Chapter 230: Chapter 230: Married for 6 or 7 Years, Yet Knew Nothing About Her

Sophia Shaw saw right through him, her disgust growing. "I’m not like you. I don’t have to be a Vampire to survive. Getting married or not is irrelevant!"

"As for the ten million you mentioned, that was ordered by the court. If you’ve got the guts, go file an appeal. If you can find a legal reason not to pay, then of course no one will force you to."

Sophia kept calling him a "Vampire" over and over. She was like a stubborn rock; he couldn’t get through to her at all. Chad Jennings was furious.

But her status was different now. No matter how angry he got, there was nothing he could do to her.

All he could do was fume, "Just you wait. When Joanna and Vincent Grant get married, we’ll see how we get back at you!"

"Fine, I’ll be waiting!"

Sophia ignored him and pushed the door open, heading inside.

She instructed the security guard, "This man has a prior record for theft. From now on, don’t let him take a single step into this residential complex!"

The moment the guard heard Chad was a thief, his eyes filled with contempt. He answered, "Yes, ma’am!"

He grabbed Chad and started dragging him away.

"Who’s a thief? When have I ever been a thief!" Chad struggled and shouted, trying to pull away and get back to Sophia.

Sophia paid him no mind at all, disappearing behind the door.

The guard twisted his arm and dragged him out unceremoniously.

Chad’s pride was wounded like never before. He kept shoving the guard. "Let go of me! I’m not a thief! I’m her father!"

"Have you ever seen a thief wearing designer brands? This outfit cost me thirty thousand yuan! Thirty thousand..."

THUD!

The guard tossed him outside the large metal gates of the complex and said to the other guards, "From now on, don’t let this old thief in designer clothes through the gate!"

Chad fell flat on his face. He scrambled up, yelling, "I told you, I’m not a thief!"

The guard’s voice was firm. "This is a high-end residential complex. We prioritize the homeowners in all matters."

"If the homeowner says you’re a thief, you’re a thief!"

Chad: "..."

Chad could only squat by the complex entrance and call Joanna Sherman. "Joanna, Sophia is being too stubborn. I can’t reason with her at all. You need to figure something out. Go borrow ten million from Vincent to pay off your mother’s debt."

"We really can’t sell your grandmother’s house."

They’d only stayed one night in their new place and already couldn’t stand it.

It lacked everything, and the conditions were beyond terrible.

It was just too miserable.

"You want me to ask Vincent for money?" Joanna Sherman’s voice was incredibly shrill.

"What do you take me for? A beggar?"

’She was the one and only Joanna Sherman. Vincent had always been the one to give to her willingly. She would never humiliate herself by begging like some common pauper!’

Chad scratched his head in frustration. "What are we going to do if you don’t borrow it? The whole family will be out on the street with nothing to eat!"

"We won’t be out on the street." Joanna did her best to suppress her emotions.

She clenched her fists tightly.

"Dad, just bear with it for now. Once I defeat Sophia, Vincent is bound to see me in a new light."

"Then, getting any amount of money will be no problem at all!"

’She wouldn’t admit defeat!’

’This time, she had to endure the humiliation and bide her time. She would master everything Sophia knew and even the things she didn’t!’

’She, Joanna Sherman, would absolutely never bow her head and ask anyone for a handout!’ 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’If all she wanted were handouts, she wouldn’t have orchestrated that whole scheme seven years ago and used it as a chance to go study abroad!’

’What she wanted, and had always wanted, was to be above everyone else!’

’To have Vincent and the entire Grant Family look up to her in admiration!’

Since Joanna Sherman stubbornly refused to ask, Chad Jennings was completely at a loss.

In the past, whenever they were short on money, Yvonne Sherman would be the one to subtly bring it up in front of Vincent.

Vincent would then naturally provide the money.

But now that Yvonne Sherman was in prison, there was no one left to ask Vincent for money.

---

By the time Vincent Grant got home, Cedric Grant had already finished crying.

He didn’t want Vincent to see his tears.

The children of the Grant Family were all supposed to be strong and stand tall.

Crying all the time would only make people laugh at him.

But seeing Vincent, Cedric couldn’t help but think of Sophia Shaw.

He thought about everything that had happened that day.

"Dad, Mom came to school today." Cedric briefly explained how Sophia Shaw had come to school to hand out cookies and how popular they had been.

"Dad, Auntie Joanna’s cookies were more expensive, so why did they want Mom’s cookies instead of mine?"

Cedric had thought about it all day but still couldn’t figure it out.

Vincent Grant walked over and crouched in front of him, his lips pursed in silence for a long time.

