Ch. 881..890

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 881

No matter what was being said, Sophia was Michael’s legal spouse in the household registry. Initially, she pitied Irene and decided to let her off the hook, but the latter was getting overboard.

Look at how she whacked the supporting actress!

The Fletchers might have owed her recognition, but both me and the actress owe her nothing!

Upon seeing the young lady who emerged, Irene’s pupils contracted as she spat out the name that she hated the most through gritted teeth. “Scarlett Mitchell! It’s you again!”

Sophia walked toward the group of actors and helped the actress to her feet. Even though she was nasty with her words, she was a generally kind person.

Sophia did not spare a glance at Irene and instead looked at the group leader while saying, “I’m helping this lady here. If anyone dares to kick her off the Actors Union, they are deliberately going against my wishes.”

The group leader nodded weakly. After all, between Taylor’s wife and mistress, it was obvious that the former had more say…

Irene looked at the woman approaching her—the latter was blessed with fair, supple skin together with clear, beautiful eyes and a face that looked incredibly beautiful without any makeup. On the other hand, Irene could not hide her ugly, vicious expression due to her intense fury. So… Scarlett is actually Sophia. I ironically thought that she went under the knife to look like Sophia. Sophia is indeed alive! No! Sophia is already dead! This person is merely a product of plastic surgery and shamelessly pretends to be Sophia! Even if she’s really Sophia, I will never acknowledge that fact!

Sophia wore the mask again, revealing only her pair of blue eyes. With the baseball cap pressed on her fair forehead, she spoke, “She’s merely making remarks behind your back. Do you have to go this far? Look at you—I can see your wrinkles due to your anger. They look ugly!”

The thick makeup on Irene’s face had faded by that point and clearly revealed her wrinkles due to her angry expression and agitated emotions.

“Huh! Do I have to go this far?” Irene laughed sadistically. “Scarlett, do you have to ask me that question? It’s all because of you! It’s because of you b*tch that I’m in this situation! I curse you to have a terrible death!”

She was hysterical like a madwoman.

“Scarlett, even if you have plastic surgery to resemble her, so what? You will never be able to have Taylor. The only person whom he loves is me. We are together now, but you are nothing!”

Sophia did not want to speak another word to Irene and would not have stood up like that if she had not gone overboard by bullying the supporting actress.

Not in the mood to continue the conversation with Irene, Sophia merely repeated to the group leader, “Remember what I said earlier. I’ll check in two days later. Make sure that nothing happens to this lady.”

With that, she prepared to leave. Seems like this scene can’t be filmed today. I’ll bring Carmen home tomorrow since we don’t need this amount of money.

However, Sophia’s lackadaisical attitude had enraged Irene even more. Irene gave Sophia a chase without giving a thought on how her current look. “Scarlett, stand right there!”

Sophia turned to look at Irene without uttering another word.

Irene said loftily, “Since you’re here, I’ll be honest with you—I’m already in a relationship with Taylor. You won’t be able to intercept our relationship in your entire lifetime! You have no idea how gentle he is with me. Last night, he hugged me in bed as he repeatedly said that he will care for me and love me forever! You are nothing to him!”

Sophia snorted. Irene has really gone insane. Because of a man, she looks like she was infected with rabies. Is it even worth it? Hence, she replied, “Yes, yes, yes, you are the most beautiful and Taylor is your man. I have no plans to compete with you. Are you satisfied now? I’m heading home for dinner now.”

She removed Irene’s hands on her shoulder and turned to leave.

Sophia’s indifference had once again annoyed Irene, making her feel like her attacks had landed on cotton. As Sophia left, Irene viciously glared at the senior actress.

“Chase this woman and her family out from the film studio and never allow them to work here again!”

Just as the actress thought she was out of the hot soup, she fell to the ground in despair once again.

Irene looked pleased with herself as Sophia stopped walking as expected.

She merely wanted to make Sophia angry so they could fight until the end. The Fletcher Family owes me this. I’m sure Michael will side with me after this!

Sophia decided not to join the fight. With her hands in her pockets, she turned upon hearing Irene’s words and calmly addressed the crowd. “I have made myself clear—I will ensure that nothing will happen to this actress. I’m Taylor Murray’s legal wife whereas this woman is merely his mistress. Who do you think has more power? I’ll leave it to everyone to decide.”

Sophia left with her hands still in her pocket.

As Irene was still not satisfied, she chased after Sophia, but was stopped by the latter’s two bulky bodyguards.

She hated Sophia to the maximum while watching her leave. Why can she be so carefree after taking my happiness away? How shameless!

“You’re a btch! Btch, I’ll never let you have Taylor! You won’t get anything! You are forever a b*tch—nobody!”

Everyone thought, Damn, she’s really gone crazy. She’s just a mistress yet she dares to talk to the wife in an arrogant manner.

Sophia was not in the mood to continue the fight with Irene. After all, it was boring to fight with an insane woman.

Since Sophia mentioned that she would not let anything happen to the actress, she lived up to her word and even asked someone to inform the Actors Union.

The main reason why Irene was able to call the shots was because she was Taylor’s ‘mistress’ and everyone was merely respecting Taylor. Now that his wife had showed up, the crowd respected her even more since she was his legal wife. Even if Sophia was not his spouse, her background itself was rather impressive.

Soon, Michael caught wind of what happened in the film studio.

Irene, again!

Irene had recently been showing off her position as Michael’s mistress. He remembered the good deeds that her ancestors had done, so he informed his colleagues to cut her some slack so that the situation would not end badly. What happened in the end was her taking advantage of the leeway to even start a fight with Sophia.

Michael had a feeling that he needed to nip the problem in the bud before it would give him hell in the future.

However, his biggest trouble now was not Irene.

Rather, it was his father-in-law, who was difficult to appease.

He was a stubborn person who was a recluse to everything, be it good or bad, making it impossible to marry his daughter.

Apart from that, Sophia had no interest in marriage as well, but still slept with Michael after he personally approached her. However, as for marriage, she would only consider it after some time. After all, there was still a lot of time in the future. Good times were still waiting ahead of her.

Michael felt that all his recent efforts were completely useless—he had used all of his tactics until he was completely drained, yet he still could not convince Sophia to return to his side.

For the first time in his life, he doubted his attractiveness and looks.

However, he could also understand the entire situation—Sophia was no longer the same person as before. In the past, he was her everything, but now, she was a princess who received all of the love she could get. It also did not help that she did not have a shortage of brilliant men like Michael around her.

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 882

Even if he offered his own flesh and body, it still would not have made a difference.

“Mr. Mitchell, about Sophia and I, don’t you think…” Michael trailed off when he saw the needle again.

Cooper gave him a distasteful look and answered, “Don’t you even think about it!”

Carmen was back with them and she had wrapped herself in Cooper’s arm before dozing off to sleep. Upon looking at her round face in his lap, as cute as she was, she did not have the energy to help to rally support for her father. Michael could only hasten himself.

At night, Cooper brought Carmen and Sophia back to the hotel to rest while he packed his belongings to return to Bayside City the next day. As Carmen wanted to sleep with her grandpa on the same bed, Sophia, who was alone, huddled under the covers and spoke with Michael over the phone. They even chatted animatedly past midnight. Then, under the pretext of heading to have a barbecue, she sneaked out and found her way to his hotel. She wanted to give him a memorable farewell.

Michael had no choice but to remain at the film studio for a while, so Sophia figured that they probably would not have time to meet up with each other once she returned to Bayside City. She figured that at the very least, she should have some fun on her last night there.

After they made love, Sophia wanted to take a shower before leaving, but she never expected that Michael was adamant in not allowing her to leave. As a result, she stayed the night with him.

She was enjoying her last round with him in bed when she suddenly heard a booming voice outside the hotel’s window at dawn. It was a woman shrieking hysterically in a piercing voice. “Michael, you better come out now! Come out now! If you don’t, I will kill myself and I will keep to my word! I’ll give you one minute—if you still refuse to come out and give me an explanation, I will jump from here!”

Upon hearing the voice, it sounded like it came from somewhere close by. Because the wee hours of the morning had always been accompanied with silence, the sudden hysterical cries seemed to have traveled at a deafening volume.

Michael rose to his feet and drew the blinds to peek outside. He saw a figure standing on the roof of the hotel next to his. That person was holding a loudspeaker and appeared to be hysterically shouting into it. Isn’t that Irene Weber? He spotted Irene standing alone at the ledge of the building, preparing to jump at any moment as she yelled into the loudspeaker for the entire world to hear.

Michael had only slightly pulled the blinks to reveal a gap, but a ray of light spilled into the hotel room and was reflected in his eyes. His eyes were as dark as black ink as it did not have any expression.

Irene arrived at the film studio and discovered that he was also in the same vicinity to film a movie. However, the film set had bodyguards there—one of them even witnessed his colleagues throwing her out. She wanted to head to Michael’s hotel to harass him, but only knew the name of his accommodation without no knowledge on the floor he was on. The hotel had many entrances and exits, making it impossible for her to block them even if she wanted to. It was also unexpected that she would even threaten to commit suicide in the middle of the night.

