"Oh, right, you’re already used to getting slapped in the face, so you probably don’t even feel how much it hurts anymore." Sophie Wilson sighed. "Habit really is a terrifying thing."

"Sophie Wilson, you—"

"Enough, let’s hurry back!" Old Mrs. Wilson cut Emerie Wilson off impatiently and turned to leave.

Was this really the time to trade barbs with Sophie Wilson?

Right now the most important thing was to go back and ask what on earth was going on.

Weren’t they told they’d definitely win the bid?

Why didn’t they get it?

"M-Mom, wait for me!" Emerie Wilson hadn’t expected Old Mrs. Wilson to walk so fast, and hurried after her, no longer in the mood to spar with Sophie.

——

"What took you so long?" Clarissa Taylor saw Sophie Wilson and Charles Seymour come back and couldn’t help asking.

"Mom, it was such a coincidence." Sophie Wilson happily scooted over and said, "We just ran into Emerie Wilson in the corridor."

"They were here to celebrate winning the bid. Unfortunately, they got a call from Benjamin Walton and rushed off." Sophie Wilson twisted her waist in delight and said with a laugh, "I’m guessing they won’t get to have that celebration dinner."

"Ignore them." Mason Wilson snorted. "We’ll eat ours. The dishes are all here."

"Okay." Sophie Wilson ate in high spirits, while Mason Wilson carefully asked about the bidding situation.

At this point, Charles Seymour used the fewest words possible to go over what had happened.

The fact that it was Charles answering instead of Sophie surprised Mason Wilson a little.

Given Charles Seymour’s personality, not just in private but even at the company, he’ll avoid talking if he can, and even when he has to speak, he uses the shortest sentences possible to express his meaning.

Charles Seymour simply isn’t someone who likes to talk, so what was up with him today?

After Charles finished speaking, he picked up a shrimp dumpling Sophie Wilson liked and put it in her bowl.

All of a sudden, something clicked for Mason Wilson; he understood what Charles was doing.

He didn’t want to hold up Sophie’s meal.

So that’s why he took on the "heavy responsibility" of doing the explaining himself?

Mason Wilson sized Charles Seymour up. Well, looks-wise he was so-so, his ability was decent enough, but his personality was too stuffy—no matter how you looked at him there were flaws everywhere.

But... when it came to taking care of Sophie and caring about her, he’d scored a full... hmm, eighty points.

There was still room for improvement.

Of course, these thoughts were just in Mason Wilson’s head; if he said them out loud, he’d probably get mobbed.

Calling Charles Seymour’s looks "so-so"?

What did he think counted as good-looking then?

And "ability is decent enough"?

By that standard, wouldn’t a bunch of people with weaker abilities have to go jump into a river?

Then again, he was the father-in-law. He could size up his son-in-law however he liked.

And Charles Seymour was never going to argue back.

"What’s the deal with those three recommenders?" That was what Mason Wilson cared most about. He looked at Charles Seymour. "People you found?"

"No." Charles Seymour shook his head.

"Then they... what are they playing at?" Mason Wilson couldn’t figure it out either. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

If they were trying to scheme against Sophie, there was absolutely no need.

Sophie’s little renovation company was just small-time stuff compared to those big conglomerates.

"Maybe they just can’t stand Hayley Cole." Sophie Wilson had been thinking it over the whole way back and had come up with the only possibility that made sense. "Chairman Cole probably thinks his stepdaughter’s getting too out of hand and wanted to give her a warning."