The Newburn family was a big one, thanks to Howell, the family head, who was quite the player back in the day.
Three wives, five kids on the official family roster, and a couple of secret kids nobody mentioned.
Howell, though? Total slacker. He just sat on the Newburn fortune, not lifting a finger to grow it. His days were spent scribbling poems, messing with his birds, and chilling with artsy poet types, tossing out fancy lines for fun. Total snooze.
His five sons, though, were absolute legends. Each one was a star, and with Howell’s good genes, they were all ridiculously good–looking–each hotter than the next.
Simon was too busy playing big bro to their little sister to even notice Ariel, who was practically fuming.
“Simon, that glass cup cost you 300 thousand bucks at that auction!” she said. “You don’t let anyone touch it–you’d flip if someone tried! I wanted to use it, but you’re blowing me off? What’s the deal?”
Simon smirked, barely glancing her way. “You ain’t cute enough for my cup, that’s the deal.
“Hey, Joanna, you like milk, right? How much sugar? Don’t be shy, we’re fam.”
Simon was totally crushing on Joanna. Just thinking about seeing that gorgeous face daily had him grinning like a goof.
But she seemed shy, hardly saying a word.
Joanna wasn’t shy–she was just done. Like, ready to throw hands done.
Ariel, meanwhile, was pissed. Her brother was slipping away. She glared at Joanna’s back, her face twisted with rage.
Samara pulled her into a hug, trying to calm her. “They all love you, sweetie. Joanna’s not even family—just a guest. They’re just being polite. You’re the real Newburn princess.”
Joanna caught their words, and her stomach dropped. ‘Just a guest? Yeah, figures. A daughter ghosted for eighteen years—
what else would I be?‘
Ariel, still sniffling, let her mom and the butler fuss over her as she stormed to her room. Door shut, tears gone.
Her eyes narrowed, cold and mean. “Joanna, huh? Think you’re hot stuff ‘cause you’re pretty? Little miss perfect! You’re a nobody with zero ties to the Newburns. And you think you can steal my brothers?”
She grabbed her phone, waiting for her brothers‘ replies.
Hours later, her oldest brother, the big–shot movie star, sent a short voice clip.
Ariel’s eyes lit up as she flopped on her bed, pressing the phone to her ear.
His voice was deep, smooth like butter, but always had a frosty edge, even when his baby sister was upset.
“Yeah,” he said. One word, then silence.
But Ariel didn’t care. She was the only one who could get Joseph, the workaholic A–lister, to text back during a shoot.
‘Ha! Told ya–Joseph’s totally got a soft spot for me,‘ she smirked to herself.
Then her second brother, a quantum mechanics genius and the youngest professor ever, texted back. One word: [Yeah.]
1/2
Chapter 5
Ariel’s heart raced. She was the only one who could pull Aiden from his lab.
She could hear his cool, sharp voice just reading that word.
Her brothers were obsessed with her. She was the family’s golden girl.
Well, except for her third brother. He hadn’t texted back.
Ariel thought about knocking on his door, maybe whining for some attention.
But before she could, the door swung open.
Ryan stood there, one hand on the knob, leaning forward, staring her down.
His curly hair was a mess, white tee splattered with paint, dark circles under his eyes.
Pale skin, red lips–total unhinged artist vibes. Nobody dared mess with him.
He didn’t even know Ariel had texted. He was too pissed about his latest painting—it was missing something, and it was driving him nuts.
“Ugh!” He shoved his hair back, bloodshot eyes glinting like some moody vampire, and stormed back into his studio, slamming the door.
Ariel froze, too spooked to speak. But seeing Ryan so pissed gave her a wicked idea.
“Joanna, you really gonna flirt with Simon? Good luck, girl. Ryan’s got a temper like a ticking time bomb,” she whispered. “Cross him, and he’ll boot you out like you’re some stray mutt!”
