The Returning EX (Sophia and John)

Sophia stared intently at the family of three, all the while being reminded of the fact that she used to want a life like the one they led. Unfortunately, nobody was there to fend for her in the past, nor did she have someone whom she wanted to fend for. The child chuckled, while the mother followed suit. Despite his stoic expression, the father’s eyes were gleaming with joy.

Sophia quickly averted her gaze, but as soon as she did, a man standing not too far away from her came into view. The scene reminded her of back when she wanted to scale the walls, only to see him watching her while standing under a tree.

Dylan approached her upon noticing that Sophia had seen him. “Why are you here alone?”

Sophia examined him before saying, “I could ask the same of you.”

Dylan sat down beside her before saying, “My dad’s birthday is coming soon, so I came to buy him a present.”

His reply startled her, which made her stammer, “Your dad—Hold on, you mean, Uncle Owen will be celebrating his birthday?”

A chuckle escaped Dylan. “Yeah, did John not tell you? His birthday is one week away, so the household might be hosting a celebration.”

Sophia pursed her lips before trying to find excuses to cover for herself. “I was so focused on working toward opening my own shop, so I might’ve missed out on it when he told me.” She recalled that Owen never celebrated his birthday throughout the time she spent living with the Constances, so she wasn’t sure when his birthday was.

Upon hearing what she said, Dylan grunted in response. “Now that I’ve told you about it, you will have to come.”

Sophia nodded as she replied, “Yeah, I’ll try to make time.” However, she wasn’t sure if the Constances celebrated their elders’ birthdays together with the entire household during a banquet, as they weren’t on the best terms with each other, so if they happened to decide to not speak to each other during gatherings, things would turn out to be very awkward.

while asking, “Can you provide

request. What kind of suggestion does he want

Dylan seemed to think it was a great idea. Thus, he stood while saying, “Come on, let’s take a look inside since you’re alone anyway.” Without giving her a chance to turn him down, Dylan headed straight for

formed on Sophia’s face as she mumbled, “Where I come from, we need only bring a few kilograms of pork to the birthday boy or girl’s house,

as if they were ready for a tough battle. Not even Dylan knew what to choose despite having made a round in the section, say less of

looked toward her as he

Sophia gave him a shrug before telling him the truth as she perceived, as she liked nothing in the gifts section. While casting a glance at Dylan, she said, “I suppose Uncle Owen isn’t in need of

truth. A family like his wasn’t lacking anything in the material sense, as they would buy anything

parents would

her way. “I don’t think I would be able to achieve that within

answer came as a surprise to her, so much so that she had to arch a brow. “Why is that so? You have great assets, so you should be able

pride themselves in finding a matching partner, but it is difficult to find someone whom you deem to fit all the prerequisites.” She then turned to look at him. “Did nobody

at the faraway shelf, Dylan replied, “I guess there used to be

does that even mean? You should be able

me, my parents turned down

what happened… But why would someone introduce you to a girl who didn’t meet the requirements? Doesn’t your family emphasize those before anything

his surroundings in the mall, Dylan’s gaze landed on Sophia once again. “I seemed to be a promise made by the previous generations. I didn’t ask about the specifics, and all

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