Semua Bab Claimed by His Stepbrother : Bab 21 - Bab 30

Chapter 22-EvelynThe house was dark when I stepped inside. Too dark.Paul never left the lights off.For a second, I thought maybe he’d gone to bed early. But when I reached for the switch, the soft click of light revealed him—sitting on the couch, sleeves rolled up, tie loose, a half-empty bottle of whiskey in front of him. His eyes were fixed on me.“Paul,” I said, startled, pressing a hand to my chest. “You scared me.”His gaze slid to me — slow, sharp, unreadable. “Did I? Or are you scared of something else?”I blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing. “You tell me.”I shut the door behind me carefully. “You could’ve turned the lights on at least. What are you doing sitting here in the dark?”He leaned back slightly. “Waiting.”“For what?”“You.”Something in my stomach dropped. “Okay,” I said slowly, trying to sound casual. “Then maybe next time you should wait with the lights on.”His eyes didn’t soften. “I was curious how you’d come

Chapter 24-AdrianTwo days.That was how long Paul had been missing.And still—nothing. No leads. No sightings. No ransom note.The police were “doing their best,” which usually meant sitting on their asses and waiting for a miracle. Reporters had already started circling like vultures, sniffing for a scandal, and my father—ever the perfect patriarch—was more worried about what the headlines would say than about his missing son.Not like he ever really cared about Paul.My own Intel was still on it, trying to get his hands on something.Though I do wish it wasn't sooner, I liked the idea of Paul not existing.Why? Evelyn. I get to have Evelyn to myself. That's if she doesn't keep pushing me away.I sat in my office, the air heavy with the faint scent of whiskey and exhaustion. Papers cluttered the desk, though none of them were work-related. Rai stood by the doorway, arms crossed, watching me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve.“You don’t look surprised,” he finally said. “

Chapter 26-EvelynFor a few seconds, I couldn’t speak. My mind couldn’t process what I was seeing.The shadows shifted again, and the figure moved closer, stepping into the light. My heart stopped.“Adrian?” I whispered.He looked the same — and yet, not. His shirt was half untucked, sleeves rolled, face streaked with something I couldn’t quite figure out not until he lifted his arm.Blood.My throat tightened. “What… what happened to you?”He didn’t answer — just looked at me with that blank, unreadable stare.My voice shook. “You have blood on you, Adrian. Why?”He looked down at his shirt as if noticing for the first time.“You shouldn’t be here, Evelyn.”The words hit hard. “Excuse me?”“You need to leave,” he said quietly. “Now.”I blinked, stunned. “You’re the one who called me here.”His jaw tensed. “No, I didn’t.”“Stop lying!” I snapped. “You sent the flowers. The message. The map. Telling me if I wanted to find Paul, I had to—”He stepped a little closer. I stumbled back ins

Chapter 28-EvelynHeat rose to my cheeks as he said that. His voice was the kind that slipped beneath my skin and settled there. My fingers froze where I held the towel. The way he said baby made something twist in my stomach —half panic, half… something else I didn't want to name.I looked away quickly. “I guess you've been really affected by that dart you took,” I murmured, hoping my voice didn't sound shaky as it felt. “It seems like it has affected your brain.”From the corner of my eye, I caught how his tense expression softened into something… disarming. The sound of his laugh made me still; all I could think about was how unfairly beautiful his smile was. And I wondered why I had just noticed. I cleared my throat, determined to be unaffected. “Besides, you should be asleep by now. You lost quite a bit of blood.”He chuckled softly, the sound deep and lazy. “I’m fine. You should worry about yourself.”“I’m not the one who got shot,” I retorted, walking past him to hang the to

Chapter 30-AdrianShe hadn’t said much since morning. Just a few polite answers, then silence again. It wasn’t the kind of silence that brought peace — it was the kind that made you feel you’d done something wrong and didn’t even know what. Evelyn sat out on the balcony, legs stretched out on the lounge chair, a book in her hand. The sun kissed her skin like it wanted to stay. Her hair spilled over the armrest, soft and messy, and her legs were crossed in a way that left too much bare skin showing. Even the sunlight seemed to appreciate the view. And me? I was losing my mind. I leaned on the doorway, watching her flip a page, her lips curling slightly — she was smiling at whatever she was reading. That smile wasn’t for me, and somehow, that was worse than a knife to the ribs. She didn’t even notice I was standing there. I pushed away from the wall and walked toward her. The wooden floor creaked under my weight, and when I reached her chair, I crouched down behind her, braci