Standing not far off from her, Joel was dressed casually in a shirt, looking like he was out on a break.
Even without his uniform, he still looked sharp like a sword which was placed in a scabbard and the military temperament he had was impossible to hide.
Joel grinned, not expecting to run into her today. Unlike that day during the competition when she wore an eye-catching red dress, she was now wearing a casual white-colored top with wide sleeves paired with jeans and canvas sneakers. On her delicate face, she had very light makeup on and overall, she looked very clean and refreshing.
The sight of her made his heart skip.
During the tournament, Sophia had seen Joel from afar and knew that he was the one in charge of security for that day. However, that day was too rushed, and she had left with the others to a party right after, so she didnât make it in time to greet him. Furthermore, the fact that Michael disliked him also made her a little wary about going over to say hi that day.
But today, she paced over to him jauntily and asked, âGeneral, what are you doing here?â
Without his military uniform, Joel maintained his usual smart aura, but his smile seemed more gentle as the edges of his lips curled upward slightly and he replied, âI have a gathering with my comrades in the afternoon.â Then, he recalled the day of the competition and added, âYou did well that day!â
Since he was in charge of security, he had to stay outside of the venue to take care of various situations and couldnât watch Sophia on the spot, but he had watched the livestream.
The scene was unforgettable; a lady in red calmly controlling a virtual character in golden armor to defeat the foreign team until they had to make a run for it. The atmosphere was so thrilling that even Joel, who was outside, could feel it simply by watching the broadcast.
The world of the young is burning with life! he had thought.
When he first met Sophia, she was a young girl who wasnât very striking. If he hadnât heard that she was bought by Michael, he probably wouldnât have taken a second look at her.
Back then, he didnât understand why a person like Michael would need to resort to buying a woman, but looking at her now, it was probably because Michael was a better judge of a person than he was.
Hearing the generalâs compliment, Sophia was so embarrassed that she scratched her head and grinned. âI just got lucky. It was mainly because Stanley is a capable leader. I was just an errand runner who could hit a few enemies.â
She had just finished speaking when Joel smiled again. The genes of the Fletchers were indeed top of the class. There was the elegant idol like Michael, the young punk like Stanley and also Joel, who was oozing with righteousness and military persona.
Usually, he wouldnât smile, but when he did, he was very good-looking and completely different from the way Michael smiled.
âHowâs the company?â he asked.
Sophia was not expecting him to ask about the company, but it occurred to her that Irene had also invested in it, so she hurriedly replied, âThe company is doing well and Iâm planning to drop by later to take a look. Everyone is working overtime recently and even Stanley has shifted his home to the office.â
âYeah, do your best but donât give yourself too much pressure. Youâre still young, so youâll run into some failures before you can mature,â he said. Suddenly, his phone rang and he answered the caller, âIâll be right there.â
After hanging up, he turned to Sophia and asked, âItâs Army Day today and we have a day off. Your drill instructor will also be at the gathering with my comrades. Would you like to join?â
My drill instructor? she repeated in her head.
The mention of military training reminded her of Commander Ford. After the training, they never kept in contact, and that seemed like a rule in their military camp.
When she heard that Joel would be having a gathering with Commander Ford, she was tempted to join, but the thought that Michael didnât like Joel held her back. If Michael had gone out with a woman she didnât like, she would definitely be unhappy about it as well.
Still, she contemplated it because the memories of her military training were etched into her mind and Commander Ford had taught her many things besides taking good care of her company. When the training ended, everyone had cried and was reluctant to leave.
That day, she even specially went to look for Commander Ford to bid farewell, but she couldnât find him.
When training was finished and they had to leave the barracks, they were all crying like babies, but their instructors were not allowed to send them off lest it made everyone sad.
It was destiny that she ran into him today, and she didnât know when would be the next time she would get such an opportunity. So she thought about it a little more and then said to Joel, âLet me inform someone from home.â
Knowing who she meant by that, Joel nodded. âAlright, Iâll be waiting for you.â
Sophia spun around and called Michael, whose face was currently covered in dust and mud while he ate boxed lunch with his crew.
During the shooting for this movie, his face was barely ever untouched as there was always some makeup onâeither blood or dust.
Upon picking up Sophiaâs call, the first thing he did was to flirt with her, âChica, are you missing your hubby? Just clean your butt and wait for me. Iâll be back tomorrow to shower you with love.â
Sitting at the same table and eating boxed lunch with him, Harry rolled his eyes and cried silently, Canât you cut out such disgusting stuff when weâre eating?
Despite being married for a long time, Sophia still couldnât help but blush whenever Michael made a dirty remark. Very briefly, she told him about what happened today and finally said, âSo yeah, thatâs what happened and itâs Army Day today, so Iâll join them for a meal and then leave after that.â
It was silent for a long time on the other side of the line. Although she knew that Michael wouldnât agree to it, she really wanted to meet Commander Ford as well as her battalion and regimental commanders who had taken care of her during training.
Despite knowing that he wouldnât let her go, she still wanted to fight for this opportunity. To her surprise, Michael merely chuckled lightly after a pause and said, âItâs not a big deal. Go ahead and join them.â
In that moment, she was overwhelmed with delight and thanked him cheerfully, âThank you, hubby.â
After hanging up the call, Michael stared at his phone for a split second before going over to the director and informed him, âItâs Army Day today so Iâm taking two dayâs off to join a gathering with my comrades. I wonât be here today and tomorrow.â
Speechless, there was nothing the director could do because Michael was the celebrity and he called the shots.
Meanwhile, Sophia left with Joel in a jubilant mood after putting her phone away.
As Joel was the host today, the venue definitely wouldnât be too shabby. The gathering would be held at the largest leisure club in Bayside City, which was in Asco Entertainment City, and they had run into each other because that place was nearby.
Whenever she thought that she would be meeting her commanders whom she missed so dearly, a little surge of excitement would well up in her chest. She then gazed at Joel and asked nervously, âWill I affect the mood if I join the gathering with your comrades?â
âNo, you wonât. Donât worry, there are people bringing their families as well,â he assured.
Relieved, Sophia happily followed him.
As this was a wealthy area, it was filled with luxury stores and premium clubs. Asco Entertainment City, which they had just entered, belonged to the owner of Asco International, and the club was located on the fourth floor while the first three floors were branded stores.
Tagging behind Joel, the both of them had only reached the second floor when they met an acquaintance unexpectedly.
âSo the both of you really know each other!â
Appearing before Sophia, a group of people were walking toward them. A young, beautiful girl was in the middle and she was surrounded by a few bodyguards dressed in black.
Isnât that Natasha Mitchell?