Michael lounged on the sofa, his usual relaxed demeanor returning. “It’s about a girl I’ve had a crush on recently. She got into trouble, and I got a bit upset, so I asked Dave to help.”
“A girl? What’s her background? Is this serious?” Miranda furrowed her brow. Any girl except Sophia caught her attention.
She only cared that Michael liked the other woman.
“I’ll probably lose interest in her soon anyway. It’s no big deal,” Michael said playfully.
Miranda let out a sigh of relief. “You can have your fun with any woman you like, just not Sophia. I’m only being lenient with her out of mercy. But if I catch Sophia trying to seduce you, I swear I’ll make her disappear. No one will be able to save her.”
Michael felt a chill run down his spine. He stopped himself from saying more, stood up, knelt in front of Miranda, took her hand, and whispered, “Mom, don’t worry. I could never love Sophia. I dislike her as much as you do.”
He kept his voice low, careful not to let Sophia hear from the bedroom. He only said this to calm Miranda and keep things peaceful with Sophia.
Miranda’s expression softened as she patted Michael’s head. “You’ve always been my rock, Michael. Since your father passed away, you’re all I have. I trust you’ll make the right decisions. Everything I do is for you.”
“I understand, Mom. I always follow your lead,” Michael whispered, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Satisfied, Miranda stood up to leave. She had a flight back to Blosa that night.
Michael stayed in the living room, lost in thought with wisps of smoke from a cigarette swirling around him. Eventually, he walked over to the door leading to his bedroom.
After a moment, he lightly tapped on the door. It swung open quickly, revealing Sophia on the other side. Her eyes were clouded, hiding her true feelings.
“Who was it just now? You’re so secretive,” Sophia said, meeting Michael’s gaze with a direct look.
“It was my mom,” Michael replied casually.
Sophia’s lips curved slightly. “She cares about you so much that she followed you to Edenfield. Just make sure you don’t do anything to worry her in the future, like getting involved with me.”
Michael furrowed his brow, wondering how much of his conversation with his mother, Sophia, might have heard.
After saying her piece, Sophia glided past him towards the entryway to change her shoes. “I’m leaving.”
Michael turned to watch her graceful figure. Her attitude had changed from the quiet serenity of her past self to a mature detachment. Unconsciously, she had evolved from being a maid protected by his presence to a woman capable of standing on her own.
“Let me drive you home. It’s late, and it’s not safe for you to go alone,” Michael offered unexpectedly.
Pausing while putting on her shoes, a faint smirk crossed Sophia’s lips.
Silently, they descended the stairs and got into the car. Not a word passed between them during the journey.
The car stopped in front of Sophia’s apartment building. She unbuckled her seat belt and calmly said, “Thank you.”
“No problem,” Michael replied casually.
It was as if he had never been deeply infatuated with her before.
Exiting the car, Sophia walked into the apartment building with her head held high, appearing indifferent to her surroundings. But once the door closed behind her, tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably. She stifled her sobs with one hand over her mouth, gripping the door handle tightly to keep from making any noise.
Slowly, Sophia sank down against the door, overwhelmed by her emotions.
Meanwhile, Michael sat alone in the car. Despite being so close, they felt as if they were worlds apart.
During Michael and Miranda’s conversation, Sophia had leaned against the bedroom door and heard most of what they said. Before this, Sophia had been confused by Miranda’s harsh treatment and the menial tasks she had to do. She had been grateful to Miranda for taking her in after her mother died and had never complained.
Now, Sophia realized that Miranda’s actions were driven by revenge against her all along.
Michael’s professions of love for Sophia and his desire to marry her now seemed like lies. Sophia struggled with the thought that she didn’t really know how many other women Michael might have been involved with.
It seemed possible that Michael was upset about not winning her over before, which made him tell those ridiculous lies to deceive her. Sophia wondered if he still saw her as the humble maid from their past.
Or maybe this was his way of getting back at her?
Even though Sophia no longer loved Michael, her heart still ached with unexplainable pain.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she wiped them away. After a while, she gradually calmed herself, sitting on the ground and holding herself gently.
Sophia had never known her father. She and her mother had relied only on each other. Her mother had been incredibly beautiful and kind-hearted. How could such a terrible thing have happened?
What exactly had happened back then?
What had caused these devastating tragedies that changed Sophia’s life forever?
Maybe she would never get answers for the rest of her life.
Standing up slowly, she walked towards her room. She had never truly felt she had a home before, but now, she had Elaine, her precious daughter, and her home.
For Elaine’s sake, Sophia promised herself she would stay strong.
Bianca arranged to meet Ashley’s ex-boyfriend the next afternoon at a local coffee shop.
“Did you tell Ashley what I said last time? What did she say?” the man asked impatiently as he settled into his seat.
Bianca took a sip of her coffee and looked directly at him. “You haven’t seen her?”
The man was filled with resentment at this.
Through gritted teeth, he said, “I tried every way to reach her, but she refused to see me. She even had me taken to the police station. I spent a day in custody before they let me go.”
Bianca raised her eyebrows slightly. His story matched exactly with what she had suspected.
Knowing Ashley’s personality, it was highly unlikely she would meet with this man. She wanted to cut ties with him completely.
Putting down her cup, Bianca sighed as if she felt helpless. “I passed on your message to Ashley. But she mentioned she’s about to marry into a wealthy family and doesn’t want any connection with someone like you. She also warned that if you keep looking for her, she’ll find a way to ensure you’re permanently out of her life.”