Chapter 3 A Coincidence #2
Magnus said nothing. He pulled out a chair, sat down, and began serving the food onto the plates she had brought with her.
They sat down to eat. Wine was poured, glasses clinked softly, and they began drinking.
Throughout the meal, Magnus remained silent. His face was unreadable, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.
Sophia didn’t seem to notice. She continued eating normally.
When she saw his glass was empty, she poured him another one and said playfully, a hint of pride in her voice, “I’m glad you like it.
You finished the whole glass in just five minutes.
Emma always says I have better taste in wine than her entire family. ”
Magnus was about to pick up the wine glass when his fingers suddenly froze, hovering above the table.
His eyes flickered up to Sophia as he asked casually, though curiosity crept into his tone, “Emma? Emma Creed? You know her?”
Sophia’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at how quickly he caught on. She nodded while taking another bite of pasta. “Yeah. We’ve been best friends since we were kids. She used to come to my house all the time to play.”
A flicker of something unreadable crossed Magnus’s eyes. ‘So this is how Elias knows her,’ he thought. ‘Emma must have lent her Elias’s car without his knowledge.’
Slowly, his shoulders relaxed. The rigid tension in his body eased, and the cold air that was surrounding him seemed to dissipate.
He was the first to speak again.
“I fired Dahlia.”
“Dahlia?” Sophia frowned and looked up, confused. Then realization struck—it was the name of the maid in charge, the one she had encountered when she first arrived at the house.
Magnus continued, “Even though you and I are married only in name, I won’t allow anyone to bully you.”
His voice hardened slightly. “She was disrespectful to you, so she won’t stay in this house anymore. If you face any problems in the future, or if anyone gives you trouble, tell me and I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you,” Sophia said, lifting her gaze to him with a casual smile as she took a sip of the wine. “But you don’t have to worry about me. I can handle my own matters. If I ever run into trouble, I’ll take care of it myself.”
She kept smiling as she spoke. Rising to her feet, she gathered the empty dishes she had just eaten from and carried them into the kitchen without waiting for his response.
Magnus frowned, surprise flickering across his face as he watched her retreating back, his gaze lingering longer than he realized.
She had refused his help so easily.
He had expected something entirely different. He had assumed she would be pleased, even relieved, that he was personally stepping in for her.
After all, she had married him for his family name and his wealth. She had insisted on marrying him so forcefully that he had believed she would cling to every advantage that came with it. He had even imagined her bragging about his protection.
Instead, she had told him that she wanted him to stay out of her business? That she would handle her matters on her own?
His brows furrowed deeper.
He muttered under his breath, “I thought she was a pampered princess from her family.” His eyes darkened with confusion. “What kind of trouble did her family put her through… that she turned out like this? So guarded… so unwilling to accept any help?”
Hours later, after finishing his work in the study, Magnus pushed back his chair and stepped out, his gaze sweeping the quiet house. The lights were on, but not a single sound stirred.
Subconsciously, his eyes searched for Sophia. Finding nothing, he took a few steps forward and stopped at the railing, looking down toward the living room below. His gaze swept across the lounge, the sofa, the softly lit corners. Nothing. No sign of her anywhere.
A frown creased his brow as he turned on his heel and headed toward the bedroom, his footsteps measured but quick. He reached the door, pressed the handle down, and stepped inside—expecting to find her on the bed.
The room was empty. The bathroom door was closed; silence filled the space.
“Where did she go?” His jaw tensed, and his eyes flicked to the clock. Eleven o’clock.
He pivoted, returning to the study. At his desk, he reached for his phone. His hand hovered over the screen, thumb stopping on Sophia’s name, ready to swipe. At the last second, he hesitated, scrolling past it to Timothy’s contact instead.
The phone rang a few times before Timothy answered.
“Where are you?” Magnus asked at once. “Are you at the office?”
“Mr. Graves?” Timothy replied. “I’m at Luxe. I came to drop Mr. Harold off at the bar.”
“Got it,” Magnus said shortly.
He leaned back against the edge of his desk. After a brief pause, his eyes grew thoughtful, his voice lowering.
“I need you to dig into Sophia’s life. Everything. Her present and her past. Don’t leave out a single detail.”
“All right,” Timothy replied without hesitation. “I’ll get on it right away. How do you want me to—”
Before Timothy could finish, the phone was abruptly snatched from his hand.
