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BONUS
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[EVE]
When I took a quick glance at Cole, I saw his eyes narrowing into slits, his gaze blazing with barely suppressed fury.
He was radiating irritation, just like he always did whenever girls started flocking around him.
The mocking laughter of Lilyās group echoed in my ears, but before Cole could react, I grabbed his arm tightly, squeezing to hold him back.
If this kept up, he was bound to reveal his identity.
"Whatās the matter?" Lily asked, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Is this your new boyfriend, Eve?"
I forced a smile, trying to keep my composure. "No, heās my bodyguard."
"Bodyguard?" Lilyās brow raised in surprise, and she exchanged a look with her friends.
"A mere bodyguard using that tone with us?" sneered one of the girls.
"You should teach your servant some manners," one of them scoffed.
I felt Cole tense up beside me, his hand clenching into a fist. I squeezed his arm again, giving him a warning look.
"Come to think of it, Sophie, you should definitely bring Cole with you this Saturday," Lily said, her voice dripping with sweetness.
The other girls shifted in excitement, their eyes practically sparkling at the mere mention of Cole Fay. The air around them thickened with anticipation.
"Thatās right, Sophie. Heās a graduating college student, right? Iām sure he could help us all with our studies," one of them added, a playful glint in her eyes.
Sophieās expression tightened, but she masked it quickly. When our eyes met, I raised an eyebrow, giving her a smirk that silently dared her to agree.
"Uhm . . . Cole is really busy right now, because, well . . . as you said, heās a graduating student," Sophie stammered, clearly uncomfortable.
The girls sighed dramatically, fawning over her. "Youāre so lucky, Sophie. I wish I had someone like Cole Fay in my life," one of them cooed.
Lily leaned in with a sly grin. "I hope youāre not feeling bad about this, Eve. After all, everyone knows you like Cole, but you canāt blame him if he chooses Sophie over you, right. Sophie is the true Rosette, after all."
They were clearly trying to get under my skin by bringing up Cole, using him as their weapon of choice. In the past, it might have workedāmention his name, and Iād be a bundle of nerves, flustered and stammering like a fool.
But right now, I had bigger problems than a bunch of gossiping girls. Like the ticking time bomb standing right next to me.
I could practically feel the heat radiating off Cole, the way his fingers twitched as if he was seconds away from ripping someoneās head off.
His jaw was clenched so tight it looked like he might crack a tooth. If they pushed just a little more, I was pretty sure heād burst, revealing exactly who he was and sending these girls running for the hills.
For once, instead of worrying about myself, I was more concerned about keeping
him
from exploding. This situation was like watching a kettle on the verge of boiling over, and I was the only one who knew it wasnāt just steam that was about to blow.
Before things got out of hand, I turned to face them, my expression indifferent, but my voice was cutting. "Sorry, but I donāt have time to waste on you," I said, turning on my heel.
Then, I paused, casting a final glance at Sophie with a sweet, mocking smile. "By the way, I canāt wait for your engagement with Cole. Donāt forget to invite your aunt, okay?"
Sophieās forced smile faltered, her discomfort barely hidden as she shot me a look.
I made my way inside the theater, my steps quickening as I sensed Coleās frustration building. The last thing I needed was for him to lose his temper and expose himself.
As I walked away, their faint laughter followed me. "See you this Saturday, Eve."
I ignored their taunts and headed straight into the building, grabbing my things along with Danielās before Cole stopped me.
"You go ahead to the car. Iāll take this to him," Cole said, his tone surprisingly serious as he took Danielās belongings from my hands.
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I frowned, instantly suspicious. "Huh? Why do I get a bad feeling about this?"
Coleās smirk was almost too smug. "We only have one umbrella, remember?"
I raised an eyebrow, holding up the extra umbrella I had snatched from my bag. "Actually, we have two."
He looked at me with that devilish grin of his. "Then do you want to share this one while this Daniel have the other?"
I paused, sighing heavily. The last thing I wanted was to be huddled under an umbrella with him again, so close that I could still smell his cologne.
"No thanks. You take one, and give this one to Daniel. Iāll wait in the car."
"Good," Cole smiled a little. But then he gave me a pointed look. "Iāll go give Daniel his things. You wait in the car."
I narrowed my eyes. "Hold on. Donāt do anything to him, okay?"
Cole raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "What do you think Iād do to him?"
I hesitated, feeling oddly defensive. "I donāt know, maybe threaten him or scare him off."
"And why would I do that?" he asked, tilting his head, clearly amused.
"Because you think weāre dating," I shot back, exasperated.
Coleās smile was almost too relaxed. "So, youāre not dating him then?"
I blinked, realizing Iād walked right into his trap. "No, weāre not. Heās just a friend, and I have very few of those right now. So donāt scare him away."
Coleās expression remained unreadable, but something in his eyes softened. "Alright, I wonāt. Go wait in the car."
There were still a million things I wanted to say, but I couldnāt find the right words. Frustrated, I spun on my heel and headed outside.
Why did it feel like I was being led on?
That guy really have ways with words to get the information he wanted.