Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Listen to Chad Jennings, Slap Joanna Sherman Twice

Vincent Grant’s deep voice came through. "Sophia Shaw, you’d help a total stranger out of basic human decency. How can you not help him when he’s your own son!"

"He’s refusing the surgery unless you’re here. Do you really want something to happen to him?"

Sophia Shaw’s footsteps finally halted.

’He’s right. Even a stranger deserves a helping hand.’

’I’ll just treat Cedric Grant as a stranger.’

Sophia Shaw pushed his hand away. "Send the time and address to my phone!"

「The next day.」

Sophia Shaw went to the hospital early.

The foreign object irritating his lungs had kept Cedric Grant from getting any real rest all night.

She hadn’t seen him for just a few days, but his face was now as white as paper, completely drained of color.

He kept clutching his chest and coughing, his small body trembling slightly.

Even so, he refused to let the nurse give him the IV, struggling relentlessly.

It wasn’t until Sophia Shaw walked in that he threw himself into her arms, sobbing. "Mommy, you finally came to see me... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH... I feel so sick... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH."

Sophia Shaw gently patted his back. "Listen to the nice nurse. Let her hook up the IV, and then later you’ll have a little surgery. You’ll take a nap, and everything will be fine."

"Okay."

Smelling the familiar scent of gardenias on Sophia Shaw, Cedric Grant’s chaotic heart gradually calmed down.

He no longer resisted the idea of surgery.

Vincent Grant arrived at some point. As he entered, he saw the woman holding the child, revealing her graceful profile and the clean line of her neck.

It was a serene and beautiful sight.

He only stepped inside after a moment.

"You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? What do you want? I’ll go buy it."

Cedric Grant had to have surgery, so he couldn’t eat breakfast.

Sophia Shaw said coolly, "No need."

Vincent Grant called Jack Holloway anyway. "Go to The Serene Pavilion and bring back breakfast!"

Sophia Shaw couldn’t be bothered to respond to him. She just stroked the top of Cedric Grant’s head and said, "Cedric, you’re six years old now. When you run into trouble, you have to learn to face it bravely."

"Whether it’s getting sick or any other problem, running away or depending on others won’t solve anything. It will only make things worse."

"Okay." Cedric Grant nestled obediently in her arms and nodded.

Before long, the anesthesiologist came and added the anesthetic to Cedric Grant’s IV drip.

Cedric Grant fell into a deep sleep in Sophia Shaw’s arms.

A nurse from the operating room came to get the patient.

Sophia Shaw personally pushed Cedric Grant’s gurney toward the operating room.

Vincent Grant walked over as well, pushing the gurney alongside her.

In the hallway, the gurney’s wheels made a soft rumbling sound. Neither of them spoke.

When they reached the operating room doors, Sophia Shaw let go, immediately putting as much distance as possible between herself and Vincent Grant.

Vincent Grant’s dark gaze lingered on her for a few moments before his phone rang.

He had no choice but to turn away to answer it.

From the other end of the hallway, several figures approached.

It was Chad Jennings, Yvonne Sherman, and Joanna Sherman.

Chad Jennings seemed particularly worried, peering toward the operating room doors several times.

When he turned and saw Sophia Shaw, his face hardened. "I’m telling you, Sophia Shaw, what kind of mother are you? A perfectly healthy child ends up with a foreign object in his lung. Is this how you take care of him?"

Sophia Shaw gave him a cool glance, unwilling to speak to the scumbag for fear of dirtying her own mouth.

Sophia Shaw’s silence didn’t deter Chad Jennings. Instead, he grew bolder, pulling rank. "If you ask me, you should just quit your job. You’re not good for anything but causing trouble!"

"Go home and take proper care of your child, of your family!"

"What gives you the right to stand here and lecture me about my life?" Sophia Shaw said icily, undisguised contempt in her eyes.

Publicly rebuked, Chad Jennings couldn’t stand the loss of face and raised his voice. "Is that how you talk to your own father? Sophia Shaw, you have no manners!"

’Father?’

’What kind of father?’

’Just a disgusting Vampire.’

Sophia Shaw decided to play along. "So what would a well-mannered person do?"

"Devote herself to her husband and children, and show filial piety to her father, of course! Do you even have to ask?"

Chad Jennings fully assumed the air of a lecturing father, trying to dictate Sophia Shaw’s life.

"Look, something this serious happened to Cedric. You need to find the cause and correct it immediately!"

"Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent sure!" Chad Jennings was so thrilled at the chance to lecture his disobedient daughter that he was practically bursting with pride.

"Alright."

Sophia Shaw turned and raised her hand.

SLAP.

SLAP.

Two crisp slaps landed squarely on Joanna Sherman’s face.

