Living With the Boy Who Hated Me
I thought surviving high school would be the hardest part of my life.
I was wrong.
The day my mother died, I lost everything—my family, my home, and the truth.
Years later, I'm forced to move into the one place I swore I'd never return... Brinkley Estate.
And the one person waiting for me there is Callum Brinkley.
The boy who has hated me for as long as I can remember.
Cold. Cruel. Untouchable.
Living under the same roof with him is torture.
But the more I try to stay away, the more impossible it becomes to ignore the secrets hidden behind his walls—and behind his eyes.
Someone is watching us.
Anonymous messages begin appearing.
Locked rooms are suddenly unlocked.
Old journals reveal impossible truths.
And every clue points to a conspiracy buried for more than twenty years.
The deeper we dig, the more dangerous the truth becomes.
Because my mother's death wasn't an accident.
She was murdered to protect a secret powerful enough to destroy generations.
Now someone wants me to finish what she started...
Even if it means I won't survive.
In a house built on lies, where everyone has something to hide and no one can be trusted, the last person I should fall for is the boy who hates me.
But what if hatred was never the whole story?
What if the greatest secret inside Brinkley Estate... is the reason we were destined to meet?
Some families inherit wealth.
Others inherit monsters.
Read
Chapter: The Living LedgerAya's POVVictoria had the Living Ledger.And she was running.We left the command center before Thomas Hale could say another word.Detective Cruz drove.Callum sat beside me in the back seat while Alastair rode in front.Two unmarked police vehicles followed at a distance.No sirens.No radios.No warnings.If Victoria still had people inside law enforcement, we weren't giving them time to call her."How far?" Cruz asked."About twenty minutes," Callum answered. "Maybe less.""We don't have twenty minutes.""I know."Cruz pressed harder on the accelerator.I stared at the photograph on my phone.Victoria stood beside the black car, the silver case in her hand.The Living Ledger.Names.Accounts.Safe houses.Operatives.People still working for the Benefactors today.If we got that case, the Council couldn't simply disappear and rebuild.Callum touched my knee."You've been staring at that photograph for ten minutes.""I'm looking for something we missed.""We know where she is.""T
Last Updated: 2026-08-27
Chapter: The SuccessorAya's POVTHE COUNCIL DOES NOT DIE WITH ITS LEADER.IT PASSES TO THE NEXT.I read the sentence again.Smoke drifted across the ruined academy grounds.Behind us, firefighters rushed toward the collapsed archive building while police officers searched for Lucien.Again.He had escaped again.But this time, I wasn't thinking about him.I was thinking about Victoria.And the word written beside her name.SUCCESSOR."What does it mean?" Alastair asked.Callum took the damaged folder from me."Exactly what it sounds like.""Victoria is choosing someone to replace her?""Eventually."Detective Cruz wiped blood from her forehead."Or she already has."I looked at the surviving page.There were no names beneath Victoria's.Only a designation.SUCCESSOR ACTIVATION: PENDING"No more guessing."Everyone looked at me."We've spent too much time letting these people make us question everyone around us."Callum nodded."So we find evidence.""Exactly."No secret relatives.No accusations.No more l
Last Updated: 2026-08-25
Chapter: The Files They Couldn't BurnAya's POV"Brinkley Academy."Callum was already moving.I followed him into the corridor.Behind us, Detective Cruz secured Thomas Hale while two officers freed Helena and Evelyn.Thomas had given us what we needed.Lucien wasn't hiding.He was destroying evidence.And Brinkley Academy was next."Aya."Alastair caught up with me."I'm coming.""No."His expression darkened."Don't start.""You were nearly turned into Lucien's weapon a few hours ago.""And I'm still standing.""Barely.""Still counts."Callum looked back."Let him come."I stared at him."Whose side are you on?""Currently? The side that gets us there before Lucien burns the place down."Annoyingly reasonable.Detective Cruz approached."I'll send officers.""No radios," Callum said.She nodded."Agreed. Thomas proved their network is still compromised."Helena stepped toward us.Her wrists were bruised from the restraints."There's another entrance."Callum stopped."To the academy?""Under the old auditorium."His e
Last Updated: 2026-08-25
Chapter: Eleanor’s SilenceAya’s POV“We found Lucien’s insider.”Thomas Hale.The name sat heavily in my mind.For more than twenty-five years, he had been close to the Brinkley family.Their attorney.Their adviser.A man Richard Brinkley trusted enough to give access to accounts, documents, and family matters.And all that time, he had been feeding information to Lucien.Now Helena and Evelyn were his prisoners.Callum stared at the frozen image on my phone.His face had gone cold.“I grew up with that man coming to our house.”I said nothing.“He attended birthdays.”His jaw tightened.“Christmas dinners.”“Callum—”“My father trusted him.”I reached for his hand.“That’s why Lucien chose him.”Callum looked at me.“Trust gave him access.”Margaret nodded.“Exactly.”Detective Cruz approached.“We need to decide quickly. If Hale has Helena and Evelyn at St. Augustine, we can't assume he'll keep them alive.”“He asked for Margaret and the ledger,” Alastair said.“So we give him what he wants?”“No,” Cruz rep
Last Updated: 2026-08-16
Chapter: The Traitor InsideAya's POVThe lock clicked.Nobody moved.The message remained on my phone.I'M ALREADY INSIDE.Outside, Lucien stood beside the black vehicles.Inside, someone had just locked us in.Callum reacted first.He grabbed the handle and pulled.Nothing."Move."Alastair stepped forward and kicked the door beside the lock.Once.Twice.The wood cracked, but the door held."Again," Callum said."I know how doors work."Under any other circumstances, they probably would have started arguing.Tonight, I was grateful they were both focused on the same enemy.Mara moved toward the window."Lucien's men aren't approaching."I looked outside.She was right.They had formed a perimeter around the cottage.Waiting."Why aren't they coming in?"Margaret's face tightened."Because they don't need to."Callum stopped kicking the door."What does that mean?"Margaret looked toward the ceiling."Listen."At first, I heard nothing.Then—Hissssss.A faint sound came through the air vent.Mara covered her
Last Updated: 2026-08-14
Chapter: The Woman Who VanishedAya's POVLucien was free.Again.For several seconds, nobody in Room 217 spoke.I still held the phone against my ear."Tina, are you and Jamey safe?""Yes. Police are everywhere.""And Lucien?""They don't know where he went."Detective Cruz immediately reached for her radio."Ask whether anyone was killed."I repeated the question.Tina spoke to someone nearby before returning."No officers were killed. Two were injured."Callum frowned."That doesn't make sense."I looked at him."What?""Lucien escaped an armed convoy without killing anyone?"The Raven's warning came back to me.The Benefactors didn't survive for decades by fighting every institution.They survived by owning pieces of them."He wasn't rescued," Callum said.Detective Cruz's expression hardened."He was released."Helena cursed quietly."The Council still has people inside law enforcement."Dad stepped closer."Then every official channel could be compromised."Cruz looked offended."You can trust me.""I do."Dad
Last Updated: 2026-08-13
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