Chapter 120
Since she couldn't marry James, Sophia had no choice but to find another way.
"If I want to inherit my mother's estate, I'm afraid I'll have to marry Chase. Luckily, Chase and I have an engagement. He can't refuse even if he wants to."
At the mention of Chase, Evelyn looked a bit unhappy, even disgusted.
"No way, Sophia, you're giving up on James to talk to Chase about the engagement? I know they're both from the Smith family, but I think James is more reliable."
"Besides, marriage is a lifelong decision. You can't be so hasty about it. If I were you, I'd definitely choose James."
Evelyn felt that at least James was more handsome than Chase. Plus, she thought James really treated Sophia well. She'd never seen James care so much about any woman before.
It's just that Sophia was completely focused on Mia's illness right now, so she couldn't notice. Or maybe there was some misunderstanding between Sophia and James that made Sophia dislike him.
Sophia didn't want to discuss this topic with Evelyn. Whenever the Smith family came up, she got a headache.
"Alright, Evelyn, I'm tired. I'm going to bed."
Evelyn was stunned and asked in confusion, "Sophia, you came back so late. Are you going to sleep without eating? How about I cook you a bowl of noodles? Going to bed hungry is uncomfortable."
Sophia waved her hand as she walked toward the bedroom.
"No need, I'm not hungry. I just want to sleep."
Sophia quickly washed up and lay down on the bed. She was already exhausted, but she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, all she could think about was James's face. She clearly disliked James so much, but whenever it was quiet at night, the images of James that came to mind were always of him saving and helping her.
When she was alone and helpless facing Juniper in the middle of the night, it was James who appeared to help her. When Mia was hidden by the Brown family, it was James who had people find her.
When she was misunderstood at the press conference, it was also James who stepped forward to help her out.
Thinking about how her mind was full of James's good deeds, Sophia was suddenly startled. She quickly sat up from the bed and shook her head.
What was wrong with her?
James was clearly cold and cruel, always saying things to provoke her. Why was she still thinking about his good points?
Was she too far gone?
Sophia tossed and turned in bed, finally falling asleep very late.
The next morning when she woke up, Sophia picked up her phone and unconsciously looked through her chat history with James. She actually felt an urge to message James and ask about what happened last night.
When she and James separated last night, something must have happened on his end.
But Sophia felt like she was being unnecessary. Whatever happened had nothing to do with her. Besides, James's mood was so unpredictable. If she sent a message, wouldn't he think she was concerned about him?
Sophia held her phone and struggled with this for a long time, but in the end, she didn't send a message.
After getting up, she made some porridge and breakfast. After eating, she left the rest in the pot and left a note for Evelyn to remember to eat when she woke up, then went to work.
As soon as Sophia arrived at the company, a gossipy employee came over to her with a mysterious look and said, "Sophia, you don't know this, but Veda came in really early today. Since you two started competing, she's been much more diligent than usual. I heard she worked overtime until after 10 PM last night."
Hearing this, Sophia let out a disdainful laugh, but she didn't say anything in front of her colleague.
"That's good. After all, Veda graduated from a prestigious university. Her education is better than mine, and she grew up in the Brown family. Mr. Brown often hired famous tutors for her. I'm sure such a diligent person will definitely make something of herself at the Brown Group."
Although Sophia said this, she knew in her heart that Veda's abilities weren't even as good as an intern's. Even fresh college graduates knew more than her.
So Veda's overtime work posed no threat to Sophia at all. She even found it laughable.
With her brain, even if she stayed at the company every night, she still wouldn't be able to close any big deals.
Sophia then returned to her workstation. Just as she was about to start working, Hayden came over with a serious expression and spoke formally.
"Sophia, come to my office for a moment."
Sophia didn't really want to deal with him, but this was the company after all. Hayden represented the company's president, and she was an employee, so she had to listen.
Sophia got up and followed Hayden to his office.
She stood there and spoke in a flat tone.
"What is it, Mr. Brown? Why did you call me?"
Hayden put on an earnest look.
"Sophia, I know this competition between you and Veda is just you being stubborn. But Dad has thought it through and definitely won't let you lose face in front of everyone at the company."
Hearing this, Sophia couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She found it strange. Hadn't she already lost face plenty of times at the company? Veda had openly slandered her multiple times at the company. Her image was already bad.
She really didn't know what Hayden meant by saying this now.
"Mr. Brown, you don't need to worry about this. How could I possibly lose face in front of everyone at the company? If you have nothing better to do, you should worry about Veda instead. You should know her abilities. The one who loses face in front of everyone at the company might not be me."
Sophia said this with complete confidence. If she were competing with other employees at the company, she wouldn't be very confident, since the other employees were truly capable. But competing with Veda? It was a piece of cake.
Hayden didn't expect that after speaking to Sophia so nicely, she wouldn't appreciate it. But since he wanted to complete the cooperation with James, he still needed to rely on Sophia.
So Hayden didn't get angry. Instead, he controlled his urge to lose his temper and continued to put on a pleasant face.
"Sophia, here's what Dad is thinking. Since you're planning to close deals for the company soon anyway, I have a plan."
As Hayden spoke, he pulled out a stack of documents from his drawer and placed them in front of Sophia.