After hearing what I said, Henry Adams walked over to Sophia and whispered a few words.
Taking his advice, Sophia got up and explained that she’d rather head home early to get some rest.
With her agreement, Henry pulled me aside and told me to take her home.
Since this had now become a legit task assigned by the Admin Manager, there was no reason to feel weird about it.
I was secretly thrilled—finally a chance to be alone with Sophia again.
Just picturing how alluring she looked earlier with that tipsy smile made my heart race.
I walked over to her and gently took her hand, helping her out of the private room.
Once outside, I relaxed a bit.
Honestly, I wasn’t trying to take advantage, but a tipsy person’s balance is just off, and somehow they always feel heavier.
I had to support her by wrapping one arm around her waist just to keep her steady.
While helping her out, my arm slipped under her side and accidentally brushed across her soft chest.
I wanted to pull away immediately, but I was scared she’d fall if I let go too quickly.
So I just held on, kind of awkwardly.
Luckily, she seemed a bit out of it and probably didn’t even notice.
It took quite some effort, but I finally got her to the car.
I opened the car door while keeping her steady.
Almost half her weight was leaning against me.
Just as I was about to help her into the car, she suddenly said, “Andrew, you’re such a troublemaker.”
I froze for a second—turns out she was more aware than I thought.
She knew it was me helping her out and had sensed my unintentional touch.
“Sophia, are you drunk?”
“I’m not.
Get in the car, take me home.
I’m really wiped out.”
“Sorry about just now. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
I didn’t mean to touch you.”
“Dummy.” She gave me a charming smile.
That smile—hazy from the drinks, soft under the night lights—made her look even more beautiful and irresistible.
Sophia climbed into the backseat on her own and leaned back against the seat.
“Didn’t expect you to hold your liquor that well, Sophia,” I said softly as I started driving, soaking up the rare, cozy vibe.
“Andrew, play some music.”
“What do you wanna hear?”
“Do you know that song ‘Your Tenderness, I’ll Never Understand’?””I’ve heard it before.
Didn’t expect you to like it too, that’s one of my favorites,” I smiled as I turned on the music in the car.
“I’ll never understand your tenderness, I can never see you clearly…” The lyrics echoed softly through the night.
Somehow, it felt like the song was peeling back the layers of my heart.
Was her tenderness something I’d never be able to understand?
“Andrew, you know what?
Sometimes I just wish I could go back, like…
a few years ago.
Running a business all these years—it’s exhausting.
If I hadn’t taken this path, maybe I’d be like most women, married, soft-spoken, waiting at home to lean into my husband’s arms every night, act a little spoiled.”
Sophia’s voice carried that kind of tiredness that doesn’t show in her face anymore, only slips through in quiet moments like this.
I could feel that kind of void in her words—the kind that needs more than just success to fill.
Maybe what she wants isn’t much.
Maybe just someone with a warm embrace when the whole world feels cold.
it hit me hard.
I just wanted to pull her into my arms, keep her close, like I could shield her from every bit of that weariness.
“You don’t have to carry it all alone, you’ve still got me here.”
“I know.
But life doesn’t always leave room for comfort.
You just…
deal with it.”
“Well, I’m here for you.
Once we get home, I’ll help you wash up, maybe give you a little shoulder rub too.”
“Andrew, hearing you say that…
really, it warms me.
But we can’t keep going down this road.
You know we can’t.
If this stretches too far, it’ll mess with your life, and I don’t want that.”
“I know what you’re worried about, I do.
But I just—really want to be someone there for you.
That’s how I feel.”
“That means more than you know.” Sophia gently pointed out the direction as we drove.
I took it slow on purpose, letting her rest, dragging out the ride from Voxstar Lounge to her place—it took us almost forty minutes.
Her home was spacious and carefully decorated.
The layout, the color palette, everything showed the taste of a woman who not only valued style but also knew how to enjoy the little luxuries of life.
I helped her over to the couch and went to get some warm water for her to wash her face.
“Any woman that ends up with you is lucky.”
“I told you—once we’re home, I’ve got your back.”
She sat quietly while I stood in front, dabbing her face with a warm towel, gentle and slow.
And yeah, it’s dumb, but standing this close, it was hard not to notice…
well, things.
Sophia was in a fitted white blouse, and when I leaned forward, I caught a glimpse from that slightly open collar—her smooth, pale skin tucked inside a sleek black lace bra.