Revenge for the lost son

Chapter 3 – Newspapers

Sophie gave a fake smile. What was he doing there? Why this persistence? She looked into his eyes, and as always, the attraction took hold of her. There was no way to stop such a feeling. But hatred also consumed her soul.

Their eyes met, and this time her voice came out firm: “What do you want from me?” Her gaze was sharp, showing she was ready for anything.

“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for what happened that night, Sophie. I was out of my mind and honestly…” he said, looking straight into her eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I understand if you hate me or don’t forgive me. But I needed to tell you this.”

His look conveyed sincerity. And Sophie wanted to trust him. But the insecurities of her past didn’t allow it. Besides, deep down in her heart, hearing that what happened was nothing but a mistake hurt her again, just like the first time.

“I don’t know why you chose to come back. But I’m glad you did. I hope to see you again. Goodbye, Sophie. I won’t bother you anymore,” Edward said, leaving with a smile. And he rarely smiled.

Sophie closed the door, dazed. She grabbed her phone and called Hanna. She couldn’t just stand there daydreaming about Edward’s charm.

“Hey, can I ask you something? Can we move that thing up?”

On the other side, Hanna laughed mischievously.

“Of course. Keep an eye on the newspapers. There are two surprises there. And obviously, make sure you look pretty in the photo.” She laughed before hanging up.

Sophie took a deep breath—the scent she had recently smelled was too striking. The first clue that needed to be investigated.

She went to the bedroom and pulled out papers from a folder in the wardrobe. Each of them contained names of factions from Miami and neighboring countries. Sophie didn’t remember the exact appearance of any of them, but their methods were certainly not those of honorable men.

Either they were corrupt agents or paid to disguise themselves as ninjas. What mattered was that Sophie was getting closer to them. However, there was a problem. She needed more access to the country’s ninjas. And that wasn’t easily achieved.

Still, there were other ways besides asking Edward for help—which would be her last resort, since he was the prime suspect.

Even so, the look in his eyes earlier hadn’t seemed malicious. Could it really have been Edward who orchestrated the ambush that got her expelled from the country? Could he really be so vile?

She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. Humans were complicated. The ones you least expect can betray you. That’s why it wasn’t possible to trust anyone at that moment.

And besides him, who else would have so much power and the desire to harm Sophie? Perhaps the council of elders. Still, she preferred to tread carefully for now.

That’s why Sophie now stood in front of one of the most expensive perfume stores around. That scent was not common and wasn’t sold just anywhere.

The saleswoman treated her very well—something an orphan like her would never have received in the past. But now, dressed in fine clothes and with good money from her journalism career, things were different.

After many samples, she finally recognized the scent. With a victorious smile, she approached the attendant with some questions.

“Miss, is this perfume in high demand? Do you think my brother would like it?”

The attendant gave her a kind smile: “This perfume isn’t usually in high demand, miss. Only by a few rather eccentric men, if I may say so.” She smiled again.

“So only a few people use this perfume,” Sophie thought.

“How many are sold each month?”

“On average, five to seven bottles at most.”

“Exactly the number of members in that group.” She smiled again, unable to contain herself at such valuable information.

“Thank you, I’ll take one, please,” she said with a polite smile.

As she left, something told her she was being watched. Sophie tightened her grip on the knife strapped to her leg, just in case.

She walked to a newsstand as if nothing was happening. There was a man in a hat, with a lotus flower tattoo on his wrist—surely one of her allies.

Sophie had already helped many people escape from wealthy magnates who sought to exploit the powerless. But not as herself—as Ayra, a persona she and Hanna had created to be the famous journalist people knew today.

She handed the necklace to the man and thanked him with a nod. With access to Miami’s data, it would be easier to find the owner through the fingerprints on that object. The country’s data was restricted only to him, which was why they had made little progress in the land of rain.

When the man left, Sophie picked up one of the newspapers and smiled. It was funny seeing Hanna as someone so opposite to her. For someone like Sophie, it was dangerous to show her real face, as that could ruin her plans. That was why her lost sister’s face was her cover.

Even though she was in disguise—Chanel blond hair, dark sunglasses, and formal red clothes she hated—Hanna was still her best option for a mask.

Her thoughts scattered when she heard a noise. She glanced discreetly behind her and noticed someone might have been spying on her.

Sophie gripped her knife, ready to defend herself—but someone was quicker. Three children grabbed the man, and he fell to the ground.

“Stupid kids, let me go!” the stranger shouted, kicking at them.

At that moment, a police officer arrived and arrested the suspect. “Well done, boys. Your father would be proud, David,” he said with a smile, taking the man away.

Sophie looked closely at the boy—she had seen him somewhere before. She studied his face until she remembered a photo she had seen a year ago. That was Edward’s adopted son. A boy with black hair and blue eyes.

She wondered why he had chosen to adopt instead of having a child of his own. Touching her belly again, she momentarily remembered the child who had been Edward’s.

“Are you alright, miss? He was watching you,” the boy asked her, and Sophie couldn’t help but smile. She loved children; she could never be cold with them.

“I’m fine, thank you, kids,” she said gratefully.

“You’re Sophie Smith, aren’t you?” the blonde girl beside him asked.

“Yes, I am. Why?”

The girl handed her a red envelope, and she recognized Edward’s handwriting. She rolled her eyes—he had said he wouldn’t bother her anymore. He hadn’t said anything about cute children.

On the paper it read: “I heard you’ve been doing some research around here. Maybe I can help you.”

Sophie let out a light laugh. If he wanted to play this game with her, why not take advantage of it?