Rise Above The Betrayal (Sophia and Tristan) novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25 

Sophia’s playful, mischievous grin was pure trouble–like a little cat about to knock something off a shelf just for fun. 

Tristan felt a strange little prick on his heart, the kind that only a cat’s paw could leave. His dark eyes softened, and there was a flicker of something close to indulgence in them, like he was allowing himself a rare moment of weakness. 

A faint smile rugged at the corners of his lips, as if he hadn’t noticed a thing. With his usual unhurried, effortless grace, he pushed open the door to the private room–just the way Sophia had hoped. 

“Woo-hoo!” 

The deafening roar of cheers was like a bomb going off, the kind that could rattle the foundations of the entire hotel 

The second Tristan stepped inside, a tidal wave of champagne spray hit him square on. The sharp smell of booze filled the air, and icy liquid soaked him head to toe in seconds. 

Zach and his crew were bouncing off the walls, bottles in hand, shaking them like their lives depended on it. They howled and hollered, and were so caught up in their party frenzy that they didn’t even clock that they’d hit the wrong target. 

Meanwhile, Sophia, who’d been smart enough to duck out of the splash zone, peeked out from her down. She cautiously stuck her head through the doorframe, and what she saw froze her in place. 

e line corner as the chaos started to die. 

There he was, standing at the entrance like some champagne–drenched god of destruction. Tristan’s perfectly styled hair was now a dripping mess. plastered against the nape of his neck. 

Champagne trailed along the sharp, almost cruelly handsome lines of his face, pooling at his jawline before hanging there in one tantalizingly perfect drop. It was a lot. Too much, really. The kind of sight that made one wants to lean in and–kiss away the drop. 

Sophia couldn’t help but chuckled. The sound of her sufled laugh made Tristan turn his head, his sharp gaze landing squarely on her. 

Even dripping wet, stripped of his usual icy perfection, the man looked unfairly good. The mess only added a rugged, almost dangerous edge to his otherwise untouchable demeanor. He didn’t look so much like a nained CEO as he did a devil–may–care bad boy one couldn’t help but stare at 

Sophia’s lips curved into a wicked little smile. Her lashes, long and feathered, lifted as her bright eyes sparkled with amusement 

That grin, that sparkle–it lit up her whole face, turning her from merely beautiful to outright spellbinding. 

And for just a moment, Tristan’s carefully guarded composure cracked Something tugged at his heart again, a quiet but undeniable pull. The indulgence in his gaze deepened, spilling over into something that looked suspiciously like pure affection. 

Inside the room, reality was finally starting to catch up to Zach and his gang “Wait.. hold on..” Zach murmured in fear. 

They’d champagne–blasted the wrong person. The man standing there, drenched from head to toe, wasn’t their beloved party queen. “Miss 5 It was 

“Oh crap 

I’m so sorry, Mr. Years! 

Zach practically jumped our of his skin, clutching his now–empty champagne bottle like it might save him. 

His brain short–circuited, and before he could think better of it, he shoved the bottle into the hands of the poor sap next to him 

The poor sap blinked. “Huh? Seriously?” 

But survival instincts kicked in fast, and he passed the boitle off to the next guy, who passed it to the next, like a game of hot potato where no one wanted to lose 

The chain finally ended with Sherry, who found herself holding a precarious tower of empty bottles. 

She pressed her tongue against her back teeth, fixing Zach with a smile so sharp in could cut glass 

“Oh, you’re so dead” she drawled, her tone all sugar and venom.. 

Zach shrank into himself, swallowing hard. He looked like a man marching to his doom as he shaklly reached out to take the empty bottles. But before he could, there was a sharp clatter. 

Everyone turned just in time to see Sherry casually toss the bottles into the recycling bin. She grabbed a fresh one, and–without so much as a blank -started walking toward Tristan, bottle in hand, looking like she was about to smash it over his head. 

1/2 

Dreame Read Romance. 

Open 

Chapter 25 

The room collectively froze. Zach and his crew gawked, their hearts lodged firmly in their throats. Oh my god. They both thought about the same thing. Miss Hayes is losing it. She’s actually going knock him out cold! 

But instead, Sherry sidestepped Tristan, sauntered right up to Sophia, and shoved both the unopened bottle and a box of tissues into her hands. 

“Hey sweetie.” With a sly wink, she said, “Mr. Yeats just braved a champagne storm for you. You owe him.” 

Sophia didn’t have a reply to this. So now she’s the bad guy? She thought 

Sure, maybe she had pushed Tristan into the line of fire on purpose. But come on, he handled it like a champ 

Meanwhile, all eyes were on her now, Zach and the others even clasped their hands together in a dramatic “please save us” gesture, their faces as pitiful as stray puppies. 

Sophia almost sighed. They surely deserved this. 

She glanced at Tristan, only to find him leaning into the drama, his head tilted slightly and his hazel, champagne–soaked eyes glinting with amusement. He didn’t even try to hide the smirk tugging at his lips. 

“Miss Roscente,” he said smoothly, spreading his arms wide to show off his soaked, disheveled state. “It’s only fair you take responsibility” 

“Pardon me?” Sophia’s eyes twitched. Her gaze sharpened as she glared at him. 

But she didn’t expect this. His soaking wet hair clung to his forehead, droplets of champagne gliding down his sharp jawline. Even in this mess, he looked maddeningly perfect. And that hint of mischief in his gaze? It only added fuel to her frustration.