ă€ŠTwisted Loveă€‹


 CH 1

    ''Please fasten your seatbelts. The plane is about to start its descent.''

    With her seatbelt fastened, all she felt was excitement with a touch of anxiety. As she fixed her golden hair, the tiny diamond on her finger flashed letting the men, with their eyes on her, know she was taken.

    With her delicate hand returned to her lap, she played with the ring unconsciously while looking out the window, waiting for landing. A small smile graced her angelic face from time to time creating a veil of mystery surrounding her.

    Her first step out of the plane was followed with by a quite sigh of relief and strong steady steps toward the exit. Each step made a ''click'' and every leg forward swayed her white summer dress''s skirt, giving her a feel of an angel descending.

    Being her first time coming back home in two years, nothing looked different. The village houses were still the same, old houses with paint peeling of the walls. Being from a village had been both a blessing and a curse for her the past years.

    The blessing of being simple and the curse of not seeing the world. The two years abroad had been an eye opener for Sofia. She got to live and study in France, as well as find her life-partner. Ben was her first friend, first boyfriend and now fianc¨¨.

    A smile graced her face remembering the reason for her return.

    The good news of her engagement.

    The two years abroad had only been possible because he was there for her.

    The taxi stopped before an old rundown two bedroom house, the blue metal door was open and the front yard was visible. An old lady was busy spinning wool on an old fashion spinning wheel. It was a normal routine for her, making warm clothes for the coming winter.

    "Mom"

    The old lady looked up and her eyes shined with tears. Her Daughter had finally returned home. Dropping everything, she got up with open arms and in a trembling voice said, "My baby."

    The touching mother-daughter reunion was witnessed by a pair of mysterious blue eyes...

 CH 2

    "Come. Come. I have made all your favorites. You must be Hungry. "

    With each word they got closer to the pair of eyes.

    The dark green wooden door opened with a creak. Out came a small boy in a wheelchair. His blonde hair shined in the sun and his clear blue eyes reflected the image of the young woman in front of him.

    With a frown, Sofia looked from the young boy to her mother. Confusion could be clearly seen in her blue eyes.

    "Mother? What is happening?"

    Looking back at her younger brother, Sofia''s eyes filled with tears. "Sammy? What happened?"

    A pregnant pause took over the small courtyard. No said anything.

    At that moment, the sound of hurrying footsteps could be heard getting louder. James McAne, Sofia''s father and Rose''s husband, entered the house.

    "Rose. It is time to pay him back."

    A panic took over the whole family except for the confused Sofia. As the sentence entered her ear, she felt a sense of foreboding.

    "Pay who back?" asked Sofia.

    James realized what he had just done. His daughter had no idea what had happened at home for the past two years. How Sam had been in an accident and needed money for his expensive treatment, or how he still needed money for his rehabilitation.

    The family had tried their hardest to keep this incident a secret from Sofia. She had finally got the freedom to go to France for her studies, and with her own money and hard work.

    "It isn''t that we did not want to tell you... but we did not want to worry you." said Rose in a soft voice.

    "Worry me? Isn''t this worrying enough? why didn''t you ask me for the money? I had some saved up while working."

    "We had to borrow money." answered James, "We know how important ur study is to you. That was the first thing you have ever asked of us."

    His voice got softer "How could we take that away from you?"

    "I... I... I"

    Having no come back for that, Sofia finally asked the hard question.

    "How much do we owe?"

 CH 3

    "How much do we owe?"

    The question hung for a while. No one ready to answer.

    Having had enough of the suspense, Sofia lost her patience and screamed, "HOW MUCH DO WE OWE!?"

    Finally the answer came.

    "$1 million."

    Sofia did not hear who said the number, all she heard was the number it self; $1 Million. "$1... 1... 1 Million!?" she shuttered. "How did this happen?"

    As if a dam had broken, Rose''s tears began to fall. In a sad voice she narrated all that had happened over the past 2 years.

    "One day on the way back home from school," half a year after Sofia had left , "Sam was hit by a drunk driver in broad daylight. He was sent flying 3 meters in the air, before hitting the ground. The hit and fall had lead to broken bones and an injured spine. With all the treatment''s and medications added together, the price was too high."

    "We asked everyone we knew for help." added James in a broken voice.

    "No one was ready to part with their money for a ''lost case'' according to them. With no other choice we went to the King''s Mansion. There we got the money... but at a condition."

    "What condition?" asked Sofia in a valnerable tone.

    "The condition was to pay back in 2 years time, or he will take something himself." after a slight pause, she continued in a soft voice "But he did not say what that ''something'' might be."

    After much consideration, Sofia finally asked the hardest question;

    "When is the deadline?"

    A question was asked that no one wanted to answer. But the most unlikely person to step forward at a time like this, the 10 year who should have been out playing with kids his age, and should not have been part of the grownups money discussions.

    "The deadline is .... in two months."

 CH 4

    Having been born in a rich family, nothing he wanted could not be his. One word and it was his. That was the life during childhood, but as the years passed it got boring. Now even things he didn''t want were trying to get his attention. One of whom did succeed, but was left at a state that made the others back off in fright.

    He had moved away from his childhood home to start a fresh life with his only son. A decision that he would forever be thankful for. A random choice of location lead to finding his Angel.

    On a sunny summer day, Vincent had just been moving into town when he noticed a beautiful girl in the park in front of his new mansion. Before he could see her face, he saw a tall model like figure walking towards the rusty children''s playground. The most noticeable part was not her figure, which was beautiful, but the halo that formed over her golden head when she walked in the sun.

    As she neared the children, a slight ting of pain was felt by him at his own thoughts, ''What if she has a kid?'' and down the rabbit hole he when. ''What if she has a husband?''

    while he was thinking about the mystery girl, as if she felt his stare, she turned around and her face was revealed.

    A pair of bright blue almond eyes twinkled in the light, a cute button nose, and full lips with a defined cupid''s bow smiled. Each and every tiny detail about her appearance was memorized by him in a daze.

    The first thought he had after seeing her was "I need to have her. Anyway I can."

    When he decided to go talk to her, like magic she was gone. She came to his world like a ray of light and left as the darkest shadow. Like a rabid beast, he could not sit still. His first words lead to a storm no one could protect themselves from. "Find her."

 CH 5

    The first night back home was filled with mixed emotions. Coming back home had been a dream that quickly turned into a nightmare within 2 seconds.

    Having her bubble burst was the waking moment for Sofia. She had created an illusion of happiness for herself in France. A fairytale story with a happy ever after.

    With the breaking news at home she forgot all about the good news she wanted to share with her family.

    She had not had a wink of sleep the whole night.All she could think about, were ways to quickly earn money, which were not a lot in their small town. The quickest ways were things she would never do, and everything else did not pay well.

    One of her options was to move back to France in order to find a good paying job but even that would not be able to get her a million dollars. The only option left was for her to go to the King''s Mansion and ask mr. King for an extension on their time. That way she could find a job and pay him back.

    "Yes. I can do that... I will go to him and ask if he could possibly give us a time extension."

    At the crack of dawn, before anyone in her family woke up, Sofia changed in to a light blue, medium length summer dress of her own design and paired it with 3 inch white heels and a white handbag. It was one of her favorite dresses which had been quite lucky so far, and she needed all the luck she could get. As for makeup she only applied a pink lip gloss and left her wavy golden hair open.

    Before going to the King''s Mansion, she planned to go to her bank and withdrawing all her savings. She could not have possibly asked for more time and not shown that she was able to pay back his money.

    Having saved up money from working abroad was the only saving she had. And now if was finally going to good use.

    A yellow taxi approached a giant black gated compound, which looked like it contained a lush green forest within it. The area behind the gate looked completely from the the town. Being a poor town, the grounds were not green but yellow and not even the good yellow but a dry dull yellow.

    Stopping in front of the gate, a mechanical voice sounded, "What can I help you with today?"

    Rolling down the back window of the taxi, Sofia answered with a soft vulnerable voice, "My name is Sofia McAne. I would like to speak to Mr. King if possible."

    A heavy silence followed her speech.

    Feeling dumb, Sofia softly mumbled to herself "I should have called ahead of time. Stupid. Stupid. I should of gotten an appointment, he might be busy?."

    As she was near the end of her monologue, the giant black gates opened and the vehicle started to move again. The travel from the gate to the house... no the mansion was 10 minutes, and there was not a dull moment. Each second was filled with lush green trees and as they got closer to the mansion a magnificent water fountain came into view.

    When she finally reached the front porch, the the dark wooden double doors opened and in front of her stood a young male in a butler outfit.

    "Come in. Master is waiting for you in the dining room."

 CH 6

    Sofia followed the young butler from the front door through a picture worthy livingroom and into the main guest dining room. A long mahogany table stood proudly in the middle of the room surrounded by numerous empty leather seats and a grand glass chandelier hung above it all.

    A young man in jet black suit, a black tablet in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, was sitting at the head of the empty table. Every sip of coffee was performed in a poised yet manly manner. He did not look out of place in the magnificently decorated yet empty space.

    "Master, I have brought Miss. McAne to you."

    The predator had sensed pray in his territory. The slight tilt of his head sent shivers down Sofia''s spine, her senses tingled a warning.

    A pair of jet black eyes slowly looked up at Sofia from across the room. A predatory look to cross his eyes. "What can I do for you this early in the morning, Miss. McAne?"

    After taking a deep breath, "I''m sorry for disturbing you this early in the morning Mr. King. I just wanted to talk to you about my family''s debt. We owe you $1 million. I know this is not right, but I wanted to ask if it is possible to ask for a time extension."

    Noticing the slight frown beginning to appear on his face, she quickly continued; "I am not say that we will not pay anything back now. I have had $100,000 saved over the few years. I can pay this amount back right now." She opened her white handbag and slowly took out pile after pile of money wrapped in light brown paper. "This is how much I can pay you back right now. I am looking for a job currently and will be able to pay it all back eventually."

    "So you are telling me, you dont have a job or any savings, and still want to ask me to trust you to pay $900,000? Do you think of me as a fool? Do I look that gullible?" The atmosphere of the room continued to drop with each sentence. His voice was neither soft nor loud, but still managed to give her the chills.

    "I am a business man Miss. McAne. For me it is all give and take. And Sofia dear, I believe you have a misconception."

    "Misconception?"

    "I never give money to people and expect them to just give it back to me. I make deals my dear. Deals. And I made one with your father."

 CH 7

    The word ''DEAL'' confused Sofia. "What deal are you talking about?"

    He set down everything in his hands and slowly got up from his seat while looking into her eyes. Step after step, they got closer, never breaking off his stare. Calculating her eye movements and all possible thoughts.

    With each step closer, Sofia''s Fight & Flight instincts were fighting each other. Did she want to know what the deal was? Or could she think of this conversation as a dream and try to find a way to quickly earn the remainder of the money.

    He got behind her, put his hands on her shoulder and in a soft husky voice whispered in her ear "That my dear.... is a secret. You will know all about it when it is time."

    He slowly moved his hands from her shoulder to the tip of her fingers before completely letting to. Walking around her as he went back towards his seat he added, "You can leave now. And don''t forget to take your money with you. Just so you don''t think of me as the bad guy, I''ll have my men drop you off back home."

    After a short period of blanking, Sofia was in a Rolls Royce Phantom moving towards her house. As she looked out the tinted windows, she tried to make sense of what had just occurred, with no result.

    At her most confused moment, a phone''s ringtone sounded breaking the daze. Taking a look at her phone, a smile appeared on her face. Ben had just called. Right when she needed someone to talk to.

    "Hello? Ben?"

    "Hi love. How was your trip back home? What did your parents think about us? Were they happy?"

    Hearing his voice was the last straw for her. She started to silently cry, not because see missed him but because she had completely forgotten about him this whole time.

    "What is wrong? Sofia what happened? Were they not happy?"

    After many tries, she was finally able speak "I''m so sorry. I''m so sorry. I could not tell them anything. My brother was in an accident, and now we owe a million dollars for his treatment. I dont know what to do. I''m so lost."

    "Hey it''s ok. You will find a way. I just called to see how you were. I need to get to work now. Bye."

    His ending the call so abruptly left a bad taste in her mouth. Should he not have asked how Sam was doing? Or how she was holding up with all the additional information?

    Seeing the familiar metal gate getting closer, she felt a sense of relief. She had gotten to her safe place.

    Inside the house, everyone was in a state of panic. Sofia was missing. When they had gotten up, she was nowhere to be seen. Her clothes were there so she should not have gone too far, but they still worried about her. Everything she had heard the day before was not sweets and roses. It was stuff that left a mark on a person, and her having basically raised Sam in their place does not make it any easier, infact it makes it harder. She had thought him how to walk, and was there when he fell. And now that he in a wheelchair, she could not do anything to help.

    Right before Rose could call Sofia''s cellphone, she entered through the front door with slow hesitant steps. Her face pale and her eyes filled with tears.

    "Mom Dad. I dont know what to do. I tried to talk to Mr. King to get an extension but he wanted to go through with his deal only if we not have the ful amount. What do I do now? I dont want to go through the deal."

 CH 8

    The whole way home, Sofia had been trying to come up with a way to know the details of the ''Deal''. She had an idea of what the deal could possibly be with the way Mr. King was behaving with her. She did not want to be right and was hoping it was all her imagination. And by wording the sentence a certain way, it sounded as if she know what was going on.

    "There is nothing we can do. He wants you in this deal. We needed the money and this was the only way we could get it."

    "James McAne! What are you talking about? Why do I not know about this deal? You said he would take something. THING! My daughter is not a thing." scream Rose in a furious voice.

    "This is a dream. It has to be a dream. No this can''t be happening. No. No!" Sofia mumbled under her voice softly before screaming the last word. With each word her vision spun faster. All of a sudden her world turned black. Sofia slowly began to drop to the ground.

    ''Tack'' she was on the ground.

    All hell broke loose. Sofia was not the only one gone in shock. No one in the family had expected James to sell his daughter, especially Rose, who was expecting their house to be the thing they would lose.

    Their house might not be grand but it was located in the best part of town, with a private beach in their backyard. One of the reasons people would not help. Everyone wanted the house. Now that they were in need of money, they thought that they could get it for cheap.

    The last thing Rose had expected was to have sold their daughter. A daughter who was the apple of her eye. In a poor town, families selling their children was normal but she had not realized that her husband was like those deranged people. Buying and selling humans for his gain.

    Running to her fallen daughter, the first thing she did was lift Sofia''s head and place it on her lap, softly massaging it.

    "How could you do that? She''s your daughter. I didn''t expect you to be so deranged. You sold your daughter? No. Not your daughter, my daughter. You dont have the right to call her that anymore."

    "Sammy, dear could you call 911? You''re sister is starting to have a fever." she said in a trembling voice, trying to be as calm as possible. Someone needed to be clear headed in order to think things through.

    Within 10 minutes Sofia was in an ambulance headed to the nearest hospital.

 CH 9

    The emergency room was dead quite. No patients in sight. Sofia was quickly wheeled in and prescribed an IV.

    "There is no need to worry, the patient is just dehydrated and sleep deprived. Hopefully this does not happen more often as it can be damaging for her health. I just need to fill some forms and I will be back." informed one of the doctors on duty.

    While walking to the nursing station, a telephone on the table started to ring. Quickly picking it up, he answered, "Hello. This is the emergency ward. How can I help?...." his face turned pale and his pupils shrank, "Yes. Of course. I will get right to it."

    Putting the phone down, he slowly turned around and took a quick sneak peek at Sofia laying on the bed, breathing a sigh of relief, went back to her.

    "I thought about it and I feel it would be better if she stays here at night for observation. It is better to be safe then sorry, and this way we will be there to help if her fever gets worse in the next few hours."

    "So she is fine, right? No need to worry about anything?" asked Rose worryingly.

    "She is fine. I just want her to stay for in case of an emergency. Nothing else." Reassured the doctor.

    Rose felt a sense of relief. Her daughter would be fine, the doctors will take care of her. Now she could inform Sam, who was still worrying at home. She was about to call when the doctor continued.

    "You don''t have to be worried. We will look after her, so you can go home as you aren''t really needed her. She will not wake up for a couple of hours."

    Realizing the doctors point, she decided to go home. She wanted to cook something for when Sofia does wake up and get hungry.

    A few minutes after Rose had left the premises, a black Rolls Royce Phantom stopped in front of the hospital.

 CH 10

    Out came a male in his 30s wearing a black on black ensemble of the finest quality. The only pop of color was his white gold and diamond cufflinks. His whole outfit was contrasting with the white of the hospital.

    Walking to the reception, he took of his sunglasses. The receptionists fell into a daze. The young man was non other than Vincent King, the richest man in town.

    "Which room is Sofia in?"

    Looking it up, the oldest receptionist quickly answered him noticing the slight frown appearing on his face. And she had enough experience to know, who she should not be pissing off. "She is in VIP room 1. It is located on the top floor."

    On the top floor, Sofia was beginning to gain consciousness. For the first few minutes all she felt was an ache in her neck and a slight headache, she had hit her head during the fall.

    Just as she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Vincent entering the room. Beginning to panic, "What are you doing here?"

    "If I dont come here who will?" Vincent answered in sarcasm.

    "Even if you own me, do don''t have the right to come here now. I am still not yours for 2 months."

    "Aaa. So I take it you know about the deal now? If that is so, it makes it easier for me to talk to you."

