"You Gold digging low life! Are you still sleeping at this time of day?" Mrs Carter's voice boomed in my ears as she whipped off the little blanket that barely covered my body.
Sitting up in a sleepy mood, I rubbed my eyes with my palm before opening them to take in her furious face, the wrinkled arch on her forehead very visible. "Good morning, Mother." I greeted politely disregarding her initial insult
"I am not your mother, you silly girl. Will you not go to work? Or are you waiting for my Son to provide for your lazy ass?" she asked folding her arms beneath her breasts
"I won't be going to work today; tomorrow's Valentine's Day ma Ethan and I have plans," I said letting a small smile creep up my face at the thought of spending tomorrow with the love of my life, but the thought was cut short by a croaked laughter
"You think my son will spend his hard-earned money on you all for Valentine's Day? You must be delusional"
I smiled and then said, "Mother, is there something you would like me to do? I have an errand to run for Ethan by noon."
"Make me coffee, no sugar, just black and bring it to my room, since you won't be going to work, why not include taking care of the house today, so you'd be useful and pay back my son for being a freeloader." with that she sighed and walked off
"If only she knew." I smiled harder before getting out of bed.
The joy in my heart had no rival. I picked up my phone and played my favorite music, "Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sharan". Humming and twilling to the song as I hit the showers
The moment the waters dropped on my body I couldn't help but fantasize about the life that waited for me, my father's voice screamed in my head.
"You have three years, Sophia, three years to finish this stupid fantasy of yours and return with the man, or you will be forced to marry Alex."
I smiled sheepishly as I imagined the look on my father's face when he saw me home with Ethan in two weeks.
Putting on a floral knee-length, Sleeveless dress, I pulled my hair in a pony, and with one last look in the mirror, I blew myself a passionate kiss and laughed hard before turning to my heels.
Serving Mrs Carter the Coffee she demanded she kept throwing me suspicious looks and as I was about to leave her voice stopped me in my tracks
"Why do you look overly happy today?"
I turned, smiling harder with my set of white dental,l outside as if on display. "What do you mean, mother? I'm always happy you know?" I said
She gave me a suspicious look before going ahead to size me up, and then, with a wave of the hand, she dismissed me.
Mrs Carter had never liked me, but she tolerated me for the sake of Ethan. Once out of the house I stood at the gate and called Bruce
"Hello, Ms Lancaster." Uncle Bruce, our Butler spoke immediately he answered the call
"I need a ride into town; I'm at Ethan's place; meet me at the canteen near the house."
"At your service ma'am," the line went dead.
***
"Hello Ma, Welcome to RJ Jewelry Stores, how may we help you," the cashier said smiling at me
"I want one of your most expensive Diamond rings for my fiancée," I announced
"Follow me Ms, we have the best you can find in the entire New York"
I followed her without hesitation. Ethan deserved the best, and I would not hesitate to offer him the very best.
After hours of going through the selections the sales rep had made, I finally picked the best and finest of them all, an elegant 8.5-carat green diamond,
As the Sales rep went on to package it as she requested, Bruce, an elderly-looking man with white hair, walked up to her and cleared his throat.
"Uncle Bruce, say what's in your mind, I know you have something to say," I said turning to him with a small smile on my face
"Ms Lancaster, are you sure of this? Shouldn't he be the one engaging you?" he asked with a concerned look etched across his face.
"Uncle Bruce, Ethan loves me; I have witnessed it. He wants to propose, but he doesn't have enough money for the kind of ring he wants."
"Here's your gift, ma; let's head to the registry for payment," the sales rep interrupted.
After payment and we returned to the car, Uncle Bruce asked, "Where to?"
"Ethan's workplace."
The ride there was a haze, all I had in my head was just his expression when he saw this and the line I plan on using
"Ethan, you have been the best thing that has happened to me in three years; you have loved me regardless of who I was, and now I want to spend the rest of my life with you! Ethan Carter would you be the man of my dreams for life, marry me"
I had repeated this line for almost a month now, but it still sounded so cocky to me but I loved him enough to be Cocky beside him.
I didn't know when we got there, but all I knew was Uncle Bruce staring at me, saying, "We are here."
I looked around, and indeed, we were here Reid Industries. I had used my influence to get him a job as a Finance head in Reid Industries. But he didn't know.
Mustering up courage, I got into the building clutching the gift bag, which contained the diamond ring box, a flight ticket to Maldives, and reservations at Lancaster Hotels and Suites.
Greeting the receptionist who had always been friendly with me all these while and walking by, the elevator ride was so quiet, building up the nerves I had thought I had gotten rid of, the elevator kept stopping at floors and picking up people.
Finally, I was on his office floor. As I walked in, the employees greeted me heartily as I was more of a regular visitor, and they knew I was dating Ethan Carter. When I stopped by his assistant's desk she wasn't there.
"Where could Valerie be at this time?" I thought briefly but brushed it off and headed on, getting to his door I stopped inhaled, and exhaled before finally pushing the door handle and walking into the office
"Surp....." the sound died in my throat as before my eyes were Ethan and his assistant Valerie in each other's arms, kissing and canoodling.
