Stuck Between Two Hotties: My Stepbrother Stole My Christmas のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

CHAPTER ONE;Lena's PovThe universe has a sick sense of humor.That was the only explanation for why my life felt like it was unraveling in slow motion.Just yesterday, Bryce and I had our first real fight.Not the playful bickering couples laugh about later.No this one had been sharp, tense, full of raised voices and hurt feelings neither of us knew how to swallow.He’d said I was “too much.”Too emotional.Too demanding.Too… everything.And I, stupidly, apologized.Because that’s what I always did.I apologized even when I didn’t understand what I’d done wrong.But this morning, I’d found something tucked under the jacket he left at my apartment a reservation slip for La Lumière, one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. The kind of place with glimmering chandeliers, velvet chairs, and waiters who probably judged your shoe choices.My heart had fluttered the moment I saw it.Maybe he’d planned something.Maybe the fight meant nothing.Maybe he wanted to fix things.Maybe

CHAPTER THREELena's PovI didn’t sleep much that night.New houses always made me restless, but this one felt… different. Too big. Too quiet. Too aware of me. Every creak in the hallway made my nerves jump. And every time I closed my eyes, I saw two things:Bryce leaning across that fancy restaurant table and Cassian Ward at the foot of the stairs, looking at me like he could see through every lie I’d ever told myself.By sunrise, I gave up on sleep entirely.My room was beautiful soft cream walls, a view of the snowy backyard, a massive bed with pillows that could smother a cow. But comfort meant nothing when your heart felt like it was made of cracked glass.I dragged myself out of bed, brushed my hair into something vaguely human, and headed downstairs.Voices drifted from the kitchen.“Lena! Good morning,” my mother chirped the moment I stepped in. She was dressed already hair curled, lipstick on, looking like she was ready for a photoshoot.“Morning,” I said, rubbing my eyes.Se

CHAPTER FIVELENADinner felt like sitting inside a pressure cooker.Holiday candles flickered. Soft instrumental Christmas music played in the background. My mother smiled too hard. Senator Ward asked polite questions. And Bryce… Bryce stared at me like he expected me to magically forget everything and fall back into his arms.But the worst part wasn’t the tension.It wasn’t Bryce’s swollen ego.It wasn’t my mother’s whispers of “just hear him out, sweetheart.”It was Cassian.Sitting directly across from me.Silent.Sharp.Watching everything.He didn’t speak muchmaybe five sentences total but every time Bryce’s hand twitched toward me, Cassian’s jaw tightened. Every time Bryce tried to slip a comment in my direction, Cassian’s eyes darkened another shade. And when Bryce “accidentally” brushed my arm reaching for the butter?Cassian didn’t move. Didn’t make a sound.But his stare was lethal.“Lena,” Bryce said suddenly, leaning in with a smile that used to make my stomach flutter. N

CHAPTER SEVEN:LENA Pov;I should've known peace wouldn't last.Not in this house.Not with Bryce lurking around every corner and Cassian simmering like a storm waiting for a place to strike.My mother went to bed early with a dramatic yawn. Senator Ward retreated to his office. Cassian disappeared somewhere upstairs.Which left me... exposed.I lingered in the living room, pretending to scroll through my phone, waiting for the house to settle.But Bryce didn't settle.He waited.He always waited.The moment I stood to head upstairs, he stepped from the hallway like he'd been holding his breath for the chance to corner me."Lena."I stiffened. "What?""Can we talk?""No."He exhaled, pushing a hand through his hair. "Please. Just give me a chance. Five minutes. I swear that's all.""No, Bryce," I repeated.He stepped closer. Too close. "I didn't come here to hurt you.""That's exactly what you did," I whispered."It wasn't planned, okay? We fought, I was angry, I""Cheated," I finishe

CHAPTER NINE:LENA Pov;By the next morning, the entire house felt wrong.Too warm.Too bright.Too full of people pretending everything was normal when nothing was normal at all.My mother hummed Christmas songs while arranging centerpieces. Senator Ward held a call in his study. One of Cassian's aunts arrived with a suitcase and perfume that lingered through the hallways.And Bryce stayed quiet.That was the part that scared me.Quiet Bryce was never safe.Quiet Bryce meant he was planning something.I tried to keep my distance, slipping upstairs whenever I heard his voice, pretending to read, pretending to rest, pretending to exist somewhere outside the tension slowly suffocating this house.But pretending only worked for so long.Around noon, a soft knock came at my door.I stiffened. "Who is it?"The door cracked open, and Cassian's voice drifted in deep, familiar, grounding."It's me."Relief washed over me so strongly my knees went weak.I opened the door wider. He stood there