Elliot felt Sophia’s eyelashes tickling his chest. Unfortunately, he could not act upon it. "You should go back to sleep. I'll go take a look." Sophia grasped Elliot before letting go, then poking her head out from under the covers. "Is it Hamish?""Yeah.""What’s he here for?""I don't know. I'll go see," Elliot said as he got dressed.Sophia stared at him and then looked around the room, her consciousness gradually returning. Suddenly, she blushed as she recalled what happened last night.It was not that she was lazy. She only slept for less than four hours altogether. She was messing around with Elliot the rest of the time. They left the sofa, bathroom, and bed messy.Seeing Elliot about to open the door, she hurriedly said, "Wait!"She jumped out of bed, but her legs were weak, and she almost stumbled to the ground. Still, she did not have time to care. She picked up the sheets and clothes strewn on the floor before rushing to the bathroom with them.After all, it would b
Hamish paused before continuing, "Elliot should remember. My parents were sacrificed in a political marriage. They had not met each other before getting married, so they had no feelings for each other.“My father had a girlfriend before getting married. However, her family was poor, and my grandparents disagreed. So, they arranged for my father to marry my mother. After a drunken episode, my father got back together with his ex-girlfriend.“My mother found out, but our family situation was delicate. If this matter had escalated, it would have ruined my father's career. So, my father apologized, claiming he was drunk and confused.“He also promised to cut ties with his ex. Eventually, my grandparents calmed his ex down and sent her away. My mother chose to endure it silently. Seventeen years later, that woman appeared at our house with a boy.“She claimed she was terminally ill and wanted my father to care for her son before she died. Of course, my mother disagreed. After all, she h
Jocelyn was puzzled, "Didn't they already get married? Why’d they need to reregister?"Donald said, "We all know how they got their marriage certificate before. I guess Elliot is guarding against us. He’s afraid we'll recognize her, and he backed out of the engagement with her.“If we have the marriage certificate, we can use it against him. We took the initiative to get a new one with Christine, so now there's nothing we can criticize him for."David said, "Let them get married. We were planning to let Christine be with Elliot anyway."Donald and Chase exchanged a glance, and both rolled their eyes.They had handed over their clever, adorable, and beautiful little sister to Elliot. Initially, they were still considering recognizing her and giving him a hard time under the pretext that the photo was fake.‘It’s delusional of him to back out of the engagement and still want to marry my sister. Still, they got a new marriage certificate, so now everything’s legitimate.’Donald sai
Sophia's attack caught Paisley off guard, causing the latter to tumble onto the sofa clumsily. She struggled to get up and then glared at Sophia. Although the young lady looked hostile, Paisley asked suspiciously, “Who are you to question me about how I treat my daughter."Sophia said aggressively, "Do you even consider her your daughter? Those aren’t the kind of words a mother should say to her daughter. How dare you call her shameless and accuse her of being unethical."Xena spoke up, "Sophia, don't interfere."Sophia glanced at her and saw the handprint on her swollen face. "I know she's your mother, so I won’t hurt her. I just want to talk."She turned back to Paisley and continued, "I’ll call you Aunt Paisley out of respect for Xena. I heard what you said just now. You said you want to make it up to Mary and claimed you’re unbiased.“It's not your fault if you don't like her. That's Xena's problem. You should never be biased if you’re a mother. Don’t sacrifice Xena to make am
Paisley was treated so rudely for the first time. She was so angry that she pointed at her, "How dare you talk to me like this?"Sophia said, "What's wrong? Isn't it a fact? You are the mother of both, not just someone who favors one over the other. Aren't you afraid that when the truth comes out, you'll have no face to beg for Xena’s forgiveness?"Paisley looked at her, inexplicably subdued by her momentum. The firm thoughts she had before now became uncertain, especially when she saw the hurt look in Xena's eyes.She slowed down her tone, "What did I say? I just don't want her to be involved with Hamish.""What else do you want to say? You come here without caring about how she's doing outside, not caring why she doesn't go home, but instead scolding her. What's this about having no shame? What's this about being improper?“What's this about seducing Hamish? What kind of talk is this? Don't say Xena might not even be interested in Hamish, even if she snatches him away, so what?”
Xena sighed. "How do you know so much?"Sophia said, "His mother told him after he called off the engagement last night. He came to find me the next day.""What did he want with you?""He asked for my help in pursuing you," Sophia smiled at her, "Do you still like him?"Xena scoffed, "Do you think I'm that forgetful?"Sophia also sat down, relaxing against the back of the sofa, teasingly looking at her, "It's hard to say. Don't speak too soon."Xena glared at her, sternly asking, "What are you trying to say?"Sophia chuckled, "Before I got together with Elliot, I said I wouldn't be with him even if all the men in the world were dead. But fate works in mysterious ways. We were engaged since childhood, arranged by our grandparents.“He was the older brother I had been searching for, and then we ended up together by accident, persuaded by our grandparents. So, how do you explain that? Sometimes, you just must go with the flow when fate comes knocking. There’s no need to reject it
Black Den Headquarters was in the center of Phoenix. It was a towering skyscraper that symbolized grandeur and magnificence.Sophia and Xena went there early in the morning. They were two of the five mysterious founders of Black Den. They went straight to the 40th-floor conference room after entering the building via a dedicated elevator.When they entered, they saw Liam and Elijah engaged in a heated debate. Everyone here had code names. Andrew's code name was Black Dragon, Xena's code name was Shadow, Sophia's code name was Visage, Liam's code name was Exia, and Elijah's code name was Banshee.Liam was tall and sturdy with dark skin, while Elijah was tall but slightly shorter, with a fair face and scholarly demeanor. The two had nothing better to bet on besides the number of people who could make it past two rounds.Liam said, "The levels Visage designed are a bit difficult. I dare say that no more than thirty people will pass."Elijah said, "Nonsense! These are talents chosen f
Andrew issued his command to the final venue. Fifty people fought alone and had their phones confiscated. They were not allowed to meet or communicate with those who had yet to clear the stage. They also did not know the scores of those who had passed.Therefore, there was no difference between going in first or last. Everyone hoped to go in earlier because every extra minute spent outside was an extra minute of agony. However, the contestants had already determined their order by drawing lots.Mary and Vanessa were number one and eighteen, while Onyx was number forty-eight. When Vanessa heard a mechanical voice announce the start of the finals, she began to panic. Her limbs felt weak, and her breathing became unsteady.‘I-I can’t do it! I’m not ready! I don’t even know what stage I’ll face.’Mary comforted her, "It's okay, just relax and treat it as an experience. We've already stood out among five thousand people. It's okay whether we pass or not. Just keep a calm mind."Vanessa