Chapter 57

Sophia’s POV

As soon as we arrived at the mansion, I could feel the tension thick in the air, the kind of silence that settles over a house after everyone inside has already decided they’re too angry to speak first.

Derick was furious that he hadn’t seen through Mr. Isaac’s true intentions, and even more upset with himself for trusting him so blindly. I’d suggested a background check early on, but he’d brushed off the concern, certain the man had nothing to hide. Now we were all paying for that naivety.

I could see the anger in his eyes as he talked through the idea of buying back the forty percent share without Blake ever finding out, his voice low and urgent, pacing the length of the room as he spoke. I understood the desperation behind it. If Blake got a real foothold in the company, there was no telling how muc