Chapter 104

Sophia frowned at her phone screen. The constant ping of notifications shattered the midnight silence.

She opened the alerts and discovered someone was furiously liking her old social media posts. From her most recent update all the way back to photos from two years ago—almost nothing was spared.

"Who has this much free time?" she muttered under her breath.

Clicking on the profile, she found an unfamiliar account. No name, just a solid black avatar. Among her recent friend additions, only a few students came to mind.

"Could it be one of those bored students...?"

The likes kept coming. Sophia had enough. She quickly changed her privacy settings to show posts from only the last three days.

Finally, her phone fell silent.

Then, a new message popped up.

Momo: "???"

Sophia replied with a question mark, typing rapidly. "Who is this?"

Momo: "Your man!"

She nearly dropped her phone. Gritting her teeth, she typed back. "Ethan Roscente?"

A video call request flashed on the screen. The ringtone pierced the quiet of her bedroom.

Flustered, she hit accept. Ethan’s sharp, chiseled face instantly filled the display.

"Ah!" Sophia gasped, reflexively flipping the phone face-down onto the sheets.

"Sophia." His deep voice rumbled through the speaker. "Are you avoiding me?"

"No," she lied. "I’m going to sleep."

"Pick up the phone." His tone was commanding. "Let me see you."

"Not happening."

"Why not?" Ethan chuckled. "There’s nothing on you I haven’t seen before."

Sophia inhaled sharply. "Ethan."

"Hmm?"

"Do you know what you sound like right now?"

"What?"

"A creepy stalker." She enunciated each word. "Digging through years of my posts in the middle of the night."

Silence stretched on the other end.

"I missed you," he said suddenly, his voice so low it seemed to vibrate from his chest. "Wanted to see what you looked like back then."

Her heartbeat stuttered.

"You—" She opened her mouth but couldn’t find the right words.

"Pick up the phone," he repeated, softer this time. "Just one look."

Hesitating, she slowly lifted the phone to face level.

Ethan’s image reappeared—wearing a robe, collar slightly open to reveal his collarbone. His gaze burned, as if it could sear through the screen.

"Happy now?" She averted her eyes.

He studied her for a long moment before suddenly smiling. "You’re blushing."

"I am not!" she snapped, though her cheeks grew hotter.

"Get some rest." His voice gentled. "See you tomorrow."

The call ended abruptly. Sophia stared at the darkened screen, her pulse refusing to calm.