Chapter 328 As Long As He Is Still Himself, It Is Enough
Dane let out a deep sigh, reached up to ruffle Sophia's hair, his eyes full of sympathy.
When it came to matters of the heart, he didn't dare jump to conclusions easily either.
Besides, he hadn't officially met Finnley yet, and didn't know what Finnley's attitude toward Sophia really was.
Just then, Robert and Finnley walked out of the study, heading toward the gazebo.
Seeing Finnley, Sophia immediately hid the sadness in her eyes and put on a slight smile.
Finnley was also looking at her, his eyes full of warmth.
"Dane, hello." Finnley politely nodded to Dane.
Dane smiled, "Sophia has mentioned you before. Finally getting to meet you."
Sophia looked up at Finnley and said, "When Dane heard you were back, he said he wanted to meet you. I specifically brought you here to see him and Robert."
"It's only right to visit the elders."
Finnley happened to look down at the same time, his gaze falling on her face, his hand suddenly itching.
How could she be... so adorable?
So soft and sweet.
Her smile was especially sweet.
Especially when Sophia looked at him, those eyes seemed to hold only him.
He couldn't help himself and reached out to pinch her cheek.
Just as soft as he'd imagined, making him reluctant to let go.
Sophia was caught off guard when Finnley pinched her cheek and froze.
She blinked, and her cheeks visibly turned red.
"Honey?"
Finnley snapped back to reality, realized what he'd done, and quickly pulled his hand back.
He cleared his throat lightly, the tips of his ears under his neat short hair turning slightly red.
He glanced at Dane and Robert. Fortunately, they were chatting and hadn't noticed the interaction between him and Sophia.
Finnley quietly breathed a sigh of relief, his cool fingertips lightly touching the back of Sophia's hand.
Taking advantage of her distraction, he grabbed it and held it in his palm.
Sophia's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively turned to look at Finnley, then noticed his ears were red as if they were about to bleed.
She laughed softly, and the hand being held slowly moved, intertwining their fingers.
Finnley didn't stop her small gesture, his eyes showing a hint of indulgence.
He knew clearly that Sophia wasn't as calm as she appeared on the surface.
She had always cared about his memory loss, just hadn't said it to his face.
This Sophia who seemed stubborn and strong on the outside was actually incredibly soft inside.
He wanted to hold her, to tell her that no matter what happened in the future, he would be by her side.
Sensing the tenderness in Finnley's eyes, warmth spread through Sophia's heart.
And precisely because of Finnley's response, Sophia immediately abandoned all her doubts and became more determined.
Dane was right—as long as he was still himself, as long as she still loved him... that was enough.
Dane and Robert finished talking and stood up first, heading toward the living room. "Let's go eat."
Robert paused, turned to look at the two of them, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Save your affection for when you get home. Why are you rubbing it in this lonely old man's face?"
Meeting Robert's amused gaze, Sophia's cheeks turned even redder.
"Robert!"
Seeing Sophia embarrassed, Robert couldn't help but laugh out loud and walked away.
Only Sophia and Finnley were left in the gazebo. The two looked at each other and smiled.
Sophia pulled his hand to follow. "Dane's cooking is really good. I wonder what he made today. Let's go see."
Since Dane retired, he'd been living a leisurely life.
With nothing else to do, he'd tinker in the kitchen, and over time, developed excellent cooking skills.
While eating, Sophia kept serving Finnley food.
"This is your favorite dish, eat more."
"Try this one, it's Dane's specialty."
Finnley looked at his bowl already piled high with food, his eyes full of helplessness. "That's plenty. You eat more, don't worry about me."
Dane and Robert exchanged glances and smiled with satisfaction.
After dinner, Sophia suddenly received a phone call from Thaddeus.
Thaddeus got straight to the point and briefly explained the situation. "Ms. Brown, when are you available? I'd like to meet with you."
Hearing that Cillian had almost been kidnapped, Sophia's expression darkened.
Just as she'd suspected—those people were desperate and actually tried to harm the White family.
A cold glint flashed in Sophia's eyes as she said quietly, "Tomorrow. I actually wanted to talk to you too."
After hanging up, Sophia looked at Finnley.
Finnley raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"
"That was Thaddeus. Cillian was almost kidnapped."
"What?" Finnley's eyes turned cold, a dangerous glint flashing through them. "GeneCipher Society?"
Sophia nodded. "We need to go back."
The main reason she'd brought Finnley here was to have Robert check his condition.
Now that she knew he was fine, Sophia could relax.
"Okay."
Finnley's hand at his side tightened, a bloodthirsty killing intent rising in his eyes.
It seemed GeneCipher Society was getting desperate.
After saying goodbye to Dane and Robert, Sophia and Finnley left in a hurry.
Matthew and Joshua, hearing about the incident with the White family, also went back with them.
The White Manor.
Cillian sat dejected on the living room sofa, with Alaric beside him looking extremely grim.
"Alaric, are you saying there really is a problem with the company?" Cillian suddenly asked.
Alaric took a deep breath and reassured him, "Not a major problem, just lost a big contract. At first I thought it was just a difference in vision, that's why they didn't choose the White Group. But now it looks like it was all premeditated."
The deal the White Group had been working on recently was supposed to be a done deal.
Both sides had entered negotiations and were just short of signing the contract.
But this morning, the other party suddenly backed out, saying they'd found a new partner.
Alaric hadn't thought much of it at first, just had his staff handle it. But then he received news about Cillian's incident.
He hung up immediately and rushed home. Only when he saw Cillian sitting at home unharmed did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"I bet it's those people from that organization! They still won't give up, constantly going after Sophia and Finnley!"
Cillian clenched his fists in anger, wishing he could drag those people out and beat them up.
"I believe if Sophia anticipated someone would target the White family, she should have prepared for it. Let's wait until they get back." Alaric said expressionlessly.
Anyone who dared target the White family should be ready to face their retaliation.