But Magnus cut her off before she could finish.
“Sylvia,” he said sharply, his voice now edged with anger, “you need to stop defending her.”
His gaze hardened.
“You might not see through her games, but I can.” His jaw tightened slightly. “All that woman wants is to take advantage of my family and my connections.”
His voice grew colder with every word.
“And the more you try to protect her… the more I despise her.”
Sophia’s fingers tightened as she stood there quietly.
He let out a faint scoff.
“There’s no need for you to keep defending someone I clearly don’t like. You’re protecting someone who isn’t even worth your attention.”
Her face tensed slightly, and she took a slow breath, clearly trying to calm her temper and her emotions at the same time.
Then she looked at him again, her eyes sincere.
“Mr. Graves… could you please reconsider your decision?” she asked gently. “I would really appreciate it if you could think about it again. This is such a small matter. Maybe it doesn’t have to go this far.”
“I won’t be changing my decision,” Magnus replied coldly. “This is not something I have to rethink.”
Without waiting for another word, he stepped past her and walked straight into the building, his long strides carrying him toward the elevators.
Sophia stood there, watching his back as he disappeared inside.
Disappointment slowly filled her eyes.
She had thought she might be able to help smooth things over… but instead, everything seemed to be getting worse with every passing minute. The more she got involved with Magnus, the more complicated everything became.
Just then, her phone started ringing.
Sophia blinked and quickly pulled it out of her purse. When she looked at the screen, she saw Emma’s name.
She answered the call while already walking toward the car parked outside.
4 Centurian Hall
After meeting Emma at Centurion Hall, the two of them drove across the city to one of the largest jewelry shops in the city. The storefront was large and elegant, with bright lights reflecting off the glass displays filled with diamonds.
They stepped inside together and waited near the display area for the owner to come out and talk to them.
As they stood there, Sophia’s eyes drifted down to the several jewelry boxes in Emma’s hands.
Sophia frowned slightly and pointed at them.
“What are these?”
“Some of the unsold items from the auction years ago.”
She shifted the boxes slightly in her hands.
“Since so many deals were canceled, I’ve had to reroute my finances. Managing everything without a backup has been taking quite a toll on me.”
She glanced down at the boxes.
