Chapter 181

Chapter 181

He picked up Katya and walked forward slowly.

"Katya really misses you. She hasn't seen you in a long time. You've been so busy lately, and I didn't want to bother you. Katya and I came here to cheer you on for tomorrow's performance."

Katya, in his arms, seemed encouraged. She opened her round eyes—identical to Sophia's—and spoke in a soft, sweet voice.

"Mommy... I'm here to cheer you on. Go for it, Mommy. I believe in you. My mommy is the best!"

Sophia suddenly smiled, looking at Katya in Benjamin's arms.

It had been a while since they'd seen each other, and Katya seemed to have grown a bit. There was a touch of coolness in her features now, and at first glance, she looked more and more like Sophia.

"Okay... Mommy will definitely do her best."

This simple reply made Katya's eyes turn red, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

She cried silently like that, not making a sound. She bit her lip and stared intently at Sophia, as if the gently smiling Sophia before her might disappear the next second.

"Mommy, I really miss you."

She said with a choked voice, "Mommy, can you... Can you hold me?"

Sophia froze for a moment. She looked at the timid Katya, whose eyes still held hope.

"Okay."

After a moment of silence, she said hoarsely.

Sophia slowly reached out and carefully took Katya into her arms.

She had grown so much that Sophia almost couldn't hold her. The soft little body leaned dependently against Sophia.

"Mommy, I miss you so much."

Benjamin stood to the side, staring intently at the scene before him, afraid it might disappear the next second.

After this time alone, he had gradually understood many things and was no longer willing to force Sophia to come back with his domineering ways like before.

He was willing to always stand behind Sophia. As long as she was willing to turn around, he would always be there.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Tomorrow will definitely be a success. I'll bring Katya tomorrow. Katya, cheer for Mommy."

Before leaving, Katya hugged Sophia's neck, her voice soft and sweet.

"Go for it, Mommy. I'll be watching you from the audience tomorrow. My mommy is the most amazing!"

That night passed peacefully and quickly. Sophia got her hair and makeup done at the company, with the same makeup artist from the previous times.

She closed her eyes, constantly recalling the rhythm from the sheet music in her mind.

"Ms. Brown, your skin is really amazing."

After spending more time together, the makeup artist had become much more comfortable with Sophia. She chatted while gently applying makeup to Sophia's face.

The dressing room door was pushed open. She looked up and saw Francis standing in the doorway. He gently shook his head at the makeup artist, signaling her not to speak.

Then he tiptoed in, placed a professional performance earpiece on the makeup table, and tiptoed back out, as if he had never been there.

Noticing the makeup artist had stopped, Sophia asked curiously.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"No, Ms. Brown. Let's continue."

When Sophia opened her eyes, she saw the earpiece on the table. She paused, then looked up at the makeup artist.

"Who brought this?"

She asked, picking up the earpiece and gently touching it.

The earpiece felt premium—you could tell how much care the person who sent it had put in. She instinctively thought Daniel had sent it.

"It was Mr. Vasquez. He just came by, didn't say anything, put the earpiece on the table, and left."

Sophia was silent for a moment before putting on the earpiece. The sound quality was crystal clear and excellent. Anyone who knew their stuff could tell this earpiece wasn't something you could just buy in stores.

To find an earpiece like this, Francis must have put in a lot of effort.

Her heart warmed, and a smile flashed in her eyes.

Sophia went on stage as scheduled. She was still first.

The audience included not only people who came specifically for this concert and Benjamin's group, but also many industry professionals from abroad.

Francis sat in the audience, scanning the faces he'd only seen online before, and for the first time regretted his decision.

"Am I really getting old? I'm not seeing things clearly anymore. This is exactly like Sophia said—so many people you'd only see online have come."

Daniel sat beside him and chuckled at his words.

"You said I didn't understand her, but it looks like you're not much better yourself."

Vasquez also made time to come to this concert, and he even brought Anais.

Anais wore a cake dress and looked as delicate as a doll. The child couldn't sit still and looked around curiously. She accidentally made eye contact with Katya, who was also looking around.

Then she smiled at the nervous-looking Katya.

Though Anais was young, she could sense that Katya was still bothered by what had happened before, and that Katya was nervous about whether Anais would ignore her.

Feeling Anais's response, Katya frantically waved her hand in greeting while biting her lip.

"Katya, your mommy is about to come on stage. Focus on the performance."

Benjamin held down her hand, his voice low.

Hearing that Sophia was coming on stage, Katya immediately became still. Her small body sat up straight, her gaze fixed directly on the stage.

The curtain slowly opened. Sophia wore an elegant, plain dress, her long hair casually pinned up, giving her a relaxed air that made her look even more refined.

Katya's eyes were full of light, staring at Sophia on stage without blinking.

After Sophia bowed slightly, the surroundings dimmed, and a warm yellow spotlight shone on her, adding a touch of gentleness.

The foreign industry professionals in the audience seemed captivated by Sophia's cool temperament. They stared without blinking until the melodious sound of the violin came as Sophia drew the bow across the strings. Then they looked at each other, surprise written all over their faces.

When the piece ended, the concert hall was dead silent. No one applauded or cheered. Everyone seemed to still be immersed in the performance.

Until a childish voice of praise rang out, breaking the silence.

"Mommy, you're amazing!"

Following Katya's enthusiastic applause, the rest of the audience seemed to snap out of it and joined in clapping.

Thunderous applause swept through the entire concert hall. Only then did Sophia lift her head. Someone had already come on stage to take the violin from her hands.

She walked forward slowly and bowed gracefully before leaving the stage.

Francis had already gone backstage. When he saw Sophia, he immediately went up to her, his eyes showing admiration.

"Sophia, you did wonderfully. This performance was even more successful than your previous ones."

"Did you see the reaction of those people in the audience? They really appreciate you, truly appreciate you. You're definitely going to be famous. I believe in you."