    "I dont want to see you, rather than talk to you. you are a bastard for buying and selling people." Sofia screamed in anger.

    "A. A. A. That my dear is where you are wrong. I was not the person trying to buy you. I didn''t even know James had a daughter, let alone trying to buy her." Looking into her eyes, "I am a businessman my dear. I dont just give random people $2 million dollars without getting something in return. That would be a lose on my end. So, he offered and I excepted. Nothing more, nothing less."

 CH 11

    "What do you mean ''$2 Mil.. Mill.. Million''? We only borrowed $1 million." Sofia shuttered angrily yet become confused towards the end.

    "Aw. You poor baby. You don''t even know what''s happening around you, and your ready to take all the responsibilities on yourself. Do you never think about the reason your so poor when your dad earns good money. Or why only your brother was the one who got hurt in the ''drunk driving'' accident?"

    Each sentence of his was a cold bucket of water to her. Why had she never thought of that? Why did she never think of where all the money was going? Why was her mother always slaving away in order to keep them feed and clothed, with no room to breathe? The more she thought about it, the paler she got.

    Looking at her dazed state of mind, a predatory smile flashed on Vincent''s face and quickly disappeared. Slowly his mind started to plan for the future. ''Ah, she is so easy to mold and manipulate. So easily colored by my colors. Anything I tell her could become true with a little bit of effort in the future.'' All he needed to do was twist some truths to his favor and she would be eating out of his hands.

    "But why did he ask for $2 Million if Sam only needed 1 for his treatment?" Sofia asked in a soft vulnerable manner.

    "That is easy. Your father owed a million in gambling debt. That was the reason for Sam''s injury in the first place. And your mother is no saint, if that is what you believe. She knew all about this and still did nothing to help." Waiting for Sofia to look him in the eyes, he continued "Look she left you all alone in this hospital when you needed her the most. If I was not informed of your state, you would have been out in the streets. No one paid for your stay."

    "So why did you pay for me?"

 CH 12

    "Why would I pay for you now? Or why did I pay for you then?"

    Thinking for a better way to word it, she continued awkwardly, "Why did you buy me?"

    "Why would I buy you? Hmm. That is a good question. Let me ask you something." Waiting for her go ahead, he continued "What would you do if a man comes to you and says he is ready to sell his daughter to anyone who would give him $2 million? You could refuse his and feel responsible if she gets sold to some deranged man who could do anything. Or you could say yes and know she would be safe in your house. Which do you think I should have chosen?"

    He had thrown her a curve ball, a really sharp curve ball. What else should he have done if not this? Her mind started to spin.

    Noticing her dilemma, Vincent softly added, "I dont want you to think of me as the bad guy. I just did what I thought was best at that point in time. I had just had a kid and could not get where he was coming from, and you been only 18 made my decision easier. Thinking about my son, I did not want his to be in that situation, but if he ever was, then i would hope that someone would save him. I just did what i could hope someone would do for him."

    Hearing him out, Sofia felt stupid. How did she make such decisions about his character with no information? Thinking it through, she spoke "I''m sorry for the way I was behaving when you entered the room. I should not have said that. I''m sorry."

    "Now that everything is clear, let''s talk about your health. I would like to complete a full body check up for you." Sitting next to her, stroking her hand gently, "I know you''re healthy but just to be sure. After all I did pay for you. Now I wouldn''t want damaged goods, now would I?" he added jokingly to lighten the mood.

 CH 13

    Liking his new side, Sofia agreed

    "Sure"

    "Well then, let me go and talk to your doctor about some of the test that he will complete. Just relax for a minute and I will be back with the doctor."

    Having his back towards Sofia, Vincent''s eyes twinkled in delight. It was going according to plan. Now all he had to do was talk with the doctor and all was ready to go.

    As he exited the room, a man the same age as Vincent was waiting outside.

    "I want her out of it during the check up." Vincent smiled, "I want to check her out personally. I want to know everything about her. Her general and private health. I want to know everything."

    All the young man did was nod with a smirk. He was used to Vincent''s ways from a young age. Being best friends was a pain, Vincent was too demanding.

    Re-entering the room, Vincent introduced the doctor, "This is Dr. Chris, he is my personal doctor and he will be the one performing the check up."

    "Hello, Miss. McAne. My name is Chris and you will be under my care from now on words. Now before we start, I wanted to inform you that some of the test may be painful or embarrassing for you."

    "What do you mean ''Painful''? I dont want her in pain. Give her something to avoid the pain." said Vincent in a harsh voice.

    "Its ok. I can bare the pain." answered Sofia softly. she was used to pain, as she got hurt at lot during her childhood.

    "There is no discussion. I dont want her in pain and that is final."

    Hearing his words, Sofia noticed that everything Vinc... No Mr. King had done so far was all for her good. So she decided to follow his advice and nodded to show her consent.

    Seeing her agree with him, Vincent felt proud. She was already submissive towards him, just what he wanted.

 CH 14

    Having gained Sofia''s consent, Chris approached her IV Drip to inject the small dose of anesthesy.

    During this period, Vincent also approached her. Softly massaging her head, he smiled "I will be here the whole time so relax." seeing her getting high, he finally showed his real smile. Turning his head towards Chis, "You should get out, I will call you when I am done and then you can complete her check up."

    Chris having closed the door behind himself, Vincent began his actions. He slowly took her blue hospital gown off. Leaving her in her white lace underwear only.

    Taking a good look at her from top to bottom, he was happy. She had big breast, 34D to be exact, a tiny waist, plump hips and long smooth legs. The ideal body he wanted in a woman. She had the face of an angel but the body of a devil.

    Not being able to hold himself back, he slowly traced her body. Starting from the legs an up. Everything felt soft and smooth, but he was not happy with the extra cloth on her body. Wanting if off, he got into action. Having the last clothing item off her body, Sofia got small goosebumps. In her high state every sensation of hers was magnified, but it all felt like a dream. All she knew was that she was feeling good.

    Noticing her reactions to his touch, Vincent grew bolder. Looking at the newly naked bottom half of her body, his hand moved on his own. He lightly traced the outline of her lips before slowly pushing his index finger in. Every touch on her lower half gave rose to moans, each one louder than the last.

    Feeling resistant to his index finger, his smile grew. She was still a virgin. A little white rabbit ready to be eaten. After many tries, his finger finally entered her tiny hole. A sensation he wanted more of.

    An idea popped in his head. What he slowly gets her used to his touch and at one point she will be the one to come to him, herself. This idea was all he needed to continue with his plans.

    While his left hand was playing with her bottom half, his right hand was playing with her niples. Squeezing and pulling. Slowly as time passed, Vincent drew his hands away and French kissed her, pulling her jaw down to get access to the inside. Becoming satisfied, he dressed her back up and called Chris back in.

    "I see you did not go through with it." said Chris after taking a look inside. "Well anyways I need to complete a few tests and the we will wake her up." He wheeled her out of the room and in to a room full of medical machinery used for full body check ups.

    They were done in about half an hour, and were back in her room ready to wake her up.

 CH 15

    Having completed the medical tests and his own personal exam, Vincent was happy. She was still a virgin for him, meaning that no one had Tainted her. Not even her ''fianc¨¨''.

    Slowly waking up to a luxuriously comfortable bed, Sofia felt a little sore on her bottom half.

    Noticing her discomfort, Vincent asked, "What is wrong? Are you in Pain?"

    Opening her eyes, Sofia looked at Vincent and blushed. How was she to say to him her crotch was in pain? Why was she in pain down there anyway?

    Seeing her blush and confused look, Chris spoke "She must be in slight discomfort. I did give her a full body check up. This included her vaginal health. I had to insert a small wire in there, so it is irritated right now. There is nothing to worry about, you are still a virgin and the pain will fade away in an hour or two." Having said that, Vincent and Chris shared a look. "I have to go now but I will send the test results to Vincent when they are done. Have a good day Miss. McAne."

    Vincent and Sofia were left alone in the luxurious room. Hearing the doctor''s words, she felt self conscious. Her private information was out in the open now. Especially in front of a Vincent, a stranger who she was meeting for the second time.

    Taking pleasure in his handy work, Vincent asked in a worried voice "Are you in a lot of pain? Do you need pain medication?" Seeing her not say anything he continued "You know you can talk to me. I might be able to help you."

    Have her turn red in embarrassment, Vincent acted like he finally realized why she was so quiet. Giving her a slight smile "Ooo! Sorry! I should have realized earlier. Do you want me to leave?"

    Not wanting to be alone, she answered awkwardly trying to lighten up the mood, "No, you can stay. It''s ok, nothing to be ashamed of. I believe in sex after marriage."

    "Well tell me if the pain does not fade. I could get you pain medication."

    "En." Sofia sounded her agreement.

    Having the silence to think things through, Sofia found many questions she wanted clarified.

 CH 16

    "I know it''s a dumb question, but how did you know I was admitted to the hospital?"

    "Since you became my responsibility, all your information was delivered to me in case your dad re-sold you to someone else for extra money." looking at her softly "And I am glad I had thought of that or else you might have been in one of the brothels in town, as your father had tried it once."

    Hearing all the extra information, made her realize that she did not know her parents that well at all. How is she to believe in them from now onwards? She did not feel safe staying in that place anymore, nor did she feel safe keeping Sam in that house? Cause she was an adult and would be leaving the house in 2 months, but her 10 year old baby brother was still a baby.

    All she could think of were ways she would be able to protect him, it all included money which she did not have.

    Seeing Sofia thinking hard, he softly asked "What are you thinking so hard about?"

    "I want to work. Hopefully in my field of studies, but to do that I would have to leave town. And everything else I''m good at is not really needed in this town. I dont want to leave town." answered Sofia dejectedly. All of her options were leading her out of town, and that way she would not be able to help her brother out when he needs it the most.

    "What else are you good at? I might be able to help."

    "I''m good with kids. I did basically raise my brother."

    "Well then, that makes it easy. I have a 2 year old son who needs a female in his life. His mother died during childbirth and every other female wants to get into my pants so not really comfortable with leaving him in their care. Would you like the job? It would pay well and all your amenities will be covered, that way you can spend all your money as you see fit."

    An appealing offer was on the table, all she needed to do was say yes and she would be able to take care of her brother. Thinking it through once again, Sofia was completely on board.

    And right where he wanted her...

 CH 17

    Sofia was a simple person and Vincent knew it too. Knowing her type, he knew when she verbally agreed to something it means she would go through with it, and that is all he wanted. Everything else was in the details.

    Being a successful businessman, Vincent knew how to word everything to go his way. And the rest would depend on the written and signed contract, getting her to miss a few key points would be a piece of cake.

    Having gotten her verbal consent, Vincent was satisfied. Now all he needed to do was wait and the pray would be in the trap. The pieces were in place, all that was left was the waiting game. A game he was good at.

    "When do you want me to start working for you? And would your son like me?" Finding a job so quickly was not easy, she did not want it to slip out of her fingers.

    "You can start whenever you feel better. I dont want you to get worse."

    "I can start on Monday." it was currently Saturday and by starting earlier, she could earn more money.

    Seeing her eagerness to move in with him, Vincent got a much more satisfying result playing the ''Saint'' rather then his usual ''Devilness''.

    "Hmm. I think it would be better to pack your stuff tomorrow and around 7pm I''ll send a car to pick you up and that way you will have the night to unpack and familiarize yourself surroundings."

    Letting her choose the time she wanted to start her work was nothing but the illusion of free choice. By planting the seed of doubt in her mind before hand, he was indirectly telling her to leave that house as soon as possible. And by not giving her the opportunity to rethink her decision, he was helping the seed grow unconsciously.

    Now that his plan was in motion, all that was left to do was to get her to sign the contract and all her escape routes would vanish. After all, James McAne had no legal rights to sell the adult Sofia to anyone without her actually signing the contract, herself. So in other words, the $2 million was given to James in order to blind them from the truth. Like an expensive Vail, one can see through it but not clearly.

 CH 18

    Sofia had a good night of sleep after Vincent left for the day. She was happy to have found a good job near her brother. It was a good paying and natured job, where people would not talk about her behind her back.

    She also did not have many personal belongings to pack as she had not unpacked from her resent trip. It may have looked as if a lifetime ago she came back home, but it had only been a day. She had landed on Friday evening and arrived at the hospital Saturday afternoon. Now leaving the hospital Sunday morning, it had only been 3 days.

    She did not want to leave Sammy so quickly, but in other to provide and protect him she chose to come to this decision. Now she only had to make him understand her decision and all would be well.

    Arriving home did not have the feeling of home anymore to her. It felt like the only person she knew there was her brother only. Going to him, she sat down and looked at him for a minute. Deciding how to break the news. after much hesitation, "Sammy? How are you doing?... Are you angry with elder sister because she was not with you these past 2 years?"

    "I am good. And no I''m not angry with you. I''m happy that you got to do what you wanted."

    Smiling softly, Sofia came to the main point, "Will you be angry with sister if she lives somewhere else for work?" He nodded his head ''no''. "So is it ok if sister goes away tonight? But dont worry, I will see you every week and you can call me every day."

    "It is ok if sister is not with me every day, we can talk on the phone and we can meet each other so dont worry. I will be Ok." Sam was behaving like an adult, trying to be understanding and not making others worry about him.

    Noticing his behavior, Sofia continued "Its good that you are understanding, but you have to call me when your not feeling well or you just want to talk. No holding back. Ok?" giving his a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

 CH 19

    At 7 PM, a black Rolls Royce Phantom arrived in front of Sofia''s house, out from it came a man in his fortes wearing a black driver''s outfit. Ringing the door bell, he waited patiently.

    Opening the door was non other than Rose. Noticing the outfit and the car behind the man at the door, she felt confused. "What can I help you with?"

    The answer came monotonous " I have been sent by Master to pick up Miss. Sofia McAne. Could you tell her the car has arrived? If she gets there late, Master will not be happy."

    The answer she got made her only more confused. Who could the ''Master'' be, and why would he send a car to pick Sofia up?

    Going into the house to call Sofia, all Rose could think about was how Sofia had spent the whole day home in a room with Sam alone. Had something happened. "Sofia. There is a man outside here with a car, saying he is here to pick you up."

    As her sentence was finished, the door to Sam''s room opened and out came Sofia in a dark green halter neck, lower mid thigh dress. And with her was her luggage and a white handbag.

    "Well then it is time for me to leave." Turning around and looking into the room she came out of, she said, "Sammy take care of yourself and call me whenever. I have to leave now but will see you on Saturday. Bye."

    Sofia went out of the house without talking to anyone else. It was as if she had not seen anyone else present in the house except for Sam. The only one in the family who new what was happening was Sam only. And even he was not allowed to tell anyone about it, not even his mom. Sofia did not want to see them anymore. They had sold her to a stranger. The only redeeming point was that Mr. King was not a pervert and was a good person. Or else what would she have done?

    Sitting in the car, she asked the driver "How is it working at King Mansion?" This was her first time staying at the place she would be working. And the job was to take care of a 2 year old baby boy. That was all she knew, only at this moment did she realize that she did not know anything else about her job. how much she would be paid or what her working hours would be.

    She had reached her destination. The only difference this time was that this would be her home from now onwards. Her last visit had not been the best experience. She had only seen two room, living room and the dining room, both of which looked amazing.

 CH 20

    Entering the Mansion, Sofia first saw Vincent sitting on the main loveseat in the living reading from a table. Across from him was a tiny carbon copy of his staring at a phone in his hands. Her entrance was only noticed by Vincent who looked at her and nodded.

    She did not know what to call him, Master like everyone else or just Mr. King. Going with the best option, "Mr. King." After calling him, she did not know what to say to him.

    "I see you have arrived. Well let me introduce you to Johnathan, my son. He is 2 almost 3 in 2 months. We will be going to my farmhouse for his birthday." looking at his son, "Johnathan, come here." The tiny head looked up, put the phone on the table and walked towords them with his tiny legs.

    Looking at his son, Vincent said "Meet Sofia, she will taking care of you from now onwards. Be good and listen to her."

    Back to talking with Sofia, "For now you can get settled in and you can start your job from tomorrow. Come I''ll show you to your room." Looking for her bags she looked around trying to take them with her. "Don''t worry about your bags. They have already taken them to your room. Lets go."

    They started their tour from the ground floor; the living room, the grand open concept kitchen, the majestic dining room, a multi-level library and a state of the art gym. The second floor had 5 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. The third and final floor had 3 bedrooms and 2 fully stocked offices.

    Their tour ended on the top floor. The place where Vincent and Johnathan''s rooms were. The room she got was the one in front of and next to, Vincent''s and Johnathan''s respectfully.

    "My room will be on the top floor?" Sofia stuttered. "Would that be ok? I mean I work for you, so shouldn''t I be with the other workers?"

    "I need you to be near Johnathan at night to take care of him. Not across the compound."

    Opening the dark brown wooden door, the inside of the room came into view. Beige walls with caramel accents, the furniture was all caramel wood. The bed had beige covers with dark brown and caramel decorative pillows.

 CH 21

    Sofia had fallen in love with the bedroom. It was exactly like her dream room, a king size bed with side tables on both sides and a minimalistic dressing table. Exploring the room was a treat. It had a huge walk-in closet with her possessions already unpacked. The only depressing part were her clothes, they did not even fill up 1/4 of the closet space.

    Having completed her mini tour, Sofia was in awe. Every room in the house looked like it belonged in an interior design magazine.

