Chapter 5

As Sophie stirred awake once more, it was already late at night. She shifted her head and found Kendall slouched beside her bed, with no one else in sight.

Sophie couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Though she had long anticipated this outcome, she couldn't shake off the hope that perhaps, after accompanying Wyola, Mitchell would come to see her.

And that perhaps she hadn't just imagined him calling her "Cherie".

Mitchell was the only person in the whole world who called her that.

Back when the Warners had taken her in, everyone had mocked her for being an unwanted orphan who didn't even have a name.

Sophie wasn't her real name. She had been named on a whim on the day she had been adopted.

She had often been bullied and ridiculed by the children at school, and she would sneak away to the attic to cry alone.

One day, Mitchell had found her. "Since you don't have a name, let me give you one. I'm 'Mitchell', so let's call you 'Cherie'."

From then on, he had affectionately called her "Cherie". During that time, he had been the gentle, caring elder brother she had looked up to.

As she looked back, she realized everything had changed since then.

Kendall woke up from her sleep. She groggily opened her eyes and saw Sophie awake.

"Sophie, you're awake? How are you feeling now? Do you still feel any discomfort anywhere?" Kendall asked, her tone filled with nervousness and concern.

She had been truly terrified when Sophie had suddenly coughed up blood and fainted earlier. Fortunately, it wasn't serious. The doctor said it was only due to a momentary shock.

At that thought, Kendall couldn't help but look at Sophie with a complex expression.

She had never seen Mitchell so out of control before. Earlier, he had rushed in and held Sophie, whose lips had been stained with blood. He had looked at Kendall as if he wanted to kill her.

"What did you do to her?"

Kendall recalled Mitchell's hostile interrogation. But at that moment, she had been too scared to respond and didn't know how to either.

It wasn't until later, when Shane had arrived and called the doctor, that she recovered her senses. She had finally felt free from the oppressive feeling of impending doom.

What exactly was the relationship between Sophie and Mitchell?

Kendall opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't voice her question.

Meanwhile, Sophie assumed that Kendall wanted to ask about Wyola. Not wanting to say much, she pretended not to notice the latter's hesitation and simply said, "I'm fine. By the way, how's the situation at the office?"

"Mr. Warner and the PR department are handling it. Everything will be fine. You should focus on recovering. Don't worry about work for now," Kendall reassured.

"Okay." Sophie nodded, deciding not to pursue the matter further. After all, she wasn't the only one in the PR department. "I'm fine. You should head back now."

"But are you sure you'll be okay alone?"

"Yeah. You have to work tomorrow, so go home and rest."

"Alright then, I'll leave now."

After confirming that Sophie would be okay by herself, Kendall got up to leave.

Just before she left, she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, by the way, when you were unconscious, someone called you several times."

Once Kendall left, the ward became quiet.

Sophie lay on the hospital bed. The once resilient expression on her face now revealed a hint of loneliness, as if nothing in the world had anything to do with her.

After a while, she snapped out of her reverie and remembered Kendall's words. She picked up her phone and immediately noticed several missed calls.

The familiar number made her face tense—it was Gertrude's.

She hastily returned the call. "Granny—"

Before she could say anything, Gertrude's demanding voice came through. "What are you doing? Why didn't you answer my calls?"

"I... I was occupied with something," Sophie replied, not mentioning her injury and hospitalization.

Gertrude didn't care either. She immediately launched into a tirade of reprimands.

"What could you possibly be occupied with? Someone is already pregnant with Mitch's child, but what are you doing?

"Forget it. This time, I'll clean up after you. You have one last chance. Tomorrow, I'll have Mitch meet you at 8:00 pm in Room 1088 at Horizon Hotel. If you still fail to do it right, then it's out of my hands."

With that, Gertrude hung up the phone.

Sophie gripped her phone, her face turning pale. She knew Gertrude was giving her an ultimatum. The thought of Gertrude's methods sent shivers down her spine.

…

Meanwhile, in a secret underground chamber, a middle-aged man hung suspended by ropes. His body was covered in bloodstains. He was the assailant who had stabbed Sophie.

Fear filled his eyes as he faced the man hidden in the darkness. "I... I'll tell you everything."

From the shadows came an indifferent voice. "Go on."

"I-It was Callum Warner. He paid me to cause trouble at Warner Enterprises."

"I see."

So, it was Mitchell's uncle after all.

Having obtained the information he needed, the man in the shadows stood up. He only made a casual remark. "Get rid of him."

The middle-aged man's eyes widened in terror. "Y-You can't go back on your word! You promised to spare me if I talked! You—"

Ignoring the man's pleas, the man left the basement. Mitchell's distinguished and aloof face was revealed as he stepped out into the moonlight, and his eyes gleamed with malice.

He didn't care if others made a move against him, but laying a hand on her would mean death.