rumors that he and Isabelle had gotten together, so her reputation had been affected negatively. With the photo in their hands, the Baileys threatened John to expose the fact that he had divorced Sophia. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. In fact, John wasn¡¯t willing to do that because he understood Sophia very well. If the fact that they were divorced were exposed, it would be hard to win her heart again. When he told Sophia he wanted to remarry her, she rejected the request directly. After hesitating for a bit, John turned around and hugged her from behind. ¡°I felt terrible at that time. Previously, I found you very irritating, but after you left, I realized that I couldn¡¯t live without you.¡± Smiling faintly, he continued, ¡°The situation wasn¡¯t in my favor. It seemed that I was forced to sever ties with you. Then, I asked myself how I would feel if you were no longer part of my life. I thought I would feel terrible.¡± After a pause, he went on to say, ¡°Sophia, perhaps at that time, or even earlier than that, I had fallen in love with you, but I wasn¡¯t aware of that fact myself.¡± Upon adjusting her dress, Sophia whirled around. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s time to go ¡± When they arrived downstairs, Matilda and Old Mrs. Constance were discussing what to serve for dinner. It seemed that they were serious about the gathering in the evening. John held Sophia¡¯s hand and walked toward the car. Not long after the car moved out of the mansion, John received a call from Isabelle, whose voice sounded rather dispassionate. ¡°John, I have two tickets for a blockbuster movie. Do you want to watch it with me?¡± Hearing that, Sophia frowned, but she didn¡¯t utter a word. Since John had turned on hands-free mode, his expression changed when he heard this. In a cold voice, he questioned, ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Isabelle chuckled and said in a milder voice, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I don¡¯t mean to pursue you or anything. It¡¯s just that I have two tickets with me now, and I don¡¯t have any other friends, so you¡¯re the only one I can think of.¡± Seeing as John remained silent, Isabelle let out a sigh. ¡°Alright, I get what you mean. I¡¯ll ask around if anyone needs the tickets. I don¡¯t need them anyway.¡± After a pause, John asked, ¡°What is the time slot for the movie?¡± Startled for a moment, Isabelle then replied, ¡°It¡¯s in the evening. We can have dinner first before going over to the theater.¡± John inquired, ¡°Two tickets, right?¡± Isabelle quickly gave him a grunt. Following that, John said, ¡°Alright. Give me the tickets then. I¡¯ll pass you the moneyter. Sophia hasn¡¯t stepped out of the house for a long time, so I¡¯d like to watch a movie with her.¡± Sophia was trying to hold back her laughter. Apparently, John was trying to embarrass Isabelle. Chapter 946 Chapter 946 But John is in cooperation with Isabelle recently. Is it really okay that he¡¯s treating her like this? Sophia thought. Isabelle fell silent. In order to keep teasing her, John asked, ¡°Isabelle, are you listening?¡± Coming to her senses, Isabelle replied in an embarrassed voice, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll pass you the movie ticketster.¡± John grunted. ¡°Okay. Thanks.¡± Upon finishing his words, he hung up the call. Seeing what happened, Sophia guffawed. ¡°You were so shameless!¡± John said with a snort, ¡°I think she was with someone.¡± Hearing this, Sophia was startled. ¡°What do you mean?¡± After giving it a thought, she said, ¡°You mean someone was listening in on Isabelle¡¯s conversation with you?¡± At least, that was how John felt because Isabelle talked in a different way, and her action was a little strange on this day. After a moment of deliberation, Sophia still couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, so she just nodded. ¡°I think so.¡± When they reached the Civil Affairs Bureau, they were relieved to see that the ce wasn¡¯t crowded on a Friday. Since this wasn¡¯t an auspicious day, only a small number of people came to the bureau to register for marriage or file for divorce. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Remained in the car, Sophia stared at the bureau¡¯s entrance for a while and thenughed. ¡°John, do you remember the date of our divorce?¡± John nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Of course I remember that It was a more memorable day than when I first got married. Chuckling, Sophia turned to face him. ¡°It was Valentine¡¯s day.¡± John wasn¡¯t aware that it was Valentine¡¯s day; he simply remembered the date. Then, he pulled her hand toward himself and held it firmly before saying, ¡°We won¡¯t divorce again after today.¡± A whileter, they stepped into the bureau and went through the legal procedures to get married, which were familiar to them. After all, it wasn¡¯t their first time here. With all the necessary documents ready, it didn¡¯t take them a long time to register for marriage. Holding the marriage certificate in her hands, Sophia looked at it for a moment and burst intoughter. She said, ¡°It¡¯s so easy to get one.¡± It is so easy to get a marriage certificate, but it is so hard for two people to fall in love. Cupping her face with his hands, John kissed her and said, ¡°Mrs. Constance, please take care of me from now on.¡± With a calm expression, Sophia replied, ¡°You should be the one taking care of me instead. Also, you¡¯ll have to obey my orders from now on.¡± John burst outughing. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll obey your orders. You¡¯ll be the chief commander of our family.¡± After the call ended, Isabelle turned to face her grandfather with a helpless expression. Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s face had turned cial because he had heard what John said over the phone. He then scoffed. ¡°What a jerk.¡± Pursing her lips, Isabelle said in a lowered and aggrieved voice, ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve tried, but he¡¯s rejected me.¡± Her grandfather waved his hand and passed her the movie tickets. ¡°Forget it. Just take the tickets and make your own decision.¡± Apparently, he was displeased because the fact that Isabelle was embarrassed was also a p in his face. After all, Isabelle represented the Bailey Family. After taking over the movie tickets, Isabelle hung her head low and sighed. ¡°After all we¡¯ve been through, he still doesn¡¯t love me. I guess he¡¯ll never fall in love with me.¡± Not wanting to hear any of that, her grandfather waved his hand again. ¡°Alright. Go now.¡± Then, Isabelle shuffled out of the room. After Isabelle left, Elder Mr. Bailey closed the door and walked up to the wardrobe. Upon unlocking the safe, he took out a document from it. . Chapter 947 Chapter 947 After going downstairs, Isabelle slumped into the couch andposed herself. In fact, John¡¯s response over the phone was within her expectation. Although she had figured that John would reply in such a way, she still felt somewhat sullen. John wasn¡¯t aware of the situation she was in, so he was practically speaking his mind. That was what made her feel dejected. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. After giving it a thought, Isabelle fished out her phone and sent John a message. She asked him when he would be free so that she could pass him the tickets. However, John didn¡¯t reply to her. It wasn¡¯t certain whether he didn¡¯t see the message or he didn¡¯t feel it was necessary to give her a reply. Clenching her phone, Isabelle fell into her own thoughts on the couch. She was disheartened, but the feeling wasn¡¯t so unbearable; it was just a sulky feeling. A long whileter, she picked up her phone and tapped on Facebook. Since she did not have many friends, the content on her Facebook wasn¡¯t aplenty. Whenever she was bored at home, she would scroll through the app to take a peek into other people¡¯s lives. A momentter, she caught a glimpse of John¡¯s post that was posted half an hour ago. It was a photo of a marriage certificate, and the caption read, ¡®Happiness¡¯. After staring at it for a while, Isabelle frowned and then rxed her brows. It wasn¡¯t a surprise to her. Since Sophia was pregnant and John had been doting on her, it was just a matter of time before they got married for the second time. After closing the app, Isabelle let out a long breath and then chuckled in self-mockery. Upon registering for marriage, John didn¡¯t return to thepany. He went home, posted the picture on Facebook, and kept staring at the marriage certificate. Since Sophia was exhausted, she washed up and slumbered off on the bed. With the certificate in one hand, John ran his fingers through her hair with his other hand. I¡¯m beyond happy A short period of timeter, he lowered his head to observe his wife and felt dejected because while he was excited, Sophia appeared to be impassive. She¡¯s too calm. At this moment, John found his own behavior strange. Back then, when Sophia told him she didn¡¯t want to remarry him, he felt disheartened. Later on, he became sullen that she never felt jealous. Now that they had remarried, he was crestfallen that she wasn¡¯t excited at all. He felt that he didn¡¯t even understand himself anymore. Perhaps it was human nature that once one acquired something one desired, one would crave more. A momentter, John put down the certificate andy down beside Sophia, who was sound asleep. Perhaps it was out of her instinct that she snuggled up to John in her dream. Smiling, John pulled her into his embrace and closed his eyes. It was evening when they opened their eyes after a good sleep. The living room was bustling because William, his brothers, and their family members had gathered in the main building. At this moment, all of them were seated in the living room and having a chat. When John and Sophia went downstairs, all of these people turned to them in unison. Sophia didn¡¯t mind being around so many people, but she felt bashful being watched by them. Draping his arm around her shoulder, John put on a smile and greeted his rtives. Old Mrs. Constance had changed into new clothes, and she looked lively. Matilda beckoned at Sophia and told her to eat the fruits she had prepared for her. Sophia grunted and walked toward Matilda. With a joyful expression, Jennifer greeted Sophia and asked her about the result of her medical check-up. Chapter 948 Chapter 948 Still in a dazed state, Sophia gave it a thought and replied, ¡°The result is okay.¡± Unlike her usual self, Jennifer chuckled and said, ¡°Oh well, you¡¯re well cared for here, so I¡¯m sure your baby will be fine.¡± She then turned to William and said, ¡°William, have youe up with a name for the baby? You have to get a boy name and a girl name ready so that you won¡¯t be flustered when the child is born.¡± Looking at Jennifer, William said, ¡°We¡¯ll name the baby ording to our family tradition. I think we should hold a discussion one day to come up with a good name.¡± Since Sophia didn¡¯t mind having her child named by other people, she remained silent. Then, Jennifer turned to Dn and urged, ¡°John¡¯s child will be born soon, so you have to hurry up as well.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. In the past, Dn would never respond to Jennifer about this topic, but on this day, he grunted and said okay. Satisfied with his response, Jennifer grinned from ear to ear. Meanwhile, Jennifer shot a nce at Sophia, who was oblivious to her suspicious stare because she had never engaged in any immoral interaction with Dn before. She wondered why Jennifer was so terrified. Sometimes, she found herughable. Noticing that, Old Mrs. Constance red at Jennifer until thetter felt embarrassed and retracted her gaze. Following that, Old Mrs. Constance beckoned to Sophia and told her to go over. Holding Sophia¡¯s hands, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯ll give birth to a child soon. I haven¡¯t been so happy for a long time. In the past, I thought that I was wrong to be the matchmaker for you and John. Now, it seems that it was the best decision I¡¯ve ever made.¡± Understanding the hidden message in her words, the others traded nces and shifted their attention to Jennifer Embarrassed, Jennifer hurriedly said that Dn was in a rtionship currently, and he might bring the woman home someday. Dn didn¡¯t refute his mother because he wasn¡¯t interested in this topic. On the other hand, Sophia didn¡¯t want to argue with them. Now, she didn¡¯t even want to respond to John, let alone Jennifer. Still holding Sophia¡¯s hands, Old Mrs. Constance kept praising her. Knowing that his mother was displeased with what Jennifer had said, Owen quicklyplimented Sophia as well. Seated beside Sophia, John remained silent. Lowering her head, Sophia noticed that John had put on his wedding ring. Then, she looked up to observe John, who really seemed joyful about their second marriage. It was apparent that he was serious about getting together with her again. Following that, Sophia reached out and held his hand firmly. Although she never uttered a word, John understood what her gesture meant. When Old Mrs. Constance was done praising Sophia, she went on to talk about Samuel¡¯s kids, who had been staying in a foreign country and never seemed to have the intention ofing back. After a sigh, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°It makes me feel anxious that they¡¯re not in a hurry to get married.¡± Samuel guffawed on the side and replied, ¡°Mom, actually, I¡¯m anxious as well, but I know that it¡¯s pointless to rush them, so I just pretend that I¡¯m not flustered. Nowadays, young people have their own ns and ambitions. They¡¯re different from the older generation.¡± Chapter 949 Chapter 949 Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°I guess we should just let them do whatever they want.¡± After a pause, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to yourte father about itter so that he¡¯ll be as happy as us in heaven.¡± At the mention of Old Mr. Constance, the others fell silent. Startled, Sophia thought about her own grandfather, who was most fond of kids. When they lived in the vige, he would help take care of other kids. If he were still alive, he would be ted that Sophia now had a child of her own. At the thought of this, Sophia became disheartened until dinner was ready. Perhaps she shouldn¡¯t have thought of the past because her mood was affected. After everyone was seated around the dining table, Old Mrs. Constance thanked Sophia in delight as this gathering was made possible because of her. Holding Sophia¡¯s hand firmly, John giggled. It was apparent to everyone else that he was overjoyed. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Although Sophia had a long sleep, she still felt pretty tired. During the meal, all of them were having a casual chat, but Sophia never said anything. Worried, John turned to her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°Maybe I just didn¡¯t rest well I still feel tired.¡± Stroking her head, John suggested, ¡°When the dinner is over, we¡¯ll have a stroll together.¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°Okay.¡± After shooting them a nce, Dn hurriedly retracted his gaze. Without saying anything, Sophia finished up her food pretty quickly. Seeing this, John hurried up and gobbled down his food as well. When they were done with their meals, they rose from the chairs. While Sophia remained silent, John apologized to the others and said that they had to take a walk because Sophia felt a little ufortable. All of them understood that Sophia needed special care currently. Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°Alright. Go for a walk as it is good for her health. Since we¡¯re a family, you don¡¯t have to apologize to us. After the stroll, just go back to your room and take a rest. You don¡¯t have toe back here to keep us company. Your health is the most important thing now. Please take good care of yourself.¡± Since his grandmother had said so, John held Sophia¡¯s hand and stepped out of the dining hall. Without all the noise, Sophia felt much better as they walked toward the backyard. After giving it a thought, John asked, ¡°Do you want to have a walk around the bamboo forest?¡± Looking in the direction of the bamboo forest, Sophia replied, ¡°Okay.¡± It seems that she isn¡¯t interested in anything. Holding her hand, John sighed and stepped out of the backyard. Since Sophia¡¯s bulge was pretty big now, John had to be extra attentive to her. Nevertheless, they never walked up to the crest of the hill as they stopped halfway. Afraid that Sophia would exhaust herself, John kept patting her back. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s stop here. We shouldn¡¯t go up.¡± In fact, they wouldn¡¯t see more of the view on the hilltop, so it wasn¡¯t necessary to keep going up. Halfway up the hill, they gazed at the mansion. The streetmps had lit up, and the night view was magnificent. Feeling cold because of the breeze, Sophia thought for a bit and snuggled up to John. She was rarely so spontaneous in getting close to him, so John was ted and wrapped his arms around her. Kissing her cheek, he asked, ¡°Do you feel cold?¡± Without dodging it, Sophia kissed his lips and smirked. ¡°I don¡¯t feel cold now.¡± . Chapter 950 Chapter 950 In fact, John could be pleased easily. Seeing as Sophia was beaming at him, he could feel that his heart was filled with happiness. Her smile seemed to have the ability to cast away all his worries and sorrows. As they were enjoying the night view, the phone in John¡¯s pocket suddenly buzzed. With his hand still draped around her shoulder, John fished out his phone and checked the screen. It was Isabelle¡¯s message. Actually, he had read her previous message as well. What he said over the phone sometime earlier was intended to mock Isabelle, but he wasn¡¯t really interested in getting the movie tickets from her. If he wanted to watch a movie, he could buy the tickets himself, so it wasn¡¯t necessary to meet up with her and get her tickets. However, Isabelle had sent him another message to ask when he would be free to retrieve the tickets from her. John had wanted to ignore her, but Sophia caught a glimpse of the message and said, ¡°If you want to reject her, just make it clear to her. Ignoring her message isn¡¯t a good solution.¡± Since she had said so, John decided to obey her order and replied to Isabelle. He wrote that he didn¡¯t want to watch the movie anymore, so she could keep the tickets to herself. After that, Isabelle never sent him any message again. It seemed that she understood what John meant. Turning around, Sophia encircled John¡¯s waist with her arms and pressed her face against his chest. In a muffled voice, she inquired, ¡°Aren¡¯t you and Isabelle coborating now? Aren¡¯t you afraid that you¡¯ll offend her?¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. In reality, John didn¡¯t think he was in a business partnership with Isabelle. Even if she never provided any information to him, he still had other ways to get the information he needed. Since Isabelle had an ulterior motive, she was willing to share the information with him. Hence, he didn¡¯t think it was cooperation because Isabelle needed him more than he needed her. Therefore, he didn¡¯t care if he would offend her in any way. Lowering his head, John nted a kiss on Sophia¡¯s forehead and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. If you don¡¯t like her, I won¡¯t even talk to her.¡± Looking up at him, Sophia chuckled and said, ¡°How did you figure out that I don¡¯t like her? I thought you weren¡¯t aware of this.¡± John smiled back at her. ¡°It¡¯s written all over your face. How would I not know?¡± He had found out about it when Sophia mentioned Isabelle after the divorce. Sophia snorted and said in a soft voice, ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t understand this.¡± Hugging her tightly, John replied, ¡°I just didn¡¯t want toplicate things in the past.¡± Sophia opened her mouth, but after some consideration, she decided to keep her mouth shut. She could go on and on if she started rattling on the past, which was a waste of time. Then, they just stayed in the bamboo forest and enjoyed quality time together. Just then, John received a call from Logan, who happened to find out that they were remarried through John¡¯s Facebook post. Clearly not surprised, Logan giggled and asked when they would gather and have a celebration. In fact, Logan¡¯s reaction came a littlete this time. In the past, he would always give his friends a call as soon as he saw some good news about his friends on Facebook. However, on this day, he only discovered John¡¯s post a long time after thetter posted it. Tiptoeing, Sophia shouted into John¡¯s phone, ¡°Logan, your reaction is a little slow this time. Have you been spending time with Miss Hunt for the past few days?¡± Without the slightest embarrassment, Logan guffawed. ¡°Well, yeah. She¡¯d fallen into some trouble recently, so I went over to help her settle it. She cried and begged me for help, therefore I couldn¡¯t ignore her.¡± Chapter 951 Chapter 951 After a pause, Logan continued, ¡°Well, it is because I¡¯m a magnanimous man.¡± Seeing as Logan kept bragging about himself, Sophia couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Chuckling, John said, ¡°I heard that Miss Hunt¡¯s gym is pretty popr now. Many of her former colleagues are regr customers as well.¡± At the mention of this, Logan snorted. ¡°Who cares about those brainless people?¡± Certainly, Logan would never forget how those police officers treated him before. Although L was the most hostile among them, the other officers were not kind to Logan as well. Hearing this, John persuaded him by saying, ¡°Actually, you can try to get along with them. They don¡¯t mean to pick on you, so you don¡¯t have to be resentful of them. As a businessman, it is crucial for you to be on good terms with the police.¡± As a proud man, Logan didn¡¯t think he needed to have a good rapport with the police to be a sessful businessman, hence he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have to be friends with them. I am a capable man who can achieve anything I want in life. Don¡¯t you see how pretentious those people are? Honestly, I¡¯m not interested in getting friendly with them.¡± John sighed, but his voice still sounded joyful because he was in a good mood. ¡°Logan, you¡¯re overly confident of yourself. If you never change, you¡¯ll suffer a setback one day.¡± He was speaking from experience because he was a self-assured man himself, but he suffered countless failures trying to win Sophia¡¯s heart. Now, he had learned his lesson, for he knew that a man had to give in sometimes. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Without a simr experience, Logan wouldn¡¯t understand what John was trying to tell him, so he said assertively, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I was born with confidence, so no one could ever give me a setback. I have no regard for anyone whatsoever.¡± Unable to stand him anymore, Sophia put on a mirthlessugh and said, ¡°Alright, Logan. We shall meet up one day and have a meal together. It¡¯s pretty windy here, so we have to hang up the call now. ¡± Hearing the sound of the wind over the phone, Logan grunted. ¡°Alright. We shall talk another time. I just wanted to congratte you after seeing John¡¯s Facebook post.