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SOPHIA.We were back at the villa and although I knew I shouldn't let Elias affect me, I had been in a bad mood since I saw him. I hated him for cheating on me and locking me up against my will but I couldn’t deny the other part of me that still longed for him. And I hated myself for it. “Are you ok?” Lucas’s voice reached my ears and I looked up to find him staring at me with concern flitting in his blue eyes. Was I ok?I wasn’t. I didn’t think I would be able to face Elias at the party. Back there on the road, he didn’t even know it was me but I was so affected, I couldn’t stop trembling. “Can I not go to the party?” I asked Lucas, biting my lower lip. “I don’t want to see Elias.” Something flashed through Lucas’s eyes but it was so quick I couldn’t make out what it was. “Are you afraid he would ask why I’m going with you?” He asked in a dangerously low voice. “Do you regret marrying me after seeing him again?”My eyes rounded at Lucas. “What? No… I don’t. I just don’t want t
LUCAS. I looked out the window and frowned deeply before putting my phone away. I had just been on a call with my father. He asked me to show up for work today. The only reason I would work in the Hart Group is if I’m the CEO. I didn’t even need the Hart Group anyway; I built my own empire. However, Dad didn’t sound so good. The company wasn’t doing so well and he needed me to come in and help. I will work with them, but I’ll be taking my rightful place as the CEO. Not because I need the Hart Group but because I have to teach Richard and Elias a lesson.My mind flittered to the beautiful woman in the other bedroom and a small smile crossed my lips. Things were beginning to get into place one at a time. I quickly showered and dressed up in a dark suit before heading downstairs. My eyes widened when I found Sophia setting up the table. Her blonde hair was tied into a messy bun and she had a white apron on. She looked cute.Sensing me, she looked up and smiled.“Breakfast?” I arc
LUCAS. “Have you made up your mind? Are you coming with me to the banquet?” I asked Sophia, giving her a sideways glance as we sat in the backseat of my Bentley. It took a while for her to calm down after we left the cemetery.I had to signal Rick to take a longer route to the office. I wanted her to have someone beside her as she cried and remembered her parents.“I will go with you,” she replied, her voice resolved and determined.A smirk curled my lips. I reached for a strand of her hair before playing with it in my hand.“Wait for me at our home. I’ll take you shopping when I knock off from work,” I said before looking outside the window. Rick had just parked in front of the Hart Group building.“Our home?” Sophia’s voice came.I glanced at her, giving her one of my rare smiles.“Yes. Ours.”Looking at Rick through the mirror, I instructed, “Rick, take my wife home and ensure her safety.”Elias still had his goons searching for her. I needed to make sure he didn’t meet her alone
ELIAS.“Dammit!” Dad’s angry voice echoed in the four walls of my office and I flinched. “I thought we had gotten rid of that bastard! Why did he have to come back? Why? The Hart Group can only belong to me!!” He looked at me, his eyes flitting with fury. He pointed a finger at me, his jaw clenching. “How can you be so useless? It’s been three years and you still can’t surpass Lucas! You’re the same age but you can’t even keep him out of the company! He just returned and you already gave up the CEO’s position just like that!” “Dad, I didn’t expect him to come back so soon. Grandpa said he would make me the CEO if Lucas didn’t come back in three years! But he came back right before I could get the position!” I replied, feeling frustrated. All that I had done to reach this point was for nothing. Lucas easily took it away just by showing up and saying a few words.It was hard for me to even get the chance to work as the acting CEO. If I didn’t get married to Sophia and have control ov
LUCAS.“If you need anything, use this to call me, my number is on speed dial,” I said, giving Sophia the phone I had gotten for her. “I changed your number. You can add other contacts that you need to communicate with.” I had gone to pick her up after work, wanting to get her a few clothes and also, a dress she would wear at the banquet. Sophia got the phone and studied it. A small sad smile crossed her lips. “Thanks Luca… but I don’t have anyone to add. The only people I was close to were Elias and Violet. I couldn’t even make new friends because I thought I had everything I wanted. A husband and a best friend. Who knew…” She trailed, her eyes welling up with tears. My heart clenched when I saw her sad expression. “Hey… fuck those who betrayed you... They aren’t worth shit,” I said and Sophia chuckled. “That’s right, they can go to hell for all I care,” she replied as she switched on the phone before going to the contacts to see the only contact that was saved on her phone. He
SOPHIA.All was going well until I heard Elias’s voice in the store. My heart jumped to my throat and my stomach twisted and turned this way and that the entire time he was here. I thought he was going to see me, so all I could do was hide in the fitting room as he and Lucas talked. I didn’t dare come out until someone knocked on the door. “Soph, you can come out now,” Lucas’s voice reached me and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I had already changed into the red gown that Lucas had picked. After looking at myself in the mirror again, my face flushed. Oh my… This was…I bit my lower lip and opened the door before stepping out.“Are you done……..” Lucas trailed as he swept his eyes up and down my body. “Fuck,” I heard him curse and I tried to hug myself to hide the exposed parts of my body. The dress that Lucas had chosen had cutouts on the sides and a long dipping cleavage. It was fitting on my hips and ass before flaring out from the knees until it swept the gro
