Of course, Michael would never tell her about the gruelling parts, as it would be better to allow her to assume that her dog simply died of old age. The dog was her only friend who got killed for protecting her, and was made into soup after that. After that, its bones were retrieved by Sophia from the bin before being put together and buried in a tiny grave she dug for it. The trauma scarred her for life, but fortunately, she had forgotten all about it.
After listening to the story, Sophia heaved a sigh. âTheyâre just our furry babiesâ¦â Petsâ lives were so short, while humans had lifespans that were so much longer than theirs, so it could be considered fate for one to be able to encounter his or her own âfurry babyâ. Thus, it was all the more reason why Sophia decided to offer the best she could to the pets she encountered.
Caressing Judgeâs head, she could smell the fragrance of shampoo as well as feel the smoothness of its fur from its recent shower. Judge was around five to six years old by that point, so since huskies had an average lifespan of under twenty years, she didnât have much time left with Judge.
Michael changed the topic after that. âMy movie will be released the week after this, but there will be a premiere before that. Would you like to join us?â Being an actor had its merits seeing that he had at least gotten a superb reason to ask a girl out.
However, Sophia turned down his offer after some thought. âI think Iâll wait for the release, as I prefer to watch it on a big screen in the cinema. It would be great if the seats are all filled up. I like it when the audience cheers for a good movie.â
Taken aback, Michael hung his head low while being on the brink of tears upon realizing that his chica was the same as before, and she hadnât changed at all. Michael hung around until afternoon when Stanley, Sean and Maddie came over for an exclusive interview about Judge.
As the main character behind the incident with Faye, Judge was the reason why Pourl lost fifty million, as well as the reason why Faye had to face lawsuits against her for tax evasion and scamming. Therefore, fans of Faye tracked Judge down through their combined efforts, going as far as to crowdfund to have Teddy rape Judge. It was under such circumstances that Judge rose to fame, eventually becoming one of the most well-known dogs with the highest net worth in the world.
However, though Judgeâs action of biting Faye caused Pourl to lose fifty million, the level of fame they gained due to it far outweighed their financial loss; even spending fifty million on celebrity endorsements might not necessarily guarantee a similar outcome. Thus, Maddie figured she could do an interview about Judge to add to Pourlâs fame.
As soon as the interview began, Judge barked nonstop as if announcing that it never bit anyone to begin with. Despite having chewed on sofas, chairs, beds, toilet lids and TVs, Judge didnât seem to recall ever biting anyone. It almost sounded like Judge was denouncing Fayeâs claims for having been bitten, while Sophia was simply strung along.
Maddie asked a few more questions regarding Judgesâ daily life, to which Stanley replied in detail, allowing the interview to go on smoothly. However, when Maddie was about to leave when they were done with it, Sophiaâs bodyguard reported to them, âMiss Irene Weber is downstairs.â
Not only was her presence unexpected, but none of them knew if she was after Maddie or Michael. Even Maddie was disgruntled about her arrival, as Irene had been constantly dropping by to harass both Joel and her. Whenever Joel was away from home for military duties, Irene would harass Maddie by hurling insults at her in front of her house. The fact that Irene would even come to Sophiaâs shop was unexpected. âIâll go chase her away!â Maddie volunteered.
On the other hand, Joel knew Maddie was often being harassed by Irene, but he also acknowledged the fact that she didnât like to have a bodyguard following her around. Thus, he adopted two retired army dogs that she could bring along with her to work, which were with her at the moment. However, Sophia held her back. âThat wonât be necessary. I can handle her.â
In the meantime, Irene was waiting downstairs, knowing that Michael was upstairs, orbiting around that wench, Scarlett as usual. She decided she would make everybodyâs life difficult, because she could easily get awayâeven from Mark Fletcherâdue to her parentsâ status as fallen heroes.
Soon, Sophia showed up wearing a pair of sunglasses and having a lion beside her. Upon noticing Ireneâs presence, she walked toward Irene with the lion in tow, which shocked Irene so much that she ran away shuddering. It wasnât until then that she led Barney onto the car to head back home with Michael tagging along.
Not even Michael could do anything about Irene. âShe is the daughter of fallen heroes. Both her parents sacrificed themselves for the country, so she was left orphaned when she was a child. Although the Fletchers adopted herâ¦â
The Fletchers treated Irene as one of their own, providing her with all the necessary resources to become the best singer in the military. However, her low self-esteem caused her to fixate on the dream of becoming a true Fletcher by being listed on their family tree. If she could be more firm in her stance back then, she wouldâve already married Michael and their children wouldâve been in high school by now. Yet, she chose Joel instead of Michael, only to be shunned by Joel with the only reason of him having no feelings for her.
It was tricky for Michael to deal with Irene, as he couldnât just cast her aside like how Joel did, and that was precisely why Irene was able to do as she pleased. Michaelâs relationship with Sophia hadnât seen much progress, so he didnât want Ireneâs presence to affect their relationship. Meanwhile, Sophia knew full well who Irene was, but she issued a harsh warning nonetheless. âWhile you did owe her something, I donât, so I will treat her the same way I did Faye if she ever crosses me.â
At the mention of Faye, Sophia was reminded that the movie Faye was starring in was still being promoted, and it would be released on the same day as Michaelâs. Also, Fayeâs wedding with Vincent would happen within a few days on a private island that the Mitchells owned. Sure enough, it was common practice among celebrities to draw attention by publicizing either their wedding or breakup. After a round of advertisements and promotional activities, Fayeâs movie was currently the trending topic, which was expected to gross at least 1.5 billion.
Faye and Vincentâs wedding was the hottest topic of the season, with the media either portraying them as a fairytale couple, or focusing on the fact that the Mitchells had settled Fayeâs two court cases, which indicated just how important Faye was to Vincent. All in all, the wedding received a lot of attention from the public.
On the other hand, though Alex sent Cooper an invitation, the latter turned it down as he wasnât interested. As a major event for both the Edwards and the Mitchells, the wedding was in fact a stage to show off their financial prowess and familial status to their opponents. However, it would be pointless if their opponents werenât even there to witness their achievements.
Upon arriving home, Sophia got a call from Faye. âScarlett, you must attend Vincent and my wedding that will happen in three days! He told me youâre a member of our family, so you have to attend such an important event! Our wedding would be incomplete without your presence!â
Sophia could hear the pride in Fayeâs cute voice over the phone when the latter began describing her supposed wedding. âMy wedding will be held on a private island that Vincent and I own! The ceremony will last three days, with invitations being sent to upper class people such as government officials and people of noble statuses. By right, people like you would never even get to set foot on it, but since youâre a Mitchell, we will make an exception for you!â