Charles cooperated with her and fished out his phone to show it to her, then stroked her head. "Don't worry, I recorded everything."
Leah was so close to collapsing to the ground, though after hearing what he said, her body stiffened slightly and she held the ground for support, maintaining her kneeling posture again.
"Oh, you didnât pass out?" Sophia patted her chest and said with a lingering fear, "I thought you were trying to frame me by pretending to pass out!"
Leah's pale face looked slightly pallid.
"No offense, alright!" Sophia said, "Don't get me wrong. Once bitten, twice shy. That was just my subconscious reaction."
Charles put his arms around her waist and consoled her gently. "Leah did do you wrong at first, so it's perfectly normal for you to react this way. Why will she misunderstand you? You think too much."
"Youâre right. If she could frame me flawlessly in her teens, then Iâm sure she can figure out something as simple as this without needing me to explain it," Sophia said.
Leah could not even say a word with the two of them constantly echoing each other.
"Charles, Sophia," Mr. Jones interrupted them and said in a deep voice, "Leah is here today to apologize to you sincerely, must you toy with her like that?"
"She is a person of strong character yet now sheâs kneeling at your door apologizing to you. Is she not sincere enough?"
Leah chuckled bitterly. "Thatâs enough, Dad. Kneeling here today to apologize to Sophia is what I ought to be doing anyway... Right now, I want nothing but to apologize to Sophia, hoping that she can forgive me."
"How am I supposed to forgive you?" A glimmer of light flashed across Sophiaâs eyes. Then, she said with great innocence, "I have never blamed you!"
Leah bit her lip and wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. "But the things on the Internet..."
"Netizens like to uphold justice. The things they said are true too." Sophia looked as though she was put in a tight spot and said, "Besides, freedom of speech is specified in the national law. I canât restrict the things that people want to say, right?"
Leah raised her red and swollen eyes and looked at her. "If you donât want to forgive me, you can just say so, why must you humiliate me like that?"
"Everything I say is the truth, though." Sophia sounded extremely aggrieved. "Why donât you go to prison for two years as well, then work one month as an escort in Dream Club?"
"With that, I will be able to tell everyone that we are completely even and they wonât scold you anymore... No, thatâs not right either. You framed me after all, hence they might still scold you when the time comes, but thatâs still way better than how things are right now, donât you think?â
She stared straight into Leahâs eyes.
Leah did not answer but staggered and fell to the ground with a thud.
"Leah!" Mr. Jones ran up to her in a panic and picked her up. "Wake up, Leah. Please donât scare me like that!"
Leah's head hung limply, her eyes screwed shut. Her dry lips and the dark shadows under her eyes both indicated the terrible state that she was currently in.
"Actually, Leah told me before we came that she wanted to stay in prison for two years to atone for her sins." Mr. Jonesâ eyes were scarlet. His voice sounded slightly choked. "But as you can see, Leah is in a terrible state. She will not be able to withstand it if she spends two years in prison."
Sophia sneered in her heart but wore a look of concern on her face. "Mr. Jones, itâs useless no matter what you say. Jones Groupâs stock hitting a limit down is the result of public opinion... The problem is, how can a person like me control public opinion?"
"I don't want to put you on the spot either. After all, Leah was the one who did you wrong." Mr. Jones said in a worn-out manner, "It's just that Leah is under tremendous psychological stress. The doctor said that she is experiencing a nervous breakdown. If this goes on, it will be detrimental to her health and could even cause depression."
Sophia said in a hurry, âThereâs no denying that Ms. Jones has indeed framed me, but I can't bear to see her suffering from depression either. If thereâs anything I can do to help, please let me know, I will definitely..."
When she got to this point, she touched her forehead, staggered a few times, and held the door for support, barely gaining a firm foothold.
"What's the matter?" Charles stepped forward and wrapped his arms around, letting her lean in his arms, and asked, "Do you feel unwell?"
Sophia forced a smile. "I can't tell exactly where mainly because I spent two years in prison, so now Iâm experiencing lasting symptoms of the various illnesses I contracted. It may be my pulmonary edema or something... cough... else."
"Mr. Jones, Sophia isnât feeling well, please excuse us." Charles said to Mr. Jones in a haste then put his arms around Sophia and picked her up, his voice sounded slightly anxious than usual. "Hold on, Sophia. I'll send you to the hospital right away!"
Having said that, he walked off carrying Sophia in his arms.
Mr. Jones thought Sophia was pretending at first, but he was slightly confused after seeing the look of worry that loomed over Charles' eyebrows. It did not seem fake at all.
Not long after Charles took Sophia in, he took her out again, this time with a coat wrapped around her.
"Leah has already passed out, arenât you taking her to the hospital, Uncle Jones?" Charles frowned almost imperceptibly, speaking much faster than usual. "Iâm sending Sophia to the hospital. If you donât mind, Uncle Jones, bring Leah in the car together."
Mr. Jones had no choice but to carry Leah into the car.
The car drove all the way to the hospital. During this period of time, Mr. Jones studied Sophia several times and noticed her pale face and the cold sweat that was constantly flowing down her head. It did seem like she was suffering from a relapse of a serious illness.
The car finally stopped in front of the hospital. Charles opened the door and got out of the car with Sophia in his arms. He did not even say anything to Mr. Jones and hastened inside.
A gust of wind blew and Charlesâ words traveled into Mr. Jonesâ ears. "Just hold on. The hospital has arranged everything. Youâll be fine!"
After they entered the hospital, Madam Hemingway hurried over with a few assistants and pushed Sophia into the operating theatre.
"Why did she suddenly suffer a relapse?" Madam Hemingway asked while performing her checkup.
Charles stood next to the operating bed with a rigid expression. "Uncle Jones brought Leah to the villa and forced Sophia to forgive her. Sophiaâs emotions must have fluctuated greatly, thatâs why she suffered a relapse."
"That could be the reason." Madam Hemingway said, "Her pulmonary edema isnât very serious this time. She just needs to take some medication and fluids and she will be alright. Don't worry too much, Mr. Harris."
Charles nodded. Even so, anyone could tell that mentally, he was not very relaxed.
"Although it is not very serious, it is better to pay more attention." Madam Hemingway said, "There are many drugs that pregnant women canât take. It will be troublesome when that happens. Also, using too many drugs isnât good for pregnant women either."
Nearly an hour later, everything was done.
Madam Hemingway led her assistants out of the ward and returned after making her rounds.
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 280 It Doesnât Hurt? So Weâll Continue Tonight?
In the ward, Sophia was sitting on the hospital bed. Her face was still pale and there was still cold sweat lingering on her forehead, but she did not look as weak or in as much pain as a patient would have.
Charles, on the other hand, was sitting sideways on the hospital bed, massaging her legs.
"I havenât seen you guys in just a few days and youâve already grown so close to Sophia, Mr. Harris." Madam Hemingwayâs gaze moved back and forth on Sophia's collarbone and said with a smile.
The corner of Charles' lips curved up slightly. "You caught us, Madam Davis."