Elowen

The stupid thing was that I could still hear the annoying sound of his laughter five minutes later. In my head.

I pushed through a crowd of dancing people and headed straight for the kitchen.

My face was still burning. No. Burning wasn’t the right word. I was mortified.

I grabbed the first cup I saw on the counter and took a large sip. Immediately, I regretted it.

“What the hell?”

The drink burned my throat.

Isa appeared beside me, nearly spilling her own drink while laughing.

“Easy there, tiger.”

I coughed. “What is this?”

“Looking at you baby, you really need it. You look like you’re about to pass out.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why is that?”

My stomach twisted. “No reason.”

“Liar.”

I rolled my eyes.

Isa had the annoying ability to know exactly when I was hiding something. Before she could question me further, movement across the room caught my attention.

There he was. Standing near the staircase.

My mysterious stranger. The guy with mysterious blue eyes. The guy I should not be thinking about. He wore a shirt which did nothing to hide the outline of abs screaming to be shown.

My heart immediately betrayed me. One stupid little flutter.

Isa followed my gaze. “Oh.” That was all she said.

I froze.

“Oh, what?” I asked carefully.

Her grin widened. “Oh.” She repeated.

My face immediately heated. “You know him?”

“Baby girl, don’t play dumb with me.” Her grin became even bigger.

“Dumb?” I asked, feigning confusion. “How do you mean?”

She rolled her eyes. “You seem like the one who knows him.”

My eyes widened. “Me? I do not.”

“Sure.”

I groaned. Why are we best friends like this?

Across the room, he was talking to a group of people. Girls. Of course. Two redheads. A brunette. One blonde. They were all laughing. All staring at him. One even touched his arm.

I hated how much that affected me. Elowen, you don’t even know his name. So why do you care?

I questioned myself.

He smells of danger. He is the type of guy who never had to chase anyone. The type who simply existed and people threw themselves at him.

He is annoyingly attractive. Dangerously confident. So why am I still looking?

As if sensing my stare, his eyes lifted and landed directly on mine.

My breath caught. The room suddenly felt chilly.

His lips slowly curved into a smirk. Oh, he definitely remembered me.

Heat rushed into my face. I felt the need to crawl under a table and hide from his gaze.

I immediately looked away.

I'm a coward. Absolutely pathetic. I should’ve stared defiantly at him and never backed down until he did. I will do that next time. Wait, why should there be a next time?

Isa burst out laughing beside me. “You got caught.”

“Shut up.”

She continued laughing. “You got caught staring.”

“I said zip it, Isa!”

Her laughter only grew louder.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t wrong. I had gotten caught. And somehow it bothered me less than the fact that I was trying my best to resist the urge to look again.

The rest of the party passed in a blur. Music, dancing, people screaming to song lyrics I didn’t know existed until now.

Isa dragged me into conversations I didn’t care about.

My eyes kept glancing around the room and, even though I wouldn’t admit it, I searched for him.

And every single damn time I found him, he seemed to find me too.

Yet, I couldn’t bring myself not to look away from his gaze.

Hours later, I finally escaped from Isa and of course, my mysterious stranger, and headed to the backyard.

The cool night air felt wonderful against my overheated skin.

Finally. The peace that I’ve been craving for.

“Running away?”

Unfortunately, that peace was short-lived.

Of course. He followed me. I almost rolled my eyes to the back of my skull, as if doing that will hide the fact that my heart did a little jump.

I turned, folding my arms across my chest.

There he was. The bane of my scattered emotions. Leaning casually against the porch railing with that infuriating smirk on his lips. The light from the moon contrasted with the color of his eyes, making his gaze look mysterious yet beautiful. His hair was dark, some strands fell across his forehead, touching the lid of his eyes. There are two words that come to my mind whenever I stare at him. Strikingly handsome.

My heart started acting stupid again.

Focus, Elowen. You’re not supposed to have thoughts like that.

“I wasn’t running.” I glared at him defiantly, not backing away this time.

“Yeah, of course not.” he shrugged mockingly.

I folded my arms tighter across my chest. “Why do you always act confident when you say something about me?”

A low chuckle escaped his mouth. “I don’t act.” he paused, his gaze intense. “I am confident.”

I curled my fists tight, trying to resist the urge to smack the jerk across the face. Ahh God, what sin did I commit to deserve seeing this pompous jackass tonight?

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The music from inside drifted through the open windows. Laughter echoed from somewhere down the street. The night felt strangely smaller with him standing there.

