Chapter 82 Strange Orval

Chapter 82 Strange Orval

"Chase, what are you doing here? Is this some kind of family gathering? It's not like anything I've seen before."

Orval frowned, looking puzzled as his eyes swept back and forth across the group.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Sophia. He turned to look at her, his gaze examining her from head to toe.

"I've never seen this beautiful lady before. Chase, who is she?"

He pointed at Sophia, signaling Chase to make an introduction.

"Mr. Montes! This is my troublesome niece. We're not having a family gathering—I'm embarrassed you had to see this."

Chase explained briefly, then looked at the security guards in front of them.

"What are you standing around for? Back off!"

The security guards looked at each other, none daring to move. The group of people Sophia had brought were all tall and strong—if it came to a fight, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Orval's expression didn't change, though a hint of surprise showed in his eyes. He turned around and focused intently on Sophia, as if admiring a work of art.

"I've heard Chase has a niece. You're Sophia, right? You're quite a beauty."

The flattery made Sophia feel sick. Ever since this man appeared, she felt a visceral disgust toward him.

Whether it was the man himself or his voice, everything about him made her feel nauseated.

Watching Orval approach her, Sophia instinctively took half a step back, keeping her distance.

"I don't like strangers. Sorry, but we're dealing with family matters today. Are you planning to stick around?"

Sophia's eyes were sharp, her cold gaze fixed on Orval, but he showed no intention of leaving.

"I've come from far away—that makes me a guest. Are you trying to kick me out? Besides, I do have some business dealings with the Mitchell family."

At those words, Sophia's eyes suddenly became piercing.

To casually bring up the Mitchell family like that—this man was definitely not simple.

A foreigner, yet he'd investigated domestic affairs so thoroughly.

She was just an ordinary person now, yet he'd still set his sights on her.

Everything pointed to one conclusion for Sophia: something was off.

She raised her hand, and all the bodyguards retreated.

"I really didn't expect you to know so much."

Sophia laughed lightly, though her eyes held deep anger.

"Ms. Brown, you're too kind. I just enjoy gossip a bit more than most people. Please don't take offense."

He paused, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Well,, wasn't Ms. Brown planning to come inside? Why don't we go together?"

Sophia stood there without speaking. Meeting his gaze gave her the strange feeling of being watched by a hunter.

Who exactly was this man?

"No need. I have other matters to arrange at home. Since Chase has a guest, I'll be going."

Sophia looked coldly at the group, her gaze settling on Orval's upturned lips.

This man was definitely not ordinary.

The roar of engines sounded in her ears as all the cars drove off into the distance.

Once Sophia left, Chase's tense heart relaxed a bit.

"Mr. Montes, we're really lucky you were here today. Otherwise, that crazy woman might have done who knows what to us..."

Ignoring everyone else, Orval lifted his foot and kicked Chase hard in the stomach. The gentle look on his face turned to pure hatred.

Just that look alone scared Chase out of his wits.

He clutched his stomach, curling up on the ground in pain, not daring to say a word.

Juno and Emily were so frightened they cried but didn't dare make a sound, looking timidly at Orval, as if afraid of provoking this plague god.

"Chase, as long as you're alive, don't forget the task headquarters gave you. If you can't even do this, headquarters will reassess your capabilities."

Orval snorted coldly, unhurriedly adjusting his sleeves.

His words were like a collar around Chase's neck, impossible to escape.

"I, I understand! I definitely won't let headquarters down!"

He knelt on the ground, afraid any movement might anger Orval again.

Orval looked around, his gaze falling on the security guards nearby.

"You know what to do—I don't need to tell you. As for Sophia, don't worry. The Mitchell family definitely won't protect her, so you don't need to stress. Since this is settled, you handle the rest."

"Yes!"

As he finished speaking, Orval glanced at him, then turned and walked out.

The car door closed. He rested his chin on one hand, staring at Chase and the others with extreme displeasure.

"I don't know what headquarters was thinking, choosing this idiot. He can't even manage his own business—what use is he?"

"Keep investigating Sophia. See who else is around her besides the Mitchell family."

"Yes!"

Right now in Emerald City, the only real threat was the Mitchell family. The damn problem was that the Mitchell family's business spread across the country and even had markets abroad.

Taking on such a massive family would be incredibly difficult. He just wondered if there were any internal issues he could exploit.

On the way back, Sophia didn't say a word. Isla stayed by her side, worried, as she watched her so silent.

"What's wrong, Ms. Brown? Are you in a bad mood?"

Isla asked tentatively.

Sophia was dazed for a moment, then came to her senses and smiled at Isla.

"It's nothing. I came here today wanting to find out who was behind Chase. I just didn't expect this bonus discovery."

Isla was confused, tilting her head and leaning forward to ask.

"Ms. Brown, are you saying that Orval is the person behind Chase?"

Sophia nodded, but then her expression suddenly became serious.

"That's only half right. Orval is just one person. The relationships behind him must be complex. He alone couldn't have that much confidence. Let's investigate this person first and see what we find."

She made a phone call, spoke for a dozen seconds, then hung up directly.

Soon her phone vibrated. She took it out—a document had been sent over.

Sophia read through the document three times, becoming more certain of her thoughts.

"Just as I thought. Orval is just a small player. The person behind him is the big shot. I just don't know who that person is—we can't even find that out."

After handling things here, Sophia headed straight to Jade Haven.

Since Jade Haven became an overnight success, more and more orders kept coming in. Jade Haven had suddenly become very busy.

By the end of the day, Sophia felt like all her energy had been drained.

"I really didn't expect so many orders today. We've never seen anything like this before!"

Zander was as happy as a child, dancing around excitedly, when suddenly a heavy perfume smell invaded Sophia's nose.