Rome hit the call button and after a beat, said, "Got it, I'm on my way." He ended the call and brushed Ophelia's cheek with his knuckles, his stare intense and swallowing her whole. "I gotta deal with something. Try to relax—your leg needs to heal, so just chill here for a while."
Ophelia hesitated a second before nodding.
But the moment Rome was out the door, she grabbed a cab straight to her apartment.
With Amber in the picture, she wasn't stressing about Rome finding out.
Sure enough, that afternoon the gossip blogs lit up with news that Amber had been stalked by some obsessed fan, and Rome was furious on her behalf.
The next day, the guy who'd been tailing Amber—a young guy named Baylor—ended up in a car crash. The rumor mill went wild, everyone saying Rome had a hand in it.
People were eating the drama up.
That night, Ophelia got a text from her college roommate, Blessing Garcia.
"Ophelia, tomorrow's the university anniversary bash. The professor's been asking about you—you gotta come. And it'd be amazing if you could bring Mr. Olson. The prof keeps saying how much he'd love to meet a young genius like him."
The university had been trying to get Rome Olson as a guest for ages.
Ophelia had mentioned it once before, but only during a really heated moment.
Blindfolded, at the peak of pleasure, Rome had wrapped himself around her from behind, his breath scorching her ear as he whispered, "Say something sweet, and I'll go."
The memory jolted her back.
She was planning to leave the city soon.
Her professor had been super supportive all these years, and she didn't want to let him down.
Plus, Rome had made that promise that night.
After thinking it over, Ophelia decided to call Rome.
But the voice that answered was syrupy-sweet and feminine. "This is Amber. Mr. Olson is tied up right now. Who's calling, please?"
Rome was a control freak who hated anyone poking into his private life.
Finding out he let Amber answer his personal phone was a shock.
Masking her surprise, Ophelia got to the point. "Hi, Miss Amber. It's Ophelia Olson. I was wondering if Rome is free tomorrow afternoon? I have an invite for him."
"Tomorrow?" Amber sounded surprised, then let out a light laugh. "Oh, sweetie, that won't work. Tomorrow afternoon Rome and I have a date."
Her voice had that fake-cute, hinting tone—the kind that screams intimacy and leaves too much to imagine.
Disappointed but with her answer, Ophelia was ready to hang up without another thought.
But Amber kept going, her voice dripping with false concern. "Rome won't let me out of his sight since I got back. That thing with Baylor really shook him. Good thing you covered for me that day, or the Baylor accident might not have gone so smoothly. Who knows what kind of mess would've happened…"
Ophelia listened in silence.
Amber let out a tiny laugh and added, "You were pretty reckless, honey. The Menzies are a big deal around here. Why pick a fight with Baylor? Making connections might beat dealing with those wild men…"
Her words echoed the city elite's whispers—how Ophelia was just a foster kid with no real background.
What could a foster child do except leech off the family connections?
Nobody knew the real reason behind her years of playing nice.
Nobody saw the fire behind her decision to walk away.
"Miss Amber," Ophelia cut in, voice steady, "If Baylor's your type, feel free to take him up on his offer and become Mrs. Baylor."
She hung up, not caring if Amber ran to Rome with it.
What Ophelia didn't expect was Rome showing up at the university anniversary the next day—with Amber glued to his arm.
Being the top university in the country, the event was crawling with Hollywood directors, academic legends, and power players.
But Rome still turned heads.
In his tailored suit, rocking the latest luxury watch and brooch, he glided through the crowd of scholars and socialites like he owned the place.
Amber at his side drew a stream of people paying their respects.
Rome barely talked, just nodding here and there.
Ophelia looked away, the chatter of her old classmates buzzing around her.
"Rome Olson at our school event? That's insane."
"He's obviously here for Miss Amber. She went here for a bit, and he's playing escort."
"But didn't Miss Olson say Rome was tied up?"
"Shh, one's a foster kid, basically a pet in the Olson house, and the other's the beloved 'darling'—there's no comparison."
The words sliced through Ophelia like ice, her lips pressed tight as a storm churned inside her.
