Rise Above The Betrayal (Sophia and Tristan)

The three senior executives sa

isat in stunned silence, exchanging glances as they held the candidate profiles in their hands.

When Sophia reached the door, they finally snapped out of it. One of them hurried after her and hesitantly asked. "Miss Roscente... Weren't you given full authority over this process?

was in charge of the interviews. Now that I've handed over the selected candidates, my work's done. Is there a problem? Sophia cast a sidelong glance at him. her tone calm yet firm

That single look sent a chill down the man's spine,

Sophia looked barely in her early twenties, yet there was something undeniably intimidating about her.

That feeling. It reminded him of the times he had stood before Lukas.

The man swallowed hard, suddenly losing the nerve to press further about the interviews. Instead, he cautiously asked. Then... um... Miss Boscente, we'll be so honored to work with you. When do you plan to start?

Sophia hadn't actually considered that question before.

She remained silent for a moment before shaking her head. "I have no plans to join,"

There were too many things waiting for her-things she needed to take care of

She had already lost three years, and now she had to make up for all that wasted time.

Besides, with Lukas and Allen around, she knew the business was in good hands.

Edward had misunderstood her intentions, assuming she was hesitant to join because of Xandra, thinking her pride had been wounded. But that wasn't the case at all.

The only reason Sophia had taken on this task was because she was already here-helping Lukas along the way was just convenient. Plus, she wanted to repay the love that both Edward and Lukas had given her.

Now that her job was done, it was time to leave.

Once she got back, Sophia planned to have an open and honest conversation with Edward. She needed to make it clear that Xandra wasn't even a factor in her decisions.

So, as for joining the company? Not necessary.

The guy was momentarily dumbfounded. "Huh? You're not joining! But... Miss Roscente, aren't you supposed to be the new General Manager of the Clothing Department?"

As far as he knew, Lukas had personally appointed Sophia as the chief examiner for this recruitment process. He also recalled that Sophia had absolute decision- making power over the Clothing Department to the point where even Kaia, the department's director, had to step aside for her.

who ha

On top of that, Sophia had dismissed Brody Hughes, a man who had been with the company for over twenty years, without hesitation. Her decisiveness and authority were unmistakable.

With that level of power, how could she not be joining?

"Im not Sophia replied flatly. "Other than Mr. Hughes, who was dismissed, the rest of the Clothing Deparment remains unchanged" With that, she turned and walked

out of f the interview room.

The three men were left holding the profiles, exchanging bewildered glances.

"Who exactly is this Miss Hoscente?" they muttered.

From the way she spoke, it was obvious-she had never intended to join the Roscente Group at all.

That was baffling. This was THE Rosenie Group-one of the most sought-after companies, where people would do anything to get in.

Yet, she had been offered a top management position at such a young age-an opportunity most could only dream of. And still, she wasn't interested.

They thought back to everything that had happened today

Looking at aw, she had approached the whole thing as if it

And now, like

were just a gate for her.

now, like a child who had finished playing, she simply dusted off her hands and

left.

Ja

She acted as if the Roscente Group was nothing more than her personal playground.

But what unsettled the executives the most was the undeniable fact-Sophia was extraordinarily talented.

Her design skills were exceptional, and her keen sense of fashion was unparalleled.

If she had stayed in the Rosernte Group's Clothing Department, their entire division would have soared to new heights.

was a great loss for them. They had been so nervous in front of her that they could barely speak clearly-let alone find the words to convince her

to stay.

With a collective sigh, they gathered the selected candidates' files and stepped out of the interview room.

The moment they did, they spotted someone waiting outside.

It was Patrick. He had left earlier, but at some point, he had returned. Now, he stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning casually against the wall His lips curled into a warm smile, but his raised brows carried a hint of mockery. There was a cold, biting sarcasm in his gaze.

The three executives felt their hearts lurch. "Mr. Roscente.

Regret instantly sank in. Instead of leaving with Patrick earlier, they had stayed behind, staying with Sophia in the interview room. Now they feared Patrick had come back to settle the score.

If they had known Sophia had no intention of joining the Roscente Group, maybe just maybe they would have made a different choice and followed Patrick out But it was too late for regrets.

"You done?" Patrick's smile widened.

The three stiffened. "Y-yes"

Patrick extended a hand. "Good work. Now I need the selected candidates' files."

"Uh, well.." They hesitated. Hiring decisions were supposed to be their responsibility.

Patrick arched a brow, a dark glint flashing in his eyes. "Hmm? Is there a problem

"N-no! Of course not!" None of them dared to offend Patrick

They immediately handed over the three files respectfully.

After leaving the Clothing Department, Sophia headed straight to Lukas's office

As the CEO of a large group, Lukas was swamped with back-to-back meetings. When she arrived, he was still tied up in one

Sophia called Carl over. "I won't wait for Lukas. I've finalized the candidates for the interviews. When he gets back, make sure he has dinner-and send me a picture as proof."

Carl nodded rapidly. "Roger, Mission accepted?"

Just as Sophia stepped out of Lukas's office, her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen-Tristan.

The moment she picked up, a deep, magnetic voice came through the line. "My dear fiancée, are you done with work?"

Sophia narrowed her eyes... You didn't plant spies in the Roscente Group, did you?"

She had just wrapped up, and his call came at the perfect moment. The timing was too suspicious.

Alary chuckle drifted through the phone, low and rich with an electric

ic buzz that sent a tingling sensation straight to her eardrums.

Just admit it, babe, you and I.. we share a special connection," said Tristan.

That deep, velvety voice-it wasn't just her ears that tingled. The sensation seemed to spread all the way to Sophia's heart.

dy traced the edge of her phone "Then, take a guess. What am I thinking about right now?

Her finger almendly trac

Hon. "Tristans low hum was deep and seductive, laced with an irresistible allure. "You're thinking about... me?

1:02 PM ct c

Sophia swallowed hard.

Her cheeks felt warm, and she could practically picture the way Tristan looked when he said that.

Pressing her lips together, she forced herself to sound calm. "Wrong answer."

Tristan let out a low chuckle. He picked up on her attempt to sound calm-the slight tension in her voice had given her away.

His laughter deepened, rich and magnetic, pulling her in like an invisible force. I wasn't being clear. What I meant was... right now, you're definitely thinking about having dinner with me.

1. h. Tll give you half a point I AM hungry now."

Sophia's long, dark lashes fluttered slightly as she let out a small cough. Til

Im waiting outside the Roscente Group. Come down, Tristan said with a soft

laugh.

Sophia's bright eyes lit up. "You're already downstairs!"

There was a hint of excitement in her voice-something she didn't even noticenoveldrama

herself.

Tristan's deep, husky voice carried a smile. "Mmhmm. In order to have dinner with

my very busy fiancée, I had no choice but to stake out the area and wait

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