After a long, passionate night, Alex held Sophia close, her delicate fragrance intoxicating him.
The warmth of her body nestled perfectly against his chest, stirring something deep within him.
He gently kissed her forehead, and Sophia responded by pressing even closer, her breathing slow and peaceful.
"Alex," Sophia whispered softly, her voice thick with happiness and exhaustion. "You''re everything to me. I''ve never loved anyone the way I love you."
With those words, she drifted off into a tranquil sleep,pletely unaware of the turmoil stirring inside him.
Alex stared silently at Sophia''s serene face, his mind racing with thoughts and emotions.
Without noticing, morning quietly crept into the room.
Rising slowly from the bed, Alex stood over Sophia, captivated by her fragile beauty as she slept.
His heart twisted painfully, and a bitter poem slipped softly from his lips.
"Meeting is hard, parting even harder — If we never met, there would be no yearning.
If we never knew each other, there''d be no thoughts.
If we were never together, there''d be no heartbreak."
Alex exhaled softly, his gaze lingering on the woman who had unraveled him.
They had met. They had known each other. They had been together.
And now, nothing could ever be the same.
He thought one final night would bring closure-that he could walk away and leave her behind.
But he was wrong.
The moment he touched her, he was undone again. Every time he saw Sophia, every breath she took near him, he lost himself.
No logic could contain it. No discipline could suppress it.
His desire for her wasn''t something he could tame. It consumed him, wild and absolute.
And he knew now-this wasn''t the end. It was only the beginning of something far more dangerous.
He forced himself to leave the penthouse, his resolve hardening with every step. Outside, he dialed the Paris branch of Kingswell.
His voice was sharp, dangerous. "Send me every file you have on the Guise family—especially Gilbert and Sophia. I want to know everyst secret."
Never in his life had Alex mixed personal matters with his work, but Sophia changed everything.
Now every detail about her had be vital-urgent.
For Sophia, he was ready to y dirty-dangerously dirty.
***
Sophia awoke, reaching instinctively for Alex, only to find the bed cold and empty.
Panic tightened her chest, leaving her uncertain whether this emptiness was good or bad.
Last night she had poured her entire heart out to Alex, surrendering herself fully.
Now, loneliness crushed her once again, and tears streamed quietly down her cheeks.
"Don''t be greedy, Sophia," she scolded herself bitterly, choking back a sob.
"You should be grateful you had this one night with the man you love most before you leave this cruel world behind."
Dragging herself from the bed, she slowly stepped into the shower, letting the hot water mingle with her tears.
"Thank you, Alex," she whispered, resigned to the fact that she had nothing left in this miserable world.
As she dressed, the sudden sound of the penthouse door opening startled her. Voices echoed through the apartment, igniting a spark of hope in her chest. "Alex, is that you?" she called eagerly, hurrying from the bathroom, her heart pounding with desperate joy.
If there was even the smallest chance to stay by Alex''s side a bit longer, she''d seize it without hesitation.
But instead of Alex, Sophia froze as her gaze collided with Gilbert, his face twisted with fury and disgust.
Beside him stood the hotel manager, who sheepishly avoided her eyes-no doubt unable to refuse a request from a powerful governor.
"You filthy little slut!" Gilbert spat venomously, storming toward her.
Before she could react, Gilbert''s hand swung viciously across her face, a brutal p knocking Sophia violently to the floor.
Her vision blurred as pain exploded in her cheek.
"I kept calling your worthless phone all night! I should''ve guessed you were
spreading your legs for Alex, you shameless whore!"
Gilbert roared, raising his foot and driving it mercilessly into her stomach.
Sophia gasped, agony tearing through her body as she copsed, clutching her ribs.
The pain was blinding, making it nearly impossible to breathe. She was sure something inside her had shattered, the pain slicing like broken ss.
In that horrific moment, Sophia knew the choice she had made-staying with Gilbert was disastrously wrong.
Everything she had built upon this mistake was doomed, rotten from the beginning.
Gilbert''s rage erupted uncontrobly, his fists pounding her relentlessly.
"You ungrateful piece of trash! Worthless tramp!" Each insult was punctuated by another cruel blow.
Every strike echoed through Sophia''s bones, torturing her with unbearable pain. Tears streamed uncontrobly down her swollen face as she choked on desperate, silent sobs.
Her body burned with suffering, her spirit shattered under the onught of Gilbert''s cruelty.
Her mind spun helplessly, trapped in a nightmare she couldn''t escape.
This torment was her reality now, and she saw no way out.
