Chapter 39

I didn’t know who I could borrow such a large sum of money from, or whether I could repay it in the short time I had.

Three days later, Sophia called. Seeing her name on the screen, I hesitated. Over those three days, I’d considered calling her to ask for a loan countless times, but always stopped, unsure how to begin. Finally, I answered.

“Hello?” My hoarse voice barely escaped before her impatient tone cut in.

“Joshua, come to my office and take your mother away!”

What? Hadn’t I told Mom not to wander off? Why was she at Sophia’s company? As I tried to understand, Sophia hissed, “Hurry up! Your mother’s causing a scene, and it’s seriously affecting our company’s reputation.”

“I’ll be right there,” I said, hanging up and rushing to the underground garage. I started the car and sped toward Holmes Group.

Meanwhile, at the CEO’s office, Sophia’s secretary, Abigail Torez, reported, “Ms. Holmes, the woman is in the conference room. She said she won’t leave until she sees you.”

“Ignore her for now. Tell the employees to focus on their work. Anyone caught spreading rumors online will be fired immediately,” Sophia said sternly. She threw an object across the room.

Abigail flinched at the sound and quickly nodded, “Understood. I’ll take care of it right away.”

After Abigail left, Sophia leaned back, exhaustion washing over her. She couldn’t shake the irritation from the earlier commotion. No one expected Mom to show up outside Holmes Group shouting for her. When security tried to escort her away, Mom shouted, “Sophia is my daughter-in-law! What’s the meaning of this? Is she trying to throw me out? Holmes Group is such a big company. Why are you treating me like this? If my daughter-in-law finds out about this, she’ll fire all of you!”

She then sat on the ground and wailed about her son and daughter-in-law’s supposed unfilial behavior, lamenting her “miserable fate” for all to hear. By the time Sophia was informed, a sizable crowd had gathered. Left with no choice, she instructed Abigail to bring Mom upstairs to avoid further escalation.

When I arrived at Holmes Group, Abigail immediately directed me to the conference room. The moment I walked in, Mom’s eyes lit up.

“What are you doing here, Mom?”

“I was just worried you couldn’t get the 230 thousand dollars, so I thought I’d ask Sophia for help.”

Mom then ran her hand over the leather chairs. “Look at these expensive chairs! Huh?” Sophia must be making a fortune every month. She glanced around, her eyes gleaming with greed. “When I walked in, I saw computers everywhere, and the environment is just so upscale. Honestly, if you told me she earns millions of dollars every month, I’d believe you!”

My face flushed with embarrassment as I grabbed her arm, trying to lead her out. “I’ll figure out the money. Just come home with me!”

“I’m not going!”

Mom shook off my hand, her voice sharp. “Sophia may have her wild side, but she’s still your legal wife. What’s wrong with me checking out where she works?”

She swept her gaze around the room again, her expression brimming with unrestrained greed. “Besides, this entire building is hers, right? Doesn’t that basically mean it belongs to the Paliner family?”

She added, “Joshua, you haven’t come to see me for the past few days. Are you having trouble raising 230 thousand dollars?”