Unsettled doubts

UNSETTLED DOUBTS

I couldn’t shake the unease after Margaret’s call. The anonymous message had rattled me more than I wanted to admit. Even though Sophia and I had our agreement at the café, doubt kept creeping in. I needed clarity. I needed to hear it from her directly. I sat on the edge of my small couch in the apartment and dialed her number. The phone rang twice before she picked up.

“Evelyn,” Sophia said, her voice calm and slightly surprised. “Twice in one week. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

I didn’t bother with pleasantries. “We had a deal. You agreed to stop interfering with me and Silverline. So why am I still dealing with threats and lost opportunities?”

There was a brief pause. Sophia sighed softly. “Threats? Evelyn, I kept my word. I haven’t contacted any of your investors since we spoke. I haven’t spread any new rumors about you. I thought we were past this.”

Her tone was steady, almost tired. It caught me off guard.

“I received another message,” I said, keeping my voice even. “It felt like you. Telling me my freedom won’t last. If it’s not you, then who else would care enough to do this?”

Sophia was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know. It could be anyone. Maybe one of the executives at Harrison Group who doesn’t like seeing you succeed outside the family. Or perhaps a competitor at Silverline who feels threatened by your progress. You took the Meridian contract from under Harrison’s nose. People notice when someone new starts winning.”

I stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the quiet street. “You promised me. You said if I stayed out of your way, you’d stay out of mine.”

“And I have,” Sophia replied firmly. “I haven’t reached out to anyone about you or Silverline since our talk. I have no reason to lie about that, Evelyn. You left Adrian. You’re not standing in my way anymore. Why would I waste my energy?”

I wanted to believe her. Part of me did. Her voice sounded sincere, almost bored with the conversation. “So you’re telling me you had nothing to do with any of this?”

“Nothing,” she said. “I kept my word. I suggest you look closer at who else might want to see you fail. Not everything revolves around me and Adrian.”

I exhaled slowly, the tension in my shoulders easing just a fraction. “Fine. If it’s not you, then I’ll figure it out myself.”

“Good,” Sophia replied. “And Evelyn for what it’s worth, I hope you find some peace. You seem happier away from all of this.”

I ended the call without saying goodbye. I stood there for a long time, staring at my phone. Sophia had sounded convincing. Maybe she really had stopped. Maybe this new threat was coming from someone else entirely.

But who?

I sat back down on the couch and tried to focus on Silverline’s latest numbers. Ryan had sent a message earlier, offering to review the latest projections with me. His support had been steady and professional. Ethan had also checked in, praising the progress we were making. The company was slowly gaining real traction. Yet the doubt lingered. If not Sophia, then who was watching me? Who had the resources and the motive to keep sending these messages?

I spent the rest of the evening trying to push the worry aside. I cooked a simple dinner, reviewed a few documents, and allowed myself to reply to Ryan’s message about meeting for coffee next week.

The conversation with Sophia had given me a small measure of relief. She had denied everything and sounded believable. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could breathe a little easier.

But as I prepared for bed that night, the question kept circling in my mind.

If Sophia wasn’t behind the latest threats…

Then who was? Then

I have to find out…