Bound By Fate

Chapter Four

“Kate was the one who took your jewelry box.”

Kate looked at me sharply.

Mum looked confused. “Why would Kate take it?”

“Because she doesn’t have money for her wedding,” I said. “And we don’t have much to give.”

Mum looked between the two of us, not wanting to believe it.

“Kate, is this true?” she asked gently.

“Yes,” Kate said without hesitation. “It was me.”

I blinked. I honestly didn’t expect her to admit it.

Mum stared at her, and I saw it, the disappointment in her eyes. It wasn’t loud, but it was heavy.

“I needed the money, okay? Don’t look at me like it’s my fault,” Kate snapped and stood up from the table. She stormed off, leaving her food untouched.

I sat there, waiting for Mum to say something. To shout. To be angry. To do something.

But she didn’t.

She just sat there quietly, like she was frozen in thought.

I got up, cleared the plates, and went to the kitchen. My chest felt tight. The silence was louder than any yelling could have been.

As I stood by the sink, scrubbing dishes, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Are you seriously going to say nothing?” I said, my voice shaking. “This keeps happening. And I’m always the one you blame. You never shout at Kate.”

Mum finally looked up at me. Her eyes were tired. Her voice was soft.

“It’s just jewelry. Let it go.”

Just jewelry?

That sentence shattered something inside me. I felt a sharp pain in my chest, like something invisible had cracked.

I didn’t say another word. I just walked to my room and shut the door behind me.

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I couldn’t get comfortable. I kept changing positions, trying to shake off the ache, but it clung to me like wet clothes.

Eventually, I broke.

Tears spilled over as the thoughts came rushing in.

“Why is it always me?”

“Why does she shout at me?”

“Why am I always the bad child?”

I cried into my pillow until I couldn’t anymore. I curled into myself, small and unseen, and somehow, somewhere in that storm of sadness, I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning…

I woke up with swollen eyes. I wasn’t too bothered though ,it was Saturday, and thankfully, I didn’t have work. I shuffled out of my room to get some ice for my face, still groggy from the night before.

As I walked past the living room, I saw Mum and Kate laughing about something.

“Good morning,” I said softly.

They didn’t answer. Not even a glance. Just kept laughing like I wasn’t there. I sighed and went straight to the kitchen.

While I was getting the ice, I heard Kate say, “Mum, I love you so much. The money is complete.”

“Yes, I had to take a big loan to make up the rest,” Mum replied with a smile in her voice.

A loan?

I stood there, stunned. Of all the things we desperately needed money for in this house — bills, food, rent — she took a loan for a wedding?

I clenched my jaw and left the kitchen quietly. There was no point arguing anymore. I just went to my room and got dressed, needing some space to breathe.

As I picked up my phone, a notification blinked across the screen.

“Meet me, Miss Sophia, once you get to work on Monday.”

It was a message from my boss.

I read it over and over again. My stomach dropped.

Am I in trouble?

Did I do something wrong?

Alexander Voss never messages me directly… unless it’s serious.

Alexander

The soft hum of the air conditioner was the only sound in my office as I skimmed through quarterly reports on my desk. The floor-to-ceiling windows cast long streaks of golden light across the polished marble floors, but I barely noticed.

Cole had just left after updating me on the recent partnership deal. Numbers were down, not drastically, but enough to catch my attention. I ran a hand through my hair, leaned back in my chair, and closed my eyes for a moment.

My phone rang.

I didn’t pick it up.

It rang again.

Still, I let it ring.

But when it rang the third time, something told me I shouldn’t ignore it. I glanced at the screen and narrowed my eyes.

Erick Voss.

The name alone could sour my entire day.

I finally answered.

“Yes? Why are you calling me?” I asked, my tone flat and uninterested.

“Still rude as hell. Is that how you greet your father?” he said, voice laced with that same smug arrogance he’s always carried like a badge.

I didn’t bother playing along. “Get to the point.”

