And then he simply stared.
She was wearing a long, full-length white silk dress that brushed her knees. Over it, she’d draped a thin, delicate net layer, almost like silk sleeves covering her arms. The dress itself was simple, but on her, it looked breathtaking.
Magnus couldn’t tear his eyes away.
He stared so intently that he didn’t even notice when Timothy called his name.
“Mr. Graves?” Timothy called again, having to raise his voice to finally get his attention.
Magnus turned, startled. “Yeah?”
Timothy hesitated, then let out an awkward laugh. “It’s… raining a little.”
Sophia’s eyes immediately shifted toward the door. A light drizzle was falling. She frowned and glanced down at the brand-new dress she was wearing. Without thinking, she said quickly, “I’ll just go grab my jacket.”
She had barely turned when her wrist was suddenly caught.
She froze and turned back, startled—only to find Magnus holding her hand.
Before she could say anything, he released her wrist, shrugged off his own coat, and draped it over her shoulders instead. His movements were unhurried and careful. He adjusted the coatgently, making sure it sat properly on her shoulders, his fingers brushing lightly against her collarbone.
Sophia stood there, stunned.
Her heart skipped.
She looked up at his face, at the focused expression in his eyes, at the quiet gentleness in his gestures. Her breath caught as confusion flooded her thoughts.
‘Am I hallucinating… or has he really changed since the first time we met?’
The man she remembered had been rough. Cold. A complete jerk.
And now—this?
She hadn’t even finished processing the moment when Magnus reached for her hand again.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Sophia gasped softly in surprise as his fingers closed around hers. He didn’t look at her, simply pulled her toward the door, leading her out of the house as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the Graves mansion.
Magnus stepped out first, circled the car, and opened the door for her. Sophia looked up at him in surprise when he extended his hand. After a brief hesitation, she placed her hand in his and stepped out.
The rain had already stopped.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No… actually, I feel a bit warm.”
He gave a short nod, then lifted the jacket off her shoulders and slipped it back on himself. Almost instinctively, his hand slid into hers again, fingers tightening as he pulled her toward the house.
They entered together.
As they headed into the living room, a woman was already seated on the couch, flipping through a magazine.
At the sound of their footsteps, her eyes flickered up. When she saw them, a smile immediately spread across her face.
“You’re already here?” she said in surprise as she stood up. “I thought you’d take a bit more time. I would’ve come out to welcome you. Why didn’t you text me that you’d arrived?”
