“Magnus—” she breathed, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her breath uneven.
He still tried to close the distance, his lips brushing just short of hers, refusing to give up. But she turned her face slightly and pushed harder against his shoulder, forcing space between them.
The doorbell rang again.
Longer this time. Louder.
Sophia pushed harder against his shoulder. “Stop.”
This time, he froze.
A curse slipped past his lips, low and sharp, the frustration clear in his voice. He dragged a hand through his hair, jaw tightening, then turned abruptly and strode toward the door.
Sophia stayed there for a second, still sitting on the countertop, her pulse racing.
Then she quickly slid down, her feet hitting the floor. She smoothed her hair with shaky fingers and walked out of the kitchen, heading toward the dining table as if putting distance between them would calm her down.
When Magnus came back in, a food delivery bag hung from his hand.
She glanced at it, then at him. “What is it?”
Magnus placed the bag on the table and started unwrapping it.
“I can’t really cook anything proper,” he said, his voice lower now, calmer. “Just quick, basic stuff. I couldn’t let you eat instant noodles, so I ordered something better.”
Sophia pressed her lips together, trying to hide her smile as she watched him. He began unpacking the containers.
Casually, she reached for the bill attached to the bag and glanced over it.
Steak, truffle pasta, grilled salmon, buttered asparagus, fresh salad, and tiramisu.
But then her expression shifted.
A small frown formed.
“It says it’s from Neymar.”
Magnus’s head snapped up instantly.
“What?”
His expression changed in a second. His brows drew together sharply as he grabbed the bill from her hand, his fingerstightening around the paper. He flipped it over, scanning it again, then immediately looked inside the bag.
There was a handwritten note.
His jaw clenched as he pulled it out.
Before he could read it, Sophia took it from his hand.
She unfolded it and read aloud, her tone light at first—
“Since I couldn’t have dinner with you, I sent it over instead. I hope you enjoy it. I tried to include your favorites… so you can at least have a good night. Hopefully, next time, we can have dinner together. Love, Ney—”
She didn’t get to finish.
Magnus snatched the note from her hand.
In the next second, he tore it apart.
