Chapter 5
1066 Words
Sophia stared at the man sitting opposite her.
Ethan Lockwood.
The person she least expected to spend extra time with.
Yet here she was.
Sitting in the university library with him.
Working on a project.
She still couldn't believe it.
For the past thirty minutes, they had barely spoken.
Not because they didn't have anything to say.
But because both of them seemed determined not to start an argument.
Sophia looked through the notes in front of her.
"The topic is business expansion strategies. We need to divide the presentation into different sections."
Ethan nodded slightly.
"I'll handle the financial analysis."
Sophia looked up.
"Of course you will."
His eyes lifted toward hers.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you chose the part that makes you look impressive."
A small silence followed.
Ethan leaned back slightly.
"You think everything I do is about showing off?"
Sophia shrugged.
"Isn't it?"
"No."
The answer came quickly.
For a moment, Sophia didn't know what to say.
She expected him to argue.
Instead, he simply looked back at the documents.
That annoyed her more.
She hated when people acted like they were impossible to understand.
"You're strange."
Ethan looked at her.
"That's an interesting observation."
"Was that sarcasm?"
"Maybe."
Sophia blinked.
Was he joking?
For the first time, she wondered if Ethan Lockwood actually knew how to make jokes.
But his expression quickly returned to normal.
She shook the thought away.
"I'll handle the market research and presentation design."
"Fine."
Sophia started writing.
A few minutes passed quietly.
The library was peaceful, filled with the soft sound of pages turning and keyboards typing.
Despite her dislike for Ethan, Sophia had to admit one thing.
He was good at what he did.
Very good.
His ideas were organized.
His research was detailed.
And unlike what she expected, he actually listened when she spoke.
She found that confusing.
Because the Ethan she knew from a distance was someone who didn't care about anyone's opinion.
But the Ethan sitting in front of her was different.
Not completely.
But slightly.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Sophia quickly looked away.
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"I was thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing important."
Ethan raised an eyebrow but didn't question her further.
Sophia returned her attention to her laptop.
After another hour, they finally completed most of the work.
Sophia closed her notebook.
"That wasn't as terrible as I expected."
Ethan looked at her.
"Is that a compliment?"
"Don't get excited."
"I wasn't."
"Good."
A small silence followed.
Then Ethan asked,
"Why do you dislike me?"
Sophia froze.
She wasn't expecting that question.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Sophia looked at him carefully.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes."
She thought about it.
Most people avoided telling Ethan the truth.
But she had never been good at pretending.
"Because you act like you're better than everyone."
Ethan remained silent.
Sophia continued.
"You walk around like nobody matters. You don't talk to people unless you need something. You treat everyone like they're below you."
His expression didn't change.
"But you don't actually know me."
The words caught her off guard.
Sophia looked at him.
"What?"
"You said I act like I'm better than everyone. But you don't know why."
She didn't answer.
Because he was right.
She didn't know him.
She only knew what she had seen.
But still...
"Then prove me wrong."
Ethan looked at her.
Sophia held his gaze.
"Show me that you're not the person everyone thinks you are."
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Ethan looked away.
"I don't need to prove myself to anyone."
Sophia sighed.
"Exactly."
She packed her things.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you just proved my point."
She stood up.
"We're done for today."
Ethan watched her leave.
Most people tried to impress him.
Most people tried to please him.
But Sophia Clark...
She challenged him.
And for some reason, that stayed in his mind.
---
The next few weeks passed with an unexpected routine.
Sophia and Ethan continued working on their project.
At first, every meeting ended with an argument.
They disagreed about everything.
The presentation style.
The research method.
Even simple things like where to sit in the library.
But slowly...
Something changed.
Not enough for them to become friends.
Not even close.
But they began understanding each other.
Sophia discovered Ethan wasn't as careless as she thought.
He helped other students secretly without wanting recognition.
He donated to university programs but refused to let anyone mention his name.
And despite his cold personality, he cared deeply about his family.
Ethan, on the other hand, discovered Sophia was not just a cheerful girl who talked too much.
She was hardworking.
Intelligent.
And surprisingly brave.
She didn't change herself around powerful people.
Including him.
One afternoon, while preparing for their final presentation, Sophia accidentally dropped her pen.
Ethan picked it up before she could.
"Here."
She looked surprised.
"Thank you."
It was such a simple action.
But somehow...
It felt different.
Because Ethan Lockwood rarely did simple things.
"You can be polite sometimes."
He looked at her.
"Don't get used to it."
Sophia smiled.
"Don't worry. I won't."
For a moment, Ethan almost smiled.
Almost.
But he stopped himself.
---
The day of the presentation arrived.
Sophia and Ethan stood in front of the class together.
They worked perfectly as a team.
Their classmates were surprised.
Even Professor Williams looked impressed.
When they finished, the room filled with applause.
After class, Lily immediately approached Sophia.
"I can't believe it."
Sophia frowned.
"What?"
"You and Ethan actually worked well together."
Sophia shrugged.
"We survived."
Lily smiled.
"That's not what I expected."
"Neither did I."
Across the hallway, Ethan stood with Ryan.
"You seem different lately," Ryan said.
Ethan looked at him.
"Do I?"
"Yes."
"How?"
Ryan smiled.
"You don't look annoyed every time Sophia's name is mentioned."
Ethan looked away.
"She's just my project partner."
"Sure."
Ethan ignored him.
But he couldn't deny one thing.
Sophia Clark was slowly becoming someone he noticed.
Someone who stood out.
Someone who was not afraid of him.
And that was something Ethan Lockwood wasn't used to.
Because everyone else saw his family name.
His money.
His reputation.
But Sophia...
She only saw him.
And that was exactly what made her dangerous.
Because for the first time in years...
Ethan Lockwood was curious about someone.
To be continued…
- Writer
