Chapter 6

Sophia's phone rang.

She lowered her eyes to the screen and saw Emily's name flashing across it. Her fingers tightened around the phone as she stared at it, knowing exactly why her best friend was calling.

The phone continued vibrating in her palm.

Sophia didn't answer.

She stood beneath the small shelter of a closed shop, listening to the rain pounding against the pavement while Emily's name continued flashing on the screen.

The call ended.

Almost immediately, the phone rang again.

Sophia closed her eyes and drew in a slow breath. She didn't have the strength to explain herself. She didn't want to hear Emily's worried voice or listen to her insist that Damien didn't deserve her. She already knew that.

She just didn't know what to do with the pain. When the ringing continued, Sophia finally opened her eyes and pressed the power button.

The screen went black.

She slipped the phone into her handbag and stepped out from beneath the shelter. The rain immediately soaked her again, but she barely cared.

Her expensive gown was damp, her hair was sticking to her face, and her heels hurt with every step, but none of it compared to the emptiness inside her.

She walked without knowing where she was going. She couldn't go back to the villa, because it wasn't her home anymore. She couldn't go back to Carter Group. That had never really been hers either.

And she certainly couldn't go back to Damien.

Sophia lowered her gaze as she walked, her fingers curling tightly around the strap of her handbag. She rubbed her thumb over the empty space before letting her hand fall to her side. She felt foolish for ever believing that Damien loved her.

The rain became heavier.

Sophia stepped away from the building and continued walking.

Across the street, a black sedan was parked near the curb.

Inside it, Alexander Wolfe sat in the back seat with his phone pressed to his ear. He listened silently for a moment before glancing through the rain-covered window.

"Move the meeting to tomorrow morning," he said, lowering his phone slightly as he gave the instruction.

The man in the driver's seat nodded while keeping his hands on the steering wheel. "Yes, sir. I'll inform everyone."

Alexander ended the call and placed his phone beside him. His attention shifted back toward the street, then he saw Sophia. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he recognized her immediately.

Sophia Bennett.

Her name had appeared in several Carter Group documents Alexander had reviewed over the years. He had never met her personally, but he remembered the work. Some of the company's strategies had been unusually detailed and aggressive, far more sophisticated than what he expected from Damien Carter.

Alexander had always wondered who was responsible for them.

Now, after seeing Sophia leave Carter Group's celebration alone in the rain, he found himself watching her.

He had simply been nearby after a late business meeting and happened to recognize the woman walking alone through the rain.

"That's Sophia Bennett, isn't it?" the driver asked, glancing at her through the windshield.

Alexander leaned forward slightly, resting one arm against the door as he watched Sophia from a distance. "Yes," he answered quietly.

The driver looked at him through the rearview mirror. "The woman who was on the news?"

Alexander's gaze remained fixed on Sophia. "The same woman," he replied.

He had no reason to approach her. Whatever had happened between her and Damien Carter was none of his business. Alexander watched her for another few seconds before reaching for his phone.

Then Sophia stepped toward the road. Alexander's attention immediately sharpened.

Headlights appeared around the corner. The vehicle was moving too fast, but Sophia didn't notice it, and she took another step.

The car suddenly swerved on the wet road.

Alexander pushed open the door. "Sophia!" he shouted as he leaned out of the vehicle.

Sophia turned toward the sound of her name. Her eyes widened when she saw the approaching car. She tried to move backward, but her heel slipped against the wet pavement.

The vehicle struck her.

Her handbag flew from her hand.

The blue folder she had been carrying fell open, sending pages of business plans and documents across the road.

Sophia hit the ground hard.

Alexander was out of the car almost immediately. "Call an ambulance!" he ordered, rushing toward her.

His driver jumped out and pulled his phone from his pocket. "I'm calling now, sir!" he said as he hurried toward them.

Alexander dropped to one knee beside Sophia. "Miss Bennett," he said, carefully checking her breathing as rain ran down his face. "Can you hear me?"

Sophia didn't respond.

Alexander looked at his driver, who was speaking rapidly into the phone. "Tell them it's a serious accident," Alexander instructed, keeping one hand near Sophia without moving her.

"Yes, sir," the driver replied, turning slightly away as he continued speaking to the emergency operator.

Alexander removed his suit jacket and carefully placed it over Sophia. "Don't move her," he told the driver when he returned to his side. "We'll wait for the paramedics."

The driver nodded while looking down at Sophia. "She's breathing," he said, crouching beside Alexander.

Alexander gave a brief nod. "Good."

His eyes then moved toward the scattered papers. One of them had landed beside his shoe. He reached down and picked it up, and his expression changed.

He recognized several of the calculations from an old Carter Group proposal. But the final proposal he had seen years ago hadn't contained these corrections.

The more he examined them, the more certain he became. They were detailed revisions to Carter Group's expansion plans.

There were calculations in the margins, corrections to financial projections, and notes about potential risks.

Alexander's gaze slowly shifted toward Sophia. She was still unconscious. "These were yours," he murmured, holding one of the pages in his hand.

The driver glanced at him. "Sir?"

Alexander lowered the document slightly. "Nothing," he said, his eyes returning to Sophia.

But it wasn't nothing.

For years, Damien Carter had received praise for being the brilliant mind behind Carter Group's growth. Alexander had never completely believed it. Now, he was beginning to understand why.

The woman lying unconscious on the road might have been the person behind the strategies that had turned Carter Group into the empire it was today.

The sound of an approaching ambulance grew louder. Alexander stood and stepped aside as the paramedics rushed toward them.

"What happened?" one of the paramedics asked while kneeling beside Sophia.

"She was struck by a vehicle," Alexander answered, stepping back to give them room. "She lost consciousness immediately."

The paramedic nodded while checking Sophia's pulse. "Ma'am, can you hear me?" he asked, leaning closer to her face.

Sophia remained still.

Another paramedic opened the medical bag while the first continued checking her condition. "We need to get her to the hospital," the paramedic said as he reached for the stretcher.

Alexander watched as they carefully lifted Sophia. Her head moved slightly, her fingers twitched, then her eyelids fluttered.

Sophia could hear voices around her. Everything sounded distant, as though she were underwater. She tried to open her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the rain, then a blurred figure standing beside the ambulance.

A man.

Tall.

Dark-haired.

His suit was soaked at the shoulders, and his face was calm despite the chaos around him.

Sophia tried to focus on him, and the man's eyes met hers.

Alexander stepped closer when he noticed her eyes opening. "Sophia Bennett?" he asked softly, looking down at her.

Sophia stared at him. She wanted to answer, she wanted to ask who he was, but her lips wouldn't move.

Her vision blurred again.

The last thing she saw was the stranger standing beside her, one of her scattered business documents still in his hand.

Then everything went dark.