Charles' lips eventually stopped less than one centimeter away from her face. It was so close that the heat coming out of his mouth when he talked sprayed on her face. âI can smell alcohol on you. Are you hiding a man in the ward?"
"No." Sophia was blinking much faster than usual. Her palms were already sticky. âA female friend from the club just broke up with her boyfriend. She fell asleep after drinking some wine here."
Charles stared at her for a while, smiled all of a sudden, and released her. She did not know if he actually believed in what she said.
After a while, he said to her, "If someone is sleeping inside, then I wonât be going in anymore. Go in and take a chair out."
Sophia hummed a reply and opened a very tiny gap at the door when she entered. When she came out, however, she had no choice but to open the door wider as she was moving a chair.
When she closed the door, she acted naturally and glanced in Charles' direction several times. He probably could not see the person lying on the bed in the ward from where he was sitting... right?
Charles caught her every movement and narrowed his eyes slightly. He tugged his lower lip ambiguously.
Sophia set the chair behind him, took a few steps back, and widened the distance between them. "If thereâs nothing else, then I will go in first, Mr.
Harris."
For her, interacting with him was tantamount to eating arsenic.
"Sit down," Charles said.
Sophia frowned, but her brows quickly smoothened out. "You should take a seat, Mr. Harris. I can stand."
She did not know what Charles meant by that, but he was certainly not feeling sorry for her, right?
Charles tapped the back of the chair with his well-defined fingers, his voice slightly deeper now. "Sit here."
"... Okay." Sophia walked up to the chair with much difficulty and sat down. Her spine was stiff and rigid, her bottom only stuck on one side of the chair while her right toes were pointed outward as she prepared herself to stand up and leave at any time The round incandescent light in the corridor was dazzling, nothing compared to the warm dim lights. The white light hit Sophia's face, making her face look even paler now.
"You are quite the expert in getting a man to make a plea of mercy on your behalf, arenât you, Sophia?" Charles stood behind her, his hands propped up on the armrests of the chair as though wrapping her in his arms.
Sophia could not see his face. She could only feel the warm air coming out of his nose as it sprayed the back of her neck, chilling her inexplicably in her bones.
Her nerves were taut. After a while, she finally realized who he was talking about. "You flatter me, Mr. Harris. Mr. Johnson interceded for me because of Ms. Robertson. There really isnât much to do with me."
"That girl cares for you, doesnât she?" Charles let go of the armrests and straightened up his body. His voice did not sound as cool anymore.
"Nevertheless, I told you a long time ago that no one can help you."
Sophia clasped her hands tightly together and closed her eyes in agony. "Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Harris. I wonât dare to have any wishful thinking."
"Go in. It's cold outside." Charles went around her and walked toward the elevator after saying those words.
Sophia watched as his figure cast a faint shadow on the ground. Hatred fermented her blood and rushed wildly in her veins, filling them up completely until they were about to burst open. Even so, there was nowhere to relieve it.
How did she respond in the past when others said that it was enviable for her to be born into the wealthy, powerful, and rich White family? Envy my *ss. No matter how wealthy, powerful, and rich she was, she still could not earn Charles' affection, so what use was there!
What happened in the end? Reality had given her a hard slap in the face. His power had forced her over the edge that even death was a luxury.
Every day, she had no choice but to live a life of humiliation and disgrace as she used every means to please him.
Ding!
The chime of the elevator was heard, and Charles entered.
Sophia raised her head and blinked. She moved the chair back to the ward, taking pauses between her steps. In the ward, a mixture of alcohol and disinfectant penetrated her nasal cavity, stimulating her senses until she felt exceptionally awake.
"F*ck you, scheming b*tch..." Sterling scrunched up his face and rolled over, kicking the blanket to the ground whilst mumbling curses in his mouth.
He was crying and laughing unpredictably.
Sophia walked over, picked up the blanket, and covered it on his body before laying back on the hospital bed.
Maybe this was his first time drinking, or maybe he had had too much to drink, but Sterling tossed and turned most of the night, throwing up and making a lot of noise. He did not stop until much later in the night.
Perhaps it was because her infusion contained ingredients that would induce drowsiness, or perhaps she was exhausted from taking care of Sterling, but Sophia fell asleep shortly after lying on the hospital bed.
Blue sky and white clouds. Clear and refreshing autumn air.
Standing under the schoolâs Chinese parasol tree, Leah wore a white dress. Her black, long hair trailed over her shoulders, making her look gentle and beautiful.
There were people passing by, darting glances at her from time to time.
Sophia wore a crop top and mini shorts with a Beatsâ limited edition headphones hanging around her neck. She was chewing gum. She swayed over casually. "Whatâs up? Whatâs so serious that you must call me out alone?"
Before Leah could answer, she blew a big bubble, bit it, and sniggered. Sophia said, "You want to give me a birthday present but donât want others to find out what it is, right?"
"Happy birthday. I wish that our princess Sophia will be forever eighteen and will grow more and more beautiful each year!" Leah smiled and handed her a beautifully packaged gift box.
"What is it?" Sophia took the gift box and was about to open it. "I'm beautiful enough. Iâll cause widespread indignation and discontent if I get any more beautiful than this. I think itâs best that you wish me luck in getting hitched with Charles and have a chubby little kid together!â
Sophia put the gift box under her arms and winked at her. "Go easy on your dressing up tonight and donât steal my limelight. Charles is going to propose to me tonight!"
Having said that, she put on her headphones and walked back as she hummed a song.
Leah trotted a few steps and grabbed her hand from behind. "Sophia, I have something to tell you."
"What?" Sophia took off her headphones and leaned against a tree as she blew a big bubble.
Leah bit her lip as her eyes flashed. "I have had a crush on Charles for many years now. I really like him."
The bubble burst and the chewing gum smeared half of Sophia's face, making her look somewhat comical.
Leah, her best friend, said that she had had a crush on Charles? She liked him very much?
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 80 Leah Was Right "I tried to keep my feelings for Charles hidden forever, but from the moment I learned that you guys are going to get engaged at your birthday party two months ago, I just couldnât fall asleep at night. I spent every minute and second in torment." Leah's dark circles were not very obvious, but it was enough to show that she was weary.
With the gift box placed under her arms, Sophia used her other hand to pull out the chewing gum stuck to her face without any emotion on her face.
Her fingertips were trembling slightly. "Since you have decided not to tell anyone, why did you tell me?"
"My love for Charles is no less than yours. If anything, itâs more than yours." Leah peered into her eyes and pointed to her heart, saying, "That love has been suppressed in my heart for far too long that it can't be suppressed anymore."
The chewing gum was stuck so tightly to her face that it could not be taken off completely. It had turned into a dark patch instead, making Sophia's face paler and rather ridiculous too.
She simply gave up on the fight with the chewing gum and stared at Leah, asking, "So?"