Days turned into weeks, and Lila’s life inside the Vance Estate fell into a strange, new pattern. She was still a prisoner, trapped behind high walls and locked doors, but things had started to change. At first, every minute felt like torture. She hated being watched every second, hated having guards follow her even to the garden or the library, and hated that every move she made was reported back to the four men who owned her life. But slowly, she began to notice something shifting in the way they treated her. It started small, almost too small to see at first, but it grew bigger every single day.
Cole Mercer was the biggest surprise of all. In the beginning, he had been the worst one. He was the bully who loved to scare her, tease her, and remind her that she had no power. He would stan
