Before leaving, Sophia told Tanya, “You may not believe in yourself, but you must trust my judgment.”
Tanya looked at the agreement in her hands and had the urge to cry.
It had been a long time since someone affirmed her ability.
Her husband called her damaged goods; her mother-in-law accused her of being infertile; her sister-in-law claimed that her education at Jadeborough University was wasted because she was useless.
They repeatedly called her worthless until she began to believe it herself.
During the early summer months, it wouldn’t get dark until late at night.
Tanya looked out the window and blinked, causing a tear to fall onto the agreement. Startled, she quickly wiped it off before turning to Laura. “Mom, do you think I can handle this?” she asked.
Laura was a kind and mild-mannered woman. Tanya had endured a lot of hardship over the years, but she couldn’t stand up to Tanya’s in-laws. The only thing she could do was tell Tanya how amazing she was whenever they had a chance to be alone together.
Alas, her efforts were in vain. Now, Sophia told Tanya that she trusted Tanya with her actions.
Laura was touched, but she was also concerned that Tanya might become too emotional, so she smiled gently and answered, “Tani, didn’t you tell me that Ms. Yarrow is a capable person? If she’s capable, then I’m sure she has good judgment. Plus, I’ve always believed that you are the best!”
“Mom…”
Sophia left the hospital before it was rush hour. She arrived at the mansion past six in the evening.
Alexander had to entertain some clients, so Sophia cooked a simple meal for herself.
After dinner, she went to the balcony and enjoyed the night breeze.
The moon was unusually round that night. As Sophia looked up at it, she suddenly remembered something and took out her phone to call Yvonne.
Yvonne had just finished her dinner at this hour. “Good evening, Ms. Yarrow.”
Sophia ran her hand through her hair as a small smile appeared on her lips. “Good evening. Am I disturbing you?”
“No. Is there anything you need, Ms. Yarrow?”
“I need your help to see if Tanya has published anything in these few years.”
If she wasn’t mistaken, the National Comics Competition was about to announce its winners for this year soon.
“Sure, Ms. Yarrow.”
Yvonne was moved by what had happened to Tanya and sent the relevant information to Sophia within an hour.
Sophia noticed the email notification on her phone, and her eyes twitched slightly. She put down the book she was reading and retrieved her phone to read the email.
Her guess was confirmed, Tanya did publish her own comic “Knife and Moon” on a website three years ago using the pseudonym “Peachtan”.
Initially, Tanya had been posting one episode regularly on a weekly basis, but after Connor’s terrible actions, she stopped updating for over three months. After that, she resumed updating once a month. Five months later, she returned to updating on a weekly basis until episode eighty-eight, at which point she stopped updating completely.
There were many comments urging her to continue updating. The latest comment asking for an update was posted just a week ago.
Sophia glanced at the comments and promptly called Katherine.
Katherine had gone to Baykeep a few days earlier to attend a fashion show, so she wasn’t particularly busy. When Sophia called, she was snacking and reading about recent gossip in the entertainment industry.
Seeing the caller ID, Katherine tossed the remaining snacks back onto the table and answered the phone. “Precious, you miss me, huh?” she asked cheerfully.
Sophia had no idea where Katherine had learned that overly cheesy form of address. She snorted and replied, “Cut it out. I need to talk to you about something serious.”
Katherine pretended to sob. “You only call when you need my help!”
Sophia ignored her act and revealed, “It’s related to Tanya.”
Katherine had heard about Tanya’s situation from Sophia two days earlier and felt both pity and gratitude toward Tanya. If it weren’t for Tanya, Sophia would have been the one violated by Connor.
It was an important matter, so she coughed and asked, “What is it?”
“I need your help to trend something.”
“What?”
“Tanya has a pseudonym, ‘Peachtan’, under which she published two comics online. One is ‘Knife and Moon’ which was updated until episode eighty-eight, while the other is ‘Beautiful Spring’ which was updated until episode thirty-two. Both comics are incomplete. The National Comics Competition will announce the winners for this year next Monday, so I want you to tweet and encourage the netizens to express their longing for her comics to continue.”
Katherine immediately understood Sophia’s intention. “Got it. You want me to boost Tanya’s confidence and give her hope, right?”
Sophia chuckled. “You’re smart this time.”
A hint was all it took for Katherine to understand her real intention.
Katherine scoffed. “I’ve always been smart.”
Sophia played along with her. “Mm. Indeed, you’ve always been smart.”
Katherine somehow felt like she had been mocked.
After the call ended, Sophia glanced at the time, only to see that it was past nine at night.
It was time for her to wash up and go to bed.
She had just arrived at the third floor when the doorbell rang.
Sophia arched a brow. The only person who would visit her at this hour could only be Alexander.
Indeed, she opened the door to see Alexander standing outside the grill gate.
From a distance, the man gazed at her tenderly, his body bathed in the soft light of the moon.
Sophia’s heart skipped a beat as she looked down and walked over to the gate to open it. “It’s late. Why aren’t you in bed yet, Mr. Xenos?”
Alexander took her hand. “Because I miss you, Precious.”
Sophia’s cheeks burned. Why does everyone keep calling me “Precious” tonight?
“Did you drink a lot?”
Sophia tilted her head to look at him. “That’s a lot.”
“Mm.” Alexander gave a grunt of affirmation and led her into the mansion.
“Sophia, I’m thirsty.”
He collapsed onto the couch and began massaging his temples, appearing to be in discomfort.
Sophia made him a glass of honey water, and he finished it in one gulp.
“You want more?” she asked.
Alexander nodded, his gaze fixed on Sophia as he loosened his necktie. His stare was so intense that Sophia felt her cheeks turn pink.
“Okay,” she responded and went into the kitchen to pour another glass of water.
She placed the glass on the table and was about to sit down when he reached out to hug her. “It has been three days, Sophia.”
He hesitated before adding, “Isn’t it time to add to my progress bar?”
Oh, right. We made a bet three days ago about when Casper will take action on Kayla.
Sophia glanced at him as a smile nudged her lips. “Even though Casper didn’t take action within three days, that doesn’t mean he will take action within seven days, right?”
She didn’t forget that Alexander said seven days after the initial three days.
As if he had anticipated her response, Alexander’s gaze shifted slightly as he chuckled. “Old Mr. Fletcher’s birthday party will be held on the day after tomorrow.”
Sophia was surprised to hear that. Now she understood why Casper hadn’t taken action yet—he was waiting for a special occasion to do so.
I made a mistake in my calculations. Well, it’s not like I can’t afford to lose, anyway.
“Your progress has increased by twenty percent.”
“That means I have twenty-five percent to go.” Alexander’s gaze was fixed on her. “Can I stay here tonight?”
Sophia blushed at his words and was about to reply when he added, “I’ll sleep in the guest room.”
“Oh.” Sophia realized that she had misunderstood his words.
