Chapter 134

Author’s POV
Hearing Sophie’s words,Lucian West arched an eyebrow, his expression remaining perfectly composed.
Those sharp eyes of his maintained their coolly assessing gaze, as if he were facing prey not worth his concern.
“So Miss Hart wants to discuss a partnership with me?” His voice was deep, tinged with disdain.
“That’s right.” Sophie sat straight-backed, attempting to project confidence.
Lucian gave a soft snort. “And what exactly do you bring to the table, Miss Hart?”
Sophie’s gaze flicked toward the assistant standing in the corner.
Clearly one of Lucian’s trusted people, which meant there was no point in being coy. She adjusted her position, trying to take control of the conversation.
“Mr. West, if you’re not interested in working with me, then I have no reason to keep your secrets. I wonder how Serena would feel about you if she knew the truth.”
Lucian narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing through them. “Are you threatening me?”
“Mr. West, let’s not use such harsh words,” Sophie forced a casual smile. “Your special interest in Serena is already gossip around town, but the man by her side is Ryan Blackwood.”
Sophie’s words carried an unmistakable challenge. The best way to diminish one man was to compare him to a stronger one.
“If Mr. West wants to win Serena, a few business collaborations simply won’t be enough.”
Lucian gave Sophie a cold look while inwardly mocking her stupidity. He couldn’t understand how Ryan had ever been interested in such a foolish woman. Such amateur tactics, yet she dared play games with him.
When Lucian remained silent, Sophie mistook it for hesitation. She continued with her persuasion, fanning the flames.
“You’re just a little late to the game, Mr. West. I believe with the right tactics and my cooperation, we could be incredibly effective.”
“Is that so? After all this talk, what exactly do you want?” Lucian’s voice remained calm but carried an undercurrent of danger.
Sophie’s lips curled into a smile, the desire evident in her eyes. “I want Ryan.”
Lucian smiled meaningfully. “From what I understand, Miss Hart, although you and Ryan were once together, he now has no interest in you.”
Despite being called out so directly, Sophie didn’t flinch. She was well-practiced in deception and lies.
“The current situation doesn’t matter to me. If Mr. West helps me, wouldn’t we both win? Once there’s a rift between Serena and Ryan, you can make your move.”
Sophie spoke with such ease that Lucian found it almost amusing.
“Mr. West, I’ve been needing a partner, and with you, my chances would be much better. This is Ryan’s territory – fighting alone will take you considerable time. Don’t you want to expand your overseas operations?”
Lucian finally gave Sophie a proper look. Though she had misread his intentions, she was hitting all the right points. He needed to move quickly on Ryan’s turf.
“A partnership isn’t out of the question, but Miss Hart needs to prove her capabilities first.”
Sophie’s face lit up with a smile. “No problem, but Mr. West must guarantee one thing – keep that mad dog Derek from causing me trouble.”
Lucian smiled. “That’s easily arranged.”
Sophie raised her cup in a small toast to Lucian. “To a fruitful partnership, then.”
Lucian nodded, taking a sip of his coffee – his tacit agreement to this dangerous alliance.
After leaving the coffee shop, Sophie finally let out a breath. Working with Lucian was clearly dancing with a tiger, but if Derek continued causing problems, she’d lose everything she had left. The choice was clear in her mind.
“Sir, Sophie can’t be trusted, can she?” Lucian’s assistant asked quietly.
Lucian scoffed softly. “Even if she can’t be trusted, letting her irritate Ryan works in our favor.”
“Have someone keep an eye on Sophie, and warn Derek to stop bothering her.”
“And remind him I didn’t break him out so he could gamble. If he doesn’t stop, he can get out of this city. I won’t have him interfering with my plans.”
The assistant nodded. “I’ll take care of it, sir.”
Lucian waited until Ryan’s men following Sophie had left, then exited the coffee shop. Their meeting had been extremely confidential – he hadn’t even arrived in a company car.
Over the next few days, Sophie caused trouble at Blackwood Group, frequently finding excuses to see Ryan. Finally, Ryan lost patience and confronted her.
“Stop these little games. What we had is in the past. If you make Serena misunderstand our relationship again, I won’t be so considerate anymore.”
Sophie felt deflated but maintained her composure.
“Ryan, I only wanted to show I care. I never meant to make things difficult for you.”
“Don’t worry, when Serena’s around, I absolutely won’t disturb you.”
Ryan waved his hand impatiently. “Just go.”
After leaving Ryan’s office, Sophie devised another plan.
If Ryan wouldn’t budge, she’d make Serena jealous and upset instead. In any relationship, the collapse of trust was the most dangerous thing.
If their relationship was really so strong, why hadn’t they reconciled yet?
Sophie immediately called her sister Ivy, instructing her to handle a few tasks.
Ivy quickly followed her sister’s instructions, gathering some friends to visit the Dreamland jewelry studio. The group wore sunglasses and dressed impressively, making the receptionist initially mistake them for mysterious VIP clients.
“Do you have an appointment? Which designer are you here to see?” the receptionist asked politely.
“Appointment? We’re Sophie’s friends. She recommended this studio – Ryan ordered lots of jewelry here to please her, so we came to check it out.”
The leader removed her sunglasses with an arrogant flourish. She kept mentioning Sophie and dropping Ryan’s name, making sure everyone would hear.
The receptionist frowned, completely confused. “Do you actually have an appointment?”
“Are you deaf? We’re Sophie’s friends. Ryan ordered jewelry here, and we want to see it.”
“Mr. Blackwood?” The receptionist’s smile was faltering. This made no sense at all.
“I’m sorry, but Mr. Blackwood hasn’t placed any recent orders with Dreamland. Perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding?”
Ivy, standing at the back, jumped in to support the story.
“Misunderstanding? Years ago, Ryan promised my sister he’d order a unique diamond ring from this famous studio as an engagement gift.”
The receptionist’s eyes widened in disbelief. Everyone at Dreamland knew about Serena and Ryan’s relationship. How could there be such explosive history she didn’t know about?
“Don’t believe me? Look at this!”
Ivy unlocked her phone screen and thrust a photo in front of the receptionist’s face.
“See? Aren’t these two Ryan and my sister?”