Breathing in deeply, I joined him, leaning on the porch railing. “I’m Elowen.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Giving your name to strangers now? What were those words you said again?” He paused as if in deep thought. “‘Who told you I want to be your type?’ but here you are in her mighty glory, offering me your name. Are we friends now or…” His left brow lifted.

I couldn’t hold on again. The last thread of patience I had snapped, before I knew it, I was on him, smacking him with my hands.

His laughter rang in my ears, making me feel a thousand and one different feelings all at the same time.

By the time I stopped smacking him, my breath was coming out in spasms.

He stopped laughing but a smile remained on his face. A genuine one for the first time tonight. It made him look less dangerous. More human. Far too attractive.

Maintaining my slightly annoyed expression, I turned away from him, looking everywhere except at him.

I felt his gaze on me the entire time I didn’t speak.

“Zephyr,” he broke the silence. “My name is Zephyr.”

It suited him perfectly. I admitted inwardly. I wasn’t sure how. I just knew that it did.

He started a conversation and, despite my efforts to ignore, I couldn’t.

For a while, we talked. Really talked. About my dream college, the terrible teachers I previously had in senior year.

I learned he had a sarcastic sense of humor. Somewhere between our conversation and the next, I stopped wanting to leave. I managed to relax myself a bit.

When he looked at me again, there was something different in his expression. Something quieter and serious. Don’t get me wrong, the teasing was still there. But beneath it was interest. Real interest. The kind that made my pulse race.

Every time he smirked, my stomach did something weird. Every time he looked directly at me, I tried to continue what I was saying.

The air felt very charged.

“Why—why are you staring at me like that?” I had to ask.

His eyebrows lifted. “Like what, Blondie?”

I frowned. “Don’t call me Blondie. My name’s Elowen.”

A small smile appeared on his face. “The nickname suits you.”

His quiet stare never left my face.

I turned away. My pulse quickening.

The backyard suddenly felt quieter. The music from inside seemed distant now. Muted.

“I don’t like the name,” I said after a long while.

His hand reached for my face, a lean finger turned my head, making our gaze meet. His eyes held mine. “That makes it more satisfying.”

Annoyance flashed in my eyes. I should leave before I get irritated. Just a few minutes back while we talked, I thought we could be friends. I was wrong.

I bit my lip hard. This guy was getting on my nerves.

I fixed my gaze on him, not knowing what to say again. Having exhausted all the words I knew.

Surprisingly, he stopped smirking. His eyes dropped briefly to my lips, following every movement as I bit harder into them.

Nervously, my teeth sank deeper into my lower lip.

His gaze continued to lock onto the movement. His eyes followed every nervous bite, every slight movement of my mouth.

The air between us tightened. What is happening right now?

A dangerous smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Blondie, I think you should stop doing that.”

I frowned. “Doing what?”

I dropped my hands to my side, glaring at the jerk before me.

His eyes darkened. “Stop biting your lip.”

The anger from earlier turned into something I couldn’t describe. Heat crawled up my neck, but I refused to look away. “And why is that?”

He took a slow step closer. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

I scoffed, letting out a laugh. “Trust me, jackass. If I ever decided to seduce someone, you’d be the last person on the list.”

Something flashed in his eyes. His jaw tightened. The amusement vanished from his face, replaced by a hunger that made my pulse stumble.

Before I could react, a strong arm wrapped around my waist. My breath caught.

One second there was distance between us. The next, I was pressed against the hard wall of his chest. My heart slammed against my ribs.

“Funny,” he murmured, lowering his head until his voice brushed against my skin. “Do you always have to find something smart to counteract me?”

“Well, someone has to keep your ridiculously massive ego under control.”

His grip tightened. That hunger I had seen earlier intensified.

“Stop talking.” His voice was huskier now.

My pulse quickened. “Are you indirectly telling me to shut up?” I eyed him. “Who do you think you are?”

His smirk was gone completely. “I am Zephyr, love.” His gaze remained on my lips. “If you don’t shut up, prepare to bear the consequences.”

Who the hell does he think he is? All my life I have never met someone so pompous like him without a crown to justify it.

I curled my fist tightly, my nails digging into my skin. “I’ve met peacocks with less attitude.” My teeth clenched. “If arrogance burned calories, you’d be a supermodel.”

