Chapter 16

When Sophia received the call from Samuel, she was on her way to Golden Pavillion.

Sophia, I told you that if you failed to have this evaluation case signed, you would pay for the damages
it would cause, and believe me, it would be a hefty sum.How can you make such a huge mess?!

Samuel's tone was already upset and frustrated as he yelled over the phone.It looked like both of the
companies had given him a lot of pressure.

"If you can successfully sign the evaluation case of the Evans Company, it would make you a rising star
in the appraising world.Why couldn't you endure it and have to get fired? Can't you try to finish this
case?!"

Sophia bit her lip; she couldn't reply to his words.

Yes, these past few years of hardships had also done a lot of mental damage to her, yet how could she
not endure it this time? ‘Was it because the person who made things difficult for me...was Lianna?’
Sophia couldn't figure out why.

However, at this moment, there was no turning back for her anymore.

Sophia didn't regret what she did.

"Samuel, how much is the penalty fee?" Sophia's voice was calm and resolute.

Samuel could not believe what he heard.He looked at the screen of his phone in disbelief.

"Sophia, do you know what you're saying?"

"How much is it?"

Sophia continued to press for an answer.



Samuel thought that if he soothed the anger of both sides with the troublemaker's apology, this matter
would just pass in a blink of an eye, without trouble.

Unexpectedly, a variable named ‘Sophia’ popped up with her strong-willed personality, wrecking his
efforts in attempting to appease the companies.

"About 100,000 dollars, Sophia, come with me to apologize.This matter would be over in a flash if you
just say sorry."

Sophia's heart was heavy like a big stone was being pressed down as she heard the sum she would
have to pay, "When is the deadline for the payment?"

Sophia had her own set of principles.

Some of the events that happened to her life she could endure easily, and there were some she
absolutely couldn't.

"I'll give you half a month to pay for it" Samuel sighed and said in a defeated tone.

Sophia made a sound of acknowledgment and hung up.She would try her best to raise it, and if she
couldn't make it in time, she would have to sell her precious necklace.

Sophia touched the diamond necklace that she had put in her wallet.

The jewelry was so clean that it dazzled on her hands when the rays of the sun hit it.

Within the week after she was dismissed and chained with a huge debt to pay, Sophia quickly found a
part-time job.

Every day, she would go out minutes before her shift for her work, and at night, she would return home
when her shift ended and her coworker who would replace her was present.



Every time she returned home, she would thoroughly wash off the smell of smoke left from her part-
time work.

Otherwise, if she was discovered by her mother...

Sophia shuddered fearfully.

She wouldn't dare to imagine the consequences.

Finn learned from Aunt Kate that she was working part-time in Golden Pavillion in the evening.

As long as he didn't have any prior engagements to attend to, he would come to pick her up.

Sophia felt bashful every time he would pick her up and wanted him to stop, but Finn was very
persistent and wouldn't receive no for an answer, so she didn't continue on objecting even if she turned
red from embarrassment.

After all, they were lovers; it was normal for him to act like that.

After Sophia got in the car, the Mercedes-Benz quickly started, and they drove off in the streets with the
midnight sky above them.

John sat inside the Rolls-Royce car.He was confused and had to put up with Patrick's abnormal
behavior these past few days.He accompanied Patrick for three consecutive days, attending to him
with his every need.

Every time after the dinner meeting, he had to take a big detour to the Northern Twin Road.

It was not until they saw Sophia getting on Finn's car did Patrick react in horror.

"It seems that Mr.Bower and Sophia's relationship is going swimmingly.."



John carefully said he was afraid of looking to his side, where the scary man was sitting.

Patrick turned his head to the side and looked out the window, acting like he didn't hear what John
said.

"Just drive!" John smiled in contempt and started the car.

The frame of the car disappeared in a flash in the streets under the midnight sky.

On the day of Valentine's Day, Finn came early to pick up Sophia to have a romantic dinner with her,
celebrating this holiday for couples.

Finn was mature and steady.

He was a man that was very punctilious when it came to relationships.

If not for Sophia experiencing a heartbreak, making her wary of love, with Finn's caring actions that
would make your heart beat thrice, she would have already been taken down by the other party.

She didn't know whether it was a coincidence or fate was playing with her, but she once again ran into
Patrick.

The man looked busy while partaking in a meeting with a client, and he was paying close attention to
the person seated in front of him.

He listened to what the other party said and would occasionally open his mouth to say a few words of
response.

Most of the people they were with were silent.

When Sophia and Finn walked past his table, both of them overheard him remark, "If it is for this kind of
price, there is no need for the Evans Company to involve itself.



Strictly speaking, anyone involved with business would want to make small investments with a big
return."

Sitting down at a table not far from him was Sophia, and her seat was just across from him.She noticed
his heated gaze drifting now and then over to their table.

