"Sit in the front passenger seat." Charles's cool voice flowed out the window.
Sophia responded with much difficulty and closed the rear door. She then walked around to the front before climbing into the front passenger seat.
The window was already rolled down, but there was still a faint smell of tobacco lingering in the car. It was not unpleasant, but it was more tormenting than her stomach ache.
This was the same kind of smoke he smoked when he broke her leg two years ago. This smell was all too familiar to her, so familiar that it tormented her every night in her dreams.
The Bentley started up and drove off into the night in no time.
Sitting in a Rolls-Royce in front of the villa, Leah followed William's gaze and said with a slight bitterness, "Still can't get Sophia out of your head, Will?"
"What?!" Upon hearing what she said, Madam Jones, who had been talking to Mr. Jones about business affairs, asked with a stern tone and severe countenance, "You still have a crush on that murderer, Will?"
Mr. Jones made no comments but darted a disapproving look at William as well.
The words âYes, I canât get her out of my headâ rolled back and forth in William's throat, yet when they reached his lips, it came out as a completely different answer. "No."
"Good!" Madam Jones breathed a sigh of relief and continued with a ghastly expression, "Sophia and your sister were so close back then. I canât believe that she tried to kill your sister in a car accident because Charles liked her! Even if this back-stabbing and cruel woman hurt someone else instead of Leah, I still wonât let her step over the Jonesâ threshold!"
"Your mother is right," Mr. Jones said solemnly.
William's Adam's apple rolled a little. His amber-colored eyes turned dull, and even his voice sounded deeper than usual. "Don't worry, Mom and Dad.
Trust that I still have the most basic concept of right and wrong."
"Mm. Itâs pardonable for you to pursue Sophia, this murderer, before learning about her true colors. But if youâre obsessed with her even when you clearly know that she has a murderous heart, then thatâs just plain unacceptable,â Madam Jones said whilst scrunching up her eyebrows.
William lowered his eyes, concealing the expression in the depth of his eyes. "I wonât."
"But Will..." Leah pondered for a moment, then hesitated and said, "Audrey came to me at the banquet and said that she saw you and Sophia hugging each other. She asked me to help her keep your behavior in check next time."
"Hugging each other? Will, is it true what Audrey said?!" Madam Jones was so worked up that she forgot that she was in the car for a moment. She tried to stand up but ended up hitting the roof of the car. She was in so much pain that colors drained from her face.
William's thin lips pressed into a line. His expression changed unpredictably. There was annoyance, guilt, and anger toward Audrey.
"Calm down, Mom. It may be just a misunderstanding. You do know that Audrey is often irrational in handling things." Leah glanced at him mildly and consoled Madam Jones softly.
Madam Jones rubbed her sore head and glared at his son. "Tell me, is this a misunderstanding or is it true?!"
"It's true." Under Madam Jones's flushed face and Mr. Jonesâ disappointed gaze, William's eyes flashed a few times. His throat tightened. "But... she was the one who looked for me."
Mr. Jones looked at him thoughtfully. There was a slight discontentment in his gaze.
Upon hearing his reply, Madam Jones' anger finally dissipated a little. "What does she want from you?"
"I don't know. Audrey came before she could say anything." William turned his head and looked out the window. He sounded a little weary.
Leah's gaze fell on the side of his face. The corners of her mouth curled up in an almost imperceptible arc.
"Sophia that maniac did such a thing to Leah, and yet she still has the face to pester you? This wonât do. I must go to Jenny and James tomorrow and question the way they discipline their daughter!" Madam Jones was so mad that she was huffing and puffing.
William was still looking out the window. This time, however, he twisted his neck a bit more, making him look extremely stiff.
"Whatâs the point of going to her parents? They have cut off all ties with Sophia two years ago. It's useless to go to them." Nobody understood oneâs son better than his father. Mr. Jones could tell that his son was lying.
There was only silence the whole journey.
Sophia was sitting in the front passenger seat, her bottom stuck to one side only. Every single cell in her body was tense, and she dared not relax even a tad.
The car finally stopped in front of the hospital. Charles did not even look at her when he said, "Get out of the car."
"Thank you." Sophia thanked him with a pale look on her face. As soon as she got out of the car and closed the door, the Bentley took off like an arrow leaving a bow, unwilling to wait even a second.
Sophia looked at the departing car and let out a wry smile. She clutched her extremely painful stomach and entered the hospital.
The doctor who treated her was still the same doctor. "You will have problems with your body sooner or later if you keep ruining your body like this."
If there was one thing doctors like them hated the most, then it would be disobedient patients like her.
"Thank you for reminding me." Sophia laid on the hospital bed, her eyes dull and vacant. She had been trying to please Charles lately, but it did not seem to be of any use.
The doctor could tell at one glance that she was not listening. It was also useless to repeat what he said, so he did not bother nagging anymore.
"Stay in the hospital for two days."
"I have to leave after the infusion tonight. Can you please prescribe me the medicine?" Sophia declined tactfully. She still had to go to work tomorrow.
The doctor glanced at her but did not say much. "Iâve already made it very clear to you last time about the repercussions. There is nothing I can do if you refuse to listen to me. I will write you a prescription list in a while."
"Iâll have to trouble you with that, then," Sophia said.
It was half-past 12 after the infusion. She hailed a cab and returned to Dream Club. Seeing that she was beautiful and working in a place like that, the cab driver enquired about her rate for one night.
"I'm not a prostitute," Sophia explained flatly after paying for the ride.
The driver slammed the door. His contemptuous voice flowed out the window. "I donât believe that people who are working in this kind of place arenât prostitutes. Youâre afraid that Iâll pay less simply because Iâm a cab driver, right?"
Sophia halted in her steps. When she turned around, the cab had already left. She took out her mobile phone, located the app, and reported the driver to the platform.
Back at the dormitory, Tiffany was not around. Megan was talking on the phone in a sweet and insinuating voiceâ
"My dear, I was wrong this time, so please forgive me, okay?
"I really have nothing to do with the man you saw today. Heâs just one of my clients. If I want to sell something, I have no choice but to look amiable, right?
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 54 Iâll Marry You, Will That Do?
"Mm. I swear to God that youâre the only one Iâve ever loved in my entire lifetime! Thank you for understanding, my dear. Muah!"
Seeing that Sophia had come in, Megan waved her hand at her casually and continued talking on the phone.
Sophia nodded and put her medicine down. She sat on the bed quietly, seemingly thoughtful.
"Did I interrupt your sleep because I was too loud?" Megan hung up the call and said, "Iâm sorry. My boyfriend was mad and threatened to break up with me. I was apologizing to him just now."
"You have a boyfriend?" Sophia asked.
"Y-Yeah..." Megan's eyes flickered as she stammered a little. "But I was just being flirtatious with those clients and didn't do anything that will let my boyfriend downâI didn't cheat on him!"
Sophia was not interested in knowing whether she cheated or not. She put the words together in her head and asked, "If you have been pursuing a man, but later learned that he likes someone else, then accidentally harmed the person he likes by accident, what should you do in order to make him forgive you?"
She might have had too much to drink tonight. The alcohol numbed her nerves, and she was seized with a sudden impulse to ask the question without thinking of the consequences.