Chapter 4
1256 Words
Sophia’s breath hitched.
Damien’s words still hung in the air, thick with tension.
"Elena is my sister."
The world tilted beneath her feet. She gripped the edge of the desk, steadying herself as the weight of his confession sank in.
Elena Moretti. Ruthless, cunning, and dangerous.
Sophia had always known there was something off about her—something calculated behind that flawless exterior. But this? This changed everything.
“You’re lying,” she whispered.
Damien’s jaw tightened. “I’m not.”
Sophia shook her head, as if trying to force the truth away. “How? How is that even possible?”
Damien exhaled, raking a hand through his dark hair. “My father had an affair. A long one. Elena was the result.”
Sophia felt cold all over.
His father. The same man who had tormented Damien his entire life. The same man who had threatened to kill her if Damien didn’t walk away all those years ago.
“You knew?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Damien hesitated. Then, he nodded. “I found out years ago. Before we met.”
Sophia clenched her jaw. “And you never thought to mention it? Not even when she started showing up in my life, making moves against me?”
His eyes darkened. “It wasn’t relevant then.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “Not relevant? She’s been trying to ruin me, Damien. She’s been manipulating everything.”
“I know,” he said quietly.
Sophia stared at him, searching for any flicker of regret in his expression. But Damien was unreadable, his face a mask of control.
Her stomach churned. “Does she know?”
Damien’s silence was answer enough.
“Oh my God.” Sophia took a step back. “She knows, doesn’t she? She’s known this whole time.”
Damien sighed, his fingers tightening into a fist. “Yes.”
Sophia pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to make sense of it all. “So this whole time—every game she’s played, every moment she’s tried to turn us against each other—it wasn’t just about business.”
“No,” Damien admitted. “It was personal.”
Sophia’s pulse pounded in her ears.
Elena had always hated her, but now it was clear why. She wasn’t just a rival. She was family. A sister scorned.
And she wanted revenge.
Sophia swallowed hard. “What does she want?”
Damien’s jaw ticked. “Everything.”
A shiver ran down her spine.
Elena wasn’t just playing a game anymore. She was out for blood.
And Sophia was right in the center of the storm.
Just then, the door burst open.
Both of them turned sharply as Viktor, Damien’s right-hand man, stepped inside. His face was grim.
“We have a problem,” he said.
Damien’s expression darkened. “What is it?”
Viktor hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering.
“Elena just made her first move.”
Sophia’s breath caught.
Damien’s eyes turned to steel. “What did she do?”
Viktor met his gaze.
“She put a bounty on Sophia’s head.”
Silence. Then Chaos.
The air in the room shifted, thick with unspoken threats.
Sophia felt the blood drain from her face.
“She what?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Viktor’s expression remained unreadable, but the sharp tension in his posture said everything. “She’s offering ten million dollars to whoever brings her Sophia—dead or alive.”
A slow, deadly silence filled the space.
Damien’s body stiffened like a predator sensing an attack. His fingers curled into fists, his jaw tightening with barely contained rage.
Sophia, however, could barely breathe.
Ten million dollars.
That wasn’t just a bounty. That was a war declaration.
“Who has the information?” Damien’s voice was eerily calm, but Sophia had known him long enough to hear the danger beneath it.
Viktor exhaled. “It hit the black market an hour ago. High-level assassins. Mercenaries. Even local gangs are taking notice.” He hesitated. “Damien, she just painted a target on Sophia’s back. Every hired gun in the country is going to come looking for her.”
Sophia felt her stomach tighten with fear.
Damien’s jaw ticked, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. “Over my dead body.”
Viktor gave a curt nod. “That’s exactly what she’s counting on.”
The reality of the situation crashed down on Sophia. It wasn’t just Elena playing mind games anymore. This was real. Life-threatening.
“We need to move,” Viktor said, his voice urgent now. “She’s not safe here.”
Damien turned to Sophia, his gaze burning with intensity. “Go pack a bag. Now.”
Sophia hesitated. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere she can’t reach you,” Damien said firmly. “Go.”
For once, she didn’t argue.
As she rushed upstairs to grab the essentials, her hands shook. Every sound—every creak of the floorboards—sent a wave of paranoia through her.
She had always been a fighter, but this was different.
This wasn’t just business.
It was survival.
The Safe House
Sophia had no idea where they were going until they pulled up in front of a secluded estate deep in the countryside.
The house was surrounded by towering trees, hidden away from the world. A fortress in the middle of nowhere.
Damien got out first, scanning the perimeter before opening the door for her.
“Stay close,” he murmured.
Sophia followed him inside, her heart still racing.
Viktor was already inside, securing the windows and setting up surveillance feeds. The place was heavily reinforced—bulletproof glass, security cameras, an underground panic room.
“How long do we have before someone finds us?” Sophia asked.
Viktor checked his watch. “Depends on how determined they are.”
Sophia swallowed. “And Elena?”
Damien’s face darkened. “She’ll come for you herself if she has to.”
Sophia’s hands clenched into fists. “Then let her.”
Damien turned to her sharply, his expression unreadable. “Don’t say that.”
“She’s not going to stop, Damien.”
“I know.”
Sophia exhaled. “Then we stop her first.”
Damien studied her for a long moment. Then, he nodded.
“We will.”
The Attack
They had barely been in the safe house for a few hours when the first sign of trouble came.
A flicker on the security feed.
Then—
Gunfire.
Glass shattered. The alarm blared.
“GET DOWN!” Damien shouted, pulling Sophia behind cover as bullets tore through the windows.
Viktor was already returning fire, his aim precise. “They found us faster than expected!”
Sophia’s heart pounded.
Damien grabbed a gun from the stash hidden under the coffee table. His movements were fast, efficient. Deadly.
Sophia had seen him in action before, but this was different.
This wasn’t just a fight.
This was war.
A deafening explosion rocked the house. Smoke filled the air. Footsteps thundered outside.
“Move!” Damien pulled her toward the panic room, but before they could reach it, the front door blew open—
And a masked man stepped inside, gun raised.
Sophia barely had time to react before he pulled the trigger.
She heard the shot.
Felt the air shift around her.
Pain.
She gasped, stumbling backward.
Damien’s roar of fury was the last thing she heard before darkness took over.
- Writer
