Reborn to Burn Them All novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Sophia acted as if she had just recognized Kelly, pulling her arm away with a smirk that hinted she was enjoying the drama. “That was the price before she said.

Kelly’s eyes were red with desperation. “Then how much do you want? Just name your price.”

Sophia raised an eyebrow, her tone casual. “Why the rush? Did something happen?”

Kelly blurted out, “Ava is missing. It was supposed to be their engagement day three days ago, but she disappeared. We’ve searched everywhere and can’t find her.

“She’s not answering her phone or replying to messages. You know her background, so you must know where she is, right? You want money, don’t you? Just tell me how much. I’ll pay anything.”

Tears streamed down Kelly’s face as she continued, her voice breaking. “My son hasn’t eaten or spoken for three days. He locked himself in his room, completely falling apart. She just vanished without a word. Please, tell me where she went.”

Sophia shook her head, her expression cold and unyielding. “I’m not going to tell you.”

Kelly clutched at straws, her desperation mounting. “Just name your price. I’ll pay whatever it takes. Just help me find her.

Sophia shrugged, a smirk tugging at her lips. “I warned you before, but you didn’t listen. Now you’re begging? It’s too late. Besides, this is exactly what you deserve.”

“What did you just say?” Kelly froze, glaring at Sophia. Her voice rose into a furious shout. “What do you mean we deserve? Why should we have to go through this? Do you know my son is on the verge of breaking down?”

Sophia remained calm, her gaze steady as she watched Kelly unravel. “Maybe you should take a moment to reflect on what you’ve done to her. Then you’ll understand why she left without a word.”

“What did I do?” Kelly hesitated. Then she suddenly turned to Sophia, her face filled with anger. “It’s your fault. You said something was wrong with Ava, so I took her hair for a paternity test with my husband. Could she have found out?”

She muttered to herself, her voice shaky and frantic, “No. That’s impossible. She couldn’t have found out… She must not have found out…”

At that moment, her phone rang from inside her bag. She answered it, and whatever she heard on the other end made her voice crack into a desperate scream. “Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on him? How could you let this happen?”

Still clutching her phone, Kelly hurriedly left, her steps frantic and unsteady.

Sophia watched her retreating figure and snorted, “You reap what you sow.”

Yvonne rushed in, accidentally bumping into Kelly on her way. “Sophia, I’m here.”

Sophia frowned, her concern evident. “What happened to you?”

Although they often chatted on their phones, it had been days since they last saw each other in person.

Yvonne’s once round and chubby face was now replaced by a sharp chin. Dark circles hung under her eyes, her skin looked dull and tired, and a few pimples dotted her face. She had clearly lost a significant amount of weight.

Yvonne’s eyes sparkled as she said, “I’ve lost weight, haven’t I? I wasn’t kidding when I said I was pulling all–nighters to study. These pimples are my badges of honor from all those sleepless nights.”

Clenching her fists with determination, she added, “I promised I’d follow your lead and make you proud. There’s still a year left. I’ll make it happen.”

Seeing Yvonne so full of confidence, Sophia didn’t have the heart to dampen her spirits. “Don’t push yourself too hard. Just take care of yourself and do

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your best

Yvonne grinned and patted her chest. “Don’t worry, Sophia. I’ve got this.”

With her current grades, Halinston University or Jelasburg University might be out of reach, but with some effort, she could still get into a great school.

Sophia didn’t press the matter further. “I’ve been waiting for you. Let’s dig in.”

Yvonne finally noticed the table overflowing with dishes and exclaimed, “Sophia, is tod

Sophia hadn’t planned to mention it, but since Yvonne asked, she placed her new dr

some kind of special occasion?”

license

on the table. “I got my license.”

Yvonne’s eyes lit up, and she immediately launched into a stream of praise. “Wow, Sophia, you’re amazing. You got your license so quickly, and you’re always so busy. Seriously, you’re like a genius at everything.”

Sophia felt a bit awkward under the barrage of compliments, especially since Yvonne looked so sincere about it. Clearing her throat, she said, “Let’s eat.”

The table was piled high with food, far more than the two of them could finish. Yvonne leaned back, patting her full stomach, but they hadn’t even finished a third of the dishes.

“This is such a waste,” Yvonne said regretfully. She glanced around, then leaned closer to Sophia and whispered, “Do you think we can get this packed up at a place like this?”

“Of course, we can. Why not?” Sophia replied confidently.

Yvonne chuckled, and without hesitation, Sophia called over a waiter. “We’d like to pack this up,” she said.

The waiter hesitated briefly before replying, “Of course, one moment.”

Mocking laughter drifted over as Sophia and Yvonne waited for the waiter to bring them takeout containers.

“Seriously? Packing up leftovers at a place like this? If you’re broke, just admit it. What a bummer to sit near people like that.”

“What’s wrong with this restaurant? How could they let me sit next to such cheap trash?”

“I’m calling the manager to complain about letting the cheap trash in. Who knows what diseases they have? What if we get infected?”

“If it weren’t for this unbearable heat, I wouldn’t have chosen this place. What a disgrace.”

“Forget it. I’m done eating. I’m blacklisting this restaurant and posting about it on Instagram. None of my friends will

come here again.”

Hearing these words, Yvonne glanced at Sophia, her unease growing. She felt guilty for dragging Sophia into this mess.

The three socialites, dressed head–to–toe in designer brands and clutching luxury handbags, stood up to leave. As one of them brushed past Sophia, she muttered under her breath, “What a loser.”