"Alright, now you can explain." After closing the door, he walked straight to the sofa and sat down.
"Uh..." After hesitating for a moment, Sophia clasped her hands together. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's just..."
"Just intentional?" His tone lifted slightly.
"No, no, no," she immediately shook her head vigorously. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to cause you more trouble. Ever since we met, I've already brought you so much hassle."
"And then?" He waited.
"And I thought they just wanted that one photo and the negatives. So, I planned to deliver them myself, exchange for Zoey, and that would be the end of it. I had no idea..." Her voice grew smaller and smaller.
He finished for her, "No idea they also wanted your life! What would you have done if I hadn't found out?"
Fortunately, they had already extracted information from the three men in black earlier and were prepared. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Sophia was speechless.
"I thought we could be open with each other, that there was no need to hide anything. I also thought I could be someone you rely on, unafraid of any danger. But clearly, I was too arrogant." Rocky put on a hurt expression.
Sophia panicked. "No, it was me overthinking things. I was afraid you'd get tired of solving my problems, so I didn't tell you and tried to handle it myself."
"What if a similar situation happens again?" He needed her promise to feel at ease.
"I'll definitely tell you," she replied without hesitation.
"You're not mad at me anymore?" As she stepped forward, she kept watching his expression.
"I was never mad at you from the start. I was worried about you," he gazed at her intently, then murmured, "Don't face danger alone again. You have me."
"I won't, I won't." Her heart stirred inexplicably.
His words were etched deeply into her heart, impossible to erase or forget.
"No matter how much trouble you have, I'll willingly solve it for you. After all, you're my beloved bride!" He lifted her face and kissed her gently. Smiles quietly crept into the corners of his eyes, his brows, and his lips.
She lost herself in his kiss, feeling his tenderness—and the passion that made her dizzy and flushed.
"They're born! Nine plump, healthy pups!" Kent's voice echoed excitedly as he rushed in.
"What was born?" Jennifer's attention was caught by his voice. Nine plump pups?!
Humans? Surely not! The world record was a woman giving birth to decuplets, but the odds were extremely slim and very dangerous.
Susan shot him a glance.
Porter, following behind Kent, was also beaming.
"You're all so heartless. Didn't you notice Shirley's been missing lately?" Kent accused.
Ah! Now that he mentioned it, that seemed true. Susan's eyes lit up. "Did Shirley have babies?" Her voice was filled with excitement.
"So many?" Jennifer found it incredible. Then again, she'd never owned a dog and had no idea how many puppies they could have.
"Where are they?" Susan asked eagerly.
"In her nest, of course!" Rocky said, grinning. "You can go see them in a bit."
"So happy, huh?" Susan eyed him and said lightly, "You look as joyful as a new father."
"Could it be that Shirley gave birth to human offspring?" The corners of her lips curled upward.
"Don't joke about that. I'm a married man." I wouldn't have children with a dog, he added silently.
Susan truly never failed to shock.
"Is that so?" Susan pretended to frown thoughtfully. "Then who's the father of Shirley's pups?"
"How would I know..." Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he changed his answer. "Must be Rocky. Because Shirley went to find Rocky once."
Jennifer could only smile helplessly.
Poor Rocky!
Suddenly, footsteps sounded on the stairs. Rocky descended with his hands in his pockets.
Kent immediately put on a wide smile and approached, enthusiastically grabbing Rocky's hand and shaking it tightly. "Congratulations, congratulations!"
"Save the congratulations for my wedding," Rocky said dryly. He hadn't forgotten that this troublemaker was the reason he couldn't share a bed with Sophia before the wedding. That score was still unsettled.
Undeterred, Kent shook his hand again, putting on a serious face. "You're a father now. Shouldn't I congratulate you?" He performed with exaggerated flair.
Father!
The word hit Rocky like a boulder, leaving him dizzy and seeing stars. "What... did you say?" he asked hoarsely, his green eyes glinting with a chilling light.
Kent, fearless, repeated, "I said, you're a father now." Noticing Sophia appearing at the top of the stairs from the corner of his eye, he deliberately raised his voice.
"Who had my child?" Rocky forced himself to stay calm. He had to clear up this reputation-damaging matter, or he feared it would cause unnecessary misunderstandings if it reached Sophia's ears.
"You don't remember her? How heartless! Did you just use her as a tool for pleasure? Tsk..." Under Kent's "heartfelt" accusations, he indeed saw Sophia gasp, turn around, and run back upstairs, clearly shaken.
Kent turned back only to meet a pair of gloomy, furious eyes that made him instinctively step back.
"It's Shirley! She gave birth to nine plump pups. Aren't they your flesh and blood? Hehehe... Maybe I got it wrong." Seeing Rocky's increasingly livid expression, Kent quickly changed his tune.
"Got it wrong?" Rocky narrowed his eyes. Did he think he could brush it off with just "got it wrong"? Not that easy!
Kent retreated further. "I just saw Sophia, but for some reason, she didn't look too well. Maybe she's not feeling..."
Rocky's sharp gaze stabbed at him. "Tired of living? Fine. After I go upstairs and clear things up, I'll settle this with you."
With that, he quickly headed upstairs.
Kent first chuckled lightly, then burst into laughter.
Rocky definitely wouldn't have time to come settle the score with him.
Susan shook her head.
Jennifer smiled faintly. "Rocky really loves Sophia. We originally thought he'd never get married, but it was just that fate hadn't arrived yet. After falling for Sophia, he's finally stepping onto the red carpet."
"Yeah!" Rocky nodded, then suddenly blurted out, "Life from now on will probably be less fun, right, Susan?"
"What?" Susan didn't understand.
"No one left for you to pressure into marriage!" The only singles left in the Smith residence were a bunch of little kids.
Oh, right! Susan thought seriously for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "There's still Evan!" Her green eyes sparkled.
Kent and Jennifer exchanged a knowing smile.
At the Heartbreak Bar
"Miss, your drink." Evan smiled warmly as he served the drink. "Enjoy."
"Thank you!" The young girl shyly expressed her gratitude.
Evan quickly returned to the bar.
"Did she say anything?" Amy asked eagerly, staring intently at Evan. "She specifically asked for you to deliver it, you know!"
Evan laughed helplessly. "What do you think she would say to me?"
"A confession! Something like 'I like you' or that kind of thing."
"Give me a break!" She was genuinely wary. "Maybe I should start wearing skirts..." Suddenly, she shuddered for no reason, a chill running up her spine. She looked around but found nothing.
Weird! Why did she get goosebumps out of nowhere? A bad premonition!