Chapter 616 - Crazy season

Sophia and Felix are having lunch in the dining room.

Felix is scrutinizing lavish array of dishes in front of them.

"You don't look happy.", Sophia observed. "These are tasty… try this." Sophia hovered piece of potato on her fork in front of his mouth.

"Secret is in the sauce…", she was doing her best to convince him to try.

This is the fourth chef who came to prepare dishes for them. They hired almost all staff for their house, but Felix was unusually picky when it came to select a cook.

He reluctantly opened his mouth and accepted her offering.

Sophia observed him expectantly, but his expression didn't reveal much, so she decided to point out good things: "It's just right… not too soft and not too crunchy, and a bit salty and a bit sweet, and you can taste the herbs… do you agree?"

Seeing that he swallowed and frowned Sophia lost her patience. "Why are you this difficult? Food is good. It was good from previous chefs as well… What are you expecting exactly?"

"I think it can be better."

"Better? What is better?"

"This is not good enough… you deserve best." Felix mumbled.

"Mr. Martin, why do I have a feeling that you don't want to let others cook for me?"

Felix avoided her gaze.

"I'm right! Oh, Felix, sweetheart… we need a cook, or we will end up eating in restaurants. I love your cooking, but I don't want you to be stuck in the kitchen all the time…" Sophia moved and sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

She kissed him on the cheek and spoke in the sweetest voice: "When I married you, I was going for a husband, not for a cook. Your masterful skills are better utilized in the bedroom than in the kitchen…"

Felix was not able to suppress the grin which bloomed on his face.

Seeing that his mood (definitely) improved, Sophia went back to the topic of hiring a chef. "How about a compromise? We can have this chef come only on some days. What do you say?"

They compromised that chef will come on weekdays to make dinner, so Felix can do his cooking magic on weekend.

Felix got a phone call from Bridgette.

Sophia watched as his expression fell and he paled while listening to Bridgette without saying a word. She could tell that it's nothing good and she got anxious.

"Are you sure you are OK?", Felix asked in a hoarse voice while clutching the phone in his hand.

Only then he noticed that Sophia is tugging on his arm asking him what is going on.

He switched the call to go to speaker and Sophia could hear Bridgette: "…fine now, no need to worry. It was just one night in a hospital for observation… Don't worry. OK? I only wanted you to know, not to worry you… Are you still there?"

"Yes.", Felix responded.

"Why were you in the hospital?", Sophia asked.

"Oh, hi Sophia… I didn't know you are listening as well. There was an incident yesterday and I ended up in the hospital." Bridgette didn't want to talk about JoAnna's kidnapping. She will leave that to JoAnna. She only wanted to let Felix know that she spent previous night in the hospital and that she is OK now.

But Bridgette misjudged Sophia who could immediately tell that Bridgette is hiding something.

"What kind of an incident?"

"I got hit in the head."

"Hit in the head? You were attacked? Hard enough that it requires you to stay overnight in the hospital?" Sophia thought that this can't be simple… she knows that JoAnna and Bridgette are together and followed by bodyguards. "What about Anna? Is she OK?"

"Yes, yes. Anna is fine. She is in the hospital. WORKING! She is working in the hospital. Today…"

Bridgette's clumsy response only confirmed that she is hiding something.

Sophia was losing her patience. "Bridgette… What are you hiding? How exactly did you hurt your head?"

Bridgette realized that Sophia is onto her and only options available are to come up with a lie or to tell the truth. She took a deep breath and spoke timidly: "Yesterday… we were attacked and… Anna was kidnapped."

"WHY WERE YOU HIDING THIS?", Sophia roared.

"Everything is fine now…" Bridgette quickly spoke. "Jeff, Sarah and Aiden saved Anna, and she was not hurt."

"Details!", Sophia demanded.

"I really don't know more than this. They knocked me out and when I woke up, Steve was next to me in the hospital. Only later I found out that kidnappers took Anna and left me behind."

Sophia grabbed her phone and stepped out, leaving Felix to finish his talk with Bridgette.

She called JoAnna. Sophia thought she will lose her mind when phone rang all the way until it reached voicemail three times.

Sophia decided to call Sarah.

Sarah answered after few rings with a nasal voice.

"Are you crying?", Sophia immediately asked.

Sarah was not successful in suppressing her sniffles. She was sitting in Aiden's lap and they just finished their talk about not separating.

"Yes.", Sarah admitted. There is no point in hiding, Sophia heard her.

"Why are you crying?"

Sarah thought for a second how to respond… she remembered why she is crying, and she was upset that Aiden wanted them to separate. Sarah decided that it's time for her to get some sisterly support in scolding him for having such ideas. Besides, she will not lie.

"I'm crying because Aiden told me that it's best if I leave him…"

Aiden looked at Sarah in disbelief.

Sophia was shocked to hear Sarah's words. "What?!! Where is he?"

"Here…"

"Put me on speaker!", Sophia demanded.

Sarah tapped her phone. "You are on speaker…"

"Aiden?" Sophia's stern voice came from the speaker.

Aiden felt danger seeping from the phone Sarah was holding. "Yes…"

"YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU MAKE MY BABY SISTER CRY?!" Sophia roared.

Aiden was not sure how to respond. He felt wronged. But at the same time, that was the truth… he told Sarah to leave and that made her cry.

"What exactly are you thinking?!!", Sophia continued. "You just got engaged, and you already want to break up? What kind of a man are you? … I know you love each other, and I don't know what happened, but whatever it is, you need to work it out, together. How can you give up on her so easily?"

Sophia paused to take a breath and Aiden used this chance to defend himself: "I don't want to break up with her… I was just concerned that she will be hurt."

Sophia stopped talking and analyzed what he said. She didn't miss that he spoke in past tense which means that he changed his mind.

"You are worried that Sarah will get hurt? She is used to physical damage. But if you push her away, no matter how good your intentions are, you will give her an injury that can't be fixed with ointments, stitches and bandages. Aiden, the world is not a kind place, and a lot of people will make Sarah cry. Don't be one of them. Sarah is not weak, but she needs your support and you can give it only if you are by her side."

Sarah felt Aiden's hold on her tighten. She closed her eyes and emotions gushed from her in the form of another flood of tears because of Sophia's words. "Thank you, big sis."

"Don't thank me! What is going on there? Did you enter a crazy season? Few days I don't hear from you, and today I found out that Bridgette ended up in a hospital, Anna got kidnapped, Aiden wants you two to split up, and you are crying…" Sophia exhaled sharply, trying to release some of her built up frustration.

"It's a mess…", Sarah didn't know how else to explain.

"Video call… tonight, when Anna is done with her shift in the hospital!", Sophia demanded.