CHAPTER 68: NO MORE PRETENSES

Mary clenched her jaw, fury barely contained.

Did the woman in front of her really think she was flattering her?

"Miss Morgan, I thought you were smart, but it seems I thought too much," Mary said icily.

Sophia didn’t flinch. "Mrs. Wright, when you say you ’thought too much,’ are you talking about paranoia? If so, I recommend you see a doctor sooner rather than later—illnesses get worse the longer you ignore them."

"You—" Mary snapped.

"Mrs. Wright, did you invite me here for coffee to talk business?" Sophia asked, cool as a cucumber.

"Don’t play dumb. I know why you’re here—you’re here because of your mother!" Mary leaned in, venom in her voice. "Frank already told me. You’re Aurora’s child. You showed up suddenly—you came for your mother, didn’t you?"

Sophia lifted her chin, amusement flickering in her eyes. "Mrs. Wright already knows—so why ask? Isn’t that just humiliating for you?"

"Let me tell you something: Frank married into my family. Everything Turner owned belongs to the Wrights now. Since your mother is dead, the Turners have nothing to do with you. Don’t start any schemes." Mary’s words were sharp and certain.

Sophia snorted softly. "How funny. Mrs. Wright, if we’re talking facts—my mother still owns twenty percent of the Turner assets. That’s mine. Shouldn’t it be returned?"

"You’re Lucas’s woman now, and you still want Wright Family assets?" Mary bristled. "Listen: Turner Group has merged with Wright Group. There is no Turner Group anymore—only Wright Group."

Mary leaned forward, the wariness obvious in her eyes.

"If Mrs. Wright is so confident, why be afraid of me?" Sophia said, leaning back, calm and collected. "I’m not asking for much — just the share that belonged to my mother. And if anyone tries to stop me... I’ll fight for it."

She was unshakable, eyes steady.

Sophia continued, "my piece was the show’s finale. That show drew a crowd because of my work. Isn’t it time you honor the contract and give me what’s due?"

"Give it to you? You’re Frank’s niece—family doesn’t pay each other. Are you joking?" Mary’s tone dripped condescension.

The woman could’ve been a mirror image of some of City A’s shameless players.

"Joking?" Sophia’s smile was cool. "I think you are the one joking, Mrs. Wright."

"What do you mean?" Mary demanded.

"My name is Sophia, also known as Luna. Countless people want to work with me. I chose to give the Wright Family the finale piece—don’t you get it?" Sophia’s voice was steady, almost conversational.

Mary frowned.

"Recently, the Morgan Group in City A refused to pay my breach fee—the court ordered them to pay double. Want to test that?" Sophia’s tone turned playful, deadly calm. Seeing Mary’s frown, she continued: "We’re all businesspeople here. Don’t be petty. That piece was meant for a competition—worth millions. If you want a dispute, my lawyer will be glad to speak with you. And as for what rightfully belongs to me, my lawyer can handle that, too. By the way, Old Mr. Wright personally invited me to collaborate with Wright Group. Do you think I should accept?"

Sophia stood, stepping forward so she hovered above Mary like a shadow.

"You—" Mary sputtered.

"Said plainly: don’t get too full of yourself. Your current position doesn’t actually trump mine. If I wanted the Wright Family bankrupt, I could make a call and start the process. But I don’t like victories that obvious—I prefer to be the hunter with a godlike view. A hunter and prey struggle; it’s far more satisfying to watch the prey weaken than to kill it outright."

Sophia’s words landed like a promise and a threat, equally measured.

Mary shot to her feet, fury flashing across her face.

"Sophia! I will never let the Wright Family work with you! You can forget about it!"

Sophia leaned back in her chair, unbothered, and gave a graceful little wave.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Wright. Oh—and don’t forget to pay for the coffee."

Mary’s teeth nearly cracked from how hard she clenched them. The woman was infuriating—sharp-tongued, poised, and impossible to rattle.

"Nathan, we’re leaving!"

Her son looked up from his phone, pausing his game with clear reluctance.

He threw Sophia one last cold glare before following his mother out.

The moment they disappeared from view, a familiar figure stepped out from the corner.

Ryan had been there the whole time, quietly observing.

"Faster than I expected," he said with a smirk. "Didn’t think you’d burn that bridge so soon."

Sophia laughed softly. "You’re not wrong. Even I didn’t expect things to escalate that quickly."

"Mary’s temper is explosive," Sophia mused. "And Frank’s the sneaky, manipulative type. The fact that the two of them have survived decades together is almost impressive."

Ryan slid a file across the table. "Wright Group’s been expanding aggressively—lots of new overseas partnerships lately."

Sophia arched a brow. "You planning to take the Wrights down from the inside?"

Ryan didn’t hesitate. "Exactly."

She studied him for a moment. "How long do you think it’ll take?"

"Three years."

"Too long," Sophia said flatly. "I’ll give you one."

"One year?" he repeated, startled.

Sophia reached into her bag, pulled out a sleek black card, and placed it in front of him.

"You have a talent for finance that I’ll never match. This card holds part of my assets. You’ll have full control. All I want back, one year from now, is my principal."

Ryan glanced at the card, eyes widening as he registered the string of zeros on the balance.

He wasn’t poor—but this was an entirely different league.

Was she seriously giving him Lucas Hilton’s card?

—Meanwhile, back in City A—

Six little faces peered at the front door expectantly.

When it finally opened, their excitement faded the instant they saw who it was.

"Where’s Mommy?" little Faye asked, clutching her doll tight.

"Your mom will be staying in City Y for a while," Lucas said, setting down his suitcase. "So all of you need to behave while I catch up on work."

"What? No!" Faye’s lips trembled. "I want Mommy!"

"Faye, be good," he said firmly.

Her big eyes filled with tears, full of silent blame.

Angela gently took her sister’s hand. The six of them trudged upstairs together.

Lucas raised a brow. How on earth was he supposed to bond with those six little humans?

Upstairs—

Eric locked the door behind them. "Faye, don’t be sad. If Mommy doesn’t come back, we’ll go find her ourselves!"

"But if we leave, won’t Daddy get mad?" Faye sniffled.

Billy, the calmest of the bunch, adjusted his glasses. "Mommy could be in danger. We already dealt with the man who tried to hurt her once—and found who was behind it. If we’re not careful, he might try again."

"That’s awful!" Faye said, stomping her little foot. "Billy, you have to find out what really happened to Grandma! We can’t let Andrew get away with it!"

Billy looked at his siblings, eyes steady and determined.

He already suspected Grandma’s death wasn’t just Andrew’s doing—There was something bigger hidden beneath it all.