In exchange for those children? Sophia started to frown. Isnât that rather unreasonable?
The Yard Family bought that child because of her good genes, but it was clear that Sophia did not buy those eight children for the same reason.
The price of the eight of them did not amount to that one child; the Yard Family was suffering a loss.
Sophiaâs eyes shifted, then she let out a smile. âMrs. Yard, you should know how much that child is worth. She will prove to be very useful in the future if you keep her. However, even if you doubled the total worth of the eight children that I bought, it is still lower than hers. Why donât we settle this in a more direct manner? Iâll give any amount you want for the child.â
At the mention of money, the Yards started to laugh.
Money was no more than a number to them.
They had long passed the stage of looking at price tags.
Anna pinched the teacup in her hand and admired its exquisite jade pattern. Her long eyelashes were elegant beyond comparison. Callum and Cade looked around the same age as Sophia, but Anna still looked very young. She should be the same age as Cooper!
âMiss Edwards, I think youâve misunderstood. I donât want money. I just need you to make a choice. What if I insist that you give me those eight children in return for the one?â
Her gaze fell on Sophiaâs face. Those bright eyes looked like they were piercing through Sophiaâs body and looking into her soul, making her feel tormented.
Sophia lowered her head and did not make a choice right away.
She bought those eight children and promised to find them a home. The Yard Family might look lavish and magnificent, but they were the biggest financial backer of the human trafficking ring in Ronney! If I put those eight children in their hands, who knows what will happen to them?
But, I must get Katrina and Bladeâs child back!
Sophia was stuck between those two options. Seeing her hesitation seemed to please Anna. With a smile, she mocked, âIsnât it hard to choose? One is your guilty conscience and the other is the Fletchersâ
child. Do you want to stand for your conscience and justice or do you want the child of the Fletchers? I think you already know the answer.â
âIn your heart, the Fletchersâ child is more important, isnât that right? If you leave those eight children behind, I will put them back in the human trafficking market immediately where they can find new buyers.
Meanwhile, the Fletchersâ child will be able to go back to the Fletcher Family with you. Those eight children have nothing to do with you. Naturally, blood is thicker than water. As for your supposed conscience, how much is it really worth?â
Anna seemed very proud of herself as though she had managed to destroy Sophiaâs hypocritical altruism with just a flick of her finger. It proved that she was no different from those people who trafficked children.
Was there anyone out there who wasnât selfish? Those who fought for justice were hypocritical for the most part. They were born as predators, yet they insisted on wearing a mask of good-naturedness. If they were to encounter a favorable situation for themselves, they could just as easily suppress any kindness and conscience they had in the back of their minds.
Anna had personally come across many âkindâ people like Sophia.
Suddenly, Sophia looked up and stared back at Anna with a sharp and unwavering gaze.
Neither one wanted to give way.
A smirk appeared on Sophiaâs face and a ferocity grew in her amicable eyes.
âI did save those eight children out of the kindness of my heart. As a mother, I couldnât watch a girl around the same age as my own child get sold off to the pornography industry and become a sex slave from such a young age.â
She made herself clear. âIâm not a philanthropist. But, since I have bought those eight children, I will give them a perfect home. I will also bring home the child that belongs to our Fletcher Family! If you want to prove my true nature with this one choice, then youâre sorely mistaken, Mrs. Yard. I wonât choose.â
The surface of the tea in the teacup that she was holding trembled lightly. With scorn in her eyes, she said, âMrs. Yard, donât you think that your question isnât any different from the idiotic questions that an ignorant hag teases children with in the marketplaces in Cethos?â
Annaâs brows raised up, but she did not respond right away and continued to listen.
Sophia continued, âThere are people who ask my child this question tooâif either one of your parents must die, and you can only save one, who would you save? I didnât think a gracious entity like yourself would be the same as those ill-informed housewives to be able to ask such a distasteful and ignorant âeither/or questionâ. Looks like Iâve really overestimated you.â
As soon as she said that, the twins slammed the table and stood up at the same time. âMiss Edwards, please watch your words.â
They had the exact same movements, expressions, and words. Indeed, they were twins.
On the other hand, Anna was not angry. She asked the twins to sit back down and posed a question for Sophia. âHow would your child answer?â
Sophia scoffed. âI will tell my child that it isnât her fault whoever she chooses. No matter who she picks, the other will die, but it isnât her fault. The culprit is the person who forced her to make that choice and killed her parents. When she grows up and becomes capable, she must kill that person in return!â
Sophiaâs outburst left Anna dumbfounded.
That was the first time she had heard such a pointed answer. Sophia might have looked young, but she had an exceptional sense of moral integrity. It did not match her delicate and weak outer appearance.
Sophia stood up and gave a biting remark. âMrs. Yard, I donât have time to be answering these silly and crude either/or questions, but there is something I must say before I go.â Her hand was pressed against the table. âIf something happens to the Fletchersâ child under the Yardsâ jurisdiction, they will come for you. They wonât come for me, their daughter-in-law who didnât exchange those eight children for one. I hope you get the picture now.â
Anna slowly looked up at Sophia with the same smirk on her face. âYou should know that because of your rash behavior, I might send that child back to the black market. Her future will be much worse than being a guard for the Yard Family. Arenât you afraid of being condemned for it?â
âCondemned? Huh! If it doesnât hurt the conscience of the great Mrs. Yard that brutally pushed her into that hell pit, then why should I be afraid?â Sophia had gathered all her things and bid a merciless farewell. âThe Yard Family should be aware of the Fletcher Familyâs power in Cethos. It has only been a few years since Ronneyâs brand entered the country. The market has just opened up with high prospects.
If you donât want sales to rely solely on surrogate buyers in the future, then you better not make an issue with the child.â
With that, she stormed off.
The Yard Family did not want to let the child go so easily. It was no use to try to be nice; they should have been brutal from the start.
Once Sophia was far off into the distance, Anna stood up and casually watched them leave from the gazebo.
Looking at Sophia dressed in exquisite business attire from behind, she suddenly let out a smile that reached all the way to her eyes. It was a smile that came from a genuine sense of admiration.
âMomââ Callum suddenly called. He could see that Anna was very fond of Sophia.
Sophia and the others were long gone, but Anna remained standing there without moving as she looked at the scenery. The wind blew through her white chiffon blouse, making it flutter in the air. As she admired the beauty of the garden before her, she turned back to Callum and Cade and said, âWhen you two were younger, you were once kidnapped by the extended members of the Yard Family. I went to ask them to return you, but they humiliated me. They forced me to choose between the both of you and said the other would be dropped right in front of me.