Lahat ng Kabanata ng A Night With My Stepbrother : Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

The mop water was already murky, and Isabel’s arms ached from scrubbing down the same corner of the bar for the third time. The dim neon light over the liquor shelf flickered, casting Jenna’s shadow long across the sticky floor as she stacked stools on tables. “You know this place never looks clean, no matter how hard we scrub?” Jenna muttered, tossing her rag over one shoulder. “I’m convinced it’s built out of grime.” Isabel gave a weak laugh, kneeling to pick up a bottle cap someone had jammed under the leg of a barstool. “At least it pays,” she said, though even she didn’t believe it anymore. Jenna looked over, hand on her hip. “Barely.” They both fell into a stretch of silence. The hum of the old refrigerator and the occasional clink of glass were the only sounds in the otherwise empty place. The bar had closed nearly an hour ago, and the patrons had long since stumbled out into the warm summer night. “You okay?” Jenna asked after a beat, tilting her head. “You’ve been chewin

The bathroom mirror in Jenna’s apartment was streaked with old makeup and bad decisions, but tonight it reflected two girls who barely recognized themselves.Isabel leaned closer, adjusting the strap of her dark emerald green dress for the third time. Her curls were ironed flat and shiny, her eyeliner just a bit too sharp, her lips a deep red that made her look like someone she wasn’t.Someone dangerous.“I look like I’m trying too hard,” she muttered.“You look like money,” Jenna grinned, stuffing her lipstick into her tiny rhinestone clutch. “That’s the point.”“I feel like I can’t breathe.”“That’s because we used double push-up tape. You’ll survive.”Isabel exhaled shakily and stepped back from the mirror. Her heels clicked awkwardly on the tile, her legs unfamiliar beneath the short dress Jenna had begged her to wear.They looked like girls in a music video. They felt like girls lying to themselves.“You sure about this?” Isabel asked, voice low.Jenna gave her a look. “Babe. We

The curtain whispered shut behind her, and for a moment, Isabel stood in the hallway like she’d just stepped out of a fever dream.The club noise returned like a wave—bass-heavy music, drunken laughter, the clink of glass—and yet it all felt oddly distant. Like she’d left part of herself back in that velvet-draped room.She wrapped her arms around her middle and took a shaky breath.Come back with me to my penthouse.The words still echoed in her ears.Her heels clicked sharply on the polished floor as she searched through the dim corridors until she spotted Jenna near the bar, mid-conversation with one of the other girls. She wore confidence like a crown now—hair tousled, makeup glowing under the violet light, money folded into the waistband of her skirt.When she saw Isabel approaching, her grin widened.“Well damn,” Jenna said, grabbing Isabel by the wrist. “I thought you ghosted.”“I—I needed air,” Isabel said quickly, pulling her close. “He asked me to go with him.”Jenna’s brow

The sun hung heavy in the sky, its golden light spilling over the manicured gardens and sparkling fountains of the Villa Aurelia Resort. The sprawling Mediterranean hotel sat perched on a cliffside, its white stone walls gleaming against the bright blue sea beyond. Isabel stood at the curb, suitcase rolling quietly beside her. The luxury around her felt suffocating, like an elegant cage she’d been shoved into. This was not home. This was a stage. She adjusted her sunglasses and took a deep breath. The faint hum of voices and laughter floated from the open lobby doors, but the warmth of the sun did nothing to thaw the cold knot in her chest. She was here because of her father. And because of Vivian. The sliding glass doors parted, and a woman stepped out—a perfect vision of polished charm. “Isabel!” Vivian’s voice was sharp but coated in sugar. She forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, stepping forward with arms open for a hug. “So glad you could make it. You look… well.” I

The sea was a dark sheet of velvet, its gentle waves shimmering beneath a sickle moon. A salty breeze rolled through the balcony, cool against Isabel’s bare arms as she stood in silence, arms wrapped tightly around herself. She needed air. Alessandro was too close in that suite—too quiet, too controlled. She couldn’t breathe in there. Not with the echo of his voice in her ears. Not with his scent clinging to the walls. She barely heard the sliding door open behind her. But she felt him. Like a presence in her bones. Alessandro stepped out slowly, hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks. The only sound between them was the quiet hush of waves below and the dull hum of music from somewhere in the resort. They stood like that for a long moment, not looking at each other. Just breathing in the night. “You always run when it gets uncomfortable?” he asked finally. Isabel didn’t move. “Only when I’m trying not to scream.” “Good to know.” She let out a breath, then turned to face