Chapter 163 Setting the Trap
On the way back to the hotel.
Sophia had someone look into Logan's brother Justin.
When Joe learned that Sophia had gone out alone last night and was almost taken advantage of by Justin, his first thought was to throw Justin into his own overseas base and teach him a harsh lesson.
She saw through his thoughts and said calmly, "Justin is just a small player, not worth making a big fuss over. The most important thing now is to find the person behind all this."
Joe suspected, "Could it be a competitor for the Redwood Resort project?"
"Unlikely. Our company was just established overseas not long ago - we're barely a new company. Even if they can't beat William and Benjamin, there are local brands with bigger reputations than ours."
"Besides, we only arrived in Forton County yesterday afternoon. For them to immediately set me up to 'offend' Logan - clearly they're targeting me personally, not the company I represent."
Sophia had spent the past two years staying in Rain Village with Emily. Forton County was over two hours away by car from Rain Village - there was no way she could have made enemies here.
The Rivera family was destroyed, the Baker family was ruined - they didn't have this capability.
As for the Nguyen family behind Hannah, they didn't have the ability to reach into this remote small city either.
Most importantly, whoever it was seemed very confident that even if discovered by a madman like Logan, they had the means to avoid his revenge.
Thinking it over, the only person Sophia could think of who was biased against her, wished her dead, and had this kind of power was probably Isolde.
But Benjamin wasn't a fool. He was right here - if Isolde really made a move against her, he couldn't possibly not notice.
So who exactly was this person watching her from the shadows?
Sophia fell into thought - who was using her as a pawn?
Joe comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll have people investigate."
She looked at the scenery constantly retreating outside the window and instructed, "Monkey, have someone keep an eye on Logan."
"If we really do win the Redwood Resort project, we'll need to spend a lot more time in Forton County. Having Logan target us as rivals won't help our progress."
Sophia's eyes darkened. "If possible, bring him under our wing."
Meanwhile.
When Logan's men saw the hairpin stuck in his chest, their eyes filled with terror, afraid he might die any second. "Logan, are you okay? Let me help you up."
The barely conscious Logan glared at his subordinate, who was about to help him up, gritting his teeth. "If you don't call an ambulance soon, I really will die!"
His men scrambled in panic.
Before Logan went into the operating room, he had his men investigate Justin's affairs again.
Outsiders all thought he cared deeply about Justin.
Only he himself knew - he wished Justin would hurry up and die.
-
William had just finished handling company business. Seeing it was past lunchtime, he was about to have food sent over when he heard a commotion outside.
Sophia had just reached her room door when the door across from her opened.
William looked at her but didn't immediately speak. When he didn't say anything, Sophia remained silent too.
When Logan had questioned her earlier, Sophia hadn't immediately denied it because she wasn't sure whether William had sent someone to teach Justin a lesson after she left.
William's gaze was deep.
He noticed the wrinkles on her clothes, then saw the wound on Joe's face behind her, and took the initiative to ask, "What happened?"
Sophia was rational - when she had doubts, she naturally needed to clarify them.
She briefly explained the situation with Logan and his brother Justin, and asked William if he had sent someone to teach Justin a lesson.
William nodded.
Mark at the door immediately explained for William, "Ms. Johnson, we just put a sack over his head and beat him up. We didn't damage his dick."
Sophia's gaze lingered on William for a second. "Thank you."
She knew everything he did was for her. Both emotionally and rationally, she should thank him.
But beyond that, nothing more.
Sophia was about to enter her room when she heard William ask in a low voice, "Have you had lunch?"
Her steps paused. She responded coolly, "Not yet."
William was about to speak again when he heard Joe's voice. "Mr. Smith, thanks for your concern, but I've already ordered food for Sophia."
He frowned, looking deeply at Sophia.
She had already returned to her room.
The wound on Joe's face added even more wildness to his appearance.
If Logan was a mad dog who had clawed his way up from the bottom to his current success, then Joe was a lone wolf - a pack leader who had carved out territory in a crisis-filled wilderness all on his own.
He clasped his hands in front of him, leaning against the door, asking with a half-smile, "Mr. Smith, what are you doing? Playing the silent hero, hoping to win your ex-wife back?"
"None of your business." William didn't want to engage with him.
But Joe didn't want to pass up this chance to strike at him. The reason he and Lucas argued every time they met was because they treated Sophia and Emily as their own family, and therefore despised William.
"Mr. Smith, you don't actually think that just because Alice's matter is resolved, the problems between you and Sophia are resolved too, do you?"
As his words fell, the autumn breeze snuck in through the hallway window, along with William's icy gaze landing on Joe's face. He smiled indifferently.
"Mr. Smith, dare you make a bet with me?"
"I bet that even if you knelt before Sophia, she still wouldn't get back together with you."
William glanced at Joe.
Without saying a word, he just stood there looking at Joe, gave a cold laugh, and closed his room door.
Joe muttered under his breath: 'That bastard!'
His upbringing meant William would never discuss his past with Sophia in front of others. Whether they stayed apart or got back together was between him and Sophia - what right did Joe have to comment?
But was William really as calm inside as he appeared on the surface? Not entirely.
At least at that evening's banquet.
When William saw Sophia appear before everyone with her arm linked through Joe's, smiling warmly, his eyes instantly darkened.
Molly, standing beside him, lowered her eyes slightly, suppressing the hatred she felt toward Sophia.
She quietly stepped forward two paces to remind William, "Mr. Smith, that's Ray Hamilton, general manager of Horizon Group. The woman beside him is his fiancée."
After speaking, she maintained an appropriate distance from William and stepped back to her previous position.
"Mr. Smith, long time no see."
William lightly shook Ray's extended hand. "Mr. Hamilton, long time no see."
After that, many more people came forward to greet him.
Molly and the male secretary had each memorized half the guest list for the banquet, but whenever the male secretary got stuck, Molly would step in to help.
Through last night's incident, she had also learned the extent of William's dislikes, and had maintained very appropriate boundaries all day today.
Molly could tell that William recognized her work abilities.
She stole a glance at the state of things between Sophia and William, confirming their relationship was still at a standstill, and couldn't help but curl her lips into a cold smile.
After entering the banquet hall, Sophia let go of Joe's arm and chatted with a smile to people who came over to fish for information.
The domestic circle was just that small - wealthy families more or less shared news with each other. Although William's public announcement at Holden's birthday party that Sophia's daughter was his daughter hadn't made it to trending topics, people in the circle still knew some of the inside story.
Now someone came over to probe indirectly about her current relationship with William.
Sophia just smiled without speaking.
Just then, a commotion arose in the crowd.
She looked toward the noise in William's direction and saw him shielding Molly, who had wine splashed in her face, behind him.
William said, "Who gave you permission to touch someone from the Peace Group?"
The crowd instantly quieted down.
Even from Sophia's position, she could hear the cold, sharp edge in William's voice.
But she noticed that Molly's gaze had actually landed on her.
Sophia narrowed her eyes, sizing up Molly's figure, inexplicably reminded of that night when William came to her house to pick up the child.