Harold’s excited face filled the screen.
“Magnus!” Harold nearly shouted, lifting his phone and snapping a photo. “Check your messages. I just sent you something. Look at who I ran into!”
Magnus frowned and opened the chat. The image loaded slowly. He tapped it and zoomed in.
At first glance, it looked like a random girl leaning against a bar, holding a drink.
But as he zoomed closer, his expression darkened.
It wasn’t a stranger.
It was Sophia.
She was wearing a sexy black dress—backless, short, with a sweetheart neckline that hugged her figure. A vodka shot was raised in her hand, her lips curved into a smile as she prepared to drink. She was clearly smiling at someone, though the frame was cut off, hiding whoever stood in front of her.
On the video call, Harold laughed loudly.
“I’m so lucky, Magnus! I thought I lost her on the road earlier. I never imagined we’d run into each other again like this.” His face was glowing with excitement. “Just wait and watch—I’m going to get her tonight.”
Magnus stared at the screen.
His face turned deathly dark.
Lowering the phone slowly, his head dipped forward, a dangerous flash of fury crossing his features. His jaw clenched hard, the muscles ticking as he breathed through his nose. A harsh scoff slipped from his lips as he muttered under his breath,
“You leave the house in the middle of the night to go drinking alone in a fucking bar…”
His grip tightened around the phone, knuckles whitening as his gaze lingered on the picture.
“…looking like that?”
His teeth clenched, eyes blazing with anger.
The very next second, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the study.
Minutes later, he emerged dressed in a sharp black suit, movements rough and impatient as he buttoned his cuffs. Without even glancing at his appearance in the mirror, he grabbed his keys and stormed out.
An hour later, Magnus strode into the Luxe bar.
The music was loud, lights flashing in sharp bursts as his eyes swept across the crowd, searching for Sophia. At first, there was no sign of her, and annoyance tightened his jaw.
Then, as he neared the dance floor, he finally saw her.
She was dancing on the stage, laughing freely, her body moving to the rhythm without restraint. Another girl danced beside her, and as Magnus drew closer, he recognized her immediately.
Emma Creed.
Sophia kept dancing, carefree and unguarded—until her foot suddenly slipped.
Magnus moved instantly.
His long strides broke into a full run, instinct overriding everything else. He reached her just in time, his hands catching her from behind before she could fall.
But in the very next second—
Harold rushed in.
He shoved Magnus roughly by the shoulder, pushing himself forward and taking his place, his hands landing where Magnus’s had been moments earlier.
Sophia barely registered the change. She turned around, both hands instinctively covering her back.
“Oh—thank you,” she said, unaware of what had just happened.
“It’s nothing,” Harold replied quickly, eyes fixed on her face. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you? Is your foot okay?” he asked, his eyes scanning her with concern.
Magnus, on the other hand, looked like he was chewing glass.
He stood there, jaw tight, eyes throwing daggers at Harold, who seemed completely oblivious to the murderous glare beside him.
Magnus’s eyes shifted to Harold’s hand—still resting far too comfortably on Sophia’s waist and a sharp surge of irritation shot through him.
That was when the burning anger settled fully in his chest.
Harold finally turned his head and noticed the man standing next to him.
His eyes widened slightly before his face broke into a smile. “Magnus? You’re here too? What a coincidence!”
Sophia’s eyes followed his words and landed on Magnus.
She blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned to see him standing there. A flicker of confusion crossed her face.
‘What is he doing here?’ she wondered.
Magnus’s eyes burned as he looked between Sophia and Harold. His voice, when he spoke, was dangerously low.
“Yeah,” he said through clenched teeth. “What a coincidence.”
Harold, completely missing the tension, brightened. “Since we’ve run into each other, why don’t we grab some drinks together?” He gestured enthusiastically toward the VIP area, where a set of couches was arranged. “We’ve got friends over there. Would you girls like to join us?”
Sophia smiled. “Sure.”
Harold practically bounced on his feet as he led them toward the VIP seating.
As they reached, Sophia’s gaze drifted around the area, taking everything in, before pausing in surprise when she spotted Timothy standing quietly in a corner.
“Come on, take a seat,” Harold urged with an easy smile.
Sophia and Emma moved to the middle couch and sat down together, the low table positioned directly in front of them. Magnus took the single seater across from them.