Chapter 135

The sudden ring of Sophie's phone interrupted her exhausted silence.

Recognizing the caller ID, she inhaled deeply to steady her breath before answering. "Hello, Linda."

Linda's worried voice came through. "Ms. Luxford, I've just been informed that Cedric was at the office. Are you... okay?"

Sophie managed a smile. "He's already been here. I'm fine."

"Are you still at the club? It sounds unusually quiet," Linda asked, her voice laced with worry.

"No, I returned briefly to check on my luggage. Please have the driver pick me up in an hour," Sophie lied, using her pre-packed bags as an excuse to mask her real intentions and not raise any alarms.

"Alright. I'll arrange for the driver to pick you up in an hour."

Ending the call, Sophie headed to the elevator, her fingers trembling slightly as they pressed the call button. She leaned against the cool marble wall, watching the numbers descend to the ground floor.

The elevator arrived. As Sophie straightened up to step in, she was sudd