CHAPTER 63: CHAPTER 63: NO NEED TO FORCE CHANGE

After work, the receptionist called, saying she had something for her.

Sophia Lowell grabbed her bag and went down to the first-floor reception desk.

"Ms. Lowell, Mr. Sterling ordered flowers for you."

The two young ladies at the front desk giggled as they handed Sophia a ’Catherine’ tulip.

Her eyes sparkled as she carefully accepted it.

"Thank you!"

Ever since borrowing a wet wipe that day, the two of them had been silenced with C Currency by Zane Sterling.

"I’m so envious~"

She chuckled, holding the flowers, and entered the elevator to go down to the underground parking lot.

However, she encountered Eli Young in the elevator.

He looked at Sophia’s glowing face and then the fresh bouquet in her hand.

It suited her well.

"Ms. Lowell has quite a few admirers."

Sophia nodded and smiled.

"Want to play ball this weekend?"

"No, I’ve already got plans for the weekend."

She planned to attend Tim Sawyer’s birthday party over the weekend and had to prepare well.

"Then next time."

"Okay."

The elevator door opened, letting in a blast of cold air, and she shrugged her shoulders.

After saying goodbye, she walked out with the flowers.

Back at the villa, the butler had already turned the floor heating on ahead of time.

She took off her clothes and carefully placed the flowers into a vase Zane Sterling had bought not long ago.

She remembered the day she moved in; his villa was almost entirely in black and white, void of any color.

It was extremely oppressive.

After moving in, different colors gradually appeared, slowly making it come to life.

After tidying up the table’s remnants, she put on an apron, planning to cook him a special dinner tonight.

Her cooking skills were good; she made his favorite boiled meat slices, braised fish, and shredded cabbage.

All of them slightly spicy.

She was about to call him when he emerged from the elevator.

As soon as he exited the elevator, he smelled the aroma.

He looked toward the kitchen, and with his back to the light, she appeared even more beautiful, down to her strands of hair.

"You cooked?" he asked.

"Yes, come and have a taste."

She set the table, removed her apron, and walked toward him.

Zane Sterling stood by, looking at the three dishes and soup on the table, then up at her.

He remembered when he was recuperating abroad, and Autumn Lowell had to go on a business trip for a month, leaving her with the responsibility of caring for him.

Back then, she couldn’t even manage a boiled egg properly.

It was either runny or boiled out of its shell.

Her cooking skills then were simply lamentable.

If it hadn’t been for the busy period, he wouldn’t have been reduced to eating her cooked meals.

Already thin, he became even skinnier, resembling a little beggar picked up off the streets.

Yet, she hadn’t met him.

He dared not go out to meet people, only peeked at the outside world through the window cracks.

Now, a faint sadness flowed through his heart, but he quickly dismissed those thoughts.

Those painful memories were behind; reminiscing would be unfair to her.

He wondered how this young girl suddenly knew how to cook.

Sophia walked over and willingly removed his coat, hanging it on the sofa nearby.

As she turned around, a figure covered hers, pressing against the edge of the sofa.

A warm kiss unexpectedly blocked the words she wanted to say.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably.

The man’s breath turned hot, his Adam’s apple moved, and his eyes deepened.

This man couldn’t possibly want to... now?

This wouldn’t do!

She panted lightly, patting his chest forcefully.

The security guards and housekeeper were outside; if they heard, it would be too embarrassing...

"Zane Sterling..."

"..."

He kissed her neck, slowly moving upwards, stopping at her cheek.

Dark tides surged in his eyes, and a faint blush spread on her light yellow skin.

He struggled to restrain himself, hoarsely asking, "Eat later..."

"No, I’m hungry..."

Her body was honest.

She didn’t expect Zane Sterling to be so impatient; it was really overwhelming.

But the dishes would turn cold if left uneaten.

She tried to break free from his embrace, but he held her tightly.

The two of them leaned close together.

"I want..."

"Let’s eat first."

Sophia blushed and pushed him away decisively.

"Chuckle..."

He slowly released her, suppressing the fire within him, fastening her back clip.

——

"You ate cilantro?"

Zane Sterling looked at the dish with some cilantro, recalling the flavor from her sweet lips during the kiss.

"Yes."

"No need to change yourself deliberately."

"I haven’t changed deliberately; it just tasted quite good."

Cilantro used to be something she couldn’t even stand to smell.

Now she actually liked cilantro, and the taste wasn’t bad.

"Your cooking is good."

Sophia smiled.

She didn’t respond to his question.

Henry Quinn enjoyed her cooking, though he was quite picky.

No matter how good the food at home was, if he hadn’t tried the crap outside, he found it novel.

"Thank you for the flowers."

"And I have something else for you."

"What?"

Zane Sterling set down his chopsticks, took out two delicate boxes from his coat pocket.

"See if you like the color."

Sophia received them and examined them carefully.

Without opening them, she recognized the logo on the box: handcrafted nail clips by a famous designer, not easy to come by.

"Where did you get them?"

"From my sister."

Actually, he spent a whole day begging for them.

"How did you know my nails weren’t real?" Sophia teased.

"You left a nail clip on my bed," he replied.

The other day, she lost two nail clips and couldn’t find them.

She thought she dropped them at the police station, but they ended up on his bed.

There hadn’t been much commotion that day; how did they fall off...

She lowered her head slightly, continuing to eat.

So embarrassing.

Zane Sterling observed her small, innocent eyes and couldn’t help but smile, shifting the topic, "The company signed a contract with Professor Fumble today."

"Oh, that’s good news."

"All of Fumble’s works have been handed over by Hugh Irving; did you know?"

"Ariel mentioned it."

Sophia’s face showed an ambiguous pleasure.

"Have you seen her?"

"Yes, she’s quite pretty, as pretty as me."

Zane Sterling wanted to ask more, but he thought if they had only met, she might not pay attention.

Sophia knew what he meant and hurriedly explained, "Professor Fumble doesn’t like being too flashy and doesn’t enjoy interacting with others, so it’s hard to get close to her."

"Then your Ariel is quite resourceful; thank her for me."

"I will."

Sophia exhaled a sigh of relief. If he asked further, she would probably slip up.

She had maintained the ’Fumble’ account abroad for over two years, but she was too young.

If revealed publicly, she’d likely face exclusion from her peers.

She needed to establish fame, get more brand and private orders to build credibility.

Returning to the country for over a year, she considered going public.

But without significant domestic fame, sudden exposure might only make the criticisms harsher.

Her reputation was only beginning to grow nationally, requiring more development time.

Zane Sterling’s sharp gaze detected a slight change in her expression.

He wasn’t sure if it was a delusion, but it seemed there was a connection between Fumble and his wife.

Yet, since she hadn’t shown it, he didn’t delve deeper.

After all, since they’d signed now, there was plenty of time to learn.