Chapter 992



It was a long way down from the second floor, but Sophie took a deep breath and jumped.

Luckily, she landed on a balcony below.

Sophie’s feet stung, but she didn’t stop. She quickly climbed over the railing and ran toward the backyard.

Just as Sophie was about to reach the door, a figure stepped out of the shadows.

“Sophie, it’s late. Why aren’t you in your room? Where are you going?”

It was Clayton. He materialized out of thin air, like a phantom in the darkness.

Sophie gasped and stumbled back, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at Clayton.

“Clayton, please,” she whimpered, her voice shaking.

“Let me go. I’m just a kid.”

Clayton’s friendly facade crumbled. He sighed.

“Sophie, it’s not that I don’t want to let you go, but if I do, you will tell your mom about all those things I’ve done, making my future with her impossible.”

Clayton smiled gently, trying to appear kind and reassuring as always.

But Sophie wasn’t fooled. Terror gripped her as Clayton slowly walked toward her, each step sending shivers down her spine.

Clayton pressed on, his voice tense with urgency.

“Furthermore, Sophie, if you don’t proceed with this exchange obediently, your mother will be in danger. Do you genuinely want something to happen to her? Remember, she has always been kind to her. Yet, here you are, sitting by and watching her suffer. How can you be so utterly heartless?”

Sophie clenched her jaw, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Stop trying to manipulate me, Clayton. If things were different, I wouldn’t hesitate to do anything just to ensure my mother’s safety, even if it means putting myself at risk. But I see through your schemes. You have hidden agendas.”

Seeing his facade falter, Sophie challenged him.

“Clayton, since I’ve seen through your true colors, why not lay all your cards on the table? What is it that you truly desire?”

For a brief moment, Clayton’s face contorted with anger, his voice laced with bitterness as he responded, “I just can’t fathom it. Haven’t I devoted myself to your mother all these years? I’ve even risked my life for her. Why won’t she be with me? Does she look down on me? Perhaps if I could take control of the Reeves Group, she might view me differently.”

Sophie shook her head in dismay.

“You’re mistaken. She rejects you simply because she doesn’t harbor feelings for you. Her heart would remain unchanged even if you became the most exceptional man on earth. Love can’t be forced. Even I, much younger than you, grasp this simple truth. Don’t you understand?”

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