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Chapter 4

مؤلف: Echo
After that day, I didn’t dare to ghost Rowan again.

I used the excuse that I was busy looking for a job to slow down my replies.

His compromise in the email had softened me, but I was still terrified of his suffocating need for control.

Before I knew it, it was time for the Sterling family’s annual gala.

The estate was lit up, filled with glamorous people in their finest.

As the family’s sole heir, Louis was naturally the center of attention.

He sat at the main table in a perfectly tailored black suit and a crisp white shirt, looking as arrogant and cold as ever.

I sat in a corner, bored, cutting into the steak on my plate.

Suddenly, a small commotion broke out at the main table.

A nervous waiter had tripped, spilling a glass of red wine all over Louis.

The dark red liquid instantly soaked through his white shirt.

The waiter, trembling, dropped to his knees, apologizing over and over.

Louis didn’t explode. He just scowled, his eyes cold enough to freeze water.

He took off his soiled suit jacket, stood up, and impatiently loosened his tie.

The wet fabric of his shirt clung to his torso, outlining the lean, powerful muscles beneath.

My eyes drifted over, and then they froze.

Under the semi-transparent, damp fabric, on his left side, just over his ribs, I could make out a dark red birthmark.

It was shaped like a crescent moon.

A deafening roar went off in my head, and my mind went completely blank.

Six months ago, Rowan had sent me a post-workout mirror selfie.

He hadn’t shown his face, but on his side, there was an almost identical birthmark.

No. Fucking. Way.

It had to be a crazy coincidence.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

I had to know for sure. When no one was looking, I quietly slipped out of my seat.

Holding my breath, I trailed Louis up to his suite on the second floor.

The hallway was empty.

His door was ajar, leaving a small crack.

I swallowed hard, my palms sweating.

All I had to do was push open that door, see the mark clearly, and I’d have my answer.

My hand trembled as I reached out and gently pushed the door open.

Inside, Louis had his back to me, slowly unbuttoning his wet shirt.

His broad back came into view.

I was about to shift to the side for a better look when he whipped around, as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

A cold storm gathered in his dark eyes.

“Who let you in?”

His voice was pure ice.

I stumbled back, stammering, “I… I was just…”

“Get out.”

He cut me off without a shred of mercy, his eyes filled with disgust and suspicion.

Slam!

The door slammed shut in my face, the draft washing over me.

I leaned against the hallway wall, trying to catch my breath, my heart still racing.

Back in my room, I locked the door and dove for my phone on the bed.

The idea was insane.

Louis was Rowan? Impossible.

I bit my lip and sent a probing message to Rowan.

“What are you doing?”

Less than two seconds later, the screen lit up.

Rowan replied instantly: “Working. What’s up, miss me?”

Reading those words, the tension in my body suddenly eased.

That gentle, slightly teasing tone could never belong to Louis.

Remembering how he’d furiously yelled at me to get out, there was no way he had a gentle side like this.

It was probably just a coincidence.

After all, lots of people have similar birthmarks.

I let go of my suspicion for the moment and breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, another message from Rowan came through, thick with flirtation.

“But I miss you a lot, baby.”

“Every night, I have to think about you, about the things you’ve said, just to get some sleep.”

“When can we finally meet? I can’t wait to hold you. The day we meet, I’m going to make up for all the kisses you owe me.”

My cheeks burned reading his blunt words.

His affection for me was always so direct and intense.

But the moment he mentioned meeting, that old fear of being controlled washed over me again.

I couldn’t see him.

“No, we agreed not to meet yet,” I took a deep breath and typed, rejecting him flat out. “I don’t want to.”

I had just hit send.

Click.

The sound of the lock turning.

My mother pushed the door open, interrupting my conversation with Rowan.
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  • He’s My Stepbrother. And My Secret Lover   Chapter 11

    I thought that even if Louis didn’t want to break up, the distance would change things between us.But just one month into the school year, I had already seen Louis six times.It was as if he suddenly had a lot of business that could only be done in Boston. He even moved part of the family’s operations over.I couldn’t refuse to see him.Maybe it was because of his status as the Sterling family heir, or maybe it was because I didn’t really want to refuse.Every time we met after the truth came out, Louis would test the waters with his words and actions.His intentions were crystal clear.Once, when he used a napkin to wipe a bit of cream from the corner of my mouth, I flinched back.I finally looked up and asked him, “Back then, online, you said you were only drawn to me. You didn’t know it would be… me, right? Carrie. Your stepsister, in name.”I reminded him softly.But Louis leaned back on the black sofa in the restaurant, a faint, arrogant smile on his face. “I told you, I take res

