Chapter 10 A Misunderstanding #2
The moment the door finally opened and Magnus walked in, her face brightened immediately. A relieved smile appeared on her lips as she stood up quickly.
“Magnus—”
She rushed toward him, reaching for his hand.
He stepped back sharply.
Celia froze.
Embarrassment flickered across her face, but she quickly forced a soft expression back on.
Magnus stood there coldly, his expression unreadable, eyes distant and indifferent.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and stepped forward again, lowering her voice sweetly.
“Magnus… what’s going on? I don’t understand.” Her eyes looked almost watery. “Please stop this. I know you’re angry at me, but why did you cancel the deal with my dad?”
Magnus didn’t answer.
Instead, his eyes kept drifting toward the door every few seconds.
“Mangus,” she said again, her tone tightening. “I’m asking you something. Answer me.”
The sweetness in her voice began to crack.
He still didn’t respond.
She stepped closer and tried to grab his hand again.
“We were friends, right? And I know you had a crush on me back then. I hurt you when I left without saying anything, but that doesn’t mean you—”
Before she could finish, Magnus looked at her as if she had just said something absurd.
“What the hell are you talking about?” he snapped.
Celia flinched.
“Who told you I had a crush on you?” His eyes turned icy. “I’ve already told you. There’s nothing between us. There never was.”
Celia stiffened. She forced herself to calm down.
‘He’s just upset, she told herself. He hasn’t accepted it yet.’
She lowered her gaze slightly, pretending to be composed, but her mind was racing.
‘If he wasn’t interested in me, why would he cancel my dad’s deal? Why would he call me here?’
A faint, confident smile appeared on her lips.
‘He’s trying to make me submit. He wants the upper hand. He wants me to give in… become his girlfriend… marry him. Then he’ll restore the deal with my dad.’
Her eyes hardened.
‘He’s always been calculating. But I won’t let him break me. He thinks he has the upper hand. He thinks I will never walk away from him.’
“Alright then,” she said aloud, lifting her chin. “If that’s how you want to act, then just sign the deal for the black diamonds mine.”
She opened her designer bag and pulled out a stack of documents. The sound of the papers hitting the table echoed in the silent room.
“I brought the contract already.” She pushed them toward him. “Sign them, and everything will be finalized with my dad. You can talk to him directly. Isn’t that what you want? Then do it.”
Magnus didn’t even look at the papers.
He glanced toward the door again.
Then again.
His jaw was tight with impatience.
He even took a few steps toward the door as if trying to hear something outside.
Silence.
And then—
Footsteps.
Magnus immediately straightened. He quickly moved back toward the head chair at the table, positioning himself with controlled composure.
The door opened. Timothy stepped in first.
And behind him—
Sophia.
Celia stiffened instantly. Her fingers curled at her sides.
“What is she doing here?” Celia demanded sharply.
Magnus didn’t answer. Instead, he walked straight toward Sophia.
Without hesitation, he grabbed her hand and pulled her inside with him. She stumbled slightly at the sudden force.
He led her to the head of the table, stopping directly in front of Celia.
Then—
He wrapped an arm around Sophia’s waist and pulled her flush against his body.
Sophia stiffened immediately.
Magnus looked at Celia.
“Tell her everything,” he said coldly, jerking his head toward Sophia.
Celia frowned slightly, confusion crossing her face.
“What?” she asked quietly.
Magnus’s grip on Sophia’s waist tightened slightly.
“Tell her,” Magnus repeated, his tone harder. “What happened at the hotel. What happened in the office. The photographs. The deal. The first time she saw me holding you. Explain everything to her.”
Celia stared at him in disbelief.
“Are you kidding me?” Her voice rose, her face flushing red. “You called me here just to apologize to her?”
The humiliation hit her hard.
“Yes,” Magnus replied impatiently. “Be quick about it.”
He turned to Celia, his gaze sharp and unforgiving.
“You showed up at that hotel instead of your father. You fell onto me. I pushed you away and walked out immediately.”
He took a step closer, eyes narrowing.
