Chapter 204: Chapter 601-610

A month ago, the bar had changed owners as it was bought by the gorgeously handsome man before him. From then on, the bar was only open whenever the man felt like it, although he spent most of the time drinking alone in the bar. At one time, the ladies who came to the bar were captivated by his charming good looks, but they all ended up fearing him, especially those who tried to approach him. He not only had a cold shoulder, but he greeted those women with a frosty, scathing look. It wasn’t enjoyable to be scrutinized under the man’s gaze, which would freeze a person from head to toe as if skinning them alive.

The man being described was Arthur Weiss, the mysterious young man of noble descent who had been looking for his family heirloom.

“Young Master Weiss, we’ll surely find her,” the bodyguard said in an effort to comfort him.

Arthur’s patience was running out. He had tried everything he could, but he couldn’t find the thief’s whereabouts at all. He had checked the bar’s surveillance footage, as well as surveillance footage of the road, but the young lady was so heavily made-up that there was no way of knowing what she really looked like.

He had considered going to the police, but he didn’t want the loss of his family heirloom to be made public, fearing that the thief might destroy the heirloom if she were to learn that it was an object of great importance. If that happened, even if he caught her, he might not be able to recover it. Therefore, he would rather let her keep the heirloom first and sort her out later when he found her.

Right now, he was waiting for the final piece of information—the cab driver who had driven her to the bar that night was found.

At this moment, a man in his early thirties came in after the bodyguard through the entrance. He had heard that the bar had closed down; it was once a paradise for the rich and the most luxurious money-

squandering establishment in town. He then saw a man sitting in a chair next to the bar counter. He was toying with a wine glass, and it was evident from the sound of the wine glass being swirled around that the man had superb bartending skills.

“Young Master Weiss, here’s the cab driver who drove that lady to the bar that night.”

Arthur had another of his men take out two bundles of cash. Then, he pushed the photo next to him toward the man, asking, “Do you remember this lady? The money is yours as long as you tell me where you picked her up.”

Seeing the heavily made-up young lady in the photo, the driver instantly remembered her. “Yes, yes, I do remember this lady. She was coming out of a restaurant when I picked her up.”

“Did she say anything during the ride?”

“Yes, she did. She made a phone call. I remember it very well; she was crying her eyes out, seemingly telling her dad that she didn’t want to get married.”

Arthur felt that victory was in sight. “Can I have the video of the ride that night?”

The cab driver darted a look at the two bundles of cash before taking out his cell phone even more briskly. “Sure, sure. Let me find it for you right away.” Finally, he brought up precisely the video recording of that night.

Arthur looked at the young lady who had gotten into the cab in the video, and sure enough, she was none other than the female thief. I’ve got you at last, he thought.

The cab driver left immediately after getting the money.

On the other hand, Arthur was watching the video recording of that night. The cab ride lasted a total of 23 minutes. The somewhat blurry video showed that after getting into the cab, the young lady first stared blankly out of the car window for a long time.

Suddenly, her cell phone rang; she picked it up and answered, “Hey, Dad.”

Shortly after that, she got emotional and added, “I want to call off the engagement. I don’t want to get married… I just want to get married to the love of my life. I don’t want to get married to Christopher York.”

The person calling her then said something on the other end of the line, upon which she instantly burst into tears and cried like a baby. After that, she hung up the phone and said to the cab driver, “Drive me to the most luxurious bar in the city.”

The man gave her a few words of comfort before mentioning the name of a bar, to which she replied, “Okay, drive me there.”

After that, she remained silent until getting out of the cab.

Christopher York, huh? A sneer flashed across Arthur’s face. At last, he had a clue about the young lady’s identity. “I want all the information about this lady in ten minutes.”

He had finally reached the limit of his patience.

After less than ten minutes, his bodyguard handed him an iPad. “Young Master Weiss, Christopher York is a well-known rich dandy in Averna. Only one person has been rumored to be engaged to him this year, and her name is Sophia Goodwin.”

Arthur picked up the iPad and fixed his eyes on the lady in the photo. The light shone on her face, illuminating her tender features; she looked as breathtakingly pure as a fresh-out-of-water water lily.

Although she looked totally different from the heavily made-up lady from the other night, there was no way Arthur could mistake her for someone else with his excellent eyesight. It’s her, he thought. He recognized from this pair of eyes that the lady in the photo was the one from the other night. She was heavily made-up that night, but her eyes were indescribably clear and bright; they were as black and lustrous as obsidian. “Find out everything about her family as well as her extended families,” he ordered frostily.

Having gotten accustomed to his temper, the bodyguard beside him immediately did as he was told.

