Chapter 97
“No! That’s not it!” I exclaimed, waving my hands wildly before marching forward.
I turned around only to shoot Soren a series of pointed looks.
Please, God, let Richard not be the one driving that car that evening!
Soren hesitated for a moment before finally asking, “You’ve seen Ritchie lately, haven’t you?”
I wanted to disappear right then and there.
Know what? Let’s just get straight to the point. “D–Did Mr. Rockefeller tell you anything?”
Soren pressed his lips into a thin line, a look of awkwardness flickering across his face. “You mean… uh, you telling Edward we’ve had sex–many times–that night?”
I felt the ground tilt beneath me and nearly toppled over.
Soren grabbed my arm just in time to steady me.
My entire body burned with humiliation, and I immediately pulled my hand away as soon as I found my footing. “Okay, okay! I can explain! I… I was so mad at Edward that I made things up on the spot that evening!” I babbled. “‘ I didn’t know your friend would be there! I didn’t expect him to overhear!”
Why, oh why, did I say those things?
Soren sighed, looking resigned. “Don’t worry. I already figured out why you said it. But Ritchie had no clue, so he immediately called me, asking if we’d been… intimate.
“Then he told me that ‘this woman‘ claimed I was really good in bed. God, I was so confused.”
Aaah! Kill me now! Just let me melt into the floor!
“I asked him where he got that nonsense from,” Soren said, his cheeks tinged with pink. “And he said ‘the woman ‘told him herself. I couldn’t believe it! But now… I guess he wasn’t lying, huh?”
His bashfulness deepened, but I caught a hint of amusement glimmering in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Kenway! I didn’t… I wasn’t thinking!”
I wanted to sink to the bottom of the ocean, but I also owed him an explanation–I couldn’t vanish just yet.
“That day was my birthday, remember? I celebrated it at my grandmother’s place, and Edward showed up. I kicked him out, but he refused to leave. He just waited nearby!
“When I was finally heading to my car, he came out and started harassing me.
“You know how he stalked my place all night, right? He kept ranting about that.
“Since you were with me for a long time that day, he jumped to the conclusion that we must have been having sex.
I took a deep breath, my face aflame. “Nothing happened between us, of course, but he wouldn’t stop insisting.
“I got so furious that I decided to play along and make up even more stuff to crush his hopes of reconciliation. I just wanted him to leave me alone!”
I scratched my head, trying to gather my thoughts. “Then, as I got into my car, I noticed someone in the vehicle
+25 BONUS
Chapter 97
parked next to mine.
“I panicked! But I told myself, ‘This is just a random stranger. You don’t know him.‘
“When the car drove past me, I caught a glimpse of the license plate. It was easy to remember, and now… it turns out it belongs to your friend.”
Soren listened patiently with a smirk.
“Ah, so that’s what happened! Coincidence after coincidence,” he remarked, nodding.
“Still, you did more than just punish Edward, you know. You kinda… did a number on my reputation,” he added pointedly.
I blinked, horrified. “What?! How?”
Soren chuckled helplessly, running a hand through his hair. “Ritchie hasn’t stopped laughing at me since. He keeps joking that I got tricked into sex and then refused to admit I was ‘deflowered.‘ It’s… well, it’s been a lot.” He shook his head with a wry smile as if resigned to the permanent damage to his reputation.
I stared at him in horror. “W–What?! Oh no… What do we do? Should I tell Mr. Rockefeller the truth?”
