Chapter 8 - the Hidden daughter

Although Rome had swiftly removed the negative posts online, some people still gossiped behind the scenes. 

Sofia had already resigned from her job at the auction house, but she needed to stay until the end of the month to complete her handover.

That day, she overheard her colleagues talking quietly about her near the break room door.

"She's clearly married, but she didn't tell us. Maybe she's not that happy with her husband?"

Working at an auction house, they often interacted with collectors and wealthy people, so it wasn't unusual for upper class gossip to become a topic of conversation.

"They call it being low-key. One of my clients was at the bar that night and said Rome was fiercely protective of his wife! He's truly a handsome, wealthy man who dotes on her."

"You weren't even there yourself, and besides, anyone can put on a show. Marriages in wealthy families are rarely happy—they usually live separate lives," one colleague said dismissively.

"Speaking of which, I just found out Sofia is the eldest daughter of the Levine family. I thought Ruby was their only daughter, but it turns out Sofia is Mr. Levine's child from his first marriage."

This colleague sympathized with Sofia, "Doesn't that mean she holds no status at home, not even publicly acknowledged by her own father?"

"Please, her allowance in a month is more than our yearly salaries, and you're feeling sorry for her?" 

Sofia didn't want to hear any more. During her lunch break, she walked to the park across from the office and sat down.

"Here," her friendly colleague Jack found her in the park and handed her a cup of coffee.

"Thanks." Sofia accepted the coffee from him. The bitter taste of the black coffee mirrored the bitterness of hearing her colleague say, "not even publicly acknowledged by her own father."

"Are you okay? I saw you leave the office looking down, so I followed you."

"I'm fine, I'm stronger than I look." She forced a smile, trying to show she wasn't affected.

"Good. Honestly, I was shocked to hear you got married," Jack said, a brief flicker of an unreadable emotion in his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me so I could celebrate with you?"

"Sorry, I was going to, but with the job transition happening, it just..."

"I get it, no need to explain."

"Thanks." Sofia felt a little comforted, smiling as she clinked her cup with Jack's.

About ten meters away, a black car closed its windows, and a cold male voice instructed, "Head back to the office."

The driver obeyed, starting the car that had only recently parked there.

Rome opened his phone to see the message he'd sent Sofia earlier, telling her he'd be home early today, still marked as unread. His expression grew colder.

His grandfather had told him to pay more attention to his wife's emotional well-being, which is why he had come straight to her office after landing. However, it seemed like she was in a good mood, and didn't need him after all.

Even though the assistant sat in the front seat, he could clearly sense the shift in his boss's mood. Things had been fine in the morning, but a brief few minutes at his wife's office changed everything. 

While he couldn't understand the reason, he knew one thing: today, everyone at the office better tread carefully to avoid any mistakes and crossing their boss. 

It was already 6:30 PM, and it looked like another late night at work.

As Rome's phone lit up on the conference table, he glanced at it. It was a message from Sofia: "Would you like to have dinner together tonight?"

When he unlocked the phone to read it, another message popped up: "I want to thank you for helping me at the bar the other night."

The boss's focus shifted away from the meeting, causing the team to stop their report, awaiting further instructions.

Rome motioned for them to continue.

The subtle softening of his expression didn't go unnoticed, and the team members anxiously flipped through their reports, thinking they had missed something.

Once the report was over, at 6:45, Rome stood and called the meeting to an early close.

The employees exchanged looks of surprise and delight, as if they'd just hit the jackpot.

Rome replied to Sofia, "Alright, send me the restaurant address."

He told his driver to leave early for the day, opting to drive himself in another car. As he got into the car, Sofia sent him the address. It was on his way, near her office. "Did you drive today?"

"No, my car's been in for repairs these past few days."

Rome tapped his fingers on the screen, thinking for a few seconds, "Wait for me, I'll be there in 15 minutes."

Sofia stared at the message. Was he coming to pick her up? Did he even know where her office was?

Suppressing her questions, she waited for ten minutes in the office before heading out to the street. Her colleagues were also leaving, and each one shot her meaningful glances as they passed.

A black-blue McLaren pulled up in front of Sofia. She hadn't seen this car before, so she didn't think it was Rome.

Her colleagues, instead of leaving, lingered to get a look at the driver.

The door opened upward like butterfly wings, and a tall man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist stepped out, his white shirt sleeves rolled up, revealing strong forearms. He took two steps forward, and the sight of his perfect features made everyone gasp in surprise.

Rome had already spotted her colleagues from the car, which is why he deliberately got out to invite Sofia in. His grandfather had repeatedly reminded him to publicly show affection for his wife, which was important for the Beckett family's image. 

After all, a stable marriage was one way to boost the company's stock price, Rome mused.

Sofia hadn't expected it to be Rome. He usually had a driver. Before she could fully process what was happening, she was invited into the car, and Rome even fastened her seatbelt for her.

As the door closed, she heard her colleagues murmuring in awe. It seemed that, thanks to Rome, the negative gossip about her would be silenced for a while.

Sofia wasn't sure how to express her gratitude properly, but all that came out was, "Thank you."

"You've said 'thank you' enough."

If she didn't know him better, she might have thought he had deeper feelings for her just then.

Rome's grandfather had told her that when Rome was ten, his parents had both died in a car accident, which had led to his withdrawn personality. Later, having to take over the family business at a young age made him even more guarded, though he wasn't inherently cold-hearted. Given time, he would eventually open up.