Chapter 38 This Time, It Seemed He Had Lost
Sophia took a sip of sparkling water, not only leaving the remaining half of the cake untouched, but also abandoning the pasta she'd barely touched.
She leaned back leisurely in her chair, holding the sparkling water, sitting quietly, and waiting for Andrew to finish his meal.
Andrew, who hadn't eaten a single bite earlier, merely finished the wine in his glass. The beef he'd cut into small pieces hadn't even had the chance to touch his lips along with its sauce.
He set down the empty wine glass and asked, "Let me take you somewhere else to eat."
"No need, I don't have an appetite." Sophia put down her sparkling water and picked up her purse. "Let's go."
Andrew didn't argue. He knew that once Sophia said she had "no appetite," no matter how tempting the delicacies placed before her, they would only make her nauseous.
...
The Mercedes stopped in front of the apartment building. The two passengers in the back seat immediately spotted a young man standing under the dim streetlight, having waited for quite some time.
Andrew pursed his lips thoughtfully, glancing at the girl beside him. "Did you ask him to come down and meet you?"
Sophia shook her head. She had no idea why James would be standing at the apartment entrance this late at night, though it looked like he'd been waiting for quite a while.
The two got out of the car one after another. James approached with a gentle smile, naturally taking Sophia's purse from her.
"James, what are you doing out here so late?" Sophia asked.
James affectionately ruffled her hair and smiled. "I came down to take out the trash, and seeing as it was about time for you to come home, I waited here for a bit."
The community's security measures weren't great. Even inside the apartment complex, robberies occasionally happened at night. James was worried about Sophia's safety, but afraid that calling her might interrupt her business, so he simply waited at the apartment entrance.
Seeing his familiar gesture, Andrew's eyes immediately darkened. He tapped his knuckles against the car door frame, the sound so light it almost melted into the night breeze.
Over all these years, he'd only seen Michael touch Sophia's hair; now there was another one.
Sophia was momentarily stunned by James's words, realizing it was already past eleven o'clock, and she hadn't called home once to let them know she was safe.
But James had been worried about her safety, waiting here for so long without a single complaint, and was even greeting her with joy in his eyes.
This made her feel a sort of bittersweet ache in her chest.
"Mr. Smith, thank you for bringing Sophia home." James's expression was gentle, always maintaining that calm, cool demeanor, as if he harbored no hostility toward anyone.
Seeing Sophia with her head lowered in silence, Andrew could guess what she was thinking.
"No need to be polite." Andrew's voice was emotionlessly, his cufflinks catching the light as it swept across James's face. "After all, she's my sister."
James's expression remained unchanged as he replied matter-of-factly, "I'm happy that Sophia has so many people who care about and look after her."
Andrew's eyes flickered slightly. Without another word, he turned and got back in the car.
This time, it seemed he had lost.
Sophia noticed something strange about Andrew's mood—something she'd never seen before.
There was a hint of unwillingness, a touch of loneliness, and yet also what seemed like a sense of relief.
It wasn't until the Mercedes disappeared into the distance that she collected her thoughts and linked arms with James to head home.
"James, from now on, if I'm going to be home late, I'll call to let you know. I'll also text you before I get home, so you don't have to wait at the apartment entrance. There are so many mosquitoes at night; look, your hands are covered in bites."
Looking at the seven or eight red, swollen mosquito bites on James's forearms, Sophia felt a pang of guilt.
"It's fine, I'll just put some ointment on it when we get upstairs."
James didn't blame Sophia. In fact, he felt happy that she cared about him and was willing to actively report her whereabouts in the future.
She was slowly accepting James and gradually integrating into this family.
When they got home, Lucas was already asleep in bed, but Ray and Mary were still sitting on the living room sofa waiting.
"Look what time it is! Does dinner really need to take this long? James waited downstairs for over an hour. What if Sophia... doesn't come back?"
Mary kept her eyes lowered, her eye sockets red, unable to hide her disappointment.
Sophia's dinner appointment with Andrew had only been mentioned to James. After school, James had gone to help at Mary's shop, and only told Mary about it when they closed for the evening.
What dinner takes this long? Mary was afraid that Sophia might just leave without saying goodbye and never return.
Just like Emily had done, leaving so decisively.
"She won't." Ray squeezed her hand as if to comfort her, though his expression also showed unease. "We should trust Sophia."
"It's not that I don't trust Sophia, it's just that our family's situation is so much worse compared to the Smith family. If the Smith family really cares about Sophia and wants to take her back, we have no right to disagree with letting Sophia live a better life." Mary sighed wistfully.
Anyone could see the Johnson family's current situation. Sophia had arrived wearing luxury seasonal limited editions, while their financial situation made buying her a few hundred-dollar outfit feel extravagant.
If Sophia really wanted to return to the Smith family and live a wealthy life, it would be perfectly reasonable. What right did they have to object and force her to stay?
If the Johnson family could return to their former elite status, Mary would never have been willing to let her biological daughter become someone else's adopted child!
Outside the door, Sophia heard every word. For her, staying with the Johnson family was just playing a nurturing game.
But for the Johnson family members, it meant regaining their treasure and finding their real family again.
She pushed open the door, and the conversation stopped abruptly. Mary and Ray looked up simultaneously, their eyes showing the joy of recovery after loss.
"Sophia's back?" Mary secretly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, her worry turning to smiles as she eagerly stood up to greet her. "Did you eat enough tonight? Should Mom make you a late-night snack?"
Sophia really had no appetite. Just imagining the taste of tomato pasta made her feel nauseous. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I'm not hungry, I just want something sweet to drink."
"Perfect! I just bought a case of that grape juice you like today. Sit down and rest—I'll get you a cold one." Mary's joy was evident as she hurried into the kitchen.
Sophia changed into slippers while James locked the door, and the siblings sat down on the sofa.
Ray kept drinking water, trying to mask his relief.
Seeing him obviously nervous enough to have sweaty palms while pretending to be calm, Sophia suppressed a laugh and said, "Dad, let's chat about something."
"What?" Ray suddenly jerked, his hand shaking and spilling some water from his glass. He quickly set it down and patted his pants, his heart starting to panic again.
Frantic sounds also came from the kitchen.
Could it be that Sophia had already been convinced by Andrew, and this trip home was to say goodbye to them?