Chapter 473 That Crybaby
Sophia didn't reply. She quickly packed up and headed to a meeting. By the time it was over, it was already time to leave.
Checking her phone, Sophia shut down her computer in a hurry.
As she was leaving, she felt like she had forgotten something.
It wasn't until she drove out of the parking lot that she saw Jake standing by the roadside.
Jake waved, and Sophia pulled over.
"Sophia," Jake said, looking upset.
He stood outside the car, fidgeting. "Can I explain something?"
Seeing him like a guilty kid, Sophia remembered she hadn't replied to his message before the meeting.
So he came all the way here?
Sophia felt uneasy about Jake's background. Initially, he seemed like a struggling entrepreneur, not a business mogul.
But she had no reason to be mad; she never asked for details, and Jake never hurt her.
In fact, Jake always thought of her, saved her, and helped her.
If anyone suggested Jake was trying to get secrets from the Lancaster Group, it was ridiculous.
She was just a small fashion designer with no access to the company's core secrets.
"Get in," Sophia said, unlocking the car.
Jake smiled, got in, and they drove to a nearby park.
"You’re the CEO of Micro Circuit Group, worth billions. Don’t you feel out of place living in rundown Blue End?" Sophia asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
With his wealth, he must own countless properties, yet he chose Blue End.
Sophia looked at Jake, starting to doubt him.
When you start doubting someone, everything they do seems calculated. It’s scary.
Jake turned to face her, lowering his head. "No, because you're there, it doesn't feel rundown at all."
Sophia's eyes widened. So he bought a house in her neighborhood on purpose.
But why?
They hadn't met many times back then, and she had only saved him once.
If he had fallen for her at first sight, he never showed it. They interacted like ordinary friends.
Jake looked up, his eyes misty, lips pressed together, looking very hurt.
"Sophia, do you really not remember me?"
"What?" Sophia was puzzled.
"The Lancaster Mansion garden, the little boy crying on the bench," Jake reminded her.
Sophia tried to recall.
"You even said you'd catch bugs to bite my eyes."
She vaguely remembered a crying boy in the Lancaster Mansion garden.
"You're that crybaby?" Sophia asked.
"Crybaby?" Jake smiled and nodded. "You hugged and comforted me back then. I've never forgotten you. I didn't expect you to forget me."
Sophia felt a bit embarrassed. Who would remember something like that?
"I recognized you when I saved you at the kindergarten gate."
"Then why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I..." Jake hesitated, looking sad again.
After a moment, he continued, "I don't know who my father is. I've always felt inferior. My mom worked at the Lancaster Group and rarely took care of me. That day, she took me to the Lancaster Mansion, and I hid and cried because kids at school called me fatherless."
"Later, my mom got sick and passed away. I was adopted and went abroad."
"Even though I'm worth billions now, the childhood trauma runs deep. That feeling of inferiority is ingrained in me. With such a sad background, I was afraid you wouldn't want to associate with me if you knew."
Sophia thought about how Ethan and Emma were often bullied for not having a father when they were abroad.
Hearing Jake's story, she felt a strong sense of empathy.
Her gaze softened, losing its sharpness and gaining a touch of sympathy.
Compared to Jake, Ethan and Emma had her protection. They weren't inferior; they knew how to stand up for themselves.
But Jake seemed to have had nothing.
"That year, your hug pulled me out of the abyss. I've always remembered you. After returning to the country, I planned to find you, but I didn't expect to meet you under such circumstances."
Jake paused and continued, "I moved to Blue End to be closer to you. I wanted to protect you."
Sophia's heart was in turmoil.
She gripped the steering wheel tightly, not knowing what to say.
Seeing her silence, Jake's mood sank further. His voice trembled slightly. "I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier. If you despise me, I can leave and never bother you again."
Sophia quickly said, "No, I don't despise you."
She explained, "I just need some time to understand."
"Do you still blame me for not telling you I'm the CEO of Micro Circuit Group?" Jake's eyes sparkled with hope as he looked at Sophia.
People often sympathize with the weak, and Sophia was no exception. Plus, Jake had never hurt her.
"I don't blame you."
Jake immediately smiled, showing his white teeth, looking very silly. "Great, so we're still friends?"
Sophia added, "You and Gabriel..."
"Micro Circuit Group and the Lancaster Group are in healthy competition. I don't get along with Gabriel because he once hurt you. I don't like him," Jake quickly explained, worried Sophia would distance herself from him because of Gabriel.
Sophia looked at the darkening sky and slowly said, "It's getting late. I need to go back and have dinner with the kids."
Jake was still a bit uneasy but got out of the car. "Drive safely."
Sophia nodded and then drove away.
Jake stood there, the unease in his eyes lingering.
The ringing of his phone pulled him back to reality. Seeing the caller ID, Jake's expression turned serious. "Hello. Okay, I'll return to Country M immediately."
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