“For Christ’s sake, Elowen.” he let out a breath, calling my name for the first time tonight. “The more you talk, the more I lose every strand of control I’m trying so hard to hold onto.”

“Feel free to talk back.” I challenged. “I promise, you wouldn’t see me back down.”

“Fuck,” his hand left my waist, grabbing my neck so swiftly. “I don’t want to do that. It's your lips…"

I swiftly touched them. "What's wrong with it? Is it swollen?" I asked, terrified.

"No," his voice came out husky. "I want to fucking kiss you.”

Elowen

I didn’t even have the luxury to react before his hot mouth came down on mine. My eyes widened. How did things get to this point?

In the next second, my back was pressed against the cold wall as his tall, muscular frame trapped me.

I tried to push him away, but his grip on my neck tightened. Looking up into his face, God, I had to agree he was definitely attractive. Dark silky hair that covered his forehead, long dark lashes that looked so sexy.

I shook my head, trying to get rid of his distracting features. What audacity does this asshole think he has to kiss me out of nowhere?

I shoved against his chest, meaning to put some distance between us.

“Stop,” I whispered, glaring at him with every ounce of irritation I could muster.

The word came out weak. Far weaker than I intended.

A faint smile touched his lips. “I told you you’d bear the consequences.”

His lips brushed mine again, and my resolve cracked a little.

I need to push him harder. I shouldn’t give in.

I don’t know this dude. Why should I kiss a total stranger?

His hungry lips crushed down onto mine, firmly capturing my lips in an extremely devouring and passionate manner. A moan escaped my lips. Shit. And that’s how my resolve went down the drain.

My fingers slowly curled into his shirt. The pleasure of feeling his mouth against mine as his tongue slowly slipped between my lips, requesting entry into the hot, wet depths of my mouth, made me feel alive. My lips parted invitingly as if they had a mind of their own, knowing abundantly well to give the jerk a welcome invitation. What has he done to me?

The heat and taste of his kiss filled my mouth as he groaned softly, and our tongues mingled and ground against each other. He’d just started kissing me, but it already felt like my entire body was ready to melt in his embrace.

His large frame trapped me against the wall as he pressed his hips against mine. I could feel the distinct hard outline of his arousal pressing against my belly.

He sucked on my lower lip before nibbling on it seductively, while at the same time his large hands began stroking my waist before dipping down to caress my hips. I was a panting mess when he finally broke the kiss.

“Come upstairs with me,” he murmured against my ear, his voice low and rough.

That should have been enough to pull me back. A small stubborn voice broke through the haze clouding my mind. We were literally just arguing minutes ago. Minutes, Elowen.

I pulled back slightly, my breath uneven. “We were just arguing right now,” I said, as if slowly coming back to reality. “What are you doing to me?”

His eyes searched mine, slow and unreadable, like he was enjoying the way I was unraveling.

“Nothing you’re not letting me do,” he replied simply.

My chest tightened. “No,” I shook my head quickly, forcing distance between us. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

My tone sounded firm, but it didn’t feel firm.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to step back. He didn’t let me. His arm was suddenly around me again.

And then—

Everything tilted.

The ground, my thoughts, my balance. Before I could process it, I wasn’t standing anymore. I was swept off my feet, suddenly feeling an unfamiliar heat surround me.

I was in his arms. My arms secured tightly around his neck to keep from falling.

“Hey—what in the world do you think you are doing??”

“Relax, blondie,” he said calmly, as he carried me up effortlessly. Like I weighed nothing at all.

I should’ve fought harder. Why didn’t I? I’m freaking disappointed at myself right now.

The world blurred past in fragments of hallway light and shadow until the door I recognized came into view.

He carried me to the room from earlier. My stomach dropped the moment I realized.

“No,” I breathed. “Why did—”

The words died when he set me down gently on the bed.

“Now,” he started. “Where were we?”

“….” Is it too late to stop this here and now?

I opened my mouth to say something, but his lips shut me up.

Desire swelled in my lower belly. I was so drawn into this hot kiss that it felt like I was drowning in a whirlpool. He screamed danger, but I was too tempted by the charm that oozed out of him to the point where I was willing to ignore the warning signs.

He suddenly buried his face into the side of my neck before placing kisses and bites against my sensitive skin. I cried out loudly at the pleasure of his lips kissing, sucking, and biting softly on the side of my neck. A thought came to me. So this was how hickeys appear on one’s body. This was the love bite I’d heard about and felt so disgusted seeing them on people’s skin.

