Instead, she turned away without a word.
Her steps were steady as she walked out of the restaurant, refusing to give Celia the satisfaction of seeing her break.
She didn’t even remember leaving the restaurant.
She didn’t remember getting into the car.
By the time she realized where she was, she was already back at Centurion Hall, pushing open the door to her office.
Emma was sitting on the couch across from the desk, working on her laptop. She looked up immediately, sensing something was wrong. She set the laptop down slowly.
“What happened?” Emma asked. “How did it go?”
Sophia stood there for a second, her body tense, her face pale.
Then she muttered in a quiet voice. “Celia said they slept together.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “What?”
“She said they slept together,” Sophia repeated, her voice still eerily calm. “That fucking bastard.”
Her hands curled into fists on her lap. Her entire body trembled — not from sadness, but from fury.
“She also said she was the one who instructed Violet to send that man to my room. It was her plan. Hers and Violet’s.”
Her breathing grew uneven.
“And Magnus knew,” she finished, her voice cracking slightly despite her effort to stay composed. “He helped her hide it from me.”
The room fell silent.
Only the sound of Sophia’s uneven breathing filled the space.
“Are you fucking serious?”
Emma’s voice shot up, disbelief flashing across her face.
Sophia stood in front of her, frozen.
Her fingers tightened around her bag before she placed it slowly on the table. Her shoulders were stiff. Her face pale.
“She said they’ve been in love since college,” Sophia continued, her voice controlled but tight.
Her jaw trembled slightly, but she kept going.
“He was afraid I would hurt her?” Sophia let out a hollow laugh. “Is that why he hid everything from me? He didn’t want to send Celia to jail… like he sent Violet?” Her breathing grew uneven. “Is that why? He didn’t want Celia to go to jail?”
Her voice only shook a little, but her entire body had gone rigid.
For a second, she looked completely lost.
Then suddenly, without warning, tears filled her eyes without warning and spilled down her cheeks.
Her composure shattered.
Emma froze.
Sophia’s shoulders started trembling. Her breathing hitched uncontrollably.
