Chapter 192: Men Lose Their Charm Once You Have Them
William wore a black suit, his powerful presence unmistakable. Those wanting to curry favor with the Peace Group crowded around to greet him.
His cold eyes unconsciously searched for Sophia. Soon, he spotted her in the distance on the balcony, talking with a woman.
From the moment Molly learned she would be accompanying William to this banquet, wild joy had surged in her heart.
During this time, she had gradually worked her way deeper into the Eagle Hill project, convinced she had earned William's trust. She was one step closer to the day she would deal Sophia a crushing blow!
Inside the banquet hall, lights crisscrossed as wealthy elites introduced resources to one another.
The Wells family once had a place at such occasions, but now, Lyanna could only beg friends in the circle for an invitation.
Lyanna's fingers tightened around her wine glass, the ambition in her eyes growing stronger. Why was it that when these men wanted power and status, their first thought was to hurt a woman's genuine feelings?
Others might not have noticed, but Lyanna saw very clearly that Quinn and Molly were making eyes at each other.
Thinking about how Molly now lived in a luxury apartment, drove an expensive car, and spent what her parents' marital property, Lyanna feel sick to her stomach.
She would rather throw that money into the ocean than let a woman like that spend it!
Sophia noticed all of Lyanna's emotional changes. Ambition wasn't necessarily a bad thing from certain angles—at least it could motivate a person to unleash powerful forward momentum.
Her phone vibrated with a message from Lyra.
Sophia said goodbye to Lyanna and headed to the private room Lyra had mentioned.
As she passed a certain room, a server was just coming out. Through the gap in the door, she saw Philip and the woman sitting beside him, and her expression instantly darkened.
When Sophia didn't show up, Lyra came out of the private room to find her, only to see her leaning against the railing outside, deep in thought.
Lyra said with a smile, "What's wrong? You're here but not coming in."
Though Sophia had only really gotten to know Lyra after her divorce—not a long time, just two years—after experiencing the Alice incident, Sophia had become very sensitive about such matters. She didn't want the tragedy that happened to her to happen to Lyra again.
Without hesitation, she asked Lyra directly, "Does Philip know you're at this banquet?"
As the daughter of the Cole family, and having worked in the entertainment industry for so many years, Lyra had seen plenty of dirty dealings in both circles.
Hearing Sophia say this, she immediately understood.
Lyra said calmly, "You saw Philip."
It wasn't a question, but a statement.
Sophia gave a soft acknowledgment, "In a private room downstairs."
Lyra, who had become friends with Sophia after her post-divorce awakening, was naturally not the kind of naive woman who would lose her mind over love.
She had grown up watching couples in the circle who stayed together in name only, so her expectations for love weren't high to begin with.
Lyra let out a low laugh, "There must be that new female artist his company just signed, Cheryl, sitting next to Philip, right?"
She was in no rush to enter the private room now—after all, there were other people she had connections with inside who could handle things.
Sophia looked at Lyra with concern. Though she had once been part of the wealthy circle, her parents had been loving. After the Johnson family went bankrupt, Mira had taken her to Rain Village, which, in another sense, removed her from the complexities of the elite circle. Though life had been hard, there hadn't been much spiritual harm.
From Lyra, she learned some other things.
Cheryl wasn't scary. What really mattered to Philip was her late sister, Kaitlyn Davis.
In Lyra's view, Kaitlyn was to Philip probably like those unforgettable first loves that CEOs pine for in novels.
Speaking of this woman, Lyra's light voice no longer carried the melancholy from when she first met Sophia on that foreign street. Two women once troubled by love had completed a mutual rescue through their shared understanding.
"Sophia, men are simple creatures—once you have them, they're really just that."
"Let me tell you a secret. Before registering my marriage with Philip, I already made an agreement with my family elders that I would divorce Philip after a year."
Lyra let out a stifled breath and broke into a bright smile, gripping Sophia's hand. "Sophia, I stopped loving him a long time ago."
In her view, marriages between wealthy families shouldn't involve extra emotions.
