Five Hearts, One Sin

I stared out of the passenger window, watching the familiar streets disappear behind us.

I still couldn't quite believe we were doing this.

Moving into a stranger's mansion.

Well, technically, not a stranger. Mum had worked for Richard Harrington for nearly four years, and from everything she'd told me, he was a decent man. Wealthy, successful, demanding, but decent.

Apparently, decent enough to offer us somewhere to live.

Our old house was almost an hour's drive from the Harrington estate. Mum's job as Richard's personal assistant meant early starts, late finishes and far too much time spent travelling. When he'd suggested that we move into the separate guest wing, Mum had accepted almost immediately.

I hadn't been quite so enthusiastic.

"You're very quiet," Mum said, glancing at me.

"I'm thinking."

"About?"

"About how we're moving into a mansion with people I barely know."

She smiled. "You'll get used to it."

"That's what worries me."

Mum laughed softly, but I could tell she was nervous too. She'd spent weeks organising everything, making arrangements and reassuring me that we'd still have our own space.

The guest wing was apparently separate from the main family bedrooms, with its own living room, kitchen and entrance.

It sounded lovely.

It also sounded like something out of a film.

As we turned through a set of enormous black iron gates, I finally understood just how wealthy the Harrington family really were.

A long driveway stretched ahead of us, lined with perfectly trimmed trees. At the end stood a huge stone mansion, complete with tall windows, balconies and an impressive fountain outside the entrance.

"Bloody hell," I muttered.

Mum shot me a look. "Ava!"

"What? It's massive."

She shook her head, smiling.

The car stopped outside the front doors.

Before Mum could even undo her seatbelt, the front door opened.

Richard Harrington stepped outside.

He was tall, dressed in a perfectly fitted dark suit, with greying hair and the sort of confidence that came from being used to getting exactly what he wanted.

"Sarah!" he called warmly.

Mum climbed out, and he greeted her with a friendly hug.

"Good to see you. I hope the journey wasn't too bad."

"Not at all, Richard. Thank you again for doing this."

"There's no need to thank me. You've been looking after my affairs for years. The least I can do is make things easier for you."

His eyes moved towards me.

"And you must be Ava."

I stepped out of the car.

"That's me."

"Welcome to the estate. I hope you'll both be comfortable here."

"Thank you."

He smiled.

"Come inside. The boys are waiting."

Something about the way he said it made me suspicious.

"The boys?" I repeated.

Richard chuckled.

"My sons. I'm afraid they've been making a bit of a fuss about the arrangements."

That didn't sound promising.

We followed him through the enormous front doors.

The entrance hall was even more ridiculous than the outside. A sweeping staircase curved up towards the first floor, with a huge chandelier hanging above us.

And standing on the stairs were five men.

Five very different men.

The oldest stood at the front. Tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired and dressed in black. His expression was serious, his arms folded across his chest.

Alex.

I'd heard his name before. The eldest son, involved in the family business, and apparently just as demanding as his father.

Beside him stood Matt, who looked considerably more relaxed. He had a confident smile that suggested he found everything amusing.

Ryan leaned against the banister, watching us with an expression somewhere between curiosity and boredom.

Liam stood slightly behind the others, quiet and difficult to read.

And finally, Paul.

He looked about my age, with an expression that made it obvious he wasn't impressed.

Richard cleared his throat.

"Boys, this is Sarah and her daughter, Ava. They'll be staying in the guest wing from now on."

Silence.

Alex looked directly at me.

"How long?"

Richard's expression hardened slightly.

"Alex."

"What? I'm asking a question."

"Sarah's move is a permanent arrangement. We've discussed this already."

"Apparently not with everyone," Alex replied.

Mum shifted beside me.

I could feel the awkwardness spreading through the room.

Matt gave a short laugh.

"Well, this is going to be interesting."

Ryan nudged him.

"Don't start."

Paul looked me up and down before muttering, "Brilliant. Exactly what we needed. More people in the house."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry. I'm not planning on following you around."

Matt laughed.

Alex didn't.

"Just understand that this is our home," he said.

I met his stare.

"And this is where I've been told I'm staying. So I guess we'll have to manage."

His jaw tightened.

Richard stepped between us before either of us could say anything else.

"That's enough. Sarah, I'll show you both to the guest wing."

As we followed him down a corridor, I glanced back.

Matt was still watching me, his smile firmly in place.

Ryan looked as though he was trying not to laugh.

Liam had already disappeared.

Paul shook his head.

And Alex?

He was still staring at me like I'd personally ruined his day.

Lovely.

Just lovely.

The guest wing was at the far end of the estate, connected to the main house by a long corridor.

It was beautiful.

There was a spacious living room, a modern kitchen, two bedrooms and enormous windows overlooking the gardens.

It was more like a small luxury apartment than somewhere temporary to stay.

"I thought you'd appreciate having your own space," Richard explained. "You won't have to worry about disturbing the boys, and they won't have to worry about disturbing you."

I wasn't entirely convinced that last part would work.

Mum looked delighted.

"It's wonderful, Richard. Thank you."

"Make yourselves at home. Sarah, I'll see you in my office on Monday morning."

"Of course."

After Richard left, Mum turned to me.

"Well?"

I looked around.

"It's nice."

"Just nice?"

"Okay. It's amazing."

She smiled and pulled me into a hug.

"I know this is a big change, sweetheart, but it's going to make things so much easier for us."

"I know, Mum."

"And please try to get along with the boys."

I pulled away.

"Did you meet them?"

She laughed.

"Ava."

"I'm just saying."

"Give them a chance."

I looked towards the door.

"Something tells me they're not planning on giving me one."

A couple of hours later, I was unpacking my clothes when my phone buzzed.

Clara: Have you arrived?

Me: Unfortunately.

Clara: What's it like?

Me: It's ridiculous. We're living in an actual mansion.

Clara: STOP. Send pictures.

I sent her a photograph of the huge living room.

Clara: ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Me: I wish I was joking.

Clara: What about the brothers? You said there were five.

I stared at the message for a moment.

Me: Five. All five of them are absolute nightmares.

Clara: Are they fit though?

I rolled my eyes.

Me: Unfortunately.

Clara: HOW MANY?

Me: All of them. Which is even more annoying.

Clara: GIRL. You're living in a mansion with five fit brothers. This is not a problem.

Me: You haven't met them. They hate me already.

Clara: Give it a week. They'll be fighting over you.

I laughed and put my phone down.

Clara had no idea.

Neither did I.

Because somewhere inside that enormous house, five brothers had already decided they didn't want me there.

And I had no intention of making things easy for them.

I just didn't realise how complicated things would become once they stopped wanting me gone.