Vanessa had not even come out of the mall when she got the call from Hamish. He did not say much except to ask her to go home and wait for him. However, she could not shake the sense of unease that she felt about the call.Perhaps she was worried that Sophia was secretly a wealthy lady or that what she said on the telephone would come to pass. In any case, she could not quell the uneasiness ever since her brother called her. She did not even dare to stay in the mall a second longer and went straight home.Hamish was already there when she reached home. He was sitting on the couch. It looked like he was merely fiddling with his phone, but she knew that he was frustrated. He always fiddled with the phone or his lighter when he was frustrated.She looked around and found that her parents were not home. Hamish was the only one there. That made her feel even more anxious.“I’m back, Hamish.”He raised his eyes and looked at her. “Sit.”She obeyed and sat on the couch. “W-What’s the ma
Sophia raised her eyes and saw Elliot. She stopped what she was doing and leaned on the wall, panting heavily and wordlessly. He felt guilty and he could not explain why. Walking towards her, he grabbed a towel to dry her gently. “There’s no need to be mad. I’ll always back you up.” Sophia had been extremely agitated earlier, but she began to simmer down and rested her head listlessly on him. He held her tight and patted her back repeatedly.She muttered, “She was so mean. I was just trying to buy a dress for Grandma. Why did it have to turn into such a huge deal?”He said, “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”Sophia was still trying to decipher what he meant when a servant knocked on the door to the gym and said, “Mr. Hamish and Ms. Vanessa are here.”Elliot uttered coldly, “Let them wait!”Sophia raised her head slowly and looked at him, “Vanessa?”“Mm-hmm.”“Did you ask them to come?”“You can say that.”“Did you know what I went through already?”“I’ve just found out about
Sophia calmed down after listening to Elliot. She stopped crying and leaned on his chest wordlessly. He lifted her chin so she could look at him. “Calm down. I’ll make them regret upsetting you. You slapped me for making you angry, after all. Can we make up?”Glaring at him, she said, “Well. you should've just said that Hamish was to be blamed. I don’t know why you lead with the fact that you're the boss.”“You’re right. I’m not the boss, Hamish is.” Grabbing her hand, he put it on his cheeks, “It hurts. I need comfort too.”She did not fight back. Instead, she let him drag her hand across his cheeks.“You can just leave me alone when I’m mad next time. I need some time to cool down.”He stared at her. “Can you cool down, though? If I had let you go earlier, you would’ve thought of something ridiculous.” Patting her head, he said, “You can get as mad as you want with me, but you have to let me explain myself. “My dad used to comfort my mom and said that it isn’t good to carr
Hamish did not even know where to begin. He could not think of anything to defend Vanessa with after watching the footage.Did she really say Sophia was a pretentious hillbilly who only knew to ask for money from the Pattons?Both he and Elliot needed Xena’s designs to make money now!Damn it! What kind of a fucked up situation was this?Elliot was waiting for an explanation. The contents of the footage were far more infuriating than he had imagined. The look on Vanessa’s face was much meaner than what Ethel told him. If she had not insulted Sophia the way she did, there was a chance his wife would have called him instead of Xena. Things would not have been as bad as it was now.Everyone in the living room remained quiet for more than a minute before Hamish started shoving Vanessa a little. Now that things had come to this, Vanessa knew she had to say something. She finally learned that Elliot was the real owner of the mall on her way here.She acted the way she did because she t
Sophia said, “Yeah. I met him at Grandpa’s party.”Hamish said flatteringly, “That’s right. You have a good memory, Sophia. I’m sorry we met under these unfavorable circumstances. It was all my fault. Vanessa gave me a call and said that she had her eyes on a dress. “I didn’t give it much thought and asked the manager to keep it for her. It never occurred to me that she was trying to take it away from you. I scolded her and even hit her for that. We’re both here to apologize to you.”He turned to Vanessa and said, “Apologize now, Vanessa.”She could just kill Sophia right there and then. There was no way she would apologize to her. So, she trained her gaze at Sophia wordlessly. On the other hand, Sophia did not even grace her with a glance. She said coldly, “That won’t be necessary. I don’t enjoy the idea of forcing people to do what they don’t want to. I can just strike back at the people who irritate me and I’ve done that. So, it’s all water under the bridge.”Hamish did not
Sophia looked at Hamish, “Elliot said you guys knew each other since you were kids. I had every intention to do you a favor and let it go. After all, I can see where you were coming from. Firstly, you didn’t know about the full situation. “Secondly, even if you did know about the situation, I still wouldn’t have blamed you for siding with your sister. Now that she made a mess, you’re actually resolving the issue proactively. However, as you saw what just happened, I’m not the one who’s being unreasonable here!“I’ve been saying it over and over again that I came downstairs because I’m doing my duty as Elliot’s wife and I needed to greet you, his buddy. Did I say anything about wanting your apologies? When did I force you guys to kneel and apologize to me? “I didn’t intend to make it bigger than it is because you’re my husband’s buddy. As for her, I couldn’t help but think I’ve debased myself by simply talking to her.”Hamish could not say anything. He had lost to her thoroughly a
