Chapter 214: Chapter 701-710

However, Emily had badmouthed Sophia in front of Martha, saying that Sophia was a vixen who wouldn’t leave Arthur alone and seduced him, which instantly made Martha furious. This time, she returned to the country precisely because she heard from Emily that there was a girl who was deceiving her grandson, and she wanted to come back and set things straight.

When Arthur’s eyes swept across Emily’s guilty expression, he could already guess what she had said to Martha.

At 5.00PM in the international airport, a large private jet arrived before a luxuriously dressed old lady holding a box wrapped in black silk cloth in her hand appeared from the VIP entrance, her movements gentle and careful. Behind her, there was a line of four maids and eight bodyguards following her.

Arthur, who had been waiting at the entrance, immediately stepped up to greet her. “Grandma.”

Martha looked at her grandson with sharp and piercing eyes. “Artie, why do you look so unenergetic?

Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

“I missed you so much that I couldn’t sleep well,” he explained with a smile.

“I don’t believe you at all.” Martha and her son had both married and had children at a young age.

Therefore, although she was only 68 years old this year, her grandson was already grown up.

“It really hurts.” Arthur curled his lips and smiled while stretching out his hand to carefully take the urn from Martha’s hand. “Let me take Grandpa back.”

Arthur accompanied Martha back to the villa. Along the way, she observed how much the country had developed. Although she was born abroad and lived outside of the country as well, she still wanted her hometown to prosper.

“How homely!” She sighed.

“Grandma, if you like it here, we can set up a house here. What do you think?” Arthur suggested.

Martha looked at her grandson in surprise. As she had watched him grow up since he was a child, she knew his personality and preferences well. When Arthur met her gaze, there was a flash of discomfort in his eyes.

“Are you hiding something from me?” she immediately asked.

“No.”

“Out with it. Tell me about Miss Sophia. I want to know what kind of girl can affect my grandson as well.” Martha refused to let him avoid the topic.

Arthur chuckled. “She’s just an ordinary girl. There’s nothing special.”

Looking at her grandson’s reaction, she felt that this girl named Sophia was not just anyone and became even more interested in the reason why this girl was able to make her grandson defend her like this.

“Grandma, I’ll ask the realtors to come over and talk to you tomorrow.” Arthur changed the subject.

Martha didn’t continue to probe either. After all, she would be here for some time, and she would eventually get the chance to meet that girl.

Meanwhile, Drake had already returned to Goodwin Residence to recuperate his health. Sophia saw that all of the staff in the house had been dismissed, and her mother had started to take charge of the cooking. However, because it had been quite a while since Emma last cooked, her skills had become rusty, and she accidentally cut her finger while cutting vegetables for dinner.

At the table, Drake blamed himself. “It’s all my fault. If I didn’t get set up by that b*stard, we can at least hire a maid.”

Sophia felt her heart ache for Emma as well and she offered, “I’ll cook from now on!”

Emma smiled. “It’s fine! I don’t think you even know how to hold a knife.”

Seeing that her family was starting to live frugally, Sophia couldn’t afford to sit around anymore. It just so happened that Arthur gave her a vacation, so she could take the opportunity to find a job. In the evening, she started to write a résumé and sent it to many large companies online, hoping that she could get a job as soon as possible.

At night, in Martha’s room at Arthur’s villa, Emily reported to her what had happened in the past few days, making Sophia seem like a seductress.

“Grandma, she took Artie to fool around in a hotel last night, and even had her pajamas wet. After that, when I tagged along with the bodyguard to send them a new set, I saw that the two of them were only wearing bathrobes in the room.”

Martha frowned. When did her grandson start liking to fool around with girls in hotels? He was simply ruining their family’s name.

“It seems that I have to meet Miss Sophia when I have the time.”

“Grandma, when you meet her, you have to warn her to stay away from Artie,” Emily reminded.

Martha nodded before saying, “Then, you have to work hard too! Don’t waste the opportunity that I created for you and Artie.”

Emily pursed her lips and said in a slightly aggrieved tone, “I will.”

Early in the morning, Sophia answered a call in a daze. “Hello? Who is it?”

“Hello, are you Miss Sophia? I’m from the HR department at Bourgeois Jewelry Atelier. We have arranged for you to interview for the front desk job at 10 o’clock in the morning. Do you have time to come over?”

When Sophia heard this, she hurriedly replied in an excited tone, “Yes, yes, I’ll definitely be there.”

She was ecstatic as she didn’t expect to receive a response when she had just submitted her resume the previous night. Besides, Bourgeois Jewelry Atelier was a high-end jewelry brand, so it was promising for her career.

