Chapter 123

Ethan was drowning in grief over Victoria's passing.

Sophia's heart ached so deeply she nearly collapsed from the pain, but the devastated young woman wasn't permitted to attend the funeral.

Ethan arranged a funeral fit for royalty, stunning Harborview City's elite. Yet Sophia stood outside it all, not even granted the right to know where Victoria was laid to rest.

Every Blackwood relative was present, including Liam Sterling, who wore mourning robes for his aunt. Even Ethan, the grieving son, remained stoic at the center of it all.

Alone on rain-slicked streets, Sophia wandered aimlessly when a black sedan screeched to a halt. Rough hands yanked her inside before she could scream.

"Who—who are you?" Her voice trembled as the silent driver sped toward Grandview Medical Center.

Vincent Holloway stood waiting in his private ward, fully recovered.

"You reckless little fool," he spat.

Sophia lifted her chin. "Mr. Holloway, I grew up an orphan named Sophia Montgomery. I've never seen you before that day at the hospital. You're what—seventy? Old enough to be my grandfather! Yet you accused me of being your mistress in broad daylight!"

Her eyes burned with defiance. "I expect no mercy from a beast like you. So tell me—which of us dies today?"

Vincent recoiled. This slip of a girl had steel in her spine.

"You destroyed my reputation," he hissed.

"At your age?" She scoffed. "What reputation?"

The old tycoon flushed purple. He couldn't touch her—not with Liam's protection, not with Ethan Blackwood's shadow looming over them. But his pride demanded retaliation.

"One million dollars. Three days." Vincent smirked. With Liam occupied by funeral rites, the girl was vulnerable. "Fail, and you'll wish for death."

——

Three days later, desperate, Sophia called Liam during the funeral's final rites.

"Sophia." His voice was ice. No playful "little sparrow" today.

Her heart sank. "I—I'm sorry for disturbing—"

"Out with it!" he snapped.

She confessed Vincent's demand.

"That decrepit vulture!" Liam's roar echoed through the funeral hall. "Daring to strike when the Blackwoods mourn? This isn't about you—it's an insult to my family!"

Nearby, Alexander Kensington overheard. "What's wrong with Sophia?" He grabbed Liam's arm.

Behind them, Nathan Carter's gaze sharpened.

Ethan, kneeling before his mother's portrait, didn't turn. "Report."

Nathan hesitated. "It seems... Mrs. Blackwood—I mean, Miss Montgomery—is in trouble. Mr. Sterling is handling it."

Ethan's expression remained carved from marble. "Proceed."

——

Outside the hospital, Liam found Sophia shivering in the rain. "Please," she begged, "just negotiate reasonable medical compensation. I'll go to jail before paying that extortion."

Liam laughed harshly. "Still playing the martyr?" He dragged her inside. "When you call me, I finish what I start."

Vincent turned ashen seeing Liam. "Y-Young Master Sterling! Shouldn't you be mourning?"

"One million, you said?" Liam shoved Sophia forward, then yanked her back against his chest. "Meet my woman. Touch her again, and it's not just you who suffers—it's your entire bloodline. Because when you insult Liam Sterling, you insult the Blackwoods. And Ethan Blackwood doesn't forgive."

The old man collapsed into his wheelchair. Sophia's knees buckled—not from fear, but the realization that in this vipers' nest, Liam's cruelty was her only shelter.