CHAPTER 138: A SLAP FOR EACH

"You think kneeling will make me forgive you?"

Riley gripped the armrests of her wheelchair and struggled to stand.

Her legs were trembling, weak, every step taking everything she had left.

Sophia frowned and moved to support her. With Sophia’s hand steadying her, Riley managed to stay upright.

Samuel knelt rigidly in front of her — once the golden boy of the music world, now a broken mess.

"Riley, I’m sorry. I was a bastard. I hurt you."

"Hurt me?" Riley’s voice cracked, sharp as glass. "You didn’t just hurt me! Do you even know how many people you destroyed? The baby in my stomach — I was ready to keep it. And what happened then?Samuel, I trusted you. God, I really did. I was blind, accusing others while praising the man who ruined me."

"Riley, I’m sorry! I’ll do anything — anything you want! Whatever you ask for, it’s yours. Just... please, forgive me."

Riley looked down at him, her lips curling into a bitter smile. "Forgive you? How could I ever? Samuel, listen to me — I will never give you another chance in this lifetime. You want to make amends? Then wait until you get out of prison."

The words had barely left her lips when two police officers stepped through the door.

"Samuel, right?" one of them said. "We received a report. You’re under arrest for kidnapping, aggravated assault, and possession of narcotics. You’ll need to come with us."

Samuel froze, panic flashing across his face. He started to resist, then looked at Riley — pale, fragile, unmoving.

All the fight drained out of him. The officers cuffed him and led him away.

Riley turned her back. She didn’t want to look at him again.

Every ounce of pain in her life had come from him — and now he was paying the price.

The room went quiet again.

Sophia’s voice softened. "You know, he did try to make it right in his own way. You probably don’t know this, but he kidnapped me today — asked for a hundred million dollars in ransom. Half of it... he said he’d give to you. As some kind of apology."

"Kidnapped you?" Riley’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe Samuel would ever go that far.

"Yes. But he didn’t do his homework before coming after me. That’s why he ended up beaten and broken. He failed, and now he’s where he belongs. Maybe he didn’t mean to hurt you, but once you cross that line — there’s no taking it back."

Sophia helped Riley sit down. "Where are your parents?"

"They’re... handling paperwork. I still don’t know how to tell them everything."

"You should," Sophia said gently. "The truth needs to be told. Anyway, your matter’s done for now. I’ll wait to hear good news about your discharge. But there’s someone else I have to see."

Riley blinked. "Who?"

Sophia’s expression hardened slightly. "My father."

Andrew and Riley were in the same hospital — just on different floors.

As Sophia reached his ward, she could already hear the sounds of laughter inside.

"It’s been almost an hour now," Olivia said brightly. "He hasn’t called. Do you think he realized we weren’t coming and decided to just kill her?"

Her tone was disturbingly cheerful.

Lucas’s face darkened, and he was about to storm in when Sophia caught his arm.

"Wait," she whispered coldly. "I want to see just how much they’re enjoying the thought of me dead."

"Enough. Don’t start celebrating — we don’t have any confirmed news. Time’s already passed. We’re calling the police."

Andrew said it sternly. If something had really happened to Sophia, someone would know. But with no information coming in, it was entirely possible she was fine.

"Dad, aren’t you overthinking? These are kidnappers. Sophia can’t possibly still be alive. And anyway — if she’s dead, won’t everything fall to us?" Olivia snapped. "Her mother was trash, and now she’s the same. Who knew that little bitch would grow up so fake? If she’s out of the picture, nobody can break up our family again — Dad, Mom, nobody will interfere with us anymore."

Outside, Sophia curled her fingers into a fist. She’d warned them before — you could slander her all you wanted, but never her mother.

Lucas’s brow tightened; a cold fury exploded in his eyes. He grabbed her hand. "Let’s go."

"Lucas, I—"

"My woman — is she someone you can pick on? Not on my watch. I won’t let you hurt her."

He strode ahead and kicked the door open.

BAM!

Everyone in the room jumped and looked toward the doorway.

Lucas pulled Sophia in and glared at them. "So she isn’t hurt — not the outcome you were hoping for? I never imagined you hated her this much."

"Sophia! You—" Andrew stammered.

Lucas held her to his chest. "My woman doesn’t need your protection. Andrew, I gave you chances, and you blew them."

"Sophia, it’s all a misunderstanding!" Andrew protested.

Sophia looked up and fixed him with a mocking stare. "President Morgan, do you really think I’m that stupid? You’ve been cooking the company books for years — embezzling more than a hundred million dollars."

Andrew froze. "What do you mean?"

"What you do in secret won’t stay secret. I thought playing along with you might make you regret it, but I was wrong. You should be kneeling at my mother’s grave asking for forgiveness."

Andrew went pale. How did she know he’d been fiddling with the company’s ledgers?

Susan immediately erupted. "What do you mean? Sophia — we raised you into a thankless witch?! After everything, this is how you repay us? You’re just like your mother — the same damn nature. You should—"

Smack!

A sharp slap echoed through the room. Susan stared in disbelief. "You dare hit me?"

"Mom!" Olivia lunged, furious, and shoved at Sophia — but Lucas intercepted her on the way down.

He looked cold as ice, as if staring at a corpse. "I never hit women."

He tossed Olivia’s hand aside. Sophia took the moment and slapped Olivia again — another loud crack.

Lucas tightened his hold on Sophia and said, "I only had to stop you. If anyone’s getting hit, it’s going to be my wife."

Both mother and daughter were left smarting from a single slap each.

Olivia ground her teeth. "Sophia! You’re finished! I’ve got millions of followers —"

She reached for her phone to snap a photo and post it to Twitter.

Sophia snorted. "Millions? Go ahead and try. I’ve got sixty million followers. See which one buries the other."

Her eyes went ice-cold. Suddenly she grabbed Olivia’s cheek with a hard, furious grip.

"I’ll tell you this once: say one more bad word about my mom and I’ll smash your mouth."