"They abandoned me? They never thought of saving me… What can you still trade me for? Marrying me… is it because you pity me? Or is there some other scheme behind it?"
She was speaking incoherently, unable to organize her words due to the fear and confusion swirling inside her.
She had so many questions to ask, but didn't know where to begin.
Suddenly, she turned and rushed down the stairs. Capone was startled, immediately chasing after her.
But she was running so fast that no one knew what was happening, and no one stopped her. Just as Capone reached the door, he collided with one of his anxious subordinates.
"Move! We'll talk later!"
The subordinate was startled by his shout. He was Mandy's man, and since Mandy's leg hadn't fully healed, he still had some trouble driving. He brought along a small helper to drive for him, and had been standing guard outside, keeping an eye on things.
Shouted at by Capone, the man blurted out the information he was about to report to Mandy. "Cronus escaped! He knocked out the two men Brother brought! Someone's helping him!"
Capone grabbed the man by the collar. "What did you say? Where did he go? Who's helping him?"
"I… I don't know! I just heard a car engine, and when I went to the small building, I saw Brother's men lying in the living room. Cronus was already gone!"
The others immediately gathered around, and Mandy said, "Don't panic, take your time. Boss, Sophia just ran out, she might be in danger. You go check on her, we'll handle this!"
Capone's heart felt like it had been set on fire, his insides burning with rage. Like a leopard, he dashed toward the door.
But once outside, there was no sign of Sophia.
"Sophia! Sophia Diaz!" Capone shouted her name loudly, regretting not having installed more lights around the beach and paths near the yard. It was so dark now that he couldn't see anything clearly.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of an engine. Looking toward the spot where he had parked the antique car he gave to Sophia, he found that the car was gone.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, his fists clenching at his sides.
Although Sophia was heartbroken and desperate, she shouldn't have run far. But now, just when Cronus had chosen to escape, and someone was helping him, Capone feared that Sophia might have run into them and been taken hostage. If that was the case, things would be complicated.
Capone ran to his own Jaguar and instinctively drove off to chase after them.
However, as soon as he reached the roundabout highway, several cars suddenly came driving the wrong way. The blinding headlights made it impossible for him to see, and they forced him to stop his car.
Capone quickly pulled out his gun from the glove compartment, loaded the magazine, and saw several people getting out of the cars ahead, all armed. The one leading them was Lucas.
Capone opened the door and got out of the car, pointing his gun at Lucas without hesitation, coldly saying, "Move aside!"
The sound of gun bolts being pulled echoed around him, and in an instant, ten guns were aimed at Capone.
He was unfazed, his body tense, and with a stern tone, he spoke: "Lucas, our feud isn't something to settle tonight. Tell your men to stand down!"
Lucas smiled, speaking slowly, "Boss, tonight's your birthday, and I shouldn't be spoiling the mood. But I promised Cronus I would help him leave the island, and tonight is the best opportunity. So, I have no choice but to make a move at this time. The Donkin family is now under my control, and I've found new clues regarding Clare. As for our feud, it can come to an end. But tonight, I must help Cronus, or I would be breaking my promise. I've done what I had to, and as for why your woman is in his car, I don't know."
Capone's expression stiffened, and his palms grew slightly sweaty.
Had Sophia really been taken by Cronus? Was it a coincidence, or was it part of their plan all along?
Capone didn't dare think about it, nor did he want to. He had promised Sophia he would trust her unconditionally, and he shouldn't be doubting her now, especially about whether she was hiding any secrets with Cronus.
But if she really had been taken by Cronus, would she be in danger, especially since she was pregnant?
Capone closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, lowering his gun. He said to Lucas, "If anything happens to Sophia Diaz, I will never let you get away with it!"
Lucas smiled, tilting his chin up. "If something really happens, the one you should be angry at is Cronus, not me."
"Boss, leave this to us. You go after Sophia!" Joey and Winter had already arrived in their cars. They got out and drew their guns, confronting Lucas's men.
