Chapter 16: Sophia Shaw, How Can You Be So Despicable? Editor: Henyee Translations

Seeing Ms. Archer look at her awkwardly, Sophia Shaw sniffled and pushed back the tears welling in her eyes.

"I’m fine." Taking Bun, she said, "Let’s go home."

In the nursery, Cedric Grant deftly prepared a bottle of formula. He glanced outside as he handed it to the maternity nurse.

His gaze was full of dejection and helplessness as he looked away, his shoulders slumping.

Mom is getting more and more unreasonable. Following Dad and Auntie Joanna to the summit during the day was bad enough, but now she wants me to hold some random kid.

Cedric Grant cringed with embarrassment at the memory of overhearing Uncle Hughes say his mom had been at the summit, pretending to know what she was talking about.

Why can’t Mom learn a thing or two from Auntie Joanna? It would be great if she were even half as hardworking as Auntie Joanna.

At the thought of Joanna Sherman, Cedric Grant’s expression brightened. "Hurry up and finish feeding my sister," he said. "We have to go watch Auntie Joanna’s horse race soon."

He sighed again after he spoke. "I’m so useless. I can never protect Belle properly. Last time, I let her fall off the bed, and this time, I nearly let her get burned!"

The maternity nurse said sheepishly, "This time was my fault. I wasn’t being careful. Oh dear, your hand is so red! You must have gotten burned!"

Cedric Grant wasn’t bothered in the least. "It’s fine."

He held up the back of his bright red hand, his eyes shining with pride. This wasn’t an injury. It was a medal for protecting his sister!

The men of the Grant family have to be pillars of strength. Since she’s my sister, he’ll protect her for his entire life!

Cedric Grant made a silent vow: I will never, ever let anyone hurt my sister!

...

"Go! Go!"

"Go, go, go!"

Sophia Shaw frowned, the beauty mark beneath her eye seeming to tremble as she pushed her way through the crowd with some difficulty.

People in the stands waved colorful flags, screaming wildly at the figures on the track below.

Sophia Shaw was on a call as she walked, but the voice on the other end was completely drowned out by the cheers.

If she had a choice, Sophia Shaw really wouldn’t have come to such a rowdy place. Unfortunately, the person she was looking for was here.

Sophia Shaw was here to meet a potential business partner.

Her aunt had called to tell her that her uncle had been working tirelessly on a new project, but he couldn’t find any investors.

Sophia Shaw had always admired her uncle’s talent, so she’d made a point to contact him and ask for the project proposal.

At the same time, she asked about the state of his company.

Although her uncle downplayed the severity of the situation, Sophia Shaw could read between the lines.

It won’t last much longer.

Levin Sawyer had spoken with the potential partner, who agreed to meet with Sophia Shaw, but only at the racecourse.

The person she had just been on the phone with was Levin Sawyer. It was so noisy that she couldn’t hear a single thing he said, so she’d simply hung up to find him.

She headed for the premium viewing section.

Just as she arrived, she saw Justin Hughes sauntering over with a few other young socialites.

When he saw Sophia Shaw, he tipped the water bottle in his hand, and the reflection glinted off the corner of his disdainfully curled lip.

"You go on and on about not stalking Vincent, so what do you call this? Following him wherever he goes... Sophia Shaw, how can you be so shameless!"

Justin Hughes had a gaunt face with sharp cheekbones, giving him a naturally cruel look. His face was twisted with disgust as he spoke, and he stared at Sophia Shaw as if she were a rat that had just crawled out of the sewer.

A race had just finished, and the cheering died down. In the sudden quiet, Justin Hughes’s voice was sharp in her ears.

Sophia Shaw instinctively glanced in the direction Justin Hughes had come from.

Sure enough, there was Vincent Grant. He and Jenson Forrest were seated. A perfectly tailored, casual shirt accentuated his impeccable physique. His long, strong fingers rested on his knee, and a luxury watch on his wrist flashed with a faint, understated light.

