Scott Livinus lowered his gaze and didn’t respond immediately.
Not having entered Sophia’s room in two years?
That wasn’t exactly wrong. That one wild night, with the bloodstain on the sheets, had told him everything.
Because of that, he’d initially thought he had the wrong person, believing it couldn’t possibly be Sophia.
Livinus picked up a card and let out a cold laugh. “Where did such a ridiculous rumor come from? But Tony, you did get one thing right…”
“Hmm?”
“My nephew’s eyesight must really be crooked!”
The others exchanged glances, each with a faint smile. When they looked up, Scott Livinus remained serious as ever, with no sign of amusement.
Perhaps even he hadn’t realized how biased he was when it came to Sophia.
As the party ended, Nancy pushed Sophia out the door, smiling as she instructed Scott Livinus:
“Brother Scott, I’m entrusting Sophia to you. Please make sure she gets home safely!”
Livinus Scott, with his hands in his pockets, nodded in agreement.
After farewells and receiving thanks from Tony, the driver finally headed toward the Scott family home.
The night was deep, the sky a blanket of darkness.
As they left behind the deafening music and distant noise, Sophia felt a calming quiet settle over her heart.
Neither spoke the whole way back, but as Sophia was about to get out of the car, Scott suddenly spoke: “Thank you!”
Sophia shrugged. “Since you gave me the formula for the hemorrhoid ointment earlier, I guess we’re even!”
Sophia entered the house, ready to retire for the night, only to find the living room filled with people from the Scott family.
Olivia was there, too.
She sat beside Andrea, looking every bit the perfect daughter-in-law, gentle and obedient.
Andrea was visibly upset. No matter how many times she called or how many fainting spells she staged, Scott Richard still hadn’t returned her calls. At this point, he was surely with the other woman, and Andrea’s mood couldn’t be worse.
Henry and Olivia tried to comfort her.
“Mom, don’t be upset. Henry and I are on your side! We’ll always have only one mom, and you’ll always be the lady of this house!” Olivia said, aligning herself with Andrea.
Andrea’s expression softened a bit.
But Sophia couldn’t hold back a mocking smile.
“Olivia, do you even feel qualified to comfort others? As a mistress yourself, what right do you have to stand here comforting the legitimate wife? Why don’t you wash up and get to bed already!”
The comment left Olivia’s face burning with embarrassment. She glanced at Andrea and saw a flicker of suspicion in her eyes.
“Sophia, keep your mouth shut! I’m carrying a Scott family child! I—”
“Oh, right. I wonder if the other mistress out there is using the same tactic. After all, that’s what mistresses do: they start off playing nice, and eventually, they make their way into the main house. If you can win your mother-in-law’s favor and take the legitimate wife’s place, what’s stopping her from doing the same? Every word you say as comfort now sounds like a joke! It has no credibility!”
Andrea’s look of disgust became even more pronounced, and a deep sense of unease crept in.
Though Sophia’s words were harsh, they weren’t without reason. Andrea had always clashed with the old lady. If she could come to like Olivia more than Sophia, what was stopping the old lady from preferring Scott Richard’s mistress over Andrea? Besides, Andrea wasn’t irreplaceable among her husband’s numerous daughters-in-law.
Realizing this, Andrea felt a chill down her spine. Now, the only person she could truly rely on in this family wasn’t her husband, nor her in-laws, but her own son.
“Mom, it’s not like that. I’m different from that mistress…”
“Enough!” Andrea said impatiently. “Go home already! I’ve had enough stress tonight without you adding to it!”
Olivia’s face darkened, but she quickly concealed it, putting on a meek expression and saying, “Alright, I’ll go then. Take care, Mom!”
After she left, Sophia feigned innocence and asked with a smile, “It’s late. Dad hasn’t come back yet?”
Andrea’s lips turned purple from anger.
“But then again, it’s no big deal. Men are all like this! They say, ‘Like father, like son.’ If Henry is like this, it looks like Dad isn’t far behind. It’s a shame, really, for you, Mom.” She continued in a tone that seemed genuinely concerned for Andrea. “It seems Mom will have to experience the lonely nights now. What can you do? To face this kind of trouble past the age of fifty… Mom, you really should learn from me—relax and let it go!”
Each of Sophia’s sentences hit Andrea right where it hurt, leaving her speechless.
“Alright, I’m heading to bed. If you need tips on coping, feel free to ask.”
Waving her hand, Sophia headed upstairs without looking back.
The sounds of the argument finally died down downstairs, and Livinus couldn’t help but think that Sophia was quite the fighter.
Opening a drawer, he found a small white drone lying inside.
This drone was a newly developed model from abroad, just delivered to his home. It was his latest fascination.
That day was his first test flight, and he happened to see Sophia jogging, so he decided to use her as his subject to test the drone’s photo and video functions. He hadn’t expected her to flip him off, nor had he expected her to mutter so many threats at it!
Livinus opened his phone to a photo he’d taken with the drone. After carefully framing and cropping, he’d captured a scene behind the Scott family mansion. The scenery was beautiful, but it couldn’t compare to the jogger in the photo—dressed in a vibrant green sports outfit, she looked full of life.
She possessed a unique beauty—healthy and full of energy, something rarely seen.
It was a refreshing kind of beauty. Having grown accustomed to delicate women, seeing someone like her radiating health and vitality was like encountering a tree standing tall and proud, with her own perspective and elegance.
After that, he’d come to believe that women should be like that!
He’d intentionally guided her into catching Scott Richard in his scandalous moment, expecting her to show the photo to Scott Richard and push for a quicker divorce.
Unexpectedly, she’d shown the photo to Andrea instead.
Livinus leaned back in his chair and slowly closed his eyes.
For the next few days, Sophia was busy with preparations for the new school year. Soon, she would begin her fifth-year internship, and if everything went as planned, she would be working at a local traditional medicine hospital, rotating through various departments.
Naturally, she wasn’t thrilled with the idea of doing beginner-level work, given that in her past life, she’d become a nationally recognized doctor by age thirty.
Though her supervising professor was much older, he might not necessarily have the same level of expertise as she did.
It felt like sending a skilled gamer to play Tetris—a game that could be played, but was utterly dull!
But she had no choice. For now, she was still seen as a novice.
Before the semester started, Sophia took a dozen containers of beauty cream she had prepared and delivered them to Chloe.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived, he saw a familiar-looking woman coming out. Su Tan stared at her face for a long time.