My Hot Stepbrother

Chapter 8

POV CLARA'S

I remained frozen near the doorway to the living room, my eyes fixed on Leon who was chatting with a woman there.

As I recalled, the young woman's name was Hailey. She studied abroad. I was introduced to her on the exact day of my mother's and stepfather's blessing ceremony.

She was a relative from Leon's father's side. I had met her several times at family events, though we never really talked.

"So you'll be settling in this city and continuing your studies at the same college as me, Hailey?" Leon asked.

I blinked hearing Leon's question to that beautiful and sexy woman. So she would be attending the same college as Leon and me. How annoying.

"Of course. I want us to be close again like we used to be when we were 10, before I went abroad," Hailey replied. "Since you're the student body president, you can definitely help me get into that college."

I peeked again toward the living room. My curiosity about their conversation was immense. All this time, Leon always wanted to know about my problems and whatever I did.

"I'll do the same thing, so he can feel what it's like when others interfere and want to know about his personal business," I said quietly.

They seemed close, and even Leon, the man who always acted cold and barely ever smiled, was now laughing freely. Something stabbed at my chest seeing him like that.

All this time, he had never shown that kind of expression in front of me. All his behavior instead always provoked my irritation.

I swallowed, trying to ignore the strange feeling that arose in my chest. But the more I watched them, the more that feeling gnawed at my thoughts.

I shook my head with a slight shudder.

'I shouldn't care. Leon is nobody to me. He's just my stepbrother.'

I blinked when that woman touched Leon's arm, her facial expression looking cheerful. What surprised me was that Leon, who had always been untouchable, didn't do anything when Hailey touched him.

They were still talking. Leon's laughter could be heard again, and without realizing it, I clenched my fist. This wasn't the first time I'd seen Leon talking to someone, but somehow seeing him with Hailey made my chest feel strange.

'I don't care and this isn't my business either.'

I stomped one foot then turned around, walking toward the dining room with heavy steps. In my heart, I convinced myself that all of this meant nothing. I shouldn't care. However, the image of Leon smiling at Hailey kept appearing in my thoughts.

"Good morning, Mom, Dad," I greeted while kissing their cheeks.

"Good morning too, Sweetheart. You already look very beautiful and neat. Where are you going?" my mom asked.

"I have an appointment with a friend, after that I'll go to campus," I answered.

Suddenly I heard footsteps approaching the dining room. Soon I saw Leon and Hailey appear with Hailey clinging affectionately to Leon's arm and again Leon didn't forbid it.

"Hello, Uncle, Aunt," Hailey greeted, immediately letting go of Leon.

"So it's you who came," Adrian said, and I just watched their quite familiar interaction. "How are you? When did you return from abroad?"

After all, Hailey was the daughter of Adrian's male cousin and still carried the Lucero family name, a family name that was quite respected in the business world.

"I'm doing very well, Uncle. I've been in this city for three days. My dad said I should meet Leon to help me get into the same college as him," Hailey answered.

"Your father is right, Leon can definitely help you. He's a student body president at that campus. He must be close with the student affairs department," Adrian said.

"I'm glad to hear that." Then she turned to my mom, hugging and kissing her left and right cheeks. "Hello, Aunt. Nice to meet you again. We met before at your wedding to Uncle Adrian."

"You're absolutely right, Sweetheart. I'm happy to meet a beautiful, kind and friendly girl like you," my mom said, then glanced at me. "Look Clara. You should build a close relationship with Hailey. Be friendly like her, instead of acting wild."

What did my mom mean by talking like that? I immediately rolled my eyes. This was the first time my mom had compared me to another girl.

I smiled sweetly at Hailey though it was just pretend. "Hello, Hailey."

Hailey came closer to me. "Hello, Clara. I'd be happy if we could become closer."

Adrian asked one of the maids to add a plate for Hailey. She would have breakfast here.

"I need to go now," I said while standing up.

"Why leave so early, Clara? You haven't even finished your breakfast," my mom said.

"I just remembered that I need to check on Nathan at the hospital before meeting my other friend," I answered while glancing at Leon who was still standing in the dining room doorway while staring sharply at me.

I kissed my mom's cheek, my dad's and of course Hailey's. After that I stepped away from the dining room, but Leon blocked my path.

Before Leon could speak, Hailey had already said, "Leon come here, accompany me for breakfast."

I smiled slightly, then said in a quiet voice. "Get out of my way. Your beloved cousin is calling you."

Leon shifted his body and I could freely walk away from the dining room.

I walked out of the house with feelings that were difficult to explain. There was something stuck in my chest since seeing Leon and Hailey together.

Maybe because this was the first time I'd seen Leon laugh so freely, and it wasn't because of me. He could act as he pleased, but limited all my activities and my closeness with others, especially male friends.

I tried to focus on my main purpose. Meeting Nathan at the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, I went straight to Nathan's room. When I opened the door, Nathan was sitting in bed with his leg still in a cast. He turned to me and smiled.

"Clara," he called softly. "Are you okay? I tried to call you but you didn't answer."

I looked at my phone which was now in silent mode. But I never remembered changing my phone to silent mode.

"I'm fine. Don't worry. Sorry, yesterday I changed my phone to silent mode," I answered, though I didn't feel that way.

Nathan smiled. Although his face was pale, his handsomeness hadn't faded. "Alright. Come here, sit beside me."

I smiled then sat on the edge of the gurney, right beside Nathan.

Nathan looked at me with a serious expression. "Clara, what about my question from yesterday? You didn't get to answer it because Leon had already taken you away."

I fell silent. Honestly, I had anticipated this question would come up again. However, I couldn't give him the answer he wanted. Not because I didn't like Nathan, but because I was afraid Leon would act recklessly again.

Nathan was still in recovery, and I didn't want him to get hurt again because of me.

I took a deep breath before answering, "You should heal your leg first, Nathan. How can you protect me if you're still in this condition?"

Nathan looked disappointed, but he knew what I said was true.

"When my leg is healed, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked again. "My feelings for you will never change."

"We can talk about that later. Now let me peel this apple for you," I said then grabbed the apple and wiped it and cut it. I didn't forget to feed it to Nathan's mouth myself.

Because visiting hours were over, I looked at Nathan for a moment before finally saying goodbye and leaving the hospital.

I went straight to the cafe near campus, Blackwood Café.

When I got there, I met with my friend, Evan. I had made plans with him beforehand.

"Clara, how are you?" Evan greeted when I sat across from him.

"I'm good. You?"

"As you can see, still busy with my projects," he answered casually.

"Cool." I smiled. "So, can you help me?"

"Of course. You want to install CCTV in your room, right?" Evan asked.

I nodded. "Yes. I want to see if someone is secretly entering my room when I'm not there."

Evan frowned. "Are you suspicious of someone?"

"No." I shrugged. "I just feel like strange things have been happening lately."

Evan looked at me for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright, I'll help you. I can come tonight to install it."

I smiled with relief. "Thank you, Evan."

After chatting for a while, I said goodbye and headed to campus. Once there, I went straight to the cafeteria where my friends usually gathered. Vivian, Emily, Rosalyn, and Kevin were already there.

"Clara!" Vivian called while waving at me. I walked over to them and sat in an empty chair.

"Why does your face look gloomy?" Emily asked.

I sighed. "My mood has been bad since last night."

"Is it because of what happened at the hospital? Kevin already told me about it," Rosalyn said.

I blinked then nodded slowly. I wasn't sure myself about the reason why my mood could be bad.

Vivian rested her chin on her hand while looking at me meaningfully. "Clara, why do I feel like there's something you're hiding from us?"