SOPHIA’S POV

The entire drive to Stone Manor felt painfully awkward.

I sat quietly beside Damien in the backseat while the city lights blurred outside the car windows. Neither of us spoke much after leaving Sky Manor. The tension between us felt strange now.

My wolf remained restless too, not because of Damien, but because of what I left behind.

Lance’s unfinished sentence kept replaying inside my head over and over again. The look in his eyes before Damien interrupted him had been painfully obvious.

He liked me. Maybe he more than liked me.

And honestly...that realization made me feel guilty.

I didn’t want to go to the dinner but I could never say no to George. I was doing this for him.

When we got to the estate gates, the guards opened them and Damien drove in.

When he parked, Damien stepped out first before walking around to open my door himself.

I almost refused the gesture but I was too tired to argue tonight. So, I quietly accepted his hand and stepped out.

Besides, we still had to act like a married couple.

The second we entered the manor, a loud voice echoed through the hallway immediately.

“Why are you two returning this late?!”

I blinked in surprise.

Grandpa George sat upright in the large living room chair. He was holding a walking cane. Despite looking thinner and weaker than before, his presence still carried authority naturally.

My chest softened immediately.

“Grandpa,” I greeted quietly.

His expression changed instantly after seeing me properly.

“Oh.”

The anger disappeared immediately from his face.

“There you are.” He said with a smile.

My wolf softened too.

Grandpa pointed his cane accusingly toward Damien next. “And you. Why was she still outside this late while recovering?”

Damien sighed tiredly already. “Grandpa-”

“No excuses,” Grandpa interrupted “Ashley is upstairs sick already. Now Sophia too? Is everyone in this house determined to collapse?”

The concern in his voice felt genuine. And somehow...that almost made me emotional again.

Damien walked further inside calmly while removing his coat. “Sophia wanted to leave the hospital.”

Grandpa frowned immediately before looking at me again.

“You should rest properly,” he scolded. “Young people nowadays treat their health like garbage.”

I smiled “Noted.”

Grandpa huffed dramatically. Then suddenly, his eyes shifted past me and toward the dining area nearby.

A confused expression crossed his face.

“Who’s that woman?” he asked.

I turned to see who it was.

Tasha stood near the dining room entrance speaking quietly with one of the servants. She wore an elegant silk dress tonight. Apparently she hadn’t noticed us arrive yet.

Grandpa George squinted harder. Then casually waved his hand dismissively.

“Tell the new servant not to stand around uselessly.” He said.

The entire room froze.

I blinked slowly. He thought Tasha was a servant?

Damien looked horrified immediately. “Grandpa-”

But Grandpa continued speaking irritably.

“Honestly, servants nowadays have no awareness. Why is she dressed like she’s attending a gala while doing nothing?”

I physically bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. My wolf was deeply entertained too.

Tasha finally turned after hearing the voices. The second she realized what Grandpa said, her expression completely froze.

“Excuse me?” she said.

Grandpa looked confused by her tone. “Why is the servant speaking to me like that?”

I almost lost control completely. Even Damien looked like he wanted the floor to open and swallow him alive.

“Grandpa,” Damien said carefully while rubbing his forehead tiredly. “That’s Tasha.”

Grandpa stared blankly. Then frowned deeply.

“Tasha who?”

The silence afterward became painfully awkward.

Tasha’s face flushed bright red with humiliation immediately.

My wolf practically purred with satisfaction. Honestly, after everything that happened earlier today, I couldn’t even pretend to feel bad, not even slightly.

George still waved dismissively toward her afterward.

“Well, someone should tell her standing there won’t prepare dinner.”

I turned away immediately before my laughter became obvious.

Damien shot me a warning glare instantly because he clearly noticed my expression.

Too bad.

After today’s humiliation inside Ashley’s ward, I deserved this tiny moment of satisfaction.

Tasha looked furious enough to explode.

“You cannot seriously be laughing right now,” she snapped toward me.

I calmly met her glare. “Oh? Was I?”

