Chapter 4

After returning from the black market auction, Julia and James were busy preparing for their engagement party and stopped bothering me.

The day of my departure finally arrived.

Marshall had someone deliver my plane ticket.

[Six o'clock tonight, someone will meet you at the airport.]

[Your new identity is ready too. You're free.]

Looking at the message, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders and started packing.

James had given me many things over the years.

From cheap trinkets to expensive jewelry and designer bags.

I gathered them all together, not planning to take any of it.

"What are you doing?"

James's voice suddenly came from behind me.

"Didn't I give you all of these? Why are you suddenly taking them out?"

I ignored his question and said softly, "You're engaged to Miss Smith now. I'm putting these away to avoid any misunderstanding if she sees them."

James frowned slightly but didn't argue.

After a moment of silence, I suddenly looked up at him.

"James, I need to ask you something."

"Do you really..."

A sharp phone ring interrupted me.

I recognized it as the special ringtone James had set for Julia.

James immediately answered, but the next second his voice shot up.

"Patrick, don't touch her! I'm coming right now!"

Hearing that name, my temples throbbed.

Patrick Johnson was James's cousin.

Back when he was fighting for the position of mafia heir, he was ruthless, sending people to assassinate James multiple times.

After his failed power grab, I personally led people to strip him of everything and send him overseas.

"Julia's been kidnapped! I have to save her! Sophia, you're good at fighting. Come with me, and we can definitely rescue Julia!"

Hearing the urgency and excitement in his voice, my heart felt like still water, completely unmoved.

So this was what it felt like to stop caring.

In the rundown factory, Patrick wasn't surprised to see me at all.

"I knew you'd bring Sophia! She protected you before and gave me plenty of trouble! If you want to save your fiancée, break Sophia's legs and let me get my revenge!"

I was afraid James might actually do it.

So I tried to reason with him calmly.

"His target is you; he won't hurt Julia easily! There are five of them, including him; I can handle it. But if you hand me over and I'm disabled, all three of us are done for!"

But Julia, hearing my words, cried and screamed that I was deliberately trying to get her killed.

James clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot.

Finally, he looked at me.

"Sophia, I can't gamble with Julia's life! I'm sorry, but this has to be you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he fired without hesitation, shooting me right in the knee.

After a sharp pain, I collapsed to the ground, gasping.

Patrick smiled with satisfaction.

Then he made an outrageous demand, asking James for a hundred million.

"Fine, I'll transfer the money! Just let Julia go!"

Half an hour later, the hundred million came through.

Patrick surprisingly kept his word and released Julia.

But when James held Julia and tried to take me with them, Patrick rushed over and stomped me hard into the ground.

"A hundred million only buys one life! Sophia or your fiancée - pick one! Only one gets to live!"

I looked at James, waiting for the answer we both already knew.

"Sophia, Julia is different from you. You've been a mercenary for so long, you must have ways to save yourself! But Julia is just a delicate princess. I can't leave her here!"

With that, he picked up Julia and left without looking back.

He didn't see Patrick's knife slice across my throat.