Chapter 382: Chapter 382: So please, stop following me around

Lila noticed Ethan right away and, without a second thought, sat down next to him.

Zara and Julia exchanged surprised glances at the scene.

“Do you two know each other?” Zara asked.

“Yeah,” Ethan nodded.

He and Lila looked at each other for a moment before answering in unison.

“We were childhood friends.”

“We met two days ago.”

“…What???”

Everyone around them was completely confused by the two wildly different answers.

Ethan frowned and shot Lila a look.

Lila, looking innocent, shrugged. Well, they hadn’t exactly coordinated their story, so she figured she might as well just tell the truth.

After another glance at each other, they decided to try again.

“We met two days ago.”

“We were childhood friends.”

“…Huh???”

Ethan looked at Lila again, clearly frustrated.

Forget it. He gave up and simply explained that they were friends.

With Lila now part of the group, things got a bit more complicated. The group was mostly made up of friends and friends of friends, so if there wasn’t a direct connection, the vibe was bound to get awkward.

And since Ethan didn’t seem interested in talking, Lila found herself under the intense gaze of the other girls, feeling the pressure mount.

Still, everyone was pretty friendly toward her. After all, Zara, who was grateful to Ethan for something, wasn’t about to make Lila feel uncomfortable. In fact, as a way of thanking Ethan, she even bought Lila a drink.

As for the other two, Elise, who was usually withdrawn, stayed quiet as usual, and Julia… well, she was Julia.

For the moment, the group had reached a fragile balance. After all, there were still unresolved issues between Julia and Elise.

But it wasn’t that tension that broke the balance. Instead, it was a cheerful voice that suddenly rang out.

“Elise?”

Ethan recognized the voice immediately—it was Sophia. He’d heard it earlier that morning on the phone, so he didn’t even need to look up to know who it was.

Sure enough, Sophia was standing behind the couch where Lila sat, her face lighting up with excitement as she looked at Elise, still in her usual upbeat mood.

Ethan, sensing what was about to happen, quietly got up and moved from Lila’s side to sit next to the only person who wasn’t involved in the drama: Julia.

As expected, the moment Sophia saw Lila, her bright, sunny expression froze, then quickly turned cold.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“What are you doing here?” Sophia asked, her voice icy as she stared at Lila.

Lila immediately tensed up, instinctively reaching out for Ethan’s arm—only to realize he had already slipped away at some point.

Panic started to set in.

Sophia wasn’t done.

“Wasn’t it enough that you lied to Vanessa? Now you’re trying to deceive other people too?!”

Vanessa? Wait, Vanessa? Lila was completely bewildered. She looked at Ethan in disbelief. She’d already thought something was off this morning, but now this brunette was making it sound like her friend was some kind of player!

Ethan was thinking the same thing. Why wasn’t Sophia considering that maybe she was the one in the wrong here? How was she ever going to improve if she kept blaming others?

At that moment, Zara returned with drinks. Seeing Sophia angrily confronting her and Elise’s friend, Zara frowned and walked over. She set the drinks down and, without hesitation, snapped at Sophia, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Sophia, noticing Zara’s presence, only grew more agitated.

“Sophia, you’re here too? Perfect. Listen, you and Elise need to be careful not to get fooled by this guy. He’s a liar!”

Zara, already irritated, frowned even more deeply at Sophia’s outburst. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Lila, caught between the two, was practically trembling with fear.

Ethan, on the other hand, found the whole situation amusing and was watching with great interest.

What he didn’t expect, though, was that in the next instant, everything went black for a brief moment. When his vision cleared, he found himself staring directly at Lila, who looked just as confused as he was.

They had switched back?

Ethan couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated. Of all times to switch back, it had to be right in the middle of the drama.

Meanwhile, Sophia continued, “It’s because of this guy that Vanessa left us. He deceived her!”

“Huh?” Zara was taken aback, her frown deepening. “And where’s your proof?”

Sophia, clearly emotional, was about to blurt out what she had seen earlier that morning.

“I saw it with my own eyes, he—”

Before she could finish, Ethan quickly clamped his hand over her mouth.

There was no way he was going to let her twist the truth like that. His relationship with Vanessa was purely platonic, and if Vanessa found out that Sophia was spreading rumors behind her back, it would only make things worse between them.

With Sophia’s mouth covered, Ethan calmly explained, “Yes, I know Vanessa, but we’re just friends. Miss Sophia here must be misunderstanding something.”

Sophia’s eyes widened in disbelief. What frustrated her even more was that Zara, who had known her much longer, didn’t hesitate to believe Ethan over her.

Sophia could feel the warmth of Ethan’s hand on her lips, and the sensation made her feel disgusted. She struggled to break free, and Ethan, not wanting to get scratched, quickly let go.

As soon as she was free, Sophia glared at Ethan, but then suddenly froze. She had just noticed someone unexpected.

Vanessa had arrived. She had entered through the front door, and her sharp gaze immediately locked onto the group.

The moment Sophia saw Vanessa, it was as if Ethan no longer existed. Compared to Vanessa, he was nothing.

“Vanessa, you—”

But Vanessa wasn’t here for a reunion. She cut Sophia off coldly, “Could you stop bothering my friends?”

Sophia was stunned. “But… I’m your friend too, Vanessa.”

Vanessa frowned. “My issues have nothing to do with him, and they have nothing to do with you either.”

“How can you say that?” Sophia’s voice trembled. “We’re VibraMyst partners!”

It seemed Vanessa was ready to put an end to this once and for all.

“VibraMyst is over. So please, stop following me around.”