Whispers of Deceit, Echoes of Love

Chapter 19

Sophia walked through the door of her apartment, the echo of the evening with Steven still resonating in her mind. Her heart carried a subtle confusion, tangled between the warmth she felt in his presence and the unsettling reality that he was Eric's father. She dropped her keys on the table, letting her thoughts' heaviness settle. The fragrance of dinner still lingered, a mix of lingering spices that mirrored the lingering questions in her mind.

As she sank into her favorite armchair, Sophia replayed the dinner conversation in her head. Steven's words echoed particularly the part where he admitted to not finding a woman intriguing enough. A blush crept onto her cheeks as she remembered her spontaneous assumption that he might be gay, a momentary relief that dissolved into a fleeting sense of embarrassment. Sophia chided herself for letting such thoughts take root.

"I need to stop overthinking," she whispered to herself, shaking her head. "It was just a dinner, nothing more." She quickly typed a message to Steven, letting him know that she had arrived home safely.

She stretched out on her couch, scrolling through her phone. A message from Steven illuminated the screen, a simple "Goodnight, Sophia" that lingered in her thoughts. A pang of uncertainty gripped her momentarily, but she shook it off, reminding herself that it was a courteous message, nothing more.

The morning sun gently glowed through Sophia's curtains, awakening her to a new day. The previous night's emotions seemed to have settled into a pool of contemplation. She got ready for work, mechanically going through her morning routine while thoughts of Steven flickered in the background.

Arriving at her office, Sophia was met with a storm she hadn't anticipated. Emily, her former friend and the one who had taken Eric from her, stood defiantly by the front desk of her workplace, and there was no way of ignoring her. Sighing, Sophia made her way to the front desk, a smile on her face as she greeted the women there, completely ignoring Emily.

"Sophia, I don't want you near Eric. Last night should not give you any ideas," Emily declared, her words sharp and intentionally loud.

Sophia's gaze met Emily's, and she felt the weight of years of history between them. "Emily, you should discuss that with Eric, not me. I don't have any interest in Eric. That ship sailed the moment I caught you too together."

Emily's eyes narrowed, and she raised her voice even more. "He came to my house last night after leaving your place. You need to stay away. I won't let you ruin things for us."

Sophia remained calm, refusing to be dragged into the drama. "Emily, it's not my fault if Eric can't make up his mind. Besides, he was the one who followed me home, not the other way around. I really don’t care what he does, as long as it doesn’t involve me."

The commotion caught the attention of Sophia’s coworkers. If it wasn’t bad enough, her boss walked towards them at that exact moment, "What's going on here?"

Emily, unfazed, pointed an accusing finger at Sophia. "Sophia is trying to steal my boyfriend, Eric. I won't allow it!"

Sophia sighed, exchanging a glance with her boss. "Sir, it's just a misunderstanding. I have no interest in Eric. We're adults, and we can handle this without causing a scene."

The boss nodded, his expression stern. "This is a workplace, not a battleground. Keep your personal matters outside the office. I would advise you to leave these premises, young lady, before I have you escorted out."

Emily glared at Sophia for a few seconds before she stormed away.

“I thought Eric was your boyfriend?” Her boss asked her, shocked that he even knew. “Oh, don’t look so shocked; I know everything about my employees.”

Sophia shook her head, “he was, sir. But I caught him cheating with her a few days ago.”

Her boss nodded, “will she be a problem?”

“No, sir. I will handle it,” Sophia replied, giving him a tight smile.

“Do that. I don’t want drama,” her boss stated before he walked away from her.

As everyone else returned to their work, Sophia couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that lingered. She made her way to her floor and sat at her desk, lost in her thoughts, until her phone buzzed. It was a message from Steven checking in on her.

Sophia couldn't help but smile. At that moment, the drama with Emily seemed trivial. She replied, assuring Steven that she was fine, and that his message was appreciated.

“How I missed seeing your face!” Mia came towards her, hugging her from behind. “How are you, hun?”

“You missed some drama downstairs,” Sophia chuckled as she watched her friend perch on her desk. “Emily was here, screaming that I don’t harbor any feelings for Eric.”

“You are kidding!” Mia’s eyes widened.

Sophia shook her head, “Nope. Even the Bossman was there. Told her to get out or get escorted out. Why can’t they just leave me alone?”

“But wait? What makes Emily think you still have feelings for Eric?”

“Because I called her last night and told her to come get her man from my apartment. Eric was there, not letting me go on my date, and all I could think about was to have Emily come and get her problems!” Sophia shrugged.

“Date?” Mia stood up and raised her hands up in surrender, “I leave you for two days and you have so much to tell me! You and me, drinks after work to fill me up on what’s been going on. And who is this man that you have been hanging around with.” Mia walked away, pointing her finger at her as she disappeared around a corner leading to her office.

Sophia chuckled as she turned back to her work, though her mind kept going to Steven and how, in a very short time, he had been there for her and had made her feel special in a way. She remembered how attentive he had been at dinner, listening to her talk about her job, life and anything that came into mind. She had felt comfortable with him, bringing him into her life by sharing snippets of it with him. And she never felt judged by him, just heard.

Biting her lip, she reached for her phone, re-reading the message that he had sent her that morning. It was nothing fancy, just him asking if she woke up ok and wishing her a good day at the office. Her mind tried to remember when was the last time Eric sent her a message like that, just to check up on her. For the past two years, it had been her constantly reaching out first. She had planned their dates, sometimes letting their plans fall through as he had to travel or something. Thinking about it now, it might have been all because of Emily that Eric canceled their plans. They probably sat, laughing at her on how much effort she had put into keeping their romance going.

Feeling her mood darkening, she placed the phone down, took a deep breath, and got to work. Time flew by, and soon enough, Sophia and Mia were making their way downstairs, calling it a day.

“So, where are you taking me today?” Sophia asked as she juggled between her handbag, laptop, and phone while trying to fish for her keys.

“Nowhere, judging by the look on your brother’s face,” Mia mumbled as she slowed down. They were already outside the building.

Sophia frowned when she saw Seth, her brother, standing outside his car, legs crossed at the heels, arms crossed, his eyes hidden by designer sunglasses. “What the flipping lizards is he doing here? Can we act like we haven’t seen him and just go on our way?” She was in no mood to argue with her relatives.

“Too late; he has seen you and is coming over,” Mia replied. “I love you, girl, but you must deal with this alone.” Blowing kisses, Mia walked away before Seth reached her.