Chapter 48 Sophie’s Struggle

+8 Pearls

Leah bit her lip lightly, as though she wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat. She didn’t dare upset Olympia, so she kept quiet.

Olympia patted her hand gently, offering a few words of comfort before leaving with Milo.

Leah watched them go with a reluctant gaze. Turning back, she headed toward the hospital, only to be intercepted by Sophie, who had snuck downstairs.

Leah instinctively took a step back, glancing around. “We’ll talk in the room,” she said in a low voice.

Sophie’s chest tightened at the sight of her daughter keeping her distance, acting like they were strangers. Charmaine’s earlier words echoed in her mind, sharp as a dagger. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small button.

“You almost got exposed today during the checkup,” Sophie muttered, her voice tense. “Take this with you,

now.”

Leah frowned in disgust. “What is that?”

“I bumped into her when I first got here,” Sophie explained, her tone hushed. “It’s from her–pulled it straight off her clothes. Keep it with you. Drive away all that bad luck.”

Leah’s expression twisted with disbelief, but she took the button reluctantly and shoved it into her pocket. “Why was Charmaine at the hospital?”

“How should I know?” Sophie snapped. “That brat! I told her to come up and apologize to you, but instead, she-”

Sophie stopped abruptly, her face darkening with frustration.

After a pause, Sophie spoke again. “That necklace Charmaine brought from South Aspus, it’s still with you, isn’t it? Wear it when you get back.”

Leah scowled. “That’s just a temporary fix. Am I supposed to spend my life using Charmaine’s castoffs?”

“I know you hate it,” Sophie said, her voice softening. “But what choice do we have?”

Ever since Charmaine had turned rebellious, Leah’s misfortunes had piled up one after another. Sophie clenched her fists. This was fate, she thought bitterly.

Leah’s face contorted with anger. “Why does Charmaine always have all the luck? Why do I have to be the one stuck with all the bad breaks? It’s like the universe-”

“Stop it!” Sophie hissed, covering Leah’s mouth with her hand before she could finish.

“Don’t say something so reckless. You’ve got your dad, your mom, and your grandpa. You’re the one with the good fortune. Just hang on a little longer. We’ll figure out a way to deal with her.”

Inside the Maybach, the atmosphere was stifling.

Emyr’s search had come up empty, leaving him in a foul mood. His broad frame, towering over six feet,

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15 Feb

48 Sophie’s

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exterior, the

too

as a shield for her own musings.

from Rex, accompanied by a news link. “That b*tch!

raising slightly as she

account to upload a video.

eyes were rimmed red,

explained the ‘unavoidable‘ circumstances that led to her plagiarism. At the end, she offered an apology to Charmaine,

hands or loyal supporters, the result was the same. The posts lauded Leah for her supposed selflessness, painting her

betrayed no reaction, and when it ended, she closed the screen

Did you see that garbage? Some people are actually saying you’ve forgiven her. What

when Tad turned from the front seat, his voice interrupting her thoughts. “Mr. Emyr, the tech team couldn’t recover the hospital’s surveillance footage,” he

but composed. “If they can’t do it, find someone who can. Whoever tampered with it has some skill, but they’re not untouchable.”

“I’ll post a request on

Charmaine’s stomach sank.

the footage? She’d gone to great lengths to destroy any trace, but they weren’t

like paranoia and more like foresight.

hacker boards. There’s a bounty for recovering surveillance footage.

for now and focus on calling out

typed back, short and firm.

long pause followed before

It was an

emoii

Sat, 15 Feb

48 Sophie’s

48 Pearls

exterior,

come too close.

from him, kept her thoughts to herself, using his cold aura as a shield for her own musings. Suddenly, her

news link.

Charmaine tapped the link, her brows raising slightly

official account to upload a

rimmed red, betraying the evidence of recent tears. She carried

She explained the ‘unavoidable‘ circumstances that led to her plagiarism. At the end, she offered an apology to Charmaine, a gesture that felt

was the same. The posts lauded Leah for her

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