All Chapters of My Stepbrother's Secret Obsession : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

 ✦ 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐓 ✦"Xavier, come look at the garden view," Victoria called out, her voice smooth and sweet over the background chatter of the lounge.She reached out, wrapping her hand effortlessly around Xavier's forearm. I held my breath, waiting for him to step back. But he didn't. He just offered a polite, practiced smile and nodded."Lead the way," Xavier replied softly, letting her pull him toward the tall glass doors of the terrace.My chest caved in.I stood by the marble drink table, my fingers clenching so hard around my glass of water that my knuckles turned white.What if he actually likes her?The thought hit me like a splash of ice water. Victoria was gorgeous, wealthy, and sophisticated—the exact kind of woman Richard had spent years preparing Xavier to marry. What if Xavier was actually attracted to women? What if everything that happened between us at the lake earlier today was just a sudden

✦ POV: JULIAN HART ✦I came downstairs for breakfast the next morning, my feet feeling lighter than they had in months.Xavier was already sitting at the dining table, dressed in a sharp suit for work, sitting across from Richard and Mom. Everything about the room looked completely ordinary. Mom was pouring coffee, Richard was reading a file, and Xavier was scrolling on his phone.No lingering looks. No accidental touching. He acted completely normal, like last night hadn't happened at all.I pulled out my chair and sat down, smoothing my sleeves. Under my left cuff, the cool silver chain rested snugly against my skin. I couldn't help touching it with my thumb, tracing the links through the fabric.Across the table, Xavier’s eyes flicked up for a fraction of a second. He caught me touching the wrist where his chain was hidden.One tiny, fleeting look passed between us before he looked back down at his phone.That was all it took. A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I reac

✦ POV: JULIAN HART ✦The movie's soundtrack echoed through the dimly lit lounge, but the noise felt a million miles away.Every single sense I had was narrowed down to the space beneath that heavy throw blanket.Xavier’s fingers were warm against my skin, his hand moving in slow, agonizingly firm strokes. His thumb pressed right over the head, spreading a slick heat that made my entire lower body go completely tense.My jaw locked. I dug my fingernails into the palm of my hand so hard I thought I’d break the skin, desperately fighting the gasp trying to tear its way out of my throat.Don't move. Don't make a sound.To my left, the faint blue light of Richard’s laptop screen flickered as he tapped away at his keyboard. Mom was sitting less than six feet away, sipping her tea, entirely focused on the TV. If either of them looked over, if the blanket shifted even an inch, it was over.Xavier didn't care.His eyes remained fixed on the TV, his expression cool, collected, and completely in

✦ POV: JULIAN HART ✦The next few days passed in a tense, exhausting rhythm.By day, I buried myself in my fellowship prep, grinding through research and trying to avoid Leo’s curious side-glances during lectures. By night, Xavier and I walked an invisible tightrope through the halls of the estate, exchanging brief, stolen touches in shadowy corridors or quiet texts sent from across the dinner table.Every moment felt electric, but beneath the thrill, a knot of dread was tightening in my chest. We were getting careless, and we both knew it.On Wednesday afternoon, I was in the university library print room, collating forty pages of primary source documents for my fellowship portfolio."Julian," a familiar voice called out behind me.I turned around to see Leo leaning against the doorframe, holding two folders. He pushed off the frame and walked over, his expression uncharacteristically serious."Hey," I said, offering a tight smile. "Did the Professor update the seminar syllabus?""Ye

✦ POV: JULIAN HART ✦I didn't sleep a wink on Friday night. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard Richard’s cold, calculated voice echoing through the study door, ordering a full review of Xavier's schedule.By Saturday afternoon, the suffocation in my chest had reached a breaking point.I couldn't stay at the estate. I couldn't sit at the dining table with Richard, watching him quietly dissect his son's life, pretending everything was fine. I grabbed my laptop bag and headed straight for the campus library, texting Leo on the way.Meet me at the quad coffee shop. Please.Ten minutes later, I was sitting at a corner booth in the back of the cafe, staring blankly into a cup of tea. When the door opened and Leo stepped inside, his eyes scanned the room, instantly locking onto me.He didn't say a word as he slid into the booth across from me. He took one look at my pale face, the dark circles under my eyes, and set his car keys on the table with a quiet sigh."You look like you're about t