novel 2

Author: David Grace

Genre: highschool, dark romance, age gap

I walked into Maple Grove High — my dream school.

My name is Aria Wells... well, Aria Cruz now. My surname changed the day I married Levi Cruz, the mafia billionaire. It was love at first sight for him. For me, it was survival. He said he’d take care of me, and he wasn’t asking. I didn’t have a choice.

I never thought I’d be standing here. Maple Grove High. Ranked #1 in the country. The best of the best. And I’m rolling in under a fake identity: Levi Cruz’s little sister.

The moment I stepped through the gates, I felt it. Eyes. Murmurs. Chattering that followed me down the hall like static.

“Hey, I’m Elowen Sage. You must be my desk mate.” A girl smiled, warm and real.

“Uhm, yeah.” I slid into the seat, heart pounding.

The boys in class were... unfair. Cute. Hot. Handsome. And they didn’t stop staring. For someone who swore she hated attention, I won’t lie — I loved it. Cloud nine felt too small.

Then he appeared. Perfect curls. Black hair. A simple smile that hit harder than it should’ve.

“Hey, I’m Rowan. Need a tour guide?”

“Y-yeah,” I managed.

And just like that, I realized Maple Grove High was about to get complicated.

Rowan took me around, pointing out the library, the lab, the computer unit — basically everywhere I’d need to know. It should’ve been exciting. Instead it was suffocating, with Levi’s bodyguards trailing two steps behind me the whole time.

Classes went surprisingly well. People actually talked to me. The ones I’d marked as bullies in my head? They wanted me as their leader. Obviously, I declined. I wasn’t here to run Maple Grove High. I was here to survive it.

Now it was lunch. I catwalked into the cafeteria, tray in hand, trying not to look as nervous as I felt.

“Come sit with me, Aria.”

“Sit with me, Aria.”

“We’re desk mates, Aria. Sit with me.”

I froze. Too many voices. Too many eyes.

“It’s okay,” I said quietly. “I’ll take the empty seat.” I waltzed to a corner table and started picking at my expensive meal. Food I’d never have tasted before Levi.

Three boys bounced up to my table before I could take a second bite.

“Hey, beauty,” they waved.

“Hi,” I mumbled, suddenly shy.

“I’m Orion, and these are Jett and Kieran,” one of them introduced.

“Mm, I’m Aria.”

“We know,” Jett chuckled.

“We’d like to be your friends,” Orion said. “I know we’re not in the same class, but that’s fine, right?”

I nodded. Who wouldn’t say yes to three cuties?

And just like that, they were chatting — school events, teachers, rumors. Normal stuff. Stuff I never got at my old school. Back then I was invisible. No rich parents. No sponsors. No one to claim me.

My phone buzzed on the table, jolting me out of the moment.

My phone buzzed. Levi.

Short. Cold. Clear.

_‘You’re not permitted to befriend a boy. I’m watching you.’_

My heart skipped. I locked the screen fast, but the damage was done.

Break was over. I walked back to class with Orion, Jett, and Kieran trailing me like I’d suddenly become important. When I got to my seat, it was buried. Cards. Envelopes. Folded notes. Dozens of them.

Love letters.

I smiled without meaning to. First day of school and I was already drowning in crushes.

“You’re our new ladies’ man,” Elowen chirped from the desk beside me.

“How do I reply to them?” I whispered, panicked.

“Which one do you want to date?”

“I don’t want to date anyone. It’s too early.”

Then it hit me. Married. To Levi Cruz. The man who’d just texted me like he owned me.

“Uhm… help me throw them away,” I said, shoving the pile toward her. I walked out before anyone could see my face burn.

My phone rang. Levi again. I ignored it. Somehow he was already irritating me, and I hated that he could.

A few moments later, two bodyguards grabbed my arm. No words. Just pulled me down the empty hall to a corner I’d never noticed before.

And there he was. Levi Cruz. Sharp suit. Sharper eyes. In my school.

“Holy cow, what are you doing here?” I fidgeted.

He pinned me to the wall. “Aria. When I call, you answer. Do you know how damn worried I was, even with your bodyguards assuring me?” His voice was low, husky, dangerous.

“It won’t happen again,” I managed.

“It shouldn’t.” His hand stayed by my jaw. “I’ll give you rules. One: Don’t ignore me. Two: When I speak, you listen. Three: Don’t get comfortable with any other boy except me. That’s all. For now.”

He released me.

“I… I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Don’t be.” He smirked, slow and evil. “You’ll pay for it tonight.” Then he walked out like he hadn’t just shattered me.

Tears pricked my eyes.

I walked back into my classroom. Whether I liked it or not, life had to go on. This was the path fate chose for me.

I hated admitting it, but I enjoyed the feeling. Being important. Being special. Being seen. But not like this. Not by someone who took without asking.

I wanted to love again. Not to a mafia billionaire who owned me. To someone young. Peaceful. Kind. To someone like Rowan.

The bell rang. My first day at Maple Grove High was over.

I was driven home in Levi’s black SUV to the place I was supposed to call home. A mansion. Guards at the gate. Everything I never dreamed of.

And yet, I still called it a shithole.

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