CHAPTER2
1390 Words
“You look at him like he’s the only person in the room.”
Lily’s teasing voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
I blinked and quickly looked away.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She laughed.
“You’re a terrible liar, Sophia.”
“I wasn’t staring.”
“You’ve been staring for five whole minutes.”
“I was… thinking.”
“About Ethan.”
I sighed.
“There are over two hundred people in this ballroom.”
“And somehow, you only see one.”
She wasn’t wrong.
I only ever saw him.
…
It had started ten years ago.
I was fourteen.
Dad had insisted I attend the annual charity gala hosted by the Steve family.
“You’ll meet important people,” he said while adjusting the bow on my dress.
“I’d rather stay home.”
“You’ve said that every year.”
“I mean it every year.”
He smiled.
“You’ll thank me someday.”
I doubted it.
The ballroom was packed with people wearing expensive suits and sparkling gowns. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, making everything shine.
Businessmen laughed loudly.
Women compared jewelry.
Everyone seemed to know everyone.
Except me.
I stood quietly beside my father, wishing the night would end.
“Stay here,” Dad whispered. “I need to greet a client.”
Before I could answer, he disappeared into the crowd.
I was alone.
I picked up a glass of orange juice from a passing waiter and walked toward the large windows overlooking the city.
The lights below looked beautiful.
Much prettier than listening to adults discuss stock prices.
A loud crash echoed behind me.
I turned.
A waiter had accidentally bumped into a young man.
Red wine splashed across the front of his black suit.
The waiter froze.
His face turned white.
“I’m… I’m so sorry, sir.”
Everyone nearby stopped talking.
The room fell strangely quiet.
If that had happened to most of the guests, they would have shouted.
Some would probably have demanded the waiter be fired.
Instead, the young man looked down at his stained jacket and smiled.
“It’s only a suit.”
The waiter stared.
“W-what?”
“It’s fine.”
“But I ruined your clothes.”
“They can be cleaned.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I know you didn’t do it on purpose.”
The waiter looked close to tears.
“Thank you, sir.”
The young man gave him a small nod before walking toward another hallway, as calm as if nothing had happened.
I watched him disappear.
Something about that moment stayed with me.
Not because he was handsome.
Although he was.
Not because everyone respected him.
It was because he chose kindness when anger would have been easier.
“That’s Ethan Steve.”
I turned to find an older woman smiling beside me.
“Do you know him?”
I shook my head.
“He’s Mr. Steve’s son.”
“Oh.”
“One day he’ll run Steve Group.”
She smiled again before walking away.
I looked toward the hallway where he’d disappeared.
Ethan Steve.
For some reason…
I repeated his name in my head all night.
…
Years passed.
Life became busy.
School.
Exams.
College applications.
I almost forgot about that evening.
Almost.
Then fate surprised me.
On my first day at university, I rushed across campus carrying far too many books.
I wasn’t watching where I was going.
Someone stepped around the corner.
Bang.
My books scattered across the ground.
“Oh!”
“I’m sorry.”
We both knelt to pick them up.
My hands froze.
Black hair.
Gray eyes.
The same calm expression.
He looked older now.
Broader shoulders.
Sharper features.
But I recognized him immediately.
“Ethan?”
The name slipped out before I could stop it.
He looked up.
“…Do I know you?”
I smiled awkwardly.
“No.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
“Then how do you know my name?”
“I…”
What was I supposed to say?
I saw you once four years ago and never forgot you?
That sounded ridiculous.
“I’ve heard of you.”
He accepted the answer without another question.
“Here.”
He handed me my last notebook.
“You dropped this.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Then he walked away.
Just like that.
No dramatic music.
No magical moment.
He didn’t even ask my name.
I watched him disappear into the crowd.
Again.
Lily appeared beside me seconds later.
“What happened?”
“I bumped into someone.”
She looked where I was staring.
“Oh.”
“What?”
“That’s Ethan Steve.”
“I know.”
She looked at me carefully.
“Do you?”
I nodded.
“I’ve known his name for years.”
…
University wasn’t easy.
Ethan studied business.
I studied finance.
We shared only a few classes.
He always sat near the front.
Always arrived early.
Always left immediately after class.
People admired him.
Some feared him.
Others tried becoming his friend because of his family name.
He kept everyone at a distance.
Including me.
One rainy afternoon, I found him sitting alone in the library.
Books covered the table.
His laptop was open.
Empty coffee cups surrounded him.
He looked exhausted.
Without thinking, I walked to the café downstairs and bought another coffee.
I placed it beside him.
“You forgot this.”
He looked confused.
“I didn’t order—”
“I know.”
He looked at me.
Then at the cup.
Then back at me.
“You’ve been studying since morning.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve been here too.”
He hesitated before accepting it.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
That was it.
No long conversation.
No flirting.
Just two words.
Thank you.
But somehow…
Those two words made me smile all day.
…
Over the next four years, our lives crossed again and again.
Sometimes we worked on the same projects.
Sometimes we attended the same business events.
Sometimes we accidentally met in the hallway.
Every meeting was brief.
Every conversation was polite.
I learned things about him little by little.
He hated wasting time.
He rarely smiled.
He loved black coffee.
He always remembered people’s birthdays if they worked for him.
He tipped waiters generously.
He secretly paid tuition for struggling students.
No one knew because he asked the university to keep it private.
The more I learned…
The deeper I fell.
I never planned to love him.
It simply happened.
Quietly.
Slowly.
Like rain filling a river one drop at a time.
…
“Why don’t you tell him?”
Lily asked one afternoon after graduation.
We were sitting outside the campus café.
“Tell who?”
“Ethan.”
I laughed.
“Tell him what?”
“That you’re in love with him.”
I nearly choked on my drink.
“Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
“Because he doesn’t feel the same.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
“How?”
“He barely notices I’m alive.”
“That’s not true.”
“He remembers my name because we worked together.”
“So?”
“He’d remember anyone’s name.”
Lily leaned forward.
“What if you’re wrong?”
I smiled sadly.
“I’d rather keep my friendship than lose everything.”
She reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
“One day he’ll realize what he has.”
I looked across the campus.
Ethan was walking toward the parking lot.
He never looked in my direction.
Not once.
“I don’t think he ever will.”
…
Life after graduation moved quickly.
Dad’s company started facing financial problems.
Meetings became longer.
Bills piled higher.
The smiles in our house disappeared.
Then, one evening, Dad asked me to come into his study.
He looked older than I had ever seen him.
There was a folder on his desk.
And a single document lying on top.
He pushed it toward me with shaking hands.
“I need you to read this.”
I lowered my eyes.
The first line stole the air from my lungs.
Marriage Agreement
Between…
Ethan Steve
…and…
Sophia Hart.
- Writer
