We arrived back home around seven in the evening. I was utterly exhausted and in dire need of a hot bath, which is precisely what I did. I spent nearly an hour in the tub, indulging in a much-needed relaxation session.

Once I changed into my pyjamas, I made my way downstairs to the backyard, where I discovered everyone gathered around the table by the pool, enjoying pizza and chips. I took a seat next to Lilith, opposite Leigh, who seemed engrossed in his laptop. My stomach rumbled, urging me to join in.

"Lilith informed me we're going shopping tomorrow with the girls," I mentioned as I sipped my Coke through a straw.

"Is shopping a regular weekend activity for you guys?" I asked curiously.

"I suppose so, yes," Lilith replied, her brows furrowing as if she were processing something.

I giggled and took a bite of my pizza before a sudden realization hit me. "Oh no, I can't," I exclaimed, quickly covering my mouth with a napkin.

"Don't worry about Embry. I told her you were coming, and she wants to apologise to you," Lilith whispered, while Leigh glanced between Lilith and me before returning his focus to his mobile phone.

Embry's apology took me by surprise. It wasn't her usual style. "Well, that's new," I murmured.

"I told you Embry used to be cool. Things have changed," Lilith said.

"Clearly," I replied, rolling my eyes. "Anyway, I'm hanging out with Arlen tomorrow. I've already had to cancel on him twice, and I can't change plans again," I explained. Suddenly, Lilith's face lit up, and her eyes widened.

"I told you to keep me updated on everything. Oh my god, I can't believe you're dating Arlen Garrett," Lilith whispered, just as I looked up to find Leigh glaring at me. This time, I couldn't decipher his expression as he immediately lowered his head and swallowed.

"We're just going shirt shopping, that's all," I reassured Lilith while stealing glances at the person sitting across from me. He wasn't looking my way, nor was he focused on his phone. His eyes were fixed on the takeaway in front of him.

"Whatever... it will become apparent soon," Lilith chuckled and grabbed her coke.

Trying to ignore the strange behaviour from Leigh, I took out my phone and sent Sawyer a quick message about how my day went. Sawyer is obsessed with America and is eagerly awaiting her chance to visit, just as I am. Evie had left me a message in my inbox with a photo of the new books she bought today. I replied, saying, "I can't wait to see them." Then I opened Instagram to post the pictures Leigh had sent me thirty minutes ago via email. My notifications were buzzing with activity today. I had many mentions and, surprisingly, a substantial number of new followers. My feed was mostly filled with homecoming-related posts.

The pictures looked beautiful, just as Christian had said. The camera captured every detail perfectly. As soon as I posted the images, I began to receive a flurry of likes and positive comments, particularly on the solo bikini picture and the one where I leaned my head on Lilith's shoulder, both of us laughing. The background looked adventurous, and our colourful bikinis didn't look bad at all.

However, I chose not to upload the pictures we took with Leigh. He had sent me three images of us together, along with a bunch of others. The first one was of both of us looking directly at the camera.

Well, I can't say it was both of us because Leigh was staring at me while I looked pale in front of the camera. His body looked like a work of art, with perfectly defined abs visible beneath his smooth, glowing skin. In the picture, Lilith appeared oblivious and beautiful, just like any ordinary person would next to their family. The other two pictures were similar, except that Leigh had cropped out Lilith and zoomed in on our pose. The picture actually had some meaning. Our eyes were locked as we stared at each other with inexplicable emotions. His hand held me tightly against his bare torso, and I knew there was no way I would ever post that picture, or any of those pictures, for that matter.

I swiped through my feed, liking the recent posts from Suri's garden. There was one of Quinn making out with Harry and another of Arlen in a pool surrounded by kids.

Lilith has also uploaded some stunning pictures of the Grand Canyon. I left a comment on "Mimi," Sawyer's adorable dog, and finally liked a recent update from Embry, who was standing behind a red Ferrari. The caption read, "Dad took your homecoming queen shopping." Quite a brag.

"No way, that bitch got a new car," Lilith exclaimed just as I asked, "Embry got a new car?"

