Chapter 423 How Would I be Any Different From You Five Years Ago？
Sophie's eyes were like daggers, piercing right through Daniel's heart. The pain was so intense that it was spreading all over his body, almost suffocating him.
Daniel took a deep breath, "Sophie, five years ago, I was clueless about my feelings. I did a lot of things that hurt you. While I was abroad, I thought about you every single day. Sophie, I..."
Sophie cut him off, "Daniel, don't tell me you're about to say you love me."
Daniel's face went stiff, his eyes filled with guilt and longing. "Sophie, can't you give me another chance? I promise I'll cherish you and never hurt you again."
Sophie's expression didn't change. "Daniel, you're delusional. I'm not sad over you anymore. Your so-called love is just selfishness."
"If you really loved me, would you have slept with another woman? Would you come back asking for another chance when I have a boyfriend? If I got back with you, how would I be any different from you five years ago?" Sophie continued.
When Sophie caught Daniel in bed with another woman five years ago, her feelings for him died right then and there. Just looking at him now made her feel sick.
Daniel's face went pale, but he quickly pulled himself together. "Sophie, I know I messed up, and it's hard for you to forgive me right away, but I can wait. One day, you'll see that I'm the one who's right for you."
"Are you out of your mind?" Sophie rolled her eyes. Daniel was a decent guy, but his time abroad must've scrambled his brain.
Daniel didn't push it any further. His eyes flicked from Sophie to Sharon, then quickly looked away.
"I've got something to do. Enjoy yourselves," Daniel said.
He stood up, adjusted his suit, and walked away. It wasn't until he was out of sight that Sophie's expression softened a bit.
Sophie turned to Sharon, incredulous. "Do I look like I'm still hung up on him? How can he be so confident?"
Even if every man on earth disappeared, she wouldn't give Daniel another glance.
Seeing Sophie's angry face, Sharon couldn't help but laugh. "No, it's him who's not normal."
"Good. I don't want anything to do with that jerk anymore," Sophie said.
Just thinking about the time she spent with him made her feel gross.
"Alright, don't get mad. He's not worth it," Sharon said.
Sophie nodded, "Yeah, you're right. I'm gonna grab something to eat. Want anything?"
"No, I'm good," Sharon replied.
"Okay," Sophie said.
After Sophie left, Sharon leaned back on the sofa, her eyes drifting to Seb, who was chatting with some people nearby. She couldn't help but smile.
Seb noticed her looking and turned to meet her gaze, his cold eyes softening instantly.
He said something to the person next to him and walked over to Sharon. "Are you bored?"
As Seb sat down beside her, the faint scent of cedar surrounded her.
Sharon's fingers curled slightly, and she looked up at him. "Not really, Sophie's keeping me company."
"Alright, if you get bored or want to leave, just let me know. We can go anytime," Seb said.
"Okay, you go ahead. Don't worry about me," Sharon said.
For men, this kind of party was just like a business meeting, with only the setting for making deals changing. Seb was the CEO of Silvercrest Group, so even if he wasn't planning to talk business, people would still flock to him.
"Alright," Seb replied. He tucked a strand of hair behind Sharon's ear and leaned in close.
Suddenly, Sophie's voice cut in, "Mr. Smith, no PDA allowed."
Seb paused and pulled back, turning to look at Sophie. "Ms. Lee, I'll remember this time."
Sophie looked smug. "When you and Sharon get married, I better be one of the bridesmaids. By the way, Mr. Smith, what did you say?"
Seb said, "I said I would remember to treat you to a meal."
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "I'm free any day. Mr. Smith can contact me anytime."
"Alright," Seb said, his face darkening a bit.
Seeing Seb get shut down, Sharon couldn't help but laugh.
Seb looked at her, his eyes full of mock hurt.
Sharon barely held back her laughter. "You can go talk business."
"Okay," Seb replied.
After Seb left, Sophie plopped down next to Sharon. "By the way, I just saw Ayla and Grace sneaking around. Who knows what they're up to."
