Kaya POV

My heart pounds hard in my chest, not just sadness plastered on my face but anger as well.

This family has no idea what is about to hit them, and I will hit them hard.

A smile crawls up my lips, it's enough to shock her, she lifts her eyebrows at me, "Well I'm waiting. Do it now!" she yells back at me

I shrug placing the paper on the side table, I quickly sign and hand her the piece of paper, "There, but don't come crawling back to me" I shake my head sadly

She laughs, "A lowlife like you? A starving woman we took off the streets?" She continues walking back to the couch 

I roll my eyes grabbing the hilt of my bag.

"Stop!!" she yells just as I turn my back

I freeze just as the door opens, Tom and his swooping brown hair walk in, his blue eyes twinkling with happiness as the woman on his arm giggles at his stupid joke.

His face changes as soon as they land on me, "You are still here" he narrows his eyes 

"Of course the bitch is still here, she's trying to leech off you honey". Riley's perky voice fills my ears first.

"The ring!" Tom's mother yells from behind, "You have to return the wedding ring, that was a family heirloom" She blocks my view soon, Tom and Riley standing behind with snarky smiles

I look down at the ring, he had proposed to me in the park, I had always wanted a proposal like that under the rain and he made my dreams come true.

And now he snatches it right under my feet. "FINE" I yell, pulling off the ring, I walk past his mother, the bags dragging behind me, "Here Tom, I hope you don't live to regret this moment" I slam the ring on his chest.

"And the family car key" Tom's mom continues 

I drop the key on the table slamming the door behind their backs, they probably think I have nowhere else to go, no job, no money, and no car.

My fingers slide across my phone screen as I try to reach my uncle.

His face pops up on the screen, his grey beard rising with a smile. "Hello my pumpkin, how are you?" he quips and before I can answer, he turns the camera to my uncle, a golf club in his hand, and a span of green behind them.

"Your uncle and I are at the private golf course, meet us there?" He lifts a brow at me.

I hide the tears in my eyes, "Yes Daddy, please send a car for me" I reply immediately sliding into the elevator.

"See you in a bit pumpkin" he quips before the call ends.

A few minutes later, an exotic car parks right in front of me, I slide into the car and the driver takes me to the golf course

My arms wrap around my body as the cool breeze gusts against my skin, I spot my father and uncle far away and I send them a wave.

As I walk towards them I spot my reflection, long dark hair and bright brown eyes will best describe me, but I guess that was not enough for Tom as he has a blonde hanging from his arm now.

"Hey pumpkin, we are glad you are here, How is that bum of your husband?" My uncle welcomes me first, pulling me into a hug.

The tears finally fall, in the arms of the two people I trust the most, the only family I've known since I was born as both their wives died in a terrible accident just a few months after I was born.

"Oh pumpkin, what's wrong?" My father pulls me into his arms as well and my body shakes with tears, shaking heavily at the question

"What did that fool Tom do?" my uncle ask behind me, his voice gruff

"Did he hurt you?" My dad adds roughly pulling me back to scan my face.

"He betrayed me, Dad!!" I cry out, "He dumped me for another woman"

"Do I have to call my men?" my uncle snaps from behind me, his voice tinted with anger

I shake my head, my lips breaking out in a slight smile, "Don't worry uncle, I will deal with Tom myself" I shake my head.

He nods, " How about we drive you home, It's been a while since we had dinner together"

I nod, "I have to grab some things from the football club first"

"We will drive you" My dad perks up and they lead me to the car.

The drive to the club is short and soon I'm alone in the locker room, my fingers clutching the last of my belongings in Tom's locker.

I hug holding the bag to my chest, "Tom whinely you will regret even betraying me" I mutter the words to myself.

The car park is empty except for my uncle resting on the black SUV.

I wave at him when a hand grips my wrist, almost throwing me to the floor. I stumble and catch myself turning my eyes to my assailant.

"Riley" I narrow my eyes at her prim and proper form

She smirks, her eyes moving to my uncle behind me, "Oh this is good, so you've been cheating on Tom this entire time?" she laughs her brows raised 

"And with an old man, a sugar daddy?" she laughs, her voice vibrating in my ears.

I ignore her, spinning around to leave but she grabs me by my hair. I grip her wrist and throw her off me, shocking her.

Her eyes narrow, "How dare you come here and try to assault me Kaya!!" she cries out, her lips shaky.

"You come here to my father's club and especially with your sugar daddy...Have some shame Kaya" she rolls her eyes crossing her arms over the other. She takes a threatening step towards me.

