When they came to her car, Sophia gave Alexander a cheeky look. “Weren’t you passing by, Mr. Xenos? Where’s your car?”
Alexander lowered his head to look at Sophia and replied in a serious tone, “The driver left with it.”
Sophia clicked her tongue, then handed her car keys to him. “Have you had dinner?”
She hadn’t eaten yet, as she lost her appetite the moment she saw her former classmates.
“What would you like to have?”
Alexander, having arrived straight from the office, hadn’t had dinner too.
Jadeborough’s weather was growing increasingly warm now that it was May. Staring out the car window into the twilight sky, Sophia suggested, “Shall we have sushi?”
“Sure.”
As Sophia had only spent a short while at the class reunion, it was only slightly past eight by the time they finished dinner.
When Alexander drove up the path leading to the mansion, they saw two figures standing at the mansion entrance from far away with the help of the dim streetlight.
It soon became clear that they were Thalia and Kristen as they drove nearer. Sophia turned to Alexander with a smile. “They’re probably here to see you.”
The sight of both ladies caused Alexander’s eyes to darken.
He stopped the car, opened the car door, and alighted.
Kristen’s face contorted slightly when she saw Alexander. “Alex, don’t misunderstand. I’m here to discuss something with Ms. Yarrow.”
Sophia, who had gotten out of the car as well, couldn’t help but cock a brow. “I don’t think there’s anything for us to discuss.”
Kristen gave Thalia a tug. “It’s good that Alex is here. We’ll clear the air once and for all.”
Does that mean she still needs to see Alexander after meeting with me?
Sophia stared at Thalia and could easily guess what it was about.
She subsequently threw Alexander a glance. “I have a feeling that this is your family matter.”
With that, she unlocked the door with her fingerprint and entered the mansion with her purse in her hand, leaving Alexander and the ladies at the entrance.
Alexander’s face clouded over the moment Sophia left. “What is it?”
Thalia burst into tears. “Alex, I’m really sorry. Mom has transferred the money back into the account. Can you please withdraw the lawsuit? I don’t want to go to prison, Alex!”
The trial was one month away, and Thalia was stricken with fear. Unfortunately, her pleas to Sophia previously had fallen on deaf ears.
Truth be told, she knew it would be futile to see Sophia again, but Kristen had insisted on it. And now, they ended up running into Alexander in front of Sophia’s mansion.
Thalia’s worst fear was that Alexander would think they were there to make things difficult for Sophia. Unable to explain herself, she felt a chill down her spine when she saw Alexander’s face turning sullen.
Without a doubt, Kristen’s objective was to pressure Sophia. Little did she expect to be unlucky enough to run into Alexander.
Kristen cleared her throat. “Alex, Tally is your sister no matter what. Is it really necessary for you to go that far?”
She tried to pressure Alexander with her authority, but she was under no illusion that she had no power over her son.
As she spoke, she, too, felt guilty.
Alexander gave his sister a look. “This is the last time, Thalia.”
Thereafter, he returned to the car and drove slowly into the mansion.
By the time Thalia regained her senses, Alexander had already driven the car inside.
Thalia could only stare at the back of the car, stunned. “Mom, is Alex withdrawing the lawsuit?”
Regardless, Alexander’s backing down failed to quell Kristen’s rage. “You shouldn’t think of him as your brother anymore. Have you ever seen a brother who treats his own sister this way? Even I mean nothing to him when I’m his mother.”
Thalia didn’t dare comment any further. Now that she was an adult, she wasn’t oblivious to Kristen’s past.
Back in the day, Kristen had eloped with a third party, leaving the newborn Alexander in the hands of the Xenos family. Later on, Zachary married Eloise, who ended up raising Alexander.
It was debatable whether Eloise had treated Alexander well, but at the very least, she had fulfilled the responsibility of a mother to him.
It wasn’t until Kristen was dumped by that same third party that she returned to seduce Zachary. By then, Alexander was old enough to know what was going on. As he wasn’t a fool, everything he saw was seared into his memory.
After Eloise died of depression, Kristen officially returned to the Xenos family on the basis that she had Thalia and Leonard.
As Thalia was still young then, she could barely make sense of what was going on.
One time, she overheard someone mentioning that there was more to Eloise’s death than met the eye and that the incident was somehow linked to both Zachary and Kristen.
After Zachary’s death, Alexander adopted an ambivalent attitude toward them. They were subsequently kicked out of the Xenos family only because Kristen had infuriated Sophia.
Despite that, Thalia couldn’t tell if Eloise’s death could have been part of the reason.
That was why she didn’t dare to add to Kristen’s words.
On top of that, Alexander was now the head of the Xenos family. Even though Thalia carried the Xenos surname, her status was still dependent on Alexander’s whims.
Having been kicked out of the Xenos family for half a year, she had learned how cruel life could be. She wished to return to the days when she was still the high-flying daughter of the Xenos family.
Glancing at the mansion in front of her, Thalia no longer joined in her mother’s tirade against Sophia. “Mom, you should quit criticizing Sophia. It’s obvious that she means the world to Alex now. If you continue to disapprove of her, we’ll never be accepted back into the Xenos family.”
She gave him an indiscernible smile. “That was quick, Mr. Xenos.”
Alexander took the cup and a sip of water before raising his head to look at her. “I don’t really care about her, Sophia.”
All Kristen did was give birth to him. For the subsequent thirty-odd years, she had never fulfilled the responsibility of a mother but often abused the authority that came with the position instead.
Looking into his eyes, Sophia stopped teasing him as she asked, “Is that all there is to it?”
During the three years she was married to Alexander, she had seldom visited the Xenos residence. Even after the divorce, she was still under the impression that he didn’t like her and had no desire to even see her, so she never went back after that.
However, now that she thought about it, the arrangement didn’t make sense to her.
If Alexander really hated her, he would have settled her someplace else instead of allowing her to continue staying in the Xenos residence.
Half a year ago, Kristen and her children’s social standing had drastically dropped when he kicked them out.
From that perspective, Alexander had accorded her the status of Mrs. Xenos despite not being fond of her.
Otherwise, if he really hated her, there was no reason for him to put himself in a situation where he couldn’t return to his own home.
The divorce subsequently gave Sophia the time and space to ponder the matter objectively.
When he heard her question, there was a glint in his eyes. “She and Zachary are behind my stepmother’s death.”
The answer stunned Sophia and at the same time made her realize how inappropriate her question was.
“I’m sorry.”
“What for?” Alexander looked at her intently. “Mrs. Xenos will need to know sooner or later.”
Sophia was taken aback, and it took her a while to regain her senses. “I’m still not your missus.”
After putting the cup down, he walked up to her and gently wrapped his hands around her waist. “You’ll soon be.”
Faced with the smugness in his eyes, Sophia gave his nose a pinch. Just when she was about to say something, the phone on the couch suddenly rang.
