Chapter 3: Sophia's Thoughts

Sophia shot a quick look at Ava and Michael, who had been worried sick about her for days, frowning.

She knew James, Michael, and Ava would dig into this mess, but how was she supposed to cover it up?

Deep down, Sophia still trusted Olivia and couldn't help wanting to help her out of this jam.

Emily's inner voice cut through Sophia's thoughts.

Emily: [Thank goodness, Sophia looks like she's bouncing back.]

Everyone in the Smith family heard Emily's inner voice.

Ava stared at Emily, trying to hide her shock. That was Emily's voice!

Sophia heard it too.

She widened her eyes at Emily. Emily hadn't spoken, had she? Where did that voice come from?

James, with all his years in the business world, was always aware of his surroundings. Did he hear it?

"Emily!" Sophia's face was a mix of confusion.

James cut in, smoothly changing the topic, "Sophia, she heard you woke up and came to see you."

Michael and Ava were puzzled. Seeing Olivia behind James and Emily made them uneasy.

They didn't like Olivia much. Olivia could fool James and Sophia, but not Michael and Ava, who had long seen through her act.

On the surface, Olivia was Sophia's good friend, but she was always hanging around James. Michael and Ava knew Olivia got close to Sophia to get to James.

But they played along, as long as Olivia didn't cross the line, they didn't step in.

"Good afternoon, Michael and Ava," Emily greeted them before walking to the bedside. She then apologized to Sophia, "Sophia, I'm sorry for accidentally pushing you down the stairs."

Emily: [I'll take the fall for Olivia first!]

Hearing the voice, Michael, Ava, and Sophia were all stunned by the truth, momentarily forgetting to trace its source.

Emily: [I can't take the ten billion dollars for nothing. However, Sophia, you are really silly, many people are blinded by love, but you're blinded by friendship? Olivia told you the person bothering her was her ex-boyfriend, and you just bought it? That guy wasn't her ex but someone from a rival company! Olivia provided him with a bid, incorporating the Smith Group's project bid price!]

Sophia was suddenly terrified by what she heard. She looked up in horror, "James!"

James was just as shocked as Sophia but kept his cool. "Sophia, did Emily accidentally push you down the stairs?"

Sophia was very confused. Why did James say that? It wasn't Emily; it was Olivia.

Sophia's gaze shifted to Olivia standing behind James.

Her thoughts were a mess. She didn't get what James and Emily were getting at. On the other hand, she selfishly wanted to help Olivia through this crisis.

Sophia was both confused and anxious, thinking, 'Does Emily want to divorce James because of me?'

Olivia had clearly said that the person bothering her was her ex-boyfriend. She was just giving him some personal documents, and the envelope only had travel plans they made before they broke up. How could it be the Smith Group's trade secrets?

Sophia believed that Olivia would never betray the Smith Group!

She was confused by the mysterious voice, thinking, 'What's that voice that sounded like Emily's? Is it real or my imagination?'

Sophia's gaze moved to James. She saw that he nodded slightly at her.

Did James mean he didn't want her to speak? Could he also hear Emily's inner voice?

In her panic, she could only vaguely reply, "It's not your fault."

Michael and Ava were startled by Sophia's response.

Ava was the first to speak up, "Sophia, what are you talking about? How could Emily push you down the stairs?"

Sophia's eyes darted around. "I don't really remember who pushed me; my head's a bit fuzzy."

Emily: [I need to remind them that Olivia leaked the bid price. But how? If I don't, I won't feel right taking the ten billion dollars as my divorce settlement!]

James quickly sent a message to John, asking him to check if there were any other cameras at the back door of the company that might have caught something.

"Sophia, what did the doctor say about your head injury?" James put his phone away and changed the subject.

Sophia replied, "I had a CT scan. The doctor said there's no major issue. Just a soft tissue injury."

Michael, snapping out of his confusion, added, "Her foot's fine too, no bone damage. Sophia was just a bit shaken up."

James thought, 'That lines up with Emily's inner voice.'

"Emily, don't beat yourself up. You didn’t mean to hurt Sophia," Ava walked over and put her arm around Emily's shoulder. "It's all James's fault for making you so upset that you lost focus."

James was annoyed, thinking, 'I had nothing to do with this!'

Emily was initially startled, then looked at James with a sympathetic gaze. "Mom, actually..."

Emily: [Actually, it's not James's fault. I should have explained, but Olivia is still here, so I won't say more. I need to find a time to talk to James clearly! I can't have my divorce settlement shortchanged!]

Hearing this inner voice, Michael and Ava frowned. Both of them glared at James as if to blame him!

James felt truly wronged. Although he did propose the divorce, he wouldn't shortchange the payment.

He proposed the divorce out of necessity.

When he had first heard that Sophia had been pushed down the stairs, many people in the company had seen Emily coming down the stairs, and Sophia, while unconscious, had kept calling out, "Emily!"

This had led to his misunderstanding.

For some reason, the board members of the company also had found out about Emily coming down the stairs.

Originally, this had been a family matter for the Smiths, but because Emily's reputation in the company hadn't been great, the board members had felt that as the CEO, James should have handled his family affairs properly to avoid harming the Smith Group's interests.

At that moment, someone in the crowd had shouted, "Could it be that Ms. Sophia Smith was pushed because she caught Mrs. Emily Smith meeting with a rival company?"

This statement had agitated the board members.

They had demanded an explanation, or they would have called the police.

Among the board members had been old friends of the Johnson Family, who didn't want to see Emily in such trouble, so they had mediated.

Thus, James had proposed the divorce to Emily to appease the board members.

James frowned, not wanting Emily to misunderstand that he genuinely wanted a divorce.

Emily saw Sophia looking like she had something to say, her gaze constantly shifting to Olivia standing behind her and James.

Emily: [Sophia has so much to say to Olivia. Though it was cruel for her, I hope Sophia can realize Olivia is a bad person soon.]

Sophia's face turned even paler. What was Emily thinking?

"Sophia, Olivia was very worried about you while you were in the hospital," James spoke at the right moment. "You and Olivia are so close; why not let her take care of you for a while? I'll take Mom and Dad to the next ward to rest. If you need anything, just call us."

The Smith family members left the ward to rest in the adjacent ward, leaving Olivia to take care of Sophia.

Searching Sophia's information, Emily spoke inwardly again.

Emily: [Olivia is about to start her act! My God! She's so good at this! Sophia, Olivia is deceiving you! Don't believe her! Wait, Sophia, you shouldn't plan to do that!]