Sophia gazed at him and clicked her tongue. “You learn quite fast, huh?”
Alexander reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I mean what I say.”
Sophia's lips curled into an alluring smile. “All right. Let's go watch the light show.”
She was uncertain if he meant it, but he was taking every opportunity to flirt with her.
It was the first light show in Jadeborough this year, so the square was packed. Sophia looked at the crowd and turned to Alexander, asking, “Do you want to squeeze into that crowd?”
“Do you?”
“Of course not.”
The weather was scorching hot, and the square was filled with people as far as the eye could see. The pungent smell of sweat was so overpowering it was enough to make her turn away in disgust.
Sophia opted to not complicate matters for herself, selecting a location that was a distance from the square but still afforded them a good view of the spectacular light show.
The light show started at eight sharp. It had taken them twenty minutes to walk to the square from their parking spot. As such, when they arrived at the venue, the light show began a few minutes later.
Sophia had never before witnessed a light show and was dazzled by the extraordinary sight before her.
Of course, what mattered most was the person who accompanied her.
It was the first time they had joined such an ordinary event.
Most of the spectators tonight were couples, making it an especially romantic evening as the light show's theme was Valentine's Day.
When the red hearts fluttered down from the sky, many couples embraced and kissed each other passionately.
Sophia felt her cheeks heating up when she noticed the kissing couples not far away from her.
Without warning, Alexander hugged her from behind. Sophia's cheeks immediately turned crimson red.
Alexander's hoarse voice rang in her ear, “I love you, Sophia.”
His heated breath fanned her cheek, causing her body to grow hotter. Every inch of her felt alive with an uncontrollable burning sensation, as if her heart had been set on fire.
Sophia turned slightly to gaze at him and grinned. “What a coincidence. I love you too, Alexander.”
Hearing that, the man tightened his arms around her, and they watched the dazzling lights silently.
The light show was supposed to last for one hour and thirty minutes, but Sophia and Alexander left after half an hour.
As they departed earlier than expected, they were fortunate enough to avoid any traffic and arrived at the mansion at nine-twenty.
It was still a weekday tomorrow, so Sophia went upstairs to shower right after arriving home.
Alexander received a call from Lukas that came as a surprise to him.
Arching a brow, he greeted, “Mr. Dawson?”
“Yes,” Lukas answered at the other end of the line. He quickly explained the purpose of his call. “Old Mrs. Sharp came to us with a lady and her daughter. She claimed Sophia's mother isn't my aunt.”
Alexander immediately realized what he meant. “Old Mrs. Sharp recently came to ask Sophia for money.”
Not too long ago, Delilah had accused her granddaughter of being unfilial and disrespectful, but now she went to the Dawson residence with a lady and her daughter to tell the Dawson family that Rachel was not their daughter who had been abducted at a young age. It was clear that her words could not be taken at face value.
“Okay.” Lukas added, “I discovered that Thalia met Old Mrs. Sharp a while ago.”
Alexander's gaze turned dark. “Got it.”
No wonder Lukas took the initiative to call me when he doesn't like me at all. It turns out the matter is related to Thalia.
After stepping out of the shower, Sophia noticed Alexander was still on the phone. She cocked a brow and went downstairs to get two glasses of water. When she returned, Alexander had just hung up.
Sophia handed one glass of water to him and asked in a cheery tone, “That call was quite long, huh?”
Alexander turned to her and, with a serious expression on his face, began to relate the conversation he had had with Lukas. “I've already told Felix to handle the matter.”
Thalia's involvement meant that Kristen and Dillon were both involved in the situation as well.
They seemed to be targeting Sophia, but their actual target was Alexander.
Sophia remarked, “It looks like Dillon is getting desperate.”
I can't believe he had the guts to target me. Has the Dawson family kept too low a profile these few years? Or does Dillon think that the Dawson family won't defend me as I only reunited with them a while ago?
Alexander gulped down the water. “I'll go shower now.”
“Okay.”
The following morning, Yvonne's call came in right after Sophia washed up.
It had been an eternity since Yvonne last phoned her in the early hours of the morning, and Sophia couldn't help but recall the conversation she had with Alexander the night before.
“Good morning, Ms. Leighton.”
“Good morning, Ms. Yarrow.” Yvonne hesitated for a moment before adding, “Ms. Yarrow, there has been a rumor spreading around the Internet since last night about you and the Dawson family.”
Sophia clicked her tongue. “What rumor?”
It looks like I'm right.
“Last night, Old Mrs. Sharp posted a video along with a mother and daughter duo...”
The video was posted at midnight. It was immediately reposted by several official accounts and quickly gained traction.
In the video, Delilah, Rachel's adoptive mother, appeared with a mother-daughter duo. She was overcome with emotion and complained that Sophia was taking on the identity of the mother-daughter pair. Delilah explained that she had not bought Rachel but instead obtained her from a relative back then. This was a common practice during that era when families did not have the means to care for their children and would give them away to their relatives. Delilah even provided a recording of Rachel's “birth mother” as further proof of her story.
All evidence in the video pointed to Rachel not being the Dawson family's daughter who went missing back then, so naturally, Sophia wasn't Perrin's granddaughter.
Once the video was exposed, everyone accused Sophia of claiming someone else's identity in order to be part of a wealthy family.
Yvonne was already fast asleep, unaware of the incident that had broken out past midnight. It was only when she awoke in the morning and read the message from her assistant that she was made aware of the situation. Knowing Sophia's schedule, she waited until Sophia was awake before making the call.
Sophia found the situation funny. “Ignore the matter for now.”
It would be very difficult to disguise the truth and turn a false statement into a fact.
As usual, Delilah was willing to do anything if it meant making money, even if she had to distort the truth.
She was just a foolish elderly woman from the village, and it had always been an effortless task for Sophia to get her to succumb. On this occasion, it was similarly effortless for Sophia to teach her a lesson.
Sophia was mischievous enough to stop Yvonne from interfering now.
Dillon should be feeling smug now, huh? I'll give him some time to bask in his sense of accomplishment and think that his success is ensured. But soon enough, he will find out what it is like to abruptly and unexpectedly tumble from a position of great power and privilege. Now that is interesting.
“Good morning, Ms. Yarrow.” Yvonne hesitated for a moment before adding, “Ms. Yarrow, there has been a rumor spreading around the Internet since last night about you and the Dawson family.”
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