Sophia craned her neck and saw three photos showing two women and one man respectively. The man looked bright, gallant, and heroic in military uniform. One of the two ladies was also dressed in military uniform, whereas the other was gorgeously dressed. That woman happened to be Elizabeth, who was Michael’s mother and the only person Sophia could identify out of the three.
Sophia still knew nothing about Michael’s family background; she only knew that he was Nathan’s uncle and that Elizabeth was his mother, but she didn’t know who his father was. Michael probably had a sister who gave birth to Nathan, but Sophia didn’t know who she was as well.
Hale had once told her that she mustn’t ask about Michael and Nathan’s family background; it was an absolute taboo in this house. Therefore, Sophia had always refrained from asking questions regarding this subject.
If her guess was right, the three photos displayed on the table right now must be Michael’s parents and his sister.
Sophia thought that Michael’s father must have loved his wife very, very deeply. After all, not every man was willing to let his spouse name their son after her maiden name.
Marrying a p*rnstar must have been very difficult at that time—let alone for a military family like the Fletchers…
Michael spent the entire afternoon drinking like a fish in the living room all by himself.
The family of three had their reunion dinner that evening before watching the snow from the enclosed balcony suspended from the rooftop. Fireworks were on display in the night sky, celebrating the countdown to the new year in Bayside City that night. Sophia had her binoculars ready to watch the fireworks while watching the New Year Dinner Gala on TV to relieve her boredom.
Watching the New Year Dinner Gala on TV was boring, but it had—like the reunion dinner—become a yearly tradition. The Dinner Gala’s program this year was still as uninteresting as always; if her Lord hadn’t been sitting by her side, Sophia would have fallen asleep a long time ago.
It was still hours before the countdown when Michael suddenly stood up and put on his clothes. He left home and said, “I’m going out to take care of something, but I’ll be back before the countdown.”
Shortly after that, Sophia heard the sound of a car starting up coming from downstairs; Michael had left in his SUV.
What could he have possibly planned during the New Year? Is he going to meet his lover? Sophia thought to herself. Yeah, now that he has so many lovers, he may not even come back tonight. If it weren’t for the fact that Nathan is still in this house, he probably wouldn’t even come home—let alone celebrate the New Year with me.
As she thought about it, Sophia felt as though all the fireworks in Bayside City had faded into insignificance. All the wonderful things in this world paled in comparison to the moment Michael looked back at her with a smile. However, she knew that she would never be the only person he smiled at.
Now that her Lord was gone, Sophia could no longer keep her spirits up. Feeling drowsy, she sank into the large, round sofa on the balcony while Nathan quietly dug up his Bitcoins at one side.
Suddenly, a voice brimming with passion came out of nowhere as it said, “Now, Taylor and Ethan will bring us a song named ‘Dilemma’!”
“Where is he? Where is he?” asked Sophia. Waking up with a start, she looked to her left and right but did not see Michael at all. As it turned out, the voice was coming from the television.
Moving closer to the TV screen, she was surprised to see Michael—who had been talking to her just an hour ago—appearing at the New Year Dinner Gala at that very moment. Not only that, he was also singing on stage with Ethan while dressed in stylish clothes!
As the music began, his heavenly singing voice flowed out of the ultra-thin TV. “Having written his name on my left hand and the word ‘Love’ on my right, I clasp my hands together as a vague sorrow overwhelms me. How is my decision going to hurt…”
Sophia had to rub her eyes twice before convincing herself that the person singing on stage was undoubtedly Michael.
Not only was Michael good at opera singing and acting in movies, he was also a first-class singer. He was familiar with different styles of singing such as classical and popular singing.
Moreover, he sang in a unique and deep voice; not only was it rich and attractive, it was also very intoxicating to the ears!
Sophia and Nathan moved even closer to the TV to take a closer look at Michael, who looked devastatingly handsome on the high-definition screen. She muttered to herself, “The New Year Dinner Gala is actually pre-recorded. Hmph! He’s been lying to me for so many years!”
Another hour had passed before Michael came home at last. The clock struck half-past eleven when he came back; Sophia and Nathan were snuggled together in a blanket, watching TV as they waited for him to come back for the countdown.
“You’re back, hubby,” said a pleasantly surprised Sophia upon seeing his return.
“Yeah, I’m back,” responded Michael as he took off his overcoat before walking by stark-naked in front of Sophia without the slightest care about his image as a celebrity. After a while, he came out dressed in a pair of Pikachu-themed family pajamas that matched the one Nathan wore.
Having changed into his pajamas, he came over and wrapped his arms around Sophia and Nathan. He then said, “I just sang a song at the New Year Dinner Gala, but it dragged on for a little while. I won’t be attending it next year.”
Sophia was totally speechless. It is the New Year Dinner Gala that you’re talking about! Should you talk about it so nonchalantly? Alright, I guess the New Year Dinner Gala isn’t pre-recorded at all.
The family of three continued to stay up while watching the fireworks.
At last, the emcees could be heard counting down to the New Year on TV as they announced excitedly, “Five—four—three—two—one—Happy New Year!”
When the countdown ended, numerous dazzling fireworks suddenly shot up to the previously quiet night sky, illuminating the entire Bayside City.
Sophia stared up at the spectacular fireworks display. Bursts of lights in different colors exploded in her eyes, reflecting the fireworks’ brightness from time to time. This was the first time Sophia had ever seen such a beautiful display of fireworks; it was as though showers of neon were pouring over the earth, filling the entire winter with awe.
Sophia leaned her head against the shoulder of the man beside her, who then placed his large hand on her shoulder. The atmosphere between them was pleasant, sweet, and romantic as they cuddled together while watching the fireworks.
The fireworks kept going off one after another. It was a tradition for the people of Cethos to stay up late that night, so the fireworks display would probably go on until dawn.
Staring at the fireworks, Sophia felt like she had never been as happy as she was right now. She sincerely wished that this moment could stop forever so that the person she cherished the most would always stay by her side.
Glancing at the fireworks, she made her New Year’s wish before looking up to see Michael next to her. He seemed to have no idea that Sophia was peeping at him as he stared intently at the fireworks.
Sophia could see Michael’s perfectly-outlined jaw and loosely-closed thin lips from her angle; he seemed to exist for the sole purpose of seducing people. Despite wearing an awkward Pikachu-themed pajama piece, he still gave off the scent of a spring prairie, arousing libido—nay, passion—in everyone around him.
Staring at his tender and attractive lips, Sophia suddenly had a bold idea. She wanted to kiss her Lord on the lips, but how could she kiss him as she pleased? What if her Lord got angry after she kissed him?
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