Chapter 171: Kirk

Chapter 171: Kirk

Sophia suddenly felt her heart soften a bit.

Alexander looked at her, his eyes dimming for a moment. The next second, he stood up and walked toward her.

Sophia didn't move until Alexander stopped right in front of her.

Their eyes met, and for a moment neither of them spoke. After a quiet silence, Sophia was the first to speak. "Why are you here so late?"

"I finished handling things and was worried you'd be scared here alone, so I came over early to check on you." Alexander made up an excuse casually. After thinking about it, he decided not to say those mushy words after all.

Sophia narrowed her eyes.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Alexander asked her.

"Can't sleep." Sophia replied flatly. She had naturally seen the news about Dwayne. She hadn't expected Alexander would go this far for her.

She lowered her eyes, turned to the side, and walked a few steps forward. "Let's go back."

Alexander responded softly, the corners of his mouth quietly curving up.

As they walked out of the airport, Sophia suddenly asked, "Have you eaten?"

Alexander paused. "No."

He actually had no appetite at all. He'd been incredibly busy these past few days, mostly running on coffee.

Sophia frowned, the inexplicable heartache in her chest deepening.

She felt this wasn't good.

Taking a long breath, she said, "Alright, I'll take you to eat."

Silvermoon City was very quiet in the early morning hours. Sophia brought Alexander to an old street.

There were still a few 24-hour shops in the area with their lights on.

They entered a restaurant, and the young owner seemed to recognize Alexander, nearly shaking with fright.

"Mr. Kensington?"

Alexander nodded slightly. "Just do your normal thing."

The owner immediately nodded frantically.

Sophia glanced at the TV in the hall playing the news and suddenly felt like laughing. "Are you already scary to this degree now?"

"It's not that I'm scary." Alexander looked at the menu and said seriously, "It's that they're timid."

Sophia was speechless.

Before long, a steaming bowl of pasta was brought over.

Sophia propped her chin on her hand, watching Alexander eat across from her.

Alexander's movements were actually very refined. Even sitting in this kind of ordinary small shop, he still had an incongruous air of nobility about him.

"Haven't you been sleeping lately?" She looked at the faint dark circles under his eyes and suddenly asked.

Alexander looked up. "I have."

"How many hours a day?"

"Three or four."

Sophia fell silent. After a long while, she spoke softly, "Alexander."

"What?"

"You don't have to shoulder everything alone. And I didn't choose to leave just because of those old grudges. More than that, it's the misaligned relationship between us that makes me feel unable to face it."

Alexander's movements paused slightly.

The warm yellow light of the noodle shop fell on Sophia's face, making her whole person seem softer.

Alexander stared straight at her, his heartbeat gradually speeding up.

Sophia felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. "Alright, why do you keep staring at me?"

"Nothing." Alexander shook his head and said in a low voice.

He just suddenly really wanted to hug her.

But in the end, he still didn't say it out loud.

After eating, the two walked slowly forward along the old street.

The night wind blew over, and Sophia instinctively pulled her coat tighter.

Soon, a black windbreaker carrying body warmth fell on her shoulders.

She was startled. "Aren't you cold?"

"I handle cold better than you." Alexander's tone was calm.

Sophia lowered her head and smelled the scent on his clothes - a faint cedar fragrance mixed with a hint of nicotine.

After hesitating for a moment, she said softly, "Alexander, thank you."

Alexander was stunned for a moment, then smiled lightly. "It's too early to thank me now."

Before she could answer, he suddenly turned to face Sophia directly, looking straight into her eyes, and said seriously, "If you really want to thank me, give me another chance to pursue you. No matter how long it takes, I'll wait for you to accept me."

He looked at her, his gaze frighteningly deep.

Sophia's heart skipped a beat. She pretended to be calm and looked away, saying in a muffled voice, "Haven't I already given you a chance?"

Hearing this, Alexander's eyes widened slightly for a moment. He realized something and laughed softly.

Suddenly reaching out, he gently touched Sophia's hair that had been messed up by the wind. The movement was very light, but it made Sophia's whole body stiffen.

"Sophia." He also called her name softly.

"What?"

"Thank you for picking me up today."

Alexander's voice was deep and sexy, carrying his unique tenderness.

Sophia's ears suddenly turned red. She lowered her head and walked forward, her voice very small. "No need to thank me."

Where Alexander couldn't see, she curved her lips into a shallow smile.

Two weeks later, Kirk suddenly told Sophia he was coming to Silvermoon City.

That day, when the doorbell rang, Sophia went to open the door and was slightly stunned when she saw Kirk standing at the entrance.

When Kirk saw her, his eyes immediately reddened.

"Sophia." He spoke, his voice hoarse. "I'm here."

Sophia nodded, stepped aside, and opened the door. "Mr. Clark, come in."

Kirk walked in and sat down on the living room sofa. He looked around and saw photos of Sophia and Emily on the wall, some aromatherapy on the coffee table, and a dog bed in the corner. He slowly relaxed.

"I was hospitalized last week." He began, a bit embarrassed. "When I saw that news, I couldn't handle it for a moment and was laid up for two or three days. It's nothing serious."

"After this case was brought up again, I finally worked up the courage to have someone investigate it, all the way to the end."

Kirk paused, his voice choking up. He cleared his throat and continued, "Sophia, are you their child?"

Sophia's lips pressed together slightly, and she didn't avoid the question. Since Kirk already knew, there was no need for her to continue hiding it. She nodded. "Yes."

Kirk closed his eyes, and two streams of tears just flowed out.

"I failed them." He choked out. "I found out about what happened back then too late. By the time I knew, it was already too late for everything."

"Mr. Clark," Sophia gently cut him off, reaching out to hold his hand. "This matter already has a resolution. They definitely wouldn't blame you, and I don't blame you either."

Kirk looked at her, tears and snot running down his face. He wiped his face with his sleeve, completely disregarding his image, crying like a child.

He cried for a while, then slowly calmed down and asked, "Sophia, are you going back to Emerald Harbor? I want to see you more. All these years, I've been too cowardly - afraid to remember, afraid to investigate, and even more afraid to look for you. I owe you all too much."

Sophia shook her head, indicating it was fine. "I want to stay in Silvermoon City for now. We really like it here. Things are good as they are now."

Kirk was about to say something more when the sound of a key unlocking came from the door.

The door opened, and Alexander walked in, carrying two bags of groceries. Seeing the person sitting in the living room, he paused for a moment, then put the groceries by the kitchen door, walked over, and said calmly, "Mr. Clark."