Chapter 94
"Forget it." I took a deep breath, suppressing the stinging in my eyes. "We're getting divorced anyway. From now on, whoever you choose to believe, whoever you want to protect—it's none of my business."
"I won't divorce you," he said in a low voice.
"Then I'll see you in court," I said coldly. "James, I will divorce you no matter what."
With that, I pushed his hand away and left without looking back.
This time, he didn't stop me.
I walked back to the banquet hall. Alfonso was talking to someone, and when he saw me, he waved me over.
I walked over.
"Ms. Brown, what happened today was my fault for not being a better host. I'm truly sorry," Alfonso said kindly.
"Mr. Schmidt, you're being too polite." I glanced at my phone. "It's getting late. I should head back."
"So early?" Alfonso seemed a bit surprised, then smiled. "Well, I suppose early to bed, early to rise is good for your health."
"But I have one more question."
"Please, go ahead."
"You know ZeroSpecter—what's your relationship with her?"
I paused for a moment, then answered, "We're friends."
"Then your computer skills must be pretty good too, right?"
I said modestly, "Just okay. Nowhere near those real experts."
"I heard you're a stay-at-home wife. What a waste."
"You're friends with ZeroSpecter—if you wanted to work, you'd have no trouble finding a job. With your intelligence, you could be making millions of dollars a year by now."
I smiled. "My goal is just to live a peaceful life. Money and power—I'm not really interested in those things."
"Fair enough. Everyone has their own ambitions. I won't push you."
"Alfonso, who's this? You've been talking to her for so long—aren't you going to introduce us?" one of the men Alfonso had been speaking with earlier spoke up.
Alfonso looked at me.
I figured I'd already wasted so much time, a little more wouldn't matter.
I nodded.
He immediately introduced me to the people around us: "Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Sophia Brown, a friend of ZeroSpecter's, and now my friend too. Please take good care of her from now on!"
The people around us came forward to greet me one after another. The way they looked at me had completely changed.
From contempt and disdain to admiration and even flattery.
James stood in place, watching me handle the crowd with ease, his expression complicated.
I could feel someone's gaze on me the whole time, but I ignored it.
If he wanted to watch, let him watch. It wasn't like I'd lose anything.
The banquet continued, but the atmosphere was completely different.
Alfonso enthusiastically pulled me into discussions about technical issues. Though I didn't say much, every time I spoke, I hit the nail on the head, earning Alfonso's repeated praise.
It wasn't until the banquet ended that he was willing to let me leave.
As I went out, I ran into Amelia—or rather, Amelia had been waiting for me outside and hadn't left.
When she saw me, her face resumed its gentle, graceful smile, though her eyes were frighteningly cold.
"Sophia, you're really something," she said softly. "Even ZeroSpecter—you managed to win her over."
I looked at her. "Win over?"
"ZeroSpecter is so talented, must be a man. You became friends with him, so that's why you got special attention."
Amelia stepped forward and lowered her voice. "You're friends with ZeroSpecter, but you didn't even tell James. Could it be that deep down, you never considered James one of your own?"
"That's my business," I said. "You tried so hard, and it still didn't work."
"Amelia," I smiled, "please talk less next time. Don't shoot yourself in the foot."
Amelia's expression changed. "What do you mean?"
"I mean—" I leaned closer to her, my voice soft but every word clear, "shut your mouth, or I'll tear it apart."
With that, I turned and left, leaving Amelia stamping her feet behind me.
Unexpectedly, when I turned around, I saw James again.
"Sophia." He stopped me, his voice a bit hoarse. "Let's talk."
"There's nothing for us to talk about," I repeated my earlier words, but my tone was colder.
"About what happened earlier, I apologize." He looked at me, something surging in his eyes. "I shouldn't have forced you to apologize without investigating first."
"No need," I interrupted him. "James, I can't accept your apology."
"From now on, we go our separate ways. Unless necessary, let's never see each other again."
"We should only meet for one thing—divorce."
I looked into his eyes and said word by word, "I'm begging you, can you please just let me go?"
His pupils contracted sharply, as if something had struck his heart. His face went pale instantly.
"Sophia..."
I stepped back, creating distance. "Mr. Smith, from now on, please keep your distance from me."
I didn't look at James again. I looked up at the night sky—the stars were bright, like crushed diamonds scattered on black velvet.
My phone vibrated. It was a message from Andrew: "Sophia, how did it go?"
I smiled and replied: "I'm fine. Mission accomplished."
Andrew: "That's good. By the way, nobody gave you trouble, right?"
I looked at that message and was silent for a few seconds before sending: "No."
After sending the message, I put away my phone and walked down the steps.
I called a car for myself. While waiting, a familiar car pulled up in front of me.
"Get in." James sat by the window, rolling it down, his tone cold.
I pretended not to see him.
"Sophia, it seems you won't get in unless I personally invite you." James opened the car door.
Seeing the situation wasn't good, I immediately went around and opened the door on the other side.
As soon as I got in, I shrank into the corner.
James was clearly unhappy with my behavior. "Sophia, are you afraid I'm going to eat you?"
"Being in the same space as someone like you, it's very necessary to keep some distance. Otherwise, I'm afraid when I lose my temper, I might beat you to death."
James glanced at me. "Sophia, is your brain broken?"
I snorted coldly. "None of your business."
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
"Close it."
Before I could react to what he wanted closed, the driver moved quickly.
Watching the barrier come down, I was instantly gripped by panic.
I stared hard at James. "This is in a car. I'm warning you, don't try anything."
"What are you thinking? I just had him close the partition so we could talk properly."
I rolled my eyes. "What you're really thinking, probably only you know."
"I think you're the one who wants something to happen between us." James turned his head to look at me. "If you want it, I can satisfy you."
He reached out his hand. I quickly backed away and slapped his hand away. "Behave yourself. If we're going to talk, let's talk. We can discuss our divorce while we're at it."
James's face darkened. "I already told you, you can't divorce me."
"Then let me say this—I will divorce you no matter what. Even if I have to die, I must get divorced."
James narrowed his eyes slightly, coldness seeping from them.
James and I were at a standoff.