"Sophie Davies? Are you Sophie Davies?" Isabella called out from behind.
Sophie stopped in her tracks. The voice calling her name was unfamiliar, so she hesitantly turned around, thinking she might have misheard.
"Hello, I'm Lara's mother, Isabella Cadogan," Isabella said as she walked up to her and introduced herself.
Sophie was momentarily stunned. "Hello, Aunt Isabella!" She quickly recovered and nodded politely.
"This is my husband," Isabella added casually.
"Yes, I know him. Professor Cadogan, hello!" Sophie greeted Charles with the same courtesy.
Charles gave a slight nod. Unlike his wife, his expression wasn't filled with open hostility; instead, it was deep and unreadable. He calmly observed the girl, his slightly narrowed eyes carrying a trace of cold sharpness that was hard to detect.
"Do you have time right now? We'd like to have a proper talk with you," Isabella demanded, her voice icy as she stared at Sophie with frosty eyes.
"May I ask what this is about?" Sophie met her gaze directly and asked calmly.
Isabella narrowed her eyes. This girl must know exactly why my husband and I have come looking for her, she thought instinctively. So young, yet so calm and composed—truly terrifying!
Seeing Sophie like this only confirmed her belief: her daughter Lara was no match for Sophie Davies at all!
"Let's talk in the campus café," she said. She didn't want to speak on the street. In the café, they would have more time, and she could say everything that needed to be said clearly.
She shot her husband a glance, then turned and walked straight toward the campus café.
"My time is limited. I still have to rush to the hospital later to take care of my mom, so I can't talk with you for too long," Sophie said loudly, standing her ground.
Isabella turned around and stopped, but before she could speak, Charles beat her to it. "Don't worry, we won't take up too much of your time. After all, you and Lara used to be good friends. You shouldn't be indifferent about what's happening to her." His tone was light, but the words carried heavy weight.
Sophie met Professor Cadogan's gaze with firm eyes, yet his own stare was even more severe.
"Fine. Twenty minutes, then. I'll go with you," she finally relented. Brushing past Isabella, she chose a restaurant near the school gate herself.
Isabella let out a frustrated breath. She truly couldn't stand this girl's excessive calm and what felt like outright rudeness; it was nothing short of ill-bred! She was tempted to turn around and leave right then and there.
Charles's gaze, however, remained fixed on Sophie the entire time…
Following behind her, his dark expression never lightened.
The three of them sat in the restaurant. Isabella grudgingly ordered a glass of juice for Sophie.
"Do you know how my daughter Lara is doing right now?" Isabella opened the conversation by asking Sophie.
"Apart from the phone call she made to me a few nights ago, we haven't been in touch for a long time," Sophie answered honestly.
"She called you?" Isabella's eyes widened instantly. "Why would my daughter call you? What did the two of you talk about?"
"May I ask what the purpose of coming to find me today is? Isn't it the same as Lara's?" Sophie countered.
"What do you mean? Explain yourself clearly," Isabella demanded.
"What Lara said to me hasn't changed from the past until now," Sophie said, lifting her eyes to look at both of them. "She told me that because of my family background and origins, I'm not remotely worthy of the Harringtons, so I have no right to be with Ned."
She paused. Seeing that neither of them responded, she continued, "Or are you not here to tell me that forcing myself to stay with Ned will only bring humiliation on myself, make a lot of people unhappy, and in the end even God will punish me?" Looking straight at Isabella, Sophie spoke without any reservation.
Isabella sucked in a sharp breath. She had been ready to lash out and give this ill-mannered girl a piece of her mind, but then realized Lara had already said every single one of those things. She had no choice but to swallow her anger and force herself to calm down.
She plastered on a fake smile and spoke in a soothing tone: "Don't be so extreme. We haven't even said anything yet. I was only asking what Lara talked to you about."
Sophie turned her gaze away and glared at the tabletop in front of her.
Charles hadn't uttered a word the entire time. His eyes remained calm, fixed unwaveringly on the girl.
"To be honest, I never really liked Lara hanging around certain… poorer students," Isabella said with an awkward laugh. "No particular reason—just that poor students tend to have more complicated lives. They're not really suitable for my innocent Lara."
"Complicated?" Sophie frowned.
"You all work odd jobs everywhere, have wide social circles, meet all kinds of people—so naturally, your lives are more complicated—" Isabella's politeness was obviously insincere.
Hearing this, Sophie let out a short, incredulous laugh. "I don't have any 'social life' at all. My life consists only of studying, working, and now one extra thing—going to the hospital to take care of my sick mother."
Isabella froze.
"What exactly do you want to say to me? Could you just get to the point? I don't have much time—I can't stay here playing games with you," Sophie said bluntly to Isabella, making no effort to be polite. She just wanted to say what needed to be said.
"Yes, I started working very early to make ends meet. So I admit I'm a bit odd—I've had more jobs than most people."
Sophie decided to cut straight to the chase. "Because if I didn't work, I wouldn't have food to eat, I couldn't pay rent, and I definitely couldn't cover my mother's medical bills. I think you can understand why my life is 'complicated,' right?"
Isabella was struck speechless. At that moment, just like Victoria before her, she began to truly despise this girl from the bottom of her heart.
"Is this how you always talk to people?" Charles suddenly spoke.
Sophie slowly shifted her gaze to the man who had been silent until now. Only then did she realize he had been staring at her intently the whole time—she had no idea for how long.
"You're very young, and quite beautiful," he said, "but with an attitude like yours when you speak, no matter how patient or good-tempered someone is, they'll still end up angry because of the way you talk."