Joanna looked at the soup in her mother''s hands with a hint of disgust. "Mom, I''m fine. Why did you make this for me? I don''t like it. I want a gourmet health tonic."


    Joanna suddenly thought of Wendy. If it were her, she would have prepared the finest supplements to make her happy.


    Sophia smiled. "Joanna, after a woman has a miscarriage or gives birth, this soup is the most nourishing thing for her. Besides, where am I supposed to find a gourmet tonic on this little ind? I''ll buy you some when we get back."


    A gourmet tonic? Her tastes had been spoiled by Wendy.


    The sweet egg soup was nourishing, wasn''t it? And it was cheap, only a few dors to make.


    Realizing they were on the ind, Joanna relented. Here, no one would find out about her procedure.


    Joanna looked at the bowl of soup, which had a slightly pungent aroma, took it, and ced it on the table beside her, taking small sips.


    Sophia watched her eat slowly and began to lose her patience. "Joanna, Sebastian hasn''t called you these past two days. What''s going on between you two...?"


    The thought of Sebastian no longer doting on her as he used to made Joanna irritable. She cut her mother off. "Mom, Natalie exposed my staged incident at my birthday party. Then, because of what happened with Mrs. Spencer Sr., Sebastianpletely stopped trusting me. I tried to frame Natalie for poisoning his mother, and he didn''t believe me. He doesn''t trust me anymore. He''s only helping me now out of some lingering obligation for saving his life."


    "And speaking of that, I''m furious. If it weren''t for trying to get you and Dad back together, to stop being an illegitimate daughter, I wouldn''t have shown my hand so soon."


    "Now, the Scott family and Sebastian can no longer be my support. I''ve found a new backer. Mom, you have to marry Mr. Wilson. The Wilson family must be my new support system. Please, don''t let me down."


    Joanna looked at her mother with hopeful eyes. It was because she was her biological mother, because she had always lived in the shadows, that she had betrayed Wendy.


    She had rejected the boundless motherly love Wendy gave her, and she certainly wasn''t going to let it go to Natalie, the woman who had been cast out since childhood.


    What she was most satisfied with was that what Wendy had done to Natalie made it impossible for Natalie to ever forgive her.


    Sophia, however, was confident about this matter. She gave Joanna a reassuring


    look. "Don''t worry, Mr. Wilson will definitely marry me."


    Seeing her mother''s confidence, Joanna rxed. She hadn''t expected her mother to be so capable, wrapping Mr. Wilson around her finger She finished the restorative soup in one go, feeling a warmth spread through her body.


    Sophia smiled at her. "Alright, go to bed now. I''m going back to my room too."


    "Okay."


    Sophia went to the adjacent room and called Mr. Wilson.


    "Sophia, when are youing back? I can''t sleep without you," the voice on the other end was full of affection.


    Sophia chuckled, her voice soft. "Wilson, have you acquired Nathan''spany yet? With that young upstart in charge, he can''t manage it properly."


    Mr. Wilson replied, "Don''t worry. Nathan is at the end of his rope. He''ll sell the thepany soon. Till make sure he loses everything and that it all goes to you and your daughter."


    Hearing this, Sophia was relieved. A cold, calcting glint shone in her eyes.


    Nathan was so useless he would always be her stepping stone.


    ***