My Hot Stepbrother

Untitled Episode4

Pov Clara's

I came out of the bedroom with my head still full of questions. My thoughts were spinning around last night's events, that strange dream, and a reality that somehow felt unbalanced.

Should I really install a CCTV in my room? But am I ready if I discover a frightening fact? Argh! It's truly confusing.

I messed up my hair from how confused I was with this situation.

I took a deep breath and decided to put those thoughts aside for now.

Today was Sunday, and I had no college schedule. I planned to be lazy at home and didn't want to go anywhere.

When I reached the ground floor, I saw my stepmother and stepfather seemingly preparing to go out. Maybe there was a business dinner invitation from Adrian.

My mother looked very beautiful in a light blue casual dress, while my stepfather wore a semi-formal suit. I approached them with curiosity.

"Where are you going?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

My mother smiled slightly. "We're going to a lunch event with an important client. There's some business that needs to be resolved today, Darling," she answered.

Unlike my stepfather, who just glanced at me with a thin smile and then looked at his watch. "We must leave immediately, Helena," he said firmly, before stepping out of the house.

Helena nodded at me. "Watch the house, Clara. If you need anything, just call the head of staff," she said softly before following Adrian out.

I just nodded slightly, watching them leave. My stomach suddenly growled.

No wonder I was hungry. It was already 9 in the morning, I mumbled while rubbing my stomach.

Once their car's sound disappeared, the house became quiet. I was about to walk towards the dining room, but as I passed Adrian's study, I stopped my steps.

My gaze focused on Adrian's study door. Suddenly, my memory was thrown back to several years ago when my mother and stepfather were talking about Leon.

About six years ago, before my mother married my stepfather, Leon had a serious accident with his girlfriend, Tania. Leon survived, but his girlfriend died.

I didn't pay much attention to the conversation back then, but now my curiosity was provoked. Something felt odd, something I wanted to know more about Leon. Especially since I was planning to devise a scheme to break free from Leon.

Should I go inside? But what if I get caught? Ah, no! I must try.

I planted determination in myself and convinced myself that this action was right.

I looked left and right, then walked slowly towards Adrian's study. Carefully, I opened the unlocked door and closed it.

I breathed a sigh of relief while rubbing my pounding chest. I felt like a burglar entering a house. "Ah, I'm safe."

The room was full of bookshelves and a work desk with stacks of papers and folders. I approached the desk and started searching for something that could explain what really happened to Leon.

My hand finally found a folder with a foreign hospital logo, with Leon Lucero's name at the bottom of the folder.

This folder's contents might give me clues, I whispered to myself.

With a pounding heart, I opened the folder containing Leon's medical records. I opened it nervously, and my eyes immediately focused on the information written there.

The accident six years ago caused Leon to suffer traumatic brain injury, which made it difficult for him to control his emotions. I also read about past trauma that was a contributing factor, but there was no further explanation about what that trauma was.

"I must take pictures of every sheet of Leon's health data. Who knows, it might be useful for me someday," I said confidently.

I immediately took out my phone and turned on the camera feature. I took pictures of every sheet of Leon's health data. Once done, I returned the folder to its original place.

But suddenly my heart raced when I heard the door being slowly opened from outside. I quickly crawled towards the back of the door. When I peeked, I saw one of the maids enter with cleaning equipment. She seemed unaware of my presence.

Carefully, I crawled out of the study, taking advantage of the moment when the woman's back was to the door.

Once I was far enough, I stood and ran frantically towards the backyard. My breath was panting, and I kept looking back to make sure no one saw me.

But because I was too panicked, I tripped over one of the flower pots usually tended by my mother.

"Argh! Damn!" I cursed while wincing in pain.

I sat on the ground, trying to clean the dirt from my pants. I felt my left ankle, which felt painful.

"Ow, it hurts so much," I whispered softly, afraid someone would hear my voice. "Why does there have to be a falling scene?"

But then, my ears caught the sound of splashing water from the pool area.

I peeked from behind the flower plants but didn't see anyone there. Curiosity pushed me to peek further. However, an event made me almost jump out of my skin.

"What are you doing there?" that deep voice made my heart almost leap from its cavity.

I turned quickly and saw Leon standing towering behind me. I was paralyzed, my tongue tied when I realized he was only wearing swimming trunks. His body was still wet, with water droplets flowing on his pale skin.

His muscles were clearly visible, from his broad chest to his perfect six-pack abs. I was stunned while swallowing my saliva with difficulty.

I couldn't deny that Leon Lucero was indeed a handsome man with a body desired by many women, although his terrifying and unpredictable attitude often made me afraid.

I tried to answer, but my words were stuck. His gaze seemed to strip me naked, making me unable to think clearly. The air around us felt increasingly oppressive, and I knew this situation would become more complicated.

"I-I..." my voice sounded stuttering, and I myself wasn't sure what to answer. My face reddened, and I didn't know whether it was from shame or nervousness. "Just now... I-I... That...."