Signed, Sealed, Scandalous

Chapter 3

Sophia Sterling gave a faint smile as she handed her phone to Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley.

"Uncle Ethan, Aunt Grace, I'm already married. The wedding's in two weeks. Here, this is the engagement ring my husband picked out for me. I love it."

The room went dead silent.

For a long beat, no one moved. No one spoke.

Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley stared at her, stunned, trying to process what they'd just heard. Finally, Mrs. Kingsley stammered, "Sophia… is this for real? Or are you joking?"

Sophia opened her mouth to respond, but Ethan Kingsley cut in, his tone sharp and cold. "That's enough. Joke around with us if you want, but dragging Mom and Dad into this? That's too far."

Liam's usual easygoing expression was gone. "Seriously, Sophia. This again? The same joke, are you trying to prove a point or something?"

Noah dropped his chopsticks with a loud clink, clearly annoyed. "You've said you were married twice now. What is this? There's still a love letter in your drawer, yeah, that one you wrote. Who even was it for?"

Ethan and Liam froze, their eyes narrowing as they turned on Noah.

"What letter?" Ethan demanded. "Who's it for?"

Noah waved them off, flustered. "I didn't read it, okay? I just saw it, I don't know who it's for."

Sophia let out a bitter laugh.

Yes, there had been a love letter. Once. A long time ago.

Back when she still believed someone in this house loved her back.

And yesterday, before she filed for marriage, she'd made her choice. But now? It didn't matter anymore.

She took a breath, about to speak, when Lily Wilson, silent until now, suddenly gasped.

"Miss Sterling… that ring. You didn't just pull this off the internet, did you?"

"I've seen it in a luxury magazine. That diamond is one-of-a-kind. Priceless. There's only one in the world." Her eyes sparkled with interest. "Who did you marry?"

Sophia blinked. She hadn't realized the ring was that rare.

As for Adrian Pierce… she didn't really know much about him. And right now, she had no idea how to explain.

Before she could come up with a response, Lily's mother entered with a pot of steaming hot soup. She and Lily exchanged a quick glance, then the woman gave a small, nearly invisible nod.

Then, "accidentally," she tipped the pot forward.

"Watch out, !"

In an instant, Ethan, Liam, and Noah all jumped to shield Lily, forming a barrier around her like instinct.

Not one of them turned to protect Sophia.

The scalding broth hit her full-on.

"Aah, !" Sophia gasped, staggering back, the pain searing through her skin. Her arm turned an angry red as tears sprang to her eyes.

She looked up just in time to catch the smug gleam in the woman's eyes.

"You did that on purpose," Sophia whispered, trembling.

The woman gasped theatrically, eyes welling with fake tears. "Miss Sterling, how could you say that? I would never hurt you intentionally. I know I messed up and you got burned, but to accuse me like this, how could you?"

Lily rushed forward, stepping out from the brothers' protection, standing between Sophia and her mother like a shield.

"Miss Sterling," she said, her voice trembling with emotion, "we may be poor, but we have dignity. We won't stand for this kind of slander."

"If that's how you feel, we'll leave!"

She grabbed her mother's hand, and together, they stormed off dramatically.

Sophia watched, stunned, as Ethan turned on her, his expression cold with judgment.

"Sophia Sterling, Aunt Lily has worked for our family for years. She spills a little soup and you accuse her of sabotage? Can't you stop being so self-centered?"

Liam shook his head, disappointment etched deep in his features. "Lily's kind. So is her mom. You know that. What's gotten into you?"

Noah crossed his arms. "Even if she did do it on purpose, so what? It was just soup. Were you trying to kick them out?"

The words cut deeper than any burn.

Tears welled in Sophia's eyes, but none of them noticed. They turned their backs and hurried out after Lily without a second glance.

It wasn't until the pain became unbearable that Sophia collapsed to the floor, gasping.

"Sophia!"

Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley rushed to her side, helping her up and calling the driver to take her to the hospital.

When she woke, the first thing she saw was the Kingsleys, her real family, waiting anxiously at her bedside.

As soon as she opened her eyes, Mrs. Kingsley gripped her hand, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Sophia, we checked the security cameras," she said, voice shaking. "Lily's mother did do it on purpose. We knew they were manipulative, but this…"

"We're not letting this slide," Mr. Kingsley said, his tone firm. "Those three will see who she really is. We'll make sure of it."

"Sweetheart," Mrs. Kingsley added gently, "and let's not talk about this marriage anymore. You're just hurt and upset, "

"I'm not lying," Sophia cut in softly. "I really am married."

Then she pulled out a sleek bank card and a delicate emerald necklace from her purse, setting them in Mrs. Kingsley's hands.

"This is everything I've saved over the years. Please take it, it's my way of repaying everything you've done for me."

"And this…" she gently placed the necklace in her hand, "your family heirloom. You said it's only for your future daughter-in-law. But that's not me anymore. It belongs to the Kingsleys, not to me."

Only then did they realize.

She wasn't bluffing.

She wasn't angry.

She was leaving.

"Sophia," Mr. Kingsley said softly, voice trembling, "you really got married? You're telling the truth?"

Sophia met his gaze, unwavering.

"Yes," she said, calm and steady. "I really am."