Chapter One

Avery's POV

The morning sun was pale, painting the sprawling lawn of the estate in soft light.

I couldn't pull myself away from the window. Not today.

The curtains were thin, almost see-through in the morning light, so I stood half-hidden behind them, fingers tight around the edge of the fabric.

I watched him from my bedroom window as he moved with a quiet strength, the watering can in his hand tilting over the flowers.

His dark t-shirt was already sticking to his back, a patch of dampness spreading between his shoulder blades. His arms flexed under the weight of the can, veins standing out against tanned skin.

He is so handsome. I wish he wasn't my stepbrother, and I wish he wasn't suffering as much as he was.

My mother had the money to hire a proper gardener. She could even afford three if she wanted. We lived in a freaking estate, all stone and ivy. But she’d rather have Leo do it. All of it. The gardening, the laundry, washing the cars.

I hated it. I hated to see him work so hard with such a beautiful body.

But mother said it was to put him in his place. My sisters, Sarah and Beatrice, they agreed with mum. Said it was best to keep him humble so he doesn't get any funny ideas.

And me? I disagree.

Ugh, he's just too handsome to be doing such pathetic jobs. Besides, if his father was alive, they wouldn't dare treat him this way.

It's because Leo has no one, and that's why they treat him this way. I wish I could help him, but I'm the youngest, I'm not even an adult yet. What could I possibly do?

“AVERY!" Sarah's earth-shattering scream pulled me out of my deep thoughts and daydreaming.

I closed the curtains at once, then turned, my heart giving a stupid little jump. "Y-yes," I answered, wide-eyed.

She stared at me quietly for a few seconds, her gaze suspicious. "Breakfast is ready," she finally said, her voice low. "Mum wants you down."

"Okay," I smiled broadly. "I'll be right down."

I thought she was going to leave after my reply, but she didn't budge, her gaze holding that same suspicious look. "What were you looking at outside the window?"

I glanced at the window, then back at her. "Uhm... It's nothing."

She folded her arms across her chest. "You were standing there like since forever, you didn't even notice when I opened your door or when I walked into your room."

I shuffled on my feet, trying to make up a lie, anything that would get her off my back.

I got it.

"I was just thinking about my eighteenth birthday that's coming up in three days." I spoke with a confident smile. "Still don't know how I want to celebrate it."

"You do know mum is throwing a party for you, right?" she said in response, and I acted surprised at first, then opened my mouth slightly. "Ah! That's true. I completely forgot." I slapped my forehead a bit, chuckling in amusement.

Sarah studied me for another beat, her gaze narrowing. Then she huffed. "Whatever. Mum's waiting. Move it before she starts yelling." With that, she turned around and left my room, closing the door behind her.

Phew. That was close.

If anyone else in the house were to find out about my secret crush on Leo, I would be dead.

I turned around, opened the curtain slightly, then took a peek at him once more. My feelings for Leo were complicated. It was not just an innocent crush, it was far bigger than that.

I wished to be his, in ways my mum would be astounded over. I wished he would take complete control of me, my mind, my body, my soul.

I wanted to submit to him, to kneel before him and call him master.

I shook my head sideways, shrugging off the feeling that just came over me.

You can't think like this, Avery. You can't. He is your stepbrother, and worse, your mother hates him.

Besides, why would Leo want to be my master? He is barely welcome here. He is being treated like a servant in his own father's house.

I sighed loud, leaving the window for my bathroom. In there I brushed my teeth, then I left my room and headed to the dining room.

By the time I got there, my mum and my sisters were already seated. The table was full. Eggs, toast, fruits, juice, sausages.

Mum sat at the head of the long table, like the lady of the house she was. I leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Good morning, mum."

“You’re late,” she said, not looking up from her tablet. "I know you are still getting used to being rich, Avery. But rich people have breakfast."

I rolled my eyes internally. It has been four years since we became rich, thanks to Leo's father. And still, any little slip from me, mum never fails to remind me that we were once wretched.

And it is because of how poor we were that my mum is trying her very best to hold on to every single penny Leo's father left behind. She's not willing to share a dime with Leo.

I sat down at the chair farthest away from her, staring at my two sisters who were exactly like her, mostly Beatrice.

She's the closest to my mum. Most times, they don't act like mother and daughter but more like best friends.

For Sarah, I think she spends most of her time trying to fit in with mom and Beatrice.

And for me? I simply just want to stay hidden.

