The Woman At His Door

Sophia stared at the message on her phone for almost a full minute.

Come to the penthouse. Now.

No explanation.

No greeting.

Just an order.

She should have ignored it.

After everything Alexander Kane had put her through that evening, the last thing she wanted was another confrontation with the arrogant billionaire.

But then another message appeared.

It's about the contract.

Sophia's heart sank.

The contract.

Of course.

Everything between them always came back to that piece of paper.

She grabbed her purse and headed upstairs.

By the time the elevator doors opened on the penthouse floor, she had already rehearsed what she was going to say.

She wouldn't be intimidated.

She wouldn't let Alexander see that he still affected her.

And most importantly, she wouldn't allow herself to forget that their relationship was nothing more than an arrangement.

She knocked.

The door opened almost immediately.

Alexander stood there.

His tie was gone, the first few buttons of his white shirt undone. His normally perfect hair was slightly disheveled, and something about his expression made Sophia stop.

He looked exhausted.

Not angry.

Not cold.

Just... tired.

"What happened?" she asked before she could stop herself.

His eyes met hers.

"You came."

"You said it was about the contract."

"I lied."

Sophia's eyebrows shot up.

"Excuse me?"

Alexander stepped aside.

"Come in."

She didn't move.

"Alexander—"

"Please."

The single word caught her off guard.

Sophia slowly entered.

The penthouse was unusually quiet. The city lights glittered through the enormous windows, but Alexander had turned off most of the interior lights.

Then Sophia noticed the documents scattered across the dining table.

Her stomach tightened.

"What is all this?"

Alexander walked toward the table.

"The board found out about our arrangement."

Sophia froze.

"What?"

"They know the marriage is contractual."

Her face went pale.

"How?"

"I don't know yet."

"You told me nobody would find out."

"I know."

"You promised me."

Alexander's jaw tightened.

"And I'm going to fix it."

Sophia laughed bitterly.

"How? By paying someone off?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Alexander looked directly at her.

"By making them believe the marriage is real."

Sophia stared at him.

"You're asking me to pretend to be your wife in front of the entire board?"

"I'm asking you to protect yourself."

"Protect myself?"

"They're already questioning your position. If they discover the marriage is fake, they'll blame you for deceiving the family."

Sophia's fingers curled around the strap of her purse.

"And what about you?"

Alexander's expression hardened.

"They'll come after me too."

For the first time, Sophia understood the seriousness of the situation.

This wasn't just about money anymore.

It was about Alexander's position.

His company.

His family.

And somehow, her future had become tangled in all of it.

"How long?" she whispered.

"What?"

"How long do you need me to keep pretending?"

Alexander didn't answer immediately.

Then he said quietly,

"Until the board meeting."

"When?"

"Tomorrow morning."

Sophia's eyes widened.

"Tomorrow?"

He nodded.

"Which means tonight..."

"We need to look convincing."

Sophia folded her arms.

"Fine."

Alexander studied her.

"Fine?"

"Yes. I'll play the role."

Something flickered across his face.

Relief?

Maybe.

But before either of them could say anything else, the penthouse door suddenly opened.

A woman's voice floated through the room.

"Alexander?"

Sophia turned.

A beautiful woman walked inside.

She was elegant, confident, and clearly familiar with the penthouse.

Her eyes immediately landed on Sophia.

Then she smiled.

Not warmly.

"Oh."

Alexander's expression changed instantly.

"Victoria."

Victoria's smile widened.

"I didn't realize you had company."

Sophia looked at Alexander.

Something about the way he said the woman's name made her uneasy.

"Who is she?" Sophia asked.

Victoria answered before Alexander could.

"I'm his fiancée."

Silence.

Sophia's heart stopped.

She looked at Alexander.

"Your... what?"

Alexander's face darkened.

"Victoria, leave."

But Victoria didn't move.

Instead, she walked closer and looked Sophia up and down.

"So this is the woman."

Sophia swallowed.

"What woman?"

"The woman Alexander suddenly married."

Her smile disappeared.

"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

Sophia felt a strange chill run through her.

Alexander stepped between them.

"That's enough."

Victoria looked at him.

"You really married her?"

Alexander's eyes hardened.

"Yes."

Victoria's expression cracked for the first time.

Then she laughed softly.

"You've always been a terrible liar, Alexander."

Sophia's heart pounded.

Alexander didn't respond.

Victoria turned toward the door.

But before leaving, she looked at Sophia one last time.

"Enjoy being his wife while it lasts."

The door slammed shut behind her.

Sophia stood completely still.

Then she turned to Alexander.

"Who is Victoria?"

He said nothing.

"Alexander."

Still nothing.

Sophia's voice trembled.

"Who is she?"

Finally, he looked at her.

And for the first time since Sophia had met him, she saw something dangerously close to fear in his eyes.

"She's the woman my father wanted me to marry."

Sophia's stomach dropped.

"And?"

Alexander took a slow breath.

"And she knows exactly how this family works."

Sophia stared at him.

"Then why does she think she's still your fiancée?"

Alexander stepped closer.

"Because she doesn't know the whole truth."

Sophia's heart began beating faster.

"What truth?"

He looked at her for several seconds.

Then he said,

"That I never planned on marrying her."

Sophia's eyes narrowed.

"Then who did you plan on marrying?"

Alexander's gaze dropped briefly to her lips before returning to her eyes.

"You."

Her breath caught.

The room suddenly felt too small.

And neither of them noticed the security camera blinking silently in the corner.

Someone was watching.

And whoever it was had just heard everything.