Chapter 2 - Shadows in the Rearview
The interior of the Maybach was dark and smelled of expensive leather and rain. Sophie sat in the back seat, her arms still wrapped tightly around Leo, who was finally beginning to stir. He let out a soft, fussy whimper, rubbing his tiny nose against her blouse.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, my sweet boy. Sophie’s here. You're safe," she murmured, rocking her torso back and forth. Her voice was still thick with tears, but her maternal instinct overrode her own terror. She reached into her pocket, realized she had left her diaper bag up in the bedroom, and felt a fresh wave of panic.
Outside, Marcus, the driver, was standing near the front hood, smoking a cigarette and talking quietly on his phone. He looked calm, which meant Ethan hadn't radioed down with an emergency yet. He was keeping the scandal contained. That was Ethan’s specialty—containment. But how do you contain a wildfire like Victoria Sterling?
Victoria wasn't just anyone. She was the sister of Ethan’s late wife, Helena. When Helena passed away in a tragic, unexplained car accident just two months after Leo was born, Victoria had practically moved into the estate under the guise of "helping the grieving widower." But Sophie, who had been hired through an elite agency just weeks before Helena's death, had seen the truth. Victoria didn't care about Leo. She cared about Ethan. And more importantly, she cared about the vast Vance empire.
A sudden tap on the tinted window made Sophie jump, her heart leaping into her throat.
It was Ethan. He opened the door, the cool night air rushing into the cabin. His tie was loosened, his hair slightly disheveled, and his eyes carried a heavy, exhausting weariness. He slid into the seat beside her, slamming the door shut.
"Drive, Marcus. Take us to the penthouse downtown. Not the estate," Ethan ordered through the intercom.
The car smoothly glided down the long, cobblestone driveway of the Vance mansion. Sophie looked back through the rear window. The lights of the master bedroom were still blazing, casting a golden glow onto the manicured lawns. Victoria was nowhere to be seen, but Sophie could feel her presence like a ghost haunting the rearview mirror.
"Are you hurt, Sophie?" Ethan asked, turning his body toward her. In the dim light of the streetlamps passing by, his face looked etched in stone.
"No. Just... shook up," Sophie whispered. She finally managed to unclip the carrier, gently lifting Leo out and cradling him in her lap. "Mr. Vance, whatever Victoria told you... whatever she implied... it isn't true. I have never taken anything from this family. I have only ever cared for Leo."
Ethan sighed, a long, ragged sound. He reached out, his fingers hovering over Leo’s small head before gently stroking the baby’s soft hair. "I know, Sophie. You don't have to defend yourself to me. I’ve known Victoria for ten years. She is a master of manipulation. But tonight... tonight she crossed a line that ensures she will never set foot in my home again."
"She said..." Sophie hesitated, her throat tightening. "She said something about Mrs. Vance. About Helena. She said I had something to do with... with what happened to her."
Ethan’s hand froze. The atmosphere inside the car shifted instantly, growing dense and suffocating. He didn't look at Sophie. He stared straight ahead at the dividing glass between them and the driver.
"Helena’s death was ruled an accident," Ethan said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. "She lost control of her vehicle on the coastal highway during a storm. There was no foul play."
"Then why would Victoria say that?" Sophie pressed, her heart pounding. "She looked at me like she knew a secret. Like she wanted to destroy me."
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"Because she does want to destroy you," Ethan said, finally turning to look at her. His dark eyes held a dangerous intensity. "She realizes that Leo responds to you more than he ever did to her. She realizes that I trust you more than I trust anyone else in that house. To a woman like Victoria, trust is a currency. And she hates that you are wealthy in it while she is bankrupt."
But as Ethan turned away to look out his own window, Sophie noticed a subtle detail. His jaw was clenched so tightly that a muscle was twitching near his ear. He was hiding something. There was a puzzle piece missing from the night Helena died, and Sophie realized with a chilling certainty that both Ethan and Victoria knew exactly what it was.
