Chapter 43

After leaving the clothing store, Jack took Sophia to a cosmetics store, a jewelry store, and a shoe store.

They bought almost everything in sight.

They didn't stop until the car was completely packed.

Sophia looked at the mountain of clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics piled up in the back seat, feeling both touched and a little uneasy.

"Jack..." she said softly. "We bought so many things. Isn't this... too much money to spend?"

"Too much?"

Jack shook his head with a smile as he started the car. "Sophia, money's for spending. If it makes you happy, what does this amount even matter?"

"But..."

Sophia wanted to say more, but Jack cut her off.

"Alright, don't overthink it."

Jack affectionately ruffled Sophia's hair. Then he pulled out a card from his pocket and held it in front of her.

It was a gold-embossed card.

"Take it," Jack said gently.

Sophia froze. Looking at the card gleaming in front of her, she instinctively pulled her hand back.

"Jack, this... what is this?"

"This is my secondary card," Jack explained calmly. He placed it in Sophia's palm and then closed her slender fingers around it. "From now on, buy whatever you want. I want you to have money of your own."

Sophia felt the cool weight of the card against her skin.

"I can't take this..." Sophia quickly shook her head.

She tried hard to return the card to Jack, her eyes reddening. "Jack, you've already spent too much money on me. How can I still..."

Before she could finish, Jack immediately interrupted her.

"Sophia, look at me."

Sophia looked up and met Jack's deep, ocean-like eyes.

"I'm not just anyone.

I'm your Jack.

In this world, you're the person closest to me.

And the most important person to me.

So what's mine is yours. You don't need to feel uncomfortable. With me here, you're still that carefree princess you used to be."

Sophia stared at Jack in a daze, and her tears finally spilled over.

Ever since her father's downfall, after her stepmother kicked her out, she had seen how cold people could be.

She thought the world would leave her behind, that she'd be on her own, clinging to life like a weed.

But then Jack appeared.

He was like a beam of light, cutting through the darkness around her, holding her close and protecting her with care.

"Jack..."

Sophia couldn't hold back anymore. She threw herself into Jack's arms and burst into tears.

Jack gently patted her back, letting her tears soak his shirt.

"Alright, stop crying, or you'll look ugly.

Didn't you want to go to the concert?

Let's hurry back, get you all dressed up, and I'll take you there."

Hearing this, Sophia lifted her head from Jack's embrace.

"But... the concert tickets sold out long ago. The news said tickets are impossible to get, and the prices have been driven sky-high."

Jack gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes with his thumb, a confident smile playing on his lips. "As long as you want to go, there's nothing I can't handle."

"Look what this is," Jack said.

He pulled out two tickets from his jacket.

From the moment Sophia mentioned wanting to see the concert, Jack had already arranged for someone to get tickets.

For Jack, now, Sophia was his most important person.

Never mind concert tickets.

Even if she wanted the moon, Jack would find a way to get it for her.

"This is!"

Seeing the tickets in Jack's hand, Sophia's eyes lit up.

"It's tickets to Vivian's concert!

And they're front-row tickets too! These tickets are so rare, Jack. How did you get them?" Sophia said excitedly.

"I have my ways.

So, are you happy?" Jack asked.

"Happy." Sophia nodded joyfully.

Viridis State, downtown sports stadium plaza.

This was the largest stadium venue in Viridis State.

It could hold about eighty thousand people at once.

Although it was only six in the afternoon, the area outside the stadium was already packed shoulder to shoulder.

Huge banners hung all around the venue, reading "Vivian's Viridis State Tour Concert."

Although the concert hadn't officially started yet, the atmosphere was already at a fever pitch.

Countless fans held glow sticks and support signs, shouting Vivian's name at the top of their lungs.

"Vivian! Vivian! Vivian!"

The shouting was deafening, as if it could shake the entire stadium.

At the VIP entrance, a black sedan slowly came to a stop.

The car door opened, and a pair of long legs in high heels stepped out first.

Then a stunning face appeared before everyone.

It was tonight's star, Vivian.

She wore a black evening gown and sunglasses, her aura cool and regal, like a queen descending.

"Vivian! It's Vivian!"

The fans instantly erupted, screams rising one after another.

Vivian waved to the fans, a polite smile on her lips, then quickly walked into the VIP passage.

Soon, Vivian arrived backstage.

"Vivian."

As soon as Vivian entered, Susan came up to greet her.

"How is it? Is the performance schedule all arranged?" Vivian asked.

Susan nodded and handed the schedule to Vivian, her tone carrying a hint of excitement. "Everything's arranged. The governor of Viridis State is taking this very seriously. He's personally coordinating security, and state police have been brought in to help maintain order. He said he'll make sure your concert goes off without a hitch."

Having the governor personally involved in venue security wasn't something you saw every day.

Still, given Vivian's current fame and influence, it wasn't hard to understand.

After all, Vivian was Marigoldia's hottest star.

Whenever she released a new song, it immediately topped the major music platforms, and she kept winning awards.

Right now, Vivian was one of the most valuable names in the industry.

Vivian took the schedule but didn't look at it. She only nodded lightly.

Her gaze passed through the dressing room window to the sea of glow sticks outside, and a trace of loneliness flickered in her eyes.

"By the way, what about the thing I asked you to check? Did he come?"

Vivian's voice was soft, almost as if she were talking to herself.

Susan paused for a moment, then realized who the "he" was.

She immediately said, "We checked. Two front-row tickets were purchased by the same person."

"Is it him?" Vivian asked urgently.

"Yes, it's Mr. Carter," Susan nodded.

She didn't understand why Vivian wanted them to investigate someone named Jack.

But perhaps it had something to do with why Vivian scheduled the concert in Viridis State.

Hearing the news she wanted, a slight smile appeared on Vivian's lips.

She immediately said to Susan, "Have the makeup artist come in."