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00:00My fiancé's girl best friend stole my student ID, burned through my dining dollars all over campus,
00:04then called me a gold drigger in the locker room. So I logged into the portal and shut her card
00:08off.
00:09That same afternoon, she walked up to the register and got declined.
00:14Three times, in front of the whole lunch rush. She was dragged to the student affairs dean's office
00:20for an entire hour for theft. Then came the all-school notice. Dominic Ashfield, my fiancé,
00:25found out, and said absolutely nocted like it was just another Tuesday. Then, on my 22nd birthday,
00:31Dominic took me to Oak Hall, Westbrook's most exclusive restaurant, and said he'd planned a
00:35surprise. The table was already set when we arrived, with everything I liked. Every dish.
00:40He said he had something special to grab. Be right back. I waited until the dining room closed.
00:49He never came back. I pulled out my card to cover the bill. The cashier scanned it, paused,
00:55and slid it back across the counter. I'm sorry, Ms. Sinclair. Your card is showing as
01:00invalid in the system. Invalid? I stared at the card in my hand. My fingers went cold.
01:06This was the card Dominic had given me right before we left. After we got engaged, he'd added
01:13me to the Ashford family meal plan. Every purchase on campus, charge to the family account, billed directly
01:21to them. But tonight, right before we walked out the door, he'd reached into my bag and taken the
01:26card. He'd said, kissing my forehead. This one's on me. It's your 22nd.
01:34Dominic wasn't picking up. 12 calls. 12 voicemails left. The cashier drummed her fingers on the card
01:40reader. Ms. Sinclair, do you have another form of payment? We don't do tabs here. And I'm sure you
01:46remember last month's incident. I remembered. Last month, Dominic's childhood best friend,
01:52Bianca Harlow, took my dining dollars and treated her entire Pi Beta chapper to a $2,000 dinner.
01:57Then went and ran her mouth in the girl's locker room. I was a clout haser with a pretty face.
02:00Dominic's going to drop her the second he's bored. So I logged into the portal and killed her access.
02:05The next day, she stepped up to the register and got declined. Once. Twice. Three times. The line
02:12behind her stretched to the door. Her face went beet red in front of her sisters. She never forgave me
02:18for that. Now I stood there, phone in a death grip, and my knuckles turned white. Then the doors swung
02:25open. Bianca walked in, tucked under Dominic's arm. Chin up. Blue eyes absolutely glowing with
02:32satisfaction. Behind them, 14, maybe 15 people. The entire inner circle of Westbrook College.
02:40Phi Kippa's executive board. Pi Beta's social chars. Every single one of them was already staring.
02:48Dominic let go of Bianca's arm and walked toward me. The light caught his pale blonde hair. He looked
02:52every bit the Ashverned air, which honestly wasn't far off. The Ashverns were East Coast old money,
02:56the oldest kind. And Dominic was their only son, president of Phi Kapper. The guy Westbrook was
03:00basically built around. And right now, he was looking at me in a way I had never seen before.
03:03Elena. He said, low, measured, loud enough for every table in Okol to hear.
03:08You get a real kick out of sabotaging people on the low, huh? Freezing someone's card,
03:13making them stand at a register and choke in front of everyone. So, now you know how it feels.
03:17The room cracked open. Wait, is he serious? It's her birthday.
03:20They've been together three years. Why would he-
03:22Three years doesn't mean anything. Bianca's known him since they were kids. And Elena? She transferred
03:27from the West Coast. Nobody can even find her people. She's here on a scholarship, right? Like,
03:31a full ride? That's what you get for clout chasing. When Dominic's done with her,
03:34she won't even have a seat at the table. I dug my nails into my palm. Exactly what I thought.
03:40He'd set this whole thing up. On my birthday. Just to get back at me for Bianca.
