Chapter 3

Marcus

At my interruption, Sophie twirls her head in my direction and stiffens, her eyes growing wide as saucers. Ignoring her for a moment, I cast a malevolent glance at the man who is still holding on to her wrist. He shrinks under my intense gaze and starts backing away.

"Sorry man, didn't know she was with you," he says, letting her go and scuttling away. I watch him leave before returning my gaze to Sophie, standing like a goddess under the shifting lights. My breath hitches, heart skipping a beat as I stare at her. By the gods, she looks absolutely divine.

My eyes trace the contours of her face, the subtle play of shadows accentuating the delicate lines that define her. Her lips, parted in surprise, and filled with so much sexual allure I'm overcome with the urge to go over there, crush her against my chest, and kiss her. Instead, I drop my gaze down to her straight shoulders, her tattoo sleeve on her right arm, and delicate fingers before dragging my gaze back up to her face. The flicker of the neon lights dances in her eyes, turning the familiar shade of brown into a kaleidoscope of emotions.

Taking a deep breath, I force myself to speak. "Long time, no see, Sophie. How have you been?" My low voice has barely any emotions in it.

That seems to snap her out of her reverie as she looks around furtively, panic flaring in her eyes. "M-Marcus? What are you doing here?!" She stutters through clenched teeth, surprise and disbelief clouding her features.

"Nothing. I came to see you. Been waiting for you to step out of that office ever since I walked in." I reply, taking a step towards her.

She takes a step backward, her gaze hardening at my statement. "You followed me here!?" She mutters, her eyes glowering. "That's too bad, because I was just starting to leave." She says, walking past me.

I reach out, my fingers grazing her arm, pulling her back to me. Leveling her with a glare, I growl. "We need to talk, Sophie. I've been waiting for you," I say, my voice a low murmur, drowned in the thumping music.

I feel the tension in her muscles as she tries to pull away, the wariness etched on her features. "Why are you here, Marcus? Shouldn't you be with your fiancée?" she questions, a tremor in her voice and she glances past me, probably looking for the woman.

I lean in, the proximity igniting a quiet intensity. "Just like me, she's occupied with other matters. I came here to speak with you. Alone." Stepping away from her, I direct a calm gaze at her despite the emotions raging in my heart. In a suggestive tone, I ask, "Why don't we have a drink together?"

She seems hesitant at first but then agrees, walking back to the barstool she stood up from just moments ago. I follow after her, settling on the one next to her and ordering two glasses of whiskey. Once our drinks have been placed in front of us, I nod at the bartender, taking a sip and looking at her again, greedy eyes unable to focus elsewhere.

She's looking everywhere, her body still tense but it doesn't stop me from being fascinated by her. Just like the first time we met, I'm awestruck by her beauty. her brown shoulder-length hair that was dyed the last time I saw her, the soft line of her jaw and the graceful arch of her eyebrows show how beautifully she exists. Even though the club is loud and busy, Sophie stands out like a calm and beautiful masterpiece.

"How have you been, Sophie?" I ask, taking another sip of my whiskey as I forced my gaze to settle on her face.

"Well, I was doing fine before you showed up!" she snaps, eyes narrowing with anger. Swallowing down a chuckle, I cock my head to the side.

"That's too bad. I, on the other hand, was missing you and looking everywhere for you." My gaze lingers on her, capturing every fleeting emotion as the neon lights continue their kaleidoscopic dance on her body.

She peers at me through her lashes, her gaze distrusting. "Why would you do that?" She asks, a tinge of curiosity in them. Shrugging, I pick up my glass, twirling the cup before making to speak.

"Let's just say you left rather unceremoniously and when I woke up, I thought something bad had happened to you." A flicker of emotions crosses her face but she blinks, and it disappears, a blank expression replacing it almost instantly.

"Well, nothing did. No need to be so worried." She replies tersely. I nod, my gaze dropping to her arms and something there caught my eyes.

"You got a new tattoo... 'mijn lieveling.'?" I question and Sophie immediately reaches out to cover it, a light flush staining her cheeks as she glares at me.

"It's not about you." She murmurs, fidgeting with her arms. The sight almost brings a smile to my face. Almost.

"Of course it isn't. Why else would you tattoo the words 'my darling' on your arms?"

Her cheeks flare with color again and she opens her mouth to speak but immediately snaps it shut, directing her gaze elsewhere. Taking in a deep breath, I clench my jaw, trying to focus on the reason why I was here. Why I had been looking for her all these times?

"Why did you leave the way you did?" I suddenly ask, holding my breath as she slowly turns her head to face me, an inscrutable expression on her face.

"Am I supposed to answer that?"

"Well, I did ask the question." I mutter, keeping my gaze leveled. She bit her lower lip, turning her gaze to the glass of whiskey she had yet to touch.

"Was there a reason to stay? It was just a flimsy fling. It's not like as if we promised each other the future or anything."

"If you had waited, maybe I would have," I mumbled underneath my breath but she caught it all the same, her eyes slowly widening. I looked away from her, my expression grim. "I woke up that morning and couldn't find you anywhere, Sophie. Do you know how worried I was? We were on an island, estranged from the world. The least you could have done was leave a goodbye note."

"Are you scolding me for what happened months ago? It wasn't like you were truthful to me either. I just found out now that you are a prince!"

"Okay, we both lied to each other. But it doesn't excuse you leaving the way you did. We spent a good portion of time together. I wasn't just some stranger to you. You could have accorded me some form of respect." I argue back.

Sophie groans, running her hands through her hair and glaring at me. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you." Shooting to her feet, she picks up her bag and slings it over her shoulders. "I'd like to go home now."

"Wait... Wait, Sophie wait! We aren't done yet!" I said as I stood up after her, ready to stop her but she turns around, shooting me with a glare.

"Then why are you keeping me here? What exactly do you want!?" She asks, exasperated.

I freeze on my feet, unable to think up anything. That, I have no answer to. I honestly don't know why I was looking for her as well. But seeing her in that office, months later had unraveled so many things inside me, meeting her again felt like the only right thing to do.

"Did the night really mean nothing to you?" I found myself asking. A blunder, I know, but I can't take it back.

A flicker of emotions crosses her eyes but then she blinks, and it's gone. "It was just sex. Get over it. It was fun while it lasted, but that's it. We have different lives now. Can we focus on that?"

For some reason, her words hurt, but I can only stand there and watch her, unable to say anything because whether I want to admit it or not, she is telling the truth. We have no reason to keep seeing each other. Yet, I spent a great deal of my time looking for her everywhere, hoping to find her.

Her gaze becomes softer, and she lets out a sigh. There's a vulnerability in her gaze, a vulnerability now that tugs at the corners of my soul. "I'm going now. Don't come after me. It would be better if we just treated each other as strangers now. Nothing more."

When I show no inclination to stop her, she lets out a sad smile, "Goodbye, Marcus, or should I say, Your Highness. Let's never see each other again." With one final glance at me, she turns around and walks out of the club, leaving me in a mess of myself.

Just like the first time.