Billion-Dollar Secret

Sophie POV “Come on Soph, you have been hiding for months,” she yelled over the music. “I’ve been busy.” Rachel stared at me. “You’ve been arranging flour bags in alphabetical order.” “Hey, they need to be neatly organized.” “Girl, you’re twenty five not freaking seventy.” She waved at the bartender. “Tonight we are living.” “Hmm…well, I guess I can get a little tipsy.” “Hell yeah,” she shouted, taking shots from the bartender. I smiled and held up my shot of vodka. “To actually living.” When was the last time I actually went out like this? The thought hit me as the bartender slid another drink to us. Before dad … before the bakery… The night got blurry really fast. Rachel grabbed both my hands and pulled me into the crowd. “You’re smiling,” she said with a smirk. “I’m always smiling.” “Liar.” I laughed so hard I nearly tripped over my own feet. “Okay”, I admitted. “Maybe I am actually having fun.” “There she is”, Rachel said, as she spun me around. The lights became blurry. Someone bumped into my shoulder. Someone else shouted something I couldn’t hear. I laughed anyway. For the first time, I wasn’t thinking about flour prices or the bills left on my kitchen counter. Then, for a second, Dad’s face appeared in my mind. No, not tonight. The alcohol made everything feel good. For a while, I could pretend I was a normal twenty-five year old girl. The whole room started tilting as I took a step. I didn’t even notice the man at first. A hand closed around my arm. “Whoa, Easy there Soph,” he said. His voice was so calm and low that I could hear it despite the music. I raised my head, squinting my eyes at him. He wasn’t Rachel. Definitely not Rachel. “Who are you,” I slurred, poking his shoulder. Solid, Very solid. “You’re not Rachel. She’s shorter, and her hair is way better.” The corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile. “No, I’m not Rachel, but I think you have had enough tonight.” I frowned, "That's what my dad used to say.” His expression changed. I was done listening to him and turned to walk away. Just as I did, I felt myself falling onto the floor. “Ow, that must have hurt. Let’s get you some air,” he said gently. I tried to argue but my body didn’t let me. One second I was walking, the next I was in the passenger seat of a nice black car. I kept mumbling about my dad’s cinnamon rolls, “Dad used to hum when he kneaded the dough.” “Your dad made cinnamon rolls?” he asked. “Yes, the best ones in the city.” “I’m sure he would agree” Something about the way he said it made me look at him. I frowned. “You don’t even know him. Do you?” I asked but he remained silent. “You’ve had too much to drink, Sophie” “That’s not what I asked” “We will talk about your dad when you’re sober,” he said, looking back at the road. I must’ve passed out hard because the next thing I knew, sunlight was peeping through the blinds. My head felt like someone was hammering it. The next thing I noticed was silence. No traffic. No pipes rattling. No sound of the bakery downstairs. Where the hell am I? Memories crashed in at once. The club. All those drinks. The stranger’s calm voice. “Oh God,” I whispered, pressing my hands over my face. I stared around the room. This definitely isn’t my bedroom. There was a glass of water and two painkillers sitting on the bedside table. I stared at them. Someone had expected me to wake up with a hangover. What have I done? I looked down. My dress was still on. Wrinkled, miserable and probably smelled of vodka. But on. I let out a sigh of relief. At least I hadn’t… I stopped. My face was getting heated. Don’t even finish that thought Soph Ding. A notification popped up on my phone. FINAL NOTICE: Payment Required It was from the bank, the final warning demanding payment. My stomach sank. I knew I couldn’t hold on much longer. I couldn’t keep dad’s bakery alive. My thoughts were put on hold. A soft knock came from the other side of the door. I froze as the handle slowly turned. I grabbed the blanket as the door opened. And the man from the club walked in. “Good morning Sophie. Finally, you’re awake.” The door opened and my heart stopped. I stared at him. “Uncle D?” I couldn’t process everything. He looked just like I remembered, only a little older now. He was tall and had broad shoulders, like someone who stayed at the gym. His dark hair had touches of gray. His eyes were the same ones that used to watch over me when I was younger. He wore a button up shirt tucked into his black trousers. “Wait, what.” I shouted as I was surprised. “How did you know where I was?” “Rachel called me last night when you were too drunk to stand straight.” He gave me a small, gentle smile and held a new toothbrush and some folded clean clothes. “Here, go freshen up. It should fit. Come down for breakfast when you’re ready. We will talk then.” My face felt hot with embarrassment, “Thank you”. I took everything from him and went into the bathroom. I looked like a complete mess. My hair was sticking out everywhere, yesterday’s makeup smudged under my eyes and my head was still hurting. I brushed my teeth, splashed cold water on my face and changed into the big T-shirt and sweatpants he gave me. Downstairs, the kitchen smelled really good. Damian was already sitting at the table. He pushed a full plate to me as I sat down. The table was quiet as we ate in silence. “How are you?” Damian asked. “Well, I’m relieved a bit now” “No, I mean how have you been since…” Silence again “I heard some of your mumblings in the car yesterday”, he said quietly. I stared at my food. “It’s really been hard since dad passed away”. “You should stay here and rest.” “Oh, no I can’t, I don’t want to bother you.” “No arguing, Soph, your body needs the rest. I insist.” “You’re not my father.” “I know, It would just put my mind at ease if you did.” “Okay then”. I didn’t fight him on it. I went up to the room and called Rachel. “Soph I’m so so sorry,” she said the second she answered. “I only went to the bathroom for a couple minutes. When I came back you were already gone. The bartender said a guy helped you. I called your emergency contact and they told me you were with Damian so I also went home.” “Chill Rachel, it’s okay,” laughing as I heard her blabbering. “I’m safe at Uncle D’s place. Thanks for looking out for me.” We talked a little more before hanging up. I decided to go down and watch my fav show. I heard Damian on the phone which seemed like a work call. “Is that what I think it is?” “Yes, La casa de Culpa”, I said. “You’ve loved this show since you were a teen” we both laughed. I took a nap 20 minutes into the show. Turns out my body really did need the rest. When Damian came back in the evening, I decided to stay over for dinner. His chef made grilled chicken, rice and some vegetables. I helped with the dishes when we finished. His face turned serious as he wanted to say something. “I saw the bakery today”, he started. “What? I didn’t ask you to do that.” “I have a spare key and I’m sorry. I should’ve let you know but I had to.” “Why?” He hesitated, “Because your father spent years building that place”. I studied his face. “You really cared about him, didn’t you ?” Something changed in his expression. “Yeah. I did.” “It’s struggling Sophie. The equipment is old, the debts are heavy and things aren’t looking good.” “I know,” my voice cracked. “You think I don’t see the numbers every night? I know the oven is falling apart. I know the bank wants its money, I freaking know,” I said in a lower tone. “I know you do,” he said gently. “That’s why I want you to step back from running it for now.” “Why?” He paused, “Because I’ve already watched someone I care about lose everything once.” I frowned, “What?, what does that even have to do with me?” His jaw tightened. “More than you know”. “No…” I shook my head. “Damian, I can’t let you do that.” “Let me handle the bank.” “Why are you doing all this?” I paused, searching his face for an answer. He looked at me for a moment. “Because I owe you, Sophie.” “Owe me? For what?” And for the first time since I had known Damian Russo, I saw a glimpse of guilt. “For something I should have done a long time ago.”