The Sweetest Sin: Crash Into Me

Welcome to Silverridge

RAVEN finished polishing the last pair of shoes and slid them neatly back into place, then she took a step back to admire her work. It was perfect.

Every shoe sat in a perfectly straight line, their polished leather gleaming beneath the bedroom lights. Satisfied, she dusted her palms together and grabbed the cleaning bucket, heading for the bathroom. 

When she reached, she pushed the door open with her shoulder and walked inside, leaving it wide open behind her. The bathroom was almost as large as the bedroom itself. White marble stretched from floor to ceiling, every surface gleaming beneath soft golden lights. Even the mirrors looked too expensive to breathe on.

Raven shook her head, rolling her eyes. 

"Who needs a bathroom this big?"

She reached into the bucket, pulled on a light pink rubber glove that almost reached her elbow and grabbed a cleaning cloth.

The porcelain sink came first. She sprayed the surface, wiped it down in slow circles, then buffed it until it practically reflected her face.

"Sparkling clean," she murmured with satisfaction.

She reached for another bottle and froze just then. A strange pressure settled low in her stomach.

She frowned.

"Oh no."

It wasn't a mild urge either, it hit all at once. One second she was cleaning and the next, her body had made the decision for her.

Raven squeezed her knees together, crouching low.

"You have got to be kidding me."

She looked toward the bathroom door, it was too far. Downstairs? That one was impossible.

She looked at the toilet sitting only a few steps away.

"...Well."

It wasn't as though she had time to debate with herself. She hurried over, yanked the toilet seat open, pushed her jeans and blue panties down to her ankles and dropped onto the seat. Relief washed over her instantly as she emptied her bowels into the WC.

"Oh..."

For a brief, glorious moment, the entire world disappeared.

Then a few metres away from her, the bedroom door opened, unaware to her. Kai walked in, one hand tucked into his pocket. He glanced around the room.

"I hope she is actually doing just what she came here for, huh," he muttered to himself as he headed toward the bathroom, completely unaware and unsuspecting.

He reached the doorway and looked inside, freezing instantly. His brain simply stopped for a second. 

There she was, sitting on his toilet. Her blue panties pooled around her ankles. One hand still clutching the cleaning cloth and the other gripping the edge of the seat.

For one impossible second, neither of them moved and neither of them breathed.

Then Kai blinked twice and widened his eyes, so much that they almost hurt.

"What the—" He couldn't even finish the sentence.

Jeez! He nearly passed out.

Raven sharply looked up and their eyes met, the color drained from her face.

"Oh my!"

She screamed.

~ Several Months Earlier ~

Raven Haler stepped out of the black luxury SUV and immediately regretted looking up. 

The mansion was ridiculous. No. Ridiculous wasn't even the word for it, it was out of this world. 

Her neck craned higher as her eyes traveled over the enormous cream-colored structure standing proudly behind ornate black gates. Massive panels of architectural glass caught the harsh afternoon sunlight, throwing blinding glares across elegant stone balconies that wrapped around the upper floors like a set pulled straight from a Hollywood movie.

The driveway alone was wider than the entire street of her last foster home. For a long moment, Raven simply stood there, anchored to the pavement. One hand gripped the duct-taped handle of her worn suitcase so tightly her knuckles ached. The other hooked under the strap of her faded black backpack, anchoring it against her shoulder like a shield. A cool breeze swept across the perfectly manicured lawns, rustling the water in a massive stone fountain at the center of the courtyard.

The SUV’s door clicked shut behind her with a heavy, expensive thud. That car alone probably cost more than the combined net worth of every social worker she had ever met.

Uncertainty settled like a block of lead inside her chest. ‘Leave now, or walk forward?’ She honestly wasn’t sure.

A movement at the grand entrance pulled her attention. Standing beneath the shaded portico was a literal welcoming committee. A distinguished-looking butler and a line of neatly dressed maids stood in immaculate, razor-sharp black and white uniforms. And in the center stood the billionaires themselves: Nathaniel and Evelyn Ashford.

They were all smiling. Not the tight, strained smiles Raven usually got from overwhelmed foster parents, but a look so genuinely warm it made her shift uncomfortably in her scuffed combat boots.

Standing against their pristine backdrop, Raven felt completely mismatched. She unconsciously tugged at the sleeves of her loose, charcoal-gray hoodie, pulling them down to cover the frayed edges of her ripped jeans. With her dark hair thrown into a messy low ponytail and her bare, makeup-free face, she looked less like an adoptive daughter and more like a mechanic who had wandered onto the wrong property.

