Gregory jerked back at once and immediately hid the file behind his back, laughing nervously. “Calm down, relax! I’m just kidding. Why do you have to be so serious all the time?”
Magnus relaxed slightly, straightening in his chair, an arrogant tilt to his chin as he stared at him.
Gregory then leaned forward, resting one hand on the table as he studied him. “Magnus, do you… like her?”
Magnus frowned instantly, displeasure flashing across his features. “And where did you see that I like her?”
Gregory’s gaze swept over him from head to toe before he replied seriously, without hesitation, “From both my eyes. Just now.”
Magnus abruptly spun his chair and punched him. “Get your eyes checked!”
“Ah!” Gregory winced, rubbing his arm, shooting daggers at Magnus with his gaze.
***
At Magnus’s mansion, Sophia was sprawled on the sofa, another piece of popcorn halfway to her mouth as she watched the horror movie, completely glued to the screen. Her eyes followed the main character with total focus.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang sharply, making her jump.
She choked on the popcorn, coughing violently as her heart raced, and her head snapped toward the door, her body still frozen in shock.
“Shit,” she hissed.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she pushed to her feet and moved briskly toward the door. When she opened it, she blinked in mild surprise.
Timothy stood on the doorstep, several bags in his hands, smiling at her.
She returned the smile, raising her eyebrows. “Yes, Timothy?”
Timothy cleared his throat. “Mrs. Graves, did you forget that you’re supposed to see Mr. Graves’s mother today?”
Yes. She had completely forgotten.
She forced a polite smile and stammered, “No, of course not. How could I forget?”
Her gaze dropped to the bags in his hands before lifting back to his face. “…Can I skip it?”
Chapter 7 He’s Not My Family
“Of course not,” he said at once. He lifted the bags and gently pushed them toward her. “Would you like me to take these inside and place them on the table, or would you prefer to carry them yourself?”
Sophia sighed in defeat. “Give them to me.”
She took the bags from him, turned around, and headed back into the house.
As she headed inside to get dressed, a text from Timothy popped up on her phone: “Mr. Graves is on the way to pick you up. He’ll reach home in about an hour.”
She set the phone aside and moved toward the vanity to do her makeup.
Getting ready took longer than she expected. By the time she finished her makeup, more than an hour had already passed. She didn’t hear a car, footsteps, or any call, so she assumed Magnus hadn’t arrived yet.
Once she was all done, she left the room and headed downstairs to wait for him.
But as she descended the stairs, she froze.
Magnus was already there—standing in the living room, his attention fixed on the television. The movie she’d been watching earlier was still playing.
The moment her footsteps echoed through the house, he turned around.
