Chapter 479

Sophia slammed her lipstick onto the bathroom counter.

She had actually failed!

After conquering countless men over the years, she'd never met one she couldn't seduce. The colder Ethan Roscente acted, the more determined she became to have him.

"Miss Sophia?"

A black-suited bodyguard suddenly appeared at the women's restroom entrance.

She whirled around, nails digging into her palms. "Who let you in here?"

"You've offended someone you shouldn't have." The guard's expression remained impassive.

Sophia Lowell walked out of the academic building with a stack of graded papers, spotting Ethan beneath a maple tree in the distance.

He was tearing leaves apart irritably, the ground littered with shredded foliage.

"OCD acting up again?" She approached with teasing lilt.

Ethan glanced up briefly before resuming his obsessive scrubbing with antiseptic wipes, his knuckles rubbed raw.

"Filthy," he muttered with visible disgust.

Sophia couldn't suppress a laugh. She grabbed his hand and pressed a kiss to his reddened fingers. "Clean now?"

"Not enough." His eyes darkened as he suddenly pulled her into his arms.

His warm lips captured hers in a slow, melting kiss that left her breathless and limp against him when they finally parted.

"Are you insane? We're on campus!" Her cheeks burned as she pummeled his chest.

Ethan jerked his chin toward a nearby couple making out passionately beneath the trees. "They're worse."

Flustered, Sophia shoved him away and marched toward the school gates. Ethan followed at a leisurely pace, amusement curling his lips.

"After suffering such injustice, don't I deserve compensation?" He stated it like an indisputable fact.

"I just kissed you!"

"That was emotional compensation." He leaned close, breath tickling her ear. "I require physical compensation too."

Sophia considered for a moment. "Dinner then."

"Where?"

"There's this lovely tea house nearby. Their jasmine-roasted chicken has the crispiest skin and juiciest meat. The brioche with vanilla ice cream creates this perfect hot-cold contrast. Their vermicelli-wrapped shrimp has this amazing springy texture, and the stone pot tofu just melts in your—"

She rattled off the menu enthusiastically, oblivious to the increasingly predatory gleam in Ethan's eyes.