Chapter 177: He Is Very Good at Handling Divorce Cases
Regret rose in Michael like a tide — slow at first, then all at once, until there was nothing else.
He stole a glance at Sophia. She was somewhere else entirely — her gaze distant, turned inward, not on him.
Watching Ember mutter bitterly about marriage, William found himself thinking of Sophia — of how quiet she had grown, somewhere along the way, without him ever noticing.
Same circumstances, two different endings — one had pulled herself out; the other had let herself go under.
At this moment, Sophia was also stunned by Ember's words.
Looking at another person driven crazy by marriage, she sighed quietly in her heart.
If she hadn't found her way out — if William had fought the divorce, held her there — would she have become this, too?
She caught James and Michael watching her — quiet, careful glances — and felt the tension slowly leave her hands.
Sophia smiled at them, her tone as gentle as always, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
She opened her arms, "Come here, let me give you a hug."
Her smile was enough. Something in both of them settled, and they moved toward her without a word.
Sophia pulled them both close, pressing a kiss to each of their cheeks. "What's past is past," she said softly.
Juan, brought back by the police, stood very still after Ember spoke — the words taking a moment to reach him. None of it came back to him — not the things she described, not the harm he had done. It was simply gone.
It hadn't occurred to him that what he'd said could have brought this on — that his own words might have been the beginning of it. Confused and at a loss, Juan stared at Ember and softly called out to her.
"Don't call me mom. I don't have a son like you."
"If I could, I wish I had never given birth to you. "You're a curse on this family — just like your father. Faithless, both of you. It runs in the blood."
"Juan, mark my words — grow up, and you'll be every bit as disgusting as he was."
Ember's angry words felt like a curse to Juan.
He said firmly, "Mom, I won't!"
Ember only smiled. She looked at his face — so like his father's — and felt nothing but contempt.
She tilted her head back, willing the tears not to fall — but the bitterness came anyway, sharp at the back of her throat. If she had known it would come to this, she never would have believed in love!
Juan's father, Kevin Stewart, rushed over much later.
Kevin listened as the police laid out the full picture — the years of it, what Ember had done to Juan. Juan's tear-streaked face crumpled with remorse, but when his gaze shifted to Ember, he found nothing there — no guilt, no shame, only that cold, taunting smile curving her lips. Her name left his mouth before he could stop it, barely a word, more like a wound.
"Ember..."
Ember glanced at the lipstick on his collar and let out a self-mocking laugh.
"Kevin Stewart, let's get divorced."
Juan was escorted away by Rowan and Kevin. Before leaving, he cried, staring at Ember’s back—but Ember never once turned around.
William offered proper compensation for Juan. When he tried to take James and Michael back to the Smith family, they refused—no matter what.
It was Sophia who calmed them down.
“Tomorrow’s Monday—you still have to go to school. I just landed a big project and will be busy. Will you go back with Dad?”
Michael wanted to say something to Sophia, but didn't dare to speak up.
James nodded. “Mom, Michael and I will be good. When you finish your work, remember to come see us.”
Sophia smiled and agreed, "Okay."
Emily had worn herself out from playing and was sleeping soundly on Lucas’s shoulder.
She asked Lucas to take the child to the car first, while she went to see Ember.
Ember frowned, "What are you doing here again, to laugh at me?"
Sophia handed over a business card and said calmly, “This is my lawyer’s card—his name is Francis Vasquez.”
"He's very good at divorce cases."
"Even Peace Group's legal team couldn't beat him."
Ember pressed her lips together, staring at the person before her in confusion. Hadn’t she just said she wouldn’t give Ember a penny of Juan’s compensation?
“Think I’m contradicting myself?” Sophia smiled, openly admitting she had been a bit one-sided earlier.
"Ember, I've heard of you. Before you became Kevin's wife, you were a very talented architectural designer."
“I just acquired a piece of land and need someone to design it. Since we know each other, could you give me a discount on the design fee?”
They had always been adversaries, yet now they sat together, chatting calmly. The scene felt oddly surreal, no matter how you looked at it.
Ember cried, crying loudly.
It was as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances of the past ten-plus years.
Ember’s parents were intellectuals, too. They cut ties with her because she insisted on marrying Kevin.
A year ago, they died in an accident.
But she had been so focused on Kevin’s betrayal that by the time she realized, they had already been buried.
From that day on, Ember's mental state hadn't been quite right.
“Ember, regret won’t help. Since you’ve decided to separate, make sure you claim the compensation you deserve.”
“Although refusing money might seem noble, life is long, and many things require it.Even if you don’t take this money, he’ll just spend it on someone else.
"So, what's yours, don't take a penny less."
Before leaving.
Sophia also wrote down a psychologist's phone number for her.
She was using this silent action to remind Ember: 'She was sick.'
Ember asked her, "Did you also have depression?"
Sophia nodded.
"Ember, life is really long, and we're still young."
"hen I'll give you a 1% discount off at most."
Sophia fell silent.
Because Kevin and Juan forgave her, Ember didn’t remain in jail for long. After her release, she hired Francis to handle her divorce case, offering him 15% of the assets she would receive as payment.
She willingly gave up custody of Juan, but the case still faced complications because Kevin didn’t want a divorce.
Listening to Kevin repeatedly say he was just playing around outside, relieving some work stress, and had no intention of letting those women into their home, Ember found him even more disgusting.
She handed all the evidence she had gathered over the years to her lawyer. Without keeping count, she hadn’t realized Kevin had slept with nineteen women.
But in the end, Ember successfully got divorced.
Perhaps because she suddenly let go, Kevin began showing signs of coming to his senses. She received more assets than she had expected, and the next day, she deleted all her contact information and left the country.
Sophia looked at the message Ember sent her, her expression calm.
[Sophia, the lawyer you recommended, is excellent. I’m a wealthy woman now. I’m stepping out to clear my head, and when I return, I’ll make sure you get your money.]
Life was truly wonderful.
The first two times Ember saw Sophia, she had been cold and sarcastic. Now, however, the two of them shared an unexpected sense of understanding.
Although several preparations had been made for the early stages of the “artificial womb” project, it had never officially begun.
There were too many spies in Empire City.
Besides the people blocked by Samuel, others were trying to reach her through various channels, each hoping to get a piece of the project.
If she moved the project to ZN Laboratory’s headquarters, she would likely have to contend with certain factions within Seraphim.
So she was thinking of establishing a large laboratory directly in the country. On one hand, she could bring in advanced equipment and technology from abroad; on the other, she could concentrate more on research.
The newly acquired Redwood Resort land was very suitable.
These days, she reached out to the team at the temporary laboratory, asking if they were willing to move with her to continue development in Forton County.
Sophia knew how hard the path of scientific research was. She said she could provide them with housing in downtown Empire City, help resolve their children’s education issues, and ensure their families lived comfortably.
In short.
She offered everyone generous compensation packages.
These researchers’ modest previous salaries hadn’t been enough to support their families’ living expenses.With Sophia’s assurance, they were all willing to accompany her to Forton County and sign the necessary confidentiality agreements.
The day after signing the contracts.
Sophia arranged for people to take them house hunting.
The core team was established.
Upon learning that Sophia and Emily would be spending most of their time in the country, Lucas also had his luggage packed and arranged to move there.
The Empire City temporary laboratory was gradually winding down.
While Sophia was busy during that time, she received a long-awaited phone call.