AVA

I took a breath and walked down the stairs.

I didn't see him yet, but I heard his voice. It was deeper than I remembered. He didn't even need to be loud to be heard.

"I've been busy," he said.

Seraphina clicked her tongue. "Busy is not an excuse, Lucien. You disappear for months and think visiting now fixes it."

"I call," he replied.

"Once in a while," she shot back. "You didn't even visit when Ava was still abroad."

I slowed my steps without meaning to.

Alaric sighed softly. "You two have been having this same argument for years," he said. "Let him breathe."

I reached the bottom step just as Seraphina looked up and saw me.

Her face softened immediately. "There you are."

Lucien turned, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

He was taller, somehow impossibly taller than he was six years ago. I didn't even know how that was possible. I had seen him on screens, interviews and articles. The media loved him.

But none of it came close.

He was wearing black from head to toe, a fitted top tucked neatly into black trousers. I could see his muscles and abs popping out. His hair was slicked back, except for one strand that had fallen loose on his forehead.

He looked... unbelievably handsome. There was no other word for it.

Then our eyes met, and I froze

Seraphina cleared her throat quickly. "Lucien, Ava is back."

"I can see that," he said dryly. "Welcome back."

"Thank you," I said.

"Come," Seraphina said quickly. "Dinner is ready."

She guided us to the dining room.

I took my seat across from Lucien. Alaric sat at the head of the table with Seraphine beside him.

Dinner started quietly.

"So tell us, how was school?" Seraphina asked, glancing at me.

"It was good," I said. "Challenging, but good."

"And Stella?" she asked. "Is she coming back to Port Elam, or staying in London?"

"She'll be coming soon," I replied. "She's just waiting for her boyfriend to finish some projects so they can move together."

Seraphina smiled. "That's sweet."

Then she tilted her head at me, eyes bright with curiosity. "And what about you, Ava? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No," I said. "I haven't really... explored dating."

Alaric looked at me, surprised. "Why not? A woman with a face like yours could have any man she wanted."

I laughed, a little embarrassed. "I don't know about that."

"Well," he said, "it's true."

I shrugged lightly. "I guess I'm just waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Seraphina asked, amused.

"My prince charming," I said jokingly. "Someone who would love me for me. Not because I look good or because I have money...well, your money. Just honest love."

Seraphina laughed. "You want a love story from a book."

I smiled. "Maybe I do."

Seraphina leaned forward a little, still smiling. "But surely there must be someone who has caught your attention."

I felt heat rush to my face before I could stop it.

I looked down at my plate, suddenly very aware of Lucien sitting beside me.

"There is... someone," I admitted.

Seraphina's smile widened instantly. "I knew it."

I laughed softly, nervous. "It's nothing serious."

"Why not?" she asked.

I hesitated, then said, "I don't think it would work."

"Why?" Alaric asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. He's staying back in London, besides men don't really approach me much."

That part was true. People looked, admired me even but they rarely came closer. It had always been like that.

Seraphina looked surprised. "That's hard to believe."

I just smiled faintly and focused on my food.

Beside me, Lucien still hadn't spoken but when I glanced down, I noticed his grip on the cup had tightened. For a second, I wondered if the glass might actually crack. His face, though, gave nothing away.

Alaric cleared his throat.

"So," he said, setting his cutlery down, "what's next for you, Ava?"

I looked up. "Next?"

"Yes. Now that you've graduated."

"Oh," I said. "I'm hoping to start applying for jobs soon."

There was a pause, then I noticed the way both Seraphina and Alaric frowned, like they didn't quite understand what I'd just said.

Lucien, who had been mostly silent all evening, finally looked at me. It made me sit up without meaning to.

Alaric leaned back in his chair. "Apply for jobs?" he repeated.

"Yes," I said. "I want to work. You know...gain experience."

He exchanged a look with Seraphina. "Why would you apply for jobs when you're family?"

I blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"You could work at Hale Corporation," he continued. "There's no need for you to go elsewhere."

Seraphina nodded in agreement. "Your father is right. You don't have to start from the bottom elsewhere."

I opened my mouth to respond, but she kept going.

"Lucien would be glad to find you a suitable position," she added, glancing toward him.

I could feel Lucien's attention on me again. I smiled politely, but I shook my head.

"I appreciate that," I said, "but I'd like to work on my own. Build something myself."

I continued before anyone could interrupt.

"I was thinking of applying to Greenfield," I added. "They're expanding their strategy department."

"There's no need for that." Lucien finally said.

Everyone looked at him.

I frowned, confused by the certainty in his tone.

