Chapter 65 Chapter 65
Sophia’s POV
“You can’t go in,” I said sharply to Marco, stepping directly into his path before he could reach the sitting room door.
Marco stopped abruptly, confusion crossing his face as he looked down at me. “What do you mean? I’m your personal bodyguard.”
My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it, but I kept my expression cold and authoritative. If Marco walked through that door and saw Tyler, everything would fall apart. He’d recognize him instantly, glasses and new haircut be damned.
“I know that,” I said, keeping my voice firm and steady despite the panic clawing at my chest. “But I need your expertise on something secret. Something important.”
Benita’s eyes narrowed as she looked between Marco and me. “What secret?” she demanded, her tone suspicious. “What could possibly be so urgent that you need to pull him away right now?”
I turned to face her fully, drawing myself up to my full height and channeling every bit of the Alejandro authority I’d learned from watching my father command rooms full of dangerous men. My grandmother had taught me well too, how to make people submit with just a look and the right tone of voice.
“I’m entrusting you with the new guards for now,” I said, gesturing to the two men standing nearby who’d only been with us for a few weeks. “Marco will be with you when I’m done with him. It shouldn’t take more than an hour or two.”
“But that’s not…” Benita started to protest, her face flushing with frustration.
“Not even Hailey gets to question my rule except my father and grandmother,” I interrupted coldly, letting steel creep into my voice. “Are you planning to be the exception? Because I can call my father right now and we can discuss your insubordination together.”
Benita’s mouth snapped shut, her face flushing deeper with a mixture of anger and humiliation. I could see her struggling with whether to push back or submit, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.
Marco looked between us, clearly uncomfortable with the tension. Then he placed a gentle hand on Benita’s shoulder, his voice soft and soothing. “Listen to Sophia,” he said quietly. “I’ll be back with you soon. I promise.”
Benita glared at me, her eyes burning with resentment, but she didn’t argue further. She turned sharply and walked toward the sitting room, her shoulders tense with frustration and her footsteps heavy against the marble floor.
I watched her go, counting silently in my head until she disappeared through the doorway. Only then did I allow myself to exhale the breath I’d been holding.
The moment she was safely out of earshot, I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and quickly found a photo I’d saved earlier.
“I need you to stalk this person,” I said, showing Marco the photo. “Every mid-afternoon, starting today. Follow him, document everywhere he goes, everyone he meets with, and send me all the details. Everything. I need a complete profile.”
Marco stared at the photo on my screen, his brow furrowing as he studied the stranger’s face. Then he looked up at me with surprise and concern written all over his features.
“Miss Sophia,” he said carefully, his voice low and respectful but clearly troubled. “With all due respect, it’s dangerous for me to be driving around town alone right now. The Morellis have been hitting our people left and right. They could ambush me, follow me back here, use me to get to the family. Your father specifically ordered that no one travels alone during this escalation.”
“I don’t care,” I interrupted sharply, my voice harder than I’d intended. “This is important. Family business that needs to be handled discreetly. Are you going to refuse a direct order from me?”
Marco’s jaw tightened, and I could see the conflict playing out across his face. He was loyal to my father first and foremost, but refusing me would mean insubordination. It would mean questioning the authority of an Alejandro, which could get him in serious trouble.
And more importantly, Marco had always been fond of me. He’d been around since I was a child, had watched me grow up, had protected me countless times. He wouldn’t want to disappoint me or make me angry.
“No, Miss Sophia,” he finally said, his shoulders slumping slightly in resignation. “I’ll do it. But please, be careful while I’m gone. Stay inside where it’s safe.”
“Good,” I said, relief flooding through me even as guilt twisted in my stomach. “Start today. Right now, actually. I need this done immediately. The sooner you begin, the better.”
Marco hesitated for just a moment longer, his eyes searching my face as if trying to figure out what was really going on. But whatever he saw there must have convinced him not to push further.
“I’ll get started right away,” he said quietly, then turned and headed toward the garage.
I watched him walk away, my heart still racing, my hands trembling slightly as I clutched my phone. The moment his car disappeared down the driveway and through the security gates, I pulled out my phone again and navigated to Tyler’s number.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard for just a second before I started typing.
This can only go on for three days. You have seventy-two hours maximum to get it done.
I paused, staring at the message, then added more.
And it has to be in one of the private rooms. Clean. No witnesses. No mess that can be traced back to us. Do it before I change your entire life like I promised.
My finger hovered over the send button as the weight of what I was doing crashed down on me.
Was I really doing this? Was I really ordering the death of my father’s girlfriend and my future sibling?
The baby she was carrying would be my half-brother or half-sister. My own blood.
But Hailey didn’t belong here. She was ruining everything, tearing my family apart, taking my father’s attention away from me when I needed him most.
And that baby would make everything worse.
I hit send before I could change my mind, then slipped my phone back into my pocket.
Three days. In seventy-two hours, this would all be over.