"What would you like to eat?"

Finn looked down at the menu and thoughtfully asked her.

"I'll leave it to you; anything is fine.I'll go to the restroom first! “ Sophia found it hard to breathe because
of a certain person's presence.

She decided to escape and go to the restroom to take a breather.

The coldness hit her face when she turned on the faucet and splashed the water that ran down onto
her face.It was refreshing, cooling her face, and it made her calm down.It helped a lot.It was not until
her state reverted to normal and her face didn't look anxious anymore in the mirror, did she wiped her
hands and prepared to go back.

Patrick could be seen from a distance, smoking a cigarette with his figure leaning on the chair.

It seemed that he had already smoked a few, given the area he was in surrounded by a cloud of dense
smoke that you could mistake for fog.

Sophia walked past the smoking man who she didn't want to greet, but he opened his mouth and
uttered for her to hear loud and clear, "Date?"

Sophia turned to him.

She nodded and responded politely, "How about you? A meeting with a client?"



Patrick also nodded in response.

Sophia made a reserved smile and immediately cut off their conversation, "I see, then I'll best be going
first! I don't want my boyfriend to wait. The lights on the ceiling shone down on the pitiful man, and the
lights wrapped themselves around the man's misty eyes, which were encased with emotions that were
similar to unwillingness.

Patrick let out a sound of mockery, not to her but to himself.

The poets were right; drinking too much alcohol was not good for you.

Time continued on moving to welcome the bright tomorrows.

The world was still spinning around for the people that were busy with their work or life.

After a series of draining meetings, the day quickly flashed by, and it was already eight o'clock in the
evening.

Patrick originally planned to go back to the Evans family house to see his mother and Quentin, but he
was reminded by John that he wasn't free.

"Mr.Evans, Ms.Clifford's flight will land today.Didn't you promise to pick her up at nine o'clock?"

"It was today?"

Patrick sat in the car and felt his head painfully throbbing.

"Yes, today is the day Ms.Clifford receives her Ph.D.7 diploma and returns to the country."

How did time rush by him before he could even notice? "Then, let's go to the airport to pick her up?
Patrick said, sounding a little tired.



"Okay."

John didn't say anything more and started the car, driving off in the direction of the airport.

On the way to the airport, Patrick had been resting with his eyes closed, hoping to doze off before
arriving at their destination.

Other than waiting for the traffic lights to turn green, the drive was smooth, and they didn't meet any
obstacles.

Another traffic light turned red.

John looked outside, his eyes widened, and he exclaimed, rousing Patrick from his slumber, "That's
weird.Why did I see Mr.Bower with another woman?"

John wiped his eyes, thinking it was a mistake, but it wasn't.

"Could it be...he's cheating?!"

His voice was loud, and it naturally fell into the ears of the man sleeping in the back seat.

Patrick sat up and looked in the direction where John was staring.

"Go and investigate what exactly happened."

"Yes, sir!"

Although John couldn't hear the joy and anger in Patrick's voice, he knew that he had become more
and more concerned about his ex-wife, even though it looked like he still had not found out.



Perhaps it was because Patrick had been acting too strange recently that John began to wonder if the
President had always had Sophia in his heart and mind, but he just failed to notice.

Another day of part-time work ended.

After Sophia changed out of her work clothes, she walked out and stood at the side of the road, waiting
for her boyfriend to come to pick her up.

Finn called her in the afternoon and said that he would pick her up in the evening.

However, he was late than usual today.

It was almost two o'clock in the early morning, and not a trace of his hair could be seen.

Sophia took out the phone from her bag and called Finn, but he couldn't be contacted, his phone was
turned off.

The summer air in Harrow City was cool and refreshing at first, but after a long time of standing
outside, it was starting to feel a little cold.

Sophia didn’t want to put malice in Finn's action, thinking to herself that it was possible that Finn had
been delayed by something and couldn't tell her, so she decided to take a taxi first and contact him
tomorrow.

Before she could make a move to call for a taxi, a dazzling Rolls-Royce car stealthily parked in front of
her.

The window of the car was lowered and revealed the handsome face of the man inside.

Why did the handsome face belong to someone she didn't want to see?

"Get in the car"



Patrick looked and said to the woman outside the window.

Sophia shook her head in refusal.

"No thanks” Since she decided to move on completely from the past, she didn't want to have any
relations with him anymore.

Besides, the woman who should be the one to sit in the passenger seat of his car could not and would
never be her.

Sophia was already aware that it wasn't meant to be.

"Finn won't come to pick you up tonight; Patrick continued, looking like he wouldn't drive away unless
she got in.

Sophia was surprised that he actually knew that she was waiting for Finn, but she didn't bend to his
will, "I'll take the taxi, you can go now, Mr.Evans.I don't want to owe you anything"


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