Under a tense atmosphere, everybody had lunch together.
After lunch, Michael stayed back for a short while. He chatted with Sophia about the story of Garfield getting stolen, and the one about Judge eating sh*t. He chatted with her until about 3.00PM before finally leaving.
Just when he was about to leave, Michael suddenly said to Sophia, âSophia, I will be away for a period.
Iâll count on you to look after Carmen for the time being.â
Sophia asked him automatically, âWhere are you going?â
She didnât even realize that she sounded slightly panicked and disappointed.
Michael smiled at her. âI have some matters to attend to, and so I have to leave Bayside City for a while.
Carmen would be bored alone at home, and so Iâd like to put her under your care, if you donât mind.â
Heâs leaving?
Sophia answered, âCarmen is my child too. Iâll look after her well, naturally.â
Michael nodded in response, but his eyes were twinkling mischievously.
I knew that even after losing her memories, my chica would always have me buried deep in her heart.
She is fated to belong to me, and me alone, because I have debts to repay her.
Michael waved at Carmen. âBaby, Iâm leaving now. You have to obey mommy at home, alright?â
Carmen was in the living room in Cooperâs arms as she was distracting him to make sure that Michael had the chance to bid Sophia goodbye while having some privacy. Upon hearing his voice, Carmen nodded while answering, âDonât worry. Just go ahead. I will eat, sleep, and pee well.â
Cooper was just about to stand up to separate Sophia and Michael when Carmen stated hastily, âGrandpa, I need to pee.â
Why does she have to pee so frequently throughout the dayâ¦
Carmen succeeded in diverting Cooperâs attention, and so Sophia walked Michael out. She stared at his back view while he walked through the entrance of Villa No. 8.
That night, she saw Michael leaving in his car.
The next day, she didnât see Michael.
The third day, Sophia had yet to see him return.
Michael had been dropping by consecutively for more than ten days, and so Sophia had gotten used to his presence. Now that he was absent suddenly, Sophia felt empty somehow, and she felt as if there was a gaping hole.
Since Michael had stopped coming over to harass Sophia, Cooper took the chance to urge her, âDarling, Iâll introduce a handsome guy to you. I promise you heâll be more handsome than the last one.â
Nevertheless, after going through the failure of the first blind date, Sophia didnât have any desire to go on blind dates anymore. Besides, her face had yet to fully recover, and so she didnât want to head out to meet people. She would rather focus and go through her notes at home while revising her assignments from university.
âForget it, dad. Itâs best that I study for a few days at home to prepare myself to pick up my career.â
Since she was preoccupied with reading her notes, Cooper decided not to force her.
In the past, Sophia used to have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. She enjoyed jotting down new knowledge in her notebook. Previously, she learned from a person, named Kenny Blair, in order to establish the luxury brand for pets. Hence, she had a notebook filled with her reflections and thoughts.
Even a good memory canât beat some lousy notes.
Itâs a good thing I have this good habit, and so itâs not too hard to pick things up.
With that, based on the notes she had jotted down in the past, Sophia picked up her businesses from the past gradually. During the time she spent in Africa, there were similar kinds of books available in Quintonâs bookstore. She used to read them when she was bored. She didnât have much to do for entertainment apart from reading in those two years, so she had read quite a number of books. It seemed that the knowledge she had accumulated during that time could finally be put to good use now.
Sarah dropped by to visit her on a daily basis as well. Theyâd exchange tips on raising children while petting the dog and caressing their kids. Sarah was now a strong, career-oriented woman, and so she left Harry to take care of their child while she headed out to attend to her career. It was apparent that she was extremely busy.
âYou shouldnât strain yourself too much. Getting your face to heal well is the priority now. You should not worry yourself too much with work for now. Thereâs no rush in these matters,â Sarah commented while munching on melon seeds. She had three cats in her arms, whereas her son was crawling freely on the floor.
Sophia was reading the notes she had written down in the past. She seemed extremely focused because she wanted to take over her businesses as soon as possible.
Michael was extremely tentativeânot only did he send over her previous notes, he even sent over the work reports and work logs from the past four years. Therefore, she had been receiving a constant stream of work reports and statements in her email for the past few days.
After spending some time reading, Sophia took a break. She was having a gulp of water when she thought of something suddenly. Michael hasnât visited Carmen⦠and me for an entire week.
Sophia felt a sudden sense of loss.
I donât see him coming home at all. I wonder where he is.
Sophia wanted to ask Cooper, but she was sure that he wouldnât tell her anything. She asked Carmen, but she seemed clueless too.
Sophia wanted to ask Sarah, but she was embarrassed to do so. Hence, after weighing her options, Sophia finally came up with an excuse in her mind. She pretended to read the notes while asking absentmindedly, âCarmen cried last night, claiming that she missed her daddy. She wouldnât stop crying for the whole night, and I couldnât sleep well either. I wonder where he is. He hasnât been home for the whole week. In fact, he has already left Carmen here for a whole week.â
Sarah didnât seem to get Sophiaâs intentions, and so she replied, âSigh, thatâs the issue with men⦠Who knows which brothel he might be patronizing?! He might be seeing someone else!â
He might be⦠seeing someone else?
Sophiaâs eyes, which were shining with anticipation just a moment ago, turned dull instantly.
Thatâs true⦠Iâd been âdeadâ for three years; he couldnât have stayed single for the past three years. Heâs wealthy and powerful, and so Iâm sure plenty of women throw themselves at himâ¦
Sophia lost her interest in reading her notes when she came to that conclusion. She propped her chin up against her fist while she thought about him.
I wonder which brothel he is in now.
Suddenly, Sarah patted Sophiaâs shoulder from behind suddenly while cackling loudly. âHaha, I was just pulling your leg! He is busy with work! You should phone him if you miss him, or send him a text via Messenger if you are shy!â
Sophia blushed furiously, and she mumbled without meeting Sarahâs eyes, âI was just asking because Carmen misses her daddy.â
Sarah knew that being in love with someone required a sincere heart. One should love a person with their heart, not their memories.
Therefore, Sarah did not force Sophia.
If they are truly in love with each other, she would go back to him even if she has forgotten about the past.
Sarah went back home after a short visit, whereas Sophia took out her previous phone to launch her Messenger.
She hadnât used her Messenger for three years, and she didnât recognize any profile pictures in the list.
There were tens of thousands of unread messages, and so she opened them one after another to read through them.
Most of the chat histories were dated three years ago. However, those who received news of her return had been dropping her texts via Messenger every once in a while.
She found a person nicknamed âDearâ in the list. Sophia knew instinctively that the person must be Michael because he was the only starred friend in her list, and so he was always at the top of her chat list.
Michaelâs profile picture was Sophia, whereas her profile picture was him.
She opened their chat history, which was dated three years ago. She scrolled up casually, and their most recent chat history was the day she took her graduation photo. It was also the day Quinton kidnapped her.
Sophia: âHubby, look at this photo of me in a graduation gown. Do I look good?
Dear: âYou look beautiful.â
Sophia: âHubby, I think the baby kicked me just now.â
Dear: âTell her to let her mommy off the hook. She should deal with me if sheâs unhappy with something!â
Sophia: âHubby, Iâm at the entrance of the school now. Where are you?â
Dear: âTurn around. Iâm right behind you.â