All Chapters of CRUEL DESIRES: MY BULLY TURNED STEP BROTHER : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Gabriel's POV We got back to the house, and the silence from the hospital car ride just sort of followed us right through the front door. It was heavy and weird. I had ordered some outside food on the way back because, let’s be honest, my cooking from earlier was a total disaster and the guy actually needed to eat something that wouldn't kill his stomach.Derek sat at the dining table, looking unusually quiet. Like, completely shut down. It was almost creepy. He was trying so hard to eat his meal, chewing slowly and staring blankly at the wall.I stood by the counter watching him out of the corner of my eye. Why is he this quiet? He never shuts up these days. Seriously, it was making my skin crawl. Usually, he would be throwing some snarky comment my way or making fun of how I breathe, but right now? Nothing. Just the scraping of his fork against the ceramic plate, which sounded way too loud in the empty room.I couldn't take the awkwardness, so I just grabbed the small bag of grocer

Gabriel's POV I stayed pressed flat against the wall, holding my breath until I finally heard the sharp, distant click of Derek hanging up his phone. I waited another second, my heart hammering like crazy against my ribs, before I quietly crept back up the stairs. My stomach wasn't even growling anymore. The sheer panic from what I just heard had completely killed my appetite.I shut the bedroom door behind me and slumped onto the edge of the bed, my head spinning. He was definitely talking about me. My suspicions were totally right. Derek did raid my dorm. He sent people to rob me."Urghh... what can I even do about it?" I groaned out loud, burying my face in my hands. Should I report it to his dad or... nah. He wouldn't believe me anyway. I needed to find solid evidence first before opening my mouth. But then again, even if I eventually proved Derek got someone to rob my dorm, what was my actual benefit? It’s not like Derek's dad would really punish him. Before I could finish my

Gabriel's POV "What you staring at? Just punch me already," Derek said. His face lit with amusement. Like he was literally begging me to just break his jaw right there. I looked at him, my knuckles burning, but I forced my hand to drop. "Please get out of my way, I don't want to touch you." Derek didn't move an inch. He just shifted his weight, completely blocking my path to the hallway. He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping into that smug, irritating tone. "I know you want to hit me so bad this is your chance you should take it." I pulled back, shaking my head because my brain was just completely fried at this point. I couldn't take the constant mind games anymore. "Derek can't you just let me breathe even if it's for five minutes." Derek smiled. He didn't even hesitate. "Not even for a second." He smirks, looking down at me like I was some kind of prize he wants to win." The frustration just boiled over. I didn't even think about it, I just used force and pushed

Gabriel's POV The upstairs hallway was heavily carpeted and eerily quiet, which made my pounding heart sound even louder in my own ears. It felt like I was walking through a graveyard, leaving the thumping bass and flashing lights of the party behind me down below. I could literally feel the sweat slicking my palms, making it hard to even grip my phone as my eyes darted across the mahogany doors checking the gold numbers. 100... 101... and then there it was. Room 102. My thumbs were shaking so bad I almost dropped the phone right then, but I forced myself to open up the app and hit the Go Live button. The little viewer count at the top immediately started ticking up from zero. I didn't even look at the numbers, I just took a deep, shaky breath and moved into position right in front of the door. I faked a stumble, letting out a small startled gasp as I intentionally let the phone slip violently from my hand. It hit the marble floor right by the thin crack under the door, landin

Derek's POV I stood in the center of the lobby, adjusting my torn collar, my eyes instinctively scanning the room. I was looking for Gabe. He was probably hiding somewhere, shivering like a wet dog, and I was sure he was scared as hell already. Honestly, I couldn't wait to find him and taunt him. I wanted to see that pathetic, wide eyed look he gets whenever he got scared. "Sir?" A hand brushed mine, and I almost snapped, my jaw clenching as I turned. It was the waitress I had paid off. Her eyes were huge, darting toward the glass doors as she slipped two phones into my palm. One was mine. The other had a cracked screen and a stupid, familiar plastic case. Gabe’s phone. "I picked it up immediately they came, just as you instructed," she whispered, her voice trembling. "And I ended the live right on time." "You did well," I muttered. My voice sounded flat, deadened by the heavy hum of adrenaline still vibrating under my skin. She didn't answer. She just nodded fast, h