“Magnus, why don’t you introduce her to me?”
Magnus’s expression froze.
“I think she would be perfect for me,” Gregory continued. “Do you think we’d make a good match? I don’t mind that she’s just an auctioneer.”
Magnus’s expression slowly darkened.
Gregory chuckled lightly.
“And you said she’s beautiful too. That’s already good enough for me. Just give me her number and I’ll talk to her.”
Silence fell on the line.
The faint smile that had touched Magnus’s lips disappeared at once.
“No,” he answered.
“What? Why?” Gregory asked, confused.
Magnus shifted on his feet, his jaw tightening again.
“I said no,” he repeated firmly. “Mind your own business.”
Gregory burst out laughing on the other end of the phone.
“Don’t you realize I can hear the anxiety in your voice?” he teased. “Look at you, getting nervous so quickly. You like her, don’t you?”
Magnus’s brows drew together in irritation, and he rolled his eyes. He let out a slow breath before replying, trying to keep his voice calm.
“Stop running your mouth,” he muttered. “You’ve got no business sticking your nose into my affairs.”
Gregory chuckled again, clearly enjoying himself.
“What is it with you and auctioneers?” he joked. “Your last wife was an auctioneer, and now this new woman you’re getting tangled up with is one too.”
“Can you stop?” Magnus muttered sharply.
He pushed his free hand into his pocket, his jaw tightening.
“That marriage was nothing more than a contract. And it’s already over. Stop bringing it up again and again. It was just a three-month contract. It didn’t mean anything.”
Gregory snorted softly.
“It didn’t mean anything to you?” he replied. “That’s funny, because when she was your wife, you were following her around like you wouldn’t even let her breathe without you being there. So it definitely looked like it meantsomething.”
Magnus scoffed.
“You’re imagining things,” Magnus said dismissively. “I don’t even remember any of that, so what does it matter? You and Mom make up so much nonsense about me as if I don’t know myself.”
He began pacing slowly down the hallway again, his steps echoing against the marble floor.
“I would never be hung up on a woman like that—especially one who was nothing more than a contract wife.”
On the other end, Gregory let out a long, defeated sigh.
“Fine,” he said calmly. “It’s been two years since you two separated. If you’re ready to move on, then who am I to say anything? I’m sure she’s also moved on by now.”
Magnus suddenly stopped walking.