LUCAS. “She’s accepted the hot drink, Sir,” Sarah reported after coming back from Sophia’s room. I was in the study, sitting on my swivel chair while sipping on my expensive whiskey. It was all I could do to keep the edge off. I had been irritated the moment Elias walked into the clothing store, ruining the mood between Sophia and I. Luckily they didn't bump into each other. If Sophia wasn't in the fitting room, Elias would have seen her and ruined my plans. I couldn't have that... I want him to see her when she's started opening up to me. I want him to see her when it's too late for him and all he can do is regret losing her... I want him to realise he had lost a diamond, but by then, she would be in my arms, being treasured by me- just like she deserves. “How is she?” I asked Sarah after taking a sip, the amber liquid burning my throat before settling in my chest. But it did nothing to soothe the ache in my heart, my thoughts flittering to Sophia. “She didn’t look so good, sir
ELIAS.“Eli, don’t you think this apartment is not suitable for our baby?” Violet asked me as we sat in the living area of her apartment, watching a TV show.My eyes instantly shot to her belly, my hand reaching out to caress her stomach.“You chose this apartment, so I think it’s fine. Why do you think it’s not suitable?” I asked, looking at her.“Well, for starters it’s not safe for me and the child. We need a house that can guarantee our safety. I mean, what if people found out I was carrying your heir and decided to get rid of me?”“Secondly, our child needs a place with a big yard for him to run around as he likes. This place is too small."I furrowed my eyebrows.She had a point but... getting her a villa would be too costly for me. I can’t spend money anyhow now... not when the assets I had access to when I was married to Sophia have been frozen. And it's all because of...I looked at the woman carrying my child before tucking a stray hair behind her ear.Violet was beautiful wi
SOPHIA. My eyes fluttered open when I felt Lucas placing soft kisses on my jaw. He kissed my nose gently, then my eyes, before pressing his lips to mine.After looking into my eyes briefly, he buried his face in the crook of my neck before sucking lightly. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and an erotic sigh escaped my lips as tingles coursed through my body. "You're done with your business?" I asked, my breathing becoming laboured as he continued to suck on a sweet spot on my neck. "Yes, I'm done. Now I'm here for a snack," he murmured, his hand sliding into my pajamas. "We are still celebrating today's win, you know." I arched an eyebrow. "And this is how you want to celebrate?" My body trembled when he cupped my core, his finger teasing my clit lightly. "Yes... I'm addicted to the taste of a pregnant woman. And right now, I want my daily dose."Before I could tell what was happening, Lucas removed my pajamas. He was about to climb on top of me when I pushed him down on
LUCAS. “Did you see the look on Elias’s face?” Carla said, and Sophia laughed, throwing her head back. Her eyes gleamed as she laughed heartily, the sound echoing around us. “I’m sure he thought no one could ever cheat on him,” she uttered. "It felt so good to see him at a loss for words. That's what he gets for being a jerk to me. It's not like there's anyone out there who chooses to have difficulties with having children. But he never failed to remind me every day that I was a woman who couldn't bear children." My heart clenched at the reminder. Whatever Elias was going through after the revelation was not painful enough. He deserved the worst for how he treated Sopia. She's a woman I wanted to treat like a Queen for the rest of my life. Knowing she was once mistreated by a man she trusted always fills me with regret. I shouldn't have left the country back then...We had all gone to the restaurant in the hotel to have lunch and a few drinks as a way to celebrate our first win.
ELIAS. I stood at the altar, my heart rejoicing about how things were working in my favour so far. With Mr X coming to personally hand me a contract next week, my position in the family was as good as sealed. Today, I made sure all of the company’s shareholders had been invited to the wedding. My plan was to talk about my heir at the reception to impress the shareholders. The shareholders cared a lot about reputation, and a CEO who was a family man with good morals was their ideal type of leader. I could still hear Dad’s warning in my ears when we talked earlier today. “After today, don’t create any more scandals. We can’t afford to have any more stains if we are to chase Lucas out of the family. Don’t disappoint me.” It was the first time I saw a proud look on his face. Although he didn’t approve of Violet because of her background, he still tolerated her because she was carrying my heir. My child...Or so I thought. I didn’t expect her, of all people, to lie to me. When So
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