Ch. 1581..1590

"Hmph, don't call me that! I'm your boyfriend, so you should call me darling, or even babe!" ordered Sunny.

Although Xante occasionally did like to flirt around, she could not bring herself to say something so corny.

Sunny really was crazy in love. He hugged her and nuzzled her like a baby."

Please, Xante. Call me that just once."

Xante frowned, unable to move since he was holding on to her so tightly.

Finally, she yelled in disgust, "Let go, you silly puppy!"

Sunny was stunned for a moment. He then straightened up and glared at her.

"Why are you scolding me?"

Xante glared at him with disgust. She then adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, which were about to fall off. "Don't you think you're acting like a silly dog begging for its master's attention right now?"

Sunny was a little taken aback, but he then chuckled heartily. "Yes! Haha!

So I'm going to call you 'master' from now on!"

Xante thought he would get angry, but he actually accepted her insult happily.

'Ugh, there's no saving him!' Sunny hugged her tighter and nuzzled against her again. "Silly dog, it is! No matter what, I finally got a special nickname out of you, Xante. I am special to you, right?"

Xante was speechless.

She truly misjudged him. She thought that Sunny had reappeared in her life after three years to take revenge on her. Never did it once cross her mind that he would still be in love with her all this while, so much so that he had no qualms about being her 'silly dog'.

'He must be the silliest man on earth, not to mention the total opposite of his brother!'thought Xante.

When Sunny did not get a reply from Xante again, he raised his head and stared at her with twinkling eyes. "Master, can I kiss you?" 'That word just rolls off his tongue, huh?' thought Xante. She frowned in disgust and said, "Don't tell me you really want to make out here in the restroom."

Sunny pressed her against the door of the toilet cubicle. "I don't care where we are! I want to be able to kiss you anywhere! Can we do that, Master? One kiss, and well go back out there."

Xante knew she would not be able to escape when she looked into Sunny's burning eyes. Thus, she decided to take this opportunity to negotiate with him, "We can kiss, but you have to promise me not to talk nonsense again at the dinner table!"

Sunny immediately nodded and moved in to kiss her, but Xante put a finger to his lips. "Wait, I haven't finished talking!"

Sunny could not wait any longer. "What? Please tell me quickly. I'll agree to it as long as it's reasonable.’ "When we go back to the room later, you're not allowed to take nonsense or molest me."

Sunny was a little unhappy. "Since when did I molest you? I simply held your hand under the table! What's so wrong with that?" "You should be focusing on your food instead of holding my hand! Besides, how am I supposed to eat with one hand?"

Sunny chuckled, i'll feed you!"

Xante pushed his face away in disgust. "Here you go again. You should behave yourself in front of the kids! I'm beginning to wonder whether you're doing this to make me or the boss angry!"

Sunny sighed. "I'm not trying to make anyone angry! I just want to hold your hand. It’s not like that's an inappropriate thing to do in front of the kids. Xante, you shouldn't worry so much. The kids won't be any the wiser.

They'll just think we're really good friends

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1582-Xante narrowed her eyes and glared at Sunny sharply. "You keep calling me Master, yet you dare disobey me?"

Sunny held Xante's face. "Master, can you take off your glasses if I obey you?"

Xante knew very well what taking off her glasses meant. She decided to give in to him this time, so she took off her gold-rimmed glasses. "You can do anything you want to me as long as you're being a good, obedient dog.” Sunny kissed her smack on the lips as soon as Xante finished speaking.

Meanwhile, back in the room, Corinne was feeding the kids while casually dealing with Jason's nonsense.

Since she and Jason were the only ones in the box with the kids, it was easy for others to think that they were a family. Thus, Corinne was really looking forward to Xante and Sunny coming back.

In the end, Aaron and Annie arrived before them.

Aaron and Annie walked into the private dining room together. They were slightly surprised to see Jason there, but they still nodded to him as a form of greeting.

