entangled ties

Here's the edited version of your chapter. I've refined the language for better flow, clarity, and consistency while retaining the essence of the story.

The next morning, as day broke, Sophia woke up to see Elena stretching, shaking off the remnants of sleep.

"Good morning," Sophia said groggily.

"Good morning, Sophia. How was your night?" Elena asked as she walked toward the room's exit.

"It was good. Yours?" Sophia replied, getting out of bed and following her.

"Mine was good too," Elena said with a smirk. "But you were talking in your sleep…" She paused dramatically before adding, "You kept calling a guy's name. Who is he?"

Sophia froze, her face flooding with confusion. "Wait…what? Did I call Ethan's name?"

Elena burst into laughter.

"Oh no, I'm doomed," Sophia muttered, her confusion deepening as she watched Elena laughing uncontrollably.

"Come on, you're not doomed. It was just a joke," Elena teased, looking into Sophia's eyes.

Sophia tried to avoid her gaze, already anticipating what Elena would ask next.

"Who's Ethan?" Elena pressed, her tone playful but curious.

"Um… no one," Sophia said, struggling to hide a smile.

"Okayyy," Elena drawled, grinning. "So he's your boyfriend, right?"

"No!" Sophia denied quickly, but her blush gave her away.

"Anyway, it's not a bad thing to be in love with someone. No one's going to stop you from getting married, my friend." Elena patted Sophia's back with a knowing smile, and they both laughed as they prepared for their delivery route.

As they rode through the quiet streets to make deliveries, Sophia noticed how still everything was. The silence of the early morning was eerie yet peaceful.

"Do you deliver like this every day at this time?" Sophia asked, looking around.

"Yeah," Elena replied casually. "If not for your help, I'd be out here riding this delivery bike for hours. Funny thing is, some customers complain I should've dropped the delivery earlier—even before they woke up."

Sophia frowned. "How do you cope with this every day? When I checked yesterday's earnings, it wasn't even enough to cover a day's expenses. Sorry…I'm not trying to interfere in your family's privacy or anything…"

"Don't worry," Elena said with a reassuring smile. "I know you're just trying to help. Who knows? Your advice might be the breakthrough I need."

"Well," Sophia began carefully, "don't you guys have land? Maybe we could plant something together on a bigger plot. That could bring in more money during harvest season. It might help your family get ahead instead of just getting by."

Elena sighed. "I like how you rich folks think. You assume the poor don't have money because they don't try hard enough. I've thought about that before, but we don't have the resources. To get a big plot of land, we'd need money—not just for the land but to build fences so no one cheats us. Then there's equipment for planting and harvesting. Even if we don't hire workers, the work would be overwhelming. My mom can't manage the shop on her own if I get too busy."

Sophia nodded thoughtfully. "I get it…but I'm here now. We can figure it out together."

Elena laughed lightly. "Even if we wanted to start, there's no money."

"Don't worry about that. I brought some savings with me. It should be enough to get a decent plot of land here," Sophia said firmly.

Elena looked at her in disbelief. "That's amazing, Sophia, but you don't have to do this. This isn't your burden."

As they rode home, Sophia noticed a newspaper on a nearby bench and stopped abruptly to grab it. Her gaze locked on a picture of James. She read the headline aloud:

"I promise to make Caldwell Horizon a better place, to help other companies grow without burdensome taxes, and to compensate those unfairly fired by Mr. Caldwell's selfish policies…"

Sophia's hands trembled as she stopped reading. "It's over for Caldwell Horizon," she murmured, her voice heavy with despair.

"What's James doing?" Elena asked, leaning over to read the article. "Isn't he your dad's employee?"

Sophia didn't reply. She got back on her bike, her mind racing, and pedaled away.

"Hey, wait up!" Elena shouted, hurrying to catch up. But Sophia remained silent all the way home.

Over breakfast, Sophia voiced her plan.

"I think we should buy land to start a farm," she said, her tone determined.

Elena's mother hesitated. "Sophia, don't you think that's too much for you to handle?"

"Don't worry, ma'am. Elena and I will find a suitable place and secure it today," Sophia reassured her.

Meanwhile, Ethan woke up late at 7:40 a.m., hurriedly showering before stepping into the living room, where Mr. Maxwell was reading.

