Marcus walked back to the table, his phone still warm in his hand.
The group was already deep in lively conversation. Sophia was laughing softly at sothing Tyler had said, while Robert leaned in with a grin, clearly enjoying himself. The atmosphere around the table felt light.
He pulled out his chair and sat down.
Sophia imdiately turned toward him, her smile soft and sweet.
"Whose call was that?" she asked, her voice gentle and concerned.
"It was my father," Marcus replied.
"Nothing serious, right?" she asked again, tilting her head slightly, her eyes filled with worry.
From the side, Jennifer let out a quiet, sarcastic snicker. She couldn’t stand how overly sweet Sophia was being. It felt fake. Everything about her today felt fake.
Marcus shook his head, a small smirk forming on his lips.
"No, nothing serious."
Truthfully, he was enjoying this. Their relationship had been cold and distant for weeks. He had started believing Sophia had lost all interest in him. But this week... this week had been different. She had been warr, more attentive. It was proving all his paranoia wrong.
He looked around the table and asked casually,
"So, what were you guys arguing over?"
Sophia smiled brightly and answered,
"Well... we were deciding where to go after college. We were just discussing the best place."
Tyler and Robert quickly jumped in.
"Yeah," Tyler said. "We were planning sothing for this evening, but the location is still up in the air. Jennifer was suggesting..."
"Sorry guys," Marcus cut in smoothly, his tone smug. "I already have very different plans for Sophia tonight. I hope you’ll enjoy without us."
He turned to look at her directly.
"What do you say, Sophia?"
Without even a second of hesitation, Sophia smiled and replied,
"Of course. I’m sorry, Tyler and Robert... we’ll hang out another day."
She gave them a playful wink.
Both boys nodded, forcing polite smiles on their faces. But their eyes told a completely different story... irritation, maybe even quiet anger. It was hard to tell exactly what they were feeling, but it definitely wasn’t happiness.
Marcus pushed his chair back and stood up.
"Co on," he said, looking at Sophia with a small smile. "Let’s go."
Sophia nodded without hesitation and stood up as well. She gave a quick wave to the table.
"See you guys later," she said sweetly, then followed Marcus out of the cafe.
The mont they were gone, the table fell into an awkward silence.
Tyler and Robert exchanged a quick glance, their expressions clearly disappointed. Their plans for the evening had just been ruined.
Jennifer looked at both of them, her face showing clear disappointnt as well. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes locked on them.
"Look like you guys were really hopeful for this outing," she said, her tone slightly sarcastic. Then she added, "By the way... do you guys feel anything different in Sophia lately?"
Both Tyler and Robert imdiately shook their heads.
"What do you an?" Tyler asked, trying to sound casual, though there was a hint of nervousness in his voice. They were clearly afraid Jennifer might be suspecting sothing.
Jennifer didn’t back down. She kept her gaze steady.
"I an... she’s been acting strange these days. More lively, more sweet than usual. I thought you guys would know sothing since you’re always around her."
Tyler and Robert looked at each other for a brief second. Then both of them shook their heads again.
"No," Robert said. "We didn’t notice anything like that."
"Yeah," Tyler added quickly. "She seems normal to us."
Robert suddenly stood up, checking his watch.
"It’s ti for classes anyway," he said. "And I really need to focus. My father will kill if I don’t score well in the finals."
Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed his bag and quickly walked away.
Tyler gave an awkward smile and stood up too.
"Yeah... I should go too. Got so work to finish," he muttered before following Robert out.
Jennifer watched their retreating figures with a smirk on her face.
"Score, huh?" she muttered under her breath. "Since when did they start caring so much about scores?"
She leaned back in her chair, her smirk widening.
She was sure now... whatever was happening with Sophia definitely involved these two. They were acting too strange, too defensive.
’Is she interested in these two jokers?’ she wondered for a second, but then quickly dismissed the thought.
’Impossible... But then again, seeing how Sophia has been behaving lately... everything seems possible.’
She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
Her mind slowly drifted to Alex. A small, longing smile appeared on her face.
’What if I could just go to him anyti I wanted...’ she thought dreamily.
***
Marcus and Sophia walked out of the college together, hand in hand. The afternoon sun was still bright, casting a warm golden glow around them.
Marcus couldn’t stop the small smile that kept appearing on his face. He felt genuinely happy.
After weeks of coldness between them, his father had finally given him the green light regarding Sophia. It felt like everything was falling back into place.
They reached his car. Marcus opened the passenger door for her like a gentleman before walking around and getting into the driver’s seat.
Sophia turned to him with an excited smile.
"Where are we going?" she asked cheerfully.
He started the car and glanced at her, his expression calm but serious.
"We’re going to my ho."
Sophia blinked.
"Hmm?"
"Yes," Marcus said, his voice steady. "Today... I want you to et my parents properly. As my girlfriend."
He turned slightly in his seat and gently took her hand in his. His eyes looked directly into hers.
"Look, Sophia... I’m really sorry for what I did back then," he said softly. "When you were going through a hard ti... I wasn’t in the right mindset. I handled everything wrong. But please... forgive . I really want you. And I hope you won’t refuse ."
Sophia stared at him for a mont. Seeing how serious and sincere he looked, she suddenly burst into soft laughter.
Sophia looked at him with a soft smile and gently squeezed his hand.
"You worry too much, darling," she said sweetly. "How can I refuse you?"
She leaned a little closer and added,
"And I was never angry with you, really. How could I be?"
Then, with an excited glint in her eyes, she smiled brightly and said,
"C’mon, let’s go. I want to et Aunty and Uncle too."
Marcus’s face lit up with pure happiness. He nodded eagerly, his heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks.
Without saying another word, he started the car and drove off toward his ho, a small, content smile still playing on his lips.
***
Blackwood University – President’s Office
The large, luxurious office was quiet. Sunlight stread through the tall glass windows, falling gently on the polished wooden desk.
Miranda Whitman sat in the main chair — the President’s chair. Her posture was straight, but her eyes were distant. She was staring at the naplate placed neatly in front of her.
Miranda Whitman — The President
She had wanted this position for years. Dread about it. Worked hard for it.
But not like this.
Never like this.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back in the chair. Her fingers lightly traced the edge of the naplate.
"Why did you do this, Gerald...?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Why?"
A single tear rolled down her cheek, catching the light as it fell.
She had fought with him so many tis. Argued. Scread. Even separated from him for months because of this. She had begged him, warned him, pleaded with him not to go against them. But he never listened.
"I always told you not to go against them..." she muttered, her voice cracking. "But why? Why did you fall for their trap?"
They had offered him everything — power, protection, and a position he could hold for life. All he had to do was stay in line. But he chose the other path.
And now... he was gone.
She was sitting in the chair she had always wanted, but it felt empty. Hollow.
She was helpless.
She couldn’t even tell anyone what really happened to him. She didn’t know who to trust. There were very few people she could turn to... and even fewer she could rely on.
Miranda closed her eyes, another tear slipping down her face as the weight of everything pressed down on her chest.
A soft knock on the door pulled Miranda out of her thoughts.
She quickly wiped the tear from her cheek with the back of her hand and sat up straight. Taking a deep breath, she adjusted her expression, forcing herself to look composed and professional.
"Co in," she said, her voice steady.
The door opened slowly, and Tisha Wells stepped inside. She was dressed neatly in a formal blouse and pencil skirt, holding a file in her hand.
Her expression was calm, but there was a hint of concern in her eyes as she looked at Miranda.
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