The clock in the hallway chimed midnight. The front door creaked open, and she slipped inside, heels clicking softly on the marble floor. Her hair was slightly tousled from the night wind, the faint scent of perfume still clinging to her.

Her mother was waiting in the living room, sitting stiffly on the couch, arms folded. The air between them was already charged.

“Again?” her mother’s voice was sharp, but beneath it was exhaustion. “Do you even realize what time it is? You’re never home when you should be. You think this is a game?”

She dropped her purse on the table without a word, keeping her eyes on the floor.

“I have been patient with you for too long,” her mother continued, rising to her feet. “Your brothers might spoil you, but at least they know discipline. Here, you run wild—rebellious, disobedient, no respect for rules. I’m at my limit.”

Still, she said nothing.

Her mother took a deep breath, as though steadying herself for what came next. “I’m done fighting with you every night. If you can’t live under my roof without acting like the world revolves around you, then you’ll live under theirs. Enzo will know how to deal with you—he’s not soft like I’ve been.”

The girl’s eyes flickered at the mention of her eldest brother. Enzo. The boss of the house in Korea, the one who commanded respect without saying much at all. Then there was Max, Luca, Marco, and Nick—her five older brothers who loved her fiercely but had no patience for her troublemaking.

Her mother’s tone hardened. “You’ll leave for Korea next week. If anyone can straighten you out, it’s them.”

She stayed silent, heart pounding. She loved her brothers—missed them deeply. But she knew this wasn’t going to be a vacation. In Korea, there would be no sneaking out, no late nights, no easy forgiveness. Enzo wouldn’t tolerate it. None of them would.

And yet, deep down… maybe that was exactly what she needed.