Arthur had grown up being raised like a prince since he was born, and his family owned a territory that spanned an incredibly wide area. Consequently, as the only child of his family, he was both the lifeblood of his family and the heir to a family fortune that was worth hundreds of millions. As a result, he had never been offended by anyone from his birth until he was 27 years old. If he was dissatisfied with anything, it had to be dealt with within a day. This time, however, he had lost his family heirloom for over a month, which was the greatest humiliation of his life. Therefore, it was foreseeable how miserable the young lady’s fate would be.

Ten minutes later, the bodyguard handed the iPad to him once again. “Young Master Weiss, here is all the information about Sophia Goodwin. Please take a look.”

Arthur read through the story about the Goodwin Family. Sophia’s father was the chairman of two listed companies and had a fortune of over ten billion. However, his business had been losing money in recent years, so he was now two billion in debt instead. Therefore, he intended to establish a collaboration with the York Family, forming an alliance with them by marrying off his beloved only daughter to Christopher.

Arthur checked the time; it was 8:00 PM. He curled his lips into a sneer, saying, “Let’s pay a visit to the Goodwins.”

Meanwhile, at the Goodwin Residence, Drake Goodwin was distressed by his company’s inability to sustain itself while fretting about his runaway daughter. The deal had been made between the two families, and Christopher liked Sophia very much, but she wilfully and recklessly sneaked out of the country. Since then, she had been incommunicado, her whereabouts unknown.

Emma, his wife, said worriedly, “Take the medicine, Drake, or your heart’s gonna give you problems again.”

Drake swallowed the medicine before asking the butler, “Have you found out which country Sophia is in?”

“Miss Sophia is hiding very well this time. We really can’t find her; she’s got the backbone not to use all her debit cards even after you’ve had them unfrozen.”

“Well, she’s not to blame for this. I’ve spoiled her rotten since she was little.” Drake cared very much about Sophia, after all. At this moment, he was worried again about how she was doing abroad.

“Sigh. Sophia probably dislikes Young Master Christopher for his looks.”

Drake argued, “He’s a little chubby, but that’s understandable. It’ll be fine as long as he loses a bit of weight!” In his opinion, Christopher was somewhat overweight and plain-looking, but he wasn’t all that bad as a husband.

Arthur read through the story about the Goodwin Family. Sophia’s father was the chairman of two listed companies and had a fortune of over ten billion. However, his business had been losing money in recent years, so he was now two billion in debt instead. Therefore, he intended to establish a collaboration with the York Family, forming an alliance with them by marrying off his beloved only daughter to Christopher.

“I’m afraid it won’t be easy for him to lose weight with his size.” Emma gave him a dirty look. “He’s almost 220 pounds.”

Drake immediately heaved a sigh. “If I’d had another choice, I wouldn’t have put Sophia through this.”

“Who cares if the company is going bankrupt? It’s fine as long as we’ve got some money left to support ourselves in our old age,” Emma said.

“The company was founded by my grandpa, so I have to keep it afloat. I’d never give up unless we’re in a hopeless situation,” Drake replied with ambition.

However, little did he know that he would be in a hopeless situation tonight—and a chillingly hopeless situation at that, because his daughter had brought the Goodwins an even greater disaster in the form of a young man from a mysterious and overwhelmingly wealthy family.

Just then, the servant came over and reported, “Sir, someone’s asking to meet you.”

“Who’d be visiting at such a late hour? Invite the person in,” Drake replied with a wave of his hand.

Soon after that, he saw a dignified-looking young man dressed in expensive clothes coming in under the light. He looked charmingly handsome, as if his face had been kissed by God. Not only that, but as he walked, he gave off an air of aloofness, projecting a powerful and forbidding presence.

Emma’s eyes widened slightly. Just who is this rich young man? Is he here because of Sophia?

“What can I do for you, sir?” Drake said with a smile as he greeted the young man. He searched his memory, but he couldn’t seem to remember or know such a figure.

“This is our Young Master. His family name is Weiss, so you may call him Young Master Weiss,”

Arthur’s bodyguard replied in a deep voice.

Drake carefully searched his memory again for a family surnamed Weiss, but nothing came to mind.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Weiss, may I know who your father is?”

“You’re not qualified to know that,” Arthur replied impassively.

Drake was rendered speechless for a moment. I’ve never seen such an arrogant young man before, he thought. Holding back his temper, he asked, “In that case, Young Master Weiss, what makes you come to me at this time of night?”

Arthur darted his eyes toward the couple. “Your daughter has stolen my family heirloom, so I’m here to look for her.”

“What? You mean Sophia has stolen from you? That’s impossible! Sophia never steals from anyone,”

Emma immediately retorted for Sophia’s sake.

“Your daughter has stolen Young Master Weiss’ priceless family heirloom in a bar. Please return it immediately,” Arthur’s bodyguard replied.

Drake thought this was impossible, though. “This has got to be a misunderstanding, or you guys must’ve gotten the wrong person. My daughter isn’t in the country. She went abroad a month ago.”

The bodyguard produced an iPad and handed it to the couple. “Is this your daughter?”

