Chapter 10: Tragedy

9:30 P.M.

After the program, Sophia decided to change into a different and more comfortable dress. Alexa also did the same. Nam was sent home early by Rex since she is not feeling well. Sophia tried calling her Uncle but there is no response. Drake and Alden entered the building and saw the worried-looking Sophia sitting in the lobby.

"What's wrong?" Drake asked Sophia.

"I can't contact my Uncle. Mom and Dad aren't answering as well. It's almost ten." Sophia frowned.

"Don't worry. I'll send you home. " Alden tapped her shoulders lightly and entered the boy's lounge to change.

Inside the lounge, Alden received a call from his father telling him that the driver will be picking him up. Drake overheard the conversation and approached Alden.

"I don't trust your driver, you know?"

"Don't worry. At least he's not stupid to offend another powerful family here." Alden has long doubted his driver's loyalty. But his intention isn't clear. Also, he's a family relative. He wasn't sure if his father hired him and him, acting strange is based on his father's instructions. The moment he stepped out of the boy's lounge, he saw the sleeping Sophia leaning on the sofa. Kylie has told him of her weak constitution and her insomnia attacks. He decided to carry her while Drake carried her things over to Alden's car. Drake steals a glance at the driver.

Sophia felt like being carried by someone with a very familiar scent but she can't even bring herself to open her eyes. She felt safe and secure around this man.

10:00 P.M.

Under the faint night light, the car drove away from the school. The driver can't help but feel awed at the sight of the young master caressing the girl's hair. He felt like watching an unfolding love story through a rearview mirror. After five years, this is the first time that he has seen the kid displaying such an expression of emotion. The girl seemed important to him. His mother have died five years ago and he was raised by his father singlehandedly. On the surface, his father runs businesses throughout the island. But behind the law-abiding citizen facade, he is also the leader of an underground force that caused the death of Alden's mother five years ago. The driver is his mother's stepbrother, also a part of the underground force. His identity wasn't known to Alden, afraid that they would use him to threaten Alden if something came up.

As they were on the way to the girl's home, the driver spotted two black cars tailing them. Alden felt the driver getting alarmed and showed him a secret signal only known to the underground force. Now, Alden is certain that the driver is someone his Dad trusted with his life. Before, he never felt afraid of encounters like this, but now, he felt troubled as he was staring at Sophia leaning on his chest. He sent his father a distress signal but it was blocked. The driver drove faster and the car started being shakier. Sophia opened her eyes and saw Alden's expression twitched. He was focusing on the rearview mirror, looking at the cars following them. Sophia realized something is wrong despite both of them looking calm as the cars following them were catching up. Sophia sat up straight and buckled her seatbelt. Alden was stunned to see how quick-witted she is. When the driver saw Sophia buckling up her seatbelt, he hit the gas and raced faster.

"Hold tight you two." Then, the engine reeved loudly and the car's speed has tripled and almost hit the limit of its speed. Alden was holding onto Sophia's hand as he used the other to send a distress signal to his father. The gap between their car and the cars has widened but they haven't lost them. Their hope now is reinforcement. But when the driver saw two more black cars approaching them upfront, He slowed down and did a quick U-turn. Sophia is nervous but she needs to think clearly. Sophia shouted when their car was supposed to hit the incoming black cars.

"Hit the brake and fall back!" Alden nodded and the driver did what she said. The driver drove back at an unimaginable reverse speed. After about 10 seconds, the car exploded. As much as they tried to get away, their car was blown and flipped.

When the car stabilized, All Alden can hear is a deafening buzz. His head was bleeding, so as his arms but all he can think of is saving Sophia. Alden made his way to the door near Sophia, limping. He unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her out. She is unconscious but luckily her head isn't bleeding and her face wasn't hit by the glass shards. Alden pulled his strength together and carried her inside the small hut right next to where their car landed. Alden was at loss at the sight of her unconscious state, and the scratches she have on her arms but what is more important now is her safety. He planted a kiss on her forehead and turned his way back towards the car to check on his driver. The driver was crawling his way out but he was taken aback by the sight that made him shiver. Alden was already facing their captors. They were all pointing their gun at him. When one of the captors saw the driver crawling out, he pointed his gun at him.

