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

“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 yelled

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…” he murmured. 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

KAYDENA 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 quickly, 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,” I replied. “Do you own this vineyard? Your grapes are excellent. I actually tasted them yesterday. A neighbor gave me some.”“Yes, I do. And 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.”T

Once we were done eating, we stayed in the living room to continue our conversation.“My ring,” I said.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 was ridiculously 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. Even when we were continents apart, he had never once left my mind.Only now did I realize it was still the