ELLA'S POVTrent's gaze remained fixed on me as the tension-thick silence stretched between us. Finally, he spoke in a low tone."I followed you here." His stare drifted down to my uniform dress, raking over me slowly before returning to my face. "Don't tell me you actually work at this place now?"I bristled slightly at his tone but met his stare. "Yes, I do work here. Is that a problem?"He simply stared at me, seeming to weigh his response. Then he gave a slight shake of his head. "No, no problem. It's just...I need to talk to you, Ella. Privately.""Well, you can put that on hold," Ryan's voice rang out as he joined us, positioning himself half in front of me shielding me from Trent. "Ella's in the middle of training with me right now. Official business."Trent's jaw tightened before he reached into his back pocket and slapped some bills down on a nearby table with a loud smack. "Fine, then I'll order the wagyu steak - premium cut, aged thirty days. And a bottle of your finest cab

ELLA'S POV"That two-faced little snake." Susan blurted out as soon as I told her what Trent had revealed about Lucinda.Her eyes flashed with anger. "I never trusted that girl in the first place. It was just so weird how she started befriending you suddenly after hating you forever."I sighed heavily, raking a hand through my hair. As much as hearing the 'I told you so' grated on me, Susan had a point. "Well, I haven't gotten the full truth from Lucinda herself yet. For now, I have other matters to focus on."Like how the hell I'm going to keep living here with Amelia without wanting to kick her snotty face in every five minutes.Susan must have sensed where my mind had drifted because her expression softened. "I'm so sorry, Ella. Everything is just so fucked up for you right now." She reached over to give my hand a squeeze."You're telling me," I muttered darkly. My jaw tightened as I recalled the hushed conversation I'd overheard between Amelia and her father the other night. "Wha

ELLA'S POV"Mom, they are hiding something from us."She sighed deeply. "Ella, you've been saying this for the past few minutes and I keep asking why do you think so?""I overheard them talking last night," I pressed on urgently. "About keeping a secret from me and you.""Okay, okay," Mom held up a hand. "So what exactly are they hiding then?"I hesitated, realizing I didn't have the full context either. "I don't really know all the details," I admitted slowly. "But it has to do with the reason Amelia's mom left them years ago.""So how does the reason she left matter to me?" Mom shook her head. "Daniel said she simply fell out of love with him. That's all there is to it.""Mom, according to what I heard..." I took a deep breath. "It sounded like there was something dangerous that happened before she left. Amelia mentioned something about not wanting you to find out 'about that' if we got married into their family.""She reached over to grasp my hands. "Ella, I know everything is so o

TRENT'S POV"Quit basketball before I make you." My father's cold voice sliced through the air, his eyes boring into mine with intensity.I felt my breath catch in my throat. "I can't," I managed, forcing the words out. "Basketball is my dream, and now that I finally got the captainship, you can't just take it all away from me."His eyes narrowed to slits as he took a step closer. "It was never your dream in the first place, boy," he spat, jabbing a finger towards my face. "It was your brother's, but you stripped him of it the moment you did that to him." The memories came rushing back in a torrent, threatening to drown me. I clutched my head, desperately trying to keep them at bay. "I didn't do anything," I rasped, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. "I didn't..."But he was already leaning in, his hot breath fanning across my face as he hissed in my ear, "You remember the blood, the glasses, the car." He hissed, his words like venom into my ears."Stop it," I choked out, sque

ELLA'S POV. "What are you doing here, Lucinda?" Ryan's firm voice cut through the noise of the restaurant.I looked up from where I was assisting with some prep work to see Lucinda standing there, hands on her hips as she leveled her gaze at Ryan. "It happens that we have some people coming in to book reservations for a celebration," he continued sternly. "This really isn't the best time."Lucinda tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I actually came to discuss our class project," she stated in a sugary-sweet tone that immediately set me on edge. "And well...to see my love since I heard he's started working here too."Her eyes bored into mine as she said the last part. My love? Did she actually just refer to Trent that way?Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Look, this really isn't the appropriate place or time for that kind of thing right now. We're incredibly backed up with work as you can see. Please leave.""Not until I see Trent," Lucinda stated, crossing her arms.