Chapter 80 Sophia Also Has to Go to Jail
Michael hung up, seething with anger. Before heading to the police station, he decided to confront Sophia.
Sophia was busy in the research department when Michael stormed in. She looked up and smiled, genuinely pleased to see him.
"Hey, Michael! What's up?" she said warmly.
Michael's face was tight with anger. "Harper's been arrested. The cops found out her credentials are fake, and she bought her degrees. Did you know about this?"
Sophia's heart pounded, but she feigned shock. "What? No way! There must be some mistake. How could her degrees be fake?"
Michael's frustration grew. He was in no mood for her act. "That's why I'm asking you. Did you know? Harper's unprofessional treatment has been making Bianca worse! You knew her from abroad, right? Did you know her degrees were bogus?"
Sophia looked genuinely hurt, her eyes wide. "Michael, you think I knew?"
She grabbed his arm, desperate to explain. "How could I have known? You know how much I care about Bianca. When I introduced Harper, it was because Bianca's autism was severe, and I couldn't stand seeing her suffer. She's your daughter, and I love her like my own. If I had known Harper was a fraud, I never would've brought her in."
Michael scrutinized her, searching for any sign of deceit.
Sophia's eyes welled up with tears. "Michael, please believe me. I was fooled too. When I met Harper abroad, she seemed so professional. I never thought she'd lie about something so important!"
She pretended to be angry. "It's outrageous! How could she be so irresponsible? I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I should have been more careful."
Maybe it was her convincing act or those tears, but Michael's anger began to fade.
Despite his frustration, he couldn't keep blaming her. He trusted that she wouldn't do something so reckless.
But he still needed to make his point. "Just make sure nothing like this happens again."
With that, he turned and walked away.
As soon as he was gone, Sophia wiped her tears.
Although he believed her in the end, his attitude had clearly changed.
He had been distant lately, and this incident would only make things worse.
Harper was such an idiot for getting caught with fake credentials!
Because of the incident, Olivia couldn't have dinner with Andrew as planned. She sat in Benjamin's office, still shaken.
Andrew noticed and gently reassured her, "Hey, don't worry. Thanks to you, Bianca avoided further harm. She's getting better now, so try not to stress too much."
Olivia felt a bit calmer listening to Andrew's soothing voice. She nodded, her tone filled with gratitude. "Thank you so much, Mr. Hamilton. If it weren't for you exposing Harper, I might have been deceived forever! And Bianca's recovery is all thanks to you!"
Andrew waved it off. "It was nothing. Harper will face the consequences for her actions. She committed medical malpractice, so she'll spend some time in jail."
Olivia bit her lip. "She deserves it. She's getting what she deserves!"
Andrew nodded slightly, uninterested in discussing irrelevant people further.
The school had well-equipped facilities, including a music room and an art studio. He took Bianca to the art studio to teach her drawing and music techniques.
He didn't give Bianca specific instructions but let her draw freely.
Eventually, Bianca created a night scene. It was abstract, with colors used whimsically.
Skyscrapers turned into various cute animals, their eyes neon lights, their mouths windows. Cars on the roads became busy little ants.
Andrew didn't interfere much, only giving occasional tips on handling lines. After about an hour, a whimsical and grand painting emerged.
Even Olivia, who didn't understand art much, could feel the rich imagination in the painting.
Andrew was clearly satisfied. Handing the painting to Olivia, he smiled slightly and commented, "Bianca is indeed a very interesting child!"
After painting, Andrew continued teaching Bianca to play the harmonica.
Olivia had heard Bianca play often, but it was her first to hearing Andrew did.
Under the bright lights, Andrew played a beautiful, melodious tune on the harmonica. Olivia, though not musically inclined, could appreciate the skill involved.
After the piece, Andrew had Bianca play the harmonica while he accompanied her on the piano. In his expensive suit, sitting upright on the piano bench, his fingers danced gracefully over the keys.
