The next day, Carmen woke up exceptionally early. After freshening up, Sophia helped Carmen wash up and brush her teeth under the nanniesâ guidance. Sophia was anxious since this was her first time looking after her child. She was afraid that she wasnât good enough. Fortunately, Carmen was extremely obedient, and so everything progressed swiftly.
Sophia was aware that there were three to four nannies with different ethnicities looking after Carmen.
They conversed with her in different languages ever since she was a child, just so that Carmen would be fluent in languages from different countries.
Soon, the clean and obedient Carmen followed Sophia to head down for breakfast.
Breakfast was already served in the dining room by the time they arrived. There were steamed egg custard, bread, millet porridge, milk, and much more. Everything had been carefully prepared, and the colors were vibrant. In fact, the spread looked especially tantalizing.
âSophia, come over for breakfast.â Michael was putting out the cutlery eagerly. Once he was done, he took Carmen from Sophia to place her onto a child seat.
Sophia sat down, whereas Michael started serving her with salad and a bowl of millet porridge. He then served her some pickled vegetables while explaining to her, âThis was your favorite breakfast.â
She took two spoons of porridge with some crunchy pickled vegetables. It tasted delicious, and the vegetable salad complemented everything to perfection.
Michaelâs eyes twinkled with a smile while he regarded her.
Sophia still had some medication over her face, so she had to be careful whenever she was having her meal or during her sleep, and she had to reapply her ointments constantly. She might not look perfect now, but from where I stand, sheâs still the most beautiful woman in the world!
Cooper came knocking on the door early in the morning. He acted as if he was worried that Sophia might not be treated well here. However, when he arrived, he caught sight of the family of three having breakfast in the dining room.
Michael was also wearing a set of pink cartoon rabbit pajamas, and so he looked especially out of place.
On the other side, Carmen was having breakfast happily. Michael sat on her left, whereas Sophia sat on her right. Carmen was so overjoyed that she didnât need anyone else to feed her; instead, she ate on her own. She had just finished her milk, and it left a white foam across her upper lip. When she saw Cooper, she exclaimed excitedly, âGrandpa, have you eaten?â
Cooper observed the situation with a frosty stare. He was upset, but he knew that he couldnât show it blatantly. Itâd be bad if I scare Carmen and she bursts into tears again.
âI have eaten.â
He merely waited until Sophia was done with her meal. After that, he brought her home right away.
Sophia was still in her pajamas, and she left right after putting a coat on. She was reluctant to take off her pajamas since she felt especially comfortable in them.
Upon arriving home, Sophia wanted nothing more than to head back to her room to sleep since Carmen kept her awake most of the night for bedtime stories.
Itâs quite exhausting to raise a child. It is no wonder that Judge would rather head out to work than to babysit.
Cooper had brought over all the cats in Villa No. 8. Nevertheless, these cats would come and go between these two locations as they pleased. They would head to wherever served the better food;
nothing would hold them back.
Michael watched as they left. In fact, he didnât try to stop them. They are always there; they wonât leave anyway.
Later, Sean showed up again to discuss with Michael about matters involving Linus.
âUncle Michael, the matter regarding Linus as Sophiaâs biological older brotherâ¦â
It seems like even Cooper is oblivious to that.
Michael frowned deeply, lost in his thoughts. After a while, he stated, âLetâs not bring that up temporarily.
I want to use this as a bargaining chip to strike a deal with Cooper.â
In the morning, Sam showed up in a hurry. Somehow, he got hold of news stating that Sophia was actually Lucile. Therefore, he rushed over to meet her.
Unfortunately, Sophia was still asleep, so he didnât get to meet her. Nevertheless, he was excited, and so he insisted on waiting in the living room to meet Sophia.
Similarly, that morning, Michael was clad in a suit and a pair of leather shoes when he came knocking on Cooperâs door. He brought along his assistant and a lawyer. However, he saw Sam chatting happily away with Cooper through the window from afar.
Tsk⦠that old fellow must have come running after getting wind of the rumors.
Damn it, that old man looks younger as he ages. He must be consuming some sort of forbidden concoction.
