Chapter 417

Zachary Evans, the ever-meddling assistant, clamped his mouth shut with a pout.

He secretly pulled out his phone, double-checking the video message he'd sent Sophia Lowell. Three days had passed, yet the chat remained eerily silent.

Had it gotten buried under other notifications?

Refusing to accept defeat, Zachary sent a cutesy sticker her way.

The screen stayed lit, but no reply came. He heaved a dramatic sigh, his face crumpling in despair.

This was it. His favorite ship was sinking.

Two messages ignored—clearly, Miss Lowell wanted nothing to do with Ethan Roscente.

The CEO's love life was doomed.

"One more sigh and you're getting off this plane," Ethan snapped, cutting off Zachary's fourth lament.

A flight attendant glided over with a polite reminder. "Sir, we're preparing for takeoff. Please power down your electronic devices—"

Zachary reluctantly pocketed his phone, shooting Ethan a look of profound pity.

By the time the CEO returned from his month-long business trip, Sophia would probably forget his face.

Ethan frowned at the bizarre sympathy. "???"

Unbeknownst to them, Sophia hadn't ignored the message intentionally. Just as she reached to open it, her calico cat launched itself at her arm.

Thunk.

The phone arced gracefully through the air before plunging into her foot-soaking basin.

The screen flickered twice... then died.

Sophia and the calico stared at each other.

"..."

"Meow!"

Realizing its crime, the cat bolted into hiding.

Sophia fished out the dripping device, her brow furrowed.

This was the second phone to meet a watery grave.

The foot soak contained medicinal herbs from Vivian Valdemar's prenatal care package. The dark brown liquid reeked of pungent herbs, the scent now embedded in her phone.

Vivian had delivered the pregnancy-safe herbal blend yesterday. Who knew its first use would end in tragedy?

Too irritated to continue soaking her feet, Sophia cleaned up and retreated to bed early.

The ceiling became a movie screen, replaying every moment with Ethan. She yanked the covers over her head in frustration.

Whether his wedding got postponed or not—it didn't concern her.

With 110 miles between them, plus Isabella Valentine and that sweet-faced girl keeping him company, time would erase everything.

Her focus now? Work steadily, save for the baby. Once her child arrived, it would be a fresh start.

Everything in New York would fade into distant memory.