Chapter 522 Connections
Sophia rolled out of her studio and heard some ruckus downstairs.
She glanced at the clock; it was already 11:30.
Sophia thought, 'Is Gabriel just getting back now?'
She headed downstairs and, sure enough, there was Gabriel, sprawled on the couch, glued to his phone.
He was so into it, with his brows all scrunched up, that he didn't even notice Sophia coming up.
"Gabriel."
"Hmm?" Gabriel looked up and quickly stashed his phone away.
Sophia caught that sneaky move and felt a bit puzzled.
"Want a late-night snack?" she asked.
Gabriel hesitated for a sec, then a small smile spread across his face. "Sure."
Sophia whipped up two plates of pasta, nothing fancy, just some greens.
Looking at the plain pasta, it was hard to get excited about it.
But Gabriel dug in like it was a five-star meal, totally into it.
Sophia was surprised for a moment, then couldn't help but smile as she ate slowly.
They ate in silence, not a word between them.
After finishing, Gabriel even slurped up all the soup.
Sophia asked, "Did you skip dinner?"
"Yeah, got too busy and forgot."
Sophia frowned a bit. "Your stomach's not great. If you keep skipping meals, you might end up with gastritis again."
Hearing her concern, Gabriel felt pretty happy. The end of the year was crazy busy, and work had him swamped. Plus, he was digging into the Kellys' stuff, so he was in and out at all hours, barely eating.
"Okay, I'll be more careful," Gabriel said, playing along.
"Gabriel," she called him again.
"Hmm?"
Sophia opened her mouth, wanting to say "thank you," but changed her mind.
"Clean up the dishes," she said, eyeing the plates.
Gabriel chuckled and got up. "Alright, I'll clean up."
He took the dishes to the kitchen. When he came back, Sophia had already gone upstairs.
Tonight, Sophia was acting a bit different. She was surprisingly nice to him and even made pasta. Simple, but his favorite.
Gabriel licked his lips, savoring the taste.
The classical fashion show results were out. Sophia's win was legit, no shady stuff. Plus, Patricia got disqualified for cheating and banned from related competitions for two years.
This pretty much ended Patricia's career.
Patricia read the official announcement, gripping her phone tight, eyes wide.
This competition was supposed to set her up to take over Fusion Dynamics Corporation. Now, Sophia had ruined everything!
Patricia hadn't even fully stepped into the industry before getting booted out.
She was fuming.
Now, Celeste was super disappointed in her and wouldn't even pick up her calls.
Patricia's eyes were bloodshot. She hated Sophia with every fiber of her being. 'Why hadn't Sophia died back then?' she cursed inwardly.
Just then, Patricia's phone rang. It was an unknown number.
Patricia answered.
A sweet voice came through. "Miss Brown, this is Tiffany. I've seen everything online."
Patricia's tone was icy. "Here to mock me?"
"You got it wrong. I'm on your side. Why would I mock you?"
As she said this, Tiffany was actually gloating.
When she had approached Patricia for a collab, Patricia had not only refused but also humiliated her.
She had never forgotten that grudge and humiliation.
But now, she had to play it cool. To take down Sophia, she needed an ally.
"Miss Brown, you can't take on Sophia solo."
Patricia felt a bit rattled. With everything that had gone down, Sophia had the Lancaster family backing her, and the Blackwoods were all about her. Patricia's situation was getting dicey.
"So, what's your plan?" she asked.
Tiffany paused, then dropped her voice. "You're a Blackwood descendant. If you play the Blackwood connections right, you can make Sophia's life a living hell."
"The Blackwood connections?" Patricia mumbled.
Tiffany's eyes flashed with disdain. Patricia had no clue how powerful the Blackwood connections were. 'Patricia is such an idiot,' Tiffany thought.
"Fusion Dynamics Corporation has deep roots in City B. The Blackwoods are a century-old prestigious family with endless connections. Even after moving abroad, those ties are still strong. Miss Brown, if you can tap into the Blackwood family's network, you'll be untouchable in City B."
Patricia only knew the Blackwoods were loaded. At the last banquet, tons of big shots had shown up. She thought they came because of the Blackwoods' money.
She had totally underestimated the situation.
Thinking about it, Patricia's spirits lifted.
She wanted Fusion Dynamics Corporation and everything the Blackwood family had.
If she could snag those connections, not only she but also the Browns could stay on top in City B.
"But my grandmother is super disappointed in me right now," Patricia said, feeling stuck.
Tiffany thought for a moment. "Miss Brown, let me give you a hint."
"What?"
"The day after tomorrow, there's gonna be a heavy snowfall in City B."
"What do you mean?"
Patricia didn't get it, but Tiffany didn't bother explaining and quickly hung up.
Patricia checked the weather forecast. Sure enough, heavy snowfall was predicted for the day after tomorrow. 'But what does that have to do with me?' she wondered.
After thinking for a long time, Patricia finally got what Tiffany meant.
Today, Simon finished acupuncture for Nicholas and was packing up his tools when he said, "Starting tomorrow, find someone to learn massage from me. Then have them massage you daily to improve blood circulation and muscle function."
Sharpe immediately jumped in to help.
With Charles not around and Nicholas not planning to hire another assistant, Sharpe was doing double duty.
But as soon as he moved, Nicholas raised his hand to stop him.
"How about her?" Nicholas pointed to Caroline, who was standing nearby.
Simon had come to give Nicholas acupuncture and also to check Caroline's pulse, so she was there too.
"Me?" Caroline pointed at herself, totally shocked, then shook her head like crazy. "I can't do it."
She had work; she didn't have the time.
Plus...
"She can do it," Simon said, not caring if Caroline was up for it or not. Having made up his mind, he straightened one of Nicholas's legs on the couch.
"Watch closely. I'll show you once."
Caroline didn't even get a chance to refuse and was forced to watch Simon's massage technique.
To make sure Caroline wouldn't forget, Sharpe pulled out his phone and recorded it.
An hour later, after Simon had shown her five times, he asked, "Got it?"
Caroline replied, "More or less."
"Then you try it," Simon said.
Caroline bit her lip and reluctantly stepped forward.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
