Chapter 491 He Was a Man
Sophia looked at Gabriel and their three kids, who loved her deeply, and felt her empty heart warm up.
She said, "No matter what they say, it won't bother me. Don't worry, they can't push me around."
She was thinking about how much Susan had gone through and felt sad for her.
The Brown family had used Susan's guilt to control her, but if they thought they could do the same to Sophia, they were wrong.
Just then, Ruth came over and gave Gabriel a look, which he understood.
"I'll take the kids over there," Gabriel said, taking the kids away before Sophia could say anything.
Ruth took Sophia's hand. "Sophie, do you see me as family?"
Sophia nodded firmly, "Of course, you're very important to me."
"Then tell me, what did the Brown family say to you just now?" Ruth asked.
Ruth had seen Chloe and Ella bullying Sophie from a distance but was held up by an old friend.
She hadn't gotten anything out of Gabriel and knew Sophie was trying to handle it alone again.
"Sophie, if you don't want to tell Gabriel, you can tell me. I can't stand seeing you hurt. If you don't tell me, I'll be very sad," Ruth added.
Sophia couldn't hold it in any longer. She leaned on Ruth's shoulder and told her everything Chloe and Ella had said.
Ruth listened quietly, her gentle eyes turning sharp.
Even though Sophie had cut ties with the Brown family, they came to remind her, as if afraid she'd take something valuable.
Ruth had heard the Brown family lost a daughter shortly after Sophie was born.
'The Brown family only has two heiresses in this generation, Patricia and Sophia,' Ruth thought, recalling Patricia's guilty look last time.
"Ruth, it's getting late. Let's go home," Sophia said.
Hearing Sophia's voice, Ruth snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. "Alright, let's go home."
Sophia searched the crowd for Colin.
She found him surrounded by socialites, looking uncomfortable and trying to get away but being held back.
Sophia chuckled.
Those socialites must have been introduced to Colin by Jennifer, showing Jennifer and Celeste's determination to get him married.
Celeste and Jennifer were busy—Celeste chatting with someone important alongside Patricia, and Jennifer tangled up with the Browns.
Colin waved at Sophia.
Sophia told Ruth, "Ruth, wait here a sec. I'll go say hi."
"Okay, go ahead."
As soon as Sophia left, Gabriel came over.
Ruth asked, "Where are the kids?"
"I had Betty take them to the car."
Gabriel then pushed Ruth out of the banquet hall.
In a quiet spot, Ruth said, "Gabriel, I think there's something off about the Blackwood family's recognition."
Gabriel's heart tightened. "Does it have to do with Sophie?"
Ruth shared what Sophia had told her. Gabriel thought for a moment. "I'll look into it quietly. Don't worry, Grandma."
"Okay."
Meanwhile, Colin saw Sophia and looked relieved.
Sophia smiled, and the socialites made room for her.
"Who's this?" one of them asked Colin.
"This is my..." Colin started, then changed his tone, "This is the most important person to me."
He winked at Sophia.
Sophia got the hint that Colin wanted her to help him fend off the socialites.
Some of them looked at Sophia with challenging or jealous eyes.
Sophia couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing Colin's pleading eyes, she took his arm, showing they were close.
Soon, some socialites made excuses to leave.
After a bit, Colin and Sophia stood up and said to the remaining ones, "Sorry, we need to find someone over there."
They left.
Once far away, Colin sighed in relief. "Finally got rid of them. My God, it was terrifying. I didn't know what to say."
Sophia let go of his hand and laughed. "Colin, you don't seem shy. How come you don't know how to talk to girls?"
"Talking to one is fine, but so many at once? What am I supposed to say?" Colin said, frustrated.
Jennifer had really outdone herself, bringing so many socialites at once. Each one was so delicate and pretentious. If he said one wrong word, they'd feel wronged.
He didn't like such superficial socialites.
He liked independent and outstanding women.
"It's late, Colin. I'm heading home with the kids," Sophia said.
Colin checked his watch. "Alright, I'll see you off."
"No need, you still have guests. Gabriel will go with us."
"Okay."
Speaking of Gabriel, Colin was curious. "Have you made up with Gabriel?"
