Struggling to regain her balance, Sophia managed to steady herself against the hallwayâs shoe rack.
She let out a sigh of relief and looked down to see the broken pieces of a cell phone under her feet.
Scattered around her were remnants of what used to be her fatherâs phone.
What happened here?
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Why did her father smash his phone? Sophia felt a surge of unease well up in her. Furrowing her brow, she glanced at the living room, where she caught sight of Thaddeus sitting on the couch with a brooding expression on his face as he puffed on a cigar.
Sophia approached him. âDad, whatâs wrong? Why did you smash your phone?â
Thaddeus cast a cold glance at his daughter. âWhy are you calling me âDadâ now? Didnât you say you didnât need me anymore? Then donât bother about me!â
Sophia knew that her father was just venting his anger. She sighed and sat down next to him. âDad, thereâs no bad blood between us. I just didnât want you interfering in my relationship with Marcus. It doesnât mean I want to sever our father-daughter bond.â
Thaddeus took a long drag of his cigar and blew out a thick cloud of smoke with a grunt.
Sophia asked again, âDad, please tell me what happened. What got you so angry? Please donât keep me in the dark. Are Bertha and Lea involved?â
Thaddeus frowned. He was visibly troubled. âNo. It has nothing to do with Bertha and Lea. Donât always associate them with everything negative.â
Upon hearing this, Sophia felt a little irritated. âDad! Look at how youâre thinking of me now! I was just showing some concern and asking questions. Why canât I even mention Bertha?â
Thaddeus, already in a foul mood, felt even more frustrated when he thought about his wifeâs ongoing divorce proceedings. âI didnât go to see Bertha today. I was dealing with work-related matters.â
Sophiaâs forehead furrowed in worry. âDad, did you run into some problems at work?â
Thaddeus snuffed out his cigar. âThe companies I was preparing to sell have been hit with tax issues.
Theyâve been seized now.â
Sophia gasped in shock. âWhat? How did that happen? Who has the guts to seize your assets?â
Thaddeus had significant influence in M State, and despite his slightly weaker presence here, he was not to be trifled with.
This sudden seizure was clearly out of the ordinary. Someone must be stirring things up behind the scenes.
âThe companies have been seized, and I have to stay here to cooperate with the investigation. Itâs such a bloody hassle!â
Sophia thought for a moment. âDad, in the grand scheme of things, these small domestic assets arenât that important to you. Why not just let them go? We could all move back to M State!â
Thaddeus sighed deeply. âThe issue now isnât about what I want. I have to stay and cooperate with the investigation. Due to the tax issues with those companies, Iâve been barred from leaving the country.â
âWhat?!â Sophia was taken aback. She hadnât expected things to be this serious. âWhat do we do now, Dad? Are you stuck here? How long will the investigation take?â
âI donât know! We still donât know how big the tax discrepancy is. If itâs a large amount, I might even have to serve time here.â
What? What? What?!
Sophia was completely flustered. âOh, um⦠Dad, I donât think that will happen. The authorities should show you some respect. If it comes to it, we can just pay them off.â
Thaddeus lit another cigar. He couldnât hide his frustrations.
The people in charge now were not the same ones he used to know. Things were difficult.
Sophia became increasingly worried. âDad, how about this? You stay here to cooperate with the investigation, and Iâll take Marcus and Tristan back to M State to wait for you. It seems like this situation wonât be resolved quickly. I want to take Marcus back first. I donât feel comfortable staying with him here.â
Upon hearing this, Thaddeus frowned in displeasure. âSo, youâre more concerned about your crippled husband than your old man, whoâs under investigation?â
Sophia quickly waved her hands in denial. âNo, no, thatâs not what I meant⦠Dad, I trust that you will handle things here without any issues. But thereâs a problem with Marcus. We ran into Ellinor today. Iâm afraid she might try to take Marcus away from me, which is why I think itâs safer to take him back to M State as soon as possible!â