Sinful Obsession: My Billionaire Stepbrother

Stranded in the Rain

The ride back to the Sterling manor was supposed to feel like a victory lap. I had survived the cameras, handled the reporters, and saved the project. But inside the Bentley, it felt like I was being transported to a high-security prison.

William sat in the driver’s seat, his face looking like it had been carved out of stone, He hadn't looked at me once, just stared at the road, with knuckles turning white as he held the steering wheel.

"You realise," he finally said, his voice a low, scary growl "that what you did today wasn't saving anything. It was a disaster."

"The stock price went up, William!" I snapped back though my heart still racing from the adrenaline. "The reporters were actually smiling. People like the project now! How is that a disaster?"

"Because you promised them the impossible, Isabel!" He finally looked at me, his eyes flashed like fire.

"A three-month deadline to start construction? We don't have the permits. We don't have the builders. We don't even have the final safety checks done. You didn't give them any hope, you gave them a dream that’s going to crash and burn the second those three months are up."

"Then make it happen William!" I yelled, throwing my hands up in frustration.

"You're Sterling! You’re always talking about how you own this city. So use that power. Stop being so scared of a deadline."

"It doesn't work like that!" he roared.

For the first time, I saw his perfect billionaire mask totally shatter, he looked stressed, at that moment he looked human.

"You think you can just walk in from New York, put on a thrift-store blazer, and change the rules of a multi-million dollar business because you want to make people and the press happy?"

"You’re a child, Isabel. You’re playing with a world that could swallow you whole and not even blink."

"I’m not a child!" I snapped back, I felt hot, stinging tears gather in my eyes and hated myself for it.

"I was only trying to save the company’s good image and yes! I wanted to make the people in that neighborhood happy too! You just see numbers and risk, I see communities and environment needing protection."

"And yeah, maybe I don't know the rules, but at least I’m not some ruthless businessman!"

William’s jaw tightened so hard I thought I heard his teeth grind.

Suddenly, he swerved the car toward the side of the dark, narrow road, we were miles away from the manor, somewhere in the deep, foggy countryside where there were barely any streetlights.

"Get out," he said, in a voice that was terrifyingly quiet.

I froze.

"What?"

"You think you’re so independent? You think you don’t need the ruthless businessman or his rules?" He reached over and unlatched the passenger door.

The cold night air rushed in, smelling like wet dirt and coming rain. "Get out of my car, Isabel. Walk the rest of the way or anyhow you want. See how well your feelings help you find your way home in the dark."

"You’re joking," I whispered, my heart dropped into my stomach.

"William, it’s like ten miles to the estate. It’s midnight."

"Get. Out."

He didn't look at me. I felt a surge of pure, white-hot anger. I snatched my bag and stepped out onto the gravel.

"Fine!" I screamed over my shoulder. "I’d rather walk ten miles in the dark than spend another minute with someone as heartless as you!"

I slammed the door.

The Bentley roared to life and took off, its red lights disappearing into the fog like two angry eyes.

The silence that followed was scary.

I stood on the side of the road, my breath hitched in my throat. My blazer, which had felt like armor in the press room, now felt like a thin sheet of paper against the freezing wind.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. The screen flickered to life. 1%.

"No, no, no," I breathed.

I hadn't charged it all day because I’d been so busy. Before I could even open a map, the screen went black. The little spinning wheel appeared, and then—nothing.

"Great," I whispered to the darkness. "Literally great."

Just then, because the universe hated me, the first drop of rain hit my forehead. Then another. Within seconds, it was a full-blown downpour. It was a cold, drenching rain that soaked through my clothes in seconds.

I started walking because I didn't know what else to do. Every shadow looked like a monster. Every rustle in the bushes made me jump. My heels dug into my skin, causing blisters with every step. I shivered so hard my teeth chattered.

I felt so small. So stupid. William was right. I was an amateur.

I had walked into his world thinking I could change it, and now I was standing in a ditch, soaked to the bone.

The confidence I’d felt at the podium was gone.

I started to cry, the hot tears mixed with the cold rain. I missed my Aunt Joey. I missed New York and the saloon. At least there, people were humane.

A pair of yellow headlights cut through the fog behind me.

I froze, my heart leaped into my throat. Part of me hoped it was William coming back to apologize, but I was terrified it was someone worse.

A small silver car slowed down and pulled over. the window rolled down, and a blast of lo-fi music drifted out.

"Isabel? Is that... is that you?"

I wiped my eyes.

It was Jax.

He looked totally out of place in his messy hoodie and thick glasses.

"Jax?" I sobbed, feeling a huge wave of relief.

"Oh my god, you're freezing!" He jumped out of the car and threw a worn-out flannel shirt over my shoulders.

"What are you doing out here? Did the car break down?"

"William ... he kicked me out," I managed to say through my chattering teeth.

Jax’s face went from confused to totally shocked.

"He did what? Are you serious? Get in the car, Isabel. Before you turn into an ice cube."

I scrambled into the passenger seat, the heater was on full blast, and the car smelled like old coffee and chips. It was the most beautiful smell I’d ever experienced.

"I’m so sorry," I whispered, clutching his flannel shirt. "I’m getting your seats wet."

"It’s an old car, don't worry about it," Jax said, pulling back onto the road. He handed me a bottle of juice and a charging cable.

"Talk to me. What happened? You were a legend in the office today!"

I just lost it.

I poured my heart out. I told him about the argument, about how William called me a child, and how scared I was that I’d ruined everything with the three-month deadline.

"I just wanted to win, Jax," I said, my voice cracking.

"I wanted to prove I wasn't just some girl from New York. I wanted to show him I could handle his world too. But I can't."

Jax listened without interrupting. He kept driving, his hands steady on the wheel.

"Listen," he said softly as we reached the gates of the manor. "William is... complicated. He grew up in a house where everything is about power. He doesn't know how to handle someone like you. You actually have a heart, Isabel. That’s why that park is even happening faster now."

"But the three months—"

"We'll figure it out," Jax promised with a shy smile. "You’ve got what it takes, remember? He may want to help you no matter how ruthless he sounds. And you’ve got me. I’m a genius with data. We’ll find a way to get those permits."

We pulled up to the front of the manor.

The Bentley was already there, looking cold and expensive.

"Thanks, Jax," I said. "Seriously. You saved me tonight."

"Just doing my job," he joked, his face turned a little pink instantly.

"Go inside. Get a hot shower. And Isabel? Don't let him see you crying. He doesn't deserve it."

I nodded, thanked him again, then stepped out of the car and watched he drove away.

I stood in front of the massive doors of the mansion shivering and dripping wet but felt a tiny spark of myself coming back...