Chapter 257

"Dinner's ready. Want some?"

Ethan Roscente slumped on the couch, his face pale. His obsessive cleanliness made him shudder at the memory of accidentally eating cat food.

"What's on the menu?"

"Spaghetti with tomato sauce and crucian carp soup."

At the mention of "fish soup," Ethan's stomach churned. The image of that orange tabby and the damn cat biscuit flashed in his mind.

"Are you doing this on purpose?" His eyes narrowed dangerously.

Sophia Lowell blinked in confusion before realizing what he meant. "No! Fish soup helps with wound recovery—"

Ethan stared at her like a prosecutor scrutinizing a suspect.

She met his gaze without flinching.

"Not hungry." He turned away, rubbing his stomach.

"Seriously? Cat biscuits won’t kill you." Sophia muttered under her breath. She grabbed an orange from the fridge, peeled it, and handed it to him. "Try something sour to settle your stomach."

Ethan took it hesitantly.

In the end, Sophia devoured the entire dinner herself. Over the next two days, she diligently nursed the injured man. Surprisingly, Ethan behaved unusually well—either resting or handling work.

Even after his wound scabbed over, he showed no signs of leaving. Sophia started plotting ways to kick him out. She hid her prenatal vitamins, terrified he’d discover her pregnancy.

Worse, since the cat food incident, Ethan and Calico had become sworn enemies. The poor cat was banished to the balcony, only allowed inside when Ethan was out.

That afternoon, just as Sophia texted Ethan about dinner plans, the doorbell rang.

"Surprise!" Vivian Ashcroft stood at the doorstep, arms laden with shopping bags.

"The show’s tomorrow. Why are you here today?"

"To give you a pre-show pep talk, obviously!" Vivian tossed the bags onto the sofa. "I got a full-body treatment and even changed my nail polish three times."

Sophia handed her a glass of lemonade. "Was that necessary?"

"You naturally gorgeous people don’t get it!" Vivian gritted her teeth. "Those haters will nitpick every flaw. I need to be flawless from every angle."

"If you know they’ll attack, why agree to a live show?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Vivian suddenly lowered her voice. "Seriously, about that thing with you—"

"Don’t." Sophia cut her off. "It was Isabella—"

"That blind bastard Ethan!" Vivian exploded, snatching a cushion and pounding it furiously. "Ditching a natural beauty like you for that plastic-faced green tea bitch!"