Lahat ng Kabanata ng WANTING MY STEP—BROTHER : Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Melanie I had been planning to run away with Miguel for a month. A whole month of pretending to be the obedient mafia princess my father thought I was. You know, smiling, nodding, and resisting the urge to scream every time Dario breathed too close to me while Miguel and I worked on how to carry out our plans. We didn’t go through with the plan to run away immediately, because I didn’t feel like dying in a ditch and so we made up our minds to run away during the wedding. I was glad when the month ended, and the wedding day finally arrived. The big escape we had been planning for was finally here, Dario wouldn’t see it coming. Neither would Papa. By the time they realized I was gone, I’d be halfway out of Città dei Re, probably flipping them off from a speeding car. I couldn’t wait. “You look stunning!” My mom’s voice broke into my little daydream. I turned toward her, doing my best to wipe the grin off my face. You know, the one that screamed ‘I’m running away in thirty

Melanie The minute the jet touched down on Città dei Re, I swear my stomach did a double backflip.As we headed toward the red car waiting for us on the tarmac, my nerves only grew. This city hadn’t changed a bit. The sky still looked like it was painted in overcast melancholy, and the buildings still leaned like they were whispering gossip to each other. Città dei Re was stuck in time.The drive was short, but painful in the way that memories hit you when you least want them to. With my face pressed to the glass, I caught sight of an old diner my dad used to take me to when I was little. I swallowed hard and looked away before the tears left my cheeks“We’re here!” Federico’s voice boomed from the front seat, snapping me out of my thoughts. He was grinning, like he hadn’t just ripped me away from my whole life.I glanced out and realized we were on the west side of Città dei Re. My dad used to warn me about this part of town. He said the people here were more dangerous than those

Dante I slammed the door behind me, hard enough to make the walls shake. My thoughts were all over the place as I strode down the hallway.I couldn’t believe that Federico brought home a woman. A fucking woman. And as if that wasn’t enough of a joke, she showed up with a daughter too.As if on cue, she walked past me, avoiding my eyes as much as she could. Like a predator I could sense the emotion she was feeling. It was clear that she was afraid.Good.Fear was useful. Fear kept people in check and I don’t mind going through the extra mile to make sure she fucking fears me for the rest of her life.But as that thought settled in my head, my eyes dropped catching a glimpse of her slender hips as she turned down the hallway that led her room. “Nice body,” I muttered under my breath. “But that face…”It was too soft and too sweet. Not the kind of girl I fucked with. Not the kind that survived in my world.I shoved that thought aside and stepped into my father’s oversized office wit

Melanie My mouth hung open. I mean, really open. And not because I was shocked but because I was doing everything in my power not to let my eyes drop to those damn grey sweatpants.I blinked hard and snapped myself out of it. “Your ugly personality makes you very irresistible,” I said, lifting my chin. “So congrats. You’re safe from me.”He leaned in, closer than my comfort zone allowed, and I instantly caught the stench of alcohol on his breath. Expensive wine, probably. Because of course he gets drunk in luxury.“Are you talking about my charming character?” he slurred with that cocky smile glued to his face.“You mean your delusional ego? Yeah, very charming,” I said, sidestepping him.I wasn’t in the mood for drunk Dante. Or sober Dante. Or any version of Dante that had vocal cords. I took a step to pass him, but his hand caught my wrist before I could move any farther.“You don’t leave until I say so.”His grip was hot like skin-burning hot. Not from temperature, just from pure

Melanie The drive back was silent, except for the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I had stopped thinking of Dante’s words, not that I wasn’t terrified about what was to come. Oh, trust me, I was. But I had much scarier thoughts to deal with by scarier I mean Gustavo’s death. As I stared out the window, all I could think about was Gustavo’s body hitting the ground, the blood, his voice echoing in my head when he called me a destruction. I felt like absolute shit. I felt like a killer, even though I wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger. If I had just stayed away from his home, he’d still be alive. Just like if I hadn’t run away with Miguel… he’d still be alive. And so would my dad. I tried to breathe, but the guilt clawed at my chest like a wild animal. I was officially the queen of fucked-up decisions. Someone hand me a crown and a sash already. Right in the middle of my mental breakdown, Dante slammed the brakes so hard my body jerked forward, and I had to catch m