Chapter 3

ANNALISE

My brows lifted in disgust at the jinx.

"I asked first," he snapped at me with furrowed brows.

A dry scoff left my lips.

My new step father…Knox's father… stared between both of us with confused eyes.

"How do you two know each other?" he asked, looking between us.

Knox didn’t hesitate.

"We go to the same school," he answered matter of fact.

His father's face broke into a delighted smile that was annoyingly wide.

"Well, that's wonderful!" he said, clapping a hand on Knox's shoulder, and it was vivid as fuck that this might just the best news he had heard all week.

There was nothing wonderful about Knox or the situation we were now in.

The side eye Knox delivered to him when he wasn't looking was priceless.

Laughter bubbled in my chest but I held it in and looked at him with a smile.

“I'm glad that both of you already know each other and it will be easier for you to settle in.” he added, turning to Knox.

I had seen that smile on his face too many times in the school hallway to be fooled by the softer version of it at this point.

"Yes father," he muttered.

The moment his father looked away, he gave him a dirty look that cracked me up.

My hands slapped over my mouth.

"Annalise."

I glanced at my mother.

She pinned me to a death stare.

The laughter died, quickly replaced by the tension that had existed between us.

"Isn't she pretty?" My new step father asked Knox who gave me once over.

"Fair," he mused.

An inaudible hiss left my lips.

How dare he?

He was the one whose looks were fair.

"She'll make a fine sister. I know it," Knox's father said, turning to look at me.

I grinned at him.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Maybelline," Knox recited in a sing-song voice.

I said nothing.

"Come on, let's go inside," Knox's father interrupted. "I'll give you both a tour."

"How sweet," my mum said to him.

He led us all inside before I could process a single word of what had just happened.

Knox came in last, following behind me.

The mansion was big with high ceilings, wide corridors and accessories that glittered like unpolished gold.

My mother smiled at everything he pointed to while nodding her head.

It was as if she had been waiting her whole life to stand in a home just like this one

Knox walked just ahead of me with his hands in his pockets and every time his father looked away, he would cut his eyes back toward me.

Not a glance.

It was a look—the kind that said he was enjoying every second of my discomfort.

I kept my face still, staring straight ahead without giving him any attention.

By the time we reached the bedroom prepared for me, I had counted seven different sitting rooms.

And the will to care about any of them had also been lost as well.

"Hope you like the bedroom?" He asked.

How couldn't I?

The room was large and clean and looked out onto the garden below.

My mother gushed about it.

I stood in the doorway and held my bag strap with both hands.

"It's alright, sir."

He smiled at me.

Then his eyes flickered to Knox.

"Knox, will you please help her settle in?" his father said. "We will be downstairs."

Knox smiled.

"Of course."

They headed outside.

My eyes went to my suitcase sitting at the corner of the bedroom.

"Enjoy," my mother said just before the door clicked shut behind them.

The smile dropped off of Knox's face so quickly as if it had never been there.

"You?" He ground out.

I eyed him maliciously.

"If you have nothing to say, it would really be better if you kept your mouth shut."

His gaze rounded.

"Don't you dare insult me!" He snapped.

He took a step closer.

I took one back.

"Stay far away from me."

A scoff left his lips.

"You're the one who should do that since you are in my home, Annalise?"

A lump rose in my throat.

"In as much as I would like this to be untrue, it is. Circumstances have brought the both of us together in the most uncanny way," I said through gritted teeth.

His brows rose.

"I am now your best step sister from now on you see? So Knox, you better treat me right unless I'll tell the whole school."

He leaned forward.

The veins running along the side of his neck were bulging from his anger.

"Keep your mouth shut," he snarled. "I would rather die than let anyone at school find out you're my stepsister."

I rolled my eyes.

As if I cared.

"Me too," I ground out.

A smirk curved his lips.

He was so pathetic.

Infuriating too.

"This is your fault," I fired back. "Yours and my gold-digging mother's!"

His eyes darted in confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

I snorted.

"Your mother's actually been pretty nice to me so far," he chuckled, clearly amused.

I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Who wouldn't be nice to the child of the man they intend to wreck?" I spat.

His brows lifted.

"Wreck? That's a strong word."

I turned my back on him.

"You wouldn't understand if I told you."

There was a short silence for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about our first tutoring session," he reminded me.

My body whirled around so fast.

He stared at me with triumph in his eyes.

I shut my eyes. How did I forget about that in the midst of everything that was happening?

Shit!

l would still have to tutor this bastard.

And worse, we are both going to be under the same roof for this stuff.

"Argh, crap!" I muttered.

This would be bad.

My tormenter and I.

This bully who had made school a heated place for me in the past year.

"That won't help you."

My eyes flew open.

He was smiling smugly.

I wanted to reach out and wipe it off his face with a slap

But I held back.

"Well, unless you want both of our names to appear on the blacklist."

His voice was low with warning.

My shoulders shrugged.

"Your father might pay my school fees anyway if I lose my scholarship," I retorted.

Knox's brow lifted.

"I guess."

But his smile widened.

"And I bet you wouldn't take the offer even if it came to you," he said.

I hated the way he raised an eyebrow before the smirk settled on his face.

"What makes you think I wouldn't?"

He tilted his head.

"Probably because you don't want to be part of the gold-digging scheme?"

Cold shivers ran down my back.

I hated the fact that he was right.

"I'll see you this evening for the lesson," I hissed in dismissal.

He chuckled slightly.

I turned away from him and began to unbutton the fastening of my jacket.

But then I realised I hadn't heard the door close and turned back to look.

Knox was standing there, leaning against the wall and staring pointedly at me.

My brows lifted in question.

"Why are you still here?"

"Because I want to?"

My eyes rolled.

"I want to change. GET THE FUCK OUT!"

He shook his head slowly.

"I'm your brother now," he drawled

His gaze darkened.

"And brothers see their sisters naked all the time, Annalise. So get used to it."

My nose scrunched up in disgust.

"But what I am curious about is if you're as shapely as I think underneath all of those boring clothes that you wear."

My body moved without a thought, ready to deliver that wallop without missing.

But a knock on the bedroom door stopped my shirt, fist hanging in the air.

They fell to my sides with speed the moment the door opened and my mother stepped inside.

"Everything alright sweetie?" She asked me with a happy smile.

I forced one into my face.

"Yes mom, everything is fine here," I reassured her as I straightened my jacket.

Knox flashed me a pleased smile.

"When you both are done, come down for dinner," my mother informed us.

I struggled to keep my smile.

"We'll be there soon."

She glanced between both of us.

Then, "okay."

And she turned and left us both, shutting the bedroom door gently behind her.

A sigh of relief escaped me the moment she was gone.

Knox let out a chuckle.

My sharp gaze settled on his irksome face.

"You're a pervert," I snapped. "Will you stop trying to make my life miserable?!"

He shook his head.

"No."

He took a step forward.

I didn't move back.

He kept coming closer until he was so near.

I hated the way my mind flashed back to the way he almost kissed me.

"I could never get tired of that," he said to me while leaning in close.

His voice was low and mocking.

"And now that you're within easy reach, I'll be on your neck 24/7, tic-tac."

I watched him pull back with that infuriating smirk still on his face.

Then he turned and walked out of the bedroom without another word.

This was my mother's fault that I had been tossed into a life I hadn't agreed to…school was already hell.

My pulse was running too fast.

And the rage simmering in my chest as my hands clenched at my sides was familiar, underneath all of it was something else I refused to look at directly.

I turned to the window and stared out at the garden until everything blurred.