CHAPTER 162: SOMEONE ELSE BEHIND IT

Hilton Group.

"What do you want to do next? File the appeal immediately, or give them a tiny chance to breathe?"

"Of course we’re appealing," Sophia said, her voice calm yet sharp. "I’m taking over everything from the Morgan Group. But there’s one person... I want to keep alive a little longer. I want her out—let her flop around like a fish, all lively and hopeful—just so I can throw her into the filth when she least expects it."

Lucas turned his head. "Who? Olivia?"

"Yes. Her," Sophia replied softly. "I want to see what she’ll do once she’s out. I want to give her one more chance. Not because I plan to spare her—but because what she did to me back then was far crueler than anything Andrew ever pulled."

Andrew harmed her, yes—but almost everything he did had been at Olivia’s urging. If Olivia got out, she might even try slipping back into the entertainment industry. Sophia was curious to see what "talent" she thought she had. And then she would take everything from her—right in front of her eyes.

"Won’t this hurt you?" Lucas asked. "If you release her now, there’s a chance you won’t be able to take full control of the Morgan Group."

"That’s why I’ll finish all the transfer paperwork before she’s released. Right now, I’m Andrew’s daughter—on paper. Once he’s in prison, the Morgan family assets can only go to me."

Lucas nodded thoughtfully.

"You think I’m wrong?" she asked suddenly. "If you feel I’m making a mistake, you can tell me. You can warn me. I might actually change my plan."

"Change it?" Lucas snorted softly. "No—I think it’s perfect. If it were me, I’d let them rot in prison forever. And besides, the Morgan Group devoured a lot of public funds. They’ll be forced to cough everything up sooner or later. The company is already a disaster. But there is one thing... I wonder if you remember. The person behind all of them. Who was the one that actually made a move on you that day?"

Sophia raised a brow, hesitated for a moment, then said quietly, "There was someone else who saved me that day. Someone who arrived even earlier than Uncle Gordon."

"Who?"

"Damien."

Lucas froze. "That’s impossible. You said Uncle Gordon saved you. How are you suddenly involved with Damien? And after you disappeared, I went looking for him."

"Calm down. Let me explain," Sophia said. "When I fell, I was still inside the car. Jaxon even shielded me from a bullet. I thought the two of us were dead for sure. But when the car went over the edge... Damien was already waiting below. He saw me, and immediately dragged both me and Jaxon out. He pulled us out of the crushed car with everything he had—and only after that did Uncle Gordon arrive. Damien didn’t want his identity exposed, so he hid. A second later, the car exploded. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for him... even if Uncle Gordon came, it would have been too late. We were wedged in the metal—there was no way to pull us out. Damien saved my life."

Lucas still looked stunned. He crossed his arms, one hand rubbing his jaw. "Your story actually makes me even more confused about his intentions. But there’s something you need to know. On the day you disappeared... Jacob came to the company. And here’s the strange part—Jacob is Damien’s father."

Sophia stood up, confusion filling her eyes. "What did you say? Jacob is Damien’s father?"

"That’s right," Lucas replied. "That day I was worried something had happened to you, so I went looking for you. But he actually tried to stop me. I can’t help but suspect he didn’t come to find me out of good intentions—he might have some hidden connection with the Morgan family. That’s the one thing I haven’t fully confirmed yet, so I can’t jump to conclusions. But now that you’re telling me Damien saved you, I’m eighty percent sure Jacob is tied to the Morgans."

When Andrew held her funeral, Damien never showed up. Several days passed, and he still never appeared in front of any of them.

"What you’re saying... actually makes sense," Sophia murmured. "Since he’s Jacob’s son, he couldn’t reveal everything to me. So when I went to him, he didn’t tell me the full truth. But afterward, he still didn’t want me to die—so he helped me in secret. Otherwise, I never would have survived that day."

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it became.

Because Jacob was his father, Damien couldn’t expose everything. If he told her the truth, she would never have taken that road—and if Jacob truly planned to kill her, Damien wouldn’t have had any way to reach her in time.

And there was another reason—he didn’t want to damage his relationship with his father. Jacob had him late in life and valued him greatly. But the one who still held true power in the Brown family was Jacob, not Damien.

Damien would never betray his father, yet he couldn’t stand to watch someone he once cared for die right in front of him.

So he chose to leave hints instead.

"No," Sophia said suddenly. "I still need to talk to him."

"I’ll go with you," Lucas said immediately.

"You have so much going on at the company. Isn’t it bad if you step away? Don’t worry about me—the worst is already over."

"Sophia..." Lucas instantly switched to a pitiful expression.

Sophia sighed helplessly; she had no way to refuse him. She knew how badly the last few days had shaken him. If he lost her again, he might completely lose his mind.

"Alright. We’ll go together."

...

Downtown Café.

Sophia looked at the man in front of her—wearing a hat—and frowned. "I’ve never seen you wear a hat before. Why are you suddenly wearing one now? And you’re drinking coffee—take it off."

Damien tipped up one corner of his lips. "Don’t you think it looks good on me?"

She shrugged. "Not really."

He raised a brow. "Judging by how easily you can still snap back at me, you’re recovering just fine."

"I’m here to ask you something. The person who did something that vile to me—was it the person you know best?"

Her words were blunt, and she didn’t phrase it as a question.

"You already know the answer," Damien replied. "So you shouldn’t be asking me. I’ll be very busy soon—too busy to show up again. Today... is probably the last time we’ll see each other."

His tone was calm, but beneath it was something unfamiliar—something he wasn’t the type to say.