Chapter 4

Alex quickly handed her a tissue.

Finally managing to suppress her coughing fit, Sora waved her hand dismissively. "What do you mean, 'grab dinner'? It was just two parties at Bella's house that I happened to be invited to. He probably doesn't even remember me."

Yeah, he didn't remember.

That night, the look in Julian's eyes had been completely foreign. He had looked at her like she was a total stranger.

"True. It's a damn shame such a drop-dead gorgeous man was completely whipped for Bella. He didn't even spare a second glance for a stunner like me. Oh, right, did he end up marrying Bella?" Ally asked.

Sora threw her hands up, an exasperated expression crossing her face. "How should I know? I told you, we aren't close."

They probably... most likely... got married, right?

Sora could still vividly remember him screaming into his phone at Bella, utterly frantic and furious: "If you don't come right now, I'm going to find a random woman!"

And then, he had grabbed Sora, who just happened to be standing right in front of him. "Spend the night with me. One hundred thousand. Deal?"

...

A hundred grand wasn't her price. It was merely the collateral damage of his lover's spat with Bella.

She was the literal definition of cannon fodder.

"Honestly, if I didn't know how head-over-heels Julian was for Bella, I'd seriously suspect Leo was his son. Look at Leo's nose and eyes... Tsk tsk, he's basically a carbon copy of that handsome bastard," Ally muttered, almost talking to herself.

Sora started coughing again.

This time, she couldn't stop, no matter how hard she tried.

Like all the other gossip, the topic of Julian quickly vanished amidst the clinking of glasses and loud music.

Using the excuse that it would be too hard to catch a cab if it got much later, Sora said her early goodbyes.

Ally didn't try to make her stay. Instead, she kicked Alex under the table. Alex hurriedly stood up. "I'll drive you."

"No need. You've been drinking. It's better if you don't drive," Sora declined with a wave of her hand.

"I have a bad stomach, so I don't drink alcohol. I've just been having juice," Alex explained with a warm smile. He picked up his suit jacket from the back of the sofa and looked at her invitingly.

Since he put it that way, it would be rude for Sora to refuse again.

She bid the group a final farewell and walked out with Alex.

When they reached the entrance of the bar, Alex asked her to wait a moment while he brought the car around.

Sora gave a soft "Oh" and leaned idly against the wall.

The night breeze made the buzz from the alcohol feel both intoxicating and restless. She raised a hand to massage her temples. But when she lowered her arm, a figure had suddenly appeared in front of her out of nowhere.

A handsome face, mere inches away. Julian.

"Excuse me, is this the Left Bank Bar?" The man stopped mid-sentence, his brow furrowing instantly. "It's you?"

Sora was slightly taken aback. She froze for a second before turning her face away, replying indifferently, "Yes. This is the Left Bank."

"You left in such a hurry this morning, I didn't get the chance to ask... What is the meaning of this?" He pulled a yellowed check from his coat pocket, his piercing gaze locked intensely on her.

"Sora!" Right at that moment, Alex pulled up to the front of the bar in his car. He rolled down the window and called out to her.

"Overnight fees, obviously. I'm sorry, my ride is here. Excuse me, sir," Sora answered calmly. She shoved past the man blocking her path and walked straight toward Alex.

"I didn't expect you to still be such a slut. Do you get blackout drunk at a bar every night just to take a different man home?" The man—Julian—asked, his deep voice dripping with pure ice from behind her.

Swallowing her emotions, Sora ignored him completely and continued her long strides toward Alex. Alex had stepped out of the car to open the door for her, glancing over at Julian in confusion. "Who was that? He looks a bit familiar..."

Just then, Sora's foot slipped on her high heels. Alex instantly snapped his attention back to her, reaching out to catch her by the waist. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Let's just get in," Sora said, gripping his arm to steady herself.

Alex nodded.

Julian stood rooted to the spot, watching helplessly as she slipped into the obscenely expensive silver sports car. From his angle, their little physical interaction just now looked undeniably intimate.

So, they really were involved in that kind of relationship. He hadn't been overthinking it.

Sora.

Sora.

You really are as insatiable as ever.