Con

CHAPTER 49

Sophia’s POV

1 leaned against the old oak tree, my breath catching in my throat as I remembered watching Reese play at the park with none other than Elijah! It had definitely been a shock to me, and panic had immediately gripped my heart.

Elijah’s laughter had filled the air, mingling with Reese’s giggles. Seeing him then, so patient and kind with Reese, stirred something deep within me.

Should I tell him the truth? It was what had gone through my head in that instance. Should I let him know that the little girl he’s playing with is actually his own flesh and blood?

Suddenly, my phone rang, jarring me from my thoughts.

“Hello?” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Sophia, thank God,” Daniel’s voice was tight with concern. “Where’s Reese? Is she with you

“Yes, she’s right here,” I assured him quickly, as I smiled down at Reese who was resting on the

glass heside me. “I asked the nanny’s sister to find her and play the role of her mother, since you

know I can’t risk Elijah seeing me together with Reese…”

now?”

Daniel let out a breath I hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Yeah, I understand… Well, that’s a relief. I was so worried. I’m really sorry, Sophia.”

“It’s fine,” I assured him. “What’s important is that she’s okay now and she was never really lost.”

We chatted a bit more before hanging up. Reese was grinning at me, so I pinched her nose affectionately.

“Mommy… I have a new friend… today!” Her eyes were twinkling. “He’s a… new uncle. Kind. Handsome. So fun!”

“That sounds wonderful, sweetheart,” I said, knowing that she was talking about her own dad. “I’m glad you had fun.”

Is it wrong for me to hide her from Elijah? I wondered, feeling a bit guilty.

But I felt fearful and hesitant, because I wasn’t sure if Elijah would be a good father in the long run. Maybe it was better and much less complicated this way.

Reese and I were preparing to leave already when Trevis called, asking me to head back to the building and urgently meet him in Elijah’s office!

I called out to the nanny and her sister, and asked them to take Reese home.

“Mommy has to go back to work, sweetie,” I said, crouching down to Reese’s level. “Be good, okay? I’ll see you later at home.”

Reese pouted but nodded. “Okay, Mommy.”

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I gave her a quick hug before heading back to the building.

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Soon I was walking into Elijah’s office area, my heart thumping against my chest.

Just then, I caught a glimpse of Elijah’s stepmother through the open door of Elijah’s office. Why is she here? Is she involved with this project too?!

Morgana looked elegant as always, her polished appearance masking the cold, calculating persona beneath.

I stopped short, hoping to avoid her, but fate had other plans. I couldn’t help but overhear her conversation with Elijah.

“I’m very happy with the project, Elijah,” Morgana said in her usual haughty tone. “Make sure you keep this designer, no matter what.”

A pang of nervousness hit me. I took a deep breath and walked in. Elijah glanced up, his eyes meeting mine. Without missing a beat, he pointed to me.

“Okay… This is our designer, Sophia Sinclair…” He froze afterward, his eyes widening. Then he cleared his throat and corrected himself. “I mean, Sophia Bennett.”

Morgana’s face contorted in surprise, quickly turning to a frown. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips pursed in displeasure.

“Sophia,” she spat out my name like it was a curse. “I didn’t know you were back, and you’re working as a designer at Urban Next?! Hah!”

She looked me up and down with disgust. “You managed to squeeze your way back here, didn’t) Still stuck on Elijah, I see.”

you?

I stood my ground, my heart pounding. Morgana had always had a way of making me feel small, but not today. She wasn’t getting away with treating me like this anymore.

“As a matter of fact, I’m one of the top designers now in Urban Next, Morgana. And it just so happened that the company partnered with Elijah’s company.” My heart was pounding insanely, but ! lifted my head up high and looked her in the eye.

“And actually, I don’t think I’m the one stuck on Elijah… Maybe you should ask him why he kept going back to Paris while I was there, and why he keeps dropping by our office downstairs.”

Her eyes flashed with annoyance. “You think you’re so special now, don’t you? No matter how good your proposal is, I won’t agree to have you as my designer.”

She held up another proposal, her eyes gleaming with vindication. “This designer’s proposal is just as good. Maybe even better. And I know that this was the one chosen by my son too.”

Suddenly, I heard Julia’s voice. “That’s my proposal,” she said with a huge smile as she breezed into the office and joined us. Trevis followed behind her.

“Julia Stanford,” Morgana murmured, reading from the proposal, a peculiar light entering her eyes. Aren’t you the Baker family’s long–lost daughter?”

Julia, standing across the room, tensed visibly. Her usually confident demeanor wavered for a fraction of a second before she regained her composure. Meanwhile, Morgana’s expression

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transformed into one of delight, a rare sight that sent a chill down my spine.

“Elijah,” Morgana called out before Julla could answer. “I want you to assign this project to Julia. She’s perfect for it.”

Julia’s face lit up with a mixture of pride and something else I couldn’t quite place. She glanced at me, and I saw the triumph in her eyes before she quickly masked it with a polite smile.

Morgana turned her attention to me. Her delight morphed into disdain. “Sophia, you’re useless here,” she said coldly. “Everyone knows you only came to work here to be close to Elijah.”

The sting of her words hit me hard, but I didn’t bother to argue with her this time. Instead, I kept my expression neutral and looked to Trevis, who stood quietly at the back of the room. I needed him to intervene, to maybe offer some solution to this matter.

Trevis opened his mouth to speak. But then, Elijah stepped forward, his voice ringing out clearly.

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“Sophia is actually a professional designer who graduated at the top of her class at the Gold Institute of Art in Paris,” he said to everyone, but most specifically to Morgana,

“I hired her for this job… It’s not her who can’t get over me, it’s me who can’t get over her.”

P