"It's late; you should go back! Don't worry, I'm fine. I'll be on time for work tomorrow and won't be late!"
Sophia still wore a smile and waved as she walked further away.
No one knew better than her what she had experienced in the past six months. She didn't want to see the pity and sorrow in everyone's eyes.
The Diaz family villa was in Villa No. 5 of a high-ranking official's residential compound, far from the noise of the street. After entering the main gate of the compound, if she didn't have a car, she would have to walk quite a distance.
Sophia had grown up here and was very familiar with the environment of the compound. Even on the worst nights, she had never felt lonely or afraid.
However, ever since returning from the port, when she walked in the compound at night or in the morning, with few people and cars around, she couldn't help but quicken her pace, as if someone very important was waiting for her, as if there were promises she hadn't fulfilled.
She still couldn't remember what had happened on the day of her injury. The wound had healed, but the gaps in her memory had yet to recover.
Her parents had arranged for her to see a psychologist and urged her to go. The psychologist encouraged her to talk, but she truly had nothing to share. She just wanted to know what those lost fragments were like, wanted to know how Capone was doing and when he would come to see her.
Not far away, a figure had been watching her since she got out of the car. Seeing her return Roger's scarf, the originally cold and pale handsome face showed a hint of delight. However, when he saw that the man had chased after her, reluctant to let her go, that hint of joy froze again in the cold wind.
It was getting colder tonight; a small wave of cold air had arrived. The winter in Hokkaido was much colder than at the port by the South China Sea. Sophia hurried along the shadowy path, hunching her shoulders, occasionally stepping on the dry branches of the sycamore trees, which snapped under her feet. Her snow boots felt clumsy.
Sophia took a shortcut. Although she believed the path was safe, with armed guards at the gate, there wouldn't be any bad people around, yet she still felt uneasy, as if someone was following her. When she turned around to look, she found nothing—no shadow at all.
She didn't know what was wrong with her today; she felt as if someone was watching her. She hoped it was Capone, the person she wanted to see most. But if it were him, why wouldn't he come out to meet her?
She quickened her pace, wanting to get back to her warm home quickly and stop her anxious speculations. However, her injuries still hadn't fully healed, and she couldn't walk too fast, or even catching her breath would feel difficult.
The footsteps and breathing behind her were faint, almost like they were matching her rhythm. When she walked faster, they followed suit; when she slowed down, they slowed down too, even sounding more strained than she felt. She suddenly stopped to listen and look carefully, but besides the shadows of the trees, there was only the howling of the wind.
In the end, she felt that she was overthinking it.
There was no one, right? Except for Capone, there shouldn't be anyone else. If he came, he would surely show himself and come to find her!
The egg tarts Sophia had newly developed had been popular from the first day. The pastry she baked was particularly crisp and fragrant, the filling creamy and sweet, topped with a thin layer of cheese and garnished with diced seasonal fruits, adding a touch of sweetness that made it less cloying.
She baked three batches each in the morning, afternoon, and evening, and Sophia and Harley recommended them to the guests, selling out completely—a definite success.
However, Amy was quite disdainful, sourly remarking, "Just a little trifle, something to amuse the kids with their novelty!"
"Better than constantly selling the same few products with no freshness!" Harley retorted quickly.
"It's also necessary to introduce some new products periodically. Modern people are quick to accept new things; if we don't push forward, someone else will. By the time we catch up, we might have lost customers!"
Roger looked at Sophia with approval, encouraging her to continue developing new products.
Amy's boss was unhappy, feeling that this young girl had bewitched the young boss, making him dizzy, and that she relied on her looks to gain favor, creating a rift between them.
Sophia didn't think that much; she just wanted to do her job perfectly.
In the afternoon, two young customers came into the shop. The boy, in his early twenties, was dressed in trendy clothes, wearing the latest black square-frame glasses and sporting a small diamond stud in his left ear. He exuded a lazy yet intelligent coolness. Next to him was a girl who was a bit chubby; standing beside the boy, who was over 180 cm tall, made her appear even rounder. With her apple-shaped face and beautiful features, she looked charming.
