At that moment, she realized her son was truly head over heels for this woman. She regretted, oh how she regretted, ever letting someone like Ruby get close to him!


    Later, when Joseph decided to leave, they had a massive blowout. She vowed that the Burke family would cut all ties with him. After that, she threw herself into raising her grandson.


    James was as obedient and sharp as Joseph had been at his age, both wise beyond their years. As time went on, she nned to handpick the perfect match for her grandson. She was determined not to let anyone like Ruby mess up his life.


    So, she chose Sophie. James wasn''t a fan of Sophie, which pleased her; this way, he wouldn''t ditch the Burke International empire for love. Sophie came from the Russell family, a once-glorious lineage with schrly roots, making her an ideal match for James. The Russell family was on itsst legs, which suited her just fine; a woman from a declining family would know to keep her head down and focus on being a devoted wife and homemaker.


    But she never imagined Sophie would turn out to be just like Ruby. Bea felt she hadn''t done anything wrong. Everything she did was for the Burke family''s future. Yet, in the end, her grandson and son seemed to drift away from her. Joseph even wanted to send his own mother away!


    Thinking about it made Bea feel like she was choking on something she couldn''t spit out. She wanted to scream but couldn''t make a sound, left with nothing but waiting for the inevitable.


    In the bedroom, Sophie heard footsteps approaching and tensed up. The door swung open, and Joseph walked in. Seeing his face, Sophie was startled. The man before her looked so much like James, just older.


    "Ms. Sophie, are you feeling better?"


    Joseph asked, his voice polite as he addressed Sophie, whoy in bed.


    Sophie''s shoulder throbbed with etN?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    pain, and she felt vulnerable, like a fish out of water, at his mercy.


    swney


    "There''s no one else here, Mr. James. If you want to ask something, just ask me directly."


    "Do you know who I am?" Joseph asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.


    Sophie didn''t reply, but she had a hunch. In another life, she had been so in love with James that she learned everything about him, even seeing photos of Joseph when he was younger. James never brought up his father, so she never expected Joseph to be alive, let alone pulling the strings from the shadows.


    "Ms. Sophie, I mean you no harm. James is my son, and I know he cares about you," Joseph said with a slight smile. "If you could go back and do it all over, would you agree to be part of the Burke family?" "No, I wouldn''t," Sophie replied, her face cold and resolute.


    For a brief moment, Joseph was


    Qu


    caught off guard by the look in her eyes. It reminded him of Ruby. He recalled when his mother asked Ruby if she''d give it all up to b Burke, and she too had firmly said, "No, I wouldn''t."