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Chapter 10

Author: Abby
last update Last Updated: 2025-11-06 19:48:30

Roman's POV

The apartment was too quiet and I woke up late. Maddie was gone by then, thank fuck. Her perfume still lingered cheap and sugary, clinging to the couch like regret. I didn’t need a reminder of the night before. I didn’t want it. Not when all I could think about was her.

I don’t know what time Ariana came home last night, that was If she came home at all.

I kept telling myself I didn’t care, that it didn’t matter. That whatever she saw—whatever she thought she saw—wasn’t my fucking problem. But the longer the silence stretched, the more I started to notice every creak in the floorboards, every second ticking by without her footsteps, her humming, her presence.

Her room was still locked when I passed by.

I stood there like an idiot, fingers twitching against her doorknob, listening. Nothing.

A flash of her face when she saw me on the couch with Maddie punched through my skull like a knife. The shock in her eyes. The way she didn’t say a word—just turned around and left. No
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  • STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER    Chapter 94

    Ariana's POV.The sun spilled lazily into the room through the half-drawn curtains, warm and golden against my skin. Roman was leaning against the balcony rail, his shirt hanging open as though he’d forgotten to finish dressing, his phone tucked into his palm. He had that quiet, unreadable look again, like his mind was circling a dozen places at once. But when his eyes met mine, it softened—like it always did, like I was the one thing capable of grounding him.“We’re done with exams,” he said simply, as though the idea had just come to him. “Let’s disappear for a while. Just you and me. Maldives. A whole month.”I blinked, sitting up in bed, his words sinking in slowly. “A month?” I repeated, half laughing, half choking on the possibility.He only smirked, stepping closer. “Yes, a month. I already checked—private villa, by the beach, no one to bother us. Just you, me… and the baby.” His hand slid absently across my stomach, though it was still too early to show.I swallowed the flutte

  • STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER    Chapter 93

    Roman's POV.The apartment smelled like her again. Vanilla and something softer, something that clung to her skin and the cushions she curled herself into. I dropped my keys on the counter, loosening my tie, and for the first time all day, I let myself breathe.A month. That’s how long it had been since I last stood toe-to-toe with my father. Since the venom between us nearly burned through the air. Since I swore to myself I wouldn’t let him pull me back into his shadows again. One month, and I hadn’t regretted a single thing I’d done. Not walking away from his empire. Not cutting through his threats. Not even spitting his own sins back in his face.Because at the end of it, I had her.Ariana was sitting on the couch when I walked in, her legs curled under her, a loose shirt hanging from her shoulders. She was awake this time, eyes following the door the second I opened it. And God, she smiled. That stupid, disarming smile that tore right through every wall I had left.“You’re late,”

  • STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER    Chapter 92

    The apartment was quiet when I walked in. Not the heavy kind of quiet that drips with tension… but the kind that sinks into your bones, warm and almost tender.The lights in the living room were dim, a soft golden glow spilling from the lamp by the couch. And there she was.Ariana.She’d curled up sideways, her knees tucked in, one arm draped lazily over a throw pillow. Her hair was a little messy, strands fanned over her cheek, and her breathing was slow, deep, steady. She didn’t even stir when I closed the door.For a moment, I just stood there.God, after everything today—the argument with Mark, the venom, the threats—I thought I’d be too wound up to feel anything but rage. But looking at her now… that all slipped away.It’s strange, isn’t it? How one person can be your calm and your chaos at the same time.I walked closer, my steps slow, quiet. She had no idea how beautiful she looked like this. She didn’t have to try. No makeup. No pretense. Just Ariana. My Ariana. The same girl

  • STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER    Chapter 91

    Roman's POVThe call came back faster than I expected.“No one’s talking,” my contact said. “Nothing’s moving. No whispers, no loose ends. Whoever you’re worried about… they’re not making a play.”I leaned back in my chair, frowning. “You’re sure?”“As sure as I can be without breaking into confession booths. It’s quiet.”I hung up and stared at the phone in my hand. Quiet. That should’ve been a relief but it wasn’t.Mark hadn’t shown up tonight because there was a problem.He’d shown up to be the problem. . . . .To remind me of the dirt I’d buried for him. To twist the knife just enough to make sure I remembered whose fingerprints were on the handle.I cleaned up his mess. His kill. His greed. And yet here he was, standing in my kitchen like he owned the air I breathed.My jaw ached from how hard I was clenching it.I grabbed my keys and phone, the decision hitting me before I’d even thought it through. If he wanted to get in my head, fine I’d make sure he saw exactly how little sp

  • STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER    Chapter 90

    Roman's POV.The kitchen smelled like garlic and butter.Ariana had been hovering beside me, passing me plates and making soft jokes that curled the corners of my mouth without me realizing.For the first time in days, I wasn’t thinking about the mess outside these walls.Then—three knocks.Not rushed. Not hesitant.Measured. Exact.I froze.Ariana looked at me. “Want me to—?”“No.” My voice was sharper than I meant it to be. “I’ll get it.”She stayed put while I wiped my hands and walked to the door. My steps felt heavier with each one. I already knew.When I opened it, there he was.Mark.Perfect suit, perfect tie, perfect mask of composure. His cologne—expensive, suffocating—hit first. His eyes, however, were the same as they’d always been: calculating, predatory, the kind that could strip you down to the bone without lifting a finger.> “Roman,” he said, with the kind of smoothness people mistake for charm. “We should talk.”“What do you want?” I didn’t step aside.> “Privately.”

  • STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER    Chapter 89

    Ariana's POVI didn’t even remember when I’d fallen asleep.One moment, I was curled up on the couch, Roman’s voice low in my ears… and the next, I was waking up to the faint hum of silence.Only, it wasn’t really silent.There was a sound—a soft, rhythmic sizzling. And an incredible smell.I blinked my eyes open, squinting at the dim light filtering through the curtains.This… wasn’t my bed.The sheets were cooler than they should’ve been, but they smelled like him—clean, masculine, and maddeningly warm. I sat up slowly, my hair a mess, my limbs heavy from sleep. My bare toes touched the wooden floor, and the faint aroma of something rich and savory drifted through the air again, pulling me out like a string around my finger.Following it, I padded down the hall, the scent growing stronger. Garlic. Butter. Something that made my stomach instantly growl.I turned the corner and froze.Roman was at the stove, sleeves rolled to his elbows, one hand gripping the pan handle, the other tos

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