Chapter 58

The camera wasn't lost after all, which meant Sophia no longer owed Liam any money. "So... I don't have to pay anything back?" Sophia asked, her voice bright with relief.

"You don't even owe rent anymore," Gregory Wilson, the owner of Prime Lens Rentals, confirmed.

"Thank you, thank you!" Sophia exhaled, her shoulders relaxing. "Then... am I free to go?"

"Yes, Miss Montgomery."

With a deep breath, Sophia stepped out of the leasing company, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. But before she could get far, Alexander Kensington's voice called out behind her. "Miss Montgomery, wait."

At that moment, Alexander finally understood why Sophia had asked to borrow two thousand dollars from him at the Blackwood banquet.

She had thought the camera was lost and needed the money to cover the cost.

Two thousand dollars was nothing to Alexander—barely enough for a single meal. "Is there something you need, Mr. Kensington?" Sophia turned to face him.

"Do you still need the money?" He hesitated, unsure how to phrase it.

"Didn’t you see? I don’t need it anymore," Sophia replied with a small smile.

"I thought you were just another girl trying to scam money out of me," Alexander admitted. "So when you called me the other day, I—"

"It's fine, Mr. Kensington. We barely knew each other. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I’d have been suspicious too. Asking a stranger for money after one conversation? I regretted calling you afterward. I hope I didn’t embarrass you at the banquet. I was just... unfamiliar with how things work in your world." She shook her head. "Anyway, I don’t think we’ll cross paths again."

With that, she turned to leave.

"Unbelievable. The resemblance is uncanny," Alexander murmured under his breath.

"What resemblance, cousin?" Charlotte Kensington appeared beside him, curious.

"Nothing. Charlotte, go ahead without me." Dismissing her, Alexander quickly retrieved his car and followed the bus Sophia boarded.

He trailed her all the way to Grandview Medical Center.

Sophia had planned to return to work, but with the sudden weight of debt lifted, she decided to use her lunch break to buy something nice for Aunt Eleanor. She wanted to share a meal with her before heading back to Montgomery Designs.

As she stood outside the hospital entrance, selecting food from a vendor, Alexander approached her again. Sophia startled. "Mr. Kensington? What are you—"

"Let me take you to lunch," he offered.

Sophia laughed dryly. "Because you realized I wasn’t trying to scam you, you suddenly think I’m worth knowing? Or should I be blunt—you think I’d make an entertaining fling for a few days? A week, maybe? Until you get bored, and the next time I call, your secretary tells me you’re unavailable?" She shook her head. "Sorry, Mr. Kensington, but I don’t play those games. Like I said, I shouldn’t have asked you for money in the first place. My mistake. Consider this my final apology."

She grabbed her food and turned to leave.

Alexander caught her wrist. "Miss Montgomery, just listen—"

"Let go." Sophia’s voice turned icy. "I have no interest in rich men’s games."

Nearby, Ethan Blackwood’s car pulled into the hospital driveway. From the passenger seat, Nathan Carter frowned. "Mr. Blackwood, isn’t that Miss Montgomery with Alexander Kensington?"Alexander nodded, a flicker of admiration in his eyes. "It ends with her."