Chapter 287 Juno
After the pleasantries, Sophia quickly started examining Ernest.
Caspian and Elodie had strictly followed her instructions to give Ernest his medicine after she left, so his condition hadn't gotten worse.
Sophia took out her medical tools from her bag and began treating Ernest.
Just as the medical instrument was about to touch Ernest's skin, a sharp voice came from behind, "Wait."
Sophia turned around, confused, and found that Juno had walked over at some point.
"Juno?"
"What is this thing? Ernest is one of the most beloved children in the Armstrong family. If something happens to him, can you take responsibility?"
She frowned, looking at Sophia with dissatisfaction.
Sophia slowly put down the medical tool in her hand, looked up at Juno for a while, and said slowly, "Juno, this isn't our first time meeting, is it?"
Juno snorted coldly, "So what?"
Sure enough, Juno and Sophia had probably met before, but Sophia couldn't quite remember when.
"What's going on?" Benjamin walked to Sophia's side, positioning himself protectively in front of her. "Marigold, as Ernest's mother, hasn't even said anything."
His implication was - aren't you being too nosy?
Juno had been spoiled since childhood, and later took charge of the Armstrong Group, so she was used to being domineering.
This time, suddenly encountering a junior who dared to talk back to her, her face darkened. "I'm the one in charge of the Armstrong family now."
Xander walked over with a cold face and said to Juno, "Stop making trouble. Ernest's improvement is all thanks to Sophia."
"Thanks to her? Are you sure?"
Juno and Xander had a business marriage. They'd been married for years, but their relationship was very cold.
Xander had a strong and cold personality, and Juno was equally strong-willed.
When they got together, they'd argue at the drop of a hat.
If it weren't for maintaining the marriage alliance, they wouldn't have lasted this long.
Juno pointed at Sophia and sneered, "If it weren't for her, how could Caspian have become so depressed and almost ruined his own future?"
"What are you talking about? What does this have to do with Caspian?" Xander looked at her, confused.
Hearing this, Sophia suddenly remembered - she and Juno had indeed met once before.
That was two years ago, when she hadn't graduated yet.
Juno had suddenly sought her out, and the moment they met, she arrogantly threw out a check, telling her to stay away from her nephew.
Sophia had no idea who her nephew was at the time and immediately returned the check.
But Juno wouldn't let it go and scolded her, saying, "I've seen plenty of women like you, always trying to climb the social ladder, just hoping for a better life. This money is enough for you to live comfortably for a lifetime. Take it, and don't come around bothering him anymore."
The check was written for about three million dollars, which for an ordinary person would indeed be enough to live well for a lifetime.
Sophia never dreamed that this kind of scenario, which only existed in TV dramas, would actually happen to her.
She was so angry at Juno's high-and-mighty attitude that she immediately took out a check herself, added an extra zero to it, and threw it in her face.
She still remembered how awful Juno's expression was at that moment - her eyes looked like they wanted to bore holes through her.
Later... Juno naturally left in anger.
Juno's ugly expression back then was somewhat similar to how she looked now.
Caspian walked over with a troubled expression. "Juno, please stop. It's all in the past."
But Juno's face grew even darker. "In the past? Have you forgotten how depressed you were over this woman? She seduced you because she wanted your status as a son of the Armstrong family. What's with the act?"
Sophia's face turned cold, and she retorted firmly, "Juno, who told you I need money? Don't tell me you think that check I gave you back then was fake?"
Just thinking about that check made Juno's face turn ugly instantly.
Sophia took out a check from her bag, wrote down an amount of one hundred million, and handed it to Juno.
"Caspian might be a good stepping stone for many people, but unfortunately, I don't need one."
Many people might think Sophia was being too arrogant saying such things, but only Benjamin knew she was stating facts.
She was excellent and very capable - she didn't need to use anyone as a stepping stone.
Setting aside the research institute's prize money, Sophia herself owned twenty percent of the Lumina Group's shares, making her the second-largest shareholder after Matthew.
Any medicine she made could fetch priceless sums at auction.
She owned many properties under her name.
Finally, she also had joint assets with Benjamin.
"Juno, I've often heard how decisive you are in business. Meeting you today is quite disappointing." Benjamin held Sophia's hand tightly, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed, radiating bone-chilling coldness.
Juno's face darkened as she stared at the check in her hand.
In all these years, no one had ever dared to embarrass her in public like this.
Except for Sophia, and now there was Benjamin too.
"Are you sure you want to compete with me over who has more money? Young man, I advise you not to be too arrogant. The combined wealth of the Armstrong family and the Smith family is beyond your imagination."
"So what?" Sophia asked casually.
She said those things just to prove that she never needed to rely on seducing anyone to make a living, not to show off.
Juno felt a lump in her chest, looking at Sophia as if she could shoot fire from her eyes.
"Do you think one hundred million dollars can make up for the hurt you caused Caspian? He's a golden boy - everyone else has always looked up to him. How did you treat him?" Juno pulled Caspian forward, her eyes full of heartache.
The reason she had sought out Sophia back then was because Caspian had lost his appetite and his personality had changed drastically because of Sophia.
Before meeting Sophia, Caspian had always been the center of attention, like a star surrounded by admirers.
Then one day, she suddenly noticed that Caspian had become listless and would hide in his room all day, refusing to come out.
After asking around, she learned that it was all because of a woman.
Caspian had fallen for Sophia and pursued her relentlessly, but Sophia had remained cold and distant.
It made him the laughingstock of the entire school.
She had watched Caspian grow up and had always treated him like her own son.
She was furious and immediately went to find Sophia.
At the time, although Sophia was beautiful, she dressed simply and plainly, wearing clothes with no recognizable brands.
So she assumed Sophia was a nobody with no family background, trying to hook Caspian while pretending to be aloof by giving him the cold shoulder.
Hearing this, Caspian's face turned extremely uncomfortable. "Juno, please stop. It has nothing to do with her. It was all my own wishful thinking."