Chapter 293 Lodging a Complaint
She had successfully fled with her children once before, managing to stay hidden for five years. But Gabriel had found them. Now that Gabriel knew Ethan and Emma were his children, there was nowhere Sophia could take the three kids without the fear of being discovered again.
Ultimately, she shook her head. "I don't want the children to live a life of hiding and running away," Sophia uttered.
Jake Hughes said, "No matter what, I'm behind you."
"Thank you," she replied.
During her toughest times, Jake had been there for her, providing all kinds of support. Sophia was truly grateful and gradually came to regard him as family.
With no desire to work, she simply went home to rest. Lying on the couch, images of her children's adorable faces flashed through her mind, and she could almost hear them softly calling her, "Mommy." It was for her children that she had found the strength to live again.
If she were to lose them, what purpose would her life hold?
No matter what, she was determined to fight for custody of her children, no matter how difficult the journey might be.
Sophia stood up, grabbed her car keys, and decided to visit the Lancaster family estate to see her kids. However, upon arrival, the gatekeeper forbade her entry.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am," the gatekeeper said. "Mr. Lancaster has instructed us not to allow you to see the children until the court's decision is final."
Sophia clutched the iron gate. "He can't do this to me; what right does he have? I have the right to see my children!" she yelled in frustration.
"I'm sorry, these are Mr. Lancaster's orders, there's nothing we can do."
Sophia's hands fell limp at her sides.
The servant walked away, leaving her gazing into the beautifully landscaped luxury estate. Sophia bit her lower lip so hard it bled, but she didn't even notice.
She took out her cell phone and tried to call the estate, only to find that her number was blocked. Gabriel must have found a way to have her number blacklisted!
She tried calling Ethan, but his number was also unreachable. Gabriel had cut off all her contact with the children, not just preventing her from seeing them.
...
At the company's head office, Sophia stormed into the CEO's office, furious.
"Gabriel, you are a despicable, shameful excuse of a person!" she shouted upon entry.
Everyone in the office, including Harrison, was stunned.
"On what grounds are you preventing me from seeing the kids before the court verdict?" she demanded.
"This is like imprisonment; you're keeping them captive. I'm their mother; I have the right to see them."
Sophia was beyond furious; she even felt like giving the man a thrashing.
"All you did was provide the seed; you've done nothing for them; you just take them away. You're worse than scum."
Gabriel watched as Sophia ranted and raved before him, her tirade unceasing. In a daze, he was suddenly transported back to a hospital in their home country, where he saw the young girl who had once fiercely argued with a doctor to defend him.
Frowning, he called over Alex.
"Get her out of here," he ordered.
Alex awkwardly approached Sophia, "Ms. Kelly, please leave."
Sophia gave him a vicious glare.
Alex thought to himself, 'I didn't do anything, why is she glaring at me?'
"Gabriel, I won't give up, and you can't take them away from me!"
With that cold declaration, Sophia turned on her heel and left. Once the surge of anger was released, she felt the tension deflate like a popped balloon. Retreating to the restroom, tears fell freely down her cheeks in large droplets.
Back in the office, Harrison was utterly gobsmacked by what he witnessed.
Only Sophia would dare to cuss out old Lancaster like that. Anyone else would've been booted out on their ear by now.
"Mr. Lancaster, are you truly going to keep her away from the kids?" he asked.
"Yes." Gabriel was head down, reviewing documents.
"Why?" Harrison asked, baffled.
"Sophia is scheming to win custody, and until the results come out, I must prevent them from meeting."
Was he afraid that Sophia would use the kids to win the lawsuit? Even old Lancaster had his moments of doubt.
Harrison's feelings were mixed, unsure of what to make of the situation as an observer.
The children were the ones truly suffering. Perhaps he should provide some comfort for them. It had been a while since he had seen his little niece. Did she miss him?
Sophia realized that even if she wanted to take the kids and run away, it was impossible now.
Gabriel kept a tight watch on the children, preventing her even from getting near the preschool. In the mornings when the kids were heading to school, her attempt to approach was thwarted by a car that drove straight into the preschool, with several bodyguards escorting them to their classrooms.
Ethan sensed something was wrong; he wanted to call his mom, but the calls wouldn't go through, and there seemed to be people following him everywhere.
Was their bad daddy preventing Mom from seeing them again?
What was the outcome of yesterday's court hearing?
Had the bad daddy won?
Ethan's little brow furrowed deeply. He tried several times to sneak out of preschool but was always caught by the bodyguard his dad had stationed there.
Without his godmother being present, he couldn't even use the teacher’s computer.
At home, he tried to reach his mom through the internet but found the villa's network completely blocked. He couldn't work around it.
Ethan was anxious and wanted to tell his great-grandmother, but unfortunately, she came down with a cold. She wasn't feeling well, and the family doctor had to visit three times a day.
He didn't want to worry his great-grandmother any further.
Sam was overjoyed to spend every day with Ethan and Emma, but he soon noticed that Ethan didn't seem happy, and Emma's emotions fluctuated between joy and sadness. Sam didn't understand the root of his siblings' unease. His heart raced with worry, but he was at a loss for what to do. All he could manage was to comfort Emma alongside Ethan whenever she cried for her mother.
...
Josie, having bravely suggested she sleep with her dad, discovered that he wasn't as frightening as she had imagined. So, she ventured further and asked her dad to come home early to have dinner with her, to which he agreed. She was ecstatic.
However, her grandfather still didn't seem to like her, and her behavior only seemed to improve when her grandparents were around. Additionally, Roberts, who used to teach her the violin at preschool, was no longer there.
"You could ask your dad to find you a new teacher," Emma suggested, offering her advice.
"No," Josie replied stubbornly.
"Josie, I'm going to teach you the second trick now," Emma said.
"What is it?" Josie said, eagerly anticipating the next piece of advice.
"Learn how to tattle!" Emma suggested.
"What?" Josie was puzzled.
Emma was well-practiced in the art of tattling. Even in America, whenever she got herself into trouble, she'd beat everyone to the punch and blame Ethan, but in the end, their mom would always find out it was her doing.
On the way home, Daisy saw how quiet Josie was and felt a smug satisfaction. She thought that once she managed to 'ruin' Josie, Nicholas would surely be disappointed in her, during which time he might consider having another child with her.
If she had a child with Nicholas, she wouldn't have to worry about securing her status as the lady of a pharmaceutical magnate.
She had adored Nicholas since she was young, but he had never spared her a glance. Finding out Nicholas had a girlfriend almost drove her mad; how could he choose an orphan over Miss March of the prestigious family?
Fortunately, she was engaged to Nicholas now, and his parents approved of her. Furthermore, she currently had a hold over Josie.
Given time, she was convinced Nicholas would be moved by her sincerity.
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