Chapter One — The Arrival
The Hart estate didn't look real.
It looked like the kind of place Ava used to walk past with her headphones in and imagine her way into—until the gates snapped shut and reminded her who she was.
Now, those gates were opening for her.
The car rolled up the long drive, tires humming over clean, grey stone. She could feel her mother's nerves beside her like static in the leather seat. Julia Monroe—now Julia Hart—fidgeted with the diamond bracelet her new husband had given her. Not for the first time, Ava wondered who her mother had become.
"This is your home now," Julia said, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Ava said nothing. What could she say? No, it's not. This is his home. And I'm just a guest with the wrong last name and no dress code.
The car stopped.
Ava stepped out into a different world—marble steps, trimmed hedges, and silence. The kind of silence that came with money. Everything screamed don't touch.
And then she saw him.
He stood at the top of the stairs, one hand resting lazily in the pocket of his black jeans, the other holding a cold coffee. Sunlight bounced off his messy dark hair and cut shadows along his jaw. His expression didn't shift. He just looked at her.
And kept looking.
Julian Hart.
Her new stepbrother.
Older. Taller. Unsmiling.
Ava had seen photos, sure—but nothing prepared her for the gravity he carried, like he owned the air around him and didn't give a damn what anyone thought of it. Especially not her.
She didn't drop her gaze. Didn't blink. If he wanted to stare, she'd let him.
He tilted his head, just slightly. A flicker of amusement crossed his face, subtle and sharp.
"You're late," he said coolly. His voice was like velvet pulled taut.
Ava raised a brow. "Sorry to keep the prince waiting."
Julia cleared her throat, already tense. "Ava, Julian. Let's be civil."
Julian took a sip of his drink and stepped aside. "Welcome to the palace," he said, mock-formal. "Try not to break anything."
Ava brushed past him on the stairs. As she passed, his cologne hit her—dark, clean, and just a little dangerous.
She didn't look back.
But she felt his eyes on her the whole way up.