The media lights flashed violently outside the private Hart estate as Sophie Langston, now twenty-four, stood on the balcony alone, wrapped in a dark green silk robe that caught the city light like a jewel. Her soft brown curls spilled over her shoulders, her porcelain skin kissed by the winter chill. She held a half-filled glass of wine, her fingers trembling slightly—not from the cold, but from the sharp realization that nothing tonight was an accident.
Downstairs, music still played. Guests buzzed with political gossip and empty toasts. It was a fundraiser hosted by the First Lady herself, but Sophie had long stopped pretending to enjoy these things. She felt like a trophy sometimes—a wife on display.
But tonight, her sharp instincts had picked up something... off.
Twenty-eight-year-old Aiden Hart, tall, striking, dressed in a charcoal black tux that hugged his lean but athletic frame, was not by her side. His hair was slicked back, his grey eyes unreadable as usual, his movements calculated. He had disappeared half an hour ago during a dance, giving only a soft whisper: "I'll be right back."
He hadn't come back.
Sophie swirled her wine. Her heart raced, not from jealousy, but suspicion.
Earlier, she'd caught a glimpse of Tina.
Yes. Tina Langston—her stepsister. The woman she hadn't seen since the scandal broke, the one who tried to frame her for sleeping with a senator's son. The one who vanished with Cassandra after the poisoning attempt.
Now, she was back. Same cruel smirk. Same snake-like grace in a crimson bodycon dress that left little to the imagination. She looked different—sharper jawline, platinum blonde now, but Sophie recognized her from a mile away.
What was she doing here? Who let her in?
And why had Aiden followed her upstairs?
Sophie stepped back into the room, setting down the glass. The city glowed beneath her, but inside her chest, something cold settled.
Her heels echoed as she walked down the hallway, ignoring the guards who gave her polite nods. She was no longer just Aiden's wife—she was a power in her own right, the face of her own foundation, the head of her own network. But tonight, she was a woman following a gut instinct.
She reached the west wing.
It was dark.
Only the faint hum of conversation slipped from behind a half-open door. Her fingers clenched the doorknob.
Inside, Aiden stood by the fireplace. Tina was seated across from him, legs crossed, her smile venomous.
"I told you I'd come back when the time was right," Tina purred, her voice low, seductive.
"You shouldn't be here," Aiden said quietly. "Sophie doesn't need this."
"I don't care what Sophie needs," Tina snapped. "I care about what you need. And what you need is to know the truth—your father is making moves against both of you."
Sophie's breath caught in her throat. She didn't move. The shadows cloaked her figure as she watched the man she was slowly learning to trust again sit across from the woman who'd tried to ruin her life.
Aiden's voice darkened. "I already know about the Voss leak. I know the senator's campaign got funding from Cayman accounts under fake subsidiaries. We're watching him."
"And yet you're not watching her," Tina said, with a smirk.
Aiden narrowed his eyes. "Don't."
"I have proof," Tina said, holding up a flash drive. "I give you this, and you protect me. I want immunity."
Sophie pushed the door open.
The sound was so soft, yet both Aiden and Tina turned immediately. Aiden's eyes widened when he saw her. He stepped toward her.
"Sophie—"
"Don't," she said, her voice calm but tight. Her eyes flicked from him to Tina, and then to the flash drive in Tina's hand. "What's that?"
"A birthday gift," Tina said smoothly. "You've aged well, sis."
Sophie didn't blink. "Get out."
Aiden looked torn. "She has evidence—"
"And she can send it through email like every normal criminal trying to make a deal," Sophie snapped. "She doesn't need to be in our home."
Tina stood slowly, giving Sophie a long, lingering look. "Some things never change. You're still scared I'll take what's yours."
Sophie's laugh was quiet. "You can't take what doesn't want to be taken."
She held Aiden's gaze, and for a moment, neither of them moved.
Tina strolled past her with deliberate steps, brushing Sophie's shoulder with a hissed whisper, "He won't protect you when it really counts."
Sophie didn't flinch. She waited until the door clicked shut before turning back to Aiden.
"What the hell was that?" she asked.
"She reached out to Elliot's contact," Aiden said. "She's willing to turn on Voss. I didn't tell you yet because… I wanted to verify it wasn't a trap."
"You could've told me."
"I didn't want to worry you," Aiden said softly.
Sophie's jaw tightened. "We're past that. I don't want to be kept safe. I want to be in control."
Aiden stepped forward, closing the distance between them. "You are. But I'm still learning how to let you."
For a second, Sophie saw something flicker in his eyes—regret, honesty, maybe guilt. But before she could speak, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.
"I'm not perfect, Sophie," he whispered. "But I'm not letting anyone hurt you again. Not even her."
She didn't pull away, but her heart still burned. Trust was a long road. They'd walked far, but not far enough.
"Tomorrow," she said quietly, "you and I are going to Senator Voss's headquarters. We're going to end this."
Aiden nodded once.
The storm had only just begun.
And Sophie Langston was done being quiet.
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