The Step Brother

Sneak peak:

"You're a monster," I seethed, tears streaking down my cheeks, breath hitching in my chest.

And he chuckled—the bastard actually chuckled.

The same man who had just crushed my heart under his boot found amusement in my pain.

"This is only the beginning of what I'm taking from you, Bella," he murmured, stepping closer. His voice was soft, venom wrapped in silk. Those eyes—burning with hate now—had held something entirely different just yesterday. "You have so much more to lose."

"Guess what, Asher?" I shot back, stepping closer until the air trembled between us. My body shook, my throat raw, but I didn't care. "I have nothing left to lose. You already destroyed the only thing I had."

I met his gaze, every word trembling but true. "My fucking heart."

Something flickered in his eyes—surprise, hesitation, pain—but I didn't stay to read it. I turned to walk away.

Then his hand shot out, fingers closing around my wrist, pulling me back with a force that stole my breath.

Before I could protest, before I could even hate him properly—

his lips crashed against mine.

Hard. Bruising. Desperate.

The kiss of a man torn between vengeance and need.

Isabella

I applied ointment to the wound on the back of my hand—a whip lash. It still hadn't healed. Even though he wasn't here anymore—buried six feet under—his mark remained.

Mom was buried six feet deep too.

Not that it mattered.

Both of them had been dead to me long before they actually died.

So this death on paper?

It meant nothing.

All I cared about was the cut. How long it would take to fade. He hadn't aimed for my back this time—he'd tried to use his belt on my face. Wanted to leave something deeper. Something permanent. Before they went on that trip to Miami and came back as corpses.

I stopped it with my hand.

He loved using his belts on me.

Kind of sad he wouldn't be able to anymore.

I looked around the house, sitting on the cold hallway floor. Lucy, my cat, licked her paw as I stroked her absentmindedly. She and I were the only ones left here now. No more shouting. No more belts cracking against skin. Nothing.

Was this peace?

If it was, then why did my chest still feel so hollow?

The silence shattered suddenly.

The doorbell rang.

Leona stepped out of her room—the only other person left in my world. My nanny. My caretaker. She went to answer the door.

I stayed where I was with Lucy until I heard a voice.

Unfamiliar.

"Is Miss Isabella available?"

A man.

Unexpected.

"Yes, but who are you?" Leona asked—cautious, guarded.

I slowly got to my feet, Lucy trailing behind me as I moved toward the door. A blonde man stood there, dressed in a pristine white suit with a maroon shirt underneath. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses.

As I came to stand beside Leona, he removed them slowly. His gaze dragged from my feet to my face, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"You must be Miss Isabella," he said.

"Yes," I replied coolly. "What do you want?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but Leona cut in first.

"If you're here to collect any debts, you can take it up with Henry—our lawyer. Please leave mam alone for now."

I knew she was worried about me.

She was the only one who ever cared. That's why, when I dismissed the rest of the staff after their deaths, she stayed.

"Leona, it's okay," I murmured, squeezing her shoulder gently. "Don't worry."

"But, mam—"

"You seem very fond of your mam, Leona."

The voice came from behind the blonde man.

Darker. Sharper. Deeper.

A shiver slid down my spine for unknown reasons. Because of the sheer of the voice, perhaps.

I looked past the first man—and froze.

A sun-kissed, dark-haired Adonis walked toward us, dressed entirely in black. Tall. Broad. Commanding. His sharp features looked as though they'd been carved from marble. And his eyes—

Blue.

Too blue.

Bluer than the ocean.

With every step, it felt like he was claiming the space, as if his presence alone bent the house to his will. He was huge—impossible huge.

I held my breath as the blonde man stepped aside and he came to stand directly in front of me.

That was when I smelled the smoke on him—nicotine and something else. Something intoxicating.

His gaze swept over me slowly, a dangerous smile playing on his lips. They were pink—too pink for a man who smelled of nicotine.

Then he looked at Leona.

