The Almighty Dominance

Chapter 374

Josephine stretched with a lazy yawn, arms high over her head.

"Good morning, Miss Sophia."

When she noticed Alex was awake, her face lit up. "And good morning to you, Alex."

"Morning, Josephine," Alex replied, unsure what else to say under Sophia's sharp, burning stare.

Josephine swung her legs off the bed, cracking her neck like nothing unusual had happened.

"I'll make breakfast for the three of us, okay?" She started toward the door as if it were any other day.

Sophia stepped in her path, eyes narrowing. "How can you two be sleeping together?"

Josephine met her gaze without a flicker of guilt. Growing up in the cramped orphanage, sharing a bed had never been a scandal.

"Oh, Alex fainted in front of the clinic, so I brought him to his bed," she said through another yawn.

"But then he got all teary and didn't want to let go. Maybe he needed a friend, so I stayed. I was tired too, so I fell asleep there. That's all."

With that, Josephine turned and headed off to make breakfast, leaving them alone in the room.

Sophia's eyes flicked between them-both fully clothed, nothing looking out of place.

She wanted to scold Alex, but Josephine's words pulled her up short.

Alex... fainted? And teary-eyed?

Could that have been because she had shot a bullet to his forehead yesterday?

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked from the bed.

Sophia moved to his side, her warm fingers brushing his forehead before she could think better of it.

"Did that little stunt I pulled yesterday-shooting the bullet to you-make you faint? Did it hurt so bad you almost died?"

Alex's eyes sharpened. This wasn't the Sophia he knew the one who lashed out first and thought later.

was softer. Concerned. It

he said. “It's just... lately, there's

"You're right. For both of

long, awkward silence stretched between them before Sophia drew

what do you

searched her face-beautiful, but

her hands together tightly, panic

I'm a widow now... and if you don't

In the past, he might have answered without hesitation-yes,

his life,

give her

he could speak, Sophia's phone shrilled. She glanced at the screen. "I need to take

turned away.

voice came through, frantic. "Our neighbor just

"What?"

fire engines roared

stood side by side, watching orange flames

Florence and Jack pulled up in a taxi, still wearing their hospital patient clothes, eyes wide at the sight of their home

lurched toward the burning

yanked her back hard, her voice sharp with

still

money's probably already

out! If you go in now, you're running straight to your

her arms around her mother, holding her

is our home-our property! How can

face as she stared at the inferno devouring

to deal with Henny and Clarissa, then burn

like they'd

mansion was already swallowed by flames, its walls groaning before collapsing into the

luck, it would take Henny and Clarissa down with

air, the ground shuddering beneath

smoking rubble, while a wave of black smoke and scorching heat rolled across the

the gas-or something just as deadly-going

was raw and furious.