Chapter 6 My Choice #2
“So I’m giving you this as a gift. We’re friends. There’s no reason for you not to accept it.”
“I already told you that we are not friends, Mr. Graves,” Sophia cut him off immediately. “It was my job. I did my work, and our relationship ended right there. We are not friends.”
Her gaze hardened slightly.
“So please don’t do things that might give people the wrong impression about our professional relationship.”
Magnus’s expression changed instantly.
The calmness and patience on his face vanished.
He stared at her for a long moment, his jaw tightening.
“We are not friends?” he repeated slowly.
His eyes burned with a challenging intensity, as if daring her to repeat the words.
But Sophia didn’t hesitate.
“Yes,” she said firmly. “That’s right. We’re not friends. I was only your employee. There was never anything more between us.”
Magnus clenched his teeth.
Frustration and anger burned through him.
“Fine!” he snapped.
Without another word, he turned around and stormed out of the auction hall.
The people in the room watched him leave in stunned silence.
Then their gazes slowly shifted toward Sophia.
Whispers began spreading through the hall.
“I can’t believe she refused Mr. Graves like that…”
“I’ve never seen anyone offend him before.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever even seen him try to initiate a relationship with a woman,” another guest whispered.
“Neither have I. Usually women are the ones trying to get his attention.”
“It’s unbelievable. Someone like Magnus Graves offering friendship—and she rejected him?”
The guests continued whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with shock.
Sophia, however, paid no attention to the gossip.
She calmly returned to her seat.
Soon the auction resumed.
The auctioneer’s voice echoed through the hall once again as new diamonds were brought onto the stage.
Bidding started again, prices rising higher and higher as the event continued.
***
Magnus walked out of the washroom.
His face was still set in a displeased expression, his jaw clenched tightly as anger continued to simmer inside him. He adjusted the cuff of his suit and started heading back toward the auction hall, his long strides sharp and impatient.
Magnus frowned and pulled the phone out of his pocket.
Gregory.
He swiped the screen and lifted the phone to his ear.
“What are you doing?” Gregory’s voice came through immediately. “How’s it going at the auction?”
Magnus leaned one shoulder against the wall and rubbed his temple with his fingers before answering.
“It’s fine,” he said flatly. “I gave Isabel a diamond.”
Gregory paused. “What diamond?”
Magnus exhaled impatiently and shifted his weight.
“She wanted one of the diamonds, so I bought it for her,” he said.
After a brief pause, he added flatly, “I’ll send you the bill. I don’t give out gifts unless it’s someone’s birthday.”
Gregory coughed on the other end of the line.
“Seriously?” Gregory snapped.
Magnus rolled his eyes and straightened from the wall.
“She’s your sister, not mine,” he answered dismissively. He started walking slowly down the hallway again as he spoke. “You take care of her. Why are you expecting me to buy stuff for her?”
“Alright, alright. I’ll take care of the bill, goddamnit,” Gregory said with a sigh.
Magnus hummed lightly in response.
“So what else is going on?” Gregory asked.
Magnus stopped walking.
His brows slowly furrowed again as irritation returned to his face.
“The auctioneer I told you about… Sylvia,” he said. “She’s also here today.”
“Oh?” Gregory sounded interested.
He ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated breath.
“I tried to give her a diamond as a gift,” he continued, his voice tightening. “But she refused it. Acted like accepting it would burn her house down.”
His jaw clenched.
“She didn’t even care that it was worth a hundred million dollars,” he added angrily. “I spent a hundred fucking million on that diamond, and she still turned it down.”
He was frowning deeply now, his grip tightening around the phone.
On the other end, Gregory sounded stunned.
“She refused a gift from you? In public?”
He let out a disbelieving laugh.
“You’ve got to be joking. If you gave me a gift in public, I’d accept it without blinking. Just being seen accepting something from Magnus Graves would probably raise my net worth by a few million instantly.”
Magnus snorted quietly but didn’t respond.
Gregory continued talking, curiosity filling his voice.
“She sounds impressive. She’s a top auctioneer, right? And she still refused to acknowledge any connection with you? Most people would kill for that. Just standing next to you could launch someone straight into the richest circles in the world.”
He paused before adding,
“That kind of dignity is rare. I’m guessing she’s beautiful too? Auctioneers usually are.”
A small smile appeared on Magnus’s face without him realizing it.
“Yeah,” he murmured quietly. “She’s… beautiful.”
Gregory’s tone suddenly shifted.
“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 meant something.”
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.
For a brief second, something sharp shot through his chest when Gregory said those words.
I’m sure she’s also moved on by now.
The feeling was sudden and unpleasant, something he didn’t recognize.
But he quickly pushed it aside.
Gregory spoke again.
“Anyway,” he continued casually, “what’s the name of this woman you like now?”
Magnus briefly rubbed his chest, as if trying to brush away the strange discomfort, then answered,
“Sylvia.”
“Oh?” Gregory hummed thoughtfully. “What’s her full name?”
Magnus opened his mouth to answer—
Then paused.
A faint crease appeared between his brows as he thought about it.
A few seconds passed.
“I… don’t know,” Magnus finally admitted. “I just know her name is Sylvia.”
There was a long pause on the other end.
Then Gregory burst out laughing.
“Oh my God, man,” he said. “You like her and you don’t even know her full name? Just ‘Sylvia’? What is going on with you?”
Magnus frowned.
“That’s the only name she’s made public,” he replied. “I’ve never heard her surname.”
Even as he said it, displeasure crept into his voice.
He should have known her full name.
Why had he never thought about it before Gregory asked?
Gregory spoke again, his tone turning more serious.
“Well, if you like her, you should hurry and get serious about it. Go after her.”
He paused before continuing.
“And do it soon. She probably has plenty of men interested in her. She’s not some ordinary woman. She stands on stage at major auctions, in front of hundreds of wealthy people, all dressed up and looking beautiful.”
Gregory chuckled softly.
“Do you really think you’re the only man who’s noticed her?”
Magnus’s expression slowly darkened with irritation, but he said nothing.
Gregory continued, his voice thoughtful.
“But honestly, it sounds like she has a problem with you. The way you describe it—refusing your gift and refusing any kind of connection—it seems pretty clear she doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
Magnus’s grip on the phone tightened.
Gregory added bluntly, “If you really want her, you should first make sure she’s even willing to have some kind of relationship with you. At the very least, a friendship.”
An unpleasant tightness spread through Magnus’s chest.
“Stop talking about it,” he said sharply. “I’ll handle my own business.”
Gregory snorted. “Stop getting so anxious. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I’m hanging up now.”
Then the call ended.
Magnus lowered the phone from his ear, his expression still dark.