Blurb：
Embark on an unforgettable journey with Elara, a young heroine destined to save the kingdom from darkness. Alongside the mighty Dragon King, she uncovers ancient secrets and battles formidable foes like the Shadow Warlock. This high-fantasy novel is packed with magic, adventure, and romance, perfect for fans of epic tales. Dive into a world where destiny awaits and legends are born!
Content：
On my sweet sixteen, my three brothers came home with a girl named Sylvie. They said I have to treat her like my family.
I didn’t think much would change.
But years later, everything did.
Jace, my youngest brother, shoved me down the stairs for her. Asher—the oldest, who once promised he’d protect me forever—told me to get out.
So I left. Quietly. They thought I was just acting out. So they took Sylvie to France, didn’t even bothering to check in
What they didn’t know was that I’d signed my name on a contract—one that aligned me with our family’s biggest rival by becoming their youngest chemist.
Written in black and white, I could never go home again.
The night they found out I was really gone for good? They broke. Every last one of them.
1
Kaia’s POV
I could feel my brother’s hatred toward me, so I’ve decided to disappear—go somewhere they’ll never find me again.
“Have you made up your mind, Miss Renner? Once you sign the contract, you understand that your life—it all belongs to the Orman Group. Resigning later won’t be an option.”
“I’m aware,” I said, calm and steady.
There was a pause on the other end, then a thin smile in the man’s voice. “Then welcome aboard, Miss Renner. The Orman Group awaits.”
As soon as the line went dead, I booked a one-way ferry to Mexico. Departure: exactly one week from now.
One week. That would be enough to clean house, to tie off loose ends and to cut the cord between me and my brothers—for good.
I hesitated for maybe a second, then dialed Asher’s number. No answer. Not that I expected one.
Next up: Noah. Always the most distant of the three, but at least he was polite enough to pretend he didn’t hate me.
He picked up after five rings. “What is it?”
“Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve,” I said. “I figured maybe today, if you’re not busy, we could get together.”
I already knew they were busy. They’d be taking Sylvie to some expensive resort, same as they’d done every year since she showed up on my sixteenth birthday and turned our family upside down.
Noah didn’t speak for a long moment.
“I’ve got everything ready. All you have to do is show up. I even made Sylvie’s favorite cream cake.”
The sneer in his voice was instant. “You’ve got some nerve bringing her up. After everything you’ve put her through? She’s still in the hospital. Sprained ankle, fever…”
Right. The pool. Sylvie had fallen in, and because I’d been the one standing closest, all three of them assumed I’d pushed her—even after both Sylvie and I told them I hadn’t.
I ignored his accusation. “Then I’ll bring the cake to the hospital. No trouble.”
I’d never extended an olive branch like this before. Normally, I’d hang up the second someone mentioned “what I’d put her through.” But this time was different. I was leaving. And before I disappeared for good, I needed one proper goodbye. Even if it was just for me.
A faint voice came through the receiver. Sylvie.
“Is that Kaia? I heard something about cake…”
“She made you one,” Noah said stiffly. “Said it’s the kind you like.”
“Oww, that sounds nice. Kaia always makes the best cake,” Sylvie said, sounding like a kid at Christmas.
“I can stop by if you want the cake,” I said softly.
Noah didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no either. I took the silence as a green light and hung up.
I hailed a cab, went straight to my apartment, and retrieved the cream cake I’d made this morning. I boxed it up neatly, tied it with a bold red ribbon.
By the time I reached the hospital, it was just past six. Sylvie’s suite looked more like a luxury hotel than a medical room—complete with kitchen and dining nook. But only four chairs.
I already knew which one wouldn’t be for me.
Sylvie lit up when she saw the cake. She even insisted on sticking a candle in the center and making a wish before blowing it out. Then she cut a slice, took one bite, and her entire face lit up like a sunrise.
“So sweet! So perfect!” Sylvie beamed.
