Chapter One

The blaring horn of the moving truck startled me, jolting me from my thoughts.

“Watch out!” A voice yelled from behind, but it was too late. The front tire slammed into a porthole, sending me sprawling onto a gravel driveway, my suitcase skidding away.

I groaned, pushing myself up, only to find a hand extended towards me. I followed the arm up to meet a pair of piercing eyes that gleamed with mischief.

“Need some help, sis?” The voice was smooth, almost mocking.

My heart dropped as I recognized him-the most notorious playboy at school, now stepbrother, Logan.

I looked at his outstretched hand, the smirk on his face making my blood boil. Brushing the dirt off my jeans, I stood without his help.

“No thanks,” I snapped, yanking my suitcase upright and dragging it past him. “I can manage on my own.”

He raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Feisty. This should be fun,” he drawled, shoving his hands into his pockets and following me up the stairs to the house.

I walked up the stairs, his footsteps echoing too close behind me. Life had been easy before all this. Before my mom decided to marry his father. We were fine— just the two of us managing our little world. We didn’t have much, but it was ours.

Now, everything felt upside down. Mom had fallen in love, and just like that, we were thrown into a life of luxury I never asked for. Fancy cars, a big house, and the worst part—him. At least back at school, he never noticed me. I was just another face in the crowd, someone he didn’t bother with as he breezed through his entourage of admirers.

But now? Now our parents were married, and suddenly, I wasn’t invisible anymore. I was his stepsister, a title that seemed to amuse him to no end. And I knew, with a sinking feeling this was just the beginning.

I reached the top of the stairs, determined to put as much distance between us as possible. But before I could escape, his voice caught me again.

“You know,” he began, a teasing lilt in his tone, “you might want to lighten up a bit. Life’s going to be pretty dull if you keep that stick up your—“

I whipped around, cutting him off with a glare. “Don’t you have better things to do than annoy me?”

He grinned, clearly enjoying this far too much. “Oh, come on sis, you can’t be that uptight all the time. We’re going to be living together now; might as well have fun with it.”

“Don’t call me that,” I hissed. “We are not siblings, okay? We are just two people stuck in the same house because our parents made a choice. That’s all and your idea of fun and mine are worlds apart.”

He chuckled, that same irritating smirk plastered on his face. “Oh come on, lighten up. I am trying to make this transition a little less painful. You might find my version of fun isn’t so bad.”

“Doubt it,” I muttered, trying to leave again.

But he wasn’t done. “You know, it’s going to be hard keeping those girls off your back now that you are living with me,” he teased. “They are all going to be jealous.”

I stopped in my tracks, his words hitting a nerve. “Jealous?” I turned to face him, folding my arms. “Why on earth would they be jealous of me?”

He chuckled, stepping closer, his eyes gleaming. “Because, sis, now you’ve got the one thing they all want— a ticket straight into my life. And who knows? Maybe even my heart.”

I rolled my eyes and replied coldly. “I’m not here to be part of your little games of fan club. Just want to settle in and get used to this new life without your added drama."

He shrugged nonchalantly, still wearing that infuriating grin. "Suit yourself. But trust me, you're in for a wild ride. I'm not the type to just fade into the background."

I exhaled sharply, trying to keep my frustration in check. "Great. Exactly what l need—more drama."

I headed to my new room, hoping for some peace. But when I opened the door, it was far from cozy—just a plain, large room with a view of the garden. As I was dragging my suitcase inside, I heard a door creak open next door.

I peeked through the crack and saw my stepbrother lounging in a stylish, luxurious room.

Great. Our rooms are right next to each other.

I slammed my door shut, frustrated. Now I had to deal with his presence constantly. I took a deep breath and focused on unpacking, hoping I could manage despite this new annoyance.

As the evening settled in, I decided to get some fresh air. The house buzzing with activities downstairs, so I slipped out into the garden to escape the noise. I walked around the garden to clear my head.

As I walked into the garden, I heard a muffled voice from the side of the house. Curious, I crept closer and noticed the voice was coming from a small, hidden side entrance. I leaned in and saw Logan standing with an elderly man. They were engaged in a hushed conversation.

As I leaned in closer, trying to catch the details of their conversation, the elderly man’s expression grew stern. Logan’s voice, low and tense, spoke in urgent tones I couldn’t quite decipher.

“Just make sure no one finds out about this,” Logan said, his eyes darting around nervously.

The old man nodded, his face a mask of secrecy. “You know what’s at stake, Logan. This isn’t a game.”

Logan glanced over his shoulder and then quickly turned back to the man. “I know. I’ll handle it.”

The elderly man left hastily, leaving Logan standing alone. Our eyes met briefly before he quickly composed himself, his earlier arrogance replaced by a hard edge. What was he hiding?