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“What are you talking about?” John found himself a spot by the table.
“We’re talking about what happened at the banquet.” There was a pause in the conversation between
Sophia and Zack before Sophia smiled.
Her answer reminded John of when he left Sophia alone for a long while back then, which didn’t sit well
with him. When he saw her, her head was lifted while her back was leaned against the back of a chair
under a tree. The fact that her eyes were closed made her seem like she was sleeping, but it looked
pitiful no matter how he thought about it.
A smile bloomed across her face when she saw him, while the resignation and relief in it happened to
prick his heart. John gave a noncommittal hum as he withdrew from his memories. “What of it?”
While Zack cast a glance at Sophia, the latter chattered away, “What else could it be other than the
promotional video for the schools in the mountains? While a lot of them claimed to feel bad after
watching it, we doubt any of it was heartfelt or was it a ruse.”
“While their feelings were sincere, it probably lasted only for a second and would fade from memory as
soon as the video ended,” John said while picking up his chopsticks.
In the meantime, another question popped out of Sophia’s mouth as she called for Zack to sit down
with them while moving the food she liked before her. “Where did you go just before we left the
banquet? You spent a long time away.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“There was an upcoming session for donations, which I will still have to put some money in despite
having left, so I needed to tell the host the amount that I intend to donate.”
His tone was bland, but it served to remind Sophia that the fact that he didn’t donate anything despite
having attended the event would reflect badly on him, especially when he left halfway through the
event.
“Why does it feel like being robbed in an alleyway while having to put up with it happily?” Sophia
heaved a long sigh.
“That’s the gist of it.” A smile tugged at the corner of John’s lips.
While Zack wasn’t hungry, he joined in out of habit and would pick on the dishes from time to time. In a
low voice, Zack asked as he cast a glance at John, “I bet the Baileys were there as well? They must’ve
received an invitation too since they own a company of considerable size.”
It was Sophia who replied to Zack instead of John, “Yeah, the Baileys were there too, with Miss Bailey
and her father as the representative.”
After puffing out a breath of air from his nose, Zack said half-jokingly, “Miss Bailey sure has been
showing herself frequently. Didn’t she used to present herself as a lady? So why would she switch to
presenting herself as one who is independent?”
“Perhaps because she could, seeing that she has the money and the support of her family.” Sophia
smacked her lips before speaking up in a self-deprecating manner, “Look at me. I couldn’t even
become one even if I wanted to as I do not have the necessary skills.”
Lifting a hand, Zack placed it on her shoulder. “You will be just fine! Look at you! You are also on the
path of becoming a business woman if you open your shop! You might even say that you’re far more
successful than Isabelle, as you relied on yourself while she relied on her family!”
“Are you saying that for real? Am I not relying on you and John?” A burst of laughter escaped Sophia.
Zack was startled for a moment before laughing out loud while trying to correct himself, “You can ignore
us and see us as the paveway that will lead you to your success, but that’s beside the point anyway.”
There seemed to be a nice atmosphere between them as Sophia responded with a laugh, but John
wasn’t included. He wore an aloof expression as he didn’t see why that would be funny. Their
exchange wasn’t only boring, but outright pointless.
He wondered if they used to be that close to each other, as he never paid attention. Although the fact
that Sophia and Zack’s familiarity with each other was a surprise during their trip to Tri Asel, he didn’t
think much about it as he was still slightly averse toward Sophia back then. However, they seemed to
have gotten even closer now throughout the period when he wasn’t looking.
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