Capone had tried to persuade him seriously, almost forcefully, to accept rehabilitation before, but Mandy didn't agree. Firstly, because he felt there was no hope; the experts had said his leg would never fully recover, and he'd always have a limp. If that was the case, why put in the effort for something that held no hope? Secondly, it was because of his pride as a man. A man known for his agility, now reduced to stumbling like a child in front of others, falling and making a fool of himself?
But this time, things were different. He knew it was Sophia who had mentioned his leg to Capone, which is why Capone had insisted on him going to rehab.
What broke through the wall around his heart wasn't Capone's guilt or regret—it was Sophia Diaz.
She had said, "You should give yourself a chance. Trying doesn't guarantee success, but not trying guarantees failure." So, he gave himself a chance. She said, "Don't be discouraged, your leg will get better." So, he believed it would. She said, "Your leg isn't working right, so you can only watch me run away." He didn't like that feeling of helplessness, so he was determined to recover.
He knew he shouldn't let these feelings grow, but he was losing control over them.
Cronus finished his rounds and joined Mandy and Sophia as they made their way to the parking lot. Diana was already waiting there, wrapped in a long gray down jacket, with a white shirt and black suit underneath. She held a large, heavy briefcase in her hand.
"Diana? You're off work already?" Sophia's smile was always the brightest when she was with Diana.
"Yes, I came to this hospital to pick up some documents for my mentor, and figured I'd hitch a ride home."
Cronus scoffed, "Why even bother working? You'd be better off going abroad for your master's degree! You take this internship way too seriously. If it weren't for the free ride, driving yourself to and from work would eat up all your wages on gas."
Diana quickly slid into the front passenger seat, replying, "If I didn't have a free ride, I'd take the bus or subway. What doctor would hire an intern who doesn't take their job seriously? Even if I go abroad and come back with a degree, who'd dare to hire me? Capone certainly doesn't need a forensic doctor who serves the dead!"
Her sarcastic remark made Cronus grit his teeth and slam the car door so hard that Sophia, sitting in the back, felt the whole vehicle shake.
"Alright, alright, no more fighting! Diana, are you hungry? I have some cookies I baked myself—want to try?"
"I thought you gave them all to the kids. How do you still have some?" Cronus asked while driving, clearly displeased. She had just said there weren't enough for the kids, yet she had stashed some away for herself.
"Oh, these are the misshapen and broken ones. I just packed them into a box!" Sophia didn't have the heart to tell him that she had actually saved some specifically for him. She knew he liked them, and wanted to thank him for getting her this "free time." But with Diana and Mandy around, it was clear he wouldn't be able to enjoy them alone.
"Great, thanks!" Diana took a bite, chewing loudly, but she made no effort to offer Cronus a piece. Instead, she passed the box directly to the back seat. "Mandy, you should try one too."
"Okay." Mandy still had his usual calm expression, but he didn't refuse the sweets. After all, they were made by Sophia, just like the pudding he had enjoyed earlier.
"Well, aren't you something, Fish Fragrant Shredded Pork! Let's see if you have the guts to not take my ride tomorrow!" Cronus grumbled as he kept his eyes on the road, clearly itching to snatch the cookies out of Diana's hands.
"Tomorrow's Saturday. I don't work on weekends!"
Sophia couldn't help but burst into laughter. Mandy, sitting next to her, glanced over at her, and she, suddenly feeling a bit shy, blushed faintly.
Mandy's gaze only lingered for a moment, but too much was conveyed in that short time to be hidden. Cronus saw everything through the rearview mirror.
When they got home, Lucy had already prepared a full table of Italian dishes, the smell of pasta filling the air. The meal was lavish. Capone had arrived home even earlier than they did. When he saw everyone entering together, he raised an eyebrow but didn't say much.
"What's the occasion for such a feast?" Joey had just returned from outside, and when he saw the spread on the table, he couldn't help but both drool and marvel.
Capone gestured for everyone to sit down. Sophia, as usual, was about to sit next to Diana, but Capone grabbed her and firmly placed her in the seat beside him.
She looked up and glared at Capone, but he pretended not to notice.
