Chapter 5 First Dibs #2
She was standing near the gates of an auction hall, half-turned toward the road as she spoke to a woman, her voice carrying faintly across the street.
“Yeah, it’s not working. I don’t know how to fix it,” she said, frustration edging her tone. “I have an auction tomorrow, and every second counts during these events. It’s a Rolex, so getting it repaired will take time.”
A faint crease formed between her brows as she spoke. She kept patting her wrist, tapping the glass of the watch again and again, shaking her hand as if that might somehow make it work. But the watch remained stubbornly still.
The woman standing in front of her leaned closer, trying to help. She shifted the watch back and forth, adjusting it carefully, but the watch stayed dead.
Magnus watched the scene unfold, his brows knitting into a deep frown. “Why is she still wearing that? That watch is at least ten years old.” His jaw tightened. “When did my house not have enough watches for her to just take one for herself?”
The displeasure on his face was unmistakable as he continued staring at her from across the street. The more he watched her struggle, the more irritation coiled in his chest.
He turned sharply toward Timothy, meeting his eyes in the rearview mirror. “Order a new watch for her tomorrow. The most expensive one you can find.”
“Yes, Mr. Graves,” Timothy replied immediately.
As he nodded, Timothy pressed his lips together, holding back a knowing smile. ‘Mr. Graves is definitely falling for Mrs. Graves. It won’t be long before they are together for real.’
He glanced at Magnus again. “Sir, the light’s about to turn green. Should I drive?”
“No,” Magnus said without hesitation. “Pull to the side.”
Timothy followed the order, steering the car toward the curb not far from where Sophia was standing.
Magnus’s eyes never left her.
She was still fiddling with the watch when another girl rushed out of the hall. She looked younger than Sophia, her steps quick and slightly breathless.
“I’ve asked one of the security guards to help take it to the store to get it repaired,” the girl said hopefully. “With our connections, it might be possible. Let’s hope for the best.”
Sophia’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Thank you,” she said with a grateful smile.
She removed the watch from her wrist and handed it to the girl. Then, she turned and climbed into her car. Moments later, the car pulled away and disappeared down the road.
Only then did Timothy start the engine again.
As the car moved, Magnus lifted a hand to his eyes, tension etched clearly across his face. He leaned back for a brief second, then straightened abruptly.
“Forget it,” he muttered. “Drive to a store. Get a watch for her right now.”
Timothy’s eyes widened slightly at the impatience in Magnus’s voice.
In all the years Timothy had known him, Magnus had never been impatient—not even during billion-dollar deals.
And now, here he was, visibly tense over a single watch for his wife.
Suppressing a grin, Timothy turned the steering wheel toward the luxury watch showroom.
Sophia returned home a few hours later.
The house was quiet as she climbed the stairs and entered the bedroom. Her steps slowed when she saw Magnus lying on the couch, a file resting in his hand. His eyes flicked toward the door—once, twice—before settling on her the moment she stepped inside.
He straightened abruptly, the file almost slipping from his hand as he hastily sat up.
Sophia smiled faintly at the sight. Reaching up, she removed her earrings and asked, “Were you waiting for me?”
Magnus frowned immediately, defensive. “No. I was just working.”
Sophia hid her smile as she slipped off her jacket. “Alright,” she muttered lightly, turning away.
She picked up a glass of water from the table beside the couch and took a few sips. As she lowered it, the glass tilted slightly, spilling a bit of water onto the floor.
“I’ll try to come home earlier from now on.” Without another glance at him, she continued talking as she walked straight into the bathroom.
Magnus watched her back disappear, irritation tightening his expression. “Why doesn’t this woman understand my words?”
Sophia came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, now changed into her nightdress.
As soon as she stepped out, his eyes flicked toward her briefly. Without even looking up properly, he tossed a box in her direction nonchalantly while continuing to flip through the file in his hand.
Sophia caught it instinctively.
