Chapter 2 #2
Seeing the name on the screen, she picked it up immediately. But when she noticed that Isabel was still standing in the room, she paused for a second.
Then she rose to her feet. Without saying anything, she walked out of the room, moving a little farther down the hallway before answering the call.
Isabel watched as Sophia disappeared from sight.
The moment she was gone, the anger in Isabel’s chest seemed to double.
Her lips tightened.
Without hesitation, she turned around and walked straight to the table.
The tablet Sophia had been using was still lying there.
Isabel picked it up.
The screen lit up instantly—it hadn’t been locked.
A faint, cold smile appeared on Isabel’s lips.
Her fingers quickly tapped across the screen as she opened the list of diamonds for today’s auction.
One by one, she began changing the details.
She altered the discovery dates. Changed the design descriptions. Even switched the diamond cuts to completely different ones.
Her fingers moved quickly. By the time she finished, several items in the list had completely different descriptions.
Satisfied, Isabel quickly placed the tablet back exactly where it had been.
Then she stepped away from the table as if nothing had happened.
An hour later, the auction began.
The large auction hall was now filled with guests.
Soft lights illuminated the stage, and a massive screen behind it displayed visuals of the diamonds prepared for the event.
Magnus stepped onto the stage first.
Standing at the podium, he briefly welcomed the guests and spoke about the beginning of the auction.
His voice was calm and confident as he introduced the event and thanked the attendees for their presence.
After finishing his introduction, Magnus stepped aside.
Sophia then walked onto the stage.
She moved with steady steps, her posture calm and composed as she took her place behind the podium.
Not far away, Isabel immediately rushed to the side of the stage.
She stood there quietly, her eyes fixed on Sophia. A small, expectant smile appeared on her face, waiting to see everything fall apart.
Sophia lifted the tablet in her hand and began announcing the first item.
“This diamond was discovered in the African region about three years ago when Empire Group expanded its mining operations,” she said smoothly.
Behind her, the large screen displayed close-up visuals of the diamond.
“The starting price is three million dollars. Clients can also request custom designs through Empire Group if they wish.”
Her voice remained steady and professional.
“The value of this diamond comes from the unique brilliance it reflects when held under direct light.”
Behind her, a large screen displayed close-up visuals of the diamond.
The footage showed how the stone reflected light and the colors that appeared within it.
At the same time, the diamond itself was brought out and placed at the center of the stage so the guests could see it in person.
Gasps of admiration quietly spread among the guests.
Sophia continued the auction.
One by one, she introduced several diamond pieces, describing their origin, cut, and design with precision.
Everything flowed smoothly.
However, when she reached the fifth diamond, something changed.
“This is a one-of-a-kind pink diamond—”
Her voice suddenly stopped.
Only for a brief moment.
Her eyes dropped to the tablet again.
The information on the screen said the diamond had been discovered in 2018.
Sophia’s brows drew together slightly.
For a brief moment, her mind went blank.
She distinctly remembered reading about it on the tablet.
Empire Group had not discovered any diamond like this in 2018.
A flicker of confusion crossed her face, but it lasted only a second.
Sophia quickly continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
“This diamond was discovered in 2020,” she corrected smoothly.
Her eyes moved again across the tablet.
But the next line made her pause again.
The description stated that the diamond was a princess-cut natural stone.
Sophia slowly lifted her gaze toward the diamond placed on the stage.
The moment she saw it clearly, her eyes darkened slightly.
It wasn’t princess cut.
The stone on display had been cut into an emerald shape instead.
Someone had changed the information.
But the auction was happening live.
There was no room for mistakes.
But her expression remained composed.
Without showing any sign of panic, she lifted her gaze and addressed the audience again.
“This diamond has been carefully preserved by the Empire Group,” she said smoothly.
Instead of continuing to read from the tablet, she shifted her focus to the diamond displayed before her.
“The stone reflects a soft pink brilliance when exposed to light. Its cut allows the inner layers of the crystal to capture light at multiple angles…”
Her explanation flowed naturally.
Every detail she described matched the diamond perfectly.
From that point on, she completely abandoned the tablet.
Instead, she relied entirely on memory and professional knowledge, announcing each diamond with precise accuracy.
The audience remained fully engaged.
