Chapter 2

William's hand froze, his eyes narrowing with a chilling, almost mocking glint. His expression was terrifying.

He released his grip and put away the knife.

Two security guards immediately came up, one on each side, and forcibly dragged Sophia to the car.

As the car started, Sophia's hands and feet trembled uncontrollably. She dared only to sneak a glance at William, who sat across from her.

He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, lazily crossing his left leg over his right. His left hand rested casually on the back of the seat, while his right hand held a glass, his index finger tapping the rim, causing ripples in the pale champagne.

In the confined space, his presence was overwhelming.

Sophia couldn't help but flash back to a month ago, the first time she realized how long a night could be, as if dawn would never come.

Ryan Martin, the assistant in the front passenger seat, turned and said something. William looked up, casting a light, mocking glance at her before responding with a sneer.

Sophia's face turned ashen.

She couldn't hear, but she could read lips.

"Mr. Johnson, what should we do now?"

"Take her back to the villa. I'll personally find out whose child it is."

She "heard" every word of their conversation.

William intended to take her somewhere secluded and deal with her cleanly.

Ryan looked troubled and hesitated before saying, "Mrs. Johnson specifically said you weren't allowed to..."

"Do you listen to her or me?"

His gaze darkened.

Ryan swallowed hard, not daring to say more.

William's eyes returned to Sophia. Suddenly, he reached out.

She shuddered, trying her best to avoid him, but she couldn't stop his approach and tightly closed her eyes.

She didn't feel the expected pain.

Instead, there was a soft, warm touch on her cheek as he brushed aside the strands of hair on her forehead.

Sophia opened her eyes in confusion.

He held a piece of lettuce, which he tossed into the trash. "Quite pretty. If someone didn't know better, they'd think you were wearing an emerald hairpin."

Was William complimenting her?

Sophia stared blankly at William as he pulled out a wet wipe and crouched in front of her, meticulously cleaning the dirt off her.

His long fingers brushed lightly over her delicate skin.

At some point, the wet wipe disappeared, and his hand pressed against her thigh, moving upward.

From an angle Sophia couldn't see, William's gaze grew darker.

His fingers dug into the flesh of her thigh.

Sophia looked thin, but she was quite full in all the right places.

He had to admit, he was very satisfied with her body.

Too bad she had harbored ill intentions.

Sophia gasped, her hands pushing desperately against his head buried between her legs.

He looked up impatiently, mocking, "Why are you pretending? Weren't you the one who wanted to have sex with me first?"

Sophia hurriedly explained, "It was Matthew and Aria who set me up! They wanted to sell me to another rich man, and I accidentally ended up in your room!"

"If you're bothered by the child, I'll disappear far away and never set foot in this country again."

She stared at William nervously.

Her desire to survive outweighed her fear of him.

William glanced at the bite mark on her inner thigh, blood seeping from it, and slowly raised his eyes, asking softly, "You can hear me?"

Sophia's body went cold.

She hadn't expected William to be so perceptive.

She quickly shook her head.

But under William's intense gaze, she honestly replied, "I can read lips a little."

William showed no reaction, gently pulling down her skirt.

Then he turned and coldly instructed Ryan, "Don't let Mrs. Johnson know until I've dealt with this."

He hated all lies.

They arrived at the villa.

Ryan opened the car door and gestured for Sophia to get out.

She hesitated, not moving.

Getting out of the car felt like stepping halfway into hell.

William got out first, extending his hand to her like a loyal knight welcoming a princess.

She didn't dare refuse, shakily placing her hand in his.

The moment her feet touched the ground, her legs gave way, and she almost fell.

William's strong, steady arm held her firmly.

For a few seconds, Sophia almost believed William cared for her.

But the pain in her toes brought her back to reality.

He didn't wait for her to steady herself, practically dragging her forward.

Her toes quickly became raw, and she stumbled to keep up with his pace.

Once inside, William mercilessly threw her into the first-floor bathroom and turned on the shower.

Ice-cold water drenched her instantly.

In a flash of cold light, William used a knife to cut open the fabric over her abdomen and, without hesitation, plunged it into her barely healed wound.

Sophia couldn't even scream from the pain, her ears ringing from the intense agony.

"Mr. Johnson." Ryan burst through the door.

The knife's assault paused.

William's voice was terrifyingly low, "You'd better have something important."

"Mrs. Johnson is here!"

"She's already outside, and we couldn't stop her!"

The next second, a powerful voice shouted, "William! How dare you touch my great-grandchild!"

The shower turned off.

William didn't hide his irritation, frowning at the silver-haired old lady. "Grandma, you're too old to be meddling in these things. Can't you just stay home?"

He stood between Sophia and the old lady, blocking her view completely.

Sophia could only see part of the old lady's face, barely making out the word "great-grandchild."

It seemed the baby inside her was very important to her.

Summoning strength from somewhere, Sophia clung to the edge of the bathtub, struggling to crawl out.

Sophia collapsed on the floor, the cold surface soothing her burning wound.

She grabbed the old lady's pant leg with trembling hands, her voice barely a whisper, "Please... save me..."

Amelia Martinez looked down at the pleading Sophia, her round eyes wet, hair dripping, like a pitiful, dirty little puppy. Her heart ached.

She said urgently, "Get her warm and bandaged!"

Ryan quickly moved to help.

She then sternly addressed William, "Don't forget what you promised me. Either marry her and let my great-grandchild be born legitimately, or don't blame me for not considering our family ties!"

"Don't block your path!"

William's brow furrowed deeply, glaring at the barely conscious Sophia with disgust, clenching his jaw.

After a moment, he let out a cold laugh, crouching to grip Sophia's chin, forcing her to look at him. Staring into her dazed, fragile eyes, he said, "Fine, we'll get married."

"Ms. Brown, keep that will to live. We have a long time ahead."

His thumb brushed over her lower lip before he let go harshly.

Sophia's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, the ringing in her ears fading.

A faint, clear voice reached her, "Grandma, don't regret making me marry her."

Was she hallucinating?

One week later.

In the Johnson Estate.

The grand old mansion was rarely this lively.

The courtyard was filled with all kinds of luxury cars, and guests gathered, but the hall was eerily silent.

Sophia wore a wedding dress weighing 110 pounds, diamonds sparkling under the lights.

The more the diamonds shone, the more ridiculous she felt.

An hour into the wedding, the groom was still nowhere to be seen.

Amelia angrily demanded, "Where is that reckless William?"