I smiled but didn’t say a word. Just cut myself a sliver of cake, grabbed a fork, and drifted to the sofa.
“I’ll eat over here.”
Jace threw me a look sharp enough to draw blood. “Someone knows her place.”
Asher blinked, surprised for half a second, then went right back to fussing over Sylvie.
“I heard France is extra beautiful during Christmas,” Sylvie chirped, slicing another bite of cake. “What if we all went once I’m out of the hospital?”
Asher chuckled, brushing a hand through her hair, “Anywhere you want,.”
Sylvie turned to me with wide, hopeful eyes. “Kaia? Are you coming with us?”
My grip on the plate tightened. I was nervous enough that my hands trembled, the cake nearly tumbling to the floor. “Probably not. I’ll be leaving soon. I have to… sample some new products.”
“New products?” Jace snorted. “Even working through the holidays. Guess we should hand you a medal or something.”
“I just thought—”
“It’s fine,” Asher cut in, voice sharp. “Might be better if Kaia stayed away a while. Wouldn’t want Sylvie getting pushed into another pool.”
The air went cold.
They didn’t know this little ‘trip’ of mine was permanent or I’d be gone in a week, with no forwarding address and no intention of looking back.
“Well, if you’re leaving,” Asher said coolly, turning back toward his plate, “do you mind if Sylvie moves into your old room at the mansion?”
I looked at him. There was no affection in that stare. Just a formality, like he was speaking to a stranger.
Jace chimed in again, eyes glinting. “She was always petty about sharing her room with Sylvie.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “She can have it. I’ll clear my things out tomorrow.”
All three brothers looked at me then. Like I’d grown a second head.
Because I’d never agreed before—not once. And they’d resented me for it. If Sylvie couldn’t have my room, their golden girl had to settle for the guest suite.
Asher narrowed his eyes. “Don’t agree to things that you will change your mind about it later, Kaia.”
“I’m not,” I said quietly. “I’ve just come to terms with a few things. It’s better if Sylvie takes my room. That way, you can all take care of her properly.”
Asher’s lips curled into a frosty smile. Jace rolled his eyes. Noah stayed silent, staring down at his untouched fork.
The rest of the evening slipped by in a blur.
Sylvie announced she was tired. That was my cue.
I picked up my purse, stood, and gave them one last look.
For a second—just one—I felt the sadness I’d been holding down for years crack open inside me. Once, I’d belonged here. I’d been cherished. Loved. Held.
Now, I was just a guest. One who’d overstayed her welcome.
“Bye,” I said.
None of them replied.
2
Kaia’s POV
Outside, the city streets were glittering with holiday cheer. Couples held hands. Kids carried candy canes. Every passerby seemed to be heading home.
Home. That word didn’t mean much to me anymore.
I kept walking. No destination. Just moving.
Somehow, my thoughts drifted back to that night—when the call came about our parents. Plane crash. Routine business trip. Gone.
I’d cried myself to sleep on the living room floor. When I woke, all three of my brothers were curled around me like a fortress.
Asher, brave and gentle, had held me tight and whispered, “Don’t worry, Kaia. You still have us. You’re never alone.”
I wondered if that version of Asher would even recognize himself now.
The sister he’d once sworn to protect? He’d thrown her out like she never mattered.
One week. That’s all I had left.
Then I’d be gone. I hope my brothers can be happy about it. It was not like they wanted me to be her anymore.
…
I was always the smart one. Top of my class. Genius-level in chemistry and physics. While my classmates lined up for jobs at Fortune 500s, I didn’t bother.
I went home.
The Renner family business didn’t exactly make Forbes lists. We dealt in drugs—the kind that didn’t come with a prescription.
And me? I was the youngest chemist in our entire operation. My job was simple: develop new products that could flood the market and rake in the cash.
My brothers never saw the value. To them, being a chemist was a support role. The muscle, the deals, the money-laundering—that’s what really mattered. What good were formulas if no one was moving the product?
