"I'm telling you now, my family hates you. We won't get any blessings if we're together, and a marriage without blessings will never be happy! Maybe I was moved by you, but no matter what, you can never hold more weight in my heart than my family!"
"Enough!"
Capone suddenly pulled away from her, his anger flaring. The flames of fury burned fiercely, as if they were consuming all the strength in his body, leaving him with a heavy sense of weakness.
"You just want to find some noble reason to marry Roger, don't you? Why say all this? Using your family to humiliate me—what makes your Diaz family worthy of it?"
"Yes, I'm not worthy, and neither is my family, so I'll stay far away from you and never want to be involved with you again! You Franklin family heir can grow old and lonely all by yourself! Today... is the last time. Even if I owe you, from now on, as you said, we're even. Don't ever come after me again, don't disturb my life!"
Sophia's words were resolute, and Capone's heart twisted in turmoil. After a long silence, all he could say were three words: "You wish!"
When Roger returned from his business trip, Sophia stopped going to the pastry shop to work. Capone didn't appear again either, as if he were a shooting star, a brief encounter whose return was uncertain.
As expected, Amy resigned, looking disheveled and struggling to give a convincing reason. Roger, being smart, connected Sophia's sudden decision to stop working with her situation, and he didn't try to hold her back. He settled her wages and let her go.
But with her departure, Roger couldn't find a better candidate right away, and with Sophia gone, he had to take on more work himself while also looking for a top industry talent to join the shop.
With Roger busy handling the business, he spent less time with Sophia, leaving many details of their engagement for Sophia to handle on her own.
Therefore, the Diaz family didn't pay much attention to the kidnapping and humiliation of their daughter, nor to the subsequent unclear reports. Besides, Miss Sophia looked intelligent and graceful, her manners elegant and proper, truly the image of a well-bred young lady. What's more, Roger himself genuinely liked her, and with that, there was no reason for opposition. Both families were pleased with the match.
Sophia hoped that this engagement would help her completely break free from the past entanglements with Capone. She wanted to stop grieving over that cruel and domineering man and no longer be a news figure always in the spotlight. She believed that the unpleasant photos and reports would gradually fade away until they were forgotten.
Being a darling of the media was not exactly an enjoyable thing.
Though Roger couldn't spend much time with Sophia, her former sister-in-law, Fiona, was a wedding dress designer who worked at a well-known custom wedding dress shop in the fashion industry. She was quite the expert when it came to gowns and wedding ceremonies.
Upon hearing the news of Sophia's upcoming engagement, Fiona eagerly helped with the preparations. She had a beautiful gown made for Sophia and arranged for the best event manager and bridal secretary. Though it was just an engagement ceremony, everyone knew it was essentially a rehearsal for the wedding, and so it had to be perfect.
However, something major happened during this time: Matthew Diaz's girlfriend, Lily, died in a bomb explosion.
Lily was a friend Fiona had made while in prison, a passionate and righteous woman. If not for her, Fiona might have died there. After her release, when Fiona reunited with her ex-husband, Henry Diaz, Lily became Matthew Diaz's girlfriend and a friend to Sophia as well.
Sophia had long known that the person behind her abduction wasn't Capone or his subordinates, but a man named Danny. He had once followed Capone's father to rise in the ranks, but later broke away, creating his own small power in Hokkaido. It was Danny who had caused Lily's imprisonment. Later, due to a rivalry between Lily and Matthew Diaz, Danny resorted to all kinds of extreme measures.
Danny was very ambitious. Though he feared Capone, he also coveted the business left behind by Capone's elderly father. On the surface, he treated Capone with great respect, but behind the scenes, he often went against him with numerous underhanded actions.
Lily's death was also linked to him. Danny was among the people killed in the explosion. The official statement was that Lily couldn't bear the humiliation and chose to die with him.
This event was a huge blow to Matthew Diaz. In fact, Sophia could tell that Boss Alexander Diaz also had feelings for Lily, so her sudden death nearly shattered the resolve of the two main pillars of the Diaz family. The entire Diaz family fell into a state of sorrow and despair.
Sophia and Fiona were both equally heartbroken. The Diaz family only had one daughter, and Sophia had no sisters growing up. After meeting Fiona and Lily, she came to see them as older sisters, and they truly treated her with the same care and affection.
If only her brothers had known how to cherish these two wonderful girls, their lives wouldn't have been so full of hardships, and Lily wouldn't have met such a tragic end!
