The Almighty Dominance

Lyra stormed out into the open, chased closely by Sophia.

"Lyra! What the hell are you doing to Laura? I've never seen you like this before!"

Sophia had known Lyra for years. She'd always seemed kind, gentle even. This ruthless side was completely new and terrifying.

Ignoring Sophia, Lyra walked toward a nearby pond, plunging her blood-stained hands into the water.

She watched the blood swirl away and muttered, "You don't really know me, Sophia."

She moved slowly to a bench beneath a tree, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.

"You told me you'd quit!" Sophia said, voice trembling with disappointment.

"I did quit,” Lyra exhaled sharply, blowing smoke into the sky.

"Three whole years. But today I broke it. I need this, Sophia."

Sophia stared in disbelief, struggling to find words. "How-how can you shoot people like this?"

Lyra shrugged, her tone cool and distant. "I practice at a shooting range. I have licenses for all my guns."

“You kill people, Lyra!” Sophia shouted, her voice cracking with emotion.

Lyra met Sophia's eyes, confusion and something darker flickering across her face.

“Yeah. And honestly? It doesn't bother me.”

"You're ending lives!" Sophia insisted desperately.

Lyra crushed her cigarette into the dirt, standing up slowly, eyes hardened with defiance.

"Sophia, I've never felt truly alive. This world, this life—it's hell for me. The only things that ever make me feel alive are money and.....” She paused, her voice dropping softly.

Sophia held her breath, waiting anxiously for Lyra's next words.

“Alex,” Lyra whispered.

“Alex?" Sophia repeated, stunned. Her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Yes, Alex,” Lyra admitted, eyes blazing with intense passion.

"I need you to know—I love Alex. He's everything to me. And yes, he's your ex-husband, which makes me grateful, honestly. It means I don't have to compete with you."

“What?” Sophia gasped, reeling from shock. She'd never imagined Lyra—who once openly despised Alex- could possibly feel this way.

"You actually like him?"

Lyra sighed deeply, almost painfully.

“No, I don't just like him, Sophia. I'm completely insane for him. He's my entire world. I'd die for him, without a second thought. And what Laura did—hurting Alex—that's unforgivable."

Standing abruptly, Lyra's voice hardened into chilling menace. “I have to go. I need to find a way to save Alex. Because if he dies-"

Her voice dropped to a deadly whisper, eyes blazing with fury.

"I'll drag the entire Montclair family straight to hell. I'll bury them so deep, nothing will survive-not their children, not their grandchildren. No one."

Three or four hospital security guards suddenly rushed out from the entrance, some of them pointing at Lyra. Without another word, Lyra stormed to her car, slammed the door shut, and sped away in a blur of dust and rage, leaving Sophia frozen and alone.

The security guards gave chase but failed to catch up to Lyra's car.

"It's not fair," Sophia murmured, her voice weak and shaky.

Just when she thought she could easily win Alex back—because he'd always loved her—everything changed. Alex had grown distant, and everyone around her was suddenly falling desperately in love with him.

But now, she realized, she had no choice. She had to help save Alex.

And the only hope she could cling to was Laura—Laura, who might still be willing to save Alex in exchange for healing Mr. Montclair.noveldrama

Sophia trudged back down the hospital corridor, her steps heavy and burdened, her thoughts fixed solely on finding Rudiyard.

But when she reached his room, her breath caught in shock.

Beside Rudiyard's bed was a new patient—Laura. She was dressed in hospital clothes, clearly just treated for an injury on her stomach.

"Sophia!" Laura snapped, her voice sharp and full of venom.

"You better warn your bastard friend. Next time, I'll kill her myself."

"Understood," Sophia replied calmly, attempting to sit next to Laura. "Laura, please. Can you let Alex go?" Laura's eyes flashed with anger.

"Are you blind? That arrogant piece

of trash spat right in my face when begged him to save my husband! Who the hell does he think he is? I'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget!"

"But Laura, if Alex dies, who will save Rudiyard?" Sophia pleaded, quickly changing tactics.

Laura paused, uncertainty flickering across her face. She hadn't thought about that.

If Alex was gone, Rudiyard might follow shortly after.

"Exactly," Sophia pressed gently. "Alex is your only chance. If you hurt him now, your husband is as good as dead."

Laura hesitated, chewing her lip in frustration. "If I help him, can you guarantee he'll save Rudiyard?" Sophia leaned forward, eyes sincere and unyielding. "I promise you, Alex won't refuse me. He never does." Laura stared into Sophia's eyes, then sighed reluctantly. "Fine. I'll trust you—just this once."

Relief swept over Sophia's face. "Thank you, Laura—"

Suddenly, Laura grabbed a glass of water and hurled it into Sophia's face. Sophia gasped, the cold water dripping down her skin as she quickly wiped it away.

"Did you really think I'd be that stupid?" Laura sneered.

"Alex is already mine-tucked neatly

in my pocket. They're going to tear him apart, piece by piece. He'll

scream, he'll beg, and in the end, he'll come@rawling back to save

Rudiyard... just to save his pathetic ass."

"If you want that bastard spared, you better cough up something worth bleeding for."

Sophia, her heart pounding furiously, stared back at Laura. "What do you want from me?"

Laura's lips twisted into a cruel smile.

"You're beautiful and a Mountclair by

blood. There's a man named

Gilbert heir to the Paris state. The

Mountclairs want a marriage

alliance, and he's willing, but my

stubborn daughter refuses.

"How about you marry him instead? Agree, and I'll make sure Alex lives."

Sophia felt dizzy, nausea gripping her stomach. She had no choice.

Alex was just a poor ex-military man; Laura could easily dispose of him. The Mountclairs were powerful— lords of Chicago. She knew she had no leverage.

Marry a stranger, or watch Alex die. That was the brutal reality.

She closed her eyes briefly, the weight of the decision crushing her heart. "Can I have some time to think?"

Laura leaned back, smugly victorious. "Take your time. But if the military kills Alex first, even I can't bring back

the dead."

Sophia clenched her fists, agony etched across her face. Her dreams of love and happiness clashed violently against the stark choice before her.

"Fine," she whispered, her voice strained and heavy.

Laura's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What exactly are you agreeing to?"

Sophia lifted her head, resolve hardening her features. "I'll marry Gilbert."

"Excellent," Laura purred. "I'll arrange for you to meet him tonight. A nice dinner. Only afterward will I release

Alex."

"You promise?" Sophia demanded, desperation lacing her words.

"Of course," Laura replied dismissively. "Now leave. I need my rest."

Sophia rose, feeling hollow and broken as she stepped into the hall. Her heart throbbed with unbearable pain

as tears welled in her eyes.

"Alex," she whispered softly, the words trembling with sorrow. "I'm doing this for you."

Back inside the room, Laura calmly picked up the phone, dialing the military.

"About that man, Alex," she ordered coldly, eyes fixed disdainfully on Rudiyard's frail figure. "You can go

ahead and kill him."

She hung up, sneering bitterly at her suffering husband.

Men were disposable, after all. Once Rudiyard died, she'd simply find herself a younger, stronger plaything.

She was a Montclair—the matriarch. And in her world, men were nothing but tools, easily replaced and utterly

useless.