NOVEL WEB Chapter 200: Sophia.
James's words changed Sophia, it was like she was reborn.
There were no more acts, nor more wigs, lashes, nothing, only if she needed to rob or make a connection with somebody. But in everyday life, she became her old self, the girl who was bullied… but now her voice was heard… and literally it was heard because she started arguing with the others, she got loud, she got more intense, and moreover, she started to feel something for James.
At that time, he was still that nonchalant fucker who never spoke, only if needed, but he did that because, well, he was pretending and was panicked as fuck, and Sophia wasn't understanding why he isn't responding to the signs, like the eye contact and the things women do to target a man's attention… James was literally ignoring all of it, and the compliments also stopped.
That crack started to show again, even though she felt herself in the best spot in her life, it was still James who started it, who complimented her, who said she should stop it… she was waiting for it again, for James's words to say it, that she looked hot, she looked good.
She didn't know Marcello's story nor what James himself was fighting with at that time, that he was literally walking in darkness. But one day, it happened.
It was all over the same arguing, but Sophia was paying attention to James who again just got up and dipped. But she caught up with him and asked him a question which James gave an answer to because of panic, and that time she froze.
The question was a simple one, "Do you have a girlfriend?" A simple no and yes answer, but James panicked and thought if he said yes Sophia would kill her. So his answer was a fucked-up one.
"No, but you would be the perfect girlfriend, Sophia."
He just wanted it to sound like a little cheeky and a little compliment, but shit, Sophia took it to heart after all, James had not complimented her in weeks, and now out of nowhere he said something like this.
It was her dream, her wish… yeah, the point when she got more obsessed with James, and well, the great question why she doesn't step up and ask him out?
She never had a boyfriend, nor was she in a relationship with anybody, but she was good at one thing, getting information. So she thought she would get every info about James, like what his favorite color, food, car, and these little dumb things… for her it wasn't dumb at all.
She just stressed because she thought she would be the one beside James, but then he started skipping meetings because he was busy doing his own job with Hector and the others and that's when she noticed something curious, a woman.
A woman on James's side, a woman called Bella.
Who is she, why is she there with him, and why does she act the way she acts? She wanted to know more, but she needed to be cautious with it, because Bella was not somebody she could easily dig deeper into her life.
So Sophia just stayed back and slowly started seeing that they were getting closer. She heard about Bella kissing James, hugging him, acting sweet around him and Sophia, not even for a moment, thought about what James said being just a compliment and that's it.
No, she took it to heart, that she will be the one standing by his side, that she will have children with him… but slowly she realized it might not be what's going to happen.
Still, she felt what she felt for him, and as she realized she might not be the one, that it was just a lost cause, she didn't do what others would, like, okay, maybe cry a bit that the love of her life is not really hers, and he will never be with her… no, she got more obsessed, more in love, more determined to play her cards out and be with him.
She made the altar that Hans saw, likely trying to do some voodoo or who knows what black magic to get James to her, and when she realized it was really a lost cause, she was okay with it, like how she said it to Hans,
James can have two girlfriends, two wives, two different women and two different children, why wouldn't he?
He is the biggest player, he is someone who can't please himself with one woman, that's what she thought, and yeah, she just got more and more obsessed over the fact that she still had the chance.
That little girl inside her who was bullied, who was pushed away, who couldn't experience love just got possessed by James, and those words he said to her. That little girl inside of her was keen for love, for love for him that he is the person who can understand her feelings, her scars buried deep.
He saved her with words that meant so much to her.
She is ready to be with him the moment he says.
On James's side, even though he didn't remember anything that he said to Sophia, it hit him in the heart a bit. Like what Sophia said to him really came from her heart, and that wasn't any act, wasn't manipulation or anything like that. He could see her eyes, her body language, her expression it was real and genuine… but what to do with it?
The problem he thought about, and was real to some extent, if he tells Sophia to fuck off, she can turn into the worst enemy, someone who knows too much about him and the whole family. He definitely can't do that, so what to do?
Easy answer, keep her close, but not too close.
So he did what he thought was best and kissed her on the forehead, and with it, he just sealed more of that crack in Sophia's heart. It was something that a father would kiss on the forehead with warmth and caring… yeah, but it came from James, the love of her life, with care and love… she couldn't take it and actually shed tears.
"What?" James looked dumbfounded like, what is happening?
"Nothing… I-I just… thank you, James." She said with a smile on her face as she looked deep with those ready eyes into James's eyes.
He answered nothing back, but for a second got mesmerized by it, and knew he needed to dip the fuck out, so he got up and with a last move, he patted her head as she was sobbing.
"Let's work, Sophia."
"Y-yes-"