Yet she also had an infant to take care of. Unable to leave her child behind, she managed to look after both of them at once.
For the first time in his fifty-plus years of life, Richard truly felt what it was like to be loved.
Just then, Andrea and Henry entered the room. Richard informed them about the kidney transplant.
“The doctors said that father-son transplants have the highest success rate.” He looked directly at Henry.
Henry froze and instinctively glanced at Andrea.
Andrea scoffed, “My son just got married—he doesn’t even have a child yet. And you want him to give up a kidney? How is he supposed to start a family?”
“The doctor said it wouldn’t affect his normal life,” Richard said, narrowing his eyes as he observed their reactions.
“How could it not affect him?” Andrea exploded. “We have money! We’ll buy a kidney—if fifty thousand isn’t enough, we’ll pay a hundred thousand! Why should my son have to donate his?”
Her furious response only deepened Richard’s dissatisfaction. In truth, even if Henry had agreed, he might not have accepted his son’s kidney. He had asked the question not because he truly wanted the donation, but because he wanted to see their reactions.
Initially, he had thought nothing of it. But with Emily having already volunteered, the contrast became painfully clear.
Emily was willing to involve her entire family to save him, while his own wife and son wanted nothing to do with it.
People always said that women outside the family couldn’t be trusted, but in this case, it was the woman inside his family who had truly let him down.
Richard was utterly disheartened. He no longer saw Andrea and their son the same way he once had. Within minutes, he had them thrown out of the hospital room.
—
Meanwhile, Livinus handed a document to the old master. The old man read it carefully and remained silent for a long time.
“Father, you still have the final say on how to handle this.”
The old master sighed deeply before finally saying, “Do as you see fit.”
Livinus’s dark eyes narrowed as he gazed out the window. Without hesitation, he gave an order, and soon someone handed over the report to the police. Previously, Henry had avoided legal consequences for falsifying aged tangerine peel because of the old master’s influence. But this time, the charges were far more serious—enough to bring him down completely.
Soon, the police arrived at the hospital looking for Richard.
When they explained why they were there, he was stunned. He never imagined that this matter would come to light.
At the same time, Livinus returned home. Sophia had just finished cutting some greens when she noticed his grim expression and asked in confusion,
“What’s wrong?”
Livinus said in a low voice, “I need to talk to you.”
Sophia immediately sensed that it was something serious. However, she wasn’t prepared for what it turned out to be.
The file he handed her revealed that her parents, hadn’t died in a simple accident—someone had deliberately tampered with things. And that person was none other than Richard.
Sophia was shocked. She had never expected that her biological parents’ deaths had been anything but ordinary.
“Back then, your father and Richard were business partners in herbal medicine. However, your father discovered that Richard was using counterfeit medicinal ingredients and decided to cut ties. But Richard wanted your father’s secret formula, so he planned a minor car accident to intimidate him, hoping he would hand over the recipe. Who knew that the accident would turn real? The road where your parents were driving suddenly collapsed, and both of them died. Because there wasn’t enough evidence at the scene, Richard wasn’t suspected. The authorities ruled it an accident. But when I was investigating him, I inadvertently uncovered the truth.”
Livinus had been tormented by this knowledge for a long time. He couldn’t predict how Sophia would react when he told her. Selfishly, he had chosen to reveal this only after proposing to her, fearing that she might change her mind about marrying him.
Sophia stared at the document in shock, but because she had no real emotional attachment to her biological parents, she wasn’t devastated—just surprised.
“Why are you telling me now?”
Livinus locked eyes with her and said, “Because I didn’t want you to find out later and resent me for not telling you sooner.”
Sophia was taken aback. She sat in her chair, staring into space for a long while before asking, “What about Richard?”
“He’s already in police custody.”
“That’s good…” She sighed, feeling that this, at least, gave closure to her original self. “I should be thanking you. Without you, this truth might have never been revealed.”
Livinus studied her expression carefully. Seeing that she was serious, he finally felt relieved. He sat beside her and whispered,
“You know… I was terrified that you would blame me. That you would think my brother’s actions made me unworthy of marrying you. I’ve been restless for days.”
Sophia saw that he was genuinely troubled and, amused, reached out to ruffle his hair.
“CEO Scott, this isn’t like you at all. He did this, not you. I can tell the difference.”
Livinus sighed deeply and pulled her into his arms. The weight on his heart was finally lifted.
As they held each other, the atmosphere subtly shifted. Sophia noticed his reaction.
It had been a long time since they had truly been intimate. Since becoming pregnant, they had always been cautious, never fully indulging. And with their busy schedules, there hadn’t even been time for desire. But now, seeing him this way, she took the initiative to unbutton his pants, her eyes seductive, lips slightly parted.
