Just at this mont, the man seed to sense sothing and suddenly turned his head, eting her gaze directly.
Sophie Scott paused, slightly embarrassed, hurriedly trying to withdraw her gaze.
The man glanced at her a few tis, his brows slightly furrowed, and then stepped forward, walking straight towards her.
Standing in place, Sophie Scott suddenly felt a bit uneasy, but as he got closer, she couldn’t help but lift her eyes to look at him a few tis.
He looked very handso, though not in a typically handso way. His eyebrows were slightly long, and at the corners of his eyes, there was a slight mischievous lift, sowhat cruel but not unpleasant. His deanor was cold and hard, unlike his subtle appearance, leaning more towards maturity and steadiness.
"You’re Ethan Scott’s sister, right?" the man initiated the conversation, the corners of his thin lips curving slightly upward. Putting his phone into his pocket, he said, "I’ve seen your photos and rember you well."
Listening to him speak, Sophie Scott was taken aback, surprised that he turned out to be Ethan Scott’s friend.
"And you are?"
With cautious eyes, Sophie Scott stared at him.
The man chuckled lightly, the allure in his eyes becoming more pronounced as he said, "I’m Egbert Vaughn, a friend of Master Scott."
Pressing her lips together, Sophie Scott nodded and softly introduced herself, "I am Sophie Scott."
"Are you here to find him?" Egbert Vaughn stepped aside, "He’s in a private room on the third floor, I’ll take you up."
"I don’t..."
Opening her mouth, Sophie Scott instinctively wanted to refuse.
Egbert Vaughn showed slight confusion, "Hm?"
As her thoughts steadied, Sophie Scott calmly explained: "I was just passing by, saw his car, so... wanted to take a look."
Egbert Vaughn understood, "You haven’t contacted him yet?"
"Mm."
Sophie Scott nodded sowhat awkwardly.
"Since you’re already here, if you have nothing else to do, it doesn’t hurt to go up." Egbert Vaughn suddenly smiled, the obvious smile diminished so of his steadiness. Seeing she had so concerns, he further explained, "Relax, it’s just a gathering with a few friends."
"Won’t I be a bother?"
Perhaps influenced too deeply by Alma Ferreira, whenever Sophie Scott thought of such places, her mind conjured peculiar thoughts.
"Not at all." Egbert Vaughn said lightly, glancing her up and down, then lowered his voice slightly, gentle with a slightly husky tone, "Shall we go?"
"Mm."
Sophie Scott nodded lightly, taking a breath inwardly.
She indeed had no other place she wanted to go.
Whether at ho or at school, just the thought made her feel suffocated.
Yet, she had nowhere else to go.
If not, she wouldn’t have had the driver stop after seeing Ethan Scott’s license plate on her way back to school.
Now, having soone inviting her, breaking down her last barrier, she went along with it and agreed.
Anywhere is fine...
On the third floor, they took the stairs to avoid the crowd.
Egbert Vaughn led the way, half a step ahead, to ease any awkwardness, he actively asked: "First ti here?"
"Mm."
Sophie Scott’s voice was very light.
Egbert Vaughn chuckled casually, "Don’t be nervous, it’s just a regular gathering."
"...Mm."
Sophie Scott responded slowly.
A little timid.
Suddenly, Egbert Vaughn halted his steps at the corner.
Sophie Scott, falling behind, didn’t notice and bumped into his shoulder. She let out a small "Ah" and instinctively stepped back but forgot there were stairs behind, causing her to lose her balance montarily.
Fright swelled in her heart instantly.
But in the next mont, an arm quickly wrapped around her waist, firm and strong, effortlessly drawing her up and stabilizing her.
Once steady, Sophie Scott felt a chill run down her spine, lingering fear in her heart.
"Are you okay?" A soft inquiry fell from above, "Sorry for scaring you, I should have warned you beforehand."
"I’m fine."
After answering, Sophie Scott realized she was still being held, the two were very close, almost embracing. As she lifted her eyes, she could see his jaw, thin lips, and the light breath against her forehead from his hair. Her heart skipped a beat, and she imdiately backed away in a fluster.
Her hands positioned behind her, nervously tangled together, she asked slightly flustered, "Wh-what’s wrong?"
Egbert Vaughn observed her uneasy movents, looking at her intently for a few seconds before withdrawing his gaze, saying softly: "It’s nothing."
"...Oh."
When he resud walking upstairs, Sophie Scott belatedly responded.
She lowered her head, awkwardly following behind.
*
In the private room, there were quite a few people, all friends of Ethan Scott.
Indeed, it wasn’t as shady as Sophie Scott imagined.
There weren’t any random people; although the coffee table was cluttered with fruit and wine bottles, it was clearly just a normal party atmosphere.
However, soone was smoking, and the air wasn’t well circulated, causing Sophie Scott, standing at the door, to instinctively frown.
As Egbert Vaughn pushed open the door, turning back, he caught this small action of hers.
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