    "We will be having dinner at 9 PM tonight. So get freshened up and come down stairs."

    Having forgotten that Vincent was still present, Sofia got startled at the sudden voice from behind her, within the room.

    "I''ll be down within 20 minutes. Thank you for the room. I really like it." Turning around towards Vincent, she spoke softly.

    Being left alone, she let out a small excited squeal. Walking into the closet, her items were organized by type and within that by colour. Finding things was very easy, she chose a white full length, sleeveless dress. The eye grabbing point of the dress was that it had a sheer back and a slit till the mid thigh. She had designed this dress for an assignment during her first year. And had not had an opportunity to wear it, seeing how everyone was dressed nicely when she arrived, she chose this dress in order to blend in.

    The bathroom was as huge as the closet. it had a white bathtub, marble jacuzzi, a rainfall shower and a his and her''s sink. It also had a full length mirror facing the shower.

    Taking a quick shower, she had already planned to take a dip in the jacuzzi one of those days. As she had a deadline for dinner she could not take a relaxing bath, so she was done in 10 minutes. The leftover time was spent drying up and changing into her clothes.

    Right at 8:45 PM, there was a knock on her door and a soft voice, "Ma''am, it is almost time for dinner. Master has sent me to call you down."

 CH 22

    Arriving at the dinner table, there was only space for three people. Sofia was not sure what was happening.

    Noticing the hesitation on her face, Vincent called her over, "Come on in. Dinner will be served any minute now."

    "Should I be sitting with you both? I can go eat with everyone else." She was trying to find her place in all of this.

    She came there as a worker, but she was not being treated that way at all. She was feeling weird.

    "Don''t make me say it twice. Come and sit. Food is ready." This was the first time he had gotten angry with her. Every other time, he was sweet.

    Looking from Vincent to John, who was looking at them both, she thought ''Ah, he does not want to lose his authority in front of his son.''

    The minute she sat down, the food was wheeled in. It was delivered in parts, first it was a light seafood soup, followed by a salad, next was stake with red wine for the adults and juice for John. It was all ended with a chocolate molten lava cake. It was all 5 star food. She had never had food this good before.

    "I need to finish some work. So help Johnathan wash up and get him ready for bed."

    The order had arrived, and the schedule made. But it was good for her. This way she could get to know John as well. As she had not talked to him when she had arrived.

    Taking Jonathan''s hand, they started to make their up to his room. Looking at him she started a conversation to break the ice.

    "Hi Johnathan. Nice to meet you. My name is Sofia McAne and I will be taking care of you from now onwards."

 CH 23

    Vincent had waited the whole day for Sofia to come. This was the first time he had brought his work out of the office, and it was all in order to see her as soon as she arrived.

    At 7:30 when the front door opened, he knew she had come. The short green dress looked Divine on her. The only drawback was that he could not touch her.

    The highlight of his was his tour of the house with Sofia. It was the first time they were alone together. The time at the hospital did not count, most of the time she was unconscious and stuck in a bed sick.

    During the whole tour all he could see were her expressions. Sometimes happy others in shock. The moment she was the happiest was when they had arrived at her room. She was a little hesitant to accept the room on the top floor with the ''Master and Young Master''. But how could he let her sleep far from him when she was finally within his territory.

    He was happy that his choice of colour and design for the room was liked by her, as he had personally did it all. The best part of it all was that he could see her everyday from now onwards.

    As he was observing Sofia''s actions, he noticed her depressed state when she entered the walk in closet. As he looked over it, he noticed why she got sad, it was empty.

    Not wanting her to dwell on this point for to long, he interrupted the silence, "We will be having dinner at 9 PM tonight. So get freshened up and come down stairs."

    He left her room after that.

    At the dinner table Vincent got his biggest shock. Sofia was in a white sleeveless dress that had a slit till her mid thigh. Every step forward would reveal her white toned hairless legs. Sometimes it would even ride up revealing her whole left thigh. The cherry on the top was the sheer back of the dress that he could see in a mirror located behind her.

    He could not enjoy the dinner as his attention was all on her. Not being able to withstand it any longer, he went to his office to cool off alittle.

 CH 24

    The whole way up Johnathan had not said a word to her in reply to her many questions. She was starting to believe he did not like her.

    "Johnathan. Dear? Is something wrong? Did I do something?"

    The more she waited for him to say something the more dejected she felt. Her beliefs were being proven correct.

    The silence was broken when a broken sentence was spoken. "Daddy... not here."

    She finally realized that it was not that he did not like her, but that he did not trust her yet. This was the first time Johnathan was left alone with her as well as the first time they were meeting. Having realized that, Sofia came up with a plan.

    "Dear. Let''s get you ready for bed and then I''ll go call daddy to tuck you in bed. Is that ok with you?"

    Having come to a compromise, they started process of washing up. It was a fun time. Johnathan had started to talk to her on his own accord. "Daddy says we go farmhouse my birthday. We horse ride. He say I have horse."

    She could see that his 3rd birthday was a big deal for him. He had already planned everything, Eating cake, opening gifts and riding his own horse. With the way he was talking, she could tell Johnathan was loved by his father.

    By the time Johnathan was ready for bed, it had already been a hour since they went into the bathroom. The time had passed in a blink of an eye, and she had come to love his innocence, and did not want him to grow up.

    The whole time he was playing with his rubber ducks. Making up fairytales and acting it out with his toys. The whole thing was a treat for her. She had finally learned what other parents were feeling seeing their children grow up.

    Getting Johnathan into bed, Sofia made her way to Vincent''s office. The door was slightly open, and the sound of punting could be heard. thinking ''Is he ok?'', She quickly entered the room.

    Vincent was sitting on the couch, face turned up to the ceiling with his eyes closed punting. The minute she looked at his body, her brain stopped working. His hand hand was pumping his private area.

    Realizing what was happening, she let out a scream, "Ahhh!!" before turning around. "I''m so sorry. I did not mean to intrude. Johnathan wanted you to tuck him into bed."

 CH 25

    Running out of the room, Sofia''s face turned scarlet. She had never been in such a situation before. She was never the open minded type of person, so even during her relationship with Ben, they had not talked about such simulating topics.

    Experiencing such a scene, she did not know how to react. She could still not process it completely. As she was running away, she quickly reached Johnathan''s room.

    Entering through the open door, he was sitting on his bed ready for his dad. Not knowing when Vincent would be there she tried to stall, "So Daddy will be here soon." Her face turned a brighter shade of red at the mention of the word ''Daddy''. "Till then do you want me to read you a book?"

    Looking at her for a while, till he thought it through, Johnathan finally answered "Jack."

    "Jack who?" asked Sofia in confusion. Trying to look around her to see if some ''Jack'' had entered the room and he was not talking to her.

    Not being able to wait any longer, Johnathan removed his blanket from over himself and slowly got off the bed. The whole time Sofia was not aware of what was happening. Seeing him go to his mini bookshelf, filled with books, he was getting a book. Climbing back into place he gave her the book, and waited.

    The Jack he had mentioned was non other than ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' a story book she was very familiar with. It was a book she had read to Sam many times as he was growing up.

    Knowing the story from the back of her mind, she began her story telling like a professional storyteller. Every sentence was read in an engaging manner, not a single moment was boring. Johnathan was holding his blanket throughout the story, moving it up during suspense moments and down when he felt relieved. The rollercoaster ride left him exhausted. The minute she finished telling the story, Johnathan was fast asleep with the blanket still clinched in his fists.

    Tucking him in properly, she slowly left the room closing the door silently behind herself. Being in her bubble, she did not notice Vincent outside the room. Turning around she hit a hard wall, she lost her footing before losing her balance as well. Before hitting the ground, two warm hands held her up.

    Looking up, it was non other than Vincent. Seeing him reminded her of the scene in the office, where his hands where preoccupied by other things. And now those same hands were holding her.

 CH 26

    Sofia''s mind travelled miles per second. How was she to react in this situation? How could she make it less awkward for herself? Even with all the traveling, she could not come up with anything.

    Coming back to the present, she noticed their positions, Vincent was almost carrying her in his arms. The only difference was that her legs were still on the ground and not in the air.

    Quickly getting to her feet, blushing, she took a couple of steps back bumping into the door behind. The bump completely woke her up.

    "Thank you for catching me... I am not like this normally." she mumbled the last bit under her breath, not expecting him to hear.

    "Not like what?" Vincent asked in curiosity.

    "Bumping into things and falling down as a result." Her response was unconscious. She still did not get that he had heard her and was also talking to her.

    She was completely out of it. The scene from earlier was not going away. It was only getting more vivid. Shaking her head, Sofia finally got the image out of her head.

    "Johnathan is asleep. So I will also go to my room and get ready for bed. Good night." Saying anything to get away from Vincent, Sofia escaped to her room before he could answer her.

    Vincent was able to read her like an open book. From the minute she entered his office, he knew she would not be able to forget what see saw. And this accident turned out to be an opportunity for him to get her used to these situations happening more frequently.

    The gears were turning in his mind. Ways to get her to open up to him and lead her exactly where he wanted her.

    In his life permanently.

    ........

    Inside Sofia''s room, the lights were off but the person inside was wide awake. Even though Sofia had talked to Vincent normally on the surface, her mind was in a panic.

    She did not know why she was constantly thinking about him. How he felt, if it was pleasurable or painful. Because his face glowing but his body tensed.

    No matter how hard she tried, she could not fall asleep. Twisting and turning in bed for 20 minutes, she finally gave up trying. Deciding to go to the kitchen for a class of water, she slowly exited her room and traveled down 2 flights of stairs to reach her destination.

    She was not alone in there. Someone was sitting at the breakfast table with the lights drinking something with his back towards her.

 CH 27

    Entering the kitchen, Sofia quietly asked "Hello?..... Who is there?" Trying to know if it was ok for her to be there at this time of the night.

    The person in the dark slowly moved his body to the side, while turning his head completely towards her. The position was good to see his face but the only downside to it was that it was too dark. She could not see his face at all, he was covered in darkness. Asking again to maybe get an answer, "Who is there?... Is it ok for me to get something to drink?"

    The person did not answer her. He slowly got out of his seat, walked to the fridge took out to bottles, walked to the shelves and took a cup. Taking both items back to his seat, he emptied the bottles into 2 cups. Picking one of them he walked towords her slowly.

    10 steps before reaching Sofia, the person came into the light. His identity finally revealed. It was non other than Vincent King, and in his hand was a cup of clear liquid. It looked like water, and it had a piece of yellow lemon inside.

    Offering the cup to her he said, "I did not expect you to be awake. Having a hard time falling asleep? Take this lemon water, it might help you sleep."

    Taking the drink in gratitude, she took a small sip. It had a slight acidic ting. Looking at him in question. "It is acidic."

    "That would be the lemon inside the cup." he replied calmly.

    Drinking the last bit of the water, she kept the cup in the sink and made her way slowly out of the kitchen. Reaching the door she looked back at Vincent and said a quiet "Good night."

    As her head touched the pillow, she was already in dreamland. The drink did its trick. She had fallen asleep.

    Not every darkness leads to light at the end of the tunnel. Some lead to even darker times. And her coming days might look like the light at the end of the tunnel, but it was all an optical illusion.

    The work of a hidden devil.

 CH 28

    Vincent had not taken offense of Sofia''s abrupt departure, he knew what would happen after she had drunk the lemon juice. After all he was the one who made it, a mixture of water and vodka. The lemon piece was nothing but a distraction from the actual taste.

    Someone with low tolerance to alcohol would fall asleep after some sips. And Sofia had not even touched alcohol before in her life. Getting her drunk was as easy as ABC.

    Sitting back on his seat, Vincent continued to drink in the dark. The only reason he was sitting there in the first place was to wait for Sofia. He would never had sat in the uncomfortable kitchen chair when he had comfortable cushion seats in his office with ready supply of his favorite alcoholic drinks.

    His calculations were on point. It was her first night in this house and to top it of she also saw him masturbating in his office by mistake. Both of them added together, she would have had a hard time falling asleep and that is something he did not want to happen.

    The only times he could get near and touch her was when she was sleeping, and her being awake was not in his favor.

    He slowly finished his drink as he was in deep thought. The following few steps in his plan were crucial to success. If something goes wrong then everything would be finished.

    He made his way up the stairs quietly. His whole journey was filled with plans of the future, things that should be done for success. As he reached Sofia''s bedroom, he noticed her door was not fully closed. This made it much easier for him to enter her room.

    Entering her room, the view was breathtaking. There she lay on the bed without covers on her slim and sexy body.

    Tonight she was wearing a white almost see through over the clothes night gown that was kimono style. The actual pajamas underneath would not be considered pajamas at all, they would be called lingerie. The dress was long enough to just cover the private areas, the neck was hanging low on her braless chest.

    When he had seen her in the kitchen before, he could not have imagined what lay underneath the kimono, but now that he had seen, if was impossible to forget.

    Not being able to control himself, Vincent traced the out line of Sofia''s face lightly. This light innocent touch only ignited his passion to a new level. He still had enough patience and self control to not go too far, but this ment that he traced and memorized her body like the back of his hand.

 CH 29

    A week had passed since Sofia started living and working at the King''s mansion. She had gotten into a routine of waking up at 6 am. It followed by washing up, herself and Johnathan, and getting ready by 6:45 to be at the dinning table to have Breakfast with Vincent before he left for work.

    After breakfast, Sofia would sit down and go over the alphabets and numbers with Johnathan as songs and games. This followed by Snacks and then full on games.

    Today had marked the start of a new week meaning it was Monday again. And today Vincent was home as he had been busy with work during the weekend and it was a way to spend time with his son. This ment that Sofia was free for the day, and what better way to spend the summer than to go and relax by the pool read a book and soak in the sunrays.

    At exactly 6 am, Sofia felt someone touching her face. Slowly opening her eyes she saw two beautiful green eyes. It belonged to none other than Johnathan. He was fulfilling his duties of showing love to Sofia in his own way, by waking her up with kisses, the way his dad showed love for him.

    "Good morning sunshine." spoke Sofia in a soft and loving voice while breaking into a smile. This had become the highlight of the day her her this past week. She was falling in love with his innocence and whenever she had free time, she could not help but imagine her future children behaving like him and not being able to wait for that time.

    Even though it was her day off, Sofia did not want to break routine so she took Johnathan back to his room and gave him a bath. His bath did not take so long only ten minutes as he was so tiny.

    They were ready and at the dinning table by 6:45 am to start their day. Entering the room her eyes went straight to Vincent at the head of the table. It was the first time she was seeing him in casual clothing, normally he would be in formal suits ready for work. It was a good surprise.

    "Good morning. I see he went and distributed you on your day off." Vincent was the first one to start up a conversation. "Sorry for that. I tried to stop him but .... you know how he is."

    Knowing what he ment, Sofia smiled and took Johnathan to the table to eat breakfast. Arriving at their seats, "Good morning to you too. And it''s ok. It was no trouble, I love his kisses too." looking down at Johnathan, she leaned over him and gave him a quick kiss on his head full of golden hair.

 CH 30

    Breakfast went as usual, Johnathan was eating and talking to Vincent about what he wanted to do with him all day.

    "Daddy, we swim, I go in water.... We eat icecream." He sounded very cute as he could not pronounce the r''s well enough. The whole time the adults were smiling as Johnathan was in his own world planning his day.

    Today they had stayed in the dinning room longer then usual. They were still there when the clock ticked 8am, they had been eating for the past one hour. The reason was none other than Vincent, he had created a rule to stay at the table until everyone was done eating. Sofia had loved this rule when she had heard of it for the first time. She had grown up in a family where she was responsible for her younger sibling, she was the one making food and the one feeding it, this was all because the adults were not home so she was eating after her brother had finished eating. This rule ment that she could experience the pleasure of eating with others.

    After everyone was done eating, Sofia took her leave as she went to her room. She had alot planned for the day, from hair removal to cleaning her room to finally relaxing out in the sun.

    Her plans did not go in order as Jasmine, the maid she had gotten close to this past week, had not finished her current duty and would take a few more minutes. Jasmine was 24 years old. She had come from the capital with Vincent when he moved in. One thing she noticed was that all the workers in the mansion were not from her town, they had all moved in with Vincent and Johnathan 2 years back.

    Not wanting to waste any time, she got into the zone and began cleaning and organizing her vanity table. She had many beauty products but most of it was creams and serum to keep her skin healthy rather than makeup products to cover up imperfections. She liked to keep her skin clean and healthy and this lead to no makeup for her. The only times she had done makeup was when she had gone to interviews or parties in France.

    As soon as she was done cleaning up, the door to her room opened and in came a young woman in a maid''s outfit. She was none other than Jasmine, Sofia''s friend in the house.

    "Sorry. Sorry. The people in the kitchen were too slow cleaning up after breakfast and were to slow deciding what to make for lunch." Jasmine was a bubbly personality, she could talk for ages if people let her. Sofia on the other hand was quite. They were a match made in heaven.

    "Now then let''s get you ready for the sun and Vincent."

 CH 31

    Sofia was taking a bath in the washroom while Jasmine was still in the bedroom preparing clothes for her time in the backyard. Coming out the bathroom, Sofia was wrapped in a white fluffy towel like a present with her hair dripping wet.

    Small drops of water could be seen slowly traveling down her neck to her collar bone then down her chest and finally entering the towel into the creak sensually.

