CHAPTER 57.VINCENZO For the next twenty minutes, these guys have me in handcuffs, driving to who knows where.Jason? That new cop? His days are numbered after the stunt he just pulled. I’ve been letting him breathe, out of formality, but he clearly doesn’t understand that it’s a privilege. I think I’ll take that back from him.If Scott hadn’t begged me to follow these idiots, I wouldn’t have gone along with it.They just kept driving to God knows where. Sitting up straighter, I narrowed my gaze outside and noticed they weren’t taking the right roads to the police station.“Come on, you know this isn’t the way to the police station or jail?” He stayed silent, not responding.I leaned in, pushing myself forward, my hands still cuffed behind me. “Hello? Hello?? Are you mute, you bastard?” Or do you just not want to talk to me? For a moment, he didn’t say a word; he just focused on driving and increasing the car's speed. I looked back and noticed the other police van, which had th
CHAPTER 58VINCENZOA loud knock on the window snapped me out of my unconsciousness.I tilted my head up slowly, and it felt like my neck was broken. I winced as I adjusted myself. I looked forward and saw that bastard fake cop in the front. Yes, he was dead. He really thought he could pull such a sick trick on me and still live to see the next daylight? I just hated that the bastard never told me who his employer was before I strangled him to death.His employer must be smart as hell to come up with such a trick. I could have fallen for it if I hadn't attended high school. At least I knew that badge was a fake.Scott and Niko continued to pull at the door from outside, using all their strength. It seemed to have locked up from the outside after we collided with the tree. After many unsuccessful attempts, they finally pulled it open and helped me out of the car.I heaved a deep sigh as I sat on the floor, my mind reeling from what had just happened.I knew it was a risky move, but I c
CHAPTER 59SOPHIEToday, I noticed that my new boss, Mr. Robert Knowles, has done all of my job for me.Oh, sorry… not Mister…He asked me to drop the formalities and just call him by his name. He also made and gave me coffee instead of waiting for me to do so and serve him in his office. I guess he still doesn't understand how being a personal assistant works.But then again, I checked his portfolio, and it’s impressive. He has always been a CEO, so I’m sure he knew that was my job and still decided to do it. He also cleared the register that I was supposed to handle and sorted all the books of authors under our publishing company.When I entered his office and went to his desk to take the file, I noticed that it was missing. After I asked my colleagues, they said he had passed it to Miss Emma.Ugh, that was a lost cause. I know he thinks he was doing me a favor by passing it down to her himself and sparing me the stress, but that wasn’t any favor. I just know I'm in for a rude awake
CHAPTER 60VINCENZO“It's not that serious. It's just some slight cuts and mere bruises, but I think you might have some fractures inside from the way the car swung,” Kitty explained.“How do you take such risks? You could have lost your life. Didn't you think of that?”I rolled my eyes and sighed, sitting up. “Should I have let some stupid fake cops take me to God knows where?”Kitty hissed, “Get prepared. I will make you some herbal bath water to help relax your muscles. You will be fine.”With that, she left for the bathroom. I contemplated telling her to stop. I knew what that meant. If she was making me herbal water to bathe and relax my body, it meant she was going to bathe me as well.However, a few minutes later, I slowly helped myself up from the couch since Kitty was still in the bathroom, and Scott and Niko had gone back home. I told them to leave and make sure things were okay at home. I'm safe here.I might be injured, but it would take a good number of people to harm me
CHAPTER 61SOPHIE The atmosphere in the room was charged with curiosity, and the tension was palpable. Emma's eyes glittered with a glint of curiosity as she watched me open the file and read the documents. I could swear she almost joined me to read its contents because she couldn't wait to hear what was inside.My eyes scanned the documents, and the excitement on my face began to fade gently but quickly when I saw the name of the company they were sending me to.Jerald Magazine???An interview with Vincenzo Bianchi???!!!Someone punch me because I can't believe this is really happening right now.Why the hell did they ever think that Vincenzo would agree to an interview with them?He barely agrees to interviews with bigger publishing companies, and they think pushing their luck this way would help them get Vincenzo to do an interview?The last time he did something similar, his secrets were blasted on the tabloids for the world to see.I doubt he will ever do it. I cleared my throat
CHAPTER 62 SOPHIE Sophie Hills stared back at me in bold black letters. I blinked rapidly. It might not be me; there are a million other people bearing the name Sophie. But having the same surname as me is really diabolical. I just kept going, ignoring it—I knew it wasn't for me."Miss Sophie?" I heard someone call my name, and I stopped, looking up to see Scott.I felt a jolt of surprise. How did he know I was coming? Or was it a coincidence?"Hello, Scott. How have you been?" I said, still walking. I just needed to catch a cab first."Can I help you with that?" he said, and before I could refuse, he grabbed my box and dragged it with him.I sighed silently, following him. I just needed the quickest cab to take me to the hotel room, but he moved in the opposite direction."No, this way!" I shouted, snapping at him. He turned to me. "No, Miss, this way. Our cars are parked this way."I stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes narrowing at Scott. I questioned, "What do you mean by 'our car
