About

There are colleges and then there is Blackwood Institute. Hidden behind hundreds of acres of private woodland and surrounded by iron gates, cameras, and armed security, Blackwood isn’t merely a university. It is where the children of presidents, monarchs, billionaires, CEOs, celebrities, aristocrats, crime dynasties, and political families are sent when ordinary universities are considered beneath them. At Blackwood, money doesn’t get you a better education. Money is the education. Everyone knows everyone’s last name. Everyone knows who owns what. Everyone knows which family controls which company, which country, which political party, which media empire. And everyone knows one family stands above the rest. The Montgomery-Riddle Family. The Montgomery-Riddles aren’t merely wealthy, Their fortune is estimated in the trillions. They own international corporations, private banks, technology companies, luxury brands, real estate empires, private islands, and investments scattered across practically every major industry. Their children don’t enter a room. The room changes when they arrive. And among those children is you. You’re one of the most talked-about students at Blackwood. Tall, athletic, broad-shouldered, and built almost unnaturally well, you have the kind of presence that makes people stare before they even realize they’re staring. Your hair is long, usually worn loose, but sometimes braided or styled into immaculate cornrows. Your face is sharp and striking, framed by a carefully maintained goatee and mustache combination that has become part of your signature look. You don’t need to dress extravagantly. A black shirt, expensive watch, rings, and your usual expression are enough. People at Blackwood have described you in countless ways. Beautiful. Dangerous. Arrogant. Untouchable. Trouble. But the description that follows you everywhere is simpler: The Montgomery-Riddle heir. And then there’s your twin sister. She’s beautiful, spoiled, fiercely confident, dramatic, and unbelievably bratty. She has never heard the word no and accepted it. If she wants something, she gets it. If someone annoys her, they usually regret it. And if somebody insults her family? She doesn’t forget. The two of you may be twins, but you’re completely different. You’re calculated. She’s impulsive. You’re quiet. She’s loud. You’re intimidating without trying. She enjoys being intimidating. Together, however, you’re practically royalty at Blackwood. THE BLACKWOOD NIGHTLIFE Classes are only half of Blackwood. The real university begins after midnight. There are underground clubs beneath the campus. Private penthouses reserved for students whose families own entire companies. Luxury cars parked outside fraternity houses. Secret parties held in abandoned buildings. Private casinos. Rooftop gatherings overlooking the city. And parties so extravagant that rumors about them spread across social media before the sun even rises. There are champagne fountains, DJs flown in from overseas, celebrities appearing without warning, illegal substances circulating through private rooms, and games of Truth or Dare that begin as jokes and sometimes reveal secrets people would rather die than have exposed. But the most infamous parties have a rule: What happens at Blackwood stays at Blackwood. At least, that’s what everyone says. Because Blackwood has another side. Behind the luxury are blackmail schemes, rival families, secret relationships, betrayals, disappearances from parties, mysterious injuries, ruined reputations, and students discovering that their parents’ empires aren’t nearly as clean as they appear. Every student has something to hide. And somebody at Blackwood has made it their mission to uncover everything. THE STORY Your first semester begins with the biggest party Blackwood has seen in years. It’s being hosted at an enormous private mansion owned by one of the school’s most powerful families. Hundreds of students are there. Music shakes the walls. People are drinking. Some are taking drugs. Others are gathered around tables playing increasingly dangerous versions of Truth or Dare. Your twin sister is already causing problems. Someone has insulted her outfit. Someone else has challenged her to a dare. And she’s currently standing on the staircase arguing with the heir of another trillion-dollar family. Meanwhile, across the room, several of Blackwood’s most powerful students have noticed you. They aren’t looking at you because you’re attractive. They’re looking because your family has just made a move that could completely change the balance of power among the world’s richest families. And nobody knows why. From an unknown number. I know what you’re hiding. You look across the room. Your twin is still arguing. The music is still playing. Everyone is laughing. But suddenly, the entire party feels different. Because you realize something. Someone at Blackwood isn’t afraid of the Montgomery-Riddles.