    Jasmine even while being straight was put into a trance when Sofia existed into the room. She knew that Sofia was beautiful inside and out when she got close to her, but at this moment she finally realized why her boss was so crazy about her. Why right before Sofia started ''Working'', Mr. King warned all the workers to treat her as the future Mistress of the mansion but not out right so she did not get scared away.

    Being the youngest of the workers, Jasmine was chosen to be Sofia''s personal maid/ assistant. And her job was to take care of her daily needs indiscretion. And today was the most important day for her, she had the duty to dress Sofia in swimwear for her time outside.

    Noticing Jasmine in a daze while staring at her, Sofia called out to her. "Jasmine.... Jasmine.... Jasmine!"

    She finally heard her, "What are you doing in my room? Did you need something?" Sofia was confused. She remembered telling Jasmine that she was going to take a bath. But why was she still in the room?

    "Well I am here to help you pick out clothes and then we go outside." answered Jasmine in an innocent tone.

    Looking at the pieces of clothing on the bed, Sofia''s face developed a slight frown as she got even more confused. It looked like a very revealing bikini from where she could see. "Oookkyyyy? So where are the clothes?"

    With a mischievous look, Sofia''s eyes were directed towards the bed where the bikini lay. It was a two piece baby pink triangle bikini. She knew full well that Sofia had no Bikinis in her wardrobe, as she was the one who organized her closet the first night. So Jasmine being Jasmine, went and got it from a hidden stack of clothing Vincent had bought for Sofia.

    "You want me to wear underwear only outside?"

    "Noooo. I want you to wear a bikini. We are going to the pool area to relax so it is better to dress for the occasion." Jasmine replied.

 CH 32

    "So you expect me to follow the saying ''When in Rome, do as the Romans do''?"

    Looking at the Swimwear, Sofia had a bad feeling, like something was going to happen. Under Jasmine''s persuasion, she was convinced to wear it. But not feeling to comfortable in the bikini alone, Sofia decided to wear a long white sheer wrap over it to cover up alittle.

    Looking at Sofia in the mirror, Jasmine saw an angel. She was wearing the wrap in hopes of covering more skin, but it only lead to her looking sexier. The baby pink triangle bikini top was holding her chest snugly creating the a bounce with every step.

    The look overall was one Jasmine could be proud as she had dried and styled Sofia''s hair in loose curls. She had completed her duty and it was now time for her work to be seen and appreciated her boss.

    Sofia''s plan for relaxation was to read a book while laying in the sun. This plan did not include going in the water at all. Following her ''to do list'', her first destination was the multi level library on the ground floor where she collected a fantasy novel. The second stop was the kitchen from where she got a large cup of mango juice, and she was ready for the sun.

    Exiting the House Sofia found herself on a balcony looking over a lush green garden filled with different types and colors of flowers. As she slowly got down the stairs her view was blocked by a majestic marble water fountain. Going around the fountain, the garden came into view, she walked through it to the area where the pool was located.

    Even before she entered the area, she could hear laughter. A high pitched voice which she recognized as Johnathan and the second one was a deep throat laughter that she had not heard of before. As she got closer to the voices, the person in question came into view.

    Johnathan was in the pool with floaties on both arms enjoying himself playing tag. He was the ''It'' and trying to swim towards his father. Vincent on the other hand was slowly walking backwards away from him. These actions lead to laughter when Johnathan got close to Vincent and got tickled instead of passing on the turn.

    She put down her cup of juice and book by one of the pool chairs. She looked at the pool again to take in the amazing scene.

    Getting lost in the moment, Sofia did not notice her position right in front of the pool. She was looking at the father son duo playing together harmoniously. She was lost in her thoughts.

    Out of nowhere, she felt a tug and her world spun, her view changed to come face to face with the water.

 CH 33

    The pool had two ends, one shallow and the other deep. Only one of which was being used, Vincent and Johnathan were playing in the deep end. A location one would not expect a two year old to be playing in. Johnathan had been thought to swim without his feet touching the ground.

    Sofia had been standing near the deepest section of the water unknowingly, where the depth of the pool was 18 ft. She was standing right at the edge as well where even the lightest imbalance could lead to a fall. Now add on to it a pull downwards and it was the perfect recipe for disaster.

    Johnathan had noticed Sofia coming towards them the minute she entered the pool area. He was expecting her to join them but when she stopped right at the edge, he called out to her. "Auntie. Auntie Sofia." No calling would get her attention, so the next round included a slight pull of her bikini cover up in order to obtain a reaction.

    Sofia falling into the pool happened in slow motion for both the victim and the culprit. The worst way to fall into water was going face first. That was the first lesson Johnathan had been thought, and experiencing it multiple times himself on top of it had conformed that point.

    ....

    Sofia had been in her own world. Coming back to the real world was nothing short of a nightmare. She was falling into the water face first. No matter what command her brain tried deliver, her body was not listening, she had gone into shock.

    Having a private beach in your backyard, one would be expected to know how to swim. But in Sofia''s case, she was thought how to swim but had not stepped a foot in a pool of the ocean after the age of 10.

    The closer she got to the waters surface, the darker everything in her view became. She was loosing consciousness, traveling to her past trauma.

    She thrashing inside an invisible prison, air being sucked out of her lungs and in its place salty seawater gushed in. Every breath short and agonizingly painful, with each intake the pain grew. As her vision darkened, the pain in her chest was becoming unbearable. Thrusting her limbs in hope of reaching the surface, for all she knew she was dragging herself deeper in. As the last of her strength gave way, she knew that was it for her, there was no way she could get herself out of this situation.

    At the end of the memory, right before everything turned black, she felt a warm touch on her body. Dragging out of the dark and lonely prison, and into the light.

    With her vision hazy, she saw a dark stiletto before her due to the bright sunlight located behind it. Right before everything turned dark again, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

    "Sofia!"

 CH 34

    It was his first time taking a weekday off from work. Even when he had been sick, he still went to work as there were many people working for him who depended on him. Today he took off only to spend time with his son, as he did not want his son to feel unwanted by his lack of attention during the past couple of busy days.

    Breakfast had been fun, he got to see his son eating food by himself. And the schedule for the day had also been decided by his son with great delight. The first thing on the list was swimming, it had been getting too hot outside these past couple of summer days and it was much safer to swim in the morning rather then in the evening.

    Vincent had gotten Johnathan and himself in their swimwear, he had worn black water proof shorts with his chest bear, and Johnathan adorned a cute dark blue swimming shorts and matching floaties on both arms.

    He had been teaching his son how to swim for the past year now, and he was now able to take him in the deep end without the fear of him drowning.

    Vincent carried Johnathan''s tiny figure in his arms towards the back yard. He wanted Johnathan to have fun swimming not waste all his energy on the way to the pool. On the way out, he saw Jessica making her way towards the staircase on the way to Sofia''s room. Stopping her on the stairs he called out, "Jessica."

    Startled by his presence, her heart skipped a beat. She turned around to face him and responded nervously in a squeaky voice,

    "Yes Master?"

    "Do you know what Sofia plans to do for the whole day today?"

    Vincent did not usually talk to the regular staff, his way of communication was by letting the head of staff deliver his commands. She had gotten scared when he called out her name. The only time he had called out a worker''s name was when the person in question had stolen an expensive item from the house. So when he called her name, she almost had a heart attack thinking ''Had she done something wrong?''

    Having heard his question, she finally calmed down realizing that the Master would talk more to her directly. She was the madam''s personal maid after all. She was no longer a regular worker, she had a post almost equal to the head butler now.

    "Madam plans to spend her time out side reading in the sun."

    "Hmm" taking a break to think, "Get her to change into swimwear and come to the poolside." with the flick of his wrist he gave her a ''go away'' gesture.

    With Jasmine leaving for Sofia''s room, Vincent made his way out to the backyard with Johnathan in his arms.

 CH 35

    Half way into the back garden on the way to the pool, Johnathan could not hide his excitement anymore. His face broke out into a dazzling smile.

    Turning his head towards Vincent, he asked the question he wanted clarification on.

    "Daddy, Auntie Sofia join us swim?"

    Looking at his brightly smiling faced son, Vincent answered him in a low voice.

    "You will have to ask auntie that when she comes over."

    He did not want to give his son a definite answer, as he was not sure if she would enter or not. It was best to leave her to answer him herself. This way he would not be laying to his son.

    This topic had come to a close and they had also reached their destination. the minute his feet touched the ground, Johnathan bolted into the pool with a big splash creating ripples on the water''s surface.

    They had been swimming for almost an hour when Johnathan all of a sudden came towards him in order to play a prank on him. But with his tiny hands and almost nonexistent strength compared to an adult Male, Johnathan''s became the one on the receiving end of the tickling prank.

    They were busy laughing and having fun when a person slowly entered into Vincent''s peripheral vision. That person was none other than Sofia in her pink two piece bikini, white sheer cover up and white sandals. He was looking at her unnoticeablely from her end.

    Johnathan was no better. He could not take his eyes off her, she looked like an angel to him. Wanting her attention on him, he called out to her.

    "Auntie. Auntie. Auntie Sofia." none of his calls were answered. Feeling frustrated, Johnathan moved closer to her and slightly pulled her cover up to get her attention. It was not a very good idea. With a slight pull, Sofia lost her balance and when toppling into the water face first.

    The two members of audience were left in shock. Before Vincent could do anything, Sofia was already in the water. Seeing her not come out of the water, Vincent got into action immediately. Diving under the water, he made his way to her. She was still in the same position as when she fell in, and that was an indication of her having fainted.

    Quickly getting her out of the water and onto the ground beside the pool, He called out to her in hopes of her waking up. She did open her eyes for a quick second, but they were closed again.

    Not wanting to close her, he started with CPR procedure. Turning her head to the side he slowly pressed on her stomach to get most of the water out. When most of it was out, he started with the mouth to mouth resuscitation in a quick and professional manner. Before teaching his son how to swim, he had gotten his CPR certification for in case of an emergency. This training had come in handy.

    This was the only time he was not happy to be kissing her. He did not want to do it in this type of situation, he wanted her safe and sound when he kissed her.

 CH 36

    Johnathan had been having the time of his life that day. His father was spending the whole day with him and auntie Sofia was also going to be present. It was like his family was complete; a father, a mother and their baby.

    Since the time he could remember he was raised by the maids. They were nice to him but none of them could give him the maternal love he wanted. He got what he wanted only when auntie Sofia had entered his life. It was like she was his mother all along. He had that love, respect and trust in her that he believed was between a mother and her son.

    Being the kid he was, he wanted everything to go his way. This ment that when he called out to auntie Sofia, he wanted her to pay attention to him. This natural mentality of his was what lead to the traumatizing event at the pool he believed. He could only seem to replay the fall in his mind over and over again. Each time he would get scared even more.

    What if Daddy was not there to save her on time? Did that mean that he did not deserve a mother in his life and that was why Auntie Sofia had almost died too because of him?

    Was he a bad boy?

    Johnathan could not stop looking and being near Sofia. It was an unconscious action that showed how much he depended on her. How even though he thought it was his fault, he still could not distance himself from her.

    The whole way back to the house he did not say a word out loud. He followed Sofia, who was in his father''s arms, all the way back on his own. He did not speak a word of complaint even though he was tired from swimming and walking for a long period of time.

    The whole time Sofia was unconscious, Johnathan was next to her, holding her hand not wanting to lose her.

    .....

    Vincent was in no better shape. He had only remembered that she was scared of the pool when he saw her falling in the water. A lapse in memory he could not forgive himself for. How could he forget such a crucial detail. A detail that could have cost him her life.

    The minute he had seen her lose consciousness, he had completely forgotten about the world around him. Not even his son, who was still in the water, was remembered. The only thing on his mind was her safety. How to make sure nothing happened to her.

    The moment her breathing stabilized, he bolted to the house with her in his arms.

    A day that was supposed to have been spent happiness and laughter, was instead spent in tension and self blame.

 CH 37

    The house was dead quite. if someone had newly entered and were not aware of the situation, they would have guessed someone had passed away. The atmosphere was thick with gloom. It did not have the hustle and bustle a normal house with people living in it would have.

    Sofia had been unconscious for 5 hours now. The first 2 hours had been ok, Dr Chris had examined her " There is no need to worry. Everything is fine, she should wake up in a few hours.... She has only fainted because of shock".

    But the minute it had passed the 2 hour mark, Vincent went into crazy frantic mood.

    "Why is she not waking up?" looking at his friend of many years "You said she was fine and only in shock. So why is she not waking up?"

    Not knowing what to say, Dr Chris could only stay quiet and re-examine Sofia to make sure if he had missed anything the first round. Not finding anything different, he could only wait for Sofia to wake up on her own before he could conduct any more tests.

    "There is nothing that I can do. She will have to wake up on her own. Right now all that we CAN do is wait. Patiently."

    Every passing second, Vincent''s aura turned chillier. At one point in time it got to the extent where nobody could muster their courage to look him in the face.

    ...

    Johnathan had seen sitting by her side quietly. Only looking at her and no one else. The whole time he spent next to her, he could not process any sounds from his surroundings. It was like his mind stopped working and could only take in things within his immediate view.

    Jasmine was becoming increasingly worried at Johnathan''s current state of mind. The happy go lucky, always smiling young boy was developing a stone hard expression mirroring his father. The aura around him becoming colder with every passing minute. He was becoming a different person and not in the good sense of different.

    The people in the room were feeling hopeless. Even with all of the money available, Vincent was not able to do anything to help. She was still unconscious.

    Sofia''s eyeballs started to move left and right under her closed eyelids slightly. A slight movement that would have gone unnoticed if not for Johnathan''s constant watchful eye on her.

    A few minutes into the 5 hour mark, Sofia had began to regain her consciousness.

 CH 38

    Opening her eyes, Sofia had the shock of her life. Before registering anything from the surroundings, she was attacted by two tiny arms and a body.

    Johnathan had thrown himself on top of Sofia the moment her eyes started to open. The relief he felt when she woke up could not be imagined, it was like the sun had come out again.

    This sense of relief lead to him relaxing for the first time in the 5 hours she was unconscious. His sense of relief opened up the waterworks. He had started crying all his worries in the safety of Sofia''s arms.

    The only voice that could be heard in the newly awakened room belonged to Johnathan apologizing constantly. "Sorry... Sorry... Sorry... Dont leave me.... Sorry..."

    Sofia had no idea what was happening. Why was Johnathan crying? Why was she in her room when the last thing she remembered was watching Vincent and Johnathan swimming in the pool?

    Before she could ask her questions, she needed to calm Johnathan down first. At the rate he was crying she worried he would become dehydrated and that is not a good situation for a 2 year old.

    Rapping her arms around him and moving his whole body on her lap, Sofia softly and gently rubbed his back in circular motion while making ''shhh''ing sounds. And when this motion was not enough she began to reassure him in a calming voice, "Its ok. It''s ok baby. I''m not going anywhere. I''m right here with you. See?" Moving his face upwards so they could see eye to eye, "I''m right here. I''m right here with you." Just to drive to point home, Sofia hugged Johnathan to her bosom lovingly.

    Just as Johnathan stopped crying, Sofia was able to take a look around the room. She had the shock of her life, Vincent was at the foot of the bed in his swimming shorts and his upper body void of any clothing.

    Not letting the view distract her, she got her attention back on the now hiccuping Johnathan. Wanting to know why her sweet boy was crying, "My Baby. Why were you crying? Can you tell Auntie Sofia?"

    Johnathan slowly looked up at Sofia with guilt. "Auntie Sofia die be..ca.. I pull."

    Not understanding what Johnathan was saying, she could only ask the person who might know about the situation at hand, Vincent. Looking at his face and not anywhere else, Sofia asked in confusion "What happened?.... Why is Johnathan crying so much?"

    With this incident, both father and son duo had realized that Sofia was their ''Light at the End of the Tunnel''.

 CH 39

    Looking from the father to the son, Sofia only grew more confused. Johnathan was holding on to her for dear life and Vincent was standing like a statue staring at her.

    She had no idea what was happening. One had been crying and the other became a statue. None of whom would answer her questions.

    Looking around the room once again, she noticed two more people standing in one of the corners. They were Jasmine her only friend in the house and Dr. Chris who she had meet at the hospital last week. Looking at Jasmine she called out in a

    "Jasmine, could you come here?"

    Jasmine was looking at Sofia with a concerned expression, not understanding whether anything was wrong. She had just woken up, was she not feeling well? Glancing at Dr. Chris next to her, in question, she slowly made her way to the Madame. Getting even more confused, Sofia had discovered a lot of questions that she needed answered.

    As Jasmine got closer, Sofia had come up with most of the questions she wanted clarified. The minute she was standing in front of her, Sofia had started her rapid fire round. Her questions had no sign of stopping.

    With Vincent and Johnathan still in the same position, Sofia had only moved her head in order to ask her questions with high hopes.

    "What is happening? Why is everyone and me myself in my room right now?"

    Not understanding the context of the questions, Jasmine only gave her the main points of the story; how she fainted after her fall into the pool, how Vincent had called the doctor to give her a checkup, as well as how Johnathan was holding on to her the whole time she was unconscious. Leaving out the part where Vincent had his moment, that would have raised many questions that should not be answered just jet.

    The fainting and Johnathan holding on to her part of the story was news to her but the part where Dr. Chris was called over was not. That part of the story was common sense as it had happened when she had last fainted as well. Who could tell her that the Doctor part of the story is where she should have been shocked at, Dr. Chris was The King''s personal physician and would never be called over for a normal worker as she so believes she is one at the mansion.

