Chapter 5 Diamonds
Sophia straightened slightly in her seat and opened her mouth to speak.
But before she could introduce him, Elias spoke first.
“I’m Elias Creed,” he said calmly.
His voice was gentle, yet confident.
Magnus was sitting quietly with his arm resting on the chair, his eyes moving between Sophia and Elias with a sharp, penetrating gaze.
When Elias said his name, Magnus’s expression darkened.
Before Elias could say anything more, Magnus spoke.
“He’s the owner of All-Star Alliance airline.”
The words sounded like a simple statement, but the disdain in his tone was impossible to miss.
“His company is worth about the same as mine,” Magnus continued, his gaze shifting to Elias. “But aviation isn’t his only venture. He’s involved in several other industries as well.”
His eyes lingered on Elias for a moment longer than necessary, a trace of jealousy slipping through his otherwise controlled expression. It was clear he wasn’t pleased to see Elias sitting there—especially beside Sophia.
Elias, however, seemed completely unfazed. He leaned back comfortably in his chair, a smug smirk forming on his lips as he gave a slow, lazy nod.
“I’m impressed, Mr. Graves. You seem to know quite a lot about me,” he said in a smooth, arrogant tone.
Magnus gave a curt nod, but the expression on his face made it clear that the words he had spoken were not praise. They were forced.
His eyes kept shifting toward the two of them sitting so close together. The sight seemed to irritate him more with every passing second. If looks alone could move people, Magnus would have already forced them apart and pushed them to opposite ends of the couch.
But they didn’t move.
His jaw tightened. He folded his arms across his chest, leaning back in his seat with a dark look on his face.
Isabel had been quietly observing everything.
But when she heard about Elias’s businesses, the expression on her face shifted.
First surprise.
Then disbelief.
Her fingers slowly curled around the edge of the table.
She had never expected Sophia to have connections with other powerful men—let alone someone like Elias, whose wealth and influence rivaled Magnus’s. Realizing that a man of his status seemed so close to Sophia made the bitterness in her chest even harder to swallow.
Her lips pressed together.
For a brief moment, she struggled to find the right words. Then she finally forced a tight smile onto her face and turned toward Sophia.
“I can’t believe Sylvia never mentioned having such a talented and wealthy boyfriend,” Isabel said lightly, though the edge in her voice was obvious. “I would think having a boyfriend like that would be something worth bragging about.”
She tilted her head slightly, pretending to sound curious.
“I wonder why she never thought it was worth mentioning.”
Sophia slowly turned her face toward her.
Her expression remained calm. Unbothered.
“Why would I tell you about my personal life, Isabel?”
Her gaze met Isabel’s directly.
“I don’t think we are friends.”
She paused briefly before continuing.
“I don’t even know your full name. So how can you expect to know about my personal life when we’re not close enough to share such things?”
The calmness in her voice only made the words sting more.
Isabel’s smile froze.
For a moment, her face fell.
She had tried to embarrass Sophia, but the response only made the situation worse for her.
Still, Isabel quickly forced another smile onto her face, though the corners of her lips looked slightly strained.
“Well,” she said, letting out a soft laugh, “I thought we were already friends. After all, we’ve attended so many auctions together since you’ve been hosting them.”
She leaned back in her seat slightly.
“We’ve seen each other so many times. I thought that meant we were already familiar enough to be considered friends.”
Sophia didn’t smile.
Her expression remained composed.
“We met at auctions because of work,” she replied calmly. “That doesn’t make us friends.”
She crossed one leg over the other, her posture relaxed.
“I don’t form friendships easily. For me, friendship requires understanding, trust… and some kind of connection.”
Her eyes briefly flicked toward Magnus before returning to Isabel.
“And I don’t think you and Mr. Graves are people I feel that kind of connection with.”
The words hit harder than she probably intended.
Magnus’s jaw tightened immediately.
The realization that Sophia didn’t even see him as an acquaintance irritated him far more than he wanted to admit.
For a moment, anger flashed in his eyes.
He shifted his cold gaze toward Sophia.
His voice came out controlled, but there was clear irritation behind it.
“I understand that Isabel may not be someone you know well,” Magnus said in a controlled tone. “But Sylvia, you should try to be a little kinder.”
His tone turned sharper.
“You’re coming across as quite rude.”
Beside him, Isabel glanced at Sophia again.