After hurriedly getting out of bed, she washed up and put on makeup before leaving. When the time for her appointment came, Sophia’s attractive appearance and elegant aura that she had gained from her dance practice since she was a child were in line with the requirements to be a receptionist.

“Sophia, you can start work tomorrow!” The manager of the HR department instantly hired her.

She felt incredibly lucky. The salary and benefits of the company were not bad as well and completely met her expectations.

When Sophia arrived for her first day at work on Tuesday, she saw that amongst the six receptionists, she was placed on the far left. Although they were working at the front desk, they still had complicated feelings toward each other, especially toward other girls who were prettier than them. Sophia was dressed in a professional suit with her long hair tied back, and her slim figure gave off a refreshing and stunning aura.

“Hello, everyone, I’m Sophia, and I just started working here. I’ll be in your care.” She greeted them.

was a little surprised. It was her first time entering the workforce, and she had already encountered a crisis.

She sat in her position, and there was only a transition plan from the previous staff. As for instructions on how to work, they did not specify in detail.

“Excuse me…” She tried to ask her colleague next to her.

“Don’t ask me. I won’t teach you,” the girl replied arrogantly.

At her answer, Sophia didn’t dare to ask any more questions. Just then, the phone in front of her rang, and she reached out to pick it up. “Hello. How may I help you?”

“Transfer my call to the general manager of the planning department.” A male voice instructed her from the other end of the call.

“Huh? Wait a moment, let me check.” Sophia quickly flipped through the transition plan, but she still couldn’t find an answer after a long time.

The person on the call said angrily, “What’s wrong with you?” After speaking, he instantly hung up.

Sophia’s forehead beaded with sweat from her nervousness. As she wiped her sweat in frustration, the girl next to her sneered, “How could you come to work without any experience?”

“This is indeed my first job.”

“I think you should quit! You can’t handle it.” Her female colleague didn’t want to help her, and she didn’t want her to remain as a receptionist either.

Still, Sophia didn’t give up and replied, “I will try my best. I need this job.”

She was just looking at documents when she saw that her colleagues who had been lazing around suddenly straightened their backs and acted as though they were working hard. She was taken aback by the sight, and as she looked in the direction of the entrance, she saw a slender and charming figure walking in gracefully.

The woman was Anastasia Tillman, the current president of Bourgeois Jewelry Atelier. She had wavy long hair and delicate features, and she wore a luxurious white custom-made suit that complimented her gorgeous waistline as she walked past the front desk while talking on the phone.

“Good morning, President Tillman.” The receptionists immediately got up and bowed in greeting.

Sophia paused in surprise, and after everyone else had finished speaking, her voice sounded belatedly. “Good morning, President Tillman.”

Sophia’s voice stood out from the rest. Anastasia was about to pass by the lobby when she suddenly heard this voice, and she couldn’t help but turn her head and glance at the girl who had greeted her. As their eyes met, one of them was smiling while the other was full of pleasant surprise.

“Miss Goodwin.” Anastasia looked surprised to see Sophia at the front desk.

The other receptionists next to her instantly stared at Sophia. Why is President Tillman addressing her like they’re acquainted? Do they know each other?

Anastasia walked up to Sophia with a friendly expression and asked curiously, “When did you start working at my company?”

“It’s my first day here,” Sophia replied.

Anastasia pondered slightly before offering, “I am short of an assistant. Would you like to be my assistant?”

“But I’m not experienced in this area,” Sophia refused. She couldn’t casually accept the job either.

“That’s fine. You can learn if you don’t know.” Saying that, Anastasia said to Grace who was behind her, “Go to the HR department and handle the necessary procedures for her.”

Then, she turned to Sophia and said, “Come on, follow me to my office.”

Just like that, Sophia walked to the elevator with Anastasia under the envious gazes of all the receptionists. She was filled with gratitude toward Anastasia for taking care of her, and Anastasia was also glad to have her as her assistant.

Once they were inside the elevator, Anastasia asked Sophia concernedly, “Why aren’t you with Mr.

Weiss?”

Previously, when Arthur brought Sophia along to her wedding, Anastasia noticed his caring attitude toward her, so she thought that he liked Sophia. And when her husband was in danger last time, Arthur and Richard had rushed over from great distances to save him, so she naturally had to be kind to Sophia.

Sophia explained embarrassedly, “President Tillman, you must have misunderstood. W-We’re just friends.”

Anastasia pursed her lips into a smile. From the way Sophia carried herself, she didn’t look like she was from an ordinary family. So, she asked, “Are you having some sort of family trouble?”

“No, I just wanted a stable job.” Sophia was unable to look straight at the dazzling Anastasia.

