My high-maintenance, aloof crush suddenly disappeared for a week. Bored, I posted on my Instagram Story: [Hired a hot D1 athlete. Insane body. Venmo me $50 for a pic of his abs.] Unexpectedly, my crush saw it and bombarded me with texts: [Accidental abs pic. live photo] [.] [Wrong chat, can't unsend.] [The one you mentioned in your story.] [Transfer: $50,000.00] [Can you show me?] [If you like that type, I can do that too.] [Sophie, you're not replying... are you playing with him? It's okay, I can wait until you're done.] [Can I... come over now?] [You can sample the goods first.] 1 A few hours later. Me, seeing the messages: ? I've had a crush on Ethan Sterling for three months. This is the first time he's sent me more than two words. I'm flattered, but... I like what type? Do what? Sample what? Is this the same cold, quiet Ethan I know? I held my phone in disbelief, re-reading the messages. Finally, I lowered my screen brightness, made sure my privacy screen protector was working, and sneakily tapped on the live photo of Ethan's abs. I played it over and over again. Good lord. What a specimen. And what a... Bargain. Slurp. The inability to unsend after a certain time is truly the greatest invention! Stimulated by the eye candy, I finally connected the dots. Ethan saw my joke about the D1 athlete? But I was just memeing about KFC Crazy Thursday (or a similar viral trend). He... is? Wait, didn't he say he never looks at social media? A while back, I was obsessed with this Korean BBQ place. I mentioned it to Ethan, and he asked for the name. Thinking I was slick, I replied: "Check my latest Insta story~ The grilled intestines are to die for! Highly recommend!" Ethan replied instantly: "Sorry, I don't usually check social media." I froze. I clenched my fists, fingertips turning white. The atmosphere got awkward. I opened my mouth, not knowing what to say. But then, Ethan looked at me intently. "Ms. Bennett, I mean... we could just go. My treat this time. You navigate?" His voice was deep, questioning. I felt like my soul was being hooked. I stared at him blankly and nodded. Just when I thought things were going well after that meal... He ghosted me for a week. Vanished from the face of the earth. 2 Ethan was video calling me. Probably because I hadn't replied for hours, breaking my habit of instant replies. The moment it rang, I instinctively hit decline. I couldn't exactly tell him I muted his notifications because I was mad he disappeared. Or that I spent the time ignoring him eating KFC with my brother. But Ethan rarely initiates contact. And he sent "benefits." I quickly typed a lie to cover it up. [Ah, I'm in a meeting at work, can't video chat right now, sorry!] [Just saw your messages.] [QAQ Sorry, my story was a joke! Don't take it seriously.] [I'll treat you to dinner tonight!] [Hehe, returning the favor for the K-BBQ~] As I was typing furiously, my brother, Leo, leaned over and peeked at my screen. He burst out laughing. "Nice. Another victim of the 'Venmo me $50' meme." "Who is this guy? Rich enough to drop 50k to see a D1 athlete?" "From Dubai? LMAO, that's wire fraud if he reports you..." Leo's eyes drifted to the contact name at the top of the chat: [Aloof but Hot Future Husband]. His laughter cut off abruptly. I moved with zero frame delay. Before Leo could react, I slapped the back of his head. "Leo! Bennett!" Yes. Leo is my biological brother. And the first victim of my meme. This morning, I saw the trend on TikTok and thought it was hilarious. So I copy-pasted: [Hired a hot D1 athlete. Insane body. Venmo me $50 for a pic of his abs.] My brother was the first to Venmo me $50. "I gotta see what kind of D1 demon makes you, the cheapskate queen, spend money. I need to broaden my horizons." So I brought him to KFC. 3 Leo rubbed his head, wincing. "Sophie, that contact name is shameless." He sneered. I was pissed. I grabbed him, ready to slap him again. Leo spun around slippery as an eel. He laughed and put me in a headlock from behind to stop me. "Sis, how are you gonna catch a man like this?" "So violent in public..." I rolled my eyes and elbowed him. "Should I learn from you? Getting hit on by a hundred dudes a day?" "Leo, get your paws off me..." Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. I looked up instinctively through the glass window. I froze. Ethan stood there, cold brows furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line. His gaze was intense, locked onto me and Leo. The moment our eyes met, time paused. Why is Ethan here?! When did he get here?! I just lied about being in a meeting. And now I'm caught red-handed by my crush?! In the time it took me to panic, Ethan pushed the door open and strode towards us. "Ms. Bennett, just finished your meeting?" I didn't have time to think. "Yes, yes, just finished. Grabbed some lunch." Then I remembered. Ethan knows where I work. But right now... I'm at the KFC near my apartment. My eyelid twitched uncontrollably. I'm cooked. Ethan paused. His gaze swept coldly over Leo, then he asked in a low voice: "And this is... your colleague?" My heart rate spiked. I elbowed Leo again, guilty for no reason. Just as I was about to introduce him: "He is..." Leo didn't let go. Instead, he leaned into my ear and whispered: "Men... I understand them. Let me be your wingman. You're welcome." 4 Leo's hand slid from my shoulder to link arms with me intimately. "Sister, who is he?" Leo asked in a fake, affected voice. He didn't forget to shoot Ethan a provocative look. Me: ... Thanks, I hate it. Ethan's expression froze. His gaze slowly lowered to Leo's hand on my arm. "This... gentleman. Please have some self-respect in public." Ethan spoke coldly, his deep voice icy. I felt like I was being stabbed in the back. What is this weird "caught cheating" atmosphere?! It's noon. KFC is packed. People were staring. Especially after Ethan's comment. I forced a stiff smile and pinched Leo hard on his back. "Bro, ther, act normal. Let go," I hissed. Leo grimaced in pain. He tsked and reluctantly let go. I quickly changed the subject, introducing them awkwardly: "Ethan Sterling." I pointed at Leo, instinctively omitting his last name. "...Leo." "Oh, I have to get back to work. Maybe we chat later?" Actually, I had the day off after a night shift. But with this brat Leo causing trouble, I didn't dare let him speak. I didn't feel like he was helping; I felt doomed. Leo acted like he didn't hear me. He leaned in "affectionately" and whispered loudly: "Sister, your friend is so mean..." A fleeting darkness flashed in Ethan's eyes. I caught a glimpse of it. Ethan lowered his lashes slowly. When he looked up again, his expression was normal. He ignored Leo and turned to me: "Sophie, didn't you ask me to dinner?" Ethan's voice was hoarse, with a hint of a tremor. As if afraid I'd interrupt or reject him, he spoke quickly: "If you... are busy with him, I can go back and wait for your message." I inexplicably heard a pitiful tone in his voice. Ethan is acting weird today. This is the first time he's called me "Sophie." Very different from his usual aloof self. But... I kinda like it. I want him even more now.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "389580", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel