Chapter 12: The Mask Slips

Luckily, with so many students, I had a separate work account for payments. After I accepted Ryan’s request, he stared down at his phone, fingers fidgeting, jaw tight.

After a long pause, he looked up, voice low. “You don’t mess around, Ava. Respect.”

Thinking of Chloe, I matched his coolness. “You’re too polite, Ryan.”

Our words bounced back and forth—careful, brittle, like two people skating over thin ice.