chapter Eighteen

​We finally arrived at the resort. Ethan drove right past our school bus, which was parked near the lower campsite, and pulled through the grand gates heading straight for the VIP parking lot. Everywhere I looked was absolutely stunning; it was a massive, elegant building with a gorgeous luxury pool stretching out along the side. Felix and Janice were already waiting for us. Janice was standing right by her luggage, while Felix was busy scrolling away on his phone.

​Ethan hopped out of the driver's seat, but before he could even walk around to open the passenger door for me, I unbuckled and hopped out on my own. My independence immediately earned me a sharp frown from him.

​"Why did you do that?" he asked, crossing his arms.

​I just rolled my eyes at him, completely ignoring the question as I walked past him toward Janice.

​"Hey, girl!" she yelled, rushing toward me as we wrapped each other in a tight hug. She pulled back, looking behind my shoulder at Ethan. "What's with the long face?"

​"Nothing, I'm just tired," I told her softly. Then, leaning in close, Janice lowered her voice. "Felix is so fine."

​"Shhhh! He can literally hear you," I whispered back, a smile tugging at my lips.

​"I'm whispering!" she pouted.

​"No, you're practically shouting."

​"Hello, Janice," Ethan’s deep voice boomed as he showed up right behind me.

​"Hi, Ethan," Janice greeted him warmly. "Thank you so much for letting me stay with you guys."

​"You're welcome. Anything for Katie Berry," he said, turning his gaze to me with a soft smile. I rolled my eyes at him again, and his expression instantly dropped into something almost tragically sad.

​"Hey, guys," Felix said, finally approaching our little group. Ethan looked at his manager and shook his head.

​"What am I even doing here?" Felix complained, pocketing his phone. "I finished high school about two years ago."

​"And you didn't exactly further your education, did you?" Ethan asked him with a sarcastic smirk.

​"I stayed back with you to build your career," Felix shot back proudly, puffing out his chest. "Now I manage a worldwide known hockey star." Ethan couldn't help but smile at that.

​Suddenly, the resort manager hurried out of the main building, walking briskly toward us. "Welcome, Mr. Vance," he greeted, his hands visibly shaking as Janice and I exchanged a knowing look.

​"Get your employees to grab our things," Ethan commanded smoothly, pointing a finger toward our pile of luggage.

​"We are so incredibly sorry about the fact that you have to share the resort, sir," the manager apologized quickly, his voice tight. Ethan didn't say a single word, his silence radiating pure authority. "Please, allow me to show you where you'll be staying."

​He led us inside and straight toward the exclusive East Wing of the resort, which featured a large number of stunning, high-security rooms. The employees carefully dropped our luggage by the doorways.

​"Enjoy your stay," the manager said, practically sweating through his suit as he quickly bowed and left us.

​"We need to report to the principal," Janice suddenly reminded me.

​I grabbed my school ID card from my shoulder bag, and we headed back out toward the main camp site. "Did you see that?" she whispered as we walked.

​"Yes, I did. The manager was practically terrified," I told her. "And funny enough, Cole was actually the one who rented out the other part of the resort."

​Janice’s eyes widened in absolute shock. "Cole Saltzman?"

​I nodded.

​"I told you that guy's family was loaded," she said, shaking her head. "He literally only wears designer clothes and drives exotic cars."

​"I know, silly. I dated the uncultured swine," I joked as we finally reached the campsite.

​We headed over to the principal, Mrs. Evans, who was standing near the pavilion holding a tablet. As we approached her, she looked between the two of us suspiciously.

​"You didn't ride the school bus, Pierce?" she asked, directing the question squarely at me. "You too, Harrison."

​"Ehhhm..." I uttered slowly, trying to think of an excuse.

​"Oh," Mrs. Evans’s expression cleared as she came to her own conclusion. "You have relations with the Vance family?" she asked me. I gave her a slight, subtle nod. "I see."

​She quickly tapped her tablet, marking our attendance. "Make sure to stay involved in all the camp's activities regardless of where you are staying. Everything will be posted on the school's online platform."

​We both nodded respectfully and started walking back toward the luxury resort grounds. As we neared the entrance, another high-end SUV drove right past us, pulling up to the West Wing. When we reached the doors, we noticed it was Cole and Bella stepping out.

​Bella was holding onto his arm tightly, staring up at the massive architecture with her eyes wide open. "It's so beautiful, babe," she gushed.

​Cole remained completely silent, his dark gaze fixed entirely on me the moment I came into view. I ignored him completely, attempting to brush right past them to get inside.

​"You!" Bella suddenly snapped, her sharp voice cutting through the air.

​Janice and I stopped, turning around to face her.

​"What on earth are you doing here?" Bella asked, a nasty smirk spreading across her face. "I'm not even sure your family can afford to use the resort pool, let alone rent a room."

​I couldn't help but laugh at her absolute foolishness. Before Cole could even open his mouth to intervene, I took a step forward and spoke up. "Stop it, Bella." I turned my gaze directly to her, letting my smile turn razor-sharp. "We're sharing the resort, sweetie. My boyfriend rented out the entire other half." I shifted my gaze to Cole, pointing a finger directly at his face. "Put a leech on your dog."

​Janice burst into loud, hysterical laughter right next to me.

​Leaving them both standing there in stunned silence, we spun on our heels and walked back into the resort, heading straight for the East Wing. As we walked, I pulled out my phone and dialed Ethan's number. He answered on the very first ring.

​"Where is my room?" I asked him straight to the point.

​"The one on the right," he replied smoothly. "Your luggage is already in there."

​"How about Janice?" I asked.

​"The one on the left," he said. "Her luggage is in there, and Felix's room is right beside hers."

​"Thanks," I murmured and ended the call.

​Janice and I went into her designated room first. The second we crossed the threshold, our jaws dropped.

​"Wow!" we both said in perfect unison.

​"It's so beautiful," I breathed, looking around the luxury suite as Janice immediately jumped onto the plush mattress.

​"I could seriously get used to living like this," she giggled, rolling over.

​"Let's take a selfie," I suggested, pulling out my phone. We took multiple silly pictures together before I finally decided it was time to return to my own room to get some hard-earned rest. "See you later."

​"Bye, babe!" she called out.

​I walked out of her suite and crossed the hallway to the door on the right. But the exact moment I opened my supposed room, I received the absolute shock of my life.

​Ethan was laying comfortably on the massive bed, casually scrolling through his phone.

​"Why are you in here?" I demanded, staring at him in disbelief. "Leave my room!"

​"What!?" Ethan asked, sitting up slowly as a dangerous, devastating smirk spread across his lips. "It's our room, love."