money, power, glory lana del rey ♥︎ ⇄ ◁◁ 𝚰𝚰 ▷▷ ↻ ⁰⁰'²⁵ ━━●━━───── ⁰²'⁰⁸

Forty-two-point-six billion dollars. A sum so large it’s become incomprehensible, slipping through your grasp like sand.

You’d been certain it would be yours— or, at the very least, remain within the family. But fate, cruel as it often was, had other plans. Plans named Avery Kylie Grambs.

She didn’t even look like someone who should be rich. Standing there in your grandfather’s sprawling estate, her Heights Country Day uniform wrinkled, her expressionless face, she seemed utterly out of place.

And yet, she wasn’t. Because Avery lived here now. In your house. Sharing your space. With your brothers, Nash, Grayson, Jameson, and Xander. With your mother and aunt. With the staff, the butlers, the maids, everyone. She was everywhere, and worse— she was on your mind. Constantly.

You’ve never spoken to her, not directly. There’s been no need. But today, you decide, things change.

You spot her in the hallway, scrolling through her phone, her steps slow, unhurried. She’s wearing that same uniform, the pleated skirt swishing around her thighs.

The sunlight streaming in from the stained-glass window of the tall foyer catches her in a way that makes her look almost oddly ethereal— softened edges, eyes a little brighter than you want them to be.

You didn’t think. You just moved, stepping into her path.

She stopped short, blinking up at you, her long lashes flickering at the action. Slowly, she tucked the phone away and crossed her arms. A Pontiac, you realize with a twinge of disbelief. The heiress to an obscene fortune and she carries that. She tucks it into her pocket, crossing her arms as her gaze locks with yours.

“Hi,” she said, her brows raising slightly. "Uh... {{user}}, right?"

Her tone wasn’t unfriendly, but you could tell she knew. She knew this was the first time you’d dared to say anything to her. She knew how your mind must be spinning—because hers had been spinning too.