Lewd sucking sounds echoed close to my ears and made me moan ecstatically.

It’s beyond believable that a guy I’d just met less than half an hour ago could bring me to such heights of pleasure like this. No one, not even my ex-boyfriend, has ever taken me on such a pleasurable roller coaster.

I’ve never felt the need to have sex with anyone before because I thought—and still think—that no one among the boys I’ve met in my life truly deserved it. But with Zephyr… what is it about him that made me dump all my rules down the trash?

His large hands roved around my body, teasing the sides of my hips before slowly sliding upwards until he cupped both of my breasts in his hands.

“Ahh….” I moaned from pure bliss, feeling ecstatic when his cock twitched at the sound of my voice.

For the life of me, I couldn’t hold back my moans of pleasure, and it felt like there was no need for me to.

His lips captured mine again, swallowing my lewd moans into his mouth before he thrust his tongue deeply into the wet depths of my mouth, and the way his tongue moved against mine was so enticing my legs felt like jelly. I had to wrap them around his waist, feeling extraordinarily bold.

I, Elowen Vale, was having my first one-night stand ever. The thought that I would never get to see this dude again made it seem like it didn’t matter what he thought of me; I felt so brave and so liberated.

As if he could tell that I was enjoying myself, his actions becoming bolder. He used one hand to hold me up like I was some sort of weightless feather, while the other hand was busy setting my body on fire. It pulled up the lower part of my soft sundress, passed my panties and down into my wetness. He twirled my folds between his fingertips in circular motions while I threw my head back and moaned like an animal in heat. It was clear that he knew how to pleasure a woman, and I never knew that sex could feel this good. His hands molded against my bud. I looked down to see the way his fingers twirled in circular motion like an expert.

“Ahh… Ahh…” I moaned at the intense jolts of pleasure that flooded my body and began accumulating in a hot wet mess between my legs.

This was my first time reaching this extent or being teased this way by a guy. The pleasure he made me feel was so much better than anything that I had ever experienced before. I wanted more of him as the heat of my lust fogged up my mind and judgment. I could feel my pussy getting so hot and so wet as another gush of wetness spurted out of my love hole onto his fingers. My hips wouldn’t stop moving as I ground my throbbing pussy against his palm.

He chuckled. “I see how much you really want this, don’t you?”

“Yes, please. Please…”

I spread my legs further apart.

“You’re very wet. You’re completely drenched down here,” he commented as his fingers stroked my wet.

It felt so pleasurable, but at the same time, it made me yearn for even more. I wanted to feel his fingers inside me, shockingly enough.

“Please, touch me,” I pleaded sweetly as I thrust my pussy against his exploring fingers.

“Where do you want me to touch you?” he asked with a mischievous glint in his gray eyes.

“Please, touch me here,” I said as I took his hand and slowly guided his fingers inside me. I moaned deliriously when I felt the heat of his fingers caressing my wet hole directly. But he was still teasing me.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

I was already in cloud nine, and all I could do was nod.

“No, sweetheart, you have to do better than that.” His fingers pushed into my wetness, and damn, that had me arching my back. “So I will ask again, do you like it?”

I nodded again and again before replying, “Yes… yes. I love it!”

I couldn’t believe how strange my voice sounded. So unfamiliar.

“Good girl.” He chuckled again. “Wait until I get my cock inside you.”

My eyes widened. Had the moment arrived already?

“Will it hurt?” I asked calmly, staring into his eyes.

I remembered all the conversations with my friends — the dramatic stories, the warnings, the nervous laughter when they talked about their first time.

Yeah, it hurts at first.

That was what most of them had said.

And now that I was actually here, so close to giving myself to someone for the first time, those words echoed loudly in my head. I wondered if I was truly ready for that kind of pain. If I’d tense up. If I’d panic halfway through.

I wanted him. I knew that much. My body reacted for the first time to every touch, every kiss from a guy. A total stranger at that. But fear still sat heavily in my chest beside the desire.

What if it hurt more than I expected?

I swallowed nervously, trying to calm the upcoming storm inside me while my fingers held onto him a little tighter. Part of me wanted to stop and think longer, while another part wanted to trust him, trust myself, and finally understand what everyone always talked about.

Due to my inner turmoil, I hadn’t realized that he’d stopped touching me. His eyes were on my fingers, which held onto his.

“Will… will what hurt?” he asked.

