Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 383: This is the wild guitarist I caught for you!

Sophia froze as if struck by lightning. Her body went limp, and she nearly collapsed to the side, barely managing to stay upright by gripping the back of the couch.

Vanessa, on the other hand, had no intention of sticking around. She glanced around the room, her eyes briefly landing on Lila. She gave her a small nod but didn’t say anything. She just didn’t have the energy to deal with Lil Bunny right now.

Without another word, she grabbed Ethan’s wrist and started pulling him toward the door.

Sophia, panicking, called out, “Wait, Vanessa! What’s going on between you two?”

Vanessa stopped in her tracks, her expression icy as she turned to face Sophia. “I’ve already told you, this has nothing to do with you. Even if we were dating, it still wouldn’t be any of your business.”

With that, she turned and left without looking back.

The room was left in stunned silence, the five people remaining each with different expressions.

Elise had wanted to say something when Vanessa passed by, but Vanessa barely glanced at her before moving on, leaving Elise feeling a bit shut out.

Zara, meanwhile, was muttering under her breath, gritting her teeth. “She just ignored Elise…”

Lila, caught up in the tension of the moment, looked completely shaken, her face full of anxiety.

Julia, who had been watching the whole thing unfold, was just confused. What the hell had just happened? She didn’t feel like sticking around either, so she turned to Elise and said, “Let’s talk about that thing tomorrow, okay?”

With that, Julia made her exit, not forgetting to grab Lila on her way out, pulling her away from the heavy atmosphere.

Once everyone else had left, Sophia seemed to return to her usual calm, composed self.

She turned to Elise and said, “Don’t worry, Elise. No matter what happens, I’ll make sure to bring Vanessa back.”

With that, Sophia left the room, her expression serene. As for Zara? Sophia knew that as long as she kept Elise close, Zara wouldn’t be going anywhere. So, Zara’s opinion didn’t really matter.

After leaving The Pulse, Vanessa kept a firm grip on Ethan’s wrist, not letting go until they were far from the building. Only then did she finally release him.

She turned to him and apologized. “I’m sorry. You helped me out, but because of me, you got dragged into Sophia’s mess. That’s on me.”

Ethan shrugged, giving her a sideways glance. “I don’t really mind, honestly.”

“But, Nessa,” he continued, “why didn’t you just explain things to her?”

“Huh?” Vanessa blinked, caught off guard.

Ethan sighed and spread his hands. “You just walked out like that. Now Sophia’s going to misunderstand even more. Running away like this isn’t exactly the smartest move.”

He had a point. Ethan thought Vanessa’s attitude was a big part of the problem.

The whole mess had started because she didn’t communicate properly. That much was clear. Her refusal to talk things through had led to a lot of misunderstandings, and it wasn’t just Sophia who was affected. Plenty of people in the VIBRAMYST band had been hurt because of her. That was just the truth.

Even though Ethan was her friend, he couldn’t deny that Vanessa was partly to blame.

If she had just explained things, Ethan was sure that even Sophia would’ve understood. Sure, Sophia might still have pursued her, but it wouldn’t have been with such a terrifying obsession.

“…”

Vanessa didn’t know how to respond to that. She stood there, her face hardening.

Finally, she said, “This is my problem. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

Ethan looked at her seriously. “How can it have nothing to do with me? We’re friends, aren’t we? If a friend’s making a bad decision, isn’t it my job to point it out?”

He continued, “I know you hate being pitied, Nessa, but that’s not a reason to shut people out. Communication is important. If people don’t understand each other, it can lead to all kinds of disasters—even the end of the world.”

“…”

Vanessa had long since killed off the weaker version of herself, but that didn’t mean the new her was always decisive. Ethan’s words hit a nerve, and she found herself feeling a little less composed.

“I don’t want to talk about this right now. I’ve got work to do. I’m leaving.”

With that, Vanessa turned and walked away without looking back.

But her retreating figure had a certain air of defeat to it.

It seems Vanessa has mastered the art of avoidance—shameful, maybe, but undeniably effective.

Ethan could only shake his head and sigh as he watched her walk away. He actually had a soft spot for the old days with VibraMyst. If the band could get back together, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. After all, wasn’t Vanessa happy back then? Those were good times, the kind that stick with you because they were so special.

And since he had the ability to help her, he felt like he had to step up. That’s what friends do, right?

With that thought in mind, Ethan pulled out his phone and sent a message to a few contacts, asking some professionals to look into something for him. Once he figured out the root of the problem, he’d think about how to help Vanessa.

He briefly considered offering her a job, but the only thing he could think of right now was a live-in maid position, and he was pretty sure Vanessa would never go for that. So, he dropped the idea.

Later, Ethan met up with Lila.

Their meeting wasn’t just about Ethan needing something from her—Lila had her own request too. Apparently, while chatting with Avery and Luna earlier, she’d heard they were forming a band and needed a guitarist. And, in a surprising move, she’d actually volunteered herself.

Ethan didn’t know what had gone through Lil Bunny’s mind to make her do that, but it was clearly a step forward for her. So, he was more than happy to help out a little and take her to meet up with the others at STARRY.

But, true to form, Lil Bunny started getting cold feet as soon as they reached the entrance. She was already thinking about backing out when Ethan grabbed her wrist and practically dragged her inside.

“What’s there to be scared of? They’re your friends, aren’t they?” Ethan reassured her as they walked into STARRY.

Right as they entered, they ran into the store manager, Vivian Sinclair—Avery Sinclair’s older sister. She had that unmistakable rockstar vibe about her.

“Welcome,” Vivian greeted them. Her tone was friendly enough, but it still managed to intimidate Lila, who clung to Ethan’s arm like her life depended on it.

“Oh, Ethan! You’re here!”

From across the room, Avery spotted them. Her ahoge seemed to perk up as if sensing his arrival, and she came running over.

Ethan, without missing a beat, pushed Lila toward her. Avery fumbled a bit as she caught Lila, but her eyes lit up as she realized what was happening. “Ethan, is this…?”

“Yep,” Ethan nodded with a grin. “This is the wild guitarist I caught for you!”