    Asking again but this time in more detail, "Why is everyone still in the room when the Doctor has already said there was nothing wrong with me? And has Johnathan been crying the whole time?"

 CH 40

    The minute Sofia''s question was asked, the room developed a tense atmosphere. ''How am I going to answer these questions? In any manner I answer, it could be taken in the wrong context''. Sofia had excepted her as a friend and she did not want to betray her, but Vincent King was her boss at the end of the day. Looking from Sofia her Lady Boss to Vincent her Big Boss, she was not sure who she should answer in support of.

    But the minute her eyes met with Vincent''s, she felt a chill travel down her spine. The tiny voice in her head started to get louder, reminding her of who she needs and should be loyal to and never betray.

    Thinking for the best way to not betray anyone, she decided to twist the facts. Facing Sofia, Jasmine had become determined to not do anything that would be seen as betrayal in Vincent''s eyes, so began her trial and error choices.

    "You have been unconscious for the past 5 hours. We were expecting you to wake up 3 hours ago, so when you didn''t we were not sure when you would actually wake up, and in order to make sure you were ok, Mr. King asked Dr. Chris and I to stay with you at all times." Looking at the now sleeping Johnathan, "Johnathan on the other hand would not let go of you no matter how many times Mr. King asked him to leave the room, so he had to stay as well."

    Having learnt everyone''s reason for being in her room, Sofia breathed a sigh of relief and gave all her attention to the tiny person in her lap.

    Dr. Chris had been under the most pressure during these past 5 hours. He had no idea why she was unconscious for the last 3 hours and he could feel and see Vincent''s death glare on himself for the duration of those 180 long minutes. For the poor Chris, Sofia gaining consciousness had the same rush as winning a lottery.

    As everyone in the room got comfortable, Vincent finally opened his mouth. "Chris, how is Sofia now?... Is everything ok? Or does need

    time off to get better for the next few day''s?"

    Hearing the worry in his voice, Sofia answered before Chris could. "There is nothing wrong with me. I dont need time off, I will rest for today and be fit as a horse tomorrow."

    Not listening to Sofia, Vincent turned his head towards Chris, waiting for him to answer.

 CH 41

    Noticing Vincent''s lack of confidence in her words, Sofia sighed under her breath and made the ''go ahead'' gesture with her hand to Dr. Chris. She knew that he would only believe in Dr. Chris''s professional diagnosis and not her self diagnosis. In one way it was sweet that he cared, but at the same time it was frustrating that he did not believe her.

    Seeing Sofia acceptance to Vincent''s inquiry, Dr. Chris moved to her bedside with his equipment and started with the basic checkup procedure. It consisted of checking her heartbeat, temperature and pupil''s response to light. With all the test coming out positive, she was as fit as she can be. Looking at Vincent, Dr. Chris concluded the test''s results. "Miss. McAne is completely fine. All she needs to do is eat her food and rest for the day and she can resume with her work from tomorrow onwards."

    Having heard the results, Vincent''s subconscious finally accepted that Sofia was completely out of the danger zone. Now that she was fine, all he needed to do was make sure she gets food in her stomach and rest after that so that she gets completely better.

    "Jasmine," Vincent had already planned everything in his mind, now it was only time to execute. "Go get Sofia''s lunch and bring it to her room. Make sure that it is something soft and not too hard to digest."

    Just as jasmine was about to cross the threshold, a tiny voice called out to her. "Jasmine, dont get food only for me. Get it for Mr. King and Johnathan as well. They should also be hungry. And don''t bring it to my room we will all eat in the dining room, I don''t have space to sit and eat in my room."

    Looking at Vincent for his approval Jasmine did not leave the room after Sofia''s order. She needed to make sure Master''s orders do not get rejected and he had ordered her to bring the food to Sofia''s room. Getting the go ahead from the big boss, Jasmine was on her way.

    The room had emptied out after Jasmine and Chris had left. The only people left were; Vincent standing at the foot of the bed, Johnathan who was sleeping in Sofia''s arms and last but not the least Sofia herself.

    Turning her attention from Johnathan to his father Vincent, Sofia was becoming increasingly nervous. She wanted to ask some questions but could not gather the courage needed. Not being able to stair for too long, she moved her eyes to the beige bed covers covering her lower body.

 CH 42

    Vincent had had all of his attention on Sofia the minute she woke up, he had noticed her tiniest of movements and this included her hesitation, before she had looked away from him the minute everyone else left the room. Having understood she wanted to ask something from him, he did not want her to lose her confidence even more so he slowly sat on the bed and faced Sofia who was on the other end of the bed.

    "Is there anything you want to ask me?" he waited for her to talk. Not getting anything from her, Vincent spoke again, "There is no need to be nervous, you can ask me anything."

    Getting the assurance from Vincent himself, Sofia gained alittle bit of confidence. "I got to know how I fainted and why everyone was in the room when I woke up, but I never got to know why I fell into the pool in the first place. You were there. Did you see how I fell? Cause I dont remember that part at all. I only remember suddenly coming face to face with the water and nothing else."

    "Yes I was there and I saw how you fell. Johnathan was the one who pulled you into the water."

    "Johnathan?" Sofia grew confused and unknowingly asked the question out loud. "How was he able to pull someone 18 years older than himself into the pool?"

    "It was not whether he could pull someone into the pool. It was rather you were lost in your thoughts and had gotten yourself to the edge of the pool where losing your balance could have made you fall in. But at the end of the day, Johnathan was the one who pulled you in."

    Going over the the moment in her mind again, she remembered how she was lost in her thoughts that she should have not been thinking. She had planned on watching Johnathan swim from a distance knowing she was scared of the water, so getting on the edge was her own fault. She could not blame anyone for that situation and especially not Johnathan.

    The room went silent after Vincent''s reveal. Sofia was lost in her thoughts and Vincent was just observing her silently like always. Just as Sofia had come to a conclusion, there was a knock on the door.

    "Come in." Vincent was the one who answered as Sofia had just come back to reality.

    Jasmine had arrived at the door. "Master, Miss. McAne lunch is ready to be served, please come to the dinning hall." She had left as quickly as she had come. Here one minute gone the next.

 CH 43

    Vincent stood up getting ready to leave the room, before exiting he turned his head towards Sofia, "Change into something comfortable and then come down for lunch with in 30 minutes."

    Having understood Vincent''s indirect words of ''change into some proper clothes'', she still could not stop feeling that something was missing. Just as she began to leave the bed, she noticed the sleeping baby.

    That was what she was forgetting, Johnathan had been at her bedside the whole time she was unconscious. Looking down at him she thought, ''Poor baby. He must be hungry too''. Not wanting to let him go starving, she called out to Vincent, before he left the room, in order to ask for permission. "Should I wake Johnathan up as well? He must be hungry after swimming and crying today."

    "Sure. Wake him up if you want. Just make sure that he also changes out of his swimwear." Vincent turned around and began to leave her room completely.

    Everything else was between Sofia and Johnathan themselves. Vincent did not want to interfere too much in their relationship as then they would not grow close to each other emotionally. And that would not be good for him.

    Sofia was left alone with a sleeping Johnathan still on her lap. She needed to wake him up before she could get out of bed. Lower her head to just a breaths distance away, she rained down kisses. She was waking him up the exact same way he woke her up every morning, with kisses and tons of them.

    She could see the smile growing on Johnathan''s face, but he was still not opening his eyes. He was a naughty little boy he was, not opening his eyes so he could get more kisses. Wanting to play a prank, Sofia started to move Johnathan''s body away from herself and spoke "Well he is not waking up. I''ll just go and let my baby sleep some more"

    Even before she completed her sentence, Johnathan had already opened his eyes and sat right up in his spot screaming, "I''m awake. I''m awake." While opening his arms wide open to get a hug with a slight pouty expression that said ''Hug me''.

    Laughing out loud, Sofia wrapped her arms around his tiny frame and picked him up during the hug. She kissed allover his face leading to laughter filling up the previously silent room.

    Having had their fun moment, Sofia slowly let Johnathan down on the floor. It was about time they get ready for lunch. "Come on baby, let''s get ready for lunch. Just go wear a shirt and we will go have food with daddy in the dinning hall."

 CH 44

    The table had been set and ready for eating, but there was only one person present. The normally 3 person seating arrangement was only occupied by one and empty for the others. Vincent had been at the table ready and waiting for their arrival.

    Every quarter of a minute, Vincent would look at his Ulysses Nardin Classico watch, and then towards the dinning room entrance to see if they were coming or not. The plan was to come to lunch within 30 minutes maximum, but Sofia and Johnathan were nowhere to be seen even after the arranged period of time.

    Sofia and Johnathan had only needed a few minutes to get ready for lunch, but they were still late by 15 minutes. All of their time was spent goofing around.

    The minute Sofia saw the time, she took Johnathan in her arms and ran down the stairs and into the dining room thinking, ''S**t! S**t! We are late. We are so dead.''

    Their future''s did not look to good, Vincent was about to personally go and call them for lunch. He had waited patiently for 15 minutes but no more. Sofia could see that his patience had run out, as the minute she stepped foot into the room, Vincent was already out of his seat and halfway across the room nearing the entrance.

    Looking from Sofia dressed in a white long summer dress with her baby pink bikini straps showing, to Johnathan in a black t-shirt over his swimming shorts. Vincent had discovered the discontinuity in their outfits.

    He had given them 30 minutes to change into completely new clothes and they had taken an extra 15 minutes on top of it, but still they were not wearing new outfits, they were just wearing things over it. And that would not have taken them too long wear. Which meant that they had made him wait longer for no particular reason. If they had taken a shower and then changed in new clothes then he could still get over it as they were two people and it would take some time.

    Not wanting to say anything to spoil the mood, Vincent only turned around and walked back to his seat at the head of the table silently. Even his silence spoke volumes.

    Feeling the tension in the air, Sofia and Johnathan took their seats in silence. Not speaking a single word during the whole time they were eating lunch. The servers were serving the food and then going back to their spots at the corners of the room.

    She wanted to apologize for being late many times but nothing came out of her mouth. She had turned ''ON'' her mute button subconsciously. Even if she had spoken, Sofia was not sure if he even wanted to listen to her.

 CH 45

    Lunch was spent in silence except for the occasional ''click'' of spoons and forks. Sofia was not able to gather her courage and Vincent was not in the mood. Johnathan was the only one who was quite because of his hunger, filling his face with food did not give him time to speak at all.

    Right after finishing lunch Vincent stood up, "I''ll be in my office. Johnathan will come with me, so you can go and get some rest in your room." he said while looking at Sofia.

    "It''s ok, I''ll take care of Johnathan. I''m not that tired. We will sit and play games anyway. So you can go and compete any work you have." Sofia did not want to stay in her room alone and having Johnathan with her would let the time pass faster.

    Not listening to her at all, Vincent let Johnathan down from his seat, took his hand and left the room.

    With everyone having left the dinning room, Sofia was the one one left. ''Mr. King is angry with me. What should I do? Should I go apologize to him?'' Sofia was having a one sided conversation with herself.

    Deciding to talk to him when he would cool down in a few hours, Sofia got up and walked out of the house and into the backyard. She was walking towards the pool area slowly, lost in her thoughts.

    The closer to the pool she got, the more confused she became. ''Why was Mr. King mad at her? What did she do?''

    Arriving at the poolside, she looked around the Olympic sized pool and then towards the pool chairs. Locating her glass of juice and the book she had borrowed from the library, she took slow and steady steps towards it. Sitting down on the chair, she picked up the book and held it in her lap.

    Still holding the book, she turned her head to the right and looked towards Vincents study window on the third floor. She could not see anything from her angle, the lights were off and the window was one way, people could see out but not in.

    She opened the book in her hands and began reading. Having finished the first chapter, she unconsciously looked towards Vincent''s study''s window. Looking back to the book, she began reading the second chapter but this did not last for too long. She had been reading the same page over and over again while taking quick peaks towards the third floor.

    Not being able to take any more of this, Sofia closed the book and walked into the house. Looking at the grandfather clock in the living room, she noticed the time. Sofia had been outside at the poolside for two hours. This meant that she had been reading the same page for over an hour.

 CH 46

    The father and son duo had left the dinning room and made their way to Vincent''s study on the third floor. Vincent had to read a few documents and did not want Sofia to tire herself with Johnathan right after waking up from the drowning accident.

    Vincent had been mad at Sofia for coming late to lunch, but that anger was nothing more than jealousy. He was happy that Sofia and Johnathan were developing a bond, but Vincent did not want it to happen at the cost of losing time with Sofia himself.

    Eventhough Vincent had taken Johnathan to his home office, Johnathan had fallen asleep with the first 15 minutes of entering. The rest of the time Vincent had quickly finished his work, ready to go and spend time his love.

    Getting up and walking towards the window looking over the back yard, Vincent saw Sofia sitting at the poolside reading a book. The minute he was about to turn away, he noticed the person in question, Sofia, looking at his study window in longing and confusion.

    His lips slowly tilted upwards creating a devilishly dazzling smile, and his eyes had a predatory glint. Sofia was beginning to develop a dependency on Johnathan and Vincent. ''Having her around in the house 24/7 was a good idea. She needed to listen to my orders and follow through with it in order not to upset me. And that subconsciously created an order of not upsetting me in general.'' Vincent thought to himself.

    "It is now time to start with the next step of the plan."

    Vincent observed Sofia for the next half an hour. Sofia was continuously looking at his study''s window and back at her book, with the time interval between looking at her book and his window decreasing, his smile broadened.

    Vincent walked to his desk, pressed a light blue button on the homophone. Out came a voice with in seconds, "Yes Master. What can I do for you?"

    "Come take Johnathan to his room."

    With his order given, Vincent went back to the window to look at Sofia. Within 5 minutes, there was a knock at the door.

    "Come in." Never looking away from the girl at the poolside, Vincent told the person at the door to enter.

    Joseph the head butler had come transport the young master to his room to sleep. He picked up the sleeping baby, and made his exit. Joseph had left as quickly as he had entered, fast as lightning.

    the minute Johnathan was taken away from the study, Vincent saw Sofia making her way to the house while occasionally looking up at where he was standing. Sofia had no idea that her peaking was not so subtle and had been discovered by the Big Boss.

    With the way Sofia was looking towards his window, Vincent had discovered that she was going to come visit him within the next few minutes. And that was why he had called Joseph to take Johnathan out. He could pose as a distraction for Sofia.

    With Johnathan no longer in the room, Vincent was ready to have a grown up discussion with Sofia. And no distractions to interfere.

 CH 47

    Sofia made her way through the silent house towards the main staircase. On the way she made two detours, first to the kitchen to drop off her cup of juice and then to the library for the book in her hand. She had been trying to read it but was not able to so she decided to keep it back in its place and she could borrow it some other time when she was in the mood.

    Every step on the stairs, Sofia grew nervous. At one point in time she almost decided to not go and talk to Mr. King, but then she would remember his silence during lunch and that was not something she wanted a repeat of. It was the most nerve breaking lunch she had participated in.

    In no time at all she was standing in front of a dark brown wooden door that separated her from Mr. King. ''On the other side of this door is Mr. King. I just need to knock on the door, enter, and apologize for being late. That is all. You can do it.'' Sofia was trying to convince herself.

    Not knowing how, her hand moved on its own and knocked on the door.

    "Knock knock."

    "Come in." Vincent voice came from inside.

    Opening the door slowly, Sofia entered the room step by nerve wrecking step. Walking right up to his desk, Sofia saw Vincent behind the desk reading from a folder. Not wanting to disturb him, she quietly stood in her spot and looked to the floor while she waited.

    Noticing Sofia''s silence, Vincent looked up in question. "Did you need anything Miss. McAne?"

    Getting startled by the sudden question, Sofia jerked before she looked up at the place the voice came from. It took her a while to register what had been said, and when it did she finally spoke.

    "I wanted to apologize for being late to Lunch today and wanted to inform you that it would not happen again." Having said what she wanted, Sofia quickly bolted to the door.

    "Sofia!" Right as she was about to turn the doorknob, Vincent called out to her. The call left her emobalized. It was an unconscious reaction from her side, just by calling her name Vincent was able to stop her in her tracks.

    "Come back here."

    Not having a choice, Sofia turned around and walked back to Vincent''s direction at a snail''s pace. Standing in front of Vincent after her bolting incident just seconds ago, Sofia felt like she was standing in the principal''s office.

    "Now then, Tell me what this was all about?" looking straight at her Vincent asked in a dark tone. Sofia looked at him for a second before looking at the floor again, not answering him.

    "Am that bad of a person that you won''t even wait for me to answer you for your apology? Do you think I would scream and shout at you?" He looked at her, waiting for her to deny those allegations. But see as she refused to say anything, he could only let go of the topic.

    Sighing out loud, Vincent spoke again. "Take a seat Miss. McAne. We need to talk about a few things." Sofia quietly sat on a leather seat in front of the table. "You have been working for a week now. It is time to choose."

 CH 48

    "Choose? Choose what?" Sofia finally looked at Vincent, but in confusion. What did she need to choose from. The more confused she became the more her head tilted to the left. At one point her head was almost parallel to her shoulder.

    At this serious moment, Vincent was looking at Sofia in amusement. She was proving to be amusing with her unconscious body movements. The tilting of the head when trying to understand something and her doe like eyes widening when in confusion.

