"Matthew, tell me—are you hiding something from me?" Jonathan cut straight to the chase.
Looking at the brooding Jonathan, Matthew, his former driver, spoke with a touch of emotion: "Sir, it's probably been over ten years since you last asked to meet me like this, right?"
Fine snow drifted outside the café, dressing the early winter in white. The day was bitterly cold; pedestrians on the street wore heavy coats and thick scarves, chins tucked deep inside. Matthew stared absentmindedly out the window, lost in thought over Jonathan's question…
"Tell me the truth. Is there something you're keeping from me?" Jonathan ignored his old subordinate's reminiscing, direct as ever.
Matthew froze. He hadn't expected Jonathan to press so relentlessly.
He stammered, his face visibly uneasy: "Sir, why are you suddenly asking—"
"Never mind how I'm asking. Whatever I ask, you tell me everything you know." Jonathan's tone grew stern.
"Sarah never wanted to tell me, but I know Sophie is my daughter," Jonathan stated with certainty.
At the mention of Sophie's name, Matthew's expression changed. He instinctively looked away.
"Matthew!" Jonathan barked.
"Sir—she, she… yes, she's Sarah's daughter," Matthew admitted, his body jolting as if caught red-handed.
"Nonsense. I already knew they were mother and daughter. That's not what I'm asking—you know exactly what I mean," Jonathan demanded in a low, grave voice.
Seeing Jonathan so determined to get answers, Matthew lowered his eyes. "Sophie is the child her sister adopted," he finally revealed.
"Adopted? Sarah adopted her?" Jonathan's voice was thick with doubt.
"Yes, Sarah's adopted daughter," Matthew confirmed, his composure returning.
Jonathan narrowed his eyes. "Sarah never married? She just adopted Sophie?"
Matthew shook his head, then nodded. "After adopting Sophie, she never married. I don't know why she named the child Sophie Davies—probably the girl's original name, and she didn't change it."
"Don't lie to me," Jonathan said, locking eyes with him before continuing slowly: "Let's do the math. Sarah was still with me when she got pregnant. If Sophie is her biological daughter, then she would be—"
"Sir," Matthew interrupted his speculation, "I've already told you—Sophie really is the child her sister adopted! I still remember her telling me that Sophie was abandoned at the orphanage doorstep less than forty days after birth, and only then did Sarah adopt her."
"I didn't believe it at first either. I even went to the orphanage myself to verify. The director personally confirmed that Sophie was adopted by Sarah, and showed me the adoption papers. I'm not lying to you—Sophie can't possibly be your child. She has no connection to you whatsoever."
"You said Sarah disappeared for a while after leaving me," Jonathan pressed, unconvinced. "Why? Where did she go with my child? Matthew, you're lying."
"No, I'm not lying, sir. After leaving you, Sarah was heartbroken. She said she went to Manchester to clear her head. As for the baby… she must have already…" Matthew shook his head. "Maybe she just needed time alone to… to try to forget you."
"Because when she came back, the baby was gone. If the child had still been there, it wouldn't even have been eight months yet…" Jonathan froze.
He stared at Matthew for a long moment before saying, "I hope you're not deceiving me." His voice was weary.
"Of course I wouldn't—"
"If you are lying to me, the consequences will be dire!" Matthew didn't understand what Jonathan meant by that…
"If you're lying, God will punish you," Jonathan said slowly. "So curses really do exist in this world. Wrongdoings truly bring retribution." His voice was low, as if speaking to himself.
Matthew's eyes widened.
Suddenly, Jonathan seized him by the collar and warned, "If you've lied to me, every one of us will suffer beyond endurance." His voice thundered in Matthew's ears.
Seeing the deep fear radiating from Jonathan's eyes, Matthew's heart pounded in dread.
......
At noon, after the professor finished class, Sophie packed her notebook from the desk and prepared to head to the school canteen for lunch.
"Sophie Davies!" She suddenly heard her name called from behind.
Turning around, she looked toward the cold, sharp voice—she knew who it was.
"Come with me. I have something to say to you." Lara walked up to her with an expressionless face, speaking coldly and sternly, then turned and strode away.
Sophie hesitated for a moment before following Lara out of the classroom.
They walked all the way to the school gate before Lara stopped. There was a grassy area here, with a small frozen lake a bit farther off and a few leafless trees. It was lunchtime, the weather bitterly cold, and hardly anyone passed by.
Lara finally halted under a tree, her back to Sophie, silent.
"What exactly do you want to say to me? It's freezing out here." Sophie stamped her feet repeatedly to ward off the chill.
"Hmph!" Lara spun around. "Can you stop being so shameless?!"
She began humiliating Sophie. "I've been trying so hard not to say this, but I can't stand it anymore!" She pointed at Sophie, advancing step by step.
"I've never met anyone like you. Do you even realize you're delusional?" She slapped Sophie hard across the face.
Three scratch marks instantly appeared on Sophie's cheek. In disbelief, she stared at Lara, clutching her face. Had Lara gone mad?
"Did you think clinging to Ned would get you anywhere? You really believe this will lift you out of poverty and marry you into an aristocratic family?" She paused, then continued, "Impossible! Keep dreaming! If we hadn't once been friends, I wouldn't bother saying anything—I'd just wait to watch you humiliate yourself. But that night, you actually showed up at Ned's villa…"
"I was Ned's date that evening. Do you know how humiliated I felt? You ruined everything! I'm the one who's his fiancée—Auntie herself approves of me! You—stop dreaming! You shameless woman! Falling for anyone who crosses your path—having Archibald wasn't enough, so now you're after Ned!"
Sophie froze. "You dragged me out here just to say this? And what gives you the right to hit me?" she asked Lara coldly.