Chapter 4 Call Me Baby
1275 Words
When Sophia woke up, the afternoon sun was already streaming in.
She rubbed her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows. Her groggy mind snapped into clarity the moment she saw the man seated on the sofa opposite her.
Especially the embrace before sleep, and the longing that welled up in her heart when he held her, made her feel somewhat embarrassed.
Ethan signed a document at a measured pace, then lifted his gaze, his profound eyes betraying a restraint she couldn't fathom.
"You're awake."
Those simple words, spoken in an excessively natural tone and manner, made Sophia feel uncomfortable all over.
"Mm."
She nodded lightly, but even more carefully hid herself under the blanket.
Ethan stood up, carrying a glass of warm water, and stepped in front of her. He bent down to place a quick peck on her forehead, then let his gaze linger on her gradually reddening cheeks.
"Drink this, then get up and put on the clothes."
Sophia's gaze fell on the elegant outfit at the foot of the bed.
With her keen designer's intuition, Sophia instantly recognized that the outfit matched Ethan's, making them a couple's set.
But why did he want to wear matching outfits with her?
Not until she sat in the car, her hand firmly clasped in Ethan's, feeling the searing warmth of his palm, did she realize what was about to unfold.
"Mr. Graham..."
Ethan planted a punishing kiss on her rosy lips.
"Soon enough, I'll be your husband!"
Sophia's cheeks flushed a deep crimson.
From that moment on, she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. She was led into the registry office in a haze, signed the papers in a blur, posed for photos in a daze, and was finally taken back to the car in a trance.
The marriage certificate was in her hand, then taken away by him.
"And now..."
He tilted her delicate chin upward, his thumb tracing slow circles, his voice laced with a hypnotic allure.
"Now, you should call me 'darling'!"
Sophia's eyes clearly mirrored his face.
She stared at him, entranced. Ethan, suppressing some impulse, repeated softly in a low, husky voice by her ear.
Sophia's cheeks flushed deeply. They were already legally married, so it should have felt natural, but no matter how many times she tried, she just couldn't bring herself to call him "darling".
Ethan saw through her, narrowing his eyes. One hand gripped her slender waist, while the other cupped her delicate chin.
"You don't want to?"
"No, that's not it."
Sophia nervously lowered her eyelashes, her long, thick lashes hiding the momentary panic in her eyes.
In truth, she was afraid of him!
Not because of what happened yesterday, but more due to their limited encounters over the past two years.
She always had the feeling that she would be consumed by him.
Just like now!
Ethan's patience had long since run out. He released his grip on her jaw and leaned down to kiss her soft lips, dominating and passionate in his kiss.
He parted her lips, his tongue exploring and tracing every inch of her mouth's contours.
His kiss was fierce, as if he wanted to consume her entirely, leaving her breathless.
Sophia was shocked at first, but when she came to her senses, she pushed against his chest desperately. However, he didn't budge, allowing her to struggle.
Suddenly, she felt the buttons on her blouse come undone one by one, exposing a stretch of smooth, supple skin. She widened her eyes, watching his actions, and tears welled up unbidden.
Ethan, seeing the crying girl in his arms, immediately stopped all his movements.
His gaze smoldered as he searched her face, saying nothing.
After a while, his hoarse voice slowly sounded, with a trace of barely concealed frustration.
"Why are you crying? Is this not what you want?"
Sophia blinked, dazed. Her already foggy mind turned utterly blank at this less-than-serious question.
She bit her lip, remaining silent.
Yet she couldn't suppress her quickening heartbeat.
Ethan released her chin and gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her eye.
"If you’re not comfortable with it, you can stop calling me that. Just call me Ethan."
This leniency made Sophia involuntarily raise her head and gaze into his deep eyes.
This Ethan was completely different from the one she remembered.
Sophia and Julian's engagement was arranged by her grandfather when he was still alive.
Julian was an adopted child of the Graham family. Though registered as Ethan's adopted son, he had no right to inherit the family business.
But after she and Julian got married, with the shares from both families in their hands, it would be enough for them to live a wealthy and comfortable life.
Julian seemed perfect at first, truly and undeniably perfect.
Julian was handsome, gentle, and had a silver tongue. It was too easy to fall for such a man.
She had truly been in love with Julian.
At that time, she really believed that Julian would be her support and give her a home, just as her grandfather had said.
But in the end, she discovered this was just her own pipe dream.
She saw Julian passionately kissing Melanie; overheard him admitting that their engagement was purely for the Whitmore family shares she held; and even heard him confess that had he known about her low status in the Whitmore family, he wouldn’t have wasted a moment on her.
He even said he disliked her rigid nature and preferred fiery, untamed women like Melanie.
At this point, Sophia completely withdrew her affection for Julian and proposed to break off the engagement.
Then, she met Julian's adoptive father — Ethan.
Ethan hadn’t been there for her engagement to Julian, but he appeared the moment she announced her desire to call it off.
Ethan forced Julian to kneel and demanded to know why she wanted to break off the engagement.
At that moment, she was startled by the strange intensity in his eyes and instinctively sensed his danger.
So, she only said that Julian had wronged her, without giving the reason.
He didn't pursue the matter, but the light gathering in his eyes made her recoil.
What happened next made her even more afraid of Ethan.
Right in front of her, he broke one of Julian's legs and coldly asked if this punishment was to her satisfaction.
He also asked her what compensation she wanted for dissolving the marriage.
But when Julian cried and hugged her legs, swearing he would change, she softened!
And because she softened, she ended up experiencing everything that happened last night.
While Sophia was lost in thought, Ethan gazed at the girl nestled in his arms, her contemplative expression making his brow slowly knit.
"You're unwilling to marry me?"
She nodded instinctively, but seeing his dark eyes, she hurriedly explained.
"They'll speak ill of you."
Ethan's expression eased slightly, his eyes losing some of their gloom and gaining a hint of amusement.
"Criticize me for being shameless? For snatching my son's woman?"
He spoke bluntly, making Sophia blush.
She explained softly, "Yesterday... I forced you. I'm sorry."
She knew that given the situation this morning, getting married was the best solution, but she still felt sorry for him, feeling she was responsible for damaging his reputation.
The amusement in Ethan's eyes grew.
"If you truly feel sorry, then take good care of me after we're married."
"Huh?"
Sophia looked up, only to see Ethan's cold profile.
The man's noble and aloof demeanor was overpowering, with not a trace of the earlier lightheartedness on his face.
Had she heard him wrong?
- Writer