Emma immediately took the iPad to confirm it, and sure enough, she recognized Sophia at a glance despite the latter’s heavy makeup. “What’s wrong with Sophia? It’s indeed my daughter in the video, but she won’t steal anything.”

“Where is she?” Arthur asked, narrowing his glacial eyes.

“My daughter isn’t in the country. And besides, we’ve lost touch with her as well. I’m sorry, Young Master Weiss, but I’m afraid you have to wait until she comes back. When she does, we’ll immediately ask her about this,” Emma replied honestly.

“Wait? I hate this word the most.” Arthur had run out of patience because of this, so it was impossible for him to wait any longer.

“But there’s nothing we can do about this. We can’t get in touch with our daughter at the moment. If she’s really taken something from you, we’ll definitely ask her to return it.”

“Your daughter has taken Young Master Weiss’ dearest possession. If the object is broken, there’s no way you can afford to pay for it.” The bodyguard explained the gravity of the situation.

Drake and Emma exchanged a brief look. Then, Drake promised, “If our daughter has really taken it, we’ll definitely give it back to you in perfect condition.”

“Your daughter went abroad to avoid getting married, so you guys can’t get in touch with her for the time being, right? I have a way to make her contact you guys.” Arthur’s eyes flickered menacingly like a demon spreading its dark wings.

“What way?” Emma asked curiously.

“You’ll know that very soon,” Arthur replied impassively. Then, he said to his bodyguard, “Let’s go.”

Drake and Emma watched as the mysterious man showed up and left after leaving behind a jumble of mysteries. It was as though he came and left without leaving behind any traces of it.

“Where is she?” Arthur asked, narrowing his glacial eyes.

“Where is this Young Master Weiss from?” Emma promptly asked Drake.

“Who am I supposed to ask that question? I’ve thought about it for a long time, but I couldn’t recall anyone surnamed Weiss among the bigwigs that I know of. Perhaps he’s just a nobody,” Drake said in vexation. It’s rare for a young man to have the audacity to talk so big.

Having observed Arthur more carefully, Emma replied, “It doesn’t seem so to me. Both his bearing and the way he dresses are definitely those of a kid from a rich family. Not only that, but he’s good-looking, too.”

“Still, he accused our daughter of stealing from him! Sophia has never been short of anything since she was little, so what could she have stolen from him? I think he’s just making a fuss over nothing.” Drake looked down on such gilded youth. “How could I not know what kind of a person I’ve brought Sophia up to be? She’d never steal anything. She had never even taken one more candy from others since she was little! So, just ignore him.”

However, Emma asked again curiously, “He just said that he has a way to make Sophia contact us voluntarily. What way could it be?”

Drake couldn’t wrap his head around it either. How can he find our daughter, whom we’re unable to find after doing everything possible?

He was just about to go to sleep that night when he suddenly got a phone call. “Bad news, Mr.

Goodwin! Someone has bought the Alpire Group, and the capital project that we just negotiated last month has been canceled!”

“What? How could it be? Who bought it?”

“We don’t know yet.”

“Hurry up and find out. This is my last chance,” Drake roared angrily.

Drake already had severe insomnia the previous night, but he received another piece of bad news early the next morning. Because of his immense debts, his company was jointly sued by multiple creditors and it was about to be declared bankrupt and liquidated. In just a night, the creditors who had given him a chance in the past became aggressive and took action against him.

Drake called one of his best friends and asked, “David, you said before that you’d give me time to raise funds. Why didn’t you keep your word?”

“Drake, I can’t do that. I was under pressure too. Did you offend someone?”

“What’s wrong? Who forced you to harrass me?”

“If I don’t do this, I won’t be able to survive either. I’m only telling you this because we’re good friends, but if you’ve offended someone, quickly make amends to them or it will be over for your company.”

After Drake hung up the phone, he couldn’t figure out who he had offended even after mulling over it for a long time.

At that moment, the sound of police sirens could be heard from outside before a housekeeper led six police officers inside.

“Drake Goodwin, we’re suspecting that you’ve been involved in several commercial fraud cases.

Please come with us.”

“Drake, what’s going on? Sir, my husband is a legitimate businessman. He wouldn’t break the law.”

Emma was terrified.

Drake comforted her, “It’s okay. I’ll go over and find out what’s going on.”

When he was arrested, he was suddenly ambushed by the media. The issue made headlines at once and even spread abroad in seconds, covering the headlines of major news outlets across the world.

His photo was featured in the headlines of newspapers around the world as if he were a criminal.

Moreover, the news media in every country vigorously reported about the issue as if they had been paid to do so.

In the end, Goodwin Corporation went bankrupt overnight and went into liquidation before it was eventually acquired by a mysterious force and Drake was in debt for one billion. This issue became a huge sensation in the country as Goodwin Corporation was a long-standing business that was famous for their furniture before they finally dabbled in the development of various other industries. As a result, they were considered a successful business. Now, however, they had met a tragic end—the chairman of the board was arrested, the company went bankrupt, and their reputation and wealth were both ruined.

