21. Are you a Sugar mommy??
Adrian's Pov:
Sophia continued talking to Lily in that soft, playful voice that made Lily smile.
"You know what, baby? Mommy went to several offices today for interviews."
Lily tilted her head.
"What are interviews, Mommy?"
Sophia replied patiently,
"They are like oral tests for jobs."
Lily made a thoughtful sound.
"Ohhh. So how did your tests go?"
Sophia laughed softly.
"The tests went well, baby. But Mommy got very tired."
Lily's little face turned concerned.
"Mommy, are you too tired? Did I disturb you?"
Sophia's voice softened instantly.
"No, baby. You can never disturb me. I am never too tired for you."
Lily's eyes brightened.
"Really, Mommy?"
"Yes, baby," Sophia said warmly. "Now should I continue what happened today?"
"Yes, yes!"
Sophia laughed.
"After returning from the interviews, when Mommy reached Aunt June's apartment, I realized I had lost the keys."
Lily gasped dramatically.
"Oh no!"
I smiled faintly hearing her.
Sophia continued,
"So I took out my phone to call June, and I saw it only had one percent battery left."
Lily put her hand on her forehead.
"Oh God, Mommy."
Sophia laughed.
"But your mommy is too talented. Instead of calling June properly, I accidentally made a group call."
Lily burst into laughter.
"Oh my God, Mommy!"
Sophia's voice turned sheepish.
"And before anyone could say anything, I started ranting like crazy."
Lily giggled harder.
"That's so embarrassing!"
Sophia laughed too.
"I know!"
Then Lily asked curiously,
"Who was on the group call?"
Sophia replied,
"June... and Oliver."
"Who is Oliver?" Lily asked.
Sophia answered casually,
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I made a new friend yesterday. He was in my college too."
My grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.
Oliver Sinclair.
I knew him.
Our companies were working on a project together.
Lily asked,
"What happened next, Mommy?"
Sophia sighed dramatically.
"What else? My phone switched off."
Lily groaned.
"Uff, Mommy."
Sophia laughed.
"So Aunt June asked Oliver to come help me."
Lily asked,
"So are you still outside Aunt June's house?"
"No, baby," Sophia replied. "Right now I'm at Uncle Oliver's house."
Something about hearing those words made me uncomfortable.
Sophia continued,
"Aunt June had a meeting, and I was very tired. My phone was dead, so I couldn't even book a cab."
Lily said innocently,
"Mommy, you could have walked home."
Sophia went silent for a second.
Then she laughed softly.
"Well... actually your mommy made one more mistake today."
"What happened?" Lily asked.
Sophia sighed.
"I decided to walk from one interview office to Aunt June's apartment in heels."
Lily gasped.
"For how long?"
"For about forty-five minutes."
Lily's eyes widened.
"Oh my God! Mommy, are your feet okay?"
Before Sophia could reply, another voice came through the phone.
A male voice.
Oliver's voice.
"What? You walked forty-five minutes in those heels?"
Sophia sounded startled.
"Since when have you been standing there?"
"Since the part where you said the group call was embarrassing," he replied lightly.
"You should have knocked!"
"I did. Twice."
Sophia asked,
" what happened?"
Oliver answered,
"I came to ask if you wanted to come downstairs for snacks, but since you apparently walked like a warrior queen for forty-five minutes in heels, I think I should bring painkillers and snacks upstairs."
Sophia replied quickly,
"Oh no, no, I can come downstairs."
Oliver chuckled.
"Relax. I'll bring them to you."
Sophia's voice softened.
"Thank you so much, Oliver."
Then Oliver laughed.
"Only thank you? First tell me-are you a sugar mommy?"
Sophia laughed in confusion.
"What?"
He said,
"You keep saying 'Mommy, Mommy' on the phone, so I thought maybe you're a sugar mommy."
Sophia laughed.
"No, she is my daughter."
Oliver paused.
"Oh. Then you must have a sugar daddy."
Sophia laughed harder.
"What?"
Oliver said awkwardly,
"Well... if she calls you Mommy, then I thought maybe his daughter and your stepdaughter is calling you that."
Sophia laughed.
"No, she's my real daughter. She's five."
There was a moment of silence.
Then Oliver said,
"Wait... what? You have a five-year-old daughter?"
"Yes," Sophia said, amused.
Oliver sounded genuinely shocked.
"But you don't look like you could have a five-year-old. You look... what... twenty-two?"
Sophia laughed.
"You are so funny, Oliver."
It was a real laugh.
Light.
Natural.
Free.
I sat there listening to her laugh-
and something twisted inside me.
I couldn't remember the last time I had heard her laugh like that.
Not with me.
Not in years.
Then Sophia said,
"Hello? Lily, are you still there?"
Lily giggled.
"Yes, Mommy."
Sophia smiled through her voice.
"Baby, I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Okay, Mommy. Bye!"
"Bye, sweetheart."
The call ended.
Silence filled the car.
Lily was smiling after the call.
But I sat there gripping the steering wheel, unable to move.
I didn't know what I was feeling.
But I knew one thing-
he had noticed her swollen feet.
He had brought her snacks.
He had made her laugh.
Simple things.
Things I had never done.
And for the first time, hearing another man care for Sophia-
made something inside me burn. Though I knew he was just helping her. He was just being nice.
I had no right to feel that way.
I was the one who pushed her away.
I was the one who let another woman come between us.
But the thought of Sophia smiling like that because of someone else-
it made my chest tighten.
For the first time since she left-
I felt jealous.
Sooo... Oliver Sinclair has officially entered the story.??
And I need to know-
What do you all think about Oliver so far?
Do you like his vibe?
Do you trust him?
Do you think he might become the man Sophia truly deserves?
Or...
Is someone still rooting for Adrian despite everything?
Because things are about to get very interesting from here on.
Oliver's entry is going to change a lot-
for Sophia,
for Adrian,
and for this whole story.
And let's be honest...
Adrian hearing Sophia laugh with another man for the first time?
That was just the beginning.?? We'll make him more jealous ????
So tell me in the comments-
Team Oliver or Team Adrian?
And do you want Oliver to become a real second lead with strong chemistry with Sophia?
I'm reading all your comments, so let me know what you want to see next!