Sophia walked straight into the ward. Hamish stood up immediately and greeted her sheepishly, “You came, Sophia.”They were both intelligent. So, they could guess what was on each other’s minds. She gave him a sidelong glance, “Did Elliot ask you to be here?” He had to explain his sudden arrival. Otherwise, her grandma would have thought it strange!He knew full well why she asked him this question and he gave her an explanation he just told Dorothy. “Yeah. Elliot told me that your grandma stays in this hospital. I just got to know about it. So I decided to pay Ms.Dorothy a visit and bring her this dress.”She replied, “Alright. Just leave it there.” Then, she looked at Dorothy, “Let’s try it on later, grandma. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll ask them to adjust it again.”Dorothy said, “Sure.”Hamish caught her meaning and said, “Now that Sophia’s here, I’ll take my leave, Ms. Dorothy.” He did not say a word about Xena’s collaboration, but Sophia must have known why he was there.She d
Elliot came to pick her up at night. He also kept her company at Dorothy’s ward for half an hour before they left together. He looked at Sophia and smiled when they were in the car. It was both loving and indulgent. Sophia was pissed off by it and said disdainfully, “Did something good happen today?” He patted her head, “You. You’re the something good.”She was speechless. He loved giving such sweet compliments these days. Smiling, she made an imaginary microphone with her hands. She pretended to interview him, “Please describe what you’re currently experiencing, having had something as good as Ms. Sophia happen to you, Mr. Elliot.”He pondered a little before answering, “It’s like having candy in your pocket as a child. You wanted to show off it to your friends but you’re also worried they’d take it away from you.”That made her speechless again. Withdrawing her hand, she turned around so she would not have to look at him because she could no longer suppress her curling lips.
“Ah, no!” Sophia instinctively reached out to catch it, but the phone narrowly missed her fingers. So, she just watched as he tossed the telephone into the bushes.Sophia was infuriated. "Brother, you haven't sung for me yet?"Kyle looked at her. "Time's up.""Time's up for what? You big liar."As she spoke, she balled her fists and attacked him.Although she was no match for Kyle in martial arts, he couldn't fight her in such a confined space. So, Kyle found himself somewhat helpless in this narrow space.He grabbed both her hands with his big hands and pinned her legs with his, leaving Sophia unable to move her limbs.Frustrated, she aimed her head at Kyle and lunged forward. Kyle instinctively dodged. Sophia's little head directly hit his chest.Thud.It felt like a forty-pound hammer hitting his chest, causing Kyle to start coughing on the spot. He was truly at a loss. She was too much to handle, using every trick in the book.With one hand rubbing his sore chest and the
At that moment, it seemed like the world came to a standstill. The man and the woman at the door were so scared they hardly dared to breathe. How dare this woman. How could she slap Kyle?They sneakily glanced at Kyle's reddened face, wishing they could disappear. They were afraid they'd face his wrath, too.Kyle also couldn't believe what he was seeing. This little drunkard in front of him wasn't speaking gently or acting cute, and instead of calling him brother, she slapped him. He was furious. At that moment, he had already thought of where to bury this woman.However, Sophia didn't seem to realize the seriousness of hitting someone. She suddenly jerked her wrist and broke free from the man's grasp. Whether it was because she used too much force or because she was drunk and couldn't control her strength, she stumbled and fell on her rear.This fall was solid, and she couldn't help but cry in pain, "Ow!"Tears streamed down her face.Kyle was bewildered for a moment. The anger
Sophia felt helpless. This man's schemes ran too deep. He didn't reveal anything useful. The two drank one glass after another from seven in the evening until ten at night. Sophia's head was spinning.She had been trying to limit herself, taking small sips each time. Unfortunately, her tolerance for alcohol was quite poor. Her gaze was unfocused, and the man opposite her seemed to blur into duplicates. She knew deep down that she was drunk. It was frustrating. When would her tolerance improve?"Are you deliberately trying to get me drunk to see me embarrass myself?" Kyle lounged carelessly. "I didn't know your alcohol tolerance was so poor."Sophia snorted softly in her heart. Ignorance was truly unbelievable. She even suspected that this man had seen her drunk before. Otherwise, why insist on drinking with her? She needed to control herself now; otherwise, her stingy husband at home would be infuriated.So she just slumped onto the table, motionless.Kyle chuckled. "Are you dru
