《Bound By My Stepbrother’s Secret 》全部章節：第 1 章 - 第 5 章

The gala was full of faces I didn’t want to know. The air inside the ballroom was heavy, smelling of expensive lilies and the sharp, metallic scent of old money. My dress, I had designed myself, a pale, shimmering silk piece that caught the light like water, felt like a second skin, but it couldn't hide my distress in the moment."Smile, Ariana," my mother, Ruby, whispered as she slipped past me, unlinking her arm with a man whose name I couldn't remember. "Tonight is about making connections. Your fashion brand won't grow if you’re hiding in the shadows."I nodded, forced a smile, and took a sip of champagne I didn't want. She made her way in the crowd, laughing with people she’d known for ten minutes as if they were her soulmates. That was her gift. Mine was different. I knew how to disappear.I was twenty-two, and my world felt like it was made of glass, beautiful, but always one second away from shattering. Sometimes I wished I was somewhere I wasn't 'Ariana the designer' or 'Aria

The hum of the sewing machines in the studio usually acted as a lullaby for my racing thoughts, but today, the noise felt like a frantic heartbeat. It had been four months since that night in Florence. Four months of burying myself in fabric, sketches, and silence. I had tried to scrub the memory of Lucas from my mind, but sometimes, the scent of sandalwood would drift through a doorway, and for a split second, I would stop breathing."Ari? Back to earth, Ariana."I blinked, looking up from the silk I was pinning. My best friend, Lena, was leaning against my workbench, holding two lukewarm coffees. She was the only one who knew I hadn't been 'myself' lately, though she didn't know the dark, sweaty details of why."Sorry," I murmured, taking a cup. "Just thinking.""You’re always thinking," Lena sighed, pushing a pile of scrap fabric aside to sit. "Is it about your mom? You said she was landing today, right?"I nodded, a small, genuine smile finally touching my lips. "She should be at

“Please, why don’t the both of you take a seat so we can go over the details of Silas’ will?”Marcus cleared his throat and opened the heavy folder on the desk. "Your mother, Ruby, was legally married to Silas Everhart. As his wife, she was entitled to certain protections. But Silas went further than that. He updated his will just weeks before the accident."He looked at Ariana, then in my direction at the farthest corner in the room, just rough to still clearly see her face."Silas wanted to ensure that his new family was unified. He knew his time was short, and he didn't want either of you to be alone in this world."Marcus picked up a sheet of paper and began to read...The silence that followed was deafening. I felt like the floor had opened up beneath me.*Reside together.**Family.**Kin.*The words hung in the air like smoke.Ariana’s face went from pale to ghostly white. She looked at the paper, then at me, and I saw the horror dawning in her eyes. It was the same horror I f