They never understood that without me, there’d be nothing to sell.
But I had one foot out the door, and a week left to tie up loose ends. That meant finishing the final product tests in the lab. I buried myself in formulas, flasks, determined to leave with my work complete.
By the time I peeled off my gloves and left the lab, it was well past midnight.
Then I remembered—I still hadn’t cleared out my old room at the mansion.
I hadn’t lived there for years. But I’d never officially moved out either. My things were still tucked away in drawers and closets.
I slipped into the house like a ghost, taking the back stairs up toward my room.
“You look more like a thief than someone who used to live here,” came Asher’s voice, low and flat behind me.
I turned, “Sorry,” I said. “I’m just here to clear out my stuff.”
He folded his arms, staring hard. “You said the other day you were heading out to test new products. Where exactly are you going?”
“I…” My eyes flicked behind him. Sylvie had crept out of the shadows, watching me with innocent curiosity.
“Just the old lab in Cuba,” I said smoothly. “Nothing major.”
“Good.” He nodded once. “Do your job well.”
He turned to go. Sylvie hesitated.
“Kaia,” she whispered, her voice low enough that only I could hear, “how long will you be gone?”
“A long time.” I watched her face brighten like I’d handed her an early Christmas gift.
Asher glanced back. “Sylvie, is Kaia bothering you again?”
“No!” she shook her head, too fast. Then she turned to me with wide eyes and a syrupy smile. “I just don’t want Kaia to leave. And I can’t stay in her room. Please don’t move out…”
“Don’t worry,” I said quietly. “I won’t ask for it back.”
Jace strolled up the staircase, arms crossed and smirking. “Wow. So dramatic. If you’re really leaving, maybe just… leave. Spare us the monologue.”
I didn’t answer. Just turned and walked into my room.
…
The second I stepped inside my bedroom, the truth hit hard.
My childhood sketches were still on the corkboard. A faded family photo sat on the desk. In the corner—my pink tulle princess dress from my seventh birthday, still preserved in plastic like it meant something.
I swallowed hard and got to work. No time for tears.
By the end, I’d packed five boxes. Every trace of me—gone. Even the little pencil marks carved into the wall, tracking my height through the years, had all but erased.
They’d be thrilled now. Their golden girl could finally move in, unbothered by my leftovers.
I called James, my personal guard, to come load the boxes. He showed up within minutes, carrying everything out into the waiting car.
Outside, the rain had started. Soft, steady. Perfectly miserable.
Jace stood in the doorway, arms crossed, wearing a smug expression like it was tailored for him. “You better not come whining later. We’re not giving the room back.”
“I won’t,” I said, not even bothering to glance over my shoulder.
I didn’t look at the mansion one last time. Didn’t look at Asher, Jace, or Noah. But I felt their eyes on my back.
A heavy darkness pressed in around me as James caught me in his arms.
“Are you alright?” he asked, voice low.
I shook my head, fighting to stay conscious. “Yeah. No worries.”
James glanced at my brothers—expression unreadable—then turned back to me. “Let’s go.”
But of course, they couldn’t let me leave without getting one last shot in.
“Huh,” Noah said casually, like this was just another dinner conversation. “So that’s why you rushed out. Hooking up with your guard already? Kaia, I’m disappointed.”
I flinched. “I’m not…” My voice barely made it past my lips.
James straightened, stepping in front of me like a human shield. “We’re friends, Mr. Renner. Please show some respect to your sister—and to me.”
Asher scoffed, his voice rising with fury. “The fuck did you just say? You’re just a guard. You think you deserve respect?”
I tugged on James’s sleeve, my fingers curling around the fabric like a plea. “Don’t.” Don’t fight them. It’s not worth it. You’ll only get hurt.
James looked down at me, and the pity in his eyes hit harder than any insult ever could. It lanced right through me. “Alright,” he murmured. “It’s not like they matter anymore. We’ll be gone—”
“James!” I snapped, yanking him toward the truck.
