Chapter 145
After sending the message, Sophia finally felt great. Humming a cheerful tune, she beckoned to Rollie. “Come here,” she called out cheerfully.
Rollie rolled to a stop at her feet.
Sophia picked up Rollie and toyed with it in her hands, turning it this way and that with a look of disdain. Wrinkling her nose, she muttered, “So ugly” Rollie wriggled in her grasp, its inner blue light blinking several times in protest.
Sophia patted Rollie and said, “Alright, that’s enough for now. I’ll upgrade you later. After school starts tomorrow, guard the house properly for me.”
Rollie gave a little wobble.
Just then, Jonathan came knocking at the door. “Sophia, open up!” he called, twisting the doorknob to no avail.
Hearing the commotion, Sophia casually tossed Rollie onto the floor and gave it a playful kick. Rollie rolled away, only to bounce right back to her feet. And just like that, their kick–and–return game began.
She shouted to the door, “I am going to bed. Whatever it is, tell me tomorrow.” She thought smugly, ‘Why should anyone else have peace when I’m upset? Jonathan won’t sleep a wink tonight.‘
“Open up first,” Jonathan insisted stubbornly. Just as Sophia had predicted, he knew he wouldn’t sleep a wink until he got to the bottom of this.
Sophia gave Rollie a sharp kick, sending it tumbling into the corner. Then she got up to answer the door.
The corridor lights dimmed abruptly. With her back to the glow from her room, Sophia’s face was hidden in shadow. Yet Jonathan could sense an icy aura emanating from her entire being.
He felt an inexplicable urge to retreat, but he steeled himself and held his ground.
The corridor lights flickered back on, revealing Sophia’s face. Pure irritation etched across her features, her eyes sharp as daggers, as if she could tear someone apart at any second.
Jonathan stared into her icy, emotionless gaze, his fingers curling slightly.
Catching the fear in Jonathan’s eyes, a flicker of inward satisfaction/crossed Sophia’s mind. Keeping her face expressionless, she locked eyes with him and said, “Jonathan, how many times have you looked at me like that?
“You seem so afraid of me, almost as if you’re seeing someone else through me.” Sophia’s lips curled into a smile, but her eyes were icy cold, laced with undisguised mockery.
Jonathan quickly snapped out of his daze. He steadied himself, although his gaze was still drifting. “What did you mean by that message you just sent?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
Sophia shrugged and said, “It means exactly what it says.”
Suppressing his anger and humiliation, Jonathan gritted out, “You want money? Fine, I’ll give it to you.”
Sophia merely smirked, saying nothing.
Jonathan immediately transferred 300 thousand dollars to her. “Now will you talk?” he demanded through gritted teeth.
Sophia smirked, her smile not reaching her eyes. She said, “Mireille is a woman’s name, Jonathan. Don’t tell me she’s another one of your mistresses?”
Jonathan glared at her and snapped, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
Sophia said sharply, “Tell me the truth. Is she not your mistress? If you lie now and things go wrong later, don’t come crying to me, saying I can’t stand to
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Chapter 145
see you happy or some nonsense like that.”
Jonathan was momentarily at a loss for words, but he refused to admit it. “Of course not!” he snapped.
Sophia said, “Fine. I just happened to overhear Heather talking about it on the phone. If you have any questions, ask Heather yourself. And stop knocking on my door. I need my rest.” With that, she slammed the door in his face.
Jonathan stood frozen in place. He thought, ‘Ask Heather? No way I could do that! I just barely managed to calm her down. If I bring this up now, that would be suicide.
He smacked his forehead in frustration and muttered, “Damn it, that 300 grand just went down the drain!”
He had been searching for Mireille for over twenty years. Learning that only Heather seemed to know Mireille’s whereabouts, Jonathan’s resentment toward Heather kept intensifying.
He thought, ‘Given her scheming ways, could Mireille’s disappearance have been her doing all along? Damn that vicious woman!‘ With the thought in mind, he stormed back to the bedroom he shared with Heather.