CHAPTER 63 VINCENZO Once Niko informed me that Sophie's publishing company wanted to do an exclusive case study about me and release it under their publishing brand for more exposure, I quickly told Niko to accept it. Unlike me, I didn't bother to read the content of everything that was said. What I cared about was that they were going to send one of their new editors, and Niko mentioned the name: "Sophie Hills."That was Sophie, so I asked him to accept. Though I was quite hesitant, I wondered if her changing her surname meant she had finally divorced that asshole. I know she must have thrown a lot of tantrums back there in New Jersey, but I'm a little thrilled that she is here with him. And the tacky hotel they paid for her? No, I wasn't going to allow her to stay there. I don't like her being exposed to strangers. She is going to stay in my penthouse for the duration of her visit. The company said she has five days, but I'm extending it to seven. So now I have seven days to win h
CHAPTER 64SOPHIE Once he left, I slammed the door and heaved a deep sigh of relief. I can't believe I almost forgot myself in his arms. That wasn't the plan. The plan wasn't to let him fuck me, even if I was really craving to have a dick inside my pussy. The plan was to change him and make him normal again. I can't let him drag me along and get deep into his madness or under his wings, where he gets to order me around.But still, I'm a little surprised that he really proposed a dinner date. That was quite unlike him. He does say it’s not his kind of thing, but I guess everyone always has to adjust to whatever they really want. I walked over to the window and peeped out to check if I could see any traces of their car, but it was gone. I still can't bring myself to believe that he agreed to leave me alone in his penthouse since I wasn't ready to accommodate him just yet.Later that night, I had a solo girls' night inside the penthouse. I made myself some sa
CHAPTER 83 SOPHIE. My body tensed up, and my muscles turned rigid with fear. When his hands ran around my shoulders again, I shivered. I wondered who the hell he was. He wasn't just a mere Robert. Something wasn't adding up. How did he know Vincenzo so well, or was he just trying to guess, perhaps just a coincidence? “What do you think, dear?” He finally let me go and proceeded to sit back in front of me. I felt a deep wave of relief wash over me. I took the opportunity to drag my seat back and pushed myself forward, forcing my feet to stand even if my legs were now shaky. I felt a chill run down my spine, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. “With all due respect, sir, like I said earlier, I'm not interested,” I reminded him. Letting out a sigh, I moved to walk out. “If you'll excuse me, I would love to leave.” “Not so quickly, Sophie.” He jerked up from his chair and quickly made his way to me. “Come on, why are you suddenly acting tough, huh? Vincenzo can hit, and I can't
CHAPTER 82 SOPHIE I still can't believe that Robert tried to come all up on me. For a second, I thought he was a responsible guy with the way he stood up for me against Emma. Asshole! Did he really ask me to come bounce on his dick? Ewww! It was time to go home, and I packed up my things, ready to cruise in my new car. I was no longer staying in the company's lounge; I would be living in a short-let apartment down the street until I was able to scout for a house. Staying in the company lounge had always been a hassle with the crowd of coworkers who had just moved in. I love my space, and staying there only made my space public. Once I was done, I picked up my car keys and made my way to the garage to get my car and drive back home. From afar, I could hear the sound of a car engine. When I looked, it was Robert. He revved his car before driving out of the lane and taking a U-turn to head toward the gate. Unlike every other day when he was done with work, he stopped at my desk to giv
CHAPTER 81 SOPHIE The tension in the room was palpable. I could feel the atmosphere shift from what it was a few minutes ago, and right now I couldn't tell why I didn't feel very comfortable drinking with Robert. Aside from the fact that I knew Emma would go around spreading different stupid rumors, I just felt like Robert wasn't really genuine. I love to come to my job and do what I have to do. Once I'm done, I leave and don't get into a personal relationship with my boss or even my colleagues.I stayed still, sipping my wine silently. The only sound that could be heard was that of the wine pouring down Robert’s throat. He flashed me a smile and dropped his cup on the table. “I didn't know you were going to smash it so easily. How is it with Vincenzo? I have heard a lot of tales about him, and I'm surprised he had such a good sense of humor when you were interviewing him. Is there anything you think I should know?”I raised my brows. “I don't get you, sir?”He chuckled. “Come on, S
