Semua Bab CLAIM ME, STEP-BROTHER. : Bab 91 - Bab 100

Zara’s POVI woke up to a text from Matteo the next day saying I shouldn’t leave my room yet.I stared at the message, recalling how aggressively I had responded to him the day before. And for some damn reason, I felt bad knowing I had acted that way.Then I looked at the time, and then back at the message.A smile almost tugged at my lips at the thought of him still choosing to text me this early before I stopped it.‘I mean who sends a text from somewhere inside the same house?’I typed back immediately, trying so hard not to smile at his text.“Good morning to you too.” I texted back. And then his reply came less than ten seconds later. Annoyingly I couldn’t help the grin that creased my face as three dots from his end appeared.“It’s an order, Zara!” His text came in and my smile faded slightly because I knew exactly what he was talking about.Yesterday’s attack wasn’t just an acciden

Zara’s POVDAYS LATERIf someone had told me a few months ago that I’d voluntarily attend one of the Ferraro family’s gatherings, I would’ve laughed in their face.Tonight, however, there was no escaping it. It was Mr. Ferraro’s birthday.Which apparently translated into: A mansion full of rich relatives, judgmental women, loud men and expensive alcohol.And enough family drama to fuel an entire television series that I already regretted coming.“Stop looking like you’re walking toward your execution.”I glanced sideway and saw Matteo standing beside me adjusting the sleeve of his black suit.My heart betrayed me immediately, because he looked unfairly good and then I rolled my eyes looking away.“It’s easy for you to say.”“It isn’t.”“Oh please.”“I’m serious.”His voice lowered.“So many of these people annoy me.”That surprised a laugh out of me because he was opening up to me.“You?”“Yes.”“The scary Matteo Ferraro gets annoyed?”“Constantly.”A smile tugged at my lips. Unfortun

Zara’s POVThe morning after that felt terrifying. And it was all because she was to arrive in Italy in a couple of hours. And it’s all because of that damn girl. Rosa…But still I felt confused on why she had suddenly wanted to come, because my mother was the type of woman who never inconvenienced herself for anyone.Not for me, sometimes for Elena. But never for anybody. So the fact that she had actually boarded a plane and flown across countries for this?That alone should’ve warned me how serious she believed the situation was.And unfortunately…I was right. The morning she arrived started badly, then somehow for some damn reason it got worse.I was sitting in Matteo’s office pretending to read one of my lecture notes while Matteo worked through what looked like twenty different problems at once.Phone call and meetings. Security updates. Apparently almost getting kidnapped earned me enough guards to invade a small country.I hated it but Matteo loved it. Or rather—He loved knowin

Zara’s POVI watched him walk into the mansion with both hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to say those words that I wanted out. I wanted distance from him. That maybe the smartest thing for both of us would be ending whatever this was before it destroyed us.Because every time I got close to saying it, I remembered the moments at the beach, the garden. The nights we’d stayed up talking. The way he’d looked at me after the attack.The way he’d stood outside my bedroom door for hours when I refused to let him in. And suddenly the words became impossible and I hated that. Hated how much power one man seemed to have over my emotions.With a frustrated sigh, I pushed myself off the stone bench and followed him toward the house but I let him walk in first.And the closer I got to the mansion, the louder the voices became. At first, I paid them no attention. I mean the Ferraro family which I'm now a part of was never quiet. There was always someone talk

Zara’s POV A WEEK LATERThe mansion felt unusually quiet and surprisingly for once, I wasn’t complaining. The past few days have been exhausting.Between my experience for the past couple of weeks, family dramas, Rosa’s constant presence, and my mother’s endless criticism, silence had become a luxury. A rare one at that.And I intended to enjoy it.After lunch, I escaped upstairs with every intention of locking myself in my room for the rest of the afternoon. No relatives around or Rosa.No conversations about my future from my mother, just peace.But unfortunately, life seemed determined not to give me that. I had barely even reached the second floor when I realized I’d left my phone downstairs.I considered leaving it because I honestly did. But Sofia had promised to call later, and she was one of the few people I actually wanted to hear from.So I turned around. The house r