This time, there was no attempt to hide the smug expression on her face.
Seeing Magnus speak up for her boosted her confidence instantly. The humiliation she had felt moments ago faded, replaced by clear satisfaction.
A victorious smile appeared on her lips as she watched the situation unfold.
However, before Sophia could say anything, Elias spoke first.
He turned his head slightly and glanced at Sophia beside him. Then his arm moved naturally, sliding around her waist from behind as if it belonged there.
“What are you talking about, Mr. Graves?” Elias asked calmly.
His hand rested firmly on Sophia’s waist, pulling her a little closer to him as he continued.
“I’ve never met any woman as kind as Sylvia. She’s always too polite to people.”
He looked at Magnus with a faint, polite smile.
“But if she doesn’t have a personal relationship with someone, she keeps her distance and treats them all the same.”
He lifted his brows slightly.
“So how can you expect her to behave differently when she doesn’t feel that way?”
Magnus’s eyes immediately dropped to the arm wrapped around Sophia’s waist.
He watched the way Elias’s hand rested there… the subtle tightening of his fingers as he held her close, and the way Sophia shifted just slightly nearer to him as they sat together.
Something dark flashed across Magnus’s face.
His jaw hardened.
Under the table, his hands clenched tightly. The muscles in his arms tensed as if he wanted nothing more than to reach across and rip Elias’s hand away from her waist.
But he held himself back with visible effort.
Elias then shifted his gaze toward Magnus and Isabel, glancing between them with a thoughtful look.His eyes moved between them before one eyebrow lifted slightly.
“Well,” he said calmly, a faint cold smile appearing on his lips, “since we’ve already explained our relationship to you… don’t you think you should explain yours as well?”
His eyes flicked between the two of them.
“You both seem very close. So what exactly is your relationship with each other?”
Isabel froze for a second.
Clearly caught off guard by the question.
But she quickly recovered. Almost immediately, she leaned closer to Magnus. She reached for his arm and wrapped both of her hands around it.
“Magnus is my—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Magnus suddenly pulled his arm out of her grip.
The movement was sharp and immediate.
He shifted slightly away from her in his seat, his expression turning cold as he spoke.
“She’s my close friend’s sister.”
His voice was flat.
“I’m looking after her while my friend is overseas for work.”
Sophia had been quietly watching the two of them—the way Isabella leaned toward him and how closely they sat together. So when she heard his denial, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
“Oh really?” Sophia said lightly, her gaze moving between them. “I thought the two of you were together. You seem very close. I honestly assumed you were a couple.”
She tilted her head slightly, her smile widening just a little. “It’s surprising to hear you deny it when it looks like the two of you are so close.”
Magnus’s expression darkened, a flash of irritation crossing his face as he stared at her. Every word Sophia spoke seemed to push his anger further.
“That’s not—” he started, but before he could finish, Sophia had already turned toward Elias.
“Let’s go,” she said calmly, picking up her bag and rising from her seat. “I have more important things to take care of. I think we’re done here.”
He gave a short nod and rose to his feet beside her. “Alright.”
The two of them stood together, looking completely unbothered.
Sophia cast a brief glance at Magnus.
“Mr. Graves, enjoy your meal,” she said lightly. “We’ll leave you two alone now.”
Before Magnus could respond, Elias slipped his hand into hers.
Their fingers intertwined naturally.
Then he gently pulled her away from the table, guiding her toward the exit.
Magnus sat frozen in his seat.
His eyes fixed on them as they walked away together.
His jaw clenched, muscles along his face tightening with every step they took. But it wasn’t just the sight of them moving together that ignited his fury—it was Elias’s hand, wrapped firmly around Sophia’s, the subtle pressure in his fingers sending a wave of possessive anger through Magnus.
The longer he stared at their joined hands, the hotter his temper flared, his fists curling involuntarily under the table.
Elias and Sophia Booth stepped out of the restaurant. As they reached the sidewalk, they let go of each other’s hands automatically, but their steps stayed perfectly in sync. They moved toward the street together, gliding effortlessly to the car parked nearby.
As they approached, Elias furrowed his brow.
“You both got divorced… what, two years ago?” he asked, voice low, a hint of disbelief in his tone. “And he wasted no time before getting a girlfriend?”
Sophia shook her head, her lips pressing into a thin line. “It doesn’t matter to me anymore. He can live his life, and I’ll live mine.”