Her lips moved under her breath, muttering to herself, her expression twisting with unease.
Then, suddenly—
she turned and ran.
Her steps were hurried, almost frantic, her earlier fury now laced with panic.
“I’ll find out what happened!” she shouted over her shoulder. “You can’t fool me!”
And just like that, she disappeared.
Silence followed.
Sophia let out a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Her shoulders dropped slightly as the tension left her body.
After a moment, she turned toward Neymar, offering him a grateful smile.
“Thank you so much for helping me.”
“Of course,” Neymar replied calmly, his voice gentle and reassuring. “It’s not a big deal. I know you would never be at fault.”
Magnus’s gaze snapped toward him.
Then they shifted to Sophia.
Something dark flickered there.
He stepped forward without hesitation, moving right in front of her, his broad frame blocking her entire view of Neymar. His jaw was tight, his expression hard as he snapped, “I’m the one who helped you. Why are you thanking him?”
Sophia blinked, caught off guard for a second… then her expression cooled.
“Because he also helped me,” she said flatly, her tone dismissive. “And I’m thankful to him.”
Without waiting for his reaction, she stepped sideways, brushing past him. Her shoulder almost grazed his arm as she moved, deliberately placing distance between them—then walked straight back into Neymar’s line of sight.
Magnus’s face darkened instantly.
His eyes locked onto her, then flicked to Neymar.
The way she was looking at him—
He didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
Jealousy flashed across his face before he quickly masked it with a cold stare.
Neymar, on the other hand, slid his hands casually into his pockets. A faint, smug smile tugged at his lips—but he hid it just as quickly, softening his expression as he looked at Sophia.
“I was actually coming to meet you,” he said, tilting his head slightly. “I was hoping I’d find you today. Looks like I got lucky—we ran into each other instead.”
He let out a soft chuckle, then added gently, “If it’s okay with you… I’d like to take you out to dinner.”
He tilted his head slightly, watching her closely, his eyes almost silently asking her to say yes.
At once, Magnus moved, stepping in front of Sophia and thrusting his arm out between them, his hand braced firmly as if drawing a line no one could cross. His jaw tightened, and when he spoke, his voice came out low, edged with a warning growl. “She is not hungry.”
Sophia exhaled slowly, her patience snapping. She lifted her hand and placed it on his arm, her fingers pressing down. Then she pushed it aside, forcing his arm to drop. Her eyes didn’t linger on him. Instead, she turned to Neymar, her expression calm but distant.
