Chapter 54

Chapter 54

When Andrew said, "I think of her as my sister too," Harper glanced his way.

She smiled, picking up her wine glass, and turned to Sophie. "That's right—I'm Raymond's sister and Andrew's sister. Nice to meet you. I'm Harper. What's your name?"

Harper's voice was sweet and warm.

Sophie studied the young woman before her. Her first impression was favorable.

She raised her own glass, about to introduce herself, when both men spoke simultaneously.

"Sophie!"

Raymond seemed to think he hadn't been clear enough and repeated himself—just as Andrew decided to do the same.

Sophie didn't know which one to look at anymore.

She thought they were both acting ridiculous.

Harper didn't pick up on the strange tension in the air.

But she was curious. She turned to stare at Raymond. "Raymond, you know her?"

If they weren't acquainted, how would Raymond know her name?

Oh—she'd just remembered. This Sophia had called Raymond "Mr. Garcia" earlier.

So they really did know each other.

Realizing this, Harper didn't think much more of it. After all, Raymond and Andrew had countless mutual friends—so many she couldn't keep track of them all.

It wasn't strange that this woman knew both of them.

Harper looked back at Sophie, her smile widening. "Sophie, can I call you Sophie from now on?"

Sophie didn't usually like strangers getting too familiar with her, but she didn't dislike this girl.

She smiled back. "Sure."

Raymond's expression shifted.

He fixed Harper with a stern look. "Address her as Ms. Rivera."

Harper thought Raymond was angry.

Even Sophie assumed his tone meant he was upset.

Andrew sat beside them, holding his wine glass, thoroughly entertained.

Sophie didn't want to put Harper in an awkward position. She smiled. "Ms. Garcia, you can call me Sophie."

She and Raymond weren't close anyway.

But Harper had a rebellious streak. She wasn't afraid of Raymond in the slightest.

Harper shot to her feet, deliberately dragging her chair over to sit right next to Sophie. She grabbed Sophie's hand. "I'm calling you Sophie!"

Then she turned and glared at Raymond. "Hmph! You can't tell me what to do!"

Sophie hadn't expected Raymond's sister to be so spirited.

Andrew had remained silent until now. He laughed. "Harper's been abroad for three years, hasn't she? Three years away, and she's still just as headstrong."

The comment held meaning only Raymond could fully understand.

Harper thought Andrew's remark was odd, but she didn't find it particularly strange. The Andrew she knew often said cryptic things she didn't understand.

That was precisely why she thought Andrew was the coolest person around.

Sophie sensed there was subtext to Andrew's words.

But she didn't know Andrew well, nor did she understand Raymond, and she had no idea what history existed between them. She'd pretend she hadn't caught any hidden meaning.

"Ms. Garcia has excellent taste."

When chatting with a young woman, fashion and style were always safe topics.

Sure enough, at the mention of taste, Harper beamed. "Right? I think my eye is amazing. Everything I like is top-tier."

"Sophie, don't be so formal with me. You can call me Harper. I also have a middle name—Cece. If you don't like calling me Harper, you can use Cece instead. Though my grandmother doesn't like that name. She had it changed."

"But I really love it. My mother gave me that name."

Harper didn't know why she was suddenly so talkative around Sophie.

By the time she realized she'd said too much, it was already too late.

Sophie listened without interrupting.

Names in elite families weren't chosen casually. Issues surrounding names could involve deeper family dynamics.

As an outsider, it wasn't her place to pry or offer opinions.

This became even clearer when she noticed Raymond's expression darkening.

"Harper, take Sophie upstairs to eat. Andrew and I need to talk."

Raymond cut off Harper's chatter.

Harper turned to look at him. She'd been about to refuse, but seeing how serious Raymond's face looked, she didn't dare.

She immediately grabbed Sophie's hand. "Let's go upstairs. I'll have the kitchen make your favorite dishes, okay?"

Sophie hadn't wanted to get involved in whatever was between Andrew and Raymond.

But she didn't like Raymond's commanding tone. She stood. "Actually, I have somewhere to be."

She turned to Andrew. "Thank you for dinner today, Mr. Anderson. Next time, it's my treat."

"Enjoy your meal, everyone. I'll take my leave."

With that, Sophie picked up her purse and phone.

Seeing she was about to leave, Raymond stood and moved to intercept her. "Sophie!"

But before he could reach her, Andrew stepped in first.

Andrew gallantly removed his jacket and draped it over Sophie's shoulders. "The weather's changed. There's wind outside. Don't catch cold."

Sophie was about to refuse. She didn't like people she barely knew being this attentive.

But when she looked up, she caught Raymond watching her with a dark, piercing gaze.

It was the look of a man watching his girlfriend betray him.

The feeling made Sophie uncomfortable.

She and Raymond had nothing between them anyway.

He was acting as if she'd done something to wrong him.

Sophie pulled Andrew's jacket tighter around herself.

She smiled politely at Andrew. "Thank you, Mr. Anderson. I'll have it cleaned and returned to you."

Andrew seemed pleased. "Sounds good."

Seeing Sophie about to leave, Harper wasn't having it. She jumped up.

She rushed forward and grabbed Sophie's arm. "Sophie, I want to go home too. You don't mind giving me a ride, do you?"

She didn't dare stay behind. She was afraid Raymond would throttle her!

Sophie could tell Harper didn't want to remain. She agreed. "Of course."

Raymond didn't stop Harper from leaving with Sophie. He even handed Harper a black card with no spending limit, telling her to swipe freely and thank Sophie properly while she was at it.

Sophie started to say something, but before she could get the words out, Harper dragged her away.

The moment they left, Andrew gestured for the servers to clear everything from the table. Once it was spotless, he had them bring up two bottles of Romanée-Conti.

Andrew didn't ask for wine glasses. He simply had the servers uncork both bottles.

One for him. One for Raymond.