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CASPIAN.“Shit,” I cursed, looking down at the vast city below us.I was never one to make mistakes but this... this was a total fuck up. I knew Lucas would never blame me. As expected, he said he would have still gotten into an accident if it was meant to happen. But I begged to differ... if I had updated him, he would have been more cautious. The only relief was that he didn't get killed in that accident. Otherwise, I would have never forgiven myself. Ever. Glancing at Carla, I admitted, “You were right. I should have told Lucas. All this is my fault.” We had gone out to a balcony at the far end of the hallway, wanting to give the couple privacy. “Don’t blame yourself… I also knew, but I didn’t say anything either. Who would have thought they would make a move while we were on the island?” She replied, tucking her short hair behind her ear. There was some stray hair that kept blowing in front of her face, and I was tempted to brush it away for her. I looked away, placing my han
SOPHIA. I narrowed my eyes when I left Lucas’ ward and found Elias waiting for his father in the hallway. How dare he come here? His eyes widened when he saw me, a flicker of worry flitting through them.I scoffed. Who was he trying to fool? Whatever worry he was showing was fake. “Sophia, are you ok…”“Why are you here? Haven’t you done enough?” I cut him off, my voice laced with so much venom. His eyebrows furrowed. “What are you talking about?” I sneered, glaring at him. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. You tampered with the car’s brakes and caused our accident!” Elias’ eyes grew wide like dinner plates. He shook his head, saying, “I did no such thing. I didn’t even know where you guys were.” I clutched the arms of my wheelchair, anger bubbling up within me. Apart from Elias, I couldn’t think of anyone who would want us dead. He seemed to be telling the truth, but I wasn’t so sure. He was a master at lying and pretending after all. “Look, Sophia
UNKNOWN POV. “Boss, Lucas is admitted to the hospital with his wife. I'm sorry, we failed you." I swiped the contents on the table to the ground, banging the side of my fist on the surface of the table. “Fools! All of you! How can you fail to get rid of that bastard and his stupid wife?” I snapped, anger bubbling in my chest. They had one job... To kill Lucas and make it look like an accident. But what did they do? Lucas and his wife were still alive! "Perhaps I should kill you for failing to do your job." The man who had come to report shivered, making me scoff. “We did what you told us to do. Didn’t you tell us to make it look like Sophia’s parents’ accident, so that no one can trace it to you? That’s what we did. We just didn’t expect Lucas to be so good at defensive driving.” “Nonsense! How many times will you give me excuses? You all fail to do anything until I do it myself!” I hissed, glaring at him. I never addressed him or any of my men by their names. Those were my ru
LUCAS. “We found high levels of scopolamine in your father’s system. Someone’s been drugging him,” Doctor Devon Kim, my father's personal doctor, said. “They might have switched out his medication when no one was looking.” My hand clenched into a fist, anger searing through me. “What does the drug do?” I asked through gnashing teeth, barely managing to mask my anger. Who the fuck had been drugging my father and why? This was getting out of hand. “It treats motion sickness and nausea, but if taken in high doses, this drug can lead to hallucinations, disorientation, temporary blindness, and it could lead to a coma,” the doctor answered. “It seems whoever drugged him wanted him to either lose his mind or go blind. Perhaps they wanted him to do something against his will while in a disoriented state. Luckily, he collapsed while he was already here, otherwise, we wouldn’t have found out he was being harmed.” I clenched my jaw, my stomach twisting and turning with worry. I wouldn’t
SOPHIA. A week later… I pushed Lucas’ wheelchair into his father’s ward. Doctor Devon had just given us the news that he had woken up from his coma. It took a few more days than we had expected, but luckily, the treatment had worked. Lucas asked to see him immediately, and since his left leg and right arm still had a cast, he could only move around in a wheelchair. “Dad,” Lucas said the moment we approached the bed. “How are you feeling?” I smiled at the old man on the bed. He looked like he had aged a few more years. A sigh escaped his lips. “If you didn’t tell me the cause of your mother’s death, I wouldn’t have collapsed, and no one would have known I was being drugged. Doctor Devon just told me what was found in my system.” “Do you have any idea who could have done this?” Lucas asked. “I don’t… everyone at home is trustworthy, and I don’t think they can do such a thing. It’s probably someone who’s not on my payroll.”“Dad, how can you be so sure? Even those on your payrol
LUCAS. My brows creased. “Dad, you actually didn’t need to do this. I’m perfectly healthy…”“Nonsense! Of course, you needed it! How did you think I got your mother pregnant when I was in my forties?” Dad said. He looked around before leaning forward and whispering. “This tea is your great-great-grandfather’s recipe. Whenever the men from the Hart family take this tea, it takes just one shot to impregnate someone.” He dug into his pocket and took out a sachet like someone who was trying to get someone to join them in smoking some illegal stuff. “Here, I’ll give you some. Make tea every morning, during lunch and after dinner. I promise you, this place will be full of little Lucas and Sophias.”A wave of heat rushed through me, and I clenched my fists to make myself sober. “Are you kidding me? I’m the company’s CEO. Do you want me to stay home all day and make babies?”Dad had a mischievous look in his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re that boring, son. You can visit your wife and do it in
