Revenge is Best Served After Reborn (James)

"No wonder..." Sophie murmured, her eyes dropping to the floor before lifting again. "When your mom saw me earlier, she called me Sophie, like she remembered me. But why did she call Colby "Lynn'?" Colby and Gordon didn't even look alike.

Confusion swirled in Sophie's mind. Adler glanced at Colby in the rearview mirror, his voice muffled and unclear. "My mom's just getting a bit mixed up. She probably had Gordon's cousin on her mind and just blurted it out. It's nothing to worry about." Jenna turned to Sophie, curiosity piqued. "It's kinda odd though. That kidnapping case with the Aldridge family was a big deal. Sophie, you don't remember?"

Sophie shook her head. "I really don't. I was probably too young then. Anything before I was seven or eight is pretty fuzzy. Might have something to do with that high fever I had as a kid."

Colby chimed in nonchalantly, "Talking about this isn't going to solve anything. Did you get the item?"

"Got it!" Jenna declared, pulling out a ledger she'd been hiding. "How about that? Impressive, right?"

Adler nodded, genuinely impressed. "Very impressive, Jenna. Climbing walls and picking locks-I really admire that about you."

Jenna gave Adler a playful slap. "Without me, you'd be lost!"

"Absolutely!" Adler agreed quickly. "If I ever forget my keys, I'll definitely need my wife's help to get in."

Listening to Adler and Jenna's banter, Sophie couldn't help but laugh.

Before long, the car pulled up in front of Burke Estate.

As Sophie and the others walked into the Aldridge family's hall, they were met with a troubling sight-two men in black holding Angelo by the arms. "No! I won't leave! I won't go

no matter what!"

"Let him go!" Jenna demanded, stepping forward, ready for action. But Sophie intervened. "Gentlemen, let's talk this out. Please release your young master first."

Seeing Sophie had them pegged, the

two men in black exchanged a look

but didn't let go of Angelo. One of them spoke up. "Ms. Sophie, please don't make this hard for us. We're just following orders, and we did get Mr Gordon's approval before coming here."

"Mr. Gordon's approval?" Sophie said coolly. "Mr. Gordon is ill right now. How come we didn't know you had consulted him?"

"Ms. Sophie, the young master is the

heir to the Pollard family. Our master allowed him to gain some

experience outside these past few days, and that's enough. If you release him, our master has brought a generous gift for you all,"

With that, the men in black stepped out. After a moment, they returned with someone in tow, pushing him in front of Sophie.

For a moment, none of them recognized the person standing before them.