She stopped mid-step, staring down at the box in her hands. She looked at it once, then lifted her gaze to Magnus in confusion—but he didn’t spare her even a glance, fully focused on flipping through the file.
Frowning slightly, she looked back down and opened the box.
Inside lay a Rolex watch—almost identical in design and color to the one she already owned. But the moment she lifted it, she knew. The weight was different. Heavier. The gold alone made it obvious that this one was far more expensive.
Her eyes widened. Surprise turned into shock almost instantly.
Her gaze snapped back to him.
Magnus immediately spoke, scratching the bridge of his nose as if uncomfortable under her stare. “Timothy bought it for you.”
Sophia’s brows knitted together. “Why would Timothy buy a watch for me?”
Then something clicked.
She turned toward him fully, her voice slowing. “Could it be that you—”
“Stop talking.” Magnus cut her off sharply. “I don’t want you to feel embarrassed. If you feel indebted, just transfer the money to me.”
He stood up abruptly and walked past her.
But just as he reached the door, Harold’s smug words from earlier in his office flashed through his mind.
‘I found her on Instagram this morning. We follow each other now.’
His steps faltered.
‘What’s so special about following Instagram? If I want to add her, I can make that happen easily,’ he thought, eyes narrowed in distaste.
He turned around, opening his mouth to speak—
But at that exact moment, Sophia extended the box back toward him, the watch still inside.
“I can’t afford this, Magnus,” she said. “You should take it back.”
She smiled at him. A genuine, unguarded smile.
Her words unsettled him more than he cared to admit.
His expression hardened instantly.
“Fine,” he snapped. “Before worrying about watches, clean up the water you have spilled all over the floor. Look at this mess—disgusting.”
He gestured sharply toward the wet floor. “Grab a mop and clean it properly.”
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the bedroom.
Sophia stared after him, her mouth falling open in disbelief, anger flaring in her eyes as she watched him disappear.
“What kind of man is he?” she muttered in disbelief.
She clenched her jaw, trying to calm herself. “It’s fine, Sophia. Just a few months. You can tolerate it.”
But the anger didn’t fade. It only burned hotter.
She spun toward the door and snapped loudly, “You damn snob!”
Letting out a frustrated huff, she marched back into the bathroom, grabbed a mop, and returned to the bedroom. She wiped the water off the floor, her movements sharp and impatient. When she was done, she rinsed her hands and tossed the mop aside.
As she walked back into the room, her phone suddenly started ringing.
Frowning, she picked it up and glanced at the screen.
Timothy?
“Why would he be calling this late?” she murmured. “Could it be for Magnus?”
She answered and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
On the other end, Timothy’s voice came through. “Hello, Mrs. Graves. Did you reach home safely?”
“Yes, I did,” she replied. “Thank you for asking. Do you want to speak to Magnus? I can bring the phone to him.”
She had already started walking toward the door when Timothy hurriedly said,
“Actually—no. I was calling to ask if you liked the watch Mr. Graves bought for you.”
Sophia froze.
“He originally wanted to get you a more expensive one with higher time accuracy, but it wouldn’t have gotten to you until tomorrow. He didn’t want you to wait, so we bought this one instead.”
Shock filled her at once. ‘He personally went to buy that watch for me?’
Her eyes flickered toward the bedroom door for a moment before she forced her attention back to the phone as Timothy continued.
“Mrs. Graves, Mr. Graves hasn’t had dinner yet,” Timothy said.
“We went out to purchase the watch for you, so he had to reschedule a meeting and attend it as soon as he got home. The maids must have prepared dinner for both of you. Could you please make sure he eats? He often gets too busy with work and skips his meals.”
The shock still hadn’t fully settled when Sophia replied, slightly dazed, “Um… sure.”
The call ended.
She stood there for a moment, blinking slowly, the words still echoing in her mind.
“He bought it for me… personally?”
Her gaze drifted toward the pile of files on the table, and without realizing it, a small smile curved her lips.