“All right, then you can rest easy and work with me! If there’s anything you don’t know, I’ll ask someone to teach you.” As they exited the elevator, Anastasia instructed while pointing at the lounge nearby, “Go and rest over there for now.”

Sophia felt extremely lucky to receive this treatment on her first day at work.

Grace promoted her position to the president’s assistant, making them colleagues.

“Grace, you have to teach her everything she needs to know about work. She’s a friend of my husband’s friend,” Anastasia said to Grace.

“Yes, President Tillman, I will.” Grace nodded.

Soon, Sophia owned her own office, which was spacious and bright, and she could enjoy the excellent view from the floor-to-ceiling windows. As they were located in a landmark building in the city center, the landscape was stunning all around.

Anastasia had just taken a seat when her phone rang with a call from Elliot, which she answered.

“Hello?”

“The housekeeper just called and told me that Grandma suddenly collapsed. I’m rushing over from the financial summit to the hospital.” Elliot’s voice sounded anxious.

Anastasia was taken aback as well, and she hurriedly replied, “I’ll head over too.”

She grabbed her bag and went out, but after a moment of thought, she said to Sophia, “Sophia, come out with me. Grace, stay here and call me if anything happens.”

Sophia immediately got up and followed her out, and when the two walked past the front desk and headed out of the lobby, Adriana had already parked the car outside and was waiting for them. Then, the three immediately rushed toward Presgrave Hospital.

Harriet, who had just been sent over, was in the emergency rescue room, while the housekeeper, Jodie, the hospital director, and Brenda and her husband were all outside.

“Why did my grandmother collapse?” Elliot asked Jodie.

Jodie replied with reddened eyes, “There’s no reason. She just said in the morning that she wanted to trim the flowers herself, so I brought her to the living room, but she collapsed soon after.”

Brenda was already in her fifties, and she comforted her nephew, “Calm down, Elliot. At your grandma’s age, these things are bound to happen.”

Elliot’s chest tightened. Deep within his heart, he never thought about his grandmother’s age and always hoped that she would live a long life. However, Harriet was already 83 this year. A person’s life was like a candle, and there would always come the time when its flame would burn out. Sure enough, not long later, several specialist doctors came out of the emergency rescue room with heavy and serious expressions. It was clear that there was no need for Harriet to be saved this time.

“How is she, Rob?” Brenda asked the frontmost doctor.

“After our evaluation, we think that we should stop causing pain to Old Madam Presgrave. Moreover, she has also woken up and refused our request for surgery. She wants to see you all instead.”

Brenda couldn’t hold back her tears, and she asked in a hoarse voice, “How much time does she have left?”

“In addition to severe heart failure, many of her organs are not functioning well either. She has at most two days left.”

Elliot clenched his fists. Harriet was about to leave the world, but he couldn’t do anything. Brenda also turned her head sadly and buried herself in her husband’s arms, and the atmosphere turned somber. In this world, the most painful thing was to say goodbye to one’s loved ones forever.

Just then, Anastasia stepped out from the elevator. When she saw the group of people taking up the entire hallway, even if she didn’t know what was going on, the atmosphere had already made her heart beat violently, and she looked at her husband. Elliot’s eyes were red, and there was a hint of tears in his eyes. At the sight, Anastasia handed her bag to Sophia before she quickly walked over and embraced him. Elliot hugged her back tightly, a choked sound coming from his throat.

Anastasia’s tears stained his collar as she asked softly, “What happened to Grandma?”

“Grandma is passing,” Elliot replied hoarsely.

Hearing that, Anastasia let her tears fall silently.

Just then, a nurse came out from the ward and said, “Old Madam Presgrave wants to see Mrs.

Presgrave.”

Anastasia hurriedly answered, “I’m here.”

Elliot nodded at her, and Brenda gave her a pat. “Go on.”

When Anastasia walked into the ward, she saw Harriet hooked up to a ventilator, and her white hair made her seem much weaker than before. However, her eyes were still clear.

“Come over, my child.” Harriet extended her hand toward Anastasia.

Forcing her tears back, Anastasia sat by the bed, and Harriet took her hand in hers. “You’re the child I worry about the most.”

“Grandma, you’ll get better.” Anastasia held her sadness in and comforted her.

“I know my time is up. Don’t be sad now. I have no regrets.” Harriet was open-minded. When the doctor wanted to extend her life earlier, she immediately refused. She just wanted to leave the world neatly instead of paying to go through the pain of surgery and then leaving.

“Grandma, do you have anything to say to me?” Anastasia held her hand.

“After I leave, all of our family matters will be up to you.” Harriet looked at her with a regretful expression. “When I asked you to marry into our family, I wanted to give you a good life.”

