Chapter 9

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Kevin snapped, scowling as his eyes flashed with agitation and displeasure.

How could she just shove him toward another woman like that?

Sophia met his gaze and said, "Since you guys haven't gotten to the bottom of the incident with Ms. Sloan's hater, it's only right for you to stick to her at all times. As for who I hang out with, I don't think that's any of your business."

Her tone was perfectly calm, as if she'd just expressed how she truly felt. There wasn't a hint of anger or provocation in her voice, but it only made Kevin even more irritated.

When did she stop throwing fits over Christina? Had she truly stopped caring, or was she just putting on an act for his sake?

But who else could've been behind the hater who sent the death threat, if not her?

Beside him, Christina pursed her lips, her eyes suddenly reddening as she said, "Don't be mad, Ms. Jensen. It's my fault. Kev is your husband. I never intended to interfere with your marriage. Don't worry. I can handle this myself—"

"You're a pretty good actress, Ms. Sloan," Sophia remarked with a faint smile, cutting off Christina's attempt to act all pitiful. "But you can save yourself the trouble. My friends and I have other places to be. You can save your performance for those who'd actually appreciate it."

With that, Sophia proceeded to ignore both Christina and Kevin, leaving with Erin and the rest of her friends.

Gideon glanced at Christina. His expression was unreadable as he said, "You shouldn't be a ballerina, Ms. Sloan. You should consider becoming an actress. With your acting chops, you'd outperform more than half of the entertainment industry."

Kevin watched as Sophia and Gideon walked away, his expression stormy.

After seeing all of this, Marcus cast another glance at Christina before piping up, "It's perfectly justified for Sophia to feel upset, Kevin. As long as the hater who sent the death threat isn't captured, there will always be the possibility that Ms. Sloan might come to harm. It's best if the culprit is caught as soon as possible."

"We're looking into the person who sent the package. There should be some news in a couple of days," Kevin said.

Thinking of something, Kevin turned to Christina, his gaze gentle. "Be extra careful the next few days, Christina. Call me if anything happens."

Christina's heart warmed at his thoughtfulness, and she thoughtfully assured him, "I will, Kev. Don't worry about me. But about Ms. Jensen…"

She trailed off hesitantly, and Kevin's voice dropped as he responded curtly, "Ignore her. If not for her, you wouldn't have to be constantly on edge like this."

However, Marcus frowned. He kept getting the sense that the Sophia he knew wouldn't do something like that. Still, he couldn't say much with Christina around.

Worried that something might happen to Christina, Kevin specifically arranged for two bodyguards to stay by her side.

…

It was already past 11:00 pm before Sophia and her friends finally called it a day. As they all started leaving, Gideon called after her.

In the darkness of the night, he was smiling at her, his eyes curved playfully. Flicking the ash from his cigarette, he said, "You seemed to have changed quite a bit."

"Have I?" Sophia asked, feeling quite taken aback.

Gideon nodded before chuckling. "It feels rather like… you've returned to being the old Sophia again."

The old Sophia had been an unstoppable force, capable of everything she set her mind to.

Sophia smiled. As the date for her departure grew nearer, she became more and more at peace with the situation.

Instead of explaining further, she simply bade Gideon goodbye, saying, "It's late. We should head home."

However, Gideon abruptly asked, "Sophia, back then, if I'd told you sooner that—"

"It wouldn't have made a difference." Sophia lowered her gaze, already knowing what he was about to say. "You know what I was like back then. Nothing would've changed."

The Sophia of the past had been bold and ardent in the way she lived her life. Even if she knew the outcome, she would've rushed in headlong like a moth to a flame anyway.

Gideon smiled helplessly. "That's just like you, alright."

He said nothing else, and Sophia took a cab home.

Mason had been taken to his grandparents' home, the Chase residence, and Kevin wasn't back yet. That meant that Sophia was alone in the house that night.

She packed her luggage and clothes, preparing everything she needed for her departure.

But just before she went to bed, she received a text from an unfamiliar number.

"Ms. Jensen, your aunt's condition has taken a turn. Are you free to visit her in the next few days?"

Sophia frowned.

After the crisis that hit the Jensen family, Sophia's maternal aunt, Alice Turner, suffered a mental breakdown following the death of her sister and Sophia's mother. As a result, she was currently recuperating at Brightwell Treatment Center.

At the time, Sophia had tried using hypnosis therapy to help Alice recover, but Alice's condition was too severe. As Sophia had her hands full dealing with the aftermath of the Jensen family's collapse, she had no choice but to send Alice to a treatment center instead.

Had something happened to Alice?

Sophia was so preoccupied with her worries that she didn't even notice the text wasn't sent from the number belonging to Basil Forrest, the head of the treatment center.

…

Late at night, Kevin finally arrived home. Morgan sent him the results of his investigation.

"Mr. Chase, that incident with Mrs. Chase back then had indeed been an accident. That night, she seemed to have been inebriated. That was why she ended up in your room. However, we still need to investigate further to find the person who drugged you."

Kevin had mixed feelings as he read the messages. If it hadn't been Sophia who drugged him, then it meant that he had spent all these years being wrong about her.

"We've also found some information about the culprit who sent Ms. Sloan the package with the death threat. He seems to be an obsessed fan of hers who has never missed a single one of her performances. We're still unclear about his motives. We're also trying to track down his movements. For the time being, there's still no evidence that this has anything to do with Mrs. Chase."

So, it seemed that he had truly misunderstood her.

Guilt flickered across Kevin's eyes, and his usually indifferent expression eased up somewhat.

The rift caused by the misunderstandings between him and Sophia had grown far too deep. When he recalled her completely emotionless display earlier that night, his heart softened as well.

He figured that she must've purposely hung out with Gideon that day to get under his skin.

It was just as well.

Once the culprit was caught, he would lay out all the cards and clarify everything with her.

Kevin glanced at the tightly shut door, his gaze gentle.

…

By the time Sophia woke up the next morning, Kevin had already left for work. As per her usual schedule, she hailed the first cab she saw on the road and headed to visit Alice at the treatment center.

After getting into the back seat, she said, "Please take me to Brightwell Treatment Center."

Worried about Alice's condition, she hadn't noticed that the cab was heading toward the outskirts of the city—until she was already in a desolate area.

At last, she noticed that this wasn't the road to Brightwell Treatment Center!

"Stop the car!" Sophia demanded, her heart pounding as her expression hardened.

However, at the very next moment, the driver stopped the car and sprayed something in her face. A sharp scent filled the air, and her head started spinning before she completely blacked out.

…

Ten minutes later, Morgan barged into the CEO's office, exclaiming, "Bad news, Mr. Chase! Ms. Sloan is in trouble!"