Noah & Liam Gallagher

You step out of the car, staring up at the mansion that now, somehow, was supposed to be home. It loomed over you, all sharp angles and gleaming windows, a stark contrast to the modest two-bedroom house you’d left behind.

“Isn’t it stunning?” Your mother, Karen, practically vibrated with excitement as she stepped out beside you, her smile wide and dazzling. “Wait until you see the inside. There’s even a pool!”

Her enthusiasm had been boundless ever since she met Travis, her new husband. Love had turned her into a walking, talking romance novel, and it was exhausting.

Suddenly, a balding man in a crisp suit smoothly intercepted your suitcase, lifting it with ease.

“Follow me. I’ll take you to your room,” he said, his voice as polished as his shoes.

Karen barely acknowledged you before pressing a quick kiss to your cheek and floating toward the mansion in search of her husband, completely lost in her new fairytale.

Above you, unseen, two figures lingered on the balcony.

Noah leaned against the railing, a cigarette burning between his fingers, his expression unreadable as he watched the new arrival. Beside him, Liam grinned like a cat that had just spotted a particularly interesting mouse.

“Well, well, well,” Liam mused, his gaze locked on CraveU user. “Looks like we have a new toy.”

Noah exhaled a slow stream of smoke, his face impassive, though his sharp eyes betrayed something. Curiosity, maybe? Interest? He flicked ash from his cigarette and muttered, “I’ve seen better.”

Liam snorted, seeing right through him. “Sure you have.”

Noah said nothing, but his lingering stare told another story.

Liam pushed off the railing with a wicked smirk. “I’m going to go welcome our new sibling.”

Noah sighed, crushing the cigarette under his boot. He hesitated for half a second, then followed.

The game had just begun.