Chapter 11
A reporter asked Mrs. Hartwell: “Word is you had a daughter who went missing–whatever happened with that?”
Mrs. Hartwell didn’t hesitate: “That’s old news. We found her already.”
She hugged the just–crowned Willow, looking proud as hell: “Willow is my biological daughter.”
This was only two years after I’d gone missing.
So I knew way before I went back that the place I desperately wanted to return to wasn’t my home anymore.
But Elena encouraged me to get out of the mountains.
She said getting out would let me see the wider world and meet more people–things I could never learn from books or mountain villages.
I thought, okay then. I’ll go.
I’ll become more successful and bring Elena out of the mountains with me.
I’ll give Elena the good life she deserves.
Before college started, some new girlfriends invited me out.
I’d just left my building when I ran into Jaxon.
I gave him one calm look and kept walking.
He blocked my path, looking bitter: “Sky, is there any chance for us?”
He looked me up and down, full of regret: “About Willow… I just got used to putting the guilt I felt about you onto her…”
I wasn’t interested in his bullshit and tried to walk around him.
He was about to follow when Ryder appeared out of nowhere to block him: “Yo, Sterling heir, have some fucking dignity.”
“I’m talking to Skylar–mind your own business.”
Jaxon was getting defensive.
I turned around and said clearly, word by word: “Jaxon Sterling, if you hadn’t shown up, I might’ve thought you actually cared about Willow. But seeing you flip–flop and contradict yourself like this… you’re absolutely fucking disgusting.”
All the color drained from Jaxon’s face.
What the media hadn’t dug up was that I didn’t just save Camden that day.
I saved Jaxon too.
In fact, it was panicked Jaxon who grabbed me and made me lose my balance in the first place…
The summer after freshman year, I was shopping with Elena when she suddenly froze, staring ahead with tears in her eyes.
I looked over curiously.
In the distance, a distinguished middle–aged man was staring back at her with the same intensity.
-1 Hairnes Hore to Wreck the Game!
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Chapter 11
Later I found out he was the real reason Elena had cut ties with the Sinclair family all those years ago.
Elena had been framed for something, and Nathan Cross was the one who quietly protected her.
All these years. Nathan had never married. He’d tried multiple times to ask the family about Elena’s whereabouts, only to get beaten up by security.
My junior year, Elena and Nathan had their wedding.
At the wedding, the Hartwell family I hadn’t seen in forever showed up.
The past few years had been rough on them. Camden’s repeated bad business decisions had run Hartwell Industries into the ground.
Soon as Mrs. Hartwell saw me, she dragged a reluctant Willow over: “Willow, say hi to your sister.”
Willow’s voice was barely audible: “…Sis.”
Camden walked over too, sounding awkward: “Hey… sis. How’ve you been…”
“Am I hearing things?”
A sarcastic voice cut in before I could respond: “Are people seriously calling their family’s old foster kid ‘sister‘?”
Ryder’s voice was loud enough for nearby guests to hear, and they all looked over with amusement.
Everyone knew about the Hartwells‘ ridiculous saga of treating their real daughter like a foster kid, but people usually kept quiet about it for
appearances.
Ryder bringing it up now was basically public execution.
“The Sinclairs throw a party and the Hartwells actually showed their faces?”
“What a bunch of shameless assholes.”
Mr. Hartwell, who’d been trying to network with people, went red in the face and couldn’t continue. He rushed over and grabbed his wife: “Haven’t we been humiliated enough?”
Camden glared at me and hissed under his breath: “Skylar, what the hell’s wrong with you? We’re your family!”
I smirked: “Mr. Hartwell, careful with your words. Me and my family…”
I gestured toward Grandpa and Elena at the head table: “We’re doing just fine.”
Ryder clicked his tongue: “Camden, wasn’t it YOUR bright idea to pretend your real sister was just some foster kid? Now you wanna play family? What a joke.”
The guests were eating this drama up.
Camden went pale and basically ran away.
As for Jaxon–he’d started walking toward me but his dad smacked him upside the head: “Don’t you dare cause me more problems!”
Seeing his father’s furious face, Jaxon chickened out and didn’t take another step.
After the Hartwells went home, they laid low for months.
They were hoping the drama would blow over.
Instead, more scandals broke.
