Chapter 1

• "Certainly, that outfit is abhorrent."
• That's his sole comment to Sophia. She lowers her gaze to the excessively juvenile sequin dress his mother had selected for her, and even though she agrees, it pierces her to the core. Her heart pounds painfully, and she swallows the lump that forms in her throat, nodding in his direction without revealing that his words always hurt her. He ushers her into the bustling room with evident reluctance, and their entrance stirs a minor reaction among the attendees.
• Some rush to greet them, some offer smiles and raise their glasses, but the entire event feels utterly contrived. Sophia puts on a brave face, enduring it and playing the role of the young affluent daughter of the Andres family, fully aware of her status.
• "Sweet sixteen... Your parents are really going all out for this one," Bernard, Leon's best friend, slips between them from behind, nudging Sophia aside while breaking their handhold. "Don't worry; I'll rescue you both from the forced romantic display. Your parents love to flaunt the impending union of the Hales and the Andres, a marriage designed to maintain their joint supremacy and keep their corporation intact."
• "Please tell me there's an escape plan," Leon relaxes his rigid posture, his naturally broad shoulders loosening as he quickly scans the room for his father or other watchful eyes. Sophia finds herself captivated by his mannerisms, which have evolved from an awkward child into a more relaxed demeanor over the past year. He's grown taller, filled out, and his naturally handsome dark looks have lost their youthful roundness. Next to a smaller and fairer Bernard, Leon appears mysterious and sophisticated, increasingly resembling his father.
• "Just bide your time. Stick around here for an hour or so until the older folks get tipsy and retreat to their VIP lounge upstairs. Then we, the younger generation, can get the party started," Bernard winks, positioning himself in front of them, and turns to face them. He sizes Sophia up and frowns with immediate distaste.
• "Sophia... What on earth are you wearing? You look like a ten-year-old in that." He disapproves as much as Leon does, and Sophia retaliates with a glare.
• "I didn't choose it... Leon's mom did, and I'm thirteen, not ten," Sophia retorts, sticking her tongue out at him and smacking him on the shoulder. A sassy side of her emerges when she's away from the watchful eyes of the elders, and Bernard leans in and pinches her cheek. He grins at her before ruffling her hair. He's always been like an older sibling who loves to tease her at every opportunity.
• "Oooh, feisty, missy. And here I thought all these etiquette lessons you were taking had tamed the tomboy spirit and produced something more refined," Bernard attempts to poke Sophia in the face, and she swats his hand away with instinctive reflexes.
• "Halt it." Leon nudges Sophia and gestures towards the far right of the room where her parents have turned their attention. Sophia's eyes follow his direction, and she meets her father's icy and intense gaze, a clear indication of his disapproval of her behavior.
• "Yeah, Sophia. Your dad will ship you off to a reform school if you don't behave. Listen to your husband." Bernard teases her, then sticks his hands in his pockets and looks at his feet when Leon shoots him a frosty glare. The visual cue effectively silences Bernard, making it clear that Leon doesn't find the term amusing.
• Leon detests the entire arrangement, although he's never expressed it verbally to Sophia or in her presence. Ever since they were informed, when Sophia turned eleven, that their future had been prearranged and they would be officially engaged when she turned seventeen, he's become distant and cold towards her. What used to be a warm and occasionally fun sibling-like relationship turned sour, and he now avoids her unless forced into close proximity.
• Their families decided at their birth that they would be paired for the sake of their company, to keep the shares and wealth unified, even when their parents are no longer around. Sophia can sense his efforts to maintain distance. The lack of emotion when he's near and the rebellious aura when he's made to hold her hand. However, he's obedient to a fault and would never reject what's expected of them. Leon will comply.
• "Where's Johnny, anyway? Isn't he late for your formal gathering?" Bernard quickly changes the subject and scans the room for him, taking the frosty hint. "It's not like him to be MIA when there's cake."
• "He got sidetracked by my grandfather. He's twelve now, and that means he's expected to start shouldering some responsibility of being a Hale son." Leon moves to a passing waitress and picks up two fruit cocktails, handing one to Sophia first and the other to Bernard before picking up his own, and they stand holding them.
• "Sixteen and on the juice... being rich sucks. The housekeeper's kid had a wild sixteenth at a skateboard park where half of them had to be carried home because they smuggled out half their father's liquor cabinet. How come we have to wear tuxedos and mingle with your family's business associates. This isn't a birthday party; it's a social engagement to create valuable contacts." Bernard has always been a bit rough around the edges, not suited to high society life, and Sophia giggles at him. He is the most annoying person she knows, but he's fun, and Leon acts more relaxed when he's around. Despite appearances, Sophia likes Bernard.