03:45Dominic walked Bianca to the table, and Nguanga pulled out her chair. Like I wasn't even in the
03:50room. Bianca. His voice was quiet, but the whole room heard it. Whatever she did to you,
03:54I'm returning it. Every bit of it. Bianca's face broke open. She leaned over and kissed the corner
03:58of his mouth. Thank you, Dom. Then she looked at me. Getting the picture now, Elena? That account
04:02belongs to the Ashford family? You're not family yet. What gave you the right to touch my access
04:05in the first place? She dropped her bag onto the table, then shoved it. Hard. My water glass-tipped
04:10liquid spilled across my shoes, seeping through the fabric, she said, covering her mouth. Oops.
04:16Slipped. Sorry about that. Though those shoes weren't worth much anyway, right? Scattered laughter
04:20from behind her. Dominic didn't look at the spill. Didn't look at me. He just slipped his arm around
04:24Bianca's waist and looked straight at the cashier. Whatever Bianca orders tonight, put it on the
04:28Ashford account. Then he looked at me. That smirk, wide open, not even trying to hide it.
04:33As for her, if she can't pay, go buy the book. I stood there. The room shrank, inch by inch.
04:39Dominic stood up. He wanted to make sure I had nowhere left to go. He swept the room with one
04:44slow, deliberate look, then pulled out his phone, typed something, and held the screen up for everyone
04:49to see. The Phi Kappa group chat. Anyone who helps Elena Sinclair tonight is out. All event access,
04:55gone. Everyone in that room knew exactly what that meant. Cross Dominic Ashford, and you were done.
05:01No party invites. No frat events. No senior gala. Full stop. A few people who actually knew me,
05:08I watched something flicker across their faces. One girl actually reached into her bag.
05:12Bianna caught it. She stared that girl down, hard. The hand slipped back out, empty. I looked at Dominic.
05:18Three years of feelings, gone. Just like that.
05:21Dominic Ashford, you really want to do this? He held my gaze without blinking.
05:26When you froze her card and humiliated her in front of everyone, what did you think was going to
05:30happen? This is your lesson. Remember it. She's mine. Engaged or not, you don't get to come after
05:37her. She's mine. Those two words hit like a knife. Straight in. Three years ago, I just transferred
05:46to Westbrook. Bumped straight into him on the steps outside the student union building. Full collision.
05:50Books everywhere. He spent the whole next semester on my case. Every morning, he'd be waiting outside
05:55my dorm with an oat milk latte from the campus cafe. My exact order, every time. On rainy days,
06:00he'd pull off his own hoodie and drop it over my head, then sprint across the entire football field
06:05in just a t-shirt. When a group of Pai Bata upper classes cornered me in the library hallway,
06:10I don't even know how he found out, but he showed up, walked straight through all of them, and put
06:15himself between me and the girl running her mouth. Looked her dead in the eye and said,
06:19She's with me. I was gone after that. Not because of his last name, because I actually believed him.
06:26And now he'd just use those same words for her. So what's it gonna be?
06:29Bianca's voice pulled me back. She leaned back, legs crossed. You gonna call someone to bail you out,
06:36or... She let it hang, eyes dragging slowly over my dress. I felt myself shrink.
06:42Nice piece. Couture. Right? Maybe the boys can auction it off right here, piece by piece,
06:50to cover your tab. The room lost it.
06:53Dominic really said this is for Bianca and meant it. Elena is cooked.
06:56I told y'all, Cinderella stories don't exist in real life. The Ashvins were never gonna bring home
07:01a girl with no pedigree. Bianca's always been their people. The higher they build you up,
07:04the harder you fall, sis. That's just how it goes. The Phi Keper core, the ones clustered around
07:10Dominic, were watching me with that specific look. A few of them already had their phones out.
07:16My whole body was shaking. Before we'd left, Dominic had taken my dining dollars. On purpose.
07:25Right now, I had nothing but the dress on my back. And my phone had just died. Battery gone.
07:32That's when it hit me. My phone. My card. The reservation. The timing. None of it was an
07:39accident. And to Gerd the Sotrand. He didn't forget my birthday. He planned it.
07:47Bianca moved toward me, smiling like she'd already won.
07:50It's getting late, Elena. The cashier's waiting to close out your tab. Don't tell me you're actually
07:55broke. Because a tab this size, if you can't cover it, this goes straight to the Student
08:00Conduct Committee. I felt it in my stomach. The Student Conduct Committee at Westbrook College.
