At St. Augustine’s Academy, privilege and power run through every marble hallway. For some, this final year means freedom. For others, it’s the stepping stone to even greater influence. But for a few, it will become a life-altering secret they can never escape.

Isabella Marquez has her future mapped out; graduate top of her class, enter the most prestigious university, and one day take control of her father’s empire. Nothing and no one will stop her.

Especially not Alexander Hawthorne with his smirk and blue eyes, the Duke’s reckless second son. To Isabella, he’s nothing more than a chain-smoking, party-throwing menace who will likely end up in jail before graduation.

But when a classmate turns up dead in Isabella’s dorm room, Alexander becomes the only person who can help her prove her innocence. Forced into an uneasy alliance, Isabella discovers that behind his arrogant smirk and scandalous reputation lies someone far more complicated than she ever imagined.

And in a world where secrets are currency and friends can become enemies and enemies can become something dangerously more, Isabella may find herself risking more than just her future, she may risk her heart.



Dive in to explore Isabella's life as it either takes a turn for the best or the worse.


This book is participating in the cupids quill contest and your votes and support will be highly appreciated.

For a moment, none of us moved. The sound of the wind scraping across the rooftop filled the silence. Isabella's voice still lingered in the air, sharp, too calm to be calm.


She stood by the doorway, framed by the sunlight, her expression unreadable. Her hair fluttered around her shoulders, and there was something in her eyes that made my stomach tighten a mix of disbelief and quiet dread.


I felt my throat dry as sandpaper. "Isa…"


She didn't look at me. "What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice lower than I intended.


She took a step forward. "I came to speak with you," she said simply. "I didn't know you were… having a meeting." Her eyes flicked over all of us...Eilidh, Arthur, Michael, and finally the trembling girl standing beside Eilidh. "But now I'm here, I want to ask..." Her voice didn't waver, but her eyes gleamed dangerously. "...who's friend is sleeping with their boyfriend?"


Chapter 57 - What Could Not Be True