Chapter 8: Three Tickets

Hearing Henry utter those two words, Sophie’s cheeks flushed a shade of pink. “Don’t read too much into it,” she stammered. “No one in the family knows about our contract, so it was just a formality...” “I’m not overthinking it,” Henry replied calmly. “It's just that in these past two years, I think this is the first time I've heard you use those words. It means a lot to me.” Sophie looked at him, her heart fluttering. Regardless of how spineless or inept Henry might have seemed, their shared moments over two years had kindled some warmth between them. She cast a gentle gaze upon him, saying softly, “You’ve endured a lot over these two years...” To Henry, Sophie’s tenderness felt foreign, almost surreal. But instead of basking in the moment, he quickly replied, “I’ve merely been honoring our contract.” Sophie’s features hardened. “The contract will end soon, and you'll be free from the family’s disdain and from the indignity you face in our household.” Staring at the flowing river, Sophie felt a profound loneliness, likening herself to a drifting boat. Tears welled up, as exhaustion from years of compromise overcame her. Henry, noticing her distress, assured her, “No matter what you’ve been through, I promise that one day I’ll make it right.” Sophie replied coldly, “You’ve said enough grandiose statements for one day. I don’t need to hear anymore. Also, my matters are none of your concern.” “Take me back to the office,” she demanded, wiping away her tears and quickly walking away. Henry sighed, then took out his phone and dialed. “Yan, I need a few top-tier VIP tickets for Ava Evans’ concert. Make sure they reach my wife. You know what to say.” “Henry, are you just going to stand there? Are we leaving or not?” Sophie shouted from a distance. “Oh... Right, coming!” Henry replied, running towards her. Unbeknownst to both Henry and Sophie, videos of their earlier altercation at the office and Henry’s appraisal of Gavin's jade pendant had been uploaded online, rapidly spreading throughout the Yuan Corporation. Gavin, furious over being humiliated, was especially incensed by Henry's audacity to insult his wife. Adding salt to the wound, the video of Henry's critique of Gavin's so-called ‘precious’ jade went viral. Whispers and debates ensued. Some dismissed Henry as talking nonsense. Others believed he was a jade appraisal expert. At that very moment, Gavin sat fuming in a private booth at the Empire Bar. Opposite him, a young man named Mr. Pierce was intently watching the viral video. “Damn it, Mr. Pierce! I can’t let this go. Claiming my premium jade is a cheap knockoff? I need to make that loser Henry pay!” Gavin exclaimed, seething with rage. Mr. Pierce remained silent, suddenly lunging forward to grab Gavin by the throat. “Snap!” “Mr. Pierce…” Gavin gasped, his prized jade now in shatters. “Where’s this precious jade now, Gavin? Are you genuinely dense or just playing at it? This is clearly a cheap knockoff! Don’t ever claim to know me if you're going to parade around with this trash!” Mr. Pierce barked, after shattering the jade pendant. Gavin sat in sheer disbelief. The realization that he'd been duped into buying a fake—and the fact that it was Henry who exposed him—was both embarrassing and infuriating. “Relax,” Mr. Pierce added with a smirk, pouring a drink. “Taking down a loser like Henry, a country bumpkin, is as simple as squashing an ant. Cheers.” … At Mitchell Cosmetics Corporation, Sophie intended to return to her office. However, she was informed that Ella Mitchell had her belongings thrown into the trash. The weight of her humiliation bore heavily on Sophie, tears threatening to spill as the surrounding glances bore into her. A part of her wanted to storm into Ella’s office and confront her, but she held back, containing her emotions. She moved towards the trash bin to retrieve her possessions. “Here,” a heavily made-up receptionist sneered, handing her a rectangular package. “Someone dropped this off for you. Been sitting here all day.” The coldness in the receptionist's tone stung. The phrase 'out of sight, out of mind' rang true. Stripped of her position, Sophie was now subjected to the disdain of even a front-desk clerk. The contrast from the warm greetings she had received that morning made her feel both pitiful and ridiculous. Receiving the box, Sophie noticed there was no label. Curious, she opened it, revealing three tickets to Ava Evans’ concert inside. The tickets, while similar to what Gavin had given her, had no seat numbers. She recalled Henry mentioning he would get her tickets and, clutching the box, quickly exited the building. Ring, ring... As Henry lounged on the sofa, awaiting Sophie's return, his phone began to chime. “Hello?” “Henry, I’m back in town…” a voice informed. Acknowledging it, Henry replied calmly, “Alright, follow the plan we discussed. Spare no expense; I want to see results as soon as possible.” As he ended the call, the front door opened, revealing Sophie.