Chapter Two

My mind went completely blank, the background noise of the restaurant fading into a sharp, high pitched buzz.

No. This has to be a joke. A hallucination from sleep deprivation.

But as I stared across the white table cloth, the harsh reality didn’t melt away. Lael didn’t look like a drowned rat anymore. He looked effortlessly handsome, ridiculously expensive, and completely untouchable by the disaster two days ago. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the lethal, and calculating look in his eyes.

“Avery, honey, are you alright?” My mother asked, her hand gently touching my arm, anchoring me. She was looking at me like I had seen a ghost.

“I…I am fine,” I choked out, forcing my eyes away from Lael to look at his dad.

“Richard, this is my daughter, Avery,” my mom introduced proudly, beaming at the man beside Lael. “Avery, this is Richard De La Fontaine. And his son Lael.”

“It’s my pleasure to finally meet you, Avery,” Richard said, standing up fully to offer me a warm genuine handshake. He had a strong build, but unlike his son, his expression was kind. “Your mother hasn’t stopped talking about how brilliant you are.”

“Thank you, Mr. De La Fontaine. It’s nice to meet you.” I managed to say, my voice sounding incredibly small even to my own ears.

“Oh please, call me Richard,”he insisted with a smile before gesturing to the guy next to him. “And this is my son, Lael. I believe you two go the same university?”

I stiffened, my gaze reluctantly sliding over to Lael. He was leaning back in his chair, a glass of water rolling between his fingers.

“Yeah,” I said with a fake, sweet smile plastering on my face. “Who wouldn’t know Lael? He is North Ridge hockey god. Though, from what I have seen around campus, he’s actually much better at scoring off the ice. Especially either the faculty.”

My mom blinked, laughing softly but a little confused. Richard just chuckled, completely missing the loaded insult. “Well, he certainly has a reputation for being focused on his own goals.”

But across the table, Lael entire demeanor shifted. The lazy, amused look vanished instantly. His eyes turned into two pieces of sharp, cutting blue ice.

Suddenly, a heavy dress shoe kicked my shin hard under the table.

“Ow—“ I choked, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from yelping out loud.

I glared at him, but Lael just stared right back, his jaw clenched so tight a muscle was violently ticking. He didn’t even flinch. He just gave me a look so dark and lethal it felt like a physical treat. It was loud and clear: Shut your mouth right now, or I’ll shut it for you.

“Avery, did you say something?” My mom asked, tilting her head as she noticed me grimacing.

“Nothing,” I squeezed out through my teeth, keeping my eyed locked on Lael. “Just….caught my leg on the table. It’s a bit tight under here.”

“Oh, it’s definitely tight,” Lael murmured, his voice low, rough purr that didn’t travel past the white table cloth. He finally took his feet off my shin, but he didn’t stop staring. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “But Avery is right, Dad. I am always focused on my goals. I never miss a target.”

Before I could even process his creepy arrogant threat, Richard clapped his hands together, looking absolutely thrilled. “That’s what I like to hear! Because with the wedding just around the corner, you two are going to need to work together. Especially with the big move next week.”

My stomach violently flipped. The big move next week?

I blinked looking at Richard back to my mom, my heart suddenly doing a frantic dance against my ribs. “Wait. What big move?”

My mom smiled, a little sheepishly, and squeezed my arm. “Oh, sweetie, I wanted to tell you tonight when we were all together. Richard and I decided there’s no point to wait until after the wedding. His estate has more than enough room for all of us, so we packing up our apartment. We moving in with them next Wednesday.”

The air left my lungs in one sharp gasp.

Moving in? Next week?

I stared at her completely horrified, but I couldn’t say what I was actually thinking because of Richard. I couldn’t just scream, “Hey Mom, we can’t move in with them because your new step-son is a psychotic hockey player who I drenched with freezing water while he was making out with his coach!”

I couldn’t even picture it. Living under the same roof as Lael De La Fontaine? Sharing a hallway with him? Waking up and seeing his arrogant face at breakfast table every single day? It sounded like a literal death sentence.

“Isn’t it wonderful, Avery?” My mom beamed, completely oblivious to the silent panic attack I was having. “You don’t have to worry about your long commute to campus anymore, either. Richard’s place is barely ten minutes away from the university arena.”

“Yeah,” I choked out, the word feeling like sand in my throat. I slowly turned my head to look across the table. “Wonderful.”