Her father let out a sigh. “Belle, about John and you...”
Before he finished speaking, her grandfather coughed dryly beside him, causing the man to stop talking all of a sudden. Then, the elder man said, “As long as John and Sophia don’t remarry each other, you still have a shot. You mustn’t mess things up yourself.” He thought for a moment before adding, “But you’ve got to be clear whether you really love John or not. Does your love for him not waver even when you know that he is still emotionally tangled up with his ex-wife?”
Isabelle pursed her lips together and only nodded after a long pause. “I really love John.”
She had loved John even before they were arranged to be married to each other. From his marriage to Sophia until his divorce, Isabelle felt that her love hadn’t diminished even a little bit.
When her grandfather heard that, he nodded. “Things should be fine as long as you understand yourself well. Since you’re clear about what you want, you shouldn’t become flustered just because of some unimportant things.”
Her father sighed silently next to him but did not say a word.
While Isabelle was upset over here, Sophia was actually feeling a bit unsettled over there as well. She had been careless last night. After what happened, John seemed to have misunderstood her intentions. Earlier, Robin had just called to tell her that John had gone to the shop and started to help out over there.
Now that John was behaving this way, Sophia felt that some things were becoming more and more unclear. She had just acted a little impulsive last night and given in to her physical needs as a single woman, nothing more. But how could she explain this to John and make him understand?
Sophia felt a little unsure about how to broach this topic with him. After hesitating for a long time, she still dressed up and went to the shop to check things out.
There were no bulk orders for this day, so the shop was not very busy. In fact, there was no need for John to help out at all.
Sophia took a cab to the shop. When she arrived, there were very few guests. John, Zack and Robin were all there and were laughing about something that was said. Then, Sophia pushed open the door and walked in. “You guys look happy.”
Seeing that she had arrived, John remarked, “I'm here, so you can rest at home.”
Sophia replied coldly, “It’s precisely because you’re here that I worry. What if you empty my shop and move everything away?”
John leaned back in his chair. “You don't even need this shop. Why are you so worried about it?”
Sophia gave him a sweeping glance from the corner of her eye. “Even if I don't need it, it’s still mine. I’ve got to monitor it to prevent outsiders from taking it away from me.”
Outsiders? John thought.
When Sophia and the others were about to close up the shop for the day, Matilda arrived. She was just passing by, but then she noticed John sitting inside, so she hurriedly entered the shop, calling out to him, “John!”
Everyone was startled for a moment. When Sophia saw who it was, she laughed. Matilda is out of ideas and is really desperate now, isn’t she?
When John saw his mother, he was a little surprised, but his expression remained calm as he greeted, “Mom.”
For some reason, Matilda felt a little uncomfortable. “I called you so many times, but you didn't answer any of my calls.”
John didn't beat around the bush but said directly, “I didn’t feel like picking up.”
Hearing this, Matilda felt rather embarrassed; even Sophia, Robin and Zack too looked awkward on her behalf.
Sophia licked her lips and said, “Um, I’m gonna go out for some fresh air. Do you guys wanna come along?”
Knowing what Sophia meant, Zack and Robin quickly agreed and followed her out of the shop. Then, the three of them walked a little further and stood on the side of the road.
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