A beautiful betrayal

Chapter4

Sophie’s pov

I stared at the message stunned, until the screen went dark. I unlocked my phone and read the message again. “Your father didn’t just disappear”

My hand stilled over my phone. Was this some kind of prank?

Anytime I had asked my grandma to tell me what happened to my father, she always deflected. She told me my father had just suddenly disappeared after he had been fired from his job as a bodyguard of some rich man. I refused to believe my father would just simply disappear especially with the few other things my grandma had told me about him.

She said he had loved me very much and would always do anything to protect me

Why would a father who loved his daughter very much just leave her with no explanations?

I looked around me suddenly feeling very paranoid.

I looked back at my phone and typed back.

“Who are you and how do you know about my father”

The person started typing and then stopped

“Hello” I typed again

“The answers to your questions about your father is connected to the Valentino industry”

Then they started typing again.

“There’s an open job role in the company which fits all your qualifications. The remaining information will be communicated to you soon”

How did they know I needed a job? How did they know of my qualifications.

I left the hospital and went straight home.

At home I grabbed my laptop and searched for “VALENTINO INDUSTRY”

I was stunned by the result that flooded my computer. They owned a chain of businesses in the city. The club I had gone to that day, a bunch of restaurants I had heard about, they also owned 30% shares of the hospital my grandmother was in. Even the apartment complex I was in was owned by them.

“Damn, they’re huge”

I scrolled through the their website and found the job role the text spoke about. I was indeed qualified for it. Perfectly so.

Everything about this felt so odd. It all felt too coincidental

I continued scrolling through my laptop and then came across a man who looked to be in his late fifties. Under the picture was the name Antonio Valentino

He looked really familiar but I couldn’t place where I had seen him from. I brushed off the feeling and continued scrolling through the website.

It said that he was the founder of the industry but had died of a heart attack a few years back. The industry had been handed over to his only child, Arielle Valentino.

There were only a few pictures of her online and the ones I could find were either blurry or weren’t showing her face. Then I found one that showed her face.

No. It couldn’t be.

My eyes were playing tricks on me. But I could never forget those distinct ocean green eyes.

Elise.

She had been the one to save me at the club.

“Oh my god” I said out loud. Running my hand down my face.

The woman that had saved me was the current CEO of the most successful industry in the city. No wonder she could leave that money on my table. It probably meant nothing to her.

I felt panic begin to rise in my chest

I stood up and walked to the window of my apartment. It had started to drizzle. I loved weathers like this, they made me feel safe.

I took out my phone texted my best friend, Lucy

Me: “Hey babe, are you down for a drink this night?”

She started texting back almost immediately

Lucy: “I’m so sorry Soph but Danielle called in sick today, so I have to cover her shift. What’s up though?”

Me: “Something weird is happening and I reallyyy need to talk to about it. I feel like I’m going insane”

Lucy: “Oh dear. Okay first of all, breathe babe. You’re okay, you’re fine. Just breathe for me”

And I did. I took a deep breath

Lucy: “Okay good. Do you want to try telling me what happened over the phone?”

Me:“I’m okay now, I’ll just tell you everything once we meet up. How about tomorrow?

Lucy: “Yeah, tomorrow works just fine. Let’s go to the new cafe down my street. First coffee on me”

Me:: “Okay babe. I love you”

Lucy: “I love you too, take care of yourself for me”

I liked her message and dropped my phone

The other things on the website talked about her family and how they had donated to multiple charities per year. The investments they had made and their net worth. By the looks of it the industry was definitely loaded.

One headline that caught my eyes though was the one of her late wife, Celeste. It said she had died in car crash about a year ago.

I felt a bit of pity for Arielle. She had experienced so much loss

It felt like all this was a dream. The person who had rescued her and made it possible for her to pay her grandmother’s hospital bill was the most successful individual in their city. And somehow her company was also tied to her father’s disappearance? How?

My phone vibrated again

“The interview is on Thursday by 9am, don’t be late”

It was from the unknown number.

Beneath the message was the directions to where the meeting was holding

No. I couldn’t deal with this tonight. I shut down my laptop and stood up from the table and walked to my bedroom

After plugging in my phone, I went into bed. I was going to sleep on this and figure it out tomorrow.

The next day, I got dressed and headed to the cafe down Lucy’s street. She was already waiting for me there.

I pushed through the doors the glass doors of the cafe. The scent of fresh cinnamon and espresso welcomed me as the tiny bell chimed above me

Lucy spotted me immediately and gestured for me to join her at the booth she was in

When I got there she stood up and gave me a hug.

“Girl, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Come on tell me, what happened yesterday” she said concern written all over her face

I sighed and began narrating everything that had happened since on Monday. From me getting fired, to my grandma’s hospital bill dilemma, to me getting drunk and harassed, to the cold lady Elise, well Arielle, who had rescued and taken me home, to the unknown message and to me finding out how my dad was tied to their industry.

Lucy’s expression kept switching from anger to sadness to anger and then it finally settled on surprise.

“Wait, you mean to tell me that Arielle Valentino who is the richest ceo in our city, who is said to be cold and ruthless, saved you, took you home, gave you money and somehow you also received a text telling you to come work at her company cause her industry is somehow related to your dad’s disappearance?”

“Mhmm,precisely”

“Wow, this is mind blowing”

“Yup”

We stayed quiet. And I let Lucy come to terms with everything I had just told her

“Wow”

“Right? I’m so confused. Like what does this all mean? What am I meant do?”

“Hey hey” Lucy said and grabbed my hands. Her expression shifted from surprise to concern. “I understand your confusion.”

“I don’t think you should go for the interview, soph. It sounds like a trap. People with this much power and wealth don’t sound like people you should get involved in. This feels really dangerous” she continued

“I know Lucy. I know all this is a risk but I really do need the job. My grandma’s life is on the line, this job pays me well enough to save her. Also, I need to know what happened to my father. My grandma refuses to tell me anything. This is my only chance to find out”

Lucy sighed. “I totally get what you mean” she said and pulled me into her chest and held me for a while. Her hand running up and down my back

“When’s the interview?”

“Tomorrow by 9am”

“Okay babe” she said holding my shoulders and looking me in my eyes. “Let’s get you ready for the interview, let’s make sure you look like you belong in that building”

I nodded. She brought her lips to my forehead and kissed it then pulled me in for another hug. We sat there for an hour or so more and then we left

When I got back home, I spent the rest of the day polishing my resume and reading through every resource made public by the company. I did this till I was sure I was ready for the interview.

That night I slept filled with expectation of what was going to come