My Arrogant Stepbrother

8: The Rumour Mill

By Monday morning, I realized one universal truth about Brookwood Academy: nothing stayed secret for long.

The party had barely ended when the whispers began. By the time I walked into school, the halls buzzed with speculation—every glance, every smirk, every hushed laugh was directed at me.

“She showed up in that little black dress.”

“Jason totally stared at her the whole night.”

“Do you think…?”

I didn’t need them to finish the sentence. I already knew where their minds had gone.

The cruel irony? Jason had called me sister loud enough for half the party to hear. Yet somehow, that single word hadn’t killed the rumors—it had fed them.

By third period, I couldn’t stand it anymore. When I slid into my seat, I caught Maya’s worried glance. “Don’t listen to them,” she whispered. “They’ll get bored eventually.”

Easy for her to say. She wasn’t the one being accused of having something forbidden with her arrogant stepbrother.

⸻

At lunch, things exploded.

I’d just sat down with my tray when Chelsea sauntered over, her grin sharp and venomous. “So, Olivia,” she said loudly enough for the entire table to hear, “how was Jason’s party? Did you enjoy playing hostess in that cheap little dress of yours?”

A few students snickered. I gripped my fork tighter, forcing myself to stay calm. “Ignore her,” Maya muttered.

But Chelsea leaned closer, her voice dropping just enough to make it personal. “Tell me, does Jason sneak into your room at night? Or do you sneak into his?”

The cafeteria gasped, the words hanging heavy in the air. My stomach flipped, heat rushing to my cheeks. I opened my mouth to snap back, but before I could, the sound of a tray slamming onto the table cut me off.

Jason.

He loomed over Chelsea, his jaw tight, his eyes burning. “Say that again,” he growled.

Chelsea blinked, caught off guard. “I-I was just—”

Jason leaned down, his voice low and dangerous. “If I ever hear you talk about Olivia like that again, I’ll make sure you regret it. Do you understand?”

The cafeteria was dead silent. Chelsea’s face went pale. She stammered something and hurried off, her entourage trailing behind her like frightened puppies.

Jason turned to me then, his expression unreadable. “Eat your lunch, Princess.”

And just like that, he walked away, leaving the entire cafeteria buzzing.

⸻

I sat frozen, my tray untouched. Half of me burned with embarrassment—Jason had just defended me in front of everyone. The other half… the other half couldn’t ignore the way his words had sounded. Protective. Fierce.

Maya nudged me. “Okay, wow. He really doesn’t like anyone messing with you.”

I swallowed hard, unable to respond.

Because deep down, I knew this wasn’t just about Jason protecting me from bullies anymore.

Something else was brewing between us. Something dangerous.

And if the rumors had been bad before, I had a sinking feeling they were only going to get worse.