With that, Fanny swayed her hips and left in a coquettish manner.
When Sophia looked back at Leo, his expression had turned incredibly gloomy.
“Sophia, no matter what Fanny told you, please don’t believe it!”
“Leo, where did you go three days ago after you dropped me off at work?” Sophia’s voice was icy.
“I went to Wilde Jewelry Company.”
Sophia’s frustration grew. “Fanny saw you with another woman, and you two seemed very close!”
“Sophia, please don’t believe her. It was Ms. Browne from Azure Financial. Our interaction was purely business-related,” Leo explained.
“Keep pretending. I’ve seen the photos. You were with Renee!” Disappointment filled Sophia’s eyes. “Leo, I’ve clearly underestimated you. I didn’t know your taste was so questionable, going for a married woman with a child!”
“Sophia, you have to listen to me. I’m a skilled doctor, and Renee is the CEO of Azure Financial. We were discussing opening a medical center in a partnership,” Leo justified.
“Your explanations are getting more absurd. Forget it, Leo. We didn’t have many feelings between us anyway. If you truly like her, I won’t hold you back. I’ll ask Mom to tear up the agreement and set you free.”
Sophia turned away and walked towards the door.
Leo noticed that, while turning, Sophia wiped a tear from her eye.
“Sophia, you’ve misunderstood me. There’s really nothing between Renee and me!” Leo followed her.
On the way back, Leo drove while Sophia sat in the back seat, her face still cold, refusing to speak to Leo.
When this woman gets jealous, it’s like trying to pull back nine stubborn oxen.
Leo understood Sophia’s temperament well; the more he explained, the less she believed him. So, he decided to stop talking altogether.
When they reached home, Jessica noticed her daughter’s upset expression and quickly asked, “Sweetie, who upset you? Was it Leo!?”
Sophia shook her head. “Mom, I’m fine.”
After saying so, Sophia went upstairs and locked herself in her room.
Jessica, knowing her daughter well, understood that something had gone wrong. She shifted her focus to Leo. “Leo, did something happen at the family meeting today?”
Leo proceeded to tell Jessica all about the decisions made during the meeting.
Jessica’s face turned sour. “That old woman is truly going too far!”
In a hurry, Jessica went up to the second floor to knock on Sophia’s bedroom door, wanting to comfort her daughter.
“Mom, I just want some time alone to calm down,” Sophia’s voice came from inside the room.
Jessica sighed deeply outside the door.
Leo was also feeling frustrated. He had been making significant progress with Sophia, and tonight might have been the night to make it to her bedroom. But thanks to Fanny’s meddling, that was now unlikely.
Early the next morning, Leo called Alvin. He instructed Alvin that if it wasn’t Sophia discussing the upcoming collaboration, anyone else attempting to do so should be kicked out.
Alvin was puzzled. Hadn’t Sophia secured the exclusive rights? Who else could discuss the collaboration? But sensing Leo’s frustration, Alvin agreed without pressing further.
Though Alvin was now the factory manager of Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company, he understood that Leo was the real boss. Whether he could continue working there, and for how long, depended entirely on Leo.
As usual, Leo drove Sophia to the company in the morning. However, this time Sophia didn’t say a word to him throughout the journey.
After dropping Sophia off at the company, Leo thought of heading to the clinic. Just then, he received a call from Coral.
“Hello, Leo,” Coral’s voice came through the phone.
“Miss Wilde, how can I help you?” Leo responded, being a conscientious subordinate.
“Nothing serious. Do you have time now? Can you come to my office? I’d like to talk to you about something,” Coral’s tone suggested more of a request.
“Sure, I’ll be right over.”
After hanging up, Leo headed to Wilde Jewelry Company.
Parking his car outside the Fly Building, Leo was about to turn off the engine and get out when a Ferrari pulled into a nearby spot.
The Ferrari parked, the door opened, and a man in a suit with a meticulously styled tie stepped out.
Leo recognized the face immediately. It was Antony, the man he had encountered during the gem auction in Starry Town.
Antony also noticed Leo and his face darkened.
What a small world. Meeting this guy in a parking lot was quite a coincidence.
Since that incident at the gem auction, Antony had faced his father’s wrath after Old Wilde revealed that he had been behind Jim’s failed robbery.
Then Nicola’s family, the Paters also called, stating their intention to sever all jade and gemstone business ties with the William family. This really rattled Antony.
You see, Antony was in charge of the jewelry and gemstone company, and a significant portion of his supplies came from the Pater family. If the collaboration with the Pater family were to be terminated, it would be equivalent to cutting off his main source of income.
Antony’s father had then instructed him to distance himself from Jim and claim that he had gone rogue, acting on his own.
Following his father’s advice, Antony took action, which ultimately led to Jim being imprisoned.
In business collaborations, it’s often a matter of win-win or lose-lose. Both the Wilde family and the Pater family were seeking some form of explanation. With the explanation provided and a way out offered, the situation eased, and tensions were resolved.
Consequently, the Pater family eventually reconciled with Antony’s Starry Gem Jewelry, resuming their business partnership.
Though Antony held resentment towards Leo, he also feared him. Jim had revealed that everyone who had accompanied him that night had been defeated by Leo, and Jim’s leg had been broken by Leo.
Antony pretended not to see Leo, got out of the car’s passenger seat, and brought out a bouquet of roses.
“Mr. William, what a coincidence to run into you here,” Leo greeted him with a smile.
Antony, however, ignored Leo and walked straight towards the entrance of the Fly Building.
Leo followed closely behind him.
Both men entered the elevator together, rode up to the sixth floor, and exited the elevator simultaneously.
At the front desk, Leo hurried ahead of Antony, taking a right turn into the building.
Antony frowned and was about to follow Leo when a receptionist stopped him.