Chapter 5 First Dibs
Blinking open her eyes, Sophia woke to find the bed next to her empty. She shifted slightly, her arm sliding across the mattress until her hand brushed over the cold sheets. A faint frown tugged at her brows as she squinted around the room, her thoughts slow and hazy with sleep.
Rubbing her eyes, she pushed herself up and nudged the blanket aside, the fabric slipping down as she sat up. She paused for a second, steadying herself, then swung her legs over the edge of the bed, bare feet touching the floor.
That was when her gaze dropped—to herself.
Naked.
Instantly, the last remnants of sleep fled. Her heart jumped into her throat, and panic washed over her. She yanked the blanket up to cover herself, wide-eyed and horrified.
“What the—? I’m naked!” she gasped, pulling the blanket tighter.
Her mind raced, piecing together fragments of the previous night.
The memories hit her all at once—Magnus, the bar, the kiss, the bedroom… the bed.
Her eyes widened. Her mouth fell open as a sharp breath tore out of her chest, so sudden it caught in her throat. She coughed, bending forward instinctively, one hand flying up to brace herself against the mattress.
Her heart hammered wildly as the memories stitched themselves together far too clearly.
“Oh my God, I slept with Magnus?” she whispered, a hand pressed against her mouth as if to hold back a scream.
Her face burned as the reality set in. “How could I do that?” she whispered frantically.
“What is wrong with me? I couldn’t control myself…
I saw him… naked… and I just—he already said nothing will happen between us, and I forced myself on him?
! We’re just in a contract marriage! I—he doesn’t like anyone getting close… and I got drunk and—God!”
The memory of pushing him onto the bed, climbing over him, and forcing herself on him made her shiver. Her hands flew to her face, nails scratching lightly as she whispered, her voice trembling:
“I’m dead… completely dead.”
By the afternoon, she finally got dressed and went downstairs, her heart still racing with anxiety, half-expecting to run into Magnus at any moment. Instead, the house was quiet. He had already left for the office.
Relief washed over her in a slow breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She forced herself to eat a light lunch, then took her time steadying her nerves before heading out to work at Centurion Hall.
The first round of auctions passed in a blur. Returning to her office, she looked around—but Emma was nowhere to be found. Usually, she would be waiting in the office for her, working on her own laptop.
“Where did she go?” Sophia whispered to herself, frowning. “I haven’t seen her since morning.”
She pulled out her phone and dialed Emma’s number. The line rang a few times, but there was no answer. She tried again—still nothing. Worry began to creep in.
Across town, Timothy was in Magnus’s office, standing near the desk as Magnus flipped through files, signing documents. When his phone rang, he glanced at the screen.
Sophia’s name flashed brightly.
Without answering the call, he looked at Magnus, “Sir… It’s Mrs. Graves.”
Hearing Sophia’s name, Magnus froze mid-signature, his hand hovering over the file he was about to sign. His body went rigid, and he leaned back slightly, his expression tense. His brows knitted as he glanced at Timothy, then motioned for him to pick up the call.
Timothy gave a brief nod and swiped the phone to answer, immediately putting it on loudspeaker.
“Mrs. Graves, good afternoon,” Timothy said professionally.
“Timothy, did you see if Emma left the bar safely last night?” Sophia’s voice came fast and tense, her concern clear. “I’ve been trying to reach her, but she’s not picking up. I… I’m worried.”
Timothy cleared his throat. “Yes, Mrs. Graves. I saw Miss Creed get into a car. The driver seemed to know her personally, so I’m certain it was her family. I believe she reached home safely. She’s probably asleep now, given how drunk she was last night.”
Sophia let out a slow, relieved breath. Her shoulders relaxed. “Thank you… that’s a relief.”
There was a pause on the line. Timothy’s eyes flicked to Magnus, who remained still and nonchalant, but the tension in his body was unmistakable. Timothy forced himself to hide the smirk that was threatening to break free seeing Magnus’s tense, silent reaction.
On the other end, Sophia hesitated, voice dropping to a whisper. “By the way, Timothy… there was something else—uh… Magnus… is he—”
Magnus’s hand shot up, the pen dropping onto the file as he reached for the phone, ready to snatch it from Timothy—but Sophia stopped herself.
“Never mind,” she said abruptly, and ended the call.
Magnus’s hand fell to his sides. He turned away, brushing it over his face, hiding the sudden flush of embarrassment.
Timothy, fighting to conceal a grin, slid the phone back into his pocket.
