Chapter 96 Can We Make It Official?
After not seeing each other for half a month, Sophia put extra effort into this date.
She chose a deep brown outfit—a blazer on top with a pleated skirt below, paired with matching brown boots. She'd curled her hair, applied light makeup, and carried a black leather purse to complete the look.
Michael sat on the couch scrolling through his phone, seemingly having calmed down from earlier.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up at the girl descending the stairs, his expression immediately softening with tenderness.
"Ready to go, Sophia?"
"Mm-hmm."
Michael stood and walked over, taking her hand and slipping a ring onto her ring finger.
Sophia held up her hand to examine it—a platinum band with elegant, intricate engravings. It was actually quite beautiful.
"What's this?"
Michael showed her his own slightly thicker matching band. "Couple rings, so no one gets any ideas about stealing my girlfriend."
His words carried implications, and Sophia caught them. "You're talking about Joshua?"
"Yeah." Michael intertwined their fingers. "Emily sent photos of you and him to the company email. I trust you completely, of course, but it still made me feel... territorial."
Sophia smiled. "You trust me that much?"
"Absolutely. I know you have feelings for me." Michael turned to look at the girl beside him, and they shared a knowing smile.
They'd made reservations at a famous restaurant on Sycamore Avenue for lunch.
Since Sophia was wearing heeled boots and couldn't drive comfortably, Michael took the driver's seat.
Though Michael trusted that nothing had happened between her and Joshua, Sophia didn't want him harboring any doubts, so she used the drive to explain everything clearly.
"Joshua has been playing Emily for weeks, getting close to her through manipulation. That night he deliberately asked me out late and tried to embrace me—all so Emily would see and develop hatred toward me, trying to drag me into his scheme.
"But he never expected Emily to secretly photograph us, and he certainly didn't expect me to turn the tables by suing Emily, ultimately making her a pariah in the Smith family."
Michael considered this thoughtfully. "Why does he always want you and Emily to fight each other?"
"Because he's the child Jane gave birth to and had switched all those years ago."
Michael's eyes widened briefly before the pieces fell into place.
Joshua had always harbored resentment toward the Smith family. As the real biological son who'd been cast out for over a decade, he'd watched two impostors enjoy the life that should have been his, playing out some twisted game of true and false heiresses.
He couldn't accept it, so he wanted revenge against the Smith family.
He'd assumed Sophia was bitter about being forced out of the Smith family, so initially he'd given her information about Emily being illegitimate, hoping to use Sophia to create chaos within the family.
But when Sophia showed no interest and didn't expose Emily's true parentage, he'd shifted tactics, getting Emily to provoke Sophia instead, forcing her to retaliate and create turmoil in the Smith household.
So he'd first made Emily fall for him, then deliberately acted intimate with Sophia in front of Emily to spark conflict.
"Since you know his background, what else did you two talk about that night?"
"Just this whole situation. From what he said, it sounds like someone deceived him—made him believe the Smith family abandoned him because they didn't want a son. That mysterious aunt of his is probably the real mastermind behind everything."
Having said her piece, Sophia stretched lazily. "But this is all between him and the Smith family. I've made it clear to him that we won't have any further involvement."
Unless it was for business partnerships—those she'd never turn down.
At the restaurant, while waiting for their food, Michael stayed glued to his phone. Being Chairman came with different responsibilities than Acting CEO—there was simply more to handle.
Work came first, and Sophia had no complaints about that. She scrolled through her photo album, looking at pictures from the field study.
She selected several good group shots and sent them to Amelia, who said she needed to edit them before posting.
After a flurry of skin smoothing, makeup enhancement, and filter application, the photos came back.
Amelia: Done editing! I honestly didn't know what to do with your face, so you'll have to handle that yourself!
Sophia carefully compared the before and after photos, unable to spot any difference.
Sophia: [Besides adding a filter, what exactly did you change?]
Amelia: [My cheekbones! They're too prominent—not attractive. I subtly lowered them just a tiny bit.]
Sophia: [...]
Fine then. Now she could post to social media.
She arranged the standard nine-photo grid: the top row featured group shots with Amelia and Clio, the middle row had two full-body shots of herself flanking a food compilation, and the bottom row showcased scenery.
Caption: [Final year field study adventure complete.]
Comments appeared almost immediately after posting.
Mom: [Will you be home for dinner tonight, sweetheart?]
Dad: [What time do you arrive in Emerald City? I'll pick you up.]
James: [Beautiful! Did you have a good time?]
John: [Where's my souvenir?]
Sophia rolled her eyes. What a contrast between brothers—no wonder she had no fondness for John. The guy was just insufferable.
After replying to each comment, their food arrived.
Both put away their phones and ate quietly.
Michael seemed to be deliberating something before finally looking up at the girl across from him. "Sophia, I've officially taken over the company."
"Yeah, I know."
"And I'm now the largest shareholder."
"Mm-hmm."
"No one can interfere with my personal life anymore."
"So?"
"So..." Michael's lips curved into an involuntary smile. "Can we make our relationship official?"
He'd held off on going public because the night he'd confessed, his father had mentioned the arranged marriage. Though he'd refused, he'd worried about potential complications.
Sure enough, complications had arisen—but now everything was resolved. No one could dictate who he chose to be with.
He wanted it out in the open, wanted his friends, extended family, and business partners to know he had a girlfriend.
His girlfriend was Sophia, whom he'd known for sixteen years.
Sophia met his expectant gaze and fell silent for a moment before asking uncertainly, "When you say 'official,' you mean...?"
Guessing her thoughts, Michael chuckled. "Just a social media post. I'm not quite dramatic enough to issue a press release about my love life."
"Who knows? You are pretty irrational," Sophia teased with a smile.
Ever since they'd made things official, his terms of endearment had become increasingly sweet!
"So can we? Please?" Michael propped his chin on his hand, gazing at Sophia hopefully.
"Sure, go ahead and post."
Michael took Sophia's hand with the ring and snapped a photo—any announcement had to showcase the couple rings.
Just as he was about to include photos from when Sophia had surprised him with the backup car, he noticed her lack of enthusiasm.
"Don't you want to go public with me?" he asked, a hint of hurt in his voice.
Sophia shook her head. "No, it's not that. I promised James I'd tell him if I started dating someone. I want to tell my family first tonight, then I'll post my own announcement."
Michael's eyes flickered. "You're... going to tell your parents?"
Sophia blinked in confusion. "Yes, why?"