Chapter 8

Even though Robert had humiliated her again, Sophia felt a lot lighter inside.

Once the party was over, she could finally end this kind of life.

To find a job as quickly as possible, Sophia sent out over a dozen resumes and spent her weekends going to interviews.

But she never expected to run into that man from the bar again—the one she had offended.

Right now, he was wearing a custom-tailored suit and rimless glasses, sitting seriously in his office chair.

When he saw Sophia come in, he broke into a warm smile. "Do you remember me?"

Sophia bit her lip awkwardly.

She really wished she could forget.

"I'm so sorry. I mistook you for someone else and caused you trouble. I apologize."

The man laughed it off easily. "It's nothing. By the way, let me introduce myself—I'm Henry, and I'll be interviewing you today."

Even though he seemed sunny and easygoing, Sophia was still worried he might hold a grudge from that day, so she was extra careful answering his questions.

"Ms. Windsor, your resume shows you graduated from a top university with a major in biochemistry. Why didn't you pursue work in that field afterward?"

Just as the interview was about to end, Henry's question made Sophia freeze.

Why she didn't work in her field—that was basically the biggest sore spot in her life.

Her sadness affected Henry across from her. He immediately raised his hand and said apologetically, "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. It's just that a friend of mine has a biochemistry team that needs people, and I saw that your resume would be a great fit. I was just wondering if you'd still be interested in working in your field?"

That question hit pause on Sophia's sadness.

She had never imagined she could return to biochemistry, the field she was most interested in.

"Could I really? But I haven't worked in it for three years..."

Before Sophia could finish, Henry interrupted with a smile. "Ms. Windsor, if I may be frank, biochemistry does move fast, but a three-year gap isn't impossible to make up. As long as you're willing, catching up is totally doable!"

Sophia's heart started racing.

But reason quickly brought her back.

This man was basically a stranger she'd only met once. She couldn't let him lead her around.

"Mr. Smith, thank you for the suggestion. I'll think about it seriously, and I hope you'll seriously consider my application for this position."

Henry said bluntly, "You're great. If you don't go to my friend's place, I'll definitely hire you."

His words were direct, but his tone was honest, without any hint of flirtation.

Sophia was a bit stunned again.

During her three years working at the Howard Group, she'd handled trivial tasks, and even when she dealt with complex work, she never got any praise.

Henry's high praise left Sophia a bit at a loss.

She stood up a bit flustered. "I'll head back now. I'll wait for your official notice!"

But as soon as she walked out of the office, Henry caught up with her.

"Ms. Windsor, could I possibly take you to dinner?"

Sophia instinctively wanted to refuse.

Henry sensed her intention and spoke first. "Or maybe you could take me to dinner—after all, last time at the bar, you threw up all over me and ruined a brand new jacket."

With that, Sophia had no reason left to refuse him.

"Alright, consider it my way of making it up to you, Mr. Smith."

They chose a newly opened private restaurant that supposedly had a great reputation.

Since they didn't have a reservation, they found a window seat on the first floor.

Henry looked cool and serious, but when he chatted, he was funny and charming. Before long, he and Sophia were having a great conversation.

After the meal, they exchanged contact information, and Henry even drove Sophia to her apartment complex.

Since Margaret's "death," Sophia had barely had any normal social experiences, let alone contact with men.

She didn't have any special feelings for Henry—she just felt the experience was really pleasant, like the beginning of a brand new life.

However, her excitement came to a sudden halt when she saw Robert at the entrance.

In that moment, Sophia even felt the urge to turn around and run.

He had a dark expression on his face and looked scary.

Gradually calming down, Sophia slowly walked up to Robert and asked in a businesslike tone, "Mr. Howard, is there something you need?"

Robert nodded his chin toward the door. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

His tone was calm, but it felt like the calm before a storm.

Sophia reluctantly opened the door, and the first thing she saw was the pregnancy test report on the coffee table!

She had looked at it earlier and just left it there without putting it away.

In that instant, all the blood in Sophia's body ran cold.

In such an obvious spot, Robert would definitely see it!

What would he do to her once he found out?

Sophia didn't know and didn't dare to think about it.

Just as she stood there helpless, Robert opened his arms and hugged her tightly from behind.

His large hand landed on her waist, kneading it with moderate pressure, and his voice took on a hint of desire. "Sophia, you're getting bolder and bolder, daring to go on dates with other men behind my back?"

That one sentence deepened Sophia's fear.

How did he know about this?

Was he monitoring her all the time?

The realization made her shudder.

But Robert took Sophia's earlobe in his mouth and pushed her toward the bedroom.

"Let me calculate. We haven't had sex for several days. I didn't satisfy you, no wonder you went to find someone else."

Sophia felt humiliated.

He always made her sound so cheap.

She could accept it before, but now, she wouldn't.

Sophia's struggle made Robert even angrier.

Without a word, he pressed her against the wall and kissed her lips hard.

"Sophia, you don't have the right to say no to me!"

Robert wouldn't admit that when he saw the photos in that anonymous email, he actually felt a bit jealous.

So Sophia could smile that brightly and happily—but in front of another man.

That realization made his anger burn, so he headed straight to her new address to confront her.

No matter what she said today, he was going to have her!

When her clothes were torn open, Sophia completely panicked.

Robert was wild in bed. Almost every time, she would pass out, and a few times she even bled.

If she really slept with him, the baby in her belly would be in danger.

"Robert, please don't do this. I'm really not feeling well today!"

The more she refused, the harder Robert pressed. His hand had already reached between her legs.

"You will feel good." The desire in his voice was obviously uncontrollable.

Sophia made up her mind and used all her strength to say, "I'm pregnant."