¡± Upon finishing his words, he hung up the call. Smacking her lips, Sophia said, ¡°I think Logan will fall for Miss Hunt one day.¡± With a smile, John put down his phone and hugged her. ¡°Have you noticed that Logan mentions Miss Hunt all the time now? I have known him for a long time. Although we don¡¯t contact each other frequently, this is the first time I see him acting like this.¡± Sophia blinked and gave it a thought. Indeed, Logan never mentioned any woman in front of her before, but now his emotions could be stirred up easily because of L. Could it be that Logan¡¯s love for a woman develops in a reverse manner? Maybe he has to hate a woman before falling in love with her. This is an interesting process. Come to think of it, it is the same case for John, Sophia thought. However, initially, her rtionship with John wasn¡¯t as hostile as the one between Logan and L. As John¡¯s admirer, she treated him really well. A whileter, when they were sure that the family dinner was over, they began walking down the hill. When they reached the backyard and were about to return to the main building, Samuel, Owen, and their family members happened to being out of the house. Seeing Sophia, Owen walked over and sighed. ¡°After your child is born, all of us will be one generation older.¡± Chapter 952 Chapter 952 Samuel went along by saying, ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t believe that we¡¯ll be one generation older soon. It¡¯s said that time waits for no man. We have to admit that we¡¯re old now.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Slightly annoyed, Jennifer said, ¡°Well, William and his wife haven¡¯t expressed their opinion yet. When our son has a child of his own, we¡¯ll then be grandpa and grandma.¡± Displeased about the innuendo in Jennifer¡¯s words, Owen shot his wife a look and chided, ¡°Stop it. It¡¯s a joyful asion today. Why did you have to make it unhappy for everyone?¡± Jennifer red back at her husband, but she didn¡¯t dare utter a word. Walking over, Sophia shed a smile at them while John engaged in small talk with the rtives. Without looking at John and Sophia, Jennifer turned to speak to Virginia. Her petty action was pretty embarrassing for Owen. Nevertheless, John and Sophia didn¡¯t mind it one bit. Jennifer¡¯s action was too childish, as Sophia had never offended her before. Moreover, there was nothing immoral going on between Sophia and Dn. It was petty and unreasonable of her to keep picking on Sophia. When the small talk was over, John and Sophia returned to the main building. At this moment, Old Mrs. Constance, who was apanied by Matilda, was standing at the entrance of the main building. Matilda didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of leaving, so she would most likely stay over. Thinking back, Sophia realized that just like herself, Matilda remained silent most of the time during the dinner. Perhaps it was because she didn¡¯t have the courage to voice her opinions, since she was no longer married to William. Therefore, a marriage certificate could be useful sometimes. Seeing as John and Sophia were approaching her, Matilda put on a smile. ¡°You¡¯re back. I had wanted to bid you farewell before leaving.¡± Surprised, Sophia inquired, ¡°Aren¡¯t you staying over tonight?¡± Slightly embarrassed, Matilda replied, ¡°No. I should be going.¡± At this moment, William was nowhere in sight. Old Mrs. Constance went along with Sophia by saying, ¡°It¡¯ste now. You should stay here tonight.¡± Unwilling to do so, Matilda said, ¡°I think I should go home. Actually, I¡¯m fine with staying here, but I¡¯m afraid that there will be gossip about me again.¡± Most importantly, she was afraid that her mother would reprimand her for acting inappropriately. Old Mrs. Constance sighed. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll have a talk with your mother and see how we can settle this issue.¡± Trying to tease his mother, John gazed at her and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t I send you home?¡± Hearing this, Matilda was startled, and her expression turned uneasy. Sophia immediately pinched his waist. ¡°Stop it. Are you trying to make it worse for your mom?¡± John guffawed. ¡°I was just asking. I knew that my mom wouldn¡¯t agree to it.¡± Just then, William came downstairs with a bag in his hand. With a calm expression, he walked up to Matilda and said, ¡°I¡¯ve packed up some clothes. Are we leaving now?¡± He¡¯s even packed up enough clothes, Sophia thought. Darting her gaze between Old Mrs. Constance and John, she burst outughing. Trying to make fun of them, Old Mrs. Constance said, ¡°My son is a grown man, so I don¡¯t think I can make him stay. Just go now. Matilda is bashful to stay here, while William is thick-skinned enough to follow her home.¡± With her face turned red in embarrassment, Matilda pped William¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Why are you bringing clothes with you? You only have to send me home.¡± Unabashed at all, William replied, ¡°What do you mean I only have to send you home? We¡¯re going back to your home together.¡± Chapter 953 Chapter 953 Seeing as Matilda was blushing, Sophia put on a smile and rested her palms on John¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Alright. Stop teasing them. Please be careful on the road. I¡¯m exhausted, so I¡¯ll take a rest with John now.¡± John nodded at his parents and followed Sophia upstairs. When they returned to their bedroom, Sophia started chuckling. ¡°Your parents have fallen in love again at such a mature age.¡± Walking over, John pulled her into his embrace. ¡°I also thought I would only be able to make you fall in love with me at an old age. I had done all I could to win your heart. If you never agreed to get together with me again, I really wouldn¡¯t know what to do next.¡± Sophia snorted. ¡°What do you mean you wouldn¡¯t know what to do next? You have many fallback girls anyway. Just give Isabelle a call, and she¡¯lle over immediately.¡± At the mention of Isabelle, John felt helpless. Hugging Sophia, he said in a sweet voice, ¡°Don¡¯t mention her all the time. I really have nothing to do with her. She¡¯s not as good-looking and mild-tempered as you are. I¡¯m not blind, so why would I love her?¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Sophia chuckled and pped his hand. ¡°As if I¡¯d believe your sweet words!¡± Leaning close to her, John said in a masculine voice, ¡°But you like to hear it, don¡¯t you? As long as you like it, I¡¯ll keep being the honey to your ears.¡± After Sophia stared at him for a while, her lips curved into a gentle and bashful smile. John hadn¡¯t seen her smile like this for a long time. Moved, he cupped her face and kissed her lips. Strictly speaking, it was their wedding night. Things started getting out of control since the kiss happened. After a romantic bath, John carried Sophia up and ced her on the bed as they continued making out. Since Sophia was pregnant, John had to be extra careful After he came, theyy down on the bed together. Panting, Sophia felt that she was taxed out. They hadn¡¯t had such an intimate touch for a long time. Moreover, with a baby in her stomach, she was pretty frail currently. Then, John pulled her into his embrace and gently kissed her sweaty forehead. There were many things that he wanted to tell her. He wanted to say sorry, and he loved her, but he felt that no words could ever describe his true feelings for her. When Sophia managed to regain some energy, she hugged him back and said, ¡°John, this is thest chance for you. If you betray me, I will never forgive you again.¡± Patting her back, John said in a tender and resolute voice, ¡°I will never betray you.¡± He had learned his lesson. While Sophia was in a dazed state, John got out of the bed and put on his clothes. Then, he picked up a hairdryer and helped her blow-dry her hair. Following that, he took out Sophia¡¯s pajamas from the wardrobe and helped her get dressed. Eventually, he covered her with a quilt and said, ¡°Have a rest. I need to handle something.¡± At this moment, Sophia had dozed off. After waiting for a bit, John stepped out of the bedroom and entered the study. After that, he fished out his phone and saw that his subordinate had sent him a message. Standing by the window, he tapped on the message and read it, then he snorted. Usually, people who dared tomit a crime were intelligent. John had been wondering why the transaction had been busted, but no illegal goods were found at the scene. So this is what happened. Although Elder Mr. Bailey was old, he hadn¡¯t be senile. He hade up with a clever way to make the transaction happen without getting caught. Chapter 954 Chapter 954 John tossed his phone up in the air and caught it repeatedly. After giving it a thought, he decided to send his subordinate a message. Basically, he taught them what they could do if faced with a simr situation in the future. Then, he took a seat in front of hisputer and reread the files Isabelle had sent him some time ago. It was difficult to track the other party¡¯s ount since the money was transferred from overseas. However, some regr patterns could be deduced, like how frequently the money was transferred. Since there were many files, it was until the middle of the night when he managed to finish reading all of them. Knocking on his forehead gently, John rose from the chair and returned to the bedroom. Sophia¡¯s sleeping position had changed as her legs stuck out from under the quilt. After a sigh, John adjusted the quilt for her andy down beside her. A momentter, Sophia draped her arms around his waist and mumbled, ¡°You¡¯re slow.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. John giggled at the words Sophia had uttered in her dream. Perhaps it was a sign of her reliance on him. Gratified, John hugged her back and grinned before he dozed off as well. While John was filled with happiness, Isabelle was in a miserable situation. During dinner, Isabelle¡¯s mother, Philippa Bailey, was sobbing again. She said that she recalled the times when all her family members could enjoy dinner together. Now that Dexter had passed away, she was sorrowful that her son¡¯s usual seat was currently empty. Her sorrow was understandable, but she cried so frequently that Elder Mr. Bailey and her husband had grown impatient with her. Holding her mother¡¯s hands, Isabelle said, ¡°Mom, stop living in the past and think for your own future. You still have your own life to live.¡± Philippa brushed her tears off without uttering a word. Having lost her appetite, she was sent back to her bedroom by the servant. When Isabelle was having dinner, Elder Mr. Bailey started nagging her by telling her to warm up to John. He hadn¡¯t found out that John and Sophia had remarried. Isabelle had wanted to break the truth to him, but her father also persuaded her to look for a capable man to alleviate the family¡¯s burden, even if that man couldn¡¯t be John. Therefore, Isabelle kept her silence as she felt helpless. When dinner was over, she returned to her own bedroom in a listless manner. Just then, her father appeared at the door and asked her how she had been getting along with John. Staring at her father, Isabelle replied, ¡°John has remarried Sophia.¡± Old Mr. Bailey was startled for a moment and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but it¡¯s no big deal.¡± For that moment, Isabelle didn¡¯t understand what her father meant when he said it was no big deal. Gazing at her father, she said, ¡°Since John is remarried, I won¡¯t be able to get together with him. Moreover, I think we¡¯re not reallypatible.¡± Before her father could speak, she went on to say, ¡°John is married with a kid now. Even if I really love him, I don¡¯t want to be his child¡¯s stepmother. I will feel aggrieved. ¡± With her eyes fixed on her father, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s not like John is the only man in this world. If I want, I can always look for a better man.¡± After eyeing his daughter for a while, he sighed. ¡°I know you¡¯re good enough for a capable man. But Belle, your grandpa and I don¡¯t have much time left.¡± Leaning on the windowsill, he gazed out the window. ¡°After Dexter¡¯s death, I can feel that my health has deteriorated. For the past few days, it was really difficult for me at work. I¡¯m old now, and I have to admit this fact. I wish I could give you more time to look for a perfect partner for yourself, but I¡¯m afraid that before you can find one, I¡¯ll be too frail by then.¡± Chapter 955 Chapter 955 Pursing her lips, Isabelle pondered on it for a moment and said, ¡°Actually, we still can rely on Uncle Ernest.¡± Old Mr. Baileyughed at her words. ¡°It¡¯s not that I look down on Ernest, but he¡¯s really an ipetent man. I¡¯ve worked with him for many years now, so I know that he¡¯s incapable of leading thepany. Without your grandpa and me, thepany would have gone bankrupt a long time ago.¡± Her father had engaged in countless business negotiations before, so his persuasion skills were excellent. Hence, it was improbable that Isabelle could win the argument with him. Knowing this full well, she decided to keep her mouth shut. Understanding that this was unfair to his daughter, he said, ¡°When you¡¯re able to make ourpany thrive again, you can do whatever you want by then. Belle, sometimes, we have to make sacrifices for themon cause. Moreover, it¡¯s not really a sacrifice for you. You still love John, don¡¯t you?¡± Isabelle was rendered speechless by her father¡¯s irrationality, so she pressed her lips together without responding to him. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Knackered as well, her father said, ¡°I hope you¡¯ll take my words seriously. You have to learn to ept your fate.¡± Upon finishing his words, he turned to leave. Dejected, Isabelle remained seated on the bed for a while before she rose and reached for the door. Seeing that no one was in the corridor, she snuck out of the room and headed to her mother¡¯s room. At this moment, Philippa was asleep with a photo album in her arms. Traces of tears could still be seen on the corners of her eyes. Pulling the photo album out of her arms, Isabelle put it down on the bedside table and stared at her mother for a while. With a helpless expression, she turned to leave the room and reached for her father¡¯s study. There was still a small gap at the door. Perhaps her father and grandfather didn¡¯t think that anyone would be moving around the corridor in the middle of the night, so they didn¡¯t close the door properly Isabelle stopped in her tracks not far from the door and listened in on their conversation. Her grandfather said that he would bring her father to the shadow bank the next day. He even consoled his son that thetter didn¡¯t have to be so nervous, since the employees at the bank had known him. With a frown, Isabelle thought for a bit and returned to her own room. Clenching her phone, she was hesitating whether she should tell John about it. However, thinking of John¡¯s previous message, she became dispirited in an instant. After a moment of hesitance, she decided not to send the message. Putting down her phone, she slumped into the bed and spaced out. At that moment, she felt that she was put under immense pressure, and her life was starting to get out of control. Lying on the bed, she slowly dozed off. In thetter half of the night, she suddenly awakened in shock. Since the room was dark, she couldn¡¯t figure out what happened to her for a moment. A whileter, she sat up on the bed and realized that she hadn¡¯t gotten changed nor removed her make-up. Spacing out on the bed for a while, waves of grievance started overwhelming her out of nowhere. It was out of her control that her eyes were swimming with tears, yet she obstinately stopped her tears from streaming down her face. Never before in her life had she found herself in such a miserable state, gripped by a sudden surge of mixed feelings. What if no one ever truly cares about the way I feel? Then my life will be truly hopeless¡­ Brushing her tears off, she entered the bathroom and turned on the light. Standing before the washbasin, she looked at her own reflection in the mirror. Her make-up had been messed up from all the crying, even though she still looked okay. However, in her current state, she appeared to be nothing but dispirited and difited. Staring at herself in the mirror, she found herself pitiful. Chapter 956 Chapter 956 This was the first time Isabelle would describe herself as pitiful. Unable to sleep anymore, she left her room in an attempt to go downstairs to get a bottle of wine. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Reaching the staircase, she suddenly stopped in her tracks because someone was entering the house at that instance. Startled for a moment, she then reflexively moved to the side to hide. After that person stepped into the living room, he waited for a bit before turning on the light. Instead of going upstairs, the person took a seat on the couch. Isabelle stuck out her head and realized that the person was her father. He was d in tracksuits, so he appeared younger than his usual self. However, his gray hair was an indication of his old age. Seated on the couch, Old Mr. Bailey ced his palms on his knees and took a rest. A whileter, he fished out his phone from his pocket and started texting a message. With a frown, Isabelle couldn¡¯t understand why her father had gone out in the middle of the night. After he was done with sending the message, he rose from the couch. Seeing this, Isabelle decided to sneak back into her room. Leaving a gap at the door, she stayed there to listen to what was going on outside. Her father entered Philippa¡¯s room, and after a few minutes, he came out of the room. Standing in the corridor, he let out a long sigh. The sigh was so loud that Isabelle could hear it in her own room. She knew that her father was upset. Basically, everyone in this house was distressed. However, since the tragedy had happened, there was no use crying over spilled milk. Hence, they had to learn to ept this fact. Rather than living in misery, they should look forward to the future. A whileter, her father returned to his room and closed the door. Opening the door, Isabelle gazed out at the corridor. Naturally, she was disheartened as well, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to pass the evidence of her family members¡¯ wrongdoing to John. Rather than saving herself, she had to make sure that her family wouldn¡¯t suffer from a downfall because if that happened, her mother would certainly go mad. The next morning, Sophia was still asleep when her phone started ringing suddenly. It turned out to be John, who was already at work. After he was done with a meeting, he decided to call Sophia and told her that her fellow vigers wanted to meet her because they had to thank her personally. At the mention of this, Sophia recalled that she had promised to meet them one day. However, due to her pregnancy, she could be forgetful sometimes. The sun was already up in the sky. Hearing what John said, she sat up on the bed and grunted in agreement. Following that, John continued, ¡°I¡¯ll go home to have lunch with you. After that, we¡¯ll meet those vigers. Please get yourself ready. ¡± With her eyes half-closed, Sophia grunted. ¡°Okay.¡± When the call ended, she spaced out on the bed for a while and theny back down. Recently, she would always get a good night¡¯s sleep. Perhaps she had reached a point in her pregnancy when she could befortable in her current state. After sleeping on the bed for a while longer, she was awakened by the housekeeper, who hade in to serve food to her. Getting out of bed, she entered the bathroom to wash up and got changed. Then, she put on some make-up to make herself look more energetic and took a seat to start enjoying her food. With her phone ced on the table, she was scrolling through some entertainment news. Just then, her phone started ringing again as Isabelle was calling her. Chapter 957 Chapter 957 Realizing who was calling her, Sophia was startled as she stared at the screen. Isabelle wasn¡¯t a close friend who would call her up to have a casual chat, so she had to have an ulterior motive for making this call. Sophia intentionally ignored the call because she knew that Isabelle would make another call. As expected, Isabelle called her for the second time. Sophia picked it up and said in anguid voice, ¡°Yes, Miss Bailey?¡± Isabelle smiled and said in a pretentiously calm voice, ¡°Miss Gwendolyn, I¡¯m sorry for calling you at this hour. Due to business matters, I get into contact with John pretty frequently these days. When I left the Constance Residence that day, I didn¡¯t get to bid you farewell. Thinking back, I find my behavior really impolite, so I¡¯d like to offer you my apology.¡± Sophia suppressed herugh. This is getting interesting. It has been a few days since the gathering. Why would she wait for such a long time and mention this to me suddenly? Putting on a mirthlessugh, she said, ¡°If you never mentioned this, I would have forgotten about it.¡± After a pause, Isabelle continued, ¡°I¡¯ve learned from John¡¯s Facebook post that the two of you have remarried, so I¡¯d like to congratte you as well.¡± Sophia grunted. ¡°John had pestered me for a long time for this. After giving it a thought, I didn¡¯t think I should let some other women snatch him away from me. Since I didn¡¯t have any fallback guy at that time, I decided to agree to his request.¡± Sophia¡¯s words were mean. In fact, she had left behind her grudges against Isabelle, but as soon as they got into contact, she couldn¡¯t contain her urge to mock the other person. Perhaps they were born to be each other¡¯s arch-enemies. She thought she had left the past behind, but the moment Isabelle called her, she couldn¡¯t control herself not to hurt thetter¡¯s feelings. Isabelle was rendered speechless upon hearing that. She had always known that Sophia wasn¡¯t someone who would mince her words. Before the call, she had thought about the scenarios she woulde across. She thought that no matter what Sophia would say, she would be able to keep on conveying her message Unexpectedly, she was put in an embarrassing situation only a brief moment after the conversation started. After a sigh, she tried to speak in a softer voice. ¡°I am just worried that you¡¯ll misunderstand John and me. It has always been a business coboration between us and nothing else.¡± Sophia grunted in a perfunctory manner. ¡°Well, John had told me about this before. I have never worried that something is going on between you and John because he¡¯s promised that he¡¯d never betray me, and I trust him. He said that other than me, he wasn¡¯t interested in allR¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only other women in this world.¡± Isabelle was unable to tolerate her harsh words anymore. In an embarrassed voice, she said, ¡°Alright. Since John has made it clear to you, I will say no more. Please take a good rest. See you. ¡± After the call ended, Sophia tossed her phone to the side and snorted. She didn¡¯t have the appetite to have her breakfast moments ago, but after the call, she was suddenly able to gobble down her food. Upon finishing her food, she picked up the food tray and went downstairs. At this moment, Old Mrs. Constance had returned to the house from a walk. After she was helped by the servant to take a seat on the couch, she said, ¡°I heard that Dn and his girlfriend are going to have lunch with his mother. I hope they¡¯ll get married soon, otherwise Jennifer will never stopining. I couldn¡¯t even enjoy my foodst night. Did you hear all the innuendos in her words? I was really pissed off.