Chapter 360 Little Victories

Ella

Sitting alone in my hotel room, surrounded by plush furniture and golden accents that gleamed in the soft lighting, I felt a pang of homesickness. The luxuriousness of the room was stifling in an odd way, as though constantly reminding me of my charade with a mobster.

Shaking off the momentary melancholy, I decided to call Moana to calm my frayed nerves.

Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I dialed her number and waited for the ring to connect. The familiar sound of her voice, warm and comforting as always, came through within moments.

“Ella, my love! How was your flight? Did you make it to the hotel?”

“We did,” I said, faking a sense of enthusiasm in my voice. “The place is…well, it’s something.”

“Where is your fiance?” Moana asked. “I’d like to say hello, if you don’t mind.”

The word ‘fiance’ made my body stiffen. I glanced at the empty space next to me, where Logan would have been if we were an actual couple. But we weren’t. He was in a room of his own, doing his own thing.

I couldn’t quite decide if I preferred it that way or not, the logical lawyer part of me knew that it was for the best, but the sleepy, scared-of-flying Ella with the yellow stuffed duck almost missed his company already.

“He’s… in the shower,” I stammered, hoping that Moana bought my lie.

“Well,I hope you know that we’re all excited to meet him tomorrow,” Moana said, blissfully unaware of the tension her question had sparked.

“I’m looking forward to it too,” I said, though in truth, I wished that tomorrow would never come. Meeting my family, particularly my discerning father, would be the make-or-break moment for this intricate lie that Logan and I had entangled ourselves in.

Ella?” Moana’s voice broke through my

she couldn’t see it. “Yeah, Mom, I’m just tired from

on the stuffed duck perched on my bed-the gift Moana had given me when I was a little

little duck would

filled with emotion for reasons I couldn’t explain. “I’m so glad you came into my life,

wavered a bit when she spoke again. “I can’t

can’t wait to see you either,” I said, my own eyes misting over. I cleared my throat before adding, “Oh, and

had a nice ride to the hotel. Even if I told him

know that was his way of snooping,

“And this hotel you’re staying at, it’s quite over-the-

suddenly feeling self-conscious. So they had snooped, just as I expected.

been so

knew. Logan was more different from me than she could ever imagine. A mobster from a world that clashed with everything I had been

chose that moment to growl, betraying my hunger. “I’ll see you tomorrow,

you too, Ella. Can’t

hung up, I looked around the room, taking in the opulence that suddenly felt so incongruent with who I was. And in an unexpected way, despite the lavish furnishings and the plush pillows, it

essentials and started browsing the room service menu on the nightstand,

down my casual clothes, thinking maybe room service was preemptively delivering something delightful. Maybe Logan had

it was Logan, leaning against the frame, arms crossed over

he said with

my eyes meeting his for a brief second before darting away. “What do

But I’ve got no idea where to go

this an invitation? My wolf whined at the possibility, hopeful for any crumbs of Logan’s company. But

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