She looked down and opened it—and froze.
Inside was a luxury bag.
Her eyes widened as she took it in. “It’s a limited edition…?”
Emma clasped her hands together, practically bouncing in place. “I knew it!” she said excitedly. “That must’ve taken him forever to find something good enough for you. Don’t ever underestimate Elias’s gifts. If you’re important to him, he’ll always bring you the very best!”
Sophia’s grip on the gift tightened just a little. She lifted her gaze to Elias, a soft, genuine smile spreading across her face.
“Thank you, Elias. I love it.”
Emma leaned in closer, lowering her voice so only Sophia could hear.
“He doesn’t know about your fake marriage,” she whispered. “Don’t tell him yet. You don’t even have a real relationship with your husband anyway. Why not see if something could happen between you and my brother?”
She pulled back with a mischievous grin.
Sophia rolled her eyes and shot her a warning look. “Stop it. Don’t try to set me up with literally every man in existence.”
“It’s not just anyone,” Emma shot back. “It’s Elias! Honestly, you should’ve married him from the start. The two of you together? Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
Sophia shot her a scowl. Before she could respond, Emma raised her hands in surrender.
“All right, fine,” Emma relented. “I won’t talk about it again.”
They resumed walking, Emma on one side, Elias on the other, with Sophia between them as they headed down the hallway.
Suddenly, Emma stopped.
“Oh,” she said, turning slightly. “I think one of my friends is in this room?” she said, already reaching for the door. “She said she was in room 29 or something. Let’s invite her too.”
Emma pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The moment the door swung wide, they froze.
It wasn’t Emma’s friend.
Magnus was inside.
He had just risen from his seat, clearly about to leave.
At the same time, a young woman stood unsteadily beside him. She had a bright face, flushed cheeks, smudged lipstick, and was dressed casually—a dress, and a jacket thrown loosely over her shoulders.
She swayed, mumbling under her breath.
“I’m so drunk…” she slurred.
Before he could react, her body crashed against his chest, forcing him to step back to keep his balance. She clung to him tightly, her head falling against his chest as she groaned softly.
At that exact moment, Magnus looked up and froze.
Sophia stood right in front of him.
His gaze flickering between Sophia and the man next to her—the way they stood too close to each other not escaping his notice. His jaw tightened abruptly, the muscles along his cheek hardening as something dark passed through his eyes. A chillsettled in his expression when his gaze shifted back to the man standing beside her.
Only then did he register who it was.
Elias Creed.