But it was too late.
Noah’s gaze sharpened. “Gone?” he echoed, calm as ever. “What does he mean, gone?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “He’s just talking about my trip. I’m bringing him along.”
There was a flicker in his eyes, like he wanted to say something more. Like maybe—just maybe—he wanted me to stay. Or maybe I imagined that.
After all, why would he want me here? They’d forgotten I was ever part of this family.
3
Kaia’s POV
“They’ll regret it,” James said once we were in the car, the doors closed behind us like a final sentence. “Sorry if I overstepped. I just can’t wrap my head around it. What kind of brothers choose a stranger over their own sister?”
I stared out the window, watching the rain smear across the glass. “They didn’t always,” I whispered. “They used to treat me well.”
I was a surprise baby. A late-in-life miracle.
My parents had already been buried neck-deep in the Renner empire by the time I came along, well into their forties. Raising me? That became my brothers’ job.
There was a time I got in trouble at school—nothing major, just some stupid prank. The principal called for my parents, but Asher showed up instead. Dressed to the nines, tie crooked, pretending to be our dad.
He always protected me.
And Jace? He was reckless, loud, and loyal in the way only little boys can be. One night, I told him I wanted to see shooting stars. At midnight, he snuck me out through the garage, knowing full well Asher would skin him alive if he found out.
We lay on the damp grass in the park, counting stars like we had all the time in the world.
Back then, they were my whole universe.
Then it came just before my sweet sixteen, Mom and Dad left on what should’ve been a routine business trip. A quick meeting with some high-profile cartel leader in the South. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Their plane crashed. Both of them. Dead on the spot.
Asher was the one who brought their bodies back. He was barely thirty—and overnight, he had to become the new backbone of the Renner empire.
Dad’s most trusted man, Ary, died with them that day. Ary had a daughter—supposedly the same age as me. Her name was Sylvie.
So my brothers brought her home and told me we’d treat her as one of our own. “Family,” they said.
What they didn’t know—or didn’t care to find out—was that the girl they brought back wasn’t Ary’s daughter.
She was Ary’s niece. The sickly one. The one whose real name was Anna.
I stumbled across it by accident during a hospital visit. Her records.
The new Sylvie found out I knew. She and her mother worked overtime to erase Anna and replace her with Sylvie. The new and improved version. The pitiful orphan who needed protection. The girl with a sob story they could rally around.
I told Asher. I begged him to look deeper.
He did. And then he came home and accused me of lying.
“Don’t do this, Kaia,” he said, his voice cold and tired. “Don’t turn into that kind of girl—the one who makes up stories out of jealousy. I’ve seen Sylvie’s file. She is Ary’s daughter. And after what she’s been through, we owe it to her. If her father hadn’t died saving ours, she’d still have a real family.”
He didn’t see how Sylvie had wormed her way into our lives—one false sob at a time.
She was smart, I’ll give her that. Smart enough to know exactly how to pit me against my brothers. How to play innocent when I found her snooping around Dad’s study. I told her to leave, to respect the space.
But of course, by the time my words filtered through to my brothers, they were twisted. Warped. And since I’d apparently “lied once,” it was easy to believe I’d lie again.
Sylvie had rewritten me. Turned me into the spoiled brat. The drama queen
And my brothers bought every word.
Even when she jumped into the freezing pool herself—middle of December, no one else around but me—I was the one blamed.
I pushed her, apparently. Because that’s the kind of girl they believed I was now.
“Are you alright?” James asked, starting the car, eyes flicking toward me between shifts.
“Fine.” I turned my face toward the window. I wiped the tears away quietly, fingers trembling.
Just a few more days. And then I’d be gone.
If they couldn’t honor my truth, then what was the point of being honest at all?
Let them keep their pretty little lies.
I had a new life to build—one that didn’t need them in it.
…
I returned to the Renner lab the next morning, back to work.
