Being Pursued By Ex-husband

Shortly after heading back inside, the two women saw Justin and the others. When Sophia and Alexander first entered the venue, they had not seen Samuel anywhere as he got held up at another dinner meeting.

By the time the latter showed up, Sophia was no longer by Alexander's side.

Her identity as Suny had been on Samuel's mind the entire day. The moment he saw her, he walked up to her even before Alexander could do so. “Suny?”

Despite hearing his term of address for her, Sophia remained calm and composed. “Can I help you with anything, Mr. Schild?”

“Are you really Suny?” Samuel asked, frozen in disbelief.

Sophie glanced at the approaching Alexander and smiled. “You can also choose not to believe it.”

After all, I can't stop him if he wants to deceive himself, can I?

A mix of emotions flitted across Samuel's face after he had his doubts cleared by her. “In that case, why did you tell me back then that it was hard to meet Suny and that I should stop waiting around?”

Even though the incident happened a year and a half ago, Sophia could still remember it. “I stood before you, yet you failed to recognize me. How is that my fault?”

Samuel was immediately rendered speechless. Argh! She does have a point...

Just then, Alexander appeared and draped an arm around Sophia's shoulder. “You can ignore him.”

Sophia tilted her head and grinned as she met the man's gaze. “No way. I'm worried Mr. Schild might not be able to sleep tonight.”

Samuel had a nagging feeling that she was mocking him, but unfortunately, he could not prove it.

“Since you're Suny, why did you let Planetary Media fight with me for the copyrights?” he said through gritted teeth.

That's one thing I still can't get over! I've thought long and hard about it, but I couldn't see how I could've offended anyone from Sunshine Group. Sunshine Group is an investment firm, for goodness' sake. Why would it meddle in Planetary Media's affairs? Before today, I didn't know Sophia was Suny or why Sunshine Group decided to make a fool of me... Sadly, even after knowing the truth about Sophia, I still don't understand the intention behind her actions!

“I have such a good relationship with Alex,” Samuel added. “Why did you have to make an enemy of me?”

“I guess I just couldn't stand the sight of you then, Mr. Schild.” Sophia harrumphed.

At that time, it had only been a few months since she divorced Alexander, so it was particularly annoying to see Samuel constantly hanging around the man. As such, she started disliking him as well.

Unfortunately, that reason left Samuel feeling even more perplexed. “Why, though? Did I do something to annoy you? Or could it be that I'm too ugly to look at?” he asked dejectedly.

Pulling Charlize over, he asked, “Charlize, is my face that ugly?”

Charlize scrutinized his face, and even though she did not think he was as handsome as Spencer, she did not find him off-putting, either. “No. I don't think you're ugly.”

By then, Samuel was utterly befuddled. “Sophia, could you have misunderstood something about me back then?” he asked, looking at Sophia with a bemused expression.

Curious as ever, Charlize could not help but pipe up, “What was the matter, Mr. Schild?”

Samuel looked aggrievedly at her and gave her a rundown of the situation. “Do you still remember that book? You were the one who recommended it to me. I thought it was pretty good, so I got someone to contact New Dawn Publishing. We had managed to hash out a deal, but to my dismay, New Dawn Publishing suddenly quit on us.”

After glancing at Sophia, who had been smiling the entire time, Charlize instantly figured everything out. “Mr. Schild, don't forget that Ms. Yarrow and Mr. Xenos had just gotten divorced then.”

Everyone knew what good friends Alexander and Samuel were, so there was a good chance Sophia had lashed out at the latter to vent her anger.

Samuel was stunned momentarily, but once the realization struck him, his edge of irritation returned. “Oh, come on! It's so unfair to make me collateral damage!”

Sophia eyed him coldly as she uttered, “Well, not quite, Mr. Schild. Didn't you say everything about me is good, except for my family background?”

There, she paused before adding, “Sorry, but I'm pretty good at holding grudges.”

Ha. I remember every single person who had kicked me when I was down!

Right after those words fell from Sophia's lips, Samuel felt Alexander giving him the death stare. He froze and smiled sheepishly at her. “Oh, look at the crowd today. It's pretty lively, huh? Hey, Justin, isn't it time to cut the cake?” he suggested in an attempt to change the subject.

Justin chuckled. “Yes, yes. It's about time.”

Ha! What a spineless coward!

Upon feeling a tickle on her palm, Sophia tilted her head and smirked at Alexander. Well, well, well. Samuel wasn't the only one who had scorned me back then...

Alexander, who had guessed what was on her mind, felt a little helpless. “I've never scorned you.”

That had her arching a brow. “Is that so?”

“Yes.”

With that, he moved in closer to her till they were shoulder to shoulder.

Since the two of them were whispering to each other, Charlize knew better than to disturb them and ran to her older brother instead. When she realized Charles was also staring at the couple, she patted him on the shoulder and asked, “Hey Charles, are you envious of Ms. Yarrow and Mr. Xenos?”

At her question, Charles retracted his gaze and shot his younger sister an indifferent look. “What's there to be envious of? That they can peel prawns for each other during meals? That they can fight over a blanket at night? Or am I supposed to be envious that their IQ is dropping?”

“Oh, come on, Charles! That's not right! Being in love means having someone to peel the prawns, warm the bed, and do silly things together! Why do you always only see the bad and not the good?”

Unfortunately, Charles was the typical individual who did not believe in love or marriage. As such, Charlize's comments barely made an impact on him. “Oh? I don't like any of the scenarios you've just listed. I still prefer to be on my own.”

“Humph! You can remain single for the rest of your life, then!” Charlize retorted. “Once Mr. Xenos, Mr. Schild, and Mr. Quail are married with kids, you can drink by yourself!”

Charles quirked a brow. “Why would I do that? I don't even like to drink.”

Knowing it was impossible to get through to her thick-skulled brother, Charlize threw in the towel.

Since it was Justin's birthday, almost all his guests were friends of similar ages and from the same social circle. It was, without a doubt, a fun and lively event.

Once the cake was cut, Samuel suggested playing poker, much to Sophia's amusement. Staring at the overly enthusiastic man, she swallowed the remaining bit of cake in her mouth and teased, “My, my, Mr. Schild. Are you planning on buying us supper tonight?”