"Come on, I'm taking you to the hospital to get that taken care of." Ned pulled Sophie to the car, opened the passenger door for her, and after she got in, drove toward the university hospital.
"Don't go to the university hospital. I'm afraid we'll run into nurses I know there; they'll tell my mom." Sophie pleaded, almost begging.
Ned froze for a second, then immediately headed to a private clinic he knew well. The director there was a doctor who had long provided medical care for aristocratic families; they were on very close terms, and he was extremely discreet.
After her facial injuries were cleaned and treated, Ned drove slowly through the streets, aimlessly cruising.
Sophie glanced at him faintly. "This afternoon, Lara's parents came to see me."
"I figured." His eyes darkened a little. "Your face… that was Aunt Isabella, right? Why did they come looking for you?"
"No one approves of us being together," she said softly. "And for the record, it was Professor Cadogan who hit me."
Ned's eyes narrowed slightly, then he replied in an icy tone, "So what? Her parents have nothing to do with us."
"In this world, as long as you know someone, you can never be completely unconnected," Sophie closed her eyes. "People have feelings. Even if you don't care, it still hurts. Lara was once my best friend at university, after all."
"What exactly did they say to you?" Ned asked.
"They told me Lara is sick… that she's even started hurting herself."
"And?" Ned turned to glance at Sophie. "So now you've changed your mind and want to hand me over to her?"
Sophie lifted her head and let out a slow breath. "I don't want her to be sick. Don't twist my words."
"Her being sick isn't your fault. Stop taking all the blame onto yourself." Ned reached over with his left hand and squeezed Sophie's right hand. "She's the one who's stuck in her own dead-end thinking and overreaching. Who else can she blame?"
Sophie gazed at him, then asked, "If it were you, could you really be completely indifferent to whether someone who used to be your friend lived or died?"
"Should I care whether she lives or dies?" He kept his eyes on the road ahead, answering with chilling calm. "I don't care at all, okay?"
"You sound so cruel, so heartless." Sophie fell silent.
"Don't you have anyone or anything you care about? You're always this calm. Sometimes I feel like I'm dating a robot."
"Hahaha—" Ned let out a long, teasing laugh.
"Of course I care about someone!" He pulled the car into a quiet alley and stopped. "Sophie, you care so much about Lara… but do you care about me? Do you love me?"
Sophie's face instantly flushed crimson, her breathing shallow. She was terrified that the secret she'd buried deepest inside would be dragged out by him. "Of course I care about you."
"Then do you love me?" He leaned down, his low, husky voice tempting her.
"Say you love me. I want to hear it right now." He wouldn't let her off, practically pinning her against the window.
Sophie gasped, a strange ache swelling in her chest.
Ned's lips were already pressed against her pale neck, lingering, unwilling to leave. "Say you love me. That's all I want to hear tonight. If you don't, I'm not letting you go." His murmured words were wicked, yet his movements were practiced and smooth.
Sophie was completely flustered. This kind of intimacy between a man and a woman… it was truly her first time facing it.
"Are you going to say it or not? Come on." He lightly nipped the skin on her neck, sending a sharp sting through her, then slowly started trailing lower.
Sophie's heart nearly stopped. "I'll say it, I'll say it—just let go of me first…"
He instantly released her, looking at her calmly, his eyes hazy with desire.
He was waiting for her to speak. If she didn't, he was ready to "attack" again.
Sophie lowered her gaze, fidgeting for ages before finally whispering in a tiny, rushed voice, "I love you!"
A glint flashed in Ned's eyes, and the smile on his face grew wider and wider. "What did you say? I didn't catch that," he drawled leisurely.
"Don't bully me! I already said it!" Sophie, who had been holding her breath, suddenly lifted her head, her cheeks flaming red.
"Bully you? I haven't even started yet!" Ned raised an eyebrow, then let out a low, suggestive chuckle.
"You—you— I'm ignoring you!" Of course Sophie understood the double meaning in his words.
Ned pressed his lips gently against hers and said in a low, husky voice, "Say it one more time—this time right into my ear. Otherwise, I'm really going to start bullying you…"
The moment the words left his mouth, his lips began wandering near her earlobe. The sudden intimacy overwhelmed Sophie; her whole body went soft as she clung to him, breathing heavily into his ear.
She had no idea what to say—only that her heart was racing wildly from his teasing, completely lost in him.
"Tell me you love me, Sophie," Ned murmured, his deep, slow voice echoing against her ear.
Her misty eyes narrowed as if pulled by him. She held him tighter and, in a soft whisper, let the three words slip out: "I love you."
Hearing her confession, Ned broke into a delighted grin like a child who'd just been handed candy. "Sophie, I love you too! You're absolutely perfect!"
He kissed her sweetly, deeply, until both of them were breathless. Only then did he gently pull away. They stayed wrapped in each other's arms, catching their breath, letting the wild heartbeat slowly calm.
After a while, Ned started the car to take Sophie back to her little apartment.
"I'll let you off the hook for today," he teased. "We'll continue next time."
"I've no idea what you're talking about!" Sophie replied, a little puzzled. "Aren't we supposed to go have dinner first? It's almost six."
"I already have plans tonight," Ned explained simply. "There's an energy-sector M&A deal. Dad and I are meeting some congressmen from the Department of Energy and the Commerce Department for dinner to discuss it. The deal will probably kick off officially early next year and take four or five years to close. We need to stay on top of it from the very beginning."
"So I'll drop you home first, then head back to freshen up and change before the dinner."
Sophie nodded in understanding. She sat quietly in the passenger seat, gazing out at the snowy streets where snow had begun to fall again.
Thanks to the skillful doctor earlier, the swelling on her cheek had gone down considerably; it barely hurt anymore and even felt a little cool, just like her mood at this moment, calm, soft, and strangely content.
The humiliation Lara's parents had inflicted on Sophie that afternoon seemed to miraculously heal under Ned's tender comfort. A warm glow spread through her chest; the power of love had pulled her deep into the mire, yet she was perfectly willing—eager, even—to keep sinking.
When Victoria saw her son coming home so early, she was surprised. "You're back this early today?"
Curious, she followed him to his room. Her brows knitted the moment she saw him changing clothes, clearly preparing to head out again.
"You're going out again? You just came home to change and leave?"
"I have plans. I won't be eating at home," Ned said, fastening the last button on his shirt.
"It's almost seven. You're going out for dinner now? And you specially came back just to change?" Victoria narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you're going on a date. With that insufferable Sophie Davies again?"
Ned remained silent, tying his tie and slipping into his suit jacket.
"Answer me!" Victoria's voice rose.
"Don't worry," Ned replied coolly, casually selecting a pair of bespoke Italian leather shoes. He put them on and started toward the door.
"Don't worry? About what exactly?" Victoria was completely lost.
"The thing you're most afraid of will never happen," Ned said, turning back to look at her with a meaningful glint in his eye.
"What's that supposed to mean? Do you even know what I'm most afraid of?" She hurried after him.
"There's nothing more to say right now." He descended the stairs unhurriedly, pulled his phone from his pocket, and frowned at the screen for a few seconds. By the time he reached the living room, the call he'd been waiting for still hadn't come.
Victoria followed him downstairs, still pressing, "Ned, what on earth do you mean—"
He glanced at her, then idly flipped his phone open and closed, open and closed, as though toying with it.
"Will you just talk to me!" Victoria was reaching the end of her patience.
"Father and I are meeting the congressmen. It's almost time," he answered flatly.
Victoria froze. By the time she snapped out of it and rushed into the living room, Ned's car was already disappearing down the drive.