    Having looked at her long enough to not be considered ''inappropriate'', Vincent continued. " You have started working, but you have not signed a work contract and neither have we talked about your salary."

    Hearing him talk Sofia was growing more confused. Had she not done this all before? No she did not. How could she forget such an important thing? She had accepted this job so she could earn money and at the same time stay near her baby brother. So how could she forget to ask about her salary?

    "Now that you have completed a week of Work, I want to ask you if you want to sign the contract and continue doing this job. Or you could walk away and we can forget this happened at all."

    This was a hard decision, which Sofia took very easily. "I''ll sign the contract." Looking at Vincent in the eyes, she continued not wanting him to think her decision was taken half-heartedly. "I want to continue taking care of Johnathan."

    Silently Vincent took out a black file from the top drawer of his desk and slid it towards Sofia across the table surface. "This is the contract. It has all the information so read it carefully and then sign it."

    Sofia opened the folder and on the first page, in bold letters was written, ''Contract of Employment''. Knowing that it was the correct documents, she read ahead.

    ''Contract of Employment''

    Vincent King

    Name: Sofia McAne

    Address: ************

    Date: 30th April 2018

    The basic terms and conditions of your employment are as set out in this Contract of Employment. The Employer''s policies, procedures and rules as as may be introduced and/or amended from time to time. There a no collective agreements affecting your terms and conditions of employment.

    Duration of Contact:

    Your employment with the employer under this Contract commenced on 30th April 2018 and shall continue, subject to the terms and conditions of your Employer for your employment termination.

    Job Title and Flexibility:

    2.1 You are employed as a Caretaker for Johnathan King reporting to Vincent King Only.

    2.2 You are expected to to perform all duties which may be required of you in this role. You must comply with all directions given to you and observe all the policies, procedures and rules of the employer as may be introduced and/or amended from time to time.

    2.3 The Employer may, at its discretion, require you to perform additional or other duties, whether skilled or unskilled, not within the scope of your normal duties and may at its discretion amend your Job Description at any time.

    Housing and Transportation:

    3.1 The employee will live in the mansion where the employer determines where exactly they would be staying, and it may be changed at the employer''s discretion.

    3.2 The employee will be taken to and from in a car, provided by the employer, with a driver.

    Wages:

    The employee will be paid an annual salary of $100,128 which will translate as $298 per day, 7 days a week, 4 weeks a month, and 12 months a year.

    Healthcare Insurance:

    The Employer will be taking care of all healthcare expenses for the Employee, whether medical or cosmetic with no upper limit.

    Confidentiality Clause:

    All happens after the signing of the contract shall stay between the parties (employee - employer) involved. No third person should be involved under any circumstances.

    Having read the contract once, Sofia could not believe her eyes. Looking from the paper in her hands to Vincent sitting across her, her eyes grew bigger in size. Moving her eyes from the paper to Vincent a couple of times in disbelief, she slowly voiced out her concerns.

 CH 49

    "Is everything written in here true?" Sofia could not believe the things written on the paper. "Did your contract maker make a mistake while writing this?"

    Hearing Sofia''s question, Vincent grew nervous. ''Did she see the changes in the contract?'' Before his doubt turned into reality, he spoke, "What mistakes are you talking about?" while looking at her face in order not to miss any expression.

    Sliding the papers to Vincent, Sofia pointed towards a point on the contract. Looking down at the place Sofia''s finger was pointing, Vincent saw it was the wage section.

    Letting out a heavy sigh, Vincent looked towards Sofia in relief. "What is wrong with it?"

    Not understanding his indirect confirmation of the contract, Sofia replied, "It is written that my wage is $100,128. $100,128!" Not receiving any reaction from Vincent she grew confused, "Isn''t it too much?"

    $100,128 was a lot of money for her. Ya she had collected that amount in 2 years but that was only possible because she had gotten a full scholarship for her university as well as by working two part time jobs on the side. During the summer when she was off, she had found a fulltime job at a fashion magazine that was an additional source of income along side with the 2 part time jobs. So in total she studied full time, and had 3 jobs on the side.

    During the whole question sessions Vincent had a poker face. "There is nothing wrong with the pay. It might seem a lot to you, but to me, it does not amount to the care you give my son."

    Receiving a direct answer from Vincent had put Sofia''s mind at ease. "Now that this is out of the way. Do you have any more questions about the contract before you sign it?"

    His only answer was a shake of sofia''s head in denial. She had no more questions. It all looked good to her. She had a good pay, full health coverage and free boarding on the third floor of the King''s Mansion. There was nothing more she could have asked for.

    Passing the contract back towards Sofia, Vincent sat back flashed into his leather chair with his elbows on the side rests. His fingers linked together making an upside down triangle at the point where the thumbs met. Relaxing into his chair, Vincent looked at Sofia in wait. He was waiting for her to put her signature on the Contract paper.

    A binding document that is free of loopholes for Sofia, but full of loopholes after loopholes for Vincent to take advantage of.

    Sofia slowly took a pen from the tabletop and signed the document. She had officially started working at the King''s mansion.

 CH 50

    Sofia slowly took a pen from the tabletop and signed the document. She had officially started working at the King''s mansion.

    Watching Sofia sign the contract, Vincent broke into a smile. His plan was coming to fruition. Waiting till she got comfortable with him, Vincent did not make her sign any documents. This choice of his was what lead to Sofia signing the documents without looking to deeply into it.

    One would be cautious when dealing with someone new, but if the person in question is someone you know and are used to, then as they say ''caution to the wind''. And that is what was happening with Sofia and Vincent right at that moment. Sofia had gotten used to Vincent taking decisions that were for the good, and that had been carried out into her mentally during the signing of the contract.

    Having signed two copies of the contract, one for herself and the other for Vincent, Sofia slid both of them to Vincent.

    "I will have these contacts stamped and then give one of them to you and keep the other for myself. This way we both have a copy with ourselves just in case." Vincent spoke while taking the folder from Sofia and keeping it in one of the table drawers. "Now that the serious topic is out of the way, let''s talk about other things."

    "Other things?" Sofia questioned.

    "I wanted to know how your work has been going so far? Has Johnathan been a good boy or not?" Leaning forward, Vincent placed his elbows on the table and his chin on top of his interlocking fingers.

    The changes in Vincent''s sitting position were not missed by Sofia, his every action was full of poise and elegance. And these words were not something that could take away his manliness. One could see he was raised in a rich family just by the way he walked and sat down, not even going to the tiny details of how he handled his tableware while eating. His every action was detailedly planned but one was able to see that it was not fake.

    Coming out of her daze, Sofia answered his questions. "Taking care of Johnathan does not feel like work at all, he is a very good boy and listens to me and follows instructions very well. I have been playing games with him that is teaching him numbers, alphabets and much more." Seeing Vincent with a straight face Sofia quickly added, "Johnathan is very bright. He learns everything in the first try, which still amazes me. You are a very lucky person to have such a smart child."

    Looking at the table in embarrassment, she continued in a quiet voice, "I sometimes feel jealous of you, and wish to have children like Johnathan myself."

    Hearing the last part of Sofia''s answer, a predatory look flashed in Vincent''s eyes before he broke into a smile. Getting up from his chair he made his way to Sofia before standing behind her, he spoke, "You will have kids. Very smart kids in the future" Vincent slowly caressed her shoulders, but in his mind he added ''Dream as much as you want, it will all be fulfilled but with me and no one else. That I can promise you.''

 CH 51

    ''Dream as much as you want, it will all be fulfilled but with me and no one else. That I can promise you.''

    Vincent lowered his head a few inches and placed a lingering kiss on top of her head. He stayed in that position for a little while before walking back to his seat in front of Sofia.

    Sofia had felt him caressing her shoulders and that had been unexpected as this was the first time Vincent had touched her since she moved in. At first it was awkward for her, but as soon as he kissed her on her head, Sofia remembered the way she used to behave with her baby brother when he was sad. She used to hug him and place a kiss on his head to tell him it will all be ok.

    Connecting Vincent''s actions to her own, she felt a sense of security. He was trying to console her. A person who was her boss, had taken time to console her when she was feeling down. ''How could I have thought that Vincent King was a bad person before I had even met him?''

    Looking at Vincent across the table, Sofia smiled in gratitude. As a reply, Vincent also smiled at her before looking down at his table full of folders.

    Seeing him busy with work, Sofia stood up and quietly made her way out of the study and into her own room. Staying in her room for an hour, that was spent showing and changing into new clothes, Sofia made her way to Johnathan''s room.

    Johnathan had just gotten up from his nap when Sofia entered his room. Not having realized what was happening around him, the baby started crying when he noticed he was alone in the room.

    Running to him, Sofia took him in her arms and swayed him side to side while making ''shh''ing'' sounds to calm him down. Johnathan did not calm down until 5 minutes had passed. And when he did, he was not letting go of Sofia.

    The rest of the day Sofia spent all her time with Johnathan. She played with him, gave him a bath and watched a kids movie together. It was time for dinner before they knew it. And the way they noticed the time was when Vincent himself came into the room in order to wake Johnathan up for food. Seeing Sofia in the room Vincent only said four words, "Its time for dinner." before leaving.

    Not wanting a repeat of lunch, Sofia and Johnathan quickly made their way to dinning room. This time they were right on time.

 CH 52

    Sofia had gotten used to her stay in the King mansion and to the people living there. Two and a half months passed in a blink of an eye. On one hand Sofia was getting used to her work, on the other Johnathan was beginning to depend on her to the point where he was not able to sleep without her being present next to him.

    There was a point in the last month or so that when Sofia had taken him to sleep in his own room, she was not able to leave as throughout the night. As soon she she was ready to leave the room, as if Johnathan knew Sofia was leaving, he would wake up and look for her in a panic.

    This episode lead to Johnathan unofficially moving into Sofia bedroom to sleep at night. With Johnathan sleeping in Sofia''s room every night, Vincent got an excuse to go there as well as a limit. He was able to go into the room every night but he was not able to do anything he desired.

    With two and a half months having passed, they were very close to Johnathan''s 3rd birthday. For which the plan was to go to Vincent''s farmhouse for 2 weeks. And for Vincent to have those two weeks off, he needed to complete all the work before hand.

    The trio were located in the dinning hall having lunch when Vincent''s phone rang. Picking up the call he asked, "What is it?". Listening to the person on the other end, Vincent was sounding his confirmation every now and then letting them know he heard them and agreed with them. Towards the end of the call Vincent spoke again, "Ok so the meeting is confirmed for the Wednesday of next week in Paris?... Ok." before ending the call.

    Vincent looked towards the head butler who was standing behind him and said, "Get my mansion in Paris ready for next week. I will be staying there for a week starting from the 15th. I want it ready by then." Having said what he wanted, Vincent got back to eating his food.

    When Sofia heard of Paris, she remembered how Ben her fiancee still lived there and she had not met for a while now. She had been meaning to ask for 3 days off in order to go and meet Ben for his birthday on the 17th of June. Now that Vincent himself was going there, she could ask to go with him and that way she would only have to take one day off to meet Ben.

    Having made up her mind, she looked at Vincent at the head of the table. Everytime she wanted to say something, her voice would stop working. This happened one too many times that Vincent himself noticed her strange behavior.

    "Sofia? Is there something you want to say to me?"

 CH 53

    Having made up her mind, she looked at Vincent at the head of the table. Everytime she wanted to say something, her voice would stop working. This happened one too many times that Vincent himself noticed her strange behavior.

    "Sofia? Is there something you want to say to me?"

    Looking from her plate to Vincent, Sofia nervously asked, "I wanted to ask if I could speak with you alone after Lunch?"

    With Sofia''s nervous manner of behavior, Vincent nodded his head ''Yes'' and went back to eating his food.

    Vincent knew her body language all too well, Sofia would not be able to say what she wanted in front of all the workers. It was most probably a request and as she believed that she was a normal worker, Sofia would not want everyone talking about her behind her back.

    Lunch ended very quickly for everyone but Sofia. All she could think about after Vincent''s phone call, was how she would convince him on taking her and Johnathan along with himself on this business trip. It was for a week anyways and with Johnathan being attached to both of them, Vincent leaving them alone for that long of a time would not be ideal. Johnathan needed his father at night reading bedtime stories to him, and this habit would not be able to be changed till this trip next week.

    Vincent left the dinning room but not before informing Sofia of his location, "I''ll be in my office. Come there when Johnathan is taking his afternoon nap."

    ....

    There was a knock on Vincent''s third floor office door.

    "Come in."

    Not even looking at who had entered the room, Vincent continued, "Take a seat and I''ll be able to speak with you after I finish with this file."

    Sofia had come to Vincent after Johnathan had fallen asleep in his room after lunch. This whole process took half an hour as Johnathan had to be changed into his sleepwear before going to bed.

    Now that she was this close to asking Vincent what she wanted, he had stopped her. This was both good and bad as she was still not sure how to word it. With this extra time, she slowly chose her words carefully.

    Having finished reading and signing the document in his hand, Vincent was ready to listen to Sofia. He had a feeling Sofia wanted to go to France as well, as this sudden desire of talking with him alone had suddenly come after his phone call with his assistant at lunch.

    "So.... What did you want to speak to me about Miss McAne?"

    Jerking in her seat, Sofia looked at Vincent in surprise. His question had come out of nowhere for Sofia. She had been busy picking her words and did not notice when he had finished with his work.

 CH 54

    "So.... What did you want to speak to me about Miss McAne?"

    Jerking in her seat, Sofia looked at Vincent in surprise. His question had come out of nowhere for Sofia. She had been busy picking her words and did not notice when he had finished with his work.

    "I wanted to ask if... if.... if I could go to Paris with y....y....you?" Sofia shuttered.

    "Reason?" Vincent asked in a monotone coupled with a poker face.

    Looking at her hands in her lap, Sofia replied, "I wanted to ask for three days off next week in order to go to Paris."

    "Hmmm." Vincent voiced his intent for her to continue.

    "I have stayed here for almost 3 months now and have not been able to see my fiance."

    Hearing the word fiance, Vincent interrupted, "Fiance?"

    Not getting his point, Sofia continued, "Yes. Ben my fiance. It will be his birthday next week and I wanted to go for a surprise visit. We have not been able to contact each other very often and he thinks that I would not be visiting him for his birthday."

    Getting lost in her thoughts, Sofia added, "This will be his first birthday as my fiance and I wanted to be there with him."

    Coming back from her daytime, she looked at Vincent, "My plan was to take 3 days off, 2 for the trip there and back, and the 3rd day to spend with him. But now that you would be going there for work anyways, by taking Johnathan and I as well, I would not need 3 days off. I would only need a day off."

    No matter how much he wanted to deny taking her with himself, Vincent did not think any of his reasons would be good enough for him to still look like a good guy to her.

    "What day do you need off on?" Vincent asked after a short pause.

    Surprised, Sofia sat up right in her seat, "I would need the 17th off."

    "Which is....?" Asked Vincent for more information.

    "Which is the Sunday of next week." Sofia added.

    "Ok... Then get yourself and Johnathan ready for this trip. This will be Johnathan''s first trip out of the country. You will have to take care of him there as well." Having said what he need to, Vincent went back to work with his mood not being the same.

    Sofia looked at Vincent with a smile and said, "Thank you. You will not have any complaints." in gratitude.

    After the conversation ended, Vincent was left alone in his office. Looking from his work related documents to the window located behind him, Vincent got up from his chair and walked to the head to toe window.

    "I knew she was engaged..... But hearing her talk about him in person...." Vincent began to shake his head from side to side slowly with his expression turning colder every second.

    "Think about him all you want right now, cause after this trip it will be me. Only be me."

 CH 55

    "Think about him all you want right now, cause after this trip it will be me. Only be me."

    Taking his phone out of his pocket, Vincent dialed a number manually.

    "I want all the data you have on him before Friday." Vincent ended the call after that one sentence and continued looking out the window lost in his thoughts.

    .....

    Opening the door to her room quietly, Sofia entered with a spring to her walk.

    She was so happy that she could not believe Vincent allowed her to accompany him on his trip to France for her own personal reasons. From the time she had started working for him, Vincent had been a gentleman.

    She was not able to scream and shout her happiness out loud, Johnathan was sleeping in her bed. Looking at the sleeping baby Sofia became worried.

    Johnathan was becoming too attached to her. One thing she noticed these past few days was that he was not that playful during his bath time anymore. He used to love playing in the water, it was like a mini swimming pool for him. Now, during bath time he does not say no but wants it to end as quickly as possible.

    Going towards the bed, Sofia sat on the edge closer to where Johnathan was sleeping and looked at him in wonder. ''How could he be changing so fast and not in a good way?''

    Just as she was getting lost in her thoughts, Johnathan woke up startled, looking from side to side in a panic. The moment he saw her sitting next to him, Johnathan leaped into bosom holding on tightly.

    The longer he held on the more Sofia felt her shirt getting wetter. Wrapping her arms around him gently, she swayed her body softly to comfort him.

    "What is wrong baby?" Sofia asked softly.

    "D.... D... Don''t.... Leave me." Johnathan began wailing.

    "Shhh... Shhh.... Don''t cry baby. I''m right here." Moving Johnathan''s head into her view, "See? I''m right here. I''m not going anywhere. Not anywhere."

    Looking at her with watery eyes, Johnathan asked "Promise?"

