"So you already knew. When you were little, I brought you to Mercy Hospital to do a paternity test." Jonathan had never expected this layer of awareness.
"Yes, Father! That was the shame of my life. I don't want to go through it again—not even if I really am her biological child. I'd rather believe she abandoned me—"
Jonathan's eyes widened... His heart turned ice-cold as he listened!
"That's just how reality is. You can't have it both ways in life." Ned looked straight at his father with chilling clarity. "You can only choose one." He calmly reminded him.
Jonathan stared at his son... and suddenly realized with a shudder—he was no longer the son who once obeyed his every whim.
"If I insist on doing this, what will you do? Aren't you dating Sophie? Don't you love each other very much?" Jonathan asked in a low, heavy voice.
Ned met his father's gaze. A long, oppressive silence stretched between father and son...
"If that day ever comes, you will definitely find out the answer." That was Ned's reply.
This vague, icy answer absurdly sent a wave of threat through Jonathan—a threat laced with heaviness, heartache, and unmistakable warning!
The next day at noon, Archibald rushed to C&C and barged straight into Ned's office. "Ned?"
The room was empty!
The secretary, Hebe, recognized Archibald and hadn't stopped him. But when she saw him poking his head in like a suspicious intruder, she asked in confusion, "Can I help you with something?"
"When will your general manager be back?" Archibald was calling Ned's phone, but it was turned off. He had no choice but to step out and ask the secretary.
"I'm very sorry, I don't know," Hebe replied formulaically.
"You don't even know where he went? What if someone needs him urgently?"
"If it's urgent, you can call the general manager directly. He hasn't phoned in to inform us of his schedule," Hebe answered honestly.
Archibald threw up his hands. "His phone is off!"
Hebe gave a helpless shrug. "Then... I really don't know what to tell you. Maybe the general manager doesn't want to be disturbed today."
Archibald knew further questions were pointless and headed downstairs. He got into his flashy sports car as usual. Just as he turned the corner and approached the bus stop, he spotted a familiar figure on the roadside.
He rolled down the window, changed lanes, and called out, "Sophie—Sophie—" while slowly driving alongside the curb.
Sophie stopped walking and looked toward the road. Archibald pulled up beside her. "Get in quick—this is a no-parking zone." He pushed the passenger door open.
"You're heading to C&C, right? I just came from there. I'll take you back now." He drove a little farther, made a U-turn at the intersection.
Sophie remained silent the whole time, not initiating any conversation.
"Did Ned take you home last night?" Archibald asked her.
She nodded.
"Don't take it to heart, okay? Look, Ned even took you to that nightclub KTV. You've seen what it's like there, so you should understand about Ned—, ahem," he hurriedly explained, "Guys from families like ours live in a completely different world from ordinary people. Ned has the best family background and personal conditions among all of us. Even if he doesn't make a move, women throw themselves at him; he can't even shoo them away. But those kinds of women? He doesn't take them seriously at all." Archibald never imagined there would come a day when he'd be explaining his buddy's behavior to a girl like this.
Sophie remained silent.
"You don't believe me?" Archibald glanced at her.
Sophie shook her head.
"Then why aren't you saying anything?"
"I don't know what to say," Sophie replied woodenly.
Archibald looked at her again. Her face was so pale it made his heart ache.
The traffic light ahead turned red; he stopped the car and gazed at her with concern. "You look really unwell. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"If you're not feeling well, don't push yourself to work. Let me take you home to rest."
Sophie shook her head. "No need. I really am fine. I have to go to work."
Archibald stared painfully at the girl he had always liked. A sour feeling welled up in his chest. If the light hadn't turned green, he might not have snapped out of it.
Realizing that the feelings he had been suppressing were stirring again, he warned himself that this was wrong—he forced himself to focus on driving.
Soon they arrived at C&C. After parking the car, Archibald finally said, "Talk to Ned properly, okay?"
"Thank you for the ride." Sophie unbuckled her seatbelt, said nothing more, and reached for the door.
Suddenly Archibald reached out and grasped both her hands. "Don't do this, Sophie. It hurts me to see you like this." It was an instinctive move; the next second he reluctantly let go. "If you're upset, cry, scream, let it out—anything. Just don't bottle it up like this, please?" He took a deep breath.
"Thank you." Sophie's face remained expressionless. She spoke the words flatly, then got out of the car.
Archibald watched her walk into the C&C building. He sat stunned in the driver's seat for a long time before coming back to himself. Then, heavy-hearted, he started the engine and drove away. He had specially taken leave from the business department leader today just to have a serious talk with Ned. Since he couldn't find him at the hotel where he worked and his phone was off, the only option left was to go to Ned's house.
From a distance, Ned spotted Archibald's sports car approaching. Today he hadn't taken the driver; he had driven himself in a brand-new sports car and was just pulling into the garage.
"Ned! Your phone's been off all day?" Archibald got out of his car as soon as he parked.
"Yeah, I forgot to turn it on. What brings you here?" Ned rolled down his window.
"Get out of the car. I need to talk to you." Archibald frowned, clearly displeased.
Ned hesitated for a moment, then stepped out as if nothing had happened. "Don't tell me you came all the way here because of Sophie."
"You've been acting really weird lately! Did something happen? Why are you treating Sophie like this? Last night you went way too far!"
"What could possibly be wrong with me? I'm swamped with company stuff; you know that better than anyone." Ned's tone was icy.
"How can you say nothing's wrong? You're not gonna keep it from me too, are you? What the hell is going on between you and Sophie?" Archibald was getting upset.
Ned pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "None of your business. Bro, you're sticking your nose in too deep."
"Last night, why did you call her over when there were women all over you? I'm telling you, that was deliberate! Sophie isn't one of those club girls. Stop hurting her!"
Ned exhaled a cloud of smoke, giving no other reaction.
Archibald glared at him. "Ned, you—"
Ned said coolly, "Just making a few more friends, having fun together. What's the big deal?" He let out a mocking laugh. "You act like you know her better than I do. She's the one who said she wanted to understand me more. Wasn't I generous enough? I let her see everything."
"What the hell are you playing at? What woman wouldn't lose her mind after seeing a scene like last night?" Archibald scoffed. "What's wrong with you? Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Sounds like you're the one who's heartbroken now. What, itching to say 'I'll take her back' again?" Ned opened the car door. "I don't have time to talk about women today."
"Ned, I just saw her—she looked awful!" Archibald leaned against the car window. "I went to C&C and couldn't find you. On my way back, I saw her walking alone near the bus stop, so I gave her a ride. She looked completely drained."
"Oh, so you saw her just now." Ned paused, lifting his eyes to glance at Archibald. "Since when do you care so much about my woman?" Then he started the engine.
"Ned!" Archibald shouted after him.
The window rolled up. Ned ignored him and floored the accelerator.
"Shit!" Archibald cursed under his breath, watching the car speed away.
Sophie hadn't even reached the office. She took the elevator back down and walked straight out of the building. She wasn't going to work today.
"Hey, are you free? I want to see you," she said, her voice unnaturally calm. "I need to talk to you. Can you come meet me?"
Ned had just pulled onto the main road when he turned his phone back on and immediately got Sophie's call. "You're supposed to be at work today."
"I know, but—" Sophie looked around, unable to come up with another excuse.