“Grandma, I love Elliot. As long as I can be with him, I can do anything.” Anastasia reassured her, not wanting her to blame herself.

“When I’m not around anymore, Elliot will only have you and his aunt left.” As she spoke, her eyes filled with tears.

At the sight, Anastasia was unable to hold her tears back as well. While wiping her tears away, she comforted, “Don’t worry, Grandma, I’ll always stay by his side, and I’ll never let him be alone.”

As she spoke, Anastasia continued to cry even more as she felt a pang of pain for Elliot. Once Harriet was gone, he would be the saddest person as his parents died early when he was a child, and he was brought up by his grandmother. She couldn’t even begin to comprehend how much pain he was in at the moment.

“I’m leaving our family matters to you. You have to be strong. Don’t let anyone bully you,” Harriet instructed.

Anastasia pursed her lips and nodded. “All right, I will.”

Harriet’s breathing turned heavy, as if speaking was an extremely difficult task for her. Anastasia hurriedly advised her to rest, but Harriet said to her, “Call Elliot to come in too.”

Anastasia passed the instructions to the nurse behind her, and the nurse went outside. Not long later, Elliot came in. He half knelt by the bed and leaned in toward Harriet. “I’m here, Grandma.”

Harriet grabbed his hand and said, “Elliot, you have to take good care of Anastasia in the future. Never let her down.”

“I know. I love her more than I love myself. I’ll use my life to protect her,” Elliot swore.

Anastasia pursed her lips, her eyes filling with tears as his voice pierced through her heart and deeply moved her.

“I have no regrets. You’re the most capable and powerful person in our family, so you have to take care of Nigel and the others,” Harriet continued.

“I will, Grandma. You should rest.” Elliot reached out and gently caressed her gray hair.

However, Harriet didn’t want to rest at all. She didn’t have much time left in the first place, so she wanted to use her last moments to the best that she could and look at the people she was worried about the most.

“I wanted to see Jared, but with my current state, I don’t think I should. I don’t want to scare him.”

“Grandma, you won’t scare Jared. I’ll bring him over to see you!” Anastasia said in a choked voice.

Nevertheless, Harriet didn’t want to scare the young child and shook her head resolutely. “I really don’t want to scare him. Just tell him that I’m going to see his great-grandpa.”

Elliot respected her wishes, knowing that it wasn’t that she didn’t love her grandson, but she loved him too much. Anastasia nodded in understanding as well. Just then, Harriet’s breathing quickened, and Elliot hastily got up and called the doctor.

As Harriet needed to rest, everyone went to the lounge. Just as Anastasia sat down, someone kindly handed her a piece of tissue. When she looked up and saw that it was Sophia, she gave her a grateful look.

Not long later, Nigel arrived in a hurry, his eyes full of sadness as he sat next to Elliot. The two cousins looked at each other, neither of them saying a word. Then, Anastasia asked Sophia to go back first as they would stay in the hospital to accompany Harriet in her final moments. When it was time to pick up Jared in the afternoon, Elliot sent his bodyguards and asked Nigel to take him home while they stayed in the hospital.

At the same time, the other members of the Presgrave Family had also heard the news, and they felt like they could finally let out a huge sigh of relief. Finally, Harriet, who had the most influence, was leaving, and they thought the newly promoted Anastasia was much easier to deal with. All of them were waiting for Harriet to take her last breath, and at the same time, several elders were also sent to the hospital to pay her a visit. However, all of them were turned away by Elliot. As Harriet didn’t have much time left, he hoped that the last people to stay by her side would not be the ones who were full of schemes, but only the ones who loved her.

That night was exceptionally long, and in the quiet hospital hallway, even the nurses kept their footsteps to the lightest. After Harriet slept, her condition continued to worsen, as if it was time for her candle to go out.

When it was almost dawn, she woke up, and Brenda held her hand while calling out softly, “Mom!”

It took a huge amount of energy for Harriet to speak, and she said in a hoarse voice, “The sun is up. It’s time for me to go.”

“Mom, don’t go.” Brenda couldn’t help but burst into tears.

Elliot and Anastasia rushed in from outside as well. As they listened to the sound of Brenda weeping, Anastasia’s red eyes filled with tears. Harriet seemed to be thinner and weaker.

“You’re all here…” Harriet looked at the people around her, her eyes teary and reluctant, but she still closed her eyes without regret.

In the end, the hand that was holding her daughter’s hand suddenly dropped limply.

In an instant, the whole room was full of cries from Brenda, Anastasia, and Jodie. Though the men suppressed their emotions, they felt equally sad on the inside. The hospital director stood by the bed in silence with the executives of the hospital, sending the noble Harriet off on her final journey.

