Chapter 251

Benjamin walked over to Sophia.

"Hey."

Sophia nodded. "You're here?"

Benjamin sat beside her and began helping with the puzzle. "Just came from the cinema with Mom. Saw your mom there too."

Sophia had been focused on the puzzle pieces, but her head snapped up at this. "My mom? Where?"

"At the Grand Theater."

Sophia pressed her lips together. "That's impossible! Mom's swamped with work. No way she'd have time for movies. You must've mistaken someone else for her."

Benjamin frowned, offended. "I didn't. It was definitely her."

"You're lying." Sophia refused to believe him.

Just last night and this morning, she'd called her mom repeatedly with no answer. How could she possibly be at the movies?

"I'm not lying," Benjamin insisted. Annoyed at being doubted, he added details, "And she wasn't alone. There was another kid with her - about your height, really adorable!"

Until now, Sophia hadn't taken Benjamin seriously. But those words made her explode.

She grabbed a fistful of puzzle pieces, jumped up, and hurled them at him. "Liar! Take that back right now!"

Benjamin had told the truth. He couldn't understand why Sophia wouldn't believe him and was now attacking him.

As a spoiled child himself, he wasn't about to back down. Enraged, he grabbed his own handful of pieces and threw them back. "I'm not lying!"

"You—"

"What's going on here?"

Their shouting match reached the living room guests.

Catherine rushed over.

Tears welled in Benjamin's eyes as he pointed at Sophia. "I was just saying—"

"Hmph!"

Sophia's eyes were red too, her lips trembling. Without letting Benjamin explain, she turned and ran toward the living room.

"Daddy!"

Seeing her charge, Alexander had no choice but to catch her as she flung herself into his arms.

After quick apologies to their guests, he carried Sophia out. When they were farther away, he asked, "What happened?"

Sophia opened her mouth to repeat her cousin's words, but the thought of her mother spending time with someone else - someone cuter than her - made fresh tears spill over.

Meanwhile, Catherine and Victoria had gotten the full story from Benjamin.

Catherine asked Victoria if she'd noticed Isabella at the cinema, but Victoria admitted she hadn't been paying attention and couldn't confirm Benjamin's claim.

After consideration, Catherine said, "I believe Benjamin wasn't lying. It's possible he really saw your aunt."

"But it's equally possible he saw someone who resembled her - maybe not actually Isabella."

Yesterday, after Richard returned, he'd noticed Alexander brought Sophia to visit Eleanor at the hospital without Isabella. Curious, he'd asked about her.

With Sophia present, Alexander had simply said Isabella was too busy to come.

Apart from Eleanor, no one in the Whitmore family knew about the impending divorce. Over the years, they'd all witnessed Isabella's devotion to Alexander.

So when Alexander said she was busy, everyone assumed something urgent with the Sinclair family kept her away.

Hearing Benjamin's account now, both Catherine and Victoria thought he might be mistaken.

As far as they knew, there were no young children in the Sinclair family close to Sophia's age.

And if Isabella had free time, why would she choose movies over visiting family?

It made no sense.