Being Pursued By Ex-husband

Shortly after, Yvonne led Kristen upstairs. It was the second time Kristen had come to meet with Sophia at Sunshine Group.

Sophia swept her gaze over Kristen calmly. “Ms. Leighton, please pour Mdm. Lambe a cup of coffee.”

Yvonne nodded and showed herself out of the office.

Sophia and Kristen were left in the office. Compared to her previous visit, Kristen seemed to be in rather bad shape today.

Sophia's gaze landed on the dark circles under Kristen's eyes. A smile tugged at her lips as she asked, “Mdm. Lambe, didn't you sleep well last night?”

The dark circles couldn't even be concealed by makeup.

Hearing her comment, Kristen froze awkwardly.

She deliberately used concealer on her dark circles and put on more blush than usual in an effort to disguise her awful look so Sophia wouldn't realize anything.

Nevertheless, she forgot that she was already in her fifties and that her skin was no longer glowing as it had in her youth. The stress of Leonard's trial took its toll on her, and she found herself unable to sleep well for several nights consecutively. Her complexion began to suffer as a consequence.

Sophia's comment made Kristen realize that she was not going to be fooled by her tactics. Pursing her lips, Kristen said directly, “I'd like to propose a deal, Ms. Yarrow.”

Sophia arched a brow. “Sure. I'd like to know what your bargaining chip is, though.”

If she wanted to propose a deal, she would need to provide something that Sophia would find beneficial in exchange.

Sophia wasn't looking down on Kristen. Rather, Kristen's lack of financial and social resources made it unlikely that Sophia would be interested in her so-called bargaining chip.

However, Kristen came prepared. She was, in fact, afraid that Sophia wouldn't mention it.

“It is a known fact that Alexander is Zachary's son, but I believe that you would want to know the identity of his birth mother.”

Sophia was stunned, a reaction she rarely experienced. After a moment of surprise, she slowly straightened her posture, her pleasant expression fading into a cold glare. “So this is your bargaining chip, Ms. Lambe?” she asked in an icy tone.

She paused before chuckling. “A pity that I'm not interested in that information. Perhaps you should strike a deal with Alexander instead of me.”

Kristen's face went pale with shock as she stared at Sophia incredulously. “Sophia, I don't think you realize how important this is. I can guarantee that I'm the only person in the world who knows who Alexander's birth mother is. If I don't give him this information, he will never find her. Perhaps you think I'm being overconfident, but I can assure you that his birth mother might not even know where he is!”

Assuming Sophia had no idea how important this was, she clenched her jaw and tried to make things clear to Sophia.

However, Sophia remained unfazed even after hearing the explanation. Her smile never wavered, yet her expression turned much colder. “Is that so?”

Sophia tutted. “Mdm. Lambe, how can you be sure that Alexander wants to find his birth mother, and that I'm willing to help him find her?”

“Y-You...” Kristen was rendered speechless.

She was counting on Alexander to be curious and eager about the information on his birth mother, but the decision was ultimately up to him.

If Alexander never wanted to find his birth mother, her information would be useless to him.

Even if Alexander longed to discover the identity of his birth mother, there was no telling whether or not Sophia would be willing to assist him in the quest.

Simply put, Kristen shouldn't have come to ask for Sophia's help today. It would have been better off if she reached out to Alexander, who was more pertinent to the situation than Sophia was.

That realization made Kristen's face turn as white as a sheet.

The motive for her visit to Sophia was to exploit Sophia's love for Alexander in order to coerce her into lending a hand.

Kristen never expected that Sophia would decline her deal.

“Mdm. Lambe, is there anything else I can do for you?”

She wanted to summon Yvonne to see Kristen to the door if they were done here.

Kristen had nothing else to say. Dillon was in trouble, and Leonard's first trial didn't end well. With no other viable option, Kristen was forced to turn to Sophia for help.

She had expected Sophia to be hostile towards her and was bracing herself for the worst, yet she was given a rejection without hesitation. This was far more mortifying than any insult Sophia could have thrown at her.

“Sophia, are you not at all interested in finding out who Alexander's birth mother is?” she inquired, refusing to give up.

Sophia gave her a look and chuckled. “Of course I'm curious.”

“As long as you can help get Leonard out of trouble, I'll tell you who his birth mother is!”

Sophia gazed at her in amusement. “It is perfectly natural to be curious. I, myself, am intrigued to learn more about Alexander's birth mother, but my mere curiosity is not enough to compel me to offer you assistance. If you have nothing else to say, you may leave now.”

Sophia pressed on the internal landline and summoned Yvonne, who had left earlier to “brew some coffee.” She instructed, “Ms. Leighton, come in and send Mdm. Lambe off.”

Kristen was rooted to the spot, her body became rigid as an icy chill ran through her veins. Her eyes were fixed on Sophia, who seemed unconcerned.

Yvonne quickly came in and stopped beside Kristen. “Mdm. Lambe, this way please,” she said politely and extended an arm, motioning for Kristen to leave with her.

Kristen parted her lips to protest, but her gaze landed on Sophia, and she ended up not saying anything.

Sophia had lowered her head and refused to look at her, so there was nothing else she could say.

Looking away, Kristen retrieved her bag and left, her shoulders slumped in dejection.

Before leaving, Yvonne closed the door behind her. Sophia was once again left in her office alone.

Right then, she looked up and gazed at the door thoughtfully.

Sophia would be lying if she claimed she wasn't curious as to who Alexander's birth mother was.

However, Alexander wasn't willing to reveal much, so she didn't want to act on her own.

Alexander arrived to pick her up after six in the evening.

It was September in Jadeborough, and the sun was already setting at this hour.