All Chapters of Playing Mrs. Beckett: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

84 Chapters

041 - A Place To Confide To

Now that Mrs. Whitaker had uncovered everything—Sophie’s real identity and the actual depth of her affiliation with Oliver Blackwood; she no longer bothered to hide her attempt at matchmaking. Oliver didn’t seem to mind, seeing as he pulled up with a grin on his face.“Mr. Oliver Blackwood running errands for his grandma?" Sophie teased as she opened the passenger door.“Well, can you say anything against Mrs. Whitaker?”“I can not,” Sophie nodded. “That is why I’m here at all.”“Then we’re in the same boat.”Oliver started the engine. “Just for the record, I’m only here as the chauffeur. If grandma starts planning our wedding over breakfast, I deny all responsibility.”Sophie nodded solemnly. “Fair. I’ll deny mine, too.”Even without a gala, The Whitaker Manor still looked as magnificent. The garden was meticulously crafted, Sophie noted, as the butler led her to the gazebo where Mrs. Whitaker waited.“Ah, there you are!” said the elderly lady the moment she spotted Sophie, though he

042 - The Langham Siblings

Edmund Langham had always been too kind for the world he was born into.As the future heir to the Langham empire, the elders deemed him too soft-hearted, and took his compassion as weakness. This world required vision, decisiveness, and when necessary, cruelty. Thus, despite his brilliance in nearly every other regard, the elders remained reluctant to appoint him. Unfortunately for them, there was no one more capable.Not until Sophie was born.At seven, Sophie outwitted an abusive nanny. She engineered a way for the adults to discover the nanny’s true nature, to expose her meticulously veiled oppression and manipulation. The elders praised her cleverness.At twelve, she led her middle school's student council, managing a secret investigation against a problematic teacher students and alumni had complained about for years. The elders praised her decisiveness.At sixteen, Britain's most prestigious academy offered her admission with a guaranteed Ivy League pathway. The elders praised

043 - So I Was Right!

“Are you sure you want to go here? We can always go to Palladio and get custom furniture, you know?”Edmund’s words brought Sophie back, and when she came to, she was at the last turn before Something Borrowed. It was a vintage thrift store for furniture. Sophie found it by chance when she first set up Meadow Lane.“Yes,” she said. “There’s a bed frame that caught my eye on their website. I just want to secure that.”“Can’t you just buy it from the site?”Sophie sighed. “If that were possible, don't you think I'd already have it?”“Ah,” Edmund nodded. “It is one of those experience stores.”“Exactly,” Sophie chuckled. “They accept shipping, but only after you see the real thing and feel the connection or whatever.”“Alright then,” Edmund said. The parking lot in front of the store was all occupied, and they saw no empty spot nearby.“Want to get off first?” Edmund offered. “It might take a while, and I might need to park somewhere far away.”“Sure,” Sophie said. Edmund pulled over, le

044 - I've Always Found A Way

Sophie shot a glance at Edmund, who shrugged and once again turned his attention to Adrian.“That is right. Sophie Langham is my sister,” he said, putting particular emphasis on the name “Langham.” “Seeing as you have other… engagement, Mr. Beckett, I think it’d be wise for us to leave.”“Let’s go, Ed,” Sophie said, already walking towards the door. Edmund hummed in acknowledgement, giving Adrian and Julia a brief nod, but not before slipping a few hundred-dollar bills into the tip jar.“I trust you will keep everything that happened here to yourselves,” he said to the two clerks.“Y-yes, Mr. Langham.”With that, Edmund gave one last po

045 - In A Week

“We’re going to Palladio,” Edmund said, giving no place for Sophie to refute. “They can make those cute daybeds too, you know.”“It’s different, but I understand,” Sophie chuckled. “Let’s make them busy.”“Are you really okay, though? Your husband was there, buying furniture for another woman…”“Ed, I’m okay. The moment I first contacted you that day, I made up my mind.”“He could buy anyone anything and I wouldn’t bat an eye. In a week, we will have nothing to do with each other. Lawrence will make sure of that.”Edmund nodded, but it was clear that he was worried about something. “Do you need anything?”“Thank you, Ed,” Sophie smiled. “You sending Lawrence is the biggest help I can get right now.”“I still feel uneasy,” Edmund lightly shook his head. “The way your husband was acting, parading around with his mistress even after receiving the court notice. And based on what you told me, it seemed like he had no plan to change his mind about the DC transfer. With that audacity, I woul

