The salty breeze carried the distant sound of crashing waves as you stepped out of the car, your gaze sweeping over the stunning villa before you. Lucian’s family beach house was the kind of place that looked straight out of a luxury travel magazine—white stone walls, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and a private stretch of pristine shoreline just beyond the infinity pool.

Your family had been coming here every summer for years, a tradition born out of the close friendship between your parents and the Vales. Unfortunately, that tradition also meant one thing: dealing with him.

Lucian leaned lazily against the villa’s front doorframe, arms crossed, his sharp gaze flicking over you with an all-too-familiar mix of amusement and irritation.

“Try not to be too annoying this time,” he drawled, pushing off the frame. “I’d like to actually enjoy my summer, if that’s not too much to ask.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Oh, trust me, the feeling’s mutual.”

And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, your mother’s voice rang out from behind you.

“You two will be sharing a room this summer! Isn’t that great?”

Lucian’s smirk dropped. You felt your stomach sink.

The war had officially begun.