Chapter 19 Mrs. Sonia Magnus-Smithfield
Lucian’s POV
Her lips were warm. Softer than I remembered. And for a second, the entire world fell silent. No more ticking clocks. No loneliness in my mansion. No Smithfield legacy crushing my spine….. just her.
Sonia Magnus.
She pulled back quickly, her eyes widening as she struggled to breathe. “I…” she stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper, “I didn’t mean to -”
I should’ve stopped her the moment it happened. I should’ve reminded her of the rules we just made. But instead, my hands slowly found her jaw, holding it to keep her still.
“You shouldn’t apologize. You're drunk, I'm the sober one,” I replied and created a gap between us.
Her eyes darted away. “No. I'm the one who threw myself at you, so I'm sorry.”
“Then we both are,” I assured her.
There was a long silence between us. I could still taste the whiskey on her lips: sweet, smoky, real. And that scared me more than anything else tonight.
I stepped further away, needing distance before I did something reckless. “You should get some rest. Your room’s upstairs, second door on the left.”
She nodded quickly, clutching her purse as if it could protect her from everything that had just happened. “Goodnight, Mr. Lucian.”
“Lucian,” I corrected. “You’re my wife now. Even if it’s only on paper.”
Her mouth twitched, as though she wanted to argue, but she didn’t. Instead, she turned and left, her footsteps fading up the staircase. The house grew quiet again. The same suffocating silence that had haunted me for years returned, but this time, it felt heavier.
Because she’d brought light with her. And now it was gone.
.........
I poured another glass of whiskey and leaned against the piano. The same notes my mother used to play echoed in my head, but it sounded melancholic, and I could hear her screams as she begged for mercy. Sonia was wrong; I didn’t hate this house because it was empty. I hated it because every wall remembered.
The Smithfield residence was where I was held hostage after my mother's death, and it was where my mother and I got punished. But Lucian Smithfield's mansion was different. It was where I was born, and where my mother died.
Sonia's curiosity cracked open a door I’d spent years trying to seal. My mother’s begging. Her blood on the floor. Gawin’s mother’s cold smile. And my father's last words to her.
I exhaled slowly and downed the drink. Then my phone buzzed. It was Daniel.
“Speak!” I demanded when I answered the phone.
“Sir, the footage… It’s spreading. Someone leaked another blurred version online. We’ve pulled most of it down, but Gawin’s men are stirring things up. I think your father is encouraging him.”
Of course, he was. Gawin wouldn’t attack me directly, he was too fragile and stupid to come up with that idea. But with my father pulling strings behind the scenes, anything is possible.
I took a breath before answering. “Handle it quietly. Anyone involved, make them disappear from the company roster by morning. Also, get as many journalists as you can find, they should be in front of the company in the morning.” I paused, recalling something. “Where's Clara? I need her tonight! In the morning, Sonia will be nervous, she needs a woman with her.”
Daniel nodded. “She will arrive any moment from now, sir. And I'll handle Gawin's men quietly.”
I didn’t mean to kill them, but Daniel understood that I wanted them out. Far away from my life.
Still, that wasn’t enough. I needed to be sure of who had sent the first copy. Who was playing this game from the shadows? Because Gawin wasn’t subtle, but this move was. Too quiet. Too precise. Someone else was watching us. And I doubt it was my father because this felt like someone new.
........
I turned the lights off and stood in the hallway, watching the faint sliver of light under Sonia’s door. She was pacing. I could hear it.
She didn’t trust me yet, and maybe she shouldn’t. But she was under my roof now. Under my protection. Whether she liked it or not.
I walked back to my study and sat down in front of the contract we’d signed. My fingers brushed over her signature. It looked bright, one would think she'd eagerly signed it. I could almost imagine the tremor in her hand.
“You have no idea what you’ve walked into, Sonia,” I murmured to myself, and a lazy smile played on my face.
I was too busy thinking about Sonia that I didn't notice when Clara entered.
“You look happy. I didn't know that the Smithfield were capable of smiling,” her gentle voice echoed in the room.
I furrowed my brows, “Clara?” I instinctively hid the contract paper in my lower desk and stood up. “Why are you here?” I asked with a deep frown.
Clara looked at me suspiciously, and her eyes lingered on my desk. “Daniel said you were dying to meet me, and I missed my big brother,” she sang her usual slogan. I have never doubted Clara, not because she's a woman, but because she never showed any interest in competing. Her mother disappeared from my father's life the minute she was born, and I heard that she got enough money and opened up a bar, but I didn't really keep tabs on them.
I trusted no one, the only person allowed inside my study was Daniel, and it was strictly under my supervision.
“You know what I mean, Clara. No one is allowed here,” I replied with a grimace, and together we both left my study.
“I'm sorry, when I entered I tried calling out your name, but a woman answered me instead. I thought something had happened so I rushed to your study and saw the door open,” she apologized with a remorseful smile.
“A woman?” I murmured. “Oh, you mean Sonia? She's my wife,” I said and Clara laughed. I looked at her with an unamused gaze and she frowned.
“Your wife?” Clara mumbled. “Do you mean you fell in love and got married within twenty-four hours? Because during the family dinner, you didn't inform us that our family has increased.”
I chuckled. My family mustn’t know that it was a contract marriage. Otherwise, they would use it to their advantage. “I don't like telling anyone about my relationship status. I called you because I need your help. No, I mean my wife needs your help,” I replied, and I watched Clara freeze.
\~~~~
The next morning, Daniel was waiting in the sitting room when I came down. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes.
“Bad night?” I asked.
“Depends on your definition of bad,” he muttered, holding up his phone. “The marriage news broke earlier than planned. Half the city’s talking about you and Mrs. Sonia Magnus-Smithfield.”
I frowned. “That fast?”
“Yes, sir. And the board’s demanding a private meeting. They’re… surprised.”
“Let them be surprised,” I replied coldly. “It keeps them from getting comfortable.”
Daniel sighed. “There’s actually more.”
He handed me the phone. On the screen was an image of Sonia hugging Michael.
The caption underneath read: “Lucian Smithfield’s new wife caught in a love triangle. Or is she cheating?”
I was expecting this kind of news, but I didn't think it would be posted this fast.
“We need to talk about Sonia's wedding to Michael, and cancel it publicly. Are the press in place?” I asked, and Daniel nodded.
“Good. Get me pictures of Michael and Georgia together, post them on all platforms, and make sure it trends. Then we'll name Michael and Sonia's wedding as a promotion strategy. But it has been canceled because Michael is in a committed relationship with Georgia,” I informed Daniel, and he smiled.
“You have the best ideas, bro,” Daniel praised.
“Good morning, brother,” Clara greeted, and Daniel and I immediately stopped talking.
“Morning. Let's get straight to business,” I replied to her, ignoring the usual pleasantries. Daniel offered Clara a polite smile and excused himself.
“He's still so shy around me,” Clara murmured, her eyes watching Daniel as he retreated. With Daniel's behavior, Clara might think he has a crush on her, but that's just how he acts around women.
“I want to post romantic pictures of Sonia and me. We met online through a dating platform. I was in Singapore while she lived in Hollywood, so we don't have any pictures of us together. How many can we snap within thirty minutes?” I asked hurriedly.
Clara shrugged her shoulders. “As many as you like. Why the hurry?”
“We have a press conference to attend, and they're standing in front of the company,” I explained. Clara looked suspicious of the whole thing, nonetheless, she went along with it. That's what I liked about her.
“Okay, let's get to work,” Clara said.
“Good, very good,” I nodded my head, and brought out my phone to call the photographer. Suddenly the familiar smell of strawberry and whiskey hit my nose, and I raised my head.