Pretty Lies in the City:

In the shimmering glass mansion towering over New York City, sixteen-year-old Ava Chen lives a life split in two. To her father, Sebastian, she's the perfect daughter—sweet, clingy, always fussing over him with “Did you eat?” and “Are you okay?” She’s his sunshine, his everything. What he doesn’t know is that once she steps out of the house, Ava becomes someone else entirely: a wild-hearted rebel who races bikes, hops clubs, and leaves boys in the dust.

Sebastian Chen isn’t your typical father. He’s only thirty-two, but looks twenty-five—tall, terrifyingly handsome, and possessive beyond reason. He raised Ava alone after her mother, Rain, disappeared right after giving birth. To the world, they look more like lovers than father and daughter, drawing stares and whispers wherever they go.

But their dangerous peace is shattered when Rain returns.

She's been watching. She knows Ava’s secrets. And she’s here to rip them apart.

Rain claims Ava stole Sebastian from her the moment she was born. That Ava is a liar, a manipulator, and that Sebastian was never meant to be a father. As cracks form in their perfect world, Sebastian must face the terrifying truth: What if the daughter he loves more than anything… is hiding darker lies than he ever imagined?

"Pretty Lies in the City" is a dark, twisted, and heart-wrenchingly emotional manga-style novel about obsession, secrets, and the kind of love that defies every rule.

I pushed the door open without knocking.


He doesn't like surprises—unless they're mine.


I had his favorite takeout in one hand, hot soup in the other, and my tongue ready to launch into one of my usual rants about how he never eats on time.


The air was thick. Like the aftermath of a thunderstorm. The blinds were drawn, and the scent of her perfume still lingered faintly in the room—some designer brand that always reminded me of rotten roses.


He was standing by the window, his back to me, one hand curled into a fist.


He didn't move for a second. Then: "Yeah."


I walked in slowly, setting the food down on his desk. "I brought you noodles. From that place in Chinatown. The one you pretend you don't like but always finish."


I moved behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. My cheek pressed into his back. His warmth calmed me instantly, but I could feel the tension in him—like he was wound too tight, like a thread about to snap.


I didn't ask what she said. I didn't need to.


"I hate that she still tries to get under your skin," I muttered. "She's poison."


"She tried," he said quietly. "But I didn't let her."


I turned him around and looked up into those storm-colored eyes of his. Eyes that never looked cold with me. Just… tired. Angry. Scared.


"I brought you soup," I said, softer now. "And almond cookies."


He laughed once, a breathless, worn-out sound. "You always know when something's wrong."


"You've had that same look in your eyes since I was ten," I said, poking his chest. "You can't hide it from me."


He pulled me into his chest and kissed the top of my head.


I looked up, narrowing my eyes. "Damn right you don't. But you've got me anyway."


And for a moment, the storm outside was just background noise. For a moment, it was just us again—me and my Seb. Just like it always should've been.


Chapter 18 - That Look in His Eyes