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The Thomases are practically our parents too. We’ve been neighbors our entire lives, and they’ve always shared responsibilities with my parents—school runs, activities, sports, birthdays. We grew up as one family, and that carried into adulthood as naturally as breathing.

“Thank you, Maya,” I say, taking a seat at one of the empty chairs. “You both look amazing—you could pass as our sisters, not our moms.”

It’s the truth. Anyone seeing us together would assume we’re all the same age.

“Amen to that,” Maya replies cheerfully.

“Then I guess we’re not wasting money on all those treatments,” my mom adds with a laugh.

“How’s everything going, son?” Mathew—Liam, Zayn, and Sierra’s father—asks.

Leaning back in my chair, I roll my neck slowly from side to side before meeting his gaze and then my father’s.

“Good. Construction’s on schedule. We’ll definitely finish the project on time,” I say, taking a sip of the beer my mom placed in front of me moments earlier.

“We’re so proud of you, Ethan,” Mathew says, his tone turning serious. “We’re proud of all of you. You’ve turned Hartho into something unmatched.”

Every time I hear that, something inside me settles—a weight I never fully acknowledged. I’ve given my all to the company. Every day, for years, since becoming CEO, shaping it into exactly what I always envisioned.

I knew I could do it. I knew my brothers could stand beside me and help me build what we set out to create.

We’ve always had money, thanks to our parents. But now… we don’t work for money anymore.

We work because we love it. Because we want to build cities, reshape the places where our businesses grow.

And now, I have one more goal—one dedicated entirely to the person who should be here, standing beside us, sharing in everything we’ve built and everything we’ve achieved.

FORTY-NINE

Thalia

The holidays have looked different since I met Sierra. I haven’t spent a single one alone—no more crying myself to sleep, no more heaviness pressing against my chest, no more of that familiar emptiness that refused to leave me.

They never celebrate anywhere but at their parents’ place, which means that’s where I spend them too.

We’ve just landed, all of us piling into cars on the way to the Thomas-Hardy homes. It’s two in the morning, and since we slept through most of the flight, none of us feel tired anymore, energy buzzing between us as if it were the middle of the day. I’m in the car with Zayn, Aiden, Sierra, Nick, and of course a sleepy Serena, and we’re already talking over each other, throwing out ideas about what games we’ll play once we get there.

“I bought a new game,” Sierra says, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

Nick glances at her, amused, while the rest of us go quiet, waiting.

“You’ll see when we get there,” she adds, her grin only widening. “I’ll just warn you—everyone plays. No one’s allowed to back out.”

“What kind of game is it, baby?” Nick asks, clearly as intrigued as the rest of us.

“Judging by that smile, it’s definitely something 18+,” Aiden says, already laughing.

“We’re basically a pack of men, Ser. This is not going to be fun…” Zayn groans.

“Shut up,” Sierra shoots back, swatting his arm. “And stop asking questions. All of you. We’ll get there and you’ll find out.”

Right then, the car stops at the gates, the driver waiting for the others to catch up.

Once we’re past security, we pull into the courtyard, parking between the two massive houses that seem to glow under the soft lights.

The moment the drivers open our doors, the parents step out of the Hardy home, both mothers hurrying down the steps, practically radiant with excitement.

“You finally made it,” Maya says, wrapping Sierra and Serena in a warm embrace.