He stood up abruptly and walked past her.
But just as he reached the door, Harold’s smug words from earlier in his office flashed through his mind.
‘I found her on Instagram this morning. We follow each other now.’
His steps faltered.
‘What’s so special about following Instagram? If I want to add her, I can make that happen easily,’ he thought, eyes narrowed in distaste.
He turned around, opening his mouth to speak—
But at that exact moment, Sophia extended the box back toward him, the watch still inside.
“I can’t afford this, Magnus,” she said. “You should take it back.”
She smiled at him. A genuine, unguarded smile.
Her words unsettled him more than he cared to admit.
His expression hardened instantly.
“Fine,” he snapped. “Before worrying about watches, clean up the water you have spilled all over the floor. Look at this mess—disgusting.”
He gestured sharply toward the wet floor. “Grab a mop and clean it properly.”
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the bedroom.
Sophia stared after him, her mouth falling open in disbelief, anger flaring in her eyes as she watched him disappear.
“What kind of manishe?” she muttered in disbelief.
She clenched her jaw, trying to calm herself. “It’s fine, Sophia. Just a few months. You can tolerate it.”
But the anger didn’t fade. It only burned hotter.
She spun toward the door and snapped loudly, “You damn snob!”
Letting out a frustrated huff, she marched back into the bathroom, grabbed a mop, and returned to the bedroom. She wiped the water off the floor, her movements sharp and impatient. When she was done, she rinsed her hands and tossed the mop aside.
As she walked back into the room, her phone suddenly started ringing.
Frowning, she picked it up and glanced at the screen.
Timothy?
“Why would he be calling this late?” she murmured. “Could it be for Magnus?”
She answered and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
On the other end, Timothy’s voice came through. “Hello, Mrs. Graves. Did you reach home safely?”
“Yes, I did,” she replied. “Thank you for asking. Do you want to speak to Magnus? I can bring the phone to him.”
She had already started walking toward the door when Timothy hurriedly said,
“Actually—no. I was calling to ask if you liked the watch Mr. Graves bought for you.”
Sophia froze.
