Page 125 of Tight Ends & Tiaras
SIENNA
After a heart-pounding moment,I start to get pissed when I realize what this means. “You stole my passport.”
“Sienna’s not even her real name,” Janelle rants.
“You ransacked my room and stole my passport.”
“I didn’t steal anything. That guy did—your ex or whoever he was—but he had some interesting things to say about you. He did some research, and it turns out you’re not who you say you are.”
Nothing makes sense right now. Cal couldn’t be bothered to stop by my house to check on me after his bedmate brained me with a glass bottle. Instead, he called to apologize for being a cheating bastard. If he was upset enough about his laptop to destroy my room, why call to apologize?
Ben squeezes my hand. “Please tell her she’s crazy.”
I kiss the top of Lily’s head, hating that everything’s about to change. Everything. Because there’s no way to avoid the truth.
Regardless of how Janelle got the information, she knows. Damn her.
“My middle name is Sienna,” I say slowly, hoping he sees the apology in my eyes. “And I go by my mother’s maiden name. Cruz.”
“Okay. And?”
I smile weakly, wishing it were that simple. I don’t even know where to start, but Janelle does the honors.
“Her real name is Elizabeth. And her last name is Escalante.”
She gives him a meaningful look. God, I hate this bitch.
Ben shrugs. “All right. So?”
My heart beats painfully in my chest as she connects all the dots.
“So... if you look up sweet Elizabeth Escalante,” she says in a saccharine voice, “you land on Alejandro Escalante.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “So... like that big tech guy?”
She sneers, “Not like that tech guy. He is that tech guy. You probably have their app on your phone.”
Everyone knows that app. You need groceries? You pull up Infinity. You need a lawnmower or makeup or dog food? Infinity has it all. Even kitchen sinks.
When it clicks, I see it in his eyes.
I don’t know what I expected. When people find out who I am, they usually want to be my best friend. For all the wrong reasons. They want to get close to my dad or my brothers, or they want a job or free stuff. It’s why I moved a thousand miles away from home. I don’t want to live the “Escalante lifestyle” with private jets and red carpets. I don’t want people sucking up. It’s not worth the fake friends who inevitably betray you.
But Ben doesn’t look excited. He’s not fawning over me or gushing. His jaw is tight, and his whole body tense.
For a second, I forget that we’re supposed to be talking about Janelle and her lies, but based on the look Ben’s giving me, he’s pissed.
“Why didn’t you say something?” he asks quietly.
“I didn’t think it was important. It’s not who I am.”
“You’re the daughter of one of the biggest tech families in the country.” A dark laugh spills from his lips. God, he’s probably seen those jet-setting videos my stupid brother made. “After everything I’ve told you. About the visits to my shrink. My phobias. The trouble with my sister. My parents’ deaths. I could go on and on about the shit I’ve shared with you. Did you share even one real thing about yourself with me?”
His anger cuts sharp. Pain radiates from the man sitting next to me.
And when he phrases it like that, I can’t help but feel ashamed that I didn’t tell him more about myself.
I swallow. “Ben, I know it feels like I’ve kept something big from you, but I haven’t told anyone who I am since I moved to Charming.”
