Novels by Stephanie M

NOAHI walked down the stairs, one bit at a time. Mother and Mr Hawthorne were downstairs already, but not even Mother's splinted eyes could keep my eyes in place as they were planted on Max's.He wore a blue tuxedo suit over a white shirt; the buttons were opened from collar to his chest, and his hair was a tousled mass of midnight black.I stared, but he stared harder. After what happened this morning, I would be a fool to think he was swooning in his head over me.Climbing down the rest of the stairs, I walked past him but not before dropping a comment I was sure he heard.“Why don't you take a picture?” I said, referring to myself. If he saw me as daunting, then he might as well take a picture of me and save it to feed his eyes in the future.Max drove in his car while I was stuck with my parents in their car as they talked about themselves and were acting overly romantic.I texted Evans the third time that day, telling him to call me when he got free; in minutes, he responded tha

NOAHIt's 3am, and my phone beeps a second time before I pick it up.It's Natasha, my best friend, and I could tell from her voice she had just returned from a party.“You called just at the right time,” I said, lifting my frame from the bed.My tummy growled as I stood, which meant I needed to find something to eat soon.“Really? Well, I hate you. I'm so jealous. The dressing room!” Nat said over the phone. Earlier on, I had sent her a video of my room and its contents, and this was her trying to tell me she was impressed with my new clothes.“I am not going to wear any of those dresses,” I acknowledged; those were not my style, and I could imagine being strapped in a bodycon dress.“Are you crazy?” she yells, shocked at my revelation. “Enjoy it !” she continued.By now I'm out of my room and heading downstairs to the kitchen. “I just can't stand the extravagance,” I explained to her, swivelling my glance sideways to know if anyone was around.“The house smells like poodle perfume.

NOAHEveryone has a pattern in their families or the way they face obstacles, and that was exactly what I knew Max, my stepbrother, saw me as ... an obstacle.He dragged me further into the bathroom and pinned me to the open door. That was how he handled his affairs, which made it difficult for a predator to escape his clutches.He raises my face to meet his; his damp, spiky hair still gleamed from the ray that filtered in through the window.He smelt of coffee and a musky, earthy scent.The blue of his eyes shone like the Caribbean Sea, so dark and clear. He had a tattoo and a body made for an athlete.“So you are that gold digger's daughter.Huh, step-sis?” and I saw my whole world shatter before me.He had seen through me and my mother; I could only shut my eyes and scream aloud before stamping my feet on his and running out of his embrace.God help me, his father had instructed me to meet Max if I needed anything, but the only thing I knew I needed was saving from Max and not the

NOAHI hated it here, the new life, the brand’s over-detailed perfume that made fresh air want to escape the room.And now Mom was here, and I could feel her sharp intake of breath and the way her eyes sized me all over, and if those eyes could kill, I would be six feet beneath the ground.Her unwanted daughter, the child that stole her life—that was what she called me, and after all those years, I felt she had found a place in her heart to forgive me, but I was wrong.She hated me all the same, and none of that was going to change anytime soon.“Mom, it's just the last one, and I am done with the registration,” I pleaded, slipping my hand from her grip.She stomped her right foot heavily on the plush red carpet that lay in the hallway, her anger evident in her features.“Be done with it; I need to introduce you to your stepfather,” she announced with a wicked grin on her porcelain face.Was this what it was all about, why she had come to pick me up earlier than usual and play all nic