Chapter 189
Sophia was startled by the man in black who suddenly appeared. She instinctively stepped back, but accidentally missed the step and stumbled, nearly falling.
Fortunately, a hand steadily caught her arm.
"Ms. Johnson, careful."
The voice was low and hoarse, with a deliberate restraint.
Sophia looked up and saw that the person holding her was a tall man.
He wore a black suit with a black mask covering his face, revealing only a pair of narrow eyes.
Those eyes looked especially deep under the streetlight, showing no emotion.
"Who are you?"
Sophia jerked her hand away from his grip, stepped back several paces, and looked warily at these men in black.
Her voice still carried a sob, but her eyes had regained their clarity.
The leading man didn't get angry at her resistance. He just glanced at her calmly, then signaled his subordinate to open the car door.
"Ms. Johnson, this isn't the place to talk. Get in the car. I have something I want to discuss with you."
"Why should I go with you?"
Sophia snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Although she had fallen on hard times, she wasn't stupid enough to get in a car with strangers.
"Don't you want revenge?"
The man's voice came from behind her, unhurried, yet piercing her heart like a needle.
She stopped in her tracks, frozen in place.
Revenge?
That word was like a key, instantly unlocking the hatred she had been suppressing for so long.
James's cold face, the slap mark on her face, and those words "you're just a slut nobody wants" - these scenes flashed through her mind.
Sophia clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, causing pain.
She took a deep breath, turned around, and stared hard at the man.
"What do you mean by that?"
Seeing her stop, a flash of triumph passed through the man's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
"I'm saying, if there was a chance for you to get revenge, to make James pay, would you take it?"
Sophia was silent for a few seconds, her eyes scanning him up and down.
"Who exactly are you?"
Faced with her question, the man simply made a gesture of invitation.
"Get in the car and we'll talk."
This time, after some hesitation, Sophia got in the car.
The car door closed, shutting out the noisy sounds outside.
It was very quiet inside the car, with a faint smell of leather in the air.
Sophia sat in the back seat, her body tense, her hand resting on the door handle.
The man sat across from her, calmly taking out a bottle of water from the car refrigerator and offering it to her.
"Have some water first, calm down."
Sophia didn't take it, just stared at him.
"Who exactly are you? What do you want with me? If you don't get straight to the point, I'm getting out right now."
Faced with her threat, the man wasn't in a hurry.
He put the water aside, leaned back in his seat, and spoke slowly.
"Ms. Johnson, I know your situation is very bad right now. The Johnson family has fallen, Brian ran away, Amelia cut ties with you, and James dumped you too. You could say you're at a dead end now, with nothing left."
His words directly hit Sophia's wound.
Her face turned pale, her lips pressed tight, but she didn't argue.
Because everything he said was true.
"But..."
The man changed his tone, his voice becoming more serious.
"Have you ever thought that you don't actually have to live like this?"
Sophia frowned, somewhat confused.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, although the Johnson family has fallen, you're not Brian. You have ability, you have skills. As long as you're willing, you can completely rebuild the Johnson family on your own."
Sophia's eyes flickered when she heard this, but quickly dimmed again.
"That's easy for you to say. I have nothing now. What am I supposed to use to rebuild the Johnson family?"
"What do you want?"
The man naturally understood she was negotiating with him.
He chuckled lightly, his tone somewhat tempting.
"Money? Connections? Resources? I can give you all of these."
Seeing his serious expression, Sophia stared at him, her eyes full of scrutiny.
"Why would you help me? What do you want to get?"
There's no free lunch in this world, and even if there was, Sophia didn't believe such a huge opportunity would fall into her lap.
The man didn't answer directly, but changed the subject.
"What do you think is the biggest problem you're facing right now?"
Sophia was taken aback, not understanding why he was asking this.
But she still answered seriously.
"Of course it's having no money and no backing."
The man shook his head, completely rejecting her answer.
"Your biggest problem is James."
Sophia's face darkened, and she didn't respond.
"Think about it. Even if you had money now and rebuilt the Johnson family, would James let it go? He knows you hate him. He'll definitely find ways to suppress you and make sure you never get back on your feet. By then, no matter how much money you have, you won't be able to fight him."
The man spoke word by word, as if analyzing the situation for her.
"So, if you want to make a comeback, the first thing you need to do is get rid of James. As long as he's around, as long as the Smith family exists, you'll never have a good life."
This time Sophia was silent for a long time.
She had to admit that what this man said made sense.
James - she knew him well.
He was ruthless and heartless.
If James knew she was trying to make a comeback, he would definitely use any means necessary to suppress her.
"You're right. So what do you think I should do?"
Sophia lifted her head, her eyes showing more determination.
Seeing she had taken the bait, satisfaction flashed in the man's eyes.
"It's simple. You just need to cooperate with me to take down the Smith family."
"Take down the Smith family? Just with you?"
Sophia looked at him skeptically, clearly not believing him.
The man wasn't annoyed. Instead, he took out a document from his file and handed it to her.
"Of course not just me alone. I have resources, connections, and funds, but I lack someone who understands the Smith family's internal situation. And you happen to be the most suitable person."
Sophia took the document and briefly looked through it.
Inside were some materials about the Smith family's business operations, along with some professional data she didn't understand.
"What grudge do you have against the Smith family?"
This seemingly random question from Sophia made the man instantly fall silent.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
"You should have heard some things about what the Smith family did in the past, right?"
Sophia nodded.
She had indeed heard some rumors before.
When the Smith family was building their fortune in the early years, their methods weren't honorable - they climbed up by stepping on many people.
In that case, this man in front of her was most likely one of those people the Smith family had stepped on.
"I understand."