Games & Promises

Copyright Copyright ©2023 by Ella Todd All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Contents 1. Chapter 1 2. Chapter 2 3. Chapter 3 4. Chapter 4 5. Chapter 5 6. Chapter 6 7. Chapter 7 8. Chapter 8 9. Chapter 9 10. Chapter 10 11. Chapter 11 12. Chapter 12 13. Chapter 13 14. Chapter 14 15. Chapter 15 16. Chapter 16 17. Chapter 17 18. Chapter 18 19. Chapter 19 20. Chapter 20 21. Chapter 21 22. Chapter 22 23. Chapter 23 24. Chapter 24 25. Chapter 25 26. Chapter 26 27. Chapter 27 28. Chapter 28 29. Chapter 29 30. Chapter 30 Fullpage Image Author Note About Author Chapter 1Lydia bolted upright, gripping the light blue cotton sheets of her bed, a scream in her throat. Sweat poured off her body, and she struggled to swallow back the bile rising in her throat. Rubbing a shaky hand over her face, she hissed in shallow breaths and pushed back the nightmares of guns and zip ties that plagued her until they faded into a memory. Muted sunlight crept in under the heavy dark gray drapes, and Lydia kept her gaze on the spreading light while her heartbeat slowed. There was no use trying to go back to sleep; the scant hours her dreams allowed her had already passed.The cell phone on her nightstand rang out a generic tune, letting her know the call wasn’t from any of her family members or close friends. She could ignore it—no doubt someone was trying to sell her something she wasn’t interested in. However, she snagged the phone and answered just before the call cut to voice mail.“Hello,” she mumbled, flopping back on the bed.“Hi, is this Lydia Watkins?”“This is she,” Lydia lied. Well, sort of. Her name was Lydia, but her last name was as far from Watkins as she could get. “This is Sidney from the recruitment company,” the woman on the phone clarified. “I’m calling because I believe we may have a position that you’d be interested in.”Lydia sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed till her feet touched the floor. She stood and slipped into the silk robe she grabbed from a nearby chair.“Where?” “At Elite X.” Sidney said.“Yes!” Lydia pumped her fist in the air, then did a small boogie. “I’ve emailed you the details, but there’s a catch,” Sidney rushed out.“Catch?” Lydia froze her victory dance. “What catch?”“They’ve set up their temporary office in the conference rooms of the Hermon Hotel until the construction of their new office building is completed. You need to be there in thirty minutes.”“I’ll make it.” Lydia jabbed end on the phone and dropped the device with a bounce on the bed. Stripping off the robe and nightshirt she’d slept in, she sprinted for the bathroom. She was in and out in five minutes flat. Still running the towel over her damp skin, she snatched up one of the black business suits from in her closed. Lucky she’d had the sense to prepare to match her new persona.She was Lydia Watkins.An ordinary, unknown woman seeking to work for a sports agency that would train her well enough so she could eventually start her own agency or freelance. Today, she was not Lydia Duncan, the youngest heir to Epiola’s peanut empire and a member of one of the five founding families that practically built this city.Lydia ran a brush through her hair with care, being sure to tuck the strands of various hues of blue under her naturally dark hair. The fancy dye job was not something Lydia Watkins would be sporting. She was too shy to bring attention to herself. She hadn’t wanted to create this new persona, but because of who her family was, every company that even bothered to consider hiring her always asked her stupid questions.Why do you want to work in sports?Are you doing this for fun? Why don’t you just go work for your father?Lydia applied a quick coat of clear lip gloss, huffed, then walked out of the bathroom and slipped her feet into some low-heeled pumps. She just wanted to make her own way without her family background hanging over her. She loved sports, and she really wanted to gain hands-on knowledge so she could eventually work in the industry. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that as the youngest peanut sister. A name she was both proud of and simultaneously hated.From the bed, she picked up the jacket to match her business suit. Heading for the door she scooped up her car keys, phone, and work bag, from off her kitchen table and was out the door with seventeen minutes to get to her destination. She was going to have to drive like her sister Aubrey—pedal to the floor—to get there in time.Lydia stopped her car in front of the Hermon Hotel with one minute to spare. The valet stood in his red vest, his nose turned up, eying her Chevrolet Bolt with distaste, no doubt wondering if she could even afford to get a room here. She grabbed her things, threw him the keys, and quickstepped through the hotel’s large glass front doors.Her heels clicked against the marble tiles as she walked to the front desk.“Hi,” Lydia said to the smiling woman behind the desk. “I’m here to meet Sidney. She’s with Elite X. Can you tell me what floor they’re on?”The woman’s smile dimmed, as though Lydia had told her there would be no Christmas bonus this year, but she recovered quickly and pointed off to the right. “Take any of those elevators to the fourth floor. That’s the floor Elite has reserved for their stay.”“Thank you,” Lydia said, turning for the elevators.The woman’s whispered good luck just made it to her ears as she hurried away. What was that about? Ignoring the strange receptionist, Lydia got