    Sofia looked into his eyes and smiled a gentle smile.

    "Promise."

    The slow swaying motion led Johnathan back to sleep. kissing his head lightly, Sofia transferred Johnathan back on the bed and covered him with the blanket.

    She sat right next to Johnathan on top of the blanket and lightly massaged his head lovingly.

 CH 56

    The week leading up to the trip to Paris would be hectic for the adults. Vincent had a lot work piled up in order to get the two weeks off for Johnathan''s birthday. And Sofia was busy taking care of Johnathan as well as making outfits of her own design.

    She had originally planned on making a formal suit for Ben, her fiancee, as his birthday gift. But as soon as Johnathan saw her working on it during her free time, he also wanted one as a gift for his birthday.

    Making a suit in it''s self was hard but to make it for a small child was even harder as they grew in size quickly. If she made one now according to his current sizes, it could be too tight on his special day. So in order to satisfy him, Sofia was making two outfits for Johnathan. One for his trip to France and the other for his gift.

    Ben''s gift was almost completed as she already had his measurements noted down, but she wanted to give him something special as well. Now that their wedding has to be postponed for a while, she wanted to take their relationship one step further. She had originally planned on saving herself for their wedding night but, the more she thought about it the more she realized that Ben would be her future. Now that she had completely decided to spend her future with Ben, waiting for the wedding had no point.

    With this in mind, Sofia decided on her action plan. Thinking of the main points, she could not connect them together to make a romantic setting. No matter how much she thought about it, nothing came to mind. Just as she was losing patience, a knock sounded on her bedroom door. Welcoming the distraction, Sofia, who was sitting in the middle of the bed, turned her head to the door calling out "Come in."

    The door opened and in came Jasmine. Just who Sofia need right now.

    Before Jasmine could say why she came, Sofia began talking, "Jasmine. Jasmine. Just the person I needed right now. I need your help. It is going to be Ben''s birthday on Sunday, and I wanted to plan a night where we can take a step further in our relationship. I have thought of ideas, but I can''t make it romantic. Help me."

    Jasmine had gotten the shock of her life. Sofia, the future Mistress of the King mansion, was planning to lose her V-card to someone other than Mr. King. If Mr. King found out, Jasmine would lose her head.

    Not being able to say anything to help Sofia currently, Jasmine gave her a light forced smile before saying, "Mr. King sent me to inform you it is time for lunch."

    The minute Jasmine finished talking, she quickly made her way to the door. Right as she was about to open the door, Sofia''s voice sounded, "You will help me after Lunch, right?"

    Wanting to leave the room immediately, Jasmine sounded a quick "Yes" and withdrew from the room.

    The only thought in her mind was, ''I need to inform Mr. King. He need to know as quickly as possible.''

 CH 57

    The only thought on her mind was, ''I need to inform Mr. King immediately. He needs to know. I need to tell him as quickly as possible.''

    Jasmine traveled the three floor distance between Sofia''s room and the dinning hall within a minute. She literally flew down the stairs towards the master who was sitting at the dinning table reading documents from a black tablet in his hand.

    Not caring for her image and the rules of the house, Jasmine ran towards Vincent, into the room, in panic mode. Only stopping right next to his seat at the head of the table. Bending down to his ear level, she talked in a low tone to not disturb Johnathan who was also present at the table.

    "Master! Mistress wants to take her relationship with Ben to the next level as a gift for his birthday this Sunday. She asked me to help her plan that night with her." With Vincent moving his face towards Jasmine, she had no choice but to move back a couple of steps. Even this movement from her boss could not distract her from her internal panic which showed on her pale face.

    "What should I do?" Looking at Vincent in the face, Jasmine asked in distress.

    Jasmine was even further distressed when Vincent facial expression did not change. It was like she had only informed him about the weather and not Sofia planning to have sex with another man.

    After a pregnant pause, Vincent opened his mouth "Help her to the best of your abilities. Help her prepare everything as if it will be her wedding night."

    Hearing what Vincent had told her, she could not process it completely. Not being able to stop herself, "But, Master..."

    Vincent interrupted her mid sentence with a sharp look. "Do as your told. Nothing more and nothing less."

    Having been reprimanded in a stern voice, Jasmine realized her mistake. She had tried to argue with Mr. King. A person who she needed to listen to at all times with no ifs or buts. Moving a few more steps further back, she bowed at a 90ˇă angle and said, "I''m sorry."

    Just as Jasmine stood up right again, Sofia entered the room in light blue denim jeans, a plain white shirt, blue heels and her golden locks in a high ponytail. In order to look presentable for lunch, Sofia had worn the heels and tied her hair in a ponytail. Otherwise it would have been too casual, and that is not something Mr. King liked. He wanted everyone to dress properly for meal times.

    With Everyone at the table, lunch began smoothly and ended as smoothly too. Vincent did not say anything to Jasmine about the topic they were discussing before Sofia''s arrival, but without anyone''s attention, Vincent had a smile the whole time during lunch.

    A smile that could be interpreted many ways, but the eyes were the distinctive factor. He had a predatory glint in them that could not be interpreted any other way.

 CH 58

    A smile that could be interpreted many ways, but the eyes were the distinctive factor. He had a predatory glint in them that could not be interpreted any other way.

    ...

    The sun was setting on the horizon and to enjoy the beautiful view, Sofia had taken a break from her gift making and taken Johnathan with her to the backyard. During this nice bonding time, Vincent was in his office on the third floor keeping a watch from afar.

    Still looking at the beautiful view in the backyard, Vincent took his phone and dialed a number manually. The person on the other side picked up the call right on the first ring.

    Not wanting to hold the phone to his ear, Vincent kept it on speaker.

    "Yes Master!" Sounded a young Male voice.

    "Did you collect everything that I wanted?" Vincent was talking in a monotone. Nothing giving away his thought process.

    "Yes Master, I have all the information you asked for. Should I send it to you by email?" The longer the conversation dragged on, the politer the mystery persons tone became.

    "Good..... I will be going there on the 15th of this month so get everything ready. On another thought, prepare an extra security group for her. I want her followed everywhere. There should be no possibly of loopholes in her security."

    "I will make sure it has a good mixture of males and females in the group, and they will be loyal."

    "Good. Cause we would not want a repeat of two years back. Now would we?" The last sentence was spoken in a tone that gave one chills when not directed at them. Imagine how the person on the receiving end would have felt.

    With the conversation including everything he wanted just the way he wanted, Vincent ended the call. He continued to watch the scene in the backyard.

    ...

    The next few days before the France trip, Sofia spent all her free either finishing up Ben''s or Johnathan''s gift. Her mind was at ease regarding the surprise plan as Jasmine had helped her plan everything out.

    There were only a day left before the trip and Sofia needed a few things from the clothing store for herself. In order to get them, Jasmine and Sofia were given time off for shopping.

    The plan was to go to the biggest mall in town. It had stores for brands from almost all over the world. Their stop was one store in particular. A store that could help the plan move smoothly.

 CH 59

    It was the 14th of the month which meant it was the day of their flight to France. Sofia was already and packed for the trip, the same went for Johnathan as she had done all the packing herself.

    The flight was in the evening as it was a working day and Vincent was swarmed with work. The best timing was to fly at night so they could catch some ''Zzzzz''s'' and not waste any time in the process. Vincent was a very efficient man. A very capable man with resources.

    At exactly 7 pm the car was ready to take them towards the airport. Their flight was at 8 pm and they needed to be there before 7:45 in order not to miss it.

    Sofia had traveled to Paris before for her studies so she knew it was going to be a long flight. Brunswick, GA had no direct flights to Paris so the trip would take them a minimum of 13 hours one way with the addition of layovers. She had already prepared herself for the flight by packing books to read for herself and downloaded cartoons for Johnathan in case he gets bored.

    The trip to the airport started out fine but when they got close to the compound gates the car took an unexpected turn away. Instead of leaving the compound, they went deeper in but at a different location to where she was aware of.

    "Are we going the right way? To go to the airport we need to leave the compound. No?" Sofia asked in bewilderment.

    Her only answer was, "We are going the right way." from an expressionless Vincent.

    The deeper they went in, the dense forest opened up until an unexpected item came into view. Sofia could not believe her eyes. The only thing she could do was look at Vincent sitting next to her from the view outside in question.

    The only way to be the most efficient with time, was to be able to control everything himself. This was only possible by having the means of utilizing his own resources. And Vincent was a very capable man who knew all the right ways to be the most efficient.

    The view that left Sofia speechless was none other than the sight of a plane parked on a long runway ready to takeoff. It was not a small plane but a Boeing.

    The trip from the car to boarding the plane was like a dream to Sofia. Everything happened so fast. One minute she was sitting in the backseat of the car and the next she was sitting on a foam mattress sofa with Johnathan next to her all buckled up.

    It was all so movie like. The rich male lead would always travel in a private plane and he would also take the protagonist with him. She felt like she had entered into a movie scene.

    The only difference, it was all real.

 CH 60

    The only difference, it was all real. She was really sitting inside a private airplane that looked like a posh living room with the only difference being the seatbelts on the couches. The interiour of the plane was the same as a living room with a dinning room on the side. The living room included, single seated couches with seatbelts on one side and multiperson sofas that had a coffee table infront of it and a giant TV mounted on the wall. The dinning room consisted of an eight seated dinning table and a mini kitchen closed off on the side. This was all Sofia could see during her intial glance of the plane layout, but she knew there was much more to it. The inside was too small for such a large plane.

    At exactly 8 p.m. the airplane started it''s taxing, and they were in the air within 10 minutes. Johnathan had not said anything and Sofia could see he was falling asleep. Not knowing if her suspisions were correct or not, Sofia carried a sleepy Johnathan to the other couches. The only way they could be comfortable was to move to a bigger sofa so then Johnathan could sleep laying down.

    Vincent was sitting at the dinning table with a laptop in front of him and documents in his hand and the table. He had too much going on, and he needed to be on top of everything.

    Knowing that the flight would have been long, Sofia had made her own preparations. With Johnathan''s sleeping head on her lap, Sofia took a novel from her handbag. The plane was dead quite. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the plane flying and the turning of paper as Sofia read her book.

    At one point of time the room got completely silent with only the quiet sound of the plane itself. Vincent would look towards the woman sitting in front of the TV from time to time but he could only see the back of her head as she was facing the other way. The only way Vincent knew Sofia was awake was the sound of the pages turning and when that sound ended, he knew she had fallen asleep. Looking at the watch on his wrist, he noticed the amount of time that had passed. It was past 10 pm, this meant they had been in the air for two hours now and had 8 more to go.

    Taking the position Sofia was sleeping in, Vincent thought of all the possible ways she could be uncomfortable. Not wanting her to be inconvenienced by anything, he called for a Male air-hostess.

    "Move him to his room. Be careful not to make him up." Having given his order, Vincent got up from his seat and walked towords the TV area.

    Johnathan was already in the male air hostess''s hold going to the back of the plane. Vincent slowly walked up to Sofia, who was now all alone with him, and stood in front of her. Gradually Vincent lowered his upper body until he was eye to eye with her. She looked Divine. Having no makeup on made her look younger than she was. She looked like an innocent angel.

    Vincent observed her for a while taking every feature in and memorizing it. He could not stop himself.

 CH 61

    Vincent observed her for a while taking every feature in and memorizing it. He could not stop himself.

    Vincent gently caressed Sofia''s cheek, tracing his knuckles up and down lightly. Having carried out this action for a while he slowly moved down her neck before stopping at the neck of her shirt. He could see the light goosebumps that began forming on her skin in response to his touch. This made him happy. She was responding to him.

    This tiny satisfaction was enough for him at the time. Not wanting to wake her up in such a compromising manner, Vincent gradually backed off. He walked back to previous spot. He raised his hand in the air and like magic a female air hostess, in a deep blue knee length dress, walked out of the kitchen and towords Vincent.

    "What can I do for you Master?" she asked politely as she stopped four steps away.

    Not even paying the air hostess any attention, Vincent sat down at the head of the table and said, "Get dinner ready for two." And with a flick of his wrist, indicated his desire for her to leave.

    Vincent had gone back to work while he waited for the food to get ready. This was a way to finish most of his work as well as to distract himself from the temptation sleeping in front of him.

    The food had been prepared within 30 minutes and was almost ready to be served. With the up coming dinner pending the air hostess, who took Vincent''s order to get food ready, walked towords Vincent and performed a small bow. "Master the food is ready. Should I serve it now?"

    "Wake Sofia up and then serve the food on the other side of the table." Vincent gave his order and then looked back to his documents.

    The air hostess walked towords a sleeping Sofia with gentle steps. Her method of waking Sofia up was just calling out to her. "Miss. Please wake up it is time for dinner." Having called out a couple of times already with the person in question not getting up, She had to finally shake Sofia awake. The shaking was gentle but none the less effective.

    ...

    Sofia slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a beautiful young woman in a deep blue dress standing in front of her.

    Sofia had only woken up when she felt her shoulder being shaken front and backwards multiple times. Not understanding why she would do such a thing, Sofia asked the air hostess in confusion, "Yes? What can I do for you?"

    "It is time for dinner. Master is waiting for you at the table. Please freshen up and the food will be on the table." The air hostess finished her firdt task and walked towords the kitchen. But before she walked too far, Sofia asked her another question.

    "Where would the washroom be? So I can freshen up."

    The process of walking to the washroom was completed in silence. The washroom was located right behind the wall where the TV was mounted.

 CH 62

    The process of walking to the washroom was completed in silence. The washroom was located right behind the wall where the TV was mounted.

    The interior was no different than the open she had at home. It was nothing like the washrooms in planes, small and cramped. It was huge. It was a proper bathroom with a toilet, a sink and a bathing area. The most surprising thing in the washroom was huge bathtub but the rainfall shower. It was those showers where the water came right from on top of the person. ''Is this how the rich live?'' Sofia wondered in wonder. This was all super new to her as even Johnathan did not have this shower in his room.

    Quickly getting freshened up, Sofia got out of the room. The longer she stayed inside the more she wanted to try it out and that was not something she wanted to do when her boss was waiting outside to eat dinner.

    Sofia walked to the dinning table and saw Vincent had moved to the other side of the table and his back was now towards her. Before she had left the room he was still facing the TV lounge while he worked and now his old spot had his documents and only his documents.

    The table was set for two and her seat was on his right side. Sitting down on her chair, Sofia gave a quick "Hello" to Vincent not knowing what else to say.

    They began to eat the food on the table in silence. The food was nothing less than what they ate normally. There was a medium sized steak cooked medium well done with mashed potatoes and, boiled and saut¨¨d vegetables on the side. Vincent had a cup of wine with his dinner while Sofia just had grape juice.

    Half way through dinner, Vincent began a conversation with Sofia while still eating his food elegantly.

    "So what are your plans for Sunday?"

    Looking up startled Sofia quickly answered with food still in her mouth. "I will spend it with Ben."

    "So do you plan on getting off work on Saturday night or Sunday morning?" Vincent asked with a straight face and a monotone.

    "I don''t know. Jasmine was telling me to meet him the night before his birthday so I could be the first one to congratulate him and give him his present, but I''m still unsure." looking at Vincent Sofia continued in confusion, "What do you think I should do? Should I go on Saturday night or on Sunday itself?"

    Looking at Sofia in silence for a minute Vincent let out a deep sigh and answered, "If I was Ben I would have liked for my fiance to be the first person to wish me Happy birthday."

    Sofia was surprised by Vincent straight answer. She had just asked him out of courtesy and was not expecting an advice, a good one at that.

    Giving a bright smile to Vincent, Sofia expressed her gratitude, "Thank you. You made my decision so much easier. Having a guys opinion on was is good. Now I know Ben will be happy if I surprise him tomorrow night."

    In amusement, Vincent asked, "So what is your plan for his surprise?"

 CH 63

    In amusement, Vincent asked, "So what is your plan for his surprise?"

    Looking up from her plate, Sofia stared wide eyed. This was the first time Vincent was asking about her private plans. Before this they would only talk regarding her work that was Johnathan, his son.

    "Ummm. I will surprise Ben on Saturday night, sing the happy birthday song and give him his gift." Sofia replied vaguely.

    Not letting her be, Vincent added, "And? Is that all? don''t you have any plans for dinner or anything?"

    "It will be too late for dinner at 12 am so we will probably stay in to watch a movie and do something inside." Sofia answered Vincent''s probing questions vaguely while turning a bright shade of red towards the end.

    Having had enough fun teasing Sofia for the time being, Vincent finally got back to eating the food in front him in silence.

    Dinner was completed and all that was left to do was to get the table cleaned up and then go back to doing their own things. Just as Sofia picked up her plate from the table and reaching for Vincent''s, Vincent held her wrist preventing Sofia from moving.

    "Leave them be. The workers will clean up, you don''t have to do this." Having said what he wanted, Vincent let go of her hand and got up. He walked to the other side of the table, where his documents were layed out, and sat down.

    Picking up a bunch of papers from the table, Vincent began cleaning up his work. Noticing Sofia still standing at the exact spot as he had held her hand, Vincent had a smile on his face.

    Putting the last of his documents inside his work bag, Vincent walked to Sofia. Standing right in front of her, he gave her a once over and said, "We will reach Paris in another 8 hours, so go get some shut eye before we reach."

    "Where should I go to sleep?" Sofia asked while looking at Vincent.