Finally, he gently took hold of his son’s arm. "Cedric, your mother’s cookies were more popular because she put thought into them. Something made with heart will naturally touch people’s hearts more deeply."

"With... heart?"

Cedric recalled Uncle Norton saying that Sophia Shaw had spent days preparing just to select the right fruits to use as natural coloring, even going to a farm to pick them herself.

And the cookies she made were all in shapes that kids liked, made with honey and milk, making them sweet and fragrant.

’So Mom’s heartfelt effort wasn’t just because she made them by hand, but because she took the time to study what children liked.’

’She knew what flavors everyone enjoyed, what shapes they preferred, and what kinds of food were good for them...’

’Compared to Joanna Sherman, Mom’s effort was on a completely different level.’

For the first time, Cedric Grant began to doubt the "elite" mindset that Joanna Sherman had taught him.

"Oh, right. Grandpa came by today." Cedric remembered the call from Chad Jennings a little while ago. "He’s really short on money right now and seems so pitiful. Dad, please help him."

"He’s Mom’s and Auntie Joanna’s father, after all."

The mention of him made Vincent Grant recall the words Sophia Shaw had spoken as she left: "When did I ever say I had a father?"

Something stirred in his heart. He didn’t answer Cedric, but instead walked to the side to make a phone call. "Help me look into the relationship between Sophia Shaw and her father."

The person on the other end of the line knew he was married and that his wife was Sophia Shaw.

They were extremely surprised. "No way, Vincent. You’re only now thinking of looking into her relationship with her father? You two have been married for six or seven years. Shouldn’t you have known that ages ago?"

Vincent Grant rubbed his brow.

The only thing he knew was that Sophia’s uncle, Yancy Shaw, didn’t get along with Chad Jennings and Yvonne Sherman, and had often suppressed them in the past.

Yvonne and Joanna Sherman had both claimed it was because Yancy Shaw was displeased that Chad Jennings got together with Yvonne so soon after his wife’s death.

Sophia’s mother had a very poor reputation, which made Yancy Shaw’s targeted actions seem all the more unreasonable. Because of this, Vincent had never held a favorable opinion of Yancy.

As for the relationship between Sophia Shaw and Chad Jennings, he had never asked.

The only thing he knew for sure was that Sophia Shaw harbored a deep hostility toward Joanna Sherman.

"Vincent, why exactly are you looking into Sophia? Are you trying to find some fault with her so you can make a clean break?" the person on the phone asked.

The reason Vincent Grant and Sophia Shaw had gotten married was no secret in their circle.

"I’ve never thought about leaving her, and it’s not going to happen!" Vincent’s tone was firm.

The person laughed. "If that’s the case, why not just ask her directly?"

"Investigating her like this is, at its core, a sign that you don’t trust her."

Vincent Grant froze.

"Think it over. If you still insist, I’ll look into it for you."

---

Today was the anniversary of her mother, Brianna Shaw’s, death.

Sophia Shaw arrived at the cemetery early, all alone.

Placing a bouquet of freshly picked white chrysanthemums before her mother’s headstone, she gently wiped the dust from Brianna Shaw’s name.

Time had passed, and the photograph on the headstone had long since faded to white, but her mother’s smile remained as radiant as ever.

Every time she saw that photo, it reminded her of her mother’s optimism when she was still alive.

No matter how hard or tiring things got, she never uttered a single complaint.

Even when she was in dangerous war zones, her voice was always full of laughter whenever she called home.

Her mother always said that it was fine for her to suffer a little, as long as it meant her loved ones didn’t have to.

Whether it was for her grandmother, her uncle, or even Sophia and Chad Jennings, she gave her absolute all, providing them with the very best.

’What a wonderful mother she was.’

Sophia Shaw gently stroked the face in the photograph, her eyes silently turning red.

Brianna Shaw’s death had been a devastating blow to the Shaw Family. Every year around this time, her grandmother would fall ill.

She had fainted again just yesterday.

Her uncle and aunt had taken her to the hospital.

That was why Sophia was the only one who came today.

"Mom."

Whether five years or ten had passed, Sophia Shaw could never truly move on from Brianna Shaw’s death.

The look of despair on her mother’s face as she died, the extreme anguish in her eyes—it was all deeply seared into her mind, replaying again and again.

And with every replay, her heart ached anew.

It was like needles pricking her skin, like a bone stuck in her throat—an unbearable, suffocating pain!

Sophia Shaw’s fingers tightened on the headstone, the hatred in her eyes growing ever more intense!

After a long while, she slowly composed herself, stood up, and began to walk away.

By the side of the hill stood a tall, slender figure.