"Aldrin, You traitor! So this is where you hiding huh?!" one of the captors yelled.

"Jacob, if you did not order my sister killed, then I might've spared your brother." When Alden heard this, he looked at his driver. He was told that the driver's name is Noah. Aldrin is the name of the stepbrother her mom has always told him about. Alden clearly remembered his Mom hiring a private investigator to find his whereabouts. He refused to go back so many times that Alden's late mother decided to get him kidnapped, but to no avail, she orders his men to back down whenever he fights back.

As the captor was preparing to shoot at Aldrin, the captors who were formerly aiming their guns at Alden dropped to the ground. The sight of blood does not scare him as he has seen how all the previous assassinations ended. After everything was settled, Alden was planning to get back to the hut to fetch Sophia when his entire body felt numb and everything went dark.

The next day, he woke up inside his room with dextrose on. His head is hurting and his body felt numb. He's got a mild concussion. As for Sophia, Aldrin managed to remember her address and sent her there. Luckily, When Sophia got home, his uncle was preparing their car, planning to pick her up. Aldrin was surprised to see that Sophia looked composed and she have hidden her scratches well. But the next day, she was having a high fever and seizures. She was brought to the hospital and got admitted. She did not wake up for two days and the doctors found out that there is possible clotting in her head. They couldn't explain the scratches she had on her arms.

When Sophia woke up, she felt like throwing up and her head is in throbbing pain. She won't stop pressing her head and the doctors needed to inject her with pain killer. They can't even talk to her for the next couple of days because she can't focus on her words and is stuttering. She doesn't remember how she got the scratches or if she bumped her head somewhere. She couldn't remember one single night that or the people she have met. Nam hasn't gone to school for the whole week as well. When she got back, Drake asked her where Sophia is but her Aunt and Uncle reminded her not to say a word about this. They wanted to find the culprit first, but even her uncle can't say a word because she only saw Sophia walking in that night. But her health is more important right now.

The day Nam went to school was also the day, Sophia with her parents will be traveling to the United States and getting treated there. But Nam can't keep him in the shadow. She has told him what happened and where Sophia is right now. The airport is in Cebu so they traveled early. Way back, Panglao doesn't have an airport, but now, it does. Drake's expression darkened when he heard what happened to her. He visited Alden and knew of what happened to them. Currently, Alden was also in Cebu for treatment. If Alden knew what happened to her, it might not be good for his health. Although he can take it, he also needs to recuperate. Drake was in a dilemma.

Alden who was resting in the hospital decided to give Drake a call to ask if Sophia have gone back. But Drake's number can't be reached. Alden was scrolling through the school's page to see updates. Xin suddenly sent him a message request.

"Hey, when are you guys going back? I'm so sorry about what happened last week. Anyways, we all miss you guys. Hope you are both well. Sophia's account was offline for more than a week now. You guys didn't run away, right?" Alden wished this is truly what happened but this isn't. He was worried for Sophia and the trauma she might have. Suddenly, Drake sent him a message.

Drake: Sophia is no longer in the Philippines. Alden, you need to heal quickly. My workload is too much for me.

Alden: Where is she?

Drake: Abroad. I think her parents decided to let her study there. Good for her though.

Alden: Am not going back.

Alden's world seemed to collapse. He remembered the last time they were together. Back to that moment when Sophia was sleeping in his arms. How he wished he could've held her tighter. He lost her for three years and now she drifted further away from him. Alden felt a throbbing pain in his head and his chest. How he wish he could cry but it seemed he have lost the ability to do so. He felt helpless, guilty, and cheated. If only he was stronger, then maybe he could've protected her. Alden was in so much pain that his consciousness left him.