**** 11 YEARS AGO ****
The drive to school is painfully awkward because Dean is still mad at Aiden. I'm riding in the passenger seat next to the driver and the three boys are sitting together in the backseat.I look over my shoulder."What happened?" Damon asks in a bored tone when Aiden tries to touch Dean but he slaps his hand away. Dean is sitting in the middle, "Why are you sulking?""Aiden hurt me," Dean complains, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. Knowing what I know about Damon I think he might just punch Dean or something evil, but he actually laughs and wraps his arms around Dean’s neck to pull him to his chest and hug him."Poor little Bean boy," he says in a baby voice, making Dean growl and try to get away, but Damon doesn't let him, "Don't be a pussy, man.""I'm not! But it hurts," Dean complains and finally sets himself free, "Look, my cheeks are still red! Everyone is going to ask what happened to my pretty face.""So? Tell the truth. I did it," Aiden shrugs, doing something on his phone, "I don't give a shit.""You should've fight back, that's on you," Damon says. Then his sharp, almost yellow eyes are on me, "What the fuck are you looking at?"I move so fast, even the driver chuckles."Nothing," I mumble and luckily, Damon lets it go. But then I frown when I realize those seven words are the only ones he has said to me directly since I met him.Does he hate me or something?I snap out of my thoughts when the driver stops in front of my new school. Altamira High. I've never seen such a fancy school ever before."Don't be nervous, I'll stay by your side the whole time. We have the same classes," Dean promises as soon as we get out of the Suburban. Damon and Aiden walk away together. I follow them with my eyes until they join a group of other guys."Thanks," I mumble, locking my arm with his so we can walk together, "I've only been in public schools before, that's why I'm a little nervous." "I don't think it's that different... or is it?" He asks, "I've only been in private schools before."That makes me laugh. He's such a rich boy."The vibe is completely different. I have a feeling I'm going to get bullied for looking too poor," I mumble, tightening my grip on him. I don't know why, but I feel very comfortable around Dean already."You're not getting bullied, Lily. Most people here are really nice," he starts, "But also... we're kind of a big deal in Altamira. And now you're Lilian Carrington. Our sister. So, you're kind of a big deal, too."He's right.Harry legally adopted me. He signed the papers at the wedding as a gesture to my mom, so I have a new name now. A name that holds a lot of power around Altamira.I guess I just have to get used to it.Dean keeps his word, he never leaves my side and I feel very grateful for that. He introduced me to his friends as his step-sister, so he made me popular already.When classes are over, Dean walks out next to me. He’s texting someone."The guys are going somewhere else," he mumbles as he texts, "Wanna go to the mall to grab lunch?”"Sure," I say with a smile, and then me and my new brother hang out some more, even though we just spent eight hours together in school.But weirdly, I don't mind. Dean is really nice and really fun.I wish he was my only new brother."What did Aiden mean when he asked you to tell me how things work in the house?" I ask as we eat."Well, Daddy travels a lot for work and for pleasure and he only takes us with him during vacations because education is very important to him," he starts, and I put down my fork, giving him my full attention, "So, most of the time, it's just us three at home. And there's a hierarchy."Great. He hasn't even told me what it is, and I already know I'll be at the bottom."Aiden is the boss, but Damon is the king. They both just pass the power to each other depending on how they feel that day or who owes a favor to whom," he starts, rolling his eyes, "I'm just the little brother, so that's it. I have no voice in the house. Only they do.""What? Why?" I ask, frowning, "Who decided that? Who decided that Damon is 'the king'? That's ridiculous.""It's not ridiculous, it's just the way we were raised. Damon and Aiden are the same age, you know that? Damon is only older by two months," he says, and I nod, but I start doing math in my brain trying to understand how that's possible, "Damon's mom, Erika, is Daddy’s first wife... but he cheated on her with Aiden's mom. My mom. Damon is our half-brother. Daddy divorced Erika to marry our mom, but he didn't want to lose his firstborn son, so he paid Erika to walk away and leave Damon behind. Daddy has always felt guilty for taking Damon away from his mother and that's why he's the favorite. Always. Damon's word matters more than anyone else's, even Aiden's.""Mhmm. So that's why Damon is so fucking insufferable," I murmur, almost to myself. Dean laughs."Naturally. Why wouldn't he be? He always gets exactly what he wants, and even things he doesn't want," he rolls his eyes, "Aiden is the second favorite because he's just SO perfect. Daddy loves that Aiden is a genius, that he always knows how to act, that he's always doing things he can brag to his buddies about. Aiden has the merit because he's put in the work.""And what about you?" I ask, feeling a little bad. I've seen the way they treat him and I don't like it."Me? There's not much to say about me," he murmurs, shrugging, "I’m the youngest. Daddy loves me and he gives me whatever I want... as long as Damon and Aiden agree. He basically put my brothers in charge of me, so if I want to be happy, I have to be a good brother and just not annoy them too much. Aiden is a pain in the ass most of the time, but Damon is worse.""Really? Worse than grabbing you like that and calling you 'fag'?" I ask carefully, reminding him of what happened this morning."Yes," he murmurs, lowering his eyes with a grimace, "Damon would have beaten the shit out of me for daring to raise my voice at him. With Aiden, it's all about mental games. I never know if he wants me to defend myself or not. That's why I said sometimes he's worse than Damon, because at least with Damon I know what to expect, but Aiden is... a wild card."I nod. That's exactly what I thought."Do you love them?" I ask, because everything is so weird that I don't know what to expect. And that's why I'm so surprised when Dean nods without hesitation, "Seriously?""Yeah. They're not that bad," he shrugs and smiles a bit, "I’m mad today, so I’m just complaining, but they can be nice, too. You just have to get used to them and play by their rules."I'm not sure I can do that.