3: Tattooed Rudeness

Celeste.

I didn’t spend Saturday at home. And I definitely didn’t spend it at my mother’s wedding either.

Instead, I stayed with Anna, flipping through old campaign catalogs because there was no way I would pretend to be the devoted daughter of a woman who didn’t care one bit about how I felt.

By nighttime, Anna had already started casting worried glances my way.

“Celeste, you know avoiding a problem doesn’t actually solve it, right?” I heard her quiet voice while flipping through one of the catalogs.

My finger froze as my lips curved faintly. “Yes, Therapist Ann,” I teased.

“So, what exactly would you have me do? Attend a wedding I don’t approve of and start tossing flower petals?” I asked with a raised brow.

Anna shook her head as she sat beside me. “I don’t know. Maybe try getting to know the family? I mean, she’s married already. Legally speaking, you’ve got a stepfather now.”

“Hell no,” I snapped instantly, a scowl etched on my face.

“I’m not interested in meeting any of her creepy rich men.”

She gave me a pointed stare that made me roll my eyes. “You haven’t even met them yet.”

“I don’t care, babe. You, out of everyone in my life, knew how much I despise wealthy people,” I murmured.

She sighed. “You know what?... I’ll let you handle this your way.”

I smiled at her. Honestly, Anna was the only reason I wasn’t completely losing my sanity.

~~

The day slipped by in a haze, and it was finally Sunday morning.

Anna and I were already out in town, doing whatever we could to distract me from the fact that my mother had already moved in with her affluent husband, sold the house I was supposed to live in to strangers, and left me with less than four hours to figure out what the hell I was supposed to do with my life.

“So, what’s the next step?” Anna asked as we stepped out of a cafe.

I checked my wristwatch. “Go fight the new owners of the house arriving in, like... four hours, I guess.”

Anna’s expression softened sadly. “I still can’t believe she actually did that,” she muttered quietly.

“Well, you better believe it. I gotta run now.” I leaned in as I hugged her briefly.

She pulled back. “Are you going to be fine?”

Chuckling softly at her words, I assured her with a wink. “I got this, babe. Rest assured I’ll be fine.”

“You’re unbelievably stubborn,” Anna said warmly. “Let me drive you home.”

I almost agreed, but something deep inside me wanted one final moment alone with the house before everything changed forever.

“I’ll just take a cab.” I uttered, already walking away.

“You sure?” her voice trailed behind me, but I gave her a dismissive wave.

“See you later, babe.” With that said, I slid into the car.

The entire ride home felt like walking toward an execution I wasn’t prepared for.

When the cab finally stopped outside the house, the lights were off, and somehow it felt too silent, nothing like the home I grew up in.

I stepped out slowly, but then my eyes landed on something I definitely wasn’t expecting.

My brow furrowed in confusion.

Right outside the house, my boxes and suitcases were arranged neatly beside the front porch.

How had this happened?

I could swear I never packed my things. But then... it clicked suddenly.

All of this was orchestrated by my mother. She was the only one who could’ve done this.

A bitter scoff escaped my lips as cold air puffed from my mouth.

I couldn’t believe my mother had actually kicked me out before the new owners even arrived. I took three steps closer as I tried to open the door.

It was locked. I tried to use my keys, but it was useless as it wasn’t opening.

Which led me to the conclusion that she had changed the locks.

My heart squeezed. It was official, I was homeless now.

I knew I was supposed to stay with Anna, right? But she knew. She knew about my panic.

She knew about my fear over the past three days, and somehow she still never offered her place.

Besides, her tiny studio apartment could barely fit her alone. Staying there would only become another burden I didn’t want to place on her shoulders.

What the hell was I supposed to do now?

Still in thought when the sudden growl of a car snapped me back to reality.

A black Lamborghini pulled up aggressively in front of the house.

My body tensed immediately as countless thoughts raced through my head. Was that the new owner?

My throat tightened, fists clenched, with my eyes locked on the figure stepping out of the car.

I almost mistook him for someone else. He looked too familiar, yet I was sure I hadn’t met him before.

His face stayed rigid, but he was still effortlessly attractive, with visible tattoos on his arms and a sharp jawline.

He looked like danger wrapped in silk, and somehow his voice sounded even harsher.

“Are you getting in?” I felt the chill in his tone.

Confusion clouded my face as I pointed to my chest.

“Are you talking to me? Why should I get into your car? Who the hell are you?” I asked, staring at him while staying alert in case he was some trafficker.

He crossed his arms lazily. “The guy your mother’s newest victim sent to pick up his gold digger’s daughter.”

I blinked once, then my lips parted. “My mother?”

“Isn’t she?” he asked, raising a brow.

My gaze narrowed. I wasn’t a fool to be swayed by mere words. “And who exactly is your father that his gold is worth digging for by my mother?” I shot back.

“Dovan Revanchi. The man your mother married yesterday.”

My lips shaped into a perfect O. My eyes scanned his body. If he was the son, that made him my new stepbrother.

And here I was, wondering what his children would be like.

“Get in the car,” he commanded.

“I’m not doing that,” I retorted, throwing him a sharp glare.

“I already told my mother that. Besides, how did you even know it was me?”

His eyes swept over me with one of the most disgustingly judgmental looks I had ever seen.

“It’s not hard identifying the daughter of a gold digger, trust me,” he said coldly. “I’m very good at that.”

How rude.

Extremely rude.

Especially for someone who had never laid eyes on me before today.

He opened the trunk before leaning back against the car.

“I’ve got a million places to be,” he said impatiently. “So are you getting in, or are you planning to stay here until the police arrest you for trespassing?”

I shot him a stubborn glare. “I haven’t changed my mind. And I certainly don’t remember telling you I was going anywhere. I’m not going with you.”

“Mmm.” He spun the keys lazily around his fingers. “I see you’re the stubborn type.”

A wicked smile flickered briefly across his face before vanishing just as quickly.

He walked back toward the driver’s seat.

“I’ll leave at the count of ten. One...”

I gasped inwardly.

This guy was insane. Did he seriously think I was bluffing?

“Two.”

I wasn’t going anywhere. He could count to a hundred for all I cared.

“Three.”

But then again... what if the police actually came? What if the new owners reported me for trespassing on their property?

“Four.”

I could always sleep on the streets, right?

Right?

“Five.”

Cold. Hunger. Harassment.

“Six.”

“Wait!” My voice rose higher than intended.

Shame clung to me like a second skin. Never in my life had I imagined doing something like this. It was as though my ego was bruised after refusing him and now I was just going to accept just like that.

“Okay fine.” My voice dipped low, staring everywhere but his face.

Immediately I walked to the trunk with my luggage. After loading my things myself, because he obviously didn’t offer a single hand.

The act alone already made me despise him. What a rotten attitude.

Climbing into the car, his gaze stayed fixed on the road, his face void of emotion, making me wonder what chaos brewed inside his head.

Suddenly, the car jerked to a stop. He turned toward me, staring deep into my eyes. “I need to make something clear between us,” he blurted.

My mouth twitched. “Just because I came with you doesn’t give you the right to speak to me. Immediately I drop you at home, mind your fucking business and stay out of mine, understood?!” The way he spoke made my skin crawl.

If I had been weak, I would have felt intimidated, but I wasn’t. “I don’t give a damn about your business. Drop me at the goddamn house!” I spat.

He arched his brow. “Smart mouth?” I rolled my eyes.

Then he chuckled dryly as the ride continued. “We’ll see where that mouth lands you.” His words sounded like a threat.

And for some strange reason, I could already feel trouble lurking in the so-called new home.