Chapter 100: Chapter 100: If You Don’t Come Back, I’ll Jump Off the Building

Noelle Sutton sat in the taxi and sent a message back to Director Ford.

[On my way. About ten minutes out.]

[Okay, I’ll wait for you at the restaurant entrance.]

Sophie Hughes knew Director Smith was a red wine connoisseur who loved to taste and collect aged vintages. She had pre-ordered two bottles of top-tier red wine, aged for nearly forty years.

Just then, she got a call from the winery’s delivery person.

Sophie Hughes decided to pick it up herself, telling the delivery person to wait for her at the entrance of the Myre River Pavilion.

When she got to the restaurant entrance, she was surprised to see Director Ford.

Director Ford was looking around, as if waiting for someone.

Sophie Hughes suddenly recalled Director Smith mentioning he had two important friends, and although he hadn’t met one of them yet, that person was extremely important.

Director Smith had never been to Glenwater, so... there was only one possibility. His two important friends were Director Ford and Noelle Sutton.

Her expression turned utterly grim.

Still, she stepped forward, feigning surprise. "Director Ford?"

Director Ford turned around. Seeing Sophie Hughes, he said pleasantly, "You’re dining here too?"

Sophie Hughes smiled. "Tristan and Director Smith have been good friends for years. Tristan picked him up from the airport when he arrived this time, and he arranged for a few friends to dine with him. I know Director Smith as well, and he invited me to come along."

"Oh, I see. I’m also here to see Smith."

"Excuse me, are you Miss Sophie Hughes?"

The delivery person walked toward Sophie Hughes.

Sophie Hughes saw the delivery person carrying a leather case for red wine.

"Yes, that’s me. I’ll take it. Thank you."

Sophie Hughes took the wine case and said, "Director Ford, I just came down to get the wine. Since you’re also here for Smith, let’s go up together."

"You go on ahead. I’m still waiting for someone."

Director Ford didn’t say it was Noelle Sutton, but Sophie Hughes had already guessed. She kept a smile on her face. "Alright then. I’ll go take the wine up and have the waiter decant it. See you in a bit."

As soon as Sophie Hughes entered the Myre River Pavilion, she made a call to Joshua Lawson.

Seeing the call was from Sophie Hughes, Joshua Lawson answered immediately.

"Sophie, my dad said you moved out. Why did you do that? I wanted you to stay over and tell me stories tonight."

"Joshua..." Sophie Hughes’s voice grew heavy. She paused, then said, "It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you. It’s just that your mother doesn’t seem to like me very much. She’s hardly been home these past few days while I’ve been staying over, and I don’t want to be the reason your mother and father fight. Joshua, can you do me a favor?"

"Sophie, that’s just my mom being unreasonable. How could it be your fault? What favor do you need?"

"Find a way to get your mother to come home now. Then, convince her to stay home and not go running around everywhere. Your father worries about her, and I worry about her, too."

Joshua Lawson pouted, displeased. "But I don’t want her to come back. She left this morning with a lot of money, and she wouldn’t even make me breakfast when I asked. I’m so mad at her right now. I don’t want to contact her."

"Be a good boy, Joshua. Please, do it for Sophie. Find a way to get her to come home, okay? If she keeps staying away, it will be hard for me to come over and spend time with you anymore."

"Sophie, if I get her to come back, will you come see me then?"

Joshua Lawson was still counting on Sophie Hughes to be a mother figure for him in public, so he planned to do as she said.

"Yes. If she agrees to come home, I’ll go over myself and ask her what happened. If I did something wrong to upset her, I can apologize. All in all, I just want your family to be happy and together. Joshua, don’t you miss your mom?"

These past few days, Sophie Hughes had spent most of her time with Joshua Lawson. During meals, Joshua would mention how his mother made the same dish, only much tastier.

If they were on the street and saw a woman wearing clothes similar to his mother’s, he would say that the woman didn’t look as good in them as his mom did.

After all, Noelle Sutton was Joshua Lawson’s biological mother. It was only as he got a little older that he started to worry that having a mute mother would make other people laugh at him.

’Sophie Hughes understood in her heart that the few days she had spent with him couldn’t possibly compare to the years of bonding between a mother and son.’

’It would take more time to completely win Joshua Lawson’s heart.’

In truth, Joshua Lawson did miss his mother.

He felt like his mother had changed, that she didn’t care about him anymore.

When Sophie Hughes suddenly asked that question, he remembered how his mother hadn’t even visited him in the hospital, and an inexplicable sense of grievance welled up inside him.

He couldn’t help but feel a little resentful toward Noelle Sutton.

’What kind of mother acts like that?’

"Sophie, I’ll contact her right now and make her come back."

"Joshua, you’re the best-behaved child I’ve ever met. Now, hurry and figure out a way to get your mom home."

After Joshua Lawson hung up, he thought to himself. ’Mom is always the most worried whenever I get sick or hurt.’

’Since I promised Sophie, I have to find a way to make Mom come back.’

’That way, Sophie will come see me again.’

So, Joshua Lawson walked out onto the balcony and used the chat app on his phone watch to place a video call to Noelle Sutton.

Noelle Sutton had just met up with Director Ford, who immediately took her by the hand to lead her upstairs.

Noelle Sutton’s phone started ringing.

Director Ford immediately let go of her hand. "You should get that."

Noelle Sutton took her phone out of her bag. The name of her darling son was flashing on the screen.

It was a call from the phone watch’s communication app.

’She had blocked Joshua Lawson’s number and his WeChat, but it seemed she’d forgotten to delete the phone watch communication app.’

"It’s a video call from your son. Go on, answer it."

Director Ford didn’t know about her family situation. If she didn’t answer her own son’s call, he would definitely ask questions.

She didn’t want to worry Director Ford, so she answered Joshua Lawson’s call.

Joshua Lawson’s cute, handsome little face immediately appeared on the phone screen.

"Mom."

The familiar call sent a sharp pain through Noelle Sutton’s heart.

With Director Ford standing beside her, Noelle Sutton forced a smile and waved at Joshua Lawson as a greeting.

"Can you come home?"

Noelle Sutton had important business to attend to. She asked Director Ford to hold her phone for her and signed to Joshua Lawson, "I’m busy. Can we talk later?"

"No! If you don’t come back, I’m going to jump from here!"

Joshua Lawson pointed the camera toward the balcony.

Noelle Sutton and Director Ford were both instantly terrified.

This was no joke!

Since Noelle Sutton couldn’t speak, Director Ford said frantically, "Joshua Lawson, don’t do anything crazy!"

Director Ford turned to Noelle Sutton, his voice filled with worry. "Noelle, maybe you should go home first."

Noelle Sutton signed anxiously, "Director, what about Director Smith...?"

And then there was Joshua Lawson. She was so frustrated. He had all but forgotten he even had a mother lately, yet he chose this exact moment to call and threaten to jump off a building just to get her to come home.

Director Ford reassured her, "It’s fine. You go on back. Your child’s safety is what’s important."

"Mom, are you coming back or not? If you don’t come back, I’m really going to jump!"