Chapter 3 3

Sophia Martinez

I woke up in Alex's guest room to sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows. For a moment, I forgot where I was. Then everything came rushing back - Ethan, Victoria, the rain, Alex's strong arms around me.

The silk robe I'd worn last night was draped over a chair, replaced by soft pajamas that somehow fit perfectly. On the nightstand sat a steaming cup of coffee and a handwritten note in Alex's neat handwriting: "Good morning, Princess. Fresh clothes in the closet. Take your time. - A"

My chest tightened at his thoughtfulness. Even in my darkest moment, Alex was taking care of me.

In the walk-in closet, I found designer clothes in my exact size. Everything from casual wear to business suits, all with tags still attached. When had he bought these? And how did he know my measurements so perfectly?

I chose a simple cashmere sweater and jeans, both fitting like they were made for me. In the mirror, I looked almost normal, except for my swollen eyes from crying.

The smell of bacon led me to the kitchen, where Alex stood at the stove, sleeves rolled up, looking nothing like the billionaire tech mogul the world knew. He looked up when I entered, and his dark eyes searched my face with gentle concern.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, flipping eggs with practiced ease.

"Better than I expected," I admitted, sliding onto a barstool. "Thank you for letting me stay."

"You don't need to thank me, Sophia. Ever." He set a plate of perfect Eggs Benedict in front of me. "I had my assistant pick up some clothes for you this morning. I wasn't sure what you'd need."

"This morning? It's barely eight o'clock."

A slight flush crept up his neck. "I may have called her at six."

Something warm but painful twisted in my chest. When had anyone ever cared for me like this? Certainly not Ethan, who could barely remember my coffee order after three years together.

"You didn't have to do all this," I said softly, cutting into the eggs.

"Yes, I did." His voice was firm but gentle. "You're family, Princess."

Family. Right. That's what I was to him - Marcus's little sister who needed rescuing.

I ate in comfortable silence, watching Alex move around his kitchen with quiet efficiency. Everything about him was controlled, precise, caring. So different from the chaos Ethan had brought into my life.

"Alex?" I said, setting down my fork.

"Hmm?" He was washing dishes, his back to me.

"Can I ask you something personal?"

His shoulders tensed slightly. "Of course."

I hesitated, then noticed something I'd somehow missed last night in my emotional state. "Where's your engagement ring?"

Alex's hands stilled in the soapy water. The silence stretched so long I thought he wouldn't answer.

"I don't wear it," he finally said, his voice carefully neutral.

"Why not? I mean, you're engaged to Senator Harrison's daughter, right? Caroline?"

He turned off the water and dried his hands slowly, still not facing me. "It's complicated."

"Most engagements aren't that complicated," I pressed gently. "Either you're getting married or you're not."

Alex turned around, leaning against the counter. His expression was carefully controlled.

"Some engagements are about more than love, Sophia."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He ran a hand through his hair, looking suddenly tired. "It means sometimes families make arrangements that benefit everyone involved."

My heart sank. "An arranged marriage? In 2025?"

"Business merger, political connections, family expectations." He shrugged, trying to look casual. "The usual reasons powerful families make alliances."

"But do you love her?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.

Something flickered across Alex's face - so quick I almost missed it. "That's not really the point."

"That's not an answer."

Alex's jaw tightened. "Sophia, you just had your heart broken by someone you loved. Maybe we shouldn't talk about love right now."

The gentle reminder hit me like a slap. Right. I was the girl who'd caught her fiancé cheating less than twelve hours ago. I was supposed to be heartbroken, not questioning Alex about his love life.

Tears pricked my eyes. "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know why I asked that."

"Hey." Alex moved closer, his voice soft with concern. "Don't apologize. You can ask me anything."

I looked down at my hands, embarrassed. "I just... I keep thinking about how Ethan and I were supposed to be in love, but he could betray me so easily. And then I see you, and you're so good to me, so caring, but you're marrying someone for business reasons, and it just seems so..."

"So what?"

"Wrong," I whispered. "You deserve better than that. You deserve someone who loves you for who you are, not what your name can do for their family."

Alex went very still. When I looked up, his eyes were intense, unreadable.

"Sophia..." he started, then stopped, shaking his head. "You're dealing with enough right now. Let's focus on you."

His phone rang, cutting through the moment. Alex glanced at the screen and sighed. "It's Marcus."

We stared at each other, and suddenly I felt like we'd been caught doing something wrong, even though we were just talking.

"Answer it," I said quietly.

Alex swiped to accept. "Marcus."

I could hear my brother's voice through the phone, urgent and worried. Alex's eyes never left mine as he answered.

"She's safe. She's with me." A pause. "Something happened with Ethan. She needed somewhere to go."

More talking from Marcus, his voice getting more agitated.

"I'll explain when you get back," Alex said. "Just... she's safe, okay? I'm taking care of her."

The way he said "taking care of her" made my stomach flutter in a way that had nothing to do with grief.

He hung up and looked at me with something like regret in his dark eyes.

"He's flying back tonight," Alex said quietly. "With your father."

Reality crashed back in. Soon I'd have to face questions, explanations, decisions about my future. But right now, in Alex's kitchen, I felt safe for the first time in months.

"Alex?" I said softly.

"Yeah, Princess?"

"Thank you. For everything. For coming to get me, for letting me stay, for the clothes, for breakfast." I paused, my voice getting smaller. "For making me feel like I matter."

Something dangerous flashed in his eyes before he quickly looked away. "You do matter, Sophia."

His phone buzzed with a text. Alex glanced at it and his expression darkened completely.

"What is it?" I asked, alarmed by the change in his face.

He showed me the screen. A message from an unknown number with a photo attached - a picture of Alex and me embracing outside Ethan's building last night, clearly taken by someone watching from across the street.

Below the photo was a single line of text: "Interesting. I wonder what Senator Harrison would think of his future son-in-law's midnight rescue mission?"

My blood turned to ice. "Someone was watching us?"

Alex's protective instincts flared, his jaw tightening. "Someone who wants something."

Another text arrived: "We need to talk. Noon. The Carlyle Hotel. Come alone, or this photo goes to every gossip columnist in the city."

I stared at the threatening messages, my safe morning crumbling around me. "Alex, what do we do?"

He pulled out his phone, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "First, I'm calling my security team. Then we figure out who's trying to blackmail us and what they want."

"But what if they release the photo anyway? What about your engagement? Your business deals?"

Alex looked at me, his expression fierce and protective. "Let me worry about that. Right now, I need to keep you safe."

But as more threatening messages started flooding his phone, I couldn't shake the feeling that our quiet morning together had just painted a target on both our backs.