On the other end, Sophia hesitated, voice dropping to a whisper. “By the way, Timothy… there was something else—uh… Magnus… is he—”
Magnus’s hand shot up, the pen dropping onto the file as he reached for the phone, ready to snatch it from Timothy—but Sophia stopped herself.
“Never mind,” she said abruptly, and ended the call.
Magnus’s hand fell to his sides. He turned away, brushing it over his face, hiding the sudden flush of embarrassment.
Timothy, fighting to conceal a grin, slid the phone back into his pocket.
“Mr. Graves,” Timothy said sheepishly, glancing at Magnus, “it seems… you’re attracted to Ms. King.”
Magnus’s eyes snapped to him, glare sharp and icy. “Do you have less work to do nowadays?” he barked.
Timothy flinched, already overwhelmed with meetings and tasks, and swallowed nervously. “No, sir, I—uh… I have plenty of work… more than enough,” Timothy stammered. Then, unable to resist, he added in a louder, braver voice, “But Mr. Graves,she’s… incredible. You really should think about it. There are so many people who’d try to chase her. You could miss your chance.”
Before Magnus could react, Timothy spun on his heels and practically ran out of the office, leaving the door to slam behind him.
Magnus’s glare sank back to the desk, his throat clearing awkwardly as embarrassment burned across his face.
A while later, the office door opened again. Magnus looked up to see Harold and Gregory stepping in, Timothy leading the way before standing back respectfully.
Harold went straight to the desk and tossed a file down in front of Magnus.
“Here. I’ve finished the red diamonds’ purity report for March,” he said. “Go through it, and if everything checks out, approve it by tonight.”
Magnus took the file and set it aside. Meanwhile, Harold walked over, turned the chair across from Magnus, and dropped into it with an irritated huff. Gregory remained standing beside the other chair, arms loosely crossed as he watched.
Harold suddenly leaned forward, slamming both palms onto Magnus’s desk. “Why did you stop me from following my crush last night?” he snapped angrily. “That was my first interaction with her—and you ruined it!”
Magnus lifted his eyes to Harold, his expression blank, cold.
Harold continued without pause. “Do you know how hard it is to get a chance to drop her off? I would’ve gotten her address, her number—everything. We might’ve bonded in the car, talkedabout our favorite things. I wastaking her home, and you just jumped in!”
He straightened in the chair, glaring hard. “Don’t you know it’s first come, first dibs?”
Magnus finally raised an eyebrow. His voice was calm, cold, and faintly mocking.
“Is it really first come, first dibs?”
“Yes, it is!” Harold scoffed arrogantly, adjusting his collar as if offended. “Look, I know we’re family, but when it comes to women, it’s different. You can’t steal my future wife!”
With Harold’s every word, Magnus’s expression darkened. By the time he saidfuture wife, Magnus leaned back in his chair, his gaze sharp and dangerous.
But Harold was completely oblivious. A smug smile spread across his face as he added, “But I guess you’re already behind me,” Harold added proudly. “I found her on Instagram this morning. We follow each other now.”
He cleared his throat, his confidence faltering for just a brief moment.
“Well… I did have to look up her account and send the follow request myself,” he admitted. “But she must have been searching for me too. Otherwise, how could I have found her so quickly? It only took like four hours.”
Timothy, standing near the desk, quickly brought his fist to his mouth, biting down hard to keep from laughing. His shoulders shook despite his effort, the strain of holding it in making his chest ache.
“Hey!” Harold shot him an irritated glare. “Why are you shaking like that? If you’re cold, wear more clothes from now on!” he snapped.
Timothy immediately lowered his hand, forcing his face back into a neutral expression.
It was Magnus who spoke next, his tone deceptively mild. “You’re sure I can’t get her first?”
Harold leaned back smugly, confidence dripping from his face. “Absolutely. You bet?”
