Chapter 13

• "You know me too well, Darling." That's all Sophia can manage to say without sounding strained, pushing a fake adoring smile in Leon's direction. She catches Celine's lingering look at him as he settles back into his previous position. It's a fleeting moment, less than half a second, but Sophia catches it. The undeniable appreciation and admiration for a handsome man and how his care for his wife melts Celine's heart. It makes Sophia uptight, suddenly suspicious of Celine's motives for showing up here like this, and she focuses back on the documents on her lap. Mentally chastising herself for being this foolish and acknowledging that her irrational thoughts have become a problem lately. Perhaps it's because they've become more irritable towards each other, colder and crueler of late, and Sophia feels like Leon is slipping further away.
• "I only came to hand you these. We need them processed quickly. I'm awaiting signatures to get the ball rolling. I wasn't aware Biochem was sending someone so soon when the ink hasn't been applied to the agreement yet." Sophia raises a brow at Celine, then at Leon, wondering how exactly this woman got in here when Sophia was the one dealing with their male liaison just a week ago while digging through their financial projections. Sophia doesn't have a clue who Celine is. They didn't inform her of a liaison replacement.
• "I hate to admit, but I wanted to come and introduce myself face to face. I'm recently recruited to biotech and have followed POLO's success for several years. I admire what you two have done with your company and how far it's come in such a short space of time to become an industry leader. I shamelessly came to meet in person my idol who put his company on the number one spot." Celine oozes charm with every word, and her eyes keep straying to Leon, making it clear that despite saying it's both of them, it's Leon she wanted to meet. Leon smiles back, but there's nothing in it, and it doesn't reach his eyes. Just a mere polite acknowledgment, and it makes Sophia feel a little less edgy and paranoid. If Celine had charmed Leon, Sophia thinks her current state of mind would have her ripping Celine's hair off.