Chapter 1753
Struggling to regain her balance, Sophia managed to steady herself against the hallway’s shoe rack. She let out a sigh of relief and looked down to see the broken pieces of a cell phone under her feet.
Scattered around her were remnants of what used to be her father’s phone.
What happened here?
Why did her father smash his phone? Sophia felt a surge of unease well up in her. Furrowing her brow, she glanced at the living room, where she caught sight of Thaddeus sitting on the couch with a brooding expression on his face as he puffed on a cigar.
Sophia approached him. “Dad, what’s wrong? Why did you smash your phone?”
Thaddeus cast a cold glance at his daughter. “Why are you calling me ‘Dad’ now? Didn’t you say you didn’t need me anymore? Then don’t bother about me!”
Sophia knew that her father was just venting his anger. She sighed and sat down next to him. “Dad, there’s no bad blood between us. I just didn’t want you interfering in my relationship with Marcus. It doesn’t mean I want to sever our father-daughter bond.”
Thaddeus took a long drag of his cigar and blew out a thick cloud of smoke with a grunt.
Sophia asked again, “Dad, please tell me what happened. What got you so angry? Please don’t keep me in the dark. Are Bertha and Lea involved?”
Thaddeus frowned. He was visibly troubled. “No. It has nothing to do with Bertha and Lea. Don’t always associate them with everything negative.”
Upon hearing this, Sophia felt a little irritated. “Dad! Look at how you’re thinking of me now! I was just showing some concern and asking questions. Why can’t I even mention Bertha?”
Thaddeus, already in a foul mood, felt even more frustrated when he thought about his wife’s ongoing divorce proceedings. “I didn’t go to see Bertha today. I was dealing with work-related matters.”
Sophia’s forehead furrowed in worry. “Dad, did you run into some problems at work?”
Thaddeus snuffed out his cigar. “The companies I was preparing to sell have been hit with tax issues. They’ve been seized now.”
Sophia gasped in shock. “What? How did that happen? Who has the guts to seize your assets?”
Thaddeus had significant influence in M State, and despite his slightly weaker presence here, he was not to be trifled with.
This sudden seizure was clearly out of the ordinary. Someone must be stirring things up behind the scenes.
“The companies have been seized, and I have to stay here to cooperate with the investigation. It’s such a bloody hassle!”
Sophia thought for a moment. “Dad, in the grand scheme of things, these small domestic assets aren’t that important to you. Why not just let them go? We could all move back to M State!”
Thaddeus sighed deeply. “The issue now isn’t about what I want. I have to stay and cooperate with the investigation. Due to the tax issues with those companies, I’ve been barred from leaving the country.”
“What?!” Sophia was taken aback. She hadn’t expected things to be this serious. “What do we do now, Dad? Are you stuck here? How long will the investigation take?”
“I don’t know! We still don’t know how big the tax discrepancy is. If it’s a large amount, I might even have to serve time here.”
What? What? What?!
Sophia was completely flustered. “Oh, um… Dad, I don’t think that will happen. The authorities should show you some respect. If it comes to it, we can just pay them off.”
Thaddeus lit another cigar. He couldn’t hide his frustrations.
The people in charge now were not the same ones he used to know. Things were difficult.
Sophia became increasingly worried. “Dad, how about this? You stay here to cooperate with the investigation, and I’ll take Marcus and Tristan back to M State to wait for you. It seems like this situation won’t be resolved quickly. I want to take Marcus back first. I don’t feel comfortable staying with him here.”
Upon hearing this, Thaddeus frowned in displeasure. “So, you’re more concerned about your crippled husband than your old man, who’s under investigation?”
Sophia quickly waved her hands in denial. “No, no, that’s not what I meant… Dad, I trust that you will handle things here without any issues. But there’s a problem with Marcus. We ran into Ellinor today. I’m afraid she might try to take Marcus away from me, which is why I think it’s safer to take him back to M State as soon as possible!”
