Chapter 8: Sophie Decided to Take a Chance

On the first day of moving into Hawthorne Manor, Sophie felt simply excited.

She took an early bath, changed into new pajamas, and waited for Sebastian Whitmore to return. She waited for a long time, almost falling asleep, when she finally heard some noise.

Just as Sophie was about to enter the bedroom, she heard a familiar voice: "Mrs. Mitchell, we'll leave Mr. Whitmore in your care. We're heading out now." It was Isabella's voice.

Sophie had lived with Isabella for over twenty years and knew her voice well. How could Isabella be in Sebastian Whitmore's room? Sophie quickly remembered that Isabella was Sebastian Whitmore's secretary, so it made sense for her to be at Hawthorne Manor.

When she heard Isabella leaving, Sophie quickly hid in a nearby room. She listened to the footsteps going downstairs before coming out and heading to Sebastian Whitmore's master bedroom.

"Mrs. Mitchell, let me take care of Mr. Whitmore. It's late, and you shouldn't tire yourself out at your age." Mrs. Mitchell, in her fifties, had been working at Hawthorne Manor for over twenty years, assigned by Sebastian Whitmore's father to take care of him.

Mrs. Mitchell glanced at Sophie and smiled kindly. "That's so kind of you, Miss Clark." Once Mrs. Mitchell left, Sophie locked the door and approached the bed, calling softly, "Mr. Whitmore?"

The now drunken Sebastian Whitmore did not respond. Sophie felt frustrated; after all, she wasn't the one who had been with Sebastian that night. To avoid being exposed and kicked out later, she needed to immediately build a relationship with him and develop a substantial connection.

Seeing no response from Sebastian, Sophie decided to take action. Even if he was drunk, a man was still a man. However, just as Sophie got close and reached out her hand, Sebastian suddenly opened his eyes with a pained expression and pushed her away forcefully.

"Get out."

Sebastian's sharp command frightened Sophie so much that she fell to the ground, her face turning pale. "Mr ... Mr. Whitmore."

Hearing her voice brought some clarity back to Sebastian's mind. His bloodshot eyes glanced at Sophie. "What are you doing here? Oh right, I almost forgot; Danny brought you over today."

Sophie got up with a look of grievance and fear. "Mr. Whitmore, I saw you were drunk and wanted to help you change your clothes."

"Stay away from me." Sebastian frowned deeply. "Is that the scent of lilies on you?"

"Yes, I used lily-scented body wash. Mr. Whitmore, is something wrong?"

Previously, Sophie's body washes had a mint scent. Tonight she didn't use those cheap body washes anymore; during the day she had gone shopping with the servants to buy expensive lily-scented body wash.

The mint scent made Sophie feel cheap and constantly reminded her of her lowly past. To make Sebastian like her more, she even got her hair done.

Sebastian's voice turned cold. "Nothing's wrong; just leave now. Didn't Danny tell you that without my permission you're not allowed on the third floor? This is your only warning."

Sebastian hated the scent of lilies more than anything else because it always brought back painful memories whenever he smelled it.

One reason he allowed Sophie to move into Hawthorne Manor was because of her mint scent. But now Sophie had redone her hair into large waves and dyed it chestnut brown; even her scent had changed, making it impossible for him to find any trace of that woman from that night in her.

If it weren't for that resume confirming that Sophie was indeed the woman from that night, Sebastian would have doubted whether it was really her.

Sebastian's imposing presence made Sophie tremble with fear as she stammered an apology: "I'm sorry, Mr. Whitmore."

Sophie's timid demeanor made Sebastian frown as he recalled Isabella—a woman who appeared obedient and respectful but never annoyed him.

Isabella’s timidity was only on the surface; beneath it lay cleverness. But Sophie's timidity seemed ingrained in her very bones.

After Sophie left, Sebastian rubbed his temples and lay back down again. Perhaps it was too stuffy in the room or maybe it was the effect of the alcohol; he felt inexplicably agitated as vivid memories of that night began to flood his mind—hazy yet beautiful images of wild passion interspersed with the woman's pleas and soft moans...