08:05The one line nobody crossed. One formal strike, and I could lose my scholarship, lose my housing,
08:11get pulled from the honors track, or get kicked out for good.
08:15Dominic didn't just want to humiliate me. He wanted to erase me.
08:21Bianca took another step forward, close enough that I could smell her perfume. She tilted her
08:26chin up and looked at me like I was already done. There is one other option. That smile ale
08:31never moved. Say please. Mean it. Maybe I'll make this easier for you. She reached out and poked my
08:38shoulder. Dom listens to me. Always has. I reached up and blocked her hand. Just that.
08:45Bianca reacted like she'd been hit by a truck. Grabbed her cheek and screamed.
08:52She hit me!
08:53I watched Dominic's eyes shift.
08:56No, that's not what...
08:58He grabbed my shoulder and shoved. Hard. I went down backward. Caught the corner of the table on the
09:05way. The pain shot straight up my spine. The edge caught my arm. Sharp, clean. And I felt the warmth
09:13before I saw the blood. I hit the floor and looked up. Furious. For just a second something moved
09:20across Dominic's face. Then it was gone. Elena. You hit her in front of everyone. That doesn't
09:26just go away. Bianca gets that back. He jutted his chin at two Fai Kup members standing nearby.
09:32Both of them built like they belonged on the offensive line. They grabbed my arms,
09:37one on each side, and hauled me off the floor. Bianca walked toward me slowly. My heart mummered.
09:46Not from fear. From disbelief. The Ashfords hadn't always been East Coast royalty. Dominic
09:52hadn't always been untouchable. Because of me. I was the one who'd convinced my dad to use our
09:58family's connections to open every door for them. Rivals who would have gone after the Ashfords
10:02backed off. Because nobody stepped to my dad. I'd planned to tell Dominic tonight. On my birthday.
10:08Tell him I wasn't some scholarship girl from the West Coast with no pedigree. I was a St.
10:12Clair, the sole heir to a West Coast dynasty that made the Ashterns look like new money. I was going
10:17to take him home to meet my family. I just didn't see this coming. I'd read him wrong. Bianca turned
10:21to
10:22the table and picked up a heavy plate of lobster marinara. The exact dish Dominic had ordered for me.
10:27She stepped right into my space, raised the plate, and didn't hesitate. Splash. A wet,
10:33sickening sound echoed across the dining room. She had flipped the entire plate directly over my
10:37head. Scalding pasta hit my crown. Thick red sauce slid down my hair and clinged to my cheeks.
10:42The empty plate slipped from her hand, hitting the hardwood floor with a sharp crack and shattering
10:46at my feet. Rich tomato sauce dripped from my eyelashes, bleeding rapidly into the pale fabric
10:52of my couture dress. I didn't flinch. I didn't even lift a hand to wipe my face.
10:56I just dug my nails into my palm and looked straight through the mess at Dominic.
11:01No anger. No tears. Dominic, this is on you. When the Ashfords go under and everything you've
11:08built comes crashing down. Remember, you chose this.
11:17Girl, you've been watching too many dramas. Look at you.
11:22First out laughing, look at you. What, you think you're some secret rich heiress?
11:26Yes? She might actually be losing it. Like, brah.
11:29Dominic looked at me like I was wasting his time. Cold. Checked out.
11:35Drop the act. The Ashford's going bankrupt? That's cute. Figure out how you're covering this bill.
11:43Miss Sinclair, it's late. I got places to be.
11:45I looked around the room. Every person who'd sat next to me in class, studied with me in the library,
11:50heads down. All of them. One girl, someone I actually considered a real friend, snuck a glance
11:55at me, then looked away the second our eyes met, scared of being seen. Nobody moved.
12:00The Ashfords ran this campus, the board of trustees, the student conduct committee, the entire Greek
12:04council. And outside? City Hall, the banks, every law firm that mattered. Cross Dominic Ashford and
12:10you'd cross the entire East Coast Old Money Network. I walked toward that girl. She saw me coming,
12:15shot up from her seat, and backed away. Elena, don't. I can't help you pay. I'm not asking you
12:20to pay, I said. I just need your phone. Five minutes. I need someone to come down here.
