“I’m sorry,” she said. “Mikhel will not be leaving with you.”
Agent James rose, looking her in the eyes as he spoke. “With all due respect, ma’am. You can’t stop us from taking him into custody. We have a warrant.” His tone was cocky, and he sounded annoyed.
“Well, you see, as the company’s lawyer, I also represent Mikhel as he works here. So, I may ask questions,” she stated sharply but in a calm tone.
“Yes, ma’am, we understand,” Agent Brain said. “But we do have a warrant.”
Sophia looked at the paper in her hand as she spoke. “Yes, you do, don’t you?” Her tone had changed. She now sounded irritated. She smiled at them as she folded the document up again. “But this doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to Agent Daniel Smith.”
Turning her attention to Agent James, she continued. “Are either of you Mr. Smith?”
The wheels in my head started turning. I was right, this is fake, a setup.
“Daniel is sick. He would have come himself. But he can’t,” Agent Brian blurted out.
Holding out the warrant, Sophia spoke in a softer tone. “There’s also they question about the date on the warrant as well as the stamp. Both appear slightly smudged. The year is practically illegible. Without confirmation on the legality of the warrant, you can’t take Mikhel.”
I watched in awe as Agent Brian took the warrant back. Sophia smiled. Stepping to the side of the desk, she lifted her hand, pointing towards it before continuing. “Tell Agent Daniel, we hope he gets better soon. Especially if he wants Mikhel. He can come when he is no longer ill.”
The two men stopped at the door and turned back. Before they could speak, Sophia cut them off. “I can’t allow you to take him with such paperwork. For all we know, this is a setup. You might want to get rid of him. Who am I to say you’re not assassins, or hired to kill him by a rival company?”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. God, she is ruthless. Getting up, I joined her as the two agents glanced at each other and left. I wasn’t sure if I should hug her, kiss her, or marry her. Well, marry her with permission this time. She was something else. After the restaurant and now this, I knew she was meant to be by my side.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I whispered. I fought with everything inside me not to grab her.
She turned to me, beaming. “If something like that happens, you call me!” she spat back. “If you hand Mikhel over, it’s an uphill battle to get rid of false claims.”
Sophia stood firmly watching my face as she continued. “I know those are false, as I have come to learn a lot about you. There are so many things wrong here, but arson isn’t one. You don’t just comply, do you understand? You call me.”
Her brown eyes were wild. I could still see her innocence, but there was a sharpness to them as well. It was like looking into a viper’s strike.
“I will,” I agreed, nodding excitedly.
She glanced at me once more before leaving my office. The rest of the day was filled with back-to-back meetings. I had two with investors, one with creditors, one with lawyers, and one with management.
I needed Sophia in this room negotiating, I thought as the last people left the room. He was good at a lot of things, and negotiating was one. She would make a great addition.
The day's meetings were done. I was done and wanted to go home. I went to track her down. I found her in the last place I would have expected. My office. She was hunched over, glaring at my screen. Her brows were furrowed in focus, and her hair pushed back behind her ears.
Clearing my throat as I entered, I thought she would jump up. But there was no reaction. “You know, if you want an office, you could just ask for one. This one, however, is mine,” I huffed as I moved closer.
“Yeah, I want an office,” she muttered distractedly. Her eyes were glued to the screen.
Stepping closer, I glanced at the content on her screen. She was reading an article on the Briarwood fire.
“I think it has to do with the Santiago Docks,” she added. Dragging her mouse, she highlighted a section.
“How?” I asked.
Sophia pointed at a paragraph on the screen. I read it out loud.
‘Investigators released new details Wednesday regarding the fire at the Briarwood Storage Facilities at the Santiago Docks. It revealed that the blaze may have been deliberate, staged to conceal another crime.
Surveillance footage recovered from nearby businesses showed multiple unidentified individuals entering the building. This happened about an hour before the fire started. They exited the building minutes before the alarm was triggered.
The footage inside depicted a ransacked storage unit. Boxes were overturned, the contents scattered. It appeared that the perpetrators were searching for something specific. Authorities believe the fire was set shortly afterwards to destroy evidence of the break-in.’
Standing back, I folded my arms across my chest as I considered the facts. “We can worry about this tomorrow,” I murmured. Pulling her chair out gently, I held my hand. “When you have your own office. Now, let’s go home.”
