YARA POV

The scholarship email arrives at 2:43 AM.

Congratulations. You have been selected—

My vision blurs.

I read it again.

And again.

My chest tightens, and suddenly my entire future rearranges itself.

No more small-town gossip.

No more sharing textbooks with three different people.

No more wishing.

This time, I wasn’t the girl who almost made it.

I whisper into the darkness, voice shaking:

“I did it.”

The letter promises a full scholarship, housing, and a fresh start.

My mother mumbles in her sleep from the next room, exhausted from work.

Every sacrifice she made is in that email.

I press my hand to the laptop screen, as if I could hold my future still.

“I won’t let anyone push me around anymore.”

I didn’t know that I’d be sharing a penthouse with three boys.

Or that one of them would become the first person to ever break me…

and the first person I’d ever want to fight for.

AIDEN POV

The moment the housing director says “We assigned a new student to Penthouse 921,”

I feel something inside me snap.

Penthouse 921 is earned.

And it’s ours.

“We don't do roommates,” I say.

“The decision has been made.”

I stare at him, expression blank.

Because people assume anger is loud…

but mine is silent.

Penthouse 921 is

order.

Control.

Predictability.

A roommate is chaos.

Chaos destroys goals.

Riven will get distracted.

Eli will be uncomfortable.

And I…

I will fail.

And I don’t fail.

Ever.

“Remove her,” I say, voice cold.

“It’s final, Aiden.”

I walk away before I do something regretful.

Whoever she is —

she won’t last a week.

RIVEN POV

Aiden storms through the penthouse like a pissed-off CEO.

I pause my video game.

“What’s wrong? Did someone breathe near your color-coded notes again?”

He glares.

“We’re getting a roommate.”

My eyebrows shoot up.

“A girl?”

He doesn’t answer — which is the answer.

I grin.

This is going to be fun.

I stretch lazily across the couch.

Aiden hates chaos.

Eli hates loud people.

And me?

I love entertainment.

“Maybe she’ll be cute,” I say.

Aiden ignores me like usual.

Eli looks nervous.

I smirk.

“Relax. Worst case, she falls in love with me.”

Aiden’s jaw twitches.

Interesting.

ELI POV

They always underestimate how much I observe.

Aiden hides worry behind anger.

Riven hides loneliness behind flirting.

A roommate means change.

Change scares Aiden.

It excites Riven.

Me?

I just hope she isn’t mean.

Aiden walks into his room, slamming the door quietly — because he doesn’t actually slam doors.

Riven kicks his feet up on the coffee table.

I look at the blank canvas in front of me.

For some reason…

I pick up the paintbrush and write one word:

Yara.

And I don’t even know her yet.

YARA POV

I pack everything I own into two suitcases.

At the doorway, I pause and look back.

My mother is still asleep, unaware that when she wakes up, I won’t be here.

I swallow hard.

“One day, you won’t work this hard anymore.”

I leave before I can cry.

AIDEN POV

When the elevator doors open the next morning…

She’s standing there.

Tiny suitcase.

Big eyes.

Hope written all over her face.

Soft.

Innocent.

A problem.

She smiles — unsure, nervous, determined.

I don’t react.

I can’t.

Because even in the three seconds I’ve seen her…

I already know

She’s going to ruin everything.

RIVEN POV

Holy— She’s beautiful.

And she looks like she has no idea how fine she is.

Perfect.

“Hi,” I say with my signature smile.

Aiden steps in front of me like a human wall.

Possessive already?

This is going to be fun.

ELI POV

Yara.

She looks like sunlight walked into our penthouse.

And for the first time…

I wonder if maybe—

Change doesn’t have to be bad.