All Chapters of My Stepbrother, My Ruin: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The second the elevator dinged, I panicked.I shoved Ryder—hard.He stumbled back, caught off guard. “What the hell—”“Dick!” I whisper-yelled, my voice sharp, my face burning.And of course, right on cue the elevator opened and my mother stood there phone in hand as she looked at me in surprise. “Evie.”My mother’s voice carried through the space, full of warning. “Language. Why are you speaking to your step brother like that?.”I squeezed my eyes shut for half a second, inhaling sharply.When I turned around, she was stepping off the elevator, phone pressed to her ear, her brows slightly raised.I barely caught the way her eyes flickered between me and Ryder before I spun on my heel.“Nope,” I muttered. “Not doing this.”I bolted for my room.I could hear Ryder chuckling behind me, the absolute bastard, but I didn’t care.My entire body was on fire.My brain? Scrambled.I slammed my bedroom door shut, pressing my forehead against it.“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I whispered, squeezing my ey

"This or that?" I asked Elara, holding up two dresses to the camera.I didn't want to arrive looking like a fashion masquerade.Elara sighed dramatically through the screen. "Evie, I love you, but I swear to God, if you show me another black dress, I will fly over there and burn your entire closet."I scowled. "Black is timeless.""Black is safe.""Black is elegant.""Black is boring," she shot back, flipping her hair.I rolled my eyes. "Fine. The silver one, then?"She squinted at the screen. "Oooh, now that is hot. It screams rich bitch who doesn’t give a fuck. And that strap, your cleavage, I'm sure Ryder would not stop looking at them."I snorted. "Perfect."Elara smirked. "Where is this party again?"I slipped the dress on, fixing the straps. "Some elite event house in Summit Hill."Elara froze.Then, shrieking: "SUMMIT HILL?"I winced, nearly dropping my phone. "Jesus, Elara—""EVIE, DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT IS?"I frowned. This girl."A… place?"She groaned, dragging a hand d

The night air was thick, wrapping around me like a weighted blanket. I exhaled, long and slow, my breath barely making a dent in the chaos of my mind. My fingers curled over the balcony railing as I stared at the pool below. The water shimmered under the golden glow of the lights, but my chest felt tight, my stomach unsettled.I shouldn't be here.This wasn’t my world.I wasn’t built for parties like these—where power dripped from the walls and people moved like chess pieces, calculating their next move. The alcohol was endless, the stares were lingering, and the whispers—God, the whispers—prickled against my skin.I shifted my weight, rolling my shoulders as a heavy sigh left my lips. My nerves were buzzing, but I couldn’t pinpoint why.Maybe it was the way Ryder danced downstairs, his hands too familiar with the curves of someone who wasn’t me. Or maybe it was the realization that I didn’t know what I was doing here, at a party where people didn’t even need to acknowledge my presen

The car ride was silent.The kind that made your hands shake. The nervousness. The moment were you are unsure if you should say something or keep quiet. It made me fidget.Elara sat in the back, staring out the window, her face completely unreadable. She didn’t move. Didn’t speak.Ryder just kept driving, his grip tight on the wheel, his jaw tense.I wanted to say something—anything—but what was there to say?What the fuck could I say after what just happened?Elara had been humiliated in front of everyone. Tricked. Used.And I’d just stood there, watching. Not even knowing what happened. I clenched my fists in my lap, my nails digging into my skin.The car slowed.We pulled up in front of her building.The moment the engine cut off, Elara shoved the door open and climbed out.Bam!She slammed it shut behind her without a single glance back.I winced.

Evie’s POVI bit my lip as I waited for Ryder’s reply.The message had been sitting on read for a solid three minutes, which in text-time was an eternity. I sighed, tossing my phone onto my bed.I hadn’t heard from Elara all day.Scratch that.I hadn’t seen Elara since last night.I had called her this morning, texted her, even reached out to her mom, only to get the same response—she doesn’t want to see anyone right now.It left a sour taste in my mouth.I didn’t like her like that, but I cared. She was my best friend. My only real friend. And she was hurting.I wanted to help.I wanted to fix it.But at the same time… I wanted to burn Sienna’s life to the ground.Because recording someone like that? Posting it? Humiliating them for the world to see?I clenched my fists.She had power, sure. Money, connections. But so did I now.Maybe it was time to remind her that power could be taken just as easily as it was given.My phone buzzed.I grabbed it quickly, Ryder’s name flashing across