"Watch your tongue, Lilith," Christian muttered, casting a stern glance at Mum.

Suppressing laughter, Lilith extended her phone screen toward Leigh, showing him Embry's Ferrari. "It's a Portofino. Isn't it amazing?" Lilith smirked.

Leigh didn't seem interested. "Good for her," he mumbled and looked away.

"I need to check the price," Lilith said, rapidly typing on her mobile phone. "It's last year's model. This should be interesting," she muttered under her breath.

As I continued scrolling through my phone, something prompted me to search for the username I had been following for weeks. So, I typed in "Leigh Boyce" and had to go through quite a few similar accounts until I found the genuine Leigh Boyce.

Not only was Leigh famous, but he also had imitators. I tapped on his account and froze in awe. He only followed eighteen accounts, yet he had over twenty thousand followers. What was he? A celebrity? I rolled my eyes and glanced at the "follow back" button.

No way had he followed me. My eyes widened as I checked the eighteen people he followed, and sure enough, I was the latest addition. I didn't know what to do because I definitely hadn't followed him back.

I kept my head down, attempting to hide my potentially red cheeks. However, I couldn't resist glancing at his recent post. The one with the caption "my favourite." He didn't. The first picture was when I looked pale, and Leigh was staring at me as though I were unreal. And the worst part was, he had cropped out Lilith.

Feeling uneasy, I swallowed hard as I noticed over four thousand likes and two hundred comments in just forty minutes. Of course, Leigh hadn't forgotten to tag me.

Now the flood of notifications makes sense.

Browsing through the post, I came across the following picture, the one I had taken of the two Boyce siblings on the boat. At least Lilith made it into his post.

While going through the comments, I encountered positive compliments until I scrolled further down and stumbled upon anonymous accounts questioning who I was and why I appeared in the post. Some even criticised my appearance, comparing my nose to that of a cartoon character.

Suddenly, I became infuriated when Leigh posted about me without my consent. I slammed my phone down on the table just as Lilith spoke up, "Dad, I'm driving a ninety-thousand-dollars car while my friends are cruising in a three-hundred-thousand-dollars Ferrari. It's so embarrassing."

Christian sighed, turning to Lilith. "Darling, you said you didn't want an exotic car."

"Yes, but why didn't you get me something more expensive?" Lilith complained.

"Because you always wanted a Range Rover," he calmly replied to his demanding daughter.

"Well, I want a new car. Besides, I've earned it. You bought Leigh a four-million-dollar Bugatti. It's crazy," Lilith retorted, leaning towards her dad in a rather threatening manner.

"It's three-five," Leigh interjected, still engrossed in his laptop.

"It doesn't matter. Your car could probably buy mine over forty times," Lilith fired back at Leigh.

"Actually, it's thirty-eight times, and with some negotiation, you might be able to get thirty-nine," Leigh explained.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Lilith yelled at her brother.

"The hell is that you're an envious brat who isn't grateful for what she has," Leigh exploded in anger towards Lilith.

"Both of you, shut up! What is going on here?" Christian slammed his palm on the table. "I am not getting you a new car, Lilith, and that's final," Christian said firmly, while Lilith fumed. He then turned to face Leigh, who appeared utterly irritated. "And you, I'm disappointed with your attitude. When you suggested the Grand Canyon idea, I thought you were putting family first." Christian shook his head disapprovingly at Leigh.

Leigh brought up the Grand Canyon idea. But why? It's not like he's opposed to spending time with family, but he probably has other commitments with his teammates rather than repeating something he's already done before.

I pondered the same question in my mind until everything started to make sense, and the answers hit me like a bullet. Leigh suggested the Grand Canyon trip because he knew I had plans with Arlen Garrett today. He didn't want that to happen. He constantly interferes, thinking he can manipulate my life and decide who I hang out with.

I loathed him. I despised him so intensely.

Looking at Leigh, I noticed him clenching his jaw as he stared at me. I had no words for him at that moment, and even if I did, I couldn't express them in front of our family. So, I simply left the table with a curt "goodnight."