After dinner, Sophia excused herself to wash her hands when she felt male hands grab her shoulder. "Aiden, I was...," she turned around, only to find out it was Gavin behind her.

She pushed his hand away as if she got burned.

"Sophia, what is happening here?" He kept on wanting to talk to her, but the chance never presented itself, they were always surrounded by people. So when she went to the restroom, he sneaked out to follow her.

"What are you talking about?" she was confused, knowing she did nothing to upset anybody.

"Are you with Aiden Cooper? Are you just friends or more than that?" he pried.

"That is none of your business," she answered.

"Do you know what kind of person he is? He's an aristocratic heir, it is not easy for regular people to enter that circle," he tried to discourage her from being with Aiden. Implying that she would never measure to be his partner.

"I know what type of person Aiden is, and I don't feel the need to clarify our relationship to you," she said coldly. She tried to walk away from Gavin, but he blocked her path.

"Did he force you to be with him? I heard your company collaborated with each other, tell me the truth, did you just get together for the benefits? Is that why you are ashamed to speak about him?" Gavin has it in his head that the only reason they could be together was for business reasons, Aiden could never be in a real relationship with Sophia.

"Watch your mouth, Gavin. Why can't you believe that this guy likes me? You think I'm not good enough to attract a man without compromising my morals?" Sophia was very angry, and she wanted to slap Gavin and show him how much she is hurting right now. They've been in a relationship for so many years, and she never had a clue that Gavin thought so lowly of her. He should have known the real her, but it seems he was not the same guy she thought she dated.

"Get out of my face," Sophia shoved him aside before he got hurt, but he would not budge.

"Look, I'm sorry, just listen to me," he stood his ground and prevented her from going anywhere.

"I don't want to talk to you," she gave Gavin one big shove, putting all her strength into it.

"No!" he said as he stumbled backward. He tried to hold her arm, but she weaved away from him.

"Sophia?" Aiden questioned while he stood in front of the bathroom entrance. He had gotten suspicious when Sophia had not returned from the restroom, and Gavin disappeared a short time after. In his gut, he felt something was not right, so he made his way to find her.

Gavin stepped back when he saw Aiden protectively place an arm around Sophia. "Gavin, your girlfriend is downstairs. You should go see her," he commanded in a steely voice.

"Yeah, I was just saying goodbye," Gavin lowered his head and walked away.

"Are you okay? Aiden rubbed the small of her back.

"I want to go home," Sophia murmured.

Aiden held her hand, and Sophia unknowingly tightened her grip. She felt thankful and safe when Aiden appeared in front of her. It gave her the security of having a protector.

After all this time, she had not realized that she was slowly beginning to depend on him, even looking forward to spending time together after work. His presence had calmed her down when all she wanted to do was lash out at Gavin for his preposterous accusations.

Harper had been anxious when Aiden had paid for the bill, and neither Sophia nor Gavin had shown up, she tried not to speculate, but when Sophia and Aiden walked out the same direction Gavin came from, she couldn't help but worry.

Gavin looked annoyed as he sat in the back of the car with Harper.

"Gavin, what did you think about tonight's dinner? I really enjoyed it a lot. We should really have more…," Harper was still talking, but Gavin rudely interrupted her.

"Stop it! I'm tired. Let me rest," he scolded as his eyes closed, not in the mood to hear Harper's chatter. It stunned her to see him angry, he had never snapped at her before, until they saw Sophia.

What Harper didn't realize was that she kept on blaming Sophia for her misfortunes, but every time they were at the same place, she never failed to seek Sophia out and provoke her. And she never learned, that gone was the girl she used to push around a lot, Sophia has grown up into a more sophisticated, elegant woman.

-=-

The other couple's car ride home had also been silent. Aiden kept stealing glances at Sophia, wanting to make sure that she was alright. He had questions about what he overheard but knew that Sophia would just snap at him if he did, so he kept silent.

And when they reached their apartments, he patted her head and replied, "Sleep well, Sophia."

She just nodded, as if on autopilot, and left Aiden standing outside her closed door. He had his fists clenched tightly, a murderous gaze in his eyes. Nobody knew what he was thinking, but with his facial expression, one can see that he was not the same Aiden with a calm demeanor and pleasing personality.

It took a few minutes before he was able to relax and go home.

Sophia had been messed up by her exchange with Gavin, no matter how much she avoided Harper and her family, they seem to always pop up when she least expects it. She knew that there was no way to avoid them, seeing as they all lived in the same city.

When she tried to cut ties with them, they came at her with full force. Visiting her at work and showing people that Sophia was the bad apple who would not talk to them or even acknowledge them.

She tried to sleep and forget what happened, but she just kept tossing and turning. "Aaaagh!" she got up from sheer frustration. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep now.

She opened the balcony door and sat in her personal oasis, and looked at the stars. This was the place she escaped to every time she needed solace.