THE PADDOCK CONTRACT PRINCESS

CHAPTER 11

The First Lie

Sofia did not sleep after discovering the photograph. She sat at the edge of the penthouse living room with Mateo’s handwritten warning in one hand and the old photograph in the other, studying the younger version of Lucien standing beside his grandfather outside the Black River workshop. The image was dated nearly twenty years earlier, yet Lucien had never mentioned visiting Mauritius or meeting her father when Sofia confronted him about their connection. When dawn finally began touching the harbor, Sofia had reached one conclusion that frightened her more than the photograph itself: someone had taught Lucien a version of the truth that he had accepted without question.

Lucien found her there when he returned from an emergency meeting with his legal team. He stopped when he saw the photograph, and Sofia watched his expression carefully as recognition appeared before he could hide it. “You know this picture,” she said. Lucien admitted that he had seen it before, but when Sofia asked when, he said he could not remember.

The answer was too quick. Sofia stood and held the photograph between them, asking why he had never told her that he had visited her father’s workshop as a teenager. Lucien said the visit had been part of a family trip he barely remembered, but Sofia reminded him that he had just told her he had heard Mateo’s name years earlier. She asked whether he had known about their relationship before the contract, and Lucien hesitated.

That hesitation hurt more than the answer might have. Sofia told him she could forgive ignorance, uncertainty, even family pressure, but she could not forgive being deliberately kept in the dark while her family property was destroyed. Lucien stepped closer and said he had not deliberately lied to her. Sofia held his gaze and replied, “You just did.”

The accusation struck him hard enough that his expression changed. He admitted that he had known more about Mateo than he originally told her, but he insisted he had never known about the demolition order. Sofia asked why he had hidden the old photograph, and Lucien said he had not hidden it because he had never possessed it. She immediately placed the photograph on the table and told him that someone had sent it to her, proving that someone wanted them divided.

Lucien examined the back of the photograph and recognized Mateo’s handwriting. His jaw tightened when he read the warning. He asked where Sofia had found it, and she told him about the anonymous messages, the hidden cabinet, and the notebook. For the first time, Lucien looked genuinely alarmed rather than merely concerned.

He told Sofia that they needed to leave the penthouse immediately. She refused, saying she would not run from someone she could not see. Lucien explained that the building’s security system had registered an unauthorized access attempt during the night, meaning whoever sent the photograph might have known where they were. Sofia asked whether he believed Elias was responsible, and Lucien said he did not know.

They moved into the secure office while Lucien called his head of security. Sofia watched him give instructions with the same calm authority he used in the paddock, but now she saw the fear underneath it. He ordered every access point checked and demanded the security footage from the previous twelve hours. When he returned to her, Sofia asked whether he had ever been afraid of losing something he could not replace.

Lucien looked at her for several seconds before answering. “Yes.” Sofia expected him to mention Vantari Racing, the family shares, or his grandfather’s legacy, but he said nothing else. She realized he was looking at her.

The silence between them became heavy. Sofia remembered the kiss on the yacht and hated that the memory could still weaken her anger. Lucien stepped closer, then stopped before touching her, respecting the boundary she had once demanded. “I should have told you everything I knew,” he said.

“You should have told me before I signed,” Sofia answered. Lucien lowered his eyes and admitted she was right. He promised that from that moment forward, he would not withhold information simply because he thought it might protect her.

Sofia wanted to believe him. That was the dangerous part. She told him trust was not something he could demand because he had signed a contract, and Lucien said he knew. Then he reached for the photograph, but Sofia stopped him.

She said she would keep it until she understood why Mateo had written the warning. Lucien nodded, although she could see frustration in his eyes. Before either could continue, his security chief entered with a tablet and announced that the unauthorized access had come from inside the Vantari network.

Sofia immediately looked at Lucien. He looked back at her, and neither needed to speak. Someone inside his organization had entered their private system during the night, which meant the person manipulating their lives was closer than they had imagined. The security chief placed the access report on the table and identified the compromised account.

It belonged to a senior Vantari executive. The executive had access to corporate records, private communications, and property documents, including the original file concerning Black River. Lucien ordered an immediate lockdown, but Sofia stopped him and asked one question: “Why would someone with access to all this need me to believe you were responsible?”

Lucien had no answer. And that frightened her more than any lie he had told.