Aunt Lucy had not changed much in the past two years. She was still plump and had a smile on her face all the time, which made her look very amiable.
When Sophia came in, she was stunned for a moment. Then, surprised and distressed, she went to her side. "When did you get out, Soph? Why didn't you tell me?"
She pulled Sophia with one hand and touched the scar on her brow with the other, her eyes red. "Have you suffered a lot these two years?"
"It's all right." Sophia tried to smile and sat in the chair. "You look just as beautiful as you did two years ago, Aunt Lucy."
"This silly girl..." Aunt Lucy looked down at the scar that crisscrossed over her shoulders and back. She paused to wipe her eyes and said, "It's your birthday today. I'll go make you some noodles!"
Sophia said a soft thank you and forced out a smile.
When she said thank you, Aunt Lucy stopped and glared at her. Then, without saying anything, she went to the kitchen to make noodles with a complicated expression on her face.
It did not take long before the noodles were served. Sophia ate the longevity noodles that tasted so familiar to her, but depression kept taking over her heart.
Chewing the noodles, she asked while mumbling, "Why did you open a noodle shop?"
"I thought of it and just did," Aunt Lucy frowned before quickly saying, relieved.
Hearing this, Sterling put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth. His handsome face was gloomy and angry. "Mom and Dad didn't want to recognize you as their daughter. Aunt Lucy couldn't stand it, so she came here and opened a restaurant."
Sophia swallowed her noodles as her eyes darkened.
"How can you be the father of two children and still be so outspoken?" Aunt Lucy angrily hit him twice and complained to Nicole. "You'll have to discipline him, Nicole!"
Nicole glanced at Sophia who was looking forlorn and twisted her husband's ear, warning him. "If you can't say something nice, then keep your mouth shut. No one will take you for a mute!"
Sterling pleaded for mercy but said nothing more about what had just happened.
The noodle shop was quiet except for the sound of people slurping noodles.
After a while, Sophia broke the silence with her voice that was slightly hoarse from her crying earlier. "Aunt Lucy, is it worth it to do all this for a murderer?"
"Hey, hey, hey. What murderer? Nonsense!" Aunt Lucy spoke like a machine gun. "Our Soph is just a little naughty, a little fond of playing, a little bold, and a little clever at times. You're at best a rich second generation! I don't believe you have the nerve to kill someone!"
Sophia held the chopsticks tightly and poked the noodles in the bowl. Her gaze showed that she was in pain and confused. "You believe me. Why don't Mom and Dad believe me?"
Her parents, who used to adore her, did not hesitate to regard her as an abandoned child. It took her almost two years to persuade herself to accept this reality...
However, she still could not get over it.
Sterling banged on the table, but before he could roar, Aunt Lucy covered his mouth. "Take Sterling outside to see the moon or something, Nicole. I haven't seen Soph in two years. I want to talk to her."
"You should have let us out earlier. With third wheels like you and Soph around, I can't even get intimate with my husband," Nicole said as she gritted her teeth and dragged Sterling out.
Sterling, a great man, struggled, and she could not stop him so she twisted his ear and warned, "Stop it, White. Otherwise, I'll divorce you!"
Sterling trembled and was yanked out by his ear, but he kept his eyes on Sophia. His eyes were full of sorry.
"Do you want to hear Aunt Lucy say something you like, or do you want to hear the truth?" Aunt Lucy asked, straight to the point. She looked like Maitreya, but she had always been straightforward.
Sophia's eyes glistened as she looked at the mess she had made. She took a few mouthfuls of soup from the bowl and wiped her mouth with a tissue. "The truth."
"I don't know about your mother, but your father... He knows what he ought to know and what he ought not to know. However, since Mr. Harris is no longer engaged to you, he asked your father to choose between you and his family. He probably thought that you're not as important as the Whites, so he gave you up." Aunt Lucy rested her hands on the table while her chubby fingers were against her round, large face.
There was a clatter at the door.
Nicole and Sterling had returned. They glanced at Sophia at the same time and went back to their seats in silence.
Sophia's throat tightened. She picked up the bowl and tried to take a sip of the soup, but her hands were so shaky that the bowl fell to the floor with a crash. The soup spilled everywhere.
"Sorry, Aunt Lucy." She grabbed a fistful of tissues and stooped down to wipe the mess.
Aunt Lucy stood up, walked to her side, and grabbed her. "I'm glad you're not hurt. Sterling, the broom, dustpan, and mop are in the kitchen. You go get them and clean this up."
Sterling frowned and tutted. He was about to retort when Nicole gave him a pinch and told him to hurry. The words he had not uttered turned into a long, reluctant "oh". He then made a trip to the kitchen to get the cleaning tools.
With her head down, Sophia said no more.
"Aunt Lucy..." Nicole finally could not resist. "Even if Dad broke off his relationship with Soph for fear of Mr. Harris, he didn't have to defend Leah in private, did he? People might think that Leah is his daughter instead!"
Sophia kept her head down, but her thick butterfly-like lashes quivered and her head rose a little.
"If you ask me, the rich value their pride the most!" Aunt Lucy was blunt. "Just because you Whites believe Soph, doesn't mean that other people believe Soph. Besides, the police have evidence against Soph. If..."
"That's a bunch of crap. That accident showed that the scheming b*tch was plotting against Soph, yet they couldnât find anything!" Sterling snarled, awkwardly holding a broom and sweeping the noodles in disgust.
Nicole kicked him in the shin. "Don't interrupt!"
"You're such a genius for sweeping the noodles with a broom!" Aunt Lucy swore as she put her hand over her heart. Then, she said, "To put it simply, if you believe Soph's not guilty, show us the evidence.
"If you can't give any evidence and still defend her, then you don't know right from wrong. Can a man like Mr. White, who values his pride, put up with people criticizing him?" Aunt Lucy made no secret of her disdain for James. "To tell you the truth, I didn't see him as a..."
Sophia wiped her eyes and looked up, her voice undeniably tired. "Aunt Lucy, stop talking about him."
"All right. I won't talk about him if you don't want me to." Aunt Lucy's chubby face was full of sorry. She glanced darkly at Sophia's legs and gulped before saying, "Soph, have you checked your legs since?"
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 90 Nothing Like Disappointment