Chapter 149 - Stephen's Blunt Refusal To His Father

"The top huh... How did you make the conclusion, Sof?" Stephen repeated however Sofia's mouth was tightly shut. She was also pretending to read something on her phone.

"Everybody wants to be on top. That is the goal. Even you want to be there.  But you are saying that it's a lonely place. Isn't that ironic? Why would someone wants to be in a place that does not bring happiness?" Stephen probed further when he sensed that Sofia won't respond to him.

Finally, the lady looked up and kept her phone back in her pocket. A small curve appeared on her lips and her eyes sparkled with amusement.

"That's for you to find out. You'll know once you get there! Hehe," Sofia choose to evade the matter completely. "Right now, time is running, and I made several appointments. So, let's get out of this place. Don't dream of me leaving you the keys to my unit. That only happens in movies."

"Fine, I'll figure that out myself. I'll work hard. And you're kicking me out of your place," Stephen dramatically expressed his chest as if he was hurt. He picked the piles of papers and put them inside his bag.

"HAHA, what nonsense! You could be a good actor for that. I'm not kicking you out. It's to start the new day!" Sofia teased him seeing Stephen's playful shrugged.

"You got me," Stephen conceded with his acting and gave her a goofy grin. 

But deep down in his mind, he was still thinking of how could Sofia made such a strange conclusion. The lady sounded she was too certain that her tone gave him a hint that such a thing was right straight from an experience.

However, only those who had reached some level of maturity would probably describe the peak of success as a lonely place. And Sofia's age was too young for her to have that maturity... or so he thought?

Stephen turned quiet as he finished gathering all his things.

"By the way, how are those activities? Did you finish all of them?" Sofia asked while gesturing at the papers in his bag.

"Yeah, I've finished them. I couldn't sleep after the coffee. Unlike someone here who slept peacefully after drinking a full cup of it," Stephen casually replied.

"Sleeping is a talent besides my gaming skills. But, I'll be switching to ginger brew for a while and avoid coffee. I might start palpitating from it," Sofia commented. She was also aware of the side effects if she continued to drink caffeinated beverages.

"If sleeping is a talent, I am also qualified to compete with you on it. I could sleep the entire day if you did not wake me," Stephen pouted.

"Are you that tired?" Sofia asked suspiciously. 

They were gamers and their sleeping habits were really not the same as normal people. Some of them even go on with their day without any sleep. So, in her mind, there was no way Stephen would really be tired to just want to sleep for the entire day.

"Nah, not really. I'm fully awake now," Stephen confirmed with a dry laugh. 

"Look at you. If you are exhausted, just take a rest on your breaks," Sofia suggested.

Stephen nodded and the two of them quietly exited her unit. They passed through the empty corridors which also hinted that the people in this building were mostly asleep.

"What time did you wake up, Sof?" Stephen asked in an attempt of making their conversation continue.

"It's 15 minutes before 4 AM," Sofia directly answered. 

As they stepped outside the building, the sunrise instantly blinded them. Sofia took her sunglasses to protect her eyes. Stephen also raised her arm and used his palm to cover his face from the light.

"Your bodyguards abandoned you!" Sofia joked as they continued walking and almost reached the main highway.

"I hope that would happen. But they are more like digging into your family background. Hehe," Stephen paused and looked at Sofia to see her reaction. But the lady only looks straight ahead of them with no emotion that could be read in her face.

" Do you happened to have something to hide? Those men respond to my father's order. I'm pretty sure that my old man had assigned one or two men to check on you and Joey," Stephen declared. His tone suddenly sounded wary. 

At some point, he knew that he had to make Sofia aware of his bodyguards and warn her of their jobs. They were not with him just to provide protection. They were following his movements to spy on him and the people that he hangs out with.

This matter was not something that should be revealed. Otherwise, Sofia could sue his father, or worst case, she would distance herself from Stephen. 

However, Stephen would not also let her be in the dark. It would be unfair if he won't tell her about the ugly side of having such bodyguards. Besides, he was ready however Sofia would react to his warning. He would respect her decisions if ever she would distance herself.

Stephen glanced at her and gave Sofia an expectant look. He was silently praying that she would not react badly to what he just said.

And to his surprise, it would seem that his prayer was answered by the heavens. Sofia's reaction was only a burst of mild and feminine laughter that sounded like a melody to his ears.

"Hahaha... If they will check my background, I will wish them luck. A simple person like me holds so many mysteries. I have multiple secrets that their expertise is not enough to uncover," Sofia stated while her laughter continued to echo on Stephen's ears.

Of course, Sofia was already aware of these things. She was familiar with the agency that handled those bodyguards the minute she saw them. But upon hearing Stephen's warning, she could not help but admire his honesty.

Stephen also sighed in relief. He assumed that Sofia's response was nothing serious and that she was just being playful to reassure him. 

If only he had known the meaning behind Sofia's words, he would definitely lose the ability to feel relief by her reaction.

"See ya later, Steph!" Sofia waved her hand as a bus stopped in front of them. Stephen mirrored her gesture and stared at the bus until it was gone.

His place was just a few blocks across from Sofia's apartment. Hence, he easily crossed the road on the pedestrian lane and sprinted to his place.

Even though it was still a few meters away from his place, he could tell that his front door was already open. He did not look surprised by what he discovered. Instead, he felt a sudden wave of a headache coming through him.

"Here we go," Stephen mumbled and released a long sigh as if he was preparing for something big to happen.

"So, this is the place where you live after you run away! Hmmph!" Stephen's father greeted him with an ice-cold glare that was enough to make anyone frozen.

"Morning, dad!" Stephen said and continued to walk towards his room. He already anticipated who would be inside his place. And he acted as if he was not bothered by the deadly tone from the old man.

"Stephen Ching, do you still have respect me, as your father!?" the man shouted.

"It's not about respect, dad. You know that it is not the issue," Stephen shook his head in disapproval.

"Hmmph! You better meet with the lady that I have chosen for you. Asked her to eat with you this lunch or dinner! You are too much! This lady is so refined that she even waited for you during Valentine's day to arrive on your date, yet, you never showed up! My patience is wearing thin of your stubbornness!" the old man yelled and followed Stephen from behind.

"Dad, I won't be your tool to expand your business!" Stephen said coldly. It was not just a statement but a complete conviction. He had learn to use Sofia's tone. One that would not give most people a room to argue.

"Cheh! It will be you who would benefit from my plans. This is for your future!" the old man scolded him. His tone was also laced with great irritation and anger. All of a sudden, he felt helpless.

"Dad, I have my plans. And I will make my choices. I hope that the day will come that you will stop treating me as your tool for business and treat me like a real son. I still have classes to attend," Stephen said and exited his home. He left his father and never looked back.

"That brat! Who does he think he is? If I don't interfere with his decisions, who knows if that unscrupulous young girl would do! Bah! Maybe she had seduced my son!" the old man clenched his fist and his face become red in fury. 

He had not yet forgotten how Sofia had talked back at him the night that they met after the victory party. And each time he would think of their encounter, a bubble of hatred would spread on his heart.

"Someone, come!" the old man called and in an instant, the three bodyguards appeared in front of him out of nowhere.

"Boss, do you have your orders?" one of the bodyguards inquired in a very polite tone.

"Tell me, have you investigated the background of that girl?" Stephen's father asked. 

"Boss, we have. Here is the result of our investigation," one of the bodyguards answered. He then handed the old man a folder that contained his reports.