Chapter 168 Boz Securities Company
"You know your acting is pretty obvious, right?" Sophia said.
In the quiet late-night hallway, Sophia's voice was soft and light, a smile reaching her eyes, her tone carrying a teasing note of seeing right through her.
Molly's expression froze for a moment after hearing her words.
She tucked a strand of wet hair by her cheek, pretending not to understand. "I don't know what you mean. What am I acting?"
Although Sophia was many years younger than Molly, she was much taller.
When she wasn't smiling, her presence was very similar to William's.
The sound of running water came from the bedroom, as if someone was showering, but from the doorway, you couldn't see if anyone was actually inside.
Too deliberate.
Sophia saw through the fake mess in the room at a glance.
If Molly hadn't made the room look so disheveled, she might have actually believed that William could be in there with her.
Looking at Molly's forced composure, Sophia smiled and asked back, "What do you think?"
Unable to read the meaning behind Sophia's smile, Molly could only play it by ear. She asked, "Ms. Johnson, is there something you need from Mr. Smith this late? He's in the shower. I can pass along a message."
Molly was determined to make Sophia think she and William were having an affair, but Sophia, in front of her, was too calm, looking completely unbothered, which left her confused.
Wasn't it said that Sophia loved William very much?
Why was Sophia so emotionally stable?
"He's not even in the room. Who are you going to pass the message to, a ghost?"
Sophia directly exposed Molly's lie. Molly stared straight into Sophia's eyes, trying to find sadness or hurt in them, but found nothing.
Watching Sophia turn to go back to her room, Molly's anger flared up, and without thinking, she blurted out, "I slept with Mr. Smith!"
Sophia didn't even turn around, just waved her hand at her. "Well, have fun then."
Molly fell silent. Was Sophia crazy?!
The sound of a key card opening a door rang out. Sophia had already entered her room, while Molly was still staring at her door.
She returned to her room and called housekeeping, having the hotel send someone immediately to clean the room. She also changed back into her own clothes, destroying all evidence that might expose what had just happened.
When dealing with the boxes on the sofa, her eyes darkened.
To make everything look more realistic, she had deliberately torn open two of them and thrown the wrappers on the floor.
Molly was certain in her heart: 'Sophia is faking it!'
Years ago, when William had just one meal with Alice, she got so angry that she divorced him immediately. How could she not be angry, seeing that she and he had 'slept together' today?
So she must be faking it!
-
Across the hall, inside the room.
Sophia rubbed her slightly sore neck. Since Molly, the secretary, still had the energy to prepare this whole show, William must be fine.
She sent James a voice message to put his mind at ease.
After handling everything, Sophia began thinking about Molly's situation. From the damsel-in-distress act at the banquet hall to the messy room just now, Molly seemed very eager for her to get angry.
She searched her memory but couldn't recall any conflicts with Molly.
Or was it that every woman who fell for William habitually resented her, his ex-wife, who had been divorced from him for two years?
Sophia didn't quite understand, but it didn't stop her from having a good night's sleep.
If it weren't for James and Michael's existence, William would probably be dead and buried by now.
When Molly came out of William's room, the hotel staff had already cleaned every corner of the room, making sure not a trace was left.
She glared angrily at the door across the hall, then left in her high heels.
William, who was secretly meeting with Samuel in a neighboring city, had no idea about the little episode that had occurred in his room.
Because of Samuel's special status, plus the overly sensitive nature of what was being discussed at this meeting, everyone's phones were turned off, and all communication devices were locked in password-protected cabinets outside beforehand.
In the sealed room, William sat alone, and the man sitting across from him was the heir of the Morris family.
Whether in family background, ability, or appearance, these two men were equally matched powerhouses, and even their personalities were similarly cold and detached.
"These people's reach has already extended abroad."
Samuel's deep voice carried the strategic planning of someone in a position of power, his shrewd gaze moving back and forth between the two promising young men across from him.
In the past six months, a company called 'Boz Securities Company' had been laundering dirty money for certain special professions domestically through establishing a charity foundation, secretly transferring all this money abroad.
Samuel hoped William and the Morris family from Suncrest City would join forces to investigate the network behind this 'Boz Securities Company,' ideally obtaining their internal list.
But William said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Harris."
Over the years, William had provided Samuel with considerable financial support in the shadows. He gave money, Samuel gave power, but no matter how they cooperated privately, they would never bring their connection into the open.
Much less involved with others.
Just think—if even someone in Samuel's high position didn't have complete confidence about this matter, imagine how far-reaching the connections were.
If he were unmarried and childless, William would naturally be fearless.
But now he had James and Michael, plus a publicly acknowledged daughter, and Sophia...
Thinking of this, William's eyes darkened. Once something happened to him, the children and she would all be affected.
Samuel looked at the other man in the room, whose response was the same as William's, clearly also unwilling to get involved in this matter.
"The Morris family just found their daughter, who had been lost for over twenty years. She's in poor health, and right now I really don't have the energy to think about other things."
Hearing this, Samuel smiled.
"Alright, I understand your positions. But if you want to get involved later, you can contact Charles anytime."
With the discussion reaching this point, there was no need to continue. Samuel exchanged a few pleasantries, then had his secretary see William and the others out.
William and the Morris family heir each took separate cars, heading in different directions.
One to the airport, one to Forton County.
It was a three-hour drive from here to Forton County. As soon as William turned on his phone, he saw missed calls from James and Michael.
It was already very late. He contacted Patrick and, after confirming that James and Michael were already asleep, didn't call them back.
"Mr. Smith, when James and Michael couldn't reach you, they called Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith said you were fine and busy, and they believed her."
"Okay, got it."
After hanging up, William looked at his call log but didn't see any calls from Sophia.
Thinking about how she would rather lie to the children than contact him, he laughed self-mockingly.
Closing his eyes, he began thinking about Samuel's real purpose this time.