Chapter 4

"Uncle Silas, please go check on Mom. She's hurt. I don't know what to do…" Henry wailed and sobbed.

"What? Your mom's hurt? How did that happen? Where is she now? Is it serious?"

The questions tumbled out of Silas's mouth in rapid succession. Even with her eyes closed, Harper could picture how anxious he must look at this moment.

"I can't believe this. What was I thinking? You're just a child—how could you know anything?"

His brows furrowed tightly. Silas raked his fingers through his hair in frustration and looked down at Harper, who was still leaning against the wall with her eyes closed.

"Harper, stay here and get your temperature checked. I need to go see Sophie. She just got back to the country—new place, unfamiliar faces. I'm worried something might happen to her. Don't overthink, alright? Just wait here for me. I'll be back soon."

Without giving her a chance to speak, he gently ruffled her hair, shoved the paper cup into her hand, and quickly pulled Henry away.

Her eyes, shut tightly until now, opened slowly.

Harper looked down at the cup of hot water in her hand. It was hot enough to sting her fingers, yet somehow couldn't warm her heart. In her clear, bright eyes flickered something cold and quietly bitter.

Five minutes later, Harper handed the thermometer to the doctor.

"Oh my, your fever's at 104℉. Why on earth did you wait this long to come to the hospital? Where's your family? Have them pay the fees now—you need an IV and fast."

The doctor spoke as they scribbled swiftly on a prescription pad.

"I don't have any family here."

Her long lashes drooped faintly. Harper licked the cracked corner of her lips, parched from the fever. Her pale fingers tightened around the payment slip the doctor had handed her. Swallowing the bitter taste in her throat, she turned to go pay on her own.

…

On the other side of the hospital, under Henry's lead, Silas finally found Sophie.

"Sophie, where are you hurt?"

In a single stride, he closed the distance between them. Silas looked down at her bandaged right hand, brows knotted. "What happened? How did you get hurt all of a sudden?"

"Uncle Silas…" Henry's voice was muffled, a trace of babyish innocence clinging to it. Tears still clung to his long lashes. "Mom got hurt because of you…"

"Because of me?"

Confusion flickered across his dark eyes. Silas turned to Sophie. "Sophie, what's going on?"

There was a trace of shyness behind her perfectly applied makeup. Sophie bit her lip, almost coyly.

"It's nothing, really. I just thought, after all you've done for me and Henry, I should repay you somehow… You know I've never been any good in the kitchen, even back when we first met. But I couldn't think of another way to thank you, so I figured I'd start practicing—then one day, I'd surprise you with a meal.

"I just didn't expect cooking to be so difficult. I'd barely thrown the washed vegetables into the pan when the hot oil splashed on me… Silas, I must be really hopeless, right…?"

"Heh… You haven't changed one bit. Still adorably silly," he said, chuckling as he reached out to ruffle her hair. "Of course, the vegetables still had water on them. That's why the oil splattered. Okay, I get the message. No need to cook for me anymore. After all, your face is your livelihood. If you ruin it cooking for me, there's no way I could ever afford the compensation."

"Even if I ended up disfigured for you, I wouldn't regret it," she said with a smile like blooming flowers. Her bright eyes never left his face.

His gaze met hers for a brief second. Something unplaceable stirred in his chest. Quickly, Silas turned his eyes away.

Sophie's smile grew even more radiant as she notice his evasion.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "It's Sophie Adams! She's over there!"

The next moment, Silas saw a swarm of reporters rushing toward them. Instinctively, he stepped forward, shielding Sophie and Henry with his arms.

On the other side of the hospital, Harper had just returned from making the payment and was preparing to start her IV drip. Before she could take a step, a surge of reporters came rushing in, their cameras and microphones raised like drawn weapons.

"There she is—Sophie Adams!"

"Sophie, please don't go! We just have a few questions!"

"Sophie! Wait!"

Like a swarm of bees let loose from a broken hive, they charged toward Sophie in a frenzied mass.

In the chaos, Harper tried her best to stay upright, pressing herself against the wall as the current of bodies pressed forward. But someone shoved her—she didn't even see who—and the next thing she knew, she was on the floor.

The crowd didn't stop.

Feet trampled over her legs and arms in their desperate sprint forward. Amid the confusion, a sharp pain bloomed across her forehead. Then, the unmistakable warmth of blood, slow and sure, began trickling down her face.

"Sophie, what's the real reason for your return to the country?"

"Sophie, who's the child with you?"

"Sophie, is it true that your son is the illegitimate child of an industry tycoon?"

Flash after flash exploded in every direction. Sophie, pale-faced, shrank into Silas's arms, both hands covering Henry's ears tightly. Her eyes reddened instantly as she stared up at him, the tears falling, silent and heavy.

Silas squinted slightly at the sight of her crying without a sound. Something shifted inside him, subtle and sharp. She was trembling, clearly terrified, yet her instinct was still to protect the boy in her arms.

He tightened his hold around both of them. "Enough. This is a hospital. How did you even get in here? Leave, now. Or I'm calling the police."

The moment he spoke, a new wave of excitement rippled through the crowd.

"Mr. Underwood, is it true that you and Sophie have registered your marriage? The rumors online—"

"And what are you doing at the OB-GYN department? Is Sophie pregnant again?"

OB-GYN?

Silas's expression darkened. He turned his head and looked up at the signage above them. His eyes chilled instantly.

"Which outlet are you from? Do you have any idea what the consequences of slander are? Sophie is not pregnant. Why we're at the hospital is none of your business. Leave us alone—or you'll pay the price."

Faced with his fury, the reporters hesitated. Their gazes flickered. No one dared speak for a moment.

In the silence, a shadow crossed Sophie's pale face. Then, lifting her tear-filled eyes, she spoke softly, "Please… I'm begging you. Don't hurt my son. He's still so young. He's innocent… If you have questions, come at me. I'll give you whatever you want. Just don't touch my son…"

"Mom… I'm scared…" Henry clung to her tightly, his voice trembling as he started to cry too.

"We're just trying to find out who the father is, that's all! Sophie, you always promoted a pure image when you debuted. But you disappear abroad and return with a child. Don't we have the right to know what happened?"

"Exactly! Just tell us the truth and we'll go!"

"Yes, your fans deserve an answer too. Who is the father of your child?"

The questions came again, louder this time, like rounds of artillery fired one after another.

Sophie clutched Henry tighter, her tears falling without end. Henry sobbed harder, burying his face into his palms.

"Enough!" Silas snapped, stepping forward to shield them completely. "I'm the boy's father."