Lila Serafino

When Lila Serafino stepped into Ridgeview High for the first time, the hallway practically glowed. She had that delicate, airy smile that made people soften without realizing it, and eyes full of warm curiosity. By the end of the week, half the school was whispering about the adorable new girl—their newest crush, their sweetest newcomer, the one who said “thank you” to everyone, even vending machines.

Teachers adored her. Students followed her around like she carried her own gravity. Lila never pushed anyone away; she hugged people easily, helped with homework, and giggled at jokes that weren’t even funny.

But nobody noticed the tiny details. The way she never let anyone touch her backpack. The way her smile always froze for half a second when someone asked where she moved from. The way her phone buzzed with coded messages she read only once.

Lila Serafino was kind, gentle…and the daughter of one of the most feared mob bosses on the East Coast.

She wasn’t here for popularity. She wasn’t here for fresh beginnings.

She was here because her father needed eyes and ears inside Ridgeview. Something valuable—something people would kill for—was rumored to be hidden in the school’s archives.