12:26She's still fronting. Dom already put the word out across every frat on campus. Who's coming to save
12:31you? Let her call. Twenty minutes. She still can't cover it. The dress comes off. Clock's ticking,
12:41princess. Can't pay up? Time to strip. Bianca turned toward the guys who'd been watching a little too,
12:51too eagerly. The girl hesitated. Looked at Dominic. Looked back at me. Then she held out her phone.
13:06I dialed the number I knew by heart but had never once called. Every second felt longer than the last.
13:12Less than ten minutes left. Bianca was done waiting. She stood up. I'm such an idiot. I actually believed
13:20you. Nobody's coming for you, girl. Hey! She turned to the cashier. Have your guys hold her down.
13:28Nobody's risking the Aschams over this girl. The guards moved in. Big. Mean. Done with waiting. I put
13:34my hand up. Wait. There's still time. Someone's coming. Bianca laughed. Still? Okay, bet. Someone walks
13:43through that door in time. I'll eat everything on this table. And I'll step down from Pi Beta.
13:50The president's seat is yours. You sure? I looked at her. Everyone in this room is a witness.
13:57Absolutely. She didn't even blink. Something lit up dappens me. She had absolutely no idea what she'd
14:03just walked into. With a few minutes left on the clock, one of the Phi Keeper guys, big, sloppy,
14:10clearly had too much to drink, reached over and grabbed at my dress. I smacked his hand away.
14:16Yo, Dominic! Your fiancé's got a temper. Dominic smiled and swirled his wine, completely
14:22unbothered. She can't fair game. Have at it. I stared at him. Something inside me went completely
14:29cold. This was my fiancé. Watching other men put their hands on me. And he didn't even flinch.
14:36He caught my eyes and shrugged. Don't look at me like that. I'm not helping you. I just want
14:41Bianca happy. That was all they needed to hear. They grabbed me, arms, shoulders, and started
14:46pulling at my dress. I fought back hard. Every scream just hyped them up more. I looked at every
14:53single face. Every one of you who touched me, I remember faces. Not one of you!
15:00Bianca didn't even look up. Phone out, already recording, waiting to put this all over the
15:05internet. Time's up. Take it. Bang! The heavy oak doors were practically kicked off their hinges.
15:12Every head snapped toward the entrance. And the second they saw him, the whole room locked up.
15:17Wait. Is that Nathan Thorne? Why the hell is the board sheriff here?
15:21Dominic and Bianca shot to their feet, completely thrown. Bianca actually rubbed her eyes,
15:26like she couldn't trust what she was seeing. Nathan Thorne walked in, wearing a navy blazer,
15:31tie slightly crooked, like he'd dressed on the way here. President Wiltmore was behind him.
15:37Mr. Thorne, President Whitmore, what are you doing here?
15:40Nathan didn't look at him. Didn't look at Bianca. He walked straight to me.
15:45I apologize for the delay, Miss St. Clair.
15:49Mr. Sterling is on his way. He asked me to come ahead and handle things.
15:53He took one look at my torn dress. The dirt on my hands. The cut on my arm.
15:59He swallowed it. Then he turned around slowly. The whole room felt it.
16:03He kept his voice level when he spoke to the President.
16:05Shut this down. Tonight. And I want a full explanation. One I'm actually satisfied with.
16:10Otherwise the board will be reassessing its investment in West College Fect immediately.
16:13The President went white. Speechless.
16:16Oak Hall, which 30 seconds ago had been loud enough to rattle the windows, went dead.
16:21The whole room. Locked up. Nobody even knew what they were looking at.
16:27They all knew the name, name Nathan Thorne.
16:30The Ashfords were East Coast royalty, sure.
16:32But the network behind Nathan Thorne? It could swallow 10 Ashford families' hold.
16:40People had always wondered how the Ashfords pulled it off.
16:43How a fading old money family suddenly rocketed to the top of the East Coast in just a few years.
16:48They never knew new. The answer was me.
16:52When I take over as the Ashford heir and rebuild this family,
16:56I'm putting a ring on it. That's a promise.