Her broken heart knew only pain, regret, and the bitter realization of her terrible fate.
"God, please," Sophia whispered through the excruciating pain, hopelessness wing at her soul. "Save me..."
Gilbert grabbed Sophia''s hair brutally, yanking her head back to reveal her bruised and battered face.
"You really think you''re clever, don''t you? Mocking me like I''m some fool!" Gilbert spat, delivering a vicious p that echoed sharply in the silent room.
"John! Bring the marriage papers now!" he barked sharply.
Gilbert''swyer quickly stepped forward, thrusting the document onto the table in front of Sophia, the ink stark against the white page.
"Sign your damn name, and we''ll be husband and wife, nice and legal," Gilbert sneered coldly.
Sophia lifted her head defiantly, eyes zing through tears of agony.
"I''d rather die than marry a monster like you."
"Oh, you''re going to do much worse than die," Gilbert hissed darkly, pulling out his phone and dialing.
"Kill Jack Lancaster. Send men after every Lancaster alive-I want their blood spilled tonight!"
"No!" Sophia screamed, desperation surging as she clung to Gilbert''s sleeve.
"I''ll do it—I''ll sign! Please, spare them!"
Gilbertughed cruelly, his face twisted with contempt as he pped her again, harder this time. "You should''ve thought about that earlier, sweetheart."
He spoke into the phone again, voice dripping with disdain.
"Fine, don''t kill them. Just beat them until they''re begging for mercy."
Sophia trembled violently, a cold dread spreading through her battered body.
Her hand shook uncontrobly as she grasped the pen, prepared to sign her life
away.
"Miss Lancaster," Joe, the attorney,
vef
cautiously interjected, "You need to understand this clearly. This contract states if either of you dies, the surviving spouse inherits everything—all family assets properties, wealth-everything. Do youprehend?"
Gilbert had deliberately included that use, fully aware of Sophia''s unique
position.
She bore the Lancaster name from her grandfather, but the true power came from her maternal lineage-the Montires.
After Laura''s scandal and subsequent exile from the Montires, Sophia had
be the sole heir, poised as the family''s next matriarch.
This secret was meticulously guarded by the Montire elders who had already agreed but were still carefully deliberating the perfect moment to reveal it to Sophia.
This cautious dy kept even Sophia herself in the dark-but Gilbert''s spies
embedded deep within Montire urgently leaked the truth to him.
Realizing the danger if Sophia learned of her destined authority first, Gilbert knew he had to act swiftly, takingplete control of her before she could grasp her full power.
To Gilbert, the Montire fortune was a glittering financial prize, nearly as alluring
as the proud legacy of his own Guise family.
He had meticulously nned it all.
Tomorrow, he''d marry Sophia, degrade her thoroughly, then methodically
eliminate her. All that belonged to her would be his.
Sophia signed her name slowly, tears staining the paper, pressing her trembling
thumbprint beside her signature.
Gilbert snatched thepleted marriage contract and shoved it roughly into Joe''s
hands. "Get this legalized in an hour. No dys."
"Right away, sir," Joe responded nervously, quickly rushing out the door.
Gilbert leaned close, his voice dangerously low.
"Our wedding is tomorrow. Cover up that hideous face with makeup and fake a
smile."
As Gilbert turned to leave, his eyes caught Sophia''s handbag already lying on the
floor, its contents spilled in disarray.
Something about the scene made him pause.
He crouched down, rummaging through the mess with rough hands—until he
found it.
A small bottle of sleeping pills. The moment he saw it, his expression twisted. Rage red in his eyes like wildfire.
"If you think suicide is your way out, think again," he snarled.
Without hesitation, he snatched a heavy vase from the table and hurled it straight
at her face.
It shattered on impact with a sickening crack, splitting her skin open as fresh
blood poured down her cheeks. The room rang with the sound of ss and pain.
"I''ll ughter every Lancaster, even your pathetic dog, if you dare die before tomorrow."
Sophia crumpled to the ground, sobbing in agony and despair. Every bone felt fractured, every nerve screamed. Life had never felt so mercilessly cruel.
Shey broken, astonished her heart could continue beating amidst such relentless torment.
A few minutester.
"Sophia, I''ve got breakfast!" Alex called cheerfully, entering the penthouse.
His voice broke into stunned silence, horror filling his eyes as he saw Sophia, bleeding, trembling, and sobbing uncontrobly on the floor.
An ominous darkness erupted within Alex, fury he''d never known surged violently through him.
His vision clouded with a burning, deadly rage.
Someone was going to pay dearly for this.