Lahat ng Kabanata ng Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother: Kabanata 81 - Kabanata 90

KASMINE.The phone dangled between Kester's fingers; the screen began to glow with the same name flashing persistently. Jake.The way he held the phone, the way his jaw ticked beneath the dim sunset glow, the way his body coiled like a beast seconds away from striking—I knew I was in trouble.Kester was a possessive man. Territorial to the point of madness. I had never tested his patience like this before. I'd danced around the edges of it, teased him with it, but now? Now, I had shoved a blade straight into the gut of his control."Where did you get that?" My voice came out hoarse, almost pathetic.His lips twitched, but there was no amusement in his eyes. Only something terrifyingly dark. Something sharp enough to cut. "Where do you think, baby?"I swallowed hard.I had hidden it well. Or at least, I thought I had.Kester hummed, tilting his head and running a thumb over the screen. "Funny thing about secrets, Mine," he murmured. "They don't stay buried for long."Then, right before

KESTER."What the fuck are you doing here?" The disgust in my voice was thick enough to cut through steel. My grip on the door tightened as I stared at her—the absolute last person I wanted to see.June had the audacity to smile, tilting her head like I'd just asked her to move in. "I'm happy to see you too, Kester," she teased, then reached down to grab her suitcase, stepping forward like she belonged here.I blocked the entrance. "How the fuck did you get this address?" My tone was colder than the ocean breeze.June rolled her eyes, all mock innocence. "Your father gave it to me. He also gave me the go-ahead, actually. Thought you might need some… company." She exhaled, "What's the big idea? It's just you and your sister. Another presence – your soon-to-be wife – won't kill."My jaw clenched. That old man was pressing too many fucking buttons, and at this rate, he wouldn't live long enough to keep doing it.June, oblivious—or maybe just too smug to care—shrugged past me and into the

KESTER.They hesitated for half a second.Then, like puppets on frayed strings, they turned on each other.The first blow landed with a sickening crack that sent satisfaction running through me.Fists flew. Blood sprayed. I watched with a blank expression as they tore into one another like rabid animals in a death match they hadn't chosen.They weren't fighting to survive.They were fighting to die. What an irony! And I wanted to watch every agonizing second of it.I wasn't even halfway through the entertainment when I heard her voice."Kester..." She called me, a bit firmer above the trembling of her voice.My head snapped toward her, and everything—the rage, the heat, the violent thrumming in my veins—came to a screeching halt.My fingers, still sticky with blood, twitched at my sides.She was shaking. Her body curled in on itself, arms clutching what was left of her dress. Her eyes brimmed with something I never wanted to see on her face.Fear.Not relief nor gratitude.My stomach

KESTER.The ocean stretched wide before me, endless and serene, the waves rolling in gentle, rhythmic crashes against the shore.I had never been the kind of man to marvel at nature, but today, standing on this beach with the salty breeze brushing against my skin, I found myself appreciating the beauty of it.Yet none of it—not the brilliant blue sky, not the golden sunlight reflecting off the water—held a candle to the sight in front of me.Kasmine.I watched my obsession tense every now and then, trying to walk with her legs pressed tightly together.She went and sat beneath the shade of a small coconut stall, her legs crossed at the knees, doing everything she could to avoid looking in my direction.Her dark hair tumbled over one shoulder, the ends damp from an earlier swim, and her flawless skin shimmered under the sun.That bikini—that goddamn bikini.She had worn it despite my warning. The black fabric clung to every curve of her body, leaving just enough to the imagination whil

KESTER.I closed the door as carefully as possible so as not to wake Kasmine up. She was still sound asleep, her body curled beneath the covers, lost in the kind of deep rest only I could give her. I wasn't about to disturb that.We were supposed to go scuba diving today, but after last night, I wasn't sure she'd have the energy for it. Maybe we'd take the day off and stick to something easier—like the bonfire at the villa tonight. She'd love that.For now, I had other things to deal with.I strode to my room, my mind already shifting into work mode. A shower first—then emails. I knew there'd be a flood of them waiting for me, along with the hundreds of messages from my father that I'd purposely ignored yesterday.I'd deal with him later.The moment the hot water hit my skin, tension melted from my muscles. I let it run over me, closing my eyes for just a second longer than necessary, letting my mind drift. It had been a long time since I felt this—contentment.Not peace. Not exactly.