CLOSE TO YOUR HEART ( WHO DARES TO CHALLENGE MY QUEEN)

SHE IS SUCH A BEAUTY

Rachel on seeing the doctor in a white coat standing beside Ethan hurriedly said

"Doctor please come check on him, to avoid further complications he might still be saved" but she was inwardly praying that something serious happens to Phillip so that Sophia can be put behind bars, after all, she had witnessed Ethan's temper and ruthlessness first-hand and knows how bad this could get if something bad really happens, feeling smug she gave way for the doctor to proceed. but before the doctor could bend down, Phillip stirred making everyone except Sophia startled, then slowly regained consciousness starring straight at Sophia, his stares caused everyone around them to look at Sophia on which they suddenly realized,

"she is so pretty" Some one could not help but exclaim !

" she is such a beauty!" Ethan narrowed his eyes, concentrating on her small face, as she took a breath of relief unconsciously licking her lips, his Adams apple bobbed seeing her red lips which looked full and moist. He traced his eyes to her hands, so fair and smooth he thought. Rachel noticed Ethan's lingering looks on Sophia and became agitated, such trouble she thought...

when Phillip made an attempt to move, his body couldn't take it which caused him to slightly cough. Sophia immediately parted his back while mumbling

"there...., there, ..easy boy, no one's urging you to stand, stay calm".

Philip stared at her with his big expressive eyes, then managed a little smile, which Sophia reciprocated. she turned around and started arranging her stuffs into her back pack in an attempt to live, but when she made a move she realised her sleeves were been held, so she turn around and said to Phillip,

"Be good, I have things to handle so I must live now". after saying these words to him, she looked at the doctor and said..

" He needs more medical attention, his not properly stable yet due to his old sickness, I will live him to you. "

Somehow while trying to resuscitate him earlier she had discovered he suffered from an almost incurable old sickness, such a poor kid she thought to herself then swiftly made her exit.

At this point Ethan restraint his emotions and walked towards his nephew, scooping him up from the sand, then he realised that he never appreciated the lady that saved his nephew, he turned around to call out to her but, she was gone . "so fast" he thought.

He quickly carried Phillip back to the hospital ward without sparring Rachel a glance followed by his assistant and the shocked doctor. When the doctor later made further test and checks on Phillip, he discovered that Phillips ailment was 30% gone, he was stunned, how come? could it be the acupuncture that beautiful lady had administered to him? "impossible" he exclaimed, no! that must be it ", he had to admit it must be Sophia's doing and nothing more. with these thoughts in mind , he walked towards Ethan to give his test reports.

"Mr blackwood I must admit, that beautiful lady was incredible" Ethan raised his eyebrows implying that he should continue.

" can you believe that, little young masters sickness has been cured by 30%? a progress we have been trying so hard to reach but couldn't even achieve a 2% improvement?". Ethan' s eyelid twitched

"hmm? are you sure?

"definitely! 100% sure " the doctor replied. then he continued. just maybe, she might be able to treat young master Phillip, Mr blackwood I will advise you seek her help. Ethan subtly nodded then stood up,

" continue to care for him, for now "

"definitely Mr blackwood " the doctor replied still marvelling at the discovery, he also needs to seek her out, he might be able to learn something new from her he thought to himself as Ethan exited the ward.

Sophia on reaching the taxi, just as she was about opening the car door, it dawn on her that she couldn't go back like that, since it was their first meeting after so many years, she has to at least live a good impression. so she pleaded with the taxi driver to be patient and allow her change into new clothes, and also promised to add a tip. the driver who already witnessed the whole events couldn't argue with her but sighed helplessly, today was such a wired day he thought to himself while shaking his head.

Sophia strolled into a boutique and ordered for a dress with a well designed black sandals to match the blue dress. she is not one to casually wear heels, she finds them bothersome and besides, she was going to her family not a date nor an event. She quickly paid with her card and exit the mall.

. While walking towards the car , she unexpectedly noticed someone she was not willing to meet yet, she didn't want to be noticed by him, so decided to cover her face with a baseball cap but, on reaching for her back pack, she remembered she she did not carry any with her, luckily she had a scarf, so she wrapped herself with it , covering from her head to neck, living only a portion of her face visible. she exhaled ...

"phew ! that was close" so she walked to the car and got in , the driver drove away immediately till they got to her given location. The driver finally breath a sigh of relief when she came down and confirm that, this was the place. fearing she might be stopping for another emergency. she retrieved several Bank notes from her purse and handed them to the driver including the tip she promised. The driver was so excited and thanked her profusely, luckily he had been patient, who will be so generous these days to give such a large tip as $20 , he pocketed the money.