In the morning, when Nigel sent Jared to school, he couldn’t control himself in the end and teared up, his eyes red-rimmed. He said to the little fellow, “Jared, you must always remember what your great-

grandma looks like, okay?”

“What happened to Great-Grandma?” Jared asked with wide eyes.

“It’s nothing. She just went somewhere very far away.” After Nigel finished speaking, he kissed Jared on the forehead and said, “Off to the classroom you go.”

Jared gave him a hug before he entered the classroom.

Subsequently, Nigel got up and let out a breath, then wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes before he headed to the hospital.

In a villa, Lorelai’s father, Liam Presgrave, breathed a sigh of relief. “She’s finally gone. I’ve been waiting for this day for too long.”

“Dad, even if Old Madam Presgrave is gone, Anastasia is not easy to deal with.” Lorelai had personally experienced how powerful Anastasia was.

“What are you afraid of? She’s an inexperienced young woman. She doesn’t pose a threat to us.” Liam chided with a look of disapproval before he continued happily, “In the future, we’ll definitely be able to get our share in Presgrave Corporation. Maybe we can even get the chance to inherit the company with your help.”

“Dad, how is it possible? How could we own the company?”

“If you get pregnant with Elliot’s child, it’s possible.”

“I…” Lorelai’s eyes turned disappointed. “He only has Anastasia in his heart now.”

“Who said that there is only one way to get pregnant? I heard that Elliot has saved something in Presgrave Hospital from back then as a back up plan by Old Madam Presgrave.”

A blush flushed across Lorelai’s face. “Dad, do you mean I have to…”

“As long as you get pregnant with his seed in your stomach, he will have no choice but to acknowledge the child after it’s born.” Liam had already planned everything, but Harriet had to be dead for his plan to be implemented.

Lorelai’s breathing quickened slightly. Did she really have to treat Elliot in such a despicable way?

However, when she thought of the way Anastasia had threatened her earlier, she still felt furious. In her opinion, if her father hadn’t stopped her, she would have returned home to chase after Elliot a long time ago. Then, he might’ve even fallen for her first as she had investigated that after Anastasia became pregnant with his child five years ago, there were no interactions between the two. It was Harriet who forced Elliot to marry her. At first, Elliot had rejected Anastasia. Therefore, she had always thought that she had just lost the opportunity, not that she was inferior to Anastasia.

“However, we’re not the only ones who are eyeing Presgrave Corporation. Nolan is the same. He wants to gain more assets for his children and grandchildren. Hmph! In that case, let’s have a showdown!”

Lorelai curled her lips into a smile. “They wouldn’t be able to do something like what you’d just told me.”

“Of course. They’re still related by blood, while we’re not related to the Presgrave Family at all.”

“Dad, I won’t let you down,” Lorelai promised.

She had also discovered now that without a strong backing to support her, she would only live an ordinary life, and it was only if she had someone like Elliot backing her could she shine.

In the hospital, Elliot was busy handling the affairs of Harriet personally, while Brenda assisted him.

Anastasia was sent to the lounge to rest, and Sophia had prepared some light snacks while waiting for her.

“President Tillman, you haven’t eaten yet, right? Why don’t you have something to eat first?”

Sophia looked at Anastasia with a pained expression. Because of her grief, she looked like a different person from yesterday. Her eyes were red, her hair was slightly messy, and her skin was pale.

“I don’t feel like eating. Take it away.” Anastasia shook her head.

Sophia persuaded softly, “President Tillman, everyone is sad because of Old Madam Presgrave’s passing, but you still have to cheer up and take care of others. We can’t have you going down right now. You still have your children to take care of, and you have to help President Presgrave arrange the funeral. You need to eat.”

Anastasia’s emotions were very fragile at the moment, and she needed someone to get her out of her slump. Sophia’s words undoubtedly gave her strength. She glanced at her gratefully and said, “Thank you, Sophia, you’re right.”

She couldn’t let anything else happen to her and give everyone more trouble.

After Anastasia finished the bowl of porridge, Elliot came in to accompany her. Not long later, she fell asleep under his consolation, and Sophia entered again to cover her with a blanket and stay by her side.

“Are you her new assistant?” Elliot didn’t recognize Sophia. After all, there were too many people at the wedding.

Sophia hurriedly got up and replied, “Yes, President Presgrave, my name is Sophia Goodwin.”

“In that case, please take care of my wife and don’t let anyone disturb her,” Elliot instructed.

“Yes, sir,” Sophia answered softly.

After Elliot left, Sophia patiently stayed by Anastasia’s side while she slept. Meanwhile, her phone that had been put on silent mode rang, but she didn’t notice that the contact name was Arthur’s. Soon after, it rang again. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen missed calls were displayed on the screen.

