Chapter 235: Chapter 235: Levin Sawyer Became Her "Husband

Ms. Archer stood to the side, covering her mouth to hide a smile.

’That girl... that’s you, isn’t it?’

Levin Sawyer didn’t answer. After he finished feeding Bun, he picked her up and headed for the door. "Come on, Daddy’s taking you out to play."

Sophia Shaw: "..."

She felt bad about letting Levin Sawyer babysit her child, so she hurried out after them.

As soon as they got downstairs, Bun started squirming, using her little body like a steering wheel to direct Levin Sawyer where she wanted to go.

After looking at the fish, it was time to see the puppy.

She grabbed the ears of a neighbor’s puppy from downstairs, pulling so hard its face contorted. The sight made Sophia Shaw’s heart pound with anxiety.

She was terrified the puppy, hurt, would get angry at her daughter.

The lady walked over and said, "Don’t you worry. My puppy is very gentle, and he really likes Bun. He won’t get mad."

"He gets disinfected and bathed every day, so he’s not covered in germs."

Sophia Shaw just said, "Oh," thinking the woman was incredibly nice.

Her own dog was being twisted into a pretzel by Bun, and she wasn’t even mad.

The puppy was a good boy, too.

"Your husband is just wonderful." The lady often saw Levin Sawyer out with the baby, so she naturally assumed he was Sophia Shaw’s husband.

"Not every man is as responsible as him. Some men, you know, just stare at their phones or play games all day long and leave the kids and housework to the women."

"A husband like yours, who’s willing to take care of the kids and dotes on his wife, is a rare find these days."

Sophia Shaw was mortified.

"He’s... not my husband. He’s my boss."

"Your boss?" The lady paused for a moment, then immediately said, "Oh, I get it. Girls these days are all about being independent. Even after getting married, they want to keep things clear with their husbands."

"The husband is the boss, and the boss is the husband."

Sophia Shaw: "..."

’What on earth is she talking about?’

It wasn’t that the lady was intentionally spouting nonsense; it was just that Levin Sawyer came by too often.

And since he was always playing downstairs with Bun, he had already been voted the "Handsomest Super Dad" of the residential complex.

The lady kept wiggling her eyebrows at her, her smile exceptionally suggestive.

Knowing that any further explanation would be useless, Sophia Shaw decided to just keep her mouth shut.

Inside the private room, Vincent Grant was sullenly drinking, a rarely seen emotion weighing down his features.

Jaden Rhodes had known him for years and had never seen him like this, not even during his most difficult times.

The man, half-hidden in the dim light, gave him a slight smile. "What’s wrong? Does President Grant have troubles too? Don’t tell me this is still about Sophia Shaw."

Vincent Grant gripped his glass, bent forward slightly with his elbows on his knees, letting the light pool on the crown of his dark hair.

"Tell me, to what extent does someone have to like another person to help them, even to the point of hiding their own identity?"

Jaden Rhodes lazily picked up his glass. "Don’t ask me. You should be asking yourself."

"However much you loved Joanna Sherman back then—when you went against your family’s wishes, even cutting ties with them, to start a business for her—that’s how much this person loves you."

Vincent Grant’s fingers tightened violently. The glass shattered in his palm, drawing a handful of blood!

Jaden Rhodes watched the blood in his palm unhurriedly. He didn’t call for anyone to bandage it, only saying, "But love is a two-way street. No matter how much you love someone, it’s all for nothing if they don’t reciprocate."

Vincent Grant didn’t respond. He got up and walked out of the private room.

At the doorway, he ran into Joanna Sherman.

"Vincent."

Joanna Sherman’s voice was hoarse, and it trembled when she called his name.

"So much has happened with my family recently. My mind has been a complete mess, which is why I didn’t handle my work arrangements properly."

She swayed, unshed tears shimmering in her eyes, revealing a pitiful vulnerability he had never seen before.

"Sophia Shaw exposed me in front of so many people, and I have nothing to say to that. But for her to push me out of the core team... isn’t that going too far?"

’I can’t be pushed out of the core team.’

’Once I’m out, I’ll get no credit for the satellite launch!’

Joanna Sherman couldn’t accept it.

"I’ve always been the one leading Zenith. Even the company, Zenith, was founded for me, wasn’t it?"

Vincent Grant looked at her, a hint of exhaustion in his eyes. "Joanna, Zenith was indeed founded for you, but we also have a responsibility to our clients."