My eyes lowered to his erect cock. “Uhm… you inside me. I haven’t… Oh my God, this is so embarrassing.”

“You’ve never been fucked?” he finished my statement for me. Clear disbelief was evident in his tone.

I bit my lip and nodded. His blue pupils narrowed, and a fleeting emotion flashed in them, but before I could understand it, he blinked it away, and they were back to normal, as if it had all been an illusion.

He breathed deeply as he closed his eyes, looking as though he was counting to ten.

When he opened them again, he seemed angry, even though his face was, again, indecipherable. I just felt it.

I was shocked by his reaction. I didn’t expect it to be this way.

“Tell me… why is a young and beautiful girl like you still untouched?”

I blinked. I really didn’t know what to answer him, so I turned my eyes away from his and said the most logical thing I could think of.

“Because I haven’t met the right one.”

“Wha—” He sounded speechless.

“Yes, no one I came across felt right. Not even my ex-boyfriend.” To be honest, that was just the half-truth.

On my mum’s deathbed, she had made me promise one thing, and that was to never give away my virginity until I reached the right age and met someone my heart acknowledged as THE ONE.

“And what makes you think that it’s the right decision to go all in with me? Clearly, you just met me.”

He disengaged from me and sat on the bed.

Yeah, what was it about him that made me want to break my promise to my own mother?

“I… I…” My brain couldn’t form a single sentence with all twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Sitting up, I wrapped the bedsheet around my shoulders, covering my entire body, then proceeded to look around the room. Anywhere but his face.

Zephyr shook his head in disbelief upon realizing my silence. He stood up and dressed himself, then turned to look at me.

“You must be a foolish girl,” he finally said after a long while.

My head snapped toward his face, my eyes burning. Did he just say that to me? Did he just refer to me as foolish?

I was shocked to the marrow, and the only thing I could bring myself to do was chuckle at his words.

I really do not blame him. I’m at fault. If only I’d stayed back at home instead of succumbing to my best friend’s advice about coming out, this wouldn’t have happened.

I wouldn’t have met him in the first place.

I felt a part of the bed sink in.

“Look,” he started, then stopped. He stood up from the bed again, his gaze not meeting mine.

“I will be on my way now,” he said.

“Why are you suddenly acting this way? How—”

He cut in, lifting his head up. His gaze again met mine, looking more emotionless than I’d seen all night.

“I don’t do virgins.”

The words landed so flat, so casual, that for a second I thought I’d heard him wrong.

“What?”

“I said I don’t do virgins, blondie. Especially foolish ones.”

“What—”

My stomach dropped so hard it felt like my body had forgotten how to sit still. For a moment, I just stared at him. Lost for words. Not because he rejected me, but because of how effortlessly he did it, making sure to insult me painfully at the end.

It felt like to him, I was nothing more than a passing mistake he had already decided wasn’t worth his time.

The worst part was that a few minutes ago, I had so desperately let myself want him.

Heat crawled up my neck. Pure humiliation followed right behind it. Sharp and unforgiving.

I should have pushed against him when he tried to kiss me. I should not have let him near me at all.

“How dare you call me foolish? Why would you say something like that?” I asked quietly, my voice tighter than I intended.

His jaw flexed, but he didn’t answer.

That silence annoyed me more than anything. Of course he wouldn’t answer. Why did I expect that he would?

A bitter laugh slipped out of me as I pulled the sheet tighter around myself, as if it could somehow fix what I had just done.

Stupid. I felt so stupid. Not because of him. Because of me. Me.

I had let a stranger get under my skin in less than an hour of meeting him. I kissed him back. I had reacted like every other girl he was probably used to.

I wasn’t any other girl. Why did I succumb to such a lifestyle tonight?

No wonder he called me foolish.

I pressed my lips together, my jaw tightening. He had no right to call me that. I won’t let this slide.

Guys like him didn’t take you seriously if you give them a single inch. And I had practically handed him everything.

My pride burned hotter than the embarrassment now.

“I hate you for this,” I muttered under my breath.

His gaze lifted slightly. “Good.” He stood there looking calm and so unaffected. “Let’s keep it that way.”

He turned and left.

My fingers curled into the sheet. My eyes glaring at his back. One thought settled with dangerous clarity.

I HATE HIM!

Elowen

"I don't do virgins, blondie."

It had been nine solid months since that night, and yet the embarrassment still lingered heavily in my chest whenever I remembered the events that occurred.