In the bar, the young man who had single-handedly ruined the Goodwin Family swirled the red wine in his glass as if he had let a huge burden off his shoulders and his seductive lips curled into a slight smile as he said, “If anything, their daughter is to blame. This is what happens if anyone dares to touch the things that belong to me.”

“Young Master Weiss, the news is being reported all over the world. If that girl sees it, she will definitely rush back as soon as possible.”

Drake comforted her, “It’s okay. I’ll go over and find out what’s going on.”

“Excellent. I’ll be waiting for her.” Arthur’s eyes glinted with excitement as if he were hunting his prey.

He was looking forward to seeing how his little prey would struggle to death.

Coincidentally, one of his good friends would be getting married early next month, so he was not in a hurry and could attend the wedding before leaving the place.

It was at the same moment when he received a phone call and happily answered it. “Okay, let’s meet at noon.”

Elliot had asked him out for lunch.

In fact, Arthur had heard some good news. He and Richard were right last time—the child was Elliot’s biological son, which also meant that he was their godson! He pondered over what he should prepare as a present. Richard’s not gonna have time to come over at this point. Guess I’ll have to prepare a gift for my godson. But what should I give him? I can’t be stingy about this.

Arthur bit his lip, but he couldn’t come up with anything even after racking his brain as Elliot already owned the things that he could afford, which troubled him. Hence, he could only think about it while he went to meet Elliot for lunch.

In a private room at a high-end restaurant, Elliot looked at his buddy who was entering. He narrowed his eyes and asked, “Why did the Goodwin Corporation end up in your hands?”

Arthur curled his lips into a smile. “Oh, you’re quite well-informed! I thought I was being secretive enough!”

As Elliot had a department dedicated to collecting any information related to the corporate world, it was impossible for him not to know about this.

“Tell me why you did it,” he asked curiously.

“If anyone is to blame, it’s their fault for giving birth to a daughter who made me angry.”

“Is their daughter the one who stole your family heirloom?” Elliot asked, his eyebrows raised.

Arthur nodded. “That’s right. She’s also missing, so I have no idea what she’s done to my family heirloom either.”

“You made such a huge fuss just to force her to show up on her own, right?” Elliot knew Arthur well.

“She’s lucky that I didn’t do anything else.” Arthur picked up a glass from the table and took a sip.

“When she comes back, she’ll pay for it.”

At his words, Elliot felt a hint of pity for the girl.

Arthur propped up his chin and asked, “Elliot, what do you think I should give you as a wedding gift?

Tell me, what else do you need?”

“It’s fine. You can just give me a simple gift.” Elliot didn’t want him to break the bank for a present.

“I want to give my godson a present too, but I don’t know what children like.”

“He likes Lego, so you can just give him a few boxes.” Elliot added with a smile, “If you can’t, you can also hurry up and get married to give him a younger brother or sister to play with.”

“Say, come and be my best man!” Elliot invited.

“I can’t.” Arthur waved a hand.

“Why not?”

“Because I might steal all your glory!” Arthur teased.

“That wouldn’t happen.” Elliot was confident in himself as well.

The two buddies looked at each other and laughed. This kind of happiness between friends was simple and pure, and sometimes even naive.

On the street of a certain country, a girl had just finished shopping with her friend when a page of a newspaper flew toward her feet all of a sudden. She kindly picked up the trash and was about to throw it into a nearby trash can, but just as she was about to do so, she saw a familiar face. It was an enlarged photo, and seeing the man in the picture immediately sent a pang to her heart. She exclaimed, “Dad!”

Immediately after, she quickly unfolded the entire newspaper and saw the picture of her father on the headline with a text description next to it, and another picture of her father being taken into the car by the police.

“How could this be? Why was my dad caught, and why did the company go bankrupt?” The girl clutched the newspaper tightly, feeling shocked to the core.

“Sophia, what’s wrong?” Her friend rushed over to support her, who was about to faint.

“My dad! My dad was captured. I have to go back home.”

Saying that, Sophia fished out her phone and called her mother. This was her first time contacting her family ever since she bailed on her marriage a month ago.

“Hello?” Emma’s voice sounded exhausted.

“Why not?”

“Because I might steal all your glory!” Arthur teased.

“Mom, it’s me. What happened to Dad? Why was he captured?”

“Sophia? Is that really you, Sophia? Did you finally get a conscience? Hurry up and come back! Your dad is in trouble, and so is the company.”

“Okay, Mom, I’ll come back now.” Sophia was so anxious that her eyes welled up with tears. She had been a bad daughter for leaving her family behind just to escape her marriage.

“I’ll send you to the airport.”

