Chapter 86 Marrying Him Would Be Worse Than Being His Mistress
A sleek red and black sports car roared into the athletic field at breakneck speed, standing out dramatically among the fleet of luxury sedans and SUVs.
Emily, still traumatized by the sports car crashing through the Pacific Group cocktail party, instinctively ducked behind Joshua when she spotted the vehicle.
"My god, whose car is that badass ride?"
The sports car pulled to a smooth stop nearby, and everyone craned their necks to see who owned such a stunning machine and had the driving skills to match.
"Oh ho, it's Sophia!"
"She's so late! I thought she wasn't coming!"
"Come on, let's go help Sophia with her luggage."
Sophia pushed open the car door and stepped out to find several male classmates walking over.
"Sophia, you look gorgeous today! Did you have a hot date this morning?"
"Why didn't Michael drive you over? That's not very gentlemanly of him! Maybe you should consider me instead?"
"Get lost! Sophia's way out of your league, buddy."
Sophia was dressed in an elegant black and white Chanel-style suit today, her long legs accentuated by chunky Mary Jane heels, a white shoulder bag hanging from her arm. Her hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders, complemented by pearl earrings and a matching necklace that radiated sophisticated elegance.
Hearing their playful banter, she shot them an amused glance. "Alright, cut it out with the jokes."
Watching Sophia approach, surrounded by admiring classmates, practically glowing with confidence, while even students from other classes couldn't help but stare, Emily was so consumed with jealousy that she nearly tore a hole in her skirt from gripping it so tightly.
She was seething with rage and needed to vent her frustration.
"Sophia, what kind of car is that? It doesn't even have a brand logo. Isn't it some knockoff?"
"Wow, you're truly ignorant. I've heard of knockoff jewelry, but never knockoff luxury cars," Amelia shot back mercilessly, her eyes scanning Emily with obvious disdain before looking away as if she'd seen something disgusting.
Wayne deliberately raised his voice to back up Sophia, "That Bugatti Chiron is pretty sick! If I'm not mistaken, it's worth about three million dollars, right?"
Though he'd seen the car before, he pretended it was his first time just to humiliate Emily, which made Sophia feel it was amusingly childish.
She nodded dismissively. "Right, you've got good taste."
Their coordinated performance infuriated Emily even more. She glared at Sophia venomously, "What's there to show off about? No matter how expensive it is, it's still domestic garbage!"
Sophia's smile vanished, and she delivered a sharp slap across Emily's face. "Since when do you have such a pathetic colonial mentality?"
"How dare you hit me?!" Emily's eyes blazed as she clutched her stinging cheek.
"So what if I hit you? It's not the first time," Sophia replied with unsettling calm, as if she hadn't been the one who'd just struck someone. She accepted a wet wipe from Amelia to clean the makeup off her hand, then gave Emily a casual glance with a slight smirk. "John gave me this car. I'm actually doing you a favor by slapping you—if John had heard what you just said, you'd be getting a lot worse than a slap."
John was obsessed with cars; any vehicle he chose to give away had definitely earned his approval. If Emily dared call his choice garbage, her body might end up on some remote hillside next month.
"What did you say? John gave you this car?" Emily asked in disbelief, her chest heaving with rage.
She'd been back with the Smith family for over six months, and aside from two bracelets Andrew and John had casually given her on her birthday, she'd received nothing else.
Yet they'd given Sophia a sports car worth three million dollars?
"Yes, my birthday present," Sophia said with a smile, enunciating each word clearly.
Emily was so furious that she nearly fainted on the spot.
"Alright, what's all this commotion about?" Homeroom teacher Elara approached in her black uniform, looking like an insurance saleswoman.
"This is your final educational field trip at Silver Fir Academy. Don't cause trouble, don't wander off, come back safely, and graduate perfectly! Understood?"
"Understood!"
"Good. As usual, to avoid traffic congestion on the airport highway, all private vehicles will be parked at the school, and you'll take the chartered buses to the airport together. Grab your luggage, keep track of your belongings, and board in an orderly fashion."
Silver Fir Academy's buses weren't ordinary coaches, but luxury versions with spacious seating, comfortable chairs, and equipped with refrigerators and snack cabinets stuffed full of drinks and treats.
It really was premium travel.
After boarding, Sophia chose a window seat in the middle section, with Amelia sitting beside her.
"Sophia, I need to talk to you," Lucy approached with a serious expression.
Sophia considered for a moment, exchanging glances with Amelia, who understood and moved to sit with Wayne instead.
After Lucy settled in, she handed Sophia a carton of yogurt.
Once all the classmates were seated and the bus started moving, she spoke in a low voice, "Our family's women's shoe brand LunaStride is very profitable. I own seven percent of the shares, and I'm offering you two percent."
Sophia twisted open the yogurt and took a sip. "If it's so profitable, why sell off shares?"
"I'm not selling—this is a voluntary gift." Lucy pulled out a document from her bag and handed it over.
Sophia suspiciously accepted the papers and examined them carefully. "What's the catch?"
"Help me secure an engagement with Joshua."
Sophia suddenly laughed, folded up the equity transfer agreement, and handed it back. "What kind of person do you think I am?"
Lucy pressed her lips together and lowered her eyes. "Yesterday, my parents decided to arrange a marriage for me with the Evans family."
"The Evans family?" Sophia leaned back and thought carefully. "I remember the Evans family only has one son, and he got married four years ago. Are they making you his mistress?"
"No, they want me to marry the Evans family patriarch."
Sophia was shocked.
Wesley Evans, the Evans family patriarch, was fifty-eight years old—a pot-bellied, balding man who'd been widowed for ten years and had countless women on the side. Marrying him would be worse than being his mistress.
No wonder Lucy was so desperate to ask Sophia for help. Only by finding a better marriage prospect could she convince her parents to abandon this plan.
But she'd never had any trustworthy friends, and the only person she knew who was both capable and reliable was Sophia. Since they lacked emotional bonds, she offered financial incentives to get Sophia to solve this problem.
"I can't help you with your feelings for Joshua, but I can give you some advice," Sophia spoke casually, then took back the transfer agreement.
"What advice?" Lucy looked at Sophia hopefully—anything was better than marrying Wesley.
Sophia turned to meet those eyes full of hope, her lips curving into an innocent, harmless smile.
"Simple. Eliminate your competition."