Chapter 157: A Parent's Heart
Maggie's expression radiated satisfaction, her eyes gleaming with the smugness of someone who held all the cards.
George would probably never guess that his biological son had been switched at birth, raised by her side, and groomed into her most valuable pawn.
In the end, he would destroy the Smith family with his own hands, wouldn't he?
She began to imagine the day George learned the truth—would he grovel before her, begging for forgiveness?
Maggie quickly reined in her thoughts, careful not to let Joshua catch on.
She patted his shoulder. "Tomorrow you'll head to Emerald City. And while you're at the airport, pick up Emily."
……
That afternoon, after wrapping up an online meeting with overseas partners, Sophia received a call from Byron Reyes, the manager of Celestial Peak Hotel.
"What is it?" She kept her eyes on the documents in front of her, her tone detached.
"Boss, Evelyn just called me. She said she wanted to take over the arrangements for the party. I didn't dare agree without your approval, so I'm calling to ask what you think."
Sophia's gaze stilled for half a second before she replied, "Have your team handle the setup and beverage arrangements. If anything comes up, contact Tony. When it's done, send him an itemized list of everything used."
"Understood. Boss, for the drinks—should we still source them from the Martinez family as usual?"
"Yes. Amelia's back in the country. Contact her directly to place the order."
"And what about Evelyn? How should I turn her down?"
"Just tell her the event planning and setup are already being handled by dedicated staff."
"Got it."
Sophia hung up and dove back into her work, with no time to wonder why Evelyn had wanted to take charge of the party planning in the first place.
Meanwhile, Evelyn, who had just received Byron's polite refusal, felt her already fragile mood take another heavy blow. The fact that Byron had taken his time to respond meant he'd consulted Sophia first.
Not letting her organize the party wasn't Byron's decision—it was Sophia's.
And the excuse was so formal, so polished. It felt like a silent declaration: I don't trust you to handle this.
Then again, it made sense. The birthday party would be attended by Emerald City's elite—politicians, business magnates, old money. Entrusting it to someone like her, who had no experience in commerce or high society, would make anyone nervous.
If something went wrong, it wouldn't be just one or two guests who'd be offended.
Evelyn sighed. Compared to Sophia, she was so far behind.
In mindset, capability, maturity, status—the gap was enormous. They didn't even belong in the same world.
Evelyn wasn't the only one feeling defeated. Mary and Ray weren't faring much better.
That evening, Mary had cooked a meal specifically for Sophia and sent Ray to deliver it.
It was already eight o'clock when he arrived, and Sophia was still in a meeting. Her assistant, Tony, came down to meet him instead.
Ray had hoped to see Sophia in person, to remind her to eat properly. Instead, he ended up waiting in the lounge for over an hour. The food grew cold. She still hadn't emerged from the conference room.
Tony came in to refill Ray's coffee—cup after cup. Watching him sit there waiting for more than an hour made even Tony feel uncomfortable.
He couldn't help but try to soften the blow, offering a few words on Sophia's behalf. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Johnson. This meeting involves the biggest project under Poppy Games. Ms. Johnson really can't step away. How about you leave the meal with me, and I'll reheat it in the staff cafeteria once she's done?"
Ray touched the food container in his lap and sighed. "It's already cold. Even if you reheat it, it won't taste the same. Just make sure she eats something after work. Skipping meals like this—it's bad for her health."
"Yes, of course." Tony bowed slightly, a gesture of respect, and escorted Ray all the way downstairs.
He didn't return inside until Ray's car had pulled out of the parking garage. Once alone, Tony let out a long sigh.
The meeting didn't end until ten-thirty.
"Ms. Johnson, Dean and I are grabbing a late-night snack. Want to come with?" Liam asked as he gathered his files, glancing over at Sophia.
Sophia glanced at Dean Harris, who looked utterly uninterested in everything, and let out a soft laugh. She turned back to Liam. "You two are on a date. Why would I third-wheel?"
Liam had only been polite in asking. When Sophia declined, he didn't push. "All right, then. We're heading out."
One by one, the others filtered out of the conference room. Tony swam upstream through the crowd and slipped inside, where he found Sophia still seated at the head of the table, methodically organizing the meeting notes.
Everyone had their own way of taking notes, so she never delegated this particular task. She kept a thick notebook where she compiled the key points from every meeting.
"Ms. Johnson, your father came by at eight to drop off dinner. He waited in the lounge for over an hour." Tony kept his report brief and to the point. When Sophia turned to look at him, he continued, "He said the food had gone cold, so he took it back home. He told me to remind you to eat something hot after the meeting."
"All right. I know." Sophia lowered her head and continued organizing her notes, seemingly unbothered.
About five minutes later, she closed the notebook and stood. "You worked hard today too. Make sure you log your overtime hours with finance tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am." Tony bowed again and followed his boss out of the room. Only when she told him he could leave did he finally head home.
Sophia sat alone in her office, exhausted, pinching the bridge of her nose. She picked up her phone and called Ray.
He answered almost immediately. She took a breath and softened her voice. "Dad, I just got out of the meeting. I heard you stopped by?"
"Yeah, I wanted to bring you dinner, but I didn't realize your meeting would run so late. The food got cold, so I brought it back home." Ray kept his explanation simple, never mentioning that he'd sat in that lounge for over an hour. Instead, he asked with concern, "Have you eaten yet? If not, come home. I'll cook you some noodles."
Sophia glanced at the time. It was nearly eleven. "No need. I still have some work to finish up. I won't be coming home tonight. You and Mom should get some rest. And don't go out of your way to bring me food anymore—the company cafeteria always has hot meals available."
At that, Ray lowered his eyes. A long-forgotten feeling of helplessness crept back over him—the same feeling he'd had when Sophia first returned to the Johnson family. Back then, he hadn't known how to care for her, hadn't known what she needed, hadn't known what he could do for her.
The guilt returned. As a father, he felt utterly useless, unable to give his daughter anything.
"It's late now. You two should get to bed. Don't stay up." Sophia's headache was worsening, and she didn't pick up on the shift in Ray's mood. When she heard him murmur an acknowledgment, she ended the call.
She went over to the couch and lay down to rest for a bit.
There was no other work scheduled for tonight, but she was utterly drained. Just as she was about to drift off, her phone rang.
She rolled over and sat up, reaching for her phone on the table. It was an unknown number.