The Billion Dollar Girl

(Chapter 44)

Though I knew I was being over-protective, I couldn’t help it. Will had hurt her and I didn’t want it to happen again. I felt responsible for all the pain that had been inflicted upon her since meeting me, and was trying to make up for it now.

I wondered if Ella noticed that everyone went quiet as we passed them, and started whispering loudly about the article as soon as they thought we were out of earshot. How could she not? It was so obvious. She was grinding her teeth angrily, clearly trying to ignore the comments.

We reached her homeroom. I was prepared to make up some excuse so I could stay with her, but Ella stopped walking, standing in the doorway.

“What’s wrong –?”

The question was immediately answered when I saw him, standing next to Ella’s desk, clearly waiting for her. He waved. The girls surrounding him went quiet when they saw me and Ella.

I was going to kill him.

Though apparently, there was already a waiting list.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ella yelled, her expression furious.

Despite the serious atmosphere, I felt like cracking up. Just the sight of Ella hopping towards Will on her crutches, her face screwed up in a way she clearly thought terrifying, was just hilarious. It was as if she thought she was being threatening. It was possibly the most adorable thing I’d ever seen.

It was a lot less funny when Will smiled at her, clearly thinking the same thing.

“I was waiting for you,” he replied casually, lolling back in his chair. “Hey, Ash.”

“Get out!” Ella snarled. “Get out, right now!”

“Calm down,” Will sighed, looking pained. “I don’t understand why you’re so mad.”

Just then, I realized what he was doing. He was trying to make Ella look unstable in front of her classmates. I’d never hated anybody more.

I stepped in front of Ella, who looked like she was about to pounce.

“I told you to never appear in front of her again,” I said, struggling to keep my voice even and sound detached.

Though my hands were balled into fists, I was reluctant to hit Will as I didn’t want to make this a bigger deal than it already was. I could see phones out already, and I was prepared to bet that this argument would end up on the internet in less than three minutes. Will already knew this, which was the only reason he was taunting me and Ella.

“I came here to apologize,” Will said, to Ella now. I recognized his voice from when we were kids and got caught stealing chocolate from the chef’s pantry. “What happened yesterday, that was wrong of me. The way I acted was most ungentlemanly. I didn’t mean to treat you that way. I was…emotional. I wasn’t thinking straight. Please believe me.”

“And what about the article?” Ella snapped. “How could you betray me like that?”

“The article?” Will said, blinking like he was surprised. “You think that was me?”

“Well, who else could it be?”

“I would never do that to you and Ash, I swear to God!” Will blasphemed. “It wasn’t me who phoned in the story! Did you even ask the newspaper who submitted the story? Because I heard it was one of Castillo Corp’s lawyers.”

He leaned in and grabbed Ella’s hand.

“Trust me, Ella,” Will continued, his eyes staring straight into hers. “I care too much about both of you to do that.”