Chapter 76

• "You look pretty. Chin up, be confident, and if we get mobbed for questions, let me handle it." Leon picks up Sophia's hand by the wrist and envelopes it in his arm, so she hooks onto him. His touch causes the same stirring of butterflies, and she swallows it down. A cozy partnering to face this busy sea of employees and press at this event. She wants to pull herself free, but she knows it's futile. He's in show mode, just like a million times in their past when they presented a happy marriage to the public eye, and it weighs heavily on her. To be back here with something so trivial.
• Sophia is tense, as far from relaxed as she can get, and is overly aware of him and his presence this evening. She's emotional and feeling raw and can't seem to pick a mood to stick with. She's swinging from upset to anger and then teetering on irritation. She has to keep reminding herself that all of this is for her own sake. Her freedom, her inheritance, her ability to find closure and put the past behind her once and for all. She can go home when this is over and live without the fear of one day being discovered. She knows that she made the right choice not to come back and finally let her feelings for this man go. Tie it all up with a bow and say so long, once and for all.
• "You've been quiet since I picked you up. Are you okay?" Leon nudges against her with his arm, bringing her out of her thoughts, and she sighs heavily. Avoiding his gaze and the way his comforting scent invades her space.