Chapter 4 Territorial Lines

Elena's POV:

I heard the soft click of heels on hardwood before Sophia appeared in the doorway, carrying a chilled bottle of champagne. Her perfectly composed expression faltered for just a moment when she saw Adrien and me still bent over Miguel's evidence, our heads close together as we studied the financial documents.

The silence stretched uncomfortably as she took in the scene the scattered papers, my tear-streaked face, the way Adrien's hand had moved protectively toward mine when we discovered the diplomatic license plates. I could practically see her calculating the implications, her sharp lawyer's mind cataloging every detail.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly, already gathering the papers. "We were just finishing up."

But we weren't finished, and all three of us knew it. The evidence spread across Adrien's desk painted a picture of something far more dangerous than a missing person case. Miguel didn't just disappear, he had stumbled onto something that could get him killed.

"Actually," Sophia said, setting the champagne down with deliberate precision, "I think we need to discuss this properly. All of us."

My hands are still on the manila folder. The last thing I wanted was to drag Adrien's fiancée into this mess, but I could see from her expression that she had no intention of being dismissed.

"Sophia, I don't want to cause problems between you and Adrien. This is about my brother"

"Your brother who's been missing for four days," she interrupted, and I caught the sharp edge in her voice. "And rather than go to the police or hire your own investigator, you decided to crash our engagement party."

The words hit like a slap, partly because they contained just enough truth to sting. I felt Adrien tense beside me, but I forced myself to meet Sophia's gaze directly.

"The police think Miguel ran off to Vegas," I said quietly. "They won't take it seriously until he's been missing longer. And I don't have the money for a private investigator, not one with the connections Adrien has."

"So this is about money." Her tone made it clear what she thought of women who came crawling back to wealthy ex-husbands.

"Sophia." Adrien's voice carried a warning I've never heard him use before, sharp and protective.

But she wasn't wrong, and we all knew it. I had come here because I was desperate and broke and had nowhere else to turn. The fact that seeing Adrien again had torn open wounds I thought had healed was just an unfortunate complication.

"It's about Miguel," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "He's twenty-four years old, Sophia. He calls me every single day. He wouldn't just disappear without telling me, especially not when he was working on something that scared him."

I pulled out my phone, showed her the last text Miguel had sent. "Look at this. Does that sound like someone who's running off to Vegas for fun?"

Sophia glanced at the phone, and I saw something flicker across her face, maybe recognition that this was real, that my terror wasn't manufactured for Adrien's benefit.

"What exactly do you expect Adrien to do?" she asked, but her tone was less hostile now.

"Make some calls. He knows people, private investigators, and security firms. People who can look into things the police won't touch." I gestured to the papers scattered across the desk. "Miguel found evidence of money laundering through shell companies. Millions of dollars, Sophia. And half the cars at this warehouse have diplomatic immunity plates."

I watched her process this information, saw her lawyer's instincts engage despite her obvious discomfort with my presence.

"If this involves foreign diplomats," she said slowly, "then you're talking about federal crimes. Human trafficking, probably. This isn't something you investigate on your own."

"Which is exactly why I need help," I said. "Why I swallowed my pride and came here tonight."

Adrien had been quiet through this exchange, but I could feel the tension radiating from him. He was caught between two worlds: his safe, controlled life with Sophia and the messy, dangerous pull of our shared history.

"Elena's right," he said finally. "Miguel wouldn't just take off. And if he's stumbled onto something this big..." He looked at Sophia, and I saw the moment he made his choice. "I have to help."

The words hung in the air between us. Sophia's face went very still, and I realized this was the moment she understood she was losing him. Not to me, necessarily, but to the part of himself that couldn't walk away from someone in need.

"Fine," she said after a long moment. "Make your calls. But Elena, you need to understand something." She stepped closer, and there was steel in her voice now. "Adrien spent three years putting himself back together after you left. Three years. I won't watch you destroy him again."

The accusation hit harder than I expected, partly because I knew she was right. I had destroyed him once. I had walked away when things got hard, when the grief and the fighting and the failure became too much to bear. And now here I was, dragging him back into chaos.

"I'm not trying to," I started.

"Aren't you?" Sophia's smile was sharp. "You show up here looking like a drowned cat, all desperate and vulnerable, right back into his protective instincts. You know exactly what you're doing."

"That's enough," Adrien said, his voice cold. "Elena's brother is missing. This isn't about us."

But Sophia wasn't finished. "Isn't it? Because from where I stand, it looks like the same pattern. Elena gets in over her head, Adrien rides to the rescue, and everyone else gets hurt in the process."

The room fell silent. I could hear the distant sounds of the party, continuing laughter, music, the clink of glasses, the celebration of Adrien and Sophia's future together. A future I was now threatening just by existing.

"You're right," I said quietly, standing up and gathering the last of Miguel's papers. "This was a mistake. I shouldn't have come here."

"Elena, don't" Adrien started..

"I said I wpuld help, and I meant it." His tone was final, brooking no argument. "Miguel matters to me too."

The look that passed between Adrien and Sophia in that moment was loaded with three years of careful relationship building and future plans now hanging in the balance. I was watching their perfect life crack apart, and I was the fault line.

"I'll make some calls tonight," Adrien continued, his gaze fixed on his fiancée. "I'll contact you tomorrow with whatever I find out."

Sophia's face had gone pale, but she didn't argue. Maybe she recognized that fighting this would only push Adrien further away. Or maybe she realized that sometimes the best way to fight for someone was to let them make their own choices, even when those choices might break your heart