The two girls quickly packed up their clothes and belongings in the hotel. As she was too worried about her father, Sophia was so panicked that even when the necklace around her neck suddenly fell into the clothes in her suitcase, she didn’t notice at all. Instead, she stuffed a few more clothes inside before she closed the suitcase and left.

Two hours later, she arrived at the airport and boarded a plane to return home. At the same time, a message arrived on a certain man’s phone with her flight information.

“You’re finally coming back, aren’t you?” Arthur sneered.

On the plane, Sophia’s heart was about to burst. Even if the plane was the fastest means of transportation, she still felt that it was slow. It must be my fault. It’s because I didn’t marry Christopher that Dad’s company is in trouble now. She regretted her stubborn decision to bail from her marriage, and thought that she should’ve married Christopher to help her father pull through.

Even if she didn’t love him, she was now willing to give up everything to save her father’s company.

Along the way, she looked through the domestic news, and her father’s photos were posted everywhere. Was the media running out of things to report? Did they have to report something like this every day?

Before she could reach home, Sophia’s cab was blocked by three mysterious black SUVs.

Left with no choice, the cab driver could only stop by the side of the road. The driver was easily scared, and when he saw the tall bodyguard who came down from the first car, he asked in a trembling voice, “Miss, did you anger anyone?”

Sophia shook her head as she looked at the tall man dressed in black who was walking toward them as well. “No, I didn’t!”

“This person must be looking for you!”

“No!”

Just as she finished speaking, the man said to her through the window, “Miss Goodwin, our young master wants to meet you.”

“You’re Christopher’s men, aren’t you?” Sophia asked immediately. Christopher had once forced her to go on a date with him in this way, so she was feeling rather irked right now.

“Yes, that’s right. Our young master is waiting for you. He wants to talk to you about saving your father.”

As soon as Sophia heard that she could save her father, she hurriedly paid the driver and got out of the car before she entered the black SUV and left. In the car, Sophia felt that something was wrong. The windows of these cars were bulletproof, and although Christopher’s family was rich, it wasn’t to the extent where they had to use bulletproof glass for their cars!

“Who exactly are you? Where are you bringing me to?”

“You’ll know when we reach, Miss,” the bodyguard replied.

Sophia also discovered that the bodyguard in the passenger seat was a blond foreigner, and the other bodyguards weren’t wearing the usual bodyguard uniforms. Even their suits were custom-made and worth tens of thousands.

“Are you really the York Family’s bodyguards?” Sophia reaffirmed.

However, the bodyguard stopped talking and put the pedal to the metal, rushing straight toward the bar.

Finally, they came to a stop at a side entrance of the bar, and Sophia looked at the bar in shock. Didn’t I come here before? “Why did you take me here?”

“Miss Goodwin, this way, please. Our young master is waiting for you inside.” The bodyguard grew impatient.

Sophia got out of the car, but as soon as she did, she tried to run away. However, the bodyguards had expected her to escape, and two of them flanked her on both sides before hoisting her inside as if she were a cat.

“Hey, let me go! Who are you? I’m going to call the police!” Sophia screamed all the way until she was thrown in front of a pair of long slender legs.

She had almost collapsed onto the ground as she raised her head and lifted her gaze all the way upward… Damn it, did this person have to have such long legs? Finally, she raised her head with difficulty and saw a pair of dark eyes staring at her, along with a beautiful face.

“Who exactly are you? Where are you bringing me to?”

She immediately shot up, and even if she was standing, she was still a head shorter than him. She huffed angrily, “Who are you? Why did you kidnap me? Do we know each other?”

Arthur took a deep breath and stared at her upright and clueless face. His lips curled as he said, “Before you accuse me of kidnapping, why don’t you try to recall what you stole from me?”

“Stole from you? I’ve never even met you before, so how could I steal from you?” Sophia thought that this man was handsome, but there was something wrong with him in the head.

“Last time, in front of this bar, you forcibly got into my car and took the opportunity to take my necklace.

Did you lose your memory, thief?” Arthur didn’t mind reminding her.

Sophia’s beautiful eyes widened as she finally remembered before she quickly reached out and touched her neck. However, she felt nothing. What’s going on? I swear I was wearing that necklace around my neck all this while. Where did it go? She was only worried about her father’s affairs along the way and wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings, but was she so careless that she didn’t even notice when she dropped the necklace?

Could I have dropped it in the hotel overseas? Or on the plane? Or in the cab? She had no idea at all.

“About that… I got into your car last time because someone was chasing me at the bar entrance. As for stealing your things, I didn’t steal it. My hair got caught on your necklace, and when your bodyguard took me out, I took your necklace away with me. I’m sorry… But I’m not a thief.” Sophia corrected the nickname he gave her very seriously.

Arthur didn’t bother to argue with her and just wanted to see his family heirloom at that instant. He stretched out his hand toward her. “Hand it over.”

