A tiny person screamed in Sophiaâs heart, Arghhh! Donât come near me! Didnât we just have dinner together? Why is he still here? Upon recalling the face-off during the meal, Sophia couldnât help but feel as if she had walked out of the ordeal barely alive. If I have to go through another similar meal, I would rather die!
She answered elegantly without missing a beat, âGeneral, thank you for keeping this promise in mind. I managed to obtain a perfect score in military training all thanks to your guidance and encouragement, General!â
Suddenly, two pieces of earth-shattering news got out! Sophia was the only person who received a perfect score during Bayside Universityâs military training? Wasnât she expelled? If she was the only one with a perfect score, it means she got first place. The person who receives the Best Individual award in the military training gets to have a meal with the General, Joel. Does it mean that Joel is here for Sophia âthe person who received the Best Individual award? Does it mean that he isnât here for Kayla?
The man wearing his military attire and the girl who was illuminated by the moonlight, looked like an exceptionally handsome couple. No one dared to come forward to bother them. Joel held back his strong aura before speaking to her gently, âI received news today that you were here. Hence, I rushed over. I hope Iâm not too late.â
Sophiaâs heart raced anxiously, and she had this uneasy feeling that something horrible was about to happen. Nevertheless, she nodded. âNo, youâre not. The banquet hasnât even started!â
Joelâs taut lips relaxed slightly. âWell, thatâs great. Can I share a dance with you at the ball after the banquet?â
The tiny person in Sophiaâs heart waved her hand frantically. No, I donât want to! Stay as far away as possible from me! She could only reject him. âIâm not good at dancing.â
Seeing that his uncle had arrived, as well as noticing that the situation was under control, Stanley rushed over while tugging against Nathanâs hand. âSomeone stepped on Sophieâs dress, and it looks extremely ugly now. Forget about attending the banquet; why donât we go somewhere else for food?â
Uncle Joel is extremely posh, and so the Harpers would reap the benefits the longer he stays here in their banquet. Since we have sufficiently humiliated them, itâs best to keep his merits and fame to ourselves and leave as soon as possible. We wouldnât want the Harpers to take advantage of Uncle Joel.
Joel nodded in agreement. I donât like this sort of messy banquet at all. I wouldnât have shown up here if I hadnât learned that Sophia was here.
Sophia walked toward the entrance after she said her piece. No one dared to stop her now. Who would have the audacity to stop her with the presence of Joel and rows of soldiers to make way for her?
Meanwhile, Kaylaâs heart sank when she witnessed that. It turns out Joel isnât here for me. No, even though he didnât show up for my sake, since Joel has seen me, he must be interested in my breathtaking good looks! He wouldnât have decided to leave if it werenât for Sophia! Sophia is truly a b*tch! How dare she seduce my Joel! She has a death wish! Besides, who on earth is Stanley? Who does he think he is to shove me away?! This is my birthday banquet. Everyone should pay attention to me, and that includes Joel!
She then walked to Joelâs side quietly before deliberately saying, âJoel, if you think itâs too noisy here, I can take you to somewhere quiet!â
However, Joel acted as if he did not hear her at all; instead, he spoke gently to Sophia, âLetâs go.â
Sophia had Stanley and Joel flanking her, whereas Nathan clung onto her dress from behind. After that, the three Fletchers escorted her out.
âJoel, wait for me! Wait for me!â Kayla chased after Joel in a hurry; unfortunately, he acted as if he didnât see her. Who on earth is Kayla?
Kayla chased after Joel closely from behind, but he didnât even spare her a glance. As the leading character for tonightâs event, Kayla was the center of attention. Hence, she stopped chasing after Joel after taking a couple of steps. She wanted to chase after him, but she didnât have the courage because he obviously only had eyes for Sophia. Kayla figured it was apparent that he wasnât bothered by her, and so she didnât want to further embarrass herself by throwing herself at him.
However, Kayla felt extremely unsatisfied while staring at the direction where Sophia and Joel left. She stomped her feet in frustration, and she could feel the anger boiling in her chest. The fury in her chest felt as if it was about to burst forth anytime as tears brimmed in her eyes. How did this happen?! This is all Sophiaâs fault! No wonder she showed up for this despite the challenges. It turns out itâs because she learned that Joel is coming, and that was why she dressed up ostentatiously to seduce him! Joel came here for me, but Sophia, that vixen, snatched him away! That must be it! Thatâs the only explanation!
The Harpers seemed to have realized that Joel was preparing to leave, and so they came forward to stop him. âYoung Master Fletcher, youâre leaving so soon?â
Joel nodded in response. âMm-hmm.â
Mr. Harper immediately fawned over him by suggesting, âWell, the banquet has yet to officially start.
Thereâs a ball later. Why donât you have a seat first?â
Joel frowned while shaking his head. âNo need.â Then, he left hastily. The main point was that Sophia left in a hurry, as if she was chased by a ghost. Hence, he had no choice but to run after her. The banquet tonight gave him an odd feeling, as if something huge was about to happen, and so he wanted to leave as soon as possible too.
The Harper Family wanted him to hang around. Therefore, they kept advising him against leaving while chasing after him by buttering him up and hitting the elevator button for him.
Suddenly, the hotel head of security suddenly spoke to Mr. Harper, âMr. Harper, thereâs a situation outside that requires your immediate attention.â
âWhat happened outside?â Mr. Harper asked hastily, and he was shocked when he heard that.
Sophia, who was arriving at the entrance, felt her mind go blank when heard that there was a situation outside. The uneasy feeling overwhelmed her once again. I have a feeling I wouldnât get to leave today!
True enough, the next thing she knew, Mr. Harper appeared exhilarated after the head of security whispered something by his ear. Then, he grabbed onto Joel. âMr. Fletcher, you have to hang around for a while longer. I need to excuse myself because a VIP is coming soon.â Then, Mr. Harper ran down the stairs to welcome the VIP.
Richard and Kayla stared at their father while looking puzzled because they werenât sure what was happening.
In any case, Sophia started panicking. She had a feeling that she had to escape right now. My life is at stake if I donât escape right now! Hence, she picked up her pace automatically. She was planning to take the chance to escape unnoticed while the Harpers were distracted as they welcomed the VIP.
However, the Harper Familyâs banquet hall was located on the third floor, and so everybody came up via the elevator. Currently, all the elevators were operating, thus Sophia had no choice but to wait anxiously for the elevator.
Simultaneously, Joelâs deputy officer suddenly whispered something in his ear. The news made Joel scowl even deeper than before.
Sophia had an especially bad feeling about tonight when she saw Joelâs expression! I need to leave! I need to leave right now!
Meanwhile, Stanley seemed oblivious to the changes of his surroundings. He was still pestering Joel by asking him, âUncle Joel, what is it?â
Joel was about to say something when the elevator doors opened suddenly. A large group of bodyguards in black came rushing out of the elevator, forming two neat lines at the waiting hall of the elevator on the third floor. They waited respectfully on either side of the middle elevator with stern expressions etched on their faces.
Suddenly, there was a commotion again in the banquet hall. There were speculations about which important figure the Harpers managed to invite this time. Joel Fletcher has arrived earlier. Who could it possibly be this time?
Sophia felt goosebumps all over her body. There was only one thing on her mindâIâm doomed!