My wolf smirked internally.

Damien sighed “Can everyone please calm down tonight?”

Unfortunately for him... I suddenly decided I didn’t want to calm down.

Not after earlier. Not after being treated like garbage inside that hospital room while everyone defended Tasha blindly.

So instead, I slowly turned toward Grandpa George sweetly.

“Grandpa,” I said softly. “I suddenly feel hungry.”

Immediately, his attention shifted back to me fully.

“What do you want to eat?” he asked.

I looked directly at Tasha while answering calmly. “Beef Wellington.”

The room became silent instantly.

Tasha stared at me in disbelief...because everyone here knew exactly what Beef Wellington involved.

It wasn’t some quick meal. It was complicated, time-consuming, and exhausting to prepare properly, especially this late at night.

Damien frowned. “Sophia.”

I innocently tilted my head slightly. “What?”

Tasha crossed her arms furiously. “I’m not cooking that.”

Grandpa George looked annoyed “Why not?”

“Because it’s nearly ten at night!”

“So?”

Tasha stared at him speechlessly.

Meanwhile, my wolf was extremely satisfied inside me.

Petty? Maybe. Deserved? Absolutely.

Damien stepped forward “Grandpa, Sophia just returned from the hospital. She should eat something simpler.” 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“I want Beef Wellington,” I repeated calmly.

Grandpa George nodded “Then make it.”

Tasha looked ready to explode.

“I said no.” she said.

Grandpa’s expression hardened.

“Young lady, when someone sick asks for food, you prepare it.”

The irony almost made me laugh again.

Because technically... Tasha was still being treated like household staff.

Damien noticed my expression immediately afterward. His eyes narrowed slightly toward me. He knew exactly what I was doing now.

Honestly? I didn’t care.

“Sophia,” he warned quietly.

I finally looked toward him calmly. “Yes?”

Tasha looked furious while Damien looked exhausted already. Meanwhile Grandpa George seemed completely unaware of what was happening around him.

Instead, he pointed his cane impatiently toward the kitchen.

“Well? Why is nobody cooking?”

Tasha looked like she wanted to scream. Eventually, she stormed angrily toward the kitchen without another word.

The second she disappeared, I leaned back against the sofa quietly while sipping water calmly.

Before either of us could continue the conversation, the front door suddenly opened again.

My wolf immediately recognized Tiffany’s perfume before I even looked up.

Tiffany walked inside elegantly carrying several shopping bags while speaking into her phone casually. Her long dark hair fell perfectly around her shoulders.

The second she noticed us, her expression barely changed. She didn’t even acknowledge me.

She simply ended the phone call calmly before walking further inside.

Grandpa George looked confused immediately. “Who’s this one?”

The room went strangely still afterward.

Damien answered almost too quickly.

“Ashley’s tutor.” He said.

I slowly looked toward him. I stared at him in disbelief.

Tutor? Oh, this was getting interesting.

Tiffany herself looked briefly surprised too, but only for a second. Then she smoothly recovered.

Grandpa George nodded approvingly afterward while studying her appearance.

“She looks polite.” He said.

My wolf almost scoffed.

Damien’s expression softened after hearing the compliment.

And unfortunately... I noticed that immediately too. The pride on his face was obvious.

Oddly enough, the sight didn’t break my heart anymore. It just felt...distant.

Tiffany smiled toward Grandpa “Thank you, sir.”

Grandpa nodded approvingly again. “Good manners. It’s rare these days.”

Damien actually looked pleased hearing that. Meanwhile, Tiffany finally glanced toward me briefly.

Tiffany turned toward Damien.

“How’s Ashley doing?” she asked.

“She’s asleep upstairs.” Damien muttered.

“I’ll keep her company for a bit.”

Then without waiting for permission, she walked upstairs gracefully...completely ignoring me again.

Grandpa George smiled while watching Tiffany disappear upstairs.

“She seems lovely.” He said.

Damien smiled.

And for some reason...that tiny expression bothered me more than I expected.