Her Divorce, His Downfall (Sophia and Damian) novel Chapter 165

Chapter 165 Beat Me to Death Again

Sophia’s brows drew tight. Her body went rigid.

She had a feeling that whatever Damian was about to announce had something to do with her.

Whatever he said could become leverage she could use. So she couldn’t afford to panic.

Julian noticed and instinctively tightened his grip on her hand, sending a silent signal. “Don’t worry, let it play out.”

Damian gazed down at Julian and Sophia. Their faces gave nothing away, but their hands were locked together. Something twisted in his chest, and a bitter sting crept up behind his eyes.

Just a little longer, Sophia. It would all be over soon.

When it was, no one would be able to keep them apart.

He clenched his jaw, met the stares head–on without a shred of hesitation, and said it word by word. “I’m going to get engaged to Isabelle.”

“What?!”

A sharp gasp cut through the air, and the room erupted. 1/6

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‘atherine shot to her feet, her face white with disbelief, her voice haking with shock and panic.

Damian, have you lost your mind? You want to marry Isabelle? hat spoiled, reckless troublemaker? Do you have any idea what änd of reputation she has?

And everyone knows how her mother Rhea climbed her way up. If you get engaged to her, where does that leave the Hall family’s dignity?”

Samuel Hall, Damian’s older cousin, furrowed his brow deeply. His expression was stern, his voice grave.

“Damian, marriage is not something you treat as a joke. You know exactly what Isabelle is like. Spoiled rotten, no skills to speak of. She nearly got herself killed racing Sebastian and

broke half her ribs.

“You put her in the executive office at Veridian, and her rookie mistakes kept driving clients away. A woman like that isn’t worthy of you. You’re throwing yourself into a fire pit.”

Theodore set down his glass. His usual indifference gave way to genuine confusion, and his deep voice filled the room,

“Damian, I get it. Losing Sophia gutted you. But that’s no reason to give up on yourself and settle for worse. Sure, the Anderson family is a decent enough match for the Halls, but Isabelle? Alb36

she knows how to do is cause problems.

“If you get engaged to her, you’re signing up for a lifetime of headaches. And honestly, Sophia was brilliant. Classy, well–read, the whole package. If you turn around and marry her trainwreck of a sister, people are gonna say Damian Hall’s standards fell off a cliff.”

“Let them try saying that to my face, Theodore.” A flash of menace cut through Damian’s eyes. His smile was sharp enough to draw blood.

“I’ll make sure they get their fill of laughing. All at once.”

“Damian!” Eleanor watched his cavalier attitude and slammed her palm on the table, her face livid.

“Are you finished with this nonsense? With her character, with her background, Isabelle has no business setting foot in this family. I will never allow you to marry her. If you go through with this engagement, I… I’ll disown you!”

Eleanor prized the Hall family’s reputation and the character of its members above all else, Someone like Isabelle represented everything she despised and refused to accept.

Sensing the tension rippling through Sophia’s body, Julian slid a warm drink in front of her.

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He took her cold hand, pressed it gently against the side of the cup, and covered it with his own, letting the warmth seep into her fingertips. “There. That should warm you up.”

Sophia looked up at him. Her lips trembled faintly, but her smile was soft. “Thanks, Julian. I’m okay.”

Julian ruffled her hair. What he feared most was this girl getting hurt. Seeing her so composed, he finally let himself relax.

Damian’s aura plummeted to sub–zero. A dull ache spread through his chest. Every instinct screamed at him to charge over and pull her back to his side, but he couldn’t make a move. Not yet.

Watching Sophia smile so gently at Julian made Damian feel like every drop of blood in his body was turning cold.

Part of him wanted to flip the entire table over. If he couldn’t have a good time, then nobody should.

To hell with this dinner. Nobody was eating.

Every second they spent together was a slow execution for him.

A blunt blade cutting through flesh, killing without spilling a single visible drop of blood.

The agony was driving him to the edge of madness.

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