Capone didn't respond, but made a gesture with his eyes to Winter and the others, signaling them not to act impulsively. They should hold off Lucas's men for now.
Time was truly of the essence. He started his car, driving through the people blocking the way, and immediately went after Sophia.
Lucas narrowed his eyes, watching Capone leave. One of his subordinates came up to him. "What if Capone catches up to Cronus?"
He smiled. "Then he'll just have bad luck. I've done what I promised, whether Cronus gets away or not depends on fate!"
The subordinate grinned wickedly. "Don't worry, I tampered with Capone's car earlier. He won't be able to catch up."
Lucas's expression changed. "What did you say?!"
When Sophia ran out of the study on the second floor, she was indeed heartbroken and desperate, her mind in turmoil like a pot of porridge.
She didn't know where to go; she just felt like she shouldn't stay there and listen to them talk about those cruel, unimaginable so-called facts. But she had nowhere else to go. Perhaps before, she could have thought of going home—that was her safe harbor, where she naturally believed she should go whenever hurt.
But what if that wasn't really her home? What should she do then?
Where else could she go?
For some reason, she ended up next to the antique car, opened the door, and sat inside.
This small, enclosed space gave her just the right amount of security at that moment. Surrounded by darkness, she could finally be alone and quiet.
She hadn't planned on driving away, but as soon as she sat down, she felt the cold muzzle of a gun pressed against her waist.
The feeling was terrible. She had experienced it before—when Capone first kidnapped her, it was just like this.
Fear instantly filled her chest, replacing the oxygen, and her heart shot up to her throat, creating a suffocating pressure.
"Don't move, drive!"
Sophia recognized Cronus's voice. "Cronus?"
"Sophia? How is it you? You can speak now?" Cronus was just as surprised. The car key had been given to him by Diana, and since Sophia rarely drove, he had planned to use the car to escape. Lucas's people were supposed to pick him up, and he had already knocked out Winter's people with brandy laced with strong sleeping pills.
Everything should have been foolproof, but he hadn't expected Sophia to be in the car.
"Cronus, where are you going?"
Cronus put away the gun. "Just drive for now, I'll explain as we go."
Capone and his people could catch up at any moment, so every minute counted.
Sophia guessed that he was likely taking advantage of the relative relaxation of the situation today to make a complete escape. She didn't want to face Capone either, so she listened to Cronus and drove onto the island ring road.
"Are you going to the dock?"
"No, going to the dock now would be a trap. We'll drive around the island first, heading toward Nishiyama. Once we shake off Capone, Lucas will figure out a way to get me out of here."
"Lucas? You're still working with him? Won't Capone be in danger?"
"No, Sophia, don't worry. I don't want any more trouble. I've made it clear with Lucas that no one will be harmed, and we won't go out of our way to trouble Capone. I just want to leave this place. As for the other grudges, I'll deal with them after I'm free."
"Cronus, can you stop fighting among yourselves? Capone's father was cruel to your family, but this debt shouldn't be paid by Capone. The dead cannot be brought back, so why make the living suffer?"
Cronus fell silent, and after a long pause, he said, "I understand what you mean. I promise I will seriously consider the grudge between us and him."
Sophia drove steadily, even a bit cautiously. Cronus soon realized, "I'm sorry, you're still pregnant. I shouldn't have dragged you into this."
He admitted that he had been selfish. In that moment, he hadn't thought things through fully. He just saw her as the best leverage; with her, he could control Capone.
"It's okay, I wanted to get out for some fresh air anyway, to clear my mind."
"What happened?" He could see the resolve and pain on her face, but more than that, there was a sense of confusion and helpless sorrow.
"It's nothing... I'm fine. Cronus, it turns out, I'm just like you. I don't have a family anymore…"
Cronus didn't have time to ask what she meant, as he suddenly heard the roar of an engine behind them.
"Capone is quick, he caught up already!"
"It's fine, we can go even faster!"