¡± After passing the food tray to the servant, Sophia took a seat beside the olddy and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure after Dn gets married, Lady Jennifer will stop being so irritable.¡± Chapter 958 Chapter 958 Old Mrs. Constance let out a sigh and helplessly shook her head. ¡°But I have a feeling that Dn is only doing this because they made him. I don¡¯t want him to regret itter on in life just because of their impatience.¡± Nevertheless, Sophia felt the other way and disagreed with Old Mrs. Constance, thinking that Dn wouldn¡¯t take something like this so lightly. After all, they were talking about a matter that would concern Dn¡¯s future marriage. Therefore, Sophiaforted the olddy and said, ¡°Rx, Old Mrs. Constance. They¡¯re both mature adults, and they should know to take this matter seriously.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded, even though she still looked a little worried. ¡°I hope so.¡± With nothing else better to do after waking up from her beauty sleep and having breakfast, Sophia decided to get some fresh air outside when she was done chatting with Old Mrs. Constance. Meanwhile, Jennifer was happily taking a walk around the courtyard as well, humming while swinging her arms freely in a rxing manner. When Sophia saw her, she didn¡¯t choose to shy away but instead headed to the courtyard straightaway. In the meantime, Jennifer showed a smile when she saw Sophia, much to thetter¡¯s surprise. Then, she greeted Sophia from afar and said, ¡°Hey Sophia, out for a walk again? Oh, I see your tummy is getting bigger and bigger. Have you confirmed whether your little one is a boy or a girl?¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Nheless, Sophia acted as if she didn¡¯t hear Jennifer¡¯s voice, only responding when she got closer to thetter. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you out here for a walk too, Aunt Jennifer. You look jolly today.¡± Jennifer reacted with a smile as she didn¡¯t look unhappy about Sophia avoiding her question a few moments ago. She then replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m out here to get some fresh air before heading back to the office for lunch with Dn and his girlfriendter. I heard she is a decent girl, and I have a feeling things are going to work out for them.¡± Sophia pouted and smiled, replying with an affirmative hum. ¡°Okay, good to know that.¡± After that, she continued to make her way to the courtyard, but Jennifer showed no signs of leaving Sophia alone. Thus, she walked alongside Sophia and said, ¡°Dn told me that he had known this girl for a while. In fact, he¡¯s been having a crush on her all along, but his shy nature just got in the way, so he didn¡¯t confess his feelings. I subsequently discovered that and confronted him before he finally admitted it. Haha. He is such a little boy, isn¡¯t he? What¡¯s the shame in admitting your feelings for someone you have a crush on?¡± Ugh. Is she implying something to me? Fine, I¡¯m not going to spend all day thinking about that. I never gave two hoots about anything she ever said anyway, so why should I care this time? At the thought of that, Sophia decided to ignore Jennifer¡¯s every word like she usually did. However, Jennifer didn¡¯t seem willing to give up. Instead, she continued to speak to Sophia in a sarcastic tone. ¡°I heard Dn¡¯s girlfriend is quite an outstandingdy. She was raised in a wealthy family, so you can imagine how well-mannered and well-educated she is. Besides, her good looks are what make her a perfect match with my precious boy, Dn. I doubt he is ever going to find someone else like this lovely girl that will make me satisfied and happy.¡± Jennifer continued to follow Sophia around the garden while going on and on about how outstanding Dn¡¯s girlfriend was. Eventually, Sophia grew tired of listening to that, finding Jennifer¡¯s stubborn persistence annoying. Therefore, she said, ¡°How is Dn¡¯s work, by the way? I heard that the Third Constance Family¡¯s children would be back from overseas and join thepany soon. Considering their experience abroad, I bet they¡¯ll likely be offered a good position each.¡± As Sophia expected, Jennifer immediately kept her mouth shut upon hearing about work. After all, John already held a higher position than Dn did in their company. Therefore, it wouldn¡¯t sit well with her if the Third Constance Family returned and got on an equal footing with Dn. Chuckling gleefully, Sophia didn¡¯t continue to borate further as she deemed she had made her point clear. Chapter 959 Chapter 959 Jennifer then tried to excuse herself. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s about time. I suppose I should get changed and set off soon. Goodbye for now, Sophia. Stay safe.¡± Sophia nodded while keeping a straight face upon seeing Jennifer¡¯s reaction. At the same time, thetter stopped in her tracks, turning around before heading back into the house as her fake smile faded away. Soon, Sophia came to understand why Matilda used to ride roughshod over Jennifer. Someone has to do something to keep her mouth shut! At the thought of that, Sophia suddenly missed Matilda, finally learning to appreciate Matilda¡¯s genuineness after she had changed for the better. Although Matilda was more mild-mannered than before, Sophia still believed that thisdy was revered and feared for her previous reputation. Sophia continued to sit in the garden until John came back home in the afternoon. Then, both of them held hands together and returned to the main building. Upon seeing John return, Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t seem surprised as she sat down with her grandson and said, ¡°So, it seems that your dad isn¡¯ting back for lunch. Does he have it alone or with Owen and Samuel?¡± John looked at Old Mrs. Constance in surprise. ¡°Haven¡¯t you figured it out, Grandma? How would Dad possibly settle lunch by himself or with Uncle Owen and Uncle Samuel? He is with Mom now.¡± Clicking her tongue, Old Mrs. Constance replied, ¡°Oh yeah. Why haven¡¯t I thought of that?¡± Sophiaughed in amusement, suddenly finding John and his grandmother adorable and lovely. Soon, lunch was ready, but Sophia wasn¡¯t hungry yet. So, she sat there and watched while Old Mrs. Constance and her grandson had their lunch. Later, the conversation slowly revolved around Jennifer when Sophia began toin about how she had been bragging about Dn¡¯s girlfriend. John burst intoughter and said, ¡°Haha! People tend to brag about what theyck, so let¡¯s just ignore them and move on. Life is short, so don¡¯t let their words put you down!¡± Sophia chuckled and said, ¡°Haha! I can¡¯t stop thinking about the speechless look on her face when I told her that Uncle Samuel¡¯s children would be back to join thepany after all her bragging!¡± She then gleefully added, ¡°The next time she ever tries to brag about Dn¡¯s girlfriend again, I¡¯m going to shut her mouth up by talking about work.¡± Old Mrs. Constance shook her head in a helpless manner. ¡°Perhaps only you and Matilda have a knack for humbling her.¡± Nheless, Sophia reckoned there was a slight difference between their dominances over Jennifer. While Matilda usually fast-talked her way out unreasonably, Sophia relied on her wits to knock Jennifer down to size more often than not. After a delightful meal, Sophia and John took some rest before John took her to a warehouse under the Constance Group, which had be a workce for those who left their viges to make a living. Since John had already informed them about their visit ahead, he and Sophia were expected to go to the workers¡¯ quarters, where John directly took her to meet them. Buddy quickly ran up to Sophia when he saw her. ¡°Oh gosh, Sophia! You look like you¡¯ve put on weight¡­.¡± Before he finished his sentence, he soon realized that what he saw might not be what he thought. Wait a second! She didn¡¯t put on weight! She is pregnant. Soon, everyone else came closer and asked, ¡°Are you pregnant, Sophia?¡± Sophia nodded while cing her hand over her tummy. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been more than three months since thest time I went back to my maternal home.¡± The rest of the people smacked their lips and said, ¡°How could you not say anything about it back then? You went up the hill and visited the cemetery by yourself. Anything could have happened at any point.¡± Sophiaughed it off and said, ¡°Come on! I¡¯m tough, and you guys know that. You all were with me as I grew up, after all.¡± In fact, Sophia was indeed tough, having shouldered her family¡¯s burden even when she was a little girl, unlike any other child. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Chapter 960 Chapter 960 Soon, John had someone arrange the chairs outside the workers¡¯ quarters for everyone to sit down. Then, Sophia caringly asked them whether they were happy and used to the job. In response, the workers nodded and replied, ¡°We have a stable job here, unlike our hometown, where we had to stay home during the winter. Besides, we make a lot more with our current job. Apart from that, there is nothing much we can spend on other than a few bottles of beer since the rules around here have made our lifestyle more disciplined and frugal. Furthermore, we¡¯re given gifts during every festive season, which we think is a lot better than working in our hometown.¡± Upon hearing their feedback, Sophia heaved a sigh of relief. At this moment, Buddy said, ¡°There are a fewdies from my vige who are asking whether there are any more vacancies left by chance. If there are, they¡¯d like toe over.¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Unable to decide, Sophia shifted her gaze to John, who answered, ¡°Well, the kitchen could use some extra hands, so perhaps you could bring this matter to your supervisor¡¯s attention. If he says yes, that¡¯s your green light to bring your people here.¡± Buddy happily smiled and said, ¡°Wow! Sophia, you¡¯re really our lucky star! Our life wouldn¡¯t be so much better if it weren¡¯t for you.¡± Feeling touched, Sophia answered, ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do to repay everyone¡¯s kindness.¡± Back then, the vigers would help out when they saw Sophia and her grandfather busy handling their crops. Because of that, their kindness had since etched in their minds in the years toe. Meanwhile, Buddy gazed at Sophia and said, ¡°I heard your dad returned to the vige after all of us left. I was even told that he wants to sell the house.¡± Sophia responded with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s up to him. I don¡¯t really care anyway.¡± Upon hearing Sophia¡¯s reply, the others didn¡¯t seem to look happy ¡°Well, he should have at least considered what the others would think about his decision before going about it. That ungrateful b*stard had better pray no one blows his deal when someone wants to buy that house.¡± In fact, Sophia couldn¡¯t care less about Walter¡¯s deal to sell the house since she had decided to put the matter behind her and move on. He can have the house all he wants. I¡¯m not nning to go back there anyway since it¡¯s empty. Walter wants a better life, so just let him be! After all, cutting ties with him is all that matters to me. John held Sophia¡¯s hand and ced it in his palm. ¡°Just let things y out the way they will. After all, there is really nothing much he can do either. Look at him now! He is so poor that he needs to desperately sell the house for cash.¡± Buddy sighed and said, ¡°I heard he¡¯s been having a tough life recently. Some of us said they¡¯ve seen him working at the construction site.¡± While John had previously found out that Walter had been struggling to make ends meet, Sophia curled her lips and answered, ¡°I don¡¯t care how much struggle he is having in his life because what I care about is how well you guys are living.¡± Putting her point that way, she managed to distract everyone and change the subject. Meanwhile, the rest of the people began thinking about making more money for the sake of their future and their children. After chatting for more than an hour, Sophia and John decided to make a move since everyone else still had work to do. As they got into the car, Sophia sentimentally opined, ¡°I¡¯ve never had a smile on each and every one of their faces before. You have no idea how it¡¯s like to live with uncertainty back in my hometown, where people have to suffer because they can¡¯t put food on the table. Who would have thought that the luxury of talking about the future together would turn into reality today?¡± Chapter 961 Chapter 961 With a gentle smile, John fastened his seat belt. ¡°So, I guess that should ease your mind, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia nodded in response. ¡°Yup. Thank you.¡± Still smiling, he said, ¡°Come on! You¡¯re talking to me like I¡¯m your boss. Just be yourself.¡± Nevertheless, Sophia didn¡¯t say anything else as they made their way toward the Constance Residence. Since the warehouse was situated in a rather remote area, they happened to pass by the suburb while heading to the city. Therefore, John decided to swing by the Bailey Family¡¯s shadow bank and have a look, but before he arrived at his destination, he saw a car that belonged to the Bailey Family parked right outside the building. Wait a minute. No one from the Bailey Family really drives this car. Soon, John managed to recall having seen that car back at the Bailey Residence when he was there to call off his engagement with Isabelle. Hmm. They must have probably thought no one recognizes it, and hence are not afraid to show it in public. Well, the car looks a little old, but I can still remember it. After that, John pulled up by the roadside and shifted his gaze to Sophia. ¡°Wait for me here. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Despite feeling surprised, Sophia only nodded in silence, while John took a cap from the backseat and put on a coat before he got out of the car. Then, instead of approaching the vehicle, he stood from afar and set his eyes on the registration te, returning to his own car a few momentster. It looks like my suspicion is correct. Someone from the Bailey Family hase to the shadow bank. After running through a few possible suspects in his mind, John could only think of Isabelle or Old Mr. Bailey. After all, he knew that Elder Mr. Bailey had to pick between Old Mr. Bailey and Isabelle to take over his business since Dexter was gone. Isabelle didn¡¯t send me a text message about this, so this is likely not her. Therefore, that makes Old Mr. Bailey the only one left suspicious. At the thought of that, John sniggered. It seems that Elder Mr. Bailey is running out of options. He may be aged, but Old Mr. Bailey isn¡¯t exactly young either. Ever since Dexter passed away, Old Mr. Bailey had been broken and devastated deep down, even though he still looked like he was in high spirits to stand up to his father. Well, everything seems to suggest that the Bailey Family is really at a dead end. Nheless, when John thought about Dexter, he couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for him. That poor little boy¡¯s days would likely be tough if he were still alive. Upon getting into his car, John took off his jacket and hat, fastening his seatbelt before hitting the road. When Sophia realized they had left the ce far enough, she asked, ¡°What happened? Something wrong with the car?¡± John responded with an affirmative hum and added, ¡°It looks like it belongs to the Bailey Family.¡± Upon hearing about the Bailey Family, Sophia widened her eyes and asked, ¡°What? Why would they be there?¡± Not knowing how to exin the situation to Sophia, John ambiguously replied, ¡°Something is definitely off.¡± As soon as she heard that, she instantly knew John was probably hinting that it wasn¡¯t convenient for him to talk too much,R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only like his usual attitude. Therefore, she only asked him a simple question, ¡°Is it going to affect us in any significant way?¡± In response, John smacked his lips and answered, ¡°Not really. So, don¡¯t worry.¡± While the conversation ended with John¡¯s final reply, he dropped Sophia off at the Constance Residence and drove off right away. What¡¯s the hurry? Meanwhile, Sophia stood in the car park, letting out a sigh as she watched John¡¯s car moving away. This guy just never takes a break! After a long day, Sophia felt tired and decided to take a catnap in her room. Upon waking up from a short nap, Sophia was surprised to discover that she had a missed call, which turned out to be from Isabelle. Well, well! Thisdy obviously hasn¡¯t learned her lesson at all since thest time she called. Chapter 962 Chapter 962 How can Isabelle forget about that so soon? With the phone in her hand, Sophia hesitated for a while and eventually gave up the idea of returning Isabelle¡¯s call. After all, she wanted nothing to do with Isabelle. What purpose did it really serve her for calling me thest time? As if I have nothing else better to do than consorting with the likes of her. At the thought of that, Sophia decisively deleted all of Isabelle¡¯s call logs and moved on. Soon, Sophia headed downstairs and realized that Old Mrs. Constance was nowhere to be seen. After looking through every corner, she brushed off the thought and sat in front of the television. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. A few momentster, her phone rang, and she thought Isabelle was calling for a second time. What¡¯s wrong with this woman? Why didn¡¯t she get it after the first missed call? Where is her sense of shame for calling me a second time? Nevertheless, Sophia was instantly taken aback as soon as her eyes fell upon her phone screen because it turned out that the caller was in fact Logan. Sophia picked up the phone and asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s up, Logan?¡± ¡°Is John at home now? I can¡¯t reach him. Is he busy at the moment?¡± Logan asked. Sophia couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised. ¡°He is not home right now. At this hour, he should be in the office. You said you couldn¡¯t reach him. Do you mean no one answered the call when you phoned him?¡± ¡°Yup, I made a few calls in fact, but none of them reached him,¡± Logan replied as he responded with an affirmative hum. ¡°Maybe he is in a meeting or something,¡± Sophia said after pondering for a short while. Logan sounded a little hesitant when he indifferently replied, ¡°Oh.¡± Then, he hung up the call after a brief pause. Meanwhile, something didn¡¯t seem right to Sophia as she reckoned Logan¡¯s unusual nonchnce. Nevertheless, she continued to watch the television until she finally changed her mind and decided that it was better for her to give John a call. While the phone was ringing, no one answered the call, so she continued to call a few more times, but only to no avail. As she started to feel a little panicky, she quickly gave Zack a call but failed to reach him as well. This is rather odd. Eventually, Sophia grew more and more anxious, as she could no longer sit still and enjoy watching TV. She then stood up and gave Logan a call once more. A few secondster, Logan quickly picked up the call and responded with a hesitant voice. After that, Sophia immediately asked, ¡°What happened to John? I can¡¯t contact him either.¡± Logan smacked his lips and answered, ¡°John is fine, trust me. The reason I want to speak to him is that Husky is in some kind of trouble.¡± Knowing that Husky was one of John¡¯s right-hand men, Sophia knew something was definitely wrong. If Husky is in trouble, that means John could be in trouble too. Then, Sophia anxiously asked, ¡°What happened to Husky?¡± Logan sighed and replied, ¡°Husky is now lying in the hospital. He is in a critical condition at the moment, and it looks like he has been assaulted.¡± For a long while, Sophia didn¡¯t say a single word as she pondered. Husky must have blown his cover when helping John in his investigation. If anything happens to Husky, John is bound to be dragged into the mess. The thought of that only served to unnerve Sophia even more. Thus, she quickly said, ¡°Logan, please reach John for me. I want to know how he is right now. I¡¯m a little worried about him.¡± As the calmer person of the two, Loganforted Sophia and reassured her everything would be fine. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. John is tougher than you think, plus he¡¯s got a lot of bodyguards to protect him.¡± Despite saying that, Logan promised her that he would find out about John¡¯s whereabouts by sending his men to the Constance Group and the Bailey Residence if John wasn¡¯t in his office. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you posted on what I find. So, just rx and stop overthinking.¡± Soon, Sophia was reminded of the bank that she and John passed by earlier today. Wait a minute! Could this have anything to do with the car that John investigated when we were at the bank? . Chapter 963 Chapter 963 Did John go back to the shady-looking bank and investigate the matter further? At the thought of that, Sophia quickly told Logan about the bank that she and John passed by earlier that day. ¡°I think John could be there.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Learning about the possibility, Logan was silent for a few seconds before he answered, ¡°Alright, I know what I should do now.¡± After both of them chatted over the phone for a while, they ended the tele-conversation, whereupon Sophia made her way to the living room with her mobile phone. While she was too restless and anxious to sit still, Old Mrs. Constance happened to enter the house at that moment. Seeing the olddy, Sophia walked up to her and greeted her. ¡°Grandma.¡± Upon noticing her worried look, Old Mrs. Constance appeared to be a little taken aback. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, girl? You don¡¯t look so well. Tell me what happened.¡± Sophia touched her face and asked, ¡°Do you have Dad¡¯s number, Grandma? I just went through my contact list and realized I don¡¯t have his number.¡± Old Mrs. Constance stared at Sophia in a trance and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have something you want to talk to him about?¡± Sophia nodded, as she had no intention of hiding her concern. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to reach John, but he didn¡¯t pick up the call. So, I just want to know whether he is in the office at the moment.¡± Assuming that Sophia was trying to keep tabs on her husband, Old Mrs. Constanceughed in response. ¡°Haha. I see what you¡¯re worried about now. Where else could he be beside his office?¡± Despite saying that, she instructed the maid to bring her phone and showed William¡¯s number to Sophia. After jotting down William¡¯s number, Sophia immediately left the living room and headed outside to phone William. Meanwhile, Old Mrs. Constance smiled and shook her head in a helpless manner while telling the maid her opinion. ¡°I can¡¯t get enough of these two little kids. They¡¯re lovely, aren¡¯t they?