SOFIA'S POINT OF VIEW
"Smile like you mean it," Josh whispered between gritted teeth, his hand resting softly on my back.
I smiled, but my eyes didn't indicate it. I didn't like the gala. The glamour and the people watching. The perfectly planned version of our marriage that we showed to the world.
The light in the ballroom was beautiful. Chandeliers looked like stars, violinists were hidden in corners, and laughter sounded like wind chimes. Everyone else looked nice and polished, but not me. My skin itches with worry under my red dress and diamond earrings.
"You look tense," Josh whispered as he led me through the crowd. "Calm down. No one is going to bite."
"That's not what I'm worried about," I said, pushing my shoulders down.
Sleep had been elusive since the incident at Eliza's window three nights prior. Even though the security team found nothing, I had the impression that someone was keeping an eye on us.
"She's fine," Josh said, as though he could read my thoughts. "Mrs. Carter is with her. I made security twice as strong."
"Why would anyone want to watch our house?" I requested for the hundredth time.
Josh's eyes grew hard. "Let's not do this here."
We walked through the crowd like kings, with his hand never leaving mine. His hold was like a leash that was love.
"That's Bennett from legal," Josh said softly. "Charles Givens owns half of the tech market on the East Coast behind him. Even if he breathes too close, smile when he talks. He has a habit."
"I am not your doll," I remarked quietly.
"You're my wife," he said smoothly as someone turned to meet us. "And you look great tonight."
"Josh Reynolds!" Charles yelled, his breath already heavy with scotch. "And this must be the lovely Mrs. Reynolds I've heard so much about!"
I went along with it. I thought Charles's jokes were funny. I listened to Bennett's boring talk about changes in the rules. I sipped champagne and nodded like I wasn't going to disappear from there.
"Excuse me," I murmured at last. "Bathroom."
I nearly passed out when I saw a woman. At the furthest corner, a lone woman dressed in black stood and gazed at me. Her face was beautiful, yet it was almost too symmetrical. But it wasn't her looks that caught my attention. There was something familiar in her eyes. Like she knew me and was waiting.
I blinked. She had left.
"Are you okay?" Josh asked in a quiet voice.
I nodded. "Just dizzy."
"Don't pass out," he urged, raising a glass to another guest who was coming. "You're too costly to replace."
We walked towards the main stage, where the speeches were going to start. I didn't pay much attention. I kept looking around the room. I knew for sure that she was there.
I left when the lights went off for the keynote. I hurried quickly, dodging behind servers and diners who were too busy talking to see me. There was no noise in the hall outside the ballroom. My heels made a noise on the marble floor.
I turned a corner and stopped.
The woman in black stood behind a statue with her arms crossed, as if she had been waiting for me.
"You look better in black than I thought you would," she responded.
"Do I know you?" I asked.
She smiled. "Not yet. But you will. Sofia Laurent. Or do you now go by Mrs. Reynolds?"
I didn't say anything. She moved closer.
"Be careful. Pretty things don't stay long in his world."
"What do you want?" I asked.
"To be honest," she said. "Before you get buried like the last one."
I frowned. "The last what?"
Her eyes sparkled. "The last woman Josh got betrothed to. She believed she could help him. Three years ago, she went missing. Cassandra Vale, look it up."
I could feel the ground move under me. She leaned in.
"Josh didn't only get Reynolds Enterprises as an inheritance. He got its sins as well. And Cassandra knew too much."
"That's not possible," I answered. "If there was a woman—"
"There was," she said. "And she disappeared without a trace. Her friends were quiet, and her flat was empty. One sealed non-disclosure after another. Doesn't that sound like your sweet husband?"
My throat got tight. "You are lying."
"Am I?" she asked in a whisper. "Then ask him about the Blackwell account. Ask what went down in Shanghai."
I frowned. She smiled with part of her lips. "I thought that too."
She put something in my hand before I could say anything. A tiny, black flash drive.
"It's all in there," she said. "But don't connect it to anything he owns. And for God's sake, don't let him know you saw me."
"Why are you helping me?" I asked.
She turned her head. "Because Cassandra was my sister."
After that, she turned and disappeared around the corner. I glanced after her, my breath stopped in my throat.
Cassandra Vale. A name I had never heard before, yet something about it lit a fire in me. How Josh didn't want to talk about the past. The drawer in his home office was locked. The late-night calls he made were secret.
All of a sudden, my phone buzzed in my hand.
Unknown Number: Sofia, tick-tock. You don't just have to kill him!
I looked at the strange message. I pushed the phone away and turned, only to run into Josh.
He seemed peaceful. Too calm.
"Are you okay?" he enquired again, his voice as silky as silk.
I nodded, but it was stiff. "Just... powder room."
He looked down the hall. "Odd way to go. I followed you before because you seemed to be in a hurry."
I held on to the clutch more tightly. "You were following me?"
"Sofia, you ran out of the ballroom like your shoes were on fire." He smiled. "Should I be worried?"
I made myself smile back. "Only if you're hiding something."
He laughed. "You always catch me off guard."
We got back just in time for the auction to start. He stepped onto the platform with ease. Charming. Strong. Persuasive. People loved him.
I sat at our table, still holding the flash-drive in my hand. Sweat was gathering at the base of my neck. He looked over the crowd and saw me. And I swear, for just a moment, his eyes got calmer and intense.
After the last bid, he came back and got himself a drink. "You look tense."
I gave a stiff smile. "You like mysteries, right?"
"I like control," he remarked in a quiet voice. "Mystery kills people."
What he said made me shiver. I apologized and excused myself again. I didn't stop walking this time.
I went to the east wing, located a door, and locked it. Tried the next one, and it was open. There is a small server room within. I thought about it for a second before putting the flash drive into a corporate laptop.
A folder called BLACKWELL FILES came up. I closed it right away because it was password-locked.
Someone had already been here. Then the door clicked behind me. I turned and there was Josh in the doorway. His eyes dropped to the laptop.
And then he locked the door behind him.
He looked down at the laptop. Then he shut the door behind him.