Seraphina, however, didn't look confused. She looked... anxious.

Lucien set his cutlery down neatly and wiped his hands with his napkin before speaking again.

"You won't be applying anywhere."

My brows pulled together. "I'm sorry?"

He faced me directly. "There's no reason for you to work outside,"

"I want to." I countered.

"That's unnecessary." The arrogance in his voice made my chest tighten.

"With all due respect," I said, trying to stay calm, "it's not unnecessary to me."

Lucien didn't look offended. If anything, he looked more serious.

"We're getting married." He declared.

For a second, I didn't quite understand the words.

"Sorry... what?"

Seraphina inhaled sharply. Alaric didn't look surprised. He just rubbed his temple like this conversation had been waiting to happen.

"You and I," Lucien said without breaking eye contact with me. "We're getting married."

My chair scraped against the floor as I leaned back.

I laughed, "That's not funny."

"I'm not laughing." He replied.

My heart started pounding. "Lucien," I said slowly, "I'm your sister."

He didn't even blink. "You live in my house," he replied. "That doesn't make you my sister."

The room went completely quiet.

I stared at Lucien, trying to figure out if he had lost his mind but his face was calm, and that scared me more than anything else he could have said.

LUCIEN

I watched her run upstairs.

The sound of her steps faded quickly, but the tension she left behind stayed in the room.

My mother exhaled slowly.

"Lucien, why did you have to do that like that?"

I didn't answer.

She turned toward me. "She just got back. It's too soon."

I folded my napkin neatly beside my plate before responding.

"I've waited long enough."

My father leaned back in his chair, watching me the way he always did when he was deciding whether to argue or not.

Seraphina shook her head. "I know you have," she said. "But you could have waited a little longer. Ava is only twenty two."

I looked at her, then responded, "That means she's old enough."

She pressed her lips together, clearly unhappy with that answer.

Across the table, my father sighed.

"And how exactly do you plan to get her to agree?" he asked. "You saw how she ran upstairs."

I leaned back in my chair.

"She'll be fine."

Seraphina frowned. "Lucien."

"She's overwhelmed," I continued, cutting her off without raising my voice. "That's expected."

"Expected," My father repeated.

I met his gaze evenly. "She was always going to react like this."

"Lucien," she said, "you can't decide her life for her."

I held her gaze for a moment before answering.

"I'm not deciding it for her."

Both of them looked unconvinced.

Then I added, calmly, "She is already mine."

My mother parted her mouth in disbelief, which I didn't understand because this was no news to them.

"She just doesn't know it yet," I finished.

The words didn't feel dramatic to me, they felt factual. I had waited longer than anyone realized. I watched her grow, protected her from a distance, made sure nothing and no one claimed her before I did.

I pushed my chair back and stood.

"Where are you going?" my mother asked.

"Upstairs."

She looked alarmed. "Lucien, don't push her tonight."

I paused at the staircase.

"I'm not pushing," I said. "I'm reminding her."

I walked out before either of them could stop me.

The door to her room was slightly open when I got there.

I didn't knock. I pushed it open and stepped inside.

She was standing by the window, looking out, deeply in thoughts.

She didn't turn immediately, but she spoke, "You're supposed to knock."

Her voice sounded calm, but I could hear the tension underneath it.

"I didn't used to knock," I replied.

She turned then.

"That was when I was still a child."

I should have answered her.

I should have said something immediate but I couldn't because seeing her like this, alone, relaxed and unaware of how closely I was looking, undid something I had kept buried for years.

She was ethereal in a way that made you look twice without meaning to.

Her face had matured. She had a clear, flawless skin. Her full lips were pressed in irritation.

And her body...

My gaze dropped before I could stop it.

She had a small waist, and a natural curve to her shape that the gown she wore didn't hide. She had grown fully into a woman.

I dragged my eyes back to her face before I lost control completely.

"What was that downstairs?" she asked.

There it was, the anger and confusion.

I walked closer.

She didn't move, but I could see the way her shoulders tensed as the distance between us closed.

"I meant what I said," I told her.

She let out a short laugh. "You can't be serious."

"I am."

Her eyes searched my face like she was trying to find the joke hidden somewhere.

"You're talking about marriage like it's a business arrangement," she said. "Like you get to decide it on your own."

I stopped a step away from her.

"I've already decided."

Her expression hardened immediately. "You don't get to decide my life for me."

"I'm not deciding it for you," I said calmly.

"Then what do you call what you did downstairs?" she shot back. "You announced it like it was already happening."

"It is."

She stared at me like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You're insane," she muttered.

