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《FALLING FOR MY BULLY STEP-BROTHER》全部章節：第 31 章 - 第 40 章

40 章節

The Seal

Natalie's pov The Biochemistry lecture room had that faint woozy smell of ethanol and dry-erase markers. Professor Brookes was halfway through explaining enzyme inhibition when he suddenly stopped writing.I was bored, barely listening as I had done most of the equations prior to the lecture. Allison was covering for Judy again. She was sleeping though, with her head on the locker. I smiled a little as I looked at her. She truly wasn't meant for this course.A knock dragged me out of the bored trance I was in. Professor Brookes paused in his explanation, and without turning around, he frowned toward the lecture theatre doors.The murmurs around the room died almost immediately. Allison's head shot up.Professor Brookes glanced at his watch.“Come in.” He said, eventually as another knock sounded in the room.The door opened. The Associate Dean stepped inside, his eyes scanning the sea of students, with a tiny smile on his face.That alone was enough to silence nearly two hundred stu

The Missing Half

Natalie's pov “What are you doing?” I jumped so hard my pen rolled off the table. Looking up, I found Kian standing beside my chair, one hand tucked into the pocket of his hoodie. “Y..You enjoy sneaking up on people?” I muttered, pressing a hand against my chest. “You seemed busy,” He shrugged. “Kian, I almost died. You stupid boy!” I scolded, breathing heavily. “Nah, you would've survived,” He said with a roll of his eyes. I looked at him scornfully, wondering if he was worth a response. “You are hell bent on being a pain in my ass, to be honest,” I noted, turning my eyes back to the pages, discreetly pushing some underneath the others. “Mmhmm, you talk too much to die quietly,” he said matter-of- factly. I rolled my eyes so hard they nearly detached. “What do you want?” I asked, grabbing my pen from the table and looking up at Kian. It was then I really looked at him. He looked...awful. Not sick - just exhausted. The dark circles beneath his eyes were faint

Access Denied

Natalie's pov The drive back to the Lawley mansion was unusually quiet. I sat in the back of the bus with the brown-colored envelope pressed against my lap. The pages inside seemed heavier than paper had any right to be. The unfinished sentence that was written on the paper kept on repeating in my head. Then there was the name. Mark. I had searched for it before leaving the library, yet found nothing. No Mark connected to Law's Pharmaceuticals, no former researcher. Nothing. Maybe the paper meant nothing. Maybe it had been mixed into the envelope by accident. Maybe I was slowly losing my mind. That last possibility was beginning to look increasingly reasonable. I looked up at the enormous building as I approached the gates. The lights were already on. Every window glowed warmly against the dark evening, making the mansion look almost welcoming. The first thing I noticed when I entered was the silence. The second was that Kian was standing in the foyer. He leaned

Campus Gossip

Natalie's pov Allison's message stayed on my screen for almost five minutes. “Stay off your phone for now, please. You'll know why tomorrow.” No other explanation. I stared at the message, waiting for another one to appear. My fingers hovered over the keyboard. Why? I typed the question, then deleted it almost immediately. If Allison wanted to tell me, she would have told me already. Still, the message sat heavily in my stomach. I looked toward the pages scattered across my desk. There were already too many things I didn't understand. I wasn't about to add another mystery to the collection. I turned my phone face-down and continued working. It lasted exactly seven minutes. Then I picked it up again. No new messages. I sighed and dropped it onto the bed. “Ridiculous,” I muttered. The phone remained silent. By midnight, I had convinced myself that Allison was probably being dramatic. Maybe she had seen something embarrassing online. Maybe Judy had finally a

Someone's watching

Natalie's pov “What the fuck,” Ryan cussed, struggling to break free from Kian’s grip. Kian stood behind him with his hand still twisted in Ryan's collar. The entire hallway went silent, the whispers stopped immediately like everyone was anticipating Kian's response. My eyes trailed his face again, my mind racing with fear, anticipation and anger. That was when I noticed. His eye bags looked more pronounced than they did yesterday. Kian looked tired, more tired than I had ever seen him. Yet right now, there was something else in his eyes now - something cold. “Finish that sentence,” Kian demanded, his voice a lesson in calmness. Ryan pulled at his shirt, contorting his body to break free. “Get your hand off me, man,” he grunted, failing to escape Kian's grasp. “Finish it,” Kian insisted. “Kian,” I started, taking a step closer to him. He didn't look at me, or even acknowledged my call. “You're proving the rumor.” Ryan's face had hardened into a look devoid of th

