Chapter 7 - The Woman Victor Hale Never Expected to Become His Greatest EnemySophie refused to run.
Not this time.
She had spent her entire life reacting to powerful men.
Her father.
Marcus.
Victor.
Even Dante.
She was done being moved like a piece on someone else's board.
“Tell me everything,” she said.
Marcus looked surprised.
Dante looked proud.
Victor's men were inside Bellamy House.
They had taken control of the upper floors.
But Sophie had noticed something.
They weren't searching offices.
They weren't looking for the ledger.
They were searching guest rooms.
One room at a time.
Dante realized it too.
“They think the ledger is hidden inside the building.”
Marcus nodded.
“It isn't.”
“Where is it?”
Sophie held up the small silver key.
Marcus stared.
“That.”
“You knew?”
“My father told me.”
“Your father knows about the key?”
“He knows everything.”
Sophie looked at him.
“Then why didn't he take it from me?”
Marcus smiled bitterly.
“Because he wanted me to.”
She frowned.
“What?”
“He wanted me to make you trust me.”
Her stomach turned.
“So the entire relationship…”
“Yes.”
“You never loved me.”
Marcus's expression flickered.
“I did.”
“That's a lie.”
“No.”
His voice softened.
“I loved you. I just loved my father more.”
Sophie stared.
Dante moved closer.
“That's enough.”
Marcus looked at him.
“You think you're different?”
Dante's expression hardened.
“I'm nothing like you.”
“You hid the truth from her.”
“To protect her.”
“And I convinced myself I was protecting you.”
Marcus looked at Sophie.
“The difference between us is that you believe him.”
Sophie said quietly.
“I do.”
Marcus nodded.
“Then I hope he's worth it.”
A gunshot echoed above them.
Victor appeared on the staircase.
He was older than Sophie imagined.
Silver hair.
Straight posture.
Cold eyes.
He looked at Dante.
“Your father would be disappointed.”
Dante raised his weapon.
“You're supposed to be dead.”
Victor smiled.
“I was.”
“Stay back.”
Victor ignored him.
He looked at Sophie.
“You have your mother's face.”
Sophie felt no fear.
Only anger.
“You killed her.”
Victor's expression barely changed.
“She knew too much.”
“My father?”
“A traitor.”
“You killed them both.”
“Yes.”
Dante stepped forward.
Victor raised a hand.
“Shoot me, and you will never learn what your father hid.”
Sophie stopped Dante.
“No.”
He looked at her.
She walked toward Victor.
“What did my father hide?”
Victor smiled.
“The identity of the man who ordered your parents killed.”
Sophie froze.
“You?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Victor looked at Dante.
And smiled.
“His father.”
Dante went still.
“My father?”
Victor nodded.
“He ordered the hit.”
Sophie stared at Dante.
The room became silent.
Victor continued.
“Your father was going to expose both families.”
“He had to die.”
Sophie felt tears burn her eyes.
“Dante knew?”
“No.”
Victor laughed.
“Dante was a child.”
Sophie looked at Dante.
His face had gone pale.
Victor stepped closer.
“But his father knew.”
Dante's voice was barely audible.
“You're lying.”
Victor pulled out a photograph.
Dante's father.
Standing beside the car used on the night of the accident.
Dante looked at it.
Then at Sophie.
“I didn't know.”
Sophie believed him.
For the first time, completely.
Victor saw her hesitation.
“So you see?”
He smiled.
“The Russo family and the Hale family are the same.”
Sophie shook her head.
“No.”
Victor frowned.
“My father protected you.”
Dante stared at her.
“What are you thinking?”
She looked at Victor.
“You made one mistake.”
“What?”
“You assumed I needed Dante to save me.”
She took the ledger from her coat.
Victor's eyes widened.
Sophie smiled.
“I've spent years surviving men who underestimated me.”
She turned to Dante.
“I need your help.”
He nodded.
“Anything.”
She turned back.
“But I don't need you to fight for me.”
Victor laughed.
“What are you going to do?”
Sophie held up the ledger.
“I am going to finish what my father started.”
Within minutes, every page of the ledger had been photographed and sent to a secure cloud account.
Sophie had already set it to release automatically if anything happened to her.
Victor realized too late.
“You wouldn't.”
“I would.”
Dante stared at her.
Pride filled his face.
Victor's men lowered their weapons.
They understood what Victor didn't.
This was no longer a private war.
It had become a matter of exposure.
Police sirens sounded outside.
Dante looked at Sophie.
“You called them?”
She nodded.
“I learned from you.”
“What's that?”
“Always have a second plan.”
Victor smiled.
“You think this ends here?”
Sophie looked at him.
“No.”
She stepped closer.
“But it ends with you.”
Victor was arrested.
Marcus surrendered.
And Dante stood beside Sophie as she watched the police cars disappear into the night.
“You did it,” he whispered.
“No.”
She looked at him.
“We did.”
He smiled.
May you like
Then he reached for her hand.
This time, Sophie didn't flinch.
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