#Chapter 162: Bad Habits

Ella POV The rest of the day was consumed by phone calls and texting, especially with Elizabeth. She had known, of course, that her father planned to announce his retirement, but she hadn’t been able to say anything beforehand. Now, she was eager to talk about it with someone. Her father had been king since before she was born; she’d never known any other life. I couldn’t blame her for having mixed feelings. "I feel like it’s my fault," she admitted. "When I told him about Damien, I mentioned being worried about the paparazzi and the family’s reputation. I hope that’s not why he decided to do this." "I’m sure it’s not," I replied. "This isn’t the type of decision anyone makes lightly. He must have had a lot of reasons for deciding to step down now." "It makes me nervous," Elizabeth confessed. "My life is going to change so much. I’m excited about it, but I also don’t know if I’ll be able to adjust." "You will," I assured her. "You’ll have help—Damien an