Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
VIKTOR
Moreau’s monthly dinner wasn’t at the top of my list of things I enjoyed. Not that there were many things in said list. At first, I thought that this one could become one of them. Yet Rafael never let me even slightly relax on those occasions.
Today’s evening wasn’t an exception. Considering our failed conversation earlier on Monday, and this morning’s strange shift in Sophie’s behavior, I was even more on edge.
I still hadn’t decided whether to warn Antonio about Rafael’s reckless business decisions and save him from disaster; or stand aside while Yann destroyed Rafael’s investments. My marriage to Sophie was supposed to guarantee I’d prevent exactly this kind of misfortune.
Yet the chances of me getting out of this situation clean were slim.
My gaze drifted to Sophie across the table.
And as usual, her eyes wandered around the room, from her mother to the mantelpiece, then to Catherine, and again back to the mantelpiece.
When I first noticed this at our initial dinner here, I didn’t give it much thought.
But then she looked again, and again. Yet I couldn’t understand what she was staring at.
At her family picture? At a statue? At a clock?
Or at flowers? It wasn’t like I could have asked Sophie directly. So I assumed it was one of her quirks.
But this morning, when she stiffened at the table, and her eyes started to wander the same way, lastly landing on the clock—it didn’t take me long to catch the pattern.
Was she forcing herself to eat? The thought made me sick to my stomach. Or was it how she regulated herself?
Perhaps there was a way to handle our breakfast better, but I didn’t want to push her, and I couldn’t stomach watching her struggle. So I retreated. It was all I could think of to make her drop the act.
I’d hoped once she was ready, she would come to talk. And she did. I was sure she’d come for that. But hearing her refuse lunch, I thought she needed more time. And I couldn’t push her. Not when I still didn’t have any clue what had caused the change in her behavior.
She didn’t look at me at all—even during the ride here.
I feared she still wouldn’t look at me on the way home.
If I’d fully checked her report, I would have had something to talk about.
But first it was thoughts about her, then a few business calls.
So the report stayed unfinished. Which made me feel even worse.
Sophie had worked on it so hard, completing it in just a couple of days, when I’d initially thought it would keep her occupied for at least half a month. But Sophie wouldn’t be Sophie if she didn’t smash all my expectations.
Or maybe it was my fault for underestimating her? Perhaps I was doing that same thing again. And perhaps the correct thing would be not to give her space, but to sit her down and talk.
I couldn’t say.
The last thing I wanted was to be the reason for her discomfort. Or even worse—for her to go back to locking herself in her room.
I tried to breathe steadily as Sophie checked the clock in the same excruciating manner as earlier this morning and took a bite. The veins on my neck tensed as a small ache hit my temples.
“Something on your mind?” Antonio Moreau’s eyes didn’t move from mine.
If I hadn’t been the one who’d spent every evening with Sophie during the last several weeks, I most probably wouldn’t have noticed the slight change in Sophie’s demeanor.
But there was no use trying to guess the reason behind it.
I just needed to survive this evening, and after, get all my answers.
I would talk to her once we were at home. Whether it was her being angry at me or anything else, I was determined to find out. At least till now, she’d never avoided any conversation.
Her empty coffee cup—the one I’d made this morning—still sat on the upstairs table. That had to mean something.
When I looked at my father-in-law with a polite smile, ready to deny anything was wrong, Rafael snickered loudly. That caught his father’s attention.
“I heard you two met earlier this week.”
“I told you, there’s nothing to worry about,” Rafael said.
But Antonio’s eyes continued to look suspiciously at me.
“It’s the Eastern Europe branch deal. I took the liberty of suggesting some advice.” My voice stayed the same. Maybe if my attention weren’t on Sophie, I would try to escalate.
“Don’t like to share?” My father-in-law’s question caught me off guard.
“I was advised not to put my nose in his… laundry,” I said, glancing at Rafael. The latter rolled his eyes. The same way Sophie had done during breakfast. It didn’t annoy me—in fact, I felt a small chuckle awakening in my chest.
These siblings.
“Rafael!” Violette’s voice came as admonishment.
But Rafael only smirked. “I don’t think it’s logical to accept advice from someone whose branch in the same market is failing.
” His next words were much quieter, but surely loud enough to reach the other side of the table.
“That’s what happens when all you do is sit on your—” Rafael’s eyes flicked toward his mother, and I was sure if she hadn’t been there, he would’ve said ass.
