Chapter 48 Sophie’s Struggle
+8 Pearls
Leah bit her lip lightly, as though she wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat. She didn’t dare upset Olympia, so she kept quiet.
Olympia patted her hand gently, offering a few words of comfort before leaving with Milo.
Leah watched them go with a reluctant gaze. Turning back, she headed toward the hospital, only to be intercepted by Sophie, who had snuck downstairs.
Leah instinctively took a step back, glancing around. “We’ll talk in the room,” she said in a low voice.
Sophie’s chest tightened at the sight of her daughter keeping her distance, acting like they were strangers. Charmaine’s earlier words echoed in her mind, sharp as a dagger. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small button.
“You almost got exposed today during the checkup,” Sophie muttered, her voice tense. “Take this with you,
now.”
Leah frowned in disgust. “What is that?”
“I bumped into her when I first got here,” Sophie explained, her tone hushed. “It’s from her–pulled it straight off her clothes. Keep it with you. Drive away all that bad luck.”
Leah’s expression twisted with disbelief, but she took the button reluctantly and shoved it into her pocket. “Why was Charmaine at the hospital?”
“How should I know?” Sophie snapped. “That brat! I told her to come up and apologize to you, but instead, she-”
Sophie stopped abruptly, her face darkening with frustration.
After a pause, Sophie spoke again. “That necklace Charmaine brought from South Aspus, it’s still with you, isn’t it? Wear it when you get back.”
Leah scowled. “That’s just a temporary fix. Am I supposed to spend my life using Charmaine’s castoffs?”
“I know you hate it,” Sophie said, her voice softening. “But what choice do we have?”
Ever since Charmaine had turned rebellious, Leah’s misfortunes had piled up one after another. Sophie clenched her fists. This was fate, she thought bitterly.
Leah’s face contorted with anger. “Why does Charmaine always have all the luck? Why do I have to be the one stuck with all the bad breaks? It’s like the universe-”
“Stop it!” Sophie hissed, covering Leah’s mouth with her hand before she could finish.
“Don’t say something so reckless. You’ve got your dad, your mom, and your grandpa. You’re the one with the good fortune. Just hang on a little longer. We’ll figure out a way to deal with her.”
Inside the Maybach, the atmosphere was stifling.
Emyr’s search had come up empty, leaving him in a foul mood. His broad frame, towering over six feet,
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Chapter 48 Sophie’s Struggle
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He sat silently, a storm brewing beneath his calm exterior, the kind that could chill anyone foolish enough
to come too close.
Charmaine, sitting across from him, kept her thoughts to herself, using his cold aura as a shield for her own musings. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. A message appeared, breaking the silence.
It was from Rex, accompanied by a news link. “That b*tch! I can’t believe her!”
Curious, Charmaine tapped the link, her brows raising slightly as she scanned the screen.
Leah used the Nelsons‘ official account to upload a video.
In it, she appeared fragile, dressed in a hospital gown. Her face was pale, and her eyes were rimmed red, betraying the evidence of recent tears. She carried an air of vulnerability that seemed crafted to invite pity.
Her voice, trembling just enough to be noticeable, carried her apology. She explained the ‘unavoidable‘ circumstances that led to her plagiarism. At the end, she offered an apology to Charmaine, a gesture that felt hollow despite its public display.
The comment section, far from impartial, was filled with glowing remarks. Whether it was the work of hired hands or loyal supporters, the result was the same. The posts lauded Leah for her supposed selflessness, painting her as a victim who had made noble sacrifices for her family.
Charmaine watched the video in silence. Her face betrayed no reaction, and when it ended, she closed the screen without hesitation.
Rex’s message popped up almost immediately. “Unbelievable. Did you see that garbage? Some people are actually saying you’ve forgiven her. What a joke!”
Charmaine was about to type a response when Tad turned from the front seat, his voice interrupting her thoughts. “Mr. Emyr, the tech team couldn’t recover the hospital’s surveillance footage,” he said, his tone formal.