• "Surprised by this? I'm certain even my twenty-first will serve my father's interests in some way. It was never about celebrating his eldest son's birthday." Leon's tone is laced with bitterness, and he raises his glass to his mother across the room, who has now taken her place among the elegantly dressed adults who are congregating around the hall near the band.
• Sophia is accustomed to this lifestyle, so it's neither new nor intimidating, and she's bored.
• "Hey... Did I miss anything?" Johnny slides in beside Sophia and immediately links his arm through hers, leaning his head against her shoulder despite her being a foot taller than him. He's slower to hit puberty than Leon and still looks like a cute little tanned and chubby Hale boy. All big brown eyes and pouty lips, he has a softness that melts your heart. This is the baby brother of Sophia's life, even though she's an only child, and she adores him more than anything in the world.
• "Your brain?" Bernard teases and pokes him in the forehead.
• "I'll always be smarter than you, even without a brain, Bernard!" Johnny jests right back at his brother's best friend, accustomed to these quips and jokes from him.
• "Dad's coming; stand up." Leon slides his arm around Sophia's back, out of sight, and pushes his brother off harshly, causing him to flinch away. He's constantly aware of how they should behave and present themselves because their lives depend on it when it comes to their parents. He pulls Sophia closer to his side, away from Johnny, and then lets go of her completely. His hand falls back by his hip between them, but Sophia's stomach still tightens at the contact.
• Deep down, Sophia has always harbored some kind of undefined feelings for Leon, and his brief touch when it happens makes her insides flutter. She doesn't know why, as he makes no effort to have any relationship with her anymore.
• "You all look very nice tonight." Mr. Hale saunters over to them and pats his eldest son on the shoulder. He's an intimidating, tall, and muscular man, who doesn't look like he's in his fifties, but more like a handsome thirty. Leon takes after him entirely, with black hair that looks nice styled up, or messy over his forehead and somehow boyish, deep darkest brown eyes, and sallow skin.
• Leon is his mini-me. He stands as if he's the master of the universe, with a perfectly straight posture, and has an intimidating quality about him, especially when dressed in a black tux. If Leon ends up like him as a full-grown man, then POLO Corporation needn't worry about having a commanding CEO at the helm to continue their families' joint legacy. Intelligent, with killer instincts, and despite the classy and smooth appearance, Mr. Hale is known as a demon in business and should never be crossed.
• They all nod and smile, and Sophia immediately reverts to that nervous girl who starts fixing her appearance whenever he appears. Mr. Hale is not someone who seems warm and loving when you know him well, and despite being her father's best friend, Sophia has never really built any kind of bond with him.
• "Sophia? Sophia, darling? My mother beckons to me from across the room, and I exhale with relief seeing my beautiful savior looking for me to introduce to whatever women and girl are standing by her and curtsy quickly. An escape route so I can dodge Mr. Hale and his suffocating energy.
• "My mother is calling me." Sophia gives a respectful nod in his direction and quickly walks away, her body relaxing as she escapes from whatever Mr. Hale was intending, and slips into her mother's waiting outstretched arm. The one soft and welcoming presence in her life. Her mother is the only reason Sophia is still sane. She married into wealth and didn't start that way, so she has retained the kindness and endearing personality of the preschool teacher she used to be. Sophia loves her mother beyond words.
• "Darling, this is Liliana Masters and her daughter Odette. They're from England and over here on family business. You two are the same age, and Odette could use a little companionship for the next two weeks. I thought it would be nice to introduce you."
• Sophia smiles brightly at the sweet, freckled redhead, who's beaming at her with a wide toothy gap in her teeth. She's a little round in figure and much shorter than Sophia but seems genuinely lovely and bubbly. It's rare in this society to find girls Sophia gets along with, so she is always looking for that girlfriend, envious of Leon's friendship with Bernard. Most are afraid of her family name and power, and some just want to use her to get close to Leon. Every girl under sixteen in this city all like Leon because he's good-looking, wealthy, and has a powerful future ahead of him.
• "How do you do? I'm Sophia Andres. It's nice to meet you." Sophia minds her manners and extends her hand for Odette to take, smiling brightly, and is met with Odette's own mother's beaming smile, so like her daughter's. People tell Sophia she is a mirror image of her own mother. They are so alike that one day they will be twins.
• "Ahhh, Sophia, you're the little one who is set to marry Leon Hale, right? Odette was so upset to learn that the handsome boy she met at golf practice last week was already taken. I can see why though; you look very much like your beautiful mother."