Keira instantly pieced things together.
From the story Ellie had shared and the bits of conversation they overheard, it became obvious—Darien had been putting on this whole “rich playboy” act all along. But the truth was, all of Darien's money came from Ellie.
And that so-called commoner girlfriend of his? She had no clue about any of it and actually believed Darien had made it big on his own.
Why was Ellie always around Darien? Well, Darien had told his girlfriend that Ellie was just the daughter of one of his family's servants.
Keira let out a sarcastic laugh, realizing just how brazen this man was. She had never seen anyone with skin this thick in her life.
The rest of the group, each sharp in their own way, caught on as well when Keira scoffed, finally grasping what was going on.
Erin's eyes went wide in disbelief.
Ryan furrowed his brows and looked at Ellie, stunned at how thoroughly his sister had been taken advantage of.
His lips tightened as he stayed quiet.
Ellie, still in shock, turned to Darien and asked, “Did you really tell her that? I mean, I thought—”
Before she could finish, Darien shot up and cut her off, “Why are you here, Ellie? Whatever it is, let's talk outside.”
He casually patted Mollie on the shoulder to calm her down before walking over to Ellie, his eyes darting to the people behind her.
He could tell right away that they all came from money. Just like Ellie, they were probably clueless, privileged, rich kids who spent their time goofing off. Without missing a beat, Darien grabbed Ellie's arm and pulled her to the side, lowering his voice. “Why did you come here? And what were you about to say?”
Tears welled up in Ellie's eyes. “Why did you tell your girlfriend I'm the daughter of one of your servants?”
Darien sighed. “I didn't want her to find out about us. If she knew, she'd call you a homewrecker. Ellie, I'm sorry. I know it's not fair to you, but I didn't want people bad-mouthing you.”
Ellie dropped her gaze to the floor, her mind racing.
On the way over, Erin hadn't stopped talking in the car, saying things like, “Darien's manipulating you, Ellie. He's playing mind games.”
Was this one of those moments? Was this what everyone was trying to warn her about?
Somehow, no matter what Darien did, he always had a way of twisting things to make it impossible for her to blame him.
After all, Mollie was his girlfriend and Ellie… well, she was just there.
Her fists clenched at her sides. “Fine, I won't ask about that anymore. I just want to know—was the accident your idea?”
Darien raised an eyebrow. “What? Where's this coming from? The accident? Why would I set that up? Mollie already told you she was behind it. Did something happen to you? Ellie, I'm sorry if Mollie's actions hurt you. She's from a small town; she doesn't always think things through. Please, forgive her.”
Ellie stared at him, stunned. Her lips quivered as she quietly said, “Do you even know what she did?”
“What could she have done? Bribe your maid to slip something into your food. What else?”
Darien acted like it was no big deal.
Ellie whispered, “She tampered with my brakes. I almost died in a car accident!”
That got Darien's attention. His expression turned to shock as he grabbed her arm tighter. “Are you serious? You're okay, right? Ellie, you didn't get hurt, did you?”
Seeing his concern for her, Ellie felt a surge of emotion, and her eyes reddened. “I'm fine, someone saved me, but Mollie—”
Darien sighed in relief. “Thank God you're okay. If something had happened to you, I'd never forgive her.”
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