Sophie first opened the picture of the current patriarch and the matriarch of the Atkins family. Melania shook her head. Then she opened his son's and daughter-in-law's picture. She shook her head at that too.
Taking a deep breath, Sophie, finally put a picture of two fine young men in front of her. She was shocked to see one of them resembling Xiao Hao. She could see that her daughter somewhat expected this answer. She saw disappointment flash by her eyes. She saw undisguised anger in her beautiful phoenix eyes, which were very like her own.
She cautiously asked her, "Who are they?"
"Robert Atkins, the eldest child of the Atkins family, and his younger brother Oliver Atkins." She seemed to be gritting her teeth in anger. She knew that Sophie would be enraged upon finding this as soon as she started pulling out photos of them. But she did not know why she was this angry.
To think it in another way, she suddenly recalled that she had asked Xiao Hao about her daughter. Why didn't he reveal this matter if they met or knew each other? What happened for Sophie to react in this manner? Melania had millions of questions running through her mind but she did not have the guts to ask them to the currently angry Sophie.
She, as her mother, could appease her anger easily. But she also knew that Sophie could be headstrong at times. This time the matter is related to her and that is Sophie bottom-line. No one can appease her anger, not even her.
She only hoped that Sophie doesn't take any step which might put her in danger. She was lost in thoughts, when Sophie suddenly got up and walked out of the room. She called someone and instructed the person on the other end of the line to do something, which Melania couldn't understand, as Sophie was standing quite far from her.
And, she did not want to eavesdrop from her daughter. After a while, another call came, she hung up on the first and took the second. Worry lines were visible on her face, and a well-defined smirk appeared on her lips. She looked satisfied about something.
She came into the room and sat by Melania's bedside and took her hands into her own. She rubbed it and enunciated each words very slowly but carefully.
"Mom, C is going to come soon. You need to stay with him for a while. I have some urgent matter to take care of."
"What urgent matter?"
"Related to your kidnapping."
"What? I want to go with you."
"Mom, do you want to be in a problem?"
"What problem could arise with me being present? I shall stand at the side, and be obedient and well-behaved."
"No can do. Be obedient and well-behaved by staying here."
She started making faces and even pouted for a long time. Her eyes even started glistening with tears. Melania looked like a pitiful child, and Sophie was like a stern and strict mother bullying her child. This was the scene C saw, when he entered.
He broke out into a smile, and strode into the room using his long legs, pulled a chair and sat down. He jestingly asked, "Auntie, you are still the same after so many years?"
"Even you are scolding me?" Her tears threatened to fall any time.
C shook his head at the scene and then asked, "Okay, tell me what happened? Why did Sophie bully you?"
Melania's face broke into a bright smile, and then she pouted again in displeasure as she recounted the earlier events to C.
He listened to Melania. He understood Sophie's problem at this point of time. So, he said, "Do you want to put your daughter in danger by going with her?"
"What do you mean? How is me going with her related to her being in danger?"
"As you can see, she has lots of enemies, and anyone can threaten her using you. Are you sure that, you being there won't be a disadvantage to your daughter?"
Facing such questions from C, she was no longer certain. She couldn't answer him. She felt awkward, but Sophie came and patted her head and shoulders, as if she was a small kid, and Sophie was the mother. She did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Be good and stay with C for a while. I'll be back in a while."
At last, she managed to say "Okay" with a bright smile on her face.