"Stop!"
The voice was calm and cold, just like the night air outside. Nonetheless, it delivered a threatening message that hung quietly in the air.
"Oh no!" She gasped as panic gripped her heart when somebody caught her trespassing in a private area of the mansion.
She didn't plan to wander off, but after meeting her worst nightmare face to face, she knew she just had to get away.
Careful to avoid her boss and anyone she might know, she tiptoed her way upstairs and snuck into a private room, far from the maddening crowd.
Once inside the empty room, she finally released all the air that was trapped in her lungs. She thought she was ready for her confrontation with that old bastard, but their encounter still shook her to the core.
"I want him to pay." She muttered, her blood boiled in anger as Maximus' face flashed before her eyes. But death was too kind for a monster like him.
After a minute of taking on deep breaths, she finally calmed down. Eventually, her visions cleared, and her body relaxed.
It was then that she learned that she was in the Don's office. She didn't plan to snoop around until she noticed the pictures on the wall and on the shelves.
"Is Caleb Oliver's son?" She had suspected it after discovering that Maximus was Caleb's grandfather. But after seeing several pictures of Caleb as a baby and growing up in Oliver's arms, she finally confirmed her suspicion.
There were even several pictures that showed the father and son's uncanny resemblance.
If her child had survived, would he also looked like them?
In that instant, "Will you be my new Mommy?" The young boy's voice replayed inside her head.
Why did he keep insisting on calling her Mom?
"Who is Caleb's mother?" Then, she remembered that woman from six years ago. The news said that Oliver got married more than a year after they broke up. The media couldn't stop talking about them.
Hazel Smith, the famous actress. She must be Caleb's mother.
But if Caleb were five, then he would be almost the same age as his son. Did it mean that Oliver was already in a relationship with Hazel while they were living together? Or did it happen immediately after she had left?
"Ugh! Stop it, Sophia." She closed her eyes as she tried to erase the image of them from her mind. Their relationship wasn't her concern anymore.
She was here for one reason alone. To make them pay.
It would have been easy to stab Mr. Maximus Morton in the chest earlier, but a quick death was not what he deserved for what he did to her family, especially to her child.
If the former Mafia Don had just left her and her family alone, that accident would have never happened. By now, she might be happily living far away from all of these with her parents and her son.
But that was not her fate as she looked at the happy portrait of Oliver and Caleb. It suddenly brought a bitterness to her heart. A pain of longing, envy, and regret.
Why were their lives perfect while hers was ruined?
Why did they have each other while she had no one?
"Fucking Idiot!" That was what she was.
For believing all his lies.
For holding on to his promises for four years.
But not anymore.
"Don't make another step." That distinct tone was meant as a warning not to do anything stupid.
Nevertheless, the voice was familiar, as recognition clicked easily inside her head.
"Oh, shit!" As if struck by lightning, a shiver ran through her spine, paralyzing her on the spot.
Not because she was afraid, but because her body recognized him.
"Damn it! What's he doing here?" It was the host of the party, the man of the hour himself. The owner of this house and this very room.
The very man she wanted to see, and at the same time, was trying hard to avoid.
"What now, Sophia?" As her brain tried to grasp at straws, trying to find a way out of her predicament.
Instinctively, her fight or flight response told her to run for her life, but logic held her in place.
From the layout of the room, there were only two ways out. First, the door behind her, where the man was probably standing at that moment.
The next was the balcony on the other side of the room. But with her long, tight gown and five-inch heels, it would be challenging to take that route.
Moreover, could she even outrun the man or survive the fall?
"Don't think so." No debate there, raising her hand in surrender.
"Who are you?" The edge in his voice implied his authority, demanding an answer.
"I..." She choked on her words, suddenly feeling this overwhelming presence when he walked over and stood just inches before her.
In truth, this was not their first encounter since they separated. She had already bumped into him twice before tonight. The first time, she realized he was the man who shouted outside the elevator. No wonder his voice had a familiar ring in her ears.
The second was in the restaurant. By the time she noticed him, it was already too late.
Hearing his name sent her into panic, making her a mumbling mess. It was embarrassing, awkward, and extremely nerve-racking.
She heard his voice clearly. She even had a whiff of his clean, warm scent, which surprisingly still appealed to her senses. Fortunately, he was busy minding his own business that he barely looked in her direction.
For years, she had prepared herself for their confrontation, but when it was time to face him, she realized that no amount of practice could make it any easier.
But at least, he didn't seem to recognize her then.
But now, would he finally discover who she was?
On the other hand, did he even think about her? Or did he finally move on from her?
"Please, don't shoot." Her voice slightly cracked as fear finally crept in, especially when she felt a cold metallic object pressing against her side.
From what she had heard, Oliver had turned to a dangerous, ruthless, and merciless tyrant— a powerful magnate with strong ties to the underworld.
Far from the man that she had fallen in love with. Not exactly a man to mess around with unless they had a death wish.
That meant, at that moment, she was in deep shit.
It was likely that she already had a tombstone marked with her name on it. All that was missing was a body to bury six feet under the ground.
Unless she could find a way out of this hole she had dug herself into, she was probably as good as dead unless she could convince him that she was worth more alive than a cold corpse.
"I don't think you want to kill me, Mr. Morton."