Page 46 of Ruthless Court

For tonight, that is enough.

Five

KANE

Things were going well with Stella.

Better than last year, when every good moment came with a line she refused to cross.

Tonight, she found me near the first bonfire. She let me hand her a drink, stood close enough for her bare arm to brush mine, and smiled when I told her she looked beautiful.

She didn’t dodge the compliment.

Didn’t tell me we were friends.

Didn’t put another inch between us.

For ten solid minutes, I thought the new year might finally belong to me.

Then Tristan Vale arrived.

The air changed before he reached us.

People stepped aside. Cameras came out. Half the beach already knew Stanford had secured one of the biggest transfers in college basketball. Vale wore the attention like he’d been raised beneath a spotlight—dark hair, expensive watch, calm expression, no visible need to impress anyone.

He looked straight at Stella.

She went still beside me.

Tiny movement.

Barely there.

I caught it.

Vale did too.

“Cortez,” he said.

“Vale.”

No introduction.

No confusion.

History.

It sat between them before either said another word.

I looked at Stella. “You two know each other?”

“Royal Oaks,” Vale answered.

Her gaze stayed on him.

“We went to school together.”

That was all she gave me.