The elevator dinged as soon as her voice fell. She entered the elevator with a charming smile hanging on the corner of her lips.
Sophia glanced at the thermos barrel in her hand, the corners of her mouth pursed much tighter now. Then, she trudged to the elevator.
The Jones siblings were dog poo that she could not wait to keep away from, whereas Charles was a vicious dog that had nearly bitten her to death several times now. She hated him and wanted to kill him, but under his sharp claws, she was forced to yield lest she got ripped into pieces.
The hospital was crowded. The eyes of an old man with an amputated left arm, an artificial calf, and a wrinkly face lit up when he spotted Sophia. He then patted the young man next to him who was also disabled and pointed in Sophia's direction.
Another pair of eyes lit up.
The two held each other and walked with strange steps toward Sophia, stopping her in her tracks.
Sophia looked up and saw two unfamiliar faces. One was about 60 or 70 years old with a face full of wrinkles, whereas the other was about 30 or 40 years old with fine lines on the corners of his eyes and tanned skin.
Although the two were of different ages, they were both disabled. Their clothes might look neat, but they were starting to turn white from excessive washing. On their feet were black and inexpensive cloth shoes that were not normally seen.
Their attire made them look like beggars, or perhaps swindlers who would go âMissy, I need a few bucks for travel expenses, can you lend me some moneyâ.
Sophia took another glance at the two of them and was certain that she did not know them. "How can I help you?"
Thump!
The two of them did not say a word. After exchanging glances with each other, they knelt to the ground straight away. Their movements were so big that they caught the attention of other people around them as they looked strangely at them.
Sophia frowned but did not help them up, neither did she say a word to them. She simply stared at them with a lukewarm gaze.
"Don't get us wrong!" At the sight of her expression, the middle-aged man waved at her twice and said in broken Mandarin, "Weâre neither beggars nor swindlers. Weâre fellow countrymen who have received your help and just wanted to say thank you!"
The older man wiped his tears and spoke in a dialect that Sophia could not understand.
"I haven't helped any countrymen at all. You got the wrong person," Sophia said in a mild tone before turning around to walk away with the thermos barrel in her hand.
The middle-aged man helped the old man up in a haste, then half-limped and half-trotted to Sophia. He said as quickly as he could, "We are really not swindlers. We just happened to bump into you and want to say thank you!"
His tanned face was suffused with crimson color under Sophiaâs suspicious gaze. âWeâre just here to work as unskilled workersâwhat you call construction workers. The building collapsed and wounded us, even killing some, but our boss just took off like that!"
"If you hadnât sold the gifts you received from your birthday party and donated the money to us, we wouldnât even have the money to receive medical treatment, let alone get an artificial leg! Let me kowtow to you again!"
He was about to kneel down as he spoke.
Sophia thought for a while and recalled that she had indeed asked Aunt Harris to sell all the gifts she received for the birthday party to donate the money to the disabled.
She placed the thermos barrel on the ground and bent over to help the middle-aged man up. "You donât have to thank me. I still have things to do.
Would you excuse me?"
Sophia did not take credit for her actions nor did she stay to listen to the praises showered upon her by the onlookers. She bent down to pick up the thermos barrel from the ground and lined up at the elevator.
"Come, switch places with me, young girl. You can stand here!" The tall and plump woman was loud. She yanked Sophia to the front of the line straight away and moved to the back of the line herself. She gave a thumbs-up to those around her. "This young lady is beautiful inside-out. Simply awesome!"
Those around her echoed the womanâs opinion, all of which were praises for Sophia.
Sophia got into the elevator and could still see the two disabled countrymen waving vigorously at her, wearing thankful grins on their faces.
As she stared at them, the corners of her mouth slowly curved upward and a subtle smile lit up her eyes.
Charles' ward was a VIP ward on the 12th floor. Sophia stood at the door for a long time before slowly lifting her hand to knock on the door.
"Come in." Charles' cold and chilly voice came through the door.
Sophia looked at the door and licked her dry lips. She then pushed the door open and walked in.
Charles' dark eyes flashed when he saw her coming in. He quickly put away the item in his hands that he was playing with. No matter how fast he was at putting it away, she still caught sight of what it was. He was playing with her jade pendant. The same jade pendant that should have been in the hands of the former manager.
Sophia pursed her lips and suppressed the hatred in the depths of her heart. She walked to the side of the table and set the thermos barrel on the table. "Marie still has things to deal with, so she sent me here instead."
Many people were dismissed from yesterday's affairs. She still had no idea what Charles would do to her. Surely he would not dismiss her as she would be âgetting off easyâ.
"Mm." Charles hummed. He paused his gaze on her and did not say another word.
Sophia felt uncomfortable all over whenever he was around. She lowered her head and stood with her tense back for more than 20 minutes. It was only until her palms were soaked with sweat did she say, "If thereâs nothing else, Mr. Harris, then I will..."
"I'm hungry." Charles glanced at her slightly and cut her off. He then put the jade pendant on his neck again.
Sophia frowned but did not move.
Charles held the bed for support with one hand and sat up on the bed. "Pour me a bowl of chicken soup."
"... Okay." Sophia suppressed the rage that was nearly bursting out of her and muttered a response.
She did not get it. He had just thrown her out in the corridor butt naked yesterday, so how was he able to act as though nothing had happened when he was right in front of her?
Sophia held the chicken soup absentmindedly and walked toward him, bending over to hand the chicken soup over to him.
Charles did not take the chicken soup. His eyes fell on the red spot around her neck instead. His gaze immediately darkened. His well-defined fingers rested on her neck as he asked in a slightly cool voice, "How did this happen?"
The cold sensation on her neck made Sophia tremble all over. She straightened up and pulled up her collar, covering the mark without making a sound.
She did not want to explain to him nor was she obliged to explain to him.
In any case, his attitude toward her would still be the same whether she explained it to him or not.
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 117 Please Behave Yourself, Mr. Jones "Sophia." The sight of her nonchalant expression seemed to have clogged his chest area with water-soaked cotton. He undid a button, yet that did not seem to ease his breathing. "I'm asking you a question."
Sophia's eyelashes trembled. She raised her head and glanced at him, then quickly lowered her head again. "Is there a rule in the club that specifies that the employee must answer her superiorâs interrogation? If not, then I refuse to answer this question."
Charles locked his hawk-like gaze on her. His voice deepened. "Sophia White."
His fingers that were placed on the bed began tapping unconsciously.
Sophia raised her head again but did not lower it this time. "Actually, you donât need to raise your voice. I have good hearing and can hear you perfectly well. May I know why you have called my name?â
The corners of her lips curled slightly.
In the past, she had acted submissively in order to please him but all to no avail. Surprisingly, the fury, suppression, and hatred flowing in her body felt a strange sense of thrill at the sight of his darkened complexion.
He was probably about to drive her crazy.