Owned By My Stepbrother

Chapter 8: Unexpected Intimacy

HERA’S POV

"YOU'RE both exactly the same, so don't act surprised!" I sarcastically shouted at him.

"Oh, is that so? Fine, do whatever you want with your life!" he angrily yelled and quickly walked away, leaving me behind.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" I hurriedly tried to catch up with him, but his strides were longer than mine. No matter how hard I tried to catch up, I couldn't reach him. I alternated between walking and running, but he was just too fast.

"Ouch!" I sat down in pain because I didn't notice a big rock blocking my path while chasing him. Because I was so focused on chasing him, I didn't notice the obstacle and ended up stumbling over it.

I was already holding onto my foot when Inigo turned to look at me. I tried to stand up again and walk to catch up with him, but it seemed that my sprained ankle had worsened, as I couldn't even step on it due to the intense pain I was feeling.

"What are you doing?" he asked irritably, moving closer to me. As he approached, he immediately grabbed my foot, which was already swollen.

"Ouch! It hurts!" I exclaimed to him again because he suddenly twisted my foot.

"I just wanted to take a look!" he snapped back at me and grabbed my foot again.

"It hurts, so please be more careful!" I shouted at him, tears welling up as he continued twisting my foot.

"Well, if you knew how to be cautious, this wouldn't have happened!" he blamed me in return.

"You are the one rushing to walk so fast that I had to chase after you and end up like this?" I asked irritably, but he suddenly turned away and pulled me up from behind instead of answering me. "What are you doing?"

"Are you going to ride behind me, or am I going to leave you here alone?" he asked, running out of patience, and I became frightened by his threat because if he could walk fast enough to leave me behind, he surely wouldn't hesitate to carry out whatever threat he was making now. And from what I know about him, joking around isn't his thing. "You're so small, but you're so heavy!" he complained as I ended up being carried by him from behind.

If only I hadn't had trouble walking, I would have slapped this i***t already, I muttered to myself while giving him a resentful look from behind.

After a long walk, we entered the dense forest area of the island, but since there was still a designated path in the middle, it was still safe to walk there. We were in the middle of the forest when the rain suddenly started drizzling and gradually became stronger.

"What the heck, you're such bad luck!" he wheezed out in accusation, but he continued walking. However, because of the heavy rain, we were slowly getting soaked. His grip on me also started to loosen slightly. "Let's rest for a while. I'm getting tired too because you're so heavy," he suggested, gently lowering me down to the side of a big tree.

As soon as I got off, I quickly scanned the surroundings, searching for possible shelter. And there, my gaze caught a nearby hut.

"Inigo, let's go there!" I pointed quickly when I saw the hut.

"That's probably where the island's staff rests. Let's see if there's anyone," he suggested to me, and since we were both tired, he supported me as we walked, as he might accidentally drop me if he tried to carry me. My feet still hurt, but not as much as before.

When we reached the hut, Inigo peered inside to see if there was anyone.

"Come inside, no one's here," he replied and gently pushed open the wooden door. He entered first, while I remained standing outside.

"Come inside already because you'll just get colder out there!" he called me again, sounding somewhat annoyed.

He was right, so I went inside. As I entered, he walked towards the door. He quietly sat by the entrance of the barn while I settled on a bench. Due to the cold I was feeling. I hugged myself and gently leaned against my thighs.

I didn't know how long I stayed in that position, but I suddenly felt Inigo placing his jacket on my shoulder. As the coat touched me, I lifted my gaze, and our eyes met.

"Thank you," I softly uttered, but it barely came out of my mouth due to the cold I was feeling. Even though I pressed the jacket against my body, it didn't alleviate the chill I was experiencing, perhaps because my entire body was soaked wet.

I was slightly surprised when he suddenly sat beside me and gently pulled me towards him, causing me to wrap my arms around him, and I could feel his embrace as he wrapped his thighs around my body.

"Wait, just—"

"Don't complain because your body is already trembling," he quickly interrupted me. At that moment, I felt the warmth emanating from his body, and because of that warmth, I instinctively leaned my head against his broad chest. Although I knew that my entire body was still trembling from the cold.

I also felt his hand move suddenly, and I was startled when he gently lifted my face and held it in his two hands. And because of what he did, I found myself staring into his eyes. And at that moment, I couldn't explain the excitement I was feeling. He just looked at me intently, as if he was measuring my reaction.

