Chapter 175
Chapter 175
"I knew I wasn't wrong about him — Benjamin really does care about you."
"I'm old now, and with something this big happening, there's not much I can do. Benjamin is going to have to count on you. I've already told everyone that whoever sees the family ring is to treat the bearer as the head of the White family. They will answer to you completely."
"Thank you, Grandma," Sophia said, then had Beck take Indigo and Harry back to their rooms.
By now, the White family elders had all gathered in the main hall. Sophia walked in wearing casual clothes, but the air about her left no room for doubt.
For a moment, everyone seemed to catch a glimpse of Benjamin in her.
"Since you're all here, I'll get straight to the point. We have one goal today — find Benjamin."
"I know some of you may not be happy about me wearing this family ring, and you may have your reservations. But whatever you think, the ring is on my finger right now, and I have the full support of both Benjamin and Indigo. I need everyone to work with me."
Sophia said it plainly, without a hint of either arrogance or weakness. Every eye in the room dropped to the ring on her hand.
People exchanged glances, and then, one by one, they all rose to their feet and gave her a slight nod.
"Mrs. White, just tell us what to do. We'll follow your lead."
Sophia didn't waste any time. She laid out the plan she'd already worked through in her head.
"A plane can't just vanish mid-air. Either it was attacked, or someone deliberately jammed the signal. I need everyone to mobilize every aircraft under your name right now for a full aerial sweep."
"I've already spoken to the aviation authorities. They can only give us a three-hour window. After that, once commercial flights resume normal operations, we won't be able to keep up a large-scale search."
"So I need everyone to give everything they have in these three hours. Find any lead on Benjamin's whereabouts."
Then her tone softened, and her eyes became genuinely earnest. "Everything I just said wasn't just an order — it's also a request. A plea. Everyone here has seen what Benjamin has given to the White family over the years."
"He just brought down the Buckner family, and now this happens. If we can't bring him back, whatever's left of the Buckners will come after us with everything they've got."
"So no matter how you've felt about Benjamin before — none of that matters right now. We stand together and deal with the threat outside first."
Sophia's words hit home. She knew that in a family as large as the Whites, not everyone would be fully loyal to Benjamin. There were bound to be those with their own agendas.
She didn't ignore that — she put it right on the table. There would be plenty of time for internal power struggles later. Right now, the priority was holding the line against the outside threat.
Everyone agreed. On her orders, they each deployed every aircraft under their control and threw themselves into the search for Benjamin.
Sophia stayed at the White Mansion, keeping in constant contact with everyone. Every time her phone rang, a spark of hope lit up in her eyes — only to die out the moment she hung up.
Two and a half hours passed. Still nothing. The plane had vanished as if it had never existed.
The clock struck the hour again. Three full hours had gone by since her agreement with the aviation authorities. Sophia stared at her silent phone, her brow tightening.
Was there really no hope of finding Benjamin?
Then her phone buzzed on the table.
She rushed over and picked up. "Mrs. White — we may have spotted Mr. White at the harbor. We've already sent people to check. We should have a confirmed answer within ten minutes."
"Good, good. Thank you. I'm heading over right now."
She hung up and had her driver take her to the harbor. The car had barely stopped before Sophia threw open the door and jumped out.
From a distance, she could see the bodyguards supporting a tall figure slowly walking toward her. In the dim moonlight, she recognized Benjamin instantly.
She didn't stop to think. She just ran. The bodyguards saw her coming and stepped back, giving the two of them space.
"It's late. Why aren't you asleep?" Benjamin's voice was rough.
His face was streaked with dried blood, his white shirt stained and dusty. He'd clearly been through hell.
But he stood there quietly, smiling at her, and somehow that was enough to make Sophia feel completely at ease.
"You almost didn't make it back, and you're worried about whether I slept?" The words were a scolding, but the worry and relief in her eyes told the real story.
The sea breeze lifted Sophia's hair. Benjamin reached up and tucked it behind her ear, then pulled her into his arms.
He held her tight, his arms steady and sure, as the wind swept over them both. Neither of them moved.
Benjamin didn't say a word. But Sophia could feel it — the sheer relief of a man who had made it back from the edge.
"I rarely got to see you again."
He finally murmured it, after a long silence. Sophia pulled back from his embrace and gave a quiet smile. "It's over now. Grandma's been waiting for news. Let's go home."
Half an hour later, they were back at the White Mansion. Indigo held Benjamin and cried for a long time before she finally calmed down.
Over the next few days, Sophia and Benjamin worked together to root out every remaining trace of the Buckner family's influence around the Whites. Only then did things truly settle.
Once it was all done, Sophia moved back into her own apartment and returned to her routine — work, home, nothing more.
One evening, just as she was wrapping up for the day and getting ready to leave, she saw a tall figure walking slowly toward her.
"What are you doing here?"
The last of the sunset fell across Sophia, wrapping her in a warm golden glow. Benjamin looked at her, his eyes softer than she had ever seen them.
"Come have dinner with me."
Benjamin could tell — Sophia had been avoiding him lately.
He'd told himself countless times that he'd already waited years, and he shouldn't rush her into giving him an answer. But in the end, he couldn't help it. He had to come see her.