Upon seeing Jonathan, Heather called out, “Darling.” She wore a bright red spaghetti–strap nightgown that revealed every curve of her body. Though approaching fifty, years of privileged living and costly monthly beauty treatments had preserved her alluring appearance.
Though her skin lacked the flawless smoothness of a young girl’s, she still retained a well–preserved charm, the kind of allure unique to women of her age.
Unfortunately, Jonathan was too preoccupied with thoughts of Mireille, wondering where Heather might be hiding her, to even notice what Heather was wearing.
Noticing Jonathan’s preoccupied look, Heather walked over and reached out, trying to take his hand. “Honey, where did you go just now?” she asked.
Jonathan recoiled as if he’d touched something vile, flinching away from her. He said, “Nowhere. I’ve got things to attend to in the study.” Then he shot her a long, hard look before turning on his heel and striding off.
Heather’s hand remained suspended in midair until the door finally closed behind Jonathan. Only then did she snap out of her daze. She thought, ‘Just this afternoon, everything seemed fine between us. Why did he treat me like this just now?‘
Clenching her fists tightly, Heather couldn’t shake off the memory of the way Jonathan had just looked at her, so guarded, so suspicious. She realized
that Jonathan was wary of her.
Jonathan left and didn’t return to their bedroom for the rest of the night.
That night, while Sophia slept soundly, Jonathan and Heather tossed and turned restlessly.
At breakfast the next morning, Jonathan, who rarely spoke up, said, “Sophia, aren’t you supposed to register at school today? Let me drive you.”
Sophia arched a brow. She glanced at the exhausted–looking Heather beside her and replied, “Sure.” She thought, ‘Men tend to be colder than women in a marriage. Maybe I’ve been aiming at the wrong person all along. But at least it’s not too late now.‘
Heather quickly piped up, “I’ll come along too.”
Jonathan had questions for Sophia, and there was no way he would let Heather come along. Frowning, he said, “You didn’t sleep well last night. Just stay home and rest today.”
Though it sounded like a caring remark, all Heather could hear was cold indifference. A pang of hurt shot through her as she instinctively glanced at Sophia.
Sophia wouldn’t even spare a glance at someone who’d been cast aside, so she certainly didn’t look at Heather.
“Sophia…” Heather started.
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Chapter 145
Sophia said, “Look at those dark circles. Jonathan’s right. You really should stay home and get some rest. Besides, I’m in college now, not kindergarten i don’t need an entourage.”
Heather couldn’t believe it. She thought, ‘Sophia is the one who always supports me. Why did she say that? What had happened? How had they both turned so cold overnight?‘
The more Heather dwelt on it, the less she could eat. She barely touched her food, feeling her heart grow heavier with each passing moment.
Neither Sophia nor Jonathan noticed Heather’s bad mood, or perhaps they did and simply didn’t care.
Sophia and Jonathan set down their forks almost simultaneously. Wiping her mouth, Sophia grabbed her backpack and headed straight for the door.
Jonathan hurried after her and called out, “Sophia, where‘
your luggage?”
Sophia glanced back at him and replied, “I’m not living on campus.”
Jonathan had only asked casually, assuming Sophia had found a place near the university since she wasn’t living on campus, so he didn’t press further.
Watching their retreating figures, a flicker of sadness crossed Heather’s eyes.
Jonathan had questions for Sophia, so he drove himself without a driver.
Sophia pulled open the back door and slid into the back seat.
Jonathan froze mid–motion as he reached for the car door.
Sophia buckled her seatbelt and jerked her chin at him. “What are you standing there for? Get in,” she commanded.
For a moment, Jonathan couldn’t help but feel like he was just her driver, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it.
As soon as he got in the car, he asked eagerly, “Sophia, when your mother mentioned Mireille on the phone, did she say where Mireille is now?”
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