The tires crunched over gravel as the sleek black SUV pulled into the crescent driveway of Ridgewood Manor. Layla stared out the tinted window, heart pounding beneath her ribcage. The mansion looked like something out of a gothic dream—stone arches, silver-gilded doors, ivy clinging to the old walls like secrets.

This was her new home.

Correction: his home. She was just the new girl crashing into his territory.

She swallowed hard and adjusted her hoodie, trying to keep the chill in ...