Chapter 72

Sophia had just stepped out of the company building when her phone began buzzing violently.

"Sweetheart! Tell me you slammed that stack of cash right in that bastard's face! Did his eyeballs almost pop out?" Vivian's voice exploded through the receiver.

Sophia's tears spilled over instantly, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "Viv..."

A loud clatter came from the other end of the line—a chair toppling over. "Wait, that doesn't sound like happy crying. What's wrong?"

"I got fired..." Sophia clutched her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Vivian's lollipop clattered to the floor. "Send me your location. I'm coming right now!"

Half an hour later, Vivian found Sophia curled up on a bench in the city park.

Her face was as pale as paper, her gaze vacant. Without a word, Vivian bundled her into a taxi.

"Meow~"

The calico cat sauntered over gracefully, rubbing against Sophia's leg.

"Scram!" Vivian grabbed the cat by the scruff and tossed her onto the cat tree before shoving a cup of hot water into Sophia's hands. "What the hell happened? Weren't you supposed to be serving karma today?"

Slumped on the couch, Sophia recounted everything.

"Jesus Christ! Did Ethan Roscente get hit in the head with a door?" Vivian shot to her feet. "He'd rather protect that green-tea bitch than his own dignity? Throwing you under the bus was way too easy for him!"

Sophia gave a bitter laugh. She finally saw the truth—in Ethan's heart, Isabella Valentine would always come first. He didn’t even need proof to sacrifice her without hesitation.

At least she was free now.

"You're just going to take this?" Vivian stomped her foot in frustration.

"What else can I do? Ethan's already made his verdict." Sophia's voice was feather-light.

"That bitch set you up!" Vivian gritted her teeth. "She framed you on purpose!"

Sophia shook her head. "The truth doesn’t matter. What matters is that he chose to believe Isabella."

"This is beyond unfair!" Vivian's eyes reddened as she pulled Sophia into a hug. "You sold your house to pay off debts, and now they're smearing your name? If it were me, I'd drag them down with me!"

"I brought this on myself by getting involved with him in the first place." Sophia buried her face in her hands. "I deserve this."

Vivian rubbed her back soothingly. "Good riddance. There are better men out there. That toxic circle isn’t worth it—we’ll live our best lives without them."

"Yeah. I'll teach, he'll run his empire, and we'll never cross paths again."

"Exactly! We'll raise your kid to be a powerhouse in their field—just to screw with his dad!" Vivian's eyes suddenly lit up. "Then when he's on his deathbed, we'll drop the bomb that it's his biological child. Guaranteed to finish him off!"

Sophia instinctively touched her flat stomach. As satisfying as the revenge fantasy was, all she wanted was for her child to be safe and happy.

"Right now, the priority is making money." She wiped her tears. "I still owe you, and there's the baby's expenses..."

"Don’t even start! Pay me back whenever." Vivian suddenly stared at her belly in concern. "But in your condition... Is working even safe?"