Sophia’s POV:
The room seemed to shrink the moment Ivan walked in. The tension hung heavy, a palpable force that wrapped around us.
Harry’s smile remained intact but Ivan’s expression darkened with a scowl on his face as his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.
Silence stretched for a few uncomfortable seconds. Until Ivan broke through it.
“Sophia,” Ivan said with a low growl as his midnight-blue eyes bore into me. “I didn’t realize you had company.”
Involuntarily, I averted my gaze.
Harry stood up and extended his hand for a handshake. “Mr. Kozlov, a pleasure meeting you again,” he said politely as if they were old acquaintances.
Either he was dumb or he was just unbothered by the unmistakable tension in the room.
Ivan’s eyes moved from Harry’s outstretched hand to me and then back. “Mr. Harry,” he said, taking Harry’s hand into his for a handshake. And I didn’t miss the way his scowl deepened.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, feeling like a spectator in a showdown.
Ivan was the first to pull away. “What brings you here, Mr. Harry.”
Harry frowned. “Oh, I came to discuss some plans with Sophia,” He supplied.
Ivan’s eyes flickered to the file on my desk-the one Harry had given me earlier. “Plan,” he muses. “What plans?”
“You know, the one where Sophia and I pretend to be a loving couple to fool the media,” Harry replies, his voice steady and calm.
Ivan’s jaw tightened as he turned his attention to me. “We need to talk,” he said curtly, his gaze piercing.
Caught off guard by Ivan’s abruptness and rudeness. “Ivan, can’t it wait? I’m a bit busy right now, I have a guest,” I replied, attempting to keep my tone neutral even though I was uncomfortable and anxious.
Ivan’s expression darkened. “No, it can’t wait. I need to speak to you right now,” he gritted out.
My face felt hot as anger bubbled inside me. “Ivan, you can’t do this.”
Harry shifted in his seat, glancing between me and Ivan, clearly sensing the tension. “Perhaps I should step out and let-”
“No,” I said quickly. “You don’t have to leave. You’re my guest. Whatever Ivan has to say, he can say it in front of you,” I said firmly as I glared hard at Ivan.
Ivan glared at me but I refused to back down. I wasn’t going to let him get away with being disrespectful to Harry.
Ivan was the first to back down. “Fine, it also involves him so I guess it is better this way,” he said sharply, his eyes never leaving me. “I do not agree with your ridiculous plan, I have another solution.”
He wasn’t going to let this matter go and I couldn’t understand why he was hell-bent on debunking me and Harry’s plans.
“Ivan, no! I already told you, that we will push through with this,” I replied, my voice firm enough to let him know I was serious about this.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. “Why can’t you see that this is a disaster waiting to happen?”
“How is it a disaster?” I shot back, and my frustration boiled over. “You only want things to go your way!”
Ivan’s eyes flashed with exasperation.
Harry stood up from his seat. “I think we should all calm down a bit, please,” he interjected calmly. He turned to Ivan. “I think I’ll leave you both to it. I only wanted to help Sophia out and I still think my plan was a good idea.
Ivan scowled at him.
“Sophia, we can talk later when you’ve settled things here, I have a feeling you both need to talk things out and I have to be at a meeting,” Harry said calmly as he turned his attention to me.
My whole body screamed at me to tell him to stay. I didn’t want to face Ivan, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. “Okay,” I said with a nod. “I will text you later at night.”
“Alright.” He smiled at me and turned to leave.
The door clicked shut as Harry stepped out of the room.
“Do you know how rude you were being just now?” I snapped.
Seriously, how am I attracted to the arsehole.
Daddy issues. Yes that must be it, let’s blame it on that.
“Rude,” he repeated. “I simply stated my opinion on this madness.”
My hands trembled with a mix of anger and frustration. “It’s not madness. You’re just an arsehole!”
He smirked. “Everyone knows that solnyshko. That’s not news. Anyway, I came up with a better plan since you’re so concerned about the scandal.”
I scoffed. “I will do things my way, I don’t care about what silly plans you have.”
Ivan’s jaw tightened. “No,” he bit out. “I don’t want you anywhere near that man or any other man, not for a single moment at all. You’re mine and you better get used to it!”He growled.
My chest felt funny as my stomach flipped. Why was he doing this to me? Does he already know that I was falling for him? I know he’s saying this just because he’s a possessive arsehole, not because he has feelings for me or wants any relationship with me. But I wanted him to, that was my problem, even though I didn’t want to admit it.
I wanted him to want me as much as I wanted him. I wanted him to feel even a fraction of what I felt for him.
“Don’t,” I said as I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Don’t act like there is something more to this.” I paused to catch my breath. My chest felt heavy. “We don’t mean anything to each other, we just fuck. It is all meaningless so don’t do this!”
He stared at me like he was studying me, trying to know what was going on in my head. And I hoped he wouldn’t see anything.
And more importantly, he didn’t need to see how I desperately I wanted him to love me.
Because I was already in love with him.