Chapter 3 #2
Before Isabel could say anything else, the call ended.
Magnus leaned back against the seat and glanced at the driver through the rearview mirror for a brief second. His expression was calm, but his eyes looked tired.
“Drive to the meeting.”
“Yes, sir,” the driver replied, adjusting the route on the navigation system before steering the car toward the new location.
By the time Magnus finished all his meetings, evening had already fallen. The city lights glowed against the dark sky as his car finally pulled up in front of his office building.
Magnus stepped out of the car, loosening his tie slightly as he walked toward the entrance. As he climbed the steps, he pulled out his phone and dialed Camila’s number.
“What?!” Camila’s sharp, irritated voice snapped through the phone the moment she answered.
Magnus paused mid-step, slightly frowning as he pulled the phone closer to his ear.
“You called in the afternoon,” he said calmly. “What’s going on? Was it something important?”
“Important?!” Camila scoffed loudly.
“What does it have to do with you anyway? All you do is hang up on me instead of listening to what I have to say and then disappear. You are such a disappointment!”
Magnus pressed his lips together, his free hand sliding into his pocket as he stood near the entrance.
“You don’t even think about me. Every time I call you, you disappear. On one hand I’m worried sick about you, trying to fix your life, and on the other you keep running away from me as if I’m some terrible burden. You couldn’t even spare ten minutes to listen to your own mother?!”
“Mom, it was something important,” Magnus said, rubbing his forehead tiredly as he tried to explain. “I was about to call you back. I just had—”
“Work, work, work, work, work!” Camila cut him off sharply. “That’s all you ever care about! Why did I even give birth to you? I might as well have brought home a machine instead of a son!”
Her voice dripped with frustration.
“Go work now. Don’t bother me!” she snapped before hanging up the call.
The line went silent.
Magnus stared at the phone screen for a second before dialing her number again, but this time she didn’t pick up.
He let out a slow breath, exhaustion showing on his face as he ran a hand through his hair.
After a moment of silence, he dialed Thomas’s number.
“Mr. Graves?” Thomas answered on the other end of the call, his voice patient and calm.
Magnus, on the other hand, sounded tense.
“Thomas, is everything alright at home?” Magnus asked quickly, his brows knitting together. “Why is my mom so angry? Is she disturbed about something?”
Thomas’s voice came through again, much calmer than Camila’s earlier outburst.
“Yes, Mr. Graves. It’s about your ex-wife.”
Magnus’s expression immediately darkened.
Thomas continued, “She called Mrs. Graves this afternoon. Your mother wanted to arrange a meeting between the two of you today so you could talk.”
Magnus’s expression changed instantly. The calm and collected look on his face disappeared, replaced by anger.
He let out a sharp breath, frustration flashing across his eyes.
“This woman does nothing but create problems in my life,” Magnus said coldly. His grip tightened around the phone, his jaw clenching. “She couldn’t reach me, so she went to my mother instead?”
His brows furrowed in irritation as he let out a sharp breath.
“What the hell is her problem? We’re already divorced. Why is she calling my mom and talking to her?”
His voice rose with irritation.
“Because she couldn’t get to me, now she’s trying to drag Mom into it and force us to rebuild our relationship.”
Magnus scoffed under his breath, irritation flashing across his face. He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tightening as the thought clearly aggravated him.
“And now she’s probably bad-mouthing me, making Mom angry with me.” His voice turned colder. “She just keeps getting more outrageous.”
He stopped walking, his eyes turning cold.
“Just because I canceled some deals, she ran to my mother to tattle on me?” he ground out through clenched teeth.
The next second, his voice turned colder.
“Thomas,” Magnus said into the phone, his voice low and edged with anger, “from now on, do not let someone like her enter our house.”
He paused briefly, his jaw tightening as his gaze hardened.
“If she calls again, there’s no need to let Mom deal with it,” he continued coldly. “Don’t involve her with someone like that.”
Then he turned around, still visibly angry.
“Brent!” he called out sharply.
Brent had been standing near the car, speaking quietly with the driver. The moment he heard Magnus call his name, he immediately turned around.
