Sophia felt uncomfortable from getting too close to the voluptuousness of Marie's upper body and had no choice but to shift toward Charles. The heat of her body passed through the clothes on her body and spread onto Charles. His Adam's apple rolled slightly and he drained all the tea in the cup, yet the sense of thirst he felt did not diminish even the slightest.
Sophia did not notice this and pursed her lips, trying to say something, but simply opened her mouth without saying anything at all.
"Tell Mr. Fredrickson I said okay. Tell him that I hope that he as well as other directors wonât change their minds." Charles stood up and pulled Sophia up. "As for my aunts and uncle, I will deal with them myself."
Marie darted a coquettish glance at him and tucked the loose strands of hair on her temple behind her ears. "Don't worry. Do you think a cold-
blooded, ruthless, and self-centered capitalist like him would choose to give up on a ferocious creature like you for a fortune cat?"
She walked to the cabinet, took out the tea she had just obtained, and put it in front of him.
"No, itâs too expensive." Charles glanced at it and said succinctly.
"..." Marie stuffed the tea into his arms grumpily. âItâs a gift for you!"
After that, she turned her head to look at Sophia, saying with a stern look on her face. "Think about what I just suggested."
Sophia was about to answer when Charles said, "Just mind your own business. Weâre leaving."
As soon as his voice fell, he had already brought Sophia away.
Looking at the empty doorway, Marie was so mad that she was dying to take her can of tea back!
Charles held Sophiaâs hand and went downstairs. After getting in the car, she had finally made up her mind. "I want to go back to the Whites."
To be precise, she wanted to return to White Industries, not White residence.
The reason why Master Harris, Charles, and Leah were able to dominate her life was not only because she was too foolish, but it was also because the backing force behind them was far stronger than hers.
White Industries could not compare to Harris Corporation, it was also slightly worse than Jones Group. If she became the head of White Industries or helped her brother to become the head of White Industries, these people would need to think twice the next time they decided to lay their hands on her.
"You donât have to take Marieâs words seriously." Charles started the car engine, frowning almost imperceptibly. His voice was cool.
"Thereâs nothing wrong with Marieâs suggestion." Sophia said with a deadpan expression, "I can't just rely on you."
Charles turned the engine off and turned around to look at her, saying slowly, "I beg to differ."
"Why not?" Sophia asked with a frown.
Charles avoided her gaze. "Your legs will heal soon. You can go back to school when that happens. Which university do you want to attend? The same as the last one?"
"Even if you arenât keeping an eye out on me, I still wonât be able to escape. Like what you said, thereâs still your grandpa, my dad, Leah, and the rest, I can't run even if I want to."
"Besides, youâre always saying that you will protect me, but can you really protect me?"
"If you can actually protect me, then you wouldnât be coerced after the car accident two years ago and you also wouldnât need to threaten your grandpa with a knife to stop him from sending me to prison this time, no?" Sophia asked.
Charles did not respond, but she could tell from his expression that he disagreed.
"I didnât accept you earlier because I hated you; I donât accept you now because I am afraid that when I fall in love with you again, I wonât be able to fight back when you cease to be faithful to me or when you misunderstood meâjust like what happened two years ago."
"However, if I could achieve a bit of achievement in White Industries, with a little bit of support behind my back, maybe... I wouldnât be as afraid anymore." When she got to the last sentence, Sophia's butterfly-wing-like eyelashes fluttered several times in an unnatural manner when she blinked.
Charles stared at her, his deep and serene eyes were like a whirlpool that seemed to be drawing her into the abyss.
Sophia met his gaze for a while and felt uncomfortable all over. She then turned away in an attempt to avoid his gaze.
"Did you really mean what you said?" Charles cupped her face with both hands, forcing her to stare into his eyes.
His countenance remained the same, but Sophia could feel his hands trembling slightly. At this moment, she could not find the right words to describe how she was feeling inside.
He did not even make the slightest struggle when she tried to strangle him back then, but he was actually... scared now?
"Answer me, did you mean it when you said that?" Charles asked again, this time with a slight tremor at the end of his syllable.
Sophia pulled his hand away, let out a soft hmm, and fastened her seat belt.
"Iâll remember everything you said today." Charles started the car engine and stepped on the accelerator. "You better not lie to me."
Sophia turned her head and looked out the window. "What if I was lying to you?"
Charles' eyes started flickering. He did not say anything.
They did not return to Harris Corporation this time but went to the supermarket to buy a bunch of things instead.
Since they were still trending on Weibo, their presence set many tongues wagging. There was also an enthusiastic middle-aged woman who came forward to console Sophia, telling her to get over it and move on, and that the dark days were over.
When they walked out, in addition to the things they bought, there was also a handful of green onions from a middle-aged man, a heating pad from a high school girl, and a pair of glasses from a grandmotherâ
"You may be young but your eyes arenât as effective as mine. Take my glasses. Look carefully and donât make friends with the wrong person next time!"
Those were the grandmotherâs exact words.
Sophia found it difficult to get used to strangersâ enthusiasm. Anything that she could decline was basically all declined. These were the only three people whom she found impossible to refuse, that was why she accepted their gifts reluctantly.
When the two returned to Bamboo Virtues Village, a Land Rover was already parked outside the villa.
Blood gradually drained from Sophiaâs face when she saw the familiar vehicle registration plate.
"You donât have to be so nervous." Charles stood in front of her and tidied up her loose strands of hair for her. "If you canât answer, then donât say anything and leave it to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Baldy walked out and looked them up and down, saying with a deadpan look on his face, "Please come in."
Having said that, he made a âpleaseâ gesture.
Sophia pursed her lips and followed Charles into the villa.
Master Harris was sitting boldly and confidently in the living room. His complexion did not look so good and his aging face looked slightly gloomyâ
possibly because his cancer was worsening.
He harrumphed heavily when he saw them walking in and said sarcastically, "The two of you are really something huh!"
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 271 Iâm Guessing Nothing Good Will Come Out Of This Sophia lowered her head, pretending to be dumb.
"I donât own any shares nor am I the president of Harris Corporation. Not only that, I am currently being investigated by the police for economic crimes. Just about anyone can ride roughshod over me." Charles said, "I have no idea what's so great about me."
Smack!
Master Harris stood up and grabbed a glass straight away, hurling it at Charles aggressively.
Charles tilted his head and dodged the glass, which ended up shattering into pieces after falling to the ground with a clatter.
"You have quite the guts to dodge, havenât you?!" Master Harris's expression was erratic.
Charles wiped the water droplets off his suit. "I used to allow you to beat and scold me as you wished simply because I was afraid that you would take away my shares and ask me to step down as the president. Now, not only did you do that, but you have also tampered with the account book and sent the police to investigate me. Since I have nothing left now, why would I not have the guts to dodge?â
He raised his head, looked at Master Harris, and smiled. "Am I right, Grandpa?"