Chapter 8

Natalie's body slammed into the water.

Icy river water flooded her nose and mouth in an instant. She choked until her vision went black. Her lungs felt like two hands were crushing them, and the pain was so overwhelming that she lost all will to survive.

Ethan Monroe had been waiting for this moment. He dove into the river and cut through the water with powerful strokes. The moment his fingers touched Natalie's arm, he hooked his hands under her armpits and dragged her toward the shore.

Before Natalie lost consciousness completely, she reached out and touched Rachel's tear-streaked face. "I finally got out."

Then she collapsed into Rachel's arms.

At the same time, James and the Bennetts rushed Sophie to the hospital, their faces tight with worry.

After examining her, the doctor concluded that she had simply been overwhelmed by shock.

Andrew stroked Sophie's hair with a pained expression. "Sophie, you're just too kind. You're always thinking about everyone else, and that's exactly why Natalie thought she could walk all over you."

His eyes turned vicious at the mention of Natalie. "This time, she's going to get on her knees and apologize to you. Until she does, I refuse to call her my sister."

Sophie grabbed Andrew's hand. Tear tracks stained her pale face. "Andrew, she just wanted your love so badly that she made a mistake. I'm the one who took her place in this family. She has every right to hate me. I don't need her apology."

Theodore and Mabel gazed at her with overwhelming tenderness and praised her for being their sweet, kindhearted little treasure. But when they spoke of Natalie, their voices dripped with venom. "Ungrateful wretch. We'll drag her back here to apologize right now."

Theodore pulled out his phone and dialed Natalie's number. No one answered.

Mabel tried next. Still no answer.

Andrew told James to call her, but the result was the same. He was about to try again when Sophie leaned against his shoulder and pretended to wince in pain. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and satisfaction gleamed in her eyes.

The person she hated most was finally dead.

James, however, felt an inexplicable wave of panic wash over him.

Something hollow opened up inside his chest. It felt like something important was slipping away.

Seven days passed, and Natalie still had not returned. James dialed her number again. He called over a dozen times, but every attempt went straight to a dead line.

Unease flooded through him. He got in his car and drove to the bottom of the cliff.

When Sophie learned where he had gone, she followed immediately. She wrapped her arms around him from behind. "James, she knows how to swim. Even if she fell, she'd be fine. She's probably just hiding somewhere because she's still bitter that you didn't choose her."

James lowered his gaze to Sophie and noticed the scrapes on her knees and palms. His brow furrowed slightly. "You're hurt. Let me take you home."

He quietly sent Natalie a WhatsApp message : [If you still want to marry me, get back here now.]

When the message went through successfully, it only strengthened his belief in everything Sophie had just told him.

Late that night, James found himself staring at his chat history with Natalie. He realized she had sent him 6848 messages over the years. He had replied to 30 of them.

He typed out another message and hit send. [Carter Holdings is hosting a press conference in three days. I'll be waiting for you.]

Three more days passed. Sophie attended the event as James' date.

The reporters who had been waiting for hours swarmed toward them the moment they arrived.

"Mr. Carter, we heard that after learning Ms. Sophie Bennett wanted to enter the entertainment industry, you acquired the largest entertainment company in Northbridge City. Can you tell us why you made that decision?"

James' tone was flat. "Sophie deserves it."

Beside him, Sophie ducked her head in a show of bashful modesty.

Then another voice cut through the crowd. "Mr. Carter, there were previous reports that you were engaged to the eldest Bennett daughter, Natalie. Now you're spending lavishly on Ms. Sophie Bennett. Does this mean you've switched fiancées?"