Chapter 188

Chapter 188

"Don't mention that woman. Just thinking about her pisses me off."

The moment he finished speaking, there was a sudden commotion at the bar entrance.

James looked up and saw a woman in a white dress standing at the entrance, being blocked by the bar's security.

That face—he knew it all too well.

Sophia now was completely different from before.

Gone was her usual refined makeup, her hair was somewhat disheveled, and she looked much more haggard overall.

Only her eyes remained unchanged, burning with a stubborn determination that bordered on pathological obsession.

"Let me in! I need to see James!"

Sophia's voice was loud, drowning out the music, and immediately drew many curious glances.

The security guard stood his ground, looking more awkward than intimidated.

"Miss, you don't have a reservation."

"I said I need to see James! Do you know who I am?"

Sophia’s voice was shrill, lacking even a vestige of the reserved dignity she had once possessed as the daughter of the Johnson family.

James watched the spectacle, his expression darkening into a mask of cold annoyance.

His friends also noticed Sophia, and someone whispered a reminder.

"Mr. Smith, isn't that your ex-girlfriend? That's Lady Sophia of the Johnson family."

"What Lady Sophia?"

James snorted disdainfully, his smile taking on a cruel edge.

"The Johnson family is finished. There's no Lady Sophia anymore."

While they were talking, Sophia had already pushed past the security guard and was walking aggressively toward James.

Her steps were unsteady—clearly she'd had quite a bit to drink.

She stopped in front of the booth, staring down at James with red-rimmed eyes.

"James, you bastard!"

Her voice trembled, thick with long-simmering rage and a sense of profound betrayal.

But faced with her accusation, James just leaned back on the sofa, leisurely taking a sip of his drink without even lifting an eyelid.

"What are you doing here?"

Seeing his indifferent attitude, Sophia was instantly enraged.

Sophia stepped forward, pointing a trembling finger at his face as she launched into a tirade.

"You have the nerve to ask me what I'm doing here! Let me ask you—did you do something to betray me? Did you sleep with another woman..."

Before she could finish, James cut her off.

"So what if I did?"

James interjected, finally meeting her eyes. His gaze was as clinical and detached as if he were observing a stranger.

"Sophia, wake up. You and I are done. Long done."

Seeing him so readily distance himself from her, Sophia's voice suddenly rose.

"Done? What gives you the right to say we're done? What did you tell me back then? You said you'd marry me, that you'd treat me well forever! James, you broke your promise!"

Her outburst was loud enough to turn heads across the club. James’s face clouded over.

James's face instantly darkened.

He set his glass down with a sharp clack and rose to his feet, towering over her.

"Things I said? Ha, I've said a lot of things. You actually took them seriously?"

Never imagining James would say such things, Sophia froze on the spot, her voice trembling.

"What do you mean?"

James leaned closer, his low voice audible only to the two of them.

"I mean I never loved you. From the start, I was just playing around. When the Johnson family had money and power, I was with you because it was mutually beneficial—we were a good match. Now that the Johnson family is finished, you mean nothing to me."

Sophia's face turned deathly pale.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her throat felt blocked and no sound came out.

"Don't you understand?"

James stepped back, hands in his pockets, a mocking smile on his face.

"I'm saying you have no value anymore. Get lost."

Sophia's eyes filled with tears.

She bit her lip hard, forcing herself not to let the tears fall.

"James, how can you treat me like this? I was so good to you. I gave you all my money. I fought with my family because of you..."

"That was your choice. I didn't beg you to do it."

James coldly interrupted her, his face full of impatience.

Hearing this, Sophia trembled all over.

She suddenly lunged forward, grabbing James's arm, her voice breaking into sobs.

"James, you can't do this to me. I have nothing left now. I only have you. You can't abandon me..."

But James disgustedly shook off her hand. "Don't touch me."

He used such force that Sophia stumbled and nearly fell.

Yet she still clung desperately to James's clothes, refusing to let go.

"James, please, don't make me leave. I'll be good. I'll do anything for you."

Sophia seemed somewhat crazed now. Before James could react, she stood on tiptoe and tried to kiss him.

James's face changed. He raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face.

The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the booth area, and even the music seemed to quiet for a moment.

Sophia's head snapped to the side from the blow, a bright red handprint appearing on her face.

She stood frozen, like a soulless puppet.

James calmly straightened his clothes, his words full of disgust.

"I said get lost. Are you deaf? Stop embarrassing me here. You're nothing now—just an unwanted slut."

After saying this, as if it wasn't enough, he paused and added another line.

"Oh, and you'd better stay away from me. Don't let people think I have anything to do with you. Bad luck."

With that, James turned and sat back on the sofa, pulling the woman beside him close and continuing to drink as if nothing had happened.

"Come on, let's continue."

Sophia remained standing there, the red welt on her face a stark contrast to her ghostly skin.

People around her looked at her with complicated expressions, but most were just there for the drama.

She bit her lip until it broke and bled, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

"James, you'll regret this!"

Her voice was hoarse, like a curse.

James didn’t even look up, he simply waved a hand as if shooing a fly.

Sophia turned and stumbled blindly toward the bar exit.

Her figure was thin and pathetic, nothing like the arrogant Lady Sophia she once was.

When she reached the door, Sophia suddenly stopped and looked back toward where James sat.

He was holding that woman, laughing freely and wildly, as if she were just some irrelevant stranger.

She squeezed her eyes shut, took a shuddering breath, and pushed out into the night.

Cold wind hit her face, bringing a chill.

She stood on the curb, staring blankly at the blur of passing headlights, paralyzed by the realization that she had nowhere to go.

The Johnson family was gone. Brian was nowhere to be found. Harper had long since cut ties with her.

As for those friends who once fawned over her, they now all kept their distance, treating her like the plague.

She truly had nothing left.

Sophia collapsed onto the pavement, hugging her knees as the sobs finally broke through.

Just then, a shadow fell over her. Several men in black suits stepped into the light, silently blocking her path.