After the business van smoothly parked in the spot, Ned spoke again, his voice unusually talkative today. He held Sophie's hand tenderly and said, "People always say that only a 'well-matched' love can last long and be truly beautiful. Let me tell you what real equality in love means."
"It's not about having the same status or the same wealth to be considered 'well-matched.' It's when, despite all our external differences, both of us give absolutely everything we have—pouring in all our effort, going to any lengths, pushing ourselves to the absolute limit. Even if we fail, we can still hold our heads high. That's what true equality is."
His words struck Sophie's heart like waves, leaving her deeply moved. She stared at him for a long moment, then bit her lip and said, "Alright, I will! That's fair!"
He pressed his lips together in a faint smile. "Then let's get out of the car. We're at the restaurant."
What came into view was a very high-end molecular gastronomy restaurant.
"Every dish here takes an enormous amount of time and effort to prepare. After this meal, I won't have time to go back and finish my work," Sophie said, still thinking about her workload.
"You're here accompanying me on an inspection—this counts as work too! Don't slack off, Miss."
The two of them walked into the restaurant hand in hand, laughing and chatting.
At 10:30 p.m., Ned walked into the living room while still on the phone. "I just got home," he said with a soft smile, sitting down on the sofa.
From the moment he entered, Victoria—who was sitting on the other end of the sofa—had been staring at him. Seeing the affectionate smile on his face, she immediately suspected the person on the other end of the line was Sophie.
"As long as you're home safe. It's late—I'm going to sleep. I have an early class tomorrow," Sophie said, cradling the phone.
"Mhm, okay. Dream of me tonight, alright?" Ned's tone was indulgent and doting.
Sophie's face instantly burned hot. "Good night." She quickly hung up.
Ned chuckled softly, put away his phone, and stood up to head upstairs to his room.
"It's that woman again. Calling a man so late at night—how ill-mannered. I really don't know how her mother raised her. Absolutely shameless!" Victoria spat venomously.
She truly despised Sophie Davies with every fiber of her being—she hated that girl to the extreme!
"Mom, please mind your manners. Don't act like one of those shrewish women out on the street who never stop yelling," Ned said. His very first words tonight were to shut his mother down.
"You know exactly what I mean. I will never agree to you being with that girl!" Victoria's voice rose sharply. "Your family background is not like ordinary people's! Even the friends you make have to be approved by me."
"I'm already an adult," Ned said coolly, grabbing a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and heading toward the stairs. "And Sophie isn't just a 'friend.'" He shot his mother a cheeky grin, but his eyes were ice-cold.
Victoria was practically shaking with rage. "Are you trying to drive me to an early grave? I really hate that girl. There is no way I will ever let you be with her!"
Ned was already halfway up the stairs, casually tossing the water bottle from hand to hand. "Whatever you say."
He left Victoria in the living room shouting after him: "What's so great about a shameless, ill-bred girl like that?" She clutched her chest and collapsed onto the sofa, waves of sorrow washing over her. Was she the only one in this family who gave everything she had? Could neither father nor son see it?
The next morning, after her university classes ended, Sophie took the bus to the hospital to visit her mother. The neurosurgeon and the specialist who had flown in from the United States had finished their consultation and finalized the surgical plan. Now they were just waiting for her mother's physical condition to improve a little more; once it did, the operation could go ahead with a much higher chance of success.
The doctors repeatedly reminded Sophie that she must keep her mother in good spirits and make sure she ate nutritious food. If everything went smoothly, the surgery could be scheduled for next Monday—just five days away.
"Mom, would you like an orange? They smell wonderful today!" Sophie said with her back to her mother as she took the fruit out of her backpack.
"Sophie, go check the door. There's been a girl standing there looking over here for a while. Maybe she's looking for someone. Go see if she needs help," her mother said. She was always this kind-hearted.
"Sure, I'll go check." Sophie pulled open the ward door and looked left and right. The corridor was completely empty; no one was walking around.
"Mom, I'll swing by the nurses' station and ask. I'll fill your kettle while I'm at it." She picked up the small thermos and stepped out of the room.
Was she imagining things? Ever since she'd arrived at the hospital today, she'd had the distinct feeling someone was watching her, but she hadn't spotted anyone. She decided to ask at the nurses' station.
In the end, the nurses told her nothing useful. No strangers had come asking about her mother in the past few days, and no one had been looking for Sophie herself. She tried to convince herself she was just being overly sensitive.
Unbeknownst to her, a pair of jealous eyes was glaring at her from the barely-open fire-exit door not far from the nurses' station.
"Mom, I already asked the nurses—no strangers have been here. Don't worry!" She poured a cup of warm water for her mother and thoughtfully popped in a straw.
"These past few days I've been feeling uneasy, like something big is about to happen," Sarah said anxiously.
"Don't let your imagination run wild. The doctors said you need to get into the best possible condition as quickly as you can so they can operate," Sophie soothed. "Besides, what big thing could possibly happen? You're not a fortune-teller. The biggest thing in our family right now is your surgery. Relax—everything's going to be fine. You'll be okay, and I'll be okay!" She leaned forward, kissed her mother's cheek, and tucked the blanket snugly around her.
"I'm heading to C&C now. If you need anything, ring for the nurse. If it's urgent, call me!" Sophie slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked toward the door.
"Sophie, will you still come to the hospital tonight? Mom—" Sarah's heart was still racing; she was afraid something might happen.
"Of course I'll come. Last night the boss made the team go to that molecular gastronomy restaurant for a tasting, so I couldn't make it." Sophie turned back and smiled at her mother. "By the time you wake up from your nap, I'll probably be here again!"
Sarah nodded and finally drifted off to sleep, reassured.
Little did they know, a long-brewing storm was surging toward them.
Click—click—click. The crisp, rhythmic sound of high heels echoed across the hospital's marble floor, abrupt and unmistakable.
Lara, who had been sitting and waiting on a bench in the corridor, immediately stood up when she saw the newcomer. She led the woman straight to the ward she had already scouted out earlier.
When the door opened, Sarah was still fast asleep in the room. Most of the other patients in the shared ward had gone to the sunlit hospital lobby to bask in the light.