Chapter 1
JACE'S POV
“Sir, when are you planning to reveal your son?”
“Sir, is your son the next heir in line?”
“Sir, is your son—”
I sighed, sinking deeper into the couch as the TV screen flashed with microphones, blinding camera flashes, and my father’s composed expression as he dodged every question. Always the same questions. Always about me. As if I were some classified secret tucked away in a vault instead of a living, breathing person.
I grabbed the remote and flipped the TV off with more force than necessary, tossing it onto the cushion beside me. Silence filled the massive living room, the kind of silence that made the walls feel even more suffocating.
My phone buzzed. Neo. Finally, a distraction.
It was from Neo—my best friend. His dad owned one of the biggest real estate companies in California, but Neo wasn’t like the rest of the spoiled heirs I’d grown up around. I still remember the first time we met, at one of my father’s painfully extravagant charity galas. I was standing by the dessert table, bored out of my mind, when he walked up with the same glazed-over expression I wore whenever I was dragged into my father’s world.
Instead of boasting about which luxury car he drove or how many vacation homes his family had, Neo cracked a joke about the shrimp cocktail being the only reason to survive those events. I laughed—really laughed—for the first time that night. That’s when I knew he was different. Down-to-earth, sharp-witted, and not obsessed with flaunting his family’s money. From that day forward, we just clicked.
He became the one person I could actually talk to without feeling like I had to put on an act.
Although, he lived in California and I lived in New York, the distance never changed our friendship.
“Hey, dude,” his voice practically sang through the speaker.
“What’s got you so happy?” I asked, leaning back into the couch, a scoff escaping me.
“You won’t believe it—I told you about the basketball league, right? We won our first match today!”
Despite myself, I grinned. “That’s awesome, man.”
“This deserves a celebration,” I added, picturing him already surrounded by his teammates.
“Oh, it’s happening. We’re celebrating tonight. And guess what—the cheerleaders are coming too. Jennie’s gonna be there, and I think I finally have a chance.” He sounded giddy, like a kid sneaking candy before dinner.
I chuckled, shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable.”
“I wish you were here, bro,” Neo said suddenly, and that familiar sting hit me right in the chest.
“You think I don’t want that?” I muttered, bitterness dripping from my voice. “My dad keeps me hidden from the world like I’m some… shameful secret. Everything was normal before, but then one day—boom—he decided I don’t get to exist publicly anymore.”
Neo went quiet for a second before replying. “So what’s the plan, huh? Finish your last year of high school trapped in that mausoleum of a house? Dude, why don’t you ask him to send you here? To California?”
I laughed humorlessly. “You think he’d actually let me leave the house? Forget California, he doesn’t even let me step past the damn driveway.”
“You’re an idiot.” His voice was sharp now. “Jace, no one here knows you. That’s the point—you’ve been hidden so well, you’re basically a ghost. My dad’s on the school board. He could get you transferred in. You could even change your name, blend in, and finally live like… well, like a teenager.”
The idea… it didn’t sound insane. For the first time in years, it actually sounded possible.
“Just ask him,” Neo urged.
We talked for a bit longer about his party, his stupid crush on Jennie, and how he planned to make a move tonight. But even after I hung up, his words stayed with me. A normal life. A real one. Could I actually…?
The front door opened, and my father’s voice boomed into the living room. “Maria, coffee.”
He strode in, immaculate in his tailored suit, as if he’d stepped right out of Forbes magazine. I stood quickly, nerves fluttering in my stomach. Timing was everything with him—catch him on a bad day and you’d regret it.
“Hey, Dad,” I said carefully.
He sat down across from me and gestured. “Sit. Why are you standing like a soldier?” His lips curved into a faint smile. Good mood. Perfect.
“Dad, can I… ask you something?” My palms were already clammy.
He looked intrigued. “Go ahead.”
“Can I finish my last year of high school in California? With Neo?”
The softness in his face vanished instantly. “No.”
I’d expected it, but it still stung.
“Dad, please.”
“Jace, I’ve told you not to start this again,” he said firmly, his tone final.
Something inside me snapped. “You’ve kept me locked up in this house for years. Do you even realize what that’s like? I’m eighteen. I could walk out right now, but I don’t—I stay, because I respect you. But can’t you respect me enough to let me live for once? Just one year of freedom!”
His gaze hardened, but beneath it, I caught something—fear. Genuine fear.
“You think this is about control?” he said quietly. “If you step out there, you won’t last a day. The media will devour you. You’ll have no privacy. And I have enemies, Jace. People who would use you to get to me. You’re my only son. My heir. You don’t understand how dangerous it is.”
I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. “Then let me be clever about it. No one knows me in California. I’ll change my name, blend in, finish my last year like every other senior. No one has to know who I really am.”
For a heartbeat, I thought I saw him waver. His jaw tightened, his eyes flickered—but then he stood, shaking his head. “I can’t risk it.”
I shot up from the couch. “Why can’t you just let me live? Do you get some kind of twisted satisfaction from watching me rot away in this mansion? I hate this, Dad. I hate you for keeping me here, for ruining my life. Would it really kill you to let your own son be happy?”
That stopped him. He froze, then turned to face me fully, his expression unreadable.
“Only on one condition,” he finally said.
My breath hitched. Did I hear that right?
“What condition?”
“You take a bodyguard. Everywhere. No arguments.”
A grin spread across my face before I could stop it. “Done.” I didn’t even care—I’d take a hundred bodyguards if it meant I could finally breathe.
“Thank you, Dad!” I rushed forward and hugged him, surprising us both.
Before he could change his mind, I bolted upstairs, phone in hand, already dialing Neo. My heart raced with excitement. For the first time in forever, I felt alive. I had a chance to live my own story now. And I wasn’t going to waste it.