Aaron sat next to Corinne and reached out to pinch Joey's cheek gently before asking, Hey Boss, where's Xante? Isn't she supposed to be here, too?" "She just went to the restroom," answered Corinne.

Aaron nodded. He then took a new set of tableware from the table and handed it to Annie. "You didn't eat much at home just now, so have a little more now."

Annie looked uncomfortable. "But I'm already full."

Seeing this, Corinne raised an eyebrow and said, "Aaron, I heard from Xante that you had dinner at your girlfriend's house before coming here?"

Aaron flashed a smile at her. "Yeah! And I've brought the girlfriend in question, too."

Corinne looked at Annie inquiringly. "When did the two of you make up with each other?"

Annie was visibly flustered. "Um, we…"

She was not even sure if she and Aaron had fully made up with each other.

Aaron knew she was thin-skinned, so he took over the conversation with a smile. "Just today."

Corinne looked at Aaron, then at Annie.

In the past, she might have given her opinion out of worry that Aaron would hurt Annie again. At that moment, however, she felt like she did not understand relationships herself very well.

Tve no right to judge other people's relationships when I myself didn't do well in my relationship with Jeremy…' thought Corinne.

After a moment of silence, she said sincerely, "Okay, I wish you two nothing but the best, then."

Annie had turned bright red by then, and she still did not know what to say.

Aaron, however, smiled and said, "Thanks, boss."

After a while, Xante and Sunny came back.

Seeing that Xante had obviously retouched her lipstick, everyone-except the kids-instantly knew what she and Sunny had done in the restroom.

The atmosphere became more relaxed after Aaron and Annie came since more people acted as a buffer. They all had a good chat with each other over various topics.

Jason did not have a chance to talk to Corinne until the dinner was over. Since he did not come in his own car, he had to take one of their cars back. Naturally, he wished Corinne to give him a ride so he would have a chance to talk to her, but unfortunately, she had no intention of doing so. She instead asked Aaron to give him a ride.

Having no choice, he got into Aaron's car. Before he did, however, he walked up to Corinne with a smile and said warmly, "Drive safely, Corinne. Let me know when you get home."

"Don't worry. I'll be careful," replied Corinne.

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1583-Jason knew Corinne would not be texting him after she got home based on her response. Thus, he sighed and smiled helplessly as he watched her and the kids get into the car and leave.

After the car drove off, Aaron put his arm around Jason's shoulder and said, ‘Come on, Mister Jason. I'll drop you off wherever you want."

Jason snapped out of his thoughts with a smile and said, "Sorry. I didn't mean to be a third wheel between you and Annie."

Aaron turned his head to look at Annie, who was already sitting in the passenger seat with a blushing face. The smile on his lips grew a little wider.

Corinne returned home with the kids, and Pamela was waiting for them in the living room.

"Corinne, why are you back so late today? Dinner has gone cold! I'll ask the kitchen to reheat the food. Get the kids to wash their hands and come to the table!" said Pamela.

Francine was also at home, so she came over to help Corinne take care of the kids.

"Grandma, go ahead without me. I'll eat later. Francine, help me look after the kids while they have dinner. I have something urgent I need to do in my room."

Francine nodded. "Sure thing.” Corinne had taught the kids well. Even though they were already full, they still followed Francine to the dining room to eat dinner again with their greatgrandparents.

Corinne hurried upstairs.

Pamela could not help but worry when she saw Corinne rushing up to her room like that. "What's got into that girl lately? She looks like her mind is somewhere else all the time."

Francine also looked up at Corinne. She then comforted Pamela, "It must be because work is busy. But I'm sure there's nothing to worry about!

Corinne’s an amazing woman who can handle anything." "Sigh! Pity the girl, having so much on her plate," said Pamela sadly.

After returning to her room, Corinne immediately took off her restrictive work clothes, lay lazily on the bed, took out her phone, and scrolled through the messages.

'Why hasn't he replied to me yet?!' she thought with annoyance.