Sophia gulped. She had no idea where she had dropped it, so how could she hand it over?

“Uh… I…”

“If you can’t hand it over, your father will be doomed for life,” Arthur warned.

“What? You did that to my dad?” Sophia glared at him angrily.

“I want my necklace. Return it to me now,” Arthur demanded again, his cold gaze boring intently into her.

Sophia’s mind was swarmed with thoughts. It was clear that this man was powerful at a glance, so was her father’s company made bankrupt by him, and was her father also sent to the police station because she accidentally took his necklace last time? In that case, did that mean that she was the cause of her father’s misfortune? However, she didn’t know where the necklace had gone. She had to look for it, or ask her friends abroad if she had left it at the hotel.

“I’ll tell you only if you get my dad out of the police station. Otherwise, don’t think about seeing your necklace again.” She raised her head and threatened him.

Around them, sharp gasps could be heard. How dare this girl threaten Young Master Weiss? Does she have guts of steel?

In fact, Sophia just didn’t know who the man in front of her was. Even if she did, she would not be afraid of him as she had always been a brave person since she was a child.

“Are you threatening me?” Arthur thought he didn’t hear her right. This woman wouldn’t return his belongings and was now threatening him with it?

“Yup! You heard me right. If you want your necklace back, you have to let my dad go. Otherwise, you’ll never get it back.” Sophia repeated her threat.

“You…” Arthur’s fist paused in the air. If it wasn’t because she was a woman, he would’ve definitely thrown a punch her way. If she were a man, they would be in a fight by now.

Sophia was still looking at him a little fearfully as she backed away in an attempt to put some distance between them.

“Fine, I’ll let your dad out. Now hand me my necklace.” Shockingly, Arthur gave in to her.

“Only after my dad gets released.” Sophia was not gullible.

Arthur’s anger turned into amusement as he asked, “Woman, you really don’t know your place. Do you know who I am?”

“I’ll tell you only if you get my dad out of the police station. Otherwise, don’t think about seeing your necklace again.” She raised her head and threatened him.

“Even though you’re handsome, do I have to know who you are?” Sophia asked with a raised eyebrow, unimpressed.

The bodyguards who were standing by the side looked at her with wide eyes, feeling scared for this girl who was constantly looking for death. They wanted to show her what their monstrous young master was usually like, and let her know what true fear felt like.

“I want to go home now and see my dad safely come home within an hour.” Sophia continued to dish out her orders.

Arthur was already on the brink of losing his temper.

“Fine, I want to see my necklace within an hour.” He spoke with gritted teeth.

There was no way Sophia could promise him that as she had no idea where his necklace was!

“Save that for after I see my dad.” Saying that, she picked up her bag and said to the bodyguard, “My suitcase is still in your car. Please help me open the door.”

The bodyguard looked at Arthur. From the looks of things, this girl had the greater say, so he could only retrieve her suitcase for her. After getting her belongings, Sophia hailed a car and went home.

Several bodyguards stood with their hands by their side at the bar, waiting for the young master to sweep out the entire wine cabinet in a rage. However, he was unusually quiet. Other than that brewing storm in his gaze, nothing else happened.

Did Young Master Weiss turn into someone else? the bodyguards wondered.

Meanwhile, when Sophia returned to the Goodwin Residence, she immediately hugged her mother. In just two days, Emma’s hair had turned gray from worry. When she saw her daughter again, she sobbed and told her about everything that had happened during the past two days.

“Mom, don’t worry. Dad will be home soon.”

“How could that be? Your dad was accused of commercial fraud this time, so it wouldn’t be that simple.”

“Mom, believe me. I can really help Dad come home,” Sophia promised.

As expected, ten or so minutes later, there was a sound of the door opening, and Drake walked in unscathed.

“Dad, you’re home!” Sophia dived into his arms. “Dad, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t be stubborn and run away anymore. I promise I’ll marry Christopher.”

Drake patted her and said, “It’s all right. You don’t need to marry him anymore. The company is gone anyway, so there’s no need for that.”

However, he couldn’t figure out who had so much power to do this to him on such a huge and cruel scale.

“Sigh. Until now, I still don’t know who’s been targeting me. I don’t remember offending anyone either!”

He was feeling depressed.

Just then, Sophia spoke up softly from beside him. “Dad, I know who it is.”

“What? You do? Who is it?” He hurriedly looked at his daughter.

Emma was shocked as well and turned her gaze toward Sophia.

Sophia had to explain everything from start to finish. At the end of her explanation, she reiterated, “I really didn’t steal it. That man’s necklace got caught in my hair, and it’s the necklace’s fault for being so fragile that it broke so easily.” She looked at her parents guiltily, thinking that her parents didn’t understand what she was talking about.

However, Emma suddenly said to Drake, “I told you that man isn’t an easy opponent, but you didn’t believe me. Look what he’s done now; he made us bankrupt overnight.”

