"Do you even know what you're playing with by behaving this way, Sophia?"
Silas's voice rent the silence in the room like an artful blade, piercing through the stale, heavy air of his study. Before him, Sophia stood rigid and closed off. His cold, calculating eyes did not budge, resting on her and weighing every response, every quiver of emotion she might show.
"I don't know what you mean?" she asked innocently, but Silas wasn't buying it.
"Spare me the innocent act, you know full well what I'm talking about," he snarled. "Your obsession with Ethan, the one-upmanship against Ayla. you're gambling on everything we fought for."
Sophia's jaw snapped shut. "I am not gambling on anything, Uncle. I'm just-
"Acting out of jealousy," he cut in, his eyes intensifying. "Do you think
