Cronus's intentions couldn't be clearer. They had conflicts of interest with Capone, and they needed him to relinquish certain rights. If he refused, the beatings wouldn't stop.
She was taken to another island not far from the salt flats, where there were some simple houses. Around two of the bungalows, Cronus's men stood guard with strict security.
Inside the house, she found Lucas there as well. Sophia was no longer surprised; he and Cronus were in this together from the start.
Lucas saw her and smirked, lifting her chin lightly and teasing Cronus. "You really brought this little beauty along after all. What's so special about her that has both you and Capone so infatuated? Oh, and Mandy, too, always begging not to hurt her! I almost regret not tasting her last time. Is she really that?"
Sophia angrily pushed his hand away. "You're shameless! Where's Mandy? What did you do to him?"
With a cold expression, Cronus moved to shield Sophia behind him. "Lucas, she's mine. I hope you'll keep your word and don't push my limits."
Lucas clapped mockingly and sneered, "Relax, I'm not interested in spoiled princesses like her! What about Capone? I want all his shares—got it? All of them! Including the ones he inherited from his father and the portion from the Diaz family that hasn't even been released yet! I want complete control over IDGM!"
"He'll let go," Cronus replied. "But with ROYAL and the company both under police surveillance, we can't make too much noise. And he can't be allowed to stay free; we need to gather enough evidence to put him in jail."
Cronus was careful; his objectives didn't completely align with Lucas's, fearing Lucas would prioritize economic gains and let go of his hatred for Capone.
Their last confrontation with Capone had also caused Lucas to question the death of his first love, Clare, and his feelings of revenge had become less intense. If it wasn't necessary, he wouldn't get himself involved in unnecessary trouble.
But he was different. The murder of his father was an unending grudge, and his sister's assault was an undeniable fact. He wouldn't let Capone or his men get away. The evidence was there, and once Capone lost his power, status, and wealth, sending him to prison would be effortless.
He led Sophia into an empty room, shrugging off his coat and tossing it aside. Capone's blood was still faintly visible on his pant leg and on Sophia's clothes.
Sophia's heart felt as cold as a river frozen in midwinter, and she couldn't help feeling a bit afraid of him.
The man who had just unleashed his fury on Capone, this man who now openly intended to claim her as his own, was a stranger—entirely unlike the Dr. Cronus she thought she knew.
"Don't be afraid. I won't do anything to you. I'm not Capone. If you don't want it, I won't force you to do anything."
Cronus's attempt at reassurance only made things worse, and Sophia shrank back. "If you won't force me, then don't make me stay here. Take me to Capone. I only want to be with him!"
Cronus unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, smiling somewhat helplessly. "Sophia, do you know that what you're feeling now is a psychological condition called Stockholm Syndrome? In simple terms, it's when a hostage develops emotions for the one who harmed them, from sympathy to dependence, even believing they love them and wanting to help them. You subconsciously think his safety is your own…"
"That's enough, stop talking!" Sophia interrupted him. "I'm not your patient; I don't need you to tell me this! I'm an independent person; I know clearly what kind of feelings I have for him! If it were you, Lucas, or anyone else holding me captive, I wouldn't feel the same about you. I just want to be with him. If you respect me, please send me to him!"
Cronus shook his head. "You know as well as I do that in this situation, I can't let you stay by his side. Your brother and the others have already asked the police for assistance in the investigation. They'll be here soon to take you home. Don't worry—stay here and rest until they arrive."
Sophia's heart raced. While seeing her brother was, of course, her deepest wish, it would be a huge problem if, after Cronus got what he wanted from Capone, the police took him away.
Capone was completely alone now, and she couldn't let him fall into an even worse situation.
"What about Mandy and Joey? What have you done to them?" Sophia was still worried about the two of them. They must have encountered trouble, which was why they couldn't come to Capone's aid. "Haven't you always said that debts are owed by those responsible? When your father died, they were still kids. It shouldn't have anything to do with them. Please don't hurt them!"
Cronus remained gentle with her, but his words showed no mercy. "Hah, they're hardly innocent. They've had plenty of lives in their hands from a young age. Even if they didn't personally kill my father, he sacrificed himself trying to bring them to justice. And then my little sister, barely of age, assaulted by one or perhaps several of them, and to this day, her whereabouts are unknown. My mother wasted away in grief. My family was torn apart. Do you think they bear no responsibility?"
