It had been a long time since Emily Allen had been home, as she had been practically living on set, so she was unaware of the change her father had undergone.
On the couch, Mia Stewart was talking about their father, causing Emily to choke up, but she did not forget the purpose of her visit, a good opportunity for their family to turn things around.
Mia held Emily’s hand and asked, "By the way, you said you came back today to talk to your father about something. What’s it about?"
Emily paused for a moment, gestured Mia to lean in, and whispered, "Charlotte Thompson is Sophie Allen. Ryan Richard told me."
Emily told her mother the news, but Mia showed no signs of surprise, she just nodded quietly, prompting Emily to ask: "Aren’t you surprised? Or did you know it early on?"
Mia didn’t kept it from her anymore and said bluntly, "Your father recognized it long ago."
Emily was stunned. How could it be? Ryan managed to figure it out, turning over every detail meticulously. Her father, Ethan Allen, also caught on quickly, yet she struggled to see the connection between Charlotte Thompson and Sophie Allen.
Mia Stewart noticed her surprise, sighed, and recalled: "When your dad first saw that person named Charlotte Thompson on TV, he initially just thought she was familiar. But the more he watched, the more she reminded him of Sophie. You know what happened next?"
Having teased out half of the story like a guessing game, Mia waited for Emily to catch up, who could only nod her head in order to indicate that she was following along.
Mia continued: "Then Justin Battleson publicly announced his former wife, who turned out to be Charlotte Thompson! Justin has had only one former wife, and that’s Sophie. So, your father confirmed his hypothesis, Charlotte Thompson is Sophie Allen."
Emily was utterly stunned by the news.
When Ryan told her that Charlotte was Sophie, she thought it was a coincidence. She hadn’t imagined that there would be so much meaning behind it. Google seaʀᴄh novel_fіre.net
In a timely manner, Ethan Allen descended from upstairs. His footsteps seemed like they could dent the floor.
Without a word, Emily Allen and Mia Stewart turned their gazes upward to see Ethan wobbling down the stairs. Mia hurried over to assist him.
He was impatient, a cigarette clutched in his mouth, "Where’s Emily Allen? what does she want with me?"
Mia held onto him and gestured in Emily’s direction, "There she is, slow down."
Ethan stumbled, not fully sober, while Emily just stood there, transfixed on him.
Up close, Ethan eventually collapsed on the couch, slouched over, devoid of his usual decorum.
"Speak up, what’s on your mind?"
Emily hesitated but got straight to the point: "Since you already knew that Charlotte Thompson is Sophie Allen, why haven’t you asked her for money?"
Upon hearing these words, Ethan seem to sober up a bit, shaking his head, "I won’t."
Emily shot up from the couch, "Why won’t you? Look at the state of our home, do you think she’d refuse to help?"
Emily couldn’t understand why, but she had the feeling that Ethan has become wary of Sophie. Could it be that he was afraid of her current power?
Emily wasn’t going to let it go, grasping onto Ethan and insisting sternly, "Regardless of Sophie Allen being Charlotte Thompson now or whatever, you’re Sophie’s biological father! What’s wrong with asking her for money? If she doesn’t want any further drama, she can pay a settlement."