Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

Damien’s wounds had been bandaged. He walked toward me. "Sophia, let’s go home."

I was still in a daze and snapped back to reality. "You go by yourself..."

This murder case was becoming increasingly complex.

I had no idea how Dexter was doing. He must be suffering terribly under Peter’s control.

The asylum was not a place fit for people to live in.

"I’m the only one who can protect you." Damien frowned, gripping my wrist. "Don’t be stubborn."

"I don’t want to go back with you right now." I shook off his hand.

Seeing Juliet would only make me angry. I had to find a way to attend tomorrow’s charity banquet and meet the president of Crowdstar Group.

"Have you asked Juliet about the president of Crowdstar Group?" Damien threatened again when he saw I wasn’t cooperating.

I knew it.

I looked up at him. "Well, Juliet is indeed a big mouth."

"I can introduce you to him, and your chances of success will be higher. You know that," Damien said solemnly.

Mentioning the president of Crowdstar Group made Damien displeased. He envied the president and harbored resentment toward him because this mysterious figure refused to meet him and did not give him the respect he thought he deserved. Yet, he had offered his help in the past.

Damien felt that the president was looking down on him.

"Are you really being so kind?" I sneered.

"Come home with me and stay by my side. I’ll introduce you to him," Damien offered in a hushed tone.

I frowned, knowing compromise was my only choice for now.

"Sofia." Zion walked over after finishing a phone call. "Jake’s case has been suddenly dropped. He admitted to intentionally provoking Dexter. The police officer handling the case is my friend. After discussing it with him, he agreed to issue a letter of understanding and bring Dexter back."

I looked at Zion in surprise. "Really?"

Zion nodded, "Yes."

Excitement coursed through me as I grabbed Zion’s arm. "Then let’s go now!"

Damien looked at me, his gaze complicated. He lowered his head and chuckled sarcastically.

Zion shook his head. "There’s a process to follow. It won’t be that quick. Don’t be hasty. I’ll try to expedite things on my end."

I nodded.

Even if Dexter was released, I still had to meet the president of Crowdstar Group. Only he could ensure Dexter’s and my safety.

Collaborating with this mysterious figure would secure Dexter’s position within the Black family and make him less vulnerable.

Damien’s driver took us home. During the drive, Damien and I sat quietly in the back seat.

He looked at me a few times, wanting to say something. "Sophia, finish reading your parents’ diary."

I stayed quiet as that was my plan as well.

"Dexter is on the guest list for tomorrow’s charity banquet, but... since he’s in the asylum and as his partner, you can’t attend if he’s absent." Damien glanced at–me.

I looked at Damien warily, wondering how he would threaten me again.

"I’m on the guest list too. You can attend as my partner," Damien offered..

I sneered, looking at the anxious and worried Juliet waiting in the courtyard. "If I attend as your partner, what about Juliet?"

Damien frowned, remaining silent.

As soon as we got out of the car, Juliet rushed to us, looking worried and with tears in her eyes. "Damien, I heard you got hurt. What happened?"

"It’s fine." Damien kept his distance from Juliet.

"Damien, you promised I could go with you to the charity banquet tomorrow. Our outfits have arrived. Shall we try them on?" Juliet suggested quickly, afraid Damien would change his mind.

Clearly, Damien had promised Juliet before.

He promised her but then tried to offer me the same thing. What a scumbag.

I huffed and turned to leave.

"Sophia..." Damien grabbed my wrist and looked at Juliet

"I’m sorry, I must attend with my love."

I was surprised that Damien wasn’t being nice to Juliet today.

Juliet’s face turned pale. She had been trying so hard to climb the social ladder by clinging to Damien, but now, everything was ruined?

"Damien, you promised me..." Juliet said with red eyes, Damien remained silent and didn’t explain.

I tried hard to break free from Damien’s grip, but he refused to let go. "Sophia, whether you can attend tomorrow’s charity banquet and meet the president of Crowdstar Group depends on how cooperative you are today."

Sure enough, he didn’t have that much patience. "Who else can take you to the charity banquet besides me?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

I looked at Damien. "So what? Are you going to take both of us? Not a chance."

Damien’s grip on my wrist tightened. "I’ll take you."

Juliet cried and ran away.

I sneered. "I’m really not interested."

"Do you have any other choice?" Damien asked me.

To be honest, I really didn’t have any other choice.

"Alright, Mr. Coleman. What are the conditions for taking me there?" I looked at Damien. He wouldn’t be so kind as to just take me there.

"Don’t have this attitude toward me, Sophia..." Damien begged me.

"What attitude should I have toward you?"

"Can we be like before?" Damien pleaded.

"You want me to please you like before?" I laughed. "Alright, keep on dreaming."

I pushed Damien’s hand away and turned to leave.

Before doing anything, we had to always leave a way out for ourselves...

Damien had already blocked all his paths to me in the past.

I went back to my room and continued reading my parents’ diary on my bed.

"Today, Sophia fit in with the other kids like a regular child. It’s great to see her so happy."

"Here is Sophia’s first group photo."

"Sophia and Georgie."

"Sophia and Georgle are becoming closer. George only listens to Sophia now."

"A child purposely brought a fierce dog, frightening Sophia. Georgle got injured while trying to protect Sophia."

Most of the diary entries detailed the daily lives of Georgie and me growing up.

"Today, Sophia hid in the orphanage. Her dad couldn’t find her and was very anxious. This mischievous girl makes us so worried."

"Sophia made a friend!"

I could tell that my parents were very happy back then.

In the photograph, young Dexter, Simeon, and I were on the playground, crouching in the bushes. We seemed to be up to something.

"Sophia, earthworms can regrow if cut in half. Why can’t people do the same?"

"When people die, they’re really gone."

"What about souls? Could they exist in other forms? Could we capture them with calculations and then... put them into new bodies?"

Suddenly, my head started hurting again. A voice exploded in my mind.

Who brought up this topic?

Was it Dexter?

Just then, someone knocked fiercely on the door.

"Sofia! Come out!" It was Juliet.

Damien must have gone out. Otherwise, Juliet wouldn’t be so bold.

I didn’t want to deal with Sofia. My head ached, so I lay on my bed, trying to remember something.

Suddenly, the window moved, and the curtain blew in the wind.

Instinctively, I looked up and saw a half–hidden head with big, innocent, and aggrieved eyes staring at me.

"Sophia..."

My heart tightened like an electric shock. I stood up quickly, rubbing my eyes.

Was it just my imagination?