Two kids played in their own garden,

"Ela are you sure Dad will not scold us?" one of the girls asked her sister who was busy hiding something in the sand.

"No Oll, no one could find this place." replied the girl while filling the sand in the hole she had just dug.

RING RING...

My alarm blared to life as I stepped out of the shower. Great, I was up before my alarm – sarcasm intended. Normally, it took me a while to adjust to a new place, but for some reason, I hadn't been able to sleep for the past three days. I was living in one of my dad's penthouses, a secret arrangement that ensured no one questioned my residence. I despised living alone, which was why I'd opted for a hostel back in Paris rather than endure the solitude of an empty house.

I silenced my alarm and began preparing for college.

Another day had passed, and I hadn't made any genuine friends yet. Sure, Romano's friends had kept me company yesterday, but I couldn't really call them my friends, could I?

I hadn't seen Romano again after that first lecture, and I hadn't bothered asking his friends about his whereabouts.

Shaking off those thoughts, I grabbed my bag from the cluttered sofa and rushed out the door to catch a taxi. Clearly, my dad hadn't seen fit to provide me with a car.

After paying the taxi driver, I sprinted through the college gates. I was already late, and my first lecture could begin at any moment.

I decided to skip the locker stop this time; it was in the opposite direction of my lecture, and I couldn't afford to be late.

To my dismay, my first lecture was with Mrs. Mia again. I silently hoped that Romano wouldn't be there today. I didn't know why, but I just didn't feel ready to face him. However, my luck...

This time, he flashed me a smirk and settled into the seat next to mine, looking incredibly handsome.

"Rule number 14 - You cannot have any boyfriend in college until your mission is over."

God, I couldn't break any of my dad's rules, yet here I was finding my sister's boyfriend attractive. Way to go, Ava. I kept my focus on the lecture, ignoring Romano's presence, and left as soon as the bell rang.

"So, you're just going to ignore me like that?" A voice snapped me out of my thoughts while I stood near my locker.

Startled, I dropped my book, and it landed with a loud thud on the ground.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, girl," Amara, a girl from Romano's group, said, her eyes wide with surprise.

"It's fine. I'm okay," I assured her, picking up the books.

"Anyway, where were you this morning? I waited for you here in front of your locker for like 10 minutes, looking like a fool before I went to the lecture to find you there."

I stared at her in astonishment. Why had she been waiting near my locker? Did she need something from me?

"Why? What did you want?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"What did I want? I wanted to meet my new friend, Ava. Finally, I have a girl I can call my friend, and here you act like a stranger. It hurts," she replied somewhat dramatically. I found it a bit over the top.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were waiting. I was already running late, so I went straight to class," I explained.

"Ah, I see," she said before closing my locker and linking our hands as we headed to our next lecture, which, unfortunately, we had together.

Amara didn't leave my side for even a moment, except for the lectures we had separately. I didn't see Romano for the rest of the day, but the odd thing was that, apart from Amara, none of his friends were present.

During our break in the canteen, I tried asking Amara about them, but she simply replied that they had some work and had to leave.

Somewhere in the forest...

Finally, Romano's car disappeared from my sight, and I reversed my car back into the forest.

"Boss," I said as soon as he entered the small hut nestled deep in the forest near a serene lake.

"Did you find out his whereabouts?" the leader asked his companions, his gaze locked on a battered figure before him.

"No, boss. But there's something else I need to tell you. The devil has returned."

"The devil? You mean Romano?"

"Yes."

"Oh, so he's back. It doesn't matter. His search for his father won't be over until I say so. Right, brother?" The leader addressed the injured man, who, due to the injections administered by the leader, could only stare back, his expression striking fear into the leader's heart.

"Ugh! Anyway, I'll handle him. You just focus on finding Him."

Years ago, this leader had orchestrated a game in which families were torn apart. However, one of his own partners had betrayed him, costing him his prize and leading to the failure of his elaborate scheme. To this day, he remained unable to identify the culprit.

"But..." I began before the boss shot me an irritated glance.

"I'm heading back to meet my nephew," he said with a wicked smile, exiting the hut.

"What does he think of himself? If it weren't for my sister, I wouldn't be betraying my best friend right now," I muttered in frustration, glaring at the door through which the boss had left a moment earlier.

Ava's POV

"You can't wear that to Amara Leone's party!" Amara exclaimed.

"What? Why not? I just bought it when I moved here. It's new, fancy, and perfect for a party," I defended my beautiful blue dress, which I adored.

"Okay, it's great for a regular party, but not for my birthday bash. You're not wearing it, and that's final."

"I'm not in the mood to argue anymore."

I reluctantly returned my lovely dress to the closet and shut it before turning back to Amara.

A few hours ago...

Amara had invited herself to my place after college. She'd given me a ride home, and when I asked her to come in for coffee, she'd actually parked her car.

"Your house is so cute. I had no idea you were rich," she commented upon entering my home.

"Yeah," I replied vaguely, not eager to reveal just how wealthy my dad was.

I headed to the kitchen to make us some coffee, and we ended up spending the first two hours gossiping and getting to know each other better.

Her father was the CEO of a top company in San Francisco, while her mother owned one of the best coffee shops in the area. According to her, I should work for her mother to become famous, though she was basically telling me that my coffee was amazing. (She was rather indirect about it.)

Back to the present...

She informed me that her birthday was coming up on Monday, and I was expected to be there. After she rejected all my dresses, I found myself at a loss for words and choices.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but my party is usually grand, and many celebrities attend. I didn't want my new best friend to look out of place," she explained.

I nodded, taking a seat beside her on my bed.

"Okay, so we're going shopping tomorrow, first thing after college."

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That's it for now. I hope you like it and give me your reviews here ->