Semua Bab MARRYING MY STEP-SISTER'S GROOM : Bab 1 - Bab 10

The pulsating bass of the party reverberated through the walls of the lavish mansion, thumping in time with Leah's racing heart. Laughter echoed, glasses clinked, and the scent of expensive perfume mingled with the aroma of rich hors d'oeuvres. Yet, in that moment, she felt trapped-an unwilling participant in a life dictated by her stepmother's expectations and her father's indifference.Leah's head swam with the effects of too many cocktails, each sip chipping away at her inhibitions, leaving her craving something raw and unfiltered. The crowd swirled around her like a kaleidoscope of bright colors and chatter, but all she could focus on was the gnawing emptiness that lingered in her chest. She wanted to feel alive, to break free from the chains that bound her to her past.She slipped away from the thrumming heart of the party, seeking refuge in a dimly lit room, her breath quickening as she entered. The space was adorned with opulent furnishings-dark velvet curtains, a plush bed dra

Ethan Blackwood sat in his sprawling office, the skyline of X City stretching out before him, a sea of glass and steel. His fingers drummed lightly against the polished mahogany of his desk, his mind replaying the events of the previous night. He could still feel her warmth, the softness of her skin, the way her body had trembled beneath him.His jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing at the memory. It had been a night unlike any other. Not because of the passion that had consumed them, but because she had been a virgin. That one fact kept gnawing at him, something that had lodged deep in his mind and refused to leave. A virgin. He had taken her innocence, and despite the haze of the aphrodisiac coursing through his veins, that knowledge had burned into him with a strange intensity.Ethan wasn't a man given to sentimentality, but he wasn't heartless either. He had done what he thought was right at the moment. The drug had affected her just as much as it had him, and leaving her untouched w

The sun barely peeked over the horizon when Leah opened her eyes, the morning of her wedding filled with dread rather than anticipation. She stared at the ceiling of her bedroom, her mind clouded with confusion from the events of the night before. The stranger she had spent the night with-his touch still lingered on her skin, a haunting reminder of how she had lost something precious to an unknown man.Her heart raced as the memory of his hands and the way he had looked at her came flooding back. He was cold, his face barely registering emotion, but his eyes-they had burned with a quiet intensity, something dark and consuming. She had never seen such eyes before, and yet, in the heat of that moment, they had both given in to the irresistible pull between them. Leah shook her head, trying to forget.The cold reality of the day loomed over her: she was about to be married to a man who was a stranger in every sense of the word, an arrangement forced upon her to save face after what her s

Leah's pulse thundered, her breath catching as Ethan's words echoed in her ears. She's coming with me. His tone left no room for argument, no space for her to resist. She wasn't given a choice.Her gaze darted to her father, Victor, whose expression had hardened. He wasn't going to protect her. He wasn't going to stop this. Her heart sank as the full weight of her helplessness settled over her. This had already been decided-long before today. She was nothing more than a pawn in a game of power, handed over like a business transaction to save Victor from being destroyed.Mr. Hargrove stood there, seething with rage. "You can't take her! I paid for her-she's mine!" His voice was a cruel hiss, his grip tightening on her wrist as if claiming ownership through force.Ethan didn't even bother looking at Hargrove. He turned his cold, piercing gaze to Victor, his voice a quiet threat. "Tell him, or I will."Victor swallowed, his face pale, sweat beading at his temples. "Leah..." He looked at

The dawn light spilled into the room, casting a harsh glow over the disheveled bed where Natasha lay, her body tense with anger and disgust. Mr. Hargrove's deep snores filled the space beside her, his arm draped possessively across her waist. The weight of it repulsed her, a reminder of the chains that now bound her to this man.How did it come to this? she thought bitterly, her eyes fixated on the ceiling, counting every breath in a futile attempt to keep her fury at bay. But the rage gnawed at her insides, relentless, turning over every humiliation from the night before.Ethan Blackwood.Leah.Her father.Each name burned in her mind. Her pulse quickened, matching the pace of her thoughts. They will all pay.She slid out from under Hargrove's arm as silently as possible, careful not to wake him. His scent, a pungent mix of alcohol and expensive cologne, clung to her skin, making her stomach turn. Natasha glanced back at him, her lip curling. He wasn't a husband; he was her punishmen