The things we never had

Chapter 27

Everyone filtered out of the room to do their own thing, while I stayed behind and leaned further back into the couch. Naturally, my head tilted upward, and my eyes widened in surprise. Above me, the ceiling was adorned with beautiful Greek art—a vibrant display of blues and greens that contrasted elegantly with the room's aesthetic. I stared, entranced, until my neck began to ache.

In the past few days, I'd almost forgotten just how wealthy these people were. For some reason, I felt compelled to check their net worths on my phone. As I scrolled through the results, focusing particularly on Alex and Christian, I couldn't help but be stunned. Whatever my definition of "rich" was, it clearly didn't align with the world of "old money" that they belonged to.

Christian, at just 23, had a staggering net worth of $35 billion. Alex? Even higher, at $47 billion. It was jaw-dropping. Sure, my family came from old money, but I couldn't even begin to guess how much of the family fortune had been calculated into those numbers.

Then there was Charlotte, whose $14 billion fortune made perfect sense. She ran a world-renowned fashion brand, famous for its influence on global runways and frequently worn by celebrities, prime ministers, presidents, and even royals. She must have met, or even dressed, every famous person imaginable.

I continued scrolling, curious to see Ace and Enzo's numbers. True to his word, Ace really was a baseball superstar. He'd signed multiple contracts, the most recent one being just seven months ago for an unbelievable $655 million. His annual salary? An estimated $65–67 million. And Enzo? His numbers were just as impressive. He owned one of the most successful law firms in the country, with a global reputation. The firm was famous not only for its divisions—covering everything from divorce law to criminal defense—but also for holding the world record for the widest variety of specialized lawyers under one roof.

Unlike most CEOs, Enzo was heavily involved in his cases and even represented a few himself from time to time, almost always securing a win. Thankfully, the rest of the family members were "just" millionaires—probably because they were still studying and working their way up.

Honestly, I hadn't realized just how wealthy they all were. They didn't act like it, either. They were mostly pretty laid-back, aside from the occasional bout of boredom. Feeling a bit restless myself, I decided to head outside and explore the grounds. But as I opened the back door, I froze. Men with guns were standing along the wall, evenly spaced, watching over the property.

My heart raced, and I slammed the door shut, panic setting in. Were we about to be attacked? I thought, my mind spinning as I bolted up the stairs, yelling. Christian intercepted me halfway up, casually pulling me aside with one arm.

"What are you yelling about, Sophia?" he asked, his voice calm but with a hint of exasperation.

"Th-there are men outside with guns!" I stammered, struggling to catch my breath. "We have to hide or... or do something!"

Christian chuckled, clearly amused. I tugged at his arm, desperate for him to take me seriously. "Why are you laughing? Come on, let's go!"

He gave me a reassuring smile, softening his tone. "Soph, those are just security guards. I'd imagine Mom had them posted this morning and had forgotten to mention it during the briefing—just part of the usual routine."

"Oh..." I mumbled, still a bit overwhelmed but feeling silly now. "But why are they holding machine guns?"

"Actually," he said, carefully choosing his words, "those are L400 KS-1 assault rifles, not machine guns. There's a big difference. And it's necessary. It's unsafe for us to be anywhere without discreet security measures in place."