The CEO's Rejected Wife And Secret Heir novel Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: Sophia Joins the Game

Aria’s POV - Three Days Later

I needed coffee.

Real coffee. Not the fancy espresso machine stuff Damien had in the penthouse. I needed my old café—the one near Monroe Global’s offices where I used to hide when the world got too loud.

"Are you sure about this?" Riley, my new personal security, checked her mirrors for the third time. "We could send someone"

"I’m going to a coffee shop, not a war zone." I adjusted my sunglasses. "Besides, you’re with me. Isn’t that the point?"

"The point is keeping you safe." Riley pulled up to the curb. "Which means I go in first, check exits, then signal you."

"This is ridiculous." But I waited while she did her sweep.

Two minutes later, she waved me in.The café was exactly as I remembered—warm lighting, mismatched furniture, the smell of fresh-ground beans. I breathed it in, feeling almost normal for the first time in days.

"Aria Monroe." A familiar voice made me freeze. "Or is it Blackwood now?"

I turned slowly. Sophia Clarke sat at a corner table, looking immaculate in designer everything. Her hair was perfectly styled, her makeup flawless.

"Sophia." I kept my voice neutral. "What a surprise."

"Is it?" She gestured to the empty chair across from her. "I heard you’d be here, thought we should talk."

"How did you" I stopped. "Never mind, I am not interested."

"Not even if it’s about Marcus?" Her voice dropped. "And his plans for your little family?"

I hesitated. Riley tensed beside me, her hand moving toward her concealed weapon. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Five minutes," I said finally, moving to Sophia’s table. Riley positioned herself nearby, watching.

"You look tired." Sophia’s eyes scanned my face. "Being Damien’s perfect little wife must be exhausting."

"I’m not his wife." I sat down. "Yet."

"Oh, I know. I saw the ring." Her smile was smug. "Congratulations. I’m sure this marriage will work out better than the last one."

"What do you want, Sophia?"

"To help." She leaned forward. "Believe it or not, I don’t want to see you dead."

"How generous."

"I’m serious." Her mask slipped slightly. "Marcus contacted me a few weeks, said he had a proposition."

My stomach dropped. "What kind of proposition?"

"The kind where I help him destroy Damien, and I get you out of the picture permanently." She stirred her coffee. "He was very specific about the permanently part."

"And you agreed?"

"I considered it." She met my eyes. "Damien and I had something once. Brief, meaningless to him, but" She paused. "I thought we could have had more. Then you showed up with your sob story and your secret baby, and suddenly I was nothing."

"So this is about jealousy?" I leaned back. "You’re working with a psychopath because Damien chose me?"

"I said I considered it." Her voice hardened. "Past tense. I met with Marcus recently and Aria" Her composure cracked. "That man is insane. Genuinely, terrifyingly insane. Whatever you think you know about him, it’s worse."

"Tell me something I don’t know."

"He has a detailed plan." Sophia pulled out her phone, showing me notes. "Dates, times, vulnerabilities. He knows your son’s preschool schedule. Your assistant’s coffee order, every move you make."

"How?" I grabbed her phone. "This penthouse is secure"

"He has someone on the inside." Sophia’s voice was quiet. "Someone close to Damien, someone feeding him information."

"Who?"

"I don’t know." She took her phone back. "He wouldn’t tell me. But Aria—he’s planning something big. Soon it involves Noah."

My blood ran cold. "What does he want with my son?"

"Leverage." Sophia’s eyes held genuine fear. "He said—and I’m quoting’If I can’t have a family, neither can Damien. Starting with the child.’"

"Oh God." I stood abruptly. "I need to go."

"Wait." Sophia grabbed my arm. "There’s more. Marcus isn’t working alone. He has resources. Money and" She hesitated. "He mentioned your sister."

"Vivian?" I sank back down. "What about her?"

"She’s been feeding him information too." Sophia released my arm. "About your past, weaknesses. Everything she knows about you and Damien."

"That bitch." Rage flooded through me. "After everything"

"She blames you for her social exile." Sophia’s voice was almost sympathetic. "The press conference destroyed her reputation. She wants revenge as badly as Marcus does."

"So they’re working together." I tried to process this. "Marcus and Vivian. Against us."

"Looks like it." Sophia stood. "I’m telling you this because" She paused. "Because I may be petty and jealous, but I’m not a murderer. And what Marcus is planning—it’s murder, Aria. Of you. Of Noah. Maybe even Damien if he gets in the way."

"Why should I believe you?" I looked up at her. "You just admitted you wanted to help destroy us."

"Because I’m giving you his burner phone number." She slid a paper across the table. "And the address where he’s staying. And because" Her voice softened. "I may have wanted Damien, but I never wanted to see a child hurt. Whatever else I am, I’m not that."

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