As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Sophie suddenly spoke up, "It seems Mr. Ricardo has a particr fondness for the male trainees. Looks like us girls don''t stand a chance at securing an investment."


    There was an unmistakable implication in Sophie''s words, insinuating that Ricardo was gay.


    Ricardo''s brows furrowed slightly before he withdrew the hand that had been resting on Julian''s shoulder.


    Mr. Devin, upon hearing Sophie''s words, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead in fear.


    Sophie had a way to describe it!


    "Ha, haha, Sophie here just loves to joke around. Mr. Ricardo, your investment is, of course, meant to be inclusive. How could you possibly only invest in the male trainees and ignore the girls? Besides, Mr. Ricardo is every bit the masculine man…"


    Mr. Devin''s exnation only seemed to dig himself deeper into the hole. The people around couldn''t help but burst intoughter.


    "Mrs. Burke, it seems I''ve somehow offended you before, which is why you''re targeting me like this," Ricardo retorted, changing his approach to a more deliberately sarcastic tone.


    Sophie appeared unbothered, responding, "Mr. Ricardo, you jest. How could you have possibly offended me?"Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "The rumors in the news..." Ricardo leaned closer to Sophie, whispering in a volume only they could hear, "Was that your doing?"


    "Always knew Sophie had ulterior motives, but to use this tactic to tempt Mr. Ricardo!"


    "She''s shamelessly unting herself in front of so many people."


    Observing this, Julian frowned slightly and stepped forward to push Ricardo away from Sophie, cautioning, "Mr. Ricardo, please mind the social distance."


    Shirley, witnessing this scene, bit her lip, clearly displeased.


    Sophie maintained her innocence, saying, "Mr. Ricardo, I swear none of this has anything to do with me. I have no idea why those rumors are circting online."


    "That would be best," Ricardo said with a raised eyebrow. "I also believe you weren''t the type to break your word, Mrs. Burke." Well, she was exactly that type.


    "I need to review some things here, but if there are no issues, let''s sign the contract. I''ll invest in both groups of trainees."


    "Sure, sure, no problem!"


    Julian heard Ricardo''s decision to invest and his frown deepened further.


    Ricardo gave Julian a meaningful look before turning to leave.


    Johnny was puzzled and asked, "What was that about? That look he gave you... could he actually have taken a liking to you?"


    "I always wondered how the Cloude family could produce such a romantic man. Turns out he''s gay, crafting a loving persona for the public while ying the field behind the scenes!" Sophie''sment sessfully twisted Ricardo''s sexual orientation narrative.


    "Come with me for a second." Julian took the initiative to invite Sophie aside for a talk, which made the other female trainees look on with envy and jealousy.


    "Since when does Julian talk to girls? Howe he''s so close with Sophie?"


    "Sophie just arrived and is already seducing men! Absolutely shameless!"


    Someone nearby asked, "Shirley, didn''t you used to live in the same neighborhood as Julian? What''s your rtionship like? Does he have a girlfriend?"


    Shirley''s face turned sour.


    Even though she had lived in the same neighborhood as Julian, he hardly spoke to her. He always treated her with a cold indifference, showing little affection. She had never seen Julian take the initiative to talk to a girl before.


    Meanwhile, Julian asked Sophie in a cold voice, "What is your rtionship with Ricardo?"