The Bennet Scandal

The Collision of Fate

"Where am I?" Sophia asked herself as she looked around. She realized she was lying on a hospital bed, the faint sound of beeping machines punctuating the air, each beep a reminder of the fragile line between life and despair.

"How did I end up here?" Sophia tried to stir her thoughts, but the remnants of muscle relaxants still clouded her mind. She struggled to sit up, her body protesting against the movement. As her mind began to clear, memories of her family flooded back—laughter, warmth, love. But then, the dark memories of her leaked video and Gabriel's bitter remarks overshadowed those pleasant thoughts.

Lost in her reflection, the door to the hospital room opened, and a young man stepped inside, looking at her.

"Oh, thank god, you're awake."

"Who are you?" Sophia asked, trying again to get up.

"Don't do this... you need rest," the man replied.

"Who are you and why am I here?" Sophia asked, confused.

"I'm Orion. Last night you had an accident with my car, so I brought you here for treatment. Thank god you didn't get any serious injuries," Orion explained plainly.

His words reminded Sophia of the moment when Gabriel had accused her and poured his poisonous anger on her, prompting her to cross the road where she got hit by a car.

"Oh... okay," Sophia said slowly.

"I found your phone near you, and after bringing you here, I redialed the last number you called to let them know about you." Orion continued.

"And he must be coming... so I should leave," he added.

Sophia knew the last number on her phone was Gabriel's, which meant Orion had informed him about her accident.

"I've paid the hospital dues, and I think there's nothing more I can do... so get well soon and goodbye," Orion said before leaving the room.

He didn't give Sophia a chance to say anything more. She lay back down, thinking that no one would come for her, but at least she had a place to stay for now—this hospital. A tear slipped from her eye as she felt the ache in her body, mingling with the deeper pain of feeling helpless and alone.

Meanwhile, just outside the hospital room, Gabriel paced back and forth, his heart racing. He couldn't shake the dread that had settled over him after receiving the phone call from someone named Orion. The words echoed in his mind: "She's in the hospital, but she's asleep."

Gabriel snapped, "What the hell do I care?" He said this as he hung up, but the restlessness inside him grew like an uncontrollable wildfire.

He got up from his office chair and thought, "Why should I care about her?" he muttered to himself, clenching his fists. But deep down, a voice whispered that she had ruined everything for him and that he shouldn't let her die so soon. She had to pay for her cursed presence in his life.

So, he left his office and came to the hospital. The doctors said she was sleeping, so he kept waiting for her. Now, Orion had told him that she had awakened and was leaving.

Gabriel thought for a moment and moved toward the room where Sophia was admitted. He opened the door and stepped inside, his expression a mix of annoyance and something darker. As their eyes met, an unspoken tension filled the room.

"Gabriel," Sophia croaked, her voice raw. She attempted to shift away from him but found herself trapped in the confines of the hospital bed.

He stepped closer, his eyes hardening. "You thought you could die so easily and get rid of all tensions?" Gabriel hissed. Then he added, "You still have to suffer a lot."

"It wasn't a suicide attempt... it was an accident... so don't be happy that I laid down my will to make you suffer so soon," Sophia snapped back, her tone full of anger and venom.

Gabriel looked at her fearless expression and said, "You are a shameless girl."

"Why am I a shameless girl? Because I'm not letting you gloat?" she shot back, her anger rising like bile in her throat. Then she added, "You think you're the only one suffering? In one day, my life has gone from success to total disaster. My whole world has turned upside down."

Sophia pumped out all of her frustration. "You think I wanted this? Do you think I wanted to end up here? You've taken everything from me!" Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she fought to keep them at bay.

Gabriel's expression hardened, rage bubbling beneath the surface. "You think you're the only one suffering? I was happy and excelling, and now look at what you've made of it."

"I think it was your father who planted you and asked you to ruin me," he spat, nothing but poison in his words.

"Don't you dare say my dad's name in this? He is not a petty person like you. It was my bad luck that I saw you and fell for you," Sophia shouted.

She pushed herself upright, ignoring the pain shooting through her body.

"Gabriel, I admit I started it, but you didn't stop me. You encouraged me and kissed me back. You wanted this, so just admit it," Sophia said, her voice shaking with emotion.

"Admit what? That you took advantage of a weak moment and ruined my life? I won't let you off the hook like this. You have to help me out of this scandal. Only you can do this, and you will," Gabriel said.

"You think you can control me? You don't know me, Gabriel. I'm not some weak girl who's going to sit around crying over her losses. You underestimated me," Sophia's voice hardened, her tone dripping with fury. "I'm Sophia Bennet, and I swear, I will destroy you."

Gabriel took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "You think making threats will get you anywhere, Miss Bennet? It'll only make things worse for you."

"Worse than this? Do you really think there's anything worse? Trust me, this is the absolute worst thing that could've happened to me," Sophia replied with desperation.

"Get up. We're leaving," Gabriel said firmly.

"Leaving? What do you mean? I'm not going with you," Sophia shot back.

"Oh really? Do you have another choice?" Gabriel smirked.

"Your family has abandoned you. Your friends won't take you in anymore—Ella told me everything about what went down at her place. You're broke, aren't you? No money, no options."

He paused, then added with a cold edge, "Well, you do have one option. You could sleep on the street tonight since the hospital discharged you."

Sophia looked at him, feeling utterly helpless. Deep down, she knew she had no other option.