I didn't react.

She took a breath, trying to calm herself.

"You're my brother, Lucien."

"No."

The word came easily, without hesitation.

"I never acknowledged you as my sister. I never called you that."

She laughed, shaking her head.

"Is that why you were so distant too?" she asked. "Why you barely spoke to me growing up?"

I looked away for a second.

Her voice rose. "Is that why you didn't even care when I left?" she went on. "Why you didn't call once?"

She paused, then corrected herself.

"Actually... not when I left. When you told our parents to send me away."

I just kept staring, trying hard to focus on what she was saying.

"You think I didn't know?" she said. "You think I didn't realize it was you?"

I spoke then, calmly. "They're my parents."

She frowned, confused by the correction.

"If anything," I continued, "they'll be your parents-in-law."

She stared at me, stunned.

I stepped closer again, slow enough that she could step back if she wanted to but she didn't.

"You're wrong about the rest," I added.

"About what?" she asked.

"I cared when you left."

She shook her head. "You didn't act like it."

"I couldn't afford to."

Her brows pulled together.

"Sending you away was the only way to stay in control," I said.

"Control of what?" she asked.

"Of myself."

"Lucien, this is madness." She gasped, shaking her head.

"I waited, Ava. I waited for you to grow up."

Her eyes widened slightly.

"I didn't touch you," I continued. "I didn't cross boundaries. I didn't let myself look at you the way I do now."

Her chest heaved.

"You think this is normal?" she asked.

"No," I said honestly.

"Then why-"

"Because you were always mine." I answered.

She shook her head immediately. "No, don't say that."

"You were," I repeated. "You just didn't know it yet."

"That's not love," she said, her voice was shaking. "That's obsession."

I held her gaze. "Yes."

She went quiet, opening her mouth and closing it.

"I don't deny that," I continued. "But obsession doesn't mean I didn't wait for my feelings to be appropriate."

She stared at me like she didn't know whether to be angry or afraid.

"You're still free to say no," I said.

Her lips parted again.

"But you won't," I added.

"Stop saying that like you know me," she snapped.

"I do know you."

"You don't," she argued. "You don't know anything about me anymore."

I watched her for a moment, then said, "I know enough."

Her chest rose and fell faster now.

I could feel the pull between us tightening, not just from me, but from her confusion, her anger, her inability to step away, and that was the moment my control almost slipped again.

Standing this close, close enough to see the faint flush on her skin and way her lips parted when she breathed...

My hand twitched at my side.

Then came the instinct to reach for her, to kiss her senseless and hold her still long enough to make her listen without running, but I stopped myself.

Restraint had carried me this far, I wouldn't break it now.

"You can take time," I said finally.

She looked wary.

"I've already waited years," I continued. "I can wait a little longer."

I stepped back, giving her space for the first time since entering the room. But before I turned to leave, I added one last thing.

"You can deny it all you want, Ava."

She looked at me, guarded.

"But you've always belonged to me, and you always will."

I left the room before she could answer.

AVA

The moment he left my room, my legs gave out. I didn't even realize when I sat down on the bed.

My heart was still racing and my thoughts were running faster than I could hold onto any of them.

Marry him?

Lucien?

I placed my hands on my face to try to calm my breathing. But the more I thought about what he said, the more the past started rearranging itself in my head.

Small things, things I never questioned before, like the day he told me not to call our parents Mom and Dad.

I was nine.

We were having dinner, and I remember calling Seraphina "Mom". Lucien's voice cut in immediately.

"Don't call her that."

I had looked at him, confused.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because they're not your parents," he said flatly.

I remembered how quiet the table had gone.

Seraphina had tried to smooth it over, saying I could call them whatever made me comfortable but Lucien didn't agree.

Back then, I thought he was just being rude and cold. I thought he didn't like me.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think he was drawing lines on purpose... separating me from the family label in his own mind.

My stomach twisted.

I needed to talk to someone, anyone, so I grabbed my phone and called Stella.

She picked up after a few rings, but the background was loud with music, cheering, and voices overlapping.

"Ava?" she said. "I'm at a concert right now. It's crazy loud. Can I call you later?"

My throat tightened suddenly.

I didn't realize how much I needed to hear someone's voice until that moment.

"Stella..." My voice cracked.

There was a pause on the line.

"Ava? Are you crying?"

I tried to speak, but the tears came faster than the words.

"I... I need to talk to someone," I managed. "I need to talk to you."

Stella's tone changed immediately, sounding so concerned.

"Hey, hey... it's okay," she said quickly. "Hold on, alright? Give me a few minutes. I'll step out and call you back."

