Free Web NovelChapter 31: Chapter 311: A WeChat Provocation
Sonia Quincy answered him calmly, "I have no need to put on a brave face for you."
Jasper Linden frowned, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked at her.
Sonia Quincy said, "Jasper Linden, I was the one who wronged you in the past. I want to offer you my sincerest apology."
"You..." The confusion in Jasper Linden’s eyes deepened. They hadn’t seen each other in years, yet he felt like he suddenly couldn’t figure Sonia Quincy out anymore.
At first, Sonia Quincy hadn’t understood why Jasper Linden was here. But now, hearing his words, she had a sudden realization.
’Jasper Linden came to see just how miserable I am.’
’If she were miserable and filled with regret, he could finally vent his frustration over being so quickly replaced all those years ago.’
Unfortunately for him, Sonia Quincy had no intention of granting his wish.
"It’s been so many years since we were together. I got over it a long time ago. To me, you’re just an old acquaintance I once wronged. I don’t need to put on a brave face for you."
"My happiness is real, and my love is real. I have no reason to lie to you."
"..." Jasper Linden said nothing, just stared intently at Sonia Quincy. His defiant gaze bore down on her, determined to find even the slightest trace of a lie or pretense.
But there was none.
After not seeing her for several years, he found that the Sonia Quincy before him was completely different from the person he remembered. She was poised and serene, even polite. There was no trace of her former self.
"Why?" A bitter smile twisted his lips as he demanded resentfully, "Why him? How could he be the one to make you change?"
Sonia Quincy didn’t know how to explain. "I guess it was fate," she said. "Destiny. It was my destiny to change for him, and to be with him."
"Fate..." Jasper Linden found the word laughable, yet he had no rebuttal. "So why isn’t my fate that good?"
Sonia Quincy just smiled, pursing her lips, and didn’t answer him.
He tilted his head and looked at the sky in the distance—crimson, brilliant, and surreal.
The sun had already set.
"I heard you were pregnant," he asked softly. "So... the baby?"
At the mention of the child, a sweet expression unconsciously appeared on Sonia Quincy’s face. She lowered her eyes, gently caressing her small baby bump with a smile. "Right here," she answered. "I’m four months along."
Jasper Linden’s gaze followed her hand. "Is the baby giving you any trouble?"
Sonia Quincy nodded. "He’s been very good. Ever since I found out I was pregnant, he hasn’t given me any trouble. I haven’t even had basic morning sickness."
Jasper Linden: "Hm. That’s good."
Sonia Quincy: "Yeah."
...
The conversation died there, and neither of them spoke again.
Sonia Quincy was a transmigrator and a virtual stranger to Jasper Linden. She had no idea what else to say to him.
And Jasper Linden, seeing how happy and content Sonia Quincy was, didn’t know what more there was to say either. So much time had passed, and she had apologized. His plans for revenge and taunts suddenly seemed pointless.
"It’s getting late. You should head back," Sonia Quincy said, breaking the brief silence.
Jasper Linden noticed the bags she was carrying. After a moment’s thought, he reached out. "Let me help you upstairs. That looks heavy."
"No, it’s fine." Sonia Quincy instinctively pulled back. "It’s all just food. It’s not heavy, I can manage."
"..." Jasper Linden’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air.
"Must you make me say it so bluntly?" After a pause, he gave a resigned laugh.
"Huh?" Sonia Quincy didn’t understand what he meant.
He sighed. The outward malice he’d shown had dissipated, leaving only a kind of melancholy acceptance.
"I came all this way to see you, and you think you can just brush me off with a simple ’I’m sorry’? I’m standing right in front of your building. Aren’t you going to invite me up for a glass of water?"
"Well..." Jasper Linden’s sudden change in attitude caught Sonia Quincy off guard.
"Come on, let’s go." Ignoring her, Jasper Linden took the bags from her hands. "We haven’t seen each other in years. I want to see your home. Please, invite me up for a bit."
"...But if you don’t want to, that’s fine too. I’ll just invite myself in."
"...Hmph." Amused by his shameless act, Sonia Quincy hesitated for a few seconds before finally relenting.
"If you don’t mind the humble accommodations, then come on up."
Jasper Linden immediately turned and started up the stairs. "Which floor are you on?"
Sonia Quincy followed him. "Fifth floor. Apartment 502."
"This is my home." As the door opened, Sonia Quincy presented her small rental apartment without any pretense.
Jasper Linden came in, his brow furrowed as he scanned the apartment. "It’s a bit small," he said while setting down the bags, "but it’s quite clean and cozy."
Sonia Quincy replied, "That’s all Felix Preston’s doing. He cleaned and decorated. I didn’t lift a finger."
"We’re out of drinking water. Can I get you a bottle of mineral water instead?"
Making himself at home on the sofa, Jasper Linden grunted, "Sure. Whatever’s fine."
Sonia Quincy opened the refrigerator, took out a cold bottle of mineral water, and handed it to him.
Jasper Linden took it, twisted off the cap, and took a long drink.
"Does Felix Preston treat you well?"
Sonia Quincy pulled over a chair and sat across from him. "He treats me very well. Even though the Preston Family went bankrupt, he hasn’t been discouraged at all. He started his own studio and is developing a project with a friend. They’re already getting ready to look for investors."
"Good." Jasper Linden breathed a sigh of relief. "I was just worried he’d be so crushed by this that he’d never recover, and you and the child would end up suffering with him for the rest of your lives."
Sonia Quincy said, "He won’t."
Jasper Linden replied, "I hope so too."
Jasper Linden didn’t stay long. As he’d said, he just wanted to come up for a bit and have a glass of water. Once he finished the bottle, he stood up to leave.
Sonia Quincy saw him to the door. After watching him head down the stairs, she closed the door and locked it.
"BUZZ—BUZZ—"
Suddenly, the phone on the dining table vibrated twice. Thinking it was Felix Preston replying to her message, Sonia Quincy quickly walked over and picked it up.
But it wasn’t a reply from Felix Preston. It was a friend request.
A friend request from Renee Sinclair.
Sonia Quincy frowned. Why would Renee Sinclair suddenly send her a friend request? She froze for a second, a gut feeling telling her something was off. She pressed "Accept."
After the request was accepted, Renee Sinclair didn’t say a word. Sonia Quincy waited for a moment, but when no message came, she found herself clicking on Renee’s social media profile, almost against her own will.
There was only one post on her feed, and it had just been updated—
"Happiness is having someone to drive you home from work."
Beneath the caption was a photo: a selfie she had taken while sitting in Felix Preston’s car. In the top-left corner of the picture, Felix Preston’s unmistakable eyes and brow were visible.
