Stay Away From My Brother, Clara.

Clara James POV

I left him behind and rushed into the bathroom, leaning my back against the door. My nerves were shot, and my cheeks burned with regret.

"How could I have gotten so carried away?"

I muttered regretfully:

"I am so stupid. So stupid."

I scolded myself, hitting my head lightly. I took off my clothes and sat under the shower, embarrassed by my own actions.

I cracked the bathroom door open a bit to check if he was still out there. Seeing no one, I slipped out and got dressed.

I hesitated to go downstairs, but then Emilia Cole called out to me.

I descended the stairs nervously. I glanced at Adrian Cole, who was sitting at the table, calmly sipping his coffee.

I took a deep breath before moving toward the siblings.

"Good morning."

I said quietly, sitting beside Emilia.

Adrian Cole replied coldly:

"You won't be going to school for a week until you recover."

He was sipping his coffee, acting normal, like nothing had happened.

I answered him calmly as I started eating my pastry.

"Okay."

Emilia spoke up, looking at me sideways, lifting her upper lip in disgust. I ignored her, not caring what she said.

"I'll have to put up with you for an entire week."

Her brother glared at her sharply:

"Don't forget this is her home too."

His sister rolled her eyes in annoyance. I smiled at him sweetly and said:

"It's fine, let her say whatever she likes."

He quickly shifted his gaze away from me, stood up, and said:

"I'm leaving now."

His sister's voice stopped him:

"Take care, darling."

I laughed when he ignored her and slammed the door behind him. Emilia looked at me with hatred.

She said angrily, and I rolled my eyes impatiently:

"What are you laughing at?"

I told her, standing up to wash my plate. Emilia had been rambling on and on over my head the whole time.

"I can laugh whenever I want."

I lay down on my stomach on the living room sofa, pulling out my phone to browse social media.

My eyes widened when I read this headline:

"Adrian Cole, nicknamed 'The Iceman,' Comforting a Girl During Her Breakdown at a Crime Scene... A sight that made hearts flutter with love."

I scrolled down and saw several pictures of Adrian Cole hugging me.

"Damn my luck."

I said, kicking the air with my foot:

"It's like I'm a magnet for trouble."

I said, closing my eyes in exasperation. I heard Emilia screaming as she rushed toward me.

She shoved her phone in my face, showing me the pictures of me hugging her brother:

"What is this, you wretched bitch?"

I straightened up and stood in front of her. I asked coldly, looking into her eyes:

"What about it?"

She said hysterically, yelling at my face. I was about to speak, but her hand slapped my cheek hard:

"You're trying to get close to my brother so you can steal his inheritance."

I fell to the floor, holding my cheek in shock.

She pulled my hair tightly, and my eyes filled with tears. I felt like an outcast in this world; no one was on my side right now:

"I'm telling you this now, Clara. If you go near my brother again, I will make you taste hell."

I screamed loudly, but she tightened her grip. She yanked my hair back so I had to look up at the ceiling. She slapped my cheek again, harder than the first time.

"Let me go, damn it!"

"Stay away from my brother, Clara. It's better for you."

As she finished speaking, I grabbed the wrist that was pulling my hair and twisted it hard. She screamed loudly as I twisted her arm behind her back:

"I swear, Emilia, if you ever lay a hand on me again, I will break it."

I whispered in her ear angrily, but she didn't stop. She scoffed at me:

"And what are you going to do? Tell your father, who won't believe you?"

I grabbed a tight hold of her hair with both hands and said, gritting my teeth in rage:

"I will make you bald."

The hag started screaming:

"Let me go, you whore!"

She shrieked, grasping my hand that was yanking her head.

"The only whore here is you, Emilia."

I met her eyes, glaring angrily. But she looked at me confidently and added:

"You and your mother are the whores. If your father truly loved her, he wouldn't have come running to me."

Sparks of fury flew when she called my mother a whore. I wrapped my hands around her throat, squeezing hard:

"If you ever talk about my mother like that again, I swear I will kill you."

I continued, tightening my grip on her:

"If I were you, I wouldn't have come and inserted myself into this family. We were happy together until you showed up and completely ruined my family."

Emilia grabbed my hands, her face turning blue, urging me to let go, but rage blinded me.

She spoke in a choked voice, hitting my hands:

"Let me go."

I told her, tightening my grip even more than before...

"I've put up with your abuse since you moved in with my father, but enough is enough. If you come near me again, I swear I'll tell my dad."

Emilia's eyes darted past me, and she whispered weakly, choking:

"Adrian, help me."

I whipped my head around quickly. I saw Adrian Cole standing behind us, one hand tucked in his pocket, and the other, covered in tattoos, holding a cigar whose smoke drifted into the air. He was looking at us coldly.

I quickly took my hands off his sister. Emilia fell to the floor, grabbing her neck and gasping for air. I glared at her fiercely:

"I'll make you regret this."

I said, striking the air in front of her face. I shifted my gaze to Adrian Cole, who raised an eyebrow, looking at me with a mix of admiration and sarcasm.

He approached me, blowing cigar smoke in my face. I coughed heavily.

I said, waving the smoke away with my hand. He looked at me coldly, and I glared back, still furious:

"You should teach your sister some manners."

I said, looking at her kneeling on the floor, gasping for breath.

He let out a sarcastic chuckle, taking a deep drag from his cigar.

He spoke with his mouth full of smoke. The smoke exited his mouth, hitting my face as he smiled mockingly.

"That was an entertaining show."

My anger intensified. I moved closer and stomped on his foot hard. He didn't react at all; I guess my stomp didn't affect him.

I raised both my hands and fiercely struck his nipples. His expression shifted in surprise at my action.

I rushed back to my room, and before I disappeared, I yelled back:

"You're the better whore, Emilia!"

I entered my room and slammed the door shut. I threw my body onto the bed. The clock read three in the afternoon.

"I swear I'm the black sheep."

I sighed, hitting the bed, weeping. My phone ringing interrupted my thoughts. I looked at it, and it showed Lucas was calling.

I took a long inhale before answering the call.

"Hello, traitor."

I said cheerfully so he wouldn't notice anything bad had happened to me:

"Hello, sweetheart, how are you?"

Lucas said, laughing. I answered in a cheerful tone:

"Fine. How about you? How are you and your whores doing?"

He burst out laughing at the last sentence:

"Fine, and my whores are doing great."