I will be eighteen in three days. Sarah the middle child is twenty-one, while Beatrice our eldest is twenty-five. And if I was to include Leo in the family tree, he would be the third child. He is nineteen years old.

Except for Leo, we all had the same mother. And including Leo, we all have different fathers. I will just say, my mum has lived a really "colorful life."

My mum is forty-three.

I picked up a piece of toast while I stared at the plates and cups that were on the table. Leo's isn't here.

I bit down on my lower lip, knowing a hundred reasons why I shouldn't ask. But still...

“What about Leo's share?”

My mum lifted her face, taking her gaze off the tablet for the first time since I walked into the room. “Do you really have to take away my appetite, Avery?"

Huh? What did I do.

"He can't even do the basic chores around the house, and you expect me to feed him??" she asked wide-eyed.

It's not like she gives him a portion of food that is enough for one person.

Don't say anything. Do not, under any circumstances, say anything, Avery.

I'm not one to listen to my subconscious, so... "But he's done a lot of work this morning. He's been up and about since the early hours. I think 2 a.m."

Mum’s fork stopped mid-air, the side of her jaw clenching in a really noticeable way.

I really should have shut up.

She stared at me like I'd just insulted her in the most demeaning way ever. She set down her fork with a soft deliberate click. "I believe we have had this conversation a thousand times, but...."

Leo is the house help, he is not one of us. He is not a member of this family... I finished her words in my head, knowing exactly what she was going to say word for word.

"And I pay him by feeding him, clothing him, putting a roof above his head. And if he won't even do the basic jobs required of him, then yes. He doesn't deserve breakfast," she finished.

I can't really call what he is doing out there basic jobs though.

"I think we should come up with a harsher way to tighten the leash around his neck. I swear, he is getting really lazy." Sarah keyed in, buttering her toast with precise vicious strokes.

"What did he do?" Beatrice asked, dropping her iPad.

Sadly, it's only when the topic is about Leo that you get their full attention.

Sarah turned to Beatrice. "He still hasn't taken care of the laundry, and I'm in need of fresh undies."

"You could just wash them yourselves," I whispered low, and they all heard.

Beatrice slammed her china cup into its saucer. The sound was a gunshot in the quiet room. “Are you defending him right now? He’s a fucking servant, Avery. That’s all his job. He should be grateful we let his sorry ass live here."

Beatrice had always been scarier than mum, and so I looked down at once. “Sorry,” I whispered.

I picked up my toast and stuffed my mouth with it.

"Can I have my breakfast?"

His voice cut through the room, and I raised my head immediately, my breath caught.

Leo.

He was standing at the doorway of the kitchen, looking so tired. His clothes were soiled with the dirt from the garden, his body damp with sweat.

And even in the dirt, he looked perfect.

I wondered if he heard what Beatrice just said. Fuck. He doesn't deserve this at all.

"The Mercedes, is it washed?" Mum asked, not even turning to look at him.

"No, mum. I–"

"I told you not to call me mum!" Mum yelled, shocking me to my bones. She stood at once, and with a heaving chest, she glared at him. "Your mum is dead, and so is your dad, Leo. You are a fucking orphan who I so graciously feed."

Leo lowered his gaze, but even then I could see his fingers curling inward into a fist. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he apologized.

"Good." My mum breathed out, then sat down in the chair once more. "You won't have breakfast until you've washed all the cars in the garage. Every single one of them."

"What? But—"

"Are you fucking trying to talk back?" Beatrice asked wide-eyed, jaw ticking.

"Of course not," Leo responded. I swear I saw a drop of blood leak out from his tightened fist.

"Then go already and do what you were ordered to do." Beatrice said, shooing him away with her hand. "You are a servant in this house, Leo. Act like one!"

Leo turned around, and just when he was about to walk fully into the kitchen, Sarah yelled loud. "And do not forget to do the laundry! I need my undies! Wash them clean!"

He said nothing, just left quietly.

My chest ached. I mean, I'm not even the one receiving their wickedness, and yet I feel this way. I'm sure he would be feeling ten times the emotion going through me.

I stared at my sisters and my mum as they resumed eating like nothing ever happened. A big wide smile spreading across their faces.

Leo isn't a person they should treat like this. And they know it, just as much as I do.

You see, there's a big secret that everyone at this table knows except Leo.

A secret that if Leo ever finds out about it, it could change the dynamic of this family.

The wealth, the cars, this beautiful gigantic mansion, and the estate... every single cent that was under Leo's father's name was all passed down to Leo.

Yes.

It all belongs to Leo.