Chapter 135
I scoffed, realizing she wouldn’t stop pushing. “Lirian’s currently attending Silver Claw Academy,” I explained, keeping my tone steady. “He’s busy and can’t take calls right now.”
Christina’s eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a sneer. “Convenient excuse,” she spat. “Or maybe you just don’t have his number at all?”
The crowd erupted Into mocking laughter as I stood there, surrounded by their sneers and smug looks. Their jeers rang in my ears, each laugh cutting into me, but I held my ground, refusing to let
them see me flinch.
One of my housemates, Lauren leaned in, whispering urgently, “Sophia, just apologize and let it go. Don’t make things worse for yourself.”
Jia nudged my arm. “Yeah, this isn’t worth it. Just say sorry and leave before it gets even uglier.”
I clenched my fists, glancing back at my so–called friends, who all wore pleading expressions,
desperate to end the scene. But their lack of support only fueled my resolve. Why should I be the one
to apologize?
straightened up, squaring my shoulders. “Apologize for what, exactly?” I asked, my voice loud enough to carry over the crowd
I pulled my arm free, standing firm. I could feel the eyes of everyone on me, sizing me up, but I kept my gaze locked on Linda.
She was watching me intently, her eyes gleaming with something unreadable. Then, breaking the silence, Linda gave a small sigh and took out her phone.
“If it’s going to settle this, I can call him,” Linda announced. She held up her phone for everyone to see, her fingers gliding smoothly over the screen before pressing the dial button.
She turned on the speaker and held it up, letting the ringing echo through the room.
Everyone around us fell silent, their gazes bouncing between Linda’s phone and me, waiting. I could feel the pressure mounting, each second adding to the tension. My mind raced, wondering what she might have planned. Did she actually have his number? Would he even pick up?
As soon as the phone picked up, a man’s voice came from the other end, a lazy drawl coated with
The Alpha’s Sadistatine In A Heart (lated, A Soul Beborts
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warmth.
Hey, baby, why are you calling me all of a sudden?”
I froze. That voice… it was so familiar, so unmistakably similar to Lirian’s that I felt my heart skip a beat. But something felt wrong, like a sour note in an otherwise familiar tune.
Linda threw a quick, smug glance my way, then responded sweetly, “Lirian, I’m at a friend’s birthday party. It’s just…I suddenly missed you, so I wanted to hear your voice.”
The man laughed softly on the other end, and I felt a knot of disbelief tightening in my stomach. “I miss you too! Kiss the baby… I’ll come over to pick you up once I finish up here.”
“Good!” Linda chirped, and then she ended the call, her gaze immediately flicking back to me, her lips curling into a self–satisfied smile.
The rest of the group around us broke into a chorus of admiration and envy.
“So sweet! Oooh, Linda, I want a boyfriend like that too!” one of them squealed, clasping her hands together dramatically.
“Lucky you, Linda!” another girl chimed in, leaning over to get a look at her phone as if she could capture a bit of Linda’s supposed good fortune by mere proximity..
Linda smirked, her eyes never leaving mine. “Do you have any more questions?” she asked, her tone dripping with a thinly veiled challenge.
I swallowed, still struggling to process the exchange. “That voice… it sounded like Lirian’s, but…” My voice trailed off, trying to shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Yes, the voice was. similar, but it was a bit too smooth, too… artificial, compared to Lirian’s usual low, cool tone.
“It’s just a resemblance,” I muttered, more to convince myself than anyone else. “It’s not proof that he’s Lirian!”
Linda raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. “But he is Lirian,” she replied smoothly. “You don’t believe me?” She leaned forward, a gleam in her eyes.
“What makes you think he wouldn’t like me? Are you jealous, or what? Or do you just think everyone in the world has to revolve around you?”
Her words hit me like a slap. My mouth opened, then closed, as I searched for a response.
Atthat moment, one of the other girls–a friend of Linda’s, I presumed–stepped forward, crossing Jur arms and eyeing me with a look of distaste.
Chapter 135
Look, Sophia, you don’t have any proof of anything with Lirian.
But Linda does.
So what’s your deal? Either you apologize to her now, or maybe you should leave the party. We don’t need drama here.”
My cheeks flushed, and I looked around at the faces staring at me, judging me. A part of me wanted to shrink back, but I held my ground.
“I may not be able to call him right now, but I do have pictures with him. Real pictures, not staged ones,” I retorted, lifting my chin defiantly. “Doesn’t that count as evidence?”
There was a murmur of curiosity, and someone nudged me. “Show us, then!”
I took out my phone, my hands shaking slightly as I scrolled through my photos, selecting a few of Lirian and me together.
In the pictures, he stood by my side, his gaze softened, his smile reserved yet real. They weren’t overly affectionate photos, but the closeness between us was clear.
A few people leaned over to look, and I could see the shift in their expressions–a flicker of doubt as they exchanged glances, as if now questioning Linda’s claims.
