Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

"Miss Sophia, are you really going to accuse an innocent person?" Ethan asked, his tone calm but with an air of superiority.

"Innocent?" Sophia stared at him, her voice sharp.

Ethan nodded, looking a bit surprised. "Am I not good enough for you? I even played along with your little schemes."

"…"

Sophia thought about it for a moment, and suddenly felt a surge of frustration.

This guy had figured it out all along, and yet he still went along with her plan. It was like he didn't take her seriously at all.

Especially when he had just said that Vanessa should decide whether to trust him or her.

How arrogant could he be?

"You're really not afraid I'll expose you?" Sophia asked, her eyes darkening.

"Go ahead," Ethan replied, completely unfazed.

Sophia could tell he wasn't bluffing. He genuinely didn't care.

But she had come too far to back down now. Even if it was a long shot, she had to make Vanessa see Ethan's true colors.

Ethan watched as Sophia, fuming, started fiddling with her phone. Her expression shifted from determined to confused, and finally to disbelief.

"What's wrong? If you're having trouble sending it, I can help," Ethan offered, almost mockingly.

"No way…" Sophia muttered, her face a mix of shock and frustration. How could this be happening? Her message wasn't going through!

"Surprised? Confused? Can't believe it, right?" Ethan teased, clearly enjoying the moment.

Sophia's frustration only grew as she tried sending the message again and again, but the result was the same—nothing.

"It's because Vanessa blocked you," Ethan finally explained, laughing at her expense.

Sophia was stunned at first, but then her eyes narrowed in anger. She glared at Ethan. "It's because of you, isn't it? You're the reason she blocked me!"

Ethan's laughter stopped abruptly. He shrugged, exasperated. "Why do you always blame others? Ever think it might be your own fault?"

"Let me be clear: I only met Vanessa yesterday. You've probably been blocked for a while. How could that possibly be my doing?"

"Then why?" Sophia demanded, unwilling to let it go.

"I told you to reflect on it, didn't I? Why are you asking me?" Ethan replied, throwing his hands up in mock helplessness.

"…"

Sophia fell silent. Based on what he said, the answer was obvious. Vanessa had blocked her because of something she did.

But that was a hard pill to swallow.

"Do you want to know why Vanessa left your group?" Ethan interrupted her thoughts, his voice cutting through the silence.

Sophia's eyes lit up. She stared at Ethan intently.

"You know?"

"Of course."

Ethan nodded, leaning back on the couch with a smug look that made Sophia's blood boil.

"Tell me," she demanded, her voice low and serious.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Is that how you ask for a favor?"

"You…"

Sophia almost snapped, but she managed to keep her cool.

"What do you want me to do?"

Ethan chuckled. "Let's play a little game. You ask me a question, and I'll answer. But for every question you ask, you have to answer one of mine. And no lying."

Sophia had half-expected him to make some unreasonable demand, but this? This was easy. She was desperate for answers, and this seemed like a fair trade.

She nodded. "Fine. Tell me why Vanessa left VibraMyst."

"Family reasons," Ethan said casually, sitting up and rubbing his hands together, clearly ready for his turn.

"Now it's my turn," Ethan said, leaning back with a satisfied grin.

Sophia, still processing his previous answer, waved her hands in confusion. "Wait, that's it? That's your answer? Just that?"

"You didn't ask for the details," Ethan shrugged, looking almost apologetic. "If you want more specifics, you should think about how you phrase your questions. Anyway, it's my turn now."

Sophia felt like he was just being difficult, but she couldn't argue with him. She'd have to wait for the next round to dig deeper. In the meantime, her mind raced, trying to figure out what "family reasons" could mean. Could it be that Vanessa's parents didn't want her in the band?

Ethan, seeing her deep in thought, finally asked his question, his expression serious.

"Miss Sophia, are you an idiot?"

"Wha—!?"

Sophia reacted like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, practically jumping out of her seat. She glared at Ethan, her eyes blazing with fury, as if daring him to explain himself or face her wrath.

Ethan raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'm just curious. What made you think that plan of yours would work? That kind of trick only works on nice guys. If I were a bad guy, I would've knocked you down ages ago."

That was what puzzled him the most. Did she really think she could get away with that?

But Sophia, surprisingly calm, met his gaze with a strange confidence. "You only stopped because I let you. If you hadn't, I would've fought back."

Ethan gave her a skeptical look.

"Where does this weird confidence come from? Are you trying to say you're some kind of fighter? Because if I really wanted to knock you down, you wouldn't even have a chance to resist."

Sophia, clearly annoyed by his dismissive attitude, shot back, "Try me, then!"

Ethan blinked, genuinely surprised. That was the first time anyone had ever dared him like that.

Without a second thought, he leapt off the couch, landing right in front of her like a crow swooping down. He reached out and gave her a light push on the shoulder. Sophia, caught off guard, fell back onto the couch with a thud.

The whole thing happened so fast that Sophia was left completely stunned.

But what happened next left her even more bewildered. Ethan, clearly unimpressed with her earlier bravado, decided to teach her a lesson. With one hand pinning her down, he swiftly pulled off one of her socks with the other.

Sophia's eyes widened in shock and panic.

"What are you doing!?" she yelled, her voice trembling.

"This might hurt a little. Try to bear with it," Ethan said, his tone almost too casual.

"???"

Sophia's mind raced. Was this guy some kind of foot fetishist? Was he about to bite her or something?

But what happened next was even worse than she imagined.

Ethan gave her a small, apologetic smile before slipping his fingers between her toes and giving them a firm squeeze.

Sophia's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she let out a sharp, pained scream.

"Ow, ow, ow…!!!"