“I haven’t heard of anyone called Weiss who is this powerful before!” Drake couldn’t believe that this young man had done all of this and even managed to destroy his company overnight either.

“Dad, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I’ll definitely take responsibility for this.” Sophia would never get her parents involved.

“Silly girl, now that the necklace is gone, where are you going to find it? How are you going to take responsibility? It’s obvious that the necklace is important to him, and now he’s going to be even angrier.”

“Dad, Mom, don’t say it’s gone yet. I can still look for it.” Sophia had already called her friend and asked her to look for it in the hotel.

Sophia then hoisted her suitcase upstairs, intending to look through it. She had just carried the suitcase to the stairs when her cat suddenly pounced over, frightening her so much that her hands jolted, and the suitcase rolled down from the second floor. With a few thumps, the zipper flew open, causing all of her clothes and belongings to scatter across the ground, one of which rolled into the corner of the storage box under the stairs where even the dim light couldn’t hide its extraordinary shine. It just so happened to be the necklace.

Sophia had to explain everything from start to finish. At the end of her explanation, she reiterated, “I really didn’t steal it. That man’s necklace got caught in my hair, and it’s the necklace’s fault for being so fragile that it broke so easily.” She looked at her parents guiltily, thinking that her parents didn’t understand what she was talking about.

“Baby, you almost scared me to death.” She picked up her pet cat and scolded it before she went downstairs to pick up her things. After returning upstairs, she tidied her belongings and looked for the necklace. Sure enough, it wasn’t there. She was extremely worried. If she didn’t find it soon, she would be doomed.

Just then, her phone rang. She took a glance at the unknown number and answered the call. “Hello?

Who is this?”

“Your dad is out. Ten minutes later, I’ll come over to retrieve my things.” A cold male voice spoke to her from the other end.

“Um, you shouldn’t come over. The necklace isn’t with me. I left it overseas.” Sophia could only lie to him in order to hold him back.

“Say what?!” As expected, his voice turned angry.

“I promise you that I’ll definitely bring it back. Can you give me some time?” She attempted to bargain.

“Sophia Goodwin, do you have a death wish?” The man on the other end of the phone finally lost his patience and burst out in fury.

Sophia immediately put the phone a little further away from her ear, and when the other end finally stopped talking, she said, “Do you want to get it back or not? If you want it, give me some time.”

“Where did you leave it? I’ll send someone to pick it up.”

“No, I’m scared you’d continue to hurt my dad when you get it back, so I won’t hand it over within a year,” Sophia said bravely.

“Are… Are you saying that I can only get it back a year later?” He was clearly asking her through gritted teeth.

“Yes, so you’d better be more patient,” she replied.

Just then, Sophia heard the sound of a car as the other end hung up the phone. Then, she soon saw Arthur again in the living room. Though her house was huge, as soon as this man came in, it was as if the air turned still, making it difficult to breathe. Even Drake and Emma were a little afraid of him.

“Young Master Weiss, please take a seat and have a drink,” Drake said ingratiatingly, as if he were hosting an esteemed guest.

Arthur’s cold and sharp eyes shot straight at Sophia as he demanded, “Let’s talk alone.”

Sophia pointed to her father’s study and said, “Let’s talk in the study.”

Hence, the two of them went in together, leaving the worried Drake and Emma outside. This young man was clearly a handful at first glance. Could their daughter really have a good chat with him? Would he hit her instead?

In the study, Sophia locked the door before turning to look at the standing man. “Mr. Weiss, do you agree to my request from earlier?”

“No.” Arthur gritted his teeth and looked at her icily. “I want to see my necklace now.”

“Then, you leave me with no choice. I won’t give it to you now.” Sophia crossed her arms and looked at him, her head spinning rapidly with thoughts. She knew very well that his necklace would never be found again. Anyone would pick up such a beautiful item if they saw it, and it would either be sold to the second-hand market or be kept by them. However, how could she quell this man’s anger now?

When cornered, there was no limit to a person’s intelligence, and a plan instantly came to Sophia’s mind. If this man liked her one day, wouldn’t he forgive her and stop pursuing the matter? Although this method came at a price, in order to protect her family, she had no other choice. Hence, Sophia had to make the man in front of her fall in love with her and forgive her, then let go of her family.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at her as she sized him up, as if she was coming up with an ill-intentioned plan.

Seeing through her thoughts, he immediately sneered and said, “I’m not interested in you, so you’d better not get any ideas about me.”

“How about this? For a year, I’ll pledge myself and stay by your side and be your maid. After a year, I will return the necklace to you. What do you think? It’s a good deal, isn’t it?” Sophia raised her small head and asked.

In the study, Sophia locked the door before turning to look at the standing man. “Mr. Weiss, do you agree to my request from earlier?”

