CHAPTER 146: CHAPTER 146: JUST WANT TO SLEEP PEACEFULLY

Inside the tea room.

Sophia Lowell knelt on a cushion making tea, while Zane Sterling lounged in a rocking chair nearby.

She poured a cup of tea and set it on the low tea table next to the rocking chair for him.

Zane Sterling peered through the floor-to-ceiling window at the scenery in the courtyard, just in time to spot Ethan Sinclair and Hugh Irving having an intimate conversation.

He curled his lips in a smile.

Ethan Sinclair’s pace was really fast.

He wasn’t sure whether Hugh Irving was chasing Ethan Sinclair or vice versa.

He sipped his tea, and a familiar figure caught his eye.

Beau Morgan was crossing the courtyard, heading their way.

She glimpsed the silhouettes inside through the sheer curtain at the window; though faces weren’t clear, she could recognize that perfect profile in an instant.

The woman sitting inside was none other than the Professor Fumble who had been there the day she came to take measurements!

She was thrilled, quickened her pace, and walked in.

The inner courtyard was almost empty. There was no door to the tea room, only hanging semi-transparent curtains that covered the entrance; lifting them would reveal the scene inside.

Beau Morgan stood outside the curtain, subtly adjusting her posture.

Just as she was pondering how to greet them, Hugh Irving came in from outside, holding a tablet, apparently handling some business.

"Manager Morgan." Hugh Irving immediately knew what she was up to.

Sophia had roughly told her about last night’s events. It was the first time she’d met someone so eager to embarrass themselves.

"Professor Irving." Beau Morgan smiled.

"Would you like to come in and have some tea?" she said, smiling as she invited her.

Of course she couldn’t ask for anything better!

"Then I’ll gladly accept," she replied.

The people inside had naturally heard their exchange.

Sophia Lowell smiled, not saying anything, as though she’d already known Beau was coming.

Zane Sterling closed his eyes to rest, picked up Sophia’s coat from nearby, and draped it over his legs, looking completely detached and uninvolved.

Hugh Irving reached out, turned sideways, and lifted the curtain. The people inside gradually came into view.

Beau Morgan lifted her long legs and walked in.

"Manager Morgan." Sophia Lowell lifted her lips in a smile and gestured for her to sit.

"..."

Beau Morgan looked at her; her profile and figure rivaled Professor Fumble’s. Or maybe...

She was Professor Fumble?

Impossible!

If it was her, why wouldn’t she just admit it?

If it was her, why didn’t she expose Beau when she claimed to know Professor Fumble?

She must be mistaken.

Beau Morgan glanced at Zane Sterling, who was still sitting with his eyes closed. She wanted to say hello, but was afraid to disturb his rest.

"Mrs. Sterling."

Sophia Lowell nodded and poured her a cup of tea.

"Manager Morgan’s leg has healed up well, hasn’t it?" Sophia asked.

"Thanks for asking, it’s mostly better." Beau Morgan replied coolly, not wanting to engage. "I haven’t seen Professor Fumble today; I wanted to check on the design progress."

"The drafts will be sent out tonight." Sophia smiled.

Regarding Professor Fumble, Sophia made no explanation; she didn’t mean to exploit Beau but thought it was only right this scheming woman should suffer a little from her own boasting.

Sophia Lowell was not generous, nor could she bring herself to be.

This woman in front of her coveted her man; all those imperceptible little schemes—how could she just let them go?

The other party had already made her move, how could she not respond?

Besides, this round was started by her.

Sophia Lowell smiled. It was the first time she had taken the initiative to fend off "peach blossoms" for Zane Sterling.

It used to be Zane fighting them off; now, she was becoming proactive.

She realized she’d already fallen for this man in ways she couldn’t even see.

Beau Morgan tried to start a conversation about Professor Fumble, but Sophia kept dodging her questions. It seemed like everyone was avoiding the topic.

She’d asked several staff members at the door earlier, but nobody would say a word about Professor Fumble, so she didn’t press further.

Hugh Irving, standing nearby, could clearly read between the lines; she just smiled and ignored the question.

"Take a look at this." Hugh Irving handed the tablet to Sophia Lowell.

The screen was privacy-protected; Beau Morgan couldn’t make out anything.

Sophia opened the document with confidence and looked over the information. Without lingering, Hugh Irving left to continue with her duties outside.

Beau Morgan watched Sophia, who sat engrossed in the files—as if she really was the mistress overseeing all SY affairs.

Hugh Irving was a top designer abroad, and many were here for her reputation. Yet now, even Hugh Irving seemed to treat Sophia differently.

She frowned. If that was the case, Professor Fumble must value Sophia highly.

Sophia Lowell had earned the respect of renowned mentors in the Spectra Apparel annual design competition. If Professor Fumble valued her, it was only natural—she had the skill.

Still, Beau Morgan considered her abilities to be mediocre; naturally, she looked down on her.

"Manager Morgan, you came to see Professor Fumble, right?" Sophia asked, glancing up from her files as she sipped her tea, closing the tablet and eyeing Beau’s awkward expression.

"Mm." Beau Morgan replied, sheepish.

She was afraid Sophia would see through her reason for coming.

In fact, Sophia could see her motives plain as day.

Sophia Lowell smiled, opened WhatsApp on her tablet, and handed Beau a QR code.

"Work number," she said.

Beau Morgan paused. Work number?

She didn’t want to add it, but since it felt like today wasn’t a total loss, she forced herself to go through with it.

"You don’t know Professor Fumble." Sophia stated.

She still wanted to give Beau a chance—let her back off gracefully—and also appreciated Beau for loudly hyping up Professor Fumble’s reputation.

Beau Morgan looked uneasy, caught by Sophia, unsure whether to admit it.

"Professor Fumble doesn’t care. You can go now," said Sophia.

"How could you tell?" Beau Morgan was unconvinced, though she had no intention of showing anger; she was feigning calm.

Of course Sophia Lowell could tell.

"I’m very close with Professor Fumble." Sophia had repeated this countless times.

This made Beau Morgan start to suspect Sophia herself was Professor Fumble. If that were so, why was Sophia hiding it?

Sophia Lowell wasn’t stupid—if she let the mask slip, this 200,000-yuan design would be beset with trouble even before the pattern was cut.

Beau Morgan was exactly the type of person from the moment she was injured that Sophia had been on guard against.

Beau Morgan thought, If Professor Fumble was Sophia herself, she’d already be mocking me, but now she could sit calmly in front of me and say these things.

That meant she didn’t dare lose her temper—she couldn’t be Professor Fumble.

She was proud of her counterintelligence skills.

Sophia Lowell smiled and didn’t pour her another cup of tea.

Beau Morgan, reading the room, took her leave.

As soon as she was gone, Zane Sterling shifted positions and focused his gaze on Sophia. "Noisy."

Sophia poured him another cup of hot tea.

"Mr. Sterling, did you come to my shabby temple just to sleep?" she teased.

"Mm, I really did just want to sleep." he replied solemnly.

Zane picked up his phone, suddenly remembering something, and sent a message to Sophia’s secondary account.

Ding--

Sophia’s phone chimed.

Zane Sterling paused, staring at her phone sitting nearby.

WhatsApp notifications weren’t visible on her lock screen, but he could tell it was a WhatsApp message.

She picked it up by habit, saw Zane’s message sent to her alternate account, hurriedly set it to vibrate, then exited the chat.

So when Zane sent a second message, Sophia’s phone didn’t ring again.

For that split second, Zane thought she was Professor Fumble, but the phone didn’t ring a second time.

He dismissed that suspicion, too.