I was halfway through finalizing the new compound when I heard voices echoing down the corridor.
Asher had brought Sylvie.
I’d told Asher once that no matter how much he doted on her, the lab was off-limits. This place held the Renner family’s most sensitive projects.
It wasn’t a playground.
But logic never stood a chance against Asher’s desire to spoil her.
“She can’t be here,” I said sharply, removing my safety goggles as I stepped out from behind the testing partition. “We’re in the middle of product trials.”
“I know,” Asher replied, completely unfazed. “She just wanted to look around. That’s all.”
I didn’t argue. I excused myself to the rooftop for a cigarette. A bad habit I rarely indulged.
When I came back, the compound I’d been working on was gone.
I searched everywhere. Top shelves. Bottom drawers. Finally found it—shoved deep into the farthest trash bin.
My hands shook as I retrieved the vial, its contents ruined.
There were no cameras. Too much of our work was classified. But I didn’t need footage to know who had done it.
I found Sylvie in the breakroom, nursing a cup of tea like she belonged there.
“Did you throw out the new compound?” I asked quietly.
Sylvie blinked—then smiled. And just as quickly, her lips trembled, eyes filling with perfect, glittering tears.
“Please, Kaia… I didn’t do anything…”
Her voice cracked like porcelain. Right on cue, Asher appeared, footsteps rushing as soon as he saw her cry.
“What the hell are you doing?” he snapped at me.
“She dumped our new formula in the trash. It’s unusable. We’ll have to start over.”
His jaw tightened. “Do you have proof?”
“I—”
“If you don’t, then don’t treat her like a criminal. You’re interrogating her over nothing.”
“Because I know,” I hissed, “even if I can’t prove it, I know.”
Asher turned to Sylvie, his voice softening. “Did you do it?”
She sniffled and shook her head. “No…”
That was enough.
If the new formula couldn’t be completed before I left… maybe it wasn’t meant to be.
Asher caught up to me near the elevator. We walked in silence, but I felt his eyes on me. Always watching.
“You’ve been strange lately,” he said. “Look, I know you’re upset. But you cannot lash out on Sylvie like that.”
I stopped. Turned to face him.
“Brother,” I said quietly, “you don’t need to keep making excuses for Sylvie. If she didn’t do it, then fine—I was wrong. But if she did… what exactly are you protecting?”
I met his gaze without flinching. “The sheep? Or the wolf in sheep’s clothing?”
The elevator dinged behind me. Before he could answer, I stepped inside and let the doors close.
4
Kaia’s POV
Tomorrow was departure day.
I thought the rest of my time would pass quietly—maybe even peacefully—until my phone lit up with an unexpected call from Noah.
“Are you coming home for dinner?” he asked.
The question caught me off guard. “Probably not. I’m busy packing.”
A pause. Then I heard the faint sound of his breathing on the other end.
“Today’s my birthday,” he said.
Right. I’d never forgotten their birthdays before. Not once—until this year.
“Sorry,” I murmured, guilt twisting low in my stomach.
Noah spoke again, softer this time. “So come home for dinner? I made pasta. Your favorite.”
I almost said no. I imagined walking into the dining room, only to feel like a stranger in my own family while the three of them orbited around Sylvie like she was the sun.
“Sylvie’s not home,” Noah added, like he could hear every thought in my head.
“Okay then,” I said.
…
When I pulled up to the Renner estate, Asher was in the yard, watering the plants. He looked up and smiled. “Come on. Noah made your favorite.”
It almost felt like old times.
At the table, Asher poured wine into my glas. Jace brought out the cake. Noah filled our plates with fresh, still-steaming pasta.
The air, which I’d braced to be thick with awkwardness, was surprisingly light. Even Jace made polite conversation, asking about the lab, like he actually cared.
Then Noah cleared his throat. “Care to join us for our trip to France?”
The fantasy of a French winter.
