“Yes,” she said firmly. “That’s right. We’re not friends. I was only your employee. There was never anything more between us.”
Magnus clenched his teeth.
Frustration and anger burned through him.
“Fine!” he snapped.
Without another word, he turned around and stormed out of the auction hall.
The people in the room watched him leave in stunned silence.
Then their gazes slowly shifted toward Sophia.
Whispers began spreading through the hall.
“I can’t believe she refused Mr. Graves like that…”
“I’ve never seenanyoneoffend him before.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever even seenhimtry to initiate a relationship with a woman,” another guest whispered.
“Neither have I. Usually women are the ones trying to get his attention.”
“It’s unbelievable. Someone like Magnus Graves offering friendship—and she rejected him?”
The guests continued whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with shock.
Sophia, however, paid no attention to the gossip.
She calmly returned to her seat.
Soon the auction resumed.
The auctioneer’s voice echoed through the hall once again as new diamonds were brought onto the stage.
Bidding started again, prices rising higher and higher as the event continued.
***
Magnus walked out of the washroom.
His face was still set in a displeased expression, his jaw clenched tightly as anger continued to simmer inside him. He adjusted the cuff of his suit and started heading back toward the auction hall, his long strides sharp and impatient.
Magnus frowned and pulled the phone out of his pocket.
Gregory.
He swiped the screen and lifted the phone to his ear.
“What are you doing?” Gregory’s voice came through immediately. “How’s it going at the auction?”
Magnus leaned one shoulder against the wall and rubbed his temple with his fingers before answering.
“It’s fine,” he said flatly. “I gave Isabel a diamond.”
Gregory paused. “What diamond?”
Magnus exhaled impatiently and shifted his weight.
