LOGIN~~LUCAS WILDER~~The fight started over something stupid. At least, that’s what I told myself later.It was Friday evening. The whole house smelled like mum’s favorite roast chicken with fries. Elara and I were supposed to be helping set the table, but things had felt off between us all day. Ever since the debate hall and Kai’s invitation, she had been distant. Short replies to my texts. Avoiding my eyes in the cafeteria. I finally caught her alone in the hallway near the dining room while Mom and Dad were still busy in the kitchen.“You’re actually thinking about going to Kai’s party, aren’t you?” I asked, keeping my voice low.Elara crossed her arms. That stubborn look I knew so well settled on her face. “Maybe. Why? It’s not like I have anything better to do this weekend.”Her words hit me hard. I stepped closer. “Because we said we’d be careful. Because every time you smile at him, it feels like you’re rubbing it in my face that I can’t do the same thing.”She gave a sharp little
~~Lucas Wilder~~The thing about hiding something huge is that the world keeps throwing little reminders at you, daring you to slip up.It was Thursday afternoon, and the debate hall was packed for the inter-house competition. I was supposed to be focused on my notes, but my eyes kept drifting to the front row where Elara sat. She had her legs crossed, scribbling something in her notebook, looking unfairly good in the school uniform. Our eyes met for half a second. She gave me that tiny, secret smile that made my chest do stupid things.Then Kai Lennox walked in.Tall, loud, and always dressed like he was about to shoot a music video instead of attend classes. Captain of the basketball team, rich parents, and a smile that made half the girls in school giggle. He dropped into the seat right next to Elara like he belonged there.“Johnson-Wilder,” he said, loud enough for me to hear from the back. “You look like you’re ready to destroy someone today. Save some energy for me after this, y
~~LICAS WILDER~~I hated how much I noticed her.Elara Johnson-Wilder walked through the world like she was daring it to try her. Head high, shoulders back, that sharp tongue ready to cut anyone who looked at her wrong. Especially me. We’d been at each other’s throats since we were kids, but lately.. it felt different. Dangerous.Tonight was one of those nights where the house felt too small.. Mom and Dad had gone to bed. Elara had disappeared into the garden after dinner like she always did when her head was loud. I told myself I was just checking on her. That was all.I found her sitting on the old stone bench under the oak tree, knees pulled to her chest, fairy lights glowing soft above her. She looked small there. Not the fierce girl who argued with me in the hallways every day. Just… Elara.I walked over without thinking. My heart was already hammering like I’d run sprints.“You’re going to freeze out here,” I said, stopping a few feet away.She didn’t look up. “Then go back
SIXTEEN YEARS LATER~~ELARA JOHNSON~~Elara Johnson hated Lucas Wilder more than she hated Monday mornings.That was the thought running through her head as she slammed her locker shut on a random Tuesday afternoon. The hallway at New York International Academy was loud with the usual after school chaos; kids shouting about football practice, someone blasting music from a phone speaker, the smell of cheap cafeteria fries hanging in the air. She adjusted the strap of her backpack and tried to ignore the way her heart was already racing.Because there he was.Lucas leaned against the wall opposite her locker like he owned the place. Tall, messy dark hair that always looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, and that stupid half smirk he wore whenever he saw her coming. He was in the same year as her. same grade, same hallway, same everything, even though she was five months older. Their mother had told them she hadn’t known she was pregnant with Lucas until she was four months gone.
~~ALINA WILDER~~Weeks had passed since Sarah showed up at our gate with that tiny bundle in her arms. Life had slowly started to feel… normal. Or at least, our version of it.I was in the nursery, humming softly as I rocked Elara to sleep. She was such a quiet baby, barely fussing even when she was hungry. Her little fingers curled around my thumb as I fed her, and every time she looked up at me with those wide, trusting eyes, my heart squeezed. I changed her, bathed her, sang the silly lullabies my father used to sing to me. Ethan had gone to the office for the first time in days ; something about finalizing the dissolution of the last Phoenix holdings. He hated leaving us, but I’d practically pushed him out the door.“Mommy’s got you,” I whispered to Elara as I laid her down in the crib. The word slipped out so naturally now. We hadn’t officially adopted her yet, but in every way that mattered, she was ours. Sarah’s promise to come back for her felt further away with each passing
~~ETHAN WILDER~~The library beneath the old Wilder estate had been sealed for decades. Dust floated in the narrow beams of our flashlights as we descended the hidden stairs behind the fireplace. Alina walked beside me, her hand in mine, the new engagement ring catching faint light every few steps. Behind us, Damian and my father followed slowly, with Freckles guarding the entrance above.No one spoke much. After months of chaos, this final step felt heavier than any gunshot or chase.We reached the chamber at the bottom. The Ouroboros box sat on a stone pedestal in the center dark wood and tarnished silver, the serpent devouring its own tail wrapped around two phoenixes. One rising, one falling. My ring and the second key rested in my palm.Alina’s fingers tightened around mine. “This is it,” she whispered. “Everything your father warned about. The ledger that could burn the whole system down.”I nodded. The scar on her wrist caught the light, the living second key. “We don’t open
Ethan's POV My heavy eyes stared upwards at the ceiling as I'd not slept a wink throughout the night. The scene from earlier, her tear stained cheeks, the words I'd said to her in a fit of my frustration and the anger shimmering in her eyes as the doors closed between us. God! Had I been too har
Alina's POV A click. Just one click. And that was all it took. “Aaand smile!” The camera shutter blew in front of my face. “Urghh! That didn't come out very well”. Kate complained, moving towards my dressing table where she was going to upload the video we'd just made. A witness story, she call
Alina's POV I gazed out the window through the thin curtains. Luckily, I'd not lost my job due to the scandal that involved me, but it still didn't feel like I was here…or anywhere for that matter. From up here, I could see the world moving on peacefully like there was no storm brewing in my hear
ETHAN WILDERThe crystal chandeliers of the Boston Metropolitan Ballroom were blinding, their light reflecting off the polished silver and the hollow smiles of the city’s elite. I hated these functions. They were nothing more than shark tanks dressed in silk and velvet, where every handshake was a







