Semua Bab HIDDEN DESIRE: Bab 21 - Bab 30

"Yes, I love that man," Sophia finally answered, lowering her gaze as she met Daniel's surprised eyes. How unfortunate, she thought bitterly. "I fell in love with a man like Albert Raymond," she continued inwardly, a faint, wry smile tugging at her lips.It was the first time Sophia admitted it to someone other than herself. She couldn't believe she had confided in someone like Daniel, a man she had only met recently."But he doesn't return your feelings," Daniel said, his words striking her like a blow."That's right," she replied, forcing a carefree smile.Yet Daniel could see the sadness in her eyes. He was about to change the subject, but Sophia spoke first."Have you ever fallen in love before, Mr. Mateo?""First of all, call me Daniel. And yes, I have fallen in love before.""Really?""I get it. I get it. My appearance makes me look like someone who doesn't take things seriously, but don't judge a book by its cover."That was exactly what Sophia had done, and now she felt slight

"I thought this was a business meeting," Sophia whispered to Albert. She was forced to sit close to her husband because the seat next to her was occupied by a woman she barely knew, aside from seeing her a few times on television advertising a product."Yes, it is a business meeting, and also an early party for our product launch next week.""Oh, great! Now I’m stuck here," Sophia muttered softly.Albert chuckled at her remark.People started drinking their champagne and partying, the loud music blending with their conversations. Rickie turned on the karaoke machine while holding a model who laughed at his playful kisses.Sophia knew that the elite loved parties, but not this kind of party. This... this party was a bit

As morning dawned, Sophia went downstairs for breakfast and found Albert already seated at the dining table. It was unusual for him not to have left for work at this hour, she thought.As Sophia approached him, Albert shifted his gaze from the gadget in his hand to her. His stare made Sophia hold her breath, the memories of what they did last night and what Albert did afterward flashing vividly in her mind.Her face flushed, and she quickly turned toward the kitchen, heading for Dana. But it was too late, Albert had already noticed the redness tinting his wife’s cheeks.“Sophia, are you okay, dear? Albert told me you were drinking last night,” Dana asked as soon as she realized Sophia’s presence in the kitc

Albert had just filled the last basket with fresh red grapes. Sweat covered his entire body, his face slightly flushed from the heat, it was nearing midday. Yet, Sophia and Dana had not returned. Joe mentioned that Dana had gone to pick vegetables in the greenhouse. That’s why Albert decided to go and check on them.Meanwhile, in the greenhouse, Sophia was sitting on a wooden bench with her right leg propped over her left thigh, gently massaging her reddened ankle.It had happened earlier when Sophia was crouched down picking chili peppers. She hadn’t noticed a snail crawling slowly up the back of her foot. The moment she realized its presence, she let out a scream and instinctively flailed her leg wildly before running away. In her panic, she failed to notice a mound of dirt in her path and tripped over it.

Far from the kind of dinner Albert had mentioned at home earlier, the dinner event Daniel hosted turned out to be a celebration for the grand opening of his new restaurant, located on the top floor of a luxury mall. Sophia arrived wearing a dark soft purple gown that hugged her slim figure beautifully, with long sleeves and a high neckline.There were many guests in attendance, and it was no surprise that Sophia recognized several familiar faces, prompting them to stop several times to greet people. Eventually, they arrived at Daniel, the host of this lavish dinner party.As soon as Daniel saw Sophia and Albert approaching, his smile widened. "Sophie!" he called out.Sophia actually felt a little uncomfortable with that familiar nickname, only Albert and a few close people called her that. But she didn’t prote