Frankly, she had nothing urgent going on. She was just upset and wanted to go upstairs and be alone for a while.

When she received no reply from Jeremy, she threw her phone aside sullenly, got up, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Meanwhile, at the hotel.

Jeremy was prepared to go back to his bedroom to rest after having dinner with Bryan and Sophia.

However, Sophia wanted him to stay for a while longer. She still did not have enough of him. After all, she was still immersed in the joy of having been defended by him, which happened so rarely.

"Zachary, it's still early! It's only eight o'clock. You won't be able to sleep if you go back to the room so early. Stay and talk with me for a while!"

Jeremy obviously looked tired. "I'm feeling more tired than usual today and want to go to bed early. We can talk in the morning."

Since Jeremy already said so, Sophia thought she should not push her luck.

"Okay. By the way, my dad is coming to see US in two days, and he'll probably stay in this hotel too. When he's here, we won't be able to sleep in separate rooms anymore. I understand your reason for wanting to sleep in separate rooms, but my dad certainly can't. He'll definitely get mad at you if he finds out we’re sleeping in separate rooms."

Jeremy paused for a moment, then responded without looking back, "Okay, I understand. I will cooperate with you when the time comes."

Sophia smiled. "Glad to hear that! Good night, then!"

Without once looking back at her, Jeremy took Bryan back to the room and closed the door.

His eyes darkened the moment he was inside his room. 'Adam's coming.

That means I won't be able to find time to do my rehabilitation exercises.'

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1584-Bryan was keenly aware of the change of expression in Jeremy's face. He blinked innocently and asked, "Daddy, what's wrong? What are you thinking about?” Jeremy came back to his senses and shook his head. Nothing's wrong. Go wash yourself, and get ready for bed." "Okay!" said Bryan with a nod. He then obediently walked to the bathroom, but his eyes suddenly widened in shock after he opened the door.

Seeing this, Jeremy immediately became vigilant. He steered his wheelchair to see what he saw.

He, too, was stunned when he saw Corinne in the bathroom. She was sitting on the toilet with her hand on her chin, looking unhappy.

Jeremy quickly turned to check whether he had closed the bedroom door properly before going into the bathroom with Bryan, closing the door.

"You shouldn't be here at this hour," said Jeremy.

However, Corinne did not take his words seriously. With her chin still in her hand, she frowned slightly and asked him, "Did you see the message I sent you?"

Jeremy's expression froze for a moment before he said, "Yes, I saw it."

Corinne's frown deepened. "Why didn't you reply to me, then?" "I can't reply to any messages when Sophia's here."

Corinne's eyes turned red with anger. "Do you seriously expect me to believe that you can't even find a moment to reply in the last few hours?!" she said with a sneer.

Jeremy was silent. It was true that he had no chance to reply.

Corinne gritted her teeth. "Bryan, go out and stand guard at the door for Mommy."

Bryan seemed to understand something, so he immediately responded," Okay, Mommy!"

He quickly scrambled out of the bathroom.

After he went out, Corinne stood up and walked slowly toward Jeremy.

Jeremy did not move an inch but simply said with a serious face, "Do you know how risky it is for you to be here right now? Sophia could barge in anytime! Do you really want her to find out you're here?"

Corinne scoffed. "What are you afraid of? The only person she'll be getting rid of when she finds out is me. She couldn't possibly bear to do anything to you since she loves you so much."

Jeremy sensed something was different with Corinne this time compared to the last time she visited him. 'Is she perhaps…angry?' "What's the matter with you?

Have you been drinking?" he asked calmly.

"No, I don't drink." "Then what is it? Why are you acting so irrationally?"

Corinne walked up to him, raised his chin condescendingly, and asked," Why didn’t you reply to my message?" 'Did she really come all the way here to ask me that?' Jeremy looked at her and suddenly frowned. "Because I didn't want to bother you while you're on a date with another man."

Corinne frowned. "Who told you that I'm dating another man?"

