Chapter 25

Sophia's POV

The familiar weight of exhaustion settled deep into my bones as I unlocked the back door of the house. It was another day at my cleaning job, and the day had been relentlessly demanding. Floors five through ten of the administrative department felt like a lifetime ago, and my muscles ached with a dull, persistent throb. All I wanted was the quiet solitude of my room, a chance to crash hard on the bed, so as to help the fatigue in my body.

As I slipped inside the house, I caught sight of one of the staff in my father's company. I wasn’t entirely sure what his role was. He seemed to be everywhere, always but mostly near my father, looking important. He was engaged in a hushed, intense discussion with my father, their voices low and serious in the hallway. A prickle of unease shot through me. I didn’t want to be seen. That would raise room for questions. My new job was supposed to be about observation, about learning how people were treated, but it wasn’t about revealing my