046 - To Protect And Be Protected

Sophie didn’t spend too much time at Palladio. Frankly she didn’t even need new furniture—what she currently had was enough. It was Edmund who insisted on having the entire place re-decorated, half feeling guilty for leaving it so bare.“But you said I can decorate it however I want. You never considered the possibility that I am content with leaving it just like that?” Sophie chuckled.“I know! And if you actually want to live in such a bare apartment, I should just accept your decision. But that was before I saw how excited you were for those vintage trinkets!”“I saw it, you, know. Even before you left for America. The clippings you made from Father’s architecture magazine, you only took the pastel furniture, and have always preferred the vintage looking ones. Now that I see you still yearn for similar things, you expect me to believe that you’re content with an empty house?”“It’s not empty. I have a bed.”“The basic one! You wouldn’t go to Something Borrowed’s website if you were

047 - Point Of No Return

After Hartford Apparel, it was another supplier who called with some sort of cancellation.“I deeply apologize, Mrs. Beckett, but we suddenly faced difficulties with the procurement of cotton drills.”“Our workers are going on strike. The union got involved and now no one is there to operate the machines.”Sophie hummed in acknowledgement. That was three, Sophie noted. With Hartford Apparel, she could dismiss it as unfortunate timing. She couldn’t really do that now that it happened the third time. In fact, even if this proved to be a considerable business problem, she couldn’t help but expect more of those calls to come.But she had no time to expect hypothetical problems, because she had a real one in front of her. She scrolled on her tablet, inspecting the list of possible manufacturers and suppliers. Lyla made one call to one, and Sophie made one to another.They all agreed initially. In fact, one of them eagerly offered to come to Meadow Lane instead of having Sophie coming to th

048 - The Difference Between Us

The truck accident made the news, and Meadow Lane found themselves in the headlines. Sophie had contacted a news agency to show that it was, indeed, an unfortunate accident. She also contacted all the customers, ignoring the fact that it was outside business hours, informing them that Meadow Lane would take full responsibility. Lyla made a swift announcement on their website and social media page, and at Sophie’s directions, also sourced some products and souvenirs as compensation while they waited for a new production. Along with that, she had her team prepare the option of refund for those who didn’t want to wait.The customers, who were initially disappointed at the news, gradually calmed down after they saw Meadow Lane’s attempt at mitigations. Some were still spouting understandable complaints, but the reaction overall remained positive.When Sophie walked into her office at six o’clock on the next day, her phone chimed with a call from Gregory.“I’ve failed you, Mrs. Beckett. I

049 - At The End Of The Tunnel

Sophie made dozens of calls this week alone. Once only looking within New York, she began increasing her scope to other states as well. Lyla and the other employees were busy packing and sending compensation. Before they realized, it was lunch.Gregory held his promise. Just before the clock struck twelve, his e-mail arrived on Sophie’s inbox. She skim-read through a few, and when she found things to be satisfactory, she forwarded it to Lawrence.Her mood suddenly improved—Gregory had gone above and beyond. He had claimed to not know the content of Adrian’s meeting to sabotage her, but it was there regardless. Lawrence swiftly texted back with the suggestion of registering Adrian’s business disruption attempt as another lawsuit. That way they had records of it to further support the divorce.Sophie decided to follow Lawrence’s advice.Now that the divorce was handled, she still had another problem—even after expanding her search, no manufacturer was willing. Not because they deemed So

050 - Safe

With a new list of possible partnerships in hand, Sophie began contacting the overseas suppliers. Bearing the time difference in mind, Sophie didn’t expect a response anytime soon. Frankly, she could use some more time to prepare for another very important matter.Her divorce, that would finally happen tomorrow.She had reporters ready. If she wanted to deliver the biggest blow to Adrian, the most sure-fire way was to target his carefully crafted image as a clean, self-made businessman. So she lured them—through layers so intricate that it would never be linked back to her. But she left a tiny clue. One that proved that it was valid information.If they could solve it, they would get the front row seat to witness Nation’s Ideal Husband’s true face.Of course, she also had the Langham media network with her. But the more the merrier. The more the news spread, the better.What she didn’t expect was for the Portugal linen mill to reply almost immediately after she messaged them.“Hello,

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