CHAPTER 14: HE WON’T LET HER GO

Olivia snapped like a balloon popping, lashing out at Ethan on the spot.

She’d always put herself on a pedestal, as if the world owed her endless flattery and coaxing.

The act was nauseating. Who exactly was she performing for?

Around them, whispers spread like wildfire. Curious eyes pointed their way, and several people had already raised their phones to record.

Sophia turned slightly, effortlessly slipping out of the camera’s line of sight.

"Olivia, stop it. There are too many people here."

"So what if there are? Since when do I need anyone’s permission to speak with my fiancé?"

She bit down hard on the word fiancé, making sure it sliced right in Sophia’s direction.

"The Scott family’s party the other night? Everyone’s heard about that dirty little scandal. Keep going, Olivia—by tomorrow, you’ll be trending for sure." Sophia’s voice was cool as she pulled both kids close, holding them against her protectively.

"Sophia! You even have children? What a disgrace!"

Sophia let out a soft sigh, lips curving into a mocking smile. "That’s right. I’m a mother now. Funny though—after all those nights rolling around with Mr. Trump, you still haven’t managed to lay a single egg."

Laughter exploded around them, impossible to contain.

Olivia’s face flamed scarlet, her pride stripped bare for everyone to see.

"Sophia, just wait! One day, you’ll be on your knees begging me!"

"And where do you get the confidence for that little daydream?"

Sophia’s cold glance cut her down, while Olivia glared back through gritted teeth.

"She’s your sister, you can’t—"

"And you think you have the right to lecture me? Who do you think you are?"

"What happened to you?"

"Ethan," Sophia’s gaze hardened, "after everything that happened, do you still think I was some lovesick fool for you? My revenge was never aimed only at the Morgan family—it includes you. Don’t forget, this is just the beginning. You’ll need to last until the very end, or it won’t be any fun."

She shrugged lightly, stepping aside with chilling indifference. "Still standing there? Planning to let the whole room watch?"

The crowd thickened, phones flashing. Ethan’s face turned stormy as he dragged Olivia away.

Neither of them realized Sophia had casually dropped mention of the night of the party.

"What are the odds? You can even run into them while having a meal," Harper quickly ushered her back to their table.

"Sophia, it’s you against all of them. Are you sure you can handle this?" William asked, worry in his voice.

"Don’t worry, William. They owe me, and I’ll collect every last debt."

A sharp glint flickered in her eyes.

Outside the restaurant, Olivia wrenched her hand out of Ethan’s grip. "Why are you running? You think I’m scared of her?"

"Olivia!" Ethan roared, his voice slicing through the air like a whip.

The sudden outburst froze everything. He had never raised his voice at her before.

"You yelled at me?"

"No, I didn’t—I wasn’t—"

"Ethan! You actually yelled at me for Sophia? Fine! We’re done!"

With a hysterical scream, she spun away, jumped into her car, and sped off—leaving him no chance to explain.

Ethan stood rooted, jaw tight, cursing under his breath.

Not far away, Lucas leaned casually against his car window, long fingers tapping on the glass.

"Boss, want me to step in?"

"Do whatever it takes to bring Sophia into the company. And if I recall correctly, tomorrow’s the anniversary of her mother’s death, isn’t it?"

Alex stiffened, his gaze darkening. "Boss... you’re not falling for her, are you?"

"She carried my children in secret, gave birth in secret, and thought she could deceive me? You think I’ll just let that slide?"

For once, a rare smile curved Lucas’s lips.

Alex couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly. To catch his attention—was that fortune, or a curse?

After they got home, the six kids were cleaned up and tucked into bed. Sophia set the recorder down — the bedtime stories playing were ones she’d recorded ahead of time.

She turned and climbed to the third floor, heading straight for the boxing room.

All the fury she’d been holding in poured out on the heavy bag — reckless, punishing blows until sweat drenched her shirt and her arms trembled with exhaustion. Finally, she collapsed against the bag and slid down the wall.

She closed her eyes, but Olivia’s words pulsed behind her lids: fox, filthy bitch. Morgan Group is a respectable name — has her upbringing been eaten by dogs?

When she opened her eyes again, the whites were rimmed with red. She took off the gloves and walked to the studio at the far end of the hall.

The room was filled with years of her work. No one’s success was an accident; it was all accumulation, layer upon layer. In the center hung the largest piece, draped under a white cloth.

She pulled the fabric back carefully.

Aurora had been gone a long time; this was the way Sophia kept her memory alive. Her fingers skimmed the canvas. Aurora’s portrait was vivid — eyes that seemed to speak, a smile held just at the lips.

"Mom... you always loved me. If you heard them say those cruel things, you’d have told them off for me, right?" she whispered.

"Years have slipped by, and yet your face in my head grows fuzzier. Why does that hurt so much?"

"I feel like I’m losing touch the older I get... Mom, I... I miss you so much."

She bit her lip, swallowing the tears that threatened to fall. In six years, apart from the day she gave birth, she hadn’t cried. Her armor was unbreakable—she could not let herself break down.

Sophia lowered her head and offered a bitter, wry smile.

...

The sky was heavy with clouds.

An LA cemetery. Aurora had loved roses, so Sophia had bought a whole armful. The name on the headstone still felt gentle and soft.

"Mom, I came to see you."

"I had wanted to bring the six kids with me, but I still don’t even know who their father is. Forgive me... I had no choice."

"When one day they have a father, I’ll bring them all to you."

"First step," she promised aloud, voice low and fierce, "is to make Morgan Group’s financial crisis worse. I’ll buy their shares, strip them bare until they’re desperate."

"Mom, I swear I’ll make them suffer more alive than dead."

Her fists clenched. Her eyes were wet at the rims but steady with resolve.

Suddenly, she heard the soft click of a wheelchair.

"Miss Morgan. Fancy meeting you here."

"Mr. Hilton?"

Lucas stood there in black; Alex wasn’t in sight behind him.

"I came to visit my grandfather," he said simply. Sophia nodded.

"This is...?" Lucas asked.

"My mother, Aurora." She didn’t want to talk much, but she answered when asked.

"She seems very gentle."

Sophia smiled at the memory. "Yes. There’s no one gentler in this world. Mr. Hilton, where’s your secretary?"

"My grandfather likes quiet. I came by myself."

The path up had steps; it wasn’t an easy climb. Sophia and he exchanged a quiet, awkward look. Her gaze drifted slightly toward someone not far behind him.

"Is that your uncle over there?"

Aiden had arrived too. He hadn’t noticed them at first; when he set down his flowers and turned, he saw Lucas. The calm in his face tightened into something like anger.

"Lucas!" he barked, striding toward them. Lucas’s mouth tipped up in a brief, almost unreal smile.