“You hit me?!” Ryan shrieked, clutching his face. “In front of everyone, you dare hit me?!”
He scrambled to his feet, pointing wildly at my dad.
“Host! Did you see that? He started it! Kick him out! Now!”
At that moment, two security guards approached.
Ryan immediately turned to them, gesturing frantically. “What are you waiting for? Get him out of here!”
But the guards didn’t move toward my dad. Instead, they each grabbed one of Ryan’s arms and began dragging him toward the exit.
“What are you doing?!” he screamed, struggling against them. “I said throw him out, not me!”
He twisted and turned, yelling until he caught sight of Emily.
“Emily! Help me! You saw what happened–I was defending you! This isn’t fair!”
Emily stepped forward, her face twisted with anger. She pointed at my dad and demanded answers from the host.
“Why are you letting him stay? He’s the one who caused all this! Why aren’t you throwing him out too?”
The host glanced at Emily with a look of pity before responding.
“Because that’s Mr. Sterling.”
The words hit Emily like a punch to the gut. Her pupils dilated as the realization sank in.
10Who else could the “Mr. Sterling” at this event be?
It had to be the very person Emily was trying to meet tonight.
Ryan was stunned into silence, and Emily froze.
Her legs buckled, and she stumbled back a few steps, nearly knocking over the champagne stand behind her.
“Are you all right, ma’am?”
My dad quickly moved to steady my mom, his face filled with concern. Then he turned to glare at me.
I knew I’d messed up, so I lowered my head obediently.
“Sorry, Dad. Sorry, Mom.”
<
“Mom?”
Emily’s eyes widened as she stared at me in disbelief.
“What did you just say? Dad? Mom?”
She didn’t wait for me to answer before bursting into laughter, her voice shrill and mocking.
“That’s impossible! Your last name is Carter, and his is Sterling. How could they be your parents?”
“Jake, stop lying to me!”
Her laughter echoed, but when she realized I wasn’t laughing with her–and that the whole room had gone silent–her expression faltered.
She looked around nervously, her confidence cracking.
I sighed.
“I was going to tell you,” I began, my voice calm.
Back when I thought our relationship was solid, I’d decided to share the truth about my family. But then Ryan appeared, and I worried she’d leave me once she knew. So I chose to keep it hidden.
But now, it seemed pointless to have ever kept it a secret.
Emily’s face twisted with frustration and anger. She turned to the host, her voice rising.
“Does his family’s power give them the right to treat us like this?!”
I knew if I didn’t clear things up now, rumors about us abusing our influence would spread like wildfire.
I didn’t hesitate. I asked the host to pull up the security footage from the event.
The video clearly showed Emily throwing the wine first. There was no doubt about who started it.
The evidence left Emily cornered. She opened her mouth as if to argue, but it was already too late.
The police walked in, and within moments, both Emily and Ryan were handcuffed and restrained on the ground.
“Jake!” Emily screamed, her voice breaking. “You can’t do this to me! I love you!”
She thrashed against the officers, her words desperate.
“I didn’t mean to insult your mom–I was jealous, okay? I made a mistake, but you can’t let them take me! Don’t you remember what we used to
have?”
Her voice cracked again, turning softer.
“I hated rich kids, Jake,” she continued, her tone almost pleading. “But when I found out who you really are, I realized I didn’t hate you. That’s when I knew I’d fallen in love with you.”
I looked at her, my disappointment weighing heavier than my anger.
“Stop pretending,” I said quietly.
“You came here tonight because you already knew who I was. Ever since you saw me getting into that Rolls–Royce, you’ve been digging for information about me. You were hoping my family connections could fix the mess at your company, and this whole charade with Ryan was just part of your plan.”
Emily’s face went pale. She collapsed to her knees, the fight draining out of her.
I didn’t say another word. I turned away as the police led her and Ryan out of the room.
D
Emily’s race mem
I didn’t say another word. I turned away as the police led her and Ryan out of the room.
Because deep down, I already knew.
The Emily I had fallen in love with was gone.
She’d disappeared somewhere along the way, slipping away silently in the dead of night.
And what was left was just a stranger wearing her face.
The End.