Thinking of Ayla's arrogant attitude during Demetrius and Jerold's fight, Sharon frowned and said, "Ignore them."
"I'm just worried they might be planning something against you," Sophie said anxiously.
Seeing the concern in Sophie's eyes, Sharon's gaze softened a bit. "I know, I'll be careful."
"Alright," Sophie said.
Sophie's eyes fell on Ayla and Grace, who were still gathering together in the corner, and her grip on her wine glass tightened.
But with Seb's protection, Grace and Ayla probably wouldn't dare to mess with Sharon.
Thinking of this, Sophie finally felt relieved and planned to remind Seb to have someone keep an eye on Sharon and Demetrius.
Meanwhile, Ayla and Grace were standing in the corner, both looking a bit upset.
Ayla looked at Grace coldly, her expression contemptuous. "Didn't you say you could handle Sharon? I've been waiting forever and haven't seen any action. If you can't do it, stop wasting my time."
Grace's face was gloomy. "The person helping me deal with Sharon has been busy, so the plan hasn't been put into action yet."
Ayla snorted. "I shouldn't have trusted you in the first place. Until I get the results I want, the project I promised you won't be given to you."
When Grace first approached her, she had asked for a project from the Bridges Group. Ayla had promised to give the project to the Edwards Group once Sharon was dealt with.
Grace gritted her teeth. "Ms. Bridges, is it that you can't actually make decisions about that project, so you've been stalling?"
If Grace didn't get that project soon, she'd be in deep trouble with Victor. The places where Victor had beaten her still ached, and she didn't want to go through that kind of pain again.
If she kept living like this, she would go crazy!
Ayla laughed, her tone condescending. "You're in no position to ask me that. Remember, you're the one asking for my help, not the other way around. The Bridges Group can give that project to anyone. I'll give you one more week. If there's still no progress, my promise to you is off the table."
After saying that, Ayla couldn't be bothered to look at Grace anymore and turned to leave.
Watching Ayla's haughty back, Grace clenched her dress tightly, her eyes full of anger.
When Ayla returned to Leo's side, he was chatting with Jerry from Starlight Corporation.
Hearing Leo and Jerry discussing the Golden Water Resort project, Ayla stood beside Leo with a glass of wine, seemingly just accompanying him, but in reality, she was listening to every word they said.
"Mr. Wendy, I was quite interested in collaborating with the Bridges Group, but since you haven't responded, I signed a contract with Mr. Elliot from the Elliott Group. He transferred the funds to Starlight Corporation's account this afternoon. Maybe we can work together next time," Jerry said.
Leo nodded, "Alright, Mr. Simmons, the investment for this project is quite large. We'll collaborate on another good project next time."
Jerry looked at Ayla and smiled, "I admire Ms. Bridges' boldness. We must collaborate in the future."
Ayla forced a smile, "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Simmons. I still have a lot to learn from you."
"Ms. Bridges is too modest. I believe the Bridges Group will thrive under your leadership," Jerry said.
These words pleased Ayla, and her smile became more genuine. "I hope so."
"I have some other business to attend to today, so I'll take my leave. Let's chat next time," Jerry said.
After Jerry left, Leo looked at Ayla. "Where did you go just now?"
"I was chatting with a friend," Ayla replied.
Leo didn't press further. "You heard what Mr. Simmons said. The Golden Water Resort project has already gone to the Elliott Group, so don't bring it up to Grandpa anymore."
Ayla had approached Garry several times in the past few days, trying to persuade him to invest in the Golden Water Resort project, but to no avail.
Now that the project had been taken by another group, she had no choice but to give up, no matter how unwilling she was.
"I understand," Ayla said.
Seeing her unhappy expression, Leo tried to comfort her. "Don't worry. As long as you do your job better than Damon, Grandpa will definitely let you manage the group."
Ayla didn't respond. Garry had let her manage the group because Damon used to be irresponsible. Once Damon started taking the group seriously, she wouldn't get a single share, let alone the promised shares.
