Chapter 125: Wishing She Would Pay Attention to Me

The atmosphere in the president's office was exceedingly cold.

The female head of the marketing department stood with her head bowed, shaking uncontrollably.

"Mr. Taylor, I... I'm sorry... We surveyed over a thousand people. The report has its merits."

She tried to defend her work despite the chilling aura emanating from Benjamin.

Benjamin scoffed disdainfully.

"How many people are in the entire country? How many are in Pinecrest alone? A mere 1000 survey responses, what significance does that have?"

With a slap, Benjamin threw the report at the woman's feet and coldly commanded, "Get out. If I don't see a market survey of a hundred thousand people in three days, prepare your resignation!"

The woman became the fifth person that day whom Benjamin had yelled at until they cried.

Daniel silently kept count in his heart.

Benjamin yanked off his tight brown tie, both his tone and expression showing extreme impatience.

"What is human resources even doing? Useless!"

Daniel dared not reply.

One wrong word and he could be punished severely.

But what was going on today?

Benjamin's temper was exceptionally foul. He criticized mistakes he would normally overlook.

Furthermore, he usually disliked showing his emotions publicly, yet today, he wasn't hiding his anger at all.

Had something happened between him and Sophia last night?

That seemed unlikely.

The gifts Benjamin had prepared for Sophia were chosen with advice from Rebecca and according to Joshua, such details were sure to please.

Could it be that Sophia didn't like the paints and brushes?

Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at Benjamin.

The usually composed and handsome face now carried a tinge of red swelling that was barely noticeable.

Benjamin had been bitten!

By whom? Sophia?

"Daniel!" Benjamin called out sharply.

Daniel snapped to full attention and walked to the desk, "Mr. Taylor."

"Bring me brochures from a few travel agencies."

Daniel raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised, "Mr. Taylor, are you planning to travel soon?"

Benjamin was a workaholic. Since the company's inception, he had never taken a long vacation.

Benjamin's brow furrowed as he recalled last night.

Sophia had been trembling under the blankets, ignoring his attempts to console her...

His heart tightened as if a heavy stone lay upon it, the invisible wound painfully throbbing.

It was all going terribly wrong.

She had been so happy when receiving his gifts and even smiled at him, yet it ended up pushing her further away.

For the first time, he felt utterly helpless. Despite his best intentions, every attempt seemed to fail to win her approval.

"Arrange my work ahead of time. I need to make room for a honeymoon," Benjamin stated seriously.

If Sophia cared about them not having a honeymoon, he would make it up to her.

Her willingness to argue was a good sign. It meant she still cared.

He feared most her indifference, possibly thinking only of divorce, never wanting to deal with him again.

Benjamin scoffed to himself, amused by his own insecurity.

"Alright, I'll try to move up crucial appointments," Daniel noted on his tablet.

"By the way, Mr. Taylor, there's a business luncheon with investors at noon. Will you be attending?"

For the past half month, all such luncheons had been canceled. If there were no meetings, Benjamin would head straight home to Oakleaf Estates to cook for Sophia.

Benjamin hesitated.

Would Sophia want to see him if he went home for lunch?

...

At Oakleaf Estates, Sophia sat on the sofa in the studio, her face pale, her eyes watery but lifeless as she hugged her knees, lost in thought.

She remembered the events of last night.

Benjamin held her tightly, tenderly kissing her forehead, cheeks, and lips, playfully apologizing while biting her earlobe with a threatening tease, "If you don't speak, I'll keep kissing you."

Sophia, stubborn as ever, had decided not to change her mind about the people she'd been disappointed by, and would not easily give them another chance.

Unable to bear his cold treatment any longer, Benjamin caressed her cheek and covered her lips with his own.

Sophia, who was pushed to her limit, bit his lip fiercely in retaliation.

Benjamin's lip bled from the bite.

He let go of her in pain, and she took the chance to hide under the blanket.

Tearing the blanket away, Benjamin had wanted to scold her, but as he turned her shoulders towards him, he discovered she was huddled in the blanket, biting her lip, and silently crying.

Her silent tears were more grievous and heart-wrenching than any sound.

Benjamin's expression was a mix of frustration and pain as he watched her for a long time.

Finally, he wrapped her tightly in the blanket and left the master bedroom without a word.

Knock, knock.

"Madam."

It took several knocks before Sophia came back to her senses.

"Come in."

As the door opened, Sophia straightened her posture.

Laura entered, "Madam, what would you like for lunch? I'll have the chef prepare it."

Sophia was about to say she wouldn't eat but considering the time wasted today, she knew she needed to finish painting to meet the competition deadline.

She quickly ordered two dishes with Laura, who nodded, "Alright, I'll prepare them."

Sophia nodded, and Laura left the studio.

Turning her face towards the small balcony, she saw the flowers blooming under the early spring sun, the leaves glistening seductively.

The vibrant life of spring coaxed a faint smile from Sophia.

Perhaps a walk in the garden could lift her spirits.

Sophia descended the stairs from the studio and was about to reach the living room when she saw Laura speaking with someone at the entrance.

"Ms. Roberts? You... Wait, you can't go in!"

"Out of the way!"

The visitors shoved Laura aside aggressively.

Laura fell heavily to the ground.

"Laura!" Sophia hurried to her side, attempting to help her up, "Are you alright?"

"Madam..."

The visitors stormed into the villa.

Shadowed figures blocked the light as Sophia first saw a pair of burgundy leather boots.

As she looked up, the thin, malicious face of Charlotte appeared.

"Little bastard, we haven't seen each other in a while."