You Will Be Mine

I shoved my phone into my pocket and reached for the front

door. The second I stepped inside, I called out, "I'm home!"

It was late, yeah, but knowing Julie, she was definitely

still awake — probably in some room getting wrecked by the gardener, the gatekeeper,

or some crusty old sugar daddy. I shut the door behind me, not even trying to

be quiet about it.

"Julie!" I called again, voice echoing through the hallway.

No answer.

I started up the stairs and that's when I heard it — loud,

breathy moans coming from one of the spare rooms we barely used. I stopped dead

in my tracks, sighed, and dragged a hand down my face.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

I stomped over and banged hard on the door. "Julie! What the

fuck?!"

The moaning died down in an instant. A moment later, the

door cracked open, and there she was — wrapped in nothing but a damn blanket,

her lipstick smudged and her curls all over the place.

"Baby, you're home," she said with a grin. "Did you have

fun?"

I scoffed, completely over it. "I'm going to my room."

"Okay, honey. Goodnight," she chimed, like she hadn't just

been getting railed two seconds ago, and shut the door again with the fakest

sweet smile.

This was my life.

After my father found out I liked guys, he didn't even

hesitate — cut me off completely. Disowned me like I was some stranger. As far

as the Almasi family was concerned, I was dead weight, a disappointment they

wanted nothing to do with. All of them — my uncles, cousins, even the help —

looked at me like I was nothing.

The only one who might've stood up for me was my mom. But

she was gone. I didn't even like thinking about her too much. It hurt more than

I was willing to admit.

Julie — the youngest of the Almasi siblings — was the only

one who stepped in. Not because she was responsible. No, God no. But maybe

because she saw something in me… or maybe because she just liked chaos.

Whatever the case, here I was. Seventeen, disowned, and

somehow already a successful entrepreneur. My company was doing pretty damn

well, even if no one in the family wanted to acknowledge it. I was still an

Almasi, whether they liked it or not. And Almasis didn't fail.

Still… despite all that… my heart wasn't in any of it

tonight.

My thoughts drifted back to him. The one who started it all

— the first person who made my chest ache in ways I didn't understand until

much later. The first boy I ever fell for. The one who made me feel seen… and

then vanished like a ghost.

I'd been searching for him ever since.

Not just following some gut instinct. No, I did my research.

Yearbooks, competition records, old school festival videos — anything I could

get my hands on. It became an obsession. I'd transferred schools more times

than I could count, dragging myself through unfamiliar classrooms and fake

smiles just to chase a shadow of a maybe.

Every time I thought I was close, I'd hit another dead end.

But this time felt different.

A blurry photo from a middle school sports day three years

ago. A boy in the background with the same smile I could never forget. The logo

on his hoodie read Silvermist Middle. That was the lead that finally brought me

here — Silvermist High.

And if he really did move up the way most students did, then

this might be my last chance.

Tomorrow, I'd be starting my final year. New school. New

people. Same mission.

I didn't care about grades or school rankings. I'd already

built my own thing — my company was thriving, no matter what the Almasis

thought. But this?

This was personal.

I was going to find him.

No matter what it took.

_ _ _

The next day couldn't have come soon enough.

Sleep was impossible. My brain wouldn't shut up—thoughts

crashing over each other like waves in a storm. What if this was all for

nothing? What if I transferred to Silvermist High, only to find… nothing? No

familiar smile. No clue. Just another dead end in a string of false hopes.

Maybe I should just quit. Let it go. Accept that the ghost

I've been chasing isn't real anymore.

Or worse, maybe just give in to Theo—he's safe, predictable,

and actually wants me.

Or maybe I'll end up like Julie. Chasing men twice my age

just to feel alive.

Speak of the devil—Julie barged into my room like she paid

rent. (She didn't.)

I was already halfway dressed, fumbling with my tie when she

walked in without so much as a knock.

"Don't you ever knock, woman?" I muttered, not even looking

at her.

She breezed right past my tone like it didn't exist, smiled

that signature messy-smug Julie smile, and planted a kiss on my cheek. "I just

came to check on my little Venus flytrap."

"…Excuse me?" I blinked, unsure whether to be offended,

flattered, or concerned.

She just laughed, patted my back, and headed toward the

hallway. "Have fun at school, dear! Oh, by the way—I'll be taking my car out

today."

Of course she was.

We had two cars in the driveway. The sleek black Aston

Martin DB11, all curves and power, technically belonged to her—but I loved

driving it more than life itself. Mine? A very respectable Toyota Supra

GR—fast, smooth, and reliable, but next to hers? I might as well show up in a

shopping cart.

Julie jingled the keys in her hand with a smug little smirk.

"Seriously?" I groaned.

"Yep." She winked like I should thank her.

Julie was spoiled rotten by her older brothers. Never worked

a day in her life, but could walk into any dealership, point at something, and

have it gift-wrapped by the next hour. The Almasi boys worshipped her—she was

their baby sister, after all. Rich, reckless, and untouchable.

Still… she wasn't all bad.

Annoying? Yes. Drama queen? Absolutely. But she took me in

when no one else did. She might've done it for the chaos, but at least she

cared.

Her only real flaw?

She had this thing for older men. And I don't mean "a few

years older." I mean divorced twice and owns a yacht older. Would it kill her

to try dating someone from her own generation?

Whatever. Not my business.

I grabbed my keys, sighed, and headed out.

Today was the day.

Silvermist High.

And if fate was real, the boy I'd been chasing across half

the damn city would be waiting behind one of those doors.

Let's see if you're real… or just a memory that refuses to

die.