Sophia’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at how quickly he caught on. She nodded while taking another bite of pasta. “Yeah. We’ve been best friends since we were kids. She used to come to my house all the time to play.”
A flicker of something unreadable crossed Magnus’s eyes. ‘So this is how Elias knows her,’ he thought. ‘Emma must have lent her Elias’s car without his knowledge.’
Slowly, his shoulders relaxed. The rigid tension in his body eased, and the cold air that was surrounding him seemed to dissipate.
He was the first to speak again.
“I fired Dahlia.”
“Dahlia?” Sophia frowned and looked up, confused. Then realization struck—it was the name of the maid in charge, the one she had encountered when she first arrived at the house.
Magnus continued, “Even though you and I are married only in name, I won’t allow anyone to bully you.”
His voice hardened slightly. “She was disrespectful to you, so she won’t stay in this house anymore. If you face any problems in the future, or if anyone gives you trouble, tell me and I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you,” Sophia said, lifting her gaze to him with a casual smile as she took a sip of the wine. “But you don’t have to worry about me. I can handle my own matters. If I ever run into trouble, I’ll take care of it myself.”
She kept smiling as she spoke. Rising to her feet, she gathered the empty dishes she had just eaten from and carried them into the kitchen without waiting for his response.
Magnus frowned, surprise flickering across his face as he watched her retreating back, his gaze lingering longer than he realized.
She had refused his help so easily.
He had expected something entirely different. He had assumed she would be pleased, even relieved, that he was personally stepping in for her.
After all, she had married him for his family name and his wealth. She had insisted on marrying him so forcefully that he had believed she would cling to every advantage that came with it. He had even imagined her bragging about his protection.
Instead, she had told him that she wanted him to stay out of her business? That she would handle her matters on her own?
His brows furrowed deeper.
He muttered under his breath, “I thought she was a pampered princess from her family.” His eyes darkened with confusion. “What kind of trouble did her family put her through… that she turned out like this? So guarded… so unwilling to accept any help?”
Hours later, after finishing his work in the study, Magnus pushed back his chair and stepped out, his gaze sweeping the quiet house. The lights were on, but not a single sound stirred.
Subconsciously, his eyes searched for Sophia. Finding nothing, he took a few steps forward and stopped at the railing, looking down toward the living room below. His gaze swept across the lounge, the sofa, the softly lit corners. Nothing. No sign of her anywhere.
A frown creased his brow as he turned on his heel and headed toward the bedroom, his footsteps measured but quick. He reached the door, pressed the handle down, and stepped inside—expecting to find her on the bed.
The room was empty. The bathroom door was closed; silence filled the space.
“Where did she go?” His jaw tensed, and his eyes flicked to the clock. Eleven o’clock.
He pivoted, returning to the study. At his desk, he reached for his phone. His hand hovered over the screen, thumb stopping on Sophia’s name, ready to swipe. At the last second, he hesitated, scrolling past it to Timothy’s contact instead.
The phone rang a few times before Timothy answered.
“Where are you?” Magnus asked at once. “Are you at the office?”
“Mr. Graves?” Timothy replied. “I’m at Luxe. I came to drop Mr. Harold off at the bar.”
“Got it,” Magnus said shortly.
He leaned back against the edge of his desk. After a brief pause, his eyes grew thoughtful, his voice lowering.
“I need you to dig into Sophia’s life. Everything. Her present and her past. Don’t leave out a single detail.”
“All right,” Timothy replied without hesitation. “I’ll get on it right away. How do you want me to—”
