Chapter 46 Mr. Wright Refuses to See You
Seeing the woman about to close the door, Sophia forcefully pushed it open and squeezed inside.
"You can't force your way in!" Andy Wright panicked, quickly shutting the door behind her and giving chase. "Mr. Wright said he won't see you!"
Besides Andy, three or four other people dressed in similar plain clothes emerged to block her path—all apprentices at Solstice Haven. Sophia was stopped in the front courtyard, forbidden from taking even half a step into the main house.
It seemed Brandon was determined not to see her.
Raindrops pelted against her umbrella with sharp crackling sounds. Sophia looked at the people blocking her way and bit her lip.
She closed her umbrella, knelt on the stone steps, and immediately the rain soaked through her entire body. Her long hair clung to her cheeks, mixing with tears she could no longer distinguish from the rainwater.
Raising her voice toward the house, she called out, "Sophia knows she was wrong! Please, mentor, see Sophia just once!"
The apprentices exchanged glances, unsure what to do in this situation.
They all knew about the bitter falling-out between Sophia and Brandon, and that Brandon had repeatedly stated he would absolutely never see Sophia again.
But, in such heavy rain, with Sophia's delicate frame kneeling there, it put them in a difficult position.
Andy, watching the fragile figure kneeling in the downpour, felt her heart soften. She hurried inside to inform Brandon.
"Mr. Wright, Sophia is kneeling in the courtyard. In such heavy rain, what if she gets seriously ill? Perhaps... you should see her just this once?"
Brandon held his pen firmly, his strokes bold and steady as he appeared to be writing research notes.
He spoke carelessly, "Let her kneel. Does she think Solstice Haven is some place she can come and go as she pleases? When her legs go numb and her knees start aching, she'll leave naturally."
Andy pressed her lips together tightly, hesitating for a long while before saying, "Mr. Wright, I can see Sophia truly has urgent business with you this time. Anyone who seeks you out like this must be dealing with a life-or-death matter. Please, just see her."
"Every day, I have more people seeking my medical help than I can count on both hands. I only save those who are sincere. People like her—social climbers who abandon loyalty for profit, I won't help!"
He slammed his pen down heavily, ink splattering across the desk. Brandon's eyes blazed with anger as he looked at the research report he'd just written.
Suddenly, half his fury dissipated, leaving only resentment.
He gathered up the ink-stained pages, his hoarse voice delivering his answer, "I won't see her."
The emotions churning within him were reluctance, loneliness, and endless disappointment.
Andy understood Brandon's feelings. There was no point in saying more, so she respected his decision and went out to convey it."You should leave. Mr. Wright says he won't see you. Kneeling here won't do any good."
Soaked to the bone, Sophia shivered from the cold, her teeth chattering, yet she remained kneeling upright with perfect posture.
No matter how she was treated today, she had to see Brandon and convince him to help treat the Green family couple.
"Please tell Mr. Wright that if he won't see me, I'll remain kneeling here."
Andy sighed. "Why put yourself through this? Years ago, when you left Solstice Haven for the Smith family's elite connections, how many times did Mr. Wright try to persuade you to reconsider? You were the one who personally severed the mentor-student relationship and broke Mr. Wright's heart. Even if you kneel here until both your legs break, Mr. Wright won't see you now."
Sophia pressed her lips together, unable to argue.
She admitted that five years ago, she had been cruel and heartless in severing ties with Brandon, resolutely leaving Solstice Haven. Regardless of her reasons, there was no denying she had failed Brandon's devotion.
Wrong was wrong. No amount of explanation would be anything but an excuse to Brandon. The most important thing now was to sincerely apologize and seek his forgiveness.
"Mr. Wright!" Sophia's voice was barely a whisper. Each shout required a long recovery before she could gather strength to continue. "I know I was wrong! Please see me just once!"
At a second-floor window, Brandon opened a small gap and coldly watched the girl swaying in the rain, his aged eyes rimmed with red.
She was his first apprentice, whom he'd watched grow up. Now she knelt before him in the pouring rain—how could his heart not ache?
But this child had always been proud and cold-hearted, unwilling to bow her head, never understanding human compassion. In all her relationships, she constantly weighed others' value to her, always calculating which choices would maximize her benefit.
She had never truly experienced others' kindness, always guarding against their malice.
Five years ago, when Andrew had personally come to take her back, forbidding her from continuing her medical studies, Brandon understood she faced many constraints living in the Smith family. But despite his earnest pleas not to submit to the Smith family's arrangements, she had left without mercy, declaring she would sever their mentor-student relationship to return to her wealthy family and pursue fame and fortune.
Having the apprentice he'd raised like his own daughter speak such hurtful words was like a sharp blade piercing Brandon's heart.
Perhaps it was a calculated decision on her part, but her considerations never included the genuine mentor-student bond he had offered her.
Now this proud person was willing to set aside her dignity and kneel before him in supplication. Perhaps she had truly encountered someone who could change her, someone who could teach her cold heart to recognize others' kindness.
The driver had been waiting outside for a long time without seeing Sophia emerge, and anxiously called his boss.
"Mr. Green, Ms. Johnson went into Solstice Haven over an hour ago and still hasn't come out."
Michael's pen clattered to the floor as his heart clenched with foreboding. "Go in and check on her."
"I already knocked on the door. The people inside said they're not receiving visitors today and wouldn't let me in. I heard Ms. Johnson inside calling for Mr. Wright's forgiveness, but it seems he still won't see her. In this heavy rain, she might still be... getting soaked in the courtyard."
Michael took a deep breath, considering for a moment before saying, "Notify me immediately of any updates. I'm coming over right—"
Before he could finish, Arthur pushed through the door. "Mr. Green, all the board members have arrived and are waiting for you to start the meeting."
Michael gritted his teeth. At all times!
...
After kneeling in the rain for over two hours, the cold had enveloped Sophia's entire body. As her consciousness began to fade, she finally saw a familiar but blurry figure.
"Mr. Wright, I know I was wrong." Her voice was barely audible, yet she didn't forget proper etiquette, assuming the correct posture as she spoke solemnly to Brandon.
Hot tears streamed down Brandon's weathered cheeks as he looked at the pale girl in the rain, certain memories overlapping with the present scene.
On that sunny day, seven-year-old Sophia had knelt before him, respectfully accepting him as her mentor.
Today, in the pouring rain, twenty-seven-year-old Sophia knelt in the courtyard, full of regret as she bowed to him, seeking his forgiveness.
Her thin figure seemed ready to collapse at the slightest breeze. Brandon closed his eyes and sighed deeply, finally relenting, "Get up."
Sophia's eyes sparkled as her nose stung with unshed tears. "Thank you, Mr. Wright."
She braced herself against the ground to stand. Andy was approaching with an umbrella to help her when Sophia suddenly swayed, her vision went white, and she collapsed into the heavy rain.
Before losing consciousness, she heard only Brandon's urgent voice.
"Quick! Get her to a room!"