WANTING MY STEP—BROTHER のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 51 - チャプター 60

MelanieThe first thought in my head when I woke up wasn’t breakfast, wasn’t Federico’s endless shouting which had gotten louder at night, and certainly wasn’t Aria’s quinceañera which was today. It was the box.I couldn’t shake it if my mind. As I zipped up my dress. my eyes kept drifting to where I’d shoved the thing into the back of my closet. That ridiculous pink box, so deceptively innocent wasn’t so innocent after all.Inside it, the necklace still gleamed in my memory—silver chain with a pendant that was shaped like a tiny clock. At first, I’d wanted to laugh. What is this, Beauty and the Beast? Is Lumière about to waltz in here? But the longer I stared at it, the more the joke died in my throat as I noticed the D shaped letter scribbled at back of the pendant. No. It wasn’t whimsical. It was Dante. It was a message.A clock. A countdown. My time ticking away.I’d wanted to march into Federico’s office right then and slam the thing on his desk. But Aria’s big day was hours aw

MelanieDante's phone rang and I watched as he picked it up. His voice dropped into that low, husky register he used whenever he wanted people to listen — the kind of tone that carried authority even when he was speaking softly.“You can pick her up now,” he said after a pause. My stomach twisted. He wasn’t looking at me, but I felt every word like they were aimed straight into my chest. When he hung up, he slid the phone into his pocket and finally turned his gaze back to me.“Stick to the plan, guai,” he said, using that word again — trouble. His version of a pet name. “I promise things would get better if you do,”That should have comforted me, right? Promises of stability. But coming from Dante, it felt more like the terms of a very specific hostage exchange.I raised my brows. “What do you mean by things would get better?”I wanted him to answer this question and not leave unanswered like the last one but Instead of answering, he pulled a cigarette from his jacket, lighting

MelanieThe trunk wasn’t as suffocating as I thought it would be. Well, maybe that was just the adrenaline talking—or the fact that my overthinking brain had already written ten different death scenarios while I lay there staring at absolute darkness.Then, as if fate was laughing at me, my hand brushed against the inside latch. Wait… was this thing… not locked?Seriously? After all that dramatic tying up and taping my mouth, Aaron hadn’t even bothered to lock the trunk? Classic. The one time being kidnapped feels like it came with a discount package.Slowly, carefully, I pushed it open. The lid groaned, making a sound so loud it felt like it echoed across the whole damn countryside. I froze, halfway between freedom and stupidity.That’s when I saw a shadow moving closer. It belonged to a man. For one hot second my brain screamed.I ducked back, holding my breath. Then he stopped. His voice cut through the night.“Dante!”He wasn’t looking for me, he was looking for Dante. I exhaled

MelanieMy eyes darted from face to face, desperate for a sign that I’d misheard. While Federico stood there like a marble statue. My mother’s hand was still clutching mine, her knuckles white. And Juan… Juan’s face didn’t change at all. Not a flicker. Which could only mean one thing.He knew.My lips curved into a smile—a sad, brittle little smile I didn’t even know I was capable of. It felt like stretching glass across my teeth.Federico’s voice rolled on. “Dante is ready to atone for his deeds,” he said, like a judge handing down a sentence. “I’ve told him that if he can keep you safe for six months, he will get what he wants back.”There it was. The deal. The strings. The carrot on the stick.Of course they struck a deal. This is the Alonzo family. They don’t apologize. We do contracts with blood under them.I tried to keep my expression neutral, but my brain was running marathons. What was Dante benefiting from this? What had Federico taken from him to even make him comply?Dante

Melanie “You’re riding with us,” Dante called out, his voice low as eyes locked on Aria stepping into the driveway with her bag slung over her shoulder. Aria glared at him, then at me, like we’d just tracked mud all over her designer carpet. “I’d rather take the bus than sit with the people who ruined my birthday.” Ouch. Direct hit. My inner voice whispered, She’s not wrong though… “Aria,” Dante said again, this time with a tone that could slice metal. “Get in the car or there will be consequences,” She glared as if challenging him, to see what the consequences could be but that glare only lasted a few seconds more like a second actually because her face softened and her lips pressed into a thin line as she moved in the direction of Dante’s car. “Fine,” she muttered, rolling her eyes so hard I was worried she’d sprain them. She yanked the door open and slid into the back seat with enough force to make the car bounce. Dante gave me a quick look, and I stepped in after him. H