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?"

be months before I can even

back, disbelief colliding violently with

whispered, desperate for some shred

or simply delusional?" Jack hissed, bitterness soaking every

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

fists clenched, fingernails biting into her

her. The

her

He framed Clara and got her thrown in jail! Simply because she dared to oppose him. Sophia, wake up!

arrested?" she murmured, the last glimmer

Clara went to confront him about the Emerald Elixir. Next thing we know,

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

motionless, her heart shattered into

evaporated, replaced by an

snatched up her phone, dialed Alex's number, and

"Alex, explain yourself. Now."

icy and indifferent.

and Jack!" Sophia's voice trembled, fury barely restrained beneath

the bitter urge to tell her the truth-that Josephine had landed the blows on Jack, but admitting that felt cowardly, like shifting

leaned against the

came looking for trouble," he said, his

it. I just

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

slicing through

his voice dipping lower,

told you they provoked

gives you the right to nearly kill them?" Sophia's

of disbelief and rage bleeding through every

was just a

honestly believed it. One hit each, no more.

mother's arms and legs are broken! She has a concussion so severe she

step forward, her voice rising

like, Alex? Someone insults you, and your answer is to beat them into

the hell kind

you?"

straightened slowly, suspicion narrowing

with what he'd

it really

me right now?" Sophia's voice thundered

the room.

broken and confused. I've seen her with my own