The most important news of the day was the signing press conference for the cooperative merger between Harrington & Co. International and GreenTech Renewables Ltd, which had just finished airing.
Ring—ring—
"Are you deaf!? Matthew?" Charlotte shouted loudly from the kitchen. "The phone! Can't you see I'm busy in here? It's right there next to you—why not pick it up!"
"Huh? Oh, oh—" Matthew, scolded by his wife, reluctantly picked up the receiver: "Hello, who's this?"
"Matthew, it's me."
"Sir?" Hearing Jonathan's voice on the other end, Matthew immediately recognized it—he had been his driver for 15 years. He sat up straight at once, stunned that Mr. Harrington would call him personally.
"Are you having dinner right now?"
"No, we've already eaten! Do you need something from me, sir?"
"I'd like to see you. There's something I want to discuss."
"Is it... now?" Matthew asked, a bit puzzled.
"The driver has already brought the car. I'm downstairs at your apartment building right now. Come down first." Jonathan's voice was calm and steady.
"Ah! I-I'll be right down." Matthew's mouth fell open in shock. He hurriedly hung up the phone.
"Who was that? Hey, it's so late—where are you going? To the convenience store for alcohol?" Charlotte emerged from the kitchen and saw Matthew grabbing an umbrella to head out. She chased him to the door. "It's pouring rain outside tonight."
"No, no. Just don't worry about it." Matthew couldn't be bothered to explain to his wife. He was already rushing down the stairs.
Charlotte glared at her husband running downstairs: "Then what are you going out for?—Hey!" She stood at the door fuming, grumbling toward the stairwell. "It's ridiculous. Now he won't even talk to me. It's infuriating!"
"Matthew, get in the car first. We'll talk slowly." Jonathan rolled down the window and called to him.
Folding his umbrella, Matthew climbed into the car. "Sir, why have you come here so late?"
Jonathan smiled faintly, lips pressed together. "Matthew, you should be retiring soon, right? You're getting on in years—driving freight must be tough."
"Probably in about two years. Yeah, two more years until retirement." Matthew sat hunched and fidgety in the back seat, nodding honestly.
Jonathan patted his shoulder: "My old friend, what are your plans after retirement?"
"Well, I don't know... I haven't really thought about it..." Matthew pondered seriously. "My health is still good—no major illnesses. My eldest son just started a new job with not great pay, and my youngest is just beginning university. We can't have no income at home, so after retiring, I might open a car wash to help supplement the household expenses."
"A car wash? Do you have the capital to start a car wash?"
Matthew smiled honestly: "I just want to open a small car wash. It shouldn't require too much capital—my retirement pension should probably be enough."
"You can't touch your retirement pension. That's for your old age. If you're really planning to open a car wash, just let me know. I can lend you a separate sum of money."
"Ah?" Matthew's eyes widened. "Sir, no—I couldn't possibly—"
"You took care of Sophie and her mother for so many years. I never had much chance to thank you properly. If you ever need anything, just say the word. Money is the simplest thing for me."
"But I..."
"Has Sophie been in touch with you recently?" Jonathan changed the subject. Once he had made up his mind, he wouldn't accept any objections. "Has she called you lately?"
"You mean Sophie? We haven't spoken in over a month. She's probably busy with moving or something. Last time we talked, she mentioned wanting to move to a cheaper apartment."
Jonathan lowered his head, lost in thought and silent.
"Sir, has Sophie not contacted you either? She hasn't called you?" Matthew asked tentatively.
Jonathan closed his eyes, his voice muffled: "In the past year, she's rarely reached out to me. Even when she does call, she refuses to tell me her address. I'm really worried about her."
Matthew looked utterly shocked: "Ah! I always thought you knew how she was doing." After all, the child's mother and sir had been deeply involved. "How can this child make you worry so much about her? That's not right."
Jonathan remained silent.
"The next time she calls, I'll give her a proper scolding!" Matthew tried to comfort Jonathan.
"No need. I think... her reluctance to tell me her address, and contacting me less and less—she must have her reasons..." Jonathan said slowly, rubbing his hands together.
"Reasons? What reasons could a child have that relate to adult matters? Even if she has reasons, she shouldn't act like this. After all, you are her biological father!"
Jonathan let out a sigh but did not refute him.
"Sir, do you miss her a lot?"
"Of course. It's been four years since I last saw her." Jonathan replied gloomily.
Over these four years, Sophie had never once returned to London.
Matthew hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back, before finally speaking: "The next time she calls, I really will give her a proper scolding!" he muttered.
Jonathan said despondently, "I just want to know if she's doing well. As long as she still calls you occasionally, that's enough. As long as she's okay."
"Matthew, do you have any photos of her?" Jonathan looked at Matthew, his face filled with hopeful anticipation.
Seeing Jonathan like this, Matthew felt deeply reluctant. "I... I don't have any recent photos of her, but I do have some from when she was little."
"From when she was little!" Jonathan broke into a smile. "I've never even seen what she looked like as a child—I have no idea!"
Matthew chuckled. "Sophie was really cute when she was small—round face, big eyes, a high nose bridge, and that head of curly hair was so eye-catching. Back then, Sarah's neighbors often joked that little Sophie should become a child movie star. With looks like hers, it would be a waste not to!"
"Really?" Jonathan asked, smiling.
"I'll go upstairs right now and get the photos. You can pick a few to take with you!" Matthew said, then opened the door, got out of the car, and rushed upstairs to fetch them.
While waiting for Matthew to return, Jonathan's emotions were a complex mix of excitement and turmoil.
Ten minutes later, Matthew ran back to the car through the heavy rain. "Sir, all of Sophie's photos are in this album!"
Jonathan eagerly took the album and opened it to look...
In every photo of little Sophie, her adorable oval face wore a sweet smile, with a faint dimple at the corner of her mouth, making her look incredibly pure and gentle. As a child, she was clearly very different from the slightly more serious expression she had as an adult. That curly hair was the cute kind of ringlets, and her forehead and eyes were the features most resembling Victoria's. Sophie had so many traits that looked just like Victoria—why had none of them noticed it back then?
Jonathan's hands trembled slightly as he held the album...
Because almost every photo of Sophie was taken with Sarah.
His hands began to shake more noticeably...
After realizing there wasn't a single solo shot of Sophie in the album, "These are all ones I took of the two of them—mother and daughter—so Sarah is always in the frame too. These are the last photos I have," Matthew explained awkwardly.
Jonathan gazed at Sarah in the photos...
Because of the scar on her forehead, there was a deep mark on her face that could never be concealed. So in every photo in this album, only her profile was shown. She was so thin now—the cute baby fat from back then was completely gone, changing her appearance quite a bit. But that didn't diminish her beauty at all; if anything, he felt that Sarah in these photos radiated a maternal glow that fascinated him even more. He reached out and gently traced the images with his fingers, as if softly caressing the faces of Sarah and Sophie.
In these photos, the mother and daughter's smiles were so radiant. Sarah's gaze was like a gentle spring, exuding tenderness, though hidden faintly in her eyes was a trace of regret and melancholy. The lively and adorable Sophie had clearly inherited most of Victoria's beautiful features. Jonathan turned the pages one by one, and by the end, his nose began to sting more and more...
What had he missed?
What had he lost?
I'm sorry, Sarah, for raising our daughter alone. I'm sorry, Sophie, for growing up with people pointing fingers at you!
As a man, he had failed to protect the woman he loved deeply. She lost her own child, and the daughter she adopted to heal her emotional wounds never experienced a father's companionship. For twenty years, the two of them drifted outside, enduring the harsh realities of life and the storms of fate.