CHAPTER 36: A STRANGER’S CALL

Two days later.

Sophia stared blankly at the wedding dress in front of her.

Beside it lay a necklace worth tens of millions.

Downstairs, Harper watched her brother with a complicated expression.

What a mess.

William had come straight to Silver Lake Villa. Sitting stiffly in the living room, he stared at the wedding invitation in his hands.

"Don’t get upset..."

"I know you like to joke around. Even all those rumors online—you told me not to believe them, and I didn’t. But now—don’t you think you owe me a real explanation? Harper, do you want your brother to stay single forever?"

Harper wanted to cry. She said pitifully, "I told you back then—if you were going to make a move, you had to do it early. You waited too long. And Mom and Dad never agreed. If you plan to go against them now..."

It wasn’t just that William liked Sophia. Their parents would never allow their son to be with a woman who already had six children.

The Carter family cared about its image. They could accept Sophia as a friend—but not as a daughter-in-law.

William had been fond of Sophia for years, but she’d never seemed to notice.

Harper, caught in the middle, had tried to persuade Sophia when she’d agreed to the sham marriage with Lucas. But Sophia hadn’t listened. And now she was about to marry him.

Even though it was a fake marriage, the stigma would stick. Afterward, if she divorced, people would gossip even more. Their parents would be even less willing to accept her.

"Sophia has her own life. I can’t stop everything she does. These are her choices—her rights. I can’t interfere.

Even as her friend, there’s a line I can’t cross. If you really like her, wait until she’s divorced. Then go after her.

Sophia’s character—I trust it completely. As for Mom and Dad, if you can’t convince them, I’ll help. But for now, all we can do is support her.

If even we stop supporting her, she really will have no one left."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Harper opened it to find Lucas standing outside.

"What are you doing here?"

"Of course I’m here to see my bride-to-be."

Lucas stepped inside and immediately felt a sharp gaze on him. He looked up.

"Mr. Carter, what are you doing here?"

William clenched his fists. "Sophia is like a sister to me. Do I need Mr. Hilton’s permission to visit?"

Behind Lucas, Alex held something in his hands.

The kids upstairs rushed down, mysteriously pushing Lucas aside.

No one in the room understood what they were up to—until Alex handed his bundle to the six children, who scurried upstairs with it.

Moments later, Sophia emerged. She’d only been inside for a little while, but now the place was packed.

"Lucas, why are you here?"

"I came to see how your preparations are going."

Sophia’s heart twisted. She felt like once she walked down that aisle, there’d be no way out. But for now, she had to stick to the plan. Otherwise, she might not be able to protect the six children.

In their country, Lucas wasn’t just a man—he was a god of the business world. With one hand, he could keep anyone trapped in his grasp.

"Thanks to you, everything’s fine," she said lightly.

"Good. Tomorrow morning, I’ll come to pick you up. Be a good girl and be my bride."

Upstairs.

The six kids pored over the contract Lucas had signed. Only after making sure there were no hidden traps did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

For the past two days, Lucas had delayed handing it over, and they’d suspected he was playing tricks—trying to use it to tie their mommy down.

Thankfully, he’d delivered it now. That meant if anything ever happened to their mommy, he would be held responsible.

They were her shield. If she ever wanted to leave, he would have to let her go—without interfering in her freedom.

"Angela, what should we do tomorrow?"

"It looks like we’ll have to follow Mommy’s plan," she said firmly. "There are too many people who don’t want her marrying Lucas. I’m worried someone will try something behind the scenes. Tomorrow, we’ll protect her in secret."

"Got it." The others nodded in unison.

"Let’s go downstairs and check on Uncle William. He likes Mommy, but she hasn’t noticed. He must be hurting. You can’t let it show that you know, understood?"

Even the children could see William’s feelings for Sophia—though she herself seemed oblivious.

By the time they went downstairs, Lucas had already left, and William was getting ready to go too.

"Uncle William, where are you going?"

"Sweethearts, I’ve got something to discuss with Lucas. I’ll come play with you another day."

Charles whispered under his breath, "The battle between two men has begun."

Billy jabbed him in the ribs to shut him up.

William followed Lucas out.

"Sophia, I—"

"Harper, I know what you’re going to say. What’s meant to come, I can’t hide from."

She had to face it head-on.

Suddenly—

"Mommy, your phone’s ringing. It’s an unknown number."

"Unknown?" She picked up. "Hello? Who is this?"

"Sophia, this is Aiden, Lucas’s uncle. I was wondering if you’d have time to meet?"

"Sorry, Mr. Aiden. I’m very busy."

Since she and Lucas were standing on the same side now, she had no interest in dealing with his enemies.

"Oh? Then I guess you don’t want to know how your mother really died?"

Sophia froze. Her fingers, which had been tapping against the sofa, stilled. "What did you say?"

"Six o’clock this evening. I’ll be waiting at KE Café."

The line went dead.

"Who was it?" Harper demanded.

"Lucas’s uncle, Aiden. He said he knows how my mother died."

"Trap! It has to be a trap! Think about it—their whole leverage is tied to Lucas’s marriage. If you show up, it’s almost guaranteed to be an ambush!"

"I’m not stupid, Harper. If he digs a pit for me, I won’t fall into it. But if he really does know the truth about my mother’s death..." Sophia’s voice softened. "I won’t lie to you. I want to go."

Harper arched a brow. She knew exactly how much Aurora’s death haunted Sophia. Leaning close, she whispered in her ear for a long moment.

"Will that work?"

Sophia nodded, the corner of her lips curving upward. "It’ll work."