Near the side of the stage, Isabel’s expression slowly darkened.
At first, she had expected Sophia to panic. To stumble. To embarrass herself in front of everyone.
But instead, Sophia handled everything flawlessly.
With every diamond Sophia described correctly, Isabel’s expression grew darker.
Her fingers slowly curled into tight fists at her sides.
Sophia hadn’t fallen into the trap.
She had been certain Sophia would read the wrong description and embarrass herself in front of everyone.
But instead, Sophia had calmly corrected the mistakes and continued explaining every diamond accurately.
Isabel’s jaw tightened.
“How the hell did she do that?” she muttered under her breath.
Her nails dug deep into her palm as she clenched her fists, trying to control the anger rising inside her.
“I changed everything… the cuts, the dates, the details. She should have made a mistake.”
Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Sophia. But the more she watched, the more unsettled she felt.
Sophia wasn’t even looking at the tablet anymore.
She was simply looking at the diamonds on display and describing them perfectly.
“How did she even catch the mistake so easily?” Isabel whispered through clenched teeth.
Her nails pressed harder into her skin.
A moment later, her eyes shifted to Magnus, who was standing a short distance away.
He was watching Sophia.
There was a faint smile on his face.
He looked… impressed.
The way his eyes remained fixed on Sophia made Isabel’s chest tighten with fury.
The auction continued smoothly.
By the time the final item was announced, the guests were already whispering among themselves.
After the auction ended, Sophia stepped down from the stage and quietly left the hall. She walked down the corridor and entered the private room. Earlier, she had called Emma and asked her to meet there so they could leave together.
But when Sophia entered the room, Emma wasn’t inside. She was standing in the corridor just outside, leaning casually against the wall as if she had been waiting there for a while.
The moment Emma saw Sophia, her face lit up.
She quickly rushed forward and pulled Sophia into a tight hug.
“Sophia!”
Sophia let out a small breath of surprise but returned the hug lightly.
After a moment, Emma pulled back and looked at her with a bright smile.
“So?” she asked eagerly. “How did it go?”
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“How does it feel to work for your husband?”
Sophia immediately groaned in annoyance.
She walked into the room and dropped into one of the chairs.
“Stop talking about it,” she muttered, rubbing her temple. “He’s not my husband. He’s not anything to me anymore.”
Emma raised an eyebrow.
Sophia sighed heavily.
“He doesn’t even remember our past,” she continued. “So just treat him like a stranger. That’s all he is.”
Emma crossed her arms and looked at her teasingly.
“Is that really how you’re treating him? Like a stranger?”
Sophia let out a long breath of exasperation.
“Yes.”
Emma’s smile only grew wider.
“So you didn’t feel anything when you saw him again?” she asked.
Sophia didn’t answer immediately.
Emma continued, clearly enjoying herself.
“Come on. Even though you two didn’t end up together, you did have feelings for him once.”
She leaned closer. Her tone softened slightly.
“So what do you think? Did you feel any attraction? Any spark left between you two that you can’t get rid of?”
Sophia shook her head immediately.
“It’s nothing like that.”
Then she added quietly,
“Besides… he already has a new girlfriend.”
She looked away as she added quietly, “So there will never be anything between us again.”
Emma’s face darkened the moment she heard that.
A deep frown appeared on her face, her expression filling with clear annoyance.
“What kind of man is he?” she grated out angrily. “He divorces you and the next second he already has a girlfriend?”
Emma huffed, her chest rising and falling with irritation. Her eyes blazed with anger as she looked at Sophia.
Then suddenly she straightened, raising her brows as if an idea had just struck her.
“You know what?” she said sharply. “You should ask him for more money.”
Sophia blinked at her.
Emma continued, completely serious.
“You did one hell of a job marrying that bastard for three months. Nowhere in your contract was it written that you had to sleep with him, right?”
She folded her arms, clearly fuming.
“He slept with you. That alone should cost him more money. You should squeeze every cent out of him.”
Her breathing had turned heavy from anger by the time she finished.
But Sophia only let out a soft sigh.
“Emma,” she said tiredly. “It’s over. Stop bringing it up again and again.”
Her voice softened.
“It’s really over. I don’t want anything from him.”
Emma didn’t look convinced.
If anything, her anger only seemed to grow stronger.