Sophia frowned at his words.
‘Shouldn’t I?’ she thought. ‘Why is he making this so complicated?’
When she remained silent, his anger flared even more.
“Don’t worry,” he said coldly. “Once we’re divorced, I won’t ask you to come back and play the role of myrealwife.”
He flung her phone onto the couch and turned away, striding off without looking back.
Sophia remained standing there, frowning deeply, her thoughts tangled as she watched his retreating back.
“What the hell is wrong with his head?”
***
Violet flopped down on the bed beside Joseph, the mattress dipping under her weight as her frustration exploded the moment she sat.
“How could you let this happen, Dad?” she burst out. “I thought that bitch was marrying some random schoolteacher or something! Didn’t her high-and-mighty grandmother always preach about morality and character over money? About not marrying for wealth?” Her voice rose, sharp and bitter. “And then she goes and dumps Sophia straight into the lap of someonethatrich?!”
She shot to her feet, eyes burning as she paced a step forward.
“How did Sophia’s husband turn out to be someone like Magnus Graves?” she demanded furiously. “His family practically rules the entire damn country!”
She spun back toward the bed, anger spilling over.
“Didn’t you say the man she was marrying wasn’t much to look at?” Her laugh was strained, almost hysterical. “I just saw him at their house! He’s literally the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”
Her hands clenched into fists on the bed, jealousy and disbelief churning violently inside her.
Joseph let out a heavy sigh, frustration burning plainly in his eyes.
“Because I didn’t give a damn about whom she married, Violet!” he snapped. “She’s just my brother’s daughter. Was I supposed to keep track of who she ended up with? Why the hell would I waste my time?”
He scoffed, flicking his hand dismissively. “All we ever heard from Arthur was that Mila had already chosen a man for Sophia and that the wedding would happen soon. I even heard rumours that the man she was marrying was ugly, a gambler, cunning, a manwhore, vicious.”
Joseph leaned back, irritation deepening.
“They said his reputation was so bad that even the servants in his house weren’t allowed to give a single penny to him. After hearing all that, what reason did I have to look at his face? It wasn’t like I was ever going to giveyouto him.”
He shook his head sharply, voice turning harsher.
“That old hag tricked everyone! She never mentioned Sophia’s husband’s name—not even once. All she did was spread those rumors through the goddamn servants. How the hell was I supposed to know they were talking about Magnus fucking Graves?”
Violet’s face twisted with displeasure.
Her fists clenched at her sides, nails digging into her palms as envy burned through her veins. The more she thought about Sophia marrying into a family so wealthy that every rich man Violet had ever known couldn’t even begin to compare, the more unbearable it became.
After a moment, her expression shifted.
The sharp resentment faded, replaced by a soft, pitiful look. She deliberately smoothed her features, then shuffled closer to Joseph. Wrapping both arms around his, she pressed herself against him and whined in a small, wounded voice.
“Dad, look at her,” she said softly. “She’s trying to take everything from us. She deliberately married someonethatrich.”
Her grip tightened around his arm.
“I want to marry him!” she continued, her voice trembling with practiced vulnerability. “I don’t want to be stuck with someonewho isn’t on the same level as that bitch’s husband. What would that do to my reputation? How would we even show our faces if she’s married into a family like that—and I end up with someone lesser?”
Her tone dropped, resentment seeping through the cracks. “There’s no way that marriage is real. It has to be forced. Arranged because of her grandmother.” Her eyes gleamed as she looked up at him. “Why don’t you help me take her place instead? Let me marry Magnus.”