Jeremy smirked sarcastically. "Don't play dumb. I saw the man in the photos you've sent!"

Corinne was stunned. She let go of his chin, took out her phone, and pulled up the photos she took, only to realize that Jason's hands and clothes were indeed photographed.

She did not think much about it at the time, so it escaped her attention. Plus, she was not secretly dating Jason, so why would she care whether he was in the photo?

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1585-So what if I accidentally took a photo with the person I was eating with?' thought Corinne. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

"So you thought I was on a date with another man? That's why you didn't reply?

You were hoping that I'd end up developing a love relationship with that man when you didn't reply?" asked Corinne.

Jeremy was silent for a few seconds before answering, "Yes. Since I'm disabled, I hope you can pursue a relationship with another man."

Corinne grimaced. She glared at him and shouted, "Jeremy Holden, I swear you're going to be the death of me someday! Oh, I must be cursed in this life to

meet a man like you!"

Jeremy's chest tightened when he heard her call him 'Jeremy Holden', and a sense of familiarity came over him.

"Sorry that I couldn't make you happy."

Corinne wrapped her hands around Jeremy's throat and squeezed it a little. "I should just strangle you to the death right now!"

Jeremy closed his eyes and let her do whatever she wanted.

Corinne did not exert any more force. She simply looked at him quietly, causing her throat to suddenly tighten. After all, she had been hoping every day for the past three years to be able to see that face again.

Jeremy suddenly felt that Corinne's breathing seemed to be getting closer and closer. He opened his eyes all of a sudden and saw her face was very close to his. He was very shocked, to say the least.

At that moment, he understood why they had children together. She was really beautiful-much like a goddess.

Corinne wanted to hate him, but she could not. She could not help missing him and wanting to be close to him. She did not even mind he did not remember her or was crippled; she was just glad he was still alive.

Sunny's remarks at the dinner table enlightened her. 'Sunny's right. I shouldn't care who wins or who loses in a relationship. The only important thing is to love one another and treasure every moment spent together. I should cherish Jeremy even more since I finally found him after three years? I don't want there to be regrets between US anymore!' 1 When their lips almost touched, Jeremy suddenly asked in a calm voice," Are you sure you can accept me as I am now?"

That instantly killed the mood for Corinne. She frowned and straightened up.

"What's wrong with you now?" "I may never be able to stand, walk, or…do it again. I don't think I can give you the happiness you deserve," said Jeremy sullenly.

Corinne was stunned for a moment, but she then understood what he was hinting at.

"It doesn't matter. We already have three kids. It doesn't matter whether we can do it or not. My needs aren't strong!"

Jeremy looked at her quietly. "You think it's that simple? Do you know how long a lifetime is? I can't protect or take care of you and the kids. Instead, I'll just be a burden to you all!"

Corinne crossed her arms. "A lifetime isn't really that long. Plus, I don't need protection and care from others. As for you, although you are physically disabled, that doesn't stop you from being so good-looking! No woman will ever think that a handsome man is a burden."

Jeremy's face Stiffened. Suddenly, he laughed. He was amused by how she could say such romantic words with a straight face. "So you think I’m handsome?"

Corinne nodded calmly. "It's not what I think; it's a fact! Otherwise, why do you think Sophia is willing to go to all those lengths to keep you locked up here? In fact, you're so handsome that it's criminal!"

Jeremy, who had always been aloof, actually smiled. "You're quite the smooth talker despite your looks."

Corinne scoffed. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not complimenting you, but just stating facts!" "You really don't mind me being like this?"

Corinne bent down and looked deeply into his eyes. "No, I don't mind."

After a brief moment of silence, Jeremy smirked and said, "Okay. That's all I need to hear. Let's do it, then."

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1586-Corinne smirked, raised an eyebrow, and asked sarcastically, "What do you mean?"

Jeremy locked eyes with her and said, "I mean I'm willing to accept you."

