Prelude


For as long as any of the daughters of Douglas and Annabelle Dean could remember they had lived in the lap of luxury. Their mansion on the Sunshine Coast of Australia had always had been their home, with its many rooms, ocean view and exclusive beach. They had never wanted for anything and received whatever they asked for. In short, they were living a leisurely life with not a care in the world. Both Douglas and Annabelle had been part of the privileged society, their families wealthy from a successful law firm and car dealership respectively.

Despite their wealth, the Dean children were neither snobbish nor condescending. The eldest of the three girls was named Elle. She, like most elder siblings, had the privilege of acting like a second mother to her younger siblings, despite the small age gap between her and the second eldest, Maya. She and Maya had always been close growing up, though being shyer and more withdrawn than her younger sister she was often over-looked. Maya liked to take charge and many foolhardy schemes she dreamed up led her elder sister to more trouble than she would have found alone. The two were thick as thieves and (although they were not short of friends and admirers) were each other's best friends. The unexpected arrival of their younger sister Maisy when Maya was six and Elle eight caused things to change and Maya, despite her wild nature, become somewhat of a protector to Maisy.

Throughout the years, the two eldest daughters were thrown in the spotlight, though for different reasons. Both attended a prestigious private academy; open to only those of celebrity status and those with enough money to buy a small European country. Elle gained infamy for her quiet and subdued ways and her shocking preference to read books and volunteer at various charities rather than attending wild parties and mingle with other socialites. Maya was unfortunately the complete opposite and enjoyed partying, shopping and flirting far too much for most people's tastes. If Elle was sensible then Maya was certainly sensual and only took pleasure in playing the piano at her lessons once a week, the only night she was not engaged for a social outing.

After Elle's graduation, she casually studied a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English part-time while writing short stories and novellas for the rest of her time, dreaming of becoming an author in her own right without her father influencing anyone. Maya had no intention of settling down and continued to party with the new breed of socialites climbing the corporate ladder and the celebrities' children clawing for their own fame. By the time that Elle and Maya were 23 and 21 respectively the younger had been known to have slept with more men than the elder had read books and Maisy, only 15, was set on a warpath not dissimilar to Maya's.

However, it only takes a moment to change everything, and a moment was all it took to turn the world of the Dean's upside-down forever.