His face darkened. He immediately pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping his fingers with rough, aggressive strokes, as though trying to scrub something filthy off his skin. The rough sound of fabric against skin filled the tense silence.
Celia’s smile froze.
Her chest tightened when she saw the pure disgust in his expression, the way his brows furrowed, the way his lips twisted like her touch had contaminated him.
He finished wiping his hand and threw the handkerchief onto the table with a sharp flick of his wrist. The cloth landed with a dull thud.
His eyes lifted to meet hers.
They were burning.
“I told you I have no interest in you.” His voice was low at first — dangerous. “I never had any fucking interest in being with you. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
The words exploded out of him. His voice echoed against the walls, heavy with fury and revulsion.
Celia’s fingers trembled at her sides. She flinched but forced herself to steady.
“Magnus… did you forget how you used to be with me in college?” she said, her voice slightly trembling despite her effort to sound calm. “We were such good friends. You obviously had a crush on me.”
Magnus stared at her as if she had just said something insane.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Magnus snapped.
His brows drew together sharply. His eyes were cold, cutting. He took a step toward her, towering over her.
“The only thing I had for you in college was fucking acquaintance. Not even friends. And that was also only because you were friends with one of my friends.”
His voice dropped lower, colder.
“And the moment I saw what kind of character you had, I dumped you. Did you forget that? I stopped talking to you because you disgusted me.”
Each word hit like a slap.
“And you still disgust me.”
He stepped closer, towering over her.
“Who the hell told you I had a crush on you?”
Celia’s face went pale. The confidence she had walked in with completely shattered. Her lips parted, but no words came out. Her chest rose and fell too quickly, like she was struggling to breathe.
But Magnus wasn’t done.
“Stop your drama,” he said harshly. “I’m not going to fall for your antics, Celia.”
His eyes were merciless.
“And tell your father this — since he let go of this opportunity, there will never be another one. Our business relationship is over.”
With a sudden burst of anger, he kicked the table in front of him.
The loud bang thundered through the room. The table screeched against the floor. The echo lingered in the heavy air.
Then, without another glance at her, he turned sharply and stormed out.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Silence swallowed the suite.