With one final glance, he closed the double-layered and sound-proofed warming windows. The minute he did so, everything that happened outside no longer had anything to do with him.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. Let’s go on.”

If she really wanted to kill herself, she could easily locate one of the nearby skyscrapers and make a grand departure. Instead, she deliberately arrived in the middle of the night to cause a scene. Armed with a loudspeaker, she had created such a huge fuss for the entire world to hear, which did not resemble the behavior of a suicidal person.

In the end, Irene had managed to single-handedly arouse half the city from their sleep in a state of shock. Yet, Michael, who was living in the hotel opposite, was surprised to learn that she jumped from the building, much to his dismay.

By then, the fire brigade had already gathered at the ground floor and was prepared with an inflated air cushion, which they had conveniently prepped, to catch Irene as she landed. It was a pity that she jumped from a building that was only seven to eight stories tall, so she had only suffered superficial injuries and was immediately rushed to the hospital. At dawn, media outlets had caught wind of the story and reported on the coveted love triangle.

She naturally accepted the invitation to be interviewed and portrayed herself as the innocent, pitiful woman who had been abandoned. She even lamented that it was Michael who had a change of heart and left her.

Despite all of her pleads and cries, he never showed up to visit her at the hospital. However, the incident that happened the night before had caused Michael’s reputation to be affected; one of which was the revelation of his genuine identity. Now, the world was aware of his background—he was in fact one of the Fletchers and a descendant of the military!

It did not matter whether his true identity had been exposed. After all, he had already received the approval and recognition from the Fletcher Family. He shifted his name to the Fletcher Family’s ancestral grave and arranged for a joint burial with Theo. Their marriage application had also been approved and on Ancestors’ Day, Michael proved himself to the family by burning his original paperwork. He was no longer an illegitimate child, but rather a dignified and legitimate person by birth.

Irene had spent the night throwing tantrums at the window which faced the direction of the hotel where Michael stayed. On the other hand, he was having a good time with Sophia in his hotel room.

It was only in the morning when Cooper learned from his bodyguards that Sophia had sneaked out. He rushed to Michael’s room and knocked on the door, only to find Michael in the middle of brushing his teeth.

“Hey, Mr. Mitchell. I’m guessing that you’re here to look for Sophia. She’s pretty bushed from last night, so she is still asleep. Since you both are leaving on your private jet, I don’t suppose you’re in a hurry? Come on in and take a seat,” he warmly greeted while holding the door open and ushering the moody Cooper inside. A half-naked Michael purposefully moved around the room within Cooper’s view, so as to make it obvious that his daughter resembled cooked rice. On the other hand, Michael wanted to remind Cooper that what had been done could not be undone and Sophia was already an adult!

Cooper grew up with the local influence and even instilled the same principles in Sophia. Cooked rice? That’s impossible; even if rice was cooked into porridge, it would still be a bowl of sloppy, innocent mush—nothing could change that. Did Michael think that he will be able to have Sophia with him after a night of fun? He must be out of his mind!

Meanwhile, Carmen found the bed that she previously slept on and retrieved the stack of hard-earned money hidden beneath the pillow. She counted all of the money in the pile and securely tied them with an elastic band before shoving it into her backpack. Then, she happily carried her backpack before heading off. This is all my hard-earned money!

Even before Sophia could have enough sleep, she was already woken up by Carmen and yawned while heading out the door. Michael was dressed and ready to make his way to the film set. Before he left, he pulled Sophia into an embrace and kissed her. “Don’t forget to call me,” he said.

The two of them then kissed in front of Cooper. An excited Carmen also jumped up and down while she uttered, “I also want a kiss, Daddy!”

When Michael squatted and gave Carmen a peck, Cooper’s exasperated expression could not help but melt away.

Once that was done, Cooper led both girls to the garage where his escort car was parked. They immediately entered the car and made their way to the airport to board the private jet that would take them back to Bayside City.

After Michael had said goodbye to Sophia, he felt a sense of emptiness in himself although he was pleased. At least he had overcome the important step and pushed it out of the way. Once he was done with the filming and had perfectly portrayed Cooper’s father, he and Sophia could be together as long as Cooper was satisfied with the film’s outcome.

Meanwhile, in a hospital close to the film studio, Irene had been waiting for two whole days, but Michael still did not show up. He could not even be bothered to send his representative to visit her. In an attempt to vent her frustrations toward him, she threw any bottle that she could find in her ward.

“Michael Fletcher! What on earth do you want me to do? Go to hell, all of you Fletchers!”

A bottle of tonic, which the filming crew had sent, was flung across the room. The bottle rolled to the edge of the doorway of the ward before resting against the tip of a leather-pointed shoe.

She instantly perked up, thinking that he had sent someone to visit her. As her gaze tracked upward from the leather-pointed shoe to the person’s face, it was Sandra’s face which she saw instead. Irene’s beaming face instantly fell and dampened her mood.

“What are you doing here? Are you here to laugh at me too?

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 883

Sandra wore a set of professional attire as she entered the hospital ward and removed her sunglasses, revealing a set of eyes that were cold and distant. “Irene Weber, you are fully aware that he doesn’t care whether you are dead or alive and yet you still want to humiliate yourself. Are you stupid? Has he even showed up to visit you for a second? Look at yourself—how did you manage to allow Sophia Edwards to affect you like this? Even I find you pathetic!”

Although she was stoic, she wanted to fan the flames and make things worse than it already was.

Irene sneered in response. “Sandra, please don’t make the matter worse by instigating. You only want to use me to get to Sophia Edwards because she caused you to be in a situation that’s worse than mine! At least my skirt wasn’t pulled apart on the spot.”

When Sandra was younger, she only loved wearing skirts—regardless of whether it was the summer or winter season. She always wore skirts to show off her fit and long legs, but since Sophia had ripped her skirt off in public on time, she did not dare to wear skirts anymore; she even developed a deep aversion toward it after that.

“Shut up!” Sandra yelled, interrupting Irene as the latter recalled the story. The bluish-green vein on her forehead, which was as fair as porcelain, throbbed as the corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Sandra had encountered the deepest humiliation in her entire life on that day, which was having her skirt and panties ripped off by Sophia in public. On top of that, Sophia had also publicly shamed and insulted Sandra to the point where she vowed to avenge the enmity. She had already thought of a thousand ways to retaliate against Sophia, but merely needed the right timing to do so.

The two women in the ward had calmed down since it was useless to expose each other’s scars as they shared a common enemy—Sophia.

Irene wanted Sophia dead—that was the only way in which she could claim Michael as her own.

On the other hand, Sandra not only wanted Sophia to die, but she also wanted to destroy the matrimony between the Fletcher Family and Cooper. Having Sophia dead was the best method in achieving that goal and Irene was an important piece to making it happen.

Sandra sat by the edge of Irene’s bed and lifted her black-rimmed sunglasses before speaking frankly, “I have a plan, which will definitely have Sophia out of the picture. I just need to find someone to execute it. Do you have an interest in it?”

Irene scoffed while answering, “Are you thinking of using me as an assassin?”

“What do you mean by using you as an assassin?” Sandra responded. “I just can’t get someone who’ll be able to do the deed in a better manner than you. After all, you are the apple of Old Master Fletcher’s eyes and he treats you like a daughter. You are favored more than his direct descendants of the Fletcher Family. If you can pull this off, I guarantee you that the outcome will be twice your effort.”

Upon hearing what Sandra said, Irene’s eyebrows shot upwards as she felt pride growing within her.

It was true that she was the most favored in the Fletcher Family and treated like she was one of their own, if not better. Her own parents had sacrificed their lives for the country, which made her the child of martyrs—that inadvertently meant that no matter how much trouble she caused, Mark would never fully blame her.

Sandra watched Irene’s expression as she continued to explain, “It’s a foolproof plan. Once it has been carried out, Sophia will die without a proper place for her body to be laid to rest. Don’t you want to be the one who personally tortures her to death?”

Irene rolled her eyes as she was hesitant. Up until that point, she was merely fooling around. If it really meant killing someone… However, when she thought of Sophia and Michael being happily together, her heart felt like it was being sliced by a thousand swords.

She turned towards Sandra and responded, “Why don’t you share with me about your foolproof plan? Maybe I’ll give it a thought.”

Without missing a beat, Sandra gave voice to her thoughts. “I’m prepared to look for someone to kidnap both you and Sophia. Then, you will act like you genuinely want to save her, but in the end, you were unable to do so. That way, she’ll die and you will live life as a good person. Michael would definitely see you in a different light too.”

A suspicious Irene asked, “This plan of yours—will it actually work? How can I be certain that you won’t use this to undermine me?”

Sandra understood where Irene was coming from, nodding and gazing at the latter with envious admiration before replying, “Irene, you are nothing short of Mark’s most beloved junior, so how can I possibly dare to undermine you? The person I want to eliminate is Sophia as well as destroy the matrimony between Cooper and the Fletcher Family. How can I think of possibly deceiving you? In fact, I hope that you will be able to say a few words to the Fletchers on behalf of my father and me in the near future!”

Irene felt her own suspicions gradually dispel.

As for Sandra, she had been able to convince herself due to her identity—she had grown up with the children of the Fletcher Family and was even more favored than them. As long as she had the chance to mediate for the Fletchers, then the Fletchers would eventually support Alex.

