Chapter 19. Marcus.

"Is it just me or do you seem really close with the fashion designer?" Aida asks as I walk past her. I pause in my tracks, turning back to look at her, my heart skipping a beat at her question. I had been so deep in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed her at all in the hallways. Her back is still turned to me, but she slowly turns toward me, and I can feel my stomach tie itself into knots when I see the knowing look in her eyes even as her face remains unreadable. It immediately makes me sick, and a groan escapes my lips before I get the chance to stop it.

"What do you mean?" I ask, hating the way my voice sounds defensive.

"You know exactly what I mean," she insists, her eyes flicking towards the garden where Sophie still was, lost in her own world. My heart skips a beat at the mention of her name, and I feel a sudden tension coil in my chest, my palms growing clammy with sweat. "The two of you spend quite a bit of time together," she adds, crossing her arms.

"I do not know what you're tal