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.”
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