“I would be already in our lab in Cuba,” I said, carefully twirling my fork.
“Right…” Noah looked down at his plate.
“Can’t you postpone it?” Jace asked. “Just a few days, until we’re back.”
“I already made the appointment.”
Asher stepped in smoothly, passing me a fresh plate of salad. “Kaia’s always been the serious one. No use pressing her to come if she’s got work.”
“Want some?” Asher kept looking at me. Like there was something he wanted to say but couldn’t. Finally, he cleared his throat. “Noah told me… about the other day. Your guard. James, was it?”
“That’s right.”
“Well,” Asher began, choosing his words too carefully, “you know how people are around the Renner family. A lot of them get close for the wrong reasons. It’s important to know who actually cares about you—and who’s just after the benefits.”
I set my fork down, my appetite gone.
James was one of the only people who hadn’t treated me like I was disposable. And now, Asher was questioning his loyalty.
“James is a good man,” I said evenly. “If you’d bother to know him, you wouldn’t say that.”
“I’m just looking out for you—”
I cut in. “You stopped looking out for me a long time ago. This isn’t about me. You’re just afraid I might leak family secrets to someone who actually treats me like a human being.”
Asher’s eyes hardened. “You—”
The fragile peace shattered.
Jace slammed his chair back and stood, his cheeks flushed with anger. “I told you, Asher. She’s not family anymore. Spoiled and blind. Can’t even tell when she’s siding with outsiders.”
I stood too. “At least I wasn’t pretending.”
“Sit down, Jace,” Asher snapped, eyes narrowing. Then he turned to me. “I looked into your friend James. He’s connected to one of our rivals. The Orman Group. You need to be careful who you trust,” Asher continued. “Letting them near our product lines isn’t just reckless—it’s dangerous. If you—”
“Enough. Thank you for the concern, brother, but I can take care of myself. The last thing I need is you standing in front of me, acting like you get to question my friends.”
So this was why they invited me to dinner. Not to celebrate Noah’s birthday. It was a warning. Stay in line, or else.
If only they knew. I was the one who was about to join the Orman Group.
The dinner unraveled fast after that. Jace threw a plate at the floor. Asher stared me down like I was a traitor. And Noah… Noah said nothing at all.
I left without another word.
…
Departure day came faster than I expected.
James arrived early, his knock light against the door.
“You ready?” he asked, voice low. He meant for everything that would come after.
I nodded.
…
My life with the Orman Group began the day I stepped off the ferry in Mexico. Their coordinator met me at the port and gave me a day to rest before taking me to the estate.
The compound looked more like a modern manor—white stone, lush gardens, and smaller mansions dotting the land like scattered pawns in a game I was just beginning to play.
Mr. Orman met me at the main hall.
Early thirties. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Polished. Charming. And not at all what I’d expected from a man rumored to order executions between wine tastings.
“I hear you come from a family like ours,” he said smoothly. “What made you leave?”
“My parents died,” I said. “Figured it was time for a change of scenery.”
He nodded, eyes studying me. “A shame. I imagine they’d be proud of a girl like you.”
Then he leaned closer, voice dropping. “If there’s anyone you want to reach out to… do it today. After tonight, you’ll be off the grid.”
He walked off, leaving me alone with that choice.
I pulled out my phone.
My thumb hovered over each name—Asher, Jace, Noah.
I chose Asher. The line rang once. Twice. Then— “Kaia?” It was Sylvie.
My stomach dropped. “Where’s Asher?” I asked.
“He’s with Jace. He told me to answer his calls. You can tell me whatever you need to tell him.”
In the background, I heard laughter. Asher. Jace. Even Noah. “Come on, Sylvie!” they called, carefree.
I swallowed the knot in my throat. “Nothing. Just checking in.”
I ended the call. Pulled out the SIM card. Dropped it to the ground and crushed it beneath my heel.
There wouldn’t be a Kaia Renner tomorrow. Just a girl with a new name. A new life.
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