Then her tone sharpened as she continued scolding him. “How can you be so insensitive? Do you really think that girl married you out of her own wish? Do you think she wasdyingto become your wife?”
Magnus froze.
His expression shifted, surprise flickering across his face.
“She didn’t?” he asked quietly.
Camila scoffed. She unfolded her legs, leaned back, and settled properly into her seat before turning to face him.
“Mila and I have been friends for many years,” she answered. “Without her, there would be no Prestige Wardrobe today. She’s the one who started that business years ago.”
Her gaze hardened. “It was only after Mila’s only daughter died that she handed control to Arthur, so the company could one day belong to Sophia. But then his brothers slowly started taking over—and Arthur is still blind to it.”
She let out a sharp breath. “If Mila hadn’t been desperate to protect Sophia from those wretched, ungrateful pigs, she would never have insisted on Sophia marrying into our family before she dies.”
Camila’s voice dropped, heavy with contempt.
“That was the only reason she begged me to have you marry Sophia—to keep her safe and make sure the majority shares stayed in her name. Otherwise, Arthur would have handed over even the remaining thirty percent to his brothers. He’s so blinded by the love for his brothers that he doesn’t see they’re bleeding him dry.”
She looked straight at Magnus.
“If Mila hadn’t been on her deathbed, begging Sophia to marry you… Sophia would never have agreed to it. This marriage was never something she wanted.”
Magnus’s face darkened. His phone slipped from his fingers and landed in his lap, forgotten.
He sat there, frozen, unusually quiet. And with that silence came something unfamiliar—an overwhelming sense of disappointment he hadn’t expected to feel.
“Mrs. Graves?”
Thomas’s voice broke the silence.
Camila looked up. He wasn’t alone.
“This is Miss Violet King,” Thomas said. “Mr. Joseph King’s daughter.”
Violet smiled brightly at Camila and Magnus, while both of them looked at her with faint confusion.
“You’re Sophia’s cousin?” Camila was the first to speak.
Violet smiled wider and immediately walked toward Camila. Instead of sitting on the couch across from her, she moved closer and sat down right beside Camila.
“Hello, Mrs. Graves,” Violet said brightly. “How are you?”
She beamed with what looked like happiness. “I only just found out Sophia married into your family. I didn’t even realize she married your son! No wonder she didn’t tell anyone.”
Though her words were sweet, the bitterness beneath them was unmistakable, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.
Magnus leaned back, dismissing her presence entirely.
The moment Violet’s eyes landed on him, she froze.
“This is Magnus,” Camila said, gesturing casually. “Sophia’s husband.”
Violet froze.
Her eyes widened as realization hit her. “This is… Magnus?” she blurted, her voice louder than intended.
She immediately corrected her posture, hands moving quickly as she adjusted her clothes and sat properly. Her gaze flicked back to the man sitting in front of her.
