The words snapped out of him. His fingers dug into the phone as he barked into it.
On the other end, Gregory burst out laughing again—and before Magnus could unleash the string of profanities burning on his tongue, the call abruptly cut off.
The line went dead.
Magnus stared at the phone for a long moment, chest rising slowly as he breathed through his irritation.
Then he tossed it aside with a sharp flick of his wrist, jaw tight, eyes burning with a mix of anger and something far more unsettled.
Chapter 10 Violet
Magnus walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen just as Sophia stepped out, a coffee cup cradled in her hand.
She hadn’t gone back to the bedroom the previous night. Instead, she’d curled up on the couch with a movie playing softly in the background, exhaustion creeping up on her until sleep took her without warning. Magnus, on the other hand, had spent the night alone upstairs—wide awake.
Sophia stopped short the moment she noticed him.
He looked… terrible.
Dark circles shadowed his eyes, his expression drawn and rigid, as though sleep hadn’t touched him at all.
“Were you working all night?” she asked instinctively, brows knitting together. “Why do you look like that?”
Magnus lifted his gaze.
His eyes moved over her slowly, dragging from her face down to the curve of her shoulders, the loose fabric she wore, the way she stood relaxed and unaware. His gaze lingered a fraction longer than necessary before he spoke, his voice edged with something unpleasant.
“You slept quite well, it seems.”
Unaware of the undercurrent beneath his words, Sophia nodded lightly, shifting the cup in her hands.
“Yes. I did.”
Something dark flickered through his eyes.
Sophia’s gaze dropped abruptly, memories from the previous night flashing through her mind without permission—his hands, his breath, the way her body had reacted.
Realization dawned.
Heat crept up her neck and into her cheeks.
“So that’s why…” she muttered under her breath, more to herself than to him.
Even so, Magnus heard it.
“I don’t have any interest in you!” he snapped immediately, the words coming out fast and defensive, annoyance flaring sharp across his face.
Sophia pressed her lips together, biting back the laugh that almost escaped. Instead of arguing, she simply nodded, her shoulders lifting in a small, placating motion.
“Okay.”
That only seemed to irritate him further.
His jaw tightened. He drew in a slow breath, then stepped closer, invading her space without warning. Before she could react, he reached out and took the coffee cup straight from her hand.
Sophia blinked, staring at him. “Hey—”
Magnus lifted the cup to his lips and took a sip.
