Dane''s eyebrows flickered slightly; he''d always had it in mind to get in with


    Presley, but the guy barely gave him any attention. Even when Dane handed over


    a family heirloom recipe book, all he got was a simple "thank you."


    Bringing himself back to the moment, Dane nodded and said, "But I really don''t know much."


    "No worries," Conrad replied, his hand gripping the phone in his pocket tightly, his eyes shadowed with concern.


    He hurried Dane back to Presley''s office toy out the situation, then excused himself and left.


    Conrad had just made it to the first floor and was on his way out of the lobby when he collided with Sophia, who was rushing in.


    "Are you guys finished?" Sophia asked breathlessly, her voice still catching up with her hurried pace.


    Conrad saw the anger simmering in Sophia and didn''t bother answering. Instead, he grabbed her arm and pulled her outside.


    Sophia squeezed her hand, and once they were outside, she easily shook off his hold.


    Conrad, not focusing on much else, red icily at Sophia. "You''re really ying both sides, huh? What''s in it for you to mess with me?"


    Sophia hadn''t been around earlier, but as soon as she got the message on Mirabe Messenger, she had a hunch about what went down. So Conrad''s usation didn''t throw her off.


    Sophia snorted, "Seriously? Did I tell you to swap the medicine? When you were pulling that shady stuff, did you even think about the fallout if you got caught?"


    Conrad let out a bitterugh, "Is this what it''s about? You knew this evaluation was important to me, but you still..."


    Sophia wasn''t interested in hearing Conrad''s justifications. She wasn''t there for him, so she raised a hand to cut him off, "Enough. You dug this hole yourself. No one else to me. Now, tell me, is the person who made this medicine still with the association?"


    Her office was a bit far from the association, and she''d been held up by traffic getting there.


    Conrad''s anger was all tied up in Sophia''s perceived betrayal. Her cool demeanor and questioning about someone else made him snap. He swung his hand for a hard p, no holding back, "Backstabbing traitor."


    The p was aimed tond, but Sophia intercepted by gripping Conrad''s wrist with even greater force, yanking him off bnce.


    Conrad stumbled forward, pain shooting through his wrist, forcing him to bend as his eyes met Sophia''s icy stare.


    It was freezing, like a deep winter chill.


    For the first time, Conrad was genuinely scared of this side of his cousin, both unfamiliar and intimidating.


    "All these years, I haven''t dealt with you, not because I''m scared, but because you''re not worth it, got it?" Sophia''s voice was surprisingly calm.


    Conrad shivered, unable to find his voice.


    Sophia''s lips twitched into a slight smile as someone exited through the main door. She released her cousin''s wrist, adjusted her scarf, and nodded with a friendly smile at the passerby.


    Conrad, gathering his wits, was left speechless.


    Once the people had moved on, Sophia turned her attention back to Conrad, "Can you answer my question now?"