Chapter Two
1479 Words
Sophia
Sophia’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking as the elevator plummeted seventy-eight floors to the lobby. The walls felt like they were closing in, the air felt too thin, her chest felt too tight.
She had just slapped the most powerful man in the city and walked away from ten million dollars and the father of her child in under five minutes.
By the time the elevator doors slid open with a soft ding, hot tears poured down her cheeks, smearing her already smudged makeup. She wiped them away furiously with the back of her hand, refusing to let anyone in this gleaming tower see her break.
She stepped out into the bustling lobby with her chin high and her shoulders back, even as her world crumbled around her.
Marcus Blackwood had looked at their baby like it was nothing more than an inconvenience to be paid off and discarded. And that cold dismissal had hurt worse than any slap she could have delivered.
“Sophia? Hey, you okay?”
She flinched at the familiar voice. Liam, one of the junior executives, stood near the security desk holding a coffee. His easy smile faded the moment he saw her face.
“I’m fine,” she said quickly, forcing her voice steady. She kept walking toward the revolving doors.
“You don’t look fine.” Liam fell into step beside her, concern creasing his brow. “Did something happen upstairs? You were meeting with Mr. Blackwood, right?”
Sophia laughed bitterly, the sound sharp and broken. “Nothing happened, alright.”
They pushed through the doors and stepped into the crisp afternoon air. The busy city sidewalk, the honking taxis, rushing pedestrians, the constant roar of the metropolis, swallowed them immediately.
Liam touched her elbow gently. “Talk to me. You’re scaring me here.”
She stopped abruptly near the edge of the building, turning to face him. “I’m absolutely fine, Liam. I just resigned, so I'm a little emotional”
His eyes widened. “Why? Did something happen with Mr Marcus? Did anyone within the company offend you? Talk to me Soph.”
“Nothing happened Liam. A lot has just been going on in my personal life. I just want to rest.” She lied through her teeth, her voice low but steady.
Liam ran a hand through his hair, glancing up at the towering Blackwood building as if expecting Marcus to appear at any second. “Are you sure you're going to be okay?”
She nodded and blinked back her tears. She wasn't going to cry over Blackwood again.
Liam sighed, pulling her into a quick, awkward hug. “If you need help with anything at all, please call me. I mean it.”
“Thank you,” Sophia whispered, squeezing him back briefly before stepping away.
She flagged down a yellow cab and climbed in, giving the driver the address of her small apartment across town.
As the cab pulled away from the curb, Sophia glanced up one last time at the imposing Blackwood Tower. She imagined Marcus still standing in his office on the 78th floor, staring at the torn pieces of that check.
“Goodbye, Marcus,” she murmured under her breath. “You made your choice. Now I’m making mine.”
The cab merged into traffic, carrying Sophia Bennett, and the tiny life growing inside her, away from the only man she had ever foolishly allowed herself to love.
The apartment door slammed shut behind Sophia and she leaned against it, her chest heaving, as the reality of what she had just done crashed over her like a tidal wave. She had no job, no safety net and a tiny life growing inside her that now depended entirely on her strength.
She slid down the door until she sat on the cool floor, her knees drawn to her chest.
Some of the torn pieces of Marcus’s check were still clutched in her fist like a bitter trophy. Ten million dollars, gone in seconds. But the memory of his bewildered face as she tore it into pieces was worth more than any amount of money.
“I will never let him hurt you,” she whispered fiercely, pressing a hand to her still-flat stomach. “Not the way he hurt me.”
Her phone buzzed repeatedly in her bag. She ignored it at first, but when it wouldn’t stop, she pulled it out. There were over twenty missed calls from the Blackwood HR department and three from an unknown number. A new text lit up the screen.
Unknown: “This is Marcus. Come to my office now. We are not done yet Sophia.”
Sophia’s blood boiled. What audacity. After the pain he had caused her, he was still feeling pompous. She typed back with shaking thumbs:
“We are done, Mr Marcus. I quit, effective immediately. Don’t contact me again, delete my number and forget I exist you selfish motherfucker”
She blocked the number with shaky hands and then opened her laptop on the coffee table. Her fingers flew across the keys as she drafted the resignation email, attaching it with her formal letter. She hit send without rereading it.
She clutched her chest, taking deep breaths. She wouldn't let him win. Marcus wouldn't win.
A sharp knock sounded at the door ten minutes later. Sophia froze.
“Sophia? It’s Clara. Open up B, I know you’re in there.”
Relief flooded her. She stood and opened the door for her best friend, who burst in carrying two bottles of sparkling water and a bag of Sophia’s favorite snacks.
Clara took one look at her tear-streaked face and dropped everything. “What happened B? You look like hell.”
Sophia closed the door and leaned against it again. Tears were gleaming in her eyes “I told him.”
Clara’s eyes widened. “You told Marcus? Today?”
“Yes.” Sophia walked to the couch and sank down. “He offered me ten million dollars to terminate the pregnancy and disappear. Can you believe that bastard called the baby ‘this problem.’ I slapped him, tore up the rubbish check, and quit on the spot.”
Clara stood frozen for a second, then let out a loud gasp. “You slapped Marcus Blackwood? Thee Marcus Blackwood? Girl, are you insane? That man can destroy lives with one phone call! Heck, he can destroy you with a snap of his fingers!”
“I don’t care,” Sophia said, her voice hardening. “He looked at me like I was trying to trap him for money. Like our nights together meant nothing. I’m keeping this baby, Clara. With or without him.”
Clara sat beside her and pulled her into a tight hug. “Of course you’re keeping the baby. But what’s your plan now? You just quit the best-paying job you’ve ever had.”
Sophia pulled back and wiped her eyes. “I have some savings. It's enough for three or four months if I’m careful with spending. I’ll also start freelancing as a PR consultant. I mean, I single handedly built Blackwood’s reputation for two years. I know the game better than most.”
Clara nodded slowly, though worry lingered in her eyes. “And Marcus? You really think he’ll just let you walk away carrying his child?”
“He doesn’t want the child Clara,” Sophia replied bitterly. “He made that crystal clear. As far as he’s concerned, I was just a convenient stress relief. Now, the baby is just an inconvenience that he tried to pay off.”
Her phone rang again. This time it was the main line from Blackwood Tower. Sophia declined the call.
“You should probably get out of the city for a while,” Clara suggested gently. “At least, until things cool down. My cousin has a quiet place upstate. You could stay there, breathe, and figure things out.”
Sophia shook her head. “Running isn’t the answer. I won’t live in fear of him. This is my life now. And I'm going to protect my self and this baby with everything I've got in me.”
A heavy silence filled the room. Clara squeezed her hand. “You’re really doing this?”
“I am. I'm doing this. And i’m not going to do this alone,” Sophia said, placing both hands protectively over her stomach. A small, determined smile touched her lips for the first time that day. “I have this little one. And I have you, and that’s more than enough.”
Sophia Bennett had just declared war on one of the most powe
rful men in the world.
She knew Marcus Blackwood was not a man who accepted defeat easily, but she wasn't a weak woman too and she would never back down.
- Writer
