"Oh for god's sake, I can't take it anymore! Let me tear into him!"
Lynn Preston's face flushed with anger at whatever she'd just seen. She snatched Sonia Quincy's phone and began furiously tapping away at the screen.
Sonia Quincy tilted her head and leaned in to look, a wide grin on her face and not a hint of malice in sight.
Felix Preston stared, a little stunned. He only came back to his senses when Mrs. Preston walked over and sat down beside him.
"Mom," he said, putting his phone away.
Mrs. Preston nodded and smiled as she watched Sonia, remarking with a sigh, "I truly never imagined that Sonia would still be willing to stay with us, especially with the family in this situation."
Felix Preston let out a soft sigh, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "I didn't expect it either. Sonia Quincy's change came so suddenly, I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around it."
"It's a good thing she's willing to change." Mrs. Preston didn't overthink it. "As long as Sonia is sincere, we're still family. Felix, Sonia is pregnant now, which is very taxing on the body. Even if you're busy with work, you have to remember to show her more care, do you understand?"
Looking at Sonia Quincy's radiant smile, Felix Preston answered with conviction, "I know. Sonia Quincy is my wife. If she's willing to genuinely change, then I'll naturally be genuine with her in return."
"Good," Mrs. Preston said, gratified.
"Oh, and Felix, I'm planning on selling this house."
"Sell it?"
Felix Preston and Lynn Preston exclaimed at the same time.
Hearing this, Sonia Quincy turned to look at Mrs. Preston, her expression bewildered.
"Mom, why are you selling the house?" Felix Preston asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Mrs. Preston looked at her two children and said casually, "To get money, of course. I had an agent appraise it, and they said I can get at least three and a half million for it. So I'm going to sell it and use the money to buy a smaller house."
"That way, I'll have extra money to support your new venture, and you and Sonia won't have to live in such a shabby rental apartment."
"Mom, you don't have to do that." Sonia Quincy spoke up before Felix Preston had a chance.
She got up from the sofa and sat down next to Mrs. Preston, her tone serious and earnest. "Felix and I have money—over a million. It's more than enough for Felix to start his business. You don't need to sell the house."
"Over a million?" Mrs. Preston still didn't know that Sonia Quincy had sold her things. "Where did you get over a million? I thought Felix only had a few tens of thousands left?"
Felix Preston answered for Sonia Quincy. "Sonia Quincy sold all her luxury goods. She made almost a million, and she gave it all to me."
"What?" Mrs. Preston was stunned and found it hard to believe. "Sonia, you… you sold all of your things?"
"She sold them," Lynn Preston confirmed from the other end of the sofa, backing Sonia Quincy up. "I'm helping her reply to customer messages as we speak. I just closed two more deals."
"Sonia, you..." Mrs. Preston never in a million years thought Sonia Quincy would do something like this for Felix Preston. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
Sonia Quincy just smiled, saying nonchalantly, "Mom, I'm Felix's wife. Isn't it my duty to find a way to earn money and support his business? Felix is extremely capable. Making a comeback will be no problem for him. You believe in him, and I believe in him."
Mrs. Preston's eyes grew moist, and she was too moved to speak.
Sonia Quincy grabbed a tissue from the table and carefully wiped Mrs. Preston's tears. "Mom, I'm not as picky as I used to be. I'm perfectly fine living in that small rental; there's no need to move. You bought this house with your own money. It's very meaningful, you can't just sell it."
"Besides, I'm also looking for a job and trying to figure out how to make money. You don't have to worry about Felix and me."
Mrs. Preston shook her head. "You are both my children, how could I not worry? Especially you, since you're pregnant right now."
"I've been through this before; I know how much it costs to raise a child. I have to get this money ready for you two, so you can have as little to worry about as possible."
"Mom, I can get the money myself." Felix Preston held Mrs. Preston's hand, a bitter feeling churning in his stomach.
"I'm only down on my luck temporarily, not permanently. I definitely won't let my wife and child suffer alongside me for too long. To help me cover the losses, you've already sold all of your jewelry and even forced yourself to go out looking for work."
"You've done more than enough for me. I can't let you sell the house on top of everything else."
"No." Mrs. Preston was resolute, unwavering no matter what Felix said. "I've already had the agent list the house. The moment I get an offer, I'm selling. Felix, you are my son, and I will help you no matter what. You and Sonia can stop trying to persuade me. I've already all but picked out a new house."
"Mom..." Any other words Felix Preston might have said were instantly choked back.
Mrs. Preston had always been a woman of her word; once she decided on something, no one could persuade her otherwise. Her saying the house was already listed with an agent most likely meant a sale was not far off.
"Brother, there's no point in trying to convince her," Lynn Preston chimed in, still leaning on the sofa and replying to messages for Sonia Quincy. "You know how Mom is; ten of you couldn't change her mind. She and I went to see the new house a couple of days ago. It's actually pretty nice. Besides being small, it has no other drawbacks."
"..." Felix Preston said nothing, his brow tightly furrowed.
Mrs. Preston smiled and patted his shoulder. "Alright, it's just selling a house, no need to be so gloomy. That other place may be a bit small, but it's big enough for our family. When the time comes, if Sonia doesn't mind it being crowded, she and Felix can move back in. We can all live together as a family."
"Okay," Sonia Quincy agreed instantly.
Felix Preston was silent, his face grim. After a long pause, he looked up at Mrs. Preston. "Mom, when I get back on my feet, I'll buy this house back."
Mrs. Preston: "I know you will. I believe in you."
...
Sonia Quincy and Felix Preston didn't stay for much longer. Around five in the afternoon, they returned to their own rental apartment, carrying the things Mrs. Preston had given them.
Felix Preston didn't even have time for a sip of water after getting home. He just grabbed some files and prepared to head out again.
"Sonia Quincy, I'm going out for a bit. I might be back very late, so go ahead and eat without me. You don't have to wait up."
Sonia Quincy saw him to the door. "Got it. Drive safe."
Felix Preston gave a quiet "mm-hm" and turned to leave.
But after taking just two steps, he suddenly turned back.
"If you need anything, give me a call."
Sonia Quincy didn't understand why he had added that, but she still agreed. "Okay."
Felix Preston left, and didn't return for the entire night.
Sonia Quincy had assumed he was busy with work. She called him once, and after confirming he was safe, she didn't bother him again. The next morning, she simply made him something to eat, planning to drop it off after her own morning appointment.
But she never expected that when she finally saw Felix Preston, he would already be eating something another woman had bought for him.