Chapter 371 How Could He Be Willing to Give Up Now?
The phone was quiet for what felt like forever before Randy's raspy voice finally broke the silence. "Uncle Seb, I can't choose. Sophie and the Smith Group mean the world to me."
He wanted to help the Lee Group, but he couldn't just abandon the Smith Group.
Back in the day, Alex had David and Clara backing him up, leaving Randy in the dust. Now, the dream Randy had always chased was almost within his grasp. With a bit more effort, he could be running the Smith Group in a few years. How could he just give that up now? But he couldn't let go of Sophie either.
Seb sighed, "Life's full of tough choices, and you can't have it all. You'll face more dilemmas like this. If your decision at that time would affect many people, would you still hesitate to make it?"
Randy let out a bitter laugh. "I don't know, Uncle Seb. What should I do?"
Seb replied, "Listen to your heart."
He could help Randy this time, but he couldn't solve Randy's problems forever. Randy had to learn to make his own decisions.
At the bar, Randy hung up, put his phone down, and downed his drink in one gulp, his eyes filled with pain. He didn't blame Seb; he blamed himself for not being strong enough. If he had worked a bit harder, maybe he wouldn't be in this mess now. But could he really just stand by and watch Sophie marry someone else? He didn't want to and couldn't bear the thought, so he kept drinking. Getting drunk seemed like a better option; at least he wouldn't feel so torn. But tonight, the alcohol felt like water. No matter how much he drank, his mind stayed clear.
Dwayne dropped Sophie off at her doorstep and turned to her. "Sophie, since I'm already here, why don't I go in and visit your parents? I have brought gifts."
Sophie's hand paused on the seatbelt. She was hesitating when her phone suddenly buzzed. Seeing it was a message from Sharon, she turned off the screen and said, "It's late. My parents might already be asleep. Let's do it another day."
Dwayne smiled. "I didn't think it through. You go on in."
Sophie said, "Okay, drive safe."
Dwayne replied, "Sure."
Sophie got out of the car and watched Dwayne's car drive away before heading inside.
Back in her bedroom, Sophie opened Sharon's chat.
Sharon: [Are you free lately? Let's meet up.]
After thinking for a moment, Sophie replied that she was free tomorrow at noon.
After ending the chat, Sophie tossed her phone aside and grabbed some clothes to take a shower.
The next day at noon, Sophie was a bit late due to traffic.
After sitting down across from Sharon, Sophie took a sip of water and looked at her. "Sharon, what do you need me for?"
Sharon took a card from her bag and handed it to her. "This is all my savings. It might not save the Lee Group, but it should ease the current pressure."
Sophie glanced at it but didn't take it. "Did Seb tell you?"
Sharon replied, "Yesterday, when I saw you with Dwayne, I could tell you weren't into him, so I asked Seb about Randy pursuing you."
Sophie nodded. "The Lee Group is in really bad shape. Even with funds, it might not be saved. What we need now are orders."
Sharon insisted, "Any help is better than none. At least it would ease the immediate crisis and give you time to think about things with Dwayne. Apart from marrying you, Dwayne could also directly acquire the Lee Group."
Sophie gave a bitter smile. "I know, but I don't have any other options right now."
A few days ago, when Dwayne took Sophie to meet his friends, Randy didn't tag along. When Sophie came back from the restroom and was about to enter the private room, she overheard someone asking Dwayne if he was serious about her. Dwayne's response? He was just playing with her feelings. That hit Sophie like a ton of bricks. But after mulling it over, she realized she had no right to complain. She was with Dwayne because of the Carr Group. Her own motives weren't exactly pure, so how could she expect genuine feelings from him?
Sharon frowned and shoved the card into Sophie's hand. "Sophie, take the money. If you really don't need it later, you can give it back. As for Dwayne, I get that you don't have many options now, so I won't try to talk you out of it. Just make sure you think it through and don't regret it."
Sophie's eyes welled up, and she didn't refuse anymore. "Sharon, thank you! No matter what happens to the Lee Group, I will definitely pay you back!"
During this rough patch, Sophie had figured out who her real friends were and who were just there to kick her when she was down.
Sharon said, "No need for thanks between us. And don't cry, or your mascara will run, and you won't look good."
Sophie smiled through her tears, wiped the corners of her eyes, and looked at Sharon with gratitude.
After lunch, Sophie left, and Sharon headed back to the office. Throughout the afternoon, Kirk popped into Sharon's office about four times to drop off documents. Near the end of the workday, he showed up again.
Sharon stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "Mr. Marshall, don't you think you've been coming here a bit too often today? Some of these documents could wait until tomorrow."
Kirk smiled, not feeling the least bit embarrassed. "Ms. Roach, I'm just trying to make sure your work isn't delayed. If you don't want to see me, you can have Ariana come to my office to get them."
"Why Ariana? Can't Jake do it?" Sharon shot back.
Kirk met Sharon's cold gaze, his smile deepening. "Ms. Roach, have you forgotten? Jake and Miguel have a grudge. If they interact again, they might argue or even fight."
His reason was valid, but Sharon still felt something was off. His attitude towards Ariana seemed different from before.
Sharon said, "I understand. I'll decide who to send. I need to monitor the experiment now. Mr. Marshall, please leave."
Seeing Sharon's attention shift to the experimental apparatus, Kirk squinted and turned to leave. He had just walked fifty feet from the lab when he ran into Ariana returning from the restroom.
"Good day, Mr. Marshall," Ariana said.
After a cold greeting, Ariana walked away without looking at him. Kirk turned and watched her cold back, a glint flashing in his eyes.
Back in the lab, Ariana sat down next to Sharon. "Sharon, hasn't Mr. Marshall been coming to the lab a bit too often this afternoon?"
Sharon was recording the temperature and answered after a while, "You noticed that too? He just told me that you could go to his office to get documents in the future."
Ariana frowned, impatience evident in her eyes. Since Kirk overheard her phone call yesterday, his attitude towards her had been off, making her very uncomfortable. She didn't need anyone's pity, especially from someone like Kirk, who she didn't think highly of. Miguel was his subordinate, but every time Miguel clashed with Jake or made snide remarks at Sharon, Kirk would vanish, only to reappear later to play peacemaker. Ariana had no interest in dealing with someone as scheming as Kirk.
Ariana said, "Sharon, if documents need to be delivered, let Jake or Adeline do it. I'd rather stay in the lab and work overtime on experiments."
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