“Mr. Graves,” Timothy said sheepishly, glancing at Magnus, “it seems… you’re attracted to Ms. King.”
Magnus’s eyes snapped to him, glare sharp and icy. “Do you have less work to do nowadays?” he barked.
Timothy flinched, already overwhelmed with meetings and tasks, and swallowed nervously.
“No, sir, I—uh… I have plenty of work… more than enough,” Timothy stammered.
Then, unable to resist, he added in a louder, braver voice, “But Mr. Graves, she’s…
incredible. You really should think about it.
There are so many people who’d try to chase her. You could miss your chance.”
Before Magnus could react, Timothy spun on his heels and practically ran out of the office, leaving the door to slam behind him.
Magnus’s glare sank back to the desk, his throat clearing awkwardly as embarrassment burned across his face.
A while later, the office door opened again. Magnus looked up to see Harold and Gregory stepping in, Timothy leading the way before standing back respectfully.
Harold went straight to the desk and tossed a file down in front of Magnus.
“Here. I’ve finished the red diamonds’ purity report for March,” he said. “Go through it, and if everything checks out, approve it by tonight.”
Magnus took the file and set it aside. Meanwhile, Harold walked over, turned the chair across from Magnus, and dropped into it with an irritated huff. Gregory remained standing beside the other chair, arms loosely crossed as he watched.
Harold suddenly leaned forward, slamming both palms onto Magnus’s desk. “Why did you stop me from following my crush last night?” he snapped angrily. “That was my first interaction with her—and you ruined it!”
Magnus lifted his eyes to Harold, his expression blank, cold.
Harold continued without pause. “Do you know how hard it is to get a chance to drop her off? I would’ve gotten her address, her number—everything. We might’ve bonded in the car, talked about our favorite things. I was taking her home, and you just jumped in!”
He straightened in the chair, glaring hard. “Don’t you know it’s first come, first dibs?”
Magnus finally raised an eyebrow. His voice was calm, cold, and faintly mocking.
“Is it really first come, first dibs?”
“Yes, it is!” Harold scoffed arrogantly, adjusting his collar as if offended. “Look, I know we’re family, but when it comes to women, it’s different. You can’t steal my future wife!”
With Harold’s every word, Magnus’s expression darkened. By the time he said future wife, Magnus leaned back in his chair, his gaze sharp and dangerous.
But Harold was completely oblivious. A smug smile spread across his face as he added, “But I guess you’re already behind me,” Harold added proudly. “I found her on Instagram this morning. We follow each other now.”
He cleared his throat, his confidence faltering for just a brief moment.
“Well… I did have to look up her account and send the follow request myself,” he admitted. “But she must have been searching for me too. Otherwise, how could I have found her so quickly? It only took like four hours.”
Timothy, standing near the desk, quickly brought his fist to his mouth, biting down hard to keep from laughing. His shoulders shook despite his effort, the strain of holding it in making his chest ache.
“Hey!” Harold shot him an irritated glare. “Why are you shaking like that? If you’re cold, wear more clothes from now on!” he snapped.
Timothy immediately lowered his hand, forcing his face back into a neutral expression.
It was Magnus who spoke next, his tone deceptively mild. “You’re sure I can’t get her first?”
Harold leaned back smugly, confidence dripping from his face. “Absolutely. You bet?”
Magnus’s dark expression slowly shifted into a faint, dangerous smirk. He rose to his feet, pointing his pen at Harold.
“Fine. Don’t regret it.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the office.
Timothy shot Harold a knowing, almost pitying glance before quickly following Magnus out.
Left behind, Gregory patted Harold’s shoulder and sighed, shaking his head in disbelief, barely holding back laughter. “I’ve never seen a man make a bet over a woman without realizing he’s wagering against the one who already has the claim.”
Harold turned sharply toward him.
“Huh?” he demanded, confusion and irritation mixing on his face as he roughly slapped Gregory’s hand off his shoulder.
Gregory burst out laughing, the restraint he’d been clinging to finally snapping.
***
It was late at night when Magnus finally finished work.
After wrapping up the last meeting earlier than expected, Timothy was surprised when Magnus asked to head home early for the first time in his entire career.
As the car slowed at a traffic light, Timothy’s gaze drifted toward the building across the street. His brows knitted, eyes narrowing as he took a closer look.
He pointed out the window. “Mr. Graves… isn’t that Mrs. Graves?”
Magnus’s gaze immediately followed the direction Gregory was pointing. His eyes locked onto Sophia at once.