"Mira Quinn went to find Joanna Sherman. Have your aunt ask Joanna for her directly."
He’d found this out last night. Knowing that Mindy Jennings and Mira Quinn weren’t exactly good people, he hadn’t bothered to disturb Sophia Shaw’s rest.
Tracing it back to Joanna Sherman completed his task, so Levin Sawyer didn’t dig any deeper.
"Okay, thanks."
Levin Sawyer paused for a moment.
"Faye, you’re not getting back together with Vincent Grant, are you?" he asked, quite worried.
Vincent Grant’s recent grand gestures could melt a plate of steel.
Plus, she and Vincent Grant had two children together.
Sophia Shaw looked down, focusing on her work. "We won’t."
’Isn’t focusing on my career more rewarding?’
Levin Sawyer’s anxious heart settled back into place.
Among all the men pursuing Sophia Shaw, Vincent Grant was the strongest contender.
Without this formidable rival, his chances of success would be much higher.
As Levin Sawyer walked out, there was a spring in his step.
He nearly knocked over Young Master Croft, who was just walking in.
"Master, you were looking for me?" Young Master Croft was always well-behaved in front of Sophia Shaw.
It was Saturday. Normally, he would have been at home, sleeping in.
But the moment Sophia Shaw sent him a message, he’d come running as if he’d grown wings on his feet.
Sophia Shaw grunted in acknowledgment and took out a document from her desk. "Croft—"
"Croft," he corrected.
Young Master Croft was demoting himself.
Sophia Shaw was speechless.
’Calling him Croft felt strange.’
So she just skipped the name.
"I’ve seen your performance while working with Jacobs. You’ve made great progress. From now on, you’ll be my direct assistant."
"R-Really?" Young Master Croft patted his ears in disbelief. "I can—I can be your direct a-assistant?"
He’d dreamed about this a few times but never dared to think it would actually happen.
Sophia Shaw nodded. "You have a strong aptitude for mechanics. If you study more, you can be a great help to me."
"I’ll study! I’ll definitely study hard!"
’As long as his Master gave him a chance, he’d go through hell and high water for her!’
Young Master Croft practically skipped out of the office. When he saw Jacobs outside, he swept her up in a hug. "Whoo-hoo! Master praised me! She said I have a strong aptitude!"
Jacobs was speechless.
Young Master Croft spun her around several times before putting her down, leaving Jacobs incredibly dizzy.
Just as she was about to curse him out, Young Master Croft had already leaped out the main door.
’He had to start studying right now.’
’Study mechanics, be a great help to his Master.’
’He couldn’t be useless when his Master needed him!’
Young Master Croft jumped into his car, drove straight to a bookstore, and ran inside. With a grand wave of his hand at the owner, he declared, "Wrap up every book you have on mechanics!"
Driving home with a car full of books, it was only when he reached his front door that Young Master Croft finally processed things and remembered something.
’He’d... hugged Jacobs.’
The tips of his ears instantly turned beet red!
Caleb Croft, returning from outside with his briefcase tucked under his arm, saw his son standing dazed in front of his car from a distance, his face flushed red.
He snorted. "What? Did Mr. Shaw find you useless and send you packing?"
After speaking, he instinctively clutched his chest. ’Hundreds of millions, and he still couldn’t buy his son a position. This kid... he’s a lost cause.’
"Who says my Master doesn’t want me!" Young Master Croft threw his head back and puffed out his chest, slapping the books in the car with a loud THWACK. "Master told me to be her assistant and to study hard so I can be a great help to her in the future!"
"Really?" Caleb Croft still found the whole thing a bit dreamlike.
"Of course, it’s true!"
Young Master Croft lowered his head and started moving the books.
There were several huge stacks, but he didn’t call for help, just huffed and puffed as he carried them inside himself.
The sight of the books gave Caleb Croft a headache. "You bought so many books. Who are you putting them on display for?"
"For me to read!"
"From elementary school to college, I had to pay your way through everything. You’re the type who doesn’t touch a single book all year, and now you’re telling me you’re going to finish all these? Who do you think you’re kidding!"
’His own father didn’t believe him!’
Before, when Caleb Croft didn’t believe him, he didn’t care.
