Chapter 125: Invitation from Rainbow Bridge Foundation
"Don't bite me! Gentle!"
The room was thick with heat, punctuated by ragged, heavy breathing that made the entire space feel charged with an intoxicating, indescribable tension.
The sudden ringing of a phone shattered the moment, interrupting the couple tangled on the bed.
Amelia, overwhelmed by the intense rhythm, fumbled for her phone on the nightstand to hang up—but froze when she saw Sophia's name flashing on the screen.
"Stop—stop for a second, it's Sophia."
"Can't stop. Just answer it like this." The man's voice was rough as sandpaper, his lips trailing kisses along Amelia's collarbone.
"Bastard..." Amelia's body went limp, her mind nearly blank. Still, she couldn't bring herself to miss Sophia's call. Struggling to sound normal, she answered, "Hey, Sophia."
Hearing the voice on the other end, Sophia frowned. "What's wrong with your voice? Are you sick?"
"No..." Amelia couldn't suppress a soft moan.
Sophia immediately understood what was happening. Through gritted teeth, she demanded, "Amelia, did you seriously hire a male escort? How many have there been? If you've got one kept man, I can help you cover it up—but if you've got four, five, six of them, I can't save you from the arranged marriage with the Cooper family!"
Since she'd already been caught, Amelia saw no point in hiding it. Between gasps, she managed, "Not an escort. It's Wayne."
"Amelia... stop talking."
Wayne's voice came through clearly. Sophia froze, then let out a quiet sigh. "Alright, I won't interrupt anymore. Have fun."
She hung up immediately, the corner of her mouth twitching in exasperation.
So that explained why Amelia had been acting strange lately. In college, she'd practically called for video chats every day, talking endlessly about her life abroad and claiming things with Wayne were "nothing special."
But after graduation, the Amelia who said she missed her every day never came back. Over the past two years, even phone calls had become rare. Turns out she'd had Wayne by her side all along!
"What's wrong?" Michael asked, noticing Sophia's expression.
"Nothing. My ears just got assaulted."
Michael raised an eyebrow. "Amelia and Wayne?"
Sophia still felt puzzled. Logically, if Amelia and Wayne were actually dating, she would have said something.
Could they just be... friends with benefits?
Michael sighed quietly to himself. Wayne had been pining for her for so many years—even if they weren't officially together, at least he'd gotten somewhere.
Meanwhile, he and Sophia had been dating for over five years, and they still hadn't taken that final step.
Frustrating.
"Come on, I'll take you home." Michael pushed aside his improper thoughts and took Sophia's hand, walking toward the parking lot. "Your parents' place or Applewood Estate?"
"Applewood Estate."
Once in the car with her seatbelt fastened, Sophia received a message from her assistant Tony.
Tony: Ms. Johnson, there's a charity gala in Silverlight City. The host is Rainbow Bridge Foundation, and they've sent an invitation to Vertex Innovations Ltd. It's scheduled for next Friday.
Silverlight City?
Rainbow Bridge Foundation?
Sophia: Got it. I'll attend personally.
Andrew had passed along information—according to Joshua, that aunt of his was the president of Rainbow Bridge Foundation: Maggie Thomas.
Sophia had no interest in meddling with Smith family affairs. But when it came to Maggie? She had a score to settle.
Noticing Sophia staring at her phone with a contemplative expression, Michael leaned over and kissed her smooth cheek. "What's with that look? Something wrong at the company?"
He was referring to Vertex Innovations Ltd. After high school graduation, Sophia had secured funding, taken the company public, and acquired numerous tech-related enterprises, consolidating them under Vertex Innovations Ltd.—transforming it from a tech company into a diversified conglomerate.
The group now included gaming, consumer electronics, film VFX production, with the primary focus remaining on semiconductor chip research and development.
Through meticulous due diligence and strategic investments in cutting-edge technology, Vertex Innovations Group had surged ahead over the past two years. In Emerald City, it now stood alongside Pacific Group and Cloud Group in the top tier.
Sophia looked up at Michael with a faint smile. "Are you going to the charity gala hosted by Rainbow Bridge Foundation next Friday?"
Michael immediately understood—she'd finished preparing and was ready to settle accounts with Maggie.
"I was planning to send Arthur, but since you're asking, I'll personally accompany you."
……
Riverbank No. 9, 32nd floor—Andrew's private residence.
The kitchen filled with savory aromas as Andrew plated the pan-seared steaks, sprinkling fresh basil leaves on top.
Hearing footsteps, he turned to see Joshua descending the stairs. He carried both plates to the open kitchen's island counter. "Have a seat."
They usually ate at the high stools by the counter to avoid the hassle of setting and clearing the dining table.
Andrew's apartment was connected to John's place upstairs. While the public elevator served one unit per floor, they'd installed a private staircase inside.
The outside world believed Andrew and John were bitter rivals. In reality, they were allies.
Joshua had purchased the 34th floor, with John handling the renovations—including a hidden staircase in the corner of Joshua's bedroom, next to his desk.
By lifting the carpet and pulling up that corner floorboard, one could access a retractable ladder leading down to the hallway outside John's apartment.
This precaution existed because Maggie constantly monitored Joshua, especially after he'd moved so close to them. It would have raised her suspicions.
According to Joshua, his former villa in Silverlight City had surveillance cameras everywhere except his bedroom. That's why they'd installed the secret passage there.
By avoiding the public elevator and maintaining normal activity in his living room under surveillance, no one had discovered Joshua's contact with Andrew and John over the past five years.
Joshua retrieved a bottle of red wine from the fridge, grabbed two glasses, and asked casually while pouring, "Where's John?"
"At a competition." Andrew finished tidying the kitchen and emerged with silverware. "Rainbow Bridge Foundation is hosting a charity gala. They sent an invitation to the Smith Group."
"Yeah, I know." Joshua set one glass of wine in front of Andrew and sat beside him. "Maggie mentioned it. Rumors about the Smith Group being on the verge of bankruptcy have been spreading everywhere. She asked me if it was true, but she still suspects it might be a trap. That's why she's planning this gala—to probe you for the truth."
Andrew ate his steak quietly, seemingly unconcerned. Only after Joshua finished speaking did he reply coolly, "Going through all this trouble to organize a gala and lure me from Emerald City to Silverlight City? I doubt she's doing it just to confirm one answer."