Chapter 262

Sophia explained everything to Vivian before boarding.

When Vivian heard Ethan had saved Sophia's life, half her angry words died on her lips. Learning someone else would accompany Sophia on the reality show, she readily agreed.

"If that bastard dares lay a finger on you, make sure he never reproduces," Vivian warned before hanging up.

"Don't worry. I've got all the anti-assault gear you gave me. He'll regret being born."

"Call me anytime. I'm on standby 24/7."

"Got it."

The moment she hung up, Sophia met Ethan's icy gaze. A chill ran down her neck. "Wh-what?"

"Anti-assault gear?" His lips curled in a cold smile. "That's how you defend against me?"

She faltered. "A girl's gotta be careful when traveling..."

"Hmph."

That mocking sound made Sophia think he was ridiculing her.

Until security pulled out her pepper spray and stun gun during screening. The suppressed laughter around her made her wish the ground would swallow her whole. Only then did she realize that "Hmph" had been laughing at her naivety.

Fuming, Sophia added another black mark against Ethan in her mental ledger.

The bastard had definitely planned this humiliation.

Utterly despicable.

Night had fallen when their plane landed in Hong Kong.

In her hotel room, Sophia quickly unpacked before ducking into the shower. Hong Kong's night views were legendary, and she planned to explore after freshening up.

She'd just dried her hair and changed clothes when her phone rang. Seeing "Ethan Roscente" on the screen, she rolled her eyes. Nothing good ever came from his late-night calls.

On the third ring, she cleared her throat and adopted a sickly tone: "Yes, Mr. Roscente..."

Since this was a business trip as his secretary, she'd switched to formal address after landing. Ethan hadn't commented, seemingly pleased with her professionalism.

"What's wrong with your voice?" His sharp ears caught the change instantly.

Sophia fake-coughed twice. "Just a cold. Took medicine and was about to sleep..."

"Can you get up?"

The odd question confused her, but she maintained the weak act. "Probably not..."

"You're coming anyway."

The command brooked no argument.

Sophia: "???"

Normal people would tell her to rest. This capitalist monster had no humanity.

She deliberately hoarsened her voice. "Whatever you need, we can discuss over the phone. I'm really unwell..."

"Two minutes. My room."

The line went dead.