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Chapter 9 (Undone)
Huling Na-update:
2025-04-22 14:35:13
Kaugnay na kabanata
His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 1 (Mother’s Matchmaking)
“Welcome again, Mr. Raymond.” My mother welcomed the guest.The same burly man was in my living room again. He filled up the velvet armchair with his terse behind. The seat on which only my father sat. Mother was perched at the edge of her chair, wiggling her buttocks on the corner like a dog scratched on its neck. How could she let this man defy my father? Dad was never around when this big and intimidating man visited.The first time I saw Don Raymond, I understood why people feared him.He stood at the far end of the grand hall, dressed in a dark suit so perfectly tailored it looked like a second skin. Everything about him was polished—his sooth hair slicked back without a strand out of place, his sharp jaw set in stone. His presence filled the room without effort.When he turned to me, I felt it. His gaze on me was cold, unreadable. I caught my mother’s eye when the man made me turn around for his inspection. Then without another word, he nodded to her and made his way into the fa
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-02His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 2 (The Wedding)
Diane and Nina were standing, holding flowers and gifts behind the door.“We flew in a day early to be with you before your big day.”“Yeah, we know mum will be stressing you out, so we came as soon as we received the invite.” Diane said. She was a taller, more tanned version of me. Her black hair was two shades darker than mine and that was because fashion trends these days were jet black hair with no trace of blond. Nina on the other hand had a short brown bob with fringes. She has clearly fit into the French streetwear style. “So, who is the man, and how is he?”I slouched and slumped into my bed immediately I got into my room. “It’s Don Raymond. Don’t tell me mother forgot to put that in the invitation card.”“Isn’t he like that self absorbed, fancy billionaire with the tv station and the rugby club, and the many many real estate houses?”“And the construction company, and the wicked law firm-” Nina squealed, in addition.“Okay guys, I get it. He is very rich. But very cold towa
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-02His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 3 (Our First Encounter)
The first weeks of our marriage passed in a cold, unspoken routine.Don kissed me only when cameras were flashing. Paparazzi lingered outside the estate, eager for a glimpse of the perfect couple. But the moment the lenses turned away, so did he.At night, I lay in the vast bedroom alone, staring at the ceiling, listening for any sign that he was in the house. I never saw him after dinner. I never heard him come to bed. He existed in his own world, and I was a ghost haunting the periphery.I learned quickly that there were rules even concerning the houseworkers.The maids were to tend to my every need. I was not to work. I was not to cook. I was to remain in my room unless summoned. But I refused to be a prisoner in my own home.The first time I defied him, I waited until I was certain he had left for the day. Then I padded down to the kitchen, my silk robe trailing behind me. The chefs froze when they saw me."Mrs. Raymond—""Cassie," I corrected. "And I want to make my own breakfast
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-02His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 4 (Aftermath)
I waited in my room the next day for Elsie. I needed someone to talk to. Not about the kiss. Good heavens, I could never bring that up. That was the kind of thing Don would never want a house staff to know. OMG Don!I felt sorry for him. He was my husband after all. I clutched my chest, hoping the waiter did not see anything last night. Were the house staff already talking about the kiss?“Good morning, Cassie,” Elsie knocked on the door and opened it, not waiting for me to call her in.I studied her. “Hey.”She strode to the windows and pulled up the shutters humming all the way there.“Someone is in a good mood this morning.”“Of course. The boss was so impressed by everyone’s work yesterday that he has agreed to add a bonus to our salaries this month.”“Oh.”“He said you looked ravishing and he told the kitchen staff that the meals were spot on.”“He said that?”“Yes, didn’t you like the herb crusted salmon?”“Not that,” I said. “Did Don really say I looked ravishing?”She scratch
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-15His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 5 (Promises and Silence )
Elsie told me that Jay was single, didn't she? Or was it that he had no wife yet? Maybe this woman was a girlfriend, a coworker, a fiancée. I forced myself to look away. My glass felt too small to hide behind, and the wine tasted like sour jealousy on my tongue.Was it a diversion? Holding the woman? Did Jay want to send a message so he came with arm-candy just to keep me away?Or was I just reading too much into this? I felt worse for what I did. No, it wasn't my fault. Jay kissed me! But I asked for it.I didn’t realize how stiff I had gone until Arthur’s voice rang behind me. “Cassandra, my dear!”He always called me by my full name. I smiled and turned to face him, letting the polite daughter-in-law mask slip into place.“Arthur, you look dashing today.” It was true. He had on a cotton green suit and silk paisley tie. He held both my hands, warm and familiar, and planted a kiss on my cheek. “And you look like a gem in a treasure chest. Where is that son of mine? Didn’t you two c
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-17His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 6 (Another Visit)
