Chapter 5 VICTORIA'S PRESSURE

"Some things are better left unsaid, Sophia."

My mother's words echoed through my mind as I stared out the window of the car, watching the city blur by. After the tension-filled meeting between Alexander and David, I was emotionally drained, but there was no time to decompress. A message from my mother had arrived just hours later, insisting on a lunch meeting. The urgency in her voice had left little room for negotiation.

Victoria Bennett wasn't someone you said no to, even if you wanted to.

As the car pulled up to the restaurant, I could already feel the weight of the conversation we were about to have settling on my shoulders. My mother didn't call impromptu meetings unless she had something specific on her mind, and I had a sinking feeling that today's agenda wouldn't be a pleasant one.

I stepped out of the car, and almost immediately, I spotted her. Victoria sat at an outside table, dressed impeccably in a tailored white suit, her long blonde hair swept into a chic bun. Her designer sunglasses hid her eyes, but I knew she was already watching me closely. Everything about her exuded control, from the way she held her glass to the way her posture never faltered.

As I approached, she lowered her sunglasses just enough to give me a once-over. "Sophia, darling," she greeted me with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You look... well."

I forced a smile, slipping into the seat opposite her. "Hi, Mom."

There was a beat of silence as she looked me over, her eyes narrowing slightly, as if she could see straight through the facade I had been wearing for the past few weeks. I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, knowing exactly what was coming.

"So," she began, her voice smooth and calculated, "how is married life treating you?"

I hesitated, unsure how to answer. Should I tell her the truth? That Alexander and I barely spoke? That his emotional distance was suffocating me? Or should I just play along, give her the answer I knew she wanted?

"It's... an adjustment," I said, my voice tight.

Victoria raised an eyebrow, her fingers tapping lightly on the stem of her wine glass. "An adjustment? Darling, you married one of the most powerful men in the country. If anything, you should be thriving."

I swallowed hard, my stomach twisting at the weight of her expectations. "It's not that simple, Mom. Alexander is-"

"Complicated?" she finished for me, her tone dripping with mild disapproval. "All men are complicated, Sophia. But that doesn't mean you get to second-guess your decisions. Especially not a decision like this one."

Her words stung, but I knew better than to argue with her. Victoria had always been pragmatic to a fault. Emotions, in her world, were luxuries we couldn't afford.

"I'm not second-guessing," I said carefully. "I'm just... trying to figure things out."

Victoria gave a small, knowing smile. "And that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."

A waiter appeared, setting down a glass of wine in front of me, but I barely registered it. My focus was entirely on her, on the unspoken tension that hung in the air between us.

"I know marriage can be difficult," she continued, her voice softening ever so slightly. "Especially when you're marrying into a family like the Knights. But you have to understand, Sophia, this marriage isn't just about you and Alexander."

I frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

She took a delicate sip of her wine, as if weighing her words carefully. "You are part of something much larger now. Your marriage to Alexander opens doors, not just for you, but for our entire family. The social circles, the connections, the benefits-these things don't

come easily. You're in a position most people can only dream of, and I would hate for you to throw it away because of... temporary discomfort."

I bristled at her words. Temporary discomfort? That's how she saw it? The cold silence, the emotional distance, the feeling of being trapped in a life I didn't understand-it was more than discomfort. It was suffocating.

"I didn't marry Alexander for the social benefits, Mom," I said quietly, my voice barely holding back the frustration. "I married him because-" I stopped short, realizing that I didn't even know how to finish that sentence. Why *had* I married him?

Because it made sense? Because he was powerful? Because... I didn't know any better?

Victoria's sharp gaze cut into me, as if she could see the doubts swirling in my mind. "Sophia, I raised you better than this. You don't walk away from a marriage like yours just because it's not everything you imagined it would be. You have responsibilities now. To Alexander, to yourself, to our family."

Her words were like daggers, but there was something in the way she said *our family* that caught my attention. I leaned forward slightly, suspicion creeping into my voice. "What are you really trying to say, Mom?"

For a brief moment, Victoria's poised mask slipped, just enough for me to see a flicker of something-worry? Or was it something else, something darker?

She set her glass down carefully, her hands resting in her lap as she regarded me with a steely gaze. "I'm trying to say that you need to stop looking for problems where there aren't any. Alexander is a complicated man, yes, but you're not some naive girl. You can handle this."

I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off, her voice dropping to a low, almost conspiratorial tone. "And you need to understand that there are things about him-about your marriage-that you don't know yet."

My pulse quickened, the familiar unease returning. "What things?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Victoria leaned in slightly, her eyes locked on mine. "I know that Alexander hasn't been entirely honest with you. There are parts of his past that he's kept hidden, parts that might change how you see him."

A chill ran down my spine as I stared at her, my heart pounding in my chest. "What are you talking about?" I demanded, my voice shaking now. "What has he kept from me?"

She hesitated for a moment, as if weighing whether to tell me. Finally, she gave a small, tight smile. "I'm not at liberty to say. But trust me, Sophia, you need to be careful. You don't know the whole story."

I felt the ground shift beneath me, the certainty I had clung to slipping through my fingers. "Mom, if you know something, just tell me. What's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

Victoria sighed, her expression softening slightly as she reached across the table to touch my hand. "I'm telling you this because I care about you, darling. I don't want you to be blindsided by something you weren't prepared for. But you need to decide for yourself how much you really want to know."

Her cryptic words only made the knot in my stomach tighten further. What was she hiding? What did she know about Alexander that I didn't?

Before I could press her further, Victoria stood up, smoothing down her suit jacket as if our conversation had been nothing more than casual small talk. "Think about what I've said, Sophia. And remember, appearances matter. Don't let your emotions ruin something that could be a great benefit to all of us."

With that, she gave me a brief, cold smile and turned to leave, her heels clicking against the pavement as she disappeared into the bustling city streets.

I sat there, frozen, my mind racing with a million questions. What was she trying to warn me about? And more importantly, what had Alexander been hiding from me?