114

114
Chapter 114

Sophia stood still near the entrance and stared. For a while, she genuinely forgot to move. It was like she was in a different world; one that was too beautiful to move on from.

The decorations, flowers, candles and the entire atmosphere looked warm and intentional. Her eyes slowly returned to Damien.

He was still standing there holding flowers while looking at her quietly.

Sophia blinked just once, then she laughed softly in disbelief.

“What is this?” She asked, curious to know what brought about this.

Damien smiled faintly and walked towards her. When he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

Sophia immediately hugged him back. He then rested his chin lightly against her head.

“Welcome.” He said to her with a warm smile.

Sophia closed her eyes briefly. For some reason, after everything that happened, this felt heavier emotionally than she expected.

She pulled back slightly and looked at him.

“You did all this?”

Damien nodded, feeling good about it. Sophia looked around again. She really looked overwhelmed.

Her eyes sparkled, expressing how overwhelmed she was.

“You didn’t have to.” She said in a low tone.

Damien smiled. “I wanted to.”

He handed her the flowers and gently held her hand. Then he led her to the table. Sophia sat down while still looking around.

When she finally looked at the food, she smiled.

Her brows lifted. “This is serious.” She uttered, chuckling.

Damien sat across from her and she looked at him.

“But why the surprise?”

Damien looked at her quietly for a moment, then he cleared his throat like he was getting ready to tell her a story.

“It’s because we deserved to have a nice time. We solved a problem. You handled it, actually.”

Sophia looked down briefly and a small smile appeared, then she looked back at him.

“I’m glad we worked things out.”

Damien smiled softly.

Then she noticed that someone was around them. She turned slightly and saw Damien’s assistant standing at a respectful distance with a camera.

Sophia’s brows furrowed a little while Damien gave her an unapologetic look.

Sophia laughed and shook her head.

“You brought a photographer?”

“It’s just me trying to cherish and document the memories.”

Sophia shook her head and let out a sigh. It was a little ridiculous coming from him but she still liked it.

Soon, dinner started and the atmosphere became lighter as they talked. Sophia told him details about her conversation with Jessica and Damien occasionally looked irritated at parts of the story.

She talked about the office, about work after Jessica had been swept away and sweetly, they also teased each other.

At some point, Damien quietly moved a dessert towards her.

Sophia looked at him suspiciously. “You’re trying too hard today.” She said, staring from her side eye.

He smiled. “As long as it’s working.”

She laughed and shook her head.

~

The evening passed peacefully. By the time they finished dinner, Sophia felt something she hadn’t felt all day and that was complete relief; knowing that there was no impending danger or threat coming from someone around them.

Later that night, they returned home together. The mansion felt warmer somehow, probably because of their mood.

After getting ready for bed, they stayed close and spent quiet time together, holding each other and enjoying finally having the tension of the past few days behind them.

Eventually, they settled under the blankets. Sophia rested against him and Damien kissed her forehead.

“That’s my baby.” He said softly, and not long after, both of them drifted peacefully to sleep.

~

The next morning, Sophia woke up feeling lighter than she had in days. She was glad that she didn’t wake up thinking about comments, betrayal or damage control.

She got ready quietly, had breakfast and eventually left for work.

By the time the car pulled up in front of the company building, she picked up her bag and stepped out. Other employees were already arriving too.

Sophia adjusted her bag and began walking towards the entrance.

“Sophia Sterling!”

She stopped when she heard her name and her brows furrowed immediately.

Even the voice sounded urgent. Sophia turned and saw a woman hurrying towards her. The woman looked to be in her mid-fifties. Her clothes were simple and worn. Nothing about her appearance stood out except the expression on her face.

She looked anxious.

For a second, she wondered how the woman knew her.

“Oh, right. People do know me.” She said in her thoughts.

It wasn’t just because of work but because she was Damien Sterling’s wife, including everything that had made her appear on the internet.

The woman finally stopped in front of her and she looked slightly out of breath.

Sophia looked at her politely but cautiously.

“Yes?”

The woman swallowed and looked at her nervously.

“You’re Sophia Sterling, right?”

That was a ridiculous question to ask, but Sophia nodded slowly.

The woman’s eyes immediately softened.

“I’m Jessica’s mother.”

Sophia froze and her expression changed instantly.

For a few seconds, she just stared at the woman, thinking, Jessica’s mother?

The woman rubbed her palms together nervously.

“I… I need to have a word with you.” She urged.

Sophia’s face remained unreadable. Immediately, her guard went up. She looked at the woman again. Although she didn’t look hostile and was only looking nervous, even then, Sophia felt herself shutting down emotionally.

She looked away briefly before answering.

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to have anything to do with anything or anyone concerning Jessica.”

The woman’s expression fell immediately.

“Please.” She pleaded desperately, but Sophia remained quiet.

The woman rubbed her palms together again, seeing as Sophia still had her facial expression hard.

“Please just listen to me.”

Sophia frowned slightly. The woman looked embarrassed even standing there and people had already started glancing over.

Sophia looked at her for a moment, then she sighed quietly and closed her eyes briefly.

When she opened them again, she looked at the woman again.

“Come with me.”