"O-okay..."

"Don't hang up on me mentally," she added softly. "I'm calling you back soon."

The line ended.

I dropped the phone beside me and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

My chest still felt tight.

Everything Lucien said replayed in my head.

YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN MINE.

I covered my eyes with my arms

"This is insane," I whispered.

My phone rang again. It was Stella.

I sat up quickly and answered. This time it was quiet on her end.

"You okay?" she asked immediately. "I left the concert."

Guilt flashed through me. "You didn't have to-"

"Stop," she cut in. "What's going on?"

I swallowed.

"It's Lucien."

"What about him?" she asked. "Is he sick?"

"No." I answered.

"Did something happen? Was there an accident?" She pressed.

"No," I said quickly.

"Then what?" she pressed, losing patience. "Ava, just say it."

I took a deep breath trying to summon enough courage to talk, then I answered. "Lucien wants to marry me."

There was a beat of silence over the phone, then I heard her scream.

"WHAT?"

I winced as her voice burst through the phone.

"You heard me," I muttered weakly.

She went quiet again for two seconds.

Then she laughed, a full disbelieving laugh.

"Ava, stop joking," she said. "That's not funny."

"I'm not joking."

"Wait...you're serious?" she asked slowly.

"Yes."

"Okay. Start from the beginning."

I swallowed.

"He announced it at dinner," I said. "In front of our parents like it was already decided."

"Announced?" she repeated. "Like a proposal?"

"No," I said quickly. "Not a proposal. More like... a declaration."

"What does that even mean?" she asked, confused.

"It means he didn't ask me," I said quietly. "He told them we were getting married."

Stella inhaled sharply on the other end. "You're kidding."

"I wish I was." I muttered.

"Did he hit his head recently?"

Despite everything, I let out a weak laugh. "No."

"So he just woke up and decided to marry his adopted sister?" she said, her disbelief turning into anger. "Is he insane?"

"I told him that," I murmured.

"And?" she demanded.

"He said I'm not his sister."

"What?"

"He said he never saw me as one."

"Ava... that's not normal." She said.

"I know."

"That's not romantic either," she added quickly. "That's controlling."

I didn't answer immediately because the truth was... it didn't feel simple enough to label.

"I'm scared," I admitted. "But I'm also... confused."

"Confused how?" she asked gently.

I stared up at the ceiling again.

"It's the way he said it. He was so certain. He wasn't hoping I'd agree... he already believed I would." I explained.

"That's called arrogance," Stella muttered.

"Maybe," I said. "But it didn't feel like arrogance. It felt like..."

I struggled to find the word.

"Like inevitability," I finished softly. "Like I don't actually have a choice."

Stella swore under her breath.

"Ava, listen to me," she said firmly, "You do have a choice. He doesn't get to decide your life just because he's rich and powerful."

I didn't respond right away because Lucien's voice echoed in my head again

You're still free to say no... but you won't.

"I don't think he sees it that way," I admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... he talked like I've always been his. Like this was decided years ago."

Stella let out a frustrated breath.

"That's obsession, not love."

"He admitted that," I muttered.

"He admitted it?" she repeated.

"Yes."

"Okay, that's worse," she said immediately.

I laughed weakly.

"I don't know what to do, Stella."

Her tone softened. "First," she said, "you breathe."

I exhaled slowly.

"Second, you remember you're not trapped," she continued. "You're an adult. You can leave that house if you want to."

The thought made my chest tighten.

Leave?

I had just gotten back.

"I don't even know if I want to run," I admitted.

"Why not?" she asked.

"I just... need to think," I said instead.

Stella was quiet for a moment, then she spoke again, calmer but still protective.

"Okay. Think but don't let him pressure you into anything."

"I won't."

"I'm coming back." She announced.

I blinked. "What?"

"I'm coming back to Port Elam," she repeated. "Give me two days."

I sat up quickly. "Stella, no. You're not supposed to come back yet. You said you and Mark were waiting until his project was done."

"Forget Mark," she said instantly. "My best friend needs me. I'm not waiting around for a man."

"Girls over guys," she added firmly.

I could picture her shrugging as she said it.

"You're serious?" I asked.

"Dead serious," she replied. "You sound shaken, Ava. I'm not staying miles away while you deal with this alone."

"You don't have to do that," I said softly.

"I want to," she corrected. "Two days. I'll be there."

"Thank you." I murmured.

"Take care," she said and ended the call.

I stared at my phone for a moment, then it buzzed in my hand.

Maya calling.

My heart skipped.