Chapter 238

Sophia lifted her face, her eyes glinting with defiance. "What if she provokes me first?"

"Avoid her."

Those two clipped words struck her heart like a hammer.

The blatant favoritism made her chest tighten.

She bit her lower lip hard, swallowing the bitterness rising in her throat. Her voice was barely audible. "Why?"

"Because she's Isabella Valentine, and you're Sophia Lowell."

The words pierced her like a sharp blade.

She forced a smile uglier than tears. "Understood. Can you let go now?"

Seeing her apparent submission, Ethan's expression softened slightly. His long fingers brushed the redness at the corner of her eye. "Stop being stubborn. Your eyes are swollen. I'll take you to the hospital."

"No need." She turned her face away. "This cheap body of mine isn't as precious as Miss Valentine's."

His grip on her chin tightened abruptly, his gaze darkening. "Don't speak in that tone."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her delicate features icy as she slapped his hand away again.

She hated her own helplessness.

If only she were stronger...

Sensing the sudden drop in temperature around him, she braced herself for the storm. Instead, she was abruptly pulled into a warm embrace.

His lips brushed lightly against her hair.

A careful, soothing gesture.

Sophia stiffened. He held her tighter, his sigh laced with exhaustion. "Enough. Let me hold you for a while."

A lump rose in her throat. She cursed herself for being so weak, so easily swayed.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breathing gradually steadying as if genuinely drained.

Moments later, he released her, insisting on taking her to the hospital.

Her phone vibrated suddenly. Sophia opened the message, her pupils contracting sharply. She shoved the screen in his face, her voice trembling. "Did you do this?"

Vivian Ashcroft had been removed from the cast.

The order came from Ethan Roscente himself.

He glanced at it indifferently, admitting calmly, "Since she clashes with Isabella, it's best they're separated."

"Why not replace Isabella instead?" Sophia's voice rose. "Vivian earned that role fairly!"

His gaze darkened. "Isabella was seriously injured. Someone has to take responsibility."

"So Vivian's career is the apology gift?" She laughed bitterly. "Isabella started the fight!"

"Those are the rules." His tone was frigid. "I warned you to stay away from her."

Sophia felt as if she'd plunged into an icy abyss, staring at him in disbelief. "So in your world, ordinary people's dreams are just toys to amuse your golden canary."