Lahat ng Kabanata ng WANTING MY STEP—BROTHER : Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

Dante Fear was written all over Melanie’s face and to be honest I should have enjoyed seeing her being tossed around but seeing another man doing it and not me made me so angry. I was the only one who was meant to have the power to make her quiver and beg; no one else, especially not a man. I knew about her history with Dario; their little entanglement and the way her father had died, alongside the mess that followed. I had done my homework the day she arrived. Her perfect little world had been cracked open long before she stepped back into mine. It was almost pathetic that her mother thought my father could fix it. Federico wasn’t a savior. He was a curse disguised as power. From the corner of my eyes, I watched her tremble as Dario lifted a gun, slowly almost as if savoring her fear. He chuckled, tossing out a cruel joke, and his men laughed along like hyenas. I felt a sharp feeling twist in me as I noticed the hungry look in Dario’s eyes. He was going to kill her. I could

Melanie Friday came faster than I wanted, and I still had no clue who the Vladimir family was or how the hell I was going to make my mother stay in Città dei re. But none of that mattered tonight, at least not on the surface. I dressed up, put on the most convincing smile I could, and stepped into the party like I belonged. The ballroom glowed in gold and champagne light, crystal chandeliers shimmering above rows of elegant guests laughing over fine wine. It smelled like money, secrets, and the kind of danger that came dressed in a suit. “Melanie!” I turned to see Aria gliding toward me, her lips curved in a charming smile. “I want you to meet my friend, Heather,” she said, her hand lightly brushing my arm. Heather. The girl Aria had mentioned…the one she supposedly had issues with. I was surprised to see them together, smiling like old friends. But hey, maybe they had made up. Heather had the prettiest eyes I had ever seen; icy blue, sharp, and delicate all at once. When she

Dante “We didn’t find it.” Milan or whatever her name was voice trembled as she delivered the news, but I barely heard her beyond the roaring in my ears. Melanie’s phone was still missing. The one thing that held the evidence capable of burning my plans to the ground. I forced myself to stand still, expression unreadable, even as a storm brewed inside me. Rage clawed at my chest, begging to break free, but I shoved it down. I couldn’t afford to lose control in front of a staff. “Leave,” I said quietly, my tone cutting sharper than any shout could. She scrambled away like a frightened animal, and I turned, making my way back to where Melanie was waiting. When I got there, her eyes flicked up. They had this mocking effect and that short circuited my brain. “Did you find it?” I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I walked closer, each step measured. She tilted her head, smiling faintly. “Judging by your face… I’ll take that as a no.” That smirk… I wanted to wipe it clean off

Melanie Why did I have to get drunk? Why did I have to put myself in this situation? God! I wish I could disappear right now. The knock continued; getting louder and more frantic by the second. I held my breath… waiting for the knock to stop; for him to go away but it didn’t and when I was about to consider jumping out of the window to save myself I heard the sound of a familiar voice. “Leonardo!” It was my Mom’s voice. “What are you doing?” My heart, which had been hammering like a war drum, began to slow down a bit. The fact that it wasn’t Dante brought about relief. “Oh God!” I heard Leonardo exclaim. “The last thing I wanted was for you to catch me out here. But since you did…I actually wanted to speak to Melanie, and apologize to her.” I moved closer to the door. I didn’t open it right away, instead I kept eavesdropping on their conversation. “For what?” My mom asked and I heard Leonardo laugh. It was loud, bitter and it seemed like it wouldn’t end anytime soon. “I wa

Dante I left the hospital room feeling like a blade had been sliced through my chest. Seeing Melanie alive, after everything? had a weird effect on me. Not because I cared about her but because I realized how bad I wanted her dead. If Bianca’s stunt hadn’t gone south, things would’ve been a hell of a lot easier. But now? Everything was on me. And the thought of that felt like a damn chore and trust me, killing was never a chore. What made it feel that way was the delegation—the endless planning, tying up loose ends, and making sure the right people stayed quiet, Melanie could just have died. Why did she always have to make things difficult? My thoughts when silenced when I stepped into the corridor. Federico stormed in at that moment nearly colliding with me. The bastard stopped dead in his tracks, gripping me by the arm like we were buddies from high school. “Dante,” he said coldly. “You’d better keep Bianca on a leash. Because the next time she pulls a stunt like thi