Noticing the dark expression on Magnus’s face, Brent straightened and quickly walked over to him.
He stopped in front of Magnus. “Yes, Mr. Graves?”
Magnus didn’t hesitate.
“Cut all the remaining deals we have with Centurion Hall,” Magnus ordered coldly. “Any business ties our company has with them—terminate them immediately.”
His eyes hardened, a sharp edge settling in his expression.
“She works for Centurion Hall, doesn’t she?” he said coldly. “Then they can deal with the consequences.”
“Noted, Mr. Graves,” Brent answered quietly.
Without another word, he stepped aside and immediately took out his phone, already making calls to carry out the order.
On the other end of the line, Thomas had heard everything.
There was a brief silence before he spoke again, his voice careful and slightly hesitant.
“Mr. Graves… do you really dislike Miss King?”
The surprise in his tone was unmistakable.
Magnus frowned slightly.
“You hate her?” Thomas asked again, choosing his words cautiously.
Magnus answered without hesitation.
“Of course I do,” he said coldly. “Why would I like someone like her?”
He let out a faint scoff.
“Just look at her actions. All she does is create chaos and run around complaining about me.” His voice hardened. “I hate people like that—people who are never satisfied with what they have and keep coming back to stir up trouble.”
“That is… sad to hear,” Thomas replied quietly. His voice carried a hint of disappointment, though he kept his tone professional.
“I will look into it, Mr. Graves.”
There was a small pause before he added, “I’ll hang up now.”
The call ended.
Magnus slipped the phone back into his pocket, his face still dark with anger.
***
Sophia stood in the lobby of the Empire of Diamonds. She had rushed there as early as she could, arriving a little after nine in the morning.
For almost an hour, she had been waiting there, sitting and standing restlessly as her eyes kept drifting toward the glass entrance doors.
At exactly ten o’clock, a familiar black car finally pulled up at the entrance.
Sophia immediately straightened.
Her eyes followed the car door as it opened.
Magnus stepped out.
He was dressed in a dark suit that hugged his tall frame, his long strides carrying him up the stairs toward the building. His attention remained on the phone in his hand as he scrolled through the screen while walking inside.
Sophia quickly stood up from the couch and walked toward the entrance.
Just as Magnus stepped through the door, he lifted his eyes from his phone.
His gaze fell directly on her.
For a brief second, surprise flashed across his face. Then a faint, pleased smile appeared on his lips.
“Sylvia?”
Sophia gave him a polite, soft smile. “Hello, Mr. Graves. I wanted to talk to you for a moment, if you have a few seconds. It’s important.”
Magnus slowed his steps, looking at her with mild curiosity.
But before he could respond, Sophia spoke again quickly, clearly nervous.
“Can you please forgive my friend for what happened at the auction?” she asked in a rush. “She really didn’t mean those words.”
Her brows pulled together as worry filled her eyes.
“She was just venting about something. But she really didn’t mean any of it.”
She took a small breath before continuing.
“All the deals you canceled… it’s hurting her a lot. Her business isn’t nearly as big as the Empire Group, so it’s really difficult for her to handle something like this.”
Magnus listened quietly as she spoke.
But the longer she spoke, the more the expression on his face slowly changed.
The faint smile that had been there moments ago disappeared.
He slipped his phone into his pocket, his gaze settling on Sophia with a colder calm.
“My ex-wife is really talented, isn’t she?”
Sophia blinked in confusion.
Magnus tilted his head slightly, a mocking smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
“She made my mother interfere in my business and speak on her behalf,” Magnus continued coolly. “And now she’s sent you here to beg for forgiveness for her—without even lifting a finger herself.”
He gave a small, humorless chuckle.
“She knows exactly how to use the people closest to me to her advantage.”
Sophia froze when she heard the words ex-wife.
‘Ex-wife?’ Her mind reeled. ‘He’s talking about Emma…?’
Her eyes widened slightly as the realization slowly settled in.
‘Did he mistake Emma for his ex-wife?’
Her thoughts scattered for a moment as she processed what he had just said.
“Mr. Graves,” she quickly tried to explain, “she isn’t your ex—”
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.