Chapter 139 As Long as He's Not Like Preston

Chapter 139 As Long as He's Not Like Preston

When Sophie woke from her haze, the first person she saw was Bailey.

She managed a weak smile, her voice hoarse. "Where's the baby?"

Bailey grasped her hand and said softly, "He's in the incubator. Since he wasn't full-term, the doctor recommended keeping him there for now."

That was good, at least.

Bailey wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. "How are you feeling? Anything hurt?"

Sophie had been asleep for a full day since she'd passed out from the pain.

Bailey had seen women give birth before, but she'd never seen a baby as difficult to deliver as that little troublemaker—putting Sophie through days of agony.

Sophie felt weak all over, but she still shook her head. "I want to see the baby. Can you take me?"

Seeing her determination, Bailey didn't argue further and went to the nurses' station to borrow a wheelchair.

On her way back, she ran into Matthew, who'd come to visit.

"Sophie's going out?" Matthew glanced at the wheelchair in her hands, his brow furrowing.

Bailey nodded. "She wants to see the baby. I couldn't really stop her."

Matthew understood Sophie's feelings and nodded. "Let me help."

The two of them wheeled the chair into the room, where Sophie was trying to sit up.

Matthew quickly stepped forward to steady her. "Don't move—I'll carry you."

With gentle movements, he lifted Sophie into the wheelchair.

In just one day, the baby seemed to have blossomed. He no longer looked as wrinkled and red as when he was born—his skin was now milky white, and he slept peacefully in the incubator.

"He's adorable." Bailey pressed against the glass, watching the little one's serene sleeping face, her lips curving upward. "He looks seventy or eighty percent like you."

Sophie felt her heart melt.

The baby's features did resemble hers more, which was a relief. As long as he didn't look like Preston, she was satisfied.

"The doctor said he can come out of the incubator in two more days. Then you'll be able to hold him." Seeing the joy in Sophie's eyes, Matthew said with a smile.

Bailey turned to Matthew. "You were the first one to hold him the day he was born, right?"

She'd been so focused on Sophie at the time that she hadn't paid attention to the baby.

Matthew nodded and, under Sophie's curious gaze, described it: "He felt so soft when I held him, like he had no bones. He cried loud though—a healthy baby."

Bailey had never liked children, finding them noisy, but she found this little one exceptionally pleasing to the eye. Maybe it was because Sophie had given birth to him.

She turned to Sophie with a grin. "Sophie, have you thought of a name for him?"

Sophie looked at the baby in the incubator, her lips curving gently. "Silas."

All she wished for this life was that he'd grow up safe and happy.

"Silas." Bailey looked back at Sophie. "Good name. Anyone can tell I'm his godmother."

She pulled a gift from her pocket and handed it to Sophie with satisfaction. "Buy the kid something nice to eat. Just a little present from his godmother."

Sophie didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it with a smile. "Thanks."

Just then, a well-defined hand extended another gift toward Sophie.

Sophie turned her head slightly and met Matthew's warm, smiling eyes.

Her heart warmed as she thanked him with a smile.

Bailey grinned mischievously. "What, you want to be the kid's godfather too?"

Sophie thought having two more people to love the baby from birth would be nice.

"That could work—"

Before she could finish, someone cut her off urgently. "No need. That's not what I meant."

Sophie froze, looking up at Matthew.

Realizing his reaction had been too tense, Matthew cleared his throat and explained, "Having him call me 'uncle' is fine. This gift is just to celebrate his safe arrival."

Bailey raised an eyebrow at that, her teasing gaze sweeping between the two of them. "Right. Someone here probably doesn't want to be a godfather—he wants to be the 'real' father."

Bailey's words were blunt. Sophie's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she shot Bailey a glare.

Bailey said nothing. No one was treating her like a mute.

Matthew remained composed. Facing Bailey's teasing without the slightest embarrassment, he graciously changed the subject for Sophie's sake. "I had someone order nutritious meals. Sophie's been talking for a while since waking up—she must be hungry. Let's head back to the room."

Sophie nodded. "Okay."

On the way back, Sophie received a congratulatory message from Master Harris.

After thanking him, she clutched her phone with a slightly melancholy expression.

Bailey was curious. "What's wrong? Why the long face? Did your boss tell you to come back to work already?"

Sophie shook her head. "No, it's just... I want to open my own fashion studio, but I haven't figured out how to tell Master Harris."

After all those busy days at Master Harris's studio, she'd come to understand something.

Compared to being an employee with all sorts of restrictions, she'd rather be the boss, keeping decision-making power firmly in her own hands.

It wasn't that Master Harris was bad—that setup just wasn't right for her.

"What's so hard about that? He's your mentor. He might even support you."

"But isn't it kind of bad? I've only been at his company a few months and I'm already leaving."

"I can talk to him for you," Matthew offered.

Sophie looked up at him.

After all, this was something as major as resigning—she couldn't let a friend handle it for her.

After thinking it over, she decided to do it herself. "I'll wait until I'm discharged. Then I'll talk to him in person."

Bailey settled into a chair, asking casually, "If you're opening a studio, how much money do you have left? Need an investor?"

Sophie didn't lack funds, but running a studio wouldn't be easy to sustain either.

After thinking for a moment, she said, "Not for now, but if it starts burning through cash later, I'll come to you for investment."

Bailey didn't mince words and nodded. "Fine. But you have to tell me. I don't have much else, just a bit too much money."

That sounded like humble-bragging. Sophie teased, "All right, Bailey. You'd better take care of me when the time comes."

In the blink of an eye, nine months flew by.

Back home, Elena's belly grew day by day. A few days before her due date, she was admitted to the hospital.

That very night, labor began.

Elena was eating fruit when she felt the tightening in her abdomen grow more and more intense, the pain deepening. In moments, cold sweat covered her forehead.

The fruit fell from her hand. She grabbed the woman chattering beside her, gritting her teeth. "I'm... I'm going into labor. Call... call Preston and the others."

Talia jumped in fright, standing up in a panic. "Okay, okay..."

Preston rushed to the hospital the moment he got the news. Soon after, Violet arrived as well.