All Chapters of CLAIM ME, STEP-BROTHER. : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Zara’s POVI froze.My eyes stayed locked on Sofia’s messages while something uncomfortable twisted slowly inside my chest.‘Public dating rumor Rosa???’I reread the line again and again, then my fingers tightened around my phone.“Wait…”My brows pulled together slowly.“What public dating rumor?” I typed back to her. In an instant, the typing bubble appeared.SOFIA:WAIT YOU DIDN’T KNOW??My stomach dropped as I sat up straighter on the bed immediately.Me:Know what?Another pause came from her end and this time it was longer. Then she finally typed back.SOFIA:The blogs have been talking about Matteo and Rosa for DAYS.SOFIA:Apparently, most people say their families have been trying to set them up publicly because of the company scandal. Others are saying they’ve been in love, and this is the best time to let

Matteo’s POV A couple of hours later.The warehouse smelled like blood before I even stepped inside, giving a metallic scent.My car hadn’t even fully stopped before I pushed the door open and stepped out into the freezing night air.Men flooded the area already, armed guards, black SUVs lined across the abandoned dock road, headlights cutting through the darkness like knives.Nobody spoke to me immediately and that alone told me how bad this was.Luca as expected met me halfway. His face looked pale but he didn’t look scared. I mean he wasn’t one to be scared easily. But disturbed? Yes. And I hated seeing that expression on him.“What happened back there?” I asked coldly and then he hesitated.“Boss…”I stopped walking instantly.“Say it.”His jaw tightened.“You need to see it yourself.”That answer alone was enough to make my pulse darken. In second

Zara’s POVThe house always felt different whenever Matteo left and I hated that it did. Funny how I noticed it the moment his car disappeared past the gates that morning.And annoyingly enough, I stood by the upstairs window watching him leave like some pathetic lovesick idiot.I hated myself for it immediately.“Get a grip, Zara,” I muttered under my breath, pulling the curtain shut aggressively.The problem was that things between us had changed lately. It wasn’t really official or verbal. Not in that sense but I could tell that something had shifted.Or maybe it was the beach trip or it was the night he held me while I cried or maybe it was the way he looked at me sometimes now as though he was trying very hard not to.Whatever it was, it had become impossible to ignore and now he was gone for two days. Two whole days!! Not like he was gone forever, yet somehow the mansion already felt emptier.I g

Zara’s POVBy the third day, I was done pretending Rosa wasn’t getting under my skin, because she was. And the worst part? She knew it.That woman noticed every reaction, every silence, and every irritation.She studied weakness the way predators studied bleeding animals and I was getting dangerously close to snapping.The morning had already started wrong. I came downstairs wearing one of my oversized hoodies and shorts, half asleep and desperate for coffee.Only to stop dead halfway into the kitchen seeing that Rosa was sitting at the island counter. In Matteo’s chair, wearing one of his shirts.My stomach twisted instantly. The shirt hung loosely off one shoulder, and she casually sipped coffee as if she belonged there as she belonged to him.She looked up slowly and smiled.“Oh,” she said lightly. “Good morning.”I stared at her, then at the shirt again, and then back at her face.

Zara’s POVAvoiding Matteo became my new coping mechanism, which Sofia might find immature. But to me? Totally necessary.Because after what happened with Rosa, after crying behind that stupid bedroom door while Matteo stood outside listening—Something between us had changed again.And I didn’t know how to deal with it, that was the problem with Matteo Ferraro.Every time I thought I understood where we stood, something happened that ruined the balance. The way he defended me downstairs, the way he sounded angry for me.The way he stayed outside my bedroom door all night. Somehow, knowing he stayed out there made my chest ache in the most confusing way possible.By morning, I had decided that distance was safer, especially now that Rosa openly hated me.I got dressed quickly for class. This time, I had on an oversized sweater, jeans, and a little bit of makeup just to switch things up a little.I