The sound of muffled footsteps grew louder as the door swung open to reveal Helen Matthews. Her face, lined with years of quiet resilience, softened into a wide smile the moment she saw Sophie. Without hesitation, Helen pulled her daughter into a warm embrace, her arms wrapping tightly around her as though she feared letting go.
"It's really good to see you," Helen said, her voice filled with genuine affection.
Sophie returned the hug, closing her eyes for a moment to savor the comfort of her mother's embrace. "It's good to see you too, Mom."
Helen pulled back slightly, studying Sophie's face with a mix of happiness and concern. "So, do you mind enlightening me on why you hate visiting?"
Sophie tilted her head in mock offense. "What gave you that impression? Of course, I love visiting you."
"You do a very bad job of showing it. Unlike your brother, who comes here every month to see me."
"Miles is here?" Sophie asked, her eyes widening.
"Yeah, he's inside, working on something on his laptop."
"Is he still into Web3?" Sophie asked with a chuckle.
Helen crossed her arms, giving her daughter a knowing look. "He is. Try to keep in touch more so you'll know these things."
"I will, Mom," Sophie promised, though the words came out a bit hesitantly. She took a deep breath before continuing, her voice quieter this time. "Actually, there's something I wanted to tell you."
Helen's expression shifted instantly to concern, and she led Sophie to the modest couch in the living room. "Alright, I'm all ears," she said, sitting beside her daughter.
Sophie clasped her hands together, her gaze fixed on them as she spoke. "I met someone today."
Helen's lips curved into a sly smile. "A man? About time too. You know you're not getting any younger."
Sophie sighed, knowing her mother's teasing wouldn't last long. "His name is Damien. Damien Carrington."
The room seemed to go still. Helen's face drained of all warmth as she stared at Sophie in disbelief. "Are you crazy?" she finally managed to say. "Why would you let yourself get close to a person from a family like that?"
"I know, Mom," Sophie said quickly, her voice defensive. "I didn't know who he was at first, but the moment I found out, I left."
Helen exhaled deeply, relief mingling with lingering fear. "That's my girl. I don't want to lose you like I lost your father. Stay away from him, Sophie. You can't fight them."
Sophie hesitated before speaking again, her voice barely above a whisper. "I think he likes me though."
At that moment, the door to the adjacent room burst open, and Miles strode in, his laptop forgotten on the desk behind him. His face was alight with both surprise and determination. "He likes you?" he asked, his tone sharp.
Sophie shot him an annoyed look. "What did I tell you about eavesdropping?"
"You've told me many things, it's hard to keep track." He stepped closer, his expression serious now. "Listen, Soph, we can use that to our advantage."
"What are you saying?" Sophie asked, her confusion evident.
Miles leaned forward, his voice low and urgent. "If he likes you, we use that. Get close to him and gradually milk out incriminating information about him and his family. We've always wanted to see them punished for what they did to us, to our family. This is our chance."
"No," Helen interrupted firmly, her voice trembling. "There's no way I'm letting you send my only daughter into the lion's den for revenge. I could end up losing her too."
"Mom," Miles argued, his voice calm but insistent. "Sophie's a grown woman. Allow her to make her own decisions." He turned to Sophie, his eyes pleading. "Remember how they killed Dad just because he dared to run a business similar to theirs? They killed him simply because he was becoming more successful than them. Are you really okay with people like that walking free?"
Sophie's breath hitched as memories flooded back.
Miles pressed on, his voice growing more passionate. "You remember how you had to stop schooling for a year to work so that you would help us get money to keep food on the table? That was because of them, Sophie. These people don't deserve to live in peace. The universe has given us a way to get back at them. I say we take it."
Sophie was silent for a long moment, her gaze fixed on the floor. Finally, she spoke, her voice steady. "I'll do it."
Helen gasped, clutching Sophie's hand tightly. "Sophie, going up against the Carringtons is dangerous. You could lose your life. I don't think I could bear it if I lost you too."
"You won't lose us, Mom," Miles reassured her. "They don't know who she is. By the time they get close to finding out, it'll be too late."
Helen sighed deeply, her shoulders sagging. "I really hope you're right."
"How are we going to do it?" Sophie asked, turning to Miles.
Miles's eyes lit up. "The Carrington family is rumored to be involved in multiple illegal activities—money laundering, embezzlement, tax evasion, drug trafficking, and more. Any one of these crimes is enough to put them behind bars. So, you get close to Damien, make him trust you. Once he starts showing off his wealth, look for anything incriminating. Take pictures, gather documents—whatever you can find. Send it all to me, and then when we have enough, I'll leak it online. I'm a bit of a hacker myself. I can get into the media's network and send them information. We can ruin them from the background. They wouldn't even know who's destroying their lives."
"That's a good plan," Sophie said slowly. "But how do I get close to him? I made it obvious that I wasn't interested the last time."
Miles smirked. "That's the best part. You don't have to. He's a man, you're a woman. Just wait. He'll come around again. When he does, accept his invitation to a date this time. Do whatever it takes. We need to take them down—no matter the cost."
"No matter the cost," Sophie repeated, her voice firm.
Helen sighed. "I really hope you know what you're doing."