Lahat ng Kabanata ng STEPBROTHERS WITH BENEFITS : Kabanata 131 - Kabanata 140

Three years later… It was a bright Sunday morning. I stretched my arms above my head and let out a long yawn before stepping out onto the small wooden terrace, a mug of coffee warming my hands. I sat down on the old bench beside the railing and watched the sun slowly climb over the mountains. From here, the view was breathtaking. Massive peaks stood proudly in the distance while a soft blanket of morning fog drifted through the valley below. I took a slow sip of my coffee and let my mind wander. Three years ago, I made a decision I once thought I would regret for the rest of my life: I terminated the remaining years of my contract with my agency and left the country. At the time, I told myself it would only be for a year. I just needed distance from everything. I needed time to breathe. I needed peace. Switzerland was supposed to be temporary, but the countryside had a different plan for me. I ended up falling in love with it more than I ever expected. The silence, the nature, an

My father. My hand immediately formed into a fist. He was standing there, staring at me. The simple clothes he wore were torn and filthy. His hair hung in tangled clumps, stiff and brittle, as if he hadn’t touched water in years. His eyes and lips were swollen, and dried blood crusted much of his face. Bruises covered every inch of his body. He barely looked like Clyden Salvador—the proud, successful, intimidating man I once knew. Instead, he looked like a beggar. Pathetic. And yet… I felt nothing but satisfaction. I walked toward him, keeping my expression calm. “What are you doing here?” I asked coldly. “Son… my son…” I almost laughed. Son? I could hardly stomach the reality that he was, in fact, my father. “Don’t insult me with that, old man,” I spat back. “I… need your help,” he whimpered, clutching his stomach. He couldn’t even form words properly; his injuries and swollen lips made speech a struggle. “Who did this to you?” I demanded. “Who among the people you wronged

KAYDEN A week had passed, and so far, my stay here had been peaceful, just as I expected it to be. That afternoon, with nothing to do, I decided to take a walk. I passed by a vineyard, and an elderly man approached me. “Guete Namittag,” he greeted. “Sind Sie neu hier?” “English, please,” I said, not understanding what he had said. “Oh, I see… You’re new here? I’ve only just seen you around.” I nodded. “I’m just here on vacation. Do you own this vineyard? Your grapes are excellent. I actually tasted them yesterday. A neighbor gave me some.” “Yes, I do. Thank you… We make sure we take good care of our grapes and ensure they are fully ripened before we pick them.” From where I stood, I could see just how vast the vineyard was. Workers were scattered across the fields, tending to the vines. “I manage a wine company,” I said. “If you’re interested, we’d like to secure part of your annual harvest and purchase your grapes exclusively for one of our premium lines.” The flavor was ri

Once we were done eating, we stayed in the living room to continue our conversation. “My ring.” He slid the ring off his finger and held it out to me. My gaze scrutinized his hand. If he already had someone new, why was he still wearing it? Shouldn’t he have thrown it away by now? Or was he just reluctant because of how expensive it was? No… that didn’t make sense. He is filthy rich. The price of that ring was nothing to him. I took it from him and slipped it back onto my ring finger. “I’m sorry. I lost it,” I explained. I didn’t want him to think I had thrown it away on purpose because I never would. “Then stop being careless next time.” I nodded. It really was my fault. If I were in his place and saw something I had given to someone just lying around somewhere, I would’ve felt bad too. His eyes drifted to the picture frame that had been hanging there for years. Only now did I realize it was still there. Good thing Markus had never paid much attention to it, despite how ofte

KAYDEN I swatted away the mosquitoes biting at my skin. I was sitting on the wooden chair on his terrace, waiting for him. I didn’t even know how long I had been there. I woke up late, so I didn’t get the chance to talk to him this morning before he left for work. Now, it was almost ten in the evening, and he still wasn’t home. Where is he? Why isn’t he back yet? He said we would continue the conversation we left unfinished last night, but he was nowhere to be found now. Could he be avoiding me? I went back to my house to change. I put on pajamas and a jacket since it was getting colder outside. I returned to his place and waited again. I immediately stood up when I spotted Noah from a distance. My gaze sharpened the moment I noticed the man supporting his weight. He was drunk—no, wasted. I kept my expression blank as I waited for them to get closer. The man looked surprised to see me standing outside Noah’s house. Then my eyes slowly dropped to Noah’s waist. The bastard had