"Stay off my turf, Kaya...Tom now belongs to me, we will get married and we will live happily ever after" Her voice turns cold, every sound bleeding with boldness

I roll my eyes, "If he did what he did to me Riley, imagine what he will do to you" I snap turning around, my ponytail whips her face.

I hear her huff right before u slip into the car

"Are you okay?" my uncle lifts a brow at me

"I will be fine Uncle" I send him a soft smile signifying we should leave.

"You know, your uncle just upgraded his lab, you should check it out, I know you loved working in his lab so much pumpkin," My dad says next to me 

"Yes Kaya, do you still specialize in robotics? Being with that boy so long has not dulled your brain right?" my uncle laughs from the front seat

I shake my head, "I will visit the lab tonight uncle, just get me a key card and I will be there"

He nods and soon my home fills my vision, it's bigger than anything Tom will ever see or experience in his life.

"I'm glad I left him behind, he would have been a complete gold digger" I shake my head as the maid greets me at the door.

"Welcome back Miss Kaya" They bow slightly, taking my bags.

"I'm glad you see sense now Kaya, have a shower, wear some nice clothes and we can have dinner" my father ushers me up the stairs.

The night is unforgettable, just like it used to be, my father, uncle, and I. We have dinner and we discuss what will happen going forward.

"I think you should run the club," My uncle says next to me as we slide into the elevator of his new lab

The building is highly futuristic, and high tech, everything seems like we are in 3045

"Now yet uncle, there are other jobs I want to explore first before taking the mantle from my father" I lift a brow at him

The doors part open and we are immersed in a semi-dark room, blue and purple strobing lights, and glass rooms that scream high tech.

"Woah uncle this is impressive" I walk further into the room and right at the end is a line of robots on the wall.

They look interestingly realistic, "These could fool anyone, What type of skins are they" I turn to him, my eyes fading back to the wall of robots

I count 5 in total, my mouth still open in shock

"They were quite expensive Kaya, but we have not been able to get them to work the way we want them to" he sends me a side look

"That's where you come in" he bumps me slightly with his shoulder, his other hand revealing a lab coat.

"I want to welcome you to Williams Tech as the head engineer and scientist for the robotics theme, if it pleases you" he lifts a brow at me, waiting for an answer

I turn to the robots and just like that something clicks.

My revenge. 

A smirk graces my lips, I know how to destroy Tom.

I will have to build the perfect quarterback star.

Kaya POV 

They say heartbreak makes you stronger, whoever said that never had to build a robot from scratch.

It takes a few sleepless nights and a whole lot of coffee, but I get it done, and I complete my design.

A hyper-realistic robot stands in front of me, Tom 2.0, six foot four, shoulders like a linebacker carved from steel and synth-skin, messy brown hair, and a chiseled jaw that could stop traffic.

He opens his eyes when he senses me. "Welcome back, Sweetheart," his voice says softly and smoothly

My cheeks tint pink at the sudden compliment and then I remember I programmed him to do exactly like that.

I shake my head trying to concentrate, "Run diagnostics," I order, ignoring the way my pulse skips every time he speaks.

He closes his eyes. "All systems are nominal. Training module ready."

I swallow hard. Because this isn't just code or metal. Tom 2.0 is my revenge weapon, built to destroy Tom where it matters most on the field and in his pride.

"Tom 2.0, what is your mission?" I lean on the table, my glasses hovering over my eyes.

He blinks, his blue eyes seem to be drilling into my soul, "I have several missions Kaya, which would you want me to review?" 

My heart thumps in my chest, it's hard to believe this is a robot, his smooth voice scratches my heart, it almost feels like meeting a new man.

I lean back, taking a few steps forward, "List all missions" I order 

"First mission, to destroy Tom Whinley on the field"

"Second mission to make Tom Whinley jealous by making you my girlfriend" his eyes turn to me, blinking once.

He stares at me, like he is trying to read my soul or my brain.

I shake my head, stepping back, "We are going to go on a test drive Tom 2.0...a dinner" I turn around to my table packing up the last of my documents

"From henceforth, you will be Flynn Fetcher, hot, charming, charismatic, and the best football star to grace this planet" I remove my lab coat turning back to him, "I will send you the details, prepare" I turn around about to leave but the sound of his voice stops me.

"Dress sexy Kaya, you will have the room spinning" This cool voice sends shivers down my spine

I frown, turning to him. I want to be worried about my programming. Anything and everything could go wrong with this but I have to trust my guts and my skills.

I say nothing leaving to dress up, he's right, if we are going to test run this, then we have to do it properly.

I stand outside of the mansion, I had given Tom 2.0 the coordinates and the exact mission for today, The cold air blasts my skin, and goosebumps appear

I turn to the time, we were to meet at 7:30, and it's 7:20 with no signs of him.

