"So, are you still on the case that got you shot?"

Sofia asked as she watched Damain cut into his steak in a single, smooth motion, the blade gliding through it as though it were butter. It made her pause, wondering if the meat was simply that tender or if the strength behind that movement was something else entirely.

"It’s not like I have a choice," Damain replied with a careless shrug. "By the way, I do find it interesting."

Sofia nodded. He was an employee, not the one calling the shots. Cases were handed to him, not chosen.

"What do you find interesting about the case?" she asked, slicing into her own portion of beef.

"The case is more complex than people think. Both sides are lying about so many things. I find it intriguing, unraveling something like that," Damain said before tossing a piece of meat into his mouth.

Sofia set her cutlery down and leaned back, lifting her glass of wine for a slow sip.

"Tell me about it."

Damain raised a finger, stopping her gently. He reached for his napkin and wiped his lips, his thoughts momentarily drifting away from her and toward the food itself.

It was nearly bland.

He doubted it was the chef’s fault. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying their meals. This was something else, another subtle shift in his body as his power continued to take root.

First alcohol, now food.

Damain exhaled quietly and pushed the thought aside. This was not the moment to dwell on it. He lifted his gaze to meet Sofia’s, who waited patiently for his response.

"I’m sorry, but I can’t share those details. It’s against my work ethics," Damain said with an apologetic smile. "And besides, I didn’t come here to talk about work. I want to know more about you."

Good things take time. Bringing up anything related to work would only heighten her guard. Damain chose to play the fool instead.

He would act as though he knew nothing about her and slowly draw her in. There were still three weeks before the trial. There was no need to rush.

Sofia’s cheeks flushed, her thoughts spiraling.

She had come prepared for confrontation, ready to expose him if necessary, even ready to walk out. Yet now, everything she had assumed began to crumble. Not only did he seem unaware of her involvement, he had no interest in discussing the case at all.

’Our meeting was not a coincidence,’ Sofia concluded, her eyes lighting up with a soft excitement.

To think this man had noticed her from the very first moment.

She could not stop the warmth spreading through her.

At the same time, guilt crept in. She had judged him too quickly, branded him suspicious without giving him a chance. It was the very mindset she had always criticized, yet she had fallen into it so easily.

"I’m sorry if I crossed the line," Sofia said sincerely.

"It’s nothing," Damain replied with a charming smile that made her instinctively look away.

Even holding his gaze felt overwhelming. How could one man carry such presence so effortlessly?

"Sooo... do you buy every girl you meet a thousand dollar bouquet, or is it just me?" she asked, her voice softer now, her eyes carrying a dreamy glint.

Damain laughed, shaking his head.

"Actually, this is the first time I’ve ever bought a bouquet that large," he admitted honestly.

He had intended to pick something simple, but that arrangement had caught his eye. In the end, he had bought five. Three for his wives, one for Clara, and one for tonight.

"Oh? Then what made you pick that one?" she asked.

Damain leaned back slightly, setting his glass down.

"When we met at the café, it felt like nothing else existed around me. You completely filled my world. That was the thought I had the moment I saw those flowers," Damain said smoothly, the lie slipping from his lips as naturally as breath.

A faint haze of pink drifted from him, unseen.

[Sovereign of Lust title activated]

His eyes burned with a soft pink glow, yet Sofia saw nothing unusual. To her, there was only a man sitting across from her, speaking with sincerity, his words wrapping around her like a quiet promise.

Not a predator.

Just a man who, in her eyes, had already fallen for her.

"Really?"

She giggled, her gaze drifting toward the bouquet resting beside her. It truly did fill her view, overwhelming in both size and presence, yet what lingered more was the feeling it stirred within her.

When she had first seen his face at the café, the world had dimmed. Everything else had faded into nothingness, leaving only the two of them suspended in that fleeting moment.

To think those feelings might be returned.

Was it coincidence, or were they truly something more?

’No... thinking about it now, what if this is God’s way of helping me avenge Elena by sending me the very man meant to protect her killer?’

Her thoughts shifted, darkening beneath the surface of her smile.

In her mind, a different future began to take shape. One where she would be the one to use Damain, bending his position, his influence, to bring Delaney crashing down.

’Our meeting was truly fate!’

Sofia’s eyes sparkled with renewed intensity.

"I love it, thank you," she said, her smile radiant, almost dazzling.

Anyone watching would have thought she had just won the lottery.

"But you really shouldn’t have. The cost of this, and the date... you know what, let me cover this, okay?" she added quickly.

She knew roughly what a bouquet like that cost. Nearly two thousand dollars. Even for a junior partner, that was not something to spend so casually.

"Ooh, don’t worry about that. It’s nothing. I’m actually very wealthy. This work I do is because I enjoy it," Damain replied with a careless shrug.

His words struck her harder than expected.

"You are what?" she nearly choked on her drink, her composure cracking as surprise flooded her expression.