The voice sent a chill down Camille’s spine, freezing her in place. She slowly turned her head, her breath catching as the figure stepped out of the smoke, revealing herself.
Ava.
The girl who had made Camille’s life miserable since the day she set foot in this godforsaken town. Ava, with her perfect blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, and the unshakable hatred she harbored for Camille. A hatred that had never made sense—until now.
“Ava?” Camille whispered, disbelief flooding her system.
Ava’s face was a mixture of rage and disgust, her eyes locked on Camille with an intensity that made her blood run cold. But there was something more to her expression now, something far more dangerous than schoolyard jealousy.
“Camille,” Ava spat, as if the name itself was poison on her tongue. “Of course you’d be here. It’s like you were born to ruin everything.”
Camille blinked, trying to make sense of the situation. Ava? Here, now? In the middle of this chaos? What the hell was going on?
“Why do you act like you know her like that?” Matthew asked, his body tense and ready to strike if needed.
Ava’s eyes flicked to Matthew, then to Leo and Noah, and her lip curled in disgust. “Oh, she knows me alright,” Ava sneered. “I’m the girl who has to watch while you three idiots fall over yourselves for her.”
Leo stepped forward, his expression darkening. “What are you doing here, Ava?”
Ava didn’t answer him. Her focus was entirely on Camille, her voice trembling with barely contained fury. “You think you can just waltz in here, from Paris no less, and take everything that’s mine? The boys, my life—everything!”
Camille’s head spun. Paris. God, she missed Paris. The city of lights and love, where her biggest worry had been what café to visit. She never imagined she’d end up in a town full of madness, tangled in the lives of three brothers and hunted by people like Bianca.
Bianca.
The realization slammed into her like a freight train. “Bianca… is your sister?” Camille’s voice shook, a mixture of shock and disbelief.
Ava’s smile was bitter and cruel. “Smart girl. Too bad that doesn’t mean anything now.” She glanced toward Bianca, who was still writhing on the ground, clutching her bleeding leg. “You’ve ruined everything, Camille. I was supposed to inherit my sister’s control, take over after she got rid of your precious boys. But no, you had to be in the way, as always.”
Camille couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Ava, the girl who had tormented her at school, was part of the same twisted power struggle that had Victor killed? And now, she was here to finish what her sister started?
“Control?” Leo stepped forward, his voice thick with disbelief. “What are you talking about?”
Ava’s eyes flashed with frustration, her composure slipping. “Don’t you get it? Victor promised Bianca everything, but she was never going to share it. She needed you all out of the way. And I was supposed to help her! Now everything’s falling apart, thanks to her.” She pointed an accusing finger at Camille.
Camille’s chest tightened, the weight of everything crashing down on her. She had moved to this place, hoping for a fresh start, hoping to escape the mundane life she had in Paris. But now, she was in the middle of a nightmare—crazy people, violence, and three boys who were somehow the center of it all. Three boys she was falling for. Hard.
Noah. Matthew. Leo.
It made her head spin, her heart torn in three different directions. She was crazy in love with all of them, and she knew it. But how could she possibly think about her feelings right now, when they were surrounded by danger at every turn?
“You’ve lost, Ava,” Noah said coldly, pulling Camille closer. “Victor’s gone. Bianca’s done. And you’re next if you don’t back off.”
Ava’s smile was cold and lifeless. “I haven’t lost. Not yet. You think this is over? It’s only just beginning.” She reached into her coat, pulling out a small device. “One push of this button, and everything you care about goes up in flames.”
“What the hell is that?” Leo demanded, eyes narrowing.
“Let’s just say I’ve planted a few surprises around this town,” Ava said, her eyes glinting with sadistic pleasure. “Victor might be dead, but his empire isn’t. And if I can’t have it, then no one will.”
“No!” Camille shouted, stepping forward, but Matthew grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
“Ava, don’t do this!” Matthew urged, his voice frantic. “You don’t have to follow in your sister’s footsteps. We can fix this. We can end it without more bloodshed.”
But Ava’s eyes were wild, untethered, and full of hatred. “You don’t get it, Matthew. I don’t want to fix it. I want to destroy it. All of you.” She raised her thumb toward the detonator.
Just as her thumb hovered over the button, a loud crash from behind them interrupted the moment. Camille’s heart leaped into her throat as she spun around.
The door to the warehouse flew open, and armed police officers stormed in, shouting commands and pointing their guns at everyone.
“Drop it!” one of the officers yelled, his gun trained on Ava. “Put the device down, now!”
Ava’s eyes darted between the police, Camille, and the brothers. For a split second, it seemed like she might surrender, but then her face twisted with a snarl of pure rage.
“You’ll never take me alive!” she screamed.
Before anyone could stop her, Ava bolted toward the exit, disappearing into the chaos. The police rushed after her, but she was already gone, lost in the shadows of the night.
Camille’s entire body trembled with the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. Everything had happened so fast, too fast to process. The police began securing the area, but all Camille could think about was the look in Ava’s eyes before she fled.
This wasn’t over. Ava was still out there, and worse—she had bombs planted in the town. Camille’s gut told her the worst was yet to come.
Noah pulled her close, his breath heavy against her neck. “Are you okay?”
Camille nodded, though her mind was still reeling. “I’m fine,” she whispered. “But we need to stop her. She’s not going to stop until she destroys everything.”
“She won’t win,” Matthew said firmly, his hand gripping Camille’s shoulder. “We’ll stop her. Together.”
Leo stayed quiet, his face dark with frustration. Camille could see the weight of everything on his shoulders—their father’s death, Bianca’s betrayal, and now Ava’s thirst for revenge.
But there was no time to dwell on it. They had to act, and they had to act fast.
After giving statements to the police and ensuring that Bianca was taken into custody, the group finally left the warehouse, the weight of what had just happened pressing heavily on their hearts.
As they walked out into the night, Camille couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling settling deep in her bones. She was far from Paris, far from the life she used to know. And now she was stuck in a town filled with nothing but danger and heartbreak. Worse, she was falling for three brothers caught in the middle of it all.
Just when she thought they could finally catch a moment to breathe, her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She pulled it out, her heart stopping as she read the message on the screen:
“Come home. It’s urgent.”
Her fingers trembled as she stared at the text. It was from her father.
Without a word, she bolted from the group, rushing toward the car. The boys followed, concern etched on their faces.
“Camille, what’s wrong?” Leo called out, catching up to her.
“It’s my dad,” she gasped, climbing into the car. “He’s in trouble. I need to get home.”
They sped through the empty streets, her heart pounding in her chest as they neared her house. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.
As they pulled into the driveway, Camille’s breath hitched.
The door to her house was wide open, and the lights were off.
She stumbled out of the car, her legs barely supporting her as she rushed inside.
Her heart sank as she stepped into the darkened living room. There was no sign of her father. No note, no clue as to where he had gone.
But there was one thing that sent a wave of dread crashing over her.
The house was ransacked, papers scattered everywhere, furniture overturned.
Her father was missing.
And Camille had no idea where he was—or if he was even alive.