Chapter 419 Newcomers Were Always Better Than Old Ones
Sophia stepped out of the hospital and spotted Gabriel's tall figure in the distance.
She hesitated for a moment.
Gabriel noticed the injury on her forehead, a flicker of pain in his eyes.
"Did you get checked out?"
"I'm fine, thanks," Sophia replied, keeping it polite but distant.
Gabriel felt uneasy with her detachment.
"Get in the car," he said, opening the passenger door.
Sophia didn't argue. She was exhausted from running around all day and soon fell asleep against the car window.
At a red light, Gabriel took off his jacket and draped it over her. She stirred but didn't wake up.
When they reached Harbor Bay, Gabriel parked. He was about to carry her inside when she woke up.
Gabriel stayed silent.
Sophia never gave him a chance to get close.
He watched her go inside before driving off.
At that moment, Alex called him.
"Mr. Lancaster, the driver was just fatigued. Nothing fishy."
"Got it."
Gabriel headed back to the hospital, straight to Jake's room.
Jake was texting when Gabriel walked in. He quickly put his phone down.
"Heard you were in a car accident," Gabriel said, his presence commanding.
"Thanks for the concern, Mr. Lancaster. Didn't expect the richest man to visit a nobody like me," Jake replied, putting on a false smile.
Their cold stares clashed like a silent battle.
"You're not a nobody, Mr. Hughes, president of Micro Circuit Group. Don't be too modest."
Jake's eyes froze for a second. He realized Gabriel knew his secret.
He remembered the mysterious issues with their guide system and chip data. It was probably Gabriel's doing.
Forget it, he didn't plan to hide it much longer.
"Mr. Lancaster, your methods are impressive," Jake said, insincere.
"Mr. Hughes, not many know your identity yet, right?"
The room fell silent, tension palpable.
After a couple of minutes, Gabriel warned, "Sophia is off-limits. If you try to hurt her, your whole company will pay."
Jake sneered, unfazed. "Don't flatter yourself. I like Sophia, I admire her."
Gabriel's fist clenched, knuckles cracking in the quiet room.
Jake kept his innocent smile.
Gabriel suddenly relaxed and smiled. "Don't worry, you'll never get the chance. She once loved me deeply."
"You said 'once'. New encounters are always better than old ones."
Gabriel turned back. "I was wrong. I overestimated your understanding of her. She's nostalgic."
With that, Gabriel walked out.
Jake felt dizzy, gripping his cracked phone.
The next day, Sophia visited the hospital early. Seeing Jake in better shape, she felt relieved and went to work.
After she left, Jake changed into regular clothes and left the hospital.
By evening, Sophia brought her three kids to visit Jake. He lay weakly in bed, showing no signs of having gone out.
"Jake, are you okay?" Emma asked, holding his hand.
Ethan looked worried too.
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
"Mommy said you had a concussion. Ethan and I looked it up. Can a concussion make you a fool?"
Jake smiled warmly. "I won't become a fool."
Emma sighed in relief, "Good, I still need help with my math."
"Did Ethan give you hard problems again?"
Emma had plenty to say about that.
"Ethan always gives me tough problems I can't solve."
Ethan snorted. "They're simple, and you can't do them. Silly."
Sam tugged at him and gestured. "Don't call Emma silly. She's smart, smarter than me."
Ethan poked Sam's forehead. "You're silly too."
Sam snorted and ignored him.
"If you keep this up, Emma and Sam will ignore you," Jake said with a smile.
Ethan was becoming more like Gabriel, especially with that stern face.
"Alright, I won't call them silly anymore. Jake, I solved that chess problem from last time." Ethan pulled out his iPad and set up the chessboard.
Jake was great at engaging the kids, always capturing their attention.
After talking to the doctor about Jake's condition, Sophia returned to find him playing with the kids.
Around 8 PM, Sophia took the kids home.
Outside, she saw Gabriel standing nearby, looking cold.
Sophia actually brought his kids to visit Jake!
Gabriel was angry but knew he couldn't just take them away, or Sophia would never forgive him.
"Daddy," Emma reached out to be held.
Gabriel picked her up. "Let's go. I'll take you home."
At home, Gabriel was about to leave, but Emma clung to his neck.
"I want Daddy to sleep with me tonight."
Gabriel was happy but pretended to coax her. "Let Mommy sleep with you. I have things to do."
"Alright then." Emma mischievously asked, "Is Daddy's work more important than Emma?"
Afraid she'd act up, Gabriel quickly said, "Emma is more important. I'll stay with you tonight."
So he stayed.
Sophia remained silent.
Ethan sighed and shook his head.
Sam was very happy.
Jake stayed in the hospital for three days. Besides work, Sophia spent all her time there. Gabriel saw this and felt very uncomfortable. Jealousy made him want to drag Jake out of bed and beat him up.
In the end, he held back.
Luckily, Jake was discharged on the fourth day.
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