Chapter 37 Explanation of Relationships

Chapter 37 Explanation of Relationships

While Sebastian's thoughts churned, Stanley had been talking for a while. He casually adjusted his collar and smiled lightly.

"Funny thing, I'm still getting used to this new sweater." He brought it up as naturally as small talk, without any deliberate edge to his tone. "I accidentally ruined my other one this morning, and Sophie insisted on dragging me out to buy a replacement. She's got excellent taste."

The moment the words left his mouth, the air in the office seemed to turn colder.

Sebastian's fingers paused mid-turn on the document. He lifted his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife, locking onto Stanley as his lips curved into an icy smile. "Mr. Worden, there's no need to give me a play-by-play of your personal life."

The undisguised hostility and possessiveness only made Stanley's smile deepen.

This was exactly the reaction he'd wanted.

Stanley closed the folder in front of him, abandoning all pretense of business talk. He leaned forward slightly, his usually gentle eyes turning sharp as they fixed on Sebastian.

"Mr. Carter, I'll be honest—the Riverside District project was just an excuse to come here today."

Sebastian didn't respond, just stared at him coldly, waiting.

"I consider Sophie a friend." Stanley's tone was steady and firm, each word carrying weight. "Sophie's stubborn. She's used to handling everything herself, always putting on a brave face. As her friend, I just don't want to see her get pushed around or hurt in ways she doesn't deserve."

The statement was both explanation and warning.

He'd clearly positioned his relationship with Sophie in the safe territory of "friendship" while simultaneously applying pressure to Sebastian as her protector.

The frost in Sebastian's eyes visibly thawed when he heard the word "friend."

The tightness in his chest lifted almost instantly.

His tightly clenched jaw relaxed slightly. Though his expression remained blank, the dangerous edge surrounding him had softened considerably.

After a moment of silence, he picked up the proposal from his desk and opened it again, his voice returning to businesslike calm. "Leave this with me. I'll have the project team evaluate it."

It was a tacit concession.

Stanley knew he'd won. He stood, resuming his refined, gentlemanly demeanor. "Good. I'll wait to hear from you, Mr. Carter."

With that, he turned and left the office with measured steps.

Meanwhile, after two days of rest at home, Sophie couldn't stand the idleness any longer.

Too much free time only made her overthink. Work, at least, gave her some sense of stability.

More importantly, she wasn't alone anymore. The child growing inside her made the importance of money clearer than ever before.

Monday morning, she got ready and arrived punctually at Carter Group's executive floor.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the office door.

"Come in."

The man's cool voice filtered through the heavy wooden door, emotionless as always.

Sophie pushed the door open. The office was so quiet she could hear the faint hum of the air conditioning.

Sebastian sat behind his massive desk, his gaze shifting from the computer screen to land on her. That look was deep and complex—not just a boss evaluating an employee, but something more invasive, probing, as if he wanted to see straight through her.

Sophie felt her scalp prickle under his scrutiny. She instinctively lowered her eyes and spoke respectfully. "Mr. Carter, I'm back."

Sebastian gave a noncommittal sound, impossible to read. He pushed several stacked files across the desk toward her, laying out tasks with clinical precision. "The Riverside District collaboration proposal—the Song Group has already submitted their part. Familiarize yourself with it. We'll need it for this afternoon's meeting. Also, the follow-up report from A City—I need it organized and on my desk in thirty minutes. And the financial statements from last quarter…"

The instructions came in rapid fire, giving her no room to breathe.

Sophie pulled herself together and made mental notes of everything, stepping forward to collect the files.

As she approached, a faint fragrance drifted into Sebastian's awareness.

It wasn't perfume. It was clean, like gardenias after rain, with a hint of warmth that belonged uniquely to her body heat.

This scent—it was identical to what he'd buried his face in that night when he'd lost control, when his lips had been against her neck.

Sebastian's breathing hitched. His fingers tightened around his pen until his knuckles went white, veins standing out on the back of his hand.

It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to suppress the urge to pull her into his arms and confirm everything.

His ice-blue eyes darkened like the ocean before a storm, churning with dangerous undercurrents.

Sophie was completely oblivious. She only felt that the air pressure in the office seemed even lower than usual.

Clutching the heavy stack of files, she wanted nothing more than to escape this suffocating space. "Yes, Mr. Carter. I'll handle it right away."

She turned and left quickly, as if something predatory was chasing her.

The moment she stepped out of the office, she nearly collided with Riley from the administrative department.

"Sophie, thank God you're back!" Riley looked like she'd just spotted a lifeline, grabbing her arm warmly. "Perfect timing. I need to tell you something—we're having a department team-building event this afternoon at the Grand Crest Hotel. Everyone's going to unwind a bit."

"Team building?" Sophie was surprised. "Why in the afternoon?"

From what she remembered, company team-building events were always on Friday evenings, so people could really let loose.

"You haven't heard?" Riley lowered her voice, leaning in with an air of mystery. "After last month's team building, Mr. Carter suddenly changed the rules out of nowhere. Said from now on, all team-building events have to be during work hours in the afternoon, and absolutely no one's allowed to pressure anyone into drinking."

Riley shook her head as she finished. "Isn't that weird? Our workaholic boss actually using work hours to let people have fun?"

Sophie's heart skipped a beat.

She thought back—last month's team building had been in the evening. She'd left early because her morning sickness made her nauseous around alcohol, and some clueless coworkers had gossiped behind her back about her not being a team player.

Could it be because of that?

The moment the thought formed, she dismissed it.

Impossible. Someone like Sebastian wouldn't change company-wide policy for someone as insignificant as her.

While she was lost in thought, the office door behind her opened. Sebastian's tall figure appeared in the doorway.

Riley immediately dropped her gossipy expression, straightening her posture and reporting respectfully. "Mr. Carter, the venue and schedule for this afternoon's team building are all set. To motivate everyone, should we maybe add some special prizes?"

Sophie instinctively frowned. She wanted to stay as far away from Sebastian as possible right now. The last thing she wanted was to participate in a group activity.

Riley seemed to read everyone's minds and added with a smile, "I checked with finance, and for this event, the winner of the games will get first prize—fifty thousand dollars."

Fifty thousand dollars?

Sophie's firm resolve to refuse wavered the instant she heard the amount.