My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 52

“Gianna,” he said slowly, “that girl lives under my roof.”

“She lives with me,” Gianna shot back instantly, “And I’ve been taking care of Jules long before we stepped foot in this house.”

I pushed myself off the desk before I even realized I was moving. The room was quiet enough that the sound of my shoes against the floor echoed slightly as I stepped closer.

No one talks to my older brother like that.

Gianna’s eyes flicked toward me immediately. I stopped a few feet away from her, sliding one hand into my pocket as I studied her face.

“You really enjoy making things harder for yourself, don’t you?” I said lazily.

Her eyes narrowed, “That’s not what I’m doing.”

I tilted my head slightly, “No?” my gaze flicked briefly toward Vincenzo before returning to her, “A man offers to secure your future,” I continued calmly, “and instead of using the opportunity, you decide to start a speech about independence. Very dramatic.”

Her jaw clenched, “I’m not interested in living off someone else’s money.”

“That’s a charming fantasy,” I said, “But reality tends to be less sentimental.”

The color in her cheeks deepened, “I didn’t ask for any of this,” she snapped.

“No,” I agreed smoothly, “You didn’t but you’re here anyway.”

She glared at me like she wanted to throw something.

“Let me give you some advice,” I said quietly, “Pride is only useful when you can afford it. And you,” I finished coolly, “are in absolutely no position to be turning down help.”

I held her gaze, unimpressed.

While her eyes were burning with the kind of anger that usually made people say things they regretted. Then her jaw loosened slightly and the tension in her shoulders shifted into something colder.

She glanced toward the door Gianna had just walked through as if she expected her to come storming back any second.

“I’m very sorry for her behavior,” she finished quietly.

By then her hands were shaking badly, not the small nervous kind of shaking. It was so violent that Dad immediately reached for them, gently wrapping his hands around hers.

“Hey,” he murmured softly, squeezing her fingers, “It’s alright.”

The sight made something dark twist in my chest.

That same man had watched our mother slowly break under the weight of this family and never once held her hands like that. Never once spoke to her with that softness. Now suddenly he had all the patience in the world for the woman who came after her.

Vincenzo sighed softly, “Hazel, you don’t need to apologize for your daughter. She spoke her mind,” he continued. “I’ve heard worse.”