The Man Who Destroyed Me Is Now Begging to Mend Me 26

When the Evans family burst into the hospital room, their faces fell at the sight of her tear-streaked face and the white gauze taped across her nose.

Margaret flew to Emily’s bedside, her voice trembling with concern. “Tell me the truth, sweetheart. Did Sophia do this to you?”

Emily hid behind her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs. “It wasn’t really her fault. It was an accident.”

Margaret’s voice rose with barely contained fury. “If she broke your nose by ‘accident, I dread to think what she’d do on purpose.”

“Mom, please,” Emily said, her voice gentle but firm. “I can’t believe Sophia would ever intentionally cause harm.”

David’s anger flashed hot. “She forced you to leave when she first returned to this family. Do you really think she has any limits when it comes to competing for our parents’ attention?”

“You’re judging her unfairly,” Emily countered, pretending to defend Sophia. “She has a good heart. Hearing this would devastate her.”

Her gracious defense of Sophia, however, only served to highlight her vulnerability, making Margaret and David all the more protective.

“Stop making excuses for that cruel girl. I see her for who she truly is.” Margaret’s voice was sharp with fury.

She then turned to David, her voice cold and imperative. “Call that ungrateful girl. I expect her here, making a humble apology to Emily.”

Emily rushed to protest, but her pleas only hardened Margaret’s resolve. “Make the call, David. Now,” she insisted, her eyes fixed on him.

David immediately dialed the number, but it went straight to voicemail. A second attempt yielded the same result.

His face darkened. Without a word, he walked toward the bodyguard posted at the door. “Find Sophia,” he commanded. “I don’t care what it takes. Bring her to the hospital and make her apologize.”

Emily had been his to protect since they were children, a treasure he shielded from any harm. That Sophia had dared to break her nose was an offense he would not let slide. He was determined to make her pay dearly

for this.

A sudden chill ran down Sophia’s spine, and before she knew it, her sudden sneeze cut through the quiet.

Across the table, Annabelle’s eyes widened with concern. “Are you feeling cold? Let me have the temperature adjusted,” she offered.

Rubbing her nose, Sophia gave a dismissive wave. “Really, it’s nothing. Don’t go to any trouble.”

She wasn’t made of glass, after all. Her mind drifted back to the winters of her childhood, to walking miles to

school in thin cloth shoes on snowy days.

Her shoes would be soaked through by arrival, yet she’d endure the entire school day with numb, frozen feet. The chilblains that followed would plague her all season long.

Back then, she couldn’t comprehend why her parents kept her underfed and poorly clothed when they clearly had enough to get by.

She only learned the reason later-she wasn’t their real daughter. In their eyes, every extra mouthful of food she ate was simply a loss.

Paying no heed to her polite refusal, Annabelle quietly asked for the temperature to be raised and ordered a cup of hot chocolate for Sophia.

“I’ve put all the money you transferred into the Pioneer Institute as research funding,” Annabelle said, offering Sophia a document. “Sign this, and thirty percent of the institute’s shares are yours. You’ll be our second- largest shareholder.”

The papers were already prepared, bearing the official seal and signatures from the institute.

“This was your parents’ life work,” Sophia protested, her voice soft. “They wouldn’t want you to give away their legacy.”

“You’re their favored student, and they considered you their successor,” Annabelle reassured her. “Having you share this responsibility with me is exactly what they would have wanted.”

Sophia’s eyes softened as she remembered her mentors. Taking a deep breath, she signed her name.

She thought back to years ago, when a chance discovery had led her to the secret laboratory, and to the people who would show her the greatest kindness of her life.

They not only shared all their knowledge with her but also gifted her a precious friendship with Annabelle.

Meeting the Quinns remained the greatest fortune of her life.

After dinner, Annabelle departed to attend to other business.

As Sophia waited for her car outside the hotel, two men suddenly appeared and forced her into a waiting vehicle.

Mark