But things were different now.
’He was an apprentice acknowledged by Sophia Shaw herself! He was going to be working for a rocket genius! How could he let people look down on him?’
’He couldn’t!’
Young Master Croft slapped the books hard. "You just watch! I’ll devour every single one of these books within three months!"
"And if I can’t, I’ll finish them or die trying!"
...
Sophia Shaw called Mindy Jennings several times in a row, but no one answered.
She decided to go find her in person.
Mindy Jennings had married into the Quinn Family and lived in a relatively modest villa community.
Just as Sophia Shaw entered the community, she saw Mindy Jennings hooking a purse over her arm as she hurriedly got out of a black sedan.
"Aunt!"
Sophia Shaw called out.
Mindy Jennings turned at the sound of her voice, and the moment she saw Sophia Shaw, her expression clearly stiffened.
Sophia Shaw had been estranged from her for years, so she didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point. "You asked me to help find Mira Quinn. She’s—"
"We found her!" Mindy Jennings cut her off abruptly. She hurried forward and grasped Sophia Shaw’s hand, her tone unctuously warm. "Faye, I’m so sorry to have troubled you, making you come all this way for Mira’s sake."
"That girl, Mira, she went to a friend’s house last night. She was having so much fun she forgot to let me know, making me worry for nothing."
"A friend?"
Sophia Shaw’s brow furrowed slightly. ’Levin Sawyer had clearly said that Mira Quinn was taken by Joanna Sherman.’
"Anyway, thank you." Mindy Jennings squeezed her hand a little harder, then let go. "Your aunt should have invited you in, but I have something urgent to attend to and have to go out again, so I won’t keep you."
With that, she walked quickly toward the house.
The iron gate slammed shut in front of her with a CLANG.
Sophia Shaw stared at her retreating back through the fence for a moment. As she turned to leave, she was surprised to see Esther Sullivan and Jay Jennings swaggering across the lawn toward the main house.
Jay Jennings was eating a snack as he walked. When he passed the poodle that belonged to Mira Quinn, he lifted his leg and kicked it viciously!
The poodle yelped in pain and barked frantically.
Mindy Jennings, who was just entering the house, only glanced sideways at the scene before her figure quickly disappeared inside.
Due to various reasons in the early years, the relationship between Esther Sullivan and Mindy Jennings had become extremely distant, and they’d had almost no contact for years.
’So why had Esther Sullivan suddenly moved in?’
What baffled Sophia Shaw even more was Mindy Jennings’s attitude toward the two of them.
Mindy Jennings never allowed anyone to step on her lawn, and that poodle was Mira Quinn’s most cherished pet—normally, she wouldn’t even let others touch it.
But she had clearly seen them walk on the grass and seen Jay Jennings kick the poodle, yet she hadn’t said a single word.
’Everything was strange.’
Sophia Shaw didn’t investigate further and turned back to get in her car.
The car was slowly driving out of the community. Just as it rounded a corner, a motorcycle shot out without any warning!
Sophia Shaw yanked the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes, the front of her car stopping just a hair’s breadth from the motorcycle.
Before she could recover from the shock, the motorcycle had already sped away.
The familiar body of the motorcycle made Sophia Shaw’s heart clench. Though uncertain, she followed it.
After making a few turns, the motorcycle suddenly accelerated.
Just then, Sophia Shaw saw Eleanor Crawford walking from the other end of the street.
And the motorcycle was heading straight for Eleanor Crawford!
A similar scene from the past flashed through her mind. Without a second thought, Sophia Shaw floored it to intercept...
But she was half a step too late. In the blink of an eye, the rider was right in front of Eleanor Crawford.
Sophia Shaw was so horrified her heart stopped. She could almost picture what would happen to Eleanor Crawford upon impact!
In a flash, a figure shot out from the side and kicked the rider in the waist.
The rider tumbled off at the force of the blow.
The motorcycle skidded sideways, brushing past Eleanor Crawford before crashing a few meters away.
CRASH!
The figure in the heavy helmet fell hard onto the ground.
Eleanor Crawford, frightened by the sudden turn of events, stumbled back several steps.
When she turned and got a clear look at the person on the ground, crimson flames suddenly erupted in her eyes.