As Sophia stepped out of the taxi, she gazed up at the mansion's imposing facade, her heart racing with a mix of emotions. Excitement wrestled with trepidation, and she couldn't shake off the feeling that she was about to take a leap of faith into the unknown.

The taxi driver, noticing her hesitation, asked, "You okay, miss? This the right place?"

Sophia nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, this is it. Thank you." the driver drove away full of smiles after saying he wished to drive her next time .

As she stepped onto the driveway, Sophia's eyes scanned the property. The mansion's grandeur and perfectly manicured lawns seemed to whisper, "You're about to enter a world far removed from the Jenkins' modest home."

Sophia's thoughts drifted to Rachel's sudden absence and the cryptic messages. Had Rachel been genuine in her apology, or was it just a ruse to avoid an awkward encounter? anyway, she would ignore her for now.

As she approached the entrance, the massive wooden door swung open, and a stern-faced butler greeted her. "Welcome, Miss Ellis. Please, come in."

Sophia's palms grew sweaty as she followed the butler into the foyer. The opulent chandelier above cast an intimidating glow, making her feel like an outsider. She couldn't help but wonder: Would her family accept her with open arms, or would they view her as an interloper?

The butler led her to a spacious living room, where several family members were gathered except for her biological parents who had gone out for an important business they could not afford to miss, and plan to make up with Sophia after their return. Sophia's eyes searched for familiar faces, but none seemed to match the old family photos she had managed to find online.

A woman with a poised demeanor and piercing green eyes rose from the couch. "Sophia, welcome. I'm your aunt, Catherine. We've been...eager to meet you."

Sophia forced a smile, unsure how to respond. The air was thick with unspoken questions and expectations. As she exchanged awkward pleasantries with her aunt and cousins, Sophia couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being sized up, her worthiness to join this family being weighed and measured.

Catherine's gaze lingered on Sophia's attire, she couldn't recognise the brand she was putting on and surmised in her mind that she was putting on a knock-off. she stared disapprovingly at the scarf wrapped around her face which Sophia had forgotten to remove due to her earlier anxiety. her expression a mixture of curiosity and disapproval. "You look...different from what we expected."

Sophia's mind racing, replied, "I've had a...varied upbringing."

The conversation was stilted, with an undercurrent of tension. Sophia sensed that her family was struggling to reconcile their idealized version of her with the person standing before them.

As the silence grew, Sophia's doubts resurfaced. Would she ever truly belong here? Or would she forever be an outsider, a stranger in a strange land?One of her cousin's, Catherine son called Tyler suddenly spoke up.

" we can understand you have a scar on your face, from the fire inccident before you went missing, and so must have made you look less appealing, so that's why you are wearing a scarf around your face , it's okay, after all, no one wants to be called ugly " he said with a smug expression.

Sophia was about clearifying the misunderstanding by removing her scarf but Myra Catherine's second child smugly added.

" It's such a shame , how can an ugly girl be deserving of Ethan the big shot, mum you and dad have to talk to grandfather later to change the marriage agreement to someone else, otherwise Ethan might cancel the engagement permanently "

she said those words thinking in her heart that Ethan would definitely choose her in place of this village girl.

Sophia, understanding the gist of the matter suddenly halted her movements and refrained from unwrapping the scarf covering her face. she thought to herself

" so I just came back and am about to be exchange by a marriage agreement huh! interesting.. she smirked slightly, no way , someone else would have to fulfill that agreement."

She smiled and replied " don't worry, am not ready to marry yet, any other person can replace me, besides you all have seen that I am covering my face and you understood what happened to me. please where is my room ? I need to rest. "

A servant walked to her and lead the way.

" please follow me miss Ellis "

Sophia followed her absentmindedly thinking about the event of the day. .. was that kid already recieving treatment? his case looks urgent, hopefully she was there to rescue him on time today. while she was still lost in her thoughts, the female servant interrupted her thoughts

"this is your room miss Sophia"

"alright thanks, you can leave, I will call you when I need something " Sophia replied.

"Okay ma" the servant replied and walked away. Sophia observed the room, luckily her parents had put in an effort to impress her by decorating the room to her likeness, she did not like complicated decorations anyway. she dropped her back pack and then, she realized she had forgotten her suitcase in the taxi boot, due to different thoughts running through her mind at the time. luckily only her clothes were inside and nothing more.

she walked towards the wardrobe and opened it expecting to at least find something wearable for the night before she can order clothes tomorrow. but when she looked inside, she was shocked, the whole space was full of clothes and when she turned left, she saw the shoe rack full of shoes.

"hmm... her mum sure is a fashionista and a great thinker. she had arranged everything ", she mumbled to herself, she was glad, then she hummed happily to the bathroom to freshen up.