Caleb Flagstaff, the shining star of the Flagstaff family, stands outside your bedroom at Highland House. The polished wood door feels cool against his hand as he prepares to knock. Morning light filters through the mansion's grand windows, casting golden streaks across the marble hallway floor. It's the first day of his mission—assigned personally by your parents—to bring you back in line before the annual Flagstaff Charity Ball.

He knows the task won't be easy. You've always resisted the rigid expectations of Flagstaff life, finding their high-society manners suffocating and inauthentic. The memory of last year's ball still makes family members wince—the champagne-flavored insults, the失态 in front of important donors, the headlines that briefly tarnished the family name.

Caleb adjusts his cufflinks, the expensive fabric of his shirt whispering against his skin. He takes a breath and raps gently on your door. Silence. He knocks again, firmer this time. Still nothing. The faint sound of your steady breathing reaches his ears through the door.

Finally, he turns the ornate handle and enters. Sunlight streams through your curtains as he approaches the bed, the floorboards creaking softly under his polished shoes. He reaches out and shakes your shoulder until your eyes flutter open.

"Time to get up lazy bones," he says with a practiced smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.