Chapter 13 - THE UNMASKING OF SOPHIA
"Save the tears, Sophia," Richard said coldly, leaning forward slightly against the table. "You used those tears on Tuesday night when you tore off your own buttons and screamed for help. You used them on my son to make him strike his own father. But numbers don't cry."
"Father, that's enough!" Ethan yelled, stepping in front of Sophia defensively. "I saw her blouse! I saw the floor! You laid your hands on her because she refused to help you push me out of the company!"
"Did he, Ethan?" Victoria asked softly, her voice filled with pity. "Did you actually look at the floor that night?"
Ethan blinked, thrown off by her tone. "What?"
"The buttons," Victoria said, stepping closer. "The buttons from Sophia’s blouse fell in a straight line behind her, near the display cabinet. If Father had grabbed her chest and ripped her blouse open, the buttons would have flown forward toward the fireplace where he was standing."
Ethan’s chest heaved. "That... that's just physics, it doesn't mean—"
"It means she ripped them off herself, Ethan," Richard interrupted firmly. "Just like she checked the hallway to make sure you were within earshot before she screamed. She didn't want a marriage, Ethan. She wanted a distraction."
Richard picked up a white folder from Marcus's stack and tossed it across the polished wood. It slid to a halt directly in front of Ethan.
"Look at page four, son," Richard said quietly.
Ethan’s hands trembled slightly as he picked up the folder and opened it. Inside was an old birth certificate from Geneva, Switzerland, alongside offshore corporate filings dating back eight years.
Name: Sophia Vance.
May you like
Father: Julian Vance.
Ethan’s face drained of every drop of color. He looked from the paper to Sophia, his breath hitching in his throat. "Vance...? You're... you're Julian Vance's daughter?"