"Raven?" Evelyn called out, her voice carrying softly across the stone driveway.

Raven blinked, her throat dry. 

"Uh..."

Nathaniel cheered, stepping forward with his hands slid casually into his trousers. 

"You can come closer. We don't bite."

A few servants offered polite, practiced ripples of laughter. Raven swallowed a sigh. ‘Great. They are the aggressively friendly type.’

As her boots finally crunched against the gravel, a young maid stepped forward, reaching out a manicured hand. 

"Miss Raven, may I take your suitcase?"

"No." The word snapped out of Raven’s mouth before she could stop it. Her fingers clamped down harder on the handle. ‘Never let go of your baggage,’ the first rule of survival went. ‘If they take it, they can search it. If they have it, you have nothing.’

The maid froze, her arm hovering in midair.

Realizing how defensive she sounded, Raven quickly cleared her throat. 

"I mean... thanks, but I'm okay. I can carry it myself."

The maid recovered quickly, bowing her head with a smile at the corners of her lip.

"Of course."

Evelyn exchanged an amused, knowing look with her husband, then she walked toward Raven herself. The older woman's steps were elegant, and her smile didn't fade for a second. It felt disturbingly genuine. Not forced, not fake, just pure warmth. And somehow, that made Raven even more uncomfortable. She stood there like a statue, not knowing whether she was supposed to shake hands, wave, smile, or bolt back toward the gates. 

Desperate to break the suffocating politeness, she blurted out the first thought in her head.

"Where is my room?"

A sudden silence fell over the porch. Then Nathaniel burst into a hearty laugh, the sound echoing off the high ceilings of the portico. Evelyn joined in, a soft musical sound. Raven immediately regretted opening her mouth.

‘Fantastic. Less than two minutes here and I'm already the family clown.’

"Straight to business," Nathaniel said, his eyes crinkling with genuine amusement. "I like her already."

Evelyn reached out, her fingers gently sweeping over Raven's shoulder. "Welcome home, sweetheart."

The words hit like a physical blow to the chest. Home. Raven quickly averted her eyes, focusing intently on the gravel. She hated that word, it was a dynamic promise that usually expired within three months. Thankfully, the Ashfords didn't seem to notice her stiffness.

"Come on," Nathaniel said, gesturing toward the towering double doors. "Let's show you around."

The moment Raven stepped through the threshold, the air left her lungs. Everything sparkled. A massive crystal chandelier hung like a frozen waterfall from the vaulted ceiling. Twin grand staircases curved upward on both sides of the foyer like sweeping wings. Masterful oil paintings in heavy gilded frames lined the walls, and the white marble floors were polished to such a high mirror sheen that she could see the scuffed soles of her combat boots staring back at her.

What kind of people actually lived like this? The answer was obvious: the kind of people who didn't live in her reality.

“My dear,” Evelyn murmured, stepping closer. Her hand gently brushed against the handle of the suitcase. “Let someone help you with this now. You won't need it for the tour.”

Raven’s mouth parted slightly. Up close, her nostrils were filled with the rich, comforting scent of the older woman’s expensive perfume. Under the weight of Evelyn's gentle persistence, Raven reluctantly let her fingers uncurl, releasing both the suitcase and the backpack strapped to her shoulder.

Evelyn smoothly passed the bags to a maid standing on standby. 

“She will take those up to your room.”

Raven couldn't find her words. For the first time in a long time, she was entirely speechless.

For the next twenty minutes, the Ashfords guided her through a dizzying maze of opulence. They walked past a multi-story library smelling of old paper and leather, an indoor spa lined with smooth river stones, a state-of-the-art home theater with plush velvet seating, a professional-grade gym, and an entertainment lounge complete with a pristine billiards table.

At one point, Raven genuinely wondered if she was still inside a residential home. The scale of it felt entirely like a five-star luxury hotel.

Eventually, they transitioned into a long, sunlit hallway lined with dozens of silver-framed photographs. Nathaniel slowed his pace, his posture softening. 

"Oh, these are the family pictures."

Raven glanced up. The wall was a chronological tapestry of achievements and memories. There were photos of a younger Nathaniel gripping the steering wheel of sleek sports cars, stunning portraits of Evelyn, and snapshots of sun-drenched family vacations. 

Interspersed between the frames were glass cases housing glittering medals, heavy trophies, and official racing awards.

Nathaniel smiled fondly, a distant look in his eyes. 

"Racing has always been the lifeblood of this family."

Raven remained quiet, her chest tightening slightly at the sheer volume of history on display.

Nathaniel pointed toward a portrait of a handsome young man with a broad, confident smile. 

