Hundred and Twenty two

Hundred and Twenty two
Sophia's POV,

“Hi Sophie, you have a package,” Annie, a co-staff dropped a box on my desk and left without another word. I frowned as I stared at my name that was written on the package.

What was inside it? I wasn't expecting anything from anybody, who must have sent this? Or was it…- related to the incident?

I hurriedly grabbed the box, making my way to the staff room. I met Ethan on my way who had an unreadable expression on his face.

“What's that Sophia?” He asked.

“Nothing that concerns you,” I snapped and walked past him. I locked the staff room immediately I entered, dropped the box on the ground and gently unboxed it.

Inside it was a file, a USB and a few photos. My hands had begun to tremble. Who was it from? And why did they send it to me?

I opened the file which was the autopsy result of Henry's brother, I raised a brow, this was from someone who must have been present there.

I took out the photos and nearly had a heart attack at the people I saw, Alexandra and Tristan! My hands trembled violently.

So they were the real murders, they were the real culprit, my whole world was boiling in anger. But why did they kill him? Was there a connection between Tristan, Alexandra and Henry's brother?

Just then I received a message from my phone,

“YOU ARE NEXT!”

I felt my blood run cold, was I going to end up the same way my mom and Henry's brother had died? Just then, I heard a knock on the door which scared me.

I stared at the door knob that was moving, was it the killers? Had they found me? I looked around the staff room, there was nothing here that could be useful as a weapon.

“Open the door Sophia, what is wrong?” I heard Ethan's voice, fuck! What the hell does he want? I walked to the door and opened it, making Ethan who may have been resting on the door fall on the floor with a loud thud.

“Why the hell are you following me?” I asked with a glare.

I glared down at Ethan as he scrambled back to his feet, dusting his trousers as though I had committed the crime of pushing him. His eyes, sharp and calculating, searched mine with a strange mixture of irritation and… was it worry?

“You didn’t have to slam the door open like that,” he muttered, brushing himself off.

“And you didn’t have to be lurking outside like some stalker,” I shot back, my voice low with anger.

Ethan sighed and straightened his tie, but his expression didn’t soften. Instead, he leaned in just a little closer, lowering his voice. “Sophia, you need to stop.”

I frowned. “Stop what?”

“Whatever game you’re playing.” His jaw tightened. “Digging into things you shouldn’t. Snooping where you don’t belong. Do you even realize how dangerous this is? You’re not built for this kind of fight. You’ll only end up getting yourself killed.”

My blood went cold, but I refused to let him see the fear. I crossed my arms, raising a brow. “And you think keeping quiet is the solution? You think turning a blind eye will magically make the truth disappear?”

“This isn’t about you,” he snapped. “You’re not the one who should be chasing ghosts. Henry is. It’s his family. His brother. His mess. Let him handle it.”

For a moment, my throat closed. The mention of Henry twisted the knife deeper into my chest. Yes, Henry had lost his brother. Yes, the grief belonged to him more than anyone. But I had lost too my mother, I was accused!

I took a step forward, tilting my chin upward so my eyes locked on Ethan’s. “This. Is. None. Of. Your. Business!" I snapped.

Ethan’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Sophia—”

“No.” I jabbed a finger into his chest, my anger finally boiling over. "I don't want to hear any more words from you, when I came to you, pleading that you help, did you help? No. Now the truth came to me... And you expect me not to expose the real murders?"

"Fine, do whatever you want to do," he said through gritted teeth.

Without another word, I pushed past him, my heels clicking like gunshots on the floor as I stormed out of the staff room. My pulse hammered, my palms sweaty, but I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. If I did, I’d crumble.

The hallway outside was buzzing with muted chatter, staff moving in and out, oblivious to the storm brewing inside my chest. I tucked the file and photos deep into my bag, zipping it up tight as I remembered the text that came with the file.

"YOU ARE NEXT"

The words replayed in my mind like a curse, like a clock counting down.

These people were definitely watching my every move, I needed to make sure Henry knew about the truth.

I quickly took out my phone, dialled Henry's number although he didn't pick the call, but I didn't give up. At last he picked.

"What is it?" His voice was cold, my heart churned but I managed to pull myself up together.

"I need to show you something, it's about the death of your brother, I found the real culprit," I said with a hurried voice. There was no response from the other end... Finally, he spoke.

"I'll meet you at home, go home now," Henry ordered and disconnected the call. I stared at my phone's screen with a heavy heart.

I sighed and started packing my belongings. When I was done I wrote a little letter for Ethan. This was the end, I wasn't going to work with a liar and a betrayal.

When I was sure my belongings were complete, I hurriedly rushed out of the office building.

Fortunately for me, I saw a cab stop in front of me as if it was sent to me. I quickly got into it.

Unfortunately for me, as I got into the cab, the other passenger covered my nose with a drugged handkerchief and I passed out.

Author note: Hi everyone, I am so sorry about the lack of updates for months. I took a break from writing as I had a lot of things going on in my personal life. But I'm back now, glad to have you all. And I also appreciate my loyal readers that have continue
d to check on my book for updates. Thank you all.

Love from Vixen.(⁠♡⁠ω⁠♡⁠ ⁠)⁠ ⁠~⁠♪