Sophia couldn't find the words to respond. She had heard from Diana that Cronus was already fairly mature when he joined the Franklin family gang. Capone's father, Henry, and several other senior members had initially been reluctant to trust him with any significant role. But he was incredibly intelligent and talented, diligently mastering everything he was taught, eventually surpassing others. With his sharp mind, he applied to medical school, a skill that could be useful for them in the future. Henry had him stay by Capone's side, arranging for him to study in the U.S., all to support Capone, who was just starting to take over the business.
The two brothers had a deep connection, allowing them to communicate on a spiritual level, which made their bond closer than that of other siblings. Lucas, who had grown up alongside Capone, had once been the brother Capone relied on the most. And yet, it was these two people who, one after another, had betrayed him out of personal grievances. How much pain Capone must feel!
The devastation of a broken family is tragic, but not all of it was directly caused by Capone. He didn't have a choice in his birth or the path his father forced upon him. After his father's death, he still bore the weight of his father's sins, forced to face this betrayal and revenge—a torment in itself!
"Don't overthink things. I won't treat you poorly because of Capone. Once you're back home, I'll come see you again. We'll have plenty of time for you to see that my feelings for you are no less than his," Cronus said, standing up, his long coat falling over Sophia. She kept her head down but called out to him, "Cronus… Is it alright if I call you that from now on?"
"Of course," he replied.
"I want to know," she continued. "You once mentioned that I reminded you of someone—not just in appearance but in certain moments. I just want to know, is that person your long-lost sister?"
Cronus froze. After a moment, he found his voice to respond. "Yes. She, too, had long hair tied casually in a ponytail and loved wearing bright yellow dresses—warm and radiant like the sun. Sometimes when you smile while comforting someone, or when I see your profile in a yellow dress, you look so much like her."
Sophia nodded. "I understand."
In fact, when he mentioned his long-lost sister, the thought had crossed her mind in a flash.
If the person she resembled was indeed his sister, and he was so fixated on revenge, then his feelings for her were not romantic but a transference of guilt and a desire for redemption toward his sister.
In other words, at most, his feelings for her were akin to those of siblings.
His obsession with revenge was strikingly similar to the initial drive Capone had. Helping him realize that revenge wouldn't change the past, but would instead worsen the present and future, distancing him from any happiness, would be no easy task.
It had taken her over half a year of daily interactions with Capone to get to the point where he now understood. Trying to explain this to Cronus was bound to be futile.
That evening, Sophia ate a little, though her mind remained anxious and heartbroken over Capone. She eventually drifted off into a restless sleep.
She was awakened by someone shaking her. Faint light filtered through the window; it must have been dawn.
"Wake up, Sophia! I'm here to get you out!"
The person shaking her awake was none other than Diana!
"Diana? How… how are you here?" It only now struck Sophia that she hadn't asked about Diana's whereabouts yesterday, assuming that she and Cronus were on the same side.
But if that were the case, why would she come here to set her free?
"A forensic pathologist has their own special methods, so don't ask too much! We'll leave from the back—I'll take you to Capone!"
Diana, as usual, showed little emotion, but Sophia felt she could completely trust her.
It turned out she wasn't someone who would lose her mind over emotions; she had always been so rational.
Diana guided Sophia onto a small boat heading back to the salt flats. Noticing Sophia's worried glances back, Diana reassured her, "Don't worry, I didn't harm anyone. I just took advantage of Cronus's trust a little. He'll understand; he's done the same to others before."
Sophia felt a pang of sorrow at her words. "Diana, doing this will make you his enemy."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing! But you, when you see Capone in a bit, go with him to the port district. Look for a chance to contact your brother. Let him take you both away. I'm sure you'll have a say in what happens next. At least your family is different from Cronus and his people; they won't harm you."
"Yes, thank you!" Sophia choked, feeling indebted to Diana. "Will you be in any danger?"
Diana smiled. "Not likely! Don't forget, I'm ranked as Eleventh Sister, after all. I have my own people too!" She nodded toward the young man steering the boat—a lean, short figure who turned and gave them a grin, his dark skin contrasting with his bright, white teeth.
He looked every bit as sharp and clever as Diana herself.