Chapter 3 - The Broken Engagement
The room felt as though the oxygen had been sucked out.
Victoria froze, her mouth open in disbelief. "What... what did you just say?"
"I said we are finished," Alexander repeated coldly. "The alliance between Ashford Enterprises and the Lane Group is canceled. Get out of my hotel."
Senator Lane’s face flushed a dark, dangerous purple. "Alexander! You cannot break a merger of this magnitude over a servant! Do you have any idea how much money your father and I have placed on this union?"
"My father is in a coma in Switzerland, Senator," Alexander replied, his eyes narrowing. "Which means I run Ashford Enterprises. And I refuse to marry a woman who abuses the people who clean her mess."
"You'll regret this, Ashford!" Senator Lane sneered, stepping closer. "Your stock will plunge by morning! And as for this girl—she committed assault. I will have the NYPD lock her away before midnight!"
One of the armed contractors stepped toward Sophia, reaching for his coat to pull out handcuffs.
Sophia’s eyes narrowed. The Quiet Current inside her blood stirred.
She didn't wait for Alexander to defend her. In one fluid, silent motion, Sophia glided past Alexander’s shoulder. She didn't strike the contractor. She simply caught his reaching wrist, rotated her elbow downward, and applied two ounces of pressure to his radial nerve.
The big man gasped, his knees buckling instantly. He dropped to his knees on the concrete, paralyzed by pain, his gun falling harmlessly into Sophia’s left hand.
She caught the firearm by the slide, disassembled the magazine with a single flick of her thumb, and tossed the empty steel frame at Senator Lane’s feet.
Total time: 1.5 seconds.
Senator Lane stumbled backward in sheer terror. The remaining three guards drew back, suddenly realizing that the girl in the maid suit was far more dangerous than any armed soldier.
Sophia handed the empty magazine back to the kneeling guard with a calm, polite nod. "Please don't touch me again."
Alexander stared at her, a breathless smile breaking across his handsome face.
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"Come on," Alexander said, grabbing Sophia’s hand. "We're leaving."
He pulled her down the emergency stairwell, leaving the Senator and Victoria screaming in the dark corridor behind them.
