Con

CHAPTER 36

Serena’s POV

Elijah’s in love with Sophia.

It was a realization that had hit me years ago, but was now rushing back like a terrifying flood as Sophia stood in front of me – live in the flesh. Right here in the Sinclair Realty Group building.

He loves her, I thought bitterly, a lump forming in my throat while anger rose within me like a huge flame of fire. I could see it in his eyes, and hear it in his voice, long before he even acknowledged it himself. I thought he’d give up on her once he was back in the States, especially after Sophia terminated her pregnancy. 1

But no… He chose to dive headfirst into work, burying himself in projects and meetings, because he’s affected by what happened. Because he didn’t want to get emotionally involved.

As the days turned into weeks, I noticed a change in Elijah. He became more distant, more formal. Our interactions became purely professional, and I found myself missing the easy banter we used to share. He trusted me with the design department, letting me run it almost single–handedly. At first, I was thrilled -it was a recognition of my abilities. But as time passed, I realized it was also a way for him to keep his distance. 1

I tried to bring up Sophia a few times before, to talk about what was happening between them, but Elijah shut down those conversations quickly. It was clear he didn’t want to discuss it, didn’t want to acknowledge the feelings that were bubbling beneath the surface.

And so, I watched from the sidelines as Elijah threw himself into his work, using it as a shield to protect himself from getting hurt. It was heartbreaking to see. And I was frustrated and angry tha e still couldn’t realize that I was the one for him. I was the one who could make him happy.

I remembered using Morgana, Elijah’s stepmother, to get closer to him. It was also a good way to gather information.

“Are you worried about Elijah because he’d become an even bigger workaholic?” Morgana asked me once. “Well, maybe he’ll soon get distracted with the good news of Sabrina Baker.”

That definitely piqued my interest. “Sabrina, his childhood best friend?”

Morgana nodded. “Her brother Chris has been visiting France every now and then because theard that there’s someone there who could possibly be Sabrina.”

When I learned that, I was afraid it had something to do with Sophia in France. And so I hired a private investigator to dig up the details. Apparently, it had to do with a young woman named Julia Stanford. I was certainly relieved that Sophia wasn’t part of it.

But then, I wasn’t about to celebrate. Shortly thereafter I was informed that I would be working with a designer and an architect from Urban Next Design Studio, a company owned by Elijah’s friend Trevis. I remembered meeting him in Paris, and I was even ecstatic when he personally called me.

His news hit me like a blow to the stomach–I was going to be paired with Sophia Bennett for the project. It was a shock, to say the least. I couldn’t help but feel that Sophia was deliberately antagonizing me, that she was somehow still in love with Elijah and was using this opportunity to get closer to him.

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CHAPTER 36

+25 BONUS

Elijah can’t know about this. Not right now. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that Sophia was back in our lives. Would he be ppy to see her? Would he use this to try to win her back

again?

It was painful to wrap my head around the situation, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that Sophia’s presence was going to complicate things even further.

Now, as I stood inside the elevator, sizing up her appearance, I had to admit that she looked a lot more gorgeous and radiated confidence, intelligence, and professionalism like never before. She was even dressed stylishly! Gone was the plain and boring Sophia, and I hated it.

Sneering, I couldn’t help taking a jab, saying, “Oh, Sophia! I didn’t know you were such a stalker! Back for round two with Elijah, are we?” My voice dripped with sarcasm.

Sophia bristled at the remark. But before she could come up with a retort, I added, “Of all the studios to work for, you had to choose one that belonged to Elijah’s friend!”

I saw the astonishment on her face when I said that, but I knew that she was just faking it, trying to play

innocent.

“Well, don’t worry. You’ll surely be turned down again! Elijah’s too busy to pay you any attention!”

I was taken aback when she smirked and gave me a cruel smile. “Oh, you’re the one who’s actually worried that I’m back, aren’t you? After all, you’ve been pining for him forever but he still won’t give you the time of day!”

Ouch. That hit the mark. I glared at her in response. I wanted to slap that smile off her face. “That’s not true,” I replied angrily, lying through my teeth. “We’re happy together, and you can’t stand it so you’re here to ruin us again! But you won’t succeed, because you’re nobody. You’re just a startup desig get anywhere.”

“We’ll see about that,” Sophia answered smoothly and haughtily.

who won’t

I was getting really furious. I’d always thought of her as weak, but she had definitely changed after three years in France.

I was about to throw another insult at her when I noticed that the elevator wasn’t even going up. It wasn’t moving because we had been busy arguing, and no one had pressed any button.

Just then, the elevator doors opened again, making me turn in that direction. I gasped when I saw Elijah’s cold face outside, his expression unreadable. Beside him stood a strange, pretty girl, her eyes wide with

curiosity.