Chapter 242
William continued goading Henry, his aged eyes gleaming with cunning.
“You know, I originally wanted Sophia to date Alexander before marriage. These days, affairs make divorce so easy.
He shook his head with exaggerated disappointment. “But that stubborn girl refused. Said it wasn’t ethical, couldn’t possibly do such a thing. She insisted on remaining just friends with Alexander until after the divorce was finalized.”
The old man’s voice was deliberately mocking. “Such a foolish child, really. While you’re out there mixing with that Isabella girl, your soul getting dirtier by the day–beyond washing clean, I’d say–Sophia’s still worried about propriety.”
William leaned forward in his hospital bed, his eyes narrowing with deliberate cruelty. “If only Sophia could be as shameless and morally bankrupt as you.”
That final barb pierced Henry’s composure completely. His features contorted with rage, twisted almost beyond recognition.
William was genuinely furious!
Sophia was such a perfect daughter–in–law, and his grandson hadn’t appreciated her for a second! Instead, he’d tormented that sweet girl until she was nearly broken.
From what he’d heard, Henry had recently confined Isabella to some abandoned Harding property. William didn’t know the exact reason, but one thing was clear: his grandson wasn’t completely blind to right and wrong.
If he’d locked Isabella away, she must have done something truly reprehensible. The fact that Henry could finally see Isabella’s true nature was promising.
But William wondered–with that painfully slow pace of his, when would Henry ever win Sophia back?
The stress was too much for Henry. A sharp pain gripped his chest, causing his face to turn deathly white. Unable to stand any longer, he clutched his chest and collapsed into the nearest chair. Leaning back, he drew deep, labored breaths while massaging the area over his heart.
Seeing his grandson’s condition, William quickly pressed the call button. A nurse promptly entered, examined Henry, and administered two small white pills. After ensuring Henry had swallowed them, she departed.
Once the nurse left, the constriction in Henry’s chest began to ease. He leaned wearily against the chair back, regarding his grandfather with exhaustion.
“Are you satisfied now, Grandfather?” he asked quietly. “Without Sophia, my heart will never heal properly. I’m literally making myself sick with worry, and you still won’t help me?”
Alexander had only two close connections in Manhattan–Sophia and William. If Henry wanted to locate Sophia and Alexander quickly, going through William was his most direct path.
Earlier in the car, he’d instructed James to track Sophia’s phone signal, but they’d come up empty. In desperation, he’d turned to his grandfather.
William noticed the genuine concern for Sophia in his grandson’s demeanor. His attitude finally softened. He cleared his throat and shot Henry a haughty glance before reaching for his phone to call Alexander.
To William’s surprise, Alexander didn’t answer. Instead, his assistant picked up.
“Mr. Harding, good afternoon, the assistant greeted respectfully. “Mr. Reynolds is currently at the Medical University Exhibition Hall, where phones aren’t permitted. He left his phone with me. Is there something I can relay to him?”
The assistant had accompanied Alexander to Manhattan and had met the Harding family patriarch before. He held tremendous respect for the family elder-
‘I just wanted to invite Alexander and Sophia to join me for dinner,” William replied casually. “But if they’re busy, we can arrange it for another time.”
“Mr. Harding, please don’t worry,” the assistant responded apologetically. “They’ve been inside for over two hours already and should be out soon. I’ll have them call you back immediately. Would that work?
As soon as Henry heard Sophia’s location, he was on his feet and heading for the door. I’m going there now!” he called over his shoulder. “If they call you
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Chapter 242
back, stall them for a while!”
William watched his grandson’s retreating figure with a satisfied smirk.
His grandson’s journey to win back his wife would be long and difficult. William wondered if he’d even live to see it succeed. With that thought, he returned to his hand exercises.
For Sophia, entering the Medical University Exhibition Hall was nothing short of a divine blessing. It was as if heaven had opened a new door for Sophia.
Every exhibit Sophia encountered left her awestruck. She diligently took notes, absorbing knowledge like a sponge.
Alexander quietly remained by Sophia’s side. He had to admit he felt something for Sophia–a flicker of interest, at least.
Perhaps it was simply a man’s appreciation for an exceptional woman, nothing to do with love. Until Sophia’s divorce from Henry was finalized, these feelings would remain hidden.
Only when the administrator announced the hall’s imminent closure did Sophia remember she wasn’t alone. She turned to Alexander with profuse apologies.
“Mr. Reynolds, I’m so sorry! I got completely caught up and forgot you were here.”
Recently, she’d been working herself to exhaustion. She’d been selected for a special hospital project–William had pulled some strings, but she didn’t want to be seen as receiving special treatment, so she’d been frantically improving her professional skills.
Once inside the exhibition hall, she’d completely lost herself, forcing Alexander–whose time was literally worth hundreds of thousands per minute–to stand around for hours. She felt terrible about it.
“I made you stand there for so long. I’m truly sorry,” she said earnestly. “Let me make it up to you by treating you to dinner. Would that be acceptable?*
Alexander gave her a cool sidelong glance. “Just one dinner?”
Sophia recognized she’d behaved poorly and was filled with remorse. Seeing he was genuinely annoyed, she quickly bowed to him.
“Mr. Reynolds, I sincerely apologize for wasting your valuable time. Please give me a hint–if dinner isn’t sufficient, what would make it right?”
Alexander noticed her genuine concern and smiled. “One dinner certainly won’t do. But perhaps two, three, or four might help me forgive you. He was pleased that Sophia was making an effort to consider his feelings.
Hearing his response, Sophia exhaled with relief, her pale face brightening with a smile. “In that case, I’d better start researching restaurants now, so by the fifth or sixth dinner, I’ll still have somewhere interesting to take you.”
As they exited the exhibition hall, both still wore lingering smiles. Alexander moved quickly to his car, opening the passenger door for Sophia. “Ladies first.”
Sophia thanked him and slid into the seat, Alexander following soon after.
Suddenly, a black car across from them switched on its high beams, the harsh light blinding them momentarily.
It was a black Rolls–Royce Phantom. The iconic Flying Lady hood ornament exuded an air of wealth and power that was almost intimidating.
Sophia squinted toward the black Rolls–Royce. As her eyes adjusted to the glare, she quickly recognized the man sitting inside–Henry!
Alexander also identified the man in the opposite car. So it’s Henry, he thought with amusement. Claiming he doesn’t care about Sophia, yet he Some indifference.
Alexander raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glare and rolled down his window. ‘Mr. Harding,” he called out, “isn’t this behavior rather unethical?
The window of the opposite car lowered, and Henry’s voice cut through the night air. “So Mr. Reynolds does know about ethics after all! I thought you’d abandoned such concepts entirely!”
His voice grew sharper. “Where was your ethics when you stole my wife? Why didn’t I hear you mention morality then?”
