Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
SOPHIE
“Are you sure of your decision?” Papa asked once I settled into one of the leather sofas in the seating area of his office.
This was perhaps the only room in the house with darker tones—sparse and practical rather than ostentatious. His desk sat at the head of the office beneath the windows. To the right, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves concealed a hidden vault, off-limits even to Rafa.
The sun bore down on my neck, making it itch. I moved to the other sofa, the only seat besides Papa’s usual armchair that was out of the light.
Had Viktor Rowks sat on this exact spot when he proposed the marriage?
“Will it help the business?” I asked.
“A lot.” Papa let out a long breath. “There are some issues with investors. Nothing I can’t handle—”
“But my marriage to Rowks will aid significantly.” I was surprised by the calmness in my voice.
“I never doubted your cleverness.” He chuckled. “Even when you were a kid, you never missed a chance to best Rafael.” Sadness clouded his smile. “I always wished for you to marry for love. Be happy.”
Happy… Five years ago I was going to marry the man I was in love with. But would that marriage have turned into a happy one?
“So you’re sure?” Papa asked.
“It may seem as if I made this decision out of spite, anger, or jealousy. But it’s not.”
It wasn’t a lie. Not entirely. Even if part of me wanted to hurt Edmond the way he’d hurt me.
“You don’t need to justify your decision, dove.
Not to me.” Papa’s hand raised, and I was sure he wanted to lean toward me, tap my head as he did when I was little.
Instead, he put it back and looked out the window.
“I’ll let him know once he’s back. And we can start preparations.
But if you have doubts,” he paused, meeting my eyes, “we can cancel everything.”
Sure we could. Madame Renier was probably already on her way to tell her husband. Maybe friends. And the rumors would soon spread like wildfire. I wouldn’t be surprised if this appeared in newspaper headlines tomorrow.
And if even a small percent of the rumors about Viktor Rowks were right, then the moment I decided to cancel the wedding, it would harm my family’s business much more than being declined privately and pretending the proposal never happened.
So there was no way back.
Mamma was right—those are not decisions that should have been announced in front of Edmond’s mother. Perhaps I should have talked to Papa first, then made the announcement. Not the other way around.
I put my hand on the armchair, making small circles with my fingernails on the leather. “Is it true? That he was behind his family’s accident?”
“Those are baseless rumors. The Reniers couldn’t bear the loss of Alexander.
” Papa shifted in his seat. “And with no other heir, Cecilia only got what was in her prenuptial settlement. Which isn’t small.
But compared to what Viktor—an illegitimate son—got, one couldn’t help but be dissatisfied.
Those rumors were born at that time. And I’m quite confident they were started by the Reniers. ”
“Oh…” I blinked. “But Rafael—”
“Rafael lost his friend. Edmond lost his cousin. Neither of them can see clearly.”
I nodded. From what I remembered, there was always tension between Viktor and Alexander. I assumed it was over the inheritance rights to their father’s empire—Viktor might have been older by a month, but Alexander was legitimate, and in our society, that was all that mattered.
So it wasn’t surprising that when Alexander and their father died in a car accident, everyone suspected Viktor of being involved.
I pieced that much together from whispers behind closed doors.
The topic had become taboo, not only because Viktor was friends with my assaulters, but because the accident happened the same day I was kidnapped.
“But wasn’t it Viktor’s car?” I pressed. If I was going to marry this man, I should at least get to know more about him.
“It was. But Rowks had all kinds of enemies. The chances of one of them organizing it are higher than a twenty-four-year-old boy who was still learning to navigate that world.” He leaned back, then continued in a measured tone.
“Many say he’s arrogant, a bum living off his father’s money.
But he has good instincts with the people he trusts.
Your brother judges him, calls him a sluggard, but if that were true, Viktor wouldn’t have sustained what he inherited. ”
I pressed my palms together, trying to ignore my quickening heartbeat at the thought of how Rafa would react when he found out.
“You think Rafael will be angry?” Or disappointed in me?
A soft huff left Papa’s mouth before he said, “I’ll talk to him.”
“And Mamma?”
He hummed, getting up from his seat and moving toward the window.
“She has her doubts about him. But…” His hands clasped behind his back.
“Whatever whispers there are, people can’t ignore his position.
And once you become his wife, like it or not, people will need to keep that in mind when mentioning you. Your mother knows that.”
I also knew. It was one of the reasons I started thinking of the proposal despite my initial refusal.
“But for us—your mother and me—the most important part is for him to treat you well.” He walked back to his desk. “I believe he will. That said, regardless of how things go, you always have your place in this home.”
A sharp knock. Then another. I blinked, trying to focus. But even with the windows open, it was dark in the room. My head felt heavy when I tried to sit. When another, more persistent knock, followed by a harsh “Fifi!” in my brother’s voice came, my body bolted upright.
“One second, please!” I called loud enough for him to hear and reached for my robe. What time was it? How long had I been asleep?
The sky was black, so at least I knew I’d missed dinner.
Before I managed to get to the door—another knock landed.
“I told you to wait,” I said, pulling the door open. The light from the corridor made me squint.
“You are not marrying him.” The veins on Rafael’s neck pulsed.
