Chapter 4 Sophia, What Are You Thinking?

In the afternoon, Sophia's good friend Victoria Grant asked her out for drinks.

They sat in a quiet, secluded bar in downtown Emerald Harbor.

Victoria listened quietly to everything Sophia said, then took a serious sip of her drink. "That Alexander is such a jerk. He hooked up with Lily while still trying to control you, wanting you to play housewife for him happily."

Sophia felt the words sounded a bit harsh, but they made sense, so she nodded along.

"You need to toughen up, or who knows how that Alexander guy will mess with you!"

Just then, Alexander, Lily, and Robert, who had just walked into the bar, happened to hear Victoria's words.

Lily thought about the aphrodisiac she'd slipped Alexander yesterday, and her face darkened.

Damn Sophia, she got all the benefits!

Lily secretly gritted her teeth, her eyes turning cold as she stared at Sophia's back.

Victoria keenly sensed her gaze, glanced at the two of them, and said mercilessly, "Just our luck, running into a jerk and a homewrecker even here."

Sophia laughed quietly, not turning to look at them. "Just ignore them. Let's drink."

Victoria nodded, rolled her eyes at the three of them, and snorted lightly.

Hearing their conversation, Lily's face stiffened. She guiltily glanced at Alexander and found his expression even worse than hers, making her heart tighten.

Alexander, I believe Sophia has misunderstood something. I'll have Robert apologize to her immediately. It's my fault. I should have kept Robert in check better and stopped him from talking nonsense.

As Lily spoke, she reached for Robert's hand, but Alexander blocked her.

"You did nothing wrong. Why apologize?" He deliberately raised his voice so Sophia could hear.

Then, without another word, he grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her toward seats further back in the bar, not even glancing at Sophia.

Alexander didn't understand why Sophia's cold, distant tone made him so uncomfortable.

When Sophia was meek and submissive, he felt disgusted. When Sophia was cold and calm, he felt angry.

What kind of Sophia did he actually want to see?

Alexander was startled by his own ridiculous thoughts.

Why should he care about this woman?

Lily, meanwhile, had no idea what Alexander was thinking. She took his behavior as favoritism toward her and smiled smugly at Sophia and Victoria.

Robert followed behind her, equally provocative.

Victoria shuddered. "Who cares?"

Sophia forced a weak smile.

Victoria noticed her exhaustion, glanced at their nearly empty glasses, and lowered her voice. "Want to leave? There's no point staying here anyway. Aren't you going to visit your sister tonight? I'll come with you."

Sophia looked up, paused for a moment, then smiled. "Okay."

Emily was three years younger than her and had been in poor health since childhood, constantly hospitalized for treatment. These past two years, Sophia had been busy detoxifying Alexander and rarely had time to be with her sister. Now that she was getting divorced, she wanted to take good care of Emily.

"By the way, how's the apartment situation going?" Sophia asked softly as she stood up.

"All set, but the rent's a bit expensive." Seeing Sophia's face change slightly, Victoria laughed cheerfully. "Don't worry, I'll help you with the money. You can borrow it from me for now. What matters most is living somewhere safe and comfortable. I'll take you to see it in a few days."

Sophia pressed her lips together.

Over the past two years, Elizabeth had given her two million dollars in living expenses each month. One million was for Alexander's treatment, and the other million—except for necessities—she'd saved up to cover her sister's hospital costs.

To expedite Alexander's recovery, she had once spent eight million dollars anonymously bidding on a rare aromatic resin at an auction. Though this had accelerated his healing process and allowed her to fulfill her obligation within the promised two years, it had depleted most of her savings. To make matters worse, Elizabeth had become entangled in legal troubles around that time, reducing Sophia's allowance by half.

Now that she was getting divorced and needed to rent her own place, her savings really weren't enough.

Sophia took a deep breath, her tone serious. "Victoria, thank you. I'll definitely pay you back."

"Come on, why so formal? We're best friends." Victoria smiled and squeezed her hand. "Right now, what's most important is taking care of yourself and Emily. We can worry about the rest later."

Hearing this, Sophia broke into a smile. "Okay!"

Though the Grant family wasn't as prominent as the three major families led by the Kensingtons in Emerald Harbor, they were still ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠a well-known, wealthy family. Victoria was especially favored in her family, so her financial situation was naturally much better than Sophia's.

Sophia understood this clearly, which is why she accepted the help.

After all, she was going through a divorce right now and really needed help. The rent near the hospital wasn't cheap.

Soon, the two women left the bar arm in arm.

Alexander noticed them from the corner of his eye and frowned slightly.

At that moment, Lily's hesitant voice spoke up. "Alexander, last night you..."

She stopped halfway through. Just thinking about Alexander having sex with Sophia made her crazy with jealousy. Besides, she knew Alexander hated people who used underhanded tactics. She absolutely couldn't let Alexander know she was the one who slipped him the aphrodisiac—not even a suspicion.

She'd specifically asked Alexander out to clear this up.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Robert cleared his throat and said what he'd prepared in advance. "Actually, something happened at the club last night. Someone put aphrodisiac in the drinks, pretty strong stuff too. I got hit with it too, but luckily nothing serious happened."

"Lily was worried about you but felt too awkward to ask, so I'm asking for her."

Only then did Alexander focus his attention on Lily and Robert.

He looked at Lily's worried face, his blue eyes darkening slightly, his voice emotionless. "I'm fine."

He thought again of Sophia's flushed cheeks and delicate skin, felt his throat go dry, took a sip of his drink, and continued. "Those kinds of places are chaotic. You're a girl—be more careful."

Hearing that Alexander wasn't going to pursue the matter, Lily finally relaxed. "Thank you, Alexander."

Alexander just nodded. He'd become more guarded toward Lily, who had disappeared for two years and unexpectedly returned.

Robert winked at Lily, and the two of them chatted about old times, but Alexander's response was cold and distracted.

He lowered his eyes. The liquid in his glass reflected his handsome face. In a daze, the brown whiskey seemed to flow and move, transforming and reshaping until it took on Sophia's form.

Alexander froze, gripped his glass tightly, and downed the drink in one gulp.

He thought, 'Sophia, what are you thinking? What are you trying to do? Why did you suddenly ask for a divorce?'