The First Encounter
315 Words
Chapter Two
The first morning in the mansion felt like waking up in someone else’s dream. My bed was too soft, the sheets too silky, and the sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows far too bright. I wanted to burrow under the covers and pretend it wasn’t real.
But school didn’t wait for new beginnings.
I slipped into my uniform, tugging the skirt lower than regulation, hoping it would make me less noticeable. Less… me. Mom had already left for work, and the house was eerily quiet as I padded down the hallway, clutching my bag.
Halfway down the stairs, a voice drawled, low and lazy.
“Leaving without saying good morning?”
I froze.
He was leaning against the banister at the bottom of the staircase, arms crossed, hair artfully messy like he’d rolled out of bed perfect. His tie hung loose around his neck, his shirt unbuttoned just enough to draw attention to the smooth line of his collarbone.
The infamous playboy. My stepbrother.
My stomach twisted. “Morning,” I muttered, brushing past him, desperate to escape.
But he moved with predator-like ease, falling into step beside me. His presence was suffocating, magnetic all at once.
“You’re going to the same school as me now.” His smirk was all sharp edges. “Didn’t anyone warn you? Being near me makes enemies.”
I stopped dead on the porch, glaring at him. “Exactly why I plan to stay as far away from you as possible.”
Something flickered in his eyes then, hot and unreadable. He leaned closer, his breath brushing my ear.
“You can try,” he whispered, voice rough and strangely possessive. “But fate doesn’t care what you plan.”
Before I could respond, he strode to the car, leaving me trembling in the doorway, heart hammering against my ribs.
What did he mean by that?
- Writer
