THE SURTR: SON IN LAW

CHAPTER 07 NEW START

The moment that Ellen released his grip on the gangster, allowing him to stand up, he scrambled to his feet and tried to run away, while keeping his head turned towards Ellen.

He was quite suspicious of this corporate employee who hadn't even asked about the debt amount before promising to pay it, but of course, the fear that was written on his face was much greater than the doubt in his mind.

Instead of saying anything, he just looked at Ellen with distrust and then chose to leave first, while the rest of his men followed.

Although he was defeated for now, he could not let them go without extracting his full payment. So to make sure that Ellen and Sophie were not planning on running away, he gathered several of his men.

He instructed them to guard the office downstairs twenty- four- seven until the payment was credited into the account.

With the departure of the gang, Sophie wasted no time in turning her attention towards Ellen and speaking in a slightly stern tone;

"Ellen, you really don't have to do this. They have left now, and you should go ahead and leave the company like you were planning. I think you've already packed your stuff, so don't stay and meddle into this matter– I don't want you getting involved in my mess."

Without any warning, Ellen's mind began to compare Sophie and Marlene, even though he knew that there was no point in that.

But before he could stop himself, his heart had concluded that there was nothing in common between them at all.

On one side was Marlene, who had left him for wealth and luxury, even though she was his wife and had sworn to be with him in sickness and in health.

On the other hand, Sophie was willing to become his shield and protect him in this way, even though she had no responsibility or loyalty towards him.

In fact, he was sure that the only reason she even knew his name was because she had noticed his hard work, otherwise he was just like any ordinary employee.

Unexpectedly, he felt moved by Sophie's actions, and felt a genuine sense of respect and admiration towards her.

He reassured her, saying;

"Like I said, I am doing it because I want to, not because someone is forcing me. I can easily help you settle the debt, you don't have to trouble yourself by thinking anything unnecessarily."

Sophie initially thought that he was just continuing the act and was still jokingly saying this, and she rolled her eyes, saying;

"Oh come on, what will you say next? That you are secretly hiding billions of net worth? Listen, the goons have left now, so there is no need to continue this act. It's a question of millions of dollars, this isn't a joke, Ellen."

Ellen was sincere and persistent, and he repeated his claim,

"I am not joking, I have every intention of fulfilling the promise I had made-"

But before he could finish, Sophie interrupted him. She thought that he was being arrogant for no reason and intentionally downplaying what a huge threat this actually was.

"I understand that you are trying to defend me, but you can't take your own safety for granted! Do you think I'll be able to be at peace, thinking that those gangsters will be coming after you from now on?"

Ellen still countered her, not willing to back down.

"Didn't you just see? I have nothing to fear from them."

Sophie was frustrated by now, and she said;

"Fine! If you can't leave your arrogance behind, then go ahead."

Saying this, she stormed into her office and picked up a piece of paper, as she scribbled;

"Here you go, I have signed this agreement. If you can really help me clear this debt, I'll marry you and make you the president of the company!"

Sophie was completely oblivious to Ellen's true identity and status, and established this condition to discourage him from risking his life.

But to her surprise, Ellen actually initiated the money transfer of $8 million to her account within seconds, without uttering another word.

Seeing this, a wave of emotions pulled Sophie underwater, overwhelming her completely.

With a sudden jolt, panic flashed in her eyes as she stared at the piece of paper in Ellen's hand, the proof of the commitment she had made.

It felt like the walls of her office were closing in, suffocating her within. And for a moment, the weight of her impulsive decision pressed heavily on her shoulders.

However, the panic faded as quickly as it had arrived, and with great difficulty, Sophie managed to regain control of the situation.

She took a deep breath as she composed herself: even though she had made the commitment impulsively, she had indeed signed her name on the paper.

Sophie's gaze shifted from the paper to Ellen's face, and her expression became determined;

"Thank you for that. Just like you, I have every intention to fulfill my promise. I will marry you, but…"

Even after composing herself, Sophie couldn't shake off the apprehension that accompanied her decision. She paused for a moment, while Ellen waited patiently, without saying a word.

Then she finally spoke up, attaching a condition to her statement;

"But I will not rush into engaging in romantic intimacy with you. As long as you don't expect things to move too quickly, we can get married.

Ellen calmly replied without any hesitation, "I understand, Sophie."

In the next moment, just as Sophie's shoulders had relaxed a bit, Ellen stepped forward. Sophie held her breath as he quickly closed the gap between them, and kissed her.

To Sophie's equally unexpected response, she didn't refuse the kiss, either. Although she was caught off guard and caught up in a state of momentary confusion, she felt herself melting into his touch and returning the kiss.

As they broke apart after a few minutes, Sophie was blushing furiously, as her mind and body had been completely shaken by the kiss.

She looked down, unable to meet his gaze at first, but she swiftly gathered herself.

She said awkwardly,

"Well, I guess you are the new President now… so, congratulations?"

Ellen gave a small smile before saying in a reassuring tone,

"Thanks, but remember, I am occupying this position in name only. You can continue with the job as usual, and I won't interfere with your management, Sophie. I'm just here to support you in all your decisions."

Sophie had not expected this, and she expressed her genuine gratitude.

"I really appreciate your support, but I have a small request."

"What is it?" Ellen asked, frowning lightly as she was being unusually awkward.

"Well, technically, we are engaged, even though the approach is very unconventional. But I still need you to accompany me for a family dinner tonight."

Ellen thought for a moment, and then agreed. He understood the need to keep up pretenses, and he excused himself.

But Ellen stopped before he left Sophie's office, as a thought struck him.

He decided to check Sam's father's salary records, and what he found left them both in a state of concern.

Ellen stared at the computer screen where all his financial accounts with the company were recorded, and it was clear that the salary of Zane Catt, Sam's father, was not sufficient to afford the luxurious Porsche Sam was driving.

But on digging further, another disturbing fact became clear.

The company project that had gone wrong and was practically responsible for plunging the company into a debt crisis, had been started under the supervision of none other than Sam's father.

In fact, all the contractors had also been brought in by Zane Catt.

Seeing this information, certain ideas became very clear in Ellen's mind.

It seemed logical to conclude that Zane may have leaked internal company information to the competitors, which allowed them to snatch all the better contacts. On top of that, his salary records were also evidence that he was involved in some kind of bribery or fraud.

Sophie was clearly on edge, but he couldn't declare his doubts as the truth and drag her into it as well.

He got up to leave, declaring,

"I will investigate this matter discreetly. We can't jump to conclusions, but we need to protect the company's interests. Let's not let anyone find out about this for now."