Corinne narrowed her eyes slightly. "The reason I can accept you as you are right now is because I remember how you used to be and what happened between US, or more accurately, the feelings between US. The question is, why are you willing to accept me? You don’t remember anything about me. Do you make it a habit of accepting a woman whom you've just met?"

Jeremy's gaze never once wavered as he said cheekily, "Can my reason be the same as yours?" ■'What do you mean?" asked Corinne quizzically.

Jeremy raised his chin slightly, "I also think you're very good-looking. You're so beautiful that I can’t possibly turn you down."

Corinne’s pupils shrank slightly. She then stared into his arrogant face, and …kissed him right on the lips.

It was not a deep kiss. It was a mere press, a graze, just to feel each other's warmth.

10 seconds later, Corinne raised her head, brushed her lips, and asked, "Did that bring to mind anything from your past?"

While there was a sense of familiarity, it did nothing to bring Jeremy's past back to him, so he shook his head.

Corinne reached out to graze his lips with her finger. "It's okay. You can take your time. I can wait."

Jeremy grabbed her finger, and gently held it in his hand. "Thank you."

Miraculously enough, even though he could not recall any memories related to her, he did not mind her touching him. In fact, he enjoyed it.

Corinne did not pull away her hand. "What are you thanking me for?" "For everything you've done for me."

Suddenly, Corinne pulled her hand back angrily. "As if you have no idea what I've done for you. You’re just being polite here."

Jeremy stared into her eyes deeply. "You're right, I don't know. But I can certainly imagine it."

Corinne scoffed. "Whatever! I'm leaving. But I'll come again tomorrow!"

Jeremy instinctively reached out to grab her hand to stop her from leaving.

Corinne suddenly turned back around to look at him. "Anything else you want to say?"

Embarrassed, Jeremy opened his mouth, but no words came out.

It was pure instinct that made him want to grab her hand. In other words, he did it without thinking as if he could not bear for her to leave.

Not getting a response, Corinne held his face in both of her hands and bent down to kiss his forehead.

Jeremy was stunned. His face actually turned red. "Why… Why did you do that?"

Corinne shrugged and said, "Since you're not saying anything, I just assume you couldn't bear for me to leave! So I kissed you goodbye."

Jeremy was a little taken aback by her answer, but he then smiled. "Isn’t a kiss goodbye supposed to be on the lips?"

Corinne glared at him. "I'll kiss you on the lips when you've regained your memory of me. I have to go now before Sophia comes to interrupt this little affair of ours."

After saying that, Corinne felt that she had used the wrong words. 'Why do I make it sound like we're having an affair when she stole my husband away from me? Huh!' Just as she turned around and walked to the door, Jeremy called out to her again, "Wait

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1587-Corinne stopped and turned. “Yes? Do you want another goodbye kiss?"

Jeremy steered his wheelchair closer to her. "No." "What is it, then? Come on, I don't have all day."

Jeremy looked at her and asked, "Who was the man that you went to dinner with?"

Corinne was stunned. She did not expect that he would stop her just to ask such a trivial question. "I had dinner with Aaron, Xante, Jason, and the kids. Apart from the kids, I don't think you remember any of the other three."

Jeremy's gaze relaxed a little. "So it wasn't just you and the man in the photo?"

Corinne nodded. "No! Did you really think I was on a date?"

Jeremy did not answer her; that was exactly what he thought.

"Then who was the man in your photo?" "Jason Talbot. You two used to be friends."

Jeremy got a very bad vibe from the name alone. "Does he contact you often while I was missing in the past three years?"

Corinne felt a little guilty. It was not that she had done anything wrong, but because it was inappropriate of her to have dinner with Jason despite knowing he had a crush on her. However, it was not like she did not try to get rid of him.

He'd contact me from time to time," replied Corinne, not hiding anything.

