Chapter 4 Centurian Hall #2
Before anyone could react, her fist suddenly flew through the air.
Isabella shrieked and jerked backward at the very last moment.
Emma’s fist cut through the air just inches from Isabella’s nose. The sudden movement terrified Isabella so much that she let out a loud scream.
Sophia immediately wrapped an arm around Emma’s waist and pulled her backward.
Emma struggled violently in her grip.
“Let go of me!” Emma snapped, trying to wrench herself free. “I swear I’ll smash her face today!”
She pointed furiously at Isabella.
“I’m gonna break that fake nose she struts around with, acting like the rest of us are too blind to notice!” Emma shouted.
Isabella froze in shock.
Almost instinctively, she raised her hand to cover her nose, her face turning pale with embarrassment.
“How the hell does she know it’s fake…?” Isabella muttered under her breath, completely stunned.
But Emma was far from finished.
“I swear to God,” Emma snapped, pointing straight at her, “if I see you in front of me again, I’ll hulk-smash that damn head of yours!”
She let out a cold, mocking laugh.
“And have you even looked in a mirror?” she continued harshly. “You look like the wicked witch from Snow White, walking around like you’re some kind of temptation when you’re nothing more than that ugly apple in her hand.”
Sophia almost burst out laughing, but she forced herself to hold it back. She grabbed Emma’s arm and quickly pulled her out of the store.
“Let’s go. That’s enough,” she said. “Why are you wasting your breath on someone like her?”
Emma kept turning back to glare at Isabella with furious eyes.
Behind them, Isabella stood there with her hand pressed against her chest as if she had never heard something so outrageous and insulting in her entire life.
Sophia didn’t give her another glance. She dragged Emma out of the store and down the stairs.
Once they were outside, Emma angrily let out a frustrated groan.
“I swear to God, I would’ve killed her today,” Emma hissed through clenched teeth. “I hate that stupid look on her face.”
Sophia finally burst out laughing.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen you lose control like that,” she said, shaking her head as she looked at Emma. “The precious, respectable owner of Centurion Hall almost getting into a catfight.”
Emma rolled her eyes and roughly pushed her hair back with both hands.
“I can be a bitch when I want to,” she muttered.
Sophia snickered. The two of them looked at each other, and Emma let out an exhausted sigh.
“I can’t believe she did all that. She’s annoyed with me, so she took it out on you,” Sophia said bitterly.
Emma shook her head slowly.
“And here I was blaming myself,” she said. “I kept thinking that because I badmouthed Magnus, he was taking it out on me.”
She scoffed bitterly.
“Turns out he’s just busy pleasing his mistress.”
Sophia tucked her hair behind her ear and let out an annoyed breath.
Sophia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and let out a sarcastic laugh.
“That man always has women around him,” she said coldly. “Before one woman even leaves, another one is already standing beside him. Shameless.”
Her expression darkened as she continued.
“And he had the nerve to lecture me earlier,” she said angrily. “Saying his ex-wife was using him for money.”
Sophia scoffed.
“As if he’s some kind of saint.” She shook her head in irritation. “He acts like he’s some precious prize and I’m the one who is desperately trying to crawl back to him after the divorce.”
Sophia let out an angry breath. After a moment, she sighed and turned back to Emma.
“Don’t worry,” she said more calmly. “I’ll talk to Elias and see if there’s a way to fix this.”
Emma looked at her uncertainly.
“We’ll figure something out,” Sophia added reassuringly. “Your future doesn’t depend entirely on Magnus’s mood.”
She gave Emma a small smile.
“I’ll meet Elias today, and then we’ll come up with a plan.”
Emma stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Sophia in a tight hug.
“I want to kill someone,” Emma muttered, letting out a whiny groan.
Sophia bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing as she gently patted Emma’s back.
***
After navigating the busy afternoon traffic, Sophia finally arrived at one of the city’s most prestigious restaurants. It was located in the heart of the business district, surrounded by towering office buildings and corporate headquarters.
Coincidentally, Magnus’s company, Empire of Diamonds, stood just down the street, its glass tower dominating one side of the avenue.
Inside, the restaurant reflected the same level of prestige. The interior featured a sleek modern design, elegant black stone accents, and warm lighting that created an atmosphere of quiet luxury.
Sophia stepped inside and scanned the room.
It didn’t take long for her to spot Elias already sitting at one of the tables near the window.
He was leaning back slightly in his chair, casually scrolling through his phone.
