Chapter 153: Standing Together as Allies
Catching James's meaning, Ray suddenly realized how disturbing his own mindset had become.
When had he grown so comfortable relying on Sophia that he automatically assumed any problem could be solved just by asking her?
It was Sophia who'd first gotten him the management position at the automotive plant. After working there over a year, he'd spotted an opportunity in the tire business and wanted to start his own venture.
It was Sophia who invested nearly half the startup capital as an equity partner. When his old friends doubted him, it was Sophia who introduced him to suppliers throughout the industry.
Michael had pulled strings too—purely out of respect for Sophia—connecting him with auto repair shop owners who became his best clients.
His Firewheel Tires brand had essentially been built on Sophia's shoulders. As a father, he should be his children's protector, their safety net. So how the hell had he started treating her resources like a personal ATM?
"You're absolutely right!" Ray smacked his forehead in frustration. "We all need to step up and stop piling everything on Sophia!"
Seeing his father's awakening, James relaxed into a smile. "And this whole situation—Sophia knows what's really happening behind the scenes. If she's keeping us in the dark, it's probably because we're out of our depth against whoever's involved. But we can't just sit around waiting. We need to actively support her plan, whatever it is. She shouldn't have to shoulder all this alone."
"Exactly!" Mary clapped her hands decisively. "Listen, we are not going to sit back comfortably while she fixes our mess! We need to do something!"
Evelyn, still subdued from earlier, murmured flatly, "Like what? All we know is she's throwing a birthday party. Something that big will have professional planners handling everything. What can we possibly do?"
"Plenty," James said, ticking items off on his fingers. "She wants me to livestream during the event and borrowed equipment from Amelia—I can handle all that coordination. The party needs food and drinks—Celestial Peak Hotel will send proposals for approval. Evelyn, you could review those contracts. Mom, Dad, the police are still investigating the kidnapping. Stay in close contact with them, cooperate fully, share anything that might help. The sooner this gets resolved, the better.
"Beyond that, even small things count. Drive her to work so she can rest during the commute. Bring her lunch so she doesn't skip meals. That's what family's supposed to do."
Galvanized by James's suggestions, everyone sprang into action, abandoning the movie.
Evelyn retreated to her room to contact Celestial Peak Hotel and research high-end event requirements.
But the moment she sat at her computer, her phone rang.
Bruce.
She stared at the screen, hesitating before finally answering. "Hello? What is it?"
Her tone came out flat, distant—nothing like yesterday's warmth.
Bruce caught it immediately. The shift threw him completely off balance. Even cracking a joke felt wrong now.
After an awkward pause, he managed, "Uh... nothing urgent. Just wondering—what are you wearing to Sophia's party? If you haven't found a dress yet, we could go shopping?"
"No need." The rejection came swift and cold. Realizing how harsh she sounded, Evelyn softened slightly. "I'll shop with my mom. Thanks though."
The brush-off was unmistakable.
She clearly didn't want to see him. Bruce knew better than to push.
After another silence, he chose honesty. "Evelyn... did I do something yesterday? Did I upset you?"
He wasn't someone who played emotional guessing games or let uncertainty eat away at him. When he had questions, he asked them directly.
But Evelyn was his opposite. She bottled everything up, yet somehow never quite managed to hide her feelings. People could tell when she was hurting, but she'd never explain why.
It left everyone feeling helpless.
Sometimes Evelyn despised this about herself—always retreating when things got hard, never finding the courage to speak her truth, inadvertently hurting the people who cared about her.
She kept trying to force the words out. Her mind screamed at her to just be honest with Bruce, tell him everything. But her throat closed up, trapping the confession inside.
All that emerged was, "I'm fine."
Bruce ran a hand through his hair, completely at a loss.
The silence dragged on. When she still refused to open up, he could only offer, "Alright. Well... if something's bothering you, I'm here. You can talk to me."
Evelyn's lips trembled slightly. Still, courage failed her. "Okay. Thanks. I should go."
The call ended. Evelyn set her phone down and buried her face in her hands, frustrated with herself.
When had she become this pathetic? This cowardly and insecure?
On his end, Bruce exhaled heavily and immediately pulled up his messages with Sophia: She won't talk to me. It's like she's completely shut down. Look, I'm absolute garbage at this emotional stuff, but John's probably got experience dealing with complicated women. Maybe ask him for pointers?
Reading Bruce's text, Sophia's eyes narrowed slightly. She set her phone aside and gestured for the employee mid-presentation to continue with the project proposal.
She didn't have bandwidth for Evelyn's emotional crisis right now.