“I want to hold another party, in celebration of you getting into Whitmore College!” Isa shrieked through the phone, her voice bright and obnoxiously chipper.

“Isa, no. Absolutely no,” I groaned, balancing my phone between my shoulder and ear as I put on the kitchen gloves, getting ready to bring out my cookies from the oven. I hoped they wouldn’t be bland or too sugary this time.

“Come on, Elowen,” she whined, dragging my name out like a kid begging for candy. “You’re officially a college student now. You’re not supposed to be this reserved. At least be wild and crazy. We only live once, you know.”

“First of all,” I said, rolling my eyes as I opened the fridge, only to find it depressingly empty, “I got into Whitmore because I literally had no other choice. It’s not my dream college. It’s not Belmont. I need to study harder and become abundantly rich so I can live how I want to.”

“Yeah, duh,” Isa mocked, her dramatic tone practically dripping through the phone. “So what if Whitmore isn’t Belmont? At least you’re still going to college and studying music or some other boring course, which is, like, the most amazing thing ever.”

I sighed, opening the oven door and leaning in to grab the tray. The cookies looked sumptuous. I hoped the taste would too.

“Isa, do you even know what music is?”

“It’s like... screaming above your voice and playing some ridiculously boring instrument, right?” she said, and I could practically hear her smirking on the other end.

“Oh, good Lord,” I muttered, rubbing my temples.

“Anyway,” she continued, undeterred, “I’m still gonna throw that party, and you’re going to come, and you’re going to have some fun. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll get laid again.”

“Isa!” I snapped, heat rushing to my cheeks.

“What?” she replied, feigning innocence. “You can’t tell me you’re still not thinking about him. It’s been what now... nine months? Nine months, Elowen.”

“I’m not thinking about him,” I said firmly, though the lie was obvious even to myself.

“Hmm,” Isa scoffed. “Last month when you came to my house, did you think I didn’t hear you talking in your sleep? Saying words like, ‘Oh, please touch me here.’”

“Shit, Isa.” I was horrified.

She chuckled loudly, the sound making me smile embarrassingly.

“You still dream about him, right?” she continued, laughing between her words. “That hot stranger who gave you the best night of your life and—”

And the worst. I clenched my teeth. Isa knew nothing about what happened later that night and I wanted to keep it so.

“I know what I did, Isa,” I interrupted, feigning a groan.

I had told Isa that the stranger and I had only made out because I didn’t want her knowing about how he said things that made me feel humiliated. How, because of those words, I couldn’t bring myself to be close to any other guy again.

I would keep my promise to my mother, and this time no one would be here to make me do otherwise.

“I took a shower and washed off our little encounter from my body. Can we move on?”

“Nope,” she said cheerfully. “I’m never letting you live that down. Do you know how rare it is to find someone who looks like a Greek god and actually knows what to do in bed? And you just let him poof, disappear.”

I sighed, leaning against the counter and pinching the bridge of my nose.

“I didn’t let him disappear. The whole idea of a one-night stand is just that... a one-night stand. Only one night of your life. Not more. That’s literally how it works.”

“Not when they’re that good,” she quipped. “Honestly, I’m just disappointed in you. I expected you to be smart and use this opportunity to corner such a guy.”

“Well, sorry but not sorry to disappoint,” I said dryly. “Now can we talk about my cookies or something else? Like how you’re going to manufacture the money to pay for this party you’re so determined to throw.”

“You like to worry too much about things that shouldn’t be worried about,” she said breezily. “I’ve got it all figured out. All I need you to be concerned about is how you’ll dress up and look hot. Not girl hot, but boy hot.”

I rolled my eyes.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about the money involved in paying for this party. The last time Isa told me that “she had it figured out,” we both ended up begging and pleading with the store owner she bought drinks from on credit. And the store owner called the police on us.

Thanks to my dad, who was one of the cops that came to arrest his own daughter and her best friend. Seeing me, he sighed, told me how embarrassing this was for him, and ended up paying for the drinks.

Speak of the devil.

“Isa, I’ll call you back,” I said quickly, cutting her off mid-rant.

“What? Why?”

“Dad’s here,” I said, already lowering the phone.

“Fine,” she huffed. “But we’re not done talking about this party, Elowen!”

I hung up before she could say anything else, stuffing my phone into my pocket and pulling off the kitchen gloves before walking into the living room.

“To what do I owe you coming back this early?” I asked, frowning as I took in the sight of my father sitting stiffly on the edge of the couch, a cigarette on his lips.

