All Chapters of CLAIM ME, STEP-BROTHER. : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Matteo’s POV‘Not again.’ I thought to myself as I walked into the house. But I didn't realize I had said that out loud and that made the room silent immediately.The words left my mouth before I fully thought them through. And almost immediately silence swallowed the room.I looked over to the couch and found Rosa near it. And Zara? She slowly turned toward me from the staircase with an expression I couldn’t quite read.I stepped further into the room, loosening the cuffs of my black shirt slowly after another exhausting day at the company.The press still wouldn’t leave me alone, the board kept breathing down my neck and my father remained furious.And somehow despite all of that, the moment I walked into the mansion, the first thing I noticed was Zara.Standing there with that guarded expression on her face like she was preparing herself for another attack. I hated that look, especially because I knew e

Zara’s POVI spent the entire week trying to convince myself that Matteo didn’t mean what he said.You belong beside me.Normal people didn’t say things like that casually, especially not men publicly dating someone else. Even worse, not Matteo Ferraro.And yet—The more I replayed the moment in my head, the worse it became. Because he had meant it and that was the terrifying part. He genuinely hated the distance between us now.And somehow that realization followed me into wedding week like a curse.The mansion became chaotic almost a day later, luxury cars pulling into the estate nonstop, and through all of it—I was emotionally drowning. Because Elena’s wedding wasn’t just a wedding.It was a reminder of what I lost, of what I walked away from, of the life that somehow kept moving perfectly fine without me.I stood in front of my bedroom mirror that morning staring blankly at the dress lying across my bed.Soft champagne silk. Expensive and annoyingly beautiful and I hated it immedia

Zara's POVI could still feel Matteo’s kiss on my lips hours later. That was the problem. No matter how hard I tried pretending I still had control over my emotions, one moment alone with him ruined everything.Especially tonight, especially after the garden kiss. Because Matteo hadn’t kissed me like someone confused anymore.He kissed me as he had already decided something and somehow that terrified me more than it should have.The ride back to the mansion after the damm engagement party had been painfully quiet. It was the kind of silence where both people were replaying the same thing in their heads.I sat beside him in the car staring out the window while my heartbeat still refused to calm down.Meanwhile, Matteo drove with one hand loosely on the steering wheel, jaw tight, eyes forward. But every couple of minutes—I caught him glancing at me.And every single time, my stomach flipped stupidly.

Zara’s POV THE FINAL WEDDING PARTYI hated weddings and that became my final conclusion by the end of the night.It wasn't even because of the flowers, or because of the loud classical music. Or even because Elena looked painfully beautiful walking down the aisle beside the man who used to belong to me.No that wasn't it.I hated weddings because they forced happiness into your face until you had no choice but to compare it to your own mess.And my life? My life was a complete emotional disaster.The garden they’d picked for the party looked unreal tonight.Massive chandeliers glowed gold across the garden while expensive crystal reflected candlelight in every direction hanging from the tents around.White roses covered nearly every surface. Violins echoed softly somewhere near the staircase while photographers moved endlessly through the crowd capturing every perfect moment.

Zara’s POVBeing secretly in love with Matteo Ferraro was ruining my ability to function like a normal human being. And suddenly everything meant something.Every glance, every touch. Every tiny moment nobody else noticed. And somehow those moments became the best part of my day.It started getting worse after the wedding or better. Honestly I couldn’t tell anymore.The hidden romance between us had turned into this dangerous addictive thing where we constantly searched for each other without making it obvious.At breakfast. Across hallways. At dinner. During family gatherings.It was insane, beautifully insane actually and the terrifying part? I didn’t want it to stop.*******************************************Three days after the wedding, the mansion had finally calmed down because most guests already left.The endless wedding noise disappeared. Even Rosa became quieter, which I find very surprising and that honestly made me nervous.Especially because Matteo kept getting bolder.