Chapter 2

The collective gasp was audible.

Nobody at school dared to cross Lucas.

Outside campus, people addressed him as Mr. Hart with the kind of deference usually reserved for royalty.

And here I was, pushing his buttons over and over again like I had a death wish.

Lucas grabbed the wine bottle from the tray and smashed it against the floor. The glass shattered everywhere.

He glared at me, and his voice came out cold. "Have I been too nice to you? Made you forget who's in charge here?"

Emily's smile widened.

"Sophie's just throwing a tantrum," she said to Lucas. "Coax her a little, and she'll get over it. Smart girls like her always look down on people like us who care about money. It's normal."

Lucas' expression darkened.

I didn't want to stick around for this drama.

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist.

"What, did she hit a nerve? Are you only with me for the money?"

Anyone who knew Lucas could tell he was pissed. The people around us went dead silent.

Emily immediately put on her best wounded puppy look. "Sophie, I won't enter the competition, okay? Please don't fight with Lucas over this. If you guys break up because of me, I'll never forgive myself."

Emily reached for me, but I stepped back. "I don't have time to watch you two lovebirds. Take your boyfriend and leave. I have work to do."

Lucas jerked his hand away and spoke through gritted teeth. "You've got some nerve, Sophie. Even if you come crawling back on your knees, I won't give you the time of day."

Once I saved enough money to lay my grandmother to rest, I was leaving this country for good.

But I didn't say that out loud. I just watched him storm off.

Emily patted my shoulder as she walked past and leaned close to my ear.

She said, "See, Sophie? Lucas cares about me more."

She paused. "Want to know the truth? The day your grandmother had surgery, I told him I wanted a designer bag for my birthday. He sent me the money right away. Her life wasn't worth as much as a handbag. Good riddance."

I'd always known Emily hated me, but today I realized how vicious she could be.

I cursed, "Emily, why wasn't it you who died?"

I raised my hand and slapped her as hard as I could.

Someone shoved me to the ground. "Sophie, have you lost your mind?"

Lucas came back and carefully picked her up.

On his way out, he stepped on my hand. His eyes were ice cold. "The hand that hit her is gonna pay."

I clutched my throbbing hand. Tears streamed down my face, but my hand wasn't what hurt the most. It was my heart that had gone cold long ago.

Turned out his special treatment wasn't just for me.

Good thing I'd stopped expecting anything from him.

"Lucas, we're done. For good."

I worked all night. When I left the bar, it was already 3 AM.

I pulled out my phone to call a ride when a drunk guy pressed against me.

"Bitch, you're out here at 3 AM. We both know what you're selling. Stop playing innocent."

I kicked him between the legs. He doubled over, swearing at me.

I bolted out of there and rounded the corner to find Lucas waiting, his face dark with anger.

"You left me for trash like him?"

The stench of alcohol hit me before he even finished speaking. He'd been drinking hard.

I didn't waste my breath. I walked past him and climbed into the cab.

He slammed his hand against the door when I tried to close it.

"Emily said you needed money. She specifically asked me to bring it to you, and this is how you act? Or do you just prefer sleeping with older men for cash?" His grip tightened until his knuckles went white, but he refused to let go.

The knife scar on his arm looked even more brutal under the streetlight.

Emily again. Every conversation between us always came back to her.

For the first time, I looked at him calmly. I said, "Lucas, you think I just started needing money today?"

He froze, like he hadn't expected me to say that.

I continued, "When I actually needed you, you weren't there. Now that I don't need you anymore, here you are."

I slammed the car door shut in one smooth motion. His fingers got caught and turned purple, and he had to let go.

The next day, my advisor asked me to come to her office.

An older man was waiting inside. It was Wesley Grant.

He had a square-jawed face and an intimidating presence that made him look genuinely stern.

Wesley said, "Sophie, I read the paper you published in the university journal. Some of your arguments align perfectly with my current research.

"Would you be interested in joining my lab as a research assistant? I can pay you three thousand a month, and meals are included."

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted, but my current situation meant I couldn't throw myself fully into research.

I asked, "Dr. Grant, would it be possible to get an advance on the salary? I can write you a promissory note. I need to handle some family issues, so I—"

He said, "Sure."

I joined the lab quickly. The research focused on physics applications.

One afternoon, Wesley walked in with another man wearing a white lab coat.

Wesley gestured toward the tall man beside him and said, "Sophie, this is Ethan Cooper, your senior lab mate. He's going to mentor you from now on. You haven't met him yet because he was at a conference last week."

Ethan's expertise was impressive, and I learned more from him in a few days than I had in weeks.

After class one afternoon, I invited him to dinner as a thank-you.

We had just stepped outside when I spotted Lucas waiting by the entrance.

I turned on my heel to walk the other way, but he moved quickly and blocked my path.

Lucas' voice was cold as he said, "If you walk away right now, Sophie, I'll make sure you can't keep working at this lab. You know I can do it."

My feet stopped moving.

Wesley had just told me that Ethan and I would be attending an international conference next month.

I couldn't let Lucas destroy that opportunity right when it was within reach.

I kept my voice steady and said, "Whatever you need to say, say it. I don't have time for this."

Before I could react, he grabbed my face and kissed me hard.

He pulled back just enough to speak and said, "Busy with what? Running around with your new boyfriend?"