Lahat ng Kabanata ng Tempting My Ex’s Brother : Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

I bit my lower lip as I stared at my phone screen.From: Grumpy XercesHi. Sorry for the late reply. I had a lot on my plate.My lips instinctively formed a pout as I fought the urge to pick up my phone and reply.That was the only message I’d received from him, and he’d sent it yesterday. Another day had already passed, yet there wasn’t a single follow-up. Meanwhile, I used to flood his inbox with messages even when he left every one of them unanswered.Just because he and Sera were talking again… he’d dump me that fast?The thought only deepened my frown. Just when I’d finally started accepting the feelings I’d been trying so hard to deny, something had to get in the way.I let out a frustrated hiss before collapsing onto my bed. Lying on my stomach, I buried my face into the pillow with an irritated groan, clutching it tightly as if it were somehow responsible for my misery.Maybe I never should’ve helped him

“What brings you here, Auntie? It’s been a year since we last saw each other. I missed you,” I said warmly.We settled onto the living room couch after I let her in.A small frown formed on her face. “Exactly. You stopped visiting us like you used to,” she replied, unable to hide the hint of disappointment in her voice.I chuckled awkwardly. I moistened my lower lip, buying myself a second before giving her a convincing excuse. “I’ve been busy, Auntie.”“It’s okay. I understand.” She smiled gently before continuing. “Actually, the reason I came is because I’d like you to spend Christmas Eve with us. Just like old times.” Her expression turned hopeful. “Surely you’re free that day, right? Besides, Aaron misses you so much. He’s always asking Gavin about you.”Aaron is Xerces’s youngest brother who’s only six years old. Auntie Ophelia has three sons, with Xerces being the eldest.“I miss that little brat too,” I admitted.

“You’re back?!” Aunt Ophelia exclaimed in surprise as she walked over to him. “You should’ve told us. I thought you were spending the holidays there.”He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stood there with his eyes fixed on mine, seemingly oblivious to the fact that we weren’t the only people in the room. My heart faltered before pounding wildly against my chest. Without realizing it, my gaze softened as I held his. Those familiar cold eyes I’d grown to miss over the past weeks were finally looking back at me.God… I’d missed him. So fucking much that I almost wanted to cry.If only I could run into his arms and hold him tight enough for him to have an idea just how much I’d missed him, I would’ve done it the second he walked through the door. But I couldn’t. Not here. Not now. I had no choice but to wait for this day to end before I could finally have a moment alone with him.His gaze slowly dropped to my arm, where Gavin’s hand was

Instead of walking away in tears like those girls in cliché dramas, I marched straight toward him. The second I reached him, I wrapped my hand around his wrist and dragged him out of the bar without giving him the chance to protest. I didn’t stop until we reached my car, and only then did I finally release my grip on him.I turned to face him, only to be met with the same indifferent stare that had been driving me insane these past few days.“What is this again?” he asked flatly, sounding so exhausted by my persistence.“I like you,” I finally confessed before I could lose my nerve. I forced myself to stay composed. I may have looked unfazed on the outside, my heart refused to slow down, pounding erratically with every passing second. “I really like you… even though I know I shouldn’t.”I saw how his entire body went visibly still. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly as they searched my face, studying every inch of it as though trying to determine whether I was telling the truth or

I was still half-asleep as I made my way down the stairs. Then my eyes instantly flew open, and I stopped mid-step when I spotted Xerces sitting in the living room. “What are you doing here?” “Why? Is that how you’re supposed to treat the person you confessed to?” I scoffed and continued making my way downstairs. He stood up. “I brought breakfast. Let’s eat together.” “You did?” “Mm.” He nodded. “It’s in your kitchen.” I bit my lower lip to hide my smile and threw him a teasing look. He let out an exasperated breath before walking past me toward the kitchen. I quickly caught up to him, the smug grin still plastered across my face. “What’s with the sudden thought to have breakfast with me?” I wiggled my brows at him playfully. “You like me too, don’t you?” I leaned closer, trying to peek at his face as we walked to the kitchen. Without warning, he planted his palm against my face and gently pushed me away. His hand was so big it completely covered my face. Even his fingers we