Chapter 5

Sophie paced nervously outside Adrian’s office, her phone still held tightly in her hand. She needed to leave, but the thought of approaching Adrian after the morning’s disaster made her stomach twist.

Taking a steadying breath, she knocked lightly on the door and pushed it open when she heard his sharp, “Come in.”

Adrian was seated at his desk, his attention buried in a stack of documents. The dark circles under his eyes and the tension in his jaw hinted at a restless night, but Sophie didn’t have time to care about his mood. She stepped forward cautiously.

“Mr. Steele,” she began, her voice soft but urgent. “I need to speak with you. It’s... personal, but it’s important.”

He didn’t even look up. His pen scratched across the paper, his focus unyielding. “If it’s not about work, it can wait.”

Sophie’s heart sank. “I understand, but I really need to leave for a little while. It’s an emergency.”

Adrian paused for a second, his pen held mid-air, but he didn’t spare her a glance. “Do you know how many emergencies I deal with in a single day, Miss Bennett? Unless this directly affects the company, it’s not my problem.”

His dismissal stung, but Sophie pressed on. “I’ll make up the time, I promise. I just—”

“Not. My. Problem.” He cut her off, his voice low and cold.

The finality in his tone made her shoulders shiver. She stood there for a moment, biting back the frustration that threatened to spill over. He wasn’t going to listen, and time was running out.

Without another word, Sophie turned and left his office, her heels clicking against the floor as she hurried back to her desk. Grabbing her bag, she slipped out of the building, her heart pounding.

The moment she stepped outside, she dialed a familiar number.

"Where is she now?" Sophie asked, her voice laced with worry.

“She’s at the corner of Fifth and Elm,” the voice on the other end replied. “You’d better get here fast—she’s causing a scene.”

Sophie’s chest tightened as she hailed a cab, her mind racing. Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at the scene, and the sight that greeted her made her heart sink.

Her mother stood in the middle of the sidewalk, her messy hair framing her flushed face. She was yelling at a group of onlookers, a half-empty bottle of beer dangling from her hand.

“Who are you all staring at? You think you’re better than me?” her mother slurred, stumbling slightly as she gestured wildly at the small crowd gathering around her.

The humiliation was suffocating, but Sophie pushed through the crowd, grabbing her mother’s arm. “Mum, stop it. Let’s go home.”

Her mother turned to her, eyes blurry and unfocused. “Sophie! There’s my perfect little girl. Always so serious, always trying to fix everything.” She laughed bitterly, her voice echoing down the street.

“Mum, please,” Sophie pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper.

The murmurs from the crowd grew louder, and Sophie could feel their judgmental stares burning into her.

“Why don’t you fix this, huh?” her mother continued, gesturing to herself with exaggerated drama. “Go ahead, Miss Perfect. Fix me!”

Before Sophie could respond, someone from the crowd muttered loud enough for her to hear, “No wonder she’s like this, with a mother like that.”

Sophie’s jaw tightened, the sting of the words hitting her like a blow.

“Just ignore them,” she murmured, wrapping an arm around her mother’s shoulders. “Let’s go.”

But as she led her mother away, she couldn’t ignore the whispers and the pitying glances.

“That family is nothing but trouble.”

“Can’t even keep their mess off the streets.”

The words sliced through Sophie like knives, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t. Holding her mother steady, she called another cab and helped her mum inside.

As the car pulled away, Sophie stared out the window, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t escape the weight of her family’s reputation—or the suffocating guilt that came with it.

*************

Sophie returned to the office with her heart heavy and her eyes red-rimmed from holding back tears. Her mother’s outburst had left her emotionally drained, but she couldn’t afford to lose this job. She smoothed her wrinkled blouse, took a deep breath, and pushed the glass doors open.

The moment she stepped inside, she froze. Adrian was standing near the entrance, talking to a group of employees. His sharp suit was immaculate, and his commanding presence dominated the space. As soon as his eyes landed on her, his expression darkened.

“Sophie Bennett,” he said, his voice cold enough to make the small crowd around him scatter. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

She hesitated, trying to form a response, but before she could, he continued.

“You think you can stroll in here whenever you like and still keep this job? This isn’t some charity. If you can’t even manage your time, then clearly you’re not fit to work here.”

“I—I’m sorry,” Sophie stammered, stepping closer. “I had a family emergency—”

“Excuses,” Adrian snapped, cutting her off. “You’ve been incompetent from the moment you walked through those doors. You can’t follow instructions, you can’t meet deadlines, and now you can’t even show up on time?”

Sophie felt her throat tighten as her coworkers pretended not to listen, their curious glances starring at her.

“Please, Mr. Steele. It won’t happen again. I promise.”

