I packed a few changes of clothes and left again. Less than a week later, I saw Sophia waiting outside my office building. She looked utterly exhausted.
Makes sense – the calmer I acted, the more anxious she would become.
We went to a cafe where I ordered her a glass of milk. “Olivia, Alexander came home yesterday. He kicked me and my parents out,” Sophia said.
That was unexpected. Given Alexander’s personality, I thought he would just ignore the situation at most.
“Olivia, I’ll give you the house, but you have to divorce Alexander, Sophia continued.
“It’s not giving, it’s returning what’s rightfully mine, I corrected her.
“As soon as you divorce him, we’ll transfer the house to you immediately.”
I smiled. “Sophia, there’s one thing you don’t seem to understand. You’re the one asking for my help here. When you return the house to me, then we can discuss other matters.”
“Oh, and if I accidentally let slip everything you’ve done, I hope you won’t blame me. Though I suppose your parents will just have to give up bragging about their proud daughter while playing mahjong or dancing in the square.”
I don’t know what methods Sophia used, but three days later I was notified to come sign the property transfer papers.
My greedy aunt and uncle must have calculated that what Sophia would gain by marrying Alexander far outweighed one house.
After completing the transfer, my aunt and uncle dropped their polite act. They ordered me to hurry up and get divorced, or else.
“You have two days to clear out all your stuff from the house. Otherwise I’ll throw it all away,” my uncle said aggressively.
My aunt exploded, “Where are we supposed to live then?”
<
So they were planning to keep living in the house. “After the divorce, I’ll be living there myself. Unless you think we can all live together under one roof?” I said. “I don’t mind, but I’m not sure if Sophia would be comfortable with that arrangement.”
I pulled Sophia aside. “You should know that I don’t control whether the divorce happens or not. Think about what leverage you have besides the baby.” I pretended to ponder for a moment, glancing meaningfully at her parents. “Some people think reputation is worthless, but for others, don’t you think it’s quite valuable?”
I had said enough. With Sophia’s intelligence, she should understand my meaning.
I deliberately involved my aunt and uncle not just to get the house back. Some people can only be dealt with by fighting fire with fire – especially fake people.
8
After Sophia and her family left, I moved back home. But Alexander still hadn’t returned. I didn’t bother him – his time was better spent elsewhere.
I found out that after I gave Sophia that hint, her family had been constantly ambushing Alexander at the university. Coworkers were starting 10 ask me what was going on.
