Lahat ng Kabanata ng STEPBROTHERS WITH BENEFITS : Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

“Since when?” We were sitting on the couch now, both calmer than before. “A long time ago,” I admitted, avoiding a specific date. I didn’t want to shock her further. “Since when did you know about us?” “I had a feeling for a while, but it wasn’t anywhere near this. I honestly thought you two hated each other, so I was worried about what he might do to you. Now that I know what’s really going on, I’m not sure if I should be relieved or more anxious.” We really did hate each other at one point, and even now, it still feels surreal that we went from that to being each other’s boyfriends. “How did you find out?” “I went to your condo to visit, but I didn’t go in when I saw Kayden there. I got my confirmation when you kissed him before heading inside.” My eyes narrowed. I didn’t tell her my condo address. “Franco,” she said, noticing the question in my expression. “I asked him about it.” “Damn,” I muttered, shaking my head. “You’re happy with him, right? Is he treating you well?”

When we got back to the condo, he immediately made me sit down and grabbed the first aid kit. My cheek was swollen, and the corner of my eye was bleeding. When he returned, he gently cleaned and treated the wounds. His touch was light, careful, and it barely hurt at all. Since we left the mansion until now, his face remained dark and tense. I kept silent, allowing him the space to cool off. “Does it hurt?” he asked, his thumb brushing gently over my cheek. “A bit,” I admitted. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, his face full of guilt. I furrowed my brow. “Why are you saying sorry? You didn’t hit me.” “I wish I hadn’t brought you there. Look at you. You got punched, and now you have a bruise,” he said softly. “Why? Does it make me less handsome?” He shook his head immediately. “No. You’re still as handsome as ever. But I won’t allow anyone to hurt you.” I heaved a sigh and reached for his hand. “I’m fine. Besides, I was the one who suggested we tell your father about us together. And

I stood up from the bed and started pacing around the room. My hands clenched tightly around my phone, gripping it so hard that it almost felt like it might crack. Who could do this? Who took those photos? How long had they been watching us? So many questions ran through my mind, and I knew none of them would be answered anytime soon. I had always been confident that we were careful—that no one would find out. But all this time, someone had been spying on us—watching and waiting. I didn’t get a single moment of sleep that night. My body was drained from work, yet my mind refused to rest. By morning, my head was pounding, and my eyes stung from the lack of sleep. Even so, that was the least of my worries. Kayden, my mom, and even some of my friends had been calling and texting me nonstop, but I didn’t reply to any of them. My heart was beating so fast it felt like it might burst out of my chest. I couldn’t sit still. My hands were trembling, and my breathing kept coming out uneve

“Are you out of your mind? Why would I do that?” He didn’t flinch. “People are interested in you now more than ever. They might dig up information about Kayden sooner or later—or worse, they already have. I don’t want my name dragged into this because of you,” he spat, his disgust palpable. My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles ached. “He’s out of this. Rest assured I will never involve him in any of this if that’s what you’re worried about.” He laughed mockingly. “Oh really? Can you control that? You can’t even protect your own image, so what makes you think you can protect him?” Anger surged through me because I knew he was right. I couldn’t bring myself to speak. In the end, I chose to stand and pointed toward the door of my condo. “Get out,” I said firmly, barely holding myself back. “This conversation is over. You’re not going to come between us. Try harder next time.” He heaved a slow sigh and stood up. He walked toward the door, but before opening it, his gaze ling

“I know it was your boyfriend who leaked that video, but that happened because of you.” “That was years ago,” I said quickly. “That may have been years ago, but he still did it!” she snapped. “Do you even know how that ruined my life and my career? I didn’t just lose my job; I lost myself too!” Her breathing grew heavier as anger filled her voice. “Do you know what it feels like to walk into a room and see judgment in every person’s eyes? My privacy was completely violated, and even now, people still use that video as an excuse to disrespect me!” For a moment, all the anger I had brought with me disappeared. I knew where she was coming from. I had seen how she disappeared from the spotlight and slowly rebuilt herself from the lowest point of her life, just like I was trying to do now. But I never wanted that to happen to her… so why did I have to suffer for it? “I didn’t mean for any of that to happen. I tried to stop him. I didn’t think he would actually do it.” “Shut up!” she