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 The morning of the game, I’m standing in front of the mirror in my hotel room, holding the jersey like it’s some kind of weapon I’m not sure I want to use. It’s crisp, new, the fabric soft against my fingers. Flynn’s number eleven is stitched in bold white across the back. My name is absent, but I know exactly who gave it to me. And I know exactly what wearing it means. The safe, logical part of me says to put it away and wear something neutral. I’ve spent years avoiding attention, slipping into the shadows, blending in. Even before Tom’s betrayal, I hated the spotlight. And after? The last thing I want is to be paraded in front of gossip blogs and strangers’ camera lenses. But there’s another part of me, the sharper, colder part that remembers Tom never let me wear his number. Not once. All the other football wives and girlfriends got their photo ops, their sideline moments, their claim to their player. Me? He didn’t want me “distracting from his image.” So, yes. Wear
Kaya POV The dinner ends with lingering chatter and the smell of grilled steak still clinging to my clothes. Most of the team filters toward the buses that will shuttle us back to the hotel, but Flynn lingers beside me as I pull on my jacket. “Walk with me,” he says, like it’s not a question. I glance at the buses idling across the street. “It’s late. And cold.” His mouth curves. “I run at five in the morning most days. I think we can survive a ten-minute walk.” Before I can come up with a reason to refuse, he’s already stepping toward the sidewalk. And because I’m apparently incapable of telling him no lately, I follow. The streets are quiet, just the hum of streetlamps and the occasional sound of distant traffic. My heels click against the pavement, his steps measured and easy beside me. We talk about nothing at first, the food, the way the rookie nearly fell out of his chair when Coach told him to slow down on the bread basket, how much better tonight was than some of the pa
Kaya POV The next morning starts thick with tension. We’ve got a joint practice with the rival team today, which means two hours of watching the guys size each other up like predators circling the same kill. The air around the field feels charged from the moment we walk out. I can see it in the set of their shoulders, the way the rival players throw those sharp, measuring glances at our guys. And, of course, Flynn notices everything, his gaze sweeping the field once before locking on the tallest of their defensemen. The warmup stretches don’t do much to soften anyone’s mood. The drills start, and within minutes, it’s all grunts and sharp impacts, bodies hitting hard and refusing to give ground. I keep my eyes on Flynn, watching the way he reads each play, how precise his movements are, almost calculated, but natural enough to pass as instinct. Tom’s got that same glint in his eye he always gets when he smells a chance to one-up Flynn. Every time he makes a decent block, he glan
Kaya POVThe knock at Flynn’s door still echoes in my ears as we head downstairs, the low hum of conversation from the other team mates rooms drifting through the hallway. My heart is still hammering, but I keep my face neutral, my steps even. Flynn walks just behind me, hands in his pockets, looking unbothered. Like nothing phases him. Like being caught in the middle of something the entire team will probably gossip about all night is just another part of his day. The coach’s meeting room is on the ground floor, right past the lobby. The door is propped open, voices spilling out into the corridor. When we push it open, every head turns at once. And, It is not even subtle. A few players glance at me, then at Flynn, then back again. Some try to hide their smirks, others don’t bother. I catch one of the rookies raising his eyebrows in that “called it” kind of way before someone elbows him. My grip tightens on the folder in my hand, but I keep walking toward an empty seat at the sid
Kaya POV By the time I get back to the stadium after scrolling past the blog for hours, the rumor mill is still spinning, except now, it’s not about me. The blog that trashed Flynn yesterday is gone. Not “took the post down” gone. Entire site. Crashed. Lily texted me a screenshot before it disappeared completely. Server error 504. Site unavailable. I’m still staring at the blank screen when I spot him outside, leaning against the side of the team bus, sleeves pushed up, hair falling a little into his eyes. Flynn. The sight of him instantly lowers the noise in my head. Which is dangerous. “You,” I say, pointing the phone at him as I walk closer. “Did you…?” I stop a few feet away eyes widening disbelief. “Don’t lie. Did you put a virus in the blog?” His mouth curves, slow and wicked. “Why, Miss Williams,” he says, like he’s tasting my name, “that would be illegal.” I cross my arms, my lip lifting slightlyin a teasing smile. “Flynn.” The smirk deepens, his voice dropping just e
Kaya POV The first thing I see when I walk into the facility the next morning is Tom’s smug face. He’s leaning against the wall near the lockers, arms crossed, a look that says he’s been waiting for me. His phone is already in his hand, the screen tilted so I can see the headline in bold, black letters. FLYNN FETCHER: IS THE NEW HERO HIDING SOMETHING? Underneath it, a grainy photo of Flynn mid-game, helmet in one hand, sweat running down his jaw, eyes locked on something off-camera. The caption underneath, “A perfect face with a missing past”. “Good morning to you too,” I mutter, brushing past him. Tom pushes off the wall, following me like a shadow. “Told you,” he says, voice dripping satisfaction. “Perfection cracks. Every time.” I stop at my locker, open it slowly, pretending his voice is just background noise. “And yet you’re still obsessed with him.” His smirk sharpens. “I’m not obsessed. I just don’t like frauds. Or the women who defend them.” I slam my locker