Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 291

On the other end of the line, Sophie Sommers sounded frantic. "Hang tight, I'm heading over right now."

Before Willa could respond, the call disconnected.

Sophie arrived much faster than expected. Forty minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Willa opened the door to find Sophie standing there, her hair windblown and cheeks flushed, clearly having rushed all the way.

"Why didn't you tell me something this huge earlier?" Sophie asked, catching her breath.

"Come inside, it's freezing out there," Willa said, stepping aside to let her in.

Sophie kicked off her shoes and stepped into the living room just as Arthur Vance peeked out from the kitchen. He offered a warm smile. "Sophie's here. Have you eaten?"

When Sophie shook her head, Arthur immediately turned back to grab an extra set of silverware.

The moment Nolan spotted Sophie, his eyes lit up, and he babbled cheerfully, reaching out for her.

Sophie crouched down and scooped the toddler into her arms, her eyes curving into a gentle smile. "My little Nugget always knows how to make me feel loved."

After dinner, Nolan fell asleep.

Willa and Sophie sat in the living room. Knowing they needed privacy, Arthur made an excuse about going for a walk and closed the front door behind him.

"What's your plan?" Sophie asked, breaking the silence.

Willa shook her head, looking utterly lost. "I have no idea. I don't want to agree to Julian York's terms, but I don't think I have a choice."

Sophie stayed quiet for a moment before speaking. "Have you ever considered that Julian might have reached out to you for reasons beyond just keeping tabs on Randal?"

"What do you mean?"

"You might be onto something, Sophie. I need to think this through carefully."

Before leaving, Sophie offered a reassuring hug. "Don't panic just yet. I'll have Corbin dig a little deeper into Julian's background."

Corbin Sommers called just as Willa finished putting Nolan back to sleep.

It took her a second to register the call, momentarily forgetting the time difference with Europe.

Not wanting to wake the baby, she slipped out onto the balcony and pulled the glass door shut. "Mr. Sommers, I'm sorry for bothering you with this again," she said softly.

"It's no trouble at all," Corbin replied. "I looked into it. Julian has definitely been making quiet contact with several of Vanguard's original shareholders over the past couple of years."

His voice dropped an octave. "Also... someone at the Yates Estate is looking into Nolan."