[An emotional enemies-to-lovers romance filled with tension, secrets, and forbidden feelings.]
Esther Charles’s life is turned upside down when her mother marries Bright Okafor, bringing a new family—and a new nightmare—into her home. Mavis, her supposed stepbrother, is cruel, arrogant, and relentless in his torment, earning the nickname the devil. Esther hates him with a passion and clings to her safe distraction: Oliver, the charming boy she’s always dreamed of.
But Mavis is more than the villain he pretends to be. Beneath his sharp words and cruel pranks is a lonely boy carrying secrets of his own. When a school scandal threatens Esther’s future, Mavis steps in to protect her, accepting brutal punishment in her place. His sacrifice forces Esther to question everything she thought she knew about him—and about her own feelings.
The truth changes everything. A shocking revelation exposes that Mavis is not her stepbrother at all, but the orphaned son of Bright Okafor’s late best friend, taken in after a tragic accident and raised as family to protect his fragile sense of belonging. With the boundaries between them shattered, Esther can no longer deny the powerful connection growing between them.
What begins as hatred turns into something far more dangerous—and irresistible. As emotions collide and secrets unravel, Esther and Mavis must decide whether love born from chaos can survive the consequences.
Book 1