Joanna Sherman shrieked and clutched her face.

Yvonne Sherman’s face contorted, and she lunged forward to shove Sophia Shaw. "What are you doing? What right do you have to hit Joanna!"

Sophia Shaw looked coldly at the two repulsive women and pointed a finger at Chad Jennings. "Ask my ’father.’ He’s the one who told me to find the cause."

"The cause I found is that Cedric Grant was trying to look after Joanna Sherman’s daughter, so he ate too quickly, which is how a bone ended up in his lung."

"She has the money to hire a nanny, but instead she abuses my son. My dear father, isn’t getting off with just two slaps already letting her off easy?"

Chad Jennings had lunged forward, his own hand raised to slap Sophia Shaw twice, but her retort froze his hand in the air.

His face turned beet red with suppressed rage.

Sophia Shaw deliberately tilted her head up, presenting her face to his palm.

A silent challenge curled her petal-like lips.

Chad Jennings’ chest swelled with hatred, his hand about to fall.

Yvonne Sherman quickly pulled him back. "Stop making a scene!"

Sophia Shaw had only come to persuade Cedric Grant to have the surgery. Her mission was complete, and she had no desire to stand around staring at a pile of scum.

She shot one last, deep look at Joanna Sherman.

Joanna Sherman was still clutching her face, her eyes looking like they were about to pop out of their sockets.

She looked like she wanted to eat Sophia alive.

Sophia Shaw strode past her.

"Why did you pull me back?"

Chad Jennings was furious that Yvonne Sherman had stopped him.

"That animal dared to hit Joanna, my precious girl! I should have beaten her to death!"

"Enough!" Yvonne Sherman pushed him away. "Cedric got a foreign object in his lung because he was rushing to take care of Stella. If this blows up, people are only going to be suspicious of Joanna!"

"Even if word gets out that Sophia Shaw hit someone, everyone will just think she had a good reason."

"If you had hit her, what would people think of us?"

Joanna Sherman knew that Sophia Shaw was just using this as a pretext to get revenge for the two slaps from last time.

She gritted her teeth in hatred, her fingers, clenched so tight they were losing their shape, itching to tear Sophia to shreds.

But she also knew Yvonne Sherman was right. With a cold expression, she said to Chad Jennings, "If you had hit her just now, she probably would have secretly filmed it. Then we wouldn’t be able to talk our way out of it!"

"That Sophia Shaw, that..."

Chad Jennings was so angry his chest ached.

’Wasn’t Sophia Shaw always so obedient before?’

’When did she become so difficult to handle?’

After leaving, Sophia Shaw worked on a few projects with Levin Sawyer.

The "Rocket Group Buy" project was still up in the air, but it didn’t affect their other business.

At five in the afternoon, Cedric Grant called. "Mommy, where are you? I’m awake, but I don’t see you."

Sophia Shaw opened her mouth to tell him she wasn’t coming back.

But then she remembered he had just gotten out of surgery and shouldn’t be agitated, so she just said, "Mommy still has some things to do."

"So when are you coming?"

"You should get some rest first."

Sophia Shaw hung up the phone.

At six o’clock, Jacobs appeared right on time to ask her to get off work.

The assistant Levin Sawyer had found for her was a stubborn one. If Sophia didn’t leave work, the assistant would just stand guard by her desk.

She didn’t rush her or pressure her.

But she was always there whenever Sophia looked up.

Jacobs would stand there for as long as Sophia worked overtime.

Not wanting the young woman to be stuck there, Sophia Shaw secretly put her laptop in her bag and left for the day.

When she got home, Bun was on the sofa, practicing rolling over.

Having just unlocked a new skill, the little one was full of passion. Her chubby little body strained with effort, heaving herself over.

Her two chubby legs were twisted together like a pretzel.

Ms. Archer gave her a gentle push from behind, and she finally made it onto her tummy.

When Bun saw Sophia Shaw come in, she giggled, slapping the surface of the sofa, eager to show off her new skill to Mommy.

Sophia Shaw was delighted to see her rolling over and walked over, cooing and baby-talking with her.

The little one babbled back, "eee-yah, eee-yah," trying to imitate Sophia’s speech.

Her tender pink mouth was soft and adorable, and her big eyes were brighter than glass marbles.

Ms. Archer left the mother and daughter alone. Sophia Shaw helped massage Bun’s little bottom and push her back to help her roll over.

The little one was having the time of her life rolling around.

Sophia Shaw didn’t come out holding Bun until dinner was ready.

Bun was placed in her stroller, in a half-reclining position.

Watching everyone eat, she smacked her own lips.

Sophia Shaw’s phone buzzed several times.

It was a message from Cedric Grant, still asking when she was coming to the hospital.