Claimed By My Mafia Stepbrother

2 - Confrontations and Slip Ups

Lisa’s POV.

“I can’t believe he said that to you!” Shonda exclaims.

I merely hum and continue tugging off the dress that I know I’ll certainly never wear again.

“Is she still here? His ‘girlfriend?’” I cringe at the title, then I scold myself for still being affected by the concept of him having a girlfriend, I shouldn’t care about s**t like that, after all, he thought I was a w***e who dressed up to attract men… then again, it wasn’t like he was completely wrong, I did dress like this for him.

Never again.

“She’s spending the night apparently, they’ll be in the same room,” my heart tightens at that, but once again, I bat off the feelings and remind myself of the way he practically slut shamed me in that room.

“Who cares anyway?” I spat.

————

Shonda’s driver came earlier than expected, leaving me all to myself till when next we’d meet in school. so s myself at breakfast. I headed down for breakfast, said breakfast which my father and stepmother conveniently did not show up for.

However, Xander came down when I was almost done devouring the tower of pancakes.

I nearly choked on the orange juice when he strolled in, shirtless and dishevelled. His eyes landed on me when I let out scratchy coughs and I felt my face burn in embarrassment, then a scowl settled on my face on remembering our embarrassing encounter last night, which prompted me into ignoring him.

He was getting something from the fridge when I was exiting the kitchen, but he suddenly blocked me before I could take one more step.

“Your manners are terrible,” he commented. Once again, my slow ass brain failed me on getting a closer look at his glorious chest, toned, tanned and carved to perfection. His pictures on the internet clearly don't do it Justice.

“How ironic, coming from you,” I responded wryly. “In what way did I portray bad manners?”

He arched a brow. “Most people would at least say hello when their family member walks in…”

I scoffed and tried to walk past him, but once again, he blocked my way. He was as close to me as he was last night, and it was getting hard to breathe. “I don’t have time for this and I don’t think you should be the one preaching about bad manners to me.” I snapped.

He tipped his head to the side, the move caused his long hair to cascade gently over one side of his face and fall in front of his blue eyes. I want to brush it away, but once again, I ball my fists and stare him down. “How so?”

“A person who’s an ‘expert’ on proper manners would know that it’s bad manners to call a lady a w***e because of what she wore,” I snapped, my frustration spilling over and I saw his lip quirk up a little. “You don’t get to talk to me that way then preach about manners right now.”

“Is that still troubling you? I was merely telling you as it is, Lisa.” His voice was tinged with amusement and it grated on my nerves. For the first time since I’ve seen him, his eyes twinkle with an emotion other than its usual coldness that lies there.

“Well, what you said was horrible, I didn’t dress for Dax, I would never dress up for a man, don’t look down on me and never call me a w***e again!” I seethed.

For a moment he’s silent and nervousness ran down my spine at the fear of me overstepping, especially coupled with the rumors I’ve heard of him here and there. He could easily snap my neck right now if he wanted to.

Slowly, he stepped closer and instinctively, I stepped back. It continued till my back connected with the fridge and my breath hitched in my throat when he leaned forward so our faces were only inches apart.

My heart was pounding so hard, I bet he could hear it. My lips parted as I tipped my head backwards so I could meet his eyes and I tried to get a word out, but nothing came forth, leaving me stuttering while he grinned like a snake.

“You looked nice in the dress, Lisa. Not at all like a w***e, but it did seem like you were trying to get someone’s attention,” his lips quirked in a knowing smirk and it’s clear that he knows it’s him. I want to die from the rush of embarrassment coursing through my veins right now.

“I have to say though, the attention you were craving, is one that’s too hot for you to handle. It’s one that’s bound to burn you because of how dangerous it is.”

He leaned even closer, hand grasping my chin.

“You’re literally only fifteen. You should set your eyes on fishes in your reach instead of large, dangerous sharks.” He continued and I bristled as colour flooded my cheeks.

“I’m sixteen!”

He snorted. “It doesn't make any difference.” He responded, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“f**k you, Xander.” I whispered with everything in me. Tears were prickling the back of my eyes.

He only chuckled as he dropped my chin and took a step away from me.

