Leahâs face turned paler with every word that Charles said. For someone who always had a way with words, she could not find a single word to say at this very moment.
"I still have things to do. Goodbye." Charles glanced at Leah indifferently and walked to the door.
"Charles," Leah called out to him with a dazed look on her face. "Do you not regret your choice?"
Charles turned back to look at her. "Whether I regret or not has nothing to do with you."
"Does it really have nothing to do with me?" Leah chuckled with unknown implications, like she was going through the vicissitudes of life, yet sounded somewhat depressed, and at the same time, carrying a trace of undetectable hatred.
Charles stared intently at her but made no reply. He walked out of the cinema and hailed a cab to return to the company.
In the companyâs lobby, Sterling was slouched on the couch like an upset-looking half-mummy, while Nicole was sitting next to him, playing with her mobile phone.
The receptionist looked like she has seen her savior when she saw Charles. "Youâre finally here, Mr. Harris!"
She stole a glance at Sterling and Nicole and whispered, "Mr. White and Mrs. White came very early in the morning and demanded you to hand over Ms. White..."
"Mm." Charles handed his briefcase to the receptionist. "Leave the rest to me."
The receptionist had been waiting for him to say these words. She hurried away eagerly with the briefcase in her hands.
"Where did you take Soph to?" Sterling tried to stand up, but as soon as his bottom left the seat, Nicole pressed him down again.
He could not help but feel like he was one head shorter than Charles if he looked up at him like that.
Charles replied, "Bamboo Virtues Village. Sheâs staying with me."
"B*stard!" Sterling grabbed his crutch and was about to hit Charles with it.
Charles had just thrown Soph out naked some time ago and was now forcing Soph to stay with him. What did he take her for? Did he take Soph for a pet, toying with her as he likes and kicking her once he tires of her?!
Charles tilted his head slightly and caught the oncoming crutch with his hand, uttering a sentence slowly, "You have swift limbs but a slow head."
As the scuffle was slightly loud, some employees looked over but were only brave enough to sneak several glances.
Mr. Dennis Logan, the vice president came over and caught sight of this scene and ordered his subordinates to send the employees away except for the receptionists. He did not stay around either and left after greeting Charles.
"What did you say?!" Sterling asked with a dark look on his face.
Charles let go of the crutch and said flatly, "Brainless."
He only knew how to use his fists whenever something happened. He would not be able to protect Sophia well if he entrusted her to him. Leah could manipulate him and hold him in the palm of her hand easily.
Sterling had always found him an eyesore, after hearing his criticism right now, rage shot straight to his head as he opened his mouth preparing to hurl abuses at him.
"Stop giving Soph any more trouble!" Nicole twisted his ear to warn him and pressed him down.
Sterling wilted at once, punching the cast on his leg in frustration.
"Mr. Harris." Nicole tried her best to sound pleasant. "Soph told me that the misunderstandings between you and her have been resolved and that youâre her boyfriend now.
âI think that Soph isnât in a good mental state lately. Can you let her stay with us for some time to let her rest?"
Neither she nor Sterling could do anything. After discussing with each other, they both agreed to negotiate with Mr. Harris, hoping that he would let Sophia stay with them for a period of time.
"No." Charles refused without the slightest hesitation without making any attempts to do it tactfully.
Sterling was a short-tempered man. As soon as he heard what Charles said, he picked up his crutch and pointed it straight at Charles. "Charles, you tortured Soph because of a misunderstanding. Now that the misunderstanding is resolved, why do you still refuse to let her go! Is your heart even human?!"
"You can go to Bamboo Virtues Village to see her or ask her out if you miss her. However, if you want her to stay with youânever." Charles glanced at the time, ordered the receptionists to attend to the couple courteously, and went upstairs with his briefcase.
Sterling refused to take it lying down. He wanted to go upstairs to confront Charles. If his sister was going to live a hard life, then he would not let this b*stard have it easy either!
However, Nicole barred his way. "Mr. Harris was right. Youâre brainless!"
Sterling did not care when Charles called him brainless, but now that his wife was also calling him brainless... Sigh. Whatever!
"You will only increase Mr. Harrisâ dissatisfaction towards Soph if you pester him right now." Nicole sighed and said with a gloomy countenance, "Letâs step back and watch first. If it doesnât work... then weâll just send Soph away."
However, Mr. Harris would certainly not let them off if they sent Soph away.
*
Sophia did not return to Bamboo Virtues Village but asked the driver to take her to a job fair instead. She could not stay with Charles all the time. She needed to look for a job to sustain herself when she left him.
When she arrived at the job fair, she paid the fare and got out of the car.
There was a lot of clamor in the job fair. Everywhere, recruiters could be seen talking to applicants. As soon as Sophia entered, someone asked her with a grin, "What sort of job are you looking for, Miss?"
"I'm just taking a look. Thank you," Sophia said.
She went round and round. Many were recruiting programmers, designers, and accountants. She had no knowledge of any of these areas.
Sophia walked further and found an educational institution recruiting classical dance teachers. She stopped in her tracks and looked at the recruitment poster. She could not move her feet.
"Are you interested in applying?" The recruiter smiled and said, "We pay well. Three months of internship with a monthly salary of three thousand five thousand bucks. When you become a full-time employee, the basic salary will be six thousand bucks including food and accommodation, five social insurance, and one housing fund. If you perform well, there will also be a variable pay of three to six thousand bucks."
Sophia forced herself to look away. "Iâm just looking around, thank you."
"You look young. Are you shy?" The recruiter said in an understanding manner, "Don't be nervous, just treat this as a normal dance practice. You can just show us a portion of your dance."
"If youâre embarrassed to dance because there are too many people around, then leave us your resume and we will notify you if youâre shortlisted for the interview. Itâs fine if you didnât bring a resume either, you can leave us your contact information too.â
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 195 Why Are You Behaving Like A Hoodlum The recruiter was extremely enthusiastic. The classical dance teacher in their academy had resigned without warning, hence they were anxious to hire someone.
Unfortunately, none of the candidates that they had interviewed before were suitable. The principal gave them a week to fill up the position.
"Itâs fine, thank you. Iâm just taking a look." Sophia hid her right leg behind her subconsciously, pursing her lips hard. She then walked in the opposite direction without giving the recruiter a chance to speak.
Behind her, a rather startled voice was heard coming from the recruiterâs directionâ
"Oh, sheâs actually disabled..."
That voice was not loud. In fact, it was rather soft. To Sophia, however, it sounded like thunder booming in her ears. Blood drained from her face at once. She clenched her fist, lowered her head, and hurried forward, but ended up bumping into someone by accident.
"Iâm sor..." Sophia apologized in a haste but swallowed her unfinished words back in when she saw who she bumped into.
âWilliam!