"Long time no see, Leona," he said casually. "How have you been?"

Leona went completely still.

Frozen.

I saw it then—raw fear flickering in her eyes.

"Leona... you know him?" I asked softly.

She swallowed but didn't answer.

Something was wrong.

Leona had worked for my family longer than anyone. If she was afraid of him—

Something was very wrong.

"Basically everyone knows about me, little one," the man said, turning his attention back to me.

The blonde man chuckled beside him, both of them clearly amused by my confusion.

Then he stepped inside.

One foot past the threshold.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

Every instinct screamed at me to step back—and I did. My body went taut, alert.

"There's something wrong with you," I whispered, rather with more fear than suspicion.

He smiled, revealing perfect white teeth.

Venomous.

"It's just that you're the only one who's clueless," he let out.

What was he talking about?

"What are you doing here, Mr. Grayson?" Leona demanded, stepping in front of me and gripping my hand protectively.

But his eyes never left mine.

Not even for a second.

"Why shouldn't I be here, Leona?" he asked, tilting his head, feigning hurt. "I'm part of the family, aren't I?"

Part of the family?

My stomach dropped.

What was he talking about?

In this entire world, I had no one except my monster of parents.

Of course, I'd seen their relatives—but I knew every face.

And he wasn't one of them.

"By the way, pretty face," the blonde man spoke up, cigarette now dangling between his fingers as he looked at me. "My name's Richard."

He smiled. It wasn't nearly as cruel as the man beside him—but it wasn't innocent either.

"And let me break it to you," he continued, taking a slow drag as he walked further inside, stopping beside the man in black—the menacing one. The dangerous one. "This—" he slung an arm casually over the man's shoulder and chuckled, "—is Asher. Or I could say..."

He paused, letting the silence stretch.

Leona squeezed her eyes shut. Her grip tightened painfully around my wrist.

"Leona," I whispered, my voice trembling despite my effort to steady it. "What's really going on?"

"Your stepbrother," Richard finished.

My breath stopped.

Completely.

"W–what?" I stammered, my eyes widening in disbelief.

Asher stepped closer.

"Mind if I have a word with my sister, Leona, babe?" His smile vanished. Whatever replaced it was far worse.

"Don't do this, Asher," Leona pleaded softly. "This isn't right."

"Step aside, Leona," he said calmly, enunciating every word like a threat.

"Goddamn, woman," Richard sighed, grabbing Leona by the arm and dragging her away. "Let's chat, shall we?"

He draped an arm around her shoulders as she looked back at me—pity written all over her face.

My stomach twisted.

What was happening?

Asher advanced again. I stepped back instinctively—until my wrist was caught in his grip. He yanked me forward, and a gasp slipped past my lips as my body collided with his. His eyes locked onto mine, sharp and knowing.

Every cell in my body screamed the same truth.

This man was danger.

His other hand wrapped around my waist, holding me in place. His cologne wafted into my nostrils—he smelt...good. I hated it.

"Let me go," I demanded, struggling uselessly. He was immovable. Too strong.

"You don't like your stepbrother, little one?" he chuckled. "I'm not so bad, am I? Besides, I'm here to help you."

"I don't have a stepbrother," I ground out, forcing myself to meet his gaze despite the fear clawing at me. "You're an impostor."

"Oh, really?" His smirk widened, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Why don't we ask our trusted Leona?"

He spun us around, pulling me with him until my back was pressed to his chest and I faced her.

The color drained from Leona's face.

"Come on, Leona," Richard drawled, taking another drag. "You're my grandma's age. Wouldn't look too good if I had to torture you just to help my friend, now would it?"

That was when it hit me.

Both men were lethal.

Asher didn't bother hiding it.

Richard hid it behind a smile.

They were vile.

Leona swallowed hard, guilt flooding her eyes as they met mine.

"Asher's..." she whispered. "He's your stepbrother."

And just like that—

The world collapsed on me for the second time this week.