Chapter 2

Sophia Eugene was a young woman of exceptional beauty and intelligence. With long, dark hair and piercing blue eyes, she was the kind of woman that could turn heads wherever she went. She had always been popular in school, and she had always been well-liked by her peers. Sophia had a bright future ahead of her, with an exceptional education background, she had graduated from one of the most prestigious universities in the world with a degree in Business Administration.

Sophia was a woman of many talents, she was an avid horseback rider, she loved to travel and she had a passion for art. She was also well-known for her charitable work, she had been actively involved in a number of organizations that helped children and the less fortunate. Sophia was loved by many, and she was respected for her kindness and her generosity.

Sophia's father, Charles was a successful businessman, and he had always been proud of his daughter. He loved her more than anything in the world and would do anything for her. He had provided her with everything she could possibly want since her mother death, from a luxurious home to the finest education. Sophia was his princess and he was her king. He would always be there for her, to guide her and to support her, no matter what.

Sophia had always been grateful for her father's love and support, and she had always tried to make him proud. She had worked hard in school and had always been determined to make a name for herself. She had started her own business and had quickly become successful. Sophia had always been aware of her father's business rivalries, but she had never let it affect her, she had always focused on her own goals and aspirations.

Sophia was a woman of integrity and character, her reputation in the town was impeccable. She had always been honest, kind and fair in all her dealings. Sophia was a true lady, and she had always conducted herself with grace and dignity. She was loved by many and had many friends.

Sophia's life was perfect, she had everything she could ever want, but her heart was filled with so much sadness. The only time she was ever happy was when she attended a party. Though there was nothing out of the usual in the party, however, the event's theme of happily ever afters and fairy tales called to the passionate, fanciful girl inside of her. the one who was still hoping to be swept off her feet by her own chivalrous Prince Charming. Sophia finally had a clear idea of what she wanted for her 25th birthday—something her father had been inquiring about—as soon as she touched her feet at the party venue. She didn't want any more jewelry, fancy handbags, or extravagantly expensive but useless presents that she would never use. While she was aware of how fortunate she was to have a parent who adored her, she also knew that her father would have found a way to grant her any wish she might have had.

No, she wanted more freedom and independence, not the kind that required her to constantly check in with her father to let him know where she was. Her dad had always been so kind to her, and she worried about him too since he had lately been diagnosed with angina, an indication of coronary heart disease, so she had to admit that she felt bad for those selfish thoughts. Although he was now stable, she was aware that any stress may potentially cause an episode. After her mother died, Sophia was raised in a very safe and secure environment, and she was eager to see more of the world.

Sophia sat in her room, staring blankly at the walls. Her thoughts wandered off to the party again, there was something about the party that she couldn't get off her mind or more like someone from the party that she couldn't get off her mind. She experienced a singular sensation that left her feeling pleasantly light-headed and as though a dozen butterflies were buzzing around in her stomach, as though she were being carried off her feet when a handsome, enigmatic man asked her to dance. During their dance Sophia realized that while this man knew her name, she didn't know his, after gushing about going to a party for the first time. An easy silence followed as the continued singing her ballad. She took the risk of asking because she hoped they would spend more time together that evening than just the one dance.

God, he was so large and tall, she thought when her eyes caught his features.

He was staring down at her with a heat and intensity in his amber eyes that was heightened by the slight tension in his jaw and the fact that his body was almost two times as large as hers. She had to tilt her head back to see that far up. She could be easily crushed by his powerful, chiseled arms if he wanted to, but despite his domineering presence, she felt strangely comfortable and secure with him. She was drawn to him because of a certain edge. He didn't look like the majority of the well-groomed guys in attendance, despite donning a tailored, fitted tuxedo. His brown scruffy hair was long enough to rebelliously hang past the suit jacket collar and was finger combed away from his jaw's and face's appealing angles. Just as her hand touched his shoulder, she noticed what appeared to be a scar along the side of his neck that disappeared into the collar of his shirt. She had to resist the urge to run her fingers over the disfigured flesh and ask him what had happened. When she finally managed to stop ogling him and engage her brain properly, she inquired, "What is your name?"

Before responding, he paused for a few noticeable seconds. "Alexander Gideon."

In shock, she parted her lips. "The Alexander Gideon?"

He made a funny-looking motion with the corner of his mouth and it was sufficient to round out his face's more angular features. "As far as I'm aware."

The last thing Sophia ever anticipated when she arrived this evening was to fall instantly head over heels in love with the party's host. However, she was unable to ignore her attraction to the man whose hand was so passionately, almost possessively, pressing against her lower back.

While his gaze was direct and once again fierce, he tilted his head to the side with interest. "How did you hear about me?" He swept her in a leisurely circle in time with the music, his thigh just barely brushing against hers as she grinned slyly at him.

That slight touch was exciting enough to have her breath catch in her throat.

"The party has a clear connection to your name, so there's that."

He made a low, deep chuckle that sounded surprisingly relieving. "That's extremely true, I must say."

Alexander looked away from her face and over her shoulder as if he had seen something or someone in the distance. A muscle in his cheek tickled as his entire body tensed up against hers. He also clenched his jaw. Just as a hand tightened around Sophia's arm from behind her and attempted to draw her away from Alexander, his gaze briefly flared with resentment before he purposefully suppressed the feeling.

She grabbed to Alexander even more tightly as she struggled to understand what was happening for a brief while. However, the fingers around her upper arm held firm and pinched against her skin in such a manner that she knew it was Michael pulling at her before she even turned to look at him.

Michael Albert

Her father insisted that Michael Albert, who had long served as her father's right-hand man in the family business, go with her to the party. That had been the only condition attached to her father approving her request, and because he had seemed strangely reluctant to let her go to the party in the first place, she had agreed to his demand, even though she knew it was his method of getting her to admit Michael's interest in her. She made an effort not to let that thought dampen her enthusiasm. Michael was the target of her father's previous attempts at persuading her romantically. Although she had agreed to go on a few dates with him, there had been no chemistry between the two of them for her, not even when she had kissed him.

He wasn't put off by her lack of interest in him; rather, she found him to be too pompous, aggressive, and narcissistic for her tastes. He seemed to view her chilly, distant attitude toward him as a challenge rather than acknowledging that she didn't like him despite her father's efforts to arrange a date for them. With sandy-blond hair and green eyes, Michael was unquestionably attractive, but that didn't make up for his narcissistic tendencies or the fact that he already acted as though Sophia belonged to him. She was incredibly irritated by this in and of itself because she wasn't his property.

But for the party, she'd grin and pretend that she wasn't beginning to loathe Michael and his awful demeanor, the too familiar way he touched her, and his overbearingly possessive tendencies, just so she could be polite and enjoy her evening. She pushed those negative thoughts away while picking out a dress for tomorrow in order to maintain her memories of the party, but she realized eventually she would have to talk to her dad about the problem in order to express her true feelings regarding Michael Given that her father had great expectations for them as the ideal pair and saw Michael as very much like the son he'd never had, the talk wouldn't be simple.

Sophia sat in her room for hours, lost in her thoughts, trying to find a way out of this mess. She knew that she couldn't let her father control her life and that she had to stand up for herself. Sophia knew that she would have to be strong, but she didn't know if she had the strength to fight for her own happiness.