"It's nothing special. We haven't had a good meal together in a while, and since we got fresh fish and shrimp today, I asked Lucy to prepare a few extra dishes. Let's all have a nice meal."
"There's fresh fish and shrimp on this island every day, and Lucy's cooking has always been amazing. Why haven't we had a big feast like this before? Is there some special occasion? Boss, weren't you at the hospital today... Ow!"
Joey, chewing on his chopsticks, shot a mischievous glance at Sophia sitting beside Capone, his gaze deliberately drifting towards her stomach. But before he could finish his thought, Lucy smacked him on the back of his head.
"You brat! Have you ever gone hungry or thirsty here? Which meal didn't you eat your fill, huh? Staying up all night and messing around all day—no wonder you can't taste good food anymore!"
Joey quickly apologized, "Right, right, Lucy, you're absolutely right!" Yeah, right—he was always at *ROYAL* with Zoey, and her work was all about staying up all night.
Lucy didn't seem too angry, though, and instead eagerly turned to Capone, "So, is there really some good news, Little White Wolf?"
Sophia felt extremely awkward, a complex mix of emotions swirling inside her.
Why would they think she was pregnant? Today's hospital visit... wasn't about that at all!
She turned her head to Capone with wide eyes, silently pleading for him to clear things up, looking like a small squirrel perched on a cedar tree, waiting for him to explain everything so they could finally eat the pasta.
This time, Capone didn't pretend not to notice. Her adorable look was impossible for him to ignore, even if he tried. But he hadn't anticipated that everyone would jump to such conclusions.
He glanced at Sophia, and for a fleeting moment, he thought it would be nice if it *were* true.
If today's hospital visit had really been because she was pregnant, it would've been perfect.
"Well, Mandy has agreed to go through with his rehabilitation, and he'll be recovering soon. Isn't that good news?" Capone skillfully redirected the conversation, taking a sip of the white wine in front of him.
Bordeaux sweet white—ever since he saw Cronus drinking it with Sophia at *ROYAL*, he had bought some. It was something girls seemed to like, though he found it far too cloying.
"Oh, Mandy, you finally came around! Honestly, it's no big deal. Back when we were learning all those grappling moves, we did plenty of difficult things. Now it's just learning to walk again. It'll be a piece of cake for you!" Joey shouted in between sips of clam egg soup.
Mandy said nothing. He knew that the reason for today's Italian feast had nothing to do with his rehabilitation.
"Tomorrow, I have to head out," Capone finally continued.
"Where to?"
Sophia also raised her head to look at him. Capone hesitated for a moment before continuing, "There are matters regarding the company and the trust, and I might be gone for several days. Lucas will be staying at the port during this time, and I'm concerned something might happen. I'll be sending more of the brothers over, just in case. If anything does come up, they can help handle it."
When he mentioned the trust, Mandy and Cronus understood right away that it had to do with the inheritance dispute. However, since Sophia was present, Capone avoided discussing it in detail.
During this business trip, Capone would surely have a stop in Japan to meet with Catherine regarding the division of the inheritance.
Capone had hired the best legal team to handle this, and if there hadn't been substantial progress, he likely wouldn't have needed to personally intervene.
Mandy's expression turned serious. "Are they coming too?"
Capone shook his head. "No, we don't need them here yet. They're too far away, and they have their own matters to handle. Besides, Lucas isn't the only Donkin family member we're dealing with. Other places need their attention too."
"Ah, I thought it was something serious!" Joey exclaimed. "Boss, don't worry. With us around, nothing's going to happen. We'll make sure this girl doesn't run away!"
"Joey, don't you love fish cakes? Eat more, but watch out for any bones that weren't cleaned out!" Diana teased, stuffing a large piece of fish cake into Joey's mouth.
Sophia began to understand. This Italian dinner was Capone's way of briefing everyone before his trip, giving them a heads-up on what to watch out for—particularly in regard to keeping an eye on her. In a way, it was also a warning to her.
He wasn't hiding his departure from her, but she shouldn't even think about trying to escape while he was gone—that was the message.
When she first heard that he was leaving for several days, she felt a bit excited, thinking she might have an opportunity. But after listening to everyone's discussion, she realized that her previous attempt to escape by speedboat wasn't likely to succeed again.