Just as Sophia had just pushed Katherine away from hugging her, Stephen walked over and said, “My favorite singer is Whitney Houston.”
Sophia raised her brow and gazed at him. “Katherine’s favorite is Whitney Houston, too.”
Stephen glanced at Joshua, who was standing behind him and turned to look at Sophia again. “Josh doesn’t look too happy.”
Sophia turned to look at Joshua as he stood beside Katherine. True enough, he looked rather upset.
She chuckled and said, “I didn’t mean anything else.”
After saying that, she lowered her head to glance at her watch. “Happy birthday. I should head home now.”
Katherine was a typical night owl. Hence, the party would not end until midnight.
No matter how much Katherine wanted to make Sophia stay, the former knew Sophia did not like staying up late. She whined for a bit in Sophia’s embrace and let her go reluctantly. “Okay. Remember to send me a text once you get home!”
Her tone sounded like a mother speaking to her daughter.
Sophia side-eyed her. “Got it.”
With that, she waved her hands.
Meanwhile, Stephen, who was talking to Joshua, was stunned. “You’re leaving so soon?”
Before Sophia could even reply, Katherine answered, “That’s right. She has a strict schedule. She has to sleep before eleven o’clock every night.”
Stephen was slightly surprised. “No wonder she’s got such great skin.”
Sophia liked hearing praises, and she felt slightly shy. “Thank you.”
She nodded in a classy manner, grabbed her bag, and walked toward the exit.
Meanwhile, Katherine walked out with Sophia to see the latter off. At the same time, she whispered some recent matters related to Bethany into Sophia’s ears. “She accepted an offer for a reality show. I suspect she’s going to use that to clear her name.”
Sophia arched a brow. “Let her do it then.”
Katherine pursed her lips. “You’re going too easy on her!”
Sophia was unfazed. “I am, but it won’t turn out well for her.”
Soon, both of them arrived at the entrance of the hall. Sophia stopped in her tracks and said, “Okay. Go and enjoy your birthday party. I’ll get home now.”
Katherine held her arm. “Should I get Stephen to send you home?”
“I’m not close with him.” Sophia broke free from her arm. “Bye.”
Katherine stood at the entrance until Sophia’s figure disappeared into a corner. Only then did she turn around to head back to the hall.
Joshua walked over and handed her a glass of juice. “What are you up to now?”
Katherine accepted the glass and pointed at Stephen. “That university friend of yours, he’s quite a great person, isn’t he? I’m thinking of introducing him to Soph.”
Joshua stared at Stephen, who stood in the distance. “Sophia has her own plans.”
Katherine snorted. “What about your university friend? What are his plans? I saw him staring at Sophia when she was on stage just now.”
Joshua could not help but smile. “Well, he does have something in mind.”
Katherine clicked her tongue. Sophia’s really amazing. Who would’ve known she could make an excellent man like Stephen fall head over heels for her by just singing a song?
As soon as Sophia walked out of the hall, she saw Alexander standing not far away.
Ever since the argument the other day, both of them had not met for several days.
Sophia merely gave him a nonchalant look before walking straight to her car.
Her relationship with Alexander was too complicated that it was inappropriate for them to be friends. Thus, there was no need for them to greet each other.
“Sophia.”
Sophia stopped in her tracks when she heard Alexander calling out to her. She leaned against the car door while watching him approach her. “On whose behalf are you begging for mercy this time, Mr. Xenos?”
Alexander choked upon hearing her words, and his face fell. Why did I never realize she could be so crude in the past?
“You don’t have to be so hostile toward me. In reality, I don’t hate you as much as you think I do,” he said.
Sophia glanced at him and smiled suddenly. “So, you’re saying you don’t hate me and perhaps have slight feelings for me?”
At that, she narrowed her eyes, crossed her arms, and stood straight while staring into his dark eyes. “Well, I’m sorry, Alexander. Whether you hate me or like me, it doesn’t really matter to me. I told you long ago that we’re strangers once we’re divorced. So…”
She paused for a while and smirked. “I’m currently just treating you as a complete stranger.”
Alexander’s face froze, and he cast a dark, icy gaze at her.
The fact that Sophia kept using the word “stranger” annoyed him. He raised an arm and pulled at his shirt’s button, suppressing his anger. “Are you afraid you can’t help it and come back to me?”
Instead of getting angry, Sophia smiled. “I never understood where did Thalia get her overconfidence from. But now, I finally get it. It’s probably a trait of the Xenos family, being narcissistic and arrogant.”
She did not curse in her sentence, yet every word she spoke was scolding him.
The pair of cold, dark eyes shifted slowly; Alexander shifted his gaze to her red lips.
How could such beautiful lips utter such mean words?
“Since you’re so confident you won’t regret your decision, why are you deceiving yourself by treating me as a stranger?” he questioned.
Sophia raised her arm and gave him a slap right away. The smile on her face faded, and her alluring eyes turned frosty.
She stared at him and asked in a calm manner, “Are you awake now?”
Alexander reached out to touch his face. The slap earlier was quite powerful, and his face was still aching at that moment.
“If you’re not awake, I can give you another slap,” Sophia offered, fixing her eyes on him. With a calm and heartless tone, she asked, “Do you know why I treat you as a stranger?”
He licked his teeth and asked with a deep voice, “Why?”
“Because I know men are despicable.” With that, she turned around and entered the car.
She shut the door with a bang, shifted the gear, and stepped on the accelerator. Immediately, the car drove forward before Alexander’s eyes.
Meanwhile, he stood rooted to the ground with a furious look.
Right then, his phone rang in his pocket.
Unable to control the rage in his heart, he took out his phone and threw it onto the ground.
The phone screen shattered instantly, and it stopped ringing.
He then pulled out a cigarette and lowered his head to light it in the breeze.
After some time, he gradually calmed down and lowered himself to pick up the phone, throwing it into the car. In the end, he, too, drove off and left.
Meanwhile, Samuel had been waiting for Alexander in the private room. Seeing the latter still had not turned up, he muttered, “Don’t tell me Alex has blocked my number?”
As he said that, he gave Charles, who was sitting on the couch, a kick. “Charles, give me your phone.”
Charles shot Samuel a glance before taking his phone from the table and throwing it over to the latter.
When Samuel used Charles’ phone to dial Alexander’s number, all he received was a recording in a toneless voice. “Sorry. The number you’re trying to reach is unavailable.”
Samuel ended the call and threw the phone back to Charles. “You got blocked, too.”
Charles frowned, saying, “I’m not you. Why would Alex block my number?”
Samuel shrugged. “Who knows?”
