CHAPTER 6

Control was everything Sophia had built her life on. Every decision and every movement of hers under control.

But David was already disrupting that.

"You'll move in tonight."

The words were delivered casually, like she was discussing a meet, not uprooting someone's life.

They stood just outside the estate gates, the night air cool, the tension between them tight.

David let out a short disbelieving breath.

"Tonight?"

Sophia didn't blink. "Yes."

There was a pause. "You don't give up, do you?"

Her lips curved faintly. "No".

Another silence stretched between them.

David ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly.

"Don't you think this is moving too fast?"

Sophia stepped closer, not close enough to touch but close enough to shift the air between them.

"This isn't a relationship," she said calmly. "It's a performance."

His eyes darkened.

"Funny," he murmured. "Because it never felt like there was one either."

Her breath hitched, just slightly but she ignored it.

"That," she said coolly, "was planned."

David studied her. Like he was trying to see past the surface, past the control and mask.

"Right," he said finally. But his time said he didn't believe her.

"Pack what you need," Sophia continued, stepping back. "A car will be waiting."

"I have a life," he said.

Sophia tilted her head slightly. "And I just improved it."

That hit, she saw it. His jaw tightened.

"This isn't permanent."

"No," she agreed softly. "Just three years."

The reminder hung between them temporarily. But nothing about it felt temporary anymore.

~~~

The penthouse didn't feel like home. It never did.

And now there was someone else in it.

Sophia stood near the flo5to ceiling windows, watching as the city lights flickered below.

Behind her the door opened, she didn't turn.

"I brought my things." That was David.

"Your room is down the hall," she said. "Second door on the left."

"My room?" He repeated.

Sophua turned slowly. "Yes."

His brows lifted slightly. "Separate rooms."

Her expression didn't change. "That was your condition."

A small nod. "Right." But something flickered in his eyes. Distance was necessary but it didn't last.

"Why don't you use the pool?" The question came later that night. It was unexpected.

Sophia stilled just for a second. They stood in the living area now. The glass walls reflecting the dim city lights. She didn't turn to face him.

"I don't like it." The response was simple and dismissive but David didn't let go.

"There's a pool in your penthouse," he said. "You own half the water facilities in this city."

Sophia's fingers tightened slightly. "And?"

"And you avoid it."

Her chest tightened. "I avoid a lot of things," she said coolly.

" Why?" The question was quiet but it hit harder than anything else.

Sophia turned slowly, eyes sharp and dangerous.

"That's not part of the contract."

David didn't look away. "Maybe it should."

"You don't get to ask me questions like that," she said.

"And you don't get to control everything," he shot back.

The tension snapped. They stood there, close to each other. Sophia's pulse quickened. Not from fear but from something else. Something she didn't like.

"Careful," she said softly.

"Or what?"

The challenge was clear and dangerous. Sophia took a step closer, closing the distance completely.

"You're here because I allow it," she said quietly.

David's gaze dropped, just briefly to her lips then back up.

"And you think that gives you power?"

Her breath hitched. "I know it does."

Suddenly he leaned in close enough that she could feel his breath.

"Then why," he murmured, "do you look like you're losing it?"

The words came unexpectedly and for a second she didn't have a response. And that had never happened.

Sophia stepped back abrupt. "Goodnight, David." Her voice colder now and controlled again.

But the crack had already happened and he had seen it. She knew he had seen it.

~~~

Later that night Sophia lay wide awake in bed. The silence surrounding her. Her mind drifted against her will back to the water, back to that night. To the suffocating weight of the crash. Her breath quickened.

"No," she whispered.

Her fingers gripped the sheets. 'Not now. Not again.' she thought. But it came anyway. The sound. The pressure. The memory. Water rising. Her lungs burning. Her mother's voice...'you must survive, Sophia.'

She gasped sitting up abruptly, air rushed into her lungs sharply and painful.

A sound like footsteps broke through the silence. Then her door opened. Sophia turned wide eyed, breath uneven. David stood there, watching her. Concern written on his face.

"I heard you," he said quietly.

Sophia didn't speak or move. For a moment they just stared at each other. Then he stepped inside slowly.

"You okay?" he asked. The question was simple but it felt too much.

Sophia swallowed forcing control back into her voice. "I'm fine."

He didn't believe her and she could see it. But this time he didn't question further or push it. It wasn't a time to challenge each other, he just stood there- present. And somehow that felt worse because for the first time Sophia didn't feel alone in it and she didn't know what to do with that.

"Go back to sleep," she said finally.

David hesitated, then nodded but before he turned...

"Whatever it is," he said quietly, "you don't have to handle it alone."

The words lingered long after he left. Long after door closed. Sophia stared into the darkness, her chest still tight. Her mind still racing that was the real danger. Not just the contract. Not her family but this slow unexpected shift. This feeling of losing control.