Chapter 181 Villains Always Choose Places Like This
Sophia took in Lucas's every reaction, her eyes growing colder.
"Tell me the truth." Her voice was soft, yet carried an irresistible pressure.
Lucas's shoulders trembled as he stammered, "Just... just the day before yesterday, she suddenly contacted me and asked to meet."
"And then?"
"She said..." Lucas's face suddenly filled with resentment. "She said she wasn't treated well at the Smith estate. During those years abroad, the servants bullied her every day, and after coming back, the Smith family mistreated her too. She said she missed the old days when we all lived together in that small house, and asked if she could... could come back to the Johnson family."
A trace of mockery flashed in Sophia's eyes. "What did you tell her?"
"I refused, of course!" Lucas's head snapped up, his eyes reddening. "After how she bullied Evelyn and pushed James—without a shred of remorse—then abandoned us the moment she found out she was rich! How could I possibly..."
"You got angry?" Sophia interrupted.
Lucas's gaze wavered, his voice dropping. "I just slammed my hand on the table. The button probably came off then."
Sophia nodded thoughtfully and turned to leave.
"Sophia!" Lucas called out anxiously. "That button—did it cause trouble?"
Sophia looked back at him and suddenly smiled. "It's nothing. Just asking. Don't worry about it."
She gently closed the door behind her, the smile vanishing instantly from her face.
The hallway lights stretched her shadow long across the floor. Sophia's lips pressed into a hard, cold line as she pulled out her phone and dialed.
"Harrison, station people outside Emily's hospital room. The moment she wakes up, notify me immediately."
"Yes, ma'am."
The following evening after work, Sophia headed to the meeting place she'd arranged with Maggie.
Arriving at the location, Sophia pushed open the car door and surveyed the abandoned office building, letting out a cold laugh. "I've never understood why villains always insist on meeting in places like this."
"I'm currently besieged by media. It's inconvenient to appear in public. I hope Ms. Johnson understands." Maggie's figure emerged from behind a pillar about thirty feet away.
"Ms. Thomas certainly picked a quiet spot." Sophia strolled toward Maggie with a slight smile. "Unfortunately, I don't like standing around to chat."
"Of course we wouldn't be so inconsiderate." Maggie smiled meaningfully, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Since I invited you here, naturally I must be a proper host. Second floor, if you please."
Sophia swept her with a contemptuous glance before following Maggie upstairs.
The second floor was even more dilapidated than the first, with peeling walls exposing mottled concrete beneath. Discarded office furniture cluttered the corners, and the air reeked of dust and dampness.
By the only intact table stood two chairs. On the table surface sat a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses.
"Ms. Thomas certainly has refined tastes." Sophia raised an eyebrow, her tone mocking. "Drinking wine in a place like this—don't you find it absurd?"
Maggie didn't respond, merely poured two glasses of wine with practiced elegance, sliding one toward Sophia. "Ms. Johnson, please."
Sophia ignored the wine, instead pulling out a chair and sitting down. She crossed her legs, fingers tapping lightly against the table. "Well? After going to such lengths to get me here, what exactly do you want to discuss?"
Maggie took a sip of wine, her gaze unfathomable. "Ms. Johnson's recent moves have been... quite troublesome for me."
"Oh?" Sophia laughed lightly. "Rainbow Bridge Foundation exploited charity for profit. I merely did what any citizen should do. Hardly wrong, wouldn't you say?"
Maggie set down her glass, her voice cooling. "Ms. Johnson, from beginning to end, I've never done anything truly unforgivable to you. But Andrew and John have nearly gotten you killed several times. Don't you think you're supporting the wrong side?"
Sophia leaned forward slightly, her red lips curving into a dangerous arc. "Is that so? Swapping my entire life with someone else's—that doesn't count as unforgivable?"
"But you enjoyed seventeen years of luxury with the Smith family. If I hadn't placed you there, would you have achieved what you have today?" Maggie's tone remained flat, showing not the slightest hint of remorse.
Sophia didn't get angry. She smiled faintly. "You're stating facts, so I don't hate the Smith family, and I don't hate you. But that doesn't mean my birth mother can tolerate someone switching her child."
Her hostility toward Maggie had always stemmed from Mary. Whenever she recalled Mary's guilt and cautious behavior during their first meeting, she felt compelled to settle this account with Maggie.
Maggie remained unmoved, draining her glass. "The Smith family never gave you an ounce of warmth all those years. Andrew and John always treated you like a plaything. After finding Emily, they threw you out without a second thought. You don't resent them at all?"
Sophia studied Maggie for several seconds, her red lips curving. "I understand now. You brought me here today hoping I'd become your attack dog. However..." She lowered her gaze to the wine before her, the clear glass reflecting the cold light in her eyes. "You've miscalculated."
Before she'd finished speaking, a commotion of footsteps suddenly erupted outside.
Maggie's expression changed as she shot to her feet. "You brought people?"
Sophia leisurely adjusted her cuffs, her smile sweet yet chilling. "Ms. Thomas, did you really think I'd come alone?"
Maggie's teeth clenched. "You set me up?"
"The feeling's mutual." Sophia stepped back and clapped her hands lightly.
Instantly, several men in black burst through the door, surrounding Maggie.
Sophia clasped her hands behind her back, smiling sweetly yet unnervingly. "Maggie, the matter of you drugging Michael—will you confess voluntarily, or do you need some physical persuasion first?"
At these words, one of the men in black raised a small video camera, aiming it at Maggie.
Maggie's expression flickered with realization. Her brow furrowed. "What drug?"
Sophia shrugged, casually examining her freshly manicured nails. "You shouldn't be this stupid. Haven't you realized yet that Joshua's working with me? I specifically sent him an invitation to my birthday party so he could escape your surveillance. He came clean about you ordering him to drug Michael's drink."
Maggie froze for a moment, then suddenly let out a derisive laugh that escalated into wild laughter, dripping with mockery. "I was merely testing his loyalty. I gave him two ibuprofen tablets, nothing more. Do you think controlled substances are so easy to obtain?"
Sophia's gaze snapped up sharply, her eyes like knives attempting to pierce through Maggie, to expose her completely.
But Maggie's eyes held only derision—no panic, no evasion whatsoever.