Chapter 43: A Deadly Game

Ethan walked through the halls of the school with his usual relaxed stride, his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. Students whispered as he passed, some with curiosity, others with disdain.

The restaurant incident had made waves.

Lucas had humiliated himself.

Ethan, on the other hand, had stunned everyone.

Nobody knew where he got his money, but they knew one thing—he wasn't the broke loser they thought he was.

And now?

Now, Sophia was making her move.

Ethan smirked to himself. Typical.

She thought she could slither back into his life, bat her eyelashes, and wrap him around her finger again.

But she had no idea who she was dealing with.

---

Sophia stood by her locker, her nails tapping against the cool metal as she watched Ethan from across the hallway.

She was annoyed.

No, furious.

Ethan was ignoring her again.

That wasn't how this was supposed to go.

Guys always fell for her charms. Always.

So why was Ethan acting like he didn't care?

She took a deep breath, smoothing down her skirt before walking toward him.

"Hey, Ethan," she called out, her voice soft, inviting.

He barely spared her a glance. "Sophia."

She frowned but quickly forced a smile. "I was thinking—about this weekend. Maybe we could go somewhere special?"

Jordan, who was standing beside Ethan, raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

Ethan finally turned to face her, his eyes filled with something unreadable. "Special?"

Sophia nodded eagerly. "Yeah, you know, somewhere luxurious. Somewhere fun."

Ethan smirked. "You mean somewhere expensive."

Sophia's breath hitched slightly, but she quickly covered it with a soft laugh. "Oh, come on, Ethan. Don't be like that."

Ethan leaned in slightly, his gaze piercing.

"Why don't you be honest, Sophia?" he said, his voice silky smooth but laced with something dangerous.

Sophia swallowed.

"What do you mean?" she asked, feigning innocence.

Ethan's smirk widened. "You think I won the lottery, don't you?"

Her eyes widened slightly, but she quickly recovered. "I—I mean, you did spend a crazy amount of money at the restaurant. People are just curious."

Ethan chuckled, shaking his head. "People? Or just you?"

Sophia's smile faltered.

For the first time, she felt exposed.

This wasn't the Ethan she used to know.

This Ethan was dangerous.

Before she could respond, Ethan turned to Jordan. "Come on, man. Let's get out of here."

Then he walked away.

Sophia stood there, fists clenched, her heart pounding.

This wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.

She would win.

And when she did?

She would make Ethan regret ever underestimating her.

---

Jordan laughed as they exited the school building. "Dude, I swear, Sophia looked like she was about to lose her mind back there."

Ethan smirked but didn't respond.

Jordan nudged him. "Come on, man. You're not even gonna gloat a little?"

Ethan shrugged. "Not worth my time."

Jordan whistled. "Damn. That's cold."

Ethan simply kept walking, his mind drifting to more important things.

Like Mia's stream.

And that Young Master K guy from last night.

The dude had challenged him by dropping 20 grand worth of gifts.

Ethan had crushed him with 50 grand.

And yet… something about that guy still bugged him.

---

Sophia sat with her friends at their usual spot in the cafeteria. Emily and Tabitha were whispering about some drama with another girl, but Sophia wasn't paying attention.

She was too busy thinking about Ethan.

"Earth to Sophia," Emily said, waving a hand in front of her face. "You've been zoning out all day."

Tabitha smirked. "Let me guess. You're thinking about him."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "So what if I am?"

Emily sighed. "Girl, are you seriously trying to get back with Ethan? After everything?"

Sophia's jaw tightened. "He's not the same guy anymore. He changed. And I need to know why."

Tabitha raised an eyebrow. "Or you just want a piece of whatever cash he's rolling in now."

Sophia smirked. "Why not both?"

Emily sighed. "This is a bad idea, Soph."

Sophia leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "He used to be obsessed with me. I'll make him obsessed again. Just watch."

Tabitha and Emily exchanged looks but didn't argue.

They both knew when Sophia set her mind on something…

She didn't stop until she got what she wanted.

---

That night, Ethan logged onto the streaming app, his lips curling into a smirk.

Mia was live again, chatting with her fans.

And guess who else was there?

Young Master K.

Ethan chuckled. This guy just doesn't give up, huh?

He watched as Young Master K dropped another $30,000 worth of gifts.

The chat exploded with messages.

> "OMG Young Master K is insane!"

"Bro just flexing at this point."

"Where's Fleeting Fable tho?"

Ethan cracked his knuckles.

Alright. Let's have some fun.

He casually dropped $100,000 worth of gifts.

The chat exploded.

> "WTF FLEETING FABLE??"

"A HUNDRED GRAND???"

"Bro just murdered Young Master K LOL"

Mia's eyes widened in shock. "Oh my god… Fleeting Fable, you're insane!"

Young Master K, on the other hand, was silent.

Then, a call notification popped up.

Incoming Call: Young Master K

Ethan smirked and answered.

YMK's voice came through, tense. "You think you can humiliate me like this?"

Ethan leaned back, amused. "I don't think. I know."

"You don't know who you're messing with," YMK snarled. "I have connections."

Ethan laughed. "Connections?" He leaned in, his voice dripping with mockery. "I'm the god of connections."

A brief silence. Then YMK spat, "You just made a very dangerous enemy."

Ethan's smirk deepened.

"Get in line."

He hung up.

As he put his phone down, a notification popped up.

Young Master K:

This isn't over.

Ethan just smirked.

Of course it wasn't.

This was only the beginning.