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“Only because I don’t have a relationship with the guy,” I explained. “He left my mom before I was born. EvenIdidn’t know who he was until a few weeks ago. I wasn’t intentionally keeping it from anyone. I just don’t particularly like him or want anything to do with him.” Although, after everything he’d revealed to me tonight, I had to wonder if my feelings toward him were starting to shift.

Cress nodded, and I could see she believed me. At least she hadn’t jumped to the conclusion I’d been deliberately lying like Noah had.

“Isobel, I’m just trying to understand… Who is your father?” Cress continued.

My body tensed at her question. This was the moment of truth. The time when I would find out if I was about to lose both Noah and my friends all in one night.

“My father is Matthew LaFleur.”

After Noah’s reaction, I expected some kind of explosion from the two of them. To see looks of disgust or to see them shying away. Cress appeared thoughtful though, and Anna gave me a completely blank look.

“Who?” Anna shrugged. She seemed so blasé about the whole thing I might have laughed with relief if I wasn’t still terrified to hear Cress’s response.

Cress didn’t immediately react and took her time as she considered my revelation. “Matthew LaFleur as in The LaFleur Corporation?” she asked.

“That’s the one.”

She bit her lower lip and glanced at Anna who still looked clueless.

“What?” I asked. “What am I missing?”

“Don’t look at me,” Anna said. “Never heard of the guy.”

Cress slowly returned to meet my anxious gaze. “The LaFleur and the Hastings families are business rivals,” she said. “I remember my parents used to talk about it a lot when I was younger. There was always some new drama between the companies as one tried to one-up, or screw over, the other. From what I understand, they’ve been at each other’s throats for decades.”

“This seemed like more than just a business rivalry,” I said.

“You might be right,” she agreed. “You know my family doesn’t have much to do with the Hastings family anymore, so I don’t know much about it. But I do remember overhearing one conversation…”

“What?” I felt myself edging slightly closer to Cress as she hesitated. She wasn’t scowling at me like her cousin had, and there wasn’t anger in her eyes. If anything, she just seemed thoughtful.

“Well, it was years ago, but I remember once when I heard my mom and dad talking about it all. My dad said that Mr. LaFleur would do anything he could to destroy William Hastings. Something about the way he saidanythingstuck with me, I guess.” She paused again when she saw the look of concern in my eyes. “They were just gossiping though. And it was so long ago. I’m sure your father isn’t like that.”

She was trying to reassure me, but my stomach plunged. If her parents were gossiping about my family wanting to destroy Noah’s, then surely there had to be some element of truth to that. I felt like I was going to be sick. Was my father the villain in all of this? And what did that make me?

“Seriously,” Cress emphasized. “William Hastings is not a nice man. Even if your dad did want to destroy him, I don’t think anyone would blame him...”

It still wasn’t what I needed to hear, and it left me terrified my friends would want nothing to do with me. Even if they didn’t hold a personal grudge against Matthew, maybe they would worry that I was just like him. That this apple hadn’t fallen far from the proverbial tree.

It took me a moment to build up the courage before I asked, “Does this change anything for you guys?” My heart was in my throat as I looked at my friends. “Now that you know who my father is?”

Cress gathered me in a hug straightaway. “I would never think differently about you because of who your father is. Never.”

Anna quickly joined in on the huddle. “Your dad could be the devil, and I’d still have no doubt about the fact you’re the sweetest person ever. None of us are like our parents, and Noah’s an idiot if he thinks different.”

Tears gathered in my eyes as the two girls held me tight. I didn’t know how much I needed this reassurance until now. I loved these girls so much.

“Uh, is this hug a girl-only thing, or are boys welcome to join the sandwich?” one of the twins called out to us from up ahead. Given the cheeky tone in his voice, it definitely had to be Sawyer. I’d thought he was too busy messing around with his brother to notice us, but the boy seemed to have a sixth sense that alerted him whenever there was an emotional moment that needed ruining.

Anna and Cress laughed as they drew back from the hug.

“Sawyer, learn to read the room!” Anna shouted at him.

He simply shrugged, his face lighting in a cheeky smile in reply. “Hey, you don’t get what you want in life unless you ask.”

“Oh, well, in that case. Sawyer, can you disappear?” Anna fired back.

Even I couldn’t hold in my laughter.