Sophia Sullivan and Ethan Sullivan had just reached the door of the third-floor room when familiar voices drifted out from inside.
"Miss Sullivan is downstairs. You'll see her soon," Julian Roscente said, flipping through the auction list with a harmless smile.
"Our recent meetings were all arranged by the families. Please bear with me, Miss Robinson."
"Hmph. As if I care to see you."
"Are you angry, Miss Robinson?"
"Yes. After this banquet, I'm throwing you into international waters so I don't have to see your face every day."
Isabella Robinson was in the middle of berating Julian when she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure outside the window. Her face instantly brightened. "Ningning, darling! You're finally here!"
Sophia pushed the door open and waved at her.
"Isabella, it's been a while."
Both had been busy lately, leaving little time to meet.
Ethan, recognizing their close bond, turned to Julian. "Let them catch up. I need to talk to you about something."
"Go, go!" Isabella stuck her tongue out at Julian before happily linking arms with Sophia. "Ningning and I are going to the banquet. You two can do whatever you want."
Before Sophia could react, Isabella had already pulled her away.
Only when they were far from the private room did Isabella finally vent. "That Julian is insufferable. Why can't he just reject the arranged marriage? Instead, he keeps inviting me to dinners and sending gifts like it's some grand gesture..."
Sophia caught the key detail.
"You've been going on dates recently?"
Isabella quickly defended herself. "Only because I was forced!"
Sophia couldn't help but laugh.
Isabella had never been one to do anything against her will.
Even when faced with family pressure for an arranged marriage, she had outright refused for months. But now, it seemed things with Julian had taken an unexpected turn.
Sophia mused, "What do you think of Julian?"
"He's a fox wearing a mask!"
Once started, Isabella couldn’t stop.
"Aside from being ridiculously good-looking and fit, he’s completely useless. Can you believe it? He doesn’t even eat spicy food!"
To her, that was practically a crime.
Sophia smirked. "Seems like you know him pretty well."
Isabella realized she’d been tricked into revealing too much and playfully reached to tickle her. "Oh, you’re teasing me now?"
"I surrender! Stop!"
Sophia raised her hands in defeat, but Isabella wasn’t letting her off so easily.
"Enough about me. What’s going on with you and Ethan?"
"We’re just friends."
Sophia’s mind flashed back to the last time Ethan had pressed her about their relationship.
She had called them nothing more than business partners, and the next thing she knew, he had kissed her.
That kiss had been intense—dangerous, even.
In the haze of it all, they’d made a bet. The memory alone was enough to give her a headache.
Isabella grinned knowingly. "Friends don’t kiss. I saw it clearly—Ethan’s lip was busted. Someone must’ve bitten him."
With her experience in romance, she recognized the signs all too well.
"Darling, you can’t fool me. A man like Ethan, who keeps everyone at arm’s length—only you could get that close."
Isabella had done her research on Ethan.
He was disciplined, powerful, and leagues above that scumbag Liam Winston.
But ever since her divorce, Sophia had been playing the field.
Isabella patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Don’t worry, I won’t say a word. You’re young—you should experience a few men before settling down."
Sophia sighed. "There’s no future for us."
A fling was one thing, but marriage? Impossible.
After her failed marriage, Sophia knew better than anyone that marriage meant responsibility—far more complicated than dating.
The Sullivan family was old money. They’d never accept an orphan as their daughter-in-law. And their personalities were too similar.
They both carried too many secrets.
Secrets meant danger.
For people like them, the push-and-pull of attraction was just a temporary high.
To truly intertwine their lives, they’d either have to let go of the past or uncover each other’s secrets.
That bet of theirs was nothing more than mutual testing.
Isabella shrugged. "Who cares about the future? Just enjoy the moment."
Sophia paused, glancing up at the crescent moon in the sky.
"Maybe."
After her divorce, her heart had become barren.
Maybe one day, someone would come along who could make her open up again.
But she wasn’t sure if she’d ever dare to gamble on love again.