Chapter 481

Elizabeth: "..."

After a long pause, she suddenly shrieked: "Officer...Officer, why...why are you here? Don't arrest me! You should arrest her! She's a fraud! An ex-convict who escaped prison! She forged her credentials, she—ah! That hurts!"

The officer's expression remained stern. "Regardless of this lady's past, you have no right to assault her in a workplace. You've broken the law. Come with us!"

With that, the officers forcefully restrained Elizabeth, dragging her out despite her resistance. Bruises bloomed on her wrists and neck, but she barely registered the pain. Desperation colored her voice as she screamed, "Miss Cassandra! Miss Cassandra, help me! You told me to teach Sophia a lesson!"

Cassandra's lips curled in disdain. "Pathetic."

She watched Elizabeth being hauled away without lifting a finger to intervene. Once the commotion faded, she turned her venomous gaze to the remaining staff. "Who called the police? I know it was one of you! Mark my words—you'll pay for this!"

In truth, Ethan Reynolds, Daniel Carter, and Nathan Wilson had all dialed emergency services simultaneously.

Yet now, the trio maintained a unified silence. They knew they couldn't shield Sophia forever, but buying her even a moment's respite mattered.

The design director emerged, attempting damage control. "Miss Cassandra, surely this outcome satisfies you? Sophia offended you and received her punishment. With Elizabeth detained, escalating further would only reflect poorly on you, wouldn't it?"

Her goal was simple: contain the scandal within the department.

Cassandra studied the director before smirking. "You make a fair point. Very well—I'll let it rest."

With a flick of her hair, she sauntered off, leaving whispers in her wake.

"The Montgomerys hold sway over Kingsbury's political landscape. With her father's influence stretching to Harborview, no one crosses Cassandra lightly."

"Did you see Sophia's face? It was...horrific. Honestly, what did she even do to deserve this?"

"Poor girl..."

"I dread to think what awaits her at the station."

Meanwhile, Sophia sat in a precinct interrogation room, pressing an ice pack to her swollen cheek as an officer took statements. Elizabeth, now handcuffed, glared daggers at her.

"Explain why you assaulted her in broad daylight," the officer demanded.

Elizabeth scoffed, emboldened by Cassandra's backing. "She provoked me! Call it self-defense! Ask her yourself—she'll admit it!" She turned to Sophia, voice dripping with menace. "Tell them the truth! Why did I hit you? Wasn't it because you're a lying, scheming—"

The officer interrupted. "Miss Montgomery, we need your account to ensure justice."

Sophia opened her mouth—only for her phone to ring. Cassandra's saccharine voice slithered through the receiver. "Darling, need I remind you how this works?"

"How did you get this number?" Sophia asked flatly.

"Please. Your employee file is an open book." Cassandra chuckled. "Here's the deal: Elizabeth walks free, or your daughter suffers. Understood?"

Sophia's grip tightened on the phone. "Are you protecting her? Or yourself?"

"What did you just say?" Cassandra hissed.

"It means we both drown," Sophia whispered before hanging up.

She met the officer's gaze. "Elizabeth fractured my cheekbone and loosened two teeth. I demand legal repercussions and 100,000 in damages."

Elizabeth gaped. "You—! I heard Cassandra order you to drop this! Defy her, and—"

"You attacked me," Sophia stated coolly. "The officers witnessed it. My colleagues will corroborate. Process her accordingly."

Elizabeth's protests faded as Sophia stood. "If we're done here, I'd like to leave."

After receiving medical clearance, Sophia stepped into the afternoon sun, directionless. She knew Cassandra wasn't finished.

And with Ethan deliberately absent in Kingsbury—visiting the Montgomery estate, no less—Sophia understood: she'd been abandoned to the wolves.

If these were her final days, one person deserved goodbye.

For three hours, Sophia lingered near her old apartment complex, ice pack melting in her hands. At 1:17 PM, she watched Margaret Bennett and Eleanor Quinton depart for errands.

Only then did she slip inside, tracing fingers along familiar walls. Two months of memories lived here—most of them tender, all of them lies.

Ethan's lies.