The reason she had slept with him last night was simply based on the fact that his body was still clean—he hadn't been messing around with other women.
As for the rest... what man couldn't do the job?
Sophia's lips slowly curved upward. Last night, when Lyra had been drowning her sorrows in alcohol, she had mistakenly thought Lyra hadn't let go yet.
Turns out, that was just Lyra's final indulgence before giving up on love.
Men seem naturally confident, thinking women who once loved them will always be devoted. But they forget that having liked someone doesn't mean being bound for life. When women let go of love, they only gain a higher and broader world.
Sophia promised, "Whatever help you need, as long as I have it, I will help you."
Lyra smiled, "Don't worry, I won't be shy about it."
She said she still needed to work hard to make money, to be able to provide for Emily.
The two women smiled at each other.
In another private room, Philip suddenly felt his heart skip a beat, as if something was slipping away from him.
As he thought of Lyra packing at the Cole Mansion, the worry between his brows faded. He lowered his head to send Lyra a message, but he never received a reply.
The guest in Lyra's private room was Janice Myers, the female CEO of HealthCore Pharmaceuticals. She was a strong woman in her forties and a longtime friend of Lyra's mother.
The capital's social circle was one giant networking arena.
Cooperation between different companies often only requires one person to make connections.
This negotiation seemed very smooth to Sophia, but she didn't immediately agree to the collaboration between the two companies.
Before leaving, Janice extended her hand, "Ms. Johnson, I very much look forward to working with you and hope we’ll have the opportunity."
Sophia shook her hand, "I'm looking forward to it too."
Seeing the message on her phone, Lyra curved her lips in a half-smile, put her phone back in her diamond clutch, and didn't let that man affect her mood.
Janice said warmly, "Lyra, come visit my house with your mother when you have time. If you're free, Ms. Johnson, you're very welcome to visit my home as well."
Faced with Janice's care, Lyra also showed dependent and affectionate emotions, linking arms with her and saying sweetly, "Janice, we'll definitely come."
After seeing off Janice and the others, only Sophia and Lyra remained in the private room.
Lyra raised her wine glass with a smile, "Here's to our thriving careers."
Sophia's face remained calm as she raised her glass to clink with Lyra's, both their faces showing the seriousness of fighting for their careers.
The two chatted about many recent interesting things happening around them, a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere flowing gently through the private room.
Suddenly, Lyra said, "Sophia, give me long-acting contraceptive pills."
Sophia sat up straight to look at her, "Have you thought it through?"
Lyra nodded, "Yes, I'm only 27. I don't want to have any connection with my ex-husband after the divorce."
Having seen how Sophia compromised again and again for her child, Lyra thought that if she had a child, she definitely wouldn't bear to make the child completely cut off one parent, so the best solution was to avoid it entirely.
Sophia already had a child—there was no choice for her.
But Lyra still had options now.
Without asking her friend for reasons or trying to persuade her, as a friend, Sophia was willing to be the support for all of Lyra's decisions.
"Okay, I'll have someone send them to you."
Long-acting contraception wasn't permanent sterilization. When she wanted to have her own child in the future, there would still be a chance.
But whether that person would be Philip was unclear.
Downstairs in the private room, after Philip introduced Cheryl to his director friend, he went out to find William, who was resting alone.
Learning that both Sophia and Lyra were here, he thought of the message that still hadn't been answered. He frowned briefly, then relaxed again.
He had known for a while that Lyra had liked him for over ten years.
When the two families arranged the marriage alliance and had thought of how obedient Lyra always was around him, he felt she was a suitable partner for an arranged marriage and therefore did not refuse his family's arrangement.
William looked up, "Not going to explain?"
Philip raised an eyebrow, "Why would I need to explain? She's been in love with me for over ten years. She definitely won't get upset with me over such trivial matters."
Faced with Philip's confident certainty, William pulled at the corner of his mouth, thinking of Sophia's current coldness.
He said lightly, "Just don't regret it."
Philip thought there was no way he could regret it.
He patted William's shoulder and said with a light smile, "I'm not you, and Lyra isn't Sophia. There's no comparison between us."