Semua Bab Stuck Between Two Hotties: My Stepbrother Stole My Christmas: Bab 1 - Bab 5

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