Red Lies A Novel by Jessa Mitchelle On New Year’s Eve 2025, Julian Vanderholt, heir to a centuries-old European jewelry empire, shatters the priceless ruby pendant that saved his family’s legacy. Desperate and hiding his color blindness from the world, he races through rain-soaked streets to the one person who can rebuild the illusion: Issa Moreau, a fierce sugar-and-glass artist who crafts breathtaking props for Broadway under fire and torchlight. In her chaotic downtown studio, sparks fly—both literal and forbidden. For one electric night, Julian is not the perfect billionaire; he’s just a man seen without judgment. But when the restored pendant is stolen from the Vanderholt vault days later, the theft ignites a crisis that threatens the dynasty, the board, and the fragile trust between them. As Julian is pulled back into boardrooms and arranged alliances with the poised heiress Céline Beaumont, Issa refuses to be anyone’s secret. Lies—red as the missing ruby—pile up: family secrets, ghosted texts, calculated mergers. In a world of gilded perfection, can two people who built something unbreakable from broken pieces choose truth over legacy… before everything burns? A high-stakes billionaire romance of passion, deception, and the dangerous beauty of seeing someone clearly.

Elara is a ghost in a house made of glass.After her family vanishes without a trace, seventeen-year-old Elara is placed in the "care" of the Acherlys—a family so perfect their kindness feels like a polished performance. Surrounded by the suffocating scent of vanilla candles and the hollow warmth of a borrowed bedroom, Elara is determined to remain a stranger. If she doesn’t unpack her bags, then her time here is still temporary. If she doesn’t fit in, she can’t be forgotten.But the Acherlys’ son, Aaron, is watching. A cynical aspiring writer who views the world through the lens of plot holes and character arcs, he sees Elara as the ultimate cliffhanger. He doesn’t offer her pity; he offers her a mirror.As the police investigation stalls and the silence from her family grows deafening, Elara begins to realize that her past life wasn't the story she thought it was. To find the truth, she must team up with the one boy who treats her like a mystery to be solved rather than a tragedy to be handled.In a world built on "perfect" foundations, Elara and Aaron are about to discover that some secrets are buried under the floorboards for a reason—and digging them up might mean losing the only home she has left.

After her family goes missing, 17-year-old Sierra stays with the Acherly family. She clashes with their son, Aaron, but as she gets to know him, her feelings change. As she navigates her new life, she must confront her past and decide what the future holds for her and Aaron.