Chapter 3
'What kind of ridiculous reasoning is that? You call yourself a genius? Can you even pass a reading comprehension test?' I grumbled inwardly.
"N-no, that's not what I meant..." I tried to explain, stammering.
"Not?" Ethan's eyes instantly went cold. "Are you playing games with me?"
That familiar, dangerous vibe started creeping back into the air.
I immediately shut my mouth and shook my head like crazy.
'Do I look like I have a death wish? No way I'd mess with you. I want to live a little longer!' I thought.
"So you're just shy," Ethan decided, totally buying his own theory, and his eyes burned with that intense heat again.
"Yeah, guess it's up to me to make the first move," Ethan said.
Ethan gently patted my head, his voice so doting it sent chills down my spine.
"Good girl. Once I finish this project, I'll start getting things ready," he said.
With that, Ethan turned away, leaving behind a cool, confident silhouette. like he'd just cracked some world-class mystery.
I was left standing there, feeling like a mess in the wind.
The plot was so messed up, even my mom wouldn't know what's going on anymore.
By now, in the original story, I should be chilling on a Maldives beach, cocktail in hand, waving around a five-million-dollar check.
How did we skip straight to the marriage part?
No way, I can't just sit here and wait for disaster to strike.
I had to find someone who could snap him out of it.
And that someone was the original story's heroine, Claire Bennett.
Claire was a scientific genius on Ethan's level, the only woman everyone agreed was truly worthy of him.
She was even the one everyone called Ethan's "official soulmate."
If I could just get them together, fireworks would go off, and Ethan would remember his destined match, leaving me, the expendable side character, totally forgotten.
And just like that, the opportunity I'd been waiting for landed right in my lap.
Three days later, the biggest physics conference in the country kicked off, and both Ethan and Claire were going to be there.
As his so-called "family," Ethan basically hauled me along for the ride, whether I liked it or not.
The place was packed with big shots.
I spotted Claire in the crowd right away.
She was dressed in a sharp white suit, her vibe cool and distant, her looks absolutely stunning, standing there like an untouchable goddess, flawless and out of reach.
'Damn, no wonder she's the heroine. That heroine glow is practically blinding me,' I thought.
I nudged Ethan and whispered, "Hey, check out that scientist over there. She's got real class."
Ethan glanced where I was pointing.
Then, completely uninterested, he looked away and fixed my messy collar.
"Really?" he said with a bored tone. "She's not as good-looking as you."
'Come on, are you blind? She's got that sophisticated beauty, and I'm just rocking the tired office worker vibe,' I thought.
Not giving up, I kept singing her praises. "That's Claire Bennett, word is she's made some insane breakthroughs in quantum entanglement. Total genius, on your level."
Ethan just went, "Oh," as if I'd told him it might rain tomorrow.
His attention stayed glued to me as he reached out and pinched my cheek.
"Are you hungry? Want a snack?" he asked.
I was freaking out over here.
'Come on, just look at her! Your soulmate's right there! Go, make some genius sparks fly already!' I yelled in my head.
Just then, Claire spotted us.
She was holding a glass of champagne, gliding over like she owned the place.
'Here it comes! The iconic scene is about to go down!' I thought, my heart pounding.
I held my breath, practically vibrating with excitement.
Claire walked right up to us, her eyes landing on Ethan as she gave him a gentle smile.
"Professor Reed, it's been a while," she said.
Ethan didn't even look at her for a full second. His gaze just slid right past her.
He gave her a quick nod, barely even acknowledging her presence.
Then, suddenly, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his arms.
In my stunned daze, he lowered his head and kissed me square on the lips.
Everyone around us gasped in shock.
My mind went completely blank, all I could feel was the cool firmness of his lips pressing against mine.
'OMG, what are you doing?! Are you insane? In front of everyone?!' I screamed in my head.
The kiss lasted for about five seconds.
He let me go, his intense dark eyes fixed on me, a barely-there smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Only then did he seem to notice Claire for the first time, speaking in a purely academic, detached tone.
"Professor Bennett, did you need something?" he asked.
Claire's fingers tightened around her champagne glass, turning pale, but she kept that perfect smile plastered on her face.
"Nothing, just wanted to say hi," she replied.
Her gaze shifted to me, a hint of scrutiny and maybe a little hostility flashing in her eyes.
"You must be Ms. Moore. Professor Reed is really protective of you," she said.
I gave an awkward smile, totally at a loss for words.