Robert was still in the middle of his thoughts when he heard someone calling out to him. He said to Sophia hurriedly, “Go ahead and unwrap your presents, Ms. Sophia. I need to go back to work. Just holler if you need me.”Sophia wasn’t really bothered by that. She walked into the room slowly. Not in a hurry to open the presents, she withheld the surroundings and took a seat. There were wines and cakes on the table, as well as ropes, whips, and candles.Her lips twitched a little. She was exasperated. What was this stuff? Why would Xena prepare so much stuff for her when she was alone?However, she couldn’t deny that it felt good someone remembered her birthday. Rising up, she decided to unwrap her birthday presents now so she could get back home sooner. She had always celebrated her birthday with Grandma every year and this year was no exception. She couldn’t help it if Elliot forgot about her birthday. Anyhow, she ate the omelet this morning. Perhaps that could count as a celebra
Sophia was stunned. Didn’t she close the door properly? Taking a few brisk steps, she closed the door tight and turned to the guys, “How long have they been there?”One of the men said, “Some of them have been there since the beginning. Then, more people gathered over time.”That was a punch in her gut. If that many people saw her private room, one of them might just upload what they saw onto the internet. She wasn’t exactly worried about the others, just him…That thought alarmed her. If he knew she was with six guys in a room, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself. Fiddling with her phone, she projected her phone screen onto her computer and started scouring the internet. “You guys may leave now.”The six of them looked at each other and said, “We haven’t celebrated your birthday, Ms. Soph.”“Forget about it.” She said hurriedly. She didn’t have the time for them. No one had uploaded anything onto the internet for now, but that didn’t mean she’d be safe later. After all, s
Sophia came out of the bar and happened to see Elliot's car driving out. She slapped her forehead in annoyance, waved and hailed a taxi to chase after the car.The driver glanced at Sophia in the rearview mirror multiple times. “Young lady, who are you chasing after? The people living in the villa are not ordinary folks. You better think through whatever you're planning. You might even risk your life.”Sophia was not in the mood for conversation with the driver and just mumbled, “I know.”However, the driver became more enthusiastic as he continued, “I'm not kidding you. Especially Mr. Patton from Villa No. 8. His methods are extremely cruel. I've heard that women who were taken in never came out alive. They were all tortured to death by him, and each death was horrifying.”Sophia frowned, “Did you witness this yourself?”The driver replied, “No, I didn't. I just heard about it. But many people have seen it and talked about it vividly. But I'm not someone who likes to stir up trou
Elliot looked at her, staring as if asking, " Is that all? Do you think I believe you?"Sophia's anger surged, but considering how much effort he had put into preparing her birthday, she patiently explained, "Why don't you believe me again? It was truly the gift she gave me! She didn't know I was married. We didn't do anything."Elliot gazed at her deeply, as if trying to see into her heart. "So, it was just pure conversation during that one hour and forty minutes in the room?"Sophia's temper, albeit small, was hard to contain. “Elliot, do you have to paint such a dirty picture of me? Our agreement is to not interfere with each other. I've explained, so what more do you want?""Don't bring up that damned agreement with me," Elliot roared. "I admit it can exist or not. Sophia, a marriage certificate means nothing to you. How much weight do you think that piece of paper holds?"Sophia, furious, exclaimed, "What do you mean, Elliot? Are you trying to back out?"Elliot's gaze grew i
Sophia turned her head away to ignore him. She was clearly still upset.Elliot sat closer to her, opened the jewelry box, and took out what was inside. Sophia was drawn to it. It was a pink bracelet, not too intricate in design, with just a few heart-shaped diamonds connected, but they shimmered brightly. Moreover, the diamonds were pink, indicating their worth. Though she might not be very knowledgeable about jewelry, she knew pink diamonds were valuable.She glanced at Elliot. "When did you buy this?"Elliot did not respond but directly placed it on her wrist. The bracelet's clasp had 'ES' connected, which were the initials of their names!He did it on purpose, wondering when she would notice."A while ago," he replied calmly only after making sure it was worn properly.Sophia toyed with the bracelet on her wrist. "Birthday gift?"Elliot looked at her and asked, "Do you like it?"Sophia snorted playfully. "You've ruined my perfectly good birthday. How can I be in the mood
Elliot was taken aback, about to examine her closely when she opened her eyes, blew out the candles, and mischievously winked at him."Done," she said."How many wishes did you make?" he asked."Twenty!" she replied.Elliot chuckled. "Why so many?""One wish per year! I never used to make wishes before, so I'm catching up today.”Her casual remark stirred something inside Elliot. "You never celebrated your birthday before?""We did, just with a simple meal. There were no birthday cakes. Later, as I grew up, we had birthday cakes but never made wishes!"Elliot turned on the lights, picked up the cake knife, and cut a beautifully presented piece of cake for her. "Try this."Sophia took it, pierced a piece with a fork, and tasted it. The perfect blend of cream and chocolate exploded in her mouth, delighting her taste buds. "Delicious!"He smiled and poured a glass of wine for her and himself. Raising his glass, he said, "Happy birthday, Soph."Sophia raised her glass and clinke
Sophia rested her hand on the table, gazing at him with a mischievous smile. "You're way more handsome than them."Elliot's gaze turned slightly chilly. "Who?" He would take offense if she compared him to those gifts.With a smitten look, Sophia continued, "More handsome than anyone. Those men tonight put together aren't as handsome as you."She squeezed his arm. "Or as sexy."Elliot was speechless. Well, she barely passed this round.Sophia frowned. "But you can't dance! Today's my birthday, and they danced for me. How about you sing me a happy birthday song!""I can't sing.""Stop lying." Sophia pouted. "Who doesn't know how to sing? Sing for me, please!"Her soft, coquettish tone was like a small bug worming its way into his body, ticklish and tingling. Even the gaps between his bones felt itchy. Elliot felt his Adam's apple rolling, somehow finding it hard to resist.He did not expect this tipsy little lady to be like this. However, singing in front of some servants was so
Sophia could not get up in the morning due to drinking and sleeping late the night before."Soph..." Elliot called out to her. Who disturbs someone's sleep so early in the morning?Sophia waved her hand to shoo him away, as if shooing away a fly.Elliot chuckled, grabbing her hand, and leaned close to her ear. "If you don't get up now, you'll be late."At his words, Sophia's tightly closed eyes moved beneath her eyelids. After a while, she suddenly sat up and looked at Elliot."What time is it?"Elliot was startled by her sudden movement, almost getting knocked by her chin. "It's almost seven-thirty.""Seven-thirty? Oh, my goodness, I'm going to be late."Sophia was so scared that she forgot everything else, hurriedly rushing into the bathroom to freshen up and change clothes. She was already out in less than ten minutes.Elliot was speechless. That speed…"I don't have time for breakfast," Sophia said and dashed downstairs.Elliot frowned, "I'll drive you. There's still t