Chapter 007

(MALDIE POV)

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I couldn't breathe.

David was staring at the new guy…..Julian with a look that could have curdled milk…. It wasn’t just the usual 

“I'm better than you” look David gave everyone… it was a look of pure, territorial aggression. Even after everything he did to me, even after calling me a…..Gold Digger and a Whore, seeing another man look at me made his knuckles turn white.

Julian didn't seem to care. He pushed off the lockers and walked toward us, his boots clicking rhythmically on the floor…….He ignored the whispers and the cameras.

When he reached me and Mary, he stopped just a few inches away……..He was taller than David, broader and smelled like expensive tobacco and rain.

“You're Maldie,” he said….It wasn’t a question..His voice was deep, vibrating right through my chest..

“Who are you?” Mary snapped, stepping in front of me like a bodyguard…

Julian finally looked at her, a lazy smirk playing on his lips. "Someone who doesn't like seeing talent wasted on a school full of ghosts." He looked back at me, his dark eyes scanning my face, settling on my red, puffy eyes. "You've been crying. Over him?"

He jerked a thumb back toward David.

"It's none of your business," I whispered, trying to pull my jacket tighter around me.

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"Maldie!" David’s voice boomed across the hall. He was marching toward us, Mark and Ralph trailing behind him like lost puppies. He shoved through a group of freshmen, his face twisted in a snarl. "Get away from her."

Julian didn't move…..He didn't even turn around until David was standing right there…

"Or what, Richard Jr.?" Julian asked, his voice smooth and mocking. "You're going to put up more posters? I saw your work. It's a bit childish, don't you think?"

David’s face went from red to a ghostly pale. "I don't know who you think you are, but this is my school. And she’s my sister."

"Step-sister," I corrected sharply. I didn't even think about it. The word just flew out of my mouth like a bullet.

Julian laughed—a dark, rich sound. "Doesn't sound like she wants the title, Dave. And from what I heard in the parking lot, you don't treat your family very well."

"I said, get away from her," David growled, stepping into Julian’s personal space. The tension was so thick I felt like I could reach out and snap it. The whole hallway had gone silent. Everyone was recording now.

Julian leaned in, whispering something into David’s ear that made David’s eyes widen. Whatever it was, it hit like a physical punch. David stepped back, his chest heaving, his gaze flicking between me and Julian with a desperate, frantic energy.

"Come on, Maldie," Mary said, pulling my arm. "We’re going to class."

As I walked past Julian, he reached out and caught my wrist. His grip wasn't tight, but it was firm. It felt different from David’s…..there was no cruelty in it, just a strange, heavy promise.

"The 'Contract' David told you about?" Julian whispered, so low only I could hear. "He’s half-right. It’s a debt. But it’s not your mother who owes the money, Maldie. It’s Richard."

He let go of my wrist before I could ask what he meant. He winked at me, turned around, and walked toward the exit without looking back once.

I sat in my Advanced Economics class, but I didn't hear a word the professor said. My mind was spinning.

“Richard owes the money?”

If my Stepdad was the one in debt, why was he acting like the king of the world? Why was he paying for everything? And why did David lie and say it was my mom’s fault?

I looked out the window. Down in the courtyard, I could see David. He wasn't with his friends anymore….. . He was standing by the fountain, alone, kicking a stone into the water over and over again……. He looked miserable. For a second, I almost felt sorry for him.

Then I remembered the posters. I remembered the group chat. I remembered the feeling of him inside me while he was thinking about a thousand dollars.

The pity died instantly, replaced by a cold, hard stone in my stomach.

I pulled out my notebook and started writing. Not notes for the class. I started writing a list.

1. “The Contract.” (Find it. Read it.)

2. “David.” (Make him pay.)

3. “The Money.”(Find out who Richard owes.)

If Julian was right, then Richard didn't marry my mom to save us. He married her to hide something. And David was helping him.

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After class, I didn't go to the cafeteria. I went to the library, to the most secluded corner in the back. I needed to think. But I wasn't alone for long.

The chair opposite me scraped back. I didn't even have to look up to know who it was. The scent of that expensive, suffocating cologne gave him away.

"What do you want, David?" I asked, not looking up from my book.

"Who is he, Maldie?" David’s voice was hoarse. He sounded like he’d been screaming. "How do you know Julian Elvis?"

"Elvis?" I looked up. "Is that his name? I don't know him. He just seems nicer than you. Which isn't hard."

David slammed his hands onto the table, leaning in. "He’s dangerous, Maldie. His father and my dad... they’ve been at war for twenty years. Julian is only here to mess with me. He’s using you to get to me."

"Oh, that’s rich," I laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. "He’s using me? Pot, meet kettle, David. You used me for a thousand dollars. At least Julian didn't pretend to love me to get what he wanted."

David flinched. He actually flinched. "I told you, I’m sorry about the posters. I didn't know Mark would—"

"I don't care," I cut him off. I stood up, packing my bag. "You said I was a 'gold digger' and a 'mistake.' Well, this mistake is done with you. From now on, you're going to do exactly what I say, or I go to Richard with the truth about your 'Forestwood Challenge' winnings."

"You wouldn't," he whispered.

"Try me," I said, stepping around him. "And David? Pick up my dry cleaning on your way home. Consider it the first installment of your debt to me."

I walked away, feeling his eyes burning into my back. I felt powerful for the first time in years. But as I reached the door, I saw a black envelope tucked into the side pocket of my bag.

I opened it.

It wasn't a photo this time. It was a copy of a bank statement. Richard’s personal account.

Monthly Payment: $10,000 to "S. Maldie Trust."

My breath hitched. The payments started three years ago. The exact time the photo was taken.

But there was a note on the back in a handwriting I didn't recognize.

He's not protecting your mother. He's buying her silence. Ask her about the night your father died."

The room felt like it was spinning. My father died in a hit-and-run ten years ago. It was an accident. At least, that’s what Mom always told me.

I gripped the paper so hard it tore.

I didn't just have a step-brother problem. I had a murder problem