Chapter 2

Derek looked heartbroken as he turned to Eliza.

“Eliza, why are you apologizing to her?” He shifted his gaze back to me, his tone ice-cold.

“Sofia, haven’t you made enough of a scene? We grew up together, and I’ve always seen you as a sister. You’re the one getting the wrong idea. Eliza is my girlfriend now. Just how long do you plan to cling to me?”

Everything finally clicked. He had invited Eliza over today specifically so he could humiliate me in front of both our parents. Unfortunately for him, he was targeting the wrong person.

I pulled my hand back and pushed the university application materials on the table toward Julian.

“Which university do you plan to go to?”

Julian was visibly stunned for a moment, and the indicator light on his hearing aid blinked twice in a row.

He stared at my lips, making sure he hadn’t misheard me, before pursing his own. “Colombo University.”

His pronunciation wasn’t accurate, and the tail end of his voice carried a faint huskiness.

Hearing someone sneer softly, Derek laughed. “What did you say? Colombo University?”

He made it seem as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. “A guy who can’t even hear a full lecture thinks he’ll be accepted into Colombo University? Do you even know what kind of place Colombo University is? With those grades of yours, you’d be lucky to even get into a regular university.”

Julian clenched his fingers slowly.

I looked up at Derek and said, “I’ll be applying to Colombo University together with him.”

The moment those words left my mouth, Dad stood up in shock. “Sofia, stop fooling around! Derek is applying to Southwest University. How could you possibly go to Colombo University?”

Mom lowered her voice even further. “Do you know what you’re saying?”

Too irritated to argue, I just looked down.

Mrs. Hugh, however, suddenly waved her hand toward the door. “Waiter, escort Julian out. We’re having a family dinner. What is an outsider like him doing hovering around here?”

Julian’s face turned pale for a second. However, just as he held the coats and turned around to leave, I pressed down on his wrist.

“He came with me. He stays.”

Mrs. Hugh’s expression darkened. “Sofia, that’s enough. Julian is just the driver’s son, while you’re the heiress of the Roberts family. Don’t you think it’s embarrassing for you to mingle with someone like him?”

I looked at her and suddenly chuckled. “Since you find him so embarrassing, Mrs. Hugh, why do you keep him around Derek all the time? Is it because a driver’s son can only ever be an errand boy and isn’t allowed to have a life of his own?”

Mrs. Hugh’s face turned ugly.

Derek walked over to me and lowered his voice. “Sofia, don’t push your luck. Do you really think picking someone else will make me jealous? Let me tell you, even if you were the last woman left in the world, I would never have feelings for you.”

I looked up at him. “Don’t worry. Even if you were the last man left in the world, I wouldn’t have feelings for you either.”

The expression on his face froze.

With that, I pulled Julian along and left the room. Even as the sound of Derek smashing a glass echoed from behind us, I didn’t look back.

Yet, the floating comments didn’t stop.

[Why is the female side character acting so tough?]

[She must be crying her eyes out right now.]

[She must’ve taken the male side character away to try and provoke the male lead, but the male lead doesn’t seem to care at all.]

[How could Julian compare to the male lead for the female lead?]

I stopped in my tracks and turned around to glance at Julian.

“Can you hear me?”

He shook his head.

I pointed at my own lips and asked again, “Is your hearing aid broken?”

He nodded.

“Did Derek do that?”

Julian didn’t answer, but his silence was an answer in itself.

I clenched my fingers tight and led him into the elevator.