Sophia straightened.
“What are you doing here in the middle of the day?” Emma’s teasing expression faded. She placed a hand on her waist, one hip jutting out as she stared at him. “Don’t tell me you came to drag me home. I’m not leaving early. I’m going to a party tonight.”
Elias didn’t respond.
He simply lifted his hand in front of her face, palm outward, telling her silently to stop.
Then he walked past her as if she were a minor inconvenience.
He pulled the chair back from Sophia’s desk and settled down. One leg crossed over the other. His wrist rested loosely on the arm of the chair.
Only then did he look at Emma.
Two fingers lifted.
A subtle flick toward the door.
“Out.”
Emma blinked in disbelief. “Stop doing that to me! This ismybuilding.”
Elias tilted his head slightly and raised one brow, staring straight into her eyes.
Emma stiffened, the confidence draining from her face.
“Fine,” she grumbled under her breath. “I’m going.”
She shot him one last glare before stepping out and closing the door — a little harder than necessary.
Silence settled.
Elias’s gaze shifted back to Sophia.
“Did you see the news about your uncles?”
Sophia nodded slowly. Her fingers curled together on the desk.
“Yes.”
Elias leaned forward, resting his elbow on the desk. “I started looking into things after you told me Violet couldn’t have acted alone. She’s reckless but she’s not bold enough to drug you without backup.”
“Yeah, I know her,” Sophia replied. Her lips tightened, anger flashing across her face. “She’s a bitch, but she’s a coward.”
She looked at him anxiously.
“What did you find?”
Elias held her gaze for a moment before speaking.
“Do you know someone named Celia Thompson?”
Sophia’s breath caught.
Her body went still, surprise flickering in her eyes, but she quickly forced herself to stay calm.
“Yes,” she answered, nodding. “I know her.”
Elias watched every shift in her expression.
