The narrator, Cece, shares her story of growing up in Paris with her sister Lola and their parents, who are always fighting. After their parents' divorce, Lola takes on a motherly role, but Cece often rebels against her. One day, Cece meets a rich and famous actor, Ben, at her part-time job, and they start dating. Ben is romantic and charming, but Cece's sister Lola is skeptical and investigates Ben's background. However, Lola's investigation actually harms Ben's reputation, and Cece discovers that Lola was behind the sabotage. A heated argument ensues, and Lola is eventually arrested for defamation. In the end, Ben shows up to pay Lola's bail and drops the charges, revealing that he loves Cece and wants to make things right. The story concludes with Cece and Ben confessing their love for each other.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator, Cece, was born in Paris.
2. Cece's parents fought often when she was a child.
3. Cece's sister, Lola, is 7 years older and took care of Cece.
4. Cece's parents eventually divorced, and her mom moved to Italy.
5. Cece's dad became depressed and locked himself in his room.
6. Lola became Cece's unofficial parent.
7. Cece worked part-time as a cashier in a coffee shop.
8. A rich-looking guy, Ben, started coming to the coffee shop and staring at Cece.
9. Ben insisted on getting Cece's phone number, but she refused at first.
10. Ben continued to visit the coffee shop and eventually wore Cece down, and she gave him her number.
11. Ben turned out to be a famous actor who owned a private jet.
12. Cece and Ben started dating, and he took her on romantic trips.
13. Lola did not approve of Cece's relationship with Ben and hired a private detective to investigate him.
14. The detective provided pictures of Ben with other women, which upset Cece.
15. Ben explained that the women in the pictures were his cousins, and the messages on Instagram were from a fake account.
16. Cece forgave Ben, but Lola was still not convinced.
17. Lola discovered that Ben's father was involved in some shady business dealings and used AI-generated images to frame him.
18. The news of Ben's father's alleged wrongdoing was published, and Ben's reputation was damaged.
19. Cece confronted Lola about her actions, and they had a physical fight.
20. Lola was arrested and detained for suspicion of defamation.
21. Cece visited Lola in prison, and Lola explained that she was motivated by jealousy and a fear of being left alone.
22. Ben turned up at the police station and dropped all charges against Lola.
23. Ben and Cece reunited, and he expressed his love for her.