17:01I was so gone for him, I asked my dad to quietly back the Ashfords.
17:05New contracts. Big ones. Every door they needed opened.
17:09And just like that, they climbed.
17:12I'd been about to tell him everything.
17:14Then tonight happened.
17:15Nobody whispered. Nobody moved.
17:17Just blank stares.
17:20Then it hit Bianca.
17:22She flinched.
17:23Like something just clicked.
17:25Went white.
17:26Lips shaking.
17:27She actually...
17:28She actually called someone?
17:30My bet!
17:31No. No way.
17:32How is the board chair even friends with her?
17:34That's not possible.
17:35Nobody answered.
17:36Nobody breathed.
17:37The guys who'd been grabbing at my dress had already vanished into the crowd.
17:42Nathan looked straight at Bianca.
17:44Cold.
17:45The injuries on Miss St. Clair.
17:47You ordered that?
17:49Bianca's knees gave out.
17:51Dominic caught her.
17:52Hey.
17:53I got you.
17:54And just like that, Bianca straightened up.
17:57Shoulders back.
17:58Right.
17:59The Ashherds run the East Coast.
18:01Even the board answers to them.
18:03Dominic looked at me.
18:05That smirk was back.
18:07I don't know what you and Nathan Thorne have going on, but let me be clear.
18:10At Westbrook, the Ashfords run things.
18:12With all due respect, Mr. Thorne, this is a private matter.
18:16Stay in your lane.
18:17At Westbrook, the Ashfords pull the strings.
18:20Nathan smiled.
18:21Cold.
18:22Practiced.
18:22The kind you can't fake.
18:23Bold words, Mr. Ashford.
18:25If it weren't for Miss St. Villet, your family would have been eaten alive a long time ago.
18:29Everything the Ashfords have today, she handed that to you.
18:31And you didn't even know it.
18:33Dominic scoffed.
18:34I was done.
18:35Done with the room.
18:36Done with his voice.
18:37Done with all of it.
18:38While Nathan was talking, I'd already called my dad.
18:42Told him everything.
18:43The Ashfords had no idea what was coming.
18:45Nathan walked to the cashier and handed over his card.
18:48Miss St. Clair's tab is on me.
18:50Miss St. Clair, no more dining dollars.
18:52Your account has been upgraded.
18:53Face ID access only from now on.
18:55No spending cap.
18:57Half the room actually stepped back.
18:59I took the tablet, confirmed my info, and looked up at Bianca.
19:04Bianca, that bet you made, you remember that, right?
19:07She grabbed his arm, forcing herself to look calm, but her voice gave her away.
19:11So what if I lost?
19:12You got the board chair to show up for you.
19:14You've been playing him this whole time.
19:16Who the hell did you screw to get the board chair to show up for you?
19:21His jaw tightened.
19:22I could see it in his face.
19:23This had gone further than he meant it to.
19:25He'd wanted to humiliate me, not lose control of the whole night.
19:27Elena, last chance.
19:29Apologize to Bianca.
19:30Do that, and tonight never happened.
19:32Don't, and I'm calling off the engagement.
19:34I smiled, colder than the room.
19:35You really think I still want to marry you?
19:37And while you're at it, call your father.
19:39Ask him how Ashford Group Stock is doing right now.
19:42His eyes sharpened.
19:43He pulled out his phone.
19:44Is she actually losing it?
19:46The Ashfords would never...
19:47The laugh died in her throat, because his screen lit up with an internal family alert.
19:51The air stopped moving.
19:53His fingers froze mid-air.
19:55He called his father.
19:56Dad, what's going on?
19:58Why are we dropping?
19:59You absolute idiot!
20:00You crossed the St. Clairs, didn't you?
20:02The St. Clair family, West Coast.
20:05Every fund they control is shorting us right now.
20:07All of it.
20:08If this doesn't stop, Ashford Group files for bankruptcy in three days.
20:12St. Clair.
20:13The name hit the oak hall like a grenade.
20:16The arrogant sneers vanished, replaced by sheer terror.
20:21The St. Clairs weren't just old money.
