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"Cousin?"
"Ethan's your cousin?!"
I never dreamed I would sleep with a guy four years younger than me—let alone my ex's cousin.
No wonder Ethan looked at me like that last night.
"You're saying you slept with Ethan's cousin,the one studying abroad?"
"How was I supposed to know he was the one serving drinks?I thought he was a waiter...I even tried to pay him..."
My bestie gaped at me."What waiter wears a Brioni jacket?"
Brioni,an$80,000 coat.
My head throbbed,temples pulsing.
My phone wouldn't stop buzzing—texts flodded in, from Ethan,from Lucas.
I was a mess.
"What if I just ran away?"
"Lucas is the only son of the Hayes family,right?And they're not ones to mess around.they have strict rules,Sophie,if they find out a “bad girl'like you slept with their precious heir,what do you think they'll do?"
I didn't know their reaction,but I was terrified.
Strict rules?
Last night's Lucas didn't seem like he came from strict upbringing.
Was he so intense because he had been repressed too long?
My eyes fell on my phone's screen.
"Girl,you're not gonna ghost me after getting what you wanted,are you?"
"If you don't take responsibility,I'll tell my cousin."
This was insane.
If I'd known he was Ethan’s relative,I'd never have gone anywhere near him!
"But you and Ethan are something else.He's with your half-sister,and you're with his cousin."
My bestie showed me her phone, smiling.
It was Ethan's Instagram.
Two hands interlocked,fingers entwined.The silver ring I gave him was gone,replaced by a couple's ring.
"Lucky to meet you."
Chloe Evans,probably my arch enemy.
My parents had married not because of love, but because they were a match in social status.
In their second year,my mom found out my dad had a mistress.
That mistress had a daughter a year younger than me.
My mom,a fiercely competitive woman,pushed me to excel—top grades,endless extracurriculars—just to outshine the mistress’s daughter and win back my dad's heart.
This drama wasn't uncommon among the rich.
But my mom was different.She took her own life.
She couldn't stand sharing a bed with a man who betrayed her.
She jumped down from the roof.
I was eight.
What does an eight-year-old understand?
When she died,I was almost relieved—no more tutoring,no more pressure.
But the people who gossiped about our family behind our backs hugged me,crying,"Poor Sophie."
"Your mom loved you so much."
Loved me?
If she loved me,why abandon me?
Why leave me alone?
I didn't shed a tear.
They called me a heartless little creature.
That was when Ethan showed up.
Hands in his pockets,he stood in front of me.
"What's with the act?Bunch of phonies.You'd think it was their mom who died."
Rude,arrogant,reckless—that was Ethan.
If my life was a monotonous machine,Ethan was the smallest,most unremarkable screw.
Because he was a free soul,living however he pleased.
He reached out,flashing a bold grin."You've got guts.I like that."
At that moment,my heart raced.
I felt like I was alive again.
My dad summoned me home for a family dinner.
The moment I walked in,an ashtray flew at me.
"Getting wilder,huh?You dare hit your sister out there?"
I dodged too late,a cut slicing my cheek.The smell of blood filled my nose.
I touched my stinging face,smiling."So,Father,you're saying I can hit her at home?"
"You insolent brat!Is this how your mother raised you?"
"You forgot,Father.My mom's long dead."
I sat expressionless in the farthest corner.
My dad trembled with rage.Chloe rushed over to pat his back.
"Dad,don't be mad.Sophie didn't mean it..."
"I don't care if she meant it!As long as I'm in this house,she won't get a chance to run wild!"
"Apologize to your sister!"
The table was laden with dishes,half of them seafood—Chloe's favorite.
I'm allergic to seafood.
"Apologize?Why?She seduced Ethan,and I can't call it out?Father,you know that to the Carters I’m the only Reed heiress,right?"
His face paled instantly.
Even if Ethan liked Chloe now,she was the mistress's daughter.Riches valued reputation above all.
The Carters would never let Ethan marry someone so"beneath"them.
Even if this house had no place for me,I was still the one true Reed heiress.
Just then,the doorbell rang.
The maid opened it,revealing Ethan leaning casually against the frame in a tracksuit.
Chloe's eyes lit up."Ethan!"
She scampered over,practically clinging to him,shooting me a smug look.
I wanted to bolt,but Ethan grabbed me.
"I'm here for you."
