《The Returning EX (John and Sophia)》 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. 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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. 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 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. money. John gave me loads of money just so he can get divorced.¡± Zack paused before asking, ¡°Anywhere is fine?¡± ¡°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, This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. so anyone woulde for her. 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?¡± 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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.¡± 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?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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. 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 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. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. 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. ¡°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. 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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.¡± 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 ourselves, why don¡¯t we go out tomorrow?¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. 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.¡± 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. 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. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. 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. 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. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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. 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?¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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 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. 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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. 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. 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? This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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? Sophia took her phone, nning to call him, but she thought he might be negotiating with his partnering 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.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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.¡± 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. ¡°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. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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 This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. 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?¡± 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.¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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. 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 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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. 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 This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. 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?¡± 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 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. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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. 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.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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. 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 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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.¡± 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.¡± 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 N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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. 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. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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?¡± 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 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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. 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 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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.¡± 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 ¡°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. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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. 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 This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. 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 N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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. 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. 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 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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. 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 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 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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 N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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. 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.¡± 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?¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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 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. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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! 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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. 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. 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. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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 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. 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. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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?¡± 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 N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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 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.¡± 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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.¡± 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. After a moment, her tone became more cheerful as she said, ¡°I thought¡­ springtime is finallying N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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. 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. 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 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. 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. 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. 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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¡­ 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 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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!¡± 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.¡± 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. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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¡± 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!¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. 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 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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.¡± 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 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. 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. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°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. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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. 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. 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. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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 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 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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 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?¡± 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. 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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? 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. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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 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.¡± 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.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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. 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. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. 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.¡± 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. 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. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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.¡± 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 N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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. 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. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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. 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. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. 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. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. 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.¡± 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. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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?¡± 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 N?velDrama.Org is the owner. 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. 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. 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 This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. 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. 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 This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. 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. 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 N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. 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 This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. 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?¡± 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 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. 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. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. 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 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. 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