CHAPTER 96

Sophia’s POV

My breath hitched when I heard the dare they gave Elijah, and I felt a cold wave wash over me.

Is he going to do it?

Elijah and Julia exchanged a look, a flicker of something unspoken passing between them. I could feel my heart tightening in my chest, my mind racing with questions I had no answers to. Why was this affecting me so much?

Elijah broke the tense silence with a chuckle. “Oh, come on, Jenna. Julia’s like a sister to me.”

I felt the color returning to my cheeks, and my breath seemed to return to normal.

Julia's expression wavered. For a split second, I saw the hurt in her eyes before she plastered on a smile and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, totally. Like a sister… And Elijah’s always been like a brother to me because we grew up together.”

Jenna’s playful frown didn’t hide her disappointment, but she quickly recovered. “Fine, fine. But...” She was cut off by Mark, one of our more inebriated colleagues.

“Maybe our boss likes someone else, huh?” Mark slurred, nudgi