"Good morning, sir," Ethan greeted with a smile.

"Morning, Ethan. Sleep well?"

"Yes, sir. And you?"

"Good. I figured you'd wake up late, so I didn't disturb you. Let's go visit your mom now," Mr. Maxwell said, standing up.

At the hospital, Ethan approached his mother, who slowly opened her eyes.

"Mom," he said softly.

"Ethan? Is that you?" she murmured, still groggy. Her eyes moved to Mr. Maxwell. "Who's this?"

"It's… Mr. Maxwell," Ethan replied hesitantly.

Audrey's eyes widened as she sat up. "What's he doing here?"

"Mom, it's fine. He helped pay for your treatment."

Mr. Maxwell stayed silent, avoiding her gaze.

Audrey's voice sharpened. "Are you here to punish me for keeping him? For raising Ethan?"

Mr. Maxwell stiffened but said nothing.

Before he could respond, a guard entered with bags of gifts. Audrey brightened at the sight. "Oh, thank you! Bring those here."

Mr. Maxwell scolded the guard under his breath, but Audrey waved them off and inspected the gifts with a smile.

As she began eating fruit from the bag, Ethan thought, "Does he… like my mom?"

"Mr. Maxwell, won't you greet my mom properly?" Ethan said pointedly.

Mr. Maxwell hesitated for a moment but finally stepped closer to Audrey. "How are you?" he asked, his tone flat and distant.

Audrey's lips curved into a cold but confident smile as she met his gaze. "Thanks for everything—saving my life, the gifts, and… taking my son," she said, her words laced with both gratitude and an unspoken challenge.

Ethan shifted uncomfortably, sensing the tension in the room. He watched as Mr. Maxwell quickly averted his eyes, nodding slightly before excusing himself under the guise of taking a phone call.

Outside, Mr. Maxwell answered his wife's call, annoyance already evident in his voice.

"Hello. What do you want?"

"Who's the boy you've been seen with?" her voice cut through, sharp and demanding.

"That's none of your concern," he replied coldly. "Why does it matter to you? You've never cared about anything but yourself and your luxuries."

"Don't talk to me like that, Maxwell," she snapped back. "I have every right to know what you're doing behind my back!"

Mr. Maxwell let out a bitter laugh. "Behind your back? Don't make me laugh. You've been absent from this family for years, gallivanting across the world without a care. Spare me the fake concern."

Without waiting for a response, he ended the call abruptly, his jaw clenched as he took a deep breath to compose himself. Plastering a forced smile on his face, he reentered the room as though nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Mr. Caldwell had been in his office since the early hours of the morning, refusing any interruptions except from his mother or Sophia—who remained missing. His once commanding presence had diminished, replaced by a man consumed with desperation and regret. He sifted through stacks of documents, hoping to find a thread of evidence to disprove James's claims. The hours stretched on, but every lead seemed to spiral into a dead end.

His phone buzzed, breaking his concentration. He answered immediately, his voice tight with urgency. "Hello. Did you find her?"

The security officer on the line hesitated. "No, sir. We've thoroughly searched the area and followed every lead, but we don't believe she's anywhere in the city. We've confirmed that she sold her last remaining property before leaving. It seems she used it as collateral for a loan. We suspect she may have relocated far away—possibly abroad. Unfortunately, we have no concrete evidence to confirm her whereabouts."

Mr. Caldwell's heart sank. He sank back into his chair, his hands pressing against his temples as a heavy silence settled over him.

"I've made a terrible mistake," he muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible. His thoughts spiraled into regret, replaying the choices he had made—or failed to make.

"When Olivia first brought up the idea of Sophia marrying Alex, I should have put my foot down," he thought bitterly. "Even if I wasn't in the position of power I once held, I was still her father. I should have protected her from this madness. Instead, I let my pride and my failures cloud my judgment."

He leaned forward, gripping the edge of his desk tightly, as if trying to hold himself together. "If I lose Sophia because of my own weakness…" He couldn't finish the thought, the weight of his remorse crushing him.

Just as he closed his eyes, trying to gather his scattered emotions, his phone buzzed again. The name on the screen made his breath hitch.