The two ladies hit it off and launched into a detailed discussion of their plan in the ward.

After the fuss and drama that Irene created, Michael spoke up about the harassment that he received from her, which resulted in her losing her role. So, she packed her belongings and returned to Bayside City to heal her broken heart. In hindsight, she did not sustain any severe injuries and merely grazed her skin, but she was deeply hurt by what she had done for him. It was the kind of grief that she felt to her bones and muscles.

When Irene returned to Bayside City, more people came to visit her at the hospital. The first of them was Stanley, who had been sent by the Old Master to persuade her.

“Miss Irene, you shouldn’t continue to persist in the matter. Uncle Michael and Uncle Joel have their families and children… Besides, marriage doesn’t represent your entire life and identity,” Stanley blurted his words in a soft voice while slicing some fruits for Irene. He did not intend to come to the hospital to visit her, but Mark was adamant with his decision.

Irene’s parents had gone on a high-stakes mission, risking their lives without a second thought and died as a result. In the end, after successfully completing the mission, they had heroically sacrificed their own lives and did so while clutching each other in a tight embrace. The martyred couple, who had saved hundreds of lives, was awarded with first-class merit for their deeds, which was how Irene came to be adopted by Mark and brought up with much love, care, and attention.

Her parents were heroes, so how did she land herself in that mess? It must have been the trauma she endured from their deaths causing her to behave in a negative manner.

Irene laid on the hospital bed, but did not say a word in response. Stanley had washed his hands after cutting the fruits and was now preparing to leave since he already said what he needed to say. It was not his business to ask whether she would heed his advice or not.

He returned to the room and found that she munched on the sliced fruits, noticing that her pale face was now etched with wrinkles. She went under the knife for a double-eyelid surgery a few years ago as she wanted her eyes to resemble Sophia’s. However, age was catching up on Irene and her body’s recovery rate evidently slowed down to the point where those surgical marks, which had been previously covered with makeup, were now obvious. Now that she had a bare face, there was nothing much to cover.

In Stanley’s memory of them growing up together, he recalled Irene as the honest and intelligent skylark with a melodious singing voice. She also grew into a beautiful woman who was the darling of the kids in the Fletcher Family. How many people had tried to woo her? How did it all turn out like this?

“You must be tired from all the talking, Stanley,” Irene finally spoke. “Drink some water before you leave.” She took out a cup and poured some water into it.

He also felt that his mouth was parched, so he reached out with a hand and accepted the cup from her without hesitation to gulp the water. When he finished, he could not help but add, “You are still young, Irene. At forty years of age, you’re merely at the beginning of your youth. The road ahead is still long…”

Those words were his sincere words and he had said it in the hopes that she would find her way back after losing track of the right path. The Fletcher Family had treated her like a jewel and gave her everything that she had asked for. It would not be appropriate if she became greedy at that point.

She did not say a word, but only continued to eat the fruits.

Stanley rose to leave, but the moment he stood up, he felt blurry, causing him to lose his balance as he collapsed next to the bed.

Once he had lost consciousness, Irene, who pretended to munch on her fruits, looked up with shining eyes. There are so many men in the Fletcher Family. Why did I have to choose Joel and Michael? Young, handsome, and with a bright future ahead of him—Stanley is a much better choice!

She dragged Stanley’s body up the bed and gently unbuttoned his shirt. Back then, he could only follow other inferior boys, but now, he was already a man—it was time for him to have a lady!

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 884

Irene had watched Stanley being delivered into the world and him growing up into the man he now was. That silly boy who once played chase with his own back ten years ago had matured into an adult. She then slowly peeled off the thin fabric of his shirt and reached her hand underneath it to carelessly knead the flesh.

After drinking the cup of water that Irene spiked, Stanley was completely unaware of what happened since he was deep asleep.

She straddled on his unconscious body, pressing her hands into his sturdy build, with a fierce and lewd look in her eyes. Since the men of the Fletcher Family have played with my feelings and left me to fend for myself, what if I return the favor to them?

She wondered whether Stanley would fall in love with her if she became pregnant with his child. On top of that, what could Michael and Joel do about it? Instead of vying for the two older men’s attention, she should give Stanley another five—no, ten—years as he would definitely be more splendid than his uncles by then!

…

Standing by the roadside facing the hospital building, Sean was in his formal suit and clutching a briefcase in one hand. He had been waiting for a long time; he glanced at his watch before looking at the street opposite the hospital and turning to his wristwatch again. He started to become anxious because Stanley mentioned that he would only sit and have a talk with Irene for ten minutes. It was already half an hour since Stanley went up and there was still no sign of him exiting the hospital doors.

His assistant was holding onto Judge, the big dog, so that it could have a walk while they waited outside. They were supposed to join Sean for a business meeting and would be late if they did not make a move soon.

“President Mitchell, do you want me to head up there and inform Mr. Fletcher?” The assistant who had brought the dog for a walk returned and asked.

Judge recently returned to Stanley’s place. Although he had specially hired a nanny to look after the husky and accompany it for walks and plays, the dog still seemed lonely. Stanley would occasionally bring Judge to the office so that the dog could act as a bodyguard. When the humans left earlier for the business meeting today, Judge had insisted on tagging along.

Sean looked at his watch for the umpteenth time and called Stanley on his cellphone, but no one answered. After a long while, Sean suggested, “I’ll go and take a look.”

Stanley and Sophia maintained a close relationship; on the other hand, her and Irene’s relationship tore into pieces when the news about the film studio was exposed in the media. It was hard to say now whether Irene would do anything to him or not.

On the other hand, he was an honorable gentleman who served as a soldier in the military. How could he honestly allow himself to suffer any losses at the hands of a woman? However, Sean was still worried about the situation as he led Judge into the hospital and found Irene’s ward.

Two of Irene’s assistants stood guard at the door to her ward. When they saw Sean walking down the corridor toward their direction, they hastily stepped in front of him to bar him from further advancing. One of them said, “Miss Irene is having a discussion with Young Master Stan. She specifically informed us that they are not to be disturbed.”

A discussion? Sean thought. What sort of discussion are they having that can be more important than the business meeting later today?

It had already been agreed that today would be the day that they would negotiate with the Michel Group. Although it was safe to say that they were on good terms with Linus after burying the hatchet with him, it was still not like Stanley’s style to be late. Furthermore, Stanley had always been known to be highly self-disciplined and punctual.

Why isn’t he picking up his phone? It’s not like Stanley to ignore his phone for no apparent reason.

Sean wished that he could knock on the door, but Irene’s assistants were determined to stop him from doing so. Judge also anxiously pawed at the door when Sean suddenly realized something.

Could it be that Stanley and Irene are… N-No, that’s impossible. Stanley, that idiot, had secretly admired Sophia all those years, so it was impossible for him to easily have a change of heart. He was also aware that the situation between her situation with Irene was in a dangerous territory. He can’t be this silly!

As his thoughts ran amok, Sean decided that he would not waste any more time pointlessly talking with the assistants. He fiercely kicked the door open and released his grip on the Judge’s leash, allowing the dog to be the first one to rush in. Sean and his two assistants burst in, only to notice various pieces of clothing scattered all over the floor with an almost naked Irene on top of Stanley and in the midst of removing his pants. She had seen Sean rushing in and now stared at him with hatred-filled eyes. That look in her eyes coupled with her posture made her resemble a cannibalistic old monster, leaving him and his assistants with a cold feeling when they digested the scene in the room.

Sean was flabbergasted when he saw what was before him. He understood that sooner or later, Stanley would eventually be married to a woman, but it was the first time he had witnessed his friend being naked and on the same bed with a woman. Sean felt that his heart was being stabbed with a thousand knives and that his lover had been rudely snatched from him.

Sean stayed rooted to the grounds—as if his footsteps weighed a ton. He did not move or speak and was not sure whether he should leave the room or…

Judge’s reaction, on the other hand, was much quicker than his. As he snarled, the dog lunged toward the bed and Irene on her exposed butt. The dog with its titanium teeth took a bite of Irene’s rotten skin, causing her to scream and roll off the bed. She now screamed her head off like a pig was about to be slaughtered as the dog lunged after her again, wanting to take another bite of her flesh.

In that instant, Sean came to his senses and immediately turned where Stanley lay on the bed. He saw that Stanley was shirtless and his pants were halfway down his thighs, but the latter was motionless on the bed. Sean realized that she could have spiked Stanley’s drink since he did not react despite the commotion and her incessant yells.

With the help of an assistant, Sean hurried over and pulled Stanley from the bed. Fortunately, they were in a hospital as they found a doctor right outside the ward to treat Stanley.

As Sean left the room, he turned to see that the dog had managed to corner Irene. Hatred flashed in his eyes. Irene Weber! Since they were dealing with an emergency, he did not have the time to deal with her, but vowed in his heart to confront her for her actions at another time!

In the end, she had to be rushed to the emergency department in a bloodied mess as a result of Judge’s multiple bite wounds. The husky was held down and given a rabies jab while Stanley was also sent to the emergency room after it was discovered that he had consumed the water that was spiked with a large amount of sleeping pills. The doctor assured that it was nothing serious and he would be alright as he needed sleep to recuperate from his ordeal.

