My Arrogant Stepbrother

The rain came down in sheets the day my life turned upside down. I stood under the porch of a sprawling suburban mansion, suitcase in hand, watching water run like rivers across the marble driveway. My mother stood beside me, nervously twisting the strap of her handbag. “Olivia,” she whispered, her voice soft but firm. “Please, just… try. This is a fresh start for both of us.” I swallowed hard, biting back the dozen protests bubbling inside me. I didn’t ask for a new life. I didn’t ask for a stepfather who was some wealthy businessman with a house big enough to get lost in. And I definitely didn’t ask for him. The door opened, and there he was—Jason. My new stepbrother. Tall, lean, with dark hair that curled slightly at the ends, he leaned against the doorframe like he owned the world. His hazel eyes flicked over me, slow and assessing, before curving into a smirk that made my blood boil. “Well, well,” Jason drawled. “So you’re the girl Mom’s been hiding. The charity case.” My cheeks burned. “Excuse me?” He shrugged, pushing off the doorframe. “Don’t look so shocked. You don’t exactly look like you belong here.” “Jason!” My mother’s new husband, Richard, appeared behind him, frowning. “That’s no way to speak to your sister.” “Sister?” Jason laughed, the sound low and mocking. “Don’t insult me.” The word sister left a bitter taste in my mouth, too. We weren’t related by blood, but the idea of suddenly being family with someone like him—arrogant, cruel, and impossibly smug—was nauseating. Still, I forced a smile, the one I’d perfected after years of moving from place to place with Mom, learning to keep my head down. “Don’t worry,” I said, gripping the handle of my suitcase tighter. “I have no intention of being anyone’s sister.” Jason’s smirk widened, like I’d just confirmed his suspicions. “Good,” he murmured, leaning close enough that I could smell the faint cologne clinging to his shirt. “Because if you think you’re going to play princess here, you’re in for a rude awakening.” I stiffened, glaring at him, but Richard quickly clapped a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Enough. Show Olivia to her room.” Jason arched a brow. “Seriously?” “Yes. Now.” For a moment, I thought Jason would argue, but then he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. Come on, princess.” He grabbed my suitcase before I could protest and hauled it inside, his long strides forcing me to hurry after him. The mansion swallowed me whole—shimmering chandeliers, polished floors, walls lined with artwork that probably cost more than everything my mother and I owned. Jason glanced over his shoulder, his smirk firmly in place. “Welcome to the jungle, Olivia. Let’s see if you survive.” And just like that, I knew this wasn’t just going to be a new chapter in my life. It was going to be war.