him."
There was only doubt in Robert's expression, but Sophie was beyond caring.
She pushed passed him, and headed straight for the living room door.
CHAPTER FOUR
My meeting with Max was only the beginning of a much larger and a much more complex game.
The sound of her heartbeat racing was the only thing Sophie could hear. Everything else was muted in the wake of her drumming heart. She felt like it was the only sound pulling her forward, towards her difficult task.
The anxiety which clenched her body was foreign to her. Sophie had never been an emotional person, and as a rule she refused to cry in front of others. However, today was different. Today something had gotten to her, and broken through her walls. It had been only momentary, but the intense wave of emotion was enough to almost immobilize her.
Robert's one sentence had changed everything. He'd crushed her composure that she'd worked so hard to build. Now, Sophie felt both guilty and embarrassed for letting him see her cry. She felt ten times as motivated to face the challenge than she had before. Robert's comment could not be allowed to break her completely. Not yet, not this early.
So what if he said Max had killed her parents? Who was she to cry over strangers anyway? The only family Sophie had in the world was her grandparents, and Max hadn't been responsible for their deaths. She could face him just like she faced any challenge before her. As Sophie walked down the hallway towards the living room she raised her head high, and set her mouth in a firm line. No weakness would show through now, not even the tears which had been so fleeting.
For a moment she wondered if Robert would stop her out of concern. When she turned to look for him, he was no where to be found. In the back of her mind she could hear him reminding her not to trust him.
"Of course." She whispered to herself, realizing that he wasn't the kind of person who would help her in this situation. He wanted her to leave, and facing someone like Max was the perfect way to push her to the brink.
Only, that wasn't going to happen. At least not now that she knew his plan.
Screw Robert and his test. She was going to prove to him that she was stronger than he thought.
Sophie walked into the living room with determination that radiated around her. Her entrance collected the eyes of the entire room, and she had to force herself not to smile. Until now she'd been shaken by nerves, but there wasn't anything to be nervous about. She trusted herself and her skills enough to know she could handle anything. Now, her role was to pretend to be a boy, and she was ready to do that to the best of her abilities.
"Ah, Max you're in luck. The new addition to my family has just arrived." Cleo's smooth voice sounded amused. Sophie turned her attention to her boss, who was grinning up at her mischievously.
While it made Sophie sick to see the woman so amused, she forced her face to remain impassive. Her goal was to make herself seem serious and bored. She didn't want to attract too much attention.
"New addition?" A sharp voice commented. Sophie could already make out the man's personality through his voice alone. The haughty tone spoke of money and power, and when she turned to look at him she found she was right.
Max was standing in the corner of the room, his posture both stiff and threatening. His cold gray eyes were hawk-like and they roved over Sophie like they were searching for a weakness.
There was a quality about him that mirrored Cleo, which Sophie could not name. These two were unexplainably similar, despite their supposed differences.
"Does this addition have a name?" Max asked, expecting Sophie to answer.
"No." Cleo replied instead. "I just picked him off the streets. Nothing but raw talent in this one."
"Raw talent." Max scoffed, finally turning his attention away from Sophie. For
There was only doubt in Robert's expression, but Sophie was beyond caring.
She pushed passed him, and headed straight for the living room door.
CHAPTER FOUR
My meeting with Max was only the beginning of a much larger and a much more complex game.
The sound of her heartbeat racing was the only thing Sophie could hear. Everything else was muted in the wake of her drumming heart. She felt like it was the only sound pulling her forward, towards her difficult task.
The anxiety which clenched her body was foreign to her. Sophie had never been an emotional person, and as a rule she refused to cry in front of others. However, today was different. Today something had gotten to her, and broken through her walls. It had been only momentary, but the intense wave of emotion was enough to almost immobilize her.
Robert's one sentence had changed everything. He'd crushed her composure that she'd worked so hard to build. Now, Sophie felt both guilty and embarrassed for letting him see her cry. She felt ten times as motivated to face the challenge than she had before. Robert's comment could not be allowed to break her completely. Not yet, not this early.
So what if he said Max had killed her parents? Who was she to cry over strangers anyway? The only family Sophie had in the world was her grandparents, and Max hadn't been responsible for their deaths. She could face him just like she faced any challenge before her. As Sophie walked down the hallway towards the living room she raised her head high, and set her mouth in a firm line. No weakness would show through now, not even the tears which had been so fleeting.
For a moment she wondered if Robert would stop her out of concern. When she turned to look for him, he was no where to be found. In the back of her mind she could hear him reminding her not to trust him.
"Of course." She whispered to herself, realizing that he wasn't the kind of person who would help her in this situation. He wanted her to leave, and facing someone like Max was the perfect way to push her to the brink.
Only, that wasn't going to happen. At least not now that she knew his plan.
Screw Robert and his test. She was going to prove to him that she was stronger than he thought.
Sophie walked into the living room with determination that radiated around her. Her entrance collected the eyes of the entire room, and she had to force herself not to smile. Until now she'd been shaken by nerves, but there wasn't anything to be nervous about. She trusted herself and her skills enough to know she could handle anything. Now, her role was to pretend to be a boy, and she was ready to do that to the best of her abilities.
"Ah, Max you're in luck. The new addition to my family has just arrived." Cleo's smooth voice sounded amused. Sophie turned her attention to her boss, who was grinning up at her mischievously.
While it made Sophie sick to see the woman so amused, she forced her face to remain impassive. Her goal was to make herself seem serious and bored. She didn't want to attract too much attention.
"New addition?" A sharp voice commented. Sophie could already make out the man's personality through his voice alone. The haughty tone spoke of money and power, and when she turned to look at him she found she was right.
Max was standing in the corner of the room, his posture both stiff and threatening. His cold gray eyes were hawk-like and they roved over Sophie like they were searching for a weakness.
There was a quality about him that mirrored Cleo, which Sophie could not name. These two were unexplainably similar, despite their supposed differences.
"Does this addition have a name?" Max asked, expecting Sophie to answer.
"No." Cleo replied instead. "I just picked him off the streets. Nothing but raw talent in this one."
"Raw talent." Max scoffed, finally turning his attention away from Sophie. For
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