While Stanley was being examined in the emergency room, Sean waited in the hospital’s corridor where he sat on the floor with shaky hands. The image of Irene and Stanley sleeping together on the bed continued to replay in his mind—at the moment when he kicked the door to her ward open.

The look on his young, handsome face was stony and unreadable. He had outgrown his childish appearance and lost some of the femininity that once signified his youthfulness in university. It was now replaced by a deep, contemplative look.

Judge was anxiously pacing back and forth in front of the operating theater. Not long after, Sophia and Linus appeared and rushed toward them.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

It was less than two days since Sophia’s return to Bayside City. After having lunch with Linus today, they had discussed heading for the scheduled business meeting with Stanley. However, a while later, Sean phoned and mentioned that the meeting had been to be canceled. They learned that Stanley was admitted to the hospital and quickly rushed over to see whether he was alright.

Sean regained his composure and stood up to greet them. “I don’t really know. Stan will be awake soon and we’ll find out then. But, don’t worry, it wasn’t anything serious,” he said.

Sophia could feel that Sean was reserved and hiding something. She looked over and saw Judge wearing a muzzle, pacing in front of the doorway of the operating room. If it was wearing a muzzle, that meant it either bit someone or ate something.

Stanley slept until it was night time. Not wanting his parents to worry, they did not inform his family that he was at the hospital. Instead, Sean, Sophia, Sarah, and Linus stayed by Stanley’s bedside and accompanied him throughout the entire afternoon as well as at night.

When Derek got off work that evening, he was rushed to the hospital in a state of panic. He was in charge of the company’s management and Cooper had made an executive decision to change the former’s name to Derek Mitchell. Derek’s birth name did not sound pleasing to the ears—his last name had a domineering aura while his first name sounded rather plain. So, Cooper combined both their parents’ last names and decided on the name, ‘Derek Mitchell’.

At night, Stanley finally woke up from his deep, long slumber and realized that there were many people huddled around his bedside. In a state of surprise, he blurted out a series of questions, “Why are you all here? What’s wrong with me? What time is it? Where is this place?”

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 885

It was only when he woke up that everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon knowing that Stanley was no longer in any harm, those who gathered around his bed took the opportunity to catch up with each other as they chatted into the night. It had been such a long time since they had a happy gathering like that.

However, after waking up, Stanley had no recollection of what happened earlier that day—he only remembered that he was talking to Irene before falling asleep. Sean did not add much except that he had found Stanley in her ward.

Stanley stayed at the hospital until the next day, which gave him a much-needed relief to take a break. Ever since Judge was beaten the last time, Stanley had worked harder to improve the company’s performance at the expense of his personal time. So, he took the advantage to rest for those two days.

He returned with Sean to their sea view villas in the suburbs for a short vacation—both of them had purchased a unit each for themselves and were neighbors since their villas were adjacent to each other. However, they would drop by their villas for a bit on the weekends since they either slept at the office or at the Fletcher Residence most of the time.

Sophia had never been to Stanley’s seaside holiday home, so she took the opportunity to take a look. She decided to host a seafood barbecue party at his place that weekend since he had taken a day off work.

The party did not have many attendees—most of them were their peers from university along with a buddy’s two little critters. She even brought a reluctant Nathan along.

While Sarah and Sarah ate their barbecued seafood, they chattered about their family’s washed-up actors and children.

“Look at our family’s Sour Face—he’s arguably larger in size than other kids his age. He’ll surely be a one-of-a-kind, stunning mythical being when he grows up. Are you sure you’re not going to consider delivering a baby doll?” Sarah blabbered. “I wanted to tell you that it’s about time for you to marry and have children. Taylor’s been waiting for you for such a long time that even his hair has turned white. He’s still waiting for you even after you have returned. Since it’s about time for you to settle down, why don’t you get together with him?”

She continued with her words. “Love and marriage are not the same thing; when you’re in love, you can be willful as you wish, but once you’re married and have kids, things will be different. Look at me—I’m still fighting frequently with our family’s Old Wolf. Only after marriage did I realize that great men also need to relieve themselves and their poop are equally as smelly! I was completely disillusioned. Perfection doesn’t exist in this world, but how can I leave it all behind now since I haven’t done everything?”

Whenever Sarah spoke about marriage and her kids, she always said one thing but did something else. Although she was still the same lady who had a passion for crispy duck skin and exquisite paintings and artwork, ultimately she was also a mother to her children.

However, Sophia herself thought that it was still early for her to settle down. Since she was no longer that young, she wanted to continue dating for a few more years before marrying someone. It seemed that Michael was also anxious about it as he had urged that they marry after spending a night together. He was only forty years ago, so what rush was he in? Cooper was older than Michael by several years and was not even in a hurry to settle down at all.

As she thought about Cooper, she was a tad bit worried. Although she had a relationship with Michael, Cooper was still alone. The number of women who wanted to marry Fass could have formed a line around the globe, but he still kept to himself even after many years. It was hard for him to fully overcome the pain that he experienced in his younger days, rendering him unable to love another woman in the same way as he did before.

“By the way, what is Nicole up to these days? Every time I try to call her, her phone is always being answered by her assistants. It’s as if she’s busy all the time,” Sophia abruptly asked Sarah. Nicole had not kept in contact with Sophia for a while.

Sarah shook her head and replied, “She’s in the top management of Imperial Entertainment now and also one of its shareholders—she’s super busy. You have to make an appointment two months in advance if you want to meet up with her.”

Had it not been for Nicole at that time, Sophia would probably have died in Africa. It was a friendship that required no explanation.

Even though Nicole did not admit it, Sophia knew that she had always loved Cooper. She had loved him for more than ten years and even played a huge role when Sophia was searching for him.

But, it was as though Cooper…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the party, Stanley drank one too many glasses again and held onto the dog while talking nonsense. Linus and Sean were also drinking.

Linus looked at the incoherent and drunk Stanley while taking a sip of wine before speaking in a crisp tone, “Have you ever confessed your feelings for Stanley?”

Sean was in the midst of sipping on his wine when he heard Linus’ words and became silent while using it as an answer. He once thought that he could wish Stanley the best and bless him with happiness while watching him settle down with a family. However, when he saw Irene and Stanley in bed together, he realized that he had fooled himself all along. Maybe he was not as tough and liberal-minded as he had hoped.

Still, he was not prepared to confess his feelings to Stanley because he was afraid that the latter would think that he was a pervert… Although Stanley was an idiot who had not realized Sean’s feelings for him, Linus had noticed it, seeing that he was not like other men.

Sean gave a bitter smile before responding, “Without the blessings and positive wishes from others on such matters, it’s better to tuck the feelings away in one’s own heart—not everyone shares the same courage as you, Linus.”

Sean knew that he was not as flamboyant and openly gay as Linus. The man loved whoever he wanted to love—no matter whether the other person was a man or woman. Sean had no qualms over Linus’s choices; the latter was free to do anything that he pleased.

Upon hearing Sean’s answer, Linus simply shook his head and poured himself another glass of wine. Then, he tipped his head back and took a large swig of the entire glass of wine. He put the glass down and turned to the other side to glimpse at Sarah and Sophia, who laughed as they chatted away. “Is that so?”

The gays were able to understand each other and Sean was keenly aware of the odd look that passed through Linus’ eyes a moment ago. He seems to be watching Sophia?

Without the blessings and positive wishes from others on such matters, it’s better to tuck the feelings away in one’s own heart… That statement could have triggered a deeply buried secret in Linus’ heart.

Sean was startled since he seemed to have discovered something astonishing before breaking out in cold sweat. This is quite a big deal, he thought. I need to inform Michael about this as soon as possible. Something bad might happen if I push it aside!

The drinking and eating lasted until late at night before everyone gradually excused themselves for the rest of the night.

Sophia slept in Sean’s guest room at night. Carmen was already sound asleep when Sophia gently pulled the blanket over her and allowed her to be in the safe arms of the nanny. Sophia then headed outside to feel the breeze since she was not sleepy.

It was some time during midnight when she walked toward the seaside. A cool breeze swept along the beach as she hugged her jacket closer toward her body and sat by the sea. She could feel the breezy air on her skin as she admired the peaceful scenery. Farther out in the sea, she could see the vast moon steadily glowing like it floated on the surface of the sea. So, this is the so-called bright moon on the sea!

“Can you see the moon from your place?” Sophia held the phone to her ear and spoke to the other person on the line—Michael.

From her cellphone, she could hear the sound of curtains being pulled before Michael’s seductive voice apologizing, “It’s such a pity that there’s no moon at my place tonight, but that’s okay. Whether there’s a moon or not, it won’t keep me from thinking about you. No matter whether it is windy or rainy, whether there is a moon or not, I miss you. When the sky is clear, I still miss you. When it is raining heavily, I will also be missing you. When I’m feeling sad, I will think about you. When I’m feeling happy, I will also be thinking about you. Without you by my side, every grain of rice that I eat is coated with the feeling of missing you dearly.” He was flirting again.

