Soon enough, Mirabe hit her back with a casual "Hmm."


    Sophia was already on the bus, no seats in sight, so she leaned against the handrail by the door, typing rapidly on her phone: "You''re really in Riverdale? Here for work or just hanging out?"


    The Pill: "Studying."


    When Sophia read that, she froze, her mind struggling to process it. She had to ask again, "Studying... what does that mean?"


    Mirabe hesitated for a moment, then rified with a more straightforward term: "Going to college."


    Alias: "What! No way!"


    Clutching her phone tightly, Sophia was jostled further back as more people crammed onto the bus, but she managed to fire off another message: "I can''t believe it. You must be pulling my leg!"


    In her imagination, this person had to be a middle-aged guy, at least in his thirties or forties. How could he be a college student?


    Mirabe quickly reassured her: "I''m not joking."


    Sophia felt her cheeks flush. Of course, he never joked. If he said he was going to college, it had to be true.


    So, the boss was only about twenty?


    Sophia took a deep breath, feeling like the day was turning into a bizarre dream, so much so that she missed her stop by two stations.


    She finally returned to the Keller house, half an hourter than usual.


    "Have you been daydreamingtely? Making everyone wait for you?" Conrad stood at the door, arms crossed, his face unreadable.


    Sophia didn''t bother exining. She brushed past Conrad, entered the house, and swapped her shoes for slippers from the cab.


    Conrad let out a soft chuckle, lingering for a moment before following her inside. Patricia had dinner ready, and even though Sophia waste, she wasn''t upset. Instead, she spoke gently, urging her to sit down and eat.


    Sophia nced at her and quietly took her seat, still caught up in thoughts of the boss, so distracted she barely engaged in conversation or listened to the elders.


    "Sweetheart, what do you think of your cousin''s friend?" Patricia asked with a smile, looking at Sophia.


    Snapping back to reality, Sophia asked, "Huh, Aunt, what did you say?"


    "Your cousin''s friend-he''s from a good family and quite decent. Why not give it a thought?" Patricia put down her chopsticks, speaking earnestly, "Your parents left us too soon, and your uncle and I just want you to find a good match."


    Sophia tightened her grip on her fork, casting a cold nce at Conrad before quickly looking down, murmuring, "I''m not thinking about that stuff right now."


    Her cousin''s friend, huh, not even worth describing.


    Losing her appetite, Sophia set down her fork, looked up at her uncle and aunt, and said, "Uncle, Aunt, thank you for everything over the years. I''ve found a ce and I''ll be moving out soon."


    As she said it, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders.


    Manny and Patricia looked shocked, clearly not expecting this. They were stunned, unable to speak for a moment.


    Beside them, Conrad furrowed his brows deeply, mming his hand on the table,


    his gaze icy as itnded on Sophia, his voice heavy, "What have we done to make you want to leave?"