Chapter 185 The Silence of Three People
Even someone like Lyra, from a wealthy family, couldn't escape an arranged marriage for the sake of her family.
The Cole family had arranged for her to marry Philip Banks from the Banks family in Empire City, who was also the older brother of Marshall, the male lead in Lyra's current movie.
Sophia had been quietly listening to her story.
She had some impression of the Banks family - they'd made their fortune in the film industry and had many artists signed under them.
Unlike Lyra, who hid her identity when entering the industry, Marshall's first project was arranged by Philip, a renowned director's decade-long masterpiece.
Though it was just a supporting role, the character was so compelling that he became an instant hit.
Lyra, on the other hand, had earned the female lead role in this movie purely through the reputation she'd painstakingly built over five years, project by project.
When Sophia learned that Philip had deleted all of Lyra's highlight scenes and transferred them to Cheryl Davis, the company's newly signed artist, she paused mid-pour, her eyes suddenly turning cold.
Lyra gave a bitter smile. "So I wrapped early."
"That man is Philip?" Sophia asked, distraught.
She'd always known Lyra had someone in her heart, and that she'd left the country years ago because of heartbreak.
The two had met abroad as strangers in a foreign land, which led to their current friendship.
Lyra didn't say anything, but Sophia knew her so well.
If Lyra didn't like him, even if her parents held a gun to her head, she probably wouldn't even blink.
"There's another reason I came to you in such a hurry - I need your help with something."
Since she and Philip had already registered their marriage, they'd inevitably need to fulfill their duties as husband and wife, so Lyra was asking Sophia for birth control medication.
"Philip has always been my obsession. If I don't give it my all, I won't be satisfied, but I also don't want any accidents to happen."
Marriage was fine, but she wasn't planning to have children.
Sophia saw the certainty in her eyes. "I'll have someone deliver it tomorrow."
"Sophia, don't you think I'm being contradictory? Knowing he doesn't love me but still marrying him, knowing it's a trap but still jumping in - doesn't that sound stupid?Lyra asked, her face revealing a tinge of worry.
When it comes to matters of the heart, what's stupid and what's not?
Hadn't Sophia only gained this understanding after going through marriage?
She ran a finger at the corner of her mouth, before speaking to Lyra, "Whatever you want to do, I'll always unconditionally stand by your side."
Lyra, who had been somewhat anxious, felt her heart rate normalize after hearing Sophia's words.
Soon, the waitstaff began serving the food.
Sophia and Lyra chatted while eating, and she learned more about Lyra and Philip's past.
It was basically a story of a young girl's crush during her youth.
On Lyra's first day of college, Philip came back to give a speech as an outstanding graduate, and she fell for him at first sight.
She wasn't studying Performing Arts in college, but to get closer to Philip, she hired an acting coach in her spare time, planning to join the Banks family's entertainment company after graduation to get his attention, only to be rejected by him.
"You know what his assessment of me was? A decorative vase! And not even a pretty one!"
Sophia was amused by her expression, probably figuring out where Emily learned that proud look when she got indignant at home.
"Well, karma's a bitch, isn't it? His family forced him to marry me, this vase."
Lyra's face was already flushed, the clarity in her eyes gradually fading.
She stood up shakily, pointing at the screen in the private room and declaring loudly, "I won't be satisfied until I sleep with Philip!"
"No! I need to go back right now! I'm going to show that blind, arrogant old man what this vase is capable of!"
"Once I'm tired of sleeping with him, I'll divorce him immediately and find other men!"
Sophia listened to all her outbursts. She didn't stop her..
And at that moment, at the door of the private room.
Philip, who happened to hear Lyra's voice, stopped in his tracks, curious as he looked at the door to their room.
Today, because he needed to register the marriage with Lyra, he had specifically wrapped up his work abroad and returned.
He'd wanted to have dinner with Lyra, but she said she had plans and had left him at the city hall entrance before running off.
Who knew that while having dinner with his friend, he'd hear Lyra's voice here.
William raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of amusement at the drama.
Philip fell silent.
"Sophia, why am I so miserable? Philip is seven years older than me!"
Lyra buried her face in her arms, getting more upset as she talked, crying loudly, "They say men hit their sexual peak before 30."
"Philip is already 34; he's definitely past his prime. He's probably been worn out by other women. He's lucky I'm marrying him."
Philip's face darkened when he heard that.
What nonsense was this woman spouting? Who said men's sexual function declines after 30?
And he'd always been proper, focused on his career, never having anything more than professional relationships with women.
She was clearly slandering him!
Philip could feel his friend's teasing gaze. He said through gritted teeth, "I'm perfectly fine!"
"Is that so?" William asked, squinting as he raised a brow.
Philip was about to continue when he heard the two people inside mention William.
Drunk people have no sense of reason. Sophia could only keep coaxing her, going along with what she said.
When she heard Lyra's next sentence, her expression froze, finding it difficult to answer.
"Sophia, you and William are also seven years apart, right?"
"You were 27 when you married him. After five years of marriage, have you noticed that after he turned 30, his sexual function declined, and he wasn't so good anymore?"
Sophia really didn't want to recall those five years of secret marriage.
Actually, by the fourth and fifth years, the frequency of their lovemaking wasn't as often.
But each time, William was actually still...
To confirm her own viewpoint was correct, Lyra grabbed her hand and kept asking, refusing to give up until she heard an answer she was satisfied with.
"Sophia, I'm right, aren't I? Men aren't good after 30, right? Right?"
Lyra was already drunk by now. There was no point explaining to a drunk person.
Sophia nodded along with her words. "Yes, you're absolutely right. After you drink some hangover soup, I'll take you back."
William had recognized Sophia's voice the moment she first spoke.
And Philip, the moment he heard William's name, raised an eyebrow and gave a meaningful look at the thigh area.
He patted William's shoulder. "Didn't expect that, William."
William fell silent.
Hearing the sound of retching from inside,Philip sighed as he he quickly knocked on the door.
Sophia startled, thinking it was the staff who had come to deliver the hangover soup. With all her attention fixed on Lyra, she didn't care to check, "Come in." she said.
William hadn't planned to go in to disrupt Philip picking up Lyra, but knowing Sophia was also inside, he walked in long strides, catching up with him.
Inside the private room.
Lyra was dry heaving, while Sophia patted her back. "Bring the hangover soup over," Sophia demanded.
A sharp, focused gaze fell on her. Sophia turned her head and met William's cold, dark eyes.
Hearing the movement, Lyra looked up and also saw Philip's dark expression. She squinted. "Sophia, I think I see that old man Philip."
Then she blinked, shaking her head as she stood up "And your ex-husband, who's not so good in that department." she added.
The trio looked at each other, bemused.
Slowly, Sophia lowered her head.