“It’s nothing. Just go back and relax for a few days. I’ll transfer some money to your account. Buy whatever you like,” Richard said.
His words made Emily uneasy. She leaned against his shoulder and said sadly, “Richard, you are my everything. Look at the others—your wife doesn’t need you, your eldest son has his own family and doesn’t need you. But I’m still so young—without you, I wouldn’t survive. And our child is still so small… We both need you.”
Richard felt emotional for a moment. He patted her head and said, “Don’t overthink it. Just go home for a few days. I’m busy with work and won’t have time to take care of you, but your parents can help with the child.”
Emily said nothing and agreed.
Once she was gone, Richard picked up the phone and said,
“Is everything ready? Mm. Make sure it succeeds in one go. Don’t give him any chance to fight back.”
Sophia didn’t know exactly what was happening within Scott Corporation, but she had a feeling that a tough battle was about to begin.
Since she was pregnant, Sophia couldn’t afford to worry about too many things. She could only focus on her own career while helping him in whatever ways she could.
However, Livinus had been leaving early and coming home late recently, sometimes not returning at all. Even if Sophia wanted to help, there was nothing she could do.
“Sophia.” Nancy came to see her.
Today, Nancy was wearing a camisole and a pair of shorts. Her petite frame and small bone structure made this outfit suit her well.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah… um, did Bright come by today?”
“He did. He already had his bee therapy session.”
Nancy paused for a moment as if something was on her mind. Then she asked, “Sophia, what are the chances of Bright being cured?”
“Why are you asking?”
Nancy looked hesitant. After a while, she sighed. “I think my family has found out, but I haven’t admitted anything yet. I just told them we’re ordinary friends. But you know how it is—even though I have an older brother, my family has always had high expectations for me. They gave me shares and a position in the company, and they expect me to meet their standards. Even if I marry someone who can’t contribute to the family, he at least can’t be a burden.”
The troubles of the wealthy were always plenty. Sophia could understand.
She decided to be honest. “Bright is recovering well. But while there are documented cases of bee therapy treating rheumatism, there aren’t many precedents for it curing rheumatic paralysis. You know he’s been paralyzed for ten years. Even if you had two healthy legs but lay in bed for ten years, it would be impossible to recover quickly.”
She had created a rehabilitation plan for Bright, and his family helped him with exercises every day.
His progress was good, but the chances of a full recovery were still uncertain.
As a doctor, she didn’t want to give Nancy false hope.
“If you’re asking whether he’ll be completely cured and able to walk like a normal person, the probability is about 30%.”
Sophia originally thought that even if Bright couldn’t be fully cured, at the very least, he could use crutches and regain some strength in his legs. That would be much better than lying in bed all day.
But Nancy didn’t see it that way.
She grabbed Sophia’s hand and pleaded, “Sophia, you’re a miracle doctor! You have to cure him! Please! Our happiness depends on you! My family will never let me marry a paralyzed man. Only if he recovers will we have a chance…”
Sophia sighed, glanced at her, and said:
“Nancy, I’m just going to be honest with you—your problem isn’t just about his physical condition. It’s about you.”
“Me?” Nancy was confused.
“Think about what I just said. If you can’t accept him as he is, then you shouldn’t have gotten involved with him in the first place.”
Nancy was at a loss. Deep down, she knew she was in the wrong.
If she were to say that while she couldn’t completely ignore Bright’s disability, she also couldn’t leave him, then Sophia would definitely call her irresponsible.
But that was her truth. That was exactly how she felt.
She realized that she was attracted to Bright’s body.
She had been completely normal before. But ever since she met Bright, she had changed.
Like last night—she and Bright had been about to do it. But halfway through, the sight of his soft and submissive expression triggered something primal in her.
She had ended up handcuffing him, leaving his wrists swollen.
She suspected there was something wrong with her. But in everyday life, she seemed completely normal. It was only when she was with him that she became a different person.
She even thought—if she could just be like a man, throwing money around to keep a woman without any responsibilities, that would be ideal.
She wanted to keep Bright. She wanted to make him hers.
