Regardless of how loudly he screamed for her, it wasnât any more use than if he had just sat down and kept quiet. Sophia wouldnât even look his way once anyway.
Sophia indeed wouldnât give Stanley an extra look. Itâs just way too embarrassing! Just what was that cheer?
Stanley waved his flag like a madman while yelling, âSophia, Sophia, cut right through! Sophia, Sophia, youâre the best!â
Sophia gave Stanley a baleful glare as she went after the ball. Just that glare alone made Richardâs mind fill in many of the blanks.
As expected, all Stanley could draw to himself was Sophiaâs ire no matter how hard he worked, for Sophia only loved Richard!
Richard and Xyla then left.
The match continued. Sophia performed extremely well on the court. She had been on the main team of her high schoolâs womenâs basketball team. Right now, her skills were just as polished as ever as she dribbled and dunked with practiced ease. Her jumps were extraordinary, and even her three-pointers were executed easily.
The School of Economicsâ points skyrocketed under these circumstances.
This match was more or less in the bag, so Sophia relaxed greatly. She sneaked a glance at the stands from time to time. The cold and distant Nathan was also waving his flag madly to root for her. Her friends Sarah and Sean had also come.
While the support squad that Stanley had formed was a little cringey, they were still here to cheer for her.
She would have to treat everyone to a round of barbeque once the match was over.
A heated gaze inside the stadium landed on her. She swept her eyes over the stands and noticed a chubby, middle-aged man sitting in a corner. He had a dirty cap on his head and a grey scarf around his neck, beard white and face fleshy. He looked so average. Mixed in with the rest of the crowd, no one would notice him.
Sophia thought the manâs appearance familiar, but she couldnât figure out where she had seen him before. She retracted her gaze and returned to play seriously.
The match ended with a blow of the whistle and the points were tallied up. The School of Economics won by 30:11.
Sophiaâs support squad surged up to her, encircling her and handing her towels and water. Sophia wiped her sweat with a towel and chugged some water before patting Nathan on the head. She then looked up to look at where the middle-aged man had been sitting before, but his seat was empty now.
The man had left. All she could see was a departing figure.
That manâs figure and gaze were oh so familiar.
All of a sudden, a thought struck Sophia hard and she whipped her phone out to look for the selfie that Michael had posted earlierâwasnât his get-up exactly the same as that middle-aged manâs outfit?
That was Michael Fletcher!
Sophia stood there stiffly with her phone in hand as though she had been struck by lightning. She thought back on that middle-aged manâs rotund face. There was a whole world of difference between that fleshy face and Michaelâs gorgeous one.
That man truly had no qualms about throwing off his lordly image.
âSophia, come on. Letâs all go out for some food,â Stanley suggested due to their victory.
Sophia thought about it for a bit before declining. âSorry, no thanks. Itâs getting dark. I should be going home for dinner.â
Stanley stopped her. âHey, Sophia, Iâll be on the field the day after tomorrow at 3 p.m. The match between the School of Computer Science and the School of Financial Management. Remember to swing by!â
âWeâll see.â
Everyone went back home. After changing out of her clothes, Sophia and Nathan charged for the university gates to the old parking spot. Just as expected, she saw a car parked in a small alley. Gary and Hale were already there waiting for her.
âMissus, Little Master, please get in.â
Sophia caught sight of the middle-aged man from earlier when she opened the door. He was sitting inside the car. Nathan was clearly frightened by this and he looked at Sophia in confusion. Did a thief get inside the car?
Sophia brought Nathan into the vehicle.
The middle-aged man began to take off his makeup when the car started. He plucked his cap off, and when he put a hand to his face, it was clear that it was synthetic wax for makeup use. It was all over his hand once he swiped at his face. When he was done, a handsome face was revealed to Sophiaâs eyes.
It truly was Michael.
Nathan was dumbstruck, fear all over his face. Michael patted the boyâs head and smiled. âWhat? Donât you recognize your dad?â
Even Sophia couldnât recognize him, never mind Nathan. Who would have thought that Michael would have been able to distance himself this greatly from his usual princely image?
She really hadnât thought that Michael would show up on campus. Did he rush over from his film shoot to watch her match? Even if he did, it would take time for him to get to campus from the film site.
Sophiaâs mind began to pull itself in different directions.
Dinner was already on the dining table when they returned. Michael stepped into the dining room after he had completely removed his makeup. He was still as jaw-droppingly handsome as ever.
When Michael finished his makeup removal, Nathan was the only one sitting quietly at the dining table, waiting for dinner to start. Sophiaâs entire body was covered in a layer of smelly sweat from all her exercise earlier; she was still in the middle of blow-drying her hair after her shower. Nathan was gaming on her phone. He raised his head to look in Michaelâs direction, that earlier fear during their trip home still in his eyes. He most likely still hadnât recovered from Michaelâs earlier get-up.
Michael lowered his head to look at Nathan, who was dressed in a frog onesie. With his hood up, only his face was exposed to the air, a little face that was seemingly carved from marble with a pair of big eyes decorating it. Michael thought the boy an angel, and he couldnât stop himself from ruffling Nathanâs hair.
âSon, were you a good boy today?â
Nathan snorted and ignored him, continuing to play his game with his head lowered.
All of a sudden, Sophiaâs phone rang. It was a phone call from someone marked as âExâ. Michael seated himself after picking it up. As he waited for Sophia to come to the dining room, he pricked up his ears to listen to what this piece of work had to say.
âSophia, I heard that your schoolâs womenâs basketball team won their match. Congratulations, you did very well today. What was Stanleyâs deal? I know that heâs always clinging to you. If you find it inconvenient to get rid of him, then allow me to do so. I certainly will not let him get in the way of our feelings for each other. Thatâs right, Sophia. My school will be up against the School of Computer Science at 3 p.m. the day after tomorrow in Basketball Court 3. Iâm one of the players on our schoolâs main basketball team. Iâll be on the court then. You have to come see me. How I miss those days from years past. Those days when weâd play basketball, go jogging, and circle the lake on campus while memorizing terms and phrases for classes. Iâd even send you to the library on the back of my bicycle toâ¦â
Richard went on for a while before he eventually said, âSophia, I miss you.â
Michael did not say a word throughout the one-sided conversation while the phone was on speaker mode. Before he could finish listening to the other manâs rambling, the phone automatically switched itself off from its lack of battery.
Sophia soon came down. Both father and son had already changed into their pajamas, which were a matching set of frog onesiesâa large one and a small one. Sophia, however, wore a rabbit onesie that was pink, with a pair of ears stitched onto the hoodie.
After plugging in Sophiaâs phone to recharge, Nathan bolted upstairs with pattering steps. He soon came downstairs again, having changed into a pink rabbit onesie that matched Sophiaâs. He sat next to her and tilted his head to look at her, as though he was seeking her approval.
âGood boy!â Sophia patted his head. Nathan basked in the touch, but he didnât forget to shoot a condescending look at Michael in his bright green clothes.
âHeh.â Michael gave a cold chuckle.
You sneaky kid, my methods for stealing Sophiaâs affections will definitely scare the wits out of you!