Chapter 187

Teaching Henry a lesson was easy. But going after Dominic? That was another story entirely.

Ever since Henry had successfully hacked into Blackwood Group's cybersecurity system, Dominic had invested heavily in upgrading their firewall. Now, Henry couldn’t even get past the first layer of defense.

Uncle Vincent had been swamped with Thornfield Industries’ affairs and couldn’t spare time to help. Frustrated, Henry could only glare at Dominic’s photo on his screen, silently seething.

The classroom was empty except for Henry. Two teachers were assigned to supervise him—one for general care, the other for instruction. The instructor droned on at the front while Henry, headphones on, tapped away at his laptop. The scene was oddly peaceful.

Then, a shadow flickered outside the door. Henry caught the movement but pretended not to notice.

Knock. Knock.

It was Sophia. The teacher brightened at the sight of her.

"Sophia! What brings you here? Are you alone?"

Sophia had been restless at home since her headaches subsided. She insisted on returning to school, so the chauffeur dropped her off with her nanny in tow.

She had wandered the campus all morning, searching for something—or someone. Now, she stood frozen outside Henry’s classroom, pointing straight at him.

The teacher turned to Henry. "Henry, Sophia is looking for you. Do you know her?"

Henry didn’t even glance up. "No."

Sophia’s face crumpled. Her lips trembled before she blurted, "Yes!"

The teacher blinked. Since when did these two, who rarely spoke to anyone, suddenly have a conversation?

Henry snapped back, "No!"

Sophia stomped her foot. "Yes!"

After several rounds, Henry’s ears ached. He shoved his chair back and marched over to her.

They moved to a secluded corner like old conspirators.

"You’re a bad woman!" Henry hissed. "I’m not helping you anymore!"

Sophia’s eyes welled up. "Why? I’m not bad! I’m not!"

"Bad people never admit they’re bad," Henry scoffed. "Stop bothering me. I’m done talking to you!"

He spun on his heel and stormed off.

Sophia’s tears spilled over. The nanny rushed forward, dabbing at her cheeks with a tissue. "Don’t cry, Miss Sophia. What happened? How do you even know that boy?"

The question shattered Sophia’s composure. Sobs wracked her small frame as the nanny guided her away, already dialing Dominic.

"That boy is Henry Thorne. Miss Sophia searched the whole school for him. They argued—he claims he doesn’t know her, but she insists he does." The nanny sighed. "Master Dominic, you should come. She won’t stop crying."

Henry Thorne. Evelyn’s adopted son. Why would Sophia cry over him? When had they even met?

And did Evelyn know?

Dominic’s grip tightened around his phone, knuckles bleaching white.