  • He’s My Stepbrother. And My Secret Lover   Chapter 10

    Louis’s brow furrowed.He took my arm. “Where does it hurt?”He said, “I’ll take you to the hospital.”I finally snapped out of it and gently tried to pull my arm away.But Louis didn’t let go.I had no choice but to let him hold me. “I’m fine. I was just… a little tired.”Louis’s frown didn’t ease.He stared at me for a long moment.The hand on my arm slid down to my wrist, and he started to lead me away.“Let’s go. Home first.”I didn’t argue. I didn’t even dare to act strangely in front of him.He had asked me what I thought of him, my “brother.”I had been too blunt back then.So now, I had no idea how to face him.I stayed calm all that evening.Calmly went home with Louis, calmly went to my room to pack.I even had the presence of mind to send a message to Rowan: I’m moving to start my new job. I might not be able to reply much for a while.I sent it and didn’t look at his reply.I waited until my mother got home to tell her I wanted to change my flight.The original plan was for

  • He’s My Stepbrother. And My Secret Lover   Chapter 9

    The day before I was supposed to leave for Harvard, a blizzard hit New York.I was still practicing when my piano professor came to me with her phone. “Carrie, someone identifying as your brother just called. He said a car is being sent to pick you up today.”I nodded.This was my mother’s usual trick this summer. I was used to it.But after she spoke, the professor didn’t leave.She held her phone out to me. “I missed a call from this number just now. Take a look, is this your brother’s number?”But I didn’t have Louis’s private number.My mother might have gotten his contact information recently, but I never had it.Still, since she asked, I glanced at her phone.Before I could get a clear look, a new call came in on her screen.I only got a glimpse of the number.But my heart had already started to pound.That number was so familiar.So familiar that I saw it every night, texting with him on my phone.My professor had already answered the call.She was so close, I could clearly hear

  • He’s My Stepbrother. And My Secret Lover   Chapter 8

    That night at eight o’clock, I finished a high-intensity sonata in the practice room, my fingers aching.I turned around and saw Louis, dressed in a suit, leaning against the doorframe in the shadows.His gaze was quiet. I had no idea how long he’d been watching me.I clutched my sheet music, my fingers tightening instinctively.Then I walked across the room towards him.“…Louis.”I was always so careful when I said his name.This was a relationship my mother and I had forced on him. He probably didn’t even see me as his stepsister. I likely had no right to call him that and should have been respectfully calling him Mr. Sterling.But in the quiet of the hallway, when I said his name, I clearly heard him give a low, affirmative “Mm” in response.He suddenly reached out, his hand closing around my trembling wrist. His thumb brushed gently over my knuckles.The sudden intimacy startled me, and I took an involuntary step back.This was the closest we had ever been.If we were real siblings

  • He’s My Stepbrother. And My Secret Lover   Chapter 7

    After that, Rowan never brought up meeting again.He didn’t even ask for a voice call.Before, his affection for me was a mix of control and indulgence.But maybe my strong stance that day had an effect.Now, he only showed me restrained concern.He gave me plenty of freedom.He was like an older brother, gently looking out for me.I was using him, but I also relied on him.I was almost ready to change my mind and keep our relationship going.I thought to myself, if Rowan could go a whole year without showing that domineering side of himself, I might consider meeting him in person.I had shown him all my flaws and my dark side.There was no one else in the world who would accept me the way he did.Rowan’s change of behavior put me at ease.But my stepbrother Louis’s sudden attention only made me tense and anxious.There was only a month of summer left before I had to report to Harvard.My mother had my schedule packed with all sorts of lessons.The first time I noticed my stepbrother’s

  • He’s My Stepbrother. And My Secret Lover   Chapter 6

    That night, after a full day of silence, Rowan finally sent me a message.In all the time we’d known each other, we’d never gone a day without talking.He had certainly never given me the cold shoulder.After our fight yesterday, I was scared I’d really pissed him off.I’d been on edge all day, terrified he’d actually use his resources to find me in person.He had the power to do it.So when I saw his message, I actually felt a small wave of relief.The screen lit up.I’m sorry.And then, I didn’t mean to steamroll you. I just… I want you so badly it makes me act like this.His tone had softened, so I didn’t push back.I replied with sincerity: My mom is really strict. She even dictates what I wear every day. She’s like this mountain I can’t move, weighing me down.When I first found you, I was just looking for an escape.I typed: I don’t want you to become another cage.I laid it all out, clear as day. The reason I’d sought him out, the way I was using him.He should have been angry.

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