❝𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠.❞ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨. {A Y/N & OC mixed mc} {Originally published April 30, 2023}

In the sun-soaked paradise of Lakeside, where the waves crash and secrets linger, summer break is about to turn everything upside down. Madeline Lancaster has always loathed Lorenzo Ashford-the golden boy whose dazzling smile and inflated ego turned their childhood friendship into a distant memory. But as the summer sun blazes overhead, everything changes. With her brother spending more time with Lorenzo than Madeline ever anticipated, she's forced to confront the boy she once knew. Beneath the layers of arrogance lies a charm she can't ignore, and the chemistry between them ignites like fireworks on a warm July night. Torn between her old resentments and the undeniable pull of new feelings, Madeline must navigate the tricky waters of friendship, loyalty, and love. Will she choose to open her heart to the boy who she thought she couldn't trust, or will she cling to the peace of the past?

𝒲𝑒'𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓈𝑜 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝒶𝓉 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓉𝑒𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔. ♡♡ 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 grew up with the finest things money could buy, but without the things it couldn't. For the briefest moment, he thought he had found a new mother, his au pair. But then her real child, Valeria, moved in with them, shattering his illusion. 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐳 grew up watching her mother serve others among luxuries forever out of reach. She longed for the glamorous lives of those who entered the mansion through the front door and dreamed of being the girl in the fashion magazines she could get her hands on. Nicholas made no effort to hide how displeased he was when she was around and always kept his distance, which became impossible once Valeria enrolled at Nicholas's prestigious school. Since then, he made it his mission to pretend she didn't exist, and he succeeded for three years. But when Valeria starts making his life difficult, a new strategy is born. He's going to play with her emotions until she falls for him, only so that he can go back to ignoring her, crushing her feelings. But Valeria is not a fool; she sees right through him. What happens when she decides to play along?