I stayed curled on the edge of the bed. Don hadn’t left the house that morning. He was working from his home office, which, in simpler terms, meant I was locked down indoors. Specifically my room.Elsie came in the third time that afternoon."You haven’t eaten much today," she said, placing a small tray by the dresser. Lunch.“I’m not hungry,” I murmured.I did not need to look to know that her eyes were on my untouched breakfast still sitting cold on the tray beside it. It had stayed since morning and she had finally come to clear it. Her gaze lingered on my fingers twisting the hem of my dress, on the way I had my hand to my chest, lost in another world she wasn’t invited into. She didn’t say anything, but I knew she noticed.A moment later, the sound of a car pulling into our compound cut through the stillness. Both our eyes carted to the window. Don was finally leaving?I shot to my feet, crossed to the window, and peeked through the curtain. It was not a car going out but one dri
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-17His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 7(Don and I)
Watching Jay leave through my bedroom window and not being able to follow was like being chained behind bars in a notorious prison cell. I reminded myself that I did the right thing by not letting Jay kiss me. I was someone else’s wife.A knock came on the door. I thought it was Elsie so I mindlessly told the person to come in.But it was Don. for a second, i thought he had heard me running up the stairs to my room. I checked his eyes for confirmation. There were no flames in them. Rather, they were ocean blue currents. “Cassandra, here is your phone.”Was it Wednesday already? I had been so distracted with Jay that I hadn't remembered my weekly internet access and call allowances. I took the phone from Don courteously and stepped back. He still stood there, all 6’3 imposing builds of a man. His eyes were set on me. If he was a more present husband, he would have seen the hitch in my composure.“Won’t you give me some privacy?”Don did not step back. He did not move an inch. “You are
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-19His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 8 (Behind the Rose Hedge)
I stayed in the bathroom long after I had cleaned myself, sitting on the floor, hugging my knees. The water in the sink had long stopped running, and the silence tortured me like a plague. I thought I would feel different. Changed. Maybe even stronger for doing it with Don. But all I felt was guilt.Guilt that I had used Don’s body to try to erase Jay’s name from my mind. Guilt that it hadn’t worked.Don had touched me. Taken me. And all I could think of was someone else.I rose, wrapped a towel around myself, and walked back into the room. My phone blinked once. A message.Nina: You okay? Do you want me to come over?I didn’t reply. I just stared at the screen like it might give me the answer I Knew that I needed. She didn’t know about the restrictions. I only told her that the service in Don’s mansion was very bad so I could only speak to her when I was out. I did not know if she believed me.Nina was on break from school and like any best friend, wanted to spend some time with her
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-19
Pinakabagong kabanata
His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 9 (Undone)
kissed me like he’d waited a lifetime for it. Like everything in him was burning and I was the water to put it out.My back hit the tree behind the fountain, his hands on either side of me, holding me like something precious. I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe.Then he lifted me effortlessly. I was a feather in his arms. My legs wrapped around him without a thought. He carried me and walked, slowly, reverently, back toward the oak bench beneath the twisted vines, our place. The one where his lips had first found mine.The world blurred around us. The wind ruffled the When he sat, I stayed on him, straddling his lap, our foreheads pressed together. My heart felt wild in my chest, galloping like an excited horse. His hands cupped the back of my neck, allowing his thumbs to brush my jaw. His breath was shaky, and I felt it, all of him, underneath me.“I have waited for this,” I whispered.“I can tell,” he murmured back, his voice like smoke in my ear. “So have I.”I closed my eyes. “It
His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 8 (Behind the Rose Hedge)
I stayed in the bathroom long after I had cleaned myself, sitting on the floor, hugging my knees. The water in the sink had long stopped running, and the silence tortured me like a plague. I thought I would feel different. Changed. Maybe even stronger for doing it with Don. But all I felt was guilt.Guilt that I had used Don’s body to try to erase Jay’s name from my mind. Guilt that it hadn’t worked.Don had touched me. Taken me. And all I could think of was someone else.I rose, wrapped a towel around myself, and walked back into the room. My phone blinked once. A message.Nina: You okay? Do you want me to come over?I didn’t reply. I just stared at the screen like it might give me the answer I Knew that I needed. She didn’t know about the restrictions. I only told her that the service in Don’s mansion was very bad so I could only speak to her when I was out. I did not know if she believed me.Nina was on break from school and like any best friend, wanted to spend some time with her
His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 7(Don and I)
Watching Jay leave through my bedroom window and not being able to follow was like being chained behind bars in a notorious prison cell. I reminded myself that I did the right thing by not letting Jay kiss me. I was someone else’s wife.A knock came on the door. I thought it was Elsie so I mindlessly told the person to come in.But it was Don. for a second, i thought he had heard me running up the stairs to my room. I checked his eyes for confirmation. There were no flames in them. Rather, they were ocean blue currents. “Cassandra, here is your phone.”Was it Wednesday already? I had been so distracted with Jay that I hadn't remembered my weekly internet access and call allowances. I took the phone from Don courteously and stepped back. He still stood there, all 6’3 imposing builds of a man. His eyes were set on me. If he was a more present husband, he would have seen the hitch in my composure.“Won’t you give me some privacy?”Don did not step back. He did not move an inch. “You are
His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 6 (Another Visit)