Emyr leaned back, his expression dark but composed. “If they can’t do it, find someone who can. Whoever tampered with it has some skill, but they’re not untouchable.”
Tad nodded. “I’ll post a request on the external networks right away.”
Charmaine’s stomach sank.
They were still chasing the footage? She’d gone to great lengths to destroy any trace, but they weren’t ready to give up.
Her precautions suddenly felt less like paranoia and more like foresight.
Pulling out her phone, she sent Rex a message. “Check the hacker boards. There’s a bounty for recovering surveillance footage. Take it before someone else does.”
Rex replied almost instantly. “What? Can’t we forget about that for now and focus on calling out Leah? We’re on the same page here, right?”
“No,” Charmaine typed back, short and firm.
A long pause followed before his next message appeared.
It was an
emoii
14: Sat, 15 Feb
Chapter 48 Sophie’s Struggle
48 Pearls
He sat silently, a storm brewing beneath his calm exterior, the kind that could chill anyone foolish enough
to come too close.
Charmaine, sitting across from him, kept her thoughts to herself, using his cold aura as a shield for her own musings. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. A message appeared, breaking the silence,
It was from Rex, accompanied by a news link. “That b*tch! I can’t believe her!”
Curious, Charmaine tapped the link, her brows raising slightly as she scanned the screen.
Leah used the Nelsons‘ official account to upload a video.
In it, she appeared fragile, dressed in a hospital gown. Her face was pale, and her eyes were rimmed red, betraying the evidence of recent tears. She carried an air of vulnerability that seemed crafted to invite pity.
Her voice, trembling just enough to be noticeable, carried her apology. She explained the ‘unavoidable‘ circumstances that led to her plagiarism. At the end, she offered an apology to Charmaine, a gesture that felt hollow despite its public display.
The comment section, far from impartial, was filled with glowing remarks. Whether it was the work of hired hands or loyal supporters, the result was the same. The posts lauded Leah for her supposed selflessness, painting her as a victim who had made noble sacrifices for her family.
Charmaine watched the video in silence. Her face betrayed no reaction, and when it ended, she closed the screen without hesitation.
Rex’s message popped up almost immediately. “Unbelievable. Did you see that garbage? Some people are actually saying you’ve forgiven her. What a joke!”
Charmaine was about to type a response when Tad turned from the front seat, his voice interrupting her thoughts. “Mr. Emyr, the tech team couldn’t recover the hospital’s surveillance footage,” he said, his tone formal.
Emyr leaned back, his expression dark but composed. “If they can’t do it, find someone who can. Whoever tampered with it has some skill, but they’re not untouchable.”
Tad nodded. “I’ll post a request on the external networks right away.”
Charmaine’s stomach sank.
They were still chasing the footage? She’d gone to great lengths to destroy any trace, but they weren’t ready to give up.
Her precautions suddenly felt less like paranoia and more like foresight.
Pulling out her phone, she sent Rex a message. “Check the hacker boards. There’s a bounty for recovering surveillance footage. Take it before someone else does.”
Rex replied almost instantly. “What? Can’t we forget about that for now and focus on calling out Leah? We’re on the same page here, right?”
“No,” Charmaine typed back, short and firm.
A long pause followed before his next message appeared.
It was an emoji.
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Chapter 48 Sophie’s Struggle
+8 Pearls
On the other end of the conversation, Rex clutched his phone, staring at the screen as if it had betrayed
him.
All that passion–wasted, he thought bitterly, punctuating his frustration with a flood of angry emojis.
Charmaine ignored the notifications and put her phone away. She barely had time to gather her thoughts when a chill crawled up her spine.
The icy presence seated across from her hadn’t moved, but his silent intensity was impossible to miss.
Feigning innocence, she tilted her head and met his gaze. “Mr. Emyr, are you looking for a doctor? Is something wrong?”
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