Kyle compromised, "Alright, I won't touch you."Sophia sternly commanded, "Get off."Kyle slowly got up from her.Sophia's piece of porcelain against his neck remained unmoved, her little face tense.Kyle sat up and waved to remove the hand threatening his neck, "Alright, if I bleed, you lose your life. Do you think I'm afraid of such a broken thing like you?"He knocked away the piece of porcelain in Sophia's hand, but she didn't pick it up. Instead, she said softly, "I know you're not afraid. As the top boss of the Netherworld Palace, what kind of woman can't you have? But it's not worth it to ruin the mood just to sleep with a woman, don't you think?"Kyle looked at her and smiled. Far from diminishing with Sophia's various rudeness, the interest in his eyes only intensified.He stretched out his long arm and grabbed Sophia's nape, pulling her closer. The two were close enough to hear each other breathe.There was a determined smile in his eyes. "I like smart girls."Sophia
Kylie smirked. "So, how else do you want me to repay you?"But Sophia couldn't shake the feeling that his smile seemed somewhat sinister.Kyle wasn't the kind of person to easily agree. Could it be true that she had saved him?After contemplating, she said, "For example, a substantial monetary reward, a direct increase in shares and equity, or at the very least, treating me to a meal would suffice.“But instead, you kidnapped me, restricted my movements, and now you're telling me it's repayment? Did I perhaps drown your son in a well in a past life, prompting you to repay me in such a unique way?"He was left bewildered by Sophia's rapid-fire words. What was this woman talking about?After a good while, he finally grasped the gist of her words. "Alright, let's go. I'll treat you to a meal."Sophia looked at him, surprised that he was so easy to persuade. She took advantage of the situation and added, "Then first, give back the phone to your lifesaving benefactor."Kyle replied,
Elliot searched the inside and out of the car. He indeed found a box of acupuncture needles tucked away in a corner. His wife always had a habit of carrying a box of acupuncture needles with her, not for self-defense, but for saving others.However, this box had yet to be opened, proving that the skills of the person they were dealing with surpassed hers. Otherwise, she wouldn't have missed the chance to use the needles.It seemed that this car was indeed the right one.He looked at the dirt road ahead, with tracks from two vehicles. One was a regular sedan, and the other looked like an off-road vehicle.But no more surveillance cameras were ahead, so they wondered if the cars had turned back or continued forward.He relayed the situation to Avery once again. Avery began to investigate, checking every detail of the vehicle information provided by Elliot. At this point, the police, Samuel, and his team arrived one after the other.Since there were no surveillance cameras in this a
Avalon said, "It perfectly matched the Meng family's expertise. They've been collaborating for several years, and my family even gave up some minor collaborations because they trusted in them.“But this time, under their instigation, my family paid an advance payment of 1.8 billion for goods, but the goods weren't delivered according to the contract date. They kept stalling, and when my family went to check, they found the company deserted.“After my elder brother had someone investigate, he found out the company was leased, and the company's CEO was nowhere to be found.“After reporting to the police, they kept investigating, but there was no result. That person disappeared. Helpless, my parents, elder brother, and second brother all went to find Patel.”“But Patel, apart from the initial matchmaking, wasn't involved in the subsequent cooperation. So, my brother and others didn't dare to do anything to him. But after struggling for a few months, the bank started demanding loan rep
"Mary," Paisley called out each word, but then her throat seemed to constrict, and she couldn't say anything more. Tears welled up in her eyes.Lucas also felt anguished. "We're sorry, Mary, but we haven't wronged you."Mary sneered, "If you haven't, how did I end up in this situation today? You both are incompetent parents. What's the point of arguing? You only have two daughters. Can't you treat us equally?"Paisley was truly enraged by her words. "How have I not treated you equally? Mary was just being clever. Perhaps I inadvertently praised her, but I never said you were bad, did I? Just because of this, you want to abandon Mary?“Are you even human? After you went missing, I couldn't eat or sleep peacefully. Every night was spent in tears. I knew you suffered a lot, and surviving wasn't easy, so when I found out it was Mary who made you disappear, I resented her deeply.“I did everything to make it up to you, even at the cost of hurting Mary. I sided with you unreasonably. Is
Xena viciously grabbed her by the collar, preparing to take her back for further interrogation. However, many policemen suddenly burst in through the door.The secretary followed closely behind, explaining, "Officers, hurry and arrest Xena. She forced her way in."Xena frowned. Assessing her situation, she forced Mary to sit in the boss's chair, a dagger held against her sister's neck. The room was marked with signs of struggle, with blood spattered across the floor.In this situation, she could hardly argue her innocence. But she instinctively explained, "She locked up my parents and wouldn't tell me where they were. I just wanted to question her."The police officers' expressions hardened, their tone brooking no refusal. "Take her away!"Two officers stepped forward and seized her. Xena complied, offering no resistance or excuses, obediently following the police.Another officer glanced at Mary. "Are you alright?"Mary seemed shaken, clutching her neck. After calming herself,