Chapter 336 I Hug My Own Wife, It's Not Illegal
Kieran met Finnley's cold and menacing gaze, his legs going weak with fear.
"Mr. Bryant, these are already the most popular jewelry pieces in the company."
Chase also leaned over to look, discovering that the iPad screen showed Luminor Group's latest designs, and many of them were even limited editions.
Based on his aesthetic judgment, even just looking at the designs, he could tell these jewelry pieces were very innovative, exquisite and beautiful.
Suddenly Chase had a flash of insight and figured out why Finnley brought him here—to pick out a birthday gift for Sophia.
However, Chase soon realized he'd only guessed half right.
Finnley was indeed here to pick a birthday gift for Sophia, but not a ready-made one—he wanted to make it himself.
Finnley left disappointed that night, telling Kieran to keep looking for new, one-of-a-kind jewelry designs.
Just selecting the jewelry style alone took Finnley several days.
Each time, Finnley only came out after Sophia had fallen asleep, so she never noticed anything.
By the time Sophia's birthday arrived, Preston had specially invited many successful people from all walks of life.
All the wealthy families in Silverlight City, big and small, had heard of Sophia, but they hadn't expected Preston to dote on this granddaughter-in-law so much.
Two years ago, after the White family's troubles, many people waited to see them become a laughingstock.
Some of the White family's competitors even secretly hoped the White family would collapse soon.
But as days passed, not only did the White family not collapse, it was managed better than ever.
In this, Sophia deserved much of the credit.
At first, many people talked about Sophia as a joke, especially the wealthy ladies. Every time they mentioned Sophia, their tone was full of mockery and disdain.
After the news of Benjamin's accident at sea came out, Amelia said countless times that Sophia was a jinx who brought bad luck to her husband.
Amelia also said that the White family's downfall was all Sophia's fault.
They once believed Amelia's claims, thinking Benjamin's death was somehow connected to Sophia.
Everyone waited for Sophia to be kicked out of the White family and end up miserable.
It wasn't that they had any deep grudge against Sophia—gossip is just human nature.
Seeing someone who used to be beneath them suddenly rise up and become the White family's treasure made them inexplicably unhappy.
So they wanted to wait and see when Sophia would fall from grace, to satisfy their expectations.
But they waited a long time, and not only did Sophia not get kicked out of the White family, they heard the news that Benjamin had returned alive.
This caused an uproar in the wealthy circles.
Those who had mocked Sophia before couldn't sit still anymore and wanted to use this birthday party to check out the White family's situation.
In the White Manor's main hall, many people gathered together, gently swirling wine glasses in their hands, wearing shallow smiles that were either flattering or ingratiating.
Preston was used to such scenes and didn't think much of it, but Finnley felt rather impatient.
He hated playing nice with people wearing fake masks.
Right now he just wanted to see Sophia quickly, wondering if she'd finished changing into her evening gown.
Lost in thought, Finnley couldn't help but look up toward the second floor.
As if by telepathy, Sophia had just finished changing and was coming down the stairs.
Sophia and Finnley looked at each other from a distance.
Sophia wore delicate makeup today. Her porcelain-white face looked even more refined, shedding some of her youthfulness and gaining a touch of alluring charm.
Her clear eyes sparkled with tiny glimmers of light, her long curled lashes trembling slightly.
She held up her dress and walked down the steps one by one.
The previously noisy hall suddenly fell silent for a moment. Someone gasped and blurted out: "So beautiful!"
Finnley was the first to react. Hearing this, his handsome face darkened somewhat.
He quickly walked up the steps and stopped in front of Sophia.
She usually liked to wear casual clothes, relaxed and carefree, with a lazy kind of beauty.
But today was completely different.
Today she wore an evening gown—a purple fluffy tulle dress that swept the floor, covering her ankles.
The strapless design outlined her figure perfectly, her snow-white skin almost dazzling under the lights.
Finnley's eyes darkened. He raised his hand to unbutton his suit jacket and draped it over Sophia's shoulders. "Put it on."
"What are you doing? You're covering up my dress!"
Sophia glared at him playfully, trying to take off the jacket.
"Try taking it off and see what happens!" Finnley threatened in a low voice.
He gripped Sophia's wrist tightly, his eyes flashing with intense possessiveness.
He wanted to hide Sophia away, hide her somewhere no one else could see.
Sophia was his own little treasure, meant only for his eyes.
Others couldn't look at her.
Sophia saw the familiar expression in his eyes and felt both helpless and amused.
Even though Finnley had lost his memory, his jealousy was as strong as ever.
Since she was in a good mood today, she'd reluctantly let it slide and not argue with him.
So Finnley watched as Sophia glared at him fiercely, but instead of getting angry, she quietly put her hand down.
Finnley's lips curved slightly. Without thinking about all the people present, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
How could she be so wonderful?
So wonderful that he felt like everything now was just a dream.
He was afraid that someday this dream would suddenly end and she would completely disappear.
Sophia was caught off guard as Finnley pulled her into his embrace, her red lips landing right on his face.
Finnley's face radiated a slight warmth. Though he hadn't taken special care of it, it was smooth and delicate.
His signature cologne scent hit her, making Sophia's cheeks flush and her heart race.
The guests downstairs took in this scene, each with their own thoughts.
Some were envious and jealous, some dismissive, others ambiguous.
Preston sighed with relief and said to Alaric beside him: "Look how good their relationship is! If it weren't for all those troubles, I'd probably be holding a great-grandchild by now. It's all GeneCipher Society's fault!"
"Grandpa, don't worry. Things will get better," Alaric consoled helplessly.
"They will get better," Preston murmured, unclear whether he was speaking to Alaric or to himself.
Hearing the noisy voices downstairs, Sophia's cheeks grew even redder.
She pushed against Finnley's chest and lifted her face from his embrace.
Her eyes were dewy and bright. "Let go quickly, all those guests downstairs are watching."
"Let them watch. I'm holding my own wife—that's not illegal."
Though he said this, seeing Sophia's shy expression, Finnley obediently let go.
"Who's your wife? Didn't you refuse to admit it before?" Sophia went down the steps playfully, "accidentally" stepping hard on his foot.
Men really are fickle.
Just a few days ago, Finnley had firmly insisted he wasn't Benjamin.
A sharp pain shot through Finnley's foot. He grunted softly and pulled her hand with a light laugh.
"Is it too late to take back those words now?"
He didn't want to think about the past, only wanted to tell her that right now, at this moment, he was certain he wanted to spend the rest of his life holding her hand just like this.