Chapter 73
Sophia still had more to say, but Harper had already left.
Brian's angry voice came from outside, extremely harsh.
Sophia irritably ran her fingers through her hair, feeling utterly helpless.
She did want to solve this, but she couldn't think of any good solution. Things had blown up so much that James probably knew about it too, yet he still hadn't contacted her.
Thinking of James, Sophia's eyes lit up. She quickly called him, and James answered right away.
"James, I need your help."
Sophia spoke urgently, "You must have seen the news online, right? What should I do? If this keeps up, I'm going to be completely ruined."
"Internet users don't care about evidence. They only believe Emily right now. What am I supposed to do? Please help me!"
"How am I supposed to help you?"
James's dismissive voice came through, "Sophia, I'm not trying to lecture you, but you've got some nerve! How could you do something like this?"
"Nina is just a child, and you actually kidnapped her. You've really opened my eyes! I bet even your parents never imagined you'd be this bold, huh?"
"Now you've made such a huge mess, and suddenly you think of me. I can't help you."
James had no interest in dealing with this mess. He was genuinely shocked by Sophia's actions.
No matter how much Sophia disliked Emily, Sophia should only target her personally. He had no idea what Sophia was thinking, going after a child like that.
Hadn't she heard that you don't harm someone's children? Besides, Emily's kids were adorable. He couldn't imagine how cold-hearted Sophia must be to come up with kidnapping Nina.
Emily must be terrified right now. James had been thinking about finding Emily to comfort her properly—such a rare opportunity, he couldn't miss it.
But he had no idea where Emily lived. He'd been searching for days with no leads and had to give up for now.
He never expected that at this critical moment, Sophia would come to him for help. As if he would help her.
"James, you have to help me!"
Sophia was so anxious she couldn't stand or sit still, with cold sweat covering her forehead.
"My dad just chewed me out. I know I was wrong. I promise I'll never do anything like this again. Please help me figure out how to calm down the online storm."
"If this continues, internet users are going to dig up everything about the Johnson family. It'll definitely drag my dad and mom into this, and my dad will definitely take all his anger out on me."
"James, haven't I been good to you? We're supposed to get married. We'll be family eventually. Are you really going to just watch me suffer?"
"Watch you suffer?"
James laughed bitterly at her words. He had a lot to say but couldn't get it out.
Sophia's brain didn't work like a normal person's. She was a refined egoist who only did things that benefited herself, not caring about anyone else's well-being.
No matter how much injustice and anger James expressed, it would be meaningless to Sophia. Did he really expect someone like Sophia to empathize with him? Forget it.
"James, you have to save me!"
Sophia repeated this phrase, a flash of ruthlessness in her eyes. "We're in this together. You can't do without me, and I can't do without you. If you don't save me..."
She didn't finish her sentence, deliberately drawing out the ending.
James narrowed his eyes slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I don't mean anything."
Sophia laughed coldly. "I'm just telling you that a cornered dog will jump over a wall. You don't want us to go down together, do you?"
"Go down together?"
James frowned even more deeply. "Sophia, I haven't done anything to wrong you. Even if you really want to drag someone down with you, it shouldn't be me."
"I don't care!"
Sophia threatened viciously, "If you all make it impossible for me to survive, why should I let you have it easy?"
"James, you have to come up with a solution for me. If I don't have good days ahead, don't expect to stay out of it yourself!"
Sophia said these last words with force. She really had no other options.
Actually, she didn't really care what internet users said about her.
The internet had always been like this. No matter how hotly something was discussed online, when a new hot topic emerged, the old news would quickly be forgotten by users.
Then she could naturally breathe easier. She didn't need to do anything, just wait it out.
But the problem was that Brian took this matter very seriously, and it already involved the Johnson family's reputation. Even if internet users really did forget, those social climbers in high society who were good at reading the wind wouldn't forget. Who knew how long the butterfly effect would last?
Therefore, Sophia didn't dare gamble. She had to resolve this as soon as possible.
Seeing how ruthlessly Sophia was speaking, James hesitated too.
He and Sophia really were in this together. Though it wasn't quite "can't live without each other," if Sophia really decided to take him down with her, even if he didn't die, he'd lose a layer of skin. It really wasn't worth it.
"Fine, I'll help you out then."
James's eyes rolled as he thought. "Just send out a lawyer's letter. Think about how to explain this, make it clear to the internet users, then send a lawyer's letter to put some pressure on them."
"Those internet users are just a mob. When there's no cost, they'll make noise online freely—it's human nature. But once you send a lawyer's letter to scare them, they won't dare do anything."
"Really?"
Sophia was skeptical. "Are you sure this will actually work?"
"If it doesn't work, go find someone else."
James frowned impatiently.
"Fine, I trust you."
Sophia gritted her teeth. "I'll do what you said. As long as I can get through this crisis, I'll do whatever you ask."
James rolled his eyes dismissively on his end and hung up.
Last time, because of Emily's situation, he was sent to the police station. Not only did Sophia not comfort him, but she even mocked him, and afterward wanted to fight with him. He wished he could stay as far away from her as possible.
Although in others' eyes, he and Sophia were still a couple, James had already started thinking about breaking up with Sophia. The distance between them was growing.
After hanging up, Sophia's anxious heart finally settled halfway.
James's words made sense. No matter how much internet users made noise, they feared lawyers' letters. Who wanted to receive a court summons?
As long as she did this, the internet users would definitely quiet down for a while. Then, when some new incident broke out to wash away the heat of this event, the internet users wouldn't focus on her anymore, and she'd get through this crisis.