Michael glanced at the phone and came across the said picture. He then listened to the voice message that Stanley sent to Sophia while perusing through their previous chat history.
Stanley is not holding back and doing everything that he can to drive a wedge between us!
After listening to the voice messages, Michael sighed quietly. âSilly fellow.â
It has been such a long time since I slapped him. Looks like he needs a beating.
He crouched down to pat Nathanâs head with reassurances. âMy obedient darling, I was filming earlier.
Donât worry, Iâll never find a stepmother for you.â
Nathan mulled over what he said before reaching out with his little finger. âPinky swear!â
Michael burst out in laughter. The young kid has learned about the pinky swear! I thought that he wouldnât know what a pinky swear is since heâs such an arrogant kid!
In the past, Nate used to be extremely cold and distant. He refused to play with his peers or with children toys. He did not look like a child at all. Initially, I wanted him to attend kindergarten because he has peers there and would have friends to play with. However, Nate was adamant on enrolling in university and even commented that kids are too childish.
Who will have expected him to behave like a child now?
Michael promised Nathan with a pinky swear. âCross your heart and hope to die. The person who finds Nate a stepmother is an idiot!â
Satisfied, he went upstairs to sleep after that.
Michael then returned to his room in exhaustion, but Nathan took the initiative and suggested, âYou should carry your wife back to your room. From now on, I will sleep alone.â
He had a toothbrush in his mouth when he entered Nathanâs room to carry Sophia to his room. She was fast asleep, so she wasnât even aware that someone had taken her out.
Michael continued to brush his teeth while staring at her as she was sound asleep.
She is such a cutie! The longer Iâm with her, the more adorable she looks! She is the cutest in the universe!
It was already 2AM by the time he was done with his shower and he needed to wake up early the next morning. He had the urge to make a move on her, but he refrained from doing so. We still have plenty of time ahead of us. She is still young, so maybe I should wait till sheâs older.
I am not having a Lolita complex.
Sophia seemed to have dreamed that Michael came home, but she didnât see him when she woke up the next day. He wasnât even beside her in bed, but Nathan had promised her repeatedly. âDaddy returned home last night and definitely did not spend the night outdoors. He did not cheat on you!â
He was extremely sincere when he said that, but he was afraid that she wouldnât believe him. âYou can check the surveillance footage if you donât believe me.â
She was done with brushing her teeth and after rinsing her mouth, she answered, âFine, I believe you.â
Michael did return home last night, I supposeâ¦
They had to attend classes today, so Hale drove them to the university. Sophia made sure that Gary led Nathan into the School of Computer Scienceâs building before making her way to her classroom.
Stanley took the gap between two major classes to smoke in the washroom in secret. Ever since his goddess became a âfemale judgeâ, he had been trying his best to disrupt the harmony in Michaelâs family, causing his smoking addiction to worsen.
Somehow, at some point, there were lesser people in the toilet. By the time he emerged from his hiding place, there was no one else around. Hale and Gary, who both towered over him, flanked Nathan as them three blocked the entrance to the restroom.
Noticing that Stanley was poking his head out, Nathan instructed, âBeat him!â
Upon facing Hale and Gary, Stanley was quite frightened and stumbled backward. âWhat are you two doing? Donât come any closer. I am Uncle Michaelâs nephew! Iâm his biological nephew! I am the apple of my uncleâs eye!â
Nathan stared at him coldly. âYou should give up. My dad specifically asked me to beat you up today!â
Without waiting for a response, the two men whacked Stanleyâ¦
Nevertheless, they were oblivious that Sophia was in an unexpected situation at the same time.
Joe brought a few policemen to the entrance of her classroom.
âMr. Policeman, this is my daughter. Someone has kidnapped her and Iâve finally found her, but she just wouldnât acknowledge me! That horrible man, who has kidnapped her, has been torturing her every day.
This is most probably the reason why she doesnât have the courage to acknowledge me. You have to save my daughter from the pit of hell!â
Sophia, who had been reading her notes, stood up while staring at him in confusion. Did he call the police?
Faye stood beside him and also sobbed. âMr. Policeman, my sister must have been traumatized by the torture. She doesnât dare to come home with us. We have asked her who the man is, but she refuses to tell us. You have to save my sister!â
Sophia was rendered speechless when she heard that. I canât believe they came up with such a bad idea to call the police.
The police officer wore a serious expression while approaching her, as if he was ready to talk business.
âStudent, Mr. Edwards has lodged a police report on a case of women trafficking at a police station under our district. You are involved in the case, so we hope that you will cooperate with our investigation by coming with us to the police station to take your statement.â
She looked at the police before glancing at Joe, who was standing behind him, and smiled. âSure.â
She picked up her bag and followed them. Before she left, she signaled at Gemma with a look, asking her to inform Hale and the others.
She followed the police officer back to the police station.
Joe happily followed them. Now that the police are involved, Iâd like to see if Sophia dares to keep her husbandâs identity a secret! When the time comes, the police will summon my son-in-law to the police station to confront him. By then, I will know who my son-in-law is!
When I see him, I will claim that this is all a misunderstanding, and I will ask the police to withdraw the case. I can take the chance to invite my son-in-law to the Edwards residence as a guest. Iâll take the chance to find out more about him, just so that Iâd strike as soon as I can.
Upon arriving at the police stationâs interrogation room, Sophia noticed that Daniel was present too.
He greeted her when he saw her. âMrs. Fletcher, you are here too!â
However, she ignored him.
In front of the police, Joe was covered in tears and snot. âMr. Policeman, please save my daughter.
Daniel has fooled her by selling her to someone as a wife. She is merely 21 years old this year! She is still studying! She canât possibly ruin her life for an old man!â
She lost her patience, correcting him, âExcuse me, Mr. Edwards, but Iâm 20 years old.â
He corrected himself hastily, âMy daughter is merely 20 years old. We have been separated since she was a child and it took me a lot of effort to look for her. However, I did not expect Daniel to deceive her and take her away. I donât even know who she is married to now. In fact, she has been tortured on a daily basis.â
Daniel calmly took out the contract from his pocket, which he and Joe signed; it was an agreement to sell the latterâs daughter off. Daniel placed the document in front of the police while explaining, âHere, this is the agreement between Mr. Edwards and me. Mr. Edwards asked for a betrothal gift, which came up to 80,000, in exchange for his daughter. In return, I found a husband for his daughter.â
Joe grabbed the contract and ripped it into pieces while reprimanding Daniel, âDaniel, you are a shameless man! You knew that I had financial difficulties at that time, so you deceived me by making me sell my daughter off to you. This contract is not legit because I was forced to sign it. I have the right to cancel the contract.â
He continued to earnestly speak to the police, âMr. Policeman, he is a human trafficker. He sold my daughter off, but I want her back! You have to help me!â
Faye continued her facade. âMy poor sister, you must have suffered beyond imagination over the years.
My sisterââ
âMr. Policeman, you guys better arrest that old man!â