Chapter 9 An Accident

• The next morning, Sophia woke up with a headache. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and clicked her tongue in disgust at the remnants of her tears still clinging to her face.
• Sophia then proceeded to freshen up. Just as she was finishing, Albert’s loyal servant, Sir Harrith, informed her that she was to get ready and head to Albert’s office at his request.
• Sophia didn’t want to go, especially with her emotions still in turmoil, but did she have any other choice?
• After getting ready, Sophia went downstairs and greeted Dana, having a small bite of her breakfast. Dana protested her unhealthy eating habits, but Sophia ignored her and said goodbye.
• Since Sir Harrith hadn’t mentioned anything about the purpose of Albert’s summons, Sophia opted for casual attire. She wore a pair of well-fitting jeans that hugged her long legs perfectly, paired with a loose white shirt, a black sling bag, and matching boots. Her long, dark brown hair was casually braided, with stray hairs sticking out here and there. She wore minimal makeup, almost opting not to wear any at all.
• When she got out of the car in front of the Raymond building lobby, Sophia put on her sunglasses and walked confidently toward the elevator that would take her to her husband’s office. Some employees passing by looked at her with curiosity and interest. Some whispered mean things, while others stared in awe. Sophia ignored them all.
• She reached the floor where Albert’s office was. The secretary didn’t dare look her in the eye when she asked to wait since Albert was busy inside.
• Sophia observed the secretary’s behavior and wondered, Has Albert ever slept with her? But Raymond upheld professionalism, even if their boss didn’t. Perhaps half of the beautiful women in the building had been with her husband. Sophia scoffed at the thought.
• “Who’s in there?” Sophia asked.
• The secretary avoided eye contact as she answered, “An important guest.”
• Now it was clear, Sophia thought. The secretary was starting to underestimate her, so Sophia could easily guess who the “important guest” was.
• She didn’t want to care too much, so she waited a few moments. Five minutes later, the door to Albert’s office opened.
• And as Sophia had suspected, a tall, sexy blonde woman, clad in revealing attire, strutted out of the room. Her expression seemed irritated, but as soon as she saw Sophia, she smirked and gave her a condescending look, just like so many others did.
• The blonde woman walked away.
• Sophia still wearing her sunglasses, hid her pain and anger. To hell with it! she cursed, then walked into Albert’s office without waiting for the secretary’s approval.
• “You really never let your bed get cold, do you?” Sophia said sarcastically to the man in front of her, who was currently gazing out the large window of his office.
• “Don’t judge by what you see,” he replied.
• Sophia shrugged indifferently. “Hm, don’t worry, I won’t care too much.”
• Albert turned to face her. His expression was stern, not a trace of the usual casualness. Sophia didn’t feel like speculating why, so she went straight to the point.
• “So, what else do you want me to do? Have a meeting with a female client to avoid her advances, only to sleep with her afterward?”
• Albert’s jaw tightened. “Sophia—”
• “Albert, stop playing games with me. I have my own business to attend to, rather than dealing with your ridiculous matters. What’s the point of avoiding the advances of those women in meetings? To focus? You’re really weak. Or for the image? So, you choose to only play with them behind. Or—”
• “Shut your damn mouth!”
• Sophia didn’t have time to think when Albert was suddenly right in front of her, gripping her jaw tightly. Sophia was shocked, especially with the cold, piercing look in his eyes, which silenced her instantly, sending a shiver through her body.
• “I’ve told you before, don’t judge by what you see,” Albert hissed.
• Sophia jerked her face away, freeing herself from Albert’s grip. “It’s hard not to when you know you won’t get any explanation to counter it,” she said quietly.
• When Sophia looked at him like that, Albert seemed to see a look of pain in her eyes, or was it just his imagination? Sophia wasn’t the kind of woman who would be easily hurt. The fragile woman who cried to him back then wasn’t real. The one standing before him now was the real Sophia, a woman full of pride.
• “Forget it,” Albert muttered finally, turning and sitting back down at his desk. “We’ll be visiting one of the important projects later today. It’s a collaboration between Raymond and Abraham. I want you to come because you are—”
• “A guarantee.”
• Albert fell silent, his gaze growing harder as he looked at Sophia, who stood there seemingly indifferent.
• “I want you to come because you are my wife.”
• Sophia scoffed. The reason her father married her off to Albert was clearly for this project. They used Sophia as a guarantee, or a strong link between their business partnership.
• “Don’t make excuses,” Sophia replied sarcastically.
• Albert clicked his tongue in irritation. “Whatever you say.”
• ***
• “There’s no need for you to say anything, just stay silent and accompany me.” Albert said after they arrived at the project place he had mentioned.
• “I know,” Sophia answered briefly.
• Sophia looked around, seeing acres of barren land with dust everywhere, and three buildings that were still just concrete structures towering high into the sky. The workers seemed busy with their tasks. The project was still considered quite precarious, which is why Sophia and Albert—and some of his subordinates—had to wear safety gear.
• Sophia observed Albert speaking with the project manager, the foreman. She remained silent, as they didn’t involve her in their conversation.
• They went inside after inspecting the exterior. The workers seemed even busier and appeared unaware that their big boss was there. Sophia started to feel bored, also dizzy from the smell of cement and the noise from the machines. However, she didn’t dare to speak up. Albert continued to look around by himself, while the foreman, who had spoken with him earlier, engaged Sophia in conversation. Sophia answered him casually.
• While Sophia was chatting with the foreman—who still looked fit for his age—she glanced at Albert and realized that perhaps the only thing he truly loved in this world was his work. Albert looked so serious, paying attention to every detail and every worker present. Sophia was sure that the workers under his gaze were feeling nervous, pressured to perform their tasks under the watchful eye of their big boss.
• Then, at that moment, Sophia accidentally noticed a worker on a ladder losing his balance. It was clear that the iron ladder was about to fall directly onto Albert.
• “Albert!” Sophia shouted loudly.
• Albert turned to her, unaware of the danger that was about to strike him.
• Without thinking twice, Sophia ran towards him. Just as the worker above grabbed onto the wall to save himself, the ladder fell and almost hit Albert. Almost, because Sophia immediately threw herself toward the man and pushed him out of harm’s way.
• The sound of metal crashing and clattering loudly against the cement floor echoed through the room. The workers shouted for others to move away and called for help.
• It was too late. Sophia felt pain all over, while the dust made it hard for her to breathe.
• Albert looked absolutely shocked. He coughed from the dust raised by the falling ladder. Then, as he opened his eyes, his gaze immediately widened as he saw his wife’s body lying unconscious on the floor.
• “Sophia!” Albert shouted in panic. He immediately gathered Sophia’s body in his arms, trying to wake her up, but her eyes remained tightly closed. Albert shouted to his subordinates to find medical help immediately. His body seemed to go numb, and he cared about nothing except holding his wife in his arms, then carrying her to the car.
• If something happens to Sophia, Albert thought, it would be all his fault.
• ***