Chapter 182 Showing Affection in Front of Single Men
"You're right. No matter how much I say, it won't help." Benjamin nodded in agreement.
If Joshua refused to believe him, no amount of promises would make a difference.
He lowered his eyes, a dark and somber look flickering in his deep gaze.
Sophia squeezed his hand sympathetically. "Honey, I believe you. No matter what happens, I'll stand firmly by your side."
"Thank you, Sophia." Benjamin squeezed her hand back and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss.
Joshua watched their interaction with wide eyes, his pupils dilating in shock.
Could you two be a little more considerate? He was still right there.
Was it really okay to show off their affection so openly in front of a single man?
He cleared his throat, breaking the mood between them. "Either way, our Sophia definitely has people looking out for her. I don't care if you're the heir to the White Group or whoever you are—if you ever let Sophia suffer any grievance, I definitely won't let you off easy."
Watching Sophia lean dependently against Benjamin, Joshua's heart ached.
He had known this day would come eventually.
But he never imagined it would come so suddenly.
Joshua lowered his eyes and secretly wiped the tears from the corners. "Sophia, get some good rest. Call me if you need anything. I'm staying right next door."
With that, Joshua turned and left.
Joshua's retreating figure looked lonely no matter how you looked at it.
It made your heart ache.
Sophia and Benjamin exchanged glances, their eyes full of helplessness.
After Joshua left Sophia's room, he ran into Sawyer in the hallway.
Sawyer had a complicated expression, his face looking somewhat haggard with dark circles under his eyes—clearly he hadn't rested well.
Normally, Joshua would definitely check in on one of his actors.
But right now, he really wasn't in the mood. He didn't even spare Sawyer a second glance, walking right past him, planning to return to his room and call Matthew to demand some answers.
Seeing Joshua approach, Sawyer immediately stepped forward, preparing to greet him.
But before he could speak, Joshua walked right past him.
Sawyer froze, not quite processing what happened.
He turned to look at him and called out, "Joshua."
Hearing someone call his name, Joshua immediately stopped and slowly turned around, looking at Sawyer. "Sawyer, is there something you need?"
Sawyer cleared his throat lightly, then looked around to make sure no one was nearby before breathing a sigh of relief and asking, "Joshua, I just saw you coming out of Sophia's room. You and Sophia... you know each other?"
"Yes, she's my junior."
At the mention of Sophia, Joshua's cold expression immediately softened a bit.
He was already handsome with an air that made people look up to him, but now his striking features appeared especially gentle, like melting glaciers.
Sawyer noticed the change in Joshua's expression and was momentarily stunned.
Everyone in the entertainment industry knew that Joshua had a fiery temper and never gave anyone any face.
The female actresses he'd made cry were countless—they could line up from here to the airport.
Sawyer never expected to see such a tender expression on his face.
"Is there anything else?"
Noticing Sawyer's gaze, Joshua frowned slightly in displeasure.
Sawyer snapped back to attention and gave a slight smile. "Joshua, to be honest, Sophia is actually my sister. Can you tell me how you two know each other?"
"Your real sister?" Joshua froze, looking incredulous. "What's going on?"
How was it that in just two months of not seeing her, Sophia had not only gotten married but also found her biological parents?
Sophia's biological brother was actually Sawyer?
"There are some things I'm not very clear about either. I haven't been in touch with my family for two months, so I'm not really sure why Sophia would be together with Benjamin." Sawyer sighed heavily, his tone carrying a hint of guilt.
Because he was absorbed in his own thoughts, Sawyer unconsciously overlooked Joshua's statement that "she's my junior."
That evening, the rain outside finally let up, and the hotel's internet connection was restored.
Joshua immediately called Matthew.
At that moment, Matthew had just finished showering and was still damp.
Bare-chested, revealing his toned abs and sexy V-line, he was gently toweling his wet hair.
His phone suddenly rang.
He picked it up and saw a familiar name, raising an eyebrow.
Recently, he'd been busy with matters at the Lumina Group headquarters and hadn't had time to deal with the branch offices, so he had no idea about the rainstorm at Vast Mountain.
Now, seeing Joshua calling, he felt a bit puzzled but still answered.
"Hello?"
"Matthew, what's going on with you? Why did it take so long to answer! I have something very important to ask you. You better come clean right now..."
Joshua's tone was urgent, without a pause.
Matthew's hand holding the phone froze, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
After a long silence, he drawled slowly, "Did you eat gunpowder or something?"
"..."
Joshua was caught off guard, realizing he'd been too anxious, and immediately softened his tone.
"I've only been filming for two months—how did Sophia end up married? What's wrong with you? Why didn't you keep an eye on things?"
Matthew was somewhat speechless, reaching up to rub the throbbing vein at his temple. "I can't control her either. Sophia's grown up and doesn't listen anymore. By the time I found out, she and Benjamin were already married."
Matthew paused, sensing something was off, and quickly caught on. "How did you find out? Didn't they say there's no network signal in the mountains? Where are you now?"
Matthew lowered his eyes, his toweling motion slowing slightly as his sharp gaze fixed on the screen.
On the screen, Joshua was wearing simple loungewear, his hair loose, looking noticeably thinner than two months ago, his expression full of anger.
And the background behind him was clearly a hotel room.
Joshua was silent for a moment, then couldn't help complaining, "Haven't you been watching the news lately? Vast Mountain had several days of heavy rainstorms. If Sophia hadn't arrived in time, our whole group would probably have been trapped there to death."
He irritably ran his hand through his hair and sighed heavily.
"Sophia? She went to Vast Mountain?" Matthew asked.
"Yes, and Benjamin came too. So hurry up and tell me honestly—what's really going on?" Joshua leaned against the headboard in a lazy, casual manner, but his tone was especially heavy.
Matthew gave him a rundown of the important events from the past two months.
After hearing it, Joshua shot up from the bed. "What! Does the Brown family have no shame? Our Sophia is the sweetest, most adorable, and most sensible person in the world. Are these people blind or what?"