“Not for you to decide.” I stepped back, reaching for the light switch before heading to the windowsill.
Rafael followed me inside, but didn’t hurry to sit. “Not when my sister can’t keep herself safe.”
“Speaking of safe… At least I’m helping Papa with the business.”
“Fifi!” His voice rose, but I caught a glimpse of shame in his eyes. “You shouldn’t sacrifice yourself for things that can be solved without one. All you need to do—”
“Continue to rot in this room?”
“Make sure you’re safe!” He said it at the same time as me.
“Well, no one said I won’t be safe once married. The opposite, actually.”
“The opposite?” His neck and chin turned red as he stared at me. “The opposite? He was Sebastian’s closest friend!”
I flinched at the name, but Rafael didn’t stop. “You’d be naive to believe he had no idea.”
“He didn’t.” I let out a breath as images flashed in front of my eyes. I’d never told anyone the details. What I felt. What I overheard. It hadn’t seemed to matter. “I remember them calling him. Telling him t-there was a… surprise.” My voice cracked.
Rafa’s eyes narrowed. The two he had captured confessed they were following Sebastian’s orders.
That the plan was only to kidnap me; that once Viktor came, he would decide.
But when Viktor never showed up, Sebastian got nervous.
They continued to get high, and everything spiraled out of control.
With Sebastian being hidden by his family outside of Montvarra, it was hard to confirm.
And when he was found dead from an overdose, all hope of getting answers vanished.
Viktor’s side claimed he had no idea, had been in no contact with them for months. But Rafa wasn’t convinced.
Considering I was going to marry the man, I hoped those memories meant Viktor was telling the truth.
“I also remember S-Sebastian—” my voice dropped as I continued, “—tried to call him again. Got angry when Viktor wouldn’t answer.”
Rafael swallowed, and his voice turned raspy. “Weren’t you unconscious?”
“I was drugged, not unconscious,” I admitted. “And I didn’t lie—I was dazed for most of it. But…”
Black hair, grayish eyes, and a sharp face.
Something felt wrong between my legs. And I wanted it gone. I—
I shook my head, standing from my seat.
They’re all dead.
They’re all dead.
They’re all dead.
My nails were digging into my neck.
The room was moving.
“Stop scratching!” Rafael grabbed my arm, pulling me to a halt.
Where he’d gripped me felt like it split open, and crushing pressure flooded my chest.
“Don’t touch me!” I didn’t intend my voice to sound so scared, let alone so high. Pushing him away, I clawed at the spots he touched.
Rafael stilled, fear written across his face. “I didn’t mean to! Fifi!”
He closed his eyes, massaging his temples, and when he opened them again and looked at me—still trying to erase his touch—the helplessness in his eyes was unbearable.
“Do you understand what this means?” His voice was strained, rough with exhaustion.
“I’m fully aware. You can discuss the rest with Papa.”
I needed to empty my stomach. But there was no food!
The bathroom. I needed… Only a few more steps and I could shut the door. Shut him out.
Rafael’s voice stopped me. Hollow, drained. “If you react this way to me barely touching you, how will you survive with him? Is it worth locking yourself away with that brute, with no one to help, just to spite Edmond?”
“Edmond has nothing to do with this,” I snapped, turning my head back.
“Hasn’t he?” Rafael laughed bitterly.
“No.”
“And you decided to announce it right to his mother when she came to take the ring?”
“I thought it was a good opportunity.”
“Then tell me at least you’re not doing this to punish yourself?”
I turned away, hand on the metallic handle. Its cold shocked through my palm.
“Fifi! You know you had no fault in what happened to you? You—”
I slammed the door and hurried to turn on the water.
His words would change nothing. I’d heard them so many times. In so many ways.
Yet the truth was, they only believed that because I was theirs. If Rafa were to marry someone like me, they wouldn’t agree. Not in a thousand years.
Even after the shower, Rafael’s words kept circling in my head. Freckles on my nose and cheeks were more visible from the heat. But all I could see in the mirror was the fear in my blue eyes.
He was right. How would I manage when Viktor decided to touch me? Would he even want to?
You mentioned peace. I’ll make sure she has it.
Well, that seemed like a promise not to force himself on me.
A mirthless laugh escaped my lips, and I hurried to collect cold water in my palm to cool my face. My heart kept pounding in my chest, so I forced myself to breathe. I slowly inhaled for several seconds, held the breath in my lungs for a moment, then exhaled even more slowly.
Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.
Again and again. Until my shoulders relaxed and my heartbeat calmed down.
He’d said himself his interest was securing an alliance. And he’d do anything to keep it. He would not force himself on me. And even if he did… so what? Not like I couldn’t survive it.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe!
What was important—I would never find a better match than him. Someone who would not only benefit my family, but who himself was so filthy that my dirt wouldn’t show.
‘You think marrying her would help you clear your name?’ Papa’s question echoed in my head.
Viktor might not have admitted it, but it was true. Otherwise, he would have chosen another bride.
But no. He chose to propose to the girl his friends had ruined. What better way to prove he had no connection to them?
I looked at myself, my vision clear now.
“Everything will be all right,” I whispered to myself. “It’s in his best interest not to harm me!”