“Then you secretly took photos and fed them to the media.”
His jaw tightened.
“Explain.”
He raised an eyebrow, giving her a silent warning.
Celia’s face twisted as if someone had struck her across it.
Her lips trembled. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to swallow the scream burning in her throat.
And then—
She snapped.
“So what if I called you to the hotel?” she burst out. “So what if I took some photographs? That doesn’t give you the right to humiliate me like this!”
Her voice echoed through the room.
“You were supposed to sign the deal with my dad! And now you’re acting like this—embarrassing me in front of her?” She pointed sharply at Sophia. “How can you do this to me?”
Her eyes were red with fury.
“I’m the one you love! Don’t you remember that?”
Magnus stared at her.
“When the hell did I ever tell you that I love you?” he demanded.
Celia let out a sharp laugh.
“Everyone in college knew it! You were always around me. I was the only girl close to you. Of course you loved me. Everyone said so!”
“Fuck college!” Magnus exploded.
He ran a hand roughly through his hair, his face dark with rage.
“I don’t give a damn what people said!” he roared. “I never cared about rumors. You were my classmate. That’s all.”
His voice dropped lower, colder.
“I saw through you from the very first time we met. I stopped being friends with you first. I had already cut you off, you crazy woman!”
His eyes burned.
“What fantasy are you living in?”
Celia folded her arms across her chest arrogantly, lifting her chin.
“Oh please,” she said with pride. “You just thought I would come running back to you. Beg you to be friends again. Maybe even accept your proposal.”
Her lips curled.
“But I don’t chase men. You didn’t expect that, did you? Did I hurt your ego?”
Her eyes glittered with arrogance.
“You expected me to beg. And when I didn’t, you couldn’t handle it. That’s why you refused my dad’s deal. That’s why you’re tormenting me. You just want me to confess that I’m in love with you.”
For a moment—
Magnus was speechless.
His hand went to his forehead as if he physically couldn’t process what she was saying.
He let out a sharp breath of disbelief.
He glanced at Sophia.
She hadn’t said a word. She wasn’t even looking at him.
She was staring at Celia in silence, her expression cold and distant.
And that silence made Magnus even more frustrated.
He turned back to Celia, his patience finally gone.
“You’ve lost your fucking mind,” he said in a low, rough voice. “I never loved you. I never wanted you.”
He stepped closer, towering over Celia.
“Stop making up fantasies in your head.”
His arm tightened instinctively around Sophia’s waist. He pointed toward the door.
“Get out,” he growled. “There’s no need for an apology when you’re this delusional.”
“Just sign the deal and I’ll go. I’m not interested in your stupid games either.”
Celia lifted her chin, her lips curving into a slow, smug smile. Her eyes glittered with challenge as she looked straight at Magnus.
“I’m not going to beg you, Magnus. If you want me, you have to fight for me. Chase me.”
“Fucking hell,” Magnus let out a low, humorless laugh. The sound scraped out of his throat like a warning.
Timothy, who was standing near the door of the meeting room quietly, stared at Celia as if she had just lost her mind. His mouth slowly fell open in shock, his eyes darting between her and Magnus.
The next second—
Magnus grabbed the contract Celia had placed on the table. With one brutal motion, he tore it apart.
Paper shredded between his fingers before he flung the pieces to the floor.
Celia staggered back a step.
“What the hell are you doing?!” she screeched, her face draining of color. “I don’t have extra copies, Magnus! What is wrong with you?!”
Magnus didn’t even look at her.
His jaw was tight, veins visible at his neck. His cold gaze shifted to Timothy.
“Get her out.” He didn’t raise his voice. “We’re finished. If she shows up here again, she won’t make it past the entrance gates.”
Timothy blinked, snapping out of his shock.
“Yes, sir.”
He hurried forward and grabbed Celia’s arm. “Let’s go.”
He tried pulling her, but Celia resisted immediately.
“Magnus, stop this!” she cried angrily, struggling against Timothy’s grip. “I’m already in trouble! My dad is losing his mind. Don’t do this. This is the last chance I’m giving you!”
