Timothy hit the ground with a thud.


    Sophie looked down at Timothy, then turned her gaze to the two elderly gentlemen from the Aldridge family. "Gentlemen, isn''t this little show a bit much?"


    Jenna and Angelo looked taken aback by her words.


    A show? That whole scene was just a show?


    Kevin, noticing Sophie''s confident stance, saw a sh of the old Lord Shen in her. "Do you think we''re messing around with you, youngdy?" His voice was cold, making Jenna and Angelo''s hearts skip a beat.


    Sophie replied, "If you really wanted the private seal, you wouldn''t need toe here and chat with me. You could''ve sent someone to snatch it. You''ve been out of the Aldridge family loop for years and traveled all this way just to put on a performance. You''re either testing if I''ll cave under pressure and hand over the seal, or someone tipped you off that I have it, right?"


    The only person she could think of was Harold.


    Last time, to save Sandy, she''d confronted Harold with members of the Aldridge family, leading him to figure out she had the seal. He''d then spread that info to the core members of the Aldridge family, hoping they''d get it back from her.


    Gordon had prepped her about the Aldridge family''s core members, making sure she memorized their inner workings. She knew exactly who was who, especially since Gordon told her these elders could be trusted in a pinch. Knowing she could rely on them, their presence didn''t faze her.


    "The Russell family girl is sharp, too bad she''s not one of us," Kevin chuckled. "But she''d make a good Mrs. Aldridge."


    "Brother, seeing how sharp Ms. Sophie is, our visit seems a bit unnecessary," Christian said with a smile. "Let''s just hand over the items and let the youngsters handle it."


    Angelo, realizing the elders were


    here to deliver something, finally rxed. "So, you were here to drop something off! You could''ve said that from the start! Almost gave me a heart attack!" Angelo patted his chest.


    Smart people always talk in circles.


    Why not just say you''re here to deliver something right away? Who''d try topete with you then?


    After a few exchanged nces, a bodyguard handed a box to Sophie.


    Sophie looked down at the box in her hands and opened it to find a thick ledger. It was clearly old, dating back a century. "These ounts, I think you''ll find them useful," Kevin said.


    “These look a lot like the ounts I


    found in the Russell family''s


    ancestral hall," Sophie said, puzzled. "What''s recorded here? Why did the Aldridge family have such a big ie that year?" N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "There''s nothing particrly special about the ounts themselves. The Aldridge family managed


    intelligence, and maintaining awork of informants costs a lot So, those ounts are just the necessary expenses for keeping our intelligencework running. And the four great families are


    interdependent, like branches of the same tree."