Chapter 89 Is That Child Yours
Sophia's car entered the Smith Mansion without any obstacles.
Patrick seemed to know she would come today and had been waiting at the entrance to greet her.
The car stopped at the garden entrance.
Sophia pushed open the car door and got straight to the point, asking about the two children's whereabouts.
"Where are James and Michael?"
After William picked up the two children, he sent them directly back to the old house to have dinner with Holden Smith.
Patrick knew that if he told the truth, Sophia probably wouldn't even think about stepping into the Smith Mansion.
But William had been waiting in the study for a long time.
He sighed inwardly, lowered his eyes respectfully, and said, "Only Mr. Smith knows where James and Michael are."
"Mrs. Smith, Mr. Smith is waiting for you in the study."
The other servants in the house had already been cleared out, and Patrick left after bringing Sophia inside.
After all, this was a place she had lived for five years. Although it had been two years since she left, the location of the study wasn't unfamiliar to Sophia.
She suppressed the raging anger in her heart and, too impatient to take the elevator, strode directly toward the stairs.
Her inherent upbringing and manners made her knock on the door before entering.
"William, open the door!"
But the anger in her voice couldn't be hidden.
As soon as she finished speaking, William actually came over and opened the door, stepping aside to let her in.
Sophia didn't enter the study, standing across the doorway and looking at William.
"Why did you suddenly take James and Michael away?"
William didn't plan to hide it from her and said frankly, "Grandpa called and said he wanted to see them, so I sent them back to the old house to have dinner with him."
Thinking of that highly respected elder in the Smith family who valued family harmony above all, Sophia fell silent.
During her five-year marriage to William, Holden was one of the few people in the Smith family who treated her well.
"If Holden wanted to see them, I could have arranged a car to send them over myself, but you picked up the children an hour early and didn't let anyone tell me. What's your intention?"
She wasn't stupid. She had just had someone teach Alice a lesson today, and this afternoon, William personally picked up James and Michael. It was impossible that there was no connection.
Although she already guessed in her heart, she still wanted to see if there might be another possibility.
Sophia curled her fingers and asked in a hoarse voice, "William, what exactly is your purpose?"
William, in front of her, was still wearing his suit, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his face stern,completely different from him in that photo at the obstetrics department entrance.
"You had your bodyguard slap Alice a hundred times today."
Sophia closed her eyes, and the right corner of her mouth twitched briefly, full of sarcasm.
"So what, are you going to stand up for her?"
William frowned and said in a low voice, "I'm not here to stand up for her. I just wanted to see you."
During this time, Sophia had been avoiding him—blocking his calls, not replying to emails, not letting him in. Without resorting to this, William couldn't see her at all.
"What do you want to see me for?"
She didn't think they had anything to talk about besides the children.
William grabbed her arm, "Come inside and talk."
"There's no need."
Sophia turned to leave, but William wouldn't let go.
"Why do I keep helping Alice? Come in, and I'll tell you the reason."
The study at the Smith Mansion was large, with a small reception area outside.
On the sofa was a cushion Sophia had bought in the past, light blue, standing out starkly against the black sofa.
The coffee table was filled with snacks and fruits. William pushed them forward and said, "Patrick still remembers you. He specially prepared the pastries you used to love. Try some."
The chef at the Smith Mansion might not make the best meals, but their pastry-making skills were exceptional.
At least in the two years since Sophia's divorce, she hadn't tasted any pastries better than those made by the Smith Mansion's chef.
But after she sat down, she didn't touch anything on the coffee table.
"William, just say what you need to say."
William sat on the single sofa nearby, his voice low, carrying more helplessness in the quiet study.
"Alice is pregnant."
Sophia's head snapped up. "You want me to let her go?"
Knowing she would be angry, William immediately tried to explain, but her words came faster, and his emotions became somewhat agitated as a result.
"William, are you speaking up for her because the child in her belly is innocent, or because that child is yours?"
The implication in her words made his explanation freeze on his lips.
William closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then continued, "What does Alice's child have to do with me?"
"Sophia, why do you always pin these accusations on me? I told you, I didn't cheat!"
Sophia quickly adjusted her emotions and replied, "But your behavior is no different from cheating."
William's already handsome eyes were now filled with focus and seriousness, shining like a starry sky under the room's lights.
Sophia turned her face away, not looking at William's eyes, her gaze unfocused and randomly falling on a corner.
But William suddenly reached out his hand. Just as he was about to hold her, Sophia shrank back into the sofa, avoiding his approaching hand.
Her tall, imposing body was squeezed between the sofa and coffee table, looking somewhat cramped.
He pried open her tightly clenched fingers one by one, his long, slender fingers with prominent knuckles interlacing with hers in a tight grip that she couldn't break free from.
William asked back, "Sophia, I never thought about abandoning you before."
Even though he was squatting, his line of sight was still much higher than hers, but he was willing to lower his proud head for her, as if submitting to her.
"Can we talk calmly?"
The quiet study.
The hands on the clock circling round and round on the wall.
William's voice was already captivating, and when he spoke seriously in a calm tone about the past, it was easy to draw people into that moment.
"Alice saved Michael's life."
From William's calm narration, Sophia finally learned the reason he helped Alice, and only felt it was even more ridiculous.
"Michael was almost kidnapped by human traffickers. Alice risked her life to save him and was even stabbed by the traffickers and hospitalized."
"That knife injured her uterus. The doctor said she might never be able to get pregnant for the rest of her life. That's too heavy a burden for a woman."
William kept watching Sophia's emotions, his voice steady without any fluctuation, afraid she might misunderstand through his tone that he had other feelings for Alice.
Sophia nodded: "Very touching story."
She curved her lips and let out a light sneer, asking him back, "So what?"
Sophia's reaction was beyond William's expectations.
He thought she would be surprised, would forgive, would sigh—he just never expected that Sophia would only show sarcasm and self-mockery.
He tightened his grip on her soft hand and called her name with furrowed brows.
Sophia stared into his eyes and continued asking, "Do you need me, the children's mother, to be grateful for a lifetime and treat her like a master?"