Rise Above The Betrayal (Sophia and Tristan)

Sophia could feel the heat radiating from the palm gripping her wrist-hot enough to sear right through her skin.

That warmth seemed to crawl up her arm, spreading through her veins like wildfire until it set her whole body ablaze. Her face, in particular, was burning like an overheated radiator.

"Thanks" Tristan's deep voice broke the silence, his tone tightly controlled. Slowly, he loosened his grip, and his fingers released her wrist on

one by

UNC.

Even back when she'd spent three years shadowing Ethan, there hadn't been a single moment of physical closeness like this. And now! It was all a bit too much

for her to process.

Honestly, this

man was unfairly attractive-like he'd been crafted with the sole purpose of driving people out of their minds. A person could lose their footing with just one careless glance his way!

Sophia wasn't made of stone. There was no way she could remain completely unaffected by that level of good looks.

Snapping herself out of it, she quickly pulled her hand back and shoved a box of tissues into Tristan's hand. "Here. Wipe it off yourself. If that's not enough, ask Zach to hand over his shirt so you can change."

What Zach's eyes widened. Why was he always the one getting dragged into these things! He thought.

But still, he fully leaned into his spoiled rich kid persona in the end. Without a care for the hour, he made a call, and within minutes, someone had rushed over with a fresh outfit for Tristan.

As Tristan went to change, Sherry slung an arm around Sophia's shoulders, her delicate face lit up with a cheeky grin. "Wow darling, looks like things are heating up between you and Mr. Yeats."

Zacht and the others scooted their chairs closer, all sporting the same gleeful, trouble making expressions. That's right! Miss S, spill the teal How far have you and Mr. Yeats gotten?

Sophia sighed, exasperated. “Stop making stuff up. We're just friends.”

Still, she couldn't help thinking about how she'd practically mehed under his spell just moments ago. Taking a deep breath, she convinced herself it wain't her lack of self–control at fault. No, it was him. That man's "witchcraft” was just too strong,

"Oh please," Sherry tightened her grip around Sophia's neck and smirked, "With how red you were just now, all flustered and doe-eyed, you want me to believe you're just friends? If you weren't tempted, I'll eat my hat""

Zach and the other clicked their tongues, their grins widening. "With the tension between you and Mr. Yeats just now, saying there's nothing going on? No one would buy i

"I don't really care who's buying it, you know." Sophia glared.

But Sherry wasn't about to let it slide. She put on a mock-serious expression, dragging out her words in a sing-song tone: "Just friends, huh? The kind of friends who will announce their wedding after meeting for a couple of months!"noveldrama

She emphasized the word "friend" with enough sarcasm to power a small town. Her exaggerated expression practically begged for a slap.

Sophia sighed. She rubbed her face, feeling the beat creep back up her cheeks, and abruptly stood up. Tm going to the restroom."

If she stuck around for another minute, they'd have her walking down the aisle and naming her future kids with Tristan. She thought.

"Sweetheart, this is what they call a tactical retreat" Sherry laughed and called after her, resting her chin on her hand with a knowing smirk that screamed T've got your number."

Sophia didn't speak up. She marched out of the private room, shutting the door firmly behind her to block out the peals of laughter.

She knew her friends meant well-this was their way of lifting her spirits.

After all during the past three years, even though she'd gone out of her way to avoid them, they still

ry still moved in the same social circles.

And her tarnished reputation? That had spread through the upper crust of Vinela Like wildfire. It wasn't like they could ignore it,

, even if they

wanted to.

They never asked her about it, and she never volunteered the details, but she knew they probably thought she'd spent those years living in misery- humiliated and heartbroken.

Dreame-Read Romance.

Open

Chapter 26:

Now that she'd finally cut ties with the Stewart Family and returned to their world, they were clearly relieved.

Having someone like Tristan-a man who was practically a walking fortress of power and influence-by her side was a thousand times better than being tangled up with that lowlife, Ethan

She could tell they were just rooting for her, hoping Tristan's presence would help her I

help her leave behind the mess of her past.

After drying her hands in the restroom, Sophia checked the time. Tristan should've returned to the private room by now, freshly dressed. With himm around, her friends might actually diall back their antics a little.

She rounded a comer, heading back, when a syrupy voice floated into her ears- deliberately sweet, the kind that grated on her nerves. "Oh, fancy seeing you here, Sophia!"

Sophia looked up to see Chloe clinging to Ethan's arm, whose expression feigning innocent surprise,

Seriously? Sophia frowned and thought to herself. What cosmic joke was this? She'd come out to relax, and somehow she'd managed to bump into these two clowns.

Her lips curled into a cold smile as she gave them a once-over. "What's this? When did Mr. Ethan and Miss Chloe pick up the habit of following prople around like lost puppies? Can't seem to stay out of my way, huh?"

Without waiting for a response, she let out a derisive chuckle, brushed past them, and kept walking

Her frosty demeanor and the disdain in her gaze made Ethan's face darken. From the moment he'd spotted Sophia, his eyes had been glued to her, but she hadn't spared him so much as a glance

'she dares to ignore me? Thought Ethan. It should've been the other way around- I should've been the one looking down on her. The audacity!

"Come on, Sophia, Exhan sneered as she passed by, trying to grab her arm, "You found out I went to The Abyss, so you followed me there, entered the competition, and exposed yourself as the S-right in front of me. And now you're here, tailing me again? Everyone in Virelia knows how obsessed you are with me. Now you're playing coyt Acting like I'm the one haunting you?"

His tone was full of mockery, his eyes glining with smugness. He knew Sophia had been head over heels for him, willing to do anything to stay in his orbit. No matter how far she ran, all it would take was one beckoning gesture, and she'd come crawling back, wagging her tail.

So what if she was the "S? That didn't change the fact that she was still the Sophia who had once loved hum to the point of self-destruction

But just as his hand reached for her, Sophin stepped aside, her face a mask of disgust. The way she avoided his touch made it clear-she saw him as nothing more than a germ

Ethan almost laughed in sarcasm. Heh. Still putting on this act? He snorted. Once was clever, twice was hughable.

Standing beside him, Chloe caught the blaze in Fhan's eyes-the undeniable spark of possessive hanger as he fixated on Sophia. Her chest tightened, a pang of unease Dickering through her, though she kept her composure.

She forced her voice into something soft and demure, the perfect picture of an innocent victim. Sophia, Ethan was just being sweet and brought me here for dinner since I was starving. We didn't follow you?

Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she tibed her head, her expression turning coy and curious. "But how did you even get in here? I overheard Ethan's friends saying this place has a minimum spend of 130,000 dollars per person. Surely you didn't sneak in just to chase after Ethan, did you? That'd be so embarrassing if the staff caught you. Imagine the scene-ind ruin his reputation"

At her words, Ethan's eyes narrowed further, his tone taking on a sharp edge. "Yeah, Sophia. How did you get in?"