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publish date:
2026-04-23 17:57:40
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The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers 167
The doors of the van were flung open, and the world became a strobe-light assault of flashbulbs and screaming questions. "Anya! Over here!" "Is it true, Kai?" "Did Ethan Vance kill his father?"Officers with grim faces and heavy hands grabbed my arms, pulling me out into the frigid night air. I saw Marcus Stone being led into a separate side entrance, his face buried behind the lapels of his ruined jacket, the ultimate fixer finally broken. Further down, near a line of black sedans, I saw Ethan Vance. He was surrounded by a wall of men in tailored suits, his lawyers acting like a human shield. He looked at me across the chaos, and for the first time since I’d known him, the arrogance was gone. There was a raw, naked fear in his eyes. He knew."Anya Miller!" a reporter shrieked, shoving a microphone toward my face. "Was it worth the prison time? Is the Archive real?"I didn't give them a quote. I didn't give them the satisfaction of a soundbite. I just looked at Kai as they led him tow
The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers 166
Anya's povThe back of a police van is not a place for a lady, but since I’d spent the last few weeks being a fugitive, a prisoner, and a mountain-climbing stunt double for a snuff film, I figured I’d lost my "lady" status somewhere around the Nebraska state line. If there was a finishing school for critics who blow up federal property, I’d probably be the valedictorian.The walls here were cold, sweat-slicked metal that smelled of old rust and damp apprehension. The floor was a slab of reinforced steel that didn’t give an inch, telegraphing every bump in the road directly into my bruised tailbone. The only light in this rolling metal coffin came from the small, barred window in the back door, flickering with the strobing, hypnotic rhythm of the sirens. Blue, red, blue, red. It was like being trapped inside a very small, very loud disco designed specifically for people who had made a series of spectacularly bad life choices."You okay back there, Miller?" the driver yelled. I could he
The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers 166
AnyaI looked up from the snow. The sky was still a bruised purple, but the rhythmic thrum-thrum-thrum of a helicopter was returning. Ethan Vance was circling back. Of course he was. He was the director who couldn't leave the set until he was sure the leading lady was dead. He wanted to see the wreckage. He wanted to look down from his mechanical throne and make sure the "final note" was silent.But as I lay there, shivering and broken, I saw something else.A pair of headlights appeared at the bottom of the quarry road, tiny twin stars cutting through the dark. Then another pair. Then six more. They weren't the sleek, black SUVs of Ethan’s private security. They were white and blue, flashing with a frantic, rhythmic intensity. Local police. State troopers. The actual cavalry.And right in the middle of the convoy was a van with a massive satellite dish bolted to the top. A news crew. My people. Sort of.I let out a wet, painful laugh that turned into a cough. The broadcast had worked
The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers 165
Anya's POVThe world didn’t just end again, it tilted.It wasn't some poetic metaphor for my life falling apart. It was actual, screeching physics. The metal floor of the relay station—the same floor I’d been standing on while I tried to play God with a radio frequency—groaned like a dying whale. Then, it leaned thirty degrees to the left. For a heartbeat, my stomach stayed at the top of the tower while my boots began a desperate, screeching slide toward the edge of the platform. Below us, the quarry looked like a hungry black mouth, yawning wide, waiting for the punchline of a very long, very expensive, very bad joke.I slammed my shoulder against a support beam, the cold galvanized steel biting through my jacket. My fingers scrabbled for purchase, my nails digging into the grit on the metal. I looked at Marcus Stone. He was clinging to a control console with the desperation of a man who realized his golden parachute was made of lead. His knuckles were white, his eyes were dinner pla
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 10
Anya’s POVPress Walk-Through — 11:15 AMIf hell had a waiting room, I am certain it would look exactly like a stadium corridor five minutes before the big sponsors arrived. Everything smelled like strong disinfectant and expensive money. Thick black cables snaked across the concrete floor like sle
Last Updated : 2026-03-17The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers 7
Anya’s povEthan's voice cuts through the door: "It doesn't matter what you want, Kai! The sponsors are breathing down my neck. If you don't finish this tour, the breach of contract lawsuits will bury you. You’ll be in a courtroom for the next ten years, and they’ll take every cent you have left!"
Last Updated : 2026-03-17The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers 11
Anya’s povI hesitated. I couldn’t tell him the truth. I couldn’t tell him that he looked cornered, like a trapped animal. I couldn’t tell him that I hate bullies, or that watching him flinch made something painful twist deep in my chest.“Because it was my job,” I said instead. It felt like a safe
Last Updated : 2026-03-17The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers 8
Anya’s povThe pressure of his hand against my windpipe was cold and trembling, a terrifying contrast to the heat radiating from his feverish skin. Kai wasn't looking at me—he was looking through me, his pupils blown wide, trapped in a jagged memory I didn't understand."Kai, stop! It’s me. It’s An
Last Updated : 2026-03-17
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