Her Strongest Version

Chapter Three

Her Strongest Version

Maxon’s POV

"They will be here in a few minutes, sir, and I will conduct the interview before sending them to you," Ralph, my manager, informed.

"I have told you to stop using honorifics when we're alone, Ralph. We've been friends for three years, but you won't listen to me," I grumbled.

Ralph has been the one and only friend I have had since I came into this world three years ago. He helped me adjust to the new environment and even set up a business, and now we're here.

Maxing Enterprises, like my empire is called, has won several awards in the last three years, and I have also won the Businessman of the Year at different award ceremonies. I can proudly say that my life without that woman has been the best, and I have been able to pursue my dreams and passions, not just be confined within the tall walls of the palace.

Three years ago, I came into this world for two reasons, both of which I will make sure are accomplished before returning back to where I belong.

"But, Your Highness, you are..."

"Ralph!" I rolled my eyes at him.

Except for the fact that Ralph has the eyes of a werewolf, no one could tell that he was also one of us. He was a werewolf too.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I can't stop," he said and leaned forward, "I could be beheaded if I ever address you by your name," he whispered.

I knew he would never listen to me, but one more thing I have enjoyed during my stay in this world is how comfortable I can be with others without being addressed as a prince or a superior.

"They should be here by now. I will leave for the interview," Ralph said and bowed before heading out.

I watched him leave before standing and heading towards the water cooler to get a glass of water for myself, but my loosened tie, which was only swung around my neck, pulled the picture frame that was on my table, and it fell.

I groaned as I bent down to pick up the pieces of the broken glass from the picture frame. I had forgotten and lost focus when one piece of glass pierced my finger.

I dropped everything else in my hand and stared at my finger, which had already become sore and red. A drop of blood fell onto the remaining part of the picture frame, and I picked it up.

"You have done nothing but cause me pain. You are even doing that in your absence," I grumbled as I stared at Sophie's face in the picture.

Why did I have that picture? And why couldn't I remove it from my desk? These have been questions I have been unable to answer.

Her thoughts keep finding their way back into my mind. Sometimes it is me missing her and longing for her, but whenever I remember what she did to me and her infidelity, it only fuels my anger and the hatred I have towards her.

It had been five years, and Mia was still in a coma, all because of what Sophie had done to her. I would never forgive her.

"I hate you so much, Sophie, and I hope I find you again one day, so I can make you pay for what you did to me and my sister!"

That was one of the two reasons I came to this world: to make Sophie pay.

I gently wiped the blood off my finger and wrapped it with a band-aid before I resumed packing the broken pieces of the frame.

Finally, I emptied them into the trash can. I held onto the picture and contemplated my decision to throw it away.

I shook my head. If I did that, I wouldn't have anything to fuel my anger or remind me of my motive in this world. I nodded, affirming my decision, and walked back to my seat.

Deep down, I knew that wasn't the sole reason I kept the picture, but I couldn't agree with that feeling.

I returned to the files I was working on. In a few days, I had a business meeting with one of the biggest companies in the city, and I was working diligently towards it. It was a million-dollar deal that I must not miss.

As I was deeply engrossed in the file, the door swung open. I looked up, knowing exactly who it was. Ralph was the only one who could enter my office without knocking or seeking proper permission.

"I have conducted the interviews, sir, and now we're left with just five of them," he informed me. "I will be sending them to your office one after the other for the final interview and evaluation," he added.

I nodded at him, a smile forming on my face. Ralph was one of the reasons my company had achieved its current success. He had put tremendous effort into its growth. "Great job, Ralph. Let them come in," I responded and set aside the files, eagerly waiting to interview the first candidate.

Ralph bowed and headed out, and a few seconds later, my door opened again. I knew it was one of the ladies, but I was still fumbling with my tie. Sophie had been the one tying my tie for me for years. She would pick out my suits and tease me afterwards for being bad at simple things.

I shook my head and dropped my hand in resignation. I couldn't even knot my own tie. I sighed and raised my head, only to encounter the biggest shock of my entire life. My heart seemed to come to a standstill as our eyes locked. Sophie Stones?

I shook my head. Was this some sort of illusion? Was it because I was thinking about her? Was this really Sophie—the woman I had been searching for over the past three years?

Slowly, I stood from my seat and dragged my feet towards her. I still couldn't believe that she was the one standing before me. I had been thinking about her just a few minutes ago. Could this be some sort of illusion? Or was I seeing a ghost?

I approached her, my eyes fixated on her as I scrutinized her entire body. "I'm not seeing a ghost, am I?" I murmured.

She chuckled, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Maxon Ironclaw. You are indeed seeing a human. I am hale and healthy, and I always will be."

Her clarification put my doubts to rest. I wasn't seeing a ghost, nor was it an illusion. It was Sophie, standing right before me. The realization flooded me with memories I had been trying hard to forget. How could she show her face to me after what she did?

A sudden surge of anger pulsed through my veins as I heard her speak. I grabbed her fiercely by the arm. "How dare you show your face!" I yelled. "I told you never to return! How dare you!"

She merely looked at me, silent as always. It only fueled my anger further. I wanted her to speak, to hear what she had to say.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you dead or in the same condition you’ve had my sister since the last five years?" I shouted. "You are the cause of all my problems, and I have..."

"Don't yell at me, Mr. Maxon Ironclaw!" she shouted back, catching me off guard with her sudden outburst. Where did that come from? Sophie would never talk back or yell at me.