Adrian’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Oh, it won’t happen again, because you won’t have the chance to mess up. You’re fired.”

The words hit her like a slap. “No,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Please, don’t do this. I need this job. I’ll do better. I swear.”

Adrian’s gaze hardened, and for a moment, it seemed like he might relent. But then he turned away, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

“Get out,” he said flatly.

Tears spilled down Sophie’s cheeks as she stepped forward, desperation heaving her chest. “Please, Mr. Steele. I’ll work harder. I’ll do whatever it takes. Just don’t let me go.”

Adrian paused, his back to her, and for a long moment, the silence stretched between them.

“Whatever it takes?” he repeated, his voice quieter now, almost thoughtful.

“Yes,” Sophie said quickly, wiping at her tears. “Whatever it takes. I can’t lose this job.”

He turned to face her, his piercing gaze locking onto hers. For a second, something unreadable bore in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

“Fine,” he said at last, his tone moderate. “You get one more chance. But if you so much as breathe wrong, you’re done. Do you understand me?”

Sophie nodded furiously, relief washing over her even as his words were bitter.

“Now, clean yourself up,” Adrian added, his voice laced with disdain. “You’re a mess, and I won’t have my employees looking like this in my office.”

Sophie swallowed her pride and nodded again. “Thank you, Mr. Steele.”

Now she needed to do everything in her power, to win Adrian's trust and maybe get an increase, she thought as she headed back into the company, to pack up.

*************

Sophie pushed open the door to their tiny apartment, the weight of the day crashing down on her all at once. She dropped her bag by the door, her hands trembling as her mind replayed every humiliating moment she’d endured through out the day

Her mother was sprawled on the couch, a cigarette dangling from her fingers. The air was thick with smoke, and an empty bottle sat on the table next to her. She barely looked up when Sophie walked in.

“Rough day?” her mother mumbled, taking a long drag of her cigarette, her voice dripping with indifference.

Sophie froze, her emotions boiling to the surface. She clenched her fists, her chest heaving as anger mixed with exhaustion.

“Rough day?” she repeated, her voice rising. “You have no idea what I’ve been through today! And all because I had to leave work to deal with you! Again!”

Her mother blinked at her, startled by Sophie’s outburst. “What are you yelling about now?”

Sophie stepped closer, her hands shaking with frustration. “I’m yelling because I’m losing my mind, Mum! Every single day, I have to clean up after you. I have to deal with the messes you leave behind while you sit here, drinking and smoking your life away!”

Her mother scowled, sitting up unsteadily. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that, young lady. I’ve had it hard too, you know!”

“Hard?” Sophie’s voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes. “You don’t even try anymore! Do you know what people say about us? About you? I had to stand there today and listen to them insult our family, to insult me—all because of what you’ve done!”

Her mother looked away, taking another drag of her cigarette, refusing to meet Sophie’s eyes.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Sophie continued, her voice trembling. “I’m working so hard to keep us stable, but you’re dragging us down with your ridiculous behavior. Don’t you see what this is doing to me? To Liam? We’re falling apart!”

Her mother’s lips quivered, but she said nothing.

“I need you to stop,” Sophie said, her voice softer now, pleading. “I need you to stop drinking, to stop causing scenes, to stop giving people reasons to look down on us. I can’t carry this alone anymore, Mum. I’m going crazy trying to fix everything while you... you don’t even care.”

The room fell silent except for the faint crackle of the cigarette burning between her mother’s fingers. Sophie wiped at her eyes, her shoulders sagging as the fight drained out of her.

Her mother finally looked up, her face lined with a mix of guilt and defiance. “You don’t understand, Sophie,” she murmured, her voice barely audible. “You don’t know what it’s like.”

“Then tell me,” Sophie whispered, her voice breaking. “Because I’m trying, Mum. But if you don’t meet me halfway, I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”

Her mother didn’t respond, and Sophie turned away, her heart heavy. She walked to her room, shutting the door behind her. Alone in the dim light, she sank onto her bed, burying her face in her hands.

She needed to let out her emotions, cry out and hide herself from the wicked world.

************

The next morning, Adrian stood in his kitchen, staring blankly at the cup of coffee in his hands. His thoughts were a mess, still haunted by the events of the past few days. The betrayal he’d walked in on, the memories of his family’s deceit, and the ever-present pressure of maintaining his empire clawed at him.

A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts.He frowned, setting the cup down. He wasn’t expecting anyone and if it was Nina, he was going to send the dogs after her.

He opened the door, and there stood his father, neatly dressed but with a calculating glint in his eyes that Adrian recognized all too well.

"You..." Adrian asked coldly, his jaw tightening.....