Reflecting on her own relationship with Capone, Sophia felt a mixture of emotions. It didn't seem fitting to have a joyful engagement ceremony at such a sorrowful time, so she discussed postponing it with Roger and her family.
Roger, having heard about the recent events in the Diaz family, considered things from Sophia's perspective. It did seem inappropriate to hold the engagement now, so he comforted her, saying, "It's okay, there's no rush! After such a big event, it's hard for anyone to accept emotionally. Spend more time with your family, especially your brothers."
However, the older generation in the Diaz family believed that it was precisely because of these troubled times that there should be some good news to lift their spirits. The new year had just begun, and with a double spring, it was the perfect time for Sophia's engagement.
The parents' reasoning wasn't without merit. After all, Lily hadn't officially entered the Diaz family as a member, so their responsibility to her was more moral than familial.
Sophia watched Matthew, heartbroken. The once proud young man now seemed like a soulless, walking corpse. Every day he would go to the place where Lily's accident had occurred, not knowing if he was searching for mementos of her or fragments of their memories. He would sit there all day, often silent, just staring blankly at the ruins.
She had tried to console him many times, but he refused to wake up from his grief, unwilling to accept the tragic truth of Lily's death.
Despite her own sorrow, Fiona still completed the engagement dress on time, asking Sophia to come to the shop to try it on, just in case any adjustments were needed.
Sophia spent two days with her brother Matthew Diaz, listening to his brokenhearted stories of love, and watching as everything around them had been reduced to ashes. Her heart felt a painful heaviness, and she had no desire to think about the engagement. But Matthew Diaz rubbed her hair and said, "Go ahead, girls always feel happy in new clothes. It's good to get some fresh air. I'm fine! When it's time to cherish something, don't let it go. I can see that young Luo really cares about you. Be a good bride!"
Lily would never have such a chance again.
Tears welled up in Sophia's eyes. He was still the brother who loved her, but with his lover gone, the emptiness in his heart could never be filled by anyone.
Sophia went to the bridal shop. Fiona wasn't there, but the shop owner, Ms. Fang, who had been a fellow disciple with Mother Jin and was also Fiona's teacher, took good care of her. She was quite familiar with Sophia and her family. Upon seeing Sophia, she handed her the prepared dress and told her to go ahead and try it on.
"Where's Fiona?" Sophia couldn't help but ask. She knew that Fiona's relationship with her cousin, Henry Diaz, had been rocky recently, and it seemed to have hit a serious bump. She didn't want to see another good friend in distress.
"She's fine. She's been really upset over Lily's death these past few days, crying a lot and working herself to exhaustion. Her eyes aren't feeling well, so I told her to go see a doctor and rest at home for now. Go ahead and try on the dress. If anything feels off, let me know, and I can alter it just the same!"
"Okay, thank you!"
Sophia took the dress, her mind heavy, and went into the fitting room. After she took off her outer clothes and looked at herself in the mirror, she saw how much weight she had lost.
Capone was right. Since she returned, she hadn't gained weight; in fact, she had only become thinner and more haggard.
The dress in her hands was already exquisite just by looking at it, but holding it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, and there was no joy in her heart.
She put on the dress, her hair loosely pinned up at the back, and looked at herself again in the mirror. It was clear that Fiona had put a lot of thought and care into this dress. She had even considered the scars on Sophia's back and designed a complex, lacy cutout at the back, which was somewhat sexy but hid the old and new scars perfectly.
The skirt had a minimalist design with a slight train, asymmetrical in both the front and back, which accentuated her slim figure with a touch of playfulness.
It was truly beautiful, and unique.
The waistline was a little loose. If it were the old Sophia, it would have fit perfectly, but now she had become thinner, and it seemed like it needed a slight adjustment.
The chest area also felt a little tight. Her chest had grown slightly fuller, and while she was still young and it was possible for her body to change further, some believed that romantic involvement could make a woman more radiant and alluring. She couldn't help but think of Capone, and as she sat in the chair, she lost herself for a moment.
"Very beautiful."
A familiar voice, deep and soothing, reached her ears. Sophia blinked in a daze, as if waking from a dream. She looked up and saw Capone's figure in the mirror.
She didn't know when he had come in or how he had gotten there. He was leaning against the doorframe, his piercing gaze fixed on her.
They both stared at each other's reflections in the mirror, their eyes meeting.