Chapter 669

Sophia was clearly growing irritated, but Gabriel, on the other end of the line, was still rambling. "Ms. Holmes, if you could throw a little more funding my way, I'm confident I can find a way to—" "Shut up. Get lost!" she snapped, her voice sharp with impatience, and ended the call without hesitation. Her icy gaze remained locked on the laptop screen, but her thoughts had already drifted far away. After a moment, Sophia stood up and headed to the walk-in closet to change. She then grabbed her purse and walked out the door without hesitation. … I was lying in the guest room, scrolling through my phone. Though I looked relaxed, I was doing some research on other districts across Silverbrook. Out of nowhere, my phone lit up with a call from an unfamiliar number. It was nearly 11:00 pm—who would be calling me this late? And why from a number I didn't recognize? I answered, slightly wary. "Hello? Who's this?" "Joshua." The moment I heard that cool voice, I recognized it right a