¡± The maid echoed her words with a smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing? That means they¡¯re close to each other.¡± Old Mrs. Constance responded with an affirmative hum. ¡°Yeah. They are, indeed.¡± Then, she quickly put that matter aside and sat down on the couch, watching television since it was already on. In the meantime, Sophia stood at the entrance while calling William. After waiting for a few moments, William finally picked up the phone and asked, ¡°Hey Sophia, what¡¯s up?¡± In response to his question, Sophia answered in a hushed tone before getting straight to her point. ¡°Dad, is John now in the office?¡± William replied, ¡°Uh¡­ He is not in his office at the moment. I was told that he was going to pick you up at the Constance Residence. Then, he was back here for a while until he went out again a few moments after that.¡± As soon as she heard that, Sophia¡¯s bad hunch felt stronger than before, but nheless, she revealed nothing more than the fact that she couldn¡¯t reach John. At the same time, William wasn¡¯t suspicious about Sophia¡¯s anxious behavior as he smiled and said, ¡°Maybe he is just in a meeting with a client or something. So, just rx, Sophia. Have some faith in John. He is a grown man, and he is absolutely capable of taking care of himself.¡± After hearing William¡¯s reassurance, Sophia responded with only a few words, followed by an indifferent grunt before hanging up the call. At that moment, she couldn¡¯t stop worrying about John as she had never failed to reach John before. Deep down, she was tempted to leave home and find John herself but quickly gave up the idea when she was reminded of her pregnancy. I can¡¯t just impulsively run off like that. Who knows what danger could be waiting for me outside? If that happens, I¡¯ll find myself in a very disadvantageous position. Therefore, all I can do now is just to wait. Ironically, waiting was the most torturous moment for Sophia, as her worry and fear kept haunting her until she decided to call John again later that evening. After ringing for a long while, someone finally picked up the call. Chapter 964 Chapter 964 Feeling strung up after all the unsessful calls, Sophia was suddenly caught in a trance when someone picked up the phone on the receiving end. Overwhelmed by her nervousness, her mouth stiffened as she failed to speak the words that were forming at the tip of her tongue. On the other side of the call, John asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Sophia?¡± As she tried hard to fight back her tears, she uttered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, John?! Why didn¡¯t you pick up the damn call throughout the afternoon?¡± John responded with an affirmative hum and chuckled. ¡°Oh, my phone was on silent mode, so I didn¡¯t hear your call.¡± Ohe on! If only I could slip my hand through our screens and give him a p in the face. Sophia then slowly organized her thoughts. ¡°Tell me honestly. Is there something wrong on your side? Logan called up and told me that Husky is lying in the hospital right now. I heard he is in a critical condition too.¡± John answered, ¡°Oh, so this is what it is about. Husky is injured, but he is fine. We don¡¯t know what really happened yet because he is still unconscious, but we believe he was exposed when he was searching for Roselia.¡± Roselia is now my biggest headache. I¡¯m not really worried about her safety since she is quick-witted, but the only way I can entirely put my mind to ease is to find her. Meanwhile, Sophia kept quiet for a short while and brought up her concern. ¡°Are you in danger, John? Please! You really need to watch out!¡± Johnughed it off and reassured Sophia. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m fine! Furthermore, my men are here with me, so I doubt anyone can eveny a finger on me for the time being.¡± While her husband¡¯s reassuring words seemed to ease her mind, she contemted briefly and asked, ¡°Can you be back early tonight?¡± Faced with her question, John let out a sigh in response without saying anything. However, Sophia understood what that meant. Then, the man continued to say, ¡°I¡¯m a little busy today, and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll probably be backte tonight. So, don¡¯t wait on me. Go ahead and sleep early.¡± Knowing that John was indeed busy with his work, Sophia helplessly said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave you to it, but please stay safe! Okay?¡± With a smile on his face, he answered, ¡°I heard you loud and clear. Don¡¯t worry about me. Take care.¡± After the call ended, Sophia patted her chest and heaved a sigh of relief. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Darn it! That nearly gave me a heart attack! Sophia set her eyes outside the window and decided to take a walk around the garden. She then sat on the bench, where she could clearly have a good view of the car park. Not long after that, the Second Constance Family returned in their car. Oh, it¡¯s time to leave work. After a short while, she saw the Third Constance Family returning as well. In that instant, Sophia sighed in a helpless manner. William is now with Matilda, and John isn¡¯ting back anytime soon. So, that means Old Mrs. Constance and I are alone in the house. I guess I finally have a taste of what Matilda used to go through back then. Sophia continued to sit in the garden until the maid came to inform her that the meal was ready. Upon seeing Sophia return alone, Old Mrs. Constance asked in surprise, ¡°Is John still not back yet?¡± Sophia nodded her head and said, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t wait on him. He says he¡¯ll be staying back for work tonight.¡± Old Mrs. Constance let out a sigh and stated, ¡°s! After a few days of short-lived liveliness, we¡¯re back to square one once more.¡± Nevertheless, Sophia responded with silence, heading to the dining table before settling down for the meal. Soon, the twodies filled the dull atmosphere with awkward silence as they quietly ate their meals. After that, Old Mrs. Constance sat on the couch, while Sophia headed upstairs to her bedroom. Then, shey in her bed and scrolled on her social media news feeds but was too distracted to go through them. In the end, Sophia decided to give Logan a call, hearing his nervous voice the moment he picked up the call. It looks like Logan is in the middle of something. Chapter 965 Chapter 965 Sophia then asked Logan where he was, to which he stammered and said, ¡°I¡¯m away from home.¡± Upon hearing his reply, Sophia let out a sigh, feeling tempted to pull Logan¡¯s leg, if only she was in the mood to do that. I bet this guy must be licking L¡¯s boots right now, but I¡¯m not going to say that out today. Soon, Sophia proceeded to make her point known. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with John, so can you talk to him and find out what help he needs? Logan, you¡¯re the only one I can trust right now. I wouldn¡¯t impose on you if I could do this myself. Please, I¡¯m worried about him.¡± Logan sighed and replied, ¡°Rx! I just spoke with John, and he knows what he is doing. Come on, have some faith in both of us! John and I are buddies. I¡¯ve got his back!¡± Then, he added, ¡°John is way tougher than you think, so don¡¯t let your wild imagination scare you. Just take good care of yourself because you¡¯re going to live a happy life after everything is over.¡± Logan¡¯s reply gave Sophia an obvious hint that John hadn¡¯t beenpletely upfront with her about what he knew regarding the Bailey Family, which was why she didn¡¯t know where things stood between him and them. Is the investigationing to an end already? After ending the call with Logan, Sophia felt better, even though she still couldn¡¯t shake off her nerves. Then, shey down and switched off the lights, trying to fall asleep as soon as possible. Maybe everything will be over the moment I open my eyes to find John by my side. Although Sophia sleeplessly tossed and turned in bed at first, she eventually dozed off without herself knowing it. Nheless, her sleep wasn¡¯t exactly a peaceful one as she could vaguely hear strange sounds. At the same time, she unknowingly stretched out her hand toward the empty space beside her in bed, trying to feel John¡¯s presence, but to no avail. Although she believed nothing would likely happen to John since he was protected by his bodyguards, she was still bothered by a bad feeling deep down. The next morning, Sophia woke up and found herself alone in the bed. John didn¡¯te homest night. She then sighed and slowly sat up straight. Upon reaching for her phone, she saw a message from John telling her to rest assured as he was safe and sound. After that, she heaved a sigh of relief and went about her morning ablution since it was still early. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Then, she returned to her bed and sat on it before sending John a message. ¡®What are you doing right now?¡¯ A few secondster, she received a call from John, hearing his first response. ¡°Good morning. You¡¯re up early, by the way.¡± Sophia tried to reply with a calm voice. ¡°I went to bed a little earlier than usualst night, and I can¡¯t seem to fall asleep right now.¡± Johnforted her and said, ¡°It was midnight by the time I finished my work, so I decided to stay in my office until the next day because I was afraid I would have woken you up if I had gone back. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m fine.¡± Curious, Sophia asked, ¡°So, what kept you busyst night?¡± In response, John hesitated and answered, ¡°Wow! Let¡¯s just say it was an eventful day.¡± In fact, he had visited Husky when thetter was admitted to the hospital before searching for Roselia. Despite her quick wit, John knew that Roselia must have also blown her cover in the process of helping Husky distract the patrolling guards. Therefore, John could never stand by and do nothing. In the end, he spent the whole night looking for her. As John began his search around where Husky was found injured, it didn¡¯t take him much time to discover Roselia¡¯s whereabouts. Those amateurs made it easy for us, so I guess I gotta thank them. While Roselia was deemed to be smarter than Husky, John believed that she would be able to dispel all suspicions with a convincing exnation. Even though the people in the shadow bank were all cautious and wary, they couldn¡¯t find any evidence to prove that Roselia was a mole. Nheless, they didn¡¯t really trust her either to let her run free by herself. Therefore, they decided to keep her under their thumbs. Fortunately, Roselia was not severely injured when John and his men arrived and found her the day before. Chapter 966 Chapter 966 That woman is indeed resourceful, knowing how to save herself by resorting to ttery. John organized his thoughts and said, ¡°Ever since Husky was hurt yesterday, I¡¯ve been pulling my weight around to find out who put him in the hospital.¡± Sophia nodded in agreement and asked, ¡°Have you found that out then?¡± John responded with an affirmative hum. ¡°Yup, we have a lead on that, but we need Husky to wake up before moving on.¡± Before Sophia could respond further, John changed the subject and said, ¡°By the way, I got a call from the hospital and was told that Husky is fine despite his severe injury. He should be able toe around today and will be advised to rest after this.¡± You¡¯re quite the slippery b*stard, Husky! Thank God you managed to fool your attackers by ying dead when they almost killed you. I can¡¯t help but wonder who else is better than you when ites to tricks and shenanigans. Meanwhile, Sophia decided to give up pressing on upon noticing John¡¯s reaction. After chatting for about ten minutes, Sophia could tell from his voice that he was tired, so she told him to get some shut-eye since they could talk about it when he came home in the afternoon. Feeling tired as Sophia thought, John listened to her and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get back to my nap then. You should too.¡± Upon hanging up the call, Sophia gently massaged her temples, slowly lying down in bed. Beat and frustrated, she felt helpless as she knew her usual self would have made her way to see John right away. After all, she was a decisive person who¡¯d act instead of dwell on her worry. That¡¯s who I am. In the meantime, John was in the office, having arrived earlier that morning to rest there after he was done with his work elsewhere. After calling Sophia, he didn¡¯t go back to sleep right away but instead proceeded to go through the stack of files on his table. I need to take care of all these papers before I go outter. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. A few momentster, Zack came in with a cup of coffee, just as John noticed the tired look on his face. He shot a gaze at Zack and said, ¡°If there is nothing else important in hand, go get some rest.¡± Zack came closer and gave the coffee to John. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m good. I don¡¯t want to struggle waking up from a nap Here, get a boost with your coffee.¡± John took the coffee from Zack and took a sip. ¡°How is everything with Roselia?¡± Hearing the question, his assistant sighed and replied, ¡°Not much. That woman is a quick thinker. What could have happened to her? Other than her sorry look, she is perfectly fine. There is not even a scratch on her.¡± As soon as he finished his words, he sadly added, ¡°I used to think Husky was shrewd, but it seems that he barelypares with Roselia.¡± ¡°Take care of the people in the warehouse, would you?¡± John curled his lips and instructed. Zack nodded in response. ¡°Those people can give us the answers we want. So, I say we should focus on getting what we need and move on.¡± John responded with an affirmative hum and added, ¡°Sure, we can¡¯t keep feeding those people in the warehouse like that. We have way too much on our te, and that¡¯s the reason why we shouldn¡¯t interfere with this matter.¡± Sitting there for a while, Zack realized that his superior began to look a little more serious to get back to work. It seems that he still has tons of papers to go through. I guess that¡¯s my cue to get going now. Upon letting out a sigh, he stood up and left. Meanwhile, the sun was already up by the time John finished reading all the documents. Feeling a lot more energized after drinking two cups of coffee, he put away his documents and continued to sit in his chair for a while before he got up and walked out of his office. Soon, Zack happened to pass by as he ran into John in the corridor. At that moment, Zack knew what John was up to even without hearing what his boss was going to say. Chapter 967 Chapter 967 As both men headed toward the elevator, John asked, ¡°Is everything ready?¡± Zack nodded in response. ¡°Ready when you are, boss.¡± At that moment, they ran into William, who happened toe out of his office. When he saw both of them in decent attire, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little surprised. There is no fieldwork today, plus John has a meeting to attendter, so where exactly are they going? Just as William was about to step forward and find out, the elevator door opened, whereupon John and Zack walked inside. While William didn¡¯t manage to get to John in time, he soon felt a vibration from his phone a few secondster before realizing it was a message from his son. ¡®I have some important business to take care of, so I¡¯m going to take a leave today. Anyway, the documents you need are ready on the table in my office.¡¯ For the next few moments, William only stood in the corridor, quietly staring at the elevator until he snapped out of his trance and made his way to John¡¯s office. I don¡¯t remember seeing Johning back yesterday, and it looks like he is going to be missing again for the whole day. With his brows furrowed, William pondered in John¡¯s office for a while, trying to figure out what was going on. John has never acted so strangely. In the meantime, John sat in the car right beside Zack, who then made a call. Due to the loud audio volume, John could clearly hear what the voice from the receiving end was saying. ¡°Husky hase around, and he seems to be of sound mind. At the same time, Roselia has also given her statement to the police. So, what are we going to do about that?¡± Before Zack could say anything, John chuckled and replied, ¡°What kind of question is that? Just deal with it like you normally would.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Zack understood what John meant by that, so he said, ¡°The people in the hospital have already lodged a police report for Husky. As for Miss Stone, I suppose we should let the police know about her as well.¡± In fact, it was obvious that whoever hurt Husky wanted him dead. For that, the hospital¡¯s management had decided to involve the police even without John saying anything. While Husky didn¡¯t seem to be in a fit condition to give a statement the day before, John believed that the police would soon visit him once more. Since Husky is going to get exposed, there is no need for us to hide Roselia anymore. We might as well let the police deal with her too. Meanwhile, the person responded with an affirmative reply upon hearing Zack¡¯s words and hung up the call. Then, John leaned back on his seat and pinched his forehead. ¡°What¡¯s the status with the shadow bank now?¡± Zack quickly replied, ¡°A little bird told me that Old Mr. Bailey went there again earlier today. I believe it¡¯s about the business that Elder Mr. Bailey wants to pass down to him in the past two days. Thus, he is trying to get to know the people there more.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good news,¡± John smiled and said. After a brief pause, something seemingly crossed Zack¡¯s mind. ¡°You weren¡¯t homest night. I bet Sophia is worried sick about you.¡± ¡°I know she is, but I also believe she knows what we must do,¡± John answered while blinking. Sophia may not know the entire story, but she should have a rough picture of what¡¯s going on. At the very least, she should be able to piece the puzzles together after noticing John¡¯s unusual behaviorst night. Because Sophia was known to be a smartdy, Zack had never dared to underestimate her. Thus, he was convinced that Sophia must have figured out something. After brief contemtion, Zack asked, ¡°What did Young Master Logan say?¡± Upon hearing Logan¡¯s name, Johnughed in amusement and answered, ¡°Well, he sent me the bank¡¯s interioryoutst night, and I wonder how he got his hands on something like that.¡± Zack nodded. ¡°Young Master Logan¡¯s clubhouse has everything you can imagine, so I¡¯d say any intel from him is quite reliable.¡± Meanwhile, Sophia only just woke up and realized that she was alone with Old Mrs. Constance in the main building. Chapter 968 Chapter 968 While bothdies stared at each other with boredom, Sophia appeared rather disturbed and preupied. Meanwhile, Old Mrs. Constance insisted on having Sophia¡¯spany while watching TV, knowing that thetter was bothered by something else when she noticed that she couldn¡¯t keep her eyes on the TV. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Therefore, the olddy tried tofort her. ¡°I guess John didn¡¯te home because he was probably just caught up in workst night. Don¡¯t overthink, girl. I know my grandson, and he has never cared about anyone else more than you. Other than his job, you¡¯re like the whole world to him.¡± After hearing Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s reply, Sophia realized that she had been misunderstood. Thus, she smiled and exined herself, ¡°I never suspected that John would do something like that to me. I¡¯m just a little worried about his health instead. He¡¯s been busy the past few days, and I wish he could have some rest.¡± Old Mrs. Constance paused and nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. John is just like his father. When William was younger, he would forget about sleeping and eating for the sake of work. Sometimes, I don¡¯t really understand what the boys are thinking. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re short of money, so there is really no need to push yourself so far.¡± Soon, the olddy looked outside and added, ¡°I¡¯m old, and I¡¯ve learned to get over a lot of things along the way. After all these years, nothing else matters to me except health. Every time I think about your grandpa, I can¡¯t help but feel sad and heartbroken. He wouldn¡¯t have left us so soon if only he had taken care of his own health well when he was younger. While dying is easy, those who are gone will never know how much pain we have to go through every day.¡± Sophia pursed her lips as she quietly listened to Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s words. Ever since her husband passed away, she has always looked so tough, like she has already epted her bereavement. I guess I was wrong to think of her as an invincible olderdy who never felt a single bit of pain. In that instant, Sophia finally understood Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s true feelings. Despite the tough expression she often puts up, she is broken on the inside. Why would I even think that it was easy to get over the death of someone else we love so dearly? Sophia held the olddy¡¯s hand and sighed while thetter shifted her gaze to the former. ¡°This is why I want the both of you to spend more time on those precious moments in your life. You can¡¯t turn back time. So, don¡¯t waste it, only to look back and regret itter. After all, life is short, and it¡¯s not worth living a life that¡¯s all about work.¡± Nodding in agreement, she uttered, ¡°I understand, Grandma.¡± As both of them continued to sit and talk for a few more moments, Matilda arrived and was seen holding a bag of fruits. She then called out to Sophia at the doorstep, ¡°Hello, Sophia. Did you miss me?¡± Sophia turned around and saw Matilda, who instantly put a smile on her face. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s good to see you. What took you so long? I thought you would have arrived long ago.¡± She stood up as she was about to help Matilda carry what she was holding. Nevertheless, Matilda backed away and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I can handle it. This is too heavy for you.¡± Soon, the maid quickly came closer and carried the item. After that, Matilda gazed at the maid and said, ¡°These are Sophia¡¯s favorite grapes. Please wash them for her.¡± She is starting to act like this is her home. After giving everything to the maid, Matilda came to the couch and sat down. ¡°I went back to the Flintstone Residence and stayed there the whole day. But guess what? I can¡¯t help missing you guys, so I bought some fruits and swung by.¡± Then, she stared at Sophia¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, girl? You don¡¯t look so happy.¡± Sophia touched her face in confusion. ¡°Really? I guess I¡¯m just tired because I didn¡¯t have a good restst night.¡± At that moment, Old Mrs. Constance jokingly chimed in, ¡°John stayed back for workst night and slept in the office after that, but our little girl, Sophia, doesn¡¯t seem happy about that.¡± Chapter 969 Chapter 969 Matildaughed it off and said, ¡°This is just the beginning of your problems, and there will be a lot moreing in the future. So, you should be like me and learn how to let go. Sometimes, things can be hardly evitable, and there is nothing they can do about it.