Things might not get so awkward if they had just pretended that they did not know each other. As soon as William said those words, however, there was instantly an awkward and slightly stalemated air hanging around the conversation.
Audrey's expression changed unpredictably. Her gaze that drifted toward Sophia was immensely dark and gloomy.
Taking all of this in, Charles shifted a few steps whilst keeping his countenance, standing diagonally in front of Sophia, blocking her off from William and Audreyâs line of vision.
Stunned for a moment, Mr. Robertson smiled and said, "Who wasnât frivolous when they were young? It's normal to have several crushes, ex-
boyfriends, ex-girlfriends, and whatnot. I even wrote a love letter to the prettiest girl in my class secretly when I was in high school..."
He was clearly helping William out of the embarrassing situation.
Sophia was slightly surprised when she saw this. She was surprised to learn that William actually shared such a close relationship with Mr.
Robertson!
"Dad, you secretly wrote a love letter to someone when you were in high school?" Clara was here to see Sophia but happened to overhear him when he said this instead. She lost it. "I'm telling Mom when I get back!"
Mr. Robertson patted her gently on the head. "Look at this child. Why are you interrupting when the adults are talking? Zachary, your dad, and your stepmother have arrived. Take Clara there to greet them."
Zachary nodded in response and dragged Clara away.
Sophia was planning to invite Madam Johnson over to be their guest two days ago so as to help her mother unwind. Nevertheless, she had never met Madam Johnson before and had no idea what the other partyâs habits were like, and at the same time, afraid that it would be too abrupt for her to invite her over.
"We'll go over and say hello to Madam Johnson in a while," Charles whispered in her ears when he saw her looking in Zacharyâs direction.
Sophia nodded lightly.
"William, being frank is good. You're not wrong for being frank." Mr. Robertson said, "But, you need to know the right time to be frank. Itâs not appropriate for you to talk about your past relationships in front of Ms. Sommer like that."
Audrey smiled, her words sarcastic. "Itâs fine. I'm used to it anyway."
"I'm just used to talking like that. I'll pay more attention in the future." William did not seem sincere enough to offer her an apology.
She harrumphed coldly.
"You have to pay more attention indeed." Charles wiped an extremely tiny snack crumb away from the corner of Sophia's mouth. "Otherwise, Ms.
Sommer and I will feel uncomfortable hearing it.â
William frowned, paused for a moment, and said, "Itâs my fault."
"I forgive you, Mr. Jones." Charles wrapped his arms around Sophia's waist and stared at him with a sharp gaze. "My woman is too charming after all.
I, too, am aware of this fact."
The remarks they both made were barbed.
Mr. Robertson smoothed things over and said, "Donât be mad, Mr. Harris. William may be blunt but he means no evil. I will give you my word on it. Iâm sure he didnât mean anything else when he said that. He used to pursue her, used to, those are the two keywords!"
"You donât have to cover up for Mr. Jones, Mr. Robertson. I'm not a narrow-minded person," Charles said.
Mr. Robertson burst out laughing. "If you are a narrow-minded person, then you wouldnât be in the position that youâre currently in, Mr. Harris. I just think that itâs better to talk things out when it comes to things like that."
"Youâre certainly not wrong on this one. People in this circle enjoy hearing about illicit love affairs and other related gossips. I think that you should be careful with your words and behaviors lest others get the wrong idea, Mr. Jones," Charles said.
William stopped a waiter and asked for a glass of red wine. "I will. Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Harris. This oneâs for you. Cheers."
Having said that, he motioned to Charles, raised his head, and drained the glass in one gulp, then put the empty glass on the table next to him.
"I donât blame you, Mr. Jones. You don't have to do this." Charles took a glass of juice from the waiter's tray and handed it to Sophia. "You must be thirsty after eating so many snacks, right? Have some juice."
Sophia was slightly thirsty indeed. She took the juice from his hand and took a sip.
"Is it too cold?" Charles took the juice from her in a very natural manner, pressed his lips against the glass where her lips had left a mark, and took a sip. "It's a bit cold. It wonât be good for your health. I'll ask someone to bring a warm one later. Don't drink this one."
Although he told her to stop drinking, he picked up the glass and took two more sips himself.
William endured the agony in the depth of his eyes. His Adam's apple rolled slightly and made an excuse before walking away with Audrey wearing an unfriendly look on his face.
Not long after the two left, Audrey pushed him away and said, "William, youâre the one begging to marry me this time. Don't put on that face all day looking like Iâm the one whoâs forcing you to marry me!"
"Iâve acted on impulse today. This wonât happen again." William massaged his brows.
"Acted on impulse?" Audrey said sarcastically, "Whether you were acting out of impulse or not, the way you look at Sophia is always the same! Do you know how awkward I feel standing next to you?"
William chuckled bitterly. "You probably won't understand because youâve never liked anyone... Iâve already tried my best to endure it... Forget it. All you need to know is that I won't do things to embarrass the Jones and Sommer families."
"...That better be the case!" Even though Audrey was irritable, she put her arms around his again. "We still have to meet a few more influential familiesâ elders. Let's go."
-
"Your relationship is truly enviable, Mr. Harris and Ms. White." Mr. Robertson let out a heartfelt sigh.
They then chatted for a while more when several people came over to talk to Mr. Robertson. In fact, they were also trying to get acquainted with Charles.
Charles, however, had no intention to have any deep conversations with these people. Not long after, he led Sophia to Yvette who had just walked over.
"Dad didn't come with you?" Charles asked.
His father usually did not like to attend occasions like that, claiming that they were boring and a waste of time. Even so, the Russell family was the host of this dinner party, hence his father would most likely not give up on the opportunity to get acquainted with the Russell family this time.
Yvette smiled. The slight crow's feet on the corners of her eyes did not make her look less attractive but had enhanced her feminine charm instead.
"Heâs there, donât you see?"
She pointed with her chin.
Sophia looked in the direction she was pointing at and saw Mr. Harris standing next to Mr. Jones and Madam Jones, his face full of smiles, seemingly in a very good mood.
Madam Jones, however, looked sulky that she was even shoving Mr. Harris away.
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 329 A Lover And Sponsor Relationship Many people were looking in their direction. Sophia thought that he would get angry but was surprised to find him still smiling as he took Madam Jones' hand and explaining about something patiently.
What surprised her even more was that Mr. Jones was just standing on one side like he was perfectly fine, as though the hand that Mr. Harris was taking did not belong to his wife.
"He has gone all out, hasnât he?" Charles was smiling subtly.
Yvette tucked the loose strands of hair on her temples behind her ear. "The Jones husband and wife have also gone all out, havenât they? No, thatâs not right, they probably don't think that this is something worth feeling ashamed about."
"The way Dad treats Aunt Lewis is still the same after so many years. Aunt Lewis will only find it normal if he acts like that. She will most probably feel ashamed if he criticized Aunt Lewis in public one day." Charles tugged at the corners of his lips, the colors of his pupils turned slightly cool.
Sophia stood on one side wittily without saying anything when both mother and son talked about the Jones couple and Mr. Harris.
"This mustâve seemed like a joke to you, Soph." Yvette smiled bitterly.
Sophia said softly, "Don't think too much, Aunt Harris."
"Are you afraid that I wonât be able to accept it?" Yvette said, "This is nothing. I've married into the Harris family for so many years and have gotten used to it a long time ago."
This topic was too awkward, hence Sophia cleared her throat and changed the subject. âDo you know Madam Johnson, Aunt Harris?"