He took her to the top of the mountain. The newly renovated Nishiyama was much more pleasant than the chaotic scene she had seen before.
Sophia remembered the last time he brought her here, when they came to pay respects to his mother. Now, those graves had been moved to the northern part of Mesha Island. The Nishiyama project had been acquired by Lucas, and next year, a film resort would be built here.
There would be economic benefits, but the tranquility of the island would inevitably be shattered.
He must have been unwilling to accept it—his own territory had been forcibly taken by a competitor.
The temperature difference between day and night was stark. Standing on the mountaintop, the sea breeze hit her face, carrying a coolness. Sophia hugged her arms and rubbed them.
A jacket with a faint scent of tobacco and seaweed was draped over her shoulders, the familiar smell, a fragrance that had haunted her for the past year.
"What did you bring me here for?"
"You don't look well, so I brought you up to get some fresh air! The view here is great, and the air is nice too. When I was a kid, I hated the salty, fishy smell of the sea, but standing here, I can feel the sea breeze without smelling that stink!"
Capone held her hand and carefully adjusted the suit jacket over her shoulders.
He rarely wore such formal clothes. Today, he was dressed in a suit because of a high-level company meeting. After sitting upright for most of the day, he felt mentally exhausted.
Old Ye wasn't as simple as he appeared. He had been repeatedly inciting the opposing faction of board members to pressure Capone and his team, and had openly declared that he would leave the shares to his daughter after his death. Implicitly, if the marriage didn't succeed, Capone could forget about obtaining real power anytime soon.
Engagement wasn't a problem. Having a nominal marriage title was fine. The problem lay with the girl in front of him.
She didn't like the presence of a third party in the world of emotions. Penny had already caused enough harm to them. Even though the Ye family's daughter was from a noble family, there was no guarantee that one day, if she felt dissatisfied, she wouldn't do something reckless.
His feelings for Sophia were genuine, but they couldn't withstand such repeated turmoil. Human nature was fragile, and he didn't want to risk losing her.
He had thought it through. Not killing Cronus was fine, not marrying into the Ye family was also fine. It would only mean that he and Mandy, Terry, and the others would have to work harder, stay alert, strengthen their own forces, and slowly neutralize the power of other factions, eventually taking control of IDGM's real power.
There was plenty of time. As long as he lived longer than those old men, that would be enough.
"In a couple of days, Cronus... Cronus will be discharged from the hospital."
He looked at Sophia's calm profile and suddenly changed the subject.
She was clearly startled and turned to look at Capone. "What are you trying to say?"
He didn't answer but instead asked, "What do you think I'm trying to say?"
Sophia, suddenly reminded of the humiliation from yesterday, felt her face flush. She turned away, "Do you think it's fun to play these guessing games? He's better now... If you want to kill him or seek revenge, go ahead. He's not anyone important to me!"
She suddenly didn't care anymore. She was exhausted. If he wanted to kill, if he wanted revenge, so be it.
After all, he was about to become someone else's husband. What did it have to do with her?
"Once he's discharged, I'll have him come back! He'll stay in the small house, but this time, he won't be locked up. You and Diana can see him anytime!"
His words were carried away by the sea breeze. Sophia almost thought she misheard, so she asked again, "What did you say?"
"I've been locking him up, but it hasn't worked. He's much tougher than we thought. It's better if you help me persuade him. If he knows when to step back, he'll give up the shares and the board seat, and I'll let him go!"
Capone spoke as if he had made a very difficult decision, not as if he was joking.
"Are you serious?" Sophia still found it hard to believe. "As long as we can get him to hand over what you want, you'll let him go?"
"Don't get your hopes up. If he were that easy to convince, I wouldn't have wasted so much effort on him! You should be able to see it now, the one who hasn't given up on revenge is him, not me!"
"Capone..."
"I have one condition!" He didn't look at her but faced the wind, staring into the empty space. "Before I get what I want, you're not allowed to leave me!"
Everything he had done was for this one purpose. He knew there were many bad memories between them—just the fact that he had kidnapped her and ruined her engagement ceremony, turning her into a laughingstock, meant she could choose to never forgive him.
With the recent issues regarding the Ye family marriage and the differences over Cronus, too many unpleasant things had accumulated between them. Eventually, one of them would have to make a concession. Even though he was proud, he couldn't always expect her to give in.
She looked so tired, her gaze vacant, showing no spark, as if she could give up at any moment. That was not the result he wanted to see.
"Alright, I'll agree to your condition!" Sophia thought for a moment, then nodded. "But you also have to promise me that during this time, you won't punish Cronus again, and you won't say hurtful things that might make Diana give up on this relationship! Also, that day at the small house, when we heard Dr. Cronus deliriously calling his sister's name during his fever, have you considered helping him find his sister? That might be a breakthrough. Since he's so stubborn, if you and your people keep going head-to-head with him, it will only lead to both sides suffering, and you won't get what you want. What he cares most about is family. His sister is only missing, she's not necessarily dead. As long as she's alive, there's hope. You have such a wide network, if you search carefully, maybe you can find her! If Dr. Cronus finds his sister, maybe he'll give up on the shares and other worldly things!"
Capone, upon hearing this, pursed his lips thoughtfully, then gently tucked the hair from Sophia's face behind her ear. He stared at her for a moment. Sophia thought she had said something wrong and instinctively tried to pull back, but he pulled her into his embrace.
"Don't pull away. There's a steep slope behind you, it's dangerous!" He tightened his arms around her, his breath brushing her ear, and softened his tone. "Did you come up with all this yourself?"
Sophia, almost suffocating from his embrace, responded irritably, "I didn't come up with it by myself, do you need someone to teach you? It's not hard to figure out. If you put yourself in his shoes, you'll know what he cares most about. Isn't this what you people like, exchanging benefits? Why does it always have to be a brutal confrontation? Why not exchange something warm instead?"
Capone's cheek brushed against her hair as he tightened his embrace. "Alright, I was careless. I didn't think this through as well as you did! So you have to stay and help me come up with a plan!"
Sophia smiled bitterly. "What can I help you with? You have so many capable brothers and assistants around you. What do you need me for? Besides... you're about to get married. The young lady should be very smart. You can have her help you as your virtuous wife."
Capone remained silent, holding her for a moment before releasing her and looking into her bright eyes. "This matter... I'll solve it. Just give me a little more time."
Sophia didn't say anything and gently pushed him. "I'm a little tired, I want to go back."
"Yesterday... was it really that hard for you?"
He asked cautiously, his hand resting on her shoulder as if holding a fragile porcelain object, feeling every slight imperfection with deep concern.
Knowing what he was referring to, Sophia didn't want to answer. She responded evasively, "I probably just slept too long. The more I slept, the more tired I felt."
Capone felt a faint sense of disappointment. After thinking for a moment, he spoke again with regret. "If you really didn't like it, I won't do it like that again. You threw up a lot yesterday, did your stomach hurt? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"
He had gotten carried away with excitement, unable to control himself—or perhaps he didn't want to control it—and had released himself deeply into her throat. She probably couldn't handle it, which is why she threw up so violently.
Vomiting could be exhausting, especially when her stomach must have been in turmoil. He hadn't expected her to have such a good appetite today and was worried she might still feel uncomfortable.
Sophia, for some reason, became uneasy at the mention of the hospital. She wanted to avoid it if she could and quickly waved her hand. "I'm fine. I'll just rest for a bit when we get back."