Sophia glanced at the simmering hot tea in front of her and said in an indifferent tone, "I don't like drinking tea."
"You used to like drinking it." Charles picked up his tea and took a sip. A good tea, but bitter in taste.
Sophia lowered her eyes and said sarcastically, "I said that on purpose because you like it."
After drinking it regularly over a long period of time, she now grew to love it as well.
Charles glanced at her with dark and gloomy eyes. His well-defined fingers began tapping gently on the table as if a small fire was burning in his heart.
"This villa was renovated according to your renovation plans." Charles downed a cup of tea. The tea was probably too hot, hence the fire was not extinguished but burned fiercer instead.
Sophia darted a cursory glance and let out an âohâ, saying, "I donât remember anymore. Didnât even notice."
In fact, she had noticed it as soon as she walked in, but so what? Her desire to decorate a bridal chamber with Charles was long gone.
Charles' eyes turned slightly dim. His fingers were tapping faster on the table now. Then, he poured a cup of tea, picked it up, and started sipping on it.
Sophia did not look at him anymore but looked down at the surface of the table instead. She caught a glimpse of his hands out of the corner of her eye by accident and noticed a few red spots on them. They looked like oil burns.
If this was two years ago, she probably would have gone to get the medicine kit by now. Right now, however, she found it quite a pity that his wounds were not serious enough. If a pot of oil had poured on him, then that pain would probably resemble the pain she felt when he broke her legs back then.
"Mr. Harris, the fish soup you made is done. Do you want me to serve it or do you want to serve it to..." A man dressed in a chef attire walked out. As soon as he saw Sophia, he swallowed the rest of his words. "Hello, Ms. White."
Sophia frowned. "Hello, have... I seen you somewhere before?"
"I'm Imperial Kitchenâs chef. You used to like having meals there and would specifically ask me to cook them for you." The chef scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.
His words brought back some of Sophiaâs memories. This chef had gained a lot of weight compared to two years ago. It was no wonder she could not recognize him despite finding him familiar.
Imperial Kitchenâs chef was here, Charles made the fish soup, and his hands were burned by oil...
She turned her head to look at Charles, licked her dry lips, and retracted her gaze.
"Thatâs all for today. You can go back now," Charles said to the chef.
The chef responded and bid farewell to the two, humming a song while leaving in high spirits. When he arrived at the door, he answered a phone call and said, "Hello, darling. Iâm going home. Save me some food, I..."
His voice gradually faded. In the huge villa, only the sound of Sophia and Charlesâ breathing remained. It was unusually quiet.
"The dining area is on the first floor to your left. Go take a seat and wait. I'll serve the food," Charles stood up and said.
Sophia wanted to say that she was not hungry at first but changed her mind when the words reached her lips. She hummed a response and went to the dining area.
Every furnishing here had been fitted according to her renovation plan. She ought to like it very much. However, she found it hard to feel happy when Charles was here.
Charles served four dishes and a bowl of soup on the table, then filled up a bowl of rice for her. He set out the tableware before returning to his seat.
"Give the food a taste."
Sophia glanced at the dishes and soup on the tableâthey were all her favorites. She clenched her chopsticks firmly and grabbed a piece of pork rib whilst pursing her lips.
The rib was stewed with winter melon and tasted pretty good.
Sophia took a bite. Before she swallowed it, she spat it out on the empty plate meant for holding scraps. "It has a fishy odor to it."
Charles reached over with his chopsticks and grabbed the pork rib from her bowl and took a bite. He glanced at her pensively, then swapped the pork rib in front of her with Coca-Cola chicken wings. "Donât eat the pork ribs, then. Eat this."
Coca-Cola chicken wings could taste particularly greasy if not cooked well. However, he did it pretty well. Moreover, it tasted almost the same as the one the Imperial Kitchenâs chef made.
"It's too oily." Sophia put the Coca-Cola chicken wing into her bowl and stood up. "I'm going back to my room."
After saying those words and taking two steps, someone grabbed her by the wrist.
She frowned. Before she could say anything, Charles exerted some strength and she twirled several times, staggering and falling on his lap.
As she was afraid of falling, Sophia wrapped her arms around his neck instinctively and turned her head furiously. Her lips just so happened to brush against his face.
"What are you doing?!" She pressed her hands on his chest and leaned backward with all her might, trying her best to pull the distance between them.
The heat of his thigh spread across his suit pants. She squirmed several times uncomfortably, trying to break out of his shackles but to no avail.
Charles was different from William. He enjoyed taekwondo and fencing since he was a child. Even though she had done a lot of rough work in the past two years and had gained a lot of strength, she was still nothing compared to him.
"Don't move." Charles looked at her, his pupils growing darker. His voice that had always sounded cold was now slightly gruffy.
When she felt the physical changes in his body, Sophia's pupils contracted slightly, feeling as though she was sitting on pins and needles. Her face alternated between red and blue as she squeezed out a word from the gaps between her teeth, "Shameless!"
"If my body doesnât react to a woman that I like then I think itâs time for me to go to the hospital to check it out." Charlesâ expression looked normal. If Sophia had not felt the changes in his body, she probably would not know that he was having a reaction.
Sophia's face was sullen. She pressed hard on the wound on his lower abdomen and broke free of his restraint while he was in pain.
Colors drained from Charlesâ face as he was hurting too much. A thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead, but there was not the slightest fluctuation in the depths of his eyes. "Youâre not eating anything because I made them?"
Sophia pressed her lips firmly and made no sound.
"Itâs not worth it for you to ruin your body just because you hate me and refuse to eat," Charles wiped the sweat from his head and said faintly.
Sophia lowered her eyes and clenched her fists. âThey just donât suit my appetite."
"I only made the fish soup, chicken wings, and pork ribs. The chef earlier made the two other dishes." Charles picked up his chopsticks and ate the ribs that Sophia did not finish earlier. "My dishes donât suit your appetite but his dishes do. Sit down and eat."
Sophia stood rooted to the ground.
"You will be eating with me in the future. Are you going to starve yourself just because youâre mad at me?" Charles lifted his eyes and glanced at her.
"Or you want me to invite the twins over to eat with you?"
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 190 I Can't Bear To See You Cry Sophia licked her dry lips, paused for a moment, and said, "... No."
Shen then pulled out the chair and sat down. She then ate in silence.
When she was done eating, she left the dining area and was about to go upstairs when she stopped after walking two steps. Her expression changed constantly.
"Go upstairs and your room will be the first room to the left. My room will be the second room to the left," Charles said, sitting on the living room couch. He was flipping through some documents.
Sophia turned her head to frown at him, then pursed her lips and walked upstairs.