Chapter 1

My name is Ava Green, and I am the only daughter of tech mogul Richard Green. I lived in a sprawling mansion with seven boyfriends. It sounds strange, I know, but they weren't just random guys. They were all orphans my father had taken in over the years, raising them alongside me. We grew up together, and as we got older, the lines blurred. To the outside world, they were my devoted partners.

But for me, there was only one who mattered: Liam Hayes.

While the other six showered me with affection, buying me gifts and catering to my every whim, Liam remained distant. He had a coldness about him that I found captivating. I spent years trying to break through his shell, doing anything to get his attention. I became his "pick-me girl," always available, always trying to please him, hoping one day he' d look at me with the warmth he never showed anyone.

That hope shattered today.

I was walking by the conservatory, planning to ask Liam to my birthday party next week, when I heard voices. I stopped behind a large potted palm, my heart pounding when I recognized his voice. He was with Chloe Hayes, his "sister," another orphan my father had taken in. She was delicate and sweet, someone I had always tried to befriend.

"Liam, do you really love me?" Chloe' s voice was soft, laced with a vulnerability that made people want to protect her.

"Of course, I do," Liam' s voice, usually so cold, was filled with a tenderness I had never heard. "You' re the only one for me. Everything I do is for you."

I felt the air leave my lungs. He was confessing his love to Chloe. His sister. The world tilted, the carefully constructed fantasy I had lived in crumbling around me. I backed away slowly, my hands shaking, the invitation I clutched in my hand now feeling like a piece of trash.

I ran to my room, my mind a blank slate of pain. After hours of staring at the ceiling, a cold resolve settled over me. If Liam didn't want me, I would find someone who did. I picked up my phone and dialed a number I had saved but never intended to use.

"Ethan Miller speaking." His voice was calm and professional.

"Mr. Miller," I said, my own voice surprisingly steady. "This is Ava Green. Your proposal for a strategic marriage between our companies... I accept."

There was a pause on the other end. "Miss Green? Are you certain?"

"I am."

That evening, I announced my decision to my father. He sat behind his large oak desk, his expression unreadable.

"Ava, are you sure about this? Ethan Miller is our biggest rival. This isn't a game."

"I'm not playing, Dad," I replied, looking him straight in the eye. "I've made my decision."

He sighed, running a hand through his graying hair. "This is because of Liam, isn't it?"

I didn't answer. I just thought about all the years I'd wasted. I remembered how I'd defended Liam when the others complained he was too cold, how I'd made excuses for his indifference. I'd told myself he was just different, that his heart was a fortress only I could conquer. What a fool I had been.

As I was leaving my father's study, I passed the living room. The other six boyfriends were gathered, chatting with Chloe, who was sitting in the middle of them like a queen on her throne.

"That stupid Ava," one of them, Mark, sneered. "She actually thinks Liam might like her. She has no idea he's only tolerating her for Chloe's sake."

"Hush," another, Jake, said, though he was smiling. "Let her keep dreaming. The more she likes Liam, the easier it is for us to get what we want from her old man."

Chloe giggled softly. "Don't be mean, guys. Ava's my friend." But her eyes were sparkling with malice.

My blood ran cold. It wasn't just Liam. It was all of them. They were all part of a scheme, with Chloe at the center. I felt a wave of nausea.

My father had found them in various states of poverty and distress. Liam and Chloe were discovered huddled together in an alley after their parents died. The others all had similar tragic stories. My father gave them a home, an education, everything. He treated them like his own sons.

And I... I had treated Chloe like a real sister. I shared my clothes, my jewelry, my secrets with her. I always made sure she had the best of everything, even when it meant I went without.

She used to cry to me, saying the boys were mean to her, that they only saw me. I always comforted her, always took her side. I had even scolded Liam for not being nicer to her. He had looked at me with such a strange expression then. I thought it was annoyance. Now I realized it was something else entirely.

I saw them again, through the crack in the door. Liam had just walked in. He went straight to Chloe, his eyes softening as he knelt beside her chair and fixed a stray strand of her hair. The look on his face was one of complete adoration.

The same look I had dreamed of receiving my entire life. The betrayal was a physical blow, knocking the last of my naivety out of me for good.