The Almighty Dominance

Sophia raced through the city streets, her heart hammering painfully against her ribs as she rushed back to the Lancaster mansion.

A phone call had plunged her world into chaos-Jack and her mother, Florence, had been viciously attacked.

Panic gnawed at her as she burst through the front door, desperation etched across her face.

The butler, visibly shaken, met her immediately, his usually composed demeanor shattered.

"Miss Sophia! Thank God you're back! Have you heard? Your mother and Jack- they've been brutally assaulted!"

"What? Assaulted?" Sophia gasped, her voice tight with shock. "What happened? Tell me now!"

"There's no time to explain! Go upstairs-quickly. Your mother needs you!" he urged, practically shoving her toward the staircase.

Sophia bounded up the stairs, dread clawing at her throat.

Her thoughts tangled into knots—how could something like this happen?

She flung open the door to Florence's room and froze, horrified.

Florence lay pale as death, eyes glazed with pain, head swathed in heavy bandages. Beside her, Jack appeared broken and battered, limbs encased in plaster, bruises darkening ominously beneath his own bandages.

Bloodied towels littered the bedside table, stark reminders of violence.

"Mom! Jack! My God, what happened?" Sophia's voice trembled, horror twisting her features.

Florence's gaze flickered weakly toward her daughter, her voice frail but dripping with bitter theatrics.

"Sophia, my dear girl... You made it just in time. If you'd come any later, you'd only see me in a coffin." She broke into a theatrical cough, eyes darting sideways to gauge Sophia's reaction.

"Who did this?" Sophia's voice iced over with fury. "Tell me right now!"

Florence's eyes narrowed, a venomous spark igniting as she spat the name.

"It was Alex-that animal! We went to him innocently, just to buy back a bit of the root he stole from Clara. Instead of cooperating, he spewed insults, calling us beggars and worse."

"When I confronted him, he flew into a rage and hit us! That monster nearly killed us!"

"Impossible," Sophia said.

"What's impossible? Look at us-look at your brother!"

Jack stirred weakly, his voice strained and filled with righteous indignation.

"Sophia, open your eyes! Look at the damage he's done. Is this the man you defend, the one you believed in?"

months before I can even

colliding violently with the

he couldn't..." she whispered, desperate

delusional?" Jack

body not enough proof? Or Mom's ruined face? The doctor said she

biting

her. The Alex she knew was

her

He framed Clara and got her thrown in jail! Simply because she dared to

murmured, the last

the Emerald Elixir. Next thing we know, she's locked up, accused of theft. Charles recorded everything-call him yourself

"We trusted him once, Sophia. But he's betrayed us all. You must see him for the snake he

shattered into pieces, replaced by an

an overwhelming need

her phone, dialed Alex's number, and

"Alex, explain yourself. Now."

eyes icy and indifferent. "Explain

nearly killing my mother and Jack!" Sophia's voice trembled, fury barely restrained beneath her

landed the blows on Jack, but admitting that felt cowardly, like shifting blame to an ally

against the

for trouble," he said,

started it. I just finished

you admit it! You admit it's your fault they ended up like this?" Sophia's

slicing through the

a brow, his

already told you they

that gives you the right to nearly kill them?"

disbelief and rage bleeding through

scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. “Come on. Don't exaggerate. It was just a shove—maybe a punch. You're blowing this way

One hit each, no more. And now she was turning it into a

shaking. "My mother's arms and legs are broken! She

took a step forward, her voice

beat them into a hospital bed? Do they have to die for you to

hell

you?"

slowly, suspicion narrowing

extent of the injuries she described didn't align with what he'd seen when Florence left-she had been walking,

it really

seriously questioning me right now?"

the room.

a bed, broken and confused. I've seen her with my own eyes.