Jeremy felt there was more to the story. "If he's interested in you, you don't "Shut up!” said Corinne angrily. She knew the nonsense he was going to say, so she stopped him. "How can you still think that when I've made it clear how I feel about you? Don't you think I would’ve accepted Jason if I'm interested in him? I wouldn't have stayed with your family with the kids and waited for you to come home! Don't blame me for beating you up if you ever dare to push me into a relationship with someone else!"

Jeremy’s shock was overtaken by a smile. "You've misunderstood me. What I was going to say was, if he's interested in you, you don't have to force yourself to see him for my sake."

Corinne was embarrassed. "Oh… I see."

Jeremy smiled and said, "How could I bear to push you into a relationship with someone else when you don't mind me being disabled?"

Corinne smiled back at him. "Sorry for jumping to conclusions."

Jeremy came closer to her and said, "If possible, I hope you'll never meet that man alone again in the future."

Corinne frowned. "I'm afraid that's going to be a bit difficult."

Jeremy's eyebrows furrowed. "Why? I thought you were not interested in him?"

Being a man himself, he knew how men think, so he was worried that Jason would try to take advantage of Corinne.

"Holden Group will be working on a project with Talbot Group soon, so it'll be impossible for me to have no contact with him. But don't worry, I know where my boundaries are. I won't meet up with him unless it's necessary."

Jeremy nodded. "Okay."

Corinne saw his face had darkened again, so she held his face in both hands and kissed his cheek. "I'm very happy that you're back, and you're all I can think of. Please don't leave me hanging again when I message you. Otherwise, I'll worry that you'll disappear again! Jeremy, I’m really scared. My heart won't be able to take it if you disappear again. Promise me that you'll reply to all my text messages, okay?"

Jerem's chest tightened. "I'm sorry. For misunderstanding you, that is."

Corinne straightened up and said, "Just don't do it again! I can assure you that no man will get to me since I waited for you for three whole years. And even if you disappear with another woman again, I’ll still wait for you. After all, I'm not like you men. Haha!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1588-Jeremy could not offer up a retort. 'I didn't disappear with another woman… I was kidnapped and brainwashed.' Corinne was about to leave. However, the moment she put her hand on the door handle, she heard a woman's voice coming from the other side of the door.

Sophia entered the room and asked, Benjamin, why are you standing at the bathroom door? Where's your daddy?" "Uh… Daddy… Daddy's taking a bath!"

said Bryan awkwardly.

Then what are you doing standing at the door? You should be helping him! You know how hard it's for Daddy to get out of the bathtub by himself!" lectured

Sophia.

Bryan blinked and said, "Daddy said he didn't need my help and asked me to come out! I'm standing here because I want to get in quickly if Daddy calls for my help!"

Sophia sensed something was off. She ignored Bryan and walked over to knock on the bathroom door. "Zachary, are you taking a bath?"

Corinne had quietly hidden in the corner behind the bathroom door where she would not be seen by Sophia should the woman come in.

The bathroom door was not locked since it would arouse Sophia's suspicion if it was. They could only bet that she would not open the door.

There was no window in the bathroom, so the only way Corinne could leave was through the door.

Jeremy and Corinne exchanged glances. He then answered in an unusually calm voice, "Yeah. What's up?" "It's nothing important. But I bought you a new set of pajamas when I went out a few days ago. I kept forgetting to give it to you, so I thought I'd give it to you now. You can wear it to sleep tonight," said Sophia from the other side of the door.

"Thank you. You can just put it on the bed. I'll put it in the room after I'm done with my bath."

Sophia turned the door handle. "Why don't I just bring it in for you? That way, you can put it on right after your bath."

Jeremy immediately said in a deep voice, "No! Don't come in. I'm naked."

Sophia stopped turning the door handle. "Zachary, we’re married! I'm just going to drop the pajamas off an-" "I like to be alone while I'm taking a bath. Do you really have to come in and disturb me at this time?" argued Jeremy.

'How am I disturbing him when I'm just going to drop off the pajamas?' thought Sophia. As upset as she was, she respected Jeremy's wish.

