AMBER POV:
The professor’s call was the best thing that had happened all day. I’d done it—I’d gotten the LBJ contract. Finally, sothing was going my way, and I could already picture my father’s reaction. Proud. Smug. Ready to parade as the perfect daughter he always wanted.
Of course, Jason must’ve been the one who chose . He was the CEO, after all. Maybe he still had feelings for . Why else would he pick over Ella? I an, sure, Ella’s work was impressive, but apparently not that good if I managed to beat her.
Now all I had to do is create the biggest co back anyone has ever seen. All those who jeered at my down fall are going to pay. By tomorrow the whole school would have known I was the winner those rumors about the party would have been long forgotten and my prosperity will be the talk of the school. I’d spin the narrative in my favor. At my upcoming press conference, I’d casually drop a hint about the LBJ contract and Jason’s role in selecting . Sothing subtle—just enough for the dia to pick up on it.
"Jason and I have always worked well together. It’s no surprise that his company recognized my talent."
Perfect. It would stir up speculation, maybe even make people think we were still close. The rumors would do the rest, and I’d be the one people admired for keeping good relations with soone as influential as Jason King.
My father was going to love this. He’d been pushing to reconnect with Jason ever since our falling out. He always said, "A man like Jason King is a rare opportunity. Don’t be foolish enough to let it slip."
I grabbed my phone and dialed him imdiately.
"Dad?" I said, trying to keep the excitent from spilling out too much. "Guess what? I won the LBJ contract!"
There was a pause, then the sound of a satisfied chuckle. "Good. I knew you had it in you. Jason chose well."
I smiled, my confidence swelling. "Of course. He knows talent when he sees it."
"Make sure to leverage this, Amber. It’s not just a contract; it’s a stepping stone. Use it to your advantage. Remind everyone why you’re the best."
"Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve got it handled."
As I hung up, I couldn’t help but think about Jason again. This could be my chance to nd things with him, to remind him of what we used to have. Maybe even reignite sothing.
Ella was out of the picture now—at least professionally. Whatever obsession Jason had for has fade, right?. He was too smart to waste ti on soone who couldn’t handle the pressure.
With my na on the LBJ contract and Jason indirectly tied to my success, I had all the pieces in place.
This was my mont, and I wasn’t about to let anyone—especially Ella—take it away.
DYLAN POV:
I woke up to a pounding headache. Great. This was exactly why I hated drinking. But honestly? After last night, maybe the alcohol was worth it. At least it knocked out and let sleep without overthinking... though now I was regretting every decision I made.
Squinting against the early morning light, I forced myself to sit up, only to see Max sprawled on the floor, snoring loudly. Judging by the way his leg was tangled in the blanket, he must’ve fallen off the sofa where he’d passed out. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
Looking around, I realized we were at Max’s place. Ugh. Why on earth did Jason bring here? He knew I hated this place. Max was a slob, and the ss was driving my hungover brain insane. Clothes were everywhere, empty bottles littered the coffee table, and there was a suspiciously sticky spot on the floor I definitely wasn’t going to investigate.
I spotted a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin on the table—thankfully, Jason must’ve thought ahead. Swallowing the pill and washing it down with the water, I grabbed my stuff and headed out, leaving Max still dead to the world. It was 6 a.m.—way too early to bother waking him, especially since our first class wasn’t until 10. I’d call him later to make sure he didn’t sleep through it, but for now, I needed a hot shower and a stronger coffee than whatever instant junk Max had in his kitchen.
As I stepped out into the crisp morning air, I checked my phone. Among the string of notifications, one stood out—a ssage from Jason in the group chat.
Jason: "We need to talk. et after class."
Seriously? I couldn’t help muttering, "Bastard," under my breath. First, he dumps at Max’s disgusting apartnt, and now he’s demanding a eting? Whatever it was, it had to be about last night—Ella, the sugar daddy theory, the fact that we’d all made fools of ourselves.
Thinking about it made my headache worse. I hated that I even cared this much. It was just... weird. She wasn’t the type to get tangled up with soone shady, but what we saw last night sure didn’t help her case.
Shaking my head, I trudged ho. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Jason’s drama or Max’s ss. Right now, I just needed coffee, a shower, and so peace to sort through the chaos in my head.
MAX POV:
Okay, let start by saying I just had the worst nightmare. Ella... laughing with so weird old dude. Wait. Oh, hell no—that wasn’t a dream. That really happened.
Groaning, I tried to sit up, only for a sharp, pounding headache to remind just how much I drank last night. Big mistake. Huge. Dropping my head back onto the floor, I realized sothing else: Why am I on the floor instead of my bed?
Slowly, the mories of last night trickled back in. Drinking too much. Jason carrying my drunk self here. Dylan being just as wasted. Yeah, that explained the headache and why everything felt like a blur.
I turned my head and spotted aspirin and a glass of water sitting on the table. God bless Jason—he might be annoying, but at least he took care of us. I quickly grabbed the pills, popped them into my mouth, and chugged the water, praying the headache would ease up soon.
That’s when my phone rang, the obnoxious sound only making my headache worse. It was Dylan. What the heck does he want now?
"Hello," I muttered, my voice hoarse and full of regret.
"Good. You’re awake," Dylan said, way too chipper for soone who had been as drunk as I was last night. "Class in 30 minutes."
Fuck. I completely forgot about class. My head dropped back with a groan. "Why didn’t you remind earlier, you idiot?"
"Because I already so made coffee for you. It’s on the kitchen counter," Dylan replied smugly, before hanging up without waiting for a response.
Stupid class. Stupid Dylan. And why the hell did I drink so much?
Dragging myself off the floor, I shuffled to the bathroom for a quick shower, hoping it would wake up. The hot water helped clear my head a little, but my thoughts still circled back to Ella and that old guy.
I couldn’t stop replaying the scene in my mind—Ella, laughing, her eyes shining like they always did when she was comfortable around soone. But it wasn’t one of us. It was so random rich old man. What the hell was that about?
After throwing on so clothes, I grabbed a cup of coffee from the kitchen counter. Dylan might be annoying, but at least he wasn’t lying about the coffee. As I sipped it, I tried to shake off the nagging feeling in my chest.
It’s none of my business, I told myself. Ella’s life was hers to live, and if she wanted to hang out with so random old dude, so be it. But I couldn’t help the irritation bubbling up. Maybe it was the hangover talking. Or maybe it was the fact that, no matter how much I tried to deny it, seeing her with soone else—even an old man—felt like a punch to the gut.
"Damn it," I muttered, slamming the empty coffee mug onto the counter.
I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, trying to push all thoughts of Ella and last night out of my mind. I had 10 minutes to make it to class, and I wasn’t about to give Jason or Dylan another reason to rag on today.
I was scrolling through my phone, trying to shake off the aftereffects of the hangover, when I saw Jason’s ssage in the group chat. "Guys, I’ve got sothing important to tell you."
I raised an eyebrow, half curious, half annoyed that he was dragging into whatever shit he gotten himself in again it better be sothing serious. Well, whatever it was, I was ready for it. But first... I had a more pressing matter to deal with.
I rembered Ella, the girl who had gotten under my skin last night. She was trouble, sure, but there was sothing about her. I wasn’t giving up so easily. If she was going to let that old dude ss with her head, I’d need to step in.
Jason wasn’t the only one who could make an impression. Co on, I was way more charming and, let’s be honest, handso than that guy. I was about to prove it.
I grinned to myself, already making my way to get ready. Ella wouldn’t know what hit her.
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