CHAPTER 80SOPHIE Someone like Emma calling me a whore is quite diabolical.I mean, that is her profession. She does that for a living. I see what she wears to get Robert’s attention, just like she was screwing our former boss, and now she stands in front of me accusing me of whoring myself out to get a BMW?Such a clumsy bitch. I just rolled my eyes and chose not to engage with her. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing me riled up. I'm just a new car owner. I will let broke bitches holler. That is the best they can do. Barking dogs don’t bite.“What?” she scoffed. “You can’t speak anymore? Cat got your tongue now, huh?”“Go on, bitch! Speak! I see you have no evidence to refute my claims,” she snarled, and I just rolled my eyes.Soon, the door creaked open, and it was Robert. Every staff member quickly returned to their tasks, scurrying back to their respective seats now that the CEO was here. Emma, on the other hand, forced a smile and leaned in close to my desk like she
CHAPTER 79 SOPHIE “Hello, are you missing Sophie?” One of the airport workers walked up to me and asked as I alighted from the jet.I stopped scrolling through my phone to find an Uber and turned to him. “Yes, I'm Sophie. Any problems?”Before he spoke, I refocused on my phone, searching for the closest Uber from the airport to my workplace. I just knew Emma wouldn't spare me if I dared to show up late today. She hadn't seen me for seven consecutive days, and I'm sure her patience was wearing thin.That clueless bitch!“Ma'am, your car is parked that way,” the young man said, pointing to the garage. My eyes followed his gesture, and I saw a covered car. I gulped before turning back to him.“I’m sorry I could have come out earlier, but I was a little busy and didn’t notice when you dropped off. Mr. Vincenzo said you have the keys; I’m going to open it up for you now.”For a moment, it felt like I was in a fairy tale. My face lit up with excitement as I approached the car, and the man
CHAPTER 78VINCENZOI know something is wrong, but she isn’t willing to speak to me about it. After she went upstairs, her attitude and everything changed. When we came into the party, she was very much excited. What changed?I tried to talk to her in the car, but she wasn't even listening. Her mind was elsewhere. It hurt to see my kitten this way. Just when I thought I had gotten her back, now there’s a last-minute misunderstanding. She keeps saying it’s about work, but I know that it isn’t. Sophie is a resilient woman, and everything that happens at work would never affect her daily life or ruin her mood.It was at the party. I'm sure of it. I’m a hundred percent certain that something went down at the party, and I can't wait to call my mother and ask her if she knows any of the people who met Sophie and what they said to her that made her feel this way. But for now, I wanted to make sure I gave her the new car keys. After our misunder
CHAPTER 77SOPHIE I walked out with my heart pounding in my chest. I took the stairs, walking very fast as if scared she might be trailing me. I barely even knew her or her name to explain what she had just told me. For now, I couldn't stop to think about what she said. All I could think of was getting the hell out of this party. I didn't feel like staying anymore; I just wanted to leave. It seemed like the majority of the guests were psychos. I took the hallway leading to the elevator, and after a few minutes, it beeped. I pressed the button, waiting patiently for it to slide open. Once it did, I made my way out. On reaching downstairs, where the main party was happening, I met Vincenzo. He quickly approached me with a concerned look. “What happened, Sophie? I’ve been looking for you all over the place. Did you get lost coming down here?”I shook my head and forced a smile. “No, I didn’t. I just stopped to use the restroom; that was all that to
CHAPTER 76SOPHIE I forced a smile, turning to Vincenzo, and he nodded, giving me the go-ahead to follow his mother. My heart skipped a beat as I followed her. She held tightly to my hand as she navigated through the crowd of guests, and finally, we were in the hallway. She let me go and heaved a deep sigh of relief."Have you met Foxy?" she asked, and I nodded."Yes, ma'am. I met her a few minutes ago, and we exchanged pleasantries."She nodded and flashed me a smile before we continued. I couldn't really tell where she was taking me. It felt like I was now part of the family with the way they were welcoming me in. For the next couple of minutes, we walked down a large, straight hallway, and then we finally arrived at the large lounge on the right. Once we got there, she pushed the door open, and a deep wave of nervousness washed over me when I saw the crowd inside.It looked like there was another party happening in there. I couldn't quite figure out what was going on. The next min
CHAPTER 75.SOPHIE The world seemed to pause. The room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by gasps. Vincenzo wasn’t lying; everyone was holding their breath as they stared at me. I froze for a moment, his eyes piercing into mine—both shocked and amused.“Oh my goodness!” The MC’s voice snapped everyone back to the stage. “That was spectacular! Is there anyone who can do better than this?”He looked around before continuing, “Okay then, it’s sold to the damsel sitting over there.”The room erupted into applause, and I felt a thrilling twist of excitement in my stomach. It felt exhilarating to have so many eyes on me, and bargaining at the auction was thrilling.But Vincenzo's face twisted into a frown as he leaned closer. “You’re making a lot of people aware of who you are. Right now, I feel like punishing you!”I smiled and rolled my eyes. “Go ahead and do it. I want to be punished for acting like a child.”He scoffed and looked away for a moment before grabbing my arm. “Let’s go