Michael did not enter immediately; instead, he stayed outside while phoning Cooper.
As soon as the call went through, Michael barked impolitely, âFather-in-law, havenât you thought of who was the snitch when you were captured after eloping with my dearly departed mother-in-law to the Ancient Town of Scarlett?â
Snitch?!
Cooper had never considered the possibility of a snitch all those years ago. He merely assumed that his plan was not airtight, and that was the reason the Mitchells found him. Who would have expected that someone might have exposed my secret?
If itâs true that someone was the snitch, there werenât many who knew where I was headed to. It seems like Sam, who is sitting in front of me, is the only person. He is also Andrea Edwards from years agoâ¦
All those years ago, after arriving at the ancient town, we sent Andrea a letter and a postcard once we were settled down. In fact, the Mitchells came knocking on our door a few days after.
I just assumed that the Mitchell Family was extremely powerful, and Iâd never considered the possibility that someone exposed our secret!
Michael waited outside of the door for a while, but he soon heard people arguing and fighting inside the house. It sounded like an intense fight.
Linus and Sophia were shocked, and they rushed down the stairs in a hurry. They tried dissuading Cooper in the living room, whereas Sam, who had been beaten to a pulp by Cooper, did not fight back.
Sam knew that it was his fault, and so he deserved a beating from Cooper. If Sam hadnât done what he did in the past, things wouldnât have ended up in such a way today.
âGet lost! You had better get lost now!â
Cooper opened the door and kicked Sam out of the door.
Cooper would have chopped him into pieces if they hadnât been childhood friends in the past.
After he was kicked out of the house, Sam struggled to steady himself on his feet. Then, he caught sight of Michael, who was observing the entire ordeal.
Michael commented coldly, âOh, arenât you the 9th Old Master Edwards? What happened to you?â
Sam covered his swollen face without replying to him; instead, he glared at Michael before leaving swiftly.
I knew that that old man was planning something! He was trying to rob the cradle! He should really reflect upon his despicable act!
After Sam left, Michael adjusted his clothes and ran his palm over his hair. After that, he entered the living room and noticed that Cooper was still fuming in the living room. On the other side, Sophia and Linus were both trying to console him.
âCooper, Iâm here.â
Michael was with his lawyer and assistant when they walked into the living room. Cooper was still furious from Samâs betrayal. Therefore, Michaelâs arrival at that moment was like adding fuel to the fire. âWhat are you here for?â spat Cooper unkindly.
Michael answered respectfully, âIâve brought my lawyer, Calvin Fields, with me today. Previously, Iâd been managing Sophiaâs personal assets. Now that sheâs back, itâs time she takes control of her own assets now.â
Cooper didnât answer him, but Sophia sounded exhilarated. âI have assets? How much are they worth?â
Michael sat on the couch smoothly while answering her mysteriously, âA lot.â
Previously, Michael and Sophiaâs assets were handled separately. Naturally, Michael was in charge of the daily expenses at home. He was the breadwinner for the family, whereas Sophia just had to make herself comfortable while staying beautiful.
Her money belongs to her, but my money is hers too. I am not interested in the small amount of money she has. I have never interfered with her finances; it wasnât until she âpassed awayâ that I started handling her assets.
Cooper didnât stop Michael since he was here to hand over money and assets. However, he stayed on to watch him like a hawk.
Calvin started listing out Sophiaâs assets. Cooper was rather surprised while observing from the side. It turns out my baby is rather good at earning money.
She invested in a lot of real estate, shops, stocks, and such, and the profit had been great. This was especially true in the shops and real estate she invested in. The real estate prices in Bayside City were still quite low when she bought them many years ago. Currently, their prices had shot up more than tenfold.
Furthermore, Sophia was involved in a few projects. She collaborated with Daniel for the Remote Mountainsâ Health Club Project; she was also involved with Sarah and a few others in setting up the luxury brand for pets. In addition to that, there was Plum Technology.
Michael smiled faintly while saying, âLast but not least, thereâs the sum in Kuwait, which Cooper left for you. I have been managing it for you all these years, and the earnings have been promising so far.â
While speaking to Sophia, Michael had been moving closer to her too.