Chapter 4

“What? Dino Alessandro? Like Dino Dino?” Jessica’s voice practically shrieked through the phone.

I sighed, flopping back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. “Yes, Jessica. For the millionth time, Dino Dino.”

Jessica, my best friend since college, was the kind of person who made life bearable. We’d bonded over late-night study sessions, caffeine-fueled breakdowns, and our mutual love of trashy rom-coms. She was fearless and fiery, the kind of person who’d storm into a professor’s office to argue over a grade without hesitation. If I ever needed a cheerleader, a therapist, or even a partner in crime, Jessica was it. Unlike me, she never let anyone walk all over her. She was bold, loud, and unapologetically herself. Exactly the kind of person I’d always wished I could be.

“No freaking way,” she said, her disbelief dripping through every word. “You mean the same Dino Alessandro who wait, hold on, I need to sit down for this. Okay, go on. The same Dino who made your high school a living hell for you?”

I rolled my eyes. “Have I told you about any other Dinos who scarred me emotionally and physically?”

“Oh my God.” There was a long pause before she erupted again. “Wait, wait, wait. Start over. You’re telling me your mom’s new fiancé is his dad? The guy you went on and on about during senior year? The guy who...”

“Yes, Jessica!” I interrupted, groaning. “I’ve told you this like ten times already. Alessandro is his dad. Dino is his son. And now, Dino is... well, my soon-to-be stepbrother.”

“Oh, hell no!” Jessica exclaimed, and I could almost hear her pacing. “This can’t be real life. It’s like one of those messed up soap operas you secretly binge-watch.”

I let out a small laugh despite myself. “Trust me, it’s my life, and I still don’t believe it.”

“How did you not recognize him sooner?” she demanded. “Didn’t you, like, take one look and just want to throw something?”

“Well, he wasn’t at dinner last night, so I'll say I’d dodged the bullet,” I explained. “But today, Alessandro invited us for lunch at their house. That’s when I saw him.”

Jessica let out a dramatic gasp. “Wait, wait. What was that like? What did he say? What did you say? Did he remember you?”

I hesitated, the memory still fresh in my mind. “He pretended not to know me.”

“No,” Jessica whispered, scandalized. “He didn’t.”

“Oh, but he did,” I replied, sitting up now, the frustration bubbling in my voice. “He looked me right in the eye, said, ‘Eloise, nice to meet you,’ and acted like we were strangers.”

“That arrogant piece of...”

“Exactly!” I cut her off before she could finish. “And the way he spoke, Jessica, it was like... it was like he was testing me. Like he was daring me to react.”

“Ugh! Men like him think they can just erase the past,” she spat. “What did you do?”

“I played along, obviously,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me lose it.”

Jessica let out a long whistle. “You’ve got guts, babe. If it were me, I’d have thrown my drink in his face. So, what now? Are you going to tell your mom?”

I froze at the question, the thought twisting my stomach into knots. “No,” I said quietly.

“What? Why not?” she asked, incredulous. “Your mom deserves to know that her fiancé’s son is...”

“A bully?” I finished for her. “Jessica, what good would it do? She’s happy. Alessandro treats her like a queen. Do you really think she’d call off the engagement because of something that happened years ago?”

Jessica was silent for a moment, then sighed. “I get it, but still... you shouldn’t have to deal with this jerk alone.”

“I’m not alone. I’ve got you,” I said with a small smile.

“You bet your ass you do,” she replied fiercely. “And if he so much as looks at you wrong, you call me. I’ll fly over there and give him a piece of my mind.”

I laughed. “Thanks, Jess. I needed that.”

“Anytime,” she said, her tone softening. “But seriously, Eloise... don’t let him get to you. You’re not that same girl he picked on. You’re stronger now.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “I know. And I’m going to prove it to him and to myself.”

“That’s my girl,” Jessica said proudly. “Now, what’s the plan? Avoid him? Confront him? Throw spaghetti at his head?”

I laughed again, the tension easing just a little. “I’ll figure it out. For now, I just need to get through this... whatever this is.”

“You’ve got this, babe,” Jessica said confidently. “And if not, you know I’m just a phone call away.”

“I know. Thanks, Jess.”

“Anytime. Now go get some sleep and maybe think about investing in a stress ball. Sounds like you’re going to need it.”

I chuckled. “Goodnight, Jess.”

“Goodnight, Eloise”

I hung up, staring at my phone for a moment.

Suddenly, I felt a small itch on my shoulder. Instinctively, I scratched at it, but the sensation only grew.

Walking over to the mirror, I pulled down the arm of my top. My breath hitched as I stared at the faint scar running across my shoulder. It was old, barely visible now, but I could still feel the sting of the day I got it.

The day Dino Alessandro gave it to me.

I gripped the edge of top, leaning forward as the memory slammed into me like a freight train. I had buried this for so long, too long. But seeing him tonight, hearing his voice, the way he said my name as if we were strangers, it was like ripping open an old wound.

I could still hear the laughter, the mocking tone of his voice as he and his group circled me in the school hallway. “What’s wrong, Eloise? Too clumsy to keep up?” Then came the shove, the sharp pain as I collided with the locker, the jagged edge slicing through my skin.

I pressed my fingers to the scar, the coolness of my touch grounding me. “He doesn’t even remember,” I whispered bitterly to my reflection.

How could he not? How could he sit across from me tonight, pretending as though we were meeting for the first time, while I still carried the marks of what he had done?

My chest tightened, and I squeezed my eyes shut. “You’re stronger now,” I muttered to myself. “You’ve moved past this.”

But had I really?

Crawling into bed, I pulled the blanket up to my chin. My room felt too quiet, too still, and my mind wandered back to Lunch. The way Dino looked at me, it wasn’t just polite; it was calculating. Was it possible he did remember and just didn’t care?

I grabbed my phone and opened Ins***am, my fingers hovering over the search bar. Against my better judgment, I typed “Dino Alessandro.”

The results were almost immediate, a carefully curated profile with thousands of followers. His display picture was a polished shot of him in a tailored suit, standing in front of what looked like one of Alessandro Corporation’s skyscrapers. Typical.

I clicked on his profile, hesitating for a moment before letting myself scroll through his posts. The pictures screamed wealth and privilege. Lavish vacations, exclusive parties, and photos of him with high profile business partners. It was like looking into the life of someone I barely recognized.

I paused on a picture of him shaking hands with an older man at a charity gala. The caption read: “Proud to continue the Alessandro legacy.”

I scoffed. Legacy? The only legacy I remembered was his knack for making everyone around him miserable.

Scrolling further, I stumbled upon a candid photo of him laughing with a woman in a sleek black dress. Her hand was on his arm, and they looked like they were sharing some inside joke. My stomach churned, and I hated the way it made me feel.

Why are you even doing this to yourself, Eloise?

I closed the app and tossed my phone onto the bed, running my hands through my hair. Seeing Dino in person tonight had been hard enough; stalking his I*******m was just rubbing salt in the wound.

The itch on my shoulder flared again, and my fingers unconsciously grazed the scar through the fabric of my top. Does he even remember?

I flopped back onto my pillows, staring at the ceiling. Tomorrow, I have an interview, I'm not ready for any distraction.