Sophia looked at Anastasia’s haggard expression, feeling pained at the sight. Just then, a few nurses started talking at the door. She hurriedly got up and went out, whispering to them, “Mrs. Presgrave is resting. Please keep your voice down.”

The nurses immediately jolted in surprise and hurriedly shut their mouths and left.

In Arthur’s villa, an irritable figure was walking back and forth in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

What was this? The bird that he set free had flown away from him? Why couldn’t he contact Sophia?

What was she trying to do? Did she think that he had set her free after what he said last time?

Unwilling to give up, he picked up his phone and continued to make another call, but he still received no answer.

“Sh*t!” He instantly burst into fury and grabbed the car keys from the table, planning to head out.

However, as soon as he opened the door, he saw Martha walking over while chatting with a maid. He hurriedly concealed his irritation and stepped forward with a smile. “Grandma.”

“You’re going out?”

“No, I’m heading downstairs to get a cup of coffee,” Arthur replied as he helped her down the stairs.

“You should spend some time with Emily if you’re free. It’s boring for her to be alone, and you youngsters have more in common.”

“I will.”

“Don’t go out today and have a chat with me. Later, come with me to get my clothes made. I heard that there’s a good boutique here that specializes in making clothing for older women.”

“Grandma, I’ll ask them to come here and tailor your clothes for you.”

“No need for that. It’s a vintage boutique that tailors embroidered clothes, so you can’t cause such a huge fuss.” Martha only wanted to live an ordinary life.

“Sure, I’ll go with you.” How could he not?

In the afternoon, when Sophia finally thought of taking a look at her phone, she found that her phone had run out of power as she had carelessly forgotten to charge it last night. Hence, she could only take her phone to the nurse’s station to charge it, while she came back to the lounge and flipped through a book to pass time. However, she remained clueless to the fact that there were a few more missed calls on her phone, all of which were from an extremely angry man.

After Anastasia woke up, Sophia accompanied her to the funeral home. Harriet had instructed during her lifetime that she wanted to be cremated, so the next step was the cremation process.

Elliot did not let her follow him in, so Anastasia stood outside in the garden and waited with Sophia’s company. As the wind blew, Anastasia’s tears flowed uncontrollably again. She felt bad for Elliot who was inside, and the fact that he had to face all this. At the same time, she couldn’t accept the fact that Harriet was forever gone.

Sophia stretched out her hand to hold hers and handed her a piece of tissue, not knowing how to comfort her.

Half an hour later, Brenda was helped out by her assistant, her face full of tears. Even if she was a strong woman, she still couldn’t accept her mother’s passing.

Anastasia took a deep breath and walked over, calling out, “Aunt Brenda.”

“Anastasia, you have to stay with Elliot tonight.” Brenda sighed. Now, he was the only one who was still inside to see Harriet off for one last time.

Anastasia nodded. “I will.”

After a while, Elliot emerged in the lobby, a black jar covered with a layer of black cloth in his arms. He was dressed in a black suit, his face full of mourning. His eyes were red as his entire person was shrouded in grief.

When Anastasia walked over, Elliot forced a smile. “Come with me to send this over to be stored. I’ll come and pick it up in three days.”

Anastasia nodded lightly, and she turned to say to Sophia behind her, “Sophia, you can go back in my aunt’s car first.”

After Brenda called Sophia away, Anastasia accompanied Elliot and temporarily stored the urn. When the funeral was ready, they would send Harriet to her final resting place.

Meanwhile, Sophia remembered that her phone was still charging in the hospital halfway through the car ride, so she got out of Brenda’s car and took a taxi directly to the hospital to pick it up. However, when she arrived, she found that a nurse had put away her phone, but the nurse had clocked off and the phone was kept in her locker, so she could only pick it up on the next day.

She sighed and called a taxi home. When she reached home, it was already half past six in the evening. She was deep in thought while walking in the direction of her house when she felt someone block her way all of a sudden.

“Wait a minute, please, Miss Sophia.”

She jolted in surprise and lifted her head to see a middle-aged man with a stern expression. “Who are you?”

“Old Madam Weiss wants to see you,” the man immediately replied.

Sophia immediately understood that the person he mentioned was Arthur’s grandmother. She couldn’t help but nervously ask, “Is Young Master Weiss there?”

“Old Madam Weiss is waiting for you. Please get in the car.” The man did not answer her question, but opened the car door next to him in a threatening tone.

She took a deep breath, and could only follow him obediently. She had a hunch as to why Martha wanted to see her.

