Chapter 106: She Knows Nothing But Business
The next morning, Sophia—who should've been sleeping in on the weekend—woke up bright and early. She stood in the bathroom doorway, watching James brush his teeth, looking way too cheerful for someone who'd given up precious sleep.
"Morning, James!"
James paused mid-brush, confused. "Morning. You're up early. Got a date with Michael?"
"Nope, just force of habit." Sophia lied without missing a beat, grabbing her own toothbrush and squeezing toothpaste onto it. "Hey, you wrap up filming today, right?"
"Yeah. Three scenes left. Probably won't be done till this afternoon."
"Let me drive you, then! We can grab lunch together. I've got nothing else going on anyway, and I'd just be bored at home by myself."
As far as James knew, Ray and Evelyn would be at work, Mary would be at the shop, and Lucas would be at Benjamin's place. That really did leave Sophia alone.
"Don't you need to study?" He worried she was slacking off too much.
"One day won't hurt. We can hit the library together on weekends from now on!"
"Sounds good." More time with Sophia， James was all for it.
After brushing their teeth, Sophia insisted on styling James's outfit, claiming it was essential for his public image—people judged by appearances, after all.
Once he was appropriately dressed, the two headed out to pick up Sophia's car from Applewood Estate.
The moment the front door clicked shut, the master bedroom door cracked open just a sliver. Ray and Mary peeked out.
"They gone?" Mary whispered.
Ray nodded. "No sound. Must've left."
The door to the other bedroom opened too. Evelyn stuck her head out and scanned the living room. "Coast is clear! Everyone out!"
Ray and Mary breathed a sigh of relief and emerged fully. First time planning a surprise party for James, and they felt like they were pulling off a heist.
Exciting, though!
"Mom, let's get you ready. I'll do your makeup after we wash up," Evelyn said.
Today was James's birthday party, and his friends—plus Sophia's friends—would all be there. As family, they had to look their best. No embarrassing anyone.
Lucas suddenly yanked his bedroom door open. "Evelyn! Help me pick an outfit?"
Sophia had bought him several nice outfits, all of which looked great. He couldn't decide.
"Give me a sec. Gotta do Mom's makeup first."
"Okay."
While the ladies got glammed up, Ray took Lucas downstairs to grab breakfast. A gentleman's duty was to serve the women of the house, after all.
Meanwhile, Sophia had executed her distraction mission perfectly. She picked up her car from Applewood Estate and drove James to the film set.
She'd be glued to James's side all day to make sure he didn't suddenly change plans and stumble onto the surprise party.
Driving themselves was way faster than James taking the bus, so they arrived at the university campus early. They hit up the cafeteria for breakfast first.
James stood tall in a cream-colored turtleneck sweater paired with black slim-fit trousers and ankle boots, topped with a camel-colored long coat. He looked like he'd walked straight off a runway.
Next to him stood a striking girl with an effortlessly confident vibe. The handsome-guy-beautiful-girl combo drew admiring glances from everyone in the cafeteria.
James, long accustomed to the attention, ignored it and focused on scanning the food options. "What do you want?"
"Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon." Sophia clung to his arm, her tone playfully sweet.
"Coming right up." James led her to order, then grabbed two cups of coffee.
They found a quiet corner table and settled in. James dug into his breakfast with focus.
Sophia glanced around at the lingering stares, then back at James with his cool, aloof demeanor.
"James, have you ever thought about going to drama school? Like, actually becoming an actor?"
James looked up at her. "I'm studying law. So I can be your in-house lawyer someday."
"I don't need you working for me! Pick something you actually like. Do what makes you happy."
James considered this thoughtfully. "I'm not like Evelyn. She had a passion, and even though she ended up in the wrong major because of circumstances, she's still working toward what she loves. Me? I've always just studied because... that's what I did. What major I pick, what job I do—it doesn't really matter to me."
He'd never had hobbies or interests growing up. He didn't study because he loved it; he just figured if he was going to do something, he should do it well. That's why he'd always had excellent grades—it was his way of holding himself accountable.
But post-high school was different. He had to choose a college major, a career path. Honestly? He had no strong feelings either way.
Whatever he picked, he'd approach it the same—with commitment and effort. Liking it was beside the point.
"What do you want me to study?"
If Sophia made a suggestion, he'd go with it. Didn't matter what field—he believed that with enough effort, he could succeed at anything.
"James, you seriously don't have any interests? No goals or dreams?"
Sophia couldn't believe it. Twenty years on this earth, and James's only skill was studying.
Though, to be fair, he was really, really good at studying. Top of his class every time.
James thought for a moment, then turned the question around. "Do you have goals?"
Sophia fell uncharacteristically silent.
Growing up in a business dynasty like the Smiths, she'd been immersed in corporate dealings from day one. Constantly competing with Andrew and John, building connections, expanding assets, climbing higher—she'd never had the luxury of pausing to think about hobbies or interests.
Even now, she didn't really have any. Did she enjoy investing? If she was honest... not particularly.
It's just that her portfolio kept growing, and she had no choice but to manage it. Giving it up now would mean all those years of effort were for nothing.
She'd decided on economics and finance because business was all she knew—just like how James only knew academics.
"James, if you don't have any hobbies, why not become an actor? You're insanely good-looking, you've got natural talent, and you'd have a huge advantage in the industry."
If you didn't have direction, you played to your strengths. Simple as that.
James smiled. "Alright, I'll take your advice. I hear film actors make bank. I could buy us a huge house and move the whole family in."
After breakfast, it was almost time.
Only one scene on the schedule this morning—a coffee shop date between the male and female leads, filmed at a café on campus.
Sophia sat tucked away in a corner, out of the crew's way. She'd rushed out that morning without doing her makeup, so she used the downtime to fix her face.
James ordered her a coffee and treated her to a slice of cake, telling her to relax and take her time.
When Sophia saw the Black Forest cake, she knew she'd been right—Alice had definitely been fishing for information about James's financial situation.
While filming proceeded smoothly on set, the birthday party logistics team hit a snag.