All Chapters of RIVAL'S TO LOVER'S: My Step Brother Is Now My Roommate : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

196 Chapters

Chapter 61: The Folded Paperwork

HAYDEN’S POV:The dean’s office smells like polished wood, coffee, and the faint scent of paperwork that’s been sitting in folders for too long.It’s the kind of place where people come to hear life-changing decisions, which is exactly why my stomach feels like it’s slowly tying itself into knots.I sit in the chair across from Dean Adler’s desk, leaning back even though every muscle in my body is tight. My arms are crossed, jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the framed degrees hanging on the wall behind him.Ranging from Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia.Yeah, this guy takes academics seriously.Dean Adler flips through a file in front of him, his glasses perched low on his nose. The quiet sound of papers turning feels louder than it should.Finally, he looks up. “Mr. Cross,” he says calmly.I force myself to meet his gaze.“Yes, sir.”He taps the file lightly. “You’re aware of the accusation made against you?”My jaw tightens. “Yes.”“And?”“And it’s not true.”He watches me for a moment, l

Chapter 62: I'm Jealous dont You get?

STEPHEN’S POVThe moment Mom’s assistant texted me “Your mother needs to see you immediately,” I knew something was wrong.Mom doesn’t summon people just like that and she definitely doesn’t interrupt my day unless it’s serious.I step into her office twenty minutes later, loosening the tie around my neck. The place looks exactly like it always does, immaculate, intimidating, and ridiculously expensive.Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook half the city, sunlight reflecting off the glass buildings outside.Mom is standing near her desk, flipping through a folder.Hayden is sitting on the couch and that alone is enough to ruin my mood.My eyes narrow slightly. “What’s he doing here?”Hayden glances up lazily from his phone, sprawled across the couch like he owns the place. “Nice to see you too, brother.”I ignore him and look at Mom. “You said it was urgent.”“It is.” Her tone leaves no room for argument.She closes the folder and walks toward us, heels clicking against the floor.Hayden s

Chapter 63: The Uncomfortable Twist

STEPHEN’S POV: Hayden did'nt come out of his room all day. I noticed it around noon. Usually, even when we’re fighting, he eventually wanders into the kitchen for food or coffee or whatever junk he lives on. Today? Nothing. No music blasting through the walls, no sarcastic comments when I walk past his door, no sound at all. It’s… strange. I sit at the small table in the living area with my laptop open, pretending to focus on the research paper due next week. The screen is filled with graphs and notes, but I’ve been staring at the same paragraph for ten minutes. My eyes flick toward Hayden’s closed door. It was still quiet. “Good,” I tell myself. Let him suffer. He is the one who refused help. I lean back in my chair and try to focus again—the words on the screen blur together. Two days. If he fails that retake, he’s expelled. I rubbed my temple while I reminded myself that it was not my problem, except Mom made it my problem and she’s definitely going to ask how st

Chapter 64: Get a Life Hayden

HAYDEN’S POVIf someone told me yesterday that Stephen and I would spend twelve straight hours studying together without killing each other, I would’ve laughed in their face.Yet here we are.Day one of preparation starts with him ripping apart my entire understanding of economics.“Wrong,” Stephen says flatly.I glare at the paper between us. “You didn’t even look at it.”“I don’t need to.” He taps the notebook with his pen. “Your formula is already incorrect.”I stare at him. “You’re unbelievable.”“And you’re skipping steps…..again.”I groan loudly and drop my head back against the couch. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”Stephen doesn’t even bother pretending. “A little.” Of course he is.The living room floor is covered in books now. My books, his books, printed lecture notes, and empty coffee cups. We’ve basically turned the dorm into a war zone of economics.Stephen sits across from me at the table, perfectly composed as usual. His sleeves are rolled up and his hair is slight

CHAPTER 65: The Soft Kiss

HAYDEN’S POV:The next morning is awkward, painfully awkward.I wake up later than usual, groggy from barely sleeping and with the memory of last night replaying in my head like an annoying song I can’t turn off.Stephen is leaning closer. His eyes dropped to my mouth and the tension in the air and me bolting like a complete idiot.I rub a hand over my face and groan into the pillow.“Fantastic,” I mutter to myself. “Exam day and I’m losing my mind.”After a quick shower, I drag myself out of my room and into the living room. Stephen is already there.Of course he is.He’s sitting on the couch with a mug of coffee in one hand and a book open in the other, looking like the picture of calm, controlled focus. Like last night never happened.My stomach immediately knots.For a second I considered retreating into my room and pretending I didn’t exist but it was too late.Stephen looks up and our eyes meet and the silence that follows is so thick it feels like walking into a wall.“Morning,

