Chapter 291
Sophia Sullivan already had a plan.
She just wouldn't tell Caleb Watson.
"There's always a way," she said calmly.
Caleb smiled. "Then I wish you success."
He turned to leave.
"Wait." Sophia stopped him. "You can't live in someone else's shadow forever. Sometimes you have to be selfish and think about yourself."
Caleb paused. "Thank you. I understand."
...
"You didn't get the key?" Professor Victoria Lowell's face darkened instantly. "You couldn't handle such a simple task?"
Amelia Roscente frowned. "Sophia said she couldn't give it out against the rules. Was I supposed to snatch it from her?"
She was tired of Victoria's accusatory tone.
She was the one asking for a favor, yet she acted so superior.
"Professor Lowell, what's so special about that old lab? Why are you so fixated on it?"
"We already have the CPRT Dynamometer. Why do we need the old one?"
Victoria stood up abruptly. "Why all the questions? If you were more competent, you'd have the key by now!"
Amelia let out a cold laugh.
She wasn't some pushover.
She had been polite to Victoria before because the professor helped her get into grad school.
But all those expensive gifts and the money for the CPRT had long been repaid.
"Professor Lowell, you should find someone else for these underhanded favors. Ashley seems perfect. She is your niece, after all."
Victoria's expression changed drastically.
She suppressed her anger. "My apologies. I was out of line. Thank you for your efforts."
Amelia left the office without looking back.
The moment the door closed, Victoria slammed her pen holder onto the desk.
...
The Roscente mansion.
Amelia called out as soon as she entered. "Martha, bring me an ice pack!"
Victoria Roscente hurried over. "What happened?"
"Mom, Sophia hit me!" She pointed tearfully at her cheek. "Look, it's swollen!"
Victoria was furious. "She dared to hit you?! How dare she!"
"I only said a few things to her, and she just attacked me..."
Victoria immediately looked for her phone. "I'm going to give that little bitch a piece of my mind!"
A servant handed her a phone.
She dialed Sophia's number, but only got a busy signal.
She then remembered she had been blocked long ago.
"Use your phone!" Victoria yelled at the servant.
This time, the call connected.
"Sophia Sullivan, you—"
The call was disconnected.
She tried calling again, only to get the busy signal once more.
Victoria trembled with rage. "How dare she treat me like this?!"
Amelia said coolly, "She doesn't want anything from our family anymore. Why wouldn't she dare?"
Victoria was taken aback.
She finally realized Sophia was no longer the little girl she could push around.
"Mom, just leave her alone from now on," Amelia said softly. "She's... not someone to be trifled with."
Victoria smashed the phone onto the floor.
The servants were too afraid to make a sound.
...
In the lab, Hannah Morse looked at Sophia curiously. "Who was that?"
"A telemarketer," Sophia said without batting an eye.
Marcus Lawrence frowned. "The old lab is unusable. The new one will take at least two months. What do we do about our research progress?"
The experiments couldn't be delayed.
Sophia thought for a moment. "I'll figure something out."
...
She returned to her apartment in the evening.
Sophia was unlocking her door.
The door across the hall suddenly opened.
Alexander Laurent stood in the doorway. "Sophia."
His eyes were gentle, carrying a faint smile.
Sophia was slightly surprised. "Professor, you didn't go to the lab today?"
"No." His gaze was intent. "I was waiting for you."
Sophia paused. "...Waiting for me?"