Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

The elevator doors opened, showing three men in dark, expensive suits. They didn’t seem like they belonged here, but they acted like they owned the place. Each man was calm, quiet, and alert, watching the room carefully like predators deciding who to attack first.Sophia’s grip on the knife tightened. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. These men weren’t Vincent Romano’s. She could tell by the way they moved, steady, calm, dangerous. The kind of danger that didn’t need to shout to be feared.Richard adjusted his tie, forcing his usual smooth smile, though Sophia could see the fear behind it. His voice was calm, but not steady enough to hide the tremor.“Gentlemen,” he said, forcing politeness into his tone, “you must be lost. This is a private residence.”The man in front stepped forward. He was tall and broad, with dark hair and eyes that looked like they’d seen too much. His gaze swept slowly around the room, from Richard, to Jessica frozen near the window, then to Sophia clutching t

The room went completely silent, and the quiet felt heavy, like it was pushing against Sophia’s chest. She could tell something bad was about to happen. The way her three brothers looked at Richard had changed, it wasn’t anger anymore, it was colder than that.Alexander didn’t move, but his calm expression turned dangerous. It was the kind of stillness that warned something violent could happen at any second.“Belongs to you,” he repeated softly, but his voice was sharp and cutting.Richard went stiff, realizing too late what he’d just said. His hand loosened on Sophia’s arm but didn’t release her.“I just meant she’s my wife. Legally. You can’t just—”“Can’t what?” Damian cut in, no hint of his usual smile. “Can’t stop the man who’s been poisoning our sister?”Dr. Cross shifted nervously, her voice shaking. “Please, gentlemen. Mr. Blackwood is a respected businessman—”“Is he?” Lorenzo asked quietly, pulling out his phone. “Doctor, have you ever heard of Dante Industries?”She frowne

Jessica’s crying filled the penthouse, sounding like something broken that could never be fixed. Sophia looked at the woman who used to be her best friend, the same woman who stood beside her at her wedding, hugged her when she cried, and secretly drugged her smoothies, and Sophia’s heart hurt deeply, as if it was being torn.“Two million dollars,” Sophia said quietly, the words feeling strange on her tongue. “That’s how much my life was worth to you? Two million?”Jessica lifted her tear-covered face. “Sophia, I—”“Don’t.” Sophia’s voice was sharp. “Don’t even try to explain.”Richard slowly moved backward toward the kitchen, his eyes jumping nervously between the Dante brothers like he was an animal trying to escape. “This is all made up. Jessica is just… emotional. She’s not thinking clearly—”“Honestly,” Damian said with a pleasant, almost cheerful tone as he pulled out his phone, “we have recordings of Jessica talking with Vincent Romano about the payment plan. Want to hear them?

The penthouse where she had been trapped for three years was now a crime scene. Investigators were everywhere, taking pictures of hidden cameras, collecting evidence, and writing down everything they found about Richard’s plan to kill her.Sophia sat on the velvet sofa,vthe same sofa where she used to smile for Richard’s business guests and pretend everything was fine. Now she watched strangers in gloves go through her life piece by piece.“Mrs. Blackwood,” Detective Max said gently, settling into the chair in front of her, “I know this is a lot, but we need to ask you some questions while everything is still fresh in your mind.”Sophia nodded, though she felt disconnected from her own body, like she was watching this happen to someone else."How long have you suspected that your husband was planning to harm you?"It should have been an easy question, but she didn’t know how to answer. When did she first feel it? At the gala when she noticed Jessica touching Richard too much? Or when

The information Ethan had just shared filled the penthouse with a heavy, tense silence.Sophia dropped onto the sofa because her legs suddenly felt too weak to hold her.“Evidence,” she repeated slowly. “What kind of evidence?”“Financial documents, conversations, and proof about who ordered the attack on our parents and why,” Alexander said quietly, keeping his voice low so the investigators on the other side of the room wouldn’t hear. “Our father was a forensic accountant. He discovered something powerful people wanted to hide.”“And he hid the proof before they killed him,” Damian added.Sophia’s mind raced. “But why would he set it up so that all five of us have to be together to access it?”“Protection,” Lorenzo said. “If one of us could open it alone, that person would be an easy target. But if all five siblings had to be there…” He shrugged, "It’s harder to get rid of an entire family without raising suspicions.""Except they tried anyway," Ethan said, anger tightening his jaw.