It was almost eight when Sophia woke up the following day. Alexander was already awake. He had already cleared the clothes strewn on the ground from last night.
Sophia massaged her temples as she recalled their wild night. Her cheeks heated as she drew the curtains open and padded to the bathroom to wash up. Downstairs, Alexander had already prepared breakfast. That day, he opted for a simple meal of milk and a sandwich rather than preparing oatmeal.
“Thank you,” Sophia said as she accepted a glass of warm water from him. She sipped on it and asked, “Are the share prices still dropping?”
“It increased eighty cents from yesterday.” Sophia raised a brow. “If this goes on, both Asher and Simeon will continue taking a wait-and-see approach.”
Dillon, on the other hand, would most probably do something to lower Odyssey’s share prices so he could reap the benefits. Alexander glanced at her. “Just ignore them.”
Sophia chuckled. “All right.” The month of August brought with it the scorching heat of the sun to Jadeborough even though it was only eight in the morning.
After leaving Sophia’s office that day, Yvette had been kept in suspense, not knowing what would happen next. Sophia’s words had an immediate and powerful impact on Yvette, leaving her feeling uncertain and helpless.
When Diana’s call came, Yvette was so desperate for help that she clung to it as though Diana was her only savior.
She had always been on good terms with Diana. Back in university, they had shared a mutual dislike for Sophia and taken great pleasure in discussing the various ways they could come up with to embarrass her. Their plans did not always work out well, but they were satisfied with their actions.
Yvette was at a loss, so Diana was her last hope. They agreed to meet for lunch. Yvette arrived at the restaurant earlier than their scheduled meeting time. The last time they saw each other was at the wedding which fell through.
Yvette had an arrogant personality. Although she was on good terms with Diana and a few other friends, her family was the wealthiest among them, and as a result, they tended to comply with her every request.
After the wedding fell through, Yvette felt thoroughly humiliated. She assumed Diana and the rest would look down on her if she were to ask them out.
She was lost in thought when Diana arrived. “Yvie.”
Yvette last met Diana over a month ago. She might be wrong, but it seemed that Diana looked different that day. However, couldn’t tell what was different.
Yvette silently assessed Diana’s clothing and noticed that her friend was still dressed in an affordable luxury brand. Letting out a small sigh of relief, she greeted her by saying, “Long time no see, Dee.”
“Yes. How are you?” Diana asked carefully.
They had known each other for almost ten years, so she knew Yvette well.
“No, Dee. I’m not doing well! Do you know who did that to me at the wedding?”
“Who was it?”
“Sophia!”
Diana’s expression changed slightly. “Why would she do that?”
Yvette clenched her jaw and told her about Tanya. “I have the video with me. Connor’s family is in trouble, and so is my family. I know Sophia won’t let the matter slide easily!”
Yvette had been holding back, but she eventually broke down. “Dee, what should I do? I think Sophia wants me dead!”
Diana considered the situation for a moment before speaking up. “Yvie, don’t be upset with me, but I think it’s important to be honest. Neither you nor Connor are a match for Sophia. I believe it will be in your best interest to make peace with her.”
“Make peace?”
Yvette would kill for a chance to make peace with Sophia, but the latter wouldn’t give her any chance to do so.
Regret filled Yvette’s heart. If I hadn’t gone to Sophia that day, there might have been a chance to turn things around. Alas, there is no turning back.
They chatted for a long time but couldn’t figure out a solution.
Before going on their separate ways, Diana suddenly said, “Oh, Yvie, you need to make sure to keep the videos safe. If they ever get leaked, you won’t have any other options.”
Yvette bobbed her head. “Don’t worry. I saved them in a safe place. No one knows where it is.”
“You should save them in a flash drive instead if you have it stored on a cloud storage service,” Diana advised. “There have been many cases of cloud storage services getting hacked lately.”
“I know. Don’t worry!”
Yvette was frustrated as there was no solution to her problem yet. She didn’t feel like talking anymore.
Seeing that, Diana didn’t press on and waved her hand. “I’m leaving, then!”
“Mm,” Yvette grunted absent-mindedly.
Diana took one last look at her before turning to leave.
Back in her car, Diana immediately fished her phone out to make a call.
Knock, knock!
Sophia raised her head. “Come in.”
Yvonne opened the door and walked to her desk. “Ms. Yarrow, I have hired someone to obtain Yvonne’s video and have subsequently erased them all.”
Sophia raised a brow. “How did you do that? Did you hire a hacker?”
Yvonne shook her head. “I contacted Yvonne’s university classmate and roommate, Diana Barrymore.”
Diana was also Sophia’s classmate at university. Sophia remembered that Diana and Yvette were inseparable during their time at university. They were the best of friends.
She had no idea Diana would end up betraying Yvette.
Indeed, some relationships are prone to temptation and can become fragile in the face of the influence of money.
A smile nudged Sophia’s lips. “Okay. Got it.” She paused before adding, “Good job, Ms. Leighton. I shall increase your salary ahead of time.”
Yvonne was taken aback, but she quickly snapped back to her senses and said gratefully, “Thank you, Ms. Yarrow!”
Oh, Ms. Yarrow is pretty, kind, and generous! If she’s a man… No, if she’s a lesbian, I’ll definitely volunteer myself!
Seeing her delight, Sophia chuckled. “All right, get back to work.”
Yvette had lost her evidence, so Sophia needn’t worry that she’d continue to threaten Tanya’s health.
It was Thursday, and Tanya would be discharged from the hospital tomorrow.
Sophia rested her chin on her palm, feeling content and cheerful.
A few days passed before Yvette realized that the videos she had saved were nowhere to be found. She searched every possible area, but they were gone.
At the realization that she had lost her bargaining chip, Yvette bought a ticket to flee the country the following day.
Of course, that was a story for another day.
Odyssey’s share prices were back to normal. That morning, Sophia discussed with Alexander about what despicable trick Dillon would pull next.
As expected, Kristen suddenly appeared and announced Alexander wasn’t her son. She had gotten him from the hospital.
Naturally, she didn’t directly announce it to the media. A recording of a conversation between Kristen and Dillon was leaked. The alleged recording was then spread within their circle, rather than on social media, much like the previous rumors.
It seemed that Dillon was afraid the rumor would spread like wildfire, making it difficult to wrap things up. He even spent money to tamp down the matter, so the alleged recording didn’t cause an uproar online. However, everyone was talking about it in private.
Sophia had no idea what Dillon was getting at. She was utterly confused. One day, they happened to bump into Kristen and Thalia at lunch.
