Free Web NovelChapter 77: Chapter 77: You’re a Transmigrator, Too?
"What do you think?" Renee Sinclair shot back. "What do you think I could possibly say to make Felix listen to me?"
Sonia Quincy understood immediately, and fury flared in her eyes.
"Renee Sinclair, you’re threatening his investment with divorce. Don’t you think that’s going too far?"
"How am I going too far?" Clearly, Renee Sinclair didn’t see it that way. In fact, she seemed rather proud of herself.
"You’re just the villainess; you were never the right one for Felix. You can’t give him anything he needs, yet you keep piling on things he hates. A woman like you has no business being by his side!"
"I’m making Felix divorce you for his own good! He can only start to do better once you’re gone."
"Hmph." Sonia Quincy scoffed.
Renee Sinclair ignored her scoff and continued, "Because of you, Felix can’t secure investments or build connections. Because of you, people laugh at him wherever he goes. Just yesterday, Felix came to the Sinclair Group to compete for a project. The moment his competitors and the executives saw him, they were all mocking him, some to his face and some behind his back. They said he married such a ’good’ wife—one who still fools around even when she’s pregnant! They said he’s so lucky, getting to be a dad without putting in any of the work."
"Sonia, Sonia... you’ve brought so much shame upon Felix. How dare you say I’m the one going too far? You’re the one who’s out of line."
"You’re shamelessly holding on to a position that doesn’t belong to you. You know you’re rotten to the core, yet you insist on clinging to Felix, stopping him from finding someone better! Sonia Quincy, how can you be so malicious? It’s bad enough that you’re a mess, but why do you have to drag Felix down with you? How can you be so cruel as to watch him, such a wonderful person, get ruined by you!"
Renee Sinclair sounded as if she genuinely pitied Felix Preston. Every insult she hurled at Sonia was disguised as being for Felix’s "own good."
But Sonia Quincy knew the truth. Renee Sinclair’s indignation, her loathing and disgust—it was all for herself. For her "mission."
"Ha..." Sonia Quincy let out a resigned laugh. "My, Renee Sinclair, you’re so very righteous."
Renee Sinclair shot her a look. "What? Can’t win the argument, so you’re resorting to sarcasm?"
Sonia Quincy ignored the jab and simply asked, "Renee Sinclair, all this consideration for Felix, all this heartache for him... is it because you genuinely like and admire him, or is it for some other reason?"
"I..." Renee Sinclair faltered, the conviction in her voice clearly weaker than before.
"Of course it’s because I like him! Sonia Quincy, I’m the sole heir to the Sinclair Group. I have money and power; I don’t need anything. What could I possibly want from Felix? If you insist I have some ulterior motive, then the only thing I’m after is Felix himself."
"Oh." Sonia Quincy nodded, appearing to believe her.
"Since you truly like Felix Preston, did you ever consider his feelings when you were threatening him and bad-mouthing me behind his back?"
Renee Sinclair averted her gaze, her eyes darting around. "Felix is completely bewitched by you right now. How could I possibly have the luxury of considering his feelings? I was forced into this!"
"I believe you were forced into it." The corners of Sonia Quincy’s eyes lifted, and her gaze on Renee Sinclair held a new, inexplicable depth. "But you weren’t forced to do it for Felix’s career or his happiness. You were forced to do it for yourself."
"For your own ’mission.’ For your own ulterior motives."
At this point, Sonia Quincy was done playing along. She cut straight through Renee Sinclair’s pretense, ripping away the mask of mystery she had so carefully constructed.
...
CLINK!
The spoon pinched between Renee Sinclair’s fingers suddenly dropped back into her ceramic cup. The coffee was filled to the brim, and the splash sent droplets of the rich liquid flying.
A few drops landed on the cuff of her expensive blouse. The off-white fabric was instantly sullied. The brown stain spread aggressively, setting stubbornly in just a few seconds.
"...What do you mean?" She stared at Sonia Quincy, her eyes wide. Even a thick layer of foundation couldn’t conceal how pale she’d become.
Sonia Quincy smiled faintly. "Exactly what you think I mean."
...
Renee Sinclair froze for a few seconds, then suddenly raised her hands and slammed them down on the table.
SLAM! The loud noise startled everyone in the café. Dozens of eyes shot toward the window, and even a waiter moved closer, looking concerned.
"How do you know?" A look of terror flashed in Renee Sinclair’s eyes, and her voice was audibly trembling.
"That’s not important." Sonia Quincy had no intention of revealing that she was a transmigrator, too. She pulled a napkin from the dispenser and wiped two drops of coffee from the back of her hand.
"Renee Sinclair, I don’t care what your mission is, nor do I care what punishment you’ll face for failing it. I just want to tell you this: Felix Preston is a person. A living, breathing, flesh-and-blood man. He’s not a 2D character, and he’s not just a few lines of text."
"You can have your mission, but please respect him. Treat him like a human being."
"I am respecting him!" Now that the cat was out of the bag, Renee Sinclair saw no reason to hide anymore. She clenched her fists, pressing them against the edge of the table in a state of anxious urgency. Through gritted teeth, she said, "Do you think I want to be doing this? I was at my wits’ end! This was my last resort! If you weren’t clinging to Felix and refusing to leave, why would I have to threaten and pressure him!"
"When you get right down to it, this is all your fault!"
"Oh," Sonia Quincy replied coolly. "Then blame me. Felix is my husband, and I will never leave him."
"You have to leave!" Renee Sinclair was on the verge of snapping. She glared at Sonia Quincy, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes now hideously bloodshot.
"If you don’t leave, I’ll die! I’ll die if I can’t finish my mission!"
"I understand, but I’m not going to sacrifice myself for you. Humans are selfish creatures. You’re trying to drive me away for your own sake, and I’m staying for my own sake."
"We all only have one life, and we all want to live it. No one is born obligated to yield to anyone else. And Felix shouldn’t be a tool for you to complete your mission."
"...Who are you?" The last of the fight seemed to drain out of Renee Sinclair at Sonia’s words.
She might not have been the sharpest, but she had faintly suspected something was off about Sonia Quincy.
"Are you a transmigrator, too? Do you have a mission? Is that it?"
"No." Sonia Quincy set the napkin on the table and rose from her chair, all under Renee Sinclair’s frantic gaze.
"I’m just an ordinary person who wants to be with Felix. Renee Sinclair, don’t even think about taking him from me."
"Felix is mine."
