Max Mo knew his younger sister was never a pushover. He reassured her, "As long as you have a plan, that's enough. If you run into trouble, just let me know. You're the eldest Miss of the Mo Family—others should be the ones to make concessions to you, not the other way around."
"I know." Sophie Mo smiled and replied, "I bet the King Family will be driving you crazy soon enough."
"It's fine, they won't be able to find me anyway." Max Mo's pale blue eyes flashed with a hint of mischief.
The siblings shared a knowing smile.
Right now, the King Family was both panicked and dumbfounded.
At first, the King Family's main and second branches were just watching the drama unfold, amused by King Rong's biological mother causing trouble.
But they never expected the Mo Family to react so quickly—not only did they cut off their cooperation with the King Family, they also ended their partnership with the Yin Family at the same time.
This struck at the very lifeblood of the King Family.
Now the King Family was in a panic.
Finally, Grandfather King slammed the table and harshly scolded his wife, telling her to stop stirring up trouble and angering Sophie Mo.
At first, Julian King's mother was still unconvinced, muttering that every daughter-in-law should listen to her mother-in-law.
But with the whole family putting on pressure, even Julian King's biological mother had to admit: their daughter-in-law really didn't have to obey her mother-in-law.
Her powerful family gave her all the confidence she needed to say no.
So the King Family desperately tried to contact the Mo Family, apologizing and offering compensation. Julian King finally used this opportunity to successfully set up a company branch in China, moving all the important operations back home.
Julian King and Leon King hurriedly dragged their suitcases home.
"Where's Mrs. Yin?" Julian King asked as soon as he got home.
"Mrs. Yin said she had an appointment with a friend and went out early this morning," the housekeeper replied respectfully, taking Julian King's luggage. "She probably won't be back until tonight."
Julian King frowned, but didn't say anything.
Because of what the family had done, the relationship between husband and wife wasn't as good as before. Deep down, Julian King felt a little guilty and uneasy.
If he kept pushing now, he'd really be driving Sophie Mo into another man's arms!
He's not stupid!
"Got it." Julian King kept a calm face and instructed, "I'm going to rest in my room. Let me know when Mrs. Yin comes back."
"Yes, sir."
Julian King returned to his room, took a shower, and lay in the soft bed, finally feeling the breath of freedom.
He'd finally escaped that house!
Meanwhile, Sophie Mo was having afternoon tea with Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir.
"I just got word that Julian King is back," Cecilia Gu glanced at her phone and told Sophie Mo. "See? Couldn't stay away, had to come after you himself."
"The real question is whether he came alone, or if Dale tagged along," Rona Muir said, stirring her coffee. "The King Family's money flow has been cut off by the Mo and Yin families working together, so they're too busy to cause trouble right now. But mark my words, as soon as business resumes, the King Family will be back to their old tricks."
"I believe it," Sophie Mo said, resting her chin on her hand. "I've talked this over thoroughly with my brother."
"So how did that go?" Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir asked in unison.
"This kind of tactic really isn't complicated in the business world," Sophie Mo straightened up and lowered her voice. "Whoever's pulling these strings and muddying things for the King Family is almost certainly targeting them. There are only a handful of families in the world capable of threatening the Mo Family, and unless they're suicidal, none of them would go after my brother."
"That's true," Cecilia Gu nodded.
"The only one who can match Max Mo is Charles Yin. If Max Mo ever got in trouble, Charles Yin wouldn't just sit by and watch," Rona Muir agreed. "Our families have always been closely tied together, sharing both honor and hardship."
"So, we narrow down the suspects—it's someone targeting the King Family, someone who wants to bring them down," Sophie Mo continued. "My brother gave me an idea, and I want your input too. He said when the King Family left China years ago, it was a time of upheaval and war everywhere. But somehow, they rose to wealth and prominence. Over the years, their roots grew deeper, but that also means more entanglements. Do you think maybe, when they made their fortune, they offended someone who's been lying in wait all this time and is finally making a move?"
"That can't be, right? The timeline is way too long. How much patience would someone need to wait all these years?" Cecilia Gu was the first to question. "I lean toward a more recent business rival."
Rona Muir crossed her arms. "You never know. What if it's an old family feud, hatred built up over generations? Still, your brother's right—the King Family rose too fast, and only Grandfather King knows if there's any dirty laundry from back then."
