Chapter 104 I Do Like You
Seven years since graduation.
He was no longer the poor but handsome guy from back then.
The custom-tailored suit he wore and the driver waiting by the Bentley in the distance all proclaimed the change in his status and position.
Raymond's face appeared calm, but his heart rate kept climbing the moment he heard her words.
"I'm so excellent, is it really that surprising that I like you?"
Sophia was surprised by his directness, then nodded. "Yes, surprising. After all, we haven't seen each other in seven years."
"So what if it's been seven years? Even if it were seventy years, I'd still like you." Raymond stared straight at her, his bluntness about feelings completely unlike his usual character.
Standing right in front of her, he said seriously, "Sophia, I really do like you."
In the already darkening night, the devoted young man had shed time's youthful awkwardness, laying his heart bare before her.
The almond-shaped eyes gazing at him were even colder than the moonlight overhead.
Sophia showed no shyness on her face. Her petal-like, gorgeous lips curved slightly. "I'm honored to be liked by someone as excellent as you."
"Thank you for liking me, but I'm sorry, I don't like you."
Hearing her rejection with his own ears at this moment, Raymond felt no surprise in his heart.
"I know."
He looked at her intently. "But could you give me a chance to pursue you?"
Sophia was very satisfied with her current life. With three children by her side, she had no interest in romantic matters.
"Raymond, don't waste your time on me when it comes to romance."
Raymond smiled bitterly. "You really are..."
She knew she was being too blunt, but this way could avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Sophia shrugged. "That's just my personality, can't help it."
"If you need my help with anything in the future, just say so. The kids are still waiting for me. I'll be going now."
She nodded at him and turned to leave quickly.
As soon as she got in the car, she received a video call from James. The moment she answered, she saw three adorable smiling faces, and Sophia's whole heart instantly calmed down; her attention was completely focused on the children.
What happened next developed much faster than Sophia had expected.
She had Rat monitor the online situation in advance, ready to take down any posts with photos of the three children immediately!
That very night.
Many new accounts appeared online out of nowhere, all posting photos from those five years of her secret marriage.
[This woman is a serial homewrecker! She was married before and got divorced after her husband caught her cheating!]
Sophia clicked on the photo. It was from a party where she was cornered in a corner by a middle-aged man while drunk.
The middle-aged man only showed his back, but with his big belly, he looked very wealthy. Her entire face was exposed to the camera, though her chin had been edited to look much sharper, making her face look very unnatural.
Looking through the comments, sure enough, they all called her disgusting, a plastic surgery face, a disgrace to women everywhere.
Many comments kept fanning the flames of internet users' anger.
[Today I'm going to expose my own family! Three years ago, my uncle-in-law was seduced by this woman. He abandoned his wife, who had built everything with him from scratch, didn't even care about their two children, never paid a cent in child support! Because this woman took all his assets—those were the property my aunt and uncle-in-law built together! Absolutely outrageous!]
[My family too! My dad is sixty years old, with one foot in the grave already, and she still wouldn't leave him alone! She even scammed away millions of dollars of my dad's assets. Truly shameless!]
[I'm her college classmate. Her family was very poor. She started seducing classmates' boyfriends back in college. All her tuition and expenses in college came from scamming men!]
Sophia scrolled through briefly.
She actually found many photos in the comments from the wealthy wives' gatherings she attended as William's wife during their secret marriage.
While other wives enjoyed a harmonious atmosphere, she stood alone on the side, looking particularly lonely.
Internet users seemed to have found their target, with comments calling her shameless and a disgrace to women increasing by the hundreds and thousands.
At this moment, Lily suddenly deleted her previous video and posted a photo of herself with red, swollen eyes from crying.
It was like pouring a barrel of oil onto already roaring flames—the fire instantly reached its peak.
[Why did Big Pear suddenly delete her video? Was she threatened?]
Lily didn't explain, but a few minutes later, she liked this comment.
Internet users seemed to have found direction in a lost wilderness, picking up their keyboards to curse.
[My friend runs a coffee shop across from the police station. This evening, she saw Big Pear leaving in tears, while her fiancé was comforting the homewrecker behind her!]
[So arrogant! Everyone, let's go after her—dig up the homewrecker's home address and workplace! We absolutely can't let this kind of woman have a good life!]
The night breeds the darkness of human nature.
Self-proclaimed righteous internet users, treading the line of legality, tried to dig up more dirt on Sophia.
However, besides those few party photos actively posted by anonymous accounts, they couldn't find a single other photo of her.
Even her information seemed to be covered by some kind of protective shield.
Comments with insults, personal attacks, and curses wishing death on her family were deleted by platform rules before they could even be posted.
This touched an even bigger nerve with internet users.
They blamed all of this on the "power" behind Sophia, even labeling her with organized crime connections, constantly tagging various official accounts demanding a thorough investigation of her.
Lily lay in bed scrolling through comments, her eyes full of satisfaction at her scheme's success.
She waited for the scene of Sophia becoming a rat everyone wanted to beat, thinking this was what happened when you crossed Lily!
Little did she know, the second after she put down her phone, all information about Sophia online was deleted completely leaving no trace.
Meanwhile, news about the Baker family's tax evasion and financial fraud topped the trending searches.
At the same time, certain matters from years ago that her father had suppressed with money resurfaced online, stirring up waves again after all these years.
In the quiet hotel suite.
The warm yellow light from the study's wall lamp spread in all directions. Under refined features, deep eyes filled with cold, icy light after seeing those online comments.
Tony stood before the desk. "Mr. Smith, everything has been cleaned up."
William pinched his tired brow and asked in a low voice about Sophia's situation. "How is she?"
Tony: "She's been home since returning from the police station, but the light in her study stayed on until the early morning."
There were still many documents on the desk waiting for William to handle. His long, defined fingers tapped the desk twice. He knew Sophia wasn't the type to take things lying down—she was probably brewing some plan.
William: "Keep an eye on her and give her full support in whatever she does."