Falling For My Bully Stepbrother

My Stepbrother

Chapter 002.

Lily’s POV.

Smack!

Her hand struck my cheek before I could finish. The sound inside the car was painfully loud; I went silent.

She started the engine as though nothing had happened.

“When we get there tonight, behave yourself,” she said. “You will smile, you will be respectful, and you will not cause any trouble.”

I pressed my fingers against my cheek.

“Yes, Mom.”

She drove in silence for several minutes before adding that this new family could change everything for us, and I understood exactly what she meant.

My mother wanted this marriage to work.

She wanted the wealthy Guilford family to accept her.

And whether I liked it or not, she expected me to help her make that happen.

That evening, I changed into a simple dress and followed her into an expensive restaurant where everything looked polished enough to belong in a magazine.

My palms were damp as we walked toward the private dining room.

My mother squeezed my arm. “Remember what I told you.”

I nodded.

Then the door opened.

A distinguished man stood to greet us, smiling warmly as he exchanged a hug with my mom.

“Lily, this is your stepfather, Mr. Guilford.”

I managed a polite smile. "Nice to meet you.”

He welcomed me kindly, which I was not expecting. Then he turned toward the other side of the room.

“And this is my son.”

I followed his gaze. My heart stopped; the boy sitting at the table slowly lifted his head.

His ocean-blue eyes met mine, and I stared at his curly brown hair. The same calm face I had spent the entire afternoon thinking about.

Henry stood.

Neither of us spoke.

My mother smiled, completely unaware of the storm that had just erupted inside me. “Lily, meet your new stepbrother.”

The room seemed to tilt beneath my feet. The boy I had thought was my unexpected savior at school was not a stranger at all.

He was Henry Guilford, my stepbrother.

I watched Henry walk away from the dinner hall without looking back. His father called his name, but Henry kept going as if he had not heard him. I stood there quietly, still trying to understand how the same boy who had protected me yesterday could treat me like a stranger tonight.

“Henry!”

His father called again, but there was no response.

Mr. Guilford turned toward me with an apologetic expression. “I am sorry about that, Lily.”

I forced a small smile. “It is okay, sir.”

But it was not okay. His apology followed me through the rest of dinner. I barely touched my food, and every time I tried to focus on the surrounding conversation, my mind returned to Henry leaving without even giving me a chance to speak.

After dinner, Mr. Guilford drove us to his house. I sat quietly beside my mother, watching the road through the window. I wanted to ask her why everything had to be so complicated, but I already knew what she would say.

She would tell me she was doing it for me. “You should be grateful, Lily. I am trying to give you the best life.”

That's what she always tells me.

I remembered my father's face and swallowed the words I wanted to say. I missed him more than I could explain.

My mother had never understood that expensive houses and comfortable lives could not replace him.

And I could not risk making things worse for him.

My father owned a small restaurant. It was not a huge business, but he had built it with years of hard work. One call from Mr. Guilford could make things difficult for him, and my mother had reminded me of that more than once.

So I stayed quiet.

When we entered the house, I followed my mother into the sitting room. I had barely placed my bag down when I heard footsteps coming from the kitchen.

Henry appeared with a bottle of water in his hand.

He was shirtless, his skin damp with sweat, his hair slightly messy as though he had just finished working out. For a moment, I stared before realizing what I was doing and quickly looked away.

My mother smiled at him. “Henry, how are you doing?”

He did not answer. He walked past her without even stopping.

My mother lowered her smile.

I looked toward the stairs where Henry had disappeared, wondering what had happened to him.

That night, I lay in bed thinking about my father. I remembered his restaurant, the smell of food in the kitchen, and the way he always saved my favorite meal whenever I visited.

A tear rolled down my cheek. I pulled the blanket over my head and cried quietly. I wanted my old life back.

The next morning, Henry had already left for school when I came downstairs.

My mother drove me herself. Before I got out of the car, she handed me a small box. Give this to Henry.”

I looked down at the little cake. “Why?”

“I want you to get close to him.”

I almost laughed. After the way Henry had treated me the night before, she still expected me to walk up to him with a smile. “He is your brother now, Lily. Try to make things easier.”

I took the cake. “Okay, Mom ”

I stepped out of the car and watched her drive away before heading toward school.

Instead of taking the hallway, I walked beside the football field. The team was already training, and several players were running across the grass.

I held the cake carefully as I walked.

Then a football suddenly flew toward me.

Before I could react, someone caught it. I looked up only to see Henry staring back at me.

For some reason, seeing him made me smile.

Maybe because I was still thinking about yesterday. How he saved me and made me feel like I belong here.

“Thank you for yesterday.”

Henry stared at me without saying anything.

I held out the cake. “My mom asked me to give you this.”

He looked at the box, then at me.

I smiled brightly. “Are you okay? Last night? I'm worried something might have happened ”

His expression did not change, but his eyes remained locked with mine.

“You left dinner so suddenly.”

Henry reached for the cake.

I relaxed a little, thinking he was finally going to accept it normally. The next second, the cake smashed against my face.

I froze.

Cream covered my cheek, my nose, and the front of my uniform. The box fell from my hand and landed on the grass.

For a moment, I could not understand what had just happened.

Then I heard laughter. Betty walked toward us, holding a bottle of water with her squad behind her.

Henry took the bottle of water from her hand.

I looked at him, waiting for him to say something, anything that would tell me this was a prank.

Instead, he poured the water over my head. Cold water ran through my hair and down my face, washing pieces of cake onto my uniform.

“I hate bitches like you.”

He turned away.

Betty slipped her hand into his, and Henry allowed her to hold it as they walked away together.

I stood there alone, watching them disappear across the field. The cake I had brought him lay crushed at my feet.

I looked down at it, then at the direction Henry had gone.

Yesterday, he had saved me.

Today, he had made me feel like I was the person he hated me and I could not understand why.

What exactly is my offence?