The invitation arrived in a crisp, black envelope, embossed with a golden crest that practically radiated exclusivity. I stared at it for longer than I should have, my fingers trembling slightly as I traced the delicate edges. A gathering at the Darnell Estate, one of the most talked-about social events this month, reserved for a select crowd of Crescent High’s elite students and their families.
I should have felt excited—privileged, even—but instead, my chest twisted with a complicated mixture of anticipation and anxiety. Social events were never simple, and especially not when Damian Moretti had the uncanny ability to turn every room into a battlefield.
And then, as if the universe sensed my unease, the envelope slid across my desk at school that morning with a faint smirk attached in