The car was driven toward a quiet coffee shop. In a private room, she saw a luxurious old lady basked under the light. The lady was kind and regal, making one afraid to act presumptuously in front of her.

“Hello, Old Madam Weiss, I’m Sophia.” She stood before the lady with her heart in her throat.

Martha raised her head and looked up and down at the girl in front of her. The girl was in her early twenties, and her body was as clean as a piece of paper. Her face was pure and pleasant to look at, and she had a bright yet quiet aura. Sure enough, her grandson had a good eye. This girl was indeed a little different. Under Martha’s gaze, Sophia could only hold her breath, not daring to look around, and at the same time, she was extremely nervous.

“Relax, child, I’m not a bad person. I’m Arthur’s grandmother.” Martha flashed a tender smile.

Sophia raised her head, as if the atmosphere had immediately become a little friendlier with Martha’s smile.

“Have a seat. Let’s chat for a bit.” Martha gracefully held her teacup and said, “I heard that you’re close with my grandson. Please forgive me for meeting you in this way.”

“Not at all. I hope you forgive me for any shortcomings that I have,” Sophia hurriedly replied.

“Are you familiar with my family?” Martha asked.

Sophia shook her head. “Young Master Weiss has never told me about your family.”

However, she knew that they were not just anyone.

“You look like a good girl at first glance. With your terms, you can marry a husband with a good family background in the future. You can support him with all your heart and give birth to his children. That in itself is a blissful life to lead.”

Sophia was a little dazed. She didn’t understand what Martha meant.

Martha could tell that she didn’t understand what she meant either. She sighed slightly and said, “In this world, we have to follow certain rules. If you don’t have the ability to take off on your own, you have to control your desires and try not to touch people or things that you can’t handle. Otherwise, it is very likely that you will break into pieces and hurt yourself.”

At last, Sophia understood her words. There was a pang in her heart as she pursed her lips and said, “Don’t worry, Old Madam Weiss, I’m self-aware. I won’t disrupt your grandson’s life.”

However, Martha was slightly surprised. She didn’t expect Sophia to understand what she meant so quickly.

“In that case, do you know what you should do?”

Sophia pursed her red lips and nodded. “I know. I’ll leave him.”

“On second thought, let me make things clear. I have a candidate for Arthur’s wife, and you are just a temporary passerby who appeared by his side. You have your life to live, and he has his life to spend. I want you to leave his side completely. Can you do it?”

Sophia narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly and murmured to the old lady opposite her, “Can’t we part as friends?”

“My grandson has already become interested in you. I know his personality best. If he decides on something, he will only get rid of it once he’s tired or disgusted with it. You don’t have to hold back, and you can hurt him however you want, but I just want to cut off his interest in you. Do you understand what I mean?” Martha asked calmly.

Sophia’s mind floundered. She had to leave him in a way that hurt him? Did it have to be like this? The first time she met Arthur flashed quickly in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“I hope that you really are self-aware and know when to stop.” Martha didn’t give her room to hesitate.

Although Sophia didn’t figure out her feelings, she could only listen to Martha. She nodded. “Okay, I will. I’ll cut off everything with Young Master Weiss.”

“If you can make my grandson completely lose interest in you within three days, I’ll give you a gift as compensation,” Martha offered.

Sophia hurriedly waved her hand and refused, “No, no, I don’t need any compensation, Old Madam Weiss. Please rest assured, I’ll do as you say and not cause you any trouble.”

Saying that, she stood up and bowed to Martha before picking up her bag and running out quickly. After leaving the coffee shop, she did not ask anyone to send her back and walked in the direction of the main street. Even the noisy flow of people around her couldn’t disrupt her thoughts at the moment. She didn’t know that she was going to have to use this method to cut off ties with Arthur.

After walking for a while, Sophia raised her head and saw that her house was nearby. When she entered her house, she heard her father’s angry voice coming from the living room. “Get out. You’re not welcome here.”

“Drake, I’m sorry. I came here to apologize to you. I really didn’t mean to betray you.”

“You didn’t mean to? The day before, you knew that I was paying my debts, yet you reported me for taking bribes. I thought of you as my friend, but you set me up!”

“I’m sorry, Drake! If I had another choice, I would never be so ruthless and unrighteous. You were the one who gave me everything I have now!”

“What’s this? Are you gonna tell me someone threatened you with a knife and forced you to do this?”

Drake’s voice got even louder.

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened. It was a young man. That night, his bodyguard kidnapped me into a car and used a knife to force me to set you up.”

“What? Who?” Drake demanded loudly.

“He’s the current owner of your company. I only heard someone refer to him as Young Master Weiss.

He’s a terrifying man, almost like a demon.”

