Chapter 88 Some Things Are More Atmospheric When Discussed at Night
This video call was the first time Sophia had contacted Mary in quite a while. She called to let them know she'd arrived safely and to ask how they'd enjoyed the wedding that evening.
But as soon as the video connected, she caught a glimpse of Ray's swollen face before he quickly moved out of frame.
After persistent questioning, Mary finally admitted what had really happened.
They'd attended the wedding tonight, brought a gift, and during the reception, the bride had opened their present in front of everyone and made snide remarks about how Sophia, having returned to the Johnson family, should have plenty of expensive things, so why had they brought such a cheap gift?
Mary felt uncomfortable hearing this and got into an argument with her. It was just a few exchanges of words, but suddenly the bride clutched her seven-month pregnant belly, crying out in pain and claiming Mary had affected her unborn child, demanding compensation.
Initially, it was just a matter of whether to pay compensation or not. But when the groom came over to support his bride, he also made some mocking comments about Sophia.
At that point, Mary's brother-in-law walked over and added, "Sophia still can't compare to Emily, though after all these years, Sophia probably knows plenty of wealthy young men, right? In the future, she can use her looks to hook any rich man and keep you all comfortable for life."
The father and son duo's backhanded compliments were more than Ray could tolerate. He immediately got into a fight with Mary's brother-in-law.
Seeing his father throw the first punch, James figured he didn't need to hold back either. He immediately rushed over and pinned the groom to the ground, landing two solid punches.
Lucas, as one of the family's men, wasn't about to be outdone. He seized the opportunity in the chaos to lunge forward and bite the groom's leg.
The whole thing escalated until the bride genuinely went into shock and had to be hospitalized. Mary's brother-in-law's family demanded compensation for medical expenses and emotional distress, threatening to call the police and press assault charges if they refused.
Sophia quickly reviewed the injury reports for her uncle and the groom. This level of damage wouldn't constitute assault—at most it would be disturbing the peace.
But even if it meant just a few days in jail, she didn't want her family members to have criminal records, especially James, who had exams in three months. Getting dragged into a police station now would be very problematic.
"So you're really planning to pay them?" Amelia was lying comfortably on the bed, turning her head to stare at Sophia.
"Problems that money can solve aren't really problems." Sophia put down her phone and got up to rummage through her suitcase for pajamas.
"How much are they demanding?"
"$200,000."
"That much?" Amelia sat up abruptly. How dare an ordinary family be so greedy?
"If they want it, I'll give it to them." Sophia spoke casually. She'd already made arrangements, transferring the money to a local bank account.
The transfer records and tonight's surveillance footage from the banquet would be preserved as evidence. When she had time, she'd take them to the police station to file an extortion report.
Of course, she wasn't trying to get them imprisoned—after all, the surveillance clearly showed Ray throwing the first punch.
She just wanted another bargaining chip to threaten her relatives with, ensuring they wouldn't press charges against Ray and James. After all, extortion was much more serious than disturbing the peace.
As for the $200,000, the police would require them to return it. She had plenty of ways to settle the score for their gossiping and slandering her behind the scenes.
The next day at lunch, James was eating when he received a call from his mother, saying his uncle had been reported to the police and a lawyer had come to their door offering to help with a lawsuit.
Was this some new type of scam?
Seeing his confused expression, Ethan leaned over to eavesdrop on the call. "Who is it?"
After discovering it was a lawyer and getting a basic understanding of the situation, Ethan directly took the phone and spoke to the caller, "I know about this—you're pressing extortion charges, right? Oh, and you need to be careful they don't try to turn the tables. Don't worry, I'll help James get his injury report sorted out!"
James, ...
It seemed like everything had been arranged quite thoroughly.
The matter was quickly resolved. Mary's brother-in-law's family not only gained nothing but also, having spent the $200,000 frivolously on a car, were unable to return the extorted money. Now Sophia had become their creditor.
But having them work to pay back the debt—they might not earn $200,000 in a lifetime. So Sophia very kindly arranged jobs for them.
What exactly they'd be doing wasn't worth mentioning, but it certainly wouldn't be easy work.
By the fifth day of the field trip, Amelia was nearly at her breaking point. As soon as she returned to their room, she collapsed exhaustedly by the window.
"Ugh, other schools envy us for having an annual half-month field trip funded by our school. Little do they know this 'trip' is actually field research, and after all the research, we still have to submit reports. Three cities, three reports—torture!"
"Get some rest early. We have to wake up at 7 AM tomorrow to get to the airport."
Amelia immediately perked up. "Then I'll shower first—I'm exhausted."
"Sure, go ahead." Sophia sat down at the desk, pulling out her notebook to organize today's research details for the upcoming report.
As soon as the sound of running water came from the bathroom, her phone buzzed.
Joshua, Free to meet? I'm waiting for you on the second floor of the restaurant.
Calling her out this late at night couldn't be for anything good, but since she'd already figured out his intentions, this was a perfect opportunity to have that conversation.
It was about a seven or eight-minute walk from here to the resort restaurant. A business discussion would take twenty minutes at most. Sophia calculated the timing and knocked on the bathroom door.
"Amelia, I'm going out for a bit. It's 9,50 now—if I'm not back by 10,30, come find me at the restaurant."
The water suddenly stopped. Amelia cracked the glass door open and poked her head out. "It's so late—where are you going?"
"Joshua wants to see me."
"And you're just going because he asked? What couldn't be discussed during the day that requires calling you out at night?"
Sophia smiled meaningfully. "Some things are more atmospheric when discussed at night."
Amelia rolled her eyes speechlessly. "Fine, but be careful. I'll come find you after I finish showering."
"Mm."
Though it was nighttime, the resort was brightly lit everywhere. The pathways were well-illuminated with streetlights, and security patrols occasionally passed by.
The restaurant's first floor still had customers enjoying late-night snacks, but Joshua had arranged to meet Sophia on the second floor, which had already closed for business.
Empty, dim, with only weak light filtering in from the corridor windows.
Seeing the figure standing in the darkness, Sophia walked over leisurely. "You've been parading around with Emily lately, yet you're calling me out this late. What's so urgent that it has to be said in person?"