Chapter 158: What's There to Be Upset About?
"Hello, who's calling?"
"It's me."
Joshua's voice came through the line, making Sophia pause for a moment.
A new phone number. He must have left that surveillance-riddled villa.
"You're back in Emerald City?" she asked directly. Though phrased as a question, her tone suggested she already knew the answer.
"Yeah. Emily's back. Maggie had me pick her up."
Joshua had gotten this new number specifically to stay in contact with Sophia. Now that Maggie's spies were no longer watching his every move, as long as his electronics showed nothing suspicious, he could communicate with Sophia freely and pass along information.
Not for nothing—just to repay Sophia for helping him see the truth before Maggie's lies consumed him entirely.
Of course, Maggie was now their common enemy.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Clearly, Sophia subscribed to that principle.
Since they were allies, a little trust seemed warranted.
"Actually, there's something I need to ask you. Michael suspects that Maggie's hatred of the Smith family stems from her own family history. Do you know anything about Maggie's relatives?"
Joshua thought carefully. In all these years, Maggie had rarely mentioned her family.
Once, when she'd had a high fever and refused to go to the hospital, he'd brought medicine to her place. By chance, he'd spotted a family photo.
In it, a family of four stood in front of an old village house. The couple beamed at the camera—the man holding a swaddled infant, a boy around ten standing beside the woman.
The baby was Maggie. Which meant she had an older brother.
"Do you have any connections in Silverlight City? Look into Maggie's brother," Sophia said.
Michael's theory—that Maggie having Joshua call her "Auntie" had something to do with her brother—seemed like a stretch. But Sophia's instincts told her there might be a clue there.
Up until now, Maggie had been on the offensive while they'd only defended. If they wanted to strike back, they first needed to understand what Maggie was after, to identify her weaknesses.
"I'll do what I can," Joshua replied. He couldn't guarantee he'd find anything useful, but since he'd agreed to work with Sophia, he couldn't just sit idle. "Oh, and one more thing. Maggie gave me two pills. She wants me to slip them into Michael's drink at the party. Emily coming back—Maggie arranged that too. The two things might be connected."
The implication was obvious. Maggie wanted Michael drugged so he'd end up entangled with Emily.
Catch them in the act, shatter Sophia and Michael's relationship. With Emily as the culprit—and the Smith family's biological daughter—she'd make enemies of both Cloud Group and Vertex Innovations Group. No matter how deep the Smith family's roots ran, they'd collapse within six months.
It aligned with Sophia's initial suspicions. Emily's sudden return under Maggie's orders couldn't be just about causing trouble at a birthday party.
The best strategy would be to sabotage her relationship with Michael. That way, it wouldn't just be Vertex—Cloud Group would turn against the Smiths too.
What Sophia hadn't anticipated was how vicious Maggie's tactics would be. Drugging Michael wasn't about creating a misunderstanding—it was about forcing him into a sexual encounter with Emily.
Sophia pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a long breath. "All right. I'll make sure Michael's on guard."
Picking up on the shift in her voice, Joshua paused. "Are you not feeling well?"
"I'm fine." Sophia rubbed her temples. She never showed weakness or exhaustion in front of outsiders, not even over the phone. Quickly, she steered back to business. "Where's Emily now?"
"Maggie says Emily can't be seen before the party. George especially can't know she's back. So for now, she's staying at my old place." Joshua held nothing back, sharing information freely.
After all, this birthday party wasn't just about clearing the Johnson family's name—it was the perfect opportunity to strike back at Maggie.
As long as they understood Maggie's plan, they could find an opening and seize control of the situation.
Sophia thought for a few seconds, then asked abruptly, "Do you think this is the full extent of Maggie's plan?"
Joshua lowered his gaze slightly. "This party's being staged on such a grand scale—it's the perfect chance for Maggie to blow things up and serve the Smith Group on a platter. Knowing her the way I do, she's definitely got a backup plan."
Sophia murmured her agreement. "It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, harder to guard against an arrow in the dark. For all we know, letting you come back to Emerald City is part of her plan too. Everyone needs to stay alert."
Before she knew it, the day of the birthday party had arrived. Vertex Innovations Group's entire workforce—several thousand employees—had been given the day off.
Sophia, meanwhile, had been up since dawn confirming every detail of the event.
"The tables are too clustered. Spread them out toward the sides." Sophia held her tablet, reviewing the ballroom layout while speaking to Byron through her Bluetooth earpiece. "Take down the stage. And rip down all those gold decorations on the walls."
"Boss, won't it look too plain without any decorations at all?"
Sophia ground her back teeth. "Has our hotel never hosted an elite event before? The higher someone's status, the less they like gaudy displays. Only nouveau riche types feel the need to flaunt their wealth at every turn."
Byron let out a small "oh" and didn't dare say more.
After finalizing the venue setup and double-checking the beverage list, James knocked on her door, calling her down for lunch.
"Coming." Sophia ended the call, tossed her tablet onto the bed, grabbed her phone, and headed out.
James slung an arm around Sophia's shoulders, his expression full of affection, his tone warm and gentle. "Sophia, the other day when Mom and Dad tried to bring you dinner, and when Evelyn wanted to help with the party—you turned them both down. They're feeling pretty hurt. Make sure you talk to them later, okay?"
Sophia looked genuinely confused. "I told Mom and Dad not to bring food because my meal times are all over the place. I didn't want them to waste their effort. And I didn't let Evelyn handle the party because there are professionals for that. Why should I make her work when I can just pay someone to do it right? What's there to be upset about?"
She didn't understand. Why would you burden your family with something money could solve?
The company cafeteria was open from six in the morning until ten at night. She could get a hot meal anytime. They'd hired top chefs—if she didn't let them do their jobs, wasn't that just wasting money?
Why make Mom and Dad go to the trouble of cooking, then driving half an hour to deliver it?
As for the party venue, the hotel had established partnerships with event planners. Let the professionals handle it. Tony would coordinate everything. All she had to do was give final approval.
Evelyn finally had some time off. Why make her stress over these trivial details?
Sophia didn't think she'd done anything wrong. So she genuinely didn't understand why her parents and Evelyn were upset.