Sophia stood at the entrance of the living room, listening to their conversation in disbelief. It was true that her father’s company was acquired by Arthur, but did he also do such a despicable thing behind the scenes and make someone frame her father?

“I’m sorry, Drake, I really am. He chased me out of the company now, and I regret it so badly. I shouldn’t have betrayed you.”

Sophia walked into the living room and looked at the regretful man next to her father’s chair, asking calmly, “Mr. Grayson, did someone really put a knife to your neck and make you betray my father?”

“Yeah! He nearly sliced my neck. If I didn’t do this, I would’ve died a long time ago,” Aaron Grayson said huffily.

“What else did he say?”

“He said that as long as I help him complete the acquisition plan, he’ll reward me well. He clearly wants to send your father to his grave.”

Drake looked at Sophia and sighed. “Forget it! If the company is gone, so be it! You should leave too!”

After another bout of apologies, Aaron left.

Sophia was extremely conflicted. Arthur had acquired her father’s company through despicable means, even sending him to the police and giving him a debt of one billion. Did her family still have to be grateful to him just because he kindly repaid the debt for her father? He was the cause of the trouble and also the solution to it; her family was innocent in all this. Was all of this because she accidentally picked up his family heirloom and lost it?

“Sophia, stay away from Mr. Weiss. You shouldn’t get involved with a man like him, understand? It might cost you your life,” Drake warned his daughter somberly.

“I will, Dad,” she promised.

“From a glance, I can tell that he’s a spoiled child from a rich family who’s used to doing whatever he wants without caring about anything.” The more Drake thought about it, the angrier he felt, and he had no affection for Arthur at all.

Sophia went upstairs and sprawled out on her bed, her heart feeling inexplicably heavy. Meanwhile, in a cabinet, the screen of her silenced phone repeatedly lit up with unanswered calls from a certain someone.

After dialing one last time, Arthur couldn’t control his temper and threw his phone on the couch beside him before it fell on the carpet with a pitiful thud. “Damn it, why isn’t she answering?”

When Elliot returned to the Presgrave Residence at night, Anastasia sat with him on the couch in the living room.

“If you’re scared, let’s go home,” he said to her.

She shook her head. “Grandma loves us so much. Even if she is on the other side, she’ll definitely still love us.”

He kissed her hair. “You’re right.”

However, Elliot took her back to the villa a little later in the end. When Anastasia woke up after a good night’s sleep, she found that the man next to her was gone, and she got up after putting on a jacket. In the living room, Elliot was drinking alone on the couch. There were several extinguished cigarette butts in the ashtray next to him. Anastasia felt sorry for him, but couldn’t find the words to comfort him. After all, his love for his grandmother was stronger than mere family affection.

She went downstairs and held onto the tipsy man. “Let’s go back to the room and sleep.”

All of a sudden, Elliot hugged her. The man, who hadn’t cried in front of anyone from start to end, buried his head in her hair as a stream of tears slipped from his red eyes. Anastasia patted him on the shoulder and hugged him tightly. That night, this man who was usually strong and powerful was at his most vulnerable.

Half an hour later, he nodded off while in her embrace after losing sleep for nearly two nights. When she combed through her hair, she noticed that it was slightly damp, and she felt even more pained as she looked at the man in her arms.

Early in the morning at the Goodwin Residence, Sophia had gone to work when a black SUV stopped at the entrance around ten o’clock. The man who stepped out of the car had a handsome yet cold face, and he was donned completely in black, making him look extremely unapproachable.

Emma was watering in the garden when she saw the person outside the entrance. She walked over and opened the small gate, and asked him unceremoniously, “Can I help you, Mr. Weiss?”

However, Arthur was polite as he asked, “Hello, Mrs. Goodwin. Is Sophia at home?”

“Sophia won’t be seeing you in the future. You should leave!” Emma was nearly going to lose her temper. After learning the truth about her husband’s bankruptcy the previous night, she was so angry that she could barely sleep.

“Why?” Arthur slightly furrowed his beautiful eyebrows. Did he make her angry?

“Close the gate, Emma. And what did he say?” Drake’s voice sounded from behind.

Emma reached out and shut the small gate of the villa, saying to him through the bars, “Don’t come looking for my daughter in the future. I’ll make her stay away from you.”

Arthur fell silent at her words.

As Drake’s leg was not completely healed yet, he only stood by the door and didn’t go over to them as he asked his wife to come back instead.

“Mrs. Goodwin, can you please tell me what happened to Sophia?”

Emma was just about to leave, but when she saw that Arthur was still asking questions, she turned around with a sneer. “I’m telling you, young man, you shouldn’t be too cruel and despicable when you’re doing things. One day, you’ll be put in your place.”