His hand loosened, though it didn’t drop immediately.
“You are—” he started, then paused, as if struggling to place a memory that refused to surface.
For a brief second, something flickered across his face. Then he straightened slightly, his business mask slowly returning.
“You’re Sylvia,” he said, more firmly this time. “The auctioneer?”
The words hit her like a bucket of ice water dumped over her head.
‘So… he really doesn’t recognize me.’
The realization spread through her chest slowly, painfully. For a split second, she didn’t know whether to feel relieved or shattered.
Her lashes lowered, hiding the storm in her eyes.
She lifted her hand and placed it over the arm he had wrapped around her waist. She peeled his arm off her, then took a step back, creating distance between them.
Magnus hadn’t even fully registered that he’d been holding her.
When she removed his arm, the sudden emptiness startled him.
His arm lingered awkwardly in the air before falling to his side. The sudden loss of her warmth felt sharper than it should have. He frowned slightly, confused by his own reaction.
Why did it feel like something had been taken from him?
He studied her face more carefully. There was disappointment in her eyes now, subtle but clear.
She looked painfully familiar. The shape of her eyes, the way her lips pressed together when she was holding something back. He didn’t know her. He was certain of that. And yet, when she stepped away, his chest tightened with a strange, unfamiliar ache.
Sophia looked shaken for only a second. She had pulled away from him as if his touch had burned her skin. Her shoulders stiffened, and she turned her face slightly to the side, drawing in a slow breath. The shock of seeing him, of hearing him speak to her like she was a stranger, faded into something colder.
She straightened her back and lifted her chin. When she looked at him again, her expression was composed, almost distant.
“Yes,” she said calmly. “I am Sylvia.”
Magnus’s posture shifted instantly. His shoulders squared, and the warmth in his gaze disappeared behind a professionalexpression. He adjusted his cuffs and smoothed the front of his suit jacket.
Sophia’s eyes flickered past him.
A younger man stood just behind Magnus, dressed in a suit, a tablet held neatly in his hand. He had been silent the entire time, observing. His posture was straight, his expression neutral, but his eyes were attentive.
Magnus finally spoke, his tone now strictly business.
“You’ll be partnering with us on the upcoming project,” he said. “The auction of rare diamonds.”
Sophia’s brows drew together slightly. Partnering with Empire Group? She searched her memory quickly. She would have remembered signing with them.
She couldn’t recall seeing their name anywhere.
The younger man stepped forward slightly, his voice polite and measured. “Good day, Miss Sylvia. I’m Brent, Mr. Graves’s secretary. You signed an agreement for our project through our partner, the JKJ Group.”
At the mention of JKJ Group, recognition flashed across her face.
Her gaze slid back to Magnus before she answered, her voice composed. “Yes, I will be working on that project. But according to my contract, I’m scheduled to join next week.”
“That’s correct,” Magnus replied. “However, we have a situation. One we were hoping you could assist us with.”
Sophia tilted her head slightly, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag. She could feel her pulse in her throat.
