The Hart mansion's grand living room was bathed in gold light from the chandelier above. The wide-screen TV glowed with footage, the latest highlight reel from the school's official trip channel.
On screen, Lila stood at the edge of a cliff, arms outstretched. Then she leapt—spinning, flipping, laughing as the rope caught her and hurled her skyward again. Gasps and cheers filled the video.
Tyler shot up from the leather couch, fists clenched. "She could've snapped her neck!"
"She won't," Caleb drawled, sprawled across an armchair with a lazy smirk. "She's a Hart. The girl's got iron in her veins."
"She's got recklessness in her veins," Aiden snapped, pacing furiously. "If I'd been there, I would've dragged her down from that platform myself."
Jordan's voice was calm, steady, but his eyes were hard as steel. "She's stronger than we thought. We've been hiding her from the world, protecting her. But maybe she's proving she doesn't need that cage anymore."
Their father, Alexander Hart, sat back in his chair, silent as he watched the next clip. The balloon lifted into the sky, Lila's white dress fluttering in the wind. Then her voice rang out—clear, powerful, heartbreaking. The room stilled as her song filled it.
Her mother's hand went to her lips. "My baby…"
Even Tyler froze, jaw tight, unable to hide the way pride softened the fire in his eyes.
When the song ended, the video cut to Lila gliding in a wingsuit, twisting and diving with reckless grace.
Alexander finally spoke. His voice was deep, decisive. "She's ready."
The brothers turned to him. "What?" Tyler demanded.
Alexander's eyes never left the screen. "The world has seen her now. Not the daughter we hid. Not the fragile girl we kept from danger. They've seen the truth. She's fearless. She's untouchable. She's Hart blood." His jaw set, pride burning beneath his calm. "It's time the underworld sees her too. No more shadows. She deserves her throne."
Silence filled the room, thick with shock and unspoken agreement.
Their mother's eyes glistened. "But she's still so young."
"Old enough," Alexander said. "The Queen's heir is never too young to bear her crown."
Across the city, in a mansion just as grand, the Coles were watching the same video.
Ethan's mother, elegant and sharp-eyed, leaned forward as Lila sang in the sky. A smile curved her lips. "Beautiful. That girl has fire. She'll make a perfect daughter for me."
Beside her, Ethan's elder sister snorted. "You mean sister-in-law. Finally, a girl worthy enough to handle my idiot brother's obsession."
Ethan's father laughed, a rare sound that filled the room. "She already looks like one of us. Brave. Ruthless. A queen in the making. I couldn't choose better for my son."
Their eyes shone with approval, unashamed in their claim.
"She's ours," Ethan's mother said firmly. "She belongs here."
The inevitable happened.
The Harts and the Coles met.
It wasn't in the shadows, not in battle or tense negotiations as it once had been. This time it was at Alexander Hart's study, the two families seated across from one another, the air heavy with history.
"You've been watching her too, I assume," Alexander said smoothly, a glass of whiskey in hand.
Mrs. Cole smiled faintly. "We don't just watch. We approve. She's already one of us."
"No," Tyler cut in sharply. "She's our sister. Not anyone else's possession."
Aiden slammed his fist against the arm of the couch. "Back off. She's a Hart."
Ethan's sister arched a brow. "Relax, boys. No one's stealing her. Your sister's just going to marry into us eventually."
Caleb smirked. "Bold words for someone who thinks she'll survive meeting Lila's temper."
The room erupted with sharp words, protective threats, playful barbs. But beneath it all, the hostility of the past softened. For the first time in years, the Harts and Coles weren't enemies. They were rivals in love, in pride, in teasing. And old bonds—the kind forged in blood and power—began to spark alive again.
"Best friends once," Alexander murmured, raising his glass. "Perhaps again."
Mr. Cole lifted his own in return, eyes glinting. "Perhaps again."
And so, without Lila even knowing, her world shifted. The two most powerful underworld families were aligning once more—because of her.
Because of the fearless girl singing to the sky, laughing as she fell, untouchable and untamed.
But none of them knew what Lila felt in her heart. None of them knew the way Ethan looked at her on that trip, or how her own heart had begun to betray her with every stolen glance, every heated word.
That was a secret only the sky held. For now.