The air had already started to smell of smoke. And the type he smoked wasn’t the kind that smelled sweet. This habit disgusted me to my core.

“That’s not a way to greet your dad.”

“Well, that’s how I greet the dad who hasn’t been there for his daughter since her mother died a year ago. You didn’t even bother showing up to my graduation. Mum wouldn’t have done that,” I snapped, arms crossed tightly over my chest. “I was the best in my class, by the way. Not that it concerns you.”

“Oh, come on, baby,” my father said, drawing me close to him. “You’re a big girl now. Besides... Dad is always busy now. Trying his best to make sure you experience a proper life.”

“Yeah, by dodging your responsibilities pertaining to my life,” I shot back, moving two steps back. The smell of smoke oozing from him was disgusting. “Great way to be a dad.”

His face twitched just for a second before he composed himself and smoothed his shirt. It looked way too expensive. I swear the cost of that shirt alone was enough to buy half the clothes he owned.

His hair was gelled back, making him look younger than usual.

“My little pessimistic baby girl,” he said with a sigh, brushing imaginary dust off his pants. “I heard you got into Whitmore.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. A low-class school. Exactly what I know you were about to call it.”

He looked out the window, breathed in and out, then turned back to meet my gaze.

“I wasn’t going to say low-class. Why do you think so lowly of me?”

I ignored his question.

“Spare me the lies. Swear that you weren’t going to say that,” I challenged, glaring at him.

“I didn’t,” he said. “It’s not Belmont, is it? But it’s... okay, I suppose.”

“Wow, Dad, thank you so much for the wonderful review.” My voice dripped with sarcasm. “If you’d love to know, I was doing great before you stepped in. It’s either you go back to wherever you came from or you go to your room as always. I don’t need you.”

I turned to go, but he reached out and grabbed my hand, stopping me in my tracks.

“What if you got into Belmont?”

I laughed, but there was no humor in it.

I whirled around, eyeing him up and down before forcefully pulling my arm from his grasp.

“They don’t give scholarships, for your information, Dad. That’s the whole point. It’s for elite and rich kids and, let’s not forget, trust fund babies. Not for people like you and me.”

“No, baby,” he said. “I want you to learn the habit of being optimistic.”

“And I want you to learn the habit of not being delusional,” I shot back, frowning. “Not being optimistic has saved me from a lot. It has saved me from fooling myself into thinking you’ll ever be the father I want you to be. Now, please let me go.”

He didn’t move.

Instead, he tilted his head, his gaze distant for a moment before his eyes lit up with an unnerving enthusiasm.

“You’re going to love it, Elowen. Just imagine: a big college, a gorgeous campus, parties on yachts, a better life.”

“A better life? How?” My brows shot up. “Mum died entrusting me to your hands. You barely make anything from your work, and even the little you do make, what do you use it for? Gambling? Smoking? You have never been there for me. Now what the hell are you saying?”

I stopped talking because I knew if I continued, I might tear up.

My father didn’t say anything after my outburst. He just held up his hand for me to see.

There, sitting on his ring finger, was a ring.

My jaw tightened.

“You’re a police officer and you don’t even live by what your profession preaches against. Who did you steal that from?” I asked coldly.

My father’s face twisted, his lips pulling into a frown as he stared at me. He looked hurt.

“Elowen,” he said quietly.

He rarely called my name. It was his favorite move whenever he was trying to communicate his hurt feelings and, in doing so, make me feel guilty enough to submit.

I shoved the guilt crawling up my chest away.

“Abandoning your daughter is no way to be a father,” I said, turning away.

I’d had enough.

I clenched my fists, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from saying something worse.

“What are you trying to say to me?” I muttered, staring at the wall instead of him.

He exhaled slowly.

“Baby, if you tried paying attention to the news, you’d know why.”

I turned back to face him, arms crossed over my chest.

“I don’t care about rich people and their problems, Dad. I have enough of my own. You would’ve known that if you were present in my life.”

His lips twitched into a proud smile, one that immediately made me suspicious. I narrowed my eyes.

Without a word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek, ridiculously expensive-looking phone. He typed something quickly, his fingers clicking against the screen, before holding it out to me.

I hesitated, eyeing the phone before snatching it from his hand.

The headline made my stomach drop.

“Billionaire Heiress Mirabelle Knox Announces Engagement to Police Officer Cassian Vale.”