Chapter 7 - Sophia Comes Back
Sophia returned to the hospital at 1:18 in the morning.
She came alone.
Two police officers stopped her near the elevator.
Michael had already warned hospital security.
Sophia raised both hands.
“I’m not here to hurt anyone.”
Michael walked into the corridor.
“Why are you here?”
Sophia stared at him.
“To save your life.”
Michael almost laughed.
“You shoved my wife down a staircase.”
Sophia’s face tightened.
“I made a mistake.”
“You nearly killed my son.”
“I panicked.”
“You lied about being attacked.”
“I panicked.”
“You deleted security footage.”
Sophia said nothing.
Michael stepped closer.
“And you broke into my office looking for evidence of financial crimes.”
Sophia’s eyes flickered toward the officers.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Michael held up his phone.
“I saw Daniel’s message.”
Sophia’s confidence cracked.
“Michael.”
“Where is the red folder?”
“I don’t have it.”
“Where is Jonathan?”
“I don’t know.”
Michael stared at her.
Sophia lowered her voice.
“Daniel is not who you think he is.”
“I already know that.”
“No.”
She stepped closer.
“You don’t.”
Michael waited.
Sophia glanced toward the officers.
“I need immunity.”
Michael laughed bitterly.
“You assaulted a pregnant woman.”
“I know.”
“You framed her.”
“I know.”
“And you expect me to protect you?”
“I expect you to protect Mason.”
Michael stopped.
Sophia saw the effect.
“Daniel has people everywhere.”
“Who?”
“Board members.”
Michael said nothing.
“Bankers.”
She continued.
“Attorneys.”
Michael felt his stomach tighten.
“And someone inside federal law enforcement.”
Emily’s FBI contact immediately came to mind.
“Allison Reed?”
Sophia looked surprised.
Then afraid.
“You know Allison?”
Michael understood.
“What did she do?”
Sophia stepped closer.
“You need to get Emily out of this hospital.”
Michael’s voice hardened.
“She just had emergency surgery.”
“I don’t care.”
“You should.”
Sophia’s eyes filled with genuine fear.
“Daniel knows she survived.”
Michael stared at her.
Sophia whispered.
“And there is no chance he lets her leave here alive with what she knows.”
Michael grabbed her arm.
The officers moved immediately.
Sophia winced.
“You’re hurting me.”
“Good.”
Michael released her.
“Tell me where the folder is.”
“I never found it.”
“Jonathan put it in the clock.”
Sophia stared at him.
Michael realized she had not known.
“You saw Jonathan.”
“Yes.”
“He warned you.”
Sophia’s face changed.
“So you have the footage.”
“Enough of it.”
Sophia looked toward the elevator.
“Then we have a bigger problem.”
“What?”
“Jonathan said he was giving Emily everything.”
“The folder?”
“No.”
Sophia shook her head.
“The folder is only financial records.”
Michael frowned.
“What else is there?”
Sophia swallowed.
“A ledger.”
“What ledger?”
“The real ownership records.”
Michael stared at her.
“Ownership of what?”
“Carter Dynamics.”
Michael laughed once.
“I own Carter Dynamics.”
Sophia looked almost sorry for him.
“No.”
Michael’s face emptied.
Sophia continued.
“You control it.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“It isn’t.”
Michael remembered Emily’s father.
The early investors.
The trust structures.
Sophia whispered.
“Your company exists because someone secretly funded it seventeen years ago.”
Michael’s mouth went dry.
“Who?”
Sophia looked through the glass toward Emily’s hospital room.
“Her father.”
Michael stared at her.
“No.”
“He owned forty-two percent through holding companies.”
“That’s impossible.”
“And when he died?”
Sophia’s voice dropped.
“Those shares passed to Emily.”
Michael could barely breathe.
Sophia continued.
“Daniel has spent three years forging transfers to steal them.”
Michael looked toward his wife.
She had never once mentioned owning nearly half his company.
“Why would Emily hide that from me?”
Sophia’s expression turned bitter.
“Maybe because she wanted to know whether you loved her before you knew what she owned.”
Michael said nothing.
Sophia leaned closer.
“Or maybe because her father knew something about you that you still don’t.”
Michael’s eyes narrowed.
“What?”
Sophia whispered.
“He never trusted the Carter family.”
Michael stared at her.
“You are a Carter.”
May you like
Sophia smiled without humor.
“That’s the problem.”