"I wouldn't be here if I knew you were here. I would keep myself miles away from a man like you. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't yell at me. I am not the person you used to know."

"I told you never to show your face to me! I told you I would kill you the next time I see you!" I barked.

She chuckled, not flinched. "I am sorry to disappoint you, but this country, this world isn't the same as where you came from. It is not a lawless world, not where you can conspire against or even try to kill someone. They will be sure to catch the real culprit, not making the innocent one pay. You won't go scot-free!"

I believed she was still maintaining her stance that all that happened five years ago was just a conspiracy, and she didn't do any of it. That only made my anger grow. I wanted her to admit to everything she did, and until she does that, I won't spare her.

"I don't care about your little talks. Just tell me why you've shown your filthy self to my face again!"

"Like I said, Mr. Maxon, do not yell at me. I am not the one you used to know." She yelled back at me.

Her words tore through me. Yes, she was right. She wasn't the person I used to know. She had changed, and I despised what she had become. My revenge wouldn't be as easy as I had thought.

"I don't care if you've changed or not, woman! The fact remains that you are nothing but a murderer and a damned bitch!" I barked, glaring at her. "You had an affair with someone else and tried to kill my sister to hide your infidelity, and now you have the audacity to talk back to me?" I shook my head, resentment growing inside me. "You won't get away with this, Sophie Stones. I will make you regret everything you did to me."

"And I will make you regret what you did to me too!" She retorted once again. "You have also caused me so much trouble, and for that, you'll pay."

I laughed, taking a few steps away from her and clapping sarcastically. "Have you forgotten why you're here?" I chuckled. "You're here to beg me for a job. You have nothing. How do you intend to make me pay?" I closed the gap between us and grabbed her hand. "Have you forgotten who I am? I am Prince Maxon Ironclaw, the prince of Nighfall Kingdom and the future pack leader of the Silverclaw pack. I am the only heir to the throne. Here, I am the owner and CEO of Maxing Enterprises. I have shares in so many companies and enterprises. What can someone like you, who is nothing, do to me?"

"Please save the remaining bragging talks for someone else, Mr. Maxon Ironclaw. More than what you have just listed, you were my everything, and you were everything I could dream of. But the moment you threw me out and never heard what I had to say, you became nothing to me." She shook her head. "No matter the status or wealth you build again, you will still remain nothing to me. I am not here to beg for a job, I am here to seek employment based on my qualifications and..."

"Keep quiet!" I cut her off. Her words were beginning to annoy me. "Tell me, what am I paying for? For your own infidelity? Or for being the brother of the innocent girl you tried to kill?" I barked.

"I didn't try kill Mia!" She shouted. "I didn't try kill Mia. I have said that again and again. I didn't do that to her, and..."

"Lies!" I shouted and threw a punch at the wide TV screen in my office. The glass pierced into my hands, and I began to bleed, but the pain was nothing compared to what I had been through. The one I loved tried killed my own sister, and put her in a condition where she might never wake up. She cheated on me while I did nothing but love her. "You've been lying for the past five years. Can't you stop and admit to your mistakes now?"

She didn't say a word for minutes, her eyes fixed on my bleeding hand. Gently, she reached for my hand and tried to help me, but I jerked her hand off.

"Don't touch me!" I yelled.

"But you're bleeding."

I laughed. "I've been bleeding for the past five years, Sophie. My heart bleeds, and it has no cure. My heart aches after watching the one I used to love try kill my own sister." I turned away from her, finding it difficult to hold back my tears. I knew I had to dismiss her.

I turned back to her, her eyes piercing into my soul as usual, and I just couldn't help but think about what this woman had done to me and the damage she had caused. I hadn't been able to get the memories of that day out of my head. I had tried to chase them away, but they still lingered. Seeing her, being the strongest version of herself, fueled my anger even more.

"I will leave now. I guess I came into the wrong office," she said, turning to leave.

I grabbed her hand. "What do you mean you came into the wrong office? Are you surprised to see me in this position?" I chuckled. "Are you surprised to see that I am doing fine and great without you? You meant nothing to me from the start, Sophie, and..."

"I know that already, Mr. Maxon. I knew I meant nothing to you right from the moment you threw me out and never looked back," she responded. "You don't have to remind me. And I am also doing great without you."

I laughed it off. "You've been in this world for the past five years, and you still go about going for interviews. How does that look like you are doing great?" I chuckled. "Did you get sacked from your previous jobs, or did you also try to murder someone like you did in the past, and..."

"Enough!" Sophie shouted. "I won't stay here and watch you insult me, Mr. Maxon!" She glared at me. "I hope we never cross paths again." She added and turned to the door.

"I know you will be back. You will come back to beg me, I promise you that, Sophie," I said to her.

She stopped as she got to the door and didn't move for a few minutes before finally pushing the door open and storming out.

It still felt like a dream. It felt like an imagination that I had just met Sophie again, for the first time in five years, and it felt so different.

Ralph rushed in a few minutes later. "What happened here?" he asked.

"I met her again," I murmured, still unable to believe what had just happened.

"Who?"

"Sophie. Sophie Stones."

"Your ex-wife."

"She left me five years ago, and yet nothing has changed about her. I despise her strength, and I will do whatever it takes to destroy her. I will take everything from her, and make her beg to get them back, " I turned to Ralph. "I have a job for you.”