Chapter 174

Three days later, a breaking story shot to the top of the trending charts and dominated every headline.

"The Baker family collapses — members flee the country in disgrace."

"Mr. White refuses to hand over navigation rights to Aegis Sea — the Buckner family takes a devastating blow."

"Emory threatens Alice's life, but Benjamin doesn't even flinch."

A handful of headlines were all it took to grab everyone's attention. Within ten minutes, the story had become the talk of the town.

Both domestically and abroad, nearly everyone was buzzing about the relationship between the Baker family and the Buckner family. Others were placing their bets on the clash between the White family and the Buckner family — who would come out on top?

Sophia tapped on one of the trending posts and read through the whole story as it had unfolded.

It turned out that Benjamin's sudden disappearance was tied to a serious blow the White family's overseas business had taken. After handling the crisis, he went straight to the Buckner family and made one thing clear — the navigation rights to Aegis Sea would never be handed over to anyone.

That single statement tore away the thin veil of civility between the White family and the Buckner family.

Neither side bothered keeping up appearances after that. They went after each other's resources without restraint and declared all-out war.

In the end, the Baker family went bankrupt and fled the country, while the Buckner family walked away badly damaged. The curtain had fallen.

Emory, desperate and out of options, had actually tried to use Alice's life as leverage, threatening the White family to give up their assets. Benjamin didn't even respond. He simply turned and walked out of the Buckner estate.

Furious, Emory had Alice killed.

It wasn't until later, during a press interview, that Benjamin finally spoke about it.

"Alice and I were never real. I never had feelings for her." He paused and looked directly into the camera, as if trying to see through it to someone on the other side. "My heart belongs to someone else."

"Right now, all I want is to get home — back to my family and the person I love. I want to tell her that from now on, I've got her. I won't let anyone hurt her again. I'm strong enough now to protect her completely. She doesn't have to hold everything together on her own anymore."

The video ended there. Sophia put her phone down and stared up at the ceiling.

Watching Benjamin in that interview, she had felt like he was standing right in front of her. Every word seemed meant for her.

But would the Buckner family really fall apart that easily?

After a humiliation this big at Benjamin's hands, would they really just accept defeat and walk away?

In the dead of night, a few dark figures slipped silently through the windows.

A loud crash jolted Sophia out of her sleep. She instinctively pulled Harry close and looked toward the door.

Five or six figures were locked in a brawl in the living room. Every one of them moved like a trained fighter. With the lights off and the night thick around her, Sophia couldn't tell which ones Benjamin had left to protect her.

Twenty minutes later, the fight was over. One of the figures in black walked slowly toward Sophia.

She didn't know if he was friend or foe. She raised her knife and held his gaze. "Stop right there. Don't come any closer."

"Mrs. White, I'm here on Mr. White's orders to keep you safe. The ones who attacked just now were remnants of the Buckner family. With the Buckner family losing power, they came after you and the young master. But don't worry — we've driven them off. I'll have the ones who escaped tracked down. You can come out now."

Even though he hadn't made a move against her, Sophia wasn't about to let her guard down.

She tightened her grip on the knife. "Clean this place up and get out."

"Yes, Mrs. White."

The bodyguard signaled to the others. They put the room back in order and left one by one.

Only when the last of them had gone did Sophia let out a quiet breath. She looked down at Harry.

"Harry, the bad people are gone. You're safe."

"Mom, I'm not scared." Harry wrapped his small hands around hers.

Just as Sophia was about to say something more, the door was pushed open from outside again. Every nerve in her body went on high alert. She snatched the knife back up from the floor.

Before she could act, the bodyguard's voice cut through the dark.

"Mrs. White — Mr. White is missing."

The knife slipped from Sophia's hand and hit the floor. The weight pressing on her chest felt heavier than ever. She could barely breathe.

Harry's eyes filled with tears the moment he heard the words. "What do you mean Dad's missing? Mom said he was coming home soon. What does missing mean? Is he coming back?"

The bodyguard glanced at Harry, then turned to Sophia. "Three hours ago, Mr. White boarded a private jet and headed back. He should have landed an hour ago, but the plane has gone off radar."

"Off radar." Sophia's voice shook, but she kept her face steady. "How does a plane that size just vanish?"

"We... don't have the full picture yet." The bodyguard gave a slight bow, his tone respectful. "Mrs. Indigo White fainted when she heard the news. Right now, you're the only one who can mobilize the White family's people. You're the only one who can bring Mr. White home."

He reached into his pocket and held out a small velvet box.

Sophia's hands trembled as she opened it. Inside sat a family ring — the one Benjamin never took off. She knew exactly what it meant. It was the symbol of authority over the White family.

"How did this end up with you?"

"Before Mr. White left the country, he gave it to me. He said if anything ever happened to him, I was to give it to you. He believed you had what it takes to lead the White family through this and give them a fighting chance."

The ring suddenly felt heavier in her palm. Sophia closed her fingers around it and looked up at the bodyguard.

"Please take Harry and me to the White Mansion."

"Right away. I'll bring the car around."

Half an hour later, Sophia arrived at the White Mansion with Harry. Indigo had barely stopped crying when she saw them and started all over again.

"Sophia, you're finally here... I... I..."

Sophia crossed the room before Indigo could finish, took her hands, and spoke gently. "Grandma, please don't cry. The doctor just brought you back around — if you cry yourself into fainting again, it won't do your body any good."

"And when Benjamin gets back and finds out how hard you've been taking this, it'll break his heart."

"Alright. I'll stop." Indigo steadied herself and looked down. Her eyes landed on the family ring on Sophia's hand.