Chapter 498
Staring at the white jade necklace lying peacefully in the jewelry box, Sophia zoned out for a sec before her hand slowly reached for it. She picked it up with care.
The pendant glistened with a lustrous glow under the light, exquisite in its craftsmanship, unique in design, and made of a material not just any Joe could afford.
Back when Sophia was itching to track down her family, she tried to have it appraised at the jade market. The experts could tell what it was made of but couldn't pinpoint where it was circulated from or who had crafted it. So, chasing down its origins was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
That pretty much snuffed out her hope of finding her kin. It was around that time she bumped into Brandon again, got knocked up, and tied the knot with him. She poured all her energy into Brandon and her child. Her mind was set on living the good life with Brandon, so she didn't bother to hunt down her family tree anymore. After Theresa came along, the urge to search thinned out even more. Time was tight, and gradually, the necklace slipped her mind most days. She'd practically forgotten it existed.
It only came back to her in certain moments, like tonight at the DIY craft shop, when it popped into her head out of the blue.
Sophia wanted to incorporate the Jesus figure into a DIY necklace she was making for Brandon. Having survived alone in the frigid wilderness as a young girl, she figured maybe it was this necklace that had been her guardian angel all along.
She'd had pretty smooth sailing growing up, so she wanted to pass on this protective charm to Brandon.
But as cool as the necklace was, both its style and length were a no-go for a grown man - it screamed little boy's accessory. So, Sophia's game plan was to craft a mini version of the Jesus out of the same material and embed it into the necklace. Best of both worlds, right?
Sophia held the white jade necklace up to the light, brought it close to the wardrobe, and snapped a pic with her phone before putting it away, tucking the white jade back into its box.
That's when Brandon strolled in with Theresa, fresh from her bath.noveldrama
He'd just washed her hair and wrapped it in a towel. Passing by Sophia, he caught a glimpse of her stashing a jewelry box in the safe but didn't pry.
He had his stuff at home and only brought over personal documents - didn't need a safe for that.
He never snooped through it, same way Sophia didn't rifle through his belongings. Same deal with their phones.
Sophia never checked his phone; he never checked hers.
Without bringing it up, Sophia just glanced back at him and Theresa, asking, “All done with the bath?"
"Yep," Brandon replied, “just washed her hair."
"I'll blow dry it for her," Sophia offered, closing the safe and getting to her feet.
"No need, I got this. You do your thing," Brandon said, and seeing the safe door shut, he added, "What's with the safe? Something up?" "Nah," Sophia shook her head, "just grabbing some stuff."
Brandon nodded and let it be.
He plopped Theresa on the bed to dry her hair, skillfully wielding the blow dryer.
Theresa, enjoying her daddy's salon treatment, sat still as a statue.
Sophia didn't have a chance to chip in.
"I'll go take a shower then."
She whispered, leaving her phone on the vanity and heading out.
Theresa, bored while getting her thick, long hair dried, glanced at Sophia's phone on the vanity and couldn't resist reaching for it.
Brandon eyed her, reminding, "Theresa, remember our deal about not playing with phones?"
"Just for a sec," she mumbled, fumbling with the lock screen, clutching the phone as she carefully punched in the code.
She knew her mom's password, so the phone was unlocked in no time. But before she knew it, a large hand swooped in and swiped the phone from her grip.
She looked up to see Brandon's stern face. "You're too young for phones, remember?"
Seeing him so serious, Theresa pouted and nodded reluctantly, her eyes still longing for the phone in his hand. But Brandon was unmoved, placing the phone back where it belonged.
Theresa watched, not daring to reach for it again.
When Sophia came out of the shower, Theresa was still gazing forlornly at the phone.
"What's up?" Sophia asked, toweling off her damp hair as she approached.
"She wants to play with the phone," Brandon said, looking up.
Sophia crouched down. "Didn't we agree, no phones for you, Theresa?"
Theresa hesitated but nodded.
“And you promised not to touch anyone's phone without permission, right?" Sophia's gentle voice prodded.
Again, a hesitant nod from Theresa, and without another word from Sophia, she snuggled into her mom's embrace, whispering an apologetic, "Sorry, mommy," then turned to Brandon, her voice soft and pitiful, "Sorry, daddy."
Brandon's heart was a total mush, nearly whipped out his phone to hand it over for her to play with, but thankfully, he still had a shred of common sense. He knew full well the havoc screens wreak on kids' peepers, so he didn't let his soft spot take the wheel. Instead, he just tousled her dried hair a bit, the stern look on his handsome face melting away, voice turning all soft and fuzzy.
"It's okay."
"How about you go to sleep with mommy, and I will be busy for a bit, is that cool?" he gently asked.
Theresa nodded her head, no need for Sophia to sing her to sleep or anything - she hit the sack and was out like a light in no time.
After tucking her in, Sophia grabbed her phone, scrolled to the photo she snapped earlier, and shot it over to the jade carver, asking for a white jade Jesus to be crafted, and she gave the size specs too.
When Brandon stepped in after his shower, the first thing he saw was Sophia glued to her phone, busy as a bee.
"Aren't you hitting the hay?" he asked, making his way over to Sophia.
What do you think?
Total Responses: 0
If You Can Read This Book Lovers Novel Reading
Price: $43.99
Buy NowReading Cat Funny Book & Tea Lover
Price: $21.99
Buy NowCareful Or You'll End Up In My Novel T Shirt Novelty
Price: $39.99
Buy NowIt's A Good Day To Read A Book
Price: $21.99
Buy Now