Chapter 164 Establishing Authority
However, this transaction never got the chance to start before it became mixed with something beyond just interests.
She fell in love with Benjamin and was willing to help him detoxify.
"There won't be a next time. I promise." Benjamin gently tucked Sophia's stray hair behind her ear and pulled her into his embrace.
In the afternoon, Benjamin went to work at the company, leaving Sophia alone at home.
She had no appetite at lunch, so she ate very little.
Now Sophia suddenly felt a bit hungry and wanted to go downstairs to find something to eat.
The moment the servants saw her, their expressions changed, looking very complicated.
Sophia had only met them once and wasn't familiar with them at all, so their unfamiliarity with her was normal. Sophia didn't take their reaction to heart at all.
She walked down the stairs and casually said, "Please prepare lunch for me, thank you."
The two servants standing downstairs exchanged glances. Neither moved, just stared at Sophia with examining and scrutinizing eyes.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Sophia narrowed her eyes and asked in confusion.
The servants were startled by her gaze and hurriedly looked away. "No, nothing. It's already past lunchtime, and there's no food left in the kitchen. Why don't you wait until tonight when Mr. White comes home to eat?"
Sophia was amused by their dismissive attitude.
No food?
In such a big villa.
Can't find anything to eat?
Sophia walked to a step and slowly stopped, her eyes colder than ever. "If there's nothing, can't you go buy some? You look like you have all your limbs working fine. What, do I need to tell you to do such a simple thing? Do you think Mr. White's money is so easy to earn?"
The two servants' faces immediately turned ugly, and they lowered their eyes in embarrassment.
They had heard long ago that Sophia came from the countryside and had never seen much of the world, so they assumed she would be easy to bully.
At noon today, when Benjamin brought Sophia back, the two of them wanted to secretly establish their authority over Sophia.
Although they didn't dare mess with Benjamin, a girl from the countryside should be easy to push around with just a little effort, right?
But they never expected that Sophia wasn't as weak and easy to bully as she appeared on the surface. On the contrary, when she spoke, she radiated a strong and cold presence that made people afraid to look directly at her.
The servants felt uneasy, their clasped hands curling up nervously, their hearts pounding like drums.
"We... our household buys a fixed amount of fruits and vegetables every day. We've never gone shopping in the middle of the day before. If Mr. White finds out, he definitely won't be happy..."
As soon as she finished speaking, a mocking laugh came from above the servant's head, containing a hint of sarcasm.
The servant looked up to see Sophia with her arms crossed, a faint smile on her lips that seemed both mocking and amused.
Just as they were feeling uneasy, Sophia spoke lightly, her clear voice carrying bone-chilling coldness. "So, Mr. White is a man who counts every penny spent on daily fruits and vegetables? Tell me... should I call and ask him if he's so poor that he can't even afford to feed his own wife a meal?"
Sophia's slightly rising tone sounded casual, but it made their hearts race and tighten.
Panic appeared on the servants' faces, and they immediately said, "Mrs. White, we were just joking. We'll go to the kitchen right away to prepare your lunch, right away!"
Watching their flustered departing figures, Sophia slowly shook her head and went back upstairs.
Early the next morning, Sophia got up early, finished breakfast, and went to Stellar University.
The people doing experiments in the lab showed delighted expressions when they saw Sophia.
Especially Hannah.
Seeing Sophia come in, her eyes immediately lit up. She put down what she was holding and rushed toward Sophia.
"Sophia, you're finally back! I missed you so much these past few days without you!"
Hannah had a bold personality and didn't hold back when she rushed over, bumping into Sophia and making her stumble back half a step. Sophia smiled helplessly.
She gently brushed Hannah's soft hair. "We've only been apart a few days, why are you acting like we're saying our final goodbyes?"
Hannah lifted her face from Sophia's embrace, her eyes reddening. "We already heard from Alaric about what happened to you. How could you be so foolish? Is it worth it for a man? What's so good about that Benjamin that's worth you sacrificing so much for him!"
Sophia raised an eyebrow, smiled, and shook her head. Instead of answering her question, she asked back, "If something happened to Alaric, what would you do?"
Hannah was stunned, then turned to look at Alaric, her face suddenly flushing. "I, I..."
The others in the lab showed knowing expressions, their eyes full of teasing as they looked at Hannah and Alaric.
Alaric noticed everyone's gaze and coughed uncomfortably, hurrying to change the subject. "Sophia, welcome back. Are you feeling better?"
"Much better, thank you for your concern."
Alaric smiled and nodded, looking at Sophia with deep guilt in his eyes.
At the same time, outside Maple Grove Villas, a disheveled woman struggled to the villa entrance, her eyes immediately welling up with tears.
She... she was finally back!
Hearing the knock, a servant came out to open the door. What she saw was a woman with messy hair and worn-out clothes.
The woman's hair was disheveled, covering her face. Her clothes had several holes, and the exposed skin was covered in bruises, barely a spot unmarked.
The sight was shocking.
The servant was startled. "Who are you?"
"It's me, Magnolia! Lika, do you remember me?" The woman pushed aside the hair covering her face, revealing a familiar face.
The woman called "Lika" was the servant who had deliberately refused to make lunch the day before, trying to establish authority over Sophia.
Actually, she had known Magnolia for a long time.
Before Benjamin sent Magnolia abroad, Magnolia had already bribed Lika.
The drugging incident actually had her secretly pushing things along, but she hid it well, and with the chaos at the time, no one traced it back to her.
In her heart, Magnolia and Benjamin were meant for each other, but that bitch Sophia somehow seduced Benjamin.
Simply hateful!
At this moment, looking at Magnolia's current appearance, Lika couldn't quite recognize her.
Was this... really the Magnolia she knew, who had always been dignified, elegant, gentle, and refined?