Chapter20: Manipulation Tactics

Chapter 20 Sophia The phone buzzed again as I reached for it on the table and checked who was calling. It was Xenois. Perfect timing. I took a deep breath, composing myself before answering. This was my chance to turn today's meeting with Lumina to my advantage. "Hello, Xenois," I said, sounding sad and disappointed about my day. "Sophia, how are you? I wanted to check in on you and Riley. How was your day?" His voice sounded warm and concerned towards me and I felt a familiar ache in my chest.  This was the Xenois I remembered from years ago, the one who used to care about my well-being above everything else. "It was... difficult," I said as I sat down on the couch nearby and allowed exhaustion to color my next words.  "I took Riley to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner, and we ran into your wife." There was silence on the other end of the call before he spoke. "Lumina was at the store?" "Yes, with Ollie. And Xenois..." I trailed off, as if I was trying to choose my n