Stepbrother Dearest

Ruby's POVI thought the worst thing that could ever happen to me was losing my Paddington bear. I never knew it would be losing my dad. It had been so sudden. One morning, he kissed my forehead and left for work and two hours later, I was in the hospital identifying his body. Life never prepared me for such pain. Nothing did.Losing dad became the worst thing that had ever happened to me. The pain of knowing we'll never go camping in summer or eat s’mores on my birthday night or the fact that he'll never watch me graduate college like he always wanted, crushed me. What would happen to me?I stared at the bronze casket as it was being lowered onto earth and the realization hit me like a freight train. Dad was really gone.Mom put her arms around me and held.me tight against her. “Don't worry, darling. Your dad will always be with us.”She was right. He'll always be here, watching over us both. I wiped my tear stained face and puffed my shoulders. Dad wouldn't meet me ugly-crying. H

Nathan's povJust when I thought I had seen it all, dad brings home a freeloader and her ugly daughter. Meeting them was hatred at first fight. I wanted them to leave and if that was not going to happen, then I'd make their lives a living hell starting with that dolt called Ruby. Oh, Ruby. I had never met someone as insufferable as her. Everything about her jarred at my nerves — The way she walked around the house like she belonged, the way she talked to everyone like she had every right to, and worst of all, dad always looked at her with this softness in his eyes. It makes me want to puke. He treated her like the daughter he never had, like she was something special but in truth, she wasn't worth jack shit.Every breath they took was an insult to the wealth and power that ran through my veins and I made sure they understood that.But Ruby…Oh, Ruby was defiant. The short red head who doesn't know her place would always have a reply for every insult I threw at her. She spoke like sh

Ruby's povI didn't show it but I was fuming from how Nathan and his stupid friends had humiliated me in the cafe and the courtyard.The nerve of him!My hands balled into a just thinking about it. Despite being a rude and annoying brat, Nathan was right about one thing. I did like him. And the realization made my finger burn even hotter. With a heavy sigh, I decided to distract myself. The library was the perfect place to clear my head, so I headed there and grabbed a dark romance novel and forced myself to read. Just a few pages into the novel, an uncomfortable pressure troubled my bladder. Great. Just when I was trying to focus, the attempt was ruined. I heaved a sigh and pushed my chair back in frustration and made my way back to the bathroom. I caught sight of a familiar silhouette. That ash-blonde hair, muscular physique…. Was it Nathan?What was he doing in the girl's bathroom?I was barely inside when I stopped dead in my tracks.His hands tangled in Nina's hair, his li