I stayed curled on the edge of the bed. Don hadn’t left the house that morning. He was working from his home office, which, in simpler terms, meant I was locked down indoors. Specifically my room.Elsie came in the third time that afternoon."You haven’t eaten much today," she said, placing a small tray by the dresser. Lunch.“I’m not hungry,” I murmured.I did not need to look to know that her eyes were on my untouched breakfast still sitting cold on the tray beside it. It had stayed since morning and she had finally come to clear it. Her gaze lingered on my fingers twisting the hem of my dress, on the way I had my hand to my chest, lost in another world she wasn’t invited into. She didn’t say anything, but I knew she noticed.A moment later, the sound of a car pulling into our compound cut through the stillness. Both our eyes carted to the window. Don was finally leaving?I shot to my feet, crossed to the window, and peeked through the curtain. It was not a car going out but one dri
His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 5 (Promises and Silence )
Elsie told me that Jay was single, didn't she? Or was it that he had no wife yet? Maybe this woman was a girlfriend, a coworker, a fiancée. I forced myself to look away. My glass felt too small to hide behind, and the wine tasted like sour jealousy on my tongue.Was it a diversion? Holding the woman? Did Jay want to send a message so he came with arm-candy just to keep me away?Or was I just reading too much into this? I felt worse for what I did. No, it wasn't my fault. Jay kissed me! But I asked for it.I didn’t realize how stiff I had gone until Arthur’s voice rang behind me. “Cassandra, my dear!”He always called me by my full name. I smiled and turned to face him, letting the polite daughter-in-law mask slip into place.“Arthur, you look dashing today.” It was true. He had on a cotton green suit and silk paisley tie. He held both my hands, warm and familiar, and planted a kiss on my cheek. “And you look like a gem in a treasure chest. Where is that son of mine? Didn’t you two c
His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 4 (Aftermath)
I waited in my room the next day for Elsie. I needed someone to talk to. Not about the kiss. Good heavens, I could never bring that up. That was the kind of thing Don would never want a house staff to know. OMG Don!I felt sorry for him. He was my husband after all. I clutched my chest, hoping the waiter did not see anything last night. Were the house staff already talking about the kiss?“Good morning, Cassie,” Elsie knocked on the door and opened it, not waiting for me to call her in.I studied her. “Hey.”She strode to the windows and pulled up the shutters humming all the way there.“Someone is in a good mood this morning.”“Of course. The boss was so impressed by everyone’s work yesterday that he has agreed to add a bonus to our salaries this month.”“Oh.”“He said you looked ravishing and he told the kitchen staff that the meals were spot on.”“He said that?”“Yes, didn’t you like the herb crusted salmon?”“Not that,” I said. “Did Don really say I looked ravishing?”She scratch
His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 3 (Our First Encounter)
The first weeks of our marriage passed in a cold, unspoken routine.Don kissed me only when cameras were flashing. Paparazzi lingered outside the estate, eager for a glimpse of the perfect couple. But the moment the lenses turned away, so did he.At night, I lay in the vast bedroom alone, staring at the ceiling, listening for any sign that he was in the house. I never saw him after dinner. I never heard him come to bed. He existed in his own world, and I was a ghost haunting the periphery.I learned quickly that there were rules even concerning the houseworkers.The maids were to tend to my every need. I was not to work. I was not to cook. I was to remain in my room unless summoned. But I refused to be a prisoner in my own home.The first time I defied him, I waited until I was certain he had left for the day. Then I padded down to the kitchen, my silk robe trailing behind me. The chefs froze when they saw me."Mrs. Raymond—""Cassie," I corrected. "And I want to make my own breakfast
His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 2 (The Wedding)
Diane and Nina were standing, holding flowers and gifts behind the door.“We flew in a day early to be with you before your big day.”“Yeah, we know mum will be stressing you out, so we came as soon as we received the invite.” Diane said. She was a taller, more tanned version of me. Her black hair was two shades darker than mine and that was because fashion trends these days were jet black hair with no trace of blond. Nina on the other hand had a short brown bob with fringes. She has clearly fit into the French streetwear style. “So, who is the man, and how is he?”I slouched and slumped into my bed immediately I got into my room. “It’s Don Raymond. Don’t tell me mother forgot to put that in the invitation card.”“Isn’t he like that self absorbed, fancy billionaire with the tv station and the rugby club, and the many many real estate houses?”“And the construction company, and the wicked law firm-” Nina squealed, in addition.“Okay guys, I get it. He is very rich. But very cold towa
His Riveting Stepbrother Chapter 1 (Mother’s Matchmaking)
“Welcome again, Mr. Raymond.” My mother welcomed the guest.The same burly man was in my living room again. He filled up the velvet armchair with his terse behind. The seat on which only my father sat. Mother was perched at the edge of her chair, wiggling her buttocks on the corner like a dog scratched on its neck. How could she let this man defy my father? Dad was never around when this big and intimidating man visited.The first time I saw Don Raymond, I understood why people feared him.He stood at the far end of the grand hall, dressed in a dark suit so perfectly tailored it looked like a second skin. Everything about him was polished—his sooth hair slicked back without a strand out of place, his sharp jaw set in stone. His presence filled the room without effort.When he turned to me, I felt it. His gaze on me was cold, unreadable. I caught my mother’s eye when the man made me turn around for his inspection. Then without another word, he nodded to her and made his way into the fa