20:24They were the kind of name that made the Ashfords look new.
20:27Bianca's smile dissolved.
20:29The color drained from her lips.
20:32Dominic's hand started shaking around the phone.
20:35Dominic snapped his head up and looked at me.
20:37And for the first time all night, fear.
20:40You... you're actually...
20:43I smoothed out my dress.
20:46The one they'd grabbed at.
20:48Slowly.
20:50Nathan stepped forward.
20:52Composed.
20:53Respectful.
20:54Get the names of every student in this room who touched her or participated.
20:58The student contact committee will be calling their families first thing tomorrow morning.
21:03She wanted a public humiliation?
21:06Fine.
21:06I gave her one she'd never recover from.
21:09That's how old money plays it.
21:11Before Nathan even finished speaking, hurried footsteps echoed outside.
21:15Then the doors flew open again.
21:17Edward Ashford stumbled in.
21:19Shirt untucked.
21:20Tie loose.
21:20With several stone-faced family aides behind him.
21:23His eyes swept the room.
21:25The mess on the floor.
21:26The cut on my arm.
21:28One look at Dominic.
21:30And Edward looked like he could have killed him right there.
21:33Edward's shoulders slumped.
21:34The arrogant billionaire practically shrunk in front of me.
21:37His hands shaking slightly as he stepped forward.
21:40Miss St. Clair, my son is an embarrassment.
21:44The Ashford family owes you a formal apology.
21:46Please, let us make tonight right.
21:48The butler stepped forward and opened a velvet box.
21:51Pink diamond necklace.
21:52The Ashford family heirloam.
21:54Mr. Ashford, that's not necessary.
21:56Edward didn't even flinch.
21:57I glanced at it.
21:58I just want what you took from me tonight.
22:00My dignity.
22:01Edward's expression hardened.
22:03He looked at Bianca still crumpled on the floor, then back at his son, like he couldn't
22:06believe what he'd raised.
22:08Dominic.
22:08I have never been more ashamed of you in my life.
22:11You turned on your own fiancé with outsiders.
22:13How am I supposed to trust you with this family after tonight?
22:15Edward swung.
22:16His knuckles connected with Dominic's jaw.
22:19Dominic hit the floor, tasting blood, but didn't dare make a sound.
22:22Effective today, you are no longer the Ashford heir.
22:26I'd sooner leave everything to a kid I've never met than hand it to you.
22:30He turned to be Ionka.
22:33And the Harlow family, every West Coast partnership, is done.
22:38See how long you last without us.
22:40Bianca dropped to the floor, grabbing at Dominic's pants leg, sobbing.
22:45Dominic, please.
22:47If my dad finds out about this, I'm dead.
22:51I am so dead.
22:53Dominic looked down at her.
22:54Something moved across his face.
22:56Complicated.
22:57Distant.
22:57With his entire inheritance on the line, whatever this was didn't matter anymore.
23:02Bianca, you ruined me.
23:06She completely fell apart.
23:08Edward turned back to me.
23:09He helped Dominic up, carefully, and pushed him toward me.
23:12Miss St. Clair, my son knows he was wrong.
23:14He let Bianca manipulate him.
23:16You're above this.
23:17Please, give him one more chance.
23:18Whatever it takes.
23:19Name it.
23:19He will spend the rest of his miserable life making this up to you.
23:23Dominic looked up at me.
23:24His eyes were full, like he was one word away from breaking.
23:27Elena, I'm sorry.
23:28I was wrong.
23:29I was so wrong.
23:30I never should have doubted you.
23:31Never should have let her lay a hand on you.
23:32Just forgive me, please.
23:33We'll get married.
23:34I'll make this right, I swear.
23:35He reached for my hand.
23:36I turned away before he could.
23:38I looked at his face.
23:39No hate.
23:39No tears.
23:40Just quiet.
23:41The kind that comes after something dies.
23:42You know what actually destroyed me?
23:44When I spoke, the whole room heard every word.
23:46Not the slap.
23:47Not any of it.
23:48It was when they had me pinned down and you looked me dead in the eyes and said,
23:50I just want Bianca happy.
