Chapter 9 The family's invitation
Lucian’s POV:
Her voice was gentle, but she paused as she stopped in the doorway, and for a second the whole office shrank to nothing but the sound of her breath. I hadn’t expected her to come so quickly. I’d sent for her on impulse, a choice I still couldn’t fully explain.
Sonia stood framed in the threshold like something fragile the world had yet to break. Her hair was pulled into that loose, habitual knot that made her neck look vulnerable. She’d wiped the worst of her crying away, but her cheeks still glowed with salt. She looked tired in a way that made my chest ache. Also, her eyes were puffy and red, like she didn't sleep throughout the night.
“Sir,” she called out, with a professional voice. And I was impressed at how well she hid her emotions.
“Come in, Miss Magnus,” I said to her, and the door was pushed open. Although I was worried about her, I knew that asking too many questions could scare her away, so I made a mental note to myself about the questions I'd ask. I wouldn't sound suspicious, just professional.
Sonia's eyes flicked to the desk, to the closed folders, and to me. She was trying to be careful, to keep the conversation as impersonal as possible. It was an admirable effort. It made her braver.
“Sit,” I said. My voice was softer than I intended.
She sat with one careful movement. Her fingers found the edge of the chair, curling as if for balance. For a second I wondered if she would bolt, run somewhere safe, anywhere but here.
“You looked like you needed air yesterday,” I said, not pretending that my call had been anything other than that. “Are you okay? You weren’t scared by what we discussed, were you?”
Sonia swallowed with a bright smile. “I’m fine, sir,” she lied, plain as daylight. I saw the micro-shake in her jaw and the way her hands trembled. The lie didn’t hold.
She didn’t owe me anything. She certainly didn’t need my sympathy. And yet, when she exhaled, a soft, defeated sound, I felt something break inside me that I hadn’t expected to feel again: a fierce, irrational want to wrap the world around her in a way that would stop it from hurting her.
You are Lucian Smithfield, I reminded myself. Emotions are a liability. You have a mission. You need to carry out your revenge. You just feel pity for her because you also grew up in hatred.
I cleared my throat and fixed my eyes on the files on my desk. “I heard you had guests at the financial department last night. Why did Mr. Michael come here?” I asked, keeping it practical. “Did he threaten you or ask the financial team for bribes?” I asked, feigning ignorance.
Her eyes narrowed, then hardened. She looked suspicious of me but managed to put on a smile. “No, sir. Mr. Michael and I have a history. He came to talk. It has nothing to do with work.” she said, and my eyes dropped.
“Why is she covering him up?” I wondered.
“Some staff said they saw both of you quarreling and shouting. Is everything alright?” I asked, determined to get her to talk.
“Hmm, Michael said some harsh things,” Sonia admitted, looking down at her hands. “But it's nothing business-related. It's my personal issue, and I'll handle it.”
I wanted to tell her that Michael was wrong. I also wanted to tell her that sometimes the men she needed protecting from were closer than she thought. But I didn't know how to explain all this to her.
“Listen to me,” I said, deciding to be both the shield and the warning. “Whatever he said, ignore it. He’s not worth the time.”
Sonia laughed, a short, humorless sound. “And you are worth listening to because you're my boss?” she chuckled before continuing. “Mr. Lucian, I understand that we had one night together, but I'm really trying to put it behind me. If you see me as a whore, I don't care. Because we both committed the atrocity,” she said with a polite voice, and stood up.
This was what I was trying to avoid. Being emotional and caring ends up making me the bad guy.
“I’m not here to talk about the sex we had. I'm talking about Michael because I don’t want to see you get hurt,” I said simply, and gestured for her to sit down.
Her eyes went to mine, and in them I saw confusion bloom. “Why?”
The honest answer; because something in me recoiled every time she was humiliated. Because she reminded me of a smaller version of a memory I kept locked in a box. I swallowed it. Truth would complicate everything.
“Because I can,” I said instead. “Because I have resources. Because I don’t want my first time in the company to be sad. Because I slept with you and I have to take some responsibility.” I kept my voice steady. It was true without being sentimental.
Sonia’s shoulders dropped a fraction. The tension that had wound her taut for hours loosened in a gradual, barely perceptible way. It made me realize that I had the power to unmake that tension and that thought both thrilled and frightened me.
“I can call security to escort you home,” I offered before I could overthink again. “Or I can drive you myself.”
Her face went rigid. “Hmm, why? Have you found the person who drugged us?”
I wanted to tell her that the security would protect her from Michael. But saying that would make her feel weak, so I controlled myself, and changed the topic.
“You can manage walking into a crowd of men who think you’re property?” I asked, bluntly. “Can you manage being the subject of gossip in this company because of Michael and the promotion?”
Sonia stared at me, wondering what I was talking about. “Hmm, I can manage without being patronized. Also, this is not my first time in a crowd of men who see me as an object.”
It wasn’t patronage. It was containment. I hated that she equated protection with pity. Maybe I wanted both.
“Fine, if you need any help, you know where to find me,” I said with a grimace, and sighed in frustration.
Sonia furrowed her brows, and although she didn't say it out loud, I knew that if she got into trouble, she'd call the police, not her boss.
Before she left my office, I noticed the confused gaze in her eyes, and I immediately sent for Daniel after she left.
“What's the matter? Is everything alright?” Daniel asked me, reading my melancholic face.
“I want you to follow Sonia from a distance. Make sure that she's protected tonight,” I said to Daniel.
“I'm your secretary, not a bodyguard,” Daniel grumbled, but still went ahead to pick up Sonia's office schedule.
“What about you? Will you be okay by yourself?” Daniel asked me with a worried expression.
“I'll be with my family. Enjoying dinner, what could possibly go wrong,” I replied with a sarcasm-filled voice, and Daniel looked concerned.