Sophia’s POVI tried to control my feelings and remain cool and professional, especially since Elijah’s company was technically our client. “I’ll talk to you later, Sophia,” Craig murmured before hastily leaving the room. He nodded in acknowledgment to Elijah, who simply ignored him and invited himself in. He closed the door behind him and faced me squarely. “We need to talk, Sophia.”“You’ve been saying that for the longest time, Elijah,” I said, rolling my eyes. “It’s getting old, and I have a lot of work to do.”I sat behind my desk and began sifting through the documents and design plates on top of it, completely ignoring Elijah. “I came across this little girl today, about the age of three,” he began, making my heart skip a beat. I certainly knew who he was talking about, but I tried not to let him see that. I continued what I was doing without bothering to look up. He went on, “She looked so much like you, Sophia. And she was in that restaurant where I happened to see you to
Sophia’s POVThe next two weeks were a whirlwind of creativity and productivity. I threw myself into refining my design, working day and night to bring my vision to life. The last time I devoted myself to a project like this was back in school, and I relished every moment of it.It’s tough, but quite thrilling. As I immersed myself in my work, I felt a renewed sense of passion and purpose. I realized that being a designer wasn't just a job for me—it was a calling. The thrill of bringing my ideas to life, of creating something truly unique and impactful, was exhilarating. I was in my element, and I loved every minute of it.The days blurred into nights as I poured myself into perfecting my design. I often found myself staying late in the office, most of the time the only company being Craig, my architect partner. He shared my dedication to the project, which I truly appreciated. He would linger, offering insights and ideas that helped me refine my work.One evening, as we worked side
Sophia’s POVI was about to answer Craig's question over the phone when Reese came over and tapped the end button. I looked at her in surprise, wondering why she had interrupted me. Her face was red, and she looked quite angry, even though her eyes were sleepy.“Now, sleep! No phone!” Reese declared, her voice firm despite her tiredness. I couldn't help but smile at her determination. I pinched her nose affectionately, thinking that I would just explain to Craig tomorrow.“Alright, alright, no phone,” I chuckled, lifting Reese up and placing her gently on her bed. She snuggled into my pillow, already half asleep. I grabbed a storybook that was lying on my bedside table and began reading it to her. Eventually her eyes closed and she was sound asleep. “I love you, Reese,” I whispered, giving her a kiss on the cheek and lying down next to her to sleep. Soon the big day came for Julia and I to present our refined proposal to the entire team. As I stepped into the meeting room, my heart
Sophia’s POVThe meeting ended, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't hide my disappointment. I managed to keep a smile on my face, but inside, I felt crushed. I ignored the sight of Julia basking in their victory, focusing only on the need to retreat to my small office and be alone.Elijah’s eyes shifted to me, and it seemed like his gaze meant to tell me something. I hurried away quickly, not caring to find out. As I entered my office, I hoped to find solace in solitude, but my wish was not granted. Serena followed me in, ignoring my request to leave. She locked the door behind her and sat down on the couch, looking at me expectantly.“What do you want, Serena?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.“Well, do you know why Elijah chose Julia’s design over yours?” she asked straightaway, her eyebrows furrowing. She seemed greatly bothered by this, and I silently wondered why she wasn’t celebrating with them instead. “I’m not interested to know why,” was all I answered as I turn
Sophia’s POVKnowing that Sophia was working in the same building where I was, every single day, drove me crazy. I often found myself glancing around in the lobby, in the elevator, in the hallways… always searching for her, hoping to catch a glimpse. Today, Trevis and I had a meeting. Finally, I had good reason to go to Urban Next Design Studio. At first, I didn’t see Sophia anywhere. Then after the meeting, my heart went crazy when I saw that her office door was ajar. Taking a quick peek inside, my heart dropped. There she was, closely sitting together and poring over some designs, even whispering to each other. Sometimes she would giggle, oblivious to my presence.That architect even had the nerve to put his arm around her and rub her back!It was all I could do not to pull him away from her and punch him in the nose. I shook my head as I tried to control the anger that threatened to consume me. “What’s happening to me?” I asked myself as I went back to the top floor and closed th
Julia’s POVI’ve always told Chris no, that I didn’t want that DNA test. I’m not interested in finding out what life I had before I went missing as a child. And I don’t care about going back to the Bakers. This is my life now, and I’m happy and content where I am. I don’t want to complicate things. Every time Chris had visited me in the past, he would always mention new things about their family. He revealed their wealth, but that wasn’t enough to allure me back. My parents had the same kind of wealth, and they had always given me what I wanted ever since I’d been adopted. I’m lucky to have rich and good parents now. How can I be sure that the Bakers will treat me the same? It might not be good to open up the past again. But these were my sentiments before I’d met Elijah Sinclair and found out that he was deeply connected to Sabrina Baker. I remembered looking up into his eyes that first time at the restaurant and hearing his deep, velvety voice, feeling it roll across my skin an
Elijah’s POV“Sabrina…” I whispered as I sat in my large, mahogany-clad office, my gaze fixed on a very old photo I held in my hand. A wave of nostalgia washed over me. The photo captured a moment frozen in time, one of laughter and innocence, with Sabrina's bright smile lighting up the frame. A tinge of guilt spread throughout my chest as I thought about all the years I had failed her because I was never able to find her, even when I had all the money in the world. A series of knocks interrupted my thoughts, followed by the door swinging open to reveal two familiar faces—Chris and Trevis, my closest friends. “Morning, Elijah,” Chris greeted me, his eyes twinkling with excitement. “I've got some news for you.”I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What's up?”“I got the results of the DNA test,” Chris began, grinning widely. “And it turns out that Julia is actually Sabrina! Can you believe it? After all these years, we now have her back!”I wasn’t that shocked, but I couldn’t understand
Sophia’s POVI took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. My heels clicked sharply against the polished marble floor of the Urban Next office, echoing my determination. This is it. I have to do the right thing, no matter the consequences. As I approached Trevis's office, I squared my shoulders.“Ms. Bennett,” his assistant greeted me with a nod, recognizing the resolve in my eyes. She signaled for me to enter.“Trevis,” I said, stepping inside and closing the door behind me. The owner of Urban Next looked up from his desk, surprise flickering across his face at my abrupt entrance.“Sophia,” he replied, leaning back in his chair. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”“I need to talk to you about the new project assigned to Julia.”His brows knitted together in confusion. “I know you were disappointed that your proposal wasn’t chosen, but I also thought you'd be pleased for her. You've always had a good relationship with Julia.”“That's exactly the problem,” I said, my