Chapter 202: Excellence in Every Field
"Yes." Sophia took a sip of her coffee with one hand, replying calmly, "Have you seen it?"
"Yeah, I went with Bruce before." Evelyn suddenly found it hard to describe her feelings.
When she first saw "Sisyphus in Brooklyn," she'd been merely astonished. But now, knowing what Sophia had endured at the Smith estate, recalling that work felt like a knife twisting in her heart.
Words truly were inadequate. Having seen firsthand the sculpture Sophia created in that oppressive environment, she could more viscerally feel the struggle, the pain, and the torment.
Lucas immediately pulled out his phone and searched for photos of "Sisyphus in Brooklyn." His first impression was awe, but when he noticed the countless grotesque faces covering the sculpture's body, a chill ran down his spine.
He passed his phone to their parents and James. Even though the image conveyed an overwhelming sense of oppression—they couldn't imagine how powerful the actual piece must be.
Sophia's expression remained utterly calm, completely unlike someone who could create such a twisted, haunting work. She said lightly, "That was my first piece. It's at the City Art Museum. My second work is called 'Expulsion,' housed in the Ria Art Museum in Eldoria. This time, the Ria is hosting an exhibition and invited me over."
Of course, the invitation wasn't addressed to "Sophia," but to "Sorrow"—her artist pseudonym.
Her family was somewhat stunned. They'd originally thought Sophia simply had extensive connections, then discovered she had a remarkable talent for business.
Business acumen was already impressive enough—at twenty-three, she'd built her company into a corporate group.
Who could have guessed she also wrote songs? Songs that had taken the music industry by storm.
And now they discovered she was also a sculptor whose work had made it into textbooks and gained international recognition?!
"Stop gawking—time to head to work." Sophia glanced at the time, snapping her dazed family back to reality. "They're just two sculptures. Is it really that shocking?"
Everyone collectively gasped.
Just two?
How many people could achieve recognition with their very first piece, let alone become renowned with only two works?
Talk about modest!
Still, it really was time to leave for work.
"Oh, right." Sophia finished changing her shoes and, just before heading out, raised her voice slightly toward Lucas, who was packing his backpack in the living room. "Lucas, someone's coming this afternoon to build Snowball's doghouse. Keep her in your room for now so she doesn't get scared when they arrive."
"Got it." Lucas hurried to the backyard to scoop up Snowball before running upstairs.
The family gradually filed out.
Sophia drove James to the train station, then headed to the office.
On the way, she received a call from Wayne.
Wayne rarely called her directly—he usually had Amelia relay messages—so seeing his name on the caller ID gave Sophia pause.
"What's up?" she answered.
"When are you free?" Wayne's tone was characteristically blunt. After knowing each other this long, there was no need for roundabout approaches.
"Just get to the point." Sophia still found him long-winded.
Wayne rolled his eyes in exasperation. They'd all grown up together, yet while she was so easygoing with Amelia and Michael, she treated him like an outsider.
He only complained internally for a moment before getting to business. "I'm planning to propose to Amelia. I need two things from you: first, can you help brainstorm ideas? Second, can you be there on the day?"
Sophia's eyebrows rose in surprise before she smiled. "Didn't you champion taking things slow? Why the sudden rush?"
This seemed rather fast, didn't it?
They'd only been officially together for less than two months.
Though admittedly, these two had been involved for a year before that...
But Michael and I have been together for five years and we're not in such a hurry. Are we moving too slowly?
Sophia couldn't help wondering.
"Amelia's naturally impulsive. I want to lock this down while she's still riding the high, before the novelty wears off and who knows what chaos she might cause." Wayne sighed helplessly, though his words were saturated with affection for Amelia.
Sophia couldn't suppress a laugh. "You two already have an arranged engagement. Wouldn't getting married directly be even faster? Why bother with a proposal ceremony?"
Wayne considered this for a moment. "I don't want it to be a business arrangement."
He wanted to show everyone that he and Amelia had progressed from acquaintance to understanding to love—they weren't marrying because of some "marriage contract."
He also wanted Amelia to know that the "arranged marriage" had never mattered to him. He simply wanted her.
From childhood friends to lovers, then proposal, then marriage—he didn't want to skip a single step just because of their families' arrangement.
Because every stage of their journey together was precious.
Understanding Wayne's reasoning, Sophia's lips curved upward. She felt genuinely happy for her friend—happy that Amelia had found someone who truly cherished her.
"I'll definitely be there for the proposal. As for planning, I'm clueless—you should ask Sean."
The suggestion jolted Wayne's memory. Of course—Sean was a wedding photographer and videographer. He'd know far more about this kind of setup.
"Right, I'll reach out to him. Once I've settled on a date for the proposal, I'll let you know."
"Sounds good." Sophia hummed in agreement and ended the call.
She turned into Vertex Innovations Group's parking garage.
Bizarrely, the moment she stepped out of her car, she found herself surrounded.
All of them wore matching athletic wear—clearly security personnel.
Sophia swept her gaze around. All unfamiliar faces. Not Andrew's bodyguards, nor any of John's trust-fund friends.
Her expression immediately darkened, her eyes taking on a wary, icy edge. "Identify yourselves and I'll consider this a polite invitation. Don't, and we're talking kidnapping. Attempting to abduct me at Vertex Innovations Group's entrance—you people are remarkably overconfident."
The bodyguard directly in front of her stepped forward half a pace. "Ms. Johnson, please come with us."
Sophia let out a cold laugh. "So you're polite enough not to introduce yourself, yet considerate enough not to use force. Tell me, who's your employer? They've certainly trained you... interestingly."
"That would be me."
A voice rang out. The person directing from behind gradually came into view, appearing before Sophia.
The newcomer had a full figure, dressed in a white sundress and low-heeled flats.
Her skin was a deep tan, her golden curls paired with a gleaming pearl necklace against the white dress, somehow making her complexion appear even darker.
A walking fashion disaster. Add a death-by-Barbie-pink lipstick, and it became visual torture.
Sophia's brow furrowed slightly as she studied the woman at length, utterly unable to place who this person might be.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" she asked. Had this woman mistaken her for someone else?
The woman snorted coldly, her eyes boring into Sophia with a venomous hostility. "I'm Ronnie Lawson!"
At those words, Sophia's pupils contracted sharply as she stared at the woman in disbelief.