Mason's mother, Gabriela, immediately came forward to greet her when the servant led her into the house.
"Sophia! You're finally back!" She enthusiastically took Sophia's hand.
It had been a long time, and Gabriela seemed to have aged quite a bit. At the moment, she was not wearing any makeup, and her originally fair skin had turned slightly yellow, and her eye sockets were a bit sunken.
"Well, Gabriela, I've been really busy lately," Sophia said with a smile.
She knew that Gabriella did not like her. Over the years at the Mason household, she had heard Mason complain to Gabriella countless times: "Mom! In what era is there still child marriage? Why do I have to marry that inexplicable orphan?"
"Mom knows, and she doesn't like her either. My son is so handsome, he must find someone from a good family."
That fateful car accident took Sophia's parents away, but left her alone in this world.
Sophia's family was wealthy at the time, and as Sophia's father lay dying in bed, he asked his lawyer to sell all the company shares, leaving half to Sophia and half to the Mason family, in the hope that they would treat their daughter well and give her a home when she grew up.
With this capital from Sophia's family, Joseph Mason, Mason's father, made the family business bigger and bigger, and became increasingly disdainful of Sophia, an orphan with no support and no background.
The Mason family has fulfilled its responsibility to raise Sophia, and that is enough. Sophia does not ask for more.
It is just that the Mason family, who had never cared about her before, suddenly kept asking her to come home for dinner, which should mean they want something.
I heard that the Mason Group's financial situation has been bad recently. Repeated investment decisions have been wrong, and the financial crisis has pushed Mason to the brink of collapse.
Sophia walked into the dining room, and Joseph stood up.
"Sophia, it's been a long time."
"Uncle Joseph," Sophia said, glancing at Mason sitting on the side.
He was playing with his phone and nodded slightly when he saw her, as a greeting.
The few of them sat down at the table, and the servants brought a variety of delicious-looking dishes, all of Sophia's favorites.
She hadn't felt this warm and fuzzy at home in a long time.
Because Mason hated her, she had been eating with the servants in the kitchen since high school, and Joseph and Gabriella had not said anything.
So Sophia knew that the warmth of the moment was all an illusion.
The four of them ate in silence, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.
Suddenly, Gabriella spoke up, "Sophia, do you have a boyfriend right now?"
"Auntie, I don't."
Gabriela immediately beamed: "That's good, Mason doesn't have a girlfriend either, I think you two would make a good match."
Gabriela knew that Sophia had liked Mason since she was a child. When her parents were still alive and the two families got together, she always followed Mason around, but Mason never liked her.
Sophia glanced at Mason, and to her surprise, he did not refute. Presumably, the recent financial difficulties of the Mason family company were so great that he had to bow to her, the person he once hated most.
After all, he was someone who had struggled in the business world, and Joseph gave Gabriela a reproachful look, probably feeling that she had spoken too directly.
He picked up a piece of braised pork and offered it to Sophia: "Sophia, eat more. I can see that you are so thin. Are you too tired working at LU Group?"
"Thank you, Uncle."
At the mention of the LU Group, Sophia suddenly understood again.
In addition to wanting the money from the remaining shares in Sophia's hands, the Mason family might also want to use her to get to Lucas.
Thinking of Lucas, a sudden wave of pain came over her, and she felt like she couldn't even sit still.
At this, Mason put down his chopsticks and said, "Sophia, let's talk for a moment."
Sophia stood up with suspicion, and followed Mason to the stairs in the corner of the living room.
Mason looked down at the little girl who used to run after him. Her delicate and petite face was flushed with a light pink, her big eyes were watery, and her cheeks were still round with baby fat, looking pure and desirable.
Who would have thought that she, who was so unremarkable as a child, would grow up to be so beautiful that any man would be tempted?
"Mason, what is it?" Sophia's tone of voice was calm and without a ripple.
"You can see why my parents asked you to come home for dinner, right?" Mason stared at her face, unable to take his eyes off it.
"Well, so?"
"So, are you considering it?" Mason moved closer to her, "The two of us could try."
Sophia almost laughed out loud. What did they, the Mason family, take her for?
After her parents died, she had really considered her uncle Joseph and Gabriela to be her family, but reality had dealt her blow after blow.
They never cared when she was bullied at school, when her satchels and exercise books were torn, or when her hair was messed up. They just gave her some medicine when she had a tummy ache. The Meisens rarely gave her any pocket money, and even the birthday present for Mason was secretly bought with the money she saved from working part-time.
If it wasn't for the kind-hearted lawyer who kept her share of the property until she came of age, it would have been eaten up by the Meisens long ago.
"Are you crazy Mason? Go beg Sarah, you guys still have old feelings, why beg me? I'm not even worth a dog in your eyes."
"I know I was wrong Sophia, it was my fault, I was blinded by my own desires and met the wrong people, can you give me a chance?"
Mason's voice was a little choked up, he reached out to grab Sophia.
Instinctively, she backed away, showing a look of extreme disgust.
She had been so stupid. She had given the Mason family countless opportunities, but her sincerity had been trampled on time and time again.
Sophia was no idiot. She could tell the difference between sincerity and insincerity.
The money from the half of her father's company's shares was more than enough to repay the Mason family for raising her.
"You're thinking too much, Mason. My relationship with your family is over."
Mason looked at her blankly, his body trembling slightly. He had always thought of himself as Sophia's prince charming, someone she could call upon at any time. He didn't care about her at all.
But when Sophia flatly rejected him and turned to leave, he found that he couldn't accept it.
Seeing that Mason wasn't reacting, Sophia turned and walked to the dining room.
At that moment, her phone rang.
She glanced down at the screen and saw it was Lucas.
"Sorry, Uncle Joseph, Gabriella, I just remembered I have something to do. I'll come visit again sometime," she said, then picked up her bag and walked towards the door.
She would never return to this family.
Joseph and Gabriella stared at Sophia's departing back, a wave of unease rising in their hearts.
"Joseph, does Sophia know what happened back then?"
Joseph clenched his fists, his fingertips turning pale: "How could she? She doesn't know.