169 “Jealous, Mr. Stone?”


    In the morning, Sophia felt a strong reluctance to leave thefort of their bed. She was nestled


    against Alexander, finding sce in his embrace, unwilling to part from him.


    As her phone emitted a new message notification, Sophia reached for it with a begrudging scowl, not


    wanting to disturb their moment of intimacy.


    “Stay here,” Alexander murmured, pulling her back into his arms. ” Whatever it is can wait.”


    “What if they’ve kidnapped someone again?” Sophia joked, a yful smirk gracing her lips.


    ga “I don’t like how this is bing a routine for us,” Alexander grumbled sleepily.


    Sophia chuckled as she extricated herself from his embrace and nced at her phone. Benjamin’s


    message shed on the screen.


    “I’m thinking of visiting our childhood homes. Do you want toe with me?” the message read.


    Sophia read it aloud, noting Alexander’s furrowed brow.


    “No,” he responded curtly.


    “Why not?” Sophia countered, turning to face him.


    “I’m not letting you go. We’re spending the rest of our lives in this bed.”


    Sophiaughed and shook her head.


    “Alex, I want to uncover the secrets my grandfather has been hiding. I haven’t pieced the puzzle


    together yet.”


    “Alright, then I’lle with you.”


    “Don’t you have work?” Sophia asked. ” Plus, Benjamin and I haven’t seen each other in ages, and you


    two don’t exactly get along.”


    Alexander pondered for a moment. He hadn’t been entirely focused on his dutiestely, and Sophia


    was right about him needing to be present at the office. However, the thought of her traveling with


    Benjamin made him uneasy.


    “Should you really be going with him?”


    “Jealous, Mr. Stone?” Sophia teased, a yful glint in her eyes.


    “I don’t like the idea of you being away from me with another man. Call it jealousy if you must.”


    “He’s my childhood friend,” Sophia protested. “He would never…”


    “What, Sophia?” Alexander raised an eyebrow. “Because I know what I would do with you when it’s just


    the two of us.


    “And what’s that?” Sophia countered, teasingly.


    Alexander’s gaze darkened with desire at the challenge. He pulled her back into bed, looming over her


    as he pinned her arms above her head.


    “Let me show you exactly what I mean.


    And without further ado, Alexander silenced her with a passionate kiss, igniting a fire between them


    that consumed all other thoughts and worries.


    *


    The next day, Sophia found herself at the airport with Benjamin. While Alexander wasn’t exactly thrilled


    about her traveling with him yet, he had stopped protesting. Deep down, he understood the importance


    of Sophia uncovering her grandfather’s secrets.


    “Are you excited, Sophia?” Benjamin asked as they made their way through the terminal. “It’s been


    ages since I’ve been home.”


    “Me too,” Sophia admitted. “I feel like there’s so much to explore in that house, I don’t even know where


    to start.


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    “And we definitely need to grab some of those ice creams we used to devour from the neighborhood


    store.”


    “Do you think it’s still open?” Sophia chuckled.


    “It better be, or I’ll be devastated,” Benjamin replied with a grin.


    Sophia nodded in agreement as they approached their gate. Before boarding the ne, Benjamin


    suggested they take a picture tomemorate the journey.


    “Sure,” Sophia agreed with a smile.


    Pulling out his phone, Benjamin quickly pulled Sophia close for a selfie. Sophia was taken aback by


    how tightly he held her, but she brushed it off as his excitement.


    After snapping the picture, Benjamin released her and Sophia boarded the ne. As she settled into


    her seat, Benjamin lingered behind.


    It was no coincidence that he had invited Sophia on this trip. The rumors about Alexander and Sophia’s


    rtionship still bothered him, and he had decided to take matters into his own hands.


    Sending the photo to Alexander with a text, Benjamin wrote:


    “Don’t we make a cute pair?”


    Once he caught up with Sophia at the gate, Benjamin suggested, “It wouldn’t hurt to switch off our


    phones.”


    “I’ll just put it on airne mode,” Sophia suggested.


    “It’s safer to have itpletely off. Plus, I want to have some uninterrupted conversation with you. It’s


    been too long since we caught up,” Benjamin insisted.


    Sophia agreed, and they powered down their phones before settling into their seats for the flight.


    As the ne took off, Sophia couldn’t shake off a sense of unease. Benjamin seemed unusually eager


    about this trip, and his behavior, particrly his insistence on turning off their phones, left her feeling


    slightly wary. However, she pushed aside her concerns, attributing them to pre-flight jitters.


    During the flight, Benjamin engaged Sophia in animated conversation, reminiscing about their


    childhood memories and discussing their ns for exploring Sophia’s ancestral home. Despite her


    initial reservations, Sophia found herself gradually rxing in Benjamin’spany, enjoying the


    nostalgia of their shared past.


    On the other side, Alexander was looking at the picture Benjamin had sent him. He was clutching the


    phone until his knuckles turned white. He tries to call Sophia only to find that her phone is switched off.