Chapter 170 Awkwardness
Upon hearing the name "Ethan," Gabriel's mind raced like it was haunted by a ghostly whisper. He remembered his grandmother mentioning the names of Sam's two close friends, one of whom was Ethan.
The mind of a businessman was both agile and sharp, and something flickered through Gabriel's thoughts, too fast to grasp.
Sophia went to the restroom to find Ethan, who should have been done by now, but she waited outside to no avail until a teacher came looking, and still no sign of Ethan.
Both were getting anxious.
"Ethan," Sophia called from outside.
"Don't worry, I'll go in and check."
Since it was the men's restroom, it wasn't appropriate for Sophia to enter, but the teacher was male and went in to knock on the doors one by one.
"I'm here; there's no paper."
It turned out to be a lack of toilet paper that was the issue. The teacher, bemused, quickly fetched some and passed it in.
When Ethan came out, his face was the picture of embarrassment, and Sophia, having learned the reason from the teacher, let out a gentle laugh.
"My little Ethan is having a bit of bad luck today but don't worry; fortune will soon find you," Sophia said, squatting down to kiss Ethan's forehead. The teacher nodded in agreement.
Ethan had one more class to attend, but Sophia, wary of running into Gabriel, asked the teacher for leave. As she left with Ethan, she looked around cautiously, her vigilance not easing even in the elevator.
It wasn't until they reached the parking lot and Ethan was safely in the car that she allowed herself a partial sigh of relief.
"I'm going to pick up Emma now. Stay in the car and wait for me, and don't talk to anyone who approaches," she told Ethan.
"I know, Mommy, don't worry," Ethan responded.
Sophia hurried upstairs to find Emma.
Ethan patted his chest lightly; he was scared out of his wits.
He hadn't been hiding in the restroom due to a lack of toilet paper; he had seen the bad guy daddy talking to Mommy after coming out and, fearing discovery, had dashed back into the restroom to hide.
Ethan, with sharp eyes, spotted a car not far away that seemed to belong to the bad guy daddy, reversing out of a parking space. He ducked down below the seat in fright.
He hid himself well, and as Gabriel passed by, he glanced around out of habit but didn't see Ethan in Sophia's car.
Ethan's heart pounded in his chest with nervousness, only rising when he heard no more sounds outside.
Today had been too perilous!
Thank goodness he was quick-witted.
Emma, unaware of what had happened, cheerfully left with her mommy, chirping about the day's interesting school events as they got into the car.
Sophia had things on her mind and wasn't as responsive to Emma, who gradually fell silent and leaned in to whisper to Ethan, "What's wrong with Mommy?"
"Just now, the bad guy daddy was here."
"What?!" Emma almost couldn't suppress her surprised voice.
Ethan told her how he had narrowly escaped detection.
Sophia, thinking about Sam coming to the boxing class, suspected Sam might be coming to spend time with Ethan. If she stopped Ethan's classes, wouldn't that hurt Sam's feelings?
How could she devise a plan that would keep Ethan hidden from Gabriel and yet fulfill Sam's wishes?
After arriving home, an idea suddenly struck her—perhaps she could take on the responsibility of picking up and dropping off Sam herself.
Sophia discussed the matter with Caroline.
"I'll join you in picking up and dropping off the kids on weekends."
Having Caroline with her gave Sophia peace of mind.
After making the decision, she sent a message to Gabriel.
"The boxing class is on Sundays, and since Sam stays with me on Saturdays, I'm free on Sundays. From now on, I'll take care of taking Sam to his boxing lessons."
By taking on the pick-up and drop-off duties, there would be no chance of Gabriel discovering Ethan and Emma at the training class.
She thought Gabriel would agree readily. After all, that man was so busy with work that he could make hundreds of thousands, if not millions, in minutes. Surely, he would be happy to have her voluntarily take on the task of transporting Sam.
Unexpectedly, Gabriel responded with a few words. "There’s no need for you to do the pick-up and drop-off."
Sophia couldn't understand his reasoning and decided to compromise. "Then I'll be responsible for taking him to the class, and you can pick him up after. If you don't have time, I can step in."
After sending this message, there was no reply for a long time. Sophia couldn't figure out if he had agreed or not. Waiting for his response was frustrating, so she tossed her phone aside.
Sophia planned to proceed with her plan regardless of whether Gabriel agreed or not.
If Gabriel dared to interfere, she wouldn't mind causing some trouble for his girlfriend.
Before going to sleep, Sophia checked her phone one last time and found that he still hadn’t responded. She was ready to put it away when Gabriel replied with a single word: "Okay."
Sophia's goal was achieved, and a pleased smile curled at the corners of her mouth.
The next day, not long after Sophia had arrived at work, she received a call from Harrison.
"Come to my office," he said.
What did Harrison want with her? Could it be something about Sam?
Sophia: "Can't you just tell me over the phone?"
Harrison: "This is something that needs to be discussed in person," he answered hesitantly.
Sophia: "Alright."
Sophia didn't like Gabriel, and she hadn't liked Harrison before, but she had learned a lot about Sam through him, so when Harrison said he needed to see her, she was willing to respond.
To avoid gossip when going to his office, Sophia deliberately brought a document as a cover.
"What did you need to see me for?" She asked as soon as she entered.
Harrison tossed her a beautifully crafted jewelry box, which Sophia caught in a bit of a panic. Upon closer inspection, she found this box familiar.
"Is this for me?" She asked uncertainly.
"Yes."
"Why?" She asked, surprised by the unexpected gift.
Harrison, looking at her as if she were looking at a fool, couldn't believe it. His gift was being received as if he were an idiot, which was both unbelievable and a blow to him.
He quickly explained, "It was your birthday the day before yesterday. You are my friend’s ex-wife, and we know each other, so I had to make up for not giving you a birthday gift."
So, it was a birthday gift.
Sophia stared at the box in a daze.
Curious, Harrison waved his hand in front of her face, which Sophia slapped away.
"I don't want it," she said, throwing the gift back at him.
Harrison's eyes widened, surprised that someone could reject a gift from him.
"Even if it's a birthday gift, I can't accept it."
Before Harrison could speak, Sophia's voice turned cold.
"Also, Gabriel bought this, didn’t he?"
"How did you know?"
Harrison blurted out the truth and then covered his mouth, realizing his mistake as his innocent, dark eyes became wide open.
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