Now that Michael used his seductive and alluring voice that he reserved for narration in films to flirt with Sophia, she felt that she had instantly turned into a heroine of an idol drama and was speaking about their love with the male protagonist. His skills in using his lines and charm had been effective to the point where she could not resist from being enchanted by those words. “It’s rare to hear you say sweet nothings like these to heroines in movies…”

He replied, “That’s true. I don’t fancy romance films. I like movies where things are being explored in a deeper manner, so I don’t have many romantic lines. The only time when I did this was probably in that gangster film when I acted as an undercover cop.”

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 886

“Is it ‘Undercover Blues’?”

The moment he described that movie, Sophia immediately knew which one it was. In that film, he played an undercover cop where his character died after completing his mission. He bade his last farewell to the female protagonist before taking his last breath.

It was one of those rare films in which he had many lines for his role. That scene in itself never failed to make her cry every time she watched it. The emotions that the lines carried were so raw when he delivered them. Upon having mentioned the film, she immediately requested, “I wish to hear the lines from the final scene again. Will you recite them to me?”

Michael recollected that scene and recited the lines to Sophia.

She never used to make such requests from him. Nowadays, whenever she thought of any memorable scenes from his films, she would request him to quote them to her again.

As she enjoyed her late-night conversation with him over the phone, Linus struggled to fall asleep and decided to catch some air on his balcony while staring at the moon.

In the silence of the night, his alcohol had mostly worn off, leaving him alert and sober. In his head, he kept thinking about Sean’s words from earlier that evening when they drank.

Without the blessings and positive wishes from others on such matters, it’s better to tuck the feelings away in one’s own heart.

Now that Linus had everything that a man could wish for, he also had the means and ability to get anything else that he wanted and do whatever he felt like doing. He no longer had to care about what others think of him or be bound by the rules of society. For example, for someone like him who fancied a person of the same gender, there was nothing to stop him from expressing his sexual orientation to others. The Michel Family was powerful enough that no one in their right frame of mind would dare to stick their noses into the affairs of its members.

However, there was one thing that stopped him from going after the things that he wanted.

Before meeting Sophia, he believed he had a perfect life. Now that she had appeared, he realized his life resembled a jigsaw puzzle that neared completion, but was short of one piece. And that piece is none other than Sophia.

He felt as though they already knew each other in their past lives and reconciled in the current lifetime. His gut feeling indicated that she was the one whom he had waited for his entire life and they were meant for each other. It was just that the right time had not arrived.

Unfortunately, she had found her other half—not only did she find herself a man, but she even bore him a daughter, who was now his niece.

Linus let out a self-deprecating chuckle. Fate had such a twisted sense of humor that it brought Sophia into his life and caused him to fall in love with her.

He took a couple more sips of wine before feeling the effects of the booze again. After quickly glancing at his surroundings, he realized that Sophia, who was strolling by the beach a while ago while on her cell phone, was nowhere in sight. Where did she go?

The beach was pitch dark—the lamps at the villa were not bright enough to reach far enough. He scanned the beach under the faint moonlight, but still failed to catch any sight of her.

Linus hurried downstairs with his cell phone in his hand and arrived at the spot where she sat earlier and noticed some footsteps on the beach.

Judging by the direction of the footsteps, she did not return to her room. Instead, her footsteps looked like she was heading farther out along the beach before disappearing into the dark.

He raised his cell phone and dialed for Sophia. In the midst of darkness before him, a light emanated not too far before it was followed by a familiar ringtone. He looked closely and found her ringing cell phone on the sand.

A chill went down his spine as he began to call out for her name while running alongside the footprints. They eventually led him to the side of the road where it ended. Sophia is missing!

After being unconscious for what seemed like an eternity, Sophia stirred from a throbbing pain behind her neck. She opened her eyes to see a glaring light with her body being tied to a pillar. Whoever tied those ropes and knots really wants to make sure that I won’t escape. She heard the sound of high heels click-clacking around the room. Before she could identify where she was, a hand reached out and pulled her hair, sending a sharp pain into her scalp as she was forced to look upward.

“Sophia, you deserve it today!”

She squinted her eyes and saw that it was Irene before her. Irene had copious amounts of makeup on her; a little overdone would be an understatement since she could easily be mistaken for a zombie. There was an eerily crazed expression on her face that caused her powder-based foundation to peel and fall off.

Sophia regained her composure as fast as she could and gathered her bearings. The last thing she remembered was speaking on the phone with Michael at the beach. While listening to him reciting a scene, she felt a sharp pain on the back of her neck before losing consciousness. The next thing she knew, she saw Irene’s face after opening her eyes.

It appeared that Irene had not thrown in the towel yet.

Sophia remained calm and ignored Irene’s taunts as she wasted no time in scanning her surroundings—it looked like she was being locked up in a basement. There was no way to tell the exact time at that moment, but she felt that the seafood she had for dinner was still being digested in her stomach, which meant that it had not been long.

They were the only ones in the basement, but it did not look like Irene could pull it off on her own, so there should be someone else too.

As there were two containers of gasoline in the basement, Irene grabbed Sophia’s head and pointed her toward those cans before gleefully speaking, “Do you see those gas containers? I’m going to burn you with them! Imagine Mikey discovering your charred remains here tomorrow—will he still love you? Your pretty little face and your hourglass figure will be gone. I’ll see what else you will use to seduce Mikey! You are a whre—nothing but a two-bit whre!”

Irene had absolutely lost her mind and continuously yanked Sophia’s hair to the point where she was numbed from the pain. As she was all tied up, Sophia could not do anything to fight back.

Sophia bit her lips and refused to say a single word. Irene, who was overwhelmed with insanity, continued to pull Sophia’s head up by her hair before giving several heavy slaps across her face. “Go ahead and cry or beg me. If you kneel down now, I might consider letting you go!” Irene roared in rage.

Sophia finally decided to speak up. She spat a mixture of saliva and blood before responding, “Do you even have the guts to kill someone? Back when I was taking someone’s life, your menses had not even arrived yet!”

After being evidently provoked by Sophia, Irene angrily reached for the gasoline and spilled it across her body. As she did it, she repeatedly yelled, “Do you think I don’t have what it takes? You will see for yourself whether I have the guts to end your life!”

At that moment, she behaved like she had an adrenaline boost. Her entire face twitched in exuberance as she muttered, “I don’t have the guts to end your life? What a piece of bullsh*t. Let me show you what I’m capable of. In fact, I’ll show it to you right now!”

Before long, Sophia was fully drenched in gasoline. The nauseating fumes surrounded her as she remained tied to the pillar. Irene took out a lighter and lit it up as she walked back and forth in front of Sophia.

“Do you see this? The moment I throw this lighter onto you, you will be burned to ashes! Getting burned to death is the worst way to die. Look at you being all tied up—you won’t even get to struggle. I will make sure you suffer the worst pain possible. You’ll be in so much pain till you will never be reincarnated!”

Sophia was unusually calm and maintained a stoic expression as she lifted her eyes to gaze at Irene, saying, “I’ve been living in Africa for years. In a daily warzone, there is nothing that I have not seen. Nothing you do will scare me.”

She was fully aware that if Irene ever threw the lighter at her, she would burn in flames and suffer a fiery death.

Her steady composure had greatly annoyed Irene. She not only wished for Sophia’s death, but wanted her to beg for her life before dying helplessly.

The flame was dancing menacingly on the lighter that Irene held. It was only less than a foot away from Sophia—any more closer and it would turn Sophia into a fireball. Irene then pointed at a knife nearby.

“You see that knife over there? If you beg me, I’ll let you have a quick death! Come and beg me!”

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 887

Sophia saw the knife too, but she didn’t say anything. Irene found Sophia’s cold and distant expression especially unpleasant, so she grabbed onto Sophia’s hair while slapping her multiple times.

“Beg for mercy now, you b*tch! I am asking you to beg me!”

Sophia’s face was swollen, and blood was already oozing from her especially fragile skin. Her nose was also bleeding, but she flashed Irene an eerie smile. “General Weber and Mrs. Weber were heroic figures. If they could see what’s happening right now and learn what their daughter has become, I’m afraid they would turn in their graves!”

Irene was stumped when she heard that. General Weber is my father… But there is no way back for me at this point. I have no choice but to kill Sophia. Everything will be back to normal if she dies. Besides, nobody would ever know how she died. To be honest, killing her is not my only goal because I want her to die in humiliation. I want her to beg for mercy on bent knees. I want her to kowtow to me while admitting her mistakes.

Irene grabbed onto Sophia while beating her up, but Sophia refused to surrender. “Go on and hit me. I will never beg you even if you were to beat me to death. I will snatch Michael away from you in the next life even if I end up dead today. Michael is my hubby—do you hear me? He is mine! Mine! You don’t even stand a chance with me! Previously, you abandoned him, and so you do not have the right to get him back now!”

Irene was blinded by fury, and she screamed hysterically. She scolded Sophia while grabbing her by her hair and beating her up.

“Beg me not to kill you! Beg me!”

Sophia gritted her teeth when she retorted, “Go on and hit me! I’ll surrender if you are able to make me beg for mercy!”