Dysfunctional Family

Natalie's pov Someone had been watching us. The thought settled into my stomach like ice. I stared at the photograph on my phone, my thumb frozen against the screen. The image was slightly blurry, taken from a distance, but there was no mistaking it. Kian stood near the bottom of the staircase. I was halfway up the stairs, and he was looking at me.The angle made it seem intimate, deliberate.Like we had shared some private jokes before I disappeared upstairs. The caption sat beneath the photograph in bold letters. They don’t even bother hiding it at home anymore. My throat tightened. “That picture was taken inside the mansion,” I managed to speak past the huge lump in my throat. Kian didn’t answer. I looked up to see his face. His face had gone completely still. “Kian,” I said again. “That picture was taken inside your house.” “I can see that,” he responded shortly. “No, I don’t think you understand.” I held up my phone. “Someone was inside the mansion. Someo

Everyone knows

Natalie's pov By lunchtime, everyone knew. Not just the students in my department, not just some school group chat. Everyone.The rumor had escaped the school forum and spread through campus with the speed of something people desperately wanted to believe. By the time Allison and I walked toward the cafeteria, strangers were already turning their heads.Whispers broke out, and many laughed.Others didn’t bother pretending that it wasn't me they were discussing.“There she is.”“Is that the girl?”“The one sleeping with Kian?”I kept walking, trying not to react to the chatters.My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag, but I kept my face forward. If I looked at them, I would react. If I reacted, they would have something else to post.Apparently, my entire life had become public entertainment. Allison walked beside me, unusually quiet.“You don’t have to come with me, you know,” I said.She looked offended.“Excuse me?” she said with an overly dramatic gasp.“You’ve been f

The drug allegation: REOPENED

Natalie's pov “Could you come with me? Right now?” The associate Dean asked, his tone grave.The room erupted with whispers.My hands went cold, and I rubbed my fingers, trying to reassure myself.“Is something wrong?”The Associate Dean looked uncomfortable. He glanced at the two officials with him and nodded his head discreetly. I watched his every move, my heart thudding in my chest.“Please come with me,” he repeated now.I glanced at Allison, then at Kian.Kian was watching the Associate Dean carefully.“What is this about?” he asked.The Associate Dean looked at him.“This concerns Ms Mayers and Ms Mayers alone.”“Then tell her,” Kian blurted, standing closer to me.“It’s confidential.”Kian’s expression hardened.“Natalie,” the Associate Dean said, “please.”I paused, and my eyes widened. He had never cared to call me by my first name before.I followed him, quietly.The hallway outside was quiet.“What’s happening?” I asked the moment we headed out of the cafeteria.He didn’t

39

Natalie's pov “Drugs??” The woman echoed, her eyebrows were set in a grim frown. She looked at the people at her side. They all were murmuring, and staring at me in disbelief and conviction.“Yes, but it's not what you think.” I said quickly, my hands up in defense.“Ms Mayers, it'll be to your favour if you actually start speaking with context.” Another woman spoke, her voice sharp.Blood thumped in my ears.“They don't belong to me. They're not mine, they actually belong to my mother.” I said hastily. The panellist exchanged glances at each other.“Then what were they doing on the school grounds?” The woman in the middle asked.For a moment, I couldn’t answer. The room felt smaller than it had a few seconds ago. Five pairs of eyes remained fixed on me. The large screen behind them was still frozen on the video. My face stared back at me from the image, blurred but recognizable.I looked guilty, I felt guilty.That was the worst part. I looked exactly like someone who had been caught

40

Natalie's pov The screen went black before we could get a glimpse of the person's face.I stared at the screen, not completely believing my eyes.“That’s not what happened.” I argued, shaking my head vehemently.“Then explain what happened.” the woman said with a tired exhale.“I can’t. I don’t remember that.” I insisted.The woman’s expression hardened.“You don’t remember handing someone illegal substances? You don’t remember who approached you?”“No. I don't!” I spoke again.“Ms Mayers.”“I’m telling the truth.” I said, pleadingly.The woman sighed.“Your answers are becoming increasingly difficult to believe.”My eyes burned. I looked down at my hands. The skin around my fingernails was red from scratching.“You said the complaint was reopened,” I said.“Yes. It was.” She answered.“Who reopened it?”“That information is confidential.” she responded rather curtly.“Who submitted the video?” I persisted.“Confidential.”“Then how am I supposed to defend myself?”The woman paused.

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