Chapter 76
The others scrambled to carry Eric to the community aid clinic.
Sophie walked up to me somewhat timidly, hesitating about whether to speak.
I looked at Sophie with gentle eyes and said to her, "Honey, if there's something on your mind, you can just say it. We don't need to hide anything from each other."
Sophie took a deep breath and looked straight at Kane.
"Sir, you seem rather violent and bloody. Is this how you treat Sonya normally?"
I froze for a moment.
Besides being a bit surprised, I was deeply moved.
From Kane's action of shooting just now, Sophie could definitely tell that Kane was a dangerous man.
But she was worried about my safety, so she still chose to confront Kane directly.
I looked nervously at Kane beside me.
But Kane just smiled. He said to Sophie, "Ma'am, you can rest assured. I was the one who rescued Sonya from her evil stepfather."
Sophie's eyes widened when she heard this.
"You were the one who saved Sonya from her suffering? Oh my God, thank you so much."
Sophie had completely forgotten how fierce Kane had been just moments ago, her voice full of gratitude toward Kane.
When facing Sophie, Kane was much gentler too.
Only then did I recall that Kane seemed quite gentle when dealing with people who were friendly to me.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but smile, and my eyes were full of tenderness as I looked at Kane.
I said softly, "Thank you, honey."
Kane's pupils trembled suddenly. He turned to look at me with delight and said, "What did you just call me?"
But I couldn't say it a second time. I quickly pretended to take Sophie's hand and led her to a corner.
I said honestly to Sophie, "My husband, he's the leader of the mafia."
Sophie gasped when she heard this.
But the next second, she hugged me tightly, her voice full of relief.
"Oh my, that's wonderful, that's wonderful. With a husband like this, Luca won't dare bully you anymore."
Sophie's eyes were filled with tears. She gently stroked my cheek and spoke of her long-standing worries.
"I used to worry that if you married an ordinary person, Luca might continue to bully you, and the happy life you finally got would be ruined by him."
Faced with Sophie's genuine care and love, I thought of my mother.
I couldn't help but hug her, burying my head in her collar as tears flowed uncontrollably.
Sophie stroked my head, comforting me, "Today is a good day, dear Sonya. You should be smiling, not crying."
Sophie was right. With such a happy life now, I shouldn't be crying.
I lifted my head, wiped away the tears, and said to Sophie, "Today is your birthday too, right? This rabbit is the birthday gift I bought for you. You must accept it. After all, you've helped me so much before. If you won't even accept this, I'll feel terrible."
Before knowing Kane was my husband, Sophie might have declined.
But now that she knew my husband was a wealthy mafia boss, Sophie felt no pressure.
She smiled and accepted the gift, showing me a gentle smile.
"Your change now isn't just on the outside, it's also in your heart. Your heart is becoming richer, dear."
If Sophie hadn't said this, I wouldn't have realized it.
I was stunned for a moment, then slowly smiled, "You're right. My biggest change now is that I'm no longer as timid as before."
Sophie looked at me with satisfaction. I took her hand and returned to Kane's side.
Kane raised an eyebrow at me, "What secrets were you whispering about behind my back?"
If others heard this, they might think Kane had a strong need to control me, that he had to know everything I said to others privately.
But I knew Kane was just joking with me.
I smiled and winked at him, saying cheerfully, "Of course, I was chatting with Sophie about you."
Sophie looked at Kane and me nervously.
When she saw that Kane wasn't angry after hearing what I said, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She took my hand with a beaming smile and said, "It seems you and your husband have a good relationship. In that case, I can rest easy. Well, the party is almost ready. Let's go eat something together. It's been a long time since you've had Sophie's cooking, hasn't it?"
Speaking of Sophie's cooking, my eyes showed nostalgia.
In the past, to support me, my mother always had to work several jobs, otherwise we couldn't even afford food.
So I often had to stay home alone, hungry.
After Sophie learned about this, she would always make extra food and knock on my door.
She would deliberately say she had made too much, then put the food that was obviously prepared for me into my hands.
Sophie was like a second mother to me.
Without her, I might not have grown up safe and healthy.
I happily enjoyed the meal Sophie made.
When we were about to leave, Sophie pressed something into my hands.
Looking at the well-wrapped gift, I instinctively tried to refuse.
"Today is your birthday, how can you give me something?"
But Sophie just smiled. She tapped my nose and said, "I'm just returning something to its rightful owner. You'll know what it is when you open it at home."
With that, she waved at me.
Kane put his arm around me and we got in the car.
He saw that my eyes kept falling on the gift Sophie gave me, so he spoke up, "Since you're so curious, why not just open it and see?"
I didn't hesitate and unwrapped the gift. Inside was a framed photograph.
In the photo, I was still a baby, held in my mother's arms.
At that time, my mother hadn't yet suffered life's hardships and weathering. Her smile was so sweet.
My eyes immediately welled up. I looked at Kane, my voice slightly choked.
I hadn't expected that Sophie would still have this photo.
When Luca came back here before, he burned everything we had left behind.
So I didn't have a single photo of my mother.
I cried and buried my head in Kane's chest. Kane gently stroked my head over and over.
Because of this, I didn't see Kane's eyes fall on my mother's face in the photo, his gaze showing some determination.
When we returned to the estate, I had cried myself tired. Kane carried me out of the car.
I struggled a bit, embarrassed, not wanting others to see Kane and me being so intimate.
I was just too shy.
Kane lowered his head and gently bit my ear, like a punishment.
With my ears burning red, I buried my head in his chest. Then I heard him say to me, "I've prepared a big gift for you. If I remember correctly, your birthday is coming up soon, isn't it?"