Irene vented her frustrations by beating Sophia. She regarded Sophia, who was bruised all over, and she felt good about herself. However, something flashed through Irene’s mind, and she seemed to have realized something. Then, she spat at Sophia, “I almost fell for your trick! You are just stalling!”

Sophia chuckled while she replied, “It’s not too late for you to realize about it… Oh! I’ve succeeded in stalling for a few more seconds. By this point, the person must be here to rescue me. You will be dead if you don’t make a move soon!”

Irene was furious, and she took a lighter out from her bag. Just when she was about to strike the lighter, a small hand reached out swiftly to grab her wrist. The tiny and slippery hand was exceptionally strong, and there was an audible crack. Irene heard a crisp snap, and her arm felt numb. The lighter, which had not been ignited, fell onto the ground.

At that moment, an intense pain came shooting from Irene’s wrist.

“Argh!!” Irene held onto her limp hand, and she wailed at the top of her lungs.

“What did you do to me? What did you do to me?!”

Sophia, who was bound to the pole, somehow managed to reach out with a hand. It was covered with petrol, so it was particularly slippery. Furthermore, her hand was small and thin, so she managed to release herself from the rope.

Earlier, she kept chatting with Irene as a front to buy herself more time.

Currently, Sophia had managed to release one hand, and so she broke Irene’s wrist with precision. She still had time, and with a few more seconds, Sophia would have released her other hand too.

Nevertheless, Irene realized Sophia’s motive, and so she endured the horrible shooting pain from her wrist. She scrambled to snatch the lighter away from the ground because she was determined to burn Sophia to death today.

However, she did not expect the sudden turn of events. Irene, who had just grabbed the lighter from the ground, wailed in agony suddenly. Then, she slumped onto the floor while moaning in pain.

The lighting was poor, and so Sophia squinted while she looked behind Irene. She saw that Irene was on the ground, but there was a knife sticking out of her back. In fact, Irene had prepared that particular knife to kill Sophia.

A pale and slender hand was holding onto the knife. When the perpetrator noticed that Irene was still struggling, the hand grabbed and retrieved the knife to plunge into Irene’s back several times. The knife stabbed into Irene’s vital points a few times until she died.

Sophia stared in stunned silence at Irene, who was already dead on the floor. She then looked up at the black figure who had barged in suddenly earlier.

The figure was staring at Irene’s body, as if struggling to come to terms with the fact that it had murdered somebody. After a pause, the figure approached Sophia, and she saw Sean, who was covered in blood.

“Sean, it’s you!”

The person who barged in was none other than Sean.

He was covered with blood, and his fair face was contorted into a scary and murderous expression. However, the expression faded, and the color drained from Sean’s face while he stared at Irene, who was slumped on the ground. His eyes were filled with complex emotions, including hatred and satisfaction, but it was mostly fear.

However, the emotions were fleeting, and he soon pulled the knife out of Irene’s body. Blood gushed out onto the floor, and Sean used the knife to cut the rope tied around Sophia.

Nevertheless, the rope was tough, and it was wound around Sophia multiple times. Therefore, the knife just couldn’t cut through it; even a fire couldn’t get the job done. There was no way of unfastening the rope because they were planning to burn Sophia alive while she was tied to the pole. They were beyond malicious because they wanted her to suffer excruciatingly, and so they made it impossible to rescue her.

“Why are you here? Where are my dad and uncle?”

Sophia struggled against the rope, but it was tied so tightly around her that she could barely breathe right now. Although she was lucky to have freed a hand, it was almost impossible to completely break free.

Sean seemed to be in shock because it took him some time before he finally rambled incoherently, “They are on the way here. I rushed over before they did once I learned about the news.”

Sean thought of Irene when Sophia was in trouble. Hence, he looked up Irene’s car number plate and searched the surveillance cameras. In the end, he confirmed the location.

He explained while trying his best to cut the rope to free Sophia. However, the rope was extremely sturdy.

After murdering somebody for the first time, Sean was trying his best to keep his cool. Nevertheless, his trembling hands revealed his panic and fear.

Since I’d made it here, Irene wouldn’t have been able to defeat a man my size. Besides, help was on the way, and I managed to get the knife.

I shouldn’t have killed Irene just now.

However, when I saw Sophia being tortured, the scene from the hospital—where Irene was on top of Stanley, glaring at me deviously—flooded my mind. At that moment, Irene didn’t look like a woman; instead, she looked like a monster. In fact, her gaze from that time intertwined with her crazy gaze just now, and I lost control of my actions.

I wanted to make this woman disappear from this world forever! I can’t believe I killed Irene! By the time I snapped back to my senses, everything was too late!

I know what it means for me to have killed Irene. At the same time, Sean heard a continuous blare of the police siren. True enough, she had something up her sleeve!

Meanwhile, Sophia thought to herself, After helping Irene catch me, they allowed the two of us to destroy each other. In the end, one of us would end up dead. Everybody would be happy if I had died, but since Irene died, I would be dragged into the situation.

No matter who ended up dead, there would be a drastic change in the relationship between Cooper and the Fletchers.

Sophia knew who was the person calling the shots behind the scene because she knew that whoever benefitted the most from this would be the one pulling the strings in secret.

“Sean, you need to leave right now!

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 888

Sean looked as though he did not hear her; instead, he continued cutting the rope in silence.

The police siren was getting closer, and it sounded urgent, but Sean did not leave. Sophia knew that the enemy had set this trap, and Sean had murdered somebody for her. Therefore, she did not want to drag him into the situation. She advised him hastily, “Sean, you need to listen to me. You have to leave right now. I know how to handle the situation!”

Nevertheless, Sean obviously did not listen to her because he continued cutting the rope seriously. The damn rope wouldn’t cut through; he won’t be able to leave if he delays any longer.

Sophia was panicking, and so she urged him. “The enemy is trying to destroy the alliance between my father and the Fletcher Family. If I had killed Irene, it would be more of a personal grudge, but since you did it, it would mean that the Mitchells killed her, because there was no bad blood between you and Irene. Therefore, the enemy would have a reason to spread rumors.”

Sean recollected himself, and he had already considered the consequences after killing Irene. She was the descendent of a late hero and the apple of the Fletchers’ eye. Killing her meant that I would be in trouble, and the Mitchells, whom Cooper represents, would suffer too. In that case, I can’t let Sophia take the hit for me.

Sophia was furious because Sean wouldn’t be able to escape if he refused to leave right now. Cooper would get me out of this if I get in trouble. Besides, I’d been kidnapped, and Irene tried to burn me to death. Hence, killing Irene would have been self-defense. On the other hand, Sean killing her would be considered as voluntary manslaughter.

With that, Sophia snatched the knife from Sean’s hand to press it against her throat.

“Are you leaving or not? I’ll kill myself if you refuse to leave right now!”

Nevertheless, Sean refused to leave, and so Sophia slapped him across his face while yelling at him, “Leave! I’m asking you to leave! Get lost! I don’t want to see you! Leave!”

Sean’s eyes were brimming with tears. In the end, he gritted his teeth while turning around to escape from the scene.

While watching Sean disappear through the basement door, Sophia wiped away his fingerprints from the knife in a hurry.

After that, she felt exhausted, and so she slackened her body. However, the rope tied tightly around her body suffocated her, leaving her out of breath. Hence, she was still breathing heavily.

The basement was humid and cold, but it was also filled with the scent of blood. Sophia gasped for air, but she was overwhelmed by the metallic stench that was nauseating.

Irene was slumped dead on the ground in front of Sophia. Her body was covered with blood, which was pooling across the floor. In fact, the blood was seeping through the bottom of Sophia’s feet, but she could only sit in Irene’s blood since she had been rendered motionless.

At that moment, Sophia’s tense body finally relaxed. It was then when she felt pain all over her body. There was blood on her hands, and her nosebleed was trickling down the corner of her lips.

She heard some urgent footsteps, and soon, a large group of people arrived at the basement.

The enemy scheduled everything to the second, because among the first group of people who came, there were swarms of reporters apart from the police. When the police set up the picket line, the large group of reporters ignored warnings from the police; they charged into the scene like maniacs to take photos of Sophia, who was tied onto the pole.

She was disheveled from the beating, and her head was bowed down with blood trickling from her nose.

Nevertheless, the group of reporters were still screaming at her to look up at them, just so they could get a headshot of her.

Cooper witnessed that scene when he entered. His daughter was tied to the pole, covered in blood. There was blood on her, on the floor, and everywhere. Sophia was sitting in the pool of blood with her head bowed. In fact, she stayed still despite the commotion.

At that instance, Cooper felt as if the world was collapsing around him, and even the simple act of breathing gave him heartache.

“Get lost! Get lost!” Cooper roared while pushing aside all the reporters and police officers. He charged into the picket line, and he kneeled down on the floor with a thud before cupping Sophia’s face.

Her face was bruised and swollen; she was also bleeding from her nose. Then, she looked up at him weakly, and her lips parted when she called out softly, “Dad.”

Cooper’s tears almost rolled down his eyes. Then, he turned and glared at Irene, who was already covered with a white cloth. Soon, Cooper released Sophia as fast as he could to send her to the hospital.

That day, the headline in Bayside City was ‘Young Lady Mitchell Killed the Descendent of a Late Hero, Irene Weber’.

