Ella's POV.

We didn’t get to sleep much. By morning, Sylvie left first to check in with her mom and calm her down before the rumors got any worse. She came back later that afternoon, her face tense, but she didn’t say much about it.

My mom spent most of the day in her room, making call after call, begging her former employers to reconsider. I hated her being in that state, but hopefully, this would fix our problems.

Sylvie and I spent the entire weekend studying at the kitchen table, sometimes in silence. Other times, she'd quiz me just to keep my mind occupied.

“What’s the third principle?”

I...