Semua Bab The Playboy Stepbrother's Rules: Bab 21 - Bab 30

Alex left the house just after nine.He told Bridget he needed to return a library book and study with a group. The lie came out smoother than it should have. Troy had gone out with Paxton an hour earlier. The window was open, and Alex took it.Kevin’s building was a walk-up with a broken intercom. Alex pressed 3B and waited.A crackle, then Kevin’s voice. “Yeah?”“It’s me. Alex.”A short pause. “Alex? Hold on.”The door buzzed. Alex climbed the stairs. Kevin opened the apartment door in a worn T-shirt and sweatpants, hair sticking up on one side.“What are you doing here?” Kevin asked, stepping aside. “It’s almost ten.”Alex walked in and set his bag down. “I needed to not be at the house tonight.”Kevin closed the door and studied him. “Did something happen?”“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Alex ran a hand through his hair. “I just couldn’t walk back in there and act normal. Not after the party. Not after everything.”Kevin exhaled and walked toward the kitchen. “You want water? Or somethi

The Harrison private dining room was all dark wood and low light. A long table, heavy silver, the kind of quiet that money bought. Alex stood near the entrance with Troy slightly behind him while Silas greeted people by name. Bridget stayed close to Silas, smiling the way she did at every event like this.Stolas was already there. He stood near the window with a glass in his hand, speaking to an older man Alex didn’t recognize. When his eyes found Alex, he held the look a second longer than politeness required, then turned back to his conversation.Jules arrived a few minutes later.She moved through the room like she belonged in it—simple black dress, easy smile, the kind of confidence that came from never having to check the price of anything. Her father was already shaking hands with Silas. Jules stopped in front of Troy and tilted her head.“You didn’t tell me you were coming,” she said.Troy’s expression didn’t change much. “Didn’t know you were on the list.”“Dad got the invitat

The message came during Alex’s second lecture.**Stolas:** There’s a private meeting room on the 3rd floor of the old business faculty building. I booked it under the partnership file review. 2:30. Come alone.Alex stared at the screen while the professor’s voice continued in the background. He should delete it. He should tell Troy. He should ignore it the way he had ignored every other quiet invitation.Instead, at 2:22, he packed his bag and left the lecture hall early.The old business faculty building was quieter than the main complex. Most students preferred the newer glass wings. The third-floor hallway smelled faintly of paper and dust. Room 3-07 had a frosted glass door. Alex stood in front of it longer than he needed to, then pushed it open.Stolas was already there. His coat was folded neatly over the back of a chair. Two folders sat on the table, open just enough to look legitimate. He looked up when Alex entered and waited until the door clicked shut.“You came,”

Saturday morning came too quickly, and Alex could feel it the second he woke up. The light coming through the curtains was too bright, and the house already had that tense, polished energy that meant guests were coming. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror longer than he usually did, adjusting the collar of his shirt, then letting it go, then adjusting it again. It was just lunch. Just the Harrisons. But his hands wouldn’t stop moving.Downstairs he could already hear Bridget in the kitchen, moving plates and glasses with careful precision, and Silas on the phone in his study, voice low and controlled the way it always got before a meeting that mattered. When Alex stepped out of his room, Troy was waiting in the hallway. Leaning against the wall like he’d been there a while.“You’re up early,” Troy said, looking Alex over from head to toe. Alex gave a small shrug and tried to keep his expression neutral. “Silas said to be ready before they arrive. I figured I should get dresse

Troy drove him again the next morning.The routine had already settled into something tight and wordless. Alex got into the car, answered when spoken to, and watched the city pass without comment. At the curb Troy only said, “Text me when you’re done,” and waited until Alex had disappeared into the building before pulling away.Alex felt the watch like a second shadow all day.He attended his classes. He answered a short message from Kevin without giving anything away. He ignored the partnership channel until he had no choice, then replied in the dry, professional language Troy had already approved once before. Every time his phone lit up he checked the name first.Near the end of the afternoon a new message appeared.**Stolas:** There’s a quiet corner in the old stacks on the fourth floor of the main library. No cameras. No foot traffic after three. I only need twenty minutes.Alex stared at the screen for a long time. He knew what the safe answer was. He also knew he was going