A Heartfelt Conversation With Sophia（1）

The next morning, Emma went to the hospital and retrieved the medicine for her grandfather from the director. She handed it to him personally, her tone serious. "Grandfather, you must carry this with you at all times and take it as prescribed." James took the medicine and gently patted Emma's head, his eyes full of love. "My sweet granddaughter cares so much for me. Don't worry, I will do exactly as you say." Seeing him nod in agreement, Emma finally felt relieved. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart.

When she returned home, Emma stepped through the door and immediately saw her mother, Sophia, sitting with Alice. The two were discussing what to prepare for William's afternoon tea. Emma's thoughts turned to the investigation report and all the clues about Alice. A wave of discomfort tightened in her chest. She knew she had to find a way to remove Alice from the Smith family, but there was no suitable reason yet. For now, she decided to distract her mother instead.

Emma took a deep breath, adjusted her emotions, and walked over. She linked her arm with Sophia's and gently shook it, her voice soft and playful. "Mom, why don't you go shopping with me today? It's been so long since we spent time together, just the two of us." Sophia looked up and smiled at her daughter's rare display of affection. "Emma, sweetheart, what's gotten into you today? Did something happen? Did you have a fight with Noah?"

Hearing Noah's name, Emma's gaze darkened for a moment. She shook her head. "We did argue, but it's not important. I don't want to talk about it. I just want to spend time with you today. I've already told Grandfather that I'll start my internship at the company next week. I'll also be busy with school projects after that. This might be my last free day for a while. Are you really going to say no to me?"

Emma wasn't lying. Last week, she and Noah had argued over something small. Since then, Noah hadn't reached out to her at all, clearly still upset. Looking back, ever since they started attending different universities, Noah had been contacting her less and less. Most of the time, she was the one reaching out to him. Thinking about it now, it seemed likely that Noah had grown closer to Olivia Brown. She needed to find an opportunity to look into it.

Sophia sighed lightly. "You young people are always arguing over small things. A little disagreement is fine, but don't let it turn into something bigger. Still, I promised your father last night that I would prepare afternoon tea for him today. How about tomorrow instead? Tomorrow, I'll have the whole day free, and we can go wherever you want."

Emma's heart sank slightly. As expected, everything revolved around William. She wasn't ready to give up. She leaned closer and said with a hint of pleading, "Mom, you know how much I've wanted to spend more time with you. But you're always busy doing things for Dad. Can't you spend just one afternoon with me? Besides, Alice can take care of the afternoon tea, can't she? She's always so good at looking after Dad. Isn't that right, Alice?"

Emma turned her gaze toward Alice, her eyes sharp and piercing. Alice froze under Emma's stare, her heart skipping a beat. It felt as though Emma's gaze could see through her completely. Forcing herself to stay calm, Alice smiled and said, "Of course, Madam. I can prepare the afternoon tea. You should go spend time with Miss Emma."

Hearing Alice's words, Sophia hesitated. Then she looked at Emma's hopeful expression. Finally, she nodded. "Alright, let me call your father and let him know."

Emma watched her mother leave to make the call. Her expression remained calm, but her emotions were complicated. William truly seemed determined to tie her mother to the house, keeping her focused entirely on him.

When Sophia returned after the call, she saw Emma sitting quietly on the sofa, waiting. A faint sense of guilt rose in her heart. "Emma, you've really grown up. I feel like I haven't been paying enough attention to you these past few years."

Emma looked up at her mother, her gaze softening with a trace of sadness. "Mom, that's not true. I've always felt your love. But sometimes, I wish you would focus more on yourself. Dad has so many people taking care of him. You deserve to think about yourself more."

Sophia was stunned for a moment but then smiled gently. "You're so thoughtful, my dear. But don't worry about me. I'm doing just fine. Alright, let's go. It's been so long since we've had a day just for us."

Emma let out a sullen "um" and didn't say anything more for the time being.