Her Life Starts to Spin out of Control

Once she stopped the car, she could make out what was flying at her. These were...no...it could not be. But yes, they were... bullets after bullets.

Fortunately, her car windows were bulletproof. Could a cheap car actually be bulletproof? Sophia could not believe it herself. The bullets could not get through the windows. So yes, her car windows were definitely bulletproof.

Having encountered her first assassination ever, she was out of her wits. Suddenly, her phone started ringing.

Startled, she hastily fished out her phone from her handbag. Colin's name flashed on the screen.

She answered the phone. Her voice was trembling with fear. "Colin..., " she said.

From the other side came a calm voice. "Stay right in your car and lock it. Don't worry and don't get scared. I am on my way," said Colin.

Wondering how he knew what was happening, Sophia immediately locked the door. "Done... Now?" She looked to the direction from which the bullets were coming. She could only see darkness. "Protect yourself, Sophia. Call the police. We will be there in about ten minutes." Colin and Grit, who had picked him from the airport, were driving towards Sophia.

"Okay..."

Holding the phone even after it was hung up, Sophia drew deep breaths...in and out...in and out... Feeling slightly better, she dialed 110.

The minute the call was over, she felt something hard bang against her car. Suddenly, a man appeared from nowhere. Terribly frightened, Sophia stared at him, her mouth dry and heart pounding.

As it was typical of a gangster, this man was also covered in black from head to toe. He was holding a machine gun and trying to smash the car window with it.

Sophia cowered in fear. She could vaguely make out the words that the man was roaring. "Come out, right now," he said gesticulating wildly with the gun in his hands.

What do I do? Oh God! What do I do? Sophia thought covering her head with her hands. Suddenly Colin's words came back to her, "Protect yourself." How could she protect herself? She checked to ensure that the car was locked properly. It was. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, the man hit the rear window hard. Instinctively, Sophia's eyes checked the glass in the rear view mirror. Still intact...

In less than a minute, three men showed up. Sophia could see that one of them brought down the gangster and twisted his arm at his back, preventing him from using the gun. The second one snatched the gun and the third pressed him to the ground.

She could also hear a police car siren wailing nearby. She heard a dull plop and then suddenly the criminal was motionless.

Sophia took a closer look and saw a huge hole in the man's head... Gripped by panic, she couldn't breathe. She started gasping for air.

This was the first time that she had witnessed such violence. An attempt to murder her and then a killing of...

Colin arrived when the police were knocking on Sophia's car window. He saw that she had become pale and completely still.

"Sophia, open the door," Colin gently called out, waving his hand before her eyes.

Seeing the movement of the hand and hearing a familiar voice, Sophia snapped back to consciousness. She looked at Colin and immediately burst out crying.

She opened the car door with great difficulty and almost fell out of the car right in Colin's arms. Had he not held her, she would have fallen to the ground.

Colin pulled her into his arms, hugged her tight and gently stroked her hair. "Sophia, are you all right? Were you hurt? Please talk to me..." he pleaded in a voice filled with anxiety.

Sophia grabbed his clothes and took a deep breath. She was soothed by his familiar smell. Getting calmer, she stopped crying and weakly replied, "I am fine."

The police cordoned off the area and an ambulance arrived to take the dead body away.

Sophia went to the police station, accompanied by Colin, and told them what she had seen.

The police told her that it looked like an attempt to murder her. After she had recorded her confession, Sophia received a call from the hospital. The staff informed her that the gangster was dead on arrival and that she needn't worry.

The police filed a case and Sophia was free to go. Colin took Sophia's hand and led her to the car so that he could take her home.

At Redbud Mansion

When they reached the mansion, Colin put an arm around Sophia's shoulders and took her inside.

Once back home, Sophia felt better. She tried to figure out who had plotted this attempt on her life. There was no other possibility.

But what could she do when there was no evidence at all to support her theory.

Colin brought her a glass of warm water and she took a small sip.

Sitting next to her, Colin made Sophia lean on his shoulder. "Are you still scared?" he softly asked her.

"My car window had been replaced," she said in amazement. Lying in his arms, she felt secure and could think clearly. She wanted to thank the person, who had got her car windows replaced, but only if she knew who it was.

"Well, they needed to be," Colin answered briefly.

Sophia looked up at him, "Was it you?"

"Hmm," Colin answered noncommittally. He had got the windows replaced when Hugh had told him that Jonas was planning to harm Sophia.

He didn't expect the warning to become the truth.

But, just to stay on the safe side, he had got them quietly replaced. He had also stationed a private guard to keep an eye on her. And he was filled with unprecedented rage when the guard had called him up and informed him that someone was shooting at Sophia's car. He could not calm down till he had seen her unharmed with his own eyes.

Sophia put the glass on the tea table and put her arms around Colin's waist. She allowed her face to rest on his warm chest. "Colin, I am confused by your behavior," she said in a low voice. One moment he treated her coldly and the very next, he could not be more gentle with her.

Colin rubbed her wavy hair like he used to, saying nothing.

"Did you tell Mr Li that I could do anything that I liked?" She asked in a soft voice, expecting a reply.

He didn't deny it, but... nor did he admit it.

He picked her up by her waist and took her to the bedroom. "Rest Sophia. You need it. I will have your dinner delivered." Since it was late for cooking, Sophia was glad to have the dinner delivered.

Sophia reached out and held Colin's hand. She pulled herself up. "Colin, I won't force you to answer right now, but...I just wanted to know...if... there was any possibility of us getting back together," she asked, looking deep into his eyes. How she wished he would give her some hope... Let her know in some way that he was still loving her and that they could still be together.

He hung back and took her fair, soft hand into his hand. He then calmly said, "How dare you think of leaving me!" He gently pinched her ring finger, which was naked. She once wore their wedding ring on this finger but not now. He didn't like to see her finger without the ring. It filled him with a dull ache.

Feeling the slight pain, Sophia wanted to pull back her hand, but Colin had a strong grip. "Where is the ring?" he asked.

"Eh? Oh! I put it back in the drawer in your villa." She timidly said when she realized what he was asking. She had put both the rings Colin had given her into the jewel case when she was turned out by Herring. Colin let go of her hand and silently went out of the bedroom.

Looking at his receding figure, Sophia thought that Colin was a bit... mysterious and unfathomable.

The takeout was soon delivered. Actually, Wade had got the food packed himself from a restaurant nearby and had it delivered to Redbud Mansion. [