Semua Bab The Billionaire's Substitute Bride : Bab 61 - Bab 70

SOPHIA I wasn’t sleeping again.My dreams, when they came, felt like half-sentences. Blurry faces, flickering lights. The kind of dreams that left you even more tired than before. Maybe it was the coffee. Or maybe it was the weight in my chest that never really left anymore.Ricci was drifting, too. I could feel it. Like we were both inside the same storm but pretending not to notice the thunder.That morning, I saw him from the window.He was with Mike, in the old family warehouse down the hill, where all the relics of the Terminal’s past were kept—stripped-down weapons, old crates with faded names, heirlooms from an era of blood and power. It was where his father had kept most of his legacy. I wasn’t supposed to be watching, but I couldn’t look away.I saw Mike throw something hard across the room. It clattered like a gun or a wrench, echoing too loudly in the hollow space.“You want to abandon what your father built? For a woman?” I heard Mike’s voice even from here.Ricci stood s

SOPHIA The call came in the middle of the day.I was lying on my bed with my hand over my stomach, staring at the ceiling like it could explain anything. My phone lit up beside me. Benjamin.I hesitated. Then I picked it up.His voice was rushed. “So I couldn’t rest after you showed me that photo,” he said, barely breathing. “Did some digging. Mike’s meeting again tonight. Same guy. Something’s going down.”I sat up too fast. My heart thudded.“Wait—what kind of meeting?”“Private. Off-the-record kind of stuff. You remember that alley near the docks? Same car. Same time. I didn’t get too close,”.“There's a recording tho,”There was a pause. I didn’t say anything, just listened to the sound of paper rustling and muffled breathing on his end.Then I heard the voice recording come through.A click. Static. Then Mike’s voice, low but clear.“He still thinks I’m on his side. Wait till Sara pulls the final string.”My blood went cold.“Play it again,” I whispered.Benjamin didn’t ask why.

SOPHIA The Devil's Waltz. The music was too polished.It was a few days later, and yes, Sara was still living in the mansion. I hadn't found the guts to confront her, and worst of all, she'd decided to throw a party, claiming to have regained most of her memory.It played low and slow from the corner speakers like it belonged in a ballroom, not inside a mansion built on the bones of blood money. I stood near one of the window panes, watching the glow of crystal chandeliers fall over the polished floors and expensive people.Sara’s voice rang like silver in the air, laughing lightly with someone in a navy suit who had too many rings on his fingers. Everything about the night felt off. Like the walls were dressed in silk, but the air still stank of iron and something fake.She called it a peace offering.Her words exactly. “A little celebration to show Ricci we’re all on the same side now.” Her smile was too bright, her dress too white. And yet everyone believed her. Or pretended to.

SOPHIA Betrayal in Blood.It was late afternoon when she told me to follow her. No explanation. Just that same cold voice and colder eyes. Sara didn't wait for me to ask anything. She just turned and started walking, her heels tapping against the marble like nails on glass. I followed, stomach twisting with every step.Something felt wrong. Her silence was too sharp. The hall was too quiet. I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears.She led me to the study. The one with the red leather chairs and old paintings no one ever looked at. She shut the door and locked it, slowly. My breath caught a little. My hands shook but I clenched them behind my back so she wouldn't see.She turned to me and folded her arms. Her mouth was a flat line, but her eyes were smiling. That kind of smile that has nothing to do with happiness."We need to talk, little sister."That word again. Sister. It made something snap inside me.I didn't sit. I stayed standing by the door, even though my legs were weak.Sh

SOPHIA Coordinates.The air smelled like damp wood and rotting secrets.I stood in front of the villa with my jacket pulled tight around my body. The sleeves didn’t cover the bruise on my arm. I didn’t care. The wind blew hard against my face, but I barely blinked. My lips were dry. I licked them without thinking. My hand trembled against the brass handle, rusted and cold like the ghosts inside.“This is it,” Isabella said behind me, her voice quiet like she was afraid someone might hear us even though we were alone. Her flashlight clicked on. I heard the soft hum of it.I nodded once. My throat was tight. The coordinates led us here—a crumbling villa just outside the city, tucked in the woods like someone tried to forget it. Ricci’s father used to own this place. I didn’t even know it existed until the flash drive revealed it.I pushed the door open. It creaked. Loud. Like a warning.We stepped in.Dust exploded into the air with each step. My boots left prints behind on the wooden