Chapter 749: Chapter 752

Sophia asked Linus, “Uncle Linus, what are they doing? What’s that red-colored thing?”

“That’s called a New Year’s greeting. Those you were looking at are red packets; there’s money in them.

When someone comes over to wish you Happy New Year, you have to give them red packets,” explained Linus.

Sophia saw the little girl coming over toward their unit. She anxiously asked, “What should I do now? I don’t have any red packets!”

Linus was well prepared, and he assured her, “Don’t worry. I have some ready.”

Sophia hastily grabbed a stack of red packets as she saw the little girl approaching her doorstep to knock on the door. She opened the door and found the little girl standing right in front of her. She was immaculately dressed, and the purse hanging in front of her belly was bursting with red packets.

“Happy New Year! May you be blessed with prosperity!” greeted the little girl in her sweetest voice as she shamelessly reached out to Sophia with open palms.

Sophia placed a red packet into her hands and replied, “Happy New Year to you too.”

The little girl got what she was after and was about to leave. Sophia subconsciously wanted to stall her but struggled to conjure any excuse at such short notice. She was also aware of the teenager whose cold, wary gaze had never left her since they arrived.

Linus suddenly appeared at the door and offered a friendly welcome. “Aren’t you Nate? My, my, you’ve grown so much!”

At the sight of Linus, the teenager’s solemn facade melted into a genuine smile. “Uncle Linus, you’re here!” It had been three years since they last met, but Nathan never forgot about Linus, the coolest man in his life—the man who gave him Nicholas.

“Good lad, you’ve grown so tall. Come in and have a seat!” invited Linus.

Nathan brought Carmen into the house while an elated Sophia trod behind. The little girl got in and helped herself to a seat on the couch. As she looked around the hall, she noticed Sophia’s Shae, so she asked curiously, “Is there a Nicholas in your house too?”

Such a beautiful voice she has! Sophia wanted to get close to her, but fearing that her face would frighten her, she sat far away. When the girl asked about her robot, she quickly replied, “It’s Shae. You could say it’s Nicholas’ younger brother!” She then followed up with another question. “Little girl, what’s your name?”

Not realizing that Sophia was the poor woman she had tricked the other day, the little girl answered, “I’m Carmen Patcher.”

Carmen… Sophia took a good mental note of this name.

Carmen and Nathan did not stay for long, as they had to move on to the next unit for more red packets.

Seeing them leave, Sophia felt as if her soul had left her shell. With bated breath, she stared at the little figure as she walked farther.

Noticing that, Linus consoled her, “She lives in Villa No.8. If you wish to, you could always go see her there.” She’s… your daughter!

Even if she had forgotten, the sight of her own daughter awakened Sophia’s urge to get closer. Sophia nodded. If she cooked something delicious everyday, Judge would keep showing up at her place, and Carmen would drop by occasionally. There were times when Judge needed a break from babysitting, and it would come to seek refuge at Sophia’s unit. Carmen would then end up going over to get it, and Sophia would have more opportunity to see her too. Little Carmen’s sweet voice and witty charm had Sophia falling in love with her over and over again.

On the eighth day of the New Year, Sophia went for an appointment with an ENT specialist to have her vocal cord checked. This medical center had been bought by Cooper, and it welcomed Sophia as the first patient on its opening after the holidays.

The specialist, recommended by Sarah, was revered for his skills and experience. After inspecting Sophia’s vocal cord, he admitted that her injuries were severe but curable. All that was required was a long period of continuous rehabilitation.

Sophia booked the next available slot for her surgery right after the consultation. However, the specialists required more time to study and discuss her surgical case. Hence, Sophia left the doctor’s office with Cooper as his nurse called for the next patient to go in.

The next patient came walking toward Sophia from the other end of the corridor, and they eventually met halfway. Sophia, who just did her laryngoscope inspection, wore her face mask to cover her wound. She donned a hat and walked along the corridor with her head down to hide her face from others. Somehow, as she crossed paths with the incoming patient, she had the urge to look up and saw a man… with a head full of white hair.

