The Betrayed Oath

Chapter 5

"Just play it," I muttered, stabbing the button.

Alex's voice filled the room, low and strained.

"I don't know if I can keep this up."

My breath caught. He sounded... wrecked. Desperate.

"You don't have a choice, Alex. Unless you want Sophia finding out about everything."

Elise. Smooth. Amused. Like she enjoyed this.

"She doesn't deserve this."

"Oh, please. She deserves worse. You're lucky I'm giving you an out."

A sharp pressure built in my chest, but the next words hit like a sledgehammer.

"What about Thomas? He's expecting results."

"Thomas will get what he wants. But don't fool yourself, he's not doing this for you. Or me."

"Then who?"

A pause. Then Elise delivered the killing blow.

"Sophia, of course. You think you're the prize? She's the queen on the board. The rest of us are just pawns."

The recording cut off. Silence crashed down like a tidal wave.

Who the hell is Thomas Kerrington? And why am I his target?

My pulse roared in my ears. This couldn't be happening.

The door clicked open behind me.

Alex.

Tie loose. Face pale. Eyes already begging.

"Sophia, "

"Don't." I shot to my feet so fast the chair slammed to the floor.

"You lied to me." My voice shook, but not with fear. With fury. "About everything."

He reached for me. I stepped back.

"Let me explain."

"Explain?" A hollow laugh tore from my throat. "Explain how you let Thomas Kerrington pull your strings? How you stood there while Elise tore me apart?"

Guilt twisted his face.

"I didn't mean for it to happen like this."

"But it did, Alex. And now I'm the one paying for it."

The phone on the desk buzzed.

A single message flashed across the screen.

"Move fast, Sophia. The queen always falls first."

Ice slid down my spine.

Alex saw it. His face drained of what little color was left.

"Sophia, you have to trust me."

"Trust you?" My voice was a razor's edge. "After this? You didn't just betray me, Alex. You put a target on my back."

"I can fix this." His voice cracked.

No, he couldn't.

I clenched the phone, my decision solidifying like steel.

"You already lost that chance."

This wasn't just betrayal.

It was war.

And I wasn't going down without a fight.