¡± In fact, William had also stayed in thepany before when he got too busy back then. As a workaholic, he would even be missing from home for a few days in a row. Needless to say, that didn¡¯t sit well with Matilda, as she argued with William and told him she didn¡¯t want a married life like that. Although William made a promise to change every time, he still did the same thing again and again. When arguing andining didn¡¯t seem to work, Matilda began to get over it and ept the unchangeable fact. It was at that moment that Matilda realized that she had also made sacrifices in those days before they separated. Sophia responded with an affirmative hum. ¡°I called John this morning, and he said he might be back earlier today.¡± Hearing her daughter-inw¡¯s words, she grinned as she said, ¡°Both of you are still young. When you reach my age, you probably won¡¯t care whether hees back.¡± Old Mrs. Constance sat there with a chuckle. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s really how you feel? William basically goes to your ce every day. So, I¡¯m pretty curious to see the look on your face if he doesn¡¯t show up one day.¡± Faced with the funnyment, Matilda paused before she burst intoughter. ¡°Oh,e on, Old Mrs. Constance! You didn¡¯t have to embarrass me.¡± After that, bothdiesughed in amusement while Sophia sat aside and forced a smile on her face. John hasn¡¯t sent me a text since he called this morning. I wonder how he is doing over there. A few momentster, Sophia was reminded of Isabelle¡¯s missed call the day before. Could that woman have something she wanted to tell me? Soon, it was noon by the time Sophia and Old Mrs. Constance were about to be done with their chatter. At that moment, Old Mrs. Constance felt a little sleepy, so she had the maid help her walk to the bedroom. Meanwhile, Matilda made her way to the kitchen to see what they were cooking for lunch. At the same time, Sophia headed outside and gave Isabelle a call, but to no avail, as no one picked up the phone. Is this revenge from her? Fine, I¡¯m not going to call back anyway. Unwilling to give in, Sophia refused to phone Isabelle a second time. Nheless, she couldn¡¯t shake off the thought that Isabelle might have had something she wanted to tell her the day before. Perhaps she no longer thinks it¡¯s important to say what she wanted to after the missed call. Then, Sophia took a look at the time and pondered. It¡¯s almost noon. I guess maybe I should call John up to check on him. Soon, John answered the call and responded with a calm voice before Sophia could ask her question. ¡°I¡¯m a little busy at the moment, but I¡¯ll be back by noon. So, don¡¯t worry.¡± After hearing his reply, Sophia¡¯s mind was finally put to ease. She then said, ¡°Your mom is here, so perhaps you could invite your dad along as well.¡± In response, John gave an affirmative reply with a confident voice. Knowing that he was busy, Sophia hung up the call without saying much and went back inside the house. Feeling much better, she went to the kitchen and looked at Matilda, who was busy preparing lunch. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a nap now, so I¡¯ll see you allter.¡± Matilda responded with an affirmative hum, without even looking at Sophia. ¡°Sure, go ahead. I¡¯ll let you know when it¡¯s time for lunch.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Sophia replied, standing still for a few seconds before she headed upstairs. As soon as she returned to her room, she reached for her phone and called Logan to thank him. I don¡¯t know what Logan did or said to Johnst night, but I guess I owe him my thanks for having my back.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 970 Chapter 970 It took a few moments until Logan finally picked up the call. Hearing the noise in the background, Sophia held back what she was nning to say and asked, ¡°Where are you, Logan? Are you ying poker in your clubhouse or something?¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Logan answered, ¡°Oh, no, no. I¡¯m away at the moment. Are youing over right now?¡± Chuckling, she made a guess about his whereabouts. ¡°Are you now at the gym?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Logan sounded panicky upon hearing her question, which indirectly confirmed Sophia¡¯s suspicion. Soon, she smacked her lips and said, ¡°I knew you¡¯d be there. Tell me. Are you there to ask for trouble or help out?¡± Logan paused, whereupon he tried to brush the question off by replying in a softer tone, ¡°Neither. I¡¯m here because I have some serious business to discuss with that woman.¡± Sophia curiously asked, ¡°Oh, what kind of serious business do you have with Miss L? Could you perhaps enlighten me?¡± Sniggering upon hearing her sarcastic query, he questioned his friend, ¡°Come on! Can¡¯t you have a little faith in me? I wouldn¡¯t be here if I didn¡¯t need her help. Darn it! I¡­¡± Before Logan could continue his words, Sophia heard a woman¡¯s voice in the background. ¡°Logan? What the heck brings you here again?¡± Needless to say, Logan didn¡¯t go on to finish his sentence. Upon hearing that, Sophia chuckled despite knowing that it wasn¡¯t a good time to do this. ¡°It seems that your kryptonite is here.¡± Logan whispered, ¡°Come on¡­ She is not even qualified to earn that title.¡± After listening to his soft reply, Sophia mischievously dared her friend to say that out louder deep down. As soon as Logan finished his words, L¡¯s voice was heard again. ¡°Stop wasting my time, Logan! State the purpose of your visit and get out of my face!¡± Thinking that Sophia might have heard that, Logan couldn¡¯t help but feel a little embarrassed Therefore, Logan was driven by his pride and raised his voice. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, b*tch! You¡¯d better stop giving me an attitude, or I¡­ Ouch! Ouch! Stop acting so violently! What a shameless brute! Can¡¯t you talk like a civilized person?! You¡­ Ouch! Ouch! It hurts!¡± Nevertheless, Sophia didn¡¯t hang up the call but instead continued to listen to what was happening on the other side. In that instant, she felt her mood lifted without even herself knowing why. In the meantime, L managed to subdue Logan with a shoulder lock behind his back as he began to feel numb in his right shoulder. Soon, the man instinctively groped L¡¯s shoulder with his left hand, only to recall her previous injury. Her injury needs several months to recover, which means her joint is probably still hurt. At the thought of that, Logan reluctantly let go of his hand. Although Logan went easy on her, L didn¡¯t hold back her strength, locking his shoulder with a powerful grip while forcing him into submission. She then went on, saying, ¡°I¡¯m grateful for your help thest time, but you¡¯re seriously pushing your luck. I¡¯ve warned you to stay away from my gym. You¡¯re not wee here at all, so get lost!¡± Losing his temper, Logan angrily talked back. ¡°Let go of me, you b*tch! I¡¯m not going to stoop to your level, so don¡¯t make me hurt you! Moreover, I¡¯m here for some serious business. Thus, you¡¯d better let go of me!¡± After saying that, he caught a glimpse of his phone with a frustrated look on his face, trying to reach it with his left hand. Despite his frustration, he tried to answer Sophia with a calm voice, ¡°I¡¯m a little busy right now, Sophia. So, let¡¯s talk againter. This b*tch¡­¡± Chapter 971 Chapter 971 Logan instantly kept his mouth shut, as the pain was so overwhelming that he could no longer act tough. Then, he let out a sigh and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a call when I¡¯m done.¡± Before Sophia could respond, Logan immediately hung up the call. After that, he turned his attention to L and stopped struggling. ¡°You don¡¯t want to force me to get physical, so let go of me right now!¡± Refusing to stoop to his level, L shoved him aside and sent him staggering a few steps backward. Upon keeping his footing, Logan adjusted his attire and gazed at the woman in disgust. ¡°Look at yourself. Are you really sure that you¡¯re a woman? I bet no man will ever set his eyes on you.¡± Nheless, Logan quickly swallowed his words when he met L¡¯s intimidating gaze since he wasn¡¯t looking for a fight with her anyway. ¡°There is a proposition that I¡¯d like to make. I know you¡¯ve been investigating a case that has something to do with illegal gambling, prostitution, and drug dealing. Considering how much you hate them, I have a lead for you that might help.¡± Although she was no longer aw enforcer, L was still rather sensitive toward crime-rted issues. She then stared at Logan and questioned him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You want to turn yourself in?¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Logan sniggered and replied, ¡°Why would I do that? I¡¯m a legitimate business owner.¡± Soon, he got himself a chair and sat down, crossing his legs. ¡°I know a ce where the people there are using their money-lending service as a facade to disguise their drug-dealing business. Besides, I have some evidence that can prove their financial hanky-panky. So, what do you say we work together?¡± Nevertheless, L was unwilling to meet Logan¡¯s gaze as she looked away from him. At the same time, she also felt a slight pain in her injured shoulder from overly exhausting it when she manhandled Logan a few moments ago. Massaging her own shoulder, she swung her arm around and said, ¡°Why would I ept your proposition when reporting about criminal activity is your civilian duty in the first ce? Don¡¯t tell me you have no idea about that at all.¡± Logan responded with a nonchnt grunt and said, ¡°Okay, in this case, that means there is no room for discussion anymore. Furthermore, you¡¯re not the officer you used to be, so there isn¡¯t really a need for me to give you my lead.¡± As soon as he finished his words, he stood up and headed outside while L sat still in silence. Although Logan deliberately slowed his footsteps, he eventually arrived at the doorstep without hearing L¡¯s response. In a fit of rage, he pointed at the woman and cursed her, ¡°You b*tch¡­¡± However, he swallowed his words from the tip of his tongue and said, ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re doing,dy.¡± L looked askance at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I thought you were leaving.¡± Staring at L, he began to act like a rogue. ¡°I changed my mind.¡± He then returned to L¡¯s side and said in a disgusted manner, ¡°You ingrate! Is this really how I¡¯m repaid for the great favor I did you thest time?¡± L ridiculed Logan and replied, ¡°I could take care of those guys myself, with or without you. Furthermore, I¡¯ve already thanked you, so what do you want from me?¡± Logan sniggered and said, ¡°Take care of them yourself? How? With your own fists? Do you really think those guys would be a gentleman like me and go easy on you because you¡¯re injured?¡± While L stared at Logan, the man suddenly realized he should probably rephrase his words. So, he added, ¡°I don¡¯t bully women. If you were a guy, I¡¯d probably snap your neck by now.¡± Chapter 972 Chapter 972 L was not interested in Logan at all, so she turned her gaze away. After that, she found herself a ce and sat down while massaging her injured shoulder in silence. Only after stealing a few nces at L did Logan say, ¡°What I told you is true. I really have the evidence. If you¡¯re willing to listen to me, we can work together. Look at it this way. You want to fight crimes, and I wish to get rid of someone in there. So, our goals are aligned at some point.¡± He slowed down in his speech. ¡°Plus, this is a win-win situation for us. Did you not feel regretful that you didn¡¯t manage to expose my hideout? I¡¯m now giving you a chance, after your career change, to expose a hideout yourself. This den is even bolder than mine. When the time arrives, I¡¯ll show you their financial statements. Then, you¡¯ll finally know howrge their business volume is.¡± Learning about the possibility, she was momentarily silent. Unfettered, Logan continued rambling, ¡°Last time when I was here, I saw a colleague of yours around. He was quite mean to you, and I overheard everything he said. I think he was right. Look at you, it was good that you quit. After all, you¡¯ve never had any significant achievements in the past. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Right? Part of the reason people mock you is because of yourck of aplishments.¡± Suddenly, L turned around to re at him with a threatening gleam in her eyes. Logan¡¯s mouth was agape, and he finally shut up after his long speech. At noon, John went home on time. He even got changed, and it was obvious that he freshened up because he looked clean. As for Sophia, she was still scrolling her phone upstairs. After greeting Matilda downstairs, John went up to his room. Because he was tiptoeing around, Sophia, who was buried in her phone on the bed, didn¡¯t notice the sound of him opening the door. He left the door slightly ajar and peeked at her through the opening. From his angle, Sophia¡¯s bulging belly looked very obvious. She tied her hair into a simple ponytail and was dressed in a monotone casual outfit, looking rather motherly and gentle. Instead of walking in, John crossed his arms and stood at the door, admiring his wife. She must havee across something amusing on the phone. Sophia furrowed her brows, rxed them, and started grinning. His lips curled up into a grin as he thought to himself, This young woman is getting more interesting by the day. After a few minutes of waiting at the door, John realized that Sophia was still immersed in her phone. Therefore, he had no choice but to push the door open and enter the room. Her reflexes were rtively slow. When she turned around and noticed Johning in, she quickly got out of bed and went up to him, giving him a soft embrace without a word. With his wife in his embrace, he chuckled silently, and along with his chuckle, Sophia could feel minor vibrations across his chest. He said, ¡°This is the first time you are acting this clingy.¡± Indeed, it was a first. Before their divorce, Sophia was very observant¡ªshe knew that John disliked her, and therefore, she never clung to him. After the divorce, she probably held grudges toward him, so she became cooler and treated him with no emotions. Technically, this was the first time she flirted with John. He hugged her and gently rocked her body. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Looking up with teary eyes, she said, ¡°You didn¡¯t pick up your phone ore homest night. Do you know how terrified I was?¡± John cupped her face in his palms and kissed her. ¡°I had some matters to deal withst night, and I set my phone on mute. I didn¡¯t hear the notifications.¡± Then, he pinched her face. ¡°It waste at night. I was tired and worried that I¡¯d wake you up if I came home, so I decided to sleep at the office. Why are you worried about me? No one could harm your husband.¡± Sophia stared at him for a long time before muttering, ¡°Yeah, if only you were as invincible as you imed.¡± Chapter 973 Chapter 973 With Sophia in his arms, John kissed her on the forehead. The two snuggled for a while before heading downstairs. It was time for dinner. The two of them saw Matilda wiping her hands and ready to go upstairs to inform everyone. Sophia said, ¡°Mom! Hasn¡¯t Grandmae down?¡± Sophia¡¯s way of addressing Matilda made her jump in shock. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. She smacked her lips with an awkward expression and replied, ¡°You should just call me Madam Flintstone. That way, I won¡¯t feel any gap between us. If you call me Mom, my heart will jump, and I will feel as if I have aged.¡± Sophiaughed jovially at Matilda¡¯s funny response. ¡°Not only you, I feel weird calling you Mom as well. Great, Madam Flintstone it is.¡± Feeling a little amused by how odd the conversation could go between thedies, John asked, ¡°Do I need to call you by your name as well?¡± Matilda red at him. ¡°What for? Don¡¯t you want to be my son? Or you don¡¯t see me as your mother?¡± Faced with his mother¡¯s chain of questions, he quickly shut up and regretted his decision to butt in. I should have listened without interrupting. Matilda turned to Sophia and said, ¡°Your grandma hasn¡¯te down yet. I¡¯m going upstairs to notify her.¡± Upon saying so, she turned her body slightly to walk around John and Sophia to the second floor. After stepping down the stairs, Sophia carefully stretched her limbs. ¡°By the way, did Logan contact youst night?¡± John grunted before answering, ¡°Yeah, he gave me some valuable clues. Even though he is all over the ce and acts carelessly, at the crucial moment, he ys an important role.¡± At the mention of Logan¡¯s character, Sophia immediately broke into a smile. ¡°I think Logan is at Miss Hunt¡¯s ce now. I can¡¯t exin why, but I feel that those two have something going on.¡± John pursed his lips without replying. To be honest, he had had a discussion with Logan about L. Even though she had made a career switch, she used to be part of the police and had some support behind her. Getting L onto their side to help would be much easier than dealing with the matter themselves. John and Sophia waited in the dining room. Soon, Matilda returned with Old Mrs. Constance. The olddy looked as if she had just woken up. With Matilda¡¯s help, she carefully descended the stairs. When they wereing down, Sophia overheard them talking about the Flintstones, which reminded her that Old Mrs. Constance had wanted to pay a visit to the Flintstones. Indeed, when the two women appeared, Old Mrs. Constance announced, ¡°I will head over to the Flintstone Residence in the afternoon. Matilda will stay home. Sophia, do you have anything you crave? I can buy you some when I¡¯m out.¡± She¡¯s treating me like a kid! Not having any cravings, Sophia shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t particrly crave anything. I¡¯m fine. There are too many fruits at home, and I¡¯ll have those instead.¡± Old Mrs. Constance smiled warmly at her. ¡°We didn¡¯t treat you well in the past. That¡¯s why I wanted to make it up to you now.¡± Grinning, Sophia suggested, ¡°If you want to make it up to me, just have John do it.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded, and her gaze swept through the locked hands that Sophia and John ced on the table. She clicked her tongue and remarked, ¡°From what I see, John is really treating you like a princess now. Ah, how good it is to be young!¡± Not only did John and Sophia not feel shy, but they also tightened their grip on each other¡¯s fingers. Seeing how lovey-dovey the young couple were, Matildaughed out loud from the side. ¡°These two are resembling each other more and more. From their temper to personality, they grow to resemble each other.¡± Sophia startedughing as well. ¡°Well, I have a better temper than John.¡± Hearing ament about himself, John pinched her hand. ¡°Whatever. As long as you¡¯re happy, you can say anything you want about me.¡± The atmosphere at today¡¯s dining table was obviously better thanst night¡¯s. The four of them ate and chatted merrily. During the meal, Old Mrs. Constance did not forget to check with John. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe homest night?¡± Chapter 974 Chapter 974 Old Mrs. Constance seemed to be schooling him on behalf of Sophia as she added, ¡°You can¡¯t keep doing this. Sophia is pregnant now. You can¡¯t leave her alone at home like this. No matter how busy you are at work, I do not believe that you need to work thiste into the night.¡± John nodded without exining what he had been up tost night. To his grandmother, he only said, ¡°I won¡¯t do that anymore. From now on, I will try to leave work earlier ande home to keep herpany.¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Old Mrs. Constance nodded in satisfaction and looked at Sophia. ¡°This fellow has made a promise here. If he breaks his promise, you can talk to me. I will deal with him for you.¡± Sophia instantly knew that Old Mrs. Constance was acting this way on purpose to soothe her anxiety fromst night. She nodded gratefully and said, ¡°Okay, Grandma, I wille to you for help if he breaks his promise. Just don¡¯t favor him by then.¡± Old Mrs. Constance gave her grandson a warning stare. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got my walking stick ready. If he neglects you, I will definitely beat him up.¡± John smiled and shook his head at the cute scene without ament. The amicable atmosphere made it a lovely lunch for everyone. Compared tost night, Sophia clearly had a better appetite. After lunch, she suddenly recalled something and turned to ask John, ¡°By the way, Dn has a girlfriend now. Do you know what she looks like?¡± John frowned for a moment. Meeting Dn¡¯s girlfriend was out of the question when he did not even have the time to meet with Dn over the past two days. Thus, he pursed his lips and replied, ¡°I heard that Aunt Jennifer went to thepany two days ago to have lunch with Dn¡¯s girlfriend. I only knew about it through Dad and I didn¡¯t get to meet the girl.¡± Beside them, Matilda interjected, ¡°Don¡¯t sweat about it. When you meet your Aunt Jennifer, she will tell you all about it. You don¡¯t even need to ask; she will blurt out everything.¡± That sounded about right, Sophia thought. As she chuckled, she said, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± After lunch, John stayed around for a bit longer. The four of them chatted for some time before Sophia started to feel drowsy. Then, John followed her back to their room andy down beside her like he was about to coax a child to sleep. He even tapped on her shoulder rhythmically and gradually lulled her to sleep. She was lying on her side and her belly protruded in an obvious way. At the sight of it, he ced his hand on her belly and caressed it. For now, they still could not feel any movements of the fetus. I wonder how this little fellow is doing in there? Leaning down, he gave her a kiss on her forehead before slowly making his way downstairs. Now, Old Mrs. Constance was already on her way to the Flintstones, so only Matilda was lying on the couch watching TV. She appeared bored out of her mind. When John was back downstairs, he informed her, ¡°It¡¯s about time for me to leave. I¡¯ll be off now.¡± She nodded. ¡°Can you be home on time tonight?¡± When John heard that, he hesitated for a while and cautiously answered, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. ¡± She grunted. ¡°Now that Sophia¡¯s pregnant, you need to give her what she needs. A pregnant woman tends to overthink. You spend too little time with her and that will make her sad.¡± John let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°Alright. I got it.¡± After the brief chat with Matilda, he promptly left the Constance Residence. When his car went into the highway, Zack was waiting for him there. Then, John pulled over, and Zack came up to take his ce on the driver¡¯s seat. When they were done switching positions, Zack started the car and continued driving John to his destination. During the journey, Zack started a conversation. ¡°The police have recorded Husky and Roselia¡¯s statements. Also, someone went to check on the ce Roselia was held yesterday. For now, we have narrowed down our targets to a few men, but we could not get a hold on the exact situation yet. Anyway, I believe that the police have started to make their move.