"Are you really okay? That man was quite rude earlier," Hubert said, his eyes falling on Sofia's arm-still red and tender from the encounter. Concern laced his voice.

Sofia forced a small smile, trying to appear unfazed.

"I'm really fine. And... thank you for today."

Though their relationship had never been particularly close-and in truth, Sofia hadn't always treated Hubert with the respect he deserved-this time, she was genuinely grateful.

Without him, she didn't even dare to imagine how ...