She walked over, pulled out the chair beside him, and sat down, placing her bag on the table.
Elias looked up from his phone and shifted slightly in his chair so he could face her.
“Took you long enough,” he said.
“Your office is pretty far from where I was,” Sophia replied as she leaned back in her chair. “I had to drive for an hour through traffic to get here. You should be grateful I even showed up.”
Elias tilted his head to the side, his eyebrows lifting with mild amusement.
“You’re busier than a billionaire now?” he asked.
“Yes,” Sophia answered shamelessly.
Elias shook his head with a faint smile.
A few moments later, a waiter placed two cups of coffee in front of them.
Sophia wrapped her fingers around the warm cup but didn’t drink. Her expression slowly turned serious as she looked at him.
“Something happened,” she said.
Elias glanced at her, his attention fully shifting away from his phone.
She leaned back slightly before continuing.
“Today Emma and I went to try to sell some jewelry pieces,” Sophia continued. “We needed to arrange some funds for Centurion Hall since several projects were suddenly canceled.”
She let out a frustrated breath.
“But we had to come back without selling anything.”
Elias frowned slightly and looked at her more carefully.
“You tried to sell auction items?” he asked. “If you’re selling jewelry like that, you’d have to sell them below market price.”
Sophia nodded.
“Yes,” she admitted quietly. “We didn’t really have a choice.”
She looked at him seriously.
“Because Empire Group canceled their deals with Centurion Hall, several other businesses followed them and canceled theirs too. It’s becoming a chain reaction. Everything is falling apart.”
She looked at him hopefully.
“Do you think you can help with this? Maybe use your connections to fix the situation? If we could somehow get those projects back, or at least replace them with something else…”
Elias slowly placed his phone on the table.
Then he picked up his coffee and took a calm sip.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said casually.
Sophia blinked in confusion.
Elias continued calmly, “And tell Emma not to sell anything.”
Sophia frowned slightly. “Why?”
“I’ve already arranged several new projects to replace the ones from Empire Group,” Elias said.
Sophia stared at him in shock.
He set his coffee down on the table.
“Centurion Hall won’t suffer any losses from those cancellations. Everything has already been handled.”
Sophia looked at him as if he had just descended from heaven.
“You… already fixed it?” she asked in disbelief. “Are you serious?”
Elias nodded calmly.
“Yes. Everything has been taken care of,” he said. “You don’t need to worry anymore.”
Sophia immediately slid her arm around his.
“Oh my God, you’re a lifesaver!” she exclaimed. “How are you this talented? You fixed everything in less than a day?! I didn’t even know you were working on it!”
Elias still had a faint smile on his face as he gently pulled his arm away from her grip.
Then he added casually, “Did Magnus really think Centurion Hall would collapse just because the Empire Group withdrew its support?”
“Yes!” Sophia said honestly.
She looked at him with wide eyes, almost like she had discovered a hero she didn’t know existed.
She grabbed his hand that was resting on the table.
“I can’t believe this,” she said excitedly. “You fixed everything so easily.”
She shook her head in disbelief.
“And here I was begging that arrogant monster to help Emma,” she added bitterly. “You solved the whole problem so easily!”
Sophia sighed deeply.
“I can’t believe I wasted my time begging him.”
Elias let out a short laugh. He gently patted Sophia’s hand and reassured her in a soft voice.
“Don’t worry,” he said in a soft, reassuring voice. “Everything is fine. I’ll take care of it. It’s not that big of a problem.”
Sophia smiled at him gratefully and nodded her head.
Neither of them noticed another figure entering the restaurant.
Magnus walked in through the glass doors, with Isabella following closely beside him.
Isabella was hurrying slightly to keep up with his long steps.
“Magnus, don’t worry,” she said softly as they walked inside. “I’ll take care of the documents Gregory asked for. I just need you to verify a few things.”
Magnus gave a brief nod.
They stepped further into the restaurant when Magnus suddenly came to a complete stop.
Isabella almost walked into him.
Confused, she followed the direction of his gaze.
And then she saw it.
Across the restaurant, Sophia was sitting beside Elias. They were sitting close together, their hands resting on the table near each other as Sophia laughed softly at something Elias had just said.
Magnus’s eyes darkened.
His hands slowly clenched into fists at his sides as he stared at the look on Sophia’s face — relaxed, smiling, completely comfortable beside another man.
Isabella didn’t miss that expression.