Chapter 527
Chapter 527
At seven thirty in the evening, Sophia arrived at the venue of Esmae's birthday banquet, carrying the beautifully wrapped gift that Yvonne had prepared for her.
The ushers were none other than Megan and Casper.
Megan was pleasantly surprised to see Sophia at the event. During her rounds of delivering invitations, Sophia wasn't in Jadeborough, and Megan had left the invitation with Sophia's secretary since she couldn't meet her personally.
Given Sophia's status and commitments, it would have been acceptable if she didn't attend the event. However, Sophia's presence that evening showed her respect for the Cooper family.
“Ms. Yarrow.”
“Mrs. Cooper.”
Sophia flashed a smile and handed her gift to Megan.
Megan took it from her. “Thank you, Ms. Yarrow.”
“No problem.”
They had reconciled, putting their past disagreements behind them. Megan was genuinely willing to be kind and accommodating to Sophia, appreciating her decision to attend the event. “Ms. Yarrow, please follow me. I'll escort you to your table,” she said sincerely.
Sophia understood that Casper and Megan had their hands full with their responsibilities for the evening, so she smiled and responded, “There's no need for you to go out of your way. I can find my way inside. You should stay here and continue to welcome the guests.” This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .
With that, she entered the hall alone.
Megan was taken aback by Sophia's considerate gesture. She shook her head, reconsidering the rumors she had heard about Sophia.
The rumors are indeed fake.
As she seemed to be in a daze, Casper thought she got into an argument with Sophia yet again. He approached her hastily, and asked, “What's wrong? Did Ms. Yarrow make things difficult for you?”
Megan had changed a lot after getting married to him. She shook her head and explained, “No. I was thinking about how people often criticize Sophia for being difficult to get along with. But just now, when I offered to lead her into the hall, she politely declined and insisted that I stay here.”
With Sophia's influential status, even if Megan were to exclusively cater to her, nobody would dare to say anything. However, rather than taking advantage of her position, Sophia told Megan to greet the other guests. It was evident that Sophia did not consider herself superior and did not exploit her influence to mistreat others.
Hearing that, Casper heaved a sigh of relief and grinned. “Not all the rumors circulating within our social circle hold true. It's always wise to approach them with skepticism and not take everything at face value,” he advised.
Megan nodded and handed him the gift. “Sophia brought this gift for Grandma.”
After taking the gift from her, Casper handed it to his cousin, Archer Cooper. “Give this to Grandma.”
Archer took the box and replied, “Got it!”
The Cooper family was considered a major family in Jadeborough. Even though it wasn't as powerful as the four influential families, it was still a force to be reckoned with.
Esmae's eightieth birthday banquet was attended by almost all the reputable figures in Jadeborough.
After stepping into the hall, Sophia immediately spotted many familiar faces. However, she wasn't really acquainted with them. She went to greet Esmae and offer her wishes politely before retiring to a corner alone.
The Queen family and the Schild family had established a familial connection through marriage, while Megan became a part of the Cooper family. In light of this relationship, it was customary for a representative from the Schild family to be present at Esmae's birthday banquet as a gesture of courtesy toward Megan.
Sophia soon spotted Samuel making his way into the hall. The moment he showed up, many people approached him to greet him. In return, he politely clinked glasses with those who came to him.
Seeing that, Sophia recalled Alexander's comment about Samuel and chuckled aloud.
Sometimes, it doesn't feel like Samuel is part of the Schild family. Is it because a man of great wisdom
often appears slow-witted?
Lost in her thoughts, Sophia was interrupted by a shadow casting over her. As she lifted her head, she found Heath standing before her.
Her smile faded a little when she saw him.
“Sophia, we meet again.”
Dressed in an immaculate white suit, Heath exuded an air of charm and handsomeness.
Yet, Sophia, accustomed to the company of good-looking people like Katherine and Joshua, found his appearance rather plain. He failed to capture her attention.
“I'm sorry, but we're not that close,” Sophia replied frostily.
Clearly, she had no intention to continue talking to Heath.
However, Heath didn't seem to get her hint. He swirled his wineglass and asked, “Why do you avoid me like the plague every time you see me? Am I that scary?”
Hearing that, Sophia smiled faintly. “Mr. Barker, you're not scary, but my husband certainly is.”
With that, Sophia lifted her hand, revealing the glimmering ring on her finger, catching the light from the chandelier above.
Heath was surprised to discover that Sophia was married.
In the blink of an eye, Sophia had already strode away.
By the time he collected his thoughts, Sophia had seamlessly blended into the bustling crowd.
Soon after parting ways with Heath, Sophia caught sight of Samuel approaching her.
“Sophia,” he greeted her.
From afar, Samuel spotted a man trying to hit on Sophia. Being Alexander's friend for over three decades, he couldn't simply stand idly by while someone made advances toward his friend's wife.
Nevertheless, Sophia was smarter than he had initially expected as she easily got rid of that man.
“Mr. Schild, long time no see.”
“Yes, indeed.”
Samuel glanced at the man not far away before his gaze landed on Sophia. He had to fight back the urge to ask her who that man was.
I have full confidence in Alexander, and I know Sophia would never betray him. There are plenty of men like that one in our social circle. I have to admit that he's quite handsome, though.
He was deep in thought when the man came toward them.
Heath discreetly observed the man standing beside Sophia. He rarely came to Jadeborough, so
despite knowing that the man was someone of significance, his exact identity remained a mystery to Heath.
Heath knew that someone as stunning as Sophia wouldn't settle for an ordinary man to be her husband.
However, he didn't think he was inferior to her husband at all.
Gathering his thoughts, he arched his brow at Samuel before giving Sophia an amused grin. “Is this your husband?”
After a pause, he commented, “I don't think he's that great.”
Sophia burst out laughing. “Yeah, he's really not that great.”
Glancing at Samuel, she added, “That's because he's not my husband.”
Samuel belatedly realized what they were talking about. Displeasure crossed his face as he snapped, “I'm Samuel Schild. Who are you?”
Heath was taken aback to hear his name. “I'm Heath Barker.”
Though they had never crossed paths, both Heath and Sophia were aware of each other's names.
Samuel snorted. “Oh, it's you, Mr. Barker. I've heard a lot about you.”
His voice dripped with disdain, deliberately laced with a hint of provocation.
Heath, unaccustomed to being provoked, responded with a snort and retorted, “Mr. Schild, I've heard quite a bit about you as well.”
Sophia stood beside them as though their exchange had nothing to do with her. When a server walked past, she got herself a glass of orange juice and sipped on it calmly.