The elderly woman started. "Donald is his name. What is his last name?
She forgot the name she'd just remembered for the second time.
The elderly woman seemed a little nervous. She kept opening and closing her mouth, but she was unable to make the words.
"Ma'am, please relax. It's okay if you're unable to recall," Sophia comforted her before picking up the phone.
Meanwhile, a few streets away on a different street.
Donald had a Bentley in his lap. His expression was grim, and Kiwi Darlington, his underling, was too terrified to breathe. "Sir, I apologize. I let you down. Old Mrs. Parker is gone!"
Donald remained silent, and Kiwi shuddered in horror at his icy aura.
Old Mrs. Parker used to lose herself in her own thoughts a lot. Who would have thought that when everyone else was preoccupied, she would return to her normal state of consciousness and slip away?
They discovered that she had traveled alone on a bus to the suburbs after looking through the surveillance footage.
The only way to find anything in this somewhat dilapidated region would be to conduct a comprehensive search because many of the streets lacked cameras.
And then there was a phone call.
Donald responded to it right away. On the other end was a calm female voice. "Hello, I have the old lady you're looking for."
"..."
It felt like the temperature dropped a few degrees and the air in the car appeared to freeze in an instant.
Everyone launched themselves into action. While Kiwi tracked the source of the incoming call, some made plans to alert the police.
Donald had solid voice and piercing gaze. "How much money do you want?"
"Just kidding..." The woman's tone came out as a little sly. "I just want to tell you to take better care of the elderly."
She then gave her address before hanging up.
Kiwi patted his chest and exhaled with relief.
What a brazen philanthropist this woman was!
Donald gave a small squint.
Abruptly, he recognized the voice on the phone... strangely familiar?
When they got to the spot five minutes later, the young lady who had placed the call was nowhere to be seen. Old Mrs. Parker was alone with a police officer.
"Grandma, how did you end up here?" inquired Donald.
Mysteriously, Old Mrs. Parker answered, "I came to see my granddaughter-in-law. She resides in the area."
Donald sighed as he hesitated. "Grandma, there's no granddaughter-in-law..."
"Not possible! I met her!" Old Mrs. Parker said, "That callous girl gave me over to the cops and just departed. Okay, hand your phone to me."
Donald gave his phone to her. The old woman instantly jotted down in her tiny notepad the number from his most recent calls.
Now at last she had the number for her granddaughter-in-law!
Sophia feared that when the old woman's relatives showed there, they would be unduly appreciative of her.
these was not how she handled situations like these.
She gave the elderly woman to the police when she saw them patrolling and left right after.
She received a call from her university adviser the next morning. "Sophia, come to the university now!"
Sophia hurried to see Professor Peterson in his office on her e-bike despite not knowing what was going on. She discovered Mia and Maryann there as she walked in.
Sophia squinted a little bit.
The top university in town, Oscalake University, was attended by both her and Mia.
Mia's stellar grades allowed her to get in.
Sophia, however, was unable to manage her recently created business from a distance. She purposely maintained her grades low and picked the least popular subject of study—energy and power—because she didn't want to outshine Mia.
Two years ago, out of nowhere, the idea of "new energy" started to gain popularity.
Mia altered her course of study right away, and they were classmates again.
Mia was expected to be here, so why was Maryann there too?
She wondered for a moment, but Professor Peterson's grave voice cut her off. "Sophia, your qualifications for the recommendation for postgraduate study have been revoked."
Sophia looked shocked. "Why?"
"Your mother says your conduct and background are inappropriate and not compatible with the requirements for advanced-level students," Professor Peterson said with a scowl. Is there something that you and your mother don't understand? She deserves your apology as soon as possible. Your future is bright, therefore you shouldn't risk it for unimportant things."
When Mia heard this, she sighed. "Professor Peterson, I'm sure Sophia's mother has her best interests at heart."
She gave Sophia a glance. "You offended Donald, and he made it clear that he wants you to disappear from Oscalake."
When Mia said "Donald," she meant Donald Parker, but it took Sophia some time to figure it out.
However, she just had a brief conversation with him, and the day before, he had departed without being upset. Was he really so inconsiderate?
Mia, on the other hand, had a reputation for lying coldly.
Mia approached Sophia while she was thinking about it and stated, "Sophia, this is a plane ticket that our dad bought for you." He advised you to travel abroad to stay out of trouble. If not, you wouldn't even have the Johnson family to keep you safe."
Disdain flared in Sophia's gaze.
How charming. "Avoid trouble." All the Johnson family wanted was for her to cause them problems!
She looked at the ticket's destination. Brazil was the place.
How much did they really hope that she would never return?
With a demeanor, she shoved the ticket back. "Don't bother."
Mia pulled out a bank card and seemed pretty honest when she saw that she was refusing. "Are you concerned about relocating overseas? 5000 bucks are in this. It's money I myself have saved for your living costs. I currently only have this much saved up. Accept it. If it's insufficient, I'll pay you extra when I receive my allowance.
Miss Sophia Johnson, the well-to-do Johnson family's daughter, is down to just Five thousand dollars?
This was funny to Sophia.
However, Maryann took the bank card out of Mia's grasp. "Mia! How are you spending your time? The Johnson family has already shown her mercy by purchasing her airline ticket."
"You need to pack your things and leave the country right away," she said, glancing at Sophia. I've started working on your withdrawal from university."
Sophia gave her a glance. "Who gave you the right to make decisions for me?"
"Because your mommy is me! Besides, it would be a waste of time to continue your education given your academic record; you could even find it difficult to graduate! It's preferable to begin working overseas and be paid sooner."
Professor Peterson shot back right away, saying, "Ma'am, you're not correct. Sophia has developed a strong academic foundation while attending the institution.
He was interrupted by Maryann. "You don't have to stand up for her, Professor. I am the only one who truly knows her. Just since Mia is going to graduate school, shouldn't she be as well? Why won't she accept herself for who she is? How could she think she was better than Mia?"
Professor Peterson was stunned by her crass remarks and looked astonished at Mia. "You wish to pursue graduate studies? I recall that you hadn't taken the postgraduate test and didn't have a student recommendation."
With a little smile, Mia acknowledged that she was going through a particular admissions process.
Supervisors were free to directly suggest students if they were truly respected by them.
They had to meet the requirement of being a well-known professor.
Upon comprehending, Professor Peterson inquired right away, "May I ask who is the professor who is recommending you?"
Mia put on a modest expression. "Dr. Bruce is here. He was successful in his research on hydrogen energy oil cleaner fuel. He received a degree and submitted an application for a patent."
When Sophia heard this, she turned to face her in shock. "Who did you say?"