"Welcome! What can I get for you two? We have our signature bread and the newly launched fruit cheese tarts. Would you like to try some?"
Sophia approached them confidently, her tone polite. However, the two customers looked at her as if examining a novelty item with X-ray vision, scanning her from head to toe as if they could see through her skin.
"Is there a problem?" Sophia asked with a bright smile, but the boy had already started looking around the shop.
The girl snapped out of her daze and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Oh, we… we're here to buy cake!"
She tugged at her boyfriend's sleeve as she spoke.
"Oh, right! Do you have tiramisu? And Scottish savory, what else was there…"
"Egg tarts, fresh cream cakes, palmiers, coconut strips… that should be about it!"
The boy spoke with a pleasant New York accent in English but struggled to remember the names of the pastries. The girl quickly helped him out, mumbling afterward, "Can't you remember anything?!"
Sophia found them quite cute and replied with a smile, "We have all of those. I can pack them for you. Would you like to add an afternoon tea set?"
"Sure! Let's get one for five people!"
As Sophia went to pack their order, the boy glanced sideways at the chubby girl and whispered through gritted teeth, "Candy, your drool is dripping onto my hand. Can you rein it in a bit?"
"Who told you not to remember the names of the cakes? Now I have to list all these delicious things, and it's all so tempting…" As a foodie, Candy's eyes were practically glued to the exquisite and sweet cakes. "Karl, you claim to be a genius PhD from America, yet you can't even remember the cakes your boss asked you to buy. Tsk, tsk, tsk~"
Karl silently rolled his eyes; if he just focused on eating, he would end up looking like her.
"Why are you buying so many afternoon tea sets? Where will we eat all this?" He tightened his lips and quietly asked her.
"With all your brothers around, how could we not finish it? You can tell your boss that all of this was personally made by Miss Sophia. He'll definitely finish it; if not, there's always me!"
Karl facepalmed; Candy, you can't afford to get any fatter!
Sophia finished packing their pastries into a sizable bag, along with another bag for the milk tea and coffee. To her surprise, the couple waved their hands and said, "We still want to take a stroll around the street. Could you please help us deliver these to this address?"
Sophia took the card they handed over and saw that it was for a high-end private hospital, quite renowned in Hokkaido, not far from the shop. She agreed, saying, "Sure, I'll deliver it for you shortly!"
It seemed they were buying treats for a friend or relative in the hospital.
"Make sure you deliver it personally!" Karl added. "You're so beautiful and approachable; seeing you will make half the pain go away!"
His flattery, combined with his striking appearance, made him a natural charmer. He could easily win over everyone, from elderly ladies to eight-year-olds. Sophia thought the young couple was adorable, which lifted her spirits, so she agreed without much thought.
"Okay, as soon as my colleague returns, I'll deliver it to you!"
Sophia carried the two large bags of goodies to the address on the card, which led her to the private hospital. This was her first time visiting; the place was quite expansive. After a bit of searching, she finally found the building with the best private patient care rooms.
Aside from the large, somewhat cold white spaces, she hardly recognized it as a hospital. The polished marble floors shone brightly, and the high-end mosaic wall skirting in green and white was complemented by elegant light-colored wallpaper with subtle patterns. Even the chandeliers were carefully selected.
The patient rooms were mostly single suites, each with a private bathroom and kitchenette, and amenities like air conditioning and television, ensuring that visitors wouldn't disturb the patients' rest.
It was luxurious, like a five-star hotel.
Sophia was curious about who the young couple's relative staying here was. If it was an elder, were these treats too sweet? She regretted not suggesting sugar-free or low-sugar options.
Room 1201 was her destination. At the door stood two burly men in dark suits, clearly there to protect the patient inside. This setup confirmed her suspicion that the person within must be someone of significance.
"I'm from Roger's Bakery. A young man and woman bought these treats and asked me to deliver them," she explained.
"Okay, please hold on for a moment!"
Sophia thought she would be able to leave after dropping off the items, but instead of taking the bags from her, the guards went inside to consult with the occupant.
After a short while, the door opened, and a man with a restrained demeanor stepped out. His expression reminded Sophia of Mandy, causing her heart to skip a beat, but she quickly composed herself.