Chapter 183

Chapter 183

After who knows how long, Benjamin finally walked out of another room.

His expression was cold and stern, still holding his phone, his gaze icy as he looked at Alice.

"Benjamin, what... what's wrong? What did the doctor say?"

Alice forced a smile on her face, trying to appear calm as she asked.

But Benjamin coldly threw out the words "going back home" before slamming the door and leaving. Even after they returned home, Alice still hadn't seen him.

It was as if all ties between them had been severed.

Alice had been ignored for a whole month. She was anxious and restless, unable to get a good night's sleep for a long time. The dark circles under her eyes were deep, and her face had become pale and haggard.

The way she looked now, she actually did seem like someone who was sick.

"How could this be?"

She clutched her phone, anxiously biting her lip. After all this time, she began to wonder if Benjamin had already learned the truth.

Alice was on edge. After one bout of anxiety after another, she hadn't had a full night's sleep in ages. Even when she did fall asleep, she would wake up halfway through from all kinds of nightmares.

Today was no different. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, Alice lay down on the sofa for a quick nap. The moment she closed her eyes, someone started pounding heavily on the door.

Each knock louder than the last, urgent and insistent.

She opened her eyes and shot up from the sofa, staring hard at the apartment door.

"Who is it?"

After a moment, she called out nervously.

"Ms. Baker, please open the door. We're here to help you move, following Mr. White's instructions."

Move? When did she ever say she was moving?

Alice frowned slightly. Without thinking, she rushed over and opened the door. Looking at the men and women standing before her, her frown deepened, and her tone became less polite.

"Who told you I was moving? I'm not moving. Did Benjamin send you here?"

One of them was the apartment manager. He had clearly been briefed and wasn't fazed by Alice's questioning.

"Ms. Baker, if you have any questions, you can call Mr. White to discuss them. We're just following orders. Please step aside, we need to pack your things."

This was the most humiliating moment Alice had ever experienced. She couldn't even stop them. The manager had come prepared, deliberately bringing several women specifically to hold back Alice if she caused trouble.

"What gives you the right to touch my things? Don't touch my stuff!"

Alice screamed at the top of her lungs. Her face was shockingly haggard. After days without proper rest or leaving the house, she was a complete mess, unable to do anything to stop them.

She could only watch helplessly as the staff packed up all her belongings.

"Ms. Baker, please."

Alice was eventually forced out. Several suitcases surrounded her, pushed to the side.

The manager wore a smile on his face.

"Ms. Baker, this is Mr. White's arrangement. If you have any questions, you can call Mr. White to discuss them."

With that, he closed the apartment door and quickly left.

Looking at the pile of luggage, Alice nearly burst into tears. She struggled to drag the suitcases along. After a while, she called Benjamin.

As soon as the call connected, she asked carefully.

"Benjamin, what's going on? Why was I suddenly kicked out of the apartment? Where am I supposed to go now? You know my current situation..."

Before she could finish, Benjamin's ice-cold voice cut her off.

"Alice, I know you were faking it, but I don't blame you. I only blame myself for being too stupid, which led to the current situation. Until I'm ready to settle accounts with you, you'd better behave yourself."

His voice carried a warning. After speaking, he hung up, leaving Alice with the cold, harsh sound of the dial tone.

Alice let out a frantic scream. She raised her phone high, about to smash it on the ground in anger. Just then, her phone received a news notification about Sophia.

Sophia was opening a violin studio with foreign partners, focusing on violin performances both domestically and internationally.

Sophia's popularity had been soaring lately. As soon as news of her studio broke, media from all directions reported on it.

Alice gritted her teeth, even more furious. She angrily kicked the suitcase in front of her. Then, as if thinking of something, her expression changed.

She pulled out her phone again and dialed a number from her contacts.

"You've seen the news, right? Sophia is living such a good life now. Are you just going to watch? Why don't we figure out a way to drag her down from her high horse?"

Whatever was said on the other end made Alice smile, a sinister smile.

"Don't worry, I won't let her stay smug for long."

Sophia had no idea about Alice's plans. After that performance ended, she started looking for partners to open a studio.

This was something she had planned from the beginning, not a sudden idea. Sophia could see Daniel's feelings clearly and didn't want their relationship to become any closer.

On one hand, she worried about giving Daniel hope of pursuing her. On the other hand, she currently wanted to focus on her career. Romance and love—she didn't want to think about any of that anymore.

In the conference room, Sophia was discussing studio matters with her foreign partner, Russell Edwards.

He was the one who had extended the invitation that day, now sitting face to face with Sophia.

"These are my current ideas. Think them over, and if there's anything that needs changing, let me know."

Sophia smiled softly.

With her career success and no one left to make her suffer, Sophia smiled more and more often. Happiness was written all over her face.

Russell, sitting across from her, nodded after hearing her ideas, his eyes full of appreciation.

"Ms. Brown, let's proceed with the studio according to your plan."

He stood up, smiling, and extended his hand.

"Well then, here's to a pleasant cooperation, Ms. Brown."

Sophia lightly shook his hand.

"Yes, here's to a smooth cooperation."

With the studio matters settled, Sophia immediately began selecting a location.

Francis stood to the side, watching her busily search through maps for suitable locations. He walked over with a smile.

"Alright, you don't need to be in such a rush. These places aren't going anywhere. Why don't you think about whether you should consider your personal life next?"

He raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing.

"Don't tell me you're playing dumb. You should be well aware of how those men feel about you, right? Tell me, which one are you most interested in? Don't hide it from me, just say it openly."