Chapter 291 Are You Trying To Murder Me

At the sight of her reaction, Jenny walked over to Sophia's side and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Do you feel unwell somewhere? Should we go to the hospital to get it checked?" "...No, I'm okay,” She said, dropping her head after looking at her red and swollen eyes. After hearing what they said, both White father and son hurried over to ask Sophia how she was feeling and if she needed to see a doctor. Sterling found it hard to get used to the way James behaved and sneered. "You’re treating Soph so well when you think she’s useful, but you didn’t even want to look at her when you thought she’s of no use to you. A person like you simply doesn’t deserve to be a father!" "Watch your attitude!" James roared sternly. "Regardless of what I do, I’m doing it all for the sake of the White family and White Industries! Do you think I need to suffer so much if you and Soph knew better than to get into trouble all day instead of making yourselves useful?!” Sterling’s good-looking face was flushed with anger after hearing what he said. He raised the chair next to him intending to smash it at him, but the chair hung in the air for a while before it was slammed to the ground with a bang. "F*ck!" If this was not his father, then not even smashing ten chairs would suffice! The chair crashed at James' feet and rolled towards Sophia. Before it could reach her feet, Charles kicked it aside with a frown. He pressed his lips firmly and pulled her aside. The word ‘careful’ was stuck in Sterling's throat before it was swallowed back in. He looked at Charles' hand that was placed on Sophia's waist and harrumphed twice in an exceedingly displeased manner. Picking up his reaction, Charles hugged Sophia harder and even twitched his lower lips at him. "..." Sterling, "!!!" F*ck! Although the chair did not crash down on James, his complexion still turned extremely grim as he stared at the chair that had landed not far from him. He was startled by Sterling's actions just now that it took him a while to come back to his senses. "Are you trying to murder me, Sterling White?!" "You wouldn't be standing here anymore if I wanted to murder you!" Since the car accident two years ago, Sterling and James’ relationship had only deteriorated from there. Seeing that their argument was getting more and more heated, Jenny with a pair of red and swollen eyes screamed, "Stop it, both of you!" She looked at Sterling, then at James, saying hoarsely, "Soph has just returned home, can’t you guys just be quiet?" "I won't argue with you today for Sophia’s sake!" Sterling harrumphed heavily at James, then turned around and walked out. Nicole apologized to them and went out after him. Embarrassed to have his son screaming in his face in front of Charles like that, James let out two dry coughs. "It’s all my wife’s fault for pampering them. These kids are getting more and more spoiled as they grow up. Don't mind them, Charles." "Oh, I don’t mind at all." Charles laughed. "It’s certainly rare and praiseworthy to see Sterling putting his family first even under your education. I should be thanking him instead." The smile on James' face froze for a fleeting moment. "These siblings have accomplished nothing. The only thing that’s good about them is that they put their family first. I guess you can say that they’ve inherited this trait from me." None of the three answered him as they looked at him, each with a different expression on their faces. "People of my age have remarried several times now. Those who didn't remarry have also kept many mistresses in private." James sighed. "They did ask me before and told me that my wife is holding me back, asking me why I didn’t change my wife yet." Jenny’s eyes were locked on him as he said these words. There was no anger, no surprise, nor did she echo his views—there was only deadly calm. All of a sudden, James felt somewhat guilty under her gaze. He avoided her gaze and continued, "It’s really simple, actually. I’m a person who values relationships. Just like you, once I set my eyes on someone, I hardly ever change my mind about that person anymore." When he heard what he said, Charles waved his hand over and over again and said pointedly, "Please don't say that. I may be different from you in this respect, but you are definitely better than me in some other aspects." The two continued to exchange words of courtesy. They each had their tongues in their cheeks and their own ideas in mind. Sophia stared at the two men in a somewhat dazed manner. Before she turned eighteen, she had hated the pretend politeness and hypocrisy among adults and had hated those who used and betrayed their family members for benefits. Right now, however, she realized that occasions like that were unavoidable in adulthood. Moreover, she... she was about to use the White family to contend against Master Harris and Leah. She was slowly turning into the kind of person she hated. "The food is ready. James, why don’t you bring Charles downstairs first?" Jenny sniffed, wiped the corners of her eyes, and forced a smile. "Soph and I will go down once we’re done unpacking her things." James frowned. "Can’t you unpack after the meal? How long is Charles supposed to wait?" “It’s fine." Charles said, "I happened to have some questions related to the company to consult you about. It will probably take a while." James smiled and said gently to him, "You may be young, but your experience in managing a company is no worse than mine. You certainly don't have to use the word ‘consult’. If that's the case, let's go to the living room and talk for a while." Having said that, he turned around to look at Jenny. “You’re already an adult yet you still don’t know how to prioritize things at all. How senseless." "James, I've married you for nearly thirty years now. Is there nothing good that you can see in me now?!" Jenny raised her voice sharply as tears streamed down her face. After being contradicted by his family members over and over again, James' expression was livid. "Why are you screaming for no reason? You must be in menopause, aren’t you!" He looked at Charles in an embarrassed manner and tried his best to lift the corners of his mouth. "That’s the problem with women. They have long hair but short wit. All they care about is love and affection. They will never understand how hard we as men are working out there!" "See you later." Charles’ lips curved up at Sophia and left with James. Sophia walked over and closed the door. When she turned around and walked into the room, she saw Jenny still staring blankly at the door, her tears streaming down her face, and her eyes carried a look of complexity that she had never seen before. "Say, am I just like what your dad said I am, that I only know how to cry all day… and can’t do anything right?" Jenny wiped the corner of her eyes, her voice breaking slightly from speaking and crying at the same time. Sophia was stunned by her question. Ever since she could remember, her mother was a full-time housewife. Her dad was in charge of managing the company, whereas a servant would manage the housework. When the question was thrown at her, she realized that she did not know what her mother was good at at all… "I am not a good wife, not a good mother. Your dad was right to a certain extent when he said that I can’t do anything right apart from crying all day." Jenny flashed a miserable smile. The words that Sterling told her flashed across her mind abruptly. Like a fishbone stuck in her throat, she said, "...No, I haven’t been a good daughter." "It’s all my fault. This is all my fault..." Jenny muttered a few words in despair, then walked toward the luggage with a vacant look in her eyes, unpacked the contents, and put her heart and soul into unpacking Sophia’s luggage for her. Sophia pursed her lips and walked to her side. Like how Charles would comfort her, she comforted Jenny dryly. "Don't think too much."