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Autor: Detty Scent
last update Última actualización: 2026-01-28 00:55:44

Anya’s POV

The tension in the penthouse had moved past a simmer. It was a rolling boil, thick and suffocating. Ethan had spent the afternoon mentoring Kai in the glass-walled music room, their voices a low, discordant murmur that followed me through every hallway.

I was in my room, staring at my laptop screen until the white light burned my retinas. My contact at The Spotlight had finally messaged me back on an encrypted app.

Anya, be careful. I tracked the payments for the ‘North Star’ injecti
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  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    67

    Anya’s POVKai was sitting on a wrought-iron bench, a guitar resting across his lap, his fingers plucking a discordant, restless melody. I on the other hand, sat opposite him with my legal pad, playing the part of the diligent biographer, but my mind was miles away, locked inside the encrypted drive hidden in the lining of my bag."The bridge of the third track," I said, my voice projecting for the benefit of whatever microphones Ethan had buried in the soil of the oversized palms. "You said it felt like a descent. Can you elaborate on the... psychological state of that moment?"Kai looked at me, his eyes dark and knowing. He knew I was stalling. He knew the "interview" was a front. "It felt like being underwater, Anya. Knowing the surface is there, but having someone's hand on the back of your head, holding you down just long enough to make you forget what air tastes like."The metaphor was too sharp, too real. I looked down at my pad, scribbling nonsense. "And the resolution of the

  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    66

    Anya’s POVThe move happened with a terrifying efficiency that felt less like moving house and more like being extradited to a foreign country.I barely had enough time to throw my life into a suitcase before two of Ethan’s "security detail" were standing in my doorway, looking like a pair of high-end sharks in suits that definitely cost more than my entire four-year degree. They didn't say a word, they just stood there with those blank, unblinking stares until I got the message and followed them out like a prisoner of war.The new residence wasn't in the city center where I could at least pretend to be part of the world; it was a secluded estate on the outskirts, a massive glass-and-stone monolith hidden behind high stone walls and wrought-iron gates that looked like they were designed to keep things in just as much as they kept people out.As the car rolled up the long, winding driveway, the London fog seemed to rise up and swallow the world behind us, effectively cutting us off fro

  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    65

    Anya’s POVThe move happened with a clinical, terrifying efficiency. I barely had time to throw my belongings into my suitcase before two of Ethan’s "security detail" men with the blank stares of sharks and suits that cost more than my education were standing in my doorway.The private residence wasn't in the heart of the city. It was a secluded estate on the outskirts, a sprawling glass-and-stone monolith hidden behind a perimeter of high stone walls and wrought-iron gates. As the car rolled up the long, winding driveway, the London fog seemed to swallow the world behind us, cutting us off from anything that felt like reality.Inside, the house was a masterpiece of cold, modern minimalism. It was beautiful, in the way a prison cell made of diamond might be beautiful. Every surface was reflective; every corner was monitored."Your room is on the second floor, east wing," Ethan said, not looking back as he stepped into the foyer. "Kai is in the west. My offices are central. You are fre

  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    64

    Anya’s POVMy heart wasn't just beating; it was slamming against my ribs like a frantic animal and I couldn't pull my eyes away from that red icon on my screen. User: E. Cole has joined the session. He was watching the files download and he was watching my cursor hover over those Swiss clinic records, which meant he was seeing me dismantle the massive lie he’d spent years constructing right in front of his face.I didn't wait for him to come find me, but instead, I slammed the laptop shut with a crack that sounded like a bone breaking in the quiet alcove. I shoved it into my bag and bolted, my boots thudding against the concrete floor as I ducked into the maze of the O2’s backstage.The hallways felt narrower than they had five minutes ago, and every shadow cast by the stacks of amplifiers and rolls of gaffer tape looked like Ethan waiting to step out and snatch the bag from my shoulder. I was breathing in ragged stabs that made my chest ache, and I could feel the sweat cooling on my

  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    63

    Anya’s POVThe O2 Arena was freezing, and it smelled like stale popcorn and expensive electrical equipment. It was so big that the silence felt heavy, broken only by the annoying, ghostly screech of a soundcheck that hadn't even officially started.Down on the floor, I could see Ethan. He was huddled with the lighting guys, and even from all the way up here, he looked like a total control freak against those massive, glowing LED screens.He thought I was stuck in the production office, acting like a good little assistant and transcribing notes for Kai’s biography. He really thought he had me boxed in, and honestly, that was his biggest mistake. Ethan’s ego was so huge he just assumed that because he’d threatened my dad, I’d just roll over and be a defeated pet. He clearly didn't realize that "The Critic" didn't just analyze art—she looked for the cracks in the system, and every system has a back door.I wasn't anywhere near that office. I was tucked into a cramped, dark alcove behind

  • The Scandalous Step Siblings: First Enemies, Then Lovers    62

    ANYA’S POVThe sun coming into the penthouse was just cruel because it was this bright, freezing white light that made the fancy marble counters look like rows of gravestones. I hadn’t slept for even a single second, and I’d spent the whole night in the shower trying to scrub the smell of Ethan’s office off my skin, but I still felt gross, like there was this dirty film over me that just wouldn't wash away no matter how hard I tried.I sat at the kitchen island with my hands shaking around a mug of tea that had been cold for hours, and I just stared at a tiny breadcrumb on the counter. I focused on its weird, jagged shape because I knew that if I looked up and saw my own face in the mirror, I’d totally lose it and shatter into pieces.Then the elevator dinged, and my heart dropped because I knew it was Ethan.He stepped out looking way too perfect in a navy suit, and his tie was so straight and tight that it felt like a threat. He didn't look like a guy who had spent the night lurking

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