She turned her face away. "Excuses. Just the same old excuses men use to drink and womanize."
Ned let out a low, bitter chuckle. "Because I'm Edward James Harrington. My surname comes with this life attached—whether now or in the future, it's unavoidable. If you can't fit into it, you get eliminated. That's all there is to it."
"But—but—" Sophie struggled to find the words. "I don't understand it. I don't want to understand it. And I definitely don't want to accept it."
"You don't understand?" His voice dropped, heavy and low. "I thought you understood me better than anyone."
He looked at her steadily. "I'm the sole legitimate heir of the Harrington family. From the day I was born, I was never meant to be ordinary. Fate chose me, and I can't go against it."
"I struggled too. I didn't understand. I didn't want to accept it either. But reality taught me that I have to master this kind of 'socializing.' I have to use these methods to break into this complicated circle, to expand my network, to shoulder my father's empire."
"Maybe it sounds like another excuse, but this is how men network. Those so-called 'clean and simple' friendships aren't strong enough to hold up the intricate, ever-shifting web of favors and connections in our world."
He concluded quietly, "That's just how it is. My father lived the same way."
Sophie listened in silence, unable to respond for a long time. In her rational world, this rotten, decadent nightlife could never be forgiven. But in her emotional world, she had already been persuaded—she completely understood how hard it was for Ned. Her heart even ached for him. At only twenty years old, he carried crushing pressure at work all day, and at night he still had to drink, entertain, and wear a mask for everyone.
"Um?" Ned was caught off guard by the sudden question, then seemed to understand. A self-mocking smile curved his lips.
"As expected of the woman I love. You're too smart." After a long pause, he finally answered. "In such a short time, you've seen everything clearly and thought it all through."
"Answer me!" Sophie pressed. "Is this the gap between us? This exact difference in how we see the world? During the day you give me a princess-like fairytale, loving me, spoiling me, saying you want to be with me forever… was all of that just a carefully woven net? Is that what Lara meant?"
He pressed his lips together. "If that's what you choose to see, I have nothing to say. Tonight, I told you I was going to let you meet the other half of Ned." He instructed the driver to pull over, then turned fully toward her, facing her directly.
"So this is the other half of you?" She met his gaze, each word deliberate. "This other half only makes me feel more unworthy, blurs your image in my heart even further, and makes it impossible for me to truly know you. Because I no longer have any idea who the real you actually is!"
"So—" Ned drew a deep breath. "Are you taking back your courage? Or have I made the decision for you by tearing the net apart myself and hiding nothing from you?"
Faced with his relentless pressure, Sophie began to tremble without realizing it. A storm of conflicting emotions tangled in her mind, leaving her unsure how to respond.
Ned wrapped one hand around her tightly clenched, faintly shaking ones and pulled her into his arms with the other. "Don't run away. You already know the answer deep inside, don't you? Sophie, I saw pity and acceptance in your eyes long ago. This is you—the real you. This is the you I love. Stop running. You can't escape your true feelings."
His words struck straight to the core.
"I'm not… I'm not—" She didn't even know herself whether she was denying that she was running, or denying that she had ever looked at him with pity and understanding.
"I know you mind those women at the club," he said slowly, releasing her a little. "But they have to be there; they're necessary accessories for that kind of scene. At the same time, they come and go like running water—no one ever truly cares who they are." He explained it to her gently, patiently.
"Those women? Replaced like running water? Then what about me? Will I end up being replaced just like them one day? Or abandoned forever like Lara?" Sophie pressed, her voice trembling with urgency.
Ned suddenly shifted the topic. "I love the way you are right now, so jealous, so possessive. Love isn't a one-way street. I've given you everything I have—what about you? I've only received a tiny fraction of your love, and far more doubt and hesitation than anything else. When will you finally love me wholeheartedly, without holding anything back?"
Sophie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. No matter how fiercely she questioned him, Ned always interpreted it as proof that she loved him. She threw herself into his arms, murmuring against his chest, "Don't lie to me… don't lie to me… I've already fallen in love with you."
Hearing the most beautiful words in the world, Ned felt fireworks explode in his mind. He crushed her into his embrace—this soft, stubborn girl who was anything but tame—and sought her lips with his own, hot and urgent.
"You—" Her protest was swallowed as his mouth claimed hers.
Ned's kiss was lingering yet commanding, giving her no room to breathe. Only when the air in her lungs was nearly gone did he gently loosen the hand cradling the back of her head and begin stroking her long hair instead.
The two of them stayed pressed close, foreheads touching, saying nothing, simply savoring the lingering heat of the kiss. A faint trace of musky brandy still clung to his breath.
"This afternoon I told you to cover your ears," he whispered against her ear, voice low and husky. "Now I want you to use your senses—feel how much I love you."
"I… I want to go home. It's too late. I have an early class tomorrow," Sophie managed, her breathing still uneven.
The man holding her didn't move an inch—until she began to squirm.
Only then did Ned reluctantly release her. "I really don't want to take you home. Right now I just want to crack you open and see what's actually going on inside that head of yours."
With that, he rolled down the window and waved over the valet who had been waiting about ten meters away. The car pulled back onto the road.
Only now did Sophie's heartbeat begin to slow. It was as if she had finally returned to reality.
Everything that had happened tonight felt utterly absurd to her.