“Turns out he isn’t as big of an asshole as I thought,” she murmured.
Shaking her head lightly, she headed downstairs. As she stepped into the kitchen, she caught sight of Magnus walking up the stairs toward the bedroom.
She warmed the food the maids had left and set everything on the table.
A few minutes later, she climbed the stairs again and pushed open the bedroom door.
“Magnus,” she called out. “Dinner is ready. Come downstairs? The table’s already set.”
She had barely finished speaking when she stepped inside—
—and saw him walking out of the bathroom.
Bare-chested.
A towel was wrapped low around his hips, droplets of water trailing down his chest and abs.
Sophia’s feet halted at the doorway.
Her body stiffened, eyes widening as her heart skipped violently in her chest. Her gaze lingered uncontrollably over his broad shoulders, sculpted torso, and defined abs.
‘He’s… ridiculously handsome,’ she thought hazily. ‘His mouth is terrible when he talks, but otherwise… he’s practically a god.’
She stared far longer than she should have.
Magnus noticed.
He stepped closer, his voice low and flat. “Had enough?”
That snapped her back to reality.
Her eyes shot up from his chest to his face, heat rushing to her cheeks.
“D-dinner,” she stammered. “I’ve set it up. Can you… come downstairs and eat?”
Magnus placed his hands on his hips and looked at her with a calm, arrogant expression.
“I’ll eat if you eat with me,” he said casually. “If you’re not eating, don’t bother. I won’t either.”
With that dismissive statement, he turned away, walking toward the closet to get dressed.
Sophia stared at his back, irritation flaring.
‘Does he think I’m his maid or something? Why does he talk like that? Such an arrogant bastard.’
Annoyed, she turned around and walked out, heading back downstairs.
Barely a few minutes later, Magnus came down as well and took his seat at the dining table.
His eyes shifted instinctively toward the kitchen.
Sophia stood at the counter, quietly plating food for the two of them. She wore nothing fancy—just a simple nightdress—but for some reason, Magnus found his gaze lingering, unable to look away.
She looked… warm.
His fingers curled slowly against the table as his gaze stayed fixed on her back.
Then, suddenly, his mother’s words from long ago echoed in his mind.
“You don’t realize how better life becomes when you stop living alone… when you have someone with you at home.”
His eyes darkened slightly as he watched her move.
As the words echoed in his mind, Magnus couldn’t help but mutter under his breath as he stared at Sophia’s back.
“Turns out what Mom said was really true. It is good to have someone in the house… someone to eat with.”
Sophia came out of the kitchen carrying the tray and set it down on the table. She slid one plate toward him, then placed another beside it for herself. After arranging everything neatly, she took the chair next to him and smiled brightly.
“Mr. Graves, you provided the meals,” she announced cheerfully. “In exchange, I served everything on the plate. Now we don’t owe each other anything, right?”
She gave him a cheeky smile as she sat down.
Magnus watched her in silence.
‘I thought she married me for money,’ he thought as they both began eating. ‘But she doesn’t look like someone who wants my money… she’s even calculating meals to keep things equal.’
His gaze stayed on her. “You keep accounts for everything, don’t you?” he said casually.
Sophia glanced at him while taking a bite. After chewing, she answered, “Of course. I have to keep records of everything. After all, we’re just partners. I can’t owe you anything when I leave after three months.”
The fork in Magnus’s hand froze midair, a piece of broccoli hovering above the plate.
Leave?
The word echoed sharply in his ears.
‘Is she really planning to leave? Or is she just saying that to fool me?’
His jaw tightened.
A scoff crossed his face, irritation flaring. ‘Is she trying to make me believe she’ll actually walk away?’
The thought unsettled him more than he liked. His appetite vanished. He dropped the fork back onto the plate, pushed his chair back, and stood up abruptly.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” he said coldly, standing up and walking away from the table.
Sophia stared after him, frowning deeply as she watched him storm off.
‘Did he just get angry again? What did I do now?’