The Returning EX (John and Sophia)
Chapter 39

Although there weren't many diners in the restaurant, it would be embarrassing to bicker in a public setting.

John had lowered his eyes as his gaze shifted toward the woman's arm and furrowed his brows.

His facial features always had a cold aura-it probably had something to do with the usual deadpan expression he wore on a daily basis.

His knitted brows did not mean that he was furious, but it merely made him look like he was about to snap at any minute.

The woman pursed her lips, but did not loosen her grip. "President Constance, shall we head outside to talk? President McCaw is sincere about this collaboration and it'll be hard for me to face him if our discussions do not turn out well."

He scoffed and maintained his aloof expression. "How you'll face him has nothing to do with me."

She was taken aback by his words and did not know how to respond.

He gave his arm a jerk as he released it from the woman's grasp before leaving the restaurant and headed toward the elevator. There wasn't much that he needed to do and gave Zack an off day-in other words, it was a way of giving himself a break as well.

He had been busy for the past three months.

Between Old Mr. Constance's passing and managing his funeral...

That, in itself, had been exhausting enough, but even after taking care of his funeral, he did not have enough time to rest and had to immediately return to work.

His employees even had the opportunity to take a long break due to the weekends, but not him. Yet, his collaboration with Infinity Group now seemed to be going down the drain.

He didn't have any regrets, though; he was instead grateful to be able to take the chance to rest well.

The woman chased after him out of the restaurant, but she lacked the courage to follow him inside.

She stopped outside the elevator, bearing a hurt expression-one that begged for pity.

The doors soon closed and John let out a long breath of anticipation.

He had no idea what she thought-the way she dressed was strikingly similar to the outfit that Sophia had worn to the beach the other day.

Like her, the woman's hair was also braided, which fell lazily on her shoulder.

Somehow, looking at her reminded him of Sophia, but it was undeniable that the latter was a lot more attractive than that woman.

Sophia was attractive—but not in the traditional or stereotypical beauty standards.

She was alluring yet elegant like a soft breeze.

He had seen many women of different types before, but she was one of a kind.

John quickly pushed his thoughts away, unsure of where it was headed.

When the elevator doors reopened, he returned to his room.

As soon as he stepped inside, his phone had received a notification-it was a text message from Zack.

It was a photo.

The photo was not of Sophia alone. The man who chatted her up the other day had also been captured.

She was looking at something in the far distance with her head tilted slightly upward while the man was looking fixedly at her from her side. His gaze was as soft and tender as a stream.

John did not immediately delete the message like he always did, but took his time and studied it.

The lighting was great and her fair skin shone like a reflective pearl in the photo.

It seemed like they were at a tourist spot-there was a crowd in the background.

It was after staring at it for a while that John deleted the message.

He tossed his phone aside and pulled out a chair to take a seat by the window.

The beach was rather empty.

The sun shone brightly and it was a little jarring to the eye.

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

He hadn't planned to take a nap, but he eventually gave in with the gentle, warm sunlight as the backdrop and fell asleep.

He slept lightly and had a dream.

In a bustling background, he dreamed about his first meeting with Sophia.

It had been less than a year from the moment they met until their marriage, so she hadn't looked much different compared to when they had just known each other.

She looked more or less the same as she did in the present moment.

The only difference was the way she dressed-it was a lot shabbier.

Old Mr. Constance had someone bring her over back then as he was still hospitalized.

Sophia was brought directly to the hospital to see him.

Whenever one wasn't in deep sleep, their mind was often quite alert.

John knew that he was in a dream; he knew that he would wake up even if he resisted a little, but he chose not to and stared intensely at the door in the hospital room. He was waiting for the lady to enter.

In the haze of his consciousness, he was sure that he saw her, but the scenery around him suddenly changed.

Now, Sophia was on top of him, interrogating him as if he had betrayed her-she was tenacious and adamant.

While she heard his denial, she leaned in for a kiss.

The dream unexpectedly felt a lot realer all of a sudden; he even had the odd feeling that his lips were being nibbled on without a warning.