Chapter 26 Is Hide-and-Seek Fun?
The roar of a sports car engine shattered the peaceful quiet of the apartment building, also interrupting Sophia's concentration on her math calculations.
Her brow twitched with an ominous premonition. She set down her pen, walked to the window, and looked down to see a battle-scarred Lamborghini Aventador charging into the residential complex.
Sophia's eyes narrowed, revealing a hint of danger.
She quickly left her room and knocked on James and Lucas's doors.
James opened his door, seeing Sophia's grave expression, and couldn't help asking, "What's wrong?"
"John's here," Sophia answered simply, her gaze moving past James to look at Lucas, who was sitting obediently at his desk doing homework. "Lucas, no matter what sounds you hear in a bit, stay in your room and absolutely don't come out, okay?"
Seeing her battle-ready demeanor, James's heart sank. John must be someone difficult to deal with.
He ruffled Lucas's hair. "Listen to Sophia, stay here like a good boy, okay?"
Lucas nodded, sensing that some danger was about to descend outside. James and Sophia were telling him to stay here to protect him.
He definitely wouldn't go out and cause them trouble.
After giving their instructions, they heard banging on the door from outside, along with John's suggestive yet dangerous voice, "Sophia, is hide-and-seek fun? I'm giving you ten seconds—if you don't open the door, I'm going to break it down."
Sophia strode over and yanked open the wooden door, while James closed his room door and followed her out.
Through the security gate, John stared at Sophia with a roguish grin, opening with his usual unpleasant words, "Is hide-and-seek fun? Found so easily, you haven't improved at all this past year."
Sophia curved her lips upward, their gazes clashing like lightning and thunder. "Mr. Smith, how leisurely of you. Isn't that Ms. Smith at home enough entertainment for you? You had to come all this way to check on me?"
"Don't be so confrontational, I care about you very much!" John's words carried not a trace of genuine sentiment. "It's been over a year since we've seen each other. I even specially prepared a gift for you!"
Sophia looked at him coldly. "Either shut up right now, or get lost right now."
John suddenly gripped the security gate, making a loud clanging sound. He was like a wild beast trapped in an iron cage, ready to tear Sophia apart and devour her at any moment.
"Running away without a word, your courage has grown." John laughed wildly, then quickly reined in his manic emotions, releasing the gate bars. "Open the door. I brought you a gift."
Sophia eyed John suspiciously, knowing he definitely wouldn't have brought anything good, but also knowing that not letting him in would just mean being stuck in this standoff.
James had a job interview to get to later; she needed to deal with this lunatic John quickly.
She pushed open the security gate, and the next second, saw the well-behaved Border Collie puppy sitting at John's feet, tilting its head adorably.
Her eyes darkened, and she suddenly let out a cold laugh. The man before her really was a bastard.
Sophia raised her head to stare directly into his eyes, her voice calm yet revealing a sinister edge, "Mr. Smith, you really know how to pick gifts. I hate dogs most of all."
Whether she meant the Border Collie at his feet or the man before her was unclear.
Whether Border Collie or human, she hated both.
The animal she hated most was dogs, and the people she hated most were dog-like John and Andrew.
The two faced off with threatening auras, their hostility sharp and exposed. James's presence was like a gentle breeze, elegant and refined, yet he wasn't afraid of this terrifying atmosphere, speaking calmly, "Don't stand in the doorway—you're blocking the neighbors from going up and down the stairs."
His words were a reminder to Sophia not to let John frighten the neighbors later.
John seemed to notice James's existence only now, casting a contemptuous glance his way.
Cheap white t-shirt, faded jeans, yellowed canvas shoes.
In John's eyes, it all condensed into one label: shabby.
"A broke kid from a bankrupt family, do you have any right to speak here?"
James remained as calm as a gentle breeze and white clouds, a faint smile hanging on his lips, seemingly without any hostility. "Sophia is my sister, and this is my home."
John's laugh was full of mockery. "You're not worthy of being her brother."
"He's not worthy, but you are?" Sophia shot back mercilessly.
"So cold, after seventeen years of living together day and night." Facing Sophia, John didn't get angry, pulling the dog leash and pushing past Sophia to saunter inside on his own.
Sophia wanted nothing more than to throw him off the balcony. John was simply the most shameless person she'd ever met.
"What exactly are you here for?"
"What else could it be? Sophia ran away from home, so naturally, I came personally to bring her back." John spoke lightly, his sincerity impossible to gauge, settling onto the sofa with casual arrogance and scanning around. "This little dump isn't even as nice as the Smith family's bathroom."
Sophia acted as if she'd heard some kind of joke, letting out a light scoff. "The Johnson family doesn't welcome you. Please leave."
John looked completely unconcerned. "If you don't come with me tonight, next time it'll be Andrew coming to find you. You should know he's not as easy to talk to as I am."
In fact, Andrew had already come and had led her on a wild goose chase.
Sophia smiled back, "At least he can understand human speech. You lack basic humanity."
"Sophia, you have such a vicious tongue." John laughed carelessly, glancing at the Border Collie sitting beside him, expecting Sophia to give him some interesting reaction.
Sophia looked down at the Border Collie with its soft, clean fur, wagging its tail and acting cute toward her, her expression darkening.
A sinister gleam rose in her eyes.
She bent down, grabbed the collar around the dog's neck, and lifted it, then grabbed John's shirt collar with her other hand and yanked him to his feet.
Human and dog together, she threw them both out the door.
John stumbled slightly from being pushed, but his eyes lit up with amused delight, seeming satisfied with Sophia's resistance.
"So heartless? I came specially to get you, and you're throwing me out without even offering me a glass of water?"
"As if you deserve it?" Sophia raised an eyebrow, her disdain full of revulsion.
She hated dogs, had hated them since she was nine years old.
More than hating dogs, she hated John.
Sophia no longer bothered with John, who loved causing trouble when he had nothing better to do. When she turned to look at James, her expression suddenly softened. "James, go inside and change clothes first. I'll handle things here."
Hearing that natural and intimate form of address, John's casual gaze instantly turned cold.
James noticed, gently ruffling her hair and glancing at John with concern. "Call me if anything happens."
"Okay."
Watching James disappear around the corner into the hallway, Sophia's smile vanished. She leaned against the doorframe, lazily eyeing John. "Aren't you leaving yet?"
John gritted his teeth. "What did you call him?"
"James."
John suddenly grabbed Sophia's face, his eyes dark and terrifying. "The way he looks at you is disgusting. How about we gouge his eyes out?"
Sophia laughed, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, as if mocking John's incompetence. She gripped John's wrist with one hand, applying pressure, "Then next time we play hide-and-seek, you'll never find me again."
John looked at Sophia with appreciation, releasing her. "I'll give you two choices: come with me, or I'll tear this place apart and then take you with me."
Sophia tilted her head with a sweet smile. "I choose the third option."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Sophia kicked John down the stairs, then grabbed the Border Collie's leash and flung it.
The Border Collie flew through the air for a distance before landing in John's arms, whimpering pitifully.
Sophia smiled with satisfaction and slammed the door shut.
John rubbed his aching leg. This long-missed pain pleased him; only Sophia could bring him this kind of joy.