Sophia thought for a moment. "Yeah, we've made up, but I have no plans to get back together with him. We're just friends now."
"Then why are you living together?" Colin frowned. If Sophia wasn't reconciling with Gabriel, staying at The Lancaster Villa could harm her reputation.
"The villa at Harbor Bay burned down. I..." Sophia explained what had happened that day.
Colin listened, furious. "Who would want you dead?"
A lot had happened to Sophia while they were out of the country.
"We haven't found out yet."
Colin's brow furrowed deeply. "Gabriel risked his life to save you; maybe he truly regrets his past actions. Sophie, I won't push you to do anything you don't want to do, but remember, you are my sister, a Blackwood. If anything like this happens again, you must tell us immediately."
This made it easier for him to understand why Sophia was staying at The Lancaster Villa. Until they found the culprit, it was the safest option for Sophia and her kids.
Listening to Colin, Sophia felt deeply moved. She hadn't mentioned it before because the Blackwood family was abroad, and she thought it was unnecessary. Telling them would only make them worry.
"Colin, having a brother feels really good," Sophia said.
Colin hugged Sophia, gently patting her back.
"Colin, do you need me to introduce you to a girlfriend?" she added.
Colin's face darkened, and he immediately let go of her, turning around and waving his hand. "You better get going."
Sophia pressed her lips together, smiling.
At the banquet, Patricia had seen Gabriel. She wanted to talk to him, but Celeste kept introducing her to various important people. She only managed to greet Gabriel briefly, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
She hadn't seen Gabriel in a long time and dreamed about him every night. She used to be a Brown, which might have been a bit of a status difference from the Lancaster family. But now, she was the heiress of the Blackwood family, far surpassing Sophia in status. She would have more opportunities to see Gabriel in the future.
Just wait, one day, she would make Sophia disappear completely from Gabriel's world.
When the banquet ended, Colin and Jennifer saw off the last wave of guests together. Seeing Jennifer looking a bit tired, Colin went to get a glass of warm water from a server.
As he passed by the balcony, he overheard Ella and Patricia talking.
Ella said, "I've temporarily deceived that bitch with your grandmother. You need to keep things steady on your end, understand?"
Patricia replied, "I understand, Mom. Don't worry."
'Who is that bitch?' Colin thought, his eyes darkening. He felt they might be plotting something, but when he tried to listen further, they changed the subject.
Colin stood there for a moment. Eavesdropping wasn't his thing, and since he didn't hear anything more, he left with the glass of water. But those two sentences stuck with him, making him feel that this newly recognized Patricia was full of schemes.
After the banquet, Celeste and Jennifer had an even higher opinion of Sophia. Patricia had messed things up, but Sophia had saved the day, making the banquet end perfectly.
The selection competition held by Fusion Dynamics Corporation was about to begin. All the registered designers were working hard in secret, except for Sophia, who didn't need to participate in the selection.
The selection had two rounds. The first round required submitting a design draft that the designer was most satisfied with. The second round involved designing and creating an outfit.
Jennifer called Sophia to Fusion Dynamics Corporation to look at the design drafts.
"Jennifer, these..." Sophia was puzzled.
"Take a look and give some suggestions."
Hearing this, Sophia was flattered. She never thought she would one day be a judge selecting others. She didn't refuse and spent the whole day at Fusion Dynamics Corporation.
Patricia came to Fusion Dynamics Corporation and heard that Sophia and Jennifer were in the conference room. She went to the break room, made two cups of coffee, and brought them to the conference room.
"Aunt, Sophia, take a break and have some coffee." Patricia acted completely obedient.
Sophia looked up but didn't acknowledge Patricia.
"Patricia, you're so thoughtful," Jennifer praised, taking a sip of the coffee.
"Aunt, are you looking at the design drafts of the candidates?" Patricia curiously leaned over. "Can I take a look?"
"Sure."
Patricia picked up a design draft and looked at it seriously. Jennifer, feeling a bit playful, decided to test her. "What do you think of this design?"
Patricia thought for a moment and pointed to a detail. "I think this part is a bit lacking. If the waistline were a bit higher, the overall effect would be better."
After saying this, Jennifer looked surprised, and even Sophia was a bit taken aback.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
