2025-12-30 20:00:34“Mrs .Stone.” His tone was polite but distant. “I actually have somewhere else I need to be.” He placed a gentle hand at Sophia’s back, gesturing for her to step into the elevator.
“Stop right there.” Mrs. Stone’s voice cracked like a whip. “Did I say you could go?”
Adrian paused, his jaw tightening. “Mrs. Stone, Victoria and I finalized our divorce this morning. Wherever I go from now on has nothing to do with you or your family.”
Mrs. Stone’s face twisted with indignation. “So just because you’re divorced, you can do whatever you want? You think a divorce lets you disregard your elders? It’s only natural for someone of my age to care about the younger generation’s whereabouts.” Her gaze slid to Sophia with obvious contempt. “Or is there some secret you’re hiding?”
She let the silence hang, then sneered. “So this is your mistress? You really aren’t picky about anything, are you?”
Adrian’s expression turned to ice. “Show some respect.”
Mrs. Stone burst into laughter, bending backward with theatrical mirth. “Respect? From a parasite who’s been living off my daughter for three years? You have the nerve to talk about respect?” She looked at her friends, who tittered obediently. “Can you believe this? The leech wants respect!”
Sophia’s face flushed with anger. She stepped forward. “Excuse me, but whether he’s your son-in-law or not, he’s a man worthy of admiration. You have no right to speak to him like…”
“Shut up!” Mrs. Stone whirled on her, eyes blazing. “Who are you to butt in when I’m teaching a worthless junior a lesson?!”
Sophia flinched but held her ground. “I’m just saying there might be a misunderstanding here. Maybe if you all talked calmly…”
“Oh, I understand perfectly.” Mrs. Stone’s smile turned venomous. She stepped closer to Sophia, her voice dropping to something cruel and knowing. “You two have slept together, haven’t you? And he gave you quite a bit of money, didn’t he?”
Before Sophia could respond, Mrs. Stone shoved her hard. Sophia stumbled backward, catching herself against the wall.
“You shameless slut!” Mrs. Stone spat. “That money is my family’s money! Money my daughter earned! Hand it over right now, or I’ll have security drag you out of here!”
Adrian moved and steadied Sophia, his hand firm on her elbow. “Mrs. Stone, there’s nothing untoward happening here. I’m simply helping Ms. Laurent look at an apartment.”
Mrs. Stone snorted, her eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction. “Nothing untoward? And yet you brought her to a hotel? Do you think I’m stupid?”
Sophia stepped forward, her voice earnest despite her obvious discomfort. “Please, you’re misunderstanding. Adrian brought me here purely to help me look at the apartment. That’s all. There’s nothing…”
Mrs. Stone froze for a moment. Then she burst into laughter, her head tilting back as she clutched her stomach. The sound was cruel and mocking, echoing through the hallway.
“Oh, you poor thing!” Mrs. Stone wheezed between laughs, looking at Sophia with exaggerated pity. “You’ve been tricked! This loser…” she jabbed a finger toward Adrian, “…is a kicked-out failure. A parasite who lived off my daughter for three years! How could someone like him possibly afford a place like this?”
She gestured grandly at the hallway around them, her voice rising with theatrical pride. “This penthouse was purchased by Vincent Lu…a real man, a successful man…for my daughter Victoria. Fifty million, paid in full! My new son-in-law actually knows how to treat a woman properly, unlike this worthless…”
Sophia’s breath caught. Her eyes dropped to the keys in her hand…the keys Adrian had just given her…then back to Mrs. Stone’s triumphant face.
Wait. Does this apartment belong to someone else?
Her fingers tightened around the keys reflexively, her mind spinning. She looked at Adrian, her expression a mixture of confusion and something close to panic.
Adrian shook his head subtly and touched her arm. “Let’s go,” he said quietly.
Sophia opened her mouth, closed it, then nodded mechanically.
He pressed the elevator button again, and the doors opened immediately.
Her movements were stiff, uncertain, as she stepped into the elevator beside him.
Behind them, Mrs. Stone’s voice grew even more triumphant, thinking they were fleeing in humiliation. “You little brat, you got lucky this time!” she called after them, her voice dripping with arrogance. “Next time I see you, I’ll tear your skin off! You hear me?”