"That is Lucas. He used to live here."

"Used to?" Raven asked, glad to focus on a factual detail.

Nathaniel nodded. 

"Finished his university degrees years ago. He lives on his own now, running one of our branches, but he visits often. He is my oldest son."

Then, a smaller frame slightly lower on the wall caught her eye. 

A teenage boy stood leaning against the hood of a sleek, midnight-black race car. He had dark hair and sharp, strikingly gorgeous features. Even captured in a still photograph, his posture practically radiated an icy, unbothered arrogance.

Nathaniel's smile widened significantly. 

"And that's Kai. Our youngest."

Raven studied the sharp lines of the boy's jawline. 

"So... that's him?"

"Our other wild son," Evelyn added with a tender shake of her head. "He should be around the estate somewhere."

Raven nodded slowly, storing the name away. It meant nothing to her yet, but the boy in the photo looked like the type who took up a lot of space in a room.

Nathaniel broke her concentration, continuing down the hall. 

"As you can see, racing runs deep in our blood. I know from your files that you aren't exactly a fan of driving cars."

Raven immediately looked away toward the window, forcing her face into a blank mask before her expression could betray the sudden spike of adrenaline in her veins. 

"I suck at it," she managed to say, her voice tight.

The tour thankfully pushed past the moment, though by the time they reached the ground floor again, Raven's brain felt completely overloaded. Every room looked exponentially more expensive than the last.

Eventually, they slid through a set of frosted glass doors into the kitchen. The space was enormous, dominated by a massive quartz island, yet it was strangely clinical and quiet. There were no bubbling pots, no chefs slicing vegetables, no rich smells of roasting food. Nothing.

Raven frowned, the emptiness making her uneasy. The kitchen looked completely abandoned.

Evelyn caught the subtle shift in her expression immediately. 

"Hungry?"

Raven offered a small, hesitant nod. She hadn't eaten since the airport.

Evelyn checked her diamond-encrusted watch. 

"The kitchen staff won't begin dinner preparations for another three hours. Until then, please help yourself to absolutely anything."

Nathaniel smiled warmly, stepping back toward the glass doors. 

"We will let you settle in and finish the tour of the grounds afterward. If you need anything at all, just call for a servant. Or come find us."

Raven nodded. 

"Thank you."

The couple slipped away, the frosted doors sliding shut with a soft hiss. Silence settled heavily around the massive kitchen.

For the first time all day, Raven was completely alone. The tight coil in her shoulders loosened slightly. She walked over to the towering, commercial-grade stainless-steel refrigerator and pulled the heavy door open.

She stared. Rows upon rows of pristine, meticulously organized items lined the glass shelves. Artisanal imported cheeses, exotic fruits, organic health drinks, and specialized cold cuts. It was a masterpiece of healthy, high-end nutrition. And somehow, absolutely none of it looked appealing.

She let the door swing halfway shut and let out a long sigh. Rich people really did exist on a completely different planet.

Just then, the phone in her jeans pocket vibrated violently. A genuine, unguarded smirk finally broke through Raven's defenses. She didn't even need to look at the screen; only one person alive called with that level of aggressive persistence.

She swiped the screen and brought it to her ear.

"What?"

"Wow. Quality greeting right there," Mia's voice buzzed loudly through the speaker, followed by a booming laugh. "Did you actually survive the arrival?"

Raven leaned her hip against the cold, seamless quartz counter, looking up at the ceiling. 

"Unfortunately. Mia, I'm telling you, these people are rich-rich."

"How rich are we talking? Golden toilets? Indoor fountains?"

"Worse," Raven muttered, her eyes scanning the sterile perfection of the room. "They don't even have instant noodles."

"What?" Mia gasped in mock horror. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

Mia burst out laughing. 

"No instant noodles? What kind of dystopian monsters are you living with?"

A small laugh escaped Raven's lips, the familiar banter grounding her. 

"Exactly what I'm saying. I'm looking in their fridge right now. They have got three different types of artisanal cheese. Multiple brands of sparkling water. And I still can't find a single normal thing to eat."

"Stay strong, soldier. Don't let the luxury corrupt your trash-food palate."

Raven laughed quietly, stepping back to let the heavy refrigerator door swing shut.

The magnetic seal clicked into place with a firm vacuum seal, the polished stainless-steel surface forming a dark, smoky mirror. And that was when the breath completely caught in Raven's throat.

Reflected in the steel, standing directly behind her shoulder, was a tall silhouette. A pair of intense, unblinking eyes were locked directly onto her from the shadows of the doorway.