Chapter 167 Can You Give Me a Chance?

Chapter 167 Can You Give Me a Chance?

Sophia had to admit that Alexander was right.

Among all the tutors she'd interviewed, every single one had issues of some kind. Only "Scott" - both his knowledge and teaching methods - was the most satisfactory she'd ever seen.

And it just had to be him.

But Sophia wasn't really someone who liked to make things difficult.

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she stared straight at Alexander's face. "Come out here for a second."

With that, she turned around without waiting for him and walked toward the dining table.

Alexander frowned slightly, put away the teaching materials, stood up, and followed her out.

At the dining table, Emily saw them coming out and immediately sat up straight, lowering her head to take small sips of the coffee in front of her. Her expression was awkward, not daring to look up.

The puppy lay in its bed nearby. Seeing Sophia approach, it wagged its tail, then put its head back down on its front paws.

Sophia sat down across from Emily. Looking at her uncomfortable expression and thinking about yesterday's behavior, she quickly figured it out.

"Emily, did you know all along that Scott was him?"

At those words, Emily's hand paused. Her ears quietly turned red. She lifted her head, glanced at Sophia, then at Alexander who had sat down beside them, and finally nodded, saying softly, "I knew."

Sophia took a deep breath and shifted her gaze to the side, landing on the puppy, which was lazily yawning, looking quite adorable.

"Including it," Sophia asked Alexander, "was that part of your plan too?"

Alexander paused. "Not entirely. I had someone pick it from a kennel. I thought since you're alone in Silvermoon City, having it for company would be better."

Sophia processed this information in her mind, then slowly turned to look at Emily. Her eyes held an expression that was half sarcasm, half helplessness. "Great, you two, teaming up to fool me."

Seeing this, Emily panicked. She placed both hands on the table and leaned forward. "Sophia, don't be mad!"

"Alexander really wants to win you back. Just let him stay! I really want to learn new things too, and he teaches really well. I feel like I've improved so much these past few days."

"When did you two get so close?" Sophia frowned, her tone unreadable. "Already taking an outsider's side."

"I'm not really an outsider though," Alexander added from the side.

Sophia turned her head and glared at him.

Alexander said nothing more, meeting her gaze and keeping quiet.

Emily took the opportunity to speak up, her voice coaxing. "Sophia, just pretend you don't know. With him here, someone's managing my studies and you don't have to worry. Plus..."

She paused, widening her eyes at Sophia, her voice softening. "I just think he's good to you. I want you to be happy, to be blessed."

The table fell quiet for a second.

Sophia looked at Emily, and something in her chest loosened slightly.

She pressed her lips together and leaned back helplessly into her chair. "Fine, fine. Things are already like this, what else can I do?"

"So you're agreeing?" Emily asked tentatively, unable to hide the joy in her voice.

"Yes." Sophia nodded lightly. "But..."

She drew out the word, looking at Alexander. "Here, you're just Emily's tutor. You're Scott. Nothing else, nobody else. Got it?"

"Got it." Alexander answered quickly, nodding. "No objections."

As long as he could stay by Sophia's side, that was enough. He had the patience to wait for Sophia to accept him.

Sophia was startled - he'd agreed a bit too quickly. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what felt off about it.

And so, just like that, Alexander successfully stayed, without even having to continue hiding his identity.

"Great!" Emily smiled happily. The puppy also wagged its tail, running over on its little feet to Emily's leg, looking up at her with round eyes, tongue out.

Emily bent down and ruffled its soft fur.

A week passed quickly.

In the mornings, Alexander would usually teach Emily in the study while Sophia sat on the sofa reading, occasionally checking on the study. The three of them and the dog got along pretty well, and Alexander didn't make any extra moves, keeping just the right distance. In the afternoons, Alexander would leave. Sophia would go out shopping, walk the dog, and take Emily for walks around town - sometimes they'd even run into Alexander. In the evenings, Sophia would spend time with Emily, watching movies and playing games together.

Sophia was quite satisfied with her current life, until the new Monday when she received a call from an unknown number.

Sophia thought about it, then answered the phone.

"Sophia." It was Noah's voice.

Sophia paused. "How did you get this number?"

Everything she had in Silvermoon City was new. Except for Victoria, she hadn't told anyone. She'd meant to find time to contact Noah, but hadn't gotten around to it.

"I have my ways." Noah's voice carried his usual warmth. "Is now a good time to talk?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"I'm in Silvermoon City." He said. "I want to see you. There are some things I want to say in person. Otherwise, my heart will never be at peace."

He let out a heavy breath. "No rush, you pick the time."

Hearing this, Sophia was silent for two seconds. Noah rarely showed his true feelings. What he showed her was almost always his gentle side.

Sophia understood this clearly and was used to it. Facing Noah like this, she couldn't get angry about him secretly finding out her phone number. Besides, she hadn't meant to hide from Noah anyway - she just hadn't adjusted her mood enough to reach out to him yet.

"Then let's meet at three this afternoon, at the coffee shop."

"Okay." Noah agreed softly.

That afternoon, the lighting in the coffee shop was good. Noah had arrived half an hour early and was sitting inside waiting. When he saw Sophia push the door open, he raised his hand and waved slightly.

Sophia took her seat as usual, a faint smile on her face. "Noah, what did you want to tell me? Is it about Mr. Everest?"

Noah didn't answer right away. He turned his head to look at the street outside the window, silent for a while, before turning his gaze back to her face and shaking his head. "No, it's about myself."

Sophia froze, suddenly feeling something ominous.

She saw Noah looking at her seriously, saying word by word, "Sophia, I like you. I've liked you since we were kids. I know this feeling has gone beyond friendship and family. I didn't want to trouble you, so I've always kept my feelings for you hidden."

Sophia's fingers tightened. She didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.

"But I still want you to know. I want to tell you - call it selfish if you want. After learning you left Alexander, I kept thinking that maybe I could become the most important person in your heart, someone you could like."

"Sophia, can you give me a chance?"

Sophia looked at him, then lowered her eyes, staring at the dark brown coffee, silent for a long time.

Finally, she let out a deep breath, lifted her eyes to meet his, and said, "I'm sorry, Noah."