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I couldn't have explained the urgency that had driven me away. How could I have told her that the very core of my family's tragedy had been shaken, that the man responsible for it was about to face justice?
It was a burden I had to bear alone for now.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced at it to see a message from Antonio. He had George secured and was awaiting further instructions.
With a sense of grim determination, I sent him a reply, confirming that he should keep George in a safe location until I arrived.
As I put my phone down, the door to my office opened, and there she was – Sophia. A mix of relief and guilt washed over me.
Relief that she was safe and unharmed, guilt that I had left her without an explanation.
"Hey," she greeted, her voice tinged with awkwardness. "I didn't expect to see you here."
I offered a half-smile, trying to break the tension. "Where else would I be? This is my company, after all."
In return, she managed a small smile, but something about her demeanor felt off. Her usually warm and playful attitude was replaced by a certain coldness, a distance that hadn't been there before.
It was like an invisible barrier between us, and I couldn't help but wonder if it had to do with the night we shared – the night I abruptly left her due to that urgent phone call.
"I know I disappeared suddenly the other night," I began, intending to explain the situation, "but there was a..."
She raised her hand, cutting me off. "It's okay, Matteo. You don't have to explain. Your personal matters are none of my business."
Her words hit me like a cold shower. While I expected a reaction, this wasn't what I had anticipated.
I watched as she walked over to her desk, her movements deliberate and controlled.
She picked up a stack of papers, determined to bury herself in work.
My frustration grew, and a mix of emotions churned within me. I couldn't let her dismiss it like this. I walked over to her, determined to break through her defenses.
I gently took her hands in mine, holding them in an intimate gesture. "Sophia, you can't just ignore what happened between us that night."
She pulled her hands away, her expression guarded. "Matteo, what happened was a mistake. Let's not make it into something it wasn't."
I was taken aback, incredulity coursing through me. "A mistake? Are you joking?"
She looked me in the eyes, her gaze unwavering. "I'm not joking, Matteo. It was a lapse in judgment, plain and simple."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Anger and confusion surged within me. "You can't honestly stand there and tell me what we shared meant nothing. That there's nothing between us."
Sophia's expression remained unchanged. "There's nothing between us, Matteo. It was a momentary lapse, and it won't happen again."
I felt like the ground was shifting beneath me. Everything I thought I understood was being challenged. "You're seriously trying to tell me that you don't feel any of this tension or attraction?"
Her reply was cold and firm. "I'm not attracted to you, Matteo. Whatever happened, let's forget about it."
I was speechless, a mix of hurt and frustration inside me. "You're going to keep up this act? You're denying what's right in front of us?"
Sophia's voice remained steady. "There's nothing to deny."
Frustration clenched at my chest, tightening like a vice. I couldn't believe she was trying to brush off everything that had passed between us.
Without thinking, I stormed over to her, the atmosphere charged with our unresolved tension. I loomed over her against the wall, our proximity becoming palpable.
At that moment, I could feel the electric pull between us, the magnetic force that had drawn us close repeatedly.
Our eyes locked, and I saw a flicker of uncertainty in her gaze, a crack in the facade she tried desperately to maintain.
