《Don’t Tell Our Parents 》全部章節：第 1 章 - 第 10 章

My mind went completely blank, the background noise of the restaurant fading into a sharp, high pitched buzz.No. This has to be a joke. A hallucination from sleep deprivation.But as I stared across the white table cloth, the harsh reality didn’t melt away. Lael didn’t look like a drowned rat anymore. He looked effortlessly handsome, ridiculously expensive, and completely untouchable by the disaster two days ago. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the lethal, and calculating look in his eyes.“Avery, honey, are you alright?” My mother asked, her hand gently touching my arm, anchoring me. She was looking at me like I had seen a ghost.“I…I am fine,” I choked out, forcing my eyes away from Lael to look at his dad.“Richard, this is my daughter, Avery,” my mom introduced proudly, beaming at the man beside Lael. “Avery, this is Richard De La Fontaine. And his son Lael.”“It’s my pleasure to finally meet you, Avery,” Richard said, standing up fully to offer me a warm genuine handshake

When Wednesday morning finally rolled in, my stomach was tied in knots. I threw a pair of comfy grey sweatpants, and oversized hoodie, and messy bun, completely lacking energy to care about my outfit. I grabbed my car keys, said goodbye to my mom—who was waiting for the moving truck to arrive and drove to campus.I walked into the first lecture room, the heavy oak doors swinging shut behind me. The room was already half full, the stadium style rows buzzing with the usual morning chatters. I kept my head down, pulling my hood over as I scanned the steps for an empty seat near the top.“Avery! over here!”A loud, piercing voice cut through the noise. My stomach instantly curdled. Sitting in the third row, waving her perfectly manicured hand like nothing had happened, was Chloe. She was pointing at the empty desk right next to her, a bright, fake smile plastered on her face.Are you serious right now? I thought, my jaw tightening as I stared at her. Look at her, acting like she didn’t ju

“No,” I snapped, placing a flat hand against his broad chest and shoving him back just enough to break the suffocating hold on my space. “I am not some desperate prop you get to use to fix your grades, and I am definitely not fake-dating my future step brother. Find another tutor Lael.”I didn’t wait to see the smirk fall off his face. I ducked around his arm, gripped my backpack straps tight, and hurried down the hall before he could even pull another trick out of his sleeves.My sneakers squeaked loudly against the polished floor as I practically walked towards the heavy glass doors leading out of the building. My head was pounding, my chest tight with a mix of left over irritation.“Avery! Babe! Wait up!”I froze mid-stride, every muscle in my back locking up as the voice echoed through the hallway.I turned around slowly, watching leon jog down the hall towards me. He looked completely unbothered, his hair styled, wearing his signature varsity jacket, calling out my name like he h

"Is that all?" Lael asked, resting his hip back against the car and raising an eyebrow."Yeah, I think so," I said, nodding slowly as I mentally checked off my list. "That's all for now.""Cool," he said, a slow, lazy smirk stretching across his lips as he straightened up to his full height. "Now it's my turn. I'm adding Rule Five."I narrowed my eyes at him, crossing my arms defensively over my chest. "Rule Five? What's Rule Five?"Lael took a slow step closer, his tall frame looming over me as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants."Rule Five," he murmured, his blue eyes locking onto mine with a sharp, dangerous glint. "No chickening out. When we’re in public, you play the part completely. And most importantly... no catching feelings, tutor. Don't go falling in love with me."A loud, incredulous laugh burst out of my throat before I could even stop it."Falling in love with you?" I scoffed, taking a step into his personal space and looking him up and down with a dra

My mom let out a massive, visible sigh of relief, her shoulders dropping as a bright smile spread across her face.“Oh, thank you sweetie,” she said, reaching across the glass table to give my hand an appreciative squeeze. “You have no idea how much hearing you say that means to me. I just want everything to be peaceful.”“Of course, Mom,” I replied, managing a genuine smile.After we finished lunch and cleared our plates, I went back upstairs to my room. The heavy weight of the day—classes, the shock of the massive mansion, the terrifying realization of my new sleeping arrangements, and sheet mental exhaustion of pretending my life wasn’t a circus finally caught up to me. I flopped down onto the giant bed fully intending to rest my eyes for a minute.Instead, I passed out.I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep, until a sharp, banging pulled me out of my sleep.Knock. Knock. Knock.Groaning, I dragged myself out of bed, rubbing my eyes and stumbling toward the door. I twisted th