Chapter 164

Vivian kicked the suitcase, but it didn't budge.

"Leaving tomorrow?" She pouted. "It's not like I'll be gone forever."

Sophia stuffed the last piece of clothing into her bag. "You'll be filming from dawn till dusk. What's the difference between that and me living alone here?"

"Any progress on dodging Ethan?"

"His temper should've cooled by now." Sophia zipped up the backpack. "He can't possibly hunt me down for three months."

Vivian burst into laughter. "I bet Ethan's face is priceless right now."

"Getting tricked twice in a row." A faint smile touched Sophia's lips. "He's probably fuming."

"Watch out for revenge." Vivian suddenly lowered her voice. "That bastard holds grudges."

Sophia's fingers stilled.

That night, she had a nightmare. Ethan chased her with a knife, her legs heavy as lead. Just as the blade touched her back, she jolted awake.

Morning light streamed through the window.

Her morning class ended quickly. After assigning homework, Sophia hurried out of campus.

Vincent Laurent, the design director of Luming Studio, had been waiting in the café. The forty-something man in a crisp suit stood immediately when she entered.

"Nervous?" Vincent noticed her white-knuckled grip on the bag strap in the elevator.

Sophia forced a smile. "A little."

"Leave it to me." He handed her a business card. "Just nod when needed."

At a private booth on the second floor of Han Palace, Felix Roland was fuming into his phone.

"You stood me up?" He gritted his teeth. "We're not done with last night!"

The sound of rustling papers came through the line.

"In a meeting." Ethan's voice was flat.

Felix was about to curse when he spotted the waiter leading two people over. His phone nearly slipped into his teacup at the sight of the woman in a beige trench coat.

"Sophia?"

The line went dead silent.

Felix narrowed his eyes at the approaching pair. He recognized Vincent. But the woman beside him...

"How interesting." He chuckled into the phone. "Your little designer is Sophia Lowell."

The lemon slice in his teacup slowly sank to the bottom.

Twilight deepened as city lights flickered to life.

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the glittering skyline. My reflection in the glass revealed a weary face, eyes shadowed with quiet unease.

My phone lit up with a message from Assistant Lin: "Mr. Roscente, the emergency board meeting has been moved to 8 PM tonight."

My fingers hovered over the screen before I typed a reply: "Understood."

Outside, neon signs pulsed and traffic streamed past. The vibrant cityscape contrasted sharply with my mood.

Turning away, I picked up the quarterly report from my desk. The numbers were impressive, but I knew they weren’t enough.

In the descending elevator, I adjusted my cufflinks. The mirrored walls reflected my tense jawline.

The doors slid open with a soft ding.

The conference room was already full. Every head turned as I entered.

"Mr. Roscente, about the new project—"

I raised a hand to cut them off. "Data first."

The projector hummed to life, charts and graphs illuminating the screen.

Silence settled over the room.

My gaze swept the table, lingering on one empty seat.

"Director Li is absent again?"

Assistant Lin lowered his voice. "He claims he’s unwell..."

A cold smirk curled my lips as I snapped the folder shut.

"Then we’re done here."

As I stood, I caught the exchanged glances between several board members.

My phone buzzed again outside—this time, an unknown number:

"Watch your back."

I stared at the message until the screen went dark.

Night thickened.

Pausing at the building’s entrance, I looked up at the lit office on the top floor.

Someone was waiting for me there.

I knew exactly who.