Chapter 59 Raymond, Long Time No See
"Sophia, long time no see."
Raymond had just woken up not long ago, his voice a bit hoarse. The look in his eyes showed clear surprise, along with something she couldn't quite read.
Always cold and distant in the past, now he smiled at her gently, his pale face showing the weakness of someone just recovering from a serious illness.
Seeing him so suddenly, Sophia froze for a moment.
She quickly collected herself.
Gripping the tie in her palm, she gave him a bright smile: "Long time no see, Raymond."
His gaze flickered: "You know everything?"
Sophia nodded: "Your father asked me to bring you here."
After a long silence, Raymond said, "Thank you."
Since she married William, the two hadn't seen each other.
Counting it up, it had been six or seven years.
The long blank of time created a subtle distance between them. Their eyes met, and for a long while, neither spoke.
To William's eyes, this scene looked like her reunion with her first love after a long separation.
"Daddy, you're holding me too tight."
Michael's voice pulled William back to his senses. He loosened his grip and gently patted his back to comfort him.
Raymond's gaze traveled across the space and met his.
William's presence was even more powerful than before. Just standing there, he was impossible to ignore.
Long before he returned to the Roberts family, Raymond already knew that Sophia and William had divorced.
Two years ago, they separated.
Two years ago, he returned to the Roberts family.
The silent confrontation between the two men lasted only a blink.
William, in his black suit, had an undeniable magnetic field, like crashing waves—just standing there, he overshadowed everything.
Those deep, dark, sharp eyes were like an eagle soaring in the sky, proud and imposing with an intense sense of pressure.
He gazed quietly at Raymond, his lips curling into a cold arc, seeing right through the secrets and emotions hidden in his heart.
Holding Michael with one arm, sunlight fell on his shoulders, coating him in a golden glow, yet his eyes were as piercing as frost.
His thoughts drifted back to their wedding night.
First taste of forbidden fruit, savoring every moment, he tirelessly worked the field, rising and falling with her in the deep sea, reaching the clouds again and again.
In the end, Sophia was so exhausted she couldn't even lift a finger. Her almond-shaped eyes were red, full of accusation, looking at him in disbelief.
"Weren't you supposed to be abstain—"
Before she could finish, reason went offline again.
Finally, he carried her to the bath, then carried her back to bed.
By then, dawn was breaking.
He went to the balcony to cool down and saw Raymond's lonely figure leaning against his car door, looking up toward the third floor of their villa.
That was their first confrontation. William hadn't taken Raymond seriously, thinking he was just a loser.
But later, during an accidental encounter.
This man dealt a fatal blow to his marriage!
The stable life he had been so sure of was hit by towering waves, step by step, leading to where they were now.
Sharp gazes pierced from behind like thorns.
Sophia turned around and met William's eyes, thick with fog-like darkness. She looked at him in confusion.
She didn't understand his look—why did it feel like he was looking at a cheating wife?
How could that be... How could William feel possessive of her?
Raymond, on the other hand, kept his eyes half-lowered, lost in thought.
Lucas's gaze shuttled back and forth between the three of them, his bright eyes flashing with the gleam of a successful scheme. Especially seeing William's increasingly dark expression, a pleased smile played at the corners of his mouth.
Emily's eyes lit up when she saw him. She let go of James's hand and rushed toward him.
Her childish voice called out loudly.
"Uncle Lucas—"
Emily ran with happy steps, very fast, and threw herself into Lucas's arms as he crouched down, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Uncle Lucas, missed you."
"Emily, I missed you too."
Lucas picked Emily up and bounced her, teasing, "Has Emily been eating a lot lately? I can barely lift you anymore."
Emily pouted, "Not fat. Uncle Lucas is weak."
Lucas fell silent.
Emily's mouth was just like her mother's.
Young, but unwilling to take any slight.
She got her revenge on the spot.
"I'm the weak one. Emily's not fat at all." Lucas lifted her and spun her around, her bell-like laughter echoing all around.
He carried Emily over to William and flashed his white teeth, introducing himself as if meeting him for the first time.
"Hello, Mr. Smith. I'm Lucas Wood, Sophia's brother—different parents but as close as if we shared both—and also Emily's uncle."
To be precise.
Emily had seven or eight uncles and three or four aunts. They were all Sophia's seniors from school.
But he was the most, most, most special one!
Because he was her only junior from school.
He waved at James and Michael, greeting them warmly.
"Hello, little handsome guys."
"I'm your mom's brother, Emily's uncle. Rounding up, you can call me uncle too."
"Right, ex-brother-in-law?"
William's eyes narrowed with obvious danger and intimidation.
His chiseled features, deep-set eyes, high nose bridge, and profile sharp as a harsh winter wind carried a domineering intensity.
He gave a cold snort.
Lucas's triumphant smile faded slightly. He touched his nose, feeling completely crushed.
William was so fierce, no wonder he didn't have a wife!
He avoided William's gaze and continued spinning Emily around.
Emily wasn't afraid of heights at all and especially loved this game with him.
After a while.
Seeing the fine sweat on Lucas's forehead, Sophia came over and took Emily from his arms, pinching her nose playfully.
"Always making Uncle Lucas lift you high, you little troublemaker."
Emily wrapped her arms around her neck, laughing joyfully, expressing her love for Lucas directly, making him beam with happiness.
It was about time.
Lucas took Raymond back to his hospital room to rest.
Sophia took the three children back to their room, too, with William following behind them silently, like their guardian.
Actually, on the very first day at ZN Laboratory, William had already obtained the geographical coordinates of this place.
Tony had also been stationed with his men around the perimeter of the lab.
Sophia knew none of this.
When it was time to leave.
He comforted James and Michael, then gave Sophia one last look.
Her nerves immediately tensed up, goosebumps rising, feeling like she was being watched by a wild beast. Her body stiffened slightly, but she didn't turn to look at him.
William got into the lab's transport vehicle. The glass was made of a special material, pure black, impossible to see through from the outside.
After winding around for half an hour, they finally reached the lab's perimeter.
A row of black cars had been neatly parked there, with a low-key black Maybach in the center.
Tony looked at him anxiously as he got out of the car.
During William's days at the lab, he hadn't been able to contact people outside promptly.
If not for his positioning system working fine, Tony would have suspected William had been murdered and disposed of by his ex-wife.
He rushed over: "Mr. Smith, Ms. Rivera had an accident!"
The group hurried back to Empire City and went straight to the hospital.
Seeing Alice's terrible condition, even William's expression darkened. Her face was covered with scratches.
Crisscrossing bloody marks, absolutely horrifying.
Looking closely.
There wasn't a single patch of smooth skin on Alice's entire face.
Seeing him, she burst into tears. As tears slid down, they stung her skin. She wanted to cover her face but didn't dare touch it because of the pain.
Alice cried as she accused Sophia of wrongdoing.
"William, my face is completely ruined!"
"Sophia—she did this to me!"