Chapter 262

Chapter 262

Sophia let out a cold, brittle laugh.

"William, when have you ever kept your word?"

Silence on the other side.

"Then don't blame me."

His tone still carried a smile, but Sophia heard the ice beneath it.

Then his voice rose, directed at someone else.

"Get this door open. Careful—don't hurt her."

The solid wood began to shudder. Sophia felt the impacts through her spine, each one harder than the last.

She gripped the glass shard tighter.

---

Claire stood nearby, watching. Her eyes were cold as flint.

She listened to William coax and plead through the door—heard the undisguised devotion and obsession in every word—and her nails dug deeper into her palms.

Why.

Why did William want her too.

What was so special about that woman? One man after another, throwing themselves at her like moths to a flame.

Claire bit her lip, forcing the hatred down.

It didn't matter.

The crazier William got, the better it was for her.

If William had Sophia tonight, Gerald would despise her completely.

And then Gerald's side would belong to Claire alone.

She drew a deep breath, stepped forward, and stopped beside William.

"Mr. Lopez, I'll leave you to it."

William turned his head. Those deep-set eyes landed on Claire's face. The smile lingered on his lips, but the temperature in his gaze had dropped to absolute zero.

"Get lost."

Claire's smile froze.

Her lips parted, but William had already looked away, his attention fixed back on the door as if she were nothing. Air.

Claire's fists clenched until her knuckles went white. She didn't dare speak again.

She stepped back. Turned. Left.

---

The door kept shaking under the assault.

The lock cracked open a fraction.

Sophia tightened her grip on the glass shard and shifted back half a step, spine pressing flat against the wall.

The door burst outward, splinters flying from the frame.

One final blow—the door swung wide. His assistant Tim Fisher stepped through.

Sophia raised the shard, pointing it forward.

But someone behind her moved faster, pinning her arms.

William stepped in past Tim. He saw her standing there with the shard raised, and something almost like tenderness flickered in his eyes.

"Put that down. What if you hurt yourself?"

He walked up to her, caught her wrist with casual precision, and pressed his thumb into the bone.

Her fingers went slack. The glass shard dropped to the carpet.

He locked both her wrists. Tim slipped out behind him.

Sophia was trapped between the wall and William's chest.

"Don't be scared." He looked down at her. "I'd never hurt you."

His other hand rose and caught her chin.

Sophia turned away, but his fingers clamped her jaw and forced her face back. Those eyes hovered inches from hers—sticky with heat, crawling over every feature.

"Look at you. Even more beautiful than before." His voice was barely above a whisper. "Every night in Eldoria, I told myself—if I ever see her again, I won't let her slip away."

His face descended.

The instant his lips touched hers, Sophia's entire body locked rigid. Nausea surged from her stomach to her throat.

She shoved at his chest. He crushed her tighter.

William's kiss was forceful and relentless, driven by an almost unhinged possessiveness.

Tears slid from the corners of Sophia's eyes. Her palms pushed desperately against his chest, but his strength was overwhelming. Every struggle was smothered within inches.

Then—

The half-destroyed door exploded inward, kicked clean off its hinges.

The entire panel slammed into the wall.

Before Sophia could turn her head, the face pressing down on hers was ripped away by brute force.

William was seized by the collar and flung backward. His back crashed into the liquor cabinet. Bottles shattered across the floor.

Gerald stood before her.

He looked at her once. The rage in his eyes flickered, laced with something raw—pain. He stripped off his coat and draped it over Sophia's shoulders.

Then his eyes went savage. He spun, grabbed William's collar, hauled him out of the broken glass, and drove his fist into William's jaw.

William's head snapped sideways. Blood and spit sprayed from his mouth, along with half a tooth, spattering the carpet.

Gerald didn't stop. His other fist connected with William's cheekbone, caving the elegant face into something unrecognizable.

William never had a chance to fight back. Gerald had him pinned to the ground, fists falling in relentless succession, each impact detonating through the room.

The wet crack of flesh splitting. Blood frothing at the throat.

William's eyes rolled back. He went still.

Gerald released his collar and stood. His knuckles were drenched in blood.

He turned to Victor, who had followed him in. His voice was hoarse and low:

"Green-light the Eldoria operation. Three days. The Lopez Group files for bankruptcy and liquidation."

Victor bowed his head. "Yes, sir."

"And—" Gerald looked down at the body on the floor, barely recognizable as human. "Put him in prison. Twenty years. Not a day less."

"Understood." Victor signaled. Two men in black stepped forward, hoisted William's unconscious body between them, and dragged him out.

---

The private room was destroyed.

Shattered glass, overturned furniture, blood soaking into the carpet—everything blurred together.

Sophia still stood against the wall, her back pressed to the cold surface. She was trembling violently, pupils unfocused, lips drained of all color.

Gerald turned and walked toward her. Her body flinched backward, the back of her skull hitting the wall.

"Don't touch me."

Her voice shook.

Gerald's feet stopped. He raised his blood-covered hands—then slowly lowered them.

Every muscle in Sophia's body was locked tight, every nerve screaming. Gerald's face and William's face merged and blurred before her eyes. She couldn't tell them apart.

"No—don't—" She swung her arms blindly, her voice fractured with terror.

"It's me, Sophia." Gerald surged forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Look at me."

Sophia struggled to focus. For one brief second, clarity broke through.

"Gerald, take me... to the hospital..."

Her body slid downward. Tears blurred everything. Her mind was collapsing, shattered beyond repair. "I need the hospital... please..."

Gerald held her tight.

"We're married." His voice fell against the curve of her ear. "Sophia, I'm your husband. You don't have to be afraid. I'll take care of you."

Her fingers twisted into her own sleeve. "No, Gerald, take me to the hospital, take me away from here..."