“f**k you! I never want to see you again, you egotistical asshole.” I spat out angrily and whirled around, ready to exit the kitchen but I was abruptly jerked back with a hand on my wrist.

I was ready to curse him out and probably slap him, but every word died down when he jerked my head up and pressed his lips at the underside of my chin.

Everything inside of me went still and I stopped breathing. Goosebumps gathered on my skin and I felt extremely lightheaded.

Before I could begin to process what had just happened, the sounds of voices suddenly drawing close was all it took to jerk us apart, and in the blink of an eye, Xander was at the other side of the kitchen, washing his hand at the sink. Needing to act like I was doing something, I turned around and pulled the fridge open while my heartbeat raced widely as I imagined what could have happened if I had been caught in such a moment. All hell would definitely have broken loose, and somehow, that was the reminder that I needed that the silly crush I had on Xander is not only dangerous but also taboo since he was technically my step brother.

Xander’s mother and the househelp arrived at the kitchen a few moments later. She was saying something to her son when I noticed him slip out of the kitchen after mumbling a few words to her.

“I take it y’all are getting along just fine, right honey?” She asked as I turned away from the fridge. I nodded weakly in response, wanting to escape to my bedroom instantly.

“Perfect! That’s all I’ve always wanted for you two, to become a brother and sister that would always look out for the other.” She continued, and I chuckled awkwardly before nodding along with her. Minutes later, I flew to the bedroom.

Before closing the door, my eyes locked with Xander’s for a heartbeat before I slammed the door shut, heart beating erratically.

Later that evening, Xander and his girlfriend left, and he didn’t say goodbye to me before leaving, which is probably for the best since I’m already determined to kill the stupid crush I had on him.

~~~

6 YEARS LATER

“You need to stop leaving the studio so late Lisa,” Dax’s voice is thick with worry through the phone.

I chuckled and shifted the phone to my other ear. “Don’t worry about me Dax, I’ll be fine, I have my pepper spray, my blade and three years of training under my belt.”

He sigh in annoyance. “Just be careful, the streets aren’t safe. I still don’t know why you insisted on building the studio there, you could have buildings in other places in the city and yet you chose there.”

I sigh and shift my handbag to my other arm. It's chilly tonight, even though the walk from the front door to the parking lot is a short one, I can feel my energy being sapped out as I move. I’m already tired from the amount of energy I exerted today. This whole conversation with Dax was draining more of my energy.

Today was a better day, he wasn’t yelling at me and calling me stupid for my decisions, but still, the tone of his voice was already morphing from worried to irritated.

“It’s fine Dax, the crime rate here isn’t as high as displayed on the news, it’ll be fine, I’m getting into my car now,” I say as calmly as possible, anything to keep him from yelling at me.

He sighed and hung up without responding. Typical.

Ironic how Shonda and I once referred to him as someone sensible and respectful. Somebody, he has drastically changed throughout the six years I’ve known him,

I let my shoulders droop as I took one more step, and that one second that I let my guard down is enough for my purse to get ripped out of my hand and for me to get flung onto the floor harshly. I let out a scream and tried to scramble onto my feet, but fatigue and shock rendered me frozen. My masked attackers kicked me in the side twice and I had to roll into a ball to avoid being hit anywhere else. For a moment, I wonder if this was karma for never listening to Dax.

It took about a minute for them to get into my car and zoom off.

Once I was sure they had left, I slowly sat up and clutched myself tightly while my heart raced.

Knowing there was nothing else I could do since my phone had been stolen as well, I waddled away from the parking lot and onto the Main Street in order to get a cab. My right side is bruised and my outfit is covered in dust and grime, while tremors wracked through me.

I was trying to keep my racing heart under control when the sound of a motorcycle pulling up a few feet away from me, jerked me out of my reverie. My head whipped up in fear and my legs wobbled at the thought of this being another thief.

Tears streamed down my face as I threw my hands up. “I don’t have any more money, please.”

The rider unbuckled his helmet and pulled it off, revealing shoulder length hair and a face that I haven’t seen in six years, and it took a few seconds for my overworked brain to recognize him. Moments later, my mouth was hanging open.

“Xander?”