âThat man has come clean, so why are you still lying to me, Charles?" Leah let out a wry smile, making her look pitiable.
Charlesâ countenance remained the same after hearing what she said. He asked, "Why are you still asking me when you already know the answer?"
"Your attitude breaks my heart, Charles." Leah sighed softly before saying pointedly, "It looks like you will keep treating me this way as long as Sophia is around."
Charles tugged at his lips. "Youâve got the wrong idea, Leah. Even if Sophia isnât around, I will still treat you the way Iâm supposed to treat you."
The only difference was that he now hated her even more after learning that she had set Sophia up in the past!
"At least if she wasnât around, you wouldnât have asked someone to play such videos of Ms. Lawrence at her wedding, right, Charles?" Leah raised her head to peer into his eyes. Her eyes were lucid.
Charles wore an indifferent look on his face. "So?"
"Charles, I wonât tell anyone that youâve instructed Ms. Lawrence's ex-fiancé to play this video at the wedding, nor will I take any actions against you,"
Leah said.
"But, our marriage has been decided and we will be getting engaged very soon. I hope you can keep your distance from Sophia. This will be good for you, for me, and for the Jones family. What do you think?"
The corners of Charles' mouth curved up into a mocking arc. "Iâm not thinking of anything."
Having said that, he turned around and walked toward Wealth Hall.
"Who knows if your overprotectiveness is actually a good thing for Sophia." Leah's voice might sound soft and gentle, but there were unconcealable jealousy and hatred hidden in the depth of her water-like eyes.
Charles stopped for only a fleeting moment before striding away without looking or saying a word to her.
At the sight of his resolute back, the arc hanging on Leahâs mouth vanished gradually. The depth of her eyes was stained with a trace of obscurity.
Wealth Hall might be huge, but one could see nearly everything at one glance. Moreover, Sophia was wearing a lavender evening gown that no one else was wearing, hence he should be able to spot her at one glance.
Despite that, Charles looked back and forth several times but still could not find Sophia.
His brows furrowed slightly. He could not help but increase the strength of his grip when he held the kraft paper folder. He then took out his phone and dialed Sophia's number.
"The number you dialed cannot be reached at the moment."
Charles pursed his lips and dialed several times consecutively. Every time, the cold electronic tone would ring out. "The number you dialed cannot be reached at the moment."
He hung up the call as his right eyelid twitched a few times. There was a trace of uneasiness in his heart.
"Leave? Where to?"
"Sterling was asking me when Iâm leaving tonight. He wants to visit the place where Iâm staying now."
His conversation with Sophia today echoed in his head. Charles' eyes were clouded with a layer of mist. Holding the kraft paper folder in his hand, he strode with his long legs toward Sterling and Nicole.
Sterling was currently sitting in a wheelchair as Nicole pushed him. They followed behind James and Jenny listlessly as they greeted a group of elders.
Seeing that Charles was approaching, Sterling rolled his eyes hard and acted as though he did not see him.
James, however, laughed and said, "Youâre here, Charles."
Having said that, he glanced at Charles' side, asking, "Why isnât Soph with you?"
The question might be directed at Charles, but he was paying attention to those standing next to him out of the corner of his eye. It was clear that he was saying it on purpose for them to hear.
As soon as Jenny heard the question, she turned to look at Charles as well.
Back then, no matter how much Charles hated a person, he would still maintain the most basic attitude of a gentleman. This time, however, he ignored the couple and walked straight to Sterling instead. He asked straight away, "Whereâs Sophia?"
Nicole was afraid that Sterling would spill the beans, hence she said first, "This is a really strange question coming from you, Mr. Harris. Soph has been with you the whole time. We should be the one asking you this question instead."
Sterling harrumphed heavily, feeling slightly unhappy with his sister.
They clearly agreed that he would be the one to send her over, so why did she leave without saying a word!
Very soon, however, he figured that his sister was not to be blamed and that he should be blaming Charles instead. Charles must have been keeping a close eye on Soph, and that was why she did not even have a chance to notify him in secret!
"I'll ask this one more time. Whereâs Sophia?" Charlesâ good-looking face was covered with a layer of frost. The unease in his heart amplified.
The more dreadful he looked, the better Sterling's mood became. With a cast on one leg, he dangled the other leg and sneered. "I don't know! Why should I tell you even if I know?"
Nicole's eyebrows jumped at his last sentence. She could not help but pinch his waist in secret to warn him not to talk nonsense.
Sterling was in a lot of pain, yet he still had to act as though everything was fine. He was terribly aggrieved.
"Charles is fond of Soph, thatâs why he gets anxious when he canât find her." James explained to those standing next to him with a smile. He then walked to Charles and said, "Charles, could Soph have gone to the toilet? Or maybe sheâs talking to an acquaintance?
"She is an adult. Besides, the security here is really tight. You don't have to worry too much."
Charles frowned and looked at Sterling whilst pressing his lips firmly.
Sterling looked back at him provocatively, dangling his legs and raising his eyebrows, nearly sticking the word âsmugâ on his forehead. If there was a tail behind him, it would have shot up to the sky a long time ago.
"Sterling," Nicole called out to him in a whisper, her head aching.
Sterling turned back and glanced at her. "Yes, why are you calling me, darling?"
Nicole, "..."
"Did Sophia tell you where sheâs going?" Before Sterling could create any trouble, Philip went on to say, "I called her but her phone is switched off.â
Nicoleâs heart fell with a thump, her countenance looking slightly dreadful. She could not tell whether Charles was lying to them, or if Sophia's phone had run out of power and shut down by itself, or if something had actually happened to Sophia. She did not say anything for a while.
"It canât be. She must have blocked you!" Sterling's expression changed drastically as he fished out his phone to call Sophia.
"The number you dialed cannot be reached at the moment, please try again later..."
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 220 Go Out And See Whatâs Going On Even from a distance away, Nicole could hear the operatorâs voice coming from the phone. Blood drained from her face at once.
James exchanged glances with the rest while Jenny's eyes turned pink instantly, tears falling to the ground. "What's going on? Why is Soph's phone switched off? Sterling, if you know something, then hurry up and say it!"
Up until now, Nicole still had no idea what was going on exactly. She thought it was best for her to check the surveillance cameras in private to see where Soph was.
It was not the right time to reveal the fact that Master Harris had sent his men to take Soph away yet.
In the unlikely event that Sophâs phone had simply run out of power, or if it was an inconvenient time for her to answer their calls because she was boarding a plane, then she would only end up ruining Sophâs plan after exposing her and Master Harrisâ agreement to Mr. Harris, right?