‘Taylor Murray’s Wife Killed His Lover!’

The news shook the entire Bayside City, and it especially affected the financial world. Everybody was speculating whether the alliance between Cooper and the Fletchers would cease to exist over this matter.

This wasn’t the first time Irene had stirred up trouble, but the Fletcher Family had been turning a blind eye so far. Besides, they had been supporting her ever since she returned to the country. Hence, it was obvious how protective the Fletchers were over Irene. Sophia was considered the Fletchers’ daughter-in-law, but her relationship with Taylor was a mystery. Hence, at this point, nobody knew whom the Fletchers would side with…

Michael only managed to rush back home at noon from the film studio the next day after the incident. Currently, the Bayside City newspapers were filled with news of Sophia murdering Irene. There were a few pictures of her, showing her covered in petrol and blood while being tied to a pole, published on the front page.

Stanley phoned Michael to inform him that Sophia was fine, but Michael was extremely worried. After arranging the matters involving the film crew, he took the first flight back to Bayside City. Then, he found the private hospital where Sophia was admitted to.

However, he did not expect to be blocked by bodyguards when he arrived at the entrance of the hospital.

“I am sorry, Mr. Michael. The boss ordered that from today onward, you are not allowed to go anywhere near Miss Sophia.”

Michael knew that Cooper would blame him over this matter.

That’s understandable, because it was my fault. I did not expect Irene to be so insane. If something bad had truly happened, I wouldn’t have been able to see Sophia again today.

However, I truly need to see her right now.

Michael begged them. “Please just let me go in to have a look at her. I’m only asking for a quick glance. I will leave once I confirm that she’s fine.”

I’d be happy even with just a quick glance.

However, the bodyguards were unmoved, and they blocked his way into the hospital.

Joel was blocked outside of the hospital too.

Similar to Michael, Joel did not expect the degree of Irene’s insanity.

I admit that I had disappointed her, but we were both clear that she merely got together with me for the influence and power. I had always given her whatever she wanted, and I put her on a pedestal. In fact, I’d given her everything she dreamed of.

Did I abandon her?

I never felt like I’d abandoned her because Irene had always been unstable. Once upon a time, she noticed that I was more successful compared to a failing Michael, so she started flirting with me in secret. At that time, I was still young and immature. Besides, I was determined to compete with Michael, and so I played along.

Irene was already tempted lately after she realized that Michael had succeeded in life, and that he even won an Academy Award for Best Actor. In fact, she had been hinting heavily at Michael. She tried pursuing him while having control over me. She wanted whoever she could get, and she had been treating the two of us as her backup plan.

However, never in my wildest dreams would I expect her to make such a move!

Joel and Michael were blocked outside of the hospital. Cooper’s instructions were to allow only Maddie into the venue because the latter was a part of the media. Currently, all the news were revolving around stories of Sophia committing murder intentionally, and so he needed somebody to report things in a positive light.

Therefore, Joel and Michael were blocked outside of the hospital entrance while waiting for more news.

Soon, Michael saw the lawyer, Mr. Fields, arriving in a rush. It seemed that Sophia had admitted that she killed Irene, but it was a blurry line between justifiable and unjustifiable defense. Furthermore, Irene was the descendent of a late hero and a rapidly rising star in film, television, and music. Hence, her death shook the society, which also meant that the police were facing tremendous pressure from the public. It was vital for Sophia to have a powerful lawyer at this instance.

Naturally, Cooper had already summoned the best lawyers from the get-go; Mr. Fields was just one of them.

A huge crowd packed Sophia’s hospital room. Some were police officers, lawyers, reporters, and some were family members looking after Sophia.

She was giving her statement. Apart from a mild concussion and losing some hair, the rest was just external injuries.

Sophia did according to her lawyer’s instructions by claiming that her actions were self-defense in order to protect her life.

Irene’s fingerprints were on the gasoline can, lighter, and rope at the scene. It appeared as if she was trying to burn Sophia alive, but the latter somehow managed to escape. Then, Sophia must have fought back, killing Irene in the process.

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 889

Sophia handed the rest of the issues to her layer. She would not comment further because the lawyers would know how to get her out of the situation. Besides, Maddie was already here, and she was reporting the news in a positive light.

During the interview, a subordinate entered and whispered softly by Cooper’s ears, “Mr. Michael is here.”

Cooper’s expression turned frosty. “Ask him to get lost.”

He was extremely disappointed with Michael right now.

If Michael had handled the situation appropriately, my daughter wouldn’t have had to suffer so much. It is fortunate that my daughter is fine this time. If something had happened to Sophia, I would have made sure Michael would be buried with her.

Sophia seemed to have noticed something when she saw Cooper’s cold and distant expression. She knew instinctively that Michael had arrived.

Although she wanted to see Michael, she just didn’t know how to face him right now.

Irene deserved to die; even if I hadn’t taken the blame for Sean, and even if Sean hadn’t killed Irene, I would have killed her if I had been holding the knife.

If she hadn’t been murdered, Irene would have used her status as the descendent of a late hero to free herself from any accusations to continue with her troubled ways. The Fletcher Family had been caught in a tight spot when it came to Irene. She exhausted the last bit of love and patience from the Fletchers by flaunting her influence. I suppose I’ve acted on behalf of God by removing the disaster from the hands of the Fletchers.

If she had failed this time, Irene would have had a second attempt. I wouldn’t want to wake up one day, only to again find myself tied to a pole while somebody splashed gasoline on me.

Nevertheless, Irene was Michael’s first love after all. Besides, she was the apple of the Fletchers’ eye and the descendent of Old Master Fletcher’s favorite pupil. Hence, I still feel bad for her murder, and so I just need some time alone.

I suppose it’s best to not see him for now.

Michael and Joel waited for almost the whole day at the entrance, but Cooper refused to let them in. Maddie finally walked out of the hospital in the afternoon, and she spoke to Michael. “Taylor, I interviewed Sophia just now. She is fine, and she is doing well currently. Don’t worry; I will send over the interview video after I’ve edited it at home.” She paused. “I will definitely write a positive report. I would absolutely not deviate from the truth!”

Maddie was well aware of Irene’s nature. In the past, she would stir up trouble in Maddie’s department every other day, and so everyone in the department was afraid of Irene. Hence, Maddie was forced to take two military dogs with her to work to get Irene to stop. However, Maddie did not expect this to blow up in such proportions.

After that, Joel and Maddie left together. Just before they left, Michael asked Joel, “Did Old Master Fletcher… say anything?”

We can’t possibly keep something so huge from Old Master Fletcher.

Joel maintained a blank expression when he replied to Michael, “He is getting old—he is already 100 years old, so he probably doesn’t want to get involved in issues involving the younger generation.”

Michael asked again, “What about the Fletcher Family?”

Joel answered truthfully, “We are in a society with a legal system, so we would abide by the law.”

After all, even though Irene was stabbed to death, she was to blame because she made the first move, so the Fletcher Family wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. However, this matter involved the Fletchers’ honor, and so Cooper had to provide them an explanation.

The relationship between the Fletchers and Cooper was delicate right now. If one were to be careless, the alliance between the two families might just be destroyed.

Michael refused to leave even after watching Joel and Maddie leave. He parked his RV just around the corner of the hospital so he could observe everything going on in the hospital despite knowing that he wouldn’t be able to see Sophia in the near future.

He did not have the audacity to meet her right now anyway.

On the other side, after being scolded badly by Sophia, Sean drove away in a daze. Soon after he left, police officers and reporters came rushing to the scene upon learning the news.

Sean watched the news of Bayside City, where they reported that Sophia killed Irene, and he hid in a deserted place to cry for the longest time.

He had committed murder for the first time, and he felt extremely fearful afterward. However, the person was dead, and he had no way to turn back time. He did everything automatically at that moment, and it felt as if his actions were beyond his control.

I do not know how to face Sophia or Cooper. I can’t even imagine facing Stanley and the Fletcher Family.

Sean stayed hidden, and he refused to answer his phone even when Stanley and Sophia phoned him countless times. After disappearing for three days, he finally showed up at the private hospital that Sophia was admitted into.

Upon meeting Cooper, Sean slapped himself while confessing. “Uncle Cooper, it was all my fault. I stabbed Irene to death, and Sophia took the fall for me. It was my fault. I will surrender if need be to atone for my sins.”

However, Cooper did not blame Sean because he had read Irene’s post-mortem report. It was stated that Irene had been stabbed to death from the back. There were seven to eight stab wounds, and the perpetrator must have committed such a violent crime under extreme fear or anger.

If Cooper had been at the scene, he could almost guarantee that he would have been angrier than Sean.

In the end, he patted Sean’s shoulder while helping Sean, who was kneeling, up. “Don’t worry; it is a small matter. In fact, I should thank you for saving Sophia’s life. If it weren’t for you, Sophia wouldn’t be here with us right now.”

Nevertheless, Sean was mentally burdened. “Would Sophia end up in jail for my actions? Would you fall out with the Fletchers because of this?”

These were small matters to Cooper at this point.

“It will be fine, because I have the best lawyers here. As for the Fletcher Family, you don’t have to worry about that.”

