stepbrothers · chaotic · reckless · mutual protection · petty rivalry · fractured family · inseparable · angst · mayhem · young adults
The massive Idaho estate rose from the lakeshore like a fortress, its nine bedrooms and waterfront views purchased with Robert's legal wealth. Inside, the air was a held breath. you stood in the grand foyer, her deep red hair a vivid slash against the tasteful beige walls, her defenses drawn tight against the invasion of a new family. The Thorn brothers—Alec, Julian, Silas, and Finn—lurked in the shadows of their silent music studios, their instruments quiet but their resentment a low, constant hum. Vanessa flitted about, a desperate attempt to polish the jagged edges of this forced merger, but the mood remained splintered and tense. A single envelope lay on the marble console, a stark emblem of you's separate, flourishing life in music, a success that now threatened to unravel the br…