SOPHIA. My waist and back were in pain after riding Lucas the whole night. To avoid Steven, we stayed in bed the whole day after asking Sarah to bring breakfast and lunch to our room. Lucas had still not recovered, so I couldn’t go to the company yet. However, it seemed there was no chance for us to rest with the old man being mischievous with his crazy ideas. We couldn't send him back to the Hart mansion either, since his life was in danger. After spending the whole day sleeping and watching movies, the old man came to call us down for dinner personally. So we had no choice but to leave our bedroom and go down to join him for dinner.“So, how was your night?” He asked, glancing at us with a mischievous grin on his face.Lucas cleared his throat. “Thanks to you, Dad. We had a rough night.”Steven’s eyebrows hiked. “A rough night, huh?”He nodded his head too many times, his grin reaching his ears. “That is wonderful news!” He exclaimed, hitting the table with his palm. “I will be
SOPHIA.“Good morning, Chairwoman. My name is Emily Green, and I’ll be your personal assistant from now on,” a young woman who seemed to be in her early twenties said the moment I stepped out of the car. It had been three weeks since the accident, and I finally reported for work after ensuring Lucas was almost fully healed. The cast on his arm was removed, but the one on his leg was still there. His leg needed more time to heal because he had broken the bone entirely, unlike the crack in his arm, which had healed after a few weeks. I breathed in the early morning air, glancing at the tall building before me. I had wasted so much time away from the company. Instead of taking care of my family’s business, I let Elias do whatever he liked with it in the name of love. It was foolish of me. Now that I was taking over running the business, every corrupt person will be fished out and sent to jail. Dad, Mom, I won’t let you down. Looking at the lady with brown skin, dark hair and brown
SOPHIA. It had been a few days since I opened Dad’s safe, and it took everything in me to hold back and not confront the culprits. Having them arrested immediately would be going too easy on them. Elias, especially, since he loved stabbing people who were good to him in the back, I wanted him to know how it felt to be betrayed. As the officiant was giving his speeches, Lucas grabbed my hand, squeezing it in assurance, and I looked up at him, giving him a small smile. I got this. Compared to what Elias and Violet did to me, this was nothing. "Since there's no objection. I will proceed with..."“I object!” I yelled, getting to my feet. Gasps echoed around the venue. I could feel all eyes turn toward me as I slowly walked towards the altar. Elias glanced at me with wide eyes while Violet’s face turned pale as if she had been drained of all blood. “May I ask who you are and why you object to this wedding?” The officiant asked, clearly shaken by the interruption. He must have been
VIOLET. “You look beautiful,” the makeup artist said after doing my makeup. A small smile crossed my lips. "Thank you. I've always wanted to be a bride."I glanced into the mirror, looking at the pretty face that looked back at me. Finally, the day of my wedding had arrived. Although Elias and I had already gotten married, this wedding was more of a confirmation of my position in the Hart family. As the first grandson of the chairman, Elias still had some sort of power in the Hart family. It’s the first heir who always inherits a family legacy anyway, so ninety percent of what Steven Hart owned would belong to Richard, and in the end, Elias would be the benefactor. I was having this wedding not to wait for the two old geezers to die, but for me to have an opportunity to get rid of all of them. What if I died first and ended up not getting anything? I needed to secure the future of my child. At least, he should have a different life from the one I had. As Mrs Hart and the mother
SOPHIA. “I came as soon as possible,” Lucas said as he entered my office. I had been stuck in my chair for close to an hour, replaying the video I had found over and over again after copying it to my laptop. I looked up from the laptop, my eyes blurry from the tears I had been shedding. “You were right,” I said, sniffling. "Elias was involved. Dad found out what they were up to, but he still failed to prevent his death.”Lucas approached me, worry flitting through his eyes. He grabbed my hand and helped me up before sitting on my chair and placing me on his lap. He then coiled his arm around my waist, looking down at me with a gentle gaze.“I’m going to make him pay. I’ll destroy him,” I said, tears rolling down my cheeks. My father was betrayed by his friend just because he couldn’t give him a job he wasn’t qualified for. That man worked with Elias to get rid of my father… They even had the guts to stick around and try to take over the company. Dad was good to Elias, but how c
