Twisted Lies (Twisted, #4)

Christian is the owner of The Mirage apartment building where Stella lives; he is a tenant in the penthouse suite. He is also the CEO of the elite private security firm Harper Security. Christian has dark hair, whiskey eyes, and a chiseled face, fulfilling the physical tropes of an attractive romantic hero. Stella dislikes Christian at first because of what he stands for in her mind: “My parents would probably love Christian. On paper, he was as perfect as they came. Rich. Good-looking. Well-mannered” (6). He represents the perfect veneer of the suffocating world that she is attempting to escape. However, despite her dedication to hating him from a distance, her opinion quickly changes during their fake-dating stint when it becomes clear that there is palpable sexual tension between the two.

At first impression, Stella describes Christian as lacking sentimentality. His sharp suit, calm verbal precision, and cool detachment all tell of someone “who worship[s] logic, power, and cold, hard pragmatism” (8). This all proves true of Christian’s characteristic Desire for Control, as “Christian Harper [i]s a man who thrive[s] on controlling everything, including his feelings” (44-45). His suits and his charm are like armor that he uses to protect himself against any genuine emotion or vulnerability. Stella therefore cannot get a grasp on anything personal about him.

Despite his emotional detachment and cold exterior, Stella feels perfectly comfortable around Christian, “like he won’t judge [her] no matter what [she] say[s] or do[es]” (283). Christian’s lack of judgment is a blessing to Stella, who feels judged by her family, her online community, and sometimes even her best friends. Because of this, Christian serves as a safe space for her, and Stella often tells him things about herself or her life that she’s never told anyone else. This epitomizes his role as a deuteragonist; while the novel is partially told from his perspective and he undergoes character development, he plays a supporting role to Stella, the protagonist.

Christian’s role in cyber security aids in the exploration of the theme of Right to Privacy. While his aim is to protect his clients, his technology and systems also give him unfiltered access to everyone as well. Though he might invade privacy to protect others, Christian straddles the moral lines and personal boundaries of his clients, his friends, and his girlfriend, whether well-intentioned or not. The novel casts judgment on his violation of privacy, but his violent murders of colleagues and stalkers are presented as protective and partially justified.

Stella’s friend group consists of the series’ other female love interests: Ava Chen, Bridge von Ascheberg, and Jules Ambrose. Though Stella is close with the girls, there is much about her life that she hasn’t told them. Her friends believe that she has the perfect family, and she’s never told them the truth because she doesn’t want to bother them with trivial problems. While her lack of transparency with her friends effectively highlights the depth of the connection she makes with Christian, with whom she does begin sharing intimate details of her life, they are mainly in the narrative so that Huang can close their own love stories at the end of the series.

Ava has traveled the world for her photography work and is engaged to Alex Volkov—a chess opponent and friend of Christian’s—with plans to marry in the fall. Bridget is the recently coronated Queen of Eldorra who lives in Europe and has recently married Rhys Larsen, her former bodyguard and a former employee of Christian. Jules is Stella’s former roommate and the only one of her friends who knows about the past stalking incident with Julian. She’s been dating Ava’s brother, Josh Chen, for seven months.

The Alonso family consists of Stella’s older sister, Natalia, and their parents, Jarvis and Mika. Much of Stella’s lack of self-confidence and fear of failure comes from her family and their treatment of her. She fears telling her family about getting fired because they already disapprove of her fashion degree and career path. They’ve consistently told her that working at a fashion magazine isn’t sustainable, that blogging is a hobby, and that her current work lacks meaning. At their monthly family dinners, it is expected that each of them share a work accomplishment at the table—something to which Stella hasn’t contributed much in years.

When she first believes that her stalker has returned, Stella panics and thinks, “Would my family care if I died? They might be sad at first, but eventually, they’d be relieved that the family’s biggest disappointment was gone” (117). These thoughts highlight the divide between herself and her family and her belief that they don’t truly love or care about her. This belief is due to their harsh judgment and lack of support for her dreams.

This conflict hints at the change that must come. Stella must tell her family how their lack of support and encouragement make her feel, and her family must also make changes to mend the relationship they have with Stella before it is beyond saving. The end of the novel and series hints at a reconnection with her family when Stella mentions that her family attends her fashion show for the Stella Alonso brand and continues to visit her a few times a year, and vice versa, afterward.