I couldn't move as his lips suddenly descended upon mine, planting a seductive and enticing kiss on me. Though I got surprised, I couldn't push him away because it ignited a strange warmth throughout my entire body.

"Young Master!" When we both heard that call, we quickly moved away from each other. Inigo also promptly came out to greet whoever was calling him.

"We're here!" I heard him say, so I also stepped out of the barn. We were welcomed by a group of servants accompanied by seven men.

"Oh, you're all soaking wet!" one of the servants expressed concern as they approached us. She quickly signaled to their companions, and two more servants brought us towels to dry ourselves.

Afterward, a man approached us, leading a white horse.

"For now, this will be your ride. There are no other vehicles available to use in the villa at the moment," he politely said to Inigo.

But Inigo didn't respond. Instead, he quickly mounted on the back of the horse and extended his hand towards me. I glanced at his hand briefly because I felt too shy to look directly into his eyes, especially after what happened earlier.

"Are you going to ride, or do you prefer to walk alone?" he said irritably, as if nothing unusual had happened between us inside the stable.

I had no choice but to reach for his hand, and with all his strength, he pulled me up, making it easier for me to get on his back.

"Hold on tight," he instructed me, so I wrapped my arms around him from behind. Since it was my first time riding a horse, I couldn't help but feel scared when it suddenly started walking, so I squeezed myself tightly against his back.

When we arrived at the villa, he also helped me get off. We walked towards the villa's entrance, and as soon as we stepped inside, a loud slap greeted Inigo, and we were both surprised because of that.

"What on earth possessed you to walk around and let your sister get soaked in the rain?" his father shouted loudly and menacingly.

"Sister?" Inigo exclaimed in surprise and anger, as if he much disliked his father's referring to me as his sister more than the sudden slap he had just received. "As far as I know, I don't have a sister!" he shouted again, and because of that, his father was about to slap him again, so I quickly stepped in front of him, and he ended up hitting me instead. However, due to the height difference between Inigo and me, it barely grazed me, although I still felt some pain. "Hera!" Inigo exclaimed in shock, not expecting my sudden intervention. Even his father was surprised by what I did; even though I got hurt, I still faced him.

"You're mistaken, sir!" I defended Inigo. "The truth is, this is all my fault. I'm the reason why we took so long and why we got caught in the rain," I explained. "I hope before you hurt him, you would have at least asked what really happened," I couldn't help but retort to his father.

I can't tolerate the unfair way he disciplines his child.

"What are you saying? Do you think I'll get angry for no reason at that ill-mannered child? Ava herself told me that she dragged you along to make you walk!" his father still shouted angrily at me. I felt scared of him for the first time because it was the first time, I faced an angry father towards his child.

"Not everything she's saying is true—"

"So, I am lying?!" a voice came from the side. We both turned to look. It was Ava, who had been silently observing everything since the beginning. I never expected there would be someone with an even worse attitude than Inigo.

"I think, Felix, let's stop this and let the two children rest. They're already tired and soaking wet," my mother quickly intervened in the situation. So, somehow, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Before Felix could speak again, Inigo quickly turned away from us and went up to the second floor of that villa.

I couldn't help but feel a mix of annoyance, pity, and anger. Various emotions overwhelmed me now. I was irritated and angry at Felix and Ava, and at the same time, I felt sorry for Inigo. I knew he didn't need pity, but that's how I felt.

"Come on, Hera," my mother invited me and led me upstairs. We both remained silent as we ascended and then she opened the third door on the right. "That room next to yours is Inigo's room," she pointed to the second room we passed. "Your father and I have our room downstairs."

"Mom!" I quickly objected to her last statement. Because of what happened, it seemed even more difficult for me to accept Felix as her boyfriend and, worse, as my father. "Is that how easily you'll let him into our lives?" I asked incredulously.

"Hera, no one is perfect, so you should always remember that there are no perfect parents either," she responded calmly while retrieving a fresh towel from the cabinet. "We may all learn from the process. What's important is that you learn to give chances to new people who come into our lives," she added before heading towards the door. "Alright, go ahead and change. There are clothes in the cabinet. Felix bought all of them for you. Just pick something after you take a shower. I'll leave you here for now, and I'll prepare our food," she said before finally leaving the room.

I let out a sigh as I locked the door behind her.