The elevator doors closed, muffling her shrill laughter.
Inside, Sophia looked at Adrian with confusion and frustration. “Why didn’t you tell her the truth? Why did you just…”
“Because,” Adrian said calmly, his expression unreadable, “some lessons are better learned through experience than explanation.”
………
Back in the hallway, Mrs. Anderson shifted from foot to foot, her eyes darting toward the tall glass doors at the end of the corridor. “Mrs. Stone, please… we don’t need to waste time with these low-class fools. Let’s go. I’m dying to see the apartment,” she urged, voice tight with barely contained excitement.
Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Bennett was no better…already inching forward as if the door might vanish if they didn’t hurry.
“Yes, yes, let’s hurry!” Mrs. Parker said, practically bouncing on her heels.
“I’ve heard the building is breathtaking,” Mrs. Bennett whispered, her cheeks flushed. “And Vincent’s floor? My goodness, I can’t believe we’re actually going up there today.”
Mrs. Stone lifted a sleek black key card from her purse with deliberate slowness, enjoying their reactions. She held it up like a royal decree.
“Vincent gave me full access,” she announced proudly. “He told me to visit anytime I want, especially since I’ll be moving in after the wedding to help Victoria and him with… well.” She lowered her voice, eyes gleaming. “Future grandchildren.”
The three women gasped as if she’d revealed a crown jewel.
“ Vincent insisted,” Mrs. Stone continued, swiping the card against the reader. Nothing happened. “He said he wanted me to move in too, so he could take proper care of me in my later years. Such a filial boy. Really, Victoria is so lucky…”
The card reader beeped red.
Mrs. Stone frowned and tried again. Another red beep.
“Must be the angle,” she muttered, adjusting her position. She swiped again. Red beep. Again. Red beep.
Mrs. Anderson cleared her throat. “Perhaps the card is…”
“It’s fine,” Mrs. Stone snapped, her face beginning to flush. “Vincent just gave it to me last night. It’s perfectly valid.”
She tried again, this time pressing the card flat against the reader and holding it there for several seconds.
The alarm system triggered.
A piercing siren erupted through the hallway, so loud that all four women jumped. Red lights began flashing along the ceiling, and an automated voice boomed from hidden speakers: “UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS ATTEMPT. SECURITY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED. PLEASE REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE.”
“Oh my god!” Mrs. Bennett shrieked, covering her ears.
“Turn it off!” Mrs. Parker shouted. “Mrs. Stone, turn it off!”
“I’m trying!” Mrs. Stone frantically swiped the card again and again, but each attempt only made the alarm louder. “Vincent said this would work! He said…”
Mrs. Anderson grabbed Mrs. Bennett’s arm. “We need to leave. Now.”
“Wait!” Mrs. Stone called after them, but the two women were already hurrying toward the main elevators. Mrs. Parker hesitated for only a moment before following.
“Come back!” Mrs. Stone’s voice was shrill with panic. “This is just a misunderstanding! I have permission! Vincent Lu gave me this card himself!”
Heavy footsteps echoed from the stairwell.
Four security guards burst into the hallway, batons drawn, their faces hard and professional. The lead guard…a massive man with a crew cut…pointed at Mrs. Stone.
“On the ground! Now!”
“Wait, there’s been a mistake…” Mrs. Stone began, backing away.
“I SAID ON THE GROUND!” The guard advanced, his baton raised.
At the elevators, Mrs. Anderson frantically jabbed the down button. “Come on, come on…”
The second guard cut them off, positioning himself between them and the elevator. “Nobody moves. Security protocol for attempted break-in.”
“Break-in?” Mrs. Bennett’s voice came out as a squeak. “We’re not breaking in! We were invited!”
“Sure you were,” the guard said flatly. “That’s what they all say. Hands where I can see them.”
Back at the penthouse door, Mrs. Stone was still trying to explain. “I’m telling you, there’s been a misunderstanding! My son-in-law, Vincent Lu, he owns this apartment! He gave me this key card!”
This couldn’t be happening.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