Timothy pulled her again, trying to drag her out, but she violently jerked her arm out of his grip.
“Don’t touch me!”
She shot Magnus a furious glare. Her heels struck sharply against the floor as she turned and stormed out of the meeting room, fury radiating from her stiff back.
Timothy followed quickly to make sure she exited the building. The door shut behind them with a heavy thud.
Only Magnus and Sophia remained in the room.
Magnus exhaled slowly before turning around.
Sophia was still standing there, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Her purse hung from her shoulder. She hadn’t moved. She wasn’t even looking at him.
She was staring at the empty space where Celia had stood minutes ago.
Her face was expressionless.
Magnus stepped closer. He reached out and gently held her chin, turning her face toward him so she would look at him.
“Did you see that?” he said quickly. “You saw what she just said, right? Now you know I wasn’t at fault. She tricked me into going to that hotel room. I went to meet her father, and instead she was there.”
“It’s all a misunderstanding. Nothing more.” His eyes locked onto hers, confident, almost demanding reassurance. “It’s clear now, right? You’re not angry anymore?”
Sophia finally shifted her gaze to him.
Her eyes were cold.
“Is this why you brought me here?” she asked calmly. “You had your secretary drag me from work just so I could watch this?”
Her voice wasn’t loud.
“I’m not interested in your life anymore, Mr. Graves.”
Magnus froze.
“What?” His brows furrowed, anger rising. “Didn’t I just explain everything? What the hell is wrong now?”
Sophia looked at him as if he had just said something absurd.
“Why are you explaining this to me now?” she asked quietly. “We’re already divorced. It’s over.”
She let out a slow, cold breath.
“It doesn’t matter to me anymore, Magnus. If it mattered to you what I thought about your actions, you should have explained yourself when it happened. Not after I stopped wondering what the truth was.”
Her expression didn’t change.
“What’s the point of explaining it now when it doesn’t even concern me anymore?”
Sophia pulled away from him. She grabbed his wrist and forcefully pushed it off her face. She stepped back, creating distance between them.
Then she looked straight into his eyes.
Her voice, when she spoke, was calm.
“There’s no need to tell me all this now. You, of all people, should understand the importance of timing, Mr. Graves. Moreover, it was just a contract marriage. You made it very clear from the beginning that I had no place in your life. I wasn’t allowed an opinion. I wasn’t allowed involvement.”
She gave a faint, almost bitter smile.
“And you kept your word. You stuck to your words until the very end.”
Her eyes hardened.
“We’re divorced now. So whatever explanation you have… it’s not important to me anymore.”
Without waiting for his response, she stepped away, turned, and walked out of his office.
The door shut softly behind her.
Magnus stood there, staring at her retreating back.
Just seconds ago, he had been certain she would soften. He had thought she would accept his explanation and would look at him the way she used to.
Instead, everything crumbled in front of him.
All that remained was her indifference.
His jaw clenched. Anger rose sharply in his chest, uncontrollable and burning.
The door opened again.
Gregory, who had been standing outside the entire time, finally stepped in. He studied Magnus’s rigid posture, the storm written across his face.
Without a word, he walked over and placed a steady hand on Magnus’s shoulder.
“You know,” Gregory said gently, “this is the time for you to make the right choice. Go after her. Coax her properly.”
Magnus didn’t respond.
“She’s angry. Any woman would be if she didn’t get an explanation from her husband about another woman in his life.” Gregory’s voice was patient. “Be patient with her. Put in more effort. Explain it again. If needed, explain it ten times.”
He gave Magnus’s shoulder a light squeeze.
“I’m sure she’ll understand eventually. And she’ll come back to you.”
Magnus’s breathing slowly steadened.
His hands slipped out of his pockets. He rolled his shoulders back slightly, as if forcing himself to calm down. He let out the breath he had been holding.
He glanced at Magnus, his brows furrowing slightly. “Really?”
Gregory nodded once.
Magnus muttered under his breath, “Alright, I will coax her since I’m the one who made her angry.”