The two instruments' notes intertwined in the air, creating a harmonious melody. Despite it being their first collaboration, they had an inexplicable rapport.
Olivia was captivated, unable to look away, especially at Andrew's elegant figure and chiseled profile, perfect as if sculpted.
"This is so harmonious!" David, standing nearby, couldn't help but whisper in awe, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. Andrew and Bianca together almost felt like a father-daughter duo.
Andrew might become a doting father!
Olivia didn't think that far, but didn't want to disrupt the beautiful scene either.
However, there was always someone to ruin the moment. Her phone rang. It was Michael calling.
Olivia's face darkened, and she coldly hung up. Michael texted her: [I went to the police station about Harper. I didn't know about her fake credentials. Let me see Bianca, I want to apologize.]
Olivia scoffed. What good was an apology? With his resources, if he cared about Bianca, he would have thoroughly checked the psychologist's background. But he didn't! Now he claims he didn't know.
Olivia regretted ever trusting him. If she hadn't, Bianca wouldn't have suffered.
She quickly typed back: [A fake apology isn't needed. Just stay away from Bianca, that's the best thing you can do for her.]
Michael read the message, his face darkening.
In the evening, at the police station.
After finishing her work, Sophia rushed over to visit Harper.
As soon as they met, Harper pleaded, "Sophia, you have to help me. I don't want to go to jail. You told me to..."
Sophia's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly interrupted, warning her, "Harper, I know you're scared, but here, you need to watch what you say. Just tell the police the truth about the treatment, but don't mention anything extra or implicate others. Otherwise, I might not be able to help you..."
Harper's face turned serious. She wasn't stupid and understood Sophia's hint.
Now was not the time to implicate her. Otherwise, she'd lose any chance of getting out of this.
She lowered her voice, "Mr. Johnson might pursue this. Can you plead with him? He's so fond of you, he'll surely relent if you coax him a bit."
Sophia's eyes flickered, but she didn't show it. She just gave a vague promise, "I'll do my best."
But she wasn't confident. Michael barely managed not to be angry with her, which was the best outcome. He wouldn't easily let Harper off.
But she couldn't ignore this either.
Afraid Harper might implicate her, Sophia sweet-talked her until she was sure there wouldn't be a problem before leaving.
As Sophia was leaving, she ran into Olivia, who had come to give a new statement. Olivia hadn't expected to see Sophia there.
Sophia's eyes darted away, looking guilty, and she quickly left.
Olivia felt suspicious and instinctively asked a nearby officer, "What was that woman here for?"
The officer checked and replied, "She came to visit Harper. They know each other, probably friends."
What? Olivia was shocked. Sophia and Harper are friends? Was Harper's treatment of Bianca orchestrated by Sophia from the start?
Realizing this, Olivia felt a chill, and her face turned pale.
If her suspicion was correct, she wouldn't let Sophia off. She would make sure Sophia ended up in jail too!
As she fumed, the police informed her of the case's progress. "Harper hasn't fully confessed. She admitted to the fake credentials but insists she didn't prescribe wrong medications or give harmful psychological guidance. It's hard to prove psychological harm now. But based on her unprofessional treatment records, we can charge her with practicing without a license."
Olivia felt a bad premonition and quickly asked, "What's the penalty for that?"
The officer replied, "Probably a fine and administrative detention for fifteen days."
Olivia frowned. That was too lenient! Harper almost ruined Bianca. Such a light punishment was unacceptable!
Feeling wronged and unwilling to let Harper off easily,
Olivia knew Michael could turn things around with his influence. But she didn't trust him, especially since Sophia might be involved. Michael's bias might lead to leniency.
After much thought, she decided to seek Andrew's help.
She called him, explaining the situation at the police station, her tone tinged with helplessness.
Andrew listened calmly and reassured her, "Don't worry. I just finished a class. I'll bring Bianca over right away. Leave this to me."