Chapter 2

How unreliable.

But she was still my mom, so what could I do?

I stuffed the gift box into my backpack and shot her an annoyed look. “You’re sure it’s the most handsome one?”

“Absolutely. Never question your mother’s taste.”

And just like that, I believed her.

The next day, I carried the gift box over to the classroom next door and peeked inside, searching for someone handsome, tall, and ridiculously rich-looking.

Then my gaze locked onto that one guy.

This time, he was wearing a white shirt.

Sunlight spilled across half his face, casting soft shadows along his features.

He was the guy who lent me the handkerchief yesterday.

My mom’s words echoed in my head.

“The most handsome one.”

I glanced around the room again and immediately confirmed it.

Yep.

No competition.

As if sensing my stare, he turned around and met my eyes.

“Bro!”

My brain short-circuited, and that word flew straight out of my mouth.

How had I managed to embarrass myself twice in front of the same ridiculously handsome guy?

Unfortunately, I managed to do just that.

The guy looked at me in surprise and pointed at himself.

I instantly covered my mouth, terrified of saying anything else stupid.

“Did you need something?”

He walked closer, carrying a faint minty scent with him.

“My mom asked me to give you these chocolates.”

I handed him the gift box.

The thought that someone this attractive was actually my stepbrother made me feel even more ashamed of myself.

In other words, he was technically family, so any inappropriate thoughts needed to die immediately.

He clearly froze for a moment, though out of politeness, he still accepted the chocolates.

“Thank you, but do I know your mother?”

Coming from anyone else, that question would’ve sounded rude.

But somehow, not when it came from him.

Then again, considering how unreliable my mom could be, the fact that she’d never personally met her own stepson honestly wasn’t that surprising.

“Maybe she doesn’t know you yet, but you’ll meet eventually. These are her welcome gifts for you.”

He nodded lightly. “Then thank you to both of you.”

I waved my hand quickly. “No, I should be thanking you instead. About the handkerchief from yesterday… would it be okay if I washed it first and returned it in a couple of days?”

“Sure.”

After school, I didn’t rush home right away.

Instead, I went with Mandy to check out the extracurricular clubs.

I looked at all the recruitment posters filling the auditorium and couldn’t help sighing in amazement.

“There are so many activities here.”

At most regular high schools, extracurriculars practically disappeared by senior year, with every second shoved toward academics.

But most students here weren’t preparing for local college entrance exams, so naturally, the pressure was different. They had more time to develop hobbies and do things they actually enjoyed.

“Arya, is there any club you want to join?”

Mandy was already holding several application forms in her hands, fully set on joining the dance club.

I thought for a moment before stopping in front of the Mathematical Modeling Club booth.

The guy recruiting members wore a black stud earring and had the kind of arrogant attitude that practically screamed troublemaker.

“You here to join?”

He sized me up from head to toe.

“You know coding? C programming? How are your math grades?”

The barrage of questions completely caught me off guard.

“I know a little, I guess. But I’m probably not that advanced with computers.”

The guy let out a mocking whistle.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work.”

I frowned. “Why not?”

“No reason.”

His dismissive attitude made me want to punch him on the spot.

“Calm down, calm down,” I repeated silently in my head.

“Hello?”

A familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind me.

It was him.

“Bro!”

Crap.

I blurted it out again without thinking.

“Wait, Michael, since when did you have a sister?”

The guy who’d been acting all arrogant a second ago instantly lost half his swagger.

Michael didn’t deny the way I addressed him. Instead, he frowned at the guy with the earring.

“And you wonder why nobody signs up for this competition. Is this seriously how you recruit people?”

“That’s unfair, Michael. I was just worried someone unqualified would drag the team down.”

Michael grabbed one of the registration forms off the table and handed it to me, though he was still talking to the other guy.

“Like you haven’t dragged us down enough already?”

His entire body practically blocked me from view.

My heart instantly filled with admiration.

This brother of mine had such a strong sense of responsibility.

Yep. This was exactly the kind of powerful ally I needed.

I took the pen and quickly signed my name.

“Thanks, bro!”

That “bro” came straight from the heart—loud, sincere, and practically patriotic enough for a military oath.

“Wait, she really is your sister?”

The earring guy looked completely shocked.

I was already annoyed with him, so this time I snapped back immediately.

“Yeah, obviously. Unlike you, you probably don’t have a sweet and considerate little sister like me.”

He actually laughed from irritation.

“Who says I don’t have a sister? My sister’s way cuter than you.”

“Sure she is. Keep dreaming.”

“Excuse me? Says the girl full of herself.”

The guy puffed up proudly.

“My sister is adorable, okay? Sweet, cool, gentle, gorgeous—the whole package.”

I couldn’t even be bothered arguing with him anymore. Instead, I turned to Michael with sparkling fangirl eyes.

“Thanks again, bro! I promise I won’t hold the team back. You can totally count on me!”

Michael let out a quiet laugh, the corners of his lips lifting slightly and revealing two shallow dimples.

“Alright. I believe you.”

…

A few days later, my mom called to ask how things were going with my brother.

I answered with complete confidence that we were getting along amazingly well.

My brother was a genuinely good person—kindhearted, sincere, polite, and thoughtful toward others.

I praised him so excessively it was practically ridiculous.

Mom sounded extremely satisfied after hearing that and immediately went off in a shrill voice to brag to her billionaire husband.

Still, my brother did have one flaw.

His taste in friends seriously needed help.

Thinking about the guy with the earring, I clicked my tongue twice.

He was a rebellious little delinquent who’d clearly wandered down the wrong path.

I sighed.

Good looks really did ruin people.

I’d gotten distracted by Michael’s face again and forgotten to ask for his contact.

What I didn’t expect, though, was for another opportunity to arrive so quickly.