"Do you know how rare this dinner party is, Mom?" Leah was aggrieved as she had never been reprimanded by her family before.
Madam Jones said anxiously, "Of course I know that, but you arenât supposed to come no matter how important this is! Now everyone knows that you are a vicious person who has set your best friend up and has also offended Master Harris... How will your dad and I face other guests now that youâre here?"
Mr. Harris came over as well and echoed, "Leah, you should listen to your mother. You have always been clever and sensible. Why have you become muddle-headed when it comes to major things like that?"
Mr. Jones looked like an outsider when the two stood together. However, he did not say anything as he was already used to scenarios like that a long time ago.
Leah was stunned for a long time before snapping back to her senses. She said incredulously, "You think Iâm embarrassing you, Mom?"
"Itâs not a matter of whether youâre embarrassing me or not," Madam Jones said with a stern tone and severe countenance, "This child. Why canât you tell whatâs good and whatâs bad? You should be focusing on rehabilitation right now and get yourself ready for the matchmaking appointments instead of showing up here!"
Leah lowered her head. Her eyes were still red, but she did not say a word.
Nothing she said right now would matter.
"Thatâs enough. You shouldnât stay here any longer. If your grandpa and the rest find out about this, then they will only think that youâre getting insensible the older you get!" Madam Jones said, "I still need to meet a few good friends so Iâll be making a move now! You need to hurry up and go home too!"
Having said that, she called the waiter, took a glass of red wine, and walked off with a smile toward a group of people standing next to them.
Mr. Harris followed behind her at every step and even tucked her hair behind her ear in a thoughtful manner. Madam Jones did not refuse and simply grumbled a word or two in a flirtatious manner.
"Leah, you are a clever person. You know how to make the best choice." Mr. Jones patted her shoulder gently. "Charles isnât for you. He is not the only outstanding person out there. You don't have to put all your eggs in one basket and put your life on the line.â
Leah raised her head and gazed at him. "What if I insist? What will you do, Dad?"
"I will make the same choice as your grandfather and the rest." Mr. Jones said, "Leah, you are still young. You have great wisdom, but youâre too ambitious."
"You are still young so you may not understand. The most unreliable thing in this world is the human heart, whereas the most reliable thing is yourself. The most reliable thing will be the one thatâs in your grip."
Leah paused before saying, "I understand."
The human heart is the most unreliable thing, no?
Her grandparents, parents, brother, and her former friends were all avoiding her now, were they not? She had always understood this principle, but she was still shocked by how quickly they had changed their attitude!
"Iâm glad you understand. Donât stay too late and go home." Mr. Jones patted her shoulder gently and walked towards Madam Jones and the rest holding a glass of red wine.
At the sight of the trio coexisting in harmony, an ironic arc formed at the corner of Leahâs mouth.
Dad was right. She could only rely on herself. Only by having everything in her grip, would she be able to do whatever she wanted just like Master Harris!
When Ryleigh passed by, she was startled by the look on her face and said in a hurry, "Leah, I really donât know that Sophia would see my WeChat Moments. You can't blame me for that! If you have told me before you set Sophia up, then I-I-I definitely wouldnât have posted that video in my WeChat Moments!"
"Why are you scared of her?" Elaine said disdainfully, "She offended Master Harris. She will probably be in a much worse state than Sophia next time."
She dragged Ryleigh away.
Ryleigh was still protesting. "But she looked really scary just now. If she set me up like how she set Sophia up, my life will be over!"
"Sheâs so lame. Even her family is giving her the cold shoulder right now. Why are you so afraid of her?"
Gradually, their voices drifted further and further away.
Leah took a few deep breaths and reminded herself to stay calm. Even so, she found it impossible to remain calm. A series of things that followed made her feel as though she was on the verge of breaking down!
With a wave of her hand, she knocked several glasses on the table to the ground.
The glasses fell to the ground with a crash.
Several waiters rushed over to clean it up.
"My apologies. I felt a little dizzy just now so I accidentally hit the table and dropped these glasses." Leah squatted on the ground, picking up the pieces on the ground with a guilty look on her face.
*
Yvette had a social circle of her own. After reminding Sophia not to mingle with people like Madam Johnson, she left with a group of people who came over to see her.
"Your phoneâs vibrating." Charles handed the mobile phone to Sophia. She had activated the feature to display the message content on the screen, hence he could read it even if the phone was unlocked. Despite that, he still resisted the urge to read it.
Sophia took the phone and unlocked it, finding it hilarious when she noticed him glancing in her direction then looked away from time to time.
She darted a perfunctory glance and said, "Itâs from Dr. Hemingway."
"Oh." Charles picked up the glass and took a sip. "You don't have to tell me, I won't get jealous for no reason."
Sophia looked at the already empty glass and could not help but laugh. "What are you doing now then? Are you drinking the air?"
Charles glanced at the empty glass in his hand and put it on the table as though he was perfectly fine. His earlobes, however, were slightly crimson.
"Would you like to read it?" Sophia shook her mobile phone.
Charles glanced at the phone, his throat rolled slightly. Then, he retracted his gaze. â...No.â
Ever since he confessed his feelings for her, she had been mad at him several times because he had interfered too much in her life, showing not enough respect for her.
Sophia responded with an âOhâ, then began reading the message herself and typing her response, ignoring him completely.
Charles took a hurried glance at her mobile phone screen. He could not read the contents, but he could see that there were a lot of words on it.
Both Sophia and Victor had typed equally many words.
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 332 Youâre Right, Mom Were there so many things for them to talk about?
When Sophia was done replying to the messages, she put her phone away and turned to look at him. He withdrew his gaze calmly and looked at the crowd not far away.
"Here." Sophia handed the phone to him.
Charles, however, did not take it this time. "Give it to me when we get back. It doesnât really matter if you hold on to it for a while."
Knowing that another man was texting her yet he could not read the messages and had no choice but to give the mobile phone to her so she could reply to that manâs text... This was not a great feeling at all.
Like what Zachary said, he never thought that he would become the person who wanted to read a womanâs text, wanting to keep her away so he would be the only one who was allowed to look at her!
"I think my mother is suffering from severe depression. Dr. Hemingway recommended me to a psychiatrist and his last name is Sanders. Dr. Sanders was told to go on a business trip on short notice, so he will only be able to treat my mother in a few more days. We were talking about this just now."
Sophia could never guess what he was thinking about, nor could she detect anything from his facial expression. Even so, she still gave a brief explanation lest he misunderstood anything.
"You don't have to explain it to me. I'm not an unreasonable person." Charles rubbed her head. The corners of his lips curved upward subtly. "Give me the phone. I think itâs best that you stay further away from it."
Sophia took out her mobile phone and handed it to him.
Just as they thought that the atmosphere was slightly pleasant, Sawyer approached them with a glass of wine in his hand and said sarcastically, "Yo, Mr. Harris and Ms. White. You guys are really close, arenât you?"