Richard was speechless for a while.
He didn't even want to process how he felt, because if he did, he knew he would choose to hate her forever—for walking away without looking back.
"I hated the sight of her," he said at last, his voice heavy. "I still do. And I wasn't happy when Tyler introduced her as his girlfriend. You know what that means? It means we'll be meeting often… and I'll have to accept that she's someone Tyler might marry in the near future."
"Are you not going to tell him about it?" Melvin asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Are you kidding me? That would crush him. Tyler is only trying to live. I won't ruin it by telling him I once loved his woman."
Melvin gave a short laugh. "I don't think you ever really loved her. You loved robots more. You used to brag that you'd mixed sodium with salt more times than you'd dated a girl. If I wasn't in Harvard, in her class at the time, I wouldn't even know you both had a relationship. Honestly, I was happy when I heard from Ann, one of her friends, that you two had broken up. I told myself Sophia deserved better."
Richard's face darkened. "You shouldn't say that to your brother."
"You being my brother doesn't hide the truth," Melvin shot back. "I'm just glad you've changed. I see the way you treat your fiancée now, and it makes me think—if you'd been half as present back then, maybe Sophia wouldn't have walked away."
Richard's jaw tightened. "Melvin, I always made it up to her and—"
"—and you never made any impact," Melvin cut in sharply. "That's why she forgot you so easily. That's why she even forgot the love she once had for you."
Richard swallowed hard. "Why didn't you tell me all this then?"
"Would you have listened? Not when it wasn't about some bicarbonate-based topic."
"I wasn't that bad," Richard muttered.
"That's what you think. You never see yourself from the outside. But we did. We knew who you were."
Richard bit his lip, his throat dry.
Finally, he admitted in a whisper, "I hate to say it… but all you said is true."
"You don't have a choice," Melvin replied.
He patted Richard on the shoulder and walked into the house, leaving him alone.
Richard remained there by the pool, the truth weighing heavy on his chest.
His mind drifted backward, unbidden, to five years ago…
He could still see Sophia running toward him, smiling wide, her voice full of excitement.
"Richard! Hurry! There's a new movie tonight. Come with me, please!"
Her eyes had shone with so much hope. She only wanted one evening. One chance.
But Richard, hunched over his notes and test tubes, barely looked up. "Sophia, you won't believe what I discovered today. I managed to recover a compound that stabilizes under extreme heat. If I can perfect this, it could change the way—"
Sophia's smile faded, her voice low and wounded. "Richard, all I asked was one evening with you."
But he didn't stop. He scribbled furiously, lost in excitement. "Do you realize how important this is? If sodium can actually—"
"Enough!" she snapped. "It's always chemicals, always robots—never me!"
She turned and stormed away, her footsteps echoing in his memory.
He had looked up just in time to see her back disappearing, but instead of running after her, he bent over his notes again, convincing himself it was for the greater good.
Now, years later, the regret stabbed deep. Richard sighed bitterly, whispering into the empty air:
"I blamed her all these years. But deep down… I know it was all my fault."
***
The board meeting had stretched into hours.
Sophia sat with tired eyes, listening as executives debated which chemicals they would supply to more than four hundred soap manufacturing companies across the globe.
Some firms had even requested dangerous compounds like mercurous chloride, but Sophia had already made up her mind—anything that could cause severe harm would never carry their company's label.
By the time she wrapped up discussions with her assistant, reviewed notes, and left the office, the sky was already dark.
Driving home, all she wanted was peace.
But as she pulled into the driveway, the sound of raised voices shattered that hope.
Confused, Sophia hurried inside and froze.
A young man she had never seen before stood in the middle of the living room.
His face, his jawline—he looked so much like her father that her heart lurched.
Paula, her mother, was standing stiff with fury.
Beside her, a woman about Paula's age glared back with equal anger.
On the couch, her father sat quietly, while Theresa leaned back, almost too calm for the storm brewing around them.
Sophia's voice broke the air.
"What is going on here?"
The young man turned to her, almost too composed for the tense room. He gave a slight bow.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, half-sister. My name is Victor Williams." His smile stretched across his face, as though he belonged there.
Sophia's eyes darted immediately to her father. "What… what is this? Dad?"
Paula's lips trembled as tears filled her eyes. "Two years before you were born, Sophia—Theresa was only one then—your father cheated on me. He confessed after realizing the other woman was pregnant. I agreed to bury the shame and keep it from you children. But today, his ambitious mistress has come here… with her illegitimate son."
"How dare you!" the strange woman snapped, pointing at Paula.
"Just stop it! All of you!" Sophia shouted, her voice raw. "What is this madness? Why is it that everywhere I turn, men are having children outside their marriages? First Jay… and now you, Dad? How could you do this to us?"
Theresa exhaled and crossed her arms. "For the record, Sophia, Mr. Victor Williams isn't just here to make introductions. He's here to claim ownership of Father's chemical company."
Sophia blinked, stunned. "What are you talking about?"
Victor stepped forward, his tone calm but sharp.
"Under U.S. inheritance law, illegitimate children—if paternity is proven—have equal rights to a father's estate. That means my share of this organization is as valid as yours, Theresa's, or anyone else's. This company isn't just yours to inherit, Sophia. It's mine as well. And I intend to claim what belongs to me.".
****
It wasn't even Monday yet when Richard's phone buzzed.
"Hi, Tyler," he answered, setting it on loudspeaker as he stepped into the shower.
He had just returned from work, exhaustion pressing into his muscles. "Missed your call earlier—I was driving."
"Richard, let's meet at Midland Heights Restaurant," Tyler said flatly. "I've been waiting here for half an hour."
Richard frowned, running water over his face. "What's the occasion?"
"Nothing much. I just need to ask you something important."
"Alright then. Go ahead and order. I'm starving."
"Anything for you, dear brother."
By the time Richard arrived, dressed down in a tracksuit and sweater, Tyler had filled the table with plates of steaming food.
Richard sat, grabbed a fork, and dug in without hesitation.
"You know me, bro," he said between mouthfuls.
They shared a quick laugh, the kind that masked unspoken tension.
But then Tyler leaned forward, his jaw tight, his eyes burning with something Richard hadn't seen before—betrayal.
"Tell me," Tyler said, voice low, dangerous. "Why didn't you ever mention that you were the first man my girlfriend slept with? Why didn't you tell me you were in a relationship with Sophia Williams... five years ago?"