Too Late She Already Married Mr. Right (Sophia) novel Chapter 170

Chapter 170

Sophia looked at the man in front of her, thinking, ‘So this is what social suicide feels like, huh?‘

She hurried to her feet.

But she moved too suddenly, and with the flimsy stool barely holding her up, she lost her balance and toppled sideways.

Just as she was about to faceplant, a pair of strong hands wrapped around her waist and hauled her back.

Her chest collided with his rock–hard muscles, and she winced, ‘Ow, why does it feel like my boobs are on

fire?‘

She clutched her chest, letting out a muffled groan of pain.

It was early summer, and the thin fabric of Sophia’s clothes did little to protect her when she bumped right into Richard, who was only wearing a black shirt.

The soft sensation pressed against his chest, and for a split second, heat flared inside him.

He quickly let go of Sophia and stepped back, a faint blush creeping onto his usually cool, handsome face.

“S–sorry, are you okay?” he stammered.

Sophia was having a mental meltdown. ‘Seriously, shouldn’t I be the one saying sorry? Look what you’ve done, Annabelle!‘

She gave Annabelle a look that could kill.

Annabelle realized she’d just created a whole new disaster. She never imagined Richard would show up again right at this awkward moment.

“Uh… I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll just go… help,” she said, practically shoving Sophia toward Richard before making the fastest getaway she’d ever managed.

“Annabelle!” Sophia practically burst out, her voice cracking. She was officially losing it.

Annabelle had basically forced her to blurt out all that humiliating stuff, and now that Richard had heard every word, she just left her here to drown in secondhand embarrassment.

Some best friend you are, Sophia griped to herself.

Annabelle slapped both hands over her ears and took off like the wind. ‘If I can’t hear it, it didn’t happen!‘ she told herself as she sprinted away.

Sophia pinched the bridge of her nose, and after what felt like forever, she finally mustered up the courage to look at Richard.

“I–I kind of freaked out just now, Mr. Sterling, so…. maybe just ignore everything I said,” she stammered,

secretly wishing she could vanish from embarrassment.

Richard had to bite back a laugh. “It’s fine. If you ask me, you really are more than worthy of me.”

Sophia nearly did a spit–take with her milk, coughing in surprise. She slapped a hand over her mouth and forced herself to swallow it down, desperate not to embarrass herself in front of him.

“Wow, Mr. Sterling, since when did you start cracking jokes?” she teased, trying to play it cool.

Richard bent down, picked up the milk and bread from the floor, and handed her the milk. “Looks like you really love this brand. Get some extra calcium–you might need it.”

Sophia just stared blankly, lost for words.

He probably wanted to say it’s good for my brain,‘ she thought, rolling her eyes in embarrassment.

Honestly, she’d been out of line, making up stuff about him behind his back. She felt a wave of regret–she really should’ve known better.

She eyed the milk he handed her, hesitating for a second. “I’ve already had one, really. Why don’t you take it?” she said.

Richard noticed how she’d switched back to that formal tone–yep, she was still embarrassed about the whole mess earlier.

He leaned closer, gently took her wrist, and placed the milk firmly in her hand.

“Drink it. Stop acting so distant with me,” he said.

Sophia lowered her gaze, her eyes lingering on his large hand clasped around her wrist–his knuckles were well–defined, his grip both powerful and unexpectedly graceful.

She quickly pulled her hand back, searching for anything to break the awkward silence. “Mr. Sterling, have you ever had to settle for such a basic dinner before?”

Richard bent down and gently fixed the toppled stool, giving her a soft nod to let her know she could sit.

Sophia sat down as instructed, and Richard pulled another little stool over, sitting close, shoulder to shoulder with her.

The sky was slowly darkening, and once night fell, the search and rescue efforts would get a whole lot tougher.

Richard said, “Back when I was studying abroad, things got so tight that I had to make do with just tap water sometimes.”

Sophia stared at him in disbelief. “Wait, seriously?”

The Sterling family is like old–school royalty–his father even fought in the war. No way Richard ever had it that rough, right?‘ Sophia thought, totally thrown for a loop.

Richard caught the look on her face and knew she wasn’t buying it. He let out a crooked grin. “You don’t

believe me, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m not exactly convinced,” Sophia shot back, raising

an

eyebrow.