Chapter 151 Emily Needs a Father
Even if William hadn't been holding Emily just now, with the two bodyguards from the Johnson family there, Emily wouldn't have been hurt.
Sophia's coldness swept over William like a bitter winter wind across a desolate plain, leaving him chilled to the bone.
Holden glanced at William's condition and had people escort Henry and Hannah back to the small building at the Smith Manor.
As for the man with the mole on his left cheek, he was also taken away by the Smith Manor's bodyguards, still loudly calling out "dear Hannah" as he left.
When Sophia's people first found this man, he was a gambling addict being chased by creditors, buried under a mountain of debt.
Originally, as long as Hannah stopped targeting her, Sophia wouldn't bother dealing with someone like her.
But the other party just had to go looking for trouble.
She was naturally happy to oblige.
Ethan, who had been brought by Melinda to meet Holden, could only introduce himself and exchange a few polite words before hurriedly saying goodbye.
Before leaving, he glanced back at Monkey.
When Monkey looked his way, Ethan hurried out of the Smith Manor, as nervous as a startled bird, his hands shaking as he dialed his phone.
Holden patted William's shoulder and sighed inwardly, saying, "Have a good talk with Sophia."
With that, he left with the remaining people.
Sophia also handed Emily to Monkey, instructing, "Take Emily to the car first. I'll be right there."
Emily obediently went into Monkey's arms, calling him Mr. Watson.
Monkey responded, putting away his rough edges in front of the child and gently stroking her hair.
"Emily, I'll take you away first."
Emily nodded and asked curiously, "Where are James and Michael?"
James and Michael's eyes were focused on William's face. They had been at the Smith Manor with their great-grandfather these past two days and really missed Sophia and Emily.
"Tony, take them back to their room."
James and Michael felt a bit disappointed, their eyes lingering on Sophia and Emily's faces, but they didn't want to make things difficult for William, so they said nothing.
Monkey explained to Emily why James and Michael weren't leaving with them.
"James, bye-bye."
Emily was very calm. She nodded to show she understood and waved goodbye to James and Michael with a smile.
Before James and Michael left, Sophia called out to them.
"James, Michael, Mom wants to apologize to you. I didn't set a good example just now."
James spoke up, "Hannah was bullying Emily first. Mom was protecting Emily. I thought Mom looked really cool just now!"
Michael added, "Yes! That kick Mom did was so cool!"
As he spoke, he even mimicked a kicking motion, his face full of admiration and love. Sophia was really amazing!
"Mom is an adult and can take responsibility for her own actions."
"But if you two run into something like this in the future, you can ask your teacher for help at school, or talk to Mom and Dad when you're at home, okay?"
The two children nodded, understanding what Sophia meant.
They left with Tony.
The Johnson family's bodyguards also left with Monkey and Emily.
Silence fell all around.
Only Sophia and William remained on the lawn.
"William, I really appreciate your kind intentions."
"But I'll protect my own daughter. I don't need you to get involved."
Facing Sophia's repeated rejections, William felt helpless, as if trapped with no way out.
He thought of Raymond and Benjamin, who had appeared one after another. The former had secretly loved her for ten years, the latter had kept her as an obsession in his heart for over ten years.
Whether it was Raymond or Benjamin, they had both known Sophia earlier than William.
If he encountered these two in the business world, William would have enough confidence to beat them, but when it came to matters of the heart, he wasn't sure.
The key factor was the person in front of him.
William said in a low voice, "Sophia, Emily needs a father."
Sophia suddenly laughed.
She asked him, "You're not going to say you're willing to take on the responsibility of being a father, are you?"
"William, do you remember how busy you were the year James and Michael were born?"
"You treated your own sons that way—how can I believe you'd treat Emily, who isn't even your own, any better?"
William was speechless.
Sophia never understood why some people always thought children couldn't grow up healthy without a father.
Emily had her, had James and Michael, had two godmothers who loved her, had Lucas as an uncle who put her first in everything, and had so many senior classmates from the lab who doted on her.
Even without a father's company, she would never lack any love from her family.
"William, I don't believe in getting back together."
"So... could you please stop wasting your energy on me? Spend your time doing things you enjoy instead."
This statement made William's face turn pale.
His excellent memory made him quickly recall that he had once said those exact same words.
A man's regret is worthless.
She could forgive James and Michael because they were her own flesh and blood, the children she had carried for nine months and brought into the world.
But with William, she had long lost her past feelings and couldn't possibly develop any romantic feelings for him again.
The bright moon hung high overhead, the starry sky brilliant.
But neither of them was in the mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery.
Inside the banquet hall, everyone's conversation had shifted from business cooperation to William and Sophia's relationship.
The gossiping wealthy young ladies gathered together to discuss.
"Mr. Smith doesn't look like he's heartless toward his ex-wife. Do you think that little girl might actually be a Smith family child?"
"Are they going to remarry?" The girl speaking got a bit excited and quickly covered her mouth, realizing her voice was too loud.
Some clear-headed girls spoke up for Sophia, "I don't think so. Look at William's ex-wife's attitude - she clearly doesn't want to get back together."
So what if he's the CEO of Peace Group?
To a woman who doesn't love him, he's just a person who happens to be male.
Holden's birthday party was disrupted by one thing after another.
Even though William went straight back to his room later and never appeared at what had turned into a matchmaking party, Holden wasn't angry.
It was as if today's banquet really was just his birthday party.
James and Michael had been waiting in William's room. They keenly sensed something was wrong between their parents.
When William turned around, he was met with James and Michael's identical faces.
He composed his expression, "What's wrong?"
James hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Dad, can you please not argue with Mom?"
They rarely talked to William about Sophia, but tonight, James really wanted to talk to him about it.
"Dad, actually, I once heard Hannah talking badly about Mom behind her back. I told her to stop, but she wouldn't listen."
Though James was young, he was very observant.
If William's attitude toward Sophia hadn't been obviously different recently, he wouldn't have said what he was about to say next.