Chapter 324

The aging apartment complex near Seattle First High School showed its years under the sunlight, with peeling paint revealing layers of time.

Most residents here were parents accompanying their children or students preparing for college entrance exams.

For Sophia's three years of high school, her mother Emily had bought this two-bedroom apartment just to give her daughter an extra thirty minutes of sleep each morning.

A red sports car screeched to a halt at the complex entrance, tires screaming against the pavement.

Vivian Ashcroft leapt out and rushed to the security booth. "Is there a resident named Emily Laurent or Sophia Lowell here?"

The guard eyed the two well-dressed young people suspiciously. "What business do you have with the residents?"

Jason Roscente yanked Vivian back before she could explain. "She's my sister," he blurted, voice urgent. "She has depression—just sent a suicide text!"

"Oh god!" The guard fumbled with the registry. "Unit 3, Apartment 502! Hurry!"

Vivian shot Jason a glare as they ran. "That's the story you went with?"

"Rather than getting interrogated for half an hour?" Jason took the stairs three at a time.

Sophia was curled under her blankets catching up on sleep when thunderous pounding jolted her awake.

Rubbing her eyes, she grabbed a brass figurine from the entryway shelf. Taking a deep breath, she yanked the door open.

Whoosh—

The figurine grazed the intruder's nose before smashing into the opposite wall with a deafening crash.

"Sophia!" Ethan Roscente wiped his face with a snarl. "Trying to become a widow already?"

Sophia's eyes widened, her pajama collar slipping to reveal one collarbone. "You...how did you find this place?"

Ethan braced his hands on his knees, gasping for air, his sweat-drenched bangs clinging to his forehead. When he looked up to see the girl standing unharmed in cartoon-print pajamas, the tension drained from his shoulders.

Then he yanked her into a crushing embrace.

The mingled scents of tobacco and sweat assaulted her senses. Sophia wrinkled her nose and shoved at his chest. "You reek!"

"Ungrateful brat." Ethan pinched her nose. "I turned Seattle upside down while you slept like a log."

Only then did Sophia notice the usually immaculate young master's wrinkled suit, bloodshot eyes, and stubbled jaw.

"You..." Her voice trembled. "Why are you really here?"

Ethan's gaze darkened as he pinned her against the wall. "What do you think?"