Chapter 63 My Face, Just Like Hers
Behind her, at the staircase.
William's tall, upright figure stood quietly by the railing.
His black shirt was slightly wrinkled, with several buttons undone at the collar, exposing a large expanse of skin. His sleeves were casually rolled up to his forearms, his strong, muscular arms resting lazily on the railing.
His cool, noble bearing and undeniable powerful presence appeared even more stunning under the warm yellow wall lights in the hallway.
He didn't need to say anything—just standing there, he had already won.
Raymond's silence triggered Sophia's conditioned reflex. She turned around and saw William standing at the second-floor staircase landing, her face immediately darkening.
He did this on purpose!
She turned to Raymond at the doorway and said, "He came to see the two kids. Is there something you need? Coming by so late?"
Raymond withdrew his gaze and nodded at her. "My legs have feeling now."
Sophia was happy for him, too. She still remembered the first time she met him years ago—at the freshman sports meet at school.
The young man running freely on the field, the wind lifting the hair on his forehead, his handsome features making him the center of attention throughout Harmony College.
He broke the long-distance running championship record, finishing in first place.
"Tomorrow I want to increase the training intensity. Is that okay?"
She nodded. "I'll have someone do a new examination for you tomorrow morning. If the results look good, we'll move into the second phase of training early."
When Raymond was cold, his aloofness kept people at a distance, but when he smiled, he was stunningly beautiful, like melting ice and snow.
He looked at her with a slight smile. "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Sophia's heart skipped a beat—she felt like his words had another meaning.
His gaze fell on his legs, and he reached out to touch the blanket covering them. The sooner he recovered, the sooner he could leave the wheelchair behind.
Now that Sophia was single, he still had a chance.
William saw right through the emotion in Raymond's eyes. His feelings for Sophia had never changed.
And his sudden return to the Roberts family...
At this thought, the chill around William intensified.
After seeing Raymond off, Sophia marched back upstairs furiously. Afraid of waking the children, she grabbed his collar and dragged him back into the study.
Her anger brought a rosy flush to her cheeks, her bright, beautiful eyes reflecting his image, filled with accusation and questioning.
"William, I told you not to come out. Are you deaf?!"
He answered seriously, "I remember, so I didn't go out the front door."
Sophia: "..." Was she talking about the front door?!
William's gaze dropped to the area below her collarbone. "This late at night, you wore this to meet a strange man?"
Sophia shot back directly, "Yeah, and it's none of your business, is it?"
True—William had no right to control her now. The frustration stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
Just then, Alice called him.
Her soft voice, tinged with tears, came through the phone speaker clearly in the quiet night, reaching Sophia's ears.
"William, I'm so scared. I dreamed that Sophia took a knife and cut my face."
"My wound hurts so much. Even painkillers don't help."
"Can you come back? Please come back and stay with me, okay?"
Alice cried her heart out, as if she would die immediately if he didn't return.
But William's thoughts weren't on Alice's call at all. His burning eyes were fixed on the mockery on Sophia's face.
"There are bodyguards at the hospital room door. No one can hurt you."
"If the wound hurts, you can find a doctor. I can't help you either."
What he said was true, but to Alice's ears, it meant he didn't want to come back and was probably with another woman.
A strong sense of anxiety rose in Alice's heart. She kept running through all the women around William in her mind.
"William, can't you really come back?"
Alice's voice carried a pleading tone. Most men would have surrendered to her tears and grievances by now, but William wasn't most men.
"That's right. Just focus on recovering."
His voice was distant, not at all like he was comforting the woman he supposedly liked. There was even a trace of impatience between his brows.
Sophia couldn't help but wonder to herself.
Back when she used to call asking him to come home for dinner, beneath his calm words, was there also impatience?
The sleepiness that had eluded her earlier now came crashing down like a tidal wave, wrapped in exhaustion.
She turned and walked toward the bedroom, her back looking somewhat weary and tired, ignoring William behind her.
William stood at the study door watching her leave. On the other end, Alice was still crying about her grievances.
He looked at the message Tony had sent to his personal phone, pulled at the corner of his mouth slightly, and punctured the illusion in Alice's words.
"If you want to talk, you can find your friends. If you're uncomfortable, you can find a doctor. I'm not your painkiller."
After thinking about it, he decided to remind her, "Alice, this is my final reminder—I've helped you these past few years because you once saved Michael. So between you and me, we're at most childhood neighbors and benefactor-debtor. Understand?"
His words were like a giant blade, splitting open the mountain of romantic hopes in Alice's heart, making her clearly realize that William had no feelings for her at all.
She had grown up with him, from kindergarten through college, following in his footsteps the whole way, never daring to slack off.
She was clearly the most suitable partner for him! This was all Sophia's fault!
If she hadn't suddenly appeared and fulfilled the marriage contract, stealing him away for five years, James and Michael might have been her and William's children.
Yes, children—it was all because of the Smith family bloodline!
If only she could get pregnant with William's child, after all, he was so responsible, his love for family and children so deep!
Having made up her mind, Alice began plotting her next move.
The sun slowly rose from the horizon, magnificent and vast, layers of ripples interweaving, bringing the most beautiful scene of the day.
Alice found her plastic surgeon and pulled up Sophia's photo on her phone, her eyes full of determination to win William.
She said resolutely, "Make my face look like hers!"
Sophia had no idea that Alice, who saw her as a lifelong enemy, would actually choose her as the only model for plastic surgery.
At this moment, she was helping Emily get dressed.
James and Michael had already dressed themselves and gone to the bathroom to wash up.
Yesterday, Sophia had said she would take them to the car amusement park, and James and Michael had been so excited that it took them a long time to fall asleep.
Although Emily didn't understand what made a car amusement park different from a regular playground, she was infected by James and Michael's happiness, and her eyes sparkled with starlight early in the morning.
After getting dressed, she couldn't wait to run to the bathroom.
Emily: "James, brush teeth."
James skillfully squeezed toothpaste onto Emily's brush.
When she finished brushing, Michael had already handed her a small towel.
James and Michael really enjoyed taking care of Emily.
The three of them came out of the bathroom hand in hand.
Sophia had just come out of the walk-in closet in fresh clothes.
She said to them gently, "Emily, take James and Michael to eat breakfast. Mommy will be right there."
However, when Sophia arrived at the dining room, she saw two men facing off—one cold, one warm; one ice, one fire—the atmosphere explosive!
The children—one holding a bottle, two holding milk—their eyes darting back and forth between them, their movements synchronized, soft and adorable.