Her Divorce, His Downfall (Sophia and Damian) novel Chapter 163

Chapter 163 Welcome–Home Dinner

Just as Julian was about to part Sophia’s lips, the sharp splash of stone hitting water cut through the silence. Sophia snapped back to reality as if waking from a dream. The daze in her eyes gave way to sheer panic. She shoved Julian away, shrank back, and looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

Julian studied her slightly swollen lips and felt a warm sweetness bloom in his chest. He straightened up and lifted his gaze toward the shadows, his eyes turning ice–cold in a silent standoff with Damian across the distance.

Before long, a servant approached and bowed respectfully. “Mr. Hall, Mrs. Hall, Madam Hall has requested your presence in the main hall immediately.”

The deferential tone clearly pleased Julian. The corner of his mouth curved upward ever so slightly.

Sophia’s face went scarlet. She couldn’t believe she’d just kissed Damian’s uncle Julian. The whole thing felt surreal.

For a split second, she genuinely wondered if she’d been body–snatched.

She kept her eyes down, too flustered to look at him. Fyen the 34

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も

Julian noticed and casually draped his arm around Sophia’s

shoulders, giving her a reassuring pat. He nodded at the servant. “Got it. We’re on our way.”

The two of them rose together and walked side by side toward the main hall of the Hall Residence.

Sophia didn’t look back, but an uneasy feeling crept over her. She could swear she felt a gaze as cold as a snake’s, locked onto her back.

Damian watched their figures grow smaller in the distance. The violent red had faded from his eyes, leaving only a bone–deep, venomous chill.

He turned and headed back to his own quarters, called for Kevin to bandage his palm, changed into a tailored black suit, and made his way to the main hall.

Tonight was his first day out of the hospital. The Hall family had thrown a welcome–home dinner in his honor,

This was an occasion he couldn’t avoid, and one he’d been waiting for.

The main hall was already awash in warm light, a stark contrast

the cold darkness by the lake just moments ago, as they11:34

were two entirely different worlds.

A lavish chandelier cast its brilliant glow over the room, where glasses clinked and laughter filled the air.

Everyone was present except Bruce, the senior patriarch, who had other business to attend to.

Julian walked in with Sophia on his arm. The moment they sat down, a few pairs of probing eyes turned their way.

A short while later, Damian pushed open the door and stepped in.

He stood tall, and the tailored black suit made his presence feel even more cold and imposing.

His frigid gaze swept across the room before landing, almost involuntarily, on Sophia’s slightly swollen lips.

The ugly emotions he’d just forced down came roiling back to the surface.

Damian said nothing. He just stared at her, his eyes harboring something no one else in the room could decipher.

Sophia’s skin prickled under his stare. A growing unease twisted in her gut, and she instinctively ducked her head, gripped by a guilt she couldn’t explain.

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She had no idea why she felt guilty. But one look at the obsession in Damian’s eyes, that unhinged possessiveness, and every instinct told her not to meet his gaze.

Eleanor sat at the head of the table, watching the entire exchange play out.

Her heart clenched. She was terrified Damian would do something reckless and offend Julian’s fiancée.

She waved him over quickly, her smile warm and her tone soothing. “Damian, we’re just glad you’re home from the hospital. Come, sit down. We’ve been waiting for you.”

Damian pulled his gaze away. Expressionless, he walked over and took his seat without a word. The oppressive energy radiating off him made everyone at the table afraid to breathe.

Theodore tried to lighten the mood. He poured Damian a glass of water and smiled. “Now that you’re out of the hospital, focus on getting your strength back. And once you’re feeling up to it, you can start helping out with family matters.”

The words had barely left his mouth when Damian looked up. His gaze landed on Sophia again, and his voice came low and heavy. “I came back today because I have something to announce.”

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“Damian, tonight is the Hall family’s welcome–home dinner for you…”

Before he could finish, Eleanor jumped in, already assuming Damian was about to cause another scene over Sophia. She cut him off, her voice sharp and stern.

“You cannot lose your temper again. You cannot keep mistaking Julian’s fiancée for Sophia. Do you understand?”

Eleanor had her own calculations. Julian’s fiancée bore a striking resemblance to her most beloved granddaughter–in–law, Sophia, but the woman herself had denied it outright.

The Hall family couldn’t keep hounding someone into admitting they were a dead woman just because the resemblance stung.

What worried her more was the possibility of Damian clashing with Julian again, and the Hall family tearing itself apart over someone named “Sophia.”

Damian’s face darkened, and he fell silent again.

His younger cousin, Barry Hall, risked a quick glance at him from the next seat, and the ice in Damian’s eyes hit him like a slap. His spine went stiff, and the comforting words he’d prepared died in his throat.

Gatherine leaned over and patted his hand, keeping her voice:35

low and gentle.

“Damian, sweetheart, I know losing Sophia has been hard on you. Ms. Fitzgerald looks like her, but she isn’t her. Please, just let it go. Stop fighting with Julian. Can you do that for me?”