âCharles." Sophia turned her head to look at him. There was a blank look in her eyes. "I may have pursued you for ten years, but the two years and one month of my life has obliterated all of my love for you."
She laughed in a self-deprecating way. Tears were flickering in her eyes. "Even after learning that you were doing it for my own good when you broke my leg and threw me into prison, I wonât feel the same affection anymore...â
"It's okay." Charles might have looked calm, but the blue veins that bulging on his neck had betrayed his emotions. "I will pursue you this time. If one year doesnât work, Iâll spend ten years, and if ten years donât work, I will spend my whole life pursuing you."
The focal point in Sophiaâs eyes was coming back. There was a complicated look in her eyes. "Charles, we are not suitable for each other at all! If you let me go, itâll be good for...â
Screech!
Bentley made a sharp turn into the next lane before pulling over at the sidewalk.
Charles pulled the handbrake, then leaned over and trapped her in the front passenger seat, staring piercingly into her eyes with his falcon-like gaze.
"Stop thinking about leaving meâit will not happen, ever!"
He pinched her chin and forced her to look at him. "Youâre the one who teased me first and stole my heart away and now youâre trying to run away?
Do you think itâs that simple?!"
"Charles Harris!" Sophia put her hands on his chest, pushing him with all her might.
Charles was infuriated by her resistance. He pinched her chin and lowered his head to kiss her. Their lips touched. The soft touch calmed his emotions a little. He pried her teeth open and went in, intertwining and dancing with hers.
The kiss came so fiercely and abruptly that Sophia was desperately trying to evade it, though every time she had backed away, he would follow closely behind and continued to entangle with her.
Her lips were burning. He sucked the root of her tongue so hard that it had turned numb. She was pressed down on her seat and could not move a muscle.
The Bentley car was eye-catching to start with. Pedestrians were coming and going on the sidewalk. Many of them turned over and stared with a strange look in their eyes when they noticed the two of them entangling with each other in the car.
Sophia could feel the heat on her face. She could not even tell whether it was from embarrassment or anger. Charles' entanglement had made it hard for her to even breathe. She reached out to push him away, but he grabbed her wrist effortlessly and pressed it behind her back.
No one knew how long they were entwined with each other when they finally stopped. Her cheeks were flushed and the anger in her eyes looked more like coquettishness in the eyes of outsiders.
Charles was breathing much heavier and quicker than usual. He looked at the slightly gentler-looking Sophia at this moment, his eyes turning deeper and deeper.
He reached out to smooth the vague hatred at the corner of her mouth away and straightened up his spine. His voice sounded slightly hoarse as he would when he was aroused. "Don't say things like you want to leave me and whatnot anymore."
"Thereâs a knot in my heart that I canât unravel." Sophia said with a frown, "Arenât you afraid that youâll waste all your kindness on me if you keep me by your side?"
Charles restarted the engine. "When you gave me all sorts of stuff when you pursued me back then, were you worried that I wouldnât like you?"
"...This isnât the same." Sophia was lost for words for a moment before saying after a long time.
Charles did not argue with her and simply said, "You don't have to feel burdened. I am treating you kindly out of my own free will. No oneâs owing anyone favors here. You can do anything as long as you donât leave me."
"You don't have to waste your time on me." Sophia said, "Weâre equal now. You don't owe me anything... well, perhaps I could say that I owe you one. Judging from your good qualities, you can easily find a wife who excels in various areas."
Charles frowned imperceptibly. "That person isnât you no matter how excellent she is."
"I would be very happy if I heard you saying these things earlier." Sophia turned her head and looked at the scenery that was zooming past the window.
"Why arenât you happy to hear it now then?" Charles said, "Do you have a crush now?"
His countenance might look the same when he asked the question, but every cell in his body was taut.
She had been hanging out a lot with Dr. Hemingway lately and had even dined at Dr. Hemingway's house several times. Then there was also Aunt Lucy acting as their matchmaker. If she had a crush, then that person would most likely be Dr. Hemingway.
Dr. Hemingway had always wanted to join an American research institute, maybe he could send him there.
At the thought of this, his tense body eased up slightly, though his heart was still pounding rapidly.
Sophia pursed her lips, not saying a word.
"Do you?" Charles asked again.
Sophia glanced at him, then looked out the window. "No."
Loving him was exhausting enough, where was she supposed to find the strength to love another man?
"Why can't you stay by my side if you donât have a crush?" Charles said, "I am more outstanding than other men and I like you. I also have the ability to make you happy and can help you solve any issues that you have with Leah. Staying by my side will be a better choice, donât you think?"
He was right, but Sophia was truly exhausted now.
In addition to that, she was also a little afraid, afraid that she would... fall in love with him again.
If she fell in love with him again, she would not have the strength to fight back anymore if he misunderstood her again or fell in love with another woman.
Being forced to work in Dream Club was one of the classic examples.
Rather than waiting for that to happen, it was better for her to stay away from him and live a peaceful life.
"Do you think you can live a peaceful life if you leave me?" Charles asked.
Sophiaâs heart fell with a thump as she clenched the hem of her shirt. This was not the first time he had accurately read her mind. Every time he did, she would feel a sense of fear as though she was standing in front of him stark naked.
Charles continued, "No matter how magnanimous Leah looks like to the public, Iâm sure you know that she is a very vengeful person. Do you think she will let you go if you leave me?
"She wonât. Like my grandpa, she doesn't fancy leaving any loose ends, and for various reasons, youâre that loose end in her eyesâa huge one too.â
"In addition to that, my grandfather is a man with stage four lung cancer. You lied to him saying that you are pregnant with my child. He will not let you leave. Then thereâs also Uncle White. He knows that I like you very much now and will definitely find a way to take you home."
Sophia's heart sank deeper with every word that he said.
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 267 It Was Hatred At First She knew very well that he was not exaggerating merely to frighten her.
"Sophia, from the very moment you said that you liked me..." Charles said slowly, "Everything has been destined to be this way."
If Sophia was just an ordinary person, Leah would certainly not regard her as a threat.
However, she was the daughter of White Industries, hence this involved the interests of various parties. Even if Leah was ready to let go, Uncle White and the board of directors in White Industries would not allow her to let go.
Leah and his grandfather knew this very well, hence they would not let Sophia go so easily either. This was an irreversible cycle.
The benefits Sophia had enjoyed from the White family and White Industries were not freeâthey came at a price. This was an inevitable fate for children like them who came from prominent families.