**** PRESENT *****{ Lily, 26 years old }I wake up in the middle of the night, feeling pissed off. I hate that being back in Altamira has brought up those memories from the past, when my life went from bad to worse. I try to go back to sleep, but an hour later I have to give up. I just stare at the ceiling and try to think back... did I have any friends in Altamira other than Dean? The answer is no. Not real ones, anyway. I've never been someone who makes good friends. Except Brian Lannister, apparently, even though I don't remember much about him since I only see him when I'm drinking. Still, I send him a text just to check if he still wants to be my friend and maybe visit me sometime. It's six in the morning, but he answers my text almost immediately. "Hey, of course I want to be your friend, maybe even more than that. I wasn't lying. How's it going with your daddy?" He texts back, making me chuckle. "Not that bad yet. Why are you awake so early?" "I'm a reporter, I guess you
{ Lily }"Wake up, dear. The day has finally come," my mother says, out of nowhere.Literally, out of nowhere. I haven't seen this woman in TWO years. I haven't spoken to her in... months. I almost don't understand what she means because I'm hangover and she just woke me up, but then I realize what she means.The day.I think she means 'the day' she promised me ten fucking years ago. The day when my revenge against my stepbrothers will begin. I guess we’re powerful enough to actually take them down now."How did you find me?" I ask, groaning as I get up. Then I look down at the guy in my bed… I don't know who he is, "How did you get inside my house?”"This is my house, smartypants," she laughs, looking momentarily at my naked form before I grab my robe and cover myself up, "I can explain later. The day has come, just like I promised. Today, we will start the downfall of those sick boys.""How?" I ask, blinking and trying to keep up. My mother is not a jokester and she doesn't waste
The building is icy cold and I shiver as soon as I step foot inside but my mother walks in front of me with all the confidence in the world. I try to mimic her, but I’m too hungover for that. My head hurts every time her heels go clack-clack.And much sooner than I’m ready for, we arrive at a glass-walled boardroom. I can see three men inside. Men I know very well.“You can do it,” my mother says without looking at me before opening the door for me. I swallow my fear down and walk inside, repeating her words: you can do it, you can do it.Damon and Aiden are seated at the table and I can feel their eyes on me as soon as I enter, but I don’t pay attention to them yet. My eyes land on the man who stands up with a smile to greet me.Harry. Forty-five years old. A tall and athletic body, warm amber eyes, neatly styled light hair and a face that belongs in an action or superhero movie. Harry is still as handsome as the last time I saw him, but that’s no surprise. This family’s genes ar
I walk out of the building like something is chasing me. I’m very overwhelmed by seeing the two guys that ruined me, but also because… what in the fuck am I going to do as the CEO of a company? I've never had a job. I dropped out of college. I don't know anything about math. Or finances. Or business. Or science. Or anything, really. "Mom, what the hell?" I say when she finally gets in the back of the Escalade next to me, "I can't be the CEO of anything.""Of course you can. Horizon is the smallest company we have and it's easy stuff. Think of yourself as the manager, you’ll just make sure everything is running correctly. You don't have to handle finances or legalities or technicalities, just overseeing production and making sure they deliver what they need to deliver to those three stores. That is literally it."I know it sounds easy, but that's still to much responsibility for someone like me. And I kind of liked being unemployed. Think I said that last part out loud because my mo
**** 11 YEARS AGO ****{ Lily, 15 years old }I don't think my mom knows what the hell she's doing. She got married to her boss after only dating him for five months. Mom said she got into this relationship solely for the money, but Harry is very handsome, not a wrinkled old man, and I've seen them kiss each other. I don't think money can buy that type of chemistry. I think she actually likes him. And to be honest, he has been nice to me so far, so I like him too. And he’s the reason why I'm here. Living in the rich side of Altamira, in a HUGE mansion by the beach with three random boys around my age. One of them is sweet: Dean. One of them is terrifying: Damon. And the other one is... I don't know yet. Aiden is an enigma.I haven't been able to really get a read on him. I think he wears a mask most of the time. But the worst part is how insanely hot all three of them are. Tall, built and beautiful, they all look a lot like their father. Brown hair, olive skin, amber eyes, thic