Revenge is Best Served… After Reborn

Odie carefully carried Sophie down the stairs, feeling a warm tear land on his shoulder. He glanced back at her, noticing how even in her unconscious state, her brows were furrowed and tears kept flowing, nearly soaking his shirt. He whispered softly, "What a silly girl."

As Odie took Sophie away, Gordon finally slumped to the floor against the wall. His eyes lingered on the attic room filled with relics of Sophie's childhood. This was where she spent much of her early years. Back then, Andrew and Damita often brought Sophie here for weeks at a time. When the Russell family's business was thriving, Gordon would help look after Sophie for them.

The first word little Sophie learned wasn't "daddy" or "mommy," but "brother." She became like his little shadow, always by his side, refusing to leave him. The Aldridge mansion was vast, and little Sophie, all alone in a big room, would often cry out in the night. She adored the attic with its stained-glass windows and magical feel, so her parents set up her room there.

Her mother used to say, "When you grow up, be a loving husband like your father." The Aldridge family was typically cold and distant, but Sophie brought warmth and change. Before she came into his life, Gordon's world was just shades of gray and black. Her presence brought color and life to it.

With a heavy heart, Gordon forced himself to stand, battling the pain inside. He took out a lighter and set fire to a pile of newspapers in the corner of the attic. The flames grew, turning into a beast that threatened to consume the entire room. Leaving the attic was excruciating for Gordon.

Sophie had once dreamed of marrying a prince. Gordon used to imagine he was that prince. But he wasn't, and he couldn't be.

"Sir!" Rick came rushing up from downstairs, his face pale at the sight of the fire consuming the attic. "Fire! We need to put it out, now!"

"Sir! That's...!"

Rick pulled the alarm, and the piercing sound echoed through Burke Estate. "Fire! We need to put it out, now!" he yelled. But Gordon held him back, saying, "Wait."

"Wait!" Gordon insisted, his voice taut with determination. He wanted everything to burn away, every memory Sophie shouldn't remember to be erased, like they never happened. He had kept these things

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selfishly, clinging to beautiful memories. But now, he realized he couldn't be selfish anymore. They could become sharp swords that might pierce Sophie's heart. He wouldn't allow anything that could hurt her to remain, even if it meant letting go of his most cherished possessions.

"What's happening? A fire?" Sandy and Angelo shuffled out in their pajamas, one after the other.

"Holy cow it's really burning!" Jenna and Adler were also jolted from their sleep, sensing something was off all night. First, there was noise from renovations, then alarm clocks going off and now a fire! NôvelDrama.Org owns all © content.

The Aldridge family's staff and security rushed to the third floor to tackle the blaze, while Timothy, observing from a room on the first floor, couldn't help but frown at the chaos unfolding.