Sophia finally finished explaining to Daniel the freakish twists and turns she and Elliot had gone through to get to where they were now.“You guys just got a marriage certificate? Did you do all this just to keep your grandparents happy?”Sophia nodded. “Correct. Don’t spill this to my grandma.”Daniel smiled. “I won’t. I knew you didn’t like that gimp. I heard he’s quite the brute, too. None of the ladies sent into Villa No. 8 made it out alive. I was just about to say you must’ve been out of your mind to marry this guy.”Sophia frowned. She was not sure if it was because Daniel was bad-mouthing Elliot or because he was indirectly demeaning her by bad-mouthing Elliot. Nevertheless, she did not like what she heard. Elliot was rumored to be a jerk, but that was all, just rumors. Ezekiel even claimed that Elliot could not feel anything below the belt. This was proof that people had been buying these rumors and spreading them.“Don’t listen to rumors. He’s not that bad.”“You don
Sophia fell silent. “Didn’t you just say you’d stop being mean to me a second ago?”Elliot smiled. “I promise I won’t be mean to you if you don’t go against me.”Sophia was not impressed. “Gee, thanks a lot.”Elliot answered, “You’re welcome.”“Where’s my room?”“You’ll be with me in my room, of course.”Under Sophia’s fierce glare, Elliot said casually, “You’re on the third floor in the room across from mine.”Sophia relaxed. “I’m heading upstairs.”Elliot said, “Wait.”“What?”“Don’t you want something to eat?”“Nope.”“How about keeping me company while I eat then?”“Eat on your own. I’m going to hit the sack.”“While you’re under my roof, you will live by my rules. You’re my wife, Sophy. Do you think it’s appropriate for you just to ditch me and go to sleep?”Sophia grew frustrated. “You’re like a woman, you know.”Elliot saw that she was about to throw a fit, so he said gently, “Your room isn’t ready yet. They’ll need some time.”Sophia rolled her eyes and followe
Elliot frowned. “Where are the snakes?”Chase said, “They’re in your room. I was sleeping when I felt something slithering across my body. “I was really shocked. You’re such a sicko. It’s bad enough you had them on the mountain. I can’t believe they’re in your room as well. Are you breeding snakes now?”Elliot realized something and looked at Sophia. She was trying to get back at Elliot. She had not known she would spook this man instead. She said unapologetically, “What are you looking at me for?”Elliot sneered. “Clean it up in an hour.”Sophia grunted, “Why do I have to do it?”Elliot retorted, “Give me back my ten million dollars if you won’t do it.”Sophia was mad. “Alright!”What a joke. Why did she have to give him his money back?She looked at Chase and said, “Let’s move! I’m coming with you.”Chase was stunned. He held on tightly to Elliot’s arm. “Where are we going? I’m not going anywhere. You can go yourself.”Elliot pushed him aside disdainfully. “What were
The next day.Sophia woke up and left the room. Elliot was on his way out too. She peered into his room and saw Chase sleeping on his bed.She was shocked. Did that man really sleep in Elliot’s room? And in the same bed as well?Sophia got excited. She said mischievously, “Is that how you swing?”Elliot turned and saw Chase on his bed.He rubbed his eyes. It was going to be hard to explain himself. Chase should have slept on the couch. What was he doing in his bed?Elliot was about to say something when Sophia cut him off. “Don’t worry. I won’t say a word about it. I won’t tell anyone.” She went downstairs.Elliot was speechless.Sophia and Elliot sat at the dining table. Sophia’s eyes sparkled. “How long have you known him?”“Who?”“I’m talking about the man sleeping on your bed!”Elliot said reluctantly, “We’ve known each other since we were very young.”Sophia asked, “So do you love him or his younger sister?”Elliot frowned and stared at her.Sophia said, “Alright. I’
Sophia felt a pain in her heart when she heard those words. She recalled the desperate face of Lawrence when he said, "Sophia, I’ll make it impossible for you to attend school."And with just a little scheming, she had no school to attend.She laughed sarcastically.No wonder Sadie had not apologized to her grandmother. She had been waiting for this moment. After she was expelled, she would have had to beg her father for an opportunity to go back to school.Her only leverage was the antidote to the itching powder. There was no way her father would let Sadie apologize. He had gone to great lengths for the sake of his wife and child. But he was also Sophia’s father. Sophia did not understand why he always chose to abandon her.The entire office fell into a strange silence.Elliot's face darkened as an icy aura radiated from him. He felt uncomfortable as he looked into Sophia’s eyes that had dimmed. "Change Sophia's emergency contact to me, Mr. Egbert. You can call me if anythin
At noon, Sophia saw Sharon as she was leaving the bathroom.Although they went to the same school, they rarely saw each other.Sharon had stayed in the same class since she consistently excelled in her studies. She had transferred here half a year ago and had been assigned to the top class. Several floors separated the two classes. Sophia would not have come here if she had not wanted to avoid the crowded bathrooms on her floor. It was impossible to go to the bathroom with too many people around.But since they had crossed paths, there was no reason to ignore each other. Sophia thought that Sharon must be here to cause trouble.She looked at Sharon and sneered. "Since you attempted suicide, why didn’t you stay in the hospital for a few more days?"Sharon was surprised when she saw Sophia. She thought her father had said that he told the school to expel her.‘Why is she still here?’She was momentarily stunned and did not respond. Instead, one of her friends beside her spoke
Chase followed closely behind and sat beside Elliot. "No, I need to share a room with you."He needed to keep an eye on this man for his sister, and make sure no other woman could take advantage of him.Elliot coolly replied, "Do you want me to call your agent?"Chase frowned. "Can't you let me rest for a couple of days?"Elliot was getting impatient. "Shut up!""Alright, alright, I'll be quiet," Chase said. He looked at Sophia. "How did you piss him off?"Sophia glanced at Elliot. "Who said I did anything? He just gets mad too easily."Elliot glared at Sophia, commanding coldly, "Sit down and eat.""I've already eaten.""Keep me company, then," Elliot asserted forcefully.Sophia stared at him, reluctant to comply with his request. But she couldn't help but feel a slight sense of responsibility since it was late and he hadn't eaten.However, she wasn't one to suppress her feelings. As she sat at the table, she deliberately started a conversation with Chase. "You're a celebri
After the commotion at the door subsided, Sophia settled into bed. Reflecting on today's events, she knew she would not have been able to start school so smoothly if it were not for Elliot.Of course, what moved her the most were his words. They made her feel less pathetic. If she blocked out everything else and looked at only this incident, she felt pretty thankful toward him. Then she remembered him sulking over a bowl of clam chowder for hours. She rolled her eyes, thinking about how petty he was.As Sophia was lost in thought, a woman’s cry suddenly filled the room. It was sharp, distant, and haunting, accompanied by eerie echoes. Startled, she instinctively sat up and scanned every corner of the room.She tried to locate the source of the sound but failed. It seemed to be coming from all directions.Just then, a disheveled woman with a red-stained tongue crawled in through the window. Her appearance—pale lips and fangs—was not only unexpected, but even if Sophia had been prepa