She had joined the group right after graduating from college and had worked diligently for years. She would never hand over the Bridges Group to that useless Damon.
Thinking of this, she looked up at Leo. "Leo, you'll help me, right?"
"Of course, you're my wife. Who else would I help?" Leo replied.
Ayla's eyes flickered, and she smiled gently. "Good."
Leo better not betray her, or she would make sure he lost everything.
The party ended around nine in the evening.
Since the driver had an emergency at home, Seb drove back.
On the way, Sharon called Robert to inform him about the impending demolition of their house. As expected, Robert was adamant about not demolishing it.
After hanging up, Seb casually asked, "How did you know Sunnyvale Community is going to be demolished?"
"Bernice told me tonight. Didn't you know about her collaboration with the Bridges Group?" Sharon replied.
"I'm not very interested," Seb said, keeping his eyes on the road, speaking nonchalantly.
In Seb's view, Bernice's small company was just a minor player, unlikely to grow big, but it was enough to support her family.
"She said tonight that if my dad agrees to be the first to demolish, they would give him an extra house," Sharon said.
Seb turned on the left signal, stopped at the intersection, and looked at Sharon. "Does your dad not want to demolish?"
"Yeah, and I don't really want to either," Sharon replied.
"Then don't demolish," Seb said.
Sharon raised an eyebrow at him. "You're not the project manager. Can you just decide not to demolish it? Besides, some people probably want to demolish, but they just want to get more benefits."
She didn't believe everyone wanted to continue living in that old, rundown community.
"I can buy the project," Seb said.
"If you have that money, just give it to me," Sharon said.
As soon as she finished speaking, Seb handed her an Express Centurion Card. "This is my main card. All my savings are in it."
Sharon was stunned for a moment, then immediately refused. "No need, I have enough money."
Seb didn't insist and took the card back. Anyway, once they got married, he would hand over the bank card to her.
"Are you sure you don't need my help with the demolition?" Seb confirmed again.
"No need. Maybe my dad will change his mind someday," Sharon said.
Seb didn't say anything else, and the car fell silent. However, soon, a phone ringing broke the silence.
Seb glanced at the phone. It was Paul. He answered with his left hand. "What's up?"
"Mr. Smith, Falcon has results on what you asked him to investigate. The detailed information has been sent to your email," Paul said.
Seb's eyes darkened. "Alright, I got it. I'll check it when I get back."
After this call, Seb's driving speed noticeably increased, and his demeanor became more focused. In less than half an hour, the car stopped at the villa entrance.
As they walked into the villa, Seb told Sharon to go upstairs first while he went to the study to handle some work.
"Okay," Sharon nodded.
Back in the study, Seb immediately turned on his computer, logged into his email, and downloaded the file Paul had sent. A complete dossier on Jesse appeared before him.
After reading it, Seb's expression turned extremely grim.
On the surface, Jesse was an executive at MK Group, but behind the scenes, he had close ties with the Stellaria mafia. He actually worked for the Stoll family behind MK Group, handling various shady dealings for them.
The only connection he had with Sharon was through their mutual acquaintance, Grace. It seemed Seb would have to get clues from Grace.
Seb took out his phone and called Victor. "I'm sending you a file. I need to know why Jesse is investigating Sharon within three days."
"Alright, but I want that piece of land Silvercrest Group owns in the south of Metropolis," Victor said.
The response Victor got was the sound of the call being hung up. Victor knew Seb's character. Not refusing meant it was negotiable.
The phone soon beeped with a new message. Victor opened the document Seb had sent. At first, Victor had a smile on his face, but the more he read, the darker his expression became, until it was almost ashen.
That Grace had been sleeping with others abroad but pretended to be pure in front of him, using his affection for her to manipulate him against Sharon!
The thought of being played by such a woman made Victor feel deeply humiliated.
Victor let out a cold laugh and walked out of the bedroom with his phone.
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