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Author: Detty Scent
last update publish date: 2026-04-06 01:58:05

Ethan's pov

The smell of burning magnetic tape was thick and sweet, and it filled the room like the scent of rotting fruit mixed with chemicals and ozone. I stood in the center of my private office on the forty-second floor, and I watched the orange tongues of fire lick the edges of the expensive mahogany shelving while the smoke began to curl toward the ceiling.

In my hand, I held the master drive for the Rhodes Archive, which contained the only surviving recordings of Julian’s final symphony
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  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    164

    AnyaThe backseat of the whistleblower’s beat-up sedan smelled like wet upholstery, old cigarettes, and a faint hint of peppermint that made my stomach turn. It was a real step down from the leather-scented luxury of a kidnapping vehicle, but I wasn't in a position to leave a bad review. My ankle was throbbing in three different time signatures, and my shoulder felt like it had been chewed on by a mountain lion. Every time we hit a bump, the pain flared up, bright and hot, reminding me that I was very much made of breakable parts."Can you drive any faster?" I hissed, clutching the thumb drive so hard the metal was starting to leave a permanent dent in my palm. "Or is this the scenic route where we wait for the helicopter to turn us into a roadside attraction? Because I’m not really in the mood for a tour."The man—I think his name was Miller, which was a very boring name for someone involved in a conspiracy—didn't look at me. He kept his eyes fixed on the narrow strip of road that wa

  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    163

    Ethan stood there like a shadow against the white snow, looking perfectly calm. He was wearing a long, expensive overcoat that looked like it belonged in a city office, not on a freezing mountain. Not a single hair was out of place, even though the wind was screaming around us. He wasn't holding a gun, but he didn't need one. He had all the power, and he knew it. Behind him, the cliff dropped off into a black hole, and the silence of the mountain felt like a heavy, cold blanket over my head."You really thought a small cabin and a few computer files would be enough to stop me?" Ethan asked. His voice was smooth and slow, almost like a father talking to a child. "I built the North Star, Anya. I created the world Kai lives in. Did you really think I wouldn't build the exits, too?"I squeezed the silver thumb drive in my hand. The metal was so cold it felt like it was burning my skin. My heart was jumping like a scared bird trapped in my chest. I looked past him, trying to see the flat a

  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    162

    The tires screamed as Kai pushed the SUV up the steep, icy hill. He didn't simply drive this time again, he fought the mountain. Every time the back of the car slid toward the edge of the cliff, I felt my stomach drop into my shoes. One tiny slip on a patch of ice and we would be gone. We wouldn't be a news story anymore. We would just be a pile of broken metal at the bottom of a dark canyon."They’re getting closer," I said, my voice shaking. I looked in the side mirror. The headlights behind us were bright and steady. They didn't care about the snow or the freezing wind. They were coming for the man sitting next to me, and they were coming for the truth I had hidden in my pocket."The road gets narrow up ahead," Kai said. He slammed the gear shift and the car jumped forward. He looked calm, but his jaw was tight and his knuckles were white on the steering wheel. "If I can get us past that ridge, they won't be able to drive beside us. It’s too tight for two cars. They'll have to stay

  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    161

    Anya The sound of the glass shattering was like a thousand crystal bells screaming at once. It wasn't the dull thud you hear in the movies; it was sharp, surgical, and terrifying. I felt the rush of freezing mountain air hit my face a second before Kai’s weight slammed into me, driving the air out of my lungs as we tumbled toward the floor."Don't move!" he hissed against my ear. His voice was a jagged edge, sharp with a protective fury I’d never heard from him before.I was pressed into the old rug, the smell of dust and cedar suddenly overshadowed by the acrid scent of gunpowder and cold wind. My heart wasn't just beating; it was thudding against my ribs like a trapped animal trying to break free. Another shot rang out—a dull thwip followed by the splintering of wood. The bullet buried itself in the headrest of the rocking chair where I’d been sitting just seconds ago.I looked at the chair. A jagged, splintered hole had opened right where my skull would have been. If I hadn't stoo

  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    160

    Anya’s POVThe click of the button was a finality that hit harder than a physical blow. For a heartbeat, the cabin was submerged in a vacuum—a terrifying, hollow space where the mountain’s silence met the digital roar I had just unleashed. I had spent my entire career hunting for a story that would change the world, but as I watched the dashboard light up, I realized I hadn't just written a review. I had pulled the pin on a grenade and dropped it into the lap of a god.Two million followers were just the beginning. In less than sixty seconds, the server stats didn’t just rise; they hemorrhaged. The little red graph on my screen spiked into a vertical line so sharp it looked like a jagged tooth. People were waking up in New York, their bedside tables glowing with the notification. They were scrolling through feeds in London pubs and Tokyo subway cars, seeing the headline that would dismantle the Rhodes Archive before the sun went down.THE NORTH STAR: A POST-MORTEM ON A MURDER."My phon

  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    159

    Anya’s POVThe cabin was so quiet I could hear the snow sliding off the roof. It was a soft, heavy sound that made the world feel small. Just us. Just the blue light of the screen and the smell of old wood.Kai was still sitting next to me. His hand was warm, his fingers hooked through mine. It was a simple thing, but it felt like a miracle. After the hospitals and the cells and the screaming crowds, this was the only thing that felt real.“We have it all,” I said. My voice was low, almost a whisper. I looked at the files on the screen. It was a graveyard of secrets. “The medical logs. The recordings. Everything Ethan did to your father. Everything he did to you.”Kai looked at the screen, but his eyes were far away. “I spent ten years thinking I was the broken one. I thought I was the reason the music felt like a lie. He made me believe I was lucky to have him.”“You were a kid, Kai. He was a predator.”He turned to look at me. The light from the laptop made his eyes look like silver.

  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    32

    Anya's POVThe morning didn't bring any clarity and instead it brought a heavy, suffocating awareness that made my head throb like a bad hangover without the fun of the drinks. I woke up on the velvet sofa in the penthouse while the grey light of a New York dawn filtered through the massive windows

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-21
  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    31

    Anya’s~The ride back to the Carlyle was silent, but it wasn't the empty silence from before. It was a pressure cooker.Kai sat in the corner of the Maybach, his tuxedo jacket discarded on the seat between us. He had rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, and the sight of his forearms—strong, co

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-21
  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    26

    Anya's PIVThe silk of the midnight blue dress felt like cool water against my skin and it fit too well, almost like it was a second skin I hadn't earned, so I stood there shivering in the middle of the room. It was the kind of dress that didn't just sit on your body but instead it claimed it, clin

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-20
  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    28

    Anya’s POVThe lobby of the Metropolitan Opera House was a sea of black ties, champagne flutes, and the kind of perfume that smelled like old money and secrets.The air was thick with the hum of a thousand conversations, but as soon as Kai stepped into the room, a path cleared like the Red Sea.His

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-20
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