-( Amelie / "Sophia" POV )-
Two days later, I was no longer Amelie Mitchell.
I was Sophia Redford.
My passport, identification cards, personal profile, everything had been arranged with terrifying efficiency. Marie worked like a woman on a mission,
leaving no loose ends,
no questions unanswered.
And now...
I stood at the grand iron gates of Alderidge Heights, the Chen family's ancestral mansion.
Cold wind brushed against my skin as the driver unloaded my suitcase.
The estate loomed before me, vast, elegant, intimidating.
Chandeliers glowed behind tall glass windows. Even the air felt different here.
Heavier. Sharper.
This was the beginning.
My first day pretending to be someone else.
My first day as the future wife of Elijah Chen.
My first step into a life I had no idea how to survive.
I tightened my grip on my suitcase, swallowed the fear, and whispered to myself,
"Here goes nothing."
Alderidge Heights was not built to welcome people.
It was built to measure them.
The iron gates closed behind me with a finality that made my chest tighten.
Manicured gardens stretched endlessly, marble paths gleaming under soft lights,
fountains carved with symbols of legacy and power. Everything was pristine.
Untouched and intimidating.
This wasn't a home.
It was a declaration.
Inside, the silence was overwhelming. Portraits of stern-faced men lined the walls,
their eyes following me as though daring me to forget where I stood.
The formal dining hall fell quiet the moment I entered.
"Chairman," the butler announced, "Miss Sophia Redford has arrived."
Every gaze turned toward me.
At the head of the table sat Chairman Augustus Chen.
His presence alone commanded respect. His eyes were sharp,
calculating, stripping me down to intention and worth without apology.
To his right sat a woman draped in elegance and restraint.
Helena Chen.
Elijah and Yuri's mother.
Her smile was polite. Her eyes were not.
Across from her sat another woman, composed, observant.
Celestine Chen Marqués, the sister of the late Mr. Chen.
Beside her was her husband, Victor Marqués, quiet and impeccably dressed.
He didn't stare—he assessed, like a man already counting future outcomes.
And then there was Yuri.
Her smile was the only warmth in the room.
"Please," Chairman Chen said, gesturing to the empty seat beside Yuri. "Sit."
I obeyed.
"This," Chairman Chen continued,
"is Miss Sophia Redford. She will be joining the family soon."
The word family settled heavily in my chest.
Helena lifted her wine glass.
"So you're the woman my son intends to marry."
"Yes, Mrs. Chen."
"Redford," she mused. "American?"
"Half," I answered. "My mother is Filipina."
"How... convenient," she said softly.
Yuri shifted beside me, uncomfortable.
Then.....
The doors opened again.
Footsteps entered the room.
And my heart stopped.
Dylan.
He froze mid-step, eyes locking onto mine. Shock flashed across his face,
raw and unguarded, before it hardened into something colder.
For a brief, terrifying second, the room held its breath.
"Dylan," Chairman Chen said calmly. "You're late."
"Apologies," he replied automatically, never looking away from me.
Helena's gaze darted between us. "You know each other?"
"No," Dylan said quickly.
"Yes," I whispered at the same time.
The silence that followed was sharp.
"We went to the same school," Dylan added curtly. "Several years ago."
Helena's lips curved with interest.
"How very interesting."
Victor leaned toward Celestine, murmuring something that earned a thoughtful smile.
"Sit," Chairman Chen ordered.
Dylan took the seat directly across from me.
Dinner proceeded politely, conversations circling business and appearances.
I barely tasted a thing. Dylan didn't speak to me, but I felt his gaze constantly ...
cold, heavy, condemning.
After dinner, Yuri leaned close. "I'll show you the guest wing."
Before we could leave, she was called away by a staff member.
"I'll catch up," she whispered apologetically.
Needing air, I turned toward the kitchen.
He was already there.
Leaning against the counter.
Waiting.
"So," he said quietly, "Sophia Redford."
My stomach tightened.
"That's your name now?"
"It's... complicated," I said.
He let out a low, humorless laugh.
"Of course it is."
I took a cautious step back. "Dylan..."
"Fake name," he continued calmly. "Powerful family. Rich fiancé."
His eyes swept over me slowly, deliberately.
"You didn't just leave," he said. "You upgraded."
The words hit harder than I expected.
"That's not—" I started.
He raised a hand, cutting me off.
"Save it," he said coolly. "I'm not interested."
I stood frozen as he walked past me, his shoulder brushing mine...
brief, electric, and devastating.
Left alone under the harsh kitchen lights, my chest burned.
Upgraded?
Rich fiancé?
Was he calling me a gold digger?
That night, sleep refused to come.
I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, replaying his expression over and over.
The hatred in his eyes.
The certainty.
I knew I had hurt him.
I had never denied that.
Breaking up with him back then...on graduation day...had shattered something between us. I knew it. I regretted the pain, even now.
But was I really that cruel?
Was it unforgivable to chase a dream I had worked my whole life for?
We had been young. Both of us. I hadn't wanted to be selfish...
to make him wait for me across oceans with no promises, no certainty.
I hadn't wanted to trap him in a future built on maybe.
And the bet...
The thought crossed my mind unexpectedly.
Yes, I had won.
But I never accepted the prize.
Because somewhere along the way, it stopped being a game.
I had genuinely fallen for Dylan.
The challenge had only been a front...an excuse to hide feelings
I didn't know how to admit back then.
So why did he look at me like I had betrayed him in ways I didn't understand?
The next morning, Yuri burst into my room, eyes shining.
"He's arriving today," she whispered. "Elijah."
My heart pounded.
The real fiancé.
The real lie.
As we descended the staircase, I saw Dylan below, arms crossed,
his gaze lifting to meet mine.
That was cold and unforgiving.
And for the first time since stepping into this contract, fear curled deep in my chest.
Because whatever Dylan believed about me...
Whatever past he was punishing me for...
I had no idea how to defend myself.
And this time...
I didn't even know what I was running from.