Chapter 0003

CHAPTER THREE

SOPHIE

I walked into the visiting room, my heart pounding. There were several people in there but the guard led me to a private booth. The place was dark and empty, leaving me on the edge, and my fear and confusion knew no bounds.

“Hello, Sophie,” I heard a deep voice say and my whole body trembled in fear.

“W..who are you?” I asked in a shaky voice. I had no idea why someone had come to see me now, after all this time. 

As if on cue, the booth light was turned on and it revealed who the visitor was. The man that sat opposite me was the most handsome man I had ever seen, but there was something unsettling about his beauty, and it made me want to stay away from him.

But then, I frowned. I knew him, not personally though, but we had crossed paths.

“You!” I gasped as I vividly remembered him.

“I’m glad you remember me. So I don’t have to go through the hassle of introducing myself,” he smiled widely and leaned back in his seat. He furrowed his brows, and his intense haze made me unconsciously squirm. It was like he was trying to figure me out but he couldn’t.

“Why…what are you doing here? Why do you want to see me?” 

The man sitting in front of me is Dominic Hayes, a ruthless billionaire and Ethan’s biggest rival in the business world. 

Back when I was still with Ethan, he approached me during a charity event and asked that I have an affair with him. But I blatantly rejected him, because I wasn’t that kind of woman and I loved my husband dearly. I scoffed as I remembered it all. The irony was laughable.

Dominic leaned in and placed his elbow on the table, “I’m here to make you an offer.” He said seriously, and that was one thing I liked about him. He didn’t like going through the corners.

I frowned, Dominic was a dangerous man, and I knew that he had a good reason for coming to find me.

“What offer?” I asked cautiously. I shouldn’t have been interested, because I promised myself to stay away from anything that concerned Ethan, but I couldn’t help myself.

He smiled like the devil, “I know that your husband, Ethan, framed you.”

“Ex husband,” I quickly corrected with a frown. Although Ethan and I weren’t officially divorced, I still didn’t want anything to do with him.

His smile became wider, like this was exactly what he wanted, “My bad,” The words rolled off his tongue effortlessly.

Smiling was supposed to make you loosen up to someone, but Dominic’s smile was creepy and it sent chills down my spine.

“What do you want?” I asked again, seriously this time. 

“I believe you,” his smile fell, seeing how serious I was, “I believe that you’re innocent and I want to get you out of jail, and help you take revenge on Ethan, that’s if you want.”

Of course, I did. There was nothing I wanted more than to make Ethan pay for what he did to me. But Dominic’s sudden interest in me was strange. He’s a business man, and they never did anything that wasn’t profitable to them.

“And what’s in it for you?” I threw the question at him.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” He began, “I want to make Ethan pay for everything he has done and expose him for all his crimes, but you’re the only one who can help me.”

“How?” I feigned ignorance as I remembered the warning Ethan gave me right before I went to jail. I wasn’t strong enough to face him yet, so I didn’t want to get myself in bigger trouble. I had to be smart, not reckless.

“Because you’re aware of his fraudulent activities. I’ll give you everything you need. Power, wealth, protection, name it, it’s all yours. Just help me.” His offer was tempting and just as I was considering the options, he added, “But you have to marry me.”

“What?!” I stared at him in shock.

His smile was tight as he continued, “There’s a deal I’m chasing, and it’s an advantage to be married. It’s just like killing two birds with one stone.” He explained.

“Of course, not!” I said, standing up. I would do no such thing. My marriage to Ethan opened my eyes and showed me the truth about life. I’d be a big fool if I fell for it again.

“Our marriage won’t be real. It’s just on paper.” He continued. “We’ll sign a contract and when we both achieve our goals, we’ll go our separate ways.”

I stared at him with contempt, “Find someone else, Dominic, because I’ll never get married to you. Ever!” I said and stormed out, but not before catching the slightest hint of smirk on his lips like he expected me to react the way I did.

He was crazy if he ever believed that I’d agree to marry him. They were all the same, they cared only about their own life.

I returned back to my cell, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Dominic’s offer, and something told me that this wasn’t the end.