Chapter 6

Gasps of shock rippled through the office again.

"Mr. Howard!"

Sophia slowly opened her eyes. She never imagined Robert would be the one to stop Victoria.

Victoria's face showed displeasure, her gaze full of scrutiny. "Robert, why are you stopping me?"

Robert smoothly took Victoria's hand, his fingertips gently caressing her palm.

"Don't hurt your hand."

That simple sentence easily placated Victoria—and made Sophia's heart sink to rock bottom.

She lowered her eyes slightly, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.

What was she still hoping for?

The assistant quickly spoke up. "I'll do it for Ms. Brown!"

Before Robert or Victoria could respond, she slapped Sophia twice across the face.

Sophia's body went limp. She fell to the floor.

But the assistant still wouldn't stop. She grabbed Sophia's hair and forced her head up.

The scene was too brutal. Several colleagues in the secretarial department couldn't bear to watch and turned away.

Robert coughed heavily, his expression displeased. "Enough. This is a company, not a place to settle personal grudges. If you want to settle scores, do it outside."

Then he looked at Victoria, his tone turning cooler. "Are you satisfied now?"

Victoria was smart enough to know when to quit while she was ahead.

She looped her arm through Robert's and said sweetly, "I understand. We have to consider appearances at the company! Let's go!"

Robert and Victoria left the secretarial department side by side. Sophia, sprawled on the floor, could only watch a pair of men's dress shoes and a pair of high heels walk away in perfect sync. They looked so well-matched.

She coughed hard twice, forcibly swallowing the metallic taste in her throat.

In that moment, Sophia made up her mind to resign from the Howard Group.

Not just the Howard Group. The Windsor Family—she never wanted to go back there either.

Sophia spent two nights finding and renting a new apartment.

During those two days, she didn't go home. Her parents didn't call once to check on her. Robert was even more silent.

Even if he refused to end things with Sophia verbally, his engagement to Victoria had consumed all his energy. He had no time to spare for her.

However, to Sophia's surprise, on her very first day in the new apartment, Vincent and Bianca showed up at her door.

They didn't come empty-handed. Vincent carried premium cuts of beef and lamb. Bianca brought a few changes of clothes.

Like ordinary parents concerned about their daughter, they sat down on the sofa under Sophia's confused gaze.

"Sophia, since you don't like living with Margaret, it's good you moved out. This card has several thousand dollars on it. Take it and use it for now."

Vincent pulled out a bank card and placed it on the coffee table.

Faced with parents who'd suddenly become warm and caring, Sophia felt no joy at all.

She looked at them quietly. "How did you know I live here? Why are you looking for me?"

Bianca had never been patient. Seeing Sophia so ungrateful, she immediately glared.

Vincent patted the back of her hand soothingly, then turned to Sophia with tears in his eyes.

"Sophia, we raised you for over twenty years. How could we not love you? You've always been sensible, but Margaret's always causing trouble. We inevitably have to watch her more closely. We had no choice."

Vincent was crying.

That usually silent, serious man was actually crying.

The realization hit Sophia hard.

Bianca beside him was also affected, her tone taking on a touch of sadness. "Sophia, maybe we've wronged you in the past, but blood ties are blood ties. You're living alone out here—how could we not worry?"

Sophia pressed her lips together in silence, but her expression had already softened.

Vincent noticed the change and struck while the iron was hot. "Your mother and I already scolded Margaret about faking her death. She was definitely in the wrong. She wronged you. Sophia, once this matter is settled, we'll send her abroad. What do you think?"

Sophia was surprised Vincent would actually admit Margaret had faked her death.

On second thought, it made sense. The excuse he'd fabricated before couldn't even convince someone as obedient as her. How could it convince anyone else?

Unless they wanted Margaret to stay hidden forever.

And that punishment of sending her abroad wasn't really a punishment at all—but it was already the biggest concession these biased parents could make.

Sophia let out a soft sigh and got up to pour her parents some hot water.

Vincent and Bianca exchanged a glance, understanding flickering in their eyes.

"Sophia, I've been thinking. Even though Margaret's the older sister, she's not mature or steady enough. Not like you—you're smart. I'm planning to leave the company to you to inherit."

Sophia, in the middle of pouring water, was so shocked by this statement that her hand trembled. The kettle fell to the floor, hot water splashing everywhere.

She hurriedly got up to clean it, but Vincent beat her to it. "I'll do it, I'll do it. Your mother still has something to tell you."

Her parents were acting too abnormal today. Too good to be true.

Sophia looked at Bianca anxiously.

"Sophia!" Bianca wasn't as smooth as Vincent. She got straight to the point. "Mom has one more thing to ask of you."

An ominous feeling surged in Sophia's chest. She pulled herself out of the rare warmth her parents' concern had brought and silently met Bianca's eyes.

"Even though Margaret did something wrong, she's still family. If her reputation is ruined, your father, me, and you will all be implicated. You understand, don't you? So, Mom hopes you can take responsibility for Margaret's fake death."

Sophia's brow furrowed tightly.

She understood every single word Bianca said. But strung together, she couldn't comprehend them.

What did it mean to 'take responsibility for Margaret's fake death'? She thought it, then asked it out loud.

Bianca reached out to touch Sophia's hair, trying to seem affectionate, but Sophia dodged.

Bianca immediately got angry again and stopped being polite. "We've discussed it. Next month we'll hold a party to officially announce that Margaret is still alive. At that time, we'll say Margaret faked her death because she had a fight with you. In a moment of anger, she did something foolish. Then you'll apologize to Margaret in front of everyone, and this whole thing will be over."

Sophia couldn't believe her ears.

So this was what they meant by 'taking responsibility'?

Had they even considered what her life would be like after shouldering the reputation of driving her own sister to fake her death?

The tears she'd been holding back for so long finally spilled over, soaking her collar.

But Bianca didn't care about her tears at all. Instead, she grew even more impatient. "I'm talking to you! Answer me!"