Chapter 118: Hundred and twenty

The moment Tristan’s words hit the air, I felt like I had been thrown into a storm. The coldness of his stare, the danger in his voice, everything about him screamed that I was playing with fire, and I was too damn close to getting burned.

“You think I don’t know what you’re trying to do here?” he growled, his eyes locking on mine with a predator’s intensity. “I told you before, Sophia... you need to stop digging. You’re already in too deep. You don’t even know who you’re dealing with.”

I swallowed, my pulse pounding in my ears, but I forced myself to hold his gaze. “You haven’t answered my question, Tristan. Do you know about Henry’s brother’s death?” The words slipped out like a confession, raw and desperate. I needed answers. I needed to know what had happened. The more I dug, the more I realized that I wasn’t just stepping into dangerous territory... I was already trapped in it.

Tristan scoffed, shaking his head as if I were just another nuisance. “You were drunk, Sophia. The night you were with him? Everything you heard? None of it matters. You don’t remember half of it anyway. Let it go,” he said, his voice low and final, as though he was dismissing me altogether.

But it didn’t make sense. His words felt hollow. There had to be something more.

“No,” I snapped, the frustration bubbling up from deep inside me. “You don’t get to brush me off like this. Not after everything. Not after what happened to him. You’re lying. You all are.” My hands trembled as I gripped the edge of the counter, trying to steady myself, to hold on to something that wasn’t slipping away.

Tristan’s eyes narrowed, and his lips curled into that infuriating smirk. “You’re in no position to be making demands, sweetheart. And you really need to watch your back. This thing you’re trying to dig up?” His tone turned cold, dangerous. “It’s not just Henry’s brother’s death you should be worried about.”

I swallowed hard, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach. What was he implying?

Before I could ask, Tristan gave me one last look—a look that spoke volumes of the danger in which I was tangled and then turned, walking toward the door with the slow, deliberate steps of someone who was in complete control.

“Watch your movements,” he said, just before he stepped out into the hallway. “And remember… you never know who’s watching.”

The door slammed shut behind him with a finality that left my thoughts spinning.

But before I could even process what had just happened, I felt a sharp tug on my wrist.

Alexandra’s grip on me was firm, unforgiving. Her nails dug into my skin as she pulled me into her presence, her gaze cold and calculating.

“What the hell were you doing listening in on us?” Her voice was a soft hiss, but the venom in it was unmistakable. “Didn’t think I’d notice, did you?”

I jerked my arm out of her grasp, heart hammering in my chest as I met her eyes, refusing to back down. “I’m not the one hiding something, Alexandra,” I said, my voice cutting through the tension. “I heard everything, and I need answers. Did you know about Henry’s brother? Did you know what happened to him?”

A dark laugh escaped her lips, one that seemed to carry a weight of truth I wasn’t prepared for. “Oh, you poor, naïve little girl. You don’t know a damn thing. You are the killer.” Her words came out slowly, as if savoring each syllable. “And now, you’re trying to blame it on me.”

I froze, my mind racing to process the words, the accusation. My throat went dry. “What are you talking about? I didn’t—”

“You don’t have to lie to me,” she interrupted, her voice low but tinged with something darker. “You killed him, didn’t you? Henry’s brother. You killed him, and now you’re scrambling to cover your tracks.”

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. My stomach churned. “That’s not possible. I—I couldn’t have—”

“Couldn’t have?” She laughed again, a short, mocking sound. “You’re pathetic, Sophia. Always trying to act like you’re innocent, like you didn’t know what you were doing. But you did. You did it, and now you’re here, playing this little game with me.”

I could feel the room closing in on me. The walls were too tight, too suffocating, and Alexandra’s voice was like a dagger, each word stabbing deeper.

“I’m going to tell Henry,” I spat, my voice shaking with determination. “I’ll tell him everything, and he’ll know you’re lying. You must know something. You’re involved in this somehow.”

The air between us thickened, charged with an electricity that crackled like a warning. Alexandra’s smile widened, a dangerous, knowing smile that made my skin crawl.

“Go ahead,” she said coolly, shrugging as though I had just asked her to pick up groceries. “Tell Henry. It won’t matter. I’m innocent, Sophia. I have nothing to hide.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible, but the words hit me like a slap.

“Unlike you, dirty little whore.”

The insult was sharp, a cutting blow that made my blood boil. But before I could react, she turned on her heel, walking away without another glance, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.

I stood there, my chest heaving, as her words echoed in my mind. Dirty little whore. Was that all I was to her? And more importantly, did she know something that I didn’t? Was she hiding the truth from me?

As the door slammed behind her, the silence in the room swallowed me whole.

I was left standing in the same spot, unable to move, consumed by the weight of her words. What had just happened? Did Alexandra really know something? Or was she just playing me, trying to rattle me into silence?

The questions wouldn’t stop coming. They clawed at the edges of my mind, pulling me deeper into confusion.

I turned, my mind racing. My thoughts were a storm, swirling around the same question: Did Alexandra know something I didn’t?

But I had no answers. Only more questions.