Chapter 2

I stumbled back a step and shoved Elina away.

I wasn't trying to hurt her, but her heels slipped across the hardwood floor. She staggered backward, then dropped straight onto her butt.

The next second, she let out a shrill scream. "You hit me? Fine! You're dead!"

The noise made my head pound.

I grabbed my laptop bag and walked out. If I wanted her gone, I'd need proof.

As for why I hadn't told her who I really was, it was because I still hadn't officially become part of the Parker family.

Back then, my mom had misunderstood my father, Elvis Parker, while she was pregnant with me and left before he ever knew the truth.

It wasn't until after she passed away that the Parkers finally found me. I'd asked them not to tell anyone I existed.

That night, I sat alone on the couch in my hotel room, scrolling through my phone until dawn.

Elina's social media was spotless. Every photo was perfectly curated—afternoon tea, flower arranging, indie bookstores. She looked like the picture of grace and good taste. If a friend I trusted hadn't warned me what kind of woman she really was, I never would've suspected a thing.

It took me three days to find her secret account. That one was completely different. It was full of luxury handbags, designer jewelry, and expensive gifts, every post tagged with a location.

Following the trail, I pieced together the last two years of her life. She'd been juggling four men at the same time.

One was married. Another was a real estate executive in North City, well into his fifties and nearly bald. She called him "Daddy."

I saved every screenshot and organized them into a folder.

Even then, I knew it wasn't enough since Talon was completely under her spell. I'd have to wait for the right moment, but the opportunity never came.

Instead, I got a text from Talon.

[Elina told me what happened. She said you hit her. I know she has a temper, but you shouldn't have laid a hand on her. She even has a bruise on her forehead.]

A bruise?

I hadn't even touched her.

Another message arrived a few seconds later.

[She told me she's not blaming you. She said you're still young and don't know any better, and she asked me not to be angry with you. She wanted me to tell you she's forgiven you and hopes the two of you can get along from now on.]

I set my phone down and laughed, not because it was funny but because I was furious.

I didn't bother replying. There was no point explaining.

Right now, Talon believed every word she said. The anger inside me only burned hotter.

The other four brothers were all out of town on business. I didn't want to drag them into something this stupid.

I figured if I stayed away for a few days, Elina would eventually settle down.

I seriously underestimated her.

That afternoon, I was sitting in a lecture hall with more than a hundred other students while the professor taught American history.

Suddenly, the back door swung open. Every head turned.

Elina walked in wearing light makeup. Her eyes were slightly red, as though she'd been crying. She looked pale, exhausted, and heartbreakingly fragile.

"May I borrow a few minutes of Renee Ranford's time?"

The professor frowned. "Miss, we're in the middle of class."

"I'm sorry, Professor." She gave him a deep, apologetic bow. "I really need to speak with Renee. Just a few minutes. I promise I won't take long."

Her voice trembled ever so slightly. The redness around her eyes was just convincing enough to make it seem as though she were desperately holding back tears.

Every pair of eyes in the lecture hall shifted toward me.

Then the bell rang, but no one moved. Everyone stayed exactly where they were, waiting for the show to begin.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the faint smile tugging at Elina's lips. She'd planned this. She'd timed it perfectly.

She pressed her lips together as though gathering her courage, then faced the room and took a deep breath.

"I'm Talon Parker's girlfriend. I'm here because I want to ask Renee to give me a chance.

"She's been living at Talon's house all this time, and I've never had a problem with it. Really.

"I was just trying to help clean her room the other day. I must've accidentally thrown away a few of her old things, and she got upset."

Someone in the room gasped.

Elina looked up again, her eyes even redder now. "I don't have to live with Talon. I can move out if that's what it takes. I just don't want him caught in the middle because his little 'sister' is unhappy..."

She lingered deliberately on the word "sister"—just enough to suggest there was something inappropriate she wasn't saying out loud.

"That's enough!" I shot to my feet.

Too late.

Those two words had already lit the fuse.

"What the hell?" a guy from the back called out. "The boyfriend's little 'sister' gets to live with him, but the actual girlfriend gets driven out?"

"I heard she's always been like this. Didn't she already break up four of his relationships?"

"So that's what she is. One of those girls who's 'one of the guys.'"

The whispers spread through the lecture hall like a wave.

Then another voice spoke up. I recognized it immediately as Leo Carter's, the neighbor who used to eat dinner at my house when we were kids.

"She was raised by a single mom. No one even knows who her father is. What kind of manners do you expect from someone like that?"