Chapter 161

Elizabeth Thornton's strategy was proving effective.

She had advised her daughter Isabella to shadow Sophia Montgomery discreetly, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It didn't take long before Isabella witnessed the chaos unfolding between Sophia and the two young heirs of Sterling Holdings—Liam Sterling and Noah Whitmore.

The scene was scandalous.

Captured perfectly by Isabella's camera, the footage showed Sophia seemingly caught in a compromising position between the two men—both prominent figures in Harborview City's elite circles.

Within an hour of uploading the edited clip to multiple gossip platforms, the video went viral. Thousands of accounts shared it, and the city buzzed with outrage.

The comments were ruthless.

"Look at those two heirs fighting over a woman in broad daylight!"

"That girl must be desperate—living in a rundown neighborhood like that."

"A gold digger, no doubt. How else could she snag two wealthy men at once?"

Elizabeth and Isabella laughed triumphantly.

This time, Sophia wouldn't escape unscathed.

Even if public humiliation didn’t destroy her, the upper society would.

And they were right.

William Blackwood, the patriarch of the Blackwood family, was the first to react. Furious, he demanded Sophia apologize—not just to the Thorntons, but to every influential family whose sons she had supposedly "seduced."

Sophia remained eerily calm.

"Why should I apologize to people I've never met?" she challenged.

Ethan Blackwood's voice was ice. "Charlotte Kensington is already engaged to my grandson. You will apologize to the Thorntons. And as for the others—you will sign a written guarantee never to approach their sons again."

Sophia's lips curled into a bitter smile.

"Apologize? Never." Her fingers tightened around a hidden blade. "But if you want proof I’ll never associate with your filthy world again—I’ll give it to you."

Before anyone could react, she drove the knife toward her chest.

"NO!" Nathan Carter lunged forward.

Ethan was faster.

His hand clamped around her wrist, forcing the blade to clatter to the floor. He pulled her against him, his voice a low growl. "You don’t get to die."

Sophia met his gaze, cold defiance in her eyes. "You summoned me here. Was this your plan all along?"

Ethan's jaw tightened.

He hadn’t called her to Blackwood Manor to watch her bleed.

In fact, he’d spent the entire night scrubbing every trace of that damned video from the internet. Ten thousand sources—eliminated one by one.

And yet here she was, ready to throw her life away.

"I brought you here to solve this mess," he snapped, "not to stain my family’s home with your blood."

Sophia scoffed.

Nathan blinked. Since when had Ethan become so… talkative?

And why did his sharpest words always seem reserved for Sophia?

Ethan turned to the gathered guests, his tone cutting. "I won’t tolerate baseless accusations under my roof. If anyone here insists on harassing an innocent woman, they’ll answer to me."

The room fell silent.

Even William didn’t dare argue.

Ethan checked Sophia’s wrist for injuries, his grip firm.

A flicker of warmth pulsed through her—before she ruthlessly crushed it.

Then, a soft whimper broke the tension.

Isabella clutched her stomach, her face pale. "Oh… it hurts…"

Ethan’s attention snapped to her.

"I shouldn’t have come," she murmured weakly. "The stress isn’t good for the baby…"

William nodded approvingly. "Go rest, my dear."

Isabella swayed dramatically—collapsing against Ethan.

"Brother Ethan… I just need to lie down…"

Sophia watched, unimpressed.

Ethan guided Isabella to a chair, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. "Stay here. I’ll take you home soon."

Isabella smiled sweetly, clinging to him.

Sophia’s lips twisted in silent mockery.

The game wasn’t over yet.