¡± He added, ¡°I talked to Roselia just now. She told me that there¡¯s some inventory hidden in the shadow bank. Their people probably nned to have Old Mr. Bailey count the inventory during the operations handover to him. However, after Husky and Roselia¡¯s incident, I wonder if they¡¯d quickly transfer the stuff away from scrutiny.¡± Chapter 975 Chapter 975 John grunted. ¡°It has been my n to make them transfer the inventory.¡± Otherwise, how could I even tackle them? On the other side, Isabelle was sitting in the living room of the Bailey Residence. Last night, her father came home past midnight, but early this morning, he was already out. In the morning, Isabelle made a call to John, but he did not pick up. He had not been picking up her calls over the past two days, which gave her a hunch that something was going to happen soon. Seated on the sofa, she was holding her phone, wanting to send him a text to caution him. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. However, before she coulde up with the content, Mrs. Bailey started to make a scene again. She ran down from the second floor and imed that she saw Dexter. Then, she stared eerily at a corner in the living room as she wailed and pleaded for Dexter to stay. Isabelle hurriedly went up to hug her mom andforted her over and over. Exhausted from all the crying, Mrs. Bailey slumped onto the floor, sobbing in a hoarse voice. Isabelle teared up upon seeing her mom¡¯s grief. At the sight of that, she was also reminded of Dexter, which remained a painful topic for her. On the other side of the house, Elder Mr. Bailey heard themotion and emerged from his room. He stood at the top of the stairs on the second floor and gazed down at the hysterical Mrs. Bailey with an icy expression. When Mrs. Bailey was too depleted to cry, Elder Mr. Bailey admonished her. ¡°You¡¯re still making a fuss? When are you going to stop? If you keep doing this, none of us will live in peace.¡± Isabelle was shocked by his mean remark and stared up at her grandpa, who was standing on top of the stairs. Perhaps it was due to the bad lighting, Elder Mr. Bailey appeared a little menacing with his figure being outlined by the light behind him. Any remaining attachment Isabelle had for the Baileys was instantly gone in front of Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s merciless face. The woman lying limp in Isabelle¡¯s arms had lost all hope in life. Unfortunately, no one in this family had any sympathy left for her. By now, Isabelle had known for a fact that the Baileys were all cold-blooded. However, it was this exact moment that woke her up to the extremity of the Baileys¡¯ck of empathy. With that, Isabelle lost all her hope for the Baileys. Elder Mr. Bailey didn¡¯t look at Isabelle in a friendler expression either. ¡°Lock your mom up. If she keeps acting this way, we may have to send her to a rehabilitation center. This is a huge family. If she keeps iming that she can see ghosts, all of us will not have any peace!¡± Isabelle pursed her lips defiantly without a word. After Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s reproach, Mrs. Bailey immediately fell silent. Isabelle hugged her mom even tighter and stroked her back. Before leaving, Elder Mr. Bailey spat, ¡°She¡¯s just jinxing the family! It was only a death in the family, but she¡¯s acting like everyone died.¡± Isabelle waited until he was gone before her lips curled into a cold smirk. What¡¯s the point of protecting a family like the Baileys? Why am I even worrying for them? The earlier we part ways, the better. After that, she helped Mrs. Bailey back to the room. Mrs. Bailey¡¯s face was covered with tears and snot as she grabbed Isabelle¡¯s hand, iming that she had really seen Dexter. Unsettled, Isabelle pursed her lips and stared at her mom. A long pauseter, she suggested, ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t you leave this ce? A change of environment might help your mood.¡± Mrs. Bailey immediately covered her face and started crying. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter where I go. I lost Dexter and I can¡¯t live without him.¡± Isabelle stroked her mom¡¯s back. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this ce. No one here sympathizes with you. When I¡¯m done settling everything here, I will leave and join you too. How does that sound?¡± Mrs. Bailey slowly lifted her head and looked at her daughter. Then, she gave a slow nod. Her throat was dry from all the crying, so she could not say a thing. Once Isabelle saw that her mom had agreed, she immediately started picking a ce to send her mom to. Chapter 976 Chapter 976 It was obvious that Mrs. Bailey could not remain in the same city. The Bailey Family was going through a lot of ups and downs, so there was no guarantee that the media outlet would drop a bomb and report on Mrs. Bailey¡¯s breakdown. With that in mind, Isabelle nned to send her mom as far away as possible. After deciding on a few ces, she waited for her father toe home before proposing her idea to him. He replied without hesitation, ¡°If you want to send her away, go ahead. Looking at her now, everyone at home is greatly affected by her behavior.¡± After he said that, she smirked when he wasn¡¯t looking. See, this is the true color of the Baileys. They didn¡¯t care about how Mrs. Bailey was going to live her life after she moved out. Everyone saw her as a burden that they wanted to get rid of as soon as possible. At the thought of that, she reminded herself to not dwell on these people because it would only make her despair. Then, she asked him, ¡°When do you think is the best time to send Mom away? Should we do it after the hundredth day of Dexter¡¯s death?¡± He waved at her in objection. ¡°The earlier the better. There¡¯s no need to wait until then. At that time, I fear that she is going to act even crazier.¡± When Isabelle heard that, she nodded at him. ¡°If so, I will make the arrangements ordingly I¡¯ll send her away within the next two days.¡± Even after she said that, her father did not bother to inquire about where she nned to send her mom to. Instead, he merely grunted. ¡°I¡¯ll let you take charge of this.¡± At first, before meeting her dad, she had wanted to discuss with him where to send her mother to. She had selected a few ces, but she could not decide on one. However, judging by his unbothered attitude now, she knew there was no point asking for his opinion. Hence, she slowly sighed and answered, ¡°Got it.¡± At the Constance Residence, Sophia and Matilda watched TV for the entire afternoon at home. In the evening, John indeed returned home on time as he had promised. Not only that, he came back with William and Logan in tow. The moment Logan stepped into the house, he started giggling in a silly way while staring at Sophia. ¡°Sophia, did you miss me?¡± Sophia immediately recalled the interaction she overheard between Logan and L on the phone; the one where he got berated by L. Then, she shed him a smile and fired back, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back from L¡¯s ce?¡± Logan¡¯s expression contorted at the mention of L. ¡°Don¡¯t bring her up! That annoying b*tch! When her arm is healed, she¡¯d better be prepared to fight me!¡± Sophia knew that Logan was all talk and no game; this was something that she had observed throughout their friendship. Thus, she nodded at him dismissively. ¡°Sure, sure, everything you say is right. L just can¡¯t leave you alone, right? She coddles you and even had to beg you so that you¡¯d help her out. Without you, her life would be turned upside down. She can¡¯t live without you!¡± The mocking attitude in her tone was beyond obvious, which made Logan¡¯s face twitch. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°Can¡¯t you at least say something that cheers me up? Seems like all my love for you is worthless.¡± Sophia chuckled and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy at what I said just now? I embellished everything for you. How else do you want me to frame it?¡± Then, John tapped Logan¡¯s arm. ¡°You can¡¯t beat her. She will make you die from frustration.¡± Upon thinking about it, Logan took a seat beside Sophia and asked, ¡°I¡¯m going to have dinner hereter. Do you mind it?¡± She shook her head at him. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s useless to say that I mind. You are already here, so it¡¯s impossible for me to throw you out anyway.¡± Look, another attack from Sophia! Logan decided to keep his mouth shut from now on. Sophia looked at his defeated expression andughed at him. Everyone described Logan as someone cool and unbothered, but now, Sophia witnessed the cute side of Logan. It was a type of cuteness that transcended his age; one that was mixed in with a little bit of silliness. As for William, he immediately went to the kitchen upon arrival, where Matilda was busy cooking with the help of a servant. He leaned on the doorframe silently and admired her. Chapter 977 Chapter 977 During this time, William and Matilda¡¯s living situation was akin to cohabitation. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Since there was no housekeeper around, she had to do everything on her own. Every day, he would find her preparing dinner in the kitchen when he got home from work. To be honest, he really liked the current arrangement. In the past, Matilda was a bad cook, but her culinary skills had improved drastically now, and that came as a surprise to William. After working for a while, Matilda turned around and saw that William was back. She smiled at him. ¡°Why are you standing there? Go join the others in the living room. It¡¯s quite smoky and oily here in the kitchen.¡± He beamed gently at her. ¡°I just want to stand here and look at you.¡± This old fe finally learned how to sweet-talk at this age. She then nodded at him. ¡°Alright then, you can look on if you want. If you¡¯re really bored, you can help us out too.¡± To her surprise, he actually took off his coat, flung it onto the sofa and entered the kitchen. ¡°What do you need help with? Just tell me.¡± There was nothing much for William to do. After all, the servant was quite helpful and skilled. Matilda turned around and scanned the kitchen before gesturing at the servant to leave, telling her, ¡°Leave it to us.¡± The servant was taken aback by the suggestion. Earlier, she noticed that Matilda¡¯s personality had changed. Now, even William seemed to have turned into a new person. Matilda noticed that the servant was taken aback, so she tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°You can continue your work out there. Leave the cooking to us. It¡¯s fine.¡± After deliberating for a while, the servant left them alone. Matilda grabbed an apron for William. ¡°Come here. Time to put on your battle armor.¡± He epted the apron and looked at it with a smile. Then, he obediently put on the apron and asked, ¡°What¡¯s next? Give me the orders, boss.¡± Matilda almost burst outughing at hisical behavior. After that, she patted around herself and checked her surroundings in an attempt to look for something. Looking mildly confused, he asked, ¡°What are you looking for?¡± To that question, she laughed and replied, ¡°I¡¯m searching for my phone. I want to take a photo of you right now.¡± He didn¡¯t mind it, so he handed his own phone over. ¡°Use mine to take the photo.¡± So, she received his phone and took a photo of him in the apron. Next, she stared at the photo for a bit. After some consideration, she decided to upload the photo to his Facebook ount on his phone. His ount was set to private and he did not have many friends on the site. There were only some family members and long-time friends. After posting, she tapped out of the app and ced the phone back into his pocket. ¡°Now, what we need to do is to get these dishes done. ¡± He nodded cooperatively. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do it.¡± They worked well together and started getting busy in the kitchen. In the living room, Sophia stared at the kitchen for a while and tapped on John¡¯s shoulder, gesturing at him to take a look. She lifted a brow in amusement. ¡°Look at your parents and how close they are now!¡± Logan was the first to turn around and take a look, after which he smacked his lips. ¡°Sometimes, I feel that John has walked down the same path as his dad.¡± Then, he borated on his previous remark. ¡°Before this, John was really cold and distant. After going through the divorce and remarriage saga with you, he has mellowed out. Same happened to his dad.¡± Still staring at the kitchen, Logan went on to say, ¡°At first, John was a very firm and cold character. After the divorce and even before the remarriage, he has clearly changed a lot and resembles nothing like before. He has be more easygoing, talkative and friendly.¡± John smiled helplessly. ¡°Perhaps we are fated to be a family.¡± John shared the same experience with William in marriage. However, his own challenges surfaced earlier in the marriage. As for William, his marital issues didn¡¯t arise until he was in his middle age. Chapter 978 Chapter 978 After chatting for a while, John wanted to head upstairs. Sophia could tell that Logan followed John back home to discuss serious matters, so she waved at them and said, ¡°Just go. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± When John heard that, he stood up and caressed her hair. ¡°When I¡¯m done with my stuff, I will spend some time with you.¡± She nodded at him. ¡°Alright. I know.¡± When John went upstairs, Old Mrs. Constance happened to return from her stroll. Just now, she saw John¡¯s car returning to the residence. When she failed to see him around, she directed her gaze toward the second floor. ¡°Did he go upstairs?¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Sophia nodded. ¡°He has something to work on. He¡¯ll stay upstairs and we can call him for dinnerter.¡± Then, she added, ¡°Logan is here as well.¡± Upon hearing that, Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°That kid¡¯s here. It will be very merry at dinnerter.¡± And she was right Logan was a chatterbox who could not stop talking for a second. Old Mrs. Constance took a seat on the sofa and let out a long sigh. ¡°That kid from the Jefferson Family¡­ I wonder what type of girl he would be with. He¡¯s too lively! I previously even tried going through the profiles of all the girls of his age, and I could not find a match for him!¡± Sophia blinked yfully at her. ¡°Grandma, dating isn¡¯t a ck-and-white issue. What we think of as a bad match could be someone he prefers. It¡¯s not something we can be sure of from the get go.¡± Sophia was right indeed. When Old Mrs. Constance heard that. she looked at Sophia warmly. ¡°Yes, just like you and John. No one had thought that John would be the one clinging onto you.¡± At the start of their marriage, Sophia was clearly on the weaker side. Everyone knew very well that even if the marriage led to true love, Sophia would have loved John more than the other way round. After all, John was too arrogant and too rational. He simply wasn¡¯t an emotional man. However, the more everyone believed that to be the case, the sooner reality proved them wrong. None of them had anticipated that John would be the person who was most reluctant to publicly announce his divorce. Finally, he was the one who lowered himself and insisted on moving in with Sophia. Over and over, he requested for a remarriage, even going as far as to impregnate her. His pathetic image right now was a drastic shift from his arrogance and coldness in the past. To sum it up, love wasn¡¯t something that could be assessed rationally. In the kitchen, William and Matilda were busy preparing dinner, but it sounded like they were fooling around because rounds ofughter could be heard. Sophia stole a nce at the kitchen and saw Wilm¡¯s smiling face through the ss panel at the kitchen. Now, she could tell that he was truly happy because his eyes were lit up with joy. Staring at the couple, she felt happy for Matilda. After some ups and downs, the man whom Matilda loved had picked her in the end. It was by no means an easy journey for either of them. Matilda used to be a drama queen. Since William was still sticking around for her, it proved that they were each other¡¯s true love. After a while, Matilda and William were done with the dishes and they served the food with smiles. Later, Sophia noticed that Matilda had sneaked her hand into William¡¯s pocket to fish out his phone. William didn¡¯t mind it at all. He wiped his hands with a paper towel and headed over to join the group in the living room. Then, Sophia stood up and went over to Matilda. The two of them stood at the kitchen¡¯s entrance as Matilda checked William¡¯s Facebook notifications. Feeling curious, Sophia peeked over her shoulder and noticed that William had posted a new photo to his profile, which garnered a lot of likes andments. She stared at the photo for a moment before grinning knowingly. ¡°You posted this purposely for Ynda to see, didn¡¯t you?¡± Chapter 979 Chapter 979 Matilda merely chuckled without giving a reply, which was a silent admission to Sophia¡¯s guess. Sophia smacked her lips. ¡°That¡¯s good too. Now that you have dered your rtionship with Mr. Constances¡¯ cooperation, I believe that Ynda will know what to do next.¡± Then, she ced her hand on Matilda¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m a little curious though. Did Ynda contact himtely?¡± With her eyes fixed on thements, Matilda¡¯s lips curled upward. ¡°She has been calling him, but she¡¯s a smart woman and did not say anything problematic in the call. They simply chatted with each other like friends.¡± In the beginning, Matilda would take the chance to speak beside William during such phone conversations in order to make her presence clear to Ynda. For the first few times, Matilda could sense Ynda¡¯s awkwardness in the presence of a third person. However, after a couple of times, when Ynda called William, she¡¯d ask if Matilda was around and even greet her. Ynda was very skilled and impable in her act, which was something observed by Matilda. On the other hand, Sophia was a little perplexed. ¡°If she acts this way, you can¡¯t even use her of behaving out of line.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± Matilda replied. ¡°This is exactly why it¡¯s hard to deal with her.¡± From the start, Ynda behaved as if she was innocent and was not going after anything. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. In contrast, Matilda only knew how to make a scene to get William¡¯s attention in the past. It backfired and made him think of her as an unreasonable woman. After that, Sophia had nothing more to say, so she stared at William¡¯s Facebook timeline. In thement section of the photo, they could spot Ynda¡¯sment. She sent a smiling emoji with ament that read, ¡®You look kinda handsome in an apron!¡¯ There was nothing wrong with thement, but Matilda definitely felt ufortable reading it. If it was a friend who had left thisment, Matilda would have been fine with it. But knowing Ynda, she definitely had an ulterior motive. Sophia reached out to take William¡¯s phone as she gestured for Matilda to join William with a lift of her chin. Matilda immediately understood once she looked at Sophia, who urged her once more with a smile. ¡°Go over.¡± Hence, Matilda tidied her hair and walked over to William, who was seated beside Old Mrs. Constance and was chatting with the olddy. When she went over, William peeled a tangerine for her. Sophia quickly pointed William¡¯s phone camera in the direction. During the conversation with Old Mrs. Constance, William peeled a section of the tangerine and fed it to Matilda. If this had happened on a normal day, Matilda would have felt shy and insisted on not being fed. However, she epted his loving gesture this time. Standing at her spot, Sophia took a video of the interaction and posted it to William¡¯s Facebook. She hadn¡¯t nned to insert any caption, but right before she posted it, she deliberately added two cringeworthy red heart emojis. This should make it clear, right? After she was done with posting, Sophia tapped out of Facebook and headed over to join the group with William¡¯s phone in her hand. Taking a seat beside Matilda, she shoved the phone into Matilda¡¯s hand. Matilda immediately took the phone and silently pushed it back into William¡¯s pocket while talking with him. All the while, Old Mrs. Constance¡¯s gaze was darting between Matilda and Sophia, her lips curling into a smile. Sophia identally met her eyes. Of course, she knew that Old Mrs. Constance was a shrewddy and she definitely saw through their trick. Perhaps, William was totally aware of it as well. After all, when Sophia was filming William and Matilda, she did not hide her action at all. It was possible that William had noticed her taking the video. Even so, he did not stop her, which meant that he must have tacitly approved her move. A whileter, Sophia went upstairs to call John and Logan down for dinner. The two grown men were huddled together in the study, poring over a pile of documents. Chapter 980 Chapter 980 Having no interest in what they were reading, Sophia stood at the door and called out to them. ¡°Hey there, you two handsome fellows. Time for dinner!¡± Logan grunted. ¡°Handsome fellow? You must be calling me.¡± John closed the file. ¡°Yeah, yeah, she¡¯s definitely calling you.¡± Then, he left the study, taking Sophia¡¯s hand in his as they walked out. Logan gave them a sideward look. ¡°Do you need to do that in front of me? Why are you doing that even at home? Does no one at home tell you off for acting lovey-dovey?¡± After ring at Logan, Sophia turned around, hugged John and kissed him. ¡°I¡¯m holding my husband¡¯s hand and kissing him in my own house. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± She snorted and added, ¡°Why don¡¯t you get a girl for yourself too?¡± Logan cried out, ¡°What¡¯s with you? Are youughing at me for being single? Alright, just you wait. One day, I¡¯ll bring my girlfriend to meet you. I will show you how capable of a man I am!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t bother to reply to him because he was always good at bluffing. By now, she knew that her friend was not good at anything, except for bluffing. The three of them went downstairs for dinner. Halfway, Logan lowered his head and saw the interaction between Matilda and William. The couple was talking about something and smiling at each other. At the sight, Logan drew a sharp breath. ¡°You all! You never care about my feelings. If I had known about all the public disys of affection I would be seeing here, I wouldn¡¯t havee here for a free dinner!¡± The older and younger couples both act the same way! Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. At dinner, everyone sat down and listened to Old Mrs. Constance announcing the oue of her discussion with Old Mrs. Flintstone. They obviously had a family meeting at the Flintstone Residence to discuss Matilda and William¡¯s rtionship. This time, Old Mrs. Constance had a smooth discussion with them. The two families had finally reached amon understanding and no one objected to Matilda and William¡¯s remarriage. Despite the agreement, the Flintstones had some reservations on their side. The news of John and Sophia¡¯s remarriage was not made public yet, but Sophia¡¯s belly was growing by the day, so the news would break sooner orter. A couple that had divorced each other and got back together again would make a great love story. It would be a tale of them going their own ways, only to find their way back to each other after twists and turns. However, if both father and son decided to remarry their former spouses, the public discourse would look very different. When the two went through divorce one after another, and somehow decided to remarry at the same time, people would think that they were treating marriage as a joke. ording to the Flintstones, they believed that nothing too impactful would happen between William and Matilda anytime soon, unlike John and Sophia. Therefore, they proposed to keep the rtionship between William and Matilda a secret first, and the families would not make a public announcement about it for the moment. Old Mrs. Constance could understand the Flintstones¡¯ concern. Now, she looked at the older couple and asked for their opinion, ¡°What do you think about this?¡± William¡¯s expression remained calm as he nodded. ¡°It makes sense too. With or without the public announcement, our rtionship will not change. At this age, both of us are not bothered about the formalities anymore. Everything¡¯s fine as long as we are happy with each other.¡± Matilda agreed. ¡°I think so too.¡± Old Mrs. Constance blinked at her. ¡°If so, let¡¯s move on to the next question. When are you two going to register your marriage? Or are you still nning to wait?¡± Faced with the tough question, Matilda pursed her lips and kept silent. William stared at his mom and frowned a little. ¡°Mom, I should be the one who¡¯s popping the question.¡± Something clicked in the olddy¡¯s mind and she immediately pped in realization. ¡°Ah! I¡¯ve talked too much! I asked her without thinking much about it. Yes, when ites to remarriage, you should be the one asking her.¡± William nced at Matilda with a defeated look and said, ¡°I had wanted to bring up this question with you tonight, but now that we¡¯re on the topic, I can¡¯t shy away from it.¡± . Chapter 981 Chapter 981 William put down his fork and knife to fumble around in his pocket. Beside him, Sophia blinked and inched closer to whisper into John¡¯s ear. ¡°Could your dad have bought a diamond ring to propose?¡± John stared at William¡¯s action and smiled. ¡°I guess so.¡± On the other hand, Logan¡¯s face was twitching at the sight of the progression of events. I am too thoughtless. I shouldn¡¯t havee for dinner! Not only was he mocked by Sophia, he was forced to watch the lovey-dovey scenes of the two couples. What did I do to deserve this? Indeed, William took out a brocade box from his pocket. Anyone could tell that it was a ring box with one look. Matilda was shocked at the sight of it. At this age, she had not expected to be presented with a ceremony like this. The two of them could have discussed the remarriage between themselves in private, and that would have been good enough for her. Proposals and diamond rings were not part of her expectations. Under everyone¡¯s expectant eyes, William found it hard to go down on one knee to propose. Thus, he could only open the box on the table, push it over to Matilda, and stare at her. His question was simple too. ¡°Let¡¯s remarry, okay?¡± Logan instantly lifted his hands to shield his face. On the other hand, Matilda¡¯s face was blushing from the proposal. Without any fuss, she took the diamond ring and put it onto her finger. Frankly speaking, she had a lot of diamond rings, but they were all left behind at Constance Residence after the divorce. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. She bought most of the rings for herself and William had only given her one ring at the start of their marriage. Despite that, she never wore the ring he bought. After all, it was a gift from many years ago and was already out of style. Now, she stared at the diamond ring on her finger for a moment. Smiling, she gave a reply shorter than his question. ¡°Okay.¡± Old Mrs. Constance sighed at the proposal. ¡°Girl, you are going to me me. If I had not brought it up hastily just now, William might have given you a better proposalter tonight.¡± Matilda waved her hands to show her objection. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that. We¡¯re getting older now and there¡¯s really no need for a proposal. Everything¡¯s good as long as we share an understanding and have an open talk about it.¡± At the same time, Sophia took a look at Logan. ¡°Logan, why are you covering your face? Is it because you can¡¯t stand watching as a singleton?¡± Logan slowly lowered his hands and scrambled for an excuse. ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t stand it. I¡¯m simply feeling shy.¡± Then, Old Mrs. Constance took the chance to turn her focus onto Logan. She stared at him and said, ¡°Logan, don¡¯t me me for talking too much. You¡¯re not young anymore. I¡¯m doing this because I see you as family. Come, tell me if there¡¯s any girl you¡¯re interested in right now.¡± In response, he hurriedly waved his hands. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t you know me? I¡¯m wild and free¡ªnot the type that fancies being tied down. For now, I¡¯m not interested in finding a partner.¡± As if he was afraid of being mocked by Sophia, he quickly added, ¡°But if I wanted to, it would be easy to get someone! Girls are going to line up for me.¡± What a shameless fellow! He has the guts to say anything at any asion without discretion! Sophia thought. Knowing that Logan was trying to joke his way out of the conversation, she sighed. ¡°Your family must be getting worried about you, aren¡¯t they? I understand that young people nowadays prefer to enjoy a longer period of freedom, but there are certain things that should be done at the right age. Think of it; when you grow older and finally decide to marry a woman who¡¯s in the same age range, the two of you will be too old to even think about having children and raising them. You won¡¯t have the energy for that!¡± Logan forced augh and was a little lost at how to continue the conversation around this topic. Seated beside them, Sophia felt likeughing at the sight of his embarrassed expression. She waited for a while before chiming in to help Logan. ¡°Grandma, you can¡¯t rush a marriage. Perhaps it¡¯s just not time yet. When the right persones along, this matter will be settled in no time.¡± Chapter 982 Chapter 982 Old Mrs. Constance nodded at her remark. ¡°You¡¯re right. A marriage can¡¯t be rushed.¡± With Sophia¡¯s help, the conversation about Logan¡¯s marriage finally came to an end. Logan rubbed his hands and appeared flustered. Obviously, he was feeling extremely ufortable eating together with them this time. In the past, he never cared much about public disys of affection, but now, every time he came across it, he would feel a little bothered. This was especially because his sister called him two nights ago. In the call, Lorraine told him that their father¡¯s health was not welltely, and that he had been talking about his only wish¡ªto see Logan getting married. Lorraine sounded nice over the call. Neither did she get angry nor order him to do anything about it. However, the call left Logan feeling bad. It was true that his father¡¯s health was declining. Their family doctor even lived in the room next to his in order to monitor his condition. Old Mr. Jefferson had always been talking about Logan¡¯s marriage, but Logan never saw it as a big deal. When the topic was brought up again under the current circumstances, Logan felt it differently. The dinner at the Constances¡¯ ce didn¡¯t go on for long. When it was about to end, John and Logan both stood up. Sophia knew that the two had other matters to tend to, but Old Mrs. Constance did not understand the situation. So, she looked at John and Logan. ¡°Why did you two finish dinner in a haste? You didn¡¯t eat much either. ¡± In response, John took a napkin to wipe his hand. ¡°I¡¯m full now. Plus, I don¡¯t want to overeat at night. I¡¯ve been suffering from indigestion over the past two days.¡± Logan nodded and grunted in agreement. ¡°Yes, yes, we¡¯ll have indigestion. It¡¯s better to eat less.¡± Sophia almost laughed out loud. Of course, she knew that Logan was definitely not suffering from indigestion; he merely found the conversation at the dinner table difficult. After hearing their exnation, Old Mrs. Constance did not object to them leaving. Therefore, John and Logan both went into the study upstairs. Upon thinking about it for a moment, Old Mrs. Constance looked at Sophia. ¡°I have a feeling that John and Logan have some important matters to deal with. Look at them! They obviously n to discuss something serious.¡± Sophia agreed but feigned ignorance. ¡°I know nothing about it. I never ask John about his work.¡± A few momentster, Old Mrs. Constance nodded slowly. ¡°Right. You don¡¯t need to care about what is happening at his work. Just focus on your health and your pregnancy. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡± At that time, Sophia was done with dinner too. She chatted a little with Old Mrs. Constance before putting down her fork and sat there to keep thempany. Matilda was talking to William about a situation at her ce. It sounded like there was a leaking pipe somewhere around. She said that she wanted William to help fix it when they head backter. When William heard that, he said that he had wanted to fix the leak the previous day, but he had failed to find any wrench. Otherwise, he would have already settled it. During the chat, Sophia leaned into her chair and observed the older couple. Theirmunication style right now was much better than before. Matilda could finally converse like a normal person, while William sounded warmer and had be a caring husband. Happy to witness the harmonious rtionship, Old Mrs. Constance smiled throughout their conversation with a hint of relief and joy. When everyone was done with dinner, they moved over to the sofa and chatted more. Matilda and John ultimately nned to return to their ce. They had little interest in staying the night at Constance Residence. When Old Mrs. Constance found out about it, she smacked her lips and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with staying here? Is it inconvenient for you two to get lovey-dovey?¡± Matilda caressed the diamond ring on her finger and replied, ¡°Why would we need to get lovey-dovey at this age? It¡¯s simply morefortable for us to stay at my ce. After all, both of us are not legally remarried yet.¡± They have been using their status as an excuse over and over again, Old Mrs. Constance thought to herself. Chapter 983 Chapter 983 Old Mrs. Constance didn¡¯t want to say anything anymore. After the four of them chatted for a while, Matilda and William had to go. However, the two of them only informed Old Mrs. Constance and Sophia before they left as they weren¡¯t nning to go up to tell John about it. Old Mrs. Constance grinned as she told Sophia, ¡°Look at those two. They are way more inseparable nowpared to when they were younger.¡± Then, Sophia turned toward Old Mrs. Constance and asked, ¡°Grandma, do you want to go out and walk around? I¡¯ll help you.¡± Indeed, it wasn¡¯t quite healthy to just sit down here after having their meal. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. After contemting for a moment, the olddy nodded. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± On the other hand, William and Matilda were in the car on their way out of the Constance Residence when William asked, ¡°You posted on Facebook with my phone?¡± Matilda grunted as she leaned back on the seat. ¡°I posted twice, in fact.¡± William smiled at that. ¡°How¡¯s the reaction? Are you satisfied?¡± In response, Matilda harrumphed and took William¡¯s phone before opening Facebook and showing him thements under the post. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m satisfied with this response?¡± William nced at his phone from the corners of his eyes without paying much attention to thements before he nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. Many have seen me getting tamed by you.¡± Then, Matilda took the phone back and didn¡¯t say anything else as she stared at Ynda¡¯s comment. A whileter, William reached out to grab Matilda¡¯s hand before intertwining their fingers together as he questioned, ¡°What¡¯s bothering you?¡± Matilda replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see Yndaplimenting you?¡± However, William chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s bothering you? Isn¡¯t it normal for me to getpliments?¡± Before Matilda could say anything, William added, ¡°Block her if you¡¯re not happy about it.¡± Caught by surprise, Matilda turned toward William. ¡°What did you just say?¡± William repeated his words. ¡°If Ynda being my friend irks you, just block her. It¡¯s not like I have to keep in touch with her anyway.¡± After staring at William for a moment, Matilda spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t try to test me. I¡¯ll really do it if you allow me to. I¡¯ll really block her immediately.¡± Still, William chuckled before nodding. ¡°Just block her. If her presence really affects our rtionship, you can do it.¡± Giving William another long look, Matilda lowered her head and started tapping on the phone before unfriending Ynda. Since he had already made it clear, it wouldn¡¯t be fair for him if she didn¡¯t do it. Immediately after unfriending Ynda, Matilda could feel a weight in heart being lifted. Now, she could finally breathe in relief. Right then, the corners of William¡¯s lips turned up. ¡°Feel better now?¡± ¡°Mmh. Yes. I feel way better now.¡± Then, she pinched William¡¯s hand. ¡°It would have been great if you were like this back then.¡± However, Matilda wasn¡¯t one to hold grudges about these. William exhaled. ¡°I was inconsiderate and egotistical in the past, but this won¡¯t happen again in the future. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Matilda couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at how well-behaved William was on this day. After they got home, Matilda took William¡¯s phone again as she wasn¡¯t assured. Thements were still increasing. Then, she checked his friend requests to see that Ynda hadn¡¯t sent him a friend request yet. She probably didn¡¯t know yet that he had unfriended her. Matilda couldn¡¯t help but feel excited as she wanted to know how Ynda would react. On the other hand, William didn¡¯t really care as he changed into his sleepwear and lay on the bed after washing up. A few momentster, Matilda scooted over to him. ¡°What if Ynda sends you a new friend request?¡± William was speechless as he reached out to pinch Matilda¡¯s cheek. Chapter 984 Chapter 984 He treated her as if he was talking to a little girl. ¡°I¡¯ll let you check my phone everyday, alright?¡± In response, she moved away from him. ¡°Hmph. She can still call you.¡± William immediatelyughed. ¡°I really can¡¯t do anything about that. Even if I delete her contact, she¡¯d still have my number saved.¡± Matilda too, knew that she was being ridiculous. After pursing her lips and contemting it for a moment, she returned William his phone. ¡°You must tell me if she tries to contact you in the future.¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± William answered without any hesitation. His attitude really made Matilda feel more assured. Then, shey down and pondered for a moment before saying again, ¡°About us remarrying, just pick a time to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to im our certificates again. It shouldn¡¯t be a hassle.¡± William turned over and hugged Matilda. ¡°Alright.¡± On the other hand, Isabelle had already decided on a ce, and her men were efficient enough to arrange for Mrs. Bailey¡¯s departure the next day. Mrs. Bailey hadn¡¯t started packing up, and she was surprised when she saw how anxious Isabelle was. ¡°Belle, I can¡¯t leave so soon as I haven¡¯t made any preparations yet.¡± However, Isabelle started packing up Mrs. Bailey¡¯s luggage for her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯ll stay at the hotel first when you get there and I¡¯ll send the butler along with you. After helping to rent a house and let you settle in, he¡¯ll return again.¡± After saying these, Isabelle stood up and turned toward Mrs. Bailey. ¡°After I settle everything at my end, I¡¯ll go look for you.¡± Right then, Mrs. Bailey¡¯s eyes reddened as she stared at Isabelle and asked, ¡°Are you unhappy here? If you don¡¯t like staying here, let¡¯s just leave together. Don¡¯t care about those responsibilities as the job to take over Bailey Corporation shouldn¡¯t have fallen onto you in the first ce.¡± Isabelle went over to hug Mrs. Bailey. ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten a ne ticket for you and the butler is already done packing up. A car will be there to pick you guys up when you reach, and I¡¯ve already booked the hotel.¡± At that moment, Mrs. Bailey frowned slightly before shemented, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡± However, Isabelle didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she dragged Mrs. Bailey¡¯s luggage downstairs after packing all the necessary documents as well as clothings. Meanwhile, the butler was already waiting at the entrance of the house. He could already be counted as an elderly now, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart ache when he saw Mrs. Bailey getting weaker as time passed by. Moreover, Dexter technically grew up under his watch as well. The thought of him made the butler¡¯s eyes redden. Then, he asked Mrs. Bailey if she wanted to visit Dexter at the funeral home. However, Mrs. Bailey decided against it after opening and closing her mouth for a moment. She wasn¡¯t in a good condition to visit Dexter, and he probably wouldn¡¯t want to see her like this anyway. To be honest, Mrs. Bailey knew that her condition was bad. Still, Dexter¡¯s death had been nothing but a disaster for her; her entire world had been shattered and it couldn¡¯t be rebuilt anymore. Mrs. Bailey didn¡¯t sleep the entire night as she pondered on what happened in the past and what would happen in the future. What could she do to pick up on her life again? Then, she recalled what Elder Mr. Bailey said when he was on the second floor the previous day. She knew that she still couldn¡¯t walk out of it, but all of the others in the family had already gotten over it. Now, she knew couldn¡¯t fit into this family any longer. What happened to Dexter had be a scar in Mrs. Bailey¡¯s heart, and it would scab over and over again, never healing itself. However, it seemed that almost everyone in this family had already forgotten about his existence. It was as if they all wanted to remove the traces that Dexter was once alive. After Isabelle sent Mrs. Bailey and the butler into the car and told them to be careful, she sighed in relief as she watched the car drive out from Bailey Residence. The Baileys would no longer have any rtion to Mrs. Bailey from now on.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 985 Chapter 985 Isabelle sent John a text message after Mrs. Bailey left. Although she didn¡¯t know if John would read her message or not, she had already told him everything that she should. In the meantime, Elder Mr. Bailey had already gone out. Not knowing where he went, Isabelle waited for a moment before she entered his room. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. She had used the spare keys to open his door before going to the wardrobe and unlocking the safe in the wardrobe with ease. All the document files in the safe were still there. Isabelle looked around and noticed that there were a few newer documents. However, most of these were details of overseas ounts as well as some purchase details. After noting them down briefly, she noticed that the sales had recently reduced. At least, it was way less than the previous number of ounts. Still, the overall sum of the purchase amount was still arge amount. This time, Isabelle didn¡¯t take pictures. Instead, she ced the document files back after skimming through it. She couldn¡¯t really gauge what her father and grandfather were discussing recently. Lately, Elder Mr. Bailey had been going out frequentlyte at night and only returning during the early hours of the morning, probably to do things that he didn¡¯t want others to find out about out there. Isabelle went out of Elder Mr. Bailey¡¯s room and locked it before returning to her room after checking the document files. When she reached the second floor¡¯s staircase, she saw that her grandfather had already returned and was now downstairs. However, he didn¡¯t look like he was in a good mood as there was a hint of anger on his face. Initially, Isabelle wanted to greet him, but after ncing at him and noticing his expression, she figured that she shouldn¡¯t get herself into trouble. Thus, she turned around and went back to her room while the old man continued standing downstairs. A whileter, a servant came over and informed him that Mrs. Bailey had left. Elder Mr. Bailey was already in a bad mood in the first ce, so he immediately mmed his walking stick on the ground with anger evident in his voice. ¡°It¡¯s better if she leaves anyway! She had probably been bringing us so much bad luck with her crying everyday!¡± The servant didn¡¯t dare to say anything and retreated immediately as the old man waited for a moment more before sitting down on the couch. Since Isabelle didn¡¯t go downstairs and there weren¡¯t any servants around him, Elder Mr. Bailey had no one to talk to as he sat in silence for nearly half an hour before his son contacted him. Elder Mr. Bailey immediately answered the call and asked, ¡°What did they say?¡± His son¡¯s gruff voice rang out. ¡°They didn¡¯t say much. Just that we might not be able to protect some of the guys anymore, so we might need to go ourselves.¡± Then, Elder Mr. Bailey cursed before he grumbled, ¡°All of them swore that they won¡¯t let anything leak out, but look what happened now?¡± However, his son didn¡¯t say anything on the other end. After all, this happened before he took over the shadow bank, so it wasn¡¯t really rted to him, and he wasn¡¯t in a ce to make anyments about it. Still, the old man was pissed off as he mumbled to himself before asking, ¡°Did you get someone to check the hospital? Also, do you know where that woman is now? I can¡¯t believe these bunch of fools really allowed themselves to be infiltrated. They¡¯ve really wasted my time training them back then!¡± Old Mr. Bailey sighed. ¡°I haven¡¯t checked the hospital because I¡¯m afraid that it might cause unnecessary trouble, since we still have other troubles happening here on our end.¡± When he heard that, the old man nodded in agreement. ¡°We must calm down. The more urgent it is, the more we shouldn¡¯t lose our cool.¡± After contemting for a moment, Old Mr. Bailey suggested, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that we can¡¯t protect some of the men anymore. What¡¯s most important right now is to think of a way so that they won¡¯t expose us.¡± Elder Mr. Baileymented, ¡°I initially wanted you to take over the business, but who would have expected that so much trouble would arise before you could actually take over.¡± After Elder Mr. Bailey finished speaking, his son replied, ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel like we are being targeted by others.