Arthur felt annoyed that this woman had taken possession of his things and did not return them, but she was still being so righteous about it.

“Give it back to me, and I promise not to touch your family.” Arthur didn’t bother to answer her and just wanted to retrieve his belongings and leave. He was not interested in her at all.

“I said that I’ll only return it in a year. If you don’t want me to be your maid, that’s okay. See you in a year, then!” Saying that, Sophia pursed her red lips. How dare this man look down on me?

As if her words struck a raw nerve in him, Arthur suddenly gritted his teeth and said, “Fine. If you’re offering yourself, I won’t hold back either. As my maid, you’ll have to be by my side at all times. Do you have what it takes?”

Sophia’s eyes flashed with victory. She wanted to get close to him and spend time with him, then find the opportunity to make him fall in love with her and finally forgive her for losing his belongings.

“There’s nothing that I’m afraid of,” Sophia boasted proudly.

A glint of cruelty flashed past Arthur’s eyes. It was true that he would be letting her off easy if he let her go now, so he had to keep her by his side and give her a hard time to vent his anger.

“Pack your belongings and follow me.” As soon as Arthur said that, he walked outside.

“Would it be possible for you to give me two days off?” Sophia asked him from behind.

The man retorted in an icy tone, “No.”

Sophia sighed, realizing that she will have to put in a lot of effort to please this man. The only thing she can do right now is to keep him from getting angry, given her current situation.

She took down her unpacked suitcase from her room and told her parents, “Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, I’m going on a trip. You should enjoy your time together and wait for my return.”

“You’re leaving again, Sophia; where are you going?” With a worried expression on her face, Mrs.

Goodwin questioned as she held her daughter.

Sophia assured her mother, “Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll be fine.”

“Is this what Mr Weiss means when he says he wants you to be responsible, and where is he taking you?” a worried Drake Goodwin questioned.

“No, Young Master Weiss is not an evil man. He said that he wishes to accompany me while I search the area where I had lost it. You may just wait for me at home, and maybe we will find it together,” she murmured softly.

After hearing these words, her parents felt relieved and hoped that they could get it back and appease Young Master Weiss.

She took her suitcase with her and left. Her parents got out of the house to watch her get into the car, but they were still too worried.

At this very moment, the pendant in the storage room beneath the staircase was emitting a resentful glow. Even though its owner had been here for a while, he had ignored it and left.

Sophia hadn’t slept for about thirty hours after hearing about her father’s incident. She dozed off out of weariness as soon as she got into the seat.

They arrive at a bar where Arthur Weiss has established it as his personal hangout spot. An exquisite master bedroom was built on the second floor just for his stay.

The bodyguard got out of the car and opened the back seat door to find the girl sleeping soundly.

“Master, she’s asleep,” he informed the man who had exited from the other vehicle.

Arthur found the girl sleeping in the backseat as he approached the car. He was furious yet again. How is it that she could go to sleep after all?

“Wake her up,” he mumbled as he walked away.

“Hey, Sophia Goodwin, get up.” The bodyguard yelled.

She awoke, startled, then grinned, and said, “Oh, we’re here!”

She brought her suitcase into the bar with her and asked them in a curious tone, “Why do you guys live in a bar?”

“Sophia Goodwin, you’re only the Master’s maid; don’t talk rubbish; remember, the Master wants silence.” She was reminded by the bodyguard.

She fought through her exhaustion and followed the bodyguard with a sigh. The bodyguard ordered, pointing to the staircase, “Head upstairs and find a room for yourself.”

Sophia hadn’t slept for about thirty hours after hearing about her father’s incident. She dozed off out of weariness as soon as she got into the seat.

Sophia gave a slight nod, knowing that after becoming the maid for this man, she couldn’t expect for much. She went upstairs, found a room, and slumped on the bed to sleep.

In another room, Arthur Weiss was becoming uneasy as he assessed what was going on. The item was not recovered and he brought an unpleasant woman along with him, which was not his style.

If he was letting her free in exchange for the return of an important family heirloom after a year, it would seem to be too lenient for the woman.

He became exasperated as he thought about it. Then, he rushed into Sophia’s room to find a way to traumatize her, but when he got there, she was sleeping again.

The afternoon sun glistened on her curled-up shape, revealing her wavy and sensual curves, her long auburn hair, and her flawless skin, which gleamed and glistened like jade, as well as her thick and light brows. Under the pleasant warmth of the sun, her upturned nose and soft pinkish lips took on a youthful charm that was reminiscent of innocence.

He narrowed his eyes as he watched her sleeping peacefully, and for a moment, Arthur was unsure if he should wake her up or let her keep sleeping this way.

In the end, he decided to leave.

Sophia slept till she awoke, opened her eyes, and saw it was darkness outside the window. She stretched out, and her eyes gleamed like beautiful diamonds, with excitement of unexpected prospects and fantasies ahead.