EllaIt's nine in the morning as I stand outside the extravagant entrance of the family mansion and my mom pulls up in a custom-paint-job metallic red Rolls-Royce. "Baby, what are you wearing? I told you we were going somewhere special today." I laugh as my mother complains, all in good nature. Apparently designer clothing isn't enough and she was expecting more than jeans, boots, and a cashmere sweater. Mom's always been like that. She's fond of big gestures and extravagant things, and it's not like our family doesn't have the money for it. For her it's a travesty that her daughter doesn't even have an expensive piece of jewelry or let alone a bag that's worth someone's monthly salary. She was particularly horrified to learn that George never spoiled me with presents. "Mom, you also said it was a family affair today, relax. I promise I'll bust out the gowns for a special occasion." "I'll hold you to that, Ella. Your birthday's coming up after all, and I want it to be pe
EllaI awaken to the bright light streaming into my room. I groan quietly as I sit up, rubbing at my eyes as my mind comes back into focus. It's not just morning, but the party my mother's been planning.I haven't necessarily been looking forward to this, but I know my mother is. After years of silence between us, the idea of throwing together a party for her daughter must bring her incredible joy. And it makes me feel... good.I bring myself out of bed and walk slowly to the mirror on the opposite wall. Do I look another year older? Because I don't feel it. I don't see the age change either. I take a deep breath as I watch my reflection copy me. I let the air out and nod."Let's get this day going," I tell myself in the mirror.I quickly dress, putting on a simple pair of jeans, a light blue cotton t-shirt and a pair of sneakers. Nothing fancy. Just Ella looking back at me."Are you awake, darling?" I hear January call out. She knocks on the door. "I have a surprise for you do
EllaTaylor and I get everything situated, and we return to the banquet hall together. Jessica and her mother are still whispering to one another about who I could possibly be, but I continue to ignore them. Taylor, however, gives me a perplexed look as if to ask me what the hell is going on.I give Taylor a shrug while she quickly steals a glance at the other two. I raise an eyebrow at her, but neither of us says anything. I'm honestly incredibly curious to see how Jessica will attempt to ask for my contact information later. It'll only take her so long to figure out I'm the woman who just divorced her brother, after all.Not only that, but the fact they don't even recognize me just proves they never gave a damn about me in the first place, just like she proved at the club. Good riddance to those terrible, pathetic women.As we're about to walk through to the banquet room again, I hear another voice call out."Ella!" I turn on my heels to see my best friend approaching me w
Ella"Kingston Reina," someone murmurs near me. "The financial tycoon?" another person asks quietly.The room is split on what exactly is going on, and I turn my head to follow the trail of conversation. However, it's quickly stifled by my father's voice again."I'm only going to ask one more time," Kingston Reina demands of the crowd that has formed, silencing those around us. "Who the fuck is spreading lies about my family during my daughter's goddamn birthday?"It is unlike my father to swear, so I know he must be furious.Jessica, who has since been released by the security guard, marches straight up to my father without any shame. She must seriously have a death wish if she's approaching him with this much gusto."That WOMAN," she sneers, jabbing a finger in my direction, "has stolen from the Wickham family! She isn't even clever in hiding her crimes! I should have known she'd do something this pathetic and vindictive; obviously, she's a fake and has been hiding the trut
JessicaI'm seething in rage as I leave the room, my mother following me all quiet. And why wouldn't she be when we were publicly embarrassed because of that–that woman! The only good thing is that most people are in the banquet hall instead of hanging around one of the dressing rooms but too many still saw what went down. That is MY mother's necklace, I know it! George had that custom made for her and she wouldn't sell it. Especially not to that haughty thing!I don't know who she is but she is obviously someone if Kingston Reina of all people defended her. She looks like George's ex, but there is no way some orphan trash like her would ever be able to afford to step into that store let alone look at it!That woman... no, she couldn't be Ella, I refuse to believe it! It was just a look-alike, an irritating, smug bitch of a look-alike sharing her name, but just a look-alike. Nothing–nothing more than that.Besides, take me to court?! Ha! My brother is the best in the busine
EllaInheriting the company and everything that belongs to the Reina name is a big responsibility, one that our parents have been talking about our whole lives. Vinny and I are technically the only heirs to the family fortune and family company, so we have come to expect something like this, but it is a lot of responsibility. Back then, we were both more focused on doing our own thing and living our own lives, and our parents had been fine with that. Vinny had his mechanical engineering business and his movie studio, and I had my doctorate. Now that our parents are getting older, they're looking to retire, to have someone they trust to hand everything over to, so we all talked about it as a family. Me inheriting everything was the culmination of a talk that went on for almost a month. Vinny has his own accounts and his own salary that won't run dry anytime soon, and if he ever needs more all we have to do is call the bank to facilitate the transfer. As for me, while I'm go
GeorgeMy eyes are wide as I look at the woman who spoke. It feels like the hospital all over again, because how is this Ella, my ex-wife? When she'd been there at the hospital, coming out of the OR after performing a surgery of all things, I found out she's not just a practicing doctor but a surgeon.At the hospital, confronting me, she looked confident and composed, as if nothing could affect her, proud in the way someone could only be when they knew they were good at what they did. She has that same look now. She is still confident, but now it isn't because of her work or her degrees. She stands in the banquet hall as the center of attention effortlessly, dressed to the nines, gems glittering around her throat and highlighting the bright color of her eyes. She looks gorgeous; she also looks angry and it takes a moment for me to register her words. "Don't forget, the reason we got a divorce isn't because of being incompatible as lovers let alone partners, but because of y
EllaAs I go through the house to put together my bag for the day, Entertainment Daily rambles on in the background. I grab the breakfast that had been made for me and take another bite, wondering where I left my laptop."And, in other news, ED received a link to a video posted on social media. We've been given permission to play it here, but viewer discretion is advised."I'm barely listening to the news source, but that changes when I hear a new voice coming from the TV."That WOMAN has stolen from the Wickham family! She isn't even clever in hiding her crimes! I should have known she'd do something this pathetic and vindictive; obviously, she's a fake and has been hiding the truth the whole time."I whirl around and face the screen, Jessica's outburst from my birthday filling up the room. My eyebrows rise as my eyes move around the screen. I see that the cellphone footage was filmed from behind a few people, meaning whoever made the video was well hidden during the entire eve