I am the second largest arms dealer in the world, and I will soon be the largest. No matter what happens, the Fletcher Family will never have a fall out with me, Fass Michel.

However, Sean just couldn’t face Sophia, and so he observed her from outside of her hospital room before leaving.

Just when he had taken a few steps forward, Sean saw Stanley rushing toward him from outside.

When he saw Sean, Stanley was both furious and elated. “Sean, where have you been for the past few days?! Why didn’t you answer my calls? Do you know how worried I was? Can you even imagine?”

Two days had passed, but Sean felt as if a few centuries had gone by. The guilt was crushing him. The fear and guilt for the past two days had been overwhelming for him, and so he couldn’t sleep or eat well. Hence, he had lost a lot of weight.

Sean mumbled something, but he finally answered Stanley, “Stan, I am sorry. It’s j-just that I-I…”

He didn’t know how to explain the situation to Stanley.

“Alright, that’s enough. Stop speaking. Look at yourself—you are filthy and smelly. You look so disheveled too. My guess is that you haven’t had anything to eat; am I right? Let’s chat after having a meal.”

Without any further comment, Stanley dragged Sean back to the company, where they always slept in anyway. After a shower, Sean started gobbling up food without even being bothered to dry his hair.

He hadn’t really had anything to eat for the past two days, so he was famished; he finished Stanley’s stash of instant noodles in no time. In fact, he wolfed down three tubs of instant noodles.

“Pace yourself; there is more here. Besides, food delivery has arrived.”

Stanley had ordered a luxurious crayfish set meal, and he peeled the shells off for Sean. It was obvious that he was starving—he seemed hungry and haggard while devouring the food like a wolf.

After the meal, Sean put down his chopsticks. Then, he looked up at Stanley and burst into tears suddenly.

Stanley held him straight away while reassuring him, “It’s alright. You are okay now. Everything is in the past now, and what’s done is done. Sophia is alive and well, and Uncle Cooper will not blame you either. So don’t worry.”

Stanley thought that Sean was feeling guilty for he had failed to protect Sophia efficiently, resulting in her kidnapping.

In the end, Sean uttered between sobs, “Actually, I killed Irene, and Sophia took the fall for me. I am sorry, Stan… I murdered her. If the Fletchers want someone to pay for her death, just take me in!”

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 890

Sean had already thought about it. If the Fletcher Family wants somebody to pay for Irene’s life, I will offer myself. Sophia is the victim, but she is also the one taking the blame now. I am the true murderer here, yet I’m not thing but a coward.

Cooper doesn’t blame me, nor does Sophia, and because of that, the guilt is just eating me up.

I am afraid not because I’ve killed a person, but because I’ve killed a member of the Fletcher Family. And it so happens that Stanley is a Fletcher. I am sure that the Fletchers would look into this matter. In that case, I will be on the opposite side of Stanley.

The worst fear in my life is to be on opposite sides from Stanley.

After learning the truth, Stanley was stumped for a moment. Nevertheless, he chuckled bitterly. “If I were at the scene, I would have most probably murdered her too.”

Stanley had gone to the site with Cooper earlier, and he had witnessed the scene. The whole floor was covered with gasoline, and he saw a lighter there that could have easily been ignited. He also saw Sophia, who was waiting for her death, being tied to the pole.

If we had arrived a moment later, we might have witnessed a charred body tied to the pole. The rope was made with a special material for military use, and only Irene would have been able to secure that. If the gasoline had been ignited, Sophia would have been burned alive because she couldn’t move at all. In fact, she couldn’t have struggled at all. What a cruel way to die!

Stanley patted Sean’s shoulder. “My heart aches because I don’t understand how the kind and innocent Irene I knew turned out like that. However, it is undeniable that she brought this to herself. The Fletcher Family understands this as well, and they wouldn’t demand for someone to atone for her death.”

“But…” Sean recalled the interview on the news he watched today. “Didn’t the Fletcher Family ask Uncle Cooper for an explanation?”

Stanley chuckled in amusement when he heard that. “The Fletcher Family isn’t concerned about this matter at all. They are merely interested in one of Uncle Cooper’s fighter jet’s stealth technology, and so they just wanted to take advantage of the situation.”

Sean was stumped when he heard that, but he didn’t respond in the end. He needed time to accept the reality that he had murdered Irene.

Sean felt much better after some reassurance from Stanley, and he felt relieved.

Ever since he was a child, Sean would hide in the room to cry in secret whenever he was upset about something.

Usually, children would cry at the top of their lungs while deliberately howling somewhere with people present. As for Sean, he would always cry in secret because he knew that nobody would console him no matter how hard he cried.

But there is an exception.

Stanley has attended the same kindergarten, primary school, high school, and university with me. We studied and have been working together for more than twenty years. Each time, it seemed as if Stanley would be able to guess where I was hiding while crying my eyes out. In fact, he’d always succeed in locating me.

Then, he’d offer me sweets and bring a puppy along to cheer me up, and I’d stop crying then. He has never changed over the years.

“Here, pat the dog. Just look at our son! Look at how adorable it is!”

Stanley led Judge over to Sean. After Judge had been beaten earlier, its fur had finally grown back, and it was back to its formal handsome self. It stuck its head out for Sean to pat it.

Sean giggled while patting Judge’s head.

“Here, son. Call me daddy!”

Stanley was rubbing the dog’s head.

Judge tried its best. “Woof, woof!”

Stanley pointed at Sean while instructing the dog, “Call him mommy.”

Judge barked again. “Woof, woof!”

Sean burst out laughing while saying, “I am your god daddy!”

Judge barked in response. “Woof, woof!”

It was already impressive that Judge managed to bark twice at command, and so it honestly didn’t matter whether it was calling Sean mommy or god daddy at this point.

When they were children, Stanley and Sean would always play house. Stanley would always assume the role as the father, whereas Sean would be the mother, and they had gotten used to it.

The two of them soon found a place to sit down. Looking down from their company building through their full-length window, they could easily enjoy the night view of the busy Bayside City.

The two of them and the dog were like a family of three.

Stanley downed the rest of the wine bottle in his hand in one go. The floor was full with the emptied mini wine bottles. He pointed at the magnificent night view of Bayside City while speaking in a grand manner. “Sean, do you see this? This is the empire that we’ve built together!”

Plum Technology had been listed and was expanding steadily. It was now involved in a variety of industries. Once upon a time, they only had one floor in the building, but now, they had purchased two buildings for their offices. There was a view of another large building from the director’s office.

We’ve built this empire…

Sean took a sip of the liquor while pointing at their empire. “It is still too small. We have to continue expanding our territory, just like Michel Group, to all over the world.”

Stanley opened up another bottle of alcohol, and he clinked bottles with Sean. “I wouldn’t have been able to achieve great things without you three,” he said.

Once upon a time, the four of them owned Plum Technology together. However, a few years ago, Phantom Wolf kidnapped Sophia, and there were only three of them left. Now that Sophia was back, she was slowly taking over responsibilities in Plum Technology. Hence, she would be back in the company sooner or later.

The two of them patted the dog as they drank the bottles of alcohol while reminiscing about the past. They were inseparable during their schooling time from kindergarten, primary school, to high school. Sean always wore women’s clothing, and people would call him a weirdo. However, Stanley had never given him the cold shoulder because he knew that Sean was simply waiting for his mother to pick him up.

They were still inseparable when they started attending university, started their business, and graduated…

Thud!

Stanley was drunk, and his head lolled against Sean’s chest.

Sean held Stanley while having his back against the wall. He sat on the floor, surrounded by empty liquor bottles. Sean stared far ahead while mumbling quietly, “I will always accompany you for the rest of my life…”

In the hospital.

Sophia had been admitted in the hospital for a week now. Her external injuries had almost fully recovered. Michael abandoned the film crew, and he had stayed put for a week too. Nevertheless, Cooper just refused to let him in to visit Sophia.

Today, Carmen came by. Michael carried Carmen in his arms when he reminded her, “Good girl, once you manage to get in, convince Mommy and Grandpa to get Mommy to meet me, alright?”

Carmen patted her chest confidently. “No worries; just take a shower and wait for the good news, daddy!”

Michael scowled at her. “Why should I take a shower?”

Carmen covered her nose. “Because you stink, Daddy!”

Michael sniffed himself. True enough, he had bad body odor that was mixed with the stench of tobacco. He had rushed back to see Sophia, and since he didn’t get to see her, he had been worried the whole time. He didn’t eat, let alone have a shower. During this time, he even became addicted to smoking, and even his teeth were a shade darker now.

After watching Carmen enter the hospital, Michael immediately went off to the nearest hotel for a shower.

Carmen entered the hospital, and she played with Sophia for a while. After having a meal, she left the hospital. Michael, who had freshly showered, asked hastily, “Baby, how did it go? Did Mommy and Grandpa agree to see me?”

Carmen answered him gravely, “That’s a tricky one. Grandpa says that he is getting me a new daddy.”

It was such a sticky situation this time that even Carmen couldn’t handle it. Michael didn’t want to burden her, and so he urged her to go to her kindergarten while he’d try to figure a way out.

In the afternoon, Michael received a phone call from Justin. “Celie has escaped.”