The moment I stepped into Sasha's apartment, the tension in my chest eased—just a little.
Her place was quiet. Clean. The faint scent of tea lingered in the air.
Sasha glanced up from the kitchen as I slipped off my shoes.
"You look like you didn't sleep," she said.
"I slept," I replied, walking further in.
She raised an eyebrow. "That's not what I said."
I ignored her and dropped onto the couch, letting out a long breath as I leaned back.
Sasha walked over, placing a cup of tea on the table in front of me before taking a seat across from me.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Nothing," I said quickly.
Sasha looked at me with a blank expression. She grabbed her cup of tea and took a sip, her eyes locked onto me.
I sighed. "It was my birthday yesterday. We had a party on the rooftop."
"And?"
"And nothing," I said, grabbing the cup and taking a sip. "It was fine."
Sasha tilted her head slightly. "Nothing, my ass. What happened?"
I paused.
Because I didn't have an answer. I looked down at the tea in my hands, watching the faint steam rise into the air.
"Stacy showed up," I muttered.
Sasha's expression didn't change. "The ex?"
"She's not his ex. He went on a couple of outings with her, mostly for their club activities."
"And?"
I let out a breath. "She kissed him." That got her attention. Not much—but enough.
"And he let her?" she asked.
I hesitated.
"He… didn't stop her."
Silence settled between us.
I tightened my grip around the cup, staring at the tea swirling inside. "And then he had the nerve to say I was jealous."
Sasha leaned back slightly. "Are you?"
I scoffed. "No."
She didn't say anything. But her expression said otherwise. Like I was full of shit or something.
"It's just annoying," I added. "She shows up out of nowhere, acts like she owns the place, and he just—lets her."
Sasha nodded slowly. "That would be frustrating."
I frowned. "That's it?"
"What else do you want me to say?" she asked calmly.
"I don't know. Anything."
She studied me for a moment before speaking again. "You're not upset about her."
I blinked. "What?"
"You're upset about him."
My chest tightened.
"That's not—"
"Then why does it bother you that he didn't stop her?"
I opened my mouth to respond… but nothing came out. Because I didn't know. Or maybe I did. And I just didn't want to say it out loud.
Sasha leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees. "You don't react like this over someone you don't care about."
I looked away. "I care about him. He's important to me."
"That's not what I meant."
Silence fell again.
I hated how quiet it got whenever she was right. Why is it so damn hard to be honest with myself?
I exhaled slowly. "I just don't like her."
Sasha gave a small nod. "That's obvious."
"And I don't like the way she acts around him."
"Also obvious."
"And I don't like that he lets her."
She didn't respond this time. Instead, she took another sip of her tea.
I glanced at her. Waiting for her to say something, and when she didn't, I spoke again. "Say something."
Sasha held my gaze. "Do you know where you stand with him?"
The question caught me off guard. I never thought about it before, because we were always just… us.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I asked."
I frowned slightly. "We're… us."
She didn't look convinced. And honestly, I wouldn't be either if I were in her shoes.
"That's not an answer," she said.
I felt something twist in my chest.
"He's always been there," I said quietly. "I don't need to question it."
Sasha tilted her head slightly. "But you are."
I looked away again. Because she wasn't wrong, and she knew it too.
She leaned back against the couch, her voice still calm. "You deserve something that doesn't make you question where you stand."
My fingers tightened slightly around the cup. The words lingered longer than they should have. I swallowed. "Not everything is that simple."
"No," she agreed. "But some things are."
I let out a small breath, staring down at the tea again.
For once… I didn't have anything to argue with. And that bothered me more than anything else.
When Mr. Lu came to pick me up, the sun was beginning to set, casting a warm yellowish orange hue across the sky.
My stomach twisted in a knot at the thought of Harley not reaching out to me… not even once.
"Is everything okay, Miss Huo?" Mr. Lu asked, peering at me through the rearview mirror.
Turning my attention away from the blurry scenery outside the BMW, I looked at Mr. Lu and nodded.
Normally, I would share what's troubling me with him, but talking about Stacy just makes me feel worse.
When Mr. Lu pulled up at the mansion, I saw Stacy at the entrance giving Harley a hug before heading towards her vehicle. The sight made me sick to my stomach.
So, that's why he didn't check in on me. He was busy with her all day.
After thanking Mr. Lu, I climbed out of the vehicle and walked past Harley toward my room.
"Sophie," he said, causing me to stop in my tracks.
I paused for a second and didn't look back at him. Instead, I continued walking towards the stairs that led to the second floor.
"Sophie!"
The change in his tone caused me to stop dead in my tracks. I clenched my fist tight while staring at the marble floor.
"You have been acting weird ever since Stacy showed up," Harley said, closing the distance between us. "There is nothing going on between us. But… she will be working as my personal secretary."
I turned around slowly and looked up at Harley with a blank expression. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out—silence filled the gap between us.
What am I supposed to say to that? It's not my place to tell him who he can and can't socialize with.
But… did it have to be her?