Chapter 20

"I am sorry, I still have plenty of things to do..." Sophia's voice sounded like it was coming from
nowhere.

It did not feel very genuine, but Brandon was relieved that she hadn't changed so much.

After all these years, she was still the same girl he remembered in his memory.

Sophia boarded the bus, panting, and refused to look out the window.

‘Just let it go” Sophia thought to herself and continued, ‘we all have been living well these past five
years; it would be better if we had nothing left to do with each other’’

She was mentally drained with all of these.

Maria was feeling a bit sick today. She called Sophia before she left work and asked her to pick up
Emma.

Sophia was exhausted as a result of her mother's illness.Her only two hours of free time in the
afternoon, from 5 to 7 PM, were likewise taken up.Her mother was seated on the sofa when she arrived
home with Emma.

Only the sound of the kettle in the kitchen boiling water could be heard because the TV was turned off.

"Wash your hands and then go do your homework" Sophia advised Emma after noticing Maria's
solemn expression.

"Mom and your grandmother will talk for a while, okay?" she added.

Sophia sat beside her mother as Emma walked away respectfully.

"Is everything okay, Mom?" Maria sighed, her tone filled with dread.



"I do not know how long my illness will persist.Sweetie, mom only wants you to live a happy life.Your
Aunt Kate just came in and stated that you and Finn just broke up? Tell me the truth, haven't you
forgotten about him yet?"

Her words had emphasis, and Sophia knew who she was pertaining to, but she chose to evade that
last question.

"Mom...Finn does not like me"

Sophia grimaced, "So, I don't want to waste any more time with him.Besides, Emma and I already
depend on each other to continue living, and I no longer look forward to having a perfect marriage with
the perfect husband these days.It's all good."

"Then use your mother's good health to have the wedding early and try to make Finn like you as much
as possible"

It seemed that her aunt Kate, who lived next door, nagged a lot to her mother about her relationship
with Finn.

In the past, Maria forced Sophia into dating Finn, but she would not have imagined that it would go so
far as to make them assertively marry each other.

"Mom, Finn, and I are not cut out for each other...Sophia was afraid to confront her mother with
facts.She was terrified that she might become enraged once more.If something were to happen, she
knew she would take it on herself.

"How are you so sure that the two of you are not compatible? As long as you can communicate well
with each other, it will be great! At your age, you do not have to worry about love.It is more important to
find a decent guy to marry!" said Maria in a concerned tone.



Sophia took her mother's hand and casually said, "I know.Do not worry about it.I will indeed live a
wonderful life."

She then continued, "Mom, I do not have enough time.I will have to go first."

Before departing, she did not forget to turn around and advised her, "If you are not feeling well, then
please rest early"

She snatched the apple from the coffee table, having it as dinner on the way, and scurried out of the
house.

The next day, word of Patrick's absence from work for the first time spread like wildfire throughout the
company building.

The president's son was said to be unwell.

In these years, the tale of Patrick having a child kept circulating, but no one saw it with their own eyes.

No one knew if it was true or not, but there was no such thing as a baseless rumor.

There must not be something like that.

Sophia remained silent during the conversation with her colleagues.

Instead, she took advantage of the few minutes before work to bask in the sunlight filtering in through
the window.

"The typhoon has finally receded!"

Giselle exhaled as she observed it through the window.



Sophia meekly grinned as she said, "It's like the end of the world has finally come and gone’ "Hey,
Sophia, do you think that the president has a child? Does he truly love his fiancee? I just wish that he
would only be alone all the time..."

Giselle supported her cheek with one palm, her mind drifting farther away.

Although Sophia was well aware that many people in the assessment department admired Patrick, this
was the first time Giselle expressed a hint of sadness.

"Well, with his identity, I do not think that he would have stayed by her side for so many years if she
was a woman that he did not love!"

Sophia's remarks reverberated in Giselle's ears.

Giselle groaned and resumed her daily routine.

"I need to hurry up and finish the case in my hands before the weekend; otherwise, it will all be too
late."

The two people exchanged smiles with each other.

"I also need to speed up.I only have five days left before I return to my original company; Sophia
replied with a sigh.

A day went past quietly and impermanently.

Sophia got off work and clocked out before walking towards the bus stop.

It was evident that there were no clouds in the morning, but it appeared that it was going to rain when it
was time to leave work.Sophia had forgotten to bring an umbrella.

It seemed that she had to hurry up and pick up Emma before it rained.



The torrential rain pelted down as she got home with Emma and raised her little hand to the entrance of
the residential building.

Fortunately, they managed to come home before it rained.

Sophia pushed through the door and found her mother lying on the living room floor.

Her surroundings were a complete disaster.

Sophia's face turned pale from fear.She dialed the 911 emergency contact right away and rushed her
mother to the hospital.Her mother was rushed into surgery.

Sophia was concerned with the thought that Emma would be all alone at home, so she requested
Fiona to take her for a few days and look after her for a while.

Maria's operation was finished at two o'clock in the morning.

"Her ailment had relapsed.Fortunately, she was taken to the hospital in a timely manner, although the
treatment period would be very lengthy.

Maybe a year or two from now, or if worse comes to worst, she might need an entire lifetime; said the
doctor who handled the operation in a piteous tone.

Sophia could not help but burst into tears as she gazed at Maria's passive state on the bed.

"Just this once, please, allow me to have a moment to breathe and vent some things out..."

Sophia murmured to tired herself.

After a long while, Sophia managed to calm down.



She took the bottle next to her mother's bed and went to get some hot water so she could wipe Maria's
hands and feet.

At night, the hospital corridor was deafeningly quiet.

The lighting was dim.

She did not go that far before coming face to face with Patrick.

He was still dressed like a prosperous businessman.He was wearing a decent suit and had polished
yet slightly wet leather shoes.He must have been caught outside in the rain.

There were some drops of water on his hair and clothes, but he did not appear to be in any kind of
distress.

Instead, it demonstrated his exceptional personality and charm.

Sophia was taken aback when she first saw him.

He was very surprised as well when he stumbled towards her.

"What are you doing here this late at night?" he frowned as though pondering.

Sophia's eyes were puffy and red.She bowed her head unconsciously.She did not want him to realize
how scared she was.She felt inferior, no matter how horrible things were at that time.

This man, on the other hand, might not give a damn at all.

This, however, was a woman's natural trait.



She overshadowed her helplessness and infirmity by appearing strong on the outside.She could read
between the lines of his words, and she was worried that he might be overthinking things.She
explained in a light manner.

"My mother is unwell.

I did not expect it to be so coincidental that your sick family member was admitted at the very same
hospital..."Her response was impenetrable, dispelling any notion that she had approached him on
purpose.

Sophia was a bit uneasy because of Patrick's silence.She forced a smile as though a sense of
respectfulness must be shown to her boss.

"Then I will go get some water first since if I'm a tad too late, there won't be any more hot water left for
me."

Patrick did not utter a sound until she was away.

After a few seconds, his steady and compelling footsteps followed behind her.

She was not sure if it was just her imagination, but his footfall tonight seemed a little irritable.

Sophia could only sleep a wink for what seemed like three hours a day after her mother was admitted
to the hospital.

She needed to work, and in addition to that, she had a part-time job.

She could only visit her mother at the hospital late at night after her shift ended.

The dark circles beneath her eyes became more prominent as days passed by, and she also became
raddled.



She barely had two days left before being transported back to her former workplace.

She was finishing up her review of the evaluation case since she planned to present the entire
evaluation case later that very same afternoon.

She did not dare to slack off in the least, even though she did not know if she would be able to sign this
deal eventually.

She gazed at the computer, going through the numbers one by one and double-checking the words
and numbers on the way, fearful of making any kind of mistakes, both trivial and major.

The morning came to an end, and it was time for lunch.

Before daring to leave her seat, Sophia stowed the document once again.


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