Chapter 34 Should We Call the Police First?
Amelia and Wayne's alarm was completely understandable; everyone in their social circle knew about the toxic relationship between Sophia and the Smith family's two heirs.
Having known Sophia for over a decade, they understood Andrew and John's true nature better than most outsiders.
John had once owned a German Shepherd he'd raised from a puppy. At seventeen, fed up with Andrew's controlling behavior, he commanded the dog to attack nineteen-year-old Andrew. The dog missed its target, but Andrew didn't hesitate, grabbing a kitchen knife and stabbing the animal to death on the spot.
The incident threw the Smith household into chaos. When George and Jane interrogated both boys, John refused to admit he'd given the command, while Andrew conspired with the family cook to falsely claim that Sophia had complained about hating the dog and pressured them to kill it.
George and Jane knew perfectly well that Sophia had nothing to do with it, but they still punished her with a month of solitary confinement in her room.
A month later, seeking revenge against Andrew, John snuck into the company where Andrew was doing his business training and shut off the main power. The sudden blackout caused critical data to be lost, resulting in over a million dollars in damages. Andrew grabbed a sledgehammer and smashed John's beloved sports car to pieces in the garage.
Since John was clearly more at fault this time, he deflected blame by claiming Sophia had been playing around and accidentally pulled the power switch.
Once again, George and Jane knew the truth but chose to enable John. They confined Sophia, who had just been released, back to her room for another month.
Sophia was nine years old that year. That's when she realized her parents only cared about Andrew and John; she was nothing more than a pawn for future marriage alliances.
No matter how well-behaved, ambitious, or excellent she became, she would never be seen, never earn praise. Instead, she became the scapegoat for Andrew and John's mistakes, shouldering blame for disasters she had nothing to do with, because she simply didn't matter to them.
Through those incidents, she also saw Andrew and John's true nature.
Violent Andrew, unpredictable John—if she wanted to survive to adulthood, she'd have to outmaneuver them both.
After Amelia and Wayne learned about this, they often marveled that Sophia surviving to seventeen under Andrew and John's reign was nothing short of miraculous.
"Seriously, meeting Andrew alone, shouldn't we call the police first? His temper is so unpredictable. I'm genuinely worried that if you say something he doesn't like, he'll just start throwing punches."
Amelia was genuinely anxious. Her delicate Sophia was going to this meeting completely defenseless; who knew what might happen?
Wayne glanced at Amelia and suggested, "Why don't you go with Sophia? Didn't you promise Michael you'd be Sophia's bodyguard?"
Amelia sucked in a sharp breath and shook her head frantically. "I can't fight Andrew either! I originally thought he was pretty gentlemanly, but after seeing him destroy that guy at last year's gala just for bad-mouthing Sophia, I can't help but worry."
"Alright, you two can relax. Andrew won't lay a hand on me," Sophia said with amusement. While she didn't like Andrew either, she knew she wouldn't be physically harmed.
"That's not necessarily true!" Amelia pulled up a chair and sat beside Sophia. "When you're in danger, Andrew and John protect you. When you're not in danger, they become the biggest threat! The confinement stuff is small potatoes compared to John breaking your rib, or Andrew making you limp for half a year!"
Sophia touched her nose, not sure what to say.
The rib had indeed been broken by John, but the limp really wasn't Andrew's fault.
When she was twelve, Andrew had taken her out, and they were ambushed by rival family enforcers.
Andrew hadn't brought bodyguards that day. Outnumbered, there were eight attackers, and he couldn't protect her properly. Someone struck her knee with a baton, fracturing her left leg.
Fortunately, she'd learned some self-defense and managed to dodge partially, so after six months of limping, she'd recovered completely.
Michael had personally driven her to and from school during those six months. She'd heard from Michael that Andrew had crippled all eight attackers in retaliation.
His methods had been brutal; Andrew's way of avenging her.
But, thinking about it made Sophia shudder, which was why she still didn't particularly like Andrew. The man was often expressionless and impossible to read, radiating menace and employing ruthless tactics.
"Try to relax. I've been dealing with them for seventeen years. I won't get the worse end of things." Sophia smiled reassuringly.
Amelia sighed and ran her fingers through her short hair. "Fine, but Michael's in Emerald City too. If anything happens, call us immediately for backup!"
As evening approached and school ended, Sophia packed her bag and took a deep breath, not particularly eager to deal with Andrew, but she had no choice.
If not today, there would be tomorrow, or the day after. She couldn't avoid Andrew forever—it was impossible.
Walking to the school gates, she spotted the familiar dark green Mercedes.
Unexpectedly, Andrew had actually gotten out of the car to meet her—a shocking first.
"Andrew personally coming to pick me up? I'm truly flattered," Sophia said, her lips curving in a sarcastic smile.
"Where's James?" Andrew looked around, not seeing James waiting nearby. He'd had people investigate. James picked up Sophia from school every day, but today he was nowhere to be seen.
Sophia adjusted her backpack strap, saying airily, "Since you invited me to dinner, I sent him home early."
Andrew's eyes darkened with a hint of danger. "You're very protective of him."
Sophia met those deep, unfathomable eyes with a cold smile, enunciating each word, "I'm very wary of you."
The two engaged in a visual standoff, neither giving ground.
Hiding behind a large tree, Amelia and Wayne held their breath for Sophia. The tension was explosive; they might not even make it to the restaurant before a fight broke out.
"What are they talking about? The atmosphere is so hostile," Amelia whispered. They were too far away to hear anything, but she could see Andrew's lips move; just a few words had created this volatile situation.
"To be safe, I think we should exit through the back gate," Wayne suggested.
"Tsk, you coward! I need to stay here and watch. If Andrew makes a move, I'll rush in to help!"
"Can you actually fight him?"
"If I can't fight, at least I can call the police, right?"