"Did I program him wrong? What if he's out there killing people?"

Anxiety grips me by the throat and before I can officially start panicking I hear the drum of an engine.

The sound attracts me to the entrance of the mansion and the color of the car catches my eye first. 

My heart stops as the red sports car comes to a stop at me.

"Where in the hell did you get this?" I whisper-yell yell pulling open the door before he can open it

"You should have let me open the door for you, that's part of my programming, remember?" his fingers clutch the car steering, he turns to me, a smile shamelessly displayed on his face

"F that.. Where did you get the car? I didn't program you to steal" I click the seat belt and he clicks on the glass pedal throttling us forward 

"But you built a smart robot... and, the Bitcoin market is too easy to slip into" he sends me a side smirk the car speeding up

For the first time, I notice his clothes, his sculpted body is now covered in a black and white tux, a bow tie wrapped around his neck.

"You hacked it? That's unbelievable... What else can you do? I turn to him, my brows scrunch in a frown.

I guess I have to keep you guessing" The car comes to a stop and for the first time I look outside and realize we are at the location.

He's swift, but careful, and he pulls open my door allowing me to step out.

The red dress I wore clings to my skin, the rest flowing on the floor, his eyes follow my every move and the door closes with a bang.

"You look outstanding Kaya" he winks circling my arm. He leads me into the restaurant and I watch the crowd's reaction.

He interacts with the waiter really well and we are escorted to our seat, Nobody turns to look at him weirdly, only adoration and hung jaws are on the floor.

"A private booth please," I tell the staff and we are led into the private booth.

"He swiftly makes our orders and turns back to me, "Should I activate small talk for dinner or a long conversation about our interests and career?" he blinks at me

At this moment it reminds me I am out with a robot, I want to reply but the loud sound of laughter catches my ears.

"Tom" my head snaps up at the sound, my eyes scan the room from the private booth and they land on Tom and Riley.

I want to feel anger at his betrayal, I want to go over there, smack his face, and make sure he knows he hurt me but I don't. His revenge is sitting right in front of me.

My eyes fill with hurt and I turn back to concentrate on my table just as Riley and Tom pull out an engagement cake, celebrating loudly for everyone to hear and see. I cast my eyes down at the table, not allowing my tears to fall but something strange happens.

Tom 2.0 tilts his head, almost... thoughtful.

"Kaya," he says softly, "are you... all right?"

I frown, It's impossible, his programming doesn't include empathy.

I stiffen. "Run diagnostics again," I snap, covering the sudden shake in my voice.

He pauses, then answers in a perfect calm voice, "All systems nominal."

I force a nod and turn away from him, but for the first time since this plan began tonight, fear curls cold under my ribs.

Because I didn't program him to care.

Kaya POV

The next morning, the stadium hums like a living creature, stadium lights buzzing, turf freshly painted, and banners already hung with Tom's name in bold letters.

Captain Thomas..

America's golden boy.

My ex-husband.

I pull on the cuff of my T-shirt, heat prickling at the back of my neck, not from my nerves. Not exactly.

Today is the day Tom 2.0 joins the team, aka, Flynn Fletcher, and he is here to cause chaos

I pull on my T-shirt again. I requested that my father give me a job as the coach's assistant, just so my revenge plan can go smoothly and I can get a closer look at things up close.

My fingers slide across my phone screen sending the instructions to the team's acting CEO

"Introduce the new Teammate" the message reads.

I grab the pile of towels in my hand and head towards the open stadium where the team members are practicing.

Tom is in the middle of it all, digging out instructions and shouting at everyone that can hear him, and right at the bottom of the bleachers is Riley, her lab coat around her body as she cheers him on

She sends him an air kiss and he happily catches it. My heart bleeds more at their open display of love.

Tom never did that with me, in fact, he wanted me out of the way, he never wanted me at his games or wearing his number as his wife. Now I can see why.

The sound of the whistle pulls me out of my thoughts and I watch as Coach Harriman pulls the team aside.

I walk towards them, just so I can hear everything and it seems Riley has the same idea as me.

"Get out of my way loser" she bumps me, pushing me out of the way to reach the grass first.

"Today we will be introducing a new teammate," the coach starts causing confusion to fill the players' faces, especially Tom.

A ripple of uneasy laughter spreads through the players, then dies when they see he is not smiling

"Oh right, there he is" he turns around and right at the entrance, hair swoops down his head, blue eyes glinting in the bright sun, his sculpted body is exposed, and a sheen of sweat glints off his abs, his shoulder pads are strapped to him, and the football pants?