Sophia turned her head and stared at the back view of the man. He seemed young and fashionably dressed, but he unfortunately had a thick set of white mane on his head.

“Baby, let’s go,” said Cooper, snapping Sophia out of her trance, and they soon left the hospital. Cooper was also wearing a face mask because he happened to resemble Chester, the online influencer, and he was trying to avoid unwanted attention.

After they left, the ENT specialist greeted the second patient. He gave the patient’s throat a thorough check and performed a laryngoscope inspection. After it was done, the man returned to sit at the doctor’s desk while putting on his face mask again.

“Mr. Fletcher, your larynx is as good as new now. You’ve been taking good care of it, and I think you’re ready to make a comeback on singing and acting,” said the doctor with enthusiasm.

Michael remained stoic and nodded. “I see. Thank you.”

The specialist pursued, “So when will I be seeing you on television again?”

Struggling to pull a smile, Michael replied, “Not anytime soon. I’m doing this simply because my daughter told me I sounded horrible.”

The doctor, of course, knew his story. He knew that Taylor Murray was not dead. He simply faked his death to leave the entertainment industry and got addicted to smoking and drinking, which ruined his vocal cords in the process. For an actor like him, having his voice ruined was akin to putting an end to his career, but he did not care, because the person who loved watching him sing and act was no longer around.

The one true reason he came to treat his vocal cord was because he heard a petite voice complaining, “Daddy, your voice is scary, like the big bad wolf!” At that moment, he realized he had another role to play—a father. He could not imagine himself going on talking to his little Carmen in that scary, hoarse voice.

As he was leaving the office, the doctor reminded him once again, “If you ever decide to get back onto the screen, do let me know. My family and I love watching your films!”

“We shall see.”

…

Not long after, the specialists finally came back with a surgical plan for Sophia. They would fix her vocal cord with a vocal alteration surgery. This kind of surgery had been practiced in various countries and was getting popular as it could enhance one’s voice into something more appealing to the ear. The only downside was that Sophia could not revert her voice back to how it sounded before.

After her surgery, Sophia could not speak for two weeks, and she had to undergo a lengthy period of recuperation. As she had to return for periodic checkups, her father and she had to remain in Bayside City for some time. Upon Sophia’s returning from the hospital, Sarah celebrated her successful surgery by bringing a handful of gifts and items.

“You are not allowed to speak for the next two weeks. If you want to tell me anything, just type with your cell phone. Here, try drinking these supplementary herbs. I had a friend who took these herbs after her surgery, and her recovery was phenomenal.”

Sophia tried to thank her, but she refrained and managed a gesture. Sarah got up to leave as Judge came over. She could not help but caress his luscious coat while saying, “Hey, doggie. Why haven’t you been to my shop lately?”

Judge replied with a ruff. Before Sarah left, she reminded Sofia, “This dog ate sh*t before, so make sure he doesn’t lick your face.”

Sophia was speechless. You could’ve told me earlier. Judge came today holding a rope in its mouth. The other end of the rope was attached to its collar. It shoved the folded stack of rope into Sophia’s hands and gazed at her. Sophia understood its request and took Shae along with her as she headed to the door. It was obvious that the husky wanted her to bring it out for a stroll.

When Cooper realized his dear daughter was about to head out, he immediately said, “Dear baby, just stay within our area and don’t go too far out.”

Sophia answered with a nod.

Until now, why Cooper moved into this area was beyond Linus. They were staying in the same neighborhood, so they could easily bump into Michael. But Cooper probably had this all figured out. So what if they come across each other? Would Michael even dare take her away from me?

Sophia put on her face mask before she walked Judge, which was leading the way. It was knowingly leading her to Villa No.8. So you’re trying to get me to babysit for you? Damn dog, dream on!