    "I take you there." Vincent began walking towords the area Sofia was taken to freshened up for dinner. This time they went even further into the plane. Sofia noticed doors after every 10 steps Vincent moved forward.

    Having passed 2 doors, Vincent stopped at the 3rd one and opened it for Sofia while saying, "Johnathan is sleeping in this room. Stay with him for now. Goodnight."

    The minute Sofia reached the open door, Vincent turned around and disappeared into the last door in the hallway.

    Sofia entered the room and the first thing she saw was Johnathan sleeping in the queen bed. Walking to the bed, she entered into it and was out like a light. She could not wait till they reached Paris in 8 hours.

 CH 64

    She could not wait till they reached Paris in 8 hours.

    ...

    Sofia felt small movements right next to herself that was getting closer.

    Opening her eyes, the first thing Sofia saw was Johnathan trying to sit up but failing.

    Smiling gently, Sofia tightened her hold on Johnathan and pulled him towards herself. She kissed his forehead before saying "Good morning sunshine. How did you sleep?"

    The reply Sofia got was a smile and a cheerful "Good" from Johnathan as he hugged her back. Sofia highlight of the day since she started working as Johnathan''s caretaker, was her morning routine. Getting an innocent smile and unconditional love from a sweet and loving baby.

    Sofia had gotten Johnathan and herself up and ready for breakfast before they landed in Paris. Their total travel was 10 hours and with the 6 hour time difference between Paris and Brunswick, GA, the local time in Paris at their landing was 12 pm on a Friday.

    This was the first time Johnathan had traveled outside of the US and was eager to explore the new environment as soon as possible. With his constant demand during breakfast, Vincent finally agreed to go out and eat dinner some place nice. During the whole scene at the table, Sofia was smiling seeing the exchange between father and son. She could see how much Vincent loved his son even though he looked cold to the outside world.

    ...

    Time passed quickly, they landed in Paris at 12 p.m. and as it was a private plane landing at a private property, they did not have to go through security. Having arrived at Paris and getting to Vincent''s mansion there, did Sofia finally realize how rich Vincent really was. The private airport they landed at was on Vincent''s private property exactly as his mansion where they just came from.

    Sofia did not know the exact amount but knew it was enough to have power where no one denied him access from traveling between the US and Paris without a security check by borders security. And that was something only someone at the very top level of a government was able to do.

    Vincent''s mansion in Paris could not be considered a mansion, but a castle. An actual castle.

    As they neared the front gate, Sofia had her mouth open the whole way while looking out the car window. Vincent on the other hand was enjoying Sofia comic expressions. He was liking her more and more.

    Looking from the castle to Vincent, Sofia asked bewildered "Will we be really staying here?"

 CH 65

    Looking from the castle to Vincent, Sofia asked bewildered "Will we be really staying here?"

    "Yes" Vincent gave his answer nonchalantly while looking out the window himself.

    Sofia had heard about the only castle in Paris that was home to a very rich business man. But there were rumors that the owner had a relation with the French underworld. while trying to understand the situation Sofia unintentionally spoke her thoughts out loud.

    "How could we be staying at this castle? They say he has dealings with the underworld. Does Vincent really own this place?"

    "Oooo? So knew about this place?" Vincent questioned Sofia in amusement.

    Startled, Sofia snapped out of her daze, "Hah?"

    "So you know about this place?" Vincent asked again seeing Sofia''s confusion.

    Having heard Vincent''s question this time around, "Yes. This is a very famous place for the locals. As it is the only castle where people still live and is not a decoration only for people''s viewing."

    Looking at Vincent in hesitation, Sofia asked a question that was bothering her, "Is it ok if I ask you a weird question?" Sofia waited for his confirmation. Vincent gave her a nod of the head, then she continued, "I don''t want you to take this the wrong way, but I heard that the owner of this castle had dealings with the underworld. Is that true?"

    Laughing at her question, Vincent answered her "I don''t have ''dealings'' with the underworld if that is what you are asking Sofia."

    No one had the guts to ask Vincent something like this to his face as it was a known fact for people in power. But what he said to Sofia was also true. He did not have dealings with the underworld, he was the underworld. There was a difference.

    After Vincent had answered Sofia''s question, they had reached their destination. The front porch of the castle. It looked even more beautiful up close that from afar.

    They entered through the front doors and the first thing Sofia saw was a giant glass chandelier hanging over them. The interior of the inside was completely different to what she had seen at the other castles in Paris. This one was a lot more modern with a touch of history. It was a very refreshing experience.

    She was shown to her room first and then to Johnathan''s. Her room was beige and brown like her room back home, but with the addition of a floor to ceiling glass doors that lead to a balcony overlooking the vast garden.

    Just as she was getting comfortable, a maid walked in and said, "Master wanted to inform you to get ready by 6 as the dinner reservation is for 7. He also said to inform you to dress formally."

    Just as the maid was leaving, Sofia called out to her. "Where would I find Mr. King?"

 CH 66

    Just as the maid was leaving, Sofia called out to her. "Where would I find Mr. King?"

    Having located Vincent''s current position, Sofia was astonished. Her room in the castle was on the same floor as Vincent and Johnathan''s again. She only needed to walk two rooms down the hallway and she would arrive in front of Vincent''s room.

    Knocking on the door, Sofia waited to be allowed inside. She did not want a repeat of the scene in his study two months ago, it was a very awkward situation for her to even remember.

    The door slowly opened and standing in it''s place was a shirtless Vincent. While taking quick glances at his shirtless upper body, Sofia did not notice the gleam in Vincent''s eyes at her bluntly checking him out. He was very happy at her actions, this proved that Sofia noticed Vincent as a man and not only as a boss.

    "Did you need anything Miss. McAne?" Vincent did not want the staring to end but if she continued any longer, Vincent was not a 100% sure if could stop himself from doing anything.

    "I wanted to ask about the dress code for the dinner. What type of formal are we talking about? Cocktail party formal? Office formal? Or something else?" Sofia asked after snapping out of her staring contest with Vincent''s bare chest. After which she could not look him in the eyes. She knew he had noticed she staring at him. So Sofia had turned bright red while asking her questions.

    Understanding Sofia''s dilemma, Vincent made it easier for her, "Just a simple long dress that one can wear during dinner at a 5 star restaurant."

    Having understood the formal''s context, Sofia grew nervous. She had not brought any such dress for herself, the only formal attire she had was the white dress she had got for herself for when she would meet with Ben on Saturday. But even that dress was not long, it was a short dress that was alittle longer than her mid thigh. It was a dress that people don''t wear for dinners, and even if they do, they are not looked at nicely at such places.

    Sofia hesitatingly spoke to Vincent "I don''t have such an outfit with me on this trip. The only formal attire I have is not really appropriate for such places."

    "Don''t worry about that. I''ll have someone get you something. Just get Johnathan ready and the outfit will be in your room by then." Vincent solved her problem within seconds.

    With her problem solved, Sofia said a quick "Thank you" and "Goodbye" before going on her way. She needed to have one of the maids to iron the suit she made for Johnathan so he could wear it for dinner and look like a smart boy.

    She had gotten Johnathan bathed and into the new suit and handed him to Vincent in his study with a tablet to keep him distracted till she got ready.

    Entering her room, Sofia saw a beautiful black sleeveless dress layed out on her bed.

 CH 67

    Entering her room, Sofia saw a beautiful black sleeveless dress with a mesh top laying on her bed. It looked stunning not too formal or too casual but a formal dress with a touch of casual.

    Having a closer look at the garment, Sofia found it very familiar. Not dwelling on it for too long, she went on to getting herself ready as she did not have to much time.

    Quickly taking a bath and drying her hair, Sofia was ready to get ready for dinner. She speedily got her hair into a high ponytail and moved on to the makeup. It was nothing too dramatic only a light shade of brown eyeshadow, and black eyeliner on the lids and a white eyeliner below the wing of the eyeliner to contrast with all the dark colors.

    Finally it was time to put on the dress. Upon closer inspection, Sofia realized the dress was her own creation. This was a dress she had made a long time ago and should have been in her closet in Brunswick, GA. It was a dress she had made randomly during college but did not have the confidence to pull off. For the dress to shine, the person wearing it needed to go braless. And Sofia was never too comfortable with the mesh revealing her chest.

    Not knowing what to do, Sofia was in a dilemma. Vincent was the one who prepared this outfit for dinner, and in the contract she was notified of how she needed to follow all of Vincent''s orders. Just as she was about to put down the dress and look for something else to wear, a knock sounded on her bedroom door.

    "Yes. What is it?" Sofia called out to the person on the other side of the door.

    "Are you ready Miss. McAne? The transportation is here. Master sent me to call you downstairs. Everyone is downstairs waiting for you."

    "Wait a moment, I''m almost ready." Sofia called out as an answer.

    This situation was different, Sofia had no time to search for anything else to wear. Immediately pulling on the dress, she only needed to wear her heels and she was ready to go.

    Getting her heels on, Sofia quickly bolted for the stairs. One thing she knew about Vincent for sure, was that he hated waiting. And she did not want to be the one causing him to wait.

 CH 68

    And she did not want to be the one causing him to wait.

    Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Sofia saw the father son duo sitting in the livingroom waiting for her. Looking at the grandfather clock placed in the corner, the time displayed was 5:59 pm.

    The clock made a loud sound, "Dong. Dong". It was now exactly 6pm. She was right on time.

    ....

    The travel from the castle to the restaurant was pleasant. Sofia was busy answering Johnathan''s many questions about the attractions he noticed throughout the journey. Vincent was quite the whole time, looking at his phone.

    Almost 40 minutes into the journey, Johnathan being the baby he was, started complaining. He was tired of sitting in the car for so long as well as being hungry.

    Not knowing what to tell him, Sofia looked towards Vincent for help. Even though she lived in Paris for two years, she had not gone to fancy restaurants to dine, so she had no idea where they were going or how far they were from the final destination.

    "We are almost there." Vincent answered instead Sofia.

    After that one sentence from Vincent, Sofia paid attention to her surroundings in order to understand where they were going exactly.

    The further they traveled the more confused Sofia became. The moment she could see the direction they were going to lead to the Quai Branly Museum, she could not think of any 5 star restaurant that was locatated inside there.

    They were quickly inside the museum with the manager as their guide. The when deep into the museum until they arrived at their destination, Les Ombres.

    Their reserved seating had the best view of the Eiffel Tower in the whole restaurant. From the outside the three of them looked like a loving family. A handsome father, a lovingly beautiful mother and their equally cute baby. It looked like a peaceful family outing with the child sticking to his mother the whole time getting pampered, with the occasional raffling of the hair from his father.

    Overall the dinner when swimmingly and it was time to go back to the castle for the night.

    Just as they left the restaurant and where out on the street waiting for the car to pick them up, Vincent looked towards Sofia and said, "I want Johnathan to remember his first trip to Paris..." having grabbed Sofia''s attention, "We will go to a place that has the best view of the Eiffel Tower and take pictures."

    ..........

    They had arrived at a building in front of the Eiffel tower where there were many cafes, restaurants and gift shops for tourists. They were escorted to the building''s rooftop. The view was breathtaking, the Eiffel Tower was lit up and the lake in front of it was reflecting the lights.

    Sofia had taken pictures where the Eiffel tower was behind her but there were too many people there with her so she never had that dream picture where it was only her and the tower.

    Their current position was the location where that dream picture could be shot. She was happy that Vincent wanted pictures so that Johnathan could look back at his trips when he grew up in the future. With the excuse of Johnathan, Sofia could also get some nice pictures herself.

 CH 69

    With the excuse of Johnathan, Sofia could also get some nice pictures herself.

    As Sofia was looking at the view from the rooftop that would be their background for the pictures, suddenly, a group of men walked onto the rooftop carrying huge black bags. Subconsciously Sofia walked towords Vincent who was standing near her.

    Vincent was happily surprised with Sofia''s actions. He slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her into his chest possessively. A smile blooming on his cold face. She was finally in his arms out of her own choice, unconscious, but still a choice. This proved that Sofia was slowly depending upon Vincent for the smallest of things.

    Having a slight tremble that only Vincent noticed, Sofia spoke softly trying not to alert the on coming company "W... W... what is going on?.... W... Who are they? What do they want?" A question for Vincent''s ears only.

    As the group of strangers grew, Sofia unconsciously held onto Vincent''s form fitted suit tightly, creating wrinkles in various shapes due to her hold.

    The troop of strange men had finally all arrived with a bag in each one''s hand. The person at the front kept the bag on the floor and like dominoes, all the men behind him placed their bags on the floor row wise. Starting from the front and quickly moving to the back.

    As if Sofia and Vincent''s group of people were not even there, the men started setting up the equipment they had brought with them in the bags.

    As they were half way through setting up, Sofia realized what was happening. They were setting up a studio for photography. They had brought everything one would see at a professional photography studio. What left Sofia speechless was the changes of clothes that a woman, in a professional black skirt suit, wheeled onto the rooftop.

    Seeing as everything was set up, Vincent lowered his face and spoke right into Sofia''s ear. "They are all my men. You don''t need to be scared. They are only here to protect us."

    Just as Vincent was done speaking to Sofia, the man leading the entourage of men onto the rooftop walked towards them. Bowing slightly he spoke, "Master. Everything is really."

    And so began the process of creating memories that Johnathan would be able to see when he grows older.

    The first few pictures were of Johnathan alone standing on the rooftop near the railings with the Eiffel tower lit up behind him. Those pictures were all taken when Johnathan was nervous and not smiling. The happy pictures started when Vincent send Sofia to the nervous baby.

    Sofia had nothing to do rather than follow the photographer''s directions and pose with Johnathan next to her.

    The next batch of photos were of Vincent and Johnathan only. In these pictures you could see how much Vincent loved his son. During the whole picture taking process Johnathan was in his father''s arms, wither it was being safely secured in a hug, or being thrown into the air and getting caught again. In a few of the pictures Johnathan was sitting on Vincent''s shoulders having the time of his life.

    Just as Sofia was getting ready to ask if she could get her own solo picture taken, Vincent called her over to himself. "Sofia. Come we will all take a picture together."

 CH 70

    "Sofia. Come we will all take a picture together."

    The group photography session when amazingly. Vincent had gotten an excuse for holding her in front of so many people intimately.

    .....

    Just as the picture taking was completed, Johnathan ran out to the photographer and said excitedly, "Daddy and Auntie''s turn."

    The innocent idea was an opportunity that the father would not let go of. The golden opportunity.

    The shoot went on with little to no opposition from Vincent, much to Sofia''s discomfort. She was hoping that she would not have be the one refusing to take pictures with her boss. But the minute Vincent nodded his agreement, the people behind the scenes started their work not waiting for Sofia''s input onto the whole situation.

    The photoshoot began with the pair just standing next to each other, but after a few clicks, the feedback was not one Sofia was looking for. Especially Johnathan''s whose idea it was to take the pictures in the first place.

    "No No No No No No!" Johnathan exclaimed. Running towards them, Johnathan pulled on his father sleeve and said "Daddy hold Auntie Sofia like u did me."

    Vincent wrapped an arm around Sofia''s waist from the back and glanced at the miniature version of himself for approval. The pout said it all. But to emphasize his point Johnathan exclaimed "Both hands!"

    Having gotten his wish, Johnathan went back to the photographer and stood next to him proudly looking onto his masterpiece.

    Sofia was uncomfortable standing so intimately with her boss, but the way Johnathan was glowing after Vincent put both his arms around her waist, she did not have the heart to say ''No''. So the picture taking process continued.

    Each pose after the other became more intimate. The first was them standing next to each other, after was Vincent''s arms around her waist. Next was Sofia holding onto Vincent,s arm with dear life, this was one where her body was completely plastered on his arm meaning chest against his arm. Them facing each other as they looked at each other was ok as there was no touching, but the one after was alittle weird, they were in the same position but with his arms around her waist and hers around his neck.

    The one she was the most nervous about was the back hug. This one was where she was the one hugging Vincent, and not the normal one, the photographer told her to look straight at the camera over Vincent''s shoulder with her fingers straight on his chest but alittle closer to the shoulders. It was a picture if looked at would be a very sexy theme, a seductress holding on to her man from behind. and the was the exact memo given to her right after Vincent''s back hug to her where they were looking at each other.

    The only thing getting her through the process was Johnathan''s smiling face and Vincent''s constant reminder of it getting over soon and that she was doing well. This was the most helpful was when she was told the concept of the last three pictures.

    First was one where Vincent was standing behind her with one hand on her waist and the other just below her breast while she had to crane her neck to the side for better access and hike her long skirt up to show skin. Next was her back to the camera facing Vincent hugging but the sexy part was the way he was holding her, by opening her back zipper till just above her hips holding her skin to skin and the cherry on the top, kissing her neck. And finally last but not the least, the almost kiss.

    This was where he was the most gentlemanly. He kept on telling her it was ''ok'' in the most comforting manner. "Just relax. Take a deep breath. It''s not going to be real. We will only be close. We will not be kissing for real. So relax."

    It should have been super awkward after the poses they had done but the minute they were done, he said to her "Thank you for doing this. It means a lot to Johnathan and I''m sorry for making you uncomfortable with the poses." looking at Johnathan and back to her "Johnathan has been down these past few weeks and he looks so happy right now. You don''t know what this means to me. Thank you so much."

    Walking towards the photographer he called out to her "Stay there and take a few solo pictures. You dont get this opportunity everyday."