Con

CHAPTER 74

Julia’s POV

Today is yet another day for me to prove my worth in this company, I thought as I stepped into the bustling lobby of Urban Next Design Studio.

I had a huge smile on my face, excited to work on my current project and to show off my skills. I’ll prove to all of them that I’m really a lot better than Sophia, that I don’t have to copy her work just to be noticed.

Just then, I caught sight of Chris and Trevis who were deep in conversation. I was about to say hi, but then I noticed them lowering their voices when I approached. I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were discussing something they didn’t want me to hear. I brushed off the paranoia, reminding myself that I was here for a purpose.

“Hey, Julia,” Chris greeted me with a warm smile, giving me a quick hug. “How are you?”

We had some small talk, but it was obvious that they didn’t want me around. Hence, I decided to just make a beeline for Elijah’s office upstairs.

I

I needed to speak with him, to set things right between us once and for all. I was tired of the doubt în his eyes,

tired of feeling like I had to prove myself to him all over again.

As I reached his door, however, my resolve wavered. I hesitated, unsure if I was ready for this confrontation. That’s when I heard it–voices coming from inside Elijah’s office. Curiosity getting the best of me, I leaned in closer to listen.

“Reese would definitely be happy if you visit her regularly,” I heard Sophia say. Naturally, I recognized her voice at once. I gasped, then quickly covered my mouth so they wouldn’t hear me.

“I always had the feeling she was my daughter,” Elijah said. “Our daughter, Sophia.”

My eyes widened, and I felt as if a storm had just been dumped on my head. This can’t be happening! No freaking way! They had a daughter named Reese?!

Without warning, a voice startled me from behind. “What are you doing?” I turned to see Serena standing there, looking at me suspiciously.

I gestured for her to be quiet and quickly pulled her into a nearby conference room. Once inside, I closed the door softly behind us and turned to face her, my heart still pounding wildly.

“What the hell were you doing just now?” Serena demanded to know, placing her hands on her waist and narrowing her eyes at me.

Instead of answering her directly, I went ahead and confronted her with what I knew about what she’d done to Sophia before.

“Serena,” I began, my voice surprisingly steady, “did you… did you try to hurt Sophia at my party?”

as widened, and she took a step back, clearly caught off guard. “What? No! Why would you

Serena’s eyes

even think that?”

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“I saw you,” I insisted, my palms sweating despite my resolve. “I saw what you did, putting something In her drink. And I think you even asked that man called Andrew to bring her upstairs and take advantage of her.” I said it matter–of–factly, not in an accusing tone.

“No!” Serena answered, her voice rising in panic. “I didn’t talk to Andrew. I don’t even know that

guy. He probably just saw that she wanted to sleep with him, you know.”

I chuckled, finding her reaction amusing. Perhaps she was telling the truth about this bit, but she most certainly drugged Sophia through that drink. Anyway, it wasn’t the most important thing at the

moment.

Elijah already knows what she did, anyway, I thought laughingly, remembering that I was the one who told him what I had seen. He probably already suspects her of trying to hurt Sophia every chance she

gets.

“You can’t prove anything!” Serena suddenly blurted out. “And no one’s going to believe your word against mine.”

“Hey, relax,” I said with a grin. “Your secret is safe with me.”

She gave me a puzzled look. Then suddenly, the fearful expression on her face was gone. Replacing it was a knowing glint in her eye and a devilish smile on her lips. “You know what? You’re the one with a big secret that I’m sure you don’t want people to find out about.”

“What do you mean?” The way she said it gave me the feeling she wasn’t bluffing.

“I found out,” Serena said, stepping closer, her voice low and threatening, “that you’re not the real Sabrina. And if you don’t want that secret out, you’ll keep your mouth shut about what you saw me do at that party.”

I felt a chill run down my spine, but I held her gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, trying to sound confident.

Serena’s smile was cruel. “Oh, I think you do,” she said. “And so does Grandma Baker.”

My

blood ran cold. “What?!”

“I visited the Baker family elders last week,” Serena explained, her voice triumphant. “And while- everyone else believes that you’re the real Sabrina, Grandma, who has Alzheimer’s, has always been in denial.”

Though I wasn’t fully convinced that she knew more, I didn’t want to risk it. That’s when I came up with a brilliant idea that could benefit both of us.

“Why don’t we trade secrets?” I offered, thinking fast “In order for you to never speak of me not being Sabrina, I’ll let you in on something very juicy that I just found out now. I heard it straight from Elijah and Sophia’s mouths!”

Serena was certainly intrigued. “Alright, deal. What is it?”

“Well, Sophia and Elijah actually have a child together, and her name is Reese Davis!” I said haughtily, happy that I was able to discover this secret and use it to lure Serena to what I wanted to happen.

+15 BONUS

Serena looked confused. “Hhmmm… So it’s true then? That isn’t a surprise. I’ve sort of known about

that.”

That filled me with frustration and a little bit of desperation. I had always known that Serena was also out to get Sophia, so it had occurred to me before that the two of us needed to come together and do something about it.

“Look, Serena,” I said, taking a deep breath. “We shouldn’t be fighting with one another. We ought to be on the same side. After all, I know that you’re in love with Elijah and that you hate Sophia, right?”

Serena was dumbfounded for a short while. Then she began to nod, admitting it. I smiled and said, ” Well, I hate Sophia too. So why don’t we team up and get her out of here?”

I saw the surprise in Serena’s eyes. But then slowly, her lips turned up into a grin.

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