His hair was combed back from his forehead with meticulous care. Every inch of his being radiated an air of both supreme dignity and profound understatement.

"Why can’t you face reality? You’re not even in the same league as Vincent!"

The beauty mark under Sophia Shaw’s eye seemed to tremble. She gave Justin Hughes a cool look. "You don’t have the guts to pursue the girl you like, so you take it out on me by spewing venom. Justin Hughes, I find you quite pathetic."

"You!" Justin Hughes’s eyes flickered with guilt. "Who the hell do you think you are to look down on me!"

Sophia Shaw watched him coldly, finding his clumsy attempt to change the subject laughable. "Relax. I’m not in love with Vincent Grant anymore. When you have a moment, remind him not to forget to file the divorce papers."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

She wasn’t that pathetic. Vincent Grant had chosen to hurt and sacrifice her for Joanna Sherman time and time again, even rejecting her child. She couldn’t keep shamelessly fawning over someone who only gave her the cold shoulder.

As Sophia Shaw walked away, she didn’t even spare Vincent Grant a single glance.

Justin Hughes waved away the young socialites with him and went back to his seat.

Jenson Forrest glanced at Sophia Shaw’s retreating figure. "What was she doing here?"

"What else could she be here for?" Justin Hughes sneered. "Just trying to cause trouble for Joanna. The nerve of her!"

A cheer had erupted from the crowd while Sophia Shaw was speaking, so Justin Hughes hadn’t heard her clearly. He had only vaguely caught the word "divorce."

She schemed so hard to snatch him; there’s no way she’d be willing to let go. She’s probably just using me to test if Vincent will actually divorce her.

Heh. Getting this worked up the moment Joanna comes back... It’s fucking hilarious.

Jenson Forrest looked over at Vincent Grant.

Vincent Grant kept his head down, reading and writing emails on his phone, completely indifferent to their conversation.

Jenson Forrest cast one more thoughtful glance in Sophia Shaw’s direction before turning to Vincent. "What’s the next phase for the rocket project?"

"We’re going all in, of course!" Justin Hughes answered for him. "When has Vincent ever done anything less than give his all for one of Joanna’s dreams?

"When Joanna said she wanted her other half to have his own career instead of depending on his family, he left to start his own company without a second thought."

The cool-eyed man didn’t join the conversation, but his firmly set lips spoke volumes about his resolve.

Justin Hughes felt a pang of heartache.

Joanna Sherman was the star in every man’s sky, but he didn’t have Vincent’s guts—the power to just up and start a company, to just decide to build a rocket and make it happen.

Jenson Forrest also smiled faintly. "What Joanna said back then was that since her own family was in business, she didn’t want her other half to be in politics or anything like that. She didn’t want any kind of class division between them.

"Vincent is really something else. He chose to go into business, even after his family broke his legs and he was nearly disowned by his grandfather.

"It’s gotten to the point where you can’t go home, and your own family doesn’t dare to associate with you too openly."

The Grant family’s status was extraordinary; they were a prestigious family with deep roots in the military and government.

A family like that naturally couldn’t have extensive ties to the business world. For Vincent Grant to go into business, he had to distance himself from his family’s sphere of influence. He couldn’t even stay for long during the holidays.

He had alienated everyone he knew for Joanna Sherman. Even a brilliant young talent like Jenson Forrest had to admire Vincent Grant’s sheer audacity.

"That’s because Joanna is worth it!" Justin Hughes said emphatically.

"What about me is worth it?" Joanna Sherman walked over and sat down beside Vincent Grant with a natural ease, asking the question with a nonchalant air.

The moment she appeared, all eyes in the vicinity were drawn to her.

Joanna Sherman had been all over television recently. Her leading role in a rocket launch had made her an overnight sensation, and many people had already recognized her.

Several people looked eager to approach her and say hello.

One of the people nearby took out a notebook. "Miss Sherman, I’m a huge fan. Could I get your autograph?"