Leah's body stiffened as the blood on her face vanished little by little after hearing what he said.
"Charles is the one who wants to break off the marriage contract," Mr. Jones said and continued, "Master Harris said he couldn't stop him and expressed his regret for not being able to form a marriage alliance with the Jones family. He also said that if you ever change your mind and want to marry someone else from the Harris family, he will be more than happy to take you in as his granddaughter-in-law."
Madam Jones' eyes widened gradually as she asked incredulously, âCharles actually broke off the marriage contract with such a nice person like Leah? What exactly is he thinking?"
"Just be quiet," Mr. Jones said to Madam Jones after seeing the wan look on Leahâs face.
Madam Jones mumbled a few words and looked at Leah with a look of concern.
"Leah, Justin is no worse than Charles. Besides, he has always been interested in you. Why donât you..." Mr. Jones persuaded.
Before he could finish his sentence, Leah cut him off with a wry smile. "Dad, news about my marriage contract with Charles has been passing around for two years now. If I cancel my marriage contract with him and marry Justin, what do you think others will think of me?"
"Itâs just gossip and rumors. It will disappear after a while. When did you start caring so much about what others think?" Mr. Jones said.
Leah's eyes flickered. She bit her lips and said, "Grandpa and the rest are already on the way. You should go over too, Mom and Dad. Grandpa will get upset if none of our family members are there."
"I get angry every time we talk about your grandfather!" Madam Jones complained. "Marrying an escort lady, I have no idea wh..."
Feeling restless and irritable, Leah cut her off while forcing out a smile. "It's getting late. You should hurry up and go there, Mom and Dad. I still have things to do. I'll go there later."
"Be careful on your way there, then." Mr. Jones left, draping his arms around Madam Jones.
Leah watched as the couple entered the elevator. As soon as that happened, the smile on her face collapsed completely. She fished out her mobile phone and called her lawyer at Sail Lawyer Firm.
"Hello, this is Leah." After exchanging conventional greetings with the party on the other end of the call, she asked, "Can I ask if itâs alright to press charges right now?"
The person on the other end of the call replied, "Yes. If you are in a hurry, I can file a lawsuit with the court right now and the verdict will be released very soon."
"Oh, actually," Leah said softly, "I don't really want Sophia to be arrested for attempted murder. If she apologizes to me after I press charges against her, then I am willing to withdraw the charges."
The person on the other end paused for a moment before asking, "What youâre saying, Ms. Jones, is that you wish to press charges against Ms.
Sophia as soon as possible, yet donât want the verdict to be released too soon?"
Leah hummed a response and asked softly, "Can you do that?"
After obtaining the consent from the other party, she thanked him over and over again before hanging up the call.
Charles would certainly approach her before the verdict was released. She was certain that she would be able to negotiate with him and obtain a satisfactory result.
*
Sophia did not eat at night. Around midnight, she could not stand the hunger any longer and went downstairs in her pajamas to look for something to eat.
Bang!
All of a sudden, a heavy object fell to the ground in the dark living room and a man's muffled grunt was heard at the same time.
Sophia frowned, took a few steps back, picked up a vase with roses, and tip-toed toward the source of the noise.
The man had already clambered up and sat on the couch, propping his hands on his knees. It was hard to see his face in the dark.
Sophia pressed her lips firmly and raised the vase over her head.
"It's me."
At this moment, Charles' slightly hoarse voice rang out.
Sophia's eyes flickered in the night. However, she still slammed the vase on his head without hesitation.
The vase, however, did not fall on Charlesâ head. He tilted his head and evaded the vase before grabbing Sophia's wrist and pulling her into his arms.
When the eyes could not see clearly, a personâs sense of smell and touch would become much more acute. Every fiber in Sophiaâs body felt uncomfortable when she was forced to lie on his blazing chest and take in his scent.
"Let me go!" She snarled.
Charles grabbed her wrist, snatched the vase from her hands, and threw it to the ground with a crash. "Why did you still want to hit me when you knew that itâs me?"
"The inertia was too great, I couldnât stop myself," Sophia replied in a lukewarm tone.
The breath he exhaled when he spoke was boiling hot, even his body was burning. The heat made her extremely irritable. She fumbled for his hand that was holding onto her waist and pulled it apart by force.
Immediately after she tore his hand away, he rolled over and pressed her onto the couch before she could stand up.
"What are you doing?!"
His head rested on Sophia's shoulder, and his lips knowingly or unknowingly fell on her neck. This action of his triggered the goosebumps on her skin.
Her pupils widened abruptly as she reached out to push him away. She had just managed to push him away to a certain extent when he pressed down on her again, his hands wrapped firmly around her waist.
"Do you hate me that much?" Charles' voice was hoarse.
He was referring to the part where Sophia had tried to smash the vase on him.
"Yes! I can't wait to see you die!" Sophia gnashed her teeth, then exerted some strength to push him away before standing up swiftly.
She did not even look at Charles when he staggered and fell to the ground. She then turned around and raced up the spiral staircase immediately.
"I have a fever." Charles' cold and detached voice rang out behind her, sounding slightly weaker than usual.
Sophia stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around and noticed that he was still lying on the ground, unmoving. "You have a fever? Is it very serious?"
"Yeah." Charles sat up. Even a simple move such as that looked strenuous when he did it.
Sophiaâs vision was much clearer now after being in the dark for so long. She noticed the sickly look on Charles' face. What was more, she had also felt his high body temperature when she was around him earlier. He was probably telling the truth.
She pursed her lips and walked toward him.
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 238 Why Isnât She Apologizing Charles watched as she got closer and closer, the corners of his lips tugging into an imperceptible arc.
Sophia walked up to him, squatted down, measured the temperature with her hands on his forehead, and reached out to unbutton his blouse without warning just as he was about to say something.
Moonlight shone in through the window, shining on Charles' well-defined and attractive collarbone as well as Sophia's rapidly moving fingers. The subtle lightning covered the scene with an obscure veil, making the scene seem more romantic.
"Sophia..." Charles raised his head to look at her. Suddenly, he reached out to fasten his hand on her wrist. His eyes were deep and serene. A tiny ball of flame seemed to be burning in the deepest part of his eyes.
Sophia cast an indifferent glance at him and pushed his hand away with all her might. She then took off the jade pendant from his neck, turned around, and ran upstairs.
Charles stared as she left without the slightest hesitation and buttoned up his shirt. The faintest trace of self-deprecation and forlorn flashed across his eyes.
Sophia returned to her room, put the jade pendant around her neck very carefully, then laid down on the bed.
She switched off the lights and closed her eyes. She was clearly very sleepy and tired, yet for some reason, not knowing whether it was because she was too hungry or if it was something else, she just could not fall asleep even after tossing and turning around in bed.