Five years. That’s how long it had been since Julian Thorne and I broke up. Yet there he was,at our best friend’s wedding at the Plaza Hotel. Across the crowded room, under those chandeliers, our eyes locked for a split second. Then,as if burned,we both looked away. Later,my half-drunk bestie Chloe nudged me. “You know,Ella…”she whispered. “After you two broke up, every single woman he dated was basically a copy of you. We used to call them the’Ella Clones’.” She nodded at the petite blonde next to Julian. “Except Kenzie. Been with him a year,looks nothing like you. I think…he’s playing for keeps this time.” I knew what Chloe was doing. Seeing if I was drowning in regret. I just forced a tight smile. Playing for keeps or not,I didn’t care. Because I came back to New York for one reason only. To get married. …… As the reception ended, Chloe dragged everyone to an after-party, determined to get us wasted. I was about to say no when Julian was shoved next to me. “Hey,Julian!Ella flew all the way from Europe. For old times’sake,you better play host tonight.” Julian didn’t say anything. He took the suitcase from my hand. I glanced at my watch. I still had an hour to kill. So,I nodded and got into the car. I took the shotgun; Julian and Kenzie got in the back. As we turned onto Fifth Ave,a sickly sweet voice cut in. “Julian,you haven’t introduced me to this pretty lady yet.” “I thought you were strangers.Silly me.”
She was talking to Julian, but her eyes locked on mine in the rearview mirror. A blatant provocation. Julian’s gaze lingered on me for a beat. I didn’t wait for him to speak. “Hi.Ella Vance. Mr.Thorne and I went to college together.” “Miss Vance?” Kenzie covered her mouth and giggled. “College?Please.You’re Julian’s ex.Everyone knows that.” “But don’t worry.I’m not the petty type. I don’t get jealous over ancient history.” She clung to Julian’s arm. Planted a loud kiss right on his cheek. Staking her claim. Kenzie didn’t shut up the entire ride. And Julian?The guy famous for being ice-cold? He ate it up. Every single word. “Are we actually drinking later? You know I’m a total lightweight. If I get drunk,Julian,will you take me home?” “I’m not letting you get drunk.I’m taking you straight home.” “God,those vows today.I almost cried. I’m so jealous.It was a total fairytale.” “When we get married,I want Central Park covered in red roses. And thousands of colorful balloons.” “Done. It’s your wedding.You call the shots.”
I rolled the window all the way down. Let the cold Manhattan wind whip in. Anything to blast away the suffocating tension in that car. We finally pulled up. An exclusive penthouse club. I stepped out as Julian swept Kenzie into his arms. His eyes met mine. His arms went rigid for a second. Kenzie pressed into him,smiling sweetly. “I’m not used to heels this high. But Julian insists—he’s terrified I’ll hurt myself.” I gave a polite nod. Flashing my best fake smile. “How thoughtful of Mr.Thorne.” Inside the room,Chloe shoved a glass my way. “You’re late!Take three shots!” Before I could reach for a second glass, Julian knocked back the other two without batting an eye. “Kenzie doesn’t drink.I’m taking hers.” The crowd went wild. But I felt everyone’s eyes shift to me. I downed my shot. Acted like I felt nothing. But just as I reached for a refill, Kenzie stepped in front of me. “Guys,come on,don’t pick on Ella. You know she’s single now.” “If she gets blackout drunk,who’s taking her home? Whose couch is she crashing on?” I gave her a dead look. Reached right past her and grabbed my drink. “Save the concern.But I’m not a charity case.” “And I’m not single.” Shut down in public, Kenzie’s face dropped. The whole room froze. Every pair of eyes snapped from me to Julian. Under the dim lights, I watched his hand gripping the empty glass. Fingers tightening.Knuckles turning bone-white. One more squeeze,and that glass was going to shatter. A beat passed. Julian finally arched a brow,his voice pure ice. “Yeah?Then where is this boyfriend tonight?” “Picking me up at midnight.”
The air grew suffocating. Chloe jumped in to break the tension,waving a deck of cards. “Alright guys,we said we’re getting wasted!Let’s play Kings.” Kenzie tugged at Julian’s shirt,pouting. “But I’m such a lightweight! Playing this,I’ll be under the table in five minutes.” Julian stroked her hair. His voice was softer than I’d ever heard it. “Don’t worry.I’ll take your shots.” “I could never let you drink that much.” She shot me a sly look. “Ella,you’ve had so much and you aren’t even buzzed. Your tolerance is insane. How about…you take my shots for me?” Someone frowned,muttering low to Julian. “Reel your girl in,Julian.That’s out of line.” “She keeps me in line,”Julian answered flatly. Then,he actually slid a glass right across the table to me. “You do have a high tolerance. How about we split Kenzie’s drinks?” I stood there. My fingers went ice-cold,trembling.
When Julian and I first got together, he was a broke kid with a startup dream. We crammed into a leaky Brooklyn apartment, praying the rain wouldn’t flood our bed. Two years of that. We dumped every last cent into our company. At endless networking dinners, sleazy clients always tried to push drinks on me. “Ella looks like she can hold her liquor!Drink up!” Julian always took the glass before I even touched it. “Ella,we’re partners.We split everything.” He’d secretly swap my liquor for soda water,and drink himself into a blackout. Once,he even landed in the ER with a bleeding ulcer. He used to whisper that promise in my ear. “Ella,I’ll never let you touch another drop. I’m gonna give you the world.” I looked at the man standing in front of me now. Impeccable suit.Ice-cold eyes. I took a step back,putting distance between us. “Mr.Thorne,Kenzie is your girlfriend.Not mine.” “Five years later…and you still can’t protect your own girl?” An awkward silence settled over the room. Kenzie sniffled. Tears welled up in her eyes,playing the perfect victim. “Look,Ella,I know you’re still bitter that Julian dumped you… but you don’t have to take it out on us.” Everyone gasped.
