Chapter 98

Vivian Ashcroft winked at her, a roguish smile playing on her lips.

"Relax, that bastard Ethan Roscente can't touch me. Attorney Lin isn't some pushover. If he dares lay a finger on me, I'll make sure he loses it."

Sophia Lowell's tense shoulders finally relaxed.

"But you..." Vivian suddenly leaned in, her gaze sharp. "Ethan let me go this easily? Don't tell me you made another deal with him?"

She tapped Sophia's forehead lightly.

"You just escaped that hellhole. Don't be stupid enough to jump back in."

Sophia turned her face away, avoiding Vivian's probing stare.

"I just cooked him a meal, that's all."

She deliberately left out the part where Ethan had held her in his arms all night, though the tips of her ears burned traitorously.

"Bullshit!" Vivian scoffed. "Ethan looked like a man who'd be satisfied with just a meal yesterday?"

She narrowed her eyes like a cat catching the scent of prey.

"Spill it. Did that bastard take advantage of you again?"

Sophia squirmed under her scrutiny and quickly changed the subject.

"It's over. More importantly, did they treat you badly in there?"

Vivian snorted and pulled out a small notebook from her bag, scribbling furiously.

"That green-tea bitch Isabella Valentine and that bastard Ethan—mark my words!"

She snapped the notebook shut, teeth clenched.

"Just wait till I get my chance. I'll show them what it means to kick someone when they're down!"

Sophia couldn't help but laugh, gently pinching Vivian's cheek.

"Come on, let's go home. I'll cook you something good."

"I want spicy fish!" Vivian's eyes lit up instantly. "The spicier, the better!"

......

The days that followed were uneventful.

Sophia never saw Ethan again, as if the man had never existed.

She shuttled between the university and her studio, her life full and peaceful.

Until that afternoon.

The moment she stepped out of the lecture hall, Sophia sensed something was wrong.

The usually bustling hallway had gone eerily quiet. Students huddled in small groups, whispering and pointing at her.

She smiled and greeted them, only to be met with averted eyes and awkward silence.

Her phone vibrated abruptly.

A colleague's message flashed on the screen: Check the campus forum!

Her heart lurched as she tapped the link.

A pinned post glared back at her with a damning title: Beauty Professor Scams Fiancé Out of Fortune, Causes His Death.

Her fingers trembled as she opened it.

The post twisted her past with Daniel Clementson into something grotesque, painting her as a gold-digger who took his family's dowry and drove him to his death.

The worst part was the comments section, already exploding with vitriol.

How can someone like her teach?

I heard she dumped him for a rich guy.

The university needs to take action!

Sophia bit her lip until it hurt, her vision swimming.

The venomous words coiled around her like serpents, choking the air from her lungs.