Vows of fortune のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

The storm at the tableFor a moment, Sophia could not speak. Her throat tightened, and her tongue felt glued to the roof of her mouth.The long table stretched before her, lined with serious faces.The weight of their eyes pressed heavily on her. The suffocating silence in the room was broken by Kane's voice. “This meeting should have ended a long time ago. If we know the identity of who has the record, then it's half solved.”Why can't she just tell them who it is and save their damn time! He shot her a look filled with disdain.“Mr. Kane I think you are moving away from the subject of discussion," Sophia said in a brittle tone. "Which is the reason I called for this meeting. Mr. Monroe is the company's accountant. He has to explain how that record got into the wrong hands. I think he did it."Mr. Kane sighed deeply. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before putting them on. "I understand that you have the best interest of the company at heart, but we cannot pin an offence o

ChaosHer aide's hands were trembling as she handed her the tablet.It was a photo of her and Florence. The angle was unflattering: her jaw clenched, her hand in the midst of a gesture. Out of context, it was a scolding woman reprimanding a child.Her throat was dry.The short clip began playing.It was a couple of days earlier, the evening she had dinner with Adrian's family. She remembered that night well, the constant side glances, the accusatory silences, and then Florence's unwanted interruption. The video captured only her reaction: her loud voice, the tone, the annoyance let loose in front of the family.But the footage was edited, cut to remove context, spliced so that Florence was timid and meek and Sophia was some kind of ruthless tyrant towering over her.In front of the camera, she appeared to be embarrassing the housekeeper in public.The clip ended, to be followed by a large headline stretching across the top of the screen: "Heartless CEO Bullies Loyal Housekeeper – Leak

One push awayThe morning sun stretched gracefully over the mansion's long, winding driveway, casting a soft golden glow that danced across the sleek cars parked in neat rows. From her vantage point in the living room, Sophia stood watching in silence, a still figure framed by the expansive window.Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun, emphasizing the sharp angles of her face, which was devoid of makeup. She had taken a quick shower earlier, not out of eagerness to embrace the day ahead, but as a desperate bid to escape the suffocating solitude of her bedroom. The water had felt refreshing against her skin, but it did little to wash away the weight of her thoughts.In that room, every second stretched into eternity, a punishment of sorts. The four walls seemed to close in around her, a constant reminder of the chaos that had unfolded the day before. Memories swirled in her mind, each one tugging at her heart like a relentless tide, making her tremble with the intensity of her em

Humiliation in the spotlightThe windows were shut tight, and the curtains were drawn with a heavy, oppressive weight. The only source of illumination in the dim room came from the soft glow of her laptop screen, casting a pale light that barely reached the corners of the space.In a state of despair, Sophia had locked herself away, retreating to the one place where she felt she could escape the judgment of the outside world. This sanctuary, however, had become a prison of her own making, filled with the echoes of her insecurities and fears.She hunched over her laptop, her heart racing as she delved into a sea of financial reports that painted a bleak picture of failure. Each chart and graph told a story of missed opportunities and dwindling prospects. Her eyes darted across the screen, landing on a chat window that displayed a relentless stream of numbers, each one spiraling downward, reinforcing her sense of impending doom.This act of analyzing the data felt like a form of sel

The wife's placeThe vehicle raced through the congested streets. There was an oppressive silence between Adrian and Sophia.She would have preferred riding with Iris, her closest friend, sharing laughter and stories as they sped down the winding roads. But the opportunity slipped through her fingers, leaving her breathless amid the chaos that unfolded so quickly. Everything seemed to spiral out of control in an instant, and just when she thought she might be overwhelmed, fate stepped in. Those unruly teenagers, wild and reckless, were stopped just in time, preventing them from making a spectacle of her. A wave of relief washed over her, calming the storm that had brewed inside. Perhaps getting married to him wasn’t the mistake she had feared it might be. Just as the contract had promised, Adrian was stepping up, fulfilling his role with a grace that surprised her. In that moment, she began to see the glimmer of a partnership that could be more than just a legal arrangement.Sudd