Stepping in as peacemaker,Chloe shot Kenzie a warning look. “Alright,enough with the breakup talk. Let it go,guys.We’ve all got history,right?” I let out a scoff. “No baggage here.We were just close friends a long time ago. Why keep digging it up? If you care that much,Kenzie, maybe take it up with Mr.Thorne behind closed doors.” Kenzie didn’t know rule number one about me. I always hit back. Leave me alone,and we’re fine. Cross me?I make it hurt. Even over a few words. Kenzie bit her lip. The tears dropped on cue. But she caught Julian’s eye. He just sat there,watching in cold silence. She still stubbornly wiped her face. “Fine.No drinking. Let’s play Truth or Dare.I’m spinning.” The drama fizzled out. Nobody wanted to push it. Kenzie slammed an empty bottle on the table. “Whoever it lands on has to tell the truth!” The bottle spun…and came to a dead stop. Pointing right at me. A smug smile touched Kenzie’s lips. “Ella…did you really fly all this way just for a wedding? Or is there…another reason?” I felt Julian’s gaze burning into me. I picked up my glass and took a casual sip. “I came back to get married.”
Every eye in the room darted between the two of us. Kenzie tugged at Julian’s arm. “Aw,wait!If Ella’s getting married,she can’t be our bridesmaid,can she?” “It’s fine.” Julian brushed her off. His eyes still locked on me. I set my glass down. Fired off a quick text. Then,slowly looked up. “Even if I were single,I have no interest in being your bridesmaid.” Shot down again,Kenzie huffed and spun the bottle hard. “Since you guys are getting wasted, whoever it lands on next slams this entire pitcher!” Just as the words left her mouth, the bottle stopped right between Julian and me. “How does this count?” “Split it down the middle?”someone joked. Chloe leaned into my ear. “Seriously,Ella. I think you two still have a shot.You came back for him,admit it.” I’d been traveling all day.My temples were throbbing. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “No.I’m literally here to get married.” Chloe rolled her eyes. Not buying a word of it.
I was done explaining. So I reached out to split the pitcher with Julian. But Kenzie blocked my hand. “Don’t take this the wrong way,Ella… but I don’t do the whole’my boyfriend sharing a drink with his ex’thing. Let’s just spin again.” She made sure to emphasize the word’boyfriend’. Like a blatant warning. “What?It’s not like they’re sharing the same glass.” Chloe had finally had enough of the petty jabs. “If you’re that insecure, why don’t you put your Julian on a leash and drag him home?” Kenzie instantly played innocent, looking up at Julian with puppy-dog eyes. “I just wanted everyone to have a good time.” Julian frowned slightly,but caved. “Whatever you want.” The bottle spun again. This time,it stopped perfectly in front of me. Fair is fair. I didn’t hesitate. Grabbed the pitcher and chugged the whole thing.
The game dragged on. I don’t know if Kenzie rigged the bottle… But every single round after that, it miraculously landed on me. Jet lag mixed with way too much booze. A dizzying wave crashed over me. I reached for a glass again. Suddenly,Julian’s strong hand clamped down on my wrist. The chill jolted me half-awake. “That’s enough for tonight.” Kenzie shot me a hateful glare and muttered, “But this round isn’t over.” “How about…no drinks this time? Ella just answers one more Truth” I yanked my hand free. Glanced at my watch. Ten minutes to midnight. “Fine.” A nasty smirk crossed Kenzie’s face. She whipped out her phone. Tapped on a photo,and shoved the screen in my face. “So,the Wall Street sex scandal from five years ago… just how many guys were really in the pictures?”
Staring at that familiar photo,I couldn’t stop shaking. The nightmare I tried to bury came crashing back. It was the eve of our company’s IPO. At a cutthroat corporate dinner,Julian stepped out to take a call. And someone drugged me. When I realized something was wrong,I smashed my glass. Jabbed the shards into my palm. The blinding pain bought me a few seconds of clarity. I stumbled out of the hall,desperate to find Julian. But a burning heat took over my body. I collapsed in a corner of the hallway. With no other choice,I drove a shard of glass into my wrist. Using the sharp pain to stay conscious,I dragged myself to the restroom. The lock clicked. My heart finally settled. When I woke up,it was the next day. I rushed home. Julian had been going crazy looking for me all night. But before I could explain,the photos dropped. Splashed across every financial and tabloid site. Overnight,it was a media bloodbath. Julian held me tight,whispering in my ear. “Don’t be afraid,Ella.No matter what happens,I’m never leaving you.” I tried to explain that nothing happened that night. But wave after wave of twisted photos crucified me online. Anonymous”insiders”started crawling out of the woodwork. Claiming I was a slut. Saying our company’s bottom line was secured in bed. Some creeps even posed as the guys in the photos, swearing I was the one who threw myself at them. The company drowned in the scandal. Stock prices tanked.Investors pulled out. The IPO was dead in the water.
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