Ella's parents now knew her plans, the ones she had guarded jealously, believing they would try to stop her from achieving them. But after witnessing what McDon had done to her father; the cold, unflinching cruelty, not even a flicker of remorse, she felt a surge of defiance. She didn't care anymore.
She was already with a man who loved her — Jasper. And now, she was a step ahead of everyone else, running the company, managing operations, and remaining completely hidden. Her identity was her weapon.
The engine of her car growled beneath her as she drove to Jasper's place, desperate to spill out her anxieties, to find solace in the arms of the man she loved. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles whitening, heart hammering in a mix of fury, hurt, and disbelief.
"Calm down, Rita," Jasper's laughter echoed from the other end of the line. "I've got everything planned. She knows my family now… the fake one, of course," he snorted, the amusement dripping from his voice.
"She'll be out of your way soon and be mine forever. It's a win-win," he continued, his laughter booming so loudly it seemed to shake the walls of her mind.
Ella's chest tightened. Her hands instinctively clutched at it as she felt a sting of betrayal, deep yet not entirely consuming, just enough to make her heart wobble, to make her doubt the man she loved. But she forced herself to breathe and trust, at least for now.
Her pulse surged, fury finally overtaking hesitation.
"What!!! Who are you?" she hissed, slamming the door open with a force that rattled the frame. Her entire body trembled with the mix of rage and heartbreak.
"All your family, the dinner dates, the time spent together… it was all fake?" she spat, her voice sharp, trembling. She counted the moments in her mind. Every time he had made her feel special, cared for, loved and every one now felt like a knife twisting in her chest.
"I ask again, who are you?" she demanded, stepping back as tears spilled over, burning trails down her cheeks.
Jasper's face drained of color. His heart sank, and the sound of a low, guttural curse escaped him. "Sh****," he muttered, slapping his palms onto his lap in disbelief. He had been caught, unmasked.
"Ella… Ella, I can explain," he groaned, stepping forward, his voice cracking. "Please… give me a chance to—"
"Don't you dare come close to me!" she hissed, recoiling as if the very air around him could burn her. "I don't want to ever hear… see… anything from you again. I trusted you, Jasper! I did!"
Her chest heaved violently as she turned on her heel and stormed out, her feet pounding the pavement, adrenaline scorching through her veins.
She slid into her car, slamming the door with such force that the glass rattled. The engine roared as she sped toward Ben's, hands shaking on the wheel, heart threatening to leap out of her chest.
"Omg… not today," she muttered under her breath, voice trembling as she swerved sharply. A man appeared out of nowhere, crossing the road in front of her, and she barely managed to brake in time. Cars honked, their horns blaring, but she ignored them all. Traffic lights blinked red and green like distant stars she didn't have time to notice. Her mind was a storm of anger, betrayal, and fear, each emotion colliding and echoing louder than the horns around her.
Every second felt stretched, every heartbeat a drum of warning , she was teetering on the edge, and deep down, she knew this confrontation with Jasper was only the beginning.
Her eyes burned with unshed tears, her chest felt like it would split, and yet… the fire inside her refused to die. Every lie he had told, every false smile, every moment of "care" now fueled her resolve. This was far from over, and she knew it.