In that instance, the gift box slipped off my hands slapping softly on the floor but enough to gain their attention
"Sophia?" Ethan said as shock spread across his face while Valerie still sat on his lap looking down as if scared to meet my gaze
"Sophia... I can..." I didn't wait to hear him; the only thing my insides screamed was to run! And I obeyed, picking up the gift
bag, I turned and bolted
This was a horrible nightmare; maybe if I ran, I'd wake up from it.
Standing in front of a group of reporters in the atrium of the Reid Tower, he was captured on video. His eyes were wild behind dark-rimmed glasses, and his face looked gaunt. He dramatically cleared his throat. "Good afternoon. I am here today, ladies and gentlemen of the press, to disclose the true reason behind Sophia Lancaster and Alexander Reid's alleged 'marriage of love." My heart tightened. Dad took hold of my arm. Diana pursed her lips. Marta live-streamed his broadcast by frantically tapping her phone. Ethan went on, his voice echoing through our quiet library "What you call love is a well-planned plot to control markets, combine Lancaster and Reid assets, and establish a joint empire." Ms. Lancaster-Reid demanded that you think she was "falling in love," yet her personal ambition and her father's boardroom objectives drove every move of this relationship. A guy was seen clutching a large manila folder with papers marked "Lancaster Confidential" and "Board Minutes." E
My phone was vibrating loudly on the nightstand when I woke up before the sun came up. I was briefly lulled back to sleep by the gentle hum of the water outside Diana's mansion, but the buzzing continued—urgent, relentless. I felt the cool glitter of the screen on my hand as I reached for the tablet and squinted blearily. Marta was the one who sent the notification: "URGENT: A news conference has been planned by Ethan Carter at noon today in New York. Every major network has received media advice from him. I felt a knot in my gut. The guy who almost brought down Alexander's business via cyber-sabotage, Ethan Carter, was long ago detained, found guilty, and silenced. Why would he resurface now, at the juncture of rebirth and reconciliation? I flung off the blankets and sprang to my feet. The air through the open window was sharpened by stress, yet the Hamptons daybreak was peaceful and pale. I hurriedly put on a top and jeans—nothing fancy, nothing flimsy—and brushed my hair. A
All that was visible throughout the taxi trip out of the city was a haze of darkened skyscrapers and taillights. The beach wind seemed like a new beginning as I walked into the Hamptons' Reid country estate's gravel road, but it also held the ache of all I was leaving behind. Uncle Bruce had my overnight luggage waiting at the front entrance. His concern was evident in his kind gaze. I made my shoulders square. "I am grateful, Bruce. Tell Alexander that I am okay and that I will see him tomorrow, please. Despite his hesitation, he nodded. “Of course, Miss Sophia.” His dignity remained unwavering, but I knew he had been faithful to us both no matter what. The quiet of centuries-old wood paneling and subdued pastel wallpaper welcomed me as I entered the entryway. Diana Reid's sanctuary, the home, seemed vast and deserted. Only a single chandelier flickered above it at this late hour, although it had been the scene of soirées and board retreats. Down the corridor, I brought my suitca
Break in the boardroom at 9:30 a.m. Head reeling, I slipped out into the corridor as the board adjourned for a short break. Dad caught up with me. Dad handed me his phone and whispered softly, "He called." Alexander's voicemail notice glowed on the screen: A recording and three unanswered calls: > "I am very sorry, Sophia. The investors urged me to remain on the call since it is essential for financing the next quarter. I’ll join you as soon as I can. I am with you in spirit, you know. I adore you. I hit play, but a click marked the end of the message. I had trembling hands. "He did not show up." My father touched my arm. "He made an effort. Let’s let him have a couple more minutes, then proceed.” I let out a breath, my eyes blurred by furious tears. He had broken his word when I needed him here, when I needed his hand on my back and his voice next to mine. --- Boardroom, 10:00 a.m. We met again. Dad presented a motion to approve my continuing employment under the new ethical
I leaned against him and closed my eyes, using his trust to reestablish mine. I came to the realization in the faint lamplight that my breaking point was not weakness but rather the imminence of a change. I was the same woman who had thrown a ring on a stranger's finger in defiance, who had abandoned her own engagement in broken humiliation, who had experienced corporate battle, betrayal, and public scrutiny. In addition to leaving their imprint, each adversity strengthened their resilience.At this turning point, I found myself on the verge of something new the promise of redemption as well as a night of reckoning to come. I would stand before the board tomorrow, I would tell the truth, and the cornerstone of our future together would either be irrevocably strengthened or broken. The hot chocolate filled my veins as I drank it. For the first time in days, I had faith in myself, in us, and in the ability of honesty to heal even the most severe wounds, and Alexander held me close.
The following morning, the sun rose over a city that seemed suddenly foreign to me. The penthouse where I sat curled on the sofa, holding a half-empty mug of coffee that had long since gone cold, was never warm enough to feel the warmth of Manhattan's towers, which stood like silent sentinels. My phone was on the table, forgotten, its screen dark. My father, Marta, and Alexander all left unanswered messages. Every breath tasted like ash, my chest was constricted, and my head hurt. Marcus's stunned silence, Helena's cold betrayal, and the weight of the bylaws that had been twisted into a weapon against me were all reminders of yesterday's boardroom betrayal. Fresh off the success of our investor pitch, I had entered that meeting full of confidence and left feeling insignificant, stupid, and vulnerable.The very board that I had assisted in bringing together now doubted my moral character. Even worse, I had seen treachery radiate from the faces of those I had grown to regard as com