THE COLLISION
1416 Words
Sophie's eyes filled with tears she's trying to hold back while she spoke to her mother in a feebly voice,
"You just don’t understand, do you?!"
Her mother sighed heavily.
"It’s not about what you understand, Sophie,It’s about survival."
"Survival? You dragged us to this crumbling city with your bad decisions, and I’m supposed to smile and act like it’s fine? Like I wanted this?" Sophie barked
Her father’s voice strucked in anger, "Enough, this is the only way we can start over. You're no more the ten years old Sophie anymore, you're an adult for crying out loud. Grow up.!"
Sophie’s chest burst out in frustration. "Grow up? You’re blaming me when I never even had a choice!"
She stormed to the door, grabbed her jacket, and flung it around her shoulders with rage.
"I need air. I need to be away from this....this prison."
Before either parent could stop her, the front door slammed shut.
The weather outside was unfamiliar, she gasped for air in the freezing cold c****x, she muttered to herself while walking,
"How I wish I wasn't born...born into this family where you are not cared for, a family whee you are blamed for everything, very unrealistic family."
Sophie kept muttering out the words hoping she would feel better since she has no companion to pour out her heart to. Suddenly she started increasing her pace,
And then—BAM.
She crashed into someone hard with a pungent scent of cologne, reeking wealthy
"What the hell!" a deep voice barked at her.
Coffee burned across her coat and chest. She stumbled back, winded.
"Are you blind?" the man snapped, glaring down at her, a ruined cup in his hand. His expensive charcoal suit was soaked in brown.
She blinked, still panting. "Me? You were standing there like you owned the street."
"Because I do own half of it, apparently," he growled. "You just ruined a suit that costs more than your rent."
"You don’t even know where I live!"
"I don’t need to."
Sophie squared her shoulders, heat rising to her ears. "You think money means you can treat people like trash?"
He leaned in slightly, his tone like ice. "No. But it means I can afford to get you out of my way."
Her mouth opened. Closed. She stepped back, her heart heavy with disappointment.
"You’re not worth my precious time."
"Well you're right" he said, adjusting the hand of his suit,
"You’re not worth the suit either."
She turned and ran away, ran as her feets could carry her.
Myers Donovan watched her disappear, tension riding his jawline. Then he murmured under his breath, "Interesting."
He left the scene to the parking lot.
He sat inside the glossy quiet of his Rolls-Royce, Myers stared out the window, brows furrowed.
"Back to the penthouse, sir?" his driver asked.
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took out his phone and pressed a contact.
"Travis."
"Yes, Mr. Donovan?"
"Find her. Early twenties, brown eyes, wild energy. She ran into me near Eleventh."
"You want me to find someone with just that?"
"You’ve done more with less."
"Two hours, Tick Tock."
Myers ended the call and leaned his head back against the leather seat.
She was just what he is search for, daring and unapologetic.
Sophie sat on a bench near a mini bouquet shop, hugging herself tight so as to keep her warm due to the freezing weather. She started to wipe the coffee off her cloth
"That man…" she growled, cleaning off the faint stain on her sleeve. "see what you've done, jerk!."
His physique and face couldn't get off her mind, Sharp jawline and his cologne reeking of wealth.
He wasn’t forgettable.
She shook her head violently. No, she had enough problems, her parents were barely holding it together, college was a question mark, life was a mess.
Her phone buzzed.
MOM: "Come back. We need to talk."
She locked it without replying, still sat helplessly watching the sunset.
.............
Across town, in a penthouse framed in glass and marble, Myers stared at his phone.
"Her name’s Sophie Lane," Travis reported. "Twenty, moved here with her parents from Swellview, father was laid off and mother liquidated her retirement. Was enrolled in community college in Swellview but hasn’t completed the studies. They’re living in a rented two-bedroom near Eastview street, no job, no real local presence."
Myers nodded slowly.
"You want me to keep digging?"
"No, that’s enough. Uhm....make sure she never knows I sent you."
He set the phone down, staring out into the darkness.
She didn’t need to know yet.
But soon, she would.
BACK AT SOPHIE'S RESIDENCE.........
Sophie came home shivering due to the cold weather, her parents stared at her in disbelief.
"Look what you've done to yourself, shivering just like you're about to be shot by a paid killer". her mother said in disappointment.
Her father still facing the television,
"Go and find something doing instead of wanting to get sick and pressurizing us"
Sophie say a single word to them, she headed straight to her room and shut the door behind her.
Sophie couldn't stop thinking about him, how he spoke like he owned the world. She can't even free herself from the thought having no one to tell how her day went and she can't try telling her parents because mostly because her they wouldn't care or she didn’t want them poking their noses in it because he seems wealthy and they'll try getting money through her from him.
The apartment still felt like a cage.
She scrolled through her inbox, deleting junk.
Until one subject line froze her in place:
UNKNOWN SENDER: "We met by accident. Let’s make it intentional. Interested in a business proposal?"
She clicked.
Inside was a message:
"I believe in purpose. And I believe we can help each other. If you're interested in changing your life, meet me. No pressure. No promises. Just possibilities."
Attached: a location. An upscale lounge.
Her hands trembled. Her heart pounded.
It was him. She knew it
She typed a reply:
"It would have been more formal telling your details because I don't know who this is, but I’m listening."
But she didn't get a reply.
She started to ponder,
"How did he get through me? what does he want? what type of business proposal is this or is he trying to mess around?" questions kept puzzling Sophie's mind.
"Okay okay", Sophie calmed herself,
"Let's give it a shot, I guess this is strictly business. At least if it pay my parents won't keep bugging and stressing me".
Sophie quickly dressed in her casual outfit, ready to leave. She stepped outside the house,
"I hope this brings good luck", she scoffed.
......................
Later That Night – The Lounge
The lounge was gold-lit, quiet, and too elegant for her worn shoes. But she walked in anyway, nerves jangling like loose change.
He was there.
Myers.
He stood as she approached, nodding once. "Sophie Lane."
Her jaw tensed. "Still don’t know how you know that."
"I know more than that. Sit."
She didn’t. "What's the "SO CALLED" business proposal all about, I don't have much time."
He arched a brow, amused. "Very well. I need a wife. Temporarily. One year. No strings. You help me, I help your family."
She blinked. "What?!, you're trying to mess around aren't you?"
"A contract marriage, I need to satisfy my family’s demands and you need money. It’s mutually beneficial. No romance. No mess."
She stared at him .
She thought for a while,
"Are you being real serious?."
"Deadly."
"Why....why me?"
He didn’t blink. "Because you’re not afraid to spill coffee on me and talk back. That’s rare."
Her heart pounded.
He reached into his coat and slid an envelope to the middle of the table.
"Read it. Think. Then decide."
She didn’t move.
"And if I say no?"
His voice dropped low. "Then we walk away. You go back to your struggling life. And I find someone else."
Her hand hovered over the envelope.
The weight of everything—her parents, their sacrifices, the empty fridge, the constant fights—pressed on her shoulders.
Her fingers touched the envelope, swiftly drawing the envelope to her side of the table.
Suddenly, he gripped her hand,
"Remember you have less than 3 days till I get your feedback" he said in a low husky voice.
"And if I don't", Sophie said in a daring tone.
"We'll see"
To be continued...
- Writer
