Chapter 7 - The Unraveling of Sophia Reynolds
While Vincent was on his knees in Chicago, Sophia Reynolds was experiencing the full, terrifying weight of her new reality.
She had thought her beauty and tears would always protect her. She had believed that even if Claire got angry, Vincent would swoop in, buy her a condo on the Gold Coast, and make her his official mistress. She had lived in luxury on stolen money for years, believing herself untouchable.
Instead, she had been dragged out of her high-rise apartment at dawn by two of Vittorio’s enforcers. Every designer handbag, every piece of jewelry Vincent had bought her, and every credit card in her name had been confiscated to repay a fraction of the millions she had embezzled from the foundation.
Now, she was sitting in a dingy diner at a remote truck stop outside Atlanta, clutching a cold cup of coffee. The five hundred dollars in her purse was all she had left in the world.
She pulled out a cheap burner phone she had bought with her remaining cash and dialed Vincent’s private number, her hands shaking uncontrollably.
""Vincent? Vincent, pick up, please!"" she cried the moment the call connected. ""They took everything! Your father's men threw me on a bus! You have to wire me money, you have to send a car for me!""
A cold, unfamiliar voice answered from the other end.
""Mr. Moretti no longer has access to this phone, Miss Reynolds.""
Sophia’s heart dropped into her stomach. ""Who is this? Where is Vincent?""
""This is Marcus Vance, head of security for the Bennett Trust,"" the voice responded with chilling detachment. ""Mr. Moretti has been stripped of his leadership titles and is currently under house arrest at his father's estate, pending federal restructuring. His accounts are frozen.""
""No... no, that's impossible! Vincent is the heir!""
""Vincent is a pauper, just like you,"" Marcus said smoothly. ""And I would advise you to keep traveling south, Miss Reynolds. The private investigators hired by the Macau gaming syndicates have already been forwarded your new location to recover the unpaid debts you left behind. I believe you have approximately twelve hours before they find that diner.""
""Wait! Please! Tell Claire I'm sorry! I'll tell Vincent the truth, I'll tell everyone he didn't touch me! Just please don't let them find me!""
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""Miss Bennett is currently at a board meeting, Miss Reynolds. She does not take calls from thieves.""
The line went dead. Sophia stared at the phone as the harsh reality closed in around her like a vice. There was no knight coming to save her. The empire she had tried to crawl into had collapsed, and she was left alone in the dark with her own sins.
