"Hello, Mommy. Why aren't you home yet?"Upon hearing Cherry's sweet voice, Sophie's eyes welled with tears as she tightened her grip on the phone. "Cherry, Mommy has to work late tonight. Be a good girl, have your dinner, and go to bed by nine, okay?""Working late? Okay, then. Come home soon, Mommy. Love you.""Yeah, Mommy loves you too." Sophie forced a smile, ended the call, and stood, her thoughts heavy'Cedric, do you know how hard it is to hate someone? Why can’t you just let me hate you!'-Driving aimlessly, Sophie found herself at the Crimson Bar.Upon seeing her, the valet stuttered, "M-Ms. Lux—"He corrected himself in light of recent events, saying, "Mrs. Carlson?""Is Sean here?" she asked.The valet cautiously assessed her demeanor, which didn't appear confrontational, and nodded. "Our boss is here."Sophie handed him the keys and walked inside.In the room, Sean was bantering with a bartender but froze at the sight of Sophie. His face tensed as he contemplat
"There's something else you should know," Sean remarked casually, but his words struck Sophie like a series of bombs detonating in her already turbulent heart."Actually, Cedric’s past escapades were all a facade, designed to irritate and provoke you, the proud peacock. An arrogant man still resorting to childish tactics."As for Vivienne, their relationship had ended long before he agreed to marry you. Tristan was the only unplanned part."Sometimes, men couldn't foresee everything. Tristan's unexpected arrival led the normally calm and decisive Cedric to make a wrong decision, resulting in all the subsequent chaos."Now, I've told you everything. Just don't let Cedric know it came from me," Sean added with a nonchalant shrug, his words sending ripples through Sophie's mind, further complicating her thoughts."I need a drink.""Coming right up. I'll have the bartender whip up our Crimson Bar's signature drink," Sean said. He signaled the bartender to prepare their signature cock
Sophie was significantly affected by just three drinks."Mrs. Carlson, are you alright?" the bartender asked with concern."I'm fine, just heading to the restroom." Sophie staggered slightly and mistakenly walked toward the men's restroom instead of the women's.The bartender tried to correct her, but the loud music drowned his voice. He was about to go after her, but another familiar person approached her. He then returned to his duties at the bar.Sophie stumbled to the restroom door, squinting at the sign before accidentally entering the men's room. Inside, a man was surprised by her presence and fumbled to cover himself. But it was too late to prevent an embarrassing wet spot on his trousers."Damn it!"Sophie tried to understand what was happening, but a pair of strong arms suddenly enveloped her, and her head was pressed against a familiar chest. The familiar scent and the resonating heartbeat disoriented her further, and her attempts to look up were thwarted by the hand ho
Cedric once believed marrying Sophie was an act of vengeance. However, when she vanished into the sea, he realized he desired her as his lifelong partner.Surrounded once more by his familiar scent, which intoxicated her like a potent aphrodisiac, Sophie bit her lip and summoned all her strength to push Cedric away. She needed to catch her breath.With shaky legs, she stopped at the door and said, "Cedric, if only everything could be undone with a rewind button…"'If only we could return to the beginning. I wouldn't have been so proud, he wouldn't have been so domineering, and there would be no Vivienne, no Tristan, no subsequent heart-wrenching pain. I would still be Mrs. Carlson, fervently yearning for happiness.'But that possibility had ceased to exist since that day over five years ago.Cedric suddenly grabbed her hand, thwarting her attempt to open the door. His urgent, cold breath left no room for escape. "No need for a rewind button, Soph. Let’s start anew from here and bu
Mrs. Carrie was puzzled when Cherry abruptly ended the call. "What's wrong, Cherry?" Still reeling from shock, Cherry gazed blankly at Mrs. Carrie for a while before mumbling, "Mrs. Carrie, who is my daddy?""Naturally, your daddy is Mr. Carlson."There had been wild rumors before, but Mrs. Carrie was certain Cherry was indeed Cedric and Sophie's child."Why him? Really him? Why him?!" Cherry babbled non-stop, her mind reeling from the revelation of Sophie spending the whole night with Cedric. Being young did not mean she was unaware of what could transpire over such a long night."What are you trying to say?" Mrs. Carrie was concerned by her unusual behavior."I need to talk to Godmother Jeanna," Cherry declared, dialing Jeanna’s number.Jeanna’s affectionate voice came through the phone. "Sweet Cherry, missing your godmother so early in the morning? How about I buy you a cherry cake tonight?""Godmother, my mommy... She seems to have lost her phone. If you see her, please te
After leaving Cedric's place, Sophie had intended to return home to change clothes. However, she worried about encountering Cherry, who had not yet gone to school, and didn't want to cause her any worry. Thus, she headed to the office instead, remembering that Linda had prepared a spare outfit for her there.As she hurried toward the elevator, she was stopped by the gasps and whispers of her female colleagues."Oh my God, that's really Mr. Carlson.""Did Ms. Luxford arrive together with Mr. Carlson?""Silly girl, Mr. Carlson's company is right next to ours. They commute together! How romantic is that?"Hearing "Mr. Carlson" mentioned repeatedly made Sophie tense up, her heart racing."Soph, you left your phone under the bed." Cedric’s low, seductive voice echoed from behind her, startling her and causing the gossiping employees to lose their collective cool.'The phone was under the bed? Doesn't that imply she spent the night with Mr. Carlson?'Sophie's face reddened instantly.
"Sean, what have you done this time?" Jeanna asked, her tone sharp and suspicious.Sean cautiously stepped back to keep a safe distance and replied with a wry smile, "I... I just helped to pair up a prideful duo of the animal kingdom.""You jerk!" Jeanna was upset that her suspicions were confirmed.Cedric was a fire pit, and she would have accepted it if Sophie had willingly jumped in. But Sean had gone behind her back to give her a push!Seeing Jeanna holding back her anger, Sean grinned cheekily and leaned in again. "Jean, it wasn’t blind matchmaking. Sophie still has feelings for Cedric. The past is the past. Why not give them a chance to start over?"Happiness isn't guaranteed, but they might find it this time. Love doesn’t always bring happiness, but without love, there’s no happiness. Can you bear to see Sophie missing out on happiness forever?"He began playfully, but his tone grew serious, "True friends seize every opportunity to bring happiness to those they care about.
The two men emerged from the Luxford Group building, their expressions radiating satisfaction.Sean nudged Cedric with his elbow. "So, about last night, I played a crucial role, didn't I? How much are you planning to spend at my bar?"Without Sean's clever intervention, Cedric doubted that he and Sophie would have reconciled, even after several more months.Cedric halted in his tracks and turned, his expression proud. His tone turned chilly. "I warn you, if you ever get her drunk again, you can forget about running the Crimson Bar."He couldn't risk her getting intoxicated and mistakenly wandering into the men's restroom again, witnessing things she shouldn't."Oh, come on. You can't deny you enjoyed last night. I don’t care, you’re responsible for my bar's revenue this year.""Return to your Crimson Bar and preserve your virtue," Cedric retorted, smiling disdainfully."Please, don’t pretend like you didn’t spend half the night doing... you know what and then smiling about it."