Chapter 3
By eleven that night, Ellie was slipping through the glass door as quietly as she could.
Julian sat waiting in an armchair.
"Eleven o'clock."
She froze, then offered a guilty smile. "I'm an adult. Coming home a tiny bit late after going out shouldn't be a problem."
He stood. "A tiny bit? Wasn't your curfew at home nine?"
"How do you know that? Did Nate tell you?" She folded her arms. "Traitor."
"The same rule applies here."
"What?"
He stopped in front of her.
"Eight."
Ellie gripped her bag strap. She had heard the Hayes family was strict. She hadn't realized that included its temporarily homeless guests. When was Nate going to recover the money and come rescue his adorable sister?
Watching her pick at the strap, Julian wondered whether she thought he was being too controlling.
An assistant came in wheeling a rack of gowns.
"Miss Turner."
Ellie turned. Her eyes lit up, and she hurried to the rack.
"These are all new! Limited editions!" She pulled a pink full-skirted gown against her and pressed her face to it.
"I had someone pick up a few things," Julian said. "If you don't like them, throw them out."
"What a coincidence. A few random things, and they're exactly what I love."
"They're yours. Keep them."
She returned the dress and trotted behind his chair to massage his shoulders.
"Could I just be your little sister forever?"
"I don't need a sister."
Her hands stopped. She withdrew them and twisted her fingers together.
"Oh."
He produced a black card between two fingers.
"Spending money while you're here. There's thirty thousand dollars available."
He tossed it lightly. She scrambled to catch it, then stared.
"Thirty thousand? Don't worry. I'll make Nate work himself to death to pay you back."
A faint smile touched Julian's mouth.
In a private karaoke room at a bar, Chloe Bennett sang from a red sofa while Ellie browsed resale listings on her phone. Designer bags and jewelry filled the screen.
"The thirty thousand, plus selling my clothes and bags… even if I get a hundred and twenty thousand together, it won't touch the company debt."
Chloe put down the microphone, drained her drink, and groaned.
"My senior thesis. I've revised it eight hundred times and it still isn't good enough."
"Why did I major in business management?" Ellie asked. "Now there's no family business left to manage."
She leaned into Chloe and wrapped her arms around her.
"We're both disasters. Do you know anyone hiring? Anything that pays?"
Chloe pushed her back slightly and noticed the smell of alcohol.
"You've been drinking? Where am I supposed to take you when you're like this?"
Ellie covered her mouth and smiled vaguely.
"I'm staying at… Julian Hayes's house."
"Julian Hayes? The Julian Hayes? The silent, icy, untouchable Hayes heir?"
"That's the one."
Chloe brightened. In her imagination, Julian strode down a hallway in a fitted gray suit, hands in his pockets.
"Girl, you're looking in the wrong place for money. Why get a job? Get Julian Hayes. With the heir to that family, you could have anything."
"Julian Hayes?" Ellie stared at her.
"Crazy, right?"
"What's his relationship with Nate?"
"Mutual hatred."
"And how does he treat me?"
"Barely acknowledges you."
"Exactly! And you think I can get him?"
Ellie stood and began swaying to the music.
"Besides, he isn't my type. He's so stiff and old-fashioned and—"
The door opened. Julian entered in a dark suit.
Chloe looked up, panicked, and pulled at Ellie's arm.
"Stop. Stop talking."
"Why? He's mean to me! He gave me a curfew. Eight o'clock. Eight!"
"It isn't even dark," Chloe muttered, waving helplessly.
"What are you afraid of?"
Julian came farther into the room, turning the ring on his finger.
"If staying with me makes you that uncomfortable, I won't force you to stay."
Ellie stopped moving and turned.