’Vincent still wouldn’t help her!’

’Even when she swallowed her pride and begged him!’

Joanna Sherman’s heart sank, but her tone grew agitated. "But Sophia Shaw’s arrangements are clearly targeting me!"

"Vincent, can’t you see that?"

Her face was a picture of grievance and indignation.

"For all we know, she conspired with Mr. Owen and Dale Jacobs beforehand!"

"She’s always hated me so much, she tries to steal everything! Seven years ago, she stole you, and now she’s trying to steal my career!"

Large tears streamed from her eyes, her voice gradually breaking. "Vincent, are you really going to compromise with her time and time again?"

Vincent Grant gave her a deep look, didn’t answer, and walked away.

Joanna Sherman, her eyes red, dug her nails into her palms, forcing her back to remain ramrod straight.

"Joanna, you say Vincent is compromising, but seven years ago, he promised you that if you were willing to stay, he could withstand any storm."

"You were the one who decided he was ’dirty’ and stubbornly insisted on leaving."

"And now you come back and blame him. Isn’t that... a bit much?"

Jaden Rhodes emerged from the dim light, a faint, sarcastic smile playing on his lips.

The moment she saw Jaden Rhodes, Joanna Sherman’s face went deathly pale.

Jaden Rhodes always had a sharp eye; he could see right through a person with ease.

More importantly, he had seen her suitcase before Vincent’s marriage proposal!

Sure enough, Jaden Rhodes looked down at her. "That night, you knew Vincent was going to propose, yet you still had a suitcase packed. You were planning to go abroad, weren’t you?"

A nerve in Joanna Sherman’s body jolted. She didn’t dare let him guess any further.

"Don’t talk nonsense!"

"I was just planning a short trip. It was only after... after that incident with Vincent that I decided to go abroad instead!"

"Jaden Rhodes, I know you don’t like me, but you have no right to slander me!"

With that, she turned and left in a huff.

Jaden Rhodes crossed his arms, squinting at Joanna Sherman’s retreating back. The corners of his mouth slowly curved up. "If you don’t have a guilty conscience, why so many explanations?"

...

The night deepened. Vincent Grant stood by the window, his tall, lean frame wrapped in grey pajamas. A single crimson dot glowed at his fingertips.

Wisps of smoke shrouded his face, blurring the noble air that usually surrounded him.

He was an extremely self-disciplined man and rarely smoked.

Strands of hair fell forward, partially obscuring one of his eyes.

He had just had a dream.

In the dream, he had returned to the past.

After he saved Sophia Shaw from a group of bullies, she started following him around silently like a little shadow.

When he walked, she walked.

When he stopped, she stopped.

He turned to look at her, a little exasperated. "Why are you following me?"

She puffed out her cheeks, her big, round eyes staring back at him. "You said you’d have my back from now on!"

Her tone was both stubborn and aggrieved.

He was speechless.

He had only said it casually at the time, but she had taken him seriously.

It was the first time he’d met a girl so earnest. He didn’t know what to do with her.

Noticing her clutching a book tightly, he remembered that she had been holding that same book protectively to her chest even while being beaten.

It was just an ordinary book about astronautics.

So he asked, "It’s not like this book is for an exam. Why are you treating it like such a treasure?"

She immediately lifted her head high, her voice exceptionally firm. "I want to build rockets!"

That was the first time he’d ever heard a girl say she wanted to build rockets. He thought it was pretty absurd.

Yet, he still made a point of riding his bike to school every day and waiting for her on the path she always took.

Sometimes she’d get there first, sitting by the side of the road, silently flipping through her book.

She looked so peaceful, as if it wouldn’t matter if the sky fell.

Only when he arrived would she press her lips together and follow behind him, keeping a certain distance.

Then one day, she disappeared.

And never appeared again.

Much later, he met Joanna Sherman.

She was brilliant, aloof, a goddess in the eyes of many.

At the time, he didn’t have any particular feelings for Joanna Sherman. They only hung out occasionally because she got along well with Justin Hughes.

Until one day, Joanna Sherman said, "I’m going to study astronautics and build rockets!"

The identical look in her eyes and tone of voice suddenly surfaced in his mind, and all at once, Joanna Sherman seemed different from everyone else.

From then on, he and Joanna Sherman grew closer and closer.