¡± Chapter 986 Chapter 986 Elder Mr. Bailey nodded. ¡°Of course we are being targeted. Nothing has happened to this ce all these years, but problems suddenly started arising during this time. I knew that something was wrong when so many of them went missing at the same time previously.¡± Initially, the old man wanted to pass everything to his son so that he could settle the uing issues, but he was still too slow. Since the two of them couldn¡¯t reach a conclusion from their discussion, Elder Mr. Bailey could only ask his son to continue holding on and act ording to the situation in case anything happens again. On the other hand, after John left thepany in the evening, he received a phone call from Isabelle, telling him, ¡°I¡¯m at the cafe in front of you.¡± Taken aback, John turned toward the cafe in front of him. However, the sunlight was reflected by the cafe¡¯s ss windows, so he couldn¡¯t see who or what was inside the cafe. After pondering on it for a moment, he started heading toward the cafe. Isabelle was sitting at the corner of the cafe instead of by the window. When John entered, she waved and greeted him. ¡°Here.¡± Then, he quickly walked over and sat in front of her before waving off the waiter that came over. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving soon.¡± In response, the waiter nodded and left. Isabelle stared at John before she asked, ¡°Are you scheming something recently?¡± John wasn¡¯t nning to lie to her. ¡°I am. It is actually ongoing right now.¡± When Isabelle heard that, she chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s rted to my family, am I right?¡± John stared at Isabelle. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to tell you what happened previously, but the man that I arranged to slip into the shadow bank was beaten half to death by your grandfather. He lodged a police report immediately after he was sent to the hospital. Now that the police are onto this, I can¡¯t stop it anymore. ¡± However, Isabelle didn¡¯t look like she was bothered by it at all. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Then, she bursted intoughter. ¡°It¡¯s fine, John. I¡¯m not here to interrogate you. I just want to know your progress so that I can n to leave earlier if I can.¡± This time, John stared at Isabelle in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Isabelle leaned back onto her seat before she exhaled deeply. ¡°To be honest, there¡¯s no need for me to stay here to ward off trouble with them when they don¡¯t even need me. Moreover, my mom will go insane if something happens to me as well.¡± What she said made sense, so John nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s your decision, I would advise you to leave as soon as possible. Now that the police are involved, this entire situation is out of my control and it might escte anytime soon.¡± At that moment, Isabelle looked conflicted as she stared at John. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. However, John wasn¡¯t one to shy away. ¡°What else do you want to say?¡± Isabelle retracted her gaze right then before she asked a few momentster, ¡°John, when you¡¯re investigating my family, have you ever hesitated for a moment, considering that we had an engagement in the past? Or rather, have you ever felt like dropping everything and letting them go considering our rtionship all these years?¡± John chuckled at that before he replied, ¡°Why would you ask something so naive?¡± Although he didn¡¯t answer her directly, it was enough to answer the uncertainty that Isabelle had. Running her fingers through her hair, Isabelle nodded. ¡°Okay. I understand.¡± Then, the conversation ended, and John got up. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now. Sophia is waiting for me at home now and she might nag at me if I¡¯mte.¡± Isabelle initially wanted to get up after she ced her phone down and kept her stuff, but when she heard what John said, she stopped and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re really a heartless person, John Constance.¡± Chapter 987 Chapter 987 However, John didn¡¯t reply to that and left the cafe. Then, he walked across the road without stopping and drove away. Meanwhile, Isabelle stood at the entrance of the cafe and watched as John¡¯s car left. As she stood there, she wondered to herself what kind of terrible things had she done in her past life for her to end up falling in love with a man like this? Also, what kind of merit did Sophia umte in her past life for a man like this to fall in love with her? On the other hand, John drove straight toward home after he left. When he parked his car at the parking lot and got down, he spotted Sophia standing by the little trail heading toward the backyard with Dn standing next to her. The two of them looked like they were in the middle of a good conversation as John headed toward them. ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Sophia eximed when she saw John, ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± A smile bloomed on her face almost immediately. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. At the same time, Dn turned over to give John a look beforementing, ¡°I recall you leaving thepany earlier than I did though.¡± John ced his arm on Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh, I had to go settle something while I was on my way back.¡± Then, Sophia hugged John¡¯s waist before telling Dn, ¡°You should go back now. It¡¯s almost dinner time anyway. Goodbye.¡± She waved at Dn before the two of them started heading back to the main building. Halfway walking, John asked, ¡°Why are you so curious about Dn¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Sophia chuckled. ¡°You really know me.¡± At that, John immediately asked, ¡°What did Dn say?¡± However, Sophia didn¡¯t know how to answer his question as Dn had never directly answered any questions about his girlfriend. All he said was his mother was being too anxious and was assuming things based on rumors. When Sophia heard him, she couldn¡¯t understand what he was trying to say at that moment Was he saying that he had a girlfriend, but they hadn¡¯t been discussing marriage yet? Or could it be that the girl did exist, but they weren¡¯t in a rtionship? Sophia sighed. ¡°I think you¡¯d better ask Dn this yourself when you see him. I¡¯m not really sure what his answer to me meant.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ So he didn¡¯t answer you directly?¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡± John smiled at that and didn¡¯t say anything else. Now, Old Mrs. Constance was the only person at the main building when they both got back. When Old Mrs. Constance noticed that John was back, she immediately stood up and headed toward the dining room as she remarked, ¡°Looks like work¡¯s over for the day.¡± John replied, ¡°There¡¯s still some left, but I listened to your advice and came home early.¡± At that, Old Mrs. Constance turned around and grinned before she went on to say, ¡°I¡¯m just hoping that the baby inside Sophia cane out soon. Our house is just too empty and cold now.¡± William and Matilda didn¡¯t bothering home after their visit on the previous day. Well, they probably wanted to enjoy their life together anyway. However, the contrast of how merry it was the previous day and how quiet it was this day made Old Mrs. Constance feel uneasy. So, John went on to caress Sophia¡¯s stomach. ¡°It¡¯s happening soon. Look, Sophia¡¯s stomach has already gotten so big.¡± Then, Old Mrs. Constance went and sat down on a seat before she took her chopsticks. ¡°Ask about the gender of the baby the next time you guys go for the checkup so that I can start preparing the outfits.¡± John nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll remember to ask.¡± Now that there were less people at the dining table, it was rtively quiet as they ate. Then, Old Mrs. Constance asked John how his work was. However, there wasn¡¯t much going on at thepany as John had been busy with other stuff recently. Then, Sophia looked up to see John and asked after contemting for a moment, ¡°I heard that Husky was admitted into the hospital previously. Is he alright now?¡± John smiled at that. ¡°He¡¯s fine. That guy¡¯s healing ability is monstrous and he is eating pretty well now.¡± Previously, John¡¯s man did call to inform him that besides not being able to move around freely, Husky was still a glutton just like usual. Chapter 988 Chapter 988 Even the nurse had been tortured by him mentally. Initially, the doctor warned Husky to watch what he would be consuming as he was injured badly, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore, so he forced the nurse to buy him braised pork; a lot of it. All of John¡¯s underlings were quite surprised when John took Husky in, as the guy was obviously too impulsive, and these types of people would easily make mistakes. However, though Husky¡¯s character made him easier to make mistakes, it would also make other people lower their defences around him. For example, his sess in sneaking into the shadow bank itself this time was evident enough to show what he was capable of. Sophia recalled that time Husky trespassed into her house and tried to pull a sneak attack on her. That man is really dumb sometimes. Still, sometimes, it¡¯s easier for these people to do something great. Then, John mentioned Roselia and said that although Husky and her got into trouble together, Roselia managed to get herself out of trouble, unlike Husky. Roselia shouldn¡¯t be underestimated as a woman as she had a seductive body and was a smooth talker, so it was easy for her to manipte them to protect herself. This was Sophia¡¯s first time hearing John mention Roselia, so she was confused. ¡°Who¡¯s Roselia? Is she working together with Husky?¡± It was only now that John realized that he had never mentioned Roselia to Sophia before, so he exined the situation after contemting for a moment. ¡°Roselia is a girl that I met previously and she infiltrated the shadow bank along with Husky this time.¡± He paused at this as his facial expression turned conflicted before he added, ¡°Remember the previous scandal about me leaving the bar along with a girl? That was Roselia.¡± Sophia stopped eating right then as she stared at John without saying anything. Immediately, John knew what she was thinking about, so he hurriedly exined, ¡°Roselia is just my worker and there¡¯s nothing between us. I can swear to you.¡± Then, Old Mrs. Constance nced at the two of them before she spoke up. ¡°You should bring her back some day to let me see her. After all, she had helped you and we should express our gratitude.¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Hearing that, John turned toward his grandmother and exined himself further. ¡°I did pay her for working for me, so it doesn¡¯t really count as helping me. We don¡¯t have any personal rtionship besides being work partners.¡± Old Mrs. Constance nodded. ¡°I believe that what you said is true, but I still want to meet her.¡± Naturally, John couldn¡¯t keep Roselia hidden from Old Mrs Constance forever, so he had no choice but to agree. ¡°I¡¯ll find some time and bring her over.¡± Then, Old Mrs. Constance turned toward Sophia. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t worry. Grandma will help you out.¡± However, Sophia wasn¡¯t worried. Instead, she was just irked. To be honest, John¡¯s previous scandal had always remained lodged in her mind. Although she never mentioned it, she had always remembered it. Now that she finally knew the truth of it, she was relieved as she had no reason to confront John about it previously. This time, however, she had finally come across a good reason to do it. Thus, Sophia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. You should invite this Roselia girl over someday. I also want to see if she¡¯s indeed that girl in the scandal.¡± John smiled helplessly. ¡°Why won¡¯t you believe me?¡± To that, Sophia didn¡¯t answer, as this wasn¡¯t something that she could just exin. It wasn¡¯t that Sophia didn¡¯t believe John, but she preferred facing the truth on her own. After the mention of this topic, everyone gradually fell silent. When they were done eating, John suggested taking Sophia out for a stroll. Old Mrs. Constance said that her head hurt, so she excused herself and went upstairs with a servant¡¯s help. On the other hand, Sophia went out along with John after a moment¡¯s thought. Chapter 989 Chapter 989 While the two were headed toward the backyard, Sophia asked, ¡°How did you and Roselia get to know each other?¡± John thought about it. ¡°I actually met her at a bar. You pissed me off so much once that I went to the bar and got drunk. That was when I ran into Logan as well as Roselia.¡± Sophia recalled that as well. That happened a really long time ago. At that time, Logan was sent home by John after he drank too much. She¡¯d even tried to ask Logan what happened, but Logan passed out after he drank too much alcohol. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Then, Sophia nodded. ¡°I see.¡± John went on to exin, ¡°Roselia hangs out in the bar a lot, and she has met many different types of people. Utilizing these kinds of people would be the most advantageous to us. Moreover, her good looks are a plus point.¡± Roselia¡¯s sess in infiltrating the shadow bank was a prime example of this. However, Sophia didn¡¯t say anything and continued walking. At the same time, Lady Jennifer walked out, looking like she was dressed up to go out. Also, Sophia noticed Dn behind her, looking just like how he was usually dressed. Lady Jennifer immediately grinned when she saw John and Sophia as she greeted them. ¡°Oh hello! Fancy seeing you two taking a walk out here.¡± John greeted her as well before asking, ¡°Are you guys heading out?¡± It seemed like Lady Jennifer was waiting for John to ask her that as she immediately said, ¡°We are going out to meet Dn¡¯s girlfriend and have dinner with her. I mean, it¡¯s nice to go on dates when you¡¯re still young.¡± Standing at the side, Sophia couldn¡¯t stop herself from asking, ¡°Aunt Jennifer, why are you going along if they¡¯re going on a date? Are you going to be the third wheel?¡± Lady Jennifer couldn¡¯te up with a response to Sophia¡¯s question. Meanwhile, Dn felt likeughing as he stood behind her. He had already told them to just stay at home, but his mother was stubborn and insisted on asking the girl out for dinner. Until now, Dn could still remember what happened thest time everyone gathered for a meal together, and the thought of it alone made him feel embarrassed At the same time, Lady Jennifer had already lost her excitement, and she looked tense as she tried to exin herself. ¡°I¡¯m just tagging along as I don¡¯t have anything to do at home.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t say anything in response. There were some things that should be said just once as an effective retort, and speaking too much might cause things to backfire. Initially, Lady Jennifer still wanted to talk, but now that the atmosphere between them had be tense, she smiled awkwardly before taking Dn along with her. After the two of them left, Sophia burst into fits of giggles while John was feeling speechless. ¡°You¡¯ll only feel agitated if you keep trying topete with them.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°Nah, I actually feel good. I¡¯m in a good mood now that I managed toe up with a retort against her.¡± When John heard that, he only smiled before lowering his head and pulling Sophia¡¯s hand to hold it before they walked around the backyard. When they almost reached the main building, John¡¯s phone suddenly rang. When he checked it, he saw that it was a call from Isabelle. John was confused as Isabelle had already met him during the evening and told him everything that she wanted to say. After Sophia nced at his phone, she suggested, ¡°You should answer it. She might want to tell you something important.¡± Hence, John answered the call without any hesitation. Immediately, Isabelle started talking. ¡°John, the police came over to my house. Is something happening? Please tell me if that¡¯s what it is so that I can prepare to leave now.¡± Sophia was surprised as she listened in; Isabelle sounded off. Meanwhile, John was also hesitant when he heard that the police went over to the Baileys. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure what happened, but I suggest that you should hang around to see what¡¯s going on.¡± Chapter 990 Chapter 990 Isabelle sighed. ¡°The situation at my house isn¡¯t looking good and I really don¡¯t want to stay here any longer. I just want to understand your progress now so that I can leave as soon as possible if everything¡¯s going on smoothly.¡± After considering things for a moment, John asked, ¡°Will your grandfather and father allow you to leave?¡± This was indeed a good question as Isabelle was the only hope of the main branch of the Bailey Family now that Dexter was gone. Mrs. Bailey had left, and only her father would be left in the family if Isabelle were to leave as well. Thus, John knew that Old Mr. Bailey and Elder Mr. Bailey would definitely disagree if Isabelle wanted to leave. Isabelle fell into silence before answering, ¡°I have my own ways.¡± John paused for a moment before he suggested, ¡°You need to think about this carefully as it would be a huge problem if what your family is doing is exposed. If you don¡¯t want to get involved in this, it would be better if you can leave as soon as possible.¡± Then, Isabelle sighed before telling him that she understood and hung up. After staring at John¡¯s phone for a moment, Sophia questioned, ¡°What happened? Is Isabelle leaving?¡± John grunted before he exined, ¡°The Baileys are involved in too many aspects and I still can¡¯t fathom everything, but from the information that I have gathered right now, they will be in serious trouble if they get exposed.¡± Everyone in the Bailey Family might get affected? It must be a very serious matter to affect the entire family like that. At that thought, Sophia nodded as shemented, ¡°The Baileys are really audacious, huh?¡± Indeed, even John was amazed with what Elder Mr. Bailey could do sometimes. How could someone so old still be so greedy for wealth? Had he ever thought of how many people in the Bailey Family would get affected by what he had done? It might not have mattered to him, since he could close his eyes and leave all the responsibilities to the others just because he was old, but what about his family members? After John brought Sophia back to the main building, he apanied Sophia to watch some animations on the couch before they returned to their room. However, a mere few minutes after John entered the bedroom, Zack¡¯s phone call came, so he had to go to the study room. Sophia sighed as she changed into her pajamas. It felt like John had returned to how he was like during their first marriage, being busy as always. Then, shey on the bed and started scrolling through the news on her phone. There wasn¡¯t any interesting news recently besides those in the entertainment section. As Sophia sat on her bed and pondered for a moment, she recalled the talent show that Ian joined previously. It had been a really long time since shest watched it, so she couldn¡¯t help but wonder about his progress now. Then, Sophia started looking it up before realizing that the show hadContent is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. already reached its final stage in the championship. It had been a long time since shest contacted Ian, and they hadn¡¯t talked much thest time he came back. Still, it felt to Sophia like they had already talked everything out. However, it was impossible for them to return to how they were in the first ce even when the problem was already resolved. Sophia randomly tapped on the newest episode and started watching the show. Ian¡¯s condition was getting better now and he had returned to how he wasst time, quiet and slightly distant. Then, Sophia scrolled through thements below to see that manyizens had good things to say about Ian. Ian was promoting himself as a gentle prince. Although this wasn¡¯t the fastest road to gain more fans, he still had a solid fanbase. During the start of the show, Ian had been singing sweet love songs, but he had been venturing into different song genres during these few episodes. For example, he sang an explosive rock and roll song during thetest episode. This was Sophia¡¯s first time seeing Ian going all out singing on the stage as he had always been gentle and restrained, so she couldn¡¯t help but feel sad when she heard his heart-rending singing. Chapter 991 Chapter 991 Sophia wondered how many things Ian kept to himself as he was so used to shouldering everything on his own. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. To be honest, Sophia felt bad for him as he was probably like this due to how he was brought up as a kid. After watching the show for a while, she sent Ian a text message to wish him luck for the championship, even if he might not see it. Then, Sophia ced her phone down. She was starting to feel drowsy, so she got up to wash up before going back to the bed to sleep. Right when Sophia was about to fall asleep, the door to the room opened. John was surprised when he noticed that the room was dark. So, he slowly tiptoed to the washroom to wash up before rummaging through the closet to change into his pajamas. When he was done, hey on the bed and hugged Sophia. That was when she spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s quick. I thought that you would only return during midnight.¡± John froze. ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± Sophia mumbled a ¡®no¡¯. Soon, John¡¯s hand started groping around until Sophia got annoyed and whacked his hand. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± However, John kissed her from her back. ¡°I can get even more tired.¡± Sophia tried pushing him away, but it was impossible as he wasn¡¯t about to ept ¡®no¡¯ for an answer despite the fact that he didn¡¯t sound pushy about it. After her failed attempts, Sophia, who was already tired, said, ¡°I am about to fall asleep already, so you should just do it on your own.¡± Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t expect him to actually do it on his own without caring if Sophia was going to respond to him or not. Finally, Sophia got slightly pissed off and pinched his cheeks. ¡°You shameless man! Aren¡¯t you embarrassed of yourself?¡± John lowered his head to kiss her before he chuckled. ¡°How could we have a child if I get embarrassed over stuff like this?¡± By now, he clearly understood that there was no point keeping his dignity during times like these. Just likest time, John didn¡¯t dare to put too much strain on Sophia, so he let her off after he managed to get himself off. After releasing Sophia, she immediately turned around and fell asleep while John went to bathe himself beforeing out with a bucket of water to help Sophia to clean herself. When he reached her stomach, he couldn¡¯t help but lean over to kiss it. Hopefully, the little kid had fallen asleep just now and didn¡¯t hear them in action. After doing all that, Johny down on the bed as well. He was really tired now. Then, he took his phone and sent a text. When he received a reply, he muted his phone and fell asleep as he cuddled Sophia. Sophia woke up