LOGINTHE FALL OF THE KING{Playlist Suggestion: "Power" by Kanye West / "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Lorde}~KNOX POV~I spent my whole adult life walking down the quiet, carpeted hallway on the forty-second floor of Kingston Enterprises. It felt like I had a heavy weight on my chest. I was always scared of making a mistake and disappointing the boss behind the big wooden doors at the end of the hall.But today, my chest felt completely and incredibly light.I wasn't walking down the hallway as the obedient, broken son who married a woman he hated just to secure a business alliance, and I wasn't walking alone either.On my right, there were three police officers in uniform and the main detective of the city. On my left, five senior members of the Kingston Enterprises Board of Directors were walking quickly. They all looked very pale and scared because I had called an emergency meeting at 4:00 AM to show them the offshore routing numbers that a sixteen-year-old kid had just hack
THE TRAP{Playlist Suggestion: "Blood // Water" by grandson / "Mount Everest" by Labrinth}~CHELSEA POV~I didn't mind that the hem of the pretty emerald green silk dress Kade bought me was getting dirty in the muddy puddles of the industrial area. I just paid the taxi driver with shaking hands and practically ran toward the huge, rusted metal doors of the empty warehouse Zoe had told me Kolt owned.I needed to see him, I needed to look into those intense green eyes and tell him that I had finally stopped lying to myself, that Kade had let me go, and that I was completely, irreversibly entirely his.The warehouse was very dark, with just a few blinking yellow security lights near the ceiling. It smelled like dust and wet concrete. My silver heels made a lot of noise in the big, empty space as I walked in. I wrapped my arms around myself because it was really cold inside."Kolt?" I called out, my voice trembling slightly as it bounced off the folded metal walls. "Kolt, it's me, Chels
THE LET GO{Playlist Suggestion: "Glimpse of Us" by Joji / "Let It Go" by James Bay}~KADE POV~The slow song echoed through the huge, glittering ballroom, and I pulled Chelsea flush against my chest, wrapping my free arm securely around her waist while my other hand gripped the silver handle of my cane, balancing my weight so we could just sway together in the middle of the floor.It was supposed to be the perfect moment.I had just completely silenced Valerie, the entire school was finally looking at us with respect instead of pity, and I was holding the most beautiful girl in the world in my arms, wearing a dress I bought for her, surviving a nightmare that was supposed to tear us apart.I leaned my chin against the top of her head, breathing in the sweet, familiar scent of vanilla and rain, waiting for that rush of victory, that warm, triumphant feeling of knowing that I had finally fixed everything and saved the girl I loved.But the feeling never came.Because as I pulled back j
THE PROM{Playlist Suggestion: "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift / "you should see me in a crown" by Billie Eilish}~CHELSEA POV~Crawford Elite clearly didn't just have their Senior Prom in a hot gym with paper decorations and a cheap disco ball. They booked the whole grand ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton downtown. Walking through those big fancy doors felt like entering a coliseum, where everyone was just waiting for the lions to come out.As soon as we entered, the loud music became background noise while many people looked at us. Whispers quickly spread through the crowd of teens in fancy tuxedos and custom dresses.I wanted to shrink, I wanted to hide behind the huge floral arrangements or just turn around and run back to the limo, but Kade didn't let me.He stood up straight and didn't try to hide his injury or the big black knee brace under his nice suit pants. He held his stylish black cane in his right hand and gripped my fingers tightly with his left. He looked so tall and proud
PROM PREP{Playlist Suggestion: "Dancing With Your Ghost" by Sasha Alex Sloan / "The Night We Met" by Lord Huron}~CHELSEA POV~I was staring at myself in the cracked mirror of my tiny bathroom while Zoe aggressively pinned my hair up into this elegant, sweeping style, but I honestly felt like I was looking at a complete stranger, like I was an imposter wearing someone else's skin."Stop moving, Chelsea, I swear to God if you make me smudge this eyeliner I am going to make you walk to Prom," Zoe muttered around a bobby pin she was holding between her teeth, spraying a toxic cloud of hairspray around my head that made me cough."I'm sorry," I whispered, my hands squeezing the edges of the sink so tightly my knuckles were white.I was wearing a beautiful midnight blue silk dress that hugged my curves perfectly, the kind of dress that a normal high school girl would literally kill to wear to her Senior Prom.But every time I looked at my reflection all I could see was a liar.I was a com
THE THREAT{Playlist Suggestion: "Blood // Water" by grandson / "Animals" by Architects}~KOLT POV~I was standing on the second-floor balcony looking down at the main floor of The Mirage, nursing a glass of bourbon that I didn't actually want to drink, just obsessively tracking Chelsea as she moved between the VIP tables with Zoe trailing a few feet behind her like a neon-haired bodyguard.Everything was supposed to be completely normal tonight. I had doubled the security at the front doors and explicitly told Antonio that if any of Kade's little high school friends tried to get in they were to be immediately turned away. But all the security in the world doesn't mean a damn thing when the devil already has a VIP black card.I saw the flash of blonde hair first.It was near the edge of the bar, moving smoothly through the crowd with that arrogant, untouchable swagger that comes from knowing your family is worth three billion dollars. And the absolute second my brain registered tha
LOST CAUSES{Playlist Suggestion: "Family Line" by Conan Gray / "Matilda" by Harry Styles}~CHELSEA POV~I left three voicemails while running down 4th Street."Mom, pick up. It's an emergency.""Mom, Samuel stole the money. Chase is in the ICU. Where are you?""Mom, please. I need help."By the ti
THE DEVIL'S CHAIR{Playlist Suggestion: "Earned It" by The Weeknd / "Desire" by Meg Myers}CHELSEA POVMy cheek still throbbed.It was a dull, rhythmic ache under the layer of foundation I had slapped on in the staff bathroom, a constant reminder of this morning's screaming match."You drove him aw
PANIC BUTTON{Playlist Suggestion: "Ribs" by Lorde / "Medicine" by The 1975}~EMMA POV~For the first twenty minutes, I actually thought we were going to pull this off.Jason's house was packed—like, fire-hazard packed—but Chase didn't seem to mind. I kept my fingers locked through his, acting like
BROTHERHOOD OF THE DAMNED{Playlist Suggestion: "Way Down We Go" by KALEO / "Family Business" by Kanye West}~KOLT POV~Hospitals were boring. They were white, they smelled like bleach and sickness, and the coffee tasted like battery acid.I sat in the uncomfortable guest chair, legs stretched out,







