Chapter 131 Chapter 131
Damien’s POV
A whole day had gone by and the necklace still wasn’t found.
We’d searched everywhere. Every room had been torn apart and put back together. Every piece of furniture moved. Every drawer emptied. Every closet examined.
Nothing.
By the end of the day, my frustration had reached a boiling point. I found myself taking out my anger on the maids in charge of cleaning up.
“How is it possible that a ten million dollar necklace just disappears?” I demanded, watching them restore order to the rooms we’d searched. “You clean these rooms every day. You must have seen something. Noticed something out of place.”
The head maid, shook her head nervously. “Mr. Alejandro, we haven’t seen any jewelry. We’re very careful when we clean. We would have reported finding anything valuable immediately.”
“Then someone in this house is lying,” I said, my voice hard. “Either about taking it or about where they last saw it.”
The maids exchanged worried glances but said nothing more.
I left them to their work and went to find Sophia. She was in her room, looking exhausted and defeated.
“Give me your spare key,” I said without preamble.
“What?” Sophia looked up, confusion on her still-swollen face.
“Your spare key to Elena’s room,” I clarified. “Give it to me. Now.”
“But Dad, I need access….”
“No,” I interrupted firmly. “You’ve proven you can’t be trusted with access to that room. You took out valuable jewelry without permission and lost it. The spare key comes to me.”
Sophia’s face crumpled, but she reached into her drawer and pulled out the key, handing it over reluctantly.
“This isn’t fair,” she said, tears starting to fall. “It’s my mother’s room. I should be able to go in there.”
“When you can prove you’ll be responsible with what’s in there, we’ll discuss it,” I said, pocketing the key. “Until then, the room stays sealed. To everyone.”
I left before she could argue further and went back to my own room, dropping the key in my desk drawer and locking it.
One less thing to worry about.
That night, I lay in bed with Hailey beside me, both of us exhausted from the day’s drama.
“I’m still so offended by Sophia’s accusation,” Hailey said quietly, breaking the silence. “She actually thought I would steal from her. That I would send my mother to steal for me. It’s insulting.”
“I know,” I said, pulling her closer. “And I’m sorry you had to go through that. It won’t happen again.”
Hailey scoffed, pulling back slightly to look at me. “Won’t it? Damien, you’ve spoiled Sophia. She does whatever she wants, says whatever she wants, attacks whoever she wants, and you just… let her. You’re not willing to admit how out of control she’s become.”
“That’s not true..” I started.
“It’s completely true,” Hailey interrupted. “She brought a Morelli spy into your home. She got Marco killed. She slapped me while I was pregnant. And you still defend her. Still make excuses for her behavior.”
“Sophia is just difficult to understand,” I said, knowing how weak it sounded even as I said it. “She’s grieving. She’s angry. She doesn’t know how to process…”
“She’s twenty-one years old,” Hailey said flatly. “Not a child. She’s a grown woman who needs to be held accountable for her actions.”
I wanted to argue, to defend my daughter, but I was too tired. Too worn down by everything.
Hailey must have sensed my exhaustion because she suddenly pulled back from the argument entirely.
“You know what? Never mind,” she said, getting up from the bed. “I don’t want to fight about this anymore tonight.”
She went to her closet and started changing, and I watched her with tired eyes.
She wore a revealing lingerie lacy. Designed to catch attention.
She posed seductively in front of the mirror, adjusting the clothes, then turned to look at me with an expression that made my exhaustion fade instantly.
“Did you take Sophia’s spare key?” she asked, her voice taking on a sultry quality.
“Yes,” I confirmed, my mouth suddenly dry. “It’s locked in my desk drawer.”
“Good,” Hailey said, moving toward the bed with deliberate slowness. “I’m glad you’re finally setting some boundaries with her.”
She climbed onto the bed, straddling me, her hands running up my chest.
“Hailey….” I started, but she cut me off with a kiss.
“I need you to promise me something,” she whispered against my lips.
“What?” I managed to ask, already losing the ability to think clearly.
“Promise me you’ll do something that will stop Sophia from harassing me,” Hailey said, her hands moving lower.
“I promise,” I said, pulling her closer.
“Say it clearly,” Hailey insisted, pulling back slightly. “Tell me exactly what you’ll do.”
“I’ll talk to her,” I said, my hands on her hips. “I’ll make it clear that attacking you, accusing you, disrespecting you, all of it stops. Permanently. Or there will be serious consequences.”
“What kind of consequences?” Hailey pressed, her body moving against mine in ways that made it hard to concentrate.
“Whatever it takes,” I said, my voice rough. “Restricted access to the house. Limited privileges. Whatever I need to do to protect you and our baby from her hostility.”
“Good,” Hailey said, a satisfied smile crossing her face. “That’s what I needed to hear.”
Then she kissed me again, and all conversation stopped.
We made love with an intensity that surprised me, given how tired we both were. But Hailey was insatiable, demanding, taking what she wanted while giving me exactly what I needed.
And the whole time, in the back of my mind, I kept that promise.
I would deal with Sophia. Would set real boundaries. Would protect Hailey from my daughter’s attacks.
Even if it meant choosing between them.
Even if it meant breaking Sophia’s heart in the process.
Because Hailey was right. Sophia was out of control. And I’d been enabling it for too long.
It was time to be a father. Not just to Sophia, but to the child Hailey was carrying.
And that meant making hard choices.
Starting tomorrow.