23:52I meant less to you than her ego.
23:54Love runs out.
23:55You burned through all of mine tonight.
23:57I took one step back.
23:59Nathan was already beside me.
24:01I turned, unhurring.
24:02I'm not interested in the Ashford future anymore.
24:05And us?
24:06We're done.
24:07Bianca stood in the middle of the room like someone had cut her strings.
24:11Then, the doors opened again.
24:14The air changed.
24:16He walked in wearing a dark green varsity jacket with the St. Paul's crest stitched over
24:21the chest.
24:22Half a head taller than Dominic.
24:24Broader.
24:26Jawline like something out of a Renaissance painting.
24:28He didn't look at Dominic.
24:30He walked straight to me, glanced down at my wrist, and frowned.
24:36You're bleeding.
24:38He pulled a perfectly folded white handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it gently against
24:44my wrist.
24:46Then, only then, he turned and seemed to notice Dominic for the first time.
24:53Ah, you must be Ashford.
24:55He extended his hand, but not to shake.
24:58He just casually straightened his cufflinks.
25:00Sebastian Sterling.
25:02Elena and I grew up together.
25:03She transferred here.
25:06The corner of his mouth lifted.
25:08To get away from me.
25:09Like it was an inside joke.
25:12Looks like she trusted the wrong family.
25:15Dominic's lips were trembling.
25:16Sterling?
25:17You're a Sterling?
25:18He finally looked at Dominic directly.
25:21No.
25:22I'm the one who's going to pull every Sterling capital asset from your father's next board
25:26vote.
25:27He turned, and his arm settled around my waist like it belonged there.
25:31Let's go, Elena.
25:33Your father's plane is waiting.
25:34At the door, he stopped.
25:36Didn't turn around.
25:38One more thing, Ashford.
25:40That plaque by the entrance?
25:42Ashford Family Banquet Hall?
25:44You should take it down yourself.
25:47The crew we send to remove it will charge you for the trouble.
25:52He followed me out.
25:53I could hear him.
25:54The uneven footsteps.
25:55The way he was half running, half stumbling.
25:58Elena!
25:59I stopped.
26:00Didn't turn around.
26:01Elena, I had no idea.
26:03I swear, I had no idea you were a St. Clair.
26:06If I'd known from the start...
26:07Then what?
26:08Looked him dead in the eyes.
26:10You would have treated me better?
26:12He opened his mouth.
26:13Nothing came out.
26:14Or, if I were still just the scholarship girl, would all of that have been okay?
26:20Freezing my meal plan?
26:22Letting Bianca slap me?
26:24Letting those guys tear my clothes off?
26:26No, that's not what I meant-
26:28Then what did you mean, Dominic?
26:30Silence.
26:31Sebastian stood behind me.
26:32No rush.
26:33Just waiting.
26:34Arms crossed, like he had all night.
26:37Dominic, listen to me.
26:38I built the Ashford's up.
26:40I can tear them down just as fast.
26:43We're done.
26:44As of right now, I turned and took Sebastian's arm.
26:48Tell no, it's too-
26:52Let's go.
26:52Behind me, Dominic's voice came out horsey, broken, like he was already crying.
26:58Elena, if none of this had happened, if I hadn't let Bianca, would you have ever brought
27:03me home?
27:04Introduced me to your family?
27:06I didn't answer.
27:08There was nothing left to say.
27:11Some questions don't deserve one.
27:17The Oak Hall doors closed behind us.
27:20The hallway was quiet.
27:21Just our footnaps.
27:24Your taste in men is awful.
27:28Shut up.
27:29I'm being serious.
27:30What did you even see in that guy?
27:33Sebastian.
27:34Yeah?
27:35Thanks for coming.
27:36He didn't say anything for a second.
27:38Then he reached over and messed up my hair.
27:40Stop running from me.
27:42There are plenty of good schools back home, you know?
27:44I didn't say anything.
27:46But I smiled.
27:48First time all night.
27:50Come on.
27:51Let's go home.
27:52Let's go home.
27:52Let's go home.
27:53Let's go home.
27:53Let's go home.
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