Ficorpio
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The private lounge went dead silent the second Vanessa called my name in front of everyone.
“Claire Bennett,” she said with a bright smile that cut like glass, “want me to introduce you to a boyfriend?”
I lifted my eyes, glancing past Ethan Sterling’s rigid expression before looking at Adrian Ashford beside him.
Then I smiled and shook my head. “No need. I already have a boyfriend.”
A sharp crack split the room.
Ethan had crushed his champagne glass in his hand, blood running down his palm.
He and Vanessa had gotten back together.
When I heard the news, I was in the practice studio, violin tucked beneath my chin, my fingers sliding across the strings without a tremor in my heart.
Sabrina Cole immediately sent a barrage of gossip.
【This time they stayed broken up for three whole months before getting back together. New record.】
【Vanessa flew out of the country to make a point, and Ethan went after her to bring her back.】
【Two years together, five breakups. Aren’t they exhausted?】
I sent back a polite refusal meme.
【Pass. I’ve got a competition next month. Busy with violin practice.】
Half an hour later, Sabrina sent another message, one that looked like she’d thought over for a long time before hitting send.
【Do you know why they broke up this time?】
【Vanessa found out Ethan’s phone passcode was your birthday.】
On Friday, our dead-silent group chat suddenly came back to life.
Ethan dropped a message into it.
“I’m back together with Vanessa. Drinks at the usual place. My treat. Be there.”
The chat exploded instantly.
“Honestly? We’re used to this by now, but congrats.”
“Come on, Ethan, you’re slipping. Took you this long?”
I was halfway through typing out a polite excuse when Vanessa suddenly tagged me directly.
“Claire, you have to come.”
I paused, then replied, “Sorry. I’ve been really busy lately.”
“Oh, it’s just dinner,” she sent back right away. “I know I used to get the wrong idea about you and Ethan, and that probably made things awkward for you.”
“I want to apologize in person. Please? Come on~”
The group chat fell into an awkward, immediate silence.
I stared at my phone, irritation prickling under my skin.
In the end, I typed back one word.
“Okay.”
By the time I reached the private lounge, the party was already in full swing.
The moment I pushed open the door, the room fell quiet.
From the seat at the center, Ethan Sterling looked up at me. The hard line between his brows eased slightly. “What took you so long? Come sit here.”
He patted the empty seat beside him.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Vanessa’s expression flickered, but she kept one arm looped through Ethan’s as if staking her claim. Smiling, she said, “Claire, you finally made it. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Sorry. Traffic was awful.”
Ethan’s gaze stayed fixed on me the whole time. I pretended not to notice and headed straight for the corner, where Sabrina was waving me over.
I had barely sat down when Vanessa picked up a drink and walked toward me.
“Claire, I’m really glad you came.”
“I know I used to get the wrong idea about you and Ethan. I kept losing my temper and making a scene in front of everyone. Honestly, it was embarrassing.”
“I’m sure it put you in an awkward position too, so I want to apologize. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”
Looking down at me, Vanessa smiled with practiced sweetness. “But it won’t happen again.”
“Ethan already promised me there was never anything between you two. He’s just protective, like a brother.”
“And all that clinging to him before? That was just you treating him like an older brother too, right?”
The lively mood in the private lounge room died all over again.
Everyone suddenly found something fascinating to look at besides us. Ethan was watching me too, waiting for my answer.
Sabrina rolled her eyes and started to speak, but I stopped her. Then I picked up my champagne glass, rose to my feet, and met Vanessa’s gaze head-on.
“It’s better now that everything’s out in the open.” I smiled faintly. “I accept your apology. Ethan was right—we’re just old neighbors, nothing more. So don’t misunderstand him again in the future. It’s not good for your relationship.”
I lifted my glass. “Here’s to the two of you. Wishing you a long and happy future together.”
A sharp thunk cut through the silence.
Ethan set his glass down hard on the table, his face gone cold.
There was irritation banked between his brows, but he still forced himself to keep his tone even. “You can’t drink. Don’t.”
Vanessa’s expression changed instantly. Her fingers tightened around her glass until the knuckles went white.
Because that warning—was meant for me.
Ethan Sterling and I met when we were eight. Our families lived next door to each other.
In elementary school, I practiced violin while he stood in the house beside ours with his hands clapped over his ears, yelling, “Claire Bennett, are you trying to saw a piece of wood in half?”
In middle school, he tutored me. Whenever my attention drifted, he’d tap me on the head with his pen. “Claire Bennett, you’re zoning out while I’m explaining this?”
In high school, I fell during gym class. He carried me all the way to the nurse’s office, so anxious he looked like he was about to cry. “Claire Bennett, does it hurt?”
Later, after my parents died in a car accident, he held my hand and told me, “Claire Bennett, don’t be scared. I’ll stay with you forever.”
Chapter 3
Chapter 3
We were the kind of childhood best friends with romantic history everyone envied. We were there for every important moment in each other’s lives.
I believed he really would stay with me forever.
Until Vanessa Clarke joined our violin program, and Ethan started bringing her up all the time.
“Claire Bennett, don’t you think Vanessa Clarke is kind of like you?”
“How?”
“She plays just as badly as you did at first.”
“Claire Bennett, do me a favor and get me Vanessa’s contact info, okay?”
“Claire Bennett, Vanessa and I are together.”
The private lounge room went dead silent.
Other than Sabrina, most of the people here were Ethan’s friends, and I barely knew them. Since Vanessa started dating him, she’d been running with this crowd all the time. She was much closer to them than I ever had been.
Ethan’s seemingly concerned words made everyone glance at one another. A few of them looked me over with open contempt, like I was the fake-innocent childhood best friend trying to steal someone else’s boyfriend.
I caught Sabrina’s hand before she could flip the table, tipped my head back, and drained the champagne in my glass. Then I smiled—polite, distant, untouchable.
“It’s just a drink,” I said. “Not like I can’t handle it.”
Ethan’s expression turned even colder. He strode over, snatched the glass from my hand, and forced Vanessa back two steps in the process.
“Claire Bennett, are you trying to prove something?” His voice was sharp. “You know drinking makes you break out, and you still did it?”
I was so irritated my chest felt tight. “That’s none of your business.”
He looked like he was about to say more, but the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
The man in the doorway wore a black coat. He was tall enough to block out the light from the hall behind him.
His dark eyes held a trace of chill as they swept across the room. After a brief pause, his gaze landed on my face for two seconds before moving away.
The atmosphere, taut as a pulled wire, broke instantly.
“Adrian Ashford?” Ethan sounded surprised. “I thought you said you didn’t have time to make it tonight.”
Adrian walked in on long, unhurried strides and took the seat directly across from me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Something came up,” he said. “I’m here to pick someone up.”
“You found them already?” someone asked, glancing toward the door in confusion. “I don’t see anyone.”
A faint smile tugged at Adrian’s mouth. Without making it obvious, he flicked me a glance.
“No rush.”
My heart skipped. I lowered my head at once, too guilty to meet his eyes.