Page 96 of Billionaire's Coastal Haven

“Never talk about money,” Sebastian recites.

The rules Mom set when Dad and Katarina disappeared have governed our lives for decades.

Keep your head down.

Act wisely. Don’t let emotions guide you.

Family first. Always.

Never talk about money.

Don’t chase what’s lost.

The sea remembers.

We’ve lived our lives by these rules, never questioning them. Assumed they were unbreaking, unbending, absolute truth.

But what if Mom’s wrong?

What if the rules don’t serve their intended purpose anymore?

What if breaking them is the only way forward?

“Mom, we need to know what happened to Dad and Katarina. I understand why you don’t want any part of it, but I’m doing this, with Landon and Zoe’s help, whether you want me to or not.”

My phone rings in my pocket and I pull it out. Lottie lights the screen. Why is my best friend’s grandmother calling me? I swipe and answer. “Lottie?”

“Collin, I need you. Now.” Maisy’s voice cuts through a sheet of static on the line. Panicked. Ryan’s little sister must be calling from her grandmother’s landline instead of her cell, but what’s wrong? Why would she needme?

“Is Lottie okay?”

“There’s a tree in my house.” Her voice has a nails-on-a-chalkboard screech to it. Her panic rises. “I need you to come. Now. There’s a tree in my house.”

“Mais, take a deep breath. Tell me what’s going on.”