Chapter 43 Girlfriend?!

Chapter 43 Girlfriend?!

Sophie arrived at Nightfall just as the midnight crowd hit its peak. Blinding lights and bass that seemed to rattle her bones sent a wave of nausea rolling through her stomach.

She forced down the sick feeling, following Stanley's directions to navigate through the swaying bodies on the dance floor toward the VIP section at the end of the corridor.

The door stood ajar. Just as she reached for it, Stanley and Eric emerged, apparently heading for the restroom.

Seeing her, Eric whistled, his usual smirk fading slightly. Stanley hurried forward, worry creasing his brow.

"Sophie, you made it."

Sophie nodded, glancing into the empty room. "Where is he?"

"Just finished throwing up. Aiden took him to the lounge." Stanley gestured down the opposite hall, his tone exasperated. "Won't listen to anyone. Stubborn as a mule."

Something tightened in Sophie's chest. She pressed her lips together and started toward the lounge.

Before she'd taken two steps, a figure blocked her path.

Aiden appeared from the lounge direction, exhaustion from dealing with a drunk man evident on his face. But his expression remained professionally cold, an invisible wall shutting her out.

"Sophie." The way he said her name was polite but distant. "What are you doing here?"

No surprise in his tone, just a programmed inquiry, as if addressing an unwelcome business associate who'd shown up uninvited.

"I..." Sophie faltered.

"Mr. Carter needs rest. He's not receiving visitors." Aiden's voice stayed level but carried unmistakable finality. "You were terminated today. This isn't work hours, and I can't think of any reason you'd need to bother Mr. Carter now. Please leave."

Stanley's expression darkened instantly. He opened his mouth to intervene, but Sophie stopped him with a look.

She studied Aiden—Sebastian's longest-serving, most trusted assistant—now regarding her with suspicion and wariness.

In his eyes, she was nothing but a fired employee making trouble, refusing to accept her dismissal and chasing after her former boss.

A crushing wave of helplessness and pain rose in her throat.

She swallowed it all down.

She couldn't just walk away.

Her job was gone. Her dignity trampled. The only thing left to hold onto was the child growing inside her.

She couldn't let this baby be born illegitimate, couldn't let him have a father who was "an irresponsible bastard."

Sophie told herself, "Take the gamble. You've already lost everything. What else is there to lose?"

She lifted her head, meeting Aiden's cold stare. Her voice came out quiet but crystal clear. "Aiden, I'm not here to cause problems. I have something important to discuss with Mr. Carter. Something that can't wait."

"Sophie, anything concerning Mr. Carter—"

"It's about his personal life." Sophie cut him off, each word deliberate and firm.

Aiden's expression froze.

He stared at her in shock, mouth opening and closing, as if wanting to ask something but finding the notion too absurd.

Just as the tension reached its breaking point, a delicate, anxious voice called from down the corridor.

"Sebastian? How is he?"

Emma rushed toward them, holding up her skirt, heels clicking frantically against the floor. She wore a simple white dress, face bare of makeup, eyes red-rimmed. She looked exhausted and pitiful, as if she'd spent the entire journey consumed by worry and fear.

The moment Aiden saw Emma, his cold demeanor melted like snow in sunshine.

He hurried to meet her, his tone shifting to unprecedented deference, almost fawning. "Ms. Roberts, thank God you're here!" He practically rushed to support her arm, as if afraid she might stumble. "Mr. Carter's resting inside. He's had too much to drink. Please go see him—none of us can get through to him. He only listens to you."

The stark contrast in treatment hit Sophie like a slap across the face.

Emma patted Aiden's hand soothingly before her gaze landed on Sophie. Panic flashed in her eyes, quickly masked by forced composure. "Sophie? What are you doing here?"

Her expression remained innocent and clear, like a concerned friend checking on another friend.

Sophie looked at her, then at Aiden standing beside her with such reverence. A chilling thought crept into her mind, impossible to shake.

She didn't answer Emma's question. Instead, she turned to Aiden, her voice trembling with tension. "Aiden, what... what exactly is her relationship with Mr. Carter?"

The question stunned everyone present.

Aiden looked at Sophie like she'd lost her mind, his expression full of disbelief, as if she'd just asked about common knowledge everyone already knew.

"Sophie, you really don't know?" Aiden frowned, stepping aside to gesture respectfully toward Emma, every word ringing with absolute clarity.

"This is Ms. Roberts—Mr. Carter's girlfriend. The one he's kept private all this time, hidden from outsiders."

Girlfriend.

The word exploded in Sophie's mind like a thunderclap.

Everything else disappeared. Only a massive ringing filled her ears.

She stared blankly at Emma's face, that picture of innocence and concern, her mind going completely white.

Emma was Sebastian's girlfriend?

Then what did all those things she'd said before mean?

Sophie remembered Emma crying in the hospital about being abandoned by her rich boyfriend. Remembered her carefully probing phone calls about Sebastian's whereabouts. Remembered her heartfelt advice over dinner to terminate the pregnancy.

From beginning to end, it had all been a setup.

Emma wasn't some victim kept in the dark. She'd been the mastermind from the start, wide awake and pulling every string.

Sophie realized that all her embarrassment, her humiliation, her pain—in Emma's eyes, it had all been nothing but a pathetic comedy.