Sophie Mo added, "I also had people look into the King Family's enemies. Turns out, their reputation is pretty mixed. To keep their bloodline pure, they've never married locals, but there are a few mixed-race illegitimate kids. One of them is apparently the Grand Duke's youngest daughter."
"There's gossip about that?" Rona Muir perked up. "How come I've never heard it before?"
"Who had time to gossip about this before?" Sophie Mo rolled her eyes at Rona Muir and went on, "According to my sources, the person tangled up with the Grand Duke's daughter is none other than my father-in-law."
Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir both gasped in admiration. "Old stallion, still dreaming of distant horizons. Impressive!"
"I think my father-in-law really is something else!" Sophie Mo showed no embarrassment gossiping about her own father-in-law and kept going. "When he married my mother-in-law, he was just as impressive. Don't forget, my mother-in-law is more than twenty, almost thirty years younger than him! I saw pictures of him when he was young—he was a real heartthrob. No wonder the Grand Duke's daughter fell for him."
(End of this section ^.^, click next page to continue reading!)
"Are you saying that the disaster you and Julian King are facing is all the Grand Duke's daughter's doing?" Cecilia Gu caught on, thinking aloud. "She turned love into hate, resented your mother-in-law for stealing her man, and now she's taking it out on Julian King? She can't stand seeing him happy, so she's trying to break you two up? That's why she dragged in Dale and David Zhou?"
Rona Muir was stunned. "Why does this sound like a cheesy soap opera?"
Sophie Mo whispered, "Don't forget, real life is messier than any novel! Who would've thought the King Family would be scrambling to have kids and fight over inheritance? Isn't that more dramatic than fiction?"
Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir both nodded. "True. But why would Dale and David Zhou help her?"
Sophie Mo shrugged. "I have no idea. Everything I said is just my brother's and my speculation."
"Anyway, Julian King's back in the country. Why not talk things over with him and investigate the truth about what happened back then together?" Cecilia Gu suggested. "At least now you have a direction for your investigation, so you're not totally in the dark."
Rona Muir nodded. "I agree. Anyway, I have to run. Peter Pingshan's coming home today, and he'll probably want to talk my ear off."
Cecilia Gu checked the time. "I've been out all day. I should head back too. I need to stop by the school and see what's going on."
"You're all leaving?" Sophie Mo looked at them disappointed. "Weren't we supposed to spend the whole day together?"
"It has been a whole day, okay?" Rona Muir put on her sunglasses. "You should head home too—Julian King is probably waiting for you, desperate by now."
"Julian King moved the company back to China to cut ties with the King Family for good. Don't break his heart," Cecilia Gu said, patting Sophie Mo's shoulder. "He's a victim in all this too."
"Fine, fine, you guys go," Sophie Mo leaned back. "I need to think about how I should face Julian King now."
Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir exchanged a look and shook their heads in silence.
After finishing up, Cecilia Gu returned home to find Charles Yin with his sleeves rolled up, watering a wildflower he'd dug up from the garden for Yina Yin.
Charles Yin spoils the kids too much.
Even a wildflower gets planted in a fancy pot.
That doting father's heart was written all over his face.
"You're back?" Charles Yin broke into a smile the moment he saw Cecilia Gu.
The last rays of the sunset bathed him in golden light, making him look like a radiant deity—noble and striking.
"Mm." Cecilia Gu reached out and took the watering can from Charles Yin. "Yina dug up the flower herself—let her water it herself!"
"Forget it, I'll do it. I'm afraid she'll drown it, then go wreak havoc in my garden again." Charles Yin gently hugged Cecilia Gu. "Did you have fun today?"
"Listened to Sophie Mo's chatter all day," Cecilia Gu said helplessly. "She cares so much but has to pretend not to. Do you think she'll ever change that stubborn streak?"
"Not a chance," Charles Yin chuckled. "Is the King Family still causing trouble?"
"They're busy trying to fix things with the Mo Family, so they're too occupied to stir up trouble for now," Cecilia Gu replied, exasperated.
Charles Yin laughed softly. "Not long ago, Max Mo asked me to help him temporarily cut off business with the King Family. He said it was all for show, but I still don't know who that show was for."
"Sophie Mo mentioned a possible suspect today. Can you help me analyze how likely it is?" Cecilia Gu grew interested, set down the watering can, and pulled Charles Yin over to the wicker chairs to share Sophie Mo's afternoon theory.
"Do you think the person behind all this could really be the Grand Duke's daughter?" Cecilia Gu asked.