Bryan crossed his arms and said to Sophia, "Daddy already told you not to go in, so don't! Otherwise, you'll upset him even more."

Sophia looked down at Bryan and recalled how Jeremy took her side over the little boys. After thinking about it, she decided not to risk upsetting Jeremy.

Otherwise, all of the hard-won progress between them would end up in vain.

Thus, she took her hand away from the door handle. "Okay, Zachary. I'll put the pajamas on your bed. Remember to put them on when you come out of the bath." "Okay."

Sophia turned around and put down the pajamas on the bed. She then stared at the bathroom door thoughtfully before going out of the room.

Bryan sighed in relief when he saw Sophia walking out. 'That was close! She almost found out about Mommy!' he thought.

Corinne and Jeremy, too, breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they were safe.

Corinne glanced at Jeremy. "She's actually quite good to you. Does she buy you underwear as well?"

Jeremy looked at her quietly. "I won't wear the pajamas if you don't want me to."

Corinne did not want him to, but she was not so willful that she would risk them getting exposed. "Forget it. Just wear it! If you don't wear it, she will be suspicious again! I'm leaving now. Bye!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1590-Aaron rolled up the window as he spoke, causing Annie to blush inexplicably.

"Why are you nervous?* she asked him with a frown.

Aaron came closer and asked, "Well, aren't you? After all, we're getting married tomorrow."

Annie's expression froze before a small smile broke through. "I'm actually not that nervous."

She was not nervous as she did not believe Aaron would go through with the marriage. She was sure he was just flirting with her.

Aaron pretended to be disappointed. "Sigh, it seems I'm the only one who's nervous. You don't care about our marriage at all!"

Annie could not bear to be with him like that, so she said, "It's getting late.

Please, kindly send me how now." 2 Aaron sighed. As helpless as he felt at that moment, he knew he deserved it for treating Annie badly in the past.

Two days later, at New Capital City Airport, Sophia came to pick up her father alone, leaving Jeremy and Bryan to wait at home.

Sophia instinctively glared at Melinda when she saw her coming out with Adam before running toward her father and hugging him.

"Dad, you're finally here! You have no idea how hard the things you asked me to deal with have been lately. I'm about this close to going crazy!" said Sophia.

Adam hugged his eldest daughter and stroked her head lovingly. "Don't worry, I'm here now. No one will dare to cause you trouble anymore!" "You're the best, Dad!" said Sophia as she snuggled into her father's arms, and relief washed over her. She knew her father always made good on his promise.

"Sophia, you haven't greeted Melinda yet. Where are your manners?" Adam reminded his daughter.

Sophia, who just felt the warmth of her father's love, paused at her father’s admonishment. Nonetheless, she quickly put on a superficial smile as she turned to Melinda.

"Hello, Melinda. It's been a while. You've become even more beautiful than the last time I saw you. In fact, you haven't aged at all. Seems like my father takes good care of you!"

Melinda smiled back. Although she could hear the sarcasm in Sophia's voice, she decided to let it slide. She cared for her stepdaughter sincerely, so she said, "Sophia, you have lost weight. Is it because you've been so busy dealing with your father's affairs recently that you haven't been eating well?"

At that point, she turned her head and scolded Adam softly, "It's all because of you. You shouldn't have let her come here all alone to do so many things. Look at how thin she is!"

Adam smiled at her and said nothing. He simply accepted her admonishment humbly.

However, Sophia did not appreciate this. She just smiled politely and said,"

Thank you for caring about me, Melinda, but it's my duty to help my father. After all, I'll eventually take over the business. He's just toughening me up, which I'm very grateful for."

She was indirectly warning Melinda to give up any thought of taking the business for herself by emphasizing that she alone was Adam's heir.

Melinda simply nodded and said, "Well, as long as you're grateful for the opportunity."

Sophia was too paranoid in this matter. Melinda did not care about Adam's business or his assets, nor did her daughter Lilin. She would not even interfere with Adam's decision to distribute his assets in the future.