SOPHIA. My heart pounded in my chest as I opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. It seemed it was written a week before Dad and Mom had the accident that claimed their lives. My dear sweet little angel,My eyes stung, and I sniffled to hold back my tears when I read the first line. This was so Dad… still calling me his little angel when I was a grown woman. I guess to him, I was still that little girl he taught how to walk or ride a bike... I was daddy's little girl till the very end.My chest constricted with pain. I miss you, Dad…If you’re reading this, it only means I’m no longer in this world, and you’re now ready to take over the family legacy. Don’t feel bad if it took some time for you to take over, it’s never too late to find the right path. I know you must be married now. With me gone, I trust you made the right decision and married the right man for you… The one who makes your heart skip a beat. If he looks at you the way I looked at your mother, then you’re in
SOPHIA.I took a deep breath as I stood outside my late father’s lawyer, Abraham Marshall's, office. After Daniel Walter left my office earlier, I kept recalling how his gaze shifted to the bookshelf behind me when he thought I couldn’t notice. Since he was once my father's close friend, he must have known there was a hidden safe in the chairman's office. And from the way he was giving the shelf secret looks, he surely knew what was inside that safe. Perhaps that could be the reason he’s been hanging around the company a lot despite not having any position there. That was the reason I chose not to waste time and came to see my late father's lawyer.The sooner I found out about what was in the hidden safe, the better. I raised my hand and knocked on the door. Twice. And then three times. After a few seconds of silence, a deep voice echoed from inside the office. “Come in.” I opened the door and walked in, finding Abraham Marshall seated behind his desk. He was an elderly man i
SOPHIA.My heart ached. So all this while, I thought Elias saved me, but it turned out he had taken the credit when it wasn’t his to take in the first place. I know I was the one who mistook him for the man who saved me, but why didn’t he correct me? He just went along with me, pretending like he was the man I thought had come to my rescue. As it turned out, it was Lucas all along. “Why didn’t you tell me? I ended up falling in love with the wrong person,” I asked, tears rolling down my cheeks. I couldn’t believe I had wasted my time, my emotions and my love on the wrong person. There were so many wasted years...Lucas was silent for a few seconds. He frowned, looking at me. “If someone else saved you today, would you fall in love with him?” I furrowed my eyebrows, shaking my head. “No, I wouldn’t. Why would I fall in love with just anyone because they saved me…” I trailed, realising why he asked that question.He arched an eyebrow. “You see? I don’t think you fell for Elias b
##Flashback to nine years ago##LUCAS's POV. I had just gotten off Dad’s private jet when I saw Caspian waiting for me near his Lamborghini. “Hey bro!” He yelled, waving at me like a fool. I shook my head. This fucker loved getting on my nerves. So he came all the way here just to embarrass me? When I reached his side, he spread his arms wide. “Aren't you gonna hug your best buddy?” “Fuck off,” I said before getting into the car. Caspian entered the driver's side car and drove off. I glanced at him, saying, “Let’s stop at a flower shop.”“You just returned, and you can’t wait to see your first love? Are you finally going to confess your feelings?” A small smile crossed my lips. “Yes, I am. I can’t hold back any longer. I missed her so much.” “What if she doesn’t like you that way?”A lump formed in my throat. That was a possibility. But I wouldn’t know unless I tried, right?“We shall cross that bridge when we get there,” I said, looking out of the window. Dad had sent me abr
LUCAS. I froze. I hadn't expected that we would run into Sophia's high school tutor, much less that he would bring up the past. “What do you mean? When did Lucas save me?” Sophia asked him, giving him a questioning gaze. I gave the man a pointed look, hoping he would keep his words to himself. However, he chuckled when he saw my glare, looking back at Sophia. “Don’t tell me you forgot. Lucas once saved you when you were attacked on your way home,” Adil Patel uttered, ignoring the daggers I was shooting at him with my eyes. Sophia gasped, glancing at me with rounded eyes. “Is that true? Were you the one who saved me that time? How... it was clearly Elias...”Alarm bells went off in my head at those words. What the hell did that mean? Was she about to say Elias was the one who had saved her?Adil laughed. “I see.... Lucas must have kept it a secret because he didn’t want you to feel burdened."He chuckled again, glancing at me. "How noble. I’ll see you around, and congratulation
SOPHIA.I was here to surprise Lucas with an office visit, but I didn’t expect to run into Elias before I could reach his office. It baffled me that he thought I would still be in love with him after everything that had happened between us. Did he think I was really that naive? That I would still love him despite his betrayal and possibly the murder of my parents? Although there was no proof yet, there was a high possibility he had a hand in their deaths. Even if he didn’t have a hand in their deaths, I would never forgive a cheater. Not everyone deserves a second chance. Especially narcissists like Elias, who show no remorse. I ignored Elias and walked past him, anger flaring through me like a tidal wave. He had just spoiled my mood, but I wouldn’t let him get to me. I came to see Lucas at his office for a reason, and I wouldn’t let anyone get in the middle of my plans. Knocking on the door softly, I stepped inside, finding Lucas seated behind his desk, working on something on h