The pants wrap around his bottom so good that I could hear the cheerleaders screech from the side at his appearance

A smirk graces my lips, even though my heart is pounding like it's about to jump out of my chest. Will he get this right? 

His lips pull into a charming smile and a glorious Southern accent I don't remember coding fills our ears, "Hello everyone, I am Flynn Fetcher, the new Team captain" he stops stretching his hand forward specifically to Tom

I want to laugh, to jump, and to celebrate, I mean, the robot is good, that alone is enough to get Tom riled up 

"What do you mean Team Captain?" Tom grunts, he turns to the coach with narrowed eyes 

The coach lifts his hands in surrender, "Order from above man, but he is not the only captain" he warns stopping Tom before a fight can break out

"Yeah, you shouldn't be scared Tommy" Flynn winks, stepping back with a smirk.

"The name is Thomas..and it's Captain Thomas to you" he grits out, "What's going on Coach? A team can't have two captains" 

"You both will co-captain this Team and will now be actively competing for the position of Team captain" The coach clears everyone.

"Startubg today, it's Flynn versus Thomas" he blows his whistle, "Now let's get down to practice" He adds before Tom can crash out more than he already is.

That's right Tom, I smirk watching the entire interaction, "I will take your dream from you, snatch it right under your nose." I repeat to myself turning my eyes away from Tom

Flynn turns to me, a side look, a cunning smirk, and a sparkle in his eyes that screams, I will make you proud

My heart comes to a stop at his look, he sends me his signature wink, and runs into the field

I turn back to Tom who has called Riley to the side, and they speak with hushed tones but I only want to laugh. Riley has no real power here, and this will ultimately cause issues in their relationship

"Just perfect" I mutter to myself 

I don't know what Riley tells Tom, but his face turns red, he walks toward Coach and his voice is so loud, everyone stops to watch 

"I am not going to accept this, I signed a damn contract, I am the best, nobody even knows this unknown boy toy" he snaps at Flynn

He smirks, his expression unchanging. And God it pisses Tom off.

"A challenge right now!" Tom grabs his helmet, placing it around his head.

Coach Harriman clears his throat, stepping in before Tom can spit back more venom.

Tom snaps, turning away. "Let's see what your boy toy can do."

Flynn smirks and I can see him rebooting. Physically getting ready to crush Tom.

"This is going to be good" I hear Riley mutter to the cheerleaders, a smirk on her lips and arms crossed over the other.

We gather near the 20-yard line. Receivers line up, curious and tense.

Flynn steps forward, movements fluid, almost graceful.

"Ready?" Coach calls, clipboard trembling slightly in his hand and I wonder why he is nervous.. Maybe he doesn't want some testosterone-inducing fight to break out but he continues 

"Yes, Coach," he replies, voice calm but with an edge of something... almost human.

The whistle blows.

From the first play, the difference between Flynn and Tom is undeniable.

Flynn grips the ball. The receivers sprint.

One flick of his arm, and the ball cuts through the air, a perfect spiral, landing squarely in the receiver's chest thirty yards away.

Gasps ripple down the field. Even the defensive line whistles under their breath and Tom's face tightens at the impressive move.

Flynn throws again. And again. Each pass is sharper, faster, and uncannily precise. The team can't help but stare.

Tom rips off his helmet, anger boiling in his veins and I almost think he wants to attack Flynn, but he turns his eyes away from him spotting me in the crowd.

"You!!" he yells matching towards me 

"What the hell are you doing here you gold digger?" he snaps transferring his aggression

"She's the bad luck honey, you have been doing food all day and then she appears" Riley mumbles beside him

"You shouldn't be here, I told you to leave me alone, we are divorced and I want nothing to do with you" he takes a threatening step towards me

I want to say some to defend myself, but the coach cuts me off, "She works here now as my assistant Tom, lay off her" he blinks, not wanting to hurt his star athlete's feelings

"I will make sure you get fired from this Job, you won't get any job after this in this city, and I will make sure you are nowhere near my fiancé!" Riley mocks beside him

"Get security to throw out this gold digger!!" Tom yells over at the security guard

Before I can respond, Flynn strides toward me, grass crunching under his sneakers.

His eyes lock on mine, no code, no program, just pure heat.

Before I can ask what he's doing, his hand curls around my waist and he kisses me.

For a split second, my brain screams, I didn't program this.

But I did tell him to humiliate Tom, to take everything Tom cared about.

And now, in front of the entire team, he's doing exactly that.

So instead of pulling back, I kiss him back.

Flynn  pulls away just enough for his voice to carry "Since everyone's wondering," he says, calm as ever, arm around me, "Kaya and I are together."

The field goes dead silent.