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A / N

I want to clarify three things, since some readers seem to take issue with the following:

1) Miles is NOT Kaden. If he were colder, harsher or even more manipulative like Kaden, then he wouldn't be Miles. (And aren't you glad that he isn't...?)

2) Darcy IS Darcy. Her narrative is singularly unique in that her narrative reads light-hearted and occasionally sarcastic. It might sound like a teen-fiction, but her development is anything but.

3) It's great to predict endings and everything, but to ASSUME that Miles x Darcy is/isn't endgame...???

Come on, let me tell the story. We're not even midway through.

x Noelle


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1 1

(the one without Miles...for the time being)


IN A SMALL town like Caverly, gossip traveled fast.

Woe betide you if you slept with your best friend's boyfriend. That piece of gossip would spread faster than the speed of light, and everyone would know about it within twenty-four hours.

I should know. It was exactly what happened to my cousin, Marcel, after all. When Liam Tulden had cheated on her with her best friend, Alexia Grant, she'd found out about it within the hour. Either Liam or Alexia had bragged, or someone had heard them through the walls. Whatever the case was, Marcel had stormed over to their doorstep just as they were getting dressed to give Liam a solid kick to his man-whoring balls.

The house of Evers had been sworn enemies with the house of Tulden ever since.

So it didn't surprise me that this town was all abuzz about Hale & Co. Most of it were false rumors anyway, and I didn't pay attention to any of them...

Until the day Ean came bearing dire news.

"What?" I nearly spat out my coffee when I heard him. We'd both shamelessly invited ourselves to our parents' for breakfast, because my dad made the best coffee in the world. And it wasn't a good morning without good coffee.

But coffee was the last thing on my mind now. "Hale & Co. bought over Blue Haven?" I asked, reeling from this unexpected development.

"That's right." Ean turned to Mom and flashed an unrepentant grin. "Your son's moving back in, Mom, now that Blue Haven's shutting down. So you best be prepared to serve him breakfast in bed."

"How strange." Mom's expression was serene as she buttered her croissant. "I was just about to ask you to serve me breakfast in bed now that you're moving back under my roof."

I ignored them and turned to Dad. "Is this even possible? Can Hale & Co. actually shut Blue Haven down now that they've bought it over?"

Dad shook his head. "Unlikely. Tenants have their rights. Even if a new landlord takes over, their lease doesn't expire and the terms of their lease cannot be changed. Maybe you should head down to Blue Haven and have a look," he suggested.

I nodded grimly. "I shall."

As soon as breakfast was over, Ean and I got into his car and drove down to his apartment. Blue Haven was the biggest estate in this town, and most popular among the young adults who remained behind. Its rent was not as expensive as Caverly Cove, which was where Brielle and the richest kids in this town used to live; but neither did it have the poor living conditions that Caverly Heights did.

It didn't surprise me that Hale & Co. wanted it, because even Sereinn and other companies had seen its potential. What surprised me was that Hale & Co. had actually bought it.

Hadn't Miles agreed that he would take my concerns into consideration before making any decisions about Caverly?

I bit my lip and tried not to feel utterly betrayed. But it was difficult, especially when Ean and I arrived at Blue Haven and saw the crowd gathered at the rec centre. Where before the emblem for Alpine Realty had adorned the bulletin board, now Hale & Co.'s took its place.

Damn him. He'd really done it.

"You must be so thrilled."

The familiar voice had me turning around, only to stifle a sigh of annoyance. Liam Tulden strode towards us with two friends in tow, and a brunette who didn't look a day out of college. The guys were intimidating-all ex-jocks, over six-feet tall, and glaring down at us-but I refused to back down. Beside me, I could sense Ean stiffen, but I placed a warning hand on his arm.

"Why would I be thrilled?" I asked.

Liam let out a biting laugh and took a step closer. "I've had you figured out since we were kids, Darce. We all went to the same grade school, played on the beach and grew up together. Then along came that asshole Callaghan. You helped him cheat his way into my fraternity, and I helped you because we were friends then. But we never really were friends, were we?" he asked, his voice low but harsh. "Me, Hank, Tucker, Max, Keith, Greg, Vince, even Callum-you never gave any of us the time of day, did you? I hear you've even abandoned the girls you used to hang out with-Alexia, Tiffany, Leila, any of those ring a bell? You turned your back on us the moment that little shit came along, and now we'll be homeless because of him. You must be ecstatic to betray this town for Miles Callaghan."

As disappointed as I was in Miles for purchasing Blue Haven, I couldn't help feeling defensive over him in the face of Liam's fury. "I turned my back on you guys when I realized that you were the reasons people like Miles were terrified to go to school. And I gave Miles my time because he was worth more than all of you put together. I was right, though, wasn't I? Look where Miles is now. And you...?" My lips curled in a deliberate smirk. "You can't even keep a house."

I knew that I was playing with fire with that insult. Liam's eyes flashed and he took a threatening step closer, only for my brother to step right into his path.

"You really don't want to start a fight, Tulden," Ean said in a low voice. As if on cue, several of his friends separated from the crowd to stand beside us. "Three twenty-somethings against two lifeguards and three college kids? You don't stand a fucking chance."

I tightened my grip on Ean's arm. As much as I appreciated him standing up for me, this was no place for a metaphorical pissing contest.

"Listen, Tulden," I said, meeting Liam's gaze squarely. "I'm sorry Blue Haven got bought over, but I didn't have anything to do with this. Your fight is with Hale & Co. So you leave me and my brother out of this, or I won't stop him and his friends from burying their knuckles into your pretty face. I'm sure you have a reputation to upkeep, notorious as it may be."

Without waiting for his reply, I tugged on Ean's sleeve and headed for the exit. But we stopped when someone else called my name.

"Darcy?"

I glanced to the left, only to find a young girl looking up at me with wide-eyes. Abigail had been my neighbor before I'd given Ean my apartment in Blue Haven, and I stopped to smile at her. "Hey, Abigail," I greeted, only to falter when she didn't smile back. "What's wrong?"

"Please don't let that bad man take my home away."

Her words, however innocent, felt like a slap to my face. My first instinct was to defend Miles-of course he wasn't a bad man!-but my second was to defend this town. Miles's words from before surfaced in my mind-why should I have any sentiment towards Caverly?-and, suddenly, I wasn't so sure anymore.

Had this just been about buying over an estate, or was it more than that? After all, most of Miles's old bullies were still living in Blue Haven. I couldn't care less about Liam and his cronies. But there was my brother, Abigail and the rest of the residents at to worry about. What would happen after their leases ended? Would the rent rise sky high, like everyone else suspected it would, and effectively force residents out of Blue Haven?

I hadn't wanted to believe the rumors before, but now...

I let out a shaky breath and tucked a curl behind Abigail's ear. "I won't let him, sweetie," I said softly. "I promise."

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