Chapter 55 His Student, His Responsibility
On Saturday morning, Lucas was up early, dressed in the new clothes Sophia had given him, his bright smile never fading from his face.
He was going to see Benjamin again! Sophia had even said that after becoming Benjamin's student, he could go practice calligraphy every day after school!
Despite it being Saturday, the Johnson family was still busy as usual.
James had to go to the film set, Ray needed to work at the factory, and Mary had to open her shop.
Ever since returning to the Johnson family, her parents and James had been quite indulgent with Sophia, or rather, considerate with a touch of restraint, not daring to be too controlling or intrusive with her.
The only person who dared to wake her up from sleeping was Lucas.
Awakened by the knocking on her door, Sophia didn't linger in bed or throw a morning tantrum. When she opened the door, she still maintained the proper demeanor expected of a wealthy family's daughter.
Looking at the excited Lucas, Sophia ruffled his hair. "This early?"
"Sophia, I want to go see Mr. White early!" Lucas was like an energetic, happy puppy, his round eyes staring at Sophia with anticipation.
It made Sophia feel uncomfortable under his gaze.
"Alright, let me change clothes. After breakfast, I'll take you there."
Helpless—utterly helpless.
In seventeen years, she'd never dealt with children, and now, with everyone busy on weekends, she'd become the babysitter, responsible for watching over this little guy who barely reached her waist.
She changed into the blue dress she'd worn on her first day back to the Johnson family, brushed her long hair smooth to fall casually over her shoulders, applied sunscreen all over, and then shuffled out of her room in slippers.
"Sophia, I'm entrusting Lucas to your care." James was changing shoes at the entryway, rushing to get to the film set.
With the last five scenes to shoot, he should be able to wrap up in the next two days. He definitely wouldn't have time to look after Lucas, so he could only rely on Sophia.
Sophia smiled gently but insincerely. "Sure, I'll take good care of him."
She didn't know how to watch children. After taking Lucas to meet his master, she'd just dump him off with Benjamin!
His student, his responsibility!
The factory was far away, so Ray also had to leave early, giving James and Mary a ride. He was already downstairs warming up the car.
As soon as James left, the house became quiet, with only Sophia and Lucas remaining.
Watching Lucas bounce out of his room with his little backpack on, Sophia smiled on the surface while sighing inwardly.
She kept comforting herself, 'It's fine. At least Lucas knows to go to the bathroom when he needs to, can use a spoon to eat, and has a well-behaved personality that doesn't cause trouble. I'm just acting as a monitor—I don't have to be a full-time nanny, which is already pretty good!'
After successfully consoling herself, Sophia relaxed, slipped on low heels, grabbed her purse, and glanced at Lucas. "Did you bring everything?"
"Yes!" Lucas unzipped his backpack, checking while counting out loud for his sister. "Tissues, portable charger, keys, pocket money, gift for Mr. White—everything's here!"
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "You bring tissues and a portable charger when you go out?"
The kid didn't even have a phone—why would he need a portable charger?
Lucas said obediently, "James said girls like to stay clean, so when going out with girls, you should bring tissues. And your purses are all small, so carrying a portable charger would be heavy for you. I brought one in case your phone dies."
Well-behaved, obedient, and thoughtful—Sophia suddenly felt guilty about her earlier attitude toward Lucas.
He was clearly a pure and adorable little angel!
To make it convenient for Lucas to visit Benjamin after school for calligraphy practice, Benjamin's villa was arranged near Sunnybrook Elementary School.
It was a clean and elegantly decorated two-story villa with lush, thriving greenery. Because of the two pine trees planted in the small courtyard, it was named Whispering Pines Cottage.
Not only did it have a front garden, but also a back garden with a fish pond built from large stones, where Benjamin had moved all his koi fish that he'd been raising for years.
There was also Benjamin's favorite reclining chair. The old one was too worn, so Sophia had personally drawn up designs and had a new one made for him, placed in the backyard—perfect for sunbathing.
Unfortunately, Benjamin didn't have time to sunbathe at the moment. His new address had been leaked, and visitors hoping to pay their respects had been crowding around his gate for days.
The front yard was noisy and chaotic, with servants dealing with those nouveau riche types dressed to the nines but speaking crudely.
Benjamin was hiding upstairs in his second-floor room for some peace.
"How dare you block me? Do you know who I am? I'm Ms. Smith from Smith Group! Can you afford to offend the Smith family?"
Hearing this arrogant tone, Benjamin paused the short drama playing on his phone, got up, and walked to the window, pushing it open a crack to look down at the courtyard below.
Seeing that girl dressed in expensive haute couture but completely lacking any grace or proper bearing, Benjamin frowned.
Was this the Smith family's real daughter who had driven Sophia away?
Had George and Jane lost their minds? How could someone like this be worthy of being part of the Smith family?
Downstairs, the servant maintained a polite attitude.
He said to Emily, "Miss, Mr. White has an appointment with an important friend today and is not receiving visitors. Please stop making a scene."
"I'm making a scene?"
Emily was furious. Since being acknowledged by the Smith family, aside from those people around Sophia, no one had dared speak to her like this!
"A lowly servant dares to talk to me this way! I'm here to buy calligraphy and paintings—the customer is king! No matter how famous your master is, he's just an old man who can write. Since when do people refuse money? He's really gotten full of himself with a little fame! Tell him to come out and see me right now!"
She angrily shoved the servant hard, her voice rising to a shrill pitch as her face contorted with rage.
Caught off guard, the servant fell to the ground. Ignoring his scraped palms, he quickly scrambled up to block Emily, who was trying to force her way inside.
"Mr. White's housewarming is quite the spectacle—so lively today, isn't it?"
A familiar voice with a hint of arrogance rang out. Emily whirled around to see the group of people who had wanted to visit but hadn't dared overstep boundaries part to either side as Sophia appeared at the gate, holding Lucas's hand.
Emily immediately stopped in her tracks, glaring at Sophia as if facing a formidable enemy. "What are you doing here?"
"Coming for the apprenticeship ceremony, of course." Sophia smiled innocently, looking down at Lucas beside her with affection. "Lucas has a great talent for calligraphy. With proper education, he could become the next rising star in the calligraphy world."
Emily acted as if she'd heard the most ridiculous joke in the world, lifting her chin to look down on Sophia with superiority. "You must be dreaming! With his scribbles, he wants to become a master calligrapher? I think you've gone poor and crazy, desperate to make the entire Johnson family profitable for you. Now you won't even spare Lucas?"