Five hours had passed. Felix Preston was still sitting in the same spot, and Renee Sinclair was still across from him.
He'd said on the phone that he was busy with work. So this was his "busy work."
Sonia Quincy stared at him expressionlessly for a few seconds. She didn't greet him or react in any way, simply grabbing her things and striding out of the coffee shop.
Although she had only just transmigrated and hadn't developed many feelings for Felix Preston, seeing him with Renee Sinclair now stirred up some complicated emotions.
In the novel, Renee Sinclair was Felix Preston's "official pairing." She was beautiful, came from a good family, and was utterly devoted to him.
And "Sonia Quincy"? The only things she had to her name were an endless list of scandals and the baby in her belly.
They say the love between an official pairing is unstoppable. Sonia Quincy's repentance didn't stand much of a chance against Renee Sinclair.
Especially after Felix Preston's bankruptcy, the help Renee Sinclair could offer was something Sonia Quincy could likely never provide.
Sonia Quincy was very self-aware about this. Besides, her marriage to Felix Preston was born from a scheme. If Felix had any affection for her at all, it was entirely because of this child. But Renee Sinclair could have a child too, so what made Sonia special?
She was genuinely willing to do everything she could to help Felix Preston, to stand by him as he rebuilt his career. But now that Renee Sinclair had appeared, her companionship suddenly seemed dispensable.
'Forget it. I should make plans for myself sooner rather than later. If Felix Preston chooses Renee Sinclair in the end, then I'll just get an abortion and live on my own.'
'Besides, I know how to draw. I won't starve, no matter where I go.'
"Sonia Quincy."
Just as she was thinking about her escape plan, Felix Preston suddenly chased after her from the shop and grabbed her arm.
Sonia Quincy turned around, a dazed look on her face, and saw that Renee Sinclair had followed him out as well.
"What is it?" Sonia Quincy asked airily, meeting Felix Preston's slightly panicked gaze.
Felix Preston said, "I wasn't lying to you. I really was busy with work."
"Huh?" Sonia Quincy was a bit stunned.
'I didn't even ask anything. Why is he jumping to explain himself?'
Felix Preston looked her in the eye and, without any preamble, just dove into an explanation. "Renee is a college classmate of mine, and we're on pretty good terms. She just came back to the country recently, and when she heard about my company's situation, she came to talk to me about it. We only talked about work, nothing else."
"I didn't lie to you, and I wasn't trying to hide it from you on purpose. I was planning to explain it to you when I got home, but then I saw you come into the same coffee shop, so I've just been waiting for you to finish your business and come out."
'…Why isn't this plot developing the way I expected?'
Felix Preston's sincerity actually left her a little flustered.
'And to think I was just planning out all those escape routes for myself.'
"...It's fine. It's work, I get it." Sonia Quincy forced a smile, then suddenly remembered the things she was carrying.
"You've been busy for so long, you probably haven't had a chance to eat yet." She pushed the thermal container into Felix Preston's hands and said gently, "I made you some food. It's still warm. You eat first, then get back to work when you're done."
"What a shame."
Before Felix Preston could even speak, Renee Sinclair answered for him. "Just now in the cafe, Felix already had lunch with me. Sister-in-law, your delivery is a little late."
"It's not late." Felix Preston accepted the thermal container, grabbed Sonia Quincy's arm, and pulled her to his side. "I didn't have an appetite just now and only ate half a sandwich. I'm still hungry. Your timing is perfect."
"Mm!" Sonia Quincy immediately broke into a smile.
But Renee Sinclair, standing opposite them, couldn't manage a smile. Her brow was furrowed as she glared at Sonia Quincy, her expression turning ugly.
Sonia Quincy paid her little attention, tilting her head to look at Felix Preston. "Are you done with work? Want to go home with me?"
"I..." Just as Felix Preston was about to answer, the phone clutched in his hand rang at an inopportune moment. He glanced at the caller ID and said to Sonia Quincy, "I need to take this call."
With that, he walked off to the side, leaving Sonia Quincy and Renee Sinclair facing each other.
Before she transmigrated, the "villainess" and Renee Sinclair had only met twice. There was no personal grudge between them. That's why Sonia Quincy could face Renee Sinclair with such composure.
Renee Sinclair was composed as well—composed in her blatant hostility.
"You must be so proud of yourself." She crossed her arms and walked toward Sonia Quincy step by step.
"You're such a wreck, yet Felix Preston still protects you and is even willing to explain to you why he was having coffee with me."
"Is that important?" Sonia Quincy didn't really want to discuss this with Renee Sinclair. "Whether I'm a wreck or not, whether Felix protects me or not—that's all a private matter between a husband and wife. Miss Sinclair, you don't need to concern yourself with it."
"Why shouldn't I be concerned?" Renee Sinclair gave a contemptuous laugh. "A great man like Felix Preston is being dragged down by a woman like you. I just can't bear to see it."
"So?" Sonia Quincy shot back.
Renee Sinclair's ambition was laid bare. "So I'm going to take him from you. I'm going to save him from this sea of suffering. Sonia Quincy, you're a fake heiress kicked out of the Quincy Family. You have no family background, no integrity. The only thing you can do by clinging to Felix Preston's side is drag him down."
"Mm." Sonia Quincy nodded, not responding to her words directly.
Renee Sinclair's gaze turned cold as she looked Sonia Quincy up and down, her words laced with a warning. "Sonia Quincy, if you know what's good for you, you'll leave Felix Preston on your own. Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to make your life difficult."
"Got it," Sonia Quincy said.
"?" Renee Sinclair was taken aback by her answer. "You're agreeing that easily?"
Sonia Quincy smiled. "I didn't agree to anything. I just said I 'got it.' I didn't say anything else."
Renee Sinclair frowned. "Then what do you mean?"
Sonia Quincy said, "I don't know what I mean, either. If you want to figure it out, I guess you'll just have to wait and see."
"You..." Renee Sinclair was flustered by her word games. "What is all this gibberish? I told you to leave Felix Preston, do you understand?"
Sonia Quincy arched an elegant eyebrow, her smile tinged with exasperation. "Miss Sinclair, I know you like Felix Preston, but please, get a grip. Felix Preston is my husband right now! Coming here so brazenly and telling me to leave my husband—what are you trying to do? Are you trying to butt into our marriage and be the other woman?"
"Hmph," Renee Sinclair scoffed, her reply as frank as ever. "I would never be the other woman. That's why I'm telling you to divorce Felix Preston immediately. Once you're gone, my presence will be perfectly justified."
"No," Sonia Quincy said.
"You have to go!" Renee Sinclair insisted.
"So you're trying to steal him in broad daylight?"
"I..."
"Sonia Quincy."
Her unfinished sentence was cut off by Felix Preston's voice. Renee Sinclair sighed in frustration, then curved her lips back into a bright, magnanimous smile.
Felix Preston put his phone away and walked over to Sonia Quincy. He looked down at her and said, "There's still something at the studio that I need to resolve. You go home first. I'll head back as soon as I'm finished."
"You..."
"Perfect timing."
Sonia Quincy had barely opened her mouth to speak when Renee Sinclair deliberately cut in.
"I just texted my dad about your project. He's quite interested and told me to get a detailed proposal to him as soon as possible. Felix, since you're heading back to the studio, it's the perfect chance for me to go with you."