All Chapters of My Stepbrother My Ruin: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The sun hadn't even fully risen when the door to Brianna’s new bedroom creaked open. She scrambled to sit up, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.It was her mother. Eloise was already dressed in a sharp power suit, looking like she hadn't spent the night in a house full of monsters. She didn't look at the red rose or the small dagger sitting on Brianna’s nightstand."Why aren't you dressed?" Eloise asked, her voice cold. "Declan expects us at the breakfast table in ten minutes.""Mom, someone pinned a knife to my door last night," Brianna whispered, her voice shaking. "And Eric... he cornered me in the hallway. He touched me. We have to leave."Eloise finally looked at the dagger, but there was no fear in her eyes. Only irritation. She walked over and picked up the rose, tossing it into the trash can."Don't be dramatic, Brianna. You're twenty-three years old, not a child. Dawson is just testing you. He's the Alpha of this empire, and he's protective. As for Eric, he’s a billio

The photos slid off Brianna's lap and scattered across the floor mats of the Bugatti. Pictures of her walking to class. Pictures of her mother crying on a park bench. Pictures of Brianna sleeping in her old bedroom, taken through the window."You're sick," Brianna whispered. The air in the car suddenly felt too thin to breathe. "You and your father. You've been stalking us."Dawson didn't even look at the photos. He pulled the keys from the ignition, the silence of the engine ringing in her ears."We were vetting an investment," Dawson said. His voice was devoid of shame. "My father doesn't marry for love, Brianna. He acquires assets. And before you acquire an asset, you inspect it for flaws.""We aren't assets! We're people!""To Declan, everything is a line item." Dawson opened his door. "Get out.""No."Dawson paused. He leaned back in, his arm resting on the steering wheel, his face turning toward her. The warehouse shadow cut across his jaw, making him look more beast than man."

The clock on the warehouse wall ticked past midnight.Brianna hadn't moved from Dawson's chair in three hours. The glass office felt like a cage. Below, the warehouse sat empty and dark. Just security lights and shadows.She kept staring at the safe.The photos were still inside. The Governor's face. Her mother's smile. The word TARGET burned into her brain like a brand.Her phone screen glowed. 12:48 a.m.Twelve minutes until Dawson came back. Unless he didn't. Unless leaving her here all night was another test. Another way to break her down.She thought about the second photo again. Her mother, five years younger, laughing at something. The words on the back: Insurance. Keep close.Insurance for what?The metal stairs groaned.Brianna's whole body went tight. She watched the steps shake under heavy footsteps. Slow. Steady. Like whoever climbed them had nowhere else to be.Dawson appeared in the glass door.He looked different than he did earlier. Tired, maybe. His sleeves were rolle

Brianna's hands still shook when Dawson led her out of his private office.The confrontation with Eric and Declan played on repeat in her head. Eric pinned against the wall. Dawson's animal threat. Declan watching it all like it was entertainment.She followed Dawson down the hallway in a daze."Where are we going?""Back to work." He didn't slow down. "You think the day stops because my father wants to sell you? Keep moving."They walked through the kitchen, past surprised staff, out a back door she hadn't noticed before. A black SUV waited in the service driveway. Dawson opened the passenger door."Get in.""I need to eat something. I need to think.""You can think in the car." He waited. Impatient. "Get in, Brianna."She got in.The drive to the warehouse was quiet. Dawson didn't speak. Brianna didn't either. Her mind churned through everything. The photos. The Governor. Dawson's name on her birth record. Eric's offer to buy her.Five years. He'd been watching her for five years.T

The estate felt different when Brianna got back that night.Quieter. Darker. Like the walls themselves were waiting for something.She walked through the massive foyer, her footsteps echoing on the marble. No sign of Dawson. No sign of anyone. Just the soft hum of the house settling around her.Her room felt like a safe zone. She locked the door, leaned against it, and let out a long breath.The text still haunted her. Tick tock, little wolf.She'd deleted it. Told herself it meant nothing. Just Eric being Eric.But sleep didn't come easy. She lay awake, staring at the ceiling, listening for sounds that never came.Morning arrived too fast.Brianna dragged herself to the bathroom, splashed cold water on her face, and tried to look human. Dark circles under her eyes. Pale skin. She looked like someone who hadn't slept in weeks.She dressed in the same jeans and sweater from yesterday. Nothing fancy. Nothing that would draw attention.When she opened her bedroom door, she almost tripped