Chapter 87 The Child's Father is Called William
Sophia has a new research project at the Empire City lab, collaborating with other labs. Since it involves experiments with highly pathogenic microorganisms, it requires government approval.
Although the review and approval process is very strict and takes time, it's been way too long now with no response.
She asked someone to check on it, but still got no clear answer.
She was already preparing herself for the possibility that the research might not happen, but then William came through with a timely favor, like "charcoal in the snow." However, the idea of having to bow down to William for this made her really unwilling.
But at Seraphim's ZN lab, experiments like this are a dime a dozen.
If this one doesn't work out, there are always others.
She does have a certain passion for research, but not to the point of sacrificing her own feelings for some greater cause. So, she just tossed that file folder to the bottom of her study drawer.
William's schedule these past few days has been in Empire City, and he even postponed some overseas work.
But after waiting two days, he hasn't even caught a glimpse of Sophia.
Even when he went to pick up James and Michael from school these past two mornings, it was Allan and Emily who brought them to the door. Sophia was nowhere to be seen.
For the first time in his life, William started questioning if his decision was unwise. His slender index finger tapped lightly on the clean, spacious desk a few times.
Sophia's change in attitude started that night at Liberty Tower restaurant.
[After all, Sophia is single now. If her bunch of suitors saw this, it wouldn't look good. She might even be planning to find someone suitable to remarry.]
The words Monkey said a couple of days ago kept echoing in William's mind. His gaze fell back to the family photo on the desk.
So, is Sophia avoiding him because of Alvin?
A flicker of intense thoughts stirred in the depths of his cold eyes. His thin lips slowly curled into a faint smirk.
William lowered his gaze, hiding the darkness in his eyes: Alvin, huh.
The Jordan Group, whose project was already messed up by someone Monkey arranged, got even more chaotic with certain people stirring the pot. Alvin has practically set up camp in the company office and meeting rooms.
For several days in a row, Sophia received anonymous picture messages.
Without exception, they were all kinds of photos.
The first one was at the Liberty Tower hotel, showing William letting a woman into his room, his face clearly visible.
The second was of a woman nestled in a man's arms, both of them naked in bed together. Sophia recognized the mole on the man's collarbone—she had seen it on William.
The third was in a dark room with no lights on. The man was sitting on a sofa, head tilted back, his face hidden in the shadows. The curtains were slightly open, moonlight streaming in. A curvy woman knelt between his legs, her head lowered.
The following photos were similar.
Most of them were intimate shots after sex.
Whether they were real or fake, it's hard to say.
The sender's intention was obvious—to make her think William has no restraint when it comes to relationships and to make her despise him.
But clearly, they forgot that she and William are already divorced, and she wouldn't get provoked.
Sophia even had the mood to admire the angles of these photos. They were taken in such sneaky, clever ways.
Does the person behind this really think they can make her misunderstand, hate, and reject William?
But she's not the same person who hid her sharp edges during their secret marriage anymore!
Since Sophia doesn't need to start new research for now, she took a deep breath and decided to take Emily out shopping to let her get some fresh air.
At the long-missed Empire City mall, Emily, who hadn't been to such a lively place in a while, looked at everything with curious, wide eyes.
Sophia pushed the stroller with one hand, followed by two of her toughest bodyguards. Their intimidating looks scared off any guys who thought about approaching her because of her beauty.
Later on, Emily fell asleep right in the stroller.
Just as Sophia was about to leave, she noticed a woman in maternity clothes coming out of a nearby baby store.
The woman wore a mask, her long hair slightly curled. Sophia couldn't help but take a second look.
Because this woman's eyes looked a lot like hers.
Even though the woman had used makeup to hide most signs of plastic surgery, Sophia's profession and medical background gave her a natural knack for noticing these things.
Especially the woman's gaze—it felt oddly familiar.
Sophia knew the fish had taken the bait.
She quietly signaled to the two bodyguards behind her. One immediately came over to take the stroller, while the other stood protectively by her side.
The other bodyguards in the shadows also got ready for defense right away.
Alice suppressed the urge to slap Sophia and greeted her in a soft, gentle voice, "Miss, I noticed earlier—your eyes look so much like mine."
As she got closer, Sophia caught the strong scent of rose perfume on her.
Tony's words from before popped into her mind.
Alice had a plastic surgery accident abroad and was sent to another hospital for treatment.
Is this person in front of her, Alice?
She quickly scanned the woman. Her eyes were different from before, her chest was a few sizes bigger, and her waist was much slimmer. Overall, her figure looked much better than in the past.
Though Sophia didn't like Alice, she had to admit she admired her pursuit of beauty.
After all, enduring that kind of pain—cut after cut, nearly dying or shedding a layer of skin—wasn't easy, right?
Now that Alice had made her eyes look so similar to Sophia's, it gave her an uncomfortable, creepy feeling.
Judging by her behavior, she probably wanted to approach Sophia as a stranger.
Sophia kept a straight face and said, "They do look a bit alike."
Alice didn't realize she'd already been recognized. From the moment she appeared, she kept one hand on her lower back and the other on her belly, acting like a pregnant woman.
She deliberately put on this act, waiting for Sophia to ask if she was pregnant so she could lead into her next lines.
But Sophia looked completely uninterested, which started to make Alice anxious.
"Is this your daughter? She's so cute."
Without waiting for Sophia to reply, she lowered her head to touch her belly, putting on a loving, motherly expression.
"I just got pregnant. I'm a first-time mom, and I worry about the baby in my belly every day. I can't eat or sleep well and have lost so much weight. But luckily, the baby's dad is there, always finding ways to cheer me up and comfort me."
Even with the mask on, the joy of being surrounded by love spilled out from her eyes.
Alice, still holding her belly, suddenly pointed to the Peace Group building across the street with a proud tone, "Oh, by the way, the baby's dad works at Peace Group over there. Maybe you know him, Miss."
She deliberately slowed down her words and said seriously, "His name is William Smith. Do you know him?"
Sophia recalled the last of those anonymous photos.
It seemed to be taken in a hospital's obstetrics department.