Chapter 55

Vivian got the full story from Sophia without much effort. She quickly spilled the truth about Alexander and Eli Sullivan’s past. "I was a sickly kid, so our parents had to take me abroad for treatment for years. Meanwhile, my brother was raised back home by our aunt. They were super close..." Alexander's aunt was Clara Scott. Back then, Sophia was just a baby, constantly in critical condition, so the Brooks couple took her overseas for intensive treatment. Five-year-old Alexander got left behind in Clara’s care. And that went on for ten years. Clara had a fiancé—Eli Sullivan—an arrangement made when they were kids. But Eli, cold by nature, saw Clara more like a sister. There was no romance between them, just the kind of bond that comes from growing up together in close-knit families. Eli never planned on actually marrying Clara, but she still held on to her role as his fiancée. That got her caught by people targeting Eli. When Eli went to rescue her, a gun was pointed right at him. At