Chapter 150: You, Comfort Her
Sophia fell silent for a moment. Bringing up that kind of thing herself? She found it a bit hard to say out loud.
"Mind your own business first," Sophia shot Amelia an glance said , "Shouldn't you two tell your parents? Start planning the wedding?"
"In a while." Amelia had actually seriously considered marriage and had originally planned to register as soon as they returned home.
But with all the trouble Sophia was dealing with lately, Amelia didn't want to hold her wedding at a time like this.
"Fine, your call." Sophia didn't press the issue. She personally didn't think it mattered, but if Amelia felt guilty about it, then waiting until things calmed down made sense.
It was getting late. After dropping Amelia and Wayne off at Seaside Bay Villa No. 6, Sophia drove straight home.
The living room lights were dimmed to night mode, the space empty and quiet.
Slipping on her house shoes in the foyer, Sophia padded quietly inside, heading straight to the kitchen to grab a Coke from the fridge.
She popped it open and sat at the dining table, drinking as she gazed thoughtfully at the spacious living room.
She still remembered when she'd first joined the Johnson family—six people crammed into that tiny apartment.
Everything had been worn and shabby. You could cross the entire living room in two or three steps, yet somehow it had felt warm, filled with laughter and love.
Back then, no matter how late she came home, Mom and Dad would always be waiting on the couch.
After moving here, she hadn't felt that warmth in a long time.
Everyone was busy with their careers, rarely home. The spacious villa felt cold and empty.
That's why, even though she worked in Emerald City, she rarely stayed here, spending most of her time at Applewood Estate instead.
Coming back to what should be a gathering place for family, only to find it deserted, it reminded her too much of her days at the Smith Manor.
Before, she could lie to herself that everyone was just busy with work. But now, with all their projects on hold, everyone was home.
They were all here, yet she still couldn't recapture that past warmth.
After sitting for about five minutes, Sophia pushed away the scattered thoughts and stood up with her half-finished Coke, heading for her room.
As she passed through the hallway leading to the stairs, the study door suddenly clicked open. Bright light spilled out, and James's gentle face emerged from the glow.
The look in his eyes whenever he gazed at Sophia was one of complete tenderness. His voice was calm and soothing as he said, "You're back? Go upstairs, take a shower, and get some rest. Mom and Dad said we're all having breakfast together tomorrow."
Sophia froze for a moment, glancing at her watch. It was already half past one in the morning. "James, why are you still up?"
"How could I sleep when you weren't home yet?" James ruffled her hair, turned off the study light, and hooked an arm around her shoulders, steering her toward the stairs. "Mom and Dad wanted to wait up for you, but considering their age, I convinced them to go to bed. Evelyn seemed upset about something today—she skipped dinner and locked herself in her room."
Sophia suddenly felt her earlier worries in the dining room had been completely unfounded. The cold, heartless one was the Smith family, while the Johnson family had always been a place full of love.
Because every member of the Johnson family was a warm person.
Her mood lightened considerably. Following his lead, she asked, "Didn't Evelyn go out today? Why is she suddenly unhappy?"
Going out with Bruce—logically, even just having a meal should have left Evelyn too excited to sleep. How could a whole day together leave her depressed instead?
Had Bruce said something hurtful?
"I'm not really sure. She went straight upstairs when she got back. When I tried to call her for dinner, she wouldn't even open her door. Said she wasn't eating."
James didn't understand young women's emotional complexities, nor was he particularly good at comforting girls. This matter was better left to Sophia.
Sophia nodded. When they reached the second floor, she and James headed to their respective rooms.
Setting down her jewelry piece by piece and removing her makeup, Sophia picked up her phone and opened Facebook.
It was pretty late now—Evelyn might already be asleep. Waking her wouldn't be good.
So, she'd just ask Bruce instead.
She placed a video call to Bruce, jolting him awake from his sleep.
"Sophia, do you have any idea what time it is? Can't whatever this is wait until tomorrow?"
On the video screen, only a small bedside lamp was lit. Bruce stared at her with sleepy eyes, his face full of barely contained irritation. Clearly, he'd been sleeping comfortably, and clearly, he was not happy about being disturbed.
Sophia, used to being domineering, completely ignored Bruce's complaints and asked coldly, "Where did you take Evelyn today?"
At the mention of Evelyn, Bruce looked more alert, finally managing to open his eyes properly. "Just to the furniture store, then lunch, then a movie. After that, I brought her safely home. What's the problem?"
"Nothing unusual happened?"
"What could have happened?"
"Then why was Evelyn unhappy when she got back? She skipped dinner and locked herself in her room."
"What?"
Bruce was genuinely stunned this time. Evelyn hadn't shown any signs of being unhappy while they were together. She'd even smiled and said goodbye when she got out of the car.
"I honestly have no idea! Sophia, I swear on my life—I didn't say a single hurtful thing to her all day!"
She pressed her lips together and asked casually, "Did you notice when her mood started to change?"
Bruce scratched his head, seriously reviewing the entire day's events, still looking utterly confused. "No, I was with her the whole time. Nothing out of the ordinary happened."
Sophia lowered her gaze, silent for a moment. What was there to worry about work-wise?
If the hospital fired her, she could just switch careers to interior design!
"You. Comfort her." Sophia stared at Bruce with a commanding tone.
Bruce frowned, his face full of confusion. "What? No—wouldn't that be inappropriate for me to do?"
"What's inappropriate about it? Don't you want to pursue her? Perfect opportunity."
"Fine, but I can't guarantee I'll do a good job."