Claimed by the Wolfe men

The stranger at the bottom of the stairs

“In a month?” The words echoed in my head like someone had slammed a metal door shut and locked me inside. “In a month?” That wasn’t a wedding date, that was a countdown.

My mom exchanged a quick, nervous glance with Adrian, while he smiled at me like he always did, which somehow irritated me more.

“Mom, what is this? What are you talking about?” I demanded, as I set my fork done on my plate.

“Cariño… por favor, cálmate—”

“No, Mom.” The chair screeched loudly as I shifted forward. “Don’t tell me to calm down. Are you even listening to yourself?”

Her brows knit together. “Bella—”

“How can you already be getting married to a man you have barely just started dating? You’ve been with him for what—a year? Less than a year, technically! And you think that’s enough time to suddenly rush into marriage with him? Who does that?”

My voice shook, as I demanded. “This is insane!”

“Bella, please calm down,” Adrian said softly, “I understand you’re upset, but if you could just—”

“Stay out of this.” I snapped, pointing a finger at him without even meaning to. “Do not tell me to calm down, and do not act like you’re my father, because you’re not, and you won’t ever be.”

“Bella!” My mom’s voice cracked sharply like a whip. “Stop that immediately. I will not have you speak to him that way. Where are your manners?”

I rolled my eyes hard, and her face twitched with anger. Adrian gently touched her hand under the table, wordlessly telling her it was okay, but that just poured gasoline on the fire burning in my chest.

“Let me ask you something,” I said, folding my arms and leaning back on the chair with my heart pounding. “What if the case was reversed? What if I were the one telling you I wanted to marry someone I’ve only known for a year? Would you let me do that?”

“Mi amor, that’s different, you know that,” my mom pleaded quietly.

I scoffed. Of course, it was different.

“Because you’re an adult, right? And you think you ‘know best.’ while I’m just the child whose life you think you can uproot whenever you want and expect me to smile and go through with it.”

Then I held her gaze steady, unblinking.

“Be honest with me, mom. Do you even love him? Or are you with him because of his money, because of what he can give us?”

And then she snapped. Her expression darkened so fast I didn’t even have time to breathe.

And then—A slap. My face whipped to the side, stinging, burning, as I held my cheek, staring at her, in horror.

Adrian shot up halfway from his chair, but he froze, caught between us.

“Don’t you dare, Bella,” my mom hissed. “Don’t you dare to speak to me that way. I raised you better than this. I don’t know what’s come over you lately, but you will stop acting like you were brought up with no manners.”

I swallowed hard as she continued.

“We are only telling you this because you deserve to know, not because we need your opinion. I am getting married to Adrian one month from now, and there is nothing you or anyone can do to stop that. So get that into your head and stop acting like a spoiled brat.”

I pushed back from the table so fast the legs screeched loud enough to make her flinch. Still holding my cheek, I stood up, stormed out of the dining area, stomped up the stairs, grabbed my hoodie, sunglasses, phone, and a book, and marched right back down again, ignoring her voice as she shouted my name.

I slammed the door behind me and felt the cool evening air hit my face. I didn’t stop walking, as I headed to the library. This was my safe place, the place I went to whenever I needed to unwind, the one place no one expected anything from me.

“You’re back again?” the librarian teased as soon as she saw me.

Her warm smile settled something inside me. “You dying to get rid of me already?” I said, managing a small laugh.

She chuckled. “I wish I could...but I can’t.”

“Well, I just came to return this book and pick up a new one,” I confirmed, giving the book to her.

She raised a brow. “Mhm. And you’re sure this is not about avoiding home again.”

I snorted. “Is it that obvious?”

She chuckled as she scanned the book. “No one has beaten your record of most borrowed books in months.”

I grinned and wandered off to the aisle that always called me. I ran my fingers along the shelves, looking for something that felt right, something that would fit into the mess of my life. Then I saw it, and as soon as I reached for it, another hand brushed against mine. “Oh sorry,” we both said at the same time, and then laughed.

And I looked up to see the owner of those delicate hands, and just then…my breath caught in my mouth.

He was beautiful. Not in a model, perfect-hair kind of way, but in a quiet, soft, boy-next-door kind of way. He had his glasses on, messy dark hair, warm brown eyes and a shy smile.

“You can take it,” he said, giggling as he stepped back slightly, adjusting his glasses. “Ladies first.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” I said quickly. “You saw it first, I can come back another time for it.”

“Hey, come on, I insist.”

Something about the gentleness in his voice made my shoulders loosen, so I nodded and reluctantly took the book. We took a walk in the park, talking about our favorite authors, favorite books, hobbies, and surprisingly, we had a lot of things in common. When he asked for my number, I didn’t hesitate, as he promised to give me a call the following day. I dreaded going back home, but I had no choice. By the time I got home, they had gone to bed, so I quietly went up to my room.

One Month Later

It’s been a month since Brian and I started dating. A month of being over the moon, a month of good laughs, love and everything else. He was my first boyfriend and now that I’m about to leave, it hurts so bad. He tried to hide it, but I saw the way his smile wavered when I told him we were moving.

Tania, on the other hand, stayed with me the night before. We cried like people who would never see each other again, we hugged like we were being separated by different continents, and she swore she’d visit every weekend. The wedding between my mom and Adrian was the talk of the town. It was extravagant, lavish, splendid—you name it. Attended by the crème de la crème of society, to me, it just felt like a competition where rich people get to show off their money, their jewelry and their fake laughs. I wonder how I survived it, but now the day I was dreading has finally come.

Vivian had been over the moon all morning, we weren’t taking much, just our personal things, since Adrian already had everything we might need. When we got to his house, he came out to welcome us, as the butler helped us with our things. The maids greeted my mom and I as we walked past them, and as soon as I stepped in, it looked like something pulled out of a billionaire romance novel. The shiny marble floor, crystal chandeliers sat perfectly hung in the middle, a staircase that curved like a runway. My jaw fell open as I tried to wrap my head around the fact that all this seemed surreal, and I still couldn’t believe this was now my new home.

And just then Adrian called out, “Jeremy! Can you please come downstairs for a moment?”

He didn’t respond, but then a door swung open upstairs. I looked up, and my entire soul left my body. Jeremy’s steps were slow, heavy, and controlled. He wore a sleeveless shirt which clinged to his body, revealing those perfectly sculpted abs, as sweat glistened on his skin. A towel hung over his shoulders, his hair was messy, and some stuck to his forehead. A water bottle dangled from his hand as he took a sip, by the time he had finally descended the stairs. Every step he took made my heart thud painfully.

Adrian smiled proudly. “Vivian, Bella… meet my son, Jeremy. Jeremy, Vivian and Bella.”

My throat closed, and my vision blurred for a second as Jeremy stood a few feet in front of me. And that’s when he looked at me.

“Oh my God…” I whispered, staring at him in horror. It was him. My man who had ruined me, standing in my new home.