âDonât the two of you think youâre very impressive? Why arenât you talking now?â This was Master Harrisâ first time being fooled like this, and in addition to what happened earlier at the shareholdersâ meeting, he was outraged. âKneel down on the floor!â
Charles made no objections and dropped to his knees immediately, but just as Sophia was about to kneel down, he reached out and stopped her.
âDonât kneel down, the floorâs very cold.â
âI made Grandfather angry though, and besides, this... I really am at fault.â Although Sophia did not cry, her red eyes made her extremely pitiful.
Master Harris noticed that Sophiaâs attitude was slightly different than usual.
However, the anger in his head quickly clouded this realization. He snorted and walked in front of Sophia as he positioned his cane right behind her knee. âEither you kneel down yourself or Iâll make you.â
âGrandfather, I...â Sophia was just about to speak when the cane hit her.
She had not expected Master Harris to make such a strong move so suddenly. Her eyes widened in shock as her hands instinctively went to her stomach to protect her abdomen.
Charles got up as quickly as he could but was not able to stop Master Harris. Sophia fell forward as her knees buckled below her.
Shhhhhunk!
The sound of broken porcelain shards penetrating her flesh rang in the air.
Sophia had fallen where the broken mug was and her arm coincidentally pressed into one of the broken pieces. Blood immediately gushed out of the wound.
âSophia!â Charles rushed to help her, but she signaled him a look to not come any closer. However, he merely ignored it and went forward to help her up. He pulled her into his arms. âAre you alright?â
âIâm fine.â Sophia shook her head.
Seeing that both of them had ignored his words, a dark shadow cast over Master Harrisâ face. He pounded his cane on the floor and gritted his teeth.
âCharles, donât you push me.â
âHeâs just worried about me and the baby, please donât be angry.â Sophia pushed Charles aside and got back on her knees.
It would have been better if she had not mentioned the word âbabyâ. As soon as Master Harris heard it, he immediately remembered that he had been deceived. His expression darkened even more.
âHow long do you want to hold this act up! How dare you still try to lie to me about this pregnancy!â Master Harris raised his leg as if he wanted to kick Sophia.
Charles frowned and quickly stepped forward, but after seeing Sophiaâs look of warning, he stopped. âIf you donât want your great-grandchild, go ahead and kick her!â
Master Harris was quite doubtful about his words. However, the temptation of his first great-grandchild was too great that he could not resist. After a long moment of hesitation, he lowered his leg.
âGrandfather, I really... I really am pregnant...â Sophia clutched her stomach fearfully as tears began to stream down her face.
Master Harris got instantly annoyed as he saw the tears. âStop crying! Youâre just like your mother, only knows how to cry without a single brain cell in that head. I donât even know why Charles likes you! Idiot!â
It was unclear who he was referring to as the idiot. Perhaps it was Sophia, perhaps it was Charles, or maybe the two of them.
âGrandfather, Iâm sorry for lying... Lying to you, but Iâm now... Iâm really pregnant now. We only found out a few... A few days ago...â Sophia had one hand pressed on the wound on her arm. She had used her bloody hand to wipe the tears from her face, so her face was now stained with streaks of blood, making her look terribly wretched.
Master Harris was even more aggravated as she began sobbing. âStop crying!â
â... I... Iâll... Stop...â Sophia sniffed and tried to hold back her sobs.
Master Harris thought that Sophia was extremely different from usual, but he could not tell what was different exactly. Maybe it was because she was crying?
Well, it did make sense that she was crying because she was terrified of him now that her lie had been exposed!
âHow do I know that youâre not lying to me again?â Master Harris asked her in a stern voice as he glared at her.
Sophia bit her lip hard. Although she was trying her best not to cry anymore, her eyes were swollen red and her voice trembled as she spoke, âI lied to you the last time to save myself.â
âWhich means you can lie to me again to save yourself too!â At the thought of being deceived by a fool like her, Master Harrisâ chest heaved heavily as he tried to control his breathing.
His stern gaze was like a vicious viper curled up around Sophia, causing her body to become tense. âI didnât know you well in the past, so I was unaware of your temper. But after Charles told me I... I got scared.â
âIs he capable of being afraid of something in this world?â Master Harris gave Charles a side-eye. Although he still wore a sullen expression, his tone was slightly gentler.
Sophia widened her red, swollen eyes. âI became fearless because of him as well, but he admitted to me later on that heâs actually frightened of you,â
Sophia added in an attempt to soften Master Harris up.
âDid he really say that?â Master Harris narrowed his eyes. âSophia, you should know now that I hate people who lie to me!â
Sophia shrunk back as the tears came rolling down once again. She used her hand that was covered with blood to wipe her face and replied shakily, âActually... Actually, he didnât exactly say that he was frightened of you.â
In a flash, Master Harrisâ expression changed for the worse.
âHe told me that he respects and admires you very much, but at the same time, heâs a little... A little scared of you,â Sophia stuttered.
Charles lowered his eyes at her thoughtfully, but his attention was on the wound on her arm instead of the ongoing conversation.
The red blood was making him dizzy.
A look of shock flashed across Master Harrisâ face, but it was mostly just disbelief. He looked at Charles and scoffed. âDoes he respect and admire this grandfather of his so much that he was willing to use a fruit knife to threaten him?â
âThat was only... That was only because...â Sophia glanced at Charles sneakily, unable to continue her sentence.
Master Harris seemed to have expected her to not finish her sentence. âYou canât seem to make up your lies anymore eh?â He sneered.
âCharles, since Grandfather asked me, Iâll have to tell him,â Sophia said to Charles with a troubled expression before turning back to Master Harris.
âYou have always doted on Justin so much and treated Charles badly. To be honest with you, Charles only did it to get your attention!â
Master Harris kept quiet upon hearing this, clearly not believing anything she just said.
Charles raised a brow in surprise but quickly lowered his head to disguise the look of surprise on his face.
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 314 You Set Her Up?
âI admit that heâs quite rebellious,â Sophia wiped the tears at the edge of her eyes and continued softly, âBut think about it if you donât believe me. The same blood runs in Charles and everyone else in the Harris family, but why is it that heâs the only outstanding one among all of them?â
Outstanding? Charlesâ eyes sparkled in delight.
Master Harrisâ gut feeling told him that Sophia was merely bullsh*tting, but still, he could not help but ask, âWhy is that so?â
âItâs because he works harder than the rest. When everyone else is playing the field and flirting with girls, heâs constantly striving to improve himself.â
By this point, Sophiaâs entire face was smeared with streaks of blood. Her eyes stood out amidst the blood, flickering with genuine sincerity. âHeâs only like this because he wants to grab your attention so that youâll praise him for once, like how you would with Justin.â