Chapter 151 - A Favor (2)

"Even though you are young, your manner is way above your age," Grace suddenly muttered her thoughts. Her eyes widened in panic after realizing that she just spoke what was in her mind...

"Ohh my gosh! I'm so sorry. I did not mean it to sound rude. It's just that how you speak gives off a feeling that you are the same age as me," Grace quickly followed her initial statement with an apology.

On the opposite side of the table, Sofia also felt a slight panic. But it was just a split second before she rearranged her calm composure. 

'This lady is also observant! It's quite rare for someone to notice the mannerism of other people in just a short period of time,' she mentally noted.

"What favor do you want to ask from me, Grace?" Sofia changed their discussion before they become awkward with each other.

"Ohh..." Grace was surprised for Sofia actually ignored her rude comment. In her mind, no lady, especially a teenager wanted to be called mature.

Grace clasped her hands and placed them above the desk. She then slightly leaned forward and spoke, "Could you introduce me to the young master of the Lee clan as your friend? Uhm, I know that we are just acquaintances but you are the only person that I have found to have a close relationship with him. So, I hope you can help me?"

"That is rather odd... yes? I guess I could do that. But, why do you request to be introduced to Brent? With your ability, you can easily talk with him without my help," Sofia responded with a slight reluctance in her tone.

"I just want to be introduced to him as an ordinary friend. Not someone with a special background," Grace simply answered.

"You know, I think that Brent knows you even without introduction. You are the daughter of the mayor in the district, right?" Sofia clarified.

"I am. Well, my father has a project that about building a port in this district. And the Chings are involved. They are the ones that would handle the project under their private company," Grace paused and stood from her seat. She then walked towards the door and twisted the knob to see if it was locked.

Sofia understood her cautious action. Perhaps, the information that she will be sharing with her was confidential. "Building a port is a good advantage to us, citizens in this district," she commented as her eyes followed the movement of Grace.

"Yes, it is an advantage. But, to strengthen the partnership between my father and the private company of the Chings... I---" Grace suddenly stopped talking. She took a deep breath and her expression looked troubled.

"Is it marriage?" Sofia finished her words. She easily predicted what the lady was hesitating to speak. 

"Y-yes. You are smart to know that," Grace said. She looked at the side of the window and stared outside for a long time.

Sofia decided to stay silent. She could not tell that Stephen had confessed an interest in her. At the same time, she had roughly deduced what the lady wanted to do.

"So, last Valentine's day, my father arranged for me to meet Mr. Ching's son for a date. Frankly, he is not bad in terms of appearance. But, I was disappointed that he did not have the courage to meet with me. I waited for him at our reserved table alone with many couples around. It was embarrassing," Grace narrated her experience.

Sofia eyed her with full of sympathy. "Sorry to hear that. Stephen was in the tournament with our fellow squad members," Sofia explained.

"I know. I just thought that he would show up and be civil about our parent's arrangement. But it was clear that he does not want to do anything about it. I don't like him anymore," Grace sighed bitterly.

"And Brent?" Sofia questioned.

"Yes, I always have a special feeling with the young master of the Lee clan. We were acquainted in one of my vacation tours. He was there. But we were too young at that time. So, I'm sure he had forgotten about it," Grace stated.

"You like Brent romantically? I think he is single until now. That man is a work addict!" she said while examining the old memories of the original Sofia.

"I don't know if I like him in that level. But between Mr. Ching and him, I think you know my choice," Grace replied.

"Don't be offended, I have also something to tell you about Stephen. Although I am not in an official relationship with him, I look forward to it," Sofia directly said.

I look forward to it! She delivered the words with a firmness that Grace could not help but stare at Sofia with a mouth wide open. For a while, she became speechless by Sofia's words.

"Although I know these details already, I am still surprised hearing such a steady claim coming from you. When I did my investigation about you, my investigator also told me that Stephen confessed his feelings to you," Grace finally managed to speak her response.

"Let's just say, I know what I want. And I have self-awareness of my ability," Sofia stated.

"I have not made a mistake of approaching with you," Grace grinned and felt at ease.

"Grace, somehow, I know what you want and I don't want to get entangled with the matter that involved your feelings. I can introduce you to Brent, but I hope that if there would be a problem that would arise between the two of you, I won't be a scapegoat," Sofia told her. She wanted to be clear that whatever happened between the lady and Brent, it should be their responsibility. 

"Ohh, if the result after you introduce me to the young master of the Lee clan is bad, I won't blame you at all! You don't need to worry about it. Just introduce me to him... as if we are mutual friends," Grace agreed.

"Friends... we are gamers though. So, most of us had virtual friendships. Do you play online games?" Sofia asked her.

"I don't. But I'm sure you can think of some reason how our friendship formed," Grace answered.

"Do you have suggestions?" Sofia asked. There was no way she would tire herself of an alibi just to introduce the lady to Brent. In Sofia's mind, since the lady was the one asking for a favor, she must have some considerations in her mind already about it.

"How about this meeting today? Just tell him that we become a friend after we met here," Grace replied. She initially thought that Sofia would cover all bases of the introduction. 

"Ohh, you have a point. It would be easier to use today as a reference. Then, I will contact Brent right away to meet us for lunch. Let's see if he is available," Sofia stated. She then dialed the man's phone and place it on the loudspeaker so that the lady would know their conversation.

"Okay," Grace mumbled while listening to the ringing sound of the phone.

"Sof! Yo! I have sent a gift, have you received them?" Brent spoke easily on the other line. 

He was just reading some company reports in his office when he saw the call from Sofia. There was no hello or any formal greeting. It was just a casual 'yo!' that made Grace felt envious. It only meant that Brent was really close to Sofia.

"Oh right! The skins! Thank you for your generosity, rich kid! Hehe. I received mine and Stephen had also seen his. My other members are still in school, so, they will be online after their class," Sofia answered.

"You're welcome!" Brent beamed.

"Right, I called to check if you are available for lunch today? Since you have gifted us an excellent set of skin, we would like to invite you to eat out!" Sofia stated.

"Oh, wow! Yes! Where?" Brent asked.

"I'll chat the venue later. But, are you available, or do you have some business matters that needed to be prioritized?"  Sofia returned the question to him.

"Well, I can eat lunch with your squad. But, my members won't be available. They are out of town on some hiking trip," Brent stated.

"Okay, just you is enough to represent your squad! But, I'll bring a friend!" Sofia enthusiastically answered.

"No problem! See you then? I'll double-time reading my company report so that I can sign this and be available at lunch!" Brent chuckled.

"See you later, Brent!" Sofia said before hanging up their conversation.

Grace's eyes twinkled in admiration while staring at Sofia. "Wow! You are really close!"

"We are good friends online. Brent is not so warm and he is slightly reserved but once you know him, you'll actually see a soft side of him," Sofia told her.

"Yes," Grace affirmed with a huge smile on her face. She was extremely glad and satisfied of following her instinct and asked Sofia the favor that she had been planning for days.