Instead, he continued, “couch and let others handle your business.”
Picking up my glass, I shook my head.
“Is that true?” Antonio Moreau only gave a disapproving glance to his son before turning to me. “You have some problems in business?”
“Not at all.” My jaw clenched as my gaze fell to Sophie’s plate.
She stiffened under my gaze, moving her eyes from our side of the table to the back of the room.
To the mantelpiece. Seconds later, she brought the fork to her mouth.
But with my new discovery, it was like torture to watch her force herself to eat.
And she was forcing herself—I could see it. The way her throat worked. Her jaw tight.
I wanted to reach over and tell her not to if she didn’t want to. But there was a small chance I’d gotten everything wrong. In that case, my remark might make everything worse.
When Rafael gave me a cocky smile, it only made my blood run colder.
Clenching my teeth, I made myself participate in other topics, but my eyes kept returning to Sophie. She was taking a bite every sixty seconds. Sometimes a drink.
And with each one I felt the knot in my stomach tighten. So I excused myself, unable to watch. I rushed directly to the bathroom, washed my face with cold water, and when I came back, there was still food on Sophie’s plate.
Would she do this with dessert as well?
Not bothering to sit, I said, maybe much colder than needed, “I know this may not be polite, but I’m forced to excuse ourselves a bit earlier than usual.”
Rafael scoffed. I could bet all my fortune that he believed he was the reason for my dissatisfaction. And I might be wrong, but my father-in-law seemed to share the same belief.
Tonight, though, I couldn’t care less. “Urgent matters.”
I met Sophie’s eyes—full of confusion—and was about to gesture for her to wrap up when Violette stood, her voice more like a plea.
“Oh, I understand. But would you mind if Fifi stayed here a bit longer? We can send her later with our driver.”
“No,” I said without hesitation. “I need my wife to come with me.”
“But…”
“Violette.” Though Antonio’s voice was calm, the hint of concern didn’t escape my attention. When our eyes met, he continued, “I hope we didn’t hurt your feelings?”
“Not in the slightest.” I forced a chuckle, then looked at Sophie. She was still sitting, but the next second she rose from her chair and gave quick goodbyes alongside me.
She didn’t look at me when we went to our car. Didn’t say a word while sitting in the back seat, putting as much distance between us as she could.
Her neck strained. Her fists clenched so hard her knuckles turned unnaturally pale. I wanted to reach out to hold her hand. Give her some comfort.
But I couldn’t. Not with Sophie. And the realization of my helplessness lodged in my throat.
I opened my mouth to ask how she was feeling, but no words came out.
And even if they had come, I wouldn’t trust myself to start the main conversation, not when we were still in the car.
Just fifteen minutes, and then we could finally talk.
I shifted in my seat, trying to steady my breath and organize my thoughts, when Sophie looked at me, and I could swear there was fire in her gaze.
The same fire I’d seen whenever we crossed paths at some event and I tried to get her attention. The more I did, the brighter it burned.
“What about the branch that Rafa mentioned? Is everything that bad?” She cut the silence, though her posture remained tense. And I couldn’t help but admire the challenge in her voice.
“I wouldn’t say so.” My own voice came easily as I noticed the weight that had been pushing on me suddenly wasn’t so heavy. It was easy to talk about business with her.
Safe territory.
“Then what was he talking about?”
“Atlas. Telecommunication company. It’s not on my top priority list. Nothing to worry about.
” The smile I gave was meant to ease her, but instead, Sophie raised her left eyebrow.
“Think of it like one of those minor weaknesses you pointed out in your report—when someone pours resources into fixing what barely matters instead of strengthening what already works.”
“You read my report?” Her voice went up a few octaves, and suddenly her whole demeanor grew more relaxed. Not fully, but the tension that had been there a minute ago vanished. Even the fire in her eyes went from ice-burning to warm.
“I didn’t finish it yet. But there were a few good points you highlighted. If you want we can go through them tomorrow.”
She nodded, then turned back to the window. And her three dimples glinted on her cheek before I even saw her smile reflecting in the window. She seemed proud—all because I liked her notes?
The silence after was much more comfortable. Which may be the reason I managed to do what I should have done earlier this morning.
As we entered the home and she went directly to the stairs, I called, “Sophie.”
Her name held a sweetness on my tongue. Yet when she turned, fear flickered in her eyes, and all I could think about was making it vanish. “Can we have some tea together?”