Novel1Sophia glanced at the hand's owner without thinking.
It belonged to an old man with a somewhat gaunt and frail face.
A weird sense of familiarity mixed with a strong urge to keep my distance just hitout of the blue, givingan uneasy feeling.
Unconsciously, her hand resting on the plate retracted a bit, and she zoned out for a second.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtDaniel, with his attention fully on Theresa, who'd almost caused a ruckus, hadn't noticed Sophia.
He'd just picked up his plate to get sgrub when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the little tyke who'd darted behind him, and her clueless attempt to yank a plate from the bottom of the stack. Almost instantly, as Theresa's hand reached for the plate, he pressed down on the teetering stack and, frowning, bent down to scold her: "Why are you still such a bull in a china shop? Don't you know that stuff could fall and hit you?" Theresa, who had a bit of a mental block about Daniel, darted behind Sophia's legs at the sound of his voice.
Sophia quickly reached out to shield her, and couldn't help but say in a gentle tone, "She's just a kid. If she's done something wrong, you can reason with her. She'll understand." Daniel's hand, which had been pressing down on the plate, froze in disbelief. He looked up following her voice and his expression jolted again when he saw Sophia's face. His eyes widened, staring at her in disbelief.
Hannah had just walked into the cafeteria and spotted Sophia protecting Theresa and a stunned Daniel, which made her also pause in her tracks.
Sophia's focus was entirely on Daniel, who was staring at her non-stop. From his reaction, it was clear he recognized her.
Theresa, recalling how Daniel had haughtily scolded her mom before, was scared of him, but still mustered the courage to step in front of Sophia and whispered to Daniel, "Don't you yell at my mommy." Daniel gave her aplex look and then turned his attention back to Sophia. His hand, shaky and uncertain, reached out towards her, as if he wanted to touch her arm to confirm she was real, but then hesitated, stopping mid-air and asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you okay?" Sophia didn't know how to respond; Daniel's reaction had her baffled.
His reaction seemed like he was thrilled to see her back, but at the stime, he gave off an ufortable vibe that made her want to keep her distance. The two feelings were at odds.
Hannah didn't miss the confusion in Sophia's eyes, and she too looked like a stranger.
This wasn't how someone reacted to seeing someone they knew.
She couldn't help but frown in wonder, looking at Daniel.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmDaniel clearly noticed something was off with Sophia too, as the shock in his eyes slowly turned to confusion.
"You're not Sophia?" he ventured.
Meanwhile, Brandon and Mrs. Bishop had finally nailed down the shipping cooperation project, and each had signed on the dotted line.
"Mr. Crawley, it's been a pleasure doing business." Mrs. Bishop stood up with a smile and extended her hand.
Brandon also reached out and shook her hand politely.
"Pleasure's all mine." Brandon smiled back, "I've arranged for Kent to take Mrs. Bishop out for dinner since I have sothermitments. I hope you don't mind my absence, Mrs. Bishop." Mrs. Bishop said with a smile, "Mr. Crawley must be eager to spend twith his wife and kids." Brandon didn't beat around the bush ovel and nodded frankly, "My wife's still getting her bearings with thepany, and I don't feelfortable leaving her by herself." After apologizing and nodding to her, he instructed Kent to take good care of Mrs. Bishop, excused himself, grabbed his phone from the table, and rushed out, dialing Sophia as he went. et Mrs. Bishop watched Brandon's slightly eager retreat and turned Kent with a laugh, "Who would've thought, your Mr. Crawley turns out to be quite the doting husband." Kent chuckled, "Mr. Crawley has many sides people don't see." He then courteously escorted Mrs. Bishop out.
Brandon headed straight for the elevator, calling Sophia as he walked. The call went through, but no one answered.
His face changed instantly, one hand rapidly pressing the elevator button while the other redialed Sophia's number, still no answer. Brandon then called Lynn, "Where are Sophia and Theresa?"
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