Too Late She Already Married Mr. Right (Sophia) novel Chapter 23

The two guards hesitated, their reluctance clear as they glanced at each other, unwilling to move against Sophia.

They both knew Sophia was a regular presence in the R&D lab.

They’d seen her working alongside the senior researchers countless times. The accusation that she’d stolen intellectual property was unbelievable to anyone who actually knew her work.

But after Linda was fired for defending her, the remaining staff kept their mouths shut. They all had families to support and couldn’t risk losing their well-paying positions.

Sophia held Lucas’s gaze, tears of humiliation bright in her eyes, but something inside her had gone cold and still.

“I’ll do it myself. Just leave them alone,” Sophia declared, forcing back her tears as she ripped off her lab coat and flung it to the floor at Lucas’s feet.

Lucas watched, startled by her defiance.

Then she reached for her jacket, and then the thin shirt beneath it, her movements mechanical. All emotion had drained from her face, even the shame in her eyes replaced by hollow resignation.

When she reached for her bra clasp, Lucas finally erupted. “Out! All of you, get out now!” he roared.

The staff didn’t need to be told twice. They kept their eyes firmly fixed on the floor as they hurried out, giving Sophia’s near-naked form a wide berth.

In three long strides, Lucas was across the room. Shrugging out of his tailored jacket, he draped it over her shoulders, his movements sharp with anger as he pulled the fabric closed.

“What was the meaning of that little performance?” he demanded.

A possessive, blinding rage seized him. The sight of her exposed skin, meant for his eyes only, being witnessed by others was an intolerable violation. The urge to shake her was overwhelming.

Sophia didn’t even flinch. She met his stormy gaze with chilling calm. “Well? Are you satisfied now? Or shall I finish what I started?”

“Why must you always be so stubborn?” he bit out. “Is showing a little humility really so impossible for you?”

The order to search her was nothing but a bluff. It was a reaction to the terrifying sensation that she was slipping completely beyond his grasp.

To him, the truth was simple-she was his. He believed her every thought and loyalty should belong to him

In the silence that followed, a cold dread gripped Lucas’s heart. He had the distinct and terrifying feeling that he was losing her for good.

“Fine. If you hate marketing so much, then you can be my personal secretary,” he offered, his voice softening into a coaxing tone.

Emily, who had been watching from the sidelines, was taken aback. She had wanted to force Sophia out of the company entirely, not hand her a position that would keep her at Lucas’s side day in and day out.

“Use your head, Lucas. A secretary is privy to every one of your secrets,” Sophia shot back.

Her words gave him pause.

Unmoved by her scornful laugh, he offered flatly, “Then you could just leave the company and be my wife. You know my family is expecting an heir. Once you’ve recovered, we can start the IVF process.”

It hit Sophia then how masterful Lucas was at the act of pretending all was well.

She was stunned by the audacity of his suggestion that she simply return to the gilded cage of their marriage. He truly seemed to expect her to play the role of the happy little wife, content to be trapped at home and bear his children.