“I have a meeting with you and your brother on Friday. Be at the villa,” he said casually, like he was inviting me for a cup of tea.

“A meeting? What for?”

“For the remaining shares of the company. My lawyer will sort everything out,” he replied.

I frowned. “What meeting? The remaining shares are supposed to be mine.”

“I know,” he said slowly, “but I can still decide who I give them to in the end. So come to the villa on friday. Don’t be late.” And just like that, the line went dead.

I let out a dry laugh. Classic Erick.

The man never gave explanations. Just commands.

I stood up and walked to the large window behind my desk. The city stretched before me—tall buildings, moving cars, people trying to survive. I took a breath, needing air, needing to ground myself.

From my height, the world looked small. But down there, people carried dreams, burdens… heartbreak.

Just like her.

My gaze caught a girl standing at the building next to mine, just near the balcony. Her silhouette was graceful, her body still, as if the wind had pinned her there. She stared at the sky like it held answers she was desperate for.

Freedom.

Yeah… I understood that look all too well.

I turned away and buzzed my secretary. Cole stepped in promptly, files in hand.

“Sir, here are the performance reports for this quarter,” he said, placing them neatly on the desk.

I nodded, not looking up. “Send someone to Johnson’s law firm. I want the original documents from our last board meeting. And get back to me before the day ends.”

“Yes, sir.”

Friday – The Voss Villa

I hadn’t been here in years.

The villa looked exactly the same, but it felt different. Colder.

It was the kind of place that held memories too tightly. You didn’t walk through it, you were dragged through every corner by ghosts of the past. Pain. Guilt. Grief.

This house had taken something from me, and I never forgave it.

I stepped into my father’s office, where Williams was already seated with our father and Mr. Johnson, the family’s long-time lawyer.

I sat across from them, silent. My fingers clenched unconsciously on the armrest.

“Wow, little brother,” Williams smirked. “You’ve grown so much you don’t even talk to me anymore.”

“There’s nothing to say to you,” I replied coolly.

“You should drop this act. Everyone played a part in her death, so don’t sit there pretending you’re the only one who’s grieving.”

I froze.

I looked up slowly, my jaw tightening. “What did you just say?”

He smiled like it was a joke. Like it was nothing.

I stood and grabbed his collar, dragging him halfway across the table. “Say that again. I dare you.”

“Alexander, enough!” my father barked.

Reluctantly, I let go and shoved Williams back into his seat. I sat down, breathing through my nose.

“I didn’t call this meeting for your usual fighting,” Erick said. “Now listen.”

Mr. Johnson cleared his throat. “As you both know, the remaining shares were to be transferred to Mr. Alexander as stated in your father’s original succession plan. However, due to recent company performance evaluations, your father has decided……”

“Decided what?” I interrupted, glaring.

“That the shares will go to Mr. Williams instead.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“You must be joking,” I said, nearly laughing. “Because he outperformed me once, you’re handing him what I’ve earned for years?”

“I agree with Mr. Johnson’s advice,” Williams said with a shrug. “You should sign it.”

I turned to my father. “This was your idea?”

Erick finally spoke again, calm but infuriating. “You’re right, I don’t want to give you those shares… unless you give me a reason to.”

“What kind of reason?”

He leaned forward. “What do you hate the most?”

I raised a brow, suspicious.

“Love,” he said with a cruel smile. “Marriage. All that emotional fluff. You never cared for it, so let’s make this interesting. If you can get married—legally and properly—in the next two weeks, the shares are yours. If not, Williams takes them.”

I stared at him, expression unreadable.

“You’re out of your mind.”

“Maybe. But I know you. You’re stubborn. Cold. Proud. Which is why this is the only way I know you’ll ever lose.”

He stood up. “The clock starts now.”

And just like that, he walked out.

Williams followed, smirking like the bastard he is.

I sat there, stunned.

Marriage? In two weeks?

Two things I hate. Combined into one impossible task.

This wasn’t business.

This was war.