Step Brother's Deadly Obsession のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 111 - チャプター 120

Naomi’s Pov The restaurant was already half full when I arrived. That was intentional. The dinner crowd started early. Couples talking too loudly. A few people were drinking before they ate. Enough noise to hide tension, not enough to hide movement. I came in alone. No escort. No visible protection. Just a simple jacket, hair tied back, phone in my pocket like I belonged there. I didn’t scan the room right away. That would’ve been obvious. Instead, I walked to the hostess stand, gave the name Cassian had arranged, and waited while she checked the list. I felt him before I saw him. Eldon sat near the windows, back straight, hands folded on the table like he was waiting for a business meeting. No weapon in sight. No visible security. He wanted this to look clean. He wanted control. The hostess smiled. “Right this way.” I followed her without hesitation. Cassian had arrived earlier. I knew that. I didn’t look for him. I trusted the plan. I trusted that if something went wron

Naomi’s Pov The first thing I noticed was how quiet it got. Not peaceful, quiet. Not calm. The kind of quiet that feels wrong because it doesn’t last. Like something is holding its breath before it breaks. We were still at the secondary location. Screens on. Lights low. No one talked unless it mattered. Cassian stood near the center table, hands braced on the edge, eyes fixed on a map that hadn’t changed in hours. Rubio sat on the floor with his back against the wall, phone in hand, scrolling through feeds we weren’t supposed to have access to. Mara paced slowly, stopping every few steps to check a window or a door. I stayed seated. I didn’t feel weak. I felt alert. Like my body understood before my mind did that something was about to tip. The phone rang. Not one of ours. Cassian answered immediately. He didn’t speak. He just listened. I watched his face. I’d learned how to read it by now. There was no surprise. No confusion. Just a shift. Like something had finally aligned

Naomi’s Pov The room was bigger than I expected. Not grand. Just wide. Long table. Rows of chairs behind it. Cameras mounted high enough to feel distant but close enough to remind you that nothing said here would stay contained. I walked in without stopping. Cassian wasn’t beside me. That was intentional. He sat near the back with Rubio and Mara, visible but not at the center. Present without claiming space. That mattered. The panel didn’t look like villains. That was the hardest part. They looked like people who had learned how to stay clean while standing near dirty things. Neutral suits. Neutral expressions. Neutral voices. One of them cleared his throat. “Thank you for coming, Naomi.” I didn’t respond to the gratitude. “You understand this session is on record,” another said. “Yes.” “And that you may stop at any time.” “I won’t,” I replied. That drew a look between them. Not concerned. Calculation. They began carefully. Background questions. Dates. Confirmations. Thi

Naomi’s Pov The notice came in the morning. Not dramatic. Not threatening. Just official enough to make my stomach drop. Cassian read it once, then folded it neatly and set it on the table, just like any other piece of paper. He didn’t swear. He didn’t pace. That calm scared me more than anger ever could. “They’re calling it a request,” he said. “It’s a subpoena in everything but name.” “For when?” I asked. “Seventy-two hours.” Rubio scoffed. “They’re giving you just enough time to look cooperative.” Cassian nodded. “And not enough to prepare.” Mara leaned against the wall. “They’re testing how much noise you’ll make.” Cassian glanced at me. “They’re testing us.” I didn’t miss that. The room settled into motion. Lawyers on the phone. Documents pulled—lines drawn around what Cassian would answer and what he wouldn’t. I watched from the side, feeling the familiar edge of being discussed instead of consulted. Until Cassian looked up. “They’ll bring you up,” he said. I di

Naomi’s Pov The building slept in shifts. That was the only way I could describe it. Lights dimmed in some rooms while others stayed alert. Footsteps passed every hour. Radios whispered. Someone coughed down the hall and then apologized to no one. I lay on the bed fully dressed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep hovered just out of reach, like it was waiting for permission I wasn’t ready to give. A knock came softly at the door. I didn’t jump. I already knew who it was. “Come in,” I said. Cassian stepped inside quietly and closed the door behind him. He didn’t turn on the light. He leaned against the wall near the entrance, arms folded, posture relaxed in a way that told me he wasn’t here to talk strategy. “You’re still awake,” he said. “So are you,” I replied. “Yes,” he agreed. He didn’t move closer right away. That mattered. He let the silence sit without trying to fill it. “The media cycle died down for the night,” he said. “They’ll start again in the morning.” “I figured