Chapter 497: Chapter 497

Sophia was standing right in front of the door, arms crossed, blocking the way like she had all the time in the world. Shaved head, same scar cutting down from her eyebrow past her eye, same expression that told you she wasn’t in the mood for anything.

And yeah. I remembered exactly why.

I had elbowed her in the ribs at the mall. She definitely remembered too.

I walked toward her anyway, slowing down just a bit as I got closer. Took a breath, straightened up slightly.

"H-hey, Sophia," I said. "What’s up?"

"Evan?" Melvin whispered behind me. "Who’s that?"

"Not now," I muttered under my breath.

Sophia didn’t move.

"You here to cause more problems, Marlowe?" she asked. "Or are you here to apologize?"

"I thought I already—"

She moved.

Fast.

Her elbow drove straight into my ribs before I could even react properly. The impact knocked the air out of me instantly. I stumbled back, one hand hitting the floor as I bent forward, trying to catch my breath.

"Shit..." I groaned, pushing myself up slowly. My ribs were throbbing. "Okay... yeah. That’s fair."

I leaned against the wall, pressing my palm against the spot she hit.

"You should seriously consider boxing," I said, forcing a small laugh. "You’ve got the technique down."

She didn’t even blink.

"Soph?" a voice called from behind her.

I looked up and saw Isabella walking toward us from the stage. The narrow hallway made it a bit cramped, especially with Melvin standing behind me like a statue.

He froze.

His eyes went wide, and he gave her a small, awkward wave.

"H-hi..."

She glanced at him.

Just a quick look. Enough to recognize him.

And then her expression tightened. Not full disgust, but close enough. A brief grimace before she walked past him without saying anything and stopped next to Sophia.

Melvin’s hand slowly dropped. His shoulders slumped, and he stared at the ground like he wished it would just swallow him.

Yeah... that hurt.

I let out a quiet breath and straightened up a bit more.

"Everything good?" Isabella asked, looking between us.

"Yeah," I said. "We’re just leaving."

Sophia nodded. "Goodbye, then, Marlowe."

Sophia shifted slightly but didn’t block the door anymore.

"Wait," Isabella said, looking at me more closely. "Marlowe? You’re the guy who helped Emilia, right?"

I shrugged.

"I didn’t do it alone," I said, nodding slightly toward Melvin. "He was there too."

She looked at him again, clearly confused.

"Melvin? I don’t remember hearing about him."

"He was... he was driving," I said smoothly. "We needed a quick way out. Some guys were chasing us."

Melvin grabbed my sleeve and tugged it slightly, leaning in.

"I don’t even have a license," he whispered.

I ignored him.

"He got us out of there fast," I added. "Could’ve been worse without him."

Isabella studied him for a second, then gave a small nod, like she wasn’t fully convinced but didn’t care enough to question it.

"Alright," she said. "Well... thanks, I guess."

"Yeah," I said. "No problem."

"You should come by at night sometime," she said. "I’ll get you a drink. My favorite."

"I’ll think about it," I replied.

I could feel Melvin behind me, completely deflated. That invitation clearly wasn’t meant for him. I turned slightly and gestured with my head.

"Come on, Melvin," I said. "We still need to deal with your car."

"Y-yeah," he said quickly. "My car..."

We both knew that was bullshit, but he played along.

I gave a short nod to Sophia and Isabella, then pushed the door open and stepped outside. The air hit me immediately. Heavy, damp, the kind that sticks to your skin before the rain even starts.

I looked up at the sky. Dark clouds. Thick ones. Rain was coming, and not the light kind.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and started walking down the street, Melvin trailing behind me quietly.

After a few seconds, he spoke. "She hates me," he muttered.

I didn’t answer right away. I just kept walking, eyes forward.

"Not hates," I said finally. "But yeah... you’re not exactly on her radar."

"That’s worse," he said.

I let out a small breath through my nose.

"Look," I said, glancing at him. "If you actually want a shot, we’re gonna have to fix a lot of things. Starting with how you present yourself. And how you talk."

He nodded quickly.

"I’ll do anything," he said.

"Careful with that," I muttered. "People regret saying that."

We walked a bit more in silence.

The first drop of rain hit the pavement.

Then another.

"Man," I said, tilting my head slightly as the rain started picking up. "I really hate this city."

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ON A ROLL COMPLETED

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CASH OUT OR SAVE IT?

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CURRENT SC: 175

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Well, I had completed that quest, but I still needed to help Melvin. Honestly, the guy was hopeless, but I had to at least try, right? Besides, it felt good being depended on. Melvin looked at me like I was some kind of casanova after "getting it" with Nala. In reality, though, I had no idea how to help him. Part of me was just hoping he’d forget about it altogether—realize how dumb it was to ask for my help with Iseballa...

I exhaled through my nose as I stirred my mocha. Ivy wanted to meet, and here I was, sitting in the coffee shop right across from their apartment. She knew Delilah was pregnant... but there was no way she knew I was the father, right?

Then again... why would she want to meet me?

At this point, I couldn’t lie, I was low-key fearing for my life.

"Man... that punch hurt..."

I rubbed the spot where Sophia had hit me, then rolled my shoulder. The café was mostly empty—the weather had gone to shit. Rain poured relentlessly outside, people rushing for cover, some ducking into the shop hoping it would pass. Five minutes ago, everything had been calm.

Now it was this.