Chapter 66: A Straight Disaster

LILIAN’S POV Waiting outside the economics building is more boring than I expected. The hallway is crowded with students pacing, flipping through notes, or whispering last-minute formulas like prayers. A few of them are even muttering to themselves. Honestly, it’s kind of terrifying. Exams turn perfectly normal people into lunatics. I lean back against the wall near the entrance, scrolling lazily through my phone while I wait for Hayden to finish. The exam started almost an hour ago, which means there’s still plenty of time before anyone comes out. But I told him I’d wait. So here I am. A couple of girls nearby are complaining loudly about how hard the exam was last year. “Professor Dalton always asks trick questions,” one of them says dramatically. The other groans. “I’m going to fail.” I roll my eyes and slip my phone back into my pocket. Hayden won’t fail, not after the insane amount of studying he did with Stephen. The thought makes me smile a little. I’ve never seen

Chapter 67: Voices Echoes

HAYDEN’S POV:The moment Professor Dalton says, “Time’s up,” the entire exam hall exhales like a dying animal.Chairs scrape and pens drop. Someone in the back mutters a quiet “thank God.”I lean back in my seat and rub my face with both hands, exhaustion crashing over me like a wave.That exam was brutal.Not a normal exam brutal. Not “I didn’t study enough” brutal. No. This is what Professor Dalton wants to see the world burn brutally.I stare down at my paper for a moment, replaying the questions in my head. Supply curves, elasticity problems, and a ridiculous case study that took half the exam time alone.Stephen’s voice echoes in my mind.“Dalton loves trick questions. If it looks obvious, it’s probably wrong.”God, I hope I listened well enough. Because if I didn’t…My athletic scholarship flashes through my mind like a warning siren.No scholarship means no team and no team means no staying at this university.And that thought alone makes my stomach twist.I shove the paper for

Chapter 68: Stephen's Ex

HAYDEN’S POV: By the time we step outside the economics building, the noise from the hallway fades into a distant murmur. The cold air hits my face like a reset button. I inhale deeply, filling my lungs with something that doesn’t smell like stress, panic, or overheated classrooms. The girl beside me walks quietly, matching my pace as we cross the courtyard. Students are scattered around campus, some celebrating the end of the exam while others sit on benches looking like their academic lives just ended. Honestly, I feel somewhere in between. “Where are we going?” I ask after a minute. She gestures toward the far side of campus where a small path leads toward the old botanical garden. “There’s a quiet spot near the pond,” she says. “Most people forget it exists.” That already sounds perfect. We walked along the stone path lined with tall trees. The campus noise fades further the deeper we go until it’s mostly just the sound of leaves rustling and distant birds. Even

Chapter 69: Storms Of Heart

HAYDEN’S POV:By the time Ammy and I left the garden, the quiet calm from earlier is completely gone. That stupid video keeps replaying in my head.Lilian is shoving Ella with students screaming, phones recording, and that stupid caption.Star athlete’s girlfriend starts campus fight.Great.Exactly the kind of attention I don’t need when my scholarship is already hanging by a thread.Ammy walked beside me in silence as we headed back toward the dorms. The path feels longer than before, and the campus that had seemed peaceful earlier now feels like a minefield.Every student we pass makes me paranoid.Are they looking at me because they recognize me? Because they saw the video? Because they’re waiting to see if the drama continues?I shove my hands into my jacket pockets and keep walking.“This is going to blow over,” Ammy says gently after a while.I glance at her. “You don’t sound convinced.”She gives a small shrug. “Campus gossip spreads fast. But it also burns out fast. Tomorrow

Chapter 70: Atmosphere Feels

HAYDEN’S POVThe moment I step inside the dorm building, the atmosphere feels… wrong.There were clusters of students lingering in the lobby, their heads bent over glowing phone screens. A couple of them laugh under their breath while someone else mutters, “Play it again.”I try not to look, but my stomach already knows. It was the video. It’s everywhere.As I walk past them toward the stairs, I hear the unmistakable audio from the clip.It was Lilian’s voice and the sound of lockers rattling.Someone yelled. “Dude, that’s Hayden’s girlfriend.”“Yeah, that’s her.”“Crazy.”My jaw tightens. I climb the stairs two at a time, hoping to get to the dorm room before anyone else tries to drag me into a conversation about it.By the time I reach our floor, my head is pounding and the hallway isn’t much better.Two guys leaning against the wall glance up as I approach. One of them quickly lowers his phone, but not before I see the paused frame on the screen.It was Ella against the lockers and

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