Sophia was unwilling to say much, and Harley didn't press further. Still, her curiosity lingered, especially about Sophia's past working at the shop and leaving midway. She wanted to find an opportunity to clarify things.
"Almost done packing up, I'm leaving now! Sophia, aren't you off work yet?" Harley noticed Sophia still in the workroom, staring blankly at a pile of molds and ingredients.
"Yeah, you go ahead. I'll take care of the rest!"
"Did the boss make you work overtime?" Harley's curiosity was piqued again.
"No!" Sophia smiled. "I've been working for several days now, and I want to experiment with some new designs. The Lunar New Year is coming up soon, and I'm not sure if I'll have time to launch anything!"
"You're really diligent!" Harley admired this about Sophia. Even though she seemed to come from a wealthy family, she had no airs about her and worked much harder than Harley, who was just a part-timer.
As she turned to leave, she unexpectedly ran into Roger, who was coming in through the door. Roger usually wouldn't come to the shop at this time, and Harley's inner gossip reporter was immediately activated. She intentionally remarked, "Sophia is still in there!" then keenly observed Roger's expression.
Roger didn't seem surprised. He glanced into the workroom, gave a nonchalant "Mm," and said goodbye to Harley as he headed inside.
At this point, Harley was almost certain that Roger had come over to see Sophia. It seemed their relationship was indeed more than ordinary!
However, as she walked to the corner across the street, she noticed a luxurious black Cadillac. Those with a romantic inclination and a knack for gossip were always sensitive to luxury cars, and she thought it might be the boss's new ride, so she couldn't help but glance at it a couple of times.
Unfortunately, the dark-tinted windows obscured any view of the inside. The car simply sat there, exuding a cold and hard aura, as if a lonely yet extraordinarily handsome prince were sitting inside.
Roger entered the workroom and saw Sophia sifting flour in deep thought. He said softly, "Why aren't you off work yet?"
Sophia looked up and smiled at him, "I want to develop some new products. The New Year is coming up, and everyone is willing to spend money on trying something new and seeing how the market reacts!"
She had carefully observed the shop's business over the past few days. Although the sales were good and the customer base was quite diverse, it seemed most people were only drawn to a few signature items, rarely sampling anything else unless the staff put in a lot of effort to persuade them. As a result, they made fewer of the other products each day to avoid waste.
However, this situation couldn't last forever. The pastry business was highly competitive, with various shops sprouting up like mushrooms after rain, each offering endless creativity. If one didn't strive for innovation, they would surely be eliminated.
Sophia still preferred the days when Robin was around, when they would periodically collaborate with Roger to research new products and test their effects. The successful ones would become regular offerings. This way, she could keep her mind active and invest more energy into her work.
This approach would also help her not to miss Capone as much, and she wouldn't find herself constantly glancing toward the door, hoping for his appearance.
Roger nodded, "You're making progress; you're thinking more than before!" He seemed to understand emotions better too.
"You always flatter me; I might get proud!" Sophia said with a smile. "I just pulled a batch of egg tarts from the oven, baked with seasonal fruits. You should try them and see how they taste!"
"Sure!"
The egg tarts tasted excellent, and Roger agreed to try them as a new product. While Sophia was still busy at the workbench preparing her next creative idea, Roger stopped her. "It's too late; I'll take you home. You can finish the rest tomorrow!"
"It's okay, I—"
"No!" Roger insisted firmly. "You've just come back; your family will worry if you get home too late!"
Sophia's gaze dimmed; he was right. She was now a rare protected species, and any hint of trouble would put her family on high alert.
"Let's go; I'll drive you home!" Roger shook the car keys in his hand. "It's still your old reliable car!"
"No, I can walk on my own!"
"Didn't you say you finally convinced your family to stop sending a car to pick you up for work? So from today on, you shouldn't have a car to ride. I'm just heading that way anyway, so I'll give you a lift!"
Sophia was taken aback by how well he understood her situation.
"Come on, there's always more work to do. Be careful; your family might think I'm exploiting you and won't let you continue working here!"
Sophia knew he meant well, so she stopped declining his offer, packed her things, turned off the lights, and locked the door.
The chilly spring air hit her as she stepped out of the warm house, and she couldn't help but shiver.
"Is it cold? Why aren't you wearing gloves or a scarf?"
"I forgot…"
Roger took off his scarf and wrapped it around Sophia's neck, tying a knot.
A simple action that should have felt ordinary made Sophia jump as if she had been scalded. Her heart raced, and for a moment, she forgot how to react, standing there foolishly, stunned.
His scarf still held his warmth and a faint hint of his cologne. Back when she admired him, she had paid special attention to his temperature and scent, but in this moment, enveloped in his presence, it felt completely unfamiliar.
"What's wrong?" Roger asked, noticing her dazed expression with concern.
What was wrong? She couldn't quite articulate it herself; it was just that this feeling was off—completely off...
Once, someone had taken off their scarf and wrapped it around her neck—a black cashmere scarf that carried the scent she knew best.
Capone...
As if sensing something, Sophia suddenly turned to look around, scanning the surroundings: across the street, behind her, at the corner, down the block...
She saw nothing, yet that familiar feeling clung to her like a shadow.
Was it an illusion? Or was Roger's unintentional gesture stirring up her hidden yearning, making her feel as though that person was watching her from just a distance away?
He had promised to take her home, saying he would come find her once he sorted things out, urging her to forget that terrible beginning and to let her truly experience the feeling of being pursued and cherished.
But why hadn't he come yet?
Sophia's movements became frantic, and she almost stumbled off the curb. Roger reacted quickly, catching her. "Sophia, what's wrong? What happened?"
He was very close to her, almost able to see the fine layer of soft hair on her unmade-up skin. Beneath her long, delicate eyelashes lay an unmistakable anxiety and turmoil that she couldn't hide.
He had learned from her brother that she had returned from a difficult ordeal, physically and emotionally scarred, with moods that could be extremely unstable at times. Each time they had met and worked together before, he hadn't sensed it fully; he merely felt that she had changed. She still possessed an innocent beauty, but it was now more refined, enhanced by a hint of feminine softness.
It was only at this moment, as he concerned himself with her and tied his scarf around her neck, that she seemed to remember someone or something very important, becoming emotionally stirred.
Roger drove Sophia home in silence, her face heavy with thoughts.
"We're here. Go in and get some rest!"
When they reached the Diaz family mansion, Sophia was still lost in her thoughts. "Huh? We're already here... Thank you so much for bringing me back today!"
"No need to be so polite!"
Sophia opened the door and got out. In the short days of early winter, it was already dark outside, the night deep and pervasive.
She waved goodbye to Roger but suddenly remembered something. Taking a few steps, she turned back to return the scarf tied around her neck.
"Um... here, I'll give this back to you. I'm really sorry; I'll remember to wear my own from now on!"
Roger took the deep purple scarf from her hand, its residual warmth now transferred to Sophia's, nestled warmly in his palm, making him feel inexplicably bittersweet.
He rushed after her as she walked ahead, calling out, "Sophia!"
She turned around, asking, "What's wrong? Is there something else?"
After hesitating for a moment, Roger finally spoke, "I'm sorry for putting you through all this!"
Sophia's heart jolted, but she smiled, saying, "Why say that? I should be the one thanking you for letting me get back to work so soon!"
Roger looked at her and said, "You know what I'm talking about!"
Sophia shook her head; she didn't know and didn't want to know.