By Hook or by Crook

She Still Has a Home?

Early the next morning, Sophia had just arrived in class when a classmate told her that the director of instruction had already come to her class three times.

"Soph, what did you do?"

Everyone knew that Sophia was a delinquent girl and that she was in all the fights, except that they hadn't seen her fight since she came to their school.

Although she slept in class, the student base of their school was the worst of all the high schools in Phoenix, and the ones who slept in class were even more numerous, so the teachers didn't care at all.

"It's okay, I'll go check it out."

Sophia threw her book bag on her desk and headed for the faculty office.

"Sophia, what's wrong with you? You have such a lousy reputation, I can forget about it, but why did you hit someone? Do you know who you hit? That's the son of Deputy Chavez! Look at you, you beat someone to the hospital. What are you going to do now?"

As soon as Principal Jackson saw her, he was so angry that he hated that he hadn't accepted her in the first place.

"I've already called your mother, you're so good that our school wouldn't dare to accept you. Why don't you go to whichever school you see dares to accept you?"

From the beginning, Sophia didn't say a word.

Within moments, Sophia's mother, Jocelyn Thompson, arrived at the school.

"Principal Jackson, what happened? Did Sophia make another mistake?"

As soon as Jocelyn came in, without asking what happened, she just assumed it was Sophia's fault.

"We can't teach this daughter of yours, so take her back today! And the person she offended is not ordinary, it's Deputy Chavez. You go and solve it yourselves, causing me such a problem. I really shouldn't have accepted her in the first place."

Principal Jackson didn't give Jocelyn any chance to speak at all and directly expelled the person.

Without further ado, Sophia turned around and walked straight out of the faculty office.

Jocelyn was anxious too, "Principal Jackson, Sophia, she's still young, please give her another chance. If you won't even accept her anymore, no high school will accept her."

"Mrs. Thompson, I really can't help you on this one. Why don't you just hurry up and figure out what to do about Deputy Chavez's side?"

Jocelyn saw that there was nothing she could do, so she turned and walked out of the office.

As soon as she saw Sophia outside, Jocelyn was so angry that she raised her hand and tried to slap her.

However, Sophia grabbed her hand and looked at her coldly.

"Mrs. Thompson, what are you doing? Does it matter to you what happens to me? What's it got to do with the Thompsons? You didn't want me a long time ago, did you? My fate has nothing to do with you guys!"

They made their choice five years ago, didn't they? They chose Victoria Thompson, and she was the daughter they didn't want.

"Sophia, what are you talking about? Is there a child as ignorant as you? You did something so humiliating. What more do you want? You've made our entire Thompson family unable to hold their heads up in Los Angeles. Even now, you still don't know how to repent?"

Hearing her say that was a real disappointment to Sophia - as her mother, Jocelyn, had never believed her.

"So that means that a daughter as disgraced as me has long since disassociated herself from the Thompson family. Whether I live or die has nothing to do with you guys, so don't come back to me and stay out of my business."

Sophia finished, went to the classroom, grabbed her book bag, and left.

Jocelyn was even more disappointed to see her so disobedient.

But could she leave Sophia alone? No matter what, it was her blood that flowed through Sophia's body.

Besides, the Master was coming back, and if he knew they'd dumped Sophia here in Phoenix, there was no telling what he'd do.

After all, the Master's favorite was Sophia.

...

"Mr. Ryan, Sophia has been expelled from school." Francisco told Thomas firsthand, "And Sophia is the youngest daughter of the Thompsons in Los Angeles who was dropped off in Phoenix."

"Charles Thompson's sister?"

In Los Angeles, the Thompsons couldn't get into first-class circles, but Charles he knew.

"That's right, it's Charles Thompson's sister. This Sophia, at the time, was quite a sensation in that Los Angeles circle. I heard that in her junior year, I think, she shacked up with a punk and ended up having an abortion."

"Heard? You believe what you hear?"

What kind of punk would let a girl like Sophia live with him and have an abortion for him in middle school? How could that be?

Francisco rubbed his nose, "It was her sister, Victoria Thompson, who said it in the first place."

"Victoria Thompson?"

Thomas remembered nothing about the names.

"Mr. Ryan, this is someone's family business, and you're going to meddle in it?"

"This, Sophia, I find interesting. Take her back and take a look at her, maybe she can use it later."

Francisco was completely baffled, "No, Mr. Ryan, you want her to join the Ryan's Consortium?"

"What? Got a problem with that?"

Francisco immediately shook his head.

Francisco fawned, "I dare not have an opinion. What you say is what you say, and your word is an imperial edict."

By the end of the night, Jocelyn hadn't come up with anything good, and she hadn't even met Deputy Chavez.

Just when she wanted to walk away and leave Sophia alone, a call came in from Master Thompson.

As soon as the phone was connected, Elder Thompson roared in a strong voice, "No matter what, remember to bring Sophia back. If you don't bring Sophia back this time, you can also not come back."

"Dad, bring Sophia back? You know five years ago..."

Before she could finish her sentence, however, the Master had already hung up the phone.

Jocelyn was distracted by the thought of that group of people in LA waiting to see what she was going to do - this was what people were going to say about Sophia if she brought her back.

What she didn't expect, however, was for Charles to come running over.

"Aren't you in England? How come you came here?"

Charles didn't say much to Jocelyn, "Mom, I'm here to take Sophia back myself."

"Charles, you know Sophia's reputation in L.A., picking her back up like this, our Thompson family really can't afford to lose this reputation."

"None of us can say exactly what happened five years ago. Taking someone else's word for it, I didn't think Sophia had done anything to disgrace the Thompson family. At the time, I was looking at how traumatized Sophia was by being in L.A., so I let her out for a few years, and now it's time for her to go back, she has to go back and take her college entrance exams."

Seeing that Charles had already made up his mind, Jocelyn didn't say anything more, even though she disliked Sophia as a daughter.

"I'm just afraid she won't go back with you, her personality, don't you know? Stubborn and obstinate."

"You don't have to worry about this matter, you go back first, and I'll take Sophia back."

Without much ado, Charles went straight to Sophia.

Sophia hadn't expected to see Charles here. What was he doing here?

But the Thompsons were no longer her concern.

They chose Victoria, didn't they?

Seeing Sophia about to walk past him, Charles grabbed her hand.

Charles said warmly, "Soph, it's big brother, big brother is here to take you home."

Sophia couldn't help but frown, big brother? Picking her up and taking her home? He wasn't there when she was most helpless. Then now, she didn't need it either.