What?!Ethan Lancaster was Jude's uncle?
Sophie blinked in disbelief.This kind of coincidence… it was almost cruel.
Jude, completely unaware of her shock, cheerfully grinned from the backseat.
"Uncle, this is my classmate Sophie. She's totally into me. Guess what—she wrote me a love letter today. Let me read it to you!"
He pulled a folded note from his pocket.
Sophie froze.When did she write him a love letter?!
It had to be a prank—someone from school must've written it in her name to humiliate her.
But Jude, already full of excitement, began reading dramatically:
"Dear Mr. Lancaster,I really like you. I love your sexy, thin lips—I want to kiss them.I love your six-pack abs—I want to see you without your clothes.I know I'm not pretty, but I'm gentle. Please let me be your girlfriend.
—Your Joker Girl, Sophie."
Sophie: "…"
She wanted to die on the spot.
She peeked up instinctively—her gaze met Ethan through the rearview mirror.
He looked freshly returned from a business meeting, dressed in a sleek black coat with a perfectly tailored suit underneath. The platinum brooch on his lapel glimmered under the light, discreet yet luxurious.
His hands gripped the steering wheel with elegance and control as he smoothly changed lanes.
But something shifted the moment Jude finished reading.
Maybe it was the ridiculousness of the letter.Maybe it was her flushed expression.
Because Ethan looked up.
His sharp, narrow eyes found hers through the mirror.Their gazes locked.
Bang bang bang—Her heart thundered in her chest.
She couldn't meet his eyes. Not again. Not when every time she looked at him, her mind would flash back to that night…To the cold sheets… his searing breath… and the way he'd gripped her waist like he owned her.
It was too much.
Without thinking, Sophie reached forward, snatched the letter from Jude's hand, and hissed, "Shut up!"
Jude simply laughed.
He had been watching her for a while now—ever since she enrolled at T University.While most students mocked her, there was something different about her.A calm resilience.A girl who stood out without even trying.
"Didn't know you were so into me, Joker Girl."He winked."Fine, let's date. Starting now, you're officially my girlfriend."
Before she could react, he slung an arm around her shoulders like they were already a couple.
Screeeeech—
The luxury car jerked to a stop on the side of the road.
"Jude. Get out," Ethan said coldly.
His voice was deep. Calm. Terrifying.
"Uncle! Come on, I'm not even—""Broken leg? Then run it off."
"…"
Jude knew better than to push his luck.He let go of Sophie and climbed out of the car, flashing her a grin."See you tomorrow, Joker Girl. I'll plan our first date. Later, Uncle!"
The moment the door shut, Ethan hit the gas again, and silence filled the car.
Now there were only the two of them.
He didn't speak.
Sophie sat frozen, her spine stiff as a board. The silence was suffocating.
Fifteen minutes later, the Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of Lancaster Estate.
Ethan stepped out first without a word.
Sophie followed quickly behind.
Just as she turned toward the house, his voice cut through the air—low, smooth, and devastatingly cold.
"Don't flirt with my nephew."
Sophie looked up—but his figure was already vanishing into the estate.
She stood there, her heart sinking.
He must think she really wrote that love letter.
He must think she was the kind of girl who threw herself at men—cheap, desperate.
That night, Ethan finished reviewing documents in his study.When he returned to his bedroom and lay down, sleep wouldn't come.
The fragrance in the sheets was gone.The faint sweetness that had comforted him—hers—was fading.
Without it, his insomnia returned with full force.
He rubbed his temples and grabbed his phone.
"Send the young lady upstairs," he ordered calmly.
Downstairs, Emily nearly leapt with joy when she heard the message.She rushed to find Sophie in the servants' wing.
"Sophie! My husband's finally calling me upstairs. He wants me in bed tonight!"
Her tone was smug, dripping with triumph.
Sophie stared at her coldly, but said nothing.
She knew exactly who Ethan had really been thinking of.