Charles frowned almost imperceptibly and did not utter a word.
"If thatâs the case, Iâm sure you can tell me whether Sophâs pregnancy is real or fake." Yvette rubbed her brows and said.
Charles dropped his gaze. "Itâs real."
Yvette sighed inexplicably. After a long period of time, she said, âIf you face something that you canât solve, then donât act tough and pretend like you can."
Charles hummed faintly. Then, he got up and said, "I'm leaving now."
"Youâre going to see Soph?" Yvette asked.
Charles nodded, pushed the door open, and got out of the car.
Yvette's expression was exceedingly complicated when she stared at Charlesâ departing back. She picked up her phone and dialed a number. "Check the hospital records and see if Soph is..."
She stopped talking halfway through. After the person on the other end of the call asked a few questions, she struggled for a moment and said, "Forget it."
Then, she hung up the call.
*
The White familyâs villa.
Two years later, the villa had not changed much apart from several minor decorations. Sophia felt no sense of belonging when she returned to this place where she had lived for 18 years.
She sat on the couch in the living room, put her weight on one side of her bottom, and watched indifferently as the new servant aunty placed the sliced fruits and tea snacks on the table.
"Soph, these fresh kiwis taste pretty good. I remember that kiwis are your favorite fruit. Go ahead and have some!" Jenny pushed the fruit bowl toward Sophia, looking slightly restrained yet ingratiating at the same time.
Sophia darted a glance at the fruits, picked up a slice, and put it in her mouth under Jenny's eager gaze. "Thank you."
Seeing that she was willing to eat it, a hint of delight emerged on Jenny's face, though it quickly turned into bitterness when she heard her saying thank you.
"Why are you still crying when Soph is already at home now?" James frowned.
"Youâre asking me why Iâm crying?" Jenny wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and screamed at him, "When the Harris family treats Soph well, you start calling her Soph. When the Harris family treats Soph terribly, you immediately distance yourself from her!
"James, how could I not realize how sickening you are back then?!"
The new servant aunty stood on one side and stole several peeks at James.
James was put on the spot. His face flushed with embarrassment as he said, "What did I say now? Why do you act so mental these days? I didnât even say anything and youâre already losing your temper!"
"Youâre saying that Iâm mental? Who... Whoâs the one who backed me into a corner?" Jenny tossed the handkerchief that was soaked in tears onto the table and sprung up from her seat.
James was already used to her obsequious and meek attitude for the last 20 years. Now that he was getting screamed at in the face, his face started alternating between red and blue. He began panting violently. "You... Cough... You..."
He placed his hand on his neck, his complexion turning more and more dreadful by the second.
At the sight of this, Jenny stopped yelling and passed him his medicine quickly. She then ordered the aunty, "Hurry up and get a glass of water!"
Sophia watched the farce with a frosty gaze. The corners of her eyes were stained with traces of irony.
After sneering, she stood up and said to Sterling, "Iâd like to talk to you alone, Sterling!"
"Huh? Oh okay!" Sterling immediately turned his wheelchair and followed her.
After seeing what happened, Jenny gave James a few quick rubs on his back. She wanted to go after them in a haste.
Sophia stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head to look at her. Her voice was lukewarm. "I have something to say to my brother alone. Please donât follow us, Madam White."
"Soph, you..." Jenny's eyes turned red.
Sophia frowned. She felt softhearted for a fleeting moment at the thought of the changes her mother had made for her, though ultimately, she strengthened her resolve and turned around before her mother could finish her sentence.
"Stop crying, Mom. Look how swollen your eyes are! Go and wipe your tears away!" Sterling pulled at his hair irritably. After saying a few words to Jenny, he turned his wheelchair and followed Sophia out the door.
The sun was setting, and Sophia was standing with her back against him. The tangerine-colored sun shone on her, stretching her figure into a very long shadow. It made her look forlorn for no reason.
Sterling felt terrible. "Soph, thatâs how our mother is. She has changed a lot now, so don't be too harsh on her! Just flash her a smile or two when youâre happy lest she continues to bawl her eyes out all day!"
"Hah." Sophia chuckled.
Sterling pulled his hair in an exceedingly annoyed manner. "You donât have to force yourself if you don't want to. I just think that itâs... Itâs quite annoying to see Mom crying all day!â
"Why would I be harsh on her when I donât place any hope on her anymore?" Sophia flashed a miserable smile. "She has changed a lot for me, but..."
She paused and said in an obscure manner, "I can't get past the hurdle in my heart, Sterling."
Hurting a person was just like driving a nail into a wooden board. No matter how well you treated him or her afterward, even if the nail is pulled out, it will still leave traces instead of remaining intact.
"I know!" Sterling hammered the wheelchairâs armrest hard, then gritted his teeth and said, "If Leah hadn't set you up with the car accident, our family wouldn't have turned out this way either!"
Sophia turned around to look at him. She stood against the light, shrouding her facial features in the darkness. This made it hard to read her expression.
Unfortunately, there was no if.
"Sterling." Sophia's voice was soft. âDonât get involved in my affairs from now on."
Sterling's face suddenly turned ghastly pale when he heard what she said. "Why not? Did I upset you that you don't even want to recognize me as your brother anymore? Or do you think that Iâm too..."
"Sterling..." Sophia stretched her tone and called out to him.
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 234 Get Lost Sterling moved his wheelchair to her and said hastily, "Do you think that Iâm too stupid that I can't do anything well and only give you trouble all the time? I've already started learning how to do things in the company. I may not be as outstanding as Charles, but I wonât cause you any more trouble in the future!"
His voice softened abruptly, and there was a trace of pleading in his voice. "Soph, donât ignore me, please?"
"I donât think that youâre not good enough, Sterling." Sophia tugged at her lips. She wanted to smile, but her tears started flowing down uncontrollably instead.
She raised her head and wiped the corners of her eyes. She tried her best to lift the corners of her lips. Then, she reached out to wipe the tears from Sterling's face. "When nobody wanted me anymore, you still held me in your palms like Iâm some kind of treasure, so how can I bring myself to push you away, Sterling?"
"Stop wiping. Iâm not crying, itâs just that... My eyelashes went in my eyes just now and irritated them!" Sterling swung her hand away and asked grumpily, "If you donât think that Iâm not good enough, then why canât I interfere in your business?"
The curvature of Sophia's lips sank back down. She said, "Master Harris is not the same as Charles, Sterling. You wonât end well if you argue with...â
"If thatâs all you have to say, then you can save your breath!" Sterling turned his wheelchair 180 degrees with a livid look on his face and maneuvered himself into the villa. "I will never leave you aloneânot until I die!"
He had already entered the villa when he finished saying those words.