All Chapters of STEP BROTHER DEAREST: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Arielle"Happy sixth married life!" I raised my glass in the air, and toasted to nobody.Beside me, my best friend burst into laughter, "Layla is my role model. I can't even get my crush to call me back and she's getting married for the second time this year. I need to start studying her romance diary like a holy book."I rolled my eyes, "She changes men faster than I change toothbrushes. It's gross."Annie's mouth curved into a sly smile, "speak for yourself, darling. Layla is getting some of that good di_"I slammed my glass of beer down on the countertop of the bar and turned to my blonde bestfriend with narrowed eyes, "Don't you dare complete that sentence, Annie. What the hell? You can't use the d word and my mother in the same sentence in front of me. Eww, I don't even want to think about that."She threw her head back and let out a loud roar of laughter, "You're such a prude sweetie.""You're gross.""I need to go pee, and who knows, maybe I'll find myself a six feet three, dar

Chapter threeArielle"What are you doing here?" I hissed at the dark haired man as he slid in beside me."So you agree that you stole my watch?" He asked.My jaw dropped open, and a glance around the table revealed that the other two occupants of it were just as slack jawed as I was.What in God's name was going on here?"Ian your late," Charles' voice was as harsh as a whip."My apologies, father," the man's voice was just as sharp.Wait, father? What!"He's your dad?" I wheezed, feeling bile crawl up my throat. Eighteen years I had lived a good, pure, innocent life and the one time I decided to do something wild and reckless, I had landed in the middle of a soap opera."Have you two met?" Mum asked, glancing between us suspiciously."I-uh- I mean_" I stuttered, feeling cold sweat bead down my spine."Of course not," Ian said easily, "I thought the red hair looked familiar. She looks shockingly identical to the woman I picked up at a bar last night."My mum chuckled, "It couldn't ha

Chapter fiveArielle"Husband?" I croaked in disbelief."Take the spot next to him," Charles said with a pleased smile, "I'm glad you made it Savannah.""Father_" Ian began."Enough!" The older man barked, face hardening with fury, "You will respect this ceremony, my bride, and Savannah, or you'll face my wrath."To my surprise, Ian merely stared at his father with hatred for a few long seconds before turning away."Move, bitch," Savannah snarled, bumping me away from Ian's side and immediately taking my place.I caught Annie's eyes from across the garden and I could see how shocked she looked by the whole thing. Well, I hoped she wasn't expecting any juicy info from me, because I had no clue what the hell was happening. How had my mom managed to tie us to this messy family?I could barely keep my breakfast down as Ian's so called wife clutched and grabbed at him like he was her lifeline. The one thing the dark haired Adonis and I had in common was the fact that neither of us seemed t

Chapter 7: AftermathArielleI took a few deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. What had just happened? Why had Ian been so angry?I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I needed to focus on getting out of here without drawing any more attention to myself.I made my way back to the garden, where the party was still in full swing. I spotted Annie across the room, laughing and chatting with a group of guests.I made my way over to her, trying to put on a brave face. "Hey, Annie."Annie turned to me, concern etched on her face. "Ari, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."I forced a smile. "I'm fine, just a little overwhelmed."Annie nodded. "Let's get out of here. I'm sure your mom won't miss us."I nodded, grateful for my friend's understanding. "Let's go."As we made our way through the crowds, I couldn't shake the feeling that Ian's eyes were still on me, watching me.We finally made it out of the mansion and into the cool night air. I took a deep breath, fe

Chapter 9: Rumors and GossipArielleThe next few days passed in a blur. I tried to focus on school and my friends, but my mind kept wandering back to Ian and the events of the wedding.I couldn't believe how much my life had changed in just a few short days. I had gone from being a carefree high school student to being embroiled in a complicated web of family drama and secrets.As I walked through the halls of my school, I couldn't help but feel like everyone was staring at me. Did they know about Ian and me? Did they know about the argument we had had?I felt like I was living in a fishbowl, with everyone watching my every move.I spotted Annie across the cafeteria, waving at me to come over. I made my way over to her, feeling a sense of relief at being able to escape the prying eyes of my classmates."Hey, Annie," I said, dropping into the seat beside her.Annie turned to me, concern etched on her face. "Ari, what's wrong? You look like you're losing your mind."I sighed, rubbing m