Chapter 12

Sophia couldn't take her eyes off what was before her. Indeed the ring was beautiful. It matched perfectly what she was looking for. Actually, Oliver have a good taste she recognized but didn't said that out loud thought. She couldn't allow the man to boast more about himself.

_"So what do you think about this one?" Asked Oliver impatiently, not wanting to wait more time for her answer.

_"Well, it is pretty nice." Sophia replied trying to appear nonchalant as possible, not wanting to show her love... adoration for the ring before her.

_"it is simple yet elegant." She added.

_"Well, can we see take a closer look to it?" Asked Oliver to the man.

_"Of course!" Replied the man with excitement and hurriedly, took the ring out the vitrine.

Sophia took the ring and looked closer to it, if in the vitrine Sophia has thought the ring was beautiful, closer , in her hand, the ring was beyond beautiful. She was totally in love with it.

Cedric, the seller give them the details about the ring, that the stone on it was a blue sapphire, what Sophia loved the most. She tried it on her finger and it matches perfectly her size! As if the ring was made especially for her!

She couldn't deny it anymore, her expressions was showing her happiness all other her face. She wants it or not, she's got to admit that Oliver did a great job!

_"You really are found of the ring that I found as I see." Oliver told to Sophia, showing off his victory.

_"Yes, thank you...it is really beautiful." Sophia said truthfully, looking Oliver eye in eye and smiling to him.

That response got Oliver off his guard. He didn't expect her to respond him like that...and the look in her eyes...that was something he's never seen in any woman that he has ever met...they held so much honesty.

_"Well...hum..hum, what did you expect? I only have good taste!"

_"So can we go now that you have your ring?" He tried to change the subject.

_"We still need to find Our wedding rings."

_"Didn't we just found it?"

_"This is not a wedding ring, this is an engagement ring!"

_"ohh...okey."

Then, they began searching for the wedding rings but then, Sophia realize that she didn't know much about her future husband. She didn't have the chance to spend much time with him to learn more. Everytime they were supposed to be together, there is always something that stop him. Well, he avoided her on purpose but she didn't know that. So when the seller asked her about her soon to be husband's finger size, she felt embarrassed. It was so obvious that she didn't know nothing about it.

She approached Oliver, hopping that he will know it.

_"By any chance, do you know Anthony's size?" She asked him timidly.

_"Well, I don't know his size..." Upon hearing that, Sophia felt a little discouraged, she didn't want to bother him with that nor calling his mother about such a basic thing.

_"...but we has almost the same size." Added Oliver. That has enlighten her mood instantly.

The problem of the size was then settled, the just have to search for the design. As for the engagement ring, it took Sophia to find the right ring but this time, it was her who found it and not Oliver. Sophia made Oliver tried the ring to see if it could fit Anthony's ring finger and it fitted perfectly his finger!

Sophia was so happy that she could found the rings. Just at that time, Sophia's phone rang. She searched for it in her purse and answered the call.

_" Hi Mrs Ambrose." Replied Sophia calmly.

_"Hello dear...so have you found the rings?" Asked Immediately Emilia too impatient and excited to know.

_"Yes, I've got the rings." Answered Sophia with happiness.

_"Well, that is great... comme here and show me them." Asked Mrs Ambrose excited as a little child eager to know what was wrapped beyond a gift wrap.

_"Alright, I will come there!" Accepted Sophia. Feeling the excitement of Mrs Ambrose trough the phone she couldn't refuse at all plus she didn't have much to do.

_"Then see you soon!" And with that Mrs Ambrose hang up the phone.

_"That was Anthony's mother." Explained Sophia to Oliver. She didn't need to give a report to him but with the help that he had offered her for the day, that was the least of courtesy.

_"She asked me to see her and show her the rings." Sophia continued. It was a way for her to say that she had to go.

_"So you got what you wanted from me and now you ditch me." Oliver complained dramatically, faking a sad face. Oliver loved teasing the poor girl, he found it funny to se her reactions almost every time she would fall in his game.

_"Not, it is not that..." Sophia replied nervously "... Anthony's mother asked me to come over ... That is why i have to go." Explained nervoulsy, afraid that Oliver would be mad at her.

The poor girl fall again in his game. Oliver was amused to see how inocent the girl was, he has never seen someone like her, full of honesty in whatever she was doing not like the girls he was used to interact with who calculated every single action that they were doing.

_"Chill girl...I was just teasing you you Know." He reassured and at the same time laughed at her.

_"You can go talk to your soon to be mother in law, I'll be fine." He winked at her.

_"Thank you, next time I'll pay you lunch to thank you for everything that you do today." She promised him full of gratitude because if it wasn't him, she wouldn't have found the rings.

_"You owe me a lunch then!" Oliver accepted with joy.

_"Now, let me bring you back to Anthony, and you too will go to his mom together."

_"Let's go!"

And with that, Sophia payed the bill got out of the store and came to join Anthony.

Anthony was still in his office, finishing some works when Oliver and Sophia arrived.

Sophia knocked on the door and Anthony let them in.

Anthony wondered why was Sophia still there but didn't voice it out loud.

"Are you still working " Asked Oliver to Anthony.

"Yes." Was all Anthony said. He didn't want to talk more because Sophia was there.

"Will it be long?" Asked again Oliver, full aware that his friend was not happy at all and he could guess why.

"No."

"Well, then, we'll wait for you here and you will accompany Sophia to see mama Emilia." He said nonchalantly, as if what he said was the most normal thing.

"What?" Anthony questioned angrily.

"Your mother asked me to come see her to show her the rings." Explained Sophia so that he can understand them.

"Couldn't you just go there on your own? Don't you already know the way?" Anthony responded rudely to her. He didn't even asked to look at the rings. It irritated him how sticky the girl before him was even though he avoid her.

"Wow man...how rude of you." Oliver tried to ease the tension in the room. "...is that how you talk to your fiance...tsk tsk tsk...I don't recall teaching you that." He joked even though he was perfectly aware that Anthony was in no mood to joke.

Anthony didn't say anything though the urge to murder his best friend was there. If a gaze could kill, Oliver would be six feet under the ground! But then, it was not the first time that he would annoy Anthony, he was used to it.

Sophia on the other side didn't know what has she done wrong to make him angry. She even started to remark that the man was always angry at her yet she didn't know why...well, from their last conversation, she got an idea of what the man thought of her but didn't know where this man man search that, what has she done to make him think like that.

Anthony didn't say anything anymore. It looked like his best friend was determined to annoy him so he let it be.

Finally, he finished his work, Anthony proposed Oliver to come with them since it has been a long time that his mother hadn't saw Oliver. Oliver was like a son to Emilia, Oliver and Anthony was friends since their childhood and whenever Oliver's mom couldn't take care of him, Emilia would gladly watch over him.

Oliver got in his car and he almost forced Anthony and Sophia to be in the same car. Sophia was seated on the passenger's side of Anthony's car. Seeing an another woman seated next to him in the car was so odd for him. And for Sophia, for some reason, she felt nervous. It was the first time fore here that she and Anthony was so close. She was hot from tenseness and her hand was sweating. She didn't know what to say nor what to do. She just stayed still.

The car was filed with an uncomfortable silence. Gathering her courage, Sophia broke the silence and talked first.

_"Would you want to see the rings that Oliver and I bought?" She asked him with a quiet yet audible voice.

However, Anthony didn't give a mind. She then stayed silent for a moment before speaking again.

_"There was a lot of rings in the jewel store but luckily, Oliver and I found the perfect ring for us."

Sophia was just trying to make things work between them, she wanted their relationship to work even though it was an arranged marriage. A wedding was important to her so her soon to be husband is. For her, Anthony was the man that she will live with for the rest of her life so it was important that they have a good relation otherwise it won't work. They needed to learn about each other, to learn to be together. She was willing to do everything that it takes to make their relation work and whatever Anthony thought about her, she was willing to show him that she was not kind of a girl that he thought she is. Any relationship won't work if any of the party aren't willing to make it work and aren't putting efforts in it. Of course, both of the party needs put their energy in it but one of them have got to start it.

_"Look at this one" she showed to Anthony his ring. "Do you like it?"

Anhtony didn't look at the ring yet he assumed that it was one of those extravagant and show off ring. Anthony was annoyed of the girl and to make her stop talking, he said that the ring was fine even though he didn't even look at it.

It was dark when they reached the Ambrose's mansion. Emilia has already prepared a dinner for them.

While getting out of the car, Sophia get her dressed traped by the car's door. She tried to pull it off but but she couldn't, the car was already looked. Anthony saw her struggling with her dress and went to open the door but she pulled the dress so hard that it was ripped. She lost her balance and was going to fail but Anthony catched her quickly preventing her to fall on the ground.

That was the first time that Anthony would hold her. She felt his strong firm body pressed against her back, his big hand holding her little hip that provoked butterflies in her stomach. She felt weird, she felt so comfortable in his arm, she felt warm. Trough that action, she knew that despite his coldness, Anthony was a good person, caring for others otherwise he would have just let her fall. And that though made her smile inside of her.