"Mobbed by Matrimony" (wlw)

Chapter 25: A Painful Stab

Alex left to buy the ingredients for her and Sophia's dinner tonight—steak, brussels sprouts, asparagus, couscous, baguette, and a bottle of Pinot Noir. She wanted to prepare a delicious meal and ensure they had a wonderful evening together.

"Hello, boss. You're home early."

"Yes, Lisa. You can take the rest of the day off. I'll handle dinner tonight."

Alex's smile was wide and full of excitement.

"Oh! Okay, boss. Thank you! I hope you enjoy your dinner tonight!"

Lisa responded, already picking up on the mood.

"I also picked up your mail; it's on the dinner table."

Lisa added.

"Thanks, Lisa. Take care."

Alex said cheerfully, clearly in high spirits.

Alex sat at the dinner table after finishing the meal preparation. With time still to spare, she decided to grab a bottle of beer and relax. As she scanned through the mail Lisa had picked up, she came across a brown project envelope with no name on it. Curious, she opened it and took out the documents inside. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw what was revealed.

Inside the envelope were two documents: a draft and a final revised Divorce Settlement Agreement. As Alex scanned through them, she noticed that the draft included Sophia's signature at the bottom.

Alex's emotions were a whirlwind. The sight of Sophia's signature on the document left her feeling a tumult of shock, anger, disappointment, and sadness. Gripped by an intense mix of rage and sorrow, she crumpled the papers in her hands. With tears brimming in her eyes, she suddenly grabbed her knife and stabbed the documents, pinning them to the table in a fit of emotional turmoil.

Sophia stepped inside the penthouse, excited to see what Alex had prepared for their dinner. As she glanced towards the kitchen, she noticed it was all tidied up. Her gaze then fell on the knife, pinned down on the dinner table. Confused, Sophia walked closer to investigate.

Sophia's eyes widened in shock when she saw the drafted Divorce Settlement Agreement pinned to the table with Alex's knife. She couldn't understand why it was there, especially since she had told her best friend, Alicia, not to proceed with reviewing the draft after Lisa had explained the reason for Alex's outburst during her late mother's birthday. Sophia's heart raced with fear, knowing that Alex must be extremely angry after seeing the document — evidenced by the knife pinned to it. Frantic, she rushed upstairs and stormed into Alex's room, but Alex was nowhere to be found. On the verge of tears, Sophia searched the library and the guest room, but Alex was still missing.

Sophia called Julia, Elliott, and Gabriel, but none had seen Alex all afternoon. She was desperate to find and talk to Alex to explain  regarding the document, but Alex was nowhere to be found. Julia confirmed that Alex was not in her office as well. She then went to the basement, hoping to find Alex there, but instead encountered her driver, Jared.

"Jared, have you seen Alex?"

Sophia asked, catching her breath.

"I drove Boss Alex to the airport, Miss Sophia."

Jared replied.

"The airport?! Where was she going?"

Sophia's shock was evident.

"She didn't say anything. She just asked me to drive her there and then I left."

Jared explained.

Desperate to find Alex, Sophia urgently asked Jared to drive her to the airport, unsure of where to begin her search.

It had been nearly five hours, but Sophia still hadn't spotted Alex at the airport. Despite being exhausted from her relentless search, she continued to look for Alex, clinging to the hope that she could still explain herself.

Sophia had been crying for hours, sitting on the couch. She was convinced that Alex was furious, hurt, and likely cursing her.

"Hey, Sophia. Calm down. Alex will show up eventually. Stop crying, okay?"

Julia said, trying to comfort her.

"I've hurt her, Julia. I've hurt Alex. And now she's run away."

Sophia sobbed, her heart aching with regret.

It had been eight days with no sign of Alex. Despite her entire family's efforts to reach her, her phone remained unreachable. Everyone, especially Sophia, was doing their best to locate Alex, but their attempts had been in vain.

"Sophia? Hey, Sophia! Are you okay?"

Michelle asked as she noticed Sophia staring blankly.

"Yes, I'm fine," Sophia replied briefly.

"Well, you don't look fine," Christina said, her concern evident. "You look pale, unfocused, and you have a fever. You need to go home and rest!"

"I'm okay, guys. I don't want to stay at home. I have the best chance of seeing her here," Sophia said.

"Best chance of seeing who? Where?"

Christina asked, confused.

Sophia didn't answer. She continued to stare blankly at the first floor as people moved about. She noticed a group of men sitting near the reception area, waiting.

"Those are Mr. Bauer's bodyguards. The Van Leeuws is trying to finalize a deal with him right now."

Michelle explained, but Sophia remained unresponsive, her gaze fixed and distant.

Sophia watched as Julia and Elliott descended the escalator, followed closely by several more of Mr. Bauer's men. The group moved with a clear sense of direction and intent.

"It's been a while since I've seen Boss Alex. I heard she went on vacation, so it's great to see her back, especially since she stepped in to help with the deal with Mr. Bauer today."

Christina said, catching Sophia's immediate attention.

"What did you say, Christina?!"

Sophia asked urgently, her eyes fixed on her colleague.

"I said Boss Alex has been away for a while, but look—she's back from her vacation."

Christina replied, her gaze following Alex and Mr. Bauer as they descended the escalator, with Julia, Elliott, and their men waiting on the ground floor.

"Alex..